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Aimee Michael: Daughter and Mother Get Long Prison Sentences for Hit and Run

Posted by Dan WebNutritionist/Motivator on November 11, 2010 at 8:50am

Aimee Michael (pictured left), for the most part, seems to be a lot like the rest of us. She's a 24-year-old black femalecollege graduate with two parents who love her. Her parents have beenmarried for 28 years, and her mother is a 52-year-old former schoolteacher. On Easter Sunday in 2009, though, Aimee found herself facing upto 50 years in prison. While she didn't get the entire 50 years, she did get 36 of them.

Aimee Michael was the cause of a massive car accident in Atlanta, achain reaction that caused the deaths of five people, including anewborn baby, a 6-year-old and a 9-year-old. After being sideswiped byanother car, Michael's BMW hit another car, causing it to collidehead-on with another vehicle. Michael is going to prison, because aftercausing this terrible accident, she fled the scene and tried to cover upthe evidence.

Aimee Michael's mother, Sheila (pictured right), wasgiven eight years in prison for her role in the cover up. This has leftthe Michael family devastated, but not nearly as much as the families ofthe victims.

"I want to say that I am wrong. I have wronged three families and for that I am sorry," Michael said in court.

Michael was arrested two weeks after the accident, when neighbors calledthe police. She was found guilty on five counts of vehicular homicide,six counts of hit and run and several misdemeanors.

The judge was actually brought to tears and said she prayed about thedecision before rendering the sentence. The deciding factor in the crashwas the fact that Michael left the scene of the accident. She alsoexpressed disappointment in Michael's mother for not turning herdaughter in to the police.

When it comes to the sentencing of Aimee Michael, I'm going to have tokeep it real: Based on what I've read about Aimee and her family, it appears that much of this could have happened to any of us.While most of us would not have left the scene of the accident, I can'thelp but imagine Aimee as a frightened 24-year-old young adult who didsomething incredibly stupid.

Also, while we can easily criticize Aimee's mother for protecting herdaughter, I am willing to bet that at least half the people reading thisarticle may at least consider doing the same thing if it meant keepingtheir child from prison. This does not, in any way, condone Aimee'sactions (or those of her mother), but it does highlight the difficultyof the decisions that this family had to make.

Aimee's attorney made a very good point. She said that we shouldconsider what the sentence would have been had Aimee not left the scene:

"What Sheila Michael did was driven by fear and attempt to protect her child," said Renee Rockwell,Aimee's attorney. "It was the worst move she could have made. If AimeeMichael had gone back to the scene, we would be talking about six to 12months at most."

Personally, I see the accident as the thing that it was: an accident.She was side-swiped and hit another car. Given that's the case, I am notsure if a long prison sentence would be appropriate. But one thing thatmust be considered is that Aimee Michael has been cited numerous timesfor driving too fast. In the state of Pennsylvania, she received severalspeeding tickets within a very short amount of time. She is also knownto be someone who regularly smokes marijuana and there was even a"marijuana cigar" found in the car during the police investigation. Thisinformation tells us clearly that Aimee, like many young people acrossAmerica is both reckless and inconsiderate in her personal choices. Inspite of her shameful behavior, I can't help but feel that 36-years inprison is simply too long of a sentence.

On a secondary note, there is no doubt in my mind that Aimee Michael andher mother deserve to go to prison. My heart dropped to the ground whenreading about the three young children killed in this accident. I alsomourn for the families of all of the victims. This story serves as acautionary tale to all of the kids across America who think it's cute orcool to speed down the highway or to get involved in drugs. You mightthink you're having harmless fun, but you could end up ruining the livesof yourself, strangers and people you care about. When Aimee Michaelshowed up to her mother's house after getting involved in this accident,she instantly destroyed her family. Should it be the case that she wasdriving irresponsibly, the guilt of this experience will be with herforever.

The fact that Aimee and her mother were so selfish as to ignore thesuffering of these families by attempting to hide their involvement issimply sickening. With that said, I will also say that 5 - 10 years inprison for Aimee might have been a more reasonable sentence. I don'tagree with 36 years in prison, and I sincerely doubt she would havegotten this much time if she were Paris Hilton or someone from an affluent Georgia family.

On that note, this is an incredibly painful story to read, and I wishthe families the best. The sadness of this tragedy resonates through allof our psyches, and we can learn quite a few lessons about vehiclesafety and doing the right thing. When you get behind the wheel, pleasebe careful. Driving is an important responsibility.

By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Nov 4th 2010 9:41PM

Extracted from Blackvoices.com

South Africa Debuts Female Condom With Teeth To Fight Rapists

Posted by Dan WebNutritionist/Motivator on November 11, 2010 at 5:00am

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (June 21) -- Counseling a rape victim more than 40 years ago, Dr. Sonnet Ehlers got an idea for an anti-rape female condom that South Africa is now testing during the mostly male and sometimes raucous, alcohol-fueled celebrations for the World Cup.

"It was in 1968 or 1969, and I was a young intern counseling a girl from one of South Africa's townships, who'd been raped. She said, 'If only I had teeth down there,'" Ehlers told AOL News. "And I thought, God, it would be great to make something that could really be useful."

South African inventor Sonnet Ehlers holds an anti-rape female condom

Gianluigi Guercia, AFP / Getty Images

South African inventor Sonnet Ehlers, here in 2005, created an anti-rape female condom that works with jagged latex hooks that latch onto the skin of an attacker.

Ehlers, a 62-year-old physician, lab researcher and hematologist -- and a mother of two daughters -- spent the next four decades developing a female condom with jagged latex hooks that latch onto the skin of an attacker. Dubbed "Rape-aXe," the condom is inserted with an applicator like a tampon, and it clenches a man's penis and causes "immense discomfort" without drawing blood. It can only be removed by medical professionals, who are being familiarized with the device in order to contact South African police when they see one.

"I'm not out for vengeance. It doesn't leave permanent damage to the penis, but there will be tiny little scars to remind him of what he's done -- something his wife or future wife might ask him about," Ehlers said.

The new condom was patented in 2007, and Ehlers hopes to begin selling it in South African pharmacies and grocery stores soon. It's being evaluated by the country's Bureau of Standards and would sell for about $2.50. Meanwhile, Ehlers has distributed samples to 100 unnamed women across South Africa this week, for initial testing during the World Cup.

South Africa has one of the world's highest crime rates outside war zones, with 50 murders and 140 rapes reported each day, though experts believe the real number of rapes could be many times higher. A 2009 survey by South Africa's Medical Research Council found that 28 percent of men admitted to having raped a woman, and 20 percent said they had done so in the past year.

After that emotional meeting with a rape victim in the late 1960s, Ehlers describes how she began inventing the new condom by experimenting with a household item: the safety seal found on a soda bottle. "I was playing around with the plastic strip that tightens around the bottle's neck, running my fingers over it, and then I phoned Coca-Cola," Ehlers said. One of the company's engineers joined her team, which also includes gynecologists and psychologists who've interviewed rapists in South African prisons, she said.

Critics of Ehlers' invention say it could be too punitive for the alleged rapist, and also worry that the device could lead to more violence against women, once a rapist realizes that he's been branded by the device. Some also say it's unfair to put the onus of halting rape on women rather than on the offenders themselves.

"Women should not need to artificially alter our bodies to prevent rape," Erin Matson, a vice president of the National Organization for Women, told AOL News in an e-mail interview. "Preventing rape requires educating women and men. ... By putting the focus on women's own anatomy, this product seems to use rape -- a serious crime -- to sexualize women even further."

A South African expert on gender-based violence, Lisa Vetten, said the device harks "back to the days where women were forced to wear chastity belts."

"It is a terrifying thought that women are being made to adapt to rape by wearing these devices," Vetten, with South Africa's Center for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, said in a 2007 statement when Ehlers obtained her patent. "Women would have to wear this every minute of their lives on the off-chance that they would be raped."

Ehlers advises women to wear the anti-rape condom when they're walking through dimly lit neighborhoods alone at night, or even on a blind date. It can be worn for 24 hours straight, she said.

For years, Ehlers counseled rape victims and heard stories about how women tried to use makeshift devices similar to hers to protect themselves. She said one woman confessed to having embedded a razor blade into her contraceptive sponge, to hurt any man who might rape her. Ehlers said she wanted to develop a safe, medically approved device for women that wouldn't maim their rapists, either.

"My critics say I've developed a medieval device, but I say it's a medieval device for a medieval deed," Ehlers told AOL News today in a phone interview from her office north of Cape Town.

"I've had so many e-mails from women who've been raped, who say 'Now we feel armed,'" Ehlers said, referring to women who've heard about her invention. "We want to get T-shirts that say, 'Try me now.'"

Super Falcons Load Cameroun 5-1 Qualify for Finals & world Cup Perpetua Nkwocha scores Hat Trick

Posted by 9jabook.com webmadam on November 11, 2010 at 4:27am

Super Falcons beat Cameroun 5-1 to qualify for the finals of the ongoing Africa Women's Championships in South Africa.

The victory has also secured a place for Nigeria in next year's Women's World Cup billed to take place in Germany.

A hat trick from Perpetua Nkwocha and a brace from Ugochi Oparanozie secured victory for the Nigerian ladies who have remained unbeaten in this championships and are on course to win a record sixth African title.

The decade domination of Nigeria over Cameroon in women football widened on Thursday as high flying Super Falcons pummeled Indomitable Lionesses 5-1 in the semifinal of the 7th Africa Women's Championship (AWC) in South Africa.

The victory ensured that the five-time African champions booked their passage for next June Fifa Women’s World Cup in Germany and equally paved the way for the Nigerians to re-claim the title they lost to Equatorial Guinea two years ago on Sunday when the curtain will be drawn on the two-week biennial football fiesta....

In her reaction to the five-star performance of the Falcons, an excited Fifa women’s football committee member Alhaja Ayo Omidiran told SuperSport.com in a telephone chat that the Indomitable Lionesses’ kung fu game gave her a scare but hailed Falcons and the expertly handling of the game by the referee.

“Fantastic, very good result and despite the initial bravado of the Cameroonians, the Nigerians put them in their right place.

“I was initially afraid of the Cameroonians rough and physical play. In 2004 I took one of my players to the hospital with a broken jaw she sustained from a Cameroonian hard tackle, in fact, I did petition Caf over the incidence.

“Nigerian players are professionals and play clean football, so that was my fear whether they can withstand Cameroonians kung fu match, but thanks to the marvelous job done by the referee who put them in their proper place. I think this is the best officiated match in the championship.

“So I am happy for Nigeria, happy for women football in Africa and Germany here we come. Special thanks to hat-trick specialist Perpetua Nkwocha, she should keep it up”

On the final encounter on Sunday, the former Nigeria Football Association (NFA) board member said the coast is clear for the Falcons to lift the AWC diadem on Sunday.

“There is nothing stopping Falcons from winning the trophy, I tell them go and get the cup. They have done 60% work picking the World Cup ticket, the next is the trophy to bring the work to 100%,” she enthused.

Nigeria’s goals came off the boots of Helen Ukaonu, Desire Oparanozie and former Caf women footballer of the year Perpetua Nkwocha who achieved a hat-trick, the second in the championship, the first was in the 5-0 mauling of Mali. She has notched up 10 goals less five to hit her personal target of 15 goals with a match to go.

Hassan Tukur - A victim of African/ Nigerian politics

Posted by Ana Maria Galimah on November 11, 2010 at 12:44am

I read about Mallam Hassan Tukur a few weeks ago and Nigerian did not fail to amuse me. I have known for more than a decade and he is a perfect gentleman who respects good friendship.

He does not discriminate even on religious background.

Okro my Love : FOOD MATTERS: The famous Draw Soup !

Posted by 9jabook.com on November 10, 2010 at 9:43pm

I will only admit this one time that Okro soup must be part of my genetic code. My father eats it with everything, boiled plantain, boiled yam, steamed rice, amala, eba...everything. He does not seem to be particular about how mucilaginous it is. I have already written about how Gari and Okro is the breakfast to die for. I have to append that and say that I actually eat it all the time, some nights as comfort food before slouching off to bed. It is better than Valium, the ultimate comfort food.

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus Moench, pronounced US: /ˈoʊkrə/, UK: /ˈɒkrə/, known in many English-speaking countries as lady's fingers or gumbo) is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It is valued for its edible green seed pods. Originating in Africa, the plant is cultivated in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions around the world.[1]

If I’m feeling ill, or gloomy, Gari and Okro is the surefire remedy. I, unlike my father am particular about how mucilaginous my Okro is. The “draw” must be light. The Okro must be cut in big chunks, the seeds intact, retaining a bursting texture between the teeth. The cut up Okro must be drowned in water and boiled for barely ten minutes. A few slivers of onion, one hot pepper, a grudging spoon of palm oil, and salt is all that I permit. At the end of cooking, the Okro must be green not muggy.

There must not be any tarnish of meat in this meal. The accompanying Gari must be Ijebu. It must make your teeth jump.

There it is, what some might consider an absurd favourite food mission statement. I have heard stranger ones, like that of a very highly esteemed Nigerian entrepreneur who I dare not name, who worships his combination of Quaker Oats and Ewedu! The facts about this much maligned, roundly snubbed, oftentimes fervently hated Okro are amazing to read. Here are my favourites: Femi Kusa’s column in The Nation; Natural Remedies for Sound Body and Mind on January 14th 2010 gives a glowing acknowledgment on the Okro plant. He says, in a wonderfully melodramatic way (that only a true Nigerian can put it) that “...the chlorophyll, blood of the [Okro], converts to human blood, leaving behind lots of magnesium to power and calm the muscles, particularly the heart.” The mechanics of Okro turning to human blood has something very Africa Magic about it, but like we say, “idea is need!” Kusa goes on to say that Okro pods are loaded with Vitamin A, and the contentious “draw” is Calcium. Vario us sites on the Internet suggest Okro also contains Folic acid, iron, potassium, protein, and Vitamin C. One site goes on to claim that it is the secret of Cleopatra and Yang Guifei’s beauty. Yang Guifei by the way is a Chinese consort who lived in the Tang Dynasty, considered an exquisite beauty. Okro apparently protects the skin from breaking out in pimples.

Okro Coffee is made from roasted, ground and brewed Okro seeds! Eating the Okro pod protects the human body from diseases ranging from diabetes, high cholesterol, colon cancer, atherosclerosis, to lung inflammation, cataracts and depression. Okro is a two way lubricant, as Okro soup, helping to pass the “swallow” down the esophagus, and also at the other end, lubricating the large intestine...enough said! It is supposedly a cure for constipation, which is in itself possibly groundbreaking since alternative medical practitioners believe all disease begins in the colon.

Nigerians seem to be the only ones who call it that audibly uncomfortable vibrating name with an “r” that sounds like the “draw” in the soup. Cuba’s “Quimgumbo” sounds closely inelegant.

Nigerian mothers own a shocking adage for putting their children no matter how old they are in their place. It says: No matter how tall the Okro plant grows, it must always bend for the owner to pluck it! Enid Donaldson in her cookbook, The Real Taste of Jamaica suggests an interesting way of cooking the Okro. “Ochroes” are washed and drained, one egg is separated, the yolk beaten first, the white added after. The whole Ochroes are dropp ed in the beaten egg, and then into a mixture of cornmeal, flour and salt. They are fried in oil in a heavy skillet until browned lightly, drained and served hot with salt. The crispy outside texture balanced by the soft inside texture is delicious.

South Asians cook their Okro called “Bhindi” in curries with garam masala, cumin, turmeric and lemon juice (which I suppose minimizes the sliminess). Junji Takano, a Japanese health researcher suggests eating Okro raw, mixed with mayonnaise or with vinegar and pepper.

...I mustn’t forget that man arrested by NDLEA at Seme, on his way to Cotonou to board a plane to Italy with 1kg of cocaine suspended in Okro soup, as reported by The Nigerian Voice News on June 3rd 2010...

There is that matter of “Okro soup in dre ams” which I’m not even going to bring up here. It seems that many foods that are good for us get thrown on the rubbish heap on the back of silly superstition. But then again perhaps it is God’s providence that allows these unfo unded beliefs so that Okro like Mackerel (Oku eko) remains affordable for the poor, the “Mekunu”.

We’ve often sat around and discussed my father’s youthfulness, he rarely falls ill, and has an unflustered live and let live personality. Perhaps we should all be eating Okro with everything.

by yemisi ogbe 234next adapted by Weboga

Strike: Police Officer Shoots Labour Leader

Posted by 9jabook.com on November 10, 2010 at 9:28pm

The Edo State Chairman of the National Union of Air Transport Employees, Comrade Ehichioya Godwin, was this afternoon shot by the police in Benin, the Edo State capital.
Comrade Godwin was said to be on duty mobilizing against the move by Arik Airline to

continue its flight despite the 'no flight' order by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) as a result of the strike action that began today when he was attacked by an officer of the Nigeria Police who opened fire on him.

He was said to have been hit by bullets in his hand...

Though, he did not lose his life, he was said to have sustained serious injuries from the gunshot and has been rushed to an unknown hospital within the State.

As a result, the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) have passed an order stopping supplies of aviation fuel to the airline till further notice.
Reacting to this incident, National Secretary of NUPENG, Tokunbo Korodo, described it as ridiculous and barbaric.

"It has to be condemned by labour leaders. Politicians should not forget that we are the same labour leaders who brought democracy back to the country from military junta.

"You people (politicians) absconded the country when we confronted the military without weapons.

"Is this our own dividend of democracy?" He asked.

National Assistant Secretary of NLC, Denja Yaqub, who spoke on phone told huhuonline.com that the policeman has been arrested.

"We just got an information now that the man was arrested in Lagos while disembarking from Arik Airline.

"We are calling for his prosecution for this inhuman act," he said.

However,NEC of NLC has resolved that Arik Airline be boycotted and Endorsed NUPENG's embargo on supply of aviation fuel to Arik Airline.

It also resolved that the policeman with service number: 97775 be dismissed immediately.

Remembering Ken Saro Wiwa

Posted by Myne Whitman on November 10, 2010 at 10:30am

I got to know of the social activist Ken Saro Wiwa, as a child, reading the opening credits of his long-running TV series, Basi and Company. Today for most Nigerians, marks the 15th anniversary of his Military execution. Ken Saro-Wiwa was killed for speaking out against injustice and oppression of the minority ethnic groups in the Niger Delta Region by the Nigerian government and by the multinational oil companies, especially Shell.

Kenule Beeson Saro Wiwa, most known as Ken Saro-Wiwa, was born to a prominent Bori family in October 1941. He was a native of Ogoni, in todays Rivers State, South-South Nigeria. Previously an academic, Ken Saro Wiwa went into politics as the Civilian Administrator for the Port of Bonny, near his hometown of Ogoni during the Nigeria-Biafra civil war (1967-1970) and later as regional Commisioner of Education in the Rivers State cabinet. During the 1970s he built up his businesses in real estate and retail and in the 1980s concentrated on his writing, journalism and television production. It was in 1990 that Ken Saro-Wiwa decided to concentrate his efforts to speaking and campaigning about the problems of the oil producing regions of the Niger Delta. He focused on his homeland, Ogoni, and launched the non-violent Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP).

Basi & Co, his popular soap opera, may have often been too advanced for me when it ran on TV, however it had some very engaging characters, with distinctive names, dressings and manners of speech. I thoroughly enjoyed the dialogue and often acted out some of the scenes with my siblings after the show had ended. As one with great imagination, and even then, the stirrings of a writing muse, I was inspired by writers, and as such, the name of the writer of this witty drama stuck with me. As a young teenager, I found and read some of his books and followed his activism. Several children’s adventures later, I was working on a romance novella and waiting to take the entrance exams to university when the news of the execution broke. Ken Saro-Wiwa had been hanged, along with eight others (the Ogoni Nine), by the Nigerian military junta of the day.

I was stunned with disbelief. Saro-Wiwa was a thinker and activist who I had looked up to and aspired to be like. I had been too young to remark the military regime of the now late Gen. Sani Abacha, but then I was forced to consider how they stifled free speech, and how this might affect my own writing, my life. It was not an encouraging picture I saw. As it was, the hangings caused an international outcry and the immediate suspension of Nigeria from the Commonwealth – which lasted three years – as well as the calling back of many foreign diplomats. As the next few years dragged on, several writers, journalists and authors alike, were hounded and prosecuted, several went to jail or prison, and many left the country for asylum elsewhere.

Things are a bit better now. In the years in between Ken Saro Wiwa’s death and today, I had read two more of his books of his experiences during the Nigeria-Biafra civil war. Sozaboy: a Novel in Rotten English, of a naive village boy recruited into the army; and On a Darkling Plain, his personal diary. The first I read as a political university student, active in my faculty and department, an official in some groups and associations. The other I read as a young woman, living and working in Abuja, the new capital city of Nigeria. Both books and most of his others made references to the abuse he saw around him, as the oil companies took riches from beneath the soil of Ogoni land, and in return left them polluted and unusable. The fed into my world view of how the world worked, and why I needed to tell my own story however I could.

Today, 15 years later, I am more grown up and socially aware. I live in the United States by choice and will travel to Nigeria in the next couple of weeks. I am a full time writer, editor and author. My book, A Heart to Mend, has also been published and is doing very well in Nigeria. In March of this year, I established and currently serve as managing editor for a critique website for Nigerian writers called Naija Stories. The aim of the website is to provide a platform of opportunities to aspiring Nigerian writers and get them telling their stories on their own terms. In a press release yesterday by the Niger-Delta Restoration of Hope, two of Naija Stories members had won in a writing competition held to commemorate the death of Ken Saro-Wiwa. Their entries were appropriately titled “Road to Martyrdom” and “Life before Death”.

In his closing statement to the Nigerian military-appointed special tribunal, Ken Saro-Wiwa said;

“We all stand before history. I am a man of peace, of ideas. Appalled by the denigrating poverty of my people who live on a richly endowed land, distressed by their political marginalization and economic strangulation, angered by the devastation of their land, their ultimate heritage, anxious to preserve their right to life and to a decent living, and determined to usher to this country as a whole a fair and just democratic system which protects everyone and every ethnic group and gives us all a valid claim to human civilization, I have devoted my intellectual and material resources, my very life, to a cause in which I have total belief and from which I cannot be blackmailed or intimidated. I have no doubt at all about the ultimate success of my cause, no matter the trials and tribulations which I and those who believe with me may encounter on our journey. Nor imprisonment nor death can stop our ultimate victory.”

On Friday, the 10th of November 1995, Ken Saro-Wiwa was killed. He died for speaking out and making his voice relevant. I, and others will continue speaking.

____________________________________

About Myne Whitman

Award winning Myne Whitman is the author of A Heart to Mend. Her blog is the Nigerian Blog of the Year 2010 and she also writes for BellaNaija, Afrikan Goddess, Femme Lounge, and other online publications.

Find Myne on AMAZON

Tuface D'banj in Collabo ist time ever !

Posted by NollywoodMohits on November 10, 2010 at 5:01am

It is no longer hush-hush among insiders in the

entertainment industry. Since late last week, it had become official; two of Nigeria's foremost singers, Tuface Idibia and D'banj have, for the first time, featured on the same song.

Curiously, it took newcomer, Kas, of the Fimile fame to achieve this rare feat. The two music stars were paired in the remix of Kas' chart-topping song, Fimile. Noteworthy is that aside typically chanting his File! refrain without restraint, D'banj, rediscovers his famous harmonica which had not featured in his songs in recent time while Tuface adds spice and intensity to an otherwise intense song.

In a chat with E-Punch, Kas says it was a big honour and privilege for him to have pulled this off because "both of them are stars. Tuface is a legend; one of the biggest musicians in Africa. I respect him so much. He is humble and down-to-earth. D'banj is also very big; a force to be reckoned with and doesn't take nonsense but equally very humble."

Describing how the idea of a remix began, Kas said he met Tuface and broached the idea to him which he welcomed gladly. D'banj did not prove any hard to get either. Thus, the remix.

Like he sings in Fimile, Kas, real names, Kas Jonathan Shobayo, is indeed a Yoruba native from Ogun State though his first visit to Nigeria was in 2005.

In his short, eventful stint in the industry, Kas who fondly calls himself Kas beats, has emerged as one of the fastest rising singers and beat makers with an increasing catalogue of hit songs...

D'Banj Koko Mobile Phone arrives

Posted by NollywoodMohits on November 10, 2010 at 4:56am

Mo'Hits Records is yet to make this report official but a member of the team has confirmed exclusively to Rhythms & Sounds that Koko Mobile has arrived and it is no more a hearsay. After many months of media propaganda on the handset, D'Banj and other members of the team are now preparing for the launch...

The artiste's label and management had earlier revealed that D'Banj will be releasing the Koko Mobile in October 2010. It was revealed that the first batch of the phones would be available in three colours namely Black, Silver and Pink. It will come pre-loaded with D'Banj's songs and videos plus other exciting features and programmes.

Koko Mobile is a mobile phone in the likes of Nokia, Samsung and others. It will come in different formats just like the normal mobile phones. According to D'Banj, the mobile phones are like normal everyday phones which are cheap and easy to use...

Koko, a word which started out as a catchphrase or more specifically, a slang word is turning out to be a full blown brand. The Koko Lounge in Lagos is doing well even though other partners are involved in the project; his Koko Foundation which is a non-profit organisation is also still in operation with various charity projects; and Koko Mansion and the Koko Concert are now becoming annual events. We hear the next project to be launched might be Koko Table Water. A prototype of the product was featured in D'Banj's video, 'Suddenly'.

D'Banj is certainly establishing himself as a brand that is more than just an entertainer that he is. He is constantly leveraging on his brand and ensuring that his legacy extends beyond music and into other business enterprises. He has also endorsed so many products; prominent among them are Globacom, Virgin Colour drinks and Power Fist, an energy drink. He even did a song for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) once.

And, few days back, news of his collabo with American rapper, Snoop Dogg on the remix of Mr. Endowed made headlines.

Lagos Doctors Get 75% Salary Increase

Posted by 9jabook.com webmadam on November 10, 2010 at 4:45am

After a nine-week industrial action, Lagos State Government yesterday agreed to pay 75 per cent of the consolidated medical salary structure (CONMESS) to the aggrieved medical and dental personnel in the state.

The increase was contained in a statement by the Commis-sioner for Establishment, Training and Pensions, Mr. Jide Sanwo-Olu, who said Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) had approved a 75 per cent rise for the medical officers.
The statement said Fashola “has directed the implementation of an increase in the salaries and allowances of medical/dental officers in the public service of Lagos State.

“Further thereto, having painstakingly examined the issue, Fashola has directed in line with the newly approved Pay Policy of the state, an implementation of an increase in the salaries and allowances of medical/dental officers in the state public service to an amount equivalent to about 75 per cent of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure in order to prevent further loss of lives and protect the welfare of the citizens of the state”.

The statement also said the government also agreed to review the dismissal of Dr. Ibrahim Olaifa; the commencement of the deduction of the Guild’s check-off dues through the state Treasury Office and review of the issue of tax deduction in order to comply with relevant tax laws of government.

The government urged the striking doctors to call off their strike.....
The doctors had embarked on the indefinite strike for nine weeks due to the failure of the government to address their grievances.
But when THISDAY reached its principal officers last night, the Medical Guild, an association of medical and dental personnel in the employment of the state, had not taken a position on the 75 per cent upward salary review.

It was gathered that the Guild would not accept the 75 per cent review, insisting that the government should implement the consolidated medical salary structure in full because the increase would be lower than what doctors in other states of the federation are getting.

Stock Exchange spends N186m on Rolex watches in 2008 under Ndidi Okereke

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on November 9, 2010 at 10:23pm

The report on the investigation of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) under the leadership of its former director general, Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke, showed that in 2008, the Exchange spent N186 million to buy Rolex watches for long serving employees.

The yet-to-be officially released report, a product of investigations by KPMG, an audit firm, and Aluko Oyebode & Co., a legal firm, revealed that “at the beginning of 2008, the NSE expended the sum of N45 million in purchasing 64 Rolex watches for presentation to employees who had served the NSE for 10 years.”.....

The report also noted that “later in the same year, Candy Floss Limited (a company owned by Yinka Idowu, former head of NSE’s corporate affairs department), was given N95 million for an additional purchase of 91 Rolex watches, and subsequently, after the award ceremony, another 10 Rolex watches at the cost of N46 million were purchased.”

Meanwhile, the investigators said they observed that the award ceremony document showed that only 73 out of the 165 Rolex watches purchased were actually presented to the awardees, meaning that 92 Rolex watches valued at N99.5 million were unaccounted for.

“We further observed that the schedule containing the list of staff members eligible for long service awards only contains 63 names; suggesting that 10 additional and unauthorised people received presentations,” the report added.

Car gifts

Furthermore, Candy Floss Limited, according to the report, was given N100 million to purchase 14 cars to be presented to employees who had served the NSE for 25 to 30 years.

At the same time, the report said that three cars purchased by the NSE in January and March 2008 for N59 million - one Land Cruiser purchased for N30 million, and two Lexus cars purchased for N29 million -were written off the NSE books at the end of the same year by their allocation to the Long Service Award account, as part of the gifts given during the ceremony.

Meanwhile, the award ceremony document showed that only seven people were presented with cars, compared to the 14 cars which were to be purchased by Candy Floss Limited and the three additional cars written off; meaning that 10 cars, valued at approximately N66 million, were unaccounted for.

The auditors also revealed that “although Candy Floss Limited was given the sum of N50 million for the special presentation to employees who had worked with the NSE for 25 to 30 years, another sum of N55 million was again disbursed in respect of the special presentation, which was to include a luxurious jeep and a special gift of the former director general’s choice.

“This suggests that there was a duplication of payment and a double purchase of a luxury car for the former director general’s choice,” the auditors said.

Further investigations

While the fact that Articles 52 of the NSE Employee Handbook for Management and Senior Staff, as well as Article 55 of the Employee Handbook for Junior Staff limits the value of gifts/cash that can be given to employees for the long service award, the auditors said, “We observed that the gifts awarded/presented far exceeded the value stated in these handbooks, “adding that “these Articles further stated that these awards should be presented to only members of staff, but we observed that former members of staff were also given awards.”

However, the auditors said further investigations to be carried out in respect of the award will determine if any payments were made by Candy Floss Limited to the accounts of NSE officers, including that of Mrs. Okereke-Onyuike.

Kidnap of American: FBI agents to storm A’Ibom

Posted by daniel on November 9, 2010 at 7:54pm

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Elite agents of the American Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) are on their way to Nigeria to join the hunt for the abductors of two U.S. nationals. They were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen off the coast of Akwa Ibom state during an attack on an oil rig. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said the agents, skilled in trailing and capturing kidnappers will work with Nigerian officials to secure freedom for the hostages and investigate the incident.

The hostages who work for oil services firm, Afren, were taken last Sunday. The company operating an oil has increased the number of those seized to seven .A spokesman for Afren said the company had confirmed two Indonesians were among those taken when gunmen in speed boats attacked the offshore rig.The attack happened about 12 kilometers off the coast of Akwa Ibom state. Afren had previously said only five people were kidnapped, and identified them as two Americans, two French and one Canadian. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The State Department said the Niger Delta is home to criminal gangs that steal oil and take hostages for ransom. Officials also said the region also has militants who claim they are fighting for a fairer distribution of oil wealth. It warned American nationals to take extra security measures and postpone all unnecessary trips to the region.

Court sacks Delta Governor Uduaghan

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on November 9, 2010 at 7:47pm

jpeg&STREAMOID=UOd1m88UgJhl$QgQAqs6li6SYeqqxXXqBcOgKOfTXxT9_fa0FsazObBclgc996dMnW_PgxgftuECOcfJwS6Jtlp$r8Fy$6AAZ9zyPuHJ25T7a9GKDSxsGxtpmxP0VAUyHL6IDcZHtmM2t7xO$FHdJG95dFi6y2Uma3vSsvPpVyo- More than three years after he was sworn in as governor of Delta State, the Court of Appeal sitting in Benin, yesterday nullified the election of Emmanuel Uduaghan and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission [INEC] to conduct fresh elections in the state within 90 days.

In the same vein, the court also ordered that the speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Sam Obi be sworn in within 24 hours as the acting governor of the state pending the conduct of fresh elections. The appeal court was presided over by Justice Mensah, who ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a re-run election in three months.

The annulment was the result of the appeal brought by the governorship candidate of Democratic People’s Party (DPP) in Delta State in the 2007 elections, Great Ogboru against the election of Mr Uduaghan, who has governed the state since 2007..

On October 19, 2009, the five-man Elections Tribunal sitting in Asaba had dismissed the petition filed by Mr. Ogboru challenging the election, in an unanimous decision. The tribunal held that the petitioner failed to prove that there was no election in most of the voting centres, as alleged in his petition and that he also failed to prove a case of gross rigging.

According to that judgment which was read by the chairman of the tribunal, B.S. Mohammed, Mr Ogboru’s claim was doubtful and a lot of doubt has been cast in the statements of the petitioner’s witnesses. The tribunal also ruled that the onus of proving non-voting lies on the petitioner, which the petitioner failed to prove.

“Cases are won in the court by hard facts and not by mere sentiments. The evidence adduced by the petitioner is hardly inadequate. This petition fails and hereby dismissed,” Mr Mohammed ruled.

But Mr Ogboru finally had his day at the appellate court, which ruled yesterday that the 2007 governorship election, in which Mr. Uduaghan was declared winner, was characterized by malpractices. The appeal panel had earlier dismissed the petition brought by the AC candidate, Peter Okocha, where he sought the nullification of Mr. Uduaghan’s election because of his exclusion from the 2007 election by the electoral commission.

In dismissing Mr. Okocha’s petition, “the tribunal held that the petitioners have not been able to establish that the 1st Petitioner was validly nominated to contest the April 14, 2007 gubernatorial election in Delta State.”

No cause for alarm

As news of the court judgement spread yesterday, Benin City, the Edo State capital erupted in jubilation as supporters of the DPP candidate and others hugged one another.

But the Delta State government said there was no cause for alarm and it was obeying court orders.

The leader of the Delta State Elder, Leaders and Stakeholders Forum, Richard Tosanwumi, and a former commissioner during the tenure of former governor, James Ibori, however said that the judgment is good riddance to bad rubbish.

Mr Tosanwumi said the judgment has finally collapsed the Ibori dynasty in the state.

“We must try to manage this so that the fraud which characterized the Uduaghan’s election don’t repeat itself during the re-run,” Mr Tosanwumi said yesterday on phone.

The new acting governor was himself sworn in last September following the sack of former speaker, Martin Okonta whose election was nullified by an Appeal Court in Abuja.

Great Ogboru

Mr. Ogboru had, in 2003, contested elections on the platform of Alliance for Democracy (AD) against Mr Ibori. He lost the election and the subsequent court actions against Mr. Ibori.

His political career came into prominence in 1990, during the regime of military president, Ibrahim Babangida, when he was declared wanted as an accomplice when a group of army officers led by Gideon Orka, a Major attempted a coup against Mr. Babangida.

The Babangida government alleged that Mr. Ogboru bankrolled the coup, but he fled the country to escape arrest. He was on exile until the return of civilian rule to the country in May 1999.

The government of President Olusegun Obasanjo absolved him of the coup charges.

Banks May close as Workers begin strike today

Posted by 9jabook.com on November 9, 2010 at 7:30pm

Yet another dialogue between the presidency and leaders of the Nige..rian Labour Congress (NLC), to forestall a planned nationwide strike today, has been deadlocked.

President Goodluck Jonathan who rushed down from Lagos yesterday to lead a high level delegation of government officials to meet with the leaders of the NLC could however not convince the congressmen to abandon their planned agenda of embarking on a three day working strike, starting today.

The N.igeria Labour Congress (NLC) had threatened to embark on a three-day warning industrial action, starting from November 10, demanding an increment in their minimum wage.

According to the acting president of the NLC, Promise Adewusi, the strike action will still continue, while the body holds consultation with the respective organs involved in the congress.

“We have heard the message of Mr. President, we are going to go back to our organ and the only thing we can say now is that the strike is on until called off by the organ that instituted it” Mr Adewusi told eagerly waiting pressmen.

He added that the congress will meet with its body at 3pm today to convey the presidents’ message.

With talks scheduled for yesterday night between Goodluck Jonathan and labour officials, uncertainty seems to reign supreme in the financial sector, with bankers saying they will close shop if the strike went ahead today...

The Nigeri..an Labour Congress had issued a three-day ultimatum to go on a warning strike today over the federal government’s refusal to secure legislative backing for a new minimum wage for workers in the public service.

“The bank workers are union members and their unions are also members of the participating unions in the planned strike,” said Sunday Salako, assistant national president, Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions.

Bankers are, however, of the opinion that though there may be skeletal operations to keep ATMs and other things running, banks, customers, and the economy would be affected.

A banker at Intercontinental Bank said security is a strong issue that would put bank staff off, if the strike commenced.

“What would happen if they are attacked, who would take responsibility for that? That is why a lot people would keep away, though there has been no formal declaration. We would probably have to wait till 11:59 for confirmation,” he said.

A banker at First Bank said, “If the strike is real, then banks wouldn’t open for security reasons, but there would be skeletal activities. For instance, ATMs would work, and other minor activities,” he said.

Financial cost

The Intercontinental banker said he could not estimate the monetary loss to the banks during the strike.

“I can’t really say what this would cost the banking industry specifically or its corresponding effect on the economy, because in effect, it’s not as if the banks don’t want to render their services,” he added.

“There is no way it won’t hurt both banks and customers alike. For instance, taking only cheques as an example. No one would be able to drop cheques. You know, there are duties and charges for transactions, which would not be carried out if the strike actually begins,” he further said.

There was, however, no unusual surge of customers at banks randomly visited yesterday. Some customers said they do not believe that the strike would hold, while others said though they were aware, they have to make withdrawals. It is also risky for them to make large withdrawals in anticipation of the strike, because of the security state of the nation.

Setback on the economy

Akinbamidele Akintola, a research analyst at Renaissance Capital, an investment firm, said it is expected that the president would resolve the issue in due time.

“This is not positive, as it would cripple the entire system if we assume it would affect the banking sector, ports, airports, schools, oil and gas segment, transport, and a couple of other segments. We expect the government of President Jonathan to resolve the issue promptly with labour congress, as election campaigns and political activity pick up ahead of next 2011 elections.

O3T: OGD for 3rd Term

Posted by Opeyemi Goro Ajala on November 9, 2010 at 8:50am

“They resented and detested the voice of dissent or opposition so much so that they were prepared to go to anylength to harass and stifle it”… Obafemi Awolowo on why the 2nd republicfailed.

Permit me to use this medium to call on the Executive Governor Of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel (OGD), the Olunlaof Egbaland, Otunba of all Otunbas, The Emperor of Ogun State to pleaseignore the call of sense, legality and democracy to vacate hisOke-Mosan, Abeokuta office come May 28, 2011, as we the people of OgunState wants him to continue ruling us beyond 2011.

We are happy with our pothole-ridden roads occasioned by inferior materials used byyour beloved OGROMA, our doctors and nurses going on incessant strikesand our taps overflowing with emptiness. We want you to continue tobless us with tales of your famed shrines, forced oath swearing bypoliticians and top government official to you, our indefatigableEmperor and your sagacious fight against the so-called “AbujaPoliticians”, especially some people who felt they could commission abridge in your backyard without paying homage to thee. The Olokola FreeTrade Bush is filling our State’s coffers with so much coins since youhave been operating it since 2003 with thy mouth, that we will easilyrepay an loan, bond or bondage within a couple of months. Even the blindcan see planes taking off at your ultra-modern cargo airport, the deafcan hear the thundering of the feet of investors rushing towards us andthe dumb shouts sincere praises of your financial prudence of using overyears leave bonus of civil servants, un-remitted pension contributionsand local government allocations for building un-used stadiums,junketing to China at the drop of a hat and building other castles inthe air.

You have been touted severally as the ‘Awo of our time” and I totally agree. The late Obafemi Awolowo, a man even in deathreferred to as the Yoruba Leader, was symptomatic of his generationwhich dreamt big for Nigeria. You, our own Otunba, is thepersonification and embodiment of the hopes and yearnings of yourgeneration: to be the first to the proverbial national cake and eateverything, leaving crumbs for thy cronies and lackeys. You have beendoing fantastically well in this department and we will love for you tocontinue in this manner beyond 2011, not minding your EFCC detractorstrying to catch you with local government funds and the State’s IRSmoney. Who has ever caught the wind despite it carry away houses,villages and sacking whole towns?

Olunla, Olunla: Please continue to emasculate the legislative arm of government and combating otheropposing voices, both within and without your government and party.Obafemi Awolowo did not live in the 21st century, so he did not knowwhat he was saying in the opening quotation to this piece. What if youquash the legislature and actively participated in the anti-democraticsuspension of 15 by 9? What if your wife, Yeye Empress, went to a localgovernment chairman’s house with thugs and intended to be him silly? Areyou not the Emperor, the law itself? Your very word is law. You areabove the law. Let Egbetokun, Remmy Hazzan and Oladunjoye shoutthemselves hoarse that there is fire on the mountain. This our famedstate of fearless geniuses is actually peopled by docile fools who darenot hearken to the voice of these erudite and courageous young men, butwould rather worship their belly and by extension you for pecuniaryadvantages. When the military strikes, the only arm of democraticgovernment that gets proscribed is the legislature, as it is the outercore of democracy (the inner core being free and fair elections). Sinceyou are our Emperor, now and forever, and no one will rule Ogun Stateafter thee, you are free to do away with anyone. Who dares question yourmotive?

Do not listen to your enemies dressed in friendship garb that purchased the Senatorial Election form (that is sold by the Statechapter and not the National Headquarters) for you. What kind ofpromotion is settling for a third of your present Empire? Tell them togo and get the Governorship form for you! After all, the Yoruba adagesays “What the child wants to eat will not cause him/her stomachache”.You are the Awo of our time. You should be allowed to rule forever. Wedon’t respect laws in our land anymore, our actions (and inactions) areantithetical to logic and we practice hire-purchasetocracy. Therefore common sense, rule of law and tenets of democracy be damned: OUR EMPEROR MUST RULE US FOR LIFE!

Let me implore thee, sire, not to listen to any advice or reasoning fromanyone, especially those close to you and in your cabinet. If anyonetries, give him the Niran Malaolu or Kayode Samuel treatment. If heleaves the government and continues to irritate you, give him the Hon.Oladunjoye or ‘Dimeji Bankole or Jubril Martins-Kuye or Sarafa Isholatreatment. If he is not in your party, give him the Dipo Dina treatment.Others will learn from his downfall.

Some final words of wisdom for your Eminence: He who lives in a glass house (political party) doesnot throw stone because the day the stepmother beats the heir, monkey gogo market, he no go fit return.

A final prayer for my people: In this age of bonds, may we not fall into bondage.

Robbers Attack Delta State Chief Accountant

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on November 9, 2010 at 5:57am

According a distressed government house staff, "when a government, which is supposed to protect its citizens, cannot protect itself, then we have a major problem in our hands".Against this backdrop, huhuonline.com can report that gun men,. suspected to

be armed robbers operating in a motorbike on Monday attacked the Chief Accountant in Delta State Government House, Asaba, Mr. Michael Ogene and made away with over fifty million naira (N50m).

Although no government official could confirm the exact amount, Mr. Ogene was said to have been attacked by the two man bandits at about 11am , by the popular Inter Bau round about, while returning from one of the new generation banks where he went to cash some money.

The two man bandits attacked the accountant at about 11am , by the popular Inter Bau round about, when he was returning from one of the new generation banks, where he went to cash the money. Inter Bau round about is a few kilometers away from the state Police Headquarters and less than a kilometer to government house.

He had two bags “Ghana must go” containing money, inside the booth of his brand new 207 Peugeot car with registration number DTGH 736, but the robbers succeeded in making away with one.

Eye witness account said the two young men wielding sophisticated weapons opened fire on Ogene as he approached Inter Bau Junction, ordering him to stop.

The robbers were said to have gone straight for the booth of the car, fired some shots, apparently in the bid to force it open, after which they forcefully took away the bag containing the money.

After the incident, Mr. Oghene who is the Director of Finance in Government House and another occupant in the car were taken to Government House clinic for medical attention.

When contacted, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, Mr. Sunny Ogefere refused to comment on the exact amount removed from accountant but referred our correspondent to the police whom he said are already investigating the matter.

He disclosed that the victims did not sustain any major injuries during the operation...

He said that one of the suspects has been arrested while part of the stolen money recovered by the police.

But the State Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Charles Muka who spoke on phone with our correspondent said “I have been in a meeting since morning and has not been briefed about any stolen money from anywhere. I actually

Ijebu man Coffin Joke

Posted by 9jabook.com webmadam on November 9, 2010 at 1:25am

A man who makes caskets was going to deliver one of his coffins when his car broke down.tryin not to be late,he put the coffin on his head and began heading to his destination.

As he came close to a Police Checkpoint Some Officers saw him and wanting to make some money off him so they challenged him.

"where u dey carry dat thing go?!..The man a Yoruba man from Ijebu said

."i no like the place where dem bury me so i dey try relocate"....

The olopa police dem no wait o !!!

Obasanjo Attacked at Airport !

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on November 9, 2010 at 1:08am

A mild drama ensued at the Presidential Wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, Monday, as former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, was attacked by a middle-aged man who pounced on him inside his car.

The incident occurred at about 9:20a.m.

The former president’s attacker, whose identity was not immediately known, had earlier before Obasanjo’s arrival attempted to enter the presidential wing of the airport, but was turned back by Air Force personnel manning the gate, especially as he could not explain his mission at the wing.

The man was not only denied entry, but was also driven away from the precincts of the wing and told never to return to the area, particularly as President Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential jet was parked at the wing.

The ambush

Unknown to the Air Force personnel and some mobile policemen whose presence at the airport was due to the president’s presence in Lagos, the man had laid ambush, hiding behind the fence of the car park attached to the presidential lounge.

*Obasanjo

Former President Obasanjo’s chartered jet touched down a few minutes after 9:00a.m., and the former president, in his usual jocular manner exchanged banters with press men attached to the presidential lounge. He then hopped into his car, a Toyota Landcruiser special utility vehicle, SUV, sandwiched between two excort vehicles with his security aides, leaving behind Chief Kenny Martins who came to receive him.

The attack

As the convoy of three vehicles tried to negotiate its way into Airport Road, towards the local wing of the airport, the man emerged from nowhere. He ran towards the Jeep in the middle of the convoy, opened the door and started kicking and raining blows on the former President.

Rescue

The opening of the door of Obasanjo’s car drew the attention of both the Air Force personnel and Mobile Policemen some 100 metres away, and they quickly dragged the man out of the car and gave him the beating of his life....

When he recovered from the attack, the visibly shaken Obasanjo immediately asked his driver to drive off, while scores of security men had rounded up the attacker who, amidst beatings, screamed persistently “America is watching, …America is watching.”

The man attempted to escape, but when some of the military personnel cocked their guns to shoot, he quickly laid on the floor begging for leniency.

Aftermath

The man, who looked well fed and dressed up, was dragged to the Air Force wing of the airport, as he refused to explain his mission and motive behind the attack of the former President.

The development prompted tightening of security at the presidential wing, as every person or vehicle entering the lounge and car park were subjected to stringent security screening.

BANISHED-Incestuous fATHER,marriage dissolved

Posted by Omeiza Dominic on November 8, 2010 at 11:38pm

Olikeze of Asaba and Secretary to the Asagba-In-Council, Chief (Dr.) John Iloba, has frowned at the recent incest between a father and daughter, saying that the traditional implications of such incestuous act is outright banishment.

According to him, “It is a taboo in Asaba community and cannot be tolerated by the community. If it happens here, the father would instantly be excommunicated from the community.

The fascinating incestuous act involving a 52 year old father and his daughter in Nigeria has continued to generate unfortunate controversies, more so, as the fate of the offspring of the marriage now hangs in the balance.

Huhuonline.com understands that Sunny, an Asaba-based former employee of the non-operational Nigeria Railways Corporation (NRC) had unknowingly contracted his daughter, Funmi in a clandestine marriage which resulted in Funmi bearing two male children for her own father.

Our checks reveal that Sunny, in the course of his job in Lagos as a staff NRC, met his first “wife”, Bola with whom he had an unsteady relationship that led to an unwanted pregnancy.

Unfortunately for Sunny, he was thrown out of his job due to the fall of the Nigeria Railways Corporation which made him relocate to Asaba, Delta state capital to seek greener pastures, leaving his heartthrob behind in Lagos to cater for the unborn child after a relationship that lasted four years.

As luck would have it, for Bola, who had lost all vital contacts with Sunny, she had a safe delivery of a daughter, Funmi whom until the incestuous act, did not know she had a father known to still be alive.

Although sources close to the family said, Sunny was not formally married to Funmi's mother, fate however played itself out on them when, after several years later, Sunny encountered Funmi alongside her friends on their first visit to Asaba from Lagos.  That was how the immoral and incestuous bliss between father and daughter culminated into a union that produced two male children.  After the first child, Bola had a second male child for Sunny in quick succession and Funmi’s mother, who did not envisage anything of chance, queried her daughter for having a second child for a man whom she has not given her consent to, but the relationship soon turned awry when Funmi's mother visited Asaba to nurse her second grandchild.  To her chagrin, Funmi's mother (Bola) on her arrival at the Summit Road residence in Asaba, discovered that her supposedly son-in-law was her former runaway lover for whom she had Funmi.

Olikeze of Ahaba/Secretary to Asagba-In-Council speaks on incest

Huhuhonline.com spoke with Chief (Dr.) John Iloba, Olikeze of Asaba and Secretary to the Asagba-In-Council on the traditional and social implications of such incestuous act.

According to him, “It is a taboo in Asaba community and cannot be tolerated by the community. If it happens here, the father would instantly be excommunicated from the community.

“The daughter will also be in trouble because to be able to yield to the father is unacceptable. It is expected that she would get angry and inform people. But the way it stands now, be rest assured that nobody will ever ask for her hand in marriage again. Her marriage has forever remained stalled.

“There is also no excuse for them to claim they did not know that they were blood relations because it is totally wrong for anybody to have an affair with a person without knowing his or her background. It means the father could have as well made love to a leprous patient without asking questions.

“The case of the daughter already bearing children for the father, is another story altogether. Offspring from such immoral act cannot be said to be children of the family because it remains a taboo. It is completely unacceptable.

Speaking further on what becomes of the children, Chief Iloba said, “If the father so chooses, and having already been ostracized from the community, he may possibly remarry the daughter and keep the children elsewhere but that cannot be accepted in Asaba community. No! Not here. It is forbidden.”

Families perform parting rites in Asaba

Necessary traditional rituals have been performed by elders of both families who immediately put an end to the union that has brought ignominy to families.  Following the traditional detachment rites, Funmi has since returned to Lagos with her mother, in an effort to deal with her reprehensible marriage to her father.

 One of the elders in the quarters who joined in performing the parting rituals, Chief Benson Aisudo confirmed that the Asaba tradition frowns at such ignoble act, adding that Sunny risks banishment from Asaba even though it was a family affair.

Meanwhile, the two children produced from the incestuous union had been handed over to Sunny's sister in the course of the dissolution of their marriage and subsequent traditional demands, whether to face banishment or not.

According to Mrs. Ifeoma Enachi, the fate of the children now hangs in the balance as they are already seeking to know the whereabouts of their mother.

Man intends to knockout Obj

Posted by Omeiza Dominic on November 8, 2010 at 11:30pm

Earlier today former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo received a dose of the widespread hatred in which ordinary Nigerians hold him, when a man forced his way into his car. The angry Nigerian believed to be in his 40s forced his way into his car, grabbed him by his "Agbada" and pummeled with vicious punches.

The event took place near the Presidential lounge of the Murtala Mohammed Airport in Lagos. Two eyewitness sources told Saharareporters that the attack on Obasanjo took place shortly after Obasanjo entered his car at MMIA following his return from a trip.

The Sources said Mr. Obasanjo was saved by airforce personel on security duty at the airport. As the man was being pulled away, he was heard cursing Obasanjo that "God will punish for all his crimes against Nigerians."
A police source told Saharareporters that when Obj assailant was brought into the police station and asked by interrogator, "are you crazy", the man replied, " if you say I am crazy what would you say about Obasanjo."

The man then further asked the police interrogator, whether (he) the assailant was the one the looted the funds of Nigeria, rigged elections and slept with his son's wife"

Police authorities are detaining the man claiming that they are investigating his state of mental health.

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