She ran away from home after being married at age 16 because she wants to go to school

Article written by Chukwudi Iwuchukwu. Read below...

Imagine if the US president crashed your wedding? Well, that's what happened to this couple (photos)

Newlyweds Stephanie and Brian Tobe will never forget their wedding this weekend, where President Obama became an unexpected wedding crasher. 

The Tobes, who have been together for eight years, wed at the Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, California, Sunday. While they knew Obama would be golfing nearby that day, they had no idea he would come meet them before the ceremony.

"Then he finishes his game and goes down to the lawn area, which is where our ceremony was," Stephanie told ABC News.

She said all her 60 wedding guests lined up to shake his hand.

"Our photographers, they had earpieces in, talking to each other," Stephanie said. "So one photographer, Erin, she was down talking on the lawn and our photographer, Jeff, was up with us in the suite. And they’re talking to each other, and saying things, like 'Oh. this might be the one chance; you’ve got to go now.'"

"Stephanie was like, 'We're going to go do this,'" Youngren recalled, and "She bolted out the door."

"Once I heard that that there might be an opportunity to even just say hi, shake his hand or even try to take a picture, we darted," Stephanie said. "We ran to the closest elevator, got downstairs and I picked up my huge dress and I just started running across the lawn to get over to the president.”

Youngren said, "I've never seen a bride run so fast in such an elegant gown.”

With Brian in tow, they ran out and onto the grass.

"I think he [Obama] saw us coming from a distance and kind of paused," Youngren said.

Stephanie added, "It was so cool because all of our friends were screaming and cheering for us. They weren’t even looking at the president, they were looking at us. It was so exciting. And we just ran out across through the crowd and got up to the president and got to shake his hand."

"As we were running out there, I started crying ... It was an emotional experience and then to see the sitting president there was even wilder," she said.

Brian told ABC News:

"Right when we saw him, Stephanie got to him first. And he said congrats to Stephanie right away. And at that moment he pointed out that my foot was actually on the train or the trail of her wedding dress on the ground and he said, I don’t remember his exact words, but he’s so relaxed, and he says nope, nope you know ... you can’t step on the wedding dress.”

"I think it was our first marriage advice," Brian said.

"I still can't believe it happened. It was not what we expected when we woke up that morning," he said.

Youngren said he was "so taken aback by how kind the president was to our couple ... it was amazing to see."

"He has so much going on and so much stress ... to see him just be so calm and gracious and kind to a couple on their wedding day ... It made me really hopeful and excited, and just proud to have him as a leader," Youngren said.

The newlyweds will be spending their honeymoon in Obama’s home state of Hawaii. 

NNPC warns against panic buying

Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has urged the public to avoid panic buying of petroleum products, especially premium motor spirit (petrol). The The warning followed the return of queues yesterday at filling stations in the Federal Capital Territory(FCT).

NNPC Group General Manager (Group Public Affairs Division), Mr. Ohi Alegbe, said in a statement that there was enough stock of the product to last the country for 23 days.

He said besides the meeting of the management of the corporation with members of the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) and the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA) to seek their support for the uninterrupted fuel supply policy of the President Muhammadu administration, it had set up a monitoring team at the Pipeline and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) to check sharp practices that could affect the distribution and supply system.

NNPC put the quantity of petrol at its depots across the country at 927,461,000 litres, which it said was enough to serve the country for the next 23 days.

Who’s who on Buhari’s ministerial final list

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With the final list of his ministerial nominees sent to the Senate for screening and approval, the stage is set for President Muhammadu Buhari to constitute the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for the implementation of policies and programmes. Group Political Editor OLADESU EMMANUEL profiles some of the nominees.

LESS than 24 hours after he got the second list containing the names of 16 ministerial nominee from the Presidency, Senate President Bukola Saraki yesterday read the names of the nominees sent to the Senate for screening and confirmation.

Three aides to President Muhammadu Buhari – Alhaji Abba Kari (Chief of Staff), Senator Ita Enang and Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila (both Senior Special Assistants on National Assembly Matters), conveyed the nomination memo to National Assembly at about 4.20pm on Monday.

It was exactly 12 days after the Red Chamber got the first list of 21 nominees with a promise from the President to send the supplementary list in earnest. Ten of the 21 nominees appeared before the Senate Committee of the Whole for screening yesterday. The remaining 11 are due for screening today.

In the latest list are: Khadija Buka Abba Ibrahim, (Yobe); Claudius Omoleye Daramola (Ondo); Prof. Anthony Anwuka (Imo); Geoffrey Onyeama; Brig-Gen. M.M. Dan-Ali (rtd), (Zamfara); James E. Ocholi (Kogi); Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed; Okechukwu Enelamah (Abia); Muhammad Bello (Adamawa); Mustapha Baba Shehuri; Ms. Aisha Abubakar; Senator Heineken Lokpobiri (Bayelsa); Adamu Adamu (Bauchi); Prof. Isaac Adewole (Osun); Pastor Usani Usani Uguru and Abubakar Bwari Bawa (Niger).

Some of the ministers

Ocholi

James Eneojo Ocholi, (SAN), is a Christian leader and prominent politician in Kogi State. He is the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Salem University, Lokoja. He was the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Disciplinary Committee, Abuja branch. A respected All Progressives Congress (APC) leader, he was in the race for governor. But, he lost to former Governor Abubakar Audu. He was the leader of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). Until recently, he as the APC National Deputy Legal Adviser.

Lokpobiri

Born on March 3, 1967, Heineken Lokpobiri  earned an LLB (Hons) from Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RUST), Port-Harcourt, Rivers State in 1994. He was called to the bar in 1995 and  was the Speaker of the House of Assembly in Bayelsa State between 1999 and 2001. He was in the Senate between 2011 and 2015. As a senator, he was a member of the Sports, Public Accounts, Police Affairs, Niger Delta and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) committees. He defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC, shortly after the general elections.

Adewole

Prof. IsaacAdewole is a celebrated university don. His areas of medical specilaisation are obstetrics and Gynecology. The climax of his academic career was his appointment as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan. A physician of note, he has taught medicine at the institution’s College of Medicine. He has served as the Head of Department, Dean of Faculty, and Provost of the College of Medicine. He was part of the investigative team involved in the international study of fertility intentions of HIV-infested persons. The project was sponsored by NIH. Adewole is also the President of the African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC).

Anwuka

Prof. Anthony Anwuka was born on April 22, 1951 in Egbuoma, Imo State. Until his nomination, the professor of Education was the Secretary to the State Government (SSG). He was the Vice Chancellor of Imo State University for five years. He earned a degree in English Language from Fourah Bay University, Sierra-Leone and a Master Degree in Educational Administration from the University of Portland, Oregon, United States (U.S.). He obtained a post-graduate degree in General Curriculum, System Analysis and Social Studies at the University of Washington, Seattle, U.S. in 1977.

Abba-Ibrahim

A celebrated politician, Mrs. Khadija Buka Abba-Ibrahim is the wife of the former governor of Yobe State, Senator Bukar Abba-Ibrahim. She is a former Commissioner for Transport in the Northeast state. He was elected into the House of Representatives thrice. But, she could not realise her bid for the Deputy Speaker of the Green Chamber.

Daramola

A native of Ode-Ayein Okutiputa Local Government Area of Ondo State, the professor of  Sociology  of Education at the University of Ilorin, Prof Claudius Omoleye Daramola, attended the University of Sokoto (now Usman Dan Fodiyo University, Sokoto), where he received a B.Sc (Ed) degree in Sociology.  He later attended the University of Jos, Plateau State for a Master degree in the Sociology of Education.

He is reputed as good manager of men and recourses as well as a selfless team player.

Enelamah

Okechukwu Enelamah is a medical doctor and chartered accountant. He is the Chief Executive Officer of African Capital Alliance, a leading private equity firm in Africa. He holds a MBA from Harvard Business School.

Zainab Ahmed

Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed is the Executive Secretary, Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).Until her appointment, Mrs. Ahmed was a member of the National Stakeholders Working Group (NSWG) of NEITI and the former Managing Director, Kaduna Industrial and Finance Company. She holds a degree in Accounting from the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria and Master in Business Administration. Mrs. Zainab Ahmed is a member of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria and Fellow, Institute of Certified Company Commercial Accountants of Nigeria among other professional organisations.

Geoffrey  Onyeama

Born on February 2, 1956, Geoffrey Onyeama studied Political Science at the (Columbia University, Columbia College), New York, United States (U.S.).  He also obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree at Cambridge University (St. John’s College), Cambridge, United Kingdom (UK) and Master of Laws (LL.M) from the Universities of London, London School of Economic and Political Science (LSE), U.K, before having pursuing a Master of Arts degree at St. John’s College.

He worked as Research Officer at the Nigerian Law Reform Commission, Lagos, between 1983 and 1984 and practiced law in Enugu between 1984 and 1985 before joining the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in 1985.

Onyeama, who speaks English, French, German and Ibo, is WIPO’s Deputy Director-General of Development Sector.

Usani

Usani Usani, a pastor, was the local chapter Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Cross River State. He was also the party’s standard bearer at the April 11 governorship election in the Southsouth state.

Usani has taken shots at the Cross River State Government House twice.

Buhari: selfish elite behind criticism of my appointments

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday fired back at critics of the appointments he has made so far. He blamed the elite for orchestrating criticisms of his appointments into government positions.

The President spoke through his deputy, Prof Yemi Osinbajo at the opening of the 21st Nigerian Economic Summit (NES) in Abuja Buhari.

He described as unfortunate that Nigerians pay more attention to sectional and religious interests, rather than the competence of the appointees, claiming that misgivings on the elite.

The President noted that those seeking the promotion of selfish interests were fuelling complaints on where government appointees come from, adding that the fact that a northerner is in government does not necessarily mean good fortune for his people.

Immigration job tragedy: Employment of victims’ family members ‘a ruse’

HOUSE of representatives’ members were stunned yesterday to hear that former  President Goodluck Jonathan’s order for employment of 176 victims and families of the 2014 Nigerian Immigration Service’s recruitment tragedy was “merely symbolic”.

Ministry of Interior’s Permanent Secretary Abubakar Magaji said this yesterday at the National Assembly during the investigative public hearing held by the Femi Gbajabiamila-led House Ad-hoc Committee on “Immigration Recruitment Stampede”.

Stray bullets kill mum, daughter

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•Robbers raid two banks in Lagos
•Fleeing bandits drop N27m cash

They were in their home, minding their business. Unknown to mother and daughter, there was terror on the street outside.

Robbers laid siege close to their house in Festac Town, Lagos, shooting indiscriminately from a machine gun reportedly mounted at 23 Road Junction.

Why we want to serve, by Fayemi, Mohammed, Onu

Udoma, Danbazzau, Amina Mohammed, Ehanire, Jibrin, Ogbeh,  Adamu also screened

Saraki unveils 16 would-be ministers

For over five hours yesterday, 10 would-be ministers took turns before the Senate, answering questions on their plans for the country, if confirmed.

They were the first set of ministerial nominees to be screened.

They are on the first list of 21 nominees sent to Senate President Bukola Saraki on September 30 by President Muhammadu Buhari.