Exam Malpractice: Culprits To Spend 5 Years In Jail

The federal government of Nigeria stated that on Wednesday that going foward, school certificate examination offenders would spend 5 five years in jail or pay the fine of N250, 000.

This decision which was the outcome of the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan followed the approval of an enactment Act to amend the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Act.

The Minister of Education, Prof Ruqayyat Rufai who disclosed this while briefing journalists after the FEC meeting together with the ministers of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu; Environment, Hadza Mailafia and information, Labaran Maku noted that the approval was to give effect to the revised convention of WAEC, 2003 in Nigeria.

She had tabled a memo before the Council, seeking approval for the enactment of an Act to amend the WAEC Act, CAP W4, Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004 to give effect to the revised convention of WAEC, 2003 in Nigeria.

The 2004 Act, which is to be amended is empowered to take disciplinary action against those who have committed both the offences and penalties for illegally using examination papers and leakage of examination papers, etc.

Section 19(1) of the Act reads in part as follows: “such candidate shall not take or be allowed to take or continue the examination, in addition, he shall be prohibited from taking any examination held or conducted by or on behalf of the Council for a period of two years immediately following upon such contraventions and if a candidate aforesaid has already taken any papers at the examination, his result there from shall be cancelled.”

In addition, the candidate may be prosecuted and if found guilty shall be “liable on conviction to a fine of N2,000 or imprisonment for a term of five years or to both such fine and imprisonment.”

20 (2) reads: “the penalties contained in this sub-section (a) may be imposed whether or not a prosecution for an offence under section 20 or 21 of this Act has been brought or is being conducted or contemplated and (b) shall be in addition to such other penalties as a court may impose upon conviction for an offence under the aforesaid section 20 or 21.

“WAEC was established in 1952 following the acceptance of the Jeffery Report by the then colonial governments in Gold Coast (Ghana) , Nigeria, Sierra Leone and the Gambia and later joined by Liberia in 1974.The Council further directed the Ministry of Justice to take further necessary action on the subject.

ASUU Strike: FG releases N30bn to ASUU, says it has met ‘almost’ all their demands

The Federal Government on Tuesday claimed it had met almost all the demands of the Academic Staff Union of Universities after releasing an additional N30 billion to the union.

Gabriel Suswam, Chairman of the National Economic Empowerment Development Strategy (NEEDS) assessment implementation committee for universities, said that the Ministry of Education would disburse the fund to the various universities for the payment of lecturers’ allowances.

While appealing to ASUU to shelve its industrial action, Mr. Suswam frowned at the union’s claims that the earlier disbursement of N100 billion by the government for infrastructures in the universities was done without consultations.

Last week, the ASUU leadership expressed concerns that a clear procedure for assessing the funds by the universities is yet to be defined.

Nasir Fagge, ASUU President, had insisted that only the provision of N500 billion would meet the immediate needs of the universities.

“We observe that the Committee is so far mentioning only N100 billion. If the implementation is to be related to the funding requirements in the 2009 ASUU/FGN Agreement and the January 2012 MoU, what is due for 2012 and 2013 is N500 billion, not N100 billion,” Mr. Fagge had said.

But Mr. Suswam said ASUU was carried carried along in the entire process where N100 billion was agreed.

“ASUU participated in all the meetings where it was agreed to raise N100 billion, which has already been distributed to all the universities,” said Mr. Suswam, Governor of Benue State.

“In fact, the president of ASUU nominated one Dr. Baffa, who is very resourceful. He did all the work, and presented the criteria for distribution of the money which is based on the population of each university,” Mr. Suswam added.

The Benue State governor added that after drawing up the draft, the Committee sent the document to ASUU for their perusal.

“Instead, they wrote me a letter accusing the committee of insincerity. The councils are the ones that would verify what we are owing, go and ask them, ASUU said no, that unless we put N92 billion on the table,” Mr. Suswam said.

Mr. Suswam said that governing councils, and not his committee, would be responsible for awarding contracts in the universities, adding that the lecturers’ strike has assumed a political dimension.

He Laid It On Thicke: Blurred Lines Singer Kissed, Groped & Told Butt Grab Blonde, ‘I Want To Get You Into Bed!’

It sounds as if the lines might be a bit blurred in Robin Thicke‘s marriage to Paula Patton.

Lana Scolaro, the 20-year-old stunner who was seen in a risque fan pic with the pop singer that went viral, dishes details to Life & Style about the raucous time they spent with one another at a nightclub party following the MTV VMAs last month.

She said the hunky singer hit on her at a pal’s party weeks earlier, and while she initially rebuffed his advances because he’s married, he put to rest her ethical concerns, saying his wife is “chill.”

Scolaro said, “I don’t think he cared what [Paula] thought … I was with him the whole night … his hands were everywhere.”

She said the post-VMAs fun continued when she joined the couple for a party at a suite the Greenwich Hotel.

“I went to the bathroom, and when I came out he was standing there,” Scolaro told the magazine. “He turned off the lights so no one could see us, and he started making out with me. He was grabbing me. He was like, ‘I want to get you into bed!’”

The two did not do the deed however, she told the magazine, as they kept getting interrupted by other party-goers, though Robin gave her his number and said they’d rendezvous when he’s back in the Big Apple for Fashion Week this month.

Robin and Paula have a 3-year-old son named Julian, who appears in the video for Robin’s new single, Give It 2 U.

Rihanna Spotted Wearing Gold Necklace Believed to Be From Ex Chris Brown—See the Pic!

It looks like Rihanna may have ex-boyfriend Chris Brown on her mind.

The "Diamonds" singer stepped out in NYC last night wearing the gold Christian Lacroix necklace that's widely believed to have been a gift from Brown. RiRi looked casual yet chic while sporting the glamorous jewelry paired with sneakers, blue skinny jeans, a black sweater and sunglasses with a black beanie.

RiRi sported the same gold necklace on Christmas Day 2012 when the couple spent the holiday enjoying a Lakers game together in L.A.

A few weeks prior to their Christmas Day outing, Rihanna shared a topless photo of herself wearing the gold necklace on Instagram with the caption, "He told me ‘you better not give it away.'"

And prior to that, RiRi stepped out for a December Nude fragrance appearance in L.A. wearing the same choker with an elegant white ensemble.

One thing's for sure: Rihanna really loves that gold necklace!

Terrence Howard's alleged suicide threat

Terrence Howard’s ex-wife reportedly accused the actor of threatening to commit suicide during a heated argument.

The 44-year-old Iron Man actor officially got divorced from Michelle Ghent in May after she claimed he assaulted her.

In court documents reportedly obtained by TMZ, Michelle alleges the pair were involved in a violent dispute in a Toronto hotel room April 2013 during which he allegedly put an X-Acto blade to his wrist after she confronted him about cheating.

“Ghent claims Howard also pretended to hang himself with a belt - and told her, "I'm just thinking if I should kill you first before killing me,’” the website claims.

The Oscar-nominated star’s former spouse claims he continued to allude to suicide in a series of text messages in the days after the purported incident.

“In one, Terrence allegedly said he wishes he ‘wasn't such a coward and that I had the courage to finish what should have been accomplished in the abortion clinic 44 years ago,’” TMZ claims.

In another SMS, the actor allegedly apologises and says he plans to seek treatment for “his addictions and emotional instability.”

Michelle was reportedly granted a temporary restraining order against Terrence last month after filing court documents in which she accused him of assaulting her seven days after they tied the knot in January 2010, and on multiple occasions since then.

Terrence accused Michelle of macing him during one of the alleged altercations and denied threatening Michelle in countering legal documents, the website reports.

Their divorce was finalised two weeks after the alleged brawl in Toronto.

Terrence has not yet publicly commented on the latest allegations.

Jennifer Lopez + Harry Connick Jr. Confirmed as ‘American Idol’ Judges

The rumor mill can finally stop churning: The ‘American Idol‘ judging panel is officially complete! FOX officials confirmed today (Sept. 3) that Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick Jr. will indeed be joining the show for its 13th season.

They join country music star Keith Urban, back for his second stint as a judge, and former judge Randy Jackson, who will now be an in-house mentor. Host Ryan Seacrest will also once again return for the latest installment of the reality contest, which begins airing in January.

News leaked weeks ago that J. Lo would be returning to ‘Idol’ after a season off. Rumors about singer-actor Connick, a frequent mentor on the show, started shortly after Dr. Luke unexpectedly withdrew his bid for the third judge’s spot.

Continue to see tweets...

Celine Dion Announces ‘Loved Me Back to Life’ Track Listing, Single + Release Date+ [AUDIO]

Columbia

Celine Dion is back to life! The French-Canadian chanteuse will release her first English-language album in six years in the form of ‘Loved Me Back to Life,’ which is full of modern contributors, features and songwriters. The diva also shared the epic and upbeat title track, which you can listen to below. It was co-penned by songwriting secret weapon Sia.

Great song. Listen to it when you continue...

2Face Idibia To Give N6 Million To The Winners Of “2face Peace Awards”

 

Innocent Ujah Idibia aka 2Face Idibia, is introducing the “2face Peace Awards” to promote peace and support young Nigerians involved in peace projects in their communities, where six winners would be selected for the awards.

 

According to him, the six categories are:

1. Women-led Peace Building
2. Youth Peace Building
3. Peace building in the environment (for those having conflicts over resources).
4. Projects on urban violence and community peace building
5. The use of technology or Social Media for peace building
6. Mediation directed at reducing violence against women and girls.

The pop star said that N1million would be presented to each winner, along with opportunities to attend key global peace summits and exchange programmes in 2014.

He further said:

“These young people are mostly unnoticed but you will find them working hard in various places, educating people and helping to manage conflicts and promoting peace.

“They have become community leaders in peace building, reconciliation and post -conflict reconstruction, thereby establishing themselves as the next generation of leaders.

“As we march towards Nigeria’s centenary celebrations in 2014, more than anything else, we choose to celebrate these young unsung heroes, who are active in their communities, promoting peace.

“We want to celebrate them through the ‘2face Peace Awards’’, ‘’.

To nominate a young person making a real difference in creating a peaceful and just Nigeria for the ''2face Peace Award'', click HERE.

He’s Just Like A King! Prince Jackson Is ‘Behaving Like Royalty With My Daughter,’ Kuwaiti Princess

Michael Jackson‘s son, Prince, is behaving like royalty with his girlfriend, real life Kuwaiti princess, Remi Alfalah.

That’s according to Remi’s proud mom, Alana Alfalah, who has told all about their relationship in an exclusive RadarOnline.com interview.

“I trust Prince with my daughter and I’d stake my life on him always being a gentleman with her,” Alana said of the 16-year-old heir of the late King of Pop, who died in 2009.

Kanye West Blasted For Hip Hop-Crisy: Rapper Under Fire From Human Rights Groups For $3M Gig For Dictator

Kanye West, according to reports, took home $3 million to perform at the wedding of Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s grandson this past Saturday at Almaty’s Hotel Royal Tulip, drawing criticism for entertaining leaders of a republic infamous for its’ human rights violations.

Human Rights Watch director David Mepham said the republic’s “serious and deteriorating human rights situation” “credible allegations of torture, the imprisonment of government critics, tight controls over the media and freedom of expression and association, limits in religious freedom, and continuing violation of workers’ rights”.

Compounding matters, Amnesty International claims that “torture remains commonplace in Kazakhstan and the torturers are allowed to go free.”

“The authorities of Kazakhstan have failed to hold the security forces accountable and to carry out an independent investigation into their abuses,” the organization said. “It is time to change a culture that always ranks security above human rights. Reform is long overdue and real changes should be introduced as a matter of urgency.”

Jennifer Lopez came under similar fire earlier this summer, for performing for Turkmenistan leader Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov for a $1.5 million fee.