Friday, December 3, 2010

QATAR GETS 2022 WORLD CUP HOSTING RIGHT

Qatar has won the right to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, beating rivals Australia, the United States, South Korea and Japan.

The announcement was made by FIFA President Sepp Blatter following a secret ballot by the 22 members of the organisation"s executive committee in Zurich on Thursday.

It comes after weeks of last-minute lobbying and intense media speculation.

The Qatari bid was put in doubt by the threat of having a World Cup in a country where the temperature can reach up to 50 degrees celsius, but the young nation will be the focus of international football in 12 years time.

The Middle East nation had their bid endorsed by none other than former France international Zinedine Zidane, who made headlines at the 2006 World Cup for head-butting an opponent in the final. CONGRATULATIONS !!

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Video Of the day

Rise Up Call

We say that this world heads for moments of violent crisis, clashes between cultures, between nations, between friends, between families and even within the families. This is not just an idea, but something we see growing each day.
We also say it is necessary to change the course of what is happening in the world of today, otherwise this generalized violence won`t stop but will keep on growing.
What is the result of such unstable and changing situation? We go more untable and more violent. When things and situations around us are calm, its not that difficult to take them as a reference for our own life, just like lighthouses safely lead the boats to destination.
But there are no references left in the world of today. We see how everything falls down into pieces and changes up to reaching situations we wouldnt have thought possible.
On the other side, how can we build a new world if we still have "elements" of the old one deep inside us? How can we live in a non-violent way, how can we not discriminate the "other", how can we dream a new Nigeria, how can we valuate the humane part of other people, how can we treat the others the way we would like to be treated, if inside of us, there is still a little voice saying that the system is how it is, that we are the way we are, and that nothing will ever change, no matter how??
We talk about changes, evolution, overcoming the suffering, about building and branding a universaly proud nation, and this wont`t be possible if we dont change, develop, start to surmount our own suffering and violence, and if at the same time we dont implicate in social labour and changing our polluted mentality.
We need to provide references to other people, to become their life`s reference. We need to understand and end with this anti-humanistic way of thinking, feeling and living, and bring this seed of critical attitude to others. And accept the fact that no tribe in Nigeria is supreme or superior.
This work of changes, this revolution inside us, this learning process to see things differently, bring it to others, sharing your wakening with them and invite them to their own internal revolution...this is the PERSONAL WORK. The very work that will drive us to attain that DREAM OF A "PROUDLY NIGERIA".
We say that the human being looks for happiness, that he wants to overcome pain and suffering, that he wants to learn without barriers, that he`s able to build the reality he wants to live in, that he has the right to search the meaning of his own existence, and that he must have the freedom to decide the way he wants to live and be ruled inbetween the available options. We are the achitects of the future of this great Nation, your vote can make a great impact...so VOTE without TRIBAL or RELIGIOUS SENTIMENTS, and VOTE RIGHT. May God/Allah bless you and bless the federal Republic of Nigeria.

Man Fathers 10 children with Daughter

A man in Argentina has been arrested for raping his daughter and fathering 10 children with her over 30 years.

Juana Elvira Gomez, 43, did not report the alleged abuse to police until recently, when her father Armando Gomez, 62, was arrested for robbery.

She claimed her father started beating and raping her from the age of 13, some 11 years after her mother died.
"I felt that I was worse than a prisoner for 30 years because I couldn't even talk with anybody," Ms Gomez told the Clarin newspaper.

"He raped me, beat me for any reason, didn't let me approach other people and always had a loaded gun.
"He told me: 'I'm going to go to prison, but I'm going to kill you first.'"

DNA tests have confirmed that Gomez is the father of nine of his daughter's 10 children, aged between six and 26.
Tests could not be carried out on Ms Gomez's first child - a boy born when she was 15 - because he committed suicide.

Ms Gomez, of Santa Fe, said her eldest son killed himself before he reached 18 when he learned the truth about his father.

"I always thought he had decided to take his life because of a fight with his girlfriend, but they found a letter explaining it, that he had learned that his grandfather was his father," she said.

Ms Gomez said she did not have the courage to report the abuse until now "because since I was a girl he beat me with whatever he had in his hand: a rod or a machete which cut me all over".

Gomez, who denies the charges against him, is being held in prison accused of aggravated sexual abuse with a relative.
While he is behind bars, Ms Gomez said: "I can now walk the streets without fear.
"I feel a great relief even though I seldom leave my house because I feel ashamed."

A judge in Santa Fe described the case as "even worse" than the crimes of Austria's Josef Fritzl in 2008, for the "remarkable amount of violence and the length of time it lasted".

Fritzl was sentenced to life in 2009 for having kept his daughter imprisoned for 24 years, fathering seven children with her and killing one of them. TUFIAKWA... This is an abomination.

Source: Sky News

British Investigators Beams their searchlight on SOLUDO

The former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Chukwuma Soludo, is under the radar of British crime investigators who want to understand his role in the N29 billion polymer banknote contract issued during his tenure.

Between 2006 and 2009, the Central Bank carried out currency reforms that saw the introduction of polymer bank notes to replace the paper notes of the country’s lower denominations. In late 2009, media reports alleged that top CBN officials had received bribes in order to grant an Australian company, Securency International Pty Ltd, the contract which saw the Australian company supplying Nigeria with at least 1.9 billion pieces of the polymer substrate.

The contract is now the subject of a multi-national investigation straddling Vietnam, Malaysia, Australia, the UK and Nigeria, from which about N3.5 billion was paid out in slush fund. Investigators believe that millions out of the amount were paid to top Nigerian politicians and bank officials.

Investigating the Scandal

International sources who spoke to NEXT in confidence, said that feelers from the on-going investigations by the British Serious Fraud Office (SFO) point to the fact that Mr. Soludo has become a subject of their investigations. NEXT had earlier reported that the former bank chief directed contract processes in the CBN as well as the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting PLC, of which the CBN has a 77% shareholding.

“SFO is investigating the Nigerian deal in the UK. Soludo may be tied to a lot of those Nigerian deals which explains why the SFO may be investigating him,” our source said.

The SFO’s spokesperson in an email exchange with NEXT however declined to confirm or refute the claims.

“Without wishing to be unhelpful, I am unable to provide any further details. The investigation is ongoing. For guidance; it is not SFO policy to confirm or deny the names of suspects in its investigations,” Katie Winstanley of the SFO said. Ms. Winstanley further said that the SFO has arrested at least five people so far in connection with the on-going investigation.

A source within the EFCC, who asked not to be named, however confirmed that the SFO had indeed contacted the Nigerian anti-graft agency in relation to the investigations involving Mr. Soludo.

“There may be something like that. I know that there has been intelligence exchange between the EFCC and the SFO concerning this matter. It is an on-going investigation which was not initiated by the EFCC,” our source said.

In the months following the media reports, several anti-corruption agencies within and outside Nigeria have launched investigations into the scandal. In Nigeria, the initial enthusiasm showed by the Nigerian Police, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the National Assembly has since waned. None of the Nigerian investigations have yielded any results.

Efforts to get obtain reactions from the official spokesmen for the EFCC and the CBN were unfruitful.

Sharing the contract commissions

Documents obtained by NEXT show that Securency, whose parent company is the Reserve Bank of Australia, paid about $23 million dollars in suspect commissions to a company domiciled in a tax haven, Seychelles. The company, SPT Limited, further commissioned two other agents to secure the Nigerian contracts.

The Australian media, championed by The Age, is claiming that the agents chosen had close links with top government and CBN officials. One of the agents, Joseph Raad, who was appointed as a ‘confidential sub-agent’ by SPT LTD, is Iceland’s honorary Consul General to Nigeria. SPT, which stood to gain 12% of all contract deals secured from Nigeria, pledged to pay its agents between 4.5-5% of the contracts worth.

FIRST 'CLASICO' BARCELONA VS REAL MADRID on Monday 29th November 2010

The first 'Clasico' of the season between Barcelona and Real Madrid will take place on a Monday night, the Spanish league has confirmed.The two heavyweights will meet at the Nou Camp on November 29 to avoid a clash with the Catalan elections which take place in Barcelona a day earlier.A statement on Real's official website confirmed the news. It read: "The football league has announced the matchday 13 clash between Barcelona and Real Madrid will be played on November 29 at 2100 local time.
"This is due to the 13th round coinciding with the elections for the parliament of Catalonia and the security problems that would create.''

Barca beat Real home and away in their Clasico encounters last season, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic scoring the winner in a 1-0 victory at the Nou Camp, before goals from Lionel Messi and Pedro gave Pep Guardiola's side a crucial 2-0 win at the Bernabeu to catapult them towards the Primera Division title.The big two in Spain are again dominating La Liga this season; Jose Mourinho's Madrid are a point clear of Barca at the summit after winning eight of their opening 10 matches.Meanwhile, Barca defender Gabriel Milito is expected to be out for up to six weeks with a thigh injury picked up in Wednesday's Copa del Rey victory over Ceuta.

The Argentina international scored early in the 5-1 win but then had to leave the field seven minutes before the break and was replaced by Eric Abidal. Milito has been plagued by injuries during his time at the Nou Camp and now faces a battle to play again before the winter break.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

5 Ways to Make Money on Facebook

Facebook is one of the biggest and most successful social networking site all over the world. It has a wide and varied audience and the demography of the facebook population is more or less the general buying public-young teenagers to middle aged working class individuals. You may have already realized the potential of this website in terms of marketing and sales and you are definitely right. You can use facebook to earn money and market your own goods and services. Here are five ways how to make money on facebook.

facebook-money


Now these are not part of any scam or “get rich quick” scheme that you may have read or heard about. Facebook is not a marketplace per se, and most of the time the “promote your blog or affiliate on another person’s wall” will not get you the results that you want. Rather, these tips use the recognized applications already available on the site so you can optimize your stay on facebook.


* CafePress Listings. If you are not very familiar with CafePress, it is actually an application in facebook that allows you to design and sell CafePress items. You can create your very own CafePress account from within facebook and you can also sell your products by offering them to people within facebook, whether they are contacts or not.

* Use e3Buy Auction. This is an application where you can sell off things that you want to sell. You can start making money with this feature because people who visit your site will be able to see this application on your profile. So for them to be able to see it, what you need to do is to visit as many profile pages as possible to let other people know you exist.

* Use FlameTunes. Love music? Maybe you are a DJ or someone who just loves to mix and match good music. With this facebook application, you can play and record music with whatever instrument you have then sell it to your contacts and other people on facebook. You can also use mixers or other equipment so you have better flexibility and sound quality.

* Garage Sale. This is an application that is as trusty as air. Garage Sale is a very easy way to sell your old belongings and other second hand items to other people. You can also sell other things that you produce like custom made bead bracelets or other accessories.

* Cash Cliques. This application will pay you to visit or click onto and leave a comment in a certain number of advertisement websites. Other than this pay-per-click scheme, you can also earn by referring or other people to visit the site.

Their are some other traditional ways to earn from facebook like:

* From branding and selling your product
* Put an advertising space on your profile page
– If you think you are interesting enough to look for then yes you can easily try this option.Just create an advertisers space and advertisers would be interested in placing their ad banners on the space.

Facebook is definitely something that is taking the industry by storm. Everyone loves being on facebook and enjoying the different applications available, so why should you miss out on the opportunity as well? With the help of these applications, you can earn money and gain more contacts.

Reference: HONEYTECH

The 10 Most Annoying Things About Facebook



Sure, Facebook can be a lot of fun. It's a great way to reconnect with lost friends and to keep up with people on the fringes of your social circle. And as far as workday distractions go, there's nothing better.

It's hardly a perfect service, though. Minor aggravations add up fast and can drive you nuts. We've combed through the annoyances to find the ten annoyances that bug people the most.




Problem: Constant interface changes


Why it's annoying: Granted, innovation is necessary to avoid becoming stale, but sometimes you're better off leaving well enough alone. Facebook has radically overhauled its front page so many times that it's hard to keep count. Just as the anger dies down over one design, the site changes things again -- and confusion sets in. What's the difference between "News feed" and "Live feed"? And why can't Facebook remember which I prefer?

Possible solution: Sadly, there's not much you can do about this -- except wait for the next face-lift.


Problem: Inappropriate automated friend suggestions

Why it's annoying: Friend suggestions can be handy, but when Facebook tries to push an ex-girlfriend or boyfriend on you, it's kind of awkward. Similarly, if you've had a major falling-out with someone who has mutual friends, you're bound to see their face pop up in the 'suggestion' field at some point. It makes a clean break that much harder to get.

Possible solution: The little "x" to the right will make the suggestion go away forever. To prevent further frustration, you might want to also click "see all" and weed out any other offending names.



Problem: Never-ending game invitations

Why it's annoying: 'Farmville' and 'Mafia Wars' might be fun, but if you don't want to play them, the constant invites are infuriating. Many Facebook games are like Ponzi schemes; the way to succeed is to get more people playing. And once you've managed to filter out one game, another pops up.

Possible solution: It's not too hard to hide the requests and invitations for these games. Just click "Block this application" when you get the first invite. Then, hover over the updates that are clogging your news feed, and click "Hide" when the word appears.



Problem: Political fights

Why it's annoying: Between cable news and talk radio, it's hard enough to hide the squabbling between the left and the right. So when political debates fire up on Facebook, it's particularly annoying. All you want to do is see friends' pictures and learn what they're up to -- not eavesdrop on a debate over healthcare reform.

Possible solution: If you've got a friend who picks such fights in their status updates, you might be best off hiding them. You can still check in on them whenever you'd like, but you won't have opinions shoved down your throat.



Problem: Imported updates from Twitter

Why it's annoying: Tweets have their own language and shorthand, and if you're not familiar with the 140-character-or-less updates, it might look like someone had a hand spasm while typing. Facebook and Twitter are two entirely different services -- and forcing the two together feels like a poorly arranged marriage.

Possible solution: Once again, you're kind of stuck. Your best bet is to either embrace the language of the tweet -- or learn to selectively ignore posts.



Problem: No 'Dislike' button

Why it's annoying: A friend proudly mentions in a status update that she got a promotion. That's an easy thing to like. But what about when they announce they've been laid off? In its relentless drive to be cheery, Facebook hasn't given us the choice to quickly commiserate or disagree with someone.

Possible solution: There's an active lobbying effort to get Facebook to add a 'Dislike' button, with over 553,000 people members of a group specifically asking for one. Hopefully, the powers that be will listen to the protests.



Problem: People who 'friend' you too fast

Why it's annoying: Sometimes it's a person you've gone out with one time. Sometimes it's a coworker you only speak with occasionally. But odds are you've been 'friended' by someone you'd rather not have on your list. Technically, ignoring the request is an option, but that can create some real world tensions.

Possible solution: Your privacy settings can make this problem an easy one to conquer. You can block specific people from seeing status updates, photos and more by choosing 'custom' and black-listing them. Then, hide their updates from your news feed.




Problem: Stealth tagging

Why it's annoying: We all have horrifying childhood pictures or shots we wouldn't want to share with the world. Invariably, though, friends will post them as a joke of sorts and tag you. All of a sudden, that prom picture of you with acne, coke-bottle glasses, and a really bad perm is out there for everyone to see.

Possible solution: You can untag yourself, which prevents others from putting your name to the picture -- but in some cases, that's closing the barn door after the horse has run away.




Problem: Obvious celebrity marketing ploys

Why it's annoying: Celebrities love Facebook -- or so it would seem. But all too often, it's someone writing on their behalf (and often poorly). That doesn't stop avid fans from falling over themselves to 'like' every comment and chime in as part of the 'amen' chorus.

Possible solution: Unless you're sure it's actually the celebrity doing the updates, you'd often do better to just avoid the pages. After all, is it really that critical that you declare yourself as a fan?

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Judge awards ₦100m damages to Uzoma Okere

















Justice Opeyemi Oke of the Lagos High Court sitting in Igbosere has awarded ₦100 million in damages to Uzoma Okere who was assaulted by four officers of the Nigerian Navy on November 3, 2008.

Ms. Okere sued Rear-Admiral Harry Arogundade, the four naval ratings in his convoy whom she said beat and stripped her on the stated date, when she refused to leave the road for the convoy.

As part of the judgement, the court also asked the respondents to write a letter of apology to the claimants, which must be published in at least four newspapers within one month of the judgement.
***

Source: 234next.com

Wow, fantastic news. You really can get justice in Nigeria if you try. But come o, who will give Uzoma the N100 million? The officers that beat her up, the officer that sent them, or the Nigerian Navy?

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Alicia Keys is reportedly engaged to Swizz Beats



Singer Alicia Keys is reportedly engaged to her rapper/producer boyfriend, Swizz Beats. Some pics hit the net of Alicia rocking a band on her left hand while on vacation with Swizz.

But no wedding anytime soon because Swizz is still in a heated divorce battle with his ex-wife, R&B singer Mashonda.


They look more like sibblings than lovers...cute together though.

The very angry mistress.



Check out this story.
The married president of the MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR company Oracle had a 8 year affair with a woman named YaVaughnie Wilkins. A few weeks ago he ended things with YaVaughnie for good, and she didn't take the break up very well.

So guess what happened next? YaVaughnie took out three one-hundred foot tall billboards - one in NY's Times Square, one in Atlanta, and one in San Francisco - showing her and Charles together.

The pics were meant to embarrass Charles and his wife, who are popular socialites in ALL THREE CITIES!!!























Charles and his wife

I don't understand what she was expecting, dump his wife for her?
*hiss*

She killed a cat and went to prison for two years. You either hate or love America!



















18 year old Cheyenne Cherry was sentenced to two years in prison some days ago; for helping roast a kitty in a 500-degree oven. Cherry and a 14-year-old accomplice trashed her former roommate’s apartment on May 6 2009. She stood by as the 14-year-old stuffed a little cat called Tiger Lily into the oven. Cherry, who later pleaded guilty, told cops after the incident that it was “just a joke.”

Cherry got two years, one year for attempted burglary and one year for animal torture – to run concurrently, while her younger accomplice got 18 months in a juvenile facility. Cherry is also barred from owning a pet for three years.

Going to prison for killing a cat? Damn!!!
Like I said, you either hate or love America...I love America!!!
lol.

You think her prison sentence is well deserved?

Monday, January 25, 2010

Obasanjo is an Honourable Man…

by Simon Kolawole
Honour has a new admirer. Morality has a new sweat heart. His name is Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. Speaking at an event in Abuja on Thursday, Obasanjo released his most direct salvos against President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua since the ex-president honourably imposed the Katsina man as his successor in 2007 via elections that were globally considered to be too low for zero, even by Nigerian standards. Listen to Obasanjo: “If you take up an assignment, a job – elected, appointed, whatever it is – and then your health starts to fail and you will not be able to deliver to satisfy yourself and to satisfy the people you are supposed to serve, then there is a path of honour and the path of morality… and if you don’t do that, then you don’t know anything.”
Reacting to an accusation that he deliberately imposed a “sick man” as President to punish Nigerians for rejecting his third term project, Obasanjo launched into self-defence and self-justification in an unforgettable way, revealing all about the President’s kidney ailment and making every effort to reassure us yet again that everything he did while in office was in the best interest of Nigeria. Hear him again: “When in the year 2006, the idea came up as to succession, I was convinced in my mind that a Southerner succeeding me would not augur well for Nigeria… (by the way, that was a nice message for a predominantly Northern audience). Now, I was looking for [a person] who has three important qualities. One, he has enough intellectual capacity to run the affairs of Nigeria. Two, he has sufficient personal integrity to run the affairs of Nigeria. Three, he is sufficiently broad-minded enough – politically, religiously, socially, whatever to manage the affairs of Nigeria.”
Did you notice the fact that, in Obasanjo’s moral thinking, succession had nothing to do with the choice of the voters? He alone decided it was not good for a Southerner to succeed him; he alone listed the criteria of who would succeed him; and he alone decided who would succeed him – no matter how Nigerians decided to vote. We always said our votes never mattered, and the man of honour has confirmed our suspicion again. He was telling us, in other words, that he had pre-determined presidential election results. He’s an honourable man. He insisted he did not pick Yar’Adua as President so that he would not perform, maintaining: “How can I put so much into this country both in peace and in war and I will begin to run it down? If you have fear of God, you will not make that statement.” Those were the words of Obasanjo, the man who fears God.
Let me tell you something about Obasanjo and honour and morality. He is, typically, trying to extricate himself from the Yar’Adua impasse just to win public applause. When Obasanjo started plotting the third term project in 2004 with his political reform conference, he denied nursing any such ambition. Billions of naira went down the drain at the conference which achieved virtually nothing. As his constitutional term limit drew near in 2006, he adopted every tactic in the book to amend the constitution and get a third term. But he kept denying it. He manipulated the polity, unleashed EFCC on his political opponents and did everything he could to perpetuate himself in power. Lawmakers were being offered (or given) N50 million each to vote for third term. He has now indirectly admitted he did not start thinking of succession until 2006 – after the failure of the third term project. And Obasanjo is an honourable man.
While on a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign tour in 2007, Obasanjo openly said he would send EFCC after Dr. Olusegun Mimiko who was contesting for governorship in Ondo State against his party. Mimiko, on the ticket of the Labour Party, won the election, but INEC denied him his victory until the courts saved him. Adams Oshiomhole’s victory at the Edo polls was initially denied him, no thanks to Obasanjo. Rotimi Amaechi’s candidacy in Rivers State was truncated, no thanks to Obasanjo’s K-leg, although the Supreme Court eventually served justice hot and fresh. Obasanjo plotted and plotted against Dr Chris Ngige as governor of Anambra State to such a ridiculous extent that Ngige was kidnapped by Chris Uba, Obasanjo’s sidekick. Political thugs set the state of fire, burning the Government House in Awka, the state capital.
Obasanjo revealed, in an open letter, that Uba and Ngige were arguing in his presence at Aso Rock. “Uba told Ngige, ‘You know you did not win the election?’ Ngige said, ‘Yes.’ Uba said, ‘Chris, you know Peter Obi won that election? You know what we did to write the results in your favour’,” Obasanjo wrote in a letter to the then chairman of the PDP, Chief Audu Ogbeh. “I then told both of them to get out of my presence.” Obasanjo withdrew Ngige’s security, just to appease Uba, and claimed that Ngige was no longer a governor having resigned under duress. He eventually made Uba a member of the PDP Board of Trustees. He got Ngige expelled from the PDP. Lamidi Adedibu unleashed terror on Ibadan and orchestrated the removal of Rashidi Ladoja as governor of Oyo State for failing to deliver public funds to him. Obasanjo watched in conspiracy and applauded it all. And Obasanjo is an honourable man.
When Obasanjo came to power in 1999, he told us the refineries were not working because Gen. Sani Abacha was awarding fuel import contracts to his cronies and family members. During the entire eight years of Obasanjo, we were still importing fuel. The refineries were still down. Fuel import contracts were in trillions of naira. Who got the import contracts? Abacha’s cronies again? Obasanjo’s regime oversaw one of the most non-transparent eras at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Up till today, every attempt to probe the finances of NNPC has been frustrated.
Even the probe of the power sector, with all the billions of dollars that were pumped into it in Obasanjo’s eight years, has been politically frustrated. And Obasanjo is an honourable man.
He is a clever man, no matter your opinion of him. In the days of President Shehu Shagari, Obasanjo kept quiet until he saw a golden opportunity. When the economy began to crumble under the impact of a global economic meltdown, Obasanjo gauged the mood of the public and unleashed a ferocious attack on Shagari. He was applauded. In the days of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, Obasanjo always carefully chose the moment. Anytime Nigerians were disenchanted with the government, Obasanjo always issued virulent statements to “align” with the people. Obasanjo likes to be seen as a fighter for the masses.
But for the eight years he was in government, he could not tolerate dissenting voices. People who criticised his government were labelled homosexuals, godless and corrupt. Now that he knows that the public mood is against Yar’Adua’s failure to allow Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan act in his absence, Obasanjo has “aligned” with the public again, preaching honour and morality. Good old Obasanjo.
But can Nigerians be deceived? You may say that we should separate the message from the messenger.
That would be a convenient argument. But anybody who knows Obasanjo very well will surely predict that the man is up to some mischief. He, no doubt, wants to extricate himself from the Yar’Adua debacle. He, no doubt, wants to wash off his hands like the Pontius Pilate, two-and-a-half years after imposing Yar’Adua as President. Let’s just hope that this is all there is to Obasanjo’s public statements of last week. Let’s hope he does not have anything up his sleeve again. Remember, Obasanjo is an honourable man.
And Four Other Things…
Maduekwe at it Again
I got a call late into the night on Thursday, but I was fast asleep. It was from a senior colleague of mine. He said he was in distress. “I was watching an interview Foreign Affairs Minister, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, granted the BBC. I was thoroughly distressed,” he said. Thank God I did not watch it. One of Maduekwe’s most memorable answers, I was told, was when he was asked how he had been managing our foreign affairs. The Minister replied: “The important thing is to understand the President’s policies, his vision, his goals and once that is understood, and he believes that this Foreign Minister knows what those visions are… he expects the Foreign Minister to know what to do.” Lord have mercy!
Death on the Plateau
Two weeks ago, I wrote on religious crisis in Nigeria while commenting on the blacklisting of the country by the US. I wrote: “The religious conflicts that we experience in Nigeria are usually sparked off by an incident at a particular point in time, given that the atmosphere is permanently tense and polluted with hate, mistrust and resentment.” I was not surprised at all that the recent clashes between Muslims and Christians in Jos, Plateau State, was caused by a “minor” argument over encroachment on a plot of land. Even a little argument over somebody spitting on the road can spark off an orgy of killings. These tensions are permanently there. A little spark sets the city on fire. And Jos will never have peace until the political leaders stop taking sides. The Fulani always defend the Fulani, the Berom always defend the Berom. No conflict can ever be resolved that way. The time for home truth has come, no matter whose ox is gored.
Better Future ahead?
I was very, very delighted that the election in the Etsako constituency of the Edo House of Assembly held peacefully yesterday. The reports as at last night showed that there was no violence. Six persons were arrested for impersonation, which is not a terrible figure. I am saying all this because I was really afraid there was going to be bloodshed. Both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Action Congress (AC) had been talking tough before the election. The withdrawal of the military Joint Task Force (JTF) from the area was seen as a precursor to the rigging of the election by the PDP. I also got reports that parties had stockpiled arms. That there was no major incident is very encouraging. I wish this would be a sign of good things ahead for the electoral system.
Tenure Tinkering
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has now set the term limit for bank CEOs at a maximum of two five-year terms. I have my reservations on the policy, especially how it caught up with CEOs who had served in different banks and whose previous tenures were to be added together in line with the new policy. I agree totally that nobody should be CEO for life, but I still think there is some deficiency in the policy. I believe it should not have taken effect from dozens of years ago. But if it can be demonstrated that this will help in instilling the principles of corporate governance in the banking industry, we cannot argue against it. Let’s just wait and see.

Pictures from Pastor Odukoya wedding to Simangele Zulu


Odukoya, the founding pastor of the Fountain of Life Church, Lagos, wedded a South African, Simangele Zulu, at a subtly-elaborate ceremony that held at Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Tuesday.

This was against a backdrop of longstanding speculations that bordered on his decision to walk down the aisle again.

Amidst heightening anxiety, Odukoya had announced to an astounded congregation last Dec. 27 about his readiness to give marriage a second shot.

He kept the identity of the bride under wraps until Jan. 3 when she was formally introduced to the congregation, who welcomed her with a stimulating applause.

Before unmasking Zulu, there had been widespread talks that purportedly had it that Odukoya was in a relationship with a divorcee and mother of two, who incidentally is a columnist in one of the national dailies.

In her 30s, the path of Zulu, who is a United Kingdom-based music director, and that of Odukoya first crossed over a year ago during one of his many trips overseas.

The wedding, held under tight security, was graced by prominent men of God, including the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye.

Pastor Bimbo, as she was affectionately addressed, lost her life in the ill-fated Sosoliso airliner that crashed at the Port Harcourt International Airport on Dec. 10, 2005.

A writer, popular televangelist, highly-sought conference speaker, youth mentor and marriage counsellor, she was one of several individuals chosen by Samsung to represent Nigeria in carrying the Torch for the 2004 Olympic Games.

At the time of her death, she was the associate senior pastor of The Fountain of Life Church and the president of Discovery for Women.

She was the host of Single and Married, a TV programme broadcast locally and internationally that dealt with practical issues people face in marriages and relationships guided with biblical principles.

The couple, who were married for over two decades, had three children – Toluwani, Jimi and Tobi.

What a beautiful and blessed couple they make! Wouldn't you say?Pi

Enough Is Enough !

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends”- Martin Luther King
The Lagos version of the Abuja walk by the Save Nigeria Group titled, “Enough is Enough” is taking place today at 10am. We’ll be moving from Arch Bishop Vinning Memorial Church to the Government house in Alausa. Our message has not changed, we are marching in peaceful protest against the current issues which stem from the same root -lack of good governance! Ever so often the intellectuals want to ask -why are you walking? Will this walk achieve anything? Are there no other risk free things that can be done? Is there a hidden agenda?  Intellectuals love to ask questions, and thankfully, I’m not un-intellectual as well, so I can answer what I can.
6 months ago, I stayed for many hours everyday at the intensive care unit of a Teaching Hospital, waiting outside in the sun everyday as my young mother struggled to live. Ever so often power would fail in the hospital, and I will hear the UPS of the most funded and most equipped room in the hospital beep as it neared its life’s end. Amazingly these life support UPS’ were no different from those used for small personal computers.  I sat and watched as many fairly clothed bodies got wheeled daily to the mortuary. It wasn’t rocket science, but it struck me, when power fails, people die!  My mind wandered back easily to the road accidents that I had seen on my many road travels over the past few months, and to the other thousands of lives lost uncelebrated. It’s real, that we are losing people who ought to be alive daily in this country!
Eventually my dearly beloved mum passed on, but she left me with the gift of a mind boggling realization! There is a death roll in this country and all our names are on it, and in silence and negligence we may all take our execution orders, either from our ailing roads, our ill equipped hospitals or from the hazardous interventions to substitute all forms of power!
We are here at this junction in our 49yrs plus history to say with one voice, Enough is Enough! To power failure, power vacuum, power ailment or power epilepsy!
I have asked myself quite regularly, who is responsible for killing all these people?
Is it the government that has regularly failed in its promise to provide power in any form?
Is it the senate who have refused to enact the laws allowing states to generate their power or for the constitution to be followed so we are not ruled by a leader who left in a hurry  and asked us not to worry that good luck can rule the country by taking orders from his blackberry?
Is it you and I, the people, who with our silence and negligence allow the wrong people to get the power?
Or is it our religious leaders who have so much influence and have refused to use it for our greatest common good?
Is it the good clean men who refuse to dirty themselves and have allowed the worst of us to rule the rest of us?
Or is it my good friends and brothers who are benefiting so well from the current decay that they have been rendered blind, mute and powerless.
I say yes to all! Everybody who has the capacity to lead us, who has the potential to be voted for, who is a leader and has earned the trust and respect of people in this nation, has committed a great offense. Our negligence has put the wrong people in power, made our hospitals unequipped, left our roads as deathtraps, and have assisted in killing, murdering and sentencing many young talents and future leaders to early graves! The silence of your pastor, your CEO, your mentor and yourself is the reason for our bad roads, is the reason for the deplorable state of power in Nigeria, is responsible for poverty and the death roll in this country, we have sinned!
Quote me if you want, but no matter how many dead your pastor or imam raises, he is by negligence, responsible for killing more. No matter how much good works we do, our silence has destroyed more! You and I are guilty as charged! Guilty Guilty Guilty! Our most influential man was counted because of the opposite of the reason that we are condemned as a nation! Our silence speaks loudly! Our silence and non-verbal endorsement of vision-less leaders, power vacuums and remote controlled leadership, have made our paradise potential nation a living hell! Our land is flowing with milk and honey and our people are living on dirt and leftovers!
If we do what we need to do for this country, we may die! If we run, we may live, at least for a while! But in days not far from today, we will die, on our beds, on hospital beds or on the deplorable roads! Are we willing to trade all the days and years, from now until that day, for once chance, just one chance, to gather ourselves together and tell those who place power vacuums over our heads, that they might take away our national cake, they may defraud our nation, they might even rape our land and empty it’s resources, but they will never take away our future!
Like the proverbial resilient frog, which gets cooked in water by raising the temperature 1 degree per hour, we have taken it all, but now the water visibly boils and our cup of patience full. With one voice today we shout. Enough is Enough!
Enough is Enough!
We will neither tolerate power vacuums in the PHCN nor in Leadership!
Enough is Enough!
We are not happy with a Plane load of 300 people dying in the streets of Jos in Religious wars because of inaction from a missing leader.
Enough is Enough!
We will not accept the label of terrorism bestowed on us by the 58 days inactivity of our president’s mobile phone.
Enough is Enough!
Leadership Vacuum is dangerous and is responsible for killings in the north, kidnapping in the east, Militants gang raping in the South South and intellectual indifference in the west.
Enough is Enough!
We the young people will no longer be represented by 50+ year old dying men who still claim to be youths.
Enough is Enough!
We demand to be lead according to the dictates of our imposed constitution until another is established. Please Mr. President, Vacate the Seat!
Enough is Enough!
We are neither fools nor kindergarten children, we refuse to be insulted by the Attorney Generals manifesting as atani Generals – meaning deceivers.
Enough is Enough!
We know that one lie requires 10 others to support it, and the 10 others require 10 each. Our Senate, Judiciary and leaders at large have built a pyramid of lies and a cacophony of deceit.
Enough is Enough!
We know that the fact that our hearts desire a New Nigeria is because one exists. We raise a proclamation against all those who shackle us.
Enough is Enough!
We refuse to accept the political coloration of our demographics that is designed to deceive us into believing that we are not enough!
Enough is Enough!
This is just the beginning, we shout with one final loud voice we say to all those who stand in the way of progress for this nation. All those who by silence, negligence, force or illness, you shall all be swept by the hands that put the stars in the sky.  And together we pray -
Enough is Enough!

Yar’adua’s Mobile Ambulance Arrives

In a desperate move to return an ailing President Umaru Yar'Adua home from Saudi Arabia before the expiration of the two weeks given by a High Court Judge, a Mobile Intensive Care Unit (MICU) and the services of an air ambulance have been procured. The ambulance arrived in Lagos last week. Authoritative NEXT sources say it is of "utmost priority that the president should be in the country in whatever shape or form on or before this weekend," but close family friends are holding their breath.

Achebe looking back..














Achebe looking back on his troubled relationship with Nigeria here. I'm still pondering the kind of help he alludes to here:

"Nigeria needs help. Nigerians have their work cut out for them – to coax this unruly child along the path of useful creative development. We are the parents of Nigeria, not vice versa. A generation will come, if we do our work patiently and well – and given luck – a generation that will call Nigeria father or mother. But not yet."

Is it a call to parents to foster among their children a stronger sense of national identity (outside of issues of ethnicity, settler, indigene as I have been exploring in recent posts), or is it actually a call for a different relationship to Nigeria from the outside - the echo of a nostalgia for the "colonial masters" and British protectorate status?

Whichever (and perhaps it is both), Achebe seems still to be wounded, by the civil war and by the force of his own injuries. He cannot see outside of the injustice done to the towns of Igbo people (and who can blame him) and ultimately, he cannot dream of a Nigerian national identity. The beautiful ones are not yet born, I guess.

Why men shouldn't write advice columns...


















Hope you all can read it...
Lol

Women who swallow semen reduce the risk of cancer...
























Women who perform the act of fellatio and swallow semen on a regular basis, one to two times a week, may reduce their risk of breast cancer by up to 40 percent, a North Carolina State University study found.


Doctors had never suspected a link between the act of fellatio and breast cancer, but new research being performed at North Carolina State University is starting to suggest that there could be an important link between the two.

In a study of over 15,000 women suspected of having performed regular fellatio and swallowed the ejaculatory fluid, over the past ten years, the researchers found that those actually having performed the act regularly, one to two times a week, had a lower occurance of breast cancer than those who had not. There was no increased risk, however, for those who did not regularly perform.

"I think it removes the last shade of doubt that fellatio is actually a healthy act," said Dr. A.J. Kramer of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, who was not involved in the research. "I am surprised by these findings, but am also excited that the researchers may have discovered a relatively easy way to lower the occurance of breast cancer in women."

"Only with regular occurance will your chances be reduced, so I encourage all women out there to make fellatio an important part of their daily routine," said Dr. Helena Shifteer, one of the researchers at the University. "Since the emergence of the research, I try to fellate at least once every other night to reduce my chances."
***
This study was reported in a Journal of Medical Research

Swallow semen? BS! Tell me something else...
What do you guys think of this?

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Kamber...




can someone tell me what tiz iz ? NIce Tatoo though

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Funny language...lol


Is English really stupid or the people that invented the language???

Let's face it: English is a stupid language.
There is no egg in the eggplant, no ham in the hamburger, and neither Pine nor apple in the pineapple.
English muffins were not invented in England; French fries were not invented in France.

We sometimes take English for granted. But if we examine its paradoxes we find that Quicksand takes you down slowly, boxing rings are square and guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

If writers write, how come fingers don't fing?
If the plural of tooth is teeth, shouldn't the plural of phone booth be phone beeth.
If the teacher taught, why didn't the preacher praught.
If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what the heck does a humanitarian eat?
Why do people recite at a play yet play at a recital?
Why do people Park on driveways and drive on parkways.

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language where a house can burn up as it burns down and in which you fill in a form by filling it out. And a bell is only heard once it goes!

People, not computers, invented English and it reflects the creativity of the human race (which of course isn't a race at all). That is why when the stars are out they are visible, but when the lights are out they are invisible.
And why is it that when I wind up my watch it starts but when I wind up this story it ends?

And there's more...

Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?
If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?
Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist, but a person who drives a race car not called a racist?
Why are "a wise man" and "a wise guy opposites"?
Why do overlook and oversee mean opposite things?

If horrific means to make horrible, does terrific mean to make terrible?
Why isn't 11 pronounced onety-one, since 22 is pronounced twenty-two?
If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked and dry cleaners depressed?

Why is it that if someone tells you that there are 1billion stars in the universe you will believe them, but if they tell you a wall has wet paint you will have to touch it to be sure?
If you take an Oriental person and spin him around several times, does hebecome disoriented?
If people from Poland are called "Poles," why aren't people from Holland called "Holes"????

I REST MY CASE
Thanks.
Author unknown

Loves it!!!
LOL!

Actress Ini Edo is new face of Chivita

























Beautiful actress Ini Edo is the new face of Chivita drink. She put pen to paper late last year for the mouth-watering contract. Right now all arrangements have been planned and sealed to fly the amiable screen diva to India to shoot a world-class commercial.

Photo of the day



OBJ - Yar'Adua - IBB
Hmmmm....wonder what these three have in common...:-)

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Scammers are here again

Beware of the following numbers +881835211178, +1881935211088, +881935211087, +1239280593, +239211554, +881835211173, +18823462583. The victims of those numbers recount their experiences on how they call back and all their credits disappeared in seconds. I've never been a victim but,I receive flash from them every now and then. So don't be a victim!

Violence Stirs up In Jos, 20 killed, several others Injured

















For those who haven’t heard, violent clashes again erupted in Jos yesterday claiming about 20 lives while plenty others were injured. The clash started in Dutse-Uku area of the city in the morning when a band of youths attacked worshippers at the St. Michael Catholic Church, at about 7am. About 35 people were arrested, five of whom were wearing military uniforms without being officers of the Nigerian Armed forces. In a swift reaction to the crisis, the state government has imposed a curfew from 6pm-6am on the state capital.

Why again for heaven’s sake, why?

Single Mother Had Sex With Boy, 12, Almost 200 Times: And Marked Each Encounter

A single mother had sex with a 12-year-old boy almost 200 times - marking each encounter with a star in a sordid diary.

Angela Sullivan, 36, could face an indefinite jail sentence after admitting ten child sex charges.

Sullivan even bought the youngster a pair of trainers as a reward when the pair slept together for the 100th time, Teesside Crown Court heard.
Teesside Crown Court

In the dock: Teesside Crown Court where single mother Angela Sullivan after psychiatric assessment

She first seduced the boy by plying him with alcohol and performing a sex act on him, the court was told.

The pair went on to have a ten-month affair, which was only uncovered after rumours circulated at the boy's school about Sullivan being pregnant.

Investigators also discovered the schoolboy had been boasting to friends in internet chatrooms about his relationship.

The mother would often have intimacy with the youngster in her Middlesbrough home after sending her own son to stay with his grandparents.

When police arrested Sullivan in October, they found a diary filled with childish entries and 191 stars to mark each encounter.

She initially denied having sex with the boy and tried to explain away some of her diary entries - such as 'Angela loves (the boy's name)' - as innocent scribblings.

But when she appeared in court yesterday, Sullivan admitted ten specimen charges of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity - one for each month of the affair.

Her case was adjourned and Sullivan was remanded in custody so psychiatric and probation reports can be drawn up.

She will return to Teesside Crown Court to be sentenced next month.

Lawyer Andrew Turton, defending, applied for the psychiatric report.

Judge Tony Briggs said: 'I think that is likely to be necessary.'

Sullivan, who has no previous convictions, faces being placed on the sex offenders register.

She could also be jailed indefinitely for the protection of the public and .

Several windows at the unemployed mother's home have been smashed since she was arrested.

UNN shuts down over students fee hike protest

The authorities of the University of Nigeria (UNN), Nsukka in Enugu State yesterday shut down the institution, following the vandalisation and disruption of property, including the temporary residential quarters of the Vice Chancellor, Prof Barth Okolo and some senior staff quarters of the institution by protesting students. The violent protest embarked upon by the university students was to express their displeasure over a new fees regime introduced by the university authorities.

The closure of the institution, which was contained in a statement issued yesterday evening by the Registrar, Mr. I. Okonta, directed all the students to vacate the hostels and wait until further notice.

However, when THISDAY contacted Okolo on phone, he denied any increment in school fees. He said the students who were involved in the rampage were used by some elements in the university community to cause disorder.

He maintained that he did not know where the students got the information about increment in school fees, but explained that there could not have been any increment since the university council saddled with such powers has not taken any such decision.
But THISDAY gathered that the details of the new fees’ regime, showed that school fees was increased from N25,000 to N70,000, acceptance fees from N6,000 to N25,000 and convocation fees from N6,000 to N35,000.
The protest, which was initially peaceful but turned violent in the later part however, left several persons including staff and students of the institution with injuries,

Several students were allegedly shot by anti-riot policemen drafted from the Nsukka Police Division to quell the riot.
A first year female student, Onyinye Ngwu of the Department of Nursing Sciences, who participated in the protest march was shot on her leg by the police and was rushed to the university’s medical centre, while others who reportedly sustained injuries in the incident were taken to Bishop Shanahan Hospital for treatment.

Informed sources said a delegation of the Students’ Union Government (SUG) from Enugu Campus of the university had arrived Nsukka campus on Friday to dialogue with the Vice Chancellor and the management on the development but were avoided by the Vice Chancellor, who reportedly told them that the school’s decision was irreversible.

Okolo who was in the office when the student leaders arrived reportedly told the students that he had no time for the parley after they had waited for several hours. The VC’s action was said to have provoked the students into staging a minor procession from the SUG office to the Freedom Square to express their anger over the alleged “high-handedness of the Vice Chancellor”.

The students later dispersed with a threat to take their destiny in their own hands and to make good their threat to resist the new fees at all costs. As 6 am yesterday, the Students Union leaders started mobilising their colleagues from the Zik’s Flats which serves as the female hostels. From there, the procession marched to the Vice Chancellor’s quarters.

THISDAY gathered that security men at the VC’s quarters tried to prevent the protesters from entering the premises but they were overpowered by the rampaging students who ransacked all the rooms, carted away some of the personal effects of Professor Okolo and damaged all the vehicles parked on the premises before policemen could intervene.

Sources said the students while raining abuses on the Vice Chancellor who was not present at the time, vowed to “make things difficult for him in the university since he was not ready to embrace peace and dialogue in addressing the myriads of problems confronting the students” on the two campuses of the university.

After hours of shooting by the anti-riot policemen to disperse the students within the campus yesterday, they (students) took to the streets of Nsukka burning tyres and in the process damaged some vehicles.
Thousands of residents trooped out to hail the students as they marched through major roads in the town shouting “Okolo must go”.

Having successfully barricaded the Adani road and Obollo-Affor road, the students who were joined by hoodlums from motor-parks in the town, marched from Nsukka town up to Opi Junction of the 9th Mile-Oturkpo Highway, where they blocked the road disrupting vehicular movement for some minutes before they were confronted by mobile policemen and soldiers at the checkpoint.

Reports said several students were arrested but the police spokesman for Enugu Police Command, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, who confirmed the incident yesterday said he was yet to ascertain the exact number of people arrested.
He, however, said necessary measures had been taken to ensure that normalcy returned to the town.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Jayz and Queen B win Forbes list of top earning couples
























Forbes has named Beyonce and Jay Z the top earning celeb couple of 2009. Between June 2008 and June 2009 the couple earned a combined $122 million putting them squarely at the top of the annual Top-Earning Couples list.

*Beyonce out-earned Jay-Z, bringing in $87 million to his $35 million

*Harrison Ford and his girlfriend, Calista Flockhart, earned a combined $69 million.

*In third place: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. The power couple earned a total of $55 million split about evenly between them both.

*Will Smith and his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, rank fourth with $48 million.

*Rounding out the top five are David and Victoria Beckham.The pair earned $46 million between June 2008 and June 2009.