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The last few weeks have been a nightmare for President Obama, in a summer of discontent in the United States which has deeply unsettled the ruling liberal elites, so much so that even the Left has begun to turn against the White House. While the anti-establishment Tea Party movement has gained significant ground and is now a rising and powerful political force to be reckoned with, many of the president’s own supporters as well as independents are rapidly losing faith in Barack Obama, with open warfare breaking out between the White House and the left-wing of the Democratic Party. While conservatism in America grows stronger by the day, the forces of liberalism are growing increasingly weaker and divided.

Against this backdrop, the president’s approval ratings have been sliding dramatically all summer, with the latest Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking Poll of US voters dropping to minus 22 points, the lowest point so far for Barack Obama since taking office. While just 24 per cent of American voters strongly approve of the president’s job performance, almost twice that number, 46 per cent, strongly disapprove. According to Rasmussen, 65 per cent of voters believe the United States is going down the wrong track, including 70 per cent of independents.

The RealClearPolitics average of polls now has President Obama at over 50 per cent disapproval, a remarkably high figure for a president just 18 months into his first term. Strikingly, the latest USA Today/Gallup survey has the President on just 41 per cent approval, with 53 per cent disapproving.

Related link: The Obama presidency increasingly resembles a modern-day Ancien Régime

There are an array of reasons behind the stunning decline and political fall of President Obama, chief among them fears over the current state of the US economy, with widespread concern over high levels of unemployment, the unstable housing market, and above all the towering budget deficit. Americans are increasingly rejecting President Obama’s big government solutions to America’s economic woes, which many fear will lead to the United States sharing the same fate as Greece.

Growing disillusionment with the Obama administration’s handling of the economy as well as health care and immigration has gone hand in hand with mounting unhappiness with the President’s aloof and imperial style of leadership, and a growing perception that he is out of touch with ordinary Americans, especially at a time of significant economic pain. Barack Obama’s striking absence of natural leadership ability (and blatant lack of experience) has played a big part in undermining his credibility with the US public, with his lacklustre handling of the Gulf oil spill coming under particularly intense fire.

On the national security and foreign policy front, President Obama has not fared any better. His leadership on the war in Afghanistan has been confused and at times lacking in conviction, and seemingly dictated by domestic political priorities rather than military and strategic goals. His overall foreign policy has been an appalling mess, with his flawed strategy of engagement of hostile regimes spectacularly backfiring. And as for the War on Terror, his administration has not even acknowledged it is fighting one.

Can it get any worse for President Obama? Undoubtedly yes. Here are 10 key reasons why the Obama presidency is in serious trouble, and why its prospects are unlikely to improve between now and the November mid-terms.

1. The Obama presidency is out of touch with the American people

In a previous post I noted how the Obama presidency increasingly resembles a modern-day Ancien Régime, extravagant, decaying and out of touch with ordinary Americans. The First Lady’s ill-conceived trip to Spain at a time of widespread economic hardship was symbolic of a White House that barely gives a second thought to public opinion on many issues, and frequently projects a distinctly elitist image. The “let them eat cake” approach didn’t play well over two centuries ago, and it won’t succeed today.

2. Most Americans don’t have confidence in the president’s leadership

This deficit of trust in Obama’s leadership is central to his decline. According to a recent Washington Post/ABC News poll, “nearly six in ten voters say they lack faith in the president to make the right decisions for the country”, and two thirds “say they are disillusioned with or angry about the way the federal government is working.” The poll showed that a staggering 58 per cent of Americans say they do not have confidence in the president’s decision-making, with just 42 per cent saying they do.

3. Obama fails to inspire

In contrast to the soaring rhetoric of his 2004 Convention speech in Boston which succeeded in impressing millions of television viewers at the time, America is no longer inspired by Barack Obama’s flat, monotonous and often dull presidential speeches and statements delivered via teleprompter. From his extraordinarily uninspiring Afghanistan speech at West Point to his flat State of the Union address, President Obama has failed to touch the heart of America. Even Jimmy Carter was more moving.

4. The United States is drowning in debt

The Congressional Budget Office Long-Term Budget Outlook offers a frightening picture of the scale of America’s national debt. Under its alternative fiscal scenario, the CBO projects that US debt could rise to 87 percent of GDP by 2020, 109 percent by 2025, and 185 percent in 2035. While much of Europe, led by Britain and Germany, are aggressively cutting their deficits, the Obama administration is actively growing America’s debt, and has no plan in place to avert a looming Greek-style financial crisis.

5. Obama’s Big Government message is falling flat

The relentless emphasis on bailouts and stimulus spending has done little to spur economic growth or create jobs, but has greatly advanced the power of the federal government in America. This is not an approach that is proving popular with the American public, and even most European governments have long ditched this tax and spend approach to saving their own economies.

6. Obama’s support for socialised health care is a huge political mistake

In an extraordinary act of political Harakiri, President Obama leant his full support to the hugely controversial, unpopular and divisive health care reform bill, with a monstrous price tag of $940 billion, whose repeal is now supported by 55 per cent of likely US voters. As I wrote at the time of its passing, the legislation is “a great leap forward by the United States towards a European-style vision of universal health care, which will only lead to soaring costs, higher taxes, and a surge in red tape for small businesses. This reckless legislation dramatically expands the power of the state over the lives of individuals, and could not be further from the vision of America’s founding fathers.”

7. Obama’s handling of the Gulf oil spill has been weak-kneed and indecisive

While much of the spilled oil in the Gulf has now been thankfully cleared up, the political damage for the White House will be long-lasting. Instead of showing real leadership on the matter by acing decisively and drawing upon offers of international support, the Obama administration settled on a more convenient strategy of relentlessly bashing an Anglo-American company while largely sitting on its hands. Significantly, a poll of Louisiana voters gave George W. Bush higher marks for his handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, with 62 percent disapproving of Obama’s performance on the Gulf oil spill.

8. US foreign policy is an embarrassing mess under the Obama administration

It is hard to think of a single foreign policy success for the Obama administration, but there have been plenty of missteps which have weakened American global power as well as the standing of the United States. The surrender to Moscow on Third Site missile defence, the failure to aggressively stand up to Iran’s nuclear programme, the decision to side with ousted Marxists in Honduras, the slap in the face for Great Britain over the Falklands, have all contributed to the image of a US administration completely out of its depth in international affairs. The Obama administration’s high risk strategy of appeasing America’s enemies while kicking traditional US allies has only succeeded in weakening the United States while strengthening her adversaries.

9. President Obama is muddled and confused on national security

From the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to the War on Terror, President Obama’s leadership has often been muddled and confused. On Afghanistan he rightly sent tens of thousands of additional troops to the battlefield. At the same time however he bizarrely announced a timetable for the withdrawal of US forces beginning in July 2011, handing the initiative to the Taliban. On Iraq he has announced an end to combat operations and the withdrawal of all but 50,000 troops despite a recent upsurge in terrorist violence and political instability, and without the Iraqi military and police ready to take over. In addition he has ditched the concept of a War on Terror, replacing it with an Overseas Contingency Operation, hardly the right message to send in the midst of a long-war against Al-Qaeda...

10. Obama doesn’t believe in American greatness

Barack Obama has made it clear that he doesn’t believe in American exceptionalism, and has made apologising for his country into an art form. In a speech to the United Nations last September he stated that “no one nation can or should try to dominate another nation. No world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another will succeed. No balance of power among nations will hold.” It is difficult to see how a US president who holds these views and does not even accept America’s greatness in history can actually lead the world’s only superpower with force and conviction.

There is a distinctly Titanic-like feel to the Obama presidency and it’s not hard to see why. The most left-wing president in modern American history has tried to force a highly interventionist, government-driven agenda that runs counter to the principles of free enterprise, individual freedom, and limited government that have made the United States the greatest power in the world, and the freest nation on earth.

This, combined with weak leadership both at home and abroad against the backdrop of tremendous economic uncertainty in an increasingly dangerous world, has contributed to a spectacular political collapse for a president once thought to be invincible. America at its core remains a deeply conservative nation, which cherishes its traditions and founding principles. President Obama is increasingly out of step with the American people, by advancing policies that undermine the United States as a global power, while undercutting America’s deep-seated love for freedom.

If the findings from this research are true then men who are still in the business of baby making are in trouble. Scientists say that men who keep cell phones in trouser pocket in the talk mode while using a Bluetooth device may have problem in fathering a child.

Since the gadget became part of the everyday life of a majority of people in the world, a lot of studies had been carried out on the effects of the gadget on health. For instance, there had been research findings linking the radiation from it to brain cancer.

Though most of the researches were inconclusive, findings suggest that danger may be lurking around and as such we should be cautious in the way we use some of these modern gadgets.

”We found increased oxidative stress and a decrease in sperm motility,” said investigator, Dr. Ashok Agarwal, Director of Reproductive Research at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, United States.

But the President, National Association of Telecoms Subscribers, Mr. Deolu Ogubanjo said there is no cause for alarm since the World Health Organisation had maintained that cell phone radiation had not been found injurious.

Agarwal and his colleagues conducted a prospective, controlled trial looking at the effects of Bluetooth technology on male fertility. Presenting the findings at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine annual meeting late 2009, Agarwal said keeping a cell phone in a trouser pocket while talking on a Bluetooth device may expose the human testes to high-power radiofrequency electromagnetic waves.

According to a report in Renal & Urology News, the researchers found an increased production of free radicals or reactive oxygen species in semen after exposing semen to RF-EMW emitted by a cell phone. The team realised, however, that it was difficult to estimate the accurate amount of radiofrequency electromagnetic waves exposure to human testes because testes are separated by scrotal layers from the cell phone.

They used a computer biomodeling program to calculate the distance in an in vitro experiment. The experiment was designed to mimic the RF-EMW exposure while a cell phone was kept in the trouser pocket (in the talk mode).

For their new investigation, the researchers examined the effect of RF-EMW exposure on sperm parameters at a specific distance and identified the type of free radicals produced by human sperm.

After investigation, the researchers found RF-EMW exposed semen samples showed significantly lower sperm motility and viability. The exposed samples also showed an 18 per cent increased production of extracellular seminal, RSOS, compared with the non-exposed semen samples. The investigators concluded that the significant decline in sperm quality in specimens exposed to RF-EMW may be mediated by increased ROS production.

They hypothesised that when a man talks on a Bluetooth and the cell phone is on talk mode in the pocket or attached to a belt, it might be dangerous and could cause infertility. Agarwal told Renal & Urology News, that ”we do feel further studies are needed. At this time I would say excessive use should be avoided. However, there is a need for new studies to prove our in vitro findings in an in vivo condition.”

The Cleveland Clinic had in the past four years done studies that showed the harmful effects of cell phone-generated electromagnetic radiation on semen quality. In recent years more than a dozen studies have been published by other groups supporting Cleveland Clinic‘s findings.

In a study published in the January 2008 issue of the Fertility and Sterility journal, Agarwal and his team discovered that sperm counts were inversely proportional to cell phone usage - that is men who used the phone for a few minutes a day had higher counts than men who used cell phones for hours.

Agarwal had done an earlier study in 2006, with 364 men, where he found sperm counts decreased from 86 million per milliliter to 66 million per multimeter for men who didn‘t use a cell phone to men who used phones more than four hours a day.

However, Ogubanjo said that since the World Health Organisation had maintained that cell phone radiation had not been found injurious, people should not panic.

He said, ”Until WHO says that cell phone radiation has adverse effect, people should not panic unnecessarily. These are researches that have not been approved by WHO, which is the recognised authority on health matters in the world.

”Besides, cell phone radiation is non-ionising and is not very dangerous. There are more dangerous ones like the radiation from the Power Holding Company of Nigeria masts which is ionising. These researchers are just crying foul over nothing as who has not approved their findings.

He, however, acknowledged that there was need for moderation in the use of cell phone. ”Of course, everything that is not moderated can have adverse effect. So, there is need for moderation. It is better we prevent the hazards from not just cell phone radiation, but every form of moderation,” he said.

All, indeed, does not seem to be well. So caution is the word. To prevent some of these hazards, Dr. Reeja Tharu, writing on www.medindia.com, recommends that we should avoid keeping cell phones in our trouser pockets. He says, ”The hip produces 80 per cent of the body‘s red blood cells and is especially vulnerable to EMR damage. Close proximity may also affect fertility.”

He said “hostage taking and political kidnapping, a tool used by fundamentalist groups, has degenerated into means of currying financialincentives and achieving political ambitions.”

Ihenacho gave the warning just as Police Affairs Minister, Adamu Maina Waziri tried to absolve politicians from the menace calledkidnapping, insisting that the code of conduct of politicians did notencourage kidnapping as a tool to achieving power, adding thatkidnapping is criminality ‘simplicita’.

Inspector-General of Police, Ogbonna Onovo, on his part, said there was need for more stiffer penalty for kidnappers, explaining that the10-year imprisonment punishment stipulated for such offenders ascontained in Section 315 of the Criminal Code was not enough deterrent.

Both ministers and the Inspector General of Police, spoke at a one-day workshop on ‘Kidnapping as a threat to national security’organised by the Alumni Association of the National Institute of Policyand Strategic Studies, Kuru, Jos, in Abuja.

Said Ihenacho: “In Nigeria, kidnapping started as a major political weapon of militias in the Niger Delta region. However, in recent years,this phenomenon has also spread to other parts of the nation, asunemployed youths and young university graduates have adopted thismethod for improving their financial status. Kidnapper now carryheavier weapons than the security agencies, which amplifies that it hasbecome a very formidable force that government must contend with.”

Biometric security technology

The minister stated, however that “due to the increase in kidnapping in recent times, the Federal Government and other stakeholders havebegun to embrace biometric security technology. It will check the waveof abduction in the country, a development which has furtherexacerbated the already precarious security situation in the country.”

National interests are being threatened

To Adamu Waziri, “It is in our national interest to deliberate on the problem of kidnapping because our national interests are beingthreatened by kidnapping. For many months, banks in Aba were closedbecause the economy was hijacked. If this is allowed to continue, ourmarch to democracy will be stalled.

“We also have to collectively identify, isolate and eliminate the underlying causes of kidnapping. We need to assure our citizenry thatif we cannot completely eliminate, we can reduce it.”

10-yr imprisonment inadequate

I think He should get choose one of Jonathans rides emmm i mean Airplanes the President has 3 new ones !

The House of Representatives today decried the embarrassment meted out to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Dimeji Bankole by the British Airways at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos saying it amounts to a national security risk.

It has also called on President Goodluck Jonathan to order relevant security agencies in the country to investigate the matter as it was a breach on the sovereignty of Nigeria since the Speaker is exempted from security search.

It will be recalled that last Friday night after all security checks on the Speaker Bankole’s aide that accompanied him, the BA’s local officials had demanded that the hand luggage of the Speaker must be searched against the rules of British Government and British Aviation Authority (BAA). As a result, Bankole disembarked from the flight and decided to cancel the trip.

Chairman of the House committee on media and public affairs, Hon. Eseme Eyiboh who made the position of the House on the matter yesterday decried the manner the Speaker who is number four in the nation’s political power perking order was humiliated by private security operatives of the British Airways.

"The security, demanded, sought and insisted on searching the Speaker against the privilege the Speaker and select list of Very Important Personalities (VIP’s) enjoyed whenever they are travelling to the United Kingdom," he said.

He said that Schedule 6 of the British Home Office which lists Persons Exempted from Search among Commonwealth Countries listed Speakers of member countries as number 10.

"The privileged and the security of the Speaker has been breached, undermined and injured, not as a person, but as the institution of the Nigerian House of Representatives.

We are calling on the President to investigate this incident, as a way of preserving our national sovereignty and security. A private security hired by a foreign Airways has not right and powers to subject the institution of the House of Representatives to such disrespect", he said.

In what appears to be a clear endorsement of the yet to be declared intention of Goodluck Jonathan to contest next year’s election, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday said the contest for the party’s 2011 presidential nomination is open to all aspirants.

The chairman of the party, Okwesilieze Nwodo, who disclosed the party’s position after its National Executive Committee meeting on Thursday, however, cautioned that the party has not completely abandoned its zoning arrangement.

Asked if the party had done away with zoning, he said, “When former President Olusegun Obasanjo emerged, he chose a Northern Muslim, Atiku Abubakar, as his

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vice president. When the (former party) chairman resigned, he was replaced by another chairman from the South Eastern zone. Our Senate President, Speaker, Deputy Senate President and Deputy Speaker are from different zones of the country. How then can PDP be said to have abandoned zoning or rotation?” Mr Nwodo pointed out that the party had not always adhered to the arrangement in the past. He said it was only rigid about rotating power to the southern part of the country in 1998 because of the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election.

But in 2003 and 2007, the contest was thrown open to all aspirants, irrespective of their zone.

“If our late president were alive today, we wouldn’t be contesting his right to run for a second term under our national constitution. It was his entitlement,” he said. “This will, of course, not exclude any other aspirant from any part of the country from contesting the presidential primary, as it has become the custom of our party.”

Later, Solomon Lar, the founding chairman of the party, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that Mr Jonathan will be serving out the terms of the Yar’Adua/Jonathan joint mandate.

According to reports, a proposal on the zoning arrangement was presented by Mr Nwodo and it was unanimously adopted. The chairman had proposed that Mr Jonathan, currently serving out the joint mandate of the Yar’Adua/Jonathan ticket, had the right to run for a second term under the party’s national constitution.

“In the zoning formula, we did not envisage that a serving president will die in office. Today, Jonathan, by the dictates of the party constitution, is serving out the term of the mandate given by the people of our dear country. That being the case, the party believes rightly that Jonathan, who is part and parcel of the mandate, has a right to contest the remainder of their joint ticket in 2011,” he said. Ibrahim Shema, the governor of Katsina State, had moved a motion for the adoption of the continuity of the mandate and was seconded by a member of the PDP Board of Trustee, Tony Anenih.

A source, who asked to remain anonymous, told NAN that the motion did not receive any opposition, adding that the party granted a waiver to people from Bauchi, Borno, Yobe, Abia and Niger States, who intend to return to its fold.

Dangerous primaries ahead

In a reference to supporters of the zoning arrangement, Mr Nwodo noted that “reforms are sometimes hard to accept, especially when we are called upon to abandon old ways of doing things. In preaching these reforms, we may have hurt the sensibility of some of our members. We, thereby, present our unreserved apology. But we, however, continue to appeal that these reforms be accepted by all our party members.” In his address, Mr Jonathan pleaded with members of the party to exercise decorum in the months ahead, as the party prepares to conduct its primaries.

“Wherever two people stay, they must disagree. Husband and wife must disagree. Siblings belonging to the same parents must disagree, and as a party, we must disagree, but what makes us strong is that we have the ability to resolve our differences.” He also appealed to members to hold dialogues instead of switching parties.

“When you have crisis, the faction that is disgruntled will first of all give their votes to another person. Even though they will regret later, but in anger they will dash their votes out. But by God’s grace, we will be resolving our crisis internally. We will not argue it in the public.”

Other party matters

Mr Nwodo announced that sections of the party constitution, especially those that affect delegates in the party’s primaries and convention, will be amended in line with the provisions of the recently-passed 2010 electoral Act.

Though the resolutions of the NEC meeting will be made public today, sources at the meeting said the online registration of members was suspended in the interim.

The source, who declined to be named, also said that the council accepted the return of the Abia State governor, Theodore Orji, to the party. However, he only narrowly got its waiver to contest in 2011 under the party platform.

Most of the party’s governors spoke vehemently against the waiver, demanding that he goes back to his ward and register, as stipulated by the party’s constitution. It took the intervention of President Jonathan to sway the council.

Roll call at PDP NEC Meeting

President Goodluck Jonathan

Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo

Senate President David Mark

Speaker Dimeji Bankole

Dr. Alex Ekwueme

Alhaji Ibrahim Mantu

Chief Barnabas Gemade

Dr. Ahmadu Ali,

Prince Vincent Eze Ogbulafor

Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia

Chief Tony Anenih.

Chief Ebenezer Babatope

Professor Jerry Gana

Adamu Hassan,

Senator Walid Jibrin,

Senator Stella Omu,

MajGen Mohammadu Magoro (Rtd),

Sen. Abubakar Sodangi

Shuaibu Oyedokun,

Nana Aisha Kadiri

Yekini Adeojo

Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu,

Kassim Ibrahim Imam

Gov Emmanuel Uduaghan

Gov Babangida Aliyu,

GovChristopher Alao-Akala,

Gov Isa Yuguda

Gov Godswill Akpabio,

Gov Rotimi Amaechi,

Gov Liyel Imoke,

Gov Sullivan Chime.

Gov Bukola Saraki

Gov Saidu Dakingari

Gov Ibrahim Shema

Gov Danjuma Goje

Gov Segun Oni,

Gov Timipre Sylva,

Gov Olagunsoye Oyinlola,

Gov Aliyu Shinkafi,

Gov Gbenga Daniel,

Gov Martin Elechi.

Gov Sule Lamido,

Gov Akwe Doma,

Gov Murtala Nyako,

Dep Gov Ramallan Yero

Dep Gov Paullen Tallen

Hajia Hauwa Kida

Mrs Christy Silas,

Hajia Rabi Murktar Mohammed

Senator Nicholas Ugbane,

Senator Osita Izunaso,

Senator Lee Maeba,

Garba Matazu,

Farouk Lawal,

Ataii Idoko

When a baby is born it is really special for the parents but this baby's birth is special for everyone. Thats right, the birth of Ella Rose Riehle is special for everyone as she was born on August,09,2010 at 11:12pm which makes it 8/9/10;11:12..

Mother of the baby Terri Riehle was induced in Christ Hospital, Wide Oak, Cincinnati on 8/9/10 during the day and Doctor Peggy Heis of the hospital was the one who noted the special dated, she even jokingly said that "would'nt it be awesome to have the baby come out at 11:12" and there it was. After nearly spending a complete day at the hospital mom Terri Riehle delivered the baby right on time 11:12 and Father Scott Riehle at the time was telling it to her mom "Look look here she is". Baby Ella was born at the pefect timing and to make matters even more suprising her wight was 6.9 lbs just a little short of 7.

Former Nigerian dictator Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida is adopting more desperate measures in the face of signs that his campaign for the Nigerian presidency has no steam.

Babangida’s latest misfortunes came from a video he uploaded to youtube. The video was an invitation to people to visit Babangida’s campaign website. But soon after the video was posted on youtube, anti-Babangida groups began mobilizing their members and the Nigerian public to leave critical comments on the youtube video page.

A source inside Babangida’s dispirited campaign told Saharareporters that several of Babangida’s staffers spent the last two days deleting negative postings and writing positive comments on the video. But by yesterday, when it became clear that they could not cope with the deluge of negative comments, the Babangida campaign office received instructions to lock down the commentary section on youtube.

The desperate step is the latest in a series of woes befalling the presidential dreams of the former dictator whose regime murdered foremost Nigerian journalist Dele Giwa in October 1986.

Since announcing his widely unpopular intention to run in the forthcoming presidential election, Babangida has blundered from one gaffe to another, earning derision and condemnation from Nigerians. The former dictator’s grave missteps include a statement that young Nigerians do not have what it takes to lead the country and a recent statement that he would not answer questions about the assassination of Giwa as well as his annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential polls won by the late businessman Moshood Abiola. “General Babangida’s statements have been generally incoherent and even destructive to his ambition,” said one of the former dictator’s former associates who is not backing him for the presidency.

Babangida’s campaign has neither got any traction nor made any progress even as he is using part of the funds he looted from the public treasury to revive the campaigns. He was forced to abandon his much-publicized campaign stop in Ibadan, capital of Oyo State, after youths warned that they would not let him appear in the ancient city.

“Lots of people are taking IBB’s mon no one is really buying his snake oil,” said a civil rights activist in Abuja.

Babangida is widely hated by Nigerians, including many who were not even born when he was chased out of power in 1993 following his annulment of the June 12 1993 general elections.

In addition to his political crimes, Babangida stands accused of stealing over $12 billion from the Gulf War oil windfall of 1991. The letter bomb murder of Dele Giwa ranks as one of his most notorious crimes.

Military intelligence sources also accuse him of killing many military officers opposed to his rule either by implicating them in phony coup plots or, in a highly dramatic instance, by ordering the sabotage of a military jet carrying many officers.

His economic policy, known as the Structural Adjustment Program (SAP), was largely responsible for destroying the Nigerian economy in the 1980s and decimating the country’s middle class.

“Babangida has managed to evade trial for his many crimes against the Nigerian people by using his illegitimately acquired wealth to buy his cronies, like former President Obasanjo, into office,” said a former military intelligence operative. “These cronies in turn offer him state protection.”

As his campaign flounders, Babangida yesterday resorted to his usual divide-and-conquer form of politics. He stated that he only wants to stay in office for one term after which he would turn over power to an Igbo successor.

But a major Igbo politician told Saharareporters that Babangida’s cheap ploy would win him few votes in the southeast. “The Igbos have borne the brunt of institutional marginalization promoted by Babangida and his colleagues in the army,” said the politician, adding that the former dictator unceremoniously removed Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe, an officer of Igbo extraction, from his post number 2 in IBB’s regime. “Ukiwe was disgraced and humiliated despite the fact that he was one of the most upright and admirable officers in the Nigerian military,” said the politician.

17 vehicles were involved in a fatal accident along the Maraba –Yanya express road in Abuja after a trailer collided with them. Two people died.

A totaled car is pulled from the scene of the accident in Abuja.

Overturned and totals cars after the auto accident in Abuja.

A wrecked vehicle that was involved in the accident in Abuja on Wednesday.

YENAGOA — A group of over 43.9 million unemployed Nigerians under theaegis of the National Council for the Unemployed, NCU, has tasked theIndependent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to review itsengagement strategy in recruiting ad-hoc staff for the 2011 electionsto include the unemployed graduates in the country.
The group warned that failure to include the unemployed may lead to theboycott by members from the registration and electoral processes.

INEC, according to the group, should know that the unemployed constitute over 62 per cent of the youths in the country and theumbrella body, NCU is registered with the Ministry of Labour andProductivity and an arm of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC.

It noted that its decision to ask for the inclusion of unemployed youths, was to ensure their inclusion in the business of governance andthe development processes.

In a statement yesterday in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, the group said that the call by the unemployed youths for their inclusion in theelectoral processes was a call to duty and to ensure a corruption-freeexercise and empowerment to the youths.

“The voters registration exercise will also go a long way to ensure that a correct data of the nation’s unemployed youths is captured fordevelopment purposes. It will help provide the government with relevantdata to ensure a social security system to be put in place and ensurethat the electoral fraud is blocked.”

It noted that the task before the authorities of the INEC was dual and targeted at ensuring development and guard against issues ofkidnapping and other violent crime in parts of the country.

Is pop corrupting kids?

Over the last 20 years, pop has grown up. The genre has sealed its place amongst the most lucrative fields in global entertainment, dominating media headlines and captivating the imaginations of countless teenagers. But in doing so, has it gone overboard, compromising innocent thrills in a haze of raunch and sensationalism?

That's the claim of one of the 80s' most significant producers, Mike Stock, one third of Stock Aitken Waterman, who helped launch the likes of Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and Rick Astley, masterminding numerous chart hits during the trio's golden era. But he is not impressed with where pop is at in 2011.

Stock blames the genre's current stars for "sexualising" youngsters everywhere. "The music industry has gone too far. It's not about me being old-fashioned. It's about keeping values that are important in the modern world. These days you can't watch modern stars - like Britney Spears or Lady Gaga - with a two-year-old.

"Kids are being forced to grow up too young. Look at the videos. I wouldn't necessarily want my young kids to watch them. I would certainly be embarrassed to sit there with my mum," he explained. But does Stock have a point? Certainly, this year has seen a procession of semi-naked, sexed-up singles and videos from the likes of Beyonce, Gaga, Katy Perry and Kylie.

But many of these have a more mature audience, particularly in the example of Kylie, who have grown up with the star. Better examples can be seen in the work of Britney, who launched her pop career as a Catholic schoolgirl on heat in the ‘...Baby One More Time' promo and has gone on to base her entire career on 24/7 sleaze, both in pop and her real life.

More recently, Miley Cyrus has been transformed from the wholesome, all-American good girl star of ‘Hannah Montana' into the man-eating, leather-clad Lolita bad girl of recent single ‘Can't Be Tamed'. All this in just two years. It's a dramatic change. But is it the same one we expect or want from our own children? Or is the pop world simply setting a terrible example to its biggest fans?

Is Mike Stock right? Are the music stars of today guilty of "sexualising" the world's youth? Or is it just harmless pop fun? Have your say below...