[flash]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89WtJ1m-cPs&list=UUIEskkhu0ZJQm7qA5dJjFMw&index=1&feature=plcp[/flash]

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has asked lawmakers in the National Assembly to go back to school in order to clearly understand the difference between public and private affairs.

Professor Soyinka made this statement in response to a bill banning same-sex marriages which was recently passed by the Nigerian Senate.

He said, “The problem with legislators is that they fail to distinguish between personal bills and interventions in private lives. That is the problem. I see no reason why they should intervene in the private lives of adults. What people do in their bedrooms is no business of mine. It should not be the business of legislators.

“But at the same time, I think other countries who are pointing fingers should look inwards and see whether they also do not practise the same kind of discrimination. That is where I disagree, but I think it is important we learn to distinguish between what is a public affair and what is a private affair.

“The legislators need to go back to school to learn the difference before they waste their time with what people do in their private bedrooms.”

Do you agree with Professor Wole Soyinka?

http://www.cp-africa.com/2011/12/18/on-anti-man-lover-bill-go-back-to-school-soyinka-tells-nigerian-legislators/

Google Africa has some internship openings for ambitious African students.

From the Google Africa blog:

Are you an ambitious student interested in the fast-moving world of technology in Africa? This past summer, five students from African universities participated in Google’s inaugural Africa internship program in Ghana, Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya and Senegal.

The Google Africa internship program provides valuable work experience in the field of internet and mobile technology for talented university students. Google Africa interns take responsibility for a wide variety of projects, from market research and field testing to product development and launching. Google is committed to developing the next generation of tech innovators and entrepreneurs, but also benefits from the insight and skills of bright students from Africa’s top universities.

Check out some of the openings for 2012 below on CP-Africa: http://www.cp-africa.com/2011/11/28/apply-now-for-a-2012-internship-at-google-africa-2/

On Thursday, November 17th, Gbenga Sesan held a Google Plus hangout with finalists of the Android Developer Challenge (ADC), Sub Saharan Africa. The hangout was an opportunity for African web developers, entrepreneurs and Internet marketers to hear from the winners about their experience building winning applications, what their experience has been like since winning the contest and their plans for the future.

The session was held simultaneously in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa with audiences tuning in from Co-Creation Hub in Lagos, iHub in Nairobi and Umbono in CapeTown. Interestingly, the session’s host, Gbenga Sesan hung out with the finalists from Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos en route to Addis Ababa. Given his track record, we really wanted Gbenga to host this hangout and it was nice to see it happen live despite his busy itinerary.

The hangout kicked off with an introduction on the various apps from the ADC finalists. This was followed by a series of questions by Gbenga where he asked the Challenge’s finalists about what skills and qualities helped them design their applications among others.

Most of the Challenge winners unanimously cited perseverance as the key quality that helped them emerge as winners with Richard Marsh of Wedding Plandroid emphasizing that patience and a focus on value coupled with perseverance helped him develop his app.

In addition, Afrinolly’s CEO, Chike Maduegbuna noted that developing a clean user interface for the app was key to their winning the competition. According to him, the Afrinolly Team wanted to make a world class app and this helped them stand out from the competition.

Full interview here: http://www.cp-africa.com/2011/11/28/video-gbenga-sesan%E2%80%99s-hangout-with-finalists-of-the-android-developer-challenge/

How do we measure influence? For the sake of simplicity, we would use the simplest metric - number of followers.

Here is our list of the top 10 most influential Nigerians on Twitter.

1. @pastorchrislive - 1,042,018 followers

2. @donjazzymohits - 172,531 followers

3. @wizkidayo - 137,584 followers

4. @iamdbanj - 128,897 followers

5. @bankyw - 121,145 followers

6. @MI_Abaga - 110,511 followers

7. @2faceidibia- 92,287 followers

8. @NaetoC - 85,981 followers

9. @iceprincezamani - 89,799 followers

10. @genevievennaji1 - 72,818 followers

N.B. - This is not an exact list. If you know any influential Nigerian (by number of followers) we may have inadvertently left out of the top 10 list, please let us know by sending an e-mail to publisher@cp-africa.com

http://www.cp-africa.com/2011/11/27/the-most-influential-nigerians-on-twitter/

Nigerian ICT Advocate, Gbenga Sesan will be holding a live Google Plus hangout session with finalists of this year's Android Developer Challenge. This year's challenge winners include Nigeria's Afrinolly App, Kenya's Olaleshe and Kenya's Shoppers' Delight App. The Google Plus Hangout will be held on Thursday, November 17th at 12 Noon (Lagos Time)

The live session will provide an opportunity for African web developers, entrepreneurs and Internet marketers to hear from the winners about their experience building their winning applications, what their experience has been like since winning the contest and their plans for the future.

The session will be held in collaboration with Nigeria's Co-Creation Hub, Kenya's iHub and the Umbono Tech Incubator in Cape Town.

Interested web developers, entrepreneurs and start-up owners wishing to contribute to the session should please post their questions via the session's Google Moderator page here before Thursday. Link: https://www.google.com/moderator/#16/e=14881d

Please spread the word.

MTN, Ecobank and Google are set to launch Nigeria's first ever webfair on October 31st, 2011. The webfair is part of the Get Nigerian Businesses Online Program which launched last month. The webfair is targeted at Nigeria small business owners. Dignitaries billed for the event include Nigeria's ICT Minister, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, among others.


Participating businesses at the webfair will get:

Free easy-to-build and maintain, professional website
Free matching mobile website
Free gnbo.com.ng sub-domain
Free website hosting

Interested businesses are advised to sign up at www.gnbo.com.ng/event to secure a spot. Spots are limited.

South East Economy: Challenges and potentials
By Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala
Of the many challenges facing our country, the most fundamental, in my view, is improving the economy and enhancing the welfare of our people. It is fundamental because the state of the economy is a barometer for measuring the health of other aspects of society, be they social, or political.

A weak economy is a recipe for societal breakdown: the political chaos that trailed the recent debt- crisis in Greece and other parts of Europe, and the recent public overthrow of governments in the Middle East and North Africa, are all traceable to fundamental economic problems.

The home truth is that the South East as a region is operating far below its economic potential. An area roughly the size of Belgium in land mass, and 11.7% of the Nigeria’s population (according to official statistics), can contribute more to the national GDP in view of enormous endowments of resources, both human and natural. This is the challenge that is confronting us today – a challenge that warrants our attention urgently, for the sake of present and future generations. To borrow the words of Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the United States, “economy is the method by which we prepare today to afford the improvements of tomorrow”.

Why is the South East zone so special? In addition to abundant natural resources, like oil and gas, coal, salt, and so on, the region still has one of the best arable land in the country – it is often said that everything grows in Igboland. The region has comparative advantage in the production of subsistence crops like yams, maize, rice, plantains, and cassava. Cash crops like oil palm, rubber, and wood are also in abundance. In this era of rising food prices, the region could potentially offer food security to the nation, and generate export revenues: Nigeria’s food imports cost more than $10 billion yearly. The development of agro-based industry could also rid the region of its high rates of unemployment.

However, the region is still a net consumer of food – a reflection of the poor state agriculture sector.

The South East Zone has also seen an increase in industrial activity in recent years, with the development of industrial clusters in various axes of the region. These clusters, including the Onitsha Plastic Cluster, Umuahia/Aba Garment Cluster, Aba Leather Cluster, Nnewi Automotive Cluster, to mention a few, are the flag-bearers of “made-in-Nigeria” products, and are in many cases, the only competition to foreign products that cost our nation significant amounts in foreign currency every year. However, the industrial sector is still employing rudimentary production processes, which curtail productivity and limit the amount of jobs created. With the right investments in technology and infrastructure, these industries could really take-off.

Again, the South East zone has one of the best Human Development Indicators in the country. It has the lowest poverty levels in the country, and the quality of human capital – specifically adult literacy rates, and gender development indicators, are the highest in the country. The potential for other service-based industry, apart from the wholesale and retail trade sector for which the region is well known, is therefore enormous. Overall, the economic opportunities that exist in the three sectors of economic development – primary, industry, and services, are vast, and quite unique to the South East zone in Nigeria.

Let me also briefly outline the significant challenges that lie ahead for the zone to realize its true economic potential. Firstly, there is a need for adequate infrastructure: The region’s road infrastructure is in a poor state, and is a major constraint to the development of agriculture and trade. While I commend efforts by the various state administrations to improve the roads networks, I also want to say that the federal government is willing to work hand-in-hand with the states to develop the region’s roads, particularly the Enugu-Port Harcourt road; the Second Onitsha Niger bridge – a key to unlocking inter-regional trade with the rest of the country; and, also rail transport links to the rest of the country. The environmental problems of soil erosion and waste management confronting the region as a whole is beyond the capacity of the States to address individually, and requires the involvement of the federal government. Efforts to implement the Inland Ports Development programme will also be ramped up at the federal level vis-a-vis efforts to improve trade logistics and cut clearing times for goods at the nation’s ports.

Secondly, improving the investment climate is paramount: According to the World Bank’s Doing Business in Nigeria Report (2010), the South Eastern states are ranked below other states and the FCT i.e. from 30th position to 36th, in the “ease of doing business” category – a reflection of the poor state of the business environment. The zone is particularly weak in the “enforcing contracts” category, suggesting the need to improve the justice system in the region. Business regulatory systems clearly need to be more efficient. The workforce in the region could also be better equipped with the right skill set, involving vocational training, to support the potential growth of the various economic sectors.

While the South East zone is one of the most homogenous and cohesive zones in this country, there is a need for continued cooperation among the various states and interest groups. I am confident that our commitment to work hand-in-hand is vital to the region’s development.

Economic development is not only about the right policies and programmes or even the right leadership. No doubt these are important factors which contribute to the achievement and sustenance of economic development. But they do not stand alone. A critical factor which drives and sustains economic development is the system of values which provides a foundation. I know that some of us sitting here think that values and character are luxuries which smart people can do away with in the pursuit of money and fame. I beg to disagree. I make bold to say that one of the reasons why we have not done as well as we should is because we have not displayed the necessary strength of character, that collective focus on the best interests of our people.

Our values should help us come together, make us treat each other better, help us build the bonds of brotherhood; help us reject the temptation to cheat each other. Our values and character are the critical ingredients we need to forge ahead as a people. A few of us have given our people a bad name through their selfish actions. But I believe it’s time for us to reject the bad name by categorically rejecting the negative values that have also contributed to stopping us from putting our best foot forward. There is no better time than now.

Originally published in Business Day Nigeria, Monday 12th September, 2011

Okonjo Iweala is the Finance Minister and Co-ordinator of President Jonathan’s economic team

http://www.cp-africa.com/2011/09/12/opinion-dr-ngozi-okonjo-iweala-makes-a-case-for-south-east-nigerias-economy/

NIgeria is set to earn its oil exports in Chinese Yuan, Business Day reports. Through a new agreement between Nigeria and China, between 5-10% of Nigeria’s foreign export earnings will be domiciled in the Chinese currency.

According to Central Bank Governor, Mr. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Nigeria is seriously considering the Yuan officially saying that “the Chinese Yuan is afterall, already being exchanged in the country.”

Bismark Rewane, C.E.O of Financial Derivatives Company (FDC Limited) said that the CBN’s decision to diversify the country’s external reserves from the U.S. dollar will benefit portfolio managers and will act as a store of value.

However, despite the positive benefits, some analysts fear that if Nigeria’s decision to earn some of its oil exports in Yuan is emulated by other African countries, it could pose a strain on Nigeria’s relationship with the United States.

Currently, the U.S. accounts for about 36% of Nigeria’s oil exports.

What do you think about Nigeria’s recent decision to earn some of its oil export earnings in Chinese Yuan?

http://www.cp-africa.com/2011/09/12/business-in-africa-nigeria-to-earn-oil-export-in-chinese-yuan/

Nairatweets.net, a newly launched site pays Nigerian on Twitter to tweet.



Here is how the site works:

Nigerian publishers launch ad campaigns on Nairatweets.net. Afterwards, Nigerians are encouraged to log on to the site, to check the worth of their tweets by the Naira Tweets team. (One’s tweet worth is determined by an algorithm that factors in one’s number of followers and number of updates. The twitterer’s level of influence is also put into consideration by the Naira Tweets team).After their worth is determined, they are allowed to select a maximum of 3 advertising campaigns on the site. The twitterers are then allowed to compose their own unique tweets for each of the campaigns based on their descriptions and the samples given. These tweets are automatically sent to the twitterer’s timeline by the Naira Tweets team. The twitterer is then paid a certain amount for every tweet sent to their timeline. The more one tweets, the more one gets paid!



Learn all about it here: http://www.cp-africa.com/2011/08/28/nairatweets-net-pays-nigerians-to-tweet-get-tweeting/

Pls pass on

Google Nigeria is providing IT companies and technology entrepreneurs with the opportunity to become one of its authorized resellers to sell, customize and provide technical support services for Google Apps for Business. The opportunity will enable young IT entrepreneurs create new revenue streams for their businesses and become advocates of cloud computing in Nigeria.

According to Google’s Business Development Manager for English Speaking West Africa, Mrs. Lola Masha, “Google is looking to partner with upwardly mobile IT companies and entrepreneurs with a passion for technology and a strong interest in evangelizing IT solutions to Nigerian businesses. Cloud computing solutions make collaboration and information sharing easy, helping people connect more effectively and work more efficiently. This is a unique opportunity for forward looking businesses to be a part of the new enterprise paradigm of real-time business collaboration and information sharing in the clouds.”

Google has worked with a number of IT companies in Nigeria that have helped companies make the transition to Google Apps for Business. One of such companies is Descasio Limited, a Nigerian cloud solutions provider. According to the firm’s founders, Dele Nedd and Femi Olugbesan, “Google Apps has been instrumental in growing Descasio’s business. The channel support given to its partners is solid. The Google Apps platform is mature and the Google Apps marketplace creates a wealth of opportunities to up-sell vertical cloud based solutions to our growing customer base. We have deployed Google apps to a range of companies in Nigeria and Ghana in the public and private sector ranging from manufacturing, auto-sales and maritime companies to financial institutions. West Africa and Africa as a whole is poised for explosive growth in the IT services sector. With up to four submarine cables active in Nigeria by the end of the year, there hasn’t been a better time for companies in this region to tackle the infrastructure challenges they grapple with by leveraging cloud technologies.”

Another company, Upperlink Limited has also worked with Google as an authorised apps reseller with favorable reviews. According to the company’s General Manager in charge of Production, Mr. Festus Ugwu, “current trends already show that cloud computing is the wave of the future and as more and more businesses realize this, young Nigerian IT firms can brace themselves for more developments within the cloud computing space. Google Apps makes it possible for us to get anywhere, anytime with access to all the information we need to run our business at a cheaper cost. Our clients are drawn from all fields such as education, production and architecture among others. It is very easy to deploy with its vastly improved service via plug-and-play integration with Google’s suite of productivity apps.”

Currently, over 3 million businesses have ‘gone Google’ globally and an estimated 3,000 new businesses sign-up for the service daily. In addition, Nigerian companies serious about competing favorably in the 21st century marketplace are increasingly embracing Google Apps, empowering their employees with collaboration tools  to improve their level of productivity.

Mr. Babatunde Fajemirokun, GM Technology Transformation at AIICO Insurance Plc., a leading insurance company in Nigeria that recently went Google said “the impact of Google apps on email, collaboration and calendaring at AIICO has been transforming to say the least. Information dissemination has improved between customers, employees, agents and partners. Productivity on projects has been revolutionary with Documents, Sites and Google Talk. Team members work seamlessly between sites/ branches and with partners across zones sharing plans, project updates et al. It has also reduced spam to nearly 99% and indirectly bandwidth usage and support requirements. Collaboration suites are critical tools for business. A business is about strategy, operating, financing and investing. While investment in technology is a key requirement, I do not believe you should break the bank to provide it for operations. Google Apps for Business provides collaboration suites using SaaS, IaaS with impressive security in Postini, allowing a technology department to focus on value creating projects (discretionary spend). It basically frees your mind from the headache of onsite solutions.”

Nigerian IT entrepreneurs/businesses interested in partnering with Google are advised to send an e-mail to ssa-apps@google.com indicating their interest. Preference would be given to young emerging companies with a global outlook, a strong culture of professionalism, deep knowledge of on-premise messaging technology and a familiarity with Google products. You can also find more information at www.google.com/a.

http://www.cp-africa.com/2011/08/16/google-nigeria-offers-business-opportunity-to-dynamic-nigerian-it-companies/

The Director General of Nigeria’s National Youth Service Corps recently announced that the monthly salary for corpers around the country has been increased to about N19,800 monthly. His statement was made publicly via a news feature on NTA News on Monday night.

The announcement was made following approval from President Goodluck Jonathan to increase the monthly salary from its previous rate of about N9,775. The new rate would apply from March 2011. This means some Corpers will be paid in arrears. Spread the word.

http://www.cp-africa.com/2011/07/11/nigeria-nysc-corpers-salary-increased-to-n19800-monthly/

Congrats!

What do you think of his business model?

Jason Njoku, the C.E.O. of the company that brought the popular viral movie, Blackberry Babes to the web as well as hundreds of Nollywood movies to You Tube legally was recently interviewed by Sara Lacy of Techcrunch during her visit to Nigeria.

Njoku through his startup is digitizing Nollywood content and signing exclusive content partnership deals with hundreds of Nollywood producers in places like Alaba.

Business Model: Njoku hires employees to watch Nollywood movies all day and then uploads the best of them to You Tube. The content is afterwards streamed on You Tube legally and in full for Nigerians online. The content is then monetized via You Tube ads.

You can watch his interview with Sara Lacy of Techcrunch here http://www.cp-africa.com/2011/05/15/sara-lacy-techcrunch-interviews-jason-njoku-of-nollywood-loveiroko-partners/#/news/

ACCEPTANCE SPEECH BY PRESIDENT GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN, GCFR, FOLLOWING HIS DECLARATION AS THE WINNER OF THE 2011 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Watch President Jonathan celebrating his victory just after hearing the INEC result here: http://www.cp-africa.com/2011/04/19/audio-president-goodluck-jonathans-victory-address/

My dear country men and women

This is a new dawn!

Our nation has spoken. At the end of intense and hard-fought campaigns by all the political parties, our people spoke through the ballot. In every city, town, village, ward and voting unit, Nigerians stood in the sun, some in the rain, some walked long distances and all waited patiently to vote.



With a heart full of gratitude to Almighty God, I want to thank Nigerians for the great sacrifice and overwhelming national mandate you have just given to me, to preside over the affairs of this nation for the next four years.



We have, by this election, reaffirmed our unity as one nation under God; reiterated our faith in democracy; and underscored our determination to fully join the free world where only the will of the people is the foundation of governance. We will not let you down. We will not let Nigeria down.



My brothers and sisters, fellow citizens, we are all winners. In this context, there is no victor and no vanquished. Nigerians have proved to the world that we are capable of holding free, fair and credible elections. With the evident national spread of our victory, we have demonstrated that even in our diversity, the progress of Nigeria remains paramount to all.



This is a victory for the sustenance of our democracy; a victory which all Nigerians irrespective of creed, ethnicity, or state of origin should celebrate. It is a triumph for our common destiny as a people with shared ideals, shared dreams and shared hopes.



I congratulate the candidates of the other political parties. I regard them not as opponents, but as partners. Indeed, some of them have held high public office in the past.



Let me pay particular tribute to General Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Ibrahim Shekarau, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and the other patriots and their running mates. They all did well and the nation expects their continued demonstration of leadership and commitment to our efforts at nation-building.



The elections are not yet over. We still have to elect our Governors and members of our State Houses of Assembly. We must approach the remaining elections with the same level of enthusiasm and seriousness.

We have to remain vigilant. On our part, we continue to assure you that the mechanisms that were put in place to assure free and fair elections are maintained.



When I declared my intention to run for the office of President under the ticket of the People’s Democratic Party, I reflected on my humble background and the long journey that brought me to that moment.

Eight months later, I stand before you as the winner of the 2011 Presidential election. I am humbled by your overwhelming mandate.



During that declaration, I said that I had no enemies. Let me say it again, I have no enemies to fight.

Indeed, I reassure all Nigerians that we would continue to run a government that is committed to fairness, equity and justice for all.



The progress we seek for our country is in our collective hands. I am confident that with this new spirit of national reawakening and our sense of collective ownership of the Nigerian project, a firm foundation has been laid for participatory governance and progress.



Together we will build a new economy that is strong and dynamic and underpinned by a patriotic work ethic. Together we will remake our society to emphasise the most noble of our national values, and together we shall re-create a great nation welded in unity and harmony; a nation marching towards collective progress in which no one is left behind.



This election is the renewal of hope. As we march towards our centenary as a nation in the year 2014, this election will be remembered as that which reaffirmed our faith and strengthened the bond of our union. We found within ourselves the basis for our national confidence. We demonstrated that we are making great strides in consolidating democratic governance. This election is further evidence that Nigeria is secure, that we are stable; and most of all, that the future of Nigeria is bright.



Now, we must all unite. We must quickly move away from partisan battlegrounds and find the national common ground. We must show the world that this nation of many people will always find the love, the courage and the path to move forward as one. Let us join hands to build a prosperous nation. This is the challenge of our generation. This is our unfinished task. On my part, I promise to run an all-inclusive government.



It is on this note that I am greatly pained at reports of incidences of unnecessary violence and loss of lives and property in some parts of the country over the past twenty-four hours.



I enjoin our political and religious leaders, in their usual sense of patriotism to call on their followers to eschew all acts of bitterness and violence. As I have always stated, nobody’s political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.



I thank all the nations of the world, their leaders and our friends for their goodwill. I thank our friends from the national and international media, religious leaders, civil society, voluntary organisations, development partners and our talented diaspora Nigerians that are reporting, monitoring or participating in our elections. We have benefitted from their fair observations.

My special thanks go to all our public services, security agencies, academia, members of the National Youth Service Corps and emergency services. These men, women and youth are making huge sacrifices towards the success of the 2011 elections.



I wish to express my profound thanks to Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo. He brought strength and commitment to our ticket. I am equally grateful to the leadership and members of the PDP; the governors of the 36 states of the federation; members of the Presidential Campaign Council and all our supporters across the nation for their great sense of dedication, faith and exemplary conduct.

Now is the time for all Nigerians to reach out to their neighbours. I want all of us to join hands in brotherhood, party affiliation or preferred candidate notwithstanding. We are all Nigerians and I will be a President to all. This is the new dawn we crave. What is now required is a new commitment, national solidarity and re-dedication to service.



Come, join me, let’s continue on the road of national transformation.


Let us all thank our merciful God for this day. Let us all continue to pray for God’s guidance in the years ahead.

I thank you and May God bless Nigeria.

http://www.cp-africa.com/2011/04/19/full-text-of-president-jonathans-acceptance-speech/

[flash=400,300]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVfE2ycBRNY?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0[/flash][/flash]

The excitement of this year’s elections has been exhilarating to say the least.  From the PDP Primaries to the recent news of the collapse of collaboration talks between Nigeria’s opposition parties,  the events of the past few months would certainly provide good fodder for the plot of an engaging drama series.

What made these months so enjoyable was not only the uncertainty of outcomes (from the party primaries to the just concluded NASS elections) but most especially, the twists, turns and ample comic relief present at virtually every period.

For a full account, click here http://www.cp-africa.com/2011/04/15/where-will-you-press-your-hand-an-account-of-the-nigeria-2011-elections/#IDComment143130632

Also tell us where you will be pressing your hand.

How una check am? D'banj's interview with BET http://www.cp-africa.com/2011/04/03/video-dbanjs-interview-bet/

Here is D'banj's interview with BET http://www.cp-africa.com/2011/04/03/video-dbanjs-interview-bet/

APRIL FOOL JOKE

CPC Presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari officially bowed out of the Nigerian 2011 Presidential race this morning. This follows the move by SDMP candidate, Professor Pat Utomi  who recently stepped down from the race citing the lack of a consensus candidate by Nigeria's major opposition parties.

General Buhari who made the announcement officially on NTA this morning cited the need to present a united opposition front to constructively tackle the People Democratic Party (PDP) in the upcoming elections. "I have decided to put national interest above personal ambition and will be stepping down officially as the CPC's Presidential candidate," Buhari said in his  televised address. He said his decision is following an agreement made by the major opposition parties, CPC, ACN and ANPP to field a consensus candidate should the electoral mathematics favor a PDP win come April.

Buhari backed ACN's Presidential candidate, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu citing theACN's transformational work in Lagos State and Mallam Ribadu's youth as his motivation. "It is time for a generational shift in Nigerian politics. It is time to give young people a chance to prove themselves," General Buhari is reported to have said.

CPC's Vice Presidential candidate, Pastor Tunde Bakare in a recent call with the press is reported to have expressed extreme displeasure at the news. "This is not the divine mandate God revealed to me when I decided to join General Buhari's campaign to change Nigeria early this year." "Mallam Ribadu does not have what it takes to save Nigeria and I am disappointed in the move by General Buhari to back his candidacy," Pastor Bakare is reported to have said.

Buhari's backing is expected to bring in much needed voter support to the Ribadu campaign from Nigeria's Northern states, areas where General Buhari currently has significant stronghold.

President Goodluck Jonathan released a preliminary three sentence press statement via the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Ima Niboru.

"I dey laugh o," the statement is reported to have said. "No matter what the opposition devises, we have faith that Nigerians will still vote for Umblera. Nigerians do not want bad luck. "

Have you fooled someone today? Happy April Fool's day!

[img]http://www.nigeriafilms.com/image.aspx?img=Y29udGVudC9jb250ZW50L2RiYW5nZ2ouanBnfDYwMA==[/img]

President Goodluck Jonathan and his running mate think so little of Nigerians that they have so far fled any venue where the presidential candidates have been invited to hold a debate. But when young Nigerians invited all the candidates to a debate tagged “What About Us?” to be anchored by acclaimed novelist, Chimamanda Adichie, many of them were certain that Mr. Jonathan would not say no to them.

They obviously didn’t know the man.

Instead of facing Adichie, Mr. Jonathan arranged his own one-man “debate,” inviting Nigeria’s hip-hop star, D'banj (whose real name is Dapo Daniel Oyebanjo) to ask him questions in a low-grade, soft session.

On March 17, 2011, D’banj took off his so-called Kokomaster hat and replaced it with that of the voice of the Nigerian youth as he took it upon himself to ask President Jonathan questions "concerning the youth."

We would not have bothered if Jonathan was being prepped for a reality show on D'banj's Koko mansion, but this was a session with a man asking Nigerian voters, including young ones, to entrust him with the highest political office in their country.

Having decided to duck from a debate organized by numerous Nigerian youth groups, Mr. Jonathan nevertheless wanted to show off that he's got the backing of the Nigerian youth. He chose a well-known popular entertainer as collaborator in a patently deceptive game.

Jonathan got it wrong!

Jonathan must have figured that the interview occurred at an opportune moment. It was his attempt to divert attention from the calls for real debates on an independent platform. Yet, in giving D’banj the job of asking him questions, Mr. Jonathan sought to give the impression that he’s in touch with the youth—and has great regard for them. But by choosing a rich stage performer who is obviously out of touch with the realities of the average Nigerian youth, President Jonathan showed himself up as a clueless leader who is out of tune with the vast majority of Nigerian youth and their top issues in the upcoming elections.

D'banj was an embarrassment. He spent much of the interview nodding blankly at Goodluck Jonathan's uninformed answers. The social media universe was merciless. It twittered insults at D’banj and his sponsor, Jonathan. On facebook, more barbs were flung at the two men. Many of D’Banj’s fans pointed to their newfound disrespect for the artist who is now seen as a man with a purchase price.

Many critics were disgusted that D’banj, who’s on Jonathan’s payroll, would dare appoint himself to represent the Nigerian youth.

By granting an interview to the likes of D’banj, Jonathan has ignored the politically aware coalition that formed “What About Us?”—a collection of talented, imaginative, articulate, highly educated and globally acclaimed Nigerian youth.

“Why would this man ignore the youth-led initiative for a real debate and give a comical interview to a hireling like D’banj?” asked a disappointed youth. “Is President Jonathan so scared that he won’t take questions from Chimamanda Adichie?” asked another.

D'Banj’s performance was so bad that he came out looking like a brainless political pawn, too grateful to sit across from a candidate who appears too timid and too unsure of himself to submit to any real debate.

Jonathan and the PDP may be misjudging the youth who are determined to put an end to the era of mediocrity and criminal showmanship that has dragged their nation backward for several decades.

For D’banj it was a regrettable moment, marking his career as an anti-youth crusader.

Adding to D’Banj’s miscalculation is the discovery that the Jonathan campaign is a sponsor of the Koko Concert scheduled to be held on the 25th of March, the same day as the Adichie-anchored youth debate. Many young people have reacted furiously to the news.

While this move might have been packaged by the Jonathan campaign as an ostensible outreach to the youth community, it came off as a huge gaffe, leaving the President looking disconnected from the core concerns of young people—and a man too afraid to speak to the youth without a script.

As for D’banj, the question is whether he’s going to ever regain respect within the Nigerian youth community. One former fan tweeted: "See d cheap propaganda of Dbanj n GEJ. I see y naija youths cant be trusted. Dbanj na west."

The entertainer’s huge public relations misstep might not matter to him, though; he’s making trips to the bank to lodge his lucre!

But one thing is certain, Nigerian youths don’t seem in any mood to be manipulated by politicians who hold them and their issues in contempt—or by their hirelings, whatever seductive songs they may sing!

http://saharareporters.com/news-page/sr-speaks-d%E2%80%99banj%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Ckokolette%E2%80%9D-interview-jonathan

Source: http://www.cp-africa.com/2011/03/17/dbanj-launches-koko-mobile/



D’banj recently launched Koko Mobile. The mobile phone is now available for purchase in various locations across Lagos and is sponsored by First Bank Nigeria.

The phone is currently priced at about N9,800 and has the following features:

Memory Card
Flashlight
FM Radio
MP3/ MP4
Latest D’banj and Mo’Hits songs and videos
GPRS
Facebook, Ebuddy, Nimbuzz, Opera
First Bank Mobile Application
N500 free account opening at First Bank


Like Koko Mobile on Facebook at  http://www.facebook.com/kokomobile.mobi

Follow Koko Mobile on Twitter at http://twitter.com/KOKOMOBILE

Lagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN) on Wednesday expressed surprise at recent outburst against the State Government by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led Federal Government, declaring that if the Government at the center is worried about the transformation going on in the State, it should take it as a wakeup call to rise to the challenges facing the country.

He said: “If it gives them sleepless nights and makes them uncomfortable, I make no apologies for that. That is why I am in Government to succeed and to improve the quality of life of the people as best as I can”.

Governor Fashola who spoke in an interview with Aviation Correspondents at the Presidential Lounge of the local wing of the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Ikeja on his return from a trip to Abuja added “Look, this is party that has spent 12 years trying to provide electricity. We have provided three major electricity plants, the next major one would be finished in the next few weeks. Clearly therefore they are deficient in planning and in implementation”.

Continuing, Governor Fashola declared: “They spent 10 years in building a 400metres Bridge in Ota and on the day of commissioning, instead of apologizing to Lagosians, they were fighting themselves about who would cut the tape. Meanwhile, the road that leads to the Bridge is not finished”.

Governor Fashola said the State Government constructed the Okota Link Bridge which is longer than the Sango Otta Bridge in 18 months, saying those are issues he expects the PDP to come forward and talk about.

“Look at the Apapa/Oshodi-Oworonshoki Expressway which is their road. It is pothole ridden. The road to the biggest Airport in the country is a national embarrassment. We have cleared Oshodi, asking them to finish their road, so that Nigerians can even begin to change our image to foreigners who come here. These are the issues we expect them to come and address our voters about. We are waiting for them”, Governor Fashola pointed out.

The Governor Fashola also reacted to a statement credited to President Goodluck Jonathan in which he described Action Congress of Nigeria Governors in the South West as rascals, saying the language is un-Presidential.

The Choose or Lose campaign is MTV’s first ever pro-democracy campaign in Africa. Since January 2011, the network’s global “Choose or Lose” voter mobilization campaign has pledged to dedicate itself towards encouraging and empowering young Nigerians to exercise their right to vote.

The campaign recently launched an All Star video with a catchy hook,Rep 4 Naija. The video features Naeto C, M.I., D’banj, El Dee and cameos from Mo’ Cheddah, Ice Prince, Omawumi and many others.

It urges Nigerians to believe in greatness for the nation. D'banj sings: “Arise o’ compatriots, Nigeria dey call you”

Watch the video on youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XyCKrQJK-Y&feature=channel_video_title

“Young minds” – An amazing opportunity for young PEOPLE to meet global change-makers at GOOGLE’s ZEITGEIST 2011 EVENT

UK based Youth engagement enterprise Livity proudly announces Young Minds, a competition supported by Google to find the pioneers, change makers and leaders of tomorrow to take their place alongside the greatest minds and innovators of today at Google’s Zeitgeist 2011 event near London on May 15 – 17.

Young Minds is an amazing opportunity for young people to get involved and win the chance to fly to London (all expenses paid) and represent their country on a global scale in front of amazing inspirational leaders, thinkers and social innovators from around the world.

From January 31st until March 21st, the search will be on to find exceptional, motivated and inspiring 18-24 year-olds who are doing their bit to help their community and make a difference to the world we live in.

Pictures of 2face on the Monique show https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=603123.msg7709856#msg7709856

@Nsiman try the link again. It is working http://www.cp-africa.com/2011/02/05/winner-nigerias-2011-elections/


Or you can access this link to vote: http://poll.fm/2ojgq

Na wa



[s]Ben Ali of Tunisia – 23 years – 1988 – 2011[/s]
Hosni Mubarak of Egypt – 30 years – since 1981 – ███████████████████████████░ Uninstalling dictator … 99% complete
Moummar Ghaddfi of Libya – 42 years – since 1969
Mbasago of Equatorial Guinea – 32 years – since 1979
Jose Santos of Angola – 32 years – since 1979
Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe – 31 years – since 1980
Paul Biya of Cameroon – 29 years – since 1982
Yoweri Museveni of Uganda – 25 years – since 1986
Blaise Campore of Burkina Fasso – 24 years since 1987
Mswati III of Swaziland – 24 years – since April 1986
Omar Bashir of Sudan – 21 years – since 1989
Idrissu Deby of Chad – 21 years – since 1990
Isaias Afewerki of Eritrea – 18 years – since 1993
Yahya Jammeh of Gambia – 17 years – since 1994
Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia – 16 years – since 1995
Pakalitha Mosisili (Lesotho) – 13 years – since 1998;
Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti – 12 years – since 1999
Mohammed VI of Morocco – 12 years – since 1999
Laurent Gbagbo of Ivory Coast – 11 years+ – since 2000
Abdoulaye Wade (Senegal) – 11 years – since 2000
Paul Kagame (Rwanda) – 11 years – since 2000


http://www.cp-africa.com/2011/02/11/african-sit-tight-leaders/

Tu Face Idibia was recently featured on the Monique Show. Check out photos below.











2 Face right before he got on air





http://www.cp-africa.com/2011/02/11/pictures-tu-face-idibia-hosted-monique-show-bet/

An on going online Presidential poll by CP-Africa currently has Buhari leading Goodluck Jonathan by 43% to 40%. So far over 1,000 Nigerians have voted. If this poll is any measure to go by, the April elections will be hotly contested between these two candidates. Ribadu comes in third at 14%.

Please lend your voice to the on going polls by voting here: http://www.cp-africa.com/2011/02/05/winner-nigerias-2011-elections/

CNN African Voices recently interviewed Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the General Overseer of one of Nigeria’s largest evangelical churches – The Redeemed Christian Church of God. In 2008, Pastor Adeboye was voted as one of the world’s 50 most influential people by Newsweek. Watch out for the video edition of the interview on air on Saturday 12th February.

http://www.cp-africa.com/2011/02/10/pastor-enoch-adeboye-cnn-african-voices-read-qatranscript/

Q. “How did you find God?”

A. “I came to know God in a fairly dramatic way. I was born into a christian home and always gone to church because my parents said we had to go. But after I grew up and left home – I drifted away from church until I had a little problem that defied all solutions and then someone invited me to the Redeemed Christian Church of God – I came expecting the pastor would just pray and my problems would just go, but instead he said I would have to give my life to Jesus Christ first – that if my sins are gone, my problems would disappear. So of course I resisted for a while but eventually I surrendered and as he said gave my life to Jesus Christ and my problems disappeared.”

Q. “When was that?”
A. “1973 – I was just over 31.”

Q. “If you don’t mind – what was the problem?”
A. “If you don’t mind (laughs) – as the problem is gone now, we may as well leave it there.”

Q. “You’re originally a student of mathematics how was that change to become a pastor?”
A. “Well, it didn’t quite change – once a mathematician – always a mathematician. But at that time I was a lecturer at the University of Lagos – that’s when I met the Lord. And after the founder of the church saw my zeal – he ordained me as a pastor, and when I became a pastor – I began to travel – going to universities, colleges and other institutions to share with them – my testimony, my experience. And when the founder died – we read in his will that I was to succeed him. To take over the leadership of the church – now, there was no way I could command the two, I couldn’t continue as a lecturer and still do my duties as the general overseer – that’s where mathematics had to stand aside for Christ to take full control.”

Q. “Must have been heady days – beginning of evangelical movement in Nigeria – how did you feel at the time, travelling the country?”
A. “Well, evangelical moves had been on before I became born again but yes it was quite exciting in those days – travelling across the country – meeting young people, lecturers, sharing with them – realising that many of us had been living in ignorance and then seeing the joy.”

The Redeemed Christian Church of God was founded in 1952 by Josiah Akindayomi – but when he died he left only forty churches to his chosen successor – Enoch Adeboye.
It is a choice that has proven extremely successful.
The Redeemed church claims to have over five million members across 20,000 branches in 140 countries worldwide.
And there are at least 540 branches in the UK and Ireland alone
Pentecostalism has swept through Nigeria and Africa in the last two decades – offering the promise – not just of entry into heaven in the after-life but of jobs, marriage, children, health and money in this life.

Q. “In 1981 you were made the general overseer – how did you feel?”
A. “That was quite an experience. Of course I didn’t want to have anything to do with working fulltime for Christ – I preferred the way I was doing it – teaching at the university, preaching the gospel – because that allowed me more or less to be my own master. The university was paying me – in those days lecturers were well paid – and church was very poor. But then when the time came – I discovered, I might lack some things but I have a joy that money can’t buy. So it was quite fulfilling – challenging, but fulfilling.”

Q. “How do you feel when you’re at the altar, preaching?”
A. “Of course you feel excited. You feel fulfilled- you are being used by God to meet the needs of so many people at a time which is probably one of the greatest joys of being a pastor. In the university, yes you are influencing lives, teaching them – moulding them – but they are very few in number – I think the largest number of students I had in one class must be less than 100- now to see you could influence 1million people at a time can be very exciting.”

Q. “What is the Nigerian way of worship?”
A. “Our freedom of worship – the way we dance, shout, enjoy the almighty God – so I think that bit of us, bubbling enthusiasm – all is a good influence.”

Q. “Your style is not as loud, people describe you as being very humble, no expensive suits – why is that? Is there a reason behind it?”
A. “I believe the gospel is for all people. But I believe it is even more for the masses and majority of the masses – if you are going to reach for them you have to be at their level. If they see in you someone they can relate to – it’ll be easier for them to listen, to hear from you. One thing I’ve discovered about the masses – even though they might be poor and not high up there – there’s still something in them that doesn’t like being looked down upon. So they relate to someone who will talk to them at their level. But not just that – the so called high and mighty – if you get close to them, you will know that underneath the beautiful dresses – they’re human – presidents, heads of states, CEOs – they all still go to the toilet – they all still get tired, all feel pain – so if you go to the basics you will reach everyone. Because in every man there is that basic need.”

Q. “What do you think explains the explosion of evangelical churches?”
A. “Maybe we’ll say the economic situation, social problems that we face have been a very good catalyst in bringing people to Christ. I must add that some people exploited that – setting up fake churches – knowing that people will come to wherever they hear God is healing. But , like I keep telling people – any time you see a counterfeit – it means the original must be somewhere. You won’t see a counterfeit N2000 note – cause there’s no original.”

Q. “What happens if you find con-artists?”
A. “If we discover such a fellow – we dismiss him – we don’t compromise at all. And our people know that. If you find a pastor twisting the word of the bible to his own advantage – all you have to do is let me know.”

Q. “Do you think Nigeria is on a religious frontline?”
A. “There’s no doubt about that.”

Q. “That can become violent. Is that part of the course?”
A. “I believe – anytime light begins to shine – there’s bound to be a little resistance from darkness. So that’s a settled matter. Unfortunate as it may seem – some politicians go in the guise of religion to perpetrate evil. I do not think genuine Christians and genuine Muslims will fight. If you kill a Muslim – you are killing a potential convert – someone who is dead cannot be converted and of course a Muslim killing a Christian – you are also killing a potential convert. But I think most of the crisis are not really religion – it’s politics. Some politicians choose to use religion as a tool for their own ulterior motives.”

Q. “Do you think the church can play a role in politics?”
A. “Of course – who was it that said man is a political animal. Everybody should decide who is going to rule over him and you should not complain about anything you permit. If you fail to vote, fail to participate in the political situation and someone gets to become your ruler and you say you don’t like the way he’s ruling you – who’s fault? Where were you when he was being voted into power? And if someone gets into power and he’s not doing what you expect him to do – then vote him out.”

Q. “Does the church play enough role?”
A. “Maybe they should do more. Because I believe in the past – the people have been so focused on making it to heaven that they don’t want anything to do with politics – politics has gizzards, which is another way of saying politics can be dirty. Christians are the light of the world – should be shining a light not being the salt of the earth which is only of use if its applied – so I think we should be doing more than we are doing now.”

Q. “You have the ear of presidents – do you support, talk and support certain candidates?”
A. “When I am consulted I do talk. But then all you can do is advise – you can’t command – you can say this is the way I think this thing should be done then they’re free to decide whether they will take your advice or ignore it. You are free once in a while to make a move that will show the man on top the feelings of the masses because we are very close to the masses. I’m into saying presidents and governors are not close to the masses – but you know fully well, that if there’s total black out in the nation – lights will still be on in state house. But as we live with the people on a daily basis – we can feel their pulses better. So when things become a little too uncomfortable for the masses – we take some actions.”

Q. “Try to make them sway for a particular way to vote?”
A. “No. I mean – when you have this kind of congregation – you have members of every party in the congregation and if you want to retain their respect for you – you must be neutral. My suggestion would always be – make sure you vote for the person of your choice – if the choice you make turns out to be right – glory be to God, if your choice turns out wrong then maybe another time.”

Q. “People want better life – not just in the afterlife but today – would it not be better to protest outside government house?”
A. “Prayers can move mountains. Protesting outside government house – how much has it achieved? You go there – you carry placards, if you’re fortunate – you will return home alive, if you are not fortunate – some overzealous police officer might accidentally discharge some bullets. And you protest day after day after day and after some time you get tired.”

Q. Do you think church has brought people out of the widespread poverty?”
A. “Sure – we are trying our best – the problem is huge – we might not see results to soon but we are doing our best we have programmes that are talking about how to start little business, we have seminars on small scale farming, seminars on almost everything – in other words we’re saying don’t look onto government for everything – be creative.”

Q. “What else do you like doing apart from the Redeemed, religion?”
A. “I love fishing. I used to be a boxer – unfortunately I can’t box anymore, except box the devil maybe.”

Q. “How did you feel about Newsweek?”
A. ‘I felt humbled. Because – how could they possibly leave all the archbishops and big, big names and chose a small pastor in one little jungle. I was surprised and humbled and drove me closer to God.”

Q. “Is it a responsibility – the influence you have on people?”
A. “Of course it is- if I had my way, I would not want influence over anyone but my little family. Particularly as the bible says on the day of judgement – judgment is going to be based on this influence – how have you used this influence – for good or evil. One man was complaining to a great preacher – the preacher said what is your problem, the man said – my congregation is only fifty people in number. And the preacher said – you have a lot of people to answer for when you get to heaven – you should thank God there are only fifty.”

Q. “What else do you like doing apart from the Redeemed, religion?”
A. “I love fishing. I used to be a boxer – unfortunately I can’t box anymore, except box the devil maybe. And I go for walks, long walks. Unfortunately I don’t have time for any other thing. It’s difficult for me to now even walk in the streets – everybody wants to come and ask me to pray for them. Occasionally I want to go to market – to buy things for myself – but last time I went to the supermarket I had to run back into the car because the people who were around the shop left the shop and wanted to turn the place into a crusade ground. So I can only walk in the night when they’re supposed to be sleeping and they can’t disturb me – and once in a while I go to fish in a place that is excluded – just for the fun of it.”

Q. “Would you like to retire? Will you keep going until the end?”
A. “I would have loved to retire – I had plans of what I could do in retirement – when you are retired – you are more or less your own master – wake up whenever you like, go where you want, when you want. If I’m retired I don’t have to be in charge of the congress – I can just come and enjoy.”

Q. “Where would you like to see Redeemed go from here?”
A. “Still a long way from our goal. We want to reach the whole world – want to have churches in every nation and have members in every family in the whole world and that’s where we believe God will take us before I leave this world.”