See How Google Celebrated Nigeria @ 55

Search engine giant, Google Inc. has joined millions of well-wishers across the globe, to celebrate the 55th Independence Day Anniversary of Africa’s most populous nation, Nigeria.

The Google Africa Team, in a felicitation message via its verified Twitter handle, @googleafrica, tweeted: “Here’s wishing Africa’s most populous nation a happy 55th Independence day. Keep soaring Nigeria!”

Again, to further celebrate the giant of Africa, Google Africa Team, changed the header photo on its Twitter handle to showcase Nigeria’s Africanness with six young women adorned in colourful Nigerian traditional headgear ‘gele.’

On its search page, it also celebrated Nigeria, using an internet meme of an eagle soaring high across the sky, as well as over the waters. This is even as the meme read “Happy Independence Day Nigeria.”

When the internet meme is clicked, it gives enriching results of Nigeria’s history among other information.

What Happens When Someone Leaves Millions to a Pet?

The ins and outs of spending a fortune on a beloved animal.

A Manhattan woman who passed away earlier this summer left $100,000 to her 32 pet cockatiels, her cat, and her dog, along with quite specific instructions on how her beloved birds should be treated.

Over the weekend, the New York Post published the will of Leslie Ann Mandel, who ran a fundraising business that the Post reported as the largest private mailing list in the country at one time. In it, Mandel created a trust for all 32 of her cockatiels—Wheetie, Port, Blackie, Zippy, Tara, Zara, Shasha, Pigeon, Victory, Alie, Zack 12, Dart, Cubby, Max, Baby, Ruthie, Pumpkin, Tattoo, Susie, Tracy, Margie, Sammy, Angel, Inky, Sara, Tunra, Tanteleah, Eva, Cody, Nicki, Avis, and Dragon—along with her cat, Kiki, and dog, Frosty. The trust is to be controlled by her stepson, whom she stated is entitled to use his “judgement and discretion” to determine how and when the money should be used for the pets. (Her sister Avis Mandel is contesting the arrangement.)

But she did leave some detailed instructions on how she would like her pets to live. The will states that she wants them to continue living in the aviary at her Wainscott, New York, home. Should they be moved, she requires it to be to a protected place of similar size and material, without a cage.

She was also specific on how and when they’re fed. “It is my wish that the birds be fed and the building cleaned each Monday and Thursday and their food shall be purchased from AVI Cakes, Carrots, water and popcorn,” the will states.

The lucky birds are neither the first nor the luckiest pets left fortunes in estate. Each of Mandel’s feather and fur babies inherited a meager $3,000; compared to filthy rich animals who moved on up to Easy Street after their owners passed away, they’re practically poor.

At the top of the long list of non-human heirs reigns Gunther IV. The German shepherd, believed to be the world’s richest dog, has a net worth estimated at more than $370 million. That money has been passed down from a long line of German shepherds of the same name. The original Gunther was bequeathed $80 million from his owner, a German countess named Carlotta Liebenstein, when she died in 1991.

On the more rags-to-riches side is Tommaso, a onetime stray cat on the streets of Rome, who inherited $13 million when his owner, the widow of an Italian property bigwig, Maria Assunta, died in 2011.

Perhaps the most high-profile millionaire dog was the late Trouble Helmsley, the Maltese turned multi-millionaire who belonged to hotelier Leona Helmsley.

Trouble, who passed away at the age of 12 in 2010, was thrust into the spotlight when her owner died and left her $12 million, while two of Helmley’s grandchildren received nothing. Trouble became the target of great vitriol, receiving dozens of kidnapping and death threats. A judge later determined the inheritance excessive and shaved it down to $2 million.

But what happens when a lapdog or cockatiel suddenly becomes a millionaire? If they can’t saunter down Fifth Avenue with a dozen Bergdorf bags or private jet to the Maldives or blow it in Las Vegas, where does that money even go?

Estate lawyers say it’s a lot less like a movie montage and more like any other trust. According to Matthew Bovino, an estate attorney at Davidson, Dawson & Clark LLP in New York, a pet trust is still uncommon, but it does make sure that a wealthy individual can die knowing their beloved will still eat filet or sleep on silk even after they’re gone.

A trust gives this assurance by having different people in charge of overseeing different aspects of the pet’s care: there’s a trustee, who controls the money and decides when and how it gets paid out; a caretaker, who actually looks after the pet and asks for money from the trustee to pay bills and related expenses; and an enforcer, who makes sure that the trustee and caretaker aren’t mishandling the funds or appropriating them for personal use. If a person doesn’t name an enforcer and there’s enough money there, a court can appoint one. This keeps trustees or caretakers from availing themselves of the cash for the aforementioned Bergdorf, Maldives, or Vegas trips—all on a lucky animal’s dime.

“There are a lot of ways a pet trust can be effective,” said Bovino, because it makes sure that someone is looking out for that which the pet is entitled.

But even the most detailed trust can’t always stop a sharp caretaker or trustee intent on keeping the gravy train rolling. A trust usually details what should happen once a pet dies, according to Bovino’s associate, Kelly Michael. Typically, an owner yields whatever money left over to individuals or a charity. If no one is directly named, then the remainder is absorbed back into the estate.

That could leave a caretaker, someone who’s devoted him or herself to upholding whatever requests the deceased had for their pet, with nothing once the animal passes away. Be weary of that person, according to Gideon Rothschild, chair of the law firm Moses and Singer’s asset-protection and trusts-and-estates practices.

“There’s a risk that when the cat dies, and the person doesn’t want to stop taking their [money, so] they’ll go out and buy a cat that looks exactly like the other cat so they don’t have to stop,” he said. He recommends, then, a person put a limit on the amount of time a trustee can collect money from the trust, lest their millions be piecemealed away on the the care of a line of imposter cats, cockatiels, and other once-beloved pets.

Active Facebook Users In Nigeria Hit 15million

3d illustration of a facebook logo standing in front of an upright map of the world on a blue reflective surface

Growing population and relatively low levels of internet access present a large untapped market for the social network to earn advertising revenue.

The numbers, the first Facebook has published for Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation and Kenya, East Africa’s most developed, show the two nations as important entry points on a continent of nearly one billion people.

Nigeria had 15 million monthly active users as of June 30 this year, all of them using mobiles to like, share and upload content on the social network. In Kenya, 95 percent of the 4.5 million monthly active users did so via mobiles.

“Mobile is not a trend; it’s the fastest adoption of disruptive technology in history of communication,” said Nunu Ntshingila, Facebook’s head of Africa, in a statement.

South Africa has 12 million monthly active Facebook users, the data showed, and Facebook says with its strong advertising partnerships in Africa it would use the new office in Johannesburg to expand its business across the continent.

Facebook said its active user population in Africa grew 20 per cent to 120 million in June from 100 million in September last year. A large portion of these users were in North Africa

MTN Foundation Marks Decade Of Social Giving

TEN years in the life of any organisation is a milestone indeed. For MTN Foundation, looking back 10 years after, the journey has really been eventful.

As such when the Foundation brought out its drums and cymbals to celebrate its modest success thus far, friends and well-wishers from far and near fanned out en masse to witness the epoch event.

As would be expected, the Agip Recital Hall of the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos was filled to overflowing during the eighth graduation ceremony of the MTN Foundation-MUSON Music Scholars Programme.

For the scholars and beneficiaries of the two-year MTN Foundation (MTNF) music scholarship programme, they naturally displayed their mastery in music, as a testament to how far the Foundation has kept faith with them. Full Story

3 NYSC Corp Members In Police Net For Alleged Robbery

Three members of the National Youth Service Corp, NYSC are in police net for allegedly robbing one Mrs Anyanwu Obioma at Halidu Gezu plaza in Suleja, Niger state.

Niger state Command Police Public Relation Officer, Bala Elkana (ASP) in a statement made available to LEADERSHIP Friday yesterday in Minna said that the three corp members were arrested by a team of vigilante attached to the plaza.

Elkana stated that those arrested and brought to the police were: Dore Shola Frank, Jimoh Sadiq ,   and   Oscar Owolabi   all serving corps members of National Youth Service Corps, Suleja.“They were brought on the allegation that the said suspects conspired and entered the shop of one Mrs Anyanwu Obioma of Halidu Gezu Plaza Suleja and robbed her of a cash sum of N150, 000.00,”

The police spokesman also disclosed that the corp members were accused of allegedly stealing one Laptop valued at N140,000.00, recharge cards worth N159,000.00, three bags of rice valued N30,000.00 and 11 big sizes of milo valued N15,000.00.

According to him, Police has launched an in-depth investigation into the matter and Niger State Secretariat of the NYSC is duly informed about the involvement of the corp members in the incident.

Queen Elizabeth II Becomes Britain’s Longest Reigning Monarch

She broke the 63-year record set by her great-great grandmother, Queen Victoria. Queen Elizabeth II is now the longest reigning British monarch having been crowned at the age of 25. She has now ruled for 63 years, seven months, four days and counting… ANDREW ESSIEN writes. Full Story

The Story Of A Woman Who Gave Birth To Bathroom Slippers

Wonders, it is said, will never end in this world as the saying goes. In faraway township of Azare, headquarters of Katagum Local Government Area of Bauchi State, over 200 kilometres away from the state capital, another wonder took place last week at a general hospital. It was a delivery by a village woman who came to the hospital after some months of occasional labour pain in her stomach but without the normal conception symbol. After medical examination and prescriptions given her by a nurse, Amina Usman and her husband were on the way out of the medical office when she suddenly felt another severe labour pain and she immediately had to stop at a point.

The place was the premises of the hospital emergency ward, after some few minutes patience by Amina and her waiting husband, the woman incidentally started vomiting, and all of a sudden, she delivered an object verified as a mere slippers. Read More

Nigeria Hosts Africa Mining Conference

In the bid to diversify the Nigerian economy from its dependence on oil and gas, Solid Mines Limited, in conjunction with its strategic global partners, is set to hold the 2015 edition of the Africa Mining Conference.

Its Chief Executive Officer, Frank Ekperigin,said the conference will dissect issues with particular reference to artisanal mining, the environmental Impact of illegal mining as well as specific target will be addressed on African mining industry with the aim to improve the recognition of information technology and mobile technology as key tools among the sector players and of the critical role surveillance will play in mapping and preserving the economic and social integrity of the industry.

According to him, the incidence of lead poisoning in Zamfara State and most recently in Niger State among other unfortunate occurrences has necessitated the action to convene and document a further sustainable and implementable framework for the mining industry going forward in this new administration.Read More

Why I had Sex With Over 200 Younger Men – 71 Year -Old Great Grand Mother Reveals

A 71-year-old great grand mother, Margaret Collins has revealed that she had slept with over 200 younger men, claiming such keeps her youthful.

For Collins, life is all about partying, pole dancing and having lots of sex with young men.

She said, “Men… my own age are stiff and boring. Full Story.

Nigerian Gets Life Jail For Murder In UK

Nigeria’s anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arrested Abdul Adewale Kekere-Ekun, a Nigerian fugitive wanted in the United Kingdom for murder. Mr. Kekere-Ekun was arrested in Lagos over identity theft-related offences only for checks by the agency to reveal that he is on the wanted list of the UK Police.

Our checks revealed that a warrant of arrest had been hanging around his neck for more than four years and that the UK Police had set aside a 5000 pounds reward for information that could lead to his arrest.
The UK Police, we understand, had difficulties tracking him down because he frequently disguises himself with several aliases ( Adebayo Dalvin James Ekun, Adeba Yo Kekere-Ekun, Adeba Yo Muta Lito Kekere-Ekun, James Dalvin, James Adebayo, Dave Bell, David Aaro Hall, Anthony Higgins, Lavelle Holder, Dalrin James, Dalvin James and Gary Edwin Plummer). Full Story