Woman Undergoes Brain Surgery While Awake At UCH In Ibadan

IF you are still in doubt of the expertise of Nigerian medical doctors, maybe this might convince you.

A surgery on a woman's brain to remove a big tumour was successfully done at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Oyo State on Monday.

The brain surgery, which involved Dr Olufemi Adeleye, a brain surgeon and other experts, was carried out while the woman was awake, but sedated but could hear people talk to her.

If a patient is kept awake during the procedure, the surgeon can monitor his or her responses with a simple series of questions and directions, which is where the thumbs-up comes in.

Sources at the hospital confirmed that the woman, who is recuperating at the hospital's intensive care unit is hale and hearty and that her doctors say she would be discharged to go home few days from now.

It is recalled that the first awake brain tumour surgeries were first carried out at the hospital two years ago.

The operation, which though complex enables the neurosurgeons to remove tumours that would otherwise be inoperable because they are too close to areas of the brain that control vision, language and body movements. The surgery could also result in a significant loss of function, if things go wrong.

Neurosurgeons perform awake brain surgery for tumours that have spread throughout the brain and do not have clear borders. The procedure is performed after the patient's scalp is numbed and usually with the patient sedated.

The neurosurgeon works very closely with the neuroanesthesiologist. Together, they will decide if awake brain surgery is right for a particular patient, depending on the importance of awake brain surgery in removing the tumour without damaging critical parts of the brain, the patient's general health and whether the patient will be able to remain calm during the procedure and respond to the neurosurgeon.

www.tribune.com.ng/news2013/index.php/en/health-news/item/31016-woman-undergoes-brain-surgery-while-awake-at-uch.html
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN

Pastor Biodun of COZA was dashed Rolls Royce and $1 Million

Dr Mike Murdock,  an American televangelist and pastor of the Wisdom Center ministry based in Fort Worth, Texas recently visited Nigeria.He was in COZA,  Abuja where he was said to have given out Pastor Fatoyinbo Bidoun ( remember that pastor with the sex scandal) a royce rolls and $1Million Dollars.
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN

Ugandan President Refuses to Sign anti-Gay Bill Into Law. (interesting)

President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda has refused to sign into law an anti-gay bill passed by the country's parliament, which is aimed at imprisoning not just homosexuals, but people who talk about it without condemning the lifestyle. The President in a letter to the Country's parliament speaker said homosexuals are 'abnormal' but could be 'rescued' by improving the economy.

"Even with legislation, they will simply go underground and continue practicing homosexuality or lesbianism for mercenary reasons. You cannot call an abnormality an alternative orientation. It could be that the Western societies, on account of random breeding, have generated many abnormal people." President Museveni said

In December 2013, the Ugandan parliament passed its anti-gay bill going against  the President's advice and now seeks his assent. The President had initially advised that the homosexuality situation in the country be studied deeply and carefully before any laws against the practice be enacted.

The Ugandan anti-gay bill seeks to make all form of homosexual activities a criminal offense to be punishable under law. Homosexuals can get as much as a life term imprisonment punishment. Also anyone who knows a homosexual and doesn't report such to police authorities would also face some sanctions if found wanting.
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN

INEC to Release Timetable for 2015 Elections Soon

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it  would soon release the timetable and sequence of the 2015 general election.

INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, yesterday told the European Union (EU) Managing Director for Africa, Nicholas Wescott, about the plan when he visited him in Abuja.

On preparations for governorship elections in Osun and Ekiti States, Jega allayed fears that the widespread irregularities that marred the November 16, 2013 governorship election in Anambra State would recur in the two states.

He said the electoral body would not use the manual and addendum registers in   Ekiti and  Osun governorship elections and the 2015 general election as it would use the electronic register.

To ensure credible polls in  subsequent elections, added that a regiment of Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) would precede the two governorship elections and the 2015 general election.
He explained that although the electronic register was not perfect, the commission had made   efforts to make it credible.

According to him,  INEC will only use the electronic register to conduct elections because of the significant improvement  that had occurred and a court ruling that the commission could only use one register to conduct elections.

He urged Nigerians, who had not registered or whose names were not in the electronic register to use the opportunity of the impending CVR   to do so.

Jega said the commission would next month launch a facility to enable registrants to query its database to find out if their names were in the electronic register.

INEC Chairman added that commission would create additional polling units to decongest others in such a way that no polling unit would have more than 500 voters as opposed to the subsisting situation where some polling units have up to 3,000 registered voters.

Jega also expressed optimism that the security challenges being faced in the  North-east  would have been addressed and overcome before the 2015 general election.

"Based on the lessons the commission had learnt and which it had factored into the planning of the 2015 general election, we are confident that we will raise the bar," he said.

Earlier, Wescott had expressed the desire of the EU to ensure that the 2015 general election  were transparent and the results acceptable to all stakeholders.
"We're keen to ensure that the elections next year will be transparent and that everyone will accept the outcome. That the votes will be counted and that the votes will count," he said.

Meanwhile, INEC  is to hold a two-day retreat for its Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) on the preparations for the general election.

According to the Director, Commission's Secretariat, Ishiaku A. Gali, the retreat will take place in Kaduna,  from January 23 to 24.
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN

Woman loses $300,000 in Christian Mingle online dating scam

Detailed by San Francisco ABC news affiliate KGO-TV, a 66-year-old San Jose divorcee was swindled out of $300,000 by a Nigerian man used an online dating site profile as bait. Claiming to be an Irish citizen named David Holmes that worked on a Scottish oil rig, the man started talking to the divorcee  through dating site ChristianMingle.com, a site that markets itself as "the online community created specifically for Christian singles looking to find friends, romance or marriage." The relationship initially progressed from communication through the dating site to emails, text messages, flower deliveries and eventually phone calls. 

Further along in the relationship, the conversation turned a need for money to pay off his daughter's tuition. After those initial payments came through, the Nigerian man requested that the woman help fund his oil rig business. The scammer even went as far as setting up a fake business website to help legitimize the claim. According to authorities, the divorcee got her hands on $300,000 by pulling it out of her retirement account as well as refinancing her home. 

By the time that someone in her life contacted the authorities, the woman had wired an additional $200,000 as a second loan to help the fake oil rig business. Fortunately, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office was able to move quickly and freeze the $200,000 transaction with the help of Turkish banking officials. In addition, Turkish authorities were able to arrest an associate of the Nigerian scammer at the bank in question. The Skype and email accounts used by "David Holmes" were traced back to a location in Nigeria. 

Warning the public about the incident, Deputy District Attorney Cherie Bourlard said "Don't loan or invest money with anyone you have never met and only know from a dating website. It's too easy to create a false identity, or steal someone else's identity, and use it on an online dating service." Regarding the remaining $300,000, Bourlard said that there's barely a chance of tracking down the initial large payment and federal authorities won't get involved for cases less than $1 million.
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN

SPORT| Fifa Ranking - Eagles Drop!

Nigeria have slipped four places to 41st in the latest Fifa world rankings, released on Thursday.
The African champions are placed seventh on the continent, behind Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Algeria, Egypt, Cape Verde Islands and Mali.
Globally, there is no change in the top 25 teams, with Spain still leading the way, followed by Germany, Argentina, Colombia and Portugal. World Cup hosts Brazil are 10th.
The Super Eagles played two matches in the last ranking window, beating Ethiopia 2-1 before losing 2-1 to Mali in their African Nations Championship (Chan) opener on January 1.
Stephen Keshi's men defeated Mozambique 4-2 yesterday, and next face tournament hosts South Africa on Sunday.
Chan is an event reserved for footballers plying their trade in the country of their birth.
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN

Jim Iyke’s Boo, Nadia Buhari Breaks Record

The premiere last week of the 'Diary of Imogen', a film by Ghanaian actress, Nadia Buari has broken the records of premiere turn-outs in Ghana. 


In an unprecedented three-city screening of the acclaimed film, a true story, 'The Diary of Imogen' is being hailed as the most successful film ever to be premiered at sold out venues in Ghallywood's history. 

The first was a double screening (7-9 pm and 10-12pm) held at the prestigious Accra Conference Centre's 1500 capacity screening room. It was sold out. 

At the second venue,  the "oil city" of Takoradi, Nadia Buari's magic broke the unexplained jinx that has for long plagued many acclaimed productions whose premieres flopped woefully as the viewing public just couldn't be persuaded. A recent case in point is one of Ghana's biggest female film makers Shirley Frimpong who had to cancel her premiere of 'Potomanto' there due to disastrous ticket sales. 

However, for Buari's 'Diary of Imogen, the evil spell couldn't hold people back as her two screenings there sold out. The first was already one-third full before the arrival of Nadia Buari and close friend Jim Iyke who also played the lead role in the film. Their presence instantly gingered-up the crowd that crammed the 1200 capacity Akroma Plaza. 

The third and smallest venue was the Golden Tulip in Kumasi where organisers were overwhelmed by the most vibrant crowd of all. This was where many who attended the first screening at 7-9 pm stayed back for the second at 9-11pm an unheard of occurrence that compelled new arrivals to watch the film on their feet without even complaining. 

The premiere of 'The Diary of Imogen' will now move to Nigeria, Zambia and Canada in no particular order. The film was written, executive produced and directed by Buari, whose mum, Khadija Buari, also co-produced.‬
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN

Aremu Afolayan Speaks About His Love for Older women

Nollywood actor Aremu Afolayan  was recently interviewed on Yes magazine and he made this shocking statement about his love for dating older women

Read Below
About being a gigolo: They said I'm a gigolo? I owe no one any explanation for the way I live my life. They can criticize my film, but not my life. They said I do rich women for money, how I wish I can do that because a gigolo don't get broke like this. If I'm a gigolo I will never sell my properties to do a film of N16 million. I sold three of my cars to raise the money. I am not what people think I am.

So, what is the truth about that allegation: I love ladies that are older than me. It's my business because I don't find the good thing, the real love and happiness from the young chaps. Can you imagine a situation where I sleep with my girl now and she will go and sleep with one yahoo boy or my daddy's friend again because she needs money? So, I have to follow someone who is not a girl as they say, but a lady that is at least older than me. This is what I like. My life, not their life. So, that's no one's business. You see, I owe no one any explanation concerning this. I can only explain to God and until He comes, I can continue
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN

Actress Banned From Nollywood For Stealing

Nollywood Actress, Yetunde Akilapa who was recently arrested for the act of theft committed on Jan 12 of this year has been shown the way out from  Nollywood.This means she can't act movies anymore because of the act  which the movie industry dubbed as not only shameful but disgracing to the industry.
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN

Oscar Nominations: See All the 2014 Academy Award Nominations

Which stars and movies have a chance at winning an Oscar this year? The results are in! Rush actor Chris Hemsworth and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Cheryl Boone Isaacs presented the nominations for the 2014 Academy Awards at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theatre on Thursday, Jan. 16.

Among the contenders? Jennifer Lawrence for American Hustle, Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club and Sandra Bullock for Gravity

Ellen DeGeneres will return to host the Oscars for her second time on Sunday, March 2 at 7:00 p.m. on ABC.

Check out the full list of 2014 Academy Award nominees below, and tell Us who you'll be rooting for on March 2.

Best Picture
American Hustle
Nebraska
Captain Phillips
Philomena
12 Years a Slave
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
The Wolf of Wall Street
Her

Actor in a Leading Role
Christian Bale, American Hustle
Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street

Actress in a Leading Role
Amy Adams, American Hustle
Judi Dench, Philomena
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Meryl Streep, August: Osage County
Sandra Bullock, Gravity

Actor in a Supporting Role
Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
Bradley Cooper, American Hustle
Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave

Actress in a Supporting Role
Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine
Julia Roberts, August: Osage County
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
June Squibb, Nebraska
Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave

Animated Feature Film
The Croods
Frozen
The Wind Rises
Despicable Me 2
Ernest & Celestine

Cinematography
The Grandmaster, Philippe Le Sourd
Gravity, Emmanuel Lubezki
Inside Llewyn Davis, Bruno Delbonnel
Nebraska, Phedon Papamichael
Prisoners, Roger A. Deakins

Costume Design
American Hustle, Michael Wilkinson
The Grandmaster, William Chang Suk Ping
The Great Gatsby, Catherine Martin
The Invisible Woman, Michael O'Connor
12 Years a Slave, Patricia Norris

Directing
American Hustle, David O. Russell
Gravity, Alfonso Cuaron
Nebraska, Alexander Payne
12 Years a Slave, Steve McQueen
The Wolf of Wall Street, Martin Scorsese

Documentary Feature
The Act of Killing
Cutie and the Boxer
Dirty Wars
The Square
20 Feet from Stardom

Documentary Short Subject
CaveDigger, Jeffrey Karoff
Facing Fear, Jason Cohen
Karama Has No Walls, Sara Ishaq
The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life, Malcolm Clarke and Nicholas Reed
Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall, Edgar Barens

Film Editing
American Hustle, Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers and Alan Baumgarten
Captain Phillips, Christopher Rouse
Dallas Buyers Club, John Mac McMurphy and Martin Pensa
Gravity, Alfonso Cuaron and Mark Sanger
12 Years a Slave, Joe Walker

Foreign Language Film
The Broken Circle Breakdown, Belgium
The Great Beauty, Italy
The Hunt, Denmark
The Missing Picture, Cambodia
Omar, Palestine

Makeup and Hairstyling
Dallas Buyers Club, Adruitha Lee and Robin Mathews
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa, Stephen Prouty
The Lone Ranger, Joel Harlow and Gloria Pasqua-Casny

Music, Original Song
"Alone Yet Not Alone" from Alone Yet Not Alone
"Happy" from Despicable Me 2
"Let It Go" from Frozen
"The Moon Song" from Her
"Ordinary Love" from Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

Production Design
American Hustle
Gravity
The Great Gatsby
Her
12 Years a Slave

Short Film, Animated
Feral
Get a Horse!
Mr. Hublot
Possessions
Room on the Broom

Short Film, Live Action
Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn't Me)
Avanta Que De Tout Perdre (Just Before Losing Everything)
Helium
Pitaako Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?)
The Voorman Problem

Sound Editing
All Is Lost
Captain Phillips
Gravity
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Lone Survivor

Sound Mixing
Captain Phillips
Gravity
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Inside Llewyn Davis
Lone Survivor

Visual Effects
Gravity
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Iron Man 3
The Lone Ranger
Star Trek Into Darkness

Best Adapted Screenplay
Before Midnight
Captain Phillips
Philomena
12 Years a Slave
The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Original Screenplay
American Hustle
Blue Jasmine
Dallas Buyers Club
Her
Nebraska
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN

DPO, four policemen injured in Ogun APC shootout – Police

    
The Ogun State Police Command has said no fewer than five policemen were injured in Thursday's attack on members of All Progressives Congress in Wasimi, Ewekoro Local Government of the state by suspected armed thugs and rival party members.

The injured personnel, the police said, included the Divisional Police Officer of Ewekoro and the orderly to the Area Commander of Ota.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi, told newsmen in Abeokuta on the telephone that the police did not take side in the incident.

Adejobi, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, said, "This morning, the police were informed that there would be a programme in Wasimi, Ewekoro and the Area Commander, Ota, Titi Kayode, went there with some policemen, including some DPOs. We discovered that the group of Senator (Gbenga) Obadara wanted to have a meeting there. But some youths vowed not to allow him. The police persuaded the youths.

"When the atmosphere was not conducive, the police suggested that the programme be postponed. Later, the Obadara group went to another place and it was there the violence began. Police dispersed the rival groups with teargas. While the two groups were fighting, somebody released (gun) shots.

"Five policemen and a civilian were injured. The DPO Ewekoro was injured; the orderly to Area Commander Ota was also injured. It was an ugly incident. The police later restored normalcy

"Immediately, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ikemefuna Okoye, sent two Deputy Commissioners of Police to the place. We are going to transfer the case to the State CID. Nobody should accuse the police wrongly or link us with the violence. Our men were also injured. Since firearms were used; it is a case that cannot be swept under the carpet."


Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN