Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Al qaeda claims umar Farouk as their agent

MEND LASHES OUT AT ATTEMPTED BOMBING OF AIRPLANE BY NIGERIAN

The Movement for the
Emancipation of the Niger Delta
(MEND) has condemned in very
strong terms the attempted
bombing of Northwest Airlines
plane by “a misguided Islamic
extremist from the northern part of
Nigeria ”
In a statement signed by Jomo
Gbomo, MEND said it was now
evident that the threat to world
peace would not emerge from the
Niger Delta region. It accused the
Nigerian government of turning a
blind eye to Islamic extremism
while deploying troops to curtail the
agitation in the Niger Delta.
MEND frowned at the fact that
despite the ugly incident, the
Federal Government would not
direct focus its attention on the
north but on the Niger Delta where
it believed it could crush those
clamouring for justice.
The statement reads in part “It
should by now be evident that the
threat to world peace will not
emerge from the Niger Delta, a
region agitating for justice as is
acknowledged by every right
thinking human being, but from the
Islamic extremist northern part of
Nigeria covertly supported by its
elite who assume leadership of
Nigeria to be the birthright of this
region.
“This attempted act of terrorism by
this northern Islamic extremist
does not come as a surprise to any
Nigerian. For decades, Christians
have been murdered and raped in
the north of Nigeria with impunity.
No northern Muslim has ever been
brought to book for the thousands
of Christians killed in this region.
Northern Nigeria is fertile ground
for international terrorism.
“The Nigerian government has
persistently turned a blind eye to
Islamic extremists coming from
northern Nigeria, choosing instead
to focus and waste its resources on
military hardware and troop
deployment in the Niger Delta.
“The government of Nigeria, which,
unfortunately, has been dominated
by the north since independence,
has bred such undesirable elements
under false pretexts with the hope
of creating a reserve army to
counter agitation in the South and
other parts of Nigeria.
“In spite of this embarrassment to
the nation, the government will not
re-direct its military to the north,
neither will the rights of these
violent people be trampled as is
the case in the Niger Delta.
“ The minister for defence will not
dare consider any actions in the
north likely to anger the northern
elite who have for decades
condoned all forms of extremism.
If this act of terrorism had been
carried out against the Christian
south of Nigeria, it would
undoubtedly have been covered
up as the government is so quick to
do.
“ The young man who attempted
this cowardly act is not alone and
governments around the world
should pay more attention to
northern Nigeria with its threat to
world peace than to agitation for
justice in the Niger Delta which only
threatens world oil prices.”

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

AMAZON

Abas Credit Card File,Purple,one size

Ecowas Leaders To replace Yar' adua

THE failure of President Umaru Yar’Adua to return to the country, 28 days after he left for a medical treatment in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, has taken its negative toll on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Heads of State and Government Summit which was scheduled to be held today (Monday).




 
http://odili.net/news/source/2009/dec/21/615.html http://odili.net/news/source/2009/dec/21/615.html

President Yar’Adua was elected chairman of the organisation in Abuja on December 19, 2008 for a period of one year after President Blaise Campaore of Burkina Faso served out the final leg of his third non-consecutive tenure which lasted from 2006 to 2008. His first tenure was in 1990.

Before the unavoidable shift of the date for the summit to January 18, 2010, the heads of state were expected to consider the performance of West Africa’s economy and the 2009 work programme of the institution, which is articulated around five priority areas of activity and expected to be presented to them by the President of the Commission, Dr. Chambas, as part of the 2009 annual report.

The priority areas are the completion of work on the creation of a customs union, negotiations on the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA), the development of agricultural and environmental policies as well as the state of peace and security in the region.

Apart from those areas, the summit was also to consider the Council of Ministers’ report which, among other things, includes recommendations on various sectoral programmes from such meetings as the ECOWAS Ministers of Health, Culture, Justice as well as Telecommunications and ICT.

It would have also considered the guidelines for the preparation of report on the ECOWAS multilateral surveillance mechanism. The ministers had ended their meeting in Abuja on Saturday, November 21, in preparation for presentation of the report to the heads of state.

The regional leaders were expected at the botched summit to sign some supplementary acts and decisions, including such areas as telecommunications and information, communication and technology (ICT) as well as the establishment of a regional copyright observatory.

A major event at the summit, the Nigerian Tribune gathered, would have been the replacement of President Yar’Adua who emerged the sixth Nigerian leader to chair the organisation in 2008 after Olusegun Obasanjo (1978), Muhammadu Buhari (1985), Ibrahim Babangida (1986 - 1988), Sani Abacha (1996 - 1998) and Abdulsalam Abubakar (1998 - 1999).

Indications emerged that the regional leaders will, in January, not give in to any move to re-elect President Yar’Adua for a fresh mandate under any guise, owing to what sources mainly termed his “leadership without direction.”

A source told the Nigerian Tribune that the tenure of President Yar’Adua was one of the worst to be experienced by the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Commission, which was set up by Article 7, 8 and 9 of the Treaty and which defined its composition and functions.

Meanwhile, the presidency is said to be confused on what to do to stop the N353 billion 2009 supplementary budget from lapsing as a result of the failure of President Yar’Adua to assent to the budget bill.

The 1999 Constitution stipulates that the President can only hold on to a bill passed by the National assembly for 30 days after which the lawmakers can override the veto by securing two-thirds majority of the two chambers.

Sources told the Nigerian Tribune on Sunday that the presidency had toyed with the idea of taking the bill to Saudi Arabia to secure presidential assent but that members of the kitchen cabinet advised against that bid after securing vital information on the true state of health of the president.

Again, sources said that the Presidency had contemplated sending a letter from Yar’Adua to the National Assembly, to pave the way for Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan to sign the bill but that other members of the cabinet decided against it with the hope that the President would have returned to the country last week.

But it was confirmed that the Presidency is also suffering from the effects of non signing of the budget as the amnesty programme in the Niger Delta has become the first casualty.

While the House of Representatives passed the supplementary budget on November 18, 2009, the Senate passed it on November 23.

But it was gathered that the clean copy of the bill actually got to the President’s table on Tuesday, December 8, 2009.

Going by the legislative procedure, the bill could be deemed to have spent its 30th day in the presidency on December 23, thus paving the way for the National Assembly to override the presidential veto.

Sources, however, said that some presidential aides were planning to send an emissary to the National Assembly to calculate the days from December 8, when the National Assembly’s bureaucracy actually presented the budget to Aso Rock.

Senators and members of the House of Representatives as well as officials of ministries and parastatal agencies have been lamenting the inability of the system to effect some payments as a result of the failure of the president to sign the budget.

The House of Representatives had said on Friday that it was aware of what to do to get the budget to become law.

Senate spokesman, Mr. Ayogu Eze, also said on Sunday that the Senate, which began its on recess on Thursday, was actually on standby.

“We are on standby. We are strictly not on holiday, if we are called we will come back,” Senator Ayogu Eze said.

A source in the National Assembly said that the presidency might actualise the delivery of the letter that would ensure that vice-president Goodluck Jonathan takes over in acting capacity to the National Assembly this week.

The source said that though the letter had not been sent as at Sunday, top members of the legislature were aware of the possibility that this might happen this week.

If the letter is sent, the vice president would be able to assent to the budget and other pending issues, including the swearing- in of the new Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN).

Keep your Face Clean always

The face as we all know is the front par of the head, from the forehead to the chin. Normally, what a person who is just meeting you for the first time looks at is your face which shows how important it is to keep your face clean. Not keeping your face clean can cause so many damages like pimples, black heads, eczema, spots and psoriasis (a skin disease that causes red rough patches).
Without overstating the obvious, here are some tips on how to keep your face clean.
1 Remember to clean and moisturize before going to bed, no matter how tired you are. Although there are no hard and fast rules about this routine. At least, try to keep your face clean by washing with a mils soap or cleansing lotion, gel or astringent. Replace lost moisture with light moisturizing lotion or cream.

2 Exfoliating is another way to achieve a clean and radiant face. However, exfoliate according to your skin strenght. Give yourself a facial scrub at least three times a week. Follow up with lotion to leave your face fresh and glowing.

3. Oily skin is supple but shinny and prone to spots and pimples. This is the major skin problem peculiar to Africa. Oily skin may not or may lead to pimples. It is crucial to distinguish between oil on the surface of the skin(which makes it look shining)and oil trapped within the sebaceous duct (which leads to inflammation and pimples). Oil within the sebaceous duct can be removed using an astringent which clears the pores, while oil on the surface can simply be wiped off with soft paper tissue or washed away with mild soap.

4. Adolescence is the time to establish a beauty routine. The action you take now will pay dividends in ten to twenty years time. Avoid crash dieting to prevent your skin from sagging. Try to keep your natural skin tone by avoiding bleaching o toning cream, lotion and soap.

5. When in your thirties, the oil on your face that glistened before may look dull and dry. Beware of this change and adjust your beauty routine.

6. In your forties, your age will be showing some effects on your face. How much depends on genes and the care you showed in previous years.
As the skin ages (due to collapes and collagen and elastic fibers which gave the skin it elasticity and tone), it becomes thinner. This process happens faster in women than in men. There is sagging, wrinkling, loss of skin tone and uneven pigmentation. Once wrinkles appear, you can not get rid of them but you can make them less noticeable. There are many anti ageing creams and lotions in the market, promising the prevention of ageing, its delay or reversal. If you have money to invest in such, goahead. Otherwise, a sensible life, treating your face with respect, plenty of sleep and with no heavy make-up will help retain your youthfulness.

7. In your fifties and beyond, menopause takes it toll on the condition of the skin as estrogen, 'the good skin' hormone gradually decreases. However, this is no reason why your skin should not be soft and supple. Exfoliate more than ever to ensure that your skin remains smooth and glowing. Put some wonderful creams on your face as it smooths away the lines which not only come from age but from tiredness and hardwork. In addition, watch your diet, avoid stress, drink plenty of water and sleep well.
It is not too late to start pampering your face if you have neglected it in the past. However, it is worth the effort because there is much to gain from it.

The basics of affilate marketing

The humdrum existence of going to the office day after day doing the usual 9-5 shift is a trying task for those who have lived all their lives doing so. This is why the convenience of doing work at home under amazingly flexible working hours is a dazzling prospect to them. Doing work at home that is as fulfilling as having a career working for a computer on the 19th floor of a skyscraper is already a possibility in these modern times. This is because the jungle-like network that is the internet has given birth to a business that has given some people practically new lives doing nothing but so.

This particular business allows people to work at home under flexible working hours. There is no boss to scream around putting pressure on everyone about the deadline at hand. There is no clutter of messy paperwork that needs to be completed the soonest possible time. Conveniences such as these are experienced by those who are into affiliate marketing, the newest way to earn money without having to go through all sorts of routine found in regular employment.

Those who have been in the business long enough can attest to the fact that it is a lucrative business indeed, one that can actually give people things that they could not possibly possess or experience under ordinary circumstances.

The business called affiliate marketing involves an affiliate’s promotion of a merchant’s website. Here the website owned by the affiliate is made to advertise and market the website of the merchant through the affiliate program that they run. Whenever someone clicks on the merchant’s website promoted by the one owned by the affiliate, the affiliate is given a commission. This is in recognition of his effort in helping the merchant make a sale.

The system involved in affiliate marketing seems easy, but it also takes a lot of diligence and perseverance for one to be able to penetrate it thoroughly. Those who want to get into this type of business should possess the necessary skills to be able tread through the industry with confidence and self-assurance. Still, other factors are needed by one to be able to really break in. Knowledge about the business at hand is very important as it dictates the actions that are to be done by people who are into it.

The leading figure in affiliate marketing is the super affiliate. He is basically an e-mail marketer who collects large databases of e-mail addresses through newsletters. Super affiliates are also those who know the business even better than affiliate managers as a result of their knowledge about the affiliate marketing industry inside out. Those who want to be super affiliates should know that becoming a super affiliate is not easy, because it takes a lot to be able to master the marketing craft.

Becoming a super affiliate means having one’s own website and autoresponder. These tools will help a lot in one’s facilitation of the business. Building one’s own list is another. Creating a loyal customer base and taking care of it is one secret that successful super affiliates have. Making good customer relations is also important if one wants to be a super affiliate to reckon with.

Continuing to market to the people on one’s list is another must if one wants to succeed as a super affiliate. Sending out quality content in lieu of ads is an advantage as products are marketed better whenever enough information is given about them.

Building traffic to one’s own site is also one of the most essential points in the affiliate marketing business. Making one’s affiliate links his own business will allow him to build a strong relationship with his customers, enabling him to market to them over and over again.

The girl who silenced the world for five minutes

click here to watch the girl who silenced the world for 5 minutes
http://media.causes.com/510213?share=1&m=bacf86d2http://media.causes.com/510213?share=1&m=bacf86d2

Please do something after watching this clip to make the world a better place. Thanks.

Success

Success is the sum of small efforts - repeated day in and day out.
It doesnt matter how hard a task is, you can do it if you will take one step at a time.
Can you imagine what it takes to build a sky scraper,it took a step by step, little by little approach
and a big house will be constructed, what is that thing that you desire so much but seems impossible to you
because of your limitations, there are no limitations in life excpet the ones we created or accepted,
No matter what the task is break it into stages, small by small, step by step, its not about what you dont know,
but about what you do with what you know, what are your desires? its too early to give up, take your eyes off what you dont
have and consider what you have. You have God , you have everything.

Meditation and Prayer

The deepening stability and calmness of mind developed through practice the of meditation slowly renders the mind fit to see more clearly into itself. Such clear seeing gradually sets us free dissolving barriers to the full development of wisdom and compassion. Heaven is the vision of fulfilled desire;while Hell is the shadow of soul on desire Heaven and Hell are right here behind walls and every window it is our bondages and attachments which pulled our eyes from knowing the reality and understanding the truth. Our physical world or materials world is smacked in the middle of heaven and hell.
When you projected you will cross over the barriers, which ever sphere or realms you reached time stops, two minutes there is just like a life time here in the cosmic physical, everything you could see there is real
Dr. Herbert Benson of Harvard Medical School, a medical pioneer of the mind-body movement subjected meditation to scientific testing and found.
Through meditation you can set the stage for important mind and habit altering brain change. Scientific research has shown that electrical activity between the left and the rights side of the brain becomes coordinated during certain kinds of meditation and prayer; the implications are exciting and even staggering.

Lionel Messi Wins world Best player of the year

Argentina’s Lionel Messi collected his first FIFA World Player of the Year title while Brazil’s Marta became the first to obtain four FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year awards at the 19th FIFA World Player Gala at the Zurich Kongresshaus on Monday evening.

It was a night to remember, with on-stage appearances by former and current football stars, prominent celebrities and a musical show headlined by Italian pop star Laura Pausini.
Messi had an outstanding 2009, leading his club FC Barcelona to a historic season and collecting the FIFA Club World Cup, the UEFA Champions League and Super Cup crowns and the Spanish Liga, Super Cup and Cup titles along the way.

The 1,073 points he obtained in the vote, participated in by the coaches and captains of 147 national teams, saw him win by a clear margin ahead of Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo in second (352 points) and Spain’s Xavi (196), Brazil’s Kaka (190) and Spain’s Andres Iniesta (134).

Marta thrilled fans in the revamped Women’s Professional Soccer League in the U.S., where she won the Golden Boot and was elected best player of the season with Los Angeles Sol, and also claimed the titles of the women’s Copa Libertadores and Copa de Brasil with Santos. Votes were cast by 130 coaches and captains for the women’s award and Marta won for the fourth consecutive time (833 points), ahead of Germany’s Birgit Prinz (290), England’s Kelly Smith (252), Brazil’s Cristiane (239) and Germany’s Inka Grings (216).

Two new awards were presented at the gala. The FIFA/FIFPro World XI to honour the best eleven players of the year, as chosen by over 50,000 professional players from all over the world, went to a real “dream team” featuring Iker Casillas (Spain) in goal; Daniel Alves (Brazil), Nemanja Vidic (Serbia), John Terry (England) and Patrice Evra (France) in defence; Steven Gerrard (England), Xavi (Spain) and Andres Iniesta (Spain) in midfield; and Lionel Messi (Argentina), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) and Fernando Torres (Spain) up front.
Also handed out for the first time was the FIFA Puskás Award for the ‘most beautiful goal’ of the year as voted for on FIFA.com by over 120,000 fans.

Don't you ever think of quitting

Age wrinkles the body, quitting wrinkles the soul.
When we are faced with challenges, the first thing that come to our mind is quitting.
The food of our soul is finding our life purpose and working really hard at fulfilling that purpose.
When we quit then our soul get starved, that is why many people are not happy, because we are starving our soul by quitting at our duty post.
Our soul wrinkles and shrink when we decide not to feed our soul, when we refuse to give up, then we are feeding our soul, let us try as much as possible to keep going,
Quitters never wait to win, every attempt we make is making an impact, its not the last impact that will break the wall, but the resultant effect of previous attempts made.
Maybe we always need to remind ourselves that failure is not final,
can you make a list of what you desired to do but you have given up because you think you cant do it?
Continuous happiness can be our portion if we refuse to quit, because when we do, we are starving our soul,

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Do you believe In Angels ?

According to the bible and the koran, angels are a very important part of the story of god's interaction with humans. 

Out of curiosity i did a little research and found this list of angels heirarchy in heaven.

    * First Sphere (Old Testament sources)
          o Seraphim
          o Cherubim
          o Thrones (Gr. thronos) (New Testament sources)

    * Second Sphere (New Testament sources)
          o Dominions (Gr. Kyriotetes)
          o Virtues (Gr. Dynamais)
          o Powers (Gr. Exusiai)

    * Third Sphere
          o Principalities (Gr. Archai)
          o Archangels - Archangeloi
          o Angels - Angeloi

Angels of the first sphere work as heavenly guardians of God's throne.

Angels of the Second Sphere work as heavenly governors.

Angels of the third sphere function as heavenly messengers and soldiers.



According to the story the devil was an angel that was sent to earth by god before he created adam and eve. Is this correct?

What puzzles me is when exactly these angels were created in the six days of creation?

If you are a christian or muslim do you believe in the existance of all of these supernatural beings? And what is the difference between the belief in angels and the belief in polytheism?


No more 10 million naira cheques from jan 1st 2009 - CBN

With effect from January 1, next year, no bank in Nigeria will allow more than ten million naira to be drawn on a cheque, the Central Bank of Nigeria [CBN] directed at the weekend. It said the aim was to strengthen the e-payment system in the country.
This directive will be circulated to all banks today, CBN’s deputy director, Banking Operations Department Mr. C.R. Okafor said at the annual dinner/awards night of the Abuja Clearing House/Bankers’ Committee in Abuja at the weekend.

CBN had in a circular with reference BOD/DIR/GEN/01/106 said, “As a further step in its efforts at enhancing the efficiency of the payment system in the country, the CBN hereby sets a maximum limit on cheque payment at N10 million with effect from 1st January, 2010.

“To this end, any payment value exceeding N10 million should be made through the e-payment mode such as the Central Bank Inter-Bank Funds Transfer System (CIFTS i.e. RTGS) and Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Electronic Fund Transfer (NEFT) from that date.

“The maximum limit serves as a risk reduction measure in the clearing and settlement arrangement in line with international best practice. To support this initiative, deposit money banks are implored to properly educate their customers on the implementation procedure.”

Okafor said CBN will through this directive ask the banks to consolidate their accounts. He said a circular will be sent to the banks directing them to maintain a maximum of three accounts at the clearing house. He said that all other accounts outside these three will be closed by the CBN.

CBN’s Abuja Branch Controller John Chukwudifu said at the dinner that the 24 banks operating in the Abuja clearing zone had a total of 1, 247, 596 financial instruments valued at N117.04 billion.

He said they also have 481,223 funds transfers (NEFT) valued at N2.622 trillion at the clearing house as at November 30.

Chukwudifu said there was a reduction of about 410,446 in volume which translates into N4.336 trillion in value of cheques cleared in Abuja clearing zone.

He said this is a “reflection of the impact of the e-payment policy of the Federal Government which requires payments by all MDAs to be done electronically, without recourse to the use of cheque.”

He said the CBN, through the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme (ACGS), guaranteed 127 loans valued at N77 million which were disbursed to farmers in the Federal Capital Territory by three banks.

First Bank of Nigeria disbursed 60 loans valued at N40.9 million; Union Bank gave 66 loans valued at N35.8 million while Unity Bank gave one loan valued at N1 million.

Also at the weekend, the Federal Ministry of Finance commended CBN for the progress made in addressing the challenges facing the banking sector. Minister of Finance Dr Mansur Muhtar said the efforts are on the right track. He said, “The Ministry is particularly supportive of the improvements being made to the accounting and financial reporting system of the sector, which will enhance transparency and accountability, strengthen corporate governance practices as well as provide a better platform for more effective risk management.”

He said the Ministry has reviewed the recent financial reports presented by the commercial banks and the associated measures to adjust their balance sheets, in line with the new rules and procedures.

He said, “While these may present short term challenges to the banks, they do provide an opportunity to draw the line and begin afresh. We remain optimistic that the steps being taken will put the financial sector on a sounder footing, which is pivotal to strengthening our economy.

Mass sacking Looms at O)ceanic Bank Plc

Indications emerged on Monday that the management of Oceanic International Bank Plc was set to lay-off about 1,400 workers in a cost cutting exercise desfined to return the bank to the path of profitability.

It was learnt that the figure represents 40 per cent of the bank’s 3,500 employees.

Findings by our correspondent further showed that the management of the bank, which declared a loss of N286bn on Friday had also approved 30 per cent salary reduction.

Already, 250 of the affected workers had received their sack letters in an exercise aimed at pruning down the bank’s workforce and cutting down operational costs.

A reliable source in the company told our correspondent on Monday that the list of the remaining 1,150 workers slated for early disengagement from the bank was ready. The source said their sack letters would soon be released.

It was gathered that the first casualties in the phased exercise were shown the way out of the bank for sundry offences, especially that their personal accounts were in the red.

Consequently fear has gripped the employees of the bank in the wake of the latest development.

Oceanic Bank is one of the troubled banks rescued by the Central Bank of Nigeria, which examined the books of the 24 banks in the country. The erstwhile management of the bank, headed by Mrs. Cecelia Ibru, was sacked on August 14 along with four other bank chiefs for granting huge non-performing loans, which affected the wellbeing of the financial institutions.

The Managing Director of the bank, Mr. John Aboh, had at a news conference in Lagos recently, said the pruning exercise was inevitable in view of the state of the bank. Aboh, was, however, silent on the details and magnitude of the exercise.

Aboh also said that some unviable branches of the bank had been shut down as part of measures to salvage the ailing financial institutions.

However, investigation by our correspondent showed that the management had compiled and approved a list of 1,400 workers to be eased out of the bank. A top official of the bank told our correspondent on Monday that the Aboh-led management had authorised the list for implementation.

The source further stated that the sack of about 250 officials of the bank last week was a prelude to the full implementation of the decision of the management.

The source stated, “I can tell you authoritatively that 250 workers have already been sacked for all manners of offences, including that their personal accounts were in debt. The management just started with that figure because the target is 40 per cent of the bank’s workforce of 3,500. To be specific, no fewer than 1,400 employees of the bank, which represents 40 per cent of the workforce, would be sacked at the end of the exercise.

“The management has also agreed to 30 per cent salary reduction.

“The management is very serious and committed to the exercise. Already, the workers in the administration department of the bank have been scattered and transferred to different parts of the country, especially the northern axis.

“Confusion and apprehension reign in Oceanic Bank because of the decision of the management. We just pray that the managing director will rescind the decision because of the acrimony that is likely to result from the implementation,” added the source who craved anonymity.

When contacted on the telephone, Aboh, who reiterated that sacking of workers was inevitable, however, said that it was premature to speculate on its details.

He added that it was not true that 40 per cent of the workforce would be affected.

Aboh, who confirmed that some workers were sacked last week, said the figure was less than 250. But he declined to specify the exact figure.

He said, “We are not done with the process yet because we are observing all procedures. We are looking at all files to enable us draw reasonable conclusion on the way forward. I told journalists at a press conference recently about the exercise (sacking of workers), but we are not ready for it yet. Wait until we do it,” Aboh added.

http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200912152394570http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200912152394570

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Stunning African Miss world 2009

these are the african contestants for 2009 Miss World (remember agbani and aishwarya were former Miss World winners)

the finale is this saturday.  i think i'm voting for kenya. miss nigeria just ain't all that

#1 Angola
#2 Botswana
#3 Cote D'Ivoire
#4 Ethiopia
#5 Ghana



Nigerian Universities ranking

NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIES
RANKING:OAU TOPS THE LIST
The Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi
Awolowo University, Ile-Ife,
Professor Michael Faborode, has
expressed his satisfaction on the
recent publication by
WEBOMETRICS, an international
organization
known for its accurate assessment
and ranking of standard of
education in each of the
Universities in the world, which
ranked Obafemi Awolowo
University, Ile-Ife as the BEST/FIRST
among Nigerian Universities.
Professor Faborode who could not
hide his happiness said that
Obafemi Awolowo University under
his administration, would continue
to maintain the lead, calling on all
stakeholders to join hands with him
to take Obafemi Awolowo
University to a greater heights.
It will be recalled that the
WEBOMETRICS team, which
comprises experts in all academic
disciplines, recently embarked on
assessment of African Universities
with a view to knowing the top 100
Universities in the continent, and
the quality of their graduates.
At the end of the ranking exercise,
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-
Ife, came 44th, University of
Ibadan ranked 65th, University of
Benin, 79th, while University of
Lagos came 96th.
With this continental ranking,
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-
Ife, becomes the first and the best
in Nigeria.
NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIES
RANKING:OAU TOPS THE LIST
The Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi
Awolowo University, Ile-Ife,
Professor Michael Faborode, has
expressed his satisfaction on the
recent publication by
WEBOMETRICS, an international
organization
known for its accurate assessment
and ranking of standard of
education in each of the
Universities in the world, which
ranked Obafemi Awolowo
University, Ile-Ife as the BEST/FIRST
among Nigerian Universities.
Professor Faborode who could not
hide his happiness said that
Obafemi Awolowo University under
his administration, would continue
to maintain the lead, calling on all
stakeholders to join hands with him
to take Obafemi Awolowo
University to a greater heights.
It will be recalled that the
WEBOMETRICS team, which
comprises experts in all academic
disciplines, recently embarked on
assessment of African Universities
with a view to knowing the top 100
Universities in the continent, and
the quality of their graduates.
At the end of the ranking exercise,
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-
Ife, came 44th, University of
Ibadan ranked 65th, University of
Benin, 79th, while University of
Lagos came 96th.
With this continental ranking,
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-
Ife, becomes the first and the best
in Nigeria.

Intercontinental Bank sacks 1500 workers

Intercontinental Bank sacks
another 1,500 workers
National News Dec 8, 2009 *As NLC
kicks against retrenchment
By Omoh Gabriel & Funmi
Komolafe
LAGOS—The Management of the
Intercontinental Bank Monday
served sack letters to no fewer
than 1,500 of its workers. However,
the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC,
protested the retrenchment, but did
not disclose what its next line of
action would be.
NLC ’s General Secretary, Mr. John
Odah, said in a statement, “our
stand is that workers are not
responsible for the crisis. The
Central Bank of Nigeria and the
affected banks know those who
abused the trust of depositors to
enrich themselves, ” Odah said.”
“We will not agree to be made
scape goats. As long as those
people are not made to cough out
the money they took, we ’ll not
accept a situation where workers
will be sacked. ”
The sack of the workers is a
continuation of the house-cleaning
the bank started last Thursday.
While Thursday ’s exercise was
mainly targeted at the top
management, this time senior
managers, managers, deputy and
assistant managers up to
management training in the bank
were affected.
Vanguard gathered that last Friday,
the bank ’s management, at a
meeting with all the regional and
branch managers in its head office
complied the list of those to be sack
or to be retain in the bank.
Managers were said to have left
the bank with the instruction to
submit the list of those they do not
want to work with and the entire
list was compiled weekend.
It would be recalled that the
management of Intercontinental
Bank last Thursday sacked about
50 senior management staff of the
bank. But in an official statement
the bank said only 26 senior
management of the bank
voluntarily resigned their
appointments.
Insiders told Vanguard that those
affected were the executive
management from the rank of
Assistant General Managers and
above. Vanguard learnt that in the
exercise all the General Managers,
Deputy General Managers except
two, and 17 Assistant General
Managers were affected by the
forced resignation.
The banks statement said “As part
of the on-going restructuring
exercise in Intercontinental Bank
Plc, the Management of the Bank
yesterday accepted the voluntary
exit of 26 Senior Management
officers of the Bank.
“The collective exit which is viewed
as a sacrifice, is the contribution of
these Senior Management officers
to the recently-launched ‘Project
Transformation’ which is being
implemented in three phases.
“ This is expected to pave the way
for the new Management to
reposition the Bank on a new
foundation. The Bank is committed
to pursuing bold and necessary
changes that will fully restore value
and confidence to all our
stakeholders.
“ It would be recalled that the Bank
recently launched “Project
Transformation” which is a three-
pronged strategic plan to stabilise,
re-build and consolidate the bank
for greater efficiency and
profitability. ”
Vanguard investigation, however,
revealed that the affected staff
were forced to resign as they were
told that there services were no
longer required.
Those being forced out of the bank,
according to a senior officials, were
those regarded as being the moles
in the bank that appear to be loyal
to the erstwhile Managing Director,
Erastus Akingbola.
Yesterday the caretaker Managing
Director, Mr. Lai Alabi told newsmen
in Lagos while reacting to the
waivers the bank granted to
debtors that “we are contesting
with serious issue of moles in the
bank, what this people intend to
achieve was to malign the bank,
frustrate the progress we have
made for the purpose of serving
certain interests.
“This management has remained
focussed in operating in an open
manner with a high degree of
integrity and transparency. We are
succeeding in introducing a culture
of good corporate governance
which was entirely lacking in the
past.
“ A few disgruntled elements who
are not happy with this new
direction are working hard
underground to frustrate it. We
shall not allow them. ”
It was gathered that the sack of
the senior management staff was
part of the effort of the new
management of the bank to flush
out senior officers who are believed
to be loyal to the former
management or had compromised
their position during the era.
Intercontinental Bank is one of the
five banks whose chief executives
was sacked by the CBN in the first
phase of the banks ’ audit exercise.
The banks’ Chief executive was
sacked alongside the executive
directors for poor corporate
governance which led to huge non-
performing loans that eroded the
shareholders ’ funds of the banks.

salary jobs : modern day slavery

Salary jobs in Nigeria all amount to
slavery. The theories of ''USE AND
DISUSE'' and ''HIRE AND FIRE'' all
apply. I think we deserve better
than these as graduates. But the
truth is, ''The most successful men
and women out there are
ENTREPRENEURS!''
JIM OVIA of Zenith Bank is a
business man; likewise many
young and old successful people.
Who told you that you cant be
bigger than all of them?
What is stopping you from ''waking
up'' that ambitious spirit, that lies
''hidden'' deep inside you?
What is that thing that is
''weakening'' your spirit when you
have a dream?
Lets trash it now or never. You can
make it! Say Amen!
Start your own business now.
The starting size dont matter, its
the ''start'' that counts.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Why you should consider affiliate program

Affiliate Marketing has come to stay on the internet. Many companies are interested in people that will market their products and/or opportunities for big commissions.

This is one of the programs a newbie can join and expect great rewards in a short while because of the following reasons:

1. Free sign up (most of the programs).
2. Free training and support.
3. Free affiliate websites.
4. Quality products for marketing.
5. Company handles orders, follow-up with any prospects you send their way, close the sale, ship the products, handle customer service and complaints, and do virtually all the stuff you would have to do if you were selling your own products.
6. Big commissions on sales generated.
7. Commissions up to 7 levels of down-lines. (Some more).

Therefore, whenever someone you send to that company buys something, you get paid a commission for it. It is a win-win situation. The company is looking for more people to promote their products and they only pay a commission when an actual sale is generated. As an affiliate, you do not have all the burden of providing the product or service, following-up, closing the sale, handling customer satisfaction issues, dealing with "problem people", etc. You just get people to the company's website and the company takes care of all that for you.

Is it not interesting to just bring prospects to a company and leave all the intricacies of selling to them. All the trouble of customer complaints, after sales service etc is left to the company. Smart job, you will say!

The amazing thing about affiliate marketing is that you can often earn a lions share of the profit. Yes, many companies are willing to pay you more than they earn themselves for making a sale. There are affiliate programs where you can earn up to 90% of profit. Really amazing!

Nigerian Internet Nigeria Starcomms – Starcomms Usb 1xcdma Internet Access Device With 100Hrs Free Now N8 500 Only

Starcomms USB 1XCDMA internet access device now.Not only is its download and upload speeds okay, it also comes with 100hrs offree internet browsing hours valid for a full month.You can pick this data card at any Starcomms dealer/agent/quarters shopsaround you.They also have various internet access plans.

www.unilorin.edu.ng - Unilorin University of Ilorin - About this university




The university of Ilorin was one of the seven Universities that was
created in August 1975. This step, taken to implement one of the
educational directives of the country’s Third National Development
Plan, was aimed at providing more opportunities for Nigerians aspiring to
acquire university education and to generate high level man-power,
so vital for the rapidly expanding economy.

Following an entrance examination, 200 foundation students were admitted
into residence on Saturday, October 23rd, 1976, and academic activities
commenced on Monday, October 25th , 1976, after the Principal’s maiden
address at about 10.00am in the Africa Hall. The University College had
three foundation Faculties namely: Arts, Science and Education. The
Institution began to develop its programmes in a way that not lees than
60% of its effort was directed towards science-oriented programmes

Altogether, there are 60 academic departments in the existing ten faculties.
Undergraduate degree programmes run for 3,4,5, or 6 years, depending on
entry qualifications and discipline. The University started with the traditional
British “Three Term System” but later changed into a modified form of the
American “Two Semester System” called Harmattan and Rain semesters with
effect from 1979/80 session.

www.unilag.edu.ng - Unilag University of Lagos - About this university




When the university of lagos was founded in 1962, only 131 students where
registered on various course of study but as of today, this institution enrollment
as grown over 39,000.

The University is comprised of nine Faculties and a College of Medicine. The Faculties
offer a total of 117 programmes in Arts, Social Sciences, Environmental Sciences,
Pharmacy, Law, Engineering, Sciences, Business Administration and Education.
UNILAG, as the university is fondly called also offers Master’s and Doctorate
degrees in most of the aforementioned programmes. The University also has two
Centres namely the Centre for Human Rights and the Centre for African, Regional
Integration and Borderland Studies. The Distance Learning Institute (DLI) of the
University offers courses in Accounting, Business Administration, Science Education
and Library / Information Sciences.

Unilag became Nigeria's first university to set-up its own radio station UNILAG 103.1 FM.
The sole reason behind this set-up is to serve as a testing center or practice lab for
Mass communication students and it's like and also as means by which messages can be
passed to both students and non students of the institution.

Unilag is one institution which most Nigerian students which to be admitted into but
due to Nigeria's system of education, only the RICH AND CONNECTED students makes it
gets admitted. When it comes to Unilag, this popular saying among Nigerian student
"IT IS THE PERSON WHO KNOWS THE WAY THAT IS TRUELY BRILIANT AND NOT THAT
WHICH PASS WELL"

Unilag is a no nonsense institution and so if you wish to gain admission into this institution,
you must be ready to read and pass your exams well.

NIGERIAN KEVIN WINS BIG BROTHER AFRICA REVOLUTION 2009 AND GET AWARDED A CASH PRIZE OF ABOUT $200,000


Naija boy Kevin Chuwang Pam won the $200,000 award after about 90 days in the Big brother Africa revolution house.

Kevin proved himself to be a firm favorite throughout the show as he survived multiple evictions and enjoyed strong support on the Big Brother Africa official website and text ticker.

The final five were Nkenna, Edward, Emma, Kevin and Nzamo.
Nkenna was the first to leave followed by Nzamo and then Edward.

The final two were Emma and Kevin.


Even before the results were announced, it was clear who the crowd (including Kevin’s parents who came to support their son) were rooting for as shouts of ‘Kevin, Kevin, Kevin…’ could be heard far and wide. Emma even conceded defeat before the official results were announed by telling Kevin ‘I know you would win’.

In the end, Mr. Jos-tified Kevin was announced and he fell to the floor and shed tears of joy and excitement!. When he was asked how he felt about the win, he declared ‘I feel like Obama right now’. He also promised to do all his fans and supporters proud now that he has this ‘turbo-charged’ opportunity.

It was not easy, it was a hard task, that kind of money will definitely spell out success to him in whatever business he might get into.

Important things you need to know about beer

The facts here is for Beer lovers and vice-vasa. Beer is mostly composed of WATER which isn´t particularly interesting. What´s intertesting, however is that the water in certain regiongs were originally better suited to making certain types of beer. For eg. Dublin´s mineral -rich hard water, for eg. was great for making Stouts such as GUINNESS.
How beer is made, 1st, Malted Barley is mixed with hot water, creating the MASH amushy oatmeal- like substance. Next, a sugary liquid called WORT is drained off.
The HOPS comes after that. The hops are boiled with the wort to add bitterness, flavor & aroma. (HOPS are the flower of a vine which is a member of MARIJUANA family. But you can´t smoke hops, so DON´T TRY IT)
Next, YEAST is mixed with the hopped wort & left to ferment.
ETHANOL & CARBON DIOXIDE. ( Ethanol is what gets you to drunk, C02 adds bubbles to the beer.
Most beer falls into 2 categories; ALES, LAGERS.
ALES when the yeast ferments at higher temperatures & stays at the surface it produces an ALE.( Popular ALE include PAL ALE, STOUT Dublin)
LAGERS when it ferments at a lower temperature & does not float at the surface, it produces a lager.
(Popular lager includes PILSNER .HELLES, BLACK BEER;they can be found in Europe)
HOW YOU GET DRUNK?
After drinking booz, the alcohol is absorbed into your stomach & small intestine & eventually enters the bloodstream, where it is carried throughout the body.
NB:drinking on an empty stomach makes u get drunk faster cos the alcohol is absorbed more quickly.
Your body eliminates the alcohol through urination, breathing it out, by breaking it down in the liver.
Your body can break down about 1 drink per hour. So when you drink faster than your body can prcess, u get drunk.
Fianlly let me tell you somethings i think might interest u too. How beer can affect u, 1st it hits the CEREBRAL CORTEX. This makes you more talkative & less inhibited. ii. When the alcohol reaches the HIPPOCAMPUS of brain, it causes memory loss & exaggerated emotions(this is when u call tree a man). iii. The CEREBELLUM keeps u balanced. When alcohol hits it, you lose COORDINATION( here u see a drunk falling several times). iv. If the alcohol reaches your MEDULA, you are in TROUBLE. The MEDULA regulates activities which you do not have to think about, like regulating HEART RATE and BREATHING. Its very dangerous this time cos it might lead to death if help did not come fast....I suggest u don´t get drunk especially this December season and most importantly make sure u don´t taste beer at all if u are going to drive.
REMAIN BLESSED AND MERRY X-MAS.

Uniben 2009/2010 Post Ume Result Out

Here is a public announcement to all who applied for Uniben post UME. The result is out. I've  help eight candidate check there result. Procedure: visit
 http://uniben.waeup.org http://uniben.waeup.org

then click on apply pume 2009/2010 and login your jamb reg. no. and PUME APP pin as if u're applying for pume again.
Your result as well as your admission status will appear. Manual clearance comes up mid March next year while online clearance commences long before the manual clearance-maybe early january or february. Good luck to you all.

Bank Chief Nabbed Over Possession Of $3.1 Million At Lagos Airport

A combined team of Lagos Airport Police Command, the State Security Service (SSS) and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Aviation Security officials has apprehended a senior bank official at the General Aviation Terminal of the domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos after she was found in possession of $3.1 million, suspected to be a laundered fund.

Due to the seriousness of the offence, and to unravel the motive behind the alleged transfer of such huge fund without authorized fund transfer documents from the bank, the case has been transferred to Abuja for investigation.

The suspect, who is a Deputy General Manager in one of the rescued banks, was arrested on November 11, 2009 at 9 am in an attempt to board Arik Air's Abuja-bound flight.

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the Airport Police Command, Mr. Ayuba Pam, confirmed the arrest of Etuk, when The Guardian visited the Command on Thursday. He however said that the matter had been transferred to Force headquarters in Abuja for proper investigation.

A top official of one of the aviation agencies who pleaded anonymity disclosed that Etuk was detained for two weeks with the SSS in Lagos before he was moved to Abuja on November 27, 2009 .

The source, however, lauded the security personnel for the arrest, stressing that huge movement of funds through the General Aviation Terminal in chartered aircraft and private jets and commercial aircraft has been a source of worry to them, adding that the movement without proper police protection and under questionable circumstances was giving the airport authority real concern.

Investigation by The Guardian showed that the money found on Etuk had been traced to a governor from one of the oil-rich states in the Niger Delta.

Police sources confided in The Guardian that the sum was being transferred on behalf of the governor, but security operatives who questioned Mrs. Etuk said that she maintained that she was handling the cash on behalf of the bank even though without any authorisation document.

The husband of the bank chief is a Special Assistant to the governor on Utilities and has helped to secure the government's account to the bank.

The Guardian had penultimate week, reported the lax in security at the Lagos airport, which has led to the rise in drug trafficking, money laundering and other nefarious activities by powerful Nigerians.

Of particular concern are operators or owners of private jets, whose agents allegedly aid them to flout security check on their aircraft before take-off.

Disturbed by the development, the Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr. Harold Demuren recently summoned all the agents of private airlines in the country, security operatives at the airport which comprise the Nigeria Police, Nigerian Immigration Service, Air Force, security operatives from the Federal FAAN, officials of the SSS and the Nigeria Customs Service among others to a meeting in his office.

Two separate meetings were held that day with the aim of ensuring compliance with screening.

Demuren, at the meeting instructed that all aircraft, particularly private jets be screened by SSS personnel the way it is done in other countries.

There are also indications that prior to the tough stance of government on screening the aircraft of these very few rich men, most of the owners in connivance with their agents were alleged to have been using their jets to smuggle arms, money and drugs out of the country, owing to the lax in security at the airports.

Speaking to The Guardian recently, spokesman for NCAA, Sam Adurogboye said that the Director General of the Authority had threatened to withdraw the agents' licenses if they were found to constitute a security risk to the country and to flight safety.

Adurogboye stated that the private jets owners are given clearance by the NCAA to operate into Nigeria after they must have satisfied all safety related matters to be jointly supervised by the NCAA inspector and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of the country where the aircraft is registered.

He explained that foreign registered aircraft and the ones registered in Nigeria under the 5N call sign are given the same level of certification before they can be allowed to operate, adding that the regulatory body has raised the bar in its oversight functions.

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/news/article02//indexn3_html?pdate=061209&ptitle=Bank%20Chief%20Nabbed%20Over%20Possession%20Of%20$3.1%20million%20At%20Lagos%20Airport&cpdate=061209

Lagos Evicts 3000 Beggars

The Lagos State Government has evacuated 3,000 beggars back to their various states and neighbouring countries in the last nine months.

Special Adviser to Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola on Youth, Sports and Social Development, Dr. Dolapo Badru, disclosed this yesterday at the celebration of the 2009 International Day of Persons With Disabilities in Lagos.

He said that some of the beggars were sent to ECOWAS countries, while others were sent to the northern states and other parts of the country.

According to him, the move was part of government’s programme to re-unite the beggars with their relations so that they can live meaningful lives.

“This government has embarked on rescue exercise to remove beggars and destitute from the streets of Lagos so that they can be reunited with their relations and live a peaceful and prosperous life,” he said.

Badru stated that this act of reuniting them with their relations was better for them, than exposing themselves to the hazards of the environment such as living in uncompleted buildings, under bridges and begging for alms on the streets, where they could be run down by moving vehicles or used for ritual purpose by unscrupulous persons.

The special adviser advised Nigerians from outside the state to discourage their relations, who have one disability or the other, from coming to Lagos to beg for alms, adding that instead of bringing them to beg, they should encourage them to learn vocation of their choices in vocational institutions that abounded in their states.

“The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) cannot be achieved without the full and effective inclusion of persons with disabilities and their participation in all stages of the MDG processes.

“We must see to it that persons with disabilities are empowered with needed skills and training to be able to respond to various challenges and able to live a fulfilled life. We must individually and collectively ensure that the rights of persons with disabilities are not trampled upon.

“It is in ensuring justice, equal opportunity and fairness for all that Nigeria and indeed, the world will experience peace and stability,” he stated.

Badru stressed the need to renew commitment to the principles of dignity and justice, equal opportunity and to make sure that the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was implemented.

“Globally, almost one in 10 persons is living with disability and recent studies indicate that persons with disabilities constitute up to 20 percent of the population living in poverty in developing countries.

“Many persons with disabilities continue to face barriers to their participation in their communities and are often forced to live on the margins of society,” he said, adding, “they often face stigma and discrimination and are routinely denied basic rights such as food, education, employment, access to health and reproductive health services.  It is now time to give necessary support to persons with disabilities for them to live their dreams.”

The theme of this year’s celebration is: Making the MDGs Inclusive: Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities.

Badru said this year’s theme was timely as the MDGs provided the best available framework for fulfilling the promise by world leaders at the summit in 2000 to spare no effort at freeing people from the abject and dehumanising conditions of extreme poverty.

He added that the MDGs established a unifying set of developmental objectives for global community by bringing together United Nations agencies, governments and civil society around eight key developmental issues.

“It fosters collaborative action to reduce poverty, improve health and address educational and environmental concerns around the world’s most pressing development problems,” he stated.

President, Joint National Association of Persons With Disabilities (JONAPWD), Mr. Adeyemi Okikiade, called for equal opportunities for disabled people in the political arena.

He disclosed that many physically-challenged persons were currently aspiring for political offices at all levels of government, while appealing to political leaders and parties to be ready to accommodate them.

“We implore our political leaders to include persons with disabilities in election management bodies, appointment structures, security and general political appointment.

“We strongly demand that all our governments, corporate bodies, religious and cultural leaders should avoid discrimination against persons with disabilities.   Public perception has been the main challenge confronting persons with disabilities in the society,” he said.

http://thepmnews.com/2009/12/04/lagos-evacuates-3000-beggars http://thepmnews.com/2009/12/04/lagos-evacuates-3000-beggars

Christmas: Wealthy Igbo Rush To Move Aged Parents Out Of Kidnappers Reach

As Christmas approaches, wealthy Igbo rush to move aged parents out of kidnappers’ reach

By Chux Ohai, Published: Saturday, 5 Dec 2009
click to expand image

Luxury buses waiting to take people home for Xmas

East and west, as the saying goes, home is the best. But it seems that this timeless proverb may hold very little attraction for many people of Eastern Nigerian origin that are living and working outside their home states, this Christmas. Saturday Punch investigations have revealed that some rich and influential Igbo may have decided to shelve the yearly ritual of celebrating Christmas in their home towns and villages for fear of being attacked by kidnappers.

Apparently scared stiff by the recurring incidence of kidnaps across the eastern states, some of these people have started moving their loved ones, mostly the aged and invalid, from their home towns and villages to the relative safety of bigger and more secure towns and cities. One wealthy Igbo businessman, who owns a three-star hotel in the Ojodu area of Lagos and declined to disclose his identity for security reasons, told our correspondent that a recent experience had compelled him to rush home and bring his aged father to the city.

He said, ”I was the negotiator in a kidnap incident that took place in the month of May. My brother, it wasn‘t a very pleasant experience.”

According to him, the mother of his friend living in Spain was abducted from her home town in Ukwa East Local Government of Abia State just as she was returning from her farm. He continued,”The kidnappers demanded a ransom of N10 million. They threatened to kill the woman if her son failed to give them the money. They felt that since he lived abroad, he should be able to part with that sum of money without sweat. But my friend didn‘t have that kind of money. He was so scared to come home that he asked me to negotiate on his behalf.”

”All the while, I communicated with the criminals on the phone. It was a very tedious process. I told them that my friend was struggling to survive abroad and wouldn‘t be able to afford to pay them N10 million. After a while, they scaled down the ransom to N4 million. At this point, I had to let them know that I was going to pay the money from my own pocket and that I couldn‘t afford that kind of money. When they asked how much I could afford, I told them I had only N500,000. The result was that they went mad and warned that they would eliminate their victim if we failed to pay N4 million within a certain period.”

”I went on to beat the sum to N1 million, but they refused to accept it. I had no other choice than to link them up with my friend on the phone. My friend asked to speak with his mother and they gave her the phone. At this point, they were getting worked up. My friend was already worked up, too. He got angry and decided to call the bluff of the kidnappers. He told them that they could go ahead and kill his mother, if that was what they wanted. When his mother pleaded on the phone that he should give them what they wanted, he said to their hearing that they should do what they liked with her. At that point, the criminals understood that her son wasn‘t as rich as they thought and they had no other choice than to settle for N1 million”.

The victim, Saturday Punch gathered, was 75 years-old and her son was emotionally disturbed during the period of her ordeal. ”My boss had very little money when his mother was kidnapped. He had to borrow some money from his friend to pay the ransom” one of the aides of the man, who was given the task of delivering the ransom to the kidnappers in Port Harcourt, told our correspondent. Immediately after the she was freed, he added, the woman was flown out of the community by her son to an undisclosed destination where she is currently staying.

Similarly other Igbo businessmen across the country have begun to sneak their aged parents out of their various communities. Another Igbo businessman, an indigene of Anambra State resident in Lagos (name withheld), confessed to Saturday Punch that he had to bring his mother to Lagos because he feared that kidnappers might sieze the opportunity provided by the current political situation in his home state to strike this Christmas. ”Everything is becoming so dicey that it will be unwise to let her stay in my home town any longer. You cannot tell what will happen next, especially now that Christmas is approaching and everybody is desperate to make more money” he said.

For Chief Kennedy Adiele, a prominent lawyer and businessmen, from Owalla Asa community in Abia State the kidnap scare has reached the point where the federal government will have to intervene. According to him, kidnappers have laid siege to his community such that every well-to-do son of Owalla Asa and neighbouring villages and towns had taken their aged parents and relatives outside the state. He said, ”I tell you, the terror is so real that an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty currently pervades my community. As I am talking to you, my uncle‘s wife is still being held by kidnappers. There is a man, an indigene of Ukwaland who was abducted from the church where he worshipped. This man owns about seven petrol filling stations in Port Harcourt. The day they took him away, we learnt that they practically forced him out of the church and beat him so much that blood started gushing from his nose and mouth. Nobody has seen him for the past two months‘.

Adiele revealed that the situation had forced him to move his parents from Owalla Asa, but declined to disclose where he was keeping them at the moment. For him and several others, the joy of reuniting with his extended family at Christmas will have to be forgone. ”It is painful, but I have no choice” he said. Every year most Igbo men and women and their families journey home, not only to celebrate Christmas; but to mark the traditional New Yam festival, as well. Unfortunately, most people will miss this year‘s celebrations, which is usually accompanied with much fanfare.

The impact of the incidence of kidnapping on the economy and social life of the Igbo across the River Niger is, no doubt, enormous. ”Nobody wants to invest in Igbo land at the moment. As a result, no money is coming in. Everybody is scared” Adiele lamented. To worsen the matter, he added, the law enforcement agencies have not done much to stop the kidnappers.

http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200912050191284 http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200912050191284

Friday, December 4, 2009

Web Hosting Company

How To Choose A Web Hosting Company
If you are wondering how to choose a web hosting company, then read this article. There are thousands of web hosting companies doing business online. Each one have mouth watering hosting packages and makes reassuring promises to keep your business online 24/7. Making a choice among these can be quite difficult. How can you know the one that will truly provide your business the much needed excellent hosting solution at an affordable price?
Big business enterprises can afford to own their own web hosting servers or pay for dedicated web hosting servers. This is not an option for most small scale entrepreneurs. Small scale business owners especially the home based business owners often have to make do with shared web hosting due to their small business budgets. This article is meant to provide help for such entrepreneurs.

What are the qualities to look for in a web hosting company?

1. Excellent Customer Support: Your hosting provider should be there for you 24/7 and give you instant access to the technicians you need to solve your problem. Ask them how long it takes for them to typically respond to your problem. A good test is to call them in the mid night to check if you get to a live, level 3 support. There must be provision for Live Chat as this tend to be more efficient in helping to troubleshoot website issues than phone calls or email. Go ahead and use their ticket system for pre-sale support, taking note of how many hours it takes them to attend to you. If their response time for sales is slow, then you can be rest assured that their response time for technical support will most likely be worse.
2. A Sound Infrastructure: Check whether they offer a multi-homed network powered by multiple bandwidth providers to ensure redundancy. Some offer a 100% guarantee on its network availability or network uptime. Getting information about this is not easy though. You may need to spend some time doing research about the web hosting company you have zero on. Read reviews and comments about their services in forums. Avoid website previews as they are often bias. A good place to get information about webhosting companies and their performance is webhostingtalk.com
3. Financial Stability: If you’re running very critical operations, you can’t afford to be with a hosting company that may not be in business in a few months. Check to see if the web hosting company is a one-man business being operated from a bedroom. There is nothing wrong with doing business with such as long as he or she is a reseller for a reputable web hosting company. However, you will be doing yourself a disfavor and courting trouble if you host your business website with a sole-proprietor who owns the servers he is using for business. Web hosting servers cost a lot of money and as such cannot be easily run by small scale business. Incorporated businesses tends to be more reliable.
4. Scalability: Be sure your web host company can easily upgrade your hosting package as your business grows. There should be provision for migrating from shared web hosting packages to dedicated servers or virtual private servers. Ensure the web host can accommodate e-commerce and storefronts, wireless capability, blogs, forums, chats, online interactive helps and anything else you may need to add onto your site as your business expands. The last thing you want to do is change host mid way. It is never an easy nor smooth experience moving your website from one hosting company to another.
5. Provision of Regular Backup: Ensure that the web host company is willing to make regular backup of your website which will be kept on a separate server. This will help to reduce the recovery time in case of a server failure. You need to make enquiry about this as some web host may deman extra payment to provide such service.

Pitfalls to avoid in choosing a web hosting company

Avoid like a plague, free or very inexpensive web hosting services. They often end up creating headache and heartache for entrepreneurs, with bouts of server downtimes. As a small business owner, you don’t want to start spending hours on phone or chatting to find out why your website is not up. Having paid for the web hosting service, you will love to focus on your core business and grow your business. Chasing after web hosting technicians and doing follow-up on support tickets will not increase your revenue. Also note that you are likely to have significant limitations in storage, number of email addresses, FTP upload, ability to install scripts etc when you choose a free web hosting company or a very inexpensive web host.
Avoid web hosting companies whose data centers are located in volatile areas. You don’t want to loose your online business website due to civil unrest in the location where the data center of the company is located.

Bulk sms resellin in Nigeria

Have you started your own bulk sms reseller business?

Have you started your own bulk SMS reseller business? A guy just asked me that question, and I was wondering what made him ask. He was all excited as he gave me a quick lecture on how I have been missing out in the  new multi-million dollar business of reselling bulk sms to fellow Nigerians.
At first I was a bit confused and I was wondering if anything spectacular had happened within the few days I went offline (I took a break from the virtual world to face some pressing issues). As much as I can recollect, bulk SMS has been available as an online business opportunity for more than two years. Well, it didn’t take quite 2minutes before I recovered from the initial shock from his question. He helped me without by unwittingly mentioning the phrase “multi-million”. Whenever I hear the phrase, “multi-million dollar” or “multi-million naira”, my security antenna gets fine tuned. Such phrase often accompany “get rich quick scheme”. This is naija you know. If you play the “mugu”(fool), you may not even live to  regret your action. Anyway, in this particular case, it wasn’t about 419 or Nigerian Scam as foreigners will term it. It is about an old business that some con artists are parading as a new discovery.
Online sale of bulk SMS is indeed the new business-craze in town. Not that it is new elsewhere, just that Naija brothers and sisters have decided to zero in on bulk SMS reselling as the new online business that will bring in the million fast.  In case you don’t understand, the politicians have made it a taboo to think on anything less than seven digit income.  Everyone talks about making a million (naira or better still dollar) as fast as possible. Gone are the days of working patiently for years to build a fortune.
So, whenever a naija brother or sister hits a jackpot with a business idea, be rest assured that within a few weeks, many wannabe entreprenuers will abandon whatever they’ve been working on and rush in to make theirs too (even though many business mentor has pointed out that this is not the way to do business, yet, the lure for quick cash won’t let them listen). It amuse me when I see such rush by newbie entreprenurs who fail to find out how the first guy went from raw idea to achive business success! It is not about duplicating a business, it is all about learning how it works and working SMART. Ok, enough of my personal view.
Bulk SMS is the new business idea rocking right now in naija. Online Forex Trading seems to have lost its appeal. At least those who want to be a millionaire overnight are no longer seeing forex trading as the way to get rich overnight. No thanks to those who have exposed the deceit behind those Forex Trading Seminars. David Ajao won’t be forgiven by many of the con artist. I learnt that the sale of automatic forext trading robots to naija newbie forex traders have dropped significantly.

What is bulk SMS by the way?

Ok, so what is Bulk SMS? First, SMS means Short Message Service .  Bulk SMS  is simply a way of sending simple text messages to numerous contacts at once using the internet instead of your cellphone and you need not go through your telecom service provider. Am not quite sure the Nigerian Telecom operators such as MTN, Glo, Celtel, Zain, Etisalat etc love this idea, because it robs them of the abnormal revenue they make from Nigerians for each SMS sent via their networks. The telecom providers charges for SMS is higher than that offered by bulk SMS resellers.

Why use Bulk SMS?

I just told you.
1. It is cheaper. Unlike your service provider who will charge a higher fee for delivering the same text to a contact on a different network, bulk SMS gateways will deliver all SMS messages at the same flat rate irrespective of the destination.
2. It is easier to send to numerous contacts. Actually toyou can send SMS to millions, within a short time, for example, you can send a message to a million contact in less than five minutes. Once you have purchased the required credit, you upload a list of the contacts and write out the SMS message. One click will send to 1 contact or 1million contact, it is simply your choice.
3. You can schedule the delivery. This is another great feature. You can actually write a message now and schedule it to be delivered at a later date.

Bulk SMS Reseller Business

Ok, so how do I make money online from bulk SMS reselling. Simple, get a reseller account, (I won’t provide any link here because I am not promoting any) you can Google for it by typing “Bulk SMS resellers in Nigeria” into any of the popular search engine. Once you get a reseller account, the next step is to get clients. Yes, you need people who will buy smaller packages of the bulk SMS from you . For example, if you buy 5,000 units of SMS at the rate of 3.5naira per message, you can offer to sell each packages of 200units at 800naira. That is far cheaper to the 5naira that Nigerian service providers charge per SMS, so be rest assured you have a ready market. Also, you can design a website and offer to send SMS on behalf of people. Once they pay you, you simply send the SMS on their behalf to the list of contact they provide at the point of sale. This is a cool business for youngsters. You can sell the service to those wanting to announce an event e.g. a wedding ceremony, burial ceremony or a corporate event. I guess you’ve received such an SMS in recent times.
Some bulk SMS gateway provide the facility of inputting the sender’s number, so that you can actually receive reply. However, some charge a fee for such.

Is Bulk SMS reselling for me?

Well, only you can tell wether bulk SMS reselling is for you. I never encourage anyone to engage in a business he or she does not have passion for. It is easier to succeed at a business you are passionate about than one that irritate you. Now you know what Bulk SMS reselling business is all about. It is not a new business, but for Nigerians, it is a new way of making money online.

Will Bulk SMS Reselling Make me a millionaire?

Well, it all depends on you. Several successful entrepreneurs started off with business ideas that didn’t look promising, and yet they became financial giants. If you get yourself equipped with the right knowledge, set a goal for yourself and work persistently on it, this may actually give you an opportunity to make your first million. However, I must warn you that it will not happen overnight.

Warning: Scam Artists use Bulk SMS as a tool

Some will not agree with that it is not possible to make a million from SMS reselling overnight. I understand, such must have been told the story of someone that started Bulk SMS reselling and hit the first million naira within 30days. Yes, that is “possible”. It is done by sending fraudulent messages to unsuspecting people telling them funny stuffs to get them to reveal their bank financial details or part with some cash. I have received several SMS congratulating me that I have just won a million naira from my telecom provider. The sender name reflects the name of my Telecom Service Provider or her code, however, I knew they were fake because my telecom provider will never inform you that you have won a gift via text message. Instead, a phone call will be made and there will be announcement on the electronic or print media. So when next you receive a text message claiming to be from any of the Nigerian Telecom service provider informing you that you have just won a million naira, remember, this post ;-) . That is Bulk SMS being used by a con-artist to dupe you. If you’re greedy enough, you would have coughed out some cash before realizing that you’ve been defrauded.
Ok, enough of the gist. I guess it is high time I go get myself a Bulk SMS reseller account. Who doesn’t want to be a millionaire?

Business year is not over yet

The year 2009 is not over yet, even though it is natural to feel like given up the dreams you have for your business at the beginning of this year, I want to encourage you to stay in there and do the best you can. Your success as a business person is not determine by the fatness of your bank balances nor your turnover figure, rather is is the  inner satisfaction that you have put in your best as an entrepreneur to achieve the goals you set out to achieve during this year. Since there are still 30days more to go, don’t ever think of giving up. What you were not able to achieve in the past months can still be achieve in these remaining days if only you can belief and persist. Even if that is not feasible, you can at least improve on your present position. ;-)

Coping With Adverse Economic Realities in Nigeria

For Nigerian businessmen, especially the small scale entrepreneurs, the year 2009 has been a tough one. There has been several challenges threatening to wipe out businesses. It all started with the global economic crisis which was carried over from last year. Unlike in other developing nations where entrepreneurs were being informed on the effect and likely impact the economic recession will have on their local businesses, Nigerian entrepreneurs were lied to!
Our so called financial experts predicted that the global economic crisis will have zero impact on local businesses. Of course I knew as at then that they were being economical with the truth. How can Nigeria which operates a consumer based economy be dreaming of staying stable while those countries she buys products from are badly affected?
Well, the truth is out now. Nigeria did not only suffer from the global economic crisis, she also was badly affected by home grown economic crisis. The financial institutions in the country gave everyone a bad jolt when it was discovered that their management have been playing with depositors and investors fund. Too bad.
Well all that is stale news now. The important thing is what you do with the situation at hand. While going over my goals for the year at first I was depressed to note that the overall performance has been really poor due to adverse operating environment. But then on a second thought, I realized that I’ve learnt a lot of lessons which I won’t have had the opportunity to learn if things have worked the way I wanted. What I really need to do is to find a way of making those lessons pay dividend as the nations economy recovers!
So while the year 2009 may be reflecting in your statements of accounts as a year of poor turnover, I want you to realize that the hard lessons learnt will eventually pay huge dividend in time to come. Instead of  complaining and getting depressed, look out for opportunities to make some additions to the income you’ve already generated so far.  That is the entrepreneurship spirit. Tell yourself, 2009 is not over yet!

Zamfara Pilgrim Dies Stoning Devil


Latest news

Written by Auwalu Umar, Mecca   
Tuesday, 01 December 2009 05:03

A female pilgrim from Zamfara State, Hajiya Maryam M. Gusau, has died while stoning the Jamrat in Mina. Jamrat stoning is one of hajj rituals in Mina after the Arafat. She died on Saturday while stoning the second Jamrat. 
Maryam’s demise was announced at Zamfara pilgrims’ camp in Mina by  the state Amirul Hajj Alhaji Muhammad Bawa. All pilgrims from the state prayed for the repose of her soul and she had since been buried in Mecca after the funeral prayer at the Grand Mosque.

Her death contradicts the official statement by the head of the federal medical team, Dr Ibrahim Kana, that no Nigerian pilgrim died during the Jamrat stoning ritual in Mina. Many pilgrims died in the past during the ritual, but the fatality has greatly reduced in recent years upon completion of the five-storey Jamrat bridge.

Hajiya Maryam, who hailed from Gusau, the capital of Zamfara State, had earlier complained of excessive fatigue and fever soon after the Arafat where more than 2.5 million pilgrims from all over the world stood in prayer.

Meanwhile, a total of 19 Nigerian pilgrims have so far died during this year’s hajj. Head of  the federal medical team, Dr Ibrahim Kana, who announced this in Mecca yesterday, said this year’s death toll in the holy land was not as high as last year’s when more than 40 pilgrims from Nigeria died. Kana said five pilgrims from Katsina and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja were involved in a road accident in which they sustained various degrees of injuries. He however said they all survived the accident as there was no report of loss of lives.

 The accident, according to him, took place on their way to Arafat. All the victims, he said, were lucky to have gotten to the Arafat. He said they had all been discharged from the hospital where they were taken for urgent medical attention.

Source: http://www.news.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10423:zamfara-pilgrim-dies-stoning-devil&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=119http://www.news.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10423:zamfara-pilgrim-dies-stoning-devil&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=119

Tiger Woods Caught On Tape Cheating on His Wife:

SO I know everyone has heard about the newly developed incident that happened to Tiger. Word is Tiger's wife caught him cheating and gave him the beats lol. Check out the audio tape below as Tiger calls his chick on the side and tells her his wife might be on to them, I wonder how ppl get these audio tapes, it makes me feel so un safe. I mean for real though.

http://www.worldstarhiphop.com/videos/video.php?v=wshhdD52fy40iIVI0xJ3
http://www.worldstarhiphop.com/videos/video.php?v=wshhdD52fy40iIVI0xJ3


More info on the story at visit here http://www.tory411.com/2009/11/tiger-woods-releases-statement-about.html

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Blogging In nigeria

Hi Folks,
there are so many blogs in Nigeria,
yes i agree with you all, but lo and
behold very few of them are
making impact
the main reason is that they are
not giving providing quality
content, they are not educating
their visitors, the only thing the
way is to make money with their
blog which to me can/may not be
possible,
They main reason their are content
so boring is that many of them
what start a blog so as to make
money, which should not be the
primary aim, that is the
disconnection, they do not have
enough knowledge on the subject
matter they talking about.
A blog is an online journal, it aims is
educating the visitors, day-in-day-
out, it must be updated always.
For you to be able to educate, you
must have enough knowledge
about the subject you intent to use,
You must be ahead of the students,
Can you imagine a situation
whereby you bought a Punch
Newspaper and discover that the
information there are has been
published before either by punch or
other newspaper, what will you do?
you either throw it at them or you
will not buy it again.
Blogging, content is the key, so you
must look for areas you have
interest or know-how. WHEN YOU
are giving your visitor quality
content, then you can move to the
next stage of adding adsense or
affiliate marketing or information
making.
For the past months i have been
planning to start a blog of
Information Security, though i
know it is subject not many people
are talking about but it is very
important because hackers are
everywhere, you see many people
using free email address like yahoo
and others and they do not know
that it takes 6minutes for yahoo
email to be hacked, do you
remember Yaradua Resignation by
channel TV. I am still trying to get
much more information so that my
visitor will not be dissapointed, that
is why i have not started it because
i really want to educate first.
Bloggers we in this country, they
think you can just hear about
blogging and kick it up
immediately, it MAY not work that
way, except, you are blogging on
Jobs, which what is hot now,
because so many people needs
jobs, that is why a blogger on Jobs
niche market can get Tuesday
Guardian every week and write the
vacancies on his blog, his is just
providing employment
opportunities.
For you blog for money:
Look for a niche market
get quality content,
Promote the site
Leverage on successful blogs on
your niche,
then you can make money either
by Affiliate marketing, Google
Adsense, Information Marketing
So Good luck fellow Nigerians

New Job wanted

FRONT DESK OFFICER WANTED
A marketing company needs the
services of a front desk officer
Location: Victoria Island
Qualification: OND secretarial
administration/studies
Experience: Up to three years
post qualification experience in
similar position. Ability to use
office computer packages is
compulsory.
Send your CV to
jobs@amitagepartners.com
with “Front desk officer” as the
subject heading.