₦airaland Forum

Just watching TV and saw the botched London terror plot and with links to some Islamic Jihadists. Is not time   for these people to sit down and argue with people of opposing views and let superior arguement win? Why must people be forced to agree by guns not by brains?  Do you know that women are not allowed to drive in Saudi and  yet they are not taking up guns against that government?  A feudal class /family  is controlling their oil wealth .
Why would Muslims in northern Naija kill southerners over a published cartoon in Scandinavia? Why cant prominent people of that faith condemn their acts?   To my knowledge, Emir, Sultans,  and prominent Islamic scholars have never publicly spoken against religious intolerance in Nigeria. Why must adherents of Islam incline to those hardline postures even when they disagree? They are always afraid to speak out.
It’s the truth we speak that will save us, not the truth we know

Golden Obikwelu takes 200m title
Portugal's Francis Obikwelu made it a sprint double when he went away from the field to take 200m gold at the European Championships in Gothenburg.
Obikwelu, who won gold in the 100m on Tuesday, clocked 20.01 ahead of Sweden's Johan Wissman in silver and Britain's Marlon Devonish in third.

Both Obikwelu and Wissman ran national records, while Devonish clocked 20.54.

Devonish said: "I'm disappointed. It's a shame that I didn't run as well in the final as I did in the first round."


Replay: Obikwelu storms to sprint double
Obikwelu, the clear pre-race favourite, led off the bend and accelerated away to win by three metres from the impressive Wissman.

He became the first man since Italian Pietro Mennea in 1978 to win both sprints at the same Europeans.

His time on a damp, windy evening was the best by any European this year and his fastest since he became eligible to compete for Portugal four years ago.

"I did not have a single doubt that I was going to be the winner," said Obikwelu, who was born the year Mennea made history by claiming both sprints at the Prague championships.

"This gold medal is more important and more precious to me than the one for the 100 metres.

"I bet you there will be a lot of partying in Portugal tonight."




Story from BBC SPORT:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/sport2/hi/athletics/4781453.stm

Published: 2006/08/10 19:05:05 GMT

LAGOS—General Overseer of Christ Praying Assembly (CPA), Ajao Estate, Lagos, the Rev. Emeka Ezeugo King, who was arrested by the police for allegedly setting six members of his church on fire, yesterday denied the allegations against him and attributed the incident to a faulty generating set in his house.
He also denied several other allegations against him but agreed that he flogged his worshippers without restraints.

The pastor who addressed himself as His Holiness, Reverend (Dr.) Emeka Ezeugo King narrated the circumstances that led to the incident inside the cell of the State Criminal Investigations Department (SCID), Panti, Lagos to Vanguard last night.

He said: “I was arrested by heavily armed policemen Sunday night who alleged that I poured fuel on some members of my church and set them ablaze. It was a very surprising thing to me and I was stunned when they came for me.

“In any case, why must I pour fuel on my worshippers? That day in question, 20 members of my church wedded and after that, I proceeded to my house. We were all feeling very happy. In my residence that evening, I heard shouts of Daddy. The screams came from one of my daughters (he calls female members of his church daughters) Kelechi. I was wearing shorts and I ran down from upstairs.

“I saw flame of fire on my daughter, Ann. When I came down, one man was helping to douse the fire on her while some other people were there. I helped in drawing her to the tap but the tap was not running. I was also praying while trying to save her. Fortunately, the fire went off.
“We then took her to the nearest hospital where she started receiving treatment.

Rev. King who also spoke on other allegations against him including flogging of members stated further: “I am a preacher. I know that the spirit of witchcraft is against the Almighty God. If somebody is a liar, he is bewitching God. I don’t condone lie. Dr. King does not condone sin. I flog a lot. I have canes. If husband and wife mess up by having misunderstanding, I have to settle them.
“But the person that is at fault, I must flog. If the person refuses to be flogged, I will send him out of the church."

PFN disowns King

In an swift reaction to the report, the umbrella body of Pentecostalism in Nigeria, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), yesterday disowned Emeka King, who’s real name is Kingsley Chukwuemeka Ezeugo, saying the said General Overseer was not and could not be a clergyman let alone a member of the regulatory body. Speaking in a telephone interview Monday night, the PFN National Secretary-General, Bishop Joseph Ojo condemned the incident, describing it as most barbaric and the height of wickedness.
With palpable holy anger in his voice, the PFN scribe noted that it was wrong to describe the said church, which he said was a demonic enclave as a church.

This is how the world views africa.

Africa still struggles for democracy By EDWARD HARRIS, Associated Press Writer
Thu Aug 3, 3:36 AM ET



Whether a new peace or more violence lies ahead for Congo, its people have embraced the chance to join fellow Africans who are increasingly finding their voices through the ballot box.

The vote Sunday in Congo, a massive country in the center of Africa that's been ruined by war, typifies the continent's postcolonial struggles — and its hopes that legitimate governments will at last act on their citizens' behalf.

African countries once torn apart by strife and injustice have now held multiparty elections, and voters say the advance of democratic rule won't be turned back, though analysts say that voting alone does not equal democracy and is not a panacea for what ails the continent.

In 1991, when multiparty elections first began sweeping Africa, what was then called Zaire looked like much of the continent: It was laden with vast troves of valuable natural resources controlled by rich leaders in charge of desperately poor people.

The themes of exploitation, deprivation and violence played out across Africa before elections. South Africa's townships burned under apartheid. Military regimes ruled Nigeria. Ethiopia starved and fighters wearing looted ball gowns preyed on civilians in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

With shifting global priorities, Western leaders and donors began valuing good governance over simple internal stability. The collapse of the Soviet Union destroyed a source of funding for African leaders who had, sometimes cynically, embraced communism. Now, the continent-wide African Union has declared it will bar from its ranks leaders who took power unconstitutionally.

Most of sub-Saharan Africa's people have voted — and not just in government-sponsored referenda where ruling leaders gain 99 percent of the vote.

"During Mobutu, we could only vote 'Yes.' Now we can vote for who we want. There are no soldiers here telling us how to vote," said Michel Katako, a 52-year old railroad worker who voted Sunday in Congo's trash-choked capital, Kinshasa.

Final results are not expected for weeks.

A former rebel leader who was among the 33 presidential candidates has alleged massive fraud but pledged that his protest would remain peaceful as preliminary results trickle in. Foreign observers have so far praised the process as open and largely peaceful.

Zambia's Kenneth Kaunda appeared to set the pace for voting reform in Africa in 1991, when the decades-long ruler lost multiparty elections he arranged, then handed over the keys to the presidency to the victor.

But freer political space has not ended problems for Africa.

Apartheid in South Africa crumbled after Nelson Mandela's electoral victory in 1994, but crime, AIDS and poverty remain. Some 10,000 Nigerians have died in ethnic and religious strife since that country's 2000 vote ended heavy-handed military rule.

Despite advances under elected President Olusegun Obasanjo, Nigeria is still considered among the world's most corrupt nations.

Swaziland has one of the world's last remaining absolute monarchies, and some elected leaders, like Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, have consolidated power inside their executive offices in ways reminiscent of military dictatorships.

Even in countries headed by leaders who prevailed at the ballot boxes, journalists and human rights workers are jailed, political opponents stymied and government funds looted.

"Elections don't equal democracy," says David S. Pottie, an assistant director of the Carter Center, which was founded by former President Carter and often monitors overseas elections.

Voting can provide ways to make and implement decisions that affect large numbers of people, but "what's more important in unleashing democracy and development is to create structures, mindsets and practices that involve the people," says Pottie, who focuses on democracy projects.

That's the hope in Congo. But the country is still roiled by back-to-back wars that ended in 2002 with President Joseph Kabila's negotiated settlement that set up the transitional administration that arranged Sunday's vote.

There are concerns that some of the presidential candidates won't accept the outcome and that armed struggle could flare anew. But voters hope that democracy means elected leaders will be responsive to voters' needs, making economic development and peace a priority.

"This will be the first time we have democracy. After the vote, our lives will improve. Why? We will finally have a free country," said Katako, the Kinshasa voter. "If we have an elected president, he'll work for the people and help end the suffering."

I believe this is an interesting topic. Let us  hear from your part of the globe what the world thinks of Africa

contact me via my email address

voice of people is the voice of God. How do we really decipher what God wants? We have to follow working ethics/rules set by men.

I think that prayers alone cannot help us.  In biblical times, God used his men and women to redeem their societies. God used Moses and Joshua, God used Noah, and God used Abraham. God sent his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to redeem mankind. If God had not wanted in those circumstances, He could have saved his people through prayers, but instead, allowed His begotten son to die for our salvation.
Think of the inventions and undertakings of human nature, if we had solely relied on prayers, this world would have sunk.
If Christopher Columbus had relied on prayers and that the world was flat, America would not have been discovered. If Mahatma Gandhi had relied solely on prayers, India would be a British colony. If Martin Luther King, a preacher, had solely relied on prayers, black people would still be regarded as second-class citizens. If Nelson Mandela had hoped solely on prayers, South Africa would still be in Apartheid.
Truth of the matter, if God had willed us to be so much prayerful without commensurate efforts; He would not have given us the brains to think, hands to work, eyes to see, ears to hear. Remember he created us to take dominion over his creatures. And you must work the way of your salvation.
God bless you all

I saw this sticker today " Pray for Nigeria, A country of great future" and remembered this prayer  " prayer for Nigeria in distress’’ People prayed for bribery and corruption and yet stuck to their guns of accepting or giving bribes to get their ways through. People said these prayers and did not do anything to change the situation.

My question is can prayers really save us without good work? Remember to work is to pray. Faith without good work is in vain. Let us not be hearers of the word, but doers.

Most developed countries don’t pray so much the way we do, but are better off. We pray so much and do so little

Analytical reasoning please.

contact Rocana Nigeria Ltd ttp://www.rocana-nigeria.com

You ve got to verify this site. This is not a secure site. No secure certificate information

@Damsal, [It's all you men's fault, the woman gets depressed and she sought out comfort food}

.
baby, Men should not always be blamed for everything that happens to women. Sometimes I think that men are considered as God who who created women as well as men. It comes with pregnancy not from men OK. Its not good to take to eating when we are depressed.


by the way, awesome pix.

Orinkinla.
You have never for once hidden your disdain for Igbos. Igbos are not Nigeria's problems Ok. Lets  put square pegs in square holes.

Big Gboozzaaah for Busta.
I will feel better if love is defined in this context. If not, I'm still alien to this type of love.  I always see this type of love on Maury Show period. Let's put everything in context. Either of the party did not know of the flirtation  or was  being untruthful to their -fatina- ma bad patner

It only happens in Maury Show. Anyway, my mere understanding of love is when a mother unconditionally loves her child.

good day

Hi fellow nlanders.
I need some help on how to design an invitation card for a mini send off party. Just to design with basic MS word with some templates.
Any lofty ideas

We are always under this illussion that men only enjo sex. Why should  sex for money be mentioned by Coco? It seems to me that we always hide under  " love" but beneath its surface there is a potruding pocket- wads of bucks tucked inside the pants. What are friends  for anyway? But  I believe that let he who is  in need  call the first shot.

MEN should not be considered as paying buddies when  they are emotionally involved in a relationship. This relationship should  be based on mutual affinity- no host or   parasite. I ve come to see that we selectively adopt western lifestyle that fits our selfish desires and abadon the rest that conflicts our selfish desires.

I know that in Carribean, traditional  family system is still in vogue ( I mean women staying at home and their husbands going to work) would  Coco be subjected to  this kind of situation in the west ? Its equal opportunity baby. not a man's world. That's why  Halle Barry is paying her ex-husband alimony.

Let us put this in perspective, why is it so wrong to tell someone  I love you? I can tell a girl that I love her make up, perfume, hairstyle etc and can’t tell her that I love her. Although there is no conventional standard in dating, but the rest of  world has agreed that   " thou shall not say I love you" the eleventh commandment of dating holds.

If I love inanimate things like make up and stuff and can freely express myself, why can’t I say I love you? If I were to choose, I would rather have someone tell me I love you than I love your perfume/shirt and I like you. I think we have missed our priority in this regard. If everyone who said I love you really meant it, then the world would be paradise, devoid of law courts, contractual agreements, divorce, and break up etc

Hey fellas, this is a myth. A pre-occupation of the subconscious mind. Why do people sign paper contract instead of blood covenant? Its meant to trap a gullibly minded fellow. Chris Ngige and Chris Uba should have taught us a great deal of lesson. please study Ngige's case and tell me if you have broken up with that girl. I think it was delusional for you guys to engage in that kind of sheepish act. If you like, be a celibate , you ex girl will prosper, get married, have a good family. She don live you be that. Go for HIV test b4 u go for another girl

Get a new life

http://odili.net/news/source/2006/jul/1/603.html.

Please DO NOT READ THIS

4 Play
You  ve got to take it easy on Naija girls. By the way, my sisters are not ugly and dumb. My mum is also a wonderful queen. I am not gonna take this disparaging statement. I think its a slight on Naija women including likes of Okonjo Iweala,Oluchi Onweagba, Agbani Darego, Oby Ezekwesili, Dora Akunyili ectc. Okonjo Iweala, Ezekwesili and Akunyili are turning things in Naija. Things that were messed up by " wiser and better" specie MEN. Please lets  exercise more restraints in our postings

my  dear .

It was a pitiful scenario. I always tell my lady's friends that you don't need a man, but want  a man who will in turn compliment you. Your life is not  dependent on this man's life. If your spend  you precious time looking for this man, then you are locking yourself  from meeting these wonderful  and unknown men  who want to compliment you.  You said that you met this man, so he came,saw and did not conquer. Lets look for someone who will conquer our love.


This is a school of hard knocks. it ain't gona be easy.   Move on babygirl or you better  join moveon.org

I think relationship is always been in favour of women- when it comes to making choices. Its the man who does the searching and wooing  for a wife. I tell you  what , a suitable suitor would not trade a good woman for anything regardless of her educational, economic and  social status. In most cases women are looking out for men who are , economically , socially and emotionally stable. Its easier for men to marry a non grad than women. In the  universities,  men don't find it difficult to go out  with someone who is in a lower level/class,  but its very difficult for women  to date a guy who is not in the same level/class with them.

likes of okocha, kanu and CO, came home to marry unknown Nigerians. Could the same thing be said of likes of Regina Asika, Agbani Darego, Oluchi Onweagba and co.
May be its a cultural thing that runs deep in the system that a man is supposed to  be well established before searching for his missing rib.   

Whoever findeth a wife, findeth favour in the Lord- not a graduate or trophy wife.   As for me, I  can marry a non grad. I was not born a graduate.

Hey Orinkila,
could you post the website where you got OJ's $2 million hotel