₦airaland Forum

ASUU: 2 million parents threaten hunger strike

PARENTS of university students in the country under the umbrella of the National Association of Parents Teachers Association (NAPTA), South West chapter, on Thursday threatened to embark on hunger strike if the federal government and Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) failed to resolve their differences over the current crisis.

The chairman of NAPTA, Pastor Julius Olaribigbe who addressed journalists in Osogbo after the inauguration of new executives of the state chapter of the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) bemoaned the face off between ASUU and the federal government, describing it as embarrassing to the nation.

According to him, “Over 2 million parents across the 36 states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will embark on a national hunger strike if this situation should continue,” stressing that the federal government need to accede to ASUU demands in the interest of the down trodden parents.

While imploring President Goodluck Jonathan to constitute a special committee to dialogue with ASUU, with a view to ending the ongoing imbroglio between the two parties, Olaribigbe said the future and interest of the undergraduate students should be of paramount concern to the feuding parties in the crisis.

He stated, “When two elephants fight, the grasses will definitely suffer. This time round, it is the parents that are suffering. We are left with no other option than to appeal to the two parties to see reasons why the strike should end. But if the strike persists, we shall embark on hunger strike.”

Oluribigbe, however, chided the federal government for allowing the strike to drag on for too long, pointing out that “the federal government has a duty to ensure qualitative university education for all Nigerian children.”

He also called on well meaning Nigerians including traditional rulers and religious leaders to intervene in the current federal government and ASUU face off in the overall interest of the nation.

http://www.tribune.com.ng/news2013/index.php/en/news/lead-stories/item/27932-ASUU-2-million-parents-threaten-hunger-strike.html

Sebi Adams is still a widower and the mama sef na widow so why not apply the solution the Prophet would have applied?

My point be say your man for life is benched by severe alcohol poisoning also known as hangover and the Brits will let all those who need to know have the facts when they choose so Abati can stop hiding behind one finger.

manny4life: For your mind na, you think you've made any sense? Going by your reasoning, I would assume you know the diagnosis of every govt official who went to London for treatment. Besides, what has the diagnosis got to do with he was sick? Someone who's sick goes to the hospital for medical care, so what's your point? Even if GEJ had previous medical condition like High Blood Pressure, who's to say that his he did not experience a breakdown as a result of his condition? For instance, people with HBP can easily collapse anywhere even with their constant medication. Patients diagnosed with different ailments can show their conditions anytime any day, hypothetically, I have a condition that causes muscle weakness, though unlikely, can make me collapse despite my medication, whether London or Japan or even in Aso Rock, so again, what the hell is your point?

Abati has forgotten that the British doctors will have the actual diagnosis which will be fed to all Western governments and will ultimately find its way back to Nigerian 'stake holders'. His lies will only compound the gathering consensus against his principal. No wonder Buhari, Tinubu, Amaechi, Fasola and other 'oppositionists' are being courted in Western capitals with addresses to parliaments etc. May our salvation from the Clueless drunkard be swift and sure.

Not if the current crop of carpetbaggers remain in charge of naija.

rhazhaqh: hope they will manage it well....

SaharaReporters: A presidency source however told Saharareporters that there was heavy birthday party thrown to celebrate the President's 56th birthday at his Presidential suite in the InterContinental Hotel in London that lasted till early this morning. It could not be ascertained if Mr. Jonathan drank too much at the party.

It would be recalled that last year in Addis Ababa, Mr. Jonathan failed to show up to give his scheduled address at the 50th anniversary of the African Union.

On a previous visit to London, he also checked into a hospital.

This is a more believable version than Abati's old lies. Did Abati forget that once you have lost credibility you can't regain it even if you inadvertently speak the truth? Am sorry but I can't believe anything issuing from the mouth of a chronic liar like Abati.

And then there is Clueless' own form. How can we be convinced that a man who routinely gets drunk (Bakare said it repeatedly and has dared them to sue him so he can quote time and date) didn't simply go overboard with the kaikai at his own birthday shindig?

Lagos inches closer to oil-producing status


LBRF-GOVAGOS has inched closer to assuming the status of an oil producing state sequel to a significant improvement recorded by Afren Plc and its partner- Lekoil Limited, exemplified by the drilling results at the OPL310 site offshore Nigeria.

The two oil and gas exploration and development companies said that the OPL310 site showed a gross recoverable P50 resource estimated at 774 million barrels of oil equivalent, almost four times more than their originally targeted 202 million barrels.

Afren holds a 22.86 per cent participating interest and 40 per cent economic interest at the site, while Lekoil holds a 17.14 per cent participating interest and 30 per cent economic interest.

OPL 310 is located in the Upper Cretaceous fairway that runs along the West African transform margin. Extending from the shallow water continental shelf to deep water, the block represents a wild cat exploration opportunity in an under-explored basin. Detailed pre-drilling evaluation of the block identified several prospects lying in the same Turonian, Cenomanian and Albian sandstone intervals that have yielded significant discoveries in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.

The first exploration well drilled by the partners was the Ogo prospect, a four-way dip-closed structure in the Turonian to Albian sandstone reservoirs, which was targeting 78 mmboe of gross P50 prospective resources.

The drilling programme included a planned side-track, testing a new play of stratigraphically trapped sediments that pinch-out onto the basement high targeting 124 mmboe of gross P50 prospective resources. In total, the Partners were targeting 202 mmboe of gross P50 prospective resources.

According to the company, the Ogo-1 well was drilled to a total measured depth of 10,518 feet (10,402 ft true vertical depth subsea), and encountered a gross hydrocarbon section of 524 ft, with 216 ft of net-stacked pay. The Ogo-1ST reached a total measured depth (TD) of 17,987 ft (12,050 ft true vertical depth) and encountered hydrocarbon intervals in the same Turonian, Cenomanian and Albian reservoirs that were successfully drilled and logged at the Ogo-1 well. In addition, the syn-rift section encountered a 280 ft true vertical thickness gross hydrocarbon interval.

“Based on the well data, the Partners estimate the P50 to P10 gross recoverable resources range to be significantly ahead of pre-drilling expectations at 774 to 1,180 mmboe across the Ogo four-way dipped closed and syn-rift structures. Additional upside potential is expected in the syn-rift play.

“In addition, the latest PVT (Pressure-Volume-Temperature) analysis confirms excellent reservoir fluid properties with a 40 deg API, 600 GOR, 0.42 cp viscosity oil in the Turonian, a 39 deg API, 870 GOR, 0.40 cp viscosity oil in the Cenomanian and a condensate rich gas in the Albian of up to 115 bbls/mmscf. The partners expect the syn-rift to contain a light oil or a condensate rich gas.

“Whilst circulating bottoms up at TD, the drill string parted at 3,390 ft and during good progress towards recovery of the drill string from the well bore, the well took a hydrocarbon kick. After the kick was safely controlled, the partners considered it prudent to move to permanently secure the well. The partners intend to drill an appraisal well in H2 2014, ahead of development planning and will increase 3D coverage on the block, currently covering only 25 per cent. of the block, to define further prospectivity.

The Chief Executive of Afren, Osman Shahenshah, that the Ogo and Ogo-1ST discovery continues a 100 per cent exploration track record following discoveries at Ebok North Fault Block and the Okoro East Extension in Nigeria and the Simrit-2 and Simrit-3 exploration wells in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Based on the well data, the Partners have identified volumes in excess of our pre-drill estimates. We expect further exploration results in East Africa on the El Kuran well and in Kurdistan on Maqlub-1 and the exploration tail on the BR-5.

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php/business/business-news/138937-lagos-inches-closer-to-oil-producing-status

What manner of therapy requires denial of access to communication gadgets? Normally social interaction is prescribed but this case? The presence of her brother at the briefing assures nothing as family members are notorious for preferring their own interest. She should be examined by independent medical authorities appointed by the NMA outside the precinct of the governor's lodge to determine what the truth is.

21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

The futility of the whole idea of congregating in sundry 'holy' places despite the blatant hazards is underlined by the fact that 99% of those attending and those ministering will continue to be in their private and public lives the very demons that keep Nigeria in a hellish condition. They will continue to sell fake medicines, bunker, kidnap, rob, take and pay bribes, arrange dubious duty waivers etc and defend those who do all these even while they chase 'god' from pillar to post even though He is by every man's elbow. We fail to find Him because our hearts and motives are not pure.

28 worshippers killed in Anambra stampede
on November 03, 2013 / in News 1:30 am / Comments
By Vincent Ujumadu, Awka, Okonkwo Eze, Enyim Enyim, Onitsha
NO fewer than 28 persons, who attended the weekly crusade at the Holy Ghost Adoration Ministry, Uke, in Idemili North local government area of Anambra State, lost their lives during a stampede at the end of the ceremony in the early hours of yesterday.
The crusade, organized by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Obinma for prayers, healing and spiritual retreat, attracts thousands of people, but the one that was held yesterday on the Feast of All Saints turned tragic.
An estimated 100,000 worshippers reportedly attended the crusade because, besides coinciding with the Feast of All Saints, it was also the first Saturday of the month.
Apart from the dead 25 whose bodies were said to have been deposited at Immaculate Heart Hospital and Maternity, Nkpor and Charles Borromew Hospital, Onitsha, several others, who sustained various degrees of injuries, are receiving treatment in various hospitals in Onitsha.
*The Adoration Ground after the stampede.
*The Adoration Ground after the stampede.
Governor Peter Obi, who attended the crusade in company of 10 persons, including the National Chairman of All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Victor Umeh, the candidate of the party in the November 16 governorship election, Chief Willie Obiano, as well as two siblings of the governor, was said to have left the crusade ground around 3.30am, before the tragedy.
Meanwhile, an unconfirmed report blamed the stampede on the governor. The report quoted eye witnesses as saying the stampede occurred when Obi started campaigning for his gubernatorial candidate and there were shouts of disapproval, causing his security aides to fire tear gas into the crowd.
But Obi, who said, yesterday, that he was heart-broken by the event, said he went home after the crusade satisfied on the rewarding spiritual encounter, only to get the news later.
He consoled all those affected one way or the other and said those responsible would be punished if found or God will punish them if not found.
The governor said: “When the spiritual director gave me the opportunity to speak, I noticed something unusual as I saw people carrying the posters of politicians at the adoration ground.
“I have been going for the crusade there and, on this occasion, I stayed for six hours and left. Our vehicles were parked two kilometres away and this is a place people have been visiting for a long time without any incident.
“It was later that I heard what happened and we are working hard with security agencies to find out those behind the incident. A holy place should not be a place for playing politics.”
At the time the stampede occurred, many worshippers said they thought the governor and his entourage were still at the crusade, not knowing that he and his entourage had left the area two hours earlier.
An eye witness, Mr. Abuchi Ifebuzo, 31, told Sunday Vanguard at the premises of Crown Hospital, Nkpor where he and some of the injured persons were receiving treatment, that the crusade closed at about 5:08 am yesterday and, as the people were attempting to leave the ground, there was a stampede and people were falling on each other.
According to him, trouble started shortly after the event, when some people started shouting “fire’ fire, fire,” adding that, in the confusion that ensued, the worshippers started scampering for safety and, in the process, began to fall on each other.
Another eye witness at St Charles Borromeo Hospital, Onitsha, Chinenye Etinanma, who said he came to visit her sister who was equally a victim, said she escaped because they were the first set that encountered some people carrying the placards of politicians at the adoration ground.
While some of the worshippers attributed what happened to sabotage, alleging that some people raised false alarm of fire, others believed it was an act of God as the people were already on their way out when the stampede happened.
At the two morgues at Immaculate Heart Hospital and Borromew Hospital where the bodies were deposited, many people were seen wailing and crying uncontrollably following the loss of their dear ones.
A woman, who refused to give her name, said her mother was among the dead, adding that her father died only two months ago.
There were however some of the victims who were thought to have died, but regained consciousness later and were either driven home, or admitted into the hospital for further treatment.
Following the development, Governor Obi cancelled all his engagements for yesterday. Some of the events he had planned for the day included a governorship campaign rally at Nsugbe, the home town of the governorship candidate of PDP, Chief Tony Nwoye, a live radio programme, flag- off of some road projects, inspection of on-going shopping mall at Onitsha and the on-going stadium at Awka.
The governor was among the first group of persons to visit the scene of the incident and the various hospitals in company of two police Deputy Inspectors General, DIGs, visiting the state, Mr. Philemon Leha and Kachi Udoji, and the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Bala Nassarawa.
Sunday Vanguard could not speak with the Spiritual Director of the Adoration Centre, Obinma, as he was said to have gone to brief the Archbishop of Onitsha, Most Rev Valerian Okeke. Obinma was also said to have visited the wounded in hospital.
Coordinator of the centre, Bro Achebe Nnadi, who was busy entertaining questions from people, said the problem was caused by a group of people who started shouting ‘fire, fire’ when there was none.
Meantime, Obi has directed that the names of all the wounded persons be compiled, although he could not say immediately if the state government was going to pick their hospital bills.
The governor also visited the Archbishop of Onitsha over the matter, although what they discussed was not made public.
He also said that a panel of enquiry would be set up immediately to ascertain the immediate and remote causes of the incident.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/28-worshippers-killed-anambra-stampede/#sthash.Rpp5JAZI.dpuf

The fear of Naija....

Nigerians face Indian boycott after protests

Posted by: Our Reporter in Featured, News 7 hours ago

A COLLECTIVE of rent-a-bike operators in Goa, India, has resolved to boycott Nigerians and not accept their business, two days after a mob of Nigerians blocked a national highway and attacked locals and policemen.

Spokesperson for the rent-a-bike operators in north Goa, Jalesh Raut, said that they had also put up signs all over Mapusa, a town 12 kms from Panaji, which says “No to drugs and No to Nigerians”.

“We have decided not to rent out two wheelers to Nigerians after their attack on locals and police Thursday. They give us good business, but they cannot be beating our own people and policemen,” Raut said.

Rent-a-bike is a unique scheme started by the Goa government a few years ago where tourists can rent a two wheeler. The bikes cost about Rs.250 per day and there are around 14,000 such vehicles.

It was these bikes which the protesting Nigerians used to first overtake a police hearse van, smash the vehicle and forcibly extract the body of their murdered compatriot, Obina Obiwesi, before blockading National Highway 17.

They were demanding the presence of their ambassador, claiming that Nigerians were being targeted by a local narcotics gang operating in Goa. They also claimed that the police were specifically targeting them on the instructions of the local drug gang.

Raut also led a rally of rent-a-bike owners from Mapusa to Porvorim on the national highway urging residents not to lease houses or vehicles to Nigerians.

“The Nigerians pose an open challenge to Goa. If 50 Nigerians can block a road for hours and even intimidate the police, something has to change in Goa,” he said.

Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar ,speaking on the protest said the police could not rein in the protesters because of their huge sizes.

“They are huge and aggressive. Some of them are seven feet tall. It would take at least 100 of our policemen to handle a crowd of 50 Nigerians,” Parrikar told reporters, when he was asked why the police force did not make any effort for nearly an hour to clear National Highway-17 that was blocked by heavily built Nigerians armed with hockey sticks, bamboos and knives.

The Nigerians were demanding that the autopsy on Obina Obiwesi be conducted in the presence of the Nigerian ambassador in India.

The murder, the Nigerian protestors claimed, had been committed by a gang called Chapora boys, a notorious underground drug mafia operating in north Goa, and the police had been unwilling to act against the alleged murderers, who were locals. They blocked the highway by dumping the corpse bang in the middle of the road after smashing open the police hearse and extracting the body from it.

The brazen manner in which Goa Police officers were cowered down in public by a group of 50 well-built Nigerians (the mob later swelled to nearly 200) and Parrikar’s continued dogged defence of the state police has evoked an extremely strong reaction in the social media as well as among people across sections.

The mob not only threatened and warded off over 20 policemen, including Superintendent of Police (North) Priyanka Kashyap, but also told the latter off in a verbal duel.

The intimidation was such that Parrikar, himself claimed that he saw one “herculesque Nigerian” who he believed would need 10 Goa policemen to control.

“He was nearly seven feet. He would have needed at least 10 policemen to control,” said Parrikar, who is also the state’s home minister.

The chief minister also said that he had inherited a corrupt and ineffective police force that had been reduced to shambles by the previous Congress-led regime, whose home minister Ravi Naik and kin now face charges of being involved in the drug trade.

The incident has triggered an avalanche of reactions.

“The police department is scared of Nigerians. I am ashamed to say this,” said Michael Lobo, a legislator of the ruling BJP.

Independent legislator Rohan Khaunte, whose constituency of Porvorim was host to the high-voltage drama, said that the public came to the rescue of the police instead of it being the other way around.

“The situation was mishandled. Action should be taken against the SP North. Locals in fact helped the police and not the other way around,” he said.
http://thenationonlineng.net/new/nigerians-face-indian-boycott-protests/

Stella Oduah again? Arik did complain last year that they got into trouble with her when they rebuffed her request to be granted a 10% stake in the airline gratis. Her personal interest would explain why we are treading this tarnished path of National Airline again. AMCON of course is ever ready to help the cause of fraudulent acquisition.

Now we know why it took the whole Kenyan armed forces four days to overcome just four terrorists. Too busy shopping and it wouldn't do for the siege to end while madam's list is uncompleted. Too many monkeys working for peanuts in Africa. At least it has suddenly become easy to find parking slots in Lagos' malls.

Video suggesting soldiers looted attacked mall angers Kenyans
Reuters

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Security camera footage of soldiers appearing to loot goods during last month's Nairobi shopping mall siege has infuriated Kenyans who had initially praised troops for their courage in battling the Somali attackers.

A front page headline over the weekend in Kenya's biggest selling newspaper The Nation read "Shame of soldiers looting Westgate" under the caption "caught on camera".

Gunmen from the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group massacred at least 67 people when they raided the upmarket Westgate mall, hurling grenades and spraying bullets at shoppers as a punishment for Kenya sending troops to Somalia.

Closed-circuit television footage, distributed by Reuters TV over the weekend, shows soldiers taking goods that appear to be unpacked mobile phone boxes from a phone store while others are in a mobile money transfer shop.

A couple of meters from the shop, a pool of spattered blood identifies the spot where a wounded man, crawling on the floor, was shot five times at point-blank range by an unidentified gunman, another scene captured on video.

Soldiers with plastic shopping bags are also seen leaving the Nakumatt supermarket, where prosperous Kenyans could buy anything from TV sets to French cheese, at a time when the Islamist rebels were still holed up inside the mall.

Emmanuel Chirchir, a spokesman for the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), said on Sunday that a news conference, organized for Wednesday, would deal with looting allegations arising from the latest CCTV footage to emerge.

Kenya's Interior Minister Ole Lenku said three bodies of "terror suspects" had been recovered from the mall during the week and on Sunday the body of what was believed to be a fourth attacker was pulled from the rubble.

Lenku said the government would not comment on the nationalities of the attackers until forensic investigations were complete. Four AK47 assault rifles and 11 magazines used by the gunmen were also recovered, he added in a statement.

Diplomats and Kenyan official now believe that the attack may have involved as few as four to six gunmen, down from initial estimates of more than 10.

PARLIAMENT COMMITTEE FINDINGS

University of Nairobi student Ndeva Vitalis said findings by a parliamentary committee set up to probe the four-day siege, which on Thursday exonerated soldiers of looting, were a lie.

"CCTV is the truth," Vitalis said.

Although the committee said the KDF "never participated in looting", local press have criticized what until now has been considered one of Kenya's most professional institutions.

Many Kenyans, used to scandals and cover ups by a corrupt political elite, doubt they will find out exactly what happened during the siege.

"The CCTV footage made me lose faith in KDF, who we all strongly supported after they crushed al Shabaab in Somalia," said one Nairobi-based doctor who did not want to be identified. "Now there is some sort of a cover up taking place."

The September 21 attack - the worst on Kenyan soil since al Qaeda bombed the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi in 1998, killing more than 200 people - initially united Kenya's multi-ethnic community and sparked an outpouring of support for the military.

But support for security services evaporated as shop owners returned to the mall to find their stores ransacked, with many reporting phones, expensive Swiss watches and designer suits stolen. Cash from tills was also missing, traders said.

"It was an injustice. These are people that we are looking up to for security and they let us down," said Anne Njiru, a teacher.

http://news.yahoo.com/video-suggesting-soldiers-looted-attacked-mall-angers-kenyans-182103997.html

Prices available at: http://www.swiftng.com/Products/residentialplan

I should be upgrading tomorrow.

Great idea for a country like ours that is abused by NEPA and with most of the cooking done with wood fires. Ideal once the Chinese can bring down the price by 80% or so.

Charging Cellphones with Fire
By Erin Barry | Power Pitch – Mon, Jun 17, 2013 12:00 PM EDT

This wood burning cellphone charger promises to recharge your iPhone (AAPL), boil water and even help clean up the planet. You've got to see it in action in this video to believe it.

Former design engineer Jonathan Cedar has created two cool devices that help generate green energy in remote locations and the developing world—and power smartphones and other mobile devices.

"Our product generates electricity from the waste heat of the fire, and with that is able to deliver a 90 percent reduction in emissions, while also charging mobile phones and LED lights," said Cedar, founder and chief executive of BioLite, based in Brooklyn, NY.

His start-up BioLite, which employs 25 people including a rocket scientist, features two green-energy products.

The CampStove (demonstrated in video above) is available in the U.S. and Europe for outdoor recreational use and emergency preparedness. You stick wood (twigs, pine cones) into the small contraption to create a fire. You can then plug your mobile device USB cord into the base of CampStove to recharge your gadget. Talk about green multi-tasking.Charging Cellphones with Fire

The CampStove can charge a phone in about the same speed as a laptop, in other words not as fast as a traditional outlet. But Cedar said it's "a speed that most consumers seem comfortable with."

BioLite also sells a larger model called the HomeStove in emerging markets, and has already launched pilot programs in India and Sub-Saharan Africa. According to the World Health Organization, three billion people still cook on open, smoky fires. Cedar markets the HomeStove as a safer, cleaner alternative that offers a another major bonus: it also generates electricity for charging phones. The World Bank says nearly five billion cellphone users live in developing countries. Cedar's target market therefore is enormous.

"We work with local retailers in those markets who really understand their communities, who already have a proven model of distribution for energy and energy related products ... so it's a partnership model," he said.

The CampStove retails on BioLite's website for $129.95. And the HomeStove sells in India and Sub-Saharan Africa for about the same amount as a typical cellphone, Cedar told CNBC.

BioLite's wood burning electricity makers have helped the company raise nearly $2 million from investors such as the Disruptive Innovation Fund, run by author and Harvard Business School Professor Clay Christensen, and Toniic, an international impact investor network.

See Cedar charge his cellphone by burning wood, and watch him deliver his 60-second BioLite Power Pitch to CNBC Host Tyler Mathisen, Buzzfeed President & COO Jonathan Steinberg and CNBC Real Estate Reporter Diana Olick.

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/power-pitch/charging-cellphones-fire-183207036.html

No wonder he chose to set naija on fire. Amazing that he chose to run away from the country so well run by the man he says must rule for ever.

Maybe he gets his kicks from public humiliation. The crowd just ruined his fun.

How come not many noticed this part of the anniversary speech?

Jonathan sets up national confab c’ttee

on October 01, 2013 / in News 7:47 am / Comments


President Goodluck Jonathan has announced the setting up of an Advisory Committee to establish modalities for a national conference aimed at resolving issues that currently cause friction in the polity.

In an Independence Day broadcast today, President Goodluck Jonathan said that the committee which will have Dr. Femi Okurounmu as its Chairperson and Dr. Akilu Indabawa as its Secretary, is expected to complete its assignment within one month.

“Fellow Nigerians, our Administration has taken cognizance of suggestions over the years by well-meaning Nigerians on the need for a national dialogue on the future of our beloved country.

“When there are issues that constantly stoke tension and bring about friction, it makes perfect sense for the interested parties to come together to discuss.

“In demonstration of my avowed belief in the positive power of dialogue in charting the way forward, I have decided to set up an advisory committee whose mandate is to establish the modalities for a national dialogue or conference.

“The committee will also design a framework and come up with recommendations as to the form, structure and mechanism of the process.

“The full membership of the committee will be announced shortly. I expect its report to be ready in one month, following which the nation will be briefed on the nomenclature, structure and modalities of the dialogue,” President Jonathan said in the broadcast.


Terrorism
On the spate of terrorist attacks,Jonathan reaffirmed his government’s commitment to taking necessary steps to put an end to domestic terrorism.

“My heart goes out to the families of all those who have fallen victim of these dastardly acts. Our Administration will not rest until every Nigerian is free from the oppression of terrorism. I reassure you that no cost will be spared, no idea will be ignored, and no resource will be left untapped in the quest to enable our people live without fear.

“I implore every Nigerian – wherever you are, whatever language you speak, whatever your religious persuasion, whichever political party you support – let us join together to fight this evil of extremism,” President Jonathan declared.

Assuring Nigerians

“As men and women in leadership, we must continually focus on service, duty, responsibility and the next generation, not the next election. Those who are elected to govern at all levels must focus on improving the lives of our people, not selfish ambition.

“This is no time for the harmful clutches of parochial sentiments and the politics of bitterness, impunity, arrogance and unhelpful indiscipline.

“We must stand as one, with absolute commitment and resolve to resist any force that threatens us and the sanctity of our union,” President Jonathan said.

He congratulated all Nigerians as the nation marks 53 years of independence.

“If we look back over the years, we can confidently say that there is every reason to celebrate. The past 53 years have seen Nigeria evolve on an epic scale.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/10/jonathan-sets-national-confab-cttee/#sthash.wRuzZ1kq.dpuf

The Africans making it big in China
Ali Diallo, a trader from Guinea, is pictured outside his shop in Chungking Mansions in Hong Kong on August 31, 2013.
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AFP Rhia Tejpe 5 hours ago

From a windowless room in a dilapidated Hong Kong high-rise, Ali Diallo sells Chinese electronics to retailers across Africa. The modest surroundings belie the multi-million dollar business the West African trader has built in the five years since he moved to the city.

The 39-year-old from Guinea is part of a growing number of African entrepreneurs thriving in southern China, as trade between the world's second-largest economy and fastest-growing continent soars.

Sitting in a small room cluttered with cardboard boxes destined for Nigeria, Diallo welcomes the latest delivery of Chinese-made mobile phones to his office in Chungking Mansions -- a bustling labyrinth better known for budget hotels and no-frills restaurants.

The building is also the go-to place in Hong Kong for African buyers in search of cheap electronics, with phones selling from around $8 each.

"In China there are opportunities for people who can start from scratch and build up their own business. Obviously not in one day but through hard work and networking you can do it," says the trader, whose company sees an annual turnover of $11 million a year through the sale of phones and tablets alone.

Trade between China and Africa hit new highs of nearly $200 billion last year, according to official Chinese data, driven by Chinese industry's appetite for African raw materials.

The African traders in southern China are the flipside of this deepening relationship. Entrepreneurs like Diallo have made Chungking Mansions one of the most important passageways for Chinese gadgets air-freighted to Africa.

According to Gordon Mathews, professor of anthropology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, up to a fifth of all mobiles in Africa have passed through the building's corridors in recent years.

But while this 17-storey hive is the storefront, the engines behind this trade lie in the industrial heartland of neighbouring Guangdong province in southern China.

This mecca for low-cost manufacturing has drawn entrepreneurs from across Africa, creating one of the largest black communities in Asia.

In the provincial capital Guangzhou, at least 20,000 Africans live in the city, research from local Sun Yat-sen University shows.

Though their number is a fraction of the million Chinese now living in Africa, these migrants are playing a pivotal role in their new home.

"Traders bring with them vast skills and capital, supporting large amounts of Chinese manufacturers... If all the African traders were to vanish it would have an enormous effect on the south China economy and business people realise this rather strongly," says Mathews.

Many traders work in and around a downtown neighbourhood dubbed "Little Africa", or more insensitively "Chocolate City" by the local media. Along its winding central alley, a restaurant serves Tilapia with fufu -- a staple Congolese meal of fried fish and cassava -- as well as traditional Chinese fried rice and steamed fish.

A few kilometres away at Canaan Export Clothes Trading Centre, a vast complex where Igbo is spoken as often as the local Cantonese language, Lamine Ibrahim loads thousands of jeans into bags destined for Africa.

He is one of several hundred Africans who has forged a deeper connection to the city by marrying a local Chinese woman -- a relationship founded on love but also economic prudence.

"For (communication) with the Chinese people... she can do. I buy my car, she is there, I open my own factory, she is there. So if I have no wife it's not easy," says the Muslim trader from Guinea in broken English.

Five months ago Ibrahim and his wife Choi Zoung-mai -- renamed Maryam Barry after converting to Islam -- opened their first factory hiring 43 Chinese workers. With this latest investment they hope to secure a bright future for their four-year-old son who speaks fluent Mandarin as well as French, English and Fula.

While there are several success stories, not all African entrepreneurs make it in China -- for some rising costs and intense competition make it difficult to stay afloat. But this migrant community, which began forming in Guangzhou in the 1990s, has built a network of groups to support each other's ambitions.

This is vividly apparent in the handful of African Pentecostal churches that have sprung up across the city. Tucked away on the ninth floor of a building behind Guangzhou railway station, 150 worshippers crowd into Royal Victory Church.

"Our prayer is that you will prosper," the pastor preaches to cries of agreement from a mostly male congregation drawn from Nigeria, Cameroon and Ghana.

The African entrepreneurs who are flourishing in Guangzhou are succeeding where many foreigners fail. Not only are they navigating the notorious Chinese bureaucracy but at times overt racism in a country where prejudices can run high.

This can range from mild snubs from taxi drivers who refuse to pick up black customers to more serious accusations of traders being unfairly targeted by police when they conduct raids for illegal immigrants.

Even so others report good relations with the Chinese. "Many traders feel much more comfortable working in China than they do in Europe," says Roberto Castillo, a Lingnan University researcher in Guangzhou.

Ojukwu Emma, president of the local Nigerian community, says the main problem for Africans trading in China are the increasing clampdowns on visas. He says it is getting harder for African residents in the city to renew visas, or for those travelling back and forth to gain re-entry.

"You cannot allow foreigners to come in and not give the foreigner confidence to stay. Once you are out to the world, you must be open," says the businessman who has lived in the city for 16 years.

But for now booming Sino-African trade continues to draw new waves of African entrepreneurs, drawn to the shores of Guangzhou in search of the Chinese dream.

http://news.yahoo.com/africans-making-big-china-054434900.html

Why you dey waste your time now? Yes there is the basis omo oju ori ola ri defect but beyond that we have the master game plan to have a battle ready Biafra in place before the shit hits the fan in 2015 or earlier. This is just the Biafran Airforce Training school being inaugurated hence the disproportionate celebration. I happy for my in-laws jare. Its not easy to reprise a war after four decades. It is the Yorubas and Northerners who should keep their eyes peeled and learn to read between the lines each time this regime does anything that impinges national security e.g. handing NIMASA and coast guard duty over to Tompolo. We all know what that is about.

agbameta: How hard is this to understand? Sometimes it's like you are going back n forth with elementary school kids...

Dangote, richest African in the world
[/b]on September 16, 2013 / in News 5:12 am / Comments
BY UDUMA KALU, WITH AGENCY REPORT
THE Forbes Magazine has declared Aliko Dangote as the world’s richest African in the world, just as the world’s richest black woman, Folorunsho Alakija, is conspicuously missing in the magazine ranking of the 21 richest Nigerians.
Alakija, an oil tycoon and fashion designer, reportedly worth at least $3.2 billion edged out African American Oprah Winfrey, worth more than $2.7 billion, in Forbes 2012 list of richest black people.
[b]However, Forbes said the value of shares held in quoted companies, size and market share of their companies, number of companies they own and its assumed value and the impact of the companies on the Nigerian economy were the yardstick used in compiling the new list.

Full list of the richest 21 are Aliko Dangote, founder of Dangote Group, richest man in Africa and richest black man in the world; Mike Adenuga, Conoil, Equitorial Trust Bank, Globacom; Femi Otedola, Zenon Oil and Gas; Orji Uzor Kalu, Slok Group; Cosmos Maduka, Coscharis Group; Jimoh Ibrahim, Nicon Insurance, Global Fleet; Jim Ovia, Zenith Bank, Visafone; Pascal Dozie, MTN Nigeria, Diamond Bank; Oba Otudeko, Honeywell Group Nigeria; Sayyu Dantata, MRS Group.
Others are Umaru Abdul Mutallab, former Chairman First Bank Plc, Mutallab Group; Samuel Adedoyin, Doyin Group; Dele Fajemirokun, Chairman Aiico Insurance, Xerox Nigeria, Chicken Republic, Kings Guards; Cletus Ibeto, Ibeto Group; Raymond Dokpesi, Daar Communication, AIT; Tony Ezenna, Orange Group; Molade Okoya Thomas, Chairman CFAO Nig and other six french companies; Ifeanyi Ubah, Capital oil and gas; Leo Stan Ekeh, Zinox Computer; Fola Adeola, GTBank; Ade Ojo, Elizade Motors Nig Ltd, Distributor of Toyota cars.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/09/dangote-richest-african-in-the-world/

Where are PFN and CAN when you need them? Surely both organisations belong to at least one of these bodies?

RCCG seeks IG’s help over land

Posted by: Uyoatta Eshiet in News 8 hours ago

The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) has urged the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to avert a crisis at Oloke-Asese-Maba and Gideon villages in Ogun State, over the demolition of its structure by land grabbers.
Hoodlums, armed with dangerous weapons and purportedly acting on the instructions of a church, on March 19, were said to have invaded the villages in a Volvo car and Toyota Hiace bus, destroying the headquarters of Ogun Province 8 of the RCCG, which is under construction.
The guard at the site said the hoodlums told him to steer clear because the land belonged to a church, which they were working for. “The thugs threatened to kill me or anybody who stood in their way and boasted that nothing would happen because, according to them, they and the police have been ‘heavily settled’ to look the other way”.
In its petition to the IGP, the RCCG urged him to intervene before the matter got out of hand.
The RCCG claimed that it has a Certificate of Occupancy numbered 025748, dated November 7, 2006 issued by the Ogun State government.
Wondering why another church was trespassing on the land, RCCG in 2004, sought to settle the matter amicably with the presiding pastor of the other church.
In a letter, signed by the Assistant General Overseer (AGO), Admin/Personnel of the RCCG, Pastor A. O. Akindele, the church wrote: “It has come to our notice that your organisation is inadvertently trespassing on the piece of land measuring about 40 acres on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, precisely at Oloke Area. We wish to inform you that this parcel of land belongs to the RCCG and we have been on the land for more than four years.
“We shall appreciate your prompt intervention and Godly directive to one Alhaji who has held himself out as your agent, to desist forthwith from continuing with the trespass”.
The RCCG, he said, also sought the help of the Ogun State government which invited both parties in an attempt at settling the dispute.
At a meeting in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, the government said the RCCG, which has the Certificate of Occupancy, is the rightful owner of the land. The meeting also warned the alleged trespasser-church to leave the land.
Despite this resolution, the said church and its agents allegedly demolished the RCCG’s structure on the land.

http://thenationonlineng.net/new/rccg-seeks-igs-help-over-land/

Taxes must be paid by every employee of every establishment under that business empire be it church or whatever and by every employee including the 'Bishop'. While the tax codes in Nigeria and elsewhere allow CHARITABLE institutions to not pay taxes they must be shown to stay strictly within the definition of charities and their employees are not covered by this exemption. Employees of NGOs in naija pay taxes and even the pope would pay tax if he did not live in his own independent country, the Vatican.

As we all know naija churches, particularly Winners and its partners in 'progress', are very far from even the widest definition of charity so in any sane clime even the institutions within the Winners empire should all pay taxes until they can prove that they deserve to be considered charities. And pls spare us the pabulum about not performing your charity before men. This is about the law and not about any twisted rendering of bible verses. Pls note that Jesus himself paid tax even though he had to perform a miracle to find the money. To restate: every component of the Winners empire from the church to the pure water business and from the 'Bishop' to the gateman must pay taxes in accordance with Nigerian law and global norm.

If the governor of Ogun state, despite being an accountant, doesn't know this or lacks the will to implement and allows the greatest 'industrial sector' within Ogun state, Winners and all the mega 'camps' along the Lagos - Ibadan 'expressway', to evade the tax law he shall be held responsible. Maybe it is time governments in Nigeria are sued for failing to perform their duty i.e. collect taxes in accordance with the law.

Any good lawyer in the house willing to take this brief?

Dangote is getting too political for his own good. The specifics he has listed actually show how Sanusi is better than Soludo in running the banking sector while the backward integration of the cement industry and protection of the local market from imports are policies started and grounded under OBJ. Indeed OBJ so favoured Dangote that some of us believed Dangote was fronting for him! As for the jets bought with mostly stolen money I don't know how that can be celebrated in the midst of rampaging poverty and derelict infrastructure. I hope he isn't going to let his current successes tempt him to get too deep into playing politricks.

I have a 55 acre farm in Ogun state the Minister's home state and since he began making this noise my farm manager has been going to the LGA to find out how to get on board without success. BTW my farm is in the core farming zone of the state. If he hasn't delivered in his own state he shouldn't wait for Aregbe to tell him he is just blowing hot air. I had begun to respect him because his talk was so smooth and he marshaled numbers that it just had to be real but it is really disappointing to find it is all smoke and mirrors.

The Pot Calling the Kettle Black
A Short History of Bio-Chemical Weapons
by ZOLTAN GROSSMAN

The U.S. and its allies have long been complicit in the manufacturing and use of biological and chemical weapons, yet has targeted other countries for alleged possession and use of these same weapons. This partial chronology is intended as a starting point for critical research and analysis of bio-chemical weaponry and foreign policy.

400s B.C.: Spartan Greeks use sulfur fumes against enemy soldiers.

256 A.D.: Sasanian Persian Empire may have used toxic smoke against Roman soldiers in a tunnel in modern-day Syria.

1346: Tatars catapult plague-infected corpses into Italian trade settlement in Crimea.

1500s: Spanish conquistadors use biological warfare used against Indigenous peoples in the Americas.

1763: British Gen. Jeffrey Amherst advocates use of smallpox blankets against Native peoples during Pontiac’s Rebellion. Smallpox blankets given to Native delegates during talks at Fort Pitt.



1789: Smallpox ravages Australian Indigenous communities in New South Wales; debate persists whether the British deliberately introduced it.



1800s: Smallpox, measles, and other diseases ravage Native American and First Nation communities; U.S. and British/Canadian officials use quarantine techniques to isolate diseases in white communities, but not in Native villages.

1845: British attack Maori resisters with poison gas in Battle of Ohaeawai, Aotearoa/New Zealand.

1907: Hague Convention outlaws chemical weapons; U.S. does not participate.

1914-18: World War I begins; Germans introduce chlorine gas at Second Battle of Ypres. Poison gas such as mustard gas and chlorine gas produces 85,000 deaths, 1,200,000 injuries on both sides.

1919-21: Poison gas used in Russian civil war, against rebels by the Bolsheviks, and against Bolsheviks by the Royal Air Force.

1920s: Spanish and French forces use mustard gas against Berber rebels in Spanish Morocco. Britain proposes use of chemical weapons in Iraq “as an experiment” against Arab and Kurdish rebels seeking independence; Winston Churchill “strongly” backs the proposed “use of poisoned gas against uncivilised tribes,” which was apparently not carried out.

1928: The Geneva Protocol (first signed in 1925) by the League of Nations prohibits gas and bacteriological warfare; most countries that ratify it prohibit only the first use of such weapons.

1935: Italy begins conquest of Abyssinia (Ethiopia), using mustard gas.

1937: Japan invades China, widely uses chemical weapons in war to conquer China, and used biological weapons such as plague-carrying fleas.

1939: World War II begins; both sides decide not to use bio-chemical arms in large-scale attacks, due to fears of retaliation in kind.

1941: U.S. enters World War II; President Roosevelt pledges U.S. will not be first to use bio-chemical weapons.

1942: German forces may have used poison gas against Soviet resisters in tunnels during the Battle of Kerch in Crimea.

1943: U.S. ship damaged by German bombing raid on Bari, Italy, leaks mustard gas, killing 1,000.

1945: When concentration camps are liberated, inmates report that Germans have used Zyklon-B in the extermination of civilians. Japanese military discovered to have conducted biological warfare experiments on POWs, killing 3000. U.S. shields officers in charge from war crimes trials, in return for data. Soviets take over German nerve gas facility in Potsdam. The Nazis had stockpiles of nerve gas against which the Allies had no defenses, and had also been working on blood agents.

1947: U.S. possesses germ warfare weapons; President Truman withdraws Geneva Protocol from Senate consideration.

1949: U.S. dismisses Soviet trials of Japanese for germ warfare as “propaganda.” Army begins secret tests of biological agents in U.S. cities.

1950: Korean War begins; North Korea and China accuse U.S. of germ warfare–charges never proven. San Francisco disease outbreak matches Army bacteria used on city.

1951: African-Americans exposed to potentially fatal simulant in Virginia test of race-specific fungal weapons.

1952: German chemical weapons researcher Walter Schreiber, working in Texas, exposed as a perpetrator of concentration camp experiments, and flees to Argentina.

1954: Fort Detrick in Maryland initiates Operation Whitecoat to research the effects of biological agents on soliders and conscientious objector volunteers; program lasts until 1973.

1956: Army manual explicitly states that bio-chemical warfare is not banned. Rep. Gerald Ford wins policy change to give U.S. military “first strike” authority on chemical arms.

1959: House resolution against first use of bio-chemical weapons is defeated.

1961: Kennedy Administration begins hike of chemical weapons spending from $75 million to more than $330 million.

1962: Chemical weapons loaded on U.S. planes during Cuban missile crisis.

1963-66: US, UK and Israel accuse Egypt of using chemical weapons during its intervention in North Yemen’s civil war.

1966: Army germ warfare experiment in New York subway system.

1968: Pentagon asks for the chance to use some of its arsenal against protesters to demonstrate the “efficacy” of the chemicals. Maj. Gen. J.B. Medaris says, “By using gas in civil situations, we accomplish two purposes: controlling crowds and also educating people on gas. Now, everybody is being called savage if he just talks about it. But nerve gas is the only way I know of to sort out the guys in white hats from the ones in black hats without killing any of them.”

1969: Utah chemical weapons accident kills thousands of sheep; President Nixon declares U.S. moratorium on chemical weapons production and biological weapons possession. U.N. General Assembly bans use of herbicides (plant killers) and tear gasses in warfare; U.S. one of three opposing votes. U.S. forces cause tear gas fatalities in Vietnamese guerrilla tunnels, and widely use napalm (jellied gasoline that stick to skin).

1971: U.S. ends direct use of herbicides such as Agent Orange; had spread over Indochinese forests, and destroyed at least six percent of South Vietnamese cropland, enough to feed 600,000 people for a year. Diseases and birth defects affected Vietnamese civilians and U.S. veterans. White phosphorus grenades also used against South Vietnamese rebels. U.S. intelligence gives swine-flu virus to anti-Castro Cuban paramilitary group, which lands it on Cuba’s southern coast (according to 1977 newspaper reports).

1972: Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention. Cuba accuses CIA of instilling swine fever virus that leads to death of 500,000 hogs.

1974: U.S. finally ratifies 1928 Geneva Protocol.

1975: Indonesia annexes East Timor; planes spread herbicides on croplands.

1978: Bulgarian secret service uses ricin in umbrella tip to assassinate Bulgarian dissident in London.

1979: Anthrax leak from Soviet biological weapons lab kills 60 near in the Ural Mountains of Russia, near Sverdlovsk. Washington Post reports on U.S. program against Cuban agriculture since 1962, including CIA biological warfare component. White government of Rhodesia contaminates Africans with anthrax in the last stages of the Zimbabwe independence war, resulting in 10,000 cases, 182 of them fatal.

1980: U.S. intelligence officials allege Soviet chemical use in Afghanistan, while admitting “no confirmation.” Congress approves nerve gas facility in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Iraq begins eight-year war with U.S. arch-enemy Iran; both sides use chemical weapons in the war.

1981: U.S. accuses Vietnam and allies of using mycotoxins (fungal poisons) in Laos and Cambodia. Some refugees report casualties in Laos; one analysis reveals “yellow rain” as bee feces, but questions remained.

1984: U.N. confirms Iraq using mustard and nerve gasses against Iranian “human wave” attacks in border war, killing up to 100,000 Iranians; State Department issues mild condemnation, yet restores diplomatic relations with Iraq, and opposes U.N. action against Iraq. Bhopal fertilizer plant accident in India kills 2,000; shows risks of chemical plants being damaged in warfare. President Reagan orders over a half-million M55 rockets retooled so they contain high-yield explosives as well as VX gas. (The Army later claimed that many of these rockets were “unstable” and leaking nerve gas.)

1985: U.S. resumes open-air testing of biological agents. U.S. firms begin supplying Iraq with numerous biological agents for a four-year period (according to a 1994 Senate report).

1986: U.S. resumes open-air testing of biological agents.

1987: Senate ties in three votes on resuming production of chemical weapons; Vice President Bush breaks all three ties in favor of resumption.

1988: Iraq uses chemical weapons against Kurdish minority rebels and civilians in Halabjah, killing at least 5,000. U.S. continues to maintain agricultural credits with Iraq; President Reagan blocks congressional sanctions against Iraq.

1989: Paris conference of 149 nations condemns chemical weapons, urges quick ban to emerge from Geneva treaty negotiations; U.S. revealed to plan poison gas production even after treaty signed.

1990: U.S., Soviets pledge to reduce chemical weapons stockpiles to 20 percent of current U.S. supply by 2002, and to eliminate poison gas weapons when all nations have signed future Geneva treaty. Israel admits possession of chemical weapons; Iraq threatens to use chemical weapons on Israel if it is attacked.

1991: U.S. and Coalition forces invade Kuwait and Iraq in the Gulf War; Iraq possesses chemical weapons but does not use them. At least 28 alleged bio-chemical production or storage sites are bombed in Iraq during the Gulf War, including fertilizer and other civilian plants. CNN reports “green flames” from one chemical plant, and the deaths of 50 Iraqi troops from anthrax after air strike on another site. New York Times quotes Soviet chemical weapons commander that air strikes on Iraqi chemical weapons would have “little effect beyond neighboring villages,” but that strikes on biological weapons could spread disease “to adjoining countries.” Czechoslovak chemical warfare unit detects sarin nerve gas after air strikes on Iraqi chemical weapons facilities. Egyptian doctor reports outbreak of “strange disease” inside Iraq. After the war, U.S. troops use explosives in Khamisiya to destroy Iraqi chemical weapons storage bunkers.

1992: Reports intensify of U.S. and Coalition veterans of Gulf War developing health problems, involving a variety of symptoms, collectively called Gulf War Syndrome. U.N. sanctions intensify civilian health crisis inside Iraq, making identification of similar symptoms potentially difficult. Two members of anti-government Minnesota Patriots’ Council arrested for plan to use ricin chemical against law enforcement officer.

1993: President Clinton continues intermittent bombing and missile raids against Iraqi facilities; U.N. inspectors step up program to dismantle Iraqi weapons. U.S. signs U.N. Chemical Weapons Convention, though approval later blocked in Senate.

1994: Russian forces extensively use white phosphorus shells as incendiary weapons in Chechnya.

1994-95: Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo launches deadly sarin nerve gas attacks on the Matsumoto community and on the Tokyo subway system.

1996: Congressional hearings on Gulf War Syndrome focuses on Iraqi storage bunker destruction, rather than other possible causes, and does not call for international investigation of symptoms among Iraqis. CIA investigation asserts that U.S. bombing of chemical weapons sites did not contaminate population.

1997: Cuba accuses U.S. of spraying crops with biological agents. Iraq expels U.S. citizens in U.N. inspection teams, which are allowed to continue work without Americans, but choose to evacuate all inspectors. U.S. mobilizes for military action. Senate act implements Chemical Weapons Convention, with a provision that “the President may deny a request to inspect any facility” on national security grounds.

1998: Chief UN weapons inspector Richard Butler orders inspectors out of Iraq just prior to U.S. bombing. In Operation Desert Fox, Clinton again bombs alleged Iraqi bio-chemical weapons sites, after Iraq questions role of American U.N. inspector, and restricts inspector access to presidential properties and security. U.S. launches missile attack on pharmaceutical plant in Sudan that it alleges produces nerve gas agents–a claim disputed by most of the international community.

1998-99: Series of anthrax hoaxes against U.S. media and government targetss. Ex-Aryan Nations member Larry Wayne Harris carries out anthrax hoax to dramatize warning of alleged “Iraqi threat.” Three members of Republic of Texas militia group arrested for intention to use anthrax and other biological agents against public officials. Upsurge in anthrax hoaxes against abortion clinics.

1999: NATO bombs Yugoslavia in Kosovo Crisis, triggering massive Serbian expulsion of ethnic Albanians. NATO bombers hit a Serbian petrochemical plant in Pancevo, sending a toxic cloud with 2,000 tons of chemicals over the city, and chemicals were released in other bombings of industrial plants.

2000: “Topoff Exercise” involving federal and state authorities fails to cope with simulated chemical, biological and nuclear attacks in three widely separated metropolitan areas.

2001: U.S. withdraws from the first round of Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention (BTWC), crippling international efforts to establish global measures against biological weapons. In wake of September 11 attacks, anthrax spores sent by mail to multiple political and media targets around the U.S., resulting in anthrax exposures, infections, and at least 5 deaths. Real anthrax attacks accompanied by increase in anthrax hoaxes by “Army of God” and other groups and individuals.

2002: Russian police use chemical gas against Chechen rebels holding hostages in Moscow theater; 42 rebels and 120 hostages died from the gas raid. Bush Administration renews allegations that Iraq possesses biochemical weapons (drawing on allegations by Iraqi exiles), reluctantly acquiesces in return of United Nations weapons inspectors (after four years of absence) to prove or disprove the claim. Chief UN arms inspector Hans Blix reports no evidence of renewed chemical or biological weapons programs in Iraq.

2003: UN inspectors find evidence of Iraqi violations of ballistic missile range limits, and begin to destroy missiles. Bush Administration not satisfied with extent of UN inspection. Just prior to U.S.-U.K. invasion of Iraq, UN orders inspectors out of country. After invasion, U.S. contends it will hunt for Weapons of Mass Destruction on its own, and finds none. As a member state of the UN Security Council, Syria proposes a WMD-Free Zone in the Middle East, which the U.S. rejects.

2004: During the First Battle of Fallujah, U.S. forces use white phosphorus artillery shells (intended for aerial illumination) as an incendiary weapon against Iraqi insurgents, killing and injuring many civilians. Pentagon finally admits in 2013 its use of white phosphorus as a weapon in Fallujah. Environmental justice protests in Anniston, Alabama oppose incineration of chemical weapons in populated area.

2007: Al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia carries out chlorine gas tank bombings in Iraqi civil war. White phosphorus train derails in Ukraine, contaminating 90 sq km.

2008: Israel uses white phosphorus shells during its three-week war against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. U.S. government employee suspected in 2001 anthrax attacks commits suicide.

2009: Taliban and U.S. forces accuse each other of using white phosphorus as weapons. Rebels in Yemen accuse Saudi warplanes of dropping white phosphorus.

2011: Some news sources report white phosphorus use by NATO forces in Libya. Four militia members arrested in Georgia for plotting to use ricin to attack politicians, media, and the IRS.

2012: U.S. has closed 7 of 9 chemical weapons depots and destroyed 90 percent of its stockpiles, to meet the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention it signed in 1993. Israel hits UNRWA compound in Gaza City with white phosphorus; announces the following year that it will stop using white phosphorus weapons.

2013: Actress allegedly mails ricin mailed to the President and other U.S. leaders. In January, UK issues licenses to export chemicals to Syria that could be used to make sarin; licenses revoked when sanctions begin against Syria in July. Syrian government and rebels trade accusations of using sarin in April and August. Doctors Without Borders documents 355 killed in August sarin attack in Ghouta area; Secretary of State John Kerry claims that Syrian government is responsible for killing 1,429 Syrians. UK declines to back military strikes on Syria; France, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Israel back U.S. military action.

Dr. Zoltan Grossman is a Professor of Geography and Native Studies at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, and earned his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin. His faculty website is http://academic.evergreen.edu/g/grossmaz and email is grossmaz@evergreen.edu

List compiled in 1998, 2003, and 2013 from articles in Z magazine by Stephen Shalom (“Bullets, Gas, and the Bomb,” Feb. 1991), Zoltan Grossman (“Ecocide in the Gulf?,” March 1991), Council for a Livable World, Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, National Geographic, William Blum’s Killing Hope: U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II, and from news reports and Wikipedia timelines. Thanks for Stephen Shalom for comments.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/09/02/a-short-history-of-bio-chemical-weapons/