Meet the Brazilian man born with his head upside-down

A man born with physical disabilities so severe his head is Upside-down has defied the odds to become an inspirational public speaker.

Claudio Vieira de Oliveira, 37, was born with his neck folded back on itself, as well as badly deformed legs and almost no use of his arms and hands. Doctors told his mother to stop feeding him as a newborn as they believed he had no chance of survival. But Claudio from Monte Santo, Brazil, has overcome his extreme disadvantages to graduate as an accountant and become a public speaker. Continue...

"Since I was a child I've always liked to keep myself busy and work - I don't like to depend totally on other people. I do a bit of accounting, research for clients and consulting. I have learned to turn on the TV, pick up my cell phone, turn on the radio, use the internet, my computer - I do it all by myself." he said.

Claudio types with a pen held in his mouth, operates phones and a computer mouse with his lips and has specially made shoes that allow him to move around town. His determined independence saw him succeeding at school and qualifying as an accountant from the State University of Feira de Santana.

When Claudio was born, doctors told his mother Maria Jose he would not be able to survive. Maria Jose said:

"People started saying 'the baby is going to die' because he could barely breathe when he was born. Some people would say: 'Don't feed him, he is already dying'. But there's only happiness now. Claudio is just like any other person - that's how he was raised in this house. We never tried to fix him and always wanted him to do the normal things everyone else does. That's why he is so confident. He is not ashamed of walking around in the street - he sings and he dances."

At eight years old, Claudio, who had previously been carried everywhere, began to walk on his knees.

His family had to change the floor of the house so he could walk around without injuring himself.
Claudio's bed, plugs and lights had to be made lower so that he could do things for himself without asking for help.

He cannot use a wheelchair because of his unusual shape, making it hard for him to be independent outside the home - but he begged his mother to be allowed to go to school and learn with the other children. Doctors have recently diagnosed him with a rare condition called congenital arthrogryposis.

They believe he has multiple joint contractions in his legs and arms which mean they cannot extend properly. Claudio said:

"Throughout my life I was able to adapt my body to the world. Right now, I don't see myself as being different. I am a normal person. I don't see things upside-down. This is one of the things I always talk about in my interventions as a public speaker.

"Nowadays it's much easier to deal with the public, I'm not afraid of it anymore and I can say that I am a professional, international public speaker and that I receive invitations from all over the world."

Source UK Mirror

Ebola: Female doctor tests positive in Port Harcourt

A female doctor who was on admission at the Green Hart hospital where late Port Harcourt doctor, Iyke Enemoah, was treated after he got infected with the deadly virus by an ECOWAS official, has tested positive to Ebola.

Minister of Health, Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu revealed this today September 1st during a meeting of the National Emergency Council on Ebola outbreak in Nigeria. Continue...



Speaking with all Commissioners for Health in Nigeria, Prof. Chukwu said the doctor who tested positive to Ebola is now being treated at the Ebola isolation ward in Rivers state.

This recent confirmation brings to three the number of confirmed Ebola cases in Rivers state; the index case which is the ECOWAS official, Oluibukun Koye; the late Dr Iyke Enemoah who died on Friday August 22nd and the recently diagnosed female doctor.

Prof Chukwu said more cases of the Ebola Virus Disease were still being expected in Rivers state.

Divorce drama: Anita Oyakhilome’s name removed from Christ Embassy church website

The divorce mess between Pastors Chris and Anita Oyakhilome of Christ Embassy Church has worsened, P.M News reports. 

On Sunday, two days after it was reported that Anita Oyakhilome had filed for divorce, Christ Embassy deleted her pictures and personal information from its official website, www.christembassy.org.

Many describe the action as the beginning of a process to shut her out of the church, after she accused her husband of “adultery” and “unreasonable behaviours” in a divorce suit filed in London last April but only made public on Friday. Continue...

Christ Embassy’s new website now shows only Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, with a broad smile welcoming his followers to the month of August, and tagging it, ‘Month of Praise’.

In the message on the website, Oyakhilome also urges his followers to “rejoice for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Also, on the website of the Rhapsody of Realities, a daily devotional co-authored by the esrtwhile couple, there’s nothing to show that Anita is still recognised as the only visible face on the website among the family members is that of her husband.

It was too early to know if the September edition of the Rhapsody of Realities still has the photographs of both the pastor and his wife as it used to be.

In the past, when the going was good, Anita and Chris Oyakhilome held hands on the church website and smiled broadly. They projected the image of a perfect couple.

But P.M.NEWS checks at the weekend revealed that there is confusion in the church following the divorce suit filed by Anita to end her over two decades marriage to the founder of Christ Embassy Church.

In the past, Pastor Chris headed the Nigerian branch of the church, though he travelled to other branches occasionally, while Anita headed the branch in London and its environs.

Christ Embassy and its founder have been embroiled in a myriad of controversies in the past. In 2010, Oyakhilome was accused of engineering a money laundering scheme in Nigeria, and questions swirled around his finances because of his glamorous lifestyle.

Many pastors and theologians also excoriated Oyakhilome for his “New Creation” doctrine—a form of gnosticism that says after a person becomes a Christian, any sin they commit is only in the body and will not affect the spirit.

In 2008, Oyakhilome’s reputation as a faith healer was tarnished badly in Johannesburg, South Africa, when a man told a Soweto newspaper that Christ Embassy offered him more than $1,200 to sit in a wheelchair and pretend to be crippled until Oyakhilome prayed for him.

“The man went to the media instead of taking the money, sparking concerns that healings were being faked to impress growing crowds,” said Lee Grady in an article in 2012 published by Charisma Magazine.

Pastor Chris Oyakhilome has also been a target of criticism by the Treatment Action Campaign for his support of faith healing to cure HIV.

Allegations that Christ Embassy members are reportedly being forced to give huge sums of money in offerings with the biggest donors receiving the biggest awards have left many people concerned.

Many Nigerians have also alleged that the church operates like a cult and pressures members to marry only within Christ Embassy.

Many people also remember the scandal involving Christ Embassy and Sheraton Hotel some years ago when a member of the church, who worked at the Sheraton Hotel, stole money from his employers and gave it to Christ Embassy. But when Sheraton approached the church for reimbursement, the church allegedly claimed that the money had been given to God and could not be refunded.

Many also excoriated Pastor Chris some years ago when the church began collecting gate fees from members for their New Year Eve’s Service.

More recently, Oyakhilome came under attack after he claimed that Christians were free to masturbate because it was not a sin.

But the latest scandal involving Anita and Chris, who have two daughters, seems to threaten the very existence of one of the biggest churches in Nigeria.

Christ Embassy runs several arms including the Healing School, Rhapsody of Realities, and an N.G.O called the Innercity Missions as well as three Christian television channels: LoveWorld TV, LoveWorld SAT and LoveWorld Plus.

The church is scattered all over the world, including in the United Kingdom, the United States, South America and the whole of Europe.

Stories about women bringing men of God down are not new. In 1988, Jimmy Swaggart, a famous American preacher was implicated in a sex scandal involving a prostitute that resulted initially in his suspension, and ultimately defrocking, by the Assemblies of God.

Three years later, Swaggart was implicated in another scandal involving a prostitute. As a result, Swaggart’s ministry became non-affiliated, non-denominational and significantly smaller than it was before the scandals.

 Culled from P.M News

Former president Obasanjo's niece Kikelomo Anubi pregnant @64

A niece of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Mrs Kikelomo Anubi (pictured above) who is 64 years old, is currently expecting her first child after being married for 28years.

Mrs Anubi, whose Ghanaian husband just returned home after leaving her for 6 years, spoke to City People magazine about being an expectant mother at such an old age

"I am pregnant and permit me to tell you that by next year when I have my baby I will be 65. I have been married for 28 years. It may amaze you that I got pregnant in a natural way. I didn't do IVF. I have done IVF before at a popular hospital on the island and it failed. In fact, an uncle of mine who is a top shot paid for it. I almost lost my life but God intervened". she said.

Asked how she is related to the former President, Mrs Anubi said;

"He is my Uncle and somebody I respect so much. My mum is his elder sister and if you look at my face, you will see the resemblance. I am also from Owu" she said

Boko Haram invades Bama, meets resistance from Nigerian troops

Boko Haram militants this morning September 1st launched an attack on Bama, the largest city in Borno state with the aim of taking over the town. According to reports, the sect men arrived the town and started shooting mortars, RPGs and hurling grenades but they were fiercely resisted by Nigerian troops stationed in the village. According to Sahara Reporters, a fierce battle is currently going on there between the sect men and Nigerian troops.The Emir of Bama and many of the residents have fled the city to the state capital, Maiduguri, to avoid being caught up in the crossfire. Bama is a very strategic city in Borno state with a lot of military hardware and it is believed that if the sect men capture Bama, it will be very easy for them to move into the state capital, Maiduguri.

Joan Rivers may become a vegetable or in a wheelchair'

I'm always checking for updates on Joan Rivers and according to Daily Mail, doctors at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, yesterday Sunday August 31st started the process of bringing her out of her medically-induced coma, but fear she could be left as 'a vegetable' or 'needing a wheelchair' as they battle to save her life. The waking-up process will take until tomorrow Tuesday September 2nd.

"There is real concern that the part of the brain that controls motor skills may have been compromised leaving her as either a vegetable or in a wheelchair,' a source close to the family said

"Rivers would not want to live unless she could enjoy 'a full and active life. ... (She) would never want to be a burden on anyone' another family friend said

The 81-year-old was having surgery on her vocal cords at a clinic in NYC when she suddenly stopped breathing during the procedure on Thursday August 28th.

Get Free iPad Training, & Learn to Touch the Future

Your life is a book waiting to be written. Your life is a movie waiting to be made. Your life is a poem, an adventure, a work of art, a business to call your own. Your life is a dream waiting to come true. 

What if you could hold in your hand a device that could liberate the story of your life, that could empower your ambitions and set your imagination free? All it takes is the simple, intuitive power of touch. All it takes is an iPad, from Apple. Continue...


In just over four years, the iPad has woven its way into the lives of millions of people, to become an indispensable tool for educators, entrepreneurs, artists, explorers, scientists, inventors, musicians, engineers, healthcare workers, journalists, airline pilots and everyone with the need to consume or create digital content (more). 

For parents and children, the iPad has opened up new pathways of knowledge and learning. Even infants are captivated by the magic it brings into our everyday lives. What can the iPad do for you? Find out by registering to attend the free iPad Beginners Training Session at the iStore Ikeja Mall at one of the many sessions during the month of September. Book online for added convenience at www.myistore.com/ng/training/.

In this one-hour session, you’ll learn how to set up your iPad, and get up to speed on email, Internet, photos, music, and more. Your iPad is a powerful tool for entertainment, productivity, creativity, communication, and information. But its real power lies in its user-friendly design and ease of use.

You’ll be amazed at what the iPad can do for you, and what you can do with the iPad. If you’re thinking of joining the iPad family, remember that iStore Ikeja Mall is an Authorised Apple Reseller (AAR), which means you have the peace of mind of knowing you’re getting the best service, advice, and technical support. So pop into the iStore, or visit http://myistore.com.ng/training/to book for the training session or find out more. Your life will change when you touch the iPad. Because when you touch the iPad, you touch the future.

Photos: Police and Okada men face off at Mile 2

Okada men and police men faced off this morning in the Mile 2 area of Lagos. Still trying to find out what exactly happened but according to an eye-witness, the Okada men started it by throwing rocks at the police after they were stopped from passing a particular road. Details later. Continue to see more exclusive photos...

UNILAG Chief Security Officer assasinated at beer parlour

The head of operations, Security Unit of the University of Lagos, Sunday Adejumo, was killed on Friday August 29th by suspected assassins at a beer parlor on Oyenuga street, behind St Finbarrs str., Akoka, Lagos.

Adejumo, 50, was drinking with some friends at a beer parlour called Daniel's Place when three men walked up to him, dragged him off his chair, stabbed him before they shot him dead. Continue...

Narrating what transpired the night he was killed, a resident of the area who spoke anonymously with Punch said it is believed that he was killed by some cultist

"When the gang got in, they went to where he was sitting. They had different weapons, ranging from cutlasses to guns. One of them went to him, hit him in the chest and he fell down. He then brought out a gun and shot him point blank. On the table where he was drinking with his friends were a pay slip, his ATM cards and his car key.”

Police sources say his body was taken to the Yaba mortuary. Meanwhile the three friends he went to the beer parlor with as well as the owner of the beer parlor are now being interrogated.

Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, Lelma Kolle, said the unknown gunmen actually tried to escape with the deceased car after they killed him

"Investigations revealed that the man parked his car a distance away from where he was drinking. The police also discovered that there was a blood stain on the car and the car key was found within the vicinity, also with blood stains. This can only mean that after they killed him, they attempted to go away with his car. They actually succeeded in opening the car because there were blood stains on the car seat. But the car did not move because of the security system in it. The owner of the bar has been arrested and he has made statements. We cannot categorically say whether this was a robbery or an assassination plot. The matter is still under investigation.” he said

The management of the University of Lagos is yet to make a statement on the incident.