Chrome OS, Google’s newly announced computer operating system, is coming this Autumn and promises to revolutionize netbooks and other underpowered machines. Essentially, the OS is a small, fast-booting platform whose purpose is to run a browser, and from there all the Google apps and other web services you know and love. But why bother? Your netbook already has a browser and access to Google’s applications. What could Chrome do for you and your netbook?
Cost
Netbooks are cheap. So cheap that a disproportionately large chunk of the cost is made up of a Windows license. Ever wondered why the Linux versions of netbooks cost around $50 less? Microsoft tax. Chrome OS is based on Linux and will, like most Google products, be free, bringing the price of a $500 netbook down by 10% — not a small discount.
Speed
Windows 7 runs faster than Vista on a netbook. Scratch that. Windows 7 runs on a netbook, period. But Chrome OS is designed to run on low-powered Atom and ARM processors, and web based applications don’t require that much horsepower on the client end so it should be faster still. Better, it will be small. Google is promising boot times measured in seconds, not minutes, so battery life should also get a boost — it will be possible to cold boot instead of sleeping or hibernating the machine, saving precious juice.
Compatibility
Google says that “[Users] don’t want to spend hours configuring their computers to work with every new piece of hardware, or have to worry about constant software updates.” One of the big problems with using anything but Windows XP on a netbook has been drivers. Try installing OS X on one if you don’t believe us, or any version of Linux not specifically designed for your model. If Google can come up with an OS that can be downloaded, dropped onto any machine and then “just works”, we might just have the ultimate portable OS.
Portability
Netbooks are meant for the road. At home, a bigger computer is almost always better but when traveling, a netbook shines. Swapping between the two is a pain, though. With Chrome, you can bet that all of Google’s service - Gmail, Google Docs, Picasa and so on — will be built-in and have offline access via Google Gears. If you are a good Google Citizen and use all these services, you’ll never have to worry about having all your latest data with you, whether you have a net connection or not.
New Applications
With its web services, Google has been slowly duplicating everything that we can do locally on our computers. Almost. There are a few things that Google doesn’t do yet, most notably a video player and a music jukebox. Sure, there’s YouTube, but what happens when you want to watch something other than a skateboarding dog in a blender? There are open-source options: The awesome VLC video player has just reached v1.0, for example, and the Songbird music player, based on Firefox, can even sync with an iPod. Both already run on some flavors of Linux.
Google may use these, buy them or even roll its own. One thing is sure, though: If Google can put out a whole OS that is as clean, fast and focused as its individual web products, the Chrome OS could be a revolution. A free revolution that could be making Microsoft extremely uncomfortable right now.
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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo may have left judgment in the hands of the almighty God and taken the death of his wife, Stella, as what fate brought, but Spanish authorities have not given up as the doctor who handled the surgery that led to her death will on Friday appear in court on a charge of negligent manslaughter.
The cosmetic surgeon from a Marbella clinic in Spain is being tried on a charge which may earn him two years in prison and a ban from working as a plastic surgeon for five years for the 2005 death of the then Nigerian first lady due to complications allegedly caused by the surgery he carried out, reported euroweeklynews.com yesterday.
The news website quoted the public prosecutor’s office as claiming that in August 2005, the 59-year-old late Mrs Obasanjo attended the exclusive Molding cosmetic surgery clinic in the upmarket town of Puerto Banus to enquire about a cosmetic surgery operation.
She was seen by the accused who, following some tests, gave her an appointment for her to return for more tests on October 20 for the procedure to take place the following day.
According to the prosecution, despite the fact that the accused had carried out more than 300 liposuction procedures in the past, he allegedly made several errors that punctured Stella Obasanjo’s liver and colon.
During the hours following the operation and in the post-operation, the prosecution claimed the injuries caused a massive amount of blood loss that led to several complications that eventually caused the patient septic shock that were not diagnosed by the doctor.
When the doctor allegedly eventually realised there were problems, he caused Stella Obasanjo to be transferred to Marbella’s USP Hospital by a clinic vehicle instead of helicopter despite the clinic having an arrangement with the medical helicopter firm. It is thought that she had suffered a severe asthma attack and lapsed into a coma.
The hospital in Marbella said all efforts to revive her failed because she was in an advanced state of shock.
Mrs. Obasanjo died in the early hours of October 23, 2005 in the hospital. The prosecution considers the action of the doctor as constituting negligent manslaughter.
In addition to the prison sentence, the public prosecutor’s office is seeking 120,000 euros in compensation for the victim’s family.
Stella Obasanjo was born into the Abebe family of Iruekpen, Edo State. Her father, Dr. Christopher Abebe, was the first African chairman of the United African Company (UAC). Her mother, Theresa Abebe, is a graduate of the Pitman College, London.
The paths of the mother of the late first lady and the ex-president first crossed in 1976 in London when the then Stella Abebe was studying in England. Obasanjo, then a colonel and ex-war commander was on a course.
Stella started her education at Our Lady of Apostles Primary School, Yaba, Lagos. Young Stella enrolled at the famous St. Theresa’s College, Ibadan, where she obtained her West African School Certificate.
She completed her education with a certificate as confidential secretary from the Pitman College in 1976. She returned to Nigeria in 1976 and soon after married General Obasanjo, who had become Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, following the assassination of General Murtala Mohammed.
In 1995, during the military dictatorship in Nigeria, when Obasanjo was jailed on trumped up charges of plotting to overthrow the government of the late Gen. Sani Abacha, Stella campaigned for her husband's release
IT was victory for women as the current administrative policy of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) compelling a married Nigerian woman to produce a letter of consent from her husband as a condition for issuance of international passport has been declared unconstitutional by the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt.
The presiding Judge, Justice G.K. Olotu, made this declaration in a suit by Dr. Priye Iyalla-Amadi, wife of renowned author, Elechi Amadi, against the director general of the Nigeria Immigration Service (first defendant) (NIS), (second defendant) and the service itself.
Justice Olotu, in his judgment, said this requirement for processing of application for international passport as it concerns married women, is a violation of Section 42 (1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution and Article 18(3) of the West African Charter on the People's Human Rights, being discriminatory on grounds of sex, hence unlawful and unconstitutional.
Following the loss of her international passport, Dr. Iyalla-Amadi had applied to the NIS for the issuance of another passport and the officer who attended to her request gave a list of documents that she would attach to the her formal application, among them a letter of consent from her husband.
Irked by this condition, the plaintiff protested against it on the ground that a mature adult citizen of the country like her should not require the consent of any person before she could be issued a Nigerian passport, but her protest fell on deaf ears, thus the decision to file the suit against the NIS.
The defendants did not really dispute the facts adduced by the plaintiff in their counter-affidavit but sought to justify the requirement of a letter of consent from the husband of a married woman who wants to be issued a Nigerian passport on the basis that Nigerian married women are classified alongside with minors by the government as persons who require consent from the head of the family.
NIS argued that the requirement for consent was put in place to perpetuate the authority of the man over his wife, no matter the status she had attained in society. It also stated that the requirement was set to avoid unnecessary breakdown of marriage institution in the country.
Another argument advanced by the NIS was that obtaining a Nigerian passport from the Federal Government by a Nigerian is a privilege, hence any person applying must fulfil all the conditions laid down by the sole agent of the government, which is the NIS.
But counsel to the plaintiff urged the court to declare the requirement unlawful and unconstitutional on the ground that it discriminates between Nigerian citizens on grounds of sex, contrary to Section 42 of the constitution.
She added that the requirement offends the equality of citizens' principle enshrined in Section 17 (1) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution.
Iyalla-Amadi' s counsel argued that the condition for issuance of passport to married women violates internationally- accepted standards of non-discrimination against women, which to Nigeria is a signatory.
Justice Olotu explained that he had directed the plaintiff and the defendants to present the facts they wished to rely on for and against the plaintiff's action.
According to him, while the plaintiff complied with the order of the court, the defendants did not. He also stated that the defendants did not challenge the averments in the affidavits of the plaintiff.
He observed that the defendants seemed to have thrown in their towel after filing what he called their spurious and sociological dissertation in the name of counter-affidavit.
The judge observed from the wordings of the constitutional provisions in Sections 17 (1) (2) and 42 of the 1999 Constitution that all citizens of Nigeria are put on the same pedestal irrespective of sex and status.
Olotu declared that the policy is obnoxious, repugnant and unconstitutional, stating that the defence of the defendants merely showed that the policy was a cunning, surreptitious and high-powered calculated attempt to subjugate women as if they are still in the medieval times.
According to him, "this kind of policy has no place in the 21st Century Nigeria."
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From Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu, BeninA SOCIO-CULTURAL group in Edo State, the Benin National Congress (BNC), yesterday called on the Federal Government to intervene in its fight to prevail on the British government to return Benin artifacts carted away since 1897.The group also urged President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua to return 27 oil wells belonging to Edo, which were ceded to Ondo and Delta states by the administration of General Ibrahim Babangida.They also called for amnesty for the 27 soldiers sentenced to life imprisonment in Akure for mutiny.In a letter to the President and signed by the association' s vice president and secretary, Omowemwen Imadiyi and Osazee Erhiamato, the group said it would not hesitate to begin mobilisation with a view to instituting legal action against the British government to force it to return the artifacts.It argued that Britain's continued retention of the "historical and ancestral" materials ran contrary to diplomatic relations between the two countries."It will be fair and patriotic for the Presidency to review its foreign policy relations with Britain within the context of the backlog of oppressive tendencies, which have undermined Nigeria's collective aspiration - to be together for peace, progress and justice, as any attempt to downplay these fundamentals of unity and accord will have far-reaching negative effects on our national integrity, if not now, certainly later."The Benin National Congress as you may well know is a foremost pan-Edo socio-cultural organisation that has been at the forefront of the struggle for the just and unconditional repatriation of all Benin artifacts, which were looted from the palace of the Oba of Benin, 'primitive' museums and the shrines of the people of the kingdom under the pretext of colonialism" , they added.The statement said the ceding of Edo oil wells to other states was an injustice and depletion of the state's revenue, which is needed for its development.The group urged that the soldiers be granted amnesty, since according them, it was discovered that they were actually shortchanged by their superiors.
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Nigerian-born British woman, Samantha Orobator, 20, jailed for life in Laos, Vietnam, for smuggling drugs, has confessed that a fellow British prisoner, John Watson, 47, is the father of her unborn child.
This is coming against the backdrop of frantic diplomatic efforts by the British authorities to ensure quick transfer of pregnant Orobator to the UK, to serve her sentence, as she gets into the third trimester stage in her pregnancy.
Reliable sources have also confirmed that Watson, who is also serving a life sentence for drug smuggling and had agreed to father her baby to save her from death sentence, is also being transferred to serve his remaining sentence in UK jail.
Orobator, last Wednesday, pleaded guilty to trying to smuggle heroin out of the country, but her death sentence was commuted because she is pregnant.
Orobator had been held in Phonthong since she was arrested at Wattay International Airport on August 5, 2008, with 1.5lb (680g) of heroin, and reportedly conceived last December, claiming the father was a Buddhist monk, and later said she had inseminated herself using Watson's sperm. A syringe was found among her belongings.
There is, however, palpable fear that Orobator may not be transferred to the UK before her pregnancy reaches term.
Although the UK and Laos signed a prisoner transfer agreement last month, it does not come into effect immediately, so she may end up having the baby in Laotian jail. It is gathered however, that she is being visited by medical team to ascertain her state of health and fitness, preparatory to a possible flight home. She has been reported to have expressed her worries that the prison diet will harm her baby and had been described by her mother, Jane, as "very fragile."
Caroline Morten, of Human Rights group Reprieve, said: "she's just into her third trimester now and needs to be given a doctor's approval to fly, but we are hoping to get her back in a week. At the moment, we don't want to talk too much about what's going on, but we are optimistic."
Confirming the repatriation, a spokesman from the Foreign Office said, "we are working on the goodwill of the Laotian government to repatriate Ms Orobator as soon as possible and Mr Watson would of course benefit from that too, in making an application."
Watson was arrested in 2003 and given a life sentence in 2006. His health has deteriorated in jail and he is said to suffer from depression. He has been denied visits from anyone except officials from the Australian embassy, who are able to meet him once a month, and he is able to send occasional emails home. The UK has no consulate in Laos.
"I know it sounds like an old cliche," Watson said last year to the Foreign Prisoner Support Service, an online campaigning group based in Australia, "but honestly, being in here, I do truly believe now that you don't know what you've got till it's gone."
Meanwhile, following the new development, Watson is facing sanctions in prison as his mobile phone had been confiscated by officials at the squalid Phonthong prison in Vientiane, where the pair are being held He could face further sanctions from the authorities if he was proven to have helped Orobator.
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NEW YORK -- Royal Dutch Shell agreed to a $15.5 million settlement Monday to end a lawsuit alleging that the oil giant was complicit in the executions of activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and other civilians by Nigeria's former military regime.
Shell, which continues to operate in Nigeria, said it agreed to settle the lawsuit in hopes of aiding the "process of reconciliation." But Europe's largest oil company acknowledged no wrongdoing in the 1995 hanging deaths of six people, including poet Saro-Wiwa.
"This gesture also acknowledges that, even though Shell had no part in the violence that took place, the plaintiffs and others have suffered," Malcolm Brinded, Shell's executive director of exploration and production, said in a statement.
The lawsuit in U.S. District Court in New York claimed Shell colluded with the country's former military government to silence environmental and human rights activists in the country's Ogoni region. The oil-rich district sits in the southern part of Nigeria and covers about 400 square miles. Shell started operating there in 1958.
The primary complaint against Shell focused on activities by the company's subsidiary, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited.
The lawsuit said in the 1990s, Shell officials helped furnish Nigerian police with weapons, participated in security sweeps of the area, and hired government troops that shot at villagers protesting the construction of a pipeline.
The plaintiffs also say Shell helped the government capture and hang Saro-Wiwa, John Kpuinen, Saturday Doobee, Felix Nuate, Daniel Gbokoo and Dr. Barinem Kiobel on Nov. 10, 1995.
Saro-Wiwa, leader of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People, led rallies against Shell. He blamed the company for myriad oil spills and gas fires in the Ogoni region.
"I think he would be happy with this," Saro-Wiwa's 40-year-old son, Ken Saro-Wiwa Jr., said in a telephone interview from London. Though Shell denied any wrongdoing, "the fact that they would have to settle is a victory for us."
Besides compensating the families, the money from Shell will pay for years of legal fees. And a large chunk of the settlement - roughly a third - will create a trust that will invest in social programs in the country including educational endowments, agricultural development, support for small enterprise and adult literacy programs.
Altogether, the settlement will have a negligible effect on Shell's shareholders, amounting to less than one-hundredth of a percent of Shell's annual revenue. It's comparable to the annual cost of renting one of the supertankers that Shell uses to deliver Nigerian oil to other countries.
Shell has consistently maintained that it never advocated violence and that it lobbied Nigerian officials to grant Saro-Wiwa clemency.
Critics say that Shell did so because of the bad publicity the case had generated.
"Is it enough to bring back the lives of our clients? Obviously not," said Jenny Green, a lawyer for the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York who helped file the lawsuit in 1996.
But Green said it will send a message to Shell and other multinationals that operate in developing countries.
"You can't commit human rights violations as a part of doing business," she said. "A corporation can't act with impunity. And we think there is accountability in this settlement."
Ralph Steinhardt, a George Washington professor of international law, said he doesn't think Shell got off easy with the settlement.
"It's not the size of the company that's the right measure here," Steinhardt said. "At the end of the day, it's to get some acknowledgment of the plaintiffs and their suffering and the role of the company."
The Shell settlement ends one of several legal battles brought against energy companies by indigenous peoples where they operate.
Villagers in Indonesia are suing Exxon Mobil, claiming it employed guards who kidnapped, tortured and murdered civilians. Chevron is awaiting a verdict from a judge in Ecuador that could lead to a potential $27 billion judgment stemming from a dispute over the role of Texaco, which Chevron bought in 2001, in environmental damages in the Amazon rain forest.
The case against Shell was based on Alien Tort Claims Act. The 18th-century law was originally meant to combat piracy and allows foreigners to pursue corporations in U.S. courts.
At least one additional lawsuit alleging human rights abuses by Shell in Nigeria is pending in U.S. District Court in New York.
Fourteen years after the Nigerian activists were hanged, Saro-Wiwa said he thinks Shell has started to acknowledge that it needs a "social license" to operate in a foreign countries. For example, the company has agreed to pay for a study of environmental damage that drilling has caused the Ogoni region.
"They have a long way to go," he said. "But at least they realize some of their actions can come back to haunt them as we saw in New York."
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There is no better time to liberate our country than the year 2011. By then, Nigeria would have been 51 years old as an independent nation. We would have wasted a total of 50 long years trying to build a solid foundation for democracy, good governance and accountability. We would have endured incompetent, kleptomaniac, insensitive, wasteful rulers, for those number of years. 50 years in the life of a people
cannot be a joke. As Chief Moshood Abiola once noted at the launch of Dream-maker by May Ellen Ezekiel Mofe-Damijo, “If we spend 50 years dreaming dreams, when are we going to see vision?”
That profound statement encapsulates the story of Nigeria. We have spent 50 years daydreaming. Our so-called leaders have continued to do the same things in different ways. They have not learnt any lesson from history. They have treated the ruled with incredible disdain. Just look at what they’ve just done again in Ekiti. The ruling party told us all to go to hell, when it announced that it had won the most improbable gubernatorial election, practically with the much disputed, and most likely-doctored votes from one local government. What chicanery is this?
But they are wrong in thinking we can be treated like rams being led to slaughter. The shame is theirs to live with, when tomorrow comes. The world would laugh at us as usual. The infidels would ask, where is our God? The faint-hearted would easily give up. But we must not allow the shameless old fuddy-duddies to savour their pyrrhic victory. We must continue this match towards the redemption of our souls. We must prepare for the battle ahead, now that we know the PDP would continue to force its ill-assorted candidates on us. We must reject this slavery, by all legal means available.
There is always a purpose for every situation we find ourselves in. Without the madness of the Bush years in America, there would have been no Obama today. Yar’Adua will be the catalyst for our own Obama. Mark my word. We are back at the barricade, and it is time to scream, Let my people go! We must pray every day for Yar’Adua. We must ask God to grant him long life, so that he can feel what Obasanjo is feeling today. We must pray for him to run for his own second term. This is what we should all push for, for our own Obama to emerge. We must demonstrate our anger against these reckless riggers by making up our minds to register to vote, and stand by our votes henceforth.
We must encourage as many good candidates as possible to come out nationwide. The search for our own Obama has now become a task that must be accomplished. We must stay many steps ahead of our oppressors. Never again must we allow these insults to stick. Nigerians must speak up from every corner. In the mosques, and in the churches, we must continue to pray, for our walls of Jericho to collapse. We must encourage our congregations to stay strong and support good candidates. We must emphasize the ugliness of our rulers. We must put their incompetence on display for all to see. We must convince ourselves that we deserve better. We must accept the fact today that our redemption lies not in the hands of incurable desperados, who must cling to power at all cost. We must salute the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association, for showing us good example, and for being a voice of reason.
Our Obama must be bold. He/she must be selfless. Donald Duke is a good material any day. But he is in a wrong party. PDP will never field such an urbane candidate. The party is led by control freaks and warlords. They will always pick one weakling after the other from their database of political zombies. They care less that the world today is led by smart, young, energetic, trendy, and brilliant leaders. If Donald wants our votes, he must quit the party that has attracted so much shame and repulsion to Nigeria. He has to make his move very quickly.
But will he? Analysts have said he is not likely to do that. Their reason is simple. The average Nigerian politician is never prepared to take the risk of quitting the party that controls all the plum appointments. He’ll rather continue to hope that something would drop in his laps. His is never a call to service. Any job would do. The world is waiting to see if Donald can call the bluff of PDP and join forces with more forward-looking Nigerians.
Nasir El-Rufai is an erudite and tested leader. He demonstrated enough guts in dealing with environmental issues in the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja. Of course, like all mortals, he made a few mistakes, and stepped on powerful toes. But he remains one of the brightest hopes of Nigeria. There are allegations of improprieties against him, and he’s being pursued with the agility of a horse. That is to be expected in a country where we love to chase shadows and the leadership has gone neurotic.
He must make plans to return to Nigeria to defend himself. Every soul knows there are desperate attempts to smear him. Not that he’s a saint. But if we can keep some of the characters we see in the corridors-of-power permanently in government jobs, then Nasir smells like a beautiful rose. He should remain unruffled. Persecution sometimes helps its victim. A good example is that of Jacob Zuma of South Africa who got the overwhelming support from his people despite his “bad boy” image. Such is life.
Barrister Babatunde Raji Fashola is one of the greatest things to happen to Nigerian politics. A Senior Advocate of Nigeria and current governor of Nigeria’s most important state, Lagos. Babatunde reinforces the theory that the future of Nigeria should be placed in the hands of members of the private sector. Our incorrigible politicians would never change their bad habits. Babatunde is strict, smart and business-like. He has given Lagos a good direction by promoting good governance above partisan politics. He was a virtual underdog at the time his former boss, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu practically forced him on the Action Congress.
He was young and shy. But he has matured into a confident leader who clearly has his master-plan in view, and the willingness to execute it with clinical precision. He has shown exceptional courage in dealing with grave issues. And he’s being applauded by everyone for his stupendous efforts. The question on people’s lips is if Babatunde would risk his plush job to attempt a shot at the presidency. The answer is that he needs more time to tackle the many challenges of Lagos, and that he must wait till 2015. But Nigeria is in dire need of a new leader and cannot wait or waste much time getting such a man.
So our search continues. Professor Pat Utomi should step forward. His rich knowledge of the Nigerian economy should naturally qualify him for this most important job. He also comes with the experience of running for the presidency in the last election. His major problem is how to persuade a largely illiterate community that a very academic man can take Nigeria to the next level of prosperity and accountability. As good as he is, he seems to have an uphill task unless he can get a broad coalition of Nigerian parties to adopt him.
Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is primus inter pare amongst the women who are qualified to lead Nigeria. Her intimidating job as the managing director of the World Bank makes her a veritable candidate for the presidency of Nigeria. She also comes with the wonderful experience of being our former minister of finance, and subsequently foreign affairs. She ably distinguished herself on both jobs. She was a powerful voice on the continent of Africa and beyond. It is yet to be seen if a largely male-dominated country like Nigeria is ready to jettison its traditional chauvinism to enthrone a proud daughter of Africa in power.
Next on our list of potential Obamas is Dr Oby Ezekwesili, current vice president (Africa) at the World Bank. Reasonable Nigerians would forever remember her heroic deeds for institutionalizing due process in government activities. They will remember with fond memories her epic battles against the enemies of qualitative education for Nigerians. In a very normal society, technocrats like Oby should make a spectacular showing in governance. She’s one of the leading lights of Nigeria, and definitely a lady to watch in the near future. She would be needed to perform some of the badly needed surgeries on our cancerous nation.
One of our best women, Professor Dora Akunyili, has been sucked into government full time. She gave a good account of herself as the Director-General of NAFDAC, where she executed a running battle against the producers and marketers of fake drugs. Her fame grew in leaps and bounds, and she almost won a Nobel Prize for her gallant efforts. There is no woman more popular in Nigeria today than Dora Akunyili but her recent appointment as Minister of Information and Communications has placed her in a very precarious situation. Many of her great fans are very worried about how this job of defending a poor government might affect her political future. She would have to learn how the other women on our list left government with their reputations intact, by not being overzealous about a thankless job.
We welcome Fola Tajudeen Adeola, the whiz-kid of Nigerian banking and co-founder of Guaranty Trust Bank, to this great company. The gentleman with very extensive contacts is respected in many circles. He endeared himself to most Nigerian youths when he voluntarily quit his powerful job as managing director of GTB, and headed straight to the Nigerian Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies in Kuru, near Jos.
It was a move that was seen at the time as preparatory to joining the presidential race. He was briefly involved in political assignments under the Obasanjo government, an experience that must have taught him a few things about the intricacies of working under an insincere leadership. If he works very hard, he’s well positioned to attract massive support from both the Muslim north and the southern Muslims.
No one can ignore Brigadier-General Mohammed Buba Marwa in the scheme of things in Nigeria. There were attempts to rubbish him when he showed interest in the presidential race under the government of Olusegun Obasanjo. He had to make a quick retreat after he was whipped into line by the powers that be. His sparkling military career and outstanding performance as the military governor of Lagos State are enough reasons for his fans to see him as a potential Obama. He’s one cosmopolitan figure within the military mafia in Nigeria, and his relevance endures by his appointment as Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa and Lesotho. His albatross would be his membership of an irredeemable political party, and like Donald Duke he may find it difficult to pull out.
Another school of thought believes that one of the biggest problems Nigeria faces is that of a negative perception by the global community. There have been suggestions that Nigeria should adopt the Italian style of putting a media mogul in power. Such a man would be able to put his journalistic experience into good use by re-orienting our people and building a credible image for a much-maligned nation. The name of THISDAY publisher, Nduka Obaigbena, looms large across the world as Nigeria’s most influential publisher. His foray into showbiz promotion and political and economic summits are said to be part of a calculated strategy to launch a mega political career, an assumption he readily dismisses.
In all, there are many more potential Obamas. The idea was to tickle us into thinking that Nigeria desperately needs a change, and that we are not lacking of our own Obama. The logical follow-up to our search is how to successfully launch and install such a great character in a country where a Moshood Abiola was left to rot in prison until he died. What was worse, the beneficiaries of his death never acknowledged his amazing contributions for the eight years they spent in power. It was as if they even hated him more in his grave. But no man can kill a dream when its time has come.
Our next challenge is no longer the search for the representative of the true aspirations of the people. It is how to ensure that our candidate is not mercilessly bruised or battered by the wolves on the rock.
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Kanu heads for Australia considers move from pompey
SUPER Eagles captain, Nwankwo Kanu and General Wonderboy ! is ready to bring his decade-long English Premier League career to an end by making a lucrative move to Australian side, Perth Glory.
Portsmouth FA Cup final hero Kanu, who scored the winner in the 1-0 Wembley victory over Cardiff last May, has not played enough games to trigger a clause earning him a new one-year deal.
The former Arsenal star’s agent, Samuel Okoronkwo said: “Kanu wants to play football and would consider Australia."
The Nigerian international has netted 21 goals in 91 appearances since joining Pompey on a free transfer from West Brom in the summer of 2006, but has started only two Premier League games this season.
Perth had been lining up a move for Birmingham striker, Kevin Phillips, who is now likely to remain at St Andrews following its promotion to the top flight.
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By Francis Falola
Published: Tuesday, 5 May 2009
Tragedy struck in Minna, the Niger State capital, on Monday when a 58-year-old woman, Mrs. Esther Abubakar, died after waiting for several hours on queue at a filling station.
9ja Petrol Station WHERE THE PETROL IS MADE
Our correspondent gathered that Abubakar, who until her death was a worker with the state’s Ministry of Health was in the queue for about four hours at a filling station at the Western Bye Pass in Minna.
It was learnt that she subsequently left for another filling station to procure fuel meant for her Honda Civic car when she met her death.
According to an eye-witness, “After purchasing the fuel, she stretched her hand from inside the car to pay the dealer and slumped with her seat belt on.”
Passersby who were able to identify the woman, believed to be a younger sister of Dr. Lucas Bahago, a Special Adviser on Health to Governor Babangida Aliyu, went to her residence to inform the family members of the development.
The deceased’s nephew, one Hunpani Bahago, who was the first family member to get to the scene said, “Nobody touched her, as her seat belt was strapped round her when I got there: I called her: Mummy, Mummy, but she couldn’t respond.
“People were just standing around, nobody, probably out of fear or shock get closer to her. So, I had to remove the seat belt from her and with other family members who later joined me and drove her home.”
FINSBURY PARK LONDON PETROL STATION WHERE THE PETROL GOES !
He said the family doctor was immediately invited and after medical examination certified her dead.
Bahago said that the remains of the deceased, who was survived by four children and husband, had been deposited at the mortuary of the Minna General Hospital.
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(CNN) -- An international manhunt was under way Thursday for a New Zealand couple who fled after a bank mistakenly paid them NZ$10 million (US$6 million) when they applied for a loan of just NZ$10,000.
Westpac bank paid the couple 1,000 times the amount they asked for.
New Zealand authorities said they had sought the help of Interpol in locating the couple who disappeared May 7, two days after an employee error at Westpac bank paid them 1,000 times the amount they asked for.
The accidental millionaires, who have not been identified by authorities but are believed to come from the resort of Rotorua, were thought to have left the country, police said.
"At this time I am not prepared to disclose the amount of money involved, name the individuals or business involved, or discuss which country the individuals may be in right now," said Detective Senior Sergeant David Harvey of the New Zealand police. Watch as 'millionaires' go on the run »
The bank, too, would only say it was "pursuing vigorous criminal and civil action to recover a sum of money stolen."
However, local media and many Rotorua residents were abuzz about the amount.
TVNZ, a CNN television affiliate, said the couple applied for a NZ$ 10,000 (US$ 6,000) loan for a service station they owned.
On or about May 5, the bank erroneously put NZ$ 10 million (US$ 6 million) into their bank account. What would you do in this situation?
The next day, the service station closed its doors. And the day after, the couple went missing, TVNZ said.
"Saturday, Sunday, we realized something else was up," Rotorua resident Tania Davies told the station. "They'd done a runner."
Another resident, Chevi Lambert, said a private investigator came by asking about the couple over the weekend.
"It's such a big world, he could just disappear," Lambert said.
Police said the bank had recovered part of the money, indicating the couple may not have been able to access the entire amount.
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Title: Enter The Place
Feature: Sound Sultan
Album: The Unstoppable
Producer: Jiggy Jegg
Video Director: Luke Biggins
Mixed By: Ozzie Tripple o and Wayne McNeish
Location: London
Enter the place is a feel good party dance track written by 2Face Idibia featuring Sound Sultan. The song is 2face’s way of inviting people to join him in the celebration of the good life. It directly translates as come join the fun. He depicts “The Place” as the party of the year which each listener can relate to in their own little way as maybe a birthday, house party or however they deem fit.
Sound Sultan featured alongside 2face on this track and was chosen due to their long term relationship and the rich lyrics, exuberance and energy that 2face knew he would bring to the song.
Once the song was completed the search was now on to find someone who could produce a video that would clearly convey 2face’s good life concept to all viewers. After a wide international search Luke Biggins a budding UK video director was chosen for the project, due to his impressive resume of 100 music videos, 18 television shows and directing coverage of Tsunami relief concert, all in a short space of time. The video was shot at various locations in London and was directed to show people in a party atmosphere. 2 face and Sound Sultan emitted vast amounts of energy on the video set showing the world their African version of the much loved “skanking dance”
“Whenever you are feeling down enter the place and give God the glory”.
NB: Don’t live on the fast lane, live life to the fullest, life is too short!!!!!!!!!
Title: Go Down There
Album: The Unstoppable
Video Director: Luke Biggins
Location: London
“Go down there” is a collaboration of 2face and Sway (a fellow MOBO award winner and a UK based artiste signed to Konvict records)
From being a humanitarian and selfless person 2face empathises on the world’s continuous suffering, he uses the song to convey how although grateful for good times, he is tired of the drama. He asks us all one question. If you had a chance to preview and review the world during the 9 months in your mother’s belly before u were born, if you were warned and informed of the Shooting and killings, the drug abuse, the terrorism and the wars that constantly go on, would you really come down here?
Sway also communicates that although life is not perfect, some others keep struggling through and try to make the most of the situation and where we have all found ourselves out here.
The video was shot at a ware house in London. It visually communicates some of the worries of the world. It shows the slums, death, knifes and guns, slaves in captivity, effects of the wars on the children. Showing things in the world that we sometimes don’t want to admit exist. Whether you have the peace of a dove or instinct of a leader we all coexist in this world, good alongside bad.
The question is what would you do? Would you really wanna go there?
NB: STOP THE VIOLENCE, STOP THE HATE MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE!!!!
Vote for 2 Face at Hip Hop World Awards 2009
Album of the Year
2FACE IDIBIA
Album: THE UNSTOPPABLE
Text------- HHWA1 UNSTOPPABLE to 33120 (Nigeria only)
Recording of the Year
2FACE IDIBIA ft MELISSA BRIGGS
Album: THE UNSTOPPABLE
Track: Can't do Without you
Best R ‘n’ B/ Pop Album
2 FACE IDIBIA
Album: THE UNSTOPPABLE
Text------- HHWA4 UNSTOPPABLE to 33120 (Nigeria only)
Awards:http://www.hiphopworldawards.com/nominees.aspx
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how to make money a simple indepth approach
or should I say the mugus guide to for mugus book on how to make money !
This is a string of articles looking at the different ways to make money !
I have broken them into 5 different categories
1.Luck
2.Talent
3.Services
4.Goods
5.Criminal
Money money must be funny in the rich mans world ! Money makes the world go round ! It drives business or should I say IT drives money ! or Fifty Cent Get rich or die trying !
LUCK
Lets start with Luck or using some popular phrases like Favor (o boy na favor o ), chance (give me a chance) ,circumstances (beyond your control ),destiny (This was his destiny ),fate ,
fortune, hazard, portion ("that is not my portion" used by a lot of Pentecostal Christians)
Basic Wikipedia definition
Luck refers to that which happens to a person beyond that person's control. This view incorporates phenomena that are chance happenings, a person's place of birth for example, but where there is no uncertainty involved, or where the uncertainty is irrelevant. Within this framework one can differentiate between three different types of luck:
Constitutional luck, that is, luck with factors that cannot be changed. Place of birth and genetic constitution are typical examples.
Circumstantial luck - with factors that are haphazardly brought on. Accidents and epidemics are typical examples.
Ignorance luck, that is, luck with factors one does not know about.
Luck as a fallacy
Another view holds that "luck is probability taken personally." A rationalist approach to luck includes the application of the rules of probability, and an avoidance of unscientific beliefs. The rationalist feels the belief in luck is a result of poor reasoning or wishful thinking. To a rationalist, a believer in luck commits the "post hoc, ergo propter hoc" logical fallacy, which argues that because two events are connected sequentially, they are connected causally as well:
This is the most critical money making concept as all the others actually depend on it at one time or the other
You can classify luck into one million things but fact is it is just still ends up as PLAIN LUCK ! just like the Christian Bible puts it unmerited Credit or Debit as the case may be !
Now the good news first or the Bad news ?
BAD LUCK !
Now lets start with Bad Luck ! or Hex or Evil eye or cursed or Remote control or Dem swear for am !
This is the one we are mostly scared of . This one is the no go area and people actually make money from preventing it .It is big busines ! From pastors and imams in our churches(many Nigerian churches I no go name names ! ) (we pay tithes to avoid it ok for those that pay ) ,mosques to astrologers to Shamans (shams) to Olumba Olumbas, Scientology(mr tom cruise)Nation of islam (Malcom X,Micheal /JermaineJackson) , Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses,
Even Oprah Winfrey and all the other so called talk show hosts !
The FBI,CIA ,Red Cross, Doctors,Lawyers,insurance people ! Plumbers too ! The government ! etc All of them are in business because they try to assure us that they can prevent Bad Luck from happening to us !
This article itself is also supposed to teach you how to avoid bad Luck . So in essence bad luck is not such a bad thing as it actually puts food on the table for most people .
A lot of People have actually made millions from selling their bad luck stories !
So dont be scared of it as like the old Hymn says “Give me that old time Bad luck Give me that old time bad luck Because it is good enough for me !” ok I know it was old time religion but heh try to understand na.
Ok how do I avoid this type of luck ?
1. First embrace bad luck make it your friend .look for loopholes in bad luck .A friend of mine said ok I know I am not lucky but I am going to be so good at not being lucky that I will make people to pay me on learning about bad luck ! imagine that !
2. Bad luck in itself is not Bad it just gets bad press that is it .Ok imagine 50 thousand lawyers killed in tsunami , o yes ! Bad luck for them but Good luck for the remaining lawyers ! So Bad Luck gets bad press lets try to give it good press !
3 .Every decision you make might bring bad luck so always look at your decisions and be ready to accept them as bad luck .Risk managers call it the risk factor .If it is high or low always realize that it can always turn out real sour . Relationships are about the riskiest things on earth and cost billions of dollars to repair but most people jump in and out of them at will !
4.The fear of yahooze is the beginning of wisdom ! 419ers actually create bad luck .If it is too good to be true then it is too good to be true ! Nobody is perfect so that means no business deal can be perfect too !
5.Learn to do a risk analysis at every chance you get .Even those that say they have the keys ot wisdom and can foresee bad luck a million miles away .If it is all about the benjamins and the other dead presidents or the nnamdi azikiwes and the very alive presidents .In short Bad luck always walks around with money It is the saying money is the root of all evil in reverse .Bad luck is the root of all evil .
6.
It took all the kings men plus horses and maybe dogs to put humpty dumpty together again .Why ?
Because the bloody fool knowing fully well he had a big head still went and sat on the WALL !
Ok you know your BLQ (Bad luck quotient) is not good yet you play the lottery every day ! And lose every day ! who to blame ? We go like to know !
O I fell in love ! Runggbish jo wich kain talk be dat ! Your history of girlfriends shows you date hotties ! and you want to get married ! hotties are hot bcos guys follow them ! so you are still unmarried at 50 and you dey complain.Like wise hotties ! hot girls like hot boys but hot boys like other hotties ! Hott chic no bobo at age 45 shuo ! na wa o ! you dey work for Fallujah and Taliban blow you up and you dey complain say you get one leg ! whos sand you go Fallujah ? Only fools dare where angels tread !
7.Na soso bad head people you dey hang out with ! Oya Follow d money na where carcass dey naim Vultures dey maintain !
Finally to round up bad luck the only way to avoid Bad luck is to get GOOD LUCK !
Next week we talk about Good luck
Your comments are welcome !
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How fine girl go put herself for this kind yawa because of money o !Britain's Foreign Office has said it was working to ensure lawyers have access to a pregnant Briton who faces death by firing squad in Laos. The Nigerian-born Samantha Orobator, 20, faces execution if she is found guilty at a 'hastily arranged' trial in Laos next week.She was arrested at Wattay Airport in Laos in August last year, allegedly in possession of 600g heroin after a holiday in Thailand and the Netherlands. Foreign Office Minister, Bill Rammell said: "We are also providing consular assistance to Samantha, in particular to help ensure that she has good legal representation. We are paying close attention to her welfare and are in regular contact with the Laotian authorities about her case."Rammell said British embassy officials have visited her six times since her arrest and Australian embassy officials have also visited her 10 times. There is no British embassy in Laos and the nearest is in Thailand. Mr Rammell said he will be raising the case with the Laotian Deputy Prime Minister when they meet in the UK on Thursday.But Reprieve director, Clive Stafford Smith, said "that's not much good. The trial will be over by then." He said her trial had been brought forward by a year in an apparent attempt to stop her seeing a lawyer. The decision to move the trial was announced after arrangements were made for Orobator to see a lawyer on Tuesday."It's pretty shocking that they would do that apparently to avoid her seeing a British lawyer before she has to go to trial," Smith saidHe called for the Government to immediately do everything in its power to have the trial put back. And he questioned how Orobator, who is due to give birth in September, could have become pregnant while in jail. She has been held since her arrest at the notorious Phonthong prison, where inmates have complained of being beaten and abused.Ronke Oseni, 21, a psychology student at Kingston University, said she only found out about her friend's situation on Wednesday.She said, "there is no one there to visit her, nobody to talk to, and she doesn't speak the language. I am really scared for her. I can't even imagine what she's going through. The punishment does not fit the crime. They want to shoot her but what about the baby?"She said her friend had planned to become a medical doctor and was a good student who was not involved in drugs. Miss Orobator, who was born in Nigeria but has lived in London since she was eight years old and is a British citizen, became pregnant in the prison in December.
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A Nigerian man, Edward Nwajagu, shot in United States four years ago, because he is black, lay on life support with a bullet in his skull Friday as the shooter was sentenced to 107 years to life in prison.
Nwajagu’s wife and brother in Nigeria want to visit him but have been unable to enter the United States, said cousin Clement Onwuka, who spoke weekend.
“His life had been shattered, his ability to make a living, his ability to enjoy life, ended the day he was shot,” Onwuka told the court softly at the sentencing Friday.
Onwuka, who lives in Oklahoma, visited his cousin in the hospital there Wednesday.
“The whole family depended on Edward,” he said.
Nwajagu immigrated to the United States in the 1980s. In August 2005, he came to Southern California for a conference about helping underprivileged Nigerians and organizing a medical mission, said Charles Onunkwo, who organized the event
“He’s barely clinging to life,” Onunkwo said. “He’s no longer coming back to be a useful member of society.”
A group from the conference came to Riverside to visit a friend and stopped for gas at the Chevron station at University and Victoria avenues.
The car pulled out of the gas station and was hit by bullets.
Nwajagu opened the back door to check the damage and was hit in the head.
As the driver pulled away, Nwajagu fell out of the car. Lying on University Avenue in a white embroidered caftan, blood ran out of his ears and mouth.
He has been on life support since. The family paid to have him moved from a Riverside hospital to one near his home in Oklahoma City, believing it would be more familiar for him, Onwuka said.
Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco used the crime as a reason for requesting an injunction to crack down on the East Side Rivas in 2007. The predominantly Latino gang has a history of attacking black people and referring to it as “snail hunting” in Riverside’s Eastside neighborhood, according to court documents.
A Riverside County jury convicted David Anthony Rodriguez, 23, in March of attempted murder to promote a gang and cause a hate crime, as well as related felonies.
Charles Onunkwo, who had organized the event that brought Edward Nwajagu to Southern California, wiped tears from his eyes as he narrated the story.
The driver, Jose Enrique Martinez, 31, pleaded guilty to being an accessory and was sentenced in April to time served of one year and four months.
On Friday, before Rodriguez was sentenced, his aunt Margo Alvarez cried as she told Judge Jean Pfeiffer Leonard that her nephew was innocent.
“He’s a good man, a good nephew and a good father,” she said.
Rodriguez’s attorney, Samuel Long, requested that his client be allowed to hug his 4-year-old daughter who has known her father only through glass booths while visiting him in jail. Leonard left the decision to deputies, who did not allow the hug.
“I love you, Daddy,” the little girl said as she was carried out.
He blew her a kiss.
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Nigeria: call for end of LGBT (lesbians gays bisexuals and transexuals) discrimination on the International Day against Homophobia and TransphobiaWed, May 20, 2009NIGERIA 18 May 2009: Two non-governmental organisations in Lagos urged the three tiers of government to stop discriminating against homosexuals, lesbians and gay people. Officials of The Independent Project for Equal Rights (TIPER) and The International Centre for Sexual Reproductive Rights (INCRESE) made the appeal at a news briefing. They explained that the briefing was part of their preparation for Sunday’s celebration of the annual International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO). They regretted that discrimination on the basis of age, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity had become a major concern for human rights organisations in Nigeria. Mrs Dorothy Aken Ova, Executive Director of INCRESE urged the protection of the fundamental rights of homosexuals and lesbians. She also urged the enlightenment of Nigerians to enable them to realise that gays had a right to life. “Research findings have shown that four per cent of the world population is gay and should be recognised by government through adequate representation, good education and acceess to the basic necessities of life. These people, though in the minority, did not create themselves. They should, therefore, enjoy the right to live their lives. The public must learn to respect them for who they are because if we begin to feel bad for one another, we will be calling for the destruction of some people, thus inviting genocide” she said.Ova noted that homosexuals, lesbians and the gay formed part of the electorate that voted for the various governments, charging them to take care of them. She urged the Federal Government to domesticate the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Mr Joseph Akoro, an Executive Director of TIPER, also urged the Federal Government to consider its commitment to the protection of all Nigerians from all forms of discrimination. He said the NGOs were collaborating to create awareness about the existence of gays in the country. Mr Victor Ogbodo, a member of the NGO, said the society would benefit more from accepting them. “If they are accepted by the public for what they are, there will be less marital problems because members of the opposite sex will have known before getting married to them. But if the society fails to accept them now and the issue begins to rear its head after marriage, we may only just be postponing the evil day,” he said.Ogbodo charged the government to protect the rights of all its citizens since the fundamental human rights of all Nigerians were enshrined in Chapter IV of the 1999 Constitution. He said that the groups were not considering sponsoring any bill at the National Assembly on the issue for now, “but we will begin to kick against any further restriction on our rights. “In future, should the need arise for us to sponsor a bill on their behalf, we will surely do so” he added.
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There is no better time to liberate our country than the year 2011. By then, Nigeria would have been 51 years old as an independent nation. We would have wasted a total of 50 long years trying to build a solid foundation for democracy, good governance and accountability. We would have endured incompetent, kleptomaniac, insensitive, wasteful rulers, for those number of years. 50 years in the life of a people cannot be a joke. As Chief Moshood Abiola once noted at the launch of Dream-maker by May Ellen Ezekiel Mofe-Damijo, “If we spend 50 years dreaming dreams, when are we going to see vision?”
That profound statement encapsulates the story of Nigeria. We have spent 50 years daydreaming. Our so-called leaders have continued to do the same things in different ways. They have not learnt any lesson from history. They have treated the ruled with incredible disdain. Just look at what they’ve just done again in Ekiti. The ruling party told us all to go to hell, when it announced that it had won the most improbable gubernatorial election, practically with the much disputed, and most likely-doctored votes from one local government. What chicanery is this?
But they are wrong in thinking we can be treated like rams being led to slaughter. The shame is theirs to live with, when tomorrow comes. The world would laugh at us as usual. The infidels would ask, where is our God? The faint-hearted would easily give up. But we must not allow the shameless old fuddy-duddies to savour their pyrrhic victory. We must continue this match towards the redemption of our souls. We must prepare for the battle ahead, now that we know the PDP would continue to force its ill-assorted candidates on us. We must reject this slavery, by all legal means available.
There is always a purpose for every situation we find ourselves in. Without the madness of the Bush years in America, there would have been no Obama today. Yar’Adua will be the catalyst for our own Obama. Mark my word. We are back at the barricade, and it is time to scream, Let my people go! We must pray every day for Yar’Adua. We must ask God to grant him long life, so that he can feel what Obasanjo is feeling today. We must pray for him to run for his own second term. This is what we should all push for, for our own Obama to emerge. We must demonstrate our anger against these reckless riggers by making up our minds to register to vote, and stand by our votes henceforth.
We must encourage as many good candidates as possible to come out nationwide. The search for our own Obama has now become a task that must be accomplished. We must stay many steps ahead of our oppressors. Never again must we allow these insults to stick. Nigerians must speak up from every corner. In the mosques, and in the churches, we must continue to pray, for our walls of Jericho to collapse. We must encourage our congregations to stay strong and support good candidates. We must emphasize the ugliness of our rulers. We must put their incompetence on display for all to see. We must convince ourselves that we deserve better. We must accept the fact today that our redemption lies not in the hands of incurable desperados, who must cling to power at all cost. We must salute the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association, for showing us good example, and for being a voice of reason.
Our Obama must be bold. He/she must be selfless. Donald Duke is a good material any day. But he is in a wrong party. PDP will never field such an urbane candidate. The party is led by control freaks and warlords. They will always pick one weakling after the other from their database of political zombies. They care less that the world today is led by smart, young, energetic, trendy, and brilliant leaders. If Donald wants our votes, he must quit the party that has attracted so much shame and repulsion to Nigeria. He has to make his move very quickly.
But will he? Analysts have said he is not likely to do that. Their reason is simple. The average Nigerian politician is never prepared to take the risk of quitting the party that controls all the plum appointments. He’ll rather continue to hope that something would drop in his laps. His is never a call to service. Any job would do. The world is waiting to see if Donald can call the bluff of PDP and join forces with more forward-looking Nigerians.
Nasir El-Rufai is an erudite and tested leader. He demonstrated enough guts in dealing with environmental issues in the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja. Of course, like all mortals, he made a few mistakes, and stepped on powerful toes. But he remains one of the brightest hopes of Nigeria. There are allegations of improprieties against him, and he’s being pursued with the agility of a horse. That is to be expected in a country where we love to chase shadows and the leadership has gone neurotic.
He must make plans to return to Nigeria to defend himself. Every soul knows there are desperate attempts to smear him. Not that he’s a saint. But if we can keep some of the characters we see in the corridors-of-power permanently in government jobs, then Nasir smells like a beautiful rose. He should remain unruffled. Persecution sometimes helps its victim. A good example is that of Jacob Zuma of South Africa who got the overwhelming support from his people despite his “bad boy” image. Such is life.
Barrister Babatunde Raji Fashola is one of the greatest things to happen to Nigerian politics. A Senior Advocate of Nigeria and current governor of Nigeria’s most important state, Lagos. Babatunde reinforces the theory that the future of Nigeria should be placed in the hands of members of the private sector. Our incorrigible politicians would never change their bad habits. Babatunde is strict, smart and business-like. He has given Lagos a good direction by promoting good governance above partisan politics. He was a virtual underdog at the time his former boss, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu practically forced him on the Action Congress.
He was young and shy. But he has matured into a confident leader who clearly has his master-plan in view, and the willingness to execute it with clinical precision. He has shown exceptional courage in dealing with grave issues. And he’s being applauded by everyone for his stupendous efforts. The question on people’s lips is if Babatunde would risk his plush job to attempt a shot at the presidency. The answer is that he needs more time to tackle the many challenges of Lagos, and that he must wait till 2015. But Nigeria is in dire need of a new leader and cannot wait or waste much time getting such a man.
So our search continues. Professor Pat Utomi should step forward. His rich knowledge of the Nigerian economy should naturally qualify him for this most important job. He also comes with the experience of running for the presidency in the last election. His major problem is how to persuade a largely illiterate community that a very academic man can take Nigeria to the next level of prosperity and accountability. As good as he is, he seems to have an uphill task unless he can get a broad coalition of Nigerian parties to adopt him.
Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is primus inter pare amongst the women who are qualified to lead Nigeria. Her intimidating job as the managing director of the World Bank makes her a veritable candidate for the presidency of Nigeria. She also comes with the wonderful experience of being our former minister of finance, and subsequently foreign affairs. She ably distinguished herself on both jobs. She was a powerful voice on the continent of Africa and beyond. It is yet to be seen if a largely male-dominated country like Nigeria is ready to jettison its traditional chauvinism to enthrone a proud daughter of Africa in power.
Next on our list of potential Obamas is Dr Oby Ezekwesili, current vice president (Africa) at the World Bank. Reasonable Nigerians would forever remember her heroic deeds for institutionalizing due process in government activities. They will remember with fond memories her epic battles against the enemies of qualitative education for Nigerians. In a very normal society, technocrats like Oby should make a spectacular showing in governance. She’s one of the leading lights of Nigeria, and definitely a lady to watch in the near future. She would be needed to perform some of the badly needed surgeries on our cancerous nation.
One of our best women, Professor Dora Akunyili, has been sucked into government full time. She gave a good account of herself as the Director-General of NAFDAC, where she executed a running battle against the producers and marketers of fake drugs. Her fame grew in leaps and bounds, and she almost won a Nobel Prize for her gallant efforts. There is no woman more popular in Nigeria today than Dora Akunyili but her recent appointment as Minister of Information and Communications has placed her in a very precarious situation. Many of her great fans are very worried about how this job of defending a poor government might affect her political future. She would have to learn how the other women on our list left government with their reputations intact, by not being overzealous about a thankless job.
We welcome Fola Tajudeen Adeola, the whiz-kid of Nigerian banking and co-founder of Guaranty Trust Bank, to this great company. The gentleman with very extensive contacts is respected in many circles. He endeared himself to most Nigerian youths when he voluntarily quit his powerful job as managing director of GTB, and headed straight to the Nigerian Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies in Kuru, near Jos.
It was a move that was seen at the time as preparatory to joining the presidential race. He was briefly involved in political assignments under the Obasanjo government, an experience that must have taught him a few things about the intricacies of working under an insincere leadership. If he works very hard, he’s well positioned to attract massive support from both the Muslim north and the southern Muslims.
No one can ignore Brigadier-General Mohammed Buba Marwa in the scheme of things in Nigeria. There were attempts to rubbish him when he showed interest in the presidential race under the government of Olusegun Obasanjo. He had to make a quick retreat after he was whipped into line by the powers that be. His sparkling military career and outstanding performance as the military governor of Lagos State are enough reasons for his fans to see him as a potential Obama. He’s one cosmopolitan figure within the military mafia in Nigeria, and his relevance endures by his appointment as Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa and Lesotho. His albatross would be his membership of an irredeemable political party, and like Donald Duke he may find it difficult to pull out.
Another school of thought believes that one of the biggest problems Nigeria faces is that of a negative perception by the global community. There have been suggestions that Nigeria should adopt the Italian style of putting a media mogul in power. Such a man would be able to put his journalistic experience into good use by re-orienting our people and building a credible image for a much-maligned nation. The name of THISDAY publisher, Nduka Obaigbena, looms large across the world as Nigeria’s most influential publisher. His foray into showbiz promotion and political and economic summits are said to be part of a calculated strategy to launch a mega political career, an assumption he readily dismisses.
In all, there are many more potential Obamas. The idea was to tickle us into thinking that Nigeria desperately needs a change, and that we are not lacking of our own Obama. The logical follow-up to our search is how to successfully launch and install such a great character in a country where a Moshood Abiola was left to rot in prison until he died. What was worse, the beneficiaries of his death never acknowledged his amazing contributions for the eight years they spent in power. It was as if they even hated him more in his grave. But no man can kill a dream when its time has come.
Our next challenge is no longer the search for the representative of the true aspirations of the people. It is how to ensure that our candidate is not mercilessly bruised or battered by the wolves on the rock.
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I DONT GET IT ! DASH THEM 10Milion DOLLARS FOR WHAT ?
Sao tome with a population of about 150,000 roughly the population of Ikeja or Egbeda.
President Umaru Yar’Adua on Thursday defended the decision of his administration to grant a request for a $10m soft loan by the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, saying that it was to assist the government of that country address pressing socio-economic challenges.
In a letter to the House of Representatives seeking its approval for the loan, Yar’Adua explained that a stable socio-economic climate in Sao Tome and Principe would strengthen security in the Gulf Region.
The President allayed fears over repayment saying that the interest-free loan would be repaid between four and six years.
He, however, told the House that the total loan requested by Sao Tome and Principe was $30m out which the Federal Executive Council had approved $10m in the first instance while the balance of $20m would be considered subsequently.
Yar’Adua, who added that the loan would be sourced from his “contingency vote”, noted that his action was covered by Section 25 of the 1999 Constitution.
The President’s letter was read on the floor of the House by the Speaker, Mr. Dimeji Bankole.
Some members, however, raised objections, arguing that Yar’Adua should have the approval of the House before allowing FEC to endorse the loan.
Relying on Section 80 (4) of the 1999 Constitution, Mr. Halims Agoda, observed that no funds shall be withdrawn from government’s treasury without the approval of the National Assembly.
Agoda said the President sent the letter to the House as an afterthought as the “National Assembly has to approve it first before sending it to FEC.”
He, however, advised that a proper motion for the approval of the loan should be moved so it could be debated.
But, the Chief Whip of the House, Mr. Emeka Ihedioha, drew the attention of members to Yar’Adua’s explanation that he was drawing the loan from his contingency vote, “which has already been approved by the National Assembly in the budget; so we do not need another approval.”
The Minority Leader, Alhaji Mohammed Ndume, disagreed with Ihedioha on the grounds that the same Yar’Adua had complained last week that his contingency vote in the 2009 budget was removed.
“So, where did he get another contingency vote from?” Ndume asked.
The House later referred the letter to the Committees on Appropriation and Finance to discuss it and come up with a motion for consideration by the House within one week.
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Prospective Ghanaian travelers who are eager to ply their skills in Europe now have a better option to avoid the tribulations which illegal migrants are subjected to travelling across the Sahara Desert.Through a scheme which is to become operational next March, 1,000 skilled Ghanaian workers are to be engaged in Italy annually for a two-year contract, making it unnecessary for them to risk the Sahara route.The job-matching scheme which is being jointly organized b Ghana’s Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare, the Labour Department, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Ministry of the Interior of Italy.The Director of the National Migration Bureau, Mrs. Adelaide Anno-Kunu, told the Daily Graphic that the programme was to encourage legal travel among Ghanaians and curb the incidence of illegal migration to Italy and other European countries.According to a World Bank report, an estimated 70,000 of Africa’s most qualified people leave each year and he continent spends $4 billion to replace them with expatriate workers. A BBC report indicates that many of the immigrants pay human smugglers to get them across the Sahara or the Mediterranean Sea but die on the way.Many Ghanaians have migrated to other countries, especially in Europe and the Americas, through illegal channels. Some of them, including highly qualified professionals, often find themselves engaged in menial jobs in those countries.Some of the illegal migrants are languishing in jails in Europe, Latin America and Asia. In Trinidad and Tobago, 22 Ghanaians who are alleged to have illegally migrated there recently, are reported to be languishing in prison.Mrs. Anno-Kunu said by March next year the government would advertise the job opportunities in Italy and spell out details of the requirements for prospective applicants, adding that it would offer the jobs to persons whose expertise were needed in Italy.She said the stakeholders would come up with a policy and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on how to streamline the travel formalities.For instance, she said they would consider whether prospective employees needed to pay for their travelling expenses or the employers would do that.Besides, Mrs. Anno-Kunu said the MoU would require the employers to ensure that the employees returned to Ghana after the two-year contract.She stressed the need for the beneficiaries to return home after the end of their contracts to make way for others to also benefit.She said 12 officials from the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare, the Labour Department and the IOM would undertake the project of identifying matching jobs in Italy, register applicants and begin a training programme by the middle of June this year.She said the 12 officials, comprising verification, data entry and cultural orientation officers, would have their final training in Rome, Italy, between September and October this year.Mrs. Anno-Kunu explained that the training was to build the capacities of the officers to identify quality job opportunities in Italy vis-à-vis what pertained in Ghana.They would also learn how to enter the information of applicants in a database and teach them about the cultural perceptions and the climate of Ital, she said.The main causes of migration in Africa are conflicts, poverty, political reasons an environmental degradation, according to the United Nations Secretariat Department of Economic and Social Affairs Statistics Division.Source: Daily Graphic
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The Federal Government said yesterday that the protracted conflict in the troubled Niger Delta region is the handiwork of some aggrieved repatriated Nigerians, in concert with militants.Speaking at a one-day national sensitisation workshop on issues relating to internal security, Minister of Interior, Maj. General Godwin Abbe (rtd), assured that the Nigerian state is however, developing new dimensions to security strategies to match its level of development.According to Abbe, the situation arose from the gory and unimaginable suffering, exploitation, punishment and death experienced by those deported from all parts of the globe, having been lured out of the country by human traffickers “I am concerned about these Nigerians brought in from various countries of the world; Europe, America, South East Asia and indeed other African countries.A number of them come with various habits and attitudes, they come in defeated, they come back aggrieved and armed with all sorts of ideas that are anti-social in nature," he said.Abbe said the rampant cases of kidnapping which has assumed a dangerous dimension in terms of its frequency and intensity was a grave national security challenge that government must tackle headlong.He said though government is putting into consideration those who are weak and helpless, “nobody should take the magnanimous approach of government for a ride or for incompetence or inability to do what must be done to bring law and order to every part of the country."He urged states to synergize, cross-fertilize ideas and come up with recommendations to assist the Federal Government to address this common national problem and find a common solution.
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Imagine for one second what 9gerians and other Illegal immigrants go through because of the "fear of Immigration is the beginning of Wisdom mentality"
Worried Daulat Irani kept her mum’s body hidden in a freezer for 20 years because she was scared of an immigration inquiry.
Neighbour believe Mrs Irani, now 83, feared the authorities would discover her elderly mum had been living here illegally if she made her death public.
So instead of having a funeral, the body was wrapped up in a black bin bag and then put in a chest freezer in the garage.
Alex Bennett, 24, yesterday said he had been a neighbour of Mrs Irani’s ever since he was a baby – and had never seen her mother. Trainee chef Alex added: “She’s a lovely old lady and always sends a Christmas card to us.
“She used to look after a white-haired gentleman known as ‘the doctor’ when he became poorly. But I think he passed away a couple of years ago. I’ve lived here all my life and I never saw her mum.”
Another neighbour added: “She’s a very private person. I normally see her taking out her rubbish or going shopping by minicab.
“She’s very clean and tidy and keeps her garden in good condition. Obviously it was shocking when the police came and told me what had happened.
“They said they believed the body had been in the freezer for more than 20 years. I think it was an immigration thing because her mum was illegal and they didn’t want anyone to know.
“You just wouldn’t expect it on such a quiet suburban road.” Ray Dyson, 77, a retired warehouse worker who also lives near Mrs Irani in Sidcup, South East London, said: “She’s a nice old lady who goes about her own business quietly. We always
nod and say hello. This has all come as a bit of a shock.
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“The first we knew was when two police cars and an officer in a full forensic bodysuit turned up.
“They taped-off the garage and have now put a padlock on it. It was obviously more serious than a burglary so I asked if she was OK and the police said she was fine.”
It is believed that Mrs Irani confided her secret to a horrified friend, who then alerted police.
A neighbour said: “I think she just needed to tell someone and whoever she spoke to passed it on to the police.
“I saw her after the police visited and she told me they questioned her for hours. I told her it wasn’t surprising considering what they’d found. She
said the police were going to contact her again soon.”
Officers questioned Mrs Irani under caution but yesterday said they are not treating the death as suspicious.
A source said: “She said the body had been in the freezer for at least 20 years. We are awaiting the postmortem results for confirmation of this.”
Mrs Irani answered the door of her smart semi last night but refused to comment. Her green garage door was secured with a police padlock.
A Metropolitan police spokeswoman said: “We can confirm we went to a residential address in Sidcup.
“Officers found the body of a woman. We believe we know the identity but await formal identification. The death is being treated as unexplained. An 83-year-old woman has been interviewed under caution but there have been no arrests.”
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