₦airaland Forum

agb2011: he has never prophecied somethin gud, it is always death and doom. Ki lo de. He is an angel of doom

Positive prophesies do not necessarily denote a true Man of God. That does not mean I believe in him, though.

@violent, it seems my point is already made. We are all free to believe whatever we choose to believe!

As a parting shot, I should remind you of the story of the talents in the Bible. A rich master gave talents (which was money in those days) to 3 servants. He then travelled. By the time he returned, two of the servants had invested the money and multiplied it. The third servant had done nothing profitable with his own. Instead, he turned to the master and accused him of being a "hard man" and trying to "reap where he did not sow".

Perhaps that servant was right and the master truly had his faults. But the servant was so busy finding the faults of the rich master that he did not realize how big the opportunity he had lost was. And most amusingly, the Master who had been portrayed by that servant as being a selfish crook had actually been genuinely helping the servants. We know that because he collected neither the initial capital nor the profits from the other two servants.

We are free to see great men as thieves. We are free to blame them for the poverty in the land. We are free to claim that they reaped where they did not sow. Life is all about choices! It's just that those choices have a way of showing us our own true picture in the mirror.

violent: You talk about vision, who doesn't have one? Guess what, there's a thick bush near my house, and i have a vision to turn it into a "city" this wouldn't happen without having "money" and i shouldn't be applauded if i eventually actualize my dreams by collecting other people's money.

If collective monies were being so judiciously utilized as to turn bushes into cities, Nigeria would not be in this present state. And since I'm yet to know of a time when Pst Adeboye stole a kobo or deceived people into giving, I think I can safely say that if you can tow his path and achieve what he achieved, you really deserve to be applauded.

violent: Again, we've done this already. Perhaps it's a wrong opinion to say Pastor Adeboye is very rich given that most of the assets he makes use of belong to the church officially, but then again, what your initial article seem to explain is "How Pastor Adeboye Got so Rich". . . .It would appear to the discerning mind that you probably don't have much clarity on the issues you attempt to explain.

Wealth comes in various forms. The least of them is material- houses, cars, jets. Your evaluation of wealth seems to be limited to those. But as I explained in the post, influence is a much more valuable asset. I may not have a million dollars in the bank. But if I need a million dollars and I can easily get it, I'm rich.

violent: The article is full of vagueness I'm afraid. There's nothing that specifies the income generating product that has translated to such enormous wealth, enough to own a private jet. I may understand how being famous may translate to being rich in the worlds of Kardashian and Justin Biebers, i however find it hard to comprehend how this may explain the stupendous wealth of our daddies and pastors, whom the Lord had called to "feed his sheep"

Sure, the schools may bring in a lot of income, but i'm more than certain they didn't appear ex nihilo and neither were they created the way the earth was made. Millions were spent putting those structures in place, which by all facts can now only be accessible to children of the rich alone. Where did those millions come from? from solving problems? whose problems? how much do people pay in return for having their problems solved?

The article mentioned that the GO does not have the need to touch the tithes and offerings, I'm assuming this statement is factual and indeed true. The question then would be what exactly does the Church do with tithes and offerings? Build bigger fancy churches? Spend on expensive retreats and outings? Buy new Jeeps for Pastors and assistant Pastors? . . . .Does anyone actually think of the many who sleep in their beds hungry? or the millions of Somali Children who face extinction for lack of water?. . . .as a Christian, do you suppose Jesus would find it acceptable that building new churches and spending on luxury with monies collected from tithes should take a priority over "Loving your neighbors as yourself"?

Read this phrase in quotes again and again, and then ask yourself as a Christian if this should actually be considered a problem or not. If there's too little Charity involved in religious organisations, then of what use are they? . . .to brainwash people into giving the little they had just so the pastors could own 2 more cars in his garage?

Of all my time in the UK, I'm yet to attend a UK church where tithes was ever preached and this hasn't stopped there members from being prosperous, this compares with an average Nigerian church where such themes are aggressively promoted and still, more than half of their members live below the poverty line.. . . .This defies all logic!

People should really stop taking from the poor and giving to the rich. . . .and the brainwashed should really stop attempting to make the rest of us believe that being a famous pastor should automatically make you rich enough to own a private jet. Bull!

I see your point, but I think you actually have a vague knowledge of the person in question. Unfortunately, so do many people who criticize on Nairaland. Like I said before, I have my own criticisms of ...everyone. I don't follow people blindly. In fact, if you read the post well, I don't attend the RCCG. However, you are missing the point.

The point is that 30 years ago, The hectares of land that are now Redemption Camp were a bush. Someone saw a picture that developed that bush and has turned it into a "city". This city provides jobs, schools, a clinic, estates, a university... This city provides thousands of jobs. No matter what you believe, millions of people are made happier by the existence of that man.

He does not claim to own the church. He doesn't claim to own a jet (RCCG has claimed ownership of the jet). He does not own the school. He does not own the "city". But he provides the platform. All these things happened, mainly, because of him. That's why millions of people are literally crazy about him. That is why so many people respond to his call. If he needs money for any project (and contrary to what you may think, most of his projects have to do with the church), people respond en-masse. That's real wealth- having any amount you need whenever you need it.

Forget the church and whatever criticisms you may have of it as a body. If this were a business owner, you would praise him for being innovative and having a vision. How many Nigerian governors, presidents or even business people can sincerely claim the same achievements?

And just by the way, do you know where Pst Adeboye lived until recently when some people had to insist on building him somewhere else? I have been to that house. You may need to do some real-life research on the man instead of forming your opinion based on NL comments. With all due respect, many Nairalanders are only good at sitting in front of a computer and criticizing people while they themselves are no better.

dayorain: , what an apologetic article!
"Pastor Adeboye is rich because he solves problems"
The last time I checked, none of the schools mentioned in the article are money making venture, not a charitable organization!, 
Someday, I hope it would be clear to most people that these pple are only taking the little they have to enrich themselves.
Please, urge these rich Nigerian pastors to give back to the people in real terms, engage in more charitable activity, free schools, hospital, It's do-able, We can see religious organizations doing it here in UK.

You are confusing "problem solving" with charity. It is true that there is too little of charity involved in religious organizations in Nigeria. However, the post clearly highlighted and explained the "problem solving" concept. No matter how much you beaf him, I'm sure you don't provide as many jobs as he does, you most likely haven't started a school (whether paid or free), not as many people trade through a platform you provide, you don't provide as much spiritual comfort to people... I don't see him as a perfect man and I actually loathe many things about many Nigerian pastors. But it's a sign of greatness to be able to acknowledge the greatness of another.



Wednesday, January 11, 2012 20:49



  news   |  money   |  sport   |  rss

Login | Register | Subscribe



         234next.com On Twitter





Home

News

Money

Opinion

Arts & Culture

Sport

Multimedia





Former minister of petroleum, Diezani Allison-Madueke, (L) shakes hands with then acting President Goodluck Jonathan after taking the oath of office during the swearing-in ceremony of new ministers in Abuja, April 6, 2010

Last minute oil deals that cost Nigeria dear

⁠print⁠  ⁠email⁠  ⁠ ⁠

By Peter Nkanga and Idris Akinbajo

June 12, 2011 12:41PM

Just two days before the federal cabinet dissolved to allow President Goodluck Jonathan appoint a fresh one in recognition of his new electoral mandate, officials in charge of our oil and gas resources secretly signed a deal assigning production rights in at least two large oil blocks to a shadowy company with no prior experience and no fixed address.

Under the direction and with the approval of then petroleum minister Diezani Allison-Madueke, the officials with a magic wave of a pen effectively transferred hundreds of millions of US dollars - possibly billions - in public assets to private individuals without a public tender.

The deal is in apparent violation of Nigeria's Public Procurement Act, which forbids no-tender bids for the procurement of goods and services by any government-owned institution under penalty of imprisonment.

The former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, has been arrested and remains in detention in part for allegedly violating the same law. Mr Bankole faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty of those particular charges.

The man at the heart of this strange and secretive deal is one Jide Omokore, chairman of a company not yet a year old and which has never produced a barrel of oil. The company, Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Limited, is the beneficiary of this gift by Mrs Allison-Madueke. For paying to the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, a fully owned subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (of which Mrs Allison-Madueke, as minister, was chairman) an initial "entrance fee" of slightly more than $50 million for each of the two oil fields, Atlantic now has effective control of the NPDC's 55 percent stake in the oil block. These are rick blocks known in the industry as OML 30 and 34.

Shell, the giant multinational that produces around 50 percent of all of Nigeria's crude, is the beneficial owner of the remaining 45 percent of the blocks. Shell had subjected its share of these oil blocks to an open and transparent competitive bidding process, fetching up to $1.3 billion in a single field. By comparison, Mrs Allison-Madueke's no-bid approach via a so-called "Strategic Alliance Agreement" fetches the federation account an upfront cash payment of little more than $50 million. The true market value, if the Shell approach had been followed, would have been upwards of $1.5 billion.

Mrs Allison-Madueke has shut out established industry players, including local companies, by opting for these secret deals. The transcripts of these "strategic alliance" agreements can be found on our web site, 234NEXT.com.

As she campaigns furiously for reappointment into Mr Jonathan's cabinet, whose nominees may be sent to the Senate for approval as early as this week, Mrs Allison-Madueke has become a major political burden for the president. Her presence in the new government is certain to prove a distraction to the president, who has expressed a strong determination to steer the country away from its persistent underperformance and avarice. As in the past, all attempts to reach Mrs Allison-Madueke for comment were rebuffed. She has said elsewhere that she did nothing wrong and threatens to sue us for exposing these deals.

"The question is why?" said one prominent energy sector source. "Why these particular companies and these particular individuals? Why do these deals secretly? Why deny experienced industry players the opportunity to bid for the same contracts?"

Connecting the dots

Mr Omokore, as chairman of Atlantic Energy, similarly got a sweetheart no-bid deal from Mrs Allison-Madueke in three other oil blocks, as detailed in our report last week. Mr Omokore also is a part-owner of Seven Energy. Septa's managing director, Kola Aluko, also is a director of VistaJet, the private jet leasing company. VistaJet has provided private jets for Mrs Allison-Madueke's use, including as recently as last month, to the annual international petroleum conference in Houston, Texas.

Seven Energy, through its lawyer, Femi Falana, who also acts on behalf of the NNPC, has served notice to this newspaper that it intends to file a lawsuit against us. Phillip Ihenacho, chairman of Seven Energy, has told our reporter that his company has conducted itself honourably and legally in the no-tender transaction approved for his firm by Mrs Allison-Madueke. What is more, an oil trading company controlled by Mr Omokore, called SPOG, faces accusations of fraud in a petition to the office of the attorney general and minister of justice. SPOG is alleged to have, on at least one occasion, imported 3,000 metric tonnes of refined petroleum but claimed subsidy refunds on 13,000 metric tonnes from the PPPRA, the petroleum pricing agency under Mrs Allison-Madueke's supervision. The payoff from that single alleged inflated transaction was N400 million.

Mr Omokore did not respond directly to our inquiries. Atlantic Energy was incorporated only in July last year. As far as we can determine, it has no office or personnel. In its registration documents, the company gave Plot 1267, Ahmadu Bello Way, Abuja as its official address. But our inquiries established that no such company has ever operated out of that location. The company has also never executed a single oil-related contract, undertaken any project, or produced one barrel of crude since it was registered under the names of three people who claim to live in the same address listed as the company's offices.

But it was to this shadowy and inexperienced company that Mrs Allison-Madueke turned for operating rights to two of the most lucrative oil blocks in Nigeria three days before the end of the last administration. Just hours before she attended her last cabinet meeting on Wednesday, May 25, Mrs Allison-Madueke's subordinates, with her approval, basically handed over OMLs 30 and 34 to this barely functional company Atlantic Energy to fund the Nigerian Petroleum Development Co's share of expenditure in exchange for recovering its cost and sharing profits.

Assigning the blocks without open, competitive bidding appears to be a clear violation of industry guidelines, which demand that allocation of oil blocks and the award of service contracts shall be based on an open competitive bidding process to allow every investor, indigenous or foreign, an equal opportunity to explore and develop Nigeria's petroleum resources. The arrangement also seems a violation of the Public Procurement Act 2007, which regulates all procurements by ministries and agencies of the Nigerian government. Officials breaching this law risk a term of imprisonment of between five and 10 years without an option of fine.

The former minister and spokesperson of the NNPC did not return calls or text messages seeking comment. The Department of Petroleum Resources, the agency statutorily charged with supervising all petroleum industry operations being carried out under licenses and leases in order to ensure compliance with the applicable laws and regulations, requested an emailed enquiry but eventually did not respond to our reporter's questions.

Sweetheart deals

The multiple controversial deals in which the former minister is embroiled has made it all but impossible for the president to reappoint her, according to highly placed political leaders. Atlantic Energy's deal with the NPDC to provide financial and technical services in respect of its 55 percent stake in the lucrative OML 30 is perhaps the most astonishing example of these deals shrouded in secrecy. Shell is selling its 45 percent shareholding in the block, after an elaborative competitive bidding process, to Mike Adenuga's Conoil for $1.3bn. For a field that is so lucrative that it yielded 45,000bbl of crude per day in April, Mrs Allison-Madueke's favourite company is to pay, as entrance fee 30 cents per barrel of oil to the Nigerian government and two cents for gas equivalent.

Industry players are aghast

"These people are truly audacious; I have never seen anything like it," said one industry operator who asked not to be identified for fear of jeopardising business relationships with the all-powerful petroleum ministry and the NNPC. A similar deal, hurriedly packaged and finalized on May 25, was signed with Atlantic in respect of OML 34, where Shell also is selling its 45 percent to the Niger Delta Energy and Petroleum Company for $600 million. Earlier in September, the former minister had entered into a service contract with Seven Energy International Limited, through its Nigerian subsidiary, Septa Energy Nigeria Limited, in respect of OML 4, 38, and 41. According to the agreement signed with the company, the firm is to pay a "paltry" $54 million as entrance fee for participating in the three blocks which has Seplat Exploration Production Company as operator. The company will also recover its cost and share profits with NPDC. It can lift crude from the fields and keep the entire proceeds of its sale abroad, contrary to the guideline that requires companies to keep at least 10 percent of their proceeds in Nigerian banks. In a memo to its stakeholders after NEXT broke the story of its deal with the NPDC last week, Seven Energy claimed that its strategic alliance agreement in respect of the three blocks was "modeled after valid service contracts with oil majors in the past." But NEXT's investigation indicates this claim is untrue.

The NNPC acted right in the past

In 2001, NPDC and Agip Energy went into a service contract agreement for the development of OPL 91 (now known as OML 119) - Okono and Okpohu fields - under a joint operatorship. This newspaper can confirm that Agip won the contract after an open, competitive bidding process. The NNPC had at the time advertised in December 1999 for a partner to develop new fields in the block, which is in about 100 meters water depth, and located in the southeastern Niger Delta. The corporation received applications until December 31, 1999, after which it declared Agip the winner of the bid.

"So if NPDC could follow due process 10 years ago, what has changed now?" said a senior official in the NNPC. "Why must they give away assets belonging to the Nigerian people in such a non-transparent way especially when the country now has a procurement law in place?"

A member of the recently defunct Senate Committee on Petroleum (Upstream), which undertook to investigate Mrs Allison-Madueke but was stymied, argued that what the minister did was a tactical reintroduction of single-source procurement abolished in the industry in 2004.

"Single-source negotiation contract has been discontinued in the country since the days of Edmund Dakouru as minister," said the source, who did not want to be specifically identified for fear of reprisal. "It was discontinued because it was causing a lot of fraud. It is shocking that the practice resurfaced under Diezani."


Thine deal be done

As a key figure in this web of secretive arrangements, Mr Omokore cuts an astonishing figure. A wealthy businessman and politician,

his Energy Resources Group has an 11 percent stake in Seven Energy International Limited, owners of Septa. Having swung OML 4, 38 and 41 in Septa's favour, Mr Omokore's coup de grace was to corner OMLs 30 and 34, using the newly formed Atlantic Energy. Company documents give Messrs Albert Bassey Akpan, Bankole Opashi and Sanni Mohammed as shareholders and directors of the firm, a veritable WaZoBia of ethnic balancing. But when time came to sign the controversial agreement with NPDC, Mr Omokore emerged, signing as chairman of the company. Atlantic also gave its registered address as Plot 1267 Ahmadu Bello Way, Abuja, which is a former location for one of Mr Omokore's numerous companies, SPOG Petroleum, which has now moved to Millennium Builder's Plaza in central Abuja. Chijioke Isiolu, the Atlantic Energy company secretary, told our reporter that his company is competent to execute the contract awarded to it because it has a sister company in Seven Energy. Mr Omokore was not available for comment. When our reporter called his Abuja office, an official simply directed enquiries at Mr Isiolu, whom he said could speak on Mr Omokore's behalf. Mr Isiolu later said on the telephone that the allegations against Mr Omokore were false. He promised to provide further information if our reporter could agree to a meeting, not in his office but at unspecified location.

Mrs Allison-Madueke is not officially connected to Seven Energy, but she does indirectly enjoy the hospitality of the company. In June 2010, Vistajet, the UK-based private aviation company, extended its operation to Nigeria through an alliance with Seven Energy. Sources said Vistajet Nigeria, headed by Kola Aluko, one of the owners of Seven Energy and the managing director of its Nigerian subsidiary, Septa Energy, routinely provides a private jet for the minister's convenience, including her trip to the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston last month. Mrs Allison-Madueke accepted this expensive hospitality as she was approving the secret no-bid deal to assign production rights in the oil blocks to Septa, Atlantic and Seven Energy - an apparent contravention of section 6 of the fifth schedule of our constitution.

The constitution stipulates that: "A public officer shall not ask for or accept property or benefits of any kind for himself or any other person on account of anything done or omitted to be done by him in the discharge of his duties. For the purposes of sub-paragraph (1) of this paragraph, the receipt by a public officer of any gifts or benefits from commercial wfirms, business enterprises or persons who have contracts with the government shall be presumed to have been received in contravention of the said sub-paragraph unless the contrary is proved."

Source: 234next. Cant copy the exact link. m using a phone.

234next published a series of investigations on Madueke before the elections. Nobody listened. They said the newspaper was just being antiJonathan.

Just by the way, Next Newspapers is now as good as dead. The cabal is indeed very powerful.

Honestly, its difficult to be civil on NL. We know there are people who support the current government stance and it's okay- you are entitled to your opinion. But being pro-GEJ is no excuse for stupidity.

How dare you compare Ghana with Nigeria? How dare you accuse Nigerians of behaving like spoilt kids? Do spoilt kids earn a pittance while their fathers earn billions? Besides the so-called subsidy, what else does government provide for Nigerians? If things were working well, should Ghana even be the standard for Nigeria in the first case?

I'm using my phone and can't quote directly from the article. But did anyone notice the following:

1. She admits that the governors wanted it before she came. When did Nigerian governors (as a whole) start knowing what is right for the people? Isn't that already a danger sign? Governors with flamboyant lifestyles would definitely want more money to pay minimum wage and yet embezzle more!

2. She admits that every government wanted it- from Babangida to Obasanjo. In other words, there is nothing original about the policy. If governments that massively looted Nigeria are now her example, isn't that another danger sign?

A good look at that interview shows that the fuel subsidy removal was not a necessity but a way of following the path of percieved least resistance. If you read in between the lines, you will realise that she came to realise the 'importance' of removing the subsidy only after getting into power. This is the same woman who tried to negotiate her salary in dollars (and considering how grossly overpaid Nigerian politicians already were, you can imagine what she would have been aiming to earn). So, she doesn't have the moral right to fight corruption. Sorry, world bank economics is not everything. Mahatma Gandhi made a very sound economic decision when he decided to live by example. He lived like the typical Indian, wore their clothes and ate their food. He became a hero because he valued the people. Even Jesus sef "who being rich, for your sakes became poor". A leader that is not ready to lead by example and personal sacrifice is a tyrant.

I pity Nigeria. I also pity GEJ, for he knows not what he does.

http://kudizone.com/blog/2011/12/13/goodluck-animal-farm/

Hmmm.

That's all I can say.

cheely:
u can get cheap sms for as low as 1.20k per sms visit us today and you will be glad you do

@cheely, friendly advice: even when you are advertising, contribute to the topic. Trust me, I manage a number of internet ventures and I know that nothing turns people off as much as spamming. You can post your link but first contribute your quota and let people respect your voice/opinion.

ASUU is indeed on a "total, comprehensive and indefinite strike". Like I pointed out in this writeup: http://kudizone.com/blog/2011/12/06/ASUU-strike-opportunities/, any student who is smart should maximize the time.

So, for the benefit of the many students on Nairaland, what businesses/activities can you suggest that they start up to maximize the strike period?

kayjegs:
@Drlumi, your head is very correct. What a wonderful piece of information! There is no better explanation.

Thanks!

Guess this might answer a few concerns:

http://kudizone.com/blog/2011/11/21/finally-revealed-how-pastor-e-a-adeboye-became-so-rich/

Zimbabwe’s richest man, and Chairman of Econet Wireless, Strive Masiyiwa is venturing into solar energy. He will be doing this through his company’s subsidiary, Econet Solar. Econet Solar has launched a device known as the Econet Home Power Station. It allows people to use energy at a relatively lower cost (compared to current solar devices in Africa).

The best part of it is that users will pay for their energy using scratch cards. The device will contain a sim card and will be connected as to a phone network. Users would only have to recharge as necessary.

If this technology gains ground in Zimbabwe, Nigeria may become the next major market for it.

[url]http://kudizone.com/blog/2011/12/06/nigerias-power-problem-may-soon-come-to-an-end/
[/url]

I commend the effort. It's a good job. There is an aesthetic imbalance, though. If a graphic artist could do some panel beating of the template, it would be nice.

And thanks for attempting to save Nigeria from the embarrassing version we had! Great job too, @Nevosys.

yomz1e:
@Rill64 so what do you suggest we do? shoot her ? or sow her mouth up? or GEJ should banish her from any public speech? well its not the woman's fault for not being able to express herself in a manner thats pleasing to the watching nation. Maybe she might have some kind of speech deficiency which she herself doesnt even know!

abeg leave the woman alone! she has God's Favour on her? Go watch that movie King's Speech and even the story of Moses, these people had some kind of speech problem and yet still change the course of history in a positive way! so if her pigeon english helps someone out there ! big Gbosa to her!

I agree with you in that I think that most people are not giving the the woman due credit. She's strong. Probably moved Uncle Jo's campaign more than he did himself. If she performs- like Atiku's wife did, it might not [i]really [/i]matter whether she speaks good English or not.

But even then, I think she should be made to stay under tutors. She can also speak through an interpreter or should not appear in public. Honestly, it would be okay if she were not educated. But for God's sake, she has a first degree! If you were to employ a graduate and he spoke like that, would you go ahead?

A speech problem is an impairment. I don't think Madam Pat has any such impairment. Moses was smart when he asked God for a mouthpiece- Aaron. She needs an Aaron to function well if she can't stay out of the limelight.

Actually, the real work comes when you are in the 100000 range. At that point, it becomes difficult to move as most websites in that circle "mean business".

It seems that Alexa ranking depends more on off- page SEO than on-page. The report being given by other sites about yours (through backlinks) matters a lot. If many sources point to your site, it has a higher chance of ranking fast.

But the truth is that ultimately, having a website that is useful to people is what counts. While it helps to optimize for rankings, sometimes the temptation to rank higher can transform one into a spammer and a nuisance. Amusingly, on the long run, the useful sites rank best.

I took a site from an Alexa rank of over 16 million to less than 60, 000 within 4 months. So, I guess that makes me a pro on the topic

JayCee2010:
Whats the deal with MTN Airtel, Starcomm and the others?!!!
Service is sooo poor, network is bad most times, blackberry services can cease for a whole day (sometimes two), broadband internet is as slow as a slug (i miss dial-up ). and when the subscription expires, they never add those days that you were without service as a bonus (or apology)!!!

BTW, What exactly does the NCC do, what with all this crappy service we get

Almost as if you read the Tweet I sent to @MTNNG this morning. I was so annoyed. Since yesterday (and till now), my internet access has been terrible. Spent over 15 minutes to download a 600 k picture. I've confirmed from some other people that I'm not the only one experiencing it. Yet, they wont even apologize or refund money. We are overpaying them and they respond by giving us crappy services. I wonder what our regulating agencies do.

There are many things that can be done to make money online. But the internet is not a magic amulet. It's just a medium. If you want to make money, you should have a good business model and know what you are doing. You need a plan!

If you know what you are doing, the internet can be the greatest miracle you ever experienced.

http://kudizone.com/blog/2011/07/05/how-to-make-money-online/

I make money online. It's no big deal. The internet is just a medium. Ultimately, what counts is the value you produce. Whether online or offline, if you produce something of value to other people, you will make money.

http://kudizone.com/blog/2011/07/05/how-to-make-money-online/

Unfortunately, this originally intelligent discussion has degenerated into a brawl.

http://kudizone.com/blog/2011/11/15/aliko-dangote-nigerian-made-world-class-billionaire/

Orikinla:
How can a celebrity gossip blogger be INFLUENTIAL and she was struggling to sell ordinary 1000 copies of her book and had to beg a friend to help her to get the book accepted by major bookshops? Why are Nigerians so ignorant and uninformed? Ask the Google Team and online authorities to tell you the most influential Nigerians online. Deolu Akinyemi is more influential than the two celebrity bloggers mentioned by some nitwits. Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye is more influential than Pastor Chris on the internet. Get your facts right before rushing to display your intellectual illiteracy on the world wide web. Good night.

You dey vex for people

Our algorithm will take such factors into consideration. On Twitter for instance, a popular person may have many followers. An influential person will get re-tweeted and determine trends. Influential people directly or indirectly determine conversations, moods and actions on line.

But of course, the truth is that mostly, the influential people are popular. And just by the way, it is possible to be influential online (which is our focus) and not really so off the web.

El Guapo:
[color=#0066ff]Lagbaja Is ON MySpace!   [/color]

You mean MySpace is still alive?

chinedumo:
One thing I know

these Influential Nigeria must go by there real names and identity
for it to be sensible

Absolutely right! We will have to write out their profiles, like it's done on all standard rankings.

maclatunji:
We don't need to argue about this because our arguments will be subjective. Read this http://coolstuff49ja..com/2011/11/who-are-most-influential-people-on.html to learn how to measure anybody's influnce on the internet including you as well!

Let us use objective metrics not just hearsay or perception.

Don't worry, it will be objective. We want to first get a list of possible people. After compiling the list, we will judge based on an algorithm that will take into consideration factors that are internationally accepted in determining online influence (a read of the Forbes list for instance will show some of them). So what we are doing now is just to compile the list of possible people.

And don't worry, I'm not on the list

manchy7531:
why the grin?

The grin is sufficient to answer the question

Looks like people are missing out possible contenders like:

Prof Pat Utomi (Facebook)
Fela Durotoye (Facebook)
Pastor Chris Oyakhilome (Twitter- over a million followers)

manchy7531:
Damilola adekunle(facebook) you need to add this girl cos she is the funniest online personnel i know.Dem!!

If I could categorize the key strengths of each of the people mentioned so far, I would say:

Seun- Nairaland (obviously)
DonJazzy- Facebook and Twitter?
Omojuwa- Twitter
BellaNaija- blog
Linda Ikeji- blog
Beaf- Unfortunately, we don't know his real identity
Eko Ile- Same with Beaf
GEJ- The Facebook inventor
comrade oluwafemi gabriel sonde facebook (never heard of the guy )

Farida Waziri Left It Behind
via Kudizone 23/11/2011

It’s no longer news (a reminder that we are living in the days of the web) that Farida Waziri was sacked this morning. President Jonathan gave no reason for her removal. His Special Adviser on Media, Dr Reuben Abati, only informed the world about the decision.

But it’s been an exciting day for most Nigerians who heard the news. Perhaps a few would be scared. They would most likely be the one percent stealing our resources in the highest corridors of power. They could be apprehensive, unsure of the stance of the new person. But for the majority of Nigerians, it’s a chance to party because an epitome of gross mediocrity has finally been dismissed. The days of Nuhu Ribadu (the founding Chairman of the EFCC) were filled with action. Even his critics would admit that compared to this Madam who took over from him, Nuhu was a genius. The world responded to our anti-corruption fight and began to see us as a serious nation. Then, she came. She turned corruption fighting into a game for children. She negotiated with high level (but rich) criminals and seemingly begged them -more or less- to sound apologetic and pay some small fines for their sins. We couldn’t but wonder if the few people troubled by her were not those unfortunate to be her political enemies.

But what was her real crime? A Wikileaks cable quoted her as claiming that the presidency was stifling the anti-corruption fight. I agree. EFCC could only function for as much as the presidency and the powerful guys allowed it to. But she did not have to be a stooge. She loved her job and position too much to quit. She chose the path of a big title over honour and a good name. In the process, she lost all repute everywhere- even in international circles. Another Wikileaks cable claims that she connived with a Minister to deceive the US Ambassador to Nigeria into meeting with her after the later had refused to have any more contact with her. But as soon as the ambassador realised the set-up, he insisted that she had to leave. What a disgrace!

The repercussion is finally here. Years ago, Nuhu Ribadu was sent out of office but Nigerians received him as a hero. Today, Madam Waziri has been sent packing and Nigerians are jubilating. In Ribadu’s time, we called it an injustice. Today, we call it “the right thing to do”. We even praise the president for “finally acting with courage”. Perhaps the only person who has condemned the act can not even defend her. Here is Mallam Nasir ElRufai’s condemnation (based on his tweets):

Farida Waziri has been removed by GEJ before the expiration of her term. This is contrary to the EFCC Act and illegal. We must all stand up for rule compliance even if we do not like the victim. We stood up when Nuhu was similarly treated. It is wrong! Farida Waziri was the instrument of my years of persecution by Yar’Adua & GEJ. I don’t like her. But that is personal, her removal illegal! The EFCC Act requires GEJ to show cause – insanity, incapacity, not in public interest, etc. No reasons given. She did not resign. WRONG!! All I am saying is that when leaders do not act in compliance with the law, we must question. It is Farida Waziri today. It will be you soon Let us not celebrate this because we think Farida is a scumbag. Let us stand up & question because of non-compliance with the EFCC Act. Farida’s tenure is supposed to end in May 2012. My persecution started the day she took office. So I am not her advocate personally. Farida was neither competent nor honest. Trial by headlines was her landmark. Plea bargains with the corrupt her specialty. But Her tenure had not ended, & if it is to be prematurely terminated, it must be done in accordance with the law. They did it to PCA Salami too .This GEJ administration revels in gross violating the law & surprised that Nigerians are resorting to taking the law into their own hands!! . When leaders break the law with impunity, they should expect that sooner or later, every citizen will join & settle disputes via self-help!!

Interestingly, I can predict that no one will listen to him. The reason is simple: Madam Farida Waziri refused to resign and be a hero rather than stay and be a stooge. What she bent so low to prevent has ended up happening.

Madam has no fans because she left her honour behind in the office.


http://kudizone.com/blog/2011/11/23/farida-waziri-left-it-behind/

moderatorr:
baba suwe

That has to be a joke, I hope?