Strike hits LUTH

Healthcare services at
the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH)
on Thursday remained paralysed, as the strike
by the Joint House Unions and Associations
(JHUA) of the hospital entered its 11th day.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that
JHUA comprises the Medical and Health
Workers Union (MWHUN) and the Senior Staff
Association of Universities Teaching Hospitals,
Research and Allied Institutes (SSAUTHRAI).
Other associations involved in the strike are the
Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and
National Association of Nigeria Nurses and
Midwives (NANNM).
The health workers have come together under
the aegis of JHUA, to enable them to address
common problems and demand for better
welfare.
Mr Kehinde Adegoke, the Chairman,
SSAUTHRAI, LUTH chapter, told NAN that the
hospital management had failed to meet many
of the demands of the group.
“We have given various notices, and we have
had meetings with promise upon promise being
made but they have all remained in the realm
of promises.
“One of our problems is the issue of overtime;
the chief executive had said that he was not
approving any more overtime.
“Meanwhile, workers had already done three
months without being paid.
“Some people got one month, some got two,
some got three, because the director of staff
administration stopped collecting overtime
schedules,” he said.
Adegoke said that other grievances include
nonpayment of salary increment, refusal to
promote officers, and lack of promotion for
certain members of staff who met the
requirements.
He said that among the nurses, 89 people went
for the last promotion and only 10 were actually
promoted.
“The nurses are overworked because of the
inadequate manpower; in the wards, we have a
ratio of 1:16 attending to patients, which ideally
ought to be 1:4.
“It is regrettable but we have come to a point
where strike seems to be the only language they
understand.
“If they had met 50 to 60 per cent of our
requests, things would not have reached this
stage.
“These issues are not new, JHUA has been
pursuing some of them for about three to four
years,” he said.
Meanwhile some patients seen in the hospital
expressed displeasure over the incessant strikes
in the hospital, over the past year.
A NAN check revealed that some nurses and
other health workers were, however, seen
rendering skeletal services to people in
intensive care units, and also to those who were
in need of blood transfusion.
However, the out-patients department, which is
usually besieged by a lot people, was rather
deserted.
The Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Prof.
Akin Oshibogun, in an interview with NAN,
appealed to the striking health workers to re-
open negotiations with the management and
consider the health of the patients.
“We have met most of their demands; the only
one left is the promotion issue.
“However, promotion is reserved for only those
eligible and subject to vacancies, so there is not
much we can do about it,” he said. [NAN]

How to Pay Cash into Your Account at Any Bank

The new deal has been made possible by
BeyondBranches, owner of the payment
platform QuickTeller, a value added service
platform developed by Interswitch, the largest
integrated payment processing service provider
in Nigeria.
Now, BeyondBranches has developed the
payment ecosystem further by enabling any
customer to deposit cash into any bank account
held at any bank in Nigeria at an agent. Using
this approach, BeyondBranches has been able
to bring the bank within easy reach of those
who need to deposit cash quickly and securely.
“We are excited to make life easier for
bank’s customers. The cost of
transportation, the time wasted due to the
traffic in Nigeria’s towns and cities and the
queues within bank branches have made
life difficult for the people of the country.
Instead, customers of any bank can now go
to a Quickteller agent and deposit funds
into any bank account in Nigeria,” a Chief
Operating Officer of BeyondBranches in
Nigeria, Simon Aderinlola, said.
“Interswitch explores different
opportunities to provide solutions that
support the Cashless society drive of the
CBN while also delivering a financially
included Nigerian population. As such,
BeyondBranches have integrated their
platform and growing agent network into
our platform to build a secure and highly
scalable agency banking infrastructure in
Nigeria, enabling Banks and other key
players in the industry bring financial
services closer to their customers in a
secure manner. We are excited about the
potential services that can be enabled with
this infrastructure,” a Chief Payment and
Value Added Services Officer of
Interswitch Nigeria, Mrs. Titilola Shogaolu,
narrated.
“The cash-deposit at an agent is an exciting
new service that helps drive transactions to
agents. By continually adding new services
quickly, we can help drive branchless
banking and digital inclusion in Nigeria.
We hope to continue to support the Central
Bank of Nigeria’s policies on financial
inclusion,” the Chief Executive Officer of
BeyondBranches International, Gregory
Ubigen, stated.
BeyondBranches International Limited was
founded in London, UK in March 2013 with a
mission to build robust, secure, active and
engaged agent networks globally.
BeyondBranches Nigeria was setup in May 2013
to support the cashless, agency banking and
mobile payment initiatives running in that
country. BeyondBranches is underpinned by a
flexible, secure platform and scalable processes
to enable Banks and other organizations to
effectively leverage the network to bring
services to their customers efficiently.
For more information, visit
www.beyondbranches.com

10 Benefits Of Kissing

Albert Einstein said that “Any man who
can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is
simply not giving the kiss the attention it
deserves.” Forget about disease
transmission, for a kiss is truly a
pleasurable thing and Einstein has to say
that it is special. But it is more than that;
kissing has several benefits, especially to
the health and well-being of a person. Here
are ten benefits of kissing (specifically a
kiss between lovers):
1. Kissing burns calories. Not that
kissing is the ultimate fat-burning activity!
But kissing can burn as much as 2 to 6
calories a minute. It may not be much, but
two hours of continuous kissing can burn
calories equivalent to one pound steak. It
can also double your metabolic rate.
Research claims that three passionate
kisses a day (at least lasting 20 seconds
each) will cause you to lose an entire extra
pound! It’s time to start that kissing diet!
2. Kissing tones the face and
strengthens facial muscles. You use 30
muscles while kissing and the smooching
helps keep the checks tight, preventing
them from being baggy and loose. A torrid
French kiss exercises all the underlying
muscles of the face. The tension in the
muscles caused by a passionate kiss helps
smooth the skin and increases the
circulation.
3. Kissing is a known stress-reliever.
Passionate kissing relieves tension, reduces
negative energy and produces a sense of
well being, lowering your cortisol “stress”
hormone. Kissing is also like meditation.
“Kissing is an exciting excursion into the
sensual,” says psychologist and clinical
sexologist Joy Davidson. “If we happen to
be connecting with someone we care
about, it produces a sense of well-being
and a kind of full-bodied pleasure.” Hence,
a kiss can suppress anxiety and produce
physiological changes that meditation can
do.
4. Kissing is also good for the heart, as
it creates an adrenaline which causes your
heart to pump more blood around your
body. Frequent kissing has scientifically
been proven to stabilize cardiovascular
activity, decrease blood pressure and
cholesterol.
5. Kissing is relaxing. According to
scientists, kissing can increase the oxytocin
and endorphin levels. Oxytocin is the
body’s natural calming chemical while
endorphin is the fell-good chemical. The
endorphins produced by kissing are 200
times more powerful than morphine.
Swapping spit is also noted to increase
dopamine, which aids in feelings of
romantic attachment.
6. Kissing helps flush out bacteria.
During kissing, the extra saliva washes
bacteria off the teeth, consequently helping
break down oral plaque. This means kissing
can help prevent tooth decay and cavities.
During a kiss, natural antibiotics are also
secreted in the saliva. Furthermore, the
saliva contains a type of anesthetic that
helps relieve pain.
7. Kissing boosts immunity. All that
swapping spit exchanges germs, too, which
forces your body to produce antibodies to
prevent you from getting sick. It’s like
getting a vaccination, so keep the kisses
coming in order to keep you healthy.
According to the study by the journal
Medical Hypotheses, kissing can increase
women’s immunity from Cytomegalovirus.
This virus is transmitted through mouth to
mouth contract and can cause infant
blindness and other birth defects if the
mother is a carrier during pregnancy.
However, it is relatively harmless for
adults. Thus, kissing can be a way to pass
along bugs, thereby strengthening the
body’s defenses.
8. Kissing is a “mate assessment tool”
as described by anthropologist Helen
Fisher. The most sensitive feelings can be
picked up by the lips, cheeks, tongue and
nose. Out of 12 cranial nerves, five of them
are picking up information from around the
mouth. Thus, you can really hear, see and
feel the person you are kissing. Kissing is
not anymore just a “kissing” activity, but
more of an expression of who you are, what
you want and what you can give.
Moreover, kissing has been viewed by
many researchers as biology’s way of
determining which people are most
compatible with genetically. “At the
moment of the kiss, there are hard-wired
mechanisms that assess health,
reproductive status and genetic
compatibility,” says Gordon G. Gallup Jr., a
professor of evolutionary psychology at the
State University of New York at Albany.
“Therefore, what happens during that first
kiss can be a make-or-break proposition.”
9. Kissing can relieve allergies. In a
research conducted in Japan, it has been
shown that kissing can lower down the
body’s allergic reaction to pollen. “What
they did was study the blood levels of IgE,
an allergy antibody before and after 30
minutes of kissing their partner,” Dr. Lynda
Kabbash of Harvard Vanguard said.
Researchers say kissing also helped relieve
symptoms in patients with dermatitis, a
skin condition triggered by allergies.
10. Kissing keeps you younger. This is
an after effect of exercising your facial
muscles and toning them through kissing.
The relaxing effect of kissing can also help
fight out stress and you will remain happy
and younger-looking. Likewise, kissing
improves self-esteem. It makes you feel
appreciated and helps your state of mind.

EXPOSED: So Stella Oduah Is Working With A Fake Certificate

US College Says It Did Not Award MBA To
Stella Oduah As It Has No Masters
Programme
Stella Oduah, Nigeria’s Aviation Minister who is
embroiled in a scandal of towering proportions
in the ministry, faces new integrity questions as
her Masters’ degree has been challenged by the
United States school which she claimed awarded
the degree to her.
Her resume, presented to Senate as a ministerial
nominee in 2011, indicated she obtained a
Master's degree in Business Administration
(MBA) from St. Paul’s College Lawrenceville,
Virginia, United States.
But the School's Provost Vice President of
Academic Affairs and Vice President of
Institutional Development said in response to
inquiries: “ We don’t offer any graduate
programs here.”
Sahara Reporters has learned from the President
of the college that it has never in its 125-year
history had a graduate school or graduate
program.
Similarly, the school’s website states: “Saint
Paul's College is accredited by the Commission
of Colleges of the Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate
[bachelor’s] degrees.” There is no mention of
graduate degrees.
“[Oduah] realized very early in life the
indispensability of a sound education in her
growth plans in life and therefore pursued her
education with all diligence and sense of
purpose,” her documents claimed, adding that a
determination “to have the best education at the
highest level” prompted her stay at the Virginia
college in 1983 for the MBA programme.
As her public relations machinery marched on,
in December 2012 The Sun newspaper
published an article headlined “Stella Oduah: An
Amazon of transformation,” which lauded her
“ MBA from St Paul’s College, Lawrenceville
Virginia USA.” The story also praised her for
being an official who brought her “rich
educational background to bear on the aviation
sector by automating revenue centers in all the
agencies and parastatals to boost their revenue
profile and enhance transparency and
accountability in the system.”
Oduah’s new certificate questions are certain to
feed into national concern about her credibility
as an elected official, but also about Jonathan’s
credibility, and about the nation’s security
apparatus which verifies official documents
offered to the Senate for official nominations.
If Mrs. Oduah deliberately deceived the Senate,
it remains to be seen if the Upper Legislative
House will be sufficiently motivated to take up
the matter appropriately.
Afterall, Jonathan is yet to reveal the findings of
the panel he set up to investigate Stella Oduah's
cars scandal.

Comedian and Actor Okey Bakassi Poses With Wife

#BelieveItOrNot: Chelsea fan tattoos Mikel Obi’s name on his butt (Viewer Discretion)

Football really brings out the extremes in some
die-hard fans either good or bad especially when
it comes to supporting clubs.
A Chelsea fan, Lee Mitchell tweeted he was
going to tattoo Nigerian defensive midfielder,
John Mikel Obi if he scores a goal at the English
FA cup – which Mikel did breaking the deadlock
with a header against against Derby County last
weekend.

SHOCKING: Woman rushed to the hospital after suffering a 3 HOUR ORGASM (PICTURED, WATCH)

The thin line between pleasure and pain was
aptly demonstrated in the case of an American
woman who had an orgasm which lasted for
three whole hours.
The lady, simply identified as Liz from Seattle
had to be taken to an emergency room when it
became apparent that the orgasm was not
nearing its end.
The incident left doctors confused as they
initially thought she was going into labour.
The Mirror reports:
Doctors initially thought that Liz was going into
labour when she arrived at the emergency room
in Seattle – only to discover that she was short
of breath due to a seemingly never-ending
orgasm.
Liz and her partner Eric discuss the ordeal –
which is accompanied by a dramatic
reconstruction – as part of TLC’s new series Sex
Sent me to the ER.
She said: “I started hopping up and down to see
if that would do anything, but there was nothing
we could come up with that would stop me from
orgasming.”
The couple also reportedly attempted to subdue
the intensity of the orgasm with some wine –
before deciding after two hours that it was time
to go to the emergency room.
It took another hour of painful pleasure before
the orgasm eventually died down, with Liz now
being closely monitored by several bemused
doctors.
Even Eric found himself becoming less smug as
the minutes went on.
He added: “There were eyes on me and I was
still feeling very tense and uptight and uncertain
about what was going on and what was going to
happen”.

‘The devil is a liar’ – Oshiomole makes first public appearance since accident

Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomole has
revealed that he is not injured or hospitalized
after an accident rocked his convoy two weeks
ago. The Governor who had been low key since
then had sent many speculating that he was
either injured or incapacitated in some manner.
However Oshiomole appeared at the
inaugural State Executive Council meeting for
2014 and laid all speculations to rest.
He said: “It is true that on December 28, 2013 at
about 10am, I was heading from my village to
Benin City to receive the Vice President who was
visiting Uromi to attend the birthday celebration
of Chief Tony Anenih. Though he was on a
private visit, I am obliged by protocol to receive
him.
“I believe somewhere in Ewu, a bus that was
packed with goods veered off its lane and headed
straight at my car and hit it. But for the fact that
the car is armoured, it would have somersaulted
given the impact and the bus driver was clearly
on high speed.
“The luck however was that we were not on
speed and so it was possible for the vehicles in
my convoy to stop, otherwise, all the vehicles
would have ran into my car and one thing would
have led to the other,” he said.
Giving thanks to God for His mercy, Oshiomhole
said “all of us in the car, my ADC, driver and
myself were all having our seatbelts on. The
airbags were all activated. Nothing happened to
any of us. I still went to the airport to receive the
Vice President after the accident.
“They say the devil is a liar. It does not matter
what they say. God delivered all of us; none of us
was injured in any manner. All those stories
about being hospitalized and being under
intensive care in an undisclosed hospital are
figments of the imagination of those who were
parroting the story.
“The important thing for me is that anything
could have happened. The driver passed the first
three vehicles and went straight to hit the one
that I was in. you would recall that on the eve of
the campaigns for 2012 election, that same car
was the one I was driving and a vehicle in a
similar manner came and rammed into a car I
was supposed to be in,” he added.q

President Obama Appoints America’s First Female Central Bank Chief, Janet Yellen

The U.S. Senate Monday voted to confirm
Janet Yellen as the first woman to head the
Federal Reserve, replacing Ben Bernanke.
The Senate voted 56-26 to approve Yellen,
who becomes the 15th leader of the central
bank.
President Obama said Yellen will be “a
fierce champion” for the American people
“who understands that the ultimate goal of
economic and financial policymaking is to
improve the lives, jobs and standard of
living of American workers and their
families.”
“As one of our nation’s most respected
economists and a leading voice at the Fed
for more than a decade — and vice chair for
the past three years — Janet helped pull
our economy out of recession and put us on
the path of steady growth,” Obama said in a
statement issued by the White House.
“Janet is committed to the Fed’s dual
mandate of keeping inflation in check while
also addressing our most important
economic challenge by reducing
unemployment and creating jobs.
“And she understands that fostering a
stable financial system will help the overall
economy and protect consumers. I am
confident that Janet will stand up for
American workers, protect consumers,
foster the stability of our financial system
and help keep our economy growing for
years to come.”
About 15 minutes after the bipartisan vote,
Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and
Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said they
missed the vote because their plane was
delayed returning to Washington. Both
senators said they would have voted to
support Yellen’s nomination had they
arrived in time.
In all, 17 senators were missing from the
floor.
Bernanke’s term ends at the end of the
month.
Previously, Obama had praised Yellen’s
judgment, citing her early warning about
the housing bubble and the recession.
Yellen, 67, is known as a strong advocate of
the Fed’s easy monetary policy, and with
inflation at less than 2 percent she is
expected to keep the Fed’s accommodative
policies in place under her leadership.
Yellen previously was president and chief
executive officer of the Federal Reserve
Bank of San Francisco and chairwoman of
the White House Council of Economic
Advisers under President Bill Clinton.
Yellen is married to George Akerlof, a
Nobel prize-winning economist and
professor emeritus at the University of
California, Berkeley. Son Robert Akerlof is
an assistant professor at the University of
Warwick.























  poPThe U.S. Senate Monday voted to confirm
Janet Yellen as the first woman to head the
Federal Reserve, replacing Ben Bernanke.
The Senate voted 56-26 to approve Yellen,
who becomes the 15th leader of the central
bank.
President Obama said Yellen will be “a
fierce champion” for the American people
“who understands that the ultimate goal of
economic and financial policymaking is to
improve the lives, jobs and standard of
living of American workers and their
families.”
“As one of our nation’s most respected
economists and a leading voice at the Fed
for more than a decade — and vice chair for
the past three years — Janet helped pull
our economy out of recession and put us on
the path of steady growth,” Obama said in a
statement issued by the White House.
“Janet is committed to the Fed’s dual
mandate of keeping inflation in check while
also addressing our most important
economic challenge by reducing
unemployment and creating jobs.
“And she understands that fostering a
stable financial system will help the overall
economy and protect consumers. I am
confident that Janet will stand up for
American workers, protect consumers,
foster the stability of our financial system
and help keep our economy growing for
years to come.”
About 15 minutes after the bipartisan vote,
Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and
Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said they
missed the vote because their plane was
delayed returning to Washington. Both
senators said they would have voted to
support Yellen’s nomination had they
arrived in time.
In all, 17 senators were missing from the
floor.
Bernanke’s term ends at the end of the
month.
Previously, Obama had praised Yellen’s
judgment, citing her early warning about
the housing bubble and the recession.
Yellen, 67, is known as a strong advocate of
the Fed’s easy monetary policy, and with
inflation at less than 2 percent she is
expected to keep the Fed’s accommodative
policies in place under her leadership.
Yellen previously was president and chief
executive officer of the Federal Reserve
Bank of San Francisco and chairwoman of
the White House Council of Economic
Advisers under President Bill Clinton.
Yellen is married to George Akerlof, a
Nobel prize-winning economist and
professor emeritus at the University of
California, Berkeley. Son Robert Akerlof is
an assistant professor at the University of
Warwick.

15 ways to get happy in 10 minutes

1. Smile
Even when you are going through the roughest
phase of your life always try to smile. Research
says that even an artificial smile gives us an
inner boost and impacts others. It also makes
one seem more approachable
2. Meditate
Meditation generates positivity. Only five
minutes of meditation will improve your
emotional and physical well-being. Also, one
becomes happy simply by staying connected to
one’s real self.
3. Play with your pet
Cuddling or playing with a pet, not only makes
you feel happy, but also has several health
benefits. Research says that being around a pet
reduces blood pressure and calms you down.
When pets are not given proper attention they
feel lonely and left out, so spending time with
our pets could help in building a good
relationship with them.
4. Listen to Music
When you feel low, play your favourite music, as
it is an instant mood-lifter. Also, try and sing
along to your favourite track as this will also
instantly improve your mood.
5. Dress Up
Dressing up makes one feel good about
oneself. All you need is a well fitting outfit and a
little bit of make up to boost your confidence
and happiness levels.
6. Watch Funny Videos
Watching funny videos, is the perfect way to
boost one’s confidence levels and improve one’s
mood. Funny videos also make one laugh and
boost one’s immune system and heart rate.
7. Eat some chocolates
Chocolates are known as antidepressants as they
contain theobromine, which can increase the
effects of the tryptophan, a chemical, which can
make you happy. So if you are feeling low, eat a
piece of your favourite chocolate.
8. Get Close to Nature
Flowers trigger happy emotions, which affect
one’s behaviour in a positive manner. They also
have a long term effect on one’s mood and give
one immense pleasure and a feeling of
satisfaction.
9. Chew Gum
Chewing gum not only gives you a boost, but
also helps your brain by supplying it with more
oxygen and glucose. This is because the
repetition of the gnawing action relaxes you and
also reduces yourstress levels and anxiousness.
10. Go for a walk
When you feel depressed you could go for a
walk. Try to look out for a place which is quiet
and peaceful. As this would help you filter out
your thoughts and seek a solution. Walking also
releases neurons in your brain, which will give
you joy and happiness. It will also loosen up
your body and help you deal with the sadness.
11. Reach out to a loved one
Always try and discuss your feelings and
thoughts with your loved ones as this will help
you deal with the sorrow and get a perspective
on things.
12. Dance
Dancing is a good way to deal with stress and
unhappiness. It also helps in building your
confidence and reduces your stress levels.
13. Clean out your Closet
Another way to relax is to clean out your closet
as this will not only help you get rid of all the old
stuff, but will clear your mind as well.
14. Play an instrument
Strum the strings of a guitar and compose a new
tune. This is a good way to express your feelings
and will improve your mood and boost your
happiness levels.
15. Read a comic
Reading your favourite comic will boost your
mood and put you in a happy place.

Photos frome May D's birthday party

See Twin Babies that were Born in Separate Years: 2013 & 2014

Wow! this is both interesting and cool. They are
twin babies but born in two separate years...
As people around the world partied their way
into the new year, a mother, Mrs Yaleni, gave
birth to baby of 2013 and the first baby of
2014. How lovely! Although they were given
birth to just minutes apart, the twin babies
entered the world in two different years.
 The first, a baby girl, at 11:58 p.m on
December 31, 2013, and her twin brother came
at 12:01am on the 1st of January, 2014, at
MedStar Washington Hospital Center, in
Washington, D.C., America.
Their mum, Yaleni Santos Tohalino, is so happy
because her first children as a wife came with
world record.
“I feel wonderful full of joy and happiness and a
full sense of realization. This is her first children
ever, and they’re beautiful and she’s really
happy," the twins’ father, Warren Begazo said.
I guess their birthdays will be celebrated on
December 31st and January 1st, respectively. So
cute!

Photos: Maheeda gets completely naked for her new music video

Chika Ike goes shopping in Abu Dhabi. See photos

The pink Chanel bag is about N740k if you
convert to Naira. The blue Dior bag is about the
same price, not sure what the LV bag (above
left) and Fendi bag (below left) costs, but they
are pretty expensive bags. And yes she bought
all of them. Chika shared the pic on her
instagram and wrote;

Nollywood actress, Mercy Aigbe shows off her a-mazing designer birthday cake (PHOTOS))

Nollywood actress, Mercy Aigbe celebrated her
birthday yesterday January 1, 2013.
The birthday party was held at the La Veronique
Hotel, Lagos had friends, colleagues and family
members like husband, Lanre Gentry, Doris
Simeon, Biodun Okeowo Sofuyi, Iyabo Ojo,
Mide Martins, Toyin Aimakhu Johnson,
Adeniyi Johnson, Femi Ogedengbe and MC
Alade in attendance.
See photos below: