Goodluck Jonathan Vice president made a quote in this article : “ If we cannot correct the rot at the lowest level, then it would be cumbersome to do same at the top” wonders will never cease ! now blaming the people !
We do not want Sanni Abachas picture to scare our readers that is why it is not here.
1.who killed Dele Giwa ?
2.How did MKO Abiola Die ?
3.Shell,CIA Ken Saro Wiwa the real truth .
and many more ! What
editorial edited and recut from Thisday
Former US Secretary State and Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff of the American Armed Forces, General Colin Powell (rtd), has revealed that on the night the late General Sani Abacha was to overthrow the Interim National Government (ING), headed by Chief Ernest Shonekan, he was informed at 2 a.m.
Powel said he had protested against the decision, but was ignored by the late head of state.
but he did nothing as they allowed 9geria to slide back into Military Rule again.What kind of Strategic Partners are these americans.They folded their hands in Rwanda during the tutsi slaughter .powell a known admirer of the yahooze song by olu Maintain seems to be getting more and more ingrained within 9gerian politics since his retirement.close Sources say he is involved in a CIA plot to embed Top ranking former serving americans to a final solution of the 9gerian problem.
The USA has had great interest in 9geria since Communist China planted tenterhooks within the countrys resources.China is secretly buying up half of Africa and America is not having that.
Powell, who had supervised American involvement in 28 conflicts around the world including the Panama intervention, and Persian Gulf Operation Desert Storm, also noted that 9gerians do not trust their leaders.
He said many do not consider the current 9geria democracy as that of the people.
Powell made these remarks in his speech during the breakfast meeting organised by Tell Communications Limited (publishers of Tell Magazine) to mark 9geria’s 10 years of unbroken democracy (May 1999 – May 2009).
“I have watched as someone who sees and believes in the great potential of 9geria as an economic power and a political leader in the region and the world- as someone who wants to see that potential realised,” said Powell.
“Yes, I have seen the turmoil”, he added. “Shortly after I retired from the Army in 1993, I began getting letters from Sani Abacha, telling me of the problems in 9geria,” he told the audience.
“His letters were disturbing, and foreboding,” he added.
He continued: “Then, late one night, around 2 a.m, I got a phone call from him at my home that the situation, in his view had become so bad that he had to act.
Said he: “I pleaded with him not to, that America and the world would not understand and would react badly. He did not listen, and you know the rest of that story.”
Powell said in 1999 he was part of the election monitoring team in 9geria and had a profound experience.
He regretted that by all independent accounts he had seen the irregularities and corruption seen in subsequent elections is deeply troubling, adding that there is a real danger, that the will of the people is not being determined, but instead is being manipulated and pushed aside in the quest for power.
Vice-President Dr Goodluck Jonathan who also spoke at the event where he represented President Umar Yar’Adua said the government was committed towards ensuring that the votes of 9gerians count in all future elections.
Jonathan stated that part of what the nation was celebrating was the successful transition of one civilian government to another.
According to him: “ This is the first time the nation’s parliament has been in place for 10 years although the judiciary and executive existed throughout the period of military rule.”
He further observed that 9gerian politicians had a tendency of challenging results of elections whenever they lost, noting that there was need for stability if the nation’s democracy would grow. The Vice-President enjoined the mass media to be more balanced in its reporting of political events in the country.
Said he : “ It is not in all cases that the ruling party is on the wrong side during political developments in the country” .
He cited the fraudulent manner in which state independent electoral commissions conduct local government polls in different states of the country where parties in power always swept the polls. He however regretted that the trend never attracted the attention of the media which only preferred bashing the Independent Electoral Commission ( INEC).
Said he: “ If we cannot correct the rot at the lowest level, then it would be cumbersome to do same at the top” . i magine ! the cheek of the VP Are they trying to absolve themselves of their wrongs ?
This is shifting of blame at the highest level .So so rotten !
Also, speaking at the event was Justice George Oguntade, a Judge of the Supreme Court of 9geria, who described the existence of the current 36 states structure as a drain pipe to the economy, and advocated that some states be merged.
Read more…
not necessarily in this order
1.Nuhu Ribadu
2.Pat Utomi
3.Governor fashola
4.Fola Adeola former MD GTB
5.Buhari
6.Buba Marwa
7.Donald Duke
8.Dangote if he can stop loving money
9.Nasir El rufai
10. Dr Akin Osunlaja
read more here
http://www.9jabook.com/profiles/blogs/the-search-for-our-own-obama-1
It is difficult to meet Mallam Nuhu Ribadu without having some sort of liking for him. I saw the embattled pioneer chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for the first time at a 'state of the nation' symposium organised by the Nigerian Liberty Forum at the Metropolitan University, London, on May 29, 2009. A man whose slender frame and boyish looks often mask his lion heart and iron resolve, Mallam Ribadu easily stole the show at the gathering. He was literally mobbed as he entered the hall, and as he stood to speak, almost everyone, as if by some sort of invisible instigation, stood up in respect, and remained standing for a long time.
I was never a fan of Nuhu Ribadu's methods as the EFCC chairman. I still hold the EFCC under his watch partly responsible for the joke that was the 2007 elections. I had written about his recent travails as a comeuppance for his misdeeds as chairman of the financial crimes buster. I had strongly disagreed with arguments that he meant well despite his obvious excesses, noting that even the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Ribadu spoke on Nigerian unity, making what some people would regard as a populist appeal for Nigerians to overcome their differences and come together to reclaim the Nigerian state from the grips of a corrupt and visionless elite. He argued that there was really no substantial difference in the needs and aspirations of ordinary Nigerians, irrespective of their ethnic and other primordial differences, because "all they ask for are the basic necessities of life." For Ribadu, the Nigerian elites like to harp on the differences among Nigerians because it is in their interest to do so, to "keep us divided". He called himself a simple Fulani man, whose role model had always been Gani Fawehinmi, a man he said he would name Abuja after, if he had his way. He rhetorically asked, to thunderous applause, whether we are being fair to the likes of Wole Soyinka and Anthony Enahoro, who had given over 50 years of their lives to the struggle to make Nigeria better, but are still forced to remain in active service. in their old age, because the problems of the country appear to remain intractable.
I respected Mallam Ribadu for not using the forum to get back at the Nigerian government, his current traducers. He wisely focused on positive messages, admitting that mistakes were made when he was boss of the EFCC. There was something about the way he spoke that touched most people in the audience, including those of us who are his ardent critics. It was easy to believe that he spoke from his heart rather than from his head.
As Ribadu spoke, I noticed that a Nigerian lady sitting next to me was struggling to hold back her tears. "This is a very honest man, a very rare Nigerian," she muttered, more to herself. I tried to engage her in a discussion. I agreed that Nuhu was obviously an honest man, who meant well and had a lot of passion for the job he did as EFCC chairman. I however disagreed that his good intentions were enough excuses for some of his unacceptable methods. Her facial expression changed as if I had uttered a heresy.
"Whether any one likes it or not, he will be our next president," she muttered and moved farther away from me as if to clearly indicate that she did not want to pursue that discussion any further.
Nuhu Ribadu for president? Though not his supporter, I have always believed firmly that in Nigeria's game of musical chairs, his rehabilitation would be only a matter of time, and his traducers would inevitably one day take their own turn of being painted as villains. This is one of the iron laws of our politics: there are no permanent messiahs or permanent villains. Just think of Abacha, the poster boy of Nigerian dictatorship and corruption, and the efforts made not long ago by a section of the country to rehabilitate him.
In the Tube (underground train) on my way home from the symposium, I found myself standing next to three gentlemen who had apparently also attended the event. The discussion was again on Nuhu Ribadu.
"He is very inspirational. He is our Obama," one of the three men, who looked Caucasian to me, declared. I decided to barge into the discussion but resisted the temptation to ask the gentleman if he was indeed Nigerian. I asked whether the genius of Obama was because he was inspirational or because he was post-racial, and a reconciler, with wisdom and a good organisational sense.
"Nigeria needs an enlightened leader who can inspire confidence in Nigerians, whom Nigerians will be proud of, and who genuinely wants to transform the country," he declared.
I agreed that Ribadu inspires confidence and will make a genuine effort to transform Nigeria if he becomes president of the country, but again expressed concerns about his democratic credentials. I reminded them that when he was boss of the EFCC he virtually kidnapped or forced some House of Assembly members in Plateau State to impeach their governor. I also reminded the three gentle men that during the 2007 elections Ribadu appeared to sit in his office and decide which people to disqualify from running for office before finding evidence against them.
"I don't think you will vote for him, will you? Your question to the founder of Sahara Reporters [the online blog] gave you away," the bulkiest of the three, with obvious Nigerian features, said, with a smile of superior wisdom. I had asked Omoyele Sowore if he ever saw anything good in the Nigerian government. I also accused him of appearing to romanticise the Niger Delta militants, and of failing to distinguish between the cause they espouse (which most Nigerians support) and their methods (which many find abhorrent).
"Look brother," began the third man, "we Nigerians made Obama President of the United States. More than 25 percent of the people who organised and knocked on doors for Obama are Nigerians. Nuhu is not perfect. But do you think any of the people currently being touted as presidential candidates in Nigeria will be better than Nuhu?" He had a slight Igbo accent.
I agreed with him that if Nuhu ever became Nigeria's president, it would never be business as usual and that he would be prepared to give his life to make a difference. I however once again reiterated my concern about his antecedents, including a tendency to be carried away by emotions.
As we disembarked and went our different ways, what became obvious to me was that Nigerians had not heard the last of Nuhu Ribadu.
Read more…
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.
Read more…
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
Read more…
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.
Read more…
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!!!!!!!!!!!!
Read more…
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.
Read more…
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.
advertisement
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.”
Read more…
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.
Read more…
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."
Read more…
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.
Read more…
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.
Read more…
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
Read more…
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.
Add To Favorites
Print This Article
Post Comment
advertisement
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.”
Read more…
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.
Read more…
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.
Read more…
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.
Read more…
