₦airaland Forum

Money & connection is good.

seguntijan:
In my humble opinion, what happened yesterday is neither bad for President Buhari's station nor is it for the massive agents of change that stood in the sun and the rain to give him the baton of leadership. Unlike many other core Buharists that are overcome with sadness and disappointment, I am cautiously optimistic and to some extent celebrating. Let me explain.
1. For President Buhari, he has proven to Nigerians that he is a man of his words for in spite of extreme pressure from and political maneuvers by the APC party apparatchik, he remained resolute in his decision not to interfere with the process of selection of the National Assembly leaders. When they announced today that he would mediate in the morning, I could not believe it one bit. They probably thought announcing it publicly would compel him to interfere. Buhari did not even turn up at the venue. And I want to believe this singular act must convince everyone including his party that it is not going to be business as usual. In a recent interview Buhari had said that history had shown that interfering in NASS election affairs had never augured well for the executives. He would do differently, and he did.
2. For Bukola Saraki, congratulations are in order. Many would think that the nPDP faction have finally had their say, perhaps even way. Yet I think this is a triumph of an extraordinary personal ambition by someone that knew exactly where he wanted to be regardless of the consequences. It's Niccholo Machiavelli in flesh and blood. However, for people like that, getting the prize is just the beginning of their 'interesting' lives. That he will be fighting too many battles on all fronts is not in doubt; it's a question of whether he is able to be a cat with nine lives. No faction is really happy with him. PDP sees him as a 'traitor' that they think they have now used to hit APC leadership and get a foothold in the NASS leadership. With the recent Supreme Court ruling, nobody can defect from one party to another without vacating his seat, except where the party is factionalized at the national level. For this reason Saraki will never defect, hence PDP has zero shot at the Presidency. Now, when President Buhari submits bills in line with APC programmes, Saraki will not be unwise enough to team up with PDP elements to stop it. The day he does that is the day he would face the real wrath of the party. And at that time, President Buhari would not be a disinterested party with whatever that connotes. If Saraki dare does that, the party can now use its internal mechanism to 'take care of the Saraki problem' with the President fully involved. Because Buhari would then see Saraki as a thorn on his road of saving Nigerians.
A wise Saraki, who was Machiavellian enough to get there, will know that 'sucking up' to the President and his programmes is his best route. In fact, I expect him to quickly begin mending fences with the APC leadership for his own survival. A word is enough for the wise.
3. For Nigerians, I think this is a good, interesting start. A situation where you've a vibrant legislature is good for democracy. A good legislature should not be a rubber stamp to the executive arm. A visual apparition suggesting that one politician has pocketed the key leadership of the nation does not have a high feel good factor. His place in the history of Nigerian politics is already indelible. That alone should be enough for that hero of democracy. I believe for the roles the PDP components played in his emergence, Saraki will ensure they do not feel that their opinions are irrelevant in the scheme of things. After all, he may need them soon and again. This will ensure that all bills are scrutinized for the benefit of Nigerians before being passed by the APC majority house.

Very well articulated.

PMB did the right thing by not interferring in the selection of the Saraki.

barcanista:
Trust me that won't happen. El rufai can never be President. The next President is Kwankwaso (under PDP) or a formidable NW candidate and a South Eastern VP come 2019.

So when will the South East be ready to present a formidable candidate for the presidency, if going by what you wrote, it means that the North can be in power for another 12 years (until 2027) if Kwankwaso or another name from the North contested to be president in 2019?

Seems El-Rufai is the only governor serious about governance in Nigeria presently.

Pangea:
Saraki is a dark horse
People like that don't last,
He has made enough enemies and he will continue to look over his shoulders for the rest of his tenure!
It will be a miracle if he is not impeached before the tenure ends!
Unless he keeps his nose clean and he is not corrupt.
But that is another theory of the goat and the yam

Exactly my thoughts - he can never enjoy the Senate President positon, one way or another, his shady dealings will catch up with him.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-32831854

1. Control of women

The videos, filmed over several months last year, reveal the reality of life under IS. The first series shows how women are forced to cover up, with one woman challenged for not having her hands fully covered.
Hanaa: "IS is very strict about the dress code for women. Women have to be fully covered up in black, head to toe.
"One day I felt so bored at home that I asked my husband to take me out, even if I had to wear the full khimar [a long, cape-like veil that covers the hair, neck and shoulders completely, but leaves the face clear]. I had not left home since IS took over the city. As I was preparing, he told me I would be forced to put on a niqab [veil for the face]. I was shocked at this and considered staying at home for a moment, but eventually I relented.

"We went to a nice restaurant by the river we used to frequent during our engagement. As soon as we sat down, my husband told me that I could finally reveal my face as there was no IS presence and the restaurant was a place for families.
"I was very happy to oblige and so I revealed my face with a large smile. Instantly, the restaurant's owner came over begging my husband to ask me to hide it again because Islamic State fighters made surprise inspection visits and he would be flogged if they saw me like that.
"We had heard stories of men being flogged because their wives didn't put their gloves on. Another woman's parents were banned from driving their car. Those who objected would be beaten and humiliated.
"We complied with the owner's request. I started wondering about how ignorant and merciless the state of affairs had become. As we left the restaurant, I saw a father searching for his daughter, who was concealed in a sea of blackness."

2. Persecution of minorities

The footage reveals how homes belonging to Mosul's ethnic and religious minority communities have been confiscated by Islamic State. Many residential areas once popular with minorities now stand empty.
Mariam, a gynaecologist who is a Christian: "I'm known to be an avid reader and own a large collection of books. My collection kept on growing as friends and family leaving Iraq used to send me their books because they knew I wasn't going to leave and that I would take care of them.
"I was threatened and harassed [by Sunni extremists] before the capture of Mosul, but I kept on delivering babies for women from all religions and sects. I never differentiate between my patients as I believe everyone deserves equal care.
"However, I had to flee as Mosul fell. I escaped with my body unharmed, but my soul remained where I had left it: at home with my books.
"After moving to Irbil [in Iraq's Kurdistan region] I received shocking news: Islamic State had confiscated my house and marked it with the letter 'N' [for Nasrani - a word used by IS to refer to Christians]. I immediately telephoned my friends in Mosul and begged them to save my books.
"But it was too late. They called back saying my library had been emptied onto the street. However, some of my neighbours were able to rescue some precious books that remain hidden."

3. Intimidation, punishment and torture

Clips also show mosques and shrines being destroyed. Residents speak of brutal punishments for anyone contravening the jihadists' interpretation of Islamic law, which is imposed across the "caliphate" whose creation they proclaimed weeks after seizing Mosul.
Zaid: "Since IS took the city, it has been applying the 'Laws of the Caliphate', as it calls them. The minimum punishment is flogging, which is applied for things like smoking a cigarette.

"Theft is punished by amputating a hand, adultery by men by throwing the offender from a high building, and adultery by women by stoning to death. The punishments are carried out in public to intimidate people, who are often forced to watch.
"I know many people who have been arrested by IS. Some of them are my relatives. Some were killed because they were in the security services. Others have been released. They tell unimaginable stories of atrocities committed by IS in its prisons.
"Many who come out prefer not to speak. They stay silent, because they're terrified that if they speak, they'll be rearrested."
Fouad: "I was arrested by IS. They came to our family home looking for my brother. When they couldn't find him, they decided to take me to prison instead.

"Then they tortured me. The guy who did it wouldn't stop unless he got tired. He was edgy all the time and he wouldn't listen to what his prisoners said. He flogged me with a power cable and also tortured me psychologically.
"When my brother handed himself in, they found out that the accusations against him were false but they still kept me in prison until they judged me well enough to leave.
"They had hit me so hard with the cable that the marks are still visible on my back."

4. Disruption of daily life

Life for the city's residents has changed beyond recognition. The footage reveals how fuel is in short supply, pollution widespread, construction halted and many schools closed.
Hisham: "Daily life has changed in an indescribable way. Those who were in the military and day labourers no longer have any income because there are no jobs anymore. The rich have been relying on their savings, those with a salary are just about getting by, but the poor have been left to the mercy of God.
"I have lost my job and have been forced to abandon my studies. Like everyone else, I am denied my basic rights. According to IS, everything is 'haram' (forbidden) and so I end up just sitting at home all the time. Even simple leisure activities like picnics are banned now in Mosul, under the pretext that they are a waste of time and money.
"IS takes a quarter of everyone's salary as a contribution towards paying for rebuilding the city. People can't say no because they would face harsh punishments. The group controls everything. Rent is paid to it and the hospitals are for its members' exclusive use.
"The group has even replaced the imams in the mosques with pro-IS people. Many of us have stopped going to the mosques because those attending are asked to give an oath of allegiance and we hate that.
"Meanwhile, my brother was given 20 lashes just because he didn't shut his shop during prayer time - as if you can just impose religion by force!"

5. Indoctrination and surveillance

Footage also shows how the militants have used increasingly sophisticated techniques to control the city's population, such as "media points" to disseminate their messages.
Mahmoud: "My 12-year-old brother remained in school despite the fact that it became controlled by IS. We thought that, with no alternative available, he would at least be able to continue some sort of education, and that it would be better than nothing.
"But one day I came home and found my little brother drawing Islamic State's flag and humming one of its most famous songs. I went crazy and began yelling at him.
"I took the drawing and tore it to pieces in front of him. He got scared, ran to our mother and started crying. I warned him that should he ever draw that flag again or recite one of those people's songs, I would ground him, ban him from seeing his friends and stop talking to him altogether.
"We immediately removed him from school, as we preferred that he had no education at all than the one IS is promoting.
"I've come to the conclusion that the goal of this organisation is to plant the seeds of violence, hate and sectarianism into children's minds."

6. IS tactics and logistics

The militants can also be seen moving heavy artillery - some captured from fleeing Iraqi forces - and responding to attacks with anti-aircraft fire.
Zaid: "IS knows the army will try to retake Mosul, so they're taking precautions. They've destroyed the city by digging tunnels, building barricades, planting mines and bombs, and filling the city with snipers, which will make it very difficult for the army.
"Despite this, if the government manages to take Nineveh Plains and Mosul back I will be very happy. I hope that the internally displaced people and refugees will be able to return so that we can work together to build a safe and united Iraq. IS is the enemy of humanity.
"I do worry about how the army will take the city though. I think the violations committed in Tikrit by the Popular Mobilisation [a pro-government volunteer force comprising mostly Shia militias] are going to happen in the Nineveh Plains and Mosul, and that the whole situation will just be whitewashed again.
"The government should arm local people so that they can protect the city themselves. With the help of God, we will defeat IS."

Why can't Fayose focus his full attention of governing Ekiti state, reason why he was elected inthe first place.

Gone are the days when the service cars were just regular Peugeot 504...

deebsman1:
Dasuki was d man that arrested baba Buhari in 1985, (if baba had not cooperated on that day, he could have shot him...just saying thou). Now look at him standing in front of that man, a big life lesson. Any position we might find ourselves, we should just thread carefully.

The whole event since baba took over on friday has been towards security which shows us that the man Buhari meant his onions, he knows that no reasonable development will occur without adequate security. He's scheduled to be in Niger and Chad tomorrow and thursday respectively and all those moves means a lot and send a lot of messages to Boko Haram that a new Sherrif is in town and this 1 mean war.

Baba could have sack the service chiefs straight up as many are suggesting, but he won't do that becuz is not logically sound, he need to first meet them, get 1st hand situation report from them and if there is a need to replace them afterward, he will act ASAP.

Thank God we have been blessed by a president now unlike the clueless 1.

SAI BABA

Meaning no condition is permanent - look at Dasuki now reporting to PMB - a leader will always be a leader - only God knows what Dasuki will be thinking at the moment standing in front of PMB during the meeting.

otr1:
Sambo, Chairman Ghost Workers' Association of Nigeria (GWAN)

Very true...he should be tried for being the most ineffective VP ever.

Beautiful holiday pictures

Islamic State (IS) reportedly burned alive a young woman for refusing to take part in an "extreme sex act," it has been claimed.
The violent extent of the Islamic State's shocking war crimes have been revealed by a UN worker, Zainab Bangura, with refugees speaking of the terrifying and abhorrent treatment of women in IS-held areas of the Middle East, with young virgins being bought and sold at auction by wealthy sheikhs. Bangura said the woman burned alive was Zuhour Kati, 20.

Speaking as the United Nations' special representative on sexual violence in conflict, Bangura told of how female refugees had escaped the shocking conditions forced upon them by IS, sometimes known as ISIS or ISIL.
Iraq's minority Yazidi women are particularly at risk, with the extremist group believing them to be "devil-worshippers" and "apostates".
A jihadi bride recently wrote in the Islamic State's propaganda magazine Dabiq of how raping Yazidi women is considered acceptable "because the Qu'ran condones it".

"They commit rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution and other acts of extreme brutality," Bangura said. "We heard one case of a 20-year-old girl who was burned alive because she refused to perform an extreme sex act. We learned of many other sadistic sexual acts. We struggled to understand the mentality of people who commit such crimes. "After attacking a village, [IS] splits women from men and executes boys and men aged 14 and over. The women and mothers are separated; girls are stripped naked, tested for virginity and examined for breast size and prettiness. The youngest, and those considered the prettiest virgins fetch higher prices and are sent to Raqqa, the IS stronghold.
"There is a hierarchy: sheikhs get first choice, then emirs, then fighters. They often take three or four girls each and keep them for a month or so, until they grow tired of a girl, when she goes back to market. At slave auctions, buyers haggle fiercely, driving down prices by disparaging girls as flat-chested or unattractive.

"We heard about one girl who was traded 22 times, and another, who had escaped, told us that the sheikh who had captured her wrote his name on the back of her hand to show that she was his 'property'."

Having worked on similar cases of sexual violence across the world, Bangura says the Islamic State's crimes were the worst she has seen.
The UN specialist collected information, which she said left her sick, from Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.
The hardline extremist fighters of IS have even banned their female slaves from wearing headscarves after some used them to hang themselves.
Aid workers have reported finding a nine-year-old girl pregnant after being released by the group, having been subjected to a horrific barrage of sexual exploitation by at least ten men.

Speaking to CNN, a Yazidi and escaped slave said: "They would line about 50 of us up at a time, in rows of 10. They would say don't move, don't cry or we will beat you. The men would come in and describe the kind of girl they wanted and then they would pick and choose as they pleased."

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/05/25/isis-islamic-state-sex-crime_n_7434948.html?utm_hp_ref=uk

truthman2012:
Answer these questions straight
without rigmaroling:


Muslims say islamic satan is a
jinn, do jinns have physical
bodies as they are made of fire?


Are jinns visible and tangible?
Your quran says they are not,
how would Muhammad tie a jinn
(satan) for people to see:
Quran 7:27 "Indeed he
(Iblis) and his tribe watch
you from a position where
you cannot see them"


Does water still remain pure
after dirts are thrown into it
stinking?

Pre-Islamic period - the Pagan Arabs, that constitutes majority of the population in Arabia lived a very primitive and simple astral and animistic religion of at least 360 gods & goddesess. Among these gods & goddesses, Allah was one of the chief god. Aside from Allah, other animistic objects are worshipped, namely trees, caves, wells etc.

Besides the Kaaba ofMecca, there are other holy sites in pre-islamic Arabic period are located in Petra (modern day Jordan), Sana'a (presently located in Yemen) and Najran (Saudi Arabia). The sun was worshipped but not to the same level as the moon. The moon worship is closely associated with a nomadic & pastoral society. Most importantly, the sun is seen as an enemy of the nomads because of the scorching heat of the Arabian desert depriving them of pasture, shade & water. However the moon is their friend providing them with light, coolness in the night, dew and shade, thus making the moon a 'diety' of great importance to them. One of the reasons why Muslims around the world look to the location of the moon pre & after ramadan.

To the question about jinns, pre-islamic Arabs believed that the desert was full of living creatures/spirits called 'jinn'. These living creatures / spirits are viewed that their main purpose was to blight the lives of the desert people with mischief and difficulties - hence reason why in the Quran - jinns are mentioned by Mohammed.

For further info: http://www.inthenameofallah.org/preislamicarabia.html

President Goodluck Jonathan turned down his Peoples Democratic Party’s offer to head the party’s Board of Trustees, before a former minister was appointed on Monday, a senior party leader has said.
The outgoing president was rumoured to be preparing the grounds to take over as chairman of the troubled party’s BoT, following a precedent set by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
That speculation gained fillip after the party’s BoT chairman, Tony Anenih, who resigned last week, said he was stepping down to pave way for the president to assume the post as he leaves office.
But on Monday, the party’s BoT named Haliru Mohammed Bello, a former defence minister and acting chairman of the party, as its new acting chairman after a late night meeting at the presidential villa in Abuja.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting which ended at about 11:15pm, the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, said Mr. Bello was nominated to act for the next few months.
“Haliru Mohammed Bello was selected as the Acting Chairman of the BOT during the BOT meeting to serve for the next few months,” he said.
On his part, BOT Secretary, Walid Jibril, said President Jonathan had rejected the offer of becoming the party’s BOT Chairman.
According to him, Mr. Bello is to act for about two to three months when election will be conducted to choose a substantive chairman.
Mr. Bello accepted the position and promised to work hard to bring the party back to its feet.
Among those who attended the meeting are the immediate past Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the PDP, Tony Anenih, Acting National Chairman of PDP, Uche Secondus.
Others include a former Minister of Information, Jerry Gana, PDP Women National Leader, Kema Chikwe, former Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu, Chief of Staff to the President, Jones Arogbofa, Senator Hope Uzodinma, BOT Secretary, Walid Jibril, former Minister of Women Affairs, Josephine Anenih.


http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/183682-%e2%80%8b%e2%80%8bjonathan-rejects-pdps-offer-to-chair-board-of-trustees.html

fxbot:
Never be carried away by physical attributes of a woman because you don't see what the mind says. What if I tell you that someone on this thread is getting married soon to another guy to which I was never aware of until my friend called me to see. We had been dating for some months now but I never knew she had another guy elsewhere. In fact, based on my calculation, she has been with the guy long before she met me. I have been reading with silence and smiling. We still met a few weeks ago, yet she didn't mention it to me and I also feigned ignorance.

That's life brother, that's fvcking life. Do I feel hurt? NAH! Boys have learned to be smart long ago. I only feel sorry for the dude she will end up with who thinks she is "innocent" and if he can't give her like I did or do, she will definitely cheat on him. It's very obvious in her person. Nuff said

Really, this is serious...

Macelliot:
Sunni Muslims vs. Shia Muslims...
Fighting since the days of Muhammed..

One of the longest on-going tribalistic family feuds for many centuries.

A suicide bomber has detonated his explosives at a Shia mosque in eastern Saudi Arabia during Friday prayers, killing four people and wounding several others, witnesses said.
One witness described a huge explosion at the Imam Ali Mosque in a village in the province of Qatif, where more than 150 people were praying.
An activist told the AFP news agency that at least four worshippers were killed, while a source told the Reuters news agency that there appeared to be at least 30 casualties in the attack.
Pictures posted on social media purported to show the devastation, with dead bodies strewn across the floor and shattered glass covering the courtyard of the mosque
Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from the capital Riyadh, said authorities expected the death toll the rise.
Saudi Arabia's Shia population is mostly based in two oasis districts of the Eastern Province - Qatif on the Gulf coast, and al-Ahsa, southwest of the provincial capital al-Khobar.
Qatif and al-Ahsa have historically been the focal point of anti-government demonstrations.
The kingdom's Shia community accounts for between 10 to 15 percent of the total population. They say they face discrimination in seeking educational opportunities or government employment and that they are referred to disparagingly in text books and by some Sunni officials and state-funded clerics.
They also complain of restrictions on setting up places of worship and marking Shia holidays, and say that Qatif and al-Ahsa receive less state funding than Sunni communities of equivalent size.
The Saudi government denies allegations of discrimination.


http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/05/saudi-arabia-shia-mosque-attack-150522101243243.html

Addressing a conference in Abuja on Thursday, the Country Consular Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr Williams Laidlaw, said the US government will discuss with Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs with focus on extending the two year reciprocity agreement, where it provides two year visas with six months entry on arrival, to Nigerians.
He, however, said the new visa policy would be possible only after Nigerian Embassies abroad and the Nigerian immigration officials consistently give Americans two-year visas with six months entry on arrival.
For some Nigerians, getting an American visa can be a nerve-racking experience.
Almost on a daily basis many Nigerians, who apply for US visas in the country, are denied visas.
But getting a US visa, need not be a dreaded activity.
According to officials of the US Embassy, while some Nigerians are denied visas, many are successful in getting visas.
The Consular Chief, US Embassy, Stacie Hankins, took Channels Television on a tour of the embassy, listing the processes visa applicants go through.
Another official of the Embassy, the US Country Consular Co-ordinator, William Laidlaw, also spoke about the possibility of extending the time frame for visas.
The US Embassy processes 400 visas per working day in Abuja and 900 visas in Lagos.
This is aside the 100 visa applications by those who apply by drop-box per day.


http://www.channelstv.com/2015/05/22/us-willing-to-discuss-new-visa-policy-with-nigeria/

Saratu Umar was fired as the executive secretary of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) on the suspicion that she leaked information on the granting of questionable tax waivers estimated to be worth $20 billion, TheCable can report.
Umar, who was appointed only last year, was sacked on Monday by President Goodluck Jonathan exactly eight days after a nine-month-old letter on the controversial waivers was leaked to the media — and six days after the NIPC staff union petitioned the president to ask for her removal.
No reason was given for her sack.
Nigeria is believed to have lost at least $20 billion to tax holidays granted to undeserving companies between 2010 and 2014, mostly on her recommendation.
But this was before Umar became its chief executive and embarked on a tax holiday reform for which she was recently commended by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMFAC).
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the finance minister, had written to Umar in August 2014 to complain about the indiscriminate granting of waivers.
The letter, which was published in THISDAY on May 10, 2015, alleged that the federal government lost huge revenue to questionable tax holidays granted companies by NIPC.
TheCable learnt that Umar was accused of leaking Okonjo-Iweala’s letter to the media in order to embarrass Jonathan and curry the favour of President-elect Muhammadu Buhari.
The prolonged media war against Umar by NIPC senior staff was believed to have been instigated “from outside” in order to prepare grounds for her removal.
The biggest beneficiaries of the waivers are thought to be oil companies linked to top government officials.
‘Irresponsibility and immaturity’
After the leak of Okonjo-Iweala’s letter, NIPC staff petitioned Jonathan, asking for Umar’s removal.
“It appears the current Executive Secretary has taken the staff agitation for her removal to a desperate point of dragging the outgoing administration of President Goodluck Jonathan to the mud by whipping up sentiments in the media at this critical time when the Nation is undergoing transition. The leakage of the letter by the Minister of Finance sent directly to the Executive Secretary of NIPC on August 12, 2014 and which has been in her custody, smacks of an act of irresponsibility and immaturity,” Ahmad Ghondi, chairman of NIPC union, wrote in the petition.
Jonathan promptly fired Umar in a move reminiscent of the removal of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as central bank governor in February 2014 after his letter on “missing” oil money leaked.
Umar had been having a running battle with the senior staff of NIPC who went public with their opposition to her.
At a stage, they declared that 98% of the staff were against her “dictatorial” style of leadership and “incompetence”.
NIPC is saddled with promoting investment opportunities in Nigeria, and part of the incentives for investors is tax holiday for which the commission has to issue “pioneer status” certificates.
However, the waivers are to be applied within certain criteria, such as a company investing in a virgin area that needs incentives.
Although Okonjo-Iweala did not give the actual figures of revenue lost through the tax holidays, she said while oil companies were supposed to be taxed 65 per cent under the Petroleum Profit Tax Act, certain officials of NIPC listed such companies under the Industrial Development (Tax Relief) Act, thereby making them qualify for pioneer status.
She said the tax holidays were granted to companies “whose products do not meet the requirements of the list of industries or products specified in the schedule to the Act”.
Unfair advantage
The officials of NIPC further breached the rule by backdating the pioneer certificates, forcing the federal government to refund taxes that had already been paid into its coffers by these companies, she said.
A beneficiary of this, according to Okonjo-Iweala, is Seplat, an operator of one of the fields belonging to NNPC.
“While SDPC (Shell) disposed of its interest to Seplat, NNPC disposed of its interest to NPDC (Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, being the exploration arm of NNPC). Seplat, thereafter, was granted a tax holiday whereas NPDC continued to pay taxes from the operation of the same field. This confers an unfair advantage on Seplat,” she wrote.
As many as 15 oil companies are believed to have benefited from the tax holidays despite not being eligible but for the connivance of NIPC officials.
The union staged a protest that led to the paralysis of activities at the headquarters of the agency in Abuja on April 22.
During the protest, its members carried placards with inscriptions such as: ‘NIPC without management/Council’, ‘Saratu Umar must go today’, ‘Self-styled one-man management’, ‘No imprest to zonal office for eight months’.
But Umar denied the allegations, saying some directors of the agency who were indicted for misappropriating NIPC’s funds were behind the protest.
Chairman of RMFAC, Elias Mbam, recently commended Umar for “taking bold steps” that had sanitised the granting of the pioneer status incentives which had hitherto witnessed challenges in its administration that led to huge revenue loss to the federation.
Mbam said import duty waivers, concessions and exemptions “have direct bearing on the quantum of revenue accruals into the Federation Account which gets depleted and consequently affects the share of every tier of government”.


http://www.thecable.ng/exclusive-nipc-boss-fired-embarrassing-jonathan-20bn-tax-waivers

Matthew 4:1-10 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.]”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

It will be much easier to read the whole section relating to the 'temptation of Jesus Christ in the Wilderness and not just take a small passage out of it.
This temptation which Satan tempted Jesus with implies a vision instead of an actual event.

Nicely written article.

OP, i'm sorry to digress, it is always worth noting that apart from foreign embassies checking the internet, most organisations now check the internet to get information about potential candidates.

Seriously all this jungle barbaric justice must stop, there are other ways to punish criminals..

ooshinibos:
I know the issue here ..british papers are bad , there were unconfirmed rumors that he is gay ( am not homophobic ) ...and I think he knows this rumors going around ..so he came out with his girlfriend two weeks ago to dispel this rumors..but I think the media is not satisfied with this out show

Let's wait for the early editions of the UK Sunday Newspapers - the likes of 'The Sun', 'Sunday Mail', 'Sunday Express' who are known for their unpalatable exposures.

Congrats to the able governor...HML...

He hasn't got a well packed 'cojones' to handle the bull-fighting English media.

The English Media will dig anything 'diggable' to tarnish your image.

Why the sudden change of his intention - he was one of the first to declared running for the leadership post.

[quote author=cmon post=33758069]Hope all these trekkers will not reach Otuoke to an empty house.... Wish them well....[/quote


Exactly my thought - what's the purpose of their trekking adventure to Otuoke, when Oga Jona dey go on a well-deserved holiday with Mama Peace.

This has set a precedence whereby other Nigerian churches will be bidding to out-do one another with the donations in Israel, as a way to milk their congregation.

GMB have met more diplomats and heads of state within 6 weeks, compared to how many GEJ have met in his six years as the number one citizen.