MNCH: 3 youths on mission to deliver Nigerian women

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MNCH: 3 youths on mission to deliver Nigerian women

They are three of a kind – Babatunde Emmauel Ajidagba, Chukwudera Bridget Mmaduabu (nee Okeke) and Mu’azu Mohammed. All activists, their backgrounds are diverse, but their future is united by a common cause,which is the wellbeing and health of Nigerian women and girls.

Tunde, Chukwudera and Mu’azu, foresee a better future for Nigerian girls and women. They desire a better tomorrow for women and girls and are going all out to fulfil that goal.

The trio are Nigerian representatives of the Women Deliver’s 100 Young Leaders-a group of inspiring young people selected to receive scholarships to attend the largest global meeting of the decade to focus on the health and well-being of girls and women, (the 2013 Women Deliver conference), they have handed opportunity to learn more about issues affecting women and girls’ wellbeing and livelihood as well as connecting with experts from around the world.

As the conference gets underway today in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, these young Nigerians, on a rescue mission of maternal health, are set to be part of history. Already, they have positioned themselves to join thousands of other maternal health advocates, from around the world, to attend the monumental world meeting.

“We are adding our voices to highlight the plight of women and girls on Earth,” stressed Bridget – a sociologist, independent consultant, development practitioner and experienced sexual and reproductive health and rights advocate. A a volunteer with Concern Women International Development Initative, and consultant for Citizen’s

Health and Education Development(CHEDI), Bridget hopes to learn the success stories and challenges of other countries in the bid towards the Nigerian government committing resources towards achieving better maternal health in the country.

“I’m hoping to add my voice to discussions on post 2015 agenda, particularly the implications for the realisation of young people’s sexual and reproductive health in developing countries,” she asserts

As for Babatunde, a final year medical student of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria has similar ambitions. “My passion is for women and girls’ reproductive health and rights.

Coordinator of a Campus Health and Rights Initiative (CHRI) – a youth based organization promoting reproductive health and rights among young adults, Babatunde is providing quality, accessible, and affordable sexual and reproductive health education and health services to peers through an awareness programme tagged Campus Health Forum.

“My desire and wish for Nigerian girls and women is that their reproductive health will be promoted and their reproductive rights will be protected.”

Mu’azu, 26, is Program Support Assistant with Targeted States High Impact Project, TSHIP, a system strengthening project with focus on integrated interventions on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, MNCH; family planning and reproductive health in Sokoto, Sokoto State, Nigeria. Mu’azu  holds a Masters Degree in International Studies from Usmanu DanFodiyo University Sokoto, with a background in advocacy and community mobilization on sexual reproductive health and rights including HIV/AIDS.

“This conference is an opportunity for a young advocate who has interest in improving health of girls and women in Africa to meet other young people from other continents to others with different background and experiences with info and share exp and interact. There will be the opportunity to advocate with country delegates ministries of health and finance, and tell the need for young girls and women, in aspects of reproductive health matters.”

source: vangaurdngr

Nigerians attack Kim Kardashian on Twitter over her ALLEGED tweet that insults the country

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Nigerians attack Kim Kardashian on Twitter over her ALLEGED tweet that insults the country

Nigerians are currently throwing insults at Kim Kardashian on Twitter over an alleged tweet describing Nigerian women as Apes and the West African country as disgusting.

Barely a month after Reality TV star, Kim Kardashian visited Nigeria for a Valentine’s Day concert in Lagos where she surprisingly spent a few minutes and walked away with N82m, it’s seems the expectant mother wasn’t satisfied with the amount paid.

For some unknown reasons, Kim took to twitter and lashed out at Nigerians, going as far as calling Nigerian Ladies “Apes”

The tweet, which doesn’t appear on her timeline at the moment, is believed to have been doctored as her account verification tick is not present on the caption.

Check out the reactions of some Nigerians to this:

Folorunsho Alakija Overtakes Oprah Winfrey… Now Richest Black Woman

 In the last three weeks, Mrs Folorunsho Alakija has been in the news headlines for very good reasons – her wealth status.
Alakija, 61, was rated as the 24th most richest person in Forbes Africa’s Richest 40 with a net worth of $600 million but according to a recent report by Ventures Africa, the oil tycoon and fashionista is worth at least $3.3 billion – about $500 million richer than media mogul, Oprah Winfrey, whose wealth was estimated at $2.7 billion in September.
If Ventures Africa’s publication is to be believed, a Nigerian woman, nay, Mrs Folorunsho Alakija, is now the richest black woman in the word.


Forbes or Ventures Africa, whose word are you taking?
Read the full report of Ventures Africa here:

VENTURES AFRICA/Africa’s Secret Millionaires – Move over, Oprah – there is a new richest black woman in the world. And she’s Nigerian.

Meet Folorunsho Alakija, a Nigerian billionaire oil tycoon, Fashion designer and philanthropist who is worth at least $3.3 billion- contrary to a recent Forbes Magazine ranking which pegs her net worth at only $600 million.

Alakija, 61, was born into a wealthy, polygamous Nigerian family. She started out her professional career in the mid 70s as a secretary at the now defunct International Merchant Bank of Nigeria, one of the country’s earliest investment banks. In the early 80s, Alakija quit her job and went on to study Fashion design in England, returning to Nigeria shortly afterwards to start Supreme Stitches, a premium Nigerian fashion label which catered exclusively to upscale clientele.

The business thrived, and Alakija quickly made a tidy fortune selling high-end Nigerian clothing to fashionable wives of military bigwigs and society women.

Oil Prospecting License

In May 1993 Alakija applied for an allocation of an Oil Prospecting License (OPL). The license to explore for oil on a 617,000 acre block – (now referred to as OPL 216) was granted to Alakija’s company, Famfa Limited. The block is located approximately 220 miles South East of Lagos and 70 miles offshore Nigeria in the central Niger Delta.

This was in 1993. Many wealthy Nigerian businessmen and military bigwigs who had been allocated oil blocs by the military administration at the time had no clue as to the technicalities in operating an oil block, so many of them typically acquired OPLs, and then flipped them off to international oil companies for substantial profits.

But Alakija was intelligent. She had no expertise or experience in running an oil field, but she decided not to sell off her license. In September 1996, she entered into a joint venture agreement with Star Deep Water Petroleum Limited (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Texaco) and appointed the company as a technical adviser for the exploration of the license, transferring 40 percent of her 100 percent stake to Star Deep. Subsequently, Star Deep sold off 8 percent of its stake in OPL 216 to Petrobas, a Brazilian company. Folorunsho Alakija and her family owned 60 percent.

Nigerian Government Forcefully Acquires Stake In The Block

Star Deep Petroleum carried on with exploitation of the oil field. In 2000, the first appraisal well was confirmed to have recoverable reserves in excess of 1 billion barrels of oil equivalent. When this was discovered, the Nigerian government, led by Olusegun Obasanjo immediately ordered that a 40 percent interest in OPL 216 be allocated to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) under the Back-in-Right Regulation of 2003 which gives the Nigerian government participatory rights in any OPL or OML. You can read more about this back-in-right regulation in detail here.

This would leave Famfa Oil with a 20 percent stake. This was in 2000, and the government did not pay Famfa a dime for the stake. In 2003, Famfa applied for a conversion from an OPL to an OML, and in 2004 the request was granted. OPL 216 became OML 127.
But the Nigerian government was not content with its 40 percent stake in Famfa. In 2005, the government led by General Olusegun Obasanjo forcefully acquired a further 10 percent stake in OML 127.

Folorunsho Alakija immediately went to the courts to challenge the government’s forceful acquisition take a 50% in the license. It was a lengthy court battle which lasted for several years, but in May 2012, the Supreme Court voided the government’s acquisition of a 50 percent stake in OML 127 and subsequently transferred the 50 percent stake back to Famfa Oil. (Read about Famfa’s victory here).

The Nigerian government tried to appeal the Supreme’s court decision, but the case has been dismissed- a victory for Famfa Oil which sees the little-known oil company owning a 60 percent in OML 127, which is one of Nigeria’s most prolific oil blocks.

Valuation Of OML 127

Daily production at OML 127 currently stands at 200,000 barrels per day. When the Nigerian government, through its wholly-owned petroleum company, NNPC, was trying to justify its forceful acquisition of a 50 percent stake in OML 127 at the Supreme court, the Government admitted that if Famfa Oil owned a 60 percent stake in the OML, the company stood to earn $10 million on a daily basis (after taxes and other exploration costs have been settled).  The government’s argument at the Supreme Court can be found through this link, (item number 23).

So how much is a 60 percent stake in OML 127 worth?

Comparator: In July 2012, Royal Dutch Shell agreed to sell its 45 percent stake in OML 30 for $850 million to Heritage Oil and Shoreline Energy.

According to Fool.co.uk, OML 30 currently produces 35,000 barrels of oil per day.

So, if 45 percent of a 35,000 bpd-producing oil bloc is $850 million, 100 percent of the same bloc = $1.88 billion i.e 100/45 x $850 million

If a 100 percent stake in a 35,000 bpd-producing oil bloc is $1.88 billion, by the same logic, a 100 percent stake in 200,000 bpd-producing oil bloc is worth $10.74 billion i.e 200,000 bpd/35,000 bpd X $1.88 billion

Folorunsho Alakija’s 60 percent stake in a $10.74 billion oil well is worth $6.44 billion.

Technically, her 60 percent stake in OML 127 is worth $6.44 billion.

Another comparator: In November 2012, French oil group Total announced that it was selling a 20 percent stake in its Nigerian offshore oil field to China’s Sinopec in a $2.5 billion deal. The block in question, OML 138 is a 180,000 bpd facility.

So, if a 20 percent stake in an 180,000 bpd facility offshore block is worth $2.5 billion, the entire block is worth $12.5 billion i.e 100/20 x $2.5 billion. Since a 180,000 bpd-producing facility is worth $12.5 billion, a 200,000 bpd-producing facility is worth $13.8 billion because 200,000/180,000 x $12.5 billion.

Using the Total-Sinopec deal as the yardstick, we could also value OML 127 at $13.8 billion. In that case, her 60 percent stake would be worth $8.3 billion.

But to be conservative, we prefer to go with the lower valuation of $6.44 billion.

On Debt
Ventures Africa reached out to Famfa Limited to comment, but the company declined to divulge any information regarding any long-term or short-term debt. We have no idea on how much debt (if any, the company has), but even if we take the high side, and subtract 50 percent of the value of her stake for debt, that still gives her 60 percent stake in OML 127 a market value of $3.2 billion, which makes her richer than the $2.7 billion Oprah Winfrey is worth according to Forbes Magazine’s last rankings.

Real Estate: $100 million
Folorunsho Alakija also has a real estate portfolio worth over $100 million.  Earlier this year, Nigerian and British media announced that Alakija acquired a property at One Hyde Park for $102 million. See media coverage here and here

A source at Famfa Oil who asked for anonymity indeed confirmed that Mrs. Alakija actually acquired the property at One Hyde Park.

Private Jet
Alakija owns a Bombardier Global Express 6000 which she bought earlier this year for a reported $46 million.

PHILANTHROPY
Folorunsho Alakija is the founder of the Rose of Sharon foundation, a Christian-based charity which gives out small grants to widows.

PERSONAL
Alakija is married to Modupe Alakija and they have four grown-up sons together.  She also has a grandchild from her first son. Modupe Alakija, her husband is the Chairman of Famfa Oil. Her sons run the company.

Revealed: Nigerian Billionaire, Alakija Owns Five Apartments At The World’s Most Expensive Apartment Block In London

Madam Folorunsho Alakija

Women are breaking boundaries and holding their own anywhere in the world; Folorunsho Alakija is doing same as the Nigerian oil baroness has been revealed to own five apartments in London’s One Hyde Park, the world’s most expensive apartment block.
In its latest issue out at the weekend, American lifestyle magazine, Vanity Fair ran a report in which it listed Alakija as one of the apartment owners in the 6,000 pounds-per-square-feet One Hyde Park.
The report is the outcome of a six-month long investigation by Zurich-based investigative reporter and expert on tax havens, Nicholas Shaxson.
Other apartment owners in the upmarket One Hyde Park include owner of Ukranian football club, Shaktar Donesk, Rinat Akhmetov, Ukraine’s richest man and One Hyde Park’s wealthiest, whose property is valued at $215.9 million. Next to Akhmetov is Nigeria’s Alakija.
According to the magazine, the five apartments owned by Alakija’s Rose of Sharon 4, a company registered in the Isle of Man, were bought at a combined fee of $123 million (N18.4billion).
The publication noted most of the apartment owners in the London property have tried to conceal their identities by using entities based in offshore tax havens to buy their homes, but investigators never stopped fishing them out.
Alakija’s Rose of Sharon 4, for instance, was said to have been set up in 2010 with five company directors from the Isle of Man, and with “two almost identically-sounding entities listed as shareholders: Barclaytrust International Nominees (Isle of Man) Ltd and Barclaytrust (Nominees) Isle of Man Ltd,” according to Sunday Times, which quoted the Vanity Fair report.
Alakija, who Forbes rated ‘World’s richest black woman’ last year, is believed to worth a combined $3.3 billion, according to Ventures Africa, a business magazine.
There is no history of a big inheritance that made Alakija what she has become today, so we’d say she’s self-made. The billionaire’s business interests span oil, printing and fashion.
Alakija is the Executive Vice Chairman of Famfa Oil Limited, which is into oil exploration. She also owns The Rose of Sharon Group which comprises The Rose of Sharon Prints & Promotions Limited and Digital Reality Prints Limited.

15 Tips for Talking to Women And Attract Them Like Crazy

15 Tips for Talking to Women And Attract Them Like Crazy

Many men are never taught how to talk to women. Because of this many guys go through life without the ability to attract a woman. Here are 15 tips to help make sure you aren’t making mistakes with the women you’d like to attract:

 

1. You should talk about “emotional” topics like childhood memories, future ambitions, or her passions. These conversation topics will open up her emotional floodgates.

 

2. Women want a guy who is not afraid to lead her. While talking to a woman take control of the conversation. Never wait for her to dictate what you’ll be talking about.

 

3. Pay attention to the non-verbal cues a woman is giving you. If you’re standing too close to her, accidentally spitting when you talk, or making her feel uncomfortable in any way… she will send you hints. Pay attention to them.

 

4. Remember this motto “Fun not Funny.” Women are attracted to men who allow them to have fun. Don’t concentrate on having the funniest jokes. Concentrate on showing them the most excitement and enjoyment.

 

5. Tease women. One of the easiest ways to take a conversation to a fun and flirty level is to begin to tease women. Think back to your time on the playground. In the world of dating… what worked on the playground is effective all over again.

 

6. Get intimate with her. Women are turned on by men who are not afraid to take a conversation to a personal, intimate level.

 

7. Use things like “cold reads” to turn women on. Women love to hear opinions about themselves. Tell her what you observe about her.

 

8. Avoid complimenting a woman too much. Women are turned off by men who come across as “needy.” If you are complimenting a woman too much she will think you’re trying to impress her. Which will have the opposite effect.

 

9. If you want to know how to talk to women in a way that doesn’t bore them… Avoid asking too many “interview” style questions.  Instead state your opinion about things.

10. Remember: Statements over questions. Instead of saying “where did you grow up?” Say “You don’t look like you grew up around here.” This allows you to make observations about her and express your personality.

 

11. Don’t hide your identity. Don’t be afraid to talk about whatever you’re passionate about.

 

12. Never compliment her on her eyes, looks, or body.

13. Say something that lets her know that you view her in a “sexual” way. If you don’t, you run the risk of winding up in the “friend zone”.

 

14. Use conversation “games” to keep the mood fun and flirtatious. Games can be anything like “truth or dare” or to less extreme games like the “5 questions game”.

 

15. Don’t give away your hand so fast. Women like men who are a challenge. If you want to keep a woman’s interest she has to feel like she is slowly winning you over. If she thinks you’re too easy… she’ll lose interest.

 

The best way to think about how to talk to women is to think about what kind of fun, playful, and sexual conversation you would most enjoy. Talking to a woman doesn't have to be difficult. You just need to be aware of what they are turned on by and what turns them off. Follow the list above and you’ll do just fine.