Posted by 9jabook.com on November 15, 2009 at 10:00pm
Unconfirmed rumours reaching us indicate the Former First Lady is Dead.
Below is some news filtering in through the grapevine:
Maryam Babangida
Maryam Babangida, Nigeria's former First Lady is dead. The fomer chairperson of the Better Life for Rural Women during her husband's years in office, had been hospitalised for ovarian cancer at the UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center in Los Angeles.
Mrs. Babaginda's condition worsened about six months ago after she attended the wedding of Umaru Yar'Adua's daughter, Nafisat, who married the 54 -year old governor of Bauchi State.
General Babangida, the retired ex-dictator was granted a US visa on compassionate grounds to be at the bedside of his wife, till her death.
Her cancer had reached an advanced stage.
Read more…
Posted by 9jabook.com on November 15, 2009 at 8:18pm
By Ifeanyi Ibeh
The Golden Eaglets on Sunday failed in their quest to become the first team in the history of the FIFA U-17 World Cup to defend the trophy after losing by a lone goal to Switzerland at the National Stadium in Abuja.
The Eaglets also failed in their bid to become the first host nation in the history of the cadet tournament to win the trophy.
And it was all due to the team’s inability to convert the numerous chances that came their way in the encounter, watched by a capacity crowd at the 60,000-seater stadium.
The turning point of the encounter arrived in the 63rd minute when Haris Seferovic nodded the Swiss into the lead from a corner kick for his fifth goal of the tournament.
Five minutes earlier, the towering striker of local Swiss side, Grasshoppers, had found himself face-to-face with Golden Eaglets goalkeeper Dami Paul but he failed to bring a save out of the Nigerian keeper who unlike his opposite number in the Swiss goal, Benjamin Siegrist, was mostly on holidays.
Swiss hero
Siegrist was undoubtedly the hero of the Swiss team as he pulled off save after save to deny the Golden Eaglets a fourth world title, especially in the first half.
The opening 45 minutes was played at a frenetic pace and the Golden Eaglets could have shot into the lead as early as the 4th minute through Abdul Ajagun but his shot from the edge of the area was cleared off the goal line by a Swiss defender with Siegrist well beaten.
A minute later, Siegrist was on hand to make three saves in quick succession, the first two from the boots of Stanley Okoro, and the third from a speculative long range effort by Aigbe Oliha.
The Golden Eaglets continued to make incursions and appeared the more likely side to open scoring, especially through Sani Emmanuel, who was handed a rare start by John Obuh, and the hardworking Ajagun who continued to prove more than a handful for the Swiss defence who had the Aston Villa goalkeeper to thank for keeping the score line barren at the half way point of the game.
Emmanuel should actually have put the Eaglets in front a minute into the added time, but a minute after seeing his tame effort easily saved by Siegrist, the youngster failed to curl his shot past the goalkeeper after making his way into the Swiss vital area.
More heroics
The second half saw Siegrist continuing with his heroics, first, in the 58th minute from Stanley Okoro, and then in the 69th minute from Emmanuel, six minutes after his side had shot into the lead. In the 78th minute, the 17-year-old pulled off, perhaps, the most important save of the day when seconds after seeing his crossbar rattled by a Nigerian header, he used everything at his disposal, from his hands to his legs, to keep out the ball from going into the net in the midst of a sea of Nigerian legs.
And by the time the Uruguayan referee, Martin Vazquez, blew for the end of proceedings, Nigerian fans at the venue had started filing out of the stadium and weren’t around to witness the presentation ceremony that saw Golden Eaglets midfielder, Ramon Azeez, claim the Bronze Ball with his industrious team mate, Emmanuel, carting home the Golden Ball as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, alongside the Bronze Boot after finishing as the tourney’s third leading scorer with five goals.
But considering all the controversies that trailed the Nigerian side, particularly on the actual ages of the players all through the duration of the championship, does anyone feel that justice has been served?
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SSS smashes kidnap gang, rescues Perm Sec and NBA Chairman, recovers $130,000, N10m
Uchechukwu Olisah, Benin City
Saturday, November 14, 2009
The State Security Service (SSS) in Benin City, the Edo State capital, on Friday, announced the smashing of a kidnap gang and the rescuing of 11 victims.
advertisementBesides, the SSS announced the recovery of $130,000 and N10 million in cash.
The state director of the SSS, Mr. Olukayode Oduneye, who made the announcement while parading four suspected kidnappers, said the victims were abducted from different parts of the country, particularly the South West, Niger Delta, Niger, Benue and Adamawa states.
The rescued victims were Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youths Affairs and Strategy, Adamu Umar, who was abducted at Dikko Junction, near Suleja in Niger State; Managing Director ABS Gorminers, Abubakar Tarfa, who was kidnapped on Abaji Road and Deputy Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, Dr. Abdulganiyu Abubakar, who was forcefully taken with his driver, Abioye Tajudeen, on Okene-Auchi Road.
Others included the chairman of Ekpoma branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) with his three children.
The SSS director said the suspects were arrested at different locations in Warri and Benin, and that their arrests were made possible because of the cooperation of members of the public and good intelligence work.
He added that the arrests led to the release of the victims between November 12 and 13.
Mr. Oduneye said the SSS worked in cooperation with the police in Benin City and the military in Warri, Delta State.
One of the victims, Abubakar Tarfa, 52, who spoke with journalists, said he and 10 others, including the lawyer and his three children, were held hostage for eight days.
Read more…
Nude club owners dare Fashola
By JOSSY IDAM
After a recent early morning raid and closure, new nude nightclubs have staged a come back in Ikeja, the capital city of Lagos. The strip bars now operate without names, signpost and permanent home. With their usual bevy of pretty strip teasers, two new nude nightclubs entertained their ever-willing patrons all night long last Sunday and Tuesday.
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Show must go on
Never a dull place, hot hangouts in the city were abuzz with words of the return of the good, old, red, raunchy joints. By word of mouth and coded x-rated text messages, patrons were told where, when to come and be quickly taken to the main venue. “Please no rude intrusion and embarrassment. Security and entertainment is 100 percent pure water.” The coded message read in part.
The gate
Last Sunday, boys in blue jeans on major street corners guided patrons to a storey building on Ogundana Street, off Allen Avenue, Ikeja. Two hefty bouncers frisked people at the entrance and collected N2, 000 gate fee before ushering them into a large parlour with a detachable wooden platform in the centre.
With personal mementos around the joint – dry petals of flowers in small glass bowls tooth brushes, soap dishes and hair combs in a toilet – it is obvious the show was hurriedly put up in someone’s apartment.
At 9.18p.m, the dimly lit joint was full. A deejay cum comedian climbed the platform and reeled out some wacky jokes. Girls in high-heeled shoes, G-strings and slinky top cat-walked around, collected orders and served drinks.
Flat rate
Nothing much changed. A glass of beer, Guinness, Chapman, Smirnof Ice, Gordons Spark and minerals went for N500. A tot of brandy and whiskey sold at the same price. But a full bottle of Hennessy, Johnny Walker, Campari and other spirits went for N20, 000.
Naked Testimony
At 9.27 p.m. Sunday evening, the tempo of music in the joint changed. Lights went out. Strobe lights on the ceiling whirred above. Cued by Bracket’s hit song: “Yori-Yori”, a tall, leggy girl who wore only a string of beads around her waist danced to the stage. After a while, she tore off the string of beads and hustled her stuff stark nude. As the tempo of the song increased, the pulse rate of patrons ogling the girl raised with the song: “…Your-love-makes-my-heart-go-yori-yori…”
Lap dance
Six other girls took turns to dance naked on the stage. Each of them crowned their performance by dancing off stage and jumping on the lap of any patron of their choice. The girls sat astride the patrons, squirmed on their laps and moan erotically. Out of sheer excitement, some men get carried away and reward the dancers with wads of naira notes. Some, of course, take liberties – touching the girls tentatively and suggestively.
Coded
The strip teasing, belly, lap dancing, and wining did not end until the wee hours of the next morning. But before the patrons dispersed, the dancers and officials of the club passed words round that there would be an encore mid week and elsewhere.
“Just drive to the GRA, Ikeja, Tuesday night. The boys will bring you to the place. We’ll shift venue and keep you posted,” the
Deejay announced.
On Tuesday evening, messages at popular bars around had it that the boys who would guide patrons to yet another new nude joint would wear Adire jumpers and say: “How far?” to passers-by. The password was “Near!”
Defiance
The boys in Adire led old and new patrons to a bungalow, located off Isaac John and close to the Police Officers’ Mess at Ikeja, GRA. Apart from the joint’s large courtyard, the interior decors give the place out as a personal apartment. Makosa music played non-stop. X-rated movies on two flat TV sets on the walls of joint whetted the lusty appetite of the patrons. About 10 girls took turns to perform naked on a Persian rug.
Bad timing
One of the managers of the club told Sunday Sun the raid on nude clubs by the Lagos State Task Force on Environment and Special Offences was ill-timed: “You see, the whole thing’s bad bele. This is business and you know that the Moslem festival, Christmas and New Year are around the corner. We’ve made huge investments and they are trying to spoil it,” the manager said.
Told the state task force may be trying to safeguard public morality, the manager again rose in defence of the club and nude girls: “See, look around you here. There’s no child or teenager around. Men and women are properly screened before they come in here. So, we’re all consenting adults catching our fun. No one here is running naked on the street. Everything begins and ends within the confines of the club. The raid and arrest of our girls is absolutely wrong. We‘ve neither violated the law of the land nor the constitution.”
A patron who craved anonymity accused the state government of wasting public funds and chasing shadows. “Go anywhere in the world, all the big cities which Lagos is struggling to be like have nude clubs where adults go to unwind. We’re all responsible people. To my mind, the state government is simply wasting money disturbing innocent, harmless people,” the patron argued.
Ember month
The nude clubs in Lagos always get bashed and knocked around every November by Lagos State authorities. On November 9, 2008, Sunday Sun broke a story on Ocean Blue, a daylight nude club located on Opebi Road, Ikeja. It coincidentally got sealed up days later. On July 12, 2009, we also ran another expose on another nude club, Wall Street Pub, tucked in at 70B Allen Avenue; the Lagos State Task Force closed the joint town.
On Tuesday, November 3, 2009, the authorities swooped down on similar red-light joints, namely: Cazzbah, Club Unique and Magic City. During the raid, some managers of the clubs and 33 nude dancers were arrested and detained for eight days.
Speaking to Sunday Sun on phone, the Public Relations Officer of the task force, Mr. Tayo Ashagba said the strip teasers have been granted bail by a Lagos State Mobile court. “The girls constitute nuisance. Their managers will produce them whenever they are wanted in court,” he said and switched off.
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Posted by 9jabook.com on November 15, 2009 at 4:31am
After a week in the dungeon of the captors, the Nollywood ace Comedian Nkem Owoh (Osuofia) has finally regained his freedom. The family declined to make any comment whether any ransom was given to the kidnappers. But a source confirmed that a sum of N1.4 million was doled out to the kidnappers in exchange for his release.
It was further gathered that the criminal elements however, failed to release the actor‘s car until the balance of N100,000 is finally paid to them. Huhuonline.com gathered that the family members pleaded with the abductors to release Osuofia’s car, but the plea was seen as effort in futility. Initially the faceless captors demanded N15m ransom, this was negotiated to N2 million, and after several plea again since the family could not meet up, it was eventually cut down to N1.5 Million, but the family members who are under panic measure could only raise N1.4m.
President of the Actors Guild Mr. Segun Arinse confirmed this reports, affirming that Nkem Owoh is hail and hearty and he is in good health, maintaining that there is no course for alarm. He implores the security operative to heighten their security in ensuring that freedom to life and movement in Nigeria are ultimately guaranteed. A source on account of anonymity said this is the best time for the Police and other security agents in the country to nab these criminal elements since they still have the (defenseless) actor’s car vehicle in their possession.
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Posted by 9jabook.com on November 15, 2009 at 4:20am
Vincent Ogbulafor, PDP Chairman, in NYSC scandal
As the Peoples Democratic Party continues to defend the integrity of its senior officials, a NEXT investigation shows that the party’s national chairman Vincent Ogbulafor, is facing a potential criminal liability case as the status of his National Youth Service is now being called to question. Available documentary evidence and testimonies from aides show that at the time Mr. Ogbulafor claimed he was under-going the mandatory national youth service scheme, in 1993, he was in fact serving as the Commissioner for Works, Land, Housing and Transport in Abia State.
The NYSC hullabaloo is not an isolated case. In at least two other instances, Mr. Ogbulafor’s ethics have been called into question. In 2000, he was accussed, in a petition sent to the ICPC of fraudulently stealing N104 million naira belonging to the Federal Government. Also, the Human Rights Justice and Peace Foundation has raised questions regarding the source of the money the PDP chairman used to acquire his palatial home in Abuja.A 44year old youth
The questions surrounding Mr. Ogbulafor’s NYSc’s status were raised because a copy of his resume that was boldly displayed on the PDP’s web site showed that the national chairman of the ruling party did not do the NYSC programme after his graduation, but waited for 18 years- by which time he was well into his 44th year - before electing to go for service, a statutory programme designed for graduates of universities and holders of the Higher National Diploma (HND) below the age of 30.
However, Mr. Ogbulafor’s office moved fast to tweak the resume that was displayed on the PDP web site, after our enquiries on Wednesday. By Thursday evening what was initially entered as “NYSC Certificate...1993/1994” was now adjusted to read “NYSC Certificate Nov 1993/94.” It is unclear why Mr. Ogbulafor’s office thought this was the necessary way to proceed, since by that slight adjustment he revealed that he had completed his tenure as a commissioner before engaging in the scheme. In such an event, Mr. Ogbulafor would indeed be deemed to have committed a crime under the NYSC Act.
Mr. Ogbulafor, a 1975 graduate of Economics and Political Science from the Lake Forest College, Illinois, in the United States had apparently waited until 1993/1994 before participating in the NYSC programme. The PDP chairman refused to answer phone calls and text messages requesting that he shed light on this aspect of his resume. Party officials also refused to comment. Repeated calls to the party spokesman, Nuru Alkali, a professor of political science, were also unacknowledged.
When NEXT contacted , Chijioke Adindu, the spokesperson for the PDP chairman, he could not tell us the state where Mr. Ogbulafor served and his place of primary assignment, but simply said, “this thing is a personal issue, I can’t really say now. I will check and call you later.” He was, however, sure that Mr. Ogbulafor served in 1994. “The NYSC is 1994. It is 1993 to 1994 November 20th. I haven’t gone to the website; I will go there and check. All I’m saying is that it is not 1993; it is 1994, between November 1993 to 14th November 1994. He served as a commissioner only for three months in Abia State before the military took over”.
When NEXT tried to contact the National Youth Service Corps headquarters in Abuja to try and get answers to questions surrounding Mr. Ogbulafor’s participation in the NYSC scheme, we were told that as the NYSC camp was in session, there was no one available to respond to our questions.
The National Youth Service Corps Act
Section 12 of the NYSC Act makes it obligatory for every Nigerian seeking employment and who claimed to have obtained a first degree or its equivalent at the end of the academic year 1973-74 or at the end of any subsequent academic year to produce a copy of the Certificate of National Service or a copy of any exemption certificate as the case my be.
However, Mr. Ogbulafor’s resume contains several other instances in violation of the provision of the NYSC Act. He was employed as the Regional Sales Director, West Africa for Chemetron Corporation between 1976 and 1979. Also, between 1981 and 1986 he was the National Secretary of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria.
Prior to 1993 [or even 1994] when he claimed to have participated in the NYSC programme, Mr. Ogbulafor held a number of political and public sector appointments. In 1989 he was made a board member of the Imo State Sport Council, a position he held until 1991. In the year that followed, he was appointed by Ogbonnaya Onu as a Special Adviser to the Governor of Abia State on Economic Affairs. Subsequently in 1993 he was made the state’s Commissioner for Works, land, Housing and Transport.
A curious case
Chidi Odinkalu, a legal expert and the Africa Programme Director of the Open Society Justice initiative, found this revelation difficult to comprehend. “This is curious at best” he said. “I could say worse about it. By the time he did his youth service in 1993-94, he would have been over 45 years old. That would have required an exemption for him to get there.”
On the political appointments of the PDP chieftain, Mr. Odinkalu wondered how he managed to pull all that off .“He served as adviser to the Governor of Abia and as Commissioner in the state cabinet without an NYSC certificate. How did he clear the screening hurdle?” he wondered. Querying the 18 years hiatus between Mr. Ogbulafor’s graduation from college and when he claimed to have participated in the NYSC programme, Mr. Odinkalu said Mr. Ogbulafor’s actions don’t make sense and are perhaps indicative that there is more to this than meets the eye.
“This is a question of fact”, said Jiti Ogunye, a Lagos based activist lawyer. “If you subject his claim to probability test you will then come to a conclusion that he lied in his CV”. Thus he referred to Mr. Ogbulafor’s resume as a “padded CV” a term he explained is a euphemism for “blatant falsehood”. “It is unlikely for someone who is a commissioner to have participated in the National Youth Service Corps the same year because participation will then mean that as a commissioner he was in an NYSC camp in a particular state and was then posted to a particular place of primary assignment”, explained Mr. Ogunye.“Was he posted to Abia State as a commissioner? Is that his place of primary assignment? Further, would it then mean he participated in all the programmes and activities of the NYSC in that period including the days that were set aside for community service and so on?”
In the light of this, Mr. Ogunye said two facts have been brought to the fore. “He didn’t participate in any youth service corps or if he ever did, he didn’t participate in the year as he claimed.” Either way, Mr. Ogunye said “he will be a liar”.
Chinua Asuzu, an Abuja based lawyer, agrees with Mr. Ogunye. First, he said since Mr. Ogbulafor stated that he had participated in the NYSC programme, exemption does not apply to him.“If the facts are as you have stated, Mr. Ogbulafor and all those who employed him before he obtained his NYSC Discharge Certificate violated the law” In addition, Mr. Asuzu said “If you find out that he never even participated in the NYSC scheme, then he committed a criminal offence for which he ought to be prosecuted since the Nigerian criminal law has no statute of limitation”.
The NYSC Act is very clear about the punishment that awaits anybody that violates any provisions of the act. Section 13 of the NYSC Act spells out jail terms ranging from one year for not participating in the youth service programme to three years for failing to comply with the provision of the act and forgery of the NYSC certificate. This punishment applies to anybody who violates the provision of the act and the employer of such a person.
In the eye of the storm
NEXT investigations reveal that this is not the first time Mr. Ogbulafor will be embroiled in controversy. In 2000, while serving as the Minister for Special Duties (Economics Affair), Mr. Ogbulafor was alleged by one Chika Nwandibia to have fraudulently appropriated N104 million naira belonging to the Federal Government. This was contained in a petition written to the President Umaru Yar’Adua by Chidi Nwosu, the president of an Aba based civil society group, Human Rights Justice and Peace Foundation (HRJPF). The petition called on Mr. Yar’Adua to compel the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC) to prosecute Mr. Ogbulafor after he was indicted by the commission for fraud. Citing the case file that indicted Ogbulafor as Ref.NO.ICPC/P/NC/477/2005/37, Mr. Nwosu said that during the investigation, it was revealed “that Prince Ogbulafor and several others shared the loot and doctored the papers to cover their paths.”
He also claimed that Mr. Ogbulafor “in a rare show of honesty in dishonesty admitted receiving N2 million from the lump sum. He however claimed that it was an ex-gratia payment to aid him pursue an undisclosed political venture.” According to the petition, “the sharing formula showed that Prince Ogbulafor was given N28 Million through one Chris Nwoke, who according to Prince Ogbulafor is well known to him.”
When Mr. Yar’Adua refused to act on the petition, Mr. Nwosu proceeded to a Federal High Court, Abuja to obtain an order to compel the ICPC to act on the report of its investigation on Mr. Ogbulafor or release the document to the human rights group. On 20th August 2009, the court granted Mr. Nwosu leave to apply for an order (Suit No. FHC/ABJ/M/451/09) compelling ICPC to release the documents indicting Mr. Ogbulafor or to prosecute him. According to Mr. Nwosu, unfortunetly, the order was granted by a Judge M.G Umar who was standing in at the time as a vacation Judge. Since then according to Mr. Nwosu, he has found it difficult to get any judge to accept the case as many seem to be actively avoiding it.
Another accusation hanging over Mr. Ogbulafor is that made by the Human Rights Justice and Peace Foundation who say Mr. Ogbulafor bought a N400 Million mansion located at 45, Mamman Nasir Street, Asokoro, Abuja, three days after he was appointed the chairman of the PDP. According to a statement credited to the group; “We are aware that Prince Vincent Ogbulafor was not a business mogul before his assumption of office. Without doubt, the sum of N400,000,000.00 expended by Prince Ogbulafor is clearly an indication of an accretion to his personal resources which should attract his prosecution since he has no satisfactory explanation.”
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Living in Kaduna, we have some super hot days during the summer. It's not uncommon to hear about an air conditioner burning out because it's been overworked. But, the interesting thing is that many problems could be avoided by simply changing the air filter regularly. If the filter gets clogged or is too dirty, it restricts air flow which can cause serious malfunction.
In the same way, we have to keep the filters of our heart clean if we want God's love and power to flow freely through our lives. And there are plenty of negative influences in the world trying to clog us up, but the Word of God is the most powerful filter you can find! It can monitor what comes into your heart and what goes out.
The Bible tells us that faith works by love. If love isn't flowing in your life, then your faith can't work. Many people live with dirty, clogged up heart filters and then wonder why things aren't working for them. Don't let that be you! Take the time to check your filter. Consider the Word of God. Are their negative influences affecting your heart filter? Do your words and the conversations you have flow freely through the filter of God's Word, or are you all clogged up headed for a malfunction?
The good news is that cleaning your heart filter is as easy as calling on the name of Jesus! Today, if you know there are things in your life that are blocking the flow of God's love and power, make the necessary adjustments to keep that filter clean. Don't ever let anything stand in the way of His blessing and peace in your life.
"Create in me a pure heart, O God…" (Psalm 51:10, NIV).Read more…
The factLast night at about 9:30 pm, a loud noise, followed by a deep tremor attracted the attention of the residents of number 4 Bada Street in Mafoluku area of Lagos. Since PHCN was effecting its usual off days, most of the tenants were already indoors, either slumbering or preparing to, But most rushed out to see what made that startling noise. It turned out that the fence of number 2 Bada Street had collapsed, trapping a Widow Mrs Uche .M. Umunnakwe, a secretarial assistant with the office of head of the civil service of the federation, under the rubble.After spirited efforts by neighbours, working with bare hands, she was dug out and rushed to a nearby hospital from where she was taken to the Ikeja General hospital where she gave up the ghost at about 12:30 AM.Matters arisingSomebody was at the wrong place at the wrong time some might say, and call to mind the Igbo Adage that states that ‘a strangers corpse is like a bunch of firewood by the road side’ but Mrs Umunnakwe did not die because she decided to wash her hands after exiting the bathroom where she had just answered natures call, no, she died because of the rot that has eating deep into the fabrics of the Nigerian Nation.The fence that killed her has been a source of constant bickering between the tenant whose room is attached to it in number 2 Bada Street, Papa Chineye, and his elderly landlady, known only a Ramota. Erosion has over the years eroded the foundation of the fence and attempts to get the landlady, who resides in the same house, to repair the damaged foundation had proved unsuccessful. She is said to have told the tenants to either repair the house or abide in it like that. Her stand is not alien to anyone who resides in the low income neighbourhoods of Lagos where the landlords and landladies are demi-gods who see nothing wrong in collecting rents for houses and not putting back even a kobo into maintenance.Fate’s handThe tenants whose room is also attached to the fallen fence, Papa Chineye, had just taken stuck of what it would cost him to repair the damaged foundation just yesterday morning and have even paid for the estimated fifteen blocks it will take to rebuild it. Neighbours attested to hearing him discussing with the mason that would have done the repairs. It appears the premonition of the incident was felt my a lot of people, even the deceased neighbour my Tony, an Okada rider, claims he told the woman earlier that day of a dream he had the night before of the fence falling, a claim that was substantiated by several people who overheard the discussion between them.The hospital’s handThe Holy Saviour Hospital along Mafoluku road where she was first rushed to is nothing more than a dirt caked consulting clinic that lacks even the sanitary ambiance that one expects from a hospital environment. Though the doctor on duty was game enough to examine her, his only submission was that she should be taken to another hospital. On getting to the surgical emergency ward of General hospital in Ikeja, the ambiance was a big contrast to that of the aforementioned Holy Saviour Hospital. The environment is as clean as a hospital should be and the presence of several health personals made the mind a whole lot lighter. But, their insistence on protocol in the face of human tragedy was cause enough for tempers to flare as did their asking relatives of patients to run around the hospital from the pharmacy to the x-ray department and so forth. One expects a hospital a big as the general hospital to have staffs for that as well situating, at least, mini facilities within the emergency units. In addition, one seriously frowned at the dearth of beds and ward spaces.Though the doctors and nurses at the Ikeja general hospital did their duty, it was done in a lackadaisical manner that bespoke the attitude of Nigerian health professionals, slow when speed is expected of them, complacent when compassion would have eased a sullen nerve and overworked, with too few modern equipment at hand to help speed up the diagnosis process.A good neighbourEven in her last hours, Mrs Uche .M. Umunnakwe taught a solid lesson in community relations. Of the neighbours that followed her to the hospital were representatives of the five geo-political zones, there was a man from the Ogun state, Cross River state, Benue state and the eastern region.For her soul to rest in peaceAt the moment Mrs Uche Umunnakwe lies at the Ikeja general hospital while her two young boys Ugochukwu and Chidiebere, both in their teens, struggle with the cruel reality that fate has bestowed on them.The landlady is still holed up in her room – not that anyone expects much from her based on her advanced age.The house is still crowded with sympathisers and curious onlookers who are attracted to the scene for curiosity sake.…And more houses will followThe immediate vicinity, from Eyinogun street to areas around 7 and 8 pure water are riddled with dilapidated building in their tenth decades whose owners are either too numerous to collectively carry out repairs or even modernise them. THIS SITUATION BEGS FOR INTERVENTION FROM THE GOVERNMENT AGENCY INCHARGE.
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Posted by 9jabook.com on November 14, 2009 at 5:30am
Kenya go hear wen ! when the green white green enter the green grass showtime ....
The Super Eagles of Nigeria on Saturday afternoon defeated the Harambe stars of Kenya 3-2 to qualify for the South Africa 2010 World Cup. photo courtesy of NEXT
Obafemi martins scored two goals
Thanks to our brothers in Mozambique for taking tunisia down !
to all the haters who wished nigeria would not go to the first ever world cup hosted in Africa from us at 9jabook !BABA GOD IS A NIGERIAN !HE WILL NEVER FALL OUR HAND ! oya eh Soccer master give us timaya !Kenya don come hear wein !
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Posted by 9jabook.com on November 14, 2009 at 4:01am
Five people were killed on Saturday morning in an accident involving a commuter bus at Adeniji Adele Bus Stop in Lagos Island.
According to eyewitnesses at the scene of the incident, the bus, which was bound for Obalende, was impounded by officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and the accident happened while one of the officials of LASTMA was driving the bus.
"We saw the LASTMA man driving the bus and the brake of the vehicle failed as it was descending the Adeniji Adele Bridge" said an eyewitness, who didn't want to be identified.
Austin Akika, the divisional police officer of the Central Police Station, Adeniji Adele, said according to a statement from one of the occupants of the bus, the driver lost control of the vehicle because of the failed brakes.
The Chief Superintendent of Police who spoke to NEXT at the LASTMA office on Adeniji Adele said no official of the agency had impounded the bus and that the bus driver and conductor fled after the incident.
An angry mob threw bottles and other objects into the office of the traffic agency until it was dispersed by anti-riot police officers.
The bodies of the deceased have been deposited at the morgue of the Isolo General Hospital.
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THEY need no introduction as some of their tracks still blow the minds of good music lovers; remember Olufunmi, the track that became an item of sort and established them as big players in the Nigerian music scene, well, feelers coming from the trio of Shifi Emoefe, Tunde Akinsammi and Zeal Onyecheme who make up the group, StylePlus, is that Nigerians are about to witness the awakening of abundantly talented group.With successes registered with their hit album, Olufunmi, Back and better, the group which kind of slowed down on their game have realized the need for them to service their large fan base with another album due to high demand. Speaking to Trend'tainment recently ,StylePlus disclosed that so many factors was responsible for the poor outing of their last work , something which they have discovered and corrected with their latest work which is titled Ready To Go.And as the title implies, they are eager to race back to the top like they did with their first album Olufunmi and concludes that its one album that Nigerians will forever remember them for. As regards the number of tracks in the new work, they prefer to keep the public guessing as its one strategy that they believe will make the album something to die for they said.The album was produced by renowned music producer Sunky Donalds and in conjunction with Pace Entertainment is presently enjoying airplay in most radio stations across the country. Styleplus concluded that a huge listening party is expected to be held in Lagos before the end of the year to reaffirm the belief of their fans that they are the tag team to beat in the entertainment industry in Nigeria.
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DedeSpeaks against musicians and hunger strikeDede Mabiaku is the reporter’s delight any day. And just like his late mentor and Afro beat legend, Fela Anikulapo- Kuti, his word leaves a delightful echo in the ear.Twelve years after the Fela, otherwise known as Abami Eda, (The man with death in his pouch) passed on, the Warri, Delta State born musician is yet to release his debut album.He tells our Entertainment Editor, Ogbonna Amadi why. He also shares his experience as a married man and why he will never marry again. These and more interesting bits about Dede we have packaged for your weekend delight. Enjoy.It’s been long I saw you in a show.Why would I stop playing? I wouldn’t. That I was just out of Nigeria for a while didn’t mean I stopped playing.But you’ve not been playing for long.With my band, yes. It’s been long. But like I said, I was away. I had been living in Ghana, not in Nigeria. So, I put the band on break.What were you doing in Ghana?Actually, I went there for arts related business in music. I’m into different things in the arts world. Music alone has its own time. We must know that people learn different things in life as they progress. Well, I was in Ghana. And it was another education for me, understanding what production was all about.Learning musical production?Yes, musical production. I was into studio technology and the rest of them and then I was also performing. But in all, I went to Ghana to catch some rest. I needed it.You were learning production in Ghana. Aren’t there good studios in Nigeria?No, I said there are good studios. The scene in Ghana was very convenient for me to study, to learn what I wanted to learn. There was much to learn and the shows I had in Ghana with my band were different. I recorded in different places.I recorded in Ghana in 2000, in 1998 first, as a matter of fact. I recorded with a friend of mine in 2002. I recorded in Nigeria also. So, I understand the patience level of the Ghanian studio. It is different from the patience level of the Nigerian studio. The business schedule of the Ghanian studio is different from that of the Nigerian studio. I found my better option in Ghana.Afrobeat. Which country is better- Ghana or Nigeria?Nigeria, because that’s the source. Ghana has an understanding of Afrobeat from their direct contact with Fela when he went to Ghana. And so they are in love with Afro-beat based on that. But not as much as Nigerians.Well, you physically dress to adapt to your style of music, though I wouldn’t want to call it Afro-beat anymore.Yeah, Afro-beat is a serious education of comparative high life.Are we looking at the Oni dodo and the Koola Lobito level of those days?No, I thought back to one time when Fela used to gist with me. He would say, ‘Dede, look there is one thing I want you to do. Go and listen to those high life days of old…. When you listen to them, then you will begin to understand the ingredients of a true African music. You must go back and start to listen to these things.And then go and start listening to reggae…rhythm and blues. You need to educate yourself and improve based on the knowledge you gain. After a few years, I decided to study properly.The years of sacrifice, moving from one country to another playing music. One would have expected that you’ve learnt enough to tell Nigeria, this is what I learnt from the master.I think you’re missing the point because Nigerians are already knowing and feeling what I learnt from the master. It’s simply wrong if you say I have not done anything within these periods. Then, that’s not putting it in the right context. As far as music is concerned, nobody can say I’m not delivering the way I need to.Then, why haven’t you produced an album?If you’re talking about releasing an album, that’s a different cup of tea, and I have my reasons for not wanting to do that yet. This is because I discovered certain things we have to do.What were those things?It got to a stage where some powers said that we cannot even play music; that we should just step away from it; we should not even attempt it. I didn’t think that was the case. I thought very strongly that if the source had to be in existence and in these present time of ours, then without the foundation, we are nothing.I had to make sure that these things that we are doing will gain more essence. So I sacrificed all to make sure that the original unit that is Fela’s Egypt 80 band was standing firm.Secondly, I had to make sure also that the top of that unit stands solid and is able to carry on where it needs to carry on. So ultimately, until that was done, then I can start doing the remaining things that I need to do.And what were the remaining things that you needed to do?You know them now, at least by now you see say the band don strong. I remember many years back, we brought the whole band to sit here and start to structure how Fela used to do his music itself. Seun was in school, in Liverpool then, and it was me with the team.They (Egypt 80 band) will give you the story and details of what happened. I left every thing undone, sacrificed for the band because it was important. I had to do all these because I knew Seun had a lot to offer because he is the last of the origin.Remember Fela handed him over to me. Today, they are doing very well all over the world and I’m happy and proud.But somebody at that time said the reason you didn’t want to release an album was because you were scared of being judged?I know that many years ago, you heard some songs from my album The green and white one. That was part of what we were pushing forward at that time. The reason why we stopped that was because we knew within ourselves that it had to be stopped.But for me, spiritually, that happened because it had to stop for me to concentrate on what I needed to do ultimately because if I had taken my focus from what was happening with the band, it wouldn’t have been good for all of us.Can you be more specific.Now that you are back inNigeria, what are we expecting from Dede?We are starting performances fully now. Thank God it’s home first and we are going to Warri.This is your first show in how many years in Nigeria?We did a show in December in Calabar for the carnival. It was the jazz fiesta. It featured Hugh Masakela, Asha and my band.The music was well taken in Calabar. But after that performance, I sent the band on break pending my return to Nigeria fully. I am happy they understood and also happy the guys stood by me. They know there is something to offer. That’s why we are back on track.Let’s talk about your personal life. Someone said the reason you went to Ghana was because of a woman.Before I met the woman I married, I had been going to Ghana. I have been going to Ghana since 1995. Usually, I’d spend about two weeks, just to rest and come back so that they don’t take you on a wrong drive.In later years (2000) when I went to Ghana, I stayed for three months. So it’s not true that a woman made me settle in Ghana. I stayed there myself intentionally and when I went back in 2002, I stayed for four months.But you didn’t meet her in your first few years in Ghana.I met her when I turned 40. In my life, I had seen it all and I felt there was nothing left but to get married. Besides, I liked her. So, I thought I should just get married, after all it’s not a crime. I went into it to feel and experience what marriage was all about.I have heard that your ex- girl, Bimbo is back.No, Bimbo and I are just friends and we remained friends, even when I got married. So, what is between us today is just purely friendship, like a brother and sister thing. It is very deep and nothing can change that.But sometimes, I ask myself why real friends can’t get married and still remain friends?The point is that the moment you get married, it is a different scene entirely. The ownership clause comes in and that becomes the major problem because she wants to own her own sector and the man wants to dominant his domain.And when that happens, you must compromise. But when it’s not working the right way, it’s stupid to continue to break your head. It is better you remain friends and have peace of mind.Now that you have tested marriage, would you like to test it again?No, I won’t get married again. I don’t need it. I have children.How would your dad feel knowing that his first son is not married?You are getting the whole picture wrong. Marriage is different from companionship.Do you have sisters and brothers?Plenty. You can’t even count. My family members are calm and very reserved. They don’t like publicity. But I am different for I am the only one in the eye of the public. I am very happy with the profession I chose.Recently, some group of persons gathered and said they were embarking on hunger strike to protest against piracy.What’s your take on this?That time when Fela was talking about piracy, he did it alone without anybody. Other musicians didn’t support him. Some went behind his back and paid radio stations to play their music. And Fela at that point was saying the reverse should be the case, they should pay the musicians.Fela was exposed to the people abroad. He was receiving royalty from those units and he believed that the same system should start to function here in Nigeria. Because nobody supported his campaign, today we are going back to the same old story.Right now, I think we are going about it the wrong way. Let’s be realistic. When we talk of piracy, I ask, ‘ have we been able to identify how piracy came in the first place?’ We need to identify them because there was a hollow in the music industry.The market unit collapsed, the artiste and repertoire unit collapsed, the management of artiste themselves collapsed, the recording company, many of them folded up. So, ultimately what happened was that it became an all comers affair.These people you call pirates, are they not human beings? Since dem no be spirits, they have addresses where they operate from. And the people know who sell for them. Instead of fighting these people, get the data base of all of them, identify their marketing units, legitimize them and lecture them on what they stand to gain if they become the real marketing outlets.But if you are not interested in following the part of peace and you want to kill their units directly, then go directly and destroy their companies.Blow them up but that’s not what you want to do. The issue of piracy started here because there was no structures on ground. Some people had to do something to keep the music industry breathing. So, what you need to do now is make them understand what it would take for them to be credible and legitimate.So, when are we expecting your new album?To pin a date on it now won’t be proper. There is a team working on a package locally and internationally and that team is what I am working with now. I am going by what they have laid down. They want to do proper management structuring and I’m ready for them. They were here recently and they came in from Paris. We spent time together with the band and they were very happy with what they saw on ground.We’ve started the ball rolling. So, let’s give Dede the support now because he is back on stage live. Let’s have fun men.
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A Nigerian football star on Thursday said he had been sentenced to 40 lashes in Sudan after being wrongly convicted of drunk driving in Khartoum.advertisement
Stephen Worgu, who signed a reported multi-million dollar contract with Omdurman Club, Al Merreikh, last year, said he was innocent and determined to win an appeal against the sentence."I am not guilty of this crime...I can't imagine myself being flogged," he told reporters in his Khartoum flat.It was the latest in a series of high-profile cases where Sudan's brand of Islamic law has come under the spotlight. A British teacher was jailed after letting her class name a teddy bear Mohammad in 2007 and a Sudanese journalist was imprisoned in September after being convicted of indecency for wearing trousers. Both women had faced a maximum sentence of flogging.Drinking alcohol is banned under the sharia law enforced in Muslim north Sudan. Men found guilty are routinely beaten in public outside court rooms, while women are generally punished in private.Worgu, 20, said he was stopped by police driving home late from dinner at a friend's house in August.He said he was taken to a police station and briefly questioned, then later told to attend court this week."I was trying to make myself heard to the judge ... saying he (the policeman) didn't make any medical test. He didn't find me with any drink."He said the officers told the court they had smelled the home-brewed spirit aragi on his breath, but insisted he had never heard of the drink. "My lawyer was saying, 'This guy, he makes good money. How can he drink aragi? Aragi is sold for one pound."
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Girls are more interested in love not sex addict, but love addict. They feel empty, sad and hopeless without love. Apart from the sex they enjoy, they’re more interested in the chase and the illusion of being attractive and popular to guys.Nkechi, not real name a 22-year-old an undergraduate is a love addict. Her parents made it clear that she would be nothing without a man. She grows up feeling worthless and incomplete without a guy. To her, needing love is normal and natural. She feels empty and desperate without it. She lost several girlfriends as a direct result of the happiness. She derived being attractive and chased by guys.She once said, “As much as I hate to admit, a date with a good guy is more important to me than just going somewhere with a girlfriend. I can’t help feeling relief from those deep feelings, and fantasies girls have about guys.From the saying.”There’s a woman beside every successful man”, has a typical example for this discussion. Guys can look for what to make happen.While girls look for what will happen to them.They can suspend love till they achieve what they consider to be success. They so much feel secure and happy in achievement knowing that girls would eventually come. While girls are more interested in love and can spend a lot of their free time loving.FROM http://lovergist.comRead more…
Abubakar Umar, a lawyer and special assistant to Ahmeed Al Mustapha, registrar of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) was found brutally assassinated yesterday in Abuja. Abubakar was trailed by unknown assailants after he left work last night, abducted, shot to death, and set ablaze. His badly burnt body was found near Utako Market in the opposite direction of his residence in Maitama.
Already, the Nigerian police has been quick to claim that Mr. Umar died in auto accident, saying that his body was burnt because it was trapped in his burning car. But family members suspect a cover-up, contending that Abubakar's body was riddled with bullets and that the police recovered expended bullet shells from the scene where his body was recovered
Saharareporters learnt from a source at the National Assembly that the lawyer, described as a brilliant civil servant, had recently acquired a piece of land bordering the official residence of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives in Abuja. In an attempt to develop the land, Abubakar applied to the National Assembly leadership to grant access to him to take materials meant for development of his land through the property of the National Assembly in the Apo legislative village.
Abubakar was reportedly directed to meet with the office of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Usman Bayero Nafada, to seek the necessary approval. But his agents who met with Mr. Nafada were shocked to find out that he was only interested in taking over the land.
He (Nafada) offered to pay for it and asked Abubakar's representatives to name their price, but Abubakar refused to sell his prized possession. The deputy speaker denied the application for access and promptly requested the minster of the Federal capital territory to revoke the land allocation to Mr. Umar for "security reason".
Things took a curious turn two weeks ago when the land allocation was revoked by the Minister of the Federal capital Territory (FCT), Adamu Aliero, and re-allocated to Mr. Nafada.
Abubakar Umar, was considering challenging the FCT in court over the revocation but had not yet been able to obtain the revocation paperwork to enable him commence legal action.
Another source also told Saharareporters that his death might be connected with the arrest and prosecution of some persons involved in forging CAC documents. Last month, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested two lawyers, George Ihijirika Okechukwu and Nwaroh Emmanuel, as well as Tolulope Akeju, alias C and C. They were charged before a Federal High Court in Abuja for making a false certificate of registration of increase in shares capital serial number 756501 of the Corporate Affairs Commission in respect of Jeruzeth International Engineering Company Limited, from N1,000,000 to N25,000,000.
Abubakar has been buried according to Muslim rites at the Abuja cemetry.
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Posted by 9jabook.com on November 13, 2009 at 3:30am
Virginia Tech Students Build a Car Blind People Can Drive
To spur development of technologies that could give blind people more independence, the National Federation of the Blind issued a challenge to engineers and inventors in 2004: Build a car that blind individuals can drive. Two years later, only the Robotics and Mechanism Laboratory at Virginia Tech had taken up the challenge. The school’s Mechanical Engineer Dept., and nine undergrad students spent about two years on the project with the help from a $3,000 grant from the Federation, plus hardware and software donations from interested companies. The Federation challenge mandated that drivers could navigate a curved course defined by a single lane of traffic cones; regulate speed within a predefined limit; and stop in time to avoid a collision.
With funds limited, the Virginia Tech team, now named the Blind Driver Project, started with a relatively simple dirt buggy and began adapting it for a new kind of driver.
One of the first steps was to add a Hokuyo UTM-30LX single-plane laser range finder, which acts much like a radar. The sensor sends range and distance data on objects in front of the car to a CompactRIO real-time controller from National Instruments. The controller contains an FPGA that processes targets, translating the range-finder’s data into information the drive can use to stay on the road and avoid obstacles (cones).
A laptop running National Instrument’s LabView program gives the controller USB hosting capabilities, needed because the range finder works only with USB. Although the team tried to make the controller accept USB inputs, they stopped when they found that Ethernet communication between the laptop and controller was sufficient. The laptop also let sighted passengers and developers monitor all hardware and software operations and modify the programming for quick calibrations in the field. The controller also receives feedback about vehicle speed from a Hall sensor and steering angle from a string potentiometer.
The tricky part, of course, was conveying the sensor information to blind drivers. The approach they chose was to take advantage of the driver’s other senses, hearing and touch. For example, drivers wear a vest with several motors sewn into it. Each motor vibrates at a variety of intensity levels. To stay within the speed limit, one of the motors vibrates to indicate braking is needed, and the degree to which it vibrates correlates with the amount of braking needed. If the controller interprets all the input data as saying there’s an unavoidable obstacle up ahead, another motor in the vest vibrates, cueing the driver to stop immediately.
In the early stages of the project, a custom circuit board controlled the motors. The board hosted a PIC microcontroller managing a large bank of transistors and relays that activated motors in the vest at various intensities. It took commands send via RS-232 signals from a PC running LabView. But when the team acquired the RIO controller, they could use an NI 9458 eight-channel relay module to replace the circuit board. This cut down on the hardware’s bulk and simplified the underlying software. More importantly, it shortened the time between obstacle detection and full motor vibration, a critical factor in emergencies.
For steering, a mechanism on the steering column “clicks” every time it turns 5°. A potential-field algorithm in the controller takes laser data to map out a proper path. The controller then uses a speech-generation module to tell drivers how many “clicks” and in which direction to turn.
The team developed a tactile map to give drivers an idea of where they are. The flat, handheld device has small holes on one surface, similar to an air-hockey table. Compressed air sent through specific holes, or pixels, depict obstacles the laser range finder has detected. The map, named AirPix, lets drivers “feel” obstacles and navigate around them.
This past summer, the team let 30 people who were blind or visually impaired get behind the wheel and take the car for a spin. And whether it was their first time driving or a long-awaited reunion with the automobile, their reactions were overwhelmingly positive. In fact, says one team member, somewhat tongue in cheek, “We’re having to ask drivers to refrain from doing donuts in the parking lot.”
The volunteer drivers also made a lot of suggestions for improving the car, feedback the team will evaluate and try to implement this year.
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Posted by 9jabook.com on November 13, 2009 at 2:30am
Two years ago, Patrick Geryl, then 51, quit his job as a laboratory worker for a French oil company. He'd saved up just enough money to last him until December 2012. After that, he thought, he wouldn't need it anyway.
Unprecedented catastrophe will precede the end of the world in 2012, believers say, such as massive earthquakes, tidal waves and volcanic eruptions, among other calamities.
(ABC News Photo Illustration)
Instead, Geryl, a soft-spoken man who had studied chemistry in his younger years, started preparing for the apocalypse. He founded a "survival group" for likeminded men and women, aimed at living through the catastrophe he knew was coming.
He started gathering materials necessary to survive — water purifiers, wheelbarrows (with spare tires), dust masks and vegetable seeds. His list of survival goods runs 11 pages long.
"You have to understand, there will be nothing, nothing left," Geryl told ABC News from his home in Antwerp, Belgium. "We will have to start an entire civilization from scratch."
That's because Geryl believes the world as we know it will end in 2012. He points to the ancient Maya cyclical calendars, the longest of which last renewed itself approximately 5,125 years ago and is set to end again, supposedly with catastrophic consequences, in 2012. He speaks of the ancient Egyptians, who, he claims, saw 2012 as a year of great change too. And he points to science: NASA predicts a sharp increase in the number of sunspots and sun flares for 2012, he said, sure to cause electrical failures and satellite disruptions.
All this adds up, Geryl said, to unprecedented catastrophe. First, a polar reversal will cause the north to become the south and the sun to rise in the west. Shattering earthquakes, massive tidal waves and simultaneous volcanic eruptions will follow. Nuclear reactors will melt, buildings will crumble, and a cloud of volcanic dust will block out the sun for 40 years. Only the prepared will survive, Geryl said, and not even all of them.
These may sound like the ravings of a madman, or perhaps the head of a small apocalyptic sect. But Geryl is not the only one who believes in the apocalypse. Thousands of people worldwide seem to be preparing, in one way or another, for the end of days in 2012. Survival groups exist in Europe, Canada and the United States. A simple Google search for "2012" and "the end of the world" brings up nearly 300,000 hits. And the video-sharing Web site YouTube hosts more than 65,000 clips informing and warning viewers about their fate in 2012.
"It's bigger than Y2K," said Mark van Stone, a specialist of Maya hieroglyphic writings and author of a forthcoming book on 2012. "The year is like a pop song or a popular movie. You type in 2012, and you get hundreds of thousands of hits."
Dennis McClung, 28, a project manager for Home Depot from Phoenix, Ariz., runs one of the Web sites dedicated to 2012, an online survival supply store, which sells gas masks, knife kits, bullet-proof vests and more.
"I'm not a firm believer in one specific prophecy," said McClung, who runs his site with his wife, Danielle. "But I think we ought to be prepared for anything."
Even with December 2012 still 4½ years away, McClung said business is booming. His Web site, which features an "official 2012 countdown" clock and exhorts customers to "be smart, be ready," averages several thousand visitors a week. McClung's best-sellers, he said, are emergency medical supplies and water purifiers.
"I get a lot of hits from India. I get a lot of hits from the Netherlands," McClung said. "But my No. 1 customer is the U.S."
One of those customers is Thomas Lehmann, a 25-year-old factory worker from Cape Girardeau, Mo. Lehmann said he started researching 2012 when he was 12 years old, and still spends about two hours a day reading about the topic both online and in books. He said he is saving money for survival gear.
"Whatever happens, I'm just trying to be prepared for it," Lehmann said. "I'm just learning to be independent of the system. I mean electricity, vehicles, alternate sources of energy. I'm learning to live without gas, basically be self-reliant."
"If this stuff does happen," Lehmann said, adding, "I have a way to eat. I can hunt, I can fish and I can purify water. I think it's people in the big cities that need to be worried. People that can't provide for themselves."
But for all the hype, there is little evidence the ancient Maya ever intended for the end of their calendar to be read as a portent for disaster.
"These prophecies of doom really don't have any basis in what we know about the Maya," said Stephen Houston, a professor of anthropology at Brown University and a specialist of Maya hieroglyphic writing. "The Maya descriptions barely talk about this event."
Instead, Houston said, the Maya saw their "long count" — the longest of their cyclical calendars — coming to an end in 2012 but also beginning anew on that date, without disastrous consequences.Read more…
A Lagos high court, presided over by Justice Deborah Oluwayemi, on Wednesday, dismissed an application filed by former beauty queen and actress, Ibinabo Fiberesima.advertisementShe was seeking leave of the court to travel abroad, to attend the forthcoming Miss Earth 2009 Pageant, which will be held in Manila, Philippines.In dismissing the application, the judge wondered why the ex-convict instead of proceeding with her appeal at the appellate court, was bothering herself with travelling out for a beauty contest.Justice Oluwayemi described the application as frivolous and an abuse of court’s process.Ibinabo was sentenced to five years imprisonment, for dangerous and reckless driving which allegedly caused the death of Dr. Giwa Suraj.Previously on the Ibinabo Drunk Driving CaseManslaughter: Court sentences ex-beauty queen to five yearsBy Tony AmokeodoPublished: Monday, 23 Feb 2009JUSTICE Deborah Oluwayemi of a Lagos High Court has sentenced a former beauty queen and popular actress, Ms. Ibinabo Fiberesima, to five years imprisonment for manslaughter, involving the death of a medical doctor, Mr. Suraj Giwa.Delivering her judgment in an appeal by the Lagos State Government against the verdict of an Igbosere Magistrate‘s Court on Friday, Justice Oluwayemi held that the N100,000 fine imposed by the lower court on Fiberesima was tantamount to judicial recklessness.According to the judge, it is unreasonable for a magistrate to give an option of N100,000 fine to someone who has taken the life of another person through dangerous driving.The judge added that Section 28 of the Road Traffic Law, Cap R10 Laws of Lagos State, and 2003 on which the convict was found guilty, did not give an option of fine.Justice Oluwayemi held that the magistrate misdirected himself and might have been confused by the allocution (plea for leniency) by the lawyer to the convict that the ex-beauty queen was a working mother.She added that when the term of imprisonment was mandatory, the court could not change it.She said, “I hold that the magistrate exercised judicial recklessness in giving her option of fine when such is not contained in the traffic law.”I wonder why the magistrate regards N100,000 as an option for someone who caused the death of another person by dangerous driving. Discretion should be exercised judicially and not recklessly.“The nature of the offence is so grave that I do not know how he (the magistrate) came about with an option of fine. Justice is a three-way affair.“N100,000 fine is not a reasonable judgment for someone who has taken the life of another person.“I hereby set aside the judgment of the magistrate‘s court and impose five years imprisonment on the convict.“I also order that the N100,000 fine paid by the convict should not be returned to her.”The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, had in 2005 charged Fiberesima to the Igbosere Magistrate‘s Court on a two-count charge of dangerous and reckless driving on the Epe Expressway, Lagos, that led to Giwa’s death.In his judgment, Magistrate Isaacs found Fiberesima guilty on the two -count charge and sentenced her to seven years imprisonment for count one and two years imprisonment for counts two.The magistrate, however, gave the convict the option of paying N100,000 fine to regain her freedom. The ex-beauty queen reportedly paid the fine and was let off the hook.But the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Olasupo Shasore (SAN), was dissatisfied with the sentence of Magistrate Isaacs and filed a notice of appeal at the Lagos High Court.The Lagos AG added that the magistrate‘s court had wrongfully exercised its discretion in a matter that attracts seven years’ imprisonment without an option of fine.The Lagos AG, therefore, urged the court to set aside the lower court’s verdict and give an appropriate sentence.But Fiberesima had in her statement of defence by her lawyer, Mr. Lanre Lambo, argued that the lower court had the opportunity to impartially observe her demeanour throughout the trial period before given her the option of fine.Meanwhile, Fiberesima‘s friend, also an actor, Mr. Fred Amata, has denied the conviction.Amata, in a telephone interview with our correspondent, said he was not aware that his friend had been sentenced.Another source who described himself as her lawyer also denied the report.“The matter has currently gone beyond the High Court. It is not for the High Courts to decide as things stand now,” he said.The President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, Mr. Ejike Asiegbu, when contacted, expressed surprise at the turn of events and promised to confirm the story.Fiberesima could not be reached as her phone was switched off most of the weekend.
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Posted by Jane Okinedo on November 11, 2009 at 8:31pm
From DESMOND MGBOH, KanoWednesday, November 11, 2009Pain and anguish have continued to trail the cases of two female members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), who were raped at gunpoint to a state of semi consciousness by a gang of 14 young men at their place of primary assignment in Fagge area of Kano State.advertisementThe corps members, whose identities are being kept secret by the relevant authorities, are of the Yoruba extraction, Daily Sun can confirm. One of them is a native of Lagos State while the other victim hails from Oyo State.The brutal assault, it was gathered, took place at the home of the female corps members, which is situated at the official ‘Corpers lodge’ of Adamu Vice Secondary School, in Fagge. This lodge is located within a walking distance from the secretariat of the Fagge Local Government Council and of a similar distance from the Fagge Divisional Police Station in the heart of the state capital.An eye-witnesse told the Daily Sun that the tragic incident, which occurred after midnight, on the November 3, 2009, had the entire 14-man gang sleeping with the ladies in turns. The raping took place after the gang had scared off the school’s gate men and the male corps members in their midst, locking up the former in a nearby female staff quarters and the latter in a small room in the compound.Spokesman to the Nigeria Police Force, Kano State, Superintendent Baba Mohammed confirmed the ugly incident in a chat with the Daily Sun on Tuesday. He disclosed that, so far four suspects have been arrested in connection with the incident, even as he pointed out that those in the custody of the police have since denied the commission of the act.Speaking also to the Daily Sun on Tuesday, the principal of Adamu Vice Secondary School , where the heinous act occurred Alhaji Mohammed Garba, said that although the corps members were domiciled in his quarters, they were actually engaged for their primary assignment by a nearby Women Centre , where they are teaching.According to his account of the abuse, “On the 3th of November, 2009, when my watchmen were outside and their fellow corps member were making free calls, they were suddenly invaded by a gang of about 14 men. They asked the maiguards (watchmen) to go inside the female staff quarters and also got the male corps members locked up in one room. The female corps members were already a sleep at the time. At first, the female victims refused to the open their doors, but they were later persuaded by the watchmen and the fellow corps members, who pleaded with them to open the door and avoid being killed”.He went further: “Later on, they opened the door. The gang first collected their money, then their handsets, their wrappers and their foodstuffs, which was in the carton, because one of them was about to travel and had arranged her things.And thereafter, they raped all of them.“When my maiguards (watchmen) saw what had happened, they sneaked through, jumped the window, and went out to inform the police, He said the school had so far shouldered the bills of the medication of the ill fated corps members, who were rushed, after the incident to the Murtala Hospital in the state.Sources close to the Daily Sun revealed that the ladies had since moved out of the lodge to an undisclosed location inside Sabon Garri area, where it was speculated that they were squatting with their Yoruba relatives, many of whom felt aggrieved.Ironically, the Fagge Local Government Chairman, Alhaji Tukur Mohammed, who is supposed to be the guardian of all the corps members posted to his domain, has demonstrated the coldest indifference to the plights of the rape victims. According to the principal, “Up to this time that I am talking to you, the Local Government Chairman has not turned up to take any responsibility for the medication of the victims. It was the school that took them to the hospital and it is the school that has been paying their bills.The NYSC State Coordinator in Kano State, Nuhu Kwage is away for the orientation exercise in Karaye local council but his officials have been on top of the development.
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