Posted by 9jabook.com on November 5, 2009 at 2:57am
In Nigeria text message is a big revenue earner in the mobile industry. People love to text and so is money being made by those who are involved in text messaging business. According to fastwebsms.com, over 15 billion text messages are sent yearly in Nigeria. The number is still growing as the country’s tele-density moves into the 60 and 70 million text messaging subscribers. And since the people love text messaging, both to send and receive, it’s growing into one of the most powerful market plat forms in the world after the internet.
And with the internet bulk sms is made even more useful as companies can brand their text messages with their names to make consumers read them immediately they are received. The internet also makes it easier for you to sell wholesale bulk sms to your customers anywhere in the country. The service works like one opening an email account on yahoo. You will open such accounts for your customer with has all the facilities for sending bulk sms. Once they signs up with you they are your customers as long as that relationship remains.
The question now is what’s in it for me? How do I benefit? How do I make money from all these? What is the market outlook like for a sustainable investment? What are the returns on investment? And as these questions juggle your mind, take a look at a business with all possibilities for mega profit – and that is wholesale Bulk sms service. I call it the business for the ‘simple” man. If you have been looking for an online business that will make you regular income, I recommend wholesale bulk sms business for you. Trust me, it’s a bomb in money making on the internet.
MARKET POTENTIAL: The market potential is huge it’s determined by the number of subscriber base in the country, we are now heading for 70 million subscribers out of the population of 140 million, according to 2006 census. Imagine we have grown in the last couple of years gone by already. So, the figures keep growing and that is how the market potential keeps increasing for you to make more profit.
PROFIT POTENTIAL: Bulk sms business is a volume driven business – with greater advantage for growing customer base. As a wholesale bulk sms reseller you have a platform that helps you retain your customers – once they sign up with you they are bound to stay with you – buying sms regularly from you. And with the ongoing tread, If you have just 1,000 customers signed up with you, and each of them are able to buy up just 5,000 sms monthly – that’s N5 million income – but your profit could be around N500,000 to N 1 Million monthly. Good business isn’t it?
I will be showing you how to tap into this huge messaging business from a low start up of N20,000. For beginners, while I will also be showing you all the mega money making text messaging businesses you can start with shoestring budget. See the full detail course outline below:-
- Discover the billion naira secret of bulk text messaging business – a practical step by step guide you can follow easily.
- How to make N200,000 to N500,000 monthly reselling bulk text messages to big and small corporations, banks, oil companies, insurance, NGO’s, Churches, Schools, individuals, etc
- How to create your own wholesale bulkSMS website – the secret I use…
- How to operate your own bulk SMS advertising, marketing & promotion business from the comfort of your home or office.
- How to set up and run your own money making SMS information service offering, stock alert, traffic report, prayer guide, SMS promo, sports alert, government campaign.
- How to build your own database of millions of GSM users with ease
- How to build and operate your own bulk SMS website that guarantees N200,000 to N500,000 monthly!
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Who Should grab this offer?
- Those who want to start up recharge card business profitably.
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Note: It’s important you order now and grab a copy . so you don’t forget later and miss this opportunity. The first 20 people to order will get my Do-It-Yourself Step-By-Step-Guide on “How to make #40,000 weekly selling andprinting recharge card for the comfort of your room!”
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Bank Name GT Bank plc
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after payment send your name,gsm phone number,email address,location and the caption"bulk sms" to 07083793511
the price i s#1,000
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It is a strange world we live, where friends snatch their friends' husband Our writer today needs your advice to go on with her life after her husband left her for her best friend. Please, read and advise her. Thanks,
My name is Funmi. I met my husband in Ondo State after my NCE programme. We were friends for sometime but later things started getting serious between us. Dare was very understanding and caring and, moreover, we are from the same town. This earned him my family's love.
Dare was not educated; he dropped out of school because of financial constraint. I didn’t see that as a problem because I believe Dare would go back to school when things get better for him.
In the interim, he learnt tailoring somewhere in town. The love I had for him then did not allow me to see anything wrong in what he was doing.
I got transferred to Ibadan to teach in a primary school and, after, I persuaded Dare to join me so that we could continue our relationship. He did not agree at first, but after so much persuasion, he agreed. We started living together.
For about three years, Dare could not lay his hands on anything; he was always complaining that there were no customers. When things did not get better, he said he wanted to be a cab driver, I agreed with him and we saved some money and bought him a Mistibushi car.
After some months, I discovered that I was pregnant and well, Dare did not deny this and he was ready to marry me. My parents were not happy with me because I got pregnant before marriage, but because Dare was ready to have my hand in marriage they had no choice, they conceeded. The wedding day was fixed and we started preparing.
I called my childhood friend, Funke, to inform her of my intentions and also to ask her to be my chief bride’s maid. Funke had been in Ibadan before I relocated there. She and I went for shopping in preparation for the wedding.
Funke was very supportive even after the wedding, she was a shoulder to lean on. Our friendship took another dimension after; we got closer.
I forgot to tell you that she was a fashion designer too and things were quite okay with her, so I advised her to try and get a man to settle down with and to this, we started praying for a God-sent man who would be her husband.
In due time, God answered our prayers; a brother to one of her customers showed interest in her and after some months, they did introduction and started living together; this was when I had my first baby, a girl.
Just like a true friend, Funke played a prominent role during the naming ceremony; it was as if it was her child and after some months, she also became pregnant, and my advice to her as a friend was that she should formalise the wedding so that she would not have the baby out of wedlock. She took my advice and got married.
After some years, my husband started behaving funny; he started keeping late nights. He neglected his responsibilities at home and stopped caring for the children.
I became worried over this and raised the issue with him, but all to no avail; he wouldn't bulge.
I was itching so much to pour out my mind to someone but I couldn't since Funke rarely came visiting like before and I was also very busy with my work. However, I went to our home town to report Dare to his people; I didn't know I was digging the grave for my marriage. By the time I got home, Dare had completely abandoned the children and went away.
The children later told me that he came the night I left for Ondo, asked after me and went ahead to pack some of his clothes and went out that night. I was perplexed when I heard this. Where could he have gone to?
Nobody knew his whereabouts. I tried to look for him, but to no avail. On a fateful day, Lekan, one of my children, said he saw him around Funke’s place at night. My heart beat with hope and I thought I had found my man. But the boy reported that when Dare saw him, he didn’t say anything but went in quietly into Funke’s apartment.
I was shocked and confused and wondered what he could be doing in Funke’s flat at that time of the night. When Lekan sensed I was very worried he let the cat out of the bag. He said one of Funke's sons in his school had told him secretly that Dare had been in their house all these while.
I was so confused at that piece of information that I almost ran crazy. I cried myself to sleep that night. The following morning, I decided to see Funke to confirm what Lekan had told me. To my surprise, I saw Funke with a bulging tummy! Of course, she couldn’t have been impregnated by her husband who had been in London.
She was shocked when she saw me but she summoned courage and confronted me when I asked about Dare. To my utmost shock, Funke ordered me out of her house and warned me not to come there again. She shouted on me and called me all sorts of names.
I was dumbfounded even as passersby were asking me what happened, I couldn’t say anything. I couldn't believe Dare and my best friend could connive to do this to me. I accepted my fate and pulled myself together.
I knew I needed the strength to bring up my children and to continue with my life. I got closer to God. However, I later learnt that Dare and Funke had packed out of the house to live in a street, not quite far from ours.
Funke gave birth some months after and had a baby boy. I learnt that some people in our street attended the naming ceremony. I didn't allow that to bother me as I was ready to go on with my life without him.
It wasn't long after this, that I heard the rumour that Dare was sick and was admitted to a hospital. I pitied him and wanted to go and see him, but I didn't want Funke to see me and start calling me names. Things, however, did not get better for him because he died after some weeks.
I felt terrible and cried bitterly. As if this was not enough, some weeks after, Funke also died mysteriously. Taiwo, this was the last straw that broke the camel's back. People on the street believed I did something; they accused me and called me a witch, alleging that I was the brain behind their deaths.
This was enough pain for me and my children. How could I have done a thing like that, after all he left me and my children and met his end. How am I to be blamed? Please, advise me on what to do.
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A Nigerian football star on Thursday said he had been sentenced to 40 lashes in Sudan after being wrongly convicted of drunk driving in Khartoum.advertisement
Stephen Worgu, who signed a reported multi-million dollar contract with Omdurman Club, Al Merreikh, last year, said he was innocent and determined to win an appeal against the sentence."I am not guilty of this crime...I can't imagine myself being flogged," he told reporters in his Khartoum flat.It was the latest in a series of high-profile cases where Sudan's brand of Islamic law has come under the spotlight. A British teacher was jailed after letting her class name a teddy bear Mohammad in 2007 and a Sudanese journalist was imprisoned in September after being convicted of indecency for wearing trousers. Both women had faced a maximum sentence of flogging.Drinking alcohol is banned under the sharia law enforced in Muslim north Sudan. Men found guilty are routinely beaten in public outside court rooms, while women are generally punished in private.Worgu, 20, said he was stopped by police driving home late from dinner at a friend's house in August.He said he was taken to a police station and briefly questioned, then later told to attend court this week."I was trying to make myself heard to the judge ... saying he (the policeman) didn't make any medical test. He didn't find me with any drink."He said the officers told the court they had smelled the home-brewed spirit aragi on his breath, but insisted he had never heard of the drink. "My lawyer was saying, 'This guy, he makes good money. How can he drink aragi? Aragi is sold for one pound."
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Posted by 9jabook.com on November 13, 2009 at 2:30am
Two years ago, Patrick Geryl, then 51, quit his job as a laboratory worker for a French oil company. He'd saved up just enough money to last him until December 2012. After that, he thought, he wouldn't need it anyway.
Unprecedented catastrophe will precede the end of the world in 2012, believers say, such as massive earthquakes, tidal waves and volcanic eruptions, among other calamities.
(ABC News Photo Illustration)
Instead, Geryl, a soft-spoken man who had studied chemistry in his younger years, started preparing for the apocalypse. He founded a "survival group" for likeminded men and women, aimed at living through the catastrophe he knew was coming.
He started gathering materials necessary to survive — water purifiers, wheelbarrows (with spare tires), dust masks and vegetable seeds. His list of survival goods runs 11 pages long.
"You have to understand, there will be nothing, nothing left," Geryl told ABC News from his home in Antwerp, Belgium. "We will have to start an entire civilization from scratch."
That's because Geryl believes the world as we know it will end in 2012. He points to the ancient Maya cyclical calendars, the longest of which last renewed itself approximately 5,125 years ago and is set to end again, supposedly with catastrophic consequences, in 2012. He speaks of the ancient Egyptians, who, he claims, saw 2012 as a year of great change too. And he points to science: NASA predicts a sharp increase in the number of sunspots and sun flares for 2012, he said, sure to cause electrical failures and satellite disruptions.
All this adds up, Geryl said, to unprecedented catastrophe. First, a polar reversal will cause the north to become the south and the sun to rise in the west. Shattering earthquakes, massive tidal waves and simultaneous volcanic eruptions will follow. Nuclear reactors will melt, buildings will crumble, and a cloud of volcanic dust will block out the sun for 40 years. Only the prepared will survive, Geryl said, and not even all of them.
These may sound like the ravings of a madman, or perhaps the head of a small apocalyptic sect. But Geryl is not the only one who believes in the apocalypse. Thousands of people worldwide seem to be preparing, in one way or another, for the end of days in 2012. Survival groups exist in Europe, Canada and the United States. A simple Google search for "2012" and "the end of the world" brings up nearly 300,000 hits. And the video-sharing Web site YouTube hosts more than 65,000 clips informing and warning viewers about their fate in 2012.
"It's bigger than Y2K," said Mark van Stone, a specialist of Maya hieroglyphic writings and author of a forthcoming book on 2012. "The year is like a pop song or a popular movie. You type in 2012, and you get hundreds of thousands of hits."
Dennis McClung, 28, a project manager for Home Depot from Phoenix, Ariz., runs one of the Web sites dedicated to 2012, an online survival supply store, which sells gas masks, knife kits, bullet-proof vests and more.
"I'm not a firm believer in one specific prophecy," said McClung, who runs his site with his wife, Danielle. "But I think we ought to be prepared for anything."
Even with December 2012 still 4½ years away, McClung said business is booming. His Web site, which features an "official 2012 countdown" clock and exhorts customers to "be smart, be ready," averages several thousand visitors a week. McClung's best-sellers, he said, are emergency medical supplies and water purifiers.
"I get a lot of hits from India. I get a lot of hits from the Netherlands," McClung said. "But my No. 1 customer is the U.S."
One of those customers is Thomas Lehmann, a 25-year-old factory worker from Cape Girardeau, Mo. Lehmann said he started researching 2012 when he was 12 years old, and still spends about two hours a day reading about the topic both online and in books. He said he is saving money for survival gear.
"Whatever happens, I'm just trying to be prepared for it," Lehmann said. "I'm just learning to be independent of the system. I mean electricity, vehicles, alternate sources of energy. I'm learning to live without gas, basically be self-reliant."
"If this stuff does happen," Lehmann said, adding, "I have a way to eat. I can hunt, I can fish and I can purify water. I think it's people in the big cities that need to be worried. People that can't provide for themselves."
But for all the hype, there is little evidence the ancient Maya ever intended for the end of their calendar to be read as a portent for disaster.
"These prophecies of doom really don't have any basis in what we know about the Maya," said Stephen Houston, a professor of anthropology at Brown University and a specialist of Maya hieroglyphic writing. "The Maya descriptions barely talk about this event."
Instead, Houston said, the Maya saw their "long count" — the longest of their cyclical calendars — coming to an end in 2012 but also beginning anew on that date, without disastrous consequences.Read more…
Posted by Politics X on November 3, 2009 at 9:21pm
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Senate report indicts Anenih, others for corruptionCan He go the Bode George way ? Who can Prosecute Mr Fix It a former Police Officer who is probably the foremost Pen Robber Alive in the Country taking after his infamous alteregos Laurence Anini aka the Law and DoubleAgent Policeman George Iyamu who met their Waterloo at the executioners bullets.Anenih a former Top Cop from Edo State has had his hands in virtually every moneypot made by him or by someone else in the murky corrupt practices of the nations political system.The Senate may now indict him, a former minister of Works and former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees today, if it adopts the recommendations of its ad hoc committee on transportation.Tony Mr fix it AniniThere are indications based on the Senate order paper, that the reports of a Senate ad hoc committee that investigated alleged corruption in the transport sector since 1999 will be discussed on the floor of the upper legislative chamber today.This came after the conclusion of the Heineken Lokpobiri (PDP Bayelsa State)-led ad hoc committee’s work and subsequent submission of its report a fortnight ago.(lawrence the Law Anini)The report is filled with revelations of alleged serial malpractices and shows how in 10 years, through multiple contract fraud, unhelpful connivance between contractors and government officials, N633 billion was spent on only 4,752 kilometres of road; short-changing the government of N47 million per kilometre of road.Based on the report, between 1999 and 2009, the Ministry of Transportation, gave contracts for the construction and rehabilitation of 11, 591km roads at a cost of N1.7 trillion – about N87 million per km – and with only 24 per cent of the roads achieved, 64 per cent of the contract value has already been paid; about N133 million per km.Bidding without prior designThe report said during Mr. Anenih’s tenure as minister, and three others that later headed the ministry in the last 10 years, road contracts were awarded depending only on estimates that were submitted by the bidding companies without prior design by the ministry.They also “fixed prices even before the roads were actually designed by the companies,” the report said.Tony Anenih, Adeseye Ogunlewe, Obafemi Anibaba, and Cornelius Adebayo headed the Works Ministry within the period which the Senate probed.The horrible Lagos Benin Road major cause of countless Loss of LivesThe ad hoc committee in the report recommends that the four men and their ministers of state and the permanent secretaries should be prosecuted for corruption.Also recommended for prosecution is Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, who was the permanent secretary that served all the indicted ministers, but Mr. Anenih. He was said to have crafted a means of splitting contracts to sizeable amounts to bring the values within the approving authority of his office.With this, projects with single appropriation were allegedly awarded by him separately and besides that, he awarded contracts to non-existing companies.The report described the engineering representatives of the Works Ministry as one of the most corrupt and lacking in technical expertise; “they granted clearances to the contractors when the jobs were far from finished,” the report said.Former officials of the Ministry of Finance and the Bureau of Public Procurement (Due Process office), who were said to have provided funding and clearance for the unappropriated projects were also recommended for prosecution.The immediate past minister of Transportation, Diezani Allison, who literally wept while inspecting the condition of the Benin-Ore road, was said to have paid more than N1.2 billion into the private account of a company called Digital Toll Gates Limited against the written advice of the Due Process Office.The report took the ad hoc committee 18 months to produce. Ayogu Eze, the Senate’s spokesperson and a member of the committee, said the report took so long because it needed to be thorough and detailed in touching on the heart of the problem of road infrastructure in the country.Justice Joseph Oyewole, another convict will be coming your way soon. Please do Justice to Anenih (Mr Fix it). Please fix him for 29 years in prison. Anenih Must be JAILED. We all know he stole N300billion during his Tenor. The same God that ensured Bode Gorge was jailed will ensure Anenih and co receive appropriate judgement soonest.
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Seven tips for observing
a Daniel Fast or Daniel's Diet
1. Be specific
Daniel was very clear in his objection to the Babylonian diet. He defined his objection immediately. Daniel 1:8
The king’s food was likely not kosher, against Jewish dietary laws.
Daniel and his friends had vowed against wine.
The king’s food could have been offered up to idols or demons.
Write out and sign a commitment that outlines
Why you are fasting.
How long you are fasting.
From what you are fasting.
2. Fast as a spiritual commitment
The Daniel Fast involves a spiritual commitment to God. "Daniel proposed in his heart that he would not defile himself." Daniel 1:8
Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance!
3. Reflect inner desire by external discipline
Most people desire better health, but don't discipline themselves to say no to junk food, and other unhealthy foods. Our physical health is more than answered prayer. Our physical health is normally linked to many of these factors:
Your food choices.
The level of your spiritual commitment, as reflected in constant prayer during the diet of Daniel and his friends.
Your time commitment. If you determine to fast for a certain time, keep it. For example, if you determine to fast ten days, don't stop on day nine.
Your testimony commitment. Your fast is a statement of faith in God. You want God to heal your body. Faith is foundational to the Daniel Fast.
4. Pray to see the role of sin in your relative health or sickness
Read James 5:13-20 KJV
You have freedom in this Daniel Fast to modify it according to your personal physical and spiritual needs. You can modify these guidelines as you feel led by the Lord. If you feel that it would be more productive for you spiritually or physically to avoid certain foods or spices, that would be great. If you feel led by the Lord to eat only vegetables and drink only water, then do so!
The main thing is to decide ahead of time how you are going to apply the Daniel Fast. Then stick to your commitment for the length of time you have decided to fast. Some people feel that it is good to make a permanent lifestyle change to the Daniel Fast. Daniel didn't do his "fast" for a limited amount of time. It was his lifestyle. Daniel asked for permission to avoid the kings delicacies over a ten day period. Then, if he was still healthy looking, he could continue his "diet."
Daniel's reason for his "diet" are given in Daniel 1:8 The Message Bible
"But Daniel determined that he would not defile himself by eating the king's food or drinking his wine, so he asked the head of the palace staff to exempt him from the royal diet."
Daniel seemed to eat only things planted for harvest and drank only water. You may want to keep it simple and eat only vegetables and drink only water. If in doubt about a certain kind of food, read the guidelines! Send us your ideas of additional foods to eat, recipes, and menus to add to this page.
Whole Grains: brown rice, oats, rolled oats, oatmeal, barley, corn, popcorn, wheat
Legumes: dried beans, pinto beans, split peas, lentils, black eyed peas, green beans, green peas, peanuts, etc. Grain legumes include beans, lentils, lupins, peas and peanuts (includes natural peanut butter).
Fruits: apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, berries, blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, breadfruit, cantaloupe, cherries, coconuts, cranberries, dates, figs, grapefruit, grapes, grenadine, guava, honeydew melons, kiwi, lemons, limes, mangoes, melons, mulberries, nectarines, oats, olives, oranges, papayas, peaches, pears, pineapples, plums, prunes, raisins, raspberries, strawberries, tangelos, tangerines, watermelon, etc.
Vegetables: artichokes, asparagus, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chili peppers, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, ginger root, kale, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, mustard greens, okra, onions, parsley, any peppers, any potatoes, radishes, rutabagas, scallions, spinach, sprouts, squashes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, turnips, watercress, yams, zucchini, etc.
Seeds: all nuts, natural peanut butter, natural almond butter, sprouts, ground flax, all whole grain products, etc.
Liquids: spring water, distilled water, filtered water, 100% all natural fruit or vegetable juices
If you have questions about other foods, check out our Questions and Answers page!
Foods to Avoid
Basically, you want to avoid the King's food. By application, that means that we are avoiding all those things that the Jews couldn't eat. We're also avoiding foods that only royalty in ancient days could afford. It wasn't until recent history that most Americans could afford to eat meat or poultry. In most of the world today, very few people can afford to eat any kind of meat or processed foods, like the following items to avoid. Send us your ideas of foods to avoid.
Meat, because Daniel didn't want to take the chance of eating non-kosher food and/or meat that was offered to idols.
white flour and all products using it
white rice, white bread, hominy and pasta
fried foods
foods or drinks with caffeine
carbonated beverages, including diet sodas
Wine, beer or any other alcoholic drinks
foods containing preservatives or additives
refined sugar (see some substitutes)
high fructose corn syrup
chemical sugar substitutes
margarine, shortening, animal fat, high fat products
Please do not post this copyrighted information in any form at another website. You may print copies for free distribution, with credit to http://farho.net/daniel-fast.
If you have questions about other foods, check out our Questions and Answers page!
Send us your Daniel Fast questions.
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Super Eagles’ Head Coach, Shaibu Amodu has picked 23 players to represent Nigeria in next weekend’s all –important 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Kenya’s Harambee Stars in Nairobi.advertisementa href="http://www.9jabook.com">On the list are skipper, Nwankwo Kanu, deputy skipper, Joshttp://www.9jabook.com/profiles/blog/neweph Yobo and the other 16 players who made the list for the last qualifier against Mozambique in Abuja, and five others.Nigeria tackles Kenya in a must –win final game of the qualifiers at the Karasani Sports Centre on Saturday, 14 November – the date for the conclusion of the African series for the 2010 FIFA World Cup to be hosted by the Republic of South Africa.Also listed are goalkeepers, Vincent Enyeama and Bamidele Aiyenugba, defenders, Elderson Echiejile and Obinna Nwaneri, midfielders, Yusuf Ayila and Osaze Odemwingie and strikers Obinna Nsofor and Obafemi Martins.The players will start arriving in Nigeria on Monday, November 9 and will depart for Nairobi aboard a chartered flight on the night of Thursday, November 12.
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Posted by 9jabook.com on October 11, 2009 at 8:38pm
THE Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU), has suspended strike for two weeks.
Announcing the suspension at a news conference at the Imo State University (now Evan Enwerem University, Owerri), the Presideent of ASUU Prof. Ukachukwu Awuzie noted that they took the decision in compliance with the agreement reached in order to move the educational sector forward, hoping that the Federal Government would dialogue with the body conclusively in favor of the growth of the sub-sector.
The suspension, he said, took effect from yesterday.
Awuzie, a teacher at the Imo State university, Owerri, said: "In reference to Mr. President's intervention, the strike is hereby suspended for two weeks with effect from Friday, 9, October, to enable a cordial atmosphere for the peaceful conclusion to ensue. The union expects that this gesture would accelerate the returning of the Nigerian university system to normal activities and calendar."
Awuzie regretted that those universities that could not identify with the union did what they wished, adding that the union was working in consonance with other stakeholders to uplift the academic system.
He urged Nigerians and all stakeholders to understand the stand of ASUU to uplift the growth of education in line with global requirements.
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As part of its efforts to get the support of the spectators for their team, officials of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) bought tickets worth over N750,000 for Ijebu Ode fans to come and watch their Group E match against the United States of America (USA) at the Gateway International Stadium, Ijebu Ode.advertisementThe tickets were distributed to fans at the main entrance of the stadium on Saturday and Sunday, shortly before the kick off of the match that was watched by a large spectators, including the Ogun State governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, and many traditional rulers, among others.Their gesture paid off as they were supported throughout the match, which USA won 1-0, by fans who applauded all their moves.The UAE officials also distributed their country's national flags to the fans who waved this endlessly to show their support. Some of the fans who spoke with Tribunesports expressed appreciation for the tickets, saying they were happy to have benefitted from the largesse.An official of the UAE who spoke to Tribunesports but refused to give out his name, explained that the idea behind buying the tickets was to get support and commended the spectators for supporting them.
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Posted by 9jabook.com on November 2, 2009 at 11:16pm
MOST of the major highways in Lagos metropolis and other cities on Sunday, recorded an unusually low vehicular traffic, as fuel scarcity bit harder across the country.
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In Lagos, most fillings stations closed their gates to customers with the few selling recording long queues of motorists.
As usual, illegal petrol hawkers have resurfaced at some strategic locations, some close to the filling stations, where miscreants extort as much as N100 from each motorist before allowing them access to buy fuel.
While the illegal hawkers sold the commodity for N1000 for 10 litres, neighbourhood retailers sold a litre for N104.
There was pandemonium at the Total retail outlet at Ogba, about 2 p.m. when some motorists tried to resist some boys at the College Bus-stop gate end, who insisted on the being tipped before allowing the customers into the filling station. They eventually had their way as the customers paid the N100.
However, most motorists expressed frustration over what they described as an artificial scarcity, alleging that many of the outlets had fuel but refused to open to customers for two days running.
There was palpable fear that the scarcity could worsen today, when most workers are expected to resume for duty after the weekend.
Nigerian Tribune observed that only one out of the 10 filling stations on the Isolo-Ikotun Road offered skeletal service to customers, who spent more than two hours on the queue.
Virtually all the filling stations on Oshodi-Apapa expressway as well as from Anthony to Maryland and Bank-Anthony Way did not open to customers.
But it was a rowdy situation at the two stations on Agege Motor Road in Mushin that sold fuel to customers.
The current fuel scarcity was triggered by speculations that the Federal Government would make good its plan to deregulate the oil sector from November 1 (Sunday).
But the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) have tried to ally public fears on the matter, with the latter warning against the ongoing panic buying of fuel.
The spokesman for the Department of Petroleum Resources, Mr. Paul Osu, told the Nigerian Tribune on Saturady that there was no disruption in supply, as there was fuel in most filling stations.
He said, “ I think people are just scared of possible fuel scarcity because of the Federal Government’s former intention to start deregulation tomorrow. People are just involved in panic buying, we are not really foreseeing any scarcity, I think people just want to be prepared in case of possible scarcity.
Investigations by the Nigerian Tribune also revealed that some filling stations around Ikorodu took advantage of the situation to sell petrol at N80 and above per litre, while some hoarded the product in anticipation of scarcity tomorrow.
People also bought the product in various containers in order to store it in their homes to beat the scarcity.
The NNPC said in October that it had enough fuel that could last for six months should marketers refuse to import.
The spokesman for NNPC was not available for comments when one of our correspondents called him on the phone on Saturday.
As tension continues to mount over the planned deregulation of the downstream of the oil industry by the Federal Government which has led the long queue at filling stations in some part of the country, the Speaker of House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, on Sunday described the government’s position as a challenge Nigerians would have to face.
Bankole in a brief interview with airport journalists on arrival from Johannesburg, South Africa, said the challenge posed by the planned deregulation was a bitter pill Nigerians would have to swallow.
His words: “Well, whether we like it or not, there are some challenges in the oil industry we must face. If we do not face it today, we will have to face it in the future. And the challenge is raising revenue for government, which by extension is for the country, to enable government to develop its many projects accordingly.”
The speaker, who condemned the current panic buying by some people, said it would not bring solution to the problem.
He said the National Assembly would continue to work hard to ensure that those that would be adversely affected by the deregulation were looked out for and looked after.
The Speaker declared: “We have to sit with labour, sit with the executive arm of government, the minister of petroleum, and civil servants as well as other stakeholders to work out a plan to make sure that things at least go on well.”
Asked on how he felt in the two years of his leading the nation’s lower house, the Speaker only said; “we thank God for everything,” as he went straight to board the presidential aircraft which took him to Abuja.
Meanwhile, the price of the product has gone up from N65 per litre to between N100 and N150 litre in some filling stations in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
According to the Nigerian Tribune’s investigation, black marketers have taken over the distribution and supply of fuel in some places visited by our corespondent.
While major marketers are still selling their product at N65 per litre in Abuja metropolis, the Nigerian Tribune investigation showed that some independent marketers sell their product at between N100 and N150 per litre.
In all the fuel stations visited by our correspondent, it was apparent that fuel was being hoarded. Instead of them selling fuel from all the selling points, it was observed that fuel was being dispensed in one or two selling points leading to long queues in all the fuel stations.
A motorist, who simply identified himself as Mr. John, said he had been at the Conoil filling station located on the Airport road since his return from church but could not get fuel as of 5.30 p.m. when he spoke with the Nigerian Tribune.
At Kuje, headquarters of Kuje Local Government Area, black marketers and roadside fuel hawkers were having a field day as only one out of the five fuel stations located in the area had fuel to sell to the people.
The manager of the station, Mr. Musa Haruna, told the Nigerian Tribune that the Federal Government had stopped those who used to supply them fuel from fuel importation in anticipation of the proposed deregulation of the downstream oil sector of the economy.
Because of the limited supply from the NNPC, Haruna said there was no way there would not be fuel scarcity as demand for fuel was now higher than supply.
Though the NNPC is yet to make statement on the latest of scarcity, the Nigerian Tribune source, however, accused the fuel marketers of hoarding, adding that the corporation had enough supply to distribute till the end of the year.
Also, hike in the prizes of petroleum products is still biting hard in Enugu the Enugu State capital, investigation by the Nigerian Tribune has revealed.
While a litre of fuel sells for as much as N90, kerosene is sold at N150 per litre depending on the consumer’s place of residence.
It was learnt that while major marketers are selling a litre of fuel for N65, independent marketers were selling for N80 per litre, making motorists to queue up before can purchasing the product at fuel filling stations owned by independent marketers.
Away far from the state capital, the prizes are higher with a litre of fuel selling for between N90 and N100.
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Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota: 11 Nigerians face federal charges for credit card scam
By BOB VON STERNBERG
leven people have been charged in federal court in the Twin Cities with fraud for a counterfeit credit card scam that allegedly netted them more than $650,000.
The defendants were charged last week with using the bogus cards to withdraw the cash from more than 170 automatic teller machines in the metro area.
According to the criminal complaint filed last week in U.S. District Court, the defendants obtained personal information about customers of Capital One Bank from an online source based in the Ukraine.
With the stolen information in hand, the defendants allegedly manufactured the counterfeit cards with that information. They were then able to obtain new personal ID numbers from the bank which allowed them to withdraw $652,205 from the teller machines.
According to the complaint, some of the stolen money was converted into cashier checks and used to purchase vehicle parts or vehicles with salvage titles; the vehicles were then shipped to Nigeria, and sold at inflated prices.
Some of the defendants allegedly recruited Nigerian residents in Minneapolis to buy vehicles at auto auctions, giving them cash to make the purchases.
According to a U.S. Secret Service affidavit, one of the defendants bragged about how he could not "get caught conducting his illegal activity" because he was "very good at covering his tracks."
Charged with one count of bank fraud and one count of access device fraud are Adekunle Kayode Ayeni, 27, Yewande Mariam Sholebo, unknown age, Adewale Alba Alli, unknown age, Olayemi Lateef Banjoko, unknown age, Idowu Ayinla Sadiq, unknown age, Abiodun Banjoko, unknown age, and Oyetoyin Oseni Atobatele, unknown age, all of Fridley; along with Bashiru Adelumola Fowoshere, 36, and Titilayo Abidewi Fowoshere, unknown age, both of Ramsey; Oriyomi Enitan Olowosago, unknown age, Brooklyn Park; and Ajibola Alli Fowoshere, 34, address unknown.
Eight of the 11 were arrested last Friday, when they also made their initial court appearance. Three remain at large.
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Posted by 9jabook.com on August 17, 2009 at 9:08pm
The United States military had, in May 2008, conducted a war games test called Unified Quest 2008, to ascertain how its military might respond to a war in parts of Africa including ni.ge.ria and Somalia.
According to an article written by Director of the African Security Research Project in Washington, DC and Guest Columnist of AllAfrica Global Media, Mr. Daniel Volman, the ni.ge.rian scenario was predicated upon a possible war in 2013. The article observed that it was the first time the African scenarios were included, as part of Pentagon’s plan to create a new military command for Africa: the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM). It also emerged that “the free flow of natural resources from Africa to the global market” was one of the “guiding principles” of AFRICOM, as articulated by Vice Admiral Robert Moeller at an AFRICOM conference held at Fort McNair on February 18, 2008.
The 2013 war date, the article said, was a test of how AFRICOM could respond to a crisis in ni.ge.ria in the event that rival factions and rebels fight for control of the oil fields of the Niger Delta and the government was near collapse.
Among scenarios examined, Volman said, were the possibility of direct American military intervention involving some 20,000 US troops in order to "secure the oil,” bearing in mind that ni.ge.ria is a major supplier of US oil needs.
Also, the question of how to handle possible splits between factions within the ni.ge.rian government was tested.
Other options included diplomatic pressure, military action, with or without the aid of European and African nations.
One participant, US Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Mark Stanovich, drew up a plan that called for the deployment of thousands of U.S. troops within 60 days, which even he thought was undesirable, Volman stated.
"American intervention could send the wrong message: that we are backing a government that we don't intend to," Stanovich said. Other participants suggested that it would be better if the U.S. government sent a request to South Africa or Ghana to send troops into ni.ge.ria instead,” the article stated.
According to Major Robert Thornton, an officer with the Joint Center for International Security Force Assistance at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, "it became apparent that it was actually green (the host nation government) which had the initiative, and that any blue [the U.S. government and its allies] actions within the frame were contingent upon what green was willing to tolerate and accommodate.”“As the game progressed, according to former U.S. ambassador David Lyon, it became clear that the government of ni.ge.ria was a large part of the problem. As he put it, ‘we have a circle of elites [the government of ni.ge.ria] who have seized resources and are trying to perpetuate themselves. Their interests are not exactly those of the people,” said the article.
“The recommendations which the participants drew up for the Army's Chief of Staff, General George Casey, do not appear to be publicly available, as what the participants finally concluded was not known. But since the war games took place in the midst of the presidential election campaign, General Casey decided to brief both John McCain and Barack Obama on its results,” the article stated.
The game ended without military intervention because one of the rival factions executed a successful coup and formed a new government that sought stability.
AFRICOM representatives were said to be in communication throughout the test, but non of their officers were part of the event, said Volman.
Volman observed that neither the General of AFRICOM William Ward nor Vice Admiral Mueller “were under illusions about the” purpose of the command.
“Thus when General Ward appeared before the House Armed Services Committee on March 13, 2008, he cited America’s growing dependence on African oil as a priority issue for AFRICOM and went on to proclaim that combating terrorism would be “AFRICOM’s number one theatre-wide goal.” He barely mentioned development, humanitarian aid, peace-keeping or conflict resolution.”
“Since then, as General Ward has demonstrated in an interview with AllAfrica, he has become more adept at sticking to the US government official public position on AFRICOM’s aims and on its escalating military operations on the African continent,” stated the piece. Volman argued that contrary to expectations, President Obama had chosen to increase US military intervention in Africa by providing arms and training to the Transitional Government in Somalia, an attempt to make the continent a central battlefield in the “global war on terrorism.”
He further argued that the operations of AFRICOM had been expanded through a proposed budget for financial year 2010, which will provide increased security assistance to repressive regimes in ni.ge.ria, Niger, Chad, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and key US allies such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Djibouti, Rwanda and Uganda.
The war game test drew various participants from the State Department and other US government agencies, foreign military officers (including military representatives from several NATO countries, Australia and Israel), journalists, academics, and the private military contractors that helped run the war games: the Rand Corporation and Booz-Allen.
Another of the four scenarios that were war-gamed was a test of how AFRICOM could respond to a crisis in Somalia — set in 2025 — caused by escalating insurgency and piracy. Unfortunately, no information on the details of the scenario is available.
The five-day game was designed to look at what crisis might erupt in different parts of the world in five to 25 years and how the US might respond. Back in 2005, the US had predicted that ni.ge.ria would break-up in 2015. The report was highly criticised by ni.ge.rian leaders.
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The Inspector General of Police, Ogbonna Onovo has demanded for extra powers for the force to contain violence at the venues of future elections in the country.
Speaking at the public hearing on "A bill for an Act to further amend the Police Act 1967," Mr. Onovo specifically asked that the police should be empowered to shoot any persons who perpetrate violence through the use of gun at polling stations.
The hearing was organised by a subcommittee of the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution. The subcommittee is headed by the Chief Whip, Emeka Ihedioha.
Mr. Onovo also asked for the amendment of the Section 4 (a) of the Police Act by inserting the word "lawfully" in it.
The section states that "Police shall while on duty safeguard the security of the lives and property of citizens during the campaign and voting so that citizens will not feel unsafe on account of holding, associating with or expressing a political opinion." Others demand Mr. Onovo made are that
1. the police should be empowered to arrest, search and detain any person upon reasonable suspicion of concealment of offensive weapons or electoral materials at the venue of any election or any other place, whatsoever;
2. the police should be empowered to use reasonable force to carry out such duties under the Act;
3. the Police should be empowered to arrest and prosecute any offender before, during and after elections;
4. a reasonable time limit should be spelt out to enable the police to return to their routine duties after the election;
5. the Police should be present at the counting centres and given certified copies of all the elections for record purposes; and
6.the police should be empowered to arrest any other person(s) who commit any other electoral offence under this Act.
Mr. Onovo explained that the force is demanding powers to shoot at the venues of election because some members of the public could confront police officers or electoral officers with guns.
He added that the original act does not give members of the force the powers to do anything unless directed by electoral officers being harassed.
He said that, if amended, the nature of confrontation against the police or electoral officers would determine the kind of weapons the police would use. Among the weapons are teargas, water cannon and lethal weapons.
"We all know that when they are coming they don't come in a friendly manner but they come heavily armed. They even fire to scare people away. So, we will need reasonable force to be able to prevent them from stealing, hijacking or altering results. In this case, we have to stop them when they come with, for example, AK 47. So, we want to use firearms when the lives of others are in danger," Mr. Onovo said.
When probed further by the lawmakers on what "reasonable force" means, the Inspector General said it could also include persuasion and dialogue.
Also speaking at the hearing, the former Inspector General, Sunday Ehindero, argued that it is not the Police Act that needed amendment but the Electoral Act 2006.
Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Michael Aondoakaa, told the lawmakers that the bill did not remove any power which the police have but assured that he would reconcile the differences between the bill and the proposals made by Mr. Onovo.
However, member of the subcommittee were suspicious that if given the powers, the police could abuse some of them. They also complained that the powers could be used against members of the opposition parties.
A member, Abdul Ningi, who is also the chairperson of the Police Affairs Committee of the House, said if given the power to arrest, search and detain anybody on reasonable suspicion, the police officers could do so for flimsy reasons.
Another member of the House, George Daika, also complained that if the police were allowed a time limit to stay at election venues, trouble could ensue when they have left.
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The last is yet to be heard about the predicaments of the sacked renowned provincial Pastor, Ituah Ighodalo of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Christ's Church Parish in Gbagada, Lagos. He was recently expelled by the General Overseer Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye on account of ‘‘adultery’’ perpetuated by him, which was said to be in contrary to the church doctrine and ultimately biblical provisions.
Such act expressly contravened what was contained in the Holy Bible Matthew 19:3-9: ‘‘The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said unto them, Hath ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh. Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh? What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. They say unto him, why did Moses then give writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.’’
This drastic decision which the leadership of the Redeemed said would help to sanitize the church and will also serve as deterrent to others has been described by many stakeholders in Christendom as harsh, cruel and victimizing on someone who had contributed positively to the growth of the church of God. They also decried the celebration, attention and prominence that the church has been giving to other people who do worst things than what Ighodalo did.
The unpleasant development has however thrown a lot of Christian believers into strong confusion on which doctrine to subscribe to, following different interpretations made by men of God over this contentious issue. Besides a notable Pentecostal pastors like Pastor Chris Okotie had re-married after many years in divorce, and heaven did not fall.
In another dramatic twist, founder of Latter Rain Assembly, Dr. Tunde Bakare has joined the critics who opposed to the recent sack of Pastor Ituah Ighodalo of the Christ Church Parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God for remarrying 10 years after divorcing the wife of his youth. Dr Bakare was once part of the Redeemed family but left after sharp disagreement between him and the church leadership.
Bakare while delivering sermon decried the controversial sacking of Pastor Ighodalo by Pastor Adeboye. Speaking essentially in parables, the pastor said the church’s action was not in consonance with the Holy Scriptures.
According to Bakare who was born a Muslim, this same church that sacked a pastor for remarrying would honour other individuals with more than one wife, offering them prime positions in the church. His words: “As a young Christian, a man married a total stranger and when it was time for him to come home, his wife refused to follow him.
“The man came down, gathered people to intercede for him for 10 years while gathering the flocks for his God and after 10 years, he decided to re-marry and all of a sudden, the church said they found it somewhere in the Bible that he cannot remarry, whereas those with three wives are given front seats in the church.”
Such was the level of the degeneration of the church generally to the extent that those who belong to occultic organisations, he argued, would be given very important personality (VIP) treatment in the church at the expense of imparting strict religious doctrines. Bakare averred that very many churches have actually embraced sorcery in order to perform fake miracles.
One will recall that the Lagos based clergyman, Bakare predicted in 1999 that the former President Olusegun Obasanjo would be killed but the predictions never came to pass, a pronouncement which led to his apprehension by men of the Nigerian SSS.
A source revealed that the embattled Pastor Ighodalo was said to have announced to his congregation that he was quitting the church even as he disclosed to the church the circumstances that led to his failure of his former marriage. He disclosed that his former mistress, Lucy-Ann Summer refused to join him in Nigeria and after much persuasion failed, she later left. Disclosing that the expectations from the marriage were not met by the woman, and that she met someone else that met those expectations.
Consequently, Ibidunni Ajayi, then a Youth Corps member came to his life. The courtship lasted over four years according to a source, even though he proposed to Ibidunni after 18 months of friendship. Ibidunni and Itua became married on 26 February 2007 and it was followed by the traditional wedding three days later in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Pastor Ituah Ighodalo despite his present travails had robust pedigree, an Accountant and writer; Editor-in-Chief of TIMELESS Newspaper owned Christ Church. He is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and of the Chartered Institute of Taxation. He is also a member of the Nigerian Institute of Management, and the Managing Partner of Ighodalo and Associates (a Firm of Chartered Accountants and Management Consultants.
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Detectives from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Imo State Police Command, Owerri are working assiduously to unravel the mysterious death of Miss Mary Oguchukwu of Ime Owerre in Isu Njaba Local Government Area of the state.The late Mary, a hair stylist based in Onitsha, was reported to have gone to see off a male friend, one Christian Mmereukwu of Uburu Ekwe in the same council area who was alleged to have come to see her on August 21, 2009.But she could not return to her house as she was found dead in a nearby bush with blood gushing out from her private part with her clothes torn.Narrating the ugly incident to Daily Sun, the immediate younger brother to the late Mary, Mr Nnorom Oguchukwu, a former judiciary correspondent of Business Day, Abuja, said that his late sister had come back to the village from Onitsha hail and hearty to see him on learning that he was coming home from aboard.According to him, the suspect, Mr Mmereukwu, had been severally warned by members of their family to steer clear from his late sister as he had continuously been proposing marriage to her.“My sister, Miss Mary Oguchukwu was healthy. She came back from Onitsha, Anambra State. She returned home to see me when she heard that I was coming back from abroad, unfortunately, she was hacked to death on August 21, 2009.According to my younger ones, who alerted me on what had happened, they said that on the fateful day of August 21, 2009 evening at about 4 p.m. to 6p.m. one man from Uburu Ekwe, Mr Christian Mmereukwu, came to our compound.On that fateful day, my late sister was with my younger ones and according to them, Christian arrived at our compound and the first person that saw him was my aunty, Agnes Nnanna, who confronted him. She reminded him that he has been warned not to be visiting our compound, but he allegedly ignored her and went straight where my sister was staying.They said that he stayed for a longer period and when he was about going home he beckoned on my sister Mary Oguchukwu to escort him after much pressure and my sister now followed him.She escorted him not knowing that would be her last day on earth.Explaining further, Mr Nnorom alleged that Christian dragged her inside the bush and raped her after which he hacked her to death.He tore her brazier, left it somewhere, killed her and left her in her pool of blood. While I was at Enugu where I took my son for medical treatment I didn’t know that this thing was happening. I only heard a telephone call the following day that one Christian Mmereukwu had killed my elder sister.Any misunderstanding with both families ?Not at all; not to the best of my knowledge. We are good neighbours even where he had his maternal home. We were never in enmity with them. They visit us and we visit them. I don’t actually know what had gone wrong. I don’t really know why the man should come to our place, picked my sister to go and killed her.Marriage proposalI don’t think that my sister was bluffing him, but from his character she may have seen somebody, you cannot attest to his character. She may start distancing herself from such request. The said Christian has that tendency of fighting when he was growing up in his maternal home.My sister’s professionShe is a hair dresser and she wanted to start her own business again in Onitsha, but she heard that I was coming back from abroad and she came back home to stay with me.AppealThe matter was first reported at the Umudugba Divisional Police station. It has now been transferred to State Police Command, Owerri. I believe that this is not a matter that should be swept under the carpet. My humble request is that my sister has been raped, and killed for nothing sake. I am calling on the police and international organizations on anti-rape to take over this matter and see to the last point of it. I want the security agencies to conduct proper investigations on this matter to see that justice is done in this matter. It will be the only way the soul of my sister will have rest. I am also appealing to the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ogbonnaya Onovo and human rights organizations to come to my rescue. I am shedding tears in my heart.our sourceslearnt that the suspect Mr Mmereukwu is now held at the state CID where he has been telling the police all he knows about the death of Mary.The police spokesman, ASP Linus Nwaiwu who confirmed the incident said that, investigations are still going on.
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15 Years later: FHA tells Super Eagles team who won 1994 Nations Cup in Tunisia to come for the houses promised themBy FEMI ADEOTIThursday, July 23, 2009The Federal Housing Authority (FHA) has advised members of the Super Eagles who won the 1994 African Cup of Nations in Tunisia, to report to its Estates Department, to take possession of the houses allocated to them for winning the cup.S. M. Ndanusa, Minister/Chairman, National Sport CommissionAccording to the authority in response to enquiries made by Daily Sun, the houses are located at Isheri Olofin 1 Estate, Lagos, and 1st Avenue 1 (C) Close, Lugbe Estate, Abuja.Daily Sun had on Thursday, July 2, 2009, published an exclusive story on the plight of the members of the team who are yet to be allocated houses promised them by the Abacha Government, 15 years after they won the cup.But FHA’s Head of Communications, Mr Tunde Ipinmisho, in response to enquiries asked the affected team members to come over to the authority’s Estates Department. His e-mail message reads:“Please note that eight units of houses were allocated to the Eagles 1st Avenue 1 (C) Close, Lugbe Estate, Abuja.“Nineteen units of houses were also allocated to them at Isheri Olofin 1, Lagos.“In 2004, FHA went into partnership with Lock Int. Limited and an MoU was signed to complete some houses but the agreement was not followed up by the company leading to the abandonment of the project.“It is, however, advised that all members of Super Eagles of 1994 who have not taken over their houses should come to the Estates Department of the Federal Housing Authority.”Daily Sun had sent a message by e-mail to the FHA, Abuja, seeking clarifications on the inability of the housing authority to fulfill the obligation. The message reads:“The Super Eagles won the 1994 African Cup of Nations in Tunisia. They were given houses (three-bedroom each) by the then General Sani Abacha Government. There were 23 players and eight officials in the team.“On June 3, 1994, the General Staff Headquarters, State House, Abuja, wrote to the Executive Chairman, National Sport Commission, informing him of the package. It reads in part: ‘23 players and eight officials be given $8,000, N250,000.00; and three-bedroom house each.’ The letter was signed by Lt. Col. AO Peters for the Chief of General Staff (CGS) and Vice Chairman, PRC.“Members of the team are: Eguavoen A, Iroha Ben, Keshi Okechukwu, Okafor Uche, Finidi George, Oliha Thompson, Yekini Rasheed, Okocha Austin, Siasia Samson, Amokachi Daniel, Oliseh Sunday, Ago Aloy, Ikpeba Victor, Adepoju Mutiu, Rufai Peter, Agbonavdare W, Amunike Emmanuel, Senitoju Isaac, Ikoku Efah, Ugbade Nduka and Ike Sorounmu.“On June 10, 1994, Air Commodore Emeka Omeruah, Chairman, NFA, wrote each member of the team of the allocation of a three-bedroom house. He wrote a similar letter on October 19, 1994, to the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing ‘to kindly expedite action to allocate the houses in Abuja and Lagos, accordingly.’“On December 27, 1995, Chief Jim Nwobodo, then Minister of Youth and Sports, wrote the team members: ‘Allocation of houses’ promising that Works & Housing Ministry had been directed for ‘the immediate release of the houses.’“Not until April 3, 1997, that the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) wrote to the team members: ‘You are hereby allocated Isheri Olofin Estate, Lagos, for a term of ninety (90) years certain, commencing from the date you are invited to take possession of the housing unit.’ Ibrahim Ali, MD/CE, FHA, signed the letter.“Nothing happened until October 9, 2000, when Olusola Akanmode, Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of the Vice President, wrote the Minister of Sports & Social Development ‘to draw your attention to the VP’s directive for your urgent necessary action,’ on the matter.“A lot of correspondence went on. Sources said those in Abuja and Finidi George in Port Harcourt River States, were given their houses. The rest 28 are yet to take possession, 15 years after.“Isheri Estate has been re-structured and the addresses of the houses supposedly allocated to the Eagles members are no longer in existence.”On his part, the Director-General, National Sports Commission (NSC), Chief Patrick Ekeji, claimed total ignorance. He told Daily Sun in a telephone conversation:“Nobody has brought this matter to my notice. By 1994, I was in Imo State. I am not privy to any document relating to that issue.“Except the matter is brought to my notice, I cannot comment on it. In fact, I don’t even know what to say or do on it. So, I am not aware of what you are saying.”
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Nigeria TribuneLanre Adewole, AbujaMonday, July 20, 2009THE Federal Government is said to have formally applied to the United States of America for the extradition of former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, in order to face trial in Nigeria for alleged fraud while in office.An eight-count charge of criminal conspiracy, abuse of office, misappropriation of N32 billion and allocation of land to associates and family members slammed on the former minister and two associates by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had also been pasted on his Abuja residence, as ordered by the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.The EFCC’s spokesperson, Mr Femi Babafemi, confirmed the pasting of the charge. The house is located at No. 12 Mambila Street, Maitama, Abuja.Nigerian Tribune gathered from a source that the commission routed its extradition request through the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mike Aondoaaka (SAN), who in turn reportedly forwarded the request to the relevant authorities in the United States under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty between the two countries.The commission’s request was received in the minister’s office penultimate Thursday. It could not be confirmed at the time of filing the report if the United States had communicated the Federal Government over the request.An International Treaty between Nigeria and United States of America empowers the anti-graft commission to extradite the embattled former minister using the instrumentality of the Nigerian government.The treaty entitled “TREATY BETWEEN THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA AND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ON MUTUAL LEGAL ASSISTANCE IN CRIMINAL MATTERS” was signed at Washington on November 2, 1987.The introductory part states that “the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the government of the United States of America, hereinafter called the “Contracting Parties”.The provision of the Treaty which deals with deportation of nationals of the two contracting parties when such is required is under Article XVIII entitled “Information on Crimes, Arrests, Convictions, and Deportations”Meanwhile, following the commission’s inability to serve the charge on el-Rufai who is resident in the US, the commission asked the trial court for an order to have the charge pasted on his residence.Justice Adamu Bello last Thursday granted the request, though he said he believed that the former minister was aware of the charge which made him to engage the services of the former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Akinlolu Olujinmi SAN.When the matter came up on July 8, former General Manager of Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS) Altine Jubrin and former Director General Ismaila Iro who were also charged with the former minister were present.The judge fixed October 14 for el-Rufai’s plea. The commission had declared el-Rufai wanted over the alleged fraud. Nigerian Tribune gathered that el-Rufai has many petitions against him which the commission had been investigating, with a petition from the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) said to be receiving top priority from the commission.Documents secured by the Nigerian Tribune had revealed an alleged conversion of 13 plots of land originally allocated in the Abuja Master Plan to the PHCN, for his family use, despite warnings from top civil servants in the ministry and construction giants, Julius Berger, which was reportedly given the contract to convert the plots for private use.The plots located in Asokoro Area D were allegedly distributed among himself, his wife and children.
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Pulling the microphone toward him, the dapper 61-year-old man in sunglasses creased his forehead, cleared his throat emphatically and introduced himself to the war-crimes court in the Hague: "My name is Dakpenah Dr. Charles Ghankay Taylor, the 21st President of the Republic of Liberia."Thus began the testimony of Charles Taylor, the reviled warlord and ousted Liberian President, at his landmark trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity. He is facing 11 charges relating to the murder, rape, sexual slavery and mutilation of civilians by rebels in neighboring Sierra Leone — or, as the prosecution put it, he's charged with being "everything from terrorist to rapist." Asked to respond to the charges, Taylor issued a forceful denial. "It is very, very, very unfortunate that the prosecution's disinformation, misinformation, lies and rumors would associate me with such titles," he said. (See pictures of Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.)
Taylor took the stand on July 14 at the U.N.-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone for the first time since his trial began 18 months ago. He is accused of arming, training and controlling Sierra Leone's Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels, who rampaged across the country during its brutal 1991-2001 civil war. Prosecutors allege that Taylor targeted Sierra Leone so he could strip it of its vast mineral wealth, in particular its diamonds. Earlier in the trial, chief prosecutor Stephen Rapp insisted that Taylor was "an exceptional violator of human rights" who steadily provided weapons and support to the RUF in exchange for blood diamonds. Witnesses testified about arms smuggled from Liberia to Sierra Leone in sacks of rice and diamonds sent back in a mayonnaise jar. But Taylor rebutted the claims. "Never, ever did I receive — whether it is [in] mayonnaise or coffee or whatever jar — any diamonds from the RUF," he said. "It is a lie, a diabolical lie."However, it is the stories of Taylor's sheer brutality that are likely to be the most damning testimony. As many as 250,000 people were killed in the blood-soaked conflict that embroiled Sierra Leone and Liberia, even spreading into Ivory Coast and Guinea. During the course of the trial, the court — sitting in the Hague for fear of stirring up fresh unrest in Sierra Leone and Liberia — was told about how RUF rebels enslaved and mutilated thousands of civilians, who had their hands and arms severed. Some of the worst crimes were carried out by gangs of child soldiers, who were fed drugs to desensitize them to the horror of their actions.The slang Short sleeve or long sleeve used in the movie Blood Diamond with Leonardo Di Capri and Djimon housou graphically and literally puns the amputation of arms either below the elbow (short sleeve) or above the wrist (long Sleeve) The blood, is plentiful. People about to lose limbs are asked if they want "short sleeve" or "long sleeve." Child soldiers carrying automatic weapons, fire into crowds. There is death, and then more death. All of those interviewed agreed that the film was an accurate portrayal of the violence.And there were tales of even more grotesque violence, including how opponents and peacekeeping forces were killed, cooked and eaten by Taylor's militia. Last year, the alleged head of Taylor's "Death Squad," Joseph (Zigzag) Marzah, told the court that cannibalism was practiced "to set an example for people to be afraid" and that nothing was done without Taylor's approval. Marzah also revealed that he and Taylor belonged to the same secret religious society and had together eaten human hearts.As the charges were laid before him on Tuesday, Taylor, the first African leader to be tried before an international tribunal for war crimes, responded with indignant protestations. "I am a father of 14 children, grandchildren, have fought all my life to do what I thought was right in the interests of justice and fair play," he said. "I resent that characterization of me. It is false, it is malicious."His lawyer, Courtenay Griffiths, had earlier denied that Taylor was an "African Napoleon bent on taking over the subregion," saying instead that he was a "broker of peace." Griffiths does not dispute the horrors of the war but says Taylor was not the heart of darkness directing it. "The case is all about linking the crimes to Mr. Taylor, but the evidence has been riddled with inconsistencies," he said. (Read "Charles Taylor Trial Starts.")Taylor launched a Libyan-funded armed uprising in Liberia in 1989. The ensuing civil war lasted until 1996, and Taylor was elected President the following year. He ruled for six years before heading into exile in Calabar Cross river State, where he was eventually arrested. Taylor was sent to the Hague in June 2006, but the trial covers only his role in Sierra Leone.Taylor's testimony is expected to last six to eight weeks, and a final verdict in the case is likely a year off. If convicted, he would serve his jail sentence — he's facing life imprisonment — in Britain. But even if he is acquitted, it doesn't mean his worries are over. Last week, the Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission released a report on the 1989-2003 civil wars. It has a list of eight warlords whom it wants brought to trial for crimes against humanity — and Taylor is on that list.
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LAGOS — A THIRTY- NINE-year-old school headmaster identified as Umana Inuanam is presently cooling his heels at the Kirirkiri Minimum Prison, Lagos for allegedly raping a nine-year-old primary five pupil of his school.
The pupil who was identified by her father, Mr. Monday Oritsej, as Damilola attended Meoka Nursery and Primary School, Ishefun, Ayobo where she was allegedly defiled by the suspect at about 5.00 p.m in the school library. The action, it was learnt, took place when other pupils had gone home.
Source said the suspect had told the little girl to wait behind that he had some chocolate for her in the library after school hours. The unsuspecting girl, it was gather, waited patiently for her teacher only to be dragged to a large table in the library and raped with a warning never to tell her parents.
However, sources hinted further that after the girl got home, her father discovered that his daughter was walking with some difficulty and demanded an explaination. She later narrated how she was lured into the school library by her headmaster and had canal knoeledge of her.
The angry father reportedly rushed to Ayobo police station where he laid a complaint against the headmaster who was promptly arrested. He was later arraigned and charged with defilement.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Frank Mba, who confirmed the arrest said the suspect confessed to the crime, adding, however, that the suspect claimed he had sex with the girl with her consent and not rape.
WHAT A COUNTRY ! this is the new record !
Earlier this week, police found the badly decomposed body of Isabella Purves, who would have been 90 this year.
Officers forced their way into the top-floor flat in the tenement building in the Canonmills area of Edinburgh after a neighbour reported water dripping through the ceiling.
They had to fight their way through piles of unopened mail behind her front door.
It is thought her pension was paid directly into a bank account and utility bills were paid by direct debit.
Police are trying to trace her relatives.
Neighbours in Rodney Street have spoken of their horror at the discovery.
Giovanni Cilia, who owns the Fioritalia florist below Ms Purves's traditional tenement flat, said he was shocked at how long it took to find her.
He said: "How did no one notice the smell, or wonder where she was? I heard there was a big pile of letters and bills behind the door. I used to see her walk past the shop maybe four times a week. She would often go across the street and pick up litter to clean the place up."
Mr Cilia, who has run the shop for 20 years, added: "It's shocked everyone here. When I saw her she looked quite fit and healthy for her age. She used to wear boots and would often carry a rucksack like she enjoyed going for walks."
Michael Singh Kille, who works in a newsagent's three doors along, said he saw a stretcher taken from the building.
He said: "The police came and knocked down the door, then a private ambulance came after that. They took a stretcher up and when it came down it didn't look as though it had anything on it, just a very slight shape."
David Crystal, an optometrist who has run his business near the flat for 22 years, said Ms Purves had been a client.
He said: "I haven't seen her for 12 years. I last saw her in 1997 and we've sent her five reminders. For someone who doesn't have any family in this automated society, you can understand how it can happen.
"Before, they would go to the post office to collect a pension. I just assumed she'd been moved into a care home. We wouldn't normally follow up a non-attending person to see why they hadn't come back."
The last reminder was sent out in 2004.
His wife, Dorothy, who co-owns the business, said the discovery was "an indictment" of society.
She said: "Nobody cares any more, that's pretty sad. It's down to basic neighbourly behaviour. I would hope people would be looking out for others."
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