ex-Education Minister, Ruqayyatu Rufai, joins strike!

The immediate past Minister of Education, Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufai, who was sacked from the federal cabinet last month, has joined the ongoing strike by Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, which she desperately tried to break while in office.

From Left: Former Minister Of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa’i; Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (Nuc), Prof. Julius Okojie; Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim and Minister of Labour, Chukwuemeka Nwogu, at an ASUU negotiation meeting in Abuja

According to PREMIUM TIMES, enquries at Bayero Universities, Kano, BUK where Mrs Rufai was teaching Education Curriculum before joining the Jigawa State cabinet in 2007 and later the federal cabinet in 2011, revealed that although the former minister had returned to the institution, she was yet to commence work as a result of the ongoing industrial action.

Public Relations Officer of BUK, Mustapha Zaharaddeen, told this newspaper in a telephone interview on Wednesday that the former minister had joined her colleagues in the strike.

“How can she teach? She has joined the strike,” Mr. Zaharaddeen said. “She has no choice. How can anybody teach? Don’t forget, ASUU National President is from BUK.”

When asked if she had joined the ASUU strike,  Mrs Rufai merely retorted, “It is an unfair question. Ask my university.”

Efforts to reach the ASUU President, Mr. Fagge, was unsuccessful, as his mobile telephone number repeatedly indicated it had been switched off.

Mrs Rufai, the first female education minister from the northern part of Nigeria, was sacked from the federal cabinet alongside eight other ministers last September 11.

The other sacked ministers were Olugbenga Ashiru (Foreign Affairs), Hadiza Mailaifa (Environment), Shamsudeen Usman (National Planning), Ama Pepple (Land, Housing and Urban Development), Ita Ewa (Science and Technology).

Ministers of State for Defence, Power and Agriculture, Olusola Obada, Zainab Kuchi and Bukar Tijani, respectively were also relieved of their positions.

Mr. Jonathan is yet to appoint their replacements.

Before she was fired, Mrs Rufai, who became Education minister in 2011, was a member of the Governor Gabriel Suswam-led Federal Government negotiation team, which held discussions with ASUU officials led by the Union’s President, Nasiru Fagge, who incidentally teaches at BUK.

However, the government team could not make any head way in resolving the issues that led to the strike which is now entering its third month, until Mrs Rufai left government, unceremoniously.

Mr. Rufai repeatedly blamed her colleagues for failing to call off the strike despite the concessions made by government.

The former minister returned to her home state, Jigawa, two days after her sack and was welcomed by a large crowd which had gathered in Aminu Kano Triangle, Dutse, the state capital.

The crowd repeatedly shouted her name in excitement when she arrived at the venue, accompanied by her husband, Ahmed Rufai.

Responding to questions from journalists during the reception, the former minister, a professor of curriculum studies, promised that she would return to the classroom the following Monday.

“I plan to go back to my university, I am a professor in education in curriculum studies and I will report on Monday and then take a brief leave to have a kind of rest, but I am going back to the university,” she said.

On whether she would join the ASUU strike, which she was negotiating away while in government, Mr Rufai, said “Don’t make me controversial, don’t make me controversial.”

She said she had no regrets that she was relieved of her appointment, saying “This is the fourth time that I am handing over in my life. I have been a commissioner twice and I have been a minister twice and it is really not a surprise and depending on what the circumstances may be.”

Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, under whom she served as commissioner and who nominated her as minister, revealed that a few weeks before her sack, Mr Jonathan told him she (Rufai) “was doing a good job.”

Mr. Lamido, was, however, silent on whether she was fired because he (Lamido) joined six other governors to float the New PDP led by Kawu Baraje. The group is opposed to Mr Jonathan’s bid to contest the 2015 presidential election.

“Ruqayyatu has discharged her responsibilities as minister responsibly and I repeat there is no anger or ill feeling because what the president did is within his constitutional powers. We have no pain, no ill feeling,” the governor said.

“There is need for people to know why we are gathered here. Anything that has a beginning has an end,” the governor said.

“We have no grudge against her removal. We love anybody that loves us. It was the president’s wisdom to appoint her.

“Let me remind us that as Muslims we were very happy when our sister, daughter, mother and grandmother, was picked by our brother President Jonathan.

“Jigawa State is the only state in the North that has two ministers and this is because of the attachment the president has for Jigawa.

“This is not the time for politics, the time will come, the purpose here is to honour our daughter. That time will come.”

4 PDP members dies in Sraki's illorin home!

Four members of the Kwara People’s Democratic Party (PDP) died during the Sallah break at the home of the Saraki’s in Illorin, Kwara state - Nigeria.

Abubakar Bukola Saraki 

The incident was caused by a stampede during an annual distribution of Sallah gift’s at the Saraki’s Charity House.

Alhaji Mas’ud Adebimpe, State spokesperson of PDP confirmed the tragedy in a statement.

The statement reads: “The Kwara State chapter held its annual Sallah celebration at PDP charity house where many party faithful were in attendance.

“The event, which is an annual activity of the party, went on smoothly until the unfortunate incident which led to the death of some people.

“While some are currently responding positively to treatment, we, however, regret to announce that we lost  four of our party members to the unfortunate development.

“Our prayers  go out to the families of the deceased and we wish the injured quick recovery”.

Processed and red Meat lowers sperm count- Studies revealed!

Studies have revealed that just one rasher of bacon a day can damage a man's fertility, while eating a portion of white fish such as cod or halibut every other day can improve it, researchers have suggested.

The study by Harvard University on 156 men in couples suffering problems conceiving examined their diet and the size and shape of their sperm.

Researchers found that men who regularly ate processed meat had significantly lower amounts of normal sperm, compared with those who limited the amount of foods like bacon, sausages, hamburgers, ham and mince.

On average, those who ate the equivalent of less than a rasher of bacon a day had 30 per cent more normal sperm than those who ate higher quantities of processed meats.

Meanwhile, those who ate a portion of white fish every other day had a similar edge over those who ate foods such as cod more rarely.

Dr Myriam Afeiche, from the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health, said: "We found that processed meat intake was associated with lower semen quality and fish was to higher semen quality."

Few studies have examined the relationship between processed meat and fertility and Dr Afeiche said it was not clear why such foods might negatively affect sperm quality.

Dr Allan Pacey, a fertility expert at the University of Sheffield, said it was already known that a healthy diet could improve male fertility, but it was less clear whether specific foods could be blamed for a deterioration in sperm quality.

He said: "The relationship between diet and men's fertility is an interesting one and there is convincing evidence that men who eat more fresh fruit and vegetables have better sperm than men who don't. However, less is known about the fertility of men with poor diets."

Dr Pacey said it was extremely difficult to accurately measure the size and shape of sperm. However, he said advice to eat less processed meat and more fish was good health advice, regardless.

"It is already known that high intake of processed meat is linked to other health issues and so advising men to limit their intake of processed food may improve their health generally as well as possibly be good for their fertility," he said.

so men.....take note!

Khloe Kardashian shows off adorable picture with Neice!

Khloe Kardashian posts a photo with her niece, North West on Instagram on Tuesday. 

In an adorable black-and-white snapshot posted to instagram.

It was gathered that the reality starlet, who has been estranged from husband Lamar Odom, has been spending a lot of time wit her family — like sister Kim Kardashian lately.

The youngest of the Kardashian 3 sported a huge diamond encrust watch, 

black manicure and her "Lo" tatto  for estranged husband Lamar odom

Baby North

Death toll in Indian stampede still raising!

Pilgrims mostly women and children, have been killed in a stampede, while visiting a temple for a popular Hindu festival to honor the Hindu mother goddess Durga on the last day of the popular 10-day Navaratra festival. 

Local officials reportedly said that some 89 pilgrims, were killed in the stampede at the Hindu festival in central India 

Many were crushed after panic broke out on a bridge near the Ratangarh temple in Madhya Pradesh state, that the bridge would collapse. Others died when they jumped from the bridge.

Eyewitness Atul Chaudhary: “We saw people jumping into the river”

Officials said the stampede may have been sparked by a rumour that the bridge was about to collapse.

Hundreds of thousands had gathered near the town of Datia for the festival.

Local devotee Atul Chaudhary, who survived the crush, told BBC Hindi there had been a couple of thousand people on the bridge.

He heard screams, and people began rushing to get off the bridge.

Relatives crowded a state-run hospital to take the bodies after the autopsies and searched frantically for loved ones among the injured people being treated there. Volunteers and residents pulled many bodies out of the Sindh River, where people had jumped when the chaos started Sunday.

Hundreds of thousands of devotees had thronged the remote Ratangarh village temple in Madhya Pradesh state's Datia district 

3 Tips For Stressed-Out Entrepreneurs- Forbes!

Most entrepreneurs and small business owners can make their own schedules—indeed, this is one of the best perks of working for yourself. But it can also be easy to take on too much, get distracted by different projects, and otherwise over-book yourself. Here are a few ways to manage yourself while you’re managing it all:

1) Add Structure To Your Day

A common problem for entrepreneurs can be lack of structure. If your head is spinning because you have too many tasks to complete, too many projects to work on, and too many obligations you can’t get out of, change your routine. Start by getting all of your commitments out of your head and onto lists—on paper, on your phone, or on your computer, whatever works for you. Then complete your tasks by focusing on one at a time. If you’re trying to do everything at once, you may never reach your end goals. Give each project your full attention, and you’ll be more likely to finish them on time and do them well.

When I fall behind with work, it usually happens on a day when I don’t adhere to a schedule. I either get distracted with things that aren’t urgent, or I work on too many things at once and don’t see any of them to completion. My more productive days are ones where I’ve triaged my responsibilities and adhered strictly to my schedule.

2) Don’t Eliminate Breaks

When work gets overwhelming, it can be tempting to skip the gym or cut down on time with friends and family. Sometimes it’s necessary, but beware—if you’re constantly putting your non-work activities on the back-burner, they’ll no longer provide the stress relief you desperately need. This can also become a slippery slope—the more you cut out these activities, the more you’re likely to keep doing it.

When my schedule gets packed, it always makes sense to skip a work-out or dinner with friends. But I know how this ends… skipping one engagement can lead to a month without me seeing the outside 

of my office. Sure, I’m getting more work done, but now I’m working without breaks and the quality of my work suffers. If you properly manage your time, you can fit it all in, and the commitment you make to your social life will help to keep you sane in the long run.

3) Minimize Distractions To Stay On Schedule

Distractions will manifest physically in your work space—chatty co-workers, a messy desk, instant messaging, and noise can all conspire against you to decrease your productivity. There are obvious ways to manage these—clean up your work station, close chat windows, and turn off the TV. Some distractions, however, are inevitable. There will always be urgent matters, or not-so-urgent ones, that can derail your otherwise perfect schedule. Since you can’t always change your environment, schedule a “distractions hour” for the miscellaneous things that can and will interrupt your productivity. This time can be used for anything you choose—answering email, catching up on old projects or brainstorming new ideas, or social media. Bonus: If nothing ends up interrupting your day, you’ve now got time to relax.

Adding a “social media hour” to my schedule has helped me to keep up with the posts that promote my business, while decreasing the amount of time I spend aimlessly surfing the web. Your “distraction time” can be added to your schedule on a daily or weekly basis, depending on what you need.

If your work/life balance is constantly tipping in the direction of more work, that’s hardly balance. Better time management, plus a commitment to the things you enjoy outside of work, will help to keep you calm, refreshed, and on-schedule.

True or Stunt? - Kris and Bruce Jenner finally admits they are separated!

Kris and Bruce Jenner have decided to separate and live apart after 22 years of marriage.



The couple revealed their living situation saying, "We are living seperately and we are much happier this way. But we will always have much love and respect for each other." 

They also added that "even though we are seperated we will always remain best friends and, as always, our family will remain our number one priority." 

kris and Bruce married in April 1991 after dating for five months and had two daughters, Kendall and Kylie, who are featured heavily on the "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" reality show.

Is this for real or just another 'Kardashian' publicity stunt?
just wondering......