Blessing Okagbare: 2010 world's fastest woman & New Face of Female Track & Field

Posted by Choochoo Sports Book on April 5, 2010 at 6:00am

NIGERIA'S current highest rated athlete, Blessing Okagbare, gave a glimpse of what she would do at the 2010 Commonwealth Games when she began her outdoor campaign with the world's fastest time of 11.10 seconds in the women's 100 metres.

Blessing Okagbare of Nigeria competes in the women's long jump athletics final in the National Stadium at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 22, 2008.

The timing, her personal best, showed that she is ready to continue from where she left off in the just ended indoor season. Okagbare had last July at the 20th Nigeria/NNPC/ExxonMobil track and field championships set a personal best of 11.16 to outrun defending champion, Damola Osayomi and claim her first national title in any sprint event.

The incredible performance gave her a second title in the colours of University of Texas in El Paso at the 83rd Annual Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays hosted by the University of Texas at Austin. The Nigerian had leapt to a world's best mark of 6.88 metres to claim the long jump title and set a new meet and stadium record in the long jump on Friday.

The General Studies major at UTEP also anchored the school's 400 metres relay team comprising two other Nigerians, Gladys Nwaubani and Endurance Abinuwa, to a time of 44.54, which ranks fifth in the national descending order list this year.

A week ago, the Beijing Olympics long jump bronze medallist also set a new personal best of 23.30 in the 200 metres to put her in a strong position to take Nigeria back to the winner's podium at the next Commonwealth Games in India.

Four years ago, Nigeria failed to win any of the titles in track and field at the Melbourne, Australia Games, with both Olusoji Fasuba and Otonye Iworima winning silver medals in the 100 metres and triple jump respectively.

PHOTO:Tatyana Lebedeva (silver), Maurren Maggi (gold) and Blessing Okagbare (bronze) show off their medals on the Beijing victory stand.

Movie: Blood & Oil Naomi Harris Stars 28days later, Ninja Assasin, Pirates of the Caribean BBC Drama on the Niger Delta Crisis

Posted by NollywoodMohits on April 5, 2010 at 6:04am

‘Blood And Oil’: BBC Drama on the Niger Delta Crisis

The Niger Delta crisis is coming to an audience of millions as BBC 2 screen the long anticipated and award-winning drama, ‘Blood and Oil’ on prime time television..

Guy Hibbert’s tense thriller (starring Naomi Harris (28 Days Later), Johdi May (Defiance) Patterson Joseph and David Oyelowo) follows two women as they investigate the circumstances that led to the deaths of four hostage oil workers and their militant captors in the oil-rich Niger Delta..

A fictitious oil company, ‘Krielson International’, stands in as a thinly veiled corporate giant, whose corrupt deals and failed development projects infuriate local communities.

Without giving too much away, the oil company, Krielson, and the Nigerian military are profiting hugely from illegal practice of oil bunkering, at the expense of local communities and ultimately risking the lives of their own workers.

It may sound like a thriller plotline, but it bears a striking resemblance to real life events in the Delta, and in particular one of the darker chapters of former President Obasanjo’s repressive rule of Nigeria.

As scholar and author Ike Okonta writes:

http://remembersarowiwa.com/wp-content/themes/hybrid/images/quotes.gif); text-decoration: none; font-style: italic; quotes: none; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); background-position: 0px 0px;">
20th August 2006. On that afternoon, soldiers of the Joint Task Force, a contingent of the Nigerian Army, Navy and Air Force deployed by the government to enforce its authority on the restive oil-bearing Niger Delta, ambushed fifteen members of the MEND militia in the creeks of western delta and murdered them. The dead men had gone to negotiate the release of a Shell Oil worker kidnapped by youth in Letugbene, a neighbouring community. The Shell staff also died in the massacre.
Spokesmen of the Nigerian government had sought to represent the fifteen militias as ‘irresponsible hostage-takers’ in the wake of the slaughter. But those massed at the hospital that morning spoke only of heroes who had fallen in the battle for ‘Ijaw liberation.’

Okonta interviewed Oboko Bello, an Ijaw civil-society leader who traced a clear chain of command between Shell and the soldiers who murdered the boatful of MEND insurgents and Shell workers:

http://remembersarowiwa.com/wp-content/themes/hybrid/images/quotes.gif); text-decoration: none; font-style: italic; quotes: none; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); background-position: 0px 0px;">
“Shell was in direct communication with the commanders of the Joint Task Force, even up to the time our young men set out in their boats to rescue the Shell worker in Letugbene. These young men were not hostage takers. They were Ijaw patriots, selflessly working to repair the damaged peace between the oil company and our people. For this they were ambushed and murdered by soldiers in the service of Shell.”

Then, as now, the Delta is betrayed by broken promises and military violence. With no end in sight to the devastation of the ecosystem and the ongoing exploitation of Nigeria’s oil, it is unlikely that the wider drama of the Delta’s will end as upliftingly as Hibbert’s movie.

Jonathan to step down for IBB .nominates turai for Minister of power

Posted by 9jabook.com on March 31, 2010 at 10:42pm

Jonathan to step down for IBB .
Turai yaradua nominated for Ministerial postition as conflicting reports have reached us from NExt newspapers . all and Sundry have contributed their comments on this crazy development .

From NEXT Newspapers reports have reached us that :

Acting President Goodluck Jonathan took Nigerians by surprise with his last-minute nomination of President Yar'Adua's wife, Turai, for a ministerial position.

Mrs. Yar'Adua's subsequent confirmation by the Senate instantly took her into the history books, not only as the first ever Nigerian First Lady to simultaneously hold a cabinet-rank position, but also as the only Nigerian ever to be screened for a ministerial position in absentia.

The inclusion of the First Lady's name in the list of nominees took the Senators by surprise, becoming known only after the final batch of nominees had been screened. Moments after Mr. Segun Aganga, the last of the candidates scheduled for Wednesday, took his bow before the Chambers, the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, Mohammed Abba-Aji, was sighted making his way to the front of the chambers, where he spent minutes conferring with the Senate President.

While the conversation was going on, Mr. Abba-Aji handed over some documents to the Senate President, who broke into a smile when he browsed through them. When the Senate President finally addressed the Chambers, it was to make the surprise announcement - that Acting President Jonathan had, in a bid to increase the quota of women represented in the incoming cabinet, submitted the name of the First Lady for screening.

The Senate Chambers erupted in uproar, which took the Senate President several minutes to calm.

The Senate President then asked Senators to make an exception for the First Lady and screen her in absentia, taking into consideration the fact that her convalescing husband required her presence at his bedside.

There were a few voices of protest, but most of Senators agreed on a symbolic screening. The Senate President proceeded to announce Mrs. Yar'Adua, and then asked her to "bow and go in absentia." This was followed by loud cheering spearheaded by the female Senators present.

With Mrs. Yar'Adua's confirmation, the number of women in the incoming cabinet has risen to six, and the total number of screened nominees to thirty-nine.

The Yar'Adua family is also making history as the only family in recent times to have two nominees in a federal cabinet; as Mrs. Yar'Adua joins Murtala, her husband's nephew, who was screened on Tuesday.

It is being speculated that Mrs. Yar'Adua will be assigned the proposed ‘Power Ministry', which insider sources in the Presidency say should not be confused with the Ministry of Power.

APRIL FOOLS DAY !! !! !!

The hypocrisy of child abuse in many Muslim countries

Posted by 9jabook.com webmadam on April 25, 2010 at 2:59am

Some Muslims are fond of condemning western morality – alcoholism, nudity, premarital sex and homosexuality often being cited as examples. But Muslims do not have a monopoly on morality. In the west, child marriages and sex with children are illegal. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for many Muslim countries..

I recently saw the documentary on the Dancing Boys of Afghanistan. It exposed an ancient custom called "bacha bazi" (boy for play), where rich men buy boys as young as 11 from impoverished families for sexual slavery. The boys are dressed in women's clothes and made to dance and sing at parties, before being carted away by the men for sex. Owning boys is considered a symbol of status and one former warlord boasted of having up to 3,000 boys over a 20-year period, even though he was married, with two sons. The involvement of the police and inaction of the government means this form of child prostitution is widespread.

The moral hypocrisy is outrageous in a country where homosexuality is not only strictly forbidden but savagely punished, even between two consenting adults. However, men who sodomise young boys are not considered homosexuals or paedophiles. The love of young boys is not a phenomenon restricted to Afghanistan; homosexual pederasty is common in neighbouring Pakistan, too. In my view, repression of sexuality and extreme gender apartheid is to blame.

And in the Middle East, it's young girls who are considered desirable and men are able to satisfy their lusts legally through child marriages. In Yemen, more than a quarter of girls are married before the age of 15. Cases of girls dying during childbirth are not unusual, and recently, one 12-year-old child bride even died from internal bleeding following sexual intercourse. In another case, a 12-year-old girl was married to an 80-year-old man in Saudi Arabia.

So why is the practice of child marriage sanctioned in Muslim countries? Unfortunately, ultra-conservative religious authorities justify this old tribal custom by citing the prophet Muhammad's marriage to Aisha. They allege Aisha was nine years old when the prophet married her. But they focus conveniently on selected Islamic texts to support their opinions, while ignoring vast number of other texts and historical information, which suggests Aisha was much older, putting her age of marriage at 19. Child marriage is against Islam as the Qur'an is clear that intellectual maturity is the basis for deciding age of marriage, and not puberty, as suggested by these clerics.

Whatever one's view on the prophet's marriage, no faith can claim moral superiority since child marriages have been practised in various cultures and societies across the world at one time or another. In modern times, though, marrying children is no longer acceptable and no excuse should be used to justify this.

I find the false adherence to Islamic principles and the "holier than thou" attitude of some Muslim societies similar to the blatant hypocrisy and double standards of 19th-century Victorian Britain, where the outward appearance of dignity and prudishness camouflaged an extreme prevalence of sexual and moral depravity behind closed doors. In those days, too, there were many men willing to pay to have sex with children – until a plethora of social movements arose that resulted in changes in laws and attitudes in society.

A similar shift in social attitudes is also required in traditional Muslim societies. Having boy sex slaves or child brides should not be seen as badges of honour. Instead, Muslims need to do more to attach shame to such practices; otherwise, acceptance of this behaviour will make them complicit in the sexual exploitation of children. I fail to understand why Muslims are so vocal on abuses by the west in Abu Ghraib, Guantánamo, Iraq and Afghanistan, but display moral blindness when it comes to children? It's about time this silence was broken, so these violations of innocence can be stopped.

A too-passive attitude in dealing with child abuse has rubbed off on Muslim communities in Britain, too. I have heard many stories at first hand of child sexual abuse and rape, which show that the issue is not being addressed at all. Those who have had the courage to speak out have been met with reactions of denial and shame. Such attitudes mean that children will continue to suffer in silence. Sexual abuse of children happens in all communities, as has been revealed by the recent Catholic church scandal. At least, they have finally started to take action. Muslim communities should learn from this and also start being more open, instead of continuing to sweeping the issue under the carpet.

I am finding that more and more Muslims feel it is their duty to criticise others for actions they consider sinful – quoting the following popular saying of Muhammad to justify their interference:

"If you see something wrong, you should correct it with your hand and if you are unable to, then speak out against it and if you cannot do that, then feel that it is wrong in your heart."

I wonder how, then, Muslims can remain silent when it comes to the sexual abuse of children?

THE QUEEN OF QUEENS - ELIZABETH II moreso the Queen of Thieves Happy Annivesary !

Posted by Jane Okinedo on April 7, 2010 at 8:44pm

Prelude by 9jabook Reporter

More like the Queen of Thieves.England for all we know has been in the forefront of every manner of colonialism and their continous portrayal of their monarchy in these present times as purely ceremonial does not deny the obvious fact of precursory role their monarchy played in the enslavement of many African Nations.

Nothwitstanding We as a people have very poor memory and highly forgiving genetic disposition and wish the Queen "God save the Queen ! " on another annual remembrance of pomp and pageantry

Article@ and culled from TheWillNigeria

Queen of England, Elizabeth II, clocks another year in the month of April. In this write-up in her honour, TUNJI AJIBADE, a Consultant Writer, highlights the life and times of one of the world’s longest reigning monarchs.

"I declare before you all, that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service…God help me to make good my vow, and God bless all of you who are willing to share in it.".

That was Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, addressing the people of the Commonwealth from Cape Town, South Africa, on her 21st birthday anniversary in 1946. Her reference to life, whether it be ‘long or short’ has turned out to be the former. She is one person on whom long life sits well like an apparel. At 84, on April 21, 2010, the former princess, now Queen Elizabeth II, is one of the world’s longest links with the past. She had spent 58 out of those years on the throne, surpassed so far by the 63 year record of the ‘grandmother of Europe’ and late Queen of England - Victoria.

Fate cleared the path for Princess Elizabeth to ascend the throne. She was born at 2.40 a.m on April 21, 1926, at 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair, London - the first child of The Duke and Duchess of York. In that spot, she was third in the line of succession to the throne; meaning she had little chance of ever ascending it – not with Edward (the then Prince of Wales, and her father, the then Duke of York) ahead of her in the queue. Elizabeth spent her early years at 145 Piccadilly, and at White Lodge in Richmond Park. Then in 1936, series of event rolled on one another to lift her up the ladder. Her grandfather, King George V, died. Edward, his eldest son arrived the throne with the name King Edward VIII; he left the throne before the end of the year after he had a sharp disagreement with the royal establishment. He wanted his freedom to marry American Mrs. Wallis Simpson, the woman after his heart, he said. That brought Elizabeth’s father, Duke of York, to the throne in 1937 as King George VI.

The Second World War did not pass without Elizabeth’s involvement. At 14, in 1940, she played the part of big sister when she made a live broadcast on BBC to all children around the world, especially those being evacuated to keep them safe from effects of the war. And she was an army commander too; she inspected her regiment at 16 in her capacity as the Colonel-In-Chief of Grenadier of Guards. In April 1943, she carried out her first solo public engagement, spending a day with a Grenadier Guards tank battalion in Southern Command. There was an increase in her official duties from that point. She was a Subaltern in the Auxiliary Territorial Service early in 1945, and by the end of the war, she had the rank of Junior Commander, having completed her course at No. 1 Mechanical Training Centre of the ATS, and passed out as a fully qualified driver. She married Prince Phillips in 1947.

The princess was in Sagana Lodge, about 100 miles north of Nairobi, a remote part of Kenya, when, on February 6, 1952, she received the news of her father’s death. Thus it happened that the next Queen of England got to hear of what fate destined her for in rural Africa. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Geoffrey Fisher, conducted the coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953. And the heavy rain of that day was a tell tale of what Queen Elizabeth II’s reign would be like for her people, and for the entire world. Prime Minister Winston Churchill and other important citizens from Commonwealth nations, as well as representatives of other countries attended the coronation. The Queen’s request that the ceremony be broadcast to the world was granted: Radio and television beamed it live, for the first time ever.

The Queen is Head of State in the United Kingdom and as a constitutional monarch, she only fulfils important ceremonial and formal roles with respect to Government. She is also Fount of Justice, Head of the Armed Forces and has important relationships with the established Churches of England and Scotland. The relevance of the Queen’s role in British and world affairs might be better understood and appreciated mostly by peoples who have or had lived under monarchies. Traditional leaders still have important role they play in, especially, Africa. Though most of them are not assigned any role in the constitution, their stabilizing role in communities is such that ethnic groups that did not have royalties in the past have since evolved something close to it. Many of these traditional leaders remain rallying point for their people among whom they still command enormous respect. Much of the time, their contributions do not appear so tangible, but it is there, made with quiet dignity, beyond ears, an approach befitting fathers of people.

It is no wonder that in nations such as Nigeria, a Commonwealth country, government does all it can to protect the institution of kingship or traditional leadership. In any case, as football analysts often point out, the mere presence of a player (without getting to touch the ball) on the path of an opponent may serve the purpose his team wants to achieve. There is no doubt that over the years, the stability of the monarchy under Queen Elizabeth II still serves as a focal point both in time of peace or otherwise in Britain. And there is the enormous goodwill the British royalty enjoys both at home and among world leaders, in whose nation, the Queen’s visit amounts to a national assignment to which both the big and the small want to be part of. In Nigeria today, there are elders who fondly recount their past lives with the phrase, ‘the year the Queen came’. One University graduate known to this writer would proudly mention at every opportunity that his father, a retired police officer, chauffeured the Queen when she spent 20 days in Nigerian in 1956.

In many more ways than is recognized, Her Majesty’s presence, visits, and public addresses have proved useful, and to the benefit of Britain and the world in general. Politicians in Britain come, and they go, sometimes in a matter of months, but the Queen has remained a symbol of stability over the years. Behind camera lenses, she meets with the Prime Minister at least a couple of times a month and gives invaluable advice. In her capacity as the Head of state, she receives important foreign office telegrams and a daily summary of events in Parliament. She hosts both British and foreign leaders and receives other important visitors from overseas. She is the head of the navy, army, and air force of Great Britain, and she is president or financial supporter of several organizations, many of them charities. She is regarded as Britain's true mother. One of the Queen’s biographers has pointed out that after the Silver Jubilee in 1977, when Her Majesty the Queen saw the loyalty and respect her subjects demonstrated, she realized her possibilities as a monarch. She had since then become more confident, more open, and more ready to reveal her sense of humor, strong common sense, great energy, and personal character.

The Queen has also been the Head of the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 53 independent countries that used to be British colonies, for 58 years. Her presence is symbolic but it has unifying effect, and her visits to member countries reinforce the Commonwealth links around the world. She has visited every country in the Commonwealth, and has paid over 250 visits to countries around the world (nineteen of such visits were to Africa, with the exception of Cameroon, which joined the Commonwealth in 1995 and Rwanda that joined recently) since she came to the throne. She also holds regular meetings with Heads of Government from Commonwealth countries, and though not often publicized, her opinions on issues have proved invaluable to many heads of government. Apart from the Queen, other members of the royal family such as the Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales also visit the Commonwealth countries. The Queen keeps in touch with Commonwealth activities through regular contact with the Commonwealth Secretary-General and his Secretariat. She remains the Head of State of 15 Commonwealth realms in addition to the UK.

Regarded as a woman who took her coronation oath seriously, it is not surprising that the messages she delivered yearly on Commonwealth Days, as well as on some other occasions have always resonated what she promised in her 21st birthday anniversary speech. “There is a moto that has been borne by many of my ancestors,” she had said, “a noble moto: ‘I serve’. Those words were inspiration to many by-gone heirs to the throne when they made their knightly dedication as they came to manhood. I cannot do quite as they did, but through the inventions of science, I can do what was not possible for any of them.” And it is in this - her comments, visits or public addresses which help focus the activities of relevant stakeholders on the need for world peace, stability and development – that the benefits of her presence come in bolder relief, even though this is often overlooked in the midst of the noise from politicians and other policy makers.

In her message (March, 2010) on Commonwealth Day which had the theme: Science, Technology and Society, the Queen followed up on the promise she made so long ago when she stated that "today’s societies are constantly seeking ways to improve their quality of life and science and technology play a vital part in that search." She went further: “the Commonwealth recognizes that the best forms of innovation are those that unite and help build resilient partnerships and better societies as a whole.” Out of her concern for people, she said since more than half of the Commonwealth citizens are under 25 years of age, "it is vital that their potential to build on the exceptional scientific expertise that exists in member states is also fully supported through education and social development.” She therefore urged the commonwealth organization to continue to aid and encourage young people “to participate in the exciting new opportunities that lie ahead in the knowledge that progress is something which must be sustained and shared by all."

On the world stage, many things have taken place in the last 58 years since the Queen ascended the throne: Television arrived, man walked on the moon for the first time, the Berlin Wall was erected and it was brought down. And the world marches on, making use of new innovations, as the Queen said so long ago, to improve the lot of mankind. Her personal life too has been one long journey. She married former Lieutenant Mountbatten, now His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who was the son of Prince Andrew of Greece and a great-great- grandson of Queen Victoria, on 20 November 1947. They have four children and eight grandchildren.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the love lives of their children were the subject of media attention. This wiped up some level of discontent with the monarchy, and it got to an all-time high on the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997. Since then however, public confidence as well as the Queen’s personal popularity has surged, and the monarchy is stronger than ever. As she marks her 84th birthday, the world wishes Queen Elizabeth II, longer life.

Ajibade wrote from Abuja.

United States of Nigeria No to Splitting say Dokubo Asari

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on March 29, 2010 at 5:04am

The call by Ahaji Dokubo-Asari is legitimate. He is exercising his freedom as a person and the way he perceives the ongoing, in Nigeria. I would tow a rather different line but not too far away from Dokubo. My stand will be for a peaceful co-existence of nations within Nigeria.

There many Nigerian professionals abroad, who have ideas, gained from our profession and from the experience garnered over years, in our country of sojourn, on how to fix one or more wrongs in Nigeria’s infrastructural decay and socio-political malady, given the chance. But because of the implanted, institutionalized and systemic corruption in Nigeria, those recycling themselves, either in Khaki or flowing gowns have prevented this from happening.
It is this blocked opportunities, which the present political arrangement, not only encouraged but incubates every time there is a change of power that the call for 'SEPARATION FOR COOPERATION' will address.
By the way, I am not advocating that Nigeria should break up. On the contrary, I hold on to the belief of 'one' Nigeria with a special kind of arrangement, which we might call United State of Nigeria.
I have lots of friends who are both Moslems and Christians from the north and in my father's house, we have practitioners of both religions. As a matter of facts, I lived with an uncle in Lagos, with whom I followed to fast during Ramadan month.
However, I see the country called Nigeria has being retrogressing, in all forms, since independence against the 'developing nation' tag that we are called, the world over.
If the only way we have developed in the last fifty years is the number of living beings we have brought to the world, with no attendance for food and social amenities to match, and we are still to do anything positive about it, then, I make bold to repeat myself, let us BREAK UP INTO MANAGEABLE AND HOMOGENOUS COMPONENTS.
This proposition, I believe will be in the interest of all concerned.
MANAGING RESOURCES
Concerning the issue on how resources are managed and distributed, I will advocate that the states wherever natural resources are found, be allowed to decide on how to explore and market it, leaving behind in the kitty of united Nigeria, an agreed percentage or as advocated in professor Suji's posting.
The so-called oil money has never trickled down to the ordinary man anyway, apart from General Gowon's misguided Udoji award of 1973. The vast majority of money realized from oil have been stolen by a few, who are opportune to have been in government or are allies of those in power, hence a retired general could boast to have made billions from oil well, and we are not told the criteria for its award.
All the component nationalities, be they six or fifteen, should go back to the drawing board, declaring state of emergency in every areas they are once known to be buoyant, but now abandoned, using latest available technologies.
The discovery of oil in Nigeria, to me is a curse for ordinary man but maybe a blessing for few khaki boys and their civilian friends.
If Nigeria will grow, oil money should be invested appropriately, using the accrued interest to develop specific, measurable and time attached infrastructure, spread evenly in all the 36 states, including the federal capital, Abuja..
MADMAN SLOGAN
I believe the different reactions that attended the controversial statement credited to Muammar Gaddafi of Libya, are because of his suggestion for a division of Nigeria based on religion.
David Mark, who called Gaddafi a madman, was not the first to say so. Gaddafi got the nickname from former American President Ronald Reagan, who named him Madman of Africa. David Mark has reason for his reaction apart from being Senate President, he is a Christian, from Benue State (one of the Christian states from the north) whose country, according to Gaddafi will now be a Moslem country.
David Mark happens to have spoken first and reacted because of his position in the country. What do you think Yakubu Gowon would have said if he had the same number of media attention? How about Theo Danjuma, Jerry Gana and a host of others from Benue, Plateau, Kaduna and many more from the north?
Growing up, I was taught, 'in every situation, the first reaction is always the best.' There are many sins of David Mark, to which he will, one day account for before mortal man or in the presence of God but on this occasion, I will spare David.
This is no time to be abusive, Moslems, Christians, Hausa, Fulani, Yoruba, Ibo, Ijaw, Tiv, Kanuri, Efik and others, it is a time to be truthful to ourselves.
The marriage we have endured for 96 years, managed by the colonial master for 46 years, is simply not working. Absolute decree leading to divorce is not an option though, but a separation and breather from each other so that we all earn our respects from each other and grow thereby. We have been going round in cycle for 50 years; it is time for something more profitable.
Amos Akin Adejinmi wrote from London, United Kingdom.

Kenyan wife of Naija fraudster, jailed in Britain

Posted by Jane Okinedo on March 25, 2010 at 8:33pm

Kenyan wife of N9gerian fraudster, jailed in Britain

THE Kenyan wife of a 9gerian fugitive fraudster was jailed for four years in Britain, on Wednesday, for the role she played in mortgage fraud

Ruth Ayinde-Azeez, 26, a care home assistant, who led a life of luxury thanks to an £8 million mortgage fraud, sobbed as she was sentenced, on Wednesday.

Isaac Matthews, 42, of Chatham, Kent, was sentenced to six years in jail.

Ruth Ayinde-Azeez lived in a six-bedroom mansion containing 12 plasma TVs and drove around in a top-of-the range Bentley and Land Rover.

She took lavish holidays in Dubai and the south of France, kept £1.6 million in her bank accounts and blew huge sums at upmarket bars and restaurants.

But her lifestyle was funded by crime, Southwark Crown Court heard.

Her husband, Victor, a fraudster who is on the run overseas, led a mortgage con gang which plundered nearly £6 million from high street banks in just six weeks using a network of front companies and crooked solicitors.

The court heard that Ruth Ayinde-Azeez was sucked into the criminal world of her husband and came to enjoy the trappings of excessive wealth.

The Kenyan national laundered £1.25 million and was jailed, on Wednesday, for four years for her part in the fraud.

Senate passes budget of N4.6 trillion More Money to Loot

Posted by 9jabook.com on March 25, 2010 at 4:00am

HOW MUCH SHALL THE COMMON MAN SEE OF THIS MONEY ?? They will be dancing everywhere waiting for this money to be released . Criminals that call themselves leaders.God has said it will be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Heaven .I am sure in the case of our Senators It would take at least five camels .Obama fought tooth and nail to instill healthcare for the poor What do these leaders do for us ? .God have mercy on us

Story:
The senate has passed a buget of N4,608,616,278,213 of which N180,279,158,994 is for statutory transfer, while N497,071,797,452 is earmarked for debt service. N2,077,358,560,347 is for recurrent expenditure and N1,853,906,761,420 is for contribution to the development fund for capital expenditure for the year ending 31 December 2010.

The budget is based on the projection of $67 per barrel benchmark oil price and crude oil production of 2.350 million barrels per day. The Joint Venture cash call projection is $7billion, GDP of 5.47%,inflation rate of 11.2% and the exchange rate of N150 to a US Dollar.

The budget had a total additions and adjustments by the executive in the sum of N336 billion, showing a rise of executive proposals of the budget from N4,079 trillion to N4,415 trillion.

The budget passed today has been harmonized with the House of Representatives. It will now be transmitted to the Acting President for signing into law.

Ramsey Noah emerges AMAA Actor of the Year

Posted by NollywoodMohits on April 12, 2010 at 6:59am

Ramsey Noah emerges AMAA Actor of the Year

Popular Nollywood actor Ramsey Noah on Saturday emerged the Best Actor of the year at the African Movie Academy (AMAA) Award held in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.

The award was for his spectacular performance in the flick, The Figurine, which also emerged the best film of the year..

The sixth AMAA award was witnessed by an array of movie stars from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and the Diaspora. Two American movie stars, Ms C.C.H Pounder and Glynn Turner, also attended the event.

Nollywood acts alone carted away nine of the twenty-four awards handed out including Cinematography and Visual Effects of the year won by the film The Figurine..

Ghanaian, Ugandan and Kenyan movie industries also proved that they had a considerable acting and production talents as they carted away awards in eleven categories including the Best Actress of the year won by the duo of Ashaku Mensa-Doku and Lydia Forson in a movie The Perfect picture.

In his speech, Governor Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa said though the economy of the state and indeed the nation needed all the revenue that could be accruable, his administration is convinced its investment in the AMAA is not wasted as the award has shown to the world that the state and the Niger Delta is safe and ready for tourism, which is the new forte for Bayelsa.

Sylva noted that the continued hosting of the event would encourage the anticipated investors to come to the state to invest and also come into a Public-Private Partnership initiative with the state government.

“This administration places huge importance on arts and culture for the promotion of the African values. We will encourage home grown talents.

“Beyond the glamour of the award, it is expected that the talents discovered would be used to correct the wrong impression about the African continent. I hope they would be used to switch the paradigm from the negative to the positive story of the African people and culture.

Use it to tell the story that Bayelsa State is safe for investors to come,” he said.

The Chairman of the state Hosting Committee and Director-General of the Tourism Bureau, Mr. Nathan Egba, said the state shares a mutually benefiting relationship with the AMMA organization, which has helped to promote the fielding tourism industry of the state over the years.

Addressing the huge gathering of movie stars, producers and politicians, the representative of the Group Executive Director, Communications of the United Bank of Africa (UBA), Mr. Charles Aigbe, said the relationship between the bank and AMAA award had hit three years and the partnership was in furtherance of the firm belief of the bank in the promotion of the African culture through the movie industry.

In her comment on the noticeable developments in the African Movie industry, the Chairperson of the Award Jury Committee, Keith Shiri, said though the number of entries for the awards for 2010 increased with over 280 entries received for 24 categories, the harsh economic condition grossly affected the industry with a reduction in film production and exit of professionals from the industry.

Shiri, however, noted that the few movies produced and submitted for entry for the award showed an improvement in technical and production expertise and increased number of the involvement of the women behind the cameras.

SSS quizzes ex-NNPC boss, Barkindo * Seizes passports of Yar'Adua's men FG restricts ex-ministers Aondoakaa delayed

Posted by 9jabook.com webmadam on April 12, 2010 at 6:39am

SSS quizzes ex-NNPC boss, Barkindo * Seizes passports of Yar'Adua's men *FG restricts movement of ex-ministers *Aondoakaa delayed at airport

FACTS emerging in Abuja indicated that security agencies have opened up investigations into activities of the immediate past Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Mohammed Barkindo..

Sources said that he was being probed on the orders from above over alleged misdemeanour while in office.

It was gathered that operatives of the State Security Services (SSS) and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) were involved in the ongoing probe and that the former NNPC boss was questioned by some officials of the SSS in Abuja last week.

It was learnt that the former NNPC boss was being investigated over alleged anti-government activities, especially the purchase of some high calibre equipment which were not covered under the budget of his corporation.

It was gathered that the NNPC boss was fingered as one of the alleged sponsors of the widely discussed cabal around ailing President Umaru Yar'Adua.

Sources said that the organisations had been investigating some officials and their link with the importation of certain equipment in the build-up to the surreptitious return of ailing President Yar'Adua to Nigeria.

Some life support machines were brought into the country through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja and the Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano without inspection by men of Customs.

Investigations had linked some top Nigerians and a retired general to the importation but details were still being pieced together when Barkindo was sacked.

A source said that Barkindo had appeared before a team of SSS operatives to answer questions on certain issues last week.

It was also learnt that the ex-NNPC boss was also being investigated over certain issues relating to the oil industry.

For instance, a source said that the agencies wanted to know whether there was a deliberate sabotage by some forces at NNPC, as it took a threat from the former minister before sanity returned to the oil supply chain

Said the source: "We have it on good authority that security operatives are looking for details relating to the sources of funding for the shipment of certain security equipment. It is necessary to get to the root of some of these things for the sake of the nation's future."

There were reports that the shipment of a particular equipment through Aminu Kano International Airport led to a row within the Customs because the equipment was said to have been moved into the country without due inspection by men of the Customs.

Sources said that the said equipment was allowed to enter Nigeria through Aminu Kano Airport, though the owners refused to disclose what was in the container and that a retired general had to intervene to ensure passage.

It was also learnt that the international passports of members of the cabal, who are already being investigated by the security operatives, had been seized by the government.

A source said that the passports of close presidential aides, who are regarded as members of the kitchen cabinet or the cabal around Yar'Adua, had been being seized by the security agents.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government has restricted the movement of all former ministers, as well as those currently serving in the cabinet, for close monitoring.

It was gathered that the order was said to have been forwarded to security officials at all airports and borders so as to prevent those who were still being investigated from travelling outside the country.

It was also learnt on Sunday that the former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mr Mike Aondoakaa, became the first victim of the directive, when his protocol officer was barred from checking in his luggage for a trip to Rome at the Abuja airport.

It was gathered that Aondoakaa's aide had gone to the airport to check in his luggage for a trip to attend a programme of the United Nations.

A source confirmed that the aide was told he could not check in the luggage as he could not produce a clearance from the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) for the purpose.

One source close to the ex-minister said the former Attorney-General got in touch with the office of the NSA, where he was fully briefed of the new directive.

According to sources, Aondoakaa was told that no former minister was allowed to travel out of the country without a clearance from the NSA.

He was also told that the directive did not exclude serving ministers and that what he needed to do was to apply to the office of the NSA for clearance.

A source said Aondoakaa immediately applied and his clearance was released on Sunday evening.

A source said the former minister informed the NSA that he was due for a meeting at the UN Informational Institute for the Unification of Private Law and he was representing both Nigeria and the African Union (AU).

It was gathered that the directive to security agencies was in line with the decision to probe the activities of all former ministers and while some of those people with critical cases would have their passports seized, those who were only under investigation would be required to secure clearance from the NSA whose office would confirm the status of the affected minister and either approve the trip or refuse clearance as appropriate.

EXCLUSIVE EXPOSE : Western Union MTCN yahoo yahoo boys and the mugu A partnership of Criminals

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on March 22, 2010 at 9:30pm

Yahoo Yahoo Boy just sent this to all his yahoo pals on yahoo messenger :"EFCC and ICPC....dey online ...dem dey always talk like whitie.......oooh ...and for networks dem dey hack into networks ...especially
starcoms,new browsing networks ....so they are hacking thru ..and they

will send money to someone via western union ...jasi bro i just dey tell
u cos i don see people wey dem don catch and it was on efcc show on
saturdays ....CAREFUL bro pass this to every one on your list Breaking
News to everyone. This is to let everyone know that Nigeria Telephone
Companies are now working with EFCC. Zain just called my pal on 27th of
feb. They are trying to get personal details about him. They called with
08021900000. Pls becareful out there"

Western Union, MTCN yahoo yahoo boys, and the mugu. A partnership of Criminals with western union as the principal Partner !

Underground Investigation out !

A typical 419 procedure

1.send out bulk email aka spam with a suitable (format) Charity,abacha family,Lottery etc

2. get a reply from a mugu/maga

3.Con maga/mugu/maye the 419 process (carry phone,wash wash process, etc )

4. Maga sends money to you posing as a british resident via western union

5.The Western Union Agent (a Scammer) recieves a text/call from the scammer in Nigeria with the details of the WU txn like the name ,amount,control number makes forged documents like a passport or drivers license. He fills the form and signs it !

6.Western union gets paid a commision for the transaction .The agent gets a commission from WU for the transaction

WU comes for periodic checks and forewarns the agent as they need time to get their books ready .

Western Union has long been known to be a conduit for the transfer of illegal sums of money by all kinds of scammers and conmen

This institiution for what it is worth has not been known to have any ties or alliances with instigators of these nefarious acts

until the advent of the Nigerian 419 phenomenom. As far back as 1999 Nigerian scammers have routed their scam proceeds through western union

to nigerian cities and agents based in Nigeria.

but with time as the advance fee fraud became international it attached an iconic stigma to nigeria , The losers or conned or mugu/maga/maye or the Americanised slang for them suckers, became smarter and were quick to protest if requested to send
funds through WU to nigeria. This was not good for business

and a solution had to be found .Root of the problem was the location of these WU agents .How about setting up WU agents in the UK ?

How about it !

Quickly as this was a matter of money and Nigerians are known to rise to the task immediately if it involved quick cash. Nigerian UK residents initially

made aquaintancers with WU Agents and a deal was struck .Most WU agents were Asian and not privy to the money making 419 empire took percentage cuts in being

recievers of these sums .

After steps 1-6 is over the Agent owner who gets about 5percent of the recived money natuarally becomes the winner in this deal as the volume of transaction

grows exponentially with cash recieved and per se per se infinitum admitum The need for such WU agents to be Nigerians gained ground and thereabouts became mainstream

WU began to grant approvals for WU agents to small businesses like Hairdressers,corner grocery shops etc and the WU agencies slowly shifted to Nigerians and a small stream of Ghanaians within the African
community in the UK

.This began the golden age of western union as business for these dummy WU agents grew so did commisions for WU grow also as it was a double commision transaction for most

deals as they had to be routed through WU in the UK and then through WU to Nigeria (to the original scammers) each leg of this txn accruing a commision payable to WU and the WU agent it self. !

Easy as stealing money from a baby.

But Then WU started to get complaints fron the mugus and magas and not wanting to be the spoilsports decided to investigate and what they found was alarming !

There was indeed serious 419 money laundering going through them !

Reprisal time you would think ? hmmmmmm yes uh uh .. hell no ! some of these Agents with ghost Receivers were pulling in close to a 100,000pounds a day and with WU charging at least 5percent.One of these shops was taking care of area targets !

How can a small barber shop have a footfall of twenty people all day yet you received over a 100,000pounds about 25million naira ! and sent about 60percent of these funds to Nigeria ! and WU does nothing ?

Well no The art of stealing can be elevated to the art of stealing aiding & abetting,error of omission and making it legal according to the laws of the land .WU pays tax to the UK
and this is good money for the Her majestys Revenue and customs. The
british poliuce largely ignores these activities and focus more on the drug
threat and gang violence which is more ruinous to their society as it generates
little or no tax .. If this was not so why do they sit back and watch WU prtner
with scammers.

To keep this credible,WU then went on a public flogging and suspended a few agents over non compliance received through them and then the inverse inquisition began as WU area managers
went around “educating” their
agents on how to detect fraud they were perpetrating ! LOL ! !!!!(laugh out
loud !)

Competition:

Then money transfer became very competitive as more and more people got into the money transfer business and Companies like Fexco another WU derivative and Moneygram became very active in taking a
market share in International Transfer.MG or mama gee as moneygram is known got
into the market and gave licenses to these corner shops in an attempt to beat
WU .MG is American and their Standards and policies are quite strict towards
laundry.

As at 2007 there was a steady crop of American Mugus who preferred to send money via MG as they became wary of WU any Nigerian MG agent therefore had a gold mine sitting in his laps and the MG was reserved for such stubborn mugus.by mid to late 2008 MG
introduced another set of guidelines to check Passports and other ID of individuals and required a photocopy of
the ID sent in for every transaction.Nigerians not to be outdone were more than
ready to make fake ID which cost about 40pounds each. This cost was borne by
the scammer who sent in the the MG Message control number (MTCN) or “control “
as it is called by scammers. Then the big shock came as Mugus began giving
feedback to MG who did a thorough audit of their Agents branches and found that
a good number of them in the peckham,dalston,woolwich,canning town areas were
actively involved in the money laundry of 419 scam proceeds.

MG quickly closed down such shops and instated new controls that required the id cards to be passports and had to be verified first on line via their databases .That was the beginning of the end of MG for the scammers .

Western Unions Reaction

Major compertition out of the way WU re-embarked on their Anti Fraud campaign but this time with a twist as specific Agents were Forewarned of audit and assurance days which contravened the policies of
surprise audit checks by WU audit dept.
A certain Area manager in east london used to

Call the 419 WU agents and warn them when they were coming for audit checks.

Not all money sent via WU to Nigeria is fraudulent but about 85percent of regular funds recived by the same persons is as there are companies who charge even much cheaper than WU and offer the same service. Any
Bank in Nigeria that acts as a WU agent should be wary of the same individuals
who keep coming to recive WU.In most cases they are fraudsters and scammers !

Who are those involved:

It is one thing to be a yahoo yahoo boy in Nigeria but a completely different thing to get the proceeds in nigeria.Lets assume the mugu sends 1000pounds(150,000naira) the Agents take about 5-10percent depending .
There are “control” pimps who act as intermediaries between the yahoo boys in
nigeria and the WU 419agents in england.A lot of these WU agents are Business
centres and Cybercafes owned by respectable nigerians who act as fronts for WU.
They are usually located in busy spots to fool people into thinking they are
doing legit business and another way to detect them is if you want to recive
legit WU money they usually decline as they tend to hold on to cash as much as
possible.But if you want to send money legitimately they are your best friends
as they need the cash to pay off local “control pimps” in the uk.

It is a very intense accounting business.

1.A steady crop of young Nigerian student studying in the UK do this as full time jobs and are liviing very large on the proceeds .Our sources indicate that slowly ladies are being initiated into this new form of Trading in MTCN.In short one of the
target shops a lady came and was enquiring if they do control as she had yahoo
yahoo boys connections in nigeria .

2.There are reports of it being a family business in some locations as audit checks require a complete rewriting of the send and receive forms with different handwriting and signatures and in some cases madam and kids are
called in to the family business as charity begins at home and anyway they are
more trustworthy !

3.A list of individuals and shops trading in london and thriving with pictures and conversations is to be published after this article.Please stay Tuned on 9jabook.com rebraining 9geria !

India Bangladesh settle by act of nature as Disputed isle in Bay of Bengal disappears into sea !

Posted by jackie webLondonGirl on March 24, 2010 at 6:33am

I guess the isle just got tired of it all !

NEW DELHI – For nearly 30 years, India and Bangladesh have argued over control of a tiny rock island in the Bay of Bengal. Now rising sea levels have resolved the dispute for them: the island's gone.

New Moore Island in the Sunderbans has been completely submerged, said oceanographer Sugata Hazra, a professor at Jadavpur University in Calcutta. Its disappearance has been confirmed by satellite imagery and sea patrols, he said.

"What these two countries could not achieve from years of talking, has been resolved by global warming," said Hazra.

Scientists at the School of Oceanographic Studies at the university have noted an alarming increase in the rate at which sea levels have risen over the past decade in the Bay of Bengal.

Until 2000, the sea levels rose about 3 millimeters (0.12 inches) a year, but over the last decade they have been rising about 5 millimeters (0.2 inches) annually, he said.

Another nearby island, Lohachara, was submerged in 1996, forcing its inhabitants to move to the mainland, while almost half the land of Ghoramara island was underwater, he said. At least 10 other islands in the area were at risk as well, Hazra said.

"We will have ever larger numbers of people displaced from the Sunderbans as more island areas come under water," he said.

Bangladesh, a low-lying delta nation of 150 million people, is one of the countries worst-affected by global warming. Officials estimate 18 percent of Bangladesh's coastal area will be underwater and 20 million people will be displaced if sea levels rise 1 meter (3.3 feet) by 2050 as projected by some climate models.

India and Bangladesh both claimed the empty New Moore Island, which is about 3.5 kilometers (2 miles) long and 3 kilometers (1.5 miles) wide. Bangladesh referred to the island as South Talpatti.

There were no permanent structures on New Moore, but India sent some paramilitary soldiers to its rocky shores in 1981 to hoist its national flag.

The demarcation of the maritime boundary — and who controls the remaining islands — remains an open issue between the two South Asian neighbors, despite the disappearance of New Moore, said an official in India's foreign ministry, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on international disputes.

Bangladesh officials were not available for comment Wednesday.

Obama Health Care bill ,China and the Second Enslavement of Africa

Posted by 9jabook.com on March 24, 2010 at 6:00am

The passage of the health care law shows that
the US empire is declining because it illustrates the fact that people
expect the state to take care of them, David Murrin, the co-founder of
Emergent Asset Management hedge fund manager, told CNBC..

Lilli Day | Photodisc | Getty Images

On Tuesday, US President Barack Obama signed into law health care legislation that expands health coverage for the poor, imposes new taxes on the rich and forbids
insurance practices such as refusing coverage to those with pre-existing
conditions.

In their expansionary phase, empires force people to go out, seek risks and fend for themselves, Murrin said, reminding of the dismantling of the
British empire after the war, when the National Health Service, which
ensures universal health coverage in Britain, was created.

"This (empire decline) is actually a dead-set course that societies get into and it will happen very quickly I'm afraid," he told "Squawk Box Europe."

"As you start to build a system it becomes cohesive because of its success… the fractures in the American system I think are more apparent than ever," Murrin added.

China's rise will be much faster than most people anticipate as the country's military prowess increases, he said.

"We all know there's going to be a change, the surprise will be the pace of that change," Murrin said, noting that "all empires when they decline they
underestimate their challengers."

The peak for commodities will be reached somewhere between 2020 and 2025 and it's the period before that that must be watched, as China seems much more willing to take risks than Western
countries, he predicted.

- Watch the full interview with David Murrin above.

"You have a lot more males in China then you do in the west," he said, noting that 56 percent of the Chinese society was male, because of the country's policies to
control population and because of traditions which value males more than
females.

"What that means is that they're far more risk-oriented than a society in the West…if you look at conflict and your ability to risk your males in
conflict," Murrin explained.

Crises Rocks LM Ericsson, as Mass Sack of Nigerian Workers Loom

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on April 14, 2010 at 8:42pm

Crises Rocks LM Ericsson, as Mass Sack of Nigerian Workers Loom

By huhuonline

Nigeria News | Tue, 24 Nov 2009

It is no news that the excruciating heat of the credit crunch is taking serious toll on many businesses in the world and that has been making some companies, out of their managerial defects to lay off their staff in an indiscriminate manner with total

disregard to labour legal provisions. No doubt the operations of end-to-end telecommunications infrastructure giant, LM Ericsson in Nigeria may soon be grounded if it caries out its threat to retrench its Nigerian workers..

This is because the morale at the company with headquarters at Walter Carrington Crescent, Victoria Island in Lagos, has hit an all time low now. The workers who have vowed to resist an impending mass sack with everything in them are no longer motivated to put in their best in any way. Consequently, they are silently protesting the highhandedness of the management of the company which earlier illegally banned them from active participation in unionism. Huhuonline.com gathered that after Ericsson sent out a circular to members of staff that due to its current reorganization exercise as a way to cut cost, some of them would be the way out of the company, Nigerian workers in the company could not imagine the justification for the grim news. Sources reckon that the Nigerian operation of the Swedish company has continued to yield a lot of profit for the company despite the economic meltdown that has halted economic activities all over the world. Infact, we learnt that the Nigeria operation is only one of the few operations of the company that has continued to be profitable inspite of the recession.

There are indications that the decision of the company to send local workers packing is fallout of its activities In South Africa. LM Ericsson was said to have ran at a loss in 2008 in South Africa but was unable to retrench workers as a cost cutting measure as a result of strong labour laws in South Africa. The result of its loss in South Africa is now about to be visited on Nigerian workers, as the company feels that anything goes in Nigeria as Labour Laws are hardly recognized let alone been enforced. We also gathered that as a result of protest by Nigerians working in the Company, the management decided to carry out its intention through the back doors. Local workers have been asked to resign and reapply to the company. This was vehemently rejected as it amounts to the same mass purge of the local workers by another deceptive guise. Local workers have continued to mobilize as the management seems detrimental in carrying out its intimidating mass sack threat.

Meanwhile, there are indications that the company may have flouted immigration laws and Expatriate Quota regime in its employment of expatriate staff. Huhuonline.com discovered that foreign workers hired as consultants for just a three month period end up working for the company for years. At a time, it was gathered that there were close to 300, such expatriate consultants who illegally worked for the company. Sources say that the problem is, these expatiates do not contribute as much as the local workers, they are better remunerated. The company accommodates, feeds and places them on a high salary scale, hey equally use state-of the-art-official cars.

Huhuonline.com checks also have it that the management of the company has reserved a couple of positions in the company for only expatriate workers despite the fact that there are \several Nigerians better qualified to handle such positions. Hence the tension at the company is now palpable. Though, the Precision Electrical and Related Equipment Senior Staff Association (PERESSA) which is affiliated to the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria is poised for a showdown with the management of LM Ericsson. In a letter dated han 30th of October 2009and signed by T.K. Olatunji, Ag Gen. Sec, the group warned of dire consequences, should the company's management proceed to to retrench local workersin the guise of cost cutting. However, the group requested for a meeting with the management of Ericsson but threatened to mobilize the full force of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria for appropriate response, if the planned move is not suspended.

Information gathered at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for comments showed that te Commission may take actions if L.M. Ericsson continues to flout Nigerian laws by carrying out actions that are impossible in other countries. L.M. Ericsson is one of the leading telecommunications equipment suppliers in the world and the supplier of choice for Nigeria as most operators deploys for their services. Operators that make use of Ericsson switches and other equipments include MTN, Zain, Zoom Mobile, MTEL and a couple of others. Meanwhile while LM Ericsson was reacting to this scandal through it Director, HR and Blair Mackenzie maintained that Ericsson like any other global corporations has had to respond to global financial crisis to remain competitive and well poitioned for the future, and that Ericsson has embarked on a cost reduction and right sizing exercise and the sub-Saharan part of this adjustment is currently underway and will also affect Nigeria. As a result of this exercise there are likely to be some job losses.

It was further confirmed that the exercise would be handled with utmost sensitivity and professionalism, Ericsson has communicated openly about there structure and potential for redundancies through letters, emails, workshops and all-employee meetings since July 2009, and provided all employees with opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed restructure as well as suggestions for avoiding job losses. For those that could ultimately b affected by the redundancies, Ericsson Nigeria has consulted labour lawyers to ensure that those employees are treated and compensated fairly and in accordance with the provisions of Nigerian labour law.

It is unfortunate to see Nigerian citizens turning out to be an object of ridicule and victims of labour chastisement by foreign nationals, this is one, too many a call. Such national slap is apparently sending a signal that Nigeria is a country where rights of labour can be trampled on without recourse to justice. However, as a good people great nation, Ministry of Labour and other stakeholders in the country need to look into these irregularities to ensure that the constitutional rights of Nigerians as it relates to labour are not flouted by any alien who would not respect local content and other rules of engagements. It is not just LM Ericsson there are several other companies in Nigeria found culpable of a similar act. There are cases of machines and chemicals deforming people while in active service and due compensations are not given to them.

Nollywood actor accused of beating wife senseless

Posted by NollywoodMohits on March 27, 2010 at 12:42am

A Nollywood actor, Fredrick Akpowene Aseroma, was on Friday, March 26, 2010, arrested and detained at the Ojodu-Abiodun Police Division, Ogun State Command, over allegations of beating his wife, Blessing Aseroma, who he has been married to for 10 years.

Mr. Aseroma, 40, along with his younger brother, Temotighe, 30, was detained after they both allegedly tried to strangle Mrs. Aseroma, 38, bruised her arm and almost stripped her naked because she reported them to a non-governmental women’s rights organisation, Project Alert.

Can’t take it anymore

“I went to Project Alert on Wednesday (March 24) because that same morning, they both beat me until the neighbours intervened. What caused it then was that our children have been out of school because of non-payment of school fees,” Mrs. Aseroma said.

The wife, who has three children for Mr. Aserome, claimed that the husband has always been abusive right from the University of Lagos, where they both schooled.

“Even in school, he had been beating me. But I thought that it would stop and things would change. I don’t know why I tolerated it. I guess because of love I overlooked everything,” said Mrs. Aseroma, a graduate of History.

State of shock

The executive director of Project Alert, Josephine Effah-Chukwuma, said Mrs. Aseroma came to the NGO in a state of shock. She said it was evident that, over the years, the lady had lost her self-esteem, as a result of the physical and psychological abuse suffered.

“We invited her husband to try and resolve the issue, but he refused to come. We have now taken the case up with the police. Her case is a very sad one, and a reminder that women are being abused at an alarming rate. So now it’s about naming and shaming people who violate women,” Mrs. Effah-Chukwuma said.

When NEXT called Mr. Aseroma’s phone number, he picked up, but immediately cut off when asked for his reaction to the allegations of wife battery.

Guru of Gangstarr is Dead !

Posted by NollywoodMohits on April 20, 2010 at 10:59pm

Guru founded Gang Starr in 1987, and built a sizable following in the early 1990s, releasing classic albums such as Step in the Arena (1991) and Daily Operation (1992).

In 1993, he released his first solo album, Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1. The album featured collaborations with Donald Byrd, N'Dea Davenport, and Roy Ayers, while his second LP, Jazzmatazz, Vol. 2: The New Reality, featured Ramsey Lewis, Branford Marsalis and Jamiroquai.

His "first proper solo album", in his own words, was Version 7.0: The Street Scriptures (2005), released with the help of producer and new backup MC Solar (who is not to be confused with MC Solaar from France). The album reached #1 on the college hip-hop charts, but was a failure with both fans and critics. It still managed to sell relatively well for an independent release.

Guru's last projects were the fourth installment in the Jazzmatazz series, entirely produced by Solar, released in early June 2007, and Guru 8.0: Lost And Found, released May 19, 2008 (also in collaboration with Solar). Although there were hopes for a Gang Starr reunion, Guru stated he would not work with DJ Premier again.^[4]

Death

On February 28, 2010, Guru went into cardiac arrest and, following surgery, fell into a coma.^[5]^[6] He was said to have woken from the coma^[7]but died on April 19, 2010, after a long battle with multiple myeloma.^[8]

In a letter allegedly written by Guru on his deathbed, asked that Solar should manage his posthumous image, likeness, etc. on behalf of himself, and his son KC, and wished that DJ Premier not associate himself with Guru.^[9]. Members of Guru's family have claimed that Solar prevented contact with him during his fatal illness.^[9]

The Mallam Returns: The return of Nuhu Ribadu

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on April 4, 2010 at 12:10am

Nuhu Ribadu, the former chief of Nigeria's anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has accepted an offer from Acting President Goodluck Jonathan, to be his special adviser on anti-corruption, good governance and sundry matters.

Presidency sources said at the weekend that Mr. Ribadu is expected to resume "in a matter of weeks" in Abuja. As part of his remit, Mr. Ribadu will be the presidential anchorman supervising the broad anti-corruption platform of the country which includes his former agency, the EFCC; the ICPC; the Code of Conduct Bureau and other related agencies.

He's back

Mr. Ribadu confirmed this in a telephone interview with NEXT at the weekend..

"Frankly I don't want to be drawn into any political discussion," he said. "But let me say it is true that I have been contacted. I also think it is only honest to say that Acting President Jonathan appears to have a keen understanding of the cogent priorities facing our nation which is currently teetering on the brink of disaster. It is probably right to also say he is taking the right steps on those critical priorities. For this reason, I believe it is the moral duty of Nigerians to support all efforts to save our country."

Mr. Ribadu is, at the moment, winding up a plum fellowship at the Centre for Global Development (CGD), a think tank in Washington D.C. dedicated to international issues of development. During his fellowship at the CGD, he was the lead person for the centre on anti-corruption, institutional reform, and African law enforcement policy. During this same period, he undertook special missions to advise many African countries who were just setting up anti-corruption and financial intelligence agencies.

Among the notable institutions that he consulted for were the World Bank and the United Nations (UN).

Mr. Ribadu also consulted for a host of western authorities including the United States government and the European Union (EU).

Presidency sources in Abuja said they expect Mr. Ribadu to meet with Mr. Jonathan, who will be visiting Washington at the invitation of the US president, Barack Obama, next week.

Ribadu's troubles

The former anti-corruption czar, for the past two years, had been in a running battle with the Umaru Yar'Adua led government, culminating in Mr. Ribadu's exile and the decision to take up fellowship offers, first at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom and then CDG in the US.

Last year, Mr. Ribadu admitted the decision to leave Nigeria was for self preservation. "I had to leave the country on January 3 this year (2009) after a relentless persecution which climaxed in two assassination attempts," he said in November.

At the height of his troubles with Nigeria's ailing president, Umaru Yar'Adua, who has not been seen since he took an emergency medical vacation five months ago, the former EFCC boss was dramatically charged to court with the alleged failure to properly declare his assets during his tenure as the EFCC chairman.

Mr. Ribadu was said to have failed to produce an asset declaration form, which is a crime for all senior public officers who do not do so, according to the Nigerian constitution. The Fifth Schedule of the 1999 constitution mandates all public office holders to declare all their assets.

Mr. Ribadu however consistently refutes the charges and said that he had not defaulted in the asset declaration procedure. According to him, his asset declaration forms were "submitted on assumption of office in March 2003 and (on) my exit from office in December 2008. I assert that there is no substance to this case; that my assets were (not) declared. How could I have been confirmed for my position in 2003 if I did not submit an asset declaration form to the Senate, as all officers needing senate confirmation are obligated to do?"

Insisting that the forms are in the safe custody of the Code of Conduct Bureau, Mr. Ribadu further urged the Code of Conduct Tribunal to call for the documents. "Is it also not in the power of the Tribunal to simply order the Code of Conduct Bureau to produce certified true copies of my asset declaration if this is what truly concerns the Tribunal?" he asked.

In the clear

Last week however, the federal government indicated its desire to withdraw its case against Mr. Ribadu at the Code of Conduct Tribunal last week, admitting that it had no case against the former EFCC boss.

Mr. Ribadu's fight with the government is seen to have come to an end as the former anti-graft boss prepares to return home after months of exile abroad.

The former anti-corruption czar is looking forward to it. "It is important for us to know that the nation has lost a huge ground in the past two years (and) it would take the collective effort of all patriotic Nigerians to work for the restoration of their country. I certainly look forward to coming back soon," Mr. Ribadu said.

The best jokes of April By Reuben Abati

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on April 4, 2010 at 12:06am

"Mai broda, I laugh tire yesterday my ribs nearly cracked open." "But I know you. Even when there is nothing to laugh about, you are permanently titillated. God must have deposited some amount of laughing gas in your blood stream and so life for you is one long comedy. Where others see sorrow, you see an opportunity to bare your teeth. I understand. We can't all be the same."

But you should hear me out first..."

"Okay what is it? But remember that today is Good Friday. Not a day to go about laughing anyhow as if you are mocking God. It is the day in honour of our Lord Jesus Christ, the day he covered all of us in His Blood, with His original sacrifice, so that bloody sinners like you may share in the grace of Salvation"

"I am talking about yesterday."

"What happened yesterday?"

"It was April Fools' Day".

"Oh yes, the day specially set aside for the recognition of some people that I know."

"I laughed and laughed."

"Naturally"

"You know no matter how life turns out, Nigerians have a great capacity for laughter."

"I have one of the laughing Nigerians in front of me, so I should know."

"I got some text messages that I think should win prizes for the best April fool jokes."

"Oh, if that is what is given you rib pains, I got a few of those too. There was this one that said the appointment of Ministers had been put on hold because President Umaru Yar'Adua was going to address the nation at 12 noon. I believed it. I was fooled. I even sent it to some friends who also got fooled. Before I knew what was happening, people were calling me to ask if indeed it was true. Some people immediately rushed to their television sets. But by 12 noon, there was no Yar'Adua, and then it dawned on me that it was an April Fool joke."

"Looks like the Yar'Adua family has been finally turned into a national joke. I won't be surprised if one of these days, we have a film coming out of Nollywood titled the Missing President"

"I suggest the Living Ghost"

"That is a bad title for a movie"

"Who is saying so? What better title to convey the current situation in the Presidency?"

"The man is not a ghost."

"I say a living ghost. What is a ghost? -an unseen object that can be occasionally visible to the living."

"Nigerians are callous towards their leaders. You know there was this other April Fool joke about Turai. It said Turai's name had been forwarded to the Senate for consideration as a Minister of the Federal Republic."

"I believed that one too. I even suspected that it may have been the handiwork of some of her image management people. Do you think if Jonathan offers the woman a portfolio, she won't jump at it?"

"Kai. That will be the ultimate betrayal."

"She will take it! In fact, even the Yar'Adua April Fool joke may have been a kite that someone was flying. You think if Turai is offered the Petroleum Ministry or the Federal Capital Territory, she won't jump at it? She will jump at it the way a monkey jumps at a piece of banana."

"Let's be fair."

"Your problem is that you always optimistic. Did you not see how the young Yar'Adua was so enthusiastic at his Ministerial screening?"

"Meaning what?"

"The young man made it a point of duty to tell the Senate and by extension all Nigerians that he intends to do things in a new way and that he promises all Nigerians youthful energy. I don't consider that an innocent promise. That fellow was trying to tell us that he is a healthy Yar'Adua, young, virile, ready to make his own mark, lest anyone thinks that it is the entire family that is incapacitated. If he was asked to produce his medical records, he would have done so immediately. I won't be surprised if he had a medical report in his pocket!"

"He couldn't have been as callous as you are putting it."

"I am repeating what the fellow said. In this country, when it comes to the game of power, there are no innocent remarks. When a Yar'Adua from another wing of the family says he is young and new, you should dissect and dimension the statement. That was a campaign speech."

"Look, let's leave the Yar'Aduas alone. As far as I am concerned, what the Senate called Ministerial screening was a joke. The entire exercise lacked depth and sense."

"What did you expect? I never expected any serious screening in the first place."

"It is perhaps this kind of thing that makes people like Gaddafi say that Nigeria should be split into several ethnic states."

"Gaddafi should shut up. Let him go and split his own country into the Arab North and the Black South. In fact, Nigeria should shut down its embassy in Tripoli completely. When Gaddafi first made that statement about Nigeria being split into Muslim North and Christian South, and everyone started calling him a madman, I thought Nigerians were over-reacting. But now, I am convinced that something is wrong with that man. "

"He has breached the cardinal rule of diplomacy. It is wrong for the representative of a sovereign state to call for the dismemberment of another sovereign state."

"And the man repeats the affront by modifiying his initial assault on sovereign Nigeria. It is an act of war. War doesn't have to be physical, it can be verbal or psychological. President Jonathan must regard this as war against Nigeria."

"Ol' boy, be careful. I don't think Nigeria can go to war against Libya oh, with this Nigerian military that can't even take charge of the Niger Delta. But if you are calling for a verbal war. Yes. I support that. We have people who can talk; that's why the telecom companies are making a kill. We can report Gaddafi to the African Union and put ECOWAS on notice."

"The security of Nigeria is threatened. Have you not noticed that some Nigerians are already saying Gaddafi is right? His statement has suddenly become a source of inspiration for many of our stupid compatriots."

"Nigerians will latch on to any statement. But don't use the word stupid. Gaddafi has not said anything, after all the Americans also said Nigeria will soon break down and break up, but it does not lie in his mouth, Gaddafi to say so."

"You mean you don't mind when the Americans say it. But you take offence when Gaddafi puts his mouth into the matter. Look, talking seriously, I think the long and short of it is that we should try and put our house in order."

"The man even said Nigeria should break up like Yugoslavia. And you know Gaddafi, once he starts a campaign he doesn't give up. My fear is that he may have been listening to some aggrieved Nigerian ethnic nationalists."

"He probably has been listening to the Nigerian asylum seekers and immigrants who have become very notorious in Libya."

"I don't think he should be ignored. Nigeria should find a way of putting him where he belongs."

"But we sef, we get too many problems for dis country. Yes, some of us don't want Nigeria to break up, but does it not say something to you, that in Plateau state, the House of Assembly had to pass a special resolution condemning the attempt by the National Youth Service Corps Headquarters to withdraw young Nigerians on national service in that state. The state Governor had to offer a sum of N5 million to the youth corps members who reject redeployment from the state. When young Nigerians have to be bribed to stay in any part of their country, that is a veritable sign of crisis."

"I am interested in that N5 million. Who collected it? How will it be shared? Who is entitled to it? Is it N5 million per corps member or for all corps members, since automatically anyone that is still in Jos is entitled to it."

"How does that concern you? You are not a beneficiary."

"I am a concerned observer. Don't let us wait until you and I start discussing the why, how and wherefore of the N5 million after it may have led to another outbreak of violence."

"The issue in Jos is not about money, it is about indigeneship, who is a settler and who is not, and power and privileges and position."

"You are talking about money. Who gets it, who controls it? And it is not only in Jos. It is everywhere. Look at the protest in Lagos state about the nomination of Segun Aganga as the Minister from Lagos in the Jonathan cabinet. Some Lagos indigenes have put out adverts saying Aganga is not from Lagos state, they say he is from Sabongida Ora in Edo state and that an Edo man cannot come and take a Lagos slot."

"Let's face it, who is from Lagos? I have been saying it. Lagos state is no longer Lagos Island. It belongs to all of us from Isale Eko to the Ijebus in Somolu, the Ibos in Amuwo Odofin, the Mallams in Agege, the Egbas in Abule Egba, the Oro people in Surulere, not to talk of all the people from Brazil, Sierra Leone, Portugal and Liberia who have made Lagos home. We live here. We pay tax here."

"The indigenes disagree."

"So, they justify Gaddafi"

"But really, I think those protesters are interested in their pockets. They want a man from the clan and the party who will make returns. Don't you know that a Ministerial appointment is an invitation to come and chop?"

"Sad. Even in Ogun state, the Yewa/Awori people took to the streets; they insist that only a man from their area should be Minister from Ogun. I think we should be more interested in ability not where a man comes from."

"Sadly in Nigeria, we can't run away from issues of balance."

"Too many stupid things happen in this country. I will give you one example. The Sharia Court in Kaduna has issued an order banning people from discussing the amputation of Mallam Jangebe on Facebook and Twitter. Why? The commentators are criticising the Sharia."

"Don't waste your sweat on that. If a court gives an order that it cannot enforce, why do you bother yourself?"

"The ruling is an assault on the freedom of speech"

"Just as amputation is an assault on human rights."

"You know, we should be optimistic, it won't be long before we have peace in this country."

"How?"

"You know President Obama has now said that more offshore oil drilling licenses should be given out in the United States. With the US producing more oil, this could affect the global price of oil and the demand for Nigerian crude oil, with a corresponding reduction in revenue"

"Nigerian crude is special. It is low sulphur crude. Very sweet crude."

"Still we should be thinking of other options. Like agriculture."

"Agriculture? Are you aware that Nigeria has sent some consultants to the Middle East asking investors to come and buy Nigerian land for cultivation with a guarantee that all the produce can be exported 100%."

"In a country where a taxi can have a head on collision with an aircraft, indeed anything is possible.".

Lil Wayne: The Rise and Rise of Weezy

Posted by NollywoodMohits on March 26, 2010 at 4:57am

Rising out of obscurity to stand in the limelight as an international rap juggernaut, Lil Wayne has come a long way from his humble but harsh Hollygrove beginnings. With the recent incarceration of the New Orleans, Louisiana native, we look at the life and times of the Young Money boss and Cash Money Millionaire..

1982: Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr is born September 27 to Jacida "Cita" Carter and Dwayne Michael Turner.

1990: Writes his first rap song

1993: Meets Bryan "Baby" Williams, rapper and owner of Cash Money Records and starts to record freestyles on Baby's answering machine.

1994: Plays the Tin Man in his middle school drama club's production of The Wiz

1995: Accidentally shoots himself with a .44 caliber gun in his chest while mimicking Taxi Driver's Travis Bickle in his bedroom mirror; the bullet misses his heart by two inches and he goes on life support for two weeks.

>> Signs with Cash Money Records and hooks up with another newcomer, Lil' Doogie "B.G", to form The B.G.'z. Later, they release their first and only album, True Story.

1996: Drops out of school

1997: Joins the Hot Boys alongside rappers Juvenile, B.G. and Turk as the youngest member to release their debut album Get it How You Live.

>> Officially adopts the name Lil Wayne, dropping the "D" from his first name in order to separate himself from an absent father.

>> Step-father Reginald "Rabbit" Carter dies.

1998: Welcomes his first child, Reginae Carter with Antonia "Toya" Johnson, his high school sweetheart.

>> Distinguishes himself on the Hot Boys' multi-platinum selling Universal debut, Guerilla Warfare

1999: Releases debut solo album Tha Block is Hot and receives a Source Award nomination for "Best New Artist.

2000: Releases second album, Lights Out.

>> The Hot Boys receive a Source Award for "Group of the Year."

2001: Gets shot in the chest in Florida after "some groupies" fire two shots through his tour bus window.

2002: Releases third album 500 Degreez.

2003: Releases hit mixtape called Da Drought.

2004: Releases fourth album Tha Carter and two mixtapes, Da Drought 2 and The Prefix.

>> Marries Johnson.

>> Features on Destiny's Child's single "Soldier" which earns him prominent nominations like 2005 BET Award-Best Collaboration and 2006 Grammy Award-Best Rap/Sung Collaboration

2005: Releases fifth album Tha Carter II and two mixtapes, The Suffix and Dedication with DJ Drama.

>> Enrolls at the University of Houston, majoring in Political Science but later switches to Psychology.

2006: Releases collaboration album with mentor Baby: Like Father, Like Son and also a mixtape with DJ Drama called Dedication 2, which includes a track entitled "Georgia Bush" addressing the problems surrounding the government's response to Hurricane Katrina in his native New Orleans, Lousiana.

>> Divorces wife, Antonia "Toya" Carter.

2007: Releases mixtape, Da Drought 3 and features with several artists including DJ Khaled, Kanye West, Jay-Z and Enrique Iglesias

>> Selected in an MTV poll as "Hottest MC in the Game," in The New Yorker magazine as "Rapper of the Year", GQ magazine as "Workaholic of the Year" and the BET Hip-Hop Award for "MVP of the Year."

>> Arrested at a performance at the Beacon Theatre when the New York City Police Department discovers him smoking marijuana near a tour bus.

>> Arrested again following a performance at Qwest Arena in Boise, Idaho, on felony fugitive charges after Georgia authorities accuse him of possessing a controlled substance.

2008: Releases sixth album Tha Carter III and wins Grammy for Best Rap Album, Best Rap Solo Performance for "A Milli", Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for his appearance on T.I.'s single "Swagga Like Us" and Best Rap Song for "Lollipop".

>> Named "Best Rock Star Alive" by Blender magazine and "Best MC" by Rolling Stone.

>> Releases tenth mixtape, Dedication 3 with DJ Drama.

>> Has second child, Dwayne III.

>> Arrested in Yuma, Arizona when his tour bus is stopped by Border Patrol agents whose K-9 Unit recovers 105 grams (3.7 oz) of marijuana, almost 29 grams (1.0 oz) of cocaine, 41 grams (1.4 oz) of MDMA, and $22,000 (approx. N3.3 million) in cash.

2009: MTV lists him number two on their list of Hottest MCs in the Game.

>> Releases collaboration album with his Young Money artists

>> Has his third child, Lennox Samuel Ari, born to actress Lauren London and fourth child, Neal, with singer Nivea.

>> Detained at the Falfurrias, Texas border patrol checkpoint after an unknown amount of marijuana was found on two of his tour buses

2010: Releases seventh album Rebirth.

>> Re-signs with Cash Money Records and goes to jail to serve a one-year sentence for attempted criminal possession of a weapon

>> Gets bench warrant when he doesn't show for a final trial management conference. However, the rapper was already in prison, serving a year-long sentence in Rikers on weapons charges.

Google pulls service out of china.

Posted by technology on March 22, 2010 at 12:29pm

After several months of meetings and negotiations between Google and the Chinese government over the accusation that Chinese government hackers had attacked its search engine to retrieve very relevant information from its users and the United States.

jpeg&STREAMOID=CNM0zn6zMtayK8o$2Tojxi6SYeqqxXXqBcOgKOfTXxRHDBoGkr7gX5ixTstsumuvnW_PgxgftuECOcfJwS6Jtlp$r8Fy$6AAZ9zyPuHJ25T7a9GKDSxsGxtpmxP0VAUyHL6IDcZHtmM2t7xO$FHdJG95dFi6y2Uma3vSsvPpVyo-

The outcome is that Google's China domain, Google.Cn, would now redirect to a new site google.com.hk, a new uncensored site just constructed by Google for its Chinese visitors according to Business Insider.

The new development now means google no longer censors visits and search results done by Chinese visitors. The initial censorship idea from Google, caused disagreement between Google and China. But it's still uncertain if the Chinese government would embrace this new development or out rightly block the new site.

According to Business Insider, Google explained that they tried to "make good of their promise to stop censoring search on Google.cn"

The company said, "We intend to continue R&D work in China and also to maintain a sales presence there, though the size of the sales team will obviously be partially dependent on the ability of mainland Chinese users to access to google.com.hk" also according to Business Insider.

Google says it has been difficult to grant their promise to stop censoring search by Chinese visitors, but also wanted to provide services to as many people around the world, including the Chinese people. Google believes their latest approach is the most sensible a medium to tackle its present disagreement between Google and china.

Crises Rocks LM Ericsson, as Mass Sack of Nigerian Workers Loom

Death

Note: this page contains paid content.

Note: this page contains paid content.

Note: this page contains paid content.