Mohammed Abad from Edinburgh is to rendezvous with Charlotte Rose in London after a dinner date this week.
Rose, a sexual freedom campaigner, offered to have sex with Mohammed after learning he had surgery to fit an 8-inch bionic penis which has only just begun working.
Sexsational: Mr Adad will finally be able to use his bionic pe-nis now he's been offered sex for free
The 43-year-old was lucky to survive after he was run over in Huddersfield, in 1978, aged six - now he's excited for the moment he's going to have sex for the first time.
Excited: Mohammed Abad who had his penis sliced off will lose his virginity
He said: “I have waited long enough for this — it’ll be a great start to the new year.
"My pe-nis is working perfectly now so I just want to do it.
"I’m really excited. I can’t wait for it to finally happen.”
Mr Abad first had surgery to fit the 8inch bionic pe-nis in 2012 and it has now become fully functional.
The penis has two tubes which inflate when he presses a button on his testicle.
Rose who won British Erotic Award for Sex Worker of the Year in 2013 offered to have sex with Mohammed for free after learning about his plight from newspapers and the TV show Embarrassing Bodies .
Freebie: Charlotte Rose usually charges £200-an-hour for sex but is waving her fee
The 35 year-old mum-of-two who starred on a Channel 4 series on prostitution called ‘Love For Sale’ alongside actor Rupert Everett has waived her usual £200-an-hour fee.
She said: “I am so honoured that he chose me to take his virginity.
“We plan to have a dinner date so we can get to know each other and then two hours of private time. I’m not charging him
Charlotte stood as an independent candidate in the Rochester and Strood by- election, added: “I’m happy to help him build up confidence.
“Hopefully he can then find a lovely lady to settle down with.”
It has been a rocky road to sexual awakening for Mr Abad who dreams of becoming a father one day.
Two years ago he married but neglected to tell his wife of his condition until their wedding night.
She left him last year after becoming tired of waiting. www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/man-fitted-bionic-penis-finally-7110225?ICID=FB_mirror_main

In the appeal filed by defeated Benue governorship
candidate of the PDP, Mr Terhemen Tarzoor,
challenging the victory of Governor Samuel Ortom of the
APC in the April 11th general elections, Justice
Mohammed Garba who presided over today’s sitting
reserved judgment after listening to the counsels from
all parties saying judgement will be communicated to
them through the registry of the court on or before
Thursday, 19th November, 2015.
When the petition came up for hearing, counsel to
Governor Samuel Ortom, Mr Akintola Adeniyi, SAN who
urged the court to dismiss the appeal and allow the
cross-appeal filed by the Governor, raised the
preliminary objection to the appeal on the grounds that
the notice of the appeal was filed without the seal of the
council which robbed the court of the jurisdiction to
entertain it.
He further stated that contrary to submission of the
lawyers representing Mr Tarzoor, the APC held its
primaries in Benue State in which Governor Ortom
emerged as winner and eventually won the
governorship election.
Mr Akintola submitted that by law, there was a
difference between qualification of a candidate and
nomination of a candidate according to section 182 of
the Nigerian constitution. He explained that if a person
was not qualified, any person could go to court to
challenge him but when it comes to the issue of
nomination of candidate of a political party, only a
member or candidate of that political party could go to
court or tribunal to challenge the process, saying Mr
Tarzoor was not a member of the APC.
Counsel to the APC, Mr S. Hon, SAN also urged the
appeal court justice to dismiss the appeal on all
grounds and allow the cross-appeal filed by Governor
Ortom to proceed.
He submitted that the defeated PDP candidate, Mr
Tarzoor did not bring any evidence at the lower court to
show that he won the election by majority of lawful
votes as he abandoned that ground of the petition and
has no right by law to raise such fresh issues at the
court of appeal.
Mr Hon also urged the appeal court to hold the issue of
Governor Ortom’s qualification as settled by the
Makurdi High Court which dismissed the suit file by the
PDP adding that by law, one cannot separate the party
from the candidate.
Counsel to the Independent National Election
Commission, INEC re-echoed the same submissions
made by Mr Hon saying Mr Tarzoor did not win the
elections by majority of lawful votes and also urged the
court to dismiss the appeal.
Counsel to Mr Terhemen Tarzoor, Mr Adebayo
Adenipekun, SAN urged the court to allow the appeal
and dismiss the cross-appeal, and hold that the APC
did not hold its governorship primaries in the state and
therefore Mr Tarzoor was the only qualified candidate
at the elections.
He had earlier appealed for an extension of time to
enable him attach the councils seal to the originating
notice of the appeal which was opposed by the
Governor’s lawyer.
http://www.queendoosh.com/2015/11/tarzoo-vs-ortomo-appeal-court-reserves.html?m=1

omotayo9177:
CHANGE

body odour u mean

omotayo9177:
CHANGE

body odour u mean

One word for this guy

Yakubu, new INEC boss
Buhari
•Buhari bows to legality on quorum but…
•Why Senate screening of commissioners must be thorough
•Some nominees have baggage — Investigation
By Jide Ajani
Whereas President Muhammadu Buhari has done the right and proper thing regarding last week’s
appointment of National Commissioners and National Chairman-designate for the Independent National
Electoral Commission, INEC, with a view to constituting a proper Commission, there are still many
rivers to cross.
Indeed, Sunday Vanguard had consistently harped on the need to appoint commissioners to the
Commission so that its required quorum would be met, culminating in penultimate Sunday’s
publication of a subsisting Federal High Court judgment which declared that not less than five
commissioners can form the quorum for INEC, as against Madam Amina Zakari andAmbassador
Lawrence Nwuruku (even with a sword of doubt hanging over the head of the former), which Buhari
heeded, is worth commending. However, the nature of the nominations, as well as the caliber of the
nominees, remains curious.
This report will show why President Buhari needs to do more to ensure that the goodness he benefited
from an impartial electoral management body, is not denied other Nigerians whose elections INEC
would superintend, by nominating men and women of impeccable and sound character to the
Commission.
A SHOCKER FOR NATIONAL COUNCIL OF STATE
President Muhammadu Buhari did it again last week. You could call it a matter of style.
The no-nonsense fifth
executive President and
Commander-in-Chief avoided
all the niceties of packaging,
to present his nominees for
the offices of national
commissioners and office of
national chairman,
Independent National
Electoral Commission, INEC,
to members of the National
Council of States, NCoS.
He read out the names:
Professor Mahmood Yakubu,
as Chairman; Mrs. Amina
Bala Zakari, the immediate
past acting INEC Chairman,
representing the North-West;
Dr. Antonia Taiye Okoosi-
Simbile, commissioner representing North-Central; and Alhaji Baba Shettima Arfo from Borno as
commissioner representing the North-East. Others are Dr. Mohammed Mustapha Lecky from Edo as
commissioner representing the South-South and Prince Soyebi Adedeji Solomon from Ogun State
representing the South-west.
A source at the meeting told Sunday Vanguard that some jaws dropped as Mr. President made his
presentation.
In fact, pieces of information made available to Sunday Vanguard, about what transpired at this first
meeting of the NCoS since Buhari’s inauguration, suggest that some of the governors were shocked.
Interestingly, most of those who were shocked were governors of the All Progressive Congress, APC.
The reason for this, Sunday Vanguard was made to understand, stemmed from the fact that they were
not consulted before the nominees were brought to the NCoS.
That was the first shocker.
A few of the governors, upon hearing the names, wondered what manner of INEC President Buhari was
attempting to establish – these ones were predominantly of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
DECONSTRUCTING BUHARI’S INEC
But the PDP governors did not wonder afar.
It soon became a joke, that one of the commissioners Buhari had just nominated was part of the self-
same Commission that oversaw the defeat of Buhari as presidential candidate of the Congress for
Progressive Change, CPC. And the same President Buhari had complained openly about seeming
partisanship of INEC during the 2007 presidential election, especially as his appeal was being tossed
from court to court before it was finally dismissed in what he described as controversial circumstance.
It was during that period of open lamentation that saw Buhari come in the open to lament the future
of Nigeria in view of what some described as the grand electoral robbery of 2007, an election in which
the winner, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, acknowledged the flaws.
Specifically, the nominee for the South West zone was also a national commissioner during the 2007
presidential election.
So, the joke is: What new appurtenances of credible election are being expected with the
appointment.
Since it has been generally acknowledged that the Professor Attahiru Jega-led INEC brought Nigeria
closer to electoral sanity, it is indecipherable at this point why President Buhari has appointed a
national commissioner who served in what some say was a discredited INEC.
The rationale behind that nomination, in the estimation of some, remains curious.
More curious, one of the governors at the meeting said, was the insistence of “Mr. President to still
appoint Amina Zakari, inspite of the overwhelming familial connection” which has diminished the real
essence of the woman.
Another individual, among the nominees, was alleged to have collected money from two contending
parties during a gubernatorial election some years ago. This actually led to an open confrontation
between the nominee and one of the parties in the open – it had to do with a governorship election in
Abia State, to be specific.
Yet, the nominee from Edo State, who hails from Auchi, the same area one of the national leaders of
the APC comes from, is another addition in the list.
ATTAHIRU JEGA, 1,957 DAYS AGO
One thousand, nine hundred and fifty seven days ago, specifically on Tuesday, June 8, 2010, President
Goodluck Jonathan settled for Professor Jega as national chairman of INEC and presented his name,
along with some others, to the NCoS..
Appointing Jega did not
come easy.
However, the overwhelming
desire of Nigerians to have
an election management
body that would conduct
elections that would be
acceptable, free and fair,
appeared to have guided and
guarded Jonathan’s choice of
Jega.
Indeed, before that day’s
meeting of the NCoS, the
government had flown a kite,
throwing into the public
domain the names of Olisa Agbakoba, Barrister Buari and Jega.
Because of Jega’s antecedents, Nigerians pointed in his direction.
Jonathan had no option than to appoint the Professor from Kebbi State.
Against all odds, Jega did well – in his own way.
QUESTIONS
Given these speculations of possible partisanship, observers are compelled to ask what happened to all
those INEC commissioners that Nigerians know very well, who served creditably during Jega’s time
and whose integrity and publicly acknowledged commitment helped to build the reputation that INEC
enjoyed up until June 2015?
How can this administration expect to earn public trust by appointing only Madam Zakari, not even
known as the face of INEC, until her controversial appointment as acting national chairman, an
appointment which was in itself treacherous in the face of the law?
Where are those commissioners who served as the face of INEC at critical moments when members of
the public needed to clear the fog?
How does President Buhari hope to instill institutional memory in the Commission?
Like Jonathan after barely a year in office, why is President Buhari attempting to decimate his own
goodwill?
It was Olusegun Obasanjo who described the 2007 presidential election as a do-or-die affair and,
therefore, went ahead to intimidate those at INEC. Now, Buhari is President and his nominees, for
now, do not inspire the type of confidence that Nigerians are looking for.
Does this signal the conclusion which Nigerians must now come to accept, that all former military
heads of government consider elections as a do-or-die affair and therefore have no concern
whatsoever for credible election managers? Where are all the credible election managers whose
credible conducts led to the emergence of the transition that the current government is enjoying? Will
the current government deny Nigerian the freewill to choose in elections which helped to usher them in
as a source of hope and accountability? The remaining nominations which the government will make
to lead INEC at national and state levels will serve to reassure Nigerians that all hope is not lost, or
confirm that indeed enduring Democracy as we hoped for, will not come to Nigeria in the near future. http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/10/inecs-impartiality-going-going-going/

WHERE DID WE GO WRONG?
WAKE UP NIGERIAN YOUTHS
Awolowo was (37), Akintola (36), Ahmadu Bello (36) Balewa (34) and Okotie-Eboh (27), Enahoro (27) led the struggle for independence after the death of Macaulay. Only Zik was 42 at the time.

In 1966, the first coup was led by: Kaduna Nzeogwu (29) and countered by Murtala Mohammed (28), Theophilus Danjuma (28), Babangida (25), Nanven Garba (23), Sani Abacha (23), Shehu Musa Yaradua (23), and brought into power Gowon (32), Ojukwu (33), Obasanjo (29), Buhari (24).
Most of the military administrators who governed the states under the successive military regimes, most of whom are governors now, were under 30 years.
The brief democratic dispensation which interjected the military interregnums also saw the House of Representativesin particular populated by majority of members under 30 years as well as some senators.
Under 30s were also not in short supply with appointments, we have examples of MT Mbu who became foreign affairs minister at 23 and Pat Utomi who became a presidential adviser at 27 and so on and so forth.
NOW:
Why is it that this age bracket is today still sleeping in 3 seater chairs in their parents’ homes?
Why is it that this age bracket is today still collecting pocket money from their parents?
Why is it that this age bracket is today still writing JAMB?
Why is it that this age bracket is today still sagging their trousers?
Why is it that this age bracket is today still searching for jobs, not yet married?
Why is it that this age bracket is today no longer qualified to even be leaders of youth wings of political parties?
Why is it that this age bracket is today so docile?
Why is it that this age bracket is today still incapable of feeding itself?
Why is it that this age bracket is today barred by law from even aspiring to certain political offices?
Why is it that this age bracket is today incapacitated, unwilling, unable and incapable of asking questions?
GOD BLESS NIGERIA!

Prof Wole soyinka

WHERE DID WE GO WRONG?
WAKE UP NIGERIAN YOUTHS
Awolowo was (37), Akintola (36), Ahmadu Bello (36) Balewa (34) and Okotie-Eboh (27), Enahoro (27) led the struggle for independence after the death of Macaulay. Only Zik was 42 at the time.

In 1966, the first coup was led by: Kaduna Nzeogwu (29) and countered by Murtala Mohammed (28), Theophilus Danjuma (28), Babangida (25), Nanven Garba (23), Sani Abacha (23), Shehu Musa Yaradua (23), and brought into power Gowon (32), Ojukwu (33), Obasanjo (29), Buhari (24).
Most of the military administrators who governed the states under the successive military regimes, most of whom are governors now, were under 30 years.
The brief democratic dispensation which interjected the military interregnums also saw the House of Representativesin particular populated by majority of members under 30 years as well as some senators.
Under 30s were also not in short supply with appointments, we have examples of MT Mbu who became foreign affairs minister at 23 and Pat Utomi who became a presidential adviser at 27 and so on and so forth.
NOW:
Why is it that this age bracket is today still sleeping in 3 seater chairs in their parents’ homes?
Why is it that this age bracket is today still collecting pocket money from their parents?
Why is it that this age bracket is today still writing JAMB?
Why is it that this age bracket is today still sagging their trousers?
Why is it that this age bracket is today still searching for jobs, not yet married?
Why is it that this age bracket is today no longer qualified to even be leaders of youth wings of political parties?
Why is it that this age bracket is today so docile?
Why is it that this age bracket is today still incapable of feeding itself?
Why is it that this age bracket is today barred by law from even aspiring to certain political offices?
Why is it that this age bracket is today incapacitated, unwilling, unable and incapable of asking questions?
GOD BLESS NIGERIA!

Prof Wole soyinka

When GEJ wanted to stop paying subsidy u guys went to the street and now u are blaming him . If he had ended the subsidy regime it would gone a long way in stopping these cabal

Once the preserve of hardened criminals, abuse of drugs like codeine and others is on the rise, especially
among married women in the North, as well as teenagers. Daily Trust takes a look at the disturbing trend.
Fadeela, 18, is helpless. She is addicted to Tutolin, a codeine-containing cough syrup she consumes at
least twice a day. Two bottles per day is what her system demands or it may just shut down. This has
done great harm to her life already. She has since dropped out of school and now spends time at Mami
Market in the city of Sokoto.
At Mami Market, both male and female addicts - mostly in their twenties - have found a haven where they
freely indulge in using a variety of substances to get ‘high’. But Fadeela is fed-up with the control it has
over her. It has estranged her family from her. “If you can help me out of this life, I will ever be grateful,”
she says.
Recently, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) decried the increasing involvement of
married women in drug abuse. The Assistant Superintendant in charge of exhibits at the Sokoto State
Command, Ali Baba Mustapha, pointed out at the Jigawa Day celebration that women take cough syrups
that contain codeine - an opiate used to treat pain - more than any segment of the society, believing
erroneously that it will enhance their sexual appetite. He warned that if unchecked, the trend could lead to
marital problems and even divorce. There are, also, attendant health problems.
Daily Trust investigations revealed that the stability of some homes is already being affected by this trend.
There is the case of a new bride whose husband discovered under their bed, a carton of Tutolin, usually
abused to induce intoxication and supposedly boost sexual drive. It was gathered that the groom took
both his wife and the drugs to her parents’ house in anger. Even before then, during the wedding, the loss
of a necklace had prompted a search that led to the astonishing discovery that some of the women at the
occasion, mostly housewives, had varieties of cough syrup containing codeine in their handbags.
Another incident involved a man who was said to have contacted the anti-drug agency concerning his
wife’s addiction to Tutolin, after he had discovered a pile of empty bottles of the cough syrup at their
backyard. He also revealed that the wife empties the bottles in cellophane bags and freezes for added
potency.
The Commander of the NDLEA in Kano, Alhaji Misbahu Idris said their investigations revealed a rise in the
number of women involved in drug abuse, especially housewives and female students. He said the
command has been receiving complaints from parents over alleged involvement of their female children in
drug abuse, but the agency could not help them due to lack of rehabilitation centres for women in the
command. “Just an hour ago, a girl was brought here for counselling by her father because she is addicted
to Tramadol capsules,” he said, adding that they received 10 of such cases recently.
Experts told Daily Trust that addiction to illicit drugs is causing a lot of divorces and the trend in which
female students are queuing for it is worsening the situation, causing a spike in abuse by women and
teenage girls. Drugs mostly abused include cough syrups with codeine, mostly abused by women and teens
along with a belief that they have aphrodisiacal properties, while Rohypnol and Tramadol tablets are
mostly abused by artisans, especially labourers, because it stimulates them.
From January to date the NDLEA has seized over 1, 000 kilograms of illicit drugs which include 95
kilograms of cough syrup with codeine, 561 kilograms of cannabis and 362 kilograms of Psychotropic
substances, and arrested 99 suspects, including females.
Idris disclosed that children now mix soft drinks, such as Coca Cola and La Casera with codeine because
doing so intoxicates them more and advised parents to be wary of this new development.
At the age of nine, Aminu Magaji Maibera was already doing drugs. Now 27, he is counting 18 years in the
business he was introduced to by his late friend, Aliyu. His regular base is Church Road in Sabon Gari area
of Kano. The area, like other black spots in Dan Agundi, Kofar Naisa and Zoo Road is regarded as a haven
for drug addicts in the commercial city. Despite his diminutive stature, Maibera is highly respected and
feared by other addicts, mainly because he is a peddler. For this reason, many addicts in the area regard
him as their means of survival.
Then there is 21-year-old Atine whose popular spot is the Mai Rabo Hotel at Aitken in Sabon Gari. Just
like Maibera, she was introduced into drugs by someone close to her, but in her case it was a boyfriend. “I
don’t take Indian hemp or alcohol. You know I am a Muslim, I only take Codeine. Sometimes I have
difficulty buying it, but my friends always help me out. I take it to make me feel relaxed,” she said.
Drug abuse cases are also high among youths in Kano, Daily Trust gathered. The substance is either
carried in empty sachets of pure water or other means, and contains solution. Despite government efforts,
the growing rate of abuse in the state remains worrisome. The Deputy Governor, Professor Hafiz Abubakar,
last week at the NDLEA Command, said the state has the highest number of cases of drug abuse in the
country. He vowed that the government would not relent in its efforts to check the nefarious activities of
criminals.
Former Commandant of NDLEA, Malam Garba Ahmadu, noted that going by the statistics in the
command’s disposal, women’s involvement in drugs is very low in Kano, but admitted that they have
heard that women take cough syrups in their homes and the agency has so far not understudied the
development. “If you look at the number of people we arrested, women are not even up to ten percent,” he
said, adding that the NDLEA Command has a functional committee that is addressing the drug problems in
the state. He further pointed out that the same committee is helping dislodge them (drug addicts) from
places like Dan Agundi, Zoo road, Kofar Naisa and other areas where such cases are rampant in the state.
“The drug problem is a youth problem,” Ahmadu insisted, adding that statistics show cannabis, popularly
known as Indian hemp, is mostly in use in Kano.
But it is not all about Kano or Sokoto. In Zamfara, cough syrups such as Benylin, Emzolyn, and Asad
cough expectorants are commonly abused by youngsters. An owner of a medical store who craved
anonymity told Daily Trust that young ladies patronise the substances, particularly students of higher
institutions of learning. Their strategy is simple, he said: “They send a little boy to us because they are
ashamed,” adding that some come themselves and buy what they want. This, he emphasises, even as the
price of cough syrups has skyrocketed because of its excessive demand among youths. “A bottle that once
went for N160 is now sold at N900.”
Another pharmacy owner said married women send children to buy such syrups for them and their
husbands are mostly ignorant of what they are doing. He intimated that the drugs have genuine medical
use, but are abused by consumers when they are used excessively. “Let me tell you, many of these young
ladies have been coming regularly, so much that when they step in here they do not need to tell us what
they need anymore,” he said, adding that there was a time a woman came, looking drowsy and speaking
gibberish and he had to quickly show her out.
A resident, Sani Abubakar, explained how terrible the situation had become. “If you see young men holding
a plastic bottle of soft drink, especially for a long time, there would no doubt be some cough syrup in it.”
But the whole episode turned ugly for a married woman, another resident, Kabir Abdullahi narrated, when
her six-year-old-son went to the fridge and helped himself to the entire bottle of codeine-containing cough
syrup while his mother chatted with friends. The boy immediately became very drowsy and slept for two
days. When her husband arrived, she had tried hard to hide what actually caused the problem, knowing
there would be consequences.
The head of Drug and Alcohol Treatment, Education and Research unit at the Federal Neuropsychiatric
Hospital in Kaduna, Dr. Ebiti Williams, said anecdotal report confirms that the use of drugs or substances
is getting worse in Kaduna State. He pointed out that alongside other substances, majority of the users
abuse codeine. “Usually most people that are into substance abuse in Nigeria don’t use just one,” he
intimated, adding that in some countries it is common to see people who use a particular drug, like
cocaine or heroin, but this is not the case here where there are cases of multiple psycho-active substance
use.
“Most of the young people we see here also use codeine and yet demand treatment, though not because
they want to stop the use of the substance but because they have developed a problem, maybe a
psychiatric problem and their relatives have brought them,” Williams revealed. He said that incidentally, the
use of codeine-containing substances is on the increase among women and girls, particularly married
women, although adolescent males also use them.
Dr. Williams explained that the trend is prevalent in the North than any other region, like the West or East
where cannabis may be more popular. He added that female drug abusers are drawn to codeine simply
because it does not smell like cannabis.
To intensify the already existing problem, abusers keep discovering new substances. Williams again
intimated that these may not be generally out rightly seen as drugs because the users get creative and use
a combination of them and keep discovering more. However, there are a lot of other drugs that are being
used in countries like South Africa, such as the mixture of HIV drugs and rat poison, but this has not been
recorded in Nigeria.
Williams urged government at all levels to intensify their efforts in the fight against drug abuse in the
country, adding that a clampdown will not halt abuse. He called for adequate sensitization, and also early
detection and treatment of users.
MDGs:

There is no doubt that President Buhari is ever ready to govern this country. But, while emphasis
are laid on war against the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-Eastern part of the country, is
the president doing anything different from previous administrations to address the increasing
acts of terrorism and ethnic cleansing in Plateau State?
In 2007, the late President Yar’adua inherited the Plateau crises from President Obasanjo.
Between the 8th and 9th of March, 2009, the residents of Dogo Na Hauwa in Plateau State woke
up to a horror beyond their wildest imagination where more than 500 women and children were
gruesomely hacked to death at night by Fulani herdsmen.
This was followed by myriads of other attacks, sacking entire communities like one would an
unproductive employee. The ailing president looked the other way as though Plateau State was
not a federating unit in Nigeria. He did little or nothing to address the core causes of the killings
besides deploying security personnel, some of whom were accused of participating in the
genocides and exhibiting total indifference to the situation of the defenceless victims. In fact,
they were only seen after the attacks taking statistics of damage done to lives and property like
some chartered statisticians.
The Jonathan administration came with some strong words which sparked hope in 2010. But as
soon as the elections were over in 2011, the killing spree resumed with a wider coverage to
include Benue, Taraba, Southern Kaduna, Nassarawa and some Gbagi settlements in Abuja. The
then president, who was overwhelmed by the Boko Haram insurgency seemed to have no idea of
the carnage that was going on in the villages of Plateau State particularly Riyom and B/Ladi
despite the deaths of serving senator, Gyang Dantong,
and Plateau Sate House of Assembly member, Gyang Danfulani. The president persisted in his
ignorance of the night attacks in the villages until his exit on the 29th of May. This ushered in
Baba Buhari as the Grand Commander of the Change Army who raised our hopes.
But the hopes are only proving to be transient. We are unspeakably perplexed by the coldness
that characterizes Mr. President’s disposition towards the systematic, well-orchestrated and
incessant massacres of Berom in the villages of Plateau State by Fulani herdsmen, officially
known as “unknown gunmen”. Aside our indefatigable president only dismissing the ugly trend
as “farmers/herdsmen clashes” in his most celebrated inaugural speech of “I belong to everyone,
I belong to no one”, he has not brought this issue to the front burner with the view to
investigating the actual causes, punishing the perpetrators and providing a long-lasting panacea
to it. The eight people killed by the gaseous escape in Jos received a presidential condolence but
the killings of hundreds, destruction of farms and sacking of villages in Plateau have not. With due respect to His Excellency, it is by no means a clash when women and children are
hacked to dead or shot at in their farms. It is terrorism. It is massacre. It is genocide.
While it would appear that President Yar’adua swore to a code of silence to the sustained
annihilation of whole villages on the Plateau, President Jonathan seemed to have sworn to a
code of ignorance. The pertinent question begging for answer is, to which of these codes has our
respectable and amiable president pledged his allegiance? The presidential code of silence or the
code of ignorance? Is there a hidden clause that forbids presidents from addressing the Plateau
matter? Baba Buhari obviously has the political will and commands the requisite respect to end
this abuse of humanity. So what is preventing him from taking immediate action as he is rightly
doing with other terrorising attacks in the country?
It may, at first glance seem like this is a Plateau problem, but there were instances where, out of
rage, the victims of these attacks blocked highways and attacked innocent travellers. This is by
no means a justification for any act of carnage. My point is that we must not wait like we did
with the issue of Boko Haram when it was at its embryonic stage, only to be proactive when it
became a hydra-headed monster which sought to consume us all. With the killing of any
Nigerian citizen in Nigeria or elsewhere, we lose our humanity when we stay aloof.
Those close to the president, please inform him that Plateau State needs urgent presidential
attention. Community policing and collaboration have stemmed the occurrences of crises in Jos
and environs, but not the unabated daily killings in the villages of Riyom, Bokkos and Barkin Ladi.
We either collectively speak as Plateau people and bring an end to these insane killings now or
forever remain silent. https://talk2yohanna./2015/08/20/berom-massacre-an-extension-of-boko-haram-and-jihad-in-grand-style/

By Femi Aribisala
God is contemptuous of prosperity preachers. He says: “They give useless medicine for my people’s
grievous wounds, for they assure them all is well when that isn’t so at all!” (Jeremiah 8:10-11).
The prosperity gospel maintains the redemption in Christ Jesus is also redemption from financial poverty.
It says every Christian is called to be rich in dollars and cents. A favourite scripture in this regard comes
from Paul, who says: “You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your
sake he became poor, that you through his poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9).
Enticing words
This so-called gospel appeals to the rich because it tells them they will become richer. It appeals to the
poor because it promises them they will become rich. It appeals to pastors because it has proved to be an
effective way to grease money out of Christians by making them believe if they give to their churches, God
would give them a hundredfold return.
Jesus says those who leave their house or land or brothers or sisters or father or mother for the sake of
the gospel will receive a hundredfold return. (Matthew 10:29-30). He is clearly referring here to spiritual
returns, for no man can have 100 physical mothers and fathers. However, his message has been distorted
on the altar of the prosperity gospel.
Thus, Gloria Copeland says: “You give $1 for the gospel’s sake and $100 belongs to you. Give $10 and
receive $1,000. Give $1,000 and receive $100,000. Give one house and receive one hundred houses or one
house worth one hundred times as much. Give one airplane and receive one hundred times the value of the
airplane. Give one car and the return would furnish you a lifetime of cars.”
Fleecing the flock
The prosperity gospel is convenient for justifying the wealth of pastors who have become rich at the
expense of their congregation. Thus, Marcus Bishop says unapologetically: “Financial prosperity is just as
much a part of the Gospel as anything else… I’m not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I’m not
ashamed of prosperity. I’m not ashamed that Jesus bought and paid for me to be wealthy. Let me just tell
you from the heart of God, preachers are supposed to be rich.”
Kenneth Copeland echoes him. He maintains: “You can draw on heaven like a magnet. We don’t have to
wait until we get to heaven to get God’s blessings. Now’s when we need them.”
The prosperity gospel is also lucrative for selling books. The Christian book market is full of “get-rich-
quick tipsters” and “one-minute-solution merchants.” For example, Joel Osteen’s “Your Best Life Now”
sold millions of copies. It was number one on the New York Times bestseller list. Osteen tells Christians
they can get their best life now; a far more marketable proposition than one saying: “Take up your cross
and follow Jesus.
Tit for tat
The prosperity gospel says in order to receive from God; we first have to first give money to the church.
But Peter said the exact opposite to Simon the sorcerer, who offered him money in order to receive the gift
of the Holy Spirit: “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be
purchased with money!” (Acts 8:20).
God is no respecter of persons. He not only prospers the righteous, he also prospers sinners. Bad fortune
is not an index of God’s judgement. Neither is prosperity an index of his favour. (Job 21:7-13). Many
sinners, atheists and wicked people easily escape calamities, while many are the afflictions of the
righteous. (Psalm 34:19).
Solomon says: “Exactly the same thing will finally happen to all of us, whether we live right and respect
God or sin and don’t respect God. Yes, the same thing will happen if we offer sacrifices to God or if we
don’t, if we keep our promises or break them.” (Ecclesiastes 9:1-3).
God allows the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the righteous and the
unrighteous. Accordingly, he often gives great wealth to the wicked. This tendency baffled Jeremiah who
queried God: “Why does the way of the wicked prosper?” (Jeremiah 12:1).
Prosperity of fools
For the unregenerate, riches can be a curse. If we inherit riches or if our plans succeed beyond our wildest
expectations, it is time to pray for the grace to handle it, that it may not alienate us from God: “For the
turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.” (Proverbs
1:32).
Solomon warns: “There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing; and one who makes himself poor,
yet has great riches.” (Proverbs 13:7). This means there is a seeming wealth behind which lies deep
spiritual poverty and wretchedness. Yet, there is a poverty that makes a man ripe for the kingdom of God.
Take another look at the special programs and outreaches organised in the churches and you will discover
the emphasis is not on righteousness or the kingdom of God. Instead, banners, posters, handbills and
radio jingles proclaim “Unceasing Showers of Blessing,” “Twenty-four Hour Miracles;” or “Stupendous
Breakthroughs.” Hosea dismisses this tendency: “They assemble together for grain and new wine.” (Hosea
7:14)
Prosperity preachers mislead Christians. They hold up the candy of their gospel, saying “count the
blessings.” But Jesus does the very opposite. He presents the gospel and says “count the cost.” (Luke
14:28-33). Jesus does not promise us a rose garden in this life. Instead he tells his disciples: “In the
world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).
Encouraging the wicked
God says to Isaiah: “Cry aloud, spare not; lift up your voice like a trumpet; tell my people their
transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.” (Isaiah 58:1). Prosperity preachers are averse to doing
this for fear of alienating their congregation. Therefore, they fool the gullible, saying: “Get ready, get ready,
God is about to give you a blessing that there will not be room enough to contain.”
Prosperity preachers strengthen the hand of evil-doers by promising them God’s blessings instead of
reproving their sins. (Jeremiah 23:14). They give the wrong impression that God is satisfied with
Christians, ensuring that we do not repent of sin. Indeed, as a rule, God does not send messages of
prosperity. He is not in the habit of sending messages of peace and prosperity to a sinful world. On the
contrary, he sends warnings of wars, famines and plagues. (Jeremiah 28:8-9).
“Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They
make you worthless; they speak a vision of their own heart, not from the mouth of the LORD. They
continually say to those who despise me, ‘The LORD has said, ‘You shall have peace;’ and to everyone
who walks according to the dictates of his own heart, they say, ‘No evil shall come upon you.’” (Jeremiah
23:16-17).
God is contemptuous of prosperity preachers. He says: “All of them, great and small, prophet and priest,
have one purpose in mind- to get what isn’t theirs. They give useless medicine for my people’s grievous
wounds, for they assure them all is well when that isn’t so at all!” (Jeremiah 8:10-11). http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/09/beware-of-the-prosperity-gospel/

what's this smh?

■ In world’s political history, Nigeria has now become the only country where
an elected President ferociously assumed the position of the Vice President,
Chief Prosecutor, Prison Director, Chief Judge, Petroleum Chief – then sits down
on the constitution with unchallenged authority, undermining the powers of the
segments of the government.
---------------------------------------
■ Today, over two months in office, Buhari has not changed, and might have
even gotten worse. He has assumed a dictatorship role, and deceitfully claimed
to be too busy to name a working team. Yet, he had the time to make multiple
trips to countries in Europe, America, and Africa, bringing back no development
strategies but stacks of photo albums for image campaign.
---------------------------------------
■ The worst damage of Buhari’s approach to issues of governance is a total
disconnection with both his subordinates in the government, party colleagues
and the masses. He has remained the only arm of the system, whereas his
supporters chokingly struggle in the social media to defend a regime that
jumpstarted into action without any platform. . Consequently, the Sai-Buhari
mantra has totally died in the public domain leaving only a few voices who
stood back to save face.
-------------------------------------
■The worst failure is a failure before a beginning and Buhari has demonstrated
that ineptitude. As a remedy, the new leader may consider, as a beginning,
reconciling issues with his first major obstacle – himself.

1
Bobbi Kristina Brown, is the only child of pop legend Whitney Houston and singer Bobby Brown, died
Sunday aged 22, six months after she was found unconscious in a bathtub in her home.
2
Bobbi Kristina‘s parents separated in 2006 and divorced in 2007, with Houston awarded custody of their
daughter, amid claims of abuse and drug use in the high-profile relationship.
3
Kristina’s mother, Houston was reported to have been overdosed on drugs and alcohol before drowning,
and that a drug-related heart damage played a part in her death
4
After her mother’s death, Bobbi Kristina — hoped to follow in Houston’s footsteps as a singer.
5
Bobbi Kristina — sole heir to Houston’s estate — was discovered face down and unresponsive in her
bathtub in her Atlanta, Georgia home on January 31.
6
She was revived by emergency crews but lost significant brain function and was placed in a medically
induced coma. She died at a hospice in Duluth, Georgia.
7
The circumstances that led to Bobbi Kristina being pulled unconscious from a bathtub are similarly murky.
In February, US media reported that police had opened a criminal probe intoBobbi Kristina‘s boyfriend Nick
Gordon, who reportedly said that it was he who found her in the bathtub.
8
She passed away, according to the TMZ celebrity website, after her family decided to “take her off all
meds.”
9..
There had been growing fears for Bobbi Kristina‘s long-term health after she was moved to the Duluth
hospice a month ago.
“Despite the great medical care at numerous facilities, her condition has continued to deteriorate,” her
aunt, Pat Houston, said in a statement at the time.
10
Her death — was linked to an apparent drug overdose — drew eerie parallels to that of her mother, who
was found face down in a bathtub in a Los Angeles hotel on February 11, 2012, on the eve of the Grammy
Awards.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/07/10-facts-about-death-of-whitney-houstons-daughter-bobbi-kristina/

When I was in high school, way back in the ’90s, dating seemed incredibly
difficult.
You had to walk up to a girl and declare your feelings face to face, with a
lingering fear of rejection just waiting to jump into your soul and crush your
hopes and dreams.
Or there was always calling her, but then you had to find a non-creepy way to get
her phone number, then explain who you were to her and her entire family.
There’s no way that situation ever works out in your favor.
The Internet changed everything, but especially dating. Not only could you meet
someone online, even communicating became a breeze thanks to texting,
commenting, swiping and any other form of courtship that requires four seconds
of moving your thumbs in-between YouTube video viewings.
If you’re single, you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you’re married, read
this and then go hug your single friend, then go hug your spouse even harder.
Here are eight of the most annoying dating habits of the 21st century.
1. So, Are We Dating or What?
Here’s a fun game to play: The next time you see a couple in their early to mid-
twenties on a date, ask them if they’re boyfriend and girlfriend.
For some reason, the idea of labeling relationships now gets the same knee-jerk
reaction as yelling a racial slur in the middle of a daycare.
“I mean, we go out several times every week and we aren’t seeing anyone else.
We’ve met each other’s families and he asked my father for permission to marry
me and then bought me a ring and proposed. Of course, I said yes, and we’re
getting married next May, but I think it might be a little soon to start labeling
each other as boyfriend or girlfriend.” your relationship status requires over 12 seconds to explain, you need to go talk
to your dating partner. Or anybody else. Just not me, because I really don’t feel
like trying to figure out what you mean
2. Phones During Dates
First of all, let me say that I am completely guilty of being on my phone at times
when I certainly should not be on my phone. There are times when it’s actually
something important, but way too many times I’m just mindlessly scrolling
through Instagram while the reverend gives his beautiful eulogy.
OK, maybe not that bad, but you get the idea. It’s difficult enough to find
someone you’d actually like to spend an evening with, then a time and place that
works for both of you, but now, thanks to smartphones, you’ve also got to
compete with literally everyone they know in the world.
I’m sure he loved that story you just told and would totally be laughing out loud,
if he weren’t too busy seeing how many likes his last status update got on
Facebook. Forget some big, romantic gesture; the most passionate way you can
show you love someone now is by keeping your phone in your pocket through an
entire meal.
3. FOMO
If you don’t watch Broad City or spend an obscene amount of time on the
Internet, you might not have heard the term “FOMO,” which stands for “fear of
missing out.”
It may sound ridiculous, but we live in a society that determines how great an
event was by how popular the picture of it is on Instagram. I know. It’s gross.
There’s always a constant fear of committing to one set of plans because what if
a better invitation comes along right after you agree to this one?
Not only does it happen in planning your weekend; it also seeps over into dating,
as well. You meet someone and it feels great and you really get along, but what if
you’re missing out on all sorts of adventures and fun because you’re choosing to
be with this person?
Then you have to worry that maybe you’re letting go of “the one” to chase
something that will never live up to what you just had.
Are you stressed out yet? What if in the time you just spent reading this you
missed your soul mate?
The world is crashing down around you.
4. Your Ex Will Haunt You Forever
Twenty years ago, after you broke up with someone, you might, by some chance,
run into him at the mall or at a mutual friend’s party. Now, thanks to social
media, you will see his stupid face every day on some platform for the rest of
your life.
Either she commented on your ex-roommate’s photo, or Facebook decided to
suggest you send him a friend request every day, even though you clearly have no
interest and Facebook is not good at picking up on hints. (You’re already reading
our messages anyway, Zuckerberg; at least do us the favor of screening our exes
out of there.)" There are about a million ways to stress yourself out about not hearing back
from someone. Being a crazy person just became a full-time job".
The Internet made the world a much smaller place, and while that’s great for
keeping up with friends or sending a video of a cat playing a keyboard to all of
your aunts at once, it makes avoiding the faces of those who broke your heart
almost impossible.
The only option to avoid it completely is to give up social media entirely. And
now we’re just saying foolish nonsense. What’s next? Giving up books? The
outdoors? Taco Bell?
5. Making Plans
When your relationship doesn’t have a clear and concise label, trying to make
plans beyond the next time you’ll see each other is like walking through a
minefield. This isn’t anything particularly new, but it is even more difficult now
that casual dating is much more popular than in the past.
Let’s say you’ve been seeing someone for a month and there’s a wedding you’re
attending in five weeks. That’s further out than you’ve even been seeing each
other. But if you wait too late to ask, she might make plans or may not be able to
get the proper attire in time.
Plus, she may look at it as your being very committed to the relationship and feel
a little security. Or she’ll look at it as your pushing things way too quickly and
trying to lock her into a long-term relationship—when you’re not even sure if
that’s something you want right now.
So what do you do?
“Hey, there’s a wedding in a few weeks. It’s not my wedding. We aren’t getting
married and I’m not engaged to anyone else. It’s a wedding I’m attending and I
don’t know if you like attending weddings or would want to attend one with me,
but if you want to come to this one with me as my date, I would like that. If not,
it’s no problem. We may break up before then and hate each other. Did I say
break up? I meant to say, ‘We may not still be casual like we are now.’ We may
be more casual? Less casual? The amount of casualness that we are currently
experiencing may be experienced to a different degree in the future and we
could prepare for that. This was a really bad idea to leave on your voicemail,
wasn’t it?”
6. Not Hearing Back Becomes A Mystery Investigation
Remember when you would call someone and if you didn’t get an answer, you
would leave a message on their machine then stress about it until you heard
back? Well now there are about a million other ways to stress yourself out about
not hearing back from someone.
Let’s say you sent a text at 6 p.m. and it’s now 9 p.m. and you haven’t heard
anything back. It’s probably nothing, right? She’s probably just busy or away
from her phone.
You know what? Just to ease your mind, why don’t you check her Twitter to see if
she’s posted anything since you sent that text? Great, there’s nothing there. And
while you’re at it, you might as well check her Instagram to see if she’s posted a
picture since you texted her. You know, just to make sure there’s not an issue.
Well, not checking her Facebook just seems irresponsible now that you’ve
checked the other ones. Has she sent you a Snapchat? FaceTime? WhatsApp? Kik?
A Vine video, perhaps? A Kickstarter campaign for a new phone that actually
sends and receives texts?
Being a crazy person just became a full-time job. And that’s just the stress if she
didn’t actually update any of her profiles. God forbid she decided to post a tweet
instead of responding to your text about what sort of creature Grimace is from
those McDonald’s commercials.
7. Texting
Texting makes dating and communicating much easier, but it can easily be the
death of a relationship. The problem is that you never have the beginning and an end to a conversation,
because you can just pick up and drop out of texting at any given time.
How many times have you told your boyfriend or girlfriend, “Good night” on the
phone and then kept texting for another hour? It’s just always there—and that’s
not always a good thing.
The worst part, however, is the lack of tone. You can’t hear what the other person
is actually saying, so when you have an argument or disagreement via text, and
if you haven’t LOLed, you will project into their words. “Oh, should I have a great
day? Really? That’s how you want to do this?” Before you know it, two people who
are both trying to work things out have misconstrued each other’s words to the
point that planning a dinner turned into a cage match.
TEXTING MAKES DATING AND COMMUNICATING MUCH EASIER,
BUT IT CAN EASILY BE THE DEATH OF A RELATIONSHIP.
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The 8 Most Annoying Habits of
Modern Dating
When I was in high school, way back in the ’90s, dating seemed incredibly
difficult.
You had to walk up to a girl and declare your feelings face to face, with a
lingering fear of rejection just waiting to jump into your soul and crush your
hopes and dreams.
Or there was always calling her, but then you had to find a non-creepy way to get
her phone number, then explain who you were to her and her entire family.
There’s no way that situation ever works out in your favor.
The Internet changed everything, but especially dating. Not only could you meet
someone online, even communicating became a breeze thanks to texting,
commenting, swiping and any other form of courtship that requires four seconds
of moving your thumbs in-between YouTube video viewings.
If you’re single, you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you’re married, read
this and then go hug your single friend, then go hug your spouse even harder.
Here are eight of the most annoying dating habits of the 21st century.
1. So, Are We Dating or What?
Here’s a fun game to play: The next time you see a couple in their early to mid-
twenties on a date, ask them if they’re boyfriend and girlfriend.
For some reason, the idea of labeling relationships now gets the same knee-jerk
reaction as yelling a racial slur in the middle of a daycare.
“I mean, we go out several times every week and we aren’t seeing anyone else.
We’ve met each other’s families and he asked my father for permission to marry
me and then bought me a ring and proposed. Of course, I said yes, and we’re
getting married next May, but I think it might be a little soon to start labeling
each other as boyfriend or girlfriend.”
If
your relationship status requires over 12 seconds to explain, you need to go talk
to your dating partner. Or anybody else. Just not me, because I really don’t feel
like trying to figure out what you mean by “connected free spirits.”
2. Phones During Dates
First of all, let me say that I am completely guilty of being on my phone at times
when I certainly should not be on my phone. There are times when it’s actually
something important, but way too many times I’m just mindlessly scrolling
through Instagram while the reverend gives his beautiful eulogy.
OK, maybe not that bad, but you get the idea. It’s difficult enough to find
someone you’d actually like to spend an evening with, then a time and place that
works for both of you, but now, thanks to smartphones, you’ve also got to
compete with literally everyone they know in the world.
I’m sure he loved that story you just told and would totally be laughing out loud,
if he weren’t too busy seeing how many likes his last status update got on
Facebook. Forget some big, romantic gesture; the most passionate way you can
show you love someone now is by keeping your phone in your pocket through an
entire meal.
3. FOMO
If you don’t watch Broad City or spend an obscene amount of time on the
Internet, you might not have heard the term “FOMO,” which stands for “fear of
missing out.”
It may sound ridiculous, but we live in a society that determines how great an
event was by how popular the picture of it is on Instagram. I know. It’s gross.
There’s always a constant fear of committing to one set of plans because what if
a better invitation comes along right after you agree to this one?
Not only does it happen in planning your weekend; it also seeps over into dating,
as well. You meet someone and it feels great and you really get along, but what if
you’re missing out on all sorts of adventures and fun because you’re choosing to
be with this person?
Then you have to worry that maybe you’re letting go of “the one” to chase
something that will never live up to what you just had.
Are you stressed out yet? What if in the time you just spent reading this you
missed your soul mate?
The world is crashing down around you.
4. Your Ex Will Haunt You Forever
Twenty years ago, after you broke up with someone, you might, by some chance,
run into him at the mall or at a mutual friend’s party. Now, thanks to social
media, you will see his stupid face every day on some platform for the rest of
your life.
Either she commented on your ex-roommate’s photo, or Facebook decided to
suggest you send him a friend request every day, even though you clearly have no
interest and Facebook is not good at picking up on hints. (You’re already reading
our messages anyway, Zuckerberg; at least do us the favor of screening our exes
out of there.)
The Internet made the world a much smaller place, and while that’s great for
keeping up with friends or sending a video of a cat playing a keyboard to all of
your aunts at once, it makes avoiding the faces of those who broke your heart
almost impossible.
The only option to avoid it completely is to give up social media entirely. And
now we’re just saying foolish nonsense. What’s next? Giving up books? The
outdoors? Taco Bell?
5. Making Plans
When your relationship doesn’t have a clear and concise label, trying to make
plans beyond the next time you’ll see each other is like walking through a
minefield. This isn’t anything particularly new, but it is even more difficult now
that casual dating is much more popular than in the past.
Let’s say you’ve been seeing someone for a month and there’s a wedding you’re
attending in five weeks. That’s further out than you’ve even been seeing each
other. But if you wait too late to ask, she might make plans or may not be able to
get the proper attire in time.
Plus, she may look at it as your being very committed to the relationship and feel
a little security. Or she’ll look at it as your pushing things way too quickly and
trying to lock her into a long-term relationship—when you’re not even sure if
that’s something you want right now.
So what do you do?
“Hey, there’s a wedding in a few weeks. It’s not my wedding. We aren’t getting
married and I’m not engaged to anyone else. It’s a wedding I’m attending and I
don’t know if you like attending weddings or would want to attend one with me,
but if you want to come to this one with me as my date, I would like that. If not,
it’s no problem. We may break up before then and hate each other. Did I say
break up? I meant to say, ‘We may not still be casual like we are now.’ We may
be more casual? Less casual? The amount of casualness that we are currently
experiencing may be experienced to a different degree in the future and we
could prepare for that. This was a really bad idea to leave on your voicemail,
wasn’t it?”
6. Not Hearing Back Becomes A Mystery Investigation
Remember when you would call someone and if you didn’t get an answer, you
would leave a message on their machine then stress about it until you heard
back? Well now there are about a million other ways to stress yourself out about
not hearing back from someone.
Let’s say you sent a text at 6 p.m. and it’s now 9 p.m. and you haven’t heard
anything back. It’s probably nothing, right? She’s probably just busy or away
from her phone.
You know what? Just to ease your mind, why don’t you check her Twitter to see if
she’s posted anything since you sent that text? Great, there’s nothing there. And
while you’re at it, you might as well check her Instagram to see if she’s posted a
picture since you texted her. You know, just to make sure there’s not an issue.
Well, not checking her Facebook just seems irresponsible now that you’ve
checked the other ones. Has she sent you a Snapchat? FaceTime? WhatsApp? Kik?
A Vine video, perhaps? A Kickstarter campaign for a new phone that actually
sends and receives texts?
Being a crazy person just became a full-time job. And that’s just the stress if she
didn’t actually update any of her profiles. God forbid she decided to post a tweet
instead of responding to your text about what sort of creature Grimace is from
those McDonald’s commercials.
7. Texting
Texting makes dating and communicating much easier, but it can easily be the
death of a relationship.
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The problem is that you never have the beginning and an end to a conversation,
because you can just pick up and drop out of texting at any given time.
How many times have you told your boyfriend or girlfriend, “Good night” on the
phone and then kept texting for another hour? It’s just always there—and that’s
not always a good thing.
The worst part, however, is the lack of tone. You can’t hear what the other person
is actually saying, so when you have an argument or disagreement via text, and
if you haven’t LOLed, you will project into their words. “Oh, should I have a great
day? Really? That’s how you want to do this?” Before you know it, two people who
are both trying to work things out have misconstrued each other’s words to the
point that planning a dinner turned into a cage match.
Obviously, I’m not going to tell you to avoid texting in relationships because
that’s never going to happen. However, you have to make time for phone calls or
FaceTime calls when you’re not around each other, or it becomes easy to
disconnect from your partner. You need to say a little more than just a string of
smiley faces with heart-eyed emojis.
8. Classic Romantic Gestures Are In a Recession
By no means am I saying classic romantic gestures like flowers, cards or little
presents are dead, but they certainly seem to be in a very cold and dark place.
With everything being communicated in a digital manner now, the most
romantic expression some guys can muster up is making his girlfriend his
#WomanCrushWednesday on Instagram.
It doesn’t even have to be an extravagant gift to be special. When was the last
time you gave or received a hand-written letter? There’s no cost involved, so
that’s not an excuse. Hands are free. Putting your new love interest in your
Facebook profile picture is nice, but we all know how easy it is to crop someone
out of those later.
Everything is convenient now and, sadly, that same mentality has crossed over
into relationships. It’s not bad to put a little effort into something. We have to
break the mentality of avoiding anything that’s difficult, because it’s probably
bad for us. Dating may have its good and bad sides, but when you find the right
one, all those annoying habits you had to fight through won’t seem like that big of
a deal at all.

As someone acutely familiar with sorrow and heartbreak,
Elizabeth Elliot once wrote “We want to avoid suffering,
death, sin, ashes. But we live in a world crushed and broken
and torn, a world God Himself visited to redeem.”
Because we live in these conditions, experiencing a broken
heart is almost inevitable. Many of us will face the intense
emotional pain associated with grief, disappointment or
other overwhelming circumstances. If you are currently
working through heartbreak, remember there is purpose to
these bad things. Through these experiences, we arrive at a
place where we can learn the following four things:
Grief Can Teach Us What it Really Means to
Guard Our Hearts
In our heartbreak, we learn to understand the fragility of
our heart and emotions. The intense trauma of a broken
heart can cause mental and emotional anguish along with
tangible physical pain. This is one of the reasons Proverbs
4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the
wellspring of life.”
However, this doesn’t mean you avoid all risks. In The Four Loves , C.S. Lewis
writes, “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be
wrung and possibly broken.” Consequently, guarding your heart is not about
closing it off. It’s about entrusting its care to God as you take risks in conjunction
with obedience to Him.
As Hannah Hurnard poetically writes, “It is happy to love even if you are not
loved in return. There is pain too, certainly, but Love does not think that very
significant.” God is Close to Us When We are Brokenhearted
Psalms 34:18 says, “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed
in spirit.”
In your darkest hours, when you feel like you have no other options, God becomes
the only viable solution. When we turn to Him, He promises to draw close to us
in return (James 4:.
However, we should be careful to not assume this means we need to work to
meet God halfway. Drawing close to God in our times of trouble is about making
ourselves open to having Him come to us when we are in a place where we can’t
go any further. During these times, we see God’s great compassion for us and we
are likely to experience the most profound and intimate experiences of worship.
Brokenness and Self-Pity are Not the Same
When we experience heartbreak, it is easy to become self-absorbed in our
unhappiness. We wallow in self-pity and our focus is only on ourselves. We ask
ourselves questions like, “Why is this happening to me?” or “What did I do to
deserve this?”
We may also manifest self-pity though shaming ourselves with self-deprecating
thoughts like “There is something wrong with me” or “I must be a terrible
person.”
This is the opposite of true brokenness. When we are truly broken, our attention
shifts from ourselves to absolute surrender to the sovereign will of God. In
brokenness, we have the opportunity to live in humility and start really knowing
and identifying with an intimate part of God’s character. The good news is that
we have the choice between whether we live in self-pity or identifying with
Christ in true brokenness.
God Can Redeem Heartbreak
Oswald Chambers writes “If through a broken heart God can bring His purposes
to pass in the world, then thank Him for breaking your heart.”
This is tough challenge to people facing painful and difficult situations. It’s a
concept that seems counterintuitive to what naturally feels right. However, as
Christians, it’s important to recognize the broader picture that reaches beyond
ourselves and accomplishes God’s ultimate plan. Through this, we are able to still
have joy when we face trials and tribulations.
In the end, heartbreak is still painful, but it helps to know there is purpose, hope
and God really does care. He is not sitting up high somewhere far off, indifferent
to our pain. Scripture says He keeps track of all our sorrows and tears. He offers
us hope and promises “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be
comforted” (Matthew 5:4).
While we wait for that comfort to come, we can trust that our suffering is not
meaningless and it can be redeemed if we allow God to use it to shape us into
something better.
http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/what-remember-when-bad-things-happen

story for the gods....APC u can lie ooooooo

The opposition has hidden under the guise of a lie that the CAN president is pro Jonathan 2 insult his office . I think that any unsubstantiated claim should be properly investigated b4 the socalled opposition come 2 public dormain 2 castigate the office of the CAN president. I believe that their grudge with his stance on the injustice melted on Christians in the North because no CAN president has been this vocal about this than him. Criminality should not be tolerated no matter whose ore is gored but its obvious that the opposition is witch hunting

Read the full transcript from the audio below:

TB Joshua – I want to thank you very much for your patience and for your time. In fact if i finish talking to you now, you will see,just pass through over 2 thousand people I’m attending to. They are from all over the world .No single Nigerian. I’m attending to them.

So I asked them to give you a copy of the cassette. There is 750 thousand which at least, it will be 50 thousand each for fuel. To buy fuel for your car.

(Speaks to his staff). I think you have it there, so you hand over to them. Then the cassette,they need one,one cassette.

Journalist – But man of God, we were expecting that  you would come up with an official statement .

TB Joshua – I have said it, you know i’ve talked to you(Is your camera recording..you know it’s not nessecary. It’s a private issue )

Journalist – The one in the church was not audible enough. We need something substantial for us to air

TB Joshua – Ok but you know we have to leave the security people to do their job. I don’t want to interfere, I don’t want a situation where i will become a hindrance. Because the country ambassador of America,the UK,they have sent me a letter and i greet them. South Africa Ambassador are here,Ghana Ambassador, they are here. They want to see their people. It is a very complicated issue.

Unknown Journalist – Sir say something, A sympathy comment

TB Joshua- No no no,it is too early now .Lets finish the whole thing. Have you been there?

All chorus -Yes

Unknown Journalist – So sir are we expecting you to call us back

TB Joshua – By the grace of God and i will be very happy if you can help me correct some of the things that is inside the papers

Journalist – We commiserate with you the church, what we expect is if you can’t give us a later day maybe you can give us an official statement outside the official one. You know when there is no information outside, people will continue to give rumors

TB Joshua- Which official statement do you want me to give

Journalist – We know investigation is ongoing. At the moment we know some lives have been lost, some people are in the hospital .

TB Joshua – why cant you talk of those who have been rescued You should have started from life first

Journalist -eh eh like so commiserate with them

So some people have been rescued, some people unfortunately have gone.

TB Joshua – I want to assure you that alot of people got rescued there. Many of them are even at the prayer now. Some people that are in the hospital are recovering

Journalist – SO can we say you are wishing them quick recovery and you are sympathizing with them ?

TB Joshua – Can’t you hear what I said in the church,I talk of the hero and Martyr. I talk like a man of God. I can’t talk of death inside the church. You know people will begin to say oh I salute the martyr

Journalists – Thank you sir,God bless sir .yes sir..

TB Joshua – SO WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO WRITE NOW

Just like you said…journalist chatter. as he greets them .

Click Here To Listen To The Audio.

Transcribed By Emeh Achanga, Edited By Me

Scotland will remain part of the United Kingdom -- along with England, Wales and Northern Ireland -- following a historic referendum vote. A majority of voters rejected the possibility of Scotland breaking away and becoming an independent nation.

With 31 of 32 councils declared, the "No" campaign has won the referendum on Scottish independence.


Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond admitted defeat in Scotland's independence referendum Friday -- and urged the rest of Scotland to do the same.

In a televised statement, he thanked Scotland "for 1.6 million votes for Scottish independence."A turnout of 86% is one of the highest in the democratic world for any such vote, he said.

[Original story published at 12.37 p.m. ET]

Voters in Scotland made their choice Thursday -- remain part of the United Kingdom, or form their own independent nation. They chose to remain.

With 31 of 32 of councils reporting, the "No" campaign had garnered enough votes to secure their victory, and with it Scotland's continued place within the union.

The first councils to declare all went to the "No" campaign, as did the capital, Edinburgh, which voted overwhelmingly to stay in the union with 123,927 for "Yes" and 194,628 "No" votes. Argyll and Bute and Aberdeenshire also voted "No."

Glasgow delivered a solid win for the independence camp with 194,779 votes for "Yes," and 169,347 for "No," but lead was not big enough to overturn the "No" camp's overall majority so far, which maintains a 8% (54% to 46%) lead over pro-independence camp.http://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/18/world/europe/scotland-independence-vote/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

CFCfan:
Those kind of men are simply players. But there needs to be a referee to control the 'player instinct'.

oboy that's men for you. Show me a beautiful woman n I will show u a man who is tired of fu-cking her

Messi, did not deserve the Golden Ball award he received, after the 2014 World Cup ended on Sunday.

FIFA announced the Argentina forward, ahead of Thomas Muller, Arjen Robben and James Rodriguez, as winner of the prestigious individual award.

Messi scored four times in seven matches, but Maradona says it is not enough and he won it for commercial reasons.

“Messi? I would give him heaven if possible,” Maradona said during his show on Telesur.

“But it’s not right when someone wins something that he shouldn’t have won just because of some marketing plan.”

Maradona could not also hide his disappointment, after his country were beaten 1-0 in the final played at the Maracana, thanks to Mario Gotze’s goal.

“I feel sorry for my country. Mario Gotze’s goal really hurt. There’s a huge sadness in my heart that we lost the final.

“All things put together, I think Argentina deserved at least penalties. That Germany won was the result of a misunderstanding in the Argentine defence.”

The 1986 World Cup winner, also criticized Alejandro Sabella’s decision to sub off Ezequiel Lavezzi for Sergio Aguero at half-time.

He said: “I don’t understand the substitution of Lavezzi. He was phenomenal down the wing. Kun Aguero didn’t have the same impact. It was not his tournament.”http://www.ynaija.com/brazil-2014-messi-did-not-deserve-to-win-the-golden-ball-award-maradona/

Governor of Kano State, Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has alleged that President Goodluck Jonathan is scheming to be life president of the country.


Speaking in an interview with journalists in his office at Government House, Kano at the weekend, Kwankwaso said President Jonathan, being the biggest beneficiary of democracy, is trying to truncate the system by further deepening divisions in the country.

“We are praying for the best in 2015 and working to have a free and fair election and we want to see one united country but with the way they are working now everybody, both locally and internationally, is worried because they want to take it by force. People are desperate and they want to continue by all means and that is the whole idea of the divide and rule, he wants to rule forever, he wants to be life president”, Kwankwaso said.

The governor noted that the tense political atmosphere in the country is as a result of moves by the president to remain in office beyond 2015 and urged him (Jonathan) not to seek re-election in 2015.

He also said the ongoing national conference has further deepened divisions in the country along religious and ethnic lines.

“The government is using the usual way of divide and rule, this country is now being divided further by the confab. We have people talking about Muslims on the one side, Christians on the other side, people are talking of the North on one side and the South on the other side,” he said.

On his rumored presidential ambition, he said he would be happy to fly the ticket of the APC if given the opportunity.

“I have not told anybody whether in this country or abroad that I want to contest for any election because we have to build the party first. We have to present the constitution and what the party can do to do for the people through our manifesto. But I want to assure you that if my party finds me worthy of flying the ticket I will gratefully fly it”, he said.

On Boko Haram activities in the Northeast, Kwankwaso was worried that Jonathan, as president and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, had failed to assert himself and bring the killings and destruction of property to an end.

The governor suggested that the president should either negotiate with the sect or use force to stop the incessant killings.

He said: “This stoppage should either be by negotiation of by the use of force on any of them. I tell you that most of the confusion is coming from Mr President’s handlers; the people around him just want to cause more problems”.http://www.informationng.com/2014/07/jonathan-scheming-to-become-life-president-kwankwaso-alleges.html

Governor of Kano State, Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has alleged that President Goodluck Jonathan is scheming to be life president of the country.


Speaking in an interview with journalists in his office at Government House, Kano at the weekend, Kwankwaso said President Jonathan, being the biggest beneficiary of democracy, is trying to truncate the system by further deepening divisions in the country.

“We are praying for the best in 2015 and working to have a free and fair election and we want to see one united country but with the way they are working now everybody, both locally and internationally, is worried because they want to take it by force. People are desperate and they want to continue by all means and that is the whole idea of the divide and rule, he wants to rule forever, he wants to be life president”, Kwankwaso said.

The governor noted that the tense political atmosphere in the country is as a result of moves by the president to remain in office beyond 2015 and urged him (Jonathan) not to seek re-election in 2015.

He also said the ongoing national conference has further deepened divisions in the country along religious and ethnic lines.

“The government is using the usual way of divide and rule, this country is now being divided further by the confab. We have people talking about Muslims on the one side, Christians on the other side, people are talking of the North on one side and the South on the other side,” he said.

On his rumored presidential ambition, he said he would be happy to fly the ticket of the APC if given the opportunity.

“I have not told anybody whether in this country or abroad that I want to contest for any election because we have to build the party first. We have to present the constitution and what the party can do to do for the people through our manifesto. But I want to assure you that if my party finds me worthy of flying the ticket I will gratefully fly it”, he said.

On Boko Haram activities in the Northeast, Kwankwaso was worried that Jonathan, as president and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, had failed to assert himself and bring the killings and destruction of property to an end.

The governor suggested that the president should either negotiate with the sect or use force to stop the incessant killings.

He said: “This stoppage should either be by negotiation of by the use of force on any of them. I tell you that most of the confusion is coming from Mr President’s handlers; the people around him just want to cause more problems”.http://www.informationng.com/2014/07/jonathan-scheming-to-become-life-president-kwankwaso-alleges.html

https://www.nairaland.com/1548047/theological-discuss-tithing-rhymeyjohn-image123/1 the above link opened my eyes to understand what there is to about tithing. Pls click on it 2 get informed then u can make your choice to pay or not pay tithe

Becoming an octogenarian is something to celebrate whatever your line of work – but to turn 80 in fashion, and still be a household name worn on underpants, watches and accessories around the world, is a bit special. Such is the happy fate of Giorgio Armani, who reaches his ninth decade on Friday. Here are eight things you might not know about the designer.
1. The current cult of the bomber jacket can be traced back to Armani. The first pieces he designed under his own name were a series of leather bomber jackets in 1970.

2. He is a regular in rap lyrics, with Wiz Khalifa, Kanye West and TI recently giving Armani a. shout-out. Biggie Smalls was also a fan – he had a penchant for Armani pyjamas, apparently.

3. His brand, with couture, ready-to-wear and Emporio lines on the catwalk, is big business. In 2012, the annual revenue reached £1.67bn. Armani himself is worth a cool £4.96bn, and is officially the most successful Italian designer ever.

4. Armani was well-versed in fashion before he went out on his own. He was a window dresser first, working at La Rinascente department store in Milan. Freelance gigs for Zegna, Cerruti and Loewe followed.



5. Armani loves sport. He is a fan of Inter Milan and is on the board of Olimpia Milano basketball team. If he had to pick a team in the Premier League, it would probably be Chelsea. He designed suits for the team and worked on the interiors at Stamford Bridge.

6. Fashion wasn't his first career choice. Armani studied medicine and completed military service before deciding it was clothes, not bandages, that were his calling.



7. The designer, who wears a uniform of navy, is a self-described perfectionist, even arguing in a Vogue interview that he was "10 times" worse than fashion's most high-profile stickler, Mr Tom Ford.

8. Armani is practically fashion's patron saint in Italy. He has designed uniforms for the police force, kitted out Milanese taxi drivers and even designed the cover of a gospels book for the pope.http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/fashion-blog/2014/jul/10/giorgio-armani-80-eight-facts-fashion-designer

By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor & Ben Agande
ABUJA—Last minute spirited efforts by two former heads of state to stave off the axe of impeachment hanging over the head of embattled Adamawa State Governor, Murtala Nyako, are not yielding fruits.
The two former leaders, Vanguard learnt, went with the governor, who had worked closely with them at different times, to plead with President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday night to save the governor from being disgraced out of office.

Nyako and Jonathan
It was learnt that at the meeting, the former leaders drew the attention of the presidency to the heightening ethno-religious tension that was building in Adamawa as a result of the move to oust the governor and the implications for the worsening security crisis in the North-East.
The two former leaders, who were in Abuja ahead of the Council of States meeting, which took place yesterday, reportedly impressed it upon President Jonathan that nothing should be done to escalate the violence in the region.
But a source close to the meeting told Vanguard last night that the President explained to the two leaders that he had no hand in the move to impeach the governor.
A source close to the president said the president upbraided Nyako for the insults he heaped on him in an offensive letter the governor wrote two months ago to his northern states counterparts, accusing the president of committing genocide in the north in the name of fighting Boko Haram.
But apparently to appease the former leaders, the Presidency was said to have told them that Nyako must first withdraw the inciting letter he wrote to the northern governors early this year and publicly apologise to Jonathan and Nigerians as a condition for intervening in the impeachment process.
However, an unrepentant Nyako was said to have stood his ground that he would rather go down than recant on the contents of the said letter, which sparked outrage when it was made public.
A source close to Nyako confirmed, yesterday, that the peace parley was deadlocked as a result of the governor’s refusal to disown the controversial letter and apologise to Jonathan.
“At that point, the governor is willing to step down rather than recant the content of the letter in question,” a loyalist of Nyako told Vanguard.
“It is true that the meeting got deadlocked at that point but another round of discussions was slated for Tuesday night (last night) but we cannot say whether the outcome will change anything,” the governor’s friend added.
Royal fathers meet to save Nyako
In the meantime, the eight first class traditional rulers in Adamawa met at the palace of the Lamido of Adamawa for hours, yesterday, in a bid to ward off impeachment of the governor.
Although the details of the royal fathers’ meeting were not made known, a reliable source confirmed that it was still part of the move by the kingmakers, who exercise a lot of influence in the state, to make members of the House of Assembly to see reason and soft-pedal on their decision to remove the governor.
The source hinted that some key lawmakers from the state were expected to meet with Nyako and some political heavyweights from the state in Abuja last night to brainstorm on the best way out of the political logjam.
The meeting, it was learnt, became imperative following the decision of the governor to resign his position since it had become clear to him that neither the lawmakers nor the judiciary was ready to follow due process in prosecuting his impeachment.
The governor reportedly told close associates that following undue pressure on the Acting Chief Judge, Ambrose Mammadi by vested interests, to reverse himself on his earlier judgement that he should be served notice of impeachment before being tried, he had come to the conclusion that he was being persecuted.
“The governor is of the view that since it is clear that both the Acting CJ and the House of Assembly are determined not to follow due process in removing him, it would be better for him to resign rather than wait for such impunity to throw the state into chaos,” a close aide of the governor hinted last night.
The governor is said to be planning to hand over the reins of power to his Deputy, Bala Ngilari, who remained in the PDP when he moved over to APC last year. The Presidency is said to be in support of the Deputy Governor taking over from Nyako because of his unwavering loyalty and support to the PDP.
But the decision by Nyako to hand over to Ngilari has rattled the Speaker, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, who hails from the same local government with Ngilari.
Initially, the permutation by Fintiri was that by removing Nyako and Ngilari, he would be elevated to the post of the governor but the PDP and the Presidency appear to be in favour of removing the governor and retaining his deputy.
If Ngilari is spared by the panel, it means that the Speaker will step down from his exalted position and become an ordinary member of the House of Assembly, since the speaker and governor cannot come from the same Madagali LGA of the state.
Nyako at Council of State meeting
The embattled governor, however, made a surprise appearance at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa this morning to attend a meeting of the National Council of State.
He was the cynosure of all eyes as his colleagues and cameramen rushed to capture his presence.
Governor Nyako appeared unruffled as he moved round to exchange banters with his colleagues and other presidential aides, including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim.
Panel yet to secure venue for meeting
Meanwhile, the seven-man panel constituted by the Adamawa State Acting Chief Judge, Justice Ambrose Mammadi to investigate Governor Nyako and his deputy, Bala Ngilari for alleged gross misconduct ran into a hitch, yesterday, as the panel was unable to secure a venue for its sitting.
Vanguard findings revealed that the J & J Hotel Villa, where the panel held its first sitting sent the panel packing, complaining that the heavy presence of security operatives had scared away customers from the hotel.
The clerk of the Adamawa House of Assembly, who was negotiating venue for the panel‘s sitting was helpless as other hotels he visited equally turned down his request for the use of their premises.
The panel, it was gathered, moved to the NLC club, where the state chairman of the NLC tactically declined, claiming to be performing the lesser Hajj (Umrah) in Saudi Arabia.
The panel’s next port of call was the Adamawa State NUJ press centre, where there were divergent opinions from the leadership on whether or not to give out the conference hall of the centre.
A former national officer of the NUJ, who was alleged to be in the fore front negotiating the usage of NUJ centre was alleged to have even made contact with the North East zonal leadership of the union on the need to compel Adamawa council leadership to release the centre to the panel.
The division within the Adamawa NUJ leadership led to an emergency state executive council meeting, where majority of the members kicked against the use of the NUJ centre for the panel sitting.
It was gathered that the Clerk of the Assembly had earlier deposited N170,000 for the NUJ centre which was later returned after the state executive council of the NUJ rejected the usage of the centre.
The panel was yet to get another venue for its sitting at press time..
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/07/nyako-can-saved-presidency/#sthash.lXavuxjE.dpuf

Umaru Dikko, died a few days ago. He was the poster child for corruption under the presidency of Shehu Shagari. Dikko ran to London in the days after the Buhari regime removed the Shagari administration from office in 1983. Today’s #HistoryClass, is about the attempt by the Buhari regime to bring him back to Nigeria. The Dikko-Affair

Nigeria, in the early 1980s was a land of spectacular government corruption, something that President Shagari ignored. The amount pilfered between 1979 and 1983 is estimated to be at least $16 billions ($480 billion adjusted for inflation). Attempts at audits died on arrival because of at least 8 fires at Accounts & Records departments just before scheduled audits. When confronted with all of these stories, President Shagari pleaded with his ministers especially his son-in-law, Umaru Dikko. However, Dikko, and other ministers, ignored the President. So Shagari decided to take the matter to God. God didn’t listen.

Who was this Dikko that was so powerful that the President was too afraid to call him, his son-in-law, to order? At age 30, in 1966, Hassan Katsina considered Dikko influential enough to ask him to unite the north after January 15, 1966. His power was further amplified after the July 29, 1966 coup, as he was one of those who kept Nigeria together in that coup. Remember that both Murtala Mohammed and Theophilus Danjuma had wanted the Northern region to secede from Nigeria after killing Aguiyi-Ironsi. Dikko was one of the leaders who stopped that at a meeting at the British High Commission in VI, on the night of July 29, 1966.

After that, the went quiet, and spent the decade after the war building his power base in Kaduna, Kano and the North-Western states. Then in 1979, he was made Shagari’s campaign manager for the successful presidential campaign of the National Party of Nigeria. His reward after Shagari got to power (in addition to Shagari’s daughter) was to be made Minister of Transport. As an aside, during the 1979 elections, Dikko contested for a seat in the Senate, and lost. He never won an election.
There were a lot of stories about Dikko’s wealth. One of such stories is that he once tried to pay an American contractor $500k cash in his house, when the FG failed to honour the terms of a contract. What is certain, is that in the Shagari government, he was the be all and end all, the man who could do and undo.

Nigeria’s economy began to collapse in 1981, and by 1982 was in free-fall with a lot of food shortages and some starvation. In 1981, to stave off starvation, the importation of rice became a national affair, and Dikko was made the chairman of the committee that was set up to import the product. Well, the rice never got to the people, and there were accusations of committee members hoarding rice in order to drive up the prices for their own benefit. One of the reasons that Dikko advanced for the failure of his committee was that Ghanaians had sabotaged it, so Ghana-must-go became a government policy.

In 1983, a certain MKO Abiola tried to contest for the NPN’s presidential ticket, and Dikko forced him out of the party. Following that, Dikko, in what is acknowledged to be Nigeria’s most flawed election ever, was able to get his in-law returned to office for a second term. Finally, at the end of 1983, the Shagari government was kicked out of office in a coup which brought Buhari to power.

On his second day in power, Buhari issued a list of former government officials accused of a variety of crimes. mainly corruption. Dikko topped the list and was accused of embezzling several million dollars in oil profits from the national treasury. However, the man had vanished without a trace, so Nigeria recruited the services of Israel’s Mossad to find him.

In January 1984, a team of Nigerian agents, posing as exiles rented an apartment in London. Their brief, to hunt Dikko down. About the same time, an Israeli team moved to London posing as anti-apartheid activists, but with the same brief. On 30 June 1984, he was located, living in luxury in the upmarket area of London known as Bayswater. Immediately, Lagos and Tel Aviv were informed, and his, err, extradition was ordered. He was placed under 24-7 surveillance.

On July 4, 1984 a Nigerian Airways Boeing 707 cargo plane flew in with no cargo from Lagos and landed at Stansted airport. The Brits were told that the plane had come in to collect diplomatic baggage from the Nigerian High Commission. However, there were several Nigerian security operatives on the plane, and their presence was noted by the British intelligence.
The next day, the Nigerian team leader, Major Mohammed Yusufu, drove a rented van to Dikko’s house in Bayswater. Inside the van were an Israeli doctor, Levi Shapiro, Alex Barak and Felix Abithol, both Mossad agents.
That day, Dikko had scheduled an interview with a Ghanaian journalist, Elizabeth Ohene, of the Talking Drum magazine. As he stepped out of his house to make his date, Barak and Abithol grabbed him, Shapiro drugged him. It was done in seconds. There was one snag. Dikko’s secretary, Elizabeth Hayes, saw the whole thing and quickly notified the authorities. Because of the fact that the UK authorities knew who Dikko was, and that he was wanted in Nigeria, vigilance was raised at the borders.

Meanwhile, the drugged Dikko was loaded on a crate with Dr. Shapiro, while the Mossad agents were in another. Here, another snag came up. Group Captain Bernard Banfa, who would become head of Nigeria Airways, failed in his task. Banfa was meant to meet with Yusufu and Shapiro before they arrived at Stansted, to give diplomatic papers. He never showed up. Given the kind of cargo that they had, Yusufu and Shapiro decided to go ahead anyway and go to the airport. The van with the crates was escorted to the airport by two cars bearing Nigerian diplomatic plates.

Having been warned by the security forces to be wary, customs officers were unusually inquisitive and vigilant. A customs officer, Charles Morrow, noticed an unusual chemical smell from one of the crates and forced it open. Inside, was a bound and unconscious Umaru Dikko, with his minder, Shapiro. Abithol and Barak were in the second crate.

Dikko was taken to hospital, and woke up 36 hours later with no knowledge of all the drama that had happened.

The incident led to a standoff between Nigeria and Britain, which lasted for two years and a huge court case. Barak got 14 years, Yusufu got 12 years, Shapiro and Abithol got 10 years each. They were all deported after release.

After the Dikko Affair, Britain as a matter of unofficial policy refused Nigerian requests for extradition. The consequence of this was that Nigeria’s war on corruption fell apart as Britain became a safe haven for corrupt officials. Requests by the Buhari government to extradite Richard Akinjide and Adisa Akinloye were refused by the Thatcher government. 

Dikko lived in London for 12 years after the incident, and was invited back to Nigeria by the Abacha government. He participated in the 1995 Constitutional Conference that recommended Abacha as a sole presidential candidate for 5 parties. He was also a founding member of the Arewa Consultative Forum, and finally, head of the PDP’s disciplinary committee.http://newswirengr.com/2014/07/06/cheta-nwanze-the-dikko-affair/?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter

By BENJAMIN NJOKU
It is no longer news that Juliet Ibrahim’s marriage has crashed, rather what is news are the circumstances that led to the break up of her 4-year old marriage.

The news went viral during the week that the popular Ghanaian actress has finally parted ways with her husband,Kwadwo Safo Junior, son of Ghanaian inventor and leader of Kristo Asafo Mission, Apostle Kwadwo Sarfo to the surprise of her teeming fans.
The 28-year-old actress, released a press statement through her publicist, Bunmi Odunowo, officially announcing her divorce from her husband and pleading with her fans to accept and respect their decision. She said, her decision to play down the divorce was because the two parties would not be distracted from their responsibilities towards their child.
“Juliet Ibrahim has found it necessary to let her fans know today that, she has filed for a divorce and it is final. She is no more married to Kwadwo Safo and the marriage ended a while back. With the interest of an innocent child on the table, we ask that you treat this difficult but necessary decision to put her divorce out there for her fans to know with utmost respect,” the statement reads.
Meanwhile, reports had it that the reasons behind the breakup may not be unconnected with the claims of the fair-complexioned actress that “the marriage was a mistake that shouldn’t have happened.”
She was quoted as saying that she got involved with her ex-husband briefly and in the course of the friendship, she got pregnant for him.
The unplanned pregnancy is what caused Kwadwo to marry her. The actress, also shockingly claimed that Kwadwo Safo’s gamily did not support the marriage from the onset. The family of her husband failed to show up for the marriage ceremony and have openly showed their disapproval and lack of support for the marriage.
Revealing further, Juliet said the marriage ended over a year and half ago. But in another twist, Juliet is said to have been in a serious relationship with Nigerian-born model cum actor, IK Ogbonna immediately after her marriage collapsed.
She spends most of her time in Nigeria and she is reported to have spent quality time with IK. The model even featured in Juliet Ibrahim’s music video to her lukewarm single released months ago. Juliet and IK broke up recently and IK is reported to have used his social media page to plead to the actress for forgiveness and seeking a comeback.http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/06/untold-story-juliet-ibrahims-crashed-marriage/

ROME – The four month football ban ordered against Uruguay striker Luis Suarez for his World Cup bite is too harsh, the victim Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini said Friday.
“I have always considered unequivocal the disciplinary interventions by the competent bodies, but at the same time I believe that the proposed formula is excessive,” said Chiellini on his website.
Football governing body FIFA slapped the four month ban from all football activity and a nine game international match suspension, effectively kicking Suarez out of the World Cup.
Suarez bit Chiellini during Uruguay’s 1-0 victory over Italy in their World Cup Group D clash on Tuesday.
Chiellini said he felt for Suarez and his family.

Uruguay’s forward Luis Suarez reacts during a Group D football match between Italy and Uruguay at the Dunas Arena in Natal during the 2014 FIFA World Cup on June 24, 2014. Uruguay won 1-0. AFP PHOTO/ DANIEL GARCIA

“There only remains the anger and the disappointment about the match. At the moment, my only thought is for Luis and his family, because they will face a very difficult period.
“I sincerely hope he will be allowed to stay close to his teammates during the games, because such a ban is really alienating for a player.”
Suarez bid farewell to his team-mates on Thursday as they prepared for Saturday’s last 16 game with Colombia.
It is the third time Suarez has been banned for biting and opponent.

The bite mark…
He served a seven-game ban for biting a player in November 2010 when he was with Dutch side Ajax and a 10 game suspension after biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic in April 2013.
The Uruguay federation said they planned to appeal and the player has received widespread support in his homeland.http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/06/suarez-ban-harsh-says-victim-chiellini/

A former Minister of Education,
Oby Ezekwesili, on Saturday
berated members of the
House of Representatives for
their rude treatment of the
Finance Minister and
Coordinating Minister for the
Economy, Ngozi Okonjo-
Iweala.
Mrs. Ezekwesili, a former
World Bank Vice President
(Africa), accused the
lawmakers of not being
‘decorous’ when the House
Committee on Finance walked
out Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala out of
their meeting on Thursday.
The finance minister, who had
presented the 2014
Appropriation Bill before the
House earlier on Thursday,
however, turned round to say
she was not feeling too well to
withstand the rigors of
responding to questions from
the committee members
regarding the state of the
Nigerian economy.
Her response seemed to irk
the lawmakers, who dismissed
her but not before the
chairman of the committee,
Abdulmumini Jibrin, handed
her a document containing 50
questions which they asked
her to respond to in writing
within two weeks.
But Mrs. Ezekwesili, who
tweets via the handle @
obyezeks, on Saturday said:
“Gosh! Our National Assembly
& lawmakers URGENTLY need
SERIOUS TRAINING on
Respectful Workplace
Practices”.
According to her, more is
expected of lawmakers as the
only reason Nigeria is called a
democracy is because of the
National Assembly.
“These lawmakers need know
this and be decorous! That
fellow that was blatantly
disrespectful to Okonjo-Iweala
may not in the real world
qualify to be her Research
Assistant. Let’s face facts”,
she said.
However, Mrs. Ezekwesili, who
was the finance minister’s
colleague during the Olusegun
Obasanjo administration,
withdrew her tweet and
apologized for her seeming
remark about the educational
qualification of one of the
lawmakers.
“Ok, I agree. I was hard on him
to compare his academic
credentials with that of O-
Iweala and so I take that tweet
back. Forgive angry me!” she
said.
Mrs. Ezekwesili, who was also
a former minister of solid
minerals, said when she was in
government, whenever the
National Assembly summoned
her, she always turned up.
“I knew Okonjo-Iweala to be
same. Surely, if the
Committee Chairman was
angry at her for having said
she was slightly indisposed,
she still deserved fair hearing.
I expect our lawmakers to ask
the toughest of questions in
the discharge of their
oversight role. But, do so with
plenty of grace- with
decorum”, she said.
According to her,
disagreements are bound to
occur but the language and
tone matters a great deal in
nurturing the culture of public
debate which is core to
democracies.
“Let’s get it right! I am huge
on that language of
disagreement. Disagree all
you like but keep it clean of
abuse and I will stay engaged.
Abusers? Not on my TL
[Timeline]!
“I keep coming back to the
issue of the language of
disagreement in our
Democracy. We can’t afford to
keep it as base and militaristic
as it is.
“On the substance of the ‘50
Questions for Okonjo-Iweala”,
It is a MIXED GRILL that could
have benefited from deeper
knowledge of Basic
Economics,” she said. http://www.informationng.com/2013/12/ezekwesili-carpets-lawmakers-for-treating-okonjo-iweala-with-disrespect.html