Nigerian appointed California oil and gas supervisor

California Governor Gavin Newsom

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California Governor, Gavin Newsom, has appointed a Nigerian, Uduak-Joe Ntuk, as the State Oil and Gas Supervisor, responsible for managing the Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR).

DOGGR uses science and sound engineering practices to regulate the drilling, operation and permanent closure of energy resource wells.

The division prioritises protecting the public and the environment in its oversight of the oil, natural gas and geothermal industries within the largest state in America.

A statement from the governor's office said that Ntuk had served as the Petroleum Administrator for the City of Los Angeles, the second-largest city in the United States of America.

"In Los Angeles, he was responsible for oversight and policy of oil fields, gas storage facilities, petroleum refineries and pipeline franchise agreements.

"Prior to joining the city of Los Angeles, he had worked for several companies, including Tyco, General Electric and Chevron.

"Being a technical professional with both public and private sector energy experience, he provided technical advice to the Mayor, City Council, and various City Departments," said the governor's office.

It added that Ntuk, a strong believer in Nigeria and its potentials, had expressed his will to share his expertise to further develop the Nigerian petroleum industry and the possibilities of building a mutually-beneficial relationship with the state of California.

"A Nigerian-based Oil and Gas Consulting Company is exploring the possibilities and has initiated discussions regarding building a business relationship between the Nigerian oil and gas industry and the state of California through Mr Ntuk.

"He is the first Nigerian-American to hold this position in California's history and his family is from the Port City of Calabar, Cross River State," said the statement.

The Seahawks should consider replacing Ken Norton Jr with Dan Quinn.....

Ken Norton Jr is great with linebackers but struggles as a DC

By Lee Vowell

The Seahawks might need to make a change at defensive coordinator. Atlanta might fire their head coach. One plus one might make two.

It is easy to look back with on Dan Quinn’s time as defensive coordinator for the Seahawks and think he was a great coach. He was a good coach for the defense, but he also had players like Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas young and hungry. Quinn was the defensive coordinator for Seattle from 2013 through 2014, back-to-back Super Bowl years.

Ken Norton Jr. is well-liked by coach Pete Carroll. Norton is the current defensive coordinator for Seattle and has been since 2018. Norton Jr. was the linebackers coach in Seattle from 2010 until 2015 before he left to become the coordinator with the Raiders. To be fair, Norton Jr. does not have the same kind of talent on his defense as Quinn did on his when he was in Seattle.

But a good coordinator will make the pieces of his defense better as a whole. And Seattle has struggled the last two seasons. The most glaring statistic is yards-per-play given up. There is probably a really good reason both the Patriots and 49ers are unbeaten. This year, the Patriots and 49ers are tied at first in the NFL giving up just 4.1 yards-per-play.

The last ranked teams in the league in the same category? That would be the winless Bengals (32nd at 6.6) and the winless Dolphins (31st at 6.5). Guess who is 30th? That would be the Seattle Seahawks giving up 6.2 per play. And this is actually worse from last year when Seattle was 25th in the NFL allowing 5.9 yards-per-play.

In 2017 during Kris Richard’s last year as defensive coordinator, Seattle ranked fifth in the NFL giving up 4.9 yards-per-play. That same season Norton Jr.’s Raiders were 27th in the league at 5.6 per play. In 2016, the Raiders were last in the league and in 2015, Norton Jr.’s first year in Oakland, were 11th. This means that Oakland’s defense actually got worse during Norton Jr.’s time there.

Still, Norton Jr. is excellent teaching linebackers. He has been since he coached that group under Pete Carroll at USC. In the NFL Norton Jr. has almost always had a good group at linebacker, the position he played in the NFL himself. But it is the rest of the defense he struggles with.

Quinn’s record has been getting worse since the Falcons lost the Super Bowl to the Patriots at the end of the 2016 season. Atlanta has one win this year and Quinn is likely to be fired by the end of the year. He might not find a head coaching job right away. But he is a good defensive coach, it might just be the rest of the team he struggles with.

In 2013 and 2014, the Seahawks ranked first in yards-per-play in the NFL, both seasons Quinn was head of the defense. But even between 2015 and 2017, the lowest Seattle ranked was fifth. Maybe Seattle starting losing defensive players, but did they really go from fifth in the league to 25th in one season? Maybe it is the coach calling the defensive plays and the scheme.

What would be great to see, though I have no hopes that it will, would be for Carroll to rehire Quinn as defensive coordinator for the 2020 season and have Norton Jr. move back to coaching the linebackers. Likely, Norton Jr. wouldn’t be able to get a coordinator’s job elsewhere and Quinn won’t be hired as a head coach. But they are both great fits for the Seahawks and would help make the defense very good again.

Source: 12thmanrising.com

Fall from grace: US court remands Invictus Obi till February 2020

Disgraced Obinwanne Okeke

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An American court this week remanded a Nigerian, Obinwanne Okeke in prison custody till February 2020 over a case of alleged fraud.

Okeke, popularly known as Invictus Obi, was arraigned on two counts of wire and computer fraud.

According to Reports, the presiding judge, Douglas Miller at the Newport News, Virginia, federal courthouse, declared the case as "complex," but said Okeke should be remanded in prison until February 18, 2020 when the trial would continue.

Okeke appeared in court at 2:00 p.m. according to the court schedule of Judge Douglas Miller for Monday, 9th -Monday, 23rd September 2019 at the Newport News, Virginia federal courthouse on their website.

Okeke is up against the United States of America in case 4:2019 cr 84.

It was reported that Okeke had a week earlier appeared before a federal grand jury, who examined the evidence gathered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Department of Justice.

He was found guilty and recommended for trial.

The jury further said that should Okeke be convicted, he should forfeit at least $11 million in asset and an emerald shaped diamond engagement ring found on him when he was first arrested by federal agents as he was about leaving the US on August 6.

South Africa crush sorry England to win Rugby World Cup

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The Springboks defeat England in the final while imposing their physical will on England and thus claim a third title with a 32-12 victory, equalling New Zealand as the only countries to win the World Cup three times.

The Springboks scored two second-half tries through Makazole Mapimpi and Cheslin Kolbe. Fly-half Handre Pollard was lethal with the boot as he kicked two conversions and six penalties.

England was never in this game and as the match progressed, the only question was that of how much the Springboks would win by, not if they would win.

It was a befitting finale to a glorious competition that has increasingly gained ground among the worlds top global sports events.

Here are the highlights of a well deserved victory for the South Africans:

My wife won't cry if I'm shot -Trump.....

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President Donald Trump has said that his wife of 14 years, Melania, wouldn't cry if he got shot in an assassination attempt. 

Online medium, Politico, reports that the President spoke in Washington at a dinner for some Republican heavy weight fundraisers.

Together, Trump and Melania are parents to 13-year-old boy, Barron.

"The president made the prediction during a private fundraiser on Tuesday night, where he was pondering the 2017 congressional baseball shooting in which several people were shot, including House minority whip Steve Scalise," says the medium.

While discussing Scalise's injuries, Trump noted the way his (Scalise) wife reacted to his injuries.

"She cried her eyes out when I met her at the hospital that fateful day.

"I mean, not many wives would react that way to tragedy, I know mine wouldn't," Politico quotes the President to have said.

In addition to Mr Scalise, several others were hit by bullets during the 2017 shooting in Alexandria, Virginia. The others injured were congressional aide Zack Barth, lobbyist Matt Mika, and US Capitol Police officer Crystal Griner.

Why Suze Orman may be more sizzle than steak

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Rogue police officer resigns after murder of black woman in her home

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A Dallas Fort Worth police officer, Aaron Dean, who supposdely would have been fired on Monday, has resigned according to Fort Worth Police Chief, Edwin Kraus.

"Had the officer not resigned, I would have fired him for violations of several policies including our use of force policy," said Kraus. "Despite his resignation, the officer still faces criminal charges from the major case investigation."

"Had the officer not resigned, I would have fired him for violations of several policies including our use of force policy," said Kraus. "Despite his resignation, the officer still faces criminal charges from the major case investigation."

This is becoming a common theme particularly under the Trump administration, as the climate of overt racism created by the current occupant of the White House is seen by rogue cops within the various police departments across the United States, as a license to brutalize "people of color." 

A nation that allows the routine murder of its own people naturally lacks the moral right to accuse other nations of violating the rights of their citizens. That is why the GOP Senators and other so-called conservatives need to seriously look in the mirror before pointing fingers at China and other countries they view as "human rights violators."

Brazil and Senegal battle to 1-1 draw in Singapore friendly

Brazil and PSG star Neymar 

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Famara Diedhiou scored a penalty late in the first half of the friendly international to cancel out Roberto Firmino's ninth-minute opener at the Singapore National Stadium. 

Brazil drew 2-2 with Colombia and lost 1-0 to Peru in last month's friendlies and are on their longest wait for a victory since 2013.

The Copa America champions nearly fell to back-to-back losses as Sadio Mane struck the post for Senegal, leaving coach Tite to accept the criticism aimed his way.

"We were below what we can do. The squad played less than what it can play," Tite said at his post-match news conference.

"It was less competitive than what it can be. The squad can give more than this. This wasn't a good game.

"We need to get results. When we don't, criticism emerges and I have to be mature enough to absorb it."

Tite used a 4-4-2 formation in Singapore, with Neymar starting alongside Firmino in attack.

Neymar earned his 100th cap for Brazil and almost marked the landmark appearance with a goal, only for Alfred Gomis to keep out his effort in first-half stoppage time.

Asked about the Paris Saint-Germain forward's performance, Tite said: "He is getting back to his normal patterns.

"We are also making adjustments for him in the 4-4-2 system, as we're doing within the whole team."

Brazil return to action on Sunday with a friendly against Nigeria at the same ground.

Further evidence of Pinnick's rudderless leadership as Tammy Abraham says Nigeria was never an option

Tammy Abraham (L) and Fikayo Tomori - Getty Images

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Chelsea's Tammy Abraham as stated that England was always his choice and that his commitment to the three lions was never negotiable, despite the claims by Amaju Pinnick that the Chelsea youngster nursed Nigerian ambitions. 

"I'm a player growing up in England, playing in the Premier League. My ambitions were always to play for England. Obviously it's nice to be wanted by two nations, two nations that I love. But my main focus is and has always been England," he said.

"For me, it's a massive achievement [to be in the England squad]. I'm clearly doing something right for my club to get attention from Gareth Southgate. It's about going out there, helping the team as much as possible. And then coming back and doing the same job for my club."

As things stand, the 22-year-old is still eligible to represent Nigeria, however, he will end the uncertainty surrounding his international future if a competitive outing for England is taken in during their upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Bulgaria.

Abraham already has two senior caps to his name, but they were collected during friendly outings against Germany and Spain in November 2017.

His form at Chelsea has brought him back into the reckoning and a man who has worked hard to reach this point, taking in a number of loan spells along the way, is determined to become a mainstay in Gareth Southgate's plans.

The time has definitely come for the Amaju Pinnick-led Nigerian FA to focus on developing the local league as well as our home-based talent. The latter are just as good, if not better than the likes of Abraham and Tomori et al, who have no real desire to play for Nigeria, as they were groomed and cultured in England and the other European countries their parents emigrated to. 

Nigerian-born former Department Head at Drexel University in the US, allegedly spends $190k grant money on strip clubs.....

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A former Head of Department at Drexel University in the United States, Dr. Chika Nwankpa, has been accused of misappropriating $190,000 meant for research purposes.

According to the Daily Mail, the Nigerian-born University Professor misappropriated funds issued by the Navy, the Department of Energy, and the National Science Foundation, to pay off hefty expenses at gentlemen's clubs and sports bars in the Philadelphia area. Investigators also found he had also spent money on iTunes.

The university had reportedly discovered the alleged fraud in 2017 during an internal audit and alerted the government.

Speaking on the allegation, US Attorney William McSwain said, “This is an example of flagrant and audacious fraud, and a shameful misuse of public funds. The agencies providing these grant funds expect them to be used towards advancements in energy and naval technology for public benefit, not for personal entertainment.”

In total, Dr. Nwankpa was found to have misappropriated a total of $189,062, which had been intended for energy, science, and naval research.

When confronted by authorities, Dr. Nwankpa admitted to being the culprit behind the unauthorized expenses and resigned from his post.

The former University professor agreed to pay back $53,328 and has been barred from federal contracting for six months, but has not been charged with a crime as of yet. During his time with the University, he was considered among the “university’s top contractors of research grant funds” landing more than $10 million in research money across his career.