Why I crushed robbery victims Truck driver Lagos-Ore Highway tragedy:

Posted by 9jabook.com on March 8, 2010 at 7:00pm

PICTURE ADVISORY WARNING

Monday, March 8, 2010
In the past few weeks, the internet has been inundated with offensive photographs of an accident scene where a driver allegedly crushed to death 19 robbery victims at the Obalende area of Ijebu-Ode in Ogun State.

Idahosa

advertisement

Fresh details have, however, emerged on the incident, as the man who drove his truck over the robbery victims has cleared the air.

The incident, according to him, happened on July 31 2009. And contrary to the general belief that the driver of the ill-fated luxury bus was ordered to run over his passengers by the bandits, the man whose vehicle crushed the robbers was actually the driver of a truck.

The Edo State born driver spoke with Daily Sun at the police headquarters, Louis Edet House, Abuja at the weekend. He said he ran over the passengers thinking they were barricades put on the highway by armed robbers. Giving a graphic account on how the 19 robbery victims met their gruesome death, Osayande Idahosa, 40, said he was driving a Seaner Truck with registration number XN 808 BEN on July 31 last year from Benin en route Lagos.

According to him, he was in company with his conductor, Lucky, and the woman who hired him for the trip. The woman, he said, was going to supply some bags of garri.

Idahosa said he encountered a huge traffic jam at Ore but said he decided to continue the journey because of the nature of the goods in the truck.

He said he noticed that there were no other vehicles on the road until he sighted the headlights of some vehicles at Obalende area of Ijebu-Ode. “When I saw the lights, I was happy. I did not know that it was an evil light that will continue to haunt me till eternity,” he said.

Idahosa said immediately he approached the vehicle, he sighted some barricades that looked like logs of wood on the highway. “I thought it was a police check-point, so I slowed down. But I started hearing gun shots. I saw many people firing at me. Out of panic, I decided to run over what I assumed were logs of woods.

“As my truck ran over the ‘barricades’, I noticed that they were too soft. I also heard gun shots and agonizing cries of people. I suspected that I must have killed some people but I did not know who my victims were. I couldn’t control the vehicle and it ran into the bush. I immediately jumped down and took to my heels. “While in the bush, I saw about 20 armed men in civilian clothes searching for me. They were boasting that they would soon fish me out and slaughter me in pieces. At this time, I did not know the fate of my conductor or that of the woman who hired me.”

He explained that while the armed men where searching his vehicle, he ran deeper into the bush where he found a hole in which he hid. The incident, he said, occurred about 9.45p.m. He said he continued hiding in the bush till six the following morning, August 1. Idahosa further said that in the morning, he started hearing the sound of siren and he saw some of the robbers fleeing the scene. When he suspected that the robbers were all gone, he now traced his way to the highway, he explained.

According to him, when he got to the road, he saw another driver who told him that those he ran over were actually human beings. Idahosa was reportedly advised not to venture near the scene as he would definitely be lynched by the angry mob who were still in shock at the huge number of corpses that littered the road. His driver friend, he said, dropped him off at Ijebu-Ode junction where he picked a commercial motorcycle to the Obalende police station and surrendered himself to the policemen on duty. The cops reportedly took his statement and advised him to go back to the scene as the Commissioner of Police, the Divisional Police Officer and other senior policemen were there for an on the spot assessment.

Idahosa said when he got to the scene and sighted the havoc committed by him, he bent down and wept. He then allegedly surrendered himself to the mob who were walling uncontrollably. “But rather than stoning me to death, they all started listening to my story on how I unintentionally killed innocent robbery victims who I mistook to be robbers’ barricades. The sympathizers started consoling me, telling me it was not my fault. The policemen took me along with them and I was with them for four days before I was granted bail.”

He revealed that for the next one month, he couldn’t stand the sight of meat. “Right now, I won’t engage in a night journey anywhere. The pain is too much for me to bear. My wife is devastated. You can’t imagine the agony I go through everyday when I remember how I crushed 19 innocent people to death. But I trust that God will forgive me because I did not know that they were human beings.”

Driver of the robbed Young Shall Grow luxury bus with registration number XF 285 AKD, Okechukwu Okafor, blamed the tragedy on the bad condition of the road.

He revealed that, on the fateful day, he was on a morning trip from Enugu en route Lagos. The journey, he recalled, was smooth until 3.00p.m when he met a traffic gridlock at Ore. He said he was in the traffic for over four hours. In his words, on reaching a point between the Federal Government College, Odogbolu and Babcock University junction along the Ijebu-Ode/Shagamu Expressway, the luxury bus was forcefully stopped by a gang of armed robbers numbering about 50.

According to him, when he saw the intimidating number of the bandits, he jumped out of his bus and took to his heels. He revealed that while in the bush, he was hearing gun shots and wailing of people in agony. “I thought it was the robbery gang that was killing my passengers. It was not until the following morning when I found my way out of the bush that I learnt that it was a truck driver who refused to stop for the robbers that ran over my passengers.”

Okafor said he wept when he was confronted with the crushed bodies of the passengers. “You know, right from the park at Enugu down to the scene of the ugly incident, we had all become friendly. In fact, in my 22 years of driving, I had not seen or heard such a story that looked like a fairy tale.”

Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Mr. Emmanuel Ojukwu, said the incident happened on July 31, 2009.

“Following some offensive photographs being posted on the internet by some mischievous people who made the incident looked like it happened recently, the force would like to inform the public that the ugly accident happened on July 31, 2009,” he said.

He said 19 passengers of the luxury bus, including six females and 13 males, were crushed to death by the truck.

He explained that the file in respect of the case has been duplicated and forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for legal advice.

The Senate had earlier called for a thorough Investigation into the incident after a serious dressing down of the Police Boss IG Ogbonaya Onovo

National Security Adviser SACKED:as Gusau replaces Mukhtar

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on March 8, 2010 at 7:00pm

Acting President, Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday fired the National Security Adviser, Sarki Mukhtar, and replaced him with a former holder of the office, Aliyu Gusau.

PHOTO: (L-R)Chief of Naval Staff, Ishaya Ibrahim, Chief of Army Staff, Abdulrahaman Danbazau, Chief of Defence Staff, Paul Dike, former National Security Adviser, Sarki Mukhtar and Acting President Goodluck Jonathan, at the security meeting in Abuja yesterday. note all except the CDS & Jonathan are from the north

Mr. Mukhtar was appointed NSA in 2007 by President Yar'Adua following the retirement of Mr. Gusau, who was the National Security Adviser to former president, Olusegun Obasanjo.

A terse statement from the office of the Acting President, Goodluck Jonathan, signed by his Senior Special Adviser on the Media, Ima Niboro, simply stated that Mr. Gusau will replace Mr. Mukhtar.

The statement added that Mr. Jonathan "thanked the outgoing NSA for his services to the nation and the present administration, and wished him well in his future endeavours."

The announcement came after a four-hour meeting of the National Security Council, which was chaired by Mr. Jonathan and attended by the heads of most security agencies, including Mr. Mukhtar.

After the meeting, the council members all appeared in a haste to leave and none agreed to any interview with reporters. However, Mr. Niboro, who had been mandated by the group to speak, said the renewed crisis in Jos was one of the issues discussed and "measures are being put in place" to curb the crisis in Jos South, Plateau State.

"As you all know gentlemen, this is National Security Council meeting and usually there is no press briefing after this meeting," Mr. Niboro said.

"Because of the situation in Jos, we are willing to make a remark to let Nigerians know that the issue has come up for serious discussion and measures are being put in place to make sure that this incident does not happen again."

Security meeting

The meeting was attended by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Yayale Ahmed; the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Adetokunbo Kayode; and Mr. Sarki Mukhtar. Others in attendance included the Minister of Defence, Godwin Abbe; the Minister of Interior, Shetima Mustafa; and the Chief of Defence Staff, Marshall Paul Dike.

The three service chiefs and the Inspector-General of Police, Ogbonna Onovo, were also in attendance. Although government officials refuse to speak on the reason behind the removal of Mr. Mukhtar, there was a sense that he was one of the officers whose loyalty to the ailing Mr. Yar'Adua was affecting the ability of Mr. Jonathan to effect some needed change in power.

Mr. Mukhtar had a fairly prominent army career, culminating with his appointment as the general officer commanding the first division, Nigerian Army in Kaduna State, and the Chief of Staff of a peace keeping force in Liberia. He was one of the few serving high ranking officers in the 1990s who voiced concerns over the detention and trial of the former president, Olusegun Obasanjo and his former deputy, Shehu Yar'Adua.

Reactions

Reacting to how the Acting President, Goodluck Jonathan sacked the National Security Adviser yesterday, the chairman, Egalitarin Mission, Kayode Ajulo, said that "Again, it is like the Acting President is gradually getting the grip of steering the nation. It is a welcome development." According to him, we should expect further changes.

"Certainly, he is like a leader that is responsive. I am not talking of responsible now. He is responsive, he may be slow at it, but it is an understanding of this kind of government, yet gradually he is doing it."

Stanley Macebuh dies in poverty !

Posted by 9jabook.com on March 8, 2010 at 9:52am

Stanley Macebuh dies in penury

...Cant afford rent, medical attention

...Why he suffered stroke in 2006

...Why he moved to Gwarrimpa

One of journalism’s great minds, Dr Stanley Macebuh, is dead.

He died yesterday at the National Hospital, Abuja. He was 67.

Sympathizers thronged his Abuja home last night as the news of his death spread.

Many wept at the passage of Macebuh, pioneer Managing Director/Executive Editor of The Guardian, who was rushed to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the National Hospital at 6p.m., on Saturday.

Macebuh suffered a stroke in 2006.

His widow, Pauline, was all tears at their Gwarimpa, Abuja home, as she recalled her husband’s last moments.

She said she would miss Macebuh who she described as "my best friend".

Mrs Macebuh said: "He was a nice person but the greatest thing about him is that he had an attitude of giving. Stanley can fend for others and forget his family. Right now, I don’t know how to tell Kelechi that her dad is dead: you know he calls her ‘Babes’ and calls me ‘Champion’ as I had helped him recuperate after the partial stroke that almost took his life in 2006. I still love him and would miss him greatly."

Macebuh’s immediate younger brother, Prof. Kingsley Macebuh,

described him as "bookish" adding: "He was the kindest big brother any person could strive to have".

He said Macebuh’s friends in the United States called him "Baba Uwa" meaning father of all because of his selfless nature.

"He was not interested in accumulating wealth, he aimed for no property as far as he had a roof over his head", Prof. Macebuh said.

He said Macebuh had been complaining of weakness for the past one week, after being treated for malaria two weeks ago.

"He had even gone for a typhoid test, which came out negative. I spoke to him just yesterday (Saturday) about 1:38pm but I didn’t check on him till his personal Assistant came and told me that ‘Oga is shaking O!,’ we then rushed him to the hospital around six o’clock from where he gave up the ghost at 4:15am at the National Hospital Abuja.

"My brother has left a serious vacuum, he was selfless, he gave everything he had. He worked more for his friends’ welfare than his family. The family will miss his sense of natural patriotism for which he gave all in deeds and writings. He was more patriotic to his country than to his family. But still he gave all he had for the upkeep of the entire (extended) family".

Macebuh died a pauper. "He suffered a lot before his death. In 2007, the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) took his home on Panama Street in Maitama because he couldn’t pay for the house sold to him by the Federal Government." He really suffered, a relation said.

His widow recalled that they lived in the street for three months before help came in Gwarimpa House 13 Road 12 where he lived till he died.

Before his death, the caretaker/landlord had served him quit notice, which expires today.

Mrs Macebuh noted that in 2007, when he was robbed and his hands broken, there was no aid to fly him abroad for surgery.

This was said to have led to first stroke he had.

His 10 year-old child Kelechi risks being sent out of school for non-payment of fees.

At the mortuary, no money had been deposited for a space for him when The Nation visited.

Only money for embalmment had been paid.

Mrs Macebuh pleaded that her husband be immortalized because of his large heart.

Macebuh was born on December 28, 1942. He attended Ngwa High School and King’s College, Lagos.

He attended University of Ibadan and graduated with a second class upper division. He was admitted to the University of Sussex in 1967, receiving a Ph.D in English Language in 1969.

He is survived by his wife, Pauline and three children-Ikenna (23), Marissa Adaku (27) and 10-year old Kelechi.

Jos Mayhem in Pictures ! image Advisory warning

Posted by 9jabook.com on March 8, 2010 at 9:43am

Over 500 residents of Dogo Hawa village in Jos, were massacred in the early hours of Sunday morning by Fulani herdsmen .

This attack came despite the curfew by the state sequel to the mass attack that occurred few weeks ago in various crannies of Jos.

the herdsmen who sneaked into the village during the wee hours of Sunday, shot sporadically into the air before launching the attack.

According to our source, after the sporadic shooting, the scared and curious residents ran out of their homes only to be mowed with machete wielding Fulani killers. They then went from house to house torching the homes as they rampaged.

It was learnt that most of those killed were women and children.

The curious question making the rounds is, how did these killers beat the security cordon occasioned by the curfew.

Acting president, Goodluck Jonathan, has already put chiefs on red alert.

Yar'Adua's mother, Hajia Dada, sets eyes on her terminally sick son...weeps like a baby

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on March 8, 2010 at 9:00am

After months of hide and seek, sick President Umaru Yar’Adua’s mother, Hajia Dada Yar’Adua was allowed access to him on Friday by the restrictive cabal led by Her daughter-in-law, Turai and Chief Security Officer (CSO), Yusuf Tilde. our source in Abuja revealed that few minutes after setting eyes on her son, shocked Hajia Dada broke down and wept like a baby, repeatedly calling him “Babangida, Babangida” her choice name for President Yar’Adua. The President never responded to his mother as he sat and looked at her in a manner that suggested he may have lost memories of her, according to a source. “Hajia was so shocked at his state of his health and the most painful was that even while she called him Babangida, the name she gave him from birth by which family members know Mr. President, he did not respond, he was just there looking at her like he doesn’t know who she is,” the source told us. For months Turai and her co-travelers restricted access to the sick President. They did not even allow his immediate family including his mother to see how he is doing. It was against this background that Hajia Dada called on the PDP, General Ibrahim Babangida, and Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo to prevail on Turai to allow her access. According to our source, on setting her eyes on her son, she repeatedly called out her favorite name she calls him. She named him Babangida after his paternal grand father. Our source said she kept calling “ Babangida, Babangida” , but her son just starred at her and could not utter a word. advertisement our source said after several minutes of trying to establish communication with her gravely ill son, with stone-faced Turai watching, Hajia Dada was taken away by security operatives. It was leant that the President’s mother returned to Katsina later Friday night, with the possibility of not seeing her son again, at the back of her mind. Our source also hinted that several times Hajia Dada had asked that her son be brought back to Katsina, where is expects marabouts to perform a miracle. Sources say shortly before Yar’Adua was evacuated to Saudi Arabia, the sick President had requested audience with his mother at the Presidential Villa. But Hajia Dada spent two days with the President and did not know why other brothers and sisters of President Yar’Adua never came around to see her. According to sources, Turai, wife of the President had instructed security operatives in the villa not to allow any of the President’s siblings around. An operative who is said to be very close to the Yar’adua’s had hinted the President’s mother. The President’s mother, it was gathered had told the president and for the first time, President Yar’Adua, according to a source “tongue lashed his wife and immediately ordered than his family members be granted unrestricted access anytime they want to see him.”

The Hurt Locker Sucked

Posted by NollywoodMohits on March 8, 2010 at 7:27am

The Hurt Locker Sucked

Do not see this movie. Please.

The trailer will have you believe this movie is worth watching. Time, The New York Times, and Rolling Stone will also have you believe this movie is worth watching. But listen to the voice of reason (i.e.: me), and avoid this at all costs. It runs a little over two hours, but it felt twice as long, and will certainly ruin your evening with the potential of giving you a headache. Basically, if you decide to see The Hurt Locker, after reading this review, then you deserve to waste your money.

The Hurt Locker Movie Poster

The film follows a three-man bomb squad in the Iraqi war (circa 2004), with several scenes of how the unit disarms various bombs. Or, if you want to look at it another way: it’s basically a video game that you have no control over. Staff Sergeant William James (played by Jeremy Renner) is the wild renegade in charge of this unit, who doesn’t like to play by the rules; they make it painfully obvious that he gets a rush out of disarming bombs. Sergeant JT Sanborn (played by Anthony Mackie) is sick of duty, and does his best to stay alive so he can get back home, while Specialist Owen Eldridge (played by Brian Geraghty) is a giant pussy that should have never been a soldier.

Even though these three are the main characters, we learn virtually nothing about them, and there are only two scenes of “bonding” between the three soldiers, who we are supposed to feel for. Aside from the scenes that are inconsequential tangents which the Staff Sergeant creates, the bomb scenes were genuinely cool and suspenseful. But even those started wearing on me, since it was just more of the same, with slightly different variables. You never really get a handle on what drives the Staff Sergeant to do what he does, or to think what he thinks, which creates a giant bubble of confusion as the story progresses.

Explosion Scene from The Hurt Locker

I had no qualms with the acting, and the sets / visuals were very realistic; imagine Jarhead, but not entertaining. There were points where I felt like I was being tortured for continuing to watch – a really long sniper scene, and a sub-plot between the Staff Sergeant and an Iraqi boy. The whole theme was to explain that some soldiers (the Staff Sergeant) are driven to war for the adrenaline rush, and to avoid the mundane; even though the theme was conveyed, it didn’t keep you interested. Oh, and if you think “hey, it can’t be that bad with Guy Pearce and Ralph Fiennes” then you are in for a bad surprise, since they were each in the film for a total one scene each.

Really, I’d love to say something positive, but I just can’t. The story was as flat from beginning to end; you’d have more fun off pulling out your armhair, one by one. Please watch something else.

Scientists say NO Earthquakes in Africa No shaking people. literally !

Posted by Jane Okinedo on March 8, 2010 at 7:09am

Expert allay fears over possible earthquake in Africa

One week after an earthquake left about 200,000 people dead in Haiti and the widespread rumours that it could occur in Ghana, an Earth Scientist, Dr. Olateju Bayewu, has dismissed fears of possible occurrence of earthquake in Africa.

'Earthquake is a sudden release of some energy within the earth crust and the release does not just happen anywhere. Scientists believe that virtually all the continents are on its own plate and the plates are separated either by sea, oceans or may be hills and within the plates there are some areas called active zones and it is within the active zones that you always have the earthquake occurrence. Luckily for us in Africa, we are on a stable plate,' Bayewu told PANA.

Rumours of an imminent earthquake in Ghana created panic among thousands of people with many of them staying the night in the open.

They used short message service (SMS) and their cell phones to alert relatives even as government officials and experts denied the rumours.

'The only thing you just hear in Africa is may be small tremor, but for the real earthquake, Africa is not prone to it compare to other areas like Japan and part of the US. They are within the active zones or geologically speaking sub ductions zones,' the senior lecturer at the department of Earth Science, Olabisi Ona banjo University, Ago-Iwoye, in South West Nigeria, added.

The earthquake in Haiti left about 200,000 dead and at least half of the buildings in the capital, Port-au-Prince destroyed, creating one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent time.A
Also Chile,And then Turkey have had earthquakes in less than a week apart .Uganda a few days ago witnessed a landslide that left more than 300dead !

Global efforts are now being channelled in providing humanitarian assistance to the survivors of the earthquake, described by experts as the worst in 200 years.

Even though humanitarian shipments from several countries have arrived, delays and frustrations in distributions made difficult by destroyed infrastructure is putting the survivors further on edge.

Bayewu said African countries should also join the global efforts in providing relief materials to the Haitians, since the continent shares several similarities with the people.

Five days after the earthquake, a United Nations worker from Denmark was pulled alive from the rubble of the Minustah building in the capital city, shortly after the UN scribe, Ban Ki-Moon, left the town after a visit to assess the level of destruction.

Sixty other survivors have been found -- they were pulled out of the collapsed building, as teams from China, Israel and US continue to search for survivors.

The scientist also cautioned African countries against indiscriminate digging of the soil for deep wells, adding that though Africa was not within the earthquake zone, the continent was more prone to earth tremors.

'Ideally, you ought not to do anything in terms of building, digging or drilling without adequate consultation or certification of a qualified geologist anywhere in Africa," Bayewu warned.

He said earthquake could not be prevented in the most prone areas, but can be managed in a way to reduce damages that could occur from the destruction.

Bayewu urged Africans to cultivate good aptitude in managing the environment better.

'There should be greater awareness about our environment. People need to been lightened on what they need to do to promote the environment and what they shoul d not do that will negatively affects the ecosystem. Lets step up the awareness as was done in the campaign on HIV/AIDS. We should take the issue of the environment more seriously. I just pray Africa will not experience half of what has happened, otherwise it will be more disastrous," said the scientist.

Related news:

http://www.9jabook.com/profiles/blogs/pastor-adeboye-natural

http://www.9jabook.com/profiles/blogs/deadly-earthquake-strikes

Femi Kuti Impregnates Two More Ladies "Beng Beng Beng I just dey go o ! " are Condoms banned for stars ?

Posted by NollywoodMohits on March 8, 2010 at 4:58am

Or do they do AIDS tests for all their multiple partners ?

Double Wahala: Femi Kuti Impregnates Two More Ladies

FEMI KUTI

Na double wahala for deady bodi and the owner of deady bodi…. The song sure rings a bell in your eardrum; it’s one of the songs being sung by the late Afro Beat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti whose son, Femi has taking after. Femi is rumoured to have impregnated two other women while another woman is already carrying his four months old baby.

According to the information, Rebecca is one of the ladies who is fascinated with the activities going on in the New Africa Shrine tucked somewhere around Agidingbi area of Lagos. The two loverbirds were said to have met through a family friend and before one say Pronto, the Abami Eda’s protégé, Femi has started applying the rhythm of one of his songs, Bang Bang Banga I just dey go o, in the life of the Sofunde Street, Agege based beautiful lady, Rebecca and the result of their ‘clicking’ is a protruded belly which is said to have clocked five months now.

Meanwhile, the impregnated lady whose parents are said to be strong members of Deeper Life Bible Church is already having turbulent times with her parents due to their religious belief. Though, Femi, according to information, accepted the paternity of the baby and said he would take full responsibility but for the woman to bear or tag Anikulapo to her name it’s a dream that may never come to pass.

In a swift dimension, another woman named Seyi, a graduate of one of the citadels in Ibadan put to bed about five months ago to a bouncing beautiful baby. The lady, who presently resides in Abuja where she runs a café to put body and soul together, is said to have been going through critical situation as a single mother.

The Grammy Awards nominee, Femi Anikulapo Kuti, we scooped, is not happy at the moment with Seyi due to the fact that, he (Femi) has informed her of relocating to Lagos where proper care would be given to the baby but her stubbornness was said to have caused her total neglect by the Kutis. All effort to reach Femi to comment on this issue proved abortive as his number was not available.

Naija Poverty in London

Posted by 9jabook.com webmadam on March 8, 2010 at 4:38am

The Dispossessed: Mother living in limbo with no job, no benefits and no cash

Poverty demeans London, says Gordon Brown
If kids see only drugs, knives and guns they use them too
Raising 11 children on benefits is no fun for anyone
What should be done? Have your say
Bent against the chill in a flimsy skirt and top, Ade picked up her children from school and walked towards Bromley High Street where she stopped across the road from a barber shop advertising a “wash & cut for £10”..

But Ade, 39, had not come for a quick trim. Rather, she waited for the last customer to leave before the barber discreetly signalled to her, and she and her family trooped into the shop. For the next 14 hours this hair salon, comprising a sofa, microwave oven and a lavatory at the back, doubled as a home for Ade and her family — her children aged 10, nine, seven and four, and her ailing 79-year-old mother. They would wash in a bucket, heat a few vegetables in the microwave, and bed down on the floor and sofa. At 7am, Ade would wake to clean the shop — her “payment” to the owner — and attempt to disinfect the boils that had appeared on her son's head. By 8.30am, before the barber opened, she and her family would have slipped out of the front door and be on their way to school.

This pitiful scene was repeated day after day despite Ade begging the social services department of her south-east London borough to house her destitute family. “There is nothing we can do — be grateful you have the hair salon,” a social worker told her.

When Ade's second eldest daughter got a chest infection, she dug her heels in and refused to leave the social worker's office until accommodation was found. “My elderly mother fell to the floor wailing and begging for mercy,” recalls Ade, “but the social worker called a policeman who handcuffed us and physically dragged us out of the building. I remember shouting: Am I a criminal to want a place for my children to sleep?'”

Last October social services were forced, under threat of human rights legal action by the charity Kids Company, to provide a home for Ade's immigrant family. The home they supplied in Croydon is a two-hour journey, via two buses and a tram, from the children's primary school in Bromley, but at least they now have a roof over their heads.

But that is just the beginning. Ade's application to the Home Office for leave to remain in the UK — having followed her husband here from Nigeria in 2003 and subsequently being beaten and abandoned by him — is still “pending”. It means that until the Home Office gets through its massive backlog, she and her children, the youngest of whom was born in London, are “without status”, neither legal nor illegal.

It also means that Ade, who is competent to work having completed two years of a computer science degree at university in Lagos, is barred from seeking employment or claiming benefits until her application is resolved. Apart from housing, she is classed as “having no recourse to public funds”.

Her children, moreover, are excluded from the 41 per cent of youngsters officially recorded as living in poverty in London because to government statisticians, illegal or “pending” immigrants like her do not count.

The London School of Economics estimates that there are 947,000 immigrants in the UK who are here illegally. Many come on six-month student or tourist visas that they over-stay — just like Ade and her husband — but most remain below the radar and end up joining the army of illegal workers propping up the economy.

Kids Company is aware of 300 immigrant families who receive no benefits and whose status has yet to be determined. It recently found one family sleeping in a shed. For many, their only means of survival is to turn to theft, drug dealing or prostitution. Ade has her own horror stories to recount, such as the landlord and immigration lawyer who demanded intimacy in lieu of services. She gave them short shrift. But how has she survived with no job, no benefits and no money in London?

Telling her story for the first time as part of the Evening Standard's week-long series on London's Dispossessed, Ade sits on a battered plastic sofa in her living room in Croydon.

She grew up in Lagos, the daughter of a cocoa trader, and she was still at university, she says, when her middle-class existence was shattered by a car accident that killed her father and brother. Unable to afford the fees, she got a job in a firm where she met a business administration graduate and at 29 married him, having three children in quick succession.

“In 2002, my husband lost his job and came to London,” she says. “He got work here as a concierge and a year later, I left the children with my mother and he brought me out, and I got a job, too, working as a security officer earning £700 a month. My husband told me he had permission to stay and that he was sorting my papers as well.

“We rented a flat in Elephant and Castle and in 2005 the kids joined us, followed by my mother, but instead of happiness, my husband started beating me. I discovered he was seeing other women, but when I challenged him he attacked me and threw boiling water over me. I was pregnant at the time and had to be admitted to hospital because he kicked me in the stomach and there was concern for the baby.

“The beatings became more and more frequent. In 2006, six months after our fourth child was born, neighbours heard me and the children screaming and called the police. They found me in a pool of blood but my husband had fled — it was the last time I ever saw him.” But Ade's problems were only just beginning. Keen to clarify her status, she approached her local MP Harriet Harman, who wrote to the Home Office to ask how Ade's application was progressing.

The Home Office replied that they had “no record” of her application, nor her husband's. “It was a huge shock because it meant I was here illegally. The Home Office said I should make a fresh application, but that until a decision was made, I was barred from claiming benefits or working.”

She stopped work and in early 2008 re-applied, hoping for a quick answer, but after a couple of months her money ran out and her landlord evicted them. Her one relative here, an uncle living in Bromley, took the six of them in and Ade moved the children to a local school. But eventually it became too much for her uncle's partner and she asked them to leave. For months they moved from place to place, living in squats and dingy flats.

Eventually, homeless and penniless, they wound up last year living in the hair salon. “You have no idea what it feels like,” says Ade, fighting back the tears. “You are so vulnerable, so desperate, if not for the kids you think of suicide. I had no clothes, no food. The children were amazing. They'd go to school and at night they would sit very quietly. Then one would say, we're cold mummy, we're hungry mummy'. They lost weight but hardly ever complained. If not for Kids Company and the Salvation Army, we would have starved. And we'd still be sleeping at the barber.”

Kids Company, she adds, provides her with legal aid and £50 of food vouchers and bus money a week.

Would she consider going back? “No, no, please God no— I have been here seven years and my kids are doing well at school. My eldest is top of her class and her teachers say she's one of the gifted and talented.

“There is nothing for me in Nigeria. The Home Office have promised me an answer by July. I pray for a good answer so I can finally end this nightmare. It's been two years now. Why can't they decide quickly? When I pick up the children with the other mums at the school gates, I feel like a fool in my charity clothes. I am an educated person — if I was allowed to work, I could easily support my children.”

Upstairs in her children's bedroom, there are three beds but no cupboard. Where, I wonder, are their clothes? “What clothes?” she says. “Each child has two outfits, the one they're wearing and the one in the wash.”

In four months Ade will know her fate. Until then, she's stuck in limbo

86% New NNPC Top Managers Are Northerners

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on March 8, 2010 at 4:30am

86% new NNPC top managers are northerners
Friday, 05 March 2010 01:21 Max Amuchie .User Rating: / 3
•Appointed by Barkindo

No fewer than 86 percent of top management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) appointed by the Mohammed Barkindo-led management is from the northern part of the country. At the last rejig of personnel at the state oil company which was preceded by the retirement of some people, 14 new top management staff were appointed by Barkindo into the positions of group executive directors, group general managers, managing directors of subsidiaries and managers.

Out of this number, only two positions were allocated to people of southern extraction, representing 14 percent of the top management. The Group Executive Director, corporate services, is Attahiru Yusuf while Auwalu Abubakar is Group General Manager, human resources. The new general manager, human resources is Hajia M. Sanni with I. M. Bawa clinching the position of general manager, administration services.

There are several other positions occupied by northerners to the detriment of other sections of the country. For instance, the group general manager in charge of crude oil is Farouk Bello, also a northerner. Two other executive directors, Alhaji Farouk and Alhaji Babangida for commercial and corporate services respectively, are northerners. In addition, one Alhaji Yola is the general manager in charge of crude oil shipping while his counterpart in procurement is also a northerner. He is one Alhaji Lamido while a woman, Hajia Yahuza is manager responsible for central transportation.

A southerner was appointed manager in administration department while Reginald Stanly, managing director of Pipelines Products Marketing Company (PPMC), was also appointed by Barkindo. Jeddy Agba, appointed general manager by Barkindo is said to be partially north and partially south but leans more to the north. It has been said that what holds Nigeria together is oil. It is the natural resource that keeps the Nigerian economy running and it is the single product that accounts for over 90 percent of Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings. The NNPC, established in 1977 on the ashes of the Nigerian National Oil Corporation (NNOC), is the behemoth that runs the oil industry. The office of Group Managing Director of NNPC is a very influential one. Below that office, there are other positions that are of strategic importance. .

On January 13, 2009, Barkindo was appointed Group Managing Director to replace Abubakar Yar’Adua, an engineer, who became helmsman when his namesake, the president came to power in 2007. But he failed to keep his promise to revive the nation’s refineries.

It is elementary knowledge that oil is produced in the Niger Delta, a region that has become a hotbed of agitation to right the wrongs of several years of neglect and environmental degradation.

The goose that lays the golden egg has always been short-changed in the scheme of things especially when the oil sector is involved. The Niger Delta produces oil but is not part of the decision making in the oil industry. To bolster the confidence of Barkindo and give him support is Riwanu Lukman, who himself is a rabid ethno-centrist. The combination of Lukman and Barkindo has not done much to make the job of Odein Ajumogobia, minister of state for petroleum, easier. The Federal Character Commission has turned a blind eye to the northernisation of the commanding positions in NNPC. If the establishment is still alive to its responsibilities, it would have intervened to address the audacious lopsidedness in the appointment of top personnel in favour of the north. At the a time that Niger Delta militants are being courted to embrace peace, such brazen neglect of other areas in the composition of the top management has the potentials to scuttle the amnesty programme.

http://www.businessdayonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9031:86-new-nnpc-top-managers-are-northerners&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=18

Deadly Earthquake Strikes Turkey

Posted by 9jabook.com on March 7, 2010 at 10:30pm

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- An official says at least 11 people have died in a strong earthquake in eastern Turkey.

Gov. Muammer Erol says the victims are from the small village of Okcular in Elazig province.

CNN-Turk television says at least six people are trapped under rubble waiting to be rescued.

The Istanbul-based Kandilli Observatory says the quake, with a preliminary magnitude 6, occurred at 4:32 a.m. (0232 GMT) Monday. It was followed by several aftershocks.

Earthquakes are frequent in Turkey, much of which lies atop the North Anatolian fault.mn

EFCC Target Igbinedion :As lucky as he can be or why is former Edo State Governor not Convcted ?

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on March 7, 2010 at 7:30pm

EFCC yet to act on Igbinedion's conviction

Adelani Adepegba

Sixteen months after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission vowed to appeal the conviction of a former governor of Edo State, Lucky Igbinedion, on one-count charge of money laundering, corruption and embezzlement, the agency has not acted on the processes it filed on the matter, SUNDAY PUNCH investigations have gathered.

former Edo State Governor, Chi

Justice Abdul Kafarati of the Federal High Court, Enugu had on December 18, 2008 found the former governor guilty on a one-count charge after he entered into a plea-bargain with the EFCC which led to the dropping of the other 190 charges of corruption and financial impropriety preferred against him.

Igbinedion did not go to jail as he was merely fined N3.6m which drew criticism from members of the public particularly the Nigeria Bar Association.

The commission, which dragged Igbinedion alongside four companies in which he had interests, had rejected the judgment, and insisted on filing an appeal against the conviction.

It said in a statement that it "would rather go the long way of prosecution than to settle for a plea-bargain verdict that has no bite or will not serve any deterrence purpose. The outcome of the exercise at the court in Enugu however fell short of our expectation.

"It is believed that the essence of a plea bargain is not only for suspects to forfeit the proceeds of crime but that such should go with a sentence which will serve as deterrent."

Subsequently, the agency claimed it had filed an appeal on the matter.

But findings by our correspondent last Wednesday indicated that no action has been taken on the processes filed in the appeal against the court judgment as checks at both the registries of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal, Enugu showed that nothing has been done on the appeal filed by the anti-graft agency.

Following the inaction on the matter, the case file has already been taken to the archive where old case files are kept by court officers.

Attempts to get the comment of the Head, Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Femi Babafemi, was not successful as calls and a text message to his GSM telephone were not responded to.

But the man who led the EFCC prosecution that secured the conviction, Mr. Rotimi Jacob, told our correspondent that he personally filed the appeal, but said he did not know why no action had been taken on the suit.

"I remember that I filed the appeal immediately after the conviction in early 2009, but I don't know why no action had been taken on the suit. What I heard was that they are compiling the record on the matter, but I can't say why this has not been concluded one year after the appeal was filed," Jacob said over the telephone.

The EFCC, which had filed a 191-count charge of corruption, money laundering and embezzlement against Igbinedion and the companies made a volte face a day before the judgment by dropping the charges.

Instead, it filed an amended 24-count charge but arraigned him on just one-count.

Igbinedion, who had earlier pleaded not guilty to the 191-count charge, admitted being liable to the one-count charge in which he said that he neglected to make a declaration of his interest in the account No. 41240113983110 with GTBank in the declaration of Assets Form of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, an offence punishable under section 27(3) of the EFCC Act, 2004.

The second accused, Kiva Corporation, was convicted on two of the 23-count charge preferred against it and ordered to pay N500m fine and to forfeit its landed property to the Federal Government.

The property include a parcel of land at Asokoro, Abuja, a detached building on two plots comprising four-bedroom and two outer houses in GRA, Benin, and a storey building in Benin.

The prosecution had told the court that the former governor failed to disclose in his assets declaration form that he had N3,579, 524.16 in GTBank and tendered five exhibits, including the certified true copy of the assets declaration form, the statement of account of Kiva Corporation which showed how monies were paid into the GTBank account; and payment vouchers from the Edo State Government House showing how monies were withdrawn and lodged into the account of the company.

The index of payment received from the Government House showing withdrawals and payments of money to the company was also tendered.

Jacob had while proving the case prayed the court to consider the ingredients under count two and three where payments totaling N30m was made to Kiva Corporation on January 10, 2007 and another N70m paid to the same company on May 17, 2007 by one Pat Eboigbodin, an Edo State Government official which showed that the company

Soyinka to OBJ : hypocrite with no moral standing responsible for country's problems

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on March 7, 2010 at 7:08pm

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Obasanjo A Hypocrite, Says Soyinka

FOR pontificating on current issues in the polity, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has earned an acerbic criticism from Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka.

Soyinka describes Obasanjo as a hypocrite, who has no moral standing on the prevailing political crisis in the country.

He said: ÒFirst of all, Mr. Olusegun Obasanjo is a hypocrite. He bears full responsibility for the situation in which we find ourselves today.

"And I don't take him seriously and that"s all I want to say about him."

Soyinka, in the forefront of the campaign by civil society groups to ensure the resignation of ailing President Umaru Yar'Adua and transfer of full powers to Acting President Goodluck Jonathan, was fielding questions from three Nigerian writers in Jaipur, India recently.

His comment was sought on the statement credited to Obasanjo, calling on Yar'Adua to resign and his (Soyinka's) leading of protest marches in Nigeria and abroad to pressure Yar'Adua to respect the Nigerian Constitution.

According to Soyinka, Obasanjo, Òwho is now coming up to offer hypocritical hogwash," was among Nigeria leaders and political office holders, Òwho have nothing but contempt for the rest of society.

However, the Nobel laureate, who made a presentation at the Jaipur Literary Festival, said he was leading the political campaign in Nigeria so as to take the country back to the people.

"You should demand your nation back and don't just sit and watch it being degraded and expropriated by people who have absolutely no respect for you, no respect at all, even to their own,Ó he said.

He continued: ÒI didn't just lead the march to Abuja; I had been calling for marches. My last three lectures in Nigeria, I had been calling, trying to get Nigerians to wake up and seize their destiny in their hands and take their rightful place in the making.

"Rescue the nation from the cabal of reprobate gangsters, extortionists and even political murderers.

"Some of them are political murderers, political assassins responsible for some of the assassinations, the unprecedented scale of political assassinations we've witnessed in Nigeria in the last 10 years.

Soyinka said he had been asking Nigerians just how much they could take, stressing, "you (Nigerians) don"t even feel you are degraded as human beings to exist in such a community and you go about your work everyday.

"These were the themes of my lectures within Nigeria for quite a while.

"So, doing it, participating in that kind of march and ensuring that it worked was simply a continuation of something I had been saying for a long time.

"And all I have to say to you, all you people is; this nation is yours, this country is yours. You should demand; you should take it back by any legitimate means you are capable of.

Homosexuality, juju, and ritual ceremonies are the bane of Nollywood -Ernest Asuzu

Posted by NollywoodMohits on March 7, 2010 at 7:03pm

Homosexuality, juju, and ritual ceremonies are the bane of Nollywood -Ernest Asuzu

Ada Onyema

You have been out of circulation for a long while. What happened?

I am not out. But you have not been featuring regularly in Nollywood movies

I don't have to be regular nor do I have to have my face in every movie. I should'n be doing all the junk they call movie because, as far as I'm concerned, I am a brand that nobody can change, even with controversies. I took sometime out to do a lot of things: my movies, TV programmes, and music album. Forget the controversies; they were only trying to tarnish my image. I have been going out with people that do not love me, but I loved them. If there is anything I can't joke with, it is my God. He is the reason why I'm still here today.

What is new about Ernest Asuzu?

Everything about me is new. Ernest Asuzu is ahead of his generation and that is why a lot of people misunderstand him. I have worn my jersey of movie, music and everything God has destined for me.

You just launched your maiden music album?

Yes, my first album was supposed to have been released in 1988. But didn't come out By the grace of of God, this is the year that dream was fulfilled.

So how was it?

It was awesome. I had a lot of people in attendance; actors, musicians,and other personalities. The event was high and I'm so grateful to God that I saw a day like this. It was a glorious day.

Is it passion or money that made you veer into music?

Well, like I said before, my first album was supposed to be released in 1988 and that was definitely before I joined Nollywood. I joined Nollywood in 1996. I have always loved music and I would say that music is my first love, but acting is my passion. I think music chose me, not for the money; but for the love of it. All my life, I think I have always wanted to do music and now that I have launched my album, I think I have been launched into the music market.

Most people that switched over to music have not profited by it. Do you see that kind of thing happening to you?

No , I don't think so. Now that my album has been released, people are going to listen to it and they will know that Ernest Asuzu is talented. My album is going to go places. I want to erase the notion that all the Nollywood actors that switched from acting to music have not been successful. I will break that jinx with my album. Music must be in your blood before you can make an impact. It is not all about what people say, or money; but how many people that feel your music. This is what I have heard. Nobody has ever said any negative thing about the album. That is where my confidence lies because I know that the album is a hot one.

What do we call your kind of music ?

I do a blend of hip hop and African touch.

Do you have plans of doing a collabo with other music artistes?

Yes, I just did with few people because I believe more in carrying up and coming artistes along. I did some songs with new acts like Mocs and also I have Black face and Snows in some of my songs too.

How many tracks is in the album?

It is a seventeen-track album.

Do you intend to take your musical career seriously?

No, nothing is part time. I'm going to take it professionally. As we speak right now, many marketers are on my neck. I have marketing deals in and outside the country. I want to take my game to the next highest level.

So how do you intend to combine music and acting?

I will combine the two perfectly because you are not going to find me in every Tom, Dick and Harry movie. I will only act in movies that will send real messages across to the audiences. You don't need to feature in many movies in order to be successful. Just like what is done abroad, you can do two movies in a year and get paid enough cash that will last you for a lifetime. You don't need to kill yourself doing one million movies to survive. I must have an alternative because if Im not well paid for any job, I don't see why I should be doing it. The only way to balance the equation is if I'm not acting. I will be definitely on tour promoting my music or doing shows. Besides, I run an entertainment outfit with my partner Charles Adedeji (Flex) called Samba Unit. We 've got all our strategies mapped out. If I am not shooting another person's movie, I will be doing mine. Pretty soon, I will be shooting my own first ever movie. I'm ready for the world in terms of entertainment.

Which movie launched you to the limelight?

It was 'Rituals' by Kenneth Nnebue and about that time, I was the first new comer that his face was used on a poster. Normally before your face can grace a film poster then, it must really be a well known actor. But I think it was just a favour from God that NEK just saw me and liked me and thought of the concept on the poster, which sold everywhere. That also encouraged me to get popular.

How much were you paid then?

I can't remember, but I'm sure I was paid peanuts. Really what mattered wasn't the money, but the fact that it made me famous and fetched more jobs.

Is it true that you had mental disorder?

Well, people will always want to throw up stones at a fulfilled tree. Whatever they said about having a mental disorder; I think my destractors were trying to stop me from getting to my destination in life. If I had a mental disorder, you would not be here sitting next to me. Secondly, I wouldnt' haave done some of the things I have done successfully. Okay, I was insane and everybody out there is insane. Why must my own become a wahala. People should just try and do the right thing and not go about saying bullshit about others.

Did you say it was a spiritual problem and not madness?

God forbid! I don't know where they got their stories from. The other day somebody was trying to define me and he said, ' Ernest I have been looking at you for years and the only way I can describe you is that you are far ahead of your generation and that is why people can't understand you'. Why should I be bothered when they say such things. People said worse things to our Lord Jesus Christ when He came to the world. They called him many names. Who am I then? Everybody is free to say anything but the truth is that anybody who has a mental disorder cannot get married or release and make movies. When they were busy speculating, this Ernest Asuzu was doing well. I have made more than thirty home video films since then. So tell me can a mad man so much?

If it was not madness, what was it then?

I can't explain the intentions of the evil ones, niether can I explain what they are thinking. As far as I'm concerned, I am just myself and nothing is wrong with me. I mean an evil person will always have a reason why he must do evil. I can't explain their intentions and that is why by now they have been put to shame and cannot talk anymore.

You said it was the imagination of your enemies. Have you been having problems with anybody in the Nollywood?

You see, you don't have to have problem with anybody before they start to criticize or pull you down. They may be intimidated by your personality. Also they may be unhappy with what God is doing in your life and the only way they think they can stop you from getting to your destination is by spreading malicious rumours to tarnish your image. As far as I'm concerned, I am a free minded person. Even I dine and wine with my enemies, but they only understand why they are doing what they are doing. I don't have enemies. Even if I have, I know how to keep away from them.

Some people have said your problem emanated from the failed relationship you had with a Nollywood actress. What do you say to this?

Well, I just want to move on with my life. If I had relationships in the past and it went sour, I think it is one of those mistakes you make as you travel through life. Whoever thinks that she must hold me down because I had a relationship with her, I'm sure she must have regreted her actions. As far as Ernest Asuzu is concerned, I'm out to achieve a lot from this wicked world. I'm here to achieve and bring a change to this generation, to be an ambassador of aesthetics, love, Christ, the depressed and the less privileged. That is why I'm created in this world and you don't expect me to accomplishe them without having hiccups. When Jesus came for our salvation, it was not easy for him. He was criticized and even called a mad man.

Why is it that are you known to fight, even at the slightest provocation?

I will say that was in the past. I easily get angry with people for just one reason and that is when I find out that you are a hypocrite, a pretender, fond of spiting people uneccessarily. Anger is not a sin. It is a spur of emotions. It is only when you take it to the next level that it becomes a sin. I can get angry with you now and the next moment I become your best friend. That is to tell you that I have the heart of a baby. If you don't get angry at certain things and it gets out of hand, it might come back to haunt you.

Is it true that you once walked out of a movie set because you wanted to play the lead role?

That was because we had already had a deal with the producer and he changed his mind at the last moment.

Also is it true that you fought the owner of Murphis club over a matter?

The Murphis incident took place a long time ago. I got angry with them because they took me for granted. When they tried what they did with me and it resulted into a fight, I called the Police and was going to take them up legally. My Lawyer was going to sue them for damages because I did practically nothing to them. But one spirit told me that vengeance is of the Lord and I left vengeance to God . About that same time too, I went to Murphis and told them that they have shed the blood of an innocent soul and told them that God would not be happy with them. A short while after the incident, Murphis was shut down and it ceased to exist.

How about the MITV robbery incident? Do you mind sharing with us what really went wrong?

I would not like to say anything concerning that issue for now. At the right time, I will say something about it.

Why?

For a special reason.

Don't you know that by not commenting on this issue, you are giving room to more criticism and suspicion?

People can believe anything they want to believe. I have passed that realm of caution , as regards what the world thinks. The world is so wicked that even when they think this is right they want to believe the wrong thing. Sometimes, I shed tears for this world. God said that the heart of man is desperately wicked. People are so wicked that everybody is like looking for the next man to eat and to survive. Sometimes they know that this is not right, but they want to do it because they feel that it is right. I have passed that realm of what people think about me. As a matter of fact, it is what God thinks about me that matters and not what anybody thinks. If the whole world says I'm wrong and God says I'm right, that's fine by me. So that is my take on it. Forget all those controversies, they never happened. In no distant time, I'm going to speak on those rumours. They were never investigated because they never wanted me to move forward.

You sound quite religious. Are you born again?

Don't call me born again because that is a tag. I don't want you to see me walking down the street with a girl that is not my wife and they will start drawing into wrong conclusions. Just know that I believe in God, Jesus is my best friend, and the Holy Spirit is my comforter. Even Jesus was surrounded with a lot of controversies when He came into the world. They said so many evil things agaisnt Him. It does not matter what the world says about you; what matters is what God thinks about me.

So you mean the controversies were false?

They never did happen. They just created a beautiful story out of nothing. The world cannot throw a stone at a fruitless tree. I'm a fruitful tree and that is why they formulated all that. They are all rumours and like I said, they were never investigated. I called my lawyer Festus Keyamo to write them, which he did. But I decided to leave it to God because the Holy Bible says that vengeance is the Lord's. I will call all those rumours back to table.

When do you hope to do that?

I will do that very soon. Although I don't have the resources to do it now, I will definitely do it.

How did your parents feel about all this?

Naturally they felt bad. But they know how much God loves me. Before my father died he told me that a time will come in my life when I will see them no more. The only person I can't do without is God. God has celebrated me when the world thought I was not good.

You secretly got married few months ago. What attracted you to your wife?

She is humble. The easiest way to get to me is by being humble. My wife is very humble and I love her for that. I am a very humble person and the reason why I have not passed out with all I have gone through in life is because of my humility. My wife is also hardworking and she believes so much in me. Even when a lot of people thought that I colud not make it anymore, she said no that I was designed for greatness.

What is your take on the entertainment industry in Nigeria, especially Nollywood?

Nollywood needs re-orientation. In the first place, we need God so much to right the wrongs. We were supposed to rule the world, but after sometime Nollywood's fortunes nosedived and it was caused by some entities that just want to see the industry as their own empire and heritage. I believe by the time we come back in the new dispensation, everything will be sorted out.

We have so many factions in Nollywood these days. Which of them do you belong to?

Yes, there are many faction in Nollywwod. But I don't believe in factions. I believe in doing what is right. If I find any of the factions doing the right thing, I will join, but for now none; I'm minding my own business.

We hear sexual harrassment and other societal ill is the order of the day in Nollywood. How true is this?

Well, they say it happens and as a matter of fact, it happens. It is so painful that ladies think it is only when they sleep with the director, producer, and an actor that they will get lead roles in the movies. I think the problem is that more of the upcoming actresses do not know why they are there. There is homosexuality, juju, rituals and what have you in the industry. If nobody is saying it, I will say it. They are some of the things that God had seen and made the industry to nosedive. Nollywood is like Sodom and Gomorrah but I believe in no distant time, God is going to cleanse the industry. I'm sure those are the tools that the devil is using to destroy the industry because we are more like social crusaders, pastors and preachers. By the time the children of God mounts the helm of affairs of the industry, all will be cleansed and the industry will soar higherthan before.

Pastor Adeboye: Natural disaster imminent as Uganda landslide claims over 300

Posted by 9jabook.com on March 7, 2010 at 7:00pm

Natural disaster imminent in Nigeria - Adeboye
Written by Adewale Adebiyi
Sunday, March 7, 2010

UNLESS Nigerians sincerely seek the face of God, a natural disaster is imminent in the country. The General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, had at the Special Holy Ghost Service for the month of March, warned Nigerians not to be non-chalant in their prayer lives as a natural disaster may soon occur in the country.

advertisement

Pastor Adeboye urged Nigerians on Friday to pray against natural disasters as several countries have been hit by earthquakes, landslides, rainstorms, etc in recent times.

"Earlier this year, there were prophesies that natural disasters would take place in some countries around the globe, what has happened in Haiti, Chile, Taiwan, France and Jerusalem has confirmed this.

"Recently, another one took place in Uganda, that means it is getting nearer. The present climatic condition is a clear signal that the natural disaster is gathering momentum unless we pray against it.

"Although I'm not a prophet, as a pastor, I hear when God speaks. If we do not pray fervently to avert this, Nigeria's turn of the disaster is very soon," he warned.

He advised those fond of dumping refuse in drainages to stop doing so, urging them to clear all debris to prevent flood and also pray against flooding.

Uganda mudslide prompts evacuation of thousands

Many bodies may never be recovered, officials say

Thousands of people are being evacuated from hillsides in Uganda where a mudslide is believed to have killed more 350 people.

The BBC's Joshua Mmali in Kampala says about 4,000 people are being removed from their homes on the slopes of Mount Elgon as heavy rains continue.

Three villages in the eastern district of Bududa were buried in a cascade of rocks and mud earlier this week.

Only about 90 bodies have been recovered so far.

The dead include about 60 schoolchildren who had taken shelter in a health centre.

Entire families have been wiped out, our correspondent says.

As the evacuation operation began, Bududa district chairman Wilson Watira told AFP news agency that in the "longer term" up to 35,000 people might need to move.

Authorities have blamed the disaster on local people cutting down trees on the hillsides to cultivate crops.

Uganda's minister for disaster preparedness, Musa Ecweru, told the BBC that the government wanted to move people away from areas at risk from mudslides.

"These people must be located to areas which are safe, and we must find land and re-locate them," he said.

"But there is a big problem about separating people from areas that they have traditionally known for ages."

He said essential supplies were being distributed to those made homeless by the mudslide.

The Ugandan Red Cross says it is distributing food and other aid to some 1,500 households.

Teams of volunteers and soldiers are still trying to recover bodies under as much as 5m (16ft) of mud.

The operation has been slowed down because the terrain is too steep for heavy machinery and rescuers are having to use hand-held tools.

Oscar Winners! Hurt locker beats Avatar ! A Complete List From the 2010 Oscars

Posted by NollywoodMohits on March 7, 2010 at 7:00pm

Best Picture: The Hurt Locker

Director: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker

Actor in a Leading Role: Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart

Actress in a Leading Role: Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side

Actor in a Supporting Role: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

Actress in a Supporting Role: Mo'Nique, Precious

Original Screenplay: The Hurt Locker, Mark Boal

Adapted Screenplay: Precious, Geoffrey Fletcher

Animated Film: Up

Foreign Language Film: The Secret in Their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos, Argentina)

Original Score: Michael Giacchino, Up

Original Song: "The Weary Kind," Music and Lyrics by Ryan Bingham and T-Bone Burnett (Crazy Heart)

Art Direction: Avatar

Cinematography: Avatar, Mauro Fiore

Costume Design: The Young Victoria, Sandy Powell

Makeup: Star Trek

Film Editing: The Hurt Locker, Bob Murawski and Chris Innis

Documentary Feature: The Cove

Documentary Short Subject: Music by Prudence

Animated Short Film: Logorama

Live Action Short Film: The New Tenants

Sound Editing: The Hurt Locker

Sound Mixing: The Hurt Locker

Visual Effects: Avatar

Governors Award: Lauren Bacall, Roger Corman and Gordon Willis

JOS crises Again as Herdsmen slaughter hundreds Sunday Morning

Posted by Jane Okinedo on March 7, 2010 at 6:51pm

Herdsmen raid Jos village, kills hundreds

Less than two months after hudreds of people lost their lives in two days of ethno-religious crises in Jos, Plateau State, another 500 have been reported killed in a night raid on Dogon Nahowa village, Jos South local government area, yesterday. Another source said over 200 were kiled. Both figures could not be confirmed last night. The villagers said their attackers were Fulani herdsmen who swooped on them while they slept.

Reports from the village said the attack, which lasted all of two hours, began at about midnight, and the victims were completely unprepared for the fury of the marauders. The intense gunfire and wild use of cutlasses and other metallic weapons left little chance for the victims who were hacked down and burnt as they attempted to escape the massacre.

A resident of the village, Peter Jang told Reuters news agency that, “The shooting was just meant to bring people from their houses and then when people came out they started cutting them with machetes.” As at press time, fear and suspicion has spread throughout the city of Jos, and anxious residents mostly kept to their homes, especially when reports spread that the mood in Mangu Local Government in central Plateau was tense. The attackers were said to have departed the scene of their mayhem unscathed; arriving and departing with such speed that neither the villagers nor the police could mobilise fast enough to stop their escape.

Sad and shocking

Addressing journalists yesterday, the state commissioner for information, Gregory Yenlong, expressed the government’s shock, especially as this last orgy of violence is coming so soon after the last crisis, at a time when the government was still battling the security challenges created by the last breakdown of law and order.

Describing this latest attack as “ethnic cleansing” directed at the Berom people, Mr. Yenlong called for the arrest of Saleh Bayare, a former journalist who is a Fulani from Bassa Local Government Area of the state, and who the commissioner said addressed a press conference in Kaduna last week, and have issued several threats to individuals and groups since the outbreak of the last January crisis.

Mr Yenlong said preliminary reports show that last night’s attack was well coordinated, and the planners were barbaric in the manner in which they orchestrated the killings, which left a disproportionate number of children and women as casualties.

In the village, the dead bodies of women and children littered most of the compounds and many of those rushed to hospitals have been inflicted with machete cuts. Robin Waudo, a Red Cross spokesman, said volunteers were assisting victims. According to him, “We know that early this morning (Sunday) there was some fighting in the south part of the city and it seems like these were reprisal attacks from what happened a few weeks ago. Right now, the fighting has calmed down and the military have been deployed to come and control the situation.”

A call for calm

Meanwhile, the Gbong Gwom Jos, Jacob Gyang Buba, described the attack as “heinous.” He said he had received anonymous calls the previous day threatening his person.

The traditional ruler who spoke in Berom during his visit to the village described the massacre as ‘‘inhuman’’ and called on the victims and others not to think of revenge. The police spokesman in Plateau State, Mohammed Lerama who confirmed the attack, said the police was still investigating.

Dogon Nahowa village is near Shen Tim Tim, a community of mostly Hausa speaking people, whose village was destroyed during the last January crisis. Both villages are a few kilometres from Du, the village of Governor Jonah Jang.

Litany of crises

In January, about 326 lives were lost in a similar crisis according data from the Nigerian police. Goodluck Jonathan, as vice president, had deployed troops to intervene in the violence that broke out in Jos North local government after some youth protested the renovation of a building damaged during an earlier crisis in 2009 in which 200 lives were lost.

The National Security Adviser, Abdul Sarki Mukhtar, had announced the troops’ deployment and the directive from Mr Jonathan that the Inspector General of Police and others involved in maintaining the peace move to Jos immediately to assess the situation and report back to him.

Mr. Jonathan later held a meeting with security chiefs who briefed him on the situation before he undertook a one-day working visit to the state capital on January 26 to ascertain the extent of damage from the sectarian crisis. He met with Mr Jang and some senior government officials, and received further briefings on the security situation from the GOC 3 Armoured Division, Saleh Maina, a Major-General, and head of other security agencies.

The panel raised by the Federal Government to probe the last crisis is headed by a former governor of the state, Solomon Lar, and has not completed its assignment when yesterday’s violent attack occurred

Evangelist kills wife, four-week-old baby, Commits suicide

Posted by Jane Okinedo on March 7, 2010 at 6:49pm

Confusion is the situation report in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State as a 35-year-old evangelist, Mr. Brown Batta, allegedly killed his four-week-old son and wife.

The young man SUNDAY PUNCH also gathered moments after killing his wife and child equally killed himself.

Residents of Nung Anya Street in Uyo are still confused over what would have made Batta embark on the killing spree.

The incident, our correspondent learnt, took place last Tuesday.

Narrating the ugly episode to SUNDAY PUNCH, on Friday, the landlord of No. 23, Nung Anya Street, where all the deceased were living before their death, Mr. James Atakpa, said the incident came to him as a shock.

Atakpa described Batta as a gentleman, who was known as an evangelist and wondered why he decided to carry out the gruesome act.

The landlord explained that he had already gone to bed after taking his medication on the fateful day when he heard a scream within his compound.

"Initially, I thought armed robbers had struck, but when I eventually came out, I saw a crowd gathered in front of my house. I later saw some people forcing the door to Batta's room open.

"When that was done, what happened was something I could not stand to behold. I was later told that one of my tenants had killed his four-week-old baby, his wife and himself.

"I am very ill as you can see and that was why I left the scene of the incident so that it will not worsen my condition. The man and his baby were found dead with blood stains all over the place," Atakpa stated.

He added that the evangelist's wife, who was initially breathing was rushed to the hospital, where she later died the following day after losing so much blood.

Atakpa said he was told by those at the scene that Batta stabbed his wife before hitting the head of the baby against the wall.

He also disclosed that Batta was found lying helplessly on the floor with deep laceration on his neck, while a part of his stomach was ripped open.

He said the woman's brother, who was shocked on hearing the incident, immediately called in the police, who came in and took the corpses away.

Speaking on the matter, the State Police Commissioner, Mr. Walter Rugbere, described the incident as an open and closed matter, adding that after investigation, it was alleged that Batta killed his wife, baby before committing suicide.

Rugbere added that some people alleged that Batta took the action when he suspected that his wife was cheating on him.

"There is nothing we can do about it because the man that was at the centre of the whole incident has already killed himself. It is an open and close case," the police

British Council to close centres in Nigeria

Posted by Jane Okinedo on March 7, 2010 at 6:38pm

British Council to close centres in Nigeria

Agency Reporter

The British Council said in Abuja on Friday that it was closing all its information outlets in Nigeria due to changing market conditions that had affected its funding. British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for the promotion of educational opportunities and cultural relations.

The council's Learning and Development Hub Coordinator, Mr Oyekale Oyekunle, sent a memo to all members notifying them of the impending closure of the information centres. Its learning and development hubs are located in Abuja, Kano, Lagos, Jos. Enugu and Port Harcourt, which have over the years served as research and information centres.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the BC has been operating in Nigeria since 1943, providing research services to students, scholars and corporate organisations..

toolbar powered by Conduit

Jos Crises Renewed Killing again as 100 people Dead

Posted by 9jabook.com on March 7, 2010 at 12:40am

Huhuonline.com can disclose that killing along religious lines has commenced in Jos,Plateau State , Nigeria. Over 100 people were murdered in renewed attacks by some suspected militia in Dogo Nahawa in Shen of Jos South Local government area. Sources told that Fulani Militia raided the Du district in Jos South Local government government area, Killing mostly women and children. As result of

unprovoked attacks, the state governor, Jonah Jang, summoned a meeting of security agencies in the state. More to come

Related news:

Uganda mudslide prompts evacuation of thousands

Herdsmen raid Jos village, kills hundreds

Note: this page contains paid content.

Note: this page contains paid content.

Note: this page contains paid content.