Little Johnny is at it again... President Obama was visiting a primary school and he visited one of the classes. They were in the middle of a discussion related to words and their meanings.The teacher asked the president if he would like to lead the discussion on the word 'tragedy'?So our illustrious president asked the class for an example of a 'tragedy'.One little boy stood up and offered:'If my best friend, who lives on a farm, is playing in the field and a tractor runs over him and kills him, that would be a tragedy?'> 'No,' said Obama, 'that would be an accident.' A little girl raised her hand: 'If a school bus carrying 50 children drove over a cliff, killing everyone inside, that would be a tragedy.' 'I'm afraid not,' explained Obama. 'That's what we would call great loss.' The room went silent. No other children volunteered. Obama searched the room. 'Isn't there someone here who can give me an example of a tragedy?' Finally at the back of the room, Little Johnny raised his hand. In a quiet voice he said: If the plane carrying you and Mrs. Obama was struck by a 'friendly fire' missile and blown to smithereens that would be a tragedy.''Fantastic!' exclaimed Obama. 'That's right. And can you tell me why that would be tragedy?''Well,' says the boy, 'It has to be a tragedy, because it certainly wouldn't be a great loss... and it probably wouldn't be an accident either.
Read more…
Budget airline Ryanair has come up with a possible new cost-cutting measure in the form of stools rather than seats on flights.
The Irish no-frills carrier is looking at the possibility of increasing capacity on flights by getting some passengers to squat on stools.
These passengers would pay less than those in "normal" seats or possibly fly for free.
Ryanair spokesman Stephen McNamara said that the airline's chief executive Michael O'Leary had already been in touch with aircraft manufacturer Boeing to see if such a scheme was feasible.
Mr McNamara said: "If it's possible, if we can get the IAA (Irish Aviation Authority) to approve it and if it can reduce fares even further we will be doing it."
Mr O'Leary told Sky News that he got the idea from the Chinese airline Spring, which said it could squeeze 50% more passengers on board and cut costs by 20%.
Read more…
He who lends to the poor gets his interest from God.The charitable give out the door and God puts it back through the window.Believe, when you are most unhappy, that there is something for you to do in the world. So long as you can sweeten another's pain, life is not in vain.A person's true wealth is the good he or she does in the world.We get to make a living; we give to make a life.No one became poor by giving alms.READ MORE MOTIVATING WORDS AT muyiwaandthepoems.blogspot.com
SAW THIS AND DECIDED TO SHARE...VERY TRUE OH!!
1. He understands your accent.
2. He knows that when you suffix every sentence with 'now', its not a command, e.g. "Come let's go now..."
3. When you guys go out, he pays and doesn't expect a refund of exactly half!
4. He understands why you have to send money home - probably doing the same himself!
5. He doesn't see your kid sister staying in your house as an inconvenience/ cramping his style. 6. He doesn't think you should put your parents in a home.
7. He eats 'Gbegiri and Amala' and doesn't think it's 'yucky' or 'spicy'. In a nutshell, loves your cooking
8. He gets your jokes.
9. The way he licks his ten fingers 'cos that Ogbono soup with Iyan hit da spot, Oh Yes!!!
10. He has got his education or he got something going on.
11. He may be a baby daddy but he loves his kid and takes care of him.
12. He can have a bus load of conversation without him saying much 'cos his momma taught him that.
13. He loves to see you shake that ass to Sir Shina Peters, the original "Back That Ass Up" master.
14. He will settle an argument and say sorry while maintaining his man status.
15. I am IN charge but he is THE charge, we understand that.
16. He knows where he is from. Living in NY does not mean you are from NY.
17. He thinks you're so pretty without makeup.
18. He calls you native endearing names like "Nne" or "Omo"
19. He has respect [not to be confused with obedience) for his elders(important).
20. The way he gets embarrased and says "I beg oh" when you compliment him.
21. The way he says "I love you baby" ? may be very fake yet sounds so TRUE!
22. The way he eats meat with his bare hands? for some reason it is sexy to me.
23. The way he calls you his wife in front of all his friends.
24. The way he says "Shey you get am" when he thinks you are not paying attention, but you really are.
25. The way he knows that it is you calling and answers the phone "Hey Baby!" without looking at the caller ID.
26. The way Naija men look when they are all decked out in native? there is nothing sexier than a dark chocolate man in lace o!
27. Pronounces your name like say na im born you.
28. The way he flows from Ebonics to Pidgin English to Akata with ease.
29. He is just at home at your office picnic as he is at the Naija reunion.
30. The very satisfied look on his face after eating one of your meals and the way he glares at you while picking his teeth with the tooth pick,and you both know that you are his next "meal". 31. He appreciates the art of yanshrolling when he sees one!
32. Keeps you from doing wahala by buying a stickshift vehicle he knows U can't drive!
33. He saves you money on groceries a la "limited diet". Just cook the stew and he'll figure the rest? Eba, Amala, Fufu or even plain old White Bread!
34. No need for breast implants to impress am!
35. No need to go kill himself trying to maintain a six pack. He knows u know big belle is sexy inside Agbada!
36. He knows to allow you like three hours to get ready for a party!
37. He will not complain when you waka with headful of rollers inside house but quick to let you know that aint nothing sexy about that when you want to go outside.
38. Her singing while doing housework is a classic reminder of wetin you dey miss when you dey carry Akata woman!
39. His lunch (Rice, Beans, Dodo, complete with carefully selected assorted meat) wey you pack for am na something u know sey im no go wait "Palam" (gobble up!) when him reach work
40. He thinks the small gap between your front teeth are actually sexy!!!!
Finally, Cool Cos He Is Just A Naija Man Period!!!"
Read more…
Shock, horror; yesterday he even learned not to cry. It seemed fitting that Andy Roddick’s challenge had left him too exhausted, too mentally drained and too emotionally shot even to even offer his usual trick of watering the Centre Court lawn with his tears.
That is what number 15 and sporting history took out of him. Never before has he had to delve so feverishly into his endless reserves of champion’s resolve to win a grand slam title. Never before has he looked more like a warrior than a wizard. And never before should all those tears have rightfully been reserved for his almost heroic, but ultimately broken opponent.
To break the seemingly unbreakable, Federer offered a four-and-a-quarter-hour snapshot of his peerless career; the brilliance, the glory but, most of all, the guts. He had to. Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg and Pete Sampras had come to pay homage to their successor. And, as they chatted to him afterwards, did the icons perhaps even recognise their superior?
Sampras did. The best ever, he proclaimed Federer. When the seven-time champion turned up in the Royal Box, Federer heard the applause at the changeover, walked out to serve and gave his illustrious guest a nod of acknowledgement.
“I said 'hello’. I thought 'I don’t want to be rude’. But when I saw him, I did get more nervous.” Typical Federer. The only champion who worries about being polite to visitors during a game.
Sampras was suitably impressed. “He makes it look so effortless,” he cooed. Only yesterday, in what has to be considered the equal of last year’s unreal contest between Rafael Nadal and Federer – if not quite in quality, then at least in terms of the longevity of drama in that incredible last set – it was a tribute to Roddick’s effort that the Swiss really did look as if he was forced to labour harder than ever before.
This was a test of nerve. Not full of monumental rallies like last year but, as Federer put it, more a throwback to the big serve-and-volley fests of yore. That last set could have come from a Hollywood western. Who would be the last man standing? There were moments when you swore it would be Roddick. He seemed more aggressive than Federer, whose date with history had seemed to pacify him.
After all, it may have been the American’s best-ever performance. Think of it; 10 times you have to serve to stay in the match against the greatest player of all-time, the man who has routinely tortured you, and 10 times you do not blink. But when he lost at the 11th attempt it was not just because his body, wearied from a fortnight of rare battles, at last betrayed him. It was because Federer was too tough for the streetfighter.
That is what gave the Swiss the most satisfaction. “I came through a match I couldn’t control,” he explained. “If I’d gone two sets to love down with the way Andy was serving, I would have been in a very difficult situation.” Yes, a losing one.
So let’s return to the key moment of the match. Federer, a set and 6-2 down, is facing four set points in the second set tie-break. What happens next?
First point saved: an exquisite cross-court pass picked up on the half-volley to leave Roddick floundering. Second point, an unreturned serve; third point, an ace; fourth point, forcing Roddick to volley wide out of his comfort zone.
Here was Federer in crisis, growing not shrinking. Then the kill; a beautiful cross-court backhand chipped past Roddick to earn the mini-break before applying the pressure on set point to force Roddick to strike a final backhand long.
How long will that torment Roddick for? For ever and a day, probably. On court afterwards, the ever-gracious Federer tried to remind his rival that he had suffered a similar defeat to Nadal last year and come back stronger.
“Yeah, but you’d already won five,” Roddick muttered inconsolably.
But even then, he could not bring himself to hate his conqueror. No-one can. Because as Sampras suggested, you can only celebrate a champion who is as humble and gracious off court as he is murderous on it. We are talking about a sportsman, and a sporting achievement, for the ages.
Read more…
"ol'boy, see small Ghana o"The labour department in Ghana(PWD) is to introduce 'new titles' toremove inferiority complex, so that workers could be proud andcomfortable with their professional Titles.These are:1. Garden Boy - Landscape Executive and Animal Nutritionist2. House Maid - Domestic Operations Specialist3. Typist - Printed Document Handler4. Messenger - Regional Business Communications Conveyer5. Window Cleaner - Transparent Wall Technician6. Temporary Teacher - Associate Tutor7. Tea Boy - Refreshments Overseer8. Garbage Collector - Public Sanitation Technician9. Watchman - Area Theft Prevention and Surveillance Officer10. Thief - Wealth Redistribution Officer11. Driver - Automobile Propulsion Specialist12. Cook - Food Technician and Preparation Office
Read more…
Mbet Udoaka watched helplessly as his wife and 3week old newborn baby died in the blaze.
The 37-year-old raced home from work after receiving a frantic call from his wife Helen, who said she was trapped in their flat with their three-week-old daughter Michelle.
He tried to rush past police and firefighters, but they blocked his way. Instead, he stayed on the phone to Helen, 34, until she lost consciousness.
Mr Udoaka’s cousin Mary said: ‘Helen was panicking, but they were on the phone to each other constantly until she was too weak to cry. He was beside himself. He so wanted to run to their rescue but was stopped.’
She added: ‘Michelle was brought out at about 8pm and taken to King’s College Hospital wearing an oxygen mask. Mbet went with her. But she was dead.‘Michelle was their first child. Everyone in the family was so pleased and they were just planning the christening. They were such a loving couple.’
Another father has told of his devastation after his wife and two children were killed in the Camberwell tower block inferno in London.
Harrowing witness accounts have revealed mobile phone conversations with victims of the tragedy as they tried vainly to escape the flames.
Rafael Francisquini, 31, watched helplessly as wife Dayana, 26, daughter Thais, six, and son Filipe, three, were trapped in their 11th-floor flat.
He told the Sunday Mirror: "I have lost everything. They were my world, my two babies and my beautiful wife. They were my angels."
Police yesterday named the three other victims as Helen Udoaka, 34, her three-week-old baby Michelle and Helen's friend, Catherine Hickman, 31.
They were killed in the next-door flat.
Police are treating the fire, which started in an unoccupied ninth-floor flat on Friday afternoon, as suspicious.
Yolimar Caboz, 33, said she was on the phone to her friend and neighbour Ms Francisquini who had locked herself and her two children in their bathroom in a
bid to survive.
"Dayana told me, 'I tried to get out but the firemen told me to stay in the bathroom with the children and put wet towels on the floor'," she said.
A London Fire Brigade spokesman said the advice to remain inside a bathroom with wet towels at the base of the door was standard procedure.
Local MP Harriet Harman said people were "asking questions" following the tragedy at Lakanal Flats.
She said: "There will have to be a thorough investigation into what caused this fire and whether the prevention was adequate.
"There are many blocks with one central stairwell and questions will have to be asked about what happens when a fire breaks out."
Eleven residents were discharged from hospital after treatment while one person, a firefighter, remains in hospital.
His condition is not thought to be serious, however.
London Fire Brigade Assistant Commissioner Nick Collins described the blaze as "one of the most significant fires in London for some time".
He added that firefighters were on the scene within five minutes but had faced "very difficult operational circumstances".
Several residents said the complicated layout of the flats made the process of evacuating the building difficult.
Ed Hammond, 37, an accountant who lives on the seventh floor, described the flats as "death traps".
He said: "If the fire is in the central area, you would virtually have nowhere to go."
Zahera Chaudry, 21, whose sister was in a first-floor flat when the blaze broke out, added: "These buildings should have been torn down years ago."
Witnesses described seeing those trapped inside screaming for help as more than 100 firefighters and 18 fire engines battled the blaze.
Lincent Johnson, 28, who lives across the street, said: "The people were in the windows, screaming out for help.
"There was panic, there were a lot of people screaming.
"It wasn't that big at first but it started to spread so quickly."
Speaking at the scene, Chief Superintendent Chance said the fire is being treated as suspicious.
He said officers were dealing with a "large and complex scene" and added: "The investigation is likely to take some time."
WHAT A COUNTRY ! this is the new record !
Earlier this week, police found the badly decomposed body of Isabella Purves, who would have been 90 this year.
Officers forced their way into the top-floor flat in the tenement building in the Canonmills area of Edinburgh after a neighbour reported water dripping through the ceiling.
They had to fight their way through piles of unopened mail behind her front door.
It is thought her pension was paid directly into a bank account and utility bills were paid by direct debit.
Police are trying to trace her relatives.
Neighbours in Rodney Street have spoken of their horror at the discovery.
Giovanni Cilia, who owns the Fioritalia florist below Ms Purves's traditional tenement flat, said he was shocked at how long it took to find her.
He said: "How did no one notice the smell, or wonder where she was? I heard there was a big pile of letters and bills behind the door. I used to see her walk past the shop maybe four times a week. She would often go across the street and pick up litter to clean the place up."
Mr Cilia, who has run the shop for 20 years, added: "It's shocked everyone here. When I saw her she looked quite fit and healthy for her age. She used to wear boots and would often carry a rucksack like she enjoyed going for walks."
Michael Singh Kille, who works in a newsagent's three doors along, said he saw a stretcher taken from the building.
He said: "The police came and knocked down the door, then a private ambulance came after that. They took a stretcher up and when it came down it didn't look as though it had anything on it, just a very slight shape."
David Crystal, an optometrist who has run his business near the flat for 22 years, said Ms Purves had been a client.
He said: "I haven't seen her for 12 years. I last saw her in 1997 and we've sent her five reminders. For someone who doesn't have any family in this automated society, you can understand how it can happen.
"Before, they would go to the post office to collect a pension. I just assumed she'd been moved into a care home. We wouldn't normally follow up a non-attending person to see why they hadn't come back."
The last reminder was sent out in 2004.
His wife, Dorothy, who co-owns the business, said the discovery was "an indictment" of society.
She said: "Nobody cares any more, that's pretty sad. It's down to basic neighbourly behaviour. I would hope people would be looking out for others."
Read more…
The Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho caused a major frenzy among Nigerian fans as he arrived in the country for a three-day visit.Mourinho arrived in Lagos on Friday as a guest of the Kwara Football Academy (KFA).Mourinho will be in the West African country from 3 – 5 July, as he seeks to encourage coaches and officials of the project run by the Kwara state government.The fans turned up to greet the former Chelsea boss and the rest of the delegation despite the fact that he arrived two hours later than announced.“It is a great landmark in the history of Nigerian football as well as the KFA,” Nkechi Obi, CEO of Premium Sports Marketing Services told BBC Sport.“He is here with other coaches and trainers to conduct seminars and coaching clinics for indigenous coaches.“We are positive that his presence will benefit the talented players in the academy and hopefully attract interest from international clubs throughout the world.“Football fans, media and everyone involved with football will enjoy photograph and autograph sessions with the ‘Special One’ on this trip.”The trip facilitated by DanJan Sports is widely seen as an opportunity to expose the Kwara Football Academy (KFA) to the rest of the world.“The KFA epitomises what a perfect football academy truly is and Gestafute are happy to be associated with them,” David Omigie of DanJan Sports explained.“We have seen what the visit of Manchester United and Portsmouth gave to Nigeria as a country in the past.“The coming of Mourinho and KFA will bring a lot of positive attention to football in the country once again.Former Nigeria coach Clemence Westerhof is the director of the Kwara Football Academy which is in Ilorin, the capital of Nigeria’s Kwara State.
Read more…
Tomorow it is Roddick Vs the FedererFinals: Serena Williams (2) def Venus Williams (3) 7-6 6-2Semifinals: Andy Roddick (6) def Andy Murray (3) 6-4 4-6 7-6 7-6Semifinals: Roger Federer (2) def Tommy Haas (24) 7-6 7-5 6-3Serena Williams won her third Wimbledon title and first in six years by beating her older sister and defending champion Venus.Serena won 7-6 (7-3), 6-2, on Centre Court at the All England Club in London, preventing her sister from taking a third consecutive title. Only Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova have managed to win three in a row since professionals were admitted in the Open era of tennis in 1968.“It feels so amazing,” Serena said to the spectators. “I feel like I shouldn’t be holding the trophy. It’s named ‘The Venus,” and she always wins.”It was the fourth time the American sisters met in a Wimbledon final. Serena has now beaten Venus in three finals. Today’s win also tipped their all-time head-to-head record in her favor, 11-10. It is the longest rivalry between sisters on the WTA Tour since 1971, according to the women’s circuit. Manuela and Katerina Maleeva of Bulgaria played each other nine times, with Manuela taking the series 8-1.“I feel like going into this final I have nothing to lose,” Serena had told reporters after she beat Elena Dementieva in the semifinals. “I feel like obviously she’s playing the best tennis at this tournament.”Serena now holds three of the four majors -- Wimbledon, the Australian Open and the U.S. Open. Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova won the French Open.Sibling RecordsThe only sisters to have both reached the No. 1 ranking on the WTA Tour, the Williamses have now won a total of 18 Grand Slam singles titles, starting with Serena at the 1999 U.S. Open.In the last decade, they have taken over the grass courts at the All England Club, winning eight championships in singles. They played a riveting final a year ago, with Venus winning her fifth Wimbledon title 7-5, 6-4. Serena previously won in 2002 and 2003.Venus Williams, with the two large strips of medical tape supporting her left knee that she’s worn since her second match of the tournament, won the toss and elected to serve. The sisters traded games until it was 4-3, when Venus got two break points. She lost both, and Serena won the game with an ace down the center.At 5-5, Serena got Venus to deuce on her serve, but couldn’t convert. It went to tiebreakers, with Serena taking it after losing one set point. It was the first time Venus had dropped a set in the tournament, and broke her win streak of 34 consecutive sets.Disappearing ServeIn the second set, Venus couldn’t get her service working, getting less than 50 percent of the first serves in. Still, they traded games until it was 3-2, when Venus double-faulted to go down 4-2.Serena won the next game without giving up a point to go up 5-2. She converted her fourth championship point when Venus dumped a backhand into the net. The sisters hugged at the net.“They probably are the best of their era,” Bud Collins, a broadcaster and tennis historian for more than 40 years, said in an interview at Wimbledon today.“They compare very well,” with nine-time champion Navratilova and seven-time winner Graf, Collins said.“I picked Venus to win the tournament when it started,” Collins said. “She’s got that wing span, she can get up to the net and cover a lot of territory.”Venus and Serena “can both can run like deer. They both have great hearts,” he said.Having the sisters compete at Wimbledon, where they also play in women’s doubles finals today, is important for the tournament.“They are the box-office stars,” Chris Gorringe, who retired as chief executive officer of the All England Club in 2005, said in an interview.Since the retirement of top-ranked Justine Henin in May 2008, five women have held the No. 1 position, two of them -- current leader Dinara Safina of Russia and Jelena Jankovic of Serbia -- without winning a major. The sisters stand out from the rest of the women’s field because of their mental strength, tennis commentator and former player Mary Carillo said.Dominant Women“Look at the great women’s champions, from Martina Navratilova to Chris Evert and Steffi Graf, they were all very strong mentally,” Carillo, a former French Open mixed doubles champion, said in an interview. “Serena, Venus and also Maria Sharapova are the same. When they step on a tennis court, they are saying to themselves, ‘What will it take for me to win the match?’ You don’t see that so much with the other women.”Serena, 27 and seeded second at Wimbledon this year, showed her mental strength in her 2 hour, 49 minute semifinal against Elena Dementieva of Russia.Faced with match point on her serve at 5-4 down in the third set, Williams rushed to the net to finish off the point. Instead of hitting down the sideline or using a lob, the Russian aimed the ball back cross-court at Williams, who met it with a backhand volley that touched the net and landed on Dementieva’s side for a winner.Serena won the match 6-7 (4-7), 7-5, 8-6, making her only the second player in the Open era at Wimbledon to come back from match point down on the way to the championship.Record After RecordThe only other player to do so since tennis turned professional in women’s singles was Venus Williams, who won the 2005 final against Lindsay Davenport after saving a match point in the third set.Serena’s fighting spirit always has been there, said Venus, who is two years older and was seeded third. She recalled a match her younger sister won over Davenport at White City in Sydney, Australia, in 1998, after trailing 1-6, 2-5.“That actually had a huge impression on my career, that one incident actually.” Venus told reporters after dropping just one game in her semifinal win over Safina. “We saved the article. It was called ‘White City’s Great Escape.’ Afterwards I would read it with an Australian accent. We’d read it over and over again, about how she overcame all the odds and won that match.”CriticismThe Williamses have been criticized by Navratilova, who watched today’s match from the royal box, and others for not playing a full schedule and spending too much time on other interests, such as interior design and acting. Serena spent almost an entire press conference last week talking about a script she was trying to write.Their longevity and success shows their strategy, and that of their coach and father, Richard, has been the right one.“Their formula is, trying to peak for the majors and play 15 to 18 tournaments a year,” Pam Shriver, a five-time Wimbledon doubles champion and now a tennis commentator who has known the Williamses for 15 years, said in an interview. “It’s not a bad idea. You can’t question it now they are both in their late 20s.”Playing each other in 2009 isn’t the same as when they did it for the first time at the 1998 Australian Open.“It’s different because we’re different players,” Venus said, when asked if it ever got any easier playing a sibling. “We both play such a similar game. We had the same teacher. But what I can tell you, the respect that we have for each other on and off the court is the same.”
Read more…
FEEL THIS PLS!I haven't laughed this much in a while but the guy didn’t go as far as he should have (not the 419ner). It’s really hilarious...Please read and laugh it out!!!You need to read this discussion between a 419 guy and his prospective prey.It's not uncommon these days to receive strange calls with foreign numbers. These callers invariably have one juicy business or the other to discuss from 'abroad'. If you fall for the sweet talk, there goes your money.I got a typical call very recently, here's the gist:Mr. 419: Hello, how are you?Ayo: Fine. Please, who am I speaking with?Mr. 419: Haba, don't you remember me? Who do you know in UK that could be calling?(Sensing a scam, I threw in a trap.)Ayo: Johnson! Is that you? (I don't know any Johnson in UK .)(Thinking it's a break, he swallows the bait)Mr. 419: Of course, this is Johnson! How come you didn't recognize my voice initially?(Certain it's scam, I decided to punish him verbally and financially. I had the time that morning so I was going to assist him waste his call credit.)Ayo: Jooooooohnson! Kai! Omo buruku gbaa ni o! (You are a special bad boy)Your father died, you didn't so much as show up or send a note. Omo a seiru e fun e! (Your children will repay you with such). Didn't you hear about his demise? He was so bitter and full of original curses for you.Mr. 419: (Obviously subdued) I didn't hear. I would have come.Ayo: Too bad. You heard your mama is leprous too? You didn't hear about that, abi?Mr. 419: (Now uncomfortable) No, I didn't hear.Ayo: (Enjoying myself thoroughly). Too bad. Is your wife that foolish too? Not even a word from her after you folks married without our blessings?If the husband is not wise, is the wife lame-witted too?Mr. 419: She's fine. I'm certain she'll get across to you.There's an issue.(Breaking in before he begins his story)Ayo: Johnson, O se mi o: you offended me. I sent you money to buy me a car and you just disappeared. When am I having my money back? You want me to curse you too like your father did? I don't have his kind of patienceI'm sure you know. I won't wait that long before I give you what you deserve.Mr. 419: (Grunted). This issue is important...Ayo: Shut up!!! When are you sending money home? Haba! We sent you to school, clothed you and sent you abroad... Are you now a 419? Stealing from me your friend too? Your father was right to curse you... And you can't escape it if you continue like this. It’s a curse.Mr. 419: I'll repay you.After about 50 minutes of moves and counter-moves. I owned up.Ayo: See Mr. 419, I don't know any Johnson in UK . I just needed to teach you a lesson. Go get a proper job.Mr. 419: Were! Oloriburuku! Lo ti n sepe fun mi lat'aaro! (Madman, and you've been cursing me since morning!)Ayo: Disconnected.
Read more…
Today, I have a few words to say, not about my self or my family, but about me!Yes about me just because, I can today stand the test of time and proclaim that I can actually do virtually all things through Christ that strengthens me. You want to know why?Let me let you into a bit of my life. …. ..I was born into a polygamous family oh! And so u said? Because you were too or probabably, you have watched FUJI HOUSE OF COMOTION severally or you have gotten personal experience about it? Any way, I just digressed, back to the track.I had polio my elitis when I was barely nine months old, I could not compete favourably well with others, then I thought life was cruel and that the Lord has played pranks with me.Things turn out best for those who make the best out of the way things turn out for them. I got determined to irrespective of my challenges become an achiever, though, it’s only achievable with God on ones side and I thank him because he is on my side .Today, I thank God for my life because; I am not only an achiever but also a great influence to the world. If you ask me what made me, I will simply tell u ‘MY DISABITY MADE ME THRU THE ONE I CALLED ‘THE ALMIGHTY GOD’What problems do you think you have that cant be surmounted? You too can, like I did, don’t limit yourself to your present situation; drag yourself out of your predicament and you will get there. Getting to the top could b difficult but remaining at the top is most and more difficult.Let this rhetorical question rap up my blog for today, has there been a river that our God cannot swim or any mountain he cannot climb, ho! Or should I ask if there is any?ANSWER THIS QUESTION AND MEET ME A THE TOP,.AM WAITING!!! AM WAITING!!! AM WAITING!!!Written byTokunbur Oyejobitokunbur@yahoo.com
Read more…
GRANDMA IN COURTLawyers should never ask a Mississippi grandma a question if theyaren't prepared for the answer. In a trial, a Southern small-town prosecuting attorney called his first witness, a grand motherly, elderly woman to the stand. He approached her and asked, "Mrs. Jones, do you know me?"She responded, "Why, yes, I do know you, Mr. Williams. I've known you since you were a young boy, and frankly, you've been a big disappointment to me.You lie, you cheat on your wife, and you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you're a big shot when you haven't the brains to realize you never will amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you."The lawyer was stunned! Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, "Mrs. Jones, do you know the defense attorney?"She again replied, "Why, yes, I do. I've known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster, too. He's lazy, bigoted, and he has a drinking problem. He can't build a normal relationship with anyone and his law practice is one of the worst in the entire state. Not to mention he cheated on his wife with three different women. One of them was your wife. Yes, I know him."The defense attorney almost died. The judge asked both counsellors to approach the bench and, in a very quiet voice, said, "If either of you idiots ask her if she knows me, I'll send you to the electric chair."Thank you and have a LOVELY WEEK END.
Read more…
MARK Twain once remarked "Everyone complains about the weather, but nobody does anything about it." Now it is becoming apparent to scientists that despite the fact that we can do little about the weather next month, we are doing things that will determine the global climate at the end of this century. Burning oil, gas and coal puts a burden of exhaust into the world's atmosphere.
These exhaust gases will eventually be absorbed into oceans and forests, but not before they cause a slow, dangerous heating of the global atmosphere. During the 20th century the carbon dioxide released in industrialised countries caused the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration to increase by 40 per cent. The concentration of this gas product from burning of wood, petrol, diesel and coal is increasing more rapidly in the 21st century.
The award of the Nobel Peace Prize to the International Panel on Climate Change has brought to the world's attention the seriousness of the problem that will confront us toward the end of the 21st century if the present wastage of fossil fuels continues. Three Nigerian scientists were honoured along with several hundred other scientists who served as members of the IPCC.
As a U.S. citizen I have a special concern, since we Americans have a wasteful style of life. We waste a lot more energy per capita than any other nation. Fortunately, one of our retired politicians, Al Gore, has been mobilising world opinion for action to prevent catastrophic climate change. He has done this through his film Inconvenient Truth. This inconvenient truth is that our continued loading of earth's atmosphere with carbon dioxide will lead to disastrous climate change. This is as certain as any scientific projection about the future of the world can be.
It is inconvenient because it imposes a responsibility on users of energy everywhere to restrict their use of energy. We also have to use energy more efficiently. This is inconvenient to nearly everyone except the peasant farmers of the world. Nearly everyone else rides to work in some form of motorised transport. Industries and modern homes use energy, often inefficiently. To restrict our energy usage and wastage will not be convenient. Nevertheless it must be done if climate catastrophe is to be delayed or avoided. The importance of Al Gore's film was recognised by giving him a share in the Nobel Peace Prize along with the IPCC.
In his address in Oslo when he accepted the Nobel Prize Gore said, "The distinguished scientists with whom it is my greatest honor to share this prize have laid before us a choice between two different futures - a choice that to my ears echoes the words of an ancient prophet: 'Life or death, blessings or curses. Therefore, choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.' We, the human species, are confronting a planetary emergency, a threat to our civilisation." The Secretary General of the United Nations has added his voice to the Nobel laureates calling for change.
Ban Ki-Moon called climate change, "The defining challenge of our age." The U.S. administration last week reversed its refusal to negotiate specific targets for limiting greenhouse gases. Until the last day of the UN Conference on Climate Change on the island of Bali, the U.S. was obstructing efforts to negotiate a successor treaty to the Kyoto Accords that Nigeria signed in 2004. The Kyoto Accords are due to expire in 2012. The Bali agreement committed the subscribing nations to negotiate limits on the production of greenhouse gases.
The international oil companies have been trying to evade their responsibility in the matter of climate change. One way they do this is to fund studies by eco-skeptics, the people who claim that the IPCC is in error. They seem to be funding people like the British eco-skeptic Stuart Dimrock, who brought suit in a British High Court against the use of the film Inconvenient Truth in British schools. Dimrock would not disclose to the media who were his backers financing the suit against the government for using Gore's film in British schools.
Roger Harabin of the BBC commented on Mr. Justice Burton's verdict on Dimrock's suit, "(The belief) that many leading experts question if human activity is contributing to climate change is simply untrue." Mr. Justice Burton found nine "errors" in Al Gore's film. However, he did not block the use of the film in British schools because of these minor errors. It should be noted that the film deals with projections, scientifically accepted projections. A few unsound projections in Inconvenient Truth should not obscure the message of the film, because there are many independent lines of evidence from the study of ancient and modern climate changes.
Climate change will very probably have disastrous effects in coastal cities around the world, cities like New Orleans and Lagos, if action is not taken now. This is because ocean levels are bound to rise if and when the large, land-based glaciers of the Arctic and Antarctic begin to melt. Once this process begins, it will accelerate, since the bottom layers of the glaciers will melt first under pressure and the heavy top layers will begin to slide down the slope into the ocean faster and faster.
Climate change in the future will be largely caused by human activity - by the increasing use of fossil fuels due to industrial progress around the world. Carbon dioxide is the gas that is produced when fuel is used or wasted. The flaring of natural gas by the oil companies operating in Nigeria is one of the leading African sources of carbon dioxide. The 2003 Nigerian government report on the emissions of greenhouse gases estimated that gas flaring was contributing as much to global warming as all of the useful burning of fuels in Nigeria. Some years ago the companies producing oil and flaring the associated natural gas in Nigeria agreed with the Federal Government that they would put an end to flaring by 2008. These same oil multinational companies are now reported to be lobbying the Federal government to postpone the January 1, 2008 deadline by a year or more.
Instead of flaring natural gas it is possible to re-inject it into the ground for future use. This requires some investment, but it has been technically feasible for half a century. Gas that cannot be gathered for liquefaction or electric power generation should be re-injected into the ground. If the Nigerian government wants to eliminate the wasteful flaring, it should impose meaningful fines on the oil companies for continuing the practice. It seems to me that flaring will end only if the oil companies have to pay fines commensurate with the investment required for utilising or re-injecting gas.
In 2003 the energy wasted by flaring this national heritage was roughly equal to all the fuel energy used in Nigeria. The government can end this waste if it takes the interests of its citizens more seriously than its relations with the capitalists controlling the oil industry. History may not judge kindly those politicians who ignore the climate change issue. A headline in The Guardian last July 5 read, "Lagos, Bayelsa, Rivers may be submerged in 50 years." This can be prevented or delayed if politicians and oil companies give responsible leadership in combating climate change.
From a poll carried out on 9jabook "If corruption was the Number One problem in Nigeria what is number Two ?"
As of today out of 441votes electricity took 217 votes roughly 49percent !
9jabook :"We are hoping such a move would be well represented on the Nigerian power scene and if Yaradua can swing this into an Oil/ Gas for Power Exchange solution then maybe we have seen the end of NEPA. Just what MTN did to Nitel and the revamping of Telecoms maybe this will be the saviour of our Power needs.Actually It is amazing that the powers that be notably diesel and petrol sellers for Generators and generator Maintenance and Sales Companies are still DISRUPTING Energy PROGRESS because of their Selfish needs"
IF CellPhone Technology could come after a long wait and turn Naija into the top Market in Africa WHY IS POWER TECHNOLOGY still taking such a long time to come.THERE IS A HUGE MARKET IN NIGERIA ! WHY ?
To power Lekki Peninsula alone you just need Wind Energy abundant on the Beach line !
READ ON !
President Dmitry Medvedev currently stated Russian investments in Nigeria’s energy sector could attain “billions of dollars” as Moscow signed a raft of energy deals with the African oil giant. Medvedev, the primary Kremlin leader to visit the West African powerhouse, stated he desired the signing of a cooperation agreement amongst Russian natural gas monopoly Gazprom and Nigeria’s state oil firm will result in joint projects.
“The basis for such work for years to come has been put in place today,” Medvedev announced to the reporters after talks with President Umaru Yar’adua.
“The prospects are very good,” he stated, adding that potential Russian investment in Nigerian energy sector could be worth “billions of dollars”.
Yar’adua stated that the ratifying the agreement “enables a great opportunity” for numerous energy projects, including the ambitious Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline targeted at sending Nigerian gas to Europe.
Gazprom wants a stake in Nigeria’s vast gas deposits and is prepared to invest in energy infrastructure to get that access, officials said.
Gazprom has complained it is lacking behind its foreign competitors, saying it is prepared to mount a challenge to companies like Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron and ExxonMobil in Nigeria.
The Nigerian economy is heavily dependent on the oil sector which, according to the World Bank, accounts for over 95 percent of export earnings and about 85 percent of government revenues. The oil industry is primarily located in the Niger Delta where it has been a source of conflict. The industry has been blamed for pollution that has damaged air, soil and water leading to losses in arable land and decreasing fish stocks. Local groups seeking a share of the oil wealth often attack the oil infrastructure and staff, forcing companies to declare force majeure on oil shipments. At the same time, oil theft, commonly referred to as “bunkering” leads to pipeline damage that is often severe, causing loss of production, pollution, and forcing companies to shut-in production.
In addition to oil, Nigeria holds the largest natural gas reserves in Africa but has limited infrastructure in place to develop the sector. Natural gas that is associated with oil production is mostly flared but the development of regional pipelines, the expansion of liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure and policies to ban gas flaring are expected to accelerate growth in the sector, both for export and domestic use in electricity generation.
The country’s energy consumption mix is dominated by oil (53 percent), followed by natural gas (39 percent) and hydroelectricity (7 percent). Coal, nuclear and other renewables are currently not part of Nigeria’s energy consumption mix, with the exception of biomass often used to meet rural heating and cooking needs.
Reviving the Fortunes of Edo StateA PAPER PRESENTED AT THE:EDO GLOBAL ORGANIZATIONANNUAL CONFERENCE 2009Turin, Italy 19TH TO 21ST JUNE 2009BYPhilip Orumwense (MCIPS)(Philip_orumwense@ hotmail.com)Abstract:Reviving the Fortun es of Edo State is as topical today as it was some 6 years ago when Professor Iro Eweka whilst presenting a paper at a conference on ‘THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF EDO STATE’ (October 4, 2003) said that “The questions we ask at a Conference of this kind however are rather remote from our memory of the Past. And one such question is why are we in Britain when the world is full of other places, including Benin ? The best Edo brains, the most highly trained and highly skilled Edo men and women are abroad. And many more are itching and desperately struggling to join the Exodus. WHY? How many of us, gathered here today, are truly and honestly prepared to exchange the life they live in Britain for a life in Edo State? WHY? ...” Whilst the premise of my conversation with you today is not primarily centred on this theme i.e. the mass exodus of Edo People to foreign lands, I do howe ver acknowledge that we too have a role to play in reviving the fortunes of our state.This paper begins with the exploration of the uniqueness of Edo State, its people, religion, geography, industries, agriculture, mineral resources and tourism as contextual background and to set the scene for the postulation of some developmental strategies with an attempt to develop some practical engagement and delivery strategies on how best to revive our fortunes. It will explore some of the major themes that continues to prevent us as a people from dynamic progression within the leagues of progressive states, draw on our very rich history in other to understand how best to cope with the present, what can be suitably learnt from the past in order to plan and build for a brighter future collectively. The paper will also seek to map out some socio-economic derivatives, provide some extrapolations on how best to restructure and transform the Edo State public policy agenda. It will conclude with an attempt at developing an engagement advocacy for the revival of the fortunes of Edo State .BackgroundEdo State is located in the South – South geo political zone of Nigeria. It is believed to cover a geographical area of some 17,450 sq km with an average population size of some 4 million people and an annual growth rate of some 2-8%. The state is largely made up of the Binis, Ishans, Estakos, Owans, Akoko Edos and several other minority ethnic groups. The Edos are a highly religious people where several religious faiths abound including – The African Traditional Religions, Christianity and the Islamic faiths.Edo State like many other Nigerian States is rich in natural resources and other minerals yet there is a huge dependency on the allocations from the federation account which in turn has a great dependency on the fluctuating and volatile oil exploration. It is useful therefore within this context to explore some other alternatives for revenue generation within Edo State as opposed to the significant dependency on revenue derivations from the federated accounts.VegetationEdo State has natural vegetation which consists of rain forest and savannah. Human interference has however, led to the presence of plantations for rubber and oil palms as well as forest reserves. Extensive exploitation of forest resources, cattle grazing and persistent bush fires have combined to reduce areas of forest vegetation to derived degraded savannah. The exploitation of these resources must be controlled through deliberate state interventions to ensure that our forestry reserves remains sustainable over time.Agro Based ResourcesEdo State has extensive agricultural resources which consist of food crops, tree crops, forestry products and livestock. The main food crops cultivated include yam, cassava, maize and rice. Additionally there is high yield of Agricultural food crops such as Cocoa, Rubber, Palm trees, Vegetables, Cotton, Pineapple, Mango, Cashew, Cassava, Bushmeat, Poultry Fowls, Snails, Goats, and Fish. There is also significant rice cultivation in the flood plains of the River Niger at Agenebode, Illushi and Ekpoma.Consequently, rice milling in Ekpoma, Illushi and Agenebode and cassava processing all over the state, are viable industrial activities for investment in the state. This should be encouraged and propagated through public and private sector investments on a large scale to increase the quality and productivity of the yield and consequently reduce the nation’s dependency on imported rice and other food crops.There is a high dependency in foreign countries on tropical fruit crops such as pineapples, oranges, tangerines, bananas, plantains, avocado pears, green leafy vegetables etc. These produce which lends themselves to mass cultivation in Edo State can be mass cultivated on a large scale and packaged for both domestic consumption and exportation to foreign countries where there are huge demands.The worldwide demand for produce from timber/wood based products, cocoa, oil palm and rubber which can be produced on large industrial scales from Edo State creates a readymade market for further exploitation of this domesticated vegetation which naturally lends itself to the establishment of some agro based industries. Exploiting these abundant natural resources would consequently lead to the regeneration of the local economies, create more employment opportunities, and lead to the industrialisation of an otherwise agro based industry e.g. chipboard manufacture, paper conversion and packaging, and prefabricated housing ventures.Parts of Edo State’s natural ecology can support large hoards of cows, goats, sheep and birds. Similarly =E 2 fish farms can also be cultivated on a large scale. All of these opportunities can be expanded and industrialised to ensure both self reliance on home produce but more importantly to boost the export potentials that can be readily created.Mineral Based ResourcesWithin Edo State several deposits of mineral based resources such as quartz for metal products; marble and clay for cement and for making domestic pots, porcelain etc; fertiliser/pesticid es; plaster; limestone for cement production; chalk for the production of firebricks and furnace; sand/gravel for construction of concrete; gypsum a significant raw materials used in cement factories; gold; lignite and coal used in agro allied industries are found in several parts of the state. Whilst some of these natural resources are being exploited on a small scale, mass exploitation and industrialisation is bound to reduce the dependency on allocations from the federated accounts whilst increasing the socio-economic status of both investors and other stakeholders including those of our people who will ultimately be employed in these ventures.IndustriesEdo State boasts a number of medium and small-scale industries in major centres like Benin City . Some of these industries includes Carving, Saw-milling, Rubber processing, Cement and Textile, Brewing and Flour milling etc. Some of the popular brand names includes Bendel Cement Factory Okpella, Bendel Brewery Benin City, Guinness Nigeria Benin-City, Nigeria Bottling Company (Coca-Cola) Benin City, Ewu Flour Mill Ewu and Bendel Pharmaceutical Benin-City, Okomu oil Plc, Presco Plc etc. Other Small-Scale industries are also on the increase with many Banks and Fast Food restaurants opening up their outlets in the capital and other emerging cities and towns across the state.TourismEdo state boasts several tourism assets including cultural tourism, eco- tourism, historical tourism, sports tourism to economic tourism with the capabilities of becoming an investors' haven in the tourism sub-sector. Edo people were recently described as “enlightened, warm and friendly -ever willing to help”.Edo State has an Airport in Benin where the private air line Okada Airline operates from. The River Niger at Agenebode and Illushi is used for water transportation. There are severa l Tourism, Recreation and Places of interest located in Benin City , Okada, Okomu, AkokoEdo and elsewhere in the state. The Benin Moat, Oba’s Palace, Emotan, Arousa, Ogba Zoo all remains places of interests in Benin City.Ughoton village close to Benin City is particularly significant and a historical landmark for early western expeditions into the shores of Africa , it was connected with Captain Philip's expedition of 1897. The village also served as a depot for the Trans Atlantic slave trade, as well as the departure point of the Portuguese bound emissaries from Benin during the 16th century.‘In Akoko Edo, the Somorika Hills and Ososo Tourist Centre present beautiful scenery; from the top of the hills, parts of Kogi State and the Rivers Niger and Benue confluence can be viewed. In Etsako, the Edegbake and Oghodagho Caves can accommodate over 200 people for purposes of relaxation. The stream that flows from Edegbake cave is beautiful scenery’.Edo Arts have become a global brand, ‘which represents the earliest civilisation among blacks, specifically Africans. The Benin Kingdom is also believed to be the fourth earliest k nown civilisation recorded by historians, archaeologists and anthropologists’.The state boasts of some newly discovered heritage sites, which include the 'giant foot-prints' printed on stones in Uhen, Ovia North East Local Government Area, when the world was still in a molten stage.There are countries, States, Cities and Towns that have built the core of their foreign export earnings on tourism, Edo State should encourage both inward and foreign investments in developing and promoting tourism within the state.Leadership in Edo StateLeaders must have followers; a lot of the leaders’ activity must get the backing of the people i.e. the followers, therefore any leader who wants to achieve anything must enrol others in their cause. Drawing from the work of James O’Toole, Leading Change: The argument for Values-Based leadership, He identified four characteristics of Values-Based Leaders as follows:Integrity: You never lose sight of your goals or compromise your principles. You are simultaneously principled=2 0and pragmatic.Trust: You reflect the values and aspirations of your followers. You accept leadership as a responsibility, not a privilege. You serve.Listening: You listen to the people you serve, but you are not a prisoner of public opinion. You encourage dissenting opinions among your advisors. You test ideas, explore all sides of issues, and air the full range of opinion.Respect for followers: You are a leader of leaders. You are pragmatic to your core but believe passionately in what you say or do.In the main, Leadership and the provision of public services in any society should be premised in egalitarian and altruistic principles - this way practitioners can give of their best in pursuit of the common good for all. It should be a selfless service geared towards making huge and significant improvements for those to whom public services and20leadership are being provided or directed. Edo State surely needs leaders that possess and are capable of displaying these attributes.Let's share what we know in the way that we know best and in the process let's learn to listen more by which means we can make much more improved contributions to social and political transformation. Teachers and professors who teaches one thing in academia and when made Commissioners, Special Advisers and Heads of other Government bodies, people who were schooled in the West and have seen democracy, egalitarianism, fairness and equality at play becomes custodians of nepotism, corruption and damn right and absolute disregard for the rule of law and then display absolute contempt in the way they represent the views of those people they seek to act on behalf – the Edo Indigene. We must therefore as a society commence a process for the deliberate development of a core group of flawless political and public office leadership corps, one that exhibits some of the finest virtues espoused above but more importantly – one that have the yearnings of Edo people at heart. Early socialisation and expositi on to these leadership qualities must be a critical contributory factor to achieving this key objective for the leaders in making but also for those to whom they seek to lead.This aspiration can be realised overtime through the appropriate socialisation and the political participation of our leaders and those to whom they seek to lead.Political ParticipationSocialization when defined as a process that enables the acquisition of social learning allows the individual to acquire the requisite knowledge, skills and dispositions that enables them to participate as more or less effective members of groups and ultimately the society within which their social being is defined.By implication therefore, political socialization becomes a process which is mediated through various agencies of society by which an individual learns politically relevant attitudinal dispositions, skills and behaviour patterns which enable them to participate as more or less effective members of groups and ultimately the political structure (society) within which their political identity is or becomes ably defined.Participation in such polity becomes activated through those voluntary or state enabled activities by which members of a society share in the selection of rulers and directly or indirectly in the formulation of public policy. This m akes the scope of political participation very wide ranging from mere talking about politics, having access to power in order to make enforceable decisions (the legislature, Judiciary, Executive arm of Government, Civil Service or membership of significant pressure groups) to protest behaviour - a process although largely ignored in budding democracies but none the less affords protest activists a dynamic instrument for bringing about a degree of political change in specific matters of interests.Political participation therefore becomes a civic duty, a sign of political health and the best method of ensuring that one's private interests political or otherwise are not neglected. To enable this process one must become politically influential and this is where I believe the mass of Edo State people are largely disenfranchised but before I address this disenfranchised group, let's have a look at who the political ‘influential’ really are.= They are those who are in a position to influence and can inform public policy decisions and decision making, they include those that attend a political meeting or rally, make a monetary contribution to the political party, contact a public or political official and much more contemporary and akin to our domestic partisan politics - membership and or leadership of religious groups - these are at best described as transitional activities. There is then the other group who may hold public and or political party office, is a candidate for office, solicit for party funds, attends a caucus or public policy strategy meeting - these groups are gladiatorial in the way they influence partisan politics. We must therefore seek to use these people to effect changes in Edo State .For those of us who are in the Diaspora and belongs to one or more Edo Groups or List Serves please forgive me for daring to speculate here, it is my belief that we in the main fall into the transitional political influential role but very often degenerates into a tal king shop with no real but a perceived impact on influencing political or public policy decisions. This thus makes us a politically alienated and disenfranchised group from participation in our home land public policy formulation. We must therefore become active lobbyists seeking to influence changes in Edo State Public Service provision through engagements with the media, political actors and public officials, through intellectual pronouncements by way of communiqués, through inward investments and the repatriation of foreign capital into Edo State and for those of us who are able to provide the human capital/resources – the use of our professional and entrepreneurial expertise for the benefit Edo State.On the largely disenfranchised group, there is a presumption that the mass of our people albeit largely illiterate (literacy being the act of westernised forms of learning - the abilities to read and write) has not been systematically targeted with an understanding of public and political affairs, neither have they been inculcated with the relevant access including of course the promotion of the desire to participate actively through direct involvement or devolved repr esentation. We must therefore actively encourage our kinsmen to become much more involved and engaged with those who are responsible for making those decisions that determines how they are governed – a simple of act of voting, contacting your local representatives or attending a political party caucus meeting would suffice just as much as being a candidate for elective political office, being a civil servant or by simply setting up a focus group or by becoming an active lobbyist.If we are to believe that political wisdom and the mastery of the techniques of government are acquired through the practice of politics itself, there must therefore be a process for the deliberate indoctrination, mass mobilisation, political education, social and political interaction amongst all and not just limited to the educated, militarised, ‘god-fathered’ and wealthy ruling classes. We must begin to influence the way in which our people becomes oriented towards their political values, beliefs, knowledge and opinions within the Edo State political culture.This will overtime create a rapid, spontaneous and continuous response to the political stimulus in such a way that the mass of our people can begin to appreciate all activities that are politically relevant to them and equally participates in these activities, are informed and aware of public policies - whether they affect them or not and tries as much as possible to influence such public policy development and formulation.To do nothing could potentially engender the current climate of political passivity - a situation where the mass of our people remains politically inactive, makes no effort to become informed, does not show any resistance to public or political policies whether or not such policies are in good or bad faith, they remain always acted upon and never acting and stays permanently insensitive to political stimulus.We can all individually or collectively play our part in ensuring the political socialization of those with whom we have interactions towards becoming political activists and by extrapolation influencing those decisions that affects us all, this way our societal (social) and political transformation may well become enabled towards the mass participation of our people in their/our political system which presently alienates the majority of us.Socio-Economic DerivativesThe investments both past, present and future in creating young scientists, medics, teachers, thinkers, scholars and many mor e by the Edo State wealth is by all means misplaced and oftentimes misdirected. Misplaced in the sense that the mass economic migration of this resource pool is becoming unstoppable and the only beneficiary is the host country where these migrants have taken refuge, it’s like a conundrum – one that will remain unsolvable until such time that our leaders are able to restore the much needed pride that our ancestors bequeathed to them. We must find a way to prevent past and current leaders of Edo State from mortgaging the future of our state for a few pennies but also to establish a process for the restoration of the pride that our forebears once enjoyed in future generations of leaders for the transformation Edo State .To embark on this transformation journey we must begin to articulate a clear roadmap and develop a blueprint that addresses some of the following issues:1) The Provision of Social Amenities including pipe borne water, electricity generation, waste disposal, network and telephony infrastructure including broadband connectivity etc. as basic infrastructural requirements primarily to ease the lives of our people but also to attract and retain potential foreign investors2) Access to relevant and appropriate Education and Training including the teaching of Edo History, Language and Culture in all primary and tertiary institutions in Edo State3) The development of a Housing Strategy that addresses both publicly and privately owne d and regulated affordable housing including the protection of our listed buildings and heritage sites4) A strategic focus on developing the State’s Health Care provisioning to include both preventative and palliative care including community health care provisions and health education5) The developments of an Employment policy including appropriate internships, job creation, mechanisation/ industrialisatio n and a shift away from public sector employment to the private sector with the development of state sponsored incentives to attract and retain foreign investments6) The provision, support and maintenance of Social Infrastructure especially access facilities for inward investments i.e. security, road, transportation, social networks, credit facilities etc7) A strategic focus on Socio-economic planning to enable the evaluation and implementation of planned development programmes within and beyond Edo State8) Taxation – a fair and equitable local/community taxation system for the provision of local amenities and services9) A localised Judicial System that is predicated on Edo customary practices, totems and taboos to help bind our people and their cultures together with the Court of the Oba of Benin and His Palace Chiefs and Enogies being the penultimate arbiter10) The restoration of the Edo Language amongst the families of Global Languages and preferably taught in all Edo schools and collegesEdo State Public Policy must be restructured and transformed to focus on the following:i) Public and Private sector participation in poverty alleviation programmes and initiatives, building on some of the opportunities for mass industrialisation that is available within the stateii) Capacity building for service providers of various categories to enhance and improve their service delivery skills and also provide increased capacity for investors and employment opportunities for Edo State peopleiii) Provision of appropriate equipments, infrastructural services, support services, tools and capabilities that may be required to sustain existing investments but more importantly to act as a catalyst for attracting new inward investmentsiv) Increased availability of proactive and preventative measures including public funds in sustaining public health, maintaining existing public infrastructure such as roads, hospitals, transportation, pipe borne water, electricity provision, telephony networks, schools. security solutions etcv) Improved capacity for Edo State people to advocate for citizen involvement in development activities, public policy formulation and the delivery of front line servicesvi) Mobilisation of resources and creation of access from the organised private sector development corporations – locally and internationally including organisations such as Shell, BP, NNPC, Chevron, NDDC, Niger Delta River Basin Development Authorities, Edo Development Board, Private Foundations, Regional and Local Development Banks etc.vii) Mobilisation of resources and creation of access from multinational, Government Agencies and NGOs such as WHO, UNICEF, UNDP, CIDA, IOM , FCO, The British Council, DFID and others.Conclusion and AdvocacyI recall with great admiration the times I spent in Edo State when we were greeted with structurally branded delivery strategies such as Operation Feed the Nation (OFN) an initiative that galvanised all and sundry into some form of farming and agricultural ventures.I recall also albeit with a great sense of nostalgia the times in Edo State when we were greeted with Sanitation Day – a day which was traditionally the first Saturday in the Month that was set aside for cleaning the home, the streets and its environs.=0 DWe did all of these with a great sense of pride, dedication and devotion, as a proud but disciplined people and very possibly the cradle of black civilisation, a civilisation that dates back centuries of years, a civilisation that is comparable to the Great Egyptian Empire, we must surely be able to undergo some of the transformational journeys touched on during this conversation.Advocacy1) A communiqué to be issued to the Edo State Governor and the Edo House of Assembly based on the output from a roundtable at the conclusion of the conference.2) A communiqué to be issued to the mass media through established media such as Radio, Television and the Printed Press based on the output from a roundtable at the conclusion of the conference.3) The institutionalisatio n of a commemorative award for contributions made by Edo State Indigenes and non-indigenes alike to the development of Edo State4) The setting up of an Advocacy Advisory Committee for reviving the fortunes of Edo State . The committee should be made up of all the Special Interest Groups that represents all the Edo Nationals both at home and in the Diaspora5) A delegation to visit the Oba of Benin, the Edo House of Assembly and the Governor of Edo State for endorsement and a formal invitation to support the delivery and implementation of all the stated intentions.6) The setting up of a political/economic lobby group to sponsor executive and legislative bills and to review judicial pronouncements with a view to ensuring that effective public policies are developed and implemented/ SPAN>Oba Ghator Okpere – Ise June 2009
Read more…
LONDON, England (CNN) — Nigeria’s huge film industry, Nollywood, may have overtaken Hollywood as the world’s second largest producer of films, but piracy is threatening to cut off the industry in its prime.Nollywood insiders estimate that up to 50 percent of the industry’s profits are currently being lost to Nigeria’s endemic piracy and corruption problems.“Piracy has dealt a big blow to the industry,” Emmanuel Isikaku, a Nollywood producer of 13 years and president of the Film & Video Producers and Marketers Association of Nigeria told CNN.Isikaku, 42, claims he lost so much money on his 2007 movie “Plane Crash” through piracy that he failed to recover his costs, despite the film’s popularity with audiences.“I couldn’t make anything from it,” Isikaku told CNN. “Because of piracy I didn’t even break even.“A lot of people watched the film, but unfortunately they watched pirated copies,” he said.Nigeria’s huge, mostly unregulated film industry is based in Lagos, the sprawling, frenetic financial capital of west Africa’s largest country.your advert can be here for free !
Made with a spirit of grassroots entrepreneurship, Nollywood’s video-format B movies are vibrant and inventive, fusing traditional voodoo and magic with urban romance stories.They are films that speak about modern life from an African perspective, driven by a narrative that is strongly rooted in the African oral storytelling tradition. Nollywood films are wildly popular across the continent and with the African diaspora all over the world.Nollywood recently overtook Hollywood as the world’s second biggest producer of movies behind India’s Bollywood.In 2006 it produced 872 movies compared with 485 major feature films in the U.S. (although for a fraction of the cost), according to a global cinema survey conducted by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS).Hollywood has started tapping into Nollywood’s global popularity: Earlier this year, “Close Enemies,” the first crossover film, was produced in LA by Prince Ade Bamiro using major Nollywood stars. It was made for $300,000 — about 10 times the average Nollywood budget — and was screened in the Nigerian Pavilion at Cannes.But improvements in piracy technology are making the problem more acute, draining Nollywood’s coffers and confidence and stopping the industry from making the improvements in quality it needs to cross over into the global mainstream.Nigeria’s independent producers self-fund hundreds of movies each year. The average budget is around N3.5 million ($25,000). They make their money back by selling DVDs of their movies, which they burn themselves, on stalls in markets or in shops.While Nigerians are wild about watching films, Nigeria has virtually no formal cinemas with 99 percent of screenings using DVDs held in informal settings, according to UNESCO.Producers have only one distribution route compared with, for example, Hollywood where studios recoup production costs through cinematic exhibition — an arena currently safe from piracy — and make a profit from DVD sales and TV rights.Most pirated movies are a victim of their own success: Pirates take the fastest-selling DVDs to China to be mass-produced and bring them back to Africa to sell.According to Isikaku, piracy was eating into his profits back in 2005, when he estimates he lost N10,000,000 ($68,000) because of illegally copied DVDs. But, he says, the problem became “alarming” in 2007 when pirates started to use video compression technology.Video compression digital technology allows from five to 20 films (both Nollywood and Hollywood) to be squeezed onto one disk and then sold for around N590 ($4).When a legitimate Nollywood DVD is sold for the equivalent of $7 to $10, it’s hard for producers to compete.“This new development in piracy has the potential to kill the industry off completely,” Dr. Sylvester Ogbechie, President of the LA-based Nollywood Foundation told CNN.Although no official figures exist, Ogbechie estimates from his conversations with some of the industry’s top producers that up to 50 percent of profits are currently being lost to piracy.Isikaku claims the problem is so endemic in Nigerian culture that some cable TV channels will air Nollywood movies without the permission of the producer, or that if they do pay, they pay “peanuts.”“And the moment people are watching on TV, they are discouraged from buying DVDs at the market,” he said.All this has had a knock-on effect on the confidence of the industry.“You think twice before you invest in film productions now,” says Isikaku. “Investors are being discouraged.”This feeling is endemic, and producers are trying to bring down production costs: “The quality of our productions is going down every day,” he explained.This is a blow to an industry known for low production values and whose practitioners are mostly self-taught.Criticisms of the industry’s films include poor sound quality, inadequate lighting, ill thought-out camera angles and the repetitive nature of many of its storylines.Insiders know that improving the quality of their films is crucial if their young industry is to make the leap into the global mainstream.They say Nigerian government must tighten up border controls and seize pirated DVDs as they re-enter the country from China.“Some of these movies come in through our airports, our ports,” says Isikaku. “Much depends on the government agencies.”Hope may come from the direction of Nigeria’s National Film & Video Censors Board led by Director-General Emeka Mba, who is making moves to restructure and formalize the industry.“There has to be some process of formalizing the industry — giving the industry depth and that’s where the government can come in through regulation, through incentives and create that process of empowerment for the industry,” Mba told CNN.“Hundreds of thousands of Nigerians are in this industry, especially young men and women.”Despite the setbacks, Isikaku also remains hopeful for the industry. “Pirates have stopped us working hard because we don’t get what we are due but all hope is not last because we are passionate.“Nollywood can come together to take action to help this industry to survive,” he said.your advert can be here for free !
SIX people, members of the same family, were yesterday confirmed dead in Nimgurumi town in the Baruten Local Council of Kwara State after taking cassava flour suspected to have been poisoned.
advertisement ASK9JA CLASSIFIEDS !FREE ADVERTS
Four others are receiving medical attention at a private hospital in the town as a result of the incident.
The development occurred as women and leaders of the Association of Yam Sellers in Ilorin, the state capital, warned yam sellers to ensure that only safe and treated yam flour is sold for consumption. There were fears among residents, perhaps triggered by the Nimgurumi incident, of the sale of unwholesome yam flour in the market.
Health Commissioner Hajia Ayinke Saka who confirmed the incident, told reporters preliminary reports linked the deaths to a squabble between two families in the area over a parcel of land.
She cautioned people against exposing their food items.
Reports indicated that one of the families had spread the cassava flour outside their house to dry before preparing it for consumption. The other party, however, allegedly poisoned the substance during the process. The unsuspecting family was reported to have prepared the local cassava meal (Amala) from the poisoned flour which members of the family shared, leading to the disaster.
The state's police spokesman, Mr. Dabo Ezekiel, told reporters in Ilorin that the command had begun investigation into the incident and would make its findings public.
The latest deaths bring the number of casualties from food poisoning in the state to 19, and the third between 2005 and this year.
Three persons, the District Head of Alapa in Asa Local Council, one of his wives and one of his traditional chiefs died on June 20, 2005 from eating a meal of Amala prepared by his third wife. The deceased, whose names were given as Alhaji Shuaib Ajape Oniso, the District Head, his wife, Alhaja Belawu and Alhaji Saidu Akanji, the Mogaji Alapa reportedly, died a few hours after eating the food.
Read more…
In the first week of June, Ghanaian star Van Vicker collapsed on the set of Award-winning director Afam Okereke while shooting the movie entitled “Get Rich”. In the last scene of the movie, the actor was totally unable to perform a stunt driving a car.The handsome actor, whose popularity has dramatically soared in the past months, is very much in demand and he has been involved in numerous projects. Exhaustion is reportedly the main cause for his health troubles.After the incident, Van was flown to Ghana for treatment and returned to the set 3 days later. The word within the industry is that the actor is notorious for delaying productions he’s involved in by always leaving the sets to pursue personal ventures and not returning on time to work. This attitude has been a major cause of annoyance among producers despite the soaring popularity of the Ghanaian actor.
Read more…
The News is not complete without a mention of the Federal Governments Amnesty to the Niger-Deltan Militants..Day in,Day out we are fed with juicy news from that Region..The Niger-Deltan Region has been in the spotlight of late with not too pleasnt news ..Bombing of Oil Pipelines,Kidnapping of Expatriates and Nigerians alike etc...The Recent one was the Invasion of some communities by the Army under a spcial unit called JTF(Joint Military Taskforce)They left behind their regular trademark..(sorrow,tears and Blood)apologies late Fela Kuti.. Now,then Government have extended the Olive branch to the Militants to lay down their Arms for the sake of Peace and to enable them develop a Region they abandoned for 50 years..Thats not the issue here,the main reason they are offering the militants amnesty,is to ensure that they continue siphoning the Oil wealth..because the Militants have promised to cripple the oil sector if their demands are not meant these include;The Unconditional release of Henry Okah,return To true Federalism and Resource Control..blah..blah..blah..I think this is a right move in the midst of the present situation of things in the Region..All said and done,i honestly believe that we the great people of the Country-Naija need amnesty..Yes i think we need to be liberated from the hands of selfish Leaders who get into power solely to enrich their pockets..We need amnesty from Epileptic Power Supply,Corruption,electoral malpratices (Infact we dont elect,they just appoint)I want to use this medium to call on the FG to extend her hand of amnesty to the entire citizens of this country.
Read more…
