Posted by 9jabook.com on October 28, 2009 at 8:33pm
Are we Dreaming or is Bode George Really in Prison in Naija ? Well, All Mustapha (who is still there for Kudirats' Alleged Assasination !) welcomed him to his domain .....Boy George's Newest wife was there to offer him some breakfast comfort with her cronies ..Now the Cat is out of the house , the "mouse" wants to make sure where he is ... READ ON !
* Shuns prison food
* Gets appeal documents
* Visitors barred from seeing him
LAGOS — FORMER Chief Security officer to the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, was one of the high-profile inmates of the Kirikiri Maximum-Security Prison who welcomed Chief Bode George, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the prison on his arrival, Monday, Vanguard can authoritatively reveal.
Vanguard also gathered that Chief George, who was sentenced to 28 years jail term by Justice Joseph Oyewole of the Lagos High Court, but to spend two-and-a-half years, has not eaten Prison food since Monday night, neither has he applied for food to be brought to him from his home.
Meantime, security at the Kirikiri prison was tightened yesterday as Chief George and five members of the board of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, which he chaired, spent their first day in the prison after being jailed, Monday.
Others jailed alongside George were former Managing Director of the NPA, Architect Aminu Dabo; Captain Olusegun Abidoye, Alhaji Zanna Maideribe and Alhai Sule Aliyu.
Reports say they were allocated beds in the ‘Important Personalities’ block of the prison yard.
But it could not be ascertained whether Chief George is sharing his cell with some of those convicted with him.
Vanguard, however, gathered that between two and three inmates are allowed to stay together in VIP cells.
According to the source, prison authorities do not allow a single person in a cell whether VIP or ordinary cell, for security reasons.
Besides, two of his personal assistants, counsel, family members, friends, relations and political associates who thronged the prison were not allowed to see him as fierce-looking prison warders restricted movement in and around the premises of the prison.
Vanguard investigation revealed that visitors are not allowed to see convicts on Tuesdays.
“There are specific days of visit for convicted persons and today (Tuesday) is not one of those visiting days”, said Mr. Ope Fatinikun, the Lagos Prisons Command’s Public Relations Officer.
Al-Mustapha
Inside prison sources said the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, stalwart was unusually calm as he was ushered into the Prison yard Monday to a rousing welcome by inmates.
The source said Chief George occasionally stared into space and shook his head in disbelief.
Al-Mustapha, who is standing trial for the murder of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, wife of the late Chief M.K.O Abiola and attempted murder of the Publisher of The Guardian newspapers, Alex Ibru, before Justices M.O Dada and Mufutau Olokooba respectively, exchanged pleasantries with Chief George and they had a brief discussion during a free period.
Bode George shuns prison food
Vanguard was reliably told that Chief George had not eaten since his arrival at the prison Monday, even as he was not accorded a VIP treatment contrary to expectation.
It was not too clear whether he is on hunger strike but sources said he had not officially applied for food from home neither had he eaten prison’s food.
This was confirmed by Prison sources who said although he was not locked up with other ordinary criminals, he was not given preferential treatment.
Asked whether food was brought for him by his family or friends, the state command’s PRO, said he had not applied for food to be brought from outside.
According to him, “he has the right to apply for food but he has not done so since he arrived yesterday (Monday).”
According to Vanguard investigation, among those who attempted to see him yesterday were the immediate past Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA Dr Adegboyega Dosumu, some PDP Chieftains in Lagos and other prominent Nigerians who were said to have arrived the prison gate as early as 6:30am in exotic cars some with Federal Government licenced plates.
Meanwhile, Vanguard gathered that final touches are being put to their appeal against their conviction as their lawyers were sighted on the prison’s premises believed to be part of efforts to get the convicts sign the notice of appeal drafted as well as the Motion for Appeal.
One of the lawyers who spoke with Vanguard on phone said, “we have concluded the typing of the process and ready for filing at the Registry. Unfortunately, we were unable to meet up by the time we got to the Registry of the High Court. Definitely, the process will be concluded first thing tomorrow (today),”
he said.
Day 1 in Kirikiri: ‘He’s an ordinary prisoner’
Kirikiri, where one of Nigeria’s maximum prisons is located in Lagos, is noted for receiving high-profile inmates over the years – convicted fraudster Fred Ajudua being one, for instance – but nobody of the stature of Bode George, former National Deputy Chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in recent times.
Not surprisingly, hundreds thronged the prison yesterday to pay homage to the former chairman of the board of Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA).
When THISDAY visited the prison yesterday, it was discovered that prison officials who had anticipated a breakdown of law and order in premises as a result of the upsurge in the number of unexpected visitors, had drafted prison guards to contain the crowd.
They were said to have been mandated to scrutinise the identities of those who claimed to be visitors to George before they were allowed to enter the prison yard.
The relations of the PDP?chieftain and his fellow convicts were seen with assorted food flasks, gold plates and table water, such as Eva and Ragolis.
A prison source told THISDAY that some of the relations of George included a young woman identified as his new wife along with some of her friends who were seen at about 11.30 am in front of the prison gate making frantic efforts to smuggle in his breakfast with the knowledge of the prison authorities. One of them claimed that she had already received permission of some prison guards after identifying herself.
Attempts by THISDAY to seek audience with some of the politicians and relations of the influential inmates met a brick wall as they refused to either identify themselves or make any comments.
Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State command of the Nigeria Prisons Service, Mr. Ope Fatinikun, said that as far as the prison authorities were concerned, there was no “big man” within the prison custody no matter their status in the larger society before they were convicted.
“Bode George and others are Nigerians like any other inmates who are ordinary Nigerians, whom nobody has bothered to ask questions about their welfare within the prison walls across the country,” he added.
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A female member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Niger state, has been reportedly strangulated to death by her male colleague . Nigerian Tribune learnt that the deceased and her assailant were both from the South Eastern part of the country.
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During the on-going service year, according to the Nigerian Tribune findings, the two corps members developed interest in each other with a promise that they would end up before the alter to consummate their love in marriage.
However, according to findings, the female corps member later found another lover who was able to find her accommodation within the Army Barracks in Minna, the state capital.
It was learnt that anytime the male colleague called on a visit, he was always embarrassed to find other men in her apartment and he did not hide his dislike for the attitude of his proposed wife.
It was gathered that last Thursday, when the male corps member visited his colleague, he decided to “act” since the lady did not refrain from being in company of other men.
Nigerian Tribune gathered that late in the night, the male corps member used a pillow to gag his proposed wife and strangulated her to death before escaping.
this is coming after a female corper was recently raped to death
Female corper raped to death
National Youth Corps members serving in Borno State have been thrown into mourning following the gruesome killing of their colleague, Miss Grace Adie Ushang by unknown persons. Adie was allegedly raped to death last weekend and her body dumped beside a river at the Customs Area, Maiduguri.
read full story here
http://www.9jabook.com/profiles/blogs/female-corper-raped-to-deathRead more…
Posted by 9jabook.com on October 27, 2009 at 10:49pm
It was a show of shame on Sunday when a woman who lied to her husband that she was going for a night vigil died in a popular hotel (names withheld) during a sex romp with her lover.
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The mother of seven identified as Modinat Alabi, 45, of Ereko Street, Fadeyi, Lagos, had lied to her husband a devout muslim that she was going for a night vigil but ended up lodging in a hotel with one Hezekiah Ladipo, 62, who also lives in the same street with the deceased. The duo, Daily Sun learnt, lodged in the hotel as husband and wife.
Daily Sun also gathered that the suspect, Ladipo also is married with three children. It was gathered that on the fateful day, the two lovers had lodged in the hotel, at about 2.45 am. Hezekiah reportedly rushed to the reception, where he complained that his wife collapsed and was gasping for breath during sex romp.
It was further gathered that when the receptionist rushed to the guest room, the woman who was naked had already given up the ghost.
Daily Sun learnt that when it dawned on Hezekiah that the woman was dead, he attempted to run away. The hotel management who suspected foul play arrested him and called in the police.
A police source told Daily Sun that it was during investigation that the suspect confessed that the woman he initially claimed as his wife was actually another man’s wife.
When the deceased’s husband was contacted, he was shocked, as he expected the wife to be at the night vigil.
However, the state police spokesman, Mr. Frank Mba, who confirmed the story told Daily Sun that the suspect was being investigated to know if there was ulterior motive rather than sex romp before the woman died. He described the act as shameful.
He said the corpse has been deposited at a public mortuary for autopsy while investigation is going on.
Read more…
Posted by 9jabook.com on October 27, 2009 at 10:41pm
The Golden Eaglets improved their chances of making it to the knockout rounds of the FIFA U-17 World Cup when they defeated Honduras 1-0 last night at the National Stadium in Abuja. And with Germany losing to Argentina, all the Nigerians now need to advance to the last-16 is a draw against the Argentines on Friday at the Tafawa Balewa Stadium, Bauchi.
The game’s only goal arrived after 53 minutes, courtesy of Abdul Ajagun, whose curling effort proved more than a handful for Honduran goalkeeper, Harold Fonseca.
The Golden Eaglets could, however, have shot into the lead much earlier in the 16th minute through Edafe Egbedi but the forward opted for power over precision and shot straight at Fonseca when he had so much space to aim at.
The Eaglets continued to dictate the pace of the game but Eugenio Umanzor’s side remained resolute in the defence, but they had Fonseca to thank for keeping the score line even, especially in the 41st minute when he was well placed to stop a rasping drive from Eaglets captain, Fortune Chukwudi.
Half time
After the half-time break, the Hondurans took the game to the Nigerians and could have gone ahead in the 50th minute but for the outstretched arm of Eaglets goalkeeper, Dami Paul, which kept out the goal-bound shot of Antony Lozano.
But two minutes later, Stanley Okoro, who was booked a minute earlier for simulation, failed to get his header on target with only the goalkeeper to beat. His miss was soon forgotten though as Ajagun, seconds later, shot the Eaglets into the lead from the edge of the box.
Honduran captain, Lozano, kept proving more than a handful for the Eaglets’ backline with his close control and sublime skills but in the end it wasn’t enough to salvage any point for the Central Americans who could still finish a respectable third in Group A if they can get a win over Germany on Friday.
Supreme Argentines
Earlier in the day, a pair of goals after many minutes saw Argentina storm back from a goal down to beat Germany also at the National Stadium in Abuja; a result that guarantees the South Americans a place in the round of 16 even before Friday’s match against the Flying Eagles.
The Germans, just as they did in their opening match against the Flying Eagles, shot into the lead after only eight minutes through Mario Goetze, who nodded the ball past Argentina’s goalkeeper, Damian Martinez, from a free kick for his second goal in many games.
And it could have been worse for the South Americans in the first half had Shkodran Mustafi, who scored in the game against Nigeria, not made a mess of a free header from an inch-perfect corner kick.
Argentina, however, started the second half with renewed strength and, in the 56th minute, Mustafi hauled down Daniel Villalva in the box. From the resultant penalty kick, captain Esteban Espindola stepped up to equalise. Then straight from the kick-off, a horrid German pass back allowed Sergio Araujo to steal in and give Argentina the lead.
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Posted by 9jabook.com on October 27, 2009 at 10:38pm
The father of the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and PDP governorship candidate in Anambra State, Charles Chukwuma Soludo, has been kidnapped.
The old man was kidnapped around 7pm yesterday at his Isuofia home in Aguata local government area of Anambra State. The kidnappers were said to have "stormed" his house in a Peugeot 406 car, according to sources close to his family.
At the time of the kidnap, Mr. Soludo, was in Abuja working with his lawyers seeking to vacate a Federal Abuja High Court order which gave the directive to INEC to remove his name from the list of candidates contesting the Anambra State governorship elections.
There has been no reaction from Mr. Soludo to the abduction, although sources said he is working on a public statement.
However, the aspirant's media aide, C. Don Adinuba, revealed that no ransom had been demanded, causing political observers to begin to link this development to the recent controversy within the party over Mr. Soludo's candidacy.
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Posted by 9jabook.com on October 27, 2009 at 2:23am
Golden Effects & DJAMEDIA in conjunction with
Africa At The Pictures
Presents
My first encounter with Mr Kunle Afolayan‘s work was during the build up to his debut as a Producer/Director with the movie “Irapada”. I attended the premiere and managed to sit all the way through the movie without getting up for extra pop corn refills or toilet breaks. To me this was the first sign that something about the talent behind the movie caught the attention of many. The indications that the director was on his way to higher ground was clearly visible.
I had heard things in the wind about this new project that Mr Afolayan was working on and had great anticipation to see the movie. This anticipation gave me fear; we all know that high expectation most times could lead to immense disappointment. The question that rang through in my head was would he be able to maintain the quality he had introduced the Nigerian movie industry to? or would he be a one hit wonder and fade into the back ground like many producers today.
Finally on Wed 23 Sept 09, I had the privilege to attend a private media screening of the movie
“THE FIGURINE - ARAROMIRE”.
The screening was held at the Odeon cinema in Greenwich London and was attended by a few members of the cast and crew including Mr Afolayan himself and members of the UK / Nigerian media such as DJ Abass (DJA Media), Mr Femi Okutubo (Trumpet Newspaper), Mr Olu (Gbedu Magazine), Myself (Vivacity PR), (Masino Magazine), DJ Ali, Tokunbo Tejuoso, Damola, Tunde Ayodele, Olamide Ayodele, Sola Ayodele, Tutu Atekoja, Shola Bee, Roberta Mayasi, Lola Maja (The Fantastic Make Up Artiste For The Movie) and many more.
Kunle describes the movie itself as multicultural and contemporary highlighting essence and efficacy of tradition, friendship, betrayal and love; that transcends both the ancient and modern day.
The synopsis of Figurine (Araromire) shows that it is a story of two buddies and a girl…all down on their luck have their lives changed when one of them discovers 'Araromire' a mysterious figurine in an abandoned shrine which, according to legend bestows seven years of good luck. But no one told them about the next seven years.
Stars in the movie include Ramsey Nouah Jnr, Kunle Afolayan, Omoni Oboli, Funlola Aofiyebi-Raimi in lead roles, with Wale Adebayo (Sango), Chief Muraina Oyelami, Jide Kosoko in supporting lead roles.
According to Kunle “it is a story I have been working on for over four years now; even before we shot “Irapada” and I think it’s high time we started showing better movies. For me, “Irapada” was an experiment and we thank God it was well received at home and abroad but now “The Figurine” is a better story and it’s a much bigger, better project in terms of picture, budget, storyline, and everything”.
The Figurine is the English name of the statue-like object that he uses to represent the goddess he portrays in the film. Araromire is the indigenous name of the goddess and the town from which she hailed. Kunle took his time to explain that the film is a fictional story, with no town in existence being called “ARAROMIRE” and as such, nobody can say we are telling a wrong story about his or her heritage.
Another part I loved about this film was the rhythmic traditional soundtrack. Although I found myself singing along by a quarter way through the movie, due to the catchy hook. I was eventually informed that as “ARAROMIRE” was fictional, so was the language in which the soundtrack was sung. So I was singing......?
It is a film that tries to highlight the fact that we are the cause of our own situation without ascribing too much to the gods or God, like we always do. It is a film that deals with the human belief, the human nature and it is going to generate a lot of debate. At the end, it is either you are on one side of the divide or the other.”
Despite the difficulty in getting financial assistance for the kind of project, Kunle brought commendable dynamism into it by collaborating with corporate organisations and individuals to realise his goals. He further adds “There is a way you work around such collaborations”.
The total cost of the movie lies in the realm of 50 million naira and is targeted to be part of about three major film festivals.
When he was asked how good his equipments are, although it is an open secret in the media and movie circles that he owns the best shooting/movie device in town, he said:
“The film was shot using 35mm not celluloid but digital, HD using 35mm adaptors and film prime lenses. All these together give you the same feel, same look of celluloid.
The Figurine has cost a fortune; millions but it will definitely pay because it is not going to be released on DVD/VCD until it has gone to the cinemas all around the world.”
Just as he harbours no doubt in his mind about the fact that the film will definitely sell out, primarily because it is a better story with better input, so does he believe that what the film is all about and its thematic preoccupation represents a deviation from the norm.
Since coming to limelight through “Saworo Ide” in 1998 and eventually quitting his banking job in 2005 to concentrate on where his heart lies, the handsome young man has broken records in Nollywood.
He is the son of the late Ade Love, one of the pioneers of movie production in Nigeria. Kunle is obsessed with the art of filmmaking. With Saworoide, Kunle steadily and steeply climbed to become a recognisable acting spirit. He later confirmed his status with an appearance in the sequel 'Agogo Eewo' and in other critically acclaimed works like 'Dark Days' featuring Zack Orji. Kunle was also a major part of one of the episodes of the popular Super Story series on Television. That episode was titled 'For the love of you' and Kunle lived delightfully the role of Tony Jnr.
An actor who has somewhat remained in the consciousness of most movie lovers, Kunle hops from one location to another and his major artistic contribution entitled 'Irapada' was voted the best indigenous language film in the 2008 edition of the African Movie Academy Award (AMAA).
I wonder what awards “THE FIGURINE - ARAROMIRE” has in store for Kunle.
The Movie premieres in the UK @ Odeon cinema Greenwich London on 31st OCt 2009.
RSVP to the event here.... http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=138595888731&ref=mf
EVENT: The UK ‘Red Carpet’ Movie Premiere Of ‘THE FIGURINE’ (Araromire)
DATE: Saturday, 31, October, 2009
VENUE: ODEON, (Greenwich)
Bugsby's Way, Greenwich, London, SE10 0QJ
(Next to Holiday Inn Express)
MOVIE TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpxH15DTejo&feature=related
CONFIRMED INVITED GUESTS
Kunle Afolayan, Ramsey Nouah, Funlola Awofiyebi – Raimi, Lola Maja
+ UK based celebrities from the Film & Music industry
+ Media personalities from TV, Magazines & Newspapers.
TIME:
Doors open 9pm, Red Carpet & Photo Ops 9.30pm,
Premiere starts 10.30pm prompt
TICKETS: Standard £10, Premier £15.
TICKET OUTLETS: Available from October 13th.
E: Tomi’s Kitchen 020 89866226 (Hackney)
E: Bronze Bar 020 7511 4252 (Barking rd, Canning Town)
SE: Tomi's Kitchen 020 8694 9352 (Deptford),
SE: Presidential 020 7708 4491 (Old Kent rd),
SE: Tasty's 020 8854 2171 (Woolwich),
W: Mama Calabar 020 8902 2277 (Wembley Park)
NW: D'Den 020 8830 5000 (Cricklewood)
24HR TICKET HOTLINES: 07956374473, 07859926100, 07932424175.
INFO: 07946811253
WEB: www.figurinemovie.com
AFTER PARTY:
Follows immediately @ PLANET NOLLYWOOD with DJ ABASS. TIME: 10pm – 4.30am
With cast & crew and all invited celebs on 2 Floors of Music..
DJ’s: Shola-B, Whateva & Mc Data
MEDIA PARTNERS:
HITV (Sky 204)
Nollywood Movies (Sky 329)
Trumpet Newpapers
Check Out Magazine
Vivacity PR
Masino Magazine
M&M Magazine
Gbedu Magazine
_______________________________
THE FIGURINE (Araromire) - PRODUCTION CREW
Producer/Director: Kunle Afolayan.
Story Concept: Jovi Babs
Art Director: Pat Nebo.
Special FX/Make Up: Lola Maja
Director of Photography: Yinka Edward. Costumes/Wardrope: Obieje Eru
Editor: Steve Sodiya & Kayode Adeleke.
Production Manager: Bose Oshin
Screenplay / Treatment: Kemi Adesoye
Graphics & Web: James ‘Abinibi’ Alabi.
Grading & Colour Correction: Soji Ogunaike
Read more…
Even though divorce is common, it’s worse than death of a spouse .It does a terrible devastation. If your partner dies, you face many losses, but he or she didn’t chose to leave you(except in the case of suicide).He never slam the door in your face, nor scream at you, or quietly live a double life of lies. People come over to express their sympathy come to you. Insurance settlements are quickly paid. Others come with cookies and goodies just to condole you. And, a dead spouse ghost doesn’t fight with you about who get the kids on the weekends. You never have to drop your kids off the cemetery.But divorce is traumatic, where death ends-divorce starts there. It has a steady stream of rejection, pain and loss of emotional feelings. It can be compared to a war that goes on in which the parties walk out with emotional scar. There are constant feelings of rejection, frustrations mixes with anger, hurt and deep longing caused by divorce. In fact, the entire family is poisoned; the victims can’t maintain good friendships with the former relatives.People avoid you and getting the regular child support from your ex-spouse is a threat. You no longer socialize like before. You don’t receive Mother’s Day presents, or the flowers during birthdays. You can’t fit in again in church activities. You miss the play mates who visit your home because of your ex-spouse. Even though both of you understand how much you miss each other; you can’t still help the situation.Children also have their own portion of devastation during divorce. It’s common for children of all ages to act out their pain during divorce. But, adolescent are likely to do so in more dangerous ways like, delinquency, alcohol abuse and drug abuse. Not all adolescents whose parents divorce are doomed to misbehave. But, it’s daydreaming to think that divorce will be better for the children.They also have to deal more with parent who’s not tolerance than before. More volatile issues like financial support or child custody are capable of causing hatred, pain and emotional feelings anytime there’s misunderstanding. The problems that caused the divorce still remain unsolved and increase bitter feelings towards each other.Younger spouse who’re victim of divorce assume there’s still plenty of time to find the right partner. While the older ones aren’t so sure. They sometime feel desperate and hopeless.To really prevent the traumatic experience caused by divorce. Couple shouldn’t rush to divorce as an option and assume that their marital problems are incurable. Marriage is just like human beings, a creature of habit. Any change in their accustomed environment will have a profound effect upon its. Even forces it to some kind of adaptation which in most cases can’t adapt.For those who have traumatic feelings caused by divorce. To get emotional stabilization and heal the broken heart, they shouldn’t wallow in self-pity or losses. Rather take stock of those losses and know exactly the source of their bitter feelings. Because knowing the cause of a disease is half cure. Having done that, share it with your trusted friends, competence marriage counselor or a pastor. You’ll definitely be relieved!FROM http://luvisgrate.blogspot.comRead more…
Posted by 9jabook.com on October 26, 2009 at 7:34pm
A Nigerian and his Indian (Punjabi) wife were arrested with more than four-gram smack at a naka in Mundi Kharar on Tuesday. The Nigerian has been residing in Mohali since eight years after coming here on a study visa. The car in which they were travelling has been impounded. After registering a case under various sections of the NDPS Act, both were produced in a local court which sent them in judicial remand,Times of India reported.
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The Nigerian has been identified as Baba Andrew John of Kano state in Nigeria and his wife as Manjeet Kaur, a resident of Sirhind, Punjab. They have been residing in Mata Gujri Enclave, Mundi Kharar.
Kharar DSP Simratpal Singh Dhindsa said on the directions of SSP, Mohali, Gurpreet Singh Bhullar a naka was laid at Mundi Kharar. The naka team was led by Kharar city police post incharge Tarlochan Singh. A white car was signalled to stop and during checking, four gram and 180 milligram smack was found from the possession of the couple sitting in the vehicle, he added.
Tarlochan Singh said Baba Andrew John had come to Mohali in 2001 on study visa and since then, he has been staying here and extending his visa. As his passport was expiring on November 1, he has applied for its renewal at Nigerian embassy, he added.
He said the Nigerian and his wife were into the illegal trade of narcotics and brought the consignment from Haryana and other places to sell it locally. This is not the first time that a Nigerian has been arrested with contraband. In July, Mohali police had held four Nigeria nationals with 500 grams of heroin. While two are students of a private institute in Mohali, the others claimed to be in India for business.
Read more…
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It is a strange world we live, where friends snatch their friends' husband Our writer today needs your advice to go on with her life after her husband left her for her best friend. Please, read and advise her. Thanks,
My name is Funmi. I met my husband in Ondo State after my NCE programme. We were friends for sometime but later things started getting serious between us. Dare was very understanding and caring and, moreover, we are from the same town. This earned him my family's love.
Dare was not educated; he dropped out of school because of financial constraint. I didn’t see that as a problem because I believe Dare would go back to school when things get better for him.
In the interim, he learnt tailoring somewhere in town. The love I had for him then did not allow me to see anything wrong in what he was doing.
I got transferred to Ibadan to teach in a primary school and, after, I persuaded Dare to join me so that we could continue our relationship. He did not agree at first, but after so much persuasion, he agreed. We started living together.
For about three years, Dare could not lay his hands on anything; he was always complaining that there were no customers. When things did not get better, he said he wanted to be a cab driver, I agreed with him and we saved some money and bought him a Mistibushi car.
After some months, I discovered that I was pregnant and well, Dare did not deny this and he was ready to marry me. My parents were not happy with me because I got pregnant before marriage, but because Dare was ready to have my hand in marriage they had no choice, they conceeded. The wedding day was fixed and we started preparing.
I called my childhood friend, Funke, to inform her of my intentions and also to ask her to be my chief bride’s maid. Funke had been in Ibadan before I relocated there. She and I went for shopping in preparation for the wedding.
Funke was very supportive even after the wedding, she was a shoulder to lean on. Our friendship took another dimension after; we got closer.
I forgot to tell you that she was a fashion designer too and things were quite okay with her, so I advised her to try and get a man to settle down with and to this, we started praying for a God-sent man who would be her husband.
In due time, God answered our prayers; a brother to one of her customers showed interest in her and after some months, they did introduction and started living together; this was when I had my first baby, a girl.
Just like a true friend, Funke played a prominent role during the naming ceremony; it was as if it was her child and after some months, she also became pregnant, and my advice to her as a friend was that she should formalise the wedding so that she would not have the baby out of wedlock. She took my advice and got married.
After some years, my husband started behaving funny; he started keeping late nights. He neglected his responsibilities at home and stopped caring for the children.
I became worried over this and raised the issue with him, but all to no avail; he wouldn't bulge.
I was itching so much to pour out my mind to someone but I couldn't since Funke rarely came visiting like before and I was also very busy with my work. However, I went to our home town to report Dare to his people; I didn't know I was digging the grave for my marriage. By the time I got home, Dare had completely abandoned the children and went away.
The children later told me that he came the night I left for Ondo, asked after me and went ahead to pack some of his clothes and went out that night. I was perplexed when I heard this. Where could he have gone to?
Nobody knew his whereabouts. I tried to look for him, but to no avail. On a fateful day, Lekan, one of my children, said he saw him around Funke’s place at night. My heart beat with hope and I thought I had found my man. But the boy reported that when Dare saw him, he didn’t say anything but went in quietly into Funke’s apartment.
I was shocked and confused and wondered what he could be doing in Funke’s flat at that time of the night. When Lekan sensed I was very worried he let the cat out of the bag. He said one of Funke's sons in his school had told him secretly that Dare had been in their house all these while.
I was so confused at that piece of information that I almost ran crazy. I cried myself to sleep that night. The following morning, I decided to see Funke to confirm what Lekan had told me. To my surprise, I saw Funke with a bulging tummy! Of course, she couldn’t have been impregnated by her husband who had been in London.
She was shocked when she saw me but she summoned courage and confronted me when I asked about Dare. To my utmost shock, Funke ordered me out of her house and warned me not to come there again. She shouted on me and called me all sorts of names.
I was dumbfounded even as passersby were asking me what happened, I couldn’t say anything. I couldn't believe Dare and my best friend could connive to do this to me. I accepted my fate and pulled myself together.
I knew I needed the strength to bring up my children and to continue with my life. I got closer to God. However, I later learnt that Dare and Funke had packed out of the house to live in a street, not quite far from ours.
Funke gave birth some months after and had a baby boy. I learnt that some people in our street attended the naming ceremony. I didn't allow that to bother me as I was ready to go on with my life without him.
It wasn't long after this, that I heard the rumour that Dare was sick and was admitted to a hospital. I pitied him and wanted to go and see him, but I didn't want Funke to see me and start calling me names. Things, however, did not get better for him because he died after some weeks.
I felt terrible and cried bitterly. As if this was not enough, some weeks after, Funke also died mysteriously. Taiwo, this was the last straw that broke the camel's back. People on the street believed I did something; they accused me and called me a witch, alleging that I was the brain behind their deaths.
This was enough pain for me and my children. How could I have done a thing like that, after all he left me and my children and met his end. How am I to be blamed? Please, advise me on what to do.
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I'm sorry if you think I'm crazy, but this is in response to a question that SHE asked me in the previous post, and I totally went off point and began to ramble about Igbos and Yorubas having boots long before the Europeans showed up.
Anyway, I promised I would find a picture because I had come across a pair of Yoruba boots in an obscure African museum once and I found it!!!!
Yay!!!!!!!
Below are two very very rare sets of Igbo riding boots that according to the museum may have been made to wear with horses purchased from Hausa traders (bloody trypanosomiasis means some parts of Igbo land are a death trap for our four-legged friends).
Note the split toes. These things are crazy cute!!!!!!
Behold the ancestor of the jumpsuit that is currently flooding the catwalks of Fashion Week
And according to the IMA Museum, this Igbo Agbogho masquerade costume is worn with boots, which totally makes sense because I've seen the Agbogho Mmuo and the whole thing looks like a playsuit so I guess they wear the matching boots to create that effect.
Now tremble at the awesomeness of Nigerian Cultures!!!
adapted from sugabelly2.0blogspot
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Posted by SULE BELLO on October 25, 2009 at 11:59pm
Bankole to Niger Delta: your leaders failed youHouse of Representatives Speaker Dimeji Bankole yesterday hit Niger Delta leaders hard, saying they should carry the can for the crisis in the region, which he said they failed to develop inspite of the huge funds they got in the last 10 years.He spoke at a national summit on Post Amnesty Confidence Building in Kaduna.To Bankole, it is true that Nigerians were not fair to the Niger Delta before the advent of the current democratic dispensation, but events in the last 10 years have changed the course of action in the region."If we are to be honest with ourselves, we have not been fair to the Niger Delta. We have been unfair to the Niger Delta. The Niger Delta has been producing the funds with which we’ve been running this country for so many years."The funds we used to build Abuja where I came from this morning, those lovely roads and bridges and offices came from the funds from the Niger Delta. I have not seen such bridges and roads in the Niger Delta. I haven’t. Until those roads and infrastructure come to the Niger Delta, well, we’ll continue to put the request on the front burner of Nigerian politics," he said.But, the Speaker argued that state governments in the Niger Delta collect much more from the Federation Account than all the northern states put together, pointing out that Bayelsa State, for example, collects almost 10 times more than Lagos State. Development in Lagos State has shown that good governance pays after all, said the Speaker.He said the past neglect of the Niger Delta was changing for good, adding: "In the last 10 years, there has been tremendous improvement in the governance, financing of the Niger Delta. In the last 10 years, indigenes of the Niger Delta have been operating at the top level of governance in Nigeria."Today, the Vice President is of Niger Delta origin. Today, the head of service that is the engine room of the government is from the Niger Delta. Should I go on? The Chief of Defence Staff is also from the Niger Delta. I should carry on? Until a few months ago, even the Inspector General of Police was from the Niger Delta. Even when it comes to economic, security and politics, Niger Delta is at the top."For some of you who have been to Lagos in the past one year, I’m sure you’ll notice the difference. And I’m not shy to appreciate that there is a difference in Lagos. It’s good governance."Like I said, there are differences in Nigerian government today. But I’ll tell you, His Excellency, the governor of Bayelsa State collects 9.2 times more money than Lagos State from the Federal Allocation. That’s a recent development. Don’t compare it with 20 years ago."I know that Rivers State collects more money than the entire North Eastern part of Nigeria, today. I know that Akwa Ibom State collects more money than the entire North Western part of Nigeria today. I know that Bayelsa State collets more money than the entire North Central states of Nigeria…"Nigeria’s budget for this year was around N3trillion. However, by the time you add the budget of the Niger Delta states alone, it is over N1.5trillion. There are may be over 140 to 150milion people in Nigeria. Niger Delta as about 17million; the remaining 130million is outside the Niger Delta."Those are the facts that 10 to 20 years from now, people are going to ask me, people are going to ask the governor of Bayelsa, people are going to ask all of us here that what did we do when these facts were being put on the table..."Bankole, who said that the Niger Delta people should begin to ask their leaders how the resources accruing to them are being spent, added: "When they start abusing me on the headlines tomorrow, just remember what I said here. Now, we have an opportunity. With these funds, there must be a difference because the people of the Niger Delta would begin to ask questions of their leaders on how these monies were spent."We may have excuses in the past that we were unfair to the Niger Delta. But those are no longer excuses today. Because we will ask you. When they ask me, I’ll say ‘go and ask them’. What did they do with that money?"Nobody’s going to come from Abeokuta to tell you what you do with your money in the creeks. If anybody is telling you that, he’s lying. You should ask yourselves about how your money was spent."And when they ask those questions, we better have answers for them. Not only have we been unfair to the Niger Delta, we have been unfair to the North East; we have been unfair to the North West; we’ve been unfair to the North Central, we have been unfair to the South East. We have been unfair to Anambra."Bankole’s view is that what is happening in the Niger Delta is not different from what is happening in the other parts of the country, "except that when the young people of the Niger Delta feel the thing directly, they react.""It didn’t just start today, they have been reacting gradually for so many years," he added.To the Speaker, there is no solution to the Nigerian issue, Niger Delta or otherwise, in oil.His words: "Oil will not produce the solution. It’s very simple. The technology involved in the development of oil cannot employ Nigerians. If it cannot employ Nigerians, it cannot solve the Nigerian problem."
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Nigeria’s bane is absence of strong institutions
I have always said that Nigeria needs strong institutions. But we must come together first as a country to have strong institutions that will make us produce a system that can work. As long as we don’t have strong institutions, we cannot produce a system that will work.
Hardware and software democracy
The first three institutions that I will like strengthened are the police, INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) and the security apparatus as a whole because, you see, many people see democracy only in the hardware. When I say hardware of democracy, I’m talking about roads, electricity, etc. But I see more democratic software. The software of democracy is more important to me than the hardware because if we have justice, freedom of speech, human rights, FOI Bill, etc then the society will be ready to take off. The other part of democracy will easily come because we have strong institutions backing them.
National Assembly should pass FOI Bill
After almost ten years, the National Assembly should pass the Freedom of Information Bill into law quickly. Let them not allow what happened in Romania happen to them. The Romanian government was chased out by the people. Whenever you try to stop freedom, to stop the people, the next thing you should expect is violence. There are other 140 million people out there who are against two million card-carrying members of political parties. So, let them know that these people are part of this country. They would one day say enough is enough and they would revolt.
It’s really sad. The lawmakers want immunity, they want second term, they want automatic ticket, and because they are lawmakers, they know they will get it. They will just pass the bill. If they pass it, they pass it in PDP not in PPA.
So Nigerians should come together on election day and say enough is enough. They can’t kill all Nigerians and can’t jail all Nigerians as well. So, Nigerians should stand and speak for justice.
What I’m talking about is not the military-type of bloodshed, but it’s a revolution. There might be some bloodshed but not like military war.
There is no strike or demonstration that doesn’t consume human beings. Blood is blood. You see on CNN what happens in China, in Thailand and some other countries. Blood flows during demonstrations. So it’s the same thing. It could be my blood or other people’s blood. That’s why it is always good for leaders to collectively do the right thing against having this kind of revolution of the people. To me, military government is out of fashion and nobody should talk about it, no matter how bad democracy seems to be.
But we can get the Romanian or Kenyan type of revolution, which is a good scenario. Those are democratic processes. As long as you are doing something within the law and competence of democratic process, you are in tune with it.
Murtala Muhammed is my hero
I don’t believe in the CIA prediction that Nigeria will break-up in 2015 or 2013. No, I don’t think Nigeria will break up. I want to be president of a larger Nigeria. If it is possible, I want to encroach into some of these neighbouring countries. That’s why leaders like Murtala Mohammed should not be forgotten. He is my hero not because he was a military man but he shared my kind of ideas. A leader must be a bit forward and courageous. Nothing will break this country. Since it didn’t break up during military regime and during the Biafra civil war, nothing on earth will break up this country. I want to be president of a larger Nigeria. Look at the size of USA. I want to be a president from here to Senegal.
2011 presidency ambition
It’s a possibility I’ll contest the 2011 presidential election. It’s a high possibility that I’ll run.
I’m not like other politicians
As a politician, I’m bound to have meetings. I don’t pretend. I’m not like other politicians who pretend. I’m having meetings and it is a right to have meetings.
Opposition will outwit PDP in 2011
Watch out to see the strategy the progressives will use to beat PDP to the presidency in 2011. It’s a big strategy and it’s going to work. But I won’t disclose it to you even though you work with The Sun. I do business with people in the media but business is business, politics is politics, and pleasure is pleasure. The opposition are the other 140 million Nigerians.
As for the opposition parties, don’t worry. They will speak with one voice when we get there.
Mega party won’t work
Mega party won’t work; I can tell you that. There is nothing like mega party. What is going to guide us is our conscience. We will be driven by our conscience. When every Nigerian is tired, you will be tired. The army, the police and the SSS that are supporting them will be tired because they buy from the same market from you and me. And they will speak the truth. Today, they are here with us. You know sometimes you appoint people who have no idea what to work on.
Why I parted ways with Obasanjo
I supported (0President Olusegun) Obasanjo because of IBB (Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida). The relationship broke down in year 2000 because I told him some home truths. The truth is that IBB made me support Obasanjo and he has been begging me to stop attacking OBJ.
I invested on Obasanjo but he later fought me politically and economically
I invested so much money on the Obasanjo presidency project. I first gave him a cheque for N100 million. Then the exchange rate in 1998 was N24 to one dollar. So it was over one million dollars. To me, it was a big sacrifice because no politician apart from people like T.Y. Danjuma and other big people were able to muzzle that kind of money. So, it is a blessing that I was able to contribute to transit from military to civilian regime. I am very proud that I did that but I am not proud the way the man treated many people and me. He fought other people politically but he did not only fight me politically, he fought me economically and it is bad for somebody who is supposed to be your son, your helper when things were bad for him. In fact, Atiku must be number one among the people who helped that man very well and I should rank among the first ten in Nigeria who helped him very well when he came out of jail because of IBB. So, he just treated me like that because I told him the truth. I told him things nobody wanted to tell him. I said things he wouldn’t like to hear.
Stella Obasanjo warned me
I cannot tell you exactly what I told Obasanjo because I have never said it in public. But I am telling you things I never told anyone. I have told you that there was a problem. I never told anybody there was a problem. In 2000, we fell out. And (late) Madam Stella (Obasnjo) warned me. May her soul rest in peace. She said the way you are talking to this man, it might be the beginning of the end of this friendship.
Obasnjo reneged on one-term agreement
I think part of the problem was because he felt I wanted to run for the presidency. But, really I was so much in a hurry to tell him to do one term because he agreed on one term. Obasanjo agreed publicly, agreed with us inside the room that he will do only one tenure and go. If you are not doing well, you should be a one-term president or one term governor or senator. So, all this automatic ticket can’t work in a good democratic environment.
I recruited Mantu against Obasanjo
I considered Obasanjo as a statesman. We fell out simply because he started the third term process too early. I must also praise (Ibrahim) Mantu because he was sent to recruit me during the third term plot and I ended up recruiting him against third term. He is aware, if he can tell you. Mantu followed us to work against third term. I doff my heart to senators like Maccido (may his soul rest in peace), Chukwumerije, Ben Obi, Gandi, Danjuma, Kuta, Adighije, most of the senators that fought against OBJ’s third term plot. I was meeting with them and they were also meeting with Vice President Atiku (Abubakar). It was a struggle that nearly took our lives but I give glory to God that Obasanjo did not repeat what Mobutu Seseseko did in DRC, because there was no difference between the duo. He was just enjoying himself; he wasn’t ready for leadership. We gave him Nigeria to enjoy himself.
In the first four years, maybe you journalists have forgotten that all Obasanjo did was only to travel in and out of the country. He flew for four years without doing any work. Out of 365 days in a year, he was abroad for 320 days. So, I don’t know what anybody will think about that and people like me were calling his attention to say, no, you can’t do this. This was not what we promised the people. This was part of our quarrel.
I wanted Atiku to succeed Obasanjo
I didn’t tell Obasanjo I wanted to succeed him but I told him that Atiku should succeed him in 2003. I told him that he should give it to the North in 2003, and that was the day I parted ways with him.
OBJ’s reaction
Ah! You know him. He was fervently very angry with me. For me, I respect everybody. In my culture in Igbere, we respect elders but we will tell the elders the truth. When an elder is misbehaving, we call him into the room and tell him the truth. Obasanjo was angry with me for telling him the truth. On many occasions, he threatened to walk me out of the Council of State meetings and I said I would not go out. Many times he walked himself out and didn’t come back.
Obasanjo promised over 50 persons that they would succeed him
When Mantu came to recruit me for Obasanjo’s third term plot, I told him what he was supposed to hear. I told him this country is bigger than anybody. What makes you think Obasanjo is bigger than you? He agreed with me in my sitting room at T.Y. Danjuma Crescent. I told him that we can also recruit Obasanjo to make you president, because Obasanjo was deceiving them that he would make them president. He promised like 50 people. He promised Muazu, Makarfi, Mantu, in fact, he promised everybody. Senators, governors, he promised them. He did this just to break their ranks, and the man he gave it to, he didn’t tell him. But he wanted Yar’Adua to die. He thought Yar’ Adua would collapse during the campaign and Obasanjo would hang on to that to prolong his stay in power. He didn’t want him to survive.
Nigeria needs strong institutions not a strong man
You know, Obasanjo is a very strong character. So, he never wanted strong institutions. This is why this country doesn’t need a strong man but a strong system. If there were strong institutions, they could have checkmated him. I blame most of our colleagues and the other elements both in the PDP and in the political circle because they gave the man a free ride when we could have called him to order. That is the essence of civilian democracy.
But he was able to do what he did because he first of all ambushed the governors to tell them they were all corrupt. So, they were weakened in spirit and in person.
Nigerian politicians play betrayal politics
I was able to stand up to Obasanjo because I have a very strong private sector background and I know that what this man will do to me is limited. He didn’t create me, he is not my God and he is not feeding me. That was why I stood up to him. Many of our colleagues succumbed to him even when we had agreed on what to do. They sold out and most of them will pay dearly for it because the worst offence we can commit in life is betrayal. It is there in the Holy Bible, and our politicians are always playing politics of betrayal. The level of betrayal in our political system is about 991/2 . You are sitting with somebody, discussing with him, but he will sell everything you said to the next person to collect money.
When we were having governors’ meeting, some people will come to the meeting with a tape (recorder) and later they will go and play it back before Obasanjo. Personally, I know and whenever we were at the meeting, I spoke my mind. They would record it and give to Obasanjo. But I didn’t care because I have a covenant with God to speak the truth. That covenant can never be broken by anybody.
Obasanjo played tape of governors’ meetings
It wasn’t that somebody told me some people were recording our meeting. OBJ himself played the tape to me. He didn’t tell me who brought the tape to him but I said Baba, yes, these are the things I can tell you in your presence. I told him that there is no difference between what I said and what he heard.
Nothing personal between Obasanjo and I
Since I left office as governor I have not communicated with him. But the truth is that I hold nothing against him. It’s just that my ideas of governance and his own contradicted. So, there is nothing personal between me and Obasanjo. After all, he is a statesman and I’m not. The only contradiction we had then was his style of governance and his attitude to Nigerians.
Kidnapping started when they abducted Ngige
Nigeria is better now than we were when OBJ was there. What Yar’Adua is handling is rudimentary part of what we could have done, for instance, with regard to the Niger Delta, rule of law, and trying to put in place a system where people can go to court and get relief.
This was what I was telling you about the software and hardware of democracy. Yar’Adua might be slow and people may not be seeing what he is doing but I am sure he is doing the elementary part of governance, which ought to have been done since 10 years of civilian rule. I don’t totally agree that PDP government is doing very well in terms of infrastructure. But I must also say that the man is doing the elementary things.
This is why I divided democracy into hardware and software. The software is freedom of expression, freedom to go to court against the government, getting order to stop them from misrule and freedom of everything. If OBJ were in power, what is happening in Anambra State will not happen. So, Yar’Adua is very tolerant in governance. The judge that gave that order in Anambra State would be beaten up very well if OBJ were there. So, we are doing the elementary things that could have been done 10 years ago.
What Yar’Adua should do is to match these elementary things and absolute adherence to rule of law with development. In as much as he is doing the elementary things, he should also steam up development. I have just given you one example of the judge in Anambra.
If it was during Obasanjo era, by now they would have beaten him up and retired him or possibly they could have kidnapped Peter Obi again. When Obasanjo was there, his people kidnapped a sitting governor. So kidnapping started in Nigeria when they kidnapped Ngige.
Niger Delta problem
President Yar’Adua is trying but what he is doing is not the total solution. The solution is my own strategy, but you did not vote for me when I wanted you to vote for me as president. You voted for Yar’Adua, so I will not give you my strategy until you vote for me. When you vote for me, I will use a community programme process to solve the Niger Delta problem. Niger Delta is a problem the president, his cabinet, along with the Niger Delta people will solve.
I have not seen the hard copy of the amnesty programme and until I see it I can’t comment on it. I will also not want to comment on whether people have come out of the creeks or have surrendered arms. I don’t read newspapers quite often. I don’t have time to read, so I have not been able to comprehend very well what I have seen in the newspapers. I will be the last person to discuss that because people coming out of the creeks is not the solution.
What will solve the problem of the region is development, key partnership with the people and direct development. There should be partnership between the federal and state government to develop the Niger Delta. It’s a pity that the people who give this country so much are living in such abject poverty. It is a thing I cannot believe. When you go there, you cry because of their situation. So, when people begin to talk about Niger Delta, they need to take a trip to the place. They will sympathise with them. If it needs a president to relocate and make part of that place a Federal Capital Territory, if I am the president I will sign that place as the second part of the Federal Capital Territory to be able to develop the area.
Ribadu and el-Rufai saga
(Nuhu) Ribadu was a very good officer but you cannot compare him with Mrs (Farida) Waziri. Mrs Waziri is a mature woman, a lawyer like Ribadu, and she goes through the ethics of law. She will never allow herself to be used by anybody to punish anybody; and that was a pit Ribadu fell into. He became a politician instead of a corruption fighter.
That’s a problem. So, when you contradict yourself on these two issues, you will see that you have nowhere to go. I pity the way their passports were not renewed initially and it is unconstitutional; it is not acceptable. It’s good the president ordered that their passports be renewed. This is why I say Yar’Adua is doing elementary things because their passport should be renewed whether they are being looked for or sought for. In fact, I expected heads to roll in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is our country. Whether they are coming here or not, they are there and their passports should be renewed.
Between Waziri and Ribadu
It’s very clear that Mrs Waziri knows her job. I’m not praising her; I don’t need to but I’m saying this from my heart. Nigerians know I speak my mind. Mrs Waziri seems to know her job. She does the investigation first - I want to investigate this man; I want to know who he is; I want to know what he has done. That is the process of law.
You don’t just go and bundle people like Ribadu did to me. It is unacceptable by international standard. I talked to a man called (Ibrahim) Lamorde that I am coming into Nigeria on British Airways at 4am and I will be in your office at 11am. But he came to wait for me at the airport at 4am. That’s not fair. And to make it news, they came with journalists. I mean, that is not fair. Ribadu, in his conscience, will also know that it was not fair to me. I heard you were looking for me and I was in the United States. I phoned Mr Lamorde, who said he was looking for me. He (Lamorde) is alive, he can speak.
I spoke to him telling him that I would be coming. I asked him which of the offices he wanted me to report to; is it Lagos or Abuja? Because of them, I re-routed my ticket to Abuja early in the morning only to be arrested at the airport at that hour of the day. That is unfair.
As a security man, he knew I was already in the country. So what he should have done was to trail me to know whether I would do what I said I would do. They could have sent their men to the airport and followed me from there to my house, keeping a tab on me to know if I would do what I promised.
I could have stayed back. But when I heard they were looking for me, I decided to return because I have not committed any offence for anybody to be looking for me. I called Lamorde and assured him that I will come to answer any question they wanted to ask me. I did not steal government’s money. He said, ‘okay, come as soon as you arrive.’ But what I saw were security men waiting for me at the airport at 4am. I know Mrs Waziri will not do a thing like that. No right-thinking Nigerian will do anything like that.
If you called me and I told you I am in Abia but you found out I wanted to travel out of the country, you have the right to stop me at the airport.
These were the kind of things Ribadu was doing. He went to the National Assembly and said 31 governors were corrupt. Where are they? When you rob Peter to pay Paul, you are not building strong institutions.
I challenge anybody to prove I’ve stolen govt money
Mrs Hillary Clinton’s comment that the anti-corruption war in Nigeria had gone to sleep is not correct. I spoke to Mrs Clinton in Washington and I told her that Mrs Waziri was doing the right thing. Her husband agreed with me. I told her that what she came to Nigeria to say was not proper because you must be able to convince the court beyond all reasonable doubt that somebody is a criminal.
This is because corruption charge is a criminal one. My conscience tells me I am not a thief and I cannot be one. My conscience tells me I have not done anything that will disturb my sleep. This is why all the time they were moving me from one place to the other, I remained happy. I know there are three courts – Federal High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court and I will go through the three of them to get justice.
My conscience tells me that no commissioner or anybody I have worked with will say I took money from him or from the system. I challenge any civil servant in Abia State to come over and say I took money from him or her. So why should I bother myself? I leave that to the court of competent jurisdiction. So, this is why I blame Ribadu. He could have been a very good officer but he killed the opportunity.
Obasanjo is totally corrupt but Yar’Adua can’t arrest him
We need strong institutions not anti-corruption courts. There are designated courts by the judiciary that handle such matters. Special court is not a bad idea but they will need people of high integrity because it might create another Obasanjo where a ruling government might use that court to kill their political opponents.
When they enacted the EFCC Act, I shouted that Obasanjo had a hidden agenda.
He is a very intelligent man. He was pursuing corruption but was pursuing his enemies and leaving out his friends. For a man that came to government with N20,000; at least if I was better than anybody, it was OBJ before I came to government. He is a statesman but I mean in terms of our pockets, I was better off. So, how can you compare me with him? (MKO) Abiola told me when he was alive that the hand of the giver is always on top of the hand of the receiver. My hand will always be on top of Obasanjo’s own because he is the one that is totally corrupt although Yar’Adua is afraid of arresting him. I don’t know what he is afraid of. If I were President Yar’Adua, Obasanjo should be living in a cage, the bigger part of Kirikiri. That is the truth.
Nigeria needs another Putin
If because I make people uncomfortable with the way I talk and they won’t want me to be president, let them not want me but the Nigerian people will want me. Justice must prevail. Nigeria needs another (Vladimir) Putin here. We need a Putin to move forward. I don’t care about what I say. I will be president if God says I will be president. Do I need to please anybody? I want to please God and please the suffering masses out there.
Sanusi right on banks but…
Lamido Sanusi has done what many people will say is ethnic cleansing but I don’t think so. If he had allowed these banks, they would have collapsed. But the way he treated people also matters. I feel Sanusi did the right thing by going to rescue the banks because when I cried out last year in your paper that Nigeria was facing meltdown, the former CBN governor disagreed with me and his people attacked me that I wasn’t an economist. When I met Soludo in Abuja and told him that what I said was the truth, he said I wasn’t correct, that the indices do not show we have a meltdown.
I told him we have a serious meltdown and it is real, and that if it doesn’t come today it will tomorrow. What Sanusi has done is to inject funds (into the troubled banks) because some of them were at zero point. He is an industry man; he knows the job and rose through the ranks in banking.
People will always have divided opinion about what he is doing.
Some people will say he is doing a good job while others will say otherwise. But Sanusi should be cautious in what he is doing not to hurt the Southerners. This is not to say that the CBN’s action is against the South, but he should come out and address the issues if he is serious about what he is doing. It is necessary.
Having said that, addressing the issue of banks is a right thing to do but forcing people to pay their debts is not correct because there is obligation between the customers and the banks. I don’t subscribe to people borrowing money from the bank and not paying it back. So the CBN has done the right thing.
Sanusi deserves commendation
To me, it’s about rescuing the banks but I read every day that it’s an agenda to kill the South. Politicians and Nigerians should stop all this because what I know he has done is to rescue big banks and recapitalise them. It’s the right thing to do; after all 89 banks failed in the U.S., which is the largest economy in the world. Sanusi is a risk assessment expert, so he knows all the tricks, where you can hide bad credit, keep good credit or do anything. In a way, I think Sanusi should be commended for what he is doing, although he is hurting so many private sector operators. It might hurt our economy but we must rescue this economy.
What he is doing is the right thing, because these banks were gone. If one morning the whole thing had collapsed, depositors would have lost their money. Sanusi is a great banker. He knew where all the illegalities are hidden and that was what he punched. But whether he has a Southern or Northern agenda, I leave that to his conscience.
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Posted by 9jabook.com on October 25, 2009 at 8:34pm
From Tunde Oyedoyin, London
A 10-year-old Nigerian girl, Adeoti Ogunsola, described as "charming," by her head teacher, attempted taking her life last on Sunday, as Immigration officials were making plans to deport her and her mother from Britain for the second time this year.
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A couple of months ago, Miss Ogunsola, a pupil at the St. Mary's Catholic Primary School, Gillingham, Kent, was detained at the Yarl's Wood immigration centre in Bedfordshire, before being released.
According to Friday's edition of the London Evening Standard, which featured the story, the 10-year old made the attempt on her life at the Tinsley House Immigration removal centre at Gatwick airport, where she was detained alongside her mother, Clementina, who was asleep at the time.
The paper also disclosed that Ogunsola, who was taken from the custody of her aunt and brought to the removal centre on October 15, eventually won a last minute legal battle on Thursday, when a High Court Judge stopped the family's deportation.
However, both mother and daughter had been returned to detention, pending a judicial review next Wednesday.
Though the paper didn't make it clear why Miss Ogunsola attempted the suicide, quoting a child psychotherapist's report, it stated that the girl's "mental state would deteriorate if she was detained again and she might attempt (again) to kill herself."
But lobbyists, including Bernadette Long, the head teacher of her school, had campaigned that the pair should be allowed to remain in the country.
"Adeoti is a charming, friendly, and intelligent little girl. She is passionate about her education and hopes to become a doctor," Long said, in a glowing testimony.
But she noted that the detentions had started to take their toll on the aspiring doctor.
"Her recent experiences while being detained have impacted on her and she has become very anxious about what will happen if she goes to Nigeria," Long said.
However, the UK Border Agency doesn't seem to give a hoot about the girl's condition. David Wood, on behalf of the Agency said:
"When the independent courts find a family has no need for protection, we expect them to return home.
"If they refuse to leave, we have no choice but to enforce their removal and this can include detaining children, but only as a last resort."
Read more…
Part 2
Few Nigerian politicians can match his guts. Since he etched his footprints on the country’s political firmament, immediate past Abia State Governor, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, has been known to walk even where angels fear to tread. To some he is a maverick. Yet others see him as an enigma. From a humble and lowly background, he rose to the pinnacle of a vast business empire before venturing into politics.
Dr Orji Uzor Kalu
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Elected in 1999 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the former House of Representatives member however fell out with the party at the tail end of his tenure in 2007. And through his effort and political sagacity, the candidate of his newly formed party, Peoples Progressive Alliance (PPA), succeeded him in the Umuahia Government House.
But while his grass to grace story has earned him numerous admirers, he has had to contend equally with many in the political class who find his courage to call a spade a spade very discomforting.
Regardless of his wealth, Kalu has not forgotten his roots and is still at home with his ‘Made-in-Aba’ suits and designer outfits.
Like never before, the former governor and Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Peoples Progressive Alliance (PPA), in this encounter which aptly passes for the story of his life, fires on all cylinders as he reveals his intimate relationship with former Military President, Ibrahim Babangida, and why he parted ways with immediate past President Olusegun Obasanjo among other issues. Excerpts…
I played pranks to avoid being spanked
Only my parents can do justice to that question. All I can say is that I was a good child. I played pranks like any other child but I was a very upright child. I have not changed. At least my parents have told me that much. People from my village also continue to tell me that I have not changed.
I played a few little pranks. I can’t remember all of them now but they were just things I did to avoid being spanked. There were things that my parents forbade me to do and each time I did those things, I had to play pranks to survive. That’s the reality even today with every child.
My father hates politics but politics makes my mother happy
There is no problem between my father and I. The only problem we have at home is that my father is not the society-type. My village people can attest to that. He is not the loud type and he doesn’t like politics. He just likes to live his good quiet life inside his home. That’s all. So, he is not interested in all these noise-making. Left for my father, there will be no politics for me because he believes that Nigeria is not ripe for democracy.
My mother is a politician and she has been in politics since the days of the Nigerian Peoples Party (NPP). She was a woman leader in the party during the time of Sam Mbakwe. Mrs. Mbakwe made her the leader of the women’s wing of the party and she has always been in politics. She loves it. Politics makes her happy. Whether I’m governor or not, whether I’m running for an office or not, she has always been an activist on the political scene.
When my father married a second wife…
No, that’s not the issue. He married a second wife and we accepted it. Of course, there was bound to be rift but it was not an open one and it was well managed. However the lesson I learnt from that is it is good for a man or woman to love his or her family, no matter the situation you find yourself. Love is something you cannot buy in the market and it is so precious that it can heal any wound. And I believe it is possible for a man to love two women. The Quran said so, the Bible said so. Go to Isaiah 4: 1-5, it is clearly written there. It is just that preachers don’t preach it. I am not saying it’s right but I’m saying it’s there in the holy books.
I try to give bits and pieces of my time to my family
I have five children and I am very close to them. I try to combine my role as father, husband and politician as well as I can. I am very close to the whole family. I am close to even my stepbrothers and I try to give bits and pieces of my time to every body. I am sure that history will judge me well.
How I met IBB
General Ibrahim Babangida is a man I met through a man called Keri Ahmed, may his soul rest in peace. He used to be the General Manager of NTA.
When the Chadian Nigeria boarder was having problem, occasionally, Babangida was then a Brigadier-General, director of a particular position. From there we got close. I later met with the family. When he became the Chief of Army staff, they left Maiduguri and came to Lagos. Even when he became head of state, we remained friends.
So till today, he’s one of the men I believe in, after God. There is also Jubril Aminu who helped me up. He’s just one of those people that I respect, like General T. Y. Danjuma. These are men I hold in high esteem.
Contrary to what some people believe, what binds IBB and I is not money. It is friendship. IBB is a nationalist, a very liberal man. With him, it does not matter where you come from. I’m not sure anyone keeps money for IBB, no. IBB is a very good Nigerian with a good heart. If most Nigerians were like IBB, Nigeria would have been a better place to be, though he has his own faults.
IBB wanted to return after Abiola’s four years
The Generals that killed June 12 were the elements that turned around to blame IBB. I was there. IBB wasn’t the maker of that fiasco. I’m telling you the truth.
Could he have declared the results of that presidential election? My answer is leadership is not a tea party. While I was still a private businessman, I used to think it was easy. I’ve been in business for more than 25years. People think it’s easy to exonerate yourself from government’s decision. It’s not true. It’s the IBB boys that were making decisions. They were the ones who insisted that June 12 presidential election result must not be released. IBB looked to the left and right and found himself alone.
I believe that General Babangida is partly to be blamed but the substantial blame is not his. I don’t want to call names. Some of them are now old. IBB truly wanted to hand over. He wanted to go, return and re-contest as a civilian president after four years of Abiola’s tenure.
I became chairman of Co-operative and Commerce Bank at age 25
I’m among one of the first Igbo men to lift crude oil. I was very young then. I became chairman of Co-operative and Commerce Bank at age 25. That was before I got married in 1989. I was appointed by governor Commodore Ikwechegh.
I can say authoritatively today that I was the first Igbo man allocated crude oil to.
The first crude oil was actually given to me by Riliwan Lukman. People spread all kinds of stories they want.
I think it’s all about destiny because while at the University of Maiduguri, Jubril Aminu took me under his wings. I started the furniture business and expanded it. This is what God has destined for me and that is why I am never afraid of man. I only respect man. God’s hands are always in everything I do. I can’t explain it myself.
IBB and Mariam
Mrs Mariam Babangida is a wonderful woman. There are a few women like that. IBB and his wife have good hearts and when you have good hearts, goodness will follow you all your life. I only wish that I had a way of paying her back for her goodness to my family.
I admire the way they communicate with each other. They have understanding and that was my idea of a family. Mariam is a wonderful woman, likewise the husband. They communicate wonderfully.
The Jubril Aminu I know
Professor Jubril Aminu was my Vice Chancellor at the University of Maiduguri. He was very close to my parents and everybody in my family. I used to live with Jubril Aminu as a student and when people refer to him as a tribalist, a northern person, I laugh. He is one of the brightest brains in Nigeria, one of the few who truly loves this country.One thing you must know is Jubril Aminu is first an Adamawa person and before he becomes a Nigerian. It’s like that with everybody. I am first an Igbere man before I am a Nigerian.
I just believe no leader should become a Nigerian without sentimental attachment from where he comes from. So, that’s what Jubril stands for and I share that totally with him. I have no apologies thinking like that. If that makes him a tribalist, so be it. I believe no man or woman should forget his/her country or where he/she comes from. When Aminu did the nomadic education, people were shouting his praises. I was impressed by nomadic education. If an Igbo man is made an education minister tomorrow, if he cannot fashion out something that can up lift the Igbo lesser society, then he is not a good person. If a Yoruba minister cannot fashion something that will address the educational needs of the Yoruba people, then he may not be a good person. The nomads are spread all over and that is why Jubril Aminu said they cannot only rear cows but also go to school, that they can follow these cows all over Nigeria and still get educated along the way. I don’t see anything wrong in that.
I have been in the shipping business since 1988
For years I did business with PPMC through a company called Ship and Shore. These shipping companies have been there since 1987. Alhaji Dalhatu Bayero, may his soul rest in peace, was then the General Manager of NAPIMS and later became Group Managing Director of NNPC. He called me one day and said this crude-oil lifting business cannot last, that if another government came they would change the policy and advised I moved to marine services. I went and people like Senator Abubakar from Sokoto State helped us a lot and another Alhaji Abubakar who was also a Senator from Nassarawa state and Lawan Buba, a lecturer from Maiduguri. I used to import PMS on behalf of NNPC for the oil majors. Our vessels carried these products around. It was fantastic. I had been in shipping business since 1988 and I am still in it. So, the shipping business did not just start today. Diamond Bank has also been there for us.
The crude oil business promotes friendship. It does put you in conflict with others. However, I steer clear of business ventures that require me to worship people. I’ve always said my mind, always said what I want to say. I always stood by what I believe in. I’ve always believed in myself. I’m me and nothing can change that.
Stand where you are standing, even when the ground is falling
I tell young managers that are being trained in the oil trading companies today not to mix products. They should not do ‘rice and beans’ which is a terminology in oil and gas for adulteration, flash points are mixed. The last flashpoint you can give to the oil majors is 66, the final NNPC flash point. If we have a flash point of 77, some people want to mix at that point to maximise their profits. I tell the younger ones we are grooming in our oil trading company today ‘don’t do rice and beans’ because the users of those rice and beans might be your father, mother or brother. We avoid adulteration like the plague in our operations. Honesty is still the best policy in business but people don’t know. If you cheat, it is a short cut. Honesty is a longer route but it pays on the long run. Be courageous, stand where you are standing, even when the ground is falling. Stay with your conviction. If God said you will be successful, definitely you will be, because every other thing may stand for a while but only the truth will stand the test of time.
Once you follow those principles, you will succeed. People will know you by your character. I have never cheated anybody. Those who have done business with me know I don’t short-change anybody. Business is business.
Principles of power and leadership
I don’t think I’m a powerful Nigerian, but I think I’m a Nigerian with humane disposition and I’m considerate in my dealings with others. What perhaps makes me a powerful Nigerian is the ability to communicate with the masses and the ability to communicate with the rich, the ability to spread yourself and bridge the gap between the rich and the poor. Once you have that ability you will be able to move forward. Honesty is a major principle of power and that is what we are lacking in Nigeria.
Yes, because people are not honest to the people they govern. People are not honest to themselves. People are not honest to their families.
A leader must be honest, courageous. A leader must remain resolute on what he wants to do.
A leader must stand strong but accept the opinion of the majority. A leader must implement a majority opinion.
These are things that go with power, whether in private or public business. Remember the late Shehu Yar ‘Adua used to go where the majority opinion went. General Yar ‘Adua used to go with majority opinion, even when that majority opinion was wrong, but later he would call their attention to the errors and futility of such majority opinions.
But first he must do what the majority said. So you find out that a good leader stands on the side of the majority. If you want to be a good leader, you have to stand by the majority. You must be focused on what you want to do. You have to think about the society, about the other side of the society. You should have the capacity to read the situation at every point in time and rid yourself of sycophants, who are a major problem in governance in Nigeria. Because of what a lot of people want to eat, they would tell office holders what they want to hear, not necessarily the truth. Any leader who falls into that trap can never succeed.
So, it is good for a leader to be able to stay away from family business when he is in power.
My mother never slept in the Government House when I was governor
When I was a governor, people were saying it was my mother who was ruling Abia which was a big lie. The present governor of Abia State was my Chief of Staff, the former PDP chairman in Abia State, Dr. Sam Eke; all these people will tell you the truth about who was in charge.
My mother used to beg them to beg me for things she felt strongly about. When people wrote all these rubbish in the newspaper, I laughed. On many occasions, my mother had to beg these people I mentioned to beg me on a decision. My mother never slept in government house throughout my eight years in government. So, you see, the rumour mill here is quite big. People don’t understand the kinds of sacrifice you make in public office. If money was my reason for becoming the Abia State governor, I wouldn’t have been there because I lost so much money as a governor. I lost the Hallmark Bank where I had majority share, the South Gate bank which was about to commence operations before the license was withheld on Obasanjo’s order, my oil bloc, Slok Airline. I lost almost everything I had before I became the governor of Abia State.
I lost a lot of money and goodwill to political office
I’ve been in business for over 27 years and check it, I’m sure I was running neck to neck with a lot of rich Nigerians before I went into politics. I mean every rich Nigerian, except those in the class of the late MKO Abiola, Wahab Folawiyo. Where The Sun newspapers’offices are today were warehouses where I used to pack bags of rice and sugar, cement. There used to be full ship-loads of rice in those ware houses.
We borrowed a lot of money from City bank, HSBC and others because I had international credit rating as a company but when the Obasanjo government and their agencies continued writing negative things about, it affected me and the credit rating of our group. But they are not only damaging me, but also damaging the company and the careers of my employees. I lost so much money, good will abroad, simply by coming to be governor of Abia. It is just that I did not regret it. I thank God because God has given me the opportunity of seeing the other side of Nigeria.
…But I will run for political office again
I would like to seek political office again because I believe the more we leave governance to fools who do not know how to administer, the more the country is losing. If the country’s economy is stable, we will all be better for it. I have five major factories, for instance. I built the vegetable oil factory in Aba in 1986 which was commissioned by the then Major Gen. Haladu, who was the minister of commerce. I built the plastic factory in Otta in 1990. I built the two furniture factories in Lagos between 1991 and 1992. So, if the economy is going on very well, I’ll be able to sell these factories to real investors to come and these factories will yield money.
But now everything is prostrate. We cannot allow people who are not prepared for leadership to continue leading us. This is why I will remain in politics for the rest of my life.
PDP will need 36 Onovos and 36 DIGs to manipulate the 2011 elections
Forget about PDP and all that bragging about being the biggest party.You can make the difference. You are the difference, not PDP.
There are less than two million people who are card-carrying members of political parties in Nigeria. There are over 150 million Nigerians which even you have written about in your column. Those are the real oppositions.
So this is the main opposition that will drive PDP out of Nigeria. It has happened all over the world; in Kenya, Zimbabwe, Ghana, South-Africa, Thailand and Pakistan.
It happened in even the United State of America that people who are ruling the nation came from point zero to attain leadership of the country. So, Nigeria will not be an exception. We are going to make the best of opportunities we have. In any case, there is going to be implosion in PDP. Look at what is happening in Anambra, you will know that the real business is still ahead.
What happened in Ekiti would be child’s play. In 2011 , PDP will need 36 IGs and 36 DIGs since they needed the IG and DIGs to get Ekiti. So, they will need 36 Onovos and 36 DIGs to handle the 36 states of Nigeria.
Since it took two Inspector-General of police to go and monitor 63 wards in Ekiti, PDP will have to manufacture more for the 2011 elections.
Nigerians will say no, yes they can. They are taking Nigerians for a ride. They will stand their ground and say no, enough is enough. It is almost 12 years now and the PDP government has not been able to offer Nigerians anything tangible. The economy is still stagnant, no electricity, no roads, schools, students were at home for almost three and half months, how do you reconcile these?
I see change ahead
We all must be ready to be part of the change process. The members of the Nigerian Bar Association, Nigerian Medical Association, NUJ, NUT members, all Nigerians who are in business will make the change possible. It can no longer be left in the hands of larger political party members. I’m sounding a warning that people should stop leaving politics for politicians. Politics, elections days and election processes should be for all Nigerians, and let us come together and make a change. Change is coming and it must be here and it is going to be a ballot paper change. When you go back to Psalm100, reading from the first verse, God said He would bless us from generation to generation. No generation would be above the other.
Soludo can’t win because he’s popular in Abuja and has a lot of issues he has to provide answers to
Anambra is where we will test where Nigeria is heading. If they rig the election in Anambra, they will question the unity of this country. They can never rig that election, and if they do, they should prepare for war. Let them not think about rigging because people like Soludo are not popular in Anambra. He won’t win. He has a lot of issues to provide answers to. Nobody knows Soludo. Go and carry out an opinion poll in Anambra State. Look at what the Leadership newspapers wrote recently, in the Human Right Watch. It says PPA is the first in the market, in places votes can be cast. If they think they can write the result and exclude PPA, they will find it difficult. Soludo is very popular in Abuja but in not in Onitsha and Awka.
Why PPA picked a woman
No, it was an open system. Journalists even wrote that it was the best primaries we ever had in Nigeria. The Tribune, The Nation, The Sun, The Independent and The Punch all said so. Channels and other major media said it was most transparent.
We have the video clip for everybody to see. If we are able to imbibe internal democracy it means we are prepared for election.
You can never tell what God is going to do, God might be using a woman to change the system. Men have ruled Anambra, perhaps now God wants to use a woman to reposition the battered place. Mind you, Joseph was in captivity for many years, nobody expected him to rule in Egypt. So history will repeat itself in Anambra State. It has happened before. God uses people to redeem a place. And because people have signed sworn affidavits, we have created a legal backing against decamping. If our chairman says that they have sworn affidavit,
it would stand the test of time because doing anything different from what you have sworn to against decamping.
No, Chris Uba has not hijacked PPA
The people of Anambra would only vote for their conscience. They are going to vote against what happened to PPA in Imo State. They will recall that they need independence; that there needs to be a cohesive leadership. They are going to be sympathizing with me, voting for me, that is what they would do. It would be me and the capability of what they can deliver. They have tested the men and want to try a woman. In fact, Nigeria should praise the PPA because we could have changed the result of the primaries that produced Hon Uche Ekwunife between Awka and Abuja because that is what all other political parties would do. So, the women folk should be very sympathetic to Mrs. Ekwunife.
ANPP, PPA Governors defection cases different
That is Zamfara. Ours is different from theirs because one, there was division in ANPP but there was no division in ours. So we will be able to address the issues in court and I’m not going to say how it will affect us. But I’m sure if the people of Zamfara are serious; at least, there are three courts in Nigeria; they should go back to the appellate court and drive it straight to the court of final jurisdiction, which is the Supreme Court.
Why I visited President Yar’Adua after my release from Kuje Prison
He is my president and I have to show my loyalty to him. God says in the Holy Bible that we must respect our leaders and pray for them. As of today till I defeat him, he is still the president of Nigeria.
No grudges over Ikedi Ohakim’s defection to PDP
It doesn’t matter whether President Yar’Adua’s party ‘stole’ one of our governors. That is the mistake people make today. Yar’Adua is not a party; he is only a member of PDP. Likewise, I’m not PPA. I’m just one person. It was like when (Obafemi) Awolowo was alive in the Action Group, he was just a member (of the party). When you say PDP, different groups of people make up the party. Yar’dua is just a person and happens to be the Commander-in-Chief in Nigeria. So, I don’t hold any grudge against him over our governor that defected just as I don’t have grudge against PDP. That is what God wants from us, to face good challenges. We have to face these challenges to enable us get to our destination.
Favourite wristwatch
I have never bought any watch that is worth more than 100 dollars. To be honest with you, what I am putting on now was given to me by the former governor of Bauchi State, (Adamu) Muazu, when I was a governor; and this is Chopad. I have never bought any wristwatch in my entire life that is worth more than a hundred dollars. Such things don’t bother me. Really, I have nothing specially that disturbs me.
Suit maker
Gianni Versacci. All the suits in my house at Igbere were made by Gianni when he was alive. May his soul rest in peace.
I wear ‘Made in Aba’
My Nigerian outfits are designed by local people in Aba. I also make some of my suits in Aba. Some good tailors in Aba make my suits, ties and shirts. When it is not Gianni, I use ‘Made in Aba’ and they are very good. But the fabric for the suit is not made in Aba. I don’t even know the names of the tailors who make these suits for me in Aba. They are local people; they just come, take the measurement and get it done.
Inequality, poverty makes me sad
I will be excited the day I see equality among Nigerians; that is, to see people living together, being equal, being able to afford food three times a day. I pity people when I move around and see how they suffer. It gives me headache to see that I’m living in an air-conditioned environment 24 hours and some people are suffering. Poverty depresses me because I detest it.
Part 2Read more…
Posted by 9jabook.com on October 25, 2009 at 8:25pm
A Nigerian mother, who worked for asylum seekers in Britain, has been stabbed to death in her London home in front of her own children. The victim, who was named as Ayodele Akinsiku, was found a few metres from her front door where she had bled to death after trying to escape from her killer. It is understood that her three young children were inside the home when the murder took place.
The body of a man, who was thought to be the killer, was also found at the scene in Deptford. Police said they were treating the death of the civil servant as murder. The man’s death was officially described as “unexplained.”
Detectives on Friday working on the theory that he had stabbed Mrs. Akinsiku first before turning the knife on himself.
Neighbours of Akinsiku, who lived in a tower block in Evelyn Street, said she was a Christian with three children, aged eight, five and two, and served as a parent governor at Grinling Gibbons Primary School.
Friend, Annette Reid, 34, said Akinsiku dealt with appeals at the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal, and her husband, who was thought to have been out at the time of the killing, had just finished a master’s degree.
Mrs Reid said: “Apparently, there was an altercation the previous night and from what I’ve been told, the man stabbed her and then killed himself.
“She tried to get out of the door but collapsed on the landing. You could see the paramedics trying to resuscitate her. The children saw everything and are very traumatised. That’s what her husband told my husband.”
Mrs. Reid said her friend had previously argued with a man who had been living with the family after moving from Nigeria. Scotland Yard said the man and woman were pronounced dead at the scene at about 8:00 a.m. on Friday.Nigerian Woman Killed In London.
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i am tired of how Nigerian women do not take care of their physical appearance, we leave ourselves, by the way the men also apply, but am talking about women nowwhat is wrong with having a facials to get rid of pimples, just spending 30mins once a week to steam the face can help remove pores and dirtgoing to the gym or just doing 30mins cardio at home 3times a week can do alot,I am not going to lie, Nigerian women are really beautiful, the only thing lacking is the zeal to make oneself attractive WITH a little efforti dont care how beautiful your cloth looks or how much you spent, its notting if you cant take care of your bodyNow about Omotola Jalade(NOT SURE ABT MY SPELLING), the excuse that most nigerian women use now is that just because you have children you should be fat and not care for yourselves again, that is complete crap Angry, having children does'nt mean its the end of the world, u could still take 5mins out of you time daily to do a little cardio and not forgetting eating healthy
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WARREN – 2009 How Times Have Changed! »
“Depart From Me I Never Knew You”…who is Jesus talking to???
“I Never Knew You..”
Matthew 7:21 – 23
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Of all the scripture that comes to mind, perhaps the saddest and most fearful of all is the very words of Jesus Himself found in Matthew 7 and verse 21 – 23. Here, Jesus tells us that at the second coming, there will be some people who will fully expect to ascend to heaven with Him in the clouds of glory, but He will have to tell them; “….depart from Me, I never knew you.” Can you imagine those words falling from our Savior’s lips? “depart from Me, I never knew you!”
Make no mistake about it; there will be people on the Day of Judgment that are going to be expecting to go to heaven, yet instead of inheriting the Kingdom,they are going to hear those saddening words of Christ; “Depart from Me, I never knew you.” There will be deacons, deaconesses, Sabbath school teachers, Elders, Pastors, TV evangelists, miracle workers along with countless others (ie. all church people!) that will be turned away–and all because they lacked one very necessary qualification; they didn’t truly know the Lord and so He will be forced to say to them, “…depart from Me, for I never knew you.”
The people Jesus will say He “never knew” will be those who never felt the need to truly “know Him” yet these are people who “think” they are going to heaven!
In the two videos below Nate Pfeil gives an uncompromisingly clear and heart examining message on those whom Jesus will utter those sad and fearful words “…depart from Me, for I never knew you.”
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Posted by Jane Okinedo on October 24, 2009 at 1:30am
ABOUT 58 Nigerians were yesterday morning deported from Dublin, Republic of Ireland.ADVERTISEMENTThe deportees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos aboard an Air Italy chartered flight with registration number 1924.Italian law enforcement agents accompanied the deportees on board the aircraft, which landed at the airport at 05.25 hours.Immigration sources said of the 58 deportees, 28 were males while 12 were women. The rest were children.The deportees allegedly committed immigration offences in the foreign country.Most of them were let go by Nigerian law enforcement agents, who received them at the airport, as they were not found guilty of any offence.Over 3,000 Nigerians have been deported from various countries in the last three months.Yesterday's deportation came a few days after 734 Nigerians were returned from Libya by the Muammar Gaddafi-led government.On September 27, 2009, Libya deported 150 Nigerians all males aboard aircraft with registration number SUBME.
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The Rebirth album by Obiwon is an eclectic mix ofcontemporary gospel and RnB as earlier indicated by Obiwonwho granted us an exclusive session months beforethe release of this wonderful album.Click Obiwon's rebirth album to read the interview.The Rebirth features 10 tracks1. Lift Your Hands feat Niyola2. Victorious3. Na U4. Obi Mu O feat Guchi Young5. Bless U Lady6. Birthday7. Obi Mu O the Remix feat Guchi Young, Blaise, M.i, Illbliss8. F.A.T.H.E.R9. Hold On10.The Rebirth (Kene Gi)all beautifully arranged and delivered.I'll let the songs do the talking.Some of these tracks have been featured on this page,just type obiwon in the search box to find them.What I love about "The Rebirth (Kene Gi)"is the way Obiwon infused the ibo language with english...so beautiful!+ he sings like an angelClick play to listen to the 10th track off Obiwon's album. Enjoy!!
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Posted by 9jabook.com on October 24, 2009 at 12:49am
The foreign media has been rightly accused of always blowing our ugly sides out of proportion while conveniently keeping mum on our good sides. Any time you hear the name Nigeria mentioned in any foreign media, especially CNN, chances are that it will be in the negative. Most times, even a good story about Nigeria is ended with one negative comment or the other.
But in the last few weeks, some young Nigerians were featured in great light to the delight of those who truly love Nigeria. First it was Nigeria’s actress Genevieve Nnaji that was featured on the high-profile The Oprah Winfrey Show. Then it was the award-winning novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie that was featured on CNN’s as the Connector of the Day.
Oprah Winfrey featured Genevieve as one of the Most Famous People in the World. Hate her or love her, Oprah Winfrey is the presenter of the show that is acknowledged as the highest-rated programme of its kind in living history. She is also rated as the most influential woman in the world. Any book she talks about on her programme becomes a bestseller. She was one of those who called on Barack Obama to run for president when he was just a fresh Senator, and was said to have delivered over a million votes to Barack Obama in the 2008 Democratic Party’ primaries.
Unconfirmed reports also have it that she said a few years ago that Nigeria is a nation of fraudsters.
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Also given that the world of most United States ’ citizens starts with the U.S. , touches some part of Europe and ends with Asia , it was pleasantly surprising for Oprah to add a Nigerian lady on that list. That was good public relations for the country, no matter how small it was.
Then last week, CNN featured Chimamanda Adichie as the Connector of the Day on Becky Anderson’s Connect the World. All the questions asked were mainly about Nigeria. In addition to all the awards she had previously won through her two novels Purple Hibiscus and Half of a Yellow Sun, Adichie was recently awarded one of this year’s MacArthur Foundation fellowships, popularly known as “genius grants”, which come with an obligation-free annual grant of $100,000 for a five-year period. That award was highlighted in that interview. The good thing about that interview was that it was part of the international news bulletin, rather than the Africa-focused programmes: Inside Africa and African Voices.
There are a few points to note about these positive achievements recorded by these Nigerians. The first is that none of them is a politician or a government official. Secondly, they are both women. Thirdly, they are of the same generation (the under-40 generation). Fourthly, they were both born and bred at home (in Igboland) before they got international fame.
This goes to prove that even in this unfriendly environment, one can rise to international acclaim. It is also a pointer to the fact that Nigerians as a people are winners in whatever field they may find themselves. They are very intelligent, skilful, resourceful and diligent. It is therefore ironic that while Nigeria as a nation is always rated lowly in all world rankings, her citizens are rated highly in whatever competition they participate in.
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