Despite beating France, the 1998 World Cup winners in a friendly game on Tuesday night in Saint Etienne, Nigeria’s Super Eagles retained their 30th position on the global scale of the FIFA ranking released yesterday. Nigeria however remains Africa’s second best behind Cameroon.
Ghana’s Black Stars are third while Cote D’Ivoire is fourth with Egypt fifth. In the sixth place is Gabon while Burkina Faso moved up to the seventh. Nigeria’s rival in the World Cup Group 2 Tunisia is eighth with Guinea and Mali completing the African top ten placement. A jump-up of six places in the latest FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking will help the morale of the team, who are chasing a first-ever place at the FIFA World Cup™ finals which next year is being hosted in neighbouring South Africa.
After holding Nigeria to a draw in their opening tie of the final group phase in March, Mozambique's Mambas are brimming with confidence as they prepare for two matches on the road in June - first away against Tunisia on 6 June and then onto Kenya for a meeting in Nairobi on 20 June.
Mozambique are now in 80th place in the world standings, edging ever closer to their best-ever position of 66th, set some 12 years ago. The team are now well ahead of their average position of 104 and showing steady progress with each passing month. Indeed, Mozambique won the award in 2007 as the Best Mover in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking, ahead of Norway and New Caledonia.
June will be a watershed month as the two away trips present a real examination of the extent of their potential. Mozambique have been flirting with African football's superpowers in recent years but the jury is still out on whether they have the credentials to join the elite ranks.
European champions Spain continue to lead the way in the June edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking, and they still hold a comfortable lead at the top.
Within the top ten, there is movement directly behind the Iberians, however, as the Netherlands have overtaken Germany and reclaimed second place in the Ranking for the first time since October 2005. Other teams to have traded places are Italy (4th, up 1) and Brazil (5th, down 1), as well as England (6th, up 1) and Argentina (7th, down 1).
The next FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking will be published on 1 July 2009.
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CULTURE is the totality of a way of life of any people. It embraces the mode of production, distribution and consumption of goods and services. Culture is also exemplified in the form of language, music, dressing, eating habits, shelter, norms, values and the ethos upon which a particular society is built.In Africa and indeed Nigeria, hospitality for strangers, care for the extended family and other members of the community are rich aspects of our culture. However, with increased scientific and technological advancement, culture has been a subject of dynamism. Thus obsolete technologies and archaic ideas are daily being discarded.But a radical departure from the very fabric upon which a society depends and a complete substitution of its culture with aliens culture, has resounding repercussion on the dignity and pride of any people. The people of Nigeria have been deceived to believe that anything African is evil and uncivilised and have come to accept western and to some extent oriental culture as the best standards.Indeed, we have seen how our local languages are being neglected. Some of our children cannot communicate in their mother tongues today and the only language some understand is English.Thus, these types of children are aliens in their own land. Besides, African names, proverbs and music always have an underlying meaning which has a bearing on the life of the people. We are gradually witnessing a decline in African names, music and literature. We have also seen how our decent mode of dressing has been giving way to the culture which recognises public nudity as part of a growing civilisation.Now, we are left to face the problems arising from the kind of music, pictures, films and immoral alien cultures, passed to our youths through the cable networks and internet. This has led to disrespect for elders, upsurge in various crimes such as prostitution, armed robbery, kidnapping, drug abuse and trafficking. Thus, the nation is caught up in the web of cultural imperialism of the West.In order to free ourselves therefore, some measures have to be adopted. First, the government should introduce the teaching of history and culture and make same compulsory at least up to secondary school level. This will make our youths to understand our glorious past and the need to preserve it. Such countries like the United States have similar programmes for all her citizens.Secondly, there should be a deliberate policy like that of the Indians to promote the positive aspects of our culture – language, mode of dressing, music, works of arts, hospitality and high moral standards both in our schools, institutions of higher learning and every other segment of the society.Thirdly, the Ministry of Culture, National Orientation and Tourism and the media should adopt collaborative approach to educate the Nigerian people on the need to preserve our cultural identity. Our re-branding and nationalism begins from our national identity-namely culture.Comment
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Angel Gabriel came to the Lord and said, "I have to talk to you. I have some Nigerians up here in Heaven who are causing some problems. They are swinging on the Pearly Gates, my horn is missing, and they've got Maggi sauce and Ogbono soup all over their robes; hamhocks, Isi-ewu, Cow-feet and Bokoto bones are all over the streets of Gold.Some folk are walking around with one wing; they have been late taking their turn in keeping the stairway to heaven clean. There are soda bottles all over the clouds, some aren't even wearing their halos, saying it doesn't fit with their hairstyles."The Lord said, "I made them special, as I did you, my angel. Heaven is home to all my children. If you really want to know about problems, let's call the Devil."The Devil answered the phone, "Hello? What the.!!, hold on one minute." The Devil returned to the phone and said, "Hello Lord, what can I do for you? The Lord replied, "Tell me what kind of problems you are having down there." The Devil said, "Wait one minute," and put the Lord on hold.After 5 minutes he returned to the phone, and said "Okay, I'm back. What was the question?" The Lord said, "What kind of problems are you having down there?" The Devil said, "Man, I don't believe this.....hold on, Lord".This time the Devil was gone for 15 minutes. The Devil returned and said, "I'm sorry Lord, I can't talk right now.These Nigerians put the fire out, and now they are trying to install air conditioning!Read more…
Sent by Michael Ojugbo ! Thanks !
Did you hear about the man who was looking for a job overseas? He noticed there was an opening at the local zoo. Upon inquiry, he discovered the zoo had a very unusual position that they wanted to fill. Apparently their gorilla had died, and until they could get a new one, they needed someone to dress up in a gorilla suit and act like a gorilla for a few days. He was to just sit, eat, and sleep. Of course, his identity would be kept a secret, and no one would be the wiser, thanks to a very fine gorilla suit. The zoo offered good pay for this job, so the man decided to do it. He tried on the suit and sure enough, he looked just like a gorilla.
They led him to the cage; he took a position at the back of the cage and pretended to sleep. But after a while, he got tired of sitting so he walked around a little bit, jumped up and down and tried a few gorilla noises. The people watching him seemed to really like that. When he would move or jump around, they would clap and cheer and throw him peanuts. And the man loved peanuts.
So he jumped around some more and tried climbing a tree. That seemed to really get the crowd excited. They threw more peanuts. Playing to the crowd, he grabbed a vine and swung from one side of the cage to the other. The people loved it and threw more peanuts. "Wow! This is great," he thought. He swung higher and the crowd grew bigger. He continued to swing on the vine, getting higher and higher and then all Last, all of a sudden, the vine broke! He swung up and out of the cage, landing in the lion's cage that was next door. He panicked.
There was a huge lion not twenty feet away, and it looked very hungry. So the man in the gorilla suit started jumping up and down, screaming and yelling, "Help, help! Get me out of here! I'm not really a gorilla! I'm a man in a gorilla suit! HELP!"
The lion quickly pounced on the man, held him down and said, AKIN NO FEAR NA ME CHUKWUDI "be quiet! You're going to make both of us lose our jobs"
Be cheerful and let’s face this job squarely!!!!!!!!!!!!Read more…
Families pay tribute to Air France victims
By EMMA VANDORE – 32 minutes ago
PARIS (AP) — Three young Irish doctors, all close friends, enjoying a two-week vacation together in Brazil.
That's how their families want to remember Aisling Butler, 26, Jane Deasy, 27, and Eithne Walls, 29 — three of the 228 passengers who met with tragedy as Air France flight 447 ended up in the Atlantic Ocean.
The women boarded the flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris on Sunday night after a reunion with a larger group of former students who graduated in 2007 from Trinity College medical school.
Aisling's father John Butler paid tribute to his daughter Tuesday from his home in Roscrea, County Tipperary.
"She was a truly wonderful, exciting girl," he told Irish reporters. "She never flunked an exam in her life — nailed every one of them — and took it all in her stride as well."
He said he initially thought Aisling was booked on Monday's flight and had to retrieve her itinerary from his deleted e-mails folder.
"When I opened it up, a nightmare opened up as well," he said.
Walls was working in Dublin's Eye and Ear Hospital. Before starting her medical studies she worked full-time as a dancer in the Riverdance troupe, and continued to perform part-time during her six years in Trinity medical school. She performed at Radio City Music Hall and in Germany, France, China and Dublin.
Julian Erskine, executive producer of Riverdance productions worldwide, described Walls as "bright and sparkling."
"She made an impact on anyone. When she wasn't dancing, she was studying. She was on a mission to be a doctor," he said.
Investigators were still looking into what brought the plane down in the Atlantic Ocean hours into its flight to Paris.
Among the 216 passengers were 61 French citizens, 58 Brazilians, 26 Germans, nine Chinese and nine Italians. A lesser number of citizens from 27 other countries also were on the passenger list, including two Americans.
Ten salesmen from CGED, an electrical distributor, were on the plane with their spouses after winning a vacation to Brazil, Europe-1 radio reported.
French tiremaker Michelin lost three executives, including two senior Brazilian managers and Christine Pieraerts, a young French engineer. Spokeswoman Sophie Perrier said Michelin's staff was "very moved" by the tragedy.
Michelin's president for South America, Luiz Roberto Anastacio, 50, had been promoted May 4 and was traveling to France to meet fellow top executives. He had worked for Michelin for 27 years.
Brazilian information systems director, Antonio Gueiros, who had worked for Michelin for over 20 years, was coming to Paris for a computer seminar.
Michael Pieraerts praised his younger sister Christine, who was just short of her 29th birthday.
"Christine had, a short while ago, a stroke. She had recovered. We were very happy because was starting to take up her activities and a normal life again. Fate caught up with her and us," Michael told Le Parisien newspaper.
The five Britons on the plane included 61-year-old British engineer Arthur Coakley, from near Whitby, North Yorkshire. His wife of 34 years, Patricia, broke down in tears as she described her "fabulous husband," father to their three grown children.
"He worked so hard for his family, that's all he wanted, to retire. It's not going to happen, is it?" she told Britain's Press Association.
Coakley, a structural engineer for PDMS, an Aberdeen-based oil company, was helping with a survey in Brazil. He was booked onto an earlier flight, but was bumped onto the doomed jet after the first flight was full.
Patricia Coakley said her son Patrick raised the alarm, phoning to ask "What flight is Daddy on?"
She tried phoning her husband's mobile on Monday but gave up Tuesday.
"Yesterday I was really optimistic, today maybe more realistic," she said.
Prince Pedro Luis de Orleans e Braganca, 26, a member of Brazil's now-defunct royal family and a descendent of Dom Pedro II, the nation's last emperor, was on the plane. So was sailor Zoran Markovic, 45, from the village of Kostelji in northwestern Croatia.
Air France said 11 of the 12 crew members were French but did not release their names.
The flight captain, 58, joined Air France in 1988 and had 11,000 hours of flight hours including 1,700 on aircraft of the same type as the A330-200 that disappeared.
The two co-pilots were 37 and 32 and had over 9,000 flight hours between them.
The head of the cabin crew was 49, his deputies were 54 and 46 years old. Of the six flight attendants aged between 24 and 44, one was Brazilian.
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Did you hear about the man who was looking for a job overseas? He noticed there was an opening at the local zoo. Upon inquiry, he discovered the zoo had a very unusual position that they wanted to fill. Apparently their gorilla had died, and until they could get a new one, they needed someone to dress up in a gorilla suit and act like a gorilla for a few days. He was to just sit, eat, and sleep. Of course, his identity would be kept a secret, and no one would be the wiser, thanks to a very fine gorilla suit. The zoo offered good pay for this job, so the man decided to do it. He tried on the suit and sure enough, he looked just like a gorilla.They led him to the cage; he took a position at the back of the cage and pretended to sleep. But after a while, he got tired of sitting so he walked around a little bit, jumped up and down and tried a few gorilla noises. The people watching him seemed to really like that. When he would move or jump around, they would clap and cheer and throw him peanuts. And the man loved peanuts.So he jumped around some more and tried climbing a tree. That seemed to really get the crowd excited. They threw more peanuts. Playing to the crowd, he grabbed a vine and swung from one side of the cage to the other. The people loved it and threw more peanuts. "Wow! This is great," he thought. He swung higher and the crowd grew bigger. He continued to swing on the vine, getting higher and higher and then all Last, all of a sudden, the vine broke! He swung up and out of the cage, landing in the lion's cage that was next door. He panicked.There was a huge lion not twenty feet away, and it looked very hungry. So the man in the gorilla suit started jumping up and down, screaming and yelling, "Help, help! Get me out of here! I'm not really a gorilla! I'm a man in a gorilla suit! HELP!"The lion quickly pounced on the man, held him down and said, NNAMDI NO FEAR NA ME CHIJIOKE "be quiet! You're going to make both of us lose our jobs"Be cheerful and let’s face this job squarely!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Ebuka told his Oga at the shop to wait at the gate and pick him up after his Commerce exam at the Commercial Secondary school where he was registered.He was given Commerce Exam question paper and the only question he could answer was question number 3 and it says:''Differentiate between a Warehouse and a Shop.''(20marks)After much thinking he smiled and wrote his answer:Warehouse is at Ladipo while shop is at Alaba.Then he submitted his paper and went to meet his Oga at the gate.Oga : Ebuka , how did it go?Ebuka: It was so simple Oga, question number threesays : Differentiate between a warehouse and aShop.Oga : And what did you write ?Ebuka: Well I wrote that warehouse is at Ladipo while shopis at Alaba.Oga : So is that all you wrote ?Ebuka : Yes .Oga : Common go back and put the phone numbers andcomplete address , stupid boy!That's how you get customers, idiot.
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WHEN Koko Mansion, a television reality show being facilitated by HiTV Nigeria, finally begins, viewers in faraway France and Nigeria’s next door neighbour, Ghana, as well as other African countries, will have the opportunity of seeing the show being labelled as the ‘biggest reality show in Africa live.
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This is going to be made possible because HiTV, the wholly Nigerian pay-television company, is among other African channels currently on the French IPTV operator Free, which has introduced a new range of African channels on its platform.
Being the first group brought together in the African Premium bouquet, it was developed in cooperation with Thema and comprises nine public and commercial channels from a variety of African nations –two from Senegal ( RTS and 2STV), three from Cameroun, (CRTV, STV2 and Canal 2), the national public channel of Côte d’Ivoire (RTI), the public channel of Mali (ORTM), the public channel of Congo (Tele Congo) and the pan-African channel, Africable. HiTV is available on Free as a la carte service.
Free’s basic TV subscribers can in addition receive the pan-African news and information channel, Voxafrica.
Also, in Ghana, a deal has been signed between HiTV and Skyy Media for the distribution of HiTV’s flagship channels, Hi-Nolly and Nigezie on its platform. Its founder and chief executive director, Mr. Toyin Subair, in a statement said, HiTV is pleased about this development “especially in the light of its new TV reality show featuring D’Banj, and tagged Koko Mansion, being supported by Nigerian Breweries Plc, Jagal Group, a programme that is billed to come up soon on our platform. The implication of this is that viewers in Africa and Europe will get to see Koko Mansion live as events unfold in the quest of searching for the ideal Kokolette (woman). We are happy that in just two years, HiTV is moving ahead on a difficult turf such as the pay-television’s.”
Subair said the arrival of Hi Nolly and Nigezie in France and Ghana shows that HiTV is leading the pack in showcasing Nigeria’s culture in the area of movie and music. “It is time to take Nigeria’s culture to the outside world, we want the world to know more about us in this period that we are rebranding as a nation. So, what HiTV is doing is complementing the federal government’s efforts aimed at rebranding our nation.”
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A Nigerian man, Edward Nwajagu, shot in United States four years ago, because he is black, lay on life support with a bullet in his skull Friday as the shooter was sentenced to 107 years to life in prison.
Nwajagu’s wife and brother in Nigeria want to visit him but have been unable to enter the United States, said cousin Clement Onwuka, who spoke weekend.
“His life had been shattered, his ability to make a living, his ability to enjoy life, ended the day he was shot,” Onwuka told the court softly at the sentencing Friday.
Onwuka, who lives in Oklahoma, visited his cousin in the hospital there Wednesday.
“The whole family depended on Edward,” he said.
Nwajagu immigrated to the United States in the 1980s. In August 2005, he came to Southern California for a conference about helping underprivileged Nigerians and organizing a medical mission, said Charles Onunkwo, who organized the event
“He’s barely clinging to life,” Onunkwo said. “He’s no longer coming back to be a useful member of society.”
A group from the conference came to Riverside to visit a friend and stopped for gas at the Chevron station at University and Victoria avenues.
The car pulled out of the gas station and was hit by bullets.
Nwajagu opened the back door to check the damage and was hit in the head.
As the driver pulled away, Nwajagu fell out of the car. Lying on University Avenue in a white embroidered caftan, blood ran out of his ears and mouth.
He has been on life support since. The family paid to have him moved from a Riverside hospital to one near his home in Oklahoma City, believing it would be more familiar for him, Onwuka said.
Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco used the crime as a reason for requesting an injunction to crack down on the East Side Rivas in 2007. The predominantly Latino gang has a history of attacking black people and referring to it as “snail hunting” in Riverside’s Eastside neighborhood, according to court documents.
A Riverside County jury convicted David Anthony Rodriguez, 23, in March of attempted murder to promote a gang and cause a hate crime, as well as related felonies.
Charles Onunkwo, who had organized the event that brought Edward Nwajagu to Southern California, wiped tears from his eyes as he narrated the story.
The driver, Jose Enrique Martinez, 31, pleaded guilty to being an accessory and was sentenced in April to time served of one year and four months.
On Friday, before Rodriguez was sentenced, his aunt Margo Alvarez cried as she told Judge Jean Pfeiffer Leonard that her nephew was innocent.
“He’s a good man, a good nephew and a good father,” she said.
Rodriguez’s attorney, Samuel Long, requested that his client be allowed to hug his 4-year-old daughter who has known her father only through glass booths while visiting him in jail. Leonard left the decision to deputies, who did not allow the hug.
“I love you, Daddy,” the little girl said as she was carried out.
He blew her a kiss.
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War on militants moves to RiversBalarabe Musa condemns ACF's supportFrom Kelvin Ebiri (Port Harcourt), Tunde Oyedoyin (London), Saxone Akhaine (Kaduna) and Hendrix Oliomogbe (Asaba)FROM Delta State, the troops of the Joint Task Force (JTF) yesterday extended their military operations to Rivers State where they located and destroyed a militants' camp close to Buguma creek after fierce exchange of fire with the militants led by one 'Egbele'.But far away in England a coalition of civil and human rights groups, under the aegis of the Niger Delta Solidarity Campaign will today hold a two-hour protest in front of Downing Street, before delivering a petition to the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, asking the British government to put pressure on the Nigerian government to stop the military invasion.Also, former civilian governor of old Kaduna State and Chairman of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), Alhaji Balarabe Musa has warned the Federal Government on the increased military action in the Niger Delta. He condemned the support by the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) for the JTF's move to end the crisis in the area with military force.Meanwhile, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has denied planning to halt attack on oil facilities if the multinationals provide employment for locals.MEND also described the former Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Richard Akinjide's assertion that oil and gas resources found in the Niger Delta did not arise as a result of the sweat or investment of the people of the region as parochial.Explaining the extension of military operations to Rivers, spokesman of the JTF, Col. Rabe Abubakar, said the militants fired at the troops from the camp over night and the security outfit had no option than to locate and destroy the camp.According to him, the task force charged with the responsibility of ending militancy in the Niger Delta is poised to neutralize any camp from which attacks on its men are planned and carried out.He said: "The action of the JTF is aimed at eliminating or getting rid of the criminals who are bent on causing unnecessary tension and apprehension in the region. We wish to once again reiterate that we are not targeting any individual or group but the criminals, and we will locate them wherever they are hiding. They can only run but they can't hide."He explained that on Saturday May 30, 2009, the JTF troops conducted a cordon and search operation during which they recovered an AK47 riffle with registration number 4504913 and three Machine Guns (MG) with 50 rounds of ammunition, at Bukuma Village, Rivers State. He said the operation was hitch free.But in an interview yesterday, MEND spokesperson, Jomo Gbomo, denied knowledge of the military incursion in Buguma. "We can only say at this time that this is a public relations stunt as no serious camp has reported any attacks on them," he said.Speaking in Kaduna yesterday, Balarabe Musa urged the Federal Government to go back to the negotiating table with the people in the Niger Delta whom he said are fighting a just cause to improve their well-being and the condition of the region. He cautioned those backing declaration of war against the militants to desist from doing so "because in the near future, it may be their own turn when they are opposing bad policies of government."He said: "It is unfortunate that the Government has declared war against the militants in Niger Delta. The best way to deal with the current situation is to negotiate to end the war and continue peaceful negotiation."This is because those people in the Niger Delta area who are protesting are fellow Nigerians and they have a case. It may be misrepresented. Government should therefore not seek to resolve this issue militarily. They should seek to deal with this issue politically. And it is not impossible to do so. Because, they have already started negotiating."Musa continued: "The so called militants are complaining about injustice, which is so glaring in the region, and they are not alone. So, those who see justification for the military solution being attempted now, I have a warning for them, that today it is the opposition in the Niger Delta area that are being treated as militants, and are being assaulted militarily. Next time, it will be others in other parts of the country. Because, opposition against bad policies of government has been going on throughout the country and it can intensify in any part of Nigeria for a variety of reasons.""The ACF aligned themselves with the wrong government policy. This issue can never be solved militarily. It has never been solved anywhere in this world militarily...the peaceful negotiation which started long ago should continue."Musa argued that the ACF's recent resolution on the matter was not the position of the entire North, stressing that "they may claim to be speaking for the North, definitely they are not; they are only speaking largely for the North of their vision, not the North of free and patriotic Nigerians."By tradition, they always align with the government of the day. They are part and parcel of the ruling class. And under this current situation, they think their economic interest is being threatened."Irked by a statement credited to former Attorney General and Minister of Justice Chief Richard Akinjide in which he was alleged to have supported the military action in the Niger Delta, Gbomo said the young generation of the Niger Delta people does not consider his comments as relevant but would like to remain focused to put an end to the injustice the region is facing because of the opinion of the likes of Akinjide.He said: "The Niger Delta people did not put oil and gas in the region the same way the people of Lagos did not create the land for which they are landowners today. Let him tell the Americans in Texas that the oil discovered in their ancestral homeland was not put there and so it belongs to everyone to use to the detriment of the person on whose land the resource was discovered."According to Gbomo, if Niger Delta people continue debating with the likes of Akinjide, another 50 years will pass without any result.Akinjide had, in a media publication entitled: "There is Still Fear of Secession", allegedly supported the on going Federal Government's military offensive against the militants, an action which civil society groups and prominent Niger Delta leaders have said claimed the lives of many innocent civilians.The former Attorney General of the Federation was said to have argued that oil and gas resources in the Niger Delta have always belonged to the Federal Government by virtue of the British Colonialist mineral ordinance law which rested all the oil in the central government in Lagos.Like Gbomo, the Chairman of the Niger Delta Civil Society Coalition (NDCSC) and a member of the Niger Delta Technical Committee, Mr. Anyankwe Nsirimovu, said he was disappointed by what he described as Akinjide's conjectures."This is very disappointing, coming from a man I thought I respected before now. He has expired, that is the best way to describe his out of currency ideas. Very remote and backward looking. 'His God given oil' indeed! But such ideas must be attacked, else they hold sway in shallow minds like his all over the land.After a protest at the Downing Street today, members of Niger Delta Solidarity Campaign will then proceed to the Nigerian High Commission and deliver another petition to the High Commissioner, Dr. Dalhatu Tafida.Both the co-ordinator of the Campaign, Inemo Samiama and an official of the High Commission, confirmed this to The Guardian yesterday. "We're aware that they're coming, they've informed us," the official said under condition of anonymity. Speaking with The Guardian moments later, Samiama said: "This campaign is not about the Ijaw or just the IPC (Ijaw Peoples Congress) issue, we've formed alliances with other organizations who will be coming out to support us." Revealing the modus operandi of the demonstration, Samiama said: "We will be at the Downing Street , chanting slogans and carrying placards and also singing between 12 noon and 2pm, but at exactly 2pm, we'll go to No 10 Downing Street (Prime Minister's office) to hand in our petition to the Prime Minister."Asked if Brown is aware that they'll be petitioning him and also demonstrating in the periphery of his office, Samiama answered in the affirmative. "No 10 is expecting us, we will deliver the letter to him and then move to the High Commission."The protest was being planned at the weekend as Col. Abubakar said the task force had uncovered a grand plan by "MEND intellectuals" in the Diaspora to engage in a smear campaign and propaganda against the JTF by linking them with different foreign bank accounts and houses abroad.According to him, the purported plan has it that the illegal oil bunkering which has been going on for a very long time was jointly perpetrated by some top army commanders for gratification which made them exceptionally rich with property and foreign accounts.He said: "The aim of this campaign is to tarnish the image of JTF and distract it from its task in the Niger Delta. The JTF therefore wishes to inform this group and any other group that it would not be intimidated and no amount of smear campaigns as being hatched by this group would deter it from carrying out its national duties."
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For anyone to be truly beautiful she must dwell in the realities of beauty. What is called beauty today, 70% of the time is far from the real nature of beauty. Many women are dissatisfied today with how they look because of the standard they are using to measure their beauty.What really make one beautiful? Is it the habitual Jenny Craig slim fit? Is it the MaryKaycosmetics or the some fitted outfit from Italy and New York? Ladies, what are the realities of beauty? You see, different cultures have their different definitions of beauty. What the Yorubas will call beautiful might irritate the Ijaws: what is beautiful in Pakistan might be ugly in Ghana.I want you to know that it doesn’t really matter the measure with which the society you live measure beauty. It is beyond Hollywood or beauty pageant standard. It is far beyond human artificial make-over. it is what I will choose to call nature make-over. Something beyond the adoration of the eyes, something that can even charm and mesmerise the human soul. Something even the closed minded chauvinist can’t resist: some charm that leave other supposedly envious women starring. It is the natural realities of beauty. Very briefly. we will look at three most powerful realities of beauty.Reality #1: Natural SmoothnessEvery human was born smooth. From the inside out, what you will touch is some kind of smoothness. Something that even you should be proud of about yourself. It is definitely abstract. Something that makes you smile when you remember it, something that makes you say to yourself, ‘I am bad.Ladies, understand that the smoothness men want is beyond the smoothness of the skin; I call it the smooth nature. It is a nature no man can resist. It is that light from within you that shows in everything you do; in your smile, looks, walk, talk etc. Some kind of inner satisfaction; some choose to call it inner joy. unspeakable. full of glory. inner radiance, unpretentious manners, free and relaxing, happy with nature and everyone.Men want to see women who have self-excitement; who generate their own happiness, not those who only derive happiness from others. Those who have enough happiness for themselves and some to spare. Nobody. wants to buy emotional liability. You are not beautiful enough, if you don’t have that inner smoothness. You need enough smoothness, more to freely express: to excite smoothness in others. The first thing people notice about you when you appear is your smoothness, an overflow of the satisfaction within. Don’t you know even your dog can see your depression on your face? It is that kind of smoothness I am talking about.You must know that people are like stained glass windows: they sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light within. You need that light within. It is what will attract people to you and keep them around you. At the best, try never to be moody if you must stay beautiful. A depressed face is a boring nature no man wants to hang around for long. When your natural smoothness sparkles, every human with a soul will respond.Reality #2: Natural ConfidenceThis is the substance that supplies radiance to any form of beauty. No matter what physical endowments you are blessed with without this inner pillar, you will stand hollow. People will perch on you like a fly on a hot stove and then disappears. Most 21st century models are furnished with this form of radiance. That is why you admire them. They simply exude inner confidence in what they wear as well as who they are. They don’t seem to care what you think, they wave around I-am-good-looking-and-I-know-it attitude. Their confidence is not born out of pride but out of strong understanding of the uniqueness of self. Royalties likewise are nurtured with natural confidence. They are not intimidated by anyone and they don’t care what you think, they only know what they are. Please. do yourself a favour start treating yourself as royal. that is what you are.Genuine confidence is born out of a depth of self-worth. It is an irresistible charm in a woman that gave birth to the adage, ‘you can’t do without ‘em, you live with ‘em’. Natural confidence never repels, it attracts. Other women are attracted by it too. I have never heard of any man who can resist it. This is what a man saw in a woman that made him throwaway everything and marry her. This is what many men are searching for. It is the one thing that tells a man that a woman is ready for the responsibilities of marriage. It was Ruby Dee who once said, “The kind of beauty I want most is the hard-to-get kind that comes from within—strength, courage, dignity.’”Reality #3: CharacterCharacter they say is like smoke; it will always reveal itself no matter how you try to hide it. It heralds fire, the same way character emits true beauty. A man’s search for a woman is a search of character, not of fleshy beauty. For true beauty lies in what the eyes can’t see but the soul can drink satisfaction from. No doubt fleshy beauty can attract, but only true character beauty can attach. Fleshy beauty can attain, but only true unfeigned character can retain. They say it’s beauty that captures your attention and personality which captures your heart.True character beauty is the soul of fleshy beauty. It fortifies a woman as her youth fades. A mode of conduct, a standard of courage, discipline, fortitude and integrity can do a great deal to make any women truly beautiful. It can do for you what pretty legs and blond hair have failed to do. I have met with several ladies who at first meeting didn’t strike me as beautiful but after relating with them a little. their character beauty rub off on me and I ended up seeing them with a third eye. Such ladies are the type that my mind believes to be truly beautiful on the long run. For others. I just wish they were a little bit this or that.A thing of beauty is a joy forever: its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness, says John Keats. A thing of beauty is not for consumption, it is not for sale, it is not for sex either. it is a thing of joy forever. You can be truly beautiful and irresistible, just cultivate these three natural realities of beauty. You are not created just for sex. you are created to be cherished; this is why you are beautiful. You are beautiful, yes you are; just let others start to see that true beauty locked up within you.
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An Air France jet carrying 228 people from Rio de Janeiro to Paris hit strong turbulence and lost contact with air traffic controllers over the Atlantic Ocean, officials said Monday. Brazil began a search mission off its northeastern coast.
Air France Flight 447, an Airbus A330, had 216 passengers and 12 crew members on board, company spokeswoman Brigitte Barrand said. The flight left Rio on Sunday at 7 p.m. local time (2200 GMT Sunday).
About four hours later, the plane sent an automatic signal indicating electrical problems while going through strong turbulence, Air France said.
Naija Idol Naija has Got Talent !The 9th Factor !
The plane "crossed through a thunderous zone with strong turbulence" at 0200 GMT Monday (10 p.m. EDT Sunday). An automatic message was received at 0214 GMT (10:14 p.m. EDT Sunday) "signaling electrical circuit malfunction."
The plane disappeared about 190 miles (300 kilometers) northeast of the coastal Brazilian city of Natal, near the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, a Brazilian air force spokesman said. The air force began a search began Monday morning near Fernando de Noronha, he added, speaking on condition of anonymity in keeping with air force policy.
The region is about 1,500 miles northeast of Rio.
Air France said the 216 passengers included one infant, seven children, 82 women and 126 men. It says the plane entered service in 2005 and last underwent maintenance April 16.
A police official on Fernando de Noronha said the weather was clear last night into this morning.
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Rescuing 9geria is not simply a choice but the only choice we must make as 9gerians and friends of 9geria
if this largest black nation on earth will not sink under the yoke of ignorance, waste, corruption, and poverty.
What you must know:
DID YOU KNOW…
1. that over N6.5 trillion was spent to pay salaries and allowances of 9geria’s 18,000 [s]elected
public officials between 1999 and 2009 while 9gerian workers receive peanuts as salaries?
2. that about half of 9geria’s annual revenue is spent to maintain the lifestyle of 9geria’s 18,000
[s]elected public officials while national minimum wage remains at N7, 500?
3. that in section 16 (2) (d) of 9geria’s Constitution it is stated as follows: “The state shall direct
its policy towards ensuring that suitable and adequate shelter, suitable and adequate food,
reasonable national minimum living wage, old age care and pensions, and unemployment, sick
benefits and welfare of the disabled are provided for all citizens”?
4. that because of the outrageous salaries and allowances paid 9geria’s public officials and their
corrupt lifestyle 9gerians have been deprived of the benefits accorded them by section 16 (2)
(d) of the Constitution?
5. that the 150 million 9gerians, of whom you are an important family member, are expected by
the fortunate 18,000 officials to do nothing about this?
6. that our public schools will continue to deteriorate if you do nothing?
7. that the children of the 18,000 officials don’t attend the public schools you or your children
attend?
8. that the children of the 18,000 officials shall come back to rule over your less and under
educated children if you do nothing?
9. that graduates of public schools stand little chance of getting good jobs in 9geria compared to
those of better funded private schools both within and outside 9geria which neither you nor
your children can afford except family members of the 18,000 officials?
10. that 9geria’s bad roads, poor electricity, collapsed health system, neglected agriculture and
industrial sectors like her public education will not improve if you do nothing?
11. that “vision 2020” shall go the way of “vision 2000” and “vision 2010” if you do nothing?
12. that those [s]elected public officials who may have employed you as a thug send their children
to expensive private schools both within and outside 9geria, and your children shall become
thugs to their children in the future should you do nothing?
13. that in section 17 (2) (d) it is stated that: “In furtherance of the state social order, exploitation
of human or natural resources in any form whatsoever for reasons other than the good of the
community shall be prevented”, yet the government of 9geria has allowed oil companies to
destroy our environment, destroy our water resources and thus the livelihood of many
9gerians?
14. that 9geria’s Constitution requires in section 17 (3) (d) that: “The state shall direct its policy
towards ensuring that there are adequate medical and health facilities for all persons”, yet
even our public officials have to seek health care overseas at great national cost?
15. that the option of doing nothing is too costly and not a good option for you to even consider?
What you can do:
1. Make a copy or copies of this message according to your ability and give to other 9gerians
and friends of 9geria.
2. Get copies of this message and help distribute at mosques, churches, market places, and at
other public places, and also through e-mails to 9gerians and friends of 9geria.
3. Organize 9gerian students in schools, colleges, and Universities to form 9geria Rally
Movements.
4. Arrange and invite us to give talks to those groups you have helped form.
5. Study and discuss in groups the second chapter of the 9gerian Constitution entitled,
FUNDAMENTAL OBJECTIVES AND DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES OF STATE POLICY.
6. Write, sign, and send letters of protest to the National Assembly, State Assemblies, the
President, Governors, Local government Chairmen, Revenue Mobilization Allocation and
Fiscal Commission demanding urgent constitutional (including appropriate review of section
84 (3) and section 124 (3) of 9geria’s Constitution) downward review of salaries of 9geria’s
public officials.
7. Demand for the scrapping of the Senate and putting of the House of Representatives and State
Houses of Assembly on per diem (part time) basis.
8. Demand for the collapse of the 9gerian federation into 6 states according to the six geopolitical
regions.
9. Demand for a constitutional requirement of at most 13 federal Ministers and at most 8 state
Commissioners, respectively and pegging of Advisers at both national and state levels to the
number of federal Ministers and Commissioners, accordingly in order to free resources for
investment in the people and avoidance of unnecessary duplication of responsibilities.
10. Organize peaceful processions at public places such as Aso Rock, National and State
Assemblies, Local government council offices, offices of the Revenue Mobilization Allocation
and Fiscal Commission, and at offices of popular contractors in 9geria who collaborate with
government officials to loot our commonwealth through inflated contract sums, and yet do
poor jobs or at worst abandon the project without any consequences.
11. Refuse to give up even if you don’t see immediate results.
12. Refuse to quit even if you encounter persecution, whether from government or neighbors.
The desired change we seek can only happen through organized revolutionary action. But for too long,
9geria’s rulers have urged them to “pray” while they prey on the hapless masses. Yes, we believe in divine
intervention; but faith without works is dead. God has always worked with and through men and women
who match their faith with necessary action. God will pull down our walls of Jericho, but He MUST have
us walk round them 13 times. Are we ready for the WALK-LONG WALK TO FREEDOM?
http://www.9jabook.com/page/nigeria-rally-movement
Contact: quote http://www.9jabook.com as the source
E-mail: shilgba@nigeriarally.org, cliffedo@nigeriarally.org,
natapir@nigeriarally.org , nigeriarallyeurope@gmail.com
TEL: 08055024356
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Saturday, May 30, 2009
Nature rode rough shod over the Lagos Bar Beach yesterday, when the elements defied the multi-billion naira shoreline protection barriers constructed last year by the Lagos State government, in the process, flooding almost the entire stretch of Ahmadu Bello Way, in Victoria Island.
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The flooding resulting from the surging Atlantic Ocean, followed a slight rainfall at about midday on the Lagos Island.
Hundreds of motorists who use Ahmadu Bello Way, had to battle through the flood and resultant traffic jam to get to their various destinations.
The traffic crisis was compounded by the huge quantity of sharp sand deposited on the road after the flood waters receded into the ocean.
The sand left behind practically covered all the rock boulders constructed to protect the shoreline, including the walkway on Ahmadu Bello Way and the road itself.
“This caught us unawares. We thought it would never happen again after the government completed the shoreline protection work. We are really disappointed,” remarked a taxi driver caught in the traffic jam.
As at press time, officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Water Front Development were not available for comments.
But the director general of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, Dr Anthony Anuforo said yesterday’s flooding might have been due to global warming.
“Ice has been melting in the seas and causing a general rise in sea level. Nigeria’s coastline is predominantly low level and because of rising sea levels, more and more areas are getting flooded and submerged.
“Another factor is the waves that are getting more violent due to the Green House Gas effect,” Anuforo said.
On how it can be curbed, he said reducing Green House Gas emissions is an important factor, adding that planting trees should be encouraged, “since they absorb carbon dioxide thus reducing the volume of green house gases emitted into the atmosphere.”
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Fashola invites Nigerians abroad homeGov. Babatunde Fashola last Friday in Lagos said it was time for Nigerians in the Diaspora to return home and contribute their quota to national development.advertisementFashola made the plea at a news conference in commemoration of his second year in office.``We are creating a new set of international refugees with their continued stay abroad under the erroneous thinking that things do not work here at home,’’ he said.The governor urged them to return home and join in creating a new order.He observed that many parents who toiled to send their children abroad were now anxious to have them back, saying that things had started picking up in the country.He appealed to the Federal Government to take urgent steps to improve the nation’s electricity supply situation so as to attract foreign investors as well as to revive ailing industries.The governor said that the state government was generating 277 megawatts from its Independent Power Project, being contributed to the national grid.He said that the urban renewal challenges in Obalende area of Lagos would soon be addressed.``What happened at Oshodi will be replicated in Obalende which has become another sad story of urban decay in Lagos,’’ he said.The governor said that other identified challenges in Ijora-Badiya, Bariga and Shomolu would similarly be addressed.Fashola also appealed to the Federal Government to accord Lagos a special status.``If Lagos is hosting the nation’s major air and sea ports, many industries and the banks, it should certainly be accorded a special status,’’ he said.
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A weak currency and a steady decline in foreign reserves are hitting international students from Nigeria. Parents are finding it increasingly difficult to remit money to their children studying abroad, some students are considering continuing their studies at home, and many parents are shelving plans to send their offspring to foreign universities. But universities in Nigeria will be hard-pressed to accommodate those who do return.
Commercial banks have received fewer applications from parents to process tuition fees for students abroad. An official at the Central Bank of Nigeria who did not wish to be named, said that last year more fee applications had been processed by the central bank on behalf of commercial banks.
For the past eight months there has been a close correlation between the drop in the number of tuition fee applications for Nigerian students abroad and the weak local currency - the Naira - along with a gradual decline in the country's foreign currency holdings.
Nkiru Okechukwu, an international economics expert, said the central bank had to prudently manage foreign reserves in its possession. "There are competing demands for these scare resources. Industries must import machines and raw materials. Refined petroleum products must be imported," Okechukwu said. Paying the tuition fees of students abroad was a relatively low priority.
The value of the Naira has declined because of lower international demand for crude oil, Nigeria's economic mainstay, Okechukwu explained. A year ago the country exported about two million barrels of crude oil a day and the barrel was selling for around US$147.
At that time Nigerian's foreign reserve was $67 billion. The story is different today: outgoing central bank governor, Chuwukuma Soludo, recently admitted that foreign reserves had dwindled from $48 billion to $ 45 billion in the last two months.
These factors, along with job insecurity, have made remitting money for students abroad more and more difficult. Traditionally, Nigerian middle class parents have sent their children to study abroad and those who could afford it preferred to send them to Britain, North America or other Commonwealth countries. This is no longer the case.
Apart from the weak local currency and shortfall in foreign reserves, closure of factories and businesses have led to retrenchment of managers - members of the middle class - as well as ordinary workers. Many parents who dreamed of sending their children to study overseas have changed their minds.
Bayo Akin, an engineer in a manufacturing company in Lagos, said he simply could not afford to send his children abroad - and was not even sure he would keep his job. "The company I work for has informed my colleagues and myself that our parent company may fold because of the current international financial and economic crisis. Consumers are not buying our products," Akin said.
Even a special scheme to assist Nigerian students in the UK is faltering. A Nigerian financial institution, Bank PHB, established a loan scheme to assist Nigerian students in Britain, called the UK Education Scheme.
The scheme takes care of fees, accommodation and living costs for the duration of the beneficiary's course. But to benefit from the scheme, each student must open what the bank calls an education account with an initial deposit of about 50% of the fees stipulated by student's chosen university.
Nduneche Ezurike, an official at the bank, said: "It is a product targeted at a particular market as a solution to a particular need." The problem is that the market is no longer there.
A bank official, who did not want to be named, said the scheme had not attracted enough customers. "When we conceived of the loan scheme, some few years ago, we targeted professionals whose earning power was a source of envy. We felt that these professionals, who were in favour of a British university education, could afford to send their kids to UK. Then came the recession. And our potential customers fizzled out."
A source close to the National University Commission revealed that an (undisclosed) number of Nigerian students in the UK had been making frantic enquiries whether they could apply for inter-university transfer to Nigerian universities so they could continue their studies at home.
Two main categories of students were involved, the source said: students whose parents had lost their jobs and wanted to relocate with their families back in Nigeria, and parents who were no longer able to remit money to children abroad because they had been retrenched or because of the depreciation of the Naira.
Like camels marooned in a desert and squabbling for water at an oasis, returning students will have to compete hard with other Nigerians for limited spaces in Nigerian universities. A few weeks ago, some 1.5 million Nigerians sat for common entrance tests into 95 universities whose carrying capacity, according to the NUC, is about 170,000 students.
The battle for admission into the next academic session promises to be stiff for returning and home-based candidates.
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Kola Oyelere, Kano - 29.05.2009NO fewer than 22 people lost their lives in an auto accident which occurred on Kwanar-Kof road, about 62 kilometres from Kano, on Wednesday as a result of burst tyre .The accident occurred a week after the state was thrown into mourning following the death of 22 members of a family in another road accident on Gwarzo road, Kano State.The victims were said to have travelled to visit a sick relation but had the accident on their return journey.An eyewitness said that the accident occurred around 1.00 a.m. as a result of a tyre burst.The source added that the 18-seater bus heading for Kano from Ilorin had 28 passengers on board, including the driver and conductor, out of which 19 people died on the spot while nine survivors, who sustained injuries, were taken to the Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital, Kano, for treatment.It was learnt that three of them later died in the hospital. The driver of the vehicle, who survived the crash, was said to have been taken to his hometown for local medication.
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By Richard Akinjide
I will score the Yar'Adua administration with a pass. I will not say it has done extra-ordinarily well, nor would I say it has failed.
He has just done half of his first term, halving regards to what he met on the ground you cannot say he has not tried his best. The President has started to make some efforts. The electoral reform by the panel chaired by former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mohammed Uwais, has produced a very important document. What is left is for the Federal Government to implement. I will therefore waste no time in urging President Yar'Adua to commence its immediate implementation without any further delay.
The report is no doubt commendable, but it would have even gone further to make some far reaching recommendations. For instance he recommended that election petition should be completed within six months, before swearing-in, I would have recommended that it should be completed within three months. We did that when we were in government, why can't they do that now. If there is need to amend the Electoral Act, why not. There is no justification for this in-ordinate delay of election petition. You would recall that election petition was not concluded until the eve of former President Olusegun Obasanjpo'' departure from office. I am talking about Alhaji M. D. Ysusuf's presidential election petition. This is un-acceptable we should find a way out. The United States has 50 states, yet all their elections are concluded before winners are sworn-in. You would recall the Bush-Al-Gore case over the problem in Florida, it went to the Supreme Court three times, within 33 days and it was resolved before the swearing-in date. So what is the problem here that could not be tackled, if there is the need to reform our judiciary, why not reform it, if there is need to amend the electoral Act, amend it, and make things quicker and simpler and not make a mockery of democracy.
Our judiciary has displayed excellent courage, internationally, our judiciary has repution. Our courts enjoy a very good reputation, abroad, and we should be very careful the way we are running our judiciary down. I accept that even the legal profession needs reform, I accept that the judiciary also needs a lot of reform. My view is that both for the legal profession and the judiciary there should be two powerful commissions of enquiry to look into the legal profession and the judiciary in this country. It over due, all the two are over due. The quality of lawyers, our universities are turning out demands that we reform our legal system including legal education.
The Nigerian Constitution is very unique. We call it a Federal Constitution, but that is a gross abuse of words. What we are operating is a unitary constitution, masquerading as a federal constitution. You see what is critical in any constitution is the way you allocate powers between the centre and the units, not the name you call it. Up till the time the military seized power in 1966, what was operating was a Confederal system. Each region had its own judiciary, its own flag, its own Civil Service, each region also had its own office in London. They could have had their own office in Washington if they wanted. But since the military intervention, we have been operating a unitary system masquerading as a federal constitution. The reason it has been difficult to return to this pre-1966 arrangement is that some people still have the fear that another secessionist could emerge tomorrow.
The dominance of the centre is total and burdensome in legislative powers, financial matters and I don't see any state government or any local government in this country which can operate without financial support from the centre. That is not a federal system of government. I won't give name, but I would advocate that we should reform and get something that is suitable for us, not copying the U.S., France or Germany. The fault lies with the Nigerian elites. Nigerian elites, avoid going into politics, they avoid conducting elections. You could be a university teacher and still be a good councillor in your area, you can go to the National Assembly, could contest for the office of the governor. It is only in a few states that you see responsible people coming out to contest for the office of the government. If you take a census of the governors we have in this country, you would be horrified, if you look at their history and their qualifications. Take a look at the few states that are doing well, you will notice that they have governors with very good qualifications and sound track record.
Niger Delta
We must assume that the Federal Government has the right intelligence report, otherwise, it won't be doing what it is doing. We must be very careful in making comments on matters we don't have adequate information or sufficient facts. We must realise that the Niger Delta harbours the oil and gas in the country, we must also realise that the oil and gas of Niger Delta is of public interest it is no global interest. Although the oil is in Nigeria, all the nations of the world have interest in that oil, that is the nature of oil and gas. No government will accept or condone lawlessness. I am not saying that the people of Niger Delta don't have legitimate complainants or grievances, but you cannot do the right thing in a wrong way or do the right thing in a lawless way. Let them make their complaints, let them express their grievances within the law and I am a lot of people in Nigeria would have sympathy for them that their complaints be remedied. But when you take up arms, if what we see in the television is correct then there is virtually insurrection, these militants are carrying arms, which at times is more sophisticated than that of security agencies, that is a step to anarchy, the government therefore has a duty and responsibility to put an end to that state of affairs. Also it is my view that governors in those states that make up the Niger Delta, would accept the existence of other states within their states, or another counter-force with their jurisdiction competing with the Nigerian Police or the Nigerian Army.
Therefore we have a duty to support the Federal government to make sure that the rule of law prevails and that lawlessness does not succeed. If lawlessness succeeds, it becomes infectious and others too might take that route to achieve their grievances. You know that a minister has been appointed for the Niger Delta. Isn't it sensible to give that minister a chance to operate and find a solution for the problem of the area, in co-operation with the government in that region. Never before was there a minister for the Niger Delta, this is the first time and there is precedence for that. When Lagos was Federal Territory, there was a minister for Lagos Affairs, who incidentally was the father of the present President.
He must have learnt some lessons from his late father in solving the problem of the Niger Delta and appointing a minister for the area. We should at least allow the minister to operate for some years and see how far he could go in solving the problem. When Musa Yar'Adua was the minister of Lagos affairs, the people of Lagos, did not take up arms to start to fight the Federal Government. And because the people of Lagos were law abiding, they got a lot of benefits. It was during that time the Victoria Island was created that Eko bridge was built, it was at that time that South-West, Ikoyi was developed. It was during that time that the Independence Building in Tafawa Balewa Square was built. So lagos made its complainants within the rule of law and Lagos benefited immensely.
At the moment you have about 13 per cent from the Federation Account going into the pocket of the Niger Delta. You also have a lot of money from the oil firms going into the various local and state governments, apart from this 13 per cent. If all these funds are properly used and that is very critical. The people of Niger Delta cannot also claim not to know how the oil and gas money is spent because their sons and daughters are at the upper-most echelon of all firms and government institutions that engage in oil and gas business, including the NNPC and the Ministry of Petroleum.
The issue of what percentage that goes to this region has always been contentions. In your view is the 13 per cent enough? The issue of whether it is well spent is a different one. In my view what has been allocated to them is enormous I know as a fact that the oil companies vote a lot of money from their revenue for the development of the area. The oil firms give money to the local government regularly. I also know as a fact that the oil companies give money to the state government in the oil producing area. All these are apart from the 13 per cent. The question is, how have this enormous money that runs into several billions, been used.
Why couldn't the notion of derivation as it applied in the First Republic not allowed now? This would have solved this problem.
That argument as canvassed is utter nonsense. It has no juridical basis, it has no basis in fact, it has no basis in constitutional law. People are just throwing this emotion, where there should be none. First of all, you talk of derivation and the history of this country. Yes it is true before oil, the doctrine of derivation applied. The cocoa from the West, the rubber from the Delta, the groundnut from north, the palm oil and palm kernel from the various parts of the South, yes it was true doctrine of derivation applied to them. But don't forget that those agricultural products were planted and produced by the people of the various region. The ground nut from the north for instance was not as a result of the investment of the Federal Government, it was from the investment of the people of the north, the farmers same goes for other farm produce, it was the sweat of the farmers and the various marketing boards established by the governments on those regious.
I challenge anybody in Nigeria to tell me that the oil has arisen as a result of the sweat of their people or the investment of their people, it has not. The oil was created there by nature and by God.
Furthermore, what many people don't know is that oil has been discovered in Nigeria, since 1896, don't believe anybody who tells you oil was discovered in 1956, it is not true. In fact that was one of the reasons why the British government revoked the Royal Niger Company Charter.
The moment Britain discovered there was oil, although it hide it from us, it revoked the charter and assume full responsibility for the running of the country, because with oil it was too important to be left in the land of private capital. After the 1914 amalgamation of Nigeria, the first ordinance (law) to be enacted by the British Colonialist in Nigeria was the mineral ordinance, which rested all the oil in the central government in Lagos. Never in the history of this country, has the oil and gas being vested in any region or any state.
It has always been the property of the Federal Government. As the British government enacted the mineral ordinance it followed it up by enacting the arbitration ordinance the same year to settle whatever dispute may arise from the oil ordinance. That ordinance of 1914 was not amended until 1958, with that amendment all the mineral in Nigeria were now vested in the Federal government. That has be the basis till today. There is no way you can vest the oil and gas in the state, it is not possible. I know that people are quick to point to the United State, where states control the oil and gas.
The history of the United States is quite different from the evolution of Nigeria. The evolution of the United States is the exact opposite of how Nigeria evolved. Nigeria was a unitary country broken into various units where as the US is made up of autonomous States, starting with the 13 American than later on after driven away Britain in a bloody war, they decided to form the United States of America. Yes people do say that in the US oil belongs to the states, they are right, but what they fail to add, which is very crucial is that, it is in the history and evolution of the United States. It is un-thinkable that the Federal Governmental would rest the oil and gas in any area in either the state or the local government or in the individuals in that area. By so doing, you are asking for anarchy, you are asking for the collapse of the country.
Already, with their oil and gas money by people fighting in the Niger Delta, this money is what is being used now to acquire sophisticated arms and have almost established a Republic, with on the Nigerian Republic.
There is no question of middle way, there is only one way and that is the way of law and order. No self-respected government would tolerate a government within a government or would allow a parallel force, which is what we have now in the Niger Delta.
But former President Olusegun Obasanjo managed the crisis without this resort to outright declaration of war. Why should it take Yar'Adua, a supposedly harmless man to declare war on the people? I don't have access to the intelligence report, you must know that Yar'Adua as the President of Nigeria, has primary responsibility for law and order, also he would have access to intelligence report. I was a former Attorney General of this country and by virtue of that office I was a member of Council of State, also by virtue of that office. I was in the Security Council. From that experience, I am 100 per cent certain that what Yar'Adua is doing now is warranted and is in best interest of all.
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THE death toll on the tragedy that befell Port Harcourt when a Manchester United fan, Daniel Chibuzor, rammed into celebrating Barcelona fans after the Spanish club's 2-0 victory in the UEFA Champions League has risen to six.
Four of the fans died instantly in the incident that occurred in Ogbo, a Port Harcourt suburb, on Wednesday. The Guardian learnt yesterday that two more of the fans, who were receiving treatment as a result of the injuries they sustained from the incident, died yesterday afternoon, while others were still receiving treatment.
Though Police Spokeswoman, Rita Abbey, refused to disclose the extent of investigations into the incident, sources close to the force disclosed that the man would soon be charged to court as "it is a clear case of premeditated murder." A source said: "We have concluded investigations into the matter and the next thing is to charge the suspect to court.
"He has confessed committing the offence, citing the devil as the force behind the crime but all those ones would be sorted out in court."
Another source, a medical doctor at the Ahoada General Hospital, where the victims were rushed to after the incident, told The Guardian that four of the victims were still at the hospital getting medical attention, while some more serious cases have been transferred to Port Harcourt for specialist attention. The source revealed that four of the victims died before they were brought to the hospital, but declined comments on the actual number of deaths recorded in the incident.
Chibuzor, who was said to be going home after his team's disappointing loss to Barcelona, rammed his vehicle into the jubilating Barca fans late on Wednesday night, killing four people on the spot and injuring several others. Abbey earlier explained that the "driver had passed the crowd then made a U-turn and ran into them.
"The man confessed to doing it on purpose, but he now says he doesn't know why he did it, but it was an intentional act."
Nigerian football fans, just like their mates from across Africa, idolise clubs in the European leagues, with that adoration often turning to confrontations between opposing fans. In 2007, an Arsenal supporter was stabbed in Lagos by an irate Bolton fan following the Gunners' defeat of the Manchurian team in the English Premiership.
Earlier this month, a Kenyan Arsenal fan hanged himself after Manchester United beat the London club in the semifinal of the UEFA Champions League.
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