POETRY

Posted by Ambassador Lara Steve on January 7, 2011 at 6:27am

THE CROSS I BEAR

i started

with step so fast and assured,

a trek for life

a trek for survival

armed with “papers” and confidence.

every corner i turned

every place i visited

the story is the same

no vacancy please or milder;

we shall contact you soon.

i grope on,

day by day i stumble

on the rocky floors of offices

with hope that had died

ressurated time immemorable

i move about, a ghost,

with leg too worried for cares

with body tired but not retired.

the ghost is everywhere

dancing to the same rhythm

never leaves this realm

yet in another world

hangs on spider’s thread of hope

seeking what had been shared

long before I started dreaming.

omolara olufemi stephen

Delta rerun: Uduaghan leads as results trickle in

Posted by cozzy webtatafo on January 7, 2011 at 5:16am

Breaking News

INEC names Emmanuel Uduaghan as the winner of d just concluded Delta Govenorship Re- run Election.

A WINNER was yet to emerge last night in the Delta State governorship election rerun.

The votes were still being collated this morning, but there were indications that there were two leading candidates – Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan and Chief Great Ogboru.

Uduaghan is of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Ogboru is of the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP).

Fourteen political parties fielded candidates in the election..

The results released at the collation centre as at 2.10a.m. put Uduaghan ahead of his closest rival Ogboru.

But the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) identified the lapses in the exercise.

The TMG is a coalition of over 400 civil society organisations, which has been monitoring elections in the country since 1999. It deployed its observers in all the wards and the 25 local government areas in Delta State during yesterday’s rerun election.

In its preliminary report on the election signed by its chair, Mashood Erubami and Public Affairs Officer, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, the TMG listed the problems that plagued the election as: large presence of police and other security outfits; late arrival of election officials and materials in some centres; missing names in INEC voter registers; ballot snatching; harassment of voters; vote buying; and lack of secrecy at some of the voting centres.

It said the election is a template for a new dawn for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The TMG said notwithstanding these lapses, the election “went on well in majority of polling booth”. “It was generally peaceful without the reported loss of lives either by error of omission or commission, unlike before. “Expectedly, INEC officials operated above board as there were no pointed accusations against their operations, they demonstrated competence and efficiency in the conduct of the election, signposting that they were adequately trained before their deployment into the field.”

The TMG said it was not surprising that some people could not find their names on the voter register, given the fact that INEC issued the old and discredited register.

Jega gave his men a pass mark, in spite of the odds that dogged the election.

Jega spoke to reporters at the INEC office in Asaba last night after monitoring the election across the state.

He said the commission would learn from the experiences gained in the rerun election to improve on the April general elections.

He said the commission had to work extra hard in order to make a success of the rerun.

He blamed some of the political parties for exhibiting insincerity, adding after some political parties abused the trust of the commission by producing fake cards.

He said the attitude of the commission was to uphold the sanctity of one man, one vote objective.

Jega said due to the constraint of time the commission had to use the old voter register, adding that had the electoral body insisted on using a new register it would have violated the court order to conduct the rerun in 90 days.

He said the commission tried to increase the credibility of the old register by setting up a committee to scrutinise the register, adding that despite the commission’s effort some problems still arose on the register.

He admitted some of the challenges, including late arrival of election materials, snatched ballot boxes, violence and physical abuse.

Jega promised that the April elections would be better, adding that it will satisfy the yearnings of Nigerians for credible elections.

According to him, the introduction by the commission of new guidelines brought credibility into the electoral process.

He said INEC had been non-partisan while acknowledging that the commission had not conducted a perfect election but had done a good job.

He said many disenfranchised residents of riverine communities showered encomiums on INEC as this was the first time they had participated in any election.

Jega monitored several riverine communities in Burutu, Bomadi and Patani.

He praised the Youth Corps members who assisted to organise the election for their commitment.

Soldiers beat up Comedian, ‘I go dye’ at Warri rally saved by Ali Baba

Posted by NollywoodMohits on January 5, 2011 at 8:58pm

Popular comedian, Francis Agoda (I go dye) has the intervention of veteran comedian, Ali Baba to thank for saving his life on Tuesday as military men on guard at the Warri township stadium venue of Uduaghan re-run campaign almost beat life out of him and his compatriot, Ogus Baba. According to an eyewitness, the incident occurred when the two comedians allegedly attempted to force their way past the stern-looking soldiers into the stadium. The source added that the security men, who did not care about their identity, ordered them to retreat or be dealt with.

Before the two entertainers could make up their minds to withdraw from the gate, the soldiers descended on them. It took the timely intervention of Ali Baba, (who threatened to stop the show) for ‘I go dye’ to be released by his tormentors. By then, he was already reeling in agony, with blood all over him from the slashes of the horsewhips. The other comedian, Ogus Baba, who showed some bravery by attempting to save his fellow comedian from the horsewhips of the angry soldiers, was not spared either as he also got his share of the flogging. He was said to have been so badly battered that he had to be rushed to an undisclosed clinic for treatment.

Also touched by the brutality of the soldiers was a personal aide of ‘I go dye’ whose name could not be identified, and another popular comedian, ‘I Go Save’, who got some bruises on his arms and legs.

Paid to perform

In a telephone conversation, the Warri-born comedian, Mr Agoda said he came to the stadium with his entourage with the intention of performing on the stage as he had been paid by the organisers of the event.

“On getting into the stadium, I was accosted by one of the soldiers and in an attempt to answer him, the other soldier unexpectedly slapped me from behind. The most annoying thing about the whole incident was that when I tried to explain to their superior officer, a colonel, the former soldier shoved me aside and immediately, other soldiers descended on me, beating the living daylight out of me,” Mr Agoda said.

He was later treated by the medical team at the stadium after being rescued from the soldiers by Ali Baba, who condemned the act of the uniformed men...

Mr Agoda has demanded for a public apology from the military for violating his “fundamental human right.” “This must be published in national newspapers,” he said.

Worshippers Pay N1,000 To Enter Oyakhilome's Christ Embassy Church

Posted by 9jabook.com on January 5, 2011 at 11:27pm

in Lagos, South-West Nigeria, is being turned into show business as members were made to part with N1, 000 each as gate fee before they could enter their church to attend the New Year’s Eve service, P.M.NEWS can reveal.

it was confirmed that only members who could afford the N1, 000 gate fee were allowed into the premises of Christ Embassy Headquarters at Oregun, Lagos, where self-styled cleric and business man, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, preached on 31 December 2010.

The N1,000 ticket at Oyakhilome's Christ Embassy church

Indigent members who could not afford the N1, 000 tickets, were denied access and sent back by security men at the gate, it was learnt.

The church, a source said, realised about N25 million from about 25, 000 members who bought the tickets.

It was gathered that the church informed its members that it decided to impose a gate fee to control the huge crowd that always besiege the church on the New Year’s Eve church service.

“Pastor said that to control the crowd and only allow genuine members who could do anything to be in church, it was good to pay a gate fee. Last year for instance, even senior pastors in the church could not secure a seat in the church on New Year’s Eve service,” our source said.

The ticket, bought by our correspondent, was still on sale today, five days after the New Year’s church service took place.

A copy of the ticket has the following information printed on it: “one service…different locations worldwide impact! Time: 7 pm, Venue: Loveworld Convocation Arena, N1,000, December 31st New Year’s Eve Service With Pastor Chris.”

There is also a bold picture of Oyakhilome wearing one of his flashy suits. On the background there is a huge crowd in adulation of the man who once boasted that he will never be broke in life...

At the back of the ticket is a bold inscription : “ This ticket admists one person.”

The development, described as scandalous by those who got a glimpse of it, is unprecedented in the history of Christianity in Nigeria.

In the medieval period, similar scandals led to the break-away of Martin Luther from the Catholic church. This led to the formation of the Protestant movement.

At that time, Catholic priests were collecting money, known as indulgences, from worshippers before they could confess their sins.

These indulgences had become big business in much the same way pledge drives have become big business in Nigeria.

The development outraged Luther and others who kicked against it, quit the church and founded the protestant movement.

The latest scandal in Oyakhilome’s church comes only weeks after he appeared before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to answer questions on money laundering allegations.

According to TheNews magazine edition of 13 December 2010, the alleged laundering of $35 million by Christ Embassy was traced by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission with the help of foreign partners.

The magazine reported that Oyakhilome and money have had a bitter-sweet relationship. While money has brought him a lush lifestyle: an eye-popping auto collection, a movie-star wardrobe of stylish suits and choice properties that include a stunning church auditorium, it has also brought him an arm-long list of scandals.

— Simon Ateba

Millions of dead fish and birds found around the world is this a SIGN from "Mother" Earth

Posted by 9jabook.com on January 5, 2011 at 8:48pm

As hundreds of dead birds fall from the skies across the United States, about a hundred birds again fell off in Sweden shortly before midnight on Tuesday, just as millions of dead fish surfaced in a bay in Maryland, United States. Similar unexplained mass fish deaths occurred in Brazil and New Zealand.

The Baltimore Sun reports that an estimated 2 million fish were found dead in the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, mostly adult spot with some juvenile croakers in the mix, as well. In New Zealand, hundreds of dead snapper fish washed up on Coromandel Peninsula beaches, many found with their eyes missing, The New Zealand Herald reports. However Maryland Department of the Environment spokesperson Dawn Stoltzfus says “cold-water stress” is believed to be the culprit..

PHOTO:Rescue chief, Christer Olofsson, poses with a dead bird in Falkoping. Photo: REUTERS

Residents in Falköping, southeast of Skövde, found 50 to 100 jackdaw birds on a street further echoing the unexplained incidents that commenced earlier in the week across the Atlantic in southern US. A Swedish county veterinarian, Robert ter Horst believes that the birds may have been literally scared to death by fireworks set off on Tuesday night.

“We have received information from local residents last night. Our main theory is that the birds were scared away because of the fireworks and landed on the road, but couldn’t fly away from the stress and were hit by a car,” he explained to a Swedish online news platform — The Local on Wednesday.

“We will continue to look at whether there are other theories, but then we have to do an autopsy on the birds. The birds just now are in a car on the way to a laboratory in Uppsala. We don’t know exactly what happened yet, but we will continue the investigation,” he added.

Mr Horst noted that he has also received some reports about pigeons, but the incident has happened too quickly to assume that it is related to the untimely demise of the jackdaws. The site where the birds were found has now been blocked for a veterinary inspection of the birds. Emergency services had cordoned off the area earlier on Wednesday. Across the Atlantic, an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 blackbirds crashed into homes, cars and each other in central Arkansas on New Year eve. Another 500 birds were killed and littered the highway in Louisiana. Diverse theories such as fireworks and power lines sparks have been propounded. It’s almost certainly a coincidence the events happened within days of each other, Louisiana’s state wildlife veterinarian Jim LaCour said on Tuesday.

“I haven’t found anything to link the two at this point.” Anders Wirdheim of the Swedish Ornithological Society (Sveriges ornitologiska förening, SOF) believes the nocturnal birds were likely frightened in the middle of the night, then flew around in the dark and collided with various objects. Bird deaths and fish kills at smaller numbers aren’t all that uncommon, though the size and proximity of some of the recent events have led people to allege their relation, though officials deny the frequency of these wildlife deaths as being anything other than coincidence.

472 Died In Road Accident In Nigeria In 2010,Says FRSC

Posted by 9jabook.com on January 4, 2011 at 11:43pm

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Nigeria's government agency responsible for safety on the roads has confirmed that 472 persons died in 500 road accidents in different parts of the country in December 2010. This was made known by the Corps Marshall of the FRSC, Mr Osita Chidoka.

Chidoka said the commission would come up with the state-by-state statistics of road accidents in the period, saying that the three states with the lowest number of crashes would be rewarded. He described the activities of the commission in the last quarter of 2010 as successful,while noting that, the figure is lower compared to what was recorded in December 2009. Mr.Chidoka also applauded the collaborative efforts of other security agencies like the police, air-force and others saying their contributions ensured that the carnage on the nation's highways, saying that the introduction of aerial survey was helpful...

World To End On May 21 2011

Posted by cozzy webtatafo on January 4, 2011 at 9:07pm

If there had been time, Marie Exley would have liked to start a family. Instead, the 32-year-old Army

veteran has less than six months left, which she'll spend spreading a stark warning: Judgment Day is almost here.

Exley is part of a movement of Christians loosely organized by radio broadcasts and websites, independent of churches and convinced by their reading of the Bible that the end of the world will begin on May 21, 2011.

To get the word out, they're using billboards and bus stop benches, traveling caravans of RVs and volunteers passing out pamphlets on street corners. Cities from Bridgeport, Conn., to Little Rock, Ark., now have billboards with the ominous message, and mission groups are traveling in countries from Latin America to Africa to spread the news outside the U.S..

"A lot of people might think, 'The end's coming, let's go party,'" said Exley, a veteran of two deployments in Iraq. "But we're commanded by God to warn people. I wish I could just be like everybody else, but it's so much better to know that when the end comes, you'll be safe."

In August, Exley left her home in Colorado Springs, Colo., to work with Oakland, Calif.-based Family Radio Worldwide, the independent Christian ministry whose leader, Harold Camping, has calculated the May 21 date based on his reading of the Bible.

She is organizing traveling columns of RVs carrying the message from city to city, a logistics challenge that her military experience has helped solve. The vehicles are scheduled to be in five North Carolina cities between now and the second week of January, but Exley will shortly be gone: overseas, where she hopes to eventually make it back to Iraq.

"I don't really have plans to come back," she said. "Time is short."

Not everyone who's heard Camping's message is taking such a dramatic step. They're remaining in their day-to-day lives, but helping publicize the prophecy in other ways. Allison Warden, of Raleigh, has been helping organize a campaign using billboards, post cards and other media in cities across the U.S. through a website, We Can Know.

The 29-year-old payroll clerk laughs when asked about reactions to the message, which is plastered all over her car.

"It's definitely against the grain, I know that," she said. "We're hoping people won't take our word for it, or Harold Camping's word for it. We're hoping that people will search the scriptures for themselves."

Camping, 89, believes the Bible essentially functions as a cosmic calendar explaining exactly when various prophecies will be fulfilled.

The retired civil engineer said all his calculations come from close readings of the Bible, but that external events like the foundation of the state of Israel in 1948 are signs confirming the date.

"Beyond the shadow of a doubt, May 21 will be the date of the Rapture and the day of judgment," he said.

The doctrine known as the Rapture teaches that believers will be taken up to heaven, while everyone else will remain on earth for a period of torment, concluding with the end of time. Camping believes that will happen in October.

"If May 21 passes and I'm still here, that means I wasn't saved. Does that mean God's word is inaccurate or untrue? Not at all," Warden said.

The belief that Christ will return to earth and bring an end to history has been a basic element of Christian belief since the first century. The Book of Revelation, which comes last in the New Testament, describes this conclusion in vivid language that has inspired Christians for centuries.

But few churches are willing to set a date for the end of the world, heeding Jesus' words in the gospels of Mark and Matthew that no one can know the day or hour it will happen. Predictions like Camping's, though, aren't new. One of the most famous in history was by the Baptist leader William Miller, who predicted the end for Oct. 22, 1844, which came to be known as the Great Disappointment among his followers, some of who subsequently founded the Seventh Day Adventist church.

"In the U.S., there is still a significant population, mostly Protestant, who look at the Bible as kind of a puzzle, and the puzzle is God's word and it's predicting when the end times will come," said Catherine Wessinger, a professor at Loyola University in New Orleans who studies millennialism, the belief in pending apocalypse.

"A lot of times these prophecies gain traction when difficulties are happening in society," she said. "Right now, there's a lot of insecurity, and this is a promise that says it's not all random, it's part of God's plan."

Past predictions that failed to come true don't have any bearing on the current calculation, believers maintain.

"It would be like telling the Wright Brothers that every other attempt to fly has failed, so you shouldn't even try," said Chris McCann, who works with eBible Fellowship, one of the groups spreading the message.

For believers like McCann, theirs is actually a message of hope and compassion: God's compassion for people, and the hope that there's still time to be saved.

That, ultimately, is what spurs on Exley, who said her beliefs have alienated her from most of her friends and family. Her hope is that not everyone who hears her message will mock it, and that even people who dismiss her now might still come to believe.

"If you still want to say we're crazy, go ahead," she said. "But it doesn't hurt to look into it."

Source: Associated Press

Genevieve Nnaji’s 2011 Resolution Plans Uncovered!

Posted by cozzy webtatafo on January 4, 2011 at 9:20pm

The year 2010 was a pretty good one for Nollywood Icon, Genevieve Nnaji.

She became brand ambassador for “MUD Cosmetics”, got interviewed on CNN connect the world, got a profile on Oprah, anchored the maiden edition of Gulder Ultimate Search Celebrity Show down and even featured in an international flick “Ije” that has proven to be a tremendous box-office success.

And so it may be easy to assume that 2011 may be a slow or rough one for the actress, no way! It sure would be a busy one as she has lots of big projects lined up, wait and hear it. First is her latest endorsement with “Luna Milk” a high profile international beverage company, the TVC was recently shot in Beirut,Lebanon and would berth on tv screens anytime soon.

And then the big one! We have it on good grounds that the multitalented diva would be filming a high budget international movie titled “Oil and water” and would be starring alongside Hollywood hottie, Idris Elba and some other undisclosed Hollywood stars. Yes you heard it………

So in 2011 your screen damsel Genevieve Nnaji would be ruling the screens like no one has ever done..

Lekki Toll Gate War Continues ‘No to fencing, no to toll gate’ PDP promises to remove toll gate

Posted by Akin Osunlaja WebLagosian on January 4, 2011 at 11:08pm

Residents of more than 74 estates and 18 villages under the umbrella of Lekki-Etiosa-Epe Estates Indigenes and Stakeholders Association (LEEEISA), yesterday in Lagos, vowed to do anything possible to stop the Lagos State government and Lekki Concession Company (LCC) from going ahead to collect toll at the controversial toll plazas on Lekki-Epe Road.

The group, at a rally held yesterday in Lekki first roundabout, called for an outright cancellation of the toll plazas, saying that the indefinite suspension of the tolling announced last week by the state governor, Raji Fashola, was for political reasons and would re-introduce the tolling after the election.

As early as 6.30a.m, the leaders of the residents associations,Ausbeth Ajagu,Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, Ayobami Biobaku, and members of the Heritage Group and leader of the Ajah IlajeAssociation, A. Ikuesan, had all converged on the Lekki Phase 1 roundabout for the rally. They were all wearing T-shirts with the inscription; ‘No to fencing, no to toll gate’.

The police, led by the DPO of Maroko Police Station, Mr. Ukoh, were on hand to offer protection to the group and to stop hoodlums from hijacking the event.

Shady project

The group said that Lagos State government has not been able to give reasons why it would toll the only major road constructed for a local government that generates one of the highest income for the government; and yet, there are no government hospitals and only two secondary schools.

“Putting a toll on this road is restricting our movement,” said Lawal Alalekan, the group’s spokesperson.

“Come to think of it, Lagos State government is deeply involved in the financing of this project. Which money are they using? It is the tax payer’s money! Lagos State government gave a 42 million US dollar loan or grant for the take-off of this project. That is over 6 billion naira. Where are the monies got into? Lagos State government guaranteed the loan that was used in financing the project: over 240 million dollars. They have not done the road to ten kilometres, they want to start tolling. Our question is why preferential treatment to LCC? Why has the government committed so much of the tax payers money; and they are still asking us to pay?”said Mr. Alalekan.

‘We are ready for dialogue’

The chairman of LEEEISA, Ausbeth Ajagu, however, thanked Mr. Fashola for the indefinite suspension of the tolling, calling on the governor to carry the people and the stakeholders along, for mutual and better understanding.

He said the group would like to dialogue with the state government on the toll issue, as well as on some other issues pertaining to the smooth and conducive living environment in Lekki-Etiosa-Epe axis.

Secretary of the Lekki resident association, and chairman, Nicon Town Residence Association, Tayo Adebowale, said that it was socially irresponsible for a government to place an additional burden of tolling on people.

“Whether there is godfather behind it or not, I care less! All I know is that, I am not going to put any extra burden on my economic life,” Mr. Adebowale said.

The undertones

Solomon Onyibe, a real estate consultant, said the Lagos State government and LCC have not been very transparent in the execution of the contract since inception. He added that it was obvious “there are a lot of undertones in the contract arrangement.”

“Let them come out and make the contract agreement public! Let’s see how the money was raised. Let’s check the books,” Mr. Onyinbe said.

“Our stand here is that you cannot toll an existing road. We can’t pay. What is special about Lekki? The facility they provided in Lekki Peninsular, is it more than what they provided in: Ikoyi, Yaba, Surulere, and Festac? All the roads in these places I have mentioned are tarred. If you are going from here to Festac and Yaba, you will not go on an untarred road until you get to your house! Why not toll there? The only road they seem to be doing here, they want to toll it. This is oppression,” Mr. Oyinbe added.

In his remarks, the president of Ilasan Housing Estate, and the deputy leader of Maroko Evictee, Tajudeen Jegede, stated that what they want is a total cancellation of the purported toll, saying that a larger percentage of the people staying in the axis are poor people.

“If you look at the people staying at Ilasan Housing Estate, for instance, they are people who were evicted from Maroko in 1990. Now, we have not been able to balance presently as am talking to you now. From Obalende to Ajah is 200 naira. If they should add the toll fee, we would be paying up to 500 naira,” he said.

Mr. Jegede, who also is the chairman of the technical committee, Lekki Free Trade Zone, pointed out that even the Lagos State civil servants on that axis would not be spared, as all their earnings would go into transportation should the government go ahead and imposed the toll on the people.

The protest spilled on to the Lekki-Epe expressway, bringing vehicular movement to a total standstill, with the police and LASTMA officers assisting to control the traffic.

‘PDP government will scrap Lekki toll’

Lead Image

Olatokunbo Kamson, a gubernatorial aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State over the weekend said a PDP government in the state will scrap the planned tolling of the Eti-Osa-Lekki-Epe Expressway...

Mr. Kamson described the proposed payment of N200 on the Eti-Osa-Lekki-Epe Expressway by every motorist as criminal.

“They propose to charge N200 for one toll and there are three tollgates for people living around VGC, Ajah, and the environs. That means anybody working in Victoria Island and living in Ajah will have to be paying N600 toll per trip. That is N1,200 per day. That is criminal, having in mind that the road was constructed with tax payers’money,” he said in a statement.

He promised that the opposition party(PDP) will scrap the tariff if it wins this year’s election in the state.

Too expensive

Mr. Kamson added that the proposed toll rates is among the highest anywhere in the world.

“Again, if you look all over the world, where have you paid more than 25 percent? I have plied lots of roads in the US that are tolled. Minimum is 25 cent. And how much is 25 cent? Is it up to N100? Why are they proposing to charge N200? That is more than a dollar,” he said.

An alternative route

He also berated the Lagos State government for not providing alternatives for people who may not have the huge amount required to ply the road on a daily basis, adding that lots of Lagosians live below the $1 a day.

“It is the standard internationally that people must be given alternatives. If you want to build a road that you are going to toll, then you must provide an alternative for people to ply so that people who are incapable financially can also have access to the amenity. It is wrong for government to insist on toll fees without the provision of alternatives.

“Besides, the road is not even completed; that means the government is trying to use people’s money to complete the road and also tax them. It is not fair,” Mr. Kamson said.

On December 29, 2010, the Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola, ordered the suspension of the planned toll collection on the Eti-Osa-Lekki-Epe Expressway by the Lekki Concession Company (LCC) until further notice.

Anti Terrorism Chief to be appointed as Violence Escalates in Naija Who is He or She ?

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on January 3, 2011 at 8:37pm

Posters Comment: From Colonialism to Independence to Civil War to Democracy to Corruption to Military Rule to Democracy plus corruption .To Terrorism ? Naija We hail Thee .Is this Goodluck ? Where are the Risen compatriots .

An emergency meeting of security chiefs was held yesterday behind closed doors in Abuja. The meeting, which was presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan, was summoned to deliberate over the spate of bombings and security breaches across the country.

A source said the president ordered the security chiefs to discuss and find how to bring the violence that has become common across the country under control.

It was gathered that the president expressed concern that security has become a challenge, thus leading to loss of lives and raising fears over the

elections coming up in April....

A radical Islamist sect said it was behind bombings in central Nigeria and attacks on churches in the northeast of the country that led to the deaths of at least 86 people. Photo: REUTERS

Photo Right: ALiyu Gusau Former Security Adviser turned Presidential Canditate .

On the eve of Christmas, series of bombs exploded in different areas of Jos leading to the death of over 80 people, while another exploded at a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) rally in Yenogoa, Bayelsa State. On December 31, there was a bomb explosion at the Mogadishu Barracks in Abuja, killing four persons while several others were injured.

Terrorism adviser to be named

At the end of the emergency security meeting yesterday, it was announced that an adviser to the president is to be named in the next one week. Although the name of the adviser was not revealed, it was gathered that the announcement was delayed because of the need to make some consultations and carry out some security checks on the appointee.

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) had in 2008 installed CCTV in some strategic areas in Abuja and its environs. However, the functionality of these gadgets has come under question in view of recent events.

Briefing journalists after the meeting, the special adviser to the president on media and publicity, Ima Niboro, said, “The president convened an emergency meeting of the National Security Council to address the state of security in the country. The meeting also reviewed the bomb incident of New Year’s eve and condemned them as an act of terror. Mr. President in the next one week is to appoint a special adviser on terrorism.

“Mr. President will work with the National Assembly to ensure the speedy passage of the anti-terrorism bill. Government will also introduce CCTVs in public places for access control. Regulations are also underway for the access control for both public and private establishments.”

He disclosed that a presidential committee on the control of explosive and other incendiary materials will also be set up as well as a committee on public enlightenment on general security awareness amongst citizens.

In the build up to the elections, Mr. Niboro said “the police have been directed to ensure the prompt arrest and prosecution or political thugs,” adding that “all armouries licenced by the police are to be further inspected to regulate how the materials are imported and used in Nigeria.”

Those present at the emergency security meeting, which was chaired by the president include: the minister of defence, Adetokunbo Kayode; the minister of interior, Emmanuel Iheanacho; the minister of police affairs, Humphrey Abba; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Yayale Ahmed; Chief of Staff, Mike Oghiadomhe; director general of State Security Service, Ekpenyong Ita; National Security Adviser, Andrew Azazi; Chief of Defence Staff, Oluseye Petirin; the Chief of Air Staff, Dikko Umar; Chief of Naval Staff, Ola Ibrahim; Chief of Army Staff, Azubike Ihejirika; and Hafiz Ringim, the Inspector General of Police.

Dangote Tops African Cement with plants in 14 countries

Posted by businessday9jabook on January 3, 2011 at 9:25pm

Dangote Cement Plc has emerged African‘s biggest cement manufacturer company with the presence of its plants in 14 different African countries.The countries include, Zambia, Tanzania, South Africa, Congo, Ethiopia, Cameroun, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Ghana and Senegal.The move, according to the company was to ensure that Africa remains self-sufficient in cement production and making the products easily available and at highly affordable costs to the end users.It would be recalled that the Boston Consulting Group, a United States-based rating agency, listed the Dangote Group among the top 40 African Challengers, which are companies of African origin with the potential to rival Fortune 500 Companies.Some of the criteria used in making the selection include size, growth and international expansion. Dangote Group has 13 subsidiaries spread all over Nigeria and it operates in over 14 African countries. All these enhanced its positive rating.While a whopping $400m was invested in Zambia for the construction of the plant, Dangote increased its stake in Sephaku Cement Limited, which is based in South Africa, from 19.76 per cent to 64 per cent, with an investment of R779m. The huge investment into Sephaku Cement by Dangote, is the largest ever foreign direct investment by an African company into South Africa. .President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, commenting on the global expansion of his business, especially his cement arm, recently said: ”By the middle of 2013, all our factories in Africa will be ready. We will be fully operational, manufacturing about 14 countries in Africa alone. The 14 factories are the ones on ground now. If there are opportunities in more countries, like in Zambia and Kenya, we will definitely go there. These 14 are purely in cement. But other countries are equally asking us to come and do some other things”He also said the group had also opened office ”in Dubai, Gibraltar, London and China and we will soon be opening an office in India”While commending the Federal Government‘s backward integration policy, Dangote said, ”Some people grumble about cement manufacturing versus cement imports. Fine. But let us look at it this way. The expectation is that Nigeria will be consuming about 20 million tonnes of cement next year. Twenty million tonnes next year will be, at least, even with the low prices abroad, about $2bn. Why should Nigeria spend $2bn importing cement. It doesn‘t make sense; it doesn‘t make any economic sense at all. We have all the raw materials to produce enough cement here and Nigeria should be exporting cement to Cameroun, to Chad, to Ghana. Ghana consumes four million tonnes per year and they don‘t produce one bag. We should be self-sufficient in cement production here, which is going to happen by next year.”

AMazing Story of African American Found Innocent After 30 years in Jail .The Truth will set you free he says

Posted by 9jabook.com on January 4, 2011 at 9:00pm

Texas man declared innocent Tuesday after 30 years in prison could have cut short his prison stint twice and made parole — if only he would admit he was a sex offender.

But Cornelius Dupree Jr. refused to do so, doggedly maintaining his innocence in a 1979 rape and robbery, in the process serving more time for a crime he didn't commit than any other Texas inmate exonerated by DNA evidence.

"Whatever your truth is, you have to stick with it," Dupree, 51, said Tuesday, minutes after a Dallas judge overturned his conviction...

Nationally, only two others exonerated by DNA evidence spent more time in prison, according to the Innocence Project, a New York legal centre that specializes in wrongful conviction cases and represented Dupree. James Bain was wrongly imprisoned for 35 years in Florida, and Lawrence McKinney spent more than 31 years in a Tennessee prison.

Dupree was sentenced to 75 years in prison in 1980 for the rape and robbery of a 26-year-old Dallas woman a year earlier. He was released in July on mandatory supervision, and lived under house arrest until October. About a week after his release, DNA test results came back proving his innocence in the sexual assault.

A day after his release, Dupree married his fiancee, Selma. The couple met two decades ago while he was in prison.

His exoneration hearing was delayed until Tuesday while authorities retested the DNA and made sure it was a match to the victim. Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins supported Dupree's innocence claim.

Looking fit and trim in a dark suit, Dupree stood through most of the short hearing, until state district Judge Don Adams told him, "You're free to go." One of Dupree's lawyers, Innocence Project Co-Director Barry Scheck, called it "a glorious day."

"It's a joy to be free again," Dupree said.

This latest wait was nothing for Dupree, who was up for parole as recently as 2004. He was set to be released and thought he was going home, until he learned he first would have to attend a sex offender treatment program.

Those in the program had to go through what is known as the "four R's." They are recognition, remorse, restitution and resolution, said Jim Shoemaker, who served two years with Dupree in the Boyd Unit south of Dallas.

"He couldn't get past the first part," said Shoemaker, who drove up from Houston to attend Dupree's hearing.

Shoemaker said he spent years talking to Dupree in the prison recreation yard, and always believed his innocence.

"I got a lot of flak from the guys on the block," Shoemaker said. "But I always believed him. He has a quiet, peaceful demeanour."

Under Texas compensation laws for the wrongly imprisoned, Dupree is eligible for $80,000 for each year he was behind bars, plus a lifetime annuity. He could receive $2.4 million in a lump sum that is not subject to federal income tax.

The compensation law, the nation's most generous, was passed in 2009 by the Texas Legislature after dozens of wrongly convicted men were released from prison. Texas has freed 41 wrongly convicted inmates through DNA since 2001 — more than any other state.

Dallas County's record of DNA exonerations — Dupree is No. 21 — is unmatched nationally because the county crime lab maintains biological evidence even decades after a conviction, leaving samples available to test. In addition, Watkins, the DA, has co-operated with innocence groups in reviewing hundreds of requests by inmates for DNA testing.

Watkins, the first black district attorney in Texas history, has also pointed to what he calls "a convict-at-all-costs mentality" that he says permeated his office before he arrived in 2007.

At least a dozen other exonerated former inmates from the Dallas area who collectively served more than 100 years in prison upheld a local tradition by attending the hearing and welcoming the newest member of their unfortunate fraternity. One of them, James Giles, presented Dupree with a $100 bill as a way to get his life restarted..

500 dead Birds Fall from the Sky in America

Posted by 9jabook.com on January 4, 2011 at 11:58am

Some 500 dead and dying birds fell onto a Louisiana highway on Monday, just three days after a similar incident in Arkansas.

The events have led to speculation running from poisonings to "End of Days" scenarios, but a key federal agency emphasized that mass bird die-offs are not that rare.

Most of the birds found on Louisiana Highway 1 near Point Coupee were red-winged blackbirds, as was the case in Beebe, Ark., some 360 miles away. The species is one of the most common in the United States, with a population estimated at up to 200 million.

Some of the Louisiana birds will be tested by the National Wildlife Health Center run by the U.S. Geological Survey. But a USGS spokesman told The Baton Rouge Advocate that USGS records showed 16 incidents in the last 30 years where more than 1,000 blackbirds have died all at once.

"These large events do take place," he said. "It's not terribly unusual.".

The National Audubon Society agreed that mass bird die-offs are not rare. "Initial findings indicate that these are isolated incidents," Greg Butcher, Audubon's director of bird conservation, said in a statement.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries also weighed in, saying that necropsies on some birds indicated many "exhibited traumatic injuries." The birds might have flown into nearby power lines, it added.

In Arkansas, preliminary tests showed the blackbirds there, as many as 5,000, died after massive trauma. Experts said the birds were likely spooked by fireworks, lightning or some other loud event and then ran into each other and other objects as they fled at night while roosting.

"The birds suffered from acute physical trauma leading to internal hemorrhage and death," the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission said in a statement Monday. "There was no sign of chronic or infectious disease."

The birds were otherwise healthy, according to the statement.

The injuries were primarily in the breast tissue, with blood clotting and bleeding in the body cavities.

Sunday Sermon:DON'T BE A USER

Posted by frank adeche Mr Netchurch on January 2, 2011 at 12:59am

by Deborah Ese Ekperigin

A few weeks ago a friend of mine posted something on his face book status it read " Why do Christians cheat God?, after putting some thought into that question, my conclusion was that
we do not cheat God, but ourselves although in the process we hurt God.
Truth be told most Christians are users. Users are selfish, they only
look out for themselves, do things because of selfish gain, they are
pretenders, liars, back stabbers, hypocrites etc. Unfortunately some of
us may know a couple of users, they worm their way into your hearts and
then dump you when they have what they want before you can even say Jack
Robinson!

Is it possible to use God? Well the difference between man and God is that God see's your inner
thoughts but most times man cannot, so when you think you are been smart
with God he knows, you can fool man but definitely cannot fool God Jeremiah
17:9-10 says " The human heart is the most deceitful of all things and
desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I the Lord
search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their
due rewards, according to what their actions deserve”. I used to be a user myself, so I can relate to this..

The numbers do not add up: When asked this question " How long have you been a born again?" some
people are so proud to give the number especially when they are double
digits , well of course it is something to be proud of being a follower
of Jesus Christ, but let’s be honest there are times the numbers do not
add up, as I mentioned earlier I was a user myself, am sure I have gone
for more than 8 altar calls in my life and I can tell you that 99% of
those times were for my own selfish reasons ( making promises to God
that I would give my life totally to him if he answered that prayer,
which was probably the only prayer i had said in a month or two), they
were times i went for an altar call because the person next to me was
going, sad eeeeeh, but i bet I was not the only one. I tell you it’s
better to say you have been a born again for a month, than say 10 yrs of
which 99% of the time you have lived in sin or are not even conscious
of what you are doing. When one decides to give their life to Christ I
know it does not all happen in one day, but you will yearn to please Him
and you will definitely not take the grace of God for granted.

What do the users do?

The users only pray when they need something from God a new job/wife/husband/car/house/contract etc

The users only read the Word of God (bible) on Sundays

The users only fast when they are told they are been attacked by the devil or their distant relatives back home

The users only praise and worship God on Sundays

Is it possible to be in a relationship with someone with no form of
communication? No, so why do we then think it is possible to have this
kind of relationship with our creator. It's not my place to judge
anyone, it’s not like am perfect, but the truth still has to be said.

God is not a prostitute: Some Christians have even seen God as a prostitute were they splash
money for tithes or offering and are not bothered about the condition of
their hearts or their relationship with him. They give their tithes and
offerings and think that’s the only thing God is interested in, it's
only prostitutes that can be lured/deceived with money since that’s the
only thing they are interested in, God is interested in your salvation
amongst other things. He is not a prostitute. Even the bible says in Matthew
5:23-24 " So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the
Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you,
leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that
person. The come and offer your sacrifice to God" This tells you that God prefers a clean heart.

Please let's consider our intention/motives today, so we won't be USERS.

Have a lovely week, I wish you a prosperous 2011

Ese signing out!!!!!

Saraki Dumps PDP

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on January 2, 2011 at 10:24pm

The struggle between the godfather of Kwara State politics, Olusola Saraki, and his son, Bukola Saraki, over who becomes the next governor of the state, reached a head on Sunday when the elder Saraki announced his defection from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party to the relatively obscure Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN).

He announced his new party at Ilorin before a mammoth crowd who besieged his Iloffa Road residence. By implication, the ACPN may be the platform for him to realise his ambition of making his senator daughter, Gbemisola Saraki, the next governor of the state, having been denied an early push to make her the sole aspirant of the ruling People’s Democratic Party {PDP}. Ms Saraki, a senator, was at the declaration.

The ACPN, which was recently established, has a squirrel as its symbol. There is a feeling that the party might still merge with another party to present a force to the PDP. Last week, Mr. Saraki received the leaders of the Congress of Progressive Change and All Nigeria People Party (ANPP), Muhammadu Buhari and Ogbonnaya Onu.

Mr. Saraki said he decided to leave the PDP because it was full of undemocratic people. He said this has made the party to lose cohesion and focus and might make it lose the forthcoming elections in the state.

“Those who are not involved in the building of the party now capitalise on the inexperience of the leadership to perpetrate themselves and turn themselves into thin gods to decide the fate of the real people on the political turf.

“We now have a PDP that lacks cohesion, focus, directionless and bereft of ideas on how to carry supporters along and win elections. The situation is so bad to the extent that most decisions of the party are based on sentiments, instead of having recourse to party guidelines and all known democratic norms.

“Therefore, I and all who believe in me have been forced to take the decision to dump the Kwara PDP and move en-masse to ACPN, which we believe is the best platform to take the state to a greater height,” Mr. Saraki said...

History of defections

The politician tacitly launched a campaign for the senator, noting that she would only spend four years at the saddle of governance if elected the next governor of the state. He said the lady has the pedigree to cement the legacies laid down by his biological brother, the incumbent governor of the state.

Mr. Saraki, a former member of the ANPP, joined the PDP in 2003 in an earlier struggle with then governor of the state, Mohammed Lawal.

Mr. Lawal had resisted pressure to step down for Bukola Saraki to become the candidate of the PDP. Mr. Saraki won the fight and he will be hoping that his old skills still stand him in good stead in this battle against his own son.

Support for Bio

Meanwhile, the Agbaji Youths in Politics, a political association in Ilorin west local government area of Kwara State, has endorsed the gubernatorial aspiration of the immediate past minister of sports, Ibrahim Isa Bio. Agbaji is the home of Mr. Saraki.

Mr. Bio is contesting the primary election of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to represent the party in the 2011 gubernatorial election slated for January 9.

Speaking with reporters in Agbaji over the weekend, the public relations officer of the association, Abdulrasak Otta, said the association decided to back Mr. Bio’s aspiration because of his track record of achievement as a commissioner, Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, and federal minister of transport and then, sports, between 2008-2010.

Iranian President to sell 34 year old Peugeot 504 for one million dollars

Posted by jackie webLondonGirl on January 2, 2011 at 11:10pm

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has received a $1million bid for his 34-year-old car, only a day after it was put up for sale.

The Iranian president, who is auctioning his 1977 white Peugeot sedan to
raise money for a low-income housing project, has been made the offer by
a foreign source.

The project is aimed at disabled and young people in a move by the 54-year-old, who took charge of Iran in 2005, to
appeal to fulfill a campaign promise to put a roof over the head of
every poor Iranian.

An Iranian Sunday newspaper said various bids from abroad have been received by the multilingual website set up
yesterday for the auction, including $1 million, but it did not
elaborate on the identity of the bidders.

The top bidders will be invited to the auction, which will be held in mid-February in the south-western city of Abadan.

And online offers can be made until the end of January.

Foreign bidders paid £43 to register, while locals pay around £30.

The president had made a point of being seen in the humble white Peugeot
504 sedan when he was Tehran mayor before becoming president in 2005.

Old: The 34-year-old car is wanted by a number of foreign suitors, according to an Iranian newspaper

Auction: Official photographs of the car show that Mr Ahmadinejad took good care of his car, made in 1977 and normally
worth $2,000

He has rarely used the car in the past years, however, probably because of security measures.

The car would probably be worth around $2,000 on the local market.

Lack of housing has always been a major concern in Iran, where a quarter of
the 75-million population live in rented apartments and nearly a third
of a family's income goes to pay the rent.

Official statistics say the government has built more than 140,000 housing units in the first
half of 201l. It has promised to build nearly 1 million units by March
2011....

American Cities That Are Running Out Of People Naija Take note for 2011 emigration plans !

Posted by jackie webLondonGirl on January 2, 2011 at 11:21pm

American Cities That Are Running Out Of People

They will soon beg Naija to come to America just like the Movie !

The population of the United States has increased steadily by roughly 2.5 million people every year since World War II. Throughout prosperity and hard times, Americans continue to have families. Many of the country's regions have expanded to accommodate this population increase. Some cities have grown faster than others as the result of being at the center of some important new technology or job market. Others have lost residents because of failing industries and migration. Nevertheless, some of these cities have continued to grow slowly, or at least remain relatively stagnant, buoyed by the rising tide of the national population.

There are some cities, however, that have experienced such severe hardship and decline that their populations have actually decreased significantly. New Orleans has lost more than a quarter of its population in the past 10 years as the result of Hurricane Katrina. The rest of the cities that have lost major parts of their population have seen their flagship industries, which include coal, steel, oil, and auto-related manufacturing, fall off or completely collapse. America moved away from its status as an industrial superpower in the second half of the 20th century as the services sector rose to replace it. Millions of U.S. manufacturing jobs have moved overseas. Cities such as Rochester, Cleveland and Buffalo declined in population because they were trade hubs, and new modes of transportation removed their geographical dominance. Cities like Flint, Mich., have economies based on a single major industry. In Flint's case, that industry is auto manufacturing. When that industry began to decline, Flint was unable to diversify to prevent a population exodus....

All of the cities on this list experienced at least one of these devastating problems, which have caused tens of thousands -- and in some cases, hundreds of thousands -- of its residents to leave the region for other jobs and other homes. While it has been the primary focus of these cities to create new sources of employment for their residents, it may be years before people return, if they do at all.

Unfortunately, the populations of most of the cities on this list continue to decline and the situation could get worse for years. This loss of residents has caused severe drops in the social services that many of these cities can provide. Property and other taxes have fallen so much that the support that residents of other cities take for granted is at risk in the municipalities on this list. There is no longer any guarantee that they can maintain police and fire departments at reasonable levels. Some of these cities cannot continue to manage large neighborhoods that have become almost deserted as residents have left unoccupied homes behind. Home vacancy rates tell a great deal about how much a city's population has dropped.

24/7 obtained its population data from the U.S. Census Bureau's Population Division. Housing vacancy came from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. This is a list of the seven American cities that have lost the most people in the past decade:

1. New Orleans

Population: 354,850

Population Change 2000-2009: -128,813

Population Percent Change 2000-2009: -26.63%

Home Vacancy: 21.5%

New Orleans is unique in that its presence on this list is not due to industrial decline, but from natural disaster. Hurricane Katrina flooded 80% of the city, caused by some estimates more than $80 billion in damage, and displaced tens of thousands of residents. The period of widespread homelessness, severe crime, and slow recovery has left the city as a shadow of its former self. While people are trickling back into the city, many will likely never return, and the city has lost more than a quarter of its population in just 10 years.

2. Flint, Mich.

Population: 111,475

Population Change 2000-2009: -13,266

Population Percent Change 2000-2009: -10.63%

Home Vacancy: 18%

While most of the cities on this list are here as the result of a general decline in industry, Flint's woes have come almost entirely from one sector -- the auto industry. Flint became a boomtown at the turn of the century as it became a divisional headquarters to the major American auto manufacturers, including Chevrolet, Buick, and General Motors. Between 1910 and 1930, the population had more than quadrupled due to the success of the American car business. Since the American auto industry began its decline in the 1980s, Flint has consistently lost at least 10% of its population each decade. Massive layoffs and plant closings have devastated the city, and unemployment rates remain well into the double digits.

[How to Avoid Getting Ripped Off For Auto Repairs]

3. Cleveland

Population: 431,369

Population Change 2000-2009: -45,205

Population Percent Change 2000-2009: -9.49%

Home Vacancy: 17.5%

Cleveland, the largest city on our list, was once a thriving manufacturing center, as well as an important point of trade because of its connection to several key routes, particularly Lake Erie. The city was once home to a sizable auto industry. Most of the largest companies that were once based in Cleveland no longer exist. These include Peerless, People's and Winton. Cleveland also served as headquarters for John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company, as well as a key import location for coal and iron shipped from the South and Midwest. The decline of industrial American has hit the city particularly hard, and poverty, a default on municipal debt in the '70s, and pollution have earned the city the nickname "the mistake on the lake." In 1948, the city had over 910,000 people; it now has less than half of that.

4. Buffalo, N.Y.

Population: 270,240

Population Change 2000-2009: -21,970

Population Percent Change 2000-2009: -7.52%

Home Vacancy: 17.2%

Another victim of the Erie Canal boom and bust, Buffalo was the 13th largest city in the country just before WW II. It is now the 70th. Like Rochester, the city was once a premier mill town due to its location to the canal. Massive electricity generation from Niagara Falls improved Buffalo's industrial capacity, and the city referred to itself as the "City of Lights" for a time because of its power production. The collapse of the canal and improvements in the energy industry that made Niagara Falls less important led to the mass migration from the city which continues to this day. In the 1970s alone, Buffalo lost more than 100,000 residents, roughly a third of its current population.

[Where the Richest Americans Live]

5. Dayton, Ohio

Population: 153,843

Population Change 2000-2009: -11,961

Population Percent Change 2000-2009: -7.21%

Home Vacancy: 18.9%

For its size, Dayton, Ohio, was once one of the most productive and creative cities in the U.S. It produced more patents per capita at the turn of the century than any other. The city was home to several former great Fortune 500 companies, including National Cash Register, Mead Paper and Phillips Manufacturing. Through the first half of the 20th century, Dayton had one of the healthiest manufacturing industries. It had more GM autoworkers than any city outside of Michigan during World War II. In the past 50 years, Mead has merged with West Virginia Paper and moved to Richmond, and GM has closed one plant after another in the city.

6. Pittsburgh

Population: 311,647

Population Change 2000-2009: -22,056

Population Percent Change 2000-2009: -6.61%

Home Vacancy: 14.1%

Known as the "Steel City," Pittsburgh was once the forge for the American industrial engine from the late 1800s through the late 1970s. At its peak, the city was home to more than 1,000 factories, including the mills owned by Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel, which by itself employed over 340,000 workers during World War II. As the American steel industry collapsed in the 1980s, Pittsburgh suffered severe unemployment problems. In the past few decades, the city changed to a technology-based economy, but the population is still on the decline. Since 1950, Pittsburgh's population has declined by more than 50%.

7. Rochester, N.Y.

Population: 207,294

Population Change 2000-2009: -12,180

Population Percent Change 2000-2009: -5.55%

Home Vacancy: 15.3%

Rochester was once a booming trade center largely due to its location at the midpoint between Albany and Buffalo on the Erie Canal. At its peak, the city was the major flour processor in the country, and was home to several key corporations including Xerox and Eastman Kodak. Rochester declined as the usefulness of the canal went out with the advent of railroads and its flagship companies began to lose their relevancy in the larger global economy. Rochester has yet to produce an important replacement industry to drive up the population, and even the success in the 1990's of Xerox has faded. Between 1950 and 2000, Rochester lost 34% of its population.

Goldman Sachs Invests in Facebook at $50 Billion Valuation

Posted by businessday9jabook on January 3, 2011 at 12:17am

Facebook, the popular social networking site, has raised $500 million from Goldman Sachs and a Russian investor in a deal that values the company at $50 billion, according to people involved in the transaction. The deal makes Facebook now worth more than companies like eBay, Yahoo and Time Warner.

The stake by Goldman Sachs, considered one of Wall Street’s savviest investors, signals the increasing might of Facebook, which has already been bearing down on giants like Google. The new money will give Facebook more firepower to steal away valuable employees, develop new products and possibly pursue acquisitions — all without being a publicly traded company. The investment may also allow earlier shareholders, including Facebook employees, to cash out at least some of their stakes.

The new investment comes as the Securities and Exchange Commission has begun an inquiry into the increasingly hot private market for shares in Internet companies, including Facebook, Twitter, the gaming site Zynga and LinkedIn, an online professional networking site. Some experts suggest the inquiry is focused on whether certain companies are improperly using the private market to get around public disclosure requirements.

The new money could add pressure on Facebook to go public even as its executives have resisted. The popularity of shares of Microsoft and Google in the private market ultimately pressured them to pursue initial public offerings.

So far, Facebook’s chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, has brushed aside the possibility of an initial public offering or a sale of the company. At an industry conference in November, he said on the topic, “Don’t hold your breath.” However, people involved in the fund-raising effort suggest that Facebook’s board has indicated an intention to consider a public offering in 2012.

There has been an explosion in user interest in social media sites. The social buying site Groupon, which recently rejected a $6 billion takeover bid from Google, is in the process of raising as much as $950 million from major institutional investors, at a valuation near $5 billion, according to people briefed on the matter who were not authorized to speak publicly.

“When you think back to the early days of Google, they were kind of ignored by Wall Street investors, until it was time to go public,” said Chris Sacca, an angel investor in Silicon Valley who is a former Google employee and an investor in Twitter. “This time, the Street is smartening up. They realize there are true growth businesses out here. Facebook has become a real business, and investors are coming out here and saying, ‘We want a piece of it.’”

The Facebook investment deal is likely to stir up a debate about what the company would be worth in the public market. Though it does not disclose its financial performance, analysts estimate the company is profitable and could bring in as much as $2 billion in revenue annually.

Under the terms of the deal, Goldman has invested $450 million, and Digital Sky Technologies, a Russian investment firm that has already sunk about half a billion dollars into Facebook, invested $50 million, people involved in the talks said.

Goldman has the right to sell part of its stake, up to $75 million, to the Russian firm, these people said. For Digital Sky Technologies, the deal means its original investment in Facebook, at a valuation of $10 billion, has gone up fivefold.

Representatives for Facebook, Goldman and Digital Sky Technologies all declined to comment.

Goldman’s involvement means it may be in a strong position to take Facebook public when it decides to do so in what is likely to be a lucrative and prominent deal.

As part of the deal, Goldman is expected to raise as much as $1.5 billion from investors for Facebook at the $50 billion valuation, people involved in the discussions said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the transaction was not supposed to be made public until the fund-raising had been completed.

In a rare move, Goldman is planning to create a “special purpose vehicle” to allow its high-net worth clients to invest in Facebook, these people said. While the S.E.C. requires companies with more than 499 investors to disclose their financial results to the public, Goldman’s proposed special purpose vehicle may be able get around such a rule because it would be managed by Goldman and considered just one investor, even though it could conceivably be pooling investments from thousands of clients.

It is unclear whether the S.E.C. will look favorably upon the arrangement.

Already, a thriving secondary market exists for shares of Facebook and other private Internet companies. In November, $40 million worth of Facebook shares changed hands in an auction on a private exchange called SecondMarket. According to SharesPost, Facebook’s value has roughly tripled over the last year, to $42.4 billion. Some investors appear to have bought Facebook shares at a price that implies a valuation of $56 billion. But the credibility of one of Wall Street’s largest names, Goldman, may help justify the company’s worth.

Facebook also surpassed Google as the most visited Web site in 2010, according to the Internet tracking firm Experian Hitwise.

Facebook received 8.9 percent of all Web visits in the United States between January and November 2010. Google’s main site was second with 7.2 percent, followed by Yahoo Mail service, Yahoo’s Web portal and YouTube, part of Google...

For Mr. Zuckerberg, the deal may double his personal fortune, which Forbes estimated at $6.9 billion when Facebook was valued at $23 billion. That would put him in a league with the founders of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who are reportedly worth $15 billion apiece.

Even as Goldman takes a stake in Facebook, its employees may struggle to view what they invested in. Like those at most major Wall Street firms, Goldman’s computers automatically block access to social networking sites, including Facebook.

Naija Woman gives birth to 6 kids in 18 months Moves to Lagos from Kano

Posted by Akin Osunlaja WebLagosian on January 2, 2011 at 10:54pm

Donations flowed freely from passersby into the coffers of a destitute with six children begging for alms at Ikeja area of Lagos State Southwest Nigeria.

The woman with her six children

The woman, Mrs. Aisha Ibrahim, 30, from Kano State, it was gathered, gave birth to quadruplets in 2008 and a set of twins in June 2010 in her village in Kano and came to Lagos to beg for alms when she and her husband could not cope with the feeding of the children.

The woman was seen on Awolowo Way, Ikeja where a crowd gathered around her and six children (three boys and three girls).

Many passersby pitied her and gave her money freely. They called on the Lagos State Government to come to her aid by providing for the children.

Speaking , Aisha said she left Kano for Lagos when the suffering became unbearable and there was nobody to run to.

She gave the age of the quadruplets as two years old while the twins are six months old.

She described her husband, Ibrahim, as a peasant farmer who cannot cope with the upkeep of the children...

Aisha was accompanied by a woman and her sister, who help to carry some of the children while she begs for alms.

She received money ranging from N10 to N500 and even more from passersby.

Aisha who stays at the Lagos Central Mosque, Lagos Island, appealed to Governor Babatunde Fashola to come to her aid by providing her accommodation and job to take care of her children.

She also appealed to Nigerians to assist her take care of her malnourished children who are living on the benevolence of the public.

Policeman Kills 2 Brothers & Mob Kills Him

Posted by 9jabook.com on January 2, 2011 at 10:35pm

Drunken policeman kills two brothers cos of N20, then mob kills him!

photo: Comedian Klin the Drunk as a Policemean

The sleepy community of Ikirun, headquarters of Ifelodun local government area of Osun State, was yesterday thrown into pandemonium following killing of two brothers by policemen at a checkpoint.

Following a reprisal attack by the mob, the police constable who fired the shot over a demand of N20 which the motorcyclist refused to part with, was also murdered while some policemen, including the Divisioanl Police Officer (DPO) in the area were seriously injured.

In the attack, a policeman was killed while the two police stations located in the town were torched.

The DPO for Ikirun police division, Abiodun Alabi, who was injured during the attack, was, at press time, on danger list at the state General Hospital, Asubiaro, Osogbo...

Police commissioner, Olusegun Solomon, confirmed the incident.
It was gathered that the two brothers, Lukman Adesina and Taiwo Adesina, were shot dead by a police corporal at a checkpoint along Osogbo road following their refusal to part with N20 bribe.

It was gathered that the police were mounting road block on Ikirun-Osogbo road when motorcyclists carrying two other passengers was waved down and his refusal to stop made the policeman to fire the motorcyclist which killed killed him instantly and wounded the two passengers.

It was gathered that the three men on the motor bike were children of the same parents. Those killed by the police were identified as Likman Adesina and Taiwo Adesina. Following the killing, the people around gathered and attacked the Motor Traffic Department (MTD) in Ikirun and the police station.

The mob also killed the police constable while the station was razed.
It was gathered that while the mob attacked the police station, some of the officers at the station took to their heels.
Some of them were not all as lucky as they were wounded by the mob. The divisional police officer (DPO), whose name was given as Abiodun Alabi, was rushed to the State General Hospital, Asubiaro where he was receiving treatment.

The state commissioner of police confirmed the incident but said that two people, a civilian and a police officer, died in the incident.

He said that though he did not have the details of the incident, the policeman shot the motorcyclist while the mob killed the police constable in return.

THE CROSS I BEAR

INEC names Emmanuel Uduaghan as the winner of d just concluded Delta Govenorship Re- run Election.

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