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Why average policeman is aggressive



An average Nigerian policeman is aggressive and over-zealous due ostensibly to the harsh environment as well as the psychological stress he is subjected to, SUNDAY PUNCH investigations have shown.


The disclosure is coming just as seven of every 10 policemen in the country may not have for many years observed their annual vacation, even as they work round the clock without being paid any special allowances.


The psychological stress, our correspondent gathered, affect both the junior and senior cadres as they all work under the same hostile condition.

According to a cross section of policemen who spoke with our correspondent in Abuja, they work under frustrating environment which has little room for self-expression or personal development.

A Police Inspector, who craved anonymity for the security of his career, said he had been on the same rank for over six years, while some of his colleagues who allegedly knew influential politicians had been promoted above him.

He explained that they worked under serious strain, adding that some of them were even forced to work for three days consecutively without being allowed to go home to refresh or change their uniforms.



This, he attributed for the antagonistic and over-zealous character of some of his colleagues, particularly those in the rank and file who could not cope with the work pressure and the psychological trauma they face.

”Police officers are not finding it rosy because we work under a difficult environment where you have to go to great lengths to get basic things done and Nigerians are not making it easy for us. When a police officer is antagonistic, he might also be reacting to what people do when he issues an instruction. An officer working under serious pressure cannot be expected to joke with you if you disregard his directive and argue with him. To argue with policemen is akin to calling them idiots; don‘t do that,” he warned.

A Corporal who joined the Force about six years ago said he had never gone on annual vacation, adding that the service did not give officers such privilege.


Some of his colleagues who wanted to get married, he said, were given a few days to conduct the marriage and report back for duty and they had to show their the wedding invitation cards to convince senior officers about the genuineness of their requests.

A Deputy Superintendent of Police who lamented the negative effects this had on productivity and mental health, pointed out the difference in attitude of police officers who have taken part in peace support operations of the United Nations and those who have not travelled outside the country‘s shores in terms of disposition to work, human relations, respect for the public and responsiveness to security matters.

Many of such police personnel who returned to the country from peace support operations in Liberia, Somalia, Haiti, Sudan, East Timor and elsewhere, he added, were more approachable and disciplined on account of the positive environment created by the UN under which they served.

He said ,”When a police officer with the peace support operation works for 30 days, he gets a compulsory time off for six days and he gets his allowance without any delay. Many police officers have worked for several years without annual leave and this would naturally affect their performance, productivity, psychology and attitude to the public.”

The Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Yemi Ajayi, however, said there was no deliberate policy preventing policemen from taking annual leave, adding that the Force gave its personnel opportunity at the beginning of every year to fill in their schedule and proposed time for vacation.


But the exigency of duty like elections or emergency security issues might prevent an officer from enjoying his deserved leave, he added, stressing that some policemen did go on leave once their application was approved.

Commenting, the President, Nigerian Association of Clinical Psychologists, Prof. Peter Ebigbo, said the nation should learn to treat its law enforcement agents with respect.

Nigerian Police Turned ‘Area Boys’

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Osaze wrecks Arsenal

NIGERIAN international, Osaze Odemwingie, yesterday at the Emirates Stadium provoked a second half five-goal-thriller when he fired West Bromwich Albion to a surprising 3-2 away victory over Arsenal in a Barclays English Premiership match.

It was a historic first win for the Baggies over the London favourites in 28 years .

With the Gunners brimming with the confidence of playing at home against a struggling West Brom, the goalless start to the game was disappointing to the home fans but when Odemwingie began to run the show in the 38th minute , it was apparents that the day was not meant for Arsene Wenger's troop.

The Nigerian international scared Arsenal's goalkeeper, Manuel Alumnia into committing a penalty kick offence but Brunt missed the resultant spot kick in the 38th minute..

In the 50th minute, Odemwingie opened the floodgates of goals when he connected a grounder into the net off a left-wing cross. From then on, there was no stopping West Brom as an inspired

Odemwingie's brilliant touch in the 53rd minute helped Jara to score the second goal for West Brom. Thomas further embarrassed the Gunners when on 73rd minute he roofed a blinder to record his side's third goal of the game.

French striker, Samir Nasir saved Arsenal's face with two goals scored in the 75th and 90th minutes.

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Too Much Ado About GTB Naira MasterCard

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Of late most banks have started issuing chip and PIN enabled ATM cards in a bid to reduce the amount of ATM fraud which is scourging the nation @ the moment.

If I’m not wrong, EcoBank launched the first ever Naira Credit Card and now GTB has followed suit launching their Naira MasterCard.

GTB’s Naira MasterCard is now issued to every GTB customer both old and new, whether you want it or not. Supposedly the card can function worldwide and online wherever you see the MasterCard logo but before you rush to open an account with GTB because of this card, there are a few things you ought to know.

All local ATM transactions are free ONLY on GTB ATM machines. Other than that, you get to pay the regular 100 naira per transaction.

All international transaction incur a charge of 1,000 naira per transaction.

Despite their claims that it works online, it ONLY works on local internet sites such as Dana Air, British Airways, Fly Aero and a few others.

What irks me the most is that the Customer service reps weren’t aware of the fact that the card didn’t work everywhere online. I spent 2 days battling to renew my domain name with Netfirmswhile the card kept getting declined.

I finally had to call their card services department before I was told that the card wasn’t fully functional on all websites as I’ve already stated above.

Anyway I guess I’m back to using my Zenith Bank MasterCard Websurfer which fortunately has never failed me .

For more credit-debit card tips, be sure to read the following posts:

How To Get A Visa or MasterCard In Nigeria The First One is Zenith Mastercard Websurfer while the other is Payoneer Prepaid MasterCard which can be gotten free from 2CheckOut....

How To Fund Your Paypal and Payoner Prepaid Mastercard After the whole update on PayPal verification issues and how to order payoneer mastercard via Limeexchange, Henry Omenogor went on to to discuss another problem some Nigerians were facing which is how to deposit and withdraw funds from their PayPal accounts and Payoneer Prepaid MasterCard. HOW TO FUND AND....

All About Zenith Mastercard Websurfer & Graphcard When I first started out online, I used Graphcard issued Visa Gift Cards to make my online payments but later switched to Zenith Bank’s Mastercard Websurfer....

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In Just One Thing, author John Mauldin offers an incomparable shortcut to prosperity: the personal guidance of an outstanding group of recognized financial experts, each offering the single most useful piece of advice garnered from years of investing. Conversational rather than technical in tone, each contributor’s personal principle for success is illustrated with entertaining and illuminating real-life stories.
I got 11 of my friends to give me that one idea, that one bit of hard-learned wisdom, added my own chapter and put it all in my brand new book called Just One Thing. You can get it for free email freebooks@systemini.net courtesy of the 9jabook Educational Foundation

One of the great things about working in my world is that I get to run around with some very smart, very successful people, who also happen to be very good investors. I get to pick their brains and learn from the best. If you could get a chance to sit down with Richard Russell or a Gartman or Kessler or Gilder (or Shilling or Arnott or the rest of the writers featured in my new book) most of us would leap at the chance. What is one idea worth, if it helps us become better investors, or saves us fro m the pain of losses?

The authors of these chapters have all learned a lot along the way. "Why not," I thought, "ask them to share the wealth of their wisdom?" And so I did. The rules of the book were pretty few. I told them to write me a chapter on a subject in which they had expertise and thought was one of the special insights they had picked up in their time. I gave them no minimum or maximum word length — just make the chapter long enough to cover the topic. As you will notice, some chapters are quite short and oth ers are feature length. .

"Make it readable and understandable to the average person," I told them. "Nothing is more frustrating to me than a great idea you can't understand. I want something you are passionate about. Make it something that will give my readers an 'aha' moment. It will probably be something you have worked on for a long time. Maybe you already have the basic outline or material done. Just share it with us."

Now, I could guess what a few of them would write about before I asked. Mark Finn was going to write about the problems of past performance. He is absolutely brilliant on that (and a lot of other things), which is why he gets big institutions to keep coming back for his consulting. And you knew that Dennis Gartman would write on his Rules of Trading. Gartman has forgotten more about trading than most of us will ever know. Which, he would tell you, is why he writes his rules down so he can remember them and follow them! You break these rules, you are gonna lose. If you want to trade, you need these near your desk.

But a lot of the others had me curious as to what they would contribute. Many of them could have done several chapters or even books (and most of them have!). But to cut it down to Just One Thing? That was hard.

OK, Andy Kessler gives us two. But when you turn $100 million into a cool $1 billion, and get out at the top, two ideas are a good thing. Kessler shows how investing in what everyone already knows is how to get average returns (or less!). Better, he says, to invest like you are walking in a fog. This chapter is so compelling and well written, I guarantee you cannot put it down once you have started.

Gary Shilling shows us the value of one really good idea. It made his career. George Gilder tells us that in fact inside information is the best information. I leave it to you to read why. Bill Bonner tells us that we need to first start with a principle if we want to succeed and then shows us his idea as to what that is. Mike Masterson looks at the same thought, but comes away with an entirely different take.

Want to average almost 3% a year better on your funds? Rob Arnott writes compellingly that the way index (and many mutual) funds are currently constructed is inefficient and offers a new way to invest. This powerful analysis could be worth a lot to you. My side prediction? The revolutionary new indexing method that Arnott lays out will be the dominant index investing style within ten years. Arnott will go from running almost $10 billion today to several hundred billion in a few years and within ten will eclipse the large index funds like the Vanguard S&P 500. A bold reckless prediction? Not at all when you understand what Rob has done. Rob has found a way to put fundamental value into index investing. It is worth an extra 3% a year. Now THAT is a chapter you will want to read.

James Montier gives us a very thorough overview of the latest research on the human foibles in investing. He is an expert on the psychology of investing, having literally written the book. In fact, his book is one of the textbooks used to teach the subject. I got him to give us a very easy to read summary. This is one you will want to read and re-read and come back to often.

Richard Russell, who has been writing The Dow Theory Letter since 1958 and is the dean of economic writers, gives us his thoughts on time, hope and the power of compounding. Anytime Richard talks, we should listen.

My good friend Ed Easterling shows us that risk is not a knob. "The first step toward making money is not losing it," he writes, and shows us how to avoid unnecessary risk while making it our friend when we do encounter it. Isn't that something we all want to do? Ed shows us how.

And finally, I weigh in with a few thoughts on the power of change in our future. The pace of change is accelerating, and we not only need to know what is changing but how to take advantage of it. The best investments of the next 20 years will be those that are a part of the process of change. I call my chapter The Millennium Wave. I have been working and thinking on this topic more than any other for the last ten years.

I am proud of this book and the work my friends have done to bring you their one best idea. I believe you will find many nuggets you can use in your own life and investing. As to the order of the chapters, it was just too much to decide who should be first and then second and so on. Each chapter is a "lead" chapter. So I let the way they were organized in my inbox be the prime factor. So, start at the beginning or in the middle or the end, but read them all.

And Just One More Thing. There are a lot of great ideas in the few hundred pages of this book. So as you read, think about how you will put the principles, tips and ideas to use in your personal life. And that will make this book be a very good thing.

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love, infatuation or obsession


From the time immemorial, many people have mistaken infatuation and obsession for love. People just don‘t know how to recognise and differentiate between each of these emotions. Incidentally, many singles are guilty of this. The universal misconception of each of these ideologies is one of the chief causes of divorce, single parent homes, and broken hearts. Read on to tell each of these emotions apart.

Love connects you to your partner in positive, enriching ways. Love is the energy you feel and exhibit which is used, unselfishly, to promote your partner‘s well-being, success and happiness. Love is much more than sweet nothings in your ear, sex and passionate feelings of longing. Love is concrete, measurable behaviour and action that demonstrates to your partner and the whole world that you respect and care for this person.

Words of love and romantic passion make promises to satisfy your needs and get you all worked up with the possibilities and the fantasies. However, love in action keeps those promises and satisfies those needs consistently and dependably until those fantasies become a reality. Loving moves your partner and yourself forward. You grow and develop and change to be the best you can be.

Infatuation and obsession, on the other hand, are the feelings that you must have or be with this person, no matter what. In many instances, this is someone you don‘t know very well, or someone that has flatly told you s/he is not interested in a relationship with you. You formed an attachment based strictly on fantasies of perfection or your wishes alone - no matter what the object of your affection feels about it. You cannot think, eat, or sleep without thinking of him/her.

Some people go off the deep end and become stalkers, calling and hanging up to see if s/he is at home, following them around to see where they are or whom they are with. The most dangerous obsessives are those that decide that if they can‘t have you, nobody will. Stories abound of obsessed persons that were shunned and turned around to become murderers.

Infatuation is superficial. One is usually infatuated by another person‘s looks, attitude and behaviour. When you know a person in and out, you tend to feel for him/her. This is pure infatuation and not love. Infatuation wears off fast and weakens with distance and time. If you are not in touch with your infatuated partner for a long while, it will tend to weaken and eventually wear off.

Infatuation is more common these days than actual love. One should know when it is infatuation and when it is true, romantic love, which develops slowly and gradually, while infatuation develops at almost no time. Those who rush into marriage learn by sad experience of self-made miseries. Infatuation is rushing into a bad decision, while true love is attracted to the total personality of the person. Infatuation is mainly interested in the physical features, which depend on a few non-sense things, while true love is attracted to most of the qualities of the one loved.

True love affects your whole personality. Willing to learn, adjust and change to bring out the better qualities. Infatuation is blind, illusion and fantasy, trying to believe that the only thing that matters is their love for each other. True love is not only interested in the whole person but that interest is growing warmer as the day goes by. In infatuation, the interest for each other grows between hot and cold, if not freezing.

It is on record that separation and distance make true love fonder; but infatuation will not survive the test of separation or distance but will seek happiness in another person. True love always cultivates to nurture the relationship, always complimenting, never dominating.

True love causes two different personalities to grow intimately together that even a short separation will help in evaluating that emotional love..

True love can easily resolve quarrels and disagreements for healthier relationship. Infatuation can ignite little disagreement into a massive forest fire, leading into permanent break-up. While true love is concerned with giving way to improve and build stronger relationship, infatuation is concerned only with getting and receiving from the relationship for personal gains and interest.

True love is always unselfish, always giving. Infatuation is always waiting to receive. True love dwells in genuine humility and sacrifice for the loved one. Infatuation dwells in human ego and castle of arrogance.

True love is always responsible, willing to pay the cost, willing to endure hardship and suffering. Infatuation is always ready to escape into the open sea of unreliability. True love is not love at first sight but the result of knowing and accepting the person just as he is. Love requires knowledge.

True romantic love distinguishes between a body and a person. Choosing a girl because of her beautiful figure is unstable criterion. She might become Coca-cola shape (in cans) in just the next few years. Selecting a guy for his physique and good looking face is a treacherous decision that may result in a lifetime of suffering. A person who easily falls in love with the appearance will also easily fall out of love.

True love is self-giving; it is not what you can get from another person but what you can give without expecting anything in return. The passionate desire for his/her body is not love but lust. Any prostitute can fully satisfy that burning desire.

True love can thrive without physical expression until full commitment for marriage. If your only reason for having a sweetheart is to have someone to hug and caress, you had better buy yourself a life-size doll!

True love seeks to build a life and permanent relationship of marriage. The objective and goal of any relationship is marriage. Marriage is a triangular relationship between God, a man and a woman, not a triangle between three persons. Lust will not settle for octagon.

True love embraces difficult and serious responsibilities. Marital responsibility is far more than money. It is commitment to love the other person come what may. Lollipops and roses have nothing to do with true love.

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There is a popular belief that the longer couples stay in marriage, the more they look alike. NNAEMEKA MERIBE reviews some studies into this belief.

If you do a little thinking, you'll probably remember some older couples you know who look very much alike. You probably have also been wondering whether the resemblance was there before they got married or whether it was many years of marriage that caused their features to look alike, as in aging in similar way.

Well, it€˜s a common belief not just in Nigeria but also in other climes that married couples grow to look alike.

Though some people may contend that what makes such spouses tend to resemble each other is that seeing them together overtime may make people€˜s minds to begin to €˜see' similarities in their facial features.

But, science has lent support to the old belief. Psychologists in the University of Michigan, US, studied this phenomenon many years ago and found that shared emotions could gradually sculpture the faces of a couple to become more similar. Moreover, they found that the more marital happiness a couple reported, the greater their increase in facial resemblance...

Dr. Robert Zajonc, who led the study, wanted to see if people could identify married couples solely from photographs of faces.

Participants viewed two sets of photographs: pictures of males and females at the beginning of their relationships and a set after the individuals (who were between the ages of 50 and 60 years old) had been married for at least 25 years.

The participants were asked to match the men to the women who looked most like them. They matched older couples together more often than younger couples..

Zajonc suggested that empathy was the most likely factor leading couples to look more alike the longer they are together. He said that shared facial expressions bring on identical emotions because facial muscles play a role in regulating blood flow to the brain. €˜€˜You both smile because you feel good and feel good because you smile,€˜€˜ he said.

According to Zajonc, one sign that such empathy has been going on is that people€˜s fixed facial features begin to resemble those of their spouses as a result of sharing the same expressions often. In support, he points to the finding in his study that those couples who were found to resemble each other most greatly after 25 years were also those who reported the happiest marriages.

In any case, the article, Long-married couples do Look Alike, study finds, published in the New York Times of August 11, 1987, noted that a research by Olaf Dimberg, a psychologist in Sweden, lends support for mimicry of expressions

Dimberg measured the tension levels in the facial muscles of volunteers while they were shown photographs of various facial expressions. When the volunteers saw an angry face, for instance, their facial muscles mimicked the anger, often to a degree that was invisible but was measurable by electronic devices.

The study further suggested that diet might also be another factor contributing to facial similarities €“ although Zajonc gave this theory less credence. The longer a couple is together, the more likely they are to have the same foods in their diet, thus receiving the same vitamins and minerals. Likewise, older couples might also avoid the same foods and certain nutrients might be absent from both spouses€˜ diets. When the older couples€˜ photographs were evaluated for facial fat, a correlation was not found.

But a new study by psychologists at Michigan State University, US, contends that marriage does not in any way make couples to look alike. The research by psychologists at Michigan State University and the University of Minnesota was based on a relatively huge data base of 1,296 couples who have been married for an average of 19 years. It was published in the current issue of the journal Personality and Individual Differences.

According to ABC News, what the researchers found was that couples who had been married for a long time €“ up to 39 years €“ were no more alike in fundamental personality traits than newlyweds, leading the researchers to conclude that personalities do not grow more similar as the years pass. More likely, the couples were looking for specific traits during the courtship and they ended up with someone who was very much like themselves.

"They may not have been conscious of that at the time," Mikhila Humbad, a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at Michigan State University, and lead author of the study, told ABC News.

When Humbad and her colleagues began studying the large data base collected by the Minnesota Centre for Twin and Family Research, ABC News noted, they were struck by the fact that married couples seemed very similar to each other, at least in terms of definitive personality traits.

"We wondered why that similarity was there," she was quoted as saying.

Research by others has led to debate among psychologists over whether similarities are a product of convergence (spouses grow more similar over time) or selection (similarity is what the spouses were looking for in the beginning.)

"That could be what attracted them to each other in the first place," Humbad noted.

The reserchers found that nearly all the spouses had many personality traits that they shared with their mates, regardless of how long they had been together. And the similarities did not grow or diminish when the older marriages were compared to the newlyweds €“ with one notable exception which is aggression.

The data shows that if one spouse is physically aggressive, the other is likely to react in a similar manner.

"It is possible that individuals might reinforce each other€˜s aggressive tendencies due to hostile interpersonal exchanges, thereby promoting greater convergence over time," the study concludes.

"It makes sense if you think about it," Humbad added. "If one person is violent, the other person may respond in a similar fashion and thus become more aggressive over time."

A similar study published in the March, 2006 issue of the Journal of Personality and Individual Differences, however, argued that marriage does not necessarily make couples to look alike but rather, the similarities in appearance in couples grow with marriage.

According to the study, human beings like people who look like us, because they tend to have personalities similar to one another. In other words, one will likely marry someone who looks like one.

The researchers investigated why couples often tend to resemble one another. They asked 11 male and 11 female participants to judge the age, attractiveness and personality traits of 160 real-life married couples. Photographs of husbands and wives were viewed separately, so the participants didn€˜t know who was married to whom.

According to the online science news portal, LiveScience, the test participants rated men and woman who were actual couples as looking alike and having similar personalities. Also, the longer the couples had been together, the greater the perceived similarities.

In his view, however, a psychiatrist, Dr. Adeoye Oyewole, said couples did not actually look alike physically but, perhaps, psychologically.

"In my view, this is just a perception. And what people perceive are not the physical attributes of the couples but the psychological attributes - that is, synergy," said Oyewole, who is the Head, Psychiatry, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Osogbo Campus. "When people marry, they begin to accommodate each other in different ways and, over time, they will even believe that they are alike in a lot of ways. And people see them together continuously, they will see the synergy and not necessarily any physical change."

Oyewole argued that people at times believed that members of religious sects looked alike without necessarily examining the physical attributes.

He said, "Because they have seen the members of the sect overtime wearing the same clothes and shaving their hairs and beards the same style, they will think that they (sect members) look alike without paying close attention to their facial features."
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Dare devil armed robbers who reportedly have been terrorising motorists, along the ever – busy Enugu/Onitsha expressway, have hijacked a lorry load of building materials worth millions of naira at Nteje, Oyi Local Government Area, Anambra State.

The Nigerian Compass gathered that on the fateful day at about 7:30a.m, when the robbers struck, they took the driver and conductor to a bush, where they were stripped naked, then their lorry loaded with the goods was driven away.

The lorry which was later recovered at Owo, in Ondo State with the items still intact, allegedly left Bridgehead Market, Onitsha for Nsukka, Enugu State, where it was hijacked at Njete, few kilometers to Awka, the state capital.

The incident came to the limelight, when the driver, early morning of the next day, in company with his conductor, went to the Njete Police Station to report the robbery.

The owner of the lorry was said to have contacted Comrade Mike Umezulike, the Chairman of a Human Right body, Fundamental Rights League International, which he belonged to, for assistance.

On spreading the development to all members of the body within the country through its security network, the Ipere-Owo Police Station, was contacted by members of the right group there and the vehicle was intercepted at Itakpe-Owo.

The recovery was said to have been possible by the description of the vehicle, type of cargo, vehicle number, colour and inscription.

A police team, led by one Inspector Samuel Eghaghe reportedly arrested the robbers with the Goods intact.

Uwazulike, who spoke on the incident, appealed to the police authorities to immediately promote the said inspector for achieving such a feat.

He revealed that the said robbers had since been transferred to Awka, for further investigation.

By Cyprian Ebele, Nnewi

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What does a Woman really want?

For the guys who always ask this famous question!
(To Women) please take time to ponder...... ..
Enjoy the story....... .

Young King Arthur was ambushed and imprisoned by the monarch of a
neighboring kingdom. The monarch could have killed him but was moved by
Arthur's youth and ideals. So, the monarch offered him his freedom, as long
as he could answer a very difficult question. Arthur would have a year to
figure out the answer and, If after a year, he still had no answer, he would
be put to death.

The question was: "What does a Woman really want?"

Such a question would perplex even the most knowledgeable man; and to young
Arthur, it seemed an impossible query. But, since it was better than death, he
accepted the monarch's proposition to have an answer by year's end.

He returned to his kingdom and began to poll everyone: The princess, the
priests, the wise men, and even the court jester.. He spoke with everyone,
but no one could give him a satisfactory answer. Many people advised him to
consult the old witch, for only she would have the answer. But the price
would be high as the witch was famous throughout the kingdom for the
exorbitant prices she charged.

The last day of the year arrived and Arthur had no choice but to talk to the
witch. She agreed to answer the question, but he would have to agree to her
price first.

The old witch wanted to marry Sir Lancelot, the most noble of the Knights of
the Round Table
, And Arthur's closest friend!

Young Arthur was horrified. She was hunch-backed and hideous, had only one
tooth, Smelled like sewage, made obscene noises, etc. He had never encountered

such a repugnant creature in all his life. He refused to force his friend to marry her
and endure such a terrible burden, but Lancelot, having learnt of the proposal,
spoke with Arthur..

He said nothing was too big of a sacrifice compared to Arthur's life and the
reservation of the Round Table. Hence, a wedding was proclaimed and the
witch answered Arthur's question; 'What a Woman really wants'

She said, 'Is to be in charge of her own life.'

Everyone in the kingdom instantly knew that the witch had uttered a great
truth. And that Arthur's life would be spared. And so it was. The
neighboring monarch granted Arthur his freedom. And Lancelot and the witch
had a wonderful wedding.

The honeymoon hour approached and, Lancelot, steeling himself for a horrific
experience, entered the bedroom. But, what a sight awaited him..

The most beautiful woman he had ever seen lay before him on the bed. The
astounded Lancelot asked what had happened.
The beauty replied that since he had been so kind to her when she appeared
as a witch, she would henceforth be her horrible and deformed self only half
of the day.. and the beautiful maiden the other half.

'Which would you prefer? She asked him. 'Beautiful during the day .... or at
night?'

Lancelot pondered the predicament.
During the day he could have a beautiful woman to show off to his friends,
but at night, in the privacy of his castle, an old witch!

Or,
Would he prefer having a hideous witch during the day? But by night a
beautiful woman for him to enjoy wondrous, intimate moments with?
(If you are a man reading this...) What would YOUR choice be?

(If you are a woman reading this) What should YOUR MAN'S choice be?

What Lancelot chose, is given below:
BUT... make YOUR choice before you scroll down below... OKAY?










Noble Lancelot, knowing the answer the witch gave Arthur to his question, He
said that he would allow HER to make the choice herself. Upon hearing this,
she announced that she would be beautiful all the time because, he had
respected her enough to let her be in charge of her own life.


If you don't let a woman have her own way, things are going to get ugly.
So, always remember: IT'S EITHER 'HER WAY' OR IT'S 'NO WAY'..
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In what could possibly be described as one of their best performances, the six finalists in the on-going MTN Project Fame West Africa, had an overwhelming experience last weekend as they performed alongside some of Nigeria’s popular music stars. The memorable outing was in preparation for the grand finale of the musical talent competition which holds this Sunday evening amid blitz and buzz.

PFA finalists

Last weekend’s show, which served as a platform for the contestants to fine-tune their stage crafts and convince the voting public that they have what it takes to be this season’s winner, did not feature any eviction as they all qualified for the grand finale.


Yetunde, who is popularly known as “Omo Ibadan”, rocked the stage with Weird MC as they performed the smash hit, ‘Ijo Ya’. Ochuko was also overwhelming while performing ‘If you Believe’ with the contemporary highlife sensation, J. Martins. Tolu paired perfectly with Inyanya Mbuk, winner of the maiden edition of MTN Project Fame West Africa, as they both rendered the latter’s hit track, ‘Love Truly’. Pretty dynamite, Chidinma, made an amazing duo with Hip Hop World Award winner, Kefee as they performed one of the biggest hits of last year, ‘Kokoroko’. Ghanaian Kesse was also astonishing as he performed ‘Don Blow’ with Timaya, while ElDee and Eyo sang the hit number, ‘Big Boy’. ..


The contestants were full of praises to MTN Nigeria for giving them the opportunity to actualise their dreams.

According to Eyo, “I want to thank MTN, the best network in Africa for providing this life changing opportunity. Without MTN, I would not have been here today performing before this large cheering crowd.”

With the show gradually coming to an end, enthusiasm is high and adrenaline pumping as fans and viewers of the show look forward to the final show. Viewers are advised to intensify their voting efforts to ensure that their favourite contestant emerges as winner.


The winner will walk away with N2.5 million, a brand new Toyota RAV4 and a recording contract. The first runner-up will smile home with N1.5 million and a Toyota Corolla, while the second runner-up will have N1million and a Toyota Yaris and the third runner-up will get N1million.
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Former President Olus-egun Obasanjo has attributed his absence at last weekend's declaration by President Goodluck Jonathan, at the Eagle Square in Abuja, to his trip to Jamaica for the burial of the father of his friend, Carl Masters.

The conspicous absence of Obasanjo at the declaration, which was attended by leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), including members of the National Working Committee (NWC) and virtually all the PDP governors, had attracted the attention of political analysts who viewed his absence as an indication of the gradual withdrawal of his support for the president's aspiration.

But in an interview with journalists at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Tuesday, Obasanjo said: "I was not there because I was in Kingston, Jamaica. A friend of mine, very close friend of mine, Carl Masters, lost his father when he and I were together in China, and since he was with me there and he is a good friend of mine, he said look, I would want you to come to the burial of my father and pay tribute.�

The former president, who is PDP�s board chair, also reacted to the rising opposition against President Joanthan's aspiration by some northern political leaders describing it as normal in politics.

"Ganging up or not ganging up, factions and alliances are normal parts of politics and there is nothing wrong. what matters is that at the end of the day, whatever the result, we will all accept it,� he said.

Commenting on the chances of Jonathan in the forthcoming PDP primary election, Obasanjo said: "I believe he will do his best and once he does his best and the party, PDP, does its best, we will be satisfied with the result."

Asked who he would be voting for as a delegate at the party's primaries, the former president simply said: "Well, I might as well tell you who I will be voting for in the election. I thought that is meant to be secret."

Reminded that who he would vote for may actually be an open secret having recently led the party to endorse the president at its zonal meeting in Ibadan, Oyo State Obasanjo, while noting that the zonal chapter had the rights to do that, said: �Since in our party, you start being a party member from the ward level, then to the state level, to the zonal level, you must be an active party member in whatever is being done at any of these levels. So I was there at the zonal meeting and whatever my party decides at that level, I cannot say to hell."

While responding to a question on media reports that he might have withdrawn his support for Jonathan, Obasanjo, who lashed the media for such reports, said: "I am the chairman of the party (BoT), whatever my zone does, I cannot disagree with it. But when we then have to meet as BoT, I chair that and then I direct the affairs of BoT as necessary.�

Expressing confidence that the next election would be conducted successfully, the former president urged Nigerians to stop judging and condemning themselves by the standards that other people draw up for them, adding, "We must decide what is the best standard for us and use that standard truly."

Below is the question-and-answer session with Obasanjo.

You conducted three successful elections as military head of state, and civilian president. Elections are around the corner, are you optimistic that it will be conducted successfully?

Of course yes, oh yes. You see, we are in a country of excitement and we believe in things happening and they do happen. But we are also a country where I say there is never a dull moment. If I come to the world again, I will tell God, bring me back to Nigeria. We have many things that we need to correct, but one thing that we need to correct is that we criticise ourselves, we look for how to improve things and we are never satisfied, we are never complacent, which is very good. We are looking for what we can do better, how we can do them better, who is wrong and what is wrong at the same time. So because of that, people tends to say, ah, these Nigerians, but one thing we must cease doing is to stop judging and condemning ourselves by the standard that other people draw up for us. We must decide what is the best standard for us and use that standard truly.

Are you optimistic that your party is going to win next year's presidential election?

My party will do the best and once my party does the best, the best will be good enough for my party.

You were absent at the declaration of President Jonathan last weekend, why was that?

I was not there because I was in Kingston, Jamaica. A friend of mine, very close friend of mine, Carl Masters, lost his father when he and I were together in China, and since he was with me there and he is a good friend of mine, he said look, I would want you to come to the burial of my father and pay tribute.

Are you optimistic that President Jonathan will win the PDP primaries?

I believe he will do his best and once he does his best and the party - PDP - does its best, we will be satisfied with the result.

You are going to be a delegate sir, who would you be voting for in the PDP primaries?

Well, I might as well tell you who I will be voting for in the election. I thought that is meant to be secret.

But you just led the South-west to endorse Jonathan?

South-west PDP chapter, one of the six zonal chapters, and it has rights to take a decision as to where, as a chapter, it believes it should go. Since in our party, you start being a party member from the ward level, then to the state level, to the zonal level, you must be an active party member in whatever is being done at any of these levels. So I was there at the zonal meeting and whatever my party decides at that level I cannot say to hell.

There are reports in the media that, may be, you will not be backing the president again? .

I didn't see that because the media is a fool. The media that says that is either a fool or mischievous. I am the chairman of the party (BoT), whatever my zone does, I cannot disagree with it. But when we then have to meet as BoT, I chair that and then I direct the affairs of BoT at necessary.

God has given you the opportunity to rule Nigeria for 11 and a half years...

So you are counting the number of years?

...We will be 50 in a couple of days, how would you describe Nigeria at 50?

You will hear when we are 50.

How would you react to the fact that some politicians in the North are ganging up against Jonathan?

Ganging up or not ganging up, factions and alliances are normal parts of politics and there is nothing wrong, what matters is that at the end of the day, whatever the result, we will all accept it.
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12 Nigerians may face death penalty in Benin Republic

12 Nigerians Awaiting Execution In Benin

Twelve suspects of Nigerian origin, who robbed some bureau de change operators at Krake village, Seme Podge, in Republic of Benin, might get the death penalty.

The Controller General of police in Benin, Celestine Guidimey, who revealed this to PUNCH METRO said that some Beninese were killed during the robbery operation. “In my country, if anybody kills during or after a robbery operation, what he would get from the court.is the death penalty.”

Guidimey was in Lagos State to receive the robbers from the Lagos State police command. Policemen in the state apprehended the robbers in Nigeria after the operation in Benin Republic.


He told PUNCH METRO that the Beninese police would conduct further investigation to get those who collaborated with the suspects in Benin and then charged them to court.

“Our investigations will not take more than a month. We know that there are some of our citizens that aided the successful robbery operation. We hope to get them and charge them alongside their Nigerian collaborators. Anybody we find not guilty among the suspect here will be allowed to go. After that, they will be punished according to their role in the crime. But we are confident that those who robbed and killed our people will get the death penalty,” he said.

The police commissioner in Lagos State, Marvel Akpoyibo, said that the arrest and handing over of the suspected robbers showed that the police are the same everywhere. He added, “Lagos State policemen are not bothered that they are serving their punishment in Benin because that is where the crime took place,” he said.


The gang that told PUNCH METRO last week that they found the trade too lucrative to abandon it, landed in police net shortly after the raid on the bureau de change in Benin Republic.

They were arrested by the police in Lagos State after they had safely slipped into Nigeria following a robbery operation in Benin Republic.

Akpoyibo had said he had ordered all the routes leading from Benin Republic to Lagos be sealed up upon hearing of the robbery. He said, “I also deployed a combined team of operatives from Police Mobile Force, Anti-Terrorist Squad and the Marine police to provide reinforcement and back up for the policemen in Seme and Badagry divisions.

“They abandoned their jeep with registration number Lagos VC 01 MUS and escaped into the forest. We immediately cordoned off the forest for three days between August 31 and September 1. At the end, we got these 8 suspects.

“In addition, four AK 47 rifles, 99 live ammunition, N504, 430, and 1, 673, 000 CFA suspected to have been stolen from victims during the robbery operation were recovered.”

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Lindsay Lohan Sent to Jail Without Bail!

Lindsay’s breakthrough performance was in 1998, when she played twins in the Disney remake of “Parent Trap.”

In an unexpected turn of events, Judge Elden Fox remanded Lindsay to custody without bail. The actress could be in a cell until the next hearing on October 22..
LiLo appeared in court after failing two drug tests last week, one showed the presence of cocaine and another revealed amphetamines.
She tweeted last Friday that she did "regrettably" fail the tests and was ready to suffer the consequences, writing, "I am prepared to appear before Judge Fox next week as a result. Substance abuse is a disease, which unfortunately doesn't go away over night. I am working hard to overcome it and am taking positive steps."
This will be Lindsay's third time in jail, the first was on a DUI case filed in 2007. After violating her 2007 probation, Judge Marsha Revel sentenced her to 90 days on August 11, followed by 90 days of rehab for probation violations. She served less than two weeks in jail and only 22 days in rehab, failing the drug tests a short time later.


Lohan was once a box office magnet, with hits such as “Confession of a Teenage Drama Queen,” “Mean Girls,” “Freaky Friday” and “Herbie: Fully
Loaded..

Lindsay’s became the MTV Movie Awards youngest host when she hosted in 2004 at the age of 18.She was also the youngest host to win an award for her role in “FreakyFriday.”

In the 1980’s her estranged father, Michael Lohan was sentenced to fouryears in prison for security fraud. In 2005, he went back to jail for“aggravated unlicensed driving” and attempted assault
.





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Those in various leadership positions in the country are the most corrupt in the world, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, has said. Delivering a paper on credible leadership at a public lecture organised by the ECKANKAR yesterday, Jega said: “There is perhaps no other country in the world where power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely as in Nigeria. Our consistent or persistent ranking on the global corruption index testifies to this.”
He also said: “If the truth is to be told, with very few exceptions, our crop of leaders have essentially been self-serving rulers, some even despots and not leaders in the true sense of the word.
“They have generally lacked vision, focus and selflessness and even enlightened self-interest. Many in leadership positions are unimaginably corrupt, they are greedy, they are vindictive, they are reckless and in many fundamental respects, senseless. Virtually whoever has access to power attempts to abuse it, ”

Jega said there is absence of transparency in the manner which leaders govern the country..

“Many Nigerian public officials, whether elected or appointed, have tended to exude not only power, but also corruption, with impunity. This is manifest in the way they walk, talk, dress and generally conduct themselves.”

He tasked Nigerians on the need to ease corrupt leaders out of the system to evolve credible leadership for development of the country.

He said: “All of our country’s ills, trials and tribulations, both politically and socio-economically, can be squarely attributed to lack of transparency and accountability and the corruption that these have engendered.”

But reacting to Jega’s presentation, Minister of Women Affairs, Iyom Josephine Anenih, said the poor leadership in the country is a reflection of bad citizenry.

According to her, “there is no leader in Nigeria today that is not under pressure to steal to satisfy greedy relatives and friends. How can we have credible leaders without credible citizenry? The only way we can have credible leaders is to have credible followers who will not collect money to vote for bad leaders.”

Jega disagreed with. the minister’s position saying, “to me the challenge of leadership is to do the right thing even if it is unpopular. I cannot see the basis for a leader to steal money to satisfy the followers. It is not right to succumb to such pressure. You may become unpopular, you may not be elected again, but you must ensure that the right things are done.”

He said there is need for faith- based organisations to remain neutral on political issues and to sustain inter-faith dialogue in the society.
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As more and more commercial bike riders are being held in Lagos for flouting the state’s new law that they must not move on highways, some of them have accused Governor Raji Fashola of promulgating laws without ‘human face’..


There is this palpable fear in the minds of some of these commercial bike riders that the governor was stealthily attempting to banish Okada riders, as they are popularly known, from the state.


But these riders are not the only ones feeling the pinch of the new law. Pregnant women are also complaining, especially those that are not mobile.


The Lagos State police spokesman, Frank Mba, while reacting to the continual arrest of commercial bike riders on the highways, said that more and more would be arrested if they fail to comply with the law.


The ire of the commercial bike riders was coming, even as a few Lagosians, especially commercial bus drivers, kept on applauding the governor for his foresight in kicking the commercial bike riders off the highways.


Before the enactment of the law, the governor, at an event held in Ikeja, which also saw the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Marvel Akpoyibo in attendance, tried to explain the need for coming up with such restrictions on motorbike riders. According to him, governance should be more of safety for the inhabitants of a state.


He said: “Many children have become orphans, many women are now widows and many men have become widowers, as a result of road traffic accidents arising from the use of Okada. We are not attempting to banish them from Lagos, but to restrict them from some areas within the state, because the money spent on buying artificial limbs is becoming too much. The rate motorbike accidents happen has become alarming.”


Explaining that he knew most people took up commercial bike riding as a means of survival and a way of keeping their families alive, Fashola urged them to comply with the rules and regulations of traffic in the state.


Akpoyibo presented a paper entitled: ‘The Lawlessness of Commercial Motorcycles on Lagos Roads, Particularly on the Highways.’


He noted in his presentation that majority of Lagosians have come to regard commercial motorcycles as a necessary evil. He called on the state government to intervene if Lagos State was to ever realise the vision of becoming a mega city, which has been its destination, in order to attract investors and tourists.


Mr. Tijani Pekins, the national chairman of motorcycle operators of Lagos State, in his welcome address, said security of lives and property were not an issue any government should toy with.


Indeed, Pekins said that he welcomed the development. But acting as a true leader, Pekins pleaded that his members should be allowed to continue to ply service lanes on the expressways, such as Western Avenues, Ikorodu, Mile 12, Badagry Express Road and Apapa-Oshodi expressway.


He added: “We beg the government to help create orderliness in our operations by ensuring that only recognised organisations or associations practice trade union activities among motorcycle riders in the State.”


The Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, said the resolve of the Lagos State Government on motorcycle operation in the state to maintain law and order, was that no person shall operate a motorcycle in the state without valid rider’s license.


His words: “No person shall operate a motorcycle without registration number; the two side mirrors of each motorcycle must be fixed on the motorbikes.


“ No motorcycle operator shall operate without wearing a standard helmet with full head protection. Also no motorcycle operator should carry more than one passenger at a time.


“Under aged children are banned from being carried on motorcycles. No motorcycle operator should operate beyond 8:00p.m in Victoria Island, Ikoyi and Ikeja and 1:00p.m in other areas of the state. Pregnant women, school children and women with children on their backs are totally banned from mounting Okada.”


The Sector Commander of Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in Lagos, Mr. Jonas Agwu, urged motorbike riders to comply with the law and orders of the state.


He said: “Any violator will be dealt with seriously and their motorbikes seized!”

Speaking further with the Nigerian Compass, Agwu said: “We are trying to strengthen our working relationship to see that Lagos is safer. We are talking about safety here!


“An Okada rider should not carry more than one person. But most mothers would want to jump on a motorbike with a baby strapped to their backs, another on their lap. I tell you, I will give all the support to the Lagos State government!


“All the government wants to do is to keep mothers and their unborn babies alive. School children now have to wear crash helmets. Some mothers have argued with us that motorbike is the fastest means to take children to school, but our concern is how safe are the kids? Must we carry kids who are seven, eight and below such ages in an unsafe manner? I don’t think so!


“What the government is trying to do is Child Passenger Safety Campaign. We are looking at how kids and younger people are carried on bikes and vehicles. To me, I say kudos to Lagos State government! I once saw a woman with a baby who is about six months old on a motorbike. I stopped the lady and asked: ‘Madam, what’s the hurry that you have to carry this baby on this bike?


“I told her that the bike would just throw her off the road. We need to put a stop to all these things. We are talking about convenience and safety!”


Whatever Agwu may say, some commercial motorcyclists, who are beginning to feel the bite of the new law as it takes effect, apparently will not agree with him.



Okada Riders/Passengers Speak:
According to Ali Abdukareem, who, from Jigawa State, came to Lagos five years ago in search of greener pastures Okada work is a path to success.


He was already beginning to make it financially, when Fashola suddenly came up with his new law.


He said: “This new law is seriously affecting my Okada business, but I still have to thank Allah! This Okada business is not my only job. I work with a company in Ikeja, as a security guard. The major problem right now is riding home to Onigbongbo, Maryland, with my motorbike at night.

Police used to disturb me.


“Before Lagos State government came up with this law, I used to make N5000 per day, but now, I can’t even make N2000. I beg Fashola to learn to make laws that have the common people in mind. After all, we are all citizens of this country.”


Another rider, Pa Eke James revealed that he had been riding Okada for six years now.


James noted that when he started the business, Okada riders were very scarce on the roads.


“But now, Okada riders are everywhere! This is because there are no jobs to keep body and soul together. It’s because of this lack of job that many people took to riding Okada to make money.”


When the Nigerian Compass sought his view on whether what the state government was doing is good, he said: “My Bible made me to understand that you should not condemn authority. The only thing I want to beg the government is to provide people with better jobs before attempting to take away their sources of livelihood.”


Eme Sambo, who hail from Akwa Ibom State, said that when the law restricting them was promulgated, he had heard it from one of the radio stations.


He did not feel too happy with the new law because, “it affected me too much, especially in terms of money. Before the law was passed, I used to make between N2,500 to N3,000 on a daily basis but now, I barely make N1,500 to N1,000. The government should please help us to make a living within the state because we don’t have any other job to do for now.”


Austino Apeh, a native of Benue State, used to ply Maryland and Ikorodu routes and sometimes Allen Avenue, in Ikeja.


He used to smile home with N3000 everyday, but now, he hardly makes N1000.


Looking frustrated, he said: “Government has caged us. We don’t have access to any of the major roads as before. What most of us are making now, can hardly take us anywhere! Take me for instance, I buy fuel at Oando filling Station at Maryland; before I will ride over to the station, but now I can’t because I fear being arrested. To buy fuel, I have to cross over the highway with a gallon and come back to fill my tank.


“I’m appealing to the government to please allow us to start plying major roads again! The money we are making now is not enough to keep a family together. Better still, let government provide jobs for us.”


As commercial bike riders are crying, so also are pregnant women.


Odesanya Grace is also not happy with the law that prevents pregnant women from mounting motorbikes.


She said: “The law is not good! Come to think of it, how do they want us to move about, especially those of us that are not mobile?
“What about women whose husbands also do not have cars? If they wanted to pass such a law, they should have provided Marwa (tricycle) that will be shuttling the nooks and crannies of everywhere in Lagos! Since they started this law, Okada riders have not been carrying me in Ikeja. I have to walk from LASUTH to Ikeja.


“It is quite stressful! Even if it’s exercise, must it be everyday? Must we overstress ourselves everyday? Government should look for an alternative bike, like Marwa (tricycle).


“Although the way some Okada riders ride is not always safe, but we cannot do without them. There are some places where you cannot take buses to, which is why I say government should try and bend the law a bit and find another solution.”


But another pregnant woman, Ogunjobi Olusola, who gave the Lagos State government a pass mark for attempting to safe the lives of pregnant women in the state, also scolded this same government.


Olusola said: “I think the law is good for the safety of pregnant women. Let’s think about accident now; if a pregnant woman falls off an Okada, it may be fatal, compared to a woman who is not pregnant.


“But on the other hand, it is quite stressful for pregnant women. Some of us do not have cars to move about and cannot trek long distances. Government should try and consider us. They should have said Okada should not carry us to ride through the highway, instead of saying Okada people should not carry us at all!”

By Juliana Francis and Taiwo Jimoh


funny side:Even the Goats might eventually complain as this photo makes you wonder what cant you carry on twoo wheels ?


Watch Edward Inyang aka Blakky's Mr Okada on 9jamovies.com

click link http://bit.ly/9NrmRM

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Senator Polycarp Nwite is Dead‎

Lagos — Senator Polycarp Ogbonna Nwite, senior special assistant to the President on political matters is dead.

According to a press release signed by his media adviser, Mr. Edward Dibiana, Senator Nwite's first son, Mr. Michael Nwite said his late father passed on at the National Hospital, Abuja on Wednesday, where he was receiving treatment due to the complications that arose after treatment at Columbia Asia Hospital, Bangalore, India in April to restore his failing sight.


Nwite who resumed work two months ago after recuperating in his village, Odageri Edda, in Ebonyi State travelled back to his village three weeks ago for the New Yam festival and was said to have slumped hours after his arrival. He was subsequently rushed back to Abuja and was admitted at the private wing of the National Hospital.


A frontline politician and industrialist, Senator Nwite was an activist, who at the height of the regime of the late General Sani Abacha was one of the arrowheads of the pro-democracy group, National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), which insisted on the validation of the June 12, 1993 presidential election result which was voided by Gen. Ibrahim Babangida's regime.


For his audacity, Nwite was arrested and detained with some of his colleague- senators such as Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, former governor of Lagos State, Ameh Ebute and late Mark Nwulu, on allegations of being involved in the spate of bombings that rocked parts of the country then.


Twice, he contested the governorship election in Ebonyi state and lost.

He was chairman, Senate committee on national security and intelligence, while he was a senator. In 2008 he was appointed the Nigerian high commissioner to Botswana by former President, the late Umaru Yar'Adua. He was, however, recalled in 2009 and was made senior special assistant to the President, a position he retained under President Goodluck Jonathan until he passed on..


As a true believer in the principles of democracy, Senator Nwite had at different fora canvassed for internal democracy in the parties, supremacy of the rule of law and violence-free politics. He is survived by six children.

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1.Doesn't receive calls in your presence,often walks away from you to receive his/her calls.

2.You dare not read his/her text messages or you always find his/her "inbox" empty.

3. Will always want you to inform him/her of your visit before you come.

4.His/her words are not consistent,you will often detect lies.

5.He/she is fast to always accuse you of not trusting him/her,you don't trust ?.You feel i am not being faithful?If he/she is always concluding like that then it's very likely he/she is being unfaithful truly.

6.He/she most time introduces you to the opposite gender as a friend and not as a girlfriend/boyfriend.Beware it's very likely the person you 've just being introduced to is also his/her hidden friend(lover).

7.Looks at you funny sometimes

8.Goes on outings without informing you as before

9.Complains about almost everything you do

10.Stops being very intimate usually the ladies

What are your experiences ?

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Former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, received the shock of his life at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Tuesday as security operatives attached to the world body refused him and his four aides access into the building.

Our Correspondent who was at the scene unidentified reported that Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who was a former Special Envoy of the United Nations to the Democratic Republic of Congo, together with his four personal aides were disallowed from gaining entry into the building because of lack of UN Visitor’s Pass.

The former Nigerian President was clearly told by the security operatives at the main entrance of the United Nations that neither he nor any of his aides that he brought there would be allowed to enter since their names were not on the list of guests or delegates expected at the ongoing 65th UN General Assembly.
Another excuse they gave in order to disallow the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was that his duty tour and work contract with the United Nations as the Special Envoy to DR Congo had ended..

They further told Chief Olusegun Obasanjo that he could not enter into the building to see anybody or do anything since he had no binding contract with the authorities of the UN unless he had his name on the list of special visitors or delegates coming to the United Nations for official purposes.

However, President Obasanjo was heard begging the security operatives to let him into the building because he wanted to pay an unofficial visit to a top official of the world body, though he agreed that he only came to the United States to attend the annual Clinton Global Initiative Meeting but decided to visit the United Nations headquarters as a former Special Envoy.

Our Correspondent also reported that all his pleading fell on the deaf ears of the Security Operatives who eventually invited one of their bosses in order to personally address the former Nigerian President.

On siting Chief Obasanjo, the Security Chief (Name Withheld) explained to his junior colleagues that he is a former President of Nigeria and also a former special Envoy of the United Nations to DR Congo.

The Security Chief reportedly begged his lieutenants to allow him get a day’s Visitor's Pass for Chief Obasanjo to enable him see whoever he wanted to visit within the United Nations building, though he told the former Army General that none of his aides would be allowed to go into the building with him.

After standing at the gate of the United Nations for over 15 minutes, President Olusegun Obasanjo was assisted in getting a day’s Visitor’s Pass and he soberly entered into the building, leaving his aides outside the United Nations premises.

However, in a spot interview with Journalists in New York, former President Olusegun Obasanjo declared that the conspiracy by some politicians from the Northern parts of the country against President Goodluck Jonathan over his decision to run for 2011 Presidential election is not a wrong thing.

Chief Obasanjo stated that “ganging up or not ganging up, factions and alliances are normal parts of politics and there is nothing wrong, what matter is that at the end of the day, whatever the result, we will all accept it.”
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The Federal Government, on Wednesday, approved the purchase of 60,000 units of British Waste Bins at N927,600,000, (£3,855,977.83 ) to maintain a clean and healthy environment in Abuja.

The Minister of Information and Communications, Professor Dora Akunyili, made this known to State House correspondents in Abuja after the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting, presided over by Vice-Presideant Namadi Sambo.

She said the bins would contain the volume of waste being generated in the Federal Capital Territory.

Akunyili said that the council approved the purchase of the waste bins because the major challenge confronting the FCT Administration in waste management was inadequate waste receptacles in the city.

Studies have shown that locally-produced plastic waste bins are very low in quality and not compatible with the lifting devices of the waste compacting trucks.

The previous efforts by the board to address these problems did not yield the desired result.

In order to maintain a clean and healthy environment in FCT, the council approved the award of contract for the supply of 60,000 units of 240-litre plastic British bins in the sum of N927,600,000, she said.

The minister said that the waste bins would be distributed to the residents of FCT, while the cost would be recovered within a period of two years through waste bills.

Akunyili said that there was a budgetary provision of N1.1 billion in the FCT 2010 budget for the project.

She also said that the council also approved N455 million for the procurement of additional waste disposal equipment, D7R Series II track bulldozer and Pay-Loader for the FCT.

According to her, the equipment include a landfill compactor, a wheel-loader and steer loader.

Akunyili said that the council approved additional N1.95 billion for the completion of the new headquarters complex of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja.

She explained that the additional cost came due to inevitable changes that further enhanced the quality and standard of the building.

Akunyili maintained that N4.7 billion had been appropriated in the 2010 amendment appropriation, including the augmentation amount of N1.95 billion..

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Gay pastor escapes mob attack in Lagos

A 21 year old man, Elijah Adisa, who was .accused of sodomising teenagers for ritual purposes., narrowly escaped being lynched by a mob at Amai Street, Amukoko, on Thursday morning.

According to residents of the street, Mr Adisa, who was revered as a man of God, had been engaging in that act for a long time but luck ran out of him last week when his neighbours discovered he was having sex with one of the boys.

"We rushed to his house but he saw us coming and jumped the back fence of his house and ran away," said a resident of the street who did not want to be named.

Mr Adisa was sighted on Thursday morning in the area and it took the timely intervention of the elders in the community to rescue him from a gathering crowd that had descended on him. He was subsequently taken to the house of the Baale (community leader) of the area where some of the youth in the area continued to torture him.

Hypnotic act

Eyewitnesses accused Mr Adisa of hypnotising the boys before sleeping with them on a white cloth spread on the floor in his apartment.

Azeez Kareem, one of the boys who admitted being a victim of Mr Adisa's sexual acts, narrated what he experienced in his house.

"One day we were going to the field to play football when this man called us. He asked our names and our religion, I said Islamic and my cousin said Christian. He said I should leave. I went and came back and they were preaching. I don't know what they are talking," said Master Azeez, 17.

"One day, I just enter the house and I saw one boy. He told the boy to go outside. He then said I should go and buy Atare (Alligator pepper). When I came back he said I should pull my clothes and lie down on the floor, there was a white cloth on the floor. I don't know what he was doing. When he did that finish, he said I should eat the alligator pepper but I did not eat it."

Residents said that Azeez's cousin, Tunde, who had moved in with Mr Adisa for several weeks, had become a changed person in recent times.

"I just came back from school to see that my brother has started living with him. I didn't know him before. I asked my mother that this person that my brother is living with, did he know him somewhere before? She said no, that he is a prophet of God, that God sent him to help the boy. That was the first time I would meet that terrorist (Mr Adisa)," said Wale Razak, Tunde's elder brother.

Tunde was unavailable at the time of the incident; he had gone to write his General Certificate Examination papers.

"He (Tunde) used to be a very noisy chap but since he began living with the terrorist he became a very quiet person, he changed completely. And we were thinking the man was really preaching to him, we never knew he was using juju on him,"

Admission and denial

In absolving himself of any wrong doing, Mr Adisa denied indulging in any ritual act.

"Whatever they say, it is only God that really knows the truth. I did not run away, I went to the mountain to pray, at Osogbo. I only make sex with them," said Mr Adisa.

"I started doing it just this month and I've slept with only two boys. There is nothing like ritual. I don't force them nor give them money and I don't spread anything on the ground."

The beatings that Mr Adisa received from the mob, prompted him to excrete on himself; and the gathered youth proceeded to rub his mouth on the excreta before stripping him naked.

"It is very very bad and they say he is using it for money rituals. It has been going on for long but they just brought the matter to my attention and we have to take it very serious," said Jide Saliu, the Baale of Alafia.

"I have called the police under my jurisdiction. I will hand over everything to them. And I've talked to the Oba of Ijora and he said I should take the matter serious."

It was gathered that police officers from the Pako Police Post, Amukoko, arrived the scene later and took Mr Adisa away for questioning.

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Man jailed for 14,400 years for raping daughter

A PHILIPPINE court sentenced a father to 14,400 years in jail after he was convicted of the near daily rape of his teenage daughter over the course of a year.

A trial court originally condemned the man, a rickshaw driver, to die in March 2006, four years after he was formally charged with 360 counts of rape - allegedly carried out during the year his wife worked in Hong Kong.

But the Court of Appeals in Manila commuted the sentence to 40 years for each count, according to a court decision today. The defendant can still appeal to the Supreme Court. It was not clear if he would.

The then-13-year-old victim, now 22, said her ordeal began in January 2001, when her mother left for work in Hong Kong as a domestic helper and left her three children with their father in Los Banos, a township just south of Manila.

She said he forced her to have intercourse with him almost every day, except when she had her period or on holidays, when he would make her perform oral sex.

The ordeal only ended after she and her siblings spent a holiday with their mother's relatives. Reluctant to return to her father at the end of the holiday, she broke down and told her family about the abuse. Her mother returned home from Hong Kong and helped her file the case.

The appeals court affirmed the lower court's dismissal of the defence's contention that the man's wife made up the allegations to get custody of the children and marry a foreigner.

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