It's not difficult to makea woman happy.A man only needs to be:1. a friend2. a companion3. a lover4. a brother5. a father6. a master7. a chef8. an electrician9. a carpenter10. a plumber11. a mechanic12. a decorator13. a stylist14. a sexologist15. a gynecologist16. a psychologist17. a pest exterminator18. a psychiatrist19. a healer20. a good listener21. an organizer22. a good father23. very clean24. sympathetic25. athletic26. warm27. attentive28. gallant29. intelligent30. funny31. creative32. tender33. strong34. understanding35. tolerant36. prudent37. ambitious38. capable39. courageous40. determined41. true42. dependable43. passionate44. compassionateWITHOUT FORGETTING TO:45. give her compliments regularly46. love shopping47. be honest48. be very rich49. not stress her out50. not look at other girlsAND AT THE SAME TIME, YOU MUST ALSO:51. give her lots of attention, but expect little yourself52. give her lots of time, especially time for herself53. give her lots of space, never worrying about where she goesIT IS VERY IMPORTANT:54. Never to forget:* birthdays* anniversaries* arrangements she makesHOW TO MAKE A MAN HAPPY1. Show up naked2. Bring alcohol
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From Sex for Money
To Babies for Money Our Desperation has come a long wayIt may sound incredible, but it is true. Many Nigerian ladies now bear children for men just for a fee. They are all over town, in Lagos and other parts of the country, looking for men to conceive for, not as wives but simply for commercial purposes. And once they are delivered of the babies, they hand same over to their ‘customers’ and move on.
It seems that with the nation’s economy teetering on the precipice and millions of Nigerians experiencing excruciating hardship, as a result of the global financial meltdown, some of the citizens are, characteristically, adopting survival strategies with a touch of ingenious creativity. In this case, women are giving good accounts of themselves in the game of survival.
our investigation revealed that the pregnancy-for-money has become a lucrative business, to the extent that many Nigerian ladies find it attractive. The men they bear children for may not be acquaintances or people they know. The bottom-line is the money involved. Conception could be through artificial insemination or sexual intercourse. To play the role, the ladies charge between N150, 000 and N200, 000. This sum, however, does not include antenatal bills.
While investigating the story, our undercover reporter got six young ladies to have babies for him for a fee. One of them, who claim to be carrying a three-month pregnancy currently, agreed to hand over the baby to him whenever it was delivered.
Agnes, as she identified herself, was not keen to disclose the source of her pregnancy. When asked who was responsible for the pregnancy she wants to sell, she retorted: “How I got pregnant is not the issue. If you want the baby, I will give it to you when I deliver and you pay me. That’s all.”
Indeed, getting the pregnancy-for-fee ladies is like a piece of cake. As soon as we broached the idea to one Miss Joy (surname withheld), a 25-year-old factory worker, she had no objection. To her, it was a familiar path. It seemed that she had done it before and was not averse to doing it again. And it was the Delta State indigene, who later introduced three of her friends or acquaintances who are also in the business.
After gaining Joy’s confidence, the reporter told her that he knew some childless couples who were also interested in such a deal. She thought about the proposal briefly and said she would arrange it if adequately motivated. In her words: “Na your money go waka for you.”
Joy charged a consultancy fee of N5, 000 and got to work. Within 48 hours, she got other ladies who would join her in the deal. She actually told the reporter that she could arrange as many of such ladies as there are clients because, according to her, it was a common practice among girls in Mushin and Ajegunle areas of Lagos, where she resides with her aged parents and siblings. She said she has connection with other ladies outside as was reported a few months ago. Her asking price was N300, 000 to give up the baby boy.
One of the commercial mothers, Tonia, said: “If any guy wants me to have a child for him, I will consider it if he can pay me up to N200, 000. He will also pay my medical bills. He will pay the agreed sum in three instalments: He will pay me the first one when I take in; the second will be when the pregnancy is about six months old while the final payment will be after delivery. We can be making love from time to time until full term.”
Another “baby factory”, who gave her name as Sonia, 26, said she could accept N130, 000 but that the man would handle her upkeep until she puts to bed.
Busty and lively, she said she wouldn’t mind living with the man from about the fourth month of the pregnancy so that the man would continue sleeping with her, as couple do. However, unlike Tonia, she would collect half of the agreed sum shortly after she becomes pregnant and the other half when she puts to bed.
On her own part, Becky, who hails from Edo State, said that she would accept to render such service if the man would pay N100, 000, provide her accommodation as well as foot her other bills until she is delivered of the baby. She said the man has to take care of her as his wife during the period of the pregnancy.
Another lady in the business, who simply identified herself as Patience, an indigene of Cross River State, said: “When we agree and the man gives me belle, I go tell my senior sister that I want to travel. Then the man will give me where to stay until I born am.”
She said her pay-off was a lump sum of N150, 000, which she intends to use to start a business.
While all the ladies said they were ready to go for tests before the consummation of the deals, they pledged not to relinquish the custody rights over the babies they are rented to bear once money exchanged hands
Originally sent in By Eddy Etuk thanks Eddy ! Re Edited/Rewritten from Sun Magazine by Noelene Joshua (Webmadam 9jabook.com)
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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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France & Denmark have banned it from the country..._(http://www.funzug.com/index.php/informative-zone/red-bull-=-slow-death.html)_RED BULL - slow death ...RED BULL - slow death ...RED BULL - slow death ..._(http://www..funzug.com/index.php/informative-zone/red-bull-=-slow-death.html)_Do NOT drink this drink anymore!!Pay attention; read it all_(http://www.funzug.com/index.php/informative-zone/red-bull-=-slow-death.html)As a public health safety, please pass on this email to all the contactsin your address book especially those with teenage children?This drink is SOLD in all the supermarkets IN OUR country and ourchildren ARE CONSUMING IT ON A TRIAL BASIS, IT can be mortal.RED BULL was created to stimulate the brains in people who are subjectedto great physical force and in stress coma and never to be consumed likean innocent drink or soda pop.RED BULL IS the energizer DRINK that is commercialized world-wide withits slogan:'It increases endurance; awakens the concentration capacity andthe speed of reaction, offers more energy and improves the mood. All thiscan be found in a can of RED BULL , the power drink of the millennium.'RED BULL has managed to arrive at almost 100 countries worldwide. The REDBULL logo is targeted at young people and sportsmen, two attractivesegments that have been captivated by the stimulus that the drink provides.It was created by Dietrich Mateschitz, an industrialist of Austrianorigin who discovered the drink by chance. It happened during abusiness trip toHong Kong , when he was working at a factory that manufacturedtoothbrushes.The liquid, based on a formula that contained caffeine and taurine, causeda rage in that country. Imagine the grand success of this drink in Europewhere the product still did not exist, besides it was a superb opportunityto become an entrepreneur.BUT THE TRUTH ABOUT THIS DRINK IS ANOTHER THING:FRANCE and DENMARK have just prohibited it as a cocktail of death, due toits vitamin components mixed with GLUCURONOLACTONE', a highly dangerouschemical, which was developed by the United States Department of Defenseduring the sixties to stimulate the moral of the troops based in VIETNAM,which acted like a hallucinogenic drug that calmed the stress of the war.But their effects in the organism were so devastating, that it wasdiscontinued, because of the high index of cases of migraines, cerebral tumorsand diseases of the liver that was evident in the soldiers who consumed it.And in spite of it, in the can of RED BULL you can still find as one ofits components: GLUCURONOLACTONE, categorized medically as a stimulant. Butwhat it does not say on the can of ,RED BULL are the consequences of itsconsumption, and that has forced us to place a series of WARNINGS:1. It is dangerous to take it if you do not engage in physical exerciseafterwards, since its energizing function accelerates the heart rate and cancause a sudden attack.2. You run the risk of undergoing a cerebral hemorrhage, because RED BULLcontains components that dilute the blood so that the heart utilizes lessenergy to pump the blood, and thus be able to deliver physical force withless effort being exerted.3. It is prohibited to mix RED BULL with alcohol, because the mixture turnsthe drink into a " Deadly Bomb " that attacks the liver directly,causing the affected area never to regenerate anymore.4. One of the mai_n components of RED BULL is the B12 vitamin, used inmedicine to recover patients who are in a coma; from here the hypertensionand the state of excitement which is experienced after taking it, as if youwere in a drunken state.5. The regular consumption of RED BULL triggers off symptoms in the formof a series of irreversible nervous and neuronal diseases.CONCLUSION: It is a drink that should be prohibited in the entire worldas when it is mixed with alcohol it creates a TIME BOMB for the human body,mainly between innocent adolescents and adults with little experience..Forward this mail to Everyone and Let them know about this.._(http://www.funzug.com/index.php/informative-zone/red-bull-=-slow-death.html)BEST REGARDS
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It may sound incredible, but it is true. Many Nigerian ladies now bear children for men just for a fee. They are all over town, in Lagos and other parts of the country, looking for men to conceive for, not as wives but simply for commercial purposes. And once they are delivered of the babies, they hand same over to their ‘customers’ and move on.It seems that with the nation’s economy teetering on the precipice and millions of Nigerians experiencing excruciating hardship, as a result of the global financial meltdown, some of the citizens are, characteristically, adopting survival strategies with a touch of ingenious creativity. In this case, women are giving good accounts of themselves in the game of survival.Investigation revealed that the pregnancy-for-money has become a lucrative business, to the extent that many Nigerian ladies find it attractive. The men they bear children for may not be acquaintances or people they know. The bottom-line is the money involved. Conception could be through artificial insemination or sexual intercourse. To play the role, the ladies charge between N150, 000 and N200, 000. This sum, however, does not include antenatal bills.While investigating the story, an undercover reporter got six young ladies to have babies for him for a fee. One of them, who claim to be carrying a three-month pregnancy currently, agreed to hand over the baby to him whenever it was delivered.Agnes, as she identified herself, was not keen to disclose the source of her pregnancy. When asked who was responsible for the pregnancy she wants to sell, she retorted: “How I got pregnant is not the issue. If you want the baby, I will give it to you when I deliver and you pay me. That’s all.”Indeed, getting the pregnancy-for-fee ladies is like a piece of cake. As soon as the reporter broached the idea to one Miss Joy (surname withheld), a 25-year-old factory worker, she had no objection. To her, it was a familiar path. It seemed that she had done it before and was not averse to doing it again. And it was the Delta State indigene, who later introduced three of her friends or acquaintances who are also in the business.After gaining Joy’s confidence, the reporter told her that he knew some childless couples who were also interested in such a deal. She thought about the proposal briefly and said she would arrange it if adequately motivated. In her words: “Na your money go waka for you.”Joy charged a consultancy fee of N5, 000 and got to work. Within 48 hours, she got other ladies who would join her in the deal. She actually told the reporter that she could arrange as many of such ladies as there are clients because, according to her, it was a common practice among girls in Mushin and Ajegunle areas of Lagos, where she resides with her aged parents and siblings. She said she has connection with other ladies outside Lagos, who are also in the network. To show that she meant business, Joy offered her three-year-old love child for sale a few months ago. Her asking price was N300, 000 to give up the baby boy.One of the commercial mothers, Tonia, said: “If any guy wants me to have a child for him, I will consider it if he can pay me up to N200, 000. He will also pay my medical bills. He will pay the agreed sum in three instalments: He will pay me the first one when I take in; the second will be when the pregnancy is about six months old while the final payment will be after delivery. We can be making love from time to time until full term.”Another “baby factory”, who gave her name as Sonia, 26, said she could accept N130, 000 but that the man would handle her upkeep until she puts to bed.Busty and lively, she said she wouldn’t mind living with the man from about the fourth month of the pregnancy so that the man would continue sleeping with her, as couple do. However, unlike Tonia, she would collect half of the agreed sum shortly after she becomes pregnant and the other half when she puts to bed.On her own part, Becky, who hails from Edo State, said that she would accept to render such service if the man would pay N100, 000, provide her accommodation as well as foot her other bills until she is delivered of the baby. She said the man has to take care of her as his wife during the period of the pregnancy.Another lady in the business, who simply identified herself as Patience, an indigene of Cross River State, said: “When we agree and the man gives me belle, I go tell my senior sister that I want to travel. Then the man will give me where to stay until I born am.”She said her pay-off was a lump sum of N150, 000, which she intends to use to start a business.While all the ladies said they were ready to go for tests before the consummation of the deals, they pledged not to relinquish the custody rights over the babies they are rented to bear once money exchanged hands.
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As Pope John Paul II was dying; he sent for James Ibori and Peter Odili to come to the Vatican .When they arrived, they were ushered to his bedroom.As they entered, the clergyman held out his hands and motioned them to sit on each side of the bed.The Pope grasped their hands, sighed contentedly, smiled and stared at the ceiling.For a time, no one said anything.Both Ibori and Odili were touched and flattered that the old Pope would ask them to be with him during his final moment.They were also puzzled because the Pope never gave any indication that he liked either one of them.Finally, Ibori asked, "Fader, wettin make you ask dTwo of us to come here?"The old Pope mustered up some strength and said weakly,"Jesus died between two thieves...I will like to die like him"
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Posted by 9jabook.com on October 14, 2009 at 8:16pm
It has been reported that on November 1, 2009, the government of President Yar’Adua would commence fully the total deregulation of the downstream oil sector. This means that Nigerians must be prepared for a regime when government withdraws any semblance of protection of the consumer against unguarded pricing of petroleum products.
It must be stated for those who argue that deregulation would eventually lead to low pricing of petroleum products, and who are excited at citing the example in the telecommunications sector, that although diesel and kerosene are no more “subsidized” by government, their prices remain so high that manufacturers and other businesses which rely on their generators for electricity are running at a great loss as they must buy diesel at exorbitant prices for their generators, even as the government has been so deceptive and incompetent in all its highly publicized efforts to generate electricity for the public.
President Yar’Adua and his party, the PDP (which can fittingly be called Poverty Distribution Party) have been deriving tremendous satisfaction from seeing Nigerians suffer. While President Yar’Adua collects more than N2 million a month as “Hardship allowance”, he has no plan or thought for that Nigerian who is struggling to survive in a country that Yar’Adua and his murderous group have taken captive. While each Senator of the federal republic collects a daily allowance of 600 USD (I mean US dollars, not naira) as “lunch money” (Senate president, David Mark collects more than 1000 USD a day for “lunch”), the Nigerian worker is expected by those heartless killers to survive on N7, 500 or N5, 000 a month and to put in good service at work.
In the 2009 budget, N60 billion was voted for “Constituency projects” of the choosing of federal legislators. Each geo-political zone got N10 billion, which amount is under the control and use of the federal legislators in those zones. Each Senator, for instance collects N45 million every quarter for their senatorial district. Proper accounting is absent; the money is used up by those senators and nothing happens. Those guys in power, at the goading of Yar’Adua, are lynching our people! More than N1.2 trillion is spent to pay the salaries of less than 18,000 public officials in Nigeria! But the poor man and woman on the street must be made to suffer more and “sacrifice” for Yar’Adua’s seven-point agenda. Where is the conscience of Yar’Adua and his group of looters of our commonwealth?
In all these, I can hear so loudly the complicit silence of our religious leaders and “men of God”. If a founder of a church, with millions of worshippers, a General Overseer or Bishop, whose words carry great weight, maintains disturbing silence in the midst of this raping and oppression of a nation, they will give an account on the day of reckoning. Recently, the Sultan of Sokoto spoke out against the poor governance in the nation. That was a flash in the pan. I don’t know how President Yar’Adua responded secretly to silence the gentleman. It was reported that Bishop Oneikyan of Abuja also spoke against the present absence of good governance in Nigeria, and the PDP government reacted to silence him one way or the other. It goes to show the impact that those “men of God” can make if they (and they are so many) speak persistently without ceasing against the wickedness in high places. I would not want them to hide their words in bland euphemisms; they must speak out plainly and pronounce woes against wicked rulers such as Yar’Adua, David Mark, and the many governors who are destroying our nation.
But our men of God frolic with those thieves who have no compassion for Nigerians. They attend “Thanksgiving services” and “Holy Ghost” meetings, where conspicuous seats are reserved for them. So, our religious leaders have become a problem rather than the solution for a nation that has lost her conscience. Our traditional rulers are silent too. They only make pretentious noises when they suspect they are no longer getting from our corrupt political rulers the patronage they think they deserve. At that very moment of self-service they speak, ostensibly for the downtrodden. As soon as government accords the expected patronage they retire into their cocoons to enjoy their catch; the people are left tired and without a shepherd, exposed to any inhuman policies of government, such as the deregulation of the oil sector, without reliable and regular power supply, without effective public transport system, without social security system to assist the weak and poor in our midst etc.
This man went to commission a university in Saudi Arabia during the closure of Nigeria’s public universities under his watch. President Yar’Adua comes back to Nigeria, and surprises of all surprises, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) gives him an award! What a nation! What students!
If the NLC wants to be taken seriously, they must insist on the following while they shut down the entire nation:
1. The immediate reduction in the salaries and allowances of all public officials to reflect the national minimum wage. The highest paid public official must not earn more than 40 times national minimum wage.
2. The suspension of the planned deregulation of the downstream oil sector until the following are done:
Public power supply is 24 hours a day without interruption.Importation of petroleum products is replaced by sufficient local refining in refineries located in Nigeria.i. Standard railways are built to link all the six geo-political zones.ii. All federal roads are built into international standards.iii. A highly organized social security system including universal health care, college tuition assistance, old age care, and family assistance is put in place.iv. All basic amenities such as potable water, public health care facilities must be a given.v. No serving public official (including the president) must seek health care abroad.
1. The upward review of the national minimum wage to N250 an hour or N40, 000 a month.
2. A total ban on importation of generators within one year, to remain enforced until public power supply is regular and uninterrupted.
3. Public expenditure on education, beginning with the 2010 budget should be a minimum of 26 percent of the total budget.
4. The passage into law by 2010 of a new Electoral Act, which reflects the recommendations of the Justice Uwais committee.
The nation needs a total shut down; a bold confronting of the excesses of government. If labor has anything to offer, this is the time. If Nigerian students have anything to give for the growth of the nation, this is the time. The minimum I ask for is that our “men of God” should not keep quiet until Nigeria becomes a place of praise. They rail at the little sinners in their congregations and mingle with Nigeria’s oppressors and looters. They strain at gnats but swallow camels. This silence is ungodly. Nigeria is in need of voices that will cry in the wilderness of our looted land. The NLC, NANS, and all Nigerian scholars must redeem themselves. What is the value of our education if our nation continues to flounder and we hold our peace?
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Posted by 9jabook.com on October 13, 2009 at 7:52pm
Today, Toye Arulogun will be asking a Federal High Court in Abeokuta to declare Faith Academy and the Covenant University Health Centre, along with their staff, guilty of negligence, leading to the death of his daughter, Morenike Yireobong Toye-Arulogun, a JSS1 boarder with Faith Academy. She had complained of a headache and chills at the Convenant health centre but by the time a test was conducted four days later, she was semi-conscious.
The young girl was diagnosed with cerebral malaria, decreased urine production and acute kidney failure. She was referred to two other hospitals but she never regained consciousness. She was 11 years old when she passed away on November 21, 2008.
Child killer
"Malaria does not begin at the cerebral level," said Mr. Arulogun, her father, who lives in Ijaiye, Ogba, Lagos. "It degenerates when it is badly handled, and if they were more alert and competent, Morenike would still be alive. I am probing the medication, the source of the medication, the purchase procedure and the drugs administration for sick students in the school as at the time my daughter fell ill."
Miss Arulogun's medical report, dated January 15, 2009 and signed by Convenant's chief medical officer, Dr. Nma Ndubisi, states that she was given paracetamol, Artesunate and Fansidar when she complained of a headache and chills on November 13, 2008. The next day, symptoms persisted and she was "further placed on some antibiotics (Amoxyl) pending laboratory review".
By November 16, 2008, Miss Arulogun was found semi-conscious and talking irrationally. The doctors at the Convenant centre, suspecting cerebral malaria, decided to take her blood sample for investigation. By then, her blood pressure was 100/50 with a temperature of 39°C. The next morning, her blood pressure had risen to 110/80 and she was suffering from kidney failure.
"The week my daughter was administered paracetamol at Covenant University Health Centre was the week the Lagos State Commissioner for Health (Jide Idris) briefed the press on the existence of fake paracetamol in the market which was responsible for shutting down the kidneys of children," Mr. Arulogun said. "This is exactly what happened in the case of my daughter. I have requested for my daughter's medical file but Covenant University Health Centre has refused to let me see it."
Cerebral malaria
A medical practitioner, Tuyi Mebawondu-Olowu, of Medway Hospital, Obalende, Lagos, explained that cerebral malaria is a severe form of malaria affecting the brain and brain tissues due to a high level of parasites in the body which block the blood vessels, leading to the destruction of red blood cells and also the kidneys.
"In a proper quality set-up, you run tests before administering drugs," he said. "For there to be cerebral malaria, there must be a high index of suspicion. This means that for a child with a temperature of 39°C to be acting confused or drowsy, you have to assume it is severe or cerebral malaria or meningitis until it is proven otherwise."
Denial
But Ogochukwu Mbamalu of Jumbo Chambers, the counsel to Faith Academy, Convenant and seven other defendants named in the suit, denies any medical negligence or breach of fiduciary duty by his clients.
"The defendants say that due professional care and diligence obtainable in the medical profession were engaged and observed throughout the period the plaintiff's daughter was in their medical care," Mr. Mbamalu's statement of defence read.
The principal of Faith Academy, Oluyinka Oluwadare, said the school, which is owned by Living Faith Church Worlwide (Winners Chapel), did not fail in its fiduciary duties as guardians. She denied allegations that Miss Arulogun was not promptly attended to.
"No, it is a lie," she said. "The first day it happened that she was sick, immediately we took her to the clinic and immediately, the mummy (Miss Arulogun's mother)came. It was on Sunday and immediately on Monday, they transferred her to another place. So where is the mismanagement there? I thought he (Mr. Arulogun) has passed the stage of newspaper. I don't think we need to talk on the pages of newspapers again. We'll meet in court."
Little sympathy
But the Aruloguns, who were members of the Winners Chapel for 11 years, said they were informed of their daughter's condition on Sunday (November 16), four days after she reported sick. Mr. Arulogun also said that 11 months after his daughter's demise, his family is yet to receive a letter of commiseration from her school.
"Precisely on Saturday, January 3, 2009, the school's representatives visited me only once, six weeks after my daughter had passed on," said Mr. Arulogun.
"And that was because I wrote a protest letter to my area pastor. Why should it take a protest letter and six weeks to visit the parents of a departed student?
No obligation to commiserate
But Mr. Mbamalu, speaking on behalf of his clients, said there is neither legal nor medical obligation owed Mr. Arulogun "to formerly commiserate" with him, or visit him over the unfortunate demise of his daughter. But Mrs. Oluwadare said the school's policy is to write condolence letters to only people living outside Lagos and refused to explain the reason for the school's official visit to the Arulogun family six weeks after the student's death.
Mr. Mbamalu is also praying the court through a preliminary objection by virtue of S.6 (6) (b) of the Nigerian Constitution to strike out the names of seven of the defendants, including Faith Academy and its governing council, because they are not proper persons before the court.
But Mr. Arulogun's lawyer, Oluyinka Oyeniji of Banwo, Adeyemo and Igbokwe Chambers, said the defendants are recognised entities who by law can sue and be sued just like individuals.
"If these defendants are not juristic persons capable of being sued, then they have a question to answer why they parade themselves as recognised associations and conduct transactions in their names," Mr. Oyeniji said.
The first lady
For the Aruloguns, memories of Morenike "the first lady" Arulogun, who had wanted to be a teacher, are all they have left. She was the only girl in a long line of boys. The girl's grandmother said, when told of her granddaughter's demise, that her "mirror has been shattered.
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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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Why do boys always cheat on their girlfriends? Is it that she is not enough for them or wat, me i dont understand but this is the worst case happenin in relationships nowadays, my friends have been victims of this, i also have been a victim.So boys watch out cuz we girls will surely retaliate
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Posted by A2 BrothazZ on October 13, 2009 at 4:45am
A Message of HOPE from A2 BrothazZ (Afro-Asian BrothazZ) feat. Ray Zeem... saying don't worry, be happy...forget bout yo troubles!Listen, Subscribe, Rate and Listen...
Posted by 9jabook.com on October 13, 2009 at 3:59am
When an intrepid and award-winning Pakistani journalist, Hamid Mir scooped an exclusive interview with the world’s most wanted man, Osama bin Laden, the world’s intelligent agencies swooped on him like bees.
Osama bin Laden
They wanted to know how he was able to get an interview with a man who had defied the prying searchlight of the world’s most sophisticated intelligent agencies, like America’s CIA, Pakistani Intelligence Services, Israeli’s Mossad and Britain’s M-15, among others.
Mr. Mir scaled through the rigorous intelligence inquest only because he posed the toughest of questions to the godfather of Islamic terrorism, Osama bin Laden and the nemesis of Western imperial swagger.
He said: “In going to interview Osama, I risked my life. Here was the man the whole world was looking for. Then I was also investigated by the various intelligence agencies. I was vindicated just because I put the very hard and unfriendly questions to the most wanted terrorist in the world. The US Ambassador in Pakistani told me: ‘You were saved because of your questions.”
Ironically, Mr. Mir was also put through severe, life-threatening test before the interview by al Qaeda operatives, who feared that he might be a mole of the Western intelligence agencies who would do anything to get Osama bin Laden dead or alive.
Mir’s story is the story of grit, gut and willingness on the part of a journalist to risk his life to get a great story. A great story he got, but not before passing through the eye of a needle.
The Osama people had to put the poor reporter through a baptism of fire, as a precautionary measure to protect the world’s most wanted extremist and elusive fugitive.
As part of the baptism of fire, Hamid Mir recalls: “They asked me to take a bath with hot water. They placed some jell on my body; then they gave me some medicines and I had loose motions. I was not well when I was interviewing him. They took all precautionary measures. For two days, they were giving me medicine and I was just shitting. They were putting jell on my body again and again.
“I took hot water bath 15 times before interviewing him. They were suspecting there were some chemicals on my body, which could make it possible for the Americans to detect my location through the satellite. That’s why they asked me to take bath again and again. They were suspicious that maybe I had something in my stomach.
So, they gave me medicine for loose motions. You see, they never treated me very well.”
Mir was the moderator at the annual conference of the International Press Institute (IPI) World Congress and 58th General Assembly, which took place in Helsinki Finland from June 6-9, 2009. He was at the IPI to moderate the topic: “Talking to Terrorists: Should journalists, who provide the public with the information they need to understand the complexities of the battle against terrorism, talk with terrorists? Do they do so at the risk of becoming pawns in the terrorists’ public relations campaign? Where should journalists draw the line?”
As part of his remarks, Mir, who had interviewed Osama bin Laden thrice, told the delegates part of his Osama story. He said:
“When I interviewed Osama bin Laden first in 1997, at that time he was not a very popular international figure. My objective was to know whether he was involved in the killing of the Pakistani soldiers in Somalia in 1993. I was just trying to investigate who killed the Pakistani soldiers who were there on United Nations peace mission. And he confirmed: ‘Yes, I killed Pakistani soldiers because they were guarding the US soldiers.’
“So, actually I was trying to find out the story and I got the story. Then in 1998, he issued a fatwa to kill all the Americans and I asked him: Can you justify the killing of innocent people in the light of Islamic teachings? The third time, it was after 9/11. And I must tell you it was a lot of risk I had to take. When I went there I was not sure I would arrive back to my office safely. I even made a will to my wife. I wrote a letter of apology to my wife explaining why I went to risk my life.
“It is not a very easy but then when you are confronting a big terrorist, one thing must be kept in your mind; that you should not become a tool. He wants to propagate his views; he wants you to ask easy question; he wants you to become his mouthpiece but it is your duty as an objective journalist to ask him difficult questions so that if you are arrested by the intelligence agencies or your government is not happy with your mission, then you can present your questions as an evidence that you actually confronted the terrorist and you actually exposed him, you actually proved him wrong. Your conscience, your professional ethics, everything must be kept in mind. I believe as journalists we should serve the society; we should not serve terrorism.
“In going to interview Osama, I risked my life. Here was the man the whole world was looking for. Then I was also investigated by the various intelligence agencies. I was vindicated just because I put the very hard and unfriendly questions to the most wanted terrorist in the world. The US Ambassador in Pakistan told me: ‘You were saved because of your hard questions.’
“The intelligence agencies could not find him. At the time I went there, the war was still going on in Afghanistan and it was very difficult for any journalist to enter that area. When I reached Kabul, a massive carpet-bombing had started. I lost the hope of living. I thought I would be killed. I was the only journalist left in Kabul. Immediately after that interview, they entered the city of Kabul—the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Maybe that was the last interview he gave to any journalist. For me, it was only madness that drove me. I got the interview out of madness. There was another journalist, Robert Fisk. He also interviewed Bin Laden three times.”
When asked by a journalist on the floor why he did not brief the CIA after his trip, Mir responded: “It is not our job to brief CIA. It is the job of the CIA to learn something from us.”
After the discussion we, the two reporters from The Sun, engaged Hamid Mir in an exclusive interview on his life as a journalist and what prompted him to go to Afghanistan in search of Osama bin Laden. According to him, it was simply “madness” and a challenge to prove to an American lady reporter that he had the gut to do what the Americans couldn’t do — by going to cover the Afghanistan war from the war front in Afghanistan and not from the safety of a five-star hotel in Pakistan like the American reporters did.
Excerpts:
What prompted you to come into journalism?
I became a journalist because my father was a professor of journalism and he died at a very early age because he was fighting against the dictator in Pakistan. He poisoned him and I became a journalist just to continue his mission.
How did you learn the ropes?
I learn journalism after the sudden death of my father. I was a college student at that time. He died at a very early age. I was the elder one; so it was my responsibility to look after my family. So that’s why I became a journalist.
What kind of journalist was your father?
The name of my father was Waris Mir. He was the professor of journalism in the University of Pujab, Lahore, Pakistan. And he used to write a column in the biggest newspaper of Pakistan, which is called Daily Jang. He was a great critic of General Zia-ul-Haq, who ruled Pakistan from 1977 to 1988. General Zia-ul-Haq introduced some so-called Islamic laws in Pakistan. He started helping America in fighting in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union. So, my father was against the dictatorship of General Zia-ul-Haq. He started criticising him. And in 1987, General Zia-ul-Haq killed my father through slow poisoning. So when my father died, I was only 22 years old at that time. I just graduated from college and was about to go to the university.
We were not a very rich family. It was my responsibility to look after the family. I was the editor of the college magazine; so I applied for a job in the same newspaper; my paper was writing for and I got the job of an apprentice reporter in training there. That’s how my journalistic career started in 1987. Now, I am 22 years in journalism.
How did you rise in the profession?
I made a name for myself through scoops and big interviews. First of all, in 1994, I interviewed the Israeli foreign minister Shimon Peres in Switzerland. I was there with Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. It was at the World Economic Forum meeting. As is known, Pakistan and Israel do not have diplomatic relations. I was the first ever Pakistani journalist to interview any Israeli leader. So that was my major scoop. And then in 1995, I interviewed President Nelson Mandela in New Zealand. And then I interviewed President Yasir Arafat. So, that’s how I made my name.
These interviews made me very famous in Pakistan. Especially, the interview with Nelson Mandela was a big hit. Because I was the only journalist in the whole of the South-Asian region, including India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh, to ever interview President Nelson Mandela. And with the passage of time, after a few years in 1997 I interviewed Osama bin Laden for the first time. I interviewed him again in 1998 and then I interviewed him for the third time in November 2001. And after that, in 2004, I interviewed the U.S. Secretary of State Collin Powell. Then I interviewed Condoleezza Rice. Then I interviewed Tony Blair. Then the President of Afghanistan, Mr. Hamid Kazei and many international celebrities.
How important are these big interviews in the life of a journalist?
These interviews are important because when you talk to tough people, you talk to famous people, and you ask them tough questions, valid questions, your readers come to know about your competence. They can judge your quality through your questions. If you have dug out a big story out of an interview, you are a good journalist.
What kind of preparation did you make to get Osama bin Laden?
When I was going to interview him for the first time in 1997, I was not aware of who he is, where he is from. I had very little knowledge about him. But when I interviewed him after 9/11, I asked him tough questions. And when I asked those tough questions, sometimes he got angry with me. He never answered some of the questions. And when the interview ended, he had tea with me, then he tried to terrify me. He said: “Mr. Mir, the bombing is going on, you may be killed with me and I will be happy to go to paradise.” But I told him: “I will go to hell with you.”
How did he react to your statement?
He never responded because he was not expecting such an ugly answer from me. Because at that time, I was of the view that I would not be alive. I felt that in the next few minutes, maybe I would be killed, so why should I be terrorised under pressure by this man? So he was talking nasty with me and I was talking nasty with him.
What are some of the hardest questions you asked him?
One of the questions was: “How can you justify the killing of innocent people in the 9/11 attacks?” Then I asked him another question: “There is a rumour that you have married the daughter of Mullah Umar, the head of Taliban. And that is why he has provided you with sanctuary in Afghanistan.” He was not expecting these kinds of questions from me. I also asked him: “You are suffering from kidney disease and you may not live very long.” But he said: “No, no, no, I am not suffering from kidney disease.” These were questions he had not been asked before and these were the questions, which saved me, because after coming back to Pakistan I was investigated by the Pakistani Intelligence Services and the Pakistani Intelligence Services were provided a lot of questions by the American CIA. They actually wanted to arrest me but I was very careful.
I never violated any international law. I got visa; there were visa stamps on my passport; I had the recording of the interview on my tape, I had the pictures, the negatives, each and everything. Many people said I had not interviewed bin Laden and that I was making the wrong statements just to become famous. But the CIA, the Pakistani Intelligence Services and the CNN — Nick Robertson of CNN — investigated and said it on CNN that “it is a genuine interview; we have examined the negative; we have examined the audio tape recorder, each and everything.” That was how I survived.
Who took the photographs while you were interviewing him?
I had my camera with me, but bin Laden never allowed me to use my camera. He never allowed me to use my camera because he was very careful. He took my camera; he emptied the camera; my film was removed. He put his film inside my camera and he gave that camera to his son, Abdulrahman, who took the pictures of me and bin Laden. He also recorded that interview on some small DVD Sony cameras. He recorded that for himself on the video camera, but for me, he gave only some still shots and the recorded interview on the tape recorder.
How come he was not suspicious of you? You could have been a spy.
Because I interviewed him two times before and his people spent two days with me in Afghanistan. They asked me to take a bath with hot water. They placed some jell on my body; then they gave me some medicines and I had loose motions. I was not well when I was interviewing him. They took all precautionary measures. For two days, they were giving me medicine and I was just shitting. They were putting jell on my body again and again. I took hot water bath 15 times before interviewing him. They were suspecting there were some chemicals on my body and the Americans can detect my location through the satellite. That’s why they asked me to take bath again and again. They were suspicious that maybe I had something in my stomach. So they gave me medicine for loose motions. You see, they never treated me very well.
What gave you the courage for all these?
It’s a good question. When the Americans started the war in Afghanistan, the whole Western media came to Pakistan. And they started covering the war in Afghanistan. They were standing on the roof of Marriot Hotel in Islamabad. So, one day I had a discussion with an American television journalist. She was a producer at the CBS news channel. And I asked her: You people are covering the war in Afghanistan while standing on the rooftop of a five-star hotel. Why don’t you go to Afghanistan? And she said arrogantly: Why don’t you go to Afghanistan? You also don’t have the balls to go to Afghanistan. You cannot face the bombing. That was the challenge for me.
So, I said: I will go. You will give me your cameramen and I will go and I will make some good shots. So, interviewing bin Laden was not on my mind. When I entered Afghanistan, the bombing started; so it was not possible for me to go back. Because that road was bombed by the Americans. So, we rushed toward Kabul. We reached Kabul and I was the only journalist there and the bombing was going on there. That was in November 2001, two months after the war. All the journalists run away. I had no option than to stay there because bombing was going on. And in the meantime, I met some fighters there in Kabul. The city of Kabul was empty.
There were only Al Qaeda fighters there. One of them recognized me and said: “Mr. Mir, how are you?” I asked him: “Where is your leader? I want to interview him.” He said: “No, no, no, he cannot give you an interview this time. The war is going on.” I said, “OK, I can stay here.” Because it was not possible for me to go back. I was stuck up in the war zone. I spent two days and finally I was able to get that interview. I got the interview out of madness. Because the war was going on and one American journalist challenged that if she cannot go to Afghanistan, then I cannot go too. But I proved that I can go to Afghanistan. That was the main objective. To go to Afghanistan. The main objective was not to interview Osama bin Laden.
What lessons can you draw from this concerning what makes a good reporter?
I must say risk is the beauty of journalism. If you don’t take risks, you cannot become a good journalist. A good reporter must be well-read; he must be honest; he should be objective; he should not take sides with political parties or whoever.
For me, a good journalist cannot remain neutral. I don’t believe in neutrality, because you cannot become neutral between good and bad. One thing is good; one thing is bad. If you are writing an opinion column, then you have to take the side of good people, you have to take the side of justice, you have to take the side of honesty. You cannot take the side of dishonesty. You cannot take the side of the President or the prime minister of the country. Always take the side of the good and honest people. If you are reporting news, you have to be objective. But if you are writing an opinion column, you have to take the side of justice and honesty.
What is news?
News is 5Ws. (Who, What, Where, When, Why?) Any incident taking place at any particular time at any particular place is news, and you have to report it. You should become a mirror in which the reader of your paper can see the incident. So a good reporter should behave like a mirror. And a good opinion writer, opinion column writer should act like a guide, should act like a man who is giving light in the darkness.
What does it mean to report?
You have to report what happened, where it happened and who did it. That’s all: 5Ws. This is the international principle of reporting. But a reporter should not become a tool of any political group; he should not become a tool of any terrorist group; he should not become a tool of any government; he should remain neutral. But I am repeating again and again, a good editorial writer and a good opinion column writer should not be neutral. You cannot be neutral; otherwise nobody would read your column.
What’s your impression of Osama bin Laden?
The main source of his strength is the bad American policies. If America today corrects its policies, if today America is ready to resolve the issue of Palestine, withdraw its forces from Afghanistan and Iraq, Osama bin Laden would be eliminated politically. But if you are not ready to resolve the issue of Palestine, you are not ready to resolve the issue of Kashmir, you are not ready to withdraw US forces from Afghanistan and Iraq and you want to kill Osama bin Laden, you will not get rid of terrorism. You can kill him physically but you would not be able to kill him politically. So, try to eliminate him politically by addressing some political issues.
In your opinion, is he still alive?
Yes, he is still alive and he is hiding somewhere in the eastern or southern part of Afghanistan.
Can you describe the milieu in which you found him?
First time I met him in the mountains in 1997. Second time I met him in the city of Kandahar. Third time I met him in the city of Kabul.
Can you describe him?
He is a very tall man, very smart man. I must say he is a lady killer but you don’t have picture of beauty.
What was the challenge of being the youngest man to edit a national newspaper in Pakistan?
I became editor at the age of 30 in 1996. When I became editor, I had never interviewed bin Laden. I became editor because my chief editor was of the view that I may become a very successful editor because I was very hardworking. So hard work and honesty forced my chief editor to appoint me editor of my newspaper.
What did you take after your father?
I learnt honesty from my father. I learnt bravery and courage from my father and I am very proud to be his son and I think that today I have outstanding achievements in journalism because of my father.
What values did your father stand for?
He stood for democracy, for human rights, for liberal and progressive Islam and he always stood for the truth.
How about your own family?
I have one son and one daughter. My son is not interested in becoming a journalist but my daughter is very much interested and I think she would become a good journalist.
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Posted by 9jabook.com on October 12, 2009 at 8:00pm
What could possibly be going through their minds? Wyclef challenged Akon to do twenty push ups on stage during the Awards. Akon takes up the challenge with part of the agreement as stripping to their boxers So they strip but Akon takes it a step forward – taking his mic and putting it in his boxers. There’s no way that would be called sexy but foolish.
Akon checking the mic from his boxers and Wyclef
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D’banj wins artiste of the year again at this year’s MTV MAMAs. MI grabs two plaques for Best New act and Best Hiphop Video beating Jay Z and Kanye West who were also nominated, P Square won Best Group and Tuface won Best R n B. Nigerian acts present at the awards are Kel, D’banj, M.I., 2face, Darey, Naetoc, Bigiano, Mo Hits with P Square absent. Kel lost to Amani for the Best female category and Late Lucky Dube was honoured with a post-humous award with Akon and Wyclef hosting the event. Here’s the list of winners:
1. Best Listener’s Choice Awards – Nameless
2. Best New Act – M.I.
3. Best Group – P Square
4. Best Female – Amani
5. Best Performer – Samini
6. Best Male – Nameless
7. Best RnB Act – 2Face
8. Best Alternative – Zebra & Giraffee
9. Best Video – HHP
10. Best Hip-Hop Act – M.I.
11. Artist of the Year – D’Banj
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The Ogun State police command at the weekend charged a 27-year-old man, Okwaja Joseph Ochibo, to court in Abeokuta for allegedly duping his victim of N50,000 after he claimed to be part of a hired killer gang.
The suspect, who is now facing arraignment at the Isabo High Court in Abeokuta was a former employee of the victim, according to the command’s Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, .
Mr. Ochibo was alleged to have demanded for the sum of N100, 000, via a message sent from his phone, from the manager of an insurance company in Abeokuta as “settlement” to spare his life and that of his family members. The suspect reportedly claimed that some people had paid him to kill them all.
The police’s spokesperson said the scared family reported the matter to the police and were advised to play along with the “assassin”, and it was agreed that the sum of N50,000 to be deposited in his account.
The suspect was said to have agreed to his victim’s term and the amount was paid into his Skye Bank Account Number 2241010050010at Sapon -Abeokuta. Unknown to him, however, his ATM card had been blocked by the bank on the advice of the police so that he was thus forced to approach the counter at the bank to cash the money.
He was about to do just that when police officers, who had laid siege for him at the bank, apprehended him. The relieved victim would later tell the police that the suspected was his former house security guard.
Mr. Ochibo appeared in court last Friday and was remanded in prison while the case was adjourned till December 16, 2009.
Mr. Adejobi, who said the command appreciates the support of the people of Ogun State in its efforts to combat crime, said members of the public should be more security conscious.
“People should harness all security resources around them, vis-à-vis the use of circulated police phone numbers around them, to reach out to the police when the need arises,” he said.
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Is it how you treat your house help that they behave to you ?
Do you Treat your househelp well ?
Ijeoma Ugwumba’s euphoric mood over the date she had just had was shattered when she waltzed into her Lekki apartment one sultry Sunday evening. “I saw a note from my househelp, Oluchi (Muoghalu), saying that she had left,” said the mid-level federal civil servant.
“Her (mobile phone) number was not going, I called her parents (in Anambara State) and they said they did not see her. I was rushing to keep an appointment with my date, so I gave her N30,000 to pay into the bank for me. When I came back, Oluchi had disappeared with her bags and my money.
“Not only that; she left with my DVD (player), my manicure kit, and even had the audacity to take some of my underwear,” she added. Ms. Ugwumba’s four days of an extensive manhunt eventually unearthed Ms. Muoghalu in far away Delta State.
She had aborted a pregnancy, unknown to her employer, and eloped with a boyfriend to Asaba. She had also, to Ms. Ugwumba’s chagrin, borrowed N10,000 from a neighbour on her employer’s behalf. Ms. Ugwumba’s plight represents that which a growing number of Lagos residents pass through in the hands of domestic workers like maids and houseboys.
The rapidly growing number of working women and the demands of living in an overpopulated mega city like Lagos has necessitated the need for hired helps to take care of homes, and children in some cases. In downtown Surulere, Bernadene Ihekweme, got a scare recently when she got home from work, around 10pm one night, to find her maid and three children missing. “Apart from my first son, (Jude), the rest are normally in bed by that time. I nearly had a heart attack.
I panicked and started calling every neighbour to know where they were,” she said. Her fears were assuaged when it turned out her husband, who works and resides in Abuja, had paid a surprise visit and played a prank on her by whisking the family away. “Normally, I shouldn’t have panicked like that, but in this era of maids and houseboys conniving with kidnappers, do you blame me?” added Ms. Ihekweme.
Her suspicions are equally mirrored by majority of respondents; even in cases where domestic servants have been with their employers for long periods.
Bad eggs
Having served her employer for a “loyal” eight years, Kikelomo Olarenwaju, is indignant at the suggestion that her trustworthiness could be suspect. “That one can never happen,” she declared. “My madam (Abisola John-Martins) can never try to suspect me for anything. I have been here for so long that I can’t mess up. In short, I am now a part of the family. My madam has already registered for my JAMB; that is because she now wants me to go to university just like her children.” Emilia Ike is an economics graduate, and manages a cyber cafe at Aguda, Surulere.
She has served as a househelp to Cyprain and Geraldine Okwara since 1996. “There was a time I had a problem with madam, but since then I have a very good relationship with them,” she said. “I am very grateful to them; oga sponsored my education from secondary to polytechnic, and even opened this cyber cafe for me to manage. I will stay with them until I marry.”
Expert advice
Dave Uko, a legal practitioner, believes that some of these domestic workers that misbehave do so as a reaction to the unfair conditions of labour they might be subjected to. “Some of these people that complain about their maid or houseboy did this and that are the cause of their woes,” he said. “What do you expect from a maid who is overlaboured and underpaid? There are bound to be feelings of resentment in such cases.
How many people know that their domestic servants, who are not relatives, are entitled to workmen’s compensation insurance under the Workmen Compensation Act? Domestic servants are human, and should be treated with the utmost respect.” Ms Ugwumba is adamant that she treated her erstwhile maid well, and believes she has been unfairly rewarded. “Now, her ungrateful parents are accusing me of all sorts of rubbish and even threatened my father when he went to their house to explain what happened,” she said.
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Can a man die for love? If your answer is in the negative, a man has proved you wrong. Nnamdi Odoegbu, a resident in Lugbe,a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory believes no price is too much to pay for love. Penultimate Thursday, Nnamdi demonstrated this. He took his life after his lover, one Jumai reportedly decided to jilt him. Neighbours woke up to find thelifeless body of Nnamdi,aka Iron Iron hanging from a rope.An eye witness said that the deceased decided to end his life since he was unable to effect a change in the attitude of his lover, Jumai. Nnamdi had reportedly accused Jumai of frequenting night clubs, an allegation which forced her to end the love affair.Unable to bear the separation, the late Odoegbu was said to have resorted to always threatening to commit suicide if he was unable to bend Jumai’s mind. Not even the intervention by some of his family members and friends could help the situation, it was further learnt.Police in Abuja confirmed the story and said they got involved when Jumai reported a threat to her own life by the deceased.“Quite naturally, the deceased was arrested and later detained and released to go and settle his crisis,” Police said.But the deceased was said to have gone to the extent of physically assaulting his lover after the intervention of the Police. Apparently frustrated by Jumai’s unyielding attitude, the deceased was said to have confided in his friend called Peter that he was going home.Unknown to Peter, the deceased “went home” the next day. Authorities at the National Hospital were said to have pronounced Odoegbu dead.Police told Daily Sun that Odoegbu has since been buried in his home town, Okpuje in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu state.
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Posted by 9jabook.com on October 11, 2009 at 8:38pm
THE Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU), has suspended strike for two weeks.
Announcing the suspension at a news conference at the Imo State University (now Evan Enwerem University, Owerri), the Presideent of ASUU Prof. Ukachukwu Awuzie noted that they took the decision in compliance with the agreement reached in order to move the educational sector forward, hoping that the Federal Government would dialogue with the body conclusively in favor of the growth of the sub-sector.
The suspension, he said, took effect from yesterday.
Awuzie, a teacher at the Imo State university, Owerri, said: "In reference to Mr. President's intervention, the strike is hereby suspended for two weeks with effect from Friday, 9, October, to enable a cordial atmosphere for the peaceful conclusion to ensue. The union expects that this gesture would accelerate the returning of the Nigerian university system to normal activities and calendar."
Awuzie regretted that those universities that could not identify with the union did what they wished, adding that the union was working in consonance with other stakeholders to uplift the academic system.
He urged Nigerians and all stakeholders to understand the stand of ASUU to uplift the growth of education in line with global requirements.
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Ok first of all let me ask you: have you ever tried achieving a goal?Have you tried and failed before?Are you willing to try again?Do you believe you’ll make this time?Ok. Everybody has their fears. Even great heroes have their greatest fears….For instance: Superman has Kryptonite as his greatest fear... Indiana Jones fears Snake the most… even I, Prosper, I have my Fears... So it’s not a crime for you to have what you fear the most... But it is a very big crime for you to let your fears to defeat you, so don’t give up.A saying goes: if you want to create a Hero, you must first create a Villain... for a hero is not complete without a villain..Everybody will one day face his/her fears.. no matter how much you try to run away from it.Everybody has a talent, but what everybody don’t have is the courage to follow their talent to the unknown place where it leads… you must have that courage..Have you tried and failed before?All I have to say to you is TRY AGAIN.If you don’t feel pain, you won’t know how joy feels.If you don’t cry, you won’t appreciate laughter.If you don’t fail, you wont value Success..Sometimes we get to conscious of our past failures that we forget that the future is depending on us…I know it’s the past that makes us who we are… you must let go of the past so you can grab the future… all I am saying is: forget the memories of your failures and create a story of you Success.. Just believe and look beyond what you see, foresee a future so bright, so lovely, so beautiful… and TRY AGAIN.
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Ok.. first of all.. i have something to tell you... i hate to say it.. but its the truth the.. I AM SHY...ok.. in this situation.. it is very Hard for me talk to a girl...but when Ladies do the talking.. it simply means : Giving guys as shy as me.. the chance to Express themselves..i know its the normal thing for a boy to walk up to a Lady.. and ask her out.. but it also goes both ways..Men are just so much Human as Ladies.. So it is not a horrible thing to say.. that Women should also do the talking.Ok.. imagine this Fictional story.. :He Loves Her.. and She Loves Him too... but there seem to be a big gap between the two Hearths...the Gap is Communication.. the Boy is too Shy to ask.. and the Girl think the Boy hates her...but.. His Hearth calls for Her Love.. and Her Hearth returns His call.. but they walk pass Each other every dayhoping that one day.. their paths would cross.. instead..Fear of Rejection kept His Love inside.and Her hearth shed tears for any day that passed without a link to her Love..they Live close..and Now.. she is about to fall for the wrong guy (a player)so you see that if she had Talked.. the two hearths would be long lost in Love.. but it never happened..you see.. maybe you are not the shy type.. but you can play a part in this Mentality Adjustment..Let the Ladies know that they should Follow their Hearths.. and Give the shy guys a Chance to Love a Love filled Life..Every boy has a "Prince Charming" inside him that needs to be let out..and Every girl has a "Sleeping Beauty" inside her and needs Woken..Everybody can achieve their Dream.. if Only we could learn to Unleash our Selves.. Thanks for reading..Read more…
