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Voter Registration Commences October

Posted by SaintOkocha on September 5, 2010 at 12:00pm

The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Lagos, Dr. Adekunle Ogunmola, has said that voter registration will take place in Lagos between October and November 2010.

Ogunmola announced this when he paid a courtesy visit to the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission on Friday.

He said, ‘‘The voter registration exercise is expected to last two weeks. Unlike in the past where one machine was deployed to cover a whole area with so many polling units, now it is going to be one machine per polling unit. There will be no question of voter apathy this time. Lagos State currently has 8,465 polling units; so we are not expecting anything less than 8, 465 machines to register the voters.‘‘

Ogunmola said that each polling unit would be manned by three people, adding that those who registered during the last elections should do so again. While stressing the need for a hitch-free general election, the new REC commended LASIEC for its working relationship with INEC, Lagos, in the past.

He said, ‘‘I went through the handing over notes and I am impressed by the relationship between LASIEC and INEC. I hope to continue in the same manner. We cannot do without cooperation.

‘‘The assignment of INEC is greater now than before because people feel the electoral process must be devoid of malpractice. The whole world is now interested in our elections and if Ghana can pull off a free and fair election, Nigeria can too.‘‘

Addressing the new REC, the Chairman of LASIEC, Justice Abdulfatai Tajudeen Afolabi said, ‘‘LASIEC has always had a good working relationship with INEC; we have no reason to be at loggerheads. I am optimistic that we can have credible elections. But to do so, INEC has to be independent.

”If we want to be independent, funds have to be released on time. We all know what happened in the last dispensation when funds were not released on time. In Lagos, possibly because we have got a governor who is a lawyer, we don‘t have that problem with funds. We don‘t owe our workers.‘‘

Afolabi said that voter education had started, especially in areas where people had lost contact with the government.

He said, ‘‘We have already commenced voter education exercises in Takwa Bay, Banana Island, and Amuwo-Odofin. In these areas, people seem to be out of touch with the government. There will be a need for additional polling centres. All our findings will be made available to you.‘‘

Ogunmola explained that LASIEC and INEC‘s previous recommendation of additional polling units had not yielded results.

He said, ”We are hoping that the previous recommendations to approve 4,000 new polling centres will take care of those areas where voters can‘t get easy accessibility to other polling centres. We are still awaiting the outcome.‘‘

Reassurring Nigerians of a credible 2011 elections Ogunmola said the time table for the poll had not been released by INEC.

He said, ‘‘Generally, INEC intends to ensure all political parties have a level playing field. That is the first and major step. Once that is guaranteed, you are likely to have a hitch-free election. Furthermore, complaints will be minimal because as human beings, even when somebody loses normally, he will still want to complain. But such complaints will be minimal because they will lack substance.‘‘

Making Up for Bad Health Habits

Posted by 9jabook.com webmadam on September 5, 2010 at 9:54am

Bad Habit #1: Not Enough Calcium

Your mother told you to drink your milk (you didn’t). Your doctor encouraged you to take calcium supplements (you didn’t). Now what? “Your body will lay down bone mass until your early 30s, so if you are in your teens or 20s, you have time to reverse the years of inadequate calcium intake and start building stronger bones,” says Nikki Tierney, a registered dietician in private practice in Quincy, Massachusetts. “If you've passed this age, all is not lost.. You may have missed the opportunity to build bone mass, but it is never too late to prevent more bone loss.”

Women who are 19 to 50 years old need 1,000 mg of calcium per day; those 51 or older need 1,200 mg per day. “You absorb calcium best from food sources, so be sure to include these in your diet,” she says. “The easiest way to get your calcium is to get three servings of milk or yogurt each day. If you are looking to add in a supplement, get something with 500 to 1,000 mg, such as calcium chews.” In addition to dairy, you can get your calcium from the following sources: ½ cup firm tofu (204 mg), 3 oz canned salmon (181 mg), 1 cup pinto beans (103 mg) or 1 cup cooked kale (94 mg)..

Bad Habit #2: Poor Posture
Misaligned posture can lead to back, knee, hip and neck issues as well as collapsed arches and a host of other problems, says Dana Davis, MA, CYT, a senior certified balance teacher in Petaluma, California. If you’ve had poor posture most of your life, you probably think there’s nothing you can do to improve it. Not true, says New York City–based fitness expert Story von Holzhausen. “You can make changes instantly, transform yourself and don't have to wait to see results,” says von Holzhausen.

She suggests this easy exercise to turn back years of bad posture habits: “Stand with your heels almost touching a wall. Roll your shoulder blades back and drop them down until they touch the wall. Slightly lower your chin and pull the base of your head against the wall, lengthening the back of your neck. Hold this position for 15 seconds, breathe, rest and repeat. If you cannot touch the wall, then your goal is to work up to it slowly.” Photo by Shutterstock.

Bad Habit #3: Smoking Cigarettes
So you smoked in college—OK, and grad school, and maybe occasionally when you’re socializing. You already feel guilty about it, but what can you do now? “The quickest way to improve your health if you're a smoker is to quit now rather than later,” says Shelena C. Lalji, MD, founder of the Dr. Shel Wellness and Medical Spa in Houston. “Research shows that people who quit smoking when they're in their 30s and 40s have a much lower risk of emphysema, stroke, hypertension and cardiac disease. Medical-grade supplements can help smokers reduce their cravings to increase their success.”

According to the American Cancer Society, after three months of not smoking, your lung function improves dramatically and your circulation is revitalized. After one year of being cigarette-free, your risk of coronary heart disease is 50 percent less than when you were a smoker. One of the best ways to reclaim your smoke-ravaged lungs is to make a new commitment to fitness, says Dr. Lalji. “Increasing exercise both during the transition from smoker to nonsmoker and afterward will help you keep the commitment to yourself while improving circulation, gaining lung capacity and reducing cardiac-related problems.”

Bad Habit #4: Too Much Booze
Do you regret years of excess drinking? While alcohol-related damage to the body can be harmful, and experts say there’s no way to completely reverse it, there are certain things you can do to improve your liver function and overall health. “Drinking can cause fat buildup in the liver, which causes the liver to work harder to metabolize the fat,” says Carlos Tirado, MD, MPH, chief medical officer of Enterhealth, an addiction disease management provider in Dallas.

Help your liver recover by starting a weight-loss regimen and eating a lowfat diet. “In general, eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and reducing fat—especially trans fat and saturated fat—can enhance recovery from alcohol-related liver injury,” he says. If you haven’t completely cut alcohol from your life, health experts recommend one drink per day, max, for women, and two for men—though it’s best not to drink daily, so to pick a few days a week that you don’t drink at all.

Bad Habit #5: Being Overweight
One of the leading causes of heart disease—and the number-one cause of death in women in the U.S.—is being overweight. But once you’re diagnosed with cardiovascular issues, it doesn’t mean it’s a life sentence. “Losing weight will significantly reduce this risk,” says Sohah Iqbal, MD, a cardiologist practicing at New York University Hospital. “Weight loss, through a diet and exercise program, can significantly reduce multiple cardiac risk factors that significantly increase the risk of coronary artery disease and heart attacks.”

Weight loss is not only associated with lower blood pressure, but it has also been shown in studies to improve your lipid profile—decreasing LDL (bad cholesterol) and increasing HDL (good cholesterol)—and reduce triglycerides. “Cholesterol buildup in arteries starts at a young age, but if you improve your cholesterol profile later in life, it stabilizes the cholesterol plaque and decreases the risk of it enlarging and occluding the artery or rupturing and causing a heart attack,” says Dr. Iqbal. The American Heart Association says you can reduce your risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 20 percent and ensure your ticker is in optimal health by following their 7-Point Checklist. Visit MyLifeCheck.Heart.org to learn more.

Bad Habit #6: Exercise Procrastination
You know that old saying: If you don’t use it, you lose it? Well, it’s only partly true, says Sarah Clachar, a New England–based health educator, fitness expert and the cofounder of Fit Family Together. “The opposite is true as well. When you start to use your muscles, you can regain them—at any age. So even if you've never worked out or had muscles to show off, you can certainly acquire them through a good fitness strategy.”

Where to start? Avoid an intense jog or hike, and think weights first. “If you haven't been active for years, your muscles aren't up for the activity,” she says. To avoid injury, focus on strength-training first. “Start by building up your muscles so you have the capacity to do exercise,” she recommends. Also, consider short bursts of intense exercise known as interval training. “Not only is research showing that this has more impact on your health with less wear and tear, but it works faster and it's easier [to do].” Here’s how: “Whatever you start to do, do it in shorter, intensive spurts,” says Clachar. “Walk briskly for 1 minute, then stop and rest. Walk briskly again for 1 minute and repeat. Or bike hard for 4 minutes and then rest.” With this method, you can pack 30 minutes of regular exercise into just 15 minutes, with less injury risk.

Bad Habit #7: Not Eating Right for Years
The antidote for years of burgers, fries and ice cream binges? Eating right, of course. Here’s an easy way to jump-start your health and get the vital nutrients you need without going on a restrictive diet: Eat one salad every day, suggests Brian Zehetner, MS, a registered dietician with Anytime Fitness in Hastings, Minnesota. “The primary reason to have a salad is because it helps to reduce the energy density of the diet,” he says. “You can eat a very large salad for very few calories.”

Plus, you’ll load up on vegetables that can give your body the nutrients it’s crying out for: vitamins C and E, selenium, beta-carotene and lots of fiber. Add 3 ounces of lean chicken, and you have a filling meal. If you eat a salad once a day for a year, you could lose up to 30 pounds without making any other major dietary changes. By just having one salad per day—for lunch or dinner—Zehetner says, your body will feel the difference.

Bad Habit #8: Staying Too Long in an Unhealthy Relationship
According to Howard Rankin, PhD, a clinical psychologist and founder of The Rankin Center for Neuroscience and Integrative Health, a bad marriage or relationship can be as hard on you as any other damaging health choice. “The impact of a negative relationship goes beyond self-esteem, into the very body itself,” Dr. Rankin explains. “Under chronic stress, the immune system breaks down, leading to a whole host of diseases. A recent study of breast cancer patients showed that many women believed that their cancer was caused by stress. Technically, no one gets cancer because of stress. But what does happen is that the suppression of the immune system by prolonged stress makes it more likely that the body can't fight off the cancer and creates an environment where cancer cells can grow.”

How can you get healthy and happy after years of being in a negative relationship? “It’s important to look at all the main relationships in your life and reevaluate which work for you and which don't,” he says. If a decades-long friendship is the culprit, cut the ties. If it’s a boyfriend who treats you poorly, move on. “Recognize that detachment is always difficult but sometimes necessary, and stay focused on the realities of the situation.” One of the best ways to give yourself a boost of happiness—and health—when doing so is to remember that there are infinite possibilities for you out there.

Bad Habit #9: Negative Self-Talk and Poor Body Image
After years of negative self-talk (“Look at how fat I am,” or “No one likes me at work because I’m not talented”), a funny thing happens, says Dr. Rankin: People tend to withdraw from social situations and intimacy. A poor or destructive self-image is also linked with depression and anxiety.

So how do you break the cycle of negativity toward yourself? “The variables that drive behavior are brain biochemistry, innate drives, habits and addictions, and relationships,” says Dr. Rankin. “Note that logic isn't in there. So you need to do things that will optimize brain function—exercise, good-quality sleep, stress management and proper diet all are critical for proper brain function.” And, because our self-image is so often affected by the people in our lives, he suggests you “hang around positive friends and ditch the people who are not on the same page as you.”

Bad Habit #10: Too Much Tanning
Did you once have a love affair with the tanning salon? There may be a ray of hope for sun-damaged skin, say experts. “There is not much one can do to undo serious sun exposure, but it is never too late to protect your skin,” says Pamela Jakubowicz, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Montefiore Medical Center in New York. She stresses the importance of annual skin checks with your dermatologist or primary care physician.

But you can also take matters into your own hands: “Products containing retinols, soy and some antioxidants have been shown to provide some reversal of sun damage,” she explains. “Retinol is a milder form of Retin-A that makes collagen stronger and can bring about changes in the skin. Researchers believe soy makes the skin lighter when there is pigmentation from sun damage.” Fortunately, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get products that work. Dr. Jakubowicz recommends Aveeno's Positively Radiant SPF 30 lotion, a product that contains soy, and Neutrogena Healthy Skin lotion, which is made with retinols. Also, consider your diet and activity level, says Marina Peredo, MD, an assistant clinical professor at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. “Adding a diet rich in omega-3s and vitamin E is a must, as is a daily exercise regimen to get the blood circulating to the face and other parts of the body.”

Real reason IBB, Atiku are fighting Jonathan – Sambo

Posted by SaintOkocha on September 4, 2010 at 2:30am

Vice President Namadi Sambo has faulted the position of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on the recent decision of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to throw open its ticket for next year’s presidential election, noting that the position was informed by selfish interest.

Sambo, in a short interactive session with media executives at his Akinola Aguda residence in Abuja Sunday, said that rather than any claim to fighting for the interest of the North, the duo were only opposed to the arrangement because it has failed to hand the PDP ticket (and by implication, the 2011 presidency) on a platter. “They are opposing it because they are interested parties,” the VP said, pointing out that the two aspirants would have been taken more seriously if they were not going to be direct beneficiaries of a reverse in policy on the issue.

Responding to a question on the call for him to step down as VP in order to preserve the zoning arrangement that would ensure the presidency returned to the North in 2011, Sambo said: “If the people that are talking do not have personal interest, then it will be a different matter. But when you see people that have interest, and they are the same people talking, then it becomes a kind of a problem”.

The VP further restated: “This issue is a purely a matter of PDP and I can tell you to go and investigate and find out the true position of the North. For the majority of the North or the majority of Nigerians, their concern is who can save the present situation and let Nigerians live above poverty level. Their concern is about who can deliver so that our society will change to a society we can all be proud of and so that our socio- economic status will improve. I think that is the major concern of Nigerians.

We are today at 50, our concern is not whether North or South, our concern is who can deliver Nigeria for us?
On this count, he said Nigerians should rest assured that Jonathan is delivering and would deliver even more. “We are delivering Nigeria and I believe we are in the position to deliver the promise that Nigerians want” he said.

The VP was however, not categorical on if or when his principal, President Goodluck Jonathan, would declare his intention to run for the 2011 presidential election. He said it would be “very soon”, adding: “there is no specific date yet but it will be very soon”.
Pushed further, the VP said it would definitely be after the Ramadan. “You know the Ramadan period is a Holy month and you know it is not the best period to go into all those kinds of activities. You also know that Ima Niboro (Jonathan’s spokesman) has made a press statement on that. So, already there is a statement from the presidency.

Sambo also tackled a few other issues bordering on the contentious zoning issue and the performance of the Jonathan administration. Excepts:
You are a Northerner, your zone has taken a decision that the power must remain in the North come 2011, how comfortable are you with the decision?
Am I not part of the power? I think I am from the North and, as the Vice-President, I have confidence that whatever a President from the North will do, I am in the best position to do it for the North. And today we are 50 years old, the party has made it clear that the issue of its candidature will be in line with the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and zoning is still an existing factor, it is part of the PDP constitution. We have gone up, we are just going to celebrate our 50th anniversary. And at the age of 50, we expect any state to have grown. This country (Nigeria ) has come a long way and therefore, the issues that have to do with our development, of effecting programmes of government that will rejuvenate the country and create a better standard of living for Nigerians are what we are looking for.

I remember in the 1960s, when we were still children, these issues that have to do with religion, zoning and what have you were part of the issues that do not really exist. So, I am from the North, I am part of the power and everything that is needed to do for the North is being done. Look at what has been happening of recent. The major programmes that are being implemented for this part of the country, that is the Northern part, these are evidence to show that we have a President that is patriotic, a President that does not have anything that is religious or sectional as part of his disposition or administration.

Is that why you prefer the back seat to the front seat?
That is why we have chauffeur- driven car. If you are chauffeur-driven, which will you prefer, will you sit in the front or at the back?
Your Excellency, how are you carrying the PDP Governors along, we learnt some of them are not backing the possibility of a Jonathan-Sambo ticket?
The Northern Governors, and in fact all the Governors of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, are being carried along and we have good relationship, we are moving this country together. And the position of all the sections or the zones of this country has been made very clear. The governors of the South-South, the South-West, have made their statements, the governors from the Northern states have made their statement, members of the Nigerian Governors Forum have also made their statement. These statements are all in line with our position. So we are all together.

Sir, it was reported that there was a plan to stop you from contesting in the 2011 elections even though the government had come out to deny it, there were reports on Sunday that governors are still demanding Vice-Presidential slot, which is which?
The position of the Government is the right thing.

With some of the Governors indicating interest in the Vice-presidency, is it not an indication that your position is threatened?
You see when you talk of about threats in terms of political issues, you know there are even different parties that want to take over the government, there are different parties, we have the ANPP, CPC, all these. You know politics is a question of continuous challenges, it is like life and anybody can sit down and create their stories too. That is politics.

How comfortable are you with the situation in Kaduna where they said you are losing grip?
I have not heard of that really. And in practice, I have not seen anything like that. In fact, just before you came in I received a group of political friends from Kaduna and they said the government is doing everything in line with the programmes we have put in place together in Kaduna and all these politicians are from Kaduna . We are even always getting stronger and strengthening all issues with politics in Kaduna State . It is just the same thing like I said. It is the same story; people say a lot of things that may not be right.

One thing in politics, is that people make a lot of speculations and say a lot of things that may not be right. It is like one time, I was attending a conference here and Andrew Young was delivering his speech and part of the statement he made was that you have to feed the press with information, if you don’t feed them, they will create their food. If you have not been giving them information, the likelihood is that somebody will just sit down and start creating his own information because you have to write news. So, really as far as I know, Kaduna is still a strong PDP State and we are moving on as one family.

How busy are you your Excellency? Are you fully engaged? Or just another spare tyre, considering that deputies are always neglected?
Oh! Fully. You can even see the proof (pointing to a stack of files he had to treat before dinner with the president that evening). I am here with so many documents to address and I am fully, fully engaged. As you know, you must have seen that we are handling a lot of important national matters like power, the issue of infrastructure, and others. The analysis that we have made is that we must address all the issues that have been pending and those that will enhance the development of the country.

The first major issue is power, if we can give Nigerians power, 50 percent of our socio-economic problems will be solved and this as you know, we are addressing with all seriousness. The issue of access to finance, you must have noticed that just recently, I signed the N500billion intervention funds for industries and power sector, and we are doing everything to ensure that we make funds accessible to people so that the private sector will grow, so that there won’t be any problem. When we complete the projects we have on power, the other sectors that will evacuate the power will be active. There are other funds that will come very soon. We have the textile funds. Arrangements have gone very far too also to support the automobile sector and all other sectors. The SMEs and there are other measures to ensure that the issue of housing is addressed so that every Nigerian will be able to access the facilities and own a house in this country.

What do you make of INEC as it is now?
We are confident that the members of the present INEC set up are up to the task. They have made certain proposals to meet their targets. Since their requests (the men, resources )have been met, they are now implementing their plans. Of course, the issues are always that they must be given leverage in achieving certain objectives. As far as we are concerned, we are confident that INEC will meet their targets.

In the event that they have any problem, I am confident that the chairman will come out and tell Nigerians the true position and Nigerians will come out and agree. That is the true position as far as I am concerned. He (Jega) is working as scheduled and he will deliver according to the programmes

How will you and the President cope since PDP has retained its zoning formula?
We have agreed that zoning is part and parcel of PDP, it has not removed zoning. But PDP has said that as far as its candidate is concerned, it respects the Federal Constitution. And in all previous elections of the PDP, despite the fact that there is zoning, all Nigerians that were interested participated in such elections (presidential). Just look at the last election, there were fifteen (15) candidates from the South, and about twelve (12) or so from the North. Despite the fact that there was zoning in PDP, still the Constitution is still the prime factor that is considered in the candidature for PDP. Any interested candidate from any part of the country, as a Nigerian, has the right to contest if he wishes just like it has been proved in other PDP’s presidential election (primaries).

By STEVE NWOSU

Fuel Subsidy to GO ! By New Year —aganga

Posted by 9jabook.com on September 4, 2010 at 12:21am

The Federal Government plans to remove fuel subsidies within six months and also put $1 billion into the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) when it takes off next month, the Minister of Finance, Mr Olusegun Aganga has said.

The subsidies cost the government N1 trillion ($6.6 billion) in 2009, said the Central Bank Governor Lamido Sanusi in June.

And the nation imports more than 80 percent of its refined fuel to meet local demand due to a lack of adequate refining capacity, according to the country’s petroleum ministry."

In three to four years’ time, Nigeria will be a different country," Aganga said in an interview in London, yesterday. He added: "We have a great story. The numbers tell you that."

Importantly too, Aganga said that the Federal Government plans to put $1 billion into the SWF when it kicks off next month, just as he noted that the nation is targeting 10 percent economic growth by creating an oil-financed infrastructure fund while pushing for foreign investment in the power industry as it backs off fuel subsidies that have drained the national purse..

"Today, we have a government that is committed to encouraging investment and also ready to deliver infrastructure, he said."

Power outages are a daily occurrence in Nigeria, where demand for electricity almost triples the current supply of 3,000 megawatts. Nigeria, Africa’s second-largest economy after South Africa, has a population of about 140 million.

Boosting growth to a minimum of 10 percent in coming years is "achievable" as investment in infrastructure climbs, Aganga said. The economy expanded 7.4 percent in the first half of the year, compared with 5.9 percent in the same period last year, driven by growth in the non-oil industries, he said.

The SWF will replace the Excess Crude Oil Account, which the government has often used to finance expenditure, Aganga said.

Part of the new fund will be dedicated to savings that the government can’t touch unless oil prices plummet, while most will finance infrastructure projects, he said.

The Excess Crude Oil Account should reach about $1 billion by the end of the year, from between $500 million and $800 million currently, Aganga said. That will be transferred to SWF and act "as a catalyst for both local and international investors," he said.

A third part of the sovereign wealth fund will be a stability fund, which will be similar to the current Excess Crude account, though harder for the government to access, Aganga said.

Already, Nigeria has received interest from investors for a proposed $500 million Eurobond, which the government will sell in October or November, according to Aganga. Investors have asked the Federal Government to increase the size of the bond, while the government has appointed advisers for the bond sale, he said.

The Federal Government believes that the sale of Nigeria’s first Eurobond will act as a benchmark, so that companies can price their bonds accordingly, Aganga said. The government has already selected advisers for the sale and is in the process of appointing book runners, he said.

Foreign investor interest in the planned Eurobond has been strong, with some investors asking Nigeria to increase the size to $1 billion, Aganga said.

Jan 2011 gov poll: Go to court, INEC dares six states

Posted by arimah patrick ifeanyi on September 3, 2010 at 11:16pm

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru JegaThe Independent National Electoral Commission is adopting an uncompromising posture on its decision to conduct elections in six states of the federation in the January 2011 general poll in spite of opposition from the affected governors, where rerun elections had been held.In a SATURDAY PUNCH interview conducted on Thursday, the commission insisted that those who were not comfortable with the position of the commission ”that was taken in strict compliance with the electoral laws of the country” had the option to seek a legal interpretation in the courts.In a telephone interview with our correspondents, Mr. Kayode Idowu, the Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, said that the commission was not under any pressure on the raging issue, which means that the tenure of the governors in the affected states would end on May 29, 2011.The six states are Ekiti; Bayelsa; Sokoto; Adamawa; Kogi; and Cross River.Idowu said that INEC would not be swayed by pressure from any quarters because the decision of the commission to conduct elections in the states next January was based on the constitution and the Electoral Act.He maintained that the position of INEC could only change if those opposed to it got another interpretation on the issue.Idowu said, ”INEC took this position based on the provisions of the law. The present leadership of INEC is absolutely not under any pressure on this issue because it has made it clear from the beginning that all its actions will be based on the Electoral Act.”The only option left to those who feel strongly about this issue is to take it up with the law. If they get another interpretation from the law court different from the present understanding, then that will be a different ball game.”But as things stand, INEC stands by this lawful act.”Meanwhile, the CPS to the INEC chairman said that while the Federal Government had released some fund to INEC to facilitate the smooth conduct of the election, not all the N87.7bn required for the exercise had been released.He said that the funds were being released in tranches accordance with the agreements reached with the FG on an agreed funding plan.”Before the funds were released, an agreement was reached with the Federal Government on a funding plan. What has been released is what INEC agreed with the government to release,” Idowu said.He however denied the widespread claims that the first set of equipment required for the conduct of the voter registration would arrive in the country in the next two weeks.Idowu said that the contracts for the equipment, which are critical to the conduct of the poll, were about being sealed.He added though that the time line set for the exercise would be adhered to in strict terms.INEC had on Wednesday announced through advertorials in some national newspapers that governorship elections would not hold in the five states.However, INEC listed the timeline for the elections in the remaining states, which would not be part of the January 2011 exercise.According to the advertorial titled, ‘Independent National Electoral Commission Conduct of Governorship Elections‘, the commission said elections would hold in Rivers (June 2011); Edo (July 2012); Ondo (November 2012); and Anambra (November 2014).

Babes in Christ

Posted by Michael W Sr. on September 3, 2010 at 2:44pm

“BABES IN CHRIST”

TEXT SCRIPTURE: HEBREWS 5:13-14><13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word
of righteousness: for he is a babe.
14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have
their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
A BABE IN CHRIST IS ONE THAT HAS RECENTLY BEEN CONVERTED, ONE WHO HAS
NOT BEEN TAUGHT OR DISCIPLED, AND HAS NOT BEEN ROOTED IN CHRIST AND
ESTABLISHED IN THE WORD, ONE WHO FEEDS ON MILK AND NOT MEAT.
JESUS SPOKE OF THE SOWER AND THE SEED, THOSE THAT FELL BY THE WAYSIDE,
STONEY PLACES, AND AMONG THORNS CAN BE CONSIDERED AS BABES, THEY WERE
NOT ROOTED, NOR SETTELED (carnal and immature, walking as men 1Cor. 3:3).
3 EXAMPLES OF A BABE:
1). BABES ARE UNSTABLE (EPH.4:14). That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and
fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness,
whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
2). BABES ARE EASILY SWAYED (GAL. 3:1). O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that
ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified
among you?
3). BABES CANNOT DISCERN THE DEEP THINGS OF GOD (HEB.5:14/1 COR.3:1-2). But
strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses
exercised to discern both good and evil. 1Cor. 3:1-2 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you
as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet
now are ye able.

*NOTE* LENGTH OF CONVERSION DOES NOT NECESSARILY EQUATE TO SPIRITUAL
MATURITY (i.e. HEB. 5:12).
POINTS TO CONSIDER:
1). IF THERE IS CONSISTENT FIGHTING AND DISPITING AMONG YOU, YOU ARE YET
CARNAL (BABES) AND WALK AS MEN (1 COR. 3:1-3).
2). BABES IN CHRIST SHOULD KEEP IT SIMPLE (2 COR.11:3). REMEMBER THE
ADVERSARY AND ACCUSER IS OUT TO WIN YOU BACK, AND HE WILL USE CONFUSION
EVEN OF THE SCRIPTURES TO DO THAT, SO DON’T ENVOLVE YOURSELF IN DEEP
THEOLOGICAL DISCUSSIONS THAT YOU ARE NOT READY FOR.
3). PETER SAID TO DESIRE THE SINCERE MILK OF THE WORD, THAT YE MAY GROW
THEREBY; (1 PETER 2:1-2). GET ROOTED IN THE BASICS OF THE GOSPEL (i.e.
REPENTANCE, FORGIVENESS, BAPTISM, LAYING ON OF HANDS etc…HEB.
6:1-2).

SUMMARY:
KEEP IT SIMPLE; DON’T PRE-OCCUPY YOURSELF WITH ISSUES THAT ARE
NONE IMPORTANT. STAY FOCUSED, STAY IN THE WORD AND PRAYER (the
channels are now opened, you are now able to speak to the Father for yourself!).
DON’T GET ENVOLVED IN IDLE TALK AND GOSSIP (1 TIM. 4:7/6:20/2 TIM.
2:16). THIS ALSO CONCERNS GIVING HEED TO FALSE DOCTRINES AND
TEACHINGS.
AND TO THOSE OF YOU, WHO SAY THAT YOU ARE MATURE, DON’T SPEAK
NEGATIVE THINGS, THINGS THAT ARE DAMAGING, AND THINGS THAT
WILL CAUSE THE FAITH OF THE WEAK TO FAIL OR EVEN TO SIN. THE
LORD WILL HOLD YOU ACCOUNTIBLE. CONSIDER PAUL’S ADVICE IN
1 COR. 8:9-13). 9 But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a
stumblingblock to them that are weak.
10 For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall
not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are
offered to idols;
11 And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?
12 But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin
against Christ.
13 Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world
standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.

CLOSING: I BESEECH YOU BRETEREN, GROW IN THE GRACE AND
KNOWLEDGE OF THE LORD CHRIST. EVERYDAY WILL NOT BE SUNSHINE,
AND THERE MAY EVEN BE TIMES WHEN YOU JUST DON'T FILL SAVED!
JUST KNOW THAT THE LORD JESUS IS WITH YOU. HE PROMISED TO NEVER
LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU, BUT TO BE WITH YOU ALWAY!
“NOW THE GOD OF HOPE FILL YOU WITH JOY AND PEACE IN BELIEVING,
THAT YOU MAY ABOUND IN HOPE THROUGH THE POWER OF THE
HOLYGHOST IN THE NAME OF Yęhōshua Mâshiakh, (JESUS THE MESSIAH)
AMEN.
I PRAY THAT THIS BRIEF STUDY HAS GIVEN YOU SOME INSIGHT AND THAT
IT HAS BLESSED YOU IN SOMEWAY. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR
COMMENTS, PLEASE CONTACT ME;

B-BLESSED;
MICHAEL

Sunday Sermon: Jesus Christ; the Light of the World

Posted by Michael W Sr. on September 3, 2010 at 1:30pm

Jesus Christ; The Light of the World

Scripture Reference: John 9:5
5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
We know that Jesus Christ has always existed with the Father, for He was there in the beginning with the Father! He was the Word that was spoken in the beginning of the creation, for by him, all things were made. In John 1:1-4 we read;1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

*Now keep in mind those two words; Life and Light!
Jesus said; in John 9:5; “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world”.
I want to focus on the first part of that statement; “As long as I am in the world”. At the time of this statement, Jesus the Christ was in this world, in the flesh, carrying out His earthly mission. And it is through Him that we have come to know the character and nature of God. It is through Him that God now speaks to us! Moses foretold this very same thing to the people of Israel in the book of Deuteronomy 18:15-16; 18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

The scriptures tells us also in Hebrews 1:1-2;1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
And again in John chapter 14:8-9; 8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?

So we see, that while Jesus was here on the earth, He brought the light of the Father to us! He showed and taught us what pleases and displeases the Father. He showed us the heart of God towards us! The light that is in Him, is our life!
In 1 John 5:12 we read; He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. And again in John 5:39-40; Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
Having religion is one thing, but having a relationship is another. Being spiritual is one thing, but possessing, and being filled with the Holy Spirit is another. Going to church is one thing, but being the church, the body of Christ, is another. Reading the bible is good, but reading the bible does not give you eternal life! True life, eternal life is found only in Jesus the Christ. It is all about Jesus, it is all about having a real relationship with Him, anything short of that is deception.

Hear the word of the LORD! He that hath the Son (Jesus) hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God (Jesus) hath not life. Jesus said that we can read and search the scriptures all day long, but if we neglect the scriptures that point to Him, we are missing the point!

Again, Jesus said in John 9:5; “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world”.
Isn't it strange how in the years past and even now, how our government and various secular organizations such as the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), which promote gay rights , freedom of speech for homosexuals, adoption of children by homosexuals and the encouragement of abortion, while at the same time they stand in favor of banning schools from holding student led prayer at school functions, and are envolved in trying to stop employees from openly displaying bibles at work, or wearing clothing that have christian themes. And let's not forget the 1962 ruling by the U. S. Supreme Court to remove prayer from schools, which was the beginning of the end for America as it relates to morality, decency and America as a christian nation.

You see, when we remove Jesus, we remove light. We remove the compass of morality and human decency. But most importantly we remove they way back to the Father! You see, in all religions there are some good virtues, Paul makes that clear in Colossians 2:23; (Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh),
But when Jesus, the only begotten Son of the Living God is removed from the equation, then all you have is good philosophy, humanism and secularism. When you
remove Jesus, the door than becomes open for every evil, perverted and ungodly spirit to come in, master minded by satan himself. And that is exactly what we have done in this once great Nation, called America.

We wonder why is there poverty? Why are our children walking in rebellion? Why are our young girls becoming sexually active at very young ages and some are becoming mothers while they themselves are children? Why are our young men making the local jails and penitentiaries their homes, and most of them while living at home have become a liability rather than an asset to their families by refusing to work an honest job. They would rather sell drugs, lay around the house drinking alcohol, smoking weed and they call it chillin with the fellows, which in turn puts the whole community at risk. We wonder why is the crime rate, and the occurrence of violent crimes in our communities escalating? Why are mothers and fathers abandoning their children, abusing their
children, physically and emotionally? Why are men and women of God compromising the truth of the word of God for money, fame or position? Why are our churches not seeing the miracles, and the power of the Holy Ghost moving in our churches as He did in the book of Acts? The answer is simple; we have removed the Light, we have taken Christ out of the world.
I want you to understand what I mean by that statement. How have we taken Christ Jesus, the only hope of eternal life, out of our world? We have despised and abhorred that which is right and wholesome, and replaced it with that which is corrupted and debased! Isiah says it best; Isiah 5:20; Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Jeremiah the prophets says it this way; Jeremiah 2:13; For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
When we reject God's way, and choose to walk in our own ways, we have taken Jesus out of the world! When we choose humanistic, secular and new age philosophy, we have taken Jesus out of the world! When we choose to walk and live only to the pleasings of our flesh and carnal lusts, we have taken Jesus out of the world! When we willingly close our eyes to the truth, we have taken Jesus out of the world! Jesus said it best in Matthew 13:15; For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with
their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

Hebrews 5:9-11 says; 9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec. 11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
There is no way around it, we either receive Jesus Christ and live, or we reject Christ and spend eternal separation from Him in Hell! Hebrews 2:3 says;How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
The word “how” suggests that there is a possibility, or a probability that something can happen. But in this context it makes it clear that there is no other way or possibility!

I employ you my friends, do not gamble with where you will spend eternity.
Hebrew 10:26 states; 26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
How do we sin wilfully? By denying the Son, by believing that there is another way to salvation! This is what the writer of Hebrews is saying, Jesus the Christ is the only sacrifice that the Father has accepted, and will only accept. The Old Testament way of atoning for sin does not work anymore! So as long as the Jews or anyone is rejecting Christ, and following the old sacrificial system for atoning for sin, their sin still remains.

Going back to what Jesus has said in John 9:5; As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
Jesus Christ and only Jesus Christ, is the light of the world, and when we pair John 9:5 with John 1:4; which says; In him was life; and the life was the light of men. We can see that His life is our light! We have no light apart from Him! We have no life apart from Him! There is no other way, for the word declares; Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved; (Acts 4:12).
Jesus himself stated that He is the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father but by Him! He says that He is the door by which a man must enter; (John 14:6/10:9). If you really want to have Life, as Jesus said; “I come that ye might have life”, than receive Jesus the Christ today, tomorrow my never come for you! (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) (2 Corinthians 6:2).

Notice he said; “ that ye might have life”, why, because some will hear and still reject Him just as many have done in times past. If you really want to have Light, and not continue in darkness, the darkness that keeps you bound to the unfulfilled life that you are living. The darkness that keeps you experiencing the same unnecessary drama that you constantly deal with on a daily basis. The darkness that keeps you bound and chained to drugs, alcohol, abusive relationships, sexual promiscuity and many other habits and bondage-es that you just cannot break; I plead with you to
come and receive Christ and allow Him to begin to make changes in your life through the Holy Spirit!
The word of God declares in 2 Corinthians 4:3-6; 3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Jesus said, “come unto me all who are burdened and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light; and you shall find rest for you souls”.
Are you tired? Have you had enough of doing it your way? Come to Jesus, surrender all to Him, He is waiting for you!

B-blessed;
Brother Michael Williams Sr.

He chewed my food!

Posted by SaintOkocha on September 3, 2010 at 6:30am

This woman picked a fight with this man after the latter allegedly ate food at her restaurant and left without paying for it. This was at Mukaika during the Kulamba ceremony on saturday

Photo gallery compiled by Joseph Mwenda

By Collins Phiri

Police arrest man, 27, for sex with goat

Posted by SaintOkocha on September 3, 2010 at 6:30am

POLICE in Kapiri Mposhi have arrested a 27-year-old man for having sex with a goat, which later died.

Central Province police commanding officer Simon Mpande confirmed the incident in an interview on Tuesday and identified the man as Amon Chisenga in Kapiri Mposhi district.aged 27 of Kabati village in Lunchu B area of Chief Mukonchi

“The incident happened on 4th July 2010 around 02:00 hours . . . he was found having sex with the goat by the complainant who is female Febby Kunda, aged 56, also of Lunchu B in Kapiri Mposhi district he is actually admitting the charge,” Mpande said.

He said the goat would be subjected to a postmortem in order to assert if there is some semen in the female goat.

And a check at Kapiri Mposhi police station found the goat’s carcus swollen on its private part while in a two-minute interview with this author Chisenga admitted having sexual intercourse with the animal; adding that he did not know what he was doing.

By Isaac Zulu in Kapiri Mposhi

Mass Extinction Threat: Earth on Verge of Huge Reset Button?

Posted by technology on September 3, 2010 at 5:38am

Mass extinctions have served as huge reset buttons that dramatically changed the diversity of species found in oceans all over the world, according to a comprehensive study of fossil records. The findings suggest humans will live in a very different future if they drive animals to extinction, because the loss of each species can alter entire ecosystems.

Some scientists have speculated that effects of humans - from hunting to climate change - are fueling another great mass extinction. A few go so far as to say we are entering a new geologic epoch, leaving the 10,000-year-old Holocene Epoch behind and entering the Anthropocene Epoch, marked by major changes to global temperatures and ocean chemistry, increased sediment erosion, and changes in biology that range from altered flowering times to shifts in migration patterns of birds and mammals and potential die-offs of tiny organisms that support the entire marine food chain.

Scientists had once thought species diversity could help buffer a group of animals from such die-offs, either keeping them from heading toward extinction or helping them to bounce back. But having many diverse species also proved no guarantee of future success for any one group of animals, given that mass extinctions more or less wiped the slate clean, according to studies such as the latest one.

Then and now.

Looking back in time, the diversity of large taxonomic groups (which include lots of species), such as snails or corals, mostly hovered around a certain equilibrium point that represented a diversity limit of species' numbers. But that diversity limit also appears to have changed spontaneously throughout Earth's history about every 200 million years.

How today's extinction crisis - species today go extinct at a rate that may range from 10 to 100 times the so-called background extinction rate - may change the face of the planet and its species goes beyond what humans can predict, the researchers say.

"The main implication is that we're really rolling the dice," said John Alroy, a paleobiologist at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. "We don't know which groups will suffer the most, which groups will rebound the most quickly, or which ones will end up with higher or lower long-term equilibrium diversity levels."

What seems certain is that the fate of each animal group will differ greatly, Alroy said.

His analysis, detailed in the Sept. 3 issue of the journal Science, is based on almost 100,000 fossil collections in the Paleobiology Database (PaleoDB).

The findings revealed various examples of diversity shifts, including one that took place in a group of ocean bottom-dwelling bivalves called brachiopods, which are similar to clams and oysters. They dominated the Paleozoic era from 540 million to 250 million years ago, and branched out into new species during two huge adaptive spurts of growth in diversity - each time followed by a big crash.

The brachiopods then reached a low, but steady, equilibrium over the past 250 million years in which there wasn't a surge or a crash in species' numbers, and still live on today as a rare group of marine animals.

Counting creatures better

In the past, researchers have typically counted species in the fossil record by randomly drawing a set number of samples from each time period - a method that can leave out less common species. In fact two studies using the PaleoDB used this approach.

Instead, Alroy used a new approach called shareholder sampling, in which he tracked how frequently certain groups appeared in the fossil record, and then counted enough samples until he hit a target number representative of the proportion for each group.

"In some sense the older methods are a little like the American voting system - the first-past-the-post-winner method basically makes minority views invisible," said Charles Marshall, a paleontologist at the University of California, Berkeley, who did not take part in the study. "However, with proportional systems, minority views still get seats in parliament."

Marshall added that the study was the "most thorough quantitative analysis to date using global marine data." But he added that researchers will probably debate whether the PaleoDB data represents a complete-enough picture of the fossil record.

Nothing lasts forever

The idea that rules of diversity change should not come as a surprise for most researchers, according to Marshall.

"To me, the really interesting possibility is that some groups might not yet be close enough to their caps to have those caps be manifest yet," Marshall told LiveScience. Or "evolutionary innovation" might happen so quickly that new groups emerged to increase overall diversity, even if each sub-group reached a cap on diversity.

If anything, the record of past extinctions has shown the difficulty of predicting which groups win out in the long run. "Surviving is one thing and recovering is another," said Marshall, who wrote a Perspectives piece about the study in the same issue of Science.

One of the few consistent patterns is that growth spurts in diversity can apparently happen at any time, according to Alroy. He added that the background extinction of individual species has also remained consistent - the average species lasts just a few million years

Of course, the ongoing extinction crisis of modern times goes far beyond the background extinction rate. Alroy noted that it could not only wipe out entire branches of evolutionary history, but may also change the ecosystems shaped by each species.

That means today's species matter for environments around the world, and so humans can't simply expect replacements from the diverse species of the future.

"If we lose all the reef builders, we may not get back the physical reefs for millions of years no matter how fast we get back all the species diversity in a simple sense," Alroy said.

INEC Is Right On Tenure Of Governors

Posted by SaintOkocha on September 3, 2010 at 5:30am

Femi Falana

By Femi Falana

The decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct elections in all the states of the Federation in January 2011 except Anambra, Edo, Ondo and Rivers deserves commendation. The courageous decision is in line with the letter and spirit of the Constitution, which provides for a 4-year term for a state governor.

If the INEC had accepted the position of the ruling party on extended tenure for governors who won rerun elections the electoral body would have encouraged the rigging of elections by candidates who plan to have extended terms on the basis of fraudulent elections.

It would be recalled that in the case of Gov. Ladoja v INEC (2008)40 WRN 1 the Supreme Court rejected the prayer of Governor Ladoja for 11 months’ extension to cover the period he was kept out of office through illegal impeachment. Also in the case of Balonwu v Gov. of Anambra State (2009) 18 NWLR (PT 1172) 13 the Supreme Court made it abundantly clear that the proclamation of the Anambra State House of Assembly by the then Governor Chris Ngige remained valid notwithstanding the subsequent annulment of his election by the Tribunal and the Court of Appeal. The apex court held ex abundanti cautela that:

“It follows therefore that the subsequent proclamation by Governor Peter Obi following the nullification of the election and return of Governor Ngige was clearly superfluous as it cannot be used to determine the four year tenure of office as envisaged in section 105 (1) of the 1999 Constitution”.

In the light of the foregoing those who are canvassing for extended tenure for governors under the current democratic dispensation should not be allowed to turn law and logic upside for selfish motivations.

Femi Falana
Chairman
National Conscience Party.

Naija Doctors perform First Kidney transplant by Home Based surgeons in Maiduguri

Posted by 9jabook.com webmadam on September 3, 2010 at 4:55am

The University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), in collaboration with the Bayero University Teaching Hospital, Kano and Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, has successfully conducted a kidney transplant on a 31-year old Suleiman Usman. The kidney was donated by his brother, Abubakar Usman at the university’s Kidney Centre.

According to the university’s authorities, the transplant was the first of its kind handled in the institution without the assistance of any foreign surgeons, since the Kidney Centre was established in 1993.

Announcing the successful transplant yesterday at a press briefing at the teaching hospital, the Chief Medical Director of UMTH, Prof. Othman Kyari, said “first ever in the history of Maiduguri Kidney Centre, a team of doctors and surgeons from this hospital and others from Ile-Ife and Kano performed a very successful kidney transplant on Suleiman Usman without the intervention of any foreign doctors and surgeons..

He said with the successful transplant, there will be no more need to send kidney patients for transplant in foreign countries.

The chief medical director also noted that besides overcoming the challenges of transplanting the kidney, the exercise was carried out at the total cost of N2 million, stating that if it were carried out in any of the foreign countries, it would have cost the hospital about N3.5 million.

According to Prof. A. Akinsola of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (OAUTH), once the kidney is successfully transplanted, normal function returns and the quality of life of the patient is normalised.

He said except for the side effects of immunosuppressive drugs and acute rejection episodes in non-compliant or poorly matched patients, the donor’s transplanted kidney would start functioning to continue with normal life.

On the prevention of kidney damages and the diseases associated with kidneys, he said: “Prevention is the best solution to kidney diseases by changing people’s life styles against excessive drinking, smoking and lack of exercises and other activities that could keep people physically fit.”

He said because many people are addicted to these life styles, there are already 60 million people suffering from kidney related diseases in the country..

Prof. Kyari further disclosed that 10 per cent of the kidney patients at the UMTH are of renal disease, while 16 are affected with various ailments of the kidney.

He said with the successful transplant of the kidney on Suleiman, the next transplant by the hospital’s team of doctors and surgeons would take place in the next three weeks.

Akinsola appealed to wealthy individuals and philanthropists to sustain the transplant of kidneys at the teaching hospitals, while the Federal Government is to reduce tariffs on imported drugs and encourage the local production of such drugs in the country to save foreign exchange.

EFCC Fails in Bid to Arrest Two Rivers State Commissioners For “Corruption”

Posted by SaintOkocha on September 3, 2010 at 4:00am

EFCC

By SaharaReporters, New York

Rivers State officials are crying foul over the attempted arrest of two of its commissioners today, by the Economic and Financial Commission (EFCC).

The attempted seizure of the two men—the Commissioner for Finance, George Feyii, and the Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Tammy Danagogo—is alleged to be at the instance of the First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, who recently had a public falling out with State governor Rotimi Amaechi at an event in the state.

The two commissioners and three local government chairmen have reportedly gone underground in the state. But the EFCC operatives arrested three persons namely: Jessy Ogulor, Treasurer of Port Harcourt local government, Da-Wariboko, head of personell, Ikwerre local government area and Hyacinth Nwosirim, cashier Obio/Akpor local government area.

Sources in Rivers state told Saharareporters that the recent public spat between Governor Amaechi and Mrs. Jonathan arose because Amaechi has so far refused to declare his support for Jonathan’s presidential bid. The EFCC would likely pay similar visits to Gombe, Kwara, Zamfara and Delta states, a source in the Abuja offices of the agency told Saharareporters. The reason for the raid is attributed to the refusal of governors in those states to endorse Jonathan’s presidential bid.

Rivers State officials have described today’s siege on the state capital as a cynical display of “make-up” loyalty to the president and his wife, especially in view of yesterday’s Saharareporters story which revealed that Mrs. Farida Waziri is heaping the blame for the collapse of the anti-corruption effort in the country on the excessive interference of the President Goodluck Jonathan, his household, and members of his kitchen cabinet.

Interestingly, Rivers was the state Waziri as EFCC chair made her first poor showing when she similarly went in there to arrest Nyeson Wike, the Chief Of Staff to Governor Amaechi. Mismanaged handling and underhanded deals regarding the investigation and prosecution of Wike's case have emboldened more serious acts of corruption in the state. Waziri, it is now known, is not really trying to catch any thieves in Rivers. Hers is a survival game around the nation.

A source told Saharareporters that yesterday’s report has greatly upset the EFCC boss, who has faced mounting opposition from many quarters and a serious clamor for her removal. Mrs. Waziri has managed to survive her removal in the last few months, and has gone to a great extent to play to different interest groups by telling different stories about her "predicament." It is a card she has played well so far.

She has equally gone after her former Director of Operation, Tunde Ogunsakin, a police officer who has been touted as her replacement. Last week, the agency announced that it planned to charge Mr. Ogunsakin with examination malpractices. The EFCC said the charge derives from a cheating incident that led to Mr. Ogunsakin´s removal from the agency last year. However, despite the fanfare over the case at the University of Abuja at that time, the EFCC did not charge Mr. Ogunsakin until last week when it began a new media blitz.

Although Mrs. Waziri may have enjoyed a boost with the operations in Rivers State today, it is unclear how long she will survive as the head of the EFCC. Her reported friendship with former military dictator, Ibrahim Babangida, is said to be giving Mr. Jonathan a headache.

Bashir Tofa For President Relaunches Bid ! The Circus continues Only fools dare where

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on September 2, 2010 at 11:50pm

Other Fools have treaded .

What does Tofa want now ? That he did not get before !

Residents of the Federal Capital Territory woke up on Thursday morning to behold big, bold and beautiful posters of Bashir Othman Tofa announcing the taciturn businessman's presidential aspiration for the 2011 general elections under the platform of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).

From the posters, it appears that Mr Tofa decided to reignite his presidential ambition the same day the incumbent governor of Kano State, Ibrahim Shakarau, flagged-off his presidential campaign in Abuja.

On June 12, 1993, Mr Tofa contested the presidency of Nigeria on the platform of the now defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) against the late Moshood Abiola of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), who is believed to have won the election.

Mr Tofa contested the election with the former labour leader, Pascal Bafyau, as his running mate. The election was later annulled by the military government of Ibrahim Babangida.

Grand campaign

As at the time of going to press, NEXT was unable to get the politician's reaction to the development. However, sources close to him said he was preparing to unveil his campaign in a grand way in the days ahead.

The ANPP, Nigeria's main opposition political party, had during its National Executive Council meeting last week, announced that it is zoning its presidential ticket to the north while the south-east is to produce the party's national chairman.

Just as the issue of zoning is threatening to tear the nation's ruling party apart, ANPP's zoning formula has already started generating internal crisis in the party that has twice shifted its national convention before now.

In 2003 and 2007, the ANPP presented Muhammadu Buhari, a former military Head of State, as its presidential candidate. Mr Buhari has since created his own platform, the Congress for Progressive Change.

Until yesterday, Mr Shekarau was the only presidential aspirant on the platform of the ANPP.

A source at the ANPP secretariat said that Mr Tofa's decision to flood the federal capital with his posters was aimed at frustrating the ambition of his state governor. The source said that there is no love lost between Mr Shekarau and Tofa and that the latter is being used by some members of the party against the governor's ambition.

In 2007, Mr Tofa showed interest in the position but later stepped down for Muhammadu Buhari, who flew ANPP's flag that year. He was later named the chairman of the reconciliation committee of the party. When asked in an interview three years ago if he had his eyes on the presidency again, Mr Tofa said, "Four eyes. All the four eyes."

Kidnapper Nabbed With Four Human Skulls

Posted by SaintOkocha on September 2, 2010 at 11:00pm

A suspected kidnapper, Paul Etim Udoka was on Sunday arrested by soldiers in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, Nigeria.

According to the soldiers from 13 Amphibious Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Calabar, the internal security patrol unit of the brigade effected Paul’s arrest after a tip off.

The soldiers said the suspect confessed that he was one of the 30 kidnappers who abducted a councillor in Akpabuyo Local Government Area of Cross River State on Sunday.

“Actually, I am their medicine man. I did not participate in the kidnapping,” Paul told the soldiers.

He said they were keeping the victims in the bush awaiting the delivery of the ransom when the soldiers stormed the bush and others fled the scene leaving him. But he could not run away and leave behind his skulls because they would pursue him.

“These things are mine and I cannot leave them for whatever reason because they will come after me,” the suspect said.

Lieutenant Osoba Olaniyi, the Army Public Relations Officer for the Brigade confirmed the arrest, adding that other items recovered from the kidnappers include a spear, a carved wooden human head and one handset.

Lt. Osoba said the suspect will soon be handed over to the police for further interrogation while the hunt for the fleeing kidnappers continues.

—Emma Una/Calabar

Spartan Boy vs Naijakid !

Posted by 9jabook.com on September 2, 2010 at 10:58pm

Brave Spartan Boy

AS greedy and disobedient children were viewed at Sparta with the contempt they deserved, all the boys were trained to obey at a word, whatever the order given, and were allowed only the plainest and scantiest food.
Strange to relate, the Spartans also trained their boys to steal. They praised them when they succeeded in [65] doing so without being found out, and punished them only when caught in the act. The reason for this queer custom was this: the people were often engaged in war, and as they had no baggage wagons following their army, and no special officer to furnish food, they had to depend entirely upon the provisions they could get on their way.
Whenever an army came in sight, the people hid not only their wealth, but also their food; and, had not the Spartan soldiers been trained to steal, they would often have suffered much from hunger when they were at war.
To test the courage of the Spartan boys, their teachers never allowed them to have a light, and often sent them out alone in the middle of the night, on errands which they had to do as best they could.
Then, too, once a year all the boys were brought to the Temple of Diana, where their courage was further tried by a severe flogging; and those who stood this whipping without a tear or moan were duly praised. The little Spartan boys were so eager to be thought brave, that it is said that some let themselves be flogged to death rather than complain.
The bravery of one of these boys was so wonderful that you will find it mentioned in nearly every Greek history you read. This little fellow had stolen a live fox, and hidden it in the bosom of his dress, on his way to school.
The imprisoned fox, hoping to escape, began to gnaw a hole in the boy's chest, and to tear his flesh with his sharp claws; but, in spite of the pain, the lad sat still, and let the fox bite him to death.
[66] It was only when he fell lifeless to the floor that the teachers found the fox, and saw how cruelly he had torn the brave little boy to pieces. Ever since then, when boys stand pain bravely and without wincing, they have been called little Spartans, in memory of this lad.
In order that the boys should be taught to behave well under all circumstances, they were never allowed to speak except when spoken to, and then their answers were expected to be as short and exact as possible.
This style of speaking, where much was said in few words, was so usual in the whole country of Laconia, that it is still known as the laconic style.
To train them in this mode of speech, the elders daily made the boys pass an oral examination, asking them any questions they could think of. The boys had to answer promptly, briefly, and carefully; and if they failed to do so, it was considered a great disgrace.
These daily questionings were meant to sharpen their wits, strengthen their memories, and teach them how to think and decide quickly and correctly.
The Spartan youths were further taught to treat all their elders with the greatest respect; and it must have been a pretty sight to see all these manly fellows respectfully saluting all the old people they met, and even stopping their play to make way for them when they came on the street.
To strengthen their muscles, the boys were also carefully trained in gymnastics. They could handle weapons, throw heavy weights, wrestle, run with great speed, swim, jump, and ride, and were experts in all exercises which tended to make them strong, active, and well.

CONFESSION OF AN IJAW KID

Little Diepriye came into the kitchen where his mother was making dinner.
His birthday was coming up and he thought this was a good time to tell his mother what he wanted.
"Mom, I want a bike for my birthday." Little Priye was a bit of a troublemaker.
He had gotten into trouble at school and at home.
Priye's mother asked him if he thought he deserved to get a bike for his birthday. Little Priye, of course, thought he did.

Priye's mother wanted Priye to reflect on his behavior over the last year.

"Go to your room, Priye, and think about how you have behaved this year.

Then write an email to God and tell him why you deserve a bike for your birthday." Little Priye stomped up the steps to the computer and sat down to type God an email.

Email 1 Dear God, I have been a very good boy this year and I would like a bike for my birthday. I want a red one.
Your friend, Priye

Priye knew that this wasn't true. He had not been a very good boy this year, so he deleted the email and started over.

Email 2 Dear God; This is your friend Priye. I have been a good boy this year and I would like a red bike for my birthday.
Thank you.
Your friend Priye

Priye knew that this wasn't true either. So, he deleted the email and started again.

email 3 Dear God; I have been an "OK "boy this year. I still would really like a bike for my birthday.
Priye

Priye knew he could not send this email to God either. So, Priye wrote a fourth email.

email 4 God, I know I haven't been a good boy this year. I am very sorry. I will be a good boy if you just send me a bike for my birthday.
Please!
Thank you, Priye

Priye knew, even if it was true, this email was not going to get him a bike.

Now, Priye was very upset. He went downstairs and told his mom that he wanted to go to church. Priye's mother thought her plan had worked, as Priye looked very sad.
"Just be home in time for dinner," Priye's mother told him.

Priye walked down the street to the church on the corner.

Little Priye went into the church and up to the altar. He looked around to see if anyone was there. Priye bent down and picked up a statue of the Mary. He slipped the statue under his shirt and ran out of the church, down the street, into the house, and up to his room. He shut the door to his room and sat down . Priye began to write his email to God.

email 5 God, I’VE KIDNAPPED YOUR MAMA. IF YOU WANT TO SEE HER AGAIN, SEND THE BIKE!!!!!!!! !!

The hit man.

Diepriye

ps If the Angels are busy please send money for the bike by western union

priye pressed send ! to BabaGod@gmail.com cc:BabaGod@yahoo.com , BabaGod@hotmail.com

Wanted Persons.

Posted by SaintOkocha on September 2, 2010 at 5:30am

Photos of Wanted Killers/Kidnappers of Lota Ezeudu

By SaharaReporters, New York

These two men, Desmond Ibezimako Chinwuba, and Uche Moses Amajor are wanted as suspects in the kidnap and murder of Lotachukwu Ezeudu, a second year accountancy student at the University of Nigeria (Enugu Campus). Please circulate their images to your lists.

There’s a financial reward for anybody who provides information (which will be treated with great confidence) leading to the arrest of either suspect. If you know their whereabouts, please contact Saharareporters by e-mail <SRCrimetips@saharareporters.com> or phone 1(-718)-577-1398).

Desmond Ibezimako Chinwuba, an ex-police officer, is about 5ft 4 inches tall and speaks English, Igbo and pidgin. Desmond’s last known residential address in Aba is: 5 Amucha Avenue, Ariara Aba, Abia State.

Uche Moses Amajor (alias “Prosper Hotel”) is the son of Charles Ifeanyi Amajor, the owner of Prosper Hotel, Trans-Ekulu, Enugu. Uche Moses Amajor, who hails from Umudere, Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State, is 28 years old, about 5ft and 3 inches tall, and speaks English, Igbo, Hausa and pidgin. Police sources suspect that he may have escaped initially towards Kaduna, Abuja or Kano. His address in Kaduna is: 7A Rahama Road, Kakuri GRA, Kaduna (which houses Diamond Diagnostic Lab.).

God did not create the Universe. Paralysed "Genius" Professor Stephen Hawking concludes

Posted by technology on September 2, 2010 at 5:00am

The scientist has claimed that no divine force was needed to explain why the Universe was formed..

In his latest book, The Grand Design, an extract of which is published in Eureka magazine in The Times, Hawking said: “Because there is a law such as gravity, the Universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the Universe exists, why we exist.”

He added: “It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the Universe going.”

In A Brief History of Time, Prof Hawking's most famous work, he did not dismiss the possibility that God had a hand in the creation of the world..

He wrote in the 1988 book: "If we discover a complete theory, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason — for then we should know the mind of God.”

In his new book he rejects Sir Isaac Newton's theory that the Universe did not spontaneously begin to form but was set in motion by God.

In June this year Prof Hawking told a Channel 4 series that he didn't believe that a "personal" God existed. He told Genius of Britain: "The question is: is the way the universe began chosen by God for reasons we can't understand, or was it determined by a law of science? I believe the second. If you like, you can call the laws of science 'God', but it wouldn't be a personal God that you could meet, and ask questions."

Until his retirement last year Prof Hawking was Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, a post previously held by Newton.

The book, co-written by American physicist Leonard Mlodinow, is published on September 9.

Ghana Prostitutes : Nigeria Ashawo & Opio must Go !

Posted by 9jabook.com webmadam on September 2, 2010 at 4:49am

Kumasi Sex Workers Angry Over Nigeria’s ‘Ashawos’

"We cannot allow Nigeria to take over everything in the country including the sex trade,”

Ghanaian girls who offer sex for money at Adum, a suburb of Kumasi in the Ashanti region, have expressed anger over some Nigerians importing younger and prettier girls who are gradually taking over the sex business.

If not for the intervention of the assembly member for the area, Albert Osei-Banahene, the enraged sex workers would have hit the streets in their nakedness and marched from one office building to another, just to get the authorities to come to their aide...

“It is not that they are better than us in bed but as you know, most men prefer younger girls and these Nigerian girls are younger. Some are still in their teens and their agents protect them but we do not have agents who make things easier for us so the conditions of work are not fair. “We would start attacking any underage ashawo from Nigeria because they are spoiling the market,” one of them noted. Interestingly, though both groups are prostituting, the Ghanaian girls say they are commercial sex workers while the Nigerians are ‘ashawos.’

According to the Ghanaian sex workers, the arrival of sexier girls from Nigeria is making business very competitive and compelling them to lower their rates or lose customers. Not pleased about the development, the disillusioned sex workers have declared their preparedness to hit the streets, should authorities fail to respond to their call and put in place appropriate measures to arrest the worrying situation. In an interview with NEWS-ONE, the stationed sex workers revealed that some Nigerians living in Kumasi have made it their business of bringing in very pretty sex workers from the oil-rich country to practice their trade in the Ghana.

“Having realized the potential in the business, some Nigerians living in the city have decided to make it their business by bringing sex workers from their country to come and work here,” one of the disgruntled sex workers observed. “When they bring them, they initially put them in hotels, before hiring rooms for them to practice their trade but we do not have agents or promoters so we are losing the market even in our own country,” another dissatisfied sex worker noted.

According to them, they would do everything within their means to ensure that the practice was stopped, because they believe that as Ghanaians, they have exclusive right to the trade.

“We cannot allow Nigeria to take over everything in the country including the sex trade,” the sex workers emphasized. The assembly member for the area, Hon Albert Osei-Banahene, who has being appealing to the sex workers to remain calm, appealed to the government to take up the matter and ensure that it is resolved amicably. He noted that it was important for the government to come in strongly because of the ages of the girls who are purported to have been sent into the city for sex trade.

No billions for Jega FG Cant Fund INEC says Finance Minister . Govt is Broke confesses Aganga

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on September 2, 2010 at 4:46am

The Federal Government is broke and cannot fund ongoing road construction projects across the

country, a House of representative member has said. The member, who asked not to be named, also claimed that only N16 billion out of the N87.7 billion required by the Independent National Electoral Commission for voters’ registration has been released to the electoral body.

This startling disclosure was reportedly made by the Minister of Finance, Olusegun Aganga, while meeting with the House of Representatives Committee on Works. According to the member of the committee, the minister revealed this after he was summoned to give a briefing on the slow pace of work on major roads that have money allocated for their rehabilitation in the 2010 budget.Photoss Aganga & Jega

Mr. Aganga last night refuted the comments that were attributed to him, saying that he had not even appeared before a House Committee on Works for a while. Speaking exclusively to NEXT, he affirmed that although budget cuts had been made across board, the Federal Government was far from broke. “The fact is that in spite of the recent budget cuts, capital expenditure for this year still comes in at about N1.5tn which is more than double what was spent last year,” he said.

However, the house member went on to reveal that Mr. Aganga said that the federal government is facing critical financial stress that makes it impossible to fund many ongoing projects. He is also quoted as saying that ministries and departments have been asked to review their budgets downward by another 40 per cent after the official review carried out by the National Assembly. The minister told the committee that the situation is so bad that nothing is happening at the ministries because no money has been released to them.

Mr. Aganga responded by saying that this was “old news”.

“Every department was asked to review their budgets,” he said. “The oil benchmark and production output of the original budget were not optimal so all MDAs had to make cuts to expenditure.”

According to the house member, the meeting was held behind closed doors and away from media scrutiny, but credible insiders say the most shocking revelation by Mr. Aganga concerned the inability of the federal government to release the N87.7 needed by INEC for the conduct of elections next year.

Mr. Aganga again denied this saying that a total of N56bn has been released to INEC so far which is in line with the electoral commission’s release plan.

“We never release money all at once,” he said. “INEC has given us a payment plan which we have observed. The first payment was for N16bn but an additional amount of N40bn has since been released. So in total we have released 56bn according to INEC’s release plan.”

Mr. Aganga added that there was no danger that a lack of available funds would jeopardize the election timetable.

“We have been working very closely with the Honourable Chairman (Mr. Jega) since the start of this process and everything so far is on track to meet the deadlines that have been set out.”

At the time of going to the press, no INEC spokesperson was available to confirm the details of the money reported to have been released to them so far.

The INEC Chairman, Attahiru Jega, has made it clear that funds are central to the ability of the commission to hold credible elections for which it requires a comprehensive voters register. Earlier this week, Mr. Jega had also made a request for an additional 8 billion naira, to make up for the shortfall in the 2010 budgetary allocation to the commission. He said his commission was banking on receiving that amount from the budget only to discover that it has been removed.

Mr. Jega’s disclosure contradicts the finance minister’s claim that the government had given the electoral body all the funds it required. On August 20, Mr. Aganga told journalists that he was “delighted to announce that the amount due was released as soon as the supplementary budget was signed by the President”. He said the funds were released a day after the supplementary budget was passed. “We did not want to be seen to be challenging them because if anything went wrong government will be blamed for not supporting INEC. We don’t want that” Mr. Aganga had said. “I, as Finance Minister, it’s my job to implement the funding side of it and I need to assure the INEC chairman every moment that whatever he needs in terms of financial support I will make it available.”

Recently, a former minister of finance (state) Remi Babalola, said the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, which is in charge of managing the country’s oil wealth, was insolvent. A claim Mr. Aganga had denied. Shortly after Mr. Babalola’s whistle blowing, he was redeployed to the Ministry of Special Duties. As the exact health of the government’s finances remains unclear, billions of naira are still being allocated to new projects. Just yesterday, at the Federal Executive Council meeting, the government approved N3.59 billion for the construction of a modern office for Code of Conduct Bureau in Abuja.

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