₦airaland Forum

The Edo State governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has resumed his verbal attack on President Goodluck Jonathan’s government.
The ex labour leader claimed that the pains the country is going through currently was as a result of Jonathan’s harsh economic policy.
The governor called on Nigerians to deploy their permanent voters card issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as strong weapon to vote out President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.
Oshiomole who spoke at the occasion of the formal defection of a former Minister, Ogiewonyi and about 2,500 others to the APC, called on electorate to get ready to bring Jonathan down from power with their votes.
Also speaking at the event, Ogiewonyi said 15 years of uninterrupted PDP national administration has woefully failed the nation.
His words, “when I pitched my tent with the PDP some years ago, I was with the genuine expectation that it was a platform that will truly enable me continue my service to humanity and that it will truly return power to the people as the power depicts.
“However, PDP has continued to impoverish our people. The PDP has continued to lead us to perdition and the unreformed, anti-people and undemocratic Peoples Democratic Party has set us on the path of retrogression.
“15 years of uninterrupted PDP national administration has woefully failed to approximate the expectations, dreams and yearnings of Nigerians. After very deep retrospection and wide consultation, I have come to the inevitable conclusion that I must join hands with the purposeful leadership of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole to help consolidate in the monumental transformation in all spheres being witnessed in Edo State,” he added.

Source: Daily Post.

Three weeks ago, Nigeria’s 170 million populations woke up to happy news that cement is now N1, 000 per bag. For almost ten years (2005 – 2014) the price of the commodity had been hovering at N2, 500; N2, 200; N1, 750 per 50kg bag, depending on the brands and location. The sudden new price regime therefore came as unbelievable to Nigerians but news screamed the headlines while radio/TV newspapers review confirmed it. Dangote Cement Plc who led the industry to slash the price of the company’s cement by 40 per cent, said “We have pegged the Dangote 32.5 cement grade at N1, 000 per 50 kg bag, while the higher 42.5 grade is to sell for N1, 150 per bag.” - See more at:

The Group Managing Director of Dangote Cement, Mr. Devakumar Edwin, who announced the new price regime, said “We recognize the need for an increase rapid response to the huge infrastructure and housing deficit in the country, and one of the ways of addressing the issue is bringing the price of building materials down to much more affordable levels especially cement which within our own control as part of our own contribution to the transformation agenda of the Goodluck Jonathan administration and the attainment of key milestones in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).”
According to him, since the commencement of the implementation of the backward integration policy for cement in the country over 12 years ago, the local production capacity of the product rose from less than 3 million metric tonnes per annum to more than 38 million metric tonnes per annum.

Stakeholders’ reaction

Abdulsamad Rabiu, chairman, BUA Group, whose company is behind Cement Company of Northern Nigeria, Sokoto, Edo Cement and OBU cement at Okpella, Edo State, with combined 5.3 million metric tonnes per annum capacity, hailed Dangote cement for the price reduction.
Rabiu said he has always been concerned about the high cost of cement in the country and has always advocated a reduction of the cost so that more Nigerians can have access to the product and realise their dreams of owning their own houses.
“What Aliko Dangote has done is significant. I am very pleased about it because it would make the cost of the product more easily affordable to Nigerians. With the price being low, it will result in more consumers buying the product which will drive up volume and increase market share for all stakeholders.
“I hereby urge all cement producers to emulate Dangote and bring down the cost of cement. There is absolutely no reason for a bag of cement to cost so much. On our part, I have already directed all our plants to follow suit and implement the new price regime. We still believe that more can be done to bring down the price even further for the benefit of Nigerians,” he said. Yusuf Binji, Executive Director Project and Technical, OBU Cement Plant, also expressed hope that the new price regime has potential to increase consumers demand for the construction of residential and commercial buildings. He noted that local manufacturers have the capacity to satisfy all the markets in Nigeria. “When you look at the potentials that exist, for example, let us use one of this indices – the per capita consumption of cement in Nigeria as at 2013 was 120kg per person. That is just about 2 ½ bags of cement per person in Nigeria, if you look at some of our neighbours in West Africa, for example, Ghana, it is 250kg or five bags of cement per person . So, if we are to move from the same consumption from 120kg to 250kg, cement requirements in Nigeria will go up to 50 million tonnes per annum.

“So there are still potentials to build more cement factories in the country. When OBU cement start production, we are going to fix the prices and it is going to be very competitive and attractive to all our customers because we are starting from ground zero and then we are going to hit three million tons within a very short time. Nigerians are going to smile when our brand of cement hits market. On a daily basis, about 250 to 300 trailers of cement will leave the factory. We will sell to the North, East, West and the South. This is our priority but you will not see the cement going to the extreme corners of the North- West or North- East because of the distance which is over 1000 kilometers.
“As you can see the OBU cement plant is located in a nice geographical area and the location is very good like in the Mid-West and it is very close to the cement market in the North and also in the South to West and to the East with excellent road networks about 200 metres to the major highway linking Okene to Benin. So, this places it at a strategic location to adequately distribute our brand of cement products all over Nigeria,” he stated

Still on the price reduction, Mr. Muda Yussuf, Director-General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) said the slash would create healthy market competition.“This will force other manufacturers of cement in the country to review their cost price as well. “It is for the benefit of the end users; the lower the price of a commodity, the better for the consumers,” he stated. According to Alhaji Rasidi Adebowale, the National President of the Block Moulders Association of Nigeria, the new price regime will translate to reduction in the price of blocks.
In his own comment, Alhaji Okunola Abegunde the Lagos State Chairman of the Block Moulders said “we have been looking forward to a time like this when the price of cement would jump down from the roof top it has always been.”
On the other hand, cement distributors said it would take some time for the new price to reflect because they had yet to dispose of the old stocks and that it would be difficult to sell at the new recommended price.
Mr. Ben Ohaegbu, a distributor of cement in Lagos, said “I got my stock of Dangote cement long before the announcement of the price slash. The slash will be implemented as soon as I get a new stock from the company. For now, the price of 50kg of cement is N1, 700 and it remains until I replenish my stock.”

Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/11/cheaper-cement-price-will-per-capita-consumption-increase/?utm_source=&utm_medium=facebook#sthash.3pAKK1CA.dpuf

Speaker of the Kebbi State House of Assembly, Habib Musa Jega, has been impeached.
In his stead, the clerk of the House, Shehu Usman Randali, has sworn in Mohammed Shalla Gwandu as the new Speaker.
Sixteen members out of the 24 members of the House signed the impeachment, which took place at 10:25pm at the House of Assembly in Birnin Kebbi.

Shortly after the swearing in of the new Speaker, he said, “I thank all the members for the confidence they have in me and promise to wok harmoniously with both the state government and members of the House so that our people will reap dividends of democracy.”
Abdullahi Garba Fana, representing Dandi constituency, told newsmen that the House sat and reviewed the performance of the former leader and concluded that he was incompetent to continue as their leader.
When asked to mention the impeachable offences committed by the ex-Speaker, he said, “The reason is just incompetence and members have no confidence in him any longer.”
The impeachment is coming barely two days after the news of 17 members of House allegedly planning to dump the Peoples Democratic Party for the All Progressives Congress

Source: Scannews

Immediate past governor of Ogun State, Otunba Olugbenga Daniel has said that he would no longer contest the 2015 Senatorial election in Ogun State. In an exclusive interview in his Lagos home, yesterday, the former governor appreciated the demands on him to contest, especially by people who believed that his doing so would boost their own aspirations.
His words: “The Senate, for me, is not an ambition. On the contrary, the pressure on me to run sometimes is because some people believe that my name will add value to their own aspirations.

‘’They believe that if I run for the Senate, it will rub positively on the tickets of other people.
‘’But I have taken a decision, all things being equal, that I will not run for Senate under this dispensation.
“Or put the other way, I feel that having achieved the required stability within the party, PDP, I can now successfully say that I am bowing out of the senatorial race. That does not stop me from supporting all the people that I need to support.”
Otunba Daniel who spoke on many issues remarked that Ogun State has a master plan for development, which any incoming administration can use to take the state to greater heights instead of attempting to diminish the legacies of their predecessors.


Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/…/im-2015-senate-race-gbenga-d…/…

“Boko Haram is not simply a menace based on religion or one directed to frustrate anybody’s political ambition. It is essentially a socio-economic problem that is tainted with religion. It is a gargantuan danger to the nation and to all Nigerians.”
Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Source:Punch.

There was pandemonium in Port Harcourt on Thursday morning, following repeated gunshots around the Rivers state government house.

A banker who works at the Secretariat Complex located on Nnamdi Azikiwe Road told TheCable on phone that banks and other businesses immediately shut operations after the incident while people ran helter-skelter for safety.

“There was sporadic shootings from the government house axis at about 9:30am,” he said.

“This has caused a lot of pandemonium as people are seen running helter-skelter and the roads are totally dry. Reports have it that there is tension right from the Isaac Boro Park axis down through Forces Avenue.

“We have closed our doors at the main branch and the cash centre, pending when the environment will be calm. We are still monitoring the situation.”

He added that staff of the bank were trapped in the office, as they were unsure that moving about was safe..

“We had to lock the premises,” he said. “Once it is calm, they will be evacuated.”

Read more at: http://www.thecable.ng/breaking-bedlam-around-rivers-govern… | TheCable

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Sen. Bala Muhammed on Wednesday stated that some federal ministries, departments, and agencies would be relocated to Kyami District to decongest the city-centre.

Muhammed told State House correspondents after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja that the council had already approved N60.8 billion for the provision of engineering infrastructure in the district.

“The Centenary City is also directly opposite this place and because of the increase in population; we need to do something very quickly.

“And the Federal Government is doing this directly as per what we have always done as FCT as a Federal Government project to provide for the development of the city.

“Again, in this district, we are moving some of the ministries and departments to that area because we envisage that in tandem with city growth – city growth is always dynamic – and that of course as the population is increasing and the city centre is increasingly moving as per the master plan from the central business district to the centre of the city where you have the city gate and the centenary city, we need to provide for some federal ministries and organisations.“

According to him, the master plan and land usage of the FCT have been changed to accommodate the movement of the ministries and departments to the new districts.

He said the FCT administration had set aside N5 billion for the payment of advance payment for the provision of the engineering infrastructure at the Kyami district.

The minister further explained that the council’s approval for the provision of the facilities was in line with the statutory responsibility of the FCTA of providing engineering infrastructure to the FCT.

Source: http://dailypost.ng/2014/11/27/fg-move-federal-ministries-agencies-abuja-city/

Politicians drawing Nigeria back since 13BC

So you have time to type this p.oo .. Damn it.. get a life

Aren't they get tired? God is powerful than you(BH) idiots, sympathizer and sponspor.

President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday travelled to N’djamena, Chad for another meeting with the Chadian President, Idris Deby, to discuss how his country and Nigeria can collaborate to end the current insecurity challenge posed by the Boko Haram terrorist group back home.
The President had two months ago made an overnight trip to discuss same issue with Deby.
This second trip to the northern neighbouring country is coming on the heels of reports of alleged complicity of one of Deby’s aides in supplying the Boko Haram sect with arms and ammunition.
Although, details of the talks between the two leaders were not disclosed, presidency sources confirmed that ending the menace of Boko Haram was top on the agenda.
The Presidency is believed to be uncomfortable with reports of the allegation, which may have prompted the trip.
Both leaders he said are expected to come to terms on the reality on ground and find lasting solution to how best the excesses of the sect can be contained.
President Jonathan returned last night from the one-day visit.
A statement issued by Aso Rock after Jonathan returned to the Villa said he had reiterated the need for Nigeria and her neighbours to intensify joint actions and cooperation to win the war against terrorism and insurgency.
Speaking with reporters at the Presidential Palace in N’Djamena after a closed-door meeting with his Chadian counterpart, Jonathan confirmed that their talks focused mainly on security and economic cooperation.
The President told reporters that Boko Haram had a lot of external influence from outside Africa and it had become even more imperative for all countries in the region to work together to overcome terrorism and other criminal activities across their borders.
“If you look at the economies of Nigeria and Chad, both are linked. The Boko Haram people don’t take permission to move from Chad, Niger, Cameroon and Nigeria.
“If the countries do not cooperate, we will not find it easy to win the war, because when the heat is strong in one country, the criminals and terrorists will go to another one and hide.
“So we must work together and we are discussing along that line”, Jonathan had told reporters.
He recalled that his visit to Chad was the second in the last one month, noting that it underscored the importance of building a “robust relationship” between both countries to improve trade, economic and security ties.
He said that discussions between both countries on cooperation in the ICT sector were ongoing and expressed optimism that more proficient use of modern technology will help greatly to address economic and security challenges in the region.

Source: Scannews

Two prominent Nigerian religious leaders the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, and the National President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, yesterday, openly differed on the war being waged against Nigeria by the Boko Haram insurgents. Although the two religious leaders agreed that the Boko Haram sect had committed serious havoc against the country and its people, they disagreed sharply on why the sect has continued to unleash unabated violence on the nation.
The two men of God spoke at a roundtable meeting with special advisers on religious affairs drawn from the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory held at the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The programme with the theme “Toward synergising and interfacing in the religious sector for national development” organised by the Offices of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Islamic and Christian Matters was declared open by Vice President Namadi Sambo.
In effect, Abubakar had insisted that Islamic leaders had done their best to dissuade the sect from committing further destruction of lives and property while the CAN President punctured the claim, saying that the Islamic leaders had not done enough in that regard.

Muslim leaders have tried so much—Sultan

According to the Sultan, Islamic leaders have “tried so much” to preach against the activities of the sect but Oritsejafor said such effort was not strong enough to prevent the insurgents from further mayhem.
The Sultan maintained that there was no problem between Islam and Christianity in Nigeria, pointing out that if there was any problem between the two major religions, it would have been dealt with at that level.
Abubakar, however, blamed the rising level of insurgence on lack of education about religions which breeds lack of trust and sincerity.
He regretted that while Islamic leaders have continued to condemn the insurgents, they are still being accused of not doing enough. This, he said, was not fair to the religious leaders.
He said, he had personally gone across the globe to preach peace and uphold the fact that there is no problem between Islam and Christianity.
In his quest for peaceful relationship between adherents of the two religions, the Sultan said he had written two separate lengthy letters to the Catholic Pope and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
He said when people were asking Islamic leaders to sit with insurgents and discuss, they fail to note that the current situation could not be compared to the activities of militants in the Niger Delta.
Abubakar said: “In a situation where Muslim leaders condemn insurgents and they will still be told they have not done enough. That is not fair. We don’t tell ourselves the truth. Followers are not telling the leaders the truth, and the leaders will think they are doing the right things.
“If the governor in Sokoto is told that he should sponsor four people to Christian pilgrimage, so be it. It is government’s fund. If a land is needed in Kano for a church, they should get it after following the due process.
“Muslim leaders have tried so much. I have gone across the globe to say that there is no problem between Islam and Christianity.

We are not going deep enough —Oritsejafor

Oritsejafor said: “But if we would come together there must be sincerity, equality, fear of God and genuine love for one another. The problem with gatherings like this is that if we are not careful it becomes an occasion for good photographs, we shake hands, we talk very nicely, we are all politically correct. We don’t want to offend each other. Please let’s offend each other, we need to. Because if we don’t offend each other, we will not tell each other the truth and that is part of Nigeria’s problem.
“If you come out to say certain things, there are those who feel you are rocking the boat, but God is in the boat, the boat will not sink. Let us talk to each other, let’s tell the truth to each other and let’s not sweep it under the carpet. When we finish the opening ceremony and you go into the close door session, lay all the cards on the table.
“It is truth your Eminence that Christianity and Islam have no problem but I’m glad you said, there could be problem between Christians and Muslims and the reason is because probably we are not going deep enough.”
Likening Nigeria to the boat in the Holy Bible that wanted to sink with Jesus Christ on board but did not sink, he noted that many things have happened in Nigeria that have rocked the boat, but the boat has remained standing.
He said: “Some are religious, political, tribal, but different things have happened that have rocked the boat. But let me still thank the Lord that the boat is still floating.”
Querying why a church in the North in the last 30 years have not been able to get a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) for land, he said any mosque or church should be able to get C of O anywhere in the country.

Letter to Boko Haram

He charged the Sultan to also write a letter to Boko Haram to stop their attacks and not just the letter to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
He said: “His Eminence said he wrote a letter to ISIS, I have to truly congratulate you for that because that was a very good move. I didn’t know about it until today and I am so glad it happened. But I want to appeal that you also write to Boko Haram because Boko Haram is worst than ISIS. They have killed more people than ISIS, they have caused more atrocities than ISIS. They need to be written to as well, it is very important it will help.”


Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/11/sultan-oritsejafor-differ-war-boko-haram/#sthash.XyRII455.aMVzET0m.dpuf

Very simple.

'Oh bros, I take God beg you, if you see me next time turn to other direction or what happened in 18bc would happen when next such happen'.

So it is like INEC is messing up with our Permanent Voters Card. Have you collected yours? If you have collected yours, please show as comments.

excellence44:
THE OP IS AS STUPID AS THE STUPID CNN AND D STUPID MAN INSIDE THE BAG.

Do you have elders?

Islamist militants from Nigeria's Boko Haram have reportedly killed 48 people in an attack on fish sellers near the border with Chad.

A fish traders' group said some victims had their throats slit whilst others were tied up and drowned in Lake Chad.

The attack took place on Thursday, but the news took several days to come to light because Boko Haram has destroyed mobile phone masts in the area.

It was the second major attack in two days by Boko Haram.

In Thursday's attack, the traders were on their way to Chad to buy fish when militants blocked their path near the village of Doron Baga, some 180km (112 miles) north of Maiduguri in Borno state.

Abubakar Gamandi, the head of the fish sellers' association, said the militants had used no guns.

"The attackers killed their victims silently without the use of the gun to avoid attracting attention from the multi-national troops," he told AFP news agency.

Troops from Nigeria, Chad and Niger have been deployed to the area and have a base at Doron Baga, but the military task force has had little impact, says the BBC's Will Ross in Lagos.

On Wednesday, Boko Haram gunmen attacked the village of Azaya Kura, also in Borno state, killing at least 45 people.

In this attack too, victims' hands were tied behind their backs and their throats were slit. The attack was apparently aimed at punishing the community after four insurgents were pointed out to soldiers and were shot dead.

Boko Haram has been waging an insurgency in Nigeria since 2009.

It has stepped up attacks against civilian targets since the Nigerian military launched an offensive against the group last year.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-30167886?ocid=socialflow_facebook

Wren Thomas grew up in the middle of the cornfields of central Illinois, longing, he says, to do something important in his life “to make his family proud.” So when a cousin beckoned him to come work on boats off Louisiana, he jumped at the chance.

His goal: to be a ship captain, “the best that I could be.”

“It meant strength, accomplishment,’ he said when he finally was made a captain in 1991 and traveled the world for various shipping firms. With a wife, eventually three children and boat to lead, Capt. Wren Thomas had achieved his piece of the American dream.

“I wanted to be in charge of my own destiny,” he recalled during an interview in his attorney’s Houston office.

All of that came crashing down on October 23, 2013 when Thomas was piloting his supply boat, the C-Retriever off the coast of Nigeria towards a Chevron-owned oil field.

Over the next six hours, he would huddle with his crew in an incredibly hot, water-sealed tank room as a half-dozen pirates stormed his boat and began their siege looking for their prize: the American captain and his American-born engineer. Thomas reluctantly gave up when the pirates started firing guns through a hole in the room door. He told his engineer they had no choice if the rest of the 13-member crew, still in hiding, was to be spared.

“I told him, ‘Look I think it’s time we give up. If we don’t give up we are either going to die or somebody is going to get killed from ricocheting bullets.’”

Thomas and his engineer were the only ones to be kidnapped by the pirates, driven away in a speed boat and held in Nigerian swamps and jungles for 18 days. The experience was so horrific that even today Thomas is unable to bring himself to reveal all details of his captivity.

“We weren’t being punched or kicked or anything like that but just I’ve told people that I would have rather been punched then went through what I went through,” Thomas said. “The mental abuse of it with the guns pointing at you. And knowing how unstable these guys are.”

Thomas said there were about 18 Nigerian kidnappers, some chain-smoked marijuana or crack incessantly, constantly waving their weapons and making threats.

Food consisted of instant noodles — on days the negotiations were going well — and maybe a bottle of water. And his captors blared their music constantly, fixated on, of all things, country singer Dolly Parton’s song, “Coat of Many Colors,” and the music of hip hop artist 50 Cent.

“I knew I was going to die. We knew it every day, every night,” he said.

Despite the chaos in the jungle, Thomas said the leaders were organized, using satellite phones to negotiate, first demanding a $2 million ransom. Thomas believes the payoff was eventually whittled down to several hundred thousand dollars, though CNN cannot confirm who paid the ransom or who received it.

Thomas said one evening he and his engineer were told to get in a small boat with six pirates. They motored for about two hours to reach a village. There, four of the pirates got out and met some other men who handed them backpacks, Thomas told CNN. They returned to the boat and counted the cash stuffed into the bags. After a dispute, Thomas says he and the engineer were taken to the other men and told to lie on the ground until the pirates left. Then they were put in a car and driven off. Later they were transferred to a second car, where a representative from the shipping company was waiting for them. At that point they were finally free, 18 days after being seized at gunpoint.

After a debriefing by his ship managers, then a similar one by the FBI in Lagos, Nigeria, Thomas returned to the United States last November, days after his release. He has been seeing mental health advisers and other medical professionals since.

But his hostage-taking and the negotiations that freed him have raised alarm bells in counterterrorism circles and elsewhere for numerous reasons; not the least is Thomas’ claim that the FBI told him the money paid for his freedom may eventually have wound up in the hands of the notorious terror group Boko Haram.

That is the same group that in April kidnapped nearly 300 Nigerian girls. They’re also blamed for laying waste to multiple villages in the northern part of the country, burning them down and killing many people in bomb attacks.

Thomas said during his debriefing in Lagos the FBI indicated that the money paid for his freedom may have been funneled through other groups before making its way to Boko Haram. The FBI would not comment. CNN cannot independently confirm whether Boko Haram received any money from the kidnapping.

Yan St-Pierre, CEO of Modern Security Consulting Group, said his contacts believe Boko Haram, once confined strictly to the northern parts of Nigeria, is benefiting from the increase in piracy along the west coast of Africa. But the group is perhaps not directly carrying out the kidnappings itself.

“So when people are asking, is there a link between Boko Haram and piracy in Nigeria, it’s not the one they usually expect it to be,” said St-Pierre, whose firm was not involved in the Thomas case. “It’s one that is not necessarily logistical and operational. It’s one that is more subtle. Essentially they will probably provide personnel every now and then, but it’s not a fixed structure. So we are talking more (about) providing means to wash the money, to clean it. To make sure the smuggling routes, personnel, sex slaves, drugs, weapons above all else, these pirates need weapons.

“So if Boko Haram provided the weapons in advance for example and said, ‘Well we will get a cut of the ransom,’ which is standard policy within these groups within the region in general, this would make absolute sense to say, well the ransom money that was paid for the captain ended up at the very least partially into Boko Haram’s hands, quite probably as a payment for services delivered.”

Major oil companies have an official policy of not paying ransom for personnel or the thefts of fuel and ships on the high seas. And subsidiary companies, like Capt. Thomas’ employer Edison Chouest, aren’t talking, so it is unclear if they, too, have the same policy.

It is against U.S. law to deal with terrorists but that issue becomes murky when dealing with ransoms for captives because so many middle men are involved, counterterrorism sources said; it is hard to say who is a terrorist and who is just a common criminal.

Piracy off the coast of Nigeria is on the rise, according to one study published by Oceans Beyond Piracy, a project of the One Earth Foundation. By contrast, piracy off Somalia — on the other side of the African continent — dropped dramatically in 2013 to only 23 vessels attacked from 237 ships attacked in 2011, the same group reported. In West Africa, the group estimates there were at least 100 total piracy attacks and characterized them as more violent and frequent.
Thomas, in a series of emails, says he warned his company, Edison Chouset, that security was deteriorating and he feared some of his own Nigerian crew members. His attorney shared two of the emails with CNN.

In one email to his operations coordinator, Thomas, summing up his fear of the security situation, wrote “I am also asking to not to return to Nigeria.”

Thomas said company officials told him things would improve but never did. On the day he set out on his fateful trip, Thomas said dock workers announced over two-way radio where the ship was going and what supplies it was carrying. He said those communications left them doomed before they ever got to their destination.

“The pirates (later) told me they knew where we was going … they knew my cargo, they knew my position, they knew the track I was taking.”

CNN made multiple attempts to contact Edison Chouest for comment but the company refused to return multiple calls or an email.

Thomas said two representatives from the company stayed near his wife in their hometown during his ordeal and the FBI was also in contact. But once he was freed, the communications virtually ended. It wasn’t until January that someone from the company offered to assist in his medical care and other financial needs, he said.

Thomas is now consulting with a Houston attorney on his next move as he says he is medically unable to return to his overseas duties as a ship captain.

“Life is hell for me now,” Thomas said. “Life will never be the same again. The man that my wife married is not the same anymore….I walk around all day paranoid. I’m sad. I can’t sleep. My family is hurt.”

Earlier this year, Thomas finally broke his silence, giving an in-depth interview to a shipping newsletter gCaptain. He is talking now, he says, so others don’t face the same fate.

His attorney, Brian Beckcom, represented members of the Maersk Alabama crew that served with Capt. Richard Philips, whose capture by Somali pirates was made into a movie starring Tom Hanks. He said he believes these companies owe crew members, like Thomas, the same level of protection now provided to crews off the Somalian coast.

“Now all the ships in East Africa have armed guard, or most do, and piracy has plummeted in East Africa. West Africa is now the hotspot and there is no question that these companies are making hundreds of millions in (oil) profits should do something more than they’re doing to protect the men that work over there,” Beckcom said.

Source: CNN News

Unibenstudent:
Nice 1 but how many girls u don get now?

Too plenty but still trying to get your girlfriend to make it complete.....

If you want a girl out there to fall in love with you, chances are that you'll have to go that extra step to win her over. That's okay, though, because you're probably willing to do anything it takes.

Love is an art, not a science, so try to think of these steps as fluid guidelines.But before beginning your journey,Remember that there are 8 types of women,that mean that women are individuals, the types of women that exist are the following:1)The Playette 2)The Social Butterfly 3)The Hopeful Romantic 4)The Cinderella 5)The Private Dancer 6)The Seductress 7) The Connoisseur 8 ) The Modern Woman

1. Take care of yourself first. If you want a girl to fall in love with you, you need to show her that you’re capable of loving yourself first. Practice good hygiene, wear nice clothes (clean and no holes!), and exercise and eat right to keep your body feeling strong and healthy. When you show people that you think you’re worthy of love by loving yourself, they’re much more likely to agree!

2. Live your life. [/b]Who wants to get into a serious relationship with someone who just sits around all day? If you want her to fall in love with you, get out there and show her that you live a great life. Go out and do the things that make you happy, fill your life with learning and exploration, and pursue your dreams. Always work hard and girls will fall for you in no time.

3. [b]Show her your lovable qualities. People don't just decide with whom they want to fall in love. Love happens because the people involved have lovable qualities. Love often develops over time, so your job is to show the girl that you're worth being around. Let your personality shine through, and give her the chance to see who you really are and what you have to offer.

4. Have confidence. To be genuinely lovable, you have to believe that you are worth being around. Most girls aren't attracted to people who are constantly putting themselves down. So be confident, but not cocky. Know what you are good at. Don't brag about it or show off, but put these things into your routine and don't be afraid to let them shine every once in awhile

5. Get to know her. Getting to know her is about more than just memorizing her birthday and where she was born. Spend time with her, build trust, and come to appreciate the things about her that she doesn’t often show. Learn about her fear of water (and why she’s afraid) or learn about her most embarrassing moment (and help her laugh it off). Understand how she thinks and what she believes. This will help you love her as a complete person, and she will appreciate that more than you can understand.

6. Give her space. This doesn't mean playing hard-to-get, but give the girl control over what happens next. Suffocating her and bullying her into a relationship will do the opposite of what you're hoping for. Show her you respect her life outside of you; when you give a girl room to breathe, she will often come to love you on her own terms.

7. Don't judge her. Don't judge any girl that you develop feelings for. They are their own person, with their own qualities just like you are. We all do things that drive other people crazy or seem weird. If she does stuff that you can't even try to understand, then she's just not the girl for you. That doesn't make her a bad person and you shouldn't be mean to her about those things.

8. Eliminate all expectations. Love lives in the absence of pressure. Letting go of your expectations will help you to relax, which will make you more appealing to a girl than if you are uptight and worried.

9. Respect her thoughts, feelings and emotions. Try to see everything from her point of view. Show her you appreciate and admire her opinions. More than that, you can try to adopt her point of view.

10. Be honest and genuine with yourself and with her, always. Honesty builds trust, but once the trust is broken, it never returns. From that moment on, your words will be suspect. Reveal your true heart and soul. Do not fear to "bare all".

Most Important: If you just meet a girl, start talking to her, and always be friendly, nice. You should start emailing, phone or texting her. After you've talked for about a week and a half or so, ask her out on a date. But never express your feelings directly. One phrase doesn't change a girls mind about you. You will soon see how she feels. What you must know, is that you are either attracted to someone or not, if she has no feelings towards you she most likely never will. But if she keeps talking to you after you state your feeling, and keeps talking regularly then you've got a good chance. Stick with it.

Why do we keep on lying to each other as if we are one nation? A nation that is full of hatred, tribalism and religious bigot. I read some article some weeks ago about Biafra claiming to have their own country. Fine nothing is bad about that, but let come to think of it, even within the Igbo's , do they love each other? A friend of mine who is an Ibo guy bought a laptop from another ibo outside Nigeria. Even for the fact they are from the same country, same tribe and speak same language, the guy intentionally sold s.hit to my friend. Is there any unity or love in that?
Majority of Yoruba do not want other to supersede them even within family. How can there be unity when there is no love. They have much more hatred about other tribes.
Imagine some fo.olish set of people calling themselves the boko haram sponsor. Spending huge amount of money to kill their people. Killing innocent people all because they want power by all means..

With the little experience I have had about Nigeria politics, I was able to reach a conclusion.

Yoruba prefer Ibo to Hausa
Ibo prefer Yoruba to Hausa
Hausa prefer Yoruba to Ibo


Let us stop deceiving our self, there is no unity, no love and peace in the land.

What started in the House of Representatives as a plot to initiate impeachment proceedings against President Goodluck Jonathan has spread to the Senate, according to indications yesterday. A growing number of Senators are said to be enthusiastic to team up with the Reps to get the President impeached.
One hundred and thirty Reps were known to have signed up to support the plot on Thursday, but by yesterday, the figure had risen up to 148, sources close to the bid said. The plot was sparked by alleged growing impunity by the Federal Government, the latest being Thursday’s attack on the National Assembly by armed policemen who tear-gassed Reps and denied Speaker Aminu Tambuwal access to the Chamber.
Senate sources said yesterday that some senators were inclined to get President Jonathan impeached.
The arrow heads of the plot in the Senate are from the Northeast where the President proposes to extend the emergency rule in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States.
The arrow heads, one source said, “have been meeting to plan how to convince and win other senators to buy into and support the pro-impeachment lawmakers.”
The source said “things will get clearer by Tuesday 25 when the Senate will resume plenary.”
But the source could not confirm if a register is already in place for interested senators to indicate their willingness to join the plot.
“I know of a fact that there have been series of clandestine meetings where the plot was mooted,” he said.
The senators say Jonathan must go to “save the country from unbridled impunity” by President Jonathan.”
The source described Thursday’s invasion of the National Assembly as “the height of impunity that must not be condoned by right thinking Nigerians.”
The Senate leadership is said to be labouring to calm frayed nerves.
A South West Senator who spoke on the plot noted that it is obvious “things will no longer be the same in the National Assembly.”
He said: “At this stage, it is still a matter of wait and see. Things can no longer be what they used to be. Even the most conservative in the Senate were agitated by the action of the police yesterday (Thursday). The police could not have acted without order from above.”
In the House of Representatives, more members are said to be considering joining the 148 that have already indicated their willingness to be part of the impeachment process
Many Reps are still aggrieved by the Thursday action of the Police which they cite as one of the several impunities of the Jonathan administration.
“Since 1999, this is the first time in the history of democracy that such a thing has happened,” a Rep said of the attack
The motion for impeachment may be moved as early as the 3rd of December, it was learnt.
It was also gathered that the legal team of the Speaker may head to the court on Monday to file a contempt of court case against the President and the Police over the invasion of the National Assembly.
According to a source, the Speaker is hinging his action on the fact that a court ruling exists that asks all parties to maintain the status quo over the issue of defection.
The legal team would look at the possibility of getting the court to declare that the action of the Presidency/Police is subjudice.
Also yesterday, the Minority Leader of the House and the leader of the APC Caucus in then Green Chamber, Femi Gbajabiamila, vowed that the opposition will not go to sleep in the House.
In a statement entitled: “We Will Continue to be Vigilant Against Unlawful Tactics of Jonathan, Gbajamiamila expressed sadness over the events that led himself and other members into scaling over the National Assembly gate before gaining entrance into the National Assembly on Thursday.
He said: “What happened in the National Assembly yesterday (Thursday) will forever live in infamy. Never thought I would see the day when I would be forced to go over the assembly gates where I work to gain access into the chambers. But then our democracy has to be saved.”
Gbajabiamila expressed surprise that the Presidency, through its agents, could undermine a court injunction restraining them from acting against the Speaker,
“It was pretty clear the Presidency in spite of a court injunction wanted to do something sinister and illegal. They perfected the plot to stop the Speaker and the opposition leader from gaining entry.
“ My members were already in chambers waiting for me to come in so as to provide leadership and direction. Most of them had gone over the gate too. I had to do the needful to save our democracy. We thank God we foiled their evil machinations. We will continue to be vigilant”.
Meanwhile, The Nation learnt that PDP members in the House are under fire from the Party and the Presidency for not delivering on the plan to remove Tambuwal on Thursday.
According to a source, the strategy was to hijack the plenary after the Speaker might have been prevented from gaining access into the National Assembly by the Police who were deployed by the Inspector General of Police for that purpose.
Trusted lawmakers from the PDP, with no allegiance to the Speaker, would then seize the House, and impeach the Speaker. The police would provide them cover and the Presidency would grant immediate recognition to the new Speaker, who naturally would have been the Deputy Speaker.
However, the plan was thwarted by the vigilance of the opposition lawmakers, who smuggled Tambuwal into the Chamber, where he took charge of proceedings before the PDP lawmakers could act.


Source:The Nation.

These House of Representatives members have acted below acceptable societal standards and it is unfortunate that they threw decency over-board to protect a desperate embattled Speaker Tambuwal who lacks the courage to resign after defection.
Very sad.

Source: Scannews

General Yakubu Gowon and General Mohammed Buhari, former heads of Nigeria, visited separately ex-military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) at his hill top mansion, Minna. The two meetings were held behind closed door as there was no press attention, but Leadership reported authoritatively that General Gowon came about midday and left about an hour later.

It was learnt Gowon came to greet IBB over his medical treatment out of the country but held a closed door meeting with him before leaving.

Hardly an hour later General Buhari with former Osun State governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola and former governor of Bayelsa State Timipre Sylva visited General Babangida.

It was gathered that they reached the house of IBB at about 2:20pm and lunched with him before retiring to a closed door meeting and left in about an hour.

A source hinted that however Buhari and the two ex-governors came to recognize with IBB over his latest health challenges, they discussed for about 30 minutes behind closed door on the political growths in Nigeria.

Within rumours that Babangida is one of the top supporters of President Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential bid for 2015, the guests it was learnt might have taken the opportunity to hint him about the imperative of Buhari’s presidency.

While details of the closed door meeting with his senior ex-leaders were unknown it was learnt that, IBB was pleased to receive them.

Ibrahim Babangida returned to Nigeria on November 1, 2014, Saturday, after almost two-months-long medical treatment in Germany.

He was flown to Germany on September 6, 2014, accompanied by his son Aminu. Firstly a routine medical check-up has been planned for the ex-Nigerian leader. Meanwhile, IBB had to undergo a bone related-surgery, which required long recovery period and extended his duration of stay meaningfully.

President Goodluck Jonathan had supposedly visited Babangida a visit at the hospital, while on his way to New York, for the annual UN Assembly on September 21, 2014.


Source: http://www.naij.com/329008-gowon-buhari-in-separate-closed-door-meetings-with-ibb.html

The authentic Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Adewale Omirin, and his deputy, Adetunji Orislalde, have said their purported ‘impeachment’ by seven of their colleagues on Thursday cannot stand.
The described their removal as “unconstitutional” and vowed to resume duties on Monday.
They spoke in Lagos where they were joined by 17 other All Progressives Congress, APC, members of the House to address a press conference.
The 19 lawmakers APC also said they had written three federal ministers asking them not to have any dealings with the three commissioners purportedly approved on Monday by their seven colleagues, who are members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
The lawmakers also dispatched another letter to the state governor, Ayo Fayose, faulting the approval of the appointment of the commissioners by seven of their PDP colleagues.
The letters were signed by all the 19 lawmakers.
Copies of the letters were sent to relevant heads of department and agencies under the Federal Government as well as the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.
The commissioner-nominees, whose appointment was ratified by the seven PDP lawmakers, are Owoseni Ajayi (Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice), Toyin Ojo (Finance) and Kayode Oso (Works and Transport).
The nominees had served in those capacities between 2003 and 2006 when Mr. Fayose presided over the state.
Amid tight security provided by the police on Monday, the PDP lawmakers reconvened the House in the absence of the Speaker and the deputy, both APC members, and approved the appointments of the nominees.
They also confirmed the appointments of 12 advisers to Mr. Fayose and reconstituted the caretaker committees of the 16 Local Government Areas in the state.
But in separate letters to the Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke, the Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and their Works counterpart, Mike Onolememem, the 19 APC lawmakers, told the ministers that the Assembly had not confirmed the three commissioner-nominees, in compliance with the provision of Section 192 (2) of the 1999 Constitution and that they are not recognised as commissioners in the state.
They said the House received a letter from Mr. Fayose seeking confirmation of the nominees, which was read of the floor on November 11 and it therefore considered the letter and deffered further consideration until a future date when issues relating to the manner of presentation and content of the request would be satisfactorily resolved.
They said this was the situation until November 17 when seven members of the House with the force of the state mobile police detachment and armed thugs invaded the House and purportedly held a session that screened the nominees.
The lawmakers told the ministers that they had drawn the attention of the governor to the several constitutional breaches committed by their seven colleagues.
They listed them as Sections 96 (1), which deals with the quorum for sitting in plenary and 192 (2), which deals with the appointment of commissioners.
“We have advised the Governor that the consideration, screening and confirmation of…..that purportedly took place in the House of Assembly on November 17, 2014 is extra constitutional, illegal, criminal in nature and therefore ultra vires.
“Take notice that the Ekiti State House of Assembly is yet to confirm …..in compliance with the provision of sections 192 (2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The House therefore does not recognize…. as a Commissioner in Ekiti State.”
In the letter to Mr. Fayose, the 19 lawmakers reminded the governor that the House could not consider his request for the confirmation of the commissioner-nominees when it received his letter and therefore deferred it “until a future date when issues relating to the manner of presentation and content of your request to the House were satisfactorily discussed.”
They said that was the situation until seven members, under the governor’s directive, sat last Monday to confirm the nominees’ appointments.
They noted in particular the presence of armed thugs with instruction from the governor to inflict bodily harm on the members and parliamentary staff who resisted the invasion.
.“We are constrained to bring to your attention that the said confirmation process by the seven members including three non-members (who were recruited to shore up the number of members in an attempt to form a quorum) is unconstitutional, illegal, and may have elements of criminality.”
The lawmakers also said that Order 13 of the House rules explicitly states the process of summoning the plenary session while Order 27, under which the illegal sitting of the seven legislators took place, only envisages a situation where the Speaker and the deputy were not around and not where they were unlawfully excluded.
They also drew the attention of the governor to Section 96 (1) and 192 (2) of the Constitution.
“The cumulative effects of these provisions is that the consideration, screening and confirmation of your nominees that purportedly took place on November 17, 2014, is extra constitutional, criminal in nature and therefore ultra vires,” the lawmakers said.

Source: http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/171611-19-ekiti-lawmakers-write-okonjo-iweala-others-dealing-fayoses-fake-commissioners.html

Goodluck Jonathan has asked politicians to desist from hiding under immunity to make utterances that tend towards tearing the country apart, saying that Nigeria would continue to exist as a nation despite blackmail by the opposition.
The President was speaking in his residence when the Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, led traditional rulers from Bayelsa State to pay homage to the President on his 57th birthday.
He decried what he called abuse of privileges which has led to the call in some quarters that the immunity clause should be removed.
He described those who make statements that threaten the peace of the country as risking treasonable felony.
The Bayelsa State Governor did not just lead his countrymen to the villa for the sake of it, he also brought the President situation report back home.
According to him, contrary to the impression in some quarters, Bayelsa State remained at peace with themselves and other parts of the country.
The President then thanked the delegation. He said that the visit by his people had boosted his confidence that his immediate constituency was behind him and that he would not disappoint them.
Bayelsa is the home state of President Goodluck Jonathan, he hails from Otuoke


Source: Scannews

Nigeria, Banana Republic


Nigerian, Animal in human skin

Scores of State Security Service, SSS, personnel have taken over the National Assembly ahead of a crucial House of Representatives sitting today, in an enhanced security operations one official said is aimed at denying the speaker, Aminu Tambuwal, access to the complex.

Mr. Tambuwal’s spokesperson told PREMIUM TIMES the move may be aimed at stopping the speaker.

PREMIUM TIMES cannot independently verify that claim yet.

Mr. Tambuwal angered the ruling government of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, by defecting to the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC.

The speaker adjourned the House shortly after his defection on October 28, and announced a resumption schedule for December in what was believed an attempt to frustrate any move by his former party to unseat him.

The PDP has the majority in the House.

The House announced this week it will reconvene Thursday to discuss President Goodluck Jonathan’s request to extend emergency rule in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States, where Boko Haram attacks have intensified.

Thursday’s plenary would be the first since Mr. Tambuwal’s defection.

On Tuesday, the Minority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, told PREMIUM TIMES his party, APC, expected the PDP to abide by a court ruling which that the status quo be maintained in the House, meaning the speaker retains his seat.

But early Thursday, a large contingent of SSS personnel took over the sprawling National Assembly complex and sealed off all entry points leaving only one open where everyone going in is thoroughly frisked and many, turned back.

The spokesperson for the Speaker, ‎Imam Imam, told PREMIUM TIMES that move is likely aimed at stopping Mr. Tambuwal from entering the assembly to preside as speaker.

“All the entrances are locked and only one gate is used and everyone is totally frisked before being allowed in‎ and only one person is allowed into the Assembly from any vehicle, others are asked to go back,” he said.

‎Mr. Imam however assured that Mr. Tambuwal will make it to the Assembly and preside over today’s sitting.

Details later!

Source: http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/171549-breaking-security-operatives-take-national-assembly-ahead-reps-sitting.html

Honestly, I can't remember but I guess it is through Facebook. I never regret of being member of this forum even though the admin(s) are still lacking behind on some aspect but I believe they could do better.. I am expecting NL to be part of changes in Nigeria.. Not all the E-war discussions and after all, THEY are not benefiting from the people they are defending.

Seun, how I wish you could read this.. So many people are expecting you to be part of the change. You are OUR Mark Zuckerberg. Turn the table around.. Yes, you can.

A video depicting the Katsina Governor, Ibrahim Shema, prodding his party members to physically assault and possibly “kill” opposition politicians in the state, has gone viral on the internet.

The amateur video was first posted on the internet on November 12.

It shows the governor, dressed in white agbada and brown sandals, standing on a red carpet, and addressing a crowd in what seemed like a political rally. He spoke in Hausa.

Mr. Shema likened opposition politicians to “cockroaches” before asking the crowd what to do if they found the nocturnal insect in their apartments.

The crowd chorused “Kill them!”

“Crush them!” the governor responded, agreeing with the crowd.

Similar calls have triggered violence in other countries including the East African country, Rwanda, where the majority Hutus’ description of the minority Tutsis as “cockroaches”, helped fired a 100-day murderous campaign that saw over 800,000 Tutsis killed.

Mr. Shema is a second term governor and a member of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

In 2011, he fought hard to secure a second term after the state’s main opposition then, the defunct Congress for Political Change, CPC, expanded rapidly and gained influence in the northwest state. CPC is now part of the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC.

Katsina State is also the home state of Muhammadu Buhari, a leader of the opposition APC and a contender for the APC Apresidential ticket for the 2015 election.

Katsina has a relatively minimal history of violence, although the state has been noted by election observers for a significant incidence of underage voting in previous elections.

The video which has drawn stringent backlash online ended with the governor emphatically asking his fans to reprise any attack from the opposition.

“Before now people from the opposition will humiliate us in the PDP and we will say don’t do anything about it. But now I am telling you to fight back and ‘quote me’,” the governor emphasized.

Mr. Shema could not be reached for comments on the story. His aide, Sani Malumfashi, a Special Adviser on media, said he was away and is only expected back on Saturday.

Follow this link to watch the video.

A transcript of the video is posted below.

“PDP has touched the lives of every citizen of Katsina state, either as an individual or your family in general.

“If your child is sick you must take him to the hospital to receive treatment for free.

“You must use the well-built road that PDP constructed to go to your house.

“Your children have never paid a single dime for his education in this state since I became the governor in 2007 and that includes WAEC and NECO.

“We should thank Allah for this.

“If you look around, some states that I will not mention here, they keep making the headlines that PDP could not do this or that, but they should know Katsina state is PDP and we have done it.

“You should not be bothered with ‘cockroaches of politics.’

“Cockroaches are only found in the toilet even at homes.

“If you see a cockroach in your house what do you do?

Crowd responds: “You kill it!”

Gov. Shema agrees: “Crush them!

“Anyone who does anything against you we’ll retaliate, am telling you now.

“Before now people from the opposition will humiliate us in the PDP and we will say don’t do anything about it but now I am telling you to fight back and ‘quote me’”.

Source: Premium Times.

Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital will on Sunday, November 23, be agog as presidential aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will be addressing leaders and stakeholders of the party in the South South zone on their intentions for the critical development needs of the zone should the party win the 2015 presidential elections.
The event, which will take the form of an interactive session between the aspirants and party stakeholders in the zone, is to hold at the Hotel Presidential.

Expectedly, General Muhammadu Buhari, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Owelle Rochas Okorocha and Mr. Sam Nda-Isaiah, who have all indicated interest in the presidential race under the party’s platform, will be presenting their blueprints for the development of the South South zone.
A statement from the Office of the National Vice- Chairman (South-South) of the party, Prince Hilliard Eta and made available by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Bassey Ita indicates that the presentations by the presidential hopefuls will further avail their plan in line with the components of the six-point APC manifesto, for the critical development of the zone bearing in mind its (the zone’s) peculiarities.

It maintained that ‘’the entire South-South populace will at the end come to the realization that there is a difference between prioritizing their development needs and experimenting on them’’, adding that ‘’the zone deserves a tangible development offer to assuage their neglect even by the present government which prides as representing their overall interest.’’
The statement also said that the various presentations will help the people, party members and delegates in the zone to make informed decisions about the aspirant of choice at the December 10 presidential primaries in Abuja.

Accordingly, more than a hundred members of the party drawn from among the leaders and stakeholders from the various states of the zone are expected to participate at the interactive session.


Source: Daily Post.

You have said it all.. God bless you

Guys always see it coming.. Somehow, they get prepared before it happens. Once bitten twice shy