₦airaland Forum

I typed with the dexterity of an artist, hoping to convince my girlfriend that I was truly sorry for blocking her after a misunderstanding. Her response, “Sorry means nothing to me.” We hadn’t spoken in days, and I had sent her a WhatsApp message with deep remorse, trusting the melody in my words to convey my heartfelt apologies. But though said with a salt-sprinkled tongue, sorry was not enough. In today’s fast-paced social media world, it is easy to say sorry. It can be typed in seconds, with the thoughtfulness of sex behind a bar. It is the art of children trying to avoid punishment and adults merely doing damage control. So, even when said with the best intention, it raises the strongest doubts.

After pondering for a while, I recalled a tool in my arsenal. I had learned the power of prostrating for one’s woman from my brother-in-law years back. Men prostrate to greet elders where I am from, and for a bride’s relatives during a wedding to show respect and gratitude. But for one’s woman, it’s practically a taboo. It is the man who is to be knelt for in the morning and while being served dinner in the evening. Prostrating is the pinnacle of a man’s humility. When forced, it is like beating a man in a brawl in front of his children. Some of my worst feelings as a child came from Dad compelling me to prostrate for my sisters after receiving complaints that I disrespected them. I felt like a teen asked to dance in a crowd for bedwetting, his drenched clothes placed on his head. Why? My actual feelings and what I was meant to do did not align. Deep inside, I wasn’t sorry. A man is not capable of faking prostration. The roots of a tree must first break before it may fall. If it is not forced, it is true.
The man is the head of his woman. And the spring of respect flows upward where I am from, from the follower to the leader and the ruled to the ruler. Prostrating for one’s woman is unnatural. But in an age when intentions are easily misunderstood, this extraordinary act has suddenly become a powerful instrument for apologising. The sobriety of a man who prostrates is never doubted. Prostrating comes as a nasty shock, a surprise to a woman. Unsettling but comforting. For a man, it is extrusive, a volcano eruption, red and flaming on the outside, yet hotter on the inside. Women adore heroes. And men fantasise about battling a lion to defend their women, but this is very unlikely to become reality. You see the simple act of prostrating for one’s woman when sorry seems insufficient; it is attainable. What makes it heroic is that so few men will ever have the guts to do it.

https://medium.com/@faithdamilolaayeniggen/the-power-of-prostrating-for-your-woman-e653fbd53241

Run to a hospital if you can.

You know the number of people that came here because of your headline? Copywriting may be your strength. Pursue it.

Sometimes, it gets this bad and then gets better. OP, there is a way out. Think, read, start, fail, cry and start again. You'll get there sha.

Permanent Site Market 3, Agu Oka ward 1, PU 5:
112 votes cast
AAC - 1
APC - 4
APGA - 77
APP - 2
BP - 1
LP - 2
PDP - 19
YPP - 5

Permanent Site Market 3, Agu Oka Ward 1, PU19:

15 votes cast
APC - 1
APGA - 4
APP - 1
LP - 1
PDP - 3
YPP - 5

Counting of votes has begun at some polling units in Anambra, FIJ can report.

Valentine Ozigbo's polling unit:

PU: 010 Social Center
WARD: 005 Amesi
LG: Aguata LGA

APC- 2
APGA- 8
PDP- 75
Labour- 1
Accord- 1

More than 200 communities in Lakpma axis and some other parts of Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State are now under the control of bandits, FIJ can exclusively report. As a result, hundreds of residents sacked from the villages are now left to their fate.

Ever since all officials of the Army, Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Civilian Joint Task Force and local vigilante were withdrawn from the Lakpma area, armed bandits have taken over the underpoliced communities from residents, who are currently seeking refuge in Padongari area of the state.

Read More: https://fij.ng/article/exclusive-over-200-communities-in-niger-now-under-the-control-of-bandits/

In his own account, Samson Olajide said he dropped out of school after sea tide destroyed his father’s boat. Sea tide reportedly became stronger on the coast as a result of Dangote’s construction activities on the sea. Samson was a second year English student at Michael Otedola College of Education when the incident happened, and since he depended on the proceeds of his father’s business for tuition, education had to give.

“My father was not the only one so affected,” Samson said. “The damage done was so much. Some people had two boats, and the tide destroyed both.”

Read More: https://fij.ng/article/how-dangote-refinery-ruined-the-economy-of-the-ancient-town-of-lekki/

Akume’s suit comes after multiple stories of the destruction of beer in the northern part of the country. In November 2020, the Kano State Hisbah Board destroyed 1,975,000 bottles of alcohol (over 20 trucks) worth over N200 million. In 2013, in Kano, 240,000 bottles of beer were also reported destroyed. Another destruction exercise took place in 2019 when the Kano Hisbah Board destroyed 196,400 bottles of beer. These actions are some of what Akume sought determination for in his suit.

Read More: https://fij.ng/article/court-to-determine-legality-of-destroying-alcoholic-drinks-in-kano/

Ibukun Ayodele left her boyfriend’s house to visit her sister at Owode area of Akure in Ondo State but she had not arrived at her destination when she fell victim to a raid by soldiers.

It was October 24, 2020, the soldiers and other security operatives had flooded the streets of Akure on the lookout for arsonists who had burned the All Progressive Congress (APC) secretariat in the state. On October 20, youth claiming to be #EndSARS protesters had caused violence in Akure.

Ibukun was a stranger in Akure. She was only there on a visit and had no idea of the ongoing crisis. She was raided and paraded as one of the #EndSARS protesters who caused mayhem and destruction...

Read More: https://fij.ng/article/ibukun-ayodele-pregnant-teenager-arrested-in-akure-over-endsars-suffers-miscarriage-in-prison/

Armed bandits have displaced hundreds of residents of Allawa community in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.



https://fij.ng/article/breaking-bandits-sack-hundreds-from-community-abandoned-by-army/

Tolani Alonge (not real name), a final year student of the Federal Government College of Education, Oshiele, Abeokuta, was offered just tablets of paracetamol after donating seven ova in March 2021. For the service rendered, she was also paid N80,000 and nothing more at a private fertility clinic in Ogun State.

While some argued that the fee was too small compared to the service she rendered to the fertility clinic, a critical analysis into the exercise in Nigeria shows a more grave concern.

Fertility egg donation is not the end in itself but a means to an actual end, which is in vitro fertilization (IVF). IVF is an advanced form of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) that helps infertile women and couples conceive. Through IVF, eggs are manually fertilized using...

Read More: https://fij.ng/article/black-market-for-fertility-egg-donation-is-expanding-in-nigeria-but-no-law-in-view-against-abuse/

It is over five months since 17-year-old Kemisola Oguniyi was arrested and detained at the Surulere Prison, Akure, Ondo State. Her parents are saying the illegal detention of their child has caused more wreck and tears for the family.

On October 24, 2020, Kemisola was whisked to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Ondo, while going to get drugs for her sick mother. She was accused of having connections with #EndSARS protesters who burned the All Progressive Congress (APC) secretariat in the state. She was charged with arson, among other offences.

Continue Reading: https://fij.ng/article/alert-a-17-year-old-girl-sent-to-buy-drugs-is-rotting-away-at-an-akure-prison-over-endsars/

“Power doesn’t corrupt people. People corrupt power.” — William Gadis

In 2017, news of a missing file sparked panic among the bigwigs in the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture. The file contained documents of a procurement deal carried out towards the close of the 2016 financial year. When all efforts to retrieve the papers failed, the ministry credited each worker in the Procurement Department with N175,000. It was an appeal to anyone with the file not to let out the content.

Lai Mohammed’s ministerial appointment in October 2015 was good news in the Ministry of Information and Culture. The ministry used to be two different entities before its amalgamation by President Muhammadu Buhari a day before the swearing-in of his long-awaited cabinet. All ministries had been without ministers for more than four months. When the president eventually tilted the poster boy of his anti-corruption mantra to Radio House, the wait looked like it was worth it.

GENERATOR FRAUD

Serious procurement fraud had been going on among the ministry’s fat cats for a long time. A little while before Lai’s appointment, a contract was awarded for the supply of 18.5 and 13KVA diesel generators to the Federal Information Centres (FIC) in the country. The contractor supplied 3.5KVA generators but was primed to get the amount appropriated for the 18.5 and 3.5KVA plants. He was going to give a good share of the money to the ministry officials who made the contract possible.

In Nigeria, procurement is one of the government activities most vulnerable to corruption. Top public officials liaise with bidders before awarding a contract, and the contractor who agrees to do give up the highest bulk gets the job. Up to 60% of all Nigerian corruption cases are tied to public procurement.

For the generator project, a worker in the Ministry of Information and Culture told FIJ that top ministry officials were poised to harvest up to 70% of the money. Expectations were, therefore, high for the new minister. Ordinary workers of the ministry hoped that Buhari’s ‘change’ mantra would begin with the sanitization of the procurement sector. And for Lai, the first test was going to be the generator deal.

Would he approve the payment or prosecute the contractor and everyone involved in the alliance? The minister would fail, and barely six months after his appointment, ministry workers would, in a protest, accuse him of budget inflation and financial irregularities.

WHEN INVESTIGATORS ARE THE FRAUDSTERS

Lai set up a panel over the generator controversy. Investigators deployed to ascertain the delivery of the generators at the FICs had submitted reports suggesting massive procurement fraud. The panel was, however, made up of the same directors who masterminded the fraud, and so was a hornless bull. The Civil Service Code of Ethics condemns any activity that is inconsistent with morality. A civil servant must not solicit payment or gifts in the course of discharging his/her duties.

But the panel would be completely silent over the breach of ethics by some of its members. It ruled that the contractor be paid to the tune of what he supplied. At the end, a huge sum remained in the coffers of the ministry from the generator project and leftover from other capital projects. The ministry’s big names, who would not let such a huge sum return into the Single Treasury Account (TSA), approached the minister with a plan. They could warehouse the fund with the help of the Accountant General of the Federation, and then come up with a deal. They would benefit and the minister would benefit, too. Why let the money go? Their plan was approved, and then the game began.

On Wednesday, March 29, 2017, Bunmi Morgridge, Deputy Director of General Service, wrote a letter to the then acting Permanent Secretary, Hussaini Dayar, asking for urgent procurement of some office equipment, including five Ford Ranger vehicles and some computer accessories such as 30 HP laptops, 30 MacBook pro (2016 Edition) laptops, 30 Apple iPad pro 12.9 inches 128gb, 30 HP Laserjet P2035 Black and White toner printers, 30 HP Laserjet colour printers, 30 HP Sharp AR 6020 Digital photocopiers amongst others...

Continue Reading: https://fij.ng/article/exclusive-over-n200m-fraud-in-lai-mohammeds-ministry-of-information-and-culture/

A look at the video making the rounds online as proof that the Boko Haram faction loyal to Abubakar Shekau shot down NAF 475 reveals deliberate digital alteration. Frame-to-Frame analysis indicates splices/transitions between the original clips that make up the video.

Even if the footages were real, the explosion-first sequence confirms that the video is a string of carefully-wedged clips. While an aircraft hit by a missile can continue its movement before exploding as the case was when Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet in 2015, an aircraft cannot possibly continue movement to the extent shown in the video after explosion.

The explosion, as seen in the video, happened immediately the jet was attacked (although nothing shows what exactly caused it). The jet had disappeared into white smoke, followed by massive explosion which seemed to tear the aircraft into shreds. One may ask where the burning aircraft running in the air with a trail of black smoke emerged from.

A military officer told FIJ it is almost practically impossible to bring down an Alpha Jet with a Rockt popelled Grende (RPG) as suggested in the video. RPG is an anti-tank grenade launcher specifically made to attack armoured tanks. The most commonly used RPG-7 is most effective, at not more than a sight range of 300m. While an RPG is more effective at zero degree, an Alpha Jet can fly several kilometers above sea level...

Continue Reading Here: https://fij.ng/article/analysis-boko-haram-may-be-getting-undeserved-credit-for-nafs-alpha-jet-crash/

People are saying that Goatti, an agritech investment firm, has refused to give them returns on their investment. What is/was your experience?

"Linda Ikeji has been blogging for 15 odd years but is still crude and dishonest at it. Can fresh blood @instablog9ja please organize free professionalism classes for @lindaikeji?

"It costs a lot for me send my team to the field but Linda keeps pilfering our stories and acts rude and insouciant when privately brought to her notice.

"My eyes are on you Linda and my lawyers are watching: you will ‘serve’ into our hands very soon."

helinues:
Desmond eediot is only protecting his political ambition.

Banky W that wasn't appointed for commissioner of environment was busy cleaning Lagos street just because he was contesting for a political position

He was no where to be found during the end SARS protest...

The likes of Aquila and Akin Alabi have also lost their voices.

Majority of our Politicians are the product of youths of No tomorrow

U sure Banky was nowhere to be found during the protest? Get your facts right.

We Need Leaders, Now!

You think substantial social change requires protestors to be on the ground pushing really hard? Great!

You think that's all we need for a revolution? Think again. Protest indicates courage. But wisdom is the better part of valor. It can't be underrated. Not even because we are so angry right now. Of course, police brutality must end, and if that means scrapping any unit—call it SARS or its variant, SWAT—so be it. We have just one goal. And we have shown the world that we are uncompromising about it. But what if we fail? God forbid that the many days of protest go to waste, and the death of fallen comrades amount to nothing. That, unfortunately, is where the arrow points.

From all indications, we have the social media to thank more than anyone else for the #EndSARS movement. But for the very abstract space it provided for expression and anger incubation, the 'Who leads?' controversy would, probably, have prevented us from ever setting out in unison. It, however, beats me that despite how far we've come, the quest for supremacy threatens to tear us apart and rubbish our quite little achievement. We started cooking our defeat from the outset, though, when we dragged and abused those who started the fire. It didn't end with Naira Marley who first proposed a protest. Some went as far as insulting older activists, telling them what to say and when. Where were you when the likes of Bob Dee and Sowore were being hunted for daring to stand by the people? Everybody claimed to be angrier than another. Maybe we are really more upset this time. Maybe our elders haven't done it the way we expected. That's still no reason to call them cowards. Our generation is, no doubt, more daring, but those ahead of us are wise. We aren't. We need their wisdom.

We initially thought we needed no leader; all that mattered was people's anger, and their ability to carry placards. We goofed. But that can be blamed on two things: the nature of the uprising itself which gave no time for consultation, and our almost zero knowledge of history. What makes one revolution succeed and another fail? Leadership! It's the difference between the successful Tehran 1979 and the failed Tiananmen revolution. Two things are very important to uprisings: symbol and strategy. What happens on the streets is but the symbolic, which can achieve very little without real strategies for translating individual concerns into political action. And this requires organization and visible leadership.

The issue right now is not whether we need a leader or not. Events have settled that. Some people will have to speak our mind at meetings with the government. But we are divided on who should step forward. A fraction wants the fighters we've always known. For some time now, Nigerian youths almost always invoked Segun Awosanya each time someone ran into trouble with the police and, he hurried to the rescue of many. Carrying him along now seems appropriate. For other protestors, however, it's not about what anybody has done or is doing. Only saints can make the list. The average Nigerian can sell-out, after all. Don't we all have a price? This is also a valid reasoning.

All this is yet a little strain of division. But may deepen so much in the coming days as to water down the movement and our achievements so far. Trust the politicians to take advantage of every crack. What a great shame it will be to lose this battle because of our inability to agree. Perhaps, we don't even know the magnitude of what we've started. This revolution is not just about ending SARS. Far from it! It's the very birth of a new Nigeria. That nation that has always existed in our dreams. Did you know that the armed forces have been one of the major instruments of oppression and suppression in the hands of power mongers? If we can successfully tame them now, then we can do anything we so wish. We can go ahead and say 'no' to unfavourable policies in the nearest future. We can wake up one day and ask for a new constitution. We can ask for a good cut in the salary of politicians tomorrow or even ask the president out the following day, without fear of being shot. That's freedom. Freedom! And the politician knows it.

Dear compatriots, this is no time to find faults or trade insults. It's a time to admire everyone and then build fraternal bridges with fighters of older generations. We have a lot to learn from them. Every well-known guy in the #EndSARS movement deserves to be our leader, although some might be more suited for civil engagement than others. Let them meet, settle every rancour, and then stretch out into a visible and transparent structure. Right now we should draft a tangible strategy to permanently end police brutality. This is where we need leaders. And the rest of us will not rest until government clearly commits to the document.

But we may have to hurry before the momentum drops and we are left with a kind of theatre. People will not be on the streets forever. And should we fail this time, greater will be the fall. Aluta Continua!

Ayeni Faith Damilola
Twitter: @AF_Damilola

Elvictor:
Africa don't have leaders instead they are bind with common goals, tell your thief cartel that advocate for leadership have failed

Well...but take a look at history.

We Need Leaders

You think substantial social change requires protestors to be on the ground pushing really hard? Great!

You think that's all we need for a revolution? Think again. Protest indicates courage. But wisdom is the better part of valor. It can't be underrated. Not even because we are so angry right now. Of course, police brutality must end, and if that means scrapping any unit—call it SARS or its variant, SWAT—so be it. We have just one goal. And we have shown the world that we are uncompromising about it. But what if we fail? God forbid that the many days of protest go to waste, and the death of fallen comrades amount to nothing. That, unfortunately, is where the arrow points.

From all indications, we have the social media to thank more than anyone else for the #EndSARS movement. But for the very abstract space it provided for expression and anger incubation, the 'Who leads?' controversy would, probably, have prevented us from ever setting out in unison. It, however, beats me that despite how far we've come, the quest for supremacy threatens to tear us apart and rubbish our quite little achievement. We started cooking our defeat from the outset, though, when we dragged and abused those who started the fire. It didn't end with Naira Marley who first proposed a protest. Some went as far as insulting older activists, telling them what to say and when. Where were you when the likes of Bob Dee and Sowore were being hunted for daring to stand by the people? Everybody claimed to be angrier than another. Maybe we are really more upset this time. Maybe our elders haven't done it the way we expected. That's still no reason to call them cowards. Our generation is, no doubt, more daring, but those ahead of us are wise. We aren't. We need their wisdom.

We initially thought we needed no leader; all that mattered was people's anger, and their ability to carry placards. We goofed. But that can be blamed on two things: the nature of the uprising itself which gave no time for consultation, and our almost zero knowledge of history. What makes one revolution succeed and another fail? Leadership! It's the difference between the successful Tehran 1979 and the failed Tiananmen revolution. Two things are very important to uprisings: symbol and strategy. What happens on the streets is but the symbolic, which can achieve very little without real strategies for translating individual concerns into political action. And this requires organization and visible leadership.

The issue right now is not whether we need a leader or not. Events have settled that. Some people will have to speak our mind at meetings with the government. But we are divided on who should step forward. A fraction wants the fighters we've always known. For some time now, Nigerian youths almost always invoked Segun Awosanya each time someone ran into trouble with the police and, he hurried to the rescue of many. Carrying him along now seems appropriate. For other protestors, however, it's not about what anybody has done or is doing. Only saints can make the list. The average Nigerian can sell-out, after all. Don't we all have a price? This is also a valid reasoning.

All this is yet a little strain of division. But may deepen so much in the coming days as to water down the movement and our achievements so far. Trust the politicians to take advantage of every crack. What a great shame it will be to lose this battle because of our inability to agree. Perhaps, we don't even know the magnitude of what we've started. This revolution is not just about ending SARS. Far from it! It's the very birth of a new Nigeria. That nation that has always existed in our dreams. Did you know that the armed forces have been one of the major instruments of oppression and suppression in the hands of power mongers? If we can successfully tame them now, then we can do anything we so wish. We can go ahead and say 'no' to unfavourable policies in the nearest future. We can wake up one day and ask for a new constitution. We can ask for a good cut in the salary of politicians tomorrow or even ask the president out the following day, without fear of being shot. That's freedom. Freedom! And the politician knows it.

Dear compatriots, this is no time to find faults or trade insults. It's a time to admire everyone and then build fraternal bridges with fighters of older generations. We have a lot to learn from them. Every well-known guy in the #EndSARS movement deserves to be our leader, although some might be more suited for civil engagement than others. Let them meet, settle every rancour, and then stretch out into a visible and transparent structure. Right now we should draft a tangible strategy to permanently end police brutality. This is where we need leaders. And the rest of us will not rest until government clearly commits to the document.

But we may have to hurry before the momentum drops and we are left with a kind of theatre. People will not be on the streets forever. And should we fail this time, greater will be the fall. Aluta Continua!

Ayeni Faith Damilola
Twitter: @AF_Damilola

Depressed111:
Commiting Suicide is on my mind, but my goal in life is just too big to die and go just like that, I am confused

Be patient. Be patient, again. This time shall pass.

yaki84:
U sold nomination form for 22million naira, yet u gave 6candidates a billion naira to run campaign.
You don't collect dues from party members yet there is money in the party.
This man thinks we r all zombies.

You know the funniest part? Those who lost in the primaries were REFUNDED. I wonder how money sprouts in the party's purse.

Let this bird go, please. Save it further physical and emotional torture.

PopeFlatino:
Please I need #3700 to complete my drugs ,I won't say much about my illness presently but d chest pain is massive..

Anybody that will help me out will continuously receive God's blessings and favours,,His/her account will continuously flow with funds and covid-19 will not near any loved one . Amen..

This is not a random begging strategy,I have my x-ray ,ECG and Lipids test result with me for prove... please assist me ..I need to complete d drugs

Have you bought your drug?

Have you seen this?

Fact: Nigerian soldiers behave too crudely. They are often unprofessional in their relationship with civilians. No one, not even soldiers, has the power to trample upon human dignity.

Truth: No two wrongs make a right. Lynching a soldier is entirely wrong, but opening fire on an unarmed civilian is worse.

LordAzubuike:
Where was God when a Reverend sister loyal to him lost her life. He couldn't even prevent the roof from crashing on her head.. too bad.

The same place He was when His only Son died terribly for you.

[quote author=Adesgentle7 post=81357482][/quote]Christ never lied! Moreover, I learnt that Sarah was truly Abraham's sister.

mmsen:
Those same missionaries that you chose to highlight also committed egregious crimes in many of the places that they went to.

It was they who looted from the native peoples in the Americas. It was they who tricked the native peoples in many parts of the world to lay down their arms so that European armed thieves could follow and kill people who had put their weapons down because of the lies from so-called clergymen.

It was also those same missionaries who abused children.

That is the nature of Christ's church. It is a place where 'weeds grow alongside wheat', and to add to it, The Master ordered that the weeds be allowed to grow, too, enjoying the application of fertilizers and timely rain, until the day of harvest. That is the church for you! The idea doesn't look so good to me, either. But The Master is all-wise. All-wise!