₦airaland Forum

April Fool Indeed.

RICHIE BOI:
what would you say about a minister and a governor? most people would say a governor am sure.

In Naija I still dont know why someone after becoming a Governor schemes to be made a minister ( Achike Udenwa, Sam Egwu etc). Also some ministers use their positions as launching pads to their governorship ambitions (Olusegun Agagu, Elechi, the governor of Cross Rivers, etc) recycling the same old and worn out people. At the end of the day private pockets gets richer and richer. Quite a pity indeed

Am asking this question because there are rumours making the rounds that the present governor of Bauchi state who is also a son - in - law of President Yaradua is being considered as a replacement to Chukwuma Soludo the CBN governor whose tenure of office expires in May.

MARYVILLE, Ill. – A pastor shot and killed during his Sunday sermon deflected the first of the gunman's four rounds with a Bible, sending a confetti-like spray of paper into the air in a horrifying scene that congregants initially thought was a skit, police said.

The gunman strode down the aisle of the sprawling First Baptist Church shortly after 8 a.m. and briefly spoke with The Rev. Fred Winters, then pulled out a .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol and began firing until it jammed, Illinois State Police Director Larry Trent said. Churchgoers wrestled the gunman to the ground as he waved a knife, slashing himself and two other people, Trent said.

None of the about 150 congregants seemed to recognize the gunman and investigators do not know details of Winters' conversation with him, but they planned to review an audio recording of the service, Trent said. The service was not videotaped.

"We thought it was part of a drama skit , when he shot, what you saw was confetti," said congregant Linda Cunningham, whose husband is a minister of adult education at the church. "We just sat there waiting for what comes next, not realizing that he had wounded the pastor."

Winters had stood on an elevated platform to deliver his sermon about finding happiness in the workplace and managed to run halfway down the sanctuary's side aisle before collapsing, Cunningham said.

Two congregants tackled the gunman as he pulled the 4-inch knife, and all three were stabbed, police said. The gunman suffered "a pretty serious wound to the neck" while one congregant had lower back wounds, Trent said.

Congregants knocked the gunman between sets of pews, then held him down until police arrived, said church member Don Bohley, who was just outside the sanctuary when the shooting began.

"People came running out and told us to call 911," said Bohley, 72.

Authorities didn't know whether Winters, a married father of two who had led the church for nearly 22 years, knew the gunman. Police described the gunman as a 27-year-old from nearby Troy but would not release his name pending possible charges.

"We don't know the relationship (between the gunman and pastor), why he's here or what the circumstances came about that caused him in the first place to be here," said Illinois State Police Master Trooper Ralph Timmins.

Trent said investigators found no immediate evidence of a criminal background for the suspect. He said police were investigating whether a red Jeep parked outside the church belonged to the man.

The Jeep was registered to the address of a 27-year-old man in an upscale neighborhood in Troy. No one answered the door at the residence Sunday. A woman from a neighboring home cried while hugging other neighbors in the cul-de-sac, but all declined comment.

The Rev. Mark Jones, another pastor at First Baptist, said he briefly saw the gunman but not the shooting, though he heard a sound like miniature firecrackers.

"We have no idea what this guy's motives were," Jones said outside the church.

He later urged a Sunday evening prayer service attended by hundreds at nearby Metro Community Church in Edwardsville to find resilience and spirituality after "this attack from the forces of hell."

The standing-room-only crowd cried, cradled Bibles and stretched their hands skyward as they packed into the church, many watching the service on large television monitors in overflow areas.

"We need to reassure our hearts and reinforce our minds that Pastor Fred is in that place that we call heaven," Jones said. "Church, evil does exist. Today, we saw the visible results of evil and its influence."

The gunman and 39-year-old congregant Terry Bullard underwent surgery at St. Louis University Hospital and were in serious condition Sunday evening, spokeswoman Laura Keller said. The other victim, Keith Melton, was treated and released from Gateway Regional Medical Center.

"I would call it heroic," Trent said. "While many understandably were stuck to their seats, they took to action."

First Baptist had an average attendance of 32 people when Winters became senior pastor in 1987; it now has about 1,200 members, according to the church's Web site. Winters also was former president of the Illinois Baptist State Association and an adjunct professor for Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, according to the site.

The red brick church sits along a busy two-lane highway on the east side of Maryville, a fast-growing village of more than 7,000 about 20 miles northeast of St. Louis. A farm sits directly across from the church, but subdivisions of newer homes can be seen from every side.

"Things like this just don't happen in Maryville," Mayor Larry Gulledge said. "We've lost one the pillars of our community, one of our leaders."

Sharla Dryden, 62, pulled into the church parking lot for a 9:30 a.m. service Sunday to see "just a lot of chaos, lot of police, fire, and people just devastated."

"I would have been devastated if anyone had been shot, but to hear it was the pastor was terrible," Dryden said. "You just never expect this to happen at a church."

At Winters' two-story brick home in Edwardsville, several friends gathered to pay their respects but declined comment. Family members also declined comment.

A statement on First Baptist's Web site asked for prayers for Winters' family, the congregants who tackled the gunman, the gunman and his family, and church members.

Last month, a man shot and killed himself in front of a cross inside televangelist Robert H. Schuller's Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, Calif. In November, a gunman killed his estranged wife in a New Jersey church vestibule as Sunday services let out.

In July, two people were killed and six wounded in a shooting rampage at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, Tenn. An out-of-work truck driver who police say targeted the church for its liberal leanings pleaded guilty to the shootings and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

___ http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories;_ylt=Au0rBHEz6N0wvS09EMvfqBOLNmYD/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090309/ap_on_re_us/church_shooting

Osisi is my babe any day and anywhere. All you haters of Osisi  a very big SHAME ON YOU

That's quite a wonderful news. Can those with visitors visa apply?

The Camry mileage am seeing is 185,008 miles which is well over 200,000 KM abi am not seeing very clearly.

My dear please you need to reduce the price much more because the price of N1.7 million is averse with that mileage.

I have someone who may be interested because the car looks very very clean.

rominiyi:
I live in Abuja and my Ex lives in Lagos & Benin,

You live in Abuja and probably with your husband. Then where did your husband meet the Whity that he wanted to leave you for? Abi he lives in another country?

I pray you don't regret your actions at last.

Appeal court which concluded it's ruling now has it that Governor Theodore Orji isi duelyy elected Governor of Abia State.

Shame on PDP and it's allies that thought they would snatch God's own state as they did in some other states.

@reality4us

Dont mind the poster. Just wishfull thinking. To me both Onyema Ugochukwu of PDP and Theo Orji of PPA the incumbent are fraudsters of the highest order.

Only God can save our dear Abia from these demons.

@Hotstepper,

She can be contacted through Sun Newspapers. Thanks for the anticipated assistance.

Burden of a frustrated single mum
‘I need someone to adopt my son’
By TESSY IGOMU
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
•Lilian and Jerry
Photo: THE SUN PUBLISHING

More Stories on This Section


What mother would carry a pregnancy for nine months, go through the harrowing experience of childbirth in the labour room, nurture and breastfeed the innocent little son for many months only to want to give him up for adoption in his infancy?
Well, tough as this question might be, it is actually the plight of a beautiful young woman who once graced the popular page three of the Daily Sun in 2004. It is one hard decision that has almost battered her emotion, but one she strongly believes would secure the future for her three-year old son.

“I don’t want him to end up in the street. I grew up in the ghetto and I know what life is like out there. I am confused”, she mouthed in tears.

When Lilian, a native of Umunede, Delta State, walked into the premises of The Sun Publishing Limited clutching the tiny hands of her son, Jeremiah, she walked with a droop. Though well dressed, her eyes were glazed and sunken. Looking into them was like walking into a void. They seemed utterly clueless.
“I am confused. I want to give up my son”, were the words that escaped her quivering mouth several times. Fidgeting with her unsteady hands, she tried hard to control the emotion that was struggling to break loose in her.

“I am sure it is not the right thing to do at this point, but I am frustrated. I have been pushed to the wall. I know he would cry his heart out if that eventually happens”. These words unarguably were emptied from the depth of her heart as her eyes melted in tears. After the sobbing had wracked her body and subsided, she just sat motionless and stared into space.

Getting her to speak after she regained her composure was like squeezing water out of stone. When she finally did, it was with an emotion laden voice that she told her story of a love gone sour. A tale of trust and betrayal which brought her to the crossroads she has since found herself. Casting her mind back to her youth service year when she met the father of her son, she broke down again and sobbed uncontrollably.

“Sometimes I wish women could actually tell the container apart from the content. Men are wicked, I must confess. Which father would deliberately abandon a child he sired? This is his first child, the first born from his groin. This child is made to suffer deprivation due to the fault of his father”, she muttered amid tears.

According to the distraught lady who is heartbroken over her inability to fulfil her motherly obligations, living without a job for eight months brought about her resolve.
“I was pushed to the wall after losing my last teaching job at Children International School in Lekki. That was actually my second working experience after graduation. I was forced to work for the first time when my baby was six months old. For the past eight months, I have been without a job. I have attended many job interviews without success. I can’t even get a menial job to support myself. I braved all odds to publicise my problem. I want Nigerians to feel my pain and come to my aid. Somebody should please come and take my son and give him a secured future.”

Flashing back to her national youth service year in Ekiti State after her graduation from the University of Ibadan, she cursed the day she met her son’s father whose first name she gave as Valentine (surname withheld).

Her words: “I served in Ekiti State with Valentine. I blame him for my woes. He mortgaged my future for his wild oats. Look at me, the first in a family of seven living from hand to mouth. It is quite painful. I came to the media to assuage my family of the distressing pain I caused them. I curse Valentine for putting me and my son through trauma.

He stopped seeing me when he learnt about the pregnancy. I survived by begging for alms on the streets of Lagos. I begged till I put to bed. He was not there when the baby was born and christened. I was forced to look for him when the baby was four months old. He is what I would describe as living dead. He is dead to us.”

Lilian disclosed that she had to withdraw little Jerry from school because she could no longer afford his school fees.

Looking at the youngster who was running around in a carefree manner, she said, “He is a very intelligent child and has the ability to read moods at his age. I had to withdraw him from school because I could not afford his school fees. Can you imagine a child using only two textbook out of nine for two terms? Well meaning Nigerians should please come to my aid in terms of employment or finance. I don’t mind working anywhere.”

Though she confessed that her heart would break at the sight of another woman walking away with Jeremiah, she believes it is the best decision for the boy.

“Though I have been advised against giving up my child for adoption, I just want to do it to secure his future. Giving him out would not have been an option if I have a job. I would painfully give him to any responsible couple looking for a child. I would not mind doing this to help fulfil his destiny to be great in life. It is painful when you have the sinking feeling that your son might starve to death one day because you don’t know where the next meal would come from? Have you imagined your son running around in rags because you can’t even afford second hand clothes for him? I am not scared of losing him forever because I would make sure I either work with such family or live close to them. I don’t want the emotional link between us to be completely severed.”

Speaking of her many dreams which she said suffered setbacks because of her situation, she stressed that if given an opportunity, she would live to work with handicapped children.
In her words: “I am in love with children with special needs. It is a ministry God has called me into. I get fulfilled being around children generally. It breaks my heart when they don’t get the attention they deserve. I am also interested in working with any NGO that believes in giving hope to children from less privileged background. I have written proposals on how to enhance the lives of children living in ghettoes across the country. But there is no money to pursue them”.

Lilian took time to reflect on the challenges faced by single mothers in the society, noting that they are stigmatized and disrespected even by their family members.
“I am a strong woman. That is why I have been able to survive all the dangers that came with raising a child alone. It is a painful experience that I don’t wish for any lady out there. I have learnt to shun prejudice to survive”.

Just like most women that have been hurt, taking another plunge at love or relationship is far from Lilian’s itinerary at the moment, though she is not ruling out marriage. She believes that the lucky man must be able to woo and win her heart. “Such a man must be for marriage not relationship. In order to bring honour to my already shattered image, the lucky man should be ready to follow tradition and seek the consent of my parents. At this stage, I am only interested in living right for myself and my son. I thought love found me when I met Jerry’s father. I was blinded by love and gave so much to nurture it. I became the victim of a man’s deceit. That is one torturous road I am not willing to travel again.”

She however, handed out a stern warning for any lady that might fall for the charm of her estranged lover. The warning, she said, isn’t borne out of jealousy, but out of the need to protect the heart of any woman that might be on the verge of being deceived.

“If any woman comes in contact with Valentine, she should be careful. He is not worth the effort. He is not worth being called a good father because he neglected his son. He is a negative influence on any woman out there”.


http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/citysun/2009/feb/04/citysun-02-04-2009-001.htm



What can you say about this?

More pictures please. I have someone who may be interested.

Obama is a believer. No wonder he won. Are you not proud to be a believer. Thank GOD.

It is proper.

Are you God fearing yourself? Abeg make I hear word.

Omolola1:
@ poster

oh boy, u get problem, abi u wan be MICHAEL JACKSON!  

Michael Jackson fine? Until you see my guy.

iice:
[color=#9900ff]People of nowadays are something else. . .
Has she cheated on you?[/color]

So he should wait until she cheats on him. The signs are already there that she may be lured into it.

just work hard to become successful in life so that she will regret leaving you and may probably come back begging. but if you keep brooding over if she will leave you or not and you become a failure, she will dump you and will thank God for that. So just don't bother yourself, leave things to take it's course. work hard to become a success and an envy to babes. that's what many of us babes want.

They have to survive because when the naira stabilized at about N118 to a dollar from N147 there was no significant drop in car prices so now that the dollar has risen a little I dont expect much change in the prices of cars. Meanwhile Federal Governnemt has promised to stablize the naira against the dollar soon but I am sure it can't go less than N140.

Also the government through the CBN has made us to understand that the decrease in the value of the naira should not translate to inflation because imported goods are now cheaper than before. This is because of the global economic recession. And I totally agree with that because browsing through the internet I confirmed that the prices of most goods in Europe and America have dropped significantly. Laptops my brother used to buy and ship to me from US at an average of 600 USD has dropped to about 450 USD. So you find out that what you seem to have lost in naira devaluation, you gain from cheaper prices.

It's only illiterate Nigerians and shylock business people that will hike prices because of this.

Though it's very bad of the sister not to have told him of her true age as the relationship progressed but since he still loves her even after knowing her real age, no problem.

As long  as there is genuine love in a relationship age is a matter of the mind and if you dont mind it does'nt matter.

Abeg follow the advise of your husband and let the girl go before your marriage begins to have cracks.

Muza:
just monitoring,
trying to see if shes living up to our expectations.

Good one but she needs more of our prayers. Am sure she must succeed and and later be moved to transform another ministry the way oby ezekwesili was moved from due process to solid minerals and later to education. Let's pray, watch and see.

henry4uall:

Regardless of any shock whoever may express, what you are dealing with here is a strategy in the hands of political game planner. And that in itself is not a crime. And might not be a target to destroy her, but to gain politically by yar-adua administration. The question is this: WHAT CRIME WOULD YOU SAY THE PRESIDENT COMMIT IN HIS CHOICE OF PROF DORA FOR INFORMATION MINISTER? Which rule, law, or constitution stipulate you must be a Medical Dr. to be appointed minister of health? or You must be a scientist to be appointed minister of science etc? GET THIS STRAIGHT: MINISTERS ARE POLITICIANS. PROF IS ENTERING POLITICS. If prof becomes president tomorrow is she going to be president of health? Those canvassing for her to be appointed minister of health react please.

Why then did he appoint Riwalnu Lukman as minister of Petroleum. An old man just because of his experience in oil matters.

It's not only 90% of commentators on this topic are expressing shock and surprise but even those outside. Check the link below.



http://www.pointblanknews.com/os1300.html

Naija used at 2.5 million. That's somehow Mr Poster. Meanwhile what's the mileage and state your finall price because I have somene who may be intrested.