Many still trapped click to join 9jabook
Monday, June 29, 2009
LAGOS — RESIDENTS of Oyingbo and environs in Ebute-metta, Lagos Mainland Local Government woke up yesterday to the sight of a two-storey building, reportedly built about 45 years ago, reduced to rubble after a downpour on Saturday night.
Rubble of the collapsed 2-storey building at the Iddo Lagos Terminus
As at the time of filing this report, 13 persons were confirmed dead while 30 others were said to have been rescued from the rubble through the combined efforts of rescue workers which include officials of the Lagos State Traffic Authority (LASTMA), Red Cross and the police.
The injured persons are presently at the Lagos Island General hospital where doctors are said to be battling to save their lives.
Victims were said to be mainly children and residents who were fast asleep during the downpour. The cause of the building collapse was not clear but sources said a ‘terrifying noise’ was heard after a thunder storm while it was raining.
According to sources, the collapsed building was originally planned and erected as a warehouse, but was converted to a two-storey residential building later.
Rescue operation at the collapse building site
Many people still feared trapped
The ground floor was still used as a warehouse while the top floor was residential quarters for workers of the Nigerian Railways. Electronic equipment, sources said, used to be stored in the warehouse.
When Vanguard got to the scene yesterday, rescue work was still ongoing with a view to ascertaining whether people were still trapped in the debris.
A member of the Nigerian Red Cross rescue team who did not want his name in print told Vanguard that thirteen dead bodies were pulled out of the rubble while fifteen others who were rescued alive but were in critical conditions have been taken to the hospital.
Chairman of the Lagos State Red Cross Society, Deacon Timothy told Vanguard that they had to remain at the scene to provide medical assistance to the injured persons, most of who have been rushed to the hospital for better attention.
He added that an information centre has been opened for collation of data for those still looking for their missing relations.
A source at the site of the collapsed building said many other people were still trapped in the debris adding that the building actually collapsed around 3.00am during the heavy downpour.
“We heard a loud noise after a thunderstorm during the rain and later discovered that it was a building in the Iddo- terminus. Some of us rushed there because it was still raining heavily and discovered that many people have been trapped.
We could hear people screaming for help but we were helpless because the time was still past 3.00am. So we contacted the police.”
Lagos state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Frank Mba, said he could not confirm any casualty figure yet as he was still expecting more information from the policemen on the ground.
click to join 9jabook
He however said that immediately the report of the collapsed building got to the police, they moved to the scene and cordoned off the whole area to ward off people who might capitalise on the situation to loot.
Read more…
Indian and Nigerian governments have concluded plans to host a joint film festival for Bollywood and Nollywood to commemorate the 60th and 50th independence anniversaries of both countries respectively.The festival, which is scheduled to take place in Nigeria by January 2010, is expected to serve as a vehicle for strengthening the cultural and economic ties that have existed between the two countries over the years.Everyone knows Jim Iyke as the bad boy of Nollywood but will he also be known as the bad boy in the music industry too?“I like to stir up things a little bit so that’s what I will be doing in the music scene but the album has a little piece of something for everyone”, Jim Iyke said.“This album was a big challenge to me. Millions of naira has gone into this project. I have always been a disciple of hiphop and R&B music. I could have been an armed robber (God forbid as he giggled over it) but I chose music.”, Jim continued.The event started with a brief press conference at the Silver Bird Media Stores with Jim telling his Ghanaian fans about the birth of the “Who Am I” album.Then it was followed up with a video interview of Jim Iyke on the giant screens and short performances from Slow Dog, Puffy T, Rocky and the headline artiste, Jim Iyke himself at the Silver bird cinemas. Then back to the Silver Bird Media Store for autograph sign sessions with his fans. View photos of Jim Iyke in GhanaJim Iyke and his music entourage had to troop to TV Africa’s Sound Splash in the night to dish out some of songs to the packed fans at the TV Africa premises.The launch went on well but just a few technical problems with the sound and mic hindered the program.
Read more…
Zimbabwe of Nigeria • Abuja satellite settlement, where booze, meat and sex rule
Advertisement
9jabook.com 9jamovies.com are the hottest sites in naija right now
Amazing selected articles & Videos.Great music! and best of ALL YOU GET F.R.E..E AD.VER.TISI.NG CRE.DIT ! wow !
join now !click to join 9jabook now where your space is really yours
There may be regrets and gnashing of teeth in Zimbabwe, in southern Africa, because of politics. However, there is another Zimbabwe, where people are happy and constantly making merry. In this Zimbabwe, in Nigeria, just like the zimbabwe money is sextillion & abundant now and is still cheap like the money there are assorted food and drinks. There are also different kinds of meat and fish. And women are there for the asking, for those who need their services.
Located about 25 kilometers from Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Zimbabwe is the lure of all city dwellers around it. Visiting patrons to this bubbling place are always welcome by things that would make them happy. For one, there is always music blarring from the giant speakers. And those who could gyrate take to the dancing floor.
Indeed, on a typical day in Zimbabwe, there is no dull moment. Activities at the little hunts and canopies are always at their peak. People drink, eat and make merry.
The location and setting
Situated on a plain, grassy valley crisscrossed by a river and overlooking the highway on the Abuja/Keffi Road is a suburb called Uke, in Nasarawa State. It consists of no more than a few thousand people who live in houses roofed with rusty corrugated iron sheets. The houses are Roasted chicken
generally grouped together in residential areas some distance away from the highway. At the upper end of this suburb, just by the riverside is the famous Zimbabwe.
Indeed, what started as a local foodstuff market in a place called upper Uke, in 1980, has now metamorphosed into a full-blown market, with such magnetic forces that pulls the small and big in the society to its fold. According to Alhaji Jibril Abubakar, who holds the traditional title of “Garkwa Uke” (Defence Minister), “it started as a small market in a place called upper Uke and when the then District Head of Uke, Alhaji Abdullahi Hassan visited the area, he noticed the existence of the market and decided to upgrade it to a full-fledged market.
“From then, the market began to attract people from Keffi and Masaka. Originally, people used to come and buy foodstuff, like yam, pepper and tomatoes at a very cheap price of 10 kobo. That was how it started.”
The erudite defence minister, who is an illustrious son of Uke, told Saturday Sun that the market was relocated from its original place, in 1986, to its present position following the overbearing presence of palm wine tapers and local brew (burukutu), who flooded the market with their products. The reason for the relocation, at the instance of the district head, was to maintain its original status as a foodstuff market.
“The palm wine tapers started bringing their product and other local drinks to sell. This was against the original purpose of the founders of the market. The presence of these drinks at the market started attracting large crowd of people, who travelled far and near to buy fresh and original palm wine.”
In 1997, according Abubakar, the district head of Uke summoned a meeting of elders on how to upgrade the infrastructure of the market for the purpose of generating revenue. It was then agreed that shops be erected at the market and let out to interested people. “This is how the market has become a big one today.”
The name Zimbabwe
Narrating the historical background of the market, Abubakar said: “The name (Zimbabwe) was given by a local musician. Its original name was “Upper Uke Market. Zimbabwe was given by a local musician and it was generally accepted and since then it is called by the name.”
In Nasarawa, Abuja and other neighbouring states, the name Zimbabwe rings a bell. It is a bubbling place. Indeed, Zimbabwe is so popular that any girl that has not been taken there by her lover would not be happy.
Life at “Zimbabwe” is exhilarating. Its atmosphere is alive with adventurous spirit and resourceful people. Although it lacked the eye-pocking state-of- the-art edifices of the cities, it is a kind of heaven. Its serene and calm atmosphere is not only magnetic but also infectious.
The environment is in a cocoon of marina trees that provides a cozy atmosphere needed to rewind after a hectic day.
Investigations revealed that the main centre of attraction at Zimbabwe is the fresh palm wine that is cheaply available in large supply. Aside from palm wine there are other side attractions, including fresh fish, chicken and fish barbecue, fish pepper soup and others.
According to Abubakar, “anything you want, you can get it at Zimbabwe at a relatively cheap price. For instance, you don’t need to go to fast food joints for fresh fish and chickens. That is why people come from Abuja and other places to this place. A keg of palm wine is N100 in Zimbabwe, as against the N500 in Abuja, while a full litre of the product is between N300 and N400, as against the Abuja price of N1, 500.”
Security
Security in Zimbabwe is tight and manned by vigilance group selected from the host community. Abubakar boasted that there has not been any reported incident of theft at the market.
“There is no security threat here. There is a local security outfit, Yanbanga, put in place by the community to provide security at the market and so far, there has not been any case of theft or burglary in this market. The community supplies them with all their operational needs. Every month, they meet with the elders of the community to brief them on security matters and to update their operational methods.
“The market closes at 10pm everyday. Anything after that, no body is allowed access into the premises except shop owners who must identify themselves. In fact, there is no recorded incident of theft or car snatching here,” he said.
High accident rate
In every good thing in life, there is also a side effect and so it is with the Uke community. What the market has offered them with the right hand, in terms of social and economic gain; it takes back with death occasioned by road accidents.
“The only problem we have on ground here is the high rate of accidents, which has claimed so many lives. People get knocked down while trying to cross the road to the other side of the market. You know after drinking some bottles of alcohol, some people would just jump into the road in their unsteady conditions and sometimes oncoming vehicles knock them down. The community has lost many of its sons to road accidents. In fact, we are now thinking of relocating the market or pushing farther away the highway.”
Effects on the youths
Advertisement
9jabook.com 9jamovies.com are the hottest sites in naija right now
Amazing selected articles & Videos.Great music! and best of ALL YOU GET F.R.E..E AD.VER.TISI.NG CRE.DIT ! wow !
join now !click to join 9jabook now where your space is really yours
The presence of exotic cars and their influential owners in the market is a tonic of encouragement to youths of the area, according to the Garkwan Uke.
“The sight of these flashy cars has, more than anything, encouraged our youths to work harder in their human endeavours. Although the marvel of the presence of these rich men acts as an encouragement to them we advice them to work towards having theirs rather than going into uncanny means of acquiring wealth,” he said.
Read more…
Cause lets face it there is only so much ‘benefit of the doubt’ to go round!* 1. Quality: I’m just saying my phone shoots better movies; even youtube weeps because nollywood is yet to achieve youtube standards. For a $250 million industry you’d expect someone to own some real equipment. Is it so hard to avoid (unintentionally) shaky/grainy pictures and the bad sound OMg the white noise.* 2. Skill: An almost accent should not be the some total of anyone’s acting arsenal.* 3. View: No creative angles, no interesting scenery and the general compositions are not even considered before anything is shot. I know I did not go to film school and neither did anyone in Nollywood. The room composition adds nothing to the story. It is not a metaphor for internal torment, or a foreshadowing of impending doom. It is all just blah and circumstantial. That’s why we just get the stationary overview of the room where people are talking, one-sided close-ups, fade to black and my favourite focus on unrelated inanimate object in the room. Classy.* 4. Character development: What is this character development of which you speak? You see in Nolly all stereotypes hold true. All stepmothers are evil, stepfathers are rich, uncles are all molesters, the poor are uneducated and anyone who has travelled abroad is not only wealthy, but also smart and good-looking. That why the only motivation for a character is the story in spite of everything that happed before. Forget past experiences, education and just be good or evil.* 5. Names: I guess Jessica and Sylvia are exotic names at least on this end and we appreciate their use and abuse. But seriously Beyonce, Rihanna, what are the odds? Even the actresses seem startled to addressed by these names. Please! Ignore the Bard, a Funmi by any other name is … well, not quite the same. Return to Adas and Mariams and lets get on with it. BTW as an added bonus, if you want to butcher any pronunciation you can get help from Nolly. Do they even do takes?* 6. Child stars: Sorry child bleeps [‘b’ words are such fun] they are never age appropriate. Is casting that difficult? Freaking read the script and then try to not hire your child or the children of anyone you know unless they actually fit the bill and can ACT. It is revolting to watch an overgrown child speaking in a fake sulky baby voice. To avoid this simply ask the auditioning bleeps to say the line and gage by how much you want to slap them, how appropriate they are for the part. It is also not cute when a small child stumbles (badly) through words she/he has never heard in a way that is meant to come across as innocent insight. A child would never use the word granule to describe the specks in her toothpaste. Closeup toothpaste, I’m looking at you.* 7. Use of words: On the rear occasion where you come across a worthwhile script it falls down to the actors to destroy it. Every other day of the week destruction begins with writers who make George Lucas’ romantic scenes less robotic. Sometimes they write as if they are actually translating from another language. This explains the reoccurrence of words that aren’t common in everyday use and the tendency for kids to sprout words only popular in medical journals.* 8. Sets, costumes and other disasters: Since acting is out of the question, a character must rely on his props to explain to the audience, who he really is. Luckily, Nolly is yet to run out of houses to parade in order to depict a just how vast a person’s wealth is. This is also unfortunate as the subtle art of styling a person according to their status is magic to dark even for Africa Magic. Just look at the décor and the clothes. No one seems capable of dressing the part. If they are so smart /travelled /rich /etc why are they dressed like idiots. NOBODY wears fishnet tops anymore, (well except for your average cross dressing stripper who prostitutes) ehm! Here’s an idea maybe you should hire someone to consult with on clothing decisions. Someone not already in the industry.* 9. Time: Time is Nollywood movie is measured by hair. You have your standard old man/women with powdered hairs that change from scene to scene. You have you standard extra with unchanging attachment [so your hair has remained the same for the past 6 years]. Then you have your main character with her treasure-trove of wigs.* 10. Prayer: Finally prayer is the answer to everything from possession, to lost persons and property. It can make even liars and murders forthcoming and force the materialization of whatever is needed, but only at the very last moment. The only unanswered prayers are mine; for better movies.The Nolly inner circle is more difficult to break into than Fort Knox and more pointless than a waterproof teabags. It’s the same set of people who write, star and direct. You can’t really fault them for making an easy living. Wait I guess I just did.excerpted from yamikas blog
Read more…
When husbands become unfaithful most wives find it very hard to stomach such betrayal. They go to any length to restore their homes which they guide so jealously. So, what solution would you proffer to a girl friend that snatches your husband?
Advertisement
9jabook.com 9jamovies.com are the hottest sites in naija right now
Amazing selected articles & Videos.Great music! and best of ALL YOU GET F.R.E..E AD.VER.TISI.NG CRE.DIT ! wow !
join now !click to join 9jabook now where your space is really yours
Excerpts:
MRS. JOSEPH
No, I don’t need to pay her a dime. I have no issues with her but with my husband. We will sit and sort it out amicably, mind you, sorting it out does not mean taking it violently with him, no.
It is quite unfortunate and disappointing that despite the care and love showered on some men, they still engage in extra-marital affairs with other ladies or women, who may not have the smallest quality as the house wife, so why should I pay her?
What I would do is to check myself and we will sort things out.
Finally, there’s no need knowing the girl friend, I don’t want to know her for reason because she might be embarrassed at what I would do.
DOLA AMOSU
Such bargain has ruined so many homes rather than creating solutions. It has pushed many families into bankruptcy, structured some to the road of abject poverty; it has made some hypertensive. When a girl becomes too close to my husband, I would ask these questions: Who is the problem, who is the cause, my husband or the girl?
Basically it should be my husband. If he does not give her any attention; she would have shifted her target to somebody else. If he threatened her, she would not try it the second time.
So, there is no negotiation that can work out between the girl and me. If I give her money, she would come back for more, and when I fail to meet up, it would eventually lead to blackmail. So, I won’t start something I cannot accomplish.
I have no business with the girl, and the only thing I can offer her is give her a stern warning to desist from my husband. The next point of call should be my husband, we both need to sit down and talk because he should give me reasons why he is cheating and also give me solutions to the problem on ground. I have no time to pet any irresponsible girl. I would not.
IFEYINWA OKPARA
Going by conventional understanding, paying off one’s husband’s girl-friend could be the best option to save some people’s marriages but to some other people, that will not work.
Biblical wisdom is profitable to direct, it would lay the right foundation without option of pay-off or running into unnecessary debt neither creating an atmosphere for anxiety and hypertension.
Paying her off would not stop her from her mission, but would rather send her the signal that she has so much control over your husband and your home. The monetary resolution gives her an edge over you. The wife has no alternative than abide by all the girl friend’s commands.
On the other hand, the girl might agree to stop disturbing the man but what if the husband himself would not let her be?
So, the best option is winning his heart over again.
MRS. KOLADE ONIYIDE
No, I won’t pay her a dime; rather I will call her and talk to her the way a good mother would talk to her daughter. I will advise her in her best interest to quit the mission if she wants peace for herself and if she wants to live long; because it is a curse for a young lady to date married men.
If she does not yield to my warning, I’ll report her to her parents and hope that they will call her to order. If nothing positive comes up, then I would not be held responsible for any action I take.
Although my husband has a role in this, so I will not apportion the entire blame on the poor girl. I believe some ladies who do such still find heart to heed to warning from anybody who threatens them.
So, if my husband did not give her the courage to continue she will stop at once if not I might resolve to threats.
IDOWU HELEN
Paying her off or having a deal with her won’t make things better. There are instances where wives took such decisions, thinking it was the best way to bring sanity back to their homes, but at the end, they had to regret such deed.
We have seen it in movies; we have also read about other peoples’ true life stories. In most cases, when this girls demands for money, they only make empty promises but they never let go. If I were in that position, I would rather let the world know about the illicit affair than wasting my money on a demonic girl.
MRS. AMOSU
No, I can never do such, because she has done contrary to the will of God. I would rather advise her for her life’s sake. But if she refuses to listen, then I would report her to God because if I don’t, she might use that as an avenue to extort money from me.
JENNIFER ANICHO
Absolutely nonsense! Paying off my husband’s girl friend means i’m scared of losing my husband to her. Of course, it is a sensitive issue, but i will not confront my husband, no! It has nothing to do with the girl. Rather it is the wife that should be patient and should use wisdom in bringing her husband ‘home’. I would pray and counsel him and also work on myself in order to ensure that I am desirable, elegant and clean inside-out. In addition, I will make sure that l always look hot and sexy. I should be able to make my husband jealous, protective and proud of me.
PAT ALOYE
I don’t think so, because this issue is between my husband and I, not the girl. In other words, I have no business with the girl. It is my role to talk to my husband, we will sit and discuss that, I don’t want to have anything do with the girl.
ABIBAT LAWAL
No, I cannot. It is left for my husband to decide whom to choose, he should make up his mind about it. If he chooses me, he must stop seeing her and cut off every contact with her.
If I decide to pay, she might use that as black mail against me; that means the more I pay, the more the black mail and the more she comes for more money. So the best bet is to face my husband and let him decide the best thing he wants for himself.
After that, I will commit everything to God. I would also remind him about our wedding vows to God and those present during our wedding.
OSASONA YINKA
I would not pay her a dime because she might use that as black mail and keep coming for more. Rather I would want us to meet personally and talk it over and to know what her problem is. If she claims she’s pregnant for my husband, we’ll have to clear it in the law court. No monetary negotiation or plea for her.
Read more…
Jerry is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!" He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant.The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?" Jerry replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life."Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested. "Yes, it is," Jerry said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live life."I reflected on what Jerry said. Soon thereafter, I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant business: he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gun point by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him. Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local trauma center. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body.I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place. “The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door," Jerry replied. "Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to live.""Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked. Jerry continued, "...the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man.'I knew I needed to take action." " What did you do?" I asked. "Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry. "She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes,' I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Bullets!' Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.'"Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything.Positive thinking the the first step towards a happy life.Attitude is everythingIf everyone applies just these, the whole world will live in happiness
Read more…
BARCELONA have received a 'monster offer' from Manchester City for striker Samuel Eto'o.
And Barca president Joan Laporta has confirmed the Spanish giants will cash in on the Cameroon ace if he expresses a desire to move to Eastlands.
Laporta said: "Eto'o has a stratospheric offer from City, which would convert him into the best paid player in the world.
"It's starting to become clear that he has this monster offer.
"He wants to stay but an offer like this is very difficult to refuse."
Eto'o, 28, netted 36 goals last season as Barca won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League.
Read more…
Michael Jackson's sales have instantly seen a massive increase as a result of his death.This morning, Jackson's albums had taken 14 of the top 20 places on the Amazon.co.uk sales chart - even though his commercial appeal which had been largely in the doldrums for years as his strange private life overshadowed his music.The lack of new material for many years also contributed to the public indifference, although this started to reverse as Jacko fever began to grip following the announcement of his record-breaking run of O2 shows.Today the Amazon chart was topped by his first solo album, Off The Wall, which features tracks such as Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough and She's Out Of My Life.It was followed by his 1987 album Bad and in third position was Thriller, the biggest selling album of all time, with global sales estimated anywhere between 50 million and 100 million due to the vagaries of how album sales were counted historically.In fact, a further two copies of Thriller figure in the top 20, which also features an array of compilations of his material, including the recently released King Of Pop at number eight.Jackson's most recent studio album, Invincible, is at nine, demonstrating the overwhelming interest in his heritage, rather than his later recordings.Gennaro Castaldo of retailer HMV said: "We always find where a great icon dies that there's a massive uplift in their music sales as fans want to connect and express their grief through the records."We've seen this with people like John Lennon, Elvis, Johnny Cash and Frank Sinatra over the years. With Michael Jackson in particular, he was just on the cusp of a big comeback anyway and we were already beginning to see a lift in sales.Now, with downloads and the instant access they give, we can probably expect the charts to light up with his songs."The official top 10 and 20 could be dominated by his tracks and we will probably find the album charts will have high entries for Thriller and King Of Pop over the coming days because his music has not only an army of fans but also a broad appeal."
Read more…
TREMBLING with panic Jacko's little daughter Paris screamed: "Where's Daddy?" as a team of paramedics burst into their palatial Hollywood home on Thursday.Her thick brown hair matted with tears, the 11-year-old clutched her brothers Prince Michael and Prince Michael II and together they cried for their father who was lying unconscious in the bedroom.These were the chaotic moving scenes that faced emergency services when they raced into Jacko's £100,000-a-month rented pad in upmarket Carolwood Drive, Los Angeles.Click here for all Michael Jackson death and tribute storiesThe three children, who led sheltered lives as part of the King of Pop's entourage, were suddenly thrust into a nightmare their superstar dad would not survive.ZombieBut, like every chapter in the troubled music legend's life, his final moments were riddled with macabre twists and turns. We can reveal:THE kids and Jacko's personal doctor Conrad Murray thought he was playing a practical joke by PRETENDING to be dead.JACKO morbidly told a close friend he wanted to "go out like Elvis".HE had REFUSED rehab for his addictions.THOSE drug habits DESTROYED his sleep patterns and turned him into an insomniac walking around like a zombie from his Thriller video.Medics descended on Jackson's house at exactly 12.30pm, just nine minutes after the frantic 911 emergency call was made on Thursday.A source in Jackson's staff told us: "An air of crisis swept through the house like a whirlwind.A video tribute to music legend Michael Jackson"The three children had been taken to another room by their nannies, but they thought their dad was just fooling around. He often played dead and would then jump up and surprise them, so they thought he was just having a bit of fun."But when they saw the emergency trucks arrive, that really shook them. There were paramedics running upstairs and ambulance sirens blaring. The kids were terrified and started crying and howling for their dad."To save them the trauma of seeing their motionless father carried out of the house with an oxygen mask strapped to his face, the children were quickly hustled into the back of a waiting car by Jackson's sister La Toya and mum Katherine.Paris, 12-year-old Prince and six-year-old Prince Michael II were then driven to the UCLA Medical Centre.On arrival at the hospital the kids were comforted by the family who handed them crayons and paper as a distraction and got them to draw their daddy 'Get well soon' pictures - even though he already lay dead in an operating theatre. At one point they hugged their older relatives and prayed for their father.Speaking exclusively to the News of the World, Jackson's "spiritual advisor" Deepak Chopra said: "There were a lot of people there and the children were very distraught, screaming and crying."After Jackson was pronounced dead at 2.26pm weeping relatives whisked the kids back to the Jackson family's main compound-style home in Encino.It was only three short hours earlier that Jacko had been given the shot of Demerol - a powerful morphine-based painkiller he called his "health tonic" - that has been linked to his death. Chopra - who is also a well-respected medical doctor and Fellow of the American College of Physicians - confirmed to us the jab was administered.He said: "It was the most inappropriate thing you could think of. To me it's very obvious that he was given a drug overdose."TroubleBut we can reveal that Las Vegas-based cardiologist Conrad Murray, the personal physician who was by Jacko's side at the time of death, also thought his celebrity patient was just PLAYING dead."It was terrifically sad," said our inside source. "Murray told us he thought Michael was joking around, as he often did to entertain the kids. But this time, tragically, it was real. Murray tried to talk to Michael to rouse him but soon realised it was no joke. It suddenly dawned on him he was in deep trouble."Shocked that his friend and patient was fighting for life, Murray then tried frantically to resuscitate him, yelling at him to wake up.Our source added: "As he got louder he called out to other staff to help him. Others came in and saw Michael looking sickly white, collapsed on the bed. He was then dragged off the bed and another few attempts were made to resuscitate him."Murray looked close to tears and could barely speak. That's when the 911 call was made. But Murray suspected Michael was already dead."We were told that Michael had also been given a tranquilliser shot in the night and was pacing around the house frantically."He'd had a long day at his show rehearsals, which had ended after midnight. Weirdly the work left him completely wired - he was so exhausted he couldn't sleep."He couldn't sit down or stay still for a second and asked for a shot to calm his nerves."Lord alone knows how many sleeping pills he'd also popped to try and nod off. Michael was just on edge, a wreck and a complete mess. He complained that his heart and chest were pounding." Friend Chopra also revealed the star was in a morbid mindset before his death, adding: "He used to say to me he wanted to go out like Elvis, not like Marlon Brando. And I think on some subconscious level he had an inkling.Abuse"He might even have had what they call a death wish."Elvis famously died aged 42 amid huge drama at his Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee. Brando died at 80 due to a string of medical problems. Jackson, who blew a whopping £10 million on medication, met Chopra in 1988 and the pair remained close until his death. The medic had been determined to help the star kick his addiction to drugs.He revealed: "After the child abuse trial in 2005 Michael came and spent a week with me at my house."At one point he suddenly asked me for a prescription. He knew I was a physician and asked me for a narcotic. I said, 'What the heck do you want a narcotic for?' And it suddenly dawned on me he was ALREADY taking these and probably had a number of doctors giving him prescriptions."Jacko told Chopra he took the painkillers for backache.But the medic said: "He wasn't confronting his addictions, which is the big problem."Chopra pleaded with Jackson to go into rehab but the singer brushed him off. "I was really desperate to help," added Chopra. "But you can't help somebody who goes into denial."I think that drug addiction was responsible for his death. It was THE thing that caused his cardiac arrest."Click here for all Michael Jackson death and tribute stories
Read more…
Events had already dictated the tune of my blog this morning before I got round to writing.... So on my walk this morning, my mind mostly dwelt along the line of thought I am about to share....Some people posed a question to Jesus about a hypothetical woman who had married seven different men, wanting to know who her husband would be on the ressurrection day... Jesus’s answer was quite insightful for me... He said to them that there was nothing like marriage or being married after our life here.... Meaning basically, that marriage is for this plain... Spirits (which is what we’ll be when we lose this body) are not involved in marriages and do not get married.... All of the activities that have to do with marriage are strictly for this plain... My point is that, marriage is a physical thing that mirrors a spiritual truth.... It’s a mirror of the relationship of christ with the church and so on and so forth.... I have said all of this to say (and this is my opinion), that marrige is a physical thing and we are responsible for our choices.... We can prayerfully choose or outwardly choose, but the choice is ours.... God does not choose.. we can take our choice to him and have him bless it, we can involve him in our choice process (if we are tight with him like that) but he will not choose for us.... We make the choice...In making our choice, I have found out that a lot of dynamics come into play... And because we have all being primed, by our families, our faith, our beliefs, our society, our ‘status’, our spirituality, our experiences we have different tastes and diffeent proclivities... Our choices are really a product of all of these different conditions and while some pass people they meet through their ‘primed state’(and we all are primed) test without even realising it, others do it conciously and we who do it subconciously,(but who do it all the same) refer to those who do it deliberately as calculating.....It even gets more interesting because all of these factors that have primed us, we further divide into two categories so I have come to realise that we all have this 20- 80 rule thing going on..... Let me explain....The basic things you expect from a partner is your 80 but the things that sort of add ‘zest’ to those things, are the 20.... Take for instance, you are a guy.. You would like a gentle soft spoken woman for a wife... who is intelligent, cooks well,... kind, loving and bla bla bla... that’s your 80..But you also have this thing for busty women ..... You don’t know why, but you really do not find flat chested women attractive... they simply do not do it for you.... That’s your 20.... Or you are a woman, you would like a man who is spiritual, kind, considerate, respectful, visionary, hardworking, result producing...bla bla bla....That is your 80.. But style just does it for you.... You don’t know why, but you like guys with style... that’s your 20..... Your 20 can be a guy’s spirituality, it can be their shape and form, it can be their social skills, their use of language, their style, their cooking skills, their family, their jobs, their social status, their sexiness, ...it can be anything...As funny as it may sound, 20’s have been know to determine the ‘do ableness’ (if there is such a word) of a relationship..... Sometimes, the 20’s can be worked on.. let me give an example... I had this close friend a while back, who had this close friend..(you know how it is) who was being chased by this guy.... And he was really serious... he was a christian(committed), he had a good job, he was nice...(now watch the 20 slowly creep in)...... But his english was bad.... You know it happens to the best of us... He just did not know where to use his tenses .. His 80’s just paled whenever he opened his mouth to speak... It used to upset her so much...So one day when the guy won’t give up and just kept coming.(and she not being completely blind to his 80’s),she told him he had to improve on his english for it to work out... He agreed .. and she bought lexis and structure textbooks and started to tutor him... (seriously, it happened).... She was willing to recognise that her 20 could be improved upon and he was willing to learn...so that scenerio worked out...There are some things that can be learnt (afterall, are we not here to improve on eachother) .The bible says Iron sharpeneth Iron... Social graces can be acquired... style can be acquired... It’s not always that simple though, because sometimes, some people’s 20 is something you can do nothing about.... If a guy’s 20 is busty women and you are flat chested, or a guy’s height doesn’t do it for you.. there is hardly anything they can do about that... having said that, we must all recognise where a shift can be made to balance out the equation and be prepared to make adjustments and sacrifices for the sake of our relationships....We all have our 80’s and 20’s wether we admit it to ourselves or not(and it’s usually better if we do).... But we should also watch out for times when we can work on our 20’s ..and if can’t be workedon,...Well what can I say..... You’ll both have to decide!!!....
Read more…
Tomorrow is always very close or near, a future to get to within twenty four hours, yet, it is far, or so it seems. This future can only be got to when it is quoted in specific date. Otherwise, tomorrow is infinitesimal, a future far away, though one can call it ‘next day’ after today or this day. This time in future or near future, looks like a time at hand, but if it is not handled with care today, because it is impressionable it might backfire, and terrible. Because of this fact, that is why what is today, cannot be tomorrow.Tomorrow is highly impregnable because of its fluid nature, for it is subservient to the indomitable change.Tomorrow is a time that determines how what is projected today can turn out to be. Someone can ask our former maximum ruler, not a leader, Ibrahim Babangida, whether he left Aso Rock Villas as he had envisaged. What of his professional tribesman, Sani Abacha, the only man the cap fit to rule Nigeria according to his five political parties that he used to amuse Nigerians of a planned transition to civilian government. These men, alive or late, can tell us whether their anticipated TOMORROW turned out the way they planned for it. The immediate President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo can also tell the world how he saw tomorrow in both Jos and Yola prisons. He will be able to tell us that it was not as he anticipated it to be. It could be this way or that, because that time is beyond our peremptory transcending domain. Even there is no government that can fully determines the course of tomorrow, otherwise, economic meltdown, world over, would have been tackled by the best world economy, before we walked into it (tomorrow) from yesterday’s predictions or expectations. It is therefore expedient to note that TOMORROW cannot be precisely or accurately ascertain how it will turn out; it could be fair, it could be foul. So, while we guard against tomorrow, it is good that we remember what the scripture says; ‘unless the LORD builds the house, in vain do the builders build it; and unless the LORD watches over the city, it is in vain the watchmen keep dutifully alert. – psalms 127:1.The man who is thinking that his political party will rule Nigeria till the year of retirement, thinks that he is the master of tomorrow. Will this Nigerian nation still be a single entity where this great funny thinker hopes to see the reality of his predicted tomorrow of sixty five year. Anyway, in a democratic dispensation, people can afford to be free thinkers and outspoken. But REAL men are known in uncommon, unusual and terrible times, which is always TODAY, while TOMORROW is always UNSURE. The reason for this is because we are not the owner of tomorrow, it belongs to our MAKER.TOMORROW is ever unpredictable, hence no champion reigns for ever, except he died before he meets any challenger of his strength. A unit today may be crushed into two or pieces tomorrow. The former federation of Soviet Union is a case in point and such other broken homes.Some years ago, Nigeria fought a civil war. That war was a war of vengeance and expression of dominion rather than of social justice. Because of what the civil war was, the end of it, till date, did not create a nation where national integration, social harmony and justice is fostered. The Nigerian nation is still seen as a nation where certain people has to decide who gets hat, when and where, how and the quality of one’s character does not count. If this must be prevalent or promoted, then, the sources of disintegration, catchment area of federal character system syndrome or unjust disposition towards the masses or mineral resources, the nation’s wealth or communities where this wealth is derived from need to be handled with utmost concern, without guile. The action of the military in parts of Niger Delta region would have been uncalled for if the aggrieved people of the region.For above fifty years now, the Federal government of Nigeria has not find it right or proper to attend to the various recommendations of panels of commission to do something tangible in the region. Before the birth of militants operations in the region, why did the various succeeding government always steer clear from addressing the often highlighted problems or peculiar problems in the region? Why would the Federal government allows insensitivity reign supreme in its domain in tackling the problems in the region? Is it that the Federal government wanted a situation where the region will take up arms, only for it to swoop on the militants or region to carry out genocidal elimination of whole communities inhabited by the elderly, women, children and innocent youths?After the military destruction of the affected communities, is the federal or state government to the local government going to carry out the rehabilitation of these communities or the affected innocent as listed above are going to be left on their own in their worsened situation? Although the military or the federal thought that the battle is over, a new strategy to foster the determination of the militants may crop up and no military man or woman will be a victim of the renewed assault in the region.The insurgence of the militants is a consequence of a problem allowed to developed over the years. This ought not to be so. The right justice should have been done gradually all these years. This crisis in the Niger Delta region cannot surface in Libya, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, and those other oil rich nations. But it is unfortunate that our leaders have been too irrationally busy neglecting a vital integral part of the Nigerian nation for selfish interest. Justice should be seen to have been done to the Niger-Deltans.After the current military action in the Niger Delta, no one can predict the next new dimension that may be employed to continue the agitation in the region. What if there arise ‘operation oil companies must quit Nigeria’? No one can tell the dimension the operation may take. Not as one may be seeing today will it be tomorrow. Indeed, tomorrow is enormously unpredictable.Today, there is a new dimension in criminality which the law seriously frown at, unlike embezzlement and misappropriation of public fund by public officials. This crime of kidnapping, nay, ‘adultnapping’, because adults are now the victims of this crime, and then demand for a handsome ransom for the release of any held victim is just beginning. But when tomorrow comes, the operators of this wealth making machines may device a means where, because the bird hunter has learnt to shoot without missing, the birds will learn to fly without perching. It is not enough for the kidnappers to be trailed and nabbed, it is important to know whether unemployment is the cause of this exercise or it is sheer wickedness. As Nigeria is advancing, our leaders are taking good care of themselves while neglecting the masses, as Niger Delta has been neglected. It is better to treat public fund embezzlers as much as armed robbers and kidnappers would be treated.When tomorrow comes, the unemployed but employable graduates may decide to do something that might terrify the government. This is because they cannot continue to be commercial motor-cycle riders and GSM recharge card sellers with the certificates Nigerian Universities authority find them worthy to be given. If they have not merited their certificates, the authority of the universities would not have issued them the certifying document. Massive employment should be given to our youths or graduates, the embargo on employment should be lifted. When this is done, it is a way to pre-empt the unpredictable and unforeseen ugly tomorrow.As we await the return from Babylon of our children that have wandered away in search of greener pasture. If our leaders refuse to let Nigeria be tangibly blessed like ‘Bethlehem,’ our ‘Naomis’ might return hopelessly. When they decided to return home, if our leaders cannot contend with their famished induced suicide, they can contend with the kind of profession or job they decide to offer themselves. The job may not give peace to our leaders since the returnees have no peace. There should be appreciative provision for our people, the masses of Nigeria, so that this nation will not be turned into a nation of evil or where Satan has his headquarters on earth.
Read more…
Tears, disbelief in city as news of Michael Jackson's death spreads
The Rev. Al Sharpton, holding a black and white photo with him and Michael Jackson, speaks to members of the media in front of the Apollo Theater.
Mazur/WireImage
Michael Jackson performs at the MTV Movie Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York City in September, 1995.
Related News
ARTICLES
'King of Pop' Michael Jackson has died
Farber: Jackson will always be the 'King of Pop'
A wave of shock and tears washed over the city Thursday night as New Yorkers mourned the sudden death of Michael Jackson with memories of how his music touched their lives.
At the Apollo Theater in Harlem, fans stared in disbelief as the marquee was changed to read "In memory of Michael Jackson, a true Apollo legend."
Spontaneous dancing broke out in the middle of 125th St. when someone began blaring Jackson's 1983 hit "Billie Jean."
Hundreds of young and middle-aged fans started chanting, "Michael! Michael! Michael!"
"I was walking down the street when someone told me," said Denise Blair, 47, of Harlem. "I just started crying."
Standing in front of the theater where Jackson last performed in 2002, Cobar Craton, 54, reminisced on first seeing The Jackson 5 in the late 1960s.
"When we were kids we went to see Michael Jackson right here before he was big," Craton said. "It was amazing. You could see the talent then. I really feel down, really sad."
In Times Square, a teary-eyed Francis Ayalla held up Jackson's most popular CD, "Thriller." Ayalla, 50, of the Bronx noted that she is the same age as the 13-time Grammy winner and that his songs provided the sound track to her life.
"All you can do is just keep crying. There's nothing else you can do," said Ayalla, who heard he was dead when a subway conductor announced it over the loud speakers of an uptown No. 2 train.
Pedro Broges, 17, of Queens said Jackson's timeless music has a universal appeal that spanned generations.
"I'm broken, just broken on the inside because I love his music, I loved his dancing and I'm so sad to hear that he's gone," Broges said. "He's the King of Pop and even though he's gone, he'll always be the King of Pop."
Dena Barnes, 21, of Brooklyn couldn't believe his eyes as he and hundreds of others stared up at the JumboTron in Times Square showing the stunning news.
"He's amazing," Barnes said of Jackson, adding that he had been planning to catch the moon-walking icon's comeback tour this summer. "You see Chris Brown and Usher and you see where they got it from; they got it from Michael Jackson."
At the Atlantic Ave. subway stop in Brooklyn, Yudelka Albuquerque, 36, paused to take in the breathtaking news. Growing up in the Dominican Republic, Albuquerque, of Crown Heights recalled Jackson's music playing in homes and on street corners.
"In my country, everybody loves his music," said Albuquerque.
Brooklyn cop Tyreon Cook, 48, smiled as he remembered how he and his brothers would dance around their home pretending to be The Jackson 5.
Greta Costa, 23, of Fort Greene, remained a fan even through Jackson's down years, when he was tried for child molestation: "We were around to see his rise and fall," Costa said. "I feel disappointed."
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2009/06/25/2009-06-25_tears_disbelief_in_city_as_news_of_michael_jacksons_death_spreads_.html#ixzz0JVkr29NU&D
Read more…
Pop star Michael Jackson has died after suffering a heart attack, it has been reported.
Media reports have said the star, 50, was taken to hospital in Los Angeles after he was found not breathing in his Holmby Hills home earlier.
Celebrity website TMZ said 911 operators received an emergency call about 12.12pm local time (5.12am AEST).
"We're told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back," the website reported.
Jackson is believed to have gone into cardiac arrest and paramedics performed CPR on him en route to UCLA hospital.
The website quoted family members as saying the Thriller singer was in "really bad shape."
"We just got off the phone with Joe Jackson, Michael's dad, who says 'he is not doing well.'' the website had earlier reported.
Jackson was reportedly planning a comeback and was living in Los Angeles while rehearsing a series of 50 sold-out shows in London, the LATimes has reported.
Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics had rushed to the singer's $100,00-a-month rented home near Sunset Boulevard to find him not breathing, according to the newspaper
Read more…
IT is one place in Kaduna where people of all ages visit to while away the time and catch some fun.
adv.ertisem.entclick for NollyWood videos on utube4naija
They call it Obalende, perhaps after the ever- bustling area in a Lagos suburb known for women, wine and other illicit acts which men commit under the darkness of the night. Kaduna’s Obalende is located in the heart of Kaduna North, along the ever- busy Bonny Road and Maiduguri Road. It is a place that, in recent times, carved a niche for itself as the last point standing in an area that once craved to be a religious enclave.
To most city dwellers in the old crocodile city (Kaduna means Crocodiles), it is no longer news that Obalende is a place where fun seeking men could get women of easy virtue, beer or other alcoholic drink to buy and sneak into a nearby hotel for a short fling or a full length sexual adventure. Obalende has now turned into an area where, perhaps due to the global economic downturn and high unemployment rate, boys neatly dressed could be seen parading the area in anticipation of lady toasters who normally drive in big cars to pick such boys to hidden destinations after agreeing on fee.
Hard as Sunday Tribune tried to talk to one Kusa who claimed to be in his early 20s, about his being a male prostitute in an area where even female prostitution is frowned at, the discussion could not last long because he demanded for beer and a roasted chicken before the discussion could continue. To him, it is an exciting adventure where apart from the economic benefit, “rich and healthy women from all religions and social strata patronise us under strict confidentiality.”
He however explained further that it is an exciting experience to be involved in the oldest trade as a man, because even if one is not going to be paid, the frills and thrills are enough to provide one with all the joy and excitement one would need to convert loneliness and forget about being neglected in a world dominated by a lucky few.
Big women with bulging handbags, some of them easily mistaken to be married, besiege the area at night to pick the young Turks on patrol for subsequent sexual adventure. Although Kusa tried to avoid questions since what he requested for were not forthcoming, he however expressed delight that he was able to save up to N37,000 in recent times from an exciting encounter with two able women who were,presumably sex starved by their spouses.
“All we do is to get dressed at night, stay in a nearby corner and the women come in big, tinted-glass cars talking to us. They always pretend to get lost while driving and would cajole one of us to offer a helping hand. As soon as you get into their cars, negotiation proper begins and they offer as much as N2,000 for an erotic encounter.”adv.ertisem.entclick for NollyWood videos on utube4naija
Kusa said they used to enjoy great patronage at the NAF Club area before they were forced to leave, adding that nothing could be so sweet than to be in the bosom of an healthy lady who dishes out cash to her young Romeo in appreciation of a sexual encounter. The NAF Club area, he remembered with nostalgia, was more lucrative because of its strategic nature and high brow status. Even young girls, he said, oftentime negotiate to them although they don’t pay as much.
Corroborating what Kusa said, a manager of one of the hotels near the NAF Club area, who craved for anonymity, said male prostitution flourishes in the area. In spite of the constant harassment, such boys continue to find their ways into the area to try their luck especially when there are visiting artists who normally attract a large audience comprising of mainly ladies.
The manager referred Sunday Tribune to a lady, Kristie who he said, would tell more on how the racket operates because some of the “gigolos” were her friends but the lady could not say much as she ran away to a nearby shop laughing.
One good thing about Obalende is that business is always a 24-hour thing in the area. It houses several popular hotels and brothels where ladies from all parts of the country could be found. Interestingly, they always insist on condoms unless if the client is ready to pay extra charge before they zero their mind on what they call “suicide.”Some of the commercial sex workers, who flood the area, also agree on “petrol or gas.” Petrol, they say, means the normal pussy and dick game while gas is anal sex which in recent times, appears to be gaining much ground among those in the expensive enterprise. Petrol at its best, fetches nothing more than N2,000 per night but gas would attract from N20,000 to N30,000,according to investigation.Business, the ladies say, was good during the recent Kada games because the area is close to the Ahmadu Bello Stadium.
Sex workers operating in the area could be full time or short time depending on the economic strength of the client, but the police in recent times have made sure that short flings in cars are not easily possible. Luckily for them, cheap hotels abound where one could pay a token of between N200 to N500 for an hour or two with his Juliet. According to an insider, those on short-time are the girls occupying the brothels who dress in skimpy clothes to attract customers by dancing to sweet pop and high life tunes to catch the attention of men. Business is however, not as usual as the police patrol the area regularly to make sure that it is not a hideout for men of the underworld.adv.ertisem.entclick for NollyWood videos on utube4naijaRead more…
Am sure we are all familiar with this story, well if you are not, you will be shortly. Let's have your views on what you make of this. Should we say Old School vs New School ......?Banky W's response to 'A Nation's Identity Crisis' by Reuben Abatihttp://bankyw.blogspot.com/2009/06/my-response-to-recent-guardian.htmlMy response to the recent Guardian Newspaper Article by Mr Reuben AbatiThis is my response to the article entitled "A Nation's Identity Crisis" that recently ran in The Guardian Newspapers. It was written by Dr Reuben Abati, a well respected name in Nigerian Journalism. His original article can be found here: http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/editorial_opinion/article02//indexn2_html?pdate=210609&ptitle=A%20NationDear Sir,In the immortal words attributed to P.T. Barnum, "I don't care what the newspapers say about me, at least spell my name right." My name IS Banky W, full name being Olubankole Wellington. Not Willington, as you stated in your article entitled "A Nation's Identity Crisis". I read the piece repeatedly, and found that misspelling my name wasn’t the only error. At it's worst, the article seemed like an attempt to discredit and slander an entire generation of artistes and consumers, and at best it came across as having some valid points but being grossly misinformed, prejudiced, and hypocritical; definitely not what we would expect of a highly regarded publication as The Guardian, or from a person in Mr Abati's position.In the very least, the article warrants a well-informed response. I have little doubt in my mind that it will generate a slew of responses, positive and negative, and as one of the many subjects that was mentioned in the write-up, I feel compelled to voice my opinion (with all due respect) on some of the issues that were raised in your piece. What I'm going to attempt to do is to directly address issues that stood out and resonated most with me.The writer asked "What's in a name?" and went on to honor a "...generation which sang music under its real names, not abbreviations or slangs"; this would have been a valid point if he had not himself mentioned Greats like King Sunny Ade (real name: Sunday Adeniyi), I.K. Dairo (Isaiah Kehinde Dairo), and Ebenezer Obey (Real name: Ebenezer Remilekun Aremu Olasupo Fabiyi- Wow!!!). We could also point out other legends like Ras Kimono and Majek Fashek as others who, for creative or other reasons, saw it fit to have stage names that happen to differ from what's on their passports. Shortening of full names and/or the crafting of stage names is not something new from our generation of artistes that "lack the discipline or the patience to write complete sentences" as you said; rather, it's the creative right of an artiste to go by whatever moniker he sees fit. And if we want to talk about the names of today, we can highlight a few: Eldee - actually L.D. which stands for Lanre Dabiri, similar to Isaiah Kehinde Dairo's transition to I.K. Dairo. Naeto C and Banky W are simply short forms of their full names. In my case, my father's nickname among his friends is actually Banky as well.Furthermore, on the topic of Names and abbreviations let's set a few things straight. Nigerzie is actually spelt Nigezie and is not an abbreviation for Nigeria. It's a TV Show, much like Soundcity or Hip TV, except they choose to incorporate "representing Nigeria" in their name. It's like the "United Colors of Bennetton", or DKNY, both companies that choose to represent their locations or origins in their name. Also, for the record, Gidi doesn't mean Nigeria either. It's a term for Lagos... coined from "Las Gidi". And as far as the popular term "Naija" goes, who remembers Shina Peters singing "♫ Naija lo wa yi o o o, wa jo, afro juju lo gb'ode ♫" I hate to point out that our generation did not come up with that term... the "golden age" that you long for did.As an editorial head of a National Newspaper, you owe it to your public to at least do proper and accurate research before printing an article. The risk in not doing so, is you might unknowingly mislead your readers, and you might actually come across as being ignorant or out of touch. A quick look at all the reference names of artistes and songs mentioned in the article goes to show that the author was sadly way off base in his accusations and examples. For instance, to make a point on how today’s Nigerian artistes lyrics are meaningless and prurient, he referenced the Rooftop MC's song "La Gi Mo". What he failed to realize or crosscheck, is that the said song is probably one of the most meaningful and important songs that have been released in the last few years on the Nigerian Music Scene. The Rooftop MC's are actually a Rap Group that leans to the Gospel or at least Socially Conscious side of music, and their songs always have a positive message. That song itself talks about the errors we make by trying to take God's glory for our success... getting caught up in the limelight and asking God to bring you back to reality to know that HE deserves the praise for where you are.The author mentioned other songs like D'banj's "Fall in Love", and doesn't realize how hypocritical he sounds by attempting to ridicule some of our most popular love songs. Felix Liberty sang "Ifeoma, ifeoma, I want to marry you", D'banj sang "Omo U don make me fall in love" and Banky W sang "Till my dying day, I'll love you". Barring a difference in musical styling, are these songs not cut from the same cloth? Why can't someone in Mr Abati's position be proud of the fact that at Nigerian and African Weddings nowadays, couples are choosing these songs to mark their first dances instead of previous choices like “Endless Love”? Why can't we appreciate that the days of going to Nigerian Parties and clubs and celebrating to foreign music “all night long” are long gone? Despite these facts, you still see International festivals and concerts being held in Nigeria where the foreign acts are paid 30 to 40 times what some of our biggest stars are allowed to charge.I have to disagree with the author's views. We are not all one and the same, but we ARE artistes. We may sing, rap, dance, mime, perform, play instruments or whatever else; but we are artistes. And Composers. And musicians. We may not all play the piano or the guitar, but neither does Michael Jackson, arguably the world's greatest artiste/entertainer. That's why he teamed up with producer Quincy Jones to create some of the best music anyone had ever heard. We have our own producers that have shaped Nigerian sound...people like Cobhams Asuquo, Don Jazzy, I.D. Cabasa, Dr Frabz, Tee-Y mix, Eldee, Terry G etc. That list goes on. These music minds are no less credible than those of Mr Abati's time, like the great Laolu Akins.Far be it from us to claim that we are perfect and flawless in our art... we know that we are still growing and have lots of areas to improve, but the truth of the matter is we have worked very hard to create the industry we have now, and some people choose to criticize and lambaste most of us, instead of helping and teaching us. That is unfair. Yes, some artistes sag their jeans... however, a glance at the pages of THISDAY style or the recently concluded awards shows will show you very clearly that others wear three-piece suits and traditional attires just as proudly, myself included. This music industry that you have very clearly disapproved of has partnered with and given rise to the fashion industry in Nigeria as well. Just ask Designers like Mai, Babs Familusi (Exclamations Couture), the Okunorens, Muyiwa Osindero and countless others. Everything from the t-shirts and jeans rappers wear, to the shoes and suits are made by young Nigerians, where in previous years people preferred to shop in London. The youth-driven industries in Entertainment and Fashion have teamed up to thrust Nigeria into the world's positive spotlight, when for many years our dear country was mostly known for corruption, lack of infrastructure, and security issues.Our country has not yet given us steady electricity, adequate education, safety from armed robbers or standard healthcare, yet artistes have risen like the Roses that grow from Concrete... and these very artistes love and represent their country proudly on a global stage. This music industry has given hope, jobs and income to countless youth of today. We are Rappers, Singers, Producers, Sound Engineers, Managers, Promoters, Marketing Consultants, Record Label Owners and we will not apologize for making the best of our circumstances; and all this in spite of the fact that we have Marketers that exploit but refuse to pay for our Musical pieces, Royalties and Publishing income that hitherto has been non-existent, a Government that is just now very slowly starting to enforce anti-piracy laws, and Event Organizers that would rather pay 50 Cent One Million US Dollars than give D'banj or P-Square 5 Million Naira.You were right on some counts. We ARE businessmen and women, and we ARE interested in extending name recognition and brand extension. You were also right in that we look up to people like Jay-Z, who took their music and created multimillion-dollar empires. Since when did ambition and desire to succeed against all odds count against a person’s moral character? Shouldn’t we be encouraged to pay more attention to the business side of “Show Business”? Shouldn’t we want this music industry to provide for our future and the futures of our children?We know we have a moral responsibility when it comes to our Creative works. Some of us pay more attention to it than others, and there is lots of ground to cover up. But how about a little appreciation and help, instead of trying to tear us down and discredit us? Time will tell whose music will last and become evergreen, but it is not in anyone's place to judge; and for the record, can we just accept that fact that hip hop music is an artform that is probably here to stay... I mean for goodness sake the Grammy's has!! Instead of fighting the change, we should learn to embrace it. I thank God for people like the great Adewale Ayuba that have reached across to our generation to collaborate with, bridge the gap, and help us improve.We want to learn but your generation has to teach. We want to read but the Government must provide libraries. We want to go to school but the lecturers keep going on strike. We want to travel but previous generations messed up so they won’t give out visas. Most of prefer having our own live bands but the income needed to support that is not forthcoming.You speak of meaninglessness and prurience, identity crisis and moral turpitude. You praise Legends like Fela Anikulakpo-Kuti and you ridicule us. 9ice does not drink or smoke. eLDee is married to one wife. Olu Maintain does not drink. Naeto C is currently obtaining his Masters’ degree in England. The ironic thing is, we look up to and praise your generation too. You seem to forget that Baba Fela had 27 wives, smoked marijuana in public, was himself half naked at shows (as well as the women around him) and allegedly died of HIV. However we look past what some may consider shortcomings and respect and emulate the immense contributions he made to our history. We are in awe of him despite personal choices that some may or may not agree with. All we are asking for is to be appreciated and afforded similar tolerances.You danced to Shina Peters. Let us dance to our music. And for the record: for every "Anoti" by MI, he has a "Crowd Mentality" or a "Talk about it". For a Naeto C's "Ki Ni Big Deal", he has a "The Devil is a Liar". Just because an artiste uses a particular song to promote his album for commercial reasons, doesn't mean they should be judged on that alone. Anyone that is familiar with the cost of promoting an album (videos, press, etc) would know that you end up making hard decisions in terms of what you have to push and promote, for your best chance at success. I suggest that you buy whole albums and look at the body of work. Listen to the entire CD’s. I think you'll find that more often than not, Nigerian artistes are doing a pretty good job of representing this great Country of Nigeria. Naija Till We Die. Yes Boss.Sincerely,~ Banky W.
Read more…
He should get an Airbus to help Aviation in naija !adv.ertisem.entclick for NollyWood videos on utube4naija AndyUba Airways !
Though Andy Uba has no bank account in his name, huhuonline.com can disclose that the former special assistant (domestic affair) to President Obasanjo just took delivery of a N49 billion private jet. To conceal the entire transaction from law enforcement and media huhuonline learnt that Andy Uba instructed that the jet be delivered to his bossom friend Sayoe Dantata.
Andy Uba for eight years was the go to guy, he reigned supreme in Aso villa as the un elected defacto vice-president under President Olusegun Obasanjo, he determined who, where and when people could see the former president. His influence was monumental, thus revered. Many cabinet ministers had to submit their official memo for him to peruse prior to submitting to President Obasanjo for approval.
adv.ertisem.entclick for NollyWood videos on utube4naija
Andy Uba, hired as personal assistance domestic, with job description such as ensure that tuition fees of Obasanjo many children are paid as at when due, also doubled as President Obasanjo`s official pimp, as he was noted for driving his government assigned pimpmobile to the homes and offices of female minister to chauffeur them .
Recall that Farida Waziri led Economic and Financial Crime Commission commenced what has been viewed largely as a clampdown on politicians believed to have close ties with ex-president Obasanjo. This huhuonline .com learnt is Andy Uba `s worst nightmare. Sources close to him told our correspondent that trepidation has become his stock in trade, alleged to be one of the richest men in Nigeria; Andy Uba has no bank account to his name in Nigeria.
Andy Uba huhuonline 9jabooks media partner learnt is now Persona non grata (PNG) with President Yar`dua, our impeccable sources within the villa told that since the election tribunal bribery saga, which was widely reported in the media, President Umaru Yar`dua has refused to have an audience with the embattled governor in waiting.
we gathered that the bribe money which was leaked to the media, was a major source of embarrassment for President Yar`dua, and it appears he is taking it personal, which is a complete departure from his mantra ?I don?t see what people do to me but what they do for me? . Andy Uba sources within the presidency disclosed provided the funds. But conception theorist has it that the funds actually came from Forbes list billionaire Aliko Dangote, who is not a favorite of the Yar`dua administration.
Aliko Dangote a monopolist by nature, abhor competition, under President Obasanjo, his fortune ascended, notable was Dan sugar. But since the advent of the Yar`dua administration, Dangote group has lost its monopoly, particularly in cement and sugar. Thus provision of funds for bribery and subsequent leak to the media was a calculated attempt to mortify Umaru Yar`dua led government, however, his friend Andy Uba took the fall for fear of the after effect of reprisal. Recall Andy Uba does business by proxies.
Andy Uba Emergence in the power game
But for Atiku`s greed, Andy Uba probably would have remained just a pimp for Obasanjo. To be continued
adv.ertisem.entclick for NollyWood videos on utube4naijaRead more…
Three weeks ago, gunmen attacked the Aninri Divisional Police Station, Enugu State, killed two policemen and injured three others including a female police officer.
The gunmen did not only leave a tale of sorrow at the station but went ahead to set fire on all police patrol vans sighted within the vicinity at the time of their operation, which was reportedly executed in commando style.
It was learnt that the gunmen stormed Aninri Police Station in exotic vehicles including a jeep and unleashed their superior firepower on policemen, who were on duty as of the time of the attack.
Two of the policemen were caught by the bullets and they died instantly while others including the female police officer escaped with bullet wounds.
The Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Eneh, narrowly escaped from the gunmen.
The gang, after setting the police patrol vehicles at the station on fire, escaped. However, a source linked the shooting at Aninri Police Station to a disagreement between two rival groups in Mpu community, the home of Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu.
It was learnt that a self-acclaimed witch doctor in one group allegedly charmed a young man belonging to the rival group. In reprisal, the other group took laws into their hands and killed the said witch doctor.
Following the killing, the police moved into Mpu town and rounded up some young men, believed to have participated in the killing and who it was gathered, were loyalists of some politicians in the area.
Even as controversy over the killing was raging, a report came to the police station that robbers were operating in a nearby community. The police reportedly swung into action and gave the robbers a hot pursuit but the bandits abandoned their operational vehicles at a point in the same Mpu community and escaped.
When the policemen could not get the robbers, they forcefully arrested some youths of the community and took them to the station.
The arrest of the youths reportedly stirred up the shooting at the police station that led to the death of the two policemen.
However Amaraizu said that only one policeman died in the Mpu incident. The police spokesperson told Daily Independent on phone that the manhunt for the perpetrators was ongoing.
About the same period, Enugu State Focal Person of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Uche Ani, was also abducted from his Enugu residence by suspected kidnappers.
It was gathered that Ani who rode on his official Land Cruiser jeep, was returning to his residence at No 38 Igbariam Street, Achalla Layout, Enugu, when he was waylaid by the kidnappers, who operated on a 604 Peugeot vehicle.
The incident occurred around 9.pm.
Just as the victim parked in front of his gate, the hoodlums parked their car beside his jeep, swiftly alighted and ordered him to come down from the jeep at gun point.
As Ani came down from the vehicle, he was reportedly beaten up and forced into the Peugoet car before the vehicle sped off.
Ani regained his freedom after spending a week in the den of his abductors.
Daily Independent gathered that he has re-united with his family but the details of his release were yet to be disclosed by Police.
The UNDP official added to the long list of those who had fallen victim to kidnappers in Enugu in the past six months.
Other notable victims include Francis Edemobi, younger brother of Minister of Information and Communication, Prof. Dora Akunyili; South East Regional Manager of Guarantee Trust Bank, Kingsley Osuala; son of Ifeanyi Ononiba, an Enugu-based hotelier and Ngozi Ngene, the wife of chairman of Enugu South Local Government Area, Sam Ngene.
Apart from Ononiba, who allegedly paid N5 million ransom to secure his son's freedom, police lived up to expectation in most other cases, setting the victims free and apprehending suspected kidnappers.
Read more…
Universities, federal and state, are in for another wandering in the wilderness, having been grounded on Monday as lecturers began an indefinite strike over the failure of the Federal Government to sign an agreement reached between them and Abuja's representatives.
adv.ertisem.entclick for NollyWood videos on utube4naija
Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) President, Ukachukwu Awuzie, said reports confirmed that all members complied.
He recalled in a telephone interview that it took two and a half years for the government team, led by industrialist Gamaliel Onosode, and the ASUU to reach a fresh agreement, which the ASUU has signed but is being ignored by the government.
He accused the government of pushing the union to the wall and into a strike, despite the 30 months of negotiation and another six months' wait for Abuja to sign and implement the pact.
Lecturers at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) joined the strike, as well as those of the Lagos State University (LASU), where candidates for the post University Matriculation Examination (post UME) were not allowed to enter the campus.
UNILAG lecturer and ASUU South West Co-ordinator, Yomi Akinyeye, said member-universities have no option than to fall into line.
The message got to Senators, who slammed President Umaru Yar'Adua for failing to implement agreements the government has with the ASUU.
Senate Spokesman, Ayogu Eze, said it is proper and responsible that such pacts should be honoured if they have been signed.
"The government may not have all the resources," he stressed, "but it can say 'we will give you this tomorrow; next tomorrow we give you this, one week after we give you this.'"
He urged the government to call the lecturers to a roundtable and honour any agreement already signed, because this is a government that is committed to due process and the rule of law.
"Due process is when you reach an agreement, you follow the agreement; when you make a promise, you follow (up on) your promise.
"Our take in the Senate is that the educational sector is so crucial to the foundation of this country that we cannot toy with it and we want to urge the lecturers to exercise some restraint once more while we talk to the executive to find a way to meet their aspirations based on the resources available to it."
Awuzie recounted that the government and the ASUU negotiating teams searched for a minimum point from which the university system could reverse the brain drain and ensure a large pool of scholars who would help to reposition Nigeria.
He maintained that Nigerian universities need urgent intervention from the government to fulfill their potential, stressing that the agreement, if implemented, could transform them into some of the best in the world, and facilitate the country becoming a leading economy in the world.
He canvassed that education should continue to be funded by the treasury because of its importance to national development.
Before the telephone interview, Awuzie had told a press conference in Akure that four major issues negotiated by the government and the ASUU included sufficient funding of university education, lecturers' condition of service, university autonomy, and greater accessibility to university education.
"The two teams agreed that, to begin the process of repositioning the university system as envisaged, a required minimum of funds should be provided for public universities, federal and state, without compromising the goals and integrity of universities."
He said the negotiating teams agreed that if Nigeria is to get where it ought to be in world education ranking, a minimum 26 per cent of annual federal and state budgets should be allocated to education.
He also disclosed that the teams agreed on and proposed an amendment to Education Tax Fund Act to make it an effective intervention to rehabilitate, restore, and reposition the tertiary institutions in order to develop a knowledge-based society.
"We arrived at an agreement on conditions of service that could motivate scholars sufficiently to stay in our country and teach, do research and community service, assuming that a good degree of patriotism would make up for the differences that might obtain in African countries that raid Nigeria for academics."
Awuzie said the failure of Abuja to sign the agreement has resulted in the loss of over 20,000 lecturers who have relocated to other Africa countries and Europe for greener pastures.
"We keep hearing of actions that are entirely foreign to the collective bargaining process; the government setting up a Technical Committee on an agreement without reference to the negotiating team, a Ministerial Committee set up with terms of reference that would entirely nullify the essence of the negotiated agreement.
"Our members have come to the conclusion that over two and a half years of patience is enough. They feel betrayed, duped, and do not want to suffer any more psychological or moral trauma."
Members of the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) joined the strike at the University of Ibadan (UI).
The NASU said its own would last for seven days for now; but that of the ASUU is "total and indefinite," insisted local ASUU Chairman, Ademola Aremu, who recalled that the lecturers staged a warning strike about a month ago to sensitise both Abuja and the public.
Second semester examination could not begin on Monday as scheduled.
Aremu explained that there ''is nothing new in the agitation of the ASUU aside the request for the signing of the agreement it reached with the government as far back as last year, and until the government signs it, the strike will continue.
"Painful as it is, there is nothing we can do to avert it as the demands contained in the agreement are for the future of university education in the country."
Members of the NASU were more confrontational, as they prevented vehicles from entering or leaving the UI campus, at which entrance they spread mats.
However, UI chapter NASU Chairman, Olusola Fatoki, denied that his colleagues blockaded the roads, arguing that they spread mats at the gate to pray to God to touch the hearts of the people in power in Abuja.
"Prayer can be offered anywhere, and this is an abnormal situation which calls for an abnormal approach. That is why our decision to pray on the road should not be seen as out of place.
"We are having a government that has remained insensitive and irresponsive, and we believe that it is only prayer that can change its heart of stone," he added.
Fatoki explained that the NASU has no problem with UI authorities as its demands could only be met by the government.
"There is nothing anyone can do, it is a national matter."
adv.ertisem.entclick for NollyWood videos on utube4naija
UI Public Relations Officer, Adejoke Akinpelu, lamented that the academic calendar will be adversely affected, and ''we can only hope that the government would accede to the (unions') requests as soon as possible.''
Read more…
advertisementclick for NollyWood videos on utube4naija
by Danladi Usuman
News Adapted from Wikipedia, Daily Sun & http://www.9jawiki.com The Encycleopedia Nig.er.ian.ica
Obviously as a Gift on Father's Day Mohammed has decided to continue where is father stopped .
Mohammed Abacha, the eldest son of the former Nigeria Head of State, late General Sani Abacha, is set to join one of the existing political parties in the country, a declaration that would symbolically mark the beginning of the family’s quest to return public life. The Abachas had abruptly been cut off the national leadership scene when their patriarch, Gen. Abacha, suddenly died some 11 years ago, while still serving as the Military Head of State.
Mohammed Abacha before we forget
In 1999, Mohammed Abacha was arrested and charged with the murder of Kudirat Abiola (wife of MKO Abiola) and the attempted murder of Alex Ibru (head of Guardian Newspaper - an opposition newspaper).
In 2002 same moHommed Abacha was ultimately acquitted and released by President Olusegun Obasanjo.
a supposed secret admirer of the abacha Family from the long standing Military relationship with Abacha the elder This was after an agreement was reached between the government and the Abacha family that they would hand over the balance of funds embezzled during his father's rule, Which obviously The balance of that HUGE amount of Stolen funds Mohammed wants to use As the Comeback Kid of A DESPOT !
The Audacity of the Plan shows he his his fathers Son .Decisively Stupid and Ruthless.
Musa Umar Kazaure of The Weekly Trust said that the move was politically motivated.[3] The prison did not immediately release Mohammed Abacha after Obasanjo acquitted him.
ON April 18, 2005 Justice Amina Adamu Augie of the Court of Appeal in Abuja said that Mohammed Abacha would undergo a trial at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory due to offenses related to the stealing of public funds. Mohammed Abacha filed an appeal to fight the judgment.[4]
As of 2008 he is married with two children, a son named after his father and a daughter. ( SO BE CERTAIN HE LOVES HIS FATHER LIKE ANY GOOD SON BUT IS HE A GOOD PERSON OR GOING TO BE A GOOD LEADER ?)
This is the question mark The people in KANO and the REST of Nigeria have to Answer
advertisementclick for NollyWood videos on utube4naija
A very credible source told 9jabook sources in Kano that Alhaji Mohammed Abacha, when he eventually steps out into the political fray in the days ahead, is most likely going to pitch his tent with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) adding that so far, discussions between him and some of the stakeholders of the party, both in Kano State and in Abuja, have reached an advanced stage.
It is speculated that the younger Abacha, upon his admission into the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would immediately set his eyes on the Kano State Government House, hoping to emerge as the gubernatorial candidate of the PDP and eventually, the governor of the state by 2011. Incidentally, the Abacha Abachas are believed to have had a long-standing romance with the All Nigerian Peoples Party Party (ANPP), especially in Kano, where the party, at some stage, even road on the seeming popularity of the Abachas with the common Kano folks. It is still not clear what brought about the u-turn to PDP.
A new power equation
At the helm of the coordination of the highly guarded proposal is Alhaji Umar Gano Bayero (not directly related to the emirate). Alhaji Bayero, a former gubernatorial candidate of the Action Congress in the 2007 polls is a close confidant of the family and one of the associates of the former governor of the old Kano State, Alhaji Abubakar Rimi.
His central role in the entire project has since led to the belief that, should the proposal work out as projected, Alhaji Abacha might not be joining the Kwankwaso’s faction of the party, which sources told the 9jabook is frightened by the prospect of this new factor to the political balance of the party in the state and yet hopeful, the young man might join the faction in the end.
Already, a proposal for the formation of an eight- man Central Working Committee that would manage this ambition is in the offing. Sources said the names of the members of the committee were carefully selected to represent the seriousness of the new deal, adding however that their initial meeting, which should have taken place by now, was placed on suspension pending the fresh registration exercise of the party in the state which is billed for next week. It was also gathered that the meeting was caused to slow down with a view to allowing the CWC have a glimpse of the nature of the party’s congresses and the shape of the incoming executive of the state.
“The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) offers the young Abacha a number of benefits, including the fact that it is the party in government at the national level and a party that stands an average chance to win the next gubernatorial election in the state, if the right candidate and the right leadership is put to work,” said the source.
The source opined that a character from the Abacha’s family would invariably excite the top notchers of the PDP in the country, arguing that Alhaji Mohammed Abacha fits into the kind of personality the party and those sympathetic to the interest of president Yar Adua need to balance the power equation in the party in the state.
2011 guber in the mix
In reference to the 2011 battle in the state and for the survival of the president, the source added: “You see Alhaji Mohammed is very, very rich. PDP and indeed, Yar’Adua would be interested in such a person who can spend his own money for the sake of the party. This is typical of the Yar’Adua we now know, that is, getting others to do his work for him while staying aloof and watching from a distance”
A number of investigations carried out by the 9jabook in Kano State recently confirmed that the relationship between the family of the former head of state and the incumbent President, Alhaji Umar Yar Adua, has been on the upward swing since the president was sworn into power, some two years ago. It was discovered that the pressure mounted on several fronts against the Abachas by the previous administration of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has been gradually relaxed for the family, if not totally suspended.
Notably among them is the easing on the tight security around the matron of the family, Hajia Mariam Abacha, who, it was gathered, has since had an ease in the restrictions placed on her movement. A security source told the 9jabook that she can now travel to any part of the world so long as she can get their visa. This new development is a sharp contrast from the restricted nature of her freedom during the eight-year rule of the past administration.
It is also on record that the former First Lady was one of the very first few jubilant Nigerians to rush to the Yar’Aduas in Kastina to celebrate their son’s election as the president of the country and on that occasion, she was well received by the then incoming First Lady, Hajia Turia Yar’Adua.
A burning ambition
9jabook also was gathered from another competent source that this is definitely not the first time that Alhaji Mohammed Abacha had plotted to join the politics of the state, adding that much as he was not in a hurry to stage a come back given the hostile climate against his family under Obasanjo, he had always kept an eye on the political development of the state, waiting for the right time to strike.
The source, a long time relation of the Abachas, recalled that the last time Mohammed had tried his hand on this long nurtured pet project, was some two and a half years ago, when the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) had tried to wreck the ambition of some serving governors, including the second term ambition of the governor of Kano State, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau.
The source stated emphatically that the Abacha son, sensing that the coast was clear, immediately flew to the Eastern part of the country to try to persuade the Chairman of the All Nigerian Peoples Party, Chief Edwin Umezeoke, to consider him for the gubernatorial ticket of the party in state in the event the incumbent governor was barred by the authorities. He observed that the move suffered a major set back when a court ruled against the barring of the governors by the EFCC.
On the chances of the young man in a complex political terrain like Kano State, the source noted that it is one thing to want to declare oneself for political service and another game all together when one is inside the political fray with all its ups and downs. He added that for now, many people are urging on Mohammed Abacha to join politics and based on this, it seems he is a popular choice of the people. He, however, expressed pains that some of these persons singing his praise worthiness are not singing it out of genuine concerns but are simply out to milk his purse.
DO YOU WANT AN ABACHA BACK IN POWER IN KANO ? obviosuly most kano people do
He stated that in the political equation of Kano state, the family of the Abachas, no doubt, enjoy some form of love and respect, despite their demonization by a section of the media in the country, but he feared that Mohammed Abacha might be his own undoing, given that he is seen as a character that does not mingle with others outside his class of select friends, adding that he rarely steps out to visit people when they are bereaved and is hardly available for other kinds of social engagements in the community. This character trait, he stated, means a lot to the people of the north and Muslims generally. Efforts to reach out Alhaji Mohammed Abacha for comment were unsuccessful.
Babangidas ,Obasanjo,, Over to your Sons & Daughters
SOON ALL THE GOVERNORS OF NIGERIA WILL BE THE SONS OF FORMER PRESIDENTS AND THEN ALL WE NEED IS THEIR KING ?
Dan Usman writes from Kano City
Read more…
