Kate And William Name New Prince After Queen’s Mother, Charlotte

May 4, 2015

The name of the Princess of Cambridge has finally been revealed to the world as Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. In a touching tribute, the little girl, who was born on Saturday, has been named in honour of her grandfather, her grandmother and her great-grandmother.

Announcing the name in a statement this afternoon after days of speculation, Kensington Palace said: ‘The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to announce that they have named their daughter Charlotte Elizabeth Diana.

‘The baby will be known as Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge.’

A princess called Charlotte — a name that is French in origin — is a nod to her grandfather, the Prince of Wales.

William has spoken of his deep respect for his father and the amount of time the prince commits to his charitable work. ‘I just really hold him in great admiration,’ the Duke has said.

The Prince of Wales strove to protect William and Prince Harry following the death of their mother Diana Princess of Wales and backed them as they have worked to honour her memory through their charitable connections.

They, in turn, accepted and supported him when he married Camilla Parker Bowles, now the Duchess of Cornwall.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

A princess called Charlotte — a name that is French in origin — is a nod to the little’s girl grandfather, the Prince of Wales.

Charlotte is also the middle name of Kate’s sister Pippa Middleton.

In royal history, George IV named his only child Charlotte, but she died in childbirth at 21.

George III’s wife was Queen Charlotte, who was born 1744. She used it instead of her given first name, Sophie. The royal was married to George III and founded Kew Gardens,

The name was particularly popular in the 18th and 19th centuries due to Queen Charlotte’s influence in tandem with that of novelist Charlotte Bronte. It rose in popularity in the 1980s, particularly in the UK and Australia.

Surprisingly, popularity of the name Charlotte is expected to fall following the announcement.

Sasha Miller, International Managing Editor of BabyCentre comments: ‘It’s a lovely name but we’re expecting to see fewer babies being called Charlotte in the coming months.

‘Parents don’t want to be labelled as having been influenced by others in their baby name choice, particularly by such a high-profile family. New parents who had been thinking of naming their baby Charlotte, may well now be thinking again.’

According to the Office for National Statistics, Charlotte was the 21st most popular name for girls in England and Wales in 2013. It has fallen in popularity over the last decade and was in 4th place in 2000.

The princess’s middle name Elizabeth is in tribute to the Queen, the girl’s great-grandmother.

The Queen is held in great respect by her family and William has spoken of how she has become an even more important part of his life as he has grown older.

Diana is the name of William’s late mother, the Princess of Wales.

William is protective of his father, defending him against criticism he has often faced. Naming his daughter after the prince will be seen as a clear public demonstration of his love of Charles.

Charlotte is also the middle name of Kate’s sister Pippa Middleton. In French, it means ‘petite’ and ‘feminine’ or ‘free man’.

In royal history, George IV named his only child Charlotte, but she died in childbirth at 21. George III’s wife was Queen Charlotte, who was born 1744.

George III’s wife was Queen Charlotte, who was born 1744. She used it instead of her given first name, Sophie. The royal was married to George III and founded Kew Gardens.

Like most royals, the princess has more than one middle name, both of which are likely to have inspired by two women in William’s life whom he greatly admires.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are likely to have chosen Elizabeth in tribute to the baby’s great-grandmother the Queen. It is also Kate’s middle name.

Many thought it likely that William and Kate would use the name Diana, though it has probably been used as one of the baby’s middle names to avoid comparisons with her late grandmother.

The Duke places great importance on honouring her memory, having already used Diana’s sapphire and diamond engagement ring when he proposed to Kate.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge reportedly decided on a name for their daughter shortly after the birth but wanted to inform the Queen personally before it was publicly released.

There is no protocol which says the monarch needs to be consulted about the name of a newborn in the family, and senior royal sources stressed she has no expectation of being informed in person before the princess’s name is made public.

However, William, who has grown especially close to his grandmother in recent years, apparently decided to afford her the honour when they met in Sandringham.

Today, the newborn was reportedly set to meet her great-grandmother, the Queen, when the family left Kensington Palace to embark on a new life in Norfolk, where the monarch is in residence.

They had introduced the little girl – the most senior royal princess to be born for 65 years – to her brother George and to their families yesterday.

The newborn may herald a new generation in the monarchy, but it is customary for royals to look to their past for name ideas. The repetition of names in each generation is at least partly an effort to preserve the continuity of one of the world’s oldest institutions.

For weeks, bookmakers had been saying that Alice was the clear favorite. But in recent days Charlotte, the feminine form of Charles, has also swayed at the number one spot.

When the baby’s older brother, Prince George, was born in 2013, the royal couple took two days to reveal his name, waiting until after Queen Elizabeth II had met her new great-grandson.

The wait over her name has led to a betting bonanza in the past 48 hours, and Charlotte and Alice had been picked at the clear favourites. But outsiders such as Olivia also attracted a sudden flurry of wagers.

A spokesman for Ladbrokes said the betting markets had been in ‘total mayhem’ with 20,000 individual wagers – some of which were six-figure sums – placed on the bet in the past two days. That equates to more bets than were put on the General Election.

Bookmakers had been ‘praying’ that the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall opt for a name outside of the top seven – which also included Diana, Alexandra, Victoria and Elizabeth – to stop them having to pay out millions in winnings. [myad]

Security Agencies Arrest UK Citizen For Allegedly Defrauding 7 Nigerians Of N70 Million

Greenbarge Reporters

May 4, 2015

The Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), attached to the Lagos State Police Command has arrested a 48-year-old citizen of the United Kingdom, identified as Saheed Mohammad Cameran, for defrauding seven Nigerians to the tune of N70 million under the pretext of supplying them diesel.

According to a police source, Cameran was apprehended at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos while trying to sneak out of the country.

It was gathered that the case has been taken over by operatives of the Special Fraud Unit (SF). [myad]

214 Rescued Girls From Boko Haram’s Sambisa Forest Pregnant – United Nations Population Fund

Greenbarge Reporters

May 4, 2015

There are indications that no fewer than 214 girls who were rescued recently by the Nigeria army from the Sambisa forest in Borno state, the den on Boko Haram, might be pregnant.

The Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Professor Babatunde Osotimehin made this known in Lagos today.

According to him, the UNFP had also, in the last one year, taken deliveries of over 16,000 pregnancies in the troubled North East part of the country.

Professor Osotimehin, who gave an update of the response to the rehabilitation of the rescued women and children, said the organization, in anticipation of the magnitude of the problem on hand, had put in place a formidable team in collaboration with the Federal and state governments, to first restore the dignity of the girls, who, he said, are facing severe psychosocial trauma.

On the state of the girls, he explained that most of them, due to the long period spent in captivity, required a special set of services that would facilitate their integration into society.

“What we found is that some of the women and girls that have come back actually have much more in terms of the stress they have faced, so the counselling has to be more intense and working with them one-on-one.

“I’m glad the communities are not excommunicating them and are taking them back. That is an important therapy too. We anticipate this is going to escalate because the military intervention is continuing, we find that more people are now needing our services and we will continue,” he stated.

He said that the UNFPA had earlier collaborated with the Federal and state governments to train 60 counsellors to offer psychosocial services to the affected women and children. He noted that those trained were people from the communities, who understand the context and sociology of the people.

“UNFPA is providing dignity for women. In conflict and disasters, most people would only think of water and sanitation, provision of tents and housing, and food, which are all important. But women and girls have specific needs that nobody else looks after; it is only UNFPA that is doing this. We are giving psychosocial counselling.

“Beyond that, in the growing young people, we will always have pregnant women, but nobody segregates the needs of the pregnant women which are very important and different from the needs of the average community. We look after them, and ensure they get antenatal care and that they deliver properly and that they even get Caesarean Section when necessary.” [myad]

Tiger Woods, Lindsey Vonn End 3-Year Relationship

Greenbarge Reporters

May 3, 2015

Tiger Woods and Lindsey Vonn are no longer together. Woods and Vonn both issued similar statements today confirming the end of their three-year relationship.

“Lindsey and I have mutually decided to stop dating,” said Woods on his website. “I have great admiration, respect and love for Lindsey and I’ll always cherish our time together. She has been amazing with Sam and Charlie and my entire family.

“Unfortunately, we lead very hectic lives and are both competing in demanding sports. It’s difficult to spend time together.”

Vonn shared the news on Facebook.

“After nearly three years together, Tiger and I have mutually decided to end our relationship,” Vonn said.

“I will always cherish the memories that we’ve created together. Unfortunately, we both lead incredibly hectic lives that force us to spend a majority of our time apart. I will always admire and respect Tiger. He and his beautiful family will always hold a special place in my heart.”

Vonn, 30, and Woods, 39, made their relationship public in March 2013. Vonn appeared at the Masters with Woods and his children, Sam and Charlie, including during his first appearance in the Masters Par-3 Contest in 11 years.

Woods finished T-17 at the Masters and has announced a full summer schedule, including next week’s Players Championship, which he won the last time he played in the event in 2013. [myad]

President Jonathan Mourns Chief Imam Of Abuja National Mosque

Greenbarge Reporters

May 3, 2015

President Goodluck Jonathan has sent a condolence message to the Muslim community on the death of Ustaz Musa Muhammed, the Chief Imam of Abuja National Mosque.
In a statement issued today by Special adviser to the President on media and publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati said that Jonathan also sympathized with members of the family of the late cleric who he said, greatly inspired his followers with his exemplary lifestyle, moral conduct and teachings.
“President Jonathan believes that Ustaz Muhammed, who stood out as a passionate and diligent promoter of inter-religious understanding and co-operation, will always be remembered as a bridge-builder and a gentleman in every circumstance.
“The President prays that Allah in his mercy will grant him peaceful rest in Al-Jannah Firdaus.” [myad]

Mother, 3 Kids, Housemaid Perish In Fire Outbreak In Jos

Greenbarge Reporters

May 2, 2015

A mother, her three children, a family member and a housemaid have been burnt to death in a fire outbreak at Ibrahim Taiwo Road, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria.

Residents living in the compound with the victims – the Araf family, said that the incident occurred in the early hours of today, shortly after power supply was restored to the area following an outage the night before the incident.

It was gathered that the fire started from an electric surge which aided the explosion of a gas cylinder in the house, as the victims were held captive due to the fortified security barricade in the house which has only one entrance.

All occupants of the two bedroom apartment were burnt beyond recognition before men of the Fire Brigade Service and residents could render any assistance or extend any help to save them.

The victims all died while the husband was away on official duty.

In line with Muslim tradition, the victims were taken to the mortuary immediately where prayers were offered for the repose of the departed souls and subsequent interment at the cemetery amidst tears.

The Plateau incident brings to fore, the need for citizens to take certain measures in providing security apparatus that will enhance access to buildings while emergency exits should be provided in curbing occurrences of such incidents. [myad]

Chief Imam Of Abuja National Mosque, Ustaz Muhammed, Dies At 68

Greenbarge Reporters

May 2, 2015

The Chief Imam of Abuja National Mosque, Ustaz Musa Muhammed, is dead, aged 68. He died today at the National Hospital Abuja where he was receiving treatment for an undisclosed ailment.

Secretary-General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, announced the passing on of the Imam in a statement in Ibadan today.

The statement said that there would be funeral prayers for him tomorrow, Sunday May 3, at the National Mosque, Abuja by 10.00a.m.

“On behalf of the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saád Abubakar III, Oloyede condoled with the Muslim community on the death of Musa Muhammed.”

In its condolence message, the Muslim Media Practitioners of Nigeria, described Musa Muhammed as somebody blessed with knowledge.

In the message, MMPN Chairman, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, said the Muslim community had lost a great scholar whose wealth of knowledge was a blessing to the Muslim community.

“This is really sad coming less than two months to the holy month of Ramadan where the Imam personally conducted Tafsir sessions for muslim men and women, including weekly sermons.”

The statement said he was a very kind- hearted and generous scholar, who combined humility and knowledge with philanthropy.
Musa Muhammed was born on April 11, 1947 and hailed from Jos, capital of Plateau State.

He is survived by four wives and 14 children.

Meanwhile, the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari has described the death of Ustaz Musa Muhammed, the Chief Imam of the Abuja Central Mosque as a sad setback to the efforts to reunite Nigerians of various faiths after a very divisive campaign leading to the recent elections.

“He died at a time when the counsels of Nigerians of the highest calibre are needed to continue unification efforts,” Buhari said.

Reacting to the news of the death of Chief Imam, Buhari described the late Imam Musa as an inspirational leader who preached love among men and women and fought hard all his life to diminish cleavages and divisive tendencies in our country.

Buhari said the Imam’s name will occupy a proud place among those who worked for the unity, peace and the well-being of the Nigerian state.

“I join many who mourn him and in doing so, I am proud to remember a great son of Nigeria. May Allah repose his soul and grant his family and the nation the fortitude to bear his loss,” Buhari said. [myad]

PDP Faces Implosion

Greenbarge Reporters

May 2, 2015

Nigeria’s ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may be headed for internal crises as an aftermath of election defeat at March 28 Presidential poll. The leaders of the party are now openly accusing presidential aides for President Goodluck Jonathan’s defeat at the poll and even the party issued a “strong warning” to the president’s associates and aides, asking them to steer clear of the party, and not use their closeness to Jonathan to cause crisis in the party.
“The National Working Committee (NWC) of the party issued a very strong warning to some ambitious aides and associates of President Jonathan trying to use their closeness to him to cause crisis in the party and pave way for more defection to other parties.”
In an unusually strongly-worded statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, the NWC threatened to expose such individuals and make them face the full weight of the party disciplinary measures if they fail to immediately retrace their steps.
NWC made it clear that it is “aware of the clandestine activities of such aides and associates of the President including their unholy alliance with some elements in other parties to undermine and weaken the PDP by attacking its leadership.
“The NWC is aware that these same individuals who mismanaged the presidential campaigns are now desperately seeking to cause crisis in the PDP with a view not only to divert attention from their misdeeds but also to ensure that they remained politically relevant by hijacking the party structure for their selfish purposes.”
Despite the president Jonathan’s concession of defeat to General Muhammadu Buhari of All Progressives Congress (APC), some of his party leaders have for weeks subtly blamed each other for the loss.
Last week, a former political aide to the president, Ahmed Gulak, called on the chairman of the PDP, Adamu Mu’azu, to take responsibility for the defeat and resign.
“If the belief of the majority of the members of the PDP is anything to go by, you could say that the party chairman was the number one culprit for the dismal outing of the PDP,” Gulak said.
“There is no party chairman of the PDP since 1998 that has led the party to such a disastrous outing. As a result, the national chairman should consider himself one of those that have to give way for the new party to come up. In fact, he doesn’t need to be told to turn in his resignation,” he said.
Ahead of the elections, Mu’azu faced stringent criticisms for his contribution to the campaign efforts of Jonathan.
Many party members accused him of refusing to campaign for the president openly, especially in the northern states.
On Thursday, the PDP denied reports that the party chairman was ejected from a meeting of PDP governors.
Here is the reproduction of the party’s full statement:
The National Working Committee, NWC, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has issued a very strong warning to some ambitious aides and associates of President Goodluck Jonathan trying to use their closeness to him to cause crisis in the party and pave way for more defection to other parties.
The PDP said it would expose such individuals and make them face the full weight of the party disciplinary measures if they fail to immediately retrace their steps.
The NWC in a statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh on Saturday said it is “aware of the clandestine activities of such aides and associates of the President including their unholy alliance with some elements in other parties to undermine and weaken the PDP by attacking its leadership.
“The NWC is aware that these same individuals who mismanaged the presidential campaigns are now desperately seeking to cause crisis in the PDP with a view not only to divert attention from their misdeeds but also to ensure that they remained politically relevant by hijacking the party structure for their selfish purposes.
“We are aware that these individuals have been trying to arm-twist the President to summon a meeting of party leaders at the Presidential Villa in the coming days where the NWC members would be put under pressure to resign thereby triggering a crisis in the leadership at the national level.
“The party is aware that the same group has been sponsoring series of amorphous bodies and negative publications in a section of the media to peddle false allegations against the NWC to back their heinous and unconstitutional demands that the President should sack the NWC before the handover date of May 29, 2015.
“However, for the purposes of clarity, especially for those making uninformed demands on the President, the PDP National Working Committee is duly elected and its tenure ends in March 2016 in line with the provisions of the party’s constitution. The PDP is a party built on the rule of law and democratic ethos. Its NWC is elected and not appointed and as such cannot be sacked at will or by an executive fiat. Besides, no section of the party constitution prescribes that the NWC should quit if the party loses in a general election.
“Furthermore, the PDP constitution is clear on the process of summoning a meeting of party leaders and the role of the NWC in that regard is well-defined. Anything outside the laid down rules and the provisions of the constitution in this respect is completely of no effect.
“Moreover, President Goodluck Jonathan has amply demonstrated his strict adherence to the rule of law and the tenets of democracy even on issues of party administration and should not in anyway be hassled by these selfish and greedy elements to destroy his legacies.
“Consequently, the leadership of the PDP by this statement makes it very clear and in an unambiguous terms too that it will no longer condone such divisive actions by the same unscrupulous individuals who in their selfishness ruined the fortunes of our great party in the general elections.
“The NWC will no longer tolerate actions that tend to undermine discipline and the supremacy of the party and its constitution, as it will henceforth not hesitate to apply full disciplinary measures for infractions
“Our advice to these ambitious aides and associates of the President is to leave party matters and concentrate on the Presidential transition and smooth handover of power to the incoming administration as well as preparing for post-handover issues that might arise regarding the administration in which they served”, the party stated.
On the issue of the performance of the party in the general elections and allegations of mismanagement of Presidential campaign funds, the NWC said it has no case to answer, as Nigerians already know the truth regarding those who managed the campaigns including the funds.
“Nigerians are not at loss as to the fact that the PDP NWC did not manage the campaign and its fund. Those who managed the campaigns have already submitted their reports to the President who in his wisdom gave them the mandate and they have been applauded for a job well done at that level”, the statement said.
The NWC said it appreciates the support and backing of key stakeholders especially the PDP Governors’ Forum, the body of national vice chairmen and state chairmen as well as governors, legislators-elect and all well-meaning members in the all-important effort to rebuild the party and reposition it to regain power in 2019. [myad]

How Nollywood Actor, Peter Bunor, Died

Greenbarge Reporters

May 2, 2015

The death of a Nigerian Nollywood actor, Peter Bunor, shook the Nollywood circle yesterday even as they continued to ask question as to what actually led to his death.
The Ogwashi Uku, Delta State-born actor died in the early hours of yesterday, Friday, May 1, 2015 in Asaba. His death was announced by his son, Peter Bunor Jr, through a post on his Facebook page. Bunor Jr wrote: “In the early hours of today, my father, friend, teacher, confidant passed on.”
Information had it that Peter Bunor might have died of stroke he was said to have suffered the same a few years back.
The late actor was said to have complained about being neglected by his colleagues.
Bunor featured in a number productions, including “Cock Crow at Dawn,” “Memorial Hospital,” “Checkmate’’ and “Living in Bondage’’ among others.
The late ace-actor had put in 30 years in the movie industry.
He attended Abadina Primary School, Ibadan, and later finished at St George’s Falomo, Lagos. He then went to St. Michaels College, Ogwashikwu, where he had his secondary education. He got a diploma in accounting in Ahmadu Bello University (ABU).
While in Jos, he used to go to act with the NTA Jos, between 1980-82.
He even took part in the first soap opera that went on network and also had a stint with some of the local television productions like Mirror and others. He has equally taken part in different television soaps like Memorial Hospital, Checkmate, Sound of Destiny, Second Chance, Third Eye and several others.
At the time home video thing came up, he found himself in one of the major English video titled (Glamour Girls) in 1994. [myad]

Buhari Sends Atiku To Lobby President Zuma For Adesina’s AfDB Presidential Ambition

Greenbarge Reporters

May 2, 2015

President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari has started the campaign for Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina for the Presidency of the African Development Bank (AfDB). He sent the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar to the President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma to lobby him for Adesina’s candidacy.

A statement from the Atiku Media Office in Abuja today said that Atiku Abubakar is on diplomatic shuttle to shore up much-needed support for the Nigerian candidate to leverage on his contacts to lobby for the emergence of Adesina.

President-elect Buhari who backs the candidacy of Adesina had last month conveyed his support to the President of Ghana, John Mahama when the two leaders met in Abuja.

According to the statement, Atiku travelled with Adesina to South Africa over the weekend where the two met with President Zuma at the Presidential Residence in Durban.

“His Excellency former Vice President Atiku Abubakar met President Zuma in the company of Dr Akinwumi Adesina during which the directive of President-elect General Muhammadu Buhari was conveyed to Zuma. The issue of South Africa and the Southern African region support for Nigeria’s candidate was exhaustively discussed and well appreciated.”

Pix:

L-R Senator Domingo Obande, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma and Minister of Agriculture and Nigeria’s candidate for president for African Development Bank, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina at the Presidential Residence in Durban, South Africa on Saturday, 02 May 2015. [myad]

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