Posted by 9jabook.com on October 31, 2009 at 9:00am
His ebony skin stood out in sharp contrast to the white crowd pressing to get a better view.
The young African boy bared his teeth at the men and women staring at him through the bars. They were sharpened into dagger-like points, making him appear all the more barbaric to the ignorant hordes.
Above the cage hung a sign proclaiming: 'The Missing Link.' A baby chimp sat disconsolately at the bottom of the enclosure, a single companion to the boy.
Exploited: Pygmy Ota Benga on display with monkeys at Bronx Zoo in 1906
The year was 1906. This was a pygmy, brought to America as a novelty to be put on display in the monkey house.
The New York Times reported: 'There were 40,000 visitors to the park on Sunday. Nearly every man, woman and child of this crowd made for the monkey house to see the star attraction in the park - the wild man from Africa.
'They chased him about the grounds all day, howling, jeering, and yelling. Some of them poked him in the ribs, others tripped him up, all laughed at him.'
Suddenly, the boy turned. Taking the bow and arrow given to him as an ethnic accessory, he shot at the gawpers. His arrow did no harm, but he did scare the life out of the onlookers.
This was Ota Benga, a pygmy, brought from the Congo and put on display in a zoo as an example of what scientists at the time proclaimed to be an evolutionary inferior race.
His story would divide a nation, and is now told for the first time in a new documentary, The Human Zoo.
The programme lifts the lid on a dark period in history, where 'natives' were paraded as exhibits, fuelling the spread of white supremacism and even contributing to the rise of Nazism.
Tragically, Benga became the victim of one of the most awful acts of exploitation ever seen and died a shadow of the proud young tribesman who arrived in America.
So just who was he, and how did this grotesque experiment help shape the 20th century view of race?
A hundred years ago, before television and mass tourism, a handful of enterprising adventurers, anthropologists and businessman decided to bring the far-flung glories of the world to life in one place.
Huge fairs were held in Paris, London and America, exhibiting everything from Italian gondolas to African elephants.
Having promised the world, there was pressure to deliver: people were the next quarry.
In 1904, the showman anthropologist William McGee conceived the idea of a human zoo, to be held in St Louis in the U.S. state of Missouri.
It was designed to be one of the largest scientific experiments ever undertaken and would be spectacular public entertainment.
McGee wanted the tallest people in the world, veritable giants from Patagonia, at the tip of South America. He wanted the Ainu, who lived on an island north of Japan and were supposedly the hairiest humans. He placed an order for 300 Filipinos - there is no record of why he wanted so many.
His grandson, Phillips Verner Bradford, says: 'If you told him that a place was dangerous, he'd say: "I want to go there!" He was that sort of guy.'
Verner took a boat from New York to London, down the European coast and around Africa to the Congo River.
Bradford says: 'He made his way up the Congo River with steamers as far as they would go. Once he arrived at the great waterfalls, he had to hire a crew of natives.'
They encountered crocodiles and hippopotamuses, and deadly whirlpools that could sink a boat.
Eventually, Verner made it into the jungle. He blithely walked into a village of cannibals, and found that they had captured a rival tribe who were being held in cages, ready to be eaten.
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The final proof? Memoirs that may show Hitler DID order the 'final solution' to be published after his right-hand man dies
To his delight, the prisoners were pygmies, or Mbuti - just what he was looking for. He began negotiating. Talking to the pygmies in their native Chiluba, he established that they would rather be taken to America than eaten. He bought six pygmies from their captors for a roll of brass wire and some salt.
One pygmy stood out. He was Ota. Photos of him taken in the Congo show a playful, chubby young man, a broad smile revealing his sharpened teeth, which were filed in his youth.
He looks healthy, spirited and full of life, standing around 4ft 8in tall.
He had never seen a white man before. Verner realised that he had a hugely marketable proposition on his hands, and made the return trip across the Atlantic with his human treasure.
For their part, the pygmies were intrigued by everything they saw and were full of questions: how did the boat work? Was there a cage of hippopotamuses down beneath pedalling it along? Verner showed them how the steam engine functioned.
Docking at New Orleans in June 1904, the Africans caught their first glimpse of America. They were stunned by the tall buildings and wide streets.
The six pygmies were sent to St Louis by rail. There, they became McGee's most important exhibits, the centerpiece of the St Louis World Fair, feted by society and academics alike.
Adverts proclaimed: 'They live in forests, they are extremely shy. They eat the flesh of wild animals killed with poisoned arrows. They are cruel, finding delight in torturing animals.
'They have long heads, long narrow faces and little red eyes, set close together like those of ferrets. Their bodies are exceptionally hairy.
'A pygmy has been known to eat 60 bananas at one meal, in addition to other food, and then ask for more.
'They seem to be controlled by an impulse that makes them delight in wickedness. If caught young, they are said to make excellent servants.'
Scientific racism: Ota Benga's Bronx Zoo captors had an admirer in Hitler
He wanted what he considered the most primitive American Indian tribe, the Cocopah in Mexico. He asked for Eskimos.
But most of all, he wanted the smallest people in the world. He needed pygmies. He had heard that they were very short and very black, and he had to have one.
Explorer Samuel Phillips Verner was dispatched by McGee to the Belgian Congo with a shopping list.
It read: 'One pygmy patriarch or chief. One adult woman, preferably his wife. One adult man, preferably his son. One adult woman, the wife of the last or daughter of the first. One female youth unmarried. Two infants. A priestess and a priest, or medicine doctors, preferably old. All of the above to be pygmies.'
Duly detailed, Verner set off for deepest Africa. He knew that this operation could be the making of him, putting him in the same league as Henry Stanley and Dr David Livingstone.
As the sales pitch shows, the human zoo played into the hands of white supremacists, teaching the public that there was a hierarchy of races, with the white man at the top and all others beneath.
McGee himself, in his book The Trend Of Human Progress, published in 1899, wrote: 'Those who know the races realise that the average white man is stronger of limb, fleeter of foot, clearer of eye, than the average yellow or red or black.'
Bastardising Darwin's theory of evolution, McGee saw each race as a stage in human evolution - with pygmies the least evolved of the species. With his rudimentary Victorian understanding of science, he believed they were the living missing link between apes and humans.
The human zoo was a fantastic success - and widely copied. Dr Sadiah Qureshi, a historian at the University of Cambridge, says: 'Millions of people went to see these shows at their peak. Originally you would get a show in a local theatre. By the late 19th century you would see hundreds, if not a couple of thousand people living on site, eating and on constant display.'
Indeed, some years later, in 1924, King George V and Queen Mary inspected the live exhibits at the British Empire Exhibition, at Wembley. Some Europeans' curiosity knew no bounds, however.
Qureshi says: 'The 1899 exhibition Savage South Africa held at Earl's Court in London caused quite a stir. At one point women were banned from going inside because they had supposedly been touching the natives.' For almost
a year, Ota and the other pygmies lived in America as human exhibits. They were made to build native houses, perform traditional dance ceremonies, live partially naked and cook authentic food.
Ota was described in the press as 'a dwarfy, black specimen of sad-eyed humanity'. With his filed tribal teeth, he was the most celebrated pygmy and dubbed 'Lord of the savage world'. He posed for photographs for 25 cents.
In 1905, after they had been viewed by a total of 20 million people, Verner took the pygmies home to the Congo.
Ota had planned to rejoin his tribe - but discovered that they had been entirely wiped out by Belgian soldiers. He married a girl from the nearby Batwa tribe, and appeared to settle back into life in Africa.
Then his wife was bitten by a poisonous snake and died. The Batwa rejected him, believing he was cursed and responsible for the young woman's death. Ota was cast adrift, a stranger in his own land.
He begged his friend Verner to take him back to America. Verner was reluctant, but eventually acquiesced, taking him to New York.
The pair shared the 3,000-mile sea voyage with crates of live animals, parrots, monkeys, snakes and other exotic booty, which Verner planned to sell in America. On the ship, Ota discovered cigarettes and drink.
Arriving in New York, Verner - who had business to do - bade him farewell, arranging accommodation in a spare room - this time he was not on show - at the American Museum of Natural History. There, he thought Ota would be safe.
Soon, however, he came to the attention of William Hornaday, a conservationist and director of the Bronx Zoo.
Collaborating with one of America's most notorious racists, Madison Grant, he conceived a plan.
Grant wanted to promote 'scientific racism', talking in terms of 'purity of type', and the survival of the white master race.
In 1930, after his work The Passing Of The Great Race was translated into German, Grant received a letter from an aspiring politician, saying 'your book is my bible'.
The man was Adolf Hitler. He would indeed use 'scientific racism' as the foundation for the Third Reich, giving academic grounding to the Holocaust.
Together, Hornaday and Grant offered to take charge of Ota Benga, who initially believed he would be looking after the Bronx Zoo's elephants.
In fact, he was going to be put on public display as a living example of 'racial inferiority'. Immediately, the exhibition prompted criticism. The New York Times reported on September 9, 1906: 'The exhibition was that of a human being in a monkey cage. A human being. In a monkey cage.
'The human being happened to be a Bushman, one of a race that scientists do not rate high in the human scale, but to the average nonscientific person in the crowd of sightseers there was something about the display that was unpleasant.
'It is probably a good thing that Benga doesn't think very deeply. If he did it isn't likely that he was very proud of himself when he woke in the morning and found himself under the same roof with the orang-utans and monkeys, for that is where he really is.'
The exhibition was a sensation. On a single day, 40,000 people arrived to see Ota and his chimp. The show lasted only two weeks, however, due to a public outcry, and human zoos as a phenomenon died out by the Forties.
So what became of Ota Benga? After he was removed from the Bronx Zoo, there was great debate regarding his fate. African-American church ministers insisted he be released - not for his comfort, but because they wanted to convert the pygmy to Christianity.
He was eventually placed in an orphanage for black children, the Howard Colored Orphan Asylum, to be 'civilised'. He was dressed in Western clothes and taught how to eat, talk and behave like an American.
He had his pointed teeth capped and attended a Baptist seminary, where he started to study English.
He was kept out of the public eye for four years. Eventually, he moved from New York to the backwater town of Lynchburg, Virginia, where he became a local curiosity and was known as Otto Bingo.
Forevermore haunted by his time in the monkey cage, he would repeatedly slap his chest, declaring: 'I am a man. I am a man.'
He began to save money to return to the Congo, working in a tobacco factory. With the outbreak of World War I, this became impossible and Ota sunk into depression.
He never did make it home. One evening, he went into a barn behind the village general store. He chipped off the caps hiding his teeth, restoring them to their filed-down glory, lit a small ceremonial campfire, and shot himself in the head, dying ten years after being put on display at the Bronx zoo. He was 32 years old.
His story now bears testament to the ignorance of those who believed themselves superior to him.
He was buried in an unmarked grave, but he left his mark on the world, exposing as moral pygmies the lesser men who would cage a human.
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Posted by 9jabook.com on December 8, 2009 at 3:30am
More Nigerian Billionaires coming out of the Woodwork .Who is BURUJI KASHAMU ? another PDP Financier (APF) rears his head We hope for Good not Bad .So far Good with his intervention in Ogun Politics for peace and his infamous War with the American Government !
READ ON !
4 Years in Custody + 5 Years in Exile = Nearly a Decade of Injustice
Buruji Kashamu’s Saga of Mistaken Identity, Double Jeopardy, and Unfair Imprisonment
Buruji Kashamu is reckoned to be amongst the top 20 most successful Yoruba businessmen in Nigeria. For the past 10 years, he has struggled to clear his name and end an exile imposed by the United States Department of Justice. Mr. Kashamu,has twice been cleared by British courts, but continues to face the threat of an obsolete case.
At the time of his in tial arrest, he was the Chief Executive Officer of many companies in West Africa including one of the largest cotton ginneries in West Africa located in the Republic of Benin, and in which the government of that country had significant investments. He was arrested at City Airport London in 1998 after voluntarily informing customs officials that he was carrying currency in excess of 10,000 pounds sterling and the warrant for his arrest was discovered.
Mr. Kashamu was held in a British jail and the United States began extradition proceedings. Mr. Kashamu asserted, and still maintains, that attempts to prosecute him are based purely on mistaken identity. The British court agreed and found that the United States had failed to disclose evidence favorable to Mr. Kashamu. One of the cooperating conspirators, the leader of the gang in the US, had positively rejected an identification of him from an arrest photo, supporting his claim of innocence. The court ordered his release and quashed the extradition order. He was released and rearrested on the same warrant outside the court. A fresh extradition request was filed which would then proceed to a rigorous trial over a period of three years.
A British court again found that Mr. Kashamu was not the person referred to by certain defendants in the matter. The British court conducted extensive hearings. Two of the top officers of the Nigerian anti-narcotics agency, the Director of Investigations and the Director of Prosecutions, testified orally in the court proceedings. Top officers of Interpol from Republic of Benin and Togo also gave oral testimony .They testified that Mr. Kashamu was a successful businessman who was not at all implicated in any drug dealing but had cooperated with their respective governments in many areas of security and intelligence in the past.
The British court concluded, after consideration of all the evidence, that Mr. Kashamu’s brother, who bears a striking resemblance to Mr. Kashamu, and was a heroin dealer in Nigeria and Benin, was the individual sought by the government.
Since his release in 2003 from British Detention he has continued his businesses in Nigeria and Republic De Benin and has managed to revive his fortunes.
Kasmal Group with Kasmal Investment,Transport,Properties,Services,Nacoil, Asuza Construction are now forces to be reckoned within billionaire circles in Nigeria
Although U.S authorities have not tried for his extradition since being so roundly defeated in the British Courts in 2003, they have kept the discredited charges against him pending. This is the reason Mr. Kashamu’s lawyers have commenced an action in the US District Court in Chicago to have the charges dismissed.
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by Paul Adams 9jabook's 4.1.9 Buster
Coming Soon Expose of Top 20 YahooYahoo "ChairMen" of Naija origin in the diaspora with names and "Pictures" !
Adeniyi Adeyemi, 27, of Brooklyn, New York, was charged last week in a 149-count indictment for allegedly using his position as a computer technician to steal the identities of over 150 employees of the Bank of New York Mellon and to subsequently defraud charities, non-profits, and other organizations for more than $1.1 million over an eight year period.
The crimes with which Adeyemi is charged -- grand larceny, identity theft, money laundering, scheme to defraud, computer tampering, and unlawful possession of personal identification information -- allegedly took place between November 1, 2001 and April 30, 2009.
According to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, Adeyemi worked as a computer technician at the Bank of New York on 1 Wall Street and at other bank locations around Manhattan. While in the bank's employ, he is alleged to have stolen the personal information of dozens of bank employees, mostly from the bank's information technology department.
A spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney's Office was not immediately available to confirm how long Adeyemi worked for the bank.
Over the eight year period, Adeyemi is alleged to have used the identities of other bank employees to open brokerage accounts at various institutions, including E*Trade, Fidelity, Citi, Wachovia, and Washington Mutual, and to have used those accounts to store and transfer money stolen from charities and non-profits.
Adeyemi's ability to access the bank accounts of charities and non-profits was made easier than it might otherwise have been because such organizations often make their bank account information available online to facilitate donations, the District Attorney's Office said.
The list of affected organizations includes: Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey, Iris Ministries, the Kalgidhar Trust, the Sudanese American Community Development Organization, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, AFK Foundation, the American Community School at Beirut, the Jacksonville Humane Society, American Friends of Birdlife International, the International Association of Women Judges, the Space Generation Advisory Council, and the American Association for Clinical Chemistry.
Adeyemi allegedly stole $128,000 from the IT employees whose identities he'd stolen. The District Attorney's Office claims that Adeyemi changed his former colleagues' online bank account contact information, hijacked their accounts and wired money out -- in increments below $10,000 to avoid triggering mandatory reporting to the US Treasury -- to the dummy accounts he had established at various brokerages. He allegedly bought about $100,000 in US Postal Service money orders, which he used to pay living expenses and to send money overseas, primarily to Nig.eri.a.
Adeyemi was placed under Secret Service surveillance "when suspicious Internet activity traced back to wireless Internet connections in Adeyemi's apartment building, and mail connected to the fraud was delivered to the various apartments within the building," the District Attorney's Office said.
An April 30, 2009 search of Adeyemi's apartment turned up credit reports belonging to dozens of Bank of New York employees on his computer, along with other documents containing personal information on over 150 bank employees, and $30,000 in cash. A storage locker rented by Adeyemi was found to contain similar documents and credit cards bearing the names of bank employees.
Adeyemi was arrested when the warrant was served and has remained in custody.
In an e-mail, Kurt Johnson, VP of corporate strategy for security vendor Courion, said that if the bank had had the proper automated access management technology in place, Adeyemi probably would not have been able to abuse his position as easily.
"Companies need to wake up to internal threats facing them today and stop handing the keys to the kingdom to people who have no business holding them," Johnson said.
More news from our investigations
The penchant for quick money by most young Nigerians in the diaspora has now taken another dimension, as most of them now use their wealth of academic wherewithal to wreck havoc on the lives of their unsuspecting victims by defrauding
them without recourse to conscience whether they are right in such atrocious act. It is appalling to see that as anti graft agents in Nigeria (EFCC and ICPC) are working to quell corrupt practices and economic crimes right here in Nigeria, some Nigerians in the diaspora are still neck-deep in corruption and mudslinging the image of the Nigeria for self aggrandizement.Adeniyi Adeyemi, 27, of Brooklyn has been summarily made to face 149 counts, including grand larceny and identity theft. A 27-year-old Brooklyn man used his job as a computer technician to appropriate the identities of more than 150 employees at the Bank of New York Mellon and steal more than $1.1 million from a wide array of nonprofit groups and other institutions, officials announced this made this known recently. The technician, Adeniyi (of Yoruba origin), a of Crown Heights, was charged with grand larceny, identity theft, money laundering, scheme to defraud, computer tampering and unlawful possession of personal identification information in a indictment.
9jabook.com checks revealed that the fraud started in November 2001 and lasted through April of this 2009, according to the office of the Manhattan district attorney, Robert M. Morgenthau, which is prosecuting the case. Using his position as a contract employee in the information technology department at Bank of New York Mellon, Mr. Adeyemi stole personal identifying information from dozens of employees, using the information to more than 30 bank and brokerage accounts in their names at E*Trade, Fidelity, Citi, Wachovia and Washington Mutual, Mr. Morgenthau said.
Mr. Adeyemi then diverted money from the bank accounts of charities, transferred the funds to the dummy accounts, and later withdrew the money or funneled it into a second layer of “dummy accounts,” Mr. Morgenthau said. Among the charities Mr. Adeyemi is said to have stolen from are Goodwill Industries, Iris Ministries, the Kalgidhar Trust, the Sudanese American Community Development Organization, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, the American Community School at Beirut, the Jacksonville Humane Society, American Friends of Birdlife International, the International Association of Women Judges, the Space Generation Advisory Council, and the American Association for Clinical Chemistry.
Mr. Adeyemi is also alleged to have bought more than $100,000 in money orders from the Postal Service using funds stolen from the employees whose information he took. The New York/New Jersey Electronic Crimes Task Force of the United States Secret Service began surveillance on Mr. Adeyemi after tracing suspicious Internet activity to his apartment. During a court-authorized search in April, investigators found dozens of bank employees’ credit reports on his computer, along with many other identifying documents for more than 150 employees, Mr. Morgenthau’s office said.
Mr. Adeyemi was arrested and has been held in custody since then. He was to be arraigned in State Supreme Court before Justice Carol Berkman. Kevin Heine, a spokesman for Bank of New York Mellon, said in a statement, “We strongly support the investigation and actions taken by the district attorney’s office, and are fully cooperating.”
It was however gathered that Adeyemi was only caught when he got greedy and decided to steal from his ID-theft victims directly and investigators realized so many of them worked at Bank of New York, said Chief Assistant DA Mark Dwyer. Investigators are hinting that Adeyemi worked as part of a ring, and may have used some of his stolen fortune to buy his way into a sham marriage that enabled him to stay in the US. A bank spokesman Kevin Heine declined to comment on the case, except to say, "We strongly support the investigation and the actions taken by the DA's office and are fully cooperating."
by Paul Adams 9jabook's 4.1.9 Buster
Coming Soon Expose of Top 20 YahooYahoo "ChairMen" of Naija origin in the diaspora with names and "Pictures" ! email any comments or if you know any Chairman or Yahoo Yahoo boy in your area to pauladams@systemini.net
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Posted by Jane Okinedo on November 11, 2009 at 8:17pm
In a country where prostitiution has become not only an Industry It is also a very competitive one where other sexual leftist attitudes like Paedophila,strip clubs and Under age incest and Rape now continously feature in the dailies .One wonders why the increased prostitiution and general promiscuity have not lessened or balanced the incessant underage rape cases . alleged Star Rapist Lati Onaolapo who raped an 8year old girl .Most of the men involved in these underage carnal knowledge escapades are even married and some with female children of about that age .The consensus is that when Men old enough to be the grandfathers are dating under 20year olds all in the name of girlfriends and the Aristo syndrome you should not be too shocked to see 13year olds having sex with each other and older people .... With the Dog mentality and get rich or die trying slogans of popular international Stars like Snoop Dog and 50cents our african morals are slowly turning into the worthless kobo of our currency.This phenomenom of paedophilia and child sex is rampant in western cultures where a UK govt educational official recently advocated condom distribution in Primary and secondary schools ! but like most of the negative aspects of these lifestyle they are taking root within our african society .An article about the Cossy Orjiakor Dog Sex video was recently featured on this site which laudable by the level of professionalism it was carried out by this infamous actress shows the degree to which our moral standards have deteriorated ...We wish the positives of these oyinbo cultures can take a base here like their good driving manners and respect for the life of their fellowman,their continous Power supply , and their general attempts at a clean and honest civic lifestyle .We implore everyone as the watchdogs of society to lend a hand in this rebraining and rebranding of the Nigerian people.thanksFranklin AdecheEditorial Consultanthttp://www.9jabook.comps below are some excerpts of the recent "chilling" stories of paedophilia in our country.Father of two rapes girl, 13A 37-year-old man has admitted to raping a 13-year-old girl whose name has been withheld for legal reasons.?Confessed Rapist Mr FasusiKehinde Fasusi, a married man and a father of two girls was arrested by police officers from the Owutu police station, Ikorodu last week Thursday after a report was lodged at the station by the victim’s mother.The Police spokes person, Frank Mba while parading the suspect at the Oduduwa police station, said the police will prosecute the suspect to serve as a deterrent to men who take pleasure in abusing under age girls.Girl, 13, raped by brother-in-lawPatience Dike (not real name) was 12 years old when she moved in with her sister and her husband in their one-room apartment at Ebutte-Metta, Lagos State in January 2008. For over one year she lived with them, her sister’s husband, Philip Ugbuaja, routinely abused her sexually.Recounting her experience, Miss Dike said her brother-in-law took away her dignity and self-worth. She said she lost count of the number of times she was abused by him. In June 2009, at the age of 13, she became pregnant for him.Man defiles eight-year-old girlA 28 years old man, Lati Onaolapo was paraded by the police on Tuesday for allegedly defiling an 8 year old girl.The incident took place around 8.30pm last week Tuesday at number 28, Ososa Avenue in Bariga, a suburb in Lagos. The suspect lives in a one room apartment also shared by the parent of his victim.The girl’s mother, Oduola Oluwaleye, said the suspect lured her daughter into his room and had sex with her.Raped at 15, still healing at 20Regina Favour (not real name) did not choose to be a mother at age 15. She got pregnant after she was raped by a man she called ‘uncle’. Afterwards, her father disowned her. She roamed the streets of Lagos until she found love among strangers who gave her a reason to believe her scars would heal.What the Nigerian Criminal Code says about rape...Punishment for rape in the Nigerian Criminal Code is life imprisonment, however, the law requires corroboration, which makes proof of the offence an arduous taskSection 221 of the Criminal Code states that-Penalty of 2 years imprisonment for unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl being ab ve 13 years and under 16 years of age- It is a defence under the section that the accused person believed that the girl was above 16 years- Prosecution must have begun within 2 months after the offence was committed or it lapses- There must be corroboration to secure a conviction – usually no witness in such offencesAlso in the same document, while indecent assault on a girl is a misdemeanour, indecent assault of a boy is a felony that carries a stiffer penaltyRape is criminalised in the Sharia Penal Laws introduced from 1999 — 12 northern states. Before 2003, no national laws expressly or specifically protect women against violence.Existing laws are inadequate, discriminatory or limited by virtue of the undue burden placed on the victimSource: Oby Nwankwo, executive director, Civil Resource Development and Documentation Centre, Nigeria. Oct. 22, 20099jabook ADvert PartnersRead more…
Posted by 9jabook.com on October 25, 2009 at 8:25pm
A Nigerian mother, who worked for asylum seekers in Britain, has been stabbed to death in her London home in front of her own children. The victim, who was named as Ayodele Akinsiku, was found a few metres from her front door where she had bled to death after trying to escape from her killer. It is understood that her three young children were inside the home when the murder took place.
The body of a man, who was thought to be the killer, was also found at the scene in Deptford. Police said they were treating the death of the civil servant as murder. The man’s death was officially described as “unexplained.”
Detectives on Friday working on the theory that he had stabbed Mrs. Akinsiku first before turning the knife on himself.
Neighbours of Akinsiku, who lived in a tower block in Evelyn Street, said she was a Christian with three children, aged eight, five and two, and served as a parent governor at Grinling Gibbons Primary School.
Friend, Annette Reid, 34, said Akinsiku dealt with appeals at the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal, and her husband, who was thought to have been out at the time of the killing, had just finished a master’s degree.
Mrs Reid said: “Apparently, there was an altercation the previous night and from what I’ve been told, the man stabbed her and then killed himself.
“She tried to get out of the door but collapsed on the landing. You could see the paramedics trying to resuscitate her. The children saw everything and are very traumatised. That’s what her husband told my husband.”
Mrs. Reid said her friend had previously argued with a man who had been living with the family after moving from Nigeria. Scotland Yard said the man and woman were pronounced dead at the scene at about 8:00 a.m. on Friday.Nigerian Woman Killed In London.
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Look who's coming around after all.Joe Jackson, who previously said that he spends most of his time in Las Vegas and that his estranged wife, Katherine, would handle the raising of Michael Jackson's children, is now petitioning the estate for his own monthly stipend.Saying he has no steady source of income aside from $1,700 a month from Social Security, Jackson stated in court documents that he had relied on his son for support up until the King of Pop's death. Michael gave money to his mom, which she in turn, acting as an agreed-upon go-between, gave to Joe.Michael did not provide for Joe in his will, rather splitting his estate among his mother, children and various charities.But that doesn't mean the King of Pop's estate is legally prohibited from providing for Joe, his lawyers insist.The administrators of Michael's estate were "either ignorant or negligent" by not apportioning an allowance for Joe, states the petition filed yesterday in Los Angeles Superior Court.Meanwhile, a judge has approved $26,800 in monthly support for Katherine and $60,000 a month for the care of Michael's three kids.Joe is 81 and, in addition to suffering a stroke in 1998, suffers from diabetes, ulcers and other ailments, according to his lawyers, and Michael, knowing his dad was in ill health, supported him for many years.A list of the Jackson family patriarch's itemized expenses included $1,200 a month in rent for his Vegas home; $2,500 to eat out; $1,000 on entertainment, gifts and vacations; $2,000 on air travel and $3,000 on hotels.Maybe figuring Joe will just have to eat in more often, a judge denied a request for an expedited hearing on the matter.
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Posted by 9jabook.com on October 19, 2009 at 8:55pm
Ordinarily, it is supposed to be a symbol of law and order where crack detectives of the Nigeria Police Force ply their trade with finesse and professional dexterity, unlocking the key to several knotty criminal cases with scientific precision.
Onovo, IGP
The difference, however, is that the victims are no longer cows, sheep and goats, but human beings who though, are not slaughtered in the true sense of it, but are made to pass through the valley of death.
Welcome to the torture chambers for operatives of the dreaded Special Anti-Robbery Squad [SARS] of the Federal Capital Territory Police Command, where extra-ordinary and weird practices allegedly reign supreme. Here, President Umaru Yar’Adua’s rule of law is alien and consumed by rule of the jackboot, and the operatives, menacingly dangling sophisticated firearms almost round the clock, are the kings of the jungle. Reports indicated that in this kingdom, there is a queen in the form of a female statute before whom suspects brought in must pay homage and give a deep kiss as a first step in the process of baptism into the “kingdom of hell”.
Expectedly, it’s a frightening tale of pains, agony and sorrow as several residents of the FCT who have the misfortune of being guests at the SARS operational base in Abuja , recounted their experiences. As suspects, each had been taken into custody at separate intervals and days over alleged criminal and sundry offences. But at the end of the energy and blood sapping grilling sessions in the interrogation process, those who are lucky to come out alive from the alleged torture chambers are united in their experiences: A miraculous escape from “Abuja House of Horror”.
Among the latest victims is Mr. James Onu Chukwudi, 28, an indigene of Ebonyi State, who returned to Nigeria about two months ago, after a sojourn in China . A 2005 Political Science graduate of the University of Lagos , Chudi, as he is fondly called, was a guest of the SARS men about two weeks ago for just a period of eight hours. But like a scar which had defied all remedies to smoothen, he says images of his experience in the hands of his “captors” would remain indelible in his mind for ever:
JOURNEY TO THE GULAG
“I came back to Nigeria from China on August 2, 2009. This Eco Solar Gem in China , they are into solar energy. So I have been going from one conference to another to tell them the advantage of solar energy. On getting to Lamonde Hotel at Area 11 in Garki two weeks ago, but I don’t really know the exact date. I went there to submit a proposal about the solar energy. I met and discussed with the man I saw there, one of the receptionists. I asked him if they would be interested in solar. He said I should come back later, that I should just drop the proposal.
Thereafter, I went into their supermarket in the hotel and bought a recharge card of N1,500. I gave him N2000, and he gave me N500 as balance. Then, I left the hotel. After about two hours, he called me and said I should come back to the hotel, that the woman in charge of the hotel has accepted my proposal and that I should come and negotiate with her. On getting there, the chief security officer and other guys surrounded me. They said out of the N2000 I used in paying the recharge card, N1000 note is fake. I said how? I was really embarrassed because I went there with my friend who is a PA to a member of the House of Assembly, Darlington Okereke. I told them I don’t know anything about it. God knows that I don’t know. I told them I don’t know anything about the N1000 note that is not genuine. Before you know it, they took me to their security room and then called the guys from SARS who came with their Hillux van and took me to their base at former abattoir, near Area One.MERMAID AS FIRST LADY
I was kind of scared when we got there. Those guys, young boys, were well armed. And the most difficult people to deal with are people that are not reasonable. I tried to explain to them that I don’t know anything about the fake money. If I had known about it, if it was intentional, I wouldn’t have come back when called upon after leaving the hotel. I had submitted a proposal that contained my name, address, phone number, e-mail, and website. But despite all my explanation, they said I should put it down in writing. So I did.
One remarkable thing is that immediately I arrived at the SARS office, the place was scary. There is this statute that looked like a mermaid. They tied a red cloth on the head like a scarf, and they painted her lips. When you are walking into the office, it is just at the corridor, close to the doorpost to their torture room. The place it seemed was an abattoir where they slaughtered cow. And there is this big iron door through which you enter the torture room. This scarystatute is hung by the door. I can’t remember the exact date, but I think it was the day Nigeria played Venezuala and we lost 1-0, because there is a TV there and they were showing the Venezuala match.
Immediately we arrived at the office and I walked through that place to the interrogation room, one of them just slapped me. He said “are you stupid, don’t you see our first lady there? That is how they describe that statute. They said I should go back and salute her, so I had to go back and salute her. They said I should kiss her. I had to kiss her before I was ushered in. And because I had not been to a police station before in my life, the picture they painted was scary. So they were threatening me. One of them, one arrogant guy who can barely speak English Language, the guy slapped me and said I should tell them Ok, that we’ve been minting money and all that. I said I don’t know anything about it and God knows I don’t know.
Being outside the country is not a big deal, because I should know our currency. But this thing they are talking about, I don’t know. The guy said I should pull off my shoe. I pulled my shoe. Then he said I should pull my shirt. I pulled my shirt. He now pointed at my tummy and said this big belly, you’ve been stealing money and all sorts of assault. But then, I had to call my wife on phone and asked her to bring some money. One of them actually sold the idea to me. He said ah, these people will kill you o; you have to give them something. And because they seized my two phones, I said Ok, I actually used his phone to call my wife and asked her to bring some money. When she came, I gave them N5,000, for them not to put me inside the cell. That N5,000 was just for me to stay at the counter. I stayed there and after putting down my statement, those guys who brought me left.
HORROR
One thing that surprised me was that after sometime, they brought about 10 young guys. They said whether they were fighting or something else. Maybe, they had respected me a bit because I was putting on suit. But the way they handled those guys, I have never seen that type of maltreatment. Even if they were confirmed armed robbers, I haven’t seen that kind of maltreatment. They stripped them; they were beating them. There is this place that probably served as drainage when they were using that SARS office as abattoir. Water constantly flows there. These boys were asked to lie down there, and they were telling them “fuck the water, fuck the water”. Again, they said “if you can’t fuck the water, show him how to fuck”. And while they were doing that, they were beating them. I said, oh my God, what is going on here.
I was shocked because I used to see Abuja as a decent and lawful place unlike Lagos which I usually call madness. I used to think that Abuja is more serene and the police are civil. I never knew things like that also happen in this kind of place. One of the SARS guys [name withheld by us], this guy is a good guy. He is not among the guys that brought me, but he works there. He is a good guy. He didn’t like what was going on there. There was this other suspect who was brought in there because he sold goods on credit or something like that and his employer brought him there.
So, this guy was not happy with what was happening. He was saying this kind of cases, you don’t bring them here [SARS]. He said this is madness. He was one of the officers at the counter that night. And I was also kept at the counter. That was how I had the opportunity to interact with him. It’s like this guy was on a special duty there, because if he was part of the system, he would have been used to it. But it was apparent he wasn’t because he didn’t like the whole thing happening there. I told him the only way this thing can stop is to reach out to probably The Sun newspapers because of the detailed investigative stories. He said yes and even promised to be of assistance. And that was how I contacted The Sun.
I REGAINED FREEDOM AFTER PARTING WITH N20,000
I was arrested from Lamonde Hotel at about 6.30pm on that fateful day and was detained at SARS till well over midnight before I was released. We had to wait for those that took me there with their Hilux van. When my wife came, we waited until when they returned, they said I should give them N15,000. I gave them the N15,000 because I didn’t want to sleep there. But then, there was a guy I was using his phone apart from the first officer [name withheld] and I had promised I was going to buy him recharge card to replenish the one I used with his phone.
When those guys returned, I had given this guy N1000 for the recharge card and gave them the balance of N14,000. But after counting the money, they said it was not up to N15,000, that it was N14,000. I pleaded with them to allow me go home, that even if it meant depositing my two GSM handsets, I would do so and come back to collect it the next day with the balance of N1000. One of them just shouted at me that I wasn’t serious and slammed the door at me. So, I had to beg this other guy whom I had given N1000 for recharge card, to give the money back to me. He agreed and I had to send my wife to go and get the N1000 from him. That was how I regained my freedom.
At the Lamonde Hotel, while I was being held at the security post before they invited the police, I was begging the chief security officer, pleading that I am innocent of the allegation. That I knew nothing about the fake money. Since they said N1000 out of the N2000 I used to pay for the recharge card I bought is fake, I even gave additional N2000 to the guy who sold the card to me. Yet, the CSO still called in the SARS people. Last Saturday, I was in a taxi on my way to Gwarimpa and the driver was telling me something that further aroused my curiosity. The taxi man said he had just dropped off a lawyer at that SARS office and that the lawyer was complaining about the way they are handling his client. And what is the offence of his client? It is because he did a contract and he owed somebody N2million. He has paid N1.7million out of the amount and it is just remaining N300,000. The lawyer was wandering how somebody could be taken to SARS because of a mere debt which is civil. I told the taxi driver that same place, I’ve been there and it wasn’t pleasant. It’s not just me, people are talking about that place and something has to be done. It is a House of Horror”.
Is the Abuja SARS office really a satanic den where the absurd holds sway as being alleged? Jimoh Moshood, a Deputy Superintendent of Police [DSP] and spokesman of the FCT police command would not be drawn into such a conclusion. But he simply pleaded for any of the victims to come forward to his office and share their experiences with him to enable the police to investigate and fish out those involved.
“I cannot comment on those allegations without investigations. Please tell the man from whom N15,000 was allegedly taken as bribe and all others with complaints to come to my office so that we can investigate and find out those involved. Tell him to come to the PPRO’s office to see me. I would be waiting to see him”, he assured in a telephone chat with Daily Sun, when contacted for comments on Chudi’s horrible tale.
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The Rebirth album by Obiwon is an eclectic mix ofcontemporary gospel and RnB as earlier indicated by Obiwonwho granted us an exclusive session months beforethe release of this wonderful album.Click Obiwon's rebirth album to read the interview.The Rebirth features 10 tracks1. Lift Your Hands feat Niyola2. Victorious3. Na U4. Obi Mu O feat Guchi Young5. Bless U Lady6. Birthday7. Obi Mu O the Remix feat Guchi Young, Blaise, M.i, Illbliss8. F.A.T.H.E.R9. Hold On10.The Rebirth (Kene Gi)all beautifully arranged and delivered.I'll let the songs do the talking.Some of these tracks have been featured on this page,just type obiwon in the search box to find them.What I love about "The Rebirth (Kene Gi)"is the way Obiwon infused the ibo language with english...so beautiful!+ he sings like an angelClick play to listen to the 10th track off Obiwon's album. Enjoy!!
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Posted by 9jabook.com on October 5, 2009 at 9:06pm
It is the month of August, a resort town sits next to
the shores of a lake. It is raining, and the little town
looks totally deserted. It is tough times, everybody is in
debt, and everybody lives on credit.
Suddenly, a rich tourist comes to town. He enters the
only hotel, lays a 100 Euro note on the reception counter,
and goes to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to pick
one.
The hotel proprietor takes the 100 Euro note and runs
to pay his debt to the butcher. The Butcher takes the 100
Euro note, and runs to pay his debt to the pig raiser. The
pig raiser takes the 100 Euro note, and runs to pay his debt
to the supplier of his feed and fuel. The supplier of feed
and fuel takes the 100 Euro note and runs to pay his debt to
the town's prostitute that in these hard times, gave
her services" on credit. The hooker runs to the hotel,
and pays off her debt with the 100 Euro note to the hotel
proprietor to pay for the rooms that she rented when she brought her clients there.
The hotel proprietor then lays the 100 Euro note back
on the counter so that the rich tourist will not suspect
anything. At that moment, the rich tourist comes down after
inspecting the rooms, and takes his 100 Euro note, after
saying that he did not like any of the rooms, and leaves
town.
No one earned anything. However, the whole town is now
without debt, and looks to the future with a lot of
optimism.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how the Irish
Government is doing business today.We hope naija can cash in on this strategy !
This is the only way to Economic recovery, bailing out all those FAT CATS up-stream does not guarantee that it will flow down-stream. Trickle-Economics will definitely flow up-stream, although it defies Sir Isaac Newton's law of universal gravitation. Have a great day
Thanks to Osamuyi Paul Ogbebor for sending in this one !Read more…
Posted by 9jabook.com on October 13, 2009 at 7:13pm
Disquiet over rising rate of suicide
Suicide may be defined as an act of deliberate self harm with a fatal outcome. It is an intentional, self-inflicted death. This disturbing phenomenon constitutes a global affliction, with higher rates reported in industrialialized countries of the world compared to less technologically advanced societies. About 1 million people commit suicide all over the world annually with about 3000 such acts occurries daily.
For every completed suicide, it is estimated that there are about 20 who attempt it. The World Health Organisation (2004) reported that in the year 2002 alone, about 6000 deaths in Nigeria were due to “self-inflicted injuries” (suicide). A flurry of media reports on individuals who recently committed suicide across our landscape is a cause for disquiet.
Indeed, suicide is the “end-point of a complex series of psychological, sociological and situational/personal factors”. In terms of social variables, it is observed to occur more commonly among males (for males to one female), older age groups, people who are single, separated or divorced, the unemployed and those within the two extremes of social class stratification. Middle social class somehow appears to be protective. Consequently, social ills such as social marginalization, isolation and poverty have been associated with suicide. With regards to adverse life events, studies have shown potential triggers of suicide to include: loss events (bereavement), financial difficulties/reversals and the effects of long standing physical illness e.g. chronic diseases.
In terms of psychological factors, more than 90% of people who commit suicide are suffering from a recognizable form of mental abnormality. Among the young, minor depression in reaction to life’s frustrations e.g. academic setback, dysfunctional relationship with parents and adolescent problems, are particularly common. In older individuals, severe depressive reactions, personality problems, alcohol and drug abuse, and major mental disorders may be possible causes.
Suicide prevention strategies should receive cardinal attention in all communities. Population-based strategies should focus on reducing the availability of lethal methods e.g. controlling the prescription of potentially lethal drugs, health education on safe medication handling, tighter gun control laws, and review of laws in relation to attempted suicide.
Other population-based methods will involve developing and implementing policies to tackle homelessness, unemployment and social marginalisation. It is also important to responsibly regulate media reporting and discourage heroic portrayal of suicide. High risk individuals are those who suffer from diagnosable mental disorders especially major depression and the effective preventive strategy among them is to upscale mental health services provision and monitoring in our communities.
At this juncture, the review of the Nigerian laws relating to attempted suicide deserves a more critical dissection as a necessary strategy in suicide prevention. While in the industrialized economies, attempted suicide has been de-criminalized, it retains its place as an offence against the person in section 327 of the Criminal Code. Thus, the suicide attempter in Nigeria is viewed as “bad” rather than “mad”.
It is therefore disquieting that Nigeria has chosen to remain one of the few countries where suicide attempt is still considered a crime. With the current logic of law, it would seem that the punishment is basically aimed at the “failure” in the act, because “success” i.e. death, apparently exonerates the victim from the wrath of the law. Thus, as long as attempted suicide remains punishable, it is likely that those who employ this absurd mode of dealing with psychological discomfort may be more desperate and diligent in ensuring that they succeed in their attempt at self-mortification, knowing that failure may result in the possibility of incarceration.
Therefore, it is our opinion that the current law as it relates to attempted suicide is anachronistic and urgently requires remodeling to conform to modern psychological views on the subject.
In conclusion, suicide remains an enigma and a catastrophe whenever and wherever it occurs. We resolve not to ignore those who talk about suicide, even in a casual manner or anyone who seems to have lost the wish to live. Encourage such to have a chat with a mental health professional without delay.
Drs. Ogunlesi, Adeowale and Ogunwale, are of the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta
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Posted by Jane Okinedo on October 24, 2009 at 12:02am
Every so often, a story breaks that so unbelievably stupid that it makes one shudder with disbelief at the lack of judgment by Nigerian government officials. We should collectively ask whether the people we designate to manage our affairs, including the President of the Federal Republic have ever been tested for common sense. The answer would be obvious. The latest example of this disreputable policy would be almost laughable if it weren’t so tragically flawed as it involves a Nigerian diplomat who was assassinated in the line of duty in the Czech Republic.Picture this. The year is 2005. A Czech citizen allegedly loses over one million Euros in a 419 Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) investment scam said to have been masterminded by some Nigerian con men. Unable to recover his money, the Czech citizen storms the Nigerian embassy in Prague, Czech Republic where he opened fire, killing a Nigerian Diplomat inside his office in cold blood. The Federal Government through the Nigerian Embassy in Poland with concurrent accreditation to the Czech Republic retains a group of Nigerian lawyers to represent the Nigerian Government and the family of the deceased; in the substantive matter of MUDr. Jiri Pasovsky, Case No. 45 T 21/2004 at the Municipal Court in Prague, as well as before appellate jurisdictions in the murder trial.The case goes to trial and the suspect charged with the killing of Mr. Michael Lekare WAYI is sentenced to eight (8) years imprisonment. Outraged by the paltry sentence, the lawyers inform the FGN of their intention to appeal within the statutory 8-days deadline. The FGN says wait for instructions from Abuja; the lawyers also ask to file a civil suit against the culprit and the Czech government for damages to the deceased’s family. They were again advised to wait until the statutory three-year limitation has run out. To crown it all, the FGN has not honored its obligations towards the Counsel they retained and after four years of trying to navigate the bloated Nigerian bureaucracy, the Presidency informed the lawyers that the FGN was not aware that one of its Diplomats had been killed in the Czech Republic, let alone being familiar with the retention of the legal services in question.This is 2009 and the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is Umaru Musa Yar’adua; the Foreign Minister is Ojo Maduekwe and the Justice Minister is Michael Aondoakaa. Together with officials of the Nigerian Embassy in Poland and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, these cast of clowns who are actors in the unfolding tragic-comedy of errors. Nigerians are not in doubt that the people pretending to be managing the affairs of the nation are irresponsible. Our people know for a fact that Yar’adua's PDP government are doing far more than disservice to the people, far more selfish than the nation has ever known and far more unreliable and undependable to put in anything for the good of the nation; They do not care about anything; they just steal, steal and steal.The facts of the five-year long saga remain intriguing and reveal a government that has absconded its responsibilities towards its citizens as well as immobilism and lack of coordination amongst various government departments – from the Presidency to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) to the Nigerian Embassy in Poland. The Federal Government is now facing a payment order lawsuit to the tune of 150,913.21 Euros being unpaid legal fees for professional legal services rendered by Law Allianz firm retained to represent the Federal Government of Nigeria and the family of the deceased; Mr. Michael Lekare WAYI in the substantive matter of MUDr. Jiri Pasovsky, Case No. 45 T 21/2004 at the Municipal Court in Prague, Spalena as well as before appellate jurisdictions in the murder that took place inside the Nigerian Embassy, Prague, Czech Republic.Documents obtained exclusively by Huhuonline.com indicate that on February 10, 2005, the Nigerian Ambassador to Poland, Nuhu N Bajoga Audu duly contracted the Law Allianz firm by signing a certificate of authority authorizing the attorneys to hold brief for the government and the deceased in the case. The task was executed as mandated and the lawyers have been engaged in a frustrating exercise to get payment for their services. In another petition addressed to President Yar’adua’s office, the lawyers explained that after four years of futile efforts to get the Nigerian government pay their bills, they were left with no other option than to file the payment order lawsuit before the statute of limitation runs out. The petition, signed by Edward Asu Esq, lead counsel, enjoined President Yar’adua to use is high office to seek an amicable solution to the matter.Said the petition: “We filed the first demand for payment through the Nigerian Embassy in July 2005 and received a response Ref. No. ENP/PER/44/Vol 1 (Exhibit G). We replied timely. After this reply, we heard nothing from the NE Poland. When the NE Poland ceased to communicate with us, we filled the same demand for payment a second time directly to HMFA, Ambassador Oluyemi Adeniji, the Nigerian Embassy, the Director, NIA and the HMJ, Chief Akinlolu Olukinmi and your honourable office, the Presidency. About a Month or later we received a single and only correspondence from your honourable office, Ref. No. SH/COS/09/A/154 dated 12th July 2005 and signed by Ado Ma’aji, for the Chief of Staff to the Presidency. (Exhibit H). We were basically called names as the author claimed that your esteemed office did not know about such a case and neither was your office familiar with the retention of our professional services. This response begs the question, how come the highest office in the land does not know about the assassination of one of its senior diplomats inside her territory? Assuming the office of the Presidency is not aware of this incident as the writer claims, then, it introduces an even more vexatious question, why were the Permanent Secretary of MFA and deputy director of NIA in attendance at the trial? Is it feasible that the MFA and NIA did not advise the office of the Presidency about these events? We think not. There seem to be more questions than there are answers. Our opinion is that our demand for payment was intercepted and returned the MFA to prevent embarrassment; but like every light lamp that cannot be hidden under a bowl but placed on a lamp stand, this correspondence shall return to hunt them…Under Czech rules, the statute of limitations for filling suit is three (3) years, thus, based upon counsel’s advice we were forced to file a payment order suit prior to this date. We advised NE Poland in writing prior to filing this payment order suit. We cannot and refuse to be at the mercy of the FGN for services that we already rendered and expenses paid out of our own pockets. It is noteworthy to state that at trial, the facts and evidence manifestly showed that the late WAYI may have been murdered because the FGN allegedly did not fulfillment (alleged) legal financial obligations – repayment of the investment - to the culprit, MUDr. Pasovsky. Do you see a connection there? In the words of the statesman Benjamin Franklin, "to try and fail is at least to learn. To fail to try is to suffer the loss of what might have been." Apparently, irrespective of whatever anyone might think, there seem to be a nexus and pattern of behaviour here. Having being forced to file suit we have nothing to loose as it stands but we continue to hope that the FGN resolves this matter amicably and out of court by settling our invoices. In this light, our position remains unchanged. And as the late Gani Fawehinmi (SAN) would say, "Stand up for what is right even if you are standing alone". Unfailingly, we shall continue in this regard.”“We reiterate that it is not our intention to humiliate or tarnish the image of Nigeria but as already explained herein, we have run out of all other options and had to institute legal proceedings due to the statute bar provisions, even though we tried our utmost best to refrain from brining legal action. Given the circumstances we rather choose to exhaust all avenues for consultations and amicable resolution of the matter which have proved unsuccessful till date because all our demands have not been dignified with an acknowledgement or response including our second demand for intervention to your esteemed office. “
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I feel very fortunate that I met the perfect guy for me, but I have to admit that I do get really jealous of my single girlfriends when I hear about their dating adventures (even the bad ones!). Is that weird?
When I was dating, I didn't fully appreciate that nervous energy you get before you meet someone new, and I miss it. Sometimes when my friends are giving me a play-by-play of their dating adventures, I wish I could trade places with them for just one night to experience that rush again.
When I read about my girlfriends going on a date with her husband of eight years and feeling butterflies, I couldn't help but smile. That's the feeling I miss. Maybe I just need to make Ifeoma institute a monthly date night to let me experience that energy again!
Do you ever feel jealous of your single girlfriends when they go on dates? Ever wish you could trade places with them, even for one night? Or are you thrilled that you met "the one" so that you never have to go on another date again?
P.S. Who's your favorite fictional single gal? What's the sweetest thing a guy ever did for you on a first date? And what do you always do on or before a first date?
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True to its vow at a world press conference held in Lagos on July 14, the coalition of major associations in the Nigerian music industry has begun the mobilization of stakeholders throughout the country for the commencement of an indefinite mass hunger strike to draw the attention of the world to the intolerable amount of piracy that is devastating the music industry in Nigeria. The mass hunger strike is planned to commence on August 25. As a prelude to the strike, there will be an important rally of stakeholders in the Nigerian music industry at the premises of the National Theatre, Lagos at 10.00am on August 25. The rally will offer an opportunity to artistes and investors across the industry to network and devise strategies to frontally attacking the piracy scourge that is plundering the Nigerian entertainment industry.Further to the hunger strike, the coalition has resolved that a powerful delegation of industry stakeholders will proceed to the National Assembly in Abuja on September 1 to express the frustration of the industry over the lukewarm and ineffective attitude of the government to attacking the piracy cancer that is fast eating away the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of Nigerians and destroying the Nation’s image. The coalition is also requesting all broadcast organizations in the country to show solidarity with the plight of the Nigerian entertainment industry by observing September 1, 2009 as “NO MUSIC DAY”. Consequently, broadcasting stations across Nigeria are requested not to broadcast music between the hours of 6 am and 6 pm on September 1. Artistes across the country are also requested not to engage in any musical performance on “NO MUSIC DAY”It will be recalled that at the Press Conference held at Protea Hotel, Ikeja on July 14, the coalition had called on President Yar’ Adua to declare a State of Emergency with respect to the fight against piracy in Nigeria and to muster the necessary resources to eradicate the monster. The coalition had also called on the President to take the following specific actions:-1. Set up a Governing Board made up of Nigerians of proven commitment and integrity to design and supervise the activities of the Nigerian Copyright Commission in accordance with the Nigerian Copyright Act as the records show that for more than five years, the Nigerian Copyright Commission has only had a Board for a period of a few months in 2005.2. Direct the Nigerian Copyright Commission to immediately put on hold the process of approval of any new copyright collective management organization pending the IMMEDIATE convening of a stake holders conference on Collective Management to ensure that the process receives input from the stakeholders that will earn any organization emerging from the process the support of the industry.3. Direct the Inspector General of Police to serve a warning to the traders at Alaba International Market in Lagos, the world’s biggest hotbed of piracy, that if within a specified period the traders do not clean up the market, the government will shut Alaba market down.At the massively attended Press Conference, the coalition had noted that whatever efforts made so far to fight piracy in Nigeria had failed and rather than piracy being controlled or reduced in Nigeria, it was ravaging an entire generation of creative people. The coalition also warned that in desperation, practitioners in the Nigerian entertainment industry may soon be forced to take the laws into their hands in a desperate attempt to safeguard their investment and this may result in otherwise avoidable bloodshed.The coalition made up of Performing Musicians Employers Association of Nigeria (PMAN), Nigerian Association of Recording Industries (NARI), Performing & Mechanical Rights Society Ltd/Gte (PMRS), Association of Music Business Professionals (AM.B-Pro), Music Label Owners & Recording Industries Association of Nigeria (MORAN), Music Label Owners Association of Nigeria (MULOAN), Gramophone Records & Cassette Dealers (AGRECD), Music Advertisers Association Of Nigeria (MAAN). Audio /Video CD Sellers Association of Nigeria (AVCDSAN) also reminded the government that Nigeria may face sanctions from the international community because of the glaring failure to meet the nation’s obligations under the different conventions and treaties signed by our country to protect intellectual property rights of citizens of other nations which are wantonly infringed upon in Nigeria alongside those of Nigerian nationals.All artistes in music film, comedy, drama, literary works and all friends of the entertainment industry are invited to storm the historic rally at the National Theatre Lagos on Tuesday August 25 at 10 amEfe OmorogbeFor: The Nigerian Music Industry Coalition
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Lawmakers are going for the jugular of Education Minister, Sam Egwu, 48 hours after the Trade Union Congress (TUC) demanded his sack for the shoddy way he has handled the strike by university lecturers.
Members of the House of Representatives crafted a motion on Monday, to be tabled at plenary this week, to probe his alleged spending of N120 million to celebrate his 25th wedding anniversary.
All the heads of tertiary institutions who participated in the lavish gig will also be investigated.
The motion, sponsored by Halims Agoda, wants a mandate for the Education Committee to inquire into the sources of the N120 million.
It also wants the Committee to probe the sources of funds "used by university administrators, Provosts of colleges of education, Rectors of polytechnics and heads of parastatals of the ministry of education who attended the wedding anniversary in terms of expenses on transportation, travelling basic allowances, and other logistics, including media coverage, and recommend appropriate action to the House of Representatives."
The motion demands "an immediate and an unconditional public apology from Egwu to university students and their parents and guardians for conducting himself in a manner suggestive of disregard for the current plight of students."
It asked lawmakers to call on President Umaru Yar'Adua to "re-engineer his cabinet in order to give purposeful leadership to the country by cautioning his appointees whose conduct, actions or inactions portend a frontal onslaught on the sensibilities of the Nigerian people."
The motion noted that Egwu ought to proffer immediate and workable solutions to the strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) now threatening the survival of the university system.
It lamented that "without due regard to this basic fundamental of (his) responsibility, (Egwu), in a brazen show of contempt, insensitivity and a breach of acceptable social values, rather than get himself concerned with and involved in getting our universities re-opened, felt that it would serve greater public interest to tell Nigerians that his marriage is 25 years old with lavish celebrations."
Egwu had argued at the weekend that take it or leave it, the government has conceded enough, and shot down further demands by university lecturers who have been on strike since June 22.
Both TUC President General, Peter Esele, and General Secretary, John Kolawole, reacted on Sunday by saying that "the latest utterances from Egwu are a pointer that he is not capable to lead the education sector. We therefore call on the government for his immediate removal or face the wrath of Labour."
The ASUU itself on Monday accused the Federal Government of insincerity, despite its offer of 40 per cent increase in the salary of lecturers.
ASUU National President, Ukachukwu Awuzie, told journalists in Abuja that the lecturers are not in a hurry to end the strike, saying the government has abandoned agreements reached in negotiations.
His words: "You must have also heard the Minister of Labour, Hassan Mohammed Lawal, unilaterally pronouncing dead the ASUU-FG negotiation process that had reached its conclusion stage.
"(Lawal) declared strangely that those academics who left Nigeria for foreign countries did so, not because of lack of attractive conditions of service, but because they did not love their country."
ASUU Chairman at the University of Ibadan (UI), Abiodun Aremu, also accused the government of insincerity, and urged the public not to take Abuja seriously.
''ASUU has only one demand, which is for the government to sign an agreement we both freely reached as far back as last year. It is just engaging in mere propaganda and we are not moved," he said.
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We all are called to do the work of charity. In this case, there is no barrier and by that I mean how much you have. Sometimes we think it’s meant for those who have enough but let it be clear that human wants are insatiable for even the rich are still wanting for more wealth like the famous Oliva Twist. Charity as the Holy bible says covers a multitude of sin. This implies that God Almighty has every authority to forgive our iniquities just because we partake in the work of helping humanity (i.e. charity). Again, it does not mean we frequently sin and then take the antidote ‘charity work’ to cancel our debt. Not at all, we are made special by the creator of all things to control the environment we live in. You are never on your own as you cannot do without the other, so no man is an island. Something came to mind when I am concluding this writing about the parable of the rich fool in the bible who parked his rich harvests in the stores and was throwing party. He never woke up the next day as God demanded his soul. If one keeps wanting and remained insatiable in life, he may get full satisfaction in the grave and who knows what next?Today we have charity organizations, philanthropists and international bodies doing the work of charity. The common truth here is that they are not paid back reason because the clients are not poised to pay, instead they reap and that’s practical love. The work of charity does far more than donation. Charity in our various homes gives rise to a better society because the home is the fundamental part of the society where various characters abound. Contributing partially or immensely in moral upbringing of people around you is charity as well. This time around is it more than making donations as money could not buy you life; life eternal. Let’s build our homes with charity and love so that the society will improve. Helping others morally is very important while giving alms is nice as well but let’s merge the two (i.e. helping morality and doing almsgiving). If I keep giving to someone without giving morals or exhibiting true love through character, the beneficiaries see it as ordinary thing. Please note that the author is writing with experience using the teachings of Christ Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. Here he refers to the feeding of the 5000 men by Christ Jesus. At first they love listening to his sermons, secondly he performed miracles but Christ himself feeling for them demanded that a miracle be made and that was the multiplication of few loafs of bread. Remark that he (Jesus Christ) fed the moral food first before the perishable bread.Like the author stated initially, we are all stakeholders in the work of charity. There should not be excuses here because you are given all it takes to exercise your right as real humans. Your conscience tells you better when you are doing anything to salvage the world. No matter how little you have, ensure you share with others. See that the candle does not lose any light igniting the other candle as so is charity. Give and you receive.
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Posted by 9jabook.com on August 11, 2009 at 8:30pm
Sultan ofSokoto & US Secretary of State
ABUJA—Barring a last minute change of mind, several interest groups scheduled to hold talks with visiting United States Secretary of State, Mrs. Hillary Clinton would not honour the American Embassy invitation based on what is seen in diplomatic circles as a breach of protocol.
It was learnt, yesterday that the American Embassy in Abuja, had largely kept the Federal Government in the dark on preparations for the Secretary of State’s visit.
Mrs. Clinton was scheduled to hold talks with top government officials, led by President Umaru Yar’Adua at the Aso Villa, today, after which she would meet with several stakeholders in 9geria, including senators, members of the House of Representatives, traditional rulers, members of the National Inter-religious Council.
However, a top government functionary expressed dismay at the strategy employed by the American Embassy, which was said to have taken it upon itself to make arrangements without adequate consultations with the 9gerian government.
For instance, it was learnt that the Embassy had sent letters to the Senate President, Sen. David Mark, his counterpart at the House of Representatives, Hon Dimeji Bankole, requesting a list of their colleagues to hold talks with Mrs. Clinton.
A similar letter was said to have been sent to the Sultan of Sokoto, requesting a list of traditional rulers to be invited to meet the visiting Secretary of State. The source said each of them turned down the request.
Top officials of government, it was learnt, were alarmed that with a nation battling religious extremists, the Embassy could ask for nominations of people to meet with the US Secretary of State without considering the security implications.
“We don’t pray that anything bad happens but can you imagine the implications of negatively minded persons being invited to such a meeting if they choose to take advantage of such a meeting. It would be a monumental tragedy for 9geria as a nation,” the source said.
The source said that even the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs had no clear picture of the itinerary of Mrs. Clinton until yesterday, wondering “if the ministry which primary responsibility was to make the woman’s visit memorable was kept in the dark until the last minute before arrival, how could it brief the presidency?
“We are uncomfortable with the way officials of the embassy have been secretive about this visit. It does not show adequate regard for our government and we are certainly not pleased with such an arrangement. This is a sovereign nation and should be taken as such,” the official insisted.
The official noted that the way the embassy had gone with the preparations for the visit showed a strong disrespect for the Federal Government, which normal protocol demands should fully host Mrs. Clinton and take charge of her entire security.
It was learnt that there were no security meetings between operatives in the embassy and the 9gerian Police High Command in collaboration with other security outfits on the visit. The Americans were said to have been making independent arrangements, a development considered as a respect for the Federal Government.
Mrs. Clinton had, at the weekend, criticised 9gerian leaders for the continuous importation of refined petroleum products while occupying the position of world’s number six crude oil producer. She said it was a sign of bad leadership in the country.
“9geria is the 6th largest producer of crude oil but the country still imports fuel,” Clinton said at the weekend during her seven-nation tour of Africa, adding that this was a sign that the nation has poor leadership,” she was quoted as saying.
On the other hand, she praised the Southern African nation of Botswana which she described as a good example for Africa because her leaders judiciously utilized that country’s resources.
The US Secretary of State had warned, “Investors will not be attracted to states with failed or weak leadership, crime and civil unrest or corruption that taint every transaction and decision.”
Clinton shuns red carpet, state banquet
Facts emerged also yesterday night that Hillary Clinton who arrived the city of Abuja at 8:30 pm yesterday did not step a foot on the red carpet prepared for her by the 9gerian Government, let alone honouring an invitation to a banquet at the State House.
Her security detail, Vanguard gathered, would also ensure that vehicular and human traffic is temporarily cut off around the Shehu Yar’Adua Centre, where she is expected to parley with President Yar’Adua and the Civil Society.
The Centre, it was also gathered would be stripped of any ceremony that may “endanger the security” of Clinton and her team.
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Posted by Danladi Usman on September 3, 2009 at 3:25am
Over the past few months, the Minister of Information and Communications, Professor Dora Akunyili has been in the dock of public opinion but unfortunately for the wrong reasons. The issue revolves around who did what, how and when in the award of a recent contract to upgrade NTA facilities ahead of the under 17 World Cup. The reasons advanced for the one-sided debate have certainly failed to connect, leaving the larger public with an impression of a conspiracy to give a dog a bad name just to hang it.
The real reasons behind the insinuations that Akunyili might have influenced the outcome of the contract can only come from a negative mindset, wrong perception, unfounded suspicion and limited knowledge of NTA contract administration procedure. Before 1999, Ministers could easily influence a procurement process in a parastatal or agency. After 1999, it has become increasingly difficult. The game has since changed. As former NTA DG, I know that Contract processes are handled by the agencies themselves through the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).
This explains why NTA went through the rigorous process of selective tendering and recommended three contractors to BPP. THOMPSON GRASS VALLEY of FRANCE was awarded the upgrading and refurbishing of 6 Outside Broadcast Van from Standard Definition (SD) to High Definition (HD) and the refurbishing of International Broadcasting Centre from SD to HD. WTS/SONY NIGERIA was awarded the contract to renovate the 6 Digital Satellite News Gathering Van while VISAT USA is to upgrade and refurbish 9 Meter Satellite Hub at the National Stadium.
Interestingly, BPP reviewed the submission and called for fresh tenders from companies. Thereafter, BPP selected WTS SONNY to handle the whole contract! It was after this stage that the Minister as a statutory responsibility took the recommendations of the NTA with the certificate of no objection issued by the BPP to the Federal Executive Council for consideration and approval.
Beyond this, I have also followed arguments in some sections of the media over attempts to make some kind of narrow comparisons between the procurement of those facilities for NTA and a claim of similar procurements in South Africa. Even if the procurements were made by South Africa, some basic questions would definitely arise. For instance, what kind of outside broadcast vans were procured by Nigeria and South Africa? Were they the same in quantity, quality, size, accessories, and operational mobility? What about maintenance arrangements, training, and other vital conditions? How does the issue of exchange rate and environmental regulations play-out in the comparisons? What of other purchases included in the Nigeria package such as cameras, microphones etc? And the terms of payment?
These and more, I suspect, are the kinds of questions that arise when people make comparisons that are clearly superfluous, inconsistent and incongruous. There is nothing to also suggest that the Bureau of Public Procurement failed to use the same parameter it had adopted in the past to subject the cost to conform with the most responsive competitive cost within the frame work of due process pricing regime.
I do not see the connection between the on-going sponsored attacks on Prof Akunyili’s role which in any case; she had no option under the public procurement policy guidelines of the Federal Government. I sympathize with Prof Akunyili for being a victim of the unfortunate growing culture of “pull-him-down” even when the issues are clearly laid on the table. Having worked conscientiously for Nigeria and in the process built a solid reputation, what should make Prof Akunyili rub on her reputation at this stage? I do not see any such motivation?
What must have been at the back of all the media-war against the minister, might not be unconnected with the unhealthy rivalry and the on-going struggle over who secures the hosting rights of the under 17 World Cup. The support of the Umaru Yar’adua administration through the Minister’s effort in favour of NTA is not only open but solid to the envy of all rivals of the national television.
Ben Bruce is the president of the Silver Bird Group and former Director General of NTA.
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Sauna Kawaji is a backside suburb situated on the road to Hadejia town, in the southern end of the ancient city of Kano. It has a number of tiny roads and interlocking lanes that network across a number of unevenly situated mud, and sometimes, block of residential buildings.The mystery goat and its new babiesadvertisementThe compounds host an expanding population of men, women and children.It is normal to see kids playing away in the early morning sun in this neighbourhood. Also, it is normal to see goats loitering or feeding on scattered grains, just as cows are regular feature here. Indeed, human population in this tiny town is intermixed with the population of other domestic species, such as fowls, goats, sheep and cows.However, it could be said that the innocence of the community was figuratively broken on Thursday, August 6, 2009 when a strange “August visitor” came. On that day, a mystery crept into the community and shook it to its very roots. It was the day a she -goat gave birth to a “child” with obvious human features.For the villagers, the story of a she-goat giving birth to a creature with some features of normal human being is incredible. Yet, right before their very eyes, this concrete reality, played out like a script from a horror film.According to a tailor in the community, Alhaji Bashir Haruna, (alias Soldier), 47, that Thursday, like any other day, he woke up with the normal bustling of a new day in a small town. He said that people went about their businesses without constraint or care. The hustling of the day was rather very alive, activated due to the delegate congress of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.He recalled that many people had come home from the city to be part of the congress. Then the news broke: A goat has delivered a semi-human being.Haruna, who resides just a stone throw from the scene of the episode told Saturday Sun that soon after the strange incident, the news to spread like wild fire. And before long, it was everywhere.The owner of the mystery goat, Hajia Amina Mohammed Sauna, confirmed the birth of the creature, which she quickly declared was dead at birth.She said that the unusual creature was delivered at about 12pm on that Thursday, adding that all her life she had never encountered such a strange happening.Being the guardian of the she-goat and the first witness of the rather strange recourse of nature, she recalled that the she-goat, through out her lifespan, had never had such a prolonged labour.She said: “For four days, she was very sick. We all had sleepless nights trying to fend for the goat, to cope with her trouble, night after night. And it was like it would never end. And on the night before that Thursday, it was worst, the tumbling stress of labour was severe on her and at about 12pm the following day, she finally came off it and delivered.“I was nearby at the time she delivered. I was the first to come face to face with the creature. I was shocked and I was shaken. I was afraid. I could not believe my eyes. Here I was, an old woman standing face to face, taking delivery of a human-like goat, a creature I had never imagined was possible in this world. I immediately screamed, partly out of fear and shock and thereafter I said a quick prayer (Muslims recitation) and then dashed out of the house to call for help.“Right before my eyes, I saw a creature with the following features: The face is that of a human being, but the ears are that of a goat. Its eyes were shut because it was lifeless at birth. It has a small tail, like a normal goat and both its two legs and hands have hoofs at the end. But from the chest to the hip, the body of the creature was that of a human being. Interestingly, it does have the usual hairy body of a normal goat, just light hairs in some part of the body.”According to her, when the people gathered, it was agreed that such a strange encounter must be reported to the village head of Sauna/Kawaji, Alhaji Ado Umar. So, she called two other relatives who were around and they took the creature to the village head, who advised that they should immediately report the matter to the Police in the state.Subsequently, they took the creature, accompanied by a mammoth crowd of curious onlookers to the Dakata Police Station, a division of the Police in the state. She revealed that the decision to report the matter to the police was out of the need to avoid a situation where they, the immediate owners of the goat, would be held for the failure to report matter to the police.Incidentally, while the creature was being taken to the police station, the mother goat, which was yet to finally come out of labour, completed her assignment. She delivered yet another set of babies, two of them in all. These additional babies were however, different from the creature that preceded their birth. They looked like the normal goats and had no features of a human being at all.Alhaji Mazzadeen Ibrahim, (alias Officer) said that the mammoth crowd that turned up with the strange creature to the police station, that afternoon, at about 3pm, was overwhelming.Mazzadeenn, who runs a mechanic workshop in front of the Dakata divisional police station, told Saturday Sun that the crowd overwhelmed the station by its size. He recalled that people poured in hundreds from Sauna and neighbouring towns, adding that while some people were inside the police station compound, others scaled the fence.“It was not easy, but I was lucky to have gone inside and I saw it. They brought it in cartoon, wrapped in an old black coat,” he said while confirming the earlier description of the features of the strange creature.He recalled that the creature had a human vagina, a human face and a goat-like hoof and ears. He summed up thus: “All my life, I have never seen anything close to this. The nearest that I have seen was a goat with eight legs at birth and that was five years ago.”The police DPO, it was gathered, was speechless and shocked by what he saw. After due consultation with his superiors at the Bompai headquarters of the command, he referred the matter to a vet clinic in Ugwar Ugwu area of the state.At the vet clinic, the doctor demanded to know the kind of food the goat eats and was told that it feeds by the way side, picking whatever it can. The doctor advised that in future, the goats should be fed with grains.Speaking further on her goat, Sauna said it was born in the village 10 years ago. She said that it grew up in the environment and had given birth to several young goats. Sauna said: “At least, I remember that she had delivered sets of young ones on eight occasions, some sets of twins, some triplets and on a few occasions, quadrates.“The mother goat belongs to my daughter, who resides in Lagos. The goat stays with us here; she sleeps in this house (pointing backwards to the stained-roofed, dilapidated structure that hosts their compound). When it is dawn, we let the goat wander into town in search of food to eat, and in the evening, she comes back home to sleep. At home, we cannot afford to buy her grains of food. As matter of practice, we don’t keep goats at home or restrict the movement of goats in this area. The goats roam to any area of convenience and get to feed themselves,” she declared.Sauna said that the mother goat has since returned to her normal life after the birth of the creature, adding: “Surprisingly, she is not sick and although I am not an a veterinary doctor, I know that she is well.”In his comment, the Kano State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Baba Mohammed, confirmed the incident and said the police had directed that the creature be sent to a vet hospital in the state for their further advice. He observed that, like every other person, policemen were shocked at the birth of a goat with dual features, some of which are human look. He however, concluded that only the experts in the field of animal medicine could explain what happened.The curious part of the story is that some people believe that a man may have violated the mother goat. Those in this school of thought say that since the mother goat wander about anything was possible.However, a veterinary doctor, Salisu Atiku and a senior livestock superintendent in the state, Abbas Ibrahim, who both commented on the development, are of a different views. For them, it is wrong to link the strange occurrence with a sexual relationship between a goat and a human being.
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The recent death of Lekan Benson Adelaja and others in boats mishap in a Lagos community, just seven days after his wedding, has generated many controversies between his family and his wife’s. Adewale Ajayi reports.
When the family of Benson Adelaja gathered on August 1 to consummate the marriage of their son, Lekan to Sunbo in Ikenne, Ogun State, they never knew that the joy of their son getting married would be short-lived .
The family never had any inkling that the husband would die a week after his wedding, although there was a spiritual warning handed over to Lekan’s mother that his son should not travel out of his town Sagamu, Ogun State, some days after his wedding, a warning which his mother was said to have repeated to him.
On August 7, a Friday , Lekan was said to have left Sagamu to attend a party organised by his boss somewhere in Ajah , Eti Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State.
He was said to have travelled in company of his wife, younger sister, two of his friends , and his boss’s wife, who was said to have been picked up in Ikorodu for the trip. They drove to Baiyeku, in Ikorodu Local Government Area, and decided to make the rest of the trip by canoe , which transports people from that area to Ajah and Langbasa.
Lekan parked his car, a metallic colour Honda Accord with registration number KC 906 KJA by the shore of the river, and off they went. Less than 10 minutes after, the canoe left the shore and, still within the vicinity of the shore, capsized , it ran into strong ocean waves , which damaged the steering of the boat engine. The canoe capsized, , throwing its about 26 passengers overboard.
The sailor of another canoe, which had six passengers had, on the scene of the accident, attempted to rescue the passengers of the capsized canoe. But that also capsized, and the passengers in the two canoes were discharged into the lagoon.
With the assistance of fishermen, divers and marine policemen that came on board, some passengers were rescued, among whom was Lekan. He, however, took a plunge into the lagoon when his wife, Sunbo, was not found. Eventually, his wife was rescued, and a search for him and others continued.
On that day, five people were said to have been rescued alive, out of whom two dropped dead before medical aid could reach them, while five corpses were also said to have been brought out of the lagoon, including that of a woman with a baby strapped to her back. The baby was still alive. Of the three rescued, one survivor was said to have swam to the shore.
The rescue operation was put on hold till the next day , which was a Saturday, exactly a week after Lekan consummated his marriage to Sunbo.
The salvage operation was put on hold because it was assumed that the victims would have died, as they had not been found three hours after the incident, and that their corpses would be found floating on the river by the next day.
On Saturday, the environment became tense; the entire community was in a mournful mood, as friends and relatives of those who came in search of their loved ones bewailed their loss.
Friends of Lekan from Ijagba, in Sagamu, Ogun State, besieged the town, demanding for explanations on why such a thing should happen to their pal, and blaming the boat operators for failing to provide safety measures like life jackets for their passengers .
They wondered why such a thing should happen to him barely a week after his marriage. While some wailed to register their displeasure, others threatened to set ablaze, the houses in the community. Though they were prevented from doing that, the canoe operators’ office was not spared. It was vandalised, and the locally-made life jackets hung on the wall were destroyed and thrown into the lagoon.
Those whose relatives were yet to be found were seen moving up and down the shore of the lagoon with drawn faces, while others glued their eyes to the lagoon, perhaps probing it for swallowing their loved ones.
On the third day of the incident, a Sunday, six swollen corpses were found. Among them was Lekan’s, his friend’s and his sister-in-law’s. The atmosphere became charged, as members of his family became enraged, blaming his wife for contributing to his death, arguing that if he had not taken the risk of plunging into the lagoon , in search of the wife, he would probably have been alive today.
The two families that had, a week earlier, exchanged pleasantries when giving out their children in marriage , suddenly became enemies , and Lekan’s friends threatened to beat them up. It took the intervention of members of Baiyeku community and the policemen drafted to the town to restore order.
In line with the Yoruba tradition , to the effect that anyone who dies in a river , lagoon , sea or brook should be buried at its bank , it was unanimously agreed that the corpses be buried at the bank of the lagoon .
In other to scare the women and other lily-livered men away from the burial site, the Oro (traditional ritual which women were forbidden to watch) was invoked, while the corpses were ferried to the portion earmarked for their burial with a boat, and the corpses floated on the lagoon, tied to the canoe.
It was an emotion-laden event, as relatives of the deceased wept , as the corpses were being pulled from the lagoon into their grave.
Commenting on the incident, Mr Kunle Jegede, who claimed to have been traveling to Ajah on boat en route Baiyeku in the last seven years, said the boat operators should be blamed for the incident, because many of them usually overloaded their boats and failed to provide life jackets for their passengers.
He explained that government should also share part of the blame , explaining that despite the approval given to the boat operators by the government, they were not being properly monitored. He explained further that the boat in question had once been involved in an accident at Majidun, near Ikorodu town, and that this was why it was barred from loading in the area, and was eventually taken to Baiyeku .
Another boat operator in Baiyeku, Mr. Segun Omogunle, said officials of the Lagos State Water Traffic Management Authority (LASTWA) had, on many occasions, arrested the boat operators, and that in the last one year, they have been arrested more than 20 times for failing to comply with laid-down regulations for operation.
He explained that on one occasion, the marine police impounded three of the boats because they lacked the necessary facilities, and they had to bribe the police with N60,000 before the boats were released .
Speaking on the development, the head of the community, Chief Kehinde Ogunyera, said such a sad incident had never occurred in the past 70 years of his existence. He explained that the council of chiefs in the community usually took time off to monitor the activities of the boat operators, and that they usually complied with the conditions and rules given to them.
He said they never overloaded their boats, as claimed by some people, and that the life jackets they used were the brand recommended for them, and were not inferior as claimed .
Chief Ogunyera stated that, many times , the passengers refused to wear life jacket given to them , giving the excuse that they might contact disease by wearing it , because people afflicted with a disease might have worn it before.
A spiritual dimension was, however, introduced by some people, who blamed the community for failing to make sacrifices to the water goddess, arguing that the river goddess was probably angry. Some blamed Lekan for refusing to abide by the spiritual instruction given to him through his mother, which forbade him from going out of his town, Sagamu, for some days.
Buttressing that fact, Lekan’s boss, Chief Muyideen Oladegun, said although Lekan had been travelling on that lagoon for over seven years, and that he and Lekan used that route many times, he had warned him against attending the ill-fated party, having earlier on reminded him of the spiritual message which forbade him from going out of his town for some days after his wedding.
While those who lost their loved ones are bemoaning their ill-fortune, it is necessary for the state government, which has made known its intention to popularize water transportation, to make sure that most of the private boat operators who are given approval are closely monitored, to prevent tragedies such as the one that claimed passengers.
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A fresh legal battle might be brewing in the Jackson family as British child star Mark Lester says he's the father of Michael Jackson’s daughter, Paris.Lester who acted the role of Oliver Twist in his childhood days said he donated his sperm to the late music legend."I gave Michael my sperm so that he could have kids - and I believe Paris is my daughter," said Lester, who played in the 1967 flick "Oliver."The 51-year-old told Britain News of the World he gave Jackson his semen 13 years ago. He claims he is the godfather to all three of Jackson's children.Lester also said Paris is his daughter because of an "uncanny likeness" between the girl and his own daughter, Harriet, 15. He wants to take a paternity test.Lester said he donated his sperm at a London clinic while Jackson was married to Debbie Rowe."She's the birth mother of the children so I naturally assumed the sperm donation would obviously have gone into Debbie and Debbie would have borne the children," he said in a video posted on the paper's Web site.He said he's coming forward now because he has "concerns about the welfare and upbringing of the children.""I dearly want to remain in contact with those kids and I feel now this is the only way I can ensure that," he said.Jackson and Lester were friends for more than 25 years and he reportedly spent the day with the Jackson kids after their father's memorial service last month."The kids seemed to be coping quite well and they are surrounded by their family right now," he said at the time. "They are very polite and quite quiet kids, and despite all the publicity surrounding them and their family, they are trying to keep things as normal as possible at home."
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