Nigeria begins export of steel in April

Nigeria's dream of becoming a major player in the steel sector is finally coming to reality, as its first consignment of steel for export begins this month. African Foundries Limited, a foreign company operating in Nigeria, will begin export of steel to Ghana this April, to finally break the jinx and put the country on the global steel map.
African Foundries Limited, with production capacity of 500,000 tons of steel billets, has a state of the art continuous rolling facility, and is the only TMT producing mill in Nigeria, and its first export consignment is about five metric tons.

Sanjay Kumar,the company’s managing director, said exports would commence on April 27, 2013.

“Today is a proud and pleasant moment, and we are showcasing our feat to announce the breakthrough, because we have started to produce for export,” Kumar declared, adding that the firm started with one five ton capacity induction furnace in 2010.

How to get out of financial dependency

The inability of someone to provide for him or herself at least the basic needs of life makes the person financially dependent, and this becomes more of a challenge as the person gets old and becomes unable to take up responsibilities. Expert reviews the scenario and proffer solutions.

 Life can be extremely hard when you find yourself having to depend on others for your daily bread. When you are young it’s not that a big deal but as you get older you’ll want more independence. Unfortunately we now live in a world where money is paramount. This means anyone who is seen to live on less than they need for survival and good living would most likely have to live off others.

What is financial dependency? It is where a person has to rely on another or others for their upkeep. As earlier said, when you are young and still under the care of another, it is not seen as a taboo, it is actually expected. But when a fully grown man or woman is still dependent on someone else then they are bound to lose their self-confidence and self-worth. Even those who support the dependent person sometimes find it extremely challenging to respect the dependent person.
Read more after the cut....

Microsoft to empower Nigeria’s software developers

Microsoft Nigeria has formally declared open its 9jApps contest in Lagos. The challenge is designed to empower local developers to take advantage of Microsoft’s new tools and resources to develop locally appealing and relevant apps for the Windows platform, utilising Visual Studio 2012 and the Windows Phone SDK, in addition to the Windows Azure SDK.
At a press briefing to launch the contest, Country Manager, Microsoft Nigeria Emmanuel Onyeje, said “Nigeria is blessed with enormous talents, and Microsoft is proud to be able to help these talented developers to acquire new skills that will help them explore their potential and reach new heights”.
The 9jApps contest intended to empower the next generation of Nigerian developers, by helping them drive innovation and grow the local software economy, will run for three months, teeing-off in March and climaxing at the end of June, 2013.

President of Malawi Says Madonna ‘Just Came Unannounced…and Made Poor People Dance for Her’

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Last Monday, Madonna arrived in Malawi a VIP. Last Saturday, she left the country with her VIP status revoked.
She and the first female president of Malawi are having a real bitch-off.
The Madonna camp's version of events is that the singer flew to the country last week to check in on some projects she had helped fund through her charity, Raising Malawi. She went to some classrooms her foundation had helped build. She visited a hospital and some orphanages. Before she left, she scrawled out a bizarre handwritten note (on her bright yellow personal stationery) to Malawi President Joyce Banda, in which she:

1. Casually addressed the president as "Joyce"
2. Misspelled the word "responsibility"
3. Said it "would be great" to meet if Joyce had time

Photo: Kim Kardashian proves once more that she's not faking her pregnancy

In response to MTO's claims. These are screen shots from the trailer of the new season of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, which premiers 2nd of June.

Man Sells 6-month- Old Son To Raise Funds For Visa

One Mr Onyekachi  Ekwelum, who allegedly sold his six-month-old  son to raise funds to process his travel documents, would  be appearing before a magistrate in court to defend his action.
Mr Ekwelum allegedly hatched and executed the act without the consent of the wife, but the lid was blown off by his 20-year-old spouse Ozioma when she could not find their son and reported the matter to the police. Her husband had wanted to travel to Greece.
The Abia State commissioner of Police, Mr Usman Abubakar Tilli, who disclosed this to newsmen in his office on Monday said the police  mounted a man hunt that led to the rescue of the child and the arrest of the suspects.
CP Tilli  warned criminals to stay off the state as there would be no hiding place for them and said the suspects have been charged to court.

8 Things You Should Not Do Every Day

It's for your own good. Cut these things out of your day and you'll see gains in productivity--not to mention happiness.

 

If you get decent value from making to-do lists, you'll get huge returns--in productivity, in improved relationships, and in your personal well-being--from adding these items to your not to-do list:
Every day, make the commitment not to:
1. Check my phone while I'm talking to someone.
You've done it. You've played the, "Is that your phone? Oh, it must be mine," game. You've tried the you-think-sly-but-actually-really-obvious downwards glance. You've done the, "Wait, let me answer this text..." thing.
Maybe you didn't even say, "Wait." You just stopped talking, stopped paying attention, and did it.
Want to stand out? Want to be that person everyone loves because they make you feel, when they're talking to you, like you're the most important person in the world?
Stop checking your phone. It doesn't notice when you aren't paying attention.
Other people? They notice.
And they care.

Margaret Thatcher dies at 87

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has died following a stroke .She was Britain's only woman prime minister,famous for her tough and outspoken nature. She governed Britain from 1979 to 1990.

A spokesperson for the family,Lord Timbell said "It is with great sadness that Mark and Carol Thatcher announced that their mother Baroness Thatcher died peacefully following a stroke this morning.

Case Study: Obamacare Boosts My Maternity Store

Thanks to a provision in the ACA that requires, for the first time ever, that health insurance companies cover breast pumps, one NYC store sees a sales boost.

 By Sonya Chudgar | Inc.com staff

 

When new mother Amanda Cole launched Yummy Mummy, a New York City-based supply store for breastfeeding moms, in 2009, she had no idea that in just a few years, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would transform her business into a thriving national retailer.
Since January of this year, Yummy Mummy’s sales have skyrocketed, boosted by a provision in the ACA that requires, for the first time ever, that health insurance companies cover breast pumps.
“In the first week [of January], my assistant manager was basically just like, ‘The phones are ringing off the hook,’” said Cole, 36.
But with this boost came new challenges: Cole has not only had to expand operations, but also learn to navigate the complex world of health care.

Getting Into the Health Care Biz
When the Supreme Court legalized the ACA in July, it confirmed that most private insurers, such as Aetna and Blue Cross Blue Shield, had to cover breast pumps.

Why I sleep in a Coffin - Charlyboy

Sleeping in a Coffin? 
Point of correction, I do not sleep in a casket, I sleep on my bed, it's big and comfy, I only lay in my "casket"when I do my meditation because it helps me to be focused, it tells me more about the imminence of death. My casket is a reminder. It wakes me up from slumber. It tells me, "guy, you have got little or no time left, wake up, be creative and work”. Continue...

Of course, when I read some of the comments of my people, I know a good number of us are ill-informed about quite a number of things. I think it is more of what the casket represents that shocks my people and they start reading meanings into it, depending on their level of understanding. But one question is, what if the same wood that was used to build the casket was used to make a sofa chair? May be, all the hullabaloo about me sitting on a chair wouldn’t have been there in the first place? So when people vocalize their disapproval of my message via the image of a casket,  I understand that they do that from a position of Fear, fear of what the casket represents - Death. So whatever people fear they antagonize. But, the fact that I have reminded myself and even you about death does not really change a thing. It won’t draw your death near, and it won’t even shift it away. All it does is simply a reminder, to thread carefully.

Popular Evangelist and Writer Rick Warren's Son Commits Suicide

The youngest son of Saddleback Valley Community Church pastor Rick Warren has committed suicide after a long battle with mental illness. Rick Warren, the head pastor of the 8th largest church in the U.S made the announcement today Saturday April 6th at his church in Lake Forest, CA.

Rick Warren told members of his congregation that his son took his own life Friday night after battling with mental illness for years which resulted in deep depression and suicidal thoughts. Matthew Warren (pictured right) was 27.

Rick is the author of numerous Christian books, including "The Purpose Driven Life," which has sold over 30 million copies worldwide. 

Photos: 3 Nigerian men caught with box of fake dollars in Lagos

The police at Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, Ikeja, Lagos have arrested three suspected  fraudsters who dupe unsuspecting members of the public using fake dollars and a fake Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, certificate.

The suspects, Olasende Akinsiku, 40, Abiodun Akiniyi, 35, and Tajudeen Lasisi, 40, (pictured above) were arrested following a complaint by a retired Major General to Abba Kyari, the officer in charge of SARS, that he was swindled by the arrested suspects.
Akinsiku, who hails from Ondo state, said their victims that they stole the dollars from their place of work and wanted to convert it into naira  at a cheap rate so that the victims will not suspect that the dollar notes were fake.

Read the complete story after the cut...........

32 people, including 22 Nigerians arrested for multi-million credit card fraud in the US

  32 people, including 22 Nigerians have been arrested in a multimillion, multi-state identity theft and credit card fraud ring. See the report from www.nj.com below...

The Hudson County Prosecutor's Office first got involved in the investigation in the early fall of 2012, when they received numerous complaints from victims as far away as California claiming that credit cards in their name made fraudulent retail purchases in Hudson County, officials said yesterday.

Using store video and physical surveillance, the detectives were able to identify several suspects, authorities state. Detectives then linked those suspects to hundreds of other accounts and millions of dollars in phony transactions.

Please continue...

Ekiti State deputy governor, Funmilayo Olayinka, dies of cancer at 52

The Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, Mrs Funmilayo Olayinka, has died of cancer. The 52 year old banker turned politician lost her battle with cancer today in Lagos. She's survived by her husband and three kids. May her soul rest in peace...Amen

Naira hits highest level since August

The Naira strengthened a fourth day to complete its best one-week performance since August after oil companies were said to sell dollars to meet local expenses.

The currency of Africa’s biggest oil producer rose 0.1 percent to 157.45 per dollar by 1 p.m. in Lagos, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The naira has gained 0.7 percent this week, it’s best performance since the five days through Aug. 17.
Oil companies, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp., are the second-biggest source of dollars after the Central Bank of Nigeria, which offers foreign currency at auctions on Mondays and Wednesdays to maintain exchange-rate stability.
“The naira strengthened on the back of foreign-exchange sales from oil companies earlier this week, expected dollar sales from the NNPC, and to a lesser extent, some modest foreign-capital inflows,” Samir Gadio, an emerging-markets strategist at Standard Bank Group Ltd. in London, said in an e- mail. “It is likely that dollar-naira will drift higher once the NNPC effect dissipates next week.”
The central bank sold $237 million at an April 3 auction, compared with $300 million at the previous sale on March 27. It didn’t hold an offer on April 1 because of a public holiday.
Borrowing costs on Nigeria’s local-currency debt due January 2022 rose six basis points, or 0.06 percentage point, to 10.89 percent, according to yesterday’s prices compiled by the Financial Markets Dealers Association.
Yields on Nigeria’s $500 million of Eurobonds due January 2021 declined three basis points to 4.33 percent today