Former President Olusegun Obasanjo may have left judgment in the hands of the almighty God and taken the death of his wife, Stella, as what fate brought, but Spanish authorities have not given up as the doctor who handled the surgery that led to her death will on Friday appear in court on a charge of negligent manslaughter.
The cosmetic surgeon from a Marbella clinic in Spain is being tried on a charge which may earn him two years in prison and a ban from working as a plastic surgeon for five years for the 2005 death of the then Nigerian first lady due to complications allegedly caused by the surgery he carried out, reported euroweeklynews.com yesterday.
The news website quoted the public prosecutor’s office as claiming that in August 2005, the 59-year-old late Mrs Obasanjo attended the exclusive Molding cosmetic surgery clinic in the upmarket town of Puerto Banus to enquire about a cosmetic surgery operation.
She was seen by the accused who, following some tests, gave her an appointment for her to return for more tests on October 20 for the procedure to take place the following day.
According to the prosecution, despite the fact that the accused had carried out more than 300 liposuction procedures in the past, he allegedly made several errors that punctured Stella Obasanjo’s liver and colon.
During the hours following the operation and in the post-operation, the prosecution claimed the injuries caused a massive amount of blood loss that led to several complications that eventually caused the patient septic shock that were not diagnosed by the doctor.
When the doctor allegedly eventually realised there were problems, he caused Stella Obasanjo to be transferred to Marbella’s USP Hospital by a clinic vehicle instead of helicopter despite the clinic having an arrangement with the medical helicopter firm. It is thought that she had suffered a severe asthma attack and lapsed into a coma.
The hospital in Marbella said all efforts to revive her failed because she was in an advanced state of shock.
Mrs. Obasanjo died in the early hours of October 23, 2005 in the hospital. The prosecution considers the action of the doctor as constituting negligent manslaughter.
In addition to the prison sentence, the public prosecutor’s office is seeking 120,000 euros in compensation for the victim’s family.
Stella Obasanjo was born into the Abebe family of Iruekpen, Edo State. Her father, Dr. Christopher Abebe, was the first African chairman of the United African Company (UAC). Her mother, Theresa Abebe, is a graduate of the Pitman College, London.
The paths of the mother of the late first lady and the ex-president first crossed in 1976 in London when the then Stella Abebe was studying in England. Obasanjo, then a colonel and ex-war commander was on a course.
Stella started her education at Our Lady of Apostles Primary School, Yaba, Lagos. Young Stella enrolled at the famous St. Theresa’s College, Ibadan, where she obtained her West African School Certificate.
She completed her education with a certificate as confidential secretary from the Pitman College in 1976. She returned to Nigeria in 1976 and soon after married General Obasanjo, who had become Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, following the assassination of General Murtala Mohammed.
In 1995, during the military dictatorship in Nigeria, when Obasanjo was jailed on trumped up charges of plotting to overthrow the government of the late Gen. Sani Abacha, Stella campaigned for her husband's release
When news that well-loved Nigerian actress Stella Damasus had remarried broke, the majority of her fans began asking. Who did she marry? Soon after we got a name, Emeka Nzeribe but still no details on Mr. Nzeribe were leaked. Not even a photo. Well, there is light at the end of the tunnel as Mode Mag has grabbed the scoop. Their new issue exclusively reveals Mr. Nzeribe. Check out the cover below! from bellaOh well,its been four whole years since jaiye passed on and stella has definitely moved on and gotten her groove back.insiders confirm she wed emeka nzeribe recently in owerri(imo state) and the registry wedding took place inside her lekki home .The sources say it held either on saturday march 7,2009 or sunday march 8,2009 and that ''stella and emeka are passionately in love and the only way to seal their love was to get hooked and they are happy with the choice they have made''.sources also whisper that the new husband will move into his wifes lekki home as it is more convenient.stella met emeka after her relationship to lanre broke up.she dated emeka secretly for a while before taking this plunge into marriage for the second time.emeka is rather very good looking,a little on the plump side,dark skinned and has a fantastic smile.they have both attended star studded events together but arrived venue seperately and left seperatelyHeres PRAYING she she finds fulfillment in this marriage!...we wish her all the best of luck.
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"ol'boy, see small Ghana o"The labour department in Ghana(PWD) is to introduce 'new titles' toremove inferiority complex, so that workers could be proud andcomfortable with their professional Titles.These are:1. Garden Boy - Landscape Executive and Animal Nutritionist2. House Maid - Domestic Operations Specialist3. Typist - Printed Document Handler4. Messenger - Regional Business Communications Conveyer5. Window Cleaner - Transparent Wall Technician6. Temporary Teacher - Associate Tutor7. Tea Boy - Refreshments Overseer8. Garbage Collector - Public Sanitation Technician9. Watchman - Area Theft Prevention and Surveillance Officer10. Thief - Wealth Redistribution Officer11. Driver - Automobile Propulsion Specialist12. Cook - Food Technician and Preparation Office
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SAW THIS AND DECIDED TO SHARE...VERY TRUE OH!!
1. He understands your accent.
2. He knows that when you suffix every sentence with 'now', its not a command, e.g. "Come let's go now..."
3. When you guys go out, he pays and doesn't expect a refund of exactly half!
4. He understands why you have to send money home - probably doing the same himself!
5. He doesn't see your kid sister staying in your house as an inconvenience/ cramping his style. 6. He doesn't think you should put your parents in a home.
7. He eats 'Gbegiri and Amala' and doesn't think it's 'yucky' or 'spicy'. In a nutshell, loves your cooking
8. He gets your jokes.
9. The way he licks his ten fingers 'cos that Ogbono soup with Iyan hit da spot, Oh Yes!!!
10. He has got his education or he got something going on.
11. He may be a baby daddy but he loves his kid and takes care of him.
12. He can have a bus load of conversation without him saying much 'cos his momma taught him that.
13. He loves to see you shake that ass to Sir Shina Peters, the original "Back That Ass Up" master.
14. He will settle an argument and say sorry while maintaining his man status.
15. I am IN charge but he is THE charge, we understand that.
16. He knows where he is from. Living in NY does not mean you are from NY.
17. He thinks you're so pretty without makeup.
18. He calls you native endearing names like "Nne" or "Omo"
19. He has respect [not to be confused with obedience) for his elders(important).
20. The way he gets embarrased and says "I beg oh" when you compliment him.
21. The way he says "I love you baby" ? may be very fake yet sounds so TRUE!
22. The way he eats meat with his bare hands? for some reason it is sexy to me.
23. The way he calls you his wife in front of all his friends.
24. The way he says "Shey you get am" when he thinks you are not paying attention, but you really are.
25. The way he knows that it is you calling and answers the phone "Hey Baby!" without looking at the caller ID.
26. The way Naija men look when they are all decked out in native? there is nothing sexier than a dark chocolate man in lace o!
27. Pronounces your name like say na im born you.
28. The way he flows from Ebonics to Pidgin English to Akata with ease.
29. He is just at home at your office picnic as he is at the Naija reunion.
30. The very satisfied look on his face after eating one of your meals and the way he glares at you while picking his teeth with the tooth pick,and you both know that you are his next "meal". 31. He appreciates the art of yanshrolling when he sees one!
32. Keeps you from doing wahala by buying a stickshift vehicle he knows U can't drive!
33. He saves you money on groceries a la "limited diet". Just cook the stew and he'll figure the rest? Eba, Amala, Fufu or even plain old White Bread!
34. No need for breast implants to impress am!
35. No need to go kill himself trying to maintain a six pack. He knows u know big belle is sexy inside Agbada!
36. He knows to allow you like three hours to get ready for a party!
37. He will not complain when you waka with headful of rollers inside house but quick to let you know that aint nothing sexy about that when you want to go outside.
38. Her singing while doing housework is a classic reminder of wetin you dey miss when you dey carry Akata woman!
39. His lunch (Rice, Beans, Dodo, complete with carefully selected assorted meat) wey you pack for am na something u know sey im no go wait "Palam" (gobble up!) when him reach work
40. He thinks the small gap between your front teeth are actually sexy!!!!
Finally, Cool Cos He Is Just A Naija Man Period!!!"
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N.IG.ERIA.NS, from early next year, may be able to buy a brand new car for just N400,000.
Tata Motors announces the launching of the world's cheapest production car, the "Tata Nano"
Indication to this emerged on Friday as it was gathered that India’s largest vehicle manufacturers, Tata, is planning to introduce ultra-cheap car, Nano, into the Nigerian market.
According to reports, the company will, from 2010, introduce the Nano brand along with its Indica Vista hatchback and Sumo Grande models in to the African market with Nigeria expected to be its first port of call.
It said the beautiful car would cost between N375,480 and N400,000 when it is launched in Nigeria in 2010.
According to its website, Tata Nano is the world’s most affordable car in the market. It has an engine of 32 LP, a tank of 624cc, a two-cylinder engine placed at the rear of the vehicle.
It also said the main body of the car is steel while the bumpers are plastic. It weighs 1,322 pounds and has space for four passengers.
However, it could not be ascertained whether the vehicle would be assembled in Nigeria or imported directly from India, but sources said the car and other brands would also be sold in South Africa and Senegal, but that Nigeria would be the first port of call of the car.
Mbet Udoaka watched helplessly as his wife and 3week old newborn baby died in the blaze.
The 37-year-old raced home from work after receiving a frantic call from his wife Helen, who said she was trapped in their flat with their three-week-old daughter Michelle.
He tried to rush past police and firefighters, but they blocked his way. Instead, he stayed on the phone to Helen, 34, until she lost consciousness.
Mr Udoaka’s cousin Mary said: ‘Helen was panicking, but they were on the phone to each other constantly until she was too weak to cry. He was beside himself. He so wanted to run to their rescue but was stopped.’
She added: ‘Michelle was brought out at about 8pm and taken to King’s College Hospital wearing an oxygen mask. Mbet went with her. But she was dead.‘Michelle was their first child. Everyone in the family was so pleased and they were just planning the christening. They were such a loving couple.’
Another father has told of his devastation after his wife and two children were killed in the Camberwell tower block inferno in London.
Harrowing witness accounts have revealed mobile phone conversations with victims of the tragedy as they tried vainly to escape the flames.
Rafael Francisquini, 31, watched helplessly as wife Dayana, 26, daughter Thais, six, and son Filipe, three, were trapped in their 11th-floor flat.
He told the Sunday Mirror: "I have lost everything. They were my world, my two babies and my beautiful wife. They were my angels."
Police yesterday named the three other victims as Helen Udoaka, 34, her three-week-old baby Michelle and Helen's friend, Catherine Hickman, 31.
They were killed in the next-door flat.
Police are treating the fire, which started in an unoccupied ninth-floor flat on Friday afternoon, as suspicious.
Yolimar Caboz, 33, said she was on the phone to her friend and neighbour Ms Francisquini who had locked herself and her two children in their bathroom in a
bid to survive.
"Dayana told me, 'I tried to get out but the firemen told me to stay in the bathroom with the children and put wet towels on the floor'," she said.
A London Fire Brigade spokesman said the advice to remain inside a bathroom with wet towels at the base of the door was standard procedure.
Local MP Harriet Harman said people were "asking questions" following the tragedy at Lakanal Flats.
She said: "There will have to be a thorough investigation into what caused this fire and whether the prevention was adequate.
"There are many blocks with one central stairwell and questions will have to be asked about what happens when a fire breaks out."
Eleven residents were discharged from hospital after treatment while one person, a firefighter, remains in hospital.
His condition is not thought to be serious, however.
London Fire Brigade Assistant Commissioner Nick Collins described the blaze as "one of the most significant fires in London for some time".
He added that firefighters were on the scene within five minutes but had faced "very difficult operational circumstances".
Several residents said the complicated layout of the flats made the process of evacuating the building difficult.
Ed Hammond, 37, an accountant who lives on the seventh floor, described the flats as "death traps".
He said: "If the fire is in the central area, you would virtually have nowhere to go."
Zahera Chaudry, 21, whose sister was in a first-floor flat when the blaze broke out, added: "These buildings should have been torn down years ago."
Witnesses described seeing those trapped inside screaming for help as more than 100 firefighters and 18 fire engines battled the blaze.
Lincent Johnson, 28, who lives across the street, said: "The people were in the windows, screaming out for help.
"There was panic, there were a lot of people screaming.
"It wasn't that big at first but it started to spread so quickly."
Speaking at the scene, Chief Superintendent Chance said the fire is being treated as suspicious.
He said officers were dealing with a "large and complex scene" and added: "The investigation is likely to take some time."
WHAT A COUNTRY ! this is the new record !
Earlier this week, police found the badly decomposed body of Isabella Purves, who would have been 90 this year.
Officers forced their way into the top-floor flat in the tenement building in the Canonmills area of Edinburgh after a neighbour reported water dripping through the ceiling.
They had to fight their way through piles of unopened mail behind her front door.
It is thought her pension was paid directly into a bank account and utility bills were paid by direct debit.
Police are trying to trace her relatives.
Neighbours in Rodney Street have spoken of their horror at the discovery.
Giovanni Cilia, who owns the Fioritalia florist below Ms Purves's traditional tenement flat, said he was shocked at how long it took to find her.
He said: "How did no one notice the smell, or wonder where she was? I heard there was a big pile of letters and bills behind the door. I used to see her walk past the shop maybe four times a week. She would often go across the street and pick up litter to clean the place up."
Mr Cilia, who has run the shop for 20 years, added: "It's shocked everyone here. When I saw her she looked quite fit and healthy for her age. She used to wear boots and would often carry a rucksack like she enjoyed going for walks."
Michael Singh Kille, who works in a newsagent's three doors along, said he saw a stretcher taken from the building.
He said: "The police came and knocked down the door, then a private ambulance came after that. They took a stretcher up and when it came down it didn't look as though it had anything on it, just a very slight shape."
David Crystal, an optometrist who has run his business near the flat for 22 years, said Ms Purves had been a client.
He said: "I haven't seen her for 12 years. I last saw her in 1997 and we've sent her five reminders. For someone who doesn't have any family in this automated society, you can understand how it can happen.
"Before, they would go to the post office to collect a pension. I just assumed she'd been moved into a care home. We wouldn't normally follow up a non-attending person to see why they hadn't come back."
The last reminder was sent out in 2004.
His wife, Dorothy, who co-owns the business, said the discovery was "an indictment" of society.
She said: "Nobody cares any more, that's pretty sad. It's down to basic neighbourly behaviour. I would hope people would be looking out for others."
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The Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho caused a major frenzy among Nigerian fans as he arrived in the country for a three-day visit.Mourinho arrived in Lagos on Friday as a guest of the Kwara Football Academy (KFA).Mourinho will be in the West African country from 3 – 5 July, as he seeks to encourage coaches and officials of the project run by the Kwara state government.The fans turned up to greet the former Chelsea boss and the rest of the delegation despite the fact that he arrived two hours later than announced.“It is a great landmark in the history of Nigerian football as well as the KFA,” Nkechi Obi, CEO of Premium Sports Marketing Services told BBC Sport.“He is here with other coaches and trainers to conduct seminars and coaching clinics for indigenous coaches.“We are positive that his presence will benefit the talented players in the academy and hopefully attract interest from international clubs throughout the world.“Football fans, media and everyone involved with football will enjoy photograph and autograph sessions with the ‘Special One’ on this trip.”The trip facilitated by DanJan Sports is widely seen as an opportunity to expose the Kwara Football Academy (KFA) to the rest of the world.“The KFA epitomises what a perfect football academy truly is and Gestafute are happy to be associated with them,” David Omigie of DanJan Sports explained.“We have seen what the visit of Manchester United and Portsmouth gave to Nigeria as a country in the past.“The coming of Mourinho and KFA will bring a lot of positive attention to football in the country once again.Former Nigeria coach Clemence Westerhof is the director of the Kwara Football Academy which is in Ilorin, the capital of Nigeria’s Kwara State.
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Reviving the Fortunes of Edo StateA PAPER PRESENTED AT THE:EDO GLOBAL ORGANIZATIONANNUAL CONFERENCE 2009Turin, Italy 19TH TO 21ST JUNE 2009BYPhilip Orumwense (MCIPS)(Philip_orumwense@ hotmail.com)Abstract:Reviving the Fortun es of Edo State is as topical today as it was some 6 years ago when Professor Iro Eweka whilst presenting a paper at a conference on ‘THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF EDO STATE’ (October 4, 2003) said that “The questions we ask at a Conference of this kind however are rather remote from our memory of the Past. And one such question is why are we in Britain when the world is full of other places, including Benin ? The best Edo brains, the most highly trained and highly skilled Edo men and women are abroad. And many more are itching and desperately struggling to join the Exodus. WHY? How many of us, gathered here today, are truly and honestly prepared to exchange the life they live in Britain for a life in Edo State? WHY? ...” Whilst the premise of my conversation with you today is not primarily centred on this theme i.e. the mass exodus of Edo People to foreign lands, I do howe ver acknowledge that we too have a role to play in reviving the fortunes of our state.This paper begins with the exploration of the uniqueness of Edo State, its people, religion, geography, industries, agriculture, mineral resources and tourism as contextual background and to set the scene for the postulation of some developmental strategies with an attempt to develop some practical engagement and delivery strategies on how best to revive our fortunes. It will explore some of the major themes that continues to prevent us as a people from dynamic progression within the leagues of progressive states, draw on our very rich history in other to understand how best to cope with the present, what can be suitably learnt from the past in order to plan and build for a brighter future collectively. The paper will also seek to map out some socio-economic derivatives, provide some extrapolations on how best to restructure and transform the Edo State public policy agenda. It will conclude with an attempt at developing an engagement advocacy for the revival of the fortunes of Edo State .BackgroundEdo State is located in the South – South geo political zone of Nigeria. It is believed to cover a geographical area of some 17,450 sq km with an average population size of some 4 million people and an annual growth rate of some 2-8%. The state is largely made up of the Binis, Ishans, Estakos, Owans, Akoko Edos and several other minority ethnic groups. The Edos are a highly religious people where several religious faiths abound including – The African Traditional Religions, Christianity and the Islamic faiths.Edo State like many other Nigerian States is rich in natural resources and other minerals yet there is a huge dependency on the allocations from the federation account which in turn has a great dependency on the fluctuating and volatile oil exploration. It is useful therefore within this context to explore some other alternatives for revenue generation within Edo State as opposed to the significant dependency on revenue derivations from the federated accounts.VegetationEdo State has natural vegetation which consists of rain forest and savannah. Human interference has however, led to the presence of plantations for rubber and oil palms as well as forest reserves. Extensive exploitation of forest resources, cattle grazing and persistent bush fires have combined to reduce areas of forest vegetation to derived degraded savannah. The exploitation of these resources must be controlled through deliberate state interventions to ensure that our forestry reserves remains sustainable over time.Agro Based ResourcesEdo State has extensive agricultural resources which consist of food crops, tree crops, forestry products and livestock. The main food crops cultivated include yam, cassava, maize and rice. Additionally there is high yield of Agricultural food crops such as Cocoa, Rubber, Palm trees, Vegetables, Cotton, Pineapple, Mango, Cashew, Cassava, Bushmeat, Poultry Fowls, Snails, Goats, and Fish. There is also significant rice cultivation in the flood plains of the River Niger at Agenebode, Illushi and Ekpoma.Consequently, rice milling in Ekpoma, Illushi and Agenebode and cassava processing all over the state, are viable industrial activities for investment in the state. This should be encouraged and propagated through public and private sector investments on a large scale to increase the quality and productivity of the yield and consequently reduce the nation’s dependency on imported rice and other food crops.There is a high dependency in foreign countries on tropical fruit crops such as pineapples, oranges, tangerines, bananas, plantains, avocado pears, green leafy vegetables etc. These produce which lends themselves to mass cultivation in Edo State can be mass cultivated on a large scale and packaged for both domestic consumption and exportation to foreign countries where there are huge demands.The worldwide demand for produce from timber/wood based products, cocoa, oil palm and rubber which can be produced on large industrial scales from Edo State creates a readymade market for further exploitation of this domesticated vegetation which naturally lends itself to the establishment of some agro based industries. Exploiting these abundant natural resources would consequently lead to the regeneration of the local economies, create more employment opportunities, and lead to the industrialisation of an otherwise agro based industry e.g. chipboard manufacture, paper conversion and packaging, and prefabricated housing ventures.Parts of Edo State’s natural ecology can support large hoards of cows, goats, sheep and birds. Similarly =E 2 fish farms can also be cultivated on a large scale. All of these opportunities can be expanded and industrialised to ensure both self reliance on home produce but more importantly to boost the export potentials that can be readily created.Mineral Based ResourcesWithin Edo State several deposits of mineral based resources such as quartz for metal products; marble and clay for cement and for making domestic pots, porcelain etc; fertiliser/pesticid es; plaster; limestone for cement production; chalk for the production of firebricks and furnace; sand/gravel for construction of concrete; gypsum a significant raw materials used in cement factories; gold; lignite and coal used in agro allied industries are found in several parts of the state. Whilst some of these natural resources are being exploited on a small scale, mass exploitation and industrialisation is bound to reduce the dependency on allocations from the federated accounts whilst increasing the socio-economic status of both investors and other stakeholders including those of our people who will ultimately be employed in these ventures.IndustriesEdo State boasts a number of medium and small-scale industries in major centres like Benin City . Some of these industries includes Carving, Saw-milling, Rubber processing, Cement and Textile, Brewing and Flour milling etc. Some of the popular brand names includes Bendel Cement Factory Okpella, Bendel Brewery Benin City, Guinness Nigeria Benin-City, Nigeria Bottling Company (Coca-Cola) Benin City, Ewu Flour Mill Ewu and Bendel Pharmaceutical Benin-City, Okomu oil Plc, Presco Plc etc. Other Small-Scale industries are also on the increase with many Banks and Fast Food restaurants opening up their outlets in the capital and other emerging cities and towns across the state.TourismEdo state boasts several tourism assets including cultural tourism, eco- tourism, historical tourism, sports tourism to economic tourism with the capabilities of becoming an investors' haven in the tourism sub-sector. Edo people were recently described as “enlightened, warm and friendly -ever willing to help”.Edo State has an Airport in Benin where the private air line Okada Airline operates from. The River Niger at Agenebode and Illushi is used for water transportation. There are severa l Tourism, Recreation and Places of interest located in Benin City , Okada, Okomu, AkokoEdo and elsewhere in the state. The Benin Moat, Oba’s Palace, Emotan, Arousa, Ogba Zoo all remains places of interests in Benin City.Ughoton village close to Benin City is particularly significant and a historical landmark for early western expeditions into the shores of Africa , it was connected with Captain Philip's expedition of 1897. The village also served as a depot for the Trans Atlantic slave trade, as well as the departure point of the Portuguese bound emissaries from Benin during the 16th century.‘In Akoko Edo, the Somorika Hills and Ososo Tourist Centre present beautiful scenery; from the top of the hills, parts of Kogi State and the Rivers Niger and Benue confluence can be viewed. In Etsako, the Edegbake and Oghodagho Caves can accommodate over 200 people for purposes of relaxation. The stream that flows from Edegbake cave is beautiful scenery’.Edo Arts have become a global brand, ‘which represents the earliest civilisation among blacks, specifically Africans. The Benin Kingdom is also believed to be the fourth earliest k nown civilisation recorded by historians, archaeologists and anthropologists’.The state boasts of some newly discovered heritage sites, which include the 'giant foot-prints' printed on stones in Uhen, Ovia North East Local Government Area, when the world was still in a molten stage.There are countries, States, Cities and Towns that have built the core of their foreign export earnings on tourism, Edo State should encourage both inward and foreign investments in developing and promoting tourism within the state.Leadership in Edo StateLeaders must have followers; a lot of the leaders’ activity must get the backing of the people i.e. the followers, therefore any leader who wants to achieve anything must enrol others in their cause. Drawing from the work of James O’Toole, Leading Change: The argument for Values-Based leadership, He identified four characteristics of Values-Based Leaders as follows:Integrity: You never lose sight of your goals or compromise your principles. You are simultaneously principled=2 0and pragmatic.Trust: You reflect the values and aspirations of your followers. You accept leadership as a responsibility, not a privilege. You serve.Listening: You listen to the people you serve, but you are not a prisoner of public opinion. You encourage dissenting opinions among your advisors. You test ideas, explore all sides of issues, and air the full range of opinion.Respect for followers: You are a leader of leaders. You are pragmatic to your core but believe passionately in what you say or do.In the main, Leadership and the provision of public services in any society should be premised in egalitarian and altruistic principles - this way practitioners can give of their best in pursuit of the common good for all. It should be a selfless service geared towards making huge and significant improvements for those to whom public services and20leadership are being provided or directed. Edo State surely needs leaders that possess and are capable of displaying these attributes.Let's share what we know in the way that we know best and in the process let's learn to listen more by which means we can make much more improved contributions to social and political transformation. Teachers and professors who teaches one thing in academia and when made Commissioners, Special Advisers and Heads of other Government bodies, people who were schooled in the West and have seen democracy, egalitarianism, fairness and equality at play becomes custodians of nepotism, corruption and damn right and absolute disregard for the rule of law and then display absolute contempt in the way they represent the views of those people they seek to act on behalf – the Edo Indigene. We must therefore as a society commence a process for the deliberate development of a core group of flawless political and public office leadership corps, one that exhibits some of the finest virtues espoused above but more importantly – one that have the yearnings of Edo people at heart. Early socialisation and expositi on to these leadership qualities must be a critical contributory factor to achieving this key objective for the leaders in making but also for those to whom they seek to lead.This aspiration can be realised overtime through the appropriate socialisation and the political participation of our leaders and those to whom they seek to lead.Political ParticipationSocialization when defined as a process that enables the acquisition of social learning allows the individual to acquire the requisite knowledge, skills and dispositions that enables them to participate as more or less effective members of groups and ultimately the society within which their social being is defined.By implication therefore, political socialization becomes a process which is mediated through various agencies of society by which an individual learns politically relevant attitudinal dispositions, skills and behaviour patterns which enable them to participate as more or less effective members of groups and ultimately the political structure (society) within which their political identity is or becomes ably defined.Participation in such polity becomes activated through those voluntary or state enabled activities by which members of a society share in the selection of rulers and directly or indirectly in the formulation of public policy. This m akes the scope of political participation very wide ranging from mere talking about politics, having access to power in order to make enforceable decisions (the legislature, Judiciary, Executive arm of Government, Civil Service or membership of significant pressure groups) to protest behaviour - a process although largely ignored in budding democracies but none the less affords protest activists a dynamic instrument for bringing about a degree of political change in specific matters of interests.Political participation therefore becomes a civic duty, a sign of political health and the best method of ensuring that one's private interests political or otherwise are not neglected. To enable this process one must become politically influential and this is where I believe the mass of Edo State people are largely disenfranchised but before I address this disenfranchised group, let's have a look at who the political ‘influential’ really are.= They are those who are in a position to influence and can inform public policy decisions and decision making, they include those that attend a political meeting or rally, make a monetary contribution to the political party, contact a public or political official and much more contemporary and akin to our domestic partisan politics - membership and or leadership of religious groups - these are at best described as transitional activities. There is then the other group who may hold public and or political party office, is a candidate for office, solicit for party funds, attends a caucus or public policy strategy meeting - these groups are gladiatorial in the way they influence partisan politics. We must therefore seek to use these people to effect changes in Edo State .For those of us who are in the Diaspora and belongs to one or more Edo Groups or List Serves please forgive me for daring to speculate here, it is my belief that we in the main fall into the transitional political influential role but very often degenerates into a tal king shop with no real but a perceived impact on influencing political or public policy decisions. This thus makes us a politically alienated and disenfranchised group from participation in our home land public policy formulation. We must therefore become active lobbyists seeking to influence changes in Edo State Public Service provision through engagements with the media, political actors and public officials, through intellectual pronouncements by way of communiqués, through inward investments and the repatriation of foreign capital into Edo State and for those of us who are able to provide the human capital/resources – the use of our professional and entrepreneurial expertise for the benefit Edo State.On the largely disenfranchised group, there is a presumption that the mass of our people albeit largely illiterate (literacy being the act of westernised forms of learning - the abilities to read and write) has not been systematically targeted with an understanding of public and political affairs, neither have they been inculcated with the relevant access including of course the promotion of the desire to participate actively through direct involvement or devolved repr esentation. We must therefore actively encourage our kinsmen to become much more involved and engaged with those who are responsible for making those decisions that determines how they are governed – a simple of act of voting, contacting your local representatives or attending a political party caucus meeting would suffice just as much as being a candidate for elective political office, being a civil servant or by simply setting up a focus group or by becoming an active lobbyist.If we are to believe that political wisdom and the mastery of the techniques of government are acquired through the practice of politics itself, there must therefore be a process for the deliberate indoctrination, mass mobilisation, political education, social and political interaction amongst all and not just limited to the educated, militarised, ‘god-fathered’ and wealthy ruling classes. We must begin to influence the way in which our people becomes oriented towards their political values, beliefs, knowledge and opinions within the Edo State political culture.This will overtime create a rapid, spontaneous and continuous response to the political stimulus in such a way that the mass of our people can begin to appreciate all activities that are politically relevant to them and equally participates in these activities, are informed and aware of public policies - whether they affect them or not and tries as much as possible to influence such public policy development and formulation.To do nothing could potentially engender the current climate of political passivity - a situation where the mass of our people remains politically inactive, makes no effort to become informed, does not show any resistance to public or political policies whether or not such policies are in good or bad faith, they remain always acted upon and never acting and stays permanently insensitive to political stimulus.We can all individually or collectively play our part in ensuring the political socialization of those with whom we have interactions towards becoming political activists and by extrapolation influencing those decisions that affects us all, this way our societal (social) and political transformation may well become enabled towards the mass participation of our people in their/our political system which presently alienates the majority of us.Socio-Economic DerivativesThe investments both past, present and future in creating young scientists, medics, teachers, thinkers, scholars and many mor e by the Edo State wealth is by all means misplaced and oftentimes misdirected. Misplaced in the sense that the mass economic migration of this resource pool is becoming unstoppable and the only beneficiary is the host country where these migrants have taken refuge, it’s like a conundrum – one that will remain unsolvable until such time that our leaders are able to restore the much needed pride that our ancestors bequeathed to them. We must find a way to prevent past and current leaders of Edo State from mortgaging the future of our state for a few pennies but also to establish a process for the restoration of the pride that our forebears once enjoyed in future generations of leaders for the transformation Edo State .To embark on this transformation journey we must begin to articulate a clear roadmap and develop a blueprint that addresses some of the following issues:1) The Provision of Social Amenities including pipe borne water, electricity generation, waste disposal, network and telephony infrastructure including broadband connectivity etc. as basic infrastructural requirements primarily to ease the lives of our people but also to attract and retain potential foreign investors2) Access to relevant and appropriate Education and Training including the teaching of Edo History, Language and Culture in all primary and tertiary institutions in Edo State3) The development of a Housing Strategy that addresses both publicly and privately owne d and regulated affordable housing including the protection of our listed buildings and heritage sites4) A strategic focus on developing the State’s Health Care provisioning to include both preventative and palliative care including community health care provisions and health education5) The developments of an Employment policy including appropriate internships, job creation, mechanisation/ industrialisatio n and a shift away from public sector employment to the private sector with the development of state sponsored incentives to attract and retain foreign investments6) The provision, support and maintenance of Social Infrastructure especially access facilities for inward investments i.e. security, road, transportation, social networks, credit facilities etc7) A strategic focus on Socio-economic planning to enable the evaluation and implementation of planned development programmes within and beyond Edo State8) Taxation – a fair and equitable local/community taxation system for the provision of local amenities and services9) A localised Judicial System that is predicated on Edo customary practices, totems and taboos to help bind our people and their cultures together with the Court of the Oba of Benin and His Palace Chiefs and Enogies being the penultimate arbiter10) The restoration of the Edo Language amongst the families of Global Languages and preferably taught in all Edo schools and collegesEdo State Public Policy must be restructured and transformed to focus on the following:i) Public and Private sector participation in poverty alleviation programmes and initiatives, building on some of the opportunities for mass industrialisation that is available within the stateii) Capacity building for service providers of various categories to enhance and improve their service delivery skills and also provide increased capacity for investors and employment opportunities for Edo State peopleiii) Provision of appropriate equipments, infrastructural services, support services, tools and capabilities that may be required to sustain existing investments but more importantly to act as a catalyst for attracting new inward investmentsiv) Increased availability of proactive and preventative measures including public funds in sustaining public health, maintaining existing public infrastructure such as roads, hospitals, transportation, pipe borne water, electricity provision, telephony networks, schools. security solutions etcv) Improved capacity for Edo State people to advocate for citizen involvement in development activities, public policy formulation and the delivery of front line servicesvi) Mobilisation of resources and creation of access from the organised private sector development corporations – locally and internationally including organisations such as Shell, BP, NNPC, Chevron, NDDC, Niger Delta River Basin Development Authorities, Edo Development Board, Private Foundations, Regional and Local Development Banks etc.vii) Mobilisation of resources and creation of access from multinational, Government Agencies and NGOs such as WHO, UNICEF, UNDP, CIDA, IOM , FCO, The British Council, DFID and others.Conclusion and AdvocacyI recall with great admiration the times I spent in Edo State when we were greeted with structurally branded delivery strategies such as Operation Feed the Nation (OFN) an initiative that galvanised all and sundry into some form of farming and agricultural ventures.I recall also albeit with a great sense of nostalgia the times in Edo State when we were greeted with Sanitation Day – a day which was traditionally the first Saturday in the Month that was set aside for cleaning the home, the streets and its environs.=0 DWe did all of these with a great sense of pride, dedication and devotion, as a proud but disciplined people and very possibly the cradle of black civilisation, a civilisation that dates back centuries of years, a civilisation that is comparable to the Great Egyptian Empire, we must surely be able to undergo some of the transformational journeys touched on during this conversation.Advocacy1) A communiqué to be issued to the Edo State Governor and the Edo House of Assembly based on the output from a roundtable at the conclusion of the conference.2) A communiqué to be issued to the mass media through established media such as Radio, Television and the Printed Press based on the output from a roundtable at the conclusion of the conference.3) The institutionalisatio n of a commemorative award for contributions made by Edo State Indigenes and non-indigenes alike to the development of Edo State4) The setting up of an Advocacy Advisory Committee for reviving the fortunes of Edo State . The committee should be made up of all the Special Interest Groups that represents all the Edo Nationals both at home and in the Diaspora5) A delegation to visit the Oba of Benin, the Edo House of Assembly and the Governor of Edo State for endorsement and a formal invitation to support the delivery and implementation of all the stated intentions.6) The setting up of a political/economic lobby group to sponsor executive and legislative bills and to review judicial pronouncements with a view to ensuring that effective public policies are developed and implemented/ SPAN>Oba Ghator Okpere – Ise June 2009
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From a poll carried out on 9jabook "If corruption was the Number One problem in Nigeria what is number Two ?"
As of today out of 441votes electricity took 217 votes roughly 49percent !
9jabook :"We are hoping such a move would be well represented on the Nigerian power scene and if Yaradua can swing this into an Oil/ Gas for Power Exchange solution then maybe we have seen the end of NEPA. Just what MTN did to Nitel and the revamping of Telecoms maybe this will be the saviour of our Power needs.Actually It is amazing that the powers that be notably diesel and petrol sellers for Generators and generator Maintenance and Sales Companies are still DISRUPTING Energy PROGRESS because of their Selfish needs"
IF CellPhone Technology could come after a long wait and turn Naija into the top Market in Africa WHY IS POWER TECHNOLOGY still taking such a long time to come.THERE IS A HUGE MARKET IN NIGERIA ! WHY ?
To power Lekki Peninsula alone you just need Wind Energy abundant on the Beach line !
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President Dmitry Medvedev currently stated Russian investments in Nigeria’s energy sector could attain “billions of dollars” as Moscow signed a raft of energy deals with the African oil giant. Medvedev, the primary Kremlin leader to visit the West African powerhouse, stated he desired the signing of a cooperation agreement amongst Russian natural gas monopoly Gazprom and Nigeria’s state oil firm will result in joint projects.
“The basis for such work for years to come has been put in place today,” Medvedev announced to the reporters after talks with President Umaru Yar’adua.
“The prospects are very good,” he stated, adding that potential Russian investment in Nigerian energy sector could be worth “billions of dollars”.
Yar’adua stated that the ratifying the agreement “enables a great opportunity” for numerous energy projects, including the ambitious Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline targeted at sending Nigerian gas to Europe.
Gazprom wants a stake in Nigeria’s vast gas deposits and is prepared to invest in energy infrastructure to get that access, officials said.
Gazprom has complained it is lacking behind its foreign competitors, saying it is prepared to mount a challenge to companies like Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron and ExxonMobil in Nigeria.
The Nigerian economy is heavily dependent on the oil sector which, according to the World Bank, accounts for over 95 percent of export earnings and about 85 percent of government revenues. The oil industry is primarily located in the Niger Delta where it has been a source of conflict. The industry has been blamed for pollution that has damaged air, soil and water leading to losses in arable land and decreasing fish stocks. Local groups seeking a share of the oil wealth often attack the oil infrastructure and staff, forcing companies to declare force majeure on oil shipments. At the same time, oil theft, commonly referred to as “bunkering” leads to pipeline damage that is often severe, causing loss of production, pollution, and forcing companies to shut-in production.
In addition to oil, Nigeria holds the largest natural gas reserves in Africa but has limited infrastructure in place to develop the sector. Natural gas that is associated with oil production is mostly flared but the development of regional pipelines, the expansion of liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure and policies to ban gas flaring are expected to accelerate growth in the sector, both for export and domestic use in electricity generation.
The country’s energy consumption mix is dominated by oil (53 percent), followed by natural gas (39 percent) and hydroelectricity (7 percent). Coal, nuclear and other renewables are currently not part of Nigeria’s energy consumption mix, with the exception of biomass often used to meet rural heating and cooking needs.
LONDON, England (CNN) — Nigeria’s huge film industry, Nollywood, may have overtaken Hollywood as the world’s second largest producer of films, but piracy is threatening to cut off the industry in its prime.Nollywood insiders estimate that up to 50 percent of the industry’s profits are currently being lost to Nigeria’s endemic piracy and corruption problems.“Piracy has dealt a big blow to the industry,” Emmanuel Isikaku, a Nollywood producer of 13 years and president of the Film & Video Producers and Marketers Association of Nigeria told CNN.Isikaku, 42, claims he lost so much money on his 2007 movie “Plane Crash” through piracy that he failed to recover his costs, despite the film’s popularity with audiences.“I couldn’t make anything from it,” Isikaku told CNN. “Because of piracy I didn’t even break even.“A lot of people watched the film, but unfortunately they watched pirated copies,” he said.Nigeria’s huge, mostly unregulated film industry is based in Lagos, the sprawling, frenetic financial capital of west Africa’s largest country.your advert can be here for free !
Made with a spirit of grassroots entrepreneurship, Nollywood’s video-format B movies are vibrant and inventive, fusing traditional voodoo and magic with urban romance stories.They are films that speak about modern life from an African perspective, driven by a narrative that is strongly rooted in the African oral storytelling tradition. Nollywood films are wildly popular across the continent and with the African diaspora all over the world.Nollywood recently overtook Hollywood as the world’s second biggest producer of movies behind India’s Bollywood.In 2006 it produced 872 movies compared with 485 major feature films in the U.S. (although for a fraction of the cost), according to a global cinema survey conducted by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS).Hollywood has started tapping into Nollywood’s global popularity: Earlier this year, “Close Enemies,” the first crossover film, was produced in LA by Prince Ade Bamiro using major Nollywood stars. It was made for $300,000 — about 10 times the average Nollywood budget — and was screened in the Nigerian Pavilion at Cannes.But improvements in piracy technology are making the problem more acute, draining Nollywood’s coffers and confidence and stopping the industry from making the improvements in quality it needs to cross over into the global mainstream.Nigeria’s independent producers self-fund hundreds of movies each year. The average budget is around N3.5 million ($25,000). They make their money back by selling DVDs of their movies, which they burn themselves, on stalls in markets or in shops.While Nigerians are wild about watching films, Nigeria has virtually no formal cinemas with 99 percent of screenings using DVDs held in informal settings, according to UNESCO.Producers have only one distribution route compared with, for example, Hollywood where studios recoup production costs through cinematic exhibition — an arena currently safe from piracy — and make a profit from DVD sales and TV rights.Most pirated movies are a victim of their own success: Pirates take the fastest-selling DVDs to China to be mass-produced and bring them back to Africa to sell.According to Isikaku, piracy was eating into his profits back in 2005, when he estimates he lost N10,000,000 ($68,000) because of illegally copied DVDs. But, he says, the problem became “alarming” in 2007 when pirates started to use video compression technology.Video compression digital technology allows from five to 20 films (both Nollywood and Hollywood) to be squeezed onto one disk and then sold for around N590 ($4).When a legitimate Nollywood DVD is sold for the equivalent of $7 to $10, it’s hard for producers to compete.“This new development in piracy has the potential to kill the industry off completely,” Dr. Sylvester Ogbechie, President of the LA-based Nollywood Foundation told CNN.Although no official figures exist, Ogbechie estimates from his conversations with some of the industry’s top producers that up to 50 percent of profits are currently being lost to piracy.Isikaku claims the problem is so endemic in Nigerian culture that some cable TV channels will air Nollywood movies without the permission of the producer, or that if they do pay, they pay “peanuts.”“And the moment people are watching on TV, they are discouraged from buying DVDs at the market,” he said.All this has had a knock-on effect on the confidence of the industry.“You think twice before you invest in film productions now,” says Isikaku. “Investors are being discouraged.”This feeling is endemic, and producers are trying to bring down production costs: “The quality of our productions is going down every day,” he explained.This is a blow to an industry known for low production values and whose practitioners are mostly self-taught.Criticisms of the industry’s films include poor sound quality, inadequate lighting, ill thought-out camera angles and the repetitive nature of many of its storylines.Insiders know that improving the quality of their films is crucial if their young industry is to make the leap into the global mainstream.They say Nigerian government must tighten up border controls and seize pirated DVDs as they re-enter the country from China.“Some of these movies come in through our airports, our ports,” says Isikaku. “Much depends on the government agencies.”Hope may come from the direction of Nigeria’s National Film & Video Censors Board led by Director-General Emeka Mba, who is making moves to restructure and formalize the industry.“There has to be some process of formalizing the industry — giving the industry depth and that’s where the government can come in through regulation, through incentives and create that process of empowerment for the industry,” Mba told CNN.“Hundreds of thousands of Nigerians are in this industry, especially young men and women.”Despite the setbacks, Isikaku also remains hopeful for the industry. “Pirates have stopped us working hard because we don’t get what we are due but all hope is not last because we are passionate.“Nollywood can come together to take action to help this industry to survive,” he said.your advert can be here for free !
SIX people, members of the same family, were yesterday confirmed dead in Nimgurumi town in the Baruten Local Council of Kwara State after taking cassava flour suspected to have been poisoned.
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Four others are receiving medical attention at a private hospital in the town as a result of the incident.
The development occurred as women and leaders of the Association of Yam Sellers in Ilorin, the state capital, warned yam sellers to ensure that only safe and treated yam flour is sold for consumption. There were fears among residents, perhaps triggered by the Nimgurumi incident, of the sale of unwholesome yam flour in the market.
Health Commissioner Hajia Ayinke Saka who confirmed the incident, told reporters preliminary reports linked the deaths to a squabble between two families in the area over a parcel of land.
She cautioned people against exposing their food items.
Reports indicated that one of the families had spread the cassava flour outside their house to dry before preparing it for consumption. The other party, however, allegedly poisoned the substance during the process. The unsuspecting family was reported to have prepared the local cassava meal (Amala) from the poisoned flour which members of the family shared, leading to the disaster.
The state's police spokesman, Mr. Dabo Ezekiel, told reporters in Ilorin that the command had begun investigation into the incident and would make its findings public.
The latest deaths bring the number of casualties from food poisoning in the state to 19, and the third between 2005 and this year.
Three persons, the District Head of Alapa in Asa Local Council, one of his wives and one of his traditional chiefs died on June 20, 2005 from eating a meal of Amala prepared by his third wife. The deceased, whose names were given as Alhaji Shuaib Ajape Oniso, the District Head, his wife, Alhaja Belawu and Alhaji Saidu Akanji, the Mogaji Alapa reportedly, died a few hours after eating the food.
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In the first week of June, Ghanaian star Van Vicker collapsed on the set of Award-winning director Afam Okereke while shooting the movie entitled “Get Rich”. In the last scene of the movie, the actor was totally unable to perform a stunt driving a car.The handsome actor, whose popularity has dramatically soared in the past months, is very much in demand and he has been involved in numerous projects. Exhaustion is reportedly the main cause for his health troubles.After the incident, Van was flown to Ghana for treatment and returned to the set 3 days later. The word within the industry is that the actor is notorious for delaying productions he’s involved in by always leaving the sets to pursue personal ventures and not returning on time to work. This attitude has been a major cause of annoyance among producers despite the soaring popularity of the Ghanaian actor.
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The prophetic reputation of Pastor TB Joshua attained new heights with the recent revelation that he foretold the sudden death of the iconic pop legend, Michael Jackson…
Shock and sympathy are still reverberating around the world since the news broke on Thursday 25th June that Michael Jackson, the undisputed ‘King Of Pop’ had died suddenly after collapsing in his L.A apartment. However, his death had been foretold months earlier by a popular Nigerian Prophet, TB Joshua.
In January this year, Joshua prophesied during one of his famous Sunday services, broadcast live on Emmanuel TV: “I’m seeing a great star whom the world is shouting, “Hey, hey, hey!” In his own area, he’s famous – he’s known everywhere. He is great – too great… I see something will begin to happen to that star and that may likely end in him packing his load and going on the journey of no return…”
A month later, he clarified that the person concerned was not from his local environ and was ‘too young to leave your midst’ – enjoining the congregants and viewers worldwide to pray earnestly for this 'great star', believing for the will of God to be done.
Although some may view his words as too generic to be accredited to the legendary entertainer, the revelation of Tee Mac Omatshola Iseli on Sunday 28th June 2009, the famous flautist, business associate of Marlon Jackson and close friend of the Jackson family, put asunder such doubts. Joshua knew clearly who he was referring to.
Marlon who recently started a "Remember Slavery Resort" in badagry Lagos and was embroiled in controversy by the british press over this was not available for comments.
In a sober atmosphere, Tee Mac spoke in front of a live television audience on Emmanuel TV, testifying that Prophet TB Joshua had told him to warn Michael Jackson of an impending health disaster, and invite him to visit Nigeria for healing.
“The man of God (TB Joshua) called me to his office and said to me, ‘Please, tell your friend Marlon to bring Michael here to Nigeria. Michael needs healing; he needs deliverance.’ I told the man of God that Michael Jackson just went for a medical check up because he is going to have about 50 concerts soon. But the man of God said to me, ‘Send Michael here – he needs healing.’ ”Tee MAC
When the tragic news broke, “what immediately came to my mind was that the man of God told me something’s going to happen,” Tee Mac reminisced. Clearly remorseful, he lamented that if he had taken the message more seriously and acted with more insistence, “maybe Michael Jackson would still be alive today…”
Utilising the occasion to reflect on life, TB Joshua asked the audience in a heartfelt message: “If today were your last day on earth, what would people remember you for? What would generations yet unborn read about you?’ He encouraged the people to live each day as if it were their least, and avoid the burden of unnecessary worry and anxiety. “Let us leave tomorrow’s trouble for the One who bore our troubles on the cross,” he remarked.MARLON JACKSON
As well as speaking on major world events, Joshua regularly prophesies to individuals that throng his flourishing church in Lagos, with uncanny accuracy. His recent prophecies include the death of the former South Korean president, the Feb 13 plane crash in New York and the release of Ingrid Betancourt from the Colombian jungle last year.
His ministry is attracting a growing fanatical following, particularly across Africa, and many African leaders such as John Evans Atta Mills of Ghana regularly frequent his church for spiritual support and guidance.
SOURCE: Africa News
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The police in Enugu yesterday paraded 22 suspected criminals among whom was a boy who allegedly falsely declared himself to have been kidnapped in order to extort money from his parents.Hundreds of on-lookers rushed to the police officers mess Enugu where the suspects were paraded to catch a glimpse of the fake kidnap victim whose name was given as suspect Obinna Mmereole.He was said to have caused himself to disappear into hiding with the aide of two friends, he started calling his mother claiming that he had been kidnapped and that his captors were demanding N1.5m before he would be released. The names of his suspected accomplices were given as Ibe Chinonso and Igwe Ikechukwu.
Enugu State Police Commissioner Mohammed Zarewa who paraded the suspects said the plot backfired when police swooped on them as they were attempting to cash the ransom at a bank where they demanded that the money should be paid.Also picked up by the security operatives were 19 persons suspected to be armed robbers and kidnappers with Zarewa explaining that the suspected criminals were arrested at various locations in Enugu.He said that one of the suspected kidnappers was involved in the abduction of a prominent Anambra State businessman while some of the robbery suspects allegedly killed a Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Awka and later attacked the convoy of Delta State Commissioner of Police.He said the suspected robbers had confessed to bank robberies and attack of bullion vans in the south east and South south states including a raid in Edo state during which a police DPO and Divisional crime officer were killed.Among the items recovered from the suspects were two AK 47 Rifles, on pistol, One Toyota Avensis Car and One Mazda 363 model. Others were 450 rounds of live ammunition and two handcuff keys and one handcuff.The Police boss warned that his command would not leave stone unturned in combating crime in the coal city state, adding that he was happy that crime has reduced in the state as compared to other states in the Southeast geo-political zone."Relatively, crime rate has reduced in Enugu State compared to Ebonyi, Anambra and other states in the Southeast zone. We will not relent in our efforts to combat crime in the state. What we need is cooperation from members of the public. We are battle ready to wipe out kidnapping, robbery and other anti-social vices in the state", he added.
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IN what could be described as an embarrassment to their personality, the Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources, Dr. Abba Sayyadi Ruma, Niger State Governor, Dr. Mu'azu Babangida Aliyu and the Publisher of Champion Newspapers, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu were among guests who were refused entry on Friday night into the official residence (a.k.a Abuja House) of the Nigerian High Commissioner, Dr. Dalhatu Tafida, in London for a dinner held in honour of the Vice President Goodluck Jonathan.
Nollywood star, Bob Manuel and Greg Agwunobi, the Welfare Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), United Kingdom (UK) Chapter, were also
among the distinguished guests who were denied access during the two-hour event.
But unlike his Niger State counterpart, who quickly turned back when the embassy aides refused to let them into the West London residence of the envoy, Adamawa State governor, Murtala Nyako after about 10 minutes of delay was allowed to enter.
Although no member of staff of the Nigerian High Commission was available to explain why guests who arrived shortly after the 8 p.m. start time were locked out, sources later revealed that the embassy officials locked the gates as a matter of protocol, particularly because the Vice-President was delivering his speech.
But unlike what happened when President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua was hosted to a similar event at the same venue last July, guests who were initially hopeful that they would be allowed in after Jonathan's speech became outraged as embassy staff turned deaf ears and eventually disappeared from the vicinity. Even when angry guests waved and showed their invitation cards, the embassy employees refused to open the gates and gave no excuse for their actions.
Ever before Ruma and Aliyu went away angrily around 8.50p.m., other guests had pleaded and made attempts to call some senior embassy staff, but like other angry guests, the duo couldn't reach anyone, and both went back to their chartered taxis without entering the premises.
Even Iwuanyanwu, who was limping and making use of a walking aid, left angrily after his pleading for about 30 minutes fell on deaf ears. At about 9.15p.m, when he turned to walk away, The Guardian approached him for comments, but he simply smiled and said, "I don't want to talk about it," before he entered his vehicle.
The President of the Bayelsa Peoples Union, Dr. Prince Efere was also left fuming, just like an unidentified white couple that stormed away, saying, "you don't invite guests and keep them waiting outside for 40 minutes."
Efere explained how he had been sent an invitation, only to be denied access. "I was in my office when they sent me the invitation, I didn't ask for it," he said.
As at 9.45p.m., when The Guardian left, none of those denied access had been allowed in. Although no official explanation could be given for the incident, some guests felt that the embassy officials lacked foresight and that they might have invited more guests than the venue could accommodate.
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With the growing number of broken homes in Nigeria and a SIGNIFICANT increase in single parenthood
Though my critical theological mindset sometimes criticizes and tend to jigsaw around the seeming fundamentalism that characterizes Femi Awodele's intellectual and oftentimes meaningful didactics on the Christian life, I also tend to respect his efforts at publishing these series, especially the ones he titles Home Improvement Series. However, my reflection on these series and the rational question of why we get married refuses to be abated by whatever I read, watch on television, or experience in the clinical marriage therapy world. The point is not to adjudge or argue the biblical principles on marriage but to sincerely ask the rational question: Why do we get married?
Tyler Perry the popular black american Movie director has theatrically brought this comical and singular question almost to our doorsteps via television, making each viewer truly question the rationale for marriage, particularly if such a person is unhappy with their choice of a spouse. However, this digest goes deeper than Perry's moviedom to examine the true motivations that push us to believe that life is worthless without marriage. Several sub-questions then arise:
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1) Are human beings naturally engineered to be married?
2) Are married couples truly happier than unwed but committed couples?
3) Is the adult truly unfilled without marriage?
4) Doesn't official marriage seem to cause more chaos than anyone needs?
5) Why bother getting married?
6) Is it not better to have everything but the rings? This writer has been fiddling with these rational aspects of this issue and the yet burgeoning popularity of marriage.
7) Is Marriage really a CONTRACT ?
A 2009 study by the Times Magazine shows that "--- more than five million unmarried couples cohabit in the U.S., nearly eight times the number in 1970, and a record-breaking 40% of babies born in 2007 had unmarried parents (that's up by 25% from 2002)." And we are not analyzing the segments of babydaddies or babymamas, the young and the accidental but couples who take up everything and give everything but the rings. Sociologists has dubbed this phenomenon as the committed unmarried (CUs), the happily unwed (HU), the unwed committed (UC); the Brad and Angelina, the Oprah and Stedman, the Goldie and Kurts of our world. While these couples may be disparagingly described as the famous unmarried, their group extends beyond the corners of Hollywood to our local streets and neighborhoods where we now see couples who are committed to a lack of legal commitment. And they are as happy as the truly married couples society shows us.
Another study from John Hopkins University notes that unmarried parents in Europe stay together longer than married parents in the U.S. Many other researchers (Cabrera, 2008, Maryland University) have also argued that the longevity of marriages is not because the relationship is rubber stamped by the Church or the State but by the fact and presence children. Having children is "--- a decision that a couple makes to strengthen commitment and move in together"; that commitment is more important than the marital status per se. As a Catholic theologian, this writer understand the goals and purpose of marriage to be more expansive than just the procreation of children, yet ecclesiastical and biblical doctrines weave around human experience to be practical.
Street interviews on the subject bring up many conjectures, some without any line of thought processing: 'so that we can live together; so we can have children; to have a solid commitment; to make our relationship official'. "Unwed committed" can live together, have children together, have a solid commitment, and if the public official commitment is what is desired, an advertisement can be placed in the papers reading "We are now official". With such deflated arguments my church folks argue that marriage makes a relationship divine, 'that something bigger than both of you bring you together and helps you succeed in it'. This is a valid faith argument, but not an empirical and rational one. Even so, the divine transposition of human limitations in marriage does not take away mistakes, strife, chaos, stress, fights and divorce. Ask an elderly married couple if they ever thought of divorce, and they will answer: 'divorce, no; committing murder, yes, and several times'. As my unwed committed friends would ask: who gave Eve's hand to Adam in marriage?
The musical artiste, Beyoncé sang the lyrics "if you like it, then you should have to put a ring on it." Others would say "the plus sign on the pregnancy test told me it is time to marry; I fell in love because I was tired of dating jerks; I got married because I met my soul mate and we are best friends; we communicate well and we both agreed on our future and I love and respect him." What happens if you loose that pregnancy in the second trimester, or when your sweetheart turns out to be a jerk overnight, or you catch him sleeping with your best friend just before the wedding?
In the American Association of Retired Persons magazine, Modern Maturity (May/June 1995), Linda Stern describes the various socio-economic demographics: social security earning limits, capital gains limits, Medicaid eligibility limits etc. and states that some time, long married couples divorce to remain eligible for benefits or in order to avoid financial disaster. One then would question, why did this couple marry in the first place and for how long? Overall, official economic policy makes marriage a bad option for too many people.
Yet, there is the seeming pressure from culture, emotions, social status, and religious motivations to get married. Are these pressures good enough to induce us into marriage? Why did David Letterman finally marry his partner of 23 years and the mother of their five year old son, just in the third month of this year? Was Letterman unhappy for the past 23 years, and if so why did he choose to officially marry her? Would Letterman be a happier man now, having married his previous unwed committed sweetheart? No one seems to rationally know these answers or the reason why we get married. Is it some force of nature or a divine engineering in humans that gravitates us towards marriage, if so can the human mind rationally unravel it?
No matter how the human mind works on the marriage phenomenon, the 'no spouse in the house' group have their own arguments on why they should not get married: You get the couch to yourself; you can watch whatever TV channel you like, without arguments; no one snores; you know where the bar of soap has been; smelly socks and skidding under-wears are not that big of an issue when you are only washing your own; you don't have to buy those stupid flowers; there are no curfews; if you mess up your finances you have no one to blame but yourself; Las Vegas is at back on the list of vacation considerations; you will never trade your interest in miniskirts for minivans; and without a spouse you can still have a descent social life.
Even women feel this same way. Anne Wright of the Sage Magazine (2007) interviewed 30 women on the basic question: "why get married". She found out that many women "don't buy the myth that you to be married to be happy and complete." Medical advances in fertility have extended the childbearing age range, meaning that women can put off having children later or have none. Women are earning graduate degrees, making them more self-sufficient with little or no reliance on men. The high divorce rate is a discouraging factor for others to attempt marriage, and is creating a large pool of single women who may settle down to a partner than a husband. The numbers of single women in New Mexico, 52,559 in 2004 rose to 106,622 in 2003 with the dual deduction that women are not getting married and/or are less likely to stay in troubled marriages than in previous years. Perhaps, some of these divorcees never bothered to reflect deep on the reason why they got married in the first place.
Obviously, marriage is more than a love affair, where boy meets girl and they are happy for a moment, and then go their separate ways. Marriages conjure a committed state, companionship, love, and the procreation and education of children; but are these features exclusive to the married state? Even the unwed committed do as much, do they not? The desire to entrench marital values makes us argue that marriage brings satisfaction and happiness; yet happiness is not a tangible and extrinsic value that you purchase or acquire, it comes from within. And are married folks truly happier or more satisfied than the unwed committed? The fact is, any couple can make a lifelong commitment to one another; being heterosexual and saying "I do" in the public doesn't make you more special, respectable or caring than the next person. The fact is, you don't have to do it to be happier than the rest of us. The unwed committed are not inferior to the married committed, and not committing suicide does not make you a health freak. The vanity in this argument is that unwed committed are purposively living their life as a photographic negative, defined not the persons they are but by the choices they refused to commit to.
Sitting at the feet of elderly married couples, one would hear galling counsels like: marriage is patience, endurance; marriage is a sacrifice or something you really have to work at. So if marriage is such a hellish pain, why do it? Australian is turning its head on this one, by initiating fixed-term marriages, just like mortgages and car notes; five years, 10 years, or perhaps 20 years and you are done. So why marry at all if you can survive just five year in it? When a couple stands at the front of friends and family to take the marriage vow, they inherently want to believe that their commitment is lifelong. No one takes those vows with the intention of giving it a short. Yet parts of the vow, 'till death do us part' adds to the sense of failure when we can't deliver this promise.
Comically, we are a generation of legal contracts: work contracts, internet contracts, cable contracts, cell phone contracts; and when these contracts are about to expire we shop for better deals. Marriage is also a contract, though we would add, a lifelong contract riffed with arguments, stress, fights, misunderstandings, deceits, unforgiveness, accusations, mood swings, heart-breaks, and betrayal amidst momentary satisfaction and happiness. It is becoming clearer that marriage bears a less relationship to having children. By 2026, The Australian Bureau of Statistics project that couples without children will be the commonest type of family in Australia, a 44% of all families. In the same token, married couples are not really happier than the unwed committed. Though marriage is meant to be forever, people can already live together without being married, so why is it necessary? What rational reasons push us to marriage? Why do we get married?
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1999Clifford Orji the celebrated Cannibal and alleged Human Spare Parts Marketer, now 43, was arrested in February 1999, by the police, under the bridge along the Apapa-Oshodi expressway. He was subsequently charged before the Ebute-Metta Magistrate’s Court, on 19 February.Items reportedly found on him at the time of his arrest are a cheque for the sum of N88,000; cell phone, allegedly sent to him by his brother, Linus, Managing Director, Crocodile Nigeria Limited. Other items were identified as fresh and roast human flesh, bones and some women underwear. His arrest was celebrated in the media. At a time, it was speculated that he had died in custody.June 2009 Introducing Innocent Orji no apparent relation to Orji Uzor KaluAs the South East is reeling under the problem of kidnapping, one of those behind this crime has made a shocking revelation on the activities of kidnappers. He said that apart from collecting ransom, kidnappers have killed many of their victims and policemen. He also said that at one instance kidnappers killed, roasted and ate their victim.Innocent Orji Clifford Orji's Brother in food These are a part of the revelation of General Innocent Orji, who claims to belong to the high command of the Biafra Liberation Force (BLF), a unit of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB). The police recently nabbed the suspect, who was on a wanted list in connection with the kidnap on March 17, 2009, of two Chinese nationals and a Nigerian in a new auto plant in Nnewi, Anambra State.Orji, also called ‘B’ Stone or Biafran Stone, had been linked with the invasion of a police station in Anambra, during which sophisticated arms were looted and an undisclosed number of cops killed, among many other criminal acts. He met his waterloo on Friday, May 29, more than two years after the three victims – Niu Guiqiang, Sylvester Unigwe, both of who survived the ordeal and Feng Shenyi, who died in the hoodlums’ bush camp, were abducted in Nnewi and taken to a hideout in Ebonyi State.Orji had run into a police checkpoint in Onitsha, as a passenger on a commercial motorcycle with army uniforms. This had aroused the suspicion of policemen, who quickly took him into custody. A few days later, he was paraded along with 18 other kidnappers and robbers at a press conference organized by the Anambra State Police Commissioner, Amusa Bello, with Governor Peter Obi in attendance.Meanwhile, Orji has made a startling revelation on the activities of kidnappers. He revealed in a confessional statement to the police, which also in video, that his group had set a policeman ablaze as well as killed, roasted and ate another victim. He revealed that his group received financial and material support from an Nnewi-based businessman (name withheld), who drafted a hit list for them.The 28-year-old Orji, from Ebonyi State, said: “I am in charge of this gang operating under MASSOB. I schooled at Asaokpa Aja Primary School Over-rail from 1788 to 1994. I also schooled at Eziama High School, Aba from 1995 to 1999. I later learned tailoring work for a year under one Emelike at Jiakpu Street, Over-rail, Aba. When I finished learning, I worked for him for some time on payment basis.After I was appointed the Commandant to be training MASSOB members on military parade from one province to another. Before the gang and I left for Edda, one army officer was training us at Ojoto (in Anambra) on military tactics. While at the Ojoto camp, one Ikechukwu, whose surname I don’t know, with one MASSOB chairman whose name I do not know but hails from Awka, brought N400,000.00, saying they went round collecting money from one chief (name withheld) and that the N400,000 was what they realized from the public.“After our stay at Ojoto, we then moved to an abandoned prison yard at Nnewi. At Nnewi, the army officer with us called Chukwuebuka led our boys on morning jogging and therein burnt down Nnewi Central Police Station. They also killed some policemen and snatched two AK 47 rifles. Later in the day, the police invaded our camp and scattered us. Chukwuebuka, who hails from Ideani (in Anambra), ran with one of the AK 47 rifles snatched from the police at CPS, Nnewi. We later regrouped at Edda, in Afikpo South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. It was at Edda that Ejiofor, one of our members, asked me how much Ikechukwu brought from chief and I told him that it was N400,000.00. He said that the chief gave us N1 million, and not N400,000.000. I then called Ikechukwu and relayed the information I heard, and he denied same and I gave him two weeks to bring the balance of the money (N600,000). I insisted that he should bring the balance. When he failed to bring the balance, I instructed Ejiofor to go and arrest the chief who gave the money.The chief’s arrest and kidnap of ChineseEjiofor went on the mission with nine other members. He was arrested and I asked how much he gave to us and he said that it was N1million and not N400,000.When chief asked us what he would do to secure his freedom. I told him to pay N50million, but he said that he could only give us N20million, as he had no much money. He thereafter called his manager to look for the money. Chief instructed his manager to bring the N20million with one of his vehicles.In the process, Chief said that he was not the only one to be arrested. Chief gave a list of names to Ejiofor who brought same to me. I can only remember three names for now: The Chairman of Innoson Group (Chief Innocent Chukwuma), and the owner of Capital Oil, Nnewi. There were about seven names on the list, but I can only remember these names I mentioned above.After the release of Chief, about two months and some weeks, we went for the arrest of the (chairman of) Innoson Group. It was Ejiofor who led the operation. My group went to Innoson Group, but missed their target, but they arrested two Chinese men with one black man and brought them to the camp. We later released the black man on payment of N10million and he promised to bring more N10million for the release of the two white men. Suddenly, the Nigerian Army attacked us at the Edda camp. Some of us were killed, arrested and some ran away. I escaped with the two white men and with some of my members. After two days, we got to Erei, where I disguised myself, by giving one of the white men my uniform and putting on his own dress.I then handed over the two Chinese men to one Okpai, Incredible and Miliki, to take care of them while I left to search for food. I left with three of my members to search for the food. The names of those who went with me were Ogbuebuke, Garbros and Ishmael. As we were going towards Ohofia area, the Nigerian Army pursued us and we ran into the bush. We were inside the bush for about three days and we later found our way out. I later learnt that my boys I left behind at Erei had been scattered by the Nigerian soldiers. I was also informed that the Nigerian Army had rescued one of the white men.After three to four months, I asked Miliki and Incredible about the remaining white man. They told me that the remaining white man died from cold occasioned by three-day rain that fell on them and that he was buried at Edda, in Afikpo South LGA of Ebonyi State.Edda campFrom the money we realized, five of us married from it. They are Sunday, Diwila Living Stone, Heavy Stone and Innocent. I do also paid my boys N20,000 every month and also gave money to take care of their family problems when such arose. The structure of the camp at Edda was as follows: The Centre building was known as Defence Headquarters and it was where I used to stay; X1 – This sector is headed by our armourer called G.O.D. and the said armourer is now deceased. He died while preparing explosives, which went off in the process; X 2 – this sector is headed by Ejiofor; X3 – this sector is headed by Miliki.All the sectors will report daily events to Okpai, who will, in turn, report to me as the General. It was the army officer by name Ike, with one other boy, simply called Abala, that led me to one Emeka at Abala, where I bought eight G.3 rifles at the cost price of N200,000 and one revolver pistol I also bought for N100,000 each. I also bought the seed (the bullets) for N300 each and I bought 1,000 pieces.I do not know where the dead Chinese man was buried at Ugwufe Edda. It was Incredible, Bruce Bunker, Papa Wamba, Francis, None and Onyema that can know where the dead Chinese was buried as I left him with them at Erei. The Erei is located between Ohofia and Cross-River.”My waterlooIke, an Army officer based at Lagos, called me on phone, informing me of the death of his mother in-law. He requested that I should accompany him to the burial at Nteje. I then left Aba and met him at Upper Iweka. He then called one Sunday who told him that he was at Obodo Ukwu road. He brought some army uniforms from his bag and told me that he bought them for us to regroup. He gave me the uniforms and instructed that I should hand over the unsowed and sowed uniforms to the said Sunday at Obodo Ukwu. He said Sunday resides at Obodo Ukwu Road, Okpoko (Onitsha). I told him that police were too many on the road and that he should talk to Sunday by himself, but he said that wherever I was arrested by the police I should call him. As I was going on top of a motorcycle the police stopped us at Upper Iweka and I called him. He told me that he was called on phone that his pregnant wife had major operation and that he was on his way back to Lagos. He called an army officer at Onitsha to come and rescue me. Before the arrival of the soldier, I had been transferred to this place. I know too well that I have been declared wanted for series of crimes I took part.Why I joined MASSOBYes, I wanted to join the Nigerian Army, but I was blocked by lack of what we the Igbo call ‘IM’ (ima mmadu). I was fit, in terms of training, in terms of race, in terms of anything, I was very, very fit, but at the end of the whole thing, due to some people knew the high-rank officers, and I did not know anyone, my name was out of the game. I tried it two good times, no way before Mr. Chima introduced me to MASSOB, and I said if that is the case, if Biafra could be actualized, I would be one of the Biafran solders.I doff my hat for the policeI am very, very proud of the Nigerian Police. How they did the investigation of this my case marvelled me. It is not good to judge any man by hearing from one man. Make sure the two persons are there before you judge. I have been here for some days, and in this my case, I have seen how serious the police are with the investigation and the seriousness with which my I.P.O. and co-officers have been taking my statement. Right inside me, from my heart, I know I have sinned against heaven, against God. I have sinned against the angels, and even against the land. I am not even worthy to live, but if there is any way they will allow me to live, let them put me straight in the police and I will work. I thank God that I have been arrested. I was declared wanted, but I could not just come out like that.CharmsThe one that I wear on my neck is for my protection, so that nobody will arrest me. Other ones are ordinary rings. Razor was used to put marks on our bodies for successful travel so that nobody can arrest us.Killing of policemanYes, a policeman was thrown into a fire by Ike. It was done by Ike u, the Nigerian Army operator.Another man roasted, eatenThat is correct. A man was roasted and eaten. I went to Aba to buy some food items. By the time I came back, I got the information that one man was killed and eaten. And our native doctor whose name is Eni from Akamkpa Local Government Area of Cross River State, roasted the man and ate him. But, it was not only Eni that ate the man. It was Eni, his master, and another man called Onunu Ekwensu.Women in kidnap businessWe have many women, but in this particular security of a thing, that is BLF (Biafra Liberation force), there are no women.Our armsThe first guns we had were double-barrelled guns. The first one was given to us by one Sunday and the other one was given to us by one reverend, Reverend Ekeh. We got the guns to keep on the movement, thinking that that was the way Biafra would be actualized. Today, I thank God that I have known everything. If my life will be spared, I must be a policeman.Adapted from click to join 9jabookAdapted and Rewritten by Choochoo Chuks J & Akin Osunlaja from Daily sun
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Life Is FineI went down to the river,I set down on the bank.I tried to think but couldn't,So I jumped in and sank.I came up once and hollered!I came up twice and cried!If that water hadn't a-been so coldI might've sunk and died.But it was Cold in that water! It was cold!I took the elevatorSixteen floors above the ground.I thought about my babyAnd thought I would jump down.I stood there and I hollered!I stood there and I cried!If it hadn't a-been so highI might've jumped and died.But it was High up there! It was high!So since I'm still here livin',I guess I will live on.I could've died for love--But for livin' I was bornThough you may hear me holler,And you may see me cry--I'll be dogged, sweet baby,If you gonna see me die.Life is fine! Fine as wine! Life is fine!
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