All Posts (6213)

Sort by
Writing paid post is perhaps the most straightforward way to earn some revenue from blogging. The way paid post works hasn’t changed much; after reaching mutual agreement with advertisers, you write about them, they pay you. And if there is a third party (middle man company) involved, they take cuts. Most ‘middle men company’ provide marketplace for advertisers to look for publishers, vice versa.Here are a list of web services that pays you to blog.1. PayPerPostPayPerPost is an incredible new self-service marketplace that allows you to get paid to blog about the products, services and websites you love. You can easily earn $500 per month or more with your current blog.2. Link PostUnlike some other services, they pay our Partners up to 70% for each LinkPost written. Access to thousands of advertisers hungry for reviews. A variety of payment options. Receive payouts monthly by check, PayPal, direct deposit, or Wire. Automated advertising management. An easy way to sell paid blog posts.3. Review MeGet paid $20 – $200 to review products and services on your site. You control what you review.4. ShvoongThe more abstracts you post at Shvoong, the more chances to attract readers. Create link to your abstract elsewhere(on blogs, forums, your personal homepage, or other sites). Spread the word by joining our “Invite a friend” and/or “Affiliates” programs, and earn bonuses equivalent to the invite members’ royalties, upto $100 for every new writer.5. SmortyGet paid for blogging. Write your opinion about peoples products, services and websites on your blog. Get paid weekly.6. 451 Press451 Press is always looking for bright, talented writers who want to have their voices heard. We are looking for writers with unique voices to contribute to our growing network of blogs. Our blogs cover a wide range of topics. If you have a passion for a subject then we just might have a place for you.7. Be A Guide (About.com)All About.com Guides are freelancers who work online and set their own schedules, giving them the flexibility to log on from anywhere in the world whenever they have the time. With no timesheets to fill out and no timecards to punch, working for About.com gives you the flexibility to write when you want, even if you have a full-time day job.8. BlogBurnerSo here’s how it works:o You create an account with us.o You create an account with Google Adsense.o You login and write content to your "blog" on our site.o You try to write as often as you can.o We publish your content to our site.o We serve ads on the pages that have your content.o Half the time you make money on the ads. Half the time we do.9. Blog FeastThey are a blog community that:1. Host your blog for free2. Provide you with readers and traffic3. Serve your Adsense ads 90% of the time4. Helps you to make money blogging5. Leading you step by step to earn $1,000 a month!10. BloggerwaveThey’ve got advertisers that would like you to write about their products or services. So you do. In your blog. And get paid!More are Available at www.easymanual.biz.(Nigeria No. 1 site for Legal internet money making).You will be happy you did..PHONE NO. 07033097160.pls have a wonderful day.
Read more…
Frank Okamigbo, a.k.a. Frank Papas, is a model and showbiz impressario. But before he wore those caps he had always loved the good life. So when his dream of studying in the United States was aborted thrice between 1997and 1998 by the American Embassy’s refusal to grant his visa application, he turned his gaze elsewhere.A decade after, however, that rejection has turned a blessing in disguise. Okamigbo has had a successful modelling career, having been signed on by top corporate concerns in Nigeria such as Nigerian Breweries, MTN, Citizens Bank and Nestle plc. But it is in the Nigerian entertainment world that his genius has come into play. Currently, he oversees Club Papas at K’s Place, a popular nite club located on Victoria Island, Lagos.Two years after Okamigbo took over the management of Club Papas, he has taken night life in Lagos a notch higher. This is because, not only has Club Papas become a celebrity hang-out, it is a boost to night life in Lagos.The roll call of artistes who have either performed live or launched their albums at Club Papas include Tuface Idibia, Konga, Ruggedman, 9ice, Black Solo, Lord of Ajasa, OJB Jezreel, Sound Sultan, Tony Tetuila, MP Durella, Kaha, Banky W and the Jamaica-born American ragga artiste, Shaggy. Other celebrities who throng Club Papas include actors, actresses, soccer stars and business executives.Aside those regular celebrity visits, Club Papas also features special nights. This, according to Okamigbo, is to add colour and fun to night life. Tuesday, for instance, is ladies nite; Friday, the regular Hip-Hop bash; and Saturday, the celebration of artistes’ birthdays and their album launch. In December last year, Club Papas organised the Ankara festival in Lagos. The first of its kind to be held in Nigeria, the carnival attracted many distinguished personalities including a representative of Ben TV, UK in London, Mr. Femi Amusan. As a result of the agreement reached between Amusan and Okamigbo, Ben T.V. UK and Club Papas will jointly organise another Ankara festival in London this summer. “We have brought some creativity into night life, and not just nite clubbing,” Okamigbo averted.”The idea is to be on top of the game. What makes us unique is that we put in a lot of artistic work into ordinary night life. We spice our activities with variety. So what you get this week is different from what you get next week. We work hand in hand with the artistes whose music a lot of people hear but don’t know their faces. So we try as much as possible to put the artiste’s face into the music they play,” Okamigbo told TheNEWS.Asked how his involvement with the entertainment world started, Okamigbo said: “I have always been an entertainment person, even before I went to the university.” After his visa application was thrice rejected, Okamigbo decided to work with the popular Mega Plaza in Lagos as a supervisor in charge of movies and videos. There, he was able to meet minds with distinguished personalities from different streams of endeavour; even though, according to Okamigbo, the decision to work with Mega Plaza was a hard one he had to take. “As a young man, it was a difficult decision not to follow my mates who went back to school immediately. But I had always wanted to be independent. I come from a family of five. I am the only son. So I decided to be on my own and also, to support the family,” he recalled.Still, Okamigbo’s five years at Mega Plaza not only provided the finance with which he took care of his immediate family, but also enabled him to start his university education. And it was as a student of Philosophy at the University of Lagos that Okamigbo kick-started his entertainment career, combining academics with work. Towards the end of his years in the university, Okamigbo started modelling, and he perfected the art so well that he won regular campus awards such as The Most Handsome, The Most Fashionable, and The Most Stylish. “I didn’t know I would use what God has given me to achieve success. Modelling started my foray into entertainment. It gave me the break and everybody recognised me whenever I was out there. They saw me on billboards, posters and TV. In fact that was the beginning of the whole thing,” Okamigbo said.In his third year at the university, Okamigbo adopted the sobriquet, Papas. Papas, the acronym for Prestigious Acclaimed Personalities And Associates, is an association he formed to showcase the talents of youths and educate them on anti-social vices such as drug abuse and cultism. Papas, according to Okamigbo, was made up of students who were unique in different ways. Resourceful and creative, the students were not just independent they fended for themselves. And they were the richest on campus and rode the best cars . “Though there were a lot of social organisations on campus, we just felt we should be different from others and we took over the social scene on campus,” he recalled. To pass their message across to the youths, Papas organised workshops, seminars and parties periodically. It was in one of such parties that Okamigbo got to be involved with K’s Place. “The then manager of K’s Place, Mr. Val Nwokobia, who was about relocating to the United States contacted me and said he would want me to manage the place,” Okamigbo told TheNEWS.That chance encounter spelt the beginning of Okamigbo’s professional career as a showbiz impressario. And the series of events which followed led to his taking over K’s Place. Though the building housing K’s Place was originally owned by Mr. Kamal Bustani, a Lebanese, the nite club has passed through different managements. But before Okamigbo took over completely, it was known as Extreme Nite Club and managed by his former boss, Hakeem Sodeinde, a.k.a the General. It was when Sodeinde moved out of K’s Place to form The Reloaded Nite Club in Ikoyi, that it became Club Papas at K’s Place. “When Sodeinde left, I was the second in command. But I had a different idea. I decided to take over the management and that gave way to what we now have.
Read more…

Where my girls at?

Lately I have been thinking about the power of girlfriends. Every now and again I meet a woman who says I don’t really get on with other women. Now I can’t speak for all of such women but those I have met in my experience may have been hurt before and are so guarded and suspicious with other women as a result. One particular lady talked about how women don’t seem to like her. She put it all down to jealousy. However while she was with me, she kept making these snide and seemingly innocuous but very degrading comments and I could immediately see that the issue was not so much that people didn’t like her, it was more so that she really didn’t like herself. When she related to men, she simply resorted to sex kitten style and the interaction was always somewhat flirtatious even when she planned on keeping the relationship platonic. This particular woman right now floats through life on the arm of her man du jour and I think she is missing out on the most important aspect of it.
lagos..Port-Harcourt..Abuja..Kaduna.. Owerri..Edo.. AkwaIbom..Ibadan..Enugu
When you hear the word relationship, you always think man and woman. However I am talking about friendships. By nature, I am a loner. Actually, I don’t think I was born that way, I think I became that way as a defense mechanism. I learnt early on that people in general and girls specifically can and will hurt you. I used to take it so personally. Every little thing and I would be offended. I went to a girl’s boarding school, a hotbed for drama. There was always one confrontation or the other. I remember one school year; I think it was my third, where it seemed like every weekend someone was confronting me about something or the other. “I heard you said this, I heard you did that”. Now I clearly had to take ownership for some of the issues, I did the typical things I gossiped, I made judgments, sometimes went out of my way to make fun of the weaker girls, sometimes just to fit in with the wrong crowd. Also I had my fair share of wrong done to me, baseless rumors started, being accused of things I didn’t do, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera! Life goes on and as it does. We learn. Thank God for growth. When I first got out of boarding school, I was extremely guarded. I didn’t gravitate to men, because I didn’t desire a relationship as of then. So I kept to myself. I never let people in and I didn’t really give of myself. I remember my first Nigerian roommate in college. She is like my sister now. We fought so much then, even though we were alone in a foreign space. I mean we had our shares of up and downs and I don’t even remember much of what and how we argued about things but I do remember that she was an “I love you” sort of person and a hugger. Neither of which I was. I could never respond. I was cold. Still am, to a certain degree (But God has changed me so much and I’m still changing) I was so determined not to be hurt that I nearly missed out on a great relationship…almost twenty years later and we still are close. There was a time when I had been going through some stuff and at first I couldn’t share my problems with anyone. I was so burdened that it impacted my work, my physical self, I couldn’t even lift up my head. I was praying, I was fasting but I was still down. One day, I felt in my spirit that I should share my problems with a woman who I knew but at that point our relationship was still somewhat superficial. I was afraid. What if she takes my problems and uses them for gossip? What if she hurts me? The word in me was insistent. Share the load. You know they say your husband should be your best friend, sure, perhaps, but the truth is men are wired differently so as you are there venting, the response you get may not be quite what you need. They want to fix and you just want to be heard, at that moment I knew I needed a sister! I called this woman and shared with her. She was such a blessing to me and since then I feel lighter. She helped me lay my burdens down. In my country, it is not uncommon to see women carrying loads on their heads. Every now and then you will see a woman who wants to take her load down from her head onto the ground. Sometimes the load is light enough that she can maneuver it herself, sometimes it is so heavy that she struggles, then you will see another woman help her carry it off her head on to the ground. That is what the woman did for me. She helped me lay it at Jesus feet. Another time, I was so stressed, (in this life, stresses will come) I couldn’t speak. Again another woman who I knew casually…like I said, I didn’t really let people in….she asked me what was wrong. I couldn’t speak but tears started to flow, and God bless my friend, she didn’t probe further, she just started to pray. I couldn’t pray for myself but she did it for me and I could feel her love and I was and am grateful for it. One of my favorite scenes is from the movie Beloved. The main character Sethe was being oppressed by the spirit of her daughter who she had killed (you have to read the book, to really get the gist) anyway, she was oppressed to the point that she couldn’t fight for herself. Now the women in the town had heard what was happening and they decided that enough was enough and that they were going to fight for their fellow woman. So they gathered at her home and began to sing songs and stand in solidarity. Now a few things happened but the point is that it was the collective power of the women gathered that forced Beloved, the oppressive spirit to leave Sethe. I wept at this scene, because it symbolizes a truth I know deep within. There is power when women gather. We are the soul of the home, the pillars of the community. If you see a community with strong morals then know it is the women who propagate it. We are more powerful than we understand and our strength is magnified when we love each other. When we recognize that we are all flawed yet we are all beautiful. A friend of mine and I were discussing how women have been trained to compete against each other, we are constantly comparing and setting ourselves up against the other. Wives compare whose relationship is better with their husband, instead of being a source of strength to each other, recognizing that trying times come to every marriage. Nigerian and Lifetime movies are fraught with the images of women trying to steal a man from another woman, at whatever cost…I could go on and on. Suffice to say, there is power in love. There is power in girlfriends. We are meant to have relationships. Today, take the time to nurture a friendship and if you already have good friends, say thank you and give a shout out like me…”Where my girls at?! Holla!!!” Ekene Onu is a writer living in Atlanta or Abuja depending on when you get her. She is the author of the Nigerian chicklit book called The Mrs Club and she is currently working on an inspirational book due out very soon. She also blogs about life, love and faith at www.lifelovefaith.com.
Read more…

Say a prayer before sex

Couples are being encouraged to pray together before sex in a new book published by prominent church group Catholic Truth Society. A special prayer to help couples "purify their intentions" is one of a number set out in the Prayer Book for Spouses. The Prayer Before Making Love implores God "to place within us love that truly gives, tenderness that truly unites, self-offering that tells the truth and does not deceive, forgiveness that truly receives, loving physical union that welcomes". It adds: "Open our hearts to you, to each other and to the goodness of your will". The 64-page book, sold for £1.95, has been published by the London-based Catholic Truth Society, which has links to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. The Rt Rev Paul Hendricks, who is the Auxiliary Bishop of Southwark, told the Daily Mail: “'It is important for the Church to affirm the value of marriage and family life and I suppose this is a particular way of doing that. “Perhaps it is something that has not been tried, certainly for a while – I can't remember seeing something like that before.” The book contains prayers for every stage of marriage and family life, including engagement, planning for parenthood, pregnancy and caring for children and elderly parents. The book expresses criticism of “those who, in our times, consider it too difficult, or indeed impossible, to be bound to one person for the whole of life, and those caught up in a culture that rejects the indissolubility of marriage and openly mocks the commitment of spouses to fidelity”. The prayer Father, send your Holy Spirit into our hearts. Place within us love that truly gives, tenderness that truly unites, self-offering that tells the truth and does not deceive, forgiveness that truly receives, loving physical union that welcomes. Open our hearts to you, to each other and to the goodness of your will. Cover our poverty in the richness of your mercy and forgiveness. Clothe us in our true dignity and take to yourself our shared aspirations, for your glory, for ever and ever. Mary, our Mother, intercede for us. Amen.
Read more…

Gani Fawehinmi is DEAD !

Ganiyu Oyesola Fawehinmi, 71, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former presidential aspirant, is dead. The prominent social activist was reported dead in the early hours of this morning, after a two-year battle with cancer. Born on April 22, 1938, Gani dedicated his life to the defence of human rights and criticism of government insensitivity. Mr Fawehinmi was the founder and presidential aspirant of the National Conscience Party in 2003.
Read more…
About a dozen wealthy Nigerians are on a list the usually secretive Switzerland government has handed over to American authorities in a tax dispute settlement that has broken the countrys banking secrecy and now threatens to spill over to other banks.
advertisement The deal promised to end years of investigation and uncertainty for the bank, UBS, which announced that the government was exiting the stake it had taken to aid the bank during the financial crisis. The Swiss have also agreed to process requests by the United States seeking information from banks besides UBS about account holders suspected of evading U.S. taxes. Sources said the Nigerian clients of UBS are already initiating legal moves to keep their identity secret. “This announcement should send a signal, no matter what institution you’re with, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is willing to pursue both the institution and the individual,” I.R.S Commissioner Doug Shulman said, adding that the accounts were at one time worth $18 billion. He said U.S. authorities would not name any other foreign banks being probed, but the IRS is expected to use the Swiss deal as a template to pursue further prosecutions. “The IRS is now gaining institutional skill and knowledge in how to pursue these types of cases and they’re going to use that. This is, I believe, the beginning and not the end,” said Peter Hardy, a former federal prosecutor and specialist in white-collar crime at Post & Schell in Philadelphia. The UBS dispute had strained relations between the United States and Switzerland and challenged the latter’s jealously guarded bank secrecy laws. The deal may add steam to a global effort among cash-strapped governments to crack down on tax-evading jurisdictions. But the settlement could help UBS, the world’s second-largest wealth manager, restore an image that has been battered by the financial crisis. UBS said the Swiss government was exiting its 6 billion Swiss franc ($5.6 billion) stake, with the shares to be placed with institutional investors. UBS Chairman Kaspar Villiger said the tax agreement helps resolve one of UBS’ most pressing issues. “I am confident that the agreement will allow the bank to continue moving forward to rebuild its reputation through solid performance and client service.” he said. In February, UBS agreed to pay $780 million and disclose about 250 client names to settle a criminal probe by U.S. authorities. One former UBS banker testified that he smuggled a client’s diamonds into the United States in a tube of toothpaste. The deal effectively ends a separate civil lawsuit by U.S. authorities that sought up to 52,000 account names. There was no further monetary penalty. “It’s good to get this out of the way but the confidence of a lot of clients has been compromised so I’m not sure we will see inflows return. It will take time to recover reputation from this,” said Jaap Meijer, an analyst at Evolution Securities in London. Switzerland may claim its banking secrecy remains intact, but some private bankers said it is no longer a selling point for its banks, which will need to offer other skills like wealth management and legacy planning to attract clients. “The majority of assets in Swiss private banks are from European Union citizens,” said David Williams, an analyst at Fox-Pitt Kelton in London. “I think it won’t be long before we see action from the European Union along similar lines,” he said. The revised treaty between the United States and Switzerland would allow action in the case of “tax fraud and the like” in the UBS case, the Swiss government said. Officials said precise details would be published 90 days after the agreement comes into force. The U.S. government retains the right to go back and use a summons to collect the names, which roughly equal the number of accounts, if the settlement process fails, said Shulman.
Read more…
After a long wait, CAPital Hill Music's premiere artist, Kel has finally released her debuted album. Stepping into the once spacey female rap arena, the young femcee has a lot to prove, both due to the public's anticipation and the natural scepticism that greets lady rappers.The Investment is a solid debut with competent rhymes and decent beats but at 15 songs long (an Intro, Outro and two skits make 19 tracks in total), the album features a lot of unnecessary filler. Also, with 22 guest artists (album producer, Tha Suspect and Illbliss appear twice each), it could be mistaken for a compilation CD. However, on the songs where Kel shines, which, thankfully, are quite a few, she shows a lot of promise, with the potential to get better as her career advances. A regular complaint about rap music is you can't hear what is being said but Kel's sharp, decipherable lyrics takes care of that issue. This lets you pick out her intelligent wordplay but sadly, also exposes forced bars on certain tracks.With similar sounding rhyme structure throughout the set, there's a mono-flow but it works. She's found her niche and is craftily carving away at it. The back and forth rhymes with Six on "Need you in my Life" make for an interesting cat-and-mouse love story but Darey steals the show with the simple but impressive hook. "Boy meets Girl" exhibits her vulnerability and SLK's vocals are a fitting complement to Kel's ‘emo rap.' The playful artist has quite a number of love songs which suggests a sensitive girl underneath all the posturing.The Illbliss, Tha Suspect and Uchie assisted "Dem Don Dey Move" should be lighting up dance floors everywhere in due time while "Nobody Else" featuring Shank and Tha Suspect, as well as the Durella collabo, "Omo Yapayaski" should follow suit. Then there's the feel good, positive attitude up tempo treat, "Turn by Turn" featuring Wizkid and YQ. It is the type of song that crosses the age divide and appeals across generations.The lead singles "Waa Wa Alright" and "Too Fine" are the stand outs but the sleeper hit has to be the album ending "Sitting on Top" featuring the ever rising Jesse Jagz and Waje. The trio do justice to Jagz's breezy melody, with his and Kel's verses hitting hard and Waje's singing taking it up another notch.All in all, barring a few missteps, this album is time and money well invested and at 23, there is enough room to grow.
Read more…
SOMETHING DO YOU !Oil executive, Jimoh Ibrahim, who is the chief executive of Global Fleet Industries Ltd, found himself dealing with a new set of issues on Thursday in Abuja, when federal authorities informed him to shelve his planned business trip abroad because his name has been listed on a new travel advisory that security agents issued on Wednesday.Top security officers said in Abuja that the advisory was initiated as “a measure to prevent some of the very bad debtors from escaping,” adding that “some of the debtors are really owing so much that they can afford to run away and abandon whatever they have in the country.”Mr. Ibrahim and 200 other individuals, including top businessman, Azeez Arisekola Alao, were barred from travelling until they clear their names in the N746 billion debt owed the five ailing banks that the Central Bank of Nigeria said accounted for more than 90 percent of the funds drawn from the CBN’s emergency expanded discount window, and had exposure to more than 50 percent of the credit to both the capital markets and oil marketing sectors.Mr. Ibrahim whose family left for the United Kingdom on Wednesday without him, gave a different twist to the travel ban in a phone interview last night, saying it’s not a ban targeted at him but a general advisory that offered a window of ease for those who seek clearance from their banks. “It’s not just me. The CBN asked all the people whose names were published by the CBN not to travel.” He said adding that “The instruction is that if you want to travel, you have to obtain clearance from your bank.”Mr. Ibrahim refused to say if he was at the airport Thursday, but he claimed that his pilot merely took his aircraft for servicing and that the aircraft is due back this weekend. “My pilot has taken the aircraft for servicing. He left Lagos for London today (Thursday) and will be back by this weekend. The aircraft is in Luton airport,” Mr. Ibrahim stated.He said: “Nobody stopped me from travelling. In fact, I will be in England next week and nobody will stop me.”Who issued the directive?But in Abuja, federal agencies and law enforcement units at the core of the investigations traded excuses on Thursday, unwilling to accept responsibility as to who initiated the travel ban.Mohammed Abdullahi, spokesman for the Central bank of Nigeria said “the notice is not from the CBN. The issue is with the EFCC. Maybe you should confirm from the EFCC,” but Femi Babafemi, spokesman for the EFCC, said that “there is no official statement from the EFCC.” sources also gathered that the State Security Service [SSS] denied issuing the advisory, pointing fingers at the EFCC and the CBN as the agencies to clear the air.Airport authorities also claimed ignorance about the advisory. “We are not aware of any such advisory,” said Sam Adurogboye, spokesman for the National Civil Aviation Authority.Following the recent regulatory action of the Central Bank of Nigeria on the five banks, the CBN requested defaulting customers of the affected banks “to pay without further delay their indebtedness, failing which the banks will take all appropriate legal actions to ensure repayment.”To save the banks from going under, the CBN fired all their chief executives and injected an initial N420 billion life line to keep them alive.Re Adapted from Next online
Read more…

Blues in shock transfer ban

CHELSEA have been banned from signing any players for the next TWO transfer windows.FIFA have found the Blues guilty of inducing French teenager Gael Kakuta to breach his contract with Lens in 2007.CHELSEA have vowed to mount the "strongest appeal possible" against their ban from signing players during the next two transfer windows.The Blues have been slapped with the sanctions by FIFA after French club Lens complained that teenage striker Gael Kakuta had been induced to break his contract and move to Stamford Bridge in 2007.But not suprisingly, the Londoners have announced they will fight the decision.A statement from the club read: "Chelsea will mount the strongest appeal possible following the decision of FIFA's Dispute Resolution Chamber over Gael Kakuta."The sanctions are without precedent to this level and totally disproportionate to the alleged offence and the financial penalty imposed."We cannot comment further until we receive the full written rationale for this extraordinarily arbitrary decision."
Read more…
Over the past few months, the Minister of Information and Communications, Professor Dora Akunyili has been in the dock of public opinion but unfortunately for the wrong reasons. The issue revolves around who did what, how and when in the award of a recent contract to upgrade NTA facilities ahead of the under 17 World Cup. The reasons advanced for the one-sided debate have certainly failed to connect, leaving the larger public with an impression of a conspiracy to give a dog a bad name just to hang it. The real reasons behind the insinuations that Akunyili might have influenced the outcome of the contract can only come from a negative mindset, wrong perception, unfounded suspicion and limited knowledge of NTA contract administration procedure. Before 1999, Ministers could easily influence a procurement process in a parastatal or agency. After 1999, it has become increasingly difficult. The game has since changed. As former NTA DG, I know that Contract processes are handled by the agencies themselves through the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP). This explains why NTA went through the rigorous process of selective tendering and recommended three contractors to BPP. THOMPSON GRASS VALLEY of FRANCE was awarded the upgrading and refurbishing of 6 Outside Broadcast Van from Standard Definition (SD) to High Definition (HD) and the refurbishing of International Broadcasting Centre from SD to HD. WTS/SONY NIGERIA was awarded the contract to renovate the 6 Digital Satellite News Gathering Van while VISAT USA is to upgrade and refurbish 9 Meter Satellite Hub at the National Stadium. Interestingly, BPP reviewed the submission and called for fresh tenders from companies. Thereafter, BPP selected WTS SONNY to handle the whole contract! It was after this stage that the Minister as a statutory responsibility took the recommendations of the NTA with the certificate of no objection issued by the BPP to the Federal Executive Council for consideration and approval. Beyond this, I have also followed arguments in some sections of the media over attempts to make some kind of narrow comparisons between the procurement of those facilities for NTA and a claim of similar procurements in South Africa. Even if the procurements were made by South Africa, some basic questions would definitely arise. For instance, what kind of outside broadcast vans were procured by Nigeria and South Africa? Were they the same in quantity, quality, size, accessories, and operational mobility? What about maintenance arrangements, training, and other vital conditions? How does the issue of exchange rate and environmental regulations play-out in the comparisons? What of other purchases included in the Nigeria package such as cameras, microphones etc? And the terms of payment? These and more, I suspect, are the kinds of questions that arise when people make comparisons that are clearly superfluous, inconsistent and incongruous. There is nothing to also suggest that the Bureau of Public Procurement failed to use the same parameter it had adopted in the past to subject the cost to conform with the most responsive competitive cost within the frame work of due process pricing regime. I do not see the connection between the on-going sponsored attacks on Prof Akunyili’s role which in any case; she had no option under the public procurement policy guidelines of the Federal Government. I sympathize with Prof Akunyili for being a victim of the unfortunate growing culture of “pull-him-down” even when the issues are clearly laid on the table. Having worked conscientiously for Nigeria and in the process built a solid reputation, what should make Prof Akunyili rub on her reputation at this stage? I do not see any such motivation? What must have been at the back of all the media-war against the minister, might not be unconnected with the unhealthy rivalry and the on-going struggle over who secures the hosting rights of the under 17 World Cup. The support of the Umaru Yar’adua administration through the Minister’s effort in favour of NTA is not only open but solid to the envy of all rivals of the national television. Ben Bruce is the president of the Silver Bird Group and former Director General of NTA.
Read more…

The paradox of life's journey.

"It is only when we realize that life is taking us nowhere that it begins to have meaning."-- P.D. Ouspensky"All major mystical traditions have recognized that there is a paradox at the heart of the journey of return to Origin. ...Put simply, this is that we are already what we seek, and that what we are looking for on the Path with such an intensity of striving and passion and discipline is already within and around us at all moments. The journey and all its different ordeals are all emanations of the One Spirit that is manifesting everything in all dimensions; every rung of the ladder we climb toward final awareness is made of the divine stuff of awareness itself; Divine Consciousness is at once creating and manifesting all things and acting in and as all things in various states of self-disguise throughout all the different levels and dimensions of the universe."-- Andrew Harvey"Look at you, you madman, Screaming you are thirsty And are dying in a desert When all around you there is nothing but water!"-- Kabir"After changes upon changes, we are more or less the same."--Paul Simon
Read more…
A highly influential Shi'a religious leader, with whom Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad regularly consults, apparently told followers last month that coercion by means of rape, torture and drugs is acceptable against all opponents of the Islamic regime. Warning: The imam's question-and-answer session, partially reproduced here, contains disturbing descriptions of the sanctioned brutality. In the wake of a series of publications worldwide regarding the rape and torture of dissident prisoners in Iran's jails, supporters of Ahmadinejad gathered with him in Jamkaran, a popular pilgrimage site for Shi'ite Muslims on the outskirts of Qom, on August 11, 2009. According to Iranian pro-democracy sources, the gathered crowd heard from Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi and Ahmadinejad himself regarding the issue. According to the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC), an independent Israeli intelligence analysis organization, Mesbah-Yazdi is considered Ahmadinejad's personal spiritual guide. A radical totalitarian even in Iranian terms, he holds messianic views, supports increasing Islamization, calls for violent suppression of domestic political opponents, and, according to the ITIC, "declared that obeying a president supported by the Supreme Leader was tantamount to obeying God." At the Jamkaran gathering, Mesbah-Yazdi and Ahmadinejad answered questions about the rape and torture charges. The following text is from a transcript alleged by Iranian dissidents to be a series of questions and answers exchanged between the ayatollah and some of his supporters. Asked if a confession obtained "by applying psychological, emotional and physical pressure" was "valid and considered credible according to Islam," Mesbah-Yazdi replied: "Getting a confession from any person who is against the Velayat-e Faqih ("Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists", or the regime of Iran's mullahs) is permissible under any condition." The ayatollah gave the identical answer when asked about confessions obtained through drugging the prisoner with opiates or addictive substances. "Can an interrogator rape the prisoner in order to obtain a confession?" was the follow-up question posed to the Islamic cleric. Mesbah-Yazdi answered: "The necessary precaution is for the interrogator to perform a ritual washing first and say prayers while raping the prisoner. If the prisoner is female, it is permissible to rape through the vagina or anus. It is better not to have a witness present. If it is a male prisoner, then it's acceptable for someone else to watch while the rape is committed." This reply, and reports of the rape of teen male prisoners in Iranian jails, may have prompted the following question: "Is the rape of men and young boys considered sodomy?" Ayatollah Mesbah-Yazdi: "No, because it is not consensual. Of course, if the prisoner is aroused and enjoys the rape, then caution must be taken not to repeat the rape." A related issue, in the eyes of the questioners, was the rape of virgin female prisoners. In this instance, Mesbah-Yazdi went beyond the permissibility issue and described the Allah-sanctioned rewards accorded the rapist-in-the-name-of-Islam: "If the judgment for the [female] prisoner is execution, then rape before execution brings the interrogator a spiritual reward equivalent to making the mandated Haj pilgrimage [to Mecca], but if there is no execution decreed, then the reward would be equivalent to making a pilgrimage to [the Shi'ite holy city of] Karbala." One aspect of these permitted rapes troubled certain questioners: "What if the female prisoner gets pregnant? Is the child considered illegitimate?" Mesbah-Yazdi answered: "The child borne to any weakling [a denigrating term for women - ed.] who is against the Supreme Leader is considered illegitimate, be it a result of rape by her interrogator or through intercourse with her husband, according to the written word in the Koran. However, if the child is raised by the jailer, then the child is considered a legitimate Shi'a Muslim." By Nissan Ratzlav-Katz www.IsraelNN.com
Read more…
THIS IS AN ONLINE PETITION FOR THAT IS CURRENTLY AIRING ALL OVER TV AND INTERNET! DISGRACE DISGRACE SONY DISGRACE! THE UPROAR COMES FROM THIS EXACT QUOTE IN THEIR AD.. "YOU CAN'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU HEAR ON THE INTERNET OR I'LL BE A NIGERIAN MILLIONAIRE BY NOW" WATCH THE DISGRACEFUL VIDEO QUESTION TO SONY: SO EVERY SINGLE NIGERIAN IS TRYING TO SCAM & DEFRAUD PEOPLE?! IS THAT WHAT YOU FOUND OUT FROM YOUR RESEARCH FROM ALL NIGERIANS??! THE AUDACITY TO INSULT NIGERIANS AS A WHOLE WITH YOUR LOW STANDARD OF ADVERTISING. NIGERIANS CONTRIBUTE A GREAT PERCENTAGE OF SALES AND BRAND LOYALTY TO YOUR PRODUCTS. THIS PETITION IS TO HAVE SONY PULL OR CHANGE THE AD WITH THE NEGATIVE REFERENCE TO NIGERIANS! SIGN THIS PETITION AND FORWARD IT TO EVERY NIGERIAN YOU KNOW! WE ARE LOOKING TO GET OVER 100,000 SIGNATURES AND IT WILL BE SENT TO SONY'S PRESIDENT. LET'S EXCEED THAT GOAL!!
Read more…
By Bassey Udo and Ini EkottSeptember 3, 2009 05:59AMTReprepared for Politics blog by Akin OsunlajaThe lawmakers in Abuja had hauled the Central Bank governor before them, to defend the legality of his actions in firing the senior executives of five failing banks.Leading the charge was the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Banking, Ogbuefi Ozomgbachi, who was indignantly challenging Sanusi Lamido Sanusi over whether the central banker had overstepped his authority and made a mockery of our constitution.“Any action taken in pursuant to the CBN Act that is inconsistent with the provisions of the Constitution is null and void, ineffective and of no effect whatsoever,” Mr. Ozomgbachi thundered, reading from prepared remarks.But the four-page letterhead document from which Mr. Ozomgbachi read his hand-written introductory remarks bore the logo of Rockson Engineering, a company identified by the CBN as one of the worst bad debtors whose non-performing loans sent the giant Intercontinental Bank to ruin.Rockson, whose directors are the wealthy businessman J.I.A Arumemi-Ikhide and his wife, Mary, owed and had refused to pay Intercontinental about N37 billion as of May 31.That and other large loans gone bad caused the bank to run out of cash, and the CBN to rush in to the rescue. The bank’s CEO, Erastus Akingbola, has since fled the country and been declared a fugitive by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Rockson claims the whole thing is a misunderstanding.How lawmakers who claimed to be acting in the interest of the public came to read their strong criticism of the Central Bank governor from a company central to the dispute led observers at yesterday’s hearing scratching their head.OZOMGBACHINot a few were quick to draw a link between members of the committee and the company, insinuating that Rockson Engineering, which was one of the companies that strongly faulted the CBN’s name and shame strategy, may have masterminded the lawmakers’ summons of Mr. Sanusi.“It is not a mere coincidence that the lawmakers would be using so flippantly the letterhead paper of a debtor company listed by the CBN and not another writing plain paper to convey their speech to the public, if they did not have anything to do with the company,” said one witness at yesterday’s hearing, who asked not to be identified so he could speak freely.Officials of Rockson Engineering were not immediately available for comment last night.In a bid to save face after it became clear that the audience had made a link between Rockson and the committee chairman, the lawmakers drove journalists out of the venue to allow them have a private meeting with the CBN governor and members of his team.But prior to the closed session, Mr. Sanusi had offered a strong defense of his intervention in the banking crisis, which included injecting N420 billion into the five banks. The EFCC is now trying many of the bank executives and their alleged accomplices, seeking convictions for fraud, money laundering and other racketeering.Mr. Sanusi told the lawmakers that there was no illegality or inconsistency in the action of the CBN, as the Act which established it as a lender of last resort derives its powers from the provisions of the constitution. The Act, he said, requires him to regulate the activities of commercial banks and set levels of their cash holdings and what level of risk taking is appropriate.“Where a bank is deficient in any of these, the CBN may, under the statutory powers, order redress of the deficiency in any of the ways contemplated by the law,” he said.Mr. Sanusi said the CBN’s intervention was not only consistent with global trends, but also was a patriotic decision to stem further erosion of confidence in the banking industry as a result of its huge exposure to the capital market.He explained that the 10 banks audited had granted over N900 billion loan as at December 2008, representing about 12 per cent aggregate credit, or 31 per cent of shareholders funds.“Of this figure, the five banks accounted for more than 50 per cent of the total exposure, with over N754 billion, or 10 per cent of aggregate credit and over 27 per cent of shareholders’ funds, to the oil and gas industry.“At its peak, the banks’ total outstanding commitments under the CBN expanded discount window stood at over N434 billion. Therefore, CBN’s action to inject fresh capital into the five banks was not only within its statutory powers, but done to save them from imminent collapse, as well as restore confidence to the banking system,” he said.
Read more…
According to reports, Lil Wayne has been really busy this year and may be the father of yet another child. An exotic dancer at Los Angeles strip club Spearmint Rhino, has made claims that she's been impregnated by the New Orleans mega-star, making her the third woman Weezy has allegedly knocked up this year.Wayne recently confirmed that actress Lauren London is currently several months pregnant with his child, while singer Nivea has claimed to be pregnant by him as well.The 26-year-old (though his birth certificate reportedly says otherwise) rapper has a daughter with ex-wife Toya Carter (star of popular BET reality show 'The Tiny & Toya Show'), and an 10-11month-old son with an unnamed Cincinnati woman.The purportedly preggo exotic dancer, whose identity has yet to be revealed, is said to be of East Indian descent, and says that she has informed the Wayne of her pregnancy, and that he's assured her in turn, that he wants her to have the child.
Read more…
Comptroller-General of Customs, Alhaji Abdullahi Inde Dikko, in Certificate Forgery, Threat to Life & Intimidation ScandalWednesday, September 2, 2009.The President and Commander-in-Chief,Federal Republic of Nigeria ,State House,Abuja.Mr. President,FORGERY OF CERTIFICATES BY THE NEW COMPTROLLER-GENERAL OF CUSTOMS, ALHAJI ABDULLAHI INDE DIKKO, THREAT TO LIFE AND INTIMIDATION:A CALL FOR A FULL-SCALE INVESTIGATION.I have decided to write directly to you on this matter because I believe you will not tolerate and condone the criminal behavior of any public officer, even if your security agencies are reputed for that and especially since they are indicted on this issue. It is also necessary that you are personally aware of such an important matter involving a highly-placed public officer whom you just appointed.I make no judgment at this point. All I call for is a thorough investigation of the grave allegations contained in the affidavit accompanying this letter and for you to take appropriate action(s).With best regards.I remain yours most trusted,FESTUS KEYAMO, ESQ.IN THE HIGH COURT OF LAGOS STATEIN THE IKEJA JUDICIAL DIVISIONHOLDEN AT IKEJAAFFIDAVIT REGARDING MY RELATINSHIP WITH ALHAJI ABDULLAHI DIKKOI, OLAJIDE OYEWOLE IBRAHIM, male, Muslim, Nigerian citizen, resident of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria, do hereby make oath and state as follows:1. That my name is Olajide Oyewole Ibrahim and the following facts have already been written and submitted to my lawyer, Barrister Festus Keyamo. I now thought it fit to also make an affidavit.2. That I knew Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko, the present Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Customs Service since 1995, while undergoing the compulsory National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) scheme with the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) at Plot 22, Idowu Taylor Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.3. That during that time, i.e 1995, Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko was serving as a Superintendent of Customs (CS) and resided in his official quarters at Block 18, Flat ‘F’, Eric Moore Towers, Surulere, Lagos.4. That sometime in 1995, Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko approached me as the officer in charge of Training and Courses Department of the Nigerian Institute Management, to sneak out blank programme certificates on Finance and Accounts for him, which he intended to fill himself and present as authentic certificates. He explained to me that he needed these certificates and many others to get rapid promotion.5. That I obliged Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko of this request and secured on his behalf two (2) course participant certificates covering the years 1995 and 1996. (Copies of the certificates are hereby attached as Exhibits ‘A and B’). He thereafter filled them himself and forged the signatures on them.6. That on the completion of my National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) programme in 1996, the Institute discovered these missing certificates from the booklet of certificates in my custody and when I could not account for them for fear of implicating Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko, my name was withdrawn from the list of corpers to be considered for employment.7. That as I could not be retained, I told Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko of my predicament, but he promised me he would get me into Dangote Group at that time through one of his friends Alhaji Idris Shuaib Mikati. But in the meantime, I became an errand boy for him. This situation of running errands for him continued for years and I later forgot about getting a regular employment.8. That sometime in 1999, Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko confessed to me because of my closeness to him, that his West African Examination Certificate (WAEC) result was defective and implored me to assist him get another result.9. That in that same year i.e. 1999, I assisted Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko through the help of a staff of WAEC, to get him a fake WAEC result bearing the name of Government College, Kaduna and with the date of issuance as 1980. (Copy of the WAEC result is attached as Exhibit ‘C’).10. That in the year 2000 when Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko wanted to become a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), they discovered that the WAEC result was not genuine.11. That prior to their discovery, Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko had already submitted the said WAEC certificate to the customs authorities as his and could not withdraw same.12. Following that discovery, Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko abandoned his ambition of becoming a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accounts of Nigeria and opted for membership of the Association of National Accountants (ANAN) situate at Herbert Macaulay Way, Yaba, Lagos.13. That with the assistance of two (2) members of staff of ANAN, one Mr. Bello who was then in charge of examination and one Mr. Ojelade in charge of registration at the Institute, Alhaji Dikko was admitted as a fellow of ANAN.14. That it was the said Mr. Bello who suggested that we got somebody to write the ANAN examination of behalf of Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko.15. That suggestion warranted my contracting one Mr. Ganiu Memudu to write the ANAN examination on behalf of Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko.16. That initially, Mr. Ganiu Memudu was reluctant to write the examination for Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko but after much pressure from me and Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko, Mr. Memudu yielded and wrote the ANAN examination conducted sometime in March 2000 at the Auditorium of the University of Lagos. (Copy of the ANAN Certificate is attached as Exhibit ‘D’).17. That sometime in 2005 when Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko was promoted to the rank of Comptroller of Customs in charge of investigations, I approached him through his wife Hajia Shadiat Abdullahi for assistance in securing a job.18. That Hajia Shadiat Abdullahi response to my request was that I was trying to reveal the confidentialities between myself and her husband, Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko adding that Yoruba men could not be trusted. That response made me to leave their residence on the said date.19. That sometime in February 2006, on arriving from a religious vigil with my wife, I was informed by my landlady that some persons came in a Toyota Corolla Car looking for me with the aim of offering me a job as a clearing agent at the Ports.20. That my landlady further added that she suspected foul play since only two persons alighted from the said Toyota Corolla car while the others sat back.21. That my landlady’s intimations got me worried and scared leading me to relocate my wife and kids. Besides, the persons who came looking for me did not leave any contact address nor phone numbers behind, thereby raising my suspicion.22.. That I thereafter met one retired Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mr. E.O. Abai who promised to plead with Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko.23. That when Mr. Abai got through to Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko via his phone, Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko promised to deal with me and added that I may be killed any moment from then.24. That thereafter, Mr. Abai advised me to enforce my rights in a law court.25. That on April 24, 2006, a Lagos High Court sitting in Igbosere granted my prayers that I should not be intimidated or harassed by Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko nor any of his agents. (Copy of the Enrolment of Order is attached as Exhibit ‘E’).26. That on November 21, 2006, I was arrested by Police Officers from Panti Police Station based on a petition written by one Superintendent of Customs, Mohammed Lawal alleging that I collected the sum of Two Million, One Hundred Thousand Naira (N2,100,000.00) from him to settle the case between me and Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko.27. That after being detained for two (2) weeks in Panti, I was arraigned before an Ebute Metta Magistrates Court for stealing. The charge was later struck out because the complainant, Alhaji Dikko could not summon the courage to come to court to testify. (Copy of the charge sheet and the proceedings are attached as Exhibits ‘F’ and ‘F1’).28.. That meanwhile, during one of the days of the hearing of the criminal matter, that is on January 12, 2007, I was picked up at the premises of the Magistrates Court by Police Officers from the Abuja Police Command based on a petition written again by Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko alleging that some documents, money and computers belonging to him were stolen from his Abuja residence on November 4, 2004 and that I may be responsible for their theft.29. That thereafter I was detained for forty (40) days at Apo Legislative Quarters and the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Ladan (who was in charge of the matter) thereafter told me that the only condition for my release was for me to withdraw the Fundamental Rights suit I filed against Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko.30. That on February 20, 2007, retired Assistant Commissioner of Police, E.O. Abai came to Abuja to see the then I.G, Mr. Sunday Ehindero to secure my release. I was further asked to see Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Ladan on the 22nd of February, 2007.31. That on that day, i.e. February 22, 2007, I was taken to the High Court, Abuja by the same Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Ladan but incidentally the court did not sit on that day which stalled my arraignment.32. That my wife and I later went straight to the I.G’s office and the then I.G., Mr. Sunday Ehindero instructed his Principal Staff Officer (PSO) Mr. Solomon Arase to look into the matter.. That led to the invitation of all the Police Officers involved in the matter.33. That after asking some pertinent questions, like whether Alhaji Dikko originally reported any case of robbery to any Police Station, (the answer being negative) and having satisfied himself that the allegation was frivolous, he ordered my release.34. He further advised me not to go about threatening Alhaji Dikko about his past, and that he was sure that Alhaji Dikko would leave me alone on that note.35. That thereafter I returned to Lagos where, to my surprise, one Inspector Habilla, a family friend of Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko and two (2) other Customs Officers, Messrs Enemoh and Mohammed Lawal continued to trail me. I reported this incident to Mr. Arase, the PSO to the then Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ehindero, who promised that all would be settled.36. That sometime in August 2008, I was informed by a friend of mine that I had been declared wanted by the Abuja Police Command in connection with robbery.37. That I made frantic efforts and discovered that the Punch and Tribune Newspapers of April 28, 2008 carried the advertorials which declared me wanted in connection with robbery. (Copy of the Punch Newspaper advert is attached as Exhibit ‘G’)..38. That it was at that point I realized that the plan was to arrest me as an armed robber and either shoot me like the Boko Haram leader or keep me perpetually remanded in prison custody as a robber awaiting trial.39. That since I had no godfather, I immediately went into hiding, and I have been running from pillar to post all these months, because of the almighty power of Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko.40. That on the 4th of August, 2009, retired Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mr.. E.O. Abai advised that I summon courage and find out details about the advertorial from the Abuja Police Command.41. That on the 7th of August, 2009, in the company of Mr. E.O. Abai, retired Assistant Commissioner of Police, I met with the Commissioner of Police, Abuja, Mr. John Haruna. We went with the newspaper publication and the attached affidavit.42. That the said Commissioner of Police, Abuja, Mr. Haruna said that he knew nothing about the publication and immediately summoned the command’s spokesman, Superintendent of Police, Mr. Jimoh for explanation.43. That the Abuja Police Command’s spokesman further contacted the I..P.O supposedly handling the matter, one Mr. Danjuma Attah who confirmed that the case has no case file and that I should go in peace.44. That the following week, Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko was named as the Comptroller-General of Customs and the Abuja Police Command’s spokesman, Mr. Jimoh called the retired Commissioner of Police, Mr. E.O Abai to notify me that I should come to the Abuja Police Command that there is now a case file against me which has been sent to court in respect of a charge of armed robbery.45. That since the genesis of my travails life has been unbearable for me and my family. My mother collapsed and died later when she heard that I was arrested at the premises of a Magistrates Court in Lagos and taken to Abuja in handcuffs. Similarly, owing to lack of adequate parental care, I lost my four (4) year old son to an illness.46. That at present, due to the newspaper publications I cannot walk freely nor seek employment cum business opportunities for fear of being identified as an armed robber. This has left my wife as the only bread winner of the family.47. That before I met Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko, I never had any criminal record. All that I did for Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko was done in ignorance and immaturity and to help his career to where he is now that he so desperately wants to protect at the expense of my life and freedom.48. That the real intention of Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko, the new Comptroller-General of Customs, is to silence me, either by indefinite remand as an armed robber in a prison yard, or to kill me like the Boko Haram leader.49. That it was at this point everyone I met recommended Barrister Festus Keyamo to defend me. I then came out and contacted him.50. That I depose this affidavit in good faith and in accordance with the Oaths Act._________________DEPONENTSworn to at the High Court Registry, Ikejathis ………. day of …………………….. 2009BEFORE MECOMMISSIONER FOR OATHS
Read more…
Mr. President: I am Chief Government Ekepemupolo, referred to in good and odd times as Tompolo. I have played my insignificant roles religiously in the determined struggle of the Ijaw, nay Niger Delta, nationalities since 1993 against insensitive multinational corporations and the state. In 2003, I left the average God given comfort of my life without prompting and moved into our beautiful creeks of the Delta of the Niger (reversal mine) among others, to advance our divine and just cause. Till date, I do not plan nor envisage a return to the artificial cities of Warri, Port Harcourt, Lagos and Abuja with your response trend to our struggle.The intellectual and political agitation of our people predates Nigeria’s independence hurried as it seems today; and the same fundamental and core issues remain unsuppressed and ever daring despite conscious attempts by successive regimes to simplify them through unending conference talks and committees without attending to the recommendations there from.Reform proposals, from the Willinks Commission of 1958 through Gen. Ogomudia’s special Security Report to the Mitee Technical Committee, abound. Candidly, your committee on amnesty and its arm dealing with disarmament in content and operations are the same to the purified ramifications of our structured struggle. Who is deceiving who?THE PEACE PROCESSOn assumption of office on 29th May 2007, MEND and the peoples of the Niger Delta greeted you with a unilateral ceasefire and opened a wide window for a peaceful resolution of the regional crisis. On 29th June 2007, your Vice President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan visited regional agitators in Camp 5 with a message of peace and process was agreed.There from, I have spoken with lowly and highly placed in your government including yourself emphasizing on the cardinal demands of our people. No armed confrontation of skirmishes had occurred between agitators and the Joint Task Force until 13 May 2009 amidst the traditional festival of the people of Gbaranmatu. Who is really deceiving who?Your government and our people met severally in Abuja, constituted joint committees with your former SGF Babagana Kingibe, present SGF, Ahmed Yayale, cabinet ministers and Defence Chiefs serving variously with our representatives led by Elder T.K.Ogoriba. We agreed on a few fundamental areas of great concern with sub-committees constituted to engage stakeholders preliminarily in the region. We agreed on a presidential visit, declaration of development emergency in the region, release of Henry Okah and others detained in connection with our agitation, pilot withdrawal of the Joint Task Force from the region and composition of oil commissions by regional states, among others that would be discussed in a formal dialogue between government and regional elders and youth leaders.What happened to these agreements? Why did the events of 13th May 2009 happen instead of a gradual implementation of these preliminary terms agreed to whilst we kept our peace? Who exactly breached the peace and is transparently deceiving who?AMNESTY AND DISARMAMENTYour Excellency, your proclamation of Amnesty on 25th June 2009 is only viewed by my ilk as part of the peace process, which was breached on 13th May 2009. It is not viewed as the ultimate or that official act of oblivion or pardon on the part of your government to absolve without trial so-called offenders or group of offenders, intentionally forgetting or overlooking wrongdoings by same. We view the gesture as offer from nothing but it can be something with mutual sincerity and great will.Why distort and simplify, as usual, our genuine struggle to crime and disarmament? Are crimes of kidnapping, abduction and hostage-taking synonymous to and with our region? Who kidnaps in Kaduna, Lagos, Kogi, Ondo, and the entire Eastern states of the country? Do the security agencies inform government correctly that 99% of crime cases in Port Harcourt are not perpetrated by agitators and core regional indigenes? Categorically, Politicians, Political and Commercial Crime Merchants all over the country are the architects to undo themselves and others. We are clear-headed agitators with an inherited defined vision and mission.Why the push for disarmament within this space of peace, instead of engagement on the fundamentals that occasioned the armed agitation and its associated incidents? Who bought the arms with whose money? Except by make-beliefs and showbiz, can genuine disarmament be achieved with the Joint Task Force killing and destroying communities, with guns pointed at agitators to drop arms without commencing genuine dialogue on the regional fundamentals and possible mutual reconciliation? I make bold to state categorically that true peace and disarmament can only be seen occurred when and only when the Core Demands of the region are being addressed through a mutually progressive dialogue.Mr. President, whilst hoping for the practical reality of that dialogue to usher in peace and justice. I suggest the following as preliminary acceptable to the agitators:1.WITHDRAW OF JTF AND DEMILITARILIZATIONThe formation and operation of the Joint Task Force since 2004 has clearly indicated a scenario of replacement for coup plotting in the country, it has caused much image damage to Nigeria and colossal financial waste to the region. Is it part of its mandate for a military officer with rank of Lieutenant Colonel, Major or Captain to lead an “escort job” for multinational corporations? What are rank and file and junior officer doing in the region? It shows degeneration and calls urgently for an improved welfare status for the military which is gradually establishing the region as a survive pipe. Government must improve their welfare and make the barracks attractive and stop sacrificing our region for the stability of their polity.I herein enjoin the withdrawal of the Joint Task Force and demilitarization of our region from Okirika and Kalabari Kingdoms in Rivers state through the civil Ijaw communities of Bayelsa state to the serene communities of Western Ijaw in Ondo, Edo and Delta states. The Joint Task Force makes no difference: instead it aggravates the conflicts to stay put in the region. They may win this war against our just cause: but they cannot win the peace in any guise not even in our region wherein every child of three and above sleeps with the knowledge of every pipeline meter criss-crossing the region. May 13, 2009 and its fallouts has and shall vindicate and triumph us ultimately.2. THE RIVER NIGER DREDGINGGovernment characteristic- to-type has enlisted Chief Tony Anenih and Mrs. Deziani Allision Madueke to dredge the River Niger. Why is government pushing with intent to use the force of JTF to dredge the river instead of addressing the environmental hazards such will cause the communities therein as contained in the Environmental Impact Assessment report such as shore protection and adherence to local content? Legitimate governments all over the world address the communal fears and concerns of the affected before such projects are executed. I hereon disclaim any contact with Chief Tony Anenih on this issue as claimed. I remain among those opposed to it and I am committed to confront by any means necessary any real attempt to dredge the river without recourse to universal standards that are acceptable.I also enjoin Chief Tony Anenih and Mrs. Madueke to tread softly: for this is an attack on our existence and identity. I consequently urge Mr. President to halt the process and direct government agencies to comply with agreeable standards for the management of the River Niger as a vital lifeline for our people.3. THE SEPTEMBER BIDS & OIL BUNKERINGOil bunkering is consciously being peddled by the JTF and Government in their bid to cover state failure and to malign our legitimate struggle. Such expensive ventures requiring huge finances power and contacts can only be carried out by the mighty in government and huge businesses. Who provides or buys the vessels and equipment? Who settles the military and has the connections with the foreigners and refineries? Who owns those vessels apprehended and disappearing? I make bold to urge Mr. President to show will and determination to stop bunkering in the region and see how the mighty in Lagos and Abuja will fall.However, Mr. President how many Niger Deltans have oil fields, blocs or even allocations that girlfriends are entitled to in Abuja? Does it sound just amidst truths that General T.Y.Danjuma sold 45% of one of his marginal fields (Akpo Field) to a Chinese firm for 2.3billion Dollars, still keeping 55%? Can this happen to the Hausa, Yoruba or Igbo? Why must we suffer so much for a God-given blessing? Do you think there can be peace where the people do not have appreciable stakes in their resources and composition and operations of multinationals in the region? Emphatically NO!CONCLUSIONMr. President, this is my first personal missive to any government or its privies since 2003 and it remains on the fundamental demands of the region raised for over 50 years by our people who are starkly faced with the daily worrying reality of a hopeless life after oil. With sincerity of purpose and determined will, the crisis in the region remains the simplest to resolve. I urge you to authorize your government to commence dialogue with representatives of the people of the region, nominated from elders and leaders of youths referred to as Aaron Team by MEND, on the core demands of the region with pride and mutual balance.Your Excellency, may I remind you that Major Isaac Adaka Boro died for this cause: our noble poet and play writer got hanged with eight other Ogonis in 1995, Dokubo Asari and Henry Okah among others got incarcerated in inhuman conditions for years, just as several unsung brethren have been murdered and several of our innocent communities completely destroyed. These did not stop the agitation of the people; instead it reinforces it in tactics and participation. How can killing Tompolo, Fara, Ateke, Boyloaf, Afrika, Shoot at Sight, Young Shall Grow and others stop the numerous unsung Tompolos in the creeks who owe our people at home and in the Diaspora this noble duty to bring justice and peace to our land? Kindly thread the path of dialogue, not force. There is no bad peace.I salute the courage and sacrifice of our brethren in our blessed region in this noble struggle. I thank Henry Okah, Dokubo Asari, Fara Dagogo, Ebi Ben (Boyloaf), Ateke Tom, Shoot at Sight, Afrika, Joshua, Young Shall Grow and several others known and unknown for your past and present sacrifices.I salute our brethren in the Diaspora, the Ijaw National Congress, Ijaw Youth Council, MEND, JRC, FNDIC, Yoruba Progressives, Northern Justice Known, the Warri Ijaw Peace.Sincerely.High Chief Government Ekpemupolo(Tompolo).HIGH CHIEF GOVERNMENT EKEPEMUPOLOIBE EBIDOUWEI OF IJAWLAND2, Palace Road, Oporoza Town, Gbaranmatu Kingdom, Delta State.
Read more…

Sanusi responds to critics of Bank reforms

The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, yesterday promised to resign if the recent intervention to sanitise the financial services industry fails.The governor said this at the bi-monthly Monetary Policy Meeting, which held on Tuesday in Abuja.Mr. Sanusi, responding to insinuations that the intervention was politically motivated, said time would tell, emphasising that the primary motivation for the intervention is to protect depositors and shield the industry from collapse.Read communique hereHe also denied allegations that CBN’s action was a ploy to prepare the grounds for a take over of the banks by foreigners.It’s the economyAccording to Sanusi: “Where we are today, as far as the five banks are concerned, is that the CBN has put in money to protect depositors and creditors from any losses, to shield them from further deterioration as a result of non-performing loans. The principal objective of the action at this point in time is not to sell the banks. I have said this at several fora.”With regard to the town hall meeting held in the United Kingdom, he said it was neither to sell the banks nor to meet investors, rather he was there “to meet correspondent banking institutions and creditors, to assure them of the safety and soundness of the banking institution in Nigeria.”He added that because of the decision to change the management of the banks, the CBN needed to make itself available to international creditors, “to answer any question that might have arisen from the action we took.“The primary focus of the trip was to tell the creditors about the country’s economy and to situate our action within the context of a general process of guaranteeing financial stability,” he explained.Though, he said the CBN has not received any proposal from any prospective investor interested in any of the banks, he added that the bank will not stop any investor from expressing interest as long as it demonstrates sufficient commitment to the development of the Nigerian economy.“Once these banks have stabilised and it is time to move on, our preference is for them to have core investors that would run them professionally and put in place a governance structure that will ensure that we do not have a recurrence of the kind of things we have seen in the past. The core investor could be local or foreign.There is no law in Nigeria today that stops foreign banks from owning Nigerian banks, and the CBN will not preclude any bank from owning Nigerian banks simply because it is foreign,” he said.“That is not the same thing as saying we prefer selling our banks to foreigners. We are saying in principle that the CBN will not stand in the way of a foreign bank owning a Nigerian bank. We have stressed that any foreign bank that is coming in must be ready to show a clear commitment to the development of the Nigerian economy,” he stressed.Understanding the bailoutOn reports that some federal legislators have called the bailout illegal, saying it did not receive the approval of the National Assembly, Sanusi said he is not aware of any section of the CBN Act that demands such authorisation before the bank can perform its statutory function as lender of last resort.“What the CBN did was merely to create money to lift the balance sheets of the affected banks and increase money supply. The N400 billion loan given to the banks was (not) meant to bail them out by way of equity, but (was) a convertible facility."The CBN Act gives the CBN absolute control over the supply of money in circulation. The CBN does not need appropriation from the National Assembly to do what it did. Prior to what happened, the CBN gave these same banks and others, as a lender of last resort, money to expand their capital base."All that was done was to ask them to take the expanded facility for a longer time as quasi-capital and focus on meeting their obligations to creditors and depositors till when they are able to repay,” he said.On the monetary policy meeting, the CBN boss said the committee resolved to keep the country’s monetary policy rate unchanged at six per cent per annum, while also maintaining interest rate corridor at +/-two per cent around the MPR as well as giving approval for the establishment of an “Asset Purchase Facility Fund”.Though he said the country’s revised growth rate for last year stands at 5.99 per cent against the estimate of 6.41 per cent earlier in the year, the projection for the current year has been put at 5.33 per cent, compared to the 5.75 per cent projection.On year-on-year basis, he said the country’s inflation level has stabilised at a little over 11 per cent as at July 2009, with average rates of headline inflation and food inflation in the first seven months of the year standing at 13.11 per cent and 15.94 per cent, compared with 11.53 per cent and 15.98 per cent for last year.
Read more…

British Gas sacks 51 Nigerian workers

There is palpable fear among the staff of British Gas Nigeria, (BG) following the sack of 51 officials and middle level managers from the company. The sacked workers account for about 25 percent of its Nigerian workforce. advertisement: http://www.9jamovies.com a utube4naija project ! The company’s General Manager, Policy and Corporate Affairs Paul Arinze, who confirmed the action however denied that there was a mass sack in the company. He explained that the action taken by the company was not peculiar to the British Gas alone. According to Arinze, the workers' layoff was not just about global economy or about oil price, it was about responding to global changes. "We are offering new jobs to people, some are asked to go, some people have applied while some have not. The entire reorganisation is not about sacking people; we are offering new jobs to people. BG Nigeria has refocused its long-term strategy in line with policy change and global realities. "This has resulted in high-grading of jobs and fully localising senior management. In that process, roles have changed, new ones created and a few dropped. Our staff had exercised choices along those lines," he said. A source close to the company disclosed that British Gas Nigeria on August 17, 2009 carried out the mass sack and that the laying-off of senior company managers would follow soon. BG Group Plc, the parent company had announced on July, 28, 2009 that it was cutting funding of the OK LNG project and switching investments to develop newly acquired assets in Australia and Brazil. CEO of BG Group, Frank Chapman, told reporters on a conference call that his company's investment in Nigeria's gas sector will be gradually reduced due to Nigeria's government change of priority to domestic gas projects. On account of its employment practices and a new OK LNG's management restructuring introduced by OKLNG Shareholders Agreement (SHA), British Gas is currently defending a N175 million legal action at the Lagos High Court instituted by an ex-employee alleging breach of employment contract.
Read more…
The former Chief Execu-tive Officer of Oceanic International Bank Plc, Mrs. Cecilia Ibru, collapsed yesterday in court after battling mosquitoes in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commis-sion (EFCC) where she spent last weekend. advertisement
lagos..Port-Harcourt..Abuja..Kaduna.. Owerri..Edo.. AkwaIbom..Ibadan..Enugu
Ibru had surrendered herself to the EFCC last Wednesday at the commission’s Lagos office and rather than release her after interrogation, she was detained throughout the weekend. The former Oceanic Bank CEO slept on a mattress in a four-wall room in EFCC detention camp. Ibru’s lawyer told THISDAY last night that because of lack of power and the fact that EFCC had no diesel for its generator, at 7pm most days the former Oceanic boss’ room would normally be infested with mosquitoes. Although Ibru was with her doctor, Major-General Gabriel Ovadje (rtd), in detention, the doctor was, however, restricted to the waiting area downstairs, a heartbeat away from the detention room. Efforts by the doctor to get the EFCC officials to make diesel available for the generator yielded no fruit as they were said to have insisted they had no such brief. The former Oceanic CEO who has been married to Olorogun Michael Ibru for close to 45 years is used to comfort. Ibru, who all along appeared stressed up, suddenly collapsed in the dock after 18 of the 25-count charge had been read to her. The development, which caused panic in the court, stalled proceedings for about 10 minutes before her doctor, who had accompanied her to the court, attended to her and certified her fit to continue with the trial. EFCC could not be reached last night to react to the lack of power at their detention centre on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi.
Read more…

Blog Topics by Tags

  • in (506)
  • to (479)
  • of (339)
  • ! (213)
  • as (166)
  • is (157)
  • a (156)

Monthly Archives