From Iyabo Lawal (Ibadan) and Bodunrin Beckley, (Keffi)Like a blockbuster action movie from hollywood ! Assault on Banks 13 !
IT was a black day in Ogbomoso yesterday as gunmen invaded three commercial banks in the city and unleashed mayhem on officials, customers and passers-by.
At the end of the operation, which took place simultaneously in the affected financial institutions, seven persons, including three of the robbers were killed, while others sustained various degrees of injuries.
Also, five persons were yesterday feared killed in a ghastly accident at Gidan Waje village on Keffi-Akwanga road in Nasarawa State.
The robbers, according to sources had arrived at the Apake area of Ogbomoso where the banks are located in five vehicles, including three 18-seater passenger buses, a Toyota Camry and another KIA car, armed with sophisticated weapons. They were said to number about 60.
On their arrival, the gun-wielding robbers took position in the three banks after overpowering the security men stationed within the banks' premises.
While the shoot-out lasted, a cleaner and a top official of one of the banks were shot dead. Three of the robbers also died in the process.
Two persons were hit by stray bullets, while the robbers were trying to escape as they shot sporadically into the air, causing pandemonium in the city.
A police patrol van, which was cited by the robbers while trying to find an escape route was also not spared as it was riddled with bullets, though it could not be ascertained whether anyone was injured in the process.
The development forced other banks in the city to hurriedly close for business while traders and markets also hurriedly locked their stalls.
Commissioner of Police, Baba Bolanta, led a special rescue team to Ogbomoso while mobile policemen and an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) were immediately deployed to the town.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Bisi Okuwobi, who expressed sadness over the incident, appealed to well meaning Nigerians to support the police in the area of equipment, saying if an APC was stationed in Ogbomoso, the robbers would not have had a field day.
Those feared killed in the auto crash involving three vehicles, include the chairman of the Senior Staff Association (SSANU) at the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Bala Angbashim, his wife and son.
Another occupant of the third vehicle was badly wounded and had to be rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, Keffi by men of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
Commander of the Road Safety Unit in Keffi, Solomon Agure, told The Guardian that the mishap occurred when one of the vehicles tried to overtake and in the process hit an incoming vehicle.
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So-called professional beggars are earning up to £200 a night on the streets, it has ben revealed. Skip related content
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Street beggars earning £200 a night
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And police in Leicestershire added that numbers were growing and officers had cautioned 20 people for begging in the city centre in the first two weeks of a scheme to tackle the problem.
Officers discovered none of them were homeless.
Toni Soni, head of hostel services at Leicester City Council, said previous joint operations operations by them and police found no beggars to be homeless.
He said: "There are people who are actually professional beggars who are doing it to make a living. If we did find that they were rough sleepers we would obviously attempt to engage them in our support services."
It emerged one woman begged at night after her day job to fund a new kitchen in her flat.
Sergeant Adrian Underwood, of Leicestershire police, said some people could earn up to £200 begging on a Friday or Saturday night.
He told the Leicester Mercury: "We have intelligence that there is a woman who is begging because she wants a new kitchen for her flat. A lot of well-intentioned people see someone begging and think they are deserving causes. Would they give them money if they knew that person had just come out of a flat, was receiving benefits and had food in the larder?"
Previously Leicester Police announced a "three strikes and you're out" approach to begging after it emerged as a major concern for people living, working and shopping in the city.
As part of the drive, people seen begging are given a formal warning and their details taken by officers. If they are seen again then a second warning is issued by police and on a third occasion they can be arrested and prosecuted.
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Crazy like a Fox is one of few movies directed by a Nigerian that has won global recognition. This film was one of the official selections for the American Black Film festival in 2008 and has been nominated for several awards as well.I got a chance to sit down in Harlem with the director of this movie - Tony Abulu (Back to Africa, American Dream, Crazy like a Fox) and we got a chance to talk about his story behind the arts of film making. Tony Abulu is truly multi-dimensional — uses the arts to express several dimensions of creativity: beyond being the voice for the African film maker and artistic persons in New York, Tony has also been the voice for Nigerian film makers and producers, owned his own Pan-African magazine for ten years, and the list is endless. Enjoy the interview! Tony, could you tell us a little bit about your background?I actually started studying fine arts, graphic design and illustration in college and then I worked in a top ad agency in Nigeria between 1982 - 1984. I eventually left that company because I felt my creativity was eroding but before I left I started a magazine called Black Ivory which was basically ancient Africa in an illustrated form. Some will say that was when my foray into film making actually began. Black Ivory eventually became a major Pan African magazine in Nigeria and the United States and I was in that business for fifteen years (15).What would you say actually took you into the world of movies and films?The idea to make a film came in 1976 when I was in college. I started toying with this idea with a few friends of mine. At that time I was a martial arts instructor, so the script I wrote had major elements that incorporated martial arts. You have to remember that in 1976, there was nothing like that - there were only three or four people who made movies at that time in Nigeria and it was really grand scale and these movies were shot in 35mm. So we (my friends and I) tried to make this movie but it never came about. I will say that was my first foray into the world of films.Beyond your background in martial arts - what other factors influenced your interest in movies?At that time, a lot of people in my age group were being influenced by movies like the Ten commandments, Sound of Music, etc. These movies had the ability to transform you and take you into a totally different world. But, you know we weren’t only being influenced by movies from the West but we were being influenced by movies from India, China etc. I remember my brother fell in love with Indian cultures via Indian movies that he chose to move to India at nineteen (19).You know this is very interesting because you see how African young children get into a form of art that is completely outside their ‘norm’. Nigerians at that time, were looking very heavily into world cultures and we had the opportunity to imbue these cultures at an early age and as such many Nigerians at that time, were calling themselves by Indian nicknames - Jagu, Jatamaurta. The next influence was from Chinese movies like Bruce Lee. We were influenced by different Nigerian cultures as well. I know my Nigerian influence was via my grandmother who used to tell us stories - she was a top rate story teller. She used to sit us down at night and tell us stories about Ancient Nigerian history.So, what event led to your first movie - Back to Africa?About fourteen (14) years ago, at around the time that Eddie Murphy’s movie, “Coming to America” came out, I wrote another script and I was determined to see this script through. My script was called American Dream.I spent some months going after people like Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis to be in my movie. They all read the script and wanted to be in the movie but my budget was 1.4 million dollars and I spent four years trying to raise the money but couldn’t do it.Luckily, one of my very good friends, Obafemi Lasude came to my rescue. Femi Lasude was a Nigerian who used to work in a TV station in Brooklyn, we were both very passionate about entertainment in Africa. He eventually went back to Nigeria to pursue his passion further and he advised that I come back as well. At that time, I had written another script, which took me two days to write, called Back to Africa and I decided to follow Femi’s advise and produce my movie in Nigeria.Femi introduced me to a friend Larry Talbot with the hopes that Larry will invest in my movie. I met Larry and told him about my movie and that same day Larry invested 25 000 dollars in my movie. The only favor Larry wanted was that I take his son to Nigeria with me. So, I did my casting call and picked a couple of my cast from the U.S and then took them to Nigeria. We spent 6 weeks in Nigeria shooting that movie. We went to places like Ekiti, Oshogbo, etc to shoot this movie. By the time we got back and started editing the movie - people who saw it were amazed at the quality. That was the first Nigerian movie anyone ever saw in the U.S.After that movie - I spent the next ten years developing distribution for the Nigerian film industry in the U.S and ironically to this very day - I get orders from all over the world for that movie. That movie cost about 80,000 dollars to produce.You mentioned earlier that there was no form of distribution of Nigerian movies in the states when you produced the movie, Back to Africa - so how did you distribute your movies?I made VHS copies of my movie and I went to every single store and restaurant in different communities from the Caribbean community, African community and the African American Community.I went to Nigerian parties and other parties that I was invited to and set up a table and often times faced the initial jeers at the cost of the movies but people eventually started warming up to the idea and started wanting more of it.During that time, I ran into two other Nigerians - the first one was Rabiu Mohammed - he had a small store in the Bronx ,where he used to sell movies. Today, he is one of the number one African movie distributors in the U.S and another guy called Bethel Agumoh. Bethel Agumoh was the first Nigerian to sell VCD on the Internet in the U.S.A.The Film Makers Association of Nigeria (FAN) was made up of these two men, myself and Caroline Okoli who came through Bethel. Her forte was back end management - she had worked for McDonald corporation for some years. At that time, we had noticed that a few Senegalese and Malian traders were beginning to sell bootleg copies of Nigerian movies and we understood that if FAN does not legitimize the distribution of Nigerian movie where we ensure that people sell authentic copies of the real thing so that producers in Nigeria get some renumeration for the movies sold in the states - the industry could die.At that time, Nigerian producers were selling 100,000 - 200,000 copies of their films. We took this issue to the Nigerian producers in Nigeria but they did not want to listen to what FAN had to say, they felt that we needed to prove that we were serious and had their interest at heart by putting down some money which we were not ready to do. Now, with the Chinese getting involved in the Nigerian movie distribution business - many now wish that they had listened to our suggestions. What is going on now is that a lot of Nigerian movies (as much as 50) are being compressed illegally into one CD and being sold and none of the monies are going to the producers, directors or anyone involved in the creation of the movie. Working with FAN as the president, I was able to convince 70% of distributors of bootleg movies in the states to become legitimate distributors of Nigerian films.Beyond distribution of Nigerian movies, were there other issues that you were hoping that FAN will address?Ultimately, the plan was to get involved in movie projects that tell the cross over stories. We wanted to work on Nigerian projects that can appeal to the American public as well. I think one of the things that Nigerian movie producers do not realize is that very few consumers of Nollywood movies are African American. We have a lot of ‘buyers’ from the Caribbean community, the African community and a couple of others. The reason that the African American community isn’t buying into our movies is because they can’t relate to it.For example, the movie Back to Africa, tells the story of an African American girl that goes to Africa to find her roots and in the process, I integrate every day aspects of Nigerian life. It is a story that appeals to a lot of African Americans because at one time or the other, they had questions about their roots and where they are from originally. that movie is heavily bought into by the African American community but I can’t say the same about a lot of other Nollywood movies.But, I will have to say this about Nollywood’s effect on Americans - it has shown a different face of Africa. For those that do watch it, they see that Africans in Africa live like they do and do not swing on trees. That Africans in Africa have cars, houses, go to parties and often times dress like they do.You’ve definitely been in this business for a long time. What are the weaknesses that you see in the Nigerian film industry?My main problem is the lack of authenticity in most of the stories told. I will call it the ‘fakeness’. There are some movies that are a direct copy of American movies but even when they copy these movies, they refuse to put their ‘Africaness’ or should I say ‘Nigerianess’ into it. They use music that isn’t theirs, they dress in ways that aren’t really authentic. I think a lot of our movies are projecting images that aren’t really African but rather African American and because those images aren’t really ours, it makes it a difficult sell. If you do not really comprehend what it means to be African American then how can you project the image realistically and most importantly how can you support that image?I have often said that if people believe that a certain culture is theirs then they should be able to support it. The way that the world works is that you have your own products that you create and you brainwash other people to buy into it. We need to learn our culture and find out what our own brand of products are and then sell it.Extra:There are a lot of issues within the Nollywood industry that were highlighted during this interview. Regardless of if we buy into his argument or not, Nollywood is an industry that will keep on growing and is one of Nigeria’s main cultural exports. Our hopes are that this industry will become more recognized within the global film making community. Tony Abulu’s movies are a must watch for any connoisseur of movies. I got a chance to watch - Back to Africa and Crazy like a fox and the quality and story telling were on point. You can get these movies
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now and then, tales that Cossy Orjiakor acted in pornography alongside a dog make the rounds. But when the stories emerged again recently, the young woman with the inflatable chest was not only shattered but members of her family were greatly disturbed and distorted.
Cossy's name no doubt rings a bell in the social, entertainment and corporate world for different reasons. This is not because of her wealth or talent, or lack of it, but because of the way she let her massive breasts hang out without a care in the world.
She is, however, quick to justify her often risqu» appearance: "People should understand that I'm an actress and I am meant to be dedicated to my career just like a doctor or lawyer. I would keep playing roles that might require me to be sexy or reveal some parts of my body. I am simply an entertainer and that is what I do for a living.
"I used to be a dancer but few people know that. I was one of the dancers in Shan George's music video and I also sing. Aside that, I am someone with an open and free mind. If I'm called to do any scene that might look somehow, I would take up the role because it's simply make-believe and that's what many people still don't want to accept.
"Unlike what many have decided to believe about me, I am a good person. Most people don't know me and all they do is just choose to believe and judge me because of my profession and what they get to hear about me. But those that are close to me know that I'm a different person. I'm only an entertainer doing what I know and enjoy doing.
"I don't sleep around like many people believe and I'm not any of those things which people paint me to be."
Naturally, we sought her reaction to reports that she was paid $10,000 for a sex scene with a dog in a movie. She obviously expected the question.
"I am still stunned myself and I'm still going to sue the writer of the false story because I never slept with a dog neither did I pose nude with a dog on a set," was her immediate answer.
She continued: "I sincerely don't know where this is coming from because I have started tracing it and I believe I would definitely get to the root of this.
"What I can specifically say about the whole thing is that I acted in a film entitled Itohan sometime between 2001 and 2002 with director Chico Ejiro while the producer of the film is Lucky Ewa. The film is about a prostitute who eventually regretted her trade but died of AIDS. She even slept with a dog in the film. I played the role of the lady, but only acted like a prostitute with clothes on. That was it.
"Shots were taken during the shooting, and I guess that is where they got the pictures that are being circulated. I have called the producers of the flick and they denied giving out the pictures."
She also have words about the producers of the film: "I learnt that Chico Ejiro is saying he can't remember shooting the flick with me in it. It was on the set of that film that his wife just hated my sight and I didn't know why but there was nothing I could do because I was only doing my job and I was a greenhorn then.
"I was later told at the location that she doesn't like my sight because Chico Ejiro loves ladies with big boobs.
"I don't know why they are all making lies out of what is not, it was just a scene playing with a dog and nothing like having sex with a dog or posing nude with the dog. I only acted for one year before I was banned in 2002 when people stopped giving me roles.
"For the records, I don't mess around with people I work with and neither do I just jump into people's bed like it is believed by many. I have never dated any film producer or journalist and I don't know why someone is just out to malign me for no just cause."
When contacted, Chico Ejiro simply said: "I was hired to work on the set of Itohan just like Cossy was hired. I didn't hire her, I 'm not the producer of the movie, the producer is a man called Lucky Ewa and he was the one that hired us for our services. Rachael Oniga, Saheed Balogun, Bukky Wright, Shan George were all on the same set and she should just direct her complaints to the man that hired us both and not me or whosoever is in possession of her pictures. Cossy should just understand this and stop calling my name or attracting undue attention to me."
Confident of her showbiz talent among other things, the young with the squeaky voice, whose whose main acting credential is her breasts, believes that she is just being persecuted for reasons unknown to her.
"I don't know why I am the target of everybody. Before now, I used to think that some of the female folks might not like me or get envious of me because of my boobs, but over time I have come to believe that no one has any reason to dislike me because of my body part.
"Envious ladies don't need to hate me any more because they can also get themselves large boobs or buy them as it is now being made easy. But why some men would now decided to use the fact that my boobs are big and I act to tarnish my image is something I don't just understand," she said.
Cossy still insists that she is a complete entertainer who dances, sings and acts.
"I'm a complete entertainer unlike what many believe. I sing, act and also dance but people would continue to say that I'm not a good actress. All I tell them is that if I'm not a good actress, why are things going well for me?
"If I'm not as good like they claim, why are people talking and going nuts about something I did seven years ago? Why is it that everyone wants to write about me even when some of these things are false?
"My music career would soon become another thing people would talk about because my album is ready. It was delayed as a result of this incident. It's been ready for months and I just decided to keep it low for now, but very soon, I would start promotions because I already have a video for one of the songs."
She told our reporter "I live in my house in Lekki with my family, I also have landed property in Abuja and Aba, so why would I stoop so low to want to have sex with a dog in a film for a paltry sum of $10,000?" Cossy asked.
Counting her earthly treasures, Cossy posted the message to the Internet during the week: "I have landed property of N20million, a house in Lekki, Lagos, 1.2 hecter of land in Kuje, Abuja, a plot in Maraba and a special plate number jeep. So why would I sleep with dog for an equivalent of N1.8million?"
The Anambra-born tease, who claims she prefers shopping to sex, told Klieglights, "my mum and my siblings are so worried because the thing is really getting at the entire family.
"My mother was in the church when the priest was talking about it and everybody was looking at her but she didn't understand until I told her about it and it made her feel so bad leaving the family disturbed and stressed."
We are she has offered to give N10,000 to anybody who can give her original copies of the pictures making the round.
"To be candid, I sincerely wish to see the naked pictures with the dog if truly it would be provided because I know that this is all false," she told our reporter.
Where could this come from if she sincerely feels it's some set of people who are after her?
"I don't know. Like I said, I don't know who the enemy is and who is friend. I have my suspicions and I just want to do my findings before I conclude on what step to take next. But this is just taking it far. Those behind it have taken it too far this time around," Cossy concluded.
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We didn't expect Yori Yori to be a bang -BracketEzioko Nwachukwu and Obumneme Ali, who go by the stage name 'Bracket' are easily known for their 'Yori Yori' hit track that is currently making waves within the entertainment circles. The duo, from Enugu State and students of the same school, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, spoke to REPORTER, Ifeoma Meze, on how they started, the philosophy behind the track 'Yori yori,' among other issues. Excerpts: You guys suddenly took the music world by the storm. Even then not much is known by many about your personal details.My name is Ezioko Nwachukwu. I am from Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State. My stage name is Vast. I am still in school. I am studying Mass Communication in University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I am hoping to graduate anytime from next two years.I am Obumneme Ali. I am from Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State. I am known on the stage as Smash. I am also in the same school with him but studying Psychology.How did you guys meet?Vast: We met in university school show. Though we had not gotten into the university then but because we are gifted in the sense that we used to miming other people's songs like R. Kelly, Tupac and other American artistes just for entertainment. Then they used to call us; paid us small amount of money for us to come to mime. That was how we got to meet. We were three before. I met the third guy, Amobi Clement popularly known as Bisstog, who is no longer with the group due to some reasons, before I met Obumneme. When we, Amobi and I, met Obumneme, we asked him to rap for us and we liked his pattern of raping because then the kind of music we did mostly was rap songs but because of Nigerian market we had to switch to singing. So that was how we met.What happened to the third guy?The third guy left. He said that he didn't want to combine education and music. He is in Electrical Electronics Engineering in the same school, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.Is he likely to come back to the group?That is what I don't know for now.How has the group been since he left?As you can see, God has been on our side.Did it ever occur to you guys that 'Yori Yori' track would take you this far?Smash: We have always hoped that we would get to the top one day, starting from the day that we did our first song Happy day. Though it did not go that far, when we went to the studio to do another job we were hopeful that at least we would get to a certain level. But we never expected that Yori Yori will go this far but we had that feeling that it was a bright and good job and that it would sell but not really up to what we are getting now.Is there another track in the album that you think that would be better than Yori Yori?The one that is picking up seriously now is No time. That is the number two track in the album that we did with P-Square. Number four, Ada Owerri, is receiving enough airplay in Lagos. We have other slow songs like wrong thing and leaders of tomorrow. People fall in love with them when they play.What inspired you guys to do the track? Yori Yori?Yori Yori was born out of the love we have for everybody who has been there for us starting from the days of Happy Day. It does not really mean that we sang it for a particular girl or a particular person. The media, which have always been there for us, are involved. It was inspired by anybody who at least contributed in one way or the other during the days of Happy Day. That is why we did that song to appreciate them for all the good things they did for us and also for the support. We had to do it as a love song pattern so that Nigerians would appreciate it easily. A guy can play the song for his girlfriend and likewise a girl too. That was the market that we were looking at but the story behind the song is that it is for everybody that has made us come this far.You guys were once rappers, are you likely to do some rap music?Maybe in our old age after making our money. What we are based on now is singing and making hit tracks that can move the world, fetch us money, shows and endorsements.So, for now, rap is sleeping?Yes, for now rap is sleeping. It is not that rap is bad or that it does not sell in our country but I don't think the kind of rap we do would sell. I believe singing is what we can do better.How did you guys find out that singing is what you can do better?Because of Happy Day, our first single. It was strictly singing with a little rap of eight lines.Why do you think Happy Day did not really sell?It is not that it did not sell but it did not fetch us shows, money. It did not fetch us enough fame but look at Yori Yori just within two months it blew up everywhere.What challenge have you been facing in this career?It has not been very easy especially in the aspect of our education. It is very difficult to combine music and education. For example, you might have an exam to write in Nsukka and a show to attend at Abuja. It is quite tasking and challenging because you cannot be in those two places at the same time. But we still cope well.So aside education, you don't have any challenges again?Smash: I don't think so. Other challenges like getting a sponsor, we sure passed through that when we were starting. But by God's grace, we have passed that stage now. We are very thankful to our sponsor, A-Planet, today he is happy for what he helped us for.So there are no challenges coming from the female fans?For female fans, that one is certain but being the king of people we are, we are in control. We control ourselves when it comes to that side. They are not really a problem because we have back up and that back up is God.What would you say about the kind of music we have these days?Vast: I can give it 70 percent. We are trying though we have a lot of artistes in Nigeria that are not really there. Generally to entertainment in Nigeria, I will give them 70 percent because we have really grown from what we used to be.What about the morals of our younger generation, do you think the kinds of music we have these days are music that can corrupt kid?I don't think so, because any song or video goes through a censor's board and if they are not really good for public consumption, it will be banned from viewing on TV stations. Nigeria is really trying but the only thing I think they cannot control is piracy.Piracy is uncontrollable. Everyday it grows worse. As days pass by, we see new kind of piracy. Once a marketer gets hold of your work, he bargains with the piracy people a huge amount of money. And that is why it is uncontrollable. If only marketers will stand on their feet and say no to piracy then we have taken one step to fighting it.Is there any form of advice or what you think that should be done to help cub piracy?There is one truth that people hide that as a musician, you have to do a tight song, a song that can touch every nooks and crannies of this country. After that, wait for your endorsements and shows. Don't depend on what marketer will give you. But you must give the album to a marketer at any amount of money. In a way, piracy helps to spread your music to places you never imagine your songs can go but the problem is that someone else reaps the fruit of your sweat.This is a kind of advice to up and coming artiste. If you do a very good music, relax, go to any station that you feel can accept you, drop it there for it to be played, before you know it, people will start asking of you. People will give you endorsements, shows and even sponsors. By the time you do your second album, you can sell it any amount you want. They should not look at the faces of D'Banj, P-Square or 9ice. Just focus on doing a masterpiece as a song that would bring you out and you are already there.If your song is not good, they cannot pirate it because they will loose their money. But if it's good they will push your work to any level and in a way it boosts your profile and recognition.Do you guys miss the third guy in your group?Yes. But we have moved on now.What if he comes back to join the group?He will definitely come back to face his music, but I don't think he will come back to join the group. He will be doing his own thing.
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He should get an Airbus to help Aviation in naija !adv.ertisem.entclick for NollyWood videos on utube4naija AndyUba Airways !
Though Andy Uba has no bank account in his name, huhuonline.com can disclose that the former special assistant (domestic affair) to President Obasanjo just took delivery of a N49 billion private jet. To conceal the entire transaction from law enforcement and media huhuonline learnt that Andy Uba instructed that the jet be delivered to his bossom friend Sayoe Dantata.
Andy Uba for eight years was the go to guy, he reigned supreme in Aso villa as the un elected defacto vice-president under President Olusegun Obasanjo, he determined who, where and when people could see the former president. His influence was monumental, thus revered. Many cabinet ministers had to submit their official memo for him to peruse prior to submitting to President Obasanjo for approval.
adv.ertisem.entclick for NollyWood videos on utube4naija
Andy Uba, hired as personal assistance domestic, with job description such as ensure that tuition fees of Obasanjo many children are paid as at when due, also doubled as President Obasanjo`s official pimp, as he was noted for driving his government assigned pimpmobile to the homes and offices of female minister to chauffeur them .
Recall that Farida Waziri led Economic and Financial Crime Commission commenced what has been viewed largely as a clampdown on politicians believed to have close ties with ex-president Obasanjo. This huhuonline .com learnt is Andy Uba `s worst nightmare. Sources close to him told our correspondent that trepidation has become his stock in trade, alleged to be one of the richest men in Nigeria; Andy Uba has no bank account to his name in Nigeria.
Andy Uba huhuonline 9jabooks media partner learnt is now Persona non grata (PNG) with President Yar`dua, our impeccable sources within the villa told that since the election tribunal bribery saga, which was widely reported in the media, President Umaru Yar`dua has refused to have an audience with the embattled governor in waiting.
we gathered that the bribe money which was leaked to the media, was a major source of embarrassment for President Yar`dua, and it appears he is taking it personal, which is a complete departure from his mantra ?I don?t see what people do to me but what they do for me? . Andy Uba sources within the presidency disclosed provided the funds. But conception theorist has it that the funds actually came from Forbes list billionaire Aliko Dangote, who is not a favorite of the Yar`dua administration.
Aliko Dangote a monopolist by nature, abhor competition, under President Obasanjo, his fortune ascended, notable was Dan sugar. But since the advent of the Yar`dua administration, Dangote group has lost its monopoly, particularly in cement and sugar. Thus provision of funds for bribery and subsequent leak to the media was a calculated attempt to mortify Umaru Yar`dua led government, however, his friend Andy Uba took the fall for fear of the after effect of reprisal. Recall Andy Uba does business by proxies.
Andy Uba Emergence in the power game
But for Atiku`s greed, Andy Uba probably would have remained just a pimp for Obasanjo. To be continued
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Looking resplendent and gorgeous in his milk-coloured suit, all smiles, he moved around majestically in a nobly fashion, depicting his gargantuan status as a seasoned actor and erudite scholar as he welcomed in warm embraces very eminent personalities to the Ptotea Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, venue of the Bread Fruit Foundation’s (BFF) 1st Annual Patrons Dinner held recently.BFF is a non-profit organization that famous actor and Lagos State University lecturer, Sola Fosudo founded to plaster smiles on the faces of widows, widow’s children, orphans and other vulnerable children in the society. A man of charisma, who has been described as an astute personality with a golden heart, and inspired by God to care for the underprivileged, Fosudo has established the foundation because of his experiences in life.But what was his growing up like? How has it been in the Nollywood industry where he has held sway over the years?How has he been able to combine teaching and acting? What about his pet project, BFF, as a president and founder? All these and more were extracted from philanthropist Fosudo. Excerpts:For Sola Fosudo, growing up was like that of a normal child from a middle class family. He was well trained and had the privilege of a good education.But then he confessed to have been very lucky to receive the grace of God. “Personally, I have been very lucky to receive the grace of God in my life. I had a very fruitful and well trained growing up. It is really with the guidance of God and of my parents. I have been privileged to have a very good education, privileged to have had several opportunities in my profession, my career both as an actor, director and a teacher, so I am grateful to God.”According to Fosudo, the journey to acting stardom all started while he was in primary school. Then they used to have end of the year activities in the school and he turned out to be one of the prominent artistes, a hero in those events. The same thing happened when Fosudo got to secondary school where he was a very strong member of the dramatic and cultural society. But it was while at the Teacher’s College that the turning point happened.He was involved in a play and one man in the audience who happened to be a seasoned and accomplished professional saw him on stage, summoned him and said, ‘you are the man of the theatre. I think you should consider theatre as a profession when you grow up’.Fosudo recalls: “I didn’t know what he was talking about because I was just having fun doing school plays. But he saw something that later metamorphosed into what we are appreciating God for now, because eventually I found myself taking to that advice. I took the necessary actions and steps to go to school and to be immensely involved in the profession. It is by providence, and planned by God. By the time he said that to me I had other plans. I wanted to read History which was my best subject in school. At a time, I wanted to go abroad to study Computer Science, when it did not work out, I went back to the man and said ‘sir, tell me more about that Theatre Arts, I want to do it now’, that was in the 1970s. It was that encounter that eventually saw me in the theatre.”The actor cum University lecturer is enjoying the best of two worlds. Fosudo believes he is doing just the same thing as an actor and teacher of Theatre Arts. “I was not combining anything. If am a medical doctor and at the same time acting then I am combining. But I teach and practice Theatre Arts so, they are one.”But as a popular actor and lecturer, how does Fosudo cope with his numerous female admirers? His response: “I don’t have anything to cope with. I have not experienced advances from women because I don’t recognize it. There was no room for it .My lifestyle does not allow for such things. From the way I was brought up and trained, those things did not count.”Movie industry, says Fosudo, is moving in an unsure direction. It is an uncertain industry that can collapse anytime unless practitioners move away from passion for home video production and move into cinema, while government should also encourage production of films to be shown in cinema theatre where the private sector people can begin to invest in cinema structures.“This is how Nigeria can grow in terms of movies. It is then you can talk of movie industry. For now, they are doing television video drama, home video and they call it movies. Go to Hollywood and ask them if it is this kind of camera we use here that they use to record their films. Our people carry TV cameras to locations. When you say movies or films, you are talking about motion pictures, so the television is also motion pictures, that is why they are saying movies or films. Film is cinema and big business. If we are actually doing films or have film industries in Nigeria you can’t be seeing actors anyhow. But here, you see actors at Idumota bus stop. God will help us.”Does Fasudo have any regret for being an actor? He responds thus: “No, God has been very gracious to me. I had good parental care from the beginning, good education and good opportunities for career development. I have a job and a family. God is supporting my endeavours, and He puts in my heart this time around to set up a foundation to take care of other people. So, it is marvelous in my heart.”On the future Of Nollywood, Fosudo says it’s difficult for anyone to forecast into the future. The actor is even afraid that if care is not taken, the movie industry may crash.He says the imminent crash can only be aborted only if the practitioners take advice and move away from the present deception in which they are and move into the right direction. But then there is still hope as Fosudo predicts a booming and vibrant industry very soon.The actor, however, asked a nagging question thus: “Is Nollywood a concept, a notion or an entity, or is it a place? Go to San Francisco in USA, they will take you to where Hollywood is; it is a big city where stars live and where they have their studios. It is the same thing in India. If the Hollywood people come to Nigeria and say ‘Hello, we have been hearing of Nigerian movies, can you take us to Nollywood?’ Will they take them to Idumota? Or is there any other place? It is Idumota where they are selling films in the streets, inside noise and rowdiness. Since this Nollywood thing has been on, no government whether state or federal has deemed it necessary to begin to build infrastructure for the development of Nigerian movie industry. No government, no professional studios, no serious policy directed at driving the industry to really make it a world class, the way it is in America.”One of the things Fosudo has been advocating as a lecturer in LASU is the development of the curricular for a film education in Nigeria. A curricular that will cover cinematography, film techniques and film production among others.He says: “We don’t have the theatre people who we can rely upon to fill the gap for film industry. They are not really trained for films even though they can find relevance there. I am a theatre person and not film, I will say that anytime. Even though, when I was in school, I received some training about acting which is a general course. You can act on stage or on different media, television, film, etc. You are also taught as a director, you should be able to direct plays because it is only about production in different media which have their own techniques.“The stage where artistes are principally trained has different techniques to the medium of television or film. There is a serious gap in Nigeria. These other people, many of them are not interested in joining Nollywood, you will be surprised to find out. The only other thing that comes near film education is mass communication and those ones are not really trained to be producing films. Also, they are communicators even though they might have done some courses in television production, but not in details as they would do in film schools. Theatre education and mass communication are different from film education, and there is no university in Nigeria where they are offering film studies, yet we have many people who are practicing it. Where did they come from? They are roadside people and we cannot be driven intellectually so they are all merchants doing business.”BFF, which means Bread Fruit Foundation for widows and orphans, was launched in 2008. Luckily for Fosudo, that event was also used to mark his 50th birthday. According to him, the foundation is a non-profit organization, whose sole objective is to cater for widows, widows’ children, orphans and other vulnerable children in the society. It is duly registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.“This is the first dinner organized by the foundation and it’s going to be an annual event where we bring together our patrons, board of trustees and raise money even if it is just for next year, we will keep it on,” he concludes.
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Democracy is "not" for the Masses because Time and Time it has been proved the "masses" dont care because they think they dont know ANYTHING !They "cant" think for themselves and like sheep will listen to the black sheep who know no better and accept any Shepherd even those clearly in Wolves clothing ! and BAAA BAAA straight to Destruction !that is the way things ARE ! and will stay if the "MASSES" dont do anything !!
Prof. Taiyewo Ogunade, a musicologist at the City University, New York was a close friend of Late Abacha, he spoke of his experiences .
General Sanni Abacha died exactly a decade ago, what does that mean to you?
To me, I feel I lost a friend, but then, as a democrat, I don’t lose too much because I believe in democracy and then Abacha didn’t believe in that. That is the dividing point between the two of us. I met him immediately Babangida took over in 1985. And they invited all of us to Kuru, near Jos, most of us intellectuals, for a debate on Nigeria’s foreign policy. And we were put in a famous hotel called Hotel Thirty. While the conference was on, the Department of Political Science of the Ahmadu Bello University, led by Professor Bala Usman came with a document in which they catalogued all the rich Nigerians. They called it from Balewa to Babangida and they were distributing it to selected people.
But, the security got angry and wanted to recover it while we were in the conference hall. That was how I met Abacha. They were trying to struggle and take it from me and Abacha said, ‘leave him alone’. I never met him (Abacha) before, I didn’t know who he was. So, he gave me protection and by the time I got it, he said well, are you going to drive with me to town? I never even asked who he was. It was when we got to his car that I saw it was a military car. Babangida was there and we were talking about Nigerian political affairs. So, he took me to town. That was how I was able to escape with my two copies without them being confiscated like others. And from then, we became friendly.
I use to go to his office when I had the time and from there to his guest house. By the time we would get to the gate of his guest house on Raymond Njoku, girls would be at the gate, as many as twenty of them. When they see his car, all of them would stand up. As he is driving in, he would bring down his glasses, point to about six or eight of them for security to allow them come into the house. He is a person who likes women all the time. It was a daily routine that he does. And so, when I wrote a musical on Cyprian Ekwensi’s ‘Passport of Mallam Ilia’ which I turned into an opera, I needed a band to perform it. Abacha was able to give me a note to the army band. So, I went to the army band and then, I started rehearsing with the Nigerian Army band that played the music for me. But, then, Tunde Akogun was giving us so much trouble. He didn’t want us to rehearse at the National Theatre. Each time we wanted to have rehearsal there, he would turn us down. He was driving away my artistes. So, I went to Sani Abacha again that Akogun keeps disturbing us. Abacha would say, ‘don’t worry, I would talk to them which he would do’. When Fela Anikulapo Kuti finally came out of prison, I was doing the Fela musicals and he heard that Fela was coming once in a while when we were rehearsing. So, he came to meet Fela and they had a very wonderful rapport. For about two or three days, he was coming because Fela was coming there to rehearse. And finally, he gave me money to pay for the theatre and do the musical. That was the last thing I did before I left Nigeria.
Can you give psychoanalysis of Abacha?
You see, Abacha has a very reserved mentality. Abacha would listen to you; he would make very little comments or none. But, therein, he has known what he wants to do. But, he is a very jovial person who plays around with teasing you and doing everything. But, he is not an outspoken person. Abacha never discussed Nigeria with anybody as far as I know. He never discussed Nigerian politics, but he likes to discuss entertainment, films and what not. I’m amazed that he ended up acquiring that kind of money that he did. But, I know from my own judgment that being product of the ’College of Assassin’, that is what they are trained to do.
What is the history of that college?
What is the SOA?
The School of the Americas (SOA), in 2001 renamed the “Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation,” is a combat training school for Latin American soldiers, located at Fort Benning, Georgia.
Initially established in Panama in 1946, it was kicked out of that country in 1984 under the terms of the Panama Canal Treaty. Former Panamanian President, Jorge Illueca, stated that the School of the Americas was the “biggest base for destabilization in Latin America.” The SOA, frequently dubbed the “School of Assassins,” has left a trail of blood and suffering in every country where its graduates have returned.
Over its 59 years, the SOA has trained over 60,000 Latin American soldiers in counterinsurgency techniques, sniper training, commando and psychological warfare, military intelligence and interrogation tactics. These graduates have consistently used their skills to wage a war against their own people. Among those targeted by SOA graduates are educators, union organizers, religious workers, student leaders, and others who work for the rights of the poor. Hundreds of thousands of Latin Americans have been tortured, raped, assassinated, “disappeared,” massacred, and forced into refugee by those trained at the School of Assassins.
The college was established in the 1940s in Fort Benning, Georgia. It’s a big college. I think it’s about 22 miles radius. And they have all kinds of things there. All the Latin American dictators went through there. Like Argentina’s Pinochet, Panamas’ Noriega, most Vietnamese military leaders went there, Kagame of Rwanda went there. I was there when Kagame graduated and we became good friends. And the young Kabila went there. But he didn’t finish. I think he was a year there before Collin Powell took him out and made him head of state in the Republic of Congo. But Abacha went there.
Is he the only person that went there from Nigeria?
I believe he is the only one. Bolaji Johnson went to the Rangers College in Indiana. He was the first military person to go to America for military training. Abacha is the only one that went to the Fort Benning School that I know.
What is the kind of training?
They train them how to disorganise a whole country and become dictators. They train them how to kill people. There was a series of twelve tapes made by Edward Kennedy that showed what type of activities went on there. He was the one that got the American Congress to call it the ‘College of Assassin.’ They teach you to fight lions barehanded, to fight crocodiles, so, you become quite fearless. They show you lots of blood activities, so that shedding people’s blood don’t move your emotions anymore.
At what period in time did he attend the school?
It must have been the early eighties because he was given the Grand Order of that school by Collin Powell in 1986. They gave him a best student award. And we tackled Collin Powell because he was a product of my school at the City University. And he said that he was a good student. And I am amazed today I am reading in the papers that he said he warned him about what he was doing. So, they were very good buddies. They related well.You and Abacha were very friendly, when did it all turn around?
I was out of the country when he became head of state. When Ken Saro-Wiwa was killed, I lost confidence in him. He killed Ken Saro-Wiwa. For that, I don’t think I wanted to relate with him. I knew Ken as a good friend and I didn’t feel comfortable that he should have been killed. Abacha knew Ken well too. They were very good friends. So, it is not that he doesn’t know who Ken Saro-Wiwa was. But, if it happened to Ken, it could happen to me.
Did you get close to any of his children, or family?
No. Like I said, he has a routine when he leaves the military headquarters at 1:00pm. It is either you see him at the office or at the guest house. By 11:00pm, he goes home to sleep. So, his family is never in the guest house. They don’t come there at all. Himself, Jerry Useni, Gwadabe and some other people are the ones always there.So, you were not surprised about the story that he was killed by women.
No. Even at my playhouse, we used to joke about it because when he comes for rehearsal, he would be asking me, which of these girls I should take away. I would say, sir, these girls are artistes. I cannot order anyone of them to go with you. One of my girls slapped him one day and I was shocked. I don’t know what he did to the girl, but the girl smacked him. He must have done something stupid to the girl.You said that Abacha and Babangida were all together….
Yes, actually I knew two people before I knew Abacha. I knew Mamman Vasta and Babangida. I knew them during the war. They were both colonels and I knew their wives. They were three girls - Ada who became Ada Vasta, Maryam who became Maryam Babangida, and another girl we knew as Chinyere. She became the famous Gloria Okon. She was married to Jeff Chadler a Tiv who was a Lieutenant Colonel of Tiv extraction. He was the one who killed Nzeogwu when Nzeogwu was captured at the Nsukka sector. They were bringing him to Kaduna but when he heard, he went on the road and killed him. And he too was killed that night that he killed Nzeogwu. Now, the wife, I knew her as Chinyere. The three of them (Babangida’s wife, Vasta’s wife, and Chinyere) were staying at No. 27 Adeniji street in Surulere. So, when her husband was killed, she started trading and going to London. Something happened and she was arrested by the Customs for trying to take money out of the country. Mrs. Babangida had to intervene and got Vasta to go there and deceive journalists that she died. And they took them to the Kano mortuary and showed them the body of a dead woman.
How do I know this?
When Vasta was arrested for coup, Vasta refused to talk to interrogators because he was a Major General. But, he said he would give his testimony at the trial. So, at his trial, he gave a four hour testimony and made sure that the tape of that testimony was sent to me to take to his wife. From that tape, we were able to get information that Gloria Okon did not die and that Gloria Okon had just had a baby with somebody in England.
Now, for you journalists, the aspect that will interest you is that Dele Giwa got to know that I had the tape of Vasta’s testimony. So, he came to me and I loaned him the tape. He listened to the tape and commissioned somebody in England to trace Gloria Okon. And fortunately for them, Gloria Okon and Maryam Babangida were celebrating the child naming of Gloria Okon’s baby. They got the pictures and Kayode Soyinka brought the pictures to Giwa in Lagos. Dele Giwa then took the pictures and went to Babangida and said, ‘I want to be minister of information or I will destroy you. These are pictures of your wife doing this with Gloria Okon.’ And so, they tricked him and got rid of him in 48 hours.
Vasta testified for four hours and sent the tape to me. I was there the day he was killed. His wife called me early in the morning and said they were going to move them and that I should go to Kirikiri. Then, I was living in my house at Festac. And I took the waterside by the Vanguard Newspapers. As I was arriving at Kirikiri, at about seven o’clock in the morning, I saw Black Marias moving off. They told me, ‘that’s Vasta and his people. They just killed them.’ They shot them at 6:00am. So, I followed the Black Marias in a taxi. By the time we got to Iyana Isolo, we lost them. At that time, there was no okada. I knew they were going to Atan Cemetery. So, when I got to Atan Cemetery, they had already buried them in a mass grave and threw acid on them. Then, Tunji Abayomi, a Lieutenant Colonel who led the corpse there, drove back and said, ‘where is Vasta’s watch?’. Vasta had given instructions that if they killed him, they should send his watch to his wife so that his wife would know that he is dead. He had a Rolex watch.’ The attendants were relunctant to open up. So, he just said, line them up, and let me shoot all of them. So, one of them threw the watch down. Then, another guy was trying to hide Martin Luther’s chain, a gold chain that had the number of his bank account in a Swiss bank. So, he threw the chain to my direction and I just put my foot on it and I was looking at them. So, the guy took the watch and drove away and I took the chain. I went to Daily Times. Titus Soyombo was the Evening Times editor. So, I told him that they have killed Vasta. He asked me, ‘are you sure’? I said yes. He withdrew his paper and made the first headline, ‘Vasta would die today if Babaginda does not intervene.’ Less than forty minutes after, the military came and started ransacking the whole of The Times. So, we went opposite The Times where they sell food those days and sat down there. That day, he sold about 400,000 copies of the paper because they made five editions of the paper. So, when the government got to know that the newspaper was in circulation, they sent Admiral Aikhomu to go on the air by 2:00pm to say that by 4:0pm today, Vasta would be executed. Whereas, they had been executed in the morning.
Is it true that he (Vasta) was IBB’s best friend when he (IBB) got married?
Not only was he his best friend, IBB grew up in his father’s house. Now, he was the one who christened one of IBB’s daughter. They are very, very close, because hardly would you see Vasta without seeing Babangida. It is Abacha that I got close to later. But, with IBB and Vasta, I knew them from the time Sir Harold Wilson (former British Prime Minister) came. The day Adekunle killed the guy in the Delta, Isaac Boro. We went with the observer team to Port-Harcourt. Isaac Boro was the leader of the group that liberated Port-Harcourt and then declared Republic of the Niger Delta there. And then, Adekunle was taking. You know, Adekunle was always stealing money then. He would come and blackmail Gowon. Gowon would tell him to go to Central Bank and carry four or five lorries to Central Bank, load them with money. Halfway, he would divert it back to Lagos, he would then take half to the front. So, the British Prime Minister came on that day. We were on the observer team with Harold Wilson when we got to Port-Harcourt. Boro did not allow the British team, so when Adekunle came, he was so furious and then they fought for about thirty minutes before they captured him.
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The Ekiti State Police Command has declared the Acting Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mr. Saliu Adeoti, wanted over his alleged involvement in the burning of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s office in Ido/Osi Local Government.Skip to next paragraphPhoto fileMr Saliu Adeoti, Speaker Ekiti StateA statement by the command’s Provost Marshall/Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Sikiru Fatola, said that the police wanted Adeoti to come and prove his innocence over the alleged arson.Fatola, an assistant superintendent of police, said he was acting on behalf of the interim Commissioner of Police in charge of the state command, Mr. Yakubu Alkali.The statement reads, “This is to inform the general public that the Ekiti State Acting Speaker, Mr. Saliu Adeoti, is being declared wanted by the Ekiti State Police Command.“(This is) on a matter not unconnected with the burning of Ido/Osi INEC office on Saturday, April 25, which is widely reported by the dailies.”The statement further urged members of the public with information on the whereabouts of the acting speaker to make such information available to the police.In a telephone interview with our correspondent on Wednesday, Adeoti said the declaration by the police was “abnormal and unwarranted.”He said, “Declaring me wanted will imply that I have once been summoned by the police via a valid warrant. As I’m talking to you (6pm), I have not received any and nobody has told me that I’m needed at the police station.”Adeoti had, during an interview with journalists on Sunday, described the “politically-motivated” report linking him with the attack on INEC office and the allegation that he was on the run as a ruse.Before Wednesday’s statement by the police, a national newspaper had on Friday alleged that Adeoti knocked down a student in Osogbo while fleeing the state, having been then declared wanted by the police.Addressing journalists at his Otun-Ekiti residence, he said that it was part of an alleged plot by the Peoples Democratic Party to ease him out so that he would not exert his influence on the just-concluded rerun election.Although he confirmed that his old BMW car was involved in an accident in Osogbo, Osun State, on Friday, he said it was driven by his younger brother who had been driving the car since 2007.
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Yar’Adua supporters attack Barack Obama for planned meeting coup plotters in Ghana
The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday said the United States government and its embassy in 9geria of conspiracy and plotting with opposition groups to destabilise the country.
Specifically, the party said that part of the plot is for the US Embassy to organise a meeting between the pro-democracy groups in 9geria and President Barack Obama in Ghana, where the groups would seek to persuade the US President that the administration of President Umaru Yar’Adua is “illegitimate“.
President Obama is expected in Ghana on July 11.
The statement also said the masterminds of the “conspiracy and plot” include a “failed” presidential candidate, two former Speakers, a former Senate President and “a sprinkling of political hangers-on”.
In a statement signed by the Deputy National Chairman of PDP, Dr. Bello Harilu Mohammed, the party said: “Incontrovertible information available to us also revealed that after their meeting in Kaduna, they approached the American Embassy to facilitate their plans to meet with President Obama in Ghana but they were advised to include civil society organisations in their proposed diabolical delegation as a way of portraying themselves as credible elder statesmen.”
PDP also said the aim of the visit to see Obama is to disrupt the existing trade relations between the United States and 9geria, thereby worsening the already precarious state of the economy in the face of dwindling oil revenue and the global financial meltdown.
PDP urged the US “not to, by any acts of omission or commission, promote the evil plans of these unpatriotic politicians against a democratically elected government :D as such would raise questions about its respect for the sovereignty of other countries and the international doctrine of non-interference in the internal affairs of other sovereign nations.”
The party said President Obama knows that due process and the rule of law are cardinal tenets of democracy and acceptable political behaviour anywhere in the world.
“President Obama is a product of an electoral process that evolved over time just as our President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua has kick-started enduring electoral reforms in 9geria, a process which his Administration is fully committed to fulfil (fulifilling) in the shortest possible time. The advent of the Obama era is therefore a necessary tonic to our on-going electoral reforms and the development of strong democracies in 9geria, Africa and other developing countries,” PDP said.
The party also said the attempt by 9geria’s political leaders to cause “incalculable damage” to the 9gerian economy and its peace-loving people at this critical time is “a disservice” to a country from which most of them who have held one political office or another in the immediate past and have immensely benefited.
“It is indeed shameful that these dishonourable politicians did not realise that the advice given to them by the American Embassy to include civil society organisations in their team was actually exposing their irrelevance to the political process as such views are only worthy of consideration if expressed through a respectable forum as a civil society organisation,” the statement stated.
PDP described as disturbing that “the American Embassy in 9geria has chosen to lend itself to such a high-level political conspiracy against the Government and people of 9geria while at the same time enjoying the hospitality of its host.
“This, to us, is hair-raising and we urge the relevant authorities in the United States to commence investigations although we are mindful that the Embassy may have been misguided by the calibre of the people involved in this plot. But we hasten to note that we do not expect the Embassy to be involved willy-nilly in such an organised conspiracy against the political and economic well-being of the 9gerian nation.”
PDP also appealed to organisers of the meeting with President Obama to shun acts capable of undermining the nation’s democracy which could endanger the collective destiny of 9gerians.
According to the statement, “this time in our history calls for total dedication to the growth and development of our nation. All divisive tendencies should be discouraged. Promoters of chaos and violence should be taken from our midst and handed over to security agencies. This is the only way to go.”
PDP called on security agencies in the country to wade in immediately and commence necessary investigation into the matter and several others “which we have exposed in the past”.
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It's a pirate's life for me'
Somali pirates pictured on 5 November 2005
A 25-year-old Somali pirate has told the BBC's Mohamed Olad Hassan by telephone from the notorious den of Harardhere in central Somalia why he became a sea bandit. Dahir Mohamed Hayeysi says he and his big-spending accomplices are seen by many as heroes.
I used to be a fisherman with a poor family that depended only on fishing.
The first day joining the pirates came into my mind was in 2006.
A group of our villagers, mainly fishermen I knew, were arming themselves.
One of them told me that they wanted to hijack ships, which he said were looting our sea resources.
'National service'
He told me it was a national service with a lot of money in the end. Then I took my gun and joined them.
Now I have two lorries, a luxury car and have started my own business in town
Dahir Mohamed Hayeysi
Somali piracy: Global overview
Years ago we used to fish a lot, enough for us to eat and sell in the markets.
Then illegal fishing and dumping of toxic wastes by foreign fishing vessels affected our livelihood, depleting the fish stocks.
I had no other choice but to join my colleagues.
The first hijack I attended was in February 2007 when we seized a World Food Programme-chartered ship with 12 crew.
I think it had the name of MV Rozen and we released it after two months, with a ransom.
One last job
I am not going to tell you how much it was, or three other hijackings I have been involved in since.
A Somali pirate on board a French yacht on 10 April 2009
Pirates have stepped up attacks on shipping in recent weeks
My ambition is to get a lot of money so that I can lead a better life.
Now I have two lorries, a luxury car and have started my own business in my town.
I only want one more chance in piracy to increase my cash assets, then I will get married and give up.
Piracy is not just easy money - it has many risks and difficulties.
Sometimes you spend months in the sea to hunt a ship and miss.
Sometimes when we are going to hijack a ship we face rough winds, and some of us get sick and some die.
Sometimes you fail in capturing and sometimes you come under threat by foreign navies, but all we do is venture.
Heroes
Let me give you a good example.
Thousands of young desperate Somali [migrants] continue to risk their lives in the sea in search of a better life abroad.
Patrol boat checks out fishing vessel off Somalia
Dahir Mohamed Hayeysi says foreign navies will not stop piracy
So it is no surprise to see us in the same water, pirating in search of money - there is no difference.
We have local support; most of the people here depend on pirates directly or indirectly.
Because if there is a lot of money in the town they can get some through friendship, relatives or business.
Also our work is seen by many in the coastal villages as legal and we are viewed as heroes.
The only way the piracy can stop is if [Somalia] gets an effective government that can defend our fish.
And then we will disarm, give our boats to that government and will be ready to work.
Foreign navies can do nothing to stop piracy.
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The search for survivors from a migrant boat that sank off Libya has been called off with more than 230 people presumed dead, an official has said.Michele Bombassei, a spokesman for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), also said about 100 bodies had been recovered.Twenty-one migrants were rescued from the boat, which sank early on Sunday.The survivors said it had capsized because of bad weather and people panicking when the boat began to leak.Another boat carrying 357 people was rescued by Italian authorities and towed back to the Libyan capital, Tripoli.The boats were on the route used by smugglers to bring mainly African migrants illegally from Libya to Italy.See map of main migrant routes to EuropeMore than 31,000 people attempted the perilous crossing last year, a sharp increase from 2007.The journey is often made in ill-equipped, overcrowded boats, and many would-be migrants die.The boat that sank on Sunday capsized about 15km (9 miles) west of Tripoli."Unfortunately we have been told that the search operation has been stopped," Mr Bombassei told the BBC.Survivors said the smuggler, an Egyptian, was among those who drowned.Mr Bombassei, who visited the survivors at a centre near Tripoli on Wednesday, said the amount they were charged for making the journey depended on the nationality of the migrant."There were some guys who said they paid the equivalent of 300 euros (£270) and others who paid 1,000 [euros]," he told the BBC."The smugglers want to make as much as they can so they are very flexible."Some survivors the capsized and rescued boats were quoted as saying they had paid even more.Many of those rescued from the boat that sank have kidney problems after drinking large quantities of sea water, the IOM said.Italy is to start joint sea patrols with Libya aimed at stemming the influx of migrants in May.But the patrols have long been delayed for political reasons, including negotiations over compensation demanded by Tripoli for Italy's colonisation of Libya.
It might seem that to figure out how to catch a cheating husband one would need the equipment and [man]power of the team on the creepy TV series called Cheaters. Or, one might overestimate the cost or amount of expertise (and preceding study) of a private eye to learn how to catch a cheating husband. But as everyone from the writers of Cosmo articles to individuals who have done the dirty job themselves will tell you, there are relatively manageable strategies to use to discern the truth about your mate.Evidently, cheaters are "easy" to catch, for they leave clues. Your job of determining how to catch a cheating husband, then, is a fairly easy one, provided you1) STAY CALM, and2) GATHER ALL "PROOF" FIRST...BEFORE YOU ACCUSE or IMPUGN. Here are a list of sample clues/pieces of evidence:Phone bills/cell phone bills (even more so if your husband HIDES the bills, or snatches them from the mailbox before you get to see them).New purchases (especially underwear, cologne, or even jewelry or items for gifts for a woman that is not you). That is, if he is a slob and has been for twenty years, and all of a sudden is wearing new undies, is shaving regularly, etc., take note. He might be hinting to you for ways on how to catch a cheating husband (whether he intends for you to catch him or not).Passwords, keys, and other private entry items that used to be shared between the two of you. If you suddenly cannot access his internet activities or email, or if he takes away keys to strong boxes, sheds, cars, or other places you always were privy to, something’s up. A major strategy for how to catch a cheating husband? Try this if it involves passwords on your community pc:[He may THINK he can delete evidence by erasing history and all that. You can go into the bowels of the pc and find his snail trail. But you can also get his passwords—IF he is not as computer-savvy as he thinks he is.]Go online.At the top of the page is what is called the MENU BAR.Click on TOOLS.Then click on OPTIONS.Then click on PASSWORDS.Finally, click on VIEW SAVED PASSWORDS.There you will find a list of both the urls (the www. Or http sites he visits) and the passwords, which are automatically saved unless someone really up on this stuff has fixed the pc to NOT save passwords.In addition, many experts or specialists give advice on how to catch a cheating husband which include1) keeping a written record/diary of his behavior/activities, to see if there is a pattern; 2) checking for receipts; 3) making note of times the phone rings and the calls are hang-ups; 4) checking the mileage on the car; 5) showing up at his workplace; and 6) being unpredictable yourself (returning hime when he thinks you are gone for the weekend, etc.).Remember, though, to keep your wits about you until you have ample proof, and try not turn into a stalker yourself!Thanks 4 reading!! NAME is DON B..............B
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