UK Deputy PM Opposed to 3,000 Pounds Bond Plan

--> As the countdown nears to the implementation of the United Kingdom visa bond for citizens of six countries including Nigeria and India, there is a twist as Britain's deputy prime minister said on Sunday he will try to block any attempt to make foreign nationals visiting routinely to pay a security deposit to come to the UK.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said his Liberal Democrat party and its Conservative coalition partners had "differences of emphasis" on the plan, and details were still being discussed in government.

"I am absolutely not interested in a bond which becomes an indiscriminate way of clobbering people who want to come to this country," Clegg told the BBC. He said the bonds "are certainly not going to go ahead" on that basis.

"Of course in a coalition I can stop things," he added.

The UK government plans to begin a pilot project in November involving "high-risk" countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Some visitors will have to pay a 3,000 pound ($4,800) deposit, which will be refunded upon departure but forfeited if travelers overstay their visas.

Nigerian politicians have also criticised the plan as "unacceptable" and pledged to stand up for their country's interests.  "They should realise that it is not in the best interests of the UK," said Nnenna Elendu-Ukeje, who chairs the foreign affairs committee in Nigeria's House of Representatives.

Spanish kung fu teacher kills Nigerian lady

  A Nigerian lady died of her injuries on Wednesday after she was assualted and injured by a Spanish Kung Fu teacher in the Spanish northern city of Bilbao.
 Report said the the Kung Fu teacher stands accused of two murders, police said on Wednesday, after bones discovered in his gymnasium turned out to be the remains of another woman and the Nigerian. Reports also said the Nigerian lady was a prostitute.
   Police in Bilbao broke into 47-year-old Juan Carlos Aguilar's gymnasium's Zen4, on Sunday after a neighbour reported hearing screams. Inside, they found the badly injured 29-year-old Nigerian lady bound by her arms and legs.
She lay in a coma in a hospital until on Wednesday morning when she died, police said.

   The martial arts instructor appeared before a judge on Wednesday on suspicion of murdering the Nigerian.
   But in a search of the gymnasium at the weekend, officers also discovered bones, which have now been identified as those of a 40-year-old Colombian woman, a police spokesman said.
   Aguilar, who set up a so-called Ocean of Tranquility monastery, boasted he was the first Western master of the Shaolin school of kung fu, a three-time world champion and eight-time Spanish champion, according to the Spanish media.
   But his claims of kung fu championship success and even his boast of being a Shaolin master have been denied by martial arts officials speaking to the Spanish press.
   Bilbao city councillors agreed on a joint statement condemning the attack and expressing their "shock" at the police's discovery of evidence pointing to the previous alleged murder.
   They called on the courts to act swiftly and firmly in cases of violence against women and urged the city's residents to help battle such crimes by reporting them to police.
   The city called a rally for Wednesday against such violence.

Romanian village unfurls largest flag in the world

BUCHAREST A Romanian village on Monday unfurled what is the largest flag ever made, according to Guinness World Records.
 It took about 200 people several hours on Monday to roll out the flag, which measured about 349 meters (1,145 feet) by 227 meters (744.5 feet), about three times the size of a football field, according to Jack Brockbank, an adjudicator for Guinness World Records who measured the flag before pronouncing it the biggest flag in the world.

Radicalised Briton Adebolajo from 'Born Again' family

Swaleh Ahmed, the imam of Woolwich Mosque.

LONDON  When Michael Adebolajo was filmed clutching the bloodied knives he apparently used to butcher a soldier, Britons were chilled by the strong London accent in which he spoke of his Islamist motives. How could one of their own have become so radicalised?
   Adebolajo was born in London to to a God-fearing and devoutly Christian parents from Nigeria, he is believed to have converted to Islam in his late teens before becoming increasingly radical.
   Much less is known about the other suspect, 22-year-old Michael Adebowale, who like Adebolajo remains in hospital under armed guard. But he too is believed to be the London-born son of a Nigerian family.
   Childhood friends were among those most appalled by amateur footage of a bloody-handed Adebolajo in the minutes after the murder, in which he tells a passer-by that he killed Rigby because British soldiers killed Muslims every day.
   They remember him as a classroom joker with the same interests as any other British teenager -- football, chasing girls, playing video games, and listening to rap music.
   "He wasn't naughty but liked a joke," one schoolfriend told The Times. "He got in trouble every now and again but only with the teachers -- like we all did."
   Acquaintances recalled that Adebolajo's mother had strong Christian beliefs, but he himself was not particularly interested in religion.
   "She raised him as a Christian with good manners and respect," a family friend said. .
   It appears that Adebolajo converted to Islam around 2003, but his friends and family watched with concern as he became increasingly radical.
   He is believed to have attempted to travel to Somalia to join the Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab insurgents, but had to turn back.
   Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary, one of the leaders of the radical Al-Muhajiroun group, said he was well-acquainted with Adebolajo, who regularly attended sermons by banned radical cleric Omar Bakri in London.
   "He used to attend some of our activities over the years," Choudary said. "Very peaceful chap actually, not violent at all, very pleasant."
   Choudary said Adebolajo had changed his name to Mujahid, meaning "holy fighter", and was a familiar face at meetings of Al-Muhajiroun, which is now banned in Britain under anti-terror laws.
   "We lost any kind of contact with him about three years ago," Choudary added.
   A photograph has emerged of Adebolajo scuffling with police at an Islamist protest in 2006 outside London's Old Bailey court, where an extremist was on trial for urging the killing of British soldiers.
   The protesters had called for people to "behead those who insult Islam".
   The Times said Adebolajo had been frequently spotted in recent weeks preaching on the main shopping street of Woolwich, the south London district where Rigby was murdered not far from his army barracks.
     In the now infamous video taken in the aftermath of the attack, Adebolajo makes a series of political statements including a demand for Prime Minister David Cameron to "bring our troops back".
   "The only reason we have killed this man today is because Muslims are dying daily by British soldiers and this British soldier is one," he says, holding a blood-covered kitchen knife and a meat cleaver.
   "It is an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth."
   He later adds: "I apologise that women have had to witness this today, but in our land our women have to see the same. You people will never be safe. Remove your government, they don't care about you."
   Reports suggest that Adebolajo fell in with a bad crowd in his late teens, despite his parents' efforts to steer him back on track, with some acquaintances saying he had dabbled in drug-dealing.
   The family moved to Lincolnshire in eastern England in 2002. A house in the county believed to be owned by Adebolajo's father, who works as a mental health nurse, was among several addresses raided by counter-terror police on Wednesday.
   Adebolajo appears to have returned to London a year later -- coinciding with his conversion to Islam -- to start a degree at Greenwich University, just a few miles from the murder scene.

Travails of a Nigerian in Turkey

"I USED to play football in a club in Nigeria.My manager told me that I was good and he gave me false hope to go and find a team in Europe.
"He charged me $4000 for the process of playing for a club in Izmir, in Turkey."

So begins Pascal's story.
However, right after landing on Turkish soil, he received a call from his manager informing him that the contract had been cancelled. Pascal was warned by his team manager not to return to Nigeria, under the veiled threat that his life would be in danger and suggested that he travel to Istanbul.
Pascal had never heard of Istanbul. The manager simply said to him, "this is a big city and you will find help". Fortunately for Pascal when he arrived at Istanbul train station a Turkish resident befriended him and helped him with the contact details of a soccer club.

The young Nigerian has been in Turkey for three years and his dream of playing soccer for a living never eventuated.
Looking back over this time Pascal said: "God put this in my path, I am sure of it.
"I trained myself in that club but finally all this came to nothing. Many promises but no results, only faith in God."
This has been the only support he found during this time - his Christian faith and trust in God.
Regardless of all that had happened Pascal remains convinced.
"I came to Turkey with the intentions of playing football but God brought me here for another league," he said. "I have not played a single game with any recognised club, but I am playing a game which is more important - to give God's testimony with my life and my actions. "I had one plan, but God had other plans for me. God made me find another team. "I have found a prayer group, my faith has grown, I pray every day and I give praise to Him for bringing me here."
Pascal's story is not unique for there are many more stories like his.
Young boys from Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon and other African countries travel to Turkey with many hopes and dreams.
Following the same fraudulent system, all were promised a football club to play for, after handing over large sums of money in their home countries.
Most of them were helped by the support and efforts of their extended families only to discover on arrival that it was all a farce.
Fr Julius Ohnele, a Nigerian priest, is responsible for the pastoral care of these immigrants in Istanbul. To counter the problems encountered by the young immigrants he has worked with a group of dedicated people over the past five years to organise a championship among the African players who have come from different countries.

After years of hard work Fr Julius has this to say about the initiative.
"The training and matches keep them busy and it's healthy that they get training and keep themselves in form," he said.
"Furthermore, we invite different football clubs to see them playing and through this work we have managed to place some players in clubs."
The plight of these football players is just one specific case, but there are thousands of Africans in Turkey suffering similar heartache.
"Some of them flee from the situation of war and violence in their own countries, for example Somalia, Eritrea and Congo," Fr Julius said.
"Others think that while living here, they will find a better life or a step closer to the neighbouring countries.
"The geographic situation of Turkey makes it a place of transit for them, however the border with Greece is very controlled and in the end many of the immigrants get stuck, without money, without work, without hope."Many end with depression."

The residence permit costs from $1000 to $3000 - depending on how long one has stayed as an illegal migrant in the country - and the permit is only for six months.

Finding a job is difficult and often the immigrants feel discriminated against and disadvantaged in society.
Some of them rely on occasional work, which is also difficult to find and they make little to sustain themselves. Frequently they look for help from Fr Julius, but he has almost nothing material to offer them except his prayers.
"It is hard to get support or any assistance for them in Turkey, much more difficult than in other countries in Europe," he said.
To go back to their countries is impossible for them, not only due to lack of money but for more emotive reasons.
"My 'brothers' prefer to die starving, without medical help and being humiliated, instead of going back to their homes to destroy the hopes that families have placed on them," Pascal said.
"In our own countries, they think that Europe is a land where they are going to find a better life and be able to help those who have been left in their countries.
"The families give out all that they have so that their child could go abroad - sometimes they borrow a big amount of money and bring themselves into debt.
"Going back home to admit that one has been deceived is unimaginable; better to die in misery than go back."
Fr Julius said "they all suffer a lot, many end up in prison".
"Others have tried to go to Greece with fatal results," he said. "Shortly, after arriving here in 2007, I lost some of my parishioners. "I knew them, I had prayed with them. "They all were drowned when the boat in which they went, sank. "That day I felt my heart was broken. "Unfortunately, this is happening continuously."
To come to terms with this reality is not easy for these African immigrants in a country where much of the population are Muslims.

The Catholic community is one of the few places where these "diaspora Africans" feel at home.
Besides Mass in English on Sunday, Fr Julius celebrates an African Mass regularly, with its music and customs. These occasions are a good opportunity to give them a message of hope, perseverance and encouragement. Many of them have seen their faith strengthen after suffering so many difficulties. There are Rosary groups and Charismatic groups.

"The prayer sustains us all. God is their hope," Fr Julius said. The Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need is supporting the Church in Turkey to assist their work with African immigrants.

Beach Eagles Know Opponents On Tuesday

The Beach Soccer National team of Nigeria nicknamed Supersand Eagles will find out who their group opponents are at the Africa Beach Soccer Championship in Casablanca, Morocco on Tuesday.

The draw which to be held on tomorrow is expected to witnessed participating countries pitched in two groups (A and B).

The African qualifiers otherwise called Beach Soccer Nations Cup will take place from 22 - 26 May 2013 in El Jadida, Morocco to determine the two CAF spots available after was originally scheduled for 10 - 14
April, and then 29 May - 2 June 2013 in Casablanca.

Ahead of the draw, Coach Adamu Audu said the team is determined and prepared to take on any side in the competition as the aim for the qualification ticket to the FIFA World Cup remains paramount.

Coach Ejor as popularly called by players and friends said his side hopes to emulate the Super Eagles, stressing that they are desperate to return to the country with the continental trophy and ensure
Nigeria's flag in hoisted at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Tahiti.

Coach Adamu also promised Nigerians that the team will never disappoint them as they plan to beat all odds to win the Beach Soccer Nations cup.

"We have arrived Morocco safely. We thank God, the members of the Nigeria Football Federation and Nigerian for their supports. We promises never to disappoint in qualify for World Cup and winning the
tournament," private media personnel, Samuel Ahmadu quoted him as saying.

Also making a statement, the Kwara United forward and Supersand Eagles highest goalscorer at 2012 Copa Lagos, Abu Azeez has said that the team focused on reclaiming it lost continental crown and determined to
make the World Cup fiesta in Tahiti.

"We are happy arriving here safely, we are in high spirit for the championship and determined we will make Nigerians proud at the end by winning and qualifying for the World Cup," said Abu Azeez.

The Supersand Eagles will be boosted by their recent good form after reclaiming the Copa Lagos last December of 2012 and presence of experienced legs and fresh additions.

Nigeria, remains the most successful country in the continent after winning the CAF Beach Soccer Championship on two occasions, finished runner-up twice in the four times organised tournament and have
qualified for the World Cup three times.

Nigerian university body lists Illegal degree awarding institutions

ABUJA National Universities Commission (NUC) of Nigeria announced that the under-listed “Degree Mills” have not been licensed by the Federal Government and have, therefore, been closed down for violating the Education (National Minimum Standards etc) Act CAP E3 Law of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
The “Universities” are List of Illegal Degree Awarding Institutions Operating in Nigeria.

The “Universities” are:
1) University of Accountancy and Management Studies, operating anywhere in Nigeria.
2) Christians of Charity American University of Science & Technology, Nkpor, Anambra State or any of its other campuses.
3) University of Industry, Yaba, Lagos or any of its other campuses
4) University of Applied Sciences & Management, Port Novo, Republic of Benin or any of its other campuses in Nigeria.
5) Blacksmith University, Awka or any of its other campuses.
6) Volta University College, Ho, Volta Region, Ghana or any of its other campuses in Nigeria.
7) Royal University Izhia, P.O. Box 800, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State or any of its other campuses.
8) Cool Atlanta University, Anyigba, Kogi State or any of its other campuses.
9) Sunday Adokpela University, Otada Adoka, Otukpo, Benue State or any of its other campuses.
10) United Christian University, Macotis Campus, Imo State or any of its other campuses.
11) United Nigeria University College, Okija, Anambra State or any of its other campuses.
12) Samuel Ahmadu University, Makurdi, Benue State or any of its other campuses.
13) UNESCO University, Ndoni, Rivers State or any of its other campuses.
14) Saint Augustine’s University of Technology, Jos, Plateau State or any of its other campuses.
15) The International University, Missouri, USA, Kano and Lagos Study Centres, or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
16) Collumbus University, UK operating anywhere in Nigeria.
17) Tiu International University, UK operating anywhere in Nigeria.
18) Pebbles University, UK operating anywhere in Nigeria.
19) London External Studies UK operating anywhere in Nigeria.
20) Pilgrims University operating anywhere in Nigeria.
21) Lobi Business School Makurdi, Benue State or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
22) West African Christian University operating anywhere in Nigeria.
23) Bolta University College Aba or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
24) JBC Seminary Inc. (Wukari Jubilee University) Kaduna Illegal Campus.
25) Westlan University, Esie, Kwara State or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
26) St. Andrews University College, Abuja or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
27) EC-Council University, USA, Ikeja Lagos Study Centre.
28) Atlas University, Ikot Udoso Uko, Uyo Akwa Ibom State or any of its campuses in Nigeria
29) Concept College/­Universities (London) Ilorin or any of its campuses in Nigeria
30) Halifax Gateway University, Ikeja or any of its campuses in Nigeria
31) Kingdom of Christ University, Abuja or any of its campuses in Nigeria
32) Acada University, Akinlalu, Oyo State or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
33) Fifom University, Mbaise, Imo State or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
34) Houdegbe North American University campuses in Nigeria.
35) Atlantic Intercontinenta­l University, Okija, Anambra State.
36) Open International University, Akure.
37) Middle Belt University (North Central University), Otukpo.
38) Leadway University, Ughelli, Delta State.
39) Metro University, Dutse/Bwari, Abuja.
40) Southend University, Ngwuro Egeru (Afam) Ndoki, Rivers State.
41) Olympic University, Nsukka, Enugu State.
42) Federal College of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Abuja.
43) Temple University, Abuja.
44) Irish University Business School London, operating anywhere in Nigeria.
45) National University of Technology, Lafia, Nasarawa State.
46) University of Accountancy and Management Studies, Mowe, Lagos – Ibadan. Expressway and its Annex at 41, Ikorodu Road, Lagos.
47) University of Education, Winneba Ghana, operating anywhere in Nigeria.
48) Cape Coast University, Ghana, operating anywhere in Nigeria.
49) African University Cooperative Development (AUCD), Cotonou, Benin Republic. operating anywhere in Nigeria.

In addition to the closure, the following Degree Mills are currently undergoing further investigations and/or ongoing court actions. The purpose of these actions is to prosecute the proprietors and recover illegal fees and charges on subscribers.
1) National University of Nigeria, Keffi, Nasarawa State
2) North Central University, Otukpo, Benue State
3) Christ Alive Christian Seminary and University, Enugu
4) Richmond Open University, Arochukwu, Abia State.
5) West Coast University, Umuahia.
6) Saint Clements University, Iyin Ekiti, Ekiti State
7) Volta University College, Aba, Abia State.
8) Illegal Satellite Campuses of Ambrose Alli University
For the avoidance of doubt, anybody who patronises or obtains any certificate from any of these illegal institutions does so at his or her own risk. Certificates obtained from these sources will not be recognised for the purposes of NYSC, employment, and further studies. The relevant Law enforcement agencies have also been informed for their further necessary action.