Dear people get up in the morning grumbling do not understand what a difficult is routine, a basic attempt to to move forward in life, want to go to another country, to see another culture and it is very natural, I say that not all wat's shin is gold, the neighbor's grass is not always more beautiful, God Bless Nigeria with a beautiful country, with a fertile soil, trees, sea, oil, gold, minerals and much much best kind of human material North, South, West and East all pretty good pouple and they want the best i have one prayer to God Nigeria will find the largest most precious ore Mutual respect Yes to encourage each other to understand each other and give each other love then I believe nigeria will be a nation perched high above the rest like the Tower of Light !

so i wish you all peace love and understanding !!!

A policeman attached to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at the Borno State police headquarters in Maiduguri has allegedly impregnated a 24-year-old homicide suspect, Halima Abdu, while being detained in cell at the CID wing for investigations before her prosecution in court.


Daily Trust confirmed yesterday that the suspected policeman, whose name was only given as Abubakar from Biu Local Government Area, has since been arrested and detained by his colleagues after the Nigerian Prisons Service wrote to the state Commissioner of Police informing him that a suspect was confirmed to be pregnant while she was to be admitted into the maximum security prison in Maiduguri and on investigations, she said she was impregnated by a policeman.



The Fulani woman was brought to the CID where she identified the man and he was promptly detained by his colleagues with investigations still on, police sources said. The woman became pregnant sometime in January 2010. She was arrested and detained since 2009, shortly after she was accused of killing her three-day old baby boy whom she dumped in a public well at Balbaya village in Bayo Local Government Area of Borno State in June 2009.

Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Isa Azare, didn’t answer phone calls yesterday for comments and wasn’t traced but a source at the command said investigations were going on which may require a DNA test after the woman delivers next month, September- expectedly, to ascertain the paternity of the child.

Now about eight months pregnant, Halima told Daily Trust that she was impregnated by the police officer after she was transferred from Bayo Police Division to the CID. She said he lured her into having sex with him.

“He said he was going to help set me free if I agreed to have sex with him and we had sex right there inside the cell where I was kept. But after that, he failed to keep his promise. I did what I did to regain my freedom,” she said.

Daily Trust found out from prison sources that the pregnancy was discovered based on the suspicion of a female prison warden at the Admissions Board (a department within the prisons that is saddled with the responsibility of ascertaining conditions of new inmates and disclosing to them their rights).

A pregnancy test was conducted in March, 2010 and the woman was confirmed to be 12 weeks pregnant as at then. Halima had told Daily Trust that she was married to one Haruna Buba and lived at Unguwan Mai Ruwa in Jalingo, Taraba State, but was sent packing by her husband without a divorce letter while she was already pregnant for him.

Despite court intervention, he refused to divorce her, forcing her to go back in search of her parents who were until then resident at Juniji village in Bayo Local Government Area of Borno State.

She said she couldn’t locate her parents and on June 15, 2009, she was accommodated by one Hafsat, a house wife. “In the afternoon of June 17, 2009, I gave birth to a baby boy and decided to move with the baby,” she said.

She said in the evening of June 19, 2009, she stopped over at Balbaya village in Bayo and out of frustration and annoyance with how her husband treated her, and having nowhere to go or whom to turn to, she confessed, “I decided to drop the baby boy into a well.”

Daily Trust gathered that one Malam Bello Ali (Agambe) Chairman of water vendors at Balbaya was said to have sighted the body of the baby boy and rushed to report his discovery to the village head, Lawan Ali Muhammadu, who in turn reported the matter to the Balbaya police outpost. The case is to continue on August 11, 2010.

» By Justin T. Stewart July 7, 2010, 10:48am

WE ARE ON IT AGAIN ! ! !

*Goodwill Message To Nigerians by U.S. Boxing Champ

By Enobong Umohette (Wisconsin Heavyweight Boxing Champion)

Once again, I am humbled and grateful to you all for giving me the privilege to contribute my quota to inspiring our people, through my struggles in and out of the boxing ring.

Today, August 5th, 2010, our people under the dynamic umbrella of AKISAN will convene in Baltimore, Maryland to celebrate the achievements of our sons and daughters and to show the sense of brotherliness, charity and goodwill that is synonymous with Akwa Ibom people. I stand to identify with AKISAN and its able leadership, whose humanitarian philanthropy for the less privileged by way of scholarships and grants for our sons and daughters back home, has been tremendous. Also, I want to commend the distinguished sons and daughters, whose excellence in professional and humanitarian endeavors have earned a worthy reckon from AKISAN this year. I thank, the Maryland AKISAN chapter youth group, who have given me and my manager/promoter Mr. Emmanuel Usoh the privilege to be a part of their function and to speak to them about chasing their dream.

You were all there in my corner, when I started the journey in professional boxing in April 2009 and with your support, I clinched the Heavy Weight Championship title of the State of Wisconsin within one year.

First let me acknowledge the support and sacrifice His Excellency, The Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Godswill Akpabio has shown towards Akwa Ibom state and our people. Obong Godswill Akpabio represents leadership, and through this dynamic leadership, I am convicted that no matter the challenges we face back home, our state is moving forward for the better. I call on all our sons and daughters to pray for the leadership, show support and encouragement and foster brotherly love for one another.

I respectfully wish to recognize the contributions of People’s Servant(Ps.) Charles O. Okereke, an idealist, social reformer and a strong advocate of the rights of the poor masses of Nigeria. People’s Servant(Ps.) Charles O. Okereke, has over the years continued to empower the Nigerian people with his progressive articulation. His electoral revolution campaign in south Eastern Nigeria is in itself and ideological landmark, that is re-orienting the minds of Nigerian citizens on their sacrosanct right to free electoral choice. This gentleman has supported my career and is not only a friend of Akwa Ibom, but an asset to Nigeria and Africa.

As we head to a momentous convention in Baltimore, Maryland I want to use this moment to recognize the tireless and selfless sacrifice of Ms. Linda Umoh. She is like a raging fire of progress, passion and dedication to the upliftment of Akwa Ibom people. I salute her dexterity, courage and resilience in pushing the cause of the ‘Akwa Ibom Project’ as well as her unending support for my career.

In another breath, I want to express my gratitude to Mr. Emmanuel Usoh of Philadelphia who has been a pillar of support to my career since we met at the 2009 Michigan Convention. Despite the enormous cost implication inherent in professional boxing, he boldly took on the challenge of managing and promoting my professional career. Since 2009, Mr. Emmanuel Usoh has contributed immense material resources to fund my training, travels and campaign in the boxing ring. His unflinching faith in the project of inspiring our people has culminated in the first of many Heavy Weight title championships that shall be won to the glory of our people, through my hands. Mr. Emmanuel Usoh, leading the ‘Philadelphia group’ has taken me all over the United States and exposed me to veteran trainers and fighters who equipped me with the technical know-how to defeat the Champion whose belt I claimed, even when I was completely out-sized and seemingly over matched.

I want to thank Mr. Ufot Kish Ufot, his lovely wife and family and indeed his ‘Washington DC crew’ who showed their kindness and hospitality to me during the maiden visit of Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan to the United States of America. It was indeed a rare privilege to see His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan again in person, after first seeing him as a Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, in my days as a Federal Civil Servant back in Nigeria.

On a personal note, I want to take a moment to remember our brothers and sisters who have laid down their lives through service in the Armed Forces all over the world, as they fight to keep peace, uphold fundamental human rights and protect the freedom of citizens from tyranny and oppression. I remember also our brothers and sisters who have fallen to conflicts of violence and lost their lives through natural disasters. May their souls rest in peace.

I shall not end this goodwill message without saying a big thank you, to the few who are too shy to see their names in print for their kind spiritual and material support in the journey so far.

Finally, I invite you all to come and fellowship with one another in Baltimore, Maryland, as I will not only be there in spirit but will be there physically to thank you, talk with you and show you my sense of gratitude and association with our people. I shall bring with me, the coveted belt I won in a grueling 7 round battle and will proudly have you earn your right to its glory, because it is yours; an Akwa Ibom inspired championship victory.

I intend to be the next Akwa Ibomite to become Heavy Weight Champion of the world and will be as I have always been, a champion in the heart of the people, who will not need forms filled to be accessed or be aloof and distant from the people but will be a humble servant in the mission of inspiring our people. I respectfully urge you all to extend your prayer and support to our dear champion Samuel Peter who makes his rise and return to capture the undisputed heavy weight championship of the world. Samuel did it before and will shake up the world again.

Also, please join me in wishing a Happy Birthday to a fine gentleman, whose courage and passion for service has written his name on a glorious page in the history book of the great United States of America; I speak about His Excellency, President Barack Obama who clocked 49 years yesterday (August 4th), 2010.

As a citizen of the world, I respectfully thank all my non-Akwa Ibom, non Nigerian and non African partners and friends who have helped in giving me a voice to encourage and inspire through the sport of boxing.

See you in Baltimore and soon again at ring side.

Yours sincerely,

Enobong Umohette

THE NIGERIAN GENTLEMAN (T.N.G)

T.N.G WISCONSIN HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE PHOTOS

*READ T.N.G’s WISCONSIN HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT REPORT AT:- http://nigeriamasterweb.com/blog/index.php/2010/03/21/title_5

Photo Above: 7th Round: McDowell knocked out face-up on the floor

Photo Above: 7th Round: McDowell unable to get up and fight after knock out

Photo Above: Umohette declared winner & new Wisconsin Heavyweight Champion. The referee raises Umohette’s right hand and another official (holding Umohette’s new belt) raises his left.

*To forward this article to friends and associates, here is the link to send to them:- http://nigeriamasterweb.com/blog/index.php/2010/08/05/goodwill_message_to_nigerians

After eating amala and vegetable soup, 10 members of the same family have been hospitalised at the General Hospital, Gbadaga, Lagos.

PUNCH METRO gathered that the incident, which occurred at Community Avenue, Magboro, Ogun State, on Sunday evening involved a man identified simply as Moses, his wife, Labake, their two sons, two daughters-in-law and four grandchildren.

The food was said to have been prepared by one of Moses‘ daughters-in-law.

However, a family source (name withheld), who was not at home when the incident occurred, said from what he gathered there was nothing to suggest foul play.

When our correspondent visited the hospital on Monday, Moses, his wife and the grandchildren were still on their hospital beds, while four of the victims had been discharged.

The source said, ”On Sunday evening, all the family gathered together, the daughters-in-law, my brothers and the grandchildren. Before that evening, they prepared a vegetable soup, which was planted in a garden within the compound where the family resides. They also prepared amala. Some of them ate the food. Of all those who were in the house, only one person did not eat the food and that person is the wife of my younger brother. It was not that she did not want to eat, but when they finished cooking, they had a night prayer, she went to watch movie first and later planned to take her own meal.

”It was during that time that this incident happened. Ten members of our family: four adults including my father, mother, my two younger brothers, my wife who just gave birth to a baby, my younger brother‘s wife, who was pregnant, and four grandchildren were affected

”My younger brother‘s wife prepared the meal. But she did not have the intention of harming anybody. People have been asking her why she did not eat the food. She is not the type that eats very early as such. She just wanted to watch a movie and later come to eat her own meal.”

According to the source, the first person, who showed sign of discomfort, was one of the grandchildren, who was immediate rushed to a nearby clinic before other grandchildren had a similar problem.

He said that health professionals in the clinic did their best, but on discovering the magnitude of the complications, they referred the patients to Gbagada General Hospital.

He said, ”One of the grandchildren complained of stomach ache. They rushed him to a nearby clinic, before coming back; the other grandchildren had suffered the same fate. My own mother who was trying to help them also complained of the same problem. The hospital said it was too much for them to handle. They had to be rushed to the General Hospital.

”On their way to the hospital, each of the remaining six had started having a feeling of food poisoning. It started from my wife, later, one of the grandchildren, after that, my youngest brother, Matthew, was also affected when we got to the expressway on our way to the hospital.

”They were admitted in the casual ward. It was while in the ward that my immediate younger brother had a similar experience. As my father was trying to help out, he, too, started complaining. That is how 10 people were hospitalised.”

He said although his mother was still on admission, the family was still worried about his father‘s health.

He said the family members as well as the medical team at the general hospital were doing their best to ensure that he recovered in time. He advised people to be more careful with what they eat.

Efforts to speak with the Medical Director were unsuccessful as he was said to be attending a meeting and other officials were not willing to speak on the incident.

The President of the Nigerian Institute of Structural Engineers, Victor Oyenuga, yesterday dispelled fears that the Third Mainland Bridge is unsafe for vehicles because of an alleged crack on a section of the bridge.

Similarly, Ade Omopeloye, the National Chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers, said he sent a member of the association to inspect the bridge, and that the report he got calls for no alarm. "Immediately I heard about it, I sent one of our members there who went through the length and breadth of the bridge but saw nothing," he said, adding, however that a structural engineers would be in a better position to ascertain if there were minute damages on the bridge.

The crack underneath

Officers of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, however, discovered a crack near the Adekunle exit area of the bridge. According to Francis Obinna, the corps Head of Disaster Department, the bad section of the bridge is better seen from underneath when linking the bridge from Adekunle, Yaba. "Those people who said there is no problem with the bridge did not go underneath," he said. "We went underneath to see it. My dear, if you go under, you will not want to stay there. You want to run."

When NEXT visited the scene, the rubber blocking the expansion gap was discovered to have fallen out completely along some sections creating a see-through hole. When a vehicle passes over the section, the free end of the bridge oscillates.

One end particularly seems depressed from the top as its edge does not align with the other end; each vibration makes it look like it will pull out from beneath. Mr Oyenuga, however, dispelled fears about the falling out of the rubber blocking the expansion joint, and also stated that the oscillation of the free ends portends no danger.

"All they need to do is to replace the rubber," he said. "The bridge is designed as a double cantilever, so the ends are supposed to be free. Of course, vehicular movement will cause the ends to move up and down a bit." He also said that the life span of such structures is, at least, 50 years, if well maintained. This section of the bridge was constructed about 30 years ago.

Experts: 3rd Mainland Bridge Not Entirely Safe

Key bodies of civil engineering today dispelled the fear that the third mainland bridge is unsafe for vehicles because of a supposed crack at a section of the bridge, though the bridge appeared weak when our sources visited the scene.

National executives of the Nigerian Institute of Structural Engineers (NISE), Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers (NICE) and Federation of Construction Industry (FOCI) told our sources that the bridge is still safe.

The section under query was discovered by officers of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDS). According to the Head of Disaster Department, Mr. Francis Obinna, the bad section of the bridge is better seen from underneath when linking the bridge from Adekunle, Yaba.

During its visit today, our sources observed a major space of about 4 inches closed with protective rubber, which had already fallen off its position, thereby causing deep vibration as vehicles move on the bridge.

As observed, the rubber covering the expansion gap has fallen out completely along some sections creating a see-through hole. When a vehicle passes over the section, the free end of the bridge oscillates. One end particularly seemed depressed from top as its edge does not align with the other end; each vibration makes it look like it will pull out from beneath.

In his reaction, NICE National Chairman, Engr. Ade Omopeloye said he sent a member of the association there for inspection and the report he got calls for no alarm.

"Immediately, I heard about it. I sent one of our members there who went through the length and breadth of the bridge but saw nothing," Omopeloye said.

He insisted that we speak to the structural engineers just so to be sure that the news about the damage is a rumour.

One of the structural engineers we spoke who would chose not to be named said, "Those people who said there is no problem with the bridge did not go underneath. We went underneath to see it. My dear, if you go under, you will not want to stay there. You want to run."

However, NISE President, Engr. Victor Oyenuga said the displacement of the rubber covering the expansion joint does not imply danger, saying all they ‘need to do is to replace the rubber.’ He dispelled the fear that the oscillation of the free ends portends danger.

Oyenuga added that, "The bridge is designed as a double cantilever, so the ends are supposed to be free. Of course, vehicular movement will cause the ends to move up and down a bit."

What remains to be proven is whether the extent of oscillation is still within limit but Mr. Oyenuga has not visited the site.

The Director-General of FOCI, Engr. Adeniran Adekanbi declined comments on the state of the bridge until his team takes a critical look and tenders a situation report.

The Third Mainland Bridge was constructed over three decades ago and the structures used were given a life span of 50 years, if well maintained.

sourced from Next & ThewillNigeria

"WHY MEN STRAY"

A man will look outside for what he lacks at home – Pastor Emmadagon

Pastor Emmad

When the issue is how to successfully manage marital relationships, Pastor Eunice Iferi Emmadagon holds very frank, and some would say, unusual views. Once a month, women gather at the Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Lagos, for her programme, Stop Hurting, which is a specialized Bible-based fellowship session for people passing through emotional pain. Pastor Emmadagon is the Senior Pastor of Faith World Harvest Church, based in Port Harcourt, and has branches in Lagos and overseas. In this interview, she talks about why men stray, and how a woman can prevent it. Excerpts…

They go outside to look for what they don’t have at home
Let’s look at it this way, if you are the type that has been looking for ‘obe ata’ in your house and your cooks don’t know how to cook it, and you’re entering into my house and you smell it, no matter how dirty my house is – and you don’t like eating in dirty places, you will manage and eat it, these things happen to our men. For some men however, they’ll be like ‘I like what I smell but it won’t be nice if I get home and I don’t eat’ and that happens especially with men who feel it’s as good as what’s in their house.

So oftentimes I ask the women, ‘What did you do wrong, where did you go wrong?’ Because your husband saw you and saw the other girls and chose to marry you. So there must be something about you that he prefers to the other girl(s). You were not the only girl at the time he chose to marry you, and in spite of all, it was like, this girl or nobody else. So at that point when it now became only you, and contrary to what people say, when men have you, they don’t bother with you anymore. I don’t believe in that because the kind of love I shared with my husband was even more than the first day we met. So I believe that love can be enhanced instead of deteriorating. So I ask women, at what point did you lose him?

Men have natural tendency towards polygamy
We are free agents, we have ability to desire new things, and like I always tell women, every man has many parts. A man has a place for his mother, his friends, his wife, his sisters, the children, and funny enough, girl friends. A man has a place for his girlfriends. You see, we are all Abraham’s children, and if you look at his life, (if not for grace that we are operating in), it’s like Jacob’s, like Isaac’s, it’s a family thing. He was polygamous in nature, Jacob was, Isaac was, and we are from that lineage.

Too bad but there is a natural trait of polygamy in man, save for grace. Let us look at Abraham more closely – he was badly in need of a son, so that root of polygamy in him arose. Okay, Sarah misled him but for God’s sake, there are certain things you can’t mislead me to do because they are not in me. No matter how strongly you push me to do certain things, I won’t do them. You know when people say, this person pushed me to do certain things, I just say that’s you. It was there, it was just dormant, somebody just helped stir it up.

I have a few friends who worry about me, ‘you alone’, and all that, and I tell them if you hear any story about me, don’t blame anybody just come and hold me, because I know who I am, nobody bends me to do what I don’t want to do especially what is evil, that I don’t want to do. If you catch me doing one, don’t blame who I did it with, blame me.

So that polygamous thing in Abraham was stirred up by his lack of a son. So when Sarah said, ‘darling, why don’t you...’, I’m sure he said, ‘No, I love you’ but when she persisted, he thought, ‘why not’. So in the same way, you have an ability to fill this gap. You know a woman is a dynamic person, I wish we can really maximize all our potentials. There is nothing you cannot do or achieve as a woman. If you can co-procreate with God, what else remains? If you can make life with God, why can’t you repair life. You can repair anything you can make.

When a man lacks something in his house, he’ll look for it outside…
So when a man lacks something, just like Abraham lacked something, if you let your husband lack specific things, feminine things in your house, every suggestion out there by a Sarah will kick off that polygamous thing in him. I don’t care how righteous or how anointed he is because Abraham was no less anointed anyway. So every woman must know that anointed or not, her husband was first a man before he became ‘man of God.’

Therefore there are some unguarded moments that the devil can take advantage of this to sow tares among the wheat. So as a woman, you must guard against that. Your husband’s unguarded moments should be your guarded moments, because if Abraham had a son, if he had no lack, that polygamous thing in him would have been dormant forever because of the discipline and the love of God. It’s the same way with our men. For example, your husband has a place for his mother. I’m not saying women should manipulate their husbands such that they won’t go back to their mothers. But you see there are certain things he doesn’t need to go back to his mother for because you’re there.

Your husband can go back to his mother to give her love, to give her money, to give her care, to let her know, that he appreciates the times she was there for him picking up all his mess, and that he wants to make it up to her by taking good care of her.

But your husband should not be going back to his mother to ask, ‘Why is my wife treating me like this?’ Because no matter how much she loves you, her son comes first and she wouldn’t want you to treat him anyhow. So you need to position yourself in a way that your husband can ask you himself, ‘Why are you treating me like this?’ The reason people go around asking questions is because they want an answer and they want attention. If he gets the attention and the answers from you, he does not need to ask his mother.
There are times it just comes to him to feel like a boy, because those silly things are playing in his mind, and he thinks, having a girlfriend won’t be a bad idea really.

No matter how anointed he is, they play in his mind, thus you must be sensitive enough to notice it. In my own case, when I noticed such moments, I became a girlfriend to my husband. The Holy Spirit is in you as a woman to notice these moments. The reason why things go wrong in marriages is because the women get too busy to see their men as their first ministry. For me, my husband was my first ministry. So if you see it that way, and it’s your focus, you’ll become aware of these things. So when I see my husband is having such moments, I decide to become his girlfriend because I don’t think he needs a wife at that point in time. So rather than look for a girlfriend outside, I become one for him.

When acting as his girlfriend, just become younger and naughtier
You know what girlfriends do, when you were your husband’s girlfriend, what did you do (laughs)? The first thing I do is to become younger and naughtier, dressing like a girlfriend, doting on him like a girlfriend would. And of course I was first his girlfriend before I became his wife. I could still remember the things I did, so I would do those things. And when I notice that he needs a mother’s care, I grow up, and behave like an old woman. And who is a mother? A mother is patient, can take all the mess and clean it up. She is a confidante. So he’ll want to run to me to tell me things he shouldn’t because he did it against me. The mother is ready to take it, she’ll say, ‘I’m pained but don’t do it again.’

Sometimes you must have told your husband, ‘I’m not your house girl o, I’m your wife’, because at such times, you just realise that you are seeing a bully in your husband. I’ve had experience with men. I have five brothers, a wonderful father and a wonderful husband. But what beats my imagination is that they had something in common.

I just know that men are wonderful creatures if you treat them well, and they are not asking for too much. It’s just that we the women are too busy, too aggressive and picking offences that we can’t really watch out for these moments with our husbands. They are not asking for too much, they are just babies. I don’t care how old a man is, he’s a baby, if you apply the principles you’ll apply with your child at home, you’ll be able to catch him.

When your husband is acting like a bully, then act like his servant
For instance when you see your husband feeling and behaving like a bully, then turn to his staff, ‘okay sir, how do you want it sir?’ You can afford to lose your rights at that point in time. What is love? You can lose your rights for love, it’s going to be momentary. Because for him to have chosen you over the other girl(s), you should know how to get him easily. He loves you, that’s why he married you, he doesn’t want to see you as a slave.

So sometimes when it comes like that, I behave like a slave, because I know he loves me and doesn’t want me as a slave. When I do that, he now begins to feel guilty. He’ll start saying, ‘That’s not what I mean now, I don’t mean to intimidate you.’ but if you had reacted angrily, he would then say things like, ‘I’ll prove to you that this is my house’, because the way he wanted to feel at that time is like a boss, and if you had ignited it, it would have worsened.

And these are things that break marriages, little things. And all these divorcees that you see, they are still in love with themselves. And that’s why I always tell people I won’t marry a divorcee because you’ve shown me, you’re a good starter not a good finisher. Some people say it’s not their fault but I won’t marry a divorcee because I think they are still in love because the things that break their marriages are just patience and being observant, it’s not because they don’t love themselves.

Sometimes, the way a man will behave, if you are observant, you’ll know he just wants to play with his small sister, he doesn’t want a big girl around him, so turn into a small girl and play toys with him. That is why you’ll see some men who after work are just satisfied to be within the four walls of their home. What do you want to offer them? They have everything they need at home.

No matter how Christian your husband is, he doesn’t need a wife always
‘Let me go to the club, let me go and hang out with my friends, many of them don’t really go because of women, but if your house is boring, when he needs a friend, you’re a wife, he needs a girlfriend, you’re a wife, he needs a mother, you’re a wife, in as much as he appreciates you as a wife, but it’s not a wife he needs now. And for God’s sake I don’t care how Christian you are, he does not need a wife all the time

An anticrime group says the abduction rate is second only to Colombia's. There is disagreement on victim numbers.

TESSIE BORDEN
Republic Mexico City Bureau

MEXICO CITY - The numbers are disputed, but one thing is certain: You are more likely to be abducted
in Mexico than almost anywhere else in the world.

A report by an anti-crime group says Mexico's kidnap rate is second only to Colombia's. And the news
gets worse.

Take into account that most of Colombia's kidnappings are committed by politically motivated terrorist
groups. Mexico moves to the top of the list in kidnappings that have no other motive than illicit profit,
a Mexico City security consultant says.

Experts and government officials disagree on the exact number of kidnappings in the country, but they
agree that the problem won't go away unless families stop allowing themselves to be scared into silence
and continue paying ransoms.

There were 422 kidnappings reported in Mexico in 2003, according to the Citizens' Council for Public
Security and Penal Justice, a business-based group. Though that figure is down from 437 in 2002, the
problem isn't getting any better, spokesman Jose Antonio Ortega said.

The plot of the nation's political drama thickens as President Goodluck Jonathan plans to reshuffle his cabinet next week, said sources privy to the decision.

Photo:L-R Head of Civil Service, Steve Oronsaye,Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Yayale Ahmed, Vice President Namadi Sambo and President Goodluck Jonathan at the Federal Executive Council Meeting in Abuja, yesterday

As politicians in the last few weeks focused on zoning and its attendant problems or benefits, Mr. Jonathan, who political watchers say never ceases to surprise, was doggedly entrenching his hold on the nation's polity.

A few days back, he forwarded the names of three nominees to the Senate for approval as new ministers. It was not immediately clear, however, who the new people will replace. The Senate has acknowledged the receipt of the nominees and decided to reconvene Tuesday next week to screen, and possibly confirm them.

Although the Senate would not reveal the identities of the nominees, it was confirmed that the candidates, two men, and a woman, are from Yobe, Delta, and Borno states. A source further confirmed that one of them is a member of an opposition party, the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).

Curiously, Mr. Jonathan's action is coming nine months to the end of his administration and he still refuses to confirm if he will be contesting in next year's presidential election or not. Former president Olusegun Obasanjo also effected such a cabinet reshuffle towards the end of his second term in 2006 when he re-assigned Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala from ministry of finance to foreign affairs.

The usual suspects

Sources confirmed that the proposed changes will most likely affect the finance minister, Olusegun Aganga and the minister of state for finance, Remi Babalola. It was unclear if Mr Babalola's statement last month that the state oil company, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) was broke led to his been considered for possible removal. Mr. Babalola had told a group of journalists during a workshop on "Understanding the operations of the Oil and Gas Industry in Nigeria" organised by the NNPC for members of the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), that the only reason the corporation has not paid the ₦450 billion debt owed to the federal government was "its cash flow problem." He reportedly lost favour with Mr. Jonathan after that statement.

At the federal executive council meeting that took place after Mr. Babalola's comment, the council denied, through Dora Akunyili, the Information minister, that NNPC was insolvent.

"NNPC, from the auditor's account, is a going concern, and does not have solvency issue as a corporation. Therefore, categorically, NNPC is not insolvent," Mrs. Akunyili said.

She added that there will always be an outstanding balance between the federal government and the oil giant because of the regular transactions between them.

One of the nominees is supposed to fill the vacancy in the power ministry which had no substantive minister, apart from the junior minister. The others are expected to fill the junior minister positions in the petroleum and foreign affairs ministries.

Although the cabinet reshuffle was not mentioned during the briefing that followed the federal executive council meeting yesterday, the Presidency is said to be awaiting the senate's endorsement of the nominees whose names are currently en route to the national assembly.

Forget candlelit dinners, bouquets of flowers and endless compliments.

The way to a woman’s heart lies in wearing a red shirt, it seems.

A chap becomes instantly more desirable to the opposite sex if he has on a scarlet shirt or crimson tie, research shows..

Even a pair of pillar-box red socks could do the trick. The finding could help explain the appeal of Tiger Woods, who sports the colour on the final day of a golf tournament.

And a red suit may have helped Muse singer Matt Bellamy

Photo:One of the photos used in the study, (with the faces in focus) which worked out that the men in red are seen as more attractive by women

The researchers showed women from around the world, including some Britons, pictures of a ‘moderately attractive’ man.

The photos had been doctored to show him wearing shirts of different colours or standing against several backgrounds.

Others were framed in various colours. A dash of red led to the man being viewed as more attractive and desirable. He was also seen as having a higher social status, the Journal of Experimental Psychology reported.

Researcher Andrew Elliot, of Rochester University in the U.S., said that red is associated with power, passion and fertility in the animal kingdom – and people are no different.

‘This suggests that women’s thoughts and feelings toward men are, at least in part, primitive,’ he said.

‘The question “What do women want?” with regard to sexual attraction and desire has puzzled men and scholars for many years.

‘Our research suggests that the answer may be more provocative, than anticipated.’

Wearing red may also make a man feel more self-assured.

Dr Elliot added: ‘The red shirt that Tiger Woods adorns on the final day of golf tournaments likely provides him with a confidence-boosting reminder of his alpha status in the golf world as it simultaneously reminds his competitors they are probably facing another long day.’

Red is also associated with dominance on the football pitch, with previous research finding that teams wearing red strips win more matches.

Its association with dominance and aggression may enhance players’ game. Or perhaps red shirts are simply easier to see, improving their accuracy of passing.

Everyone, at some point of his or her life, has dreamed of being somebody special, somebody big. Who hasn’t fantasized about being theone who hits the game-winning homer? Who hasn’t dreamed of being thehomecoming queen? And how many times have we dreamed of being rich, orsuccessful, or happy with our relationships?

Often, we dream big dreams and have great aspirations. Unfortunately, our dreams remain just that – dreams. And our aspirations easilycollect dust in our attic.

This is a sad turn of events in our life. Instead of experiencing exciting adventures in self actualization, we get caught up in thehumdrum of living from day-to-day just barely existing.

But you know what? Life could be so much better, if only we learned to aim higher.

The most common problem to setting goals is the word impossible. Most people get hung up thinking I can’t do this. It’s too hard. It’s tooimpossible. No one can do this.

However, if everyone thought that, there would be no inventions, no innovations, and no breakthroughs in human accomplishment.

Remember that scientists were baffled when they took a look at the humble bumblebee. Theoretically, they said, it was impossible for thebumblebee to fly. Unfortunately for the bumble bee no one has told itso. So fly it does.

On the other hand, some people suffer from dreaming totally outrageous dreams and not acting on them. The result? Broken dreams, andtattered aspirations.

If you limit yourself with self-doubt, and self-limiting assumptions, you will never be able to break past what you deem impossible. If youreach too far out into the sky without working towards your goal, youwill find yourself clinging on to the impossible dream.

Try this exercise. Take a piece of paper and write down some goals in your life. Under one header, list down things ‘you know you can do’.Under another header, write the things ‘you might be able to do.’ Andunder one more, list the things that that are ‘impossible for you todo.’

Now look at all the headers strive every day to accomplish the goals that are under things ‘you know you can do’. Check them when you areable to accomplish them. As you slowly are able to check all of yourgoals under that heading, try accomplishing the goals under the otherheader-the one that reads ‘you might be able to do.’

As of the items you wrote under things I could do are accomplished, you can move the goals that are under things that are ‘impossible foryou to do’ to the list of things ‘you might be able to do.’

As you iterate through this process, you will find out that the goals you thought were impossible become easier to accomplish. And theimpossible begin to seem possible after all.

You see, the technique here is not to limit your imagination. It is to aim high, and start working towards that goal little by little.However, it also is unwise to set a goal that is truly unrealistic.

Those who just dream towards a goal without working hard end up disappointed and disillusioned.

On the other hand, if you told someone a hundred years ago that it was possible for man to be on the moon, they would laugh at you. If youhad told them that you could send mail from here to the other side ofthe world in a few seconds, they would say you were out of your mind.But, through sheer desire and perseverance, these impossible dreams arenow realities.

Thomas Edison once said that genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. Nothing could be truer. For one to accomplish his or herdreams, there has to be hard work and discipline. But take note thatthat 1% has to be a think-big dream, and not some easily accomplishedone.

Ask any gym rat and he or she will tell you that there can be no gains unless you are put out of your comfort zone. Remember the saying,“No pain, no gain”? That is as true as it can be.

So dream on, friend! Don’t get caught up with your perceived limitations. Think big and work hard to attain those dreams. As you stepup the ladder of progress, you will just about find out that theimpossible has just become a little bit more possible.

This is to your success!

Adebola Oni

Visit www.naijamotivation.com for more impacting articles

Former World Boxing Council (WBC) heavy weight champion, Samuel ‘the Nigerian nightmare’ Peter, is confident his upcoming fight against three times world heavyweight champion, Wladimir Klitschko, will not last the distance.

Peter, who lost his WBC crown to the older of the Klitschko brothers, Vitali, in Berlin, Germany, back in October 2008, had in September 2005 fought against Wladimir in an elimination bout for the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and International Boxing Organization (IBO) world titles.

The Nigerian, however, lost the bout on points, despite knocking Wladimir down on three separate occasions over the course of the 12 round contest.

That inherently makes the September 11 rematch in Germany one of the more interesting fights that can be made in the heavyweight division, especially since Wladimir has not been involved in a tough fight ever since their 2005 bout.

Five years in the making

It’s almost five years since Peter’s painful loss to Wladimir in Atlantic City and the Nigerian now has a chance to get back at the Ukrainian for inflicting what, back then, was his first career loss. He has promised his fans that “it’s going to be a short night” this time around.

“You are going to see a very good exciting fight this time around,” said Peter. “No bullshit, I’m ready. I’m ready to go. I know my fans are going to be really happy with me this time around because it’s going to be a short night.”

Following his loss to Vitali, Peter went on to suffer defeat at the hands of Eddie Chambers in March 2009, but returned with a bang afterwards by recording four straight wins, with the longest of them lasting just four rounds, against journeyman, Gabe Brown, in September 2009.

The underdog

Irrespective of that, Peter will be coming into the bout against Wladimir as the underdog. He, however, insisted he is not bothered by that.

“I like when people keep on thinking like that because some people, they are thinking with their legs,” he said.

“They are not thinking with their heads or brains. They don’t see what I see. They don’t know what I know. Let them keep on thinking. I love that,” added Peter, who then went ahead to boast that he would be prepared to give Wladimir the opportunity of fighting him all over again right after their upcoming rematch.

“Definitely,” exclaimed Peter. “Even that same night, they better be ready because it’s not going to be long. I would still beat him again that same night,” said Peter, who represented Nigeria at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

Wladimir, a gold medallist at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, hasn’t lost since his April 2004 loss to Lamon Brewster, and knocked out Chambers in his last title defence in March this year.

He, however, admitted in a recent interview that he will be prepared for the hardhitting Nigerian by the time they meet in Frankfurt next month.

“The first fight against Samuel was one of the hardest combats in my career. He is a hard puncher who developed further. I know what to expect at the 11th of September, but I will be prepared,” Wladimir said.