₦airaland Forum

As we are entering a new year, we all wish a new leaf in our lives. What is your resolution for the new year 2011, and would you be able to keep it?

Mine is to increase my bank balance.

Why are you people defending GEJ? What has he done about the security of this nation since he was placed in a position he couldn't handle?

Bobby Farrell, front man of the 1970s disco group Boney M, has died at the age of 61, his agent has announced.

The singer was found dead in a hotel room in St Petersburg, Russia, where he had been performing, John Seine said.

Farrell, he continued, had complained of breathing problems before and after a show on Wednesday. The cause of his death has yet to be established.

Farrell, the only male member of the popular four-piece, had been due to fly to Rome for a TV show on Friday.

Born Alfonso Farrell in Aruba, the singer left his home on the Caribbean island at 15 to work as a sailor.

He then travelled to Norway and Germany to pursue a career as a DJ.

In 1974 he was chosen to front Boney M, which was put together by German singer and songwriter Frank Farian.

'Quite bizarre'

It was he who performed much of the male vocals on the group's hit records, Farrell being more a dancer and showman than a singer.

Known for his extravagant costumes, Farrell was often seen with a bare torso and tight-fitting bell-bottom pants.

Boney M had their first hit with Daddy Cool in 1978, scoring a UK number one that same year with Rivers of Babylon.

The song sold nearly two million records in Britain alone, where it stayed number one for five weeks.

After the group disbanded in 1986 Farrell continued on his own, most recently touring with three female backing singers under the name Bobby Farrell of Boney M.

According to Mr Seine the singer had suffered from "heart problems, shortage of breath and problems with his stomach" for the last decade.

He described his client as "a fantastic person" but also "quite bizarre". "He had a big heart but he was explosive," he said.

Farrell is survived by a son and a daughter.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/mobile/ents/top_stories/story12094005.shtml?

Ma_J_Blige:
Two months running - there was constant electricity in my area in Abuja. Very constant, if it goes off- within the minute, it will be restored, and I guessed so many other parts of Nigeria experienced same. When this was happening, none of the people here came forward to start a thread praising GEJ or PHCN, but suddenly, there is a techinal fault and people begin to write heavy English and crying how their money had been stolen. Na wa for Naija people. Abeg, chop chill pill and let things work out. People are not sleeping as you want everyone here to believe.

I don't agree with your comment. When so much has been spent on the attempt to increase the capacity of power generation, the people are entitled to complain when things do not change. It is because people like you have been kept in darkness for so long that has affected your sense of normal situation. So when you have some hours of continous supply of power you are over the moon and think the phcn has ahieved a milestone feat.

And we are planning to own and manage nuclear power stations! God save Nigeria

A year of all that is wrong with Nigeria:
Lies - UMYA
Unscrupulous Bankers - toxic loans
Gteedy legislators amf their fat earnings
Bombings
Boko Harams
Madam Akuyili and her infamous rebranding
Woeful world cup outing
Kidnappings
Armed robberies
Etc etc

So what! Age is just a number, let granny enjoy herself jare.
How about this 69 year old granny DJ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtube_gdata_player&v=7m-q9im3UHI

Don't be surprised at the utterances of these old fools; Was it not in the same Nigeria that a governor was asked what mineral resources are found in his state? His answer: coca-cola, fanta and 7up!

This is a masterpiece that should be rcovered from the looters.

PHIPEX:
the only thing I still remember is that TWO WRONGS can not make a right. Almustapha erred by being the guy who POINTS AND KILLS, FG too by being unable to pin him down after 11yrs. Though justice delayed is justice denied but justice should not just be done but must be seen to be done (na so lawyers for court talkam). Now beyond his own fundamental right to freedom, can the families of those he is accused of POINTING AND KILLING, see this as justice?

I ask again DOES TWO WRONGS MAKE A RIGHT?

Would you have said the same thing if any of your family members were among the victims? Justice is required to serve as a deterrent to any would be military junta with perchant for extra-judicial killings

justise:
Why is it so hard for you to understand

YOU DON'T APPLY A LAW RETROACTIVELY: It is not done anywhere in the world.

You dont say, oh when you committed that crime , there was no law and that now we have a law, you should go.

Since there was no law that time, there was no crime; How could there be?

Why do you think there is statue of limitation?

A military government is an illegal government. Whatever crime they commit under such regime could be treated retrospectively including all the killings done. Those killings were etra-judicially perpetrated; All the participants should be brought to book under a democratic dispensation. That was what happened to all the plauers in the ethnic cleasing in the former czekh, remember bosnia and kossovo. Do you also remember Saddam Hussein and all his henchmen?

The trial of this member of Abacha henchmen was purposely stalled so that he could eventually be released as they have done now. If all that was said about him is true, and was allowed a full court process where true justice is dispensed, he would possibly have faced a firing squad. Now he is a free man allegedly.

So people like Alao Akala are given automatic tickets? Its a joke.

The good ones are leaving us to the mercy of the vultures. First it was Gani, and now our beloved elder stateman. Pa Enahoro. His legacy will remain with us for a long time. May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace.

Here in Ibadan, I dualized almost all the important roads. There is no place you go that you won’t see street light in Ibadan. Everywhere in the night, you just go and see, you will find street light powered by me o and not the PHCN. Not only that, there had never been traffic light in Ibadan. I brought in traffic light to ensure people move freely. Beautification is part of it; Ibadan was not like this when I came in. We embarked on massive environmental beautification and renewal. We have made sure we clean Ibadan. People that are talking are just my opponents. They need to say something that will make them have a way, which they will not get.

This shows how pathetic and clueless our state executives are; they have reduced their functions to that of local Government adminstration. Could this Akala guy tell the people of Oyo State how many job positions he has created or how much he has empowered people economically? What has he done to attract investors and tourists to his state? What has he done to improve educational standard in Oyo State? He is talking about dualisation of roads; which roads? All I could see is the pathetic road conditions and potholes everywhere. The top speed at anytime in Ibadan is as low as 10 kilometres per hour.

Sahara Reporters is our own Wikileaks. Some people will love it and some will hate it.

Written by Ishola Michael, Bauchi
Monday, December 13, 2010
AS the controversy surrounding the statement made by the governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, about the budget of the National Assembly rages on, the CBN governor has declared that politicians in the country, particularly those who participated in the second and the botched third republics, should be held responsible for killing most of the dead banks in the country.
The CBN governor, who delivered a public lecture entitled "Global Financial Meltdown and the Reforms in the Nigerian Banking sector" at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, said that, "most of the people who killed Nigerian banks are still very much around us, they borrowed money and refused to repay them and when the banks died, they turned around and reinvested the money into their businesses with some of them becoming governors, senators, members of the National Assembly."
Mallam Sanusi, who said that he did not believe in the categorisation of the banks as 'failed banks', explained that, "the banks did not fail but were killed and we must do everything possible to find the killers of the banks just like would be done to find the killers of anybody killed by some people."
On the banking reform he introduced in the last 17 months, he stated that the reforms had brought stability to the banking sector and the Nigerian economy, adding that due to the measures put in place, no single bank in Nigeria had collapsed ever since the full implementation of the reforms.
He added that no depositor had lost money as a result of the banking sector crisis because, according to him, "the banking system has stabilised and the most affected banks have continued normal operation while modalities for injecting fresh capital into them, either by shareholders or through acquisition and merger arrangements, are being finalised."
The CBN governor further said that the reforms had also succeeded in returning macro economic and financial system stability, adding that overall output in 2010 was expected to be higher than in 2009, saying, "projections by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed that the real GDP in 2010 will grow by 7.85 per cent compared to 6.66 per cent in 2009. The growth rate appears robust but there is need to ensure that it translates into job creation and poverty reduction."
According to him, between 2009 and 2010, the volatility of the economy has moderated significantly explaining that, "headline inflation declined steadily from 15.1 per cent in end-2008 top 10.4 per cent in September, 2009, rising thereafter to 15.6 per cent in February 2010.
"Since then, it has maintained a downward trend to 13.4 per cent in October, 2010."
However, on the challenges of the reforms, he said that the major challenge was how to sustain and translate the stability into employment opportunities, because, according to him, "the link between major growth drivers, particularly agriculture and manufacturing, has continued to be weak," there was, therefore, the need to urgently address all binding constraints to growth, he noted.
He also said that, "inadequate or absence of basic economic and social infrastructure remains a major binding constraint on Nigeria's economic growth and development. There is, therefore, an urgent need to fast-track the proposed reforms in some key sectors of the economy, notably power and oil and gas sectors, to attract the much-needed investment and reduce large import bills on refined petroleum. There is also need to deepen the deregulation process in the electricity process and transport sector to attract private investment."

Source: http://odili.net/news/source/2010/dec/13/616.html

The case of Ayo Fayose is just like a chicken that swallows needle; if he is lucky enough to be alive, certainly, he will not be well enough to boast about his choice of meal.  

$2 million into the pocket of Bugatti car makers for a car they don't even need when you have millions of starving children all over the world. Shameless, brainless ghetto to riches accidental opportunists.

Monday, 20 April 2009, 16:00
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 000671
SIPDIS
DEPT PASS TO USTR-AGAMA
DEPT PASS USAID AFR/SD FOR CURTIS AND ATWOOD
BAGHDAD FOR DUNDAS MCCULLOUGH
TREASURY FOR PETERS, IERONIMO AND HALL
DOC FOR 3317/ITA/OA/KBURRESS AND 3130/USFC/OIO/ANESA/CREED
EO 12958 DECL: 04/20/2034
TAGS ECON, EINV, EAID, ETRD, PGOV, NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: PFIZER REACHES PRELIMINARY AGREEMENT FOR
A $75 MILLION SETTLEMENT
Classified By: Economic Counselor Robert Tansey for reasons 1.4(B&)
1. (C) Summary. In an April 2 meeting with the Ambassador, Pfizer lawyers Joe Petrosinelli and Atiba Adams reported that Pfizer and the Kano State government had reached a preliminary settlement on lawsuits arising from medical tests conducted with Trovan (oral antibiotic) on children living in Kano during a meningitis epidemic in 1996. Petrosinelli said Pfizer has agreed to the Kano State Attorney General's (AG) settlement offer of $75 million, including a $10 million payment for legal fees, $30 million to the Kano State government, and $35 million for the participants and families. According to Adams, several final details need to be worked out on the mechanism for payment. Pfizer strongly recommends setting up a $35 million trust fund for the participants to be administered by a neutral third party and for the $30 million for the Kano State government to be used for improving health care in the state. Pfizer underscored that the Nigerian representatives wanted lump sum checks and that Pfizer is concerned with potential transparency issues. The next step is a meeting between high-level Pfizer officials and Nigerian side at a neutral location to work out the final details. End Summary.
2. (SBU) On April 2 Pfizer lawyers Joe Petrosinelli and Atiba Adams and Pfizer Nigeria Country Director Enrico Liggeri met with the Ambassador and EconDep to discuss the status of settlement negotiations. Four lawsuits were brought against Pfizer stemming from medical tests with the oral antibiotic Trovan conducted on children living in Kano during a meningitis epidemic in 1996. In Kano State Court there is one civil suit and one criminal case and in the Federal High Court there is one civil suit and one criminal case. Since 2006, Petrosinelli and Adams have been briefing the Mission on the status of the cases.
Settlement Reached
------------------
3. (C) Petrosinelli reported that Pfizer had tentatively reached "an agreement in principle" on the Kano AG's settlement offer of $75 million. Adams explained that the parties agreed that the $75 million would be broken down as follows - a $10 million payment for legal fees; $30 million to the Kano State government; and $35 million to participants and families. Petrosinelli noted, that Pfizer has worked closely with former Nigerian Head of State Yakubu Gowon and that he has played a positive mediation role with Kano State and the federal government. Petrosinelli said Gowon also spoke with Kano State Governor Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, who directed the Kano AG to reduce the settlement demand from $150 million to $75 million. Adams reported that Gowon met with President Yar'Adua and convinced him to drop the two federal high court cases against Pfizer. (Comment: In 1966 Gowon became the head of state following a military coup that deposed Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi who had come to power via an earlier military coup. He was head of state from 1966 to 1975. He now plays an elder statesman role in Nigerian politics. End Comment.)
More Discussions Needed
-----------------------
4. (C) According to Adams, details need to be worked out on the mechanism for payments to the Kano State government and participants because Pfizer is unwilling to give a lump sum payment. Pfizer is concerned with transparency issues and is pushing for a $35 million trust fund for the participants to be administered by a neutral third party and the remaining $30 million to be used for improving health care in Kano state. Pfizer underscored that the Nigerian representatives were pushing for lump sum checks and Pfizer will not agree to that. Pfizer is considering rebuilding Kano's Infectious Disease Hospital where the trial was conducted and working with health care nongovernmental organizations. Adams suggested that the trust fund for participants be administered by a neutral third party because he expects "additional" participants to come forward after they hear about the settlement. The Ambassador suggested Pfizer work with NGOs already working in Kano State and for Pfizer to consider working with local NGO implementing partners that the USG has used because of their transparency record.
ABUJA 00000671 002 OF 002
EconDep provided Pfizer a copy of the U.S.-Nigeria Framework for Partnership document as a guide for existing projects and partners in Kano. Petrosinelli explained that the next step was a meeting at a neutral location between high-level Pfizer officials and the Nigerian side to work out final details and conclude the settlement.
Pfizer Exposes Attorney General
-------------------------------
5. (C) In follow up to the April 2 meeting, EconDep met with Pfizer Country Manager Enrico Liggeri in Lagos on April 9. (Note: Liggeri has years of experience in Nigeria because his family operated a business in Lagos from the early 1960s to the late 1980s. He spent most of his childhood in Lagos. End Note.) Liggeri said Pfizer was not happy settling the case, but had come to the conclusion that the $75 million figure was reasonable because the suits had been ongoing for many years costing Pfizer more than $15 million a year in legal and investigative fees. According to Liggeri, Pfizer had hired investigators to uncover corruption links to Federal Attorney General Michael Aondoakaa to expose him and put pressure on him to drop the federal cases. He said Pfizer's investigators were passing this information to local media, XXXXXXXXXXXX. A series of damaging articles detailing Aondoakaa's "alleged" corruption ties were published in February and March. Liggeri contended that Pfizer had much more damaging information on Aondoakaa and that Aondoakaa's cronies were pressuring him to drop the suit for fear of further negative articles.
6. (C) Liggeri commented that the lawsuits were wholly political in nature because the NGO Doctors Without Borders administered Trovan to other children during the 1996 meningitis epidemic and the Nigerian government has taken no action. He underscored that the suit has had a "chilling effect" on international pharmaceutical companies because companies are no longer willing to conduct clinical testing in Nigeria. Liggeri opined that when another outbreak occurs no company will come to Nigeria's aid.
7. (C) Comment: Pfizer's image in Nigeria has been damaged due to this ongoing case. Pfizer's management considers Nigeria a major growth market for its products and having this case behind it will help in efforts to rebuild its image here. Final discussions on the $30 million and $35 million are likely to be tricky because the Nigerian side wants to control who gets the money, not Pfizer. The U.S. Mission will continue to advocate for transparency in settling the case and also note to GON authorities that Pfizer must abide by the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and cannot simple hand over large sums of money to state and local officials. Petrosinelli and Adams will get back to the Mission on what further assistance may be needed. End Comment.
8. (U) This cable was coordinated with ConGen Lagos. SANDERS

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/us-embassy-cables-documents/203205

Trust me, if she goes to the senate with her loud mouth, it won't be long before she gets assaulted by those honourable thugs

For election to be seen as free and fair there must not be any incident of foul play. How could something so important like these ddc machines go missing; even if it is only one that is missing it has cast doubts over the credibility of the whole exercise. Its still business as usual for the evil doers of this country. The solution is simple; since the machines are not officially handed over to Inec yet, the suppliers should be asked to recalibrate the machines or change the softwares at their own additional expense. Otherwise the contract should be frustrated, even if the remaining four machines are recovered, they might have been copied or tampered with

A cursed nation

A good move if we want to save lives

Arise, O compatriots, Nigeria's call obey
To serve our fatherland
With love and strength and faith
The labor of our heroes past
Shall never be in vain
To serve with heart and might
One nation bound in freedom, peace and
unity.


What is wrong with ths bunch of gluttonous morons? Most of them can't even reciite the full anthem. That is why they have not been practising what it says. How many of them can boast of been patriotic, loyal or honest? What is united or peaceful about them? How many of them can fit in the shoes of the founding fathers not to talk of keeping the faith? Bleeding hypocrites

I am surprised that many of the posts above are nothing short of inferiority complexe. It is not a question of whether Brazil doesn't need to learn from Nigeria about home video, but it is all about comparative advantage that Nigeria has in making them that has proved very succesful in a very hostile economic and infrastructural enviroment, That is what they want to learn from Nigerian movie makers

You mean Africa's largest slum?

Whether he is experienced enough or not, let us stop the trend of recycling the same band of corrupt old cargoes and try something different,try a new breed of technocracts and liberals. This change should not only be for presidential position  only, but as well as gubernatorial and legislative posts. It is now or never. At least Ribadu would represent a break from the norms. Be a part of the change, be part of the Team Ribadu

Sleepwalker starring Genevieve Nnaji, Koffi Adjololo and Ramseh Noah

Here is one of my favourites:

"When the forest burns and the monkey laughs, he does not realise that it is his house that is on fire"

Watching all the video postings above, ask yourselves what the man has done wrong