₦airaland Forum

odumchi: Yams, kola nuts, and palm oil were never used as bride price payments. Bride prices were always in currency (whether cowries or manilas).

Those things that you listed are items that are required for the traditional marriage ceremony itself.

However, like I said earlier, I support he reduction of ridiculously high dowries.

odumchi: You're being ignorant on this issue. No "village chief" will instruct you to do anything. If you want to marry an Igbo girl, then the marital traditions of her community must be respected and followed.

There is no Igbo man on this earth that would hand away his daughter to a man without undergoing the proper traditional marriage procedures.

When in Rome do as the Romans do; when in the Igbo country, do as the Igbo do. You can't come to Igboland and turn Igbo customs and traditions upside down because you don't like it.

odumchi: Then you aren't married. Omenali bu omenali.

manny4life: Dude, QUIT ACTING LIKE THIS.

Who talked about switching on your AC to use duvet? Where did that come from?

The purpose of duvet is not for it to be used in AC, you made an assertion about weather and Heat. In the U.S., isn't there heat? Even up to the 100's ? Does that mean I don't use one? Some people, just like me, like to sleep in covers, everyone is not the same. Some people use it for decoration of their beds, bottom line of cover is to cover you up, whether it's heat or cold, is up to individuals. I only pointed out to you that they have AC in their room, regardless of duvet or not... Please don't confuse or twist your own words.

[img]http://bossip.files./2012/08/heroin.jpg[/img]

Nigerian Man Arrested For Holding Two Pounds Of Heroin In Bowels

A Nigerian man was arrested at Houston’s Bush Intercontinental after arriving in the country with two pounds of what tested positive for heroin secreted in his bowels. Sunday Ogbonu remained in federal custody Thursday pending a detention hearing after his Sunday night arrest.

A federal affidavit says the 47-year-old man was taken to a nearby hospital, where he expelled about 65 latex pellets that tests later showed later showed contained heroin. Federal court records list no attorney for Ogbonu.

The Houston Chronicle reports this is the second time in recent weeks that a man had arrived in Houston from Africa after swallowing a shipment of heroin. The Chronicle reports a man from the East African nation of Tanzania was arrested in July in such a case.

http://bossip.com/629606/gross-nigerian-man-popped-for-having-two-pounds-of-heroin-in-his-bowels/

manny4life: Wow, if you did not see the AC unit hanging up on the wall, I wonder what else you've missed? How does Naija heat and weather affect someone who has AC in his home?

Lordave: even if the police shot first, are they (miners) supposed to reciprocate? Knowing fully well that they lack arms and the police are sophisticatedlly armed.

justwise: you are well-known for your garbage so i'm not surprised that you started pouring out your propaganda from pressTV and CCTV.

justwise: Yes sources like pressTV, CCTV and Russian TV?

justwise: Where do you get ur own news?

The majority of the striking mineworkers live in a squalid settlement adjacent to the mine, with no running water, reports AFP news agency.

"We can't afford a decent life. We live like animals because of poor salaries we are getting from there," said Thuso Masakeng, pointing at the gigantic site with towers belching smoke.

"We are being exploited, both the government and the unions have failed to come to our rescue. Companies make a lot of money at our expense and we get paid almost nothing," he said as he walked away from the hill top.

A report released on Tuesday by the Bench Marks Foundation, a non-governmental organisation monitoring the practices of multinational mining corporations, found Lonmin workers often live in deteriorating shacks without electricity.

Some children suffer from chronic illnesses due to sewage spills caused by broken drainage, the report said.

Lonmin, the world's third-largest platinum producer, threatened to sack 3,000 rock drill operators if they fail to end an illegal pay strike, its flagship mine 100km northwest of Johannesburg.

London-headquartered Lonmin's operations in South Africa accounts for 12 per cent of its global platinum output.

South Africa remains one of the world's dominant producers of platinum, gold and coal, with 80 per cent of known platinum reserves, but many of its workers still face abysmal salaries and living conditions.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/08/2012815173554808840.html

Lordave: The miners were wrong.

Ogoni autonomy, illegitimate —Amaechi .• No comment —Labaran Maku • Nigeria needs bold leaders —Jang

The Rivers State government has described the declaration of autonomy by the Goodluck Diigbo-led faction of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) for the Ogoni region of Rivers State as a treasonable felony.

But the self-styled President and Spokesman of the MOSOP, Dr Diigbo, has continued to insist the move for self-governance by his people was long overdue, citing the indigenous rights of the people.

Rivers State governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, speaking on Friday at the Forum of the Federated Correspondent Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Rivers State chapter, said the declaration was not achievable in the Nigerian system.

According to the governor, the champion of the declaration, Diigbo, would not stand to canvass his idea. He added that going after him for arrest would not be necessary as he would flee from Nigeria’s response to his call.

“On Ogoni autonomy, I wish them well. Ogoni autonomy is not achievable. The man (Diigbo) who declared Ogoni autonomy will run into the bush tomorrow morning.

“What Diigbo is doing is treasonable felony. You do not declare autonomy on the pages of newspapers and magazines or on radio and television,” Amaechi said.

Diigbo adamant
Maintaining his stance on the self-governance agenda, Diigbo noted that Ogoni people’s rights had been tampered with for long and that this was one of the reasons for the move

Speaking in another statement circulated in Port Harcourt on Saturday, Diigbo said the new approach would afford Ogoni people access to how they were governed and who governed them.

“The urgency behind the declaration is that self-government for Ogoni is overdue in view of many important issues bordering on indigenous rights of the Ogoni people being tampered with now. The UNEP Ogoni Report is one out of many,” Diigbo explained.

He stated further that: “The Ogoni declaration of self-government now guarantees the Ogoni people the right to participate in decision-making in all matters which would affect their rights, through representatives chosen by the Ogoni in accordance with our procedures, as well as to maintain and develop all our own indigenous decision-making institutions, which we started to set up since 2011.

“It is my hope that this self-government will help to provide just and fair redress to decades of deprivation of our indigenous rights.
“Importantly, Ogoni can no longer accept dictation. Any institution, government or corporation interested in investment in Ogoni will enjoy transparent partnership, because we will end corruption and irresponsive governance in Ogoni.

“This means partnership will be based on free, pair and informed consent before any of our partners adopt and implement any project, and before the national government adopt any legislative or administrative measures that may affect Ogoni people.”

It would be recalled, however, that the mainstream MOSOP, led by the chairman of the MOSOP Provisional Council (MPC), Professor Ben Naanem, has dissociated Ogoni people from the declaration by the Diigbo-led group.

A statement sent out on Friday, signed by Naanem and secretary of the MPC, Dr. Meshach Karanwi, also said there was no more than one MOSOP, widely known and accepted by all Ogoni people and that it was led by Professor Naanem.

FG keeps mum
Efforts by Sunday Tribune to get the Federal Government's reaction to the declaration on Friday proved abortive.

On Saturday, Sunday Tribune, again, sought a reaction from the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, at an event to commemorate the 70th birthday of Air Commodore Dan Suleiman in Abuja, but he merely said “no comment.”

Failure of relevant authorities to make official comment on the matter stemmed from the fact that they were yet unable to reach President Goodluck Jonathan, who was away on an official assignment, to get clearance from him, it was gathered on Saturday.

A source told Sunday Tribune in confidence that the fact that the president was away was making going public somewhat complicated.

The source was emphatic that there was no way the minister could rush to the press without getting to talk with the president first and get proper briefing on what to say.

According to the source, the fact that the president is from the South-South zone where the declaration was made was another major factor.

Sunday Tribune had planned to also find out from Mr Maku if the government was already contemplating sending troops to Ogoniland to suppress the secessionists, especially as unconfirmed report had it that Bori, the headquarters of the Ogoni people, has been put under tension since Tuesday, 31 July, by groups of young men armed with automatic rifles and other weapons.

Jang canvasses bold leadership
Meanwhile, governor of Plateau State, Jonah Jang, told Sunday Tribune at the birthday event that Nigeria needed leaders who could take decisions, adding that the present crop of leaders should learn from past leaders.

"I pray that the present leaders should learn from past leaders; learn from their steadfastness and their contributions to national growth.

http://tribune.com.ng/sun/news/8104-ogoni-autonomy-illegitimate-amaechi--no-comment-labaran-maku--nigeria-needs-bold-leaders-jang

ABUJA— Elder statesman and prominent Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, yesterday, declared that some highly placed individuals from the Northern part of the country were behind the increasing spate of violence in Nigeria to actualize their vow of “making the nation ungovernable for President Jonathan.”

Speaking as a guest lecturer at the “2nd State of the Federation Lecture” organized by the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, NIALS, Clark therefore challenged two former heads of state, Generals Ibrahim Babangida and Muhammadu Buhari, to establish their innocence by publicly condemning activities of the Boko Haram Islamic sect.

The lecture was chaired by former Minister of Information, Professor Jerry Gana.


Former heads of state, Generals Ibrahim Babangida and Muhammadu Buhari
His word: “Our type of terrorism is home grown, unlike in Israel and the US, where terrorism was imported from the Middle-East. Here our Nigerians are the Boko Harams. Boko Haram which was religious has now become a political tool. Those who said they would make Nigeria ungovernable are those behind Boko Haram. It is our proverb that if in the night a mother sleeps with the child and owl cries, if in the morning that child dies, it is the owl that killed the baby. Federal Government should pick up courage and the political will to take up these people, if that is done I believe the problem of Boko Haram will be solved.

“If the Federal Government should dialogue with them, the government of those states should be able to galvanize their people. What are their grievances? Like in the Niger Delta, our own agitation was for the implementation of the 50% derivation formula, today, what is their grievance?

“They are killing everybody, security forces, burning churches, burning human beings. I appeal to governors, instead of devoting themselves to holding governorship meetings in Abuja every month; they should go home and work. They should be made to know that if they don’t perform, state of emergency will be declared in their states for six months.

“Two former heads of state recently made this kind of appeal against the growing level of insecurity in the country, as if they were not part of the system when Boko Haram was formed.

“Boko Haram preceded Jonathan. It started in 2002 when Obasanjo was President. It was there when Yar’Adua was also ruling. It is not synonymous with Jonathan. I had expected that somebody like Babangida should have spoken since. I thought he would have spoken with his friend Buhari. Two of them have been meeting. So why is he now with Obasanjo?

“At 72, Babangida said he will wear uniform and fight for the unity of Nigeria, he should therefore stand up now and condemn Boko Haram from the bottom of his heart, not with Obasanjo.

“Obasanjo has gone to Maiduguri to meet the people, why has Babangida not gone?” he asked.

Besides arguing that President Jonathan has the legal right to seek re-election in 2015, Clark, yesterday, condemned the height of corruption in the judiciary, calling for the immediate prosecution of past political office holders, some of whom he said were granted frivolous ex-parte injunctions.

Recalling that he earlier wrote a petition to the erstwhile Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Dahiru Musdapher, on the role and failure of the Judiciary to eradicate corruption in Nigeria, Clark lamented that “some very high profile cases of corruption against some former governors and ministers have been lying fallow in various courts for five years and above.”

Those that must be prosecuted

Those he said should be prosecuted immediately were, Senator Saminu Turaki for allegedly embezzling over N36billion from the Jigawa State treasury, Ayo Fayose for alleged money laundering and misappropriation of about N1.2 billion, Senator Joshua Dariye, whose female associate he said was also arrested and sentenced in London for money laundering; Chimaroke Nnamani, for alleged N5.5billion theft, Dr Peter Odili, for money laundering and looting of about N100billion from Rivers State only to subsequently secure a perpetual injunction stopping his trial.

“Today Dr Peter Odili is one of the freest and recognized political leaders to the extent of his being honoured by the Nigerian Army to decorate their officers at a ceremony; what a shame! In other words, the former Governor has secured a permanent injunction against his arrest and prosecution.”

Others he said should be expeditiously tried were former governor of Adamawa, Boni Haruna, ex-Governor Orji Uzor Kalu of Abia State, Rasheed Ladoja of Oyo State, Reverend Jolly Nyame of Taraba State, James Onanefe Ibori of Delta State, former Acting Governor of Plateau State, Michael Botmang, Attahiru Bafarawa of Sokoto State, Adamu Abdullahi of Nasarawa State, former Ministers of Aviation, Prof. Babalola Borishade and Femi Fani-Kayode who he said “is parading himself today as a moral icon in the society.”

Regretting that President Jonathan “has been abused, called all sorts of names such as drunken fisherman and a weakling unfit to govern,” by those he said were bereft of good family upbringing, Clark said, “for instance, Pastor Tunde Bakare has turned his pulpit to a political theatre where he preaches against President Jonathan and his administration to the extent of saying that the President will not last up to 2015, adding that Nigerians should be ready for fresh elections any time before 2015.

Chief Clark also implored President Goodluck Jonathan to promptly convoke a national conference with a view to creating a veritable platform for the discussion of contemporary issues threatening the continued existence of Nigeria as a federation.

The Minister of Information in the First Republic, who condemned the over centralization of the nation’s revenue in the hands of the Federal Government decried what he termed “unfair execution of the 1999 constitution,” saying the country was far from practising either true federalism or fiscal federation and emphasized the need for an urgent amendment of the 1999 constitution.

Lamenting the near absence of transparency and equity in the way the nation’s resources were being managed, the Ijaw leader, urged Federal Government to start appointing two Accountants General, “one to take charge of the finances of the Federal Government, while the other will take charge of the finances of the federating units.”

He said: “The Federal Government does not own the resources. It belongs to the Nigerian Federation and the owner communities. The assignment of the responsibility to collect revenue should not be taken as making the collecting agent the exclusive owner of such resources. It is for this reason that I am recommending that the Federal Government should start appointing two Accountants General.

“By collecting the revenue into the national coffers, the resource producing communities are denied the wherewithal to carry out the development of their communities which are devastated as a result of the exploration of these resources. The revenue allocation formula in the country shows a fiscal dominance of the Federal Government. This is not in line with best global practices in federalism. It therefore poses a major challenge in our political evolution,” he added.

Need for National confab

Highlighting need for the national conference, Clark, warned members of the National Assembly to stop arrogating to themselves the powers to speak for Nigerians on every occasion, saying, “the National Assembly itself is also an aspect to be discussed at the conference.

“Some of them are facing investigation and trial in court. Most of them emerged through corruption, name any panel of inquiry that they successfully concluded, especially the House of Representatives, without element of corruption, is there any? My answer is no. Why then should they arrogate the powers of amending the constitution to themselves alone,” he queried.

Concluding his lecture, Chief Clark appealed to the National Assembly, particularly the House of Representatives to take it easy on their impeachment threats on the President, if he fails to implement the budget 100%.

According to him, “I do not think it is really possible anywhere in the world to implement a nation’s budget fully and completely between July and September, except there are other motives or reasons which have not been made known to the public. I agree with them that they have every right to impeach the President if he violates any section of the Nigerian Constitution.

This of course is not the first time such attempts are being made to impeach the President. The threat by the former Speaker of the House of Representatives and other members of the House in which the scandal of “Ghana must go” bags were found on the floor of the House has not been forgotten.”

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/08/condemn-boko-haram-clark-dares-ibb-buhari/

kkk17: [color=#006600][/color]
my sentiments too. It's for those that dig her style. I do not. Give me jimmy choo and christian louboutin any day!!!!