Posted by 9jabook.com on September 7, 2009 at 10:50pm
More banks are sacking their workers as they struggle to adapt to the new corporate governance instituted by the Central Bank of Nigeria in its move to clean up the industry.
Yesterday, Wema Bank Plc sacked about 500 workers nationwide, including 25 top management staff, while First Bank of Nigeria Plc is also involved in a dispute with a labour union for allegedly forcing workers to resign.
Tunde Olofintila, a spokesperson for Wema Bank, who confirmed that the bank had sacked some workers, said the number was less than 500. He however refuse to disclose the number of workers affected. "Some people have been disengaged already, and as I speak, some are still receiving their letters," he said. "I cannot tell you how many people would be affected.
This is because letters are still being distributed to various people and I won't want to give you a figure that would later be incorrect. The whole process would have to be completed before an accurate number can be gotten, but I can assure you that it is not up to that number that you are talking about" he said.
New management
Mr. Olofintila also said that the development followed efforts by the new management that resumed in June 2009, to sanitise the bank.
"When the new management took over, all the staff members were called together and addressed at the management's inaugural gathering. There, we were told that processes would be streamlined, and roles will be matched to ensure effective production," he sai.
"Apparently, there are roles that overlap, but we were assured that the streamlining process would lead to a more effective operation and service delivery."
On June 10, a new management team led by Segun Oloketuyi, who is a former Executive Director, Skye Bank Plc, took over to be assisted by Ademola Adebise (formerly of Accenture) and Taiwo Adeniji (of Africa Finance Corporation) as executive directors.
While emphasising that the immediate challenge facing the new management is the institution of corporate governance in the bank, Mr. Oloketuyi also said that the new team intends to pursue a strategic and sustained transformation plan, which will reverse the fortunes of the bank.
He said these would be accomplished in three phases - stabilising the bank, preparing it for growth and finally growing the bank to take its rightful place at the fore of the financial services industry.
First Bank denies allegation
First Bank, however, denied forcing its workers to resign under the guise of voluntary resignation. A top official of the bank who spoke under anonymity said, "nothing strange has taken place, only the usual movement because, some people just came in and some people have left; there's nothing extraordinary in staff movement so far."
The Union comes calling
In reaction to the development,bank unions have indicated their readiness to challenge any bank that indulges in indiscriminate sacking of its workers.
Peter Esele , the president of the Trade Union Congress said that the union had already issued a statement on the layoff, after hearing that First Bank was planning a huge staff lay off.
"What we addressed in the statement was on the basis that they were planning to. The management of the bank has, however, replied that there is nothing like that in their agenda," he said.
"One of the things that give us the leverage to challenge bank actions pertaining to their staff is that the bank staff must have an extension of this union in their bank. Bank officials must be members of the union before we can talk on their behalf."
Read more…
If you listen to a group of attractive, single
women talking alone over dinner or drinks, the
topic will always turn to MEN.
And in most cases, it will eventually turn into
a RANT session about how hard it is to find good
men to date...
Which will lead to a FULL-ON RAG SESSION about
men in general...
...And wind up with a detailed list of all the
traits guys have that are ANNOYING AS HELL.
The reality is that single women have an entire
laundry list of traits, qualities, and
characteristics that they HATE in single guys.
Did you know this?
I didn't think so.
Well, the truth is that up until a few years
ago, I didn't know this either.
So take heart in the idea that you're about to
learn something that most men on this planet will
DIE not knowing.
My hope is that what I'm about to share with
you will change how you interact with women
FOREVER... and help you meet and date more of the
kinds of women you're interested in.
Onward.
FRIENDSHIPS AND ROMANCE
For women, friendships and romantic
relationships are two separate things. They are
NOT the same.
One can lead to another, but it's RARE when it
happens.
Remember that.
One CAN lead to another, but it's RARE.
"Romantic" relationships are very different
from "friend" relationships.
While most men would sleep with most of their
female "friends" if the woman "came on" to them,
most women would NOT sleep with most men that they
consider "just friends".
But why is this?
How do women differentiate between "just
friends" and "I'll be intimate with you"?
And why is it so hard to become "more than
friends" with a woman you've been "just friends"
with for a long time?
The answer to this riddle is very interesting
to me.
I believe that the answer comes down to
understanding HOW women "know" when they want to
"be intimate" with a man... and, even MORE
importantly, understanding how women "know" when
they DON'T want to "be intimate" with a man...
The thing that tells a woman whether the guy
she's with is "friend" material or "lover"
material is how she FEELS.
It's a combination of EMOTIONAL feelings and
PHYSICAL feelings.
It is NOT logic.
She might USE logic to "rationalize" her
decision... or she might USE logic to SOUND like
she has a good reason for either "being with" or
"not being with" a particular guy.
But don't let that distract you.
Logic isn't important AT ALL in this context.
So let me say this another way.
A woman FEELS something emotionally and/or
physically, then she uses those FEELINGS as the
basis for her "decisions" and actions with a
particular guy.
If she feels that "Ewwww Yuck!" feeling, then
her "logical" conclusion will probably not be that
she wants to date the guy in question.
If she feels that "It's Gettin' Hot In Here"
feeling, then her "logical" conclusion will
probably be that this guy is interesting and
attractive, and a good "choice" to date. At this
point she'll take ACTION on her feelings and
thoughts...
It goes like this:
FEEL--->THINK--->ACT
First the FEELING, then the THOUGHT... and THEN
the action.
Now, with this in mind, let me ask you an
important question:
How do most guys behave around women that
they're "romantically" interested in?
And another:
What do they do to get the woman that's the
object of their desires to be with them?
Take a few minutes to think about this. Make a
list if you have paper and pen handy.
I'm serious. I'll wait.
Come back when you're finished.
Now take a look at your list.
I'll bet that almost every single thing on your
list was something "external".
In other words, your list probably contains
things like "Take her to dinner" and "Give her
compliments" and "Buy her flowers" and "Call her
often".
These are all things that demonstrate that he's
INTERESTED.
They are NOT things that trigger those
emotional and physical feelings inside of a woman
that tell her that THIS IS THE GUY.
In other words, men try to use "props" to LET A
WOMAN KNOW HE'S INTERESTED...
...HOPING that when the woman sees these
displays she'll be interested in him.
Almost NONE of the things men do to court women
make women FEEL ANYTHING even remotely similar to
"Attraction" and "Arousal".
Of course, you know this.
You've probably done this stuff about a
bazillion times. I have, too. I know what it's
like to try OVER AND OVER to let a particular
woman know that I'm interested... only to have her
NOT RESPOND in a "romantic" way.
The PROBLEM with this kind of thing is that it
makes TWO HUGE MISTAKES at once.
First, it's just the plain-old wrong way to go.
Telling or showing a woman that you "like her" has
no effect on how she feels about YOU.
In the moment it sure seems to make sense...
"If I show her how I feel, she'll return the
feelings".
Duh.
Like I said, it seems like the right thing to
do in the moment (when your inner little girl has
a big fat crush). But it's not... it will have NO
effect on her feelings for you.
And second, it communicates clearly that YOU
DON'T GET IT. It tips a woman off INSTANTLY that
you're not hip to what's going... and it kills
your chances with her.
Say what?
You mean that doing nice things for women, and
trying to show how you feel can actually HURT your
chances with a woman?
Yea, it can.
Look, if you've been dating a woman exclusively
for six months, and her birthday comes... it's OK
to buy her a gift and tell her that you like
spending time with her.
YOU'RE ALREADY IN A RELATIONSHIP.
But if you've known a woman for six DAYS and
you try this kind of thing, you're going to shoot
yourself in the foot.
Women are EXPERTS at recognizing men who DON'T
GET IT. And if you DON'T get it, PLUS you're
trying to compensate for the fact that you don't
get it with gifts and compliments, then you're
REALLY screwed (or not screwed, as the case may
be).
Remember what I'm about to tell you.
Burn it into your mind.
Write it on a sticky-note and put it on your
computer monitor...
SINGLE, ATTRACTIVE WOMEN WATCH MEN TRY TO WIN
THEM OVER ALL DAY LONG. THEY KNOW WHEN A GUY
DOESN'T "GET IT"... AND THEY'RE ANNOYED WHEN A GUY
WHO DOESN'T "GET IT" JUST KEEPS TRYING AND TRYING
AND TRYING.
Keep in mind that single, attractive women
watch guys do this stuff 24/7. They shake their
pretty heads and say "He doesn't get it... He
doesn't get it... He doesn't get it" over and over
and over.
The point is that if you DON'T GET IT, then
nothing you do is going to work for you.
The problem is bigger than you can imagine, and
you're going to need to take a totally different
road to get where you're going...
WHAT ATTRACTIVE WOMEN HATE MOST ABOUT SINGLE GUYS...
Let's return to where we started.
There are a few particular things that REALLY
annoy single, attractive women.
One of the reasons that these things annoy
women is because they're DEAL KILLERS.
A woman can like everything about you, but if
you do these things (or even ONE of these things),
it can DESTROY your chances of success with a
particular woman.
Here are a few of the BIG things that single
women hate:
1) Giving Up Your Status In Exchange For Her
Attention And Approval
If I had to describe the one single thing that
both annoys women and DESTROYS a guy's chances, it
would be this.
It has taken me a long time to see this
particular pattern, but it's EVERYWHERE.
Men, in effect, say "Hi, I want your approval
and attention. I'm willing to let YOU be the one
who's in control... and let YOU call the shots...
and do anything to please YOU... if you'll give me
your attention and approval".
But the problem is that women DON'T WANT you to
give up your status and "manliness".
Women aren't ATTRACTED to men who act weak and
tentative.
Women secretly HATE IT when a guy does
something to demonstrate that he'll give away his
power in return for approval.
THEY HATE IT!
I could literally write an entire book on this
one single concept.
Take a few minutes to think this one over, and
maybe write down the ways that you make this
mistake with women.
More importantly, think about how you're going
to STOP DOING IT IMMEDIATELY.
2) Being Needy, Clingy, And Insecure
When one person "clings" to another person
"psychologically", the person who is being
"clinged to" RESENTS and REJECTS the needy, clingy
emotional parasite...
This is WUSS behavior at its worst.
If a guy is on the phone with a girl he just
met, and she says "Hey, I have to go", he might
say "Aw, well... um... OK. Um, will you call me
when you get home?".
Or let's say a guy and a girl are out on their
first date, and they're walking around in a large
department store.
Most guys will follow the woman everywhere, and
not leave her side for a minute.
If she wanders away, he'll come find her
IMMEDIATELY.
He'll stay physically close to her, as if he's
afraid she'll leave without him.
And an even worse example is a guy who is so
emotionally insecure that he actually ASKS a woman
to tell him that he's nice, fun, interesting, etc.
"Do you think I'm interesting?"
"Do you think we could ever have a
relationship?"
"Am I your type?"
Women HATE this stuff. It makes them shiver
with the heebie-jeebies. It makes them want to RUN
AWAY.
3) Not Leading - And Even Worse, Trying To Get Her
To Lead
Women have WUSS-DAR.
One of the things that triggers a woman's WUSS-
DAR is a man who FOLLOWS.
The REAL problem is that most women won't try
to LEAD naturally.
So you've got a situation where a man is trying
to FOLLOW a woman who isn't LEADING.
He's looking for little cues so he knows where
to go and what to do... but he isn't getting them.
So what does he do?
He ASKS for them!
He says "So, I was thinking of maybe taking you
to Olive Garden for dinner... how does that
sound?".
Everything about the way he asks says to the
woman "I'm trying to figure out what you want me
to do... please help me know how you want me to
act, where you want me to take you, and what you
want me to say".
This is ATTRACTION DEATH!
Men who don't lead, and even worse, try to get
a woman to lead, ANNOY THE HELL OUT OF SINGLE
WOMEN.
They HATE IT!
4) Using Insecure, Approval-Seeking, Low- Status
Posture, Gestures, Voice Tone, And Body Language
There's a term that single, attractive, in-
demand women use to describe men who use weak,
approval-seeking posture, gestures, comments, and
mannerisms...
The term is "NICE".
"He's nice... but... there's no chemistry."
This is one of those areas that's not easy to
talk about.
Since SO DAMN MANY GUYS do this stuff, it's
almost impossible to explain.
It's like trying to tell a fish that they're
not going to get anywhere in life if they stay
wet.
The fish doesn't even KNOW it's wet in the
first place.
But let me try.
This is important.
Go spend a day observing couples.
Go places where couples that have just met
spend time together.
Bars, clubs, coffee shops, whatever.
Now watch the GUYS.
Watch how they lean towards the women.
Watch how they raise their eyebrows in
exaggerated response to women's comments.
Watch how they slump over, let their shoulders
fall forward, and smile fake-ly at whatever the
women say.
If you're close enough, listen to how men ask
questions and make comments with a voice tone that
says "I'm insecure and I'm trying to be extra nice
to compensate for it".
You'll see it EVERYWHERE.
In fact, you'll see it so much that you'll
probably write me back to tell me that I'm the one
who's crazy, and that since it happens so much, it
must be "the right way".
Well, it's not.
If there's one thing that triggers an
attractive single woman's WUSS-DAR, it's a man's
posture, gestures, eye contact, voice tone, etc.
It all happens in an INSTANT.
Women read this stuff and interpret it as
instantly and accurately as you read and interpret
the cover of Playboy.
NO ANALYSIS NECESSARY.
I'd say that probably 90% of all men alive
today INSTANTLY disqualify themselves with women
because of this problem.
Their voice tone, gestures, posture, etc.
TELEGRAPH the message that they're a WUSS.
They do a thousand weird little things to let a
woman know that they're uncomfortable and "not
being themselves".
And you guessed it...
Single women HATE IT!
5) Not Understanding That She's A Woman And You're
A Man
I'm about to get philosophical on your ass, so
be cool.
When it comes down to it, most men don't
understand women.
But the REAL kicker is that most men don't
understand MEN, either!
Most guys don't know what it's like to get in
touch with their MALE NATURE.
Combine these two issues, and you get a guy who
behaves in ways that DO NOT trigger ATTRACTION in
women.
Women have a "nature". A female nature.
Men also have a "nature". You guessed it, it's
a MALE nature.
Women are coy. They like to play hard to get.
They like to enjoy the chase. They love
anticipation. They love to "let a guy catch
them"...
Men are competitive. Men are dominant. Men like
to play rough games, win things, and rule their
territory.
Well guess what?
Most men don't BEHAVE like men when they're in
the presence of a woman that they "like".
And since most men don't understand female
human nature, they don't demonstrate that they
"get it" when they're with women that they "like".
Women like men. Men like women. There are
POWERFUL causes at play here.
When you're around a woman you like, don't act
like a GIRLY-MAN. It's not sexy, and it's not
attractive...
And single women HATE IT!
6) Not Being Interesting To Be Around
Underneath most behavior that I see most guys
acting out is a "core belief" that goes like this:
"I don't believe that an attractive woman would
want to be around me just because she enjoys my
presence... so I make up for it by saying and
doing certain things that I hope she'll enjoy...
and if she enjoys those other things enough, then
maybe she'll want to spend more time with me."
Heavy, man.
Well guess what? Most attractive single women
KNOW that if a guy isn't interesting to be around,
they she's eventually going to go CRAZY being
around him.
In other words, no amount of material gifts,
compliments, dinners, and other "displays" will
EVER compensate for a lack of BEING INTERESTING.
Here's a profound thought:
I and several other guys I know have many women
who call us often... just because they enjoy being
around us.
These women would be happy just to be in the
same room with us... and enjoy our company.
And yes, these women CALL US.
Often.
Material gifts, food, flowers, and other
"displays" have ZERO lasting value to a woman when
it comes to how she FEELS about you...
An attractive single woman wants a guy who
LIGHTS HER UP. She wants to FEEL GOOD.
She wants mystery... she wants to laugh... she
wants a challenge... she wants sexual tension...
If you're using compliments, gifts, food, and
other "displays" to get a woman's attention... you
need to ask yourself a tough question:
Is it because you don't believe that a woman
would want to be around you just to be around you?
Because if you don't know how to be INTERESTING
to a woman, then no amount of compensation is
going to fix the problem.
If you're boring, predictable, and
uninteresting, then you're never going to have
women calling YOU to hang out.
Oh, and women HATE IT.
7) Not Understanding Attraction
This is a BIGGIE.
You hear me talking about it all the time,
right?
Maybe now that you've read this newsletter
you'll have a better context to understand what
I'm about to tell you...
If you "get it" with women, it's SUPER
INTERESTING and ATTRACTIVE to them.
Women can INSTANTLY FEEL IT when they're with a
guy who "gets it".
Women know very quickly if they're talking to a
guy who understands himself and women... and who
enjoys creating and building sexual tension.
Women know if a guy speaks the SECRET LANGUAGE
of "Sexual Communication".
If he doesn't, then she stops all communication
on that level.
If he does, then it continues.
ATTRACTION Isn't A Choice.
Attraction is an emotional and physical
RESPONSE... and you can't "convince" a woman to
feel it with logic, gifts, and NICENESS.
Attraction is the result of a woman meeting a
man who understands how attraction works... and
who knows what to do in each specific situation to
progress to the next level.
The PROBLEM with ATTRACTION, and with success
with women in general is that the things you need
to DO to be successful are NOT OBVIOUS.
They're "counter intuitive", in many cases.
In other words, they're the OPPOSITE of what
you'd THINK would make sense.
You have to do things like CREATE TENSION...
stop doing something that she likes... give her
time to miss you... etc.
And if you don't understand ATTRACTION, a woman
is going to KNOW IT.
And guess what?
Single women HATE IT when a man doesn't
understand ATTRACTION and how to communicate on
this "other level".
Now that I've shared the mistakes, you need the
next piece of the puzzle. You need to get an
education on how attraction works for women... and
the RIGHT things to do up front to give her those
emotional/physical feelings inside.
Right now you're probably feeling that excited
"Ah Ha!" feeling.
That's because you understand something at a
different level... you've used your mind to
understand something complex... and you feel good
about bettering yourself.
Well this is just the TIP of the iceberg.
As educational as this has been, this is only
the beginning.
If you're starting to realize how important it
is to get this area of your life handled, then I
recommend you make a commitment and take your
education to a WORLD CLASS level.
And what's the best way to do that?
Well, I've spent the last several years of my
life figuring out exactly what does and doesn't
work with women.
I figured this stuff out for MYSELF... and then
I took what I've learned and put it all together
to help others learn as well.
My Advanced Dating Techniques CD/DVD program
represents THOUSANDS of hours of research,
testing, getting to know guys who were successful
with women, and generally organizing every level
of this knowledge into an easy-to-understand
system that ANY guy can use to increase his
success with women and dating.
And I'll tell you something...
It works.
This program is the most advanced and effective
program of it's kind available anywhere at ANY
price.
And I have an offer that you're not likely to
find repeated anywhere else...
I'll send it to you at MY RISK.
You can try it out for a full 30 days, and if
you don't see MASSIVE results, just send it
back... and I'll give you your money back, no
hassles.
P.S. Stop acting like a GIRLY-MAN and learn how to get rid
of your "Inner Wussy" for good. Take a minute to check
THIS out and you'll see how to build a rock-solid confidence
level that is NATURALLY attractive to women:
Read more…
Everton Footballer Joseph Yobo beat every man out there to it. 2008 winner of Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria is no longer fancy free. She hooked and looks like marriage is calling., Yobo is a responsible man so you might want to take that seriously. She is so involved that her mom knows about it [...]
The beauty with Silverbird's Ben and Guy Murray Bruce
Everton Footballer Joseph Yobo beat every man out there to it. 2008 winner of Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria is no longer fancy free. She hooked and looks like marriage is calling., Yobo is a responsible man so you might want to take that seriously. She is so involved that her mom knows about it – The pictures shows they are so met to be together. You think otherwise?
Adaeze Igwe and Joseph Yobo.
The queen that would love to eat anything she sees but can’t,Plans to head to the New York Film Academy next month to study Communications and have we mentioned that her mum that is still a career lawyer is still a beauty to behold.? Adaeze carries her mom’s genes 100%.
Read more…
I don’t have a boyfriend and my being a mechanic has got nothing to do with it - Says 24-year-old lady mechanic
By Bode Adewumi, Lagos
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Given another personal situation, Miss Lillian Kekong Thomas might have been a beauty queen, strutting her stuff on the catwalk. Well, okay, height might have been an issue. At 5 feet 3, she might have been literally passed over by most model scouts. But if they were out looking for ladies to model for a body cream, they most certainly would give Thomas a serious consideration, because what she lacks in height, she makes up for in smooth, unblemished skin and a good set of teeth.
Miss Lillian Thomas in action
“My skin is just a blessing from God. I don’t have any special cream or anything. My great grand-father was an albino, I don’t know if that is part of it. And for the lack of scars, well, I owe that to God too. Even though growing up was tough, I’ve managed to be without any skin problem and have never been involved in any accident serious enough to leave a lasting scar’’, says this 24-year old indigene of Cross River State.
She is one of the 40 ladies who recently graduated from three-year training in automotive repair at the Lady Mechanic Initiative (LMI) workshop in Victoria Island on the bill of the MTN Foundation. She had finished O’levels and was unable to further her education due to poor finances when she came across a flyer asking for applications from ladies for a course in auto repair to be supported by the MTN Foundation. She signed up for the programme.
Asked why, of all vocations that a lady could have delved into, automotive repair was her choice, she smiles and says, “I chose this in order to be different. You can find so many ladies going into hairdressing salons and tailoring workshops. But you can’t see ladies going for a job like auto repair. So I decided to join it because I wanted to do something different from what people are doing out there.”
But ladies avoid being auto mechanics for loads of reasons, chief among which are that it is strenuous and, as some would insist, unladylike. Being smeared in darkened engine oil for the most part of the day, growing coarse palms from handling tough tools and reeking of petrol like a filling station are all grim prospects that most ladies would shudder to contemplate.
Thomas admits that it is a strenuous job, which sometimes proves severely tasking for a lady. But she adds that technology has advanced to a stage that some of the hard parts have been simplified. “You know, these days we have special tools that you can use to loose tough bolts and nuts and do whatever you want to do. As a lady mechanic, one will just have to invest more in those tools”, she says.
She also believes being a lady mechanic does not make her less attractive to the opposite sex. She argues that being a mechanic does not mean that one should be dirty. “A dirty person is a dirty person, whether she is a mechanic or she works in a bank. As a lady mechanic, when you are working on a car, you should have no issues with engine oil smearing you and all that, but the moment you are done with the day’s work, you clean up and freshen up. Nobody knows you have spent the entire day under a car”.
So does Thomas have a boyfriend? The answer is no. “I currently do not have any boyfriend and that has nothing to do with my being a lady mechanic”, she says emphatically. According to her, at the right time, the man of her dreams would come along.
Describing the three years of training she says, “When I started it was so hard but you know everything comes from the heart so I made up my mind to do it for the rest of my life and I promised myself that I was going to do it and I think I am enjoying it now because they say the end of a matter is greater than the beginning”.
When asked about embarrassing moments she has had in the course of her training and internships, she said “ it is when I go out there to work and the guys are like, what are you talking about. This girl, fix my car? Does this one know where the gear lever is? I feel embarrassed. But at the same time I feel challenged to prove them wrong and when I am able to, I am happy. For instance, there was a day Sandra (LMI founder) was taking some of us out. We boarded a danfo (commercial bus) and it broke down. The conductor tried to fix the problem without success and we offered to help. The man just shoved us aside. After he got frustrated, we offered to help again and one of us fixed the problem within minutes. The conductor refunded our money in appreciation”.
Thomas who has immediately secured employment with Toyota Nigeria, Eket, in Akwa Ibom State says she has no regret whatsoever opting to be a mechanic. She couldn’t have had any, considering the doors of opportunities that this decision has opened for her. She has met with important figures she never imagined she could meet since she joined LMI.
“Earlier this year, we were at Aso Rock where I shook hands with the first lady and took personal pictures. I am going to enlarge it and keep it in my living room!” she gushes. Apart from that, Thomas is among 10 other girls from LMI selected to travel to the United States of America for international exposure in a few weeks with the assistance of the American Embassy.
“It has simply been wonderful. I don’t think I would have had this opportunity, if I had chosen something else” says Thomas, who admits she would have been a barber if she hadn’t opted for auto repair. I thank all the people who have made me who I am today: Mrs. Sandra Aguebor-Ekperuoh and the MTN Foundation. MTNF tried for us and I can only say a big thank you to them because if I want to give them money it would never be enough. I also promise to help other people out there so that they can see how appreciative I am”.
So where does Thomas intend to be in the next few years? “In the next few years? I really don’t know, but I hope to be doing a lot of travelling to different places to help people where I can, because Sandra and MTNF have helped me too. I intend to impart this knowledge to other ladies or girls out there that are not privileged, but are interested in learning”.
When asked to advise younger ladies, she says “My advice to them is that they should go for whatever they feel is best for them. You know it is better for a woman to have something she is doing so that any man or guy they are dating will have value for them, you understand. So I will advise every woman to look for something to do to live a better life
Read more…
Posted by 9jabook.com on September 6, 2009 at 9:56pm
History will be made in the Nigerian telecommunication industry as Glo-1, the world’s first submarine optic fibre cable to be built by a single individual company, lands in Lagos.
The 9,800 km long cable which stretched from the United Kingdom across all the West African countries, will be anchored to its landing station at Alpha Beach, Lagos, this morning.Paddy and Otunba Mike Adenuga
The trend in the global telecommunication industry is for a consortium of companies or even nations to combine resources to build submarine cables as was the case with the SAT Submarine three Cable which was built by a consortium of 36 countries.
The Group Chief Operating Officer, Globacom Limited, Muhammed Jameel, said Glo-1 would deliver transmission capacity that would change Nigeria and West Africa’s economic landscape by linking 17 countries to the rest of the world.
Jameel said the landing of Glo-1 was another milestone in the history of Nigeria’s communications industry, adding that the cable would provide high speed internet services and make telecom services much faster, more reliable and cheaper for consumers.
Explaining the seeming delay in Glo-1’s arrival, the Globacom boss said that implementing submarine cable projects, particularly one spanning about 10,000 km from London to Lagos is an initiative that usually takes between two and a half years to complete.
He said further that because the cable passed through various territorial waters and jurisdictions of several African countries, Globacom had to contend with lengthy approval processes.
“We needed permissions at many levels from all those countries to pass the cable through their territorial waters. We needed approval from security agencies, approvals from oil companies and from various bodies,” he said.
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Posted by 9jabook.com on September 6, 2009 at 9:46pm
By Olusola Balogun
Sunday, September 6, 2009
• His many sins
• Bank CEOs turn to bible and anointing oil
Wanted Chief Executive Officer of Intercontinental Bank PLC, Erastus Akingbola, may have sneaked back into the country and gone underground to avoid arrest by operative of the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Erastus Akingbola
Informed sources told Sunday Sun that the embattled bank chief allegedly returned to the country last Tuesday through the land
borders of one of the nation’s neighbouring countries. He was however yet to surrender to the EFCC.
Akingbola, the only bank CEO who reportedly left the country in the wake of his sack as the helmsman of IBPlc is the only CEO still at large.
Mrs. Cecilia Ibru of Oceanic Bank who initially was also on the run like Akingbola has since surrendered herself to the EFCC after the commission declared her and Akingbola wanted.
A reliable source at one of the security agencies said, ‘‘we reliably learnt that Erastus Akingbola sneaked back into Nigeria on Tuesday through one of our porous land borders with a neighbouring country.
We have deployed more operatives to keep an eye on him, but what we discovered was that he has not been anywhere near all his known addresses. He has been very smart and he really went underground. His fears are that he would be arrested and detained like his colleagues who were further remanded for another two weeks on Friday.”
An EFCC source however expressed confidence that Akingbola’s arrest was only a matter of time. “We are on top of the issue and I can assure you he will be nabbed because our men are already drawing a ring round him and he will soon be in the net.”
The source also listed the ‘many sins’ of the runaway CEO to include giving $10,000 travel allowance to non-executive directors of his bank, contrary to the CBN code of corporate governance in Nigeria, which limits remuneration to only sitting allowance for that cadre of directors.
The EFCC was also said to have discovered “discrepancies between the value of shares in the bank’s customer file and the valuation records supplied to the CBN.”
Akingbola was also said to have listed loans advanced in 2007 against 2009 in a frantic bid to deceive the CBN.
Besides, a whopping N20bn, of the N27bn non- performing loan portfolio of the bank was said to have been advanced to the bank directors, while the bank was also said to have massively cooked its books to hoodwink the regulatory authorities.
The EFCC source also revealed that the “commission has also discovered that $5 million from the banks coffers was transferred abroad.”
Another sin counted against Akingbola was that directors of the bank were also alleged to have being involved in under-the-table deals with the funds of the bank. ‘‘We discovered that they had a habit of releasing funds supposedly to the bank’s subsidiaries only for the money to find its way into the bank accounts of the wives of the directors, and their concubines, and sometimes their own private accounts. These funds were deposited in fixed accounts for some time to yield interest before they return it. So we discovered that they were making profit with the funds of the bank while the bank was not making anything.”
The source who insisted that the commission would not be deterred by the barrage of attack directed at her over its determination to stop the shady deals in Nigeria’s financial sector, also disclosed that some of the detained bank chiefs have suddenly turned to God in detention.
“Many of those that are Muslims have their trusted aides bring their ‘sahur’ meals to them while those that are not observing the Ramadan are turning to prayer warriors. Cecilia Ibru seems the most serious as she is always seen clutching her bible and anointing oil. She has also been playing hosts to some pastors and prayer warriors who visit her to pray for her.”
One of such pastor is said to lead a flourishing church in Ogudu area of Lagos.
Meanwhile the travel ban imposed on the bank debtors has increased the pressure on the EFCC Chairman, Mrs Farida Waziri, who may have moved her operations and office to an undisclosed location to avoid the bank debtors.
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The last is yet to be heard about the predicaments of the sacked renowned provincial Pastor, Ituah Ighodalo of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Christ's Church Parish in Gbagada, Lagos. He was recently expelled by the General Overseer Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye on account of ‘‘adultery’’ perpetuated by him, which was said to be in contrary to the church doctrine and ultimately biblical provisions.
Such act expressly contravened what was contained in the Holy Bible Matthew 19:3-9: ‘‘The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said unto them, Hath ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh. Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh? What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. They say unto him, why did Moses then give writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.’’
This drastic decision which the leadership of the Redeemed said would help to sanitize the church and will also serve as deterrent to others has been described by many stakeholders in Christendom as harsh, cruel and victimizing on someone who had contributed positively to the growth of the church of God. They also decried the celebration, attention and prominence that the church has been giving to other people who do worst things than what Ighodalo did.
The unpleasant development has however thrown a lot of Christian believers into strong confusion on which doctrine to subscribe to, following different interpretations made by men of God over this contentious issue. Besides a notable Pentecostal pastors like Pastor Chris Okotie had re-married after many years in divorce, and heaven did not fall.
In another dramatic twist, founder of Latter Rain Assembly, Dr. Tunde Bakare has joined the critics who opposed to the recent sack of Pastor Ituah Ighodalo of the Christ Church Parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God for remarrying 10 years after divorcing the wife of his youth. Dr Bakare was once part of the Redeemed family but left after sharp disagreement between him and the church leadership.
Bakare while delivering sermon decried the controversial sacking of Pastor Ighodalo by Pastor Adeboye. Speaking essentially in parables, the pastor said the church’s action was not in consonance with the Holy Scriptures.
According to Bakare who was born a Muslim, this same church that sacked a pastor for remarrying would honour other individuals with more than one wife, offering them prime positions in the church. His words: “As a young Christian, a man married a total stranger and when it was time for him to come home, his wife refused to follow him.
“The man came down, gathered people to intercede for him for 10 years while gathering the flocks for his God and after 10 years, he decided to re-marry and all of a sudden, the church said they found it somewhere in the Bible that he cannot remarry, whereas those with three wives are given front seats in the church.”
Such was the level of the degeneration of the church generally to the extent that those who belong to occultic organisations, he argued, would be given very important personality (VIP) treatment in the church at the expense of imparting strict religious doctrines. Bakare averred that very many churches have actually embraced sorcery in order to perform fake miracles.
One will recall that the Lagos based clergyman, Bakare predicted in 1999 that the former President Olusegun Obasanjo would be killed but the predictions never came to pass, a pronouncement which led to his apprehension by men of the Nigerian SSS.
A source revealed that the embattled Pastor Ighodalo was said to have announced to his congregation that he was quitting the church even as he disclosed to the church the circumstances that led to his failure of his former marriage. He disclosed that his former mistress, Lucy-Ann Summer refused to join him in Nigeria and after much persuasion failed, she later left. Disclosing that the expectations from the marriage were not met by the woman, and that she met someone else that met those expectations.
Consequently, Ibidunni Ajayi, then a Youth Corps member came to his life. The courtship lasted over four years according to a source, even though he proposed to Ibidunni after 18 months of friendship. Ibidunni and Itua became married on 26 February 2007 and it was followed by the traditional wedding three days later in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Pastor Ituah Ighodalo despite his present travails had robust pedigree, an Accountant and writer; Editor-in-Chief of TIMELESS Newspaper owned Christ Church. He is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and of the Chartered Institute of Taxation. He is also a member of the Nigerian Institute of Management, and the Managing Partner of Ighodalo and Associates (a Firm of Chartered Accountants and Management Consultants.
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Posted by CHIZILLAR on September 6, 2009 at 2:12am
Writing paid post is perhaps the most straightforward way to earn some revenue from blogging. The way paid post works hasn’t changed much; after reaching mutual agreement with advertisers, you write about them, they pay you. And if there is a third party (middle man company) involved, they take cuts. Most ‘middle men company’ provide marketplace for advertisers to look for publishers, vice versa.Here are a list of web services that pays you to blog.1. PayPerPostPayPerPost is an incredible new self-service marketplace that allows you to get paid to blog about the products, services and websites you love. You can easily earn $500 per month or more with your current blog.2. Link PostUnlike some other services, they pay our Partners up to 70% for each LinkPost written. Access to thousands of advertisers hungry for reviews. A variety of payment options. Receive payouts monthly by check, PayPal, direct deposit, or Wire. Automated advertising management. An easy way to sell paid blog posts.3. Review MeGet paid $20 – $200 to review products and services on your site. You control what you review.4. ShvoongThe more abstracts you post at Shvoong, the more chances to attract readers. Create link to your abstract elsewhere(on blogs, forums, your personal homepage, or other sites). Spread the word by joining our “Invite a friend” and/or “Affiliates” programs, and earn bonuses equivalent to the invite members’ royalties, upto $100 for every new writer.5. SmortyGet paid for blogging. Write your opinion about peoples products, services and websites on your blog. Get paid weekly.6. 451 Press451 Press is always looking for bright, talented writers who want to have their voices heard. We are looking for writers with unique voices to contribute to our growing network of blogs. Our blogs cover a wide range of topics. If you have a passion for a subject then we just might have a place for you.7. Be A Guide (About.com)All About.com Guides are freelancers who work online and set their own schedules, giving them the flexibility to log on from anywhere in the world whenever they have the time. With no timesheets to fill out and no timecards to punch, working for About.com gives you the flexibility to write when you want, even if you have a full-time day job.8. BlogBurnerSo here’s how it works:o You create an account with us.o You create an account with Google Adsense.o You login and write content to your "blog" on our site.o You try to write as often as you can.o We publish your content to our site.o We serve ads on the pages that have your content.o Half the time you make money on the ads. Half the time we do.9. Blog FeastThey are a blog community that:1. Host your blog for free2. Provide you with readers and traffic3. Serve your Adsense ads 90% of the time4. Helps you to make money blogging5. Leading you step by step to earn $1,000 a month!10. BloggerwaveThey’ve got advertisers that would like you to write about their products or services. So you do. In your blog. And get paid!More are Available at www.easymanual.biz.(Nigeria No. 1 site for Legal internet money making).You will be happy you did..PHONE NO. 07033097160.pls have a wonderful day.
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Frank Okamigbo, a.k.a. Frank Papas, is a model and showbiz impressario. But before he wore those caps he had always loved the good life. So when his dream of studying in the United States was aborted thrice between 1997and 1998 by the American Embassy’s refusal to grant his visa application, he turned his gaze elsewhere.A decade after, however, that rejection has turned a blessing in disguise. Okamigbo has had a successful modelling career, having been signed on by top corporate concerns in Nigeria such as Nigerian Breweries, MTN, Citizens Bank and Nestle plc. But it is in the Nigerian entertainment world that his genius has come into play. Currently, he oversees Club Papas at K’s Place, a popular nite club located on Victoria Island, Lagos.Two years after Okamigbo took over the management of Club Papas, he has taken night life in Lagos a notch higher. This is because, not only has Club Papas become a celebrity hang-out, it is a boost to night life in Lagos.The roll call of artistes who have either performed live or launched their albums at Club Papas include Tuface Idibia, Konga, Ruggedman, 9ice, Black Solo, Lord of Ajasa, OJB Jezreel, Sound Sultan, Tony Tetuila, MP Durella, Kaha, Banky W and the Jamaica-born American ragga artiste, Shaggy. Other celebrities who throng Club Papas include actors, actresses, soccer stars and business executives.Aside those regular celebrity visits, Club Papas also features special nights. This, according to Okamigbo, is to add colour and fun to night life. Tuesday, for instance, is ladies nite; Friday, the regular Hip-Hop bash; and Saturday, the celebration of artistes’ birthdays and their album launch. In December last year, Club Papas organised the Ankara festival in Lagos. The first of its kind to be held in Nigeria, the carnival attracted many distinguished personalities including a representative of Ben TV, UK in London, Mr. Femi Amusan. As a result of the agreement reached between Amusan and Okamigbo, Ben T.V. UK and Club Papas will jointly organise another Ankara festival in London this summer. “We have brought some creativity into night life, and not just nite clubbing,” Okamigbo averted.”The idea is to be on top of the game. What makes us unique is that we put in a lot of artistic work into ordinary night life. We spice our activities with variety. So what you get this week is different from what you get next week. We work hand in hand with the artistes whose music a lot of people hear but don’t know their faces. So we try as much as possible to put the artiste’s face into the music they play,” Okamigbo told TheNEWS.Asked how his involvement with the entertainment world started, Okamigbo said: “I have always been an entertainment person, even before I went to the university.” After his visa application was thrice rejected, Okamigbo decided to work with the popular Mega Plaza in Lagos as a supervisor in charge of movies and videos. There, he was able to meet minds with distinguished personalities from different streams of endeavour; even though, according to Okamigbo, the decision to work with Mega Plaza was a hard one he had to take. “As a young man, it was a difficult decision not to follow my mates who went back to school immediately. But I had always wanted to be independent. I come from a family of five. I am the only son. So I decided to be on my own and also, to support the family,” he recalled.Still, Okamigbo’s five years at Mega Plaza not only provided the finance with which he took care of his immediate family, but also enabled him to start his university education. And it was as a student of Philosophy at the University of Lagos that Okamigbo kick-started his entertainment career, combining academics with work. Towards the end of his years in the university, Okamigbo started modelling, and he perfected the art so well that he won regular campus awards such as The Most Handsome, The Most Fashionable, and The Most Stylish. “I didn’t know I would use what God has given me to achieve success. Modelling started my foray into entertainment. It gave me the break and everybody recognised me whenever I was out there. They saw me on billboards, posters and TV. In fact that was the beginning of the whole thing,” Okamigbo said.In his third year at the university, Okamigbo adopted the sobriquet, Papas. Papas, the acronym for Prestigious Acclaimed Personalities And Associates, is an association he formed to showcase the talents of youths and educate them on anti-social vices such as drug abuse and cultism. Papas, according to Okamigbo, was made up of students who were unique in different ways. Resourceful and creative, the students were not just independent they fended for themselves. And they were the richest on campus and rode the best cars . “Though there were a lot of social organisations on campus, we just felt we should be different from others and we took over the social scene on campus,” he recalled. To pass their message across to the youths, Papas organised workshops, seminars and parties periodically. It was in one of such parties that Okamigbo got to be involved with K’s Place. “The then manager of K’s Place, Mr. Val Nwokobia, who was about relocating to the United States contacted me and said he would want me to manage the place,” Okamigbo told TheNEWS.That chance encounter spelt the beginning of Okamigbo’s professional career as a showbiz impressario. And the series of events which followed led to his taking over K’s Place. Though the building housing K’s Place was originally owned by Mr. Kamal Bustani, a Lebanese, the nite club has passed through different managements. But before Okamigbo took over completely, it was known as Extreme Nite Club and managed by his former boss, Hakeem Sodeinde, a.k.a the General. It was when Sodeinde moved out of K’s Place to form The Reloaded Nite Club in Ikoyi, that it became Club Papas at K’s Place. “When Sodeinde left, I was the second in command. But I had a different idea. I decided to take over the management and that gave way to what we now have.
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Lately I have been thinking about the power of girlfriends. Every now and again I meet a woman who says I don’t really get on with other women. Now I can’t speak for all of such women but those I have met in my experience may have been hurt before and are so guarded and suspicious with other women as a result.
One particular lady talked about how women don’t seem to like her. She put it all down to jealousy. However while she was with me, she kept making these snide and seemingly innocuous but very degrading comments and I could immediately see that the issue was not so much that people didn’t like her, it was more so that she really didn’t like herself. When she related to men, she simply resorted to sex kitten style and the interaction was always somewhat flirtatious even when she planned on keeping the relationship platonic.
This particular woman right now floats through life on the arm of her man du jour and I think she is missing out on the most important aspect of it.
When you hear the word relationship, you always think man and woman. However I am talking about friendships.
By nature, I am a loner. Actually, I don’t think I was born that way, I think I became that way as a defense mechanism. I learnt early on that people in general and girls specifically can and will hurt you. I used to take it so personally. Every little thing and I would be offended. I went to a girl’s boarding school, a hotbed for drama. There was always one confrontation or the other. I remember one school year; I think it was my third, where it seemed like every weekend someone was confronting me about something or the other. “I heard you said this, I heard you did that”. Now I clearly had to take ownership for some of the issues, I did the typical things I gossiped, I made judgments, sometimes went out of my way to make fun of the weaker girls, sometimes just to fit in with the wrong crowd. Also I had my fair share of wrong done to me, baseless rumors started, being accused of things I didn’t do, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera!
Life goes on and as it does. We learn. Thank God for growth.
When I first got out of boarding school, I was extremely guarded. I didn’t gravitate to men, because I didn’t desire a relationship as of then. So I kept to myself. I never let people in and I didn’t really give of myself.
I remember my first Nigerian roommate in college. She is like my sister now. We fought so much then, even though we were alone in a foreign space. I mean we had our shares of up and downs and I don’t even remember much of what and how we argued about things but I do remember that she was an “I love you” sort of person and a hugger. Neither of which I was. I could never respond. I was cold. Still am, to a certain degree (But God has changed me so much and I’m still changing) I was so determined not to be hurt that I nearly missed out on a great relationship…almost twenty years later and we still are close.
There was a time when I had been going through some stuff and at first I couldn’t share my problems with anyone. I was so burdened that it impacted my work, my physical self, I couldn’t even lift up my head. I was praying, I was fasting but I was still down. One day, I felt in my spirit that I should share my problems with a woman who I knew but at that point our relationship was still somewhat superficial. I was afraid. What if she takes my problems and uses them for gossip? What if she hurts me? The word in me was insistent. Share the load.
You know they say your husband should be your best friend, sure, perhaps, but the truth is men are wired differently so as you are there venting, the response you get may not be quite what you need. They want to fix and you just want to be heard, at that moment I knew I needed a sister!
I called this woman and shared with her. She was such a blessing to me and since then I feel lighter. She
helped me lay my burdens down.
In my country, it is not uncommon to see women carrying loads on their heads. Every now and then you will see a woman who wants to take her load down from her head onto the ground. Sometimes the load is light enough that she can maneuver it herself, sometimes it is so heavy that she struggles, then you will see another woman help her carry it off her head on to the ground. That is what the woman did for me. She helped me lay it at Jesus feet.
Another time, I was so stressed, (in this life, stresses will come) I couldn’t speak. Again another woman who I knew casually…like I said, I didn’t really let people in….she asked me what was wrong. I couldn’t speak but tears started to flow, and God bless my friend, she didn’t probe further, she just started to pray. I couldn’t pray for myself but she did it for me and I could feel her love and I was and am grateful for it.
One of my favorite scenes is from the movie Beloved. The main character Sethe was being oppressed by the spirit of her daughter who she had killed (you have to read the book, to really get the gist) anyway, she was oppressed to the point that she couldn’t fight for herself. Now the women in the town had heard what was happening and they decided that enough was enough and that they were going to fight for their fellow woman. So they gathered at her home and began to sing songs and stand in solidarity. Now a few things happened but the point is that it was the collective power of the women gathered that forced Beloved, the oppressive spirit to leave Sethe.
I wept at this scene, because it symbolizes a truth I know deep within. There is power when women gather. We are the soul of the home, the pillars of the community. If you see a community with strong morals then know it is the women who propagate it. We are more powerful than we understand and our strength is magnified when we love each other. When we recognize that we are all flawed yet we are all beautiful.
A friend of mine and I were discussing how women have been trained to compete against each other, we are constantly comparing and setting ourselves up against the other. Wives compare whose relationship is better with their husband, instead of being a source of strength to each other, recognizing that trying times come to every marriage. Nigerian and Lifetime movies are fraught with the images of women trying to steal a man from another woman, at whatever cost…I could go on and on. Suffice to say, there is power in love. There is power in girlfriends. We are meant to have relationships.
Today, take the time to nurture a friendship and if you already have good friends, say thank you and give a shout out like me…”Where my girls at?! Holla!!!”
Ekene Onu is a writer living in Atlanta or Abuja depending on when you get her. She is the author of the Nigerian chicklit book called The Mrs Club and she is currently working on an inspirational book due out very soon. She also blogs about life, love and faith at www.lifelovefaith.com.
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Couples are being encouraged to pray together before sex in a new book published by prominent church group Catholic Truth Society.
A special prayer to help couples "purify their intentions" is one of a number set out in the Prayer Book for Spouses.
The Prayer Before Making Love implores God "to place within us love that truly gives, tenderness that truly unites, self-offering that tells the truth and does not deceive, forgiveness that truly receives, loving physical union that welcomes".
It adds: "Open our hearts to you, to each other and to the goodness of your will".
The 64-page book, sold for £1.95, has been published by the London-based Catholic Truth Society, which has links to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales.
The Rt Rev Paul Hendricks, who is the Auxiliary Bishop of Southwark, told the Daily Mail: “'It is important for the Church to affirm the value of marriage and family life and I suppose this is a particular way of doing that.
“Perhaps it is something that has not been tried, certainly for a while – I can't remember seeing something like that before.”
The book contains prayers for every stage of marriage and family life, including engagement, planning for parenthood, pregnancy and caring for children and elderly parents.
The book expresses criticism of “those who, in our times, consider it too difficult, or indeed impossible, to be bound to one person for the whole of life, and those caught up in a culture that rejects the indissolubility of marriage and openly mocks the commitment of spouses to fidelity”.
The prayer
Father, send your Holy Spirit into our hearts. Place within us love that truly gives, tenderness that
truly unites, self-offering that tells the truth and does not deceive, forgiveness that truly receives, loving
physical union that welcomes. Open our hearts to you, to each other and to the goodness of your will.
Cover our poverty in the richness of your mercy and forgiveness. Clothe us in our true dignity and take to
yourself our shared aspirations, for your glory, for ever and ever. Mary, our Mother, intercede for us. Amen.
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Posted by 9jabook.com on September 5, 2009 at 1:36am
Ganiyu Oyesola Fawehinmi, 71, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former presidential aspirant, is dead. The prominent social activist was reported dead in the early hours of this morning, after a two-year battle with cancer.
Born on April 22, 1938, Gani dedicated his life to the defence of human rights and criticism of government insensitivity.
Mr Fawehinmi was the founder and presidential aspirant of the National Conscience Party in 2003.
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Posted by 9jabook.com on September 3, 2009 at 11:38pm
About a dozen wealthy Nigerians are on a list the usually secretive Switzerland government has handed over to American authorities in a tax dispute settlement that has broken the countrys banking secrecy and now threatens to spill over to other banks.
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The deal promised to end years of investigation and uncertainty for the bank, UBS, which announced that the government was exiting the stake it had taken to aid the bank during the financial crisis.
The Swiss have also agreed to process requests by the United States seeking information from banks besides UBS about account holders suspected of evading U.S. taxes.
Sources said the Nigerian clients of UBS are already initiating legal moves to keep their identity secret.
“This announcement should send a signal, no matter what institution you’re with, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is willing to pursue both the institution and the individual,” I.R.S Commissioner Doug Shulman said, adding that the accounts were at one time worth $18 billion.
He said U.S. authorities would not name any other foreign banks being probed, but the IRS is expected to use the Swiss deal as a template to pursue further prosecutions.
“The IRS is now gaining institutional skill and knowledge in how to pursue these types of cases and they’re going to use that. This is, I believe, the beginning and not the end,” said Peter Hardy, a former federal prosecutor and specialist in white-collar crime at Post & Schell in Philadelphia. The UBS dispute had strained relations between the United States and Switzerland and challenged the latter’s jealously guarded bank secrecy laws.
The deal may add steam to a global effort among cash-strapped governments to crack down on tax-evading jurisdictions.
But the settlement could help UBS, the world’s second-largest wealth manager, restore an image that has been battered by the financial crisis.
UBS said the Swiss government was exiting its 6 billion Swiss franc ($5.6 billion) stake, with the shares to be placed with institutional investors.
UBS Chairman Kaspar Villiger said the tax agreement helps resolve one of UBS’ most pressing issues. “I am confident that the agreement will allow the bank to continue moving forward to rebuild its reputation through solid performance and client service.” he said.
In February, UBS agreed to pay $780 million and disclose about 250 client names to settle a criminal probe by U.S. authorities.
One former UBS banker testified that he smuggled a client’s diamonds into the United States in a tube of toothpaste. The deal effectively ends a separate civil lawsuit by U.S. authorities that sought up to 52,000 account names. There was no further monetary penalty. “It’s good to get this out of the way but the confidence of a lot of clients has been compromised so I’m not sure we will see inflows return.
It will take time to recover reputation from this,” said Jaap Meijer, an analyst at Evolution Securities in London. Switzerland may claim its banking secrecy remains intact, but some private bankers said it is no longer a selling point for its banks, which will need to offer other skills like wealth management and legacy planning to attract clients. “The majority of assets in Swiss private banks are from European Union citizens,” said David Williams, an analyst at Fox-Pitt Kelton in London.
“I think it won’t be long before we see action from the European Union along similar lines,” he said. The revised treaty between the United States and Switzerland would allow action in the case of “tax fraud and the like” in the UBS case, the Swiss government said. Officials said precise details would be published 90 days after the agreement comes into force.
The U.S. government retains the right to go back and use a summons to collect the names, which roughly equal the number of accounts, if the settlement process fails, said Shulman.
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After a long wait, CAPital Hill Music's premiere artist, Kel has finally released her debuted album. Stepping into the once spacey female rap arena, the young femcee has a lot to prove, both due to the public's anticipation and the natural scepticism that greets lady rappers.The Investment is a solid debut with competent rhymes and decent beats but at 15 songs long (an Intro, Outro and two skits make 19 tracks in total), the album features a lot of unnecessary filler. Also, with 22 guest artists (album producer, Tha Suspect and Illbliss appear twice each), it could be mistaken for a compilation CD. However, on the songs where Kel shines, which, thankfully, are quite a few, she shows a lot of promise, with the potential to get better as her career advances. A regular complaint about rap music is you can't hear what is being said but Kel's sharp, decipherable lyrics takes care of that issue. This lets you pick out her intelligent wordplay but sadly, also exposes forced bars on certain tracks.With similar sounding rhyme structure throughout the set, there's a mono-flow but it works. She's found her niche and is craftily carving away at it. The back and forth rhymes with Six on "Need you in my Life" make for an interesting cat-and-mouse love story but Darey steals the show with the simple but impressive hook. "Boy meets Girl" exhibits her vulnerability and SLK's vocals are a fitting complement to Kel's ‘emo rap.' The playful artist has quite a number of love songs which suggests a sensitive girl underneath all the posturing.The Illbliss, Tha Suspect and Uchie assisted "Dem Don Dey Move" should be lighting up dance floors everywhere in due time while "Nobody Else" featuring Shank and Tha Suspect, as well as the Durella collabo, "Omo Yapayaski" should follow suit. Then there's the feel good, positive attitude up tempo treat, "Turn by Turn" featuring Wizkid and YQ. It is the type of song that crosses the age divide and appeals across generations.The lead singles "Waa Wa Alright" and "Too Fine" are the stand outs but the sleeper hit has to be the album ending "Sitting on Top" featuring the ever rising Jesse Jagz and Waje. The trio do justice to Jagz's breezy melody, with his and Kel's verses hitting hard and Waje's singing taking it up another notch.All in all, barring a few missteps, this album is time and money well invested and at 23, there is enough room to grow.
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Posted by Politics X on September 3, 2009 at 11:18pm
SOMETHING DO YOU !Oil executive, Jimoh Ibrahim, who is the chief executive of Global Fleet Industries Ltd, found himself dealing with a new set of issues on Thursday in Abuja, when federal authorities informed him to shelve his planned business trip abroad because his name has been listed on a new travel advisory that security agents issued on Wednesday.Top security officers said in Abuja that the advisory was initiated as “a measure to prevent some of the very bad debtors from escaping,” adding that “some of the debtors are really owing so much that they can afford to run away and abandon whatever they have in the country.”Mr. Ibrahim and 200 other individuals, including top businessman, Azeez Arisekola Alao, were barred from travelling until they clear their names in the N746 billion debt owed the five ailing banks that the Central Bank of Nigeria said accounted for more than 90 percent of the funds drawn from the CBN’s emergency expanded discount window, and had exposure to more than 50 percent of the credit to both the capital markets and oil marketing sectors.Mr. Ibrahim whose family left for the United Kingdom on Wednesday without him, gave a different twist to the travel ban in a phone interview last night, saying it’s not a ban targeted at him but a general advisory that offered a window of ease for those who seek clearance from their banks. “It’s not just me. The CBN asked all the people whose names were published by the CBN not to travel.” He said adding that “The instruction is that if you want to travel, you have to obtain clearance from your bank.”Mr. Ibrahim refused to say if he was at the airport Thursday, but he claimed that his pilot merely took his aircraft for servicing and that the aircraft is due back this weekend. “My pilot has taken the aircraft for servicing. He left Lagos for London today (Thursday) and will be back by this weekend. The aircraft is in Luton airport,” Mr. Ibrahim stated.He said: “Nobody stopped me from travelling. In fact, I will be in England next week and nobody will stop me.”Who issued the directive?But in Abuja, federal agencies and law enforcement units at the core of the investigations traded excuses on Thursday, unwilling to accept responsibility as to who initiated the travel ban.Mohammed Abdullahi, spokesman for the Central bank of Nigeria said “the notice is not from the CBN. The issue is with the EFCC. Maybe you should confirm from the EFCC,” but Femi Babafemi, spokesman for the EFCC, said that “there is no official statement from the EFCC.” sources also gathered that the State Security Service [SSS] denied issuing the advisory, pointing fingers at the EFCC and the CBN as the agencies to clear the air.Airport authorities also claimed ignorance about the advisory. “We are not aware of any such advisory,” said Sam Adurogboye, spokesman for the National Civil Aviation Authority.Following the recent regulatory action of the Central Bank of Nigeria on the five banks, the CBN requested defaulting customers of the affected banks “to pay without further delay their indebtedness, failing which the banks will take all appropriate legal actions to ensure repayment.”To save the banks from going under, the CBN fired all their chief executives and injected an initial N420 billion life line to keep them alive.Re Adapted from Next online
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Posted by Jane Okinedo on September 3, 2009 at 7:39am
CHELSEA have been banned from signing any players for the next TWO transfer windows.FIFA have found the Blues guilty of inducing French teenager Gael Kakuta to breach his contract with Lens in 2007.CHELSEA have vowed to mount the "strongest appeal possible" against their ban from signing players during the next two transfer windows.The Blues have been slapped with the sanctions by FIFA after French club Lens complained that teenage striker Gael Kakuta had been induced to break his contract and move to Stamford Bridge in 2007.But not suprisingly, the Londoners have announced they will fight the decision.A statement from the club read: "Chelsea will mount the strongest appeal possible following the decision of FIFA's Dispute Resolution Chamber over Gael Kakuta."The sanctions are without precedent to this level and totally disproportionate to the alleged offence and the financial penalty imposed."We cannot comment further until we receive the full written rationale for this extraordinarily arbitrary decision."
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Posted by Danladi Usman on September 3, 2009 at 3:25am
Over the past few months, the Minister of Information and Communications, Professor Dora Akunyili has been in the dock of public opinion but unfortunately for the wrong reasons. The issue revolves around who did what, how and when in the award of a recent contract to upgrade NTA facilities ahead of the under 17 World Cup. The reasons advanced for the one-sided debate have certainly failed to connect, leaving the larger public with an impression of a conspiracy to give a dog a bad name just to hang it.
The real reasons behind the insinuations that Akunyili might have influenced the outcome of the contract can only come from a negative mindset, wrong perception, unfounded suspicion and limited knowledge of NTA contract administration procedure. Before 1999, Ministers could easily influence a procurement process in a parastatal or agency. After 1999, it has become increasingly difficult. The game has since changed. As former NTA DG, I know that Contract processes are handled by the agencies themselves through the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).
This explains why NTA went through the rigorous process of selective tendering and recommended three contractors to BPP. THOMPSON GRASS VALLEY of FRANCE was awarded the upgrading and refurbishing of 6 Outside Broadcast Van from Standard Definition (SD) to High Definition (HD) and the refurbishing of International Broadcasting Centre from SD to HD. WTS/SONY NIGERIA was awarded the contract to renovate the 6 Digital Satellite News Gathering Van while VISAT USA is to upgrade and refurbish 9 Meter Satellite Hub at the National Stadium.
Interestingly, BPP reviewed the submission and called for fresh tenders from companies. Thereafter, BPP selected WTS SONNY to handle the whole contract! It was after this stage that the Minister as a statutory responsibility took the recommendations of the NTA with the certificate of no objection issued by the BPP to the Federal Executive Council for consideration and approval.
Beyond this, I have also followed arguments in some sections of the media over attempts to make some kind of narrow comparisons between the procurement of those facilities for NTA and a claim of similar procurements in South Africa. Even if the procurements were made by South Africa, some basic questions would definitely arise. For instance, what kind of outside broadcast vans were procured by Nigeria and South Africa? Were they the same in quantity, quality, size, accessories, and operational mobility? What about maintenance arrangements, training, and other vital conditions? How does the issue of exchange rate and environmental regulations play-out in the comparisons? What of other purchases included in the Nigeria package such as cameras, microphones etc? And the terms of payment?
These and more, I suspect, are the kinds of questions that arise when people make comparisons that are clearly superfluous, inconsistent and incongruous. There is nothing to also suggest that the Bureau of Public Procurement failed to use the same parameter it had adopted in the past to subject the cost to conform with the most responsive competitive cost within the frame work of due process pricing regime.
I do not see the connection between the on-going sponsored attacks on Prof Akunyili’s role which in any case; she had no option under the public procurement policy guidelines of the Federal Government. I sympathize with Prof Akunyili for being a victim of the unfortunate growing culture of “pull-him-down” even when the issues are clearly laid on the table. Having worked conscientiously for Nigeria and in the process built a solid reputation, what should make Prof Akunyili rub on her reputation at this stage? I do not see any such motivation?
What must have been at the back of all the media-war against the minister, might not be unconnected with the unhealthy rivalry and the on-going struggle over who secures the hosting rights of the under 17 World Cup. The support of the Umaru Yar’adua administration through the Minister’s effort in favour of NTA is not only open but solid to the envy of all rivals of the national television.
Ben Bruce is the president of the Silver Bird Group and former Director General of NTA.
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Posted by OBAJE AFREECA on September 3, 2009 at 3:19am
"It is only when we realize that life is taking us nowhere that it begins to have meaning."-- P.D. Ouspensky"All major mystical traditions have recognized that there is a paradox at the heart of the journey of return to Origin. ...Put simply, this is that we are already what we seek, and that what we are looking for on the Path with such an intensity of striving and passion and discipline is already within and around us at all moments. The journey and all its different ordeals are all emanations of the One Spirit that is manifesting everything in all dimensions; every rung of the ladder we climb toward final awareness is made of the divine stuff of awareness itself; Divine Consciousness is at once creating and manifesting all things and acting in and as all things in various states of self-disguise throughout all the different levels and dimensions of the universe."-- Andrew Harvey"Look at you, you madman, Screaming you are thirsty And are dying in a desert When all around you there is nothing but water!"-- Kabir"After changes upon changes, we are more or less the same."--Paul Simon
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Posted by Danladi Usman on September 2, 2009 at 11:03pm
A highly influential Shi'a religious leader, with whom Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad regularly consults, apparently told followers last month that coercion by means of rape, torture and drugs is acceptable against all opponents of the Islamic regime.
Warning: The imam's question-and-answer session, partially reproduced here, contains disturbing descriptions of the sanctioned brutality.
In the wake of a series of publications worldwide regarding the rape and torture of dissident prisoners in Iran's jails, supporters of Ahmadinejad gathered with him in Jamkaran, a popular pilgrimage site for Shi'ite Muslims on the outskirts of Qom, on August 11, 2009. According to Iranian pro-democracy sources, the gathered crowd heard from Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi and Ahmadinejad himself regarding the issue.
According to the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC), an independent Israeli intelligence analysis organization, Mesbah-Yazdi is considered Ahmadinejad's personal spiritual guide. A radical totalitarian even in Iranian terms, he holds messianic views, supports increasing Islamization, calls for violent suppression of domestic political opponents, and, according to the ITIC, "declared that obeying a president supported by the Supreme Leader was tantamount to obeying God."
At the Jamkaran gathering, Mesbah-Yazdi and Ahmadinejad answered questions about the rape and torture charges. The following text is from a transcript alleged by Iranian dissidents to be a series of questions and answers exchanged between the ayatollah and some of his supporters.
Asked if a confession obtained "by applying psychological, emotional and physical pressure" was "valid and considered credible according to Islam," Mesbah-Yazdi replied: "Getting a confession from any person who is against the Velayat-e Faqih ("Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists", or the regime of Iran's mullahs) is permissible under any condition." The ayatollah gave the identical answer when asked about confessions obtained through drugging the prisoner with opiates or addictive substances.
"Can an interrogator rape the prisoner in order to obtain a confession?" was the follow-up question posed to the Islamic cleric.
Mesbah-Yazdi answered: "The necessary precaution is for the interrogator to perform a ritual washing first and say prayers while raping the prisoner. If the prisoner is female, it is permissible to rape through the vagina or anus. It is better not to have a witness present. If it is a male prisoner, then it's acceptable for someone else to watch while the rape is committed."
This reply, and reports of the rape of teen male prisoners in Iranian jails, may have prompted the following question: "Is the rape of men and young boys considered sodomy?"
Ayatollah Mesbah-Yazdi: "No, because it is not consensual. Of course, if the prisoner is aroused and enjoys the rape, then caution must be taken not to repeat the rape."
A related issue, in the eyes of the questioners, was the rape of virgin female prisoners. In this instance, Mesbah-Yazdi went beyond the permissibility issue and described the Allah-sanctioned rewards accorded the rapist-in-the-name-of-Islam:
"If the judgment for the [female] prisoner is execution, then rape before execution brings the interrogator a spiritual reward equivalent to making the mandated Haj pilgrimage [to Mecca], but if there is no execution decreed, then the reward would be equivalent to making a pilgrimage to [the Shi'ite holy city of] Karbala."
One aspect of these permitted rapes troubled certain questioners: "What if the female prisoner gets pregnant? Is the child considered illegitimate?"
Mesbah-Yazdi answered: "The child borne to any weakling [a denigrating term for women - ed.] who is against the Supreme Leader is considered illegitimate, be it a result of rape by her interrogator or through intercourse with her husband, according to the written word in the Koran. However, if the child is raised by the jailer, then the child is considered a legitimate Shi'a Muslim."
By Nissan Ratzlav-Katz
www.IsraelNN.com
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