FREEDOM FOR TOLU: Back our campaign for clemency – ‘This man more than deserves a second chance,’ say lawyers and prison officers.

Sign the petition for clemency at http://www.change.org/petitions/president-of-the-united-states-grant-and-approve-tolu-akinrosotu-s-clemency-petition

The St Charles’ Grammar School Osogbo Old Boys Association UK branch are at the forefront of an international campaign to secure the release from US prison of their former school friend Tolu Akinrosotu – who has served over 20 years of a draconian 30 year sentence for a first time, non-violent drug crime.
Even the prosecutor who sent him down is backing the call for clemency, as is the Nigerian Community in Waltham Forest.
Tolu’s downfall is a tragic case of being wide eyed and innocent impressionable and ambitious alone in a big city.
He was living in Manhattan, actively pursuing a career in the music business as a songwriter where his outgoing personality had allowed him to find employment as a party organiser and personal shopper. He was a student making ends meet in the cash economy.
Then in 1991, aged 21, Tolu became unwittingly involved with a group in the then “downtown arts scene”, who asked him to book some flights on their behalf for which he would be paid.
They approached Tolu as he was experienced at booking international flights, to and from Nigeria and Europe. Tolu had been born in America in February 1970, but raised in Nigeria before returning to the US to pursue a degree, and regularly took holidays in Europe.

Between 1991-3 he obliged his friends’ requests several times. But Tolu’s world came crashing down when drug mules were intercepted, flying on a tickets he had booked. While investigated and charged with offences relating to this incident Tolu was acquitted.

Subsequently he was convicted on five counts of conspiracy to import and distribute heroin on the testimony of witnesses who were co-operating with the authorities in relation to other crimes – confessions for which no one has ever been arrested except Tolu, for arranging the flight. He doesn’t, however, deny his involvement or becoming aware these travels were for illegal means. As he says, “I deluded myself into believing I was not involved in the commission of any crime.”

At the time of his being charged he had $2,000 in the bank, a car but owned no property. He was clearly no Mr Big. But he felt the full force of the law because he refused to co-operate with the authorities - fearful of identifying those who asked him to arrange the flights.

He was sentenced to serve 365 months – 30 years and 5 months – and ordered to pay a fine of $50,000. He was 23 years old when he was imprisoned and is now aged 44. As an exemplary prison worker – undertaking 16-hour shifts at prison factories for over 15 years – he has managed to set aside over $37,000 towards paying that fine.

His plight only came to light when the Class of 87 from St Charles’ were planning a reunion. Then former classmate Muyiwa Adedapo discovered the predicament of his old friend, who came from a professional family – both his parents were bankers – and was called ajebutter in reference to his American upbringing. That was in 2012.

Around the same time Tolu had issued his own plea for clemency, at a website called clemencyfortolu.com, which is how Mr Adedapo learnt of his situation.

He alerted other Charleans, who have rallied to the cause. Dr Opawoye, Alhaji Bakare and Clement Ebinum have visited Tolu in jail despite having left school years before Tolu attended. And Debo Adewumi, of the Charleans UK chapter and a pillar of the Nigerian Community in Waltham Forest, London, has been championing his cause here. Mr Adewumi told Nigerian Watch, “It is still a total shock to us all that someone like Tolu got into such a mess.”

He recalled a young man famed for his great good humour and willingness to help others, and thirst for knowledge.

Prison officers and administrators who Tolu has worked for over the years have written equally glowing testimonials in support of his clemency appeal and the prosecutor that tried his case has said she will not only not contest Tolu’s appeal for clemency – which is an unprecedented step – but that she will write a letter in support of it.

One former prison officer who is also supporting the clemency appeal credits Tolu with saving his life. Spiralling into depression he took an overdose at work. Tolu, noticing the change in his manager, alerted other staff. The officer, who was a senior operating accountant in the US prison service and oversaw Tolu’s work as his assistant, has written to President Obama on his behalf. In the letter he writes of Tolu, “His care and attention enabled me to receive the emergency medical treatment I needed. I now have the luxury of a second chance at life, and to be an important part of my 16-year-old daughter’s life. Mr Akinrosotu deserves a second chance”.

It is also clear from the many US lawyers backing his appeal that had he been convicted today he would not have been given anything like the sentence he received – more like 5-10 years maximum.

Under these circumstances it would seem clemency would be readily forthcoming. The problem is to achieve the desired outcome Tolu’s case needs to be brought before President Obama and for that to be achieved a petition of a minimum 100,000 names needs to be raised – and that’s where the diaspora can help (see link below).

Nigerian Watch has spoken with Tolu on several occasions since being alerted to his plight, read his clemency plea (see www.clemencyfortolu.com), and the scores of letters in support from prison officers, lawyers and friends, which are also posted on his website – which he designed and wrote himself. This is one of the many skills he has learnt over his period of incarceration. His academic achievements to self-improvement are as long as a tall man’s arms.

Over the phone he has boundless energy. He still writes songs and we talk at length about music. Windrush Day crops up in conversation and we talk about rising xenophobia. He is thoughtful, highly articulate and clearly of high intellect and displays not one moment of anger or malice at his plight – even though the man who led him down the path of crime received a lesser sentence and no fine and is free today. Indeed he remains deeply remorseful.

Among his many academic achievements is becoming a qualified drug and alcohol counsellor, which has given him great insight.

In his clemency appeal he writes, “In these years of imprisonment, I have come to know the faces, histories, and far-reaching consequences of drug use. The consequences are borne by vulnerable people. People whose lives, loves, dreams, hopes, family and very humanity have been ruined by drugs. It is to my eternal regret and shame that I have contributed to their misery. I was not and am not as callous and uncaring for other people as to deliberately cause them harm for profit or pleasure. I was simply a misguided 22-year-old looking for a short cut to success.”

Tolu’s father frowned on his ambition to be a musician, as not a proper job; a societal trait. So the young man had something to prove in New York but he does not hide behind that excuse. Tolu has money saved, many job offers on the table and people willing to offer him a home – including his family, who have long forgiven him.

He is devastated by the impact his actions have had on his family. “They have suffered the harshest toll,” he says. When his last appeal was exhausted in 2006 his mother, then aged 56, suffered a breakdown from which she has not recovered.

“This has left my much younger siblings without a mother and deprived my father of his loving and devoted wife. My family is a shambles and I am heartsick with anguish over my mother and family’s terrible sufferings because of me.”

While his family has forgiven him, he cannot forgive himself. “I let those closest to me down, and I will not fail them ever again.”

At the time of going to press, Tolu emailed from prison his heartfelt thanks to those who are championing his cause, particularly Old Charleans Muyiwa and Debo. He wrote, “My dear mates overwhelm me with the magnanimity of their devotion, empathy and compassion and individual and collective generosity. They found me, a fallen childhood friend and did not turn away in disgust or shame or disapproval.

“Instead they opened their hearts, extended their hands and rallied seemingly the aid of the world and its loved ones to help lift me from the depths of my voiceless and faceless despair. with friends like these, who needs miracles.”

Tolu deserves a second chance. It is in our gift to give him that.

To sign a petition directly to Barrack Obama http://www.change.org/petitions/president-of-the-united-states-grant-and-approve-tolu-akinrosotu-s-clemency-petition

To support Tolu’s appeal for clemency visit his website www.clemencyfortolu.com

Source: http://www.nigerianwatch.com/news/4709-22-years-in-jail-for-a-non-violent-first-offence#sthash.78zUEY2N.dpuf

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Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/10/obi-asks-young-scientists-entrepreneurs-to-emulate-steve-jobs/

Iyana Ipaja (Abule Oki) started a funny scene this morning at about 8.00am. The youths there were celebrating that Aeroland (Segun) of PDP won the NASS election,  It was so serious that i had to go indoor. Do they think abule oki LCDA alone controls Alimosho LGA. Have they forgotten other LCDA votes are also going to count?. Only God knows who fed them with that erroneous belief. They better start waking up.

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EL - CLASSIQ DESIGNS was established in 2008 by Ifeanyi Uwandulu as the result of an observation: although there were few creative companies who "got it, there was still an unmet need - a need for a company to gauge its success based not only on the outcome of its clients' projects, but also on the satisfaction of the clients.

Whether your website requires e-commerce functionality, dazzling high-volume information management and more, our specialized team of designers, programmers and marketing specialists, each an expert in his or her own field will handle your project from start to finish.

Our designs are unique and creative, while remaining functional. We do not let bells and whistles get in the way of generating successful leads for our clients. We build websites that looks great and are useful to a client's business needs.

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We also have great blogs that inspires young entrepreneurs.
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I love this thread. Its very useful.

Secret of Great Achievers

Founder of Under30CEO.com, Matt Wilson, shares tips to avoid failure.

Face it. Nothing will go as planned. Ever.

Failure is inevitable. Your world will be flipped upside-down on a daily basis, and even the best-laid plans--accompanied by the best intentions--can go belly-up.

To make it as a business owner in the real world, you need to learn to fail like a pro, adapt at will and pay attention to detail in order to make informed decisions that will keep your business moving forward. Your ability to plan for the worst-case scenario and maneuver around unforeseen circumstances will be the keys to finding success as your own boss.

[img]http://3.bp..com/_pz7EbBE-l4Y/TG6ndJse30I/AAAAAAAAASI/Xo8qhmC5xtE/s320/why-young-entrepreneurs-fail.jpg[/img]
What was your biggest failure as a young entrepreneur?
MW: My biggest failure as an entrepreneur came at Under30CEO after wavering from our mission of inspiring young entrepreneurs. We were frustrated because our market wasn't buying what we had to sell, so we took on an enormous re-branding campaign and changed the name of our company to incorporate a larger audience and drop our under-30 demographic. We spent a lot of time and money trying to expand our market. Still, nobody bought.

It doesn't matter how big your market is if nobody likes your product. It wasn't the market's fault. Our product was bad, and we ruined our brand and had to start from scratch. The most embarrassing part was going back to our old brand and apologizing to our old customers we wanted to welcome back.

That being said, now we spend a lot more time getting to know our market instead of trying to sell anything to anyone. We were in a hurry to turn cash-flow-positive when we needed to stay focused and be patient.

Are there specific obstacles young entrepreneurs need to overcome vs. older generations?
The biggest thing for a young entrepreneur to overcome is credibility. Why should someone invest in you? Why should someone trust your advice? What will make people think you will get the job done with no track record? Building credibility is best done with a stepping-stone approach. Do one thing today that will make you more credible tomorrow. If people won't pay you or invest in you, give away your product or service for free, get testimonials from customers and build your track record that way. Show customers what value you can provide them, and if you can quantify that value, even better. The more things you can come to the table to brag about, the better.

What about some typical missteps you've seen young entrepreneurs make?
One of the biggest mistakes young entrepreneurs make is neglecting their revenue model. Today there are so many businesses that haven't figured out how to monetize themselves yet. To me, the word monetize is redundant in business. If you don't have a business model, you aren't really in business--it's just a hobby. Sure, investors are dropping millions of dollars into companies with hopes of being acquired by Google, but without a solid business model behind it, you are just building "castles in the sky."

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What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs who hate their 9-to-5s?
Aspiring entrepreneurs need to surround themselves with others who want more out of life than the typical 9-to-5. There is a great group of motivated people eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches every night in your city, scraping by to build their business. Surrounding yourself with these types of people gives you the confidence to know you aren't alone on the road to success. The minute you quit your job, naysayers will come out of the woodwork, but if you have that support group to fall back on, you'll be able to overcome the hard times.

Remember, entrepreneurship is a marathon, not a sprint.

How has Under30CEO.com helped young entrepreneurs avoid failure and launch successful businesses?
More than 100 young entrepreneurs from all over the globe have shared their successes and failures on Under30CEO.com. Hearing insights from young people overcoming the same problems they are experiencing in their businesses allows Gen Y to come together and learn from one another. The community has a culture of reaching out to one another and helping each other with the challenges they are facing.

Secret of Great Achievers

Spain really deserves to win this stuff. They are great

Football Encyclopedia

Forlan is a great player. Look at the last free kick. No this guys is hot. Am sure Atletico would be proud of him.

Football Encyclopedia

It was really an excellent performance. Both team played very well. But Octopus Paul has already said the winner. So there was really no surprises.

Football Encyclopedia

unfortunately that reflection did not occur. What a pity or would you guys permit me to say SHAME.

Football Encyclopedia

Maradona side lacks planning. the same illness that attacked the Ghanian. It is not about having the best of players but having the best of players understand each other. Kudos to the Germans but hope they pass through the wipe of the Uruguays.

Maradona's lack of experience cost Argentina this loss

Maradona side lacks planning. the same illness that attacked the Ghanian. It is not about having the best of players but having the best of players understand each other. Kudos to the Germans but hope they pass through the wipe of the Uruguays.

Football Encyclopedia

Maradona side lacks planning. the same illness that attacked the Ghanian. It is not about having the best of players but having the best of players understand each other. Kudos to the Germans but hope they pass through the wipe of the Uruguays.

<a href="http://www.footballopedia..com">Football Encyclopedia</a>

that is rubbish. that is showing that there is no professionalism in this fifa world cup from the referees. b'coz most of the errors going on in this world cup can never happen in league matches.

I really expect much from fifa than this rubbish that is going on. FIFA has to look into this matter coz its getting worse. Only God knows the next mistake that is going to happen.

http://footballopedia..com

brazil is taking them down that's for sure.

http://www.footballopedia..com

Who do you guys think The Black Stars will make it to the Second round?

The Germans again gave the Sebian's another historical record. Since 1986 they never won the Germans at the group stage and today they just broke that yoke. My sympathy goes to the Ghanians because the Germans will use that annoyance on them. Good luck to the Black Star.

http://www.footballopedia..com