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If the name Lonzo Nzekwe does not strike you in anyway, the movie, Anchor Baby, one of the best ever to have hit the Nollywood scene, would definitely ring a bell. This may be due to its popularity in the media or its engaging and biting climax, in case you have been lured to the cinema by the movie.
But for a man, who says, “I am just a self-taught producer and director,” what many critics in Nollywood hate to hear, Lonzo is credible and also deserves respect as far as any moviemaker in Nigeria should get.
..
“I just studied film editing and bought a lot of DVDs through which I taught myself.
“I have always wanted to write a movie that people can relate with and I can see that is happening right now because the movie is out here and a lot of people love it.”
Anchor Baby has its setting in the United States but it was actually shot in Canada, the reason for this is not far-fetched.
According to Nzekwe, it has to do entirely with him, as he shed more light on the process of producing the movie.
“I actually live in Canada and so it was the natural location and I must tell you that it was actually harder to get Omoni (Oboli) to come over there to shoot than some others. I didn’t know her before, neither had we really met but I just got in contact with a couple of people that had been in the industry and I was referred to most of the crew and the cast also. We used a casting director for the movie so it was really taken care of on that level,” Nzekwe said.
It is always easy to get a chance to savour the success of any project but the challenges conquered are always there somewhere. Lonzo sheds some light on this area also.
“When it comes to challenges, like I said a while ago, it was the challenge of really getting people to believe in me that I could direct a movie because it was just my first time to be involved in any movie. I had not been involved in movie production before now and so when I was telling people that I wanted to cast people for a movie that I am going to direct, nobody believed me but for people like Omoni, it was an issue of some faith,” he said.
One issue that has bothered the mind of some people in the Nigerian movie industry for sometime now is what makes a movie qualified to be called a Nollywood production and with only Omoni Oboli carrying the Nigerian flag in Anchor Baby, the movie was always going to swim in the speculation but the issue of the Nigerian input is one that Nzekwe puts to bed pretty well with his reply.
“The Nigerian input, as far as I am concerned, is not minimal; that is as a result of the fact that I am a Nigerian and I am the writer, the producer and director of the movie. Aside that, the lead actress in the project is a Nigerian and I think that is the majority right there if we are talking about the input. But you should know that is exactly what the story calls for; I would not put a Nigerian if he or she does not fit in a role. I am a moviemaker and I don’t just make movies for the sake of it. I make movies and the script would determine who plays what role because if the script requires me to have 100 Nigerians in it, I would have them but if the script also requires me to have none, then I would not have any Nigerian in the project,” he said.
While the end of the movie seems to punch the greener pasture aspiration of many in Nigeria, Nzekwe says he was inspired into writing the story because of the huge space the word, Anchor baby, occupies in the American lexicon and not directed at Nigerians per se.
“One thing that really inspired me into writing this story is the fact that Anchor Baby, as a term, is a really strong issue in the United States and I wanted to write a story to put a face to who these people are and what they go through. So, that was rally the inspiration – to write a story that many people would relate with regardless of where you come from; either Nigeria or Mexico or wherever. Actually, my point of writing the story is not really to dissuade or discourage anybody from traveling but I just wanted to make a movie, but of course, there are lots of messages in the movie. One of the most powerful of these is why is she (Joyce Nnaga) trying to have a baby in another country, what is wrong with her country? People have to ask that question as to how we are treating our people and such but I am not saying people should not try to give their children a better life or anything like that. People have to take care of our own people in our country and our people don’t have to go and struggle elsewhere if the country is good enough,” he said.
Nzekwe, an indigene of Abia State who had both his primary and secondary school education in Nigeria before relocating first to the U.K., then to America before finally settling down in Canada, said he started writing the story encapsulated in the movie in January 2010, and finished it sometime in April after which he started shooting straightaway.
“I am very excited with the encouragement the movie is receiving and Nigerians are really warming up to the movie very much as we can see from the screening in Port Harcourt and Lagos. It was screened twice in Port Harcourt due to popular demand and I am really looking forward to taking things to the next level from there. I already have another project I would be working on next and I intend to even make it bigger and better than Anchor Baby,” he said.
Although it was not a case of intense auditioning, Nzekwe insists it was not a case of just coming to stroll into the movie for sensational actress, Omoni Oboli, even as he admits the fact that the beautiful actress is one of the very best Nollywood has to offer.
“I had not met Omoni or really seen her works before but somebody referred her to me and I picked up a couple of the movies she has done and I got to know her a lot better over the phone and I was convinced she could transform the script into the way I wanted well. I never made the script with her in mind because I didn’t even know who she was prior to that time,” he said.
There have been cases of people coming to Nigeria and totally lacking ideas as to who is who and the general knowledge about the Nigerian movie industry.
Lonzo Nzekwe, who says the budget of Anchor Baby would seem huge to Nollywood while it is a low budget project by Hollywood standards, is in touch with home despite being far away as he plans to roll out another project soon.
“My knowledge of Nollywood is broad; I watch movies just like everybody else. I watch a lot of movies and I study and analyze other actors and actresses well but Omoni Oboli stoods out of the lot, it was not like I didn’t look at the other,” he said.
To him, like every other industry, Hollywood included, there are bad movies or projects and that is not enough reason to castigate or write off the Nigerian movie industry, which he described as “alright and on its way to getting even bigger and better in years to come,” concluded.
By Adedayo Odulaja
Finally after about 4 years plus of dating, the first son of billionaire business man (CHIEF HARRY AKANDE)-Olumide Akande and notable thespian and dreadlock wearing Dakore Egbuson have decided to cement their relationship, and the D-day is January 16,2011,and the way its been planned, without an invitation card, it would be impossible to get in, most of the plans are been kept to heart. Olumide who is described as a romantic had sometime back proposed to his beau at a restaurant in the States,he had told Dakore about a party they had been invited to, but that before going to the said party, that they should have dinner, everything was like one of those scripts in a movie that Dakore is used to, after their main meal, Olumide called for the dessert, which was broght in on a ..trolley and when it was opened VOILA!!!!!!!!! inside was a little red box and Olumide on one knee, in the presence of other diners asked for Dakore's hand, and after that their was another suprise, the party they had been invited to was a suprise celebration party for the couple. Olumide's dad-Chief Harry Akande is the the billionaire business man, politician who is a top chieftain of the ANPP,he was at a point a presidential aspirant under the ANPP. Dakore the bride to be, is one of the best in Nollywood and has acted in a lot of fantastic home videos-Shattered Illusion,Annabel,Games men play,Dangerous sisters,More than gold,Ultimate risk and several others.
Some 500 dead and dying birds fell onto a Louisiana highway on Monday, just three days after a similar incident in Arkansas.
The events have led to speculation running from poisonings to "End of Days" scenarios, but a key federal agency emphasized that mass bird die-offs are not that rare.
Most of the birds found on Louisiana Highway 1 near Point Coupee were red-winged blackbirds, as was the case in Beebe, Ark., some 360 miles away. The species is one of the most common in the United States, with a population estimated at up to 200 million.
Some of the Louisiana birds will be tested by the National Wildlife Health Center run by the U.S. Geological Survey. But a USGS spokesman told The Baton Rouge Advocate that USGS records showed 16 incidents in the last 30 years where more than 1,000 blackbirds have died all at once.
"These large events do take place," he said. "It's not terribly unusual.".
The National Audubon Society agreed that mass bird die-offs are not rare. "Initial findings indicate that these are isolated incidents," Greg Butcher, Audubon's director of bird conservation, said in a statement.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries also weighed in, saying that necropsies on some birds indicated many "exhibited traumatic injuries." The birds might have flown into nearby power lines, it added.
In Arkansas, preliminary tests showed the blackbirds there, as many as 5,000, died after massive trauma. Experts said the birds were likely spooked by fireworks, lightning or some other loud event and then ran into each other and other objects as they fled at night while roosting.
"The birds suffered from acute physical trauma leading to internal hemorrhage and death," the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission said in a statement Monday. "There was no sign of chronic or infectious disease."
The birds were otherwise healthy, according to the statement.
The injuries were primarily in the breast tissue, with blood clotting and bleeding in the body cavities.
President Goodluck Jonathan has approved N4,705,368,635 as Christmas bonus to federal workers, THE PUNCH has learnt.
But the bonanza, which was usually paid to workers in a few ministries
and agencies in December along with their salaries until 2009 when all
MDAs were included, could not be paid before the end of 2010.
The President’s approval was given on December 22, 2010, via a letter
with reference no: Pres/87/MF/182 from the Senior Special Assistant to
the President on Administration, Mr. Matt Aikhiombare, and addressed to
the finance minister.
His approval followed a memo by the Minister of Finance, Mr. Olusegun
Aganga, also dated December 22, 2010 to the President, reminding him of
the annual payment of Special Overtime and End of Year bonus to all
staff of the ministry, Office of the Accountant-General of the
Federation and others.The payment, he added, was meant to curb
fraudulent practices in the management of government finances.
Aganga had noted that the payment started with the Nigerian Customs
Service and the Federal Inland Revenue Service in 1994, as a special
incentive to boost revenue collection and reduce loss of revenue due to
fraud and other sharp practices.
He explained, “At the time, targets were set and staff of the two
agencies were to get four per cent of monies realised beyond the set
targets.
“The incentive was expanded to include staff of the ministry, Budget
Office of the Federation and the Office of the Accountant-General,
being supervisors of these revenue-generating agencies. This tradition
has been in practice ever since.”
He added that in 2005, government approved that four per cent and seven
per cent of the revenue generated by FIRS and NCS respectively should
be retained by the two agencies.
However, the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget Office and the OAGF
were left out, in spite of their significant contributions to revenue
generation and expenditure management.
Aganga said, “Following this development, the ministry annually applies
for presidential approval for the payment of the special incentives to
its staff.
“However, in 2009, the concept was modified and extended to include
some ministries and agencies. To this end, MDAs have made formal
requests for the payment of the incentives.
“The total amount as compiled is as detailed hereunder: FMF, OAGF &
BOF N1, 111, 398, 136 (74 per cent of request); Office of the SGF
N207, 544, 256 (50 per cent of request); Office of the HOSF N386, 426,
243 (50 per cent of request); State House, N42,570, 291 ( 100 per cent
of request); and other MDAs, N2,957,429, 709, totalling N4,705,
368,635.”
Investigations, however, showed that the non-payment of the bonanza to
workers before the end of last year had raised concerns among workers
as some ministries and agencies gave bags of rice and groundnut oil to
their staff instead of the expected cash.
The ministries of Health and Finance; Joint Admission and Matriculation
Board; Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation; Universal Basic
Education Commission; and Central Bank of Nigeria gave rice to their
staff.
A member of staff in one of the ministries told our correspondent that
workers on grade levels 1-14 got rice and oil. He expressed worry that
these items might have been given them in lieu of the cash bonus.
He said, “Instead, they gave a bag of rice and jar of groundnut oil to the workers in place of the money.”
Further, he alleged that staff of the Federal Ministry of Health
collected cash as christmas bonus when Prof. Adenike Grange was the
minister, but such payment ended with her exit.“Our suspicion is that
government has been releasing this money without it reaching us,” he
added.However, Aganga’s memo to the President stated that “the said
amount would be sourced from servicewide vote.”
Apart from this incentive-driven bonanza, workers are still battling for the payment of the new minimum wage.
The Federal Government last week claimed that it had forwarded a
minimum wage bill to the National Assembly to provide a legal framework
for the wage hike.
However, the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Rules and
Business, Mr. Ita Enang, had told THE PUNCH that the House did not
receive the bill before December 14, 2010 when it went on a Christmas
break.
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Ex Big Brother housemate, Geraldine, launches first novel
Former Nigerian Big Brother housemate, Geraldine Iheme, recently launched her first novel ‘Disfigured Emotions’ at the Oriental Hotels, Victoria Island, on December 29, 2010. Comedian, Basket Mouth, was the event compere while the book launch was preceded by a Red Carpet session.
Speaking about the idea behind the book, Ms. Iheme said she decided to write it because many issues are not being talked about and it is hurting in every sense. In her words “it is a fiction novel; it’s a world that exists only in my head”, as she invites everyone to come experience that world. The book is a captivating and intriguing story of unspoken truth and a definite ‘must read’. Fellow housemates from South Africa and Mozambique were present to give their support.
The night was blended with comedy by Basket Mouth and Fx and musical performances by super vocalist, Bez, and sensational Modele and Chike.
‘Disfigured Emotions’ is a story of love, broken hearts, pain, neglect, betrayal, and abandonment.
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New Nigerian singles
Kicking off 2011 in a grand style, Naeto C features Asa in a track titled ‘Share My Blessings’. His much anticipated album ‘Super C Season’ album is scheduled for release later in the month.
As a build-up to the Nigerian general elections, Storm Record’s General Pype is out with a new single ‘Nigeria Love (Forever Green)’. The song was delivered over Jay-Z’s ‘Forever Young’ instrumental and preaches national solidarity, while also criticising the corrupt leaders in the country.
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Rock great, Chuck Berry, falls ill at New Year’s show
Rock ‘n’ roll star, Chuck Berry, was feeling fine and headed back to his hometown of St. Louis, associates said on Sunday, hours after the musician fell ill during a New Year’s performance in Chicago.
The 84-year-old entertainer startled fans on Saturday night when he slumped over his electric piano before a crowd of some 3,000 at Chicago’s Congress Theater and had to be helped off stage.
Berry returned about 30 minutes later, waved to the crowd and said he was OK, according to concert-goer, Jim O’Malley. Then, as if to reassure the audience, he did an abbreviated version of his signature duck-walk move before leaving the stage again.
An assistant to Berry said in a telephone on Sunday morning that the artiste confirmed that he was feeling well and returning to his home outside St. Louis in the afternoon. Another associate, Joe Edwards, owner of the Blueberry Hill nightclub in St. Louis where Berry performs monthly, told Reuters, “I spoke to people with him, and he is en route to St. Louis and he is OK. He is in flight right now. I think he was just tired.”
“He is in phenomenal health, and he doesn’t drink or smoke, and is a very strong person,” Edwards added.
Hotel staff at the Hard Rock Hotel in Chicago, where Berry was staying, also told Reuters they saw the performer on Sunday morning and that he looked good.
Berry’s next performance at Blueberry Hill is slated for January 19 and already sold out.
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Actor David Arquette in rehab
Actor, David Arquette, the estranged husband of former ‘Friends’ star, Courteney Cox, has checked into rehab to deal with alcohol and depression issues, according to news reports on Sunday.
Arquette, 39, and Cox, 46, announced in October that they were undergoing a trial separation after 11 years and one daughter together, but still loved each other “deeply.” Since then, both have been linked to other people, while Arquette has been unusually open about his marital woes and his subsequent sexual and drinking activities.
People Magazine said Cox was supportive of her husband’s decision to get help. “I really admire David and his choice to take charge and better his life,” it quoted Cox as saying. “I love and support him.”
The couple met on the set of the 1996 horror film ‘Scream’, and married three years later.
But while Cox enjoyed a red-hot decade-long run on ‘Friends’ as the fussy domestic diva Monica, Arquette failed to capitalise on the commercial success of the ‘Scream’ series and on the critical acclaim for his 2001 Holocaust drama ‘The Grey Zone’. The couple will reunite on screen in April when ‘Scream 4’ is due to hit theatres.
Posters Comment: From Colonialism to Independence to Civil War to Democracy to Corruption to Military Rule to Democracy plus corruption .To Terrorism ? Naija We hail Thee .Is this Goodluck ? Where are the Risen compatriots .
An emergency meeting of security chiefs was held yesterday behind closed doors in Abuja. The meeting, which was presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan, was summoned to deliberate over the spate of bombings and security breaches across the country.
A source said the president ordered the security chiefs to discuss and find how to bring the violence that has become common across the country under control.
It was gathered that the president expressed concern that security has become a challenge, thus leading to loss of lives and raising fears over the
elections coming up in April....
A radical Islamist sect said it was behind bombings in central Nigeria and attacks on churches in the northeast of the country that led to the deaths of at least 86 people. Photo: REUTERS
Photo Right: ALiyu Gusau Former Security Adviser turned Presidential Canditate .
On the eve of Christmas, series of bombs exploded in different areas of Jos leading to the death of over 80 people, while another exploded at a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) rally in Yenogoa, Bayelsa State. On December 31, there was a bomb explosion at the Mogadishu Barracks in Abuja, killing four persons while several others were injured.
Terrorism adviser to be named
At the end of the emergency security meeting yesterday, it was announced that an adviser to the president is to be named in the next one week. Although the name of the adviser was not revealed, it was gathered that the announcement was delayed because of the need to make some consultations and carry out some security checks on the appointee.
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) had in 2008 installed CCTV in some strategic areas in Abuja and its environs. However, the functionality of these gadgets has come under question in view of recent events.
Briefing journalists after the meeting, the special adviser to the president on media and publicity, Ima Niboro, said, “The president convened an emergency meeting of the National Security Council to address the state of security in the country. The meeting also reviewed the bomb incident of New Year’s eve and condemned them as an act of terror. Mr. President in the next one week is to appoint a special adviser on terrorism.
“Mr. President will work with the National Assembly to ensure the speedy passage of the anti-terrorism bill. Government will also introduce CCTVs in public places for access control. Regulations are also underway for the access control for both public and private establishments.”
He disclosed that a presidential committee on the control of explosive and other incendiary materials will also be set up as well as a committee on public enlightenment on general security awareness amongst citizens.
In the build up to the elections, Mr. Niboro said “the police have been directed to ensure the prompt arrest and prosecution or political thugs,” adding that “all armouries licenced by the police are to be further inspected to regulate how the materials are imported and used in Nigeria.”
Those present at the emergency security meeting, which was chaired by the president include: the minister of defence, Adetokunbo Kayode; the minister of interior, Emmanuel Iheanacho; the minister of police affairs, Humphrey Abba; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Yayale Ahmed; Chief of Staff, Mike Oghiadomhe; director general of State Security Service, Ekpenyong Ita; National Security Adviser, Andrew Azazi; Chief of Defence Staff, Oluseye Petirin; the Chief of Air Staff, Dikko Umar; Chief of Naval Staff, Ola Ibrahim; Chief of Army Staff, Azubike Ihejirika; and Hafiz Ringim, the Inspector General of Police.
Facebook, the popular social networking site, has raised $500 million from Goldman Sachs and a Russian investor in a deal that values the company at $50 billion, according to people involved in the transaction. The deal makes Facebook now worth more than companies like eBay, Yahoo and Time Warner.The stake by Goldman Sachs, considered one of Wall Street’s savviest investors, signals the increasing might of Facebook, which has already been bearing down on giants like Google. The new money will give Facebook more firepower to steal away valuable employees, develop new products and possibly pursue acquisitions — all without being a publicly traded company. The investment may also allow earlier shareholders, including Facebook employees, to cash out at least some of their stakes.
The new investment comes as the Securities and Exchange Commission has begun an inquiry into the increasingly hot private market for shares in Internet companies, including Facebook, Twitter, the gaming site Zynga and LinkedIn, an online professional networking site. Some experts suggest the inquiry is focused on whether certain companies are improperly using the private market to get around public disclosure requirements.
The new money could add pressure on Facebook to go public even as its executives have resisted. The popularity of shares of Microsoft and Google in the private market ultimately pressured them to pursue initial public offerings.
So far, Facebook’s chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, has brushed aside the possibility of an initial public offering or a sale of the company. At an industry conference in November, he said on the topic, “Don’t hold your breath.” However, people involved in the fund-raising effort suggest that Facebook’s board has indicated an intention to consider a public offering in 2012.
There has been an explosion in user interest in social media sites. The social buying site Groupon, which recently rejected a $6 billion takeover bid from Google, is in the process of raising as much as $950 million from major institutional investors, at a valuation near $5 billion, according to people briefed on the matter who were not authorized to speak publicly.
“When you think back to the early days of Google, they were kind of ignored by Wall Street investors, until it was time to go public,” said Chris Sacca, an angel investor in Silicon Valley who is a former Google employee and an investor in Twitter. “This time, the Street is smartening up. They realize there are true growth businesses out here. Facebook has become a real business, and investors are coming out here and saying, ‘We want a piece of it.’”
The Facebook investment deal is likely to stir up a debate about what the company would be worth in the public market. Though it does not disclose its financial performance, analysts estimate the company is profitable and could bring in as much as $2 billion in revenue annually.
Under the terms of the deal, Goldman has invested $450 million, and Digital Sky Technologies, a Russian investment firm that has already sunk about half a billion dollars into Facebook, invested $50 million, people involved in the talks said.
Goldman has the right to sell part of its stake, up to $75 million, to the Russian firm, these people said. For Digital Sky Technologies, the deal means its original investment in Facebook, at a valuation of $10 billion, has gone up fivefold.
Representatives for Facebook, Goldman and Digital Sky Technologies all declined to comment.
Goldman’s involvement means it may be in a strong position to take Facebook public when it decides to do so in what is likely to be a lucrative and prominent deal.
As part of the deal, Goldman is expected to raise as much as $1.5 billion from investors for Facebook at the $50 billion valuation, people involved in the discussions said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the transaction was not supposed to be made public until the fund-raising had been completed.
In a rare move, Goldman is planning to create a “special purpose vehicle” to allow its high-net worth clients to invest in Facebook, these people said. While the S.E.C. requires companies with more than 499 investors to disclose their financial results to the public, Goldman’s proposed special purpose vehicle may be able get around such a rule because it would be managed by Goldman and considered just one investor, even though it could conceivably be pooling investments from thousands of clients.
It is unclear whether the S.E.C. will look favorably upon the arrangement.
Already, a thriving secondary market exists for shares of Facebook and other private Internet companies. In November, $40 million worth of Facebook shares changed hands in an auction on a private exchange called SecondMarket. According to SharesPost, Facebook’s value has roughly tripled over the last year, to $42.4 billion. Some investors appear to have bought Facebook shares at a price that implies a valuation of $56 billion. But the credibility of one of Wall Street’s largest names, Goldman, may help justify the company’s worth.
Facebook also surpassed Google as the most visited Web site in 2010, according to the Internet tracking firm Experian Hitwise.
Facebook received 8.9 percent of all Web visits in the United States between January and November 2010. Google’s main site was second with 7.2 percent, followed by Yahoo Mail service, Yahoo’s Web portal and YouTube, part of Google...
For Mr. Zuckerberg, the deal may double his personal fortune, which Forbes estimated at $6.9 billion when Facebook was valued at $23 billion. That would put him in a league with the founders of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who are reportedly worth $15 billion apiece.
Even as Goldman takes a stake in Facebook, its employees may struggle to view what they invested in. Like those at most major Wall Street firms, Goldman’s computers automatically block access to social networking sites, including Facebook.
Facebook Tops Google As Most Visited Website Of The Year
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has yet another milestone to celebrate.
In addition to being named TIME's Person of the Year and seeing the social network he founded swell to over 550 million members, he can alsotoast a major triumph over Google: for the first time ever, Facebooktopped the list as the most-visited website of the year, ahead of giantslike Google, Yahoo, YouTube, and Msn.com.
According to data from Hitwise, which provides online competitive intelligence, Facebook "accounted for8.93 percent of all U.S. visits between January and November 2010."
Google.com made up 7.19 percent of visits and Yahoo! Mail ranked third with 3.52 percent of visits. Yahoo! claimed 3.30 percent ofvisits, and YouTube 2.65 percent....
Facebook has soared in the rankings as its share of visits has more than doubled in the past year. In 2009, it was the third most-visited site, behind Google and Yahoo! Mail, with 4.26 percent of visits. In 2008 it ranked ninth on Hitwise's list, trailing Google, MySpace, and eBay.
In an odd twist, Google is actually helping to fuel its competitor's rise by sending search traffic to the social network's site: For thesecond year in a row, "Facebook" was the top search term of 2010. Insecond place was "Facebook login," with "Facebook.com" and"www.facebook.com" also cracking the list of top 10 most popularqueries.
While visits to Facebook have overtaken hits to Google.com, Google-owned properties--which include web video giant YouTube--actuallyreceived a greater share of visits, accounting for 9.85 percent of allU.S. visits. TechCrunchobserved that Comscore confirmed Hitwise's findings: "Comscore alsoshows Facebook.com passing Google.com in visits in November but allGoogle sites as still having more."
The top websites commanded an ever-greater share of web traffic Hitwise noted in its report. "The top 10 Websites accounted for 33 percent of all U.S. visitsbetween January and November 2010, an increase of 12 percent versus2009," Hitwise wrote.
They will soon beg Naija to come to America just like the Movie !
The population of the United States has increased steadily by roughly 2.5 million people every year since World War II. Throughout prosperity and hard times, Americans continue to have families. Many of the country's regions have expanded to accommodate this population increase. Some cities have grown faster than others as the result of being at the center of some important new technology or job market. Others have lost residents because of failing industries and migration. Nevertheless, some of these cities have continued to grow slowly, or at least remain relatively stagnant, buoyed by the rising tide of the national population.
There are some cities, however, that have experienced such severe hardship and decline that their populations have actually decreased significantly. New Orleans has lost more than a quarter of its population in the past 10 years as the result of Hurricane Katrina. The rest of the cities that have lost major parts of their population have seen their flagship industries, which include coal, steel, oil, and auto-related manufacturing, fall off or completely collapse. America moved away from its status as an industrial superpower in the second half of the 20th century as the services sector rose to replace it. Millions of U.S. manufacturing jobs have moved overseas. Cities such as Rochester, Cleveland and Buffalo declined in population because they were trade hubs, and new modes of transportation removed their geographical dominance. Cities like Flint, Mich., have economies based on a single major industry. In Flint's case, that industry is auto manufacturing. When that industry began to decline, Flint was unable to diversify to prevent a population exodus....
All of the cities on this list experienced at least one of these devastating problems, which have caused tens of thousands -- and in some cases, hundreds of thousands -- of its residents to leave the region for other jobs and other homes. While it has been the primary focus of these cities to create new sources of employment for their residents, it may be years before people return, if they do at all.
Unfortunately, the populations of most of the cities on this list continue to decline and the situation could get worse for years. This loss of residents has caused severe drops in the social services that many of these cities can provide. Property and other taxes have fallen so much that the support that residents of other cities take for granted is at risk in the municipalities on this list. There is no longer any guarantee that they can maintain police and fire departments at reasonable levels. Some of these cities cannot continue to manage large neighborhoods that have become almost deserted as residents have left unoccupied homes behind. Home vacancy rates tell a great deal about how much a city's population has dropped.
24/7 obtained its population data from the U.S. Census Bureau's Population Division. Housing vacancy came from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. This is a list of the seven American cities that have lost the most people in the past decade:
1. New Orleans
Population: 354,850
Population Change 2000-2009: -128,813
Population Percent Change 2000-2009: -26.63%
Home Vacancy: 21.5%
New Orleans is unique in that its presence on this list is not due to industrial decline, but from natural disaster. Hurricane Katrina flooded 80% of the city, caused by some estimates more than $80 billion in damage, and displaced tens of thousands of residents. The period of widespread homelessness, severe crime, and slow recovery has left the city as a shadow of its former self. While people are trickling back into the city, many will likely never return, and the city has lost more than a quarter of its population in just 10 years.
2. Flint, Mich.
Population: 111,475
Population Change 2000-2009: -13,266
Population Percent Change 2000-2009: -10.63%
Home Vacancy: 18%
While most of the cities on this list are here as the result of a general decline in industry, Flint's woes have come almost entirely from one sector -- the auto industry. Flint became a boomtown at the turn of the century as it became a divisional headquarters to the major American auto manufacturers, including Chevrolet, Buick, and General Motors. Between 1910 and 1930, the population had more than quadrupled due to the success of the American car business. Since the American auto industry began its decline in the 1980s, Flint has consistently lost at least 10% of its population each decade. Massive layoffs and plant closings have devastated the city, and unemployment rates remain well into the double digits.
[How to Avoid Getting Ripped Off For Auto Repairs]
3. Cleveland
Population: 431,369
Population Change 2000-2009: -45,205
Population Percent Change 2000-2009: -9.49%
Home Vacancy: 17.5%
Cleveland, the largest city on our list, was once a thriving manufacturing center, as well as an important point of trade because of its connection to several key routes, particularly Lake Erie. The city was once home to a sizable auto industry. Most of the largest companies that were once based in Cleveland no longer exist. These include Peerless, People's and Winton. Cleveland also served as headquarters for John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company, as well as a key import location for coal and iron shipped from the South and Midwest. The decline of industrial American has hit the city particularly hard, and poverty, a default on municipal debt in the '70s, and pollution have earned the city the nickname "the mistake on the lake." In 1948, the city had over 910,000 people; it now has less than half of that.
4. Buffalo, N.Y.
Population: 270,240
Population Change 2000-2009: -21,970
Population Percent Change 2000-2009: -7.52%
Home Vacancy: 17.2%
Another victim of the Erie Canal boom and bust, Buffalo was the 13th largest city in the country just before WW II. It is now the 70th. Like Rochester, the city was once a premier mill town due to its location to the canal. Massive electricity generation from Niagara Falls improved Buffalo's industrial capacity, and the city referred to itself as the "City of Lights" for a time because of its power production. The collapse of the canal and improvements in the energy industry that made Niagara Falls less important led to the mass migration from the city which continues to this day. In the 1970s alone, Buffalo lost more than 100,000 residents, roughly a third of its current population.
[Where the Richest Americans Live]
5. Dayton, Ohio
Population: 153,843
Population Change 2000-2009: -11,961
Population Percent Change 2000-2009: -7.21%
Home Vacancy: 18.9%
For its size, Dayton, Ohio, was once one of the most productive and creative cities in the U.S. It produced more patents per capita at the turn of the century than any other. The city was home to several former great Fortune 500 companies, including National Cash Register, Mead Paper and Phillips Manufacturing. Through the first half of the 20th century, Dayton had one of the healthiest manufacturing industries. It had more GM autoworkers than any city outside of Michigan during World War II. In the past 50 years, Mead has merged with West Virginia Paper and moved to Richmond, and GM has closed one plant after another in the city.
6. Pittsburgh
Population: 311,647
Population Change 2000-2009: -22,056
Population Percent Change 2000-2009: -6.61%
Home Vacancy: 14.1%
Known as the "Steel City," Pittsburgh was once the forge for the American industrial engine from the late 1800s through the late 1970s. At its peak, the city was home to more than 1,000 factories, including the mills owned by Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel, which by itself employed over 340,000 workers during World War II. As the American steel industry collapsed in the 1980s, Pittsburgh suffered severe unemployment problems. In the past few decades, the city changed to a technology-based economy, but the population is still on the decline. Since 1950, Pittsburgh's population has declined by more than 50%.
7. Rochester, N.Y.
Population: 207,294
Population Change 2000-2009: -12,180
Population Percent Change 2000-2009: -5.55%
Home Vacancy: 15.3%
Rochester was once a booming trade center largely due to its location at the midpoint between Albany and Buffalo on the Erie Canal. At its peak, the city was the major flour processor in the country, and was home to several key corporations including Xerox and Eastman Kodak. Rochester declined as the usefulness of the canal went out with the advent of railroads and its flagship companies began to lose their relevancy in the larger global economy. Rochester has yet to produce an important replacement industry to drive up the population, and even the success in the 1990's of Xerox has faded. Between 1950 and 2000, Rochester lost 34% of its population.
Donations flowed freely from passersby into the coffers of a destitute with six children begging for alms at Ikeja area of Lagos State Southwest Nigeria.
The woman with her six children
The woman, Mrs. Aisha Ibrahim, 30, from Kano State, it was gathered, gave birth to quadruplets in 2008 and a set of twins in June 2010 in her village in Kano and came to Lagos to beg for alms when she and her husband could not cope with the feeding of the children.
The woman was seen on Awolowo Way, Ikeja where a crowd gathered around her and six children (three boys and three girls).
Many passersby pitied her and gave her money freely. They called on the Lagos State Government to come to her aid by providing for the children.
Speaking , Aisha said she left Kano for Lagos when the suffering became unbearable and there was nobody to run to.
She gave the age of the quadruplets as two years old while the twins are six months old.
She described her husband, Ibrahim, as a peasant farmer who cannot cope with the upkeep of the children...
Aisha was accompanied by a woman and her sister, who help to carry some of the children while she begs for alms.
She received money ranging from N10 to N500 and even more from passersby.
Aisha who stays at the Lagos Central Mosque, Lagos Island, appealed to Governor Babatunde Fashola to come to her aid by providing her accommodation and job to take care of her children.
She also appealed to Nigerians to assist her take care of her malnourished children who are living on the benevolence of the public.
photo: Comedian Klin the Drunk as a Policemean
The sleepy community of Ikirun, headquarters of Ifelodun local government area of Osun State, was yesterday thrown into pandemonium following killing of two brothers by policemen at a checkpoint.
Following a reprisal attack by the mob, the police constable who fired the shot over a demand of N20 which the motorcyclist refused to part with, was also murdered while some policemen, including the Divisioanl Police Officer (DPO) in the area were seriously injured.
In the attack, a policeman was killed while the two police stations located in the town were torched.
The DPO for Ikirun police division, Abiodun Alabi, who was injured during the attack, was, at press time, on danger list at the state General Hospital, Asubiaro, Osogbo...
Police commissioner, Olusegun Solomon, confirmed the incident.
It was gathered that the two brothers, Lukman Adesina and Taiwo Adesina, were shot dead by a police corporal at a checkpoint along Osogbo road following their refusal to part with N20 bribe.
It was gathered that the police were mounting road block on Ikirun-Osogbo road when motorcyclists carrying two other passengers was waved down and his refusal to stop made the policeman to fire the motorcyclist which killed killed him instantly and wounded the two passengers.
It was gathered that the three men on the motor bike were children of the same parents. Those killed by the police were identified as Likman Adesina and Taiwo Adesina. Following the killing, the people around gathered and attacked the Motor Traffic Department (MTD) in Ikirun and the police station.
The mob also killed the police constable while the station was razed.
It was gathered that while the mob attacked the police station, some of the officers at the station took to their heels.
Some of them were not all as lucky as they were wounded by the mob. The divisional police officer (DPO), whose name was given as Abiodun Alabi, was rushed to the State General Hospital, Asubiaro where he was receiving treatment.
The state commissioner of police confirmed the incident but said that two people, a civilian and a police officer, died in the incident.
He said that though he did not have the details of the incident, the policeman shot the motorcyclist while the mob killed the police constable in return.
The struggle between the godfather of Kwara State politics, Olusola Saraki, and his
son, Bukola Saraki, over who becomes the next governor of the state,
reached a head on Sunday when the elder Saraki announced his defection
from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party to the relatively obscure
Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN).
He announced his new party at Ilorin before a mammoth crowd who besieged his Iloffa Road residence. By implication, the ACPN may be the platform for him to realise his ambition of making his senator daughter, Gbemisola Saraki, the next governor of the state, having been denied an early push to make her the sole aspirant of the ruling People’s Democratic Party {PDP}. Ms Saraki, a senator, was at the declaration.
The ACPN, which was recently established, has a squirrel as its symbol. There is a feeling that the party might still merge with another party to present a force to the PDP. Last week, Mr. Saraki received the leaders of the Congress of Progressive Change and All Nigeria People Party (ANPP), Muhammadu Buhari and Ogbonnaya Onu.
Mr. Saraki said he decided to leave the PDP because it was full of undemocratic people. He said this has made the party to lose cohesion and focus and might make it lose the forthcoming elections in the state.
“Those who are not involved in the building of the party now capitalise on the inexperience of the leadership to perpetrate themselves and turn themselves into thin gods to decide the fate of the real people on the political turf.
“We now have a PDP that lacks cohesion, focus, directionless and bereft of ideas on how to carry supporters along and win elections. The situation is so bad to the extent that most decisions of the party are based on sentiments, instead of having recourse to party guidelines and all known democratic norms.
“Therefore, I and all who believe in me have been forced to take the decision to dump the Kwara PDP and move en-masse to ACPN, which we believe is the best platform to take the state to a greater height,” Mr. Saraki said...
History of defections
The politician tacitly launched a campaign for the senator, noting that she would only spend four years at the saddle of governance if elected the next governor of the state. He said the lady has the pedigree to cement the legacies laid down by his biological brother, the incumbent governor of the state.
Mr. Saraki, a former member of the ANPP, joined the PDP in 2003 in an earlier struggle with then governor of the state, Mohammed Lawal.
Mr. Lawal had resisted pressure to step down for Bukola Saraki to become the candidate of the PDP. Mr. Saraki won the fight and he will be hoping that his old skills still stand him in good stead in this battle against his own son.
Support for Bio
Meanwhile, the Agbaji Youths in Politics, a political association in Ilorin west local government area of Kwara State, has endorsed the gubernatorial aspiration of the immediate past minister of sports, Ibrahim Isa Bio. Agbaji is the home of Mr. Saraki.
Mr. Bio is contesting the primary election of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to represent the party in the 2011 gubernatorial election slated for January 9.
Speaking with reporters in Agbaji over the weekend, the public relations officer of the association, Abdulrasak Otta, said the association decided to back Mr. Bio’s aspiration because of his track record of achievement as a commissioner, Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, and federal minister of transport and then, sports, between 2008-2010.
Unidentified gunmen at midnight on New Year’s Day attacked and set ablaze Victorious Christ Church, located at London Cikin area of Maiduguri metropolis in Borno State.
An eye witness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Maiduguri that the gunmen arrived at the church after its members had ended their service for the day.
He said before setting the church on fire, the gunmen shot sporadically into the air to scare away people, adding that no one was killed during the shooting.
The eyewitness said the church was established more than 20 years ago before the arrival of the present settlers of London Cikin.
The Police Public Relations Officer in Borno State, Abdullahi Lawan, who confirmed the incident, told NAN that the Police were yet to make any arrest.
He said the command had commenced investigation to apprehend those behind the dastardly act...
by Deborah Ese Ekperigin
A few weeks ago a friend of mine posted something on his face book status it read " Why do Christians cheat God?, after putting some thought into that question, my conclusion was that
we do not cheat God, but ourselves although in the process we hurt God.
Truth be told most Christians are users. Users are selfish, they only
look out for themselves, do things because of selfish gain, they are
pretenders, liars, back stabbers, hypocrites etc. Unfortunately some of
us may know a couple of users, they worm their way into your hearts and
then dump you when they have what they want before you can even say Jack
Robinson!
Is it possible to use God? Well the difference between man and God is that God see's your inner
thoughts but most times man cannot, so when you think you are been smart
with God he knows, you can fool man but definitely cannot fool God Jeremiah
17:9-10 says " The human heart is the most deceitful of all things and
desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I the Lord
search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their
due rewards, according to what their actions deserve”. I used to be a user myself, so I can relate to this..
The numbers do not add up: When asked this question " How long have you been a born again?" some
people are so proud to give the number especially when they are double
digits , well of course it is something to be proud of being a follower
of Jesus Christ, but let’s be honest there are times the numbers do not
add up, as I mentioned earlier I was a user myself, am sure I have gone
for more than 8 altar calls in my life and I can tell you that 99% of
those times were for my own selfish reasons ( making promises to God
that I would give my life totally to him if he answered that prayer,
which was probably the only prayer i had said in a month or two), they
were times i went for an altar call because the person next to me was
going, sad eeeeeh, but i bet I was not the only one. I tell you it’s
better to say you have been a born again for a month, than say 10 yrs of
which 99% of the time you have lived in sin or are not even conscious
of what you are doing. When one decides to give their life to Christ I
know it does not all happen in one day, but you will yearn to please Him
and you will definitely not take the grace of God for granted.
What do the users do?
The users only pray when they need something from God a new job/wife/husband/car/house/contract etc
The users only read the Word of God (bible) on Sundays
The users only fast when they are told they are been attacked by the devil or their distant relatives back home
The users only praise and worship God on Sundays
Is it possible to be in a relationship with someone with no form of
communication? No, so why do we then think it is possible to have this
kind of relationship with our creator. It's not my place to judge
anyone, it’s not like am perfect, but the truth still has to be said.
God is not a prostitute: Some Christians have even seen God as a prostitute were they splash
money for tithes or offering and are not bothered about the condition of
their hearts or their relationship with him. They give their tithes and
offerings and think that’s the only thing God is interested in, it's
only prostitutes that can be lured/deceived with money since that’s the
only thing they are interested in, God is interested in your salvation
amongst other things. He is not a prostitute. Even the bible says in Matthew
5:23-24 " So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the
Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you,
leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that
person. The come and offer your sacrifice to God" This tells you that God prefers a clean heart.
Please let's consider our intention/motives today, so we won't be USERS.
Have a lovely week, I wish you a prosperous 2011
Ese signing out!!!!!
The CBN Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has emerged as the 2010 Silverbird Man of the Year. He was voted enmasse by the Nigerian people
by text messaging..
Most Nigerians who received the news, believe his choice as the Silverbird Man of the Year was based on his frankness and fearlessness in policy formulation and ,more importantly ,his recent revelation about how twenty five percent of the national budget is spent on federal legislators. Other contenders for the prestigious award in 2010 were Aliko Dangote (Chairman Dangote Group) ,Funke Osibodu (CEO Union Bank Plc, Olusegun Aganga (Minister of Finance), Ahmadu Giade (NDLEA Chairman) & Funke Opeke (CEO Main One Cable).
The Silverbird Man of the Year was initiated in 2006 to celebrate outstanding and extraordinary Nigerians.
Former military president, Ibrahim Babangida, has written the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Okwwesilieze Nwodo, to formally announce his withdrawal from the 2011 party’s presidential primaries scheduled for January 13.
In the letter, which he personally signed, Mr. Babangida said though he obtained the nomination form last September, he is voluntarily withdrawing from the race because of the consensus arrangement which he had with three other presidential aspirants.
The letter is titled ‘Withdrawal of Participation in the 2011 PDP Presidential Primary Election.’
“This letter submits for the kind consideration and approval of the National Working Committee of our great party – the Peoples Democratic Party of Nigeria (PDP), a request to withdraw from all the processes leading to and including the PDP Primary elections scheduled for 13th January, 2011,” Mr. Babangida said.
“You will recall that in September, 2010, I had collected, completed, and submitted the Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms, in accordance with the provisions of the Electoral Guidelines set out by the party.
“As a consequence of the Consensus arrangement to which I voluntarily and willingly subscribed, I write to inform you of my decision to withdraw forthwith from all the processes leading to the selection and emergence of our Party’s Presidential flag bearer,” he added.
The former military ruler, while extending his highest regard to the chairman and the party, conveyed his gratitude for the opportunity given him to express his interest in the race.
Mr. Nwodo has since acknowledged receipt of the letter and wished the former president well. He also thanked him for his maturity.
It will be recalled that Mr. Babangida entered into a consensus arrangement with former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, former national security adviser, Aliyu Gusau, and Governor Bukola Saraki of Kwara State.
The project, which was coordinated by the Northern Political Leaders Forum (NPLF), and led by former finance minister, Adamu Ciroma, produced Mr. Abubakar as the consensus candidate for the north.
