₦airaland Forum

A pLane was about to crash and
there were only 4 parachutes
meanwhile there were 5
passengers.
The first person waz Messi and
he said: ''You know I'm the best
footballer, I cant die n0w."
He took one parachute and left.
The second, who was Aliko
Dangote said:
"You know I'm the richest man in
Africa and I'm to young to die."
So he took the second parachute
and left.
The third, President Jonathan said:
"You know I'm the smartest
President in the world so I cant
die
now."
He took one and left.
The passengers left were Pope
John Paul and a little schooL girL.
The Pope said to her:
"Take the last one, I'll sacrifice my
life for you".
The little girL replied:
"There are 2 parachutes left,
Jonathan took my schooL bag."

A prophetic Vision from Pastor T.B Joshua he warned people in the government 4 times.. Jan 2 2011, July 15 2012, Sep 23 2012, and Oct 27 2012 not to enter the same airplane and travel from one State to another State in Nigeria for any meeting because he saw that the devil wants to kill the good people in our government.

On Sunday 16th December 2012, speaking to a live audience on Emmanuel TV, Prophet T.B. Joshua explained how God showed him the incident, stating that he conveyed the message to the nation in a series of prophetic revelations that started in January 2011.

The prophetic message has since been uploaded to Joshua’s official YouTube channel and posted on his Facebook account to over 500,000 fans.

http://www.mercyjohnson.com/how-tb-joshua-prophesied-the-tragic-crash-that-killed-yakowa-azazi/

Na poor man dey suffer for rich man, bt where money lies.

A middle-aged woman (names withheld) has been delivered of a baby with a monstrous head at the General Hospital, Iyin-Ekiti, Ifelodun/Irepodun Local government Area, Ekiti State.



The strange creature, which has bulging, froggy eyes, was born at around 2.15 p.m. at the weekend through a caesarean operation.



The monster baby also has an open hole at the back of its head, from where something that looked like mucus could be seen.



Ekiti State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Wole Olugboji, who confirmed the strange occurrence to newsmen yesterday, said the headless baby died but the mother was alive.



According to him, ‘There was a woman who gave birth to a baby without a head at General Hospital, Iyin. The baby is dead but the mother is okay.’



Olugboji said the mother of the little creature, who was still unconscious due to the sedation before the Caesarean section, did not see the baby, which was quickly disposed of in order to save the parents from the embarrassment that the strange baby might have caused them.



The father of the baby, a reliable source said, was present in when it was born and he approved of the quick burial of the strange creature. The hospital source said: ‘The baby did not have brain. His head was open at the back and you could see mucus inside the head instead of brain. It was strange, nobody in the hospital had seen such baby before.’



Another source added that the strange baby was very small at birth. He said the delivery was abnormal as the fluid that was drained out of the mother's body was in excess of normal quantity.



The woman was said to have gone for a series of scans in some private hospitals, where she was told that she was going to deliver a set of twins. It was gathered that officials of the General Hospital, Iyin, told the parents that the woman was carrying only one foetus and it was headless.



They believed that the baby must have been deformed due to the effects of some drugs or herbs.



‘That is why we always ask pregnant women not to take any drugs unless they were prescribed by doctors. We can't also rule it out that the deformity might have been caused by concoctions. It is possible,’ he said.



Speaking with The Moment on the occurrence, Dr. Philips Kanemo, of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Benin City, Edo State, said it could be the result of congenital malformation or abnormality, which is a medical condition where a child is born without a brain.



According to him, ‘It makes the entire head appear malformed or almost invisible, with a very small skull, and not that there is total absence of head.’



On the likely causes of such malformation, Kanemo said the condition could be idiopathic, that is, with ‘no known cause.’



‘It could be from toxic drugs taken by the mother at pregnancy or even alcohol. Many other substances can cause it.



‘Because we are in Africa, some might attach it to witchcraft; but whatever is not scientifically proven is not a fact and has no basis,’ he said.




http://www.momentng.com/en/news/3540/horror-as-woman-delivers-monster-baby-in-ekiti-.html

Am sure Babasuwe will make money out of this if found innocent and make movie out of it. Another film. watch out,

Obasanjo is a coward, says Daniel



http://www.independentngonline.com/DailyIndependent/Article.aspx?id=31116

Obasanjo is a coward, says Daniel





http://www.independentngonline.com/DailyIndependent/Article.aspx?id=31116

4 money

Less than a month to the first anniversary of the tragic death of rapper Dagrin, another very bright and promising star has passed on, in very shocking circumstances.

Multiple sources are confirming to us, that fan-favourite CD John, who emerged last year as one of the most promising acts in Nigeria’s stand-up comedy industry, is dead.

The young cracker, who became a regular performer at almost every gig/concert since late 2010 when major promoters and critics first noticed him, was on his way back from Industry Nite when he crashed his car and ended up at St Nicholas Hospital, in Lagos Island.

‘He was the MC at Harrysong’s album listening party which held at Tribeca’, a source tells us. Yesterday’s Industry Nite was dedicated to Questionmark act Harrysong who is promoting his new album. ‘He was driving back to the mainland, heading to his home at Jakande estate, Isolo when the accident happened’.

‘Yes he was the host at our event yesterday’ Industry Nite’s Matthew Ohio tells NET. ‘He was invited by Questionmark and I did not even know him prior to that. It’s just so sad if it’s true’.

We cannot for now confirm the exact location the crash happened. But reliable sources say he was driving a Black Gulf 3.

‘He was rushed to St Nicholas where he gave up the ghost at around 7am’.

Colleagues Gbenga Adeyinka, Teju Babyface, Tee A, Basketmouth, Ali Baba and a certain Tee Gee are confirming that they are aware of the accident, and reports of his death. However, no one has seen a doctor’s statement or his corpse as at press time. NET reporters are on standby at the hospital, and at his home, and we will bring you details as they unfold.

‘We’re all heading there now. Everyone is heading to the hospital where we hope we’ll meet some good news’ one of the acts told us.

The late comedian, born John Chijioke, was a truly gifted singer and comedian who tried his hands first on music (as far back as 2006) before settling for stand-up comedy. ‘He used to sing but when I found out he was funny, I pushed him to join me do comedy. He had a breakthrough before me. And now that I want to be proud of him, I suddenly lost him’ his friend Tee Gee says.

‘I’ve not even seen him this year’, Teju Babyface tells NET. ‘everybody likes the boy. What’s all this now! Anyway we’re still waiting on good news from the hospital…’

‘He made me laugh at Tribeca last night, now he’s dead. Heartbreaking.’ a fan wrote on her BBM status, early this morning.

CD John will mostly be remembered for his funny Christian choruses – a unique style where he messes around with the lyrics of popular songs; presenting his own account of how different Nigerian tribes would deliver the lyrics. With a superb voice, growing repertoire and audience control; he was set to become a big player in the competitive stand-up comedy scene. Until death put a stop to all that promise.



http://www.thenetng.com/2011/03/24/breaking-news-fast-rising-comedian-cd-john-is-dead/

RIP

The Lagos state government has announced plans to mark Nigeria’s 50th Independence Anniversary in a unique way.

This, it is believed, is because the state was where the country’s flag was first hoisted to mark Nigeria’s freedom from colonial rule on 1 October, 1960.

Though, the Secretary to the State Government, Princess Adenrele Adeniran-Ogunsanya, refused to declare the amount budgeted for the event that begins from today 23 September, 2010 and ends on 2 October, 2010, a statement credited to a member of the House of Assembly, Hon Ajibayo Adeyeye, has it that N300 million will be spent by the state government on the anniversary.

Part of the activities lined up for the celebration, which begins with Christian and Moslem inter-denominational services, include the handing over of the Old Peoples Home located in Yaba within the state.

There would also be a boat regatta and a boxing competition just as the organisers, which include ace theatre star, Tunde Kelani, have also made plans to thrill people with plays, dance and exhibition.

The SSG also said that the state was expecting the Duke of Gloucester and a member of the British Royal Family, Prince Richard.

The event would also witness the opening of the Freedom Park, which was a prison built by the colonial masters and where prominent Nigerians including the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe were incarcerated for political reasons.

http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2010/09/23/lagos-plans-big-for-50th-independence-anniversary/

A man, Joseph Adewoye, 54, has been charged to Ejigbo Magistrate’s Court for allegedly attempting to kill his barren wife, Olubukola to take her property.

Joseph allegedly held Olubukola by the neck to strangle her because she was barren and wanted to take her property.

The incident happened at Block 35, Flat 2, Jakande Estate, Ejigbo, Lagos, Nigeria where they resided before the man allegedly abandoned her.

P.M.NEWS gathered that the couple had been in a running battle because the woman could not bear a child for over 10 years they have been married.

It got to a stage, according to Olubukola, her husband, Joseph abandoned her and started living in elsewhere while she remained in the flat because she was the person that bought it.

On the day the incident happened, the embittered woman told P.M.NEWS that she was in the house at about 11 a.m when he allegedly sneaked into the flat after leaving the place for a year.

She said that he came to her and held her neck to strangle her, but she managed to raise an alarm.

The neighbours had to come and rescue her before she went to the police station and reported the incident.

However, the man denied the allegtion. He said he only went to the house to take away his property but the woman did not allow him to do so.

He was arrested and after investigation, the police charged him to court for the alleged offence.

The charge reads: “That you, the defendant, on the same date, time and place, did attempt to strangle the victim and threatened to kill her.”

The offence, the police said, was contrary to sections 86 and 351 of the Criminal Code Cap 38 Vol. 2 Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2004.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge and the magistrate, Mrs. S.O. Solebo, granted him bail in the sum of N100,000 with one responsible surety.

The matter has been adjourned till 18 October, 2010 for trial.

http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2010/09/23/man-attempts-to-strangle-barren-wife/

Nigerian Police

The Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola is expected to lead other members of his executive council to the Eko Hotel and Suites for an international boxing event today.

The event tagged “Lagos Boxing Hall of Fame’s Red Carpet International Amateur Boxing Show, put together by the Lagos State Boxing Hall Of Fame, LSBHF, the state government and the Lagos State Amateur Boxing Association, LSABA, promises to be explosive, as boxers from England based Repton Boys Club, London, will take part in the two-day tourney.

A gala nite is scheduled for today after which there will be an eight-bout contest. Speaking on the event, LSBHF Chairman and one-time Commissioner of Finance in Lagos State, Wale Edun, said all hands are on deck to ensure that the tourney is successfully organised. He noted that tickets for the event have since been sold out.

http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2010/09/23/fashola-for-lagos-boxing-show/

A 20-year-old student of Lagos State Polytechnic, LASPOTECH, Surulere campus, Lateef Pedro, has escaped from ritualists’den.

The 100-level student, who recounted his ordeal with the ritualists, warned commuters plying the Shagamu, Ijebu-Ode-Lagos route to be very vigilant when they want to board a vehicle.

Explaining how he was kidnapped, Pedro said the driver of the vehicle he boarded from Ijebu-Ode pretended he was going to Lagos and told him the transport fare was N100 which he thought was cheap not knowing it was a bait.

He said the private car driver drove him and other passengers to the ritualists’ den inside a bush on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway just after descending the overhead bridge linking Abeokuta with Ibadan.

“I was going back to school in Lagos and while waiting at the Shagamu express road junction, a red Volkswagen Gulf car stopped with two occupants wearing white garment.

“When the driver told me he was going to Lagos and the fare was N100, three of us scrambled to enter the vehicle.

“But on the way, the driver suddenly veered into a bush path and when we protested, he told us he was trying to avoid traffic jam in Mowe and we believed him,” Pedro recounted.

“As we went deeper into the bush, the driver suddenly stopped beside a makeshift hut and two huge men came out armed with guns.

“They ordered us to alight and started mocking us, saying this was Lagos and that we were already dead.”

Pedro said they were ordered to remove their clothes while they wet their bodies with water and started flogging them.

“We were beaten until one of us collapsed and died.

“We were dispossessed of our belongings and they told us we would be sacrificed by 12 midnight.

“But at 8 p.m that night, the ring leader suddenly pointed at me and asked me to get up and leave the place because I had a stubborn spirit.

“He directed one of his aides to return my belongings and escorted me to a place. From there I was able to trek to Mowe town before I could get assistance and got back to Shagamu,” he said, appealing to the Ogun State Police Command to intensify patrol around the area.

http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2010/09/23/poly-student-escapes-from-ritualists-den/

BIG IS BIG

big is big

wacko jacko in naija

all i can tell u is that he's your father and dont even think of apt him as your personal driver, and if he feel like he doesnt want to be idle or wathever, what u can do is that u can easily buy him a small car that he can be using for transport as in taxi (drop). that his better.

BIG IS BIG

The Statistician- General, Dr Vincent Akinyosoye has warned that if any problems occur in the Nigerian polity in the mould of a natural disaster and war taking its toll on our oil and non-oil exports for a period of three to six months, he was afraid that our economy may not survive it.

He called on al tiers of governance in the land to step up her drive in helping to grow the non-oil sector, especially manufacturing.

Speaking at a one day workshop on statistics for Economic , financial and Business Editors organized by the National Bureau of Statistics [NBS]in Abuja recently stated that the widely held public notion that the Nigerian Police, PHCN and the Water Boards were the most corrupt government agencies around.

His Words: “If people refuse our oil, we will crash in three months ’He Said.

This can happen in the case of war or if we are quarreling with some people and there is no export, the date varies depending on what the Central Bank of Nigeria say about our foreign exchange ,may be it could be three months or six months ,let us say it is even six months the company will have serious economic problems because most of the resources we share come from oil export.” He noted

He lamented the level of corruption in our polity, a vice which he affirmed was already choking and having a ripple effect on all and sundry.

He took his time to reel out a lot of statistical data available to him which he readily gave to members of the media while equally enjoining other members of the mass media to always get in touch with his office if they need a vital information.


http://www.financialstandardnews.com/home_newsdetail.asp?id=404246938657407

The fisticuffs about two weeks ago which later developed into an open verbal exchange between The First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan and the Rivers State Governor, Mr Rotimi Amaechi is said to be the main reason why the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission [EFCC] are currently tightening up the nozzle in Rivers State.

However EFCC operatives have moved quickly to pour cold water on such a notion on there activities as a witch haunt scheme orchestrated by an aggrieved principal.

This is against a statement credited to the state Governor, Mr Rotimi Amaechi alleging that the financial watchdog agency was now a tool for oppressing political opponents and as such he was going to use his offices to mobilize the people of the state against this.

Spokesman to the EFCC, Mr Femi Babafemi said though he was aware that his men were in Rivers State but he does not know that actual identities of top government functionaries they were supposed to be seeing.

He denied any witch haunt ,as he insisted that they have been operating in the state for well over six years and they had even taken some of the state officials to court and now wondered why they were now been falsely accused.

But speaking at the Information Summit at Hotel Presidential ,Port Harcourt,Amaechi recalled that the commission always moved towards the state anytime elections were close ,pointing out that it was a second attempt at using EFCC to truncate his ambition.

He said his Commissioners For finance, local Government. And the chairmen of port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor local Government area have been invited by the commission all in an attempt to indict him and stop in his tracks.

He advised EFCC to follow due process in the discharge of her duties while noting that he had nothing to be afraid of because his hands were pretty clean

Amaechi admitted that his performance as an administrator was on the high only because he had stared clear of the Godfatherism syndrome which has swept through our politics landscape.

He added that all his efforts are geared towards providing welfare policies and implementing them with a view to changing the lives of the people

CATHOLIC PONTIFF, Pope Benedict XVI, during the week, met with eight victims of priestly sex abuse in Malta and promised them the Church would do “all in its power” to bring offenders to book and protect children.

The pope was “deeply moved by their stories and expressed his shame and sorrow over what victims and their families have suffered”, a Vatican statement said after the private encounter on April 18.

“In the spirit of his recent letter to the Catholics of Ireland, he prayed that all the victims of abuse would experience healing and reconciliation, enabling them to move forward with renewed hope,” it said.

The meeting at the apostolic nunciature in Rabat came after a group of victims had asked to meet with the pope to tell him of their ordeal and ask for an apology. The encounter was not part of the pope’s official itinerary and was only announced publicly by the Vatican after it had happened.

Participants said the victims cried as they told their stories, and that the pope had tears in his eyes as he listened.

The Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, told journalists that the private meeting in the chapel of the nunciature lasted about 20 minutes. He said the pope, Archbishop Paul Cremona of Malta, Bishop Mario Grech of Gozo and eight male victims of abuse began the encounter kneeling in silent prayer.

The pope then stood by the altar and met with each victim one-by-one to hear his story and to speak with each privately, Father Lombardi said. The victims were in their 30s and 40s, Father Lombardi said.

A group of 10 victims had announced on April 16 that they had been granted a meeting with the promoter of justice in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Msgr. Charles Scicluna. The meeting with the monsignor, who handles the cases local dioceses have brought against allegedly abusive priests, was to take place sometime in June at the Vatican.

Since 1999, three priests have faced criminal trials in civil courts after the victims decided to go to the police because they were unhappy with how the Response Team was handling the case.

The Archdiocese of Malta said that of the 45 cases investigated by the Church’s Response Team, 19 were found to be baseless, 13 were still ongoing and cases against 13 members of the clergy have been forwarded to the Vatican.

That three Catholic priests (or more) have toyed with their vow of not tasting “forbidden fruit” is no more news. But let’s look beyond the act and attack the root.

Without sentiments, what, individually, do we think is the cause of all these ‘abominations’? Yes, it is abomination, even if a Catholic reverend has conventional sex with a consenting adult of the opposite as other clerics would. Reason: at their ordination, one of the vows they take is that of celibacy – abstinence from sex.

Caveat: the following is my humble opinion, not from any authority.

Some time ago, Nollywood shot a controversial movie, The Pope Must Hear This, but many, especially Catholics, came down hard on the flick, claiming that it was out to ridicule the priesthood. But even as a Catholic, I saw it differently. To my understanding, the concept of the movie was to warn the Church about allowing every Tom, Dick and Harry into the vocation. The Church is catholic, which umbrella is too big to accommodate everybody – the good, the bad and the ugly.

Catholics must be careful. There are enemies within, I think; they have even infiltrated the priesthood. Or what do you make of a situation where the whole world had been pressuring the Church to bend a little – to ordain women priests, allow priests to marry, and others – and the Church, in its wisdom, has remained adamant. For not yielding to the pressure, I think the enemies decided to enter the fold to prove their point.

My argument still remains: how are you sure that allowing Catholic priests to get married will make some not to misbehave? Or don’t you hear about even acclaimed born-again pastors going promiscuous. I took part (as a chorister) in the late Francis Agu’s flick of the 1990s, In The Name of the Father, in which a new generation pastor impregnated a church member and forced her on a male member. By the way, the wife was busy dating male choristers. Agu was later to reveal to the cast that the story was real; that it happened in one church in Surulere, Lagos. That’s one in a million.

Okay, imagine what is happening in the Anglican Church today.

Because maybe the church, which broke away from the Catholic Church due to issues bordering on divorce and remarriage, bent a little by ordaining women bishops, the enemy entered. Now, the church – not the ones in Nigeria anyway – does not only permit ordination of gay priests, it also ordains gay couples.

On June 14, 2008, the Sunday Telegraph reported that two male priests exchanged vows and rings in a ceremony that was conducted using one of the church’s most traditional wedding rites – a decision seen as blasphemous by conservatives.

News of the ‘wedding’ emerged days before a crucial summit of the Anglican Church’s conservative bishops and archbishops, who are threatening to split the worldwide church over the issue of homosexual clergy.

Even, Prince Charles, the future head of the Church of England, had sparked controversy in 1996 by endorsing an openly homosexual Anglican cleric.

Harry Williams, the former dean of Cambridge University, who died earlier this year, was praised by the Prince in the foreword to a new book of poems being published. The Prince of Wales wrote that Williams “proved to be a star; a man of intense humanity and warmth whose humour and originality created an aura of approachability,” according to a UPI report.

Williams’ 1982 autobiography, Some Day I’ll Find You, describes the pastor’s experiences as a practising homosexual while at Cambridge.

“I slept with several men, in each case fairly regularly,” he wrote. “I have seldom felt more like thanking God then (sic) when having sex.”

Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary – the flagship school of the Southern Baptist Convention – wrote about Prince Charles: “In just over 50 years, Prince Charles has managed to make himself a mockery of marriage and morality and to pose, as one leading British newspaper observed, as ‘a well-intentioned eccentric seeking divine inspiration’.”

May be what is happening now is God’s way of fulfilling his word “that they may be one”. Now, we have “Ordinary Catholics” (Anglicans that converted to Catholic in protest of what is happening in their fold).

So, I still believe that if the Catholic Church remains firm in its stance on these issues, the enemies will give up and even adopt the cliché, “if you can’t beat them, you join them”.

Reverend fathers are men whose veins are filled with blood. I was told that, even as Catholic priests are not to marry, the Church makes sure that those to be ordained are virile – impotent men are not ordained, as they might have opted for the priesthood out of frustration. So, women should not give us the impression that they are really daughters of Eve (remember that it was Eve that lured Adam to taste the “forbidden fruit” in the Garden of Eden). If reverend fathers tell you what they see and hear daily, you pity them. One American reverend father in Lagos complained to his parishioners that a woman, who claimed to want to see him for counselling, ended up topless in his office, exposing her large boobs. Only the grace of God saved him from that situation. Or was it his erotic shock absorbers? Another thanked God for the Communion plate, which the knights of the altar use to cover the ladies’ cleavages whenever he’s distributing the Holy Eucharist.

Please, ladies, stop tempting these men of God; there are a lot of willing men out there who would even offer you fortunes for allowing them to… Though I’m not canvassing immorality, remember that “… anyone who misleads these ‘little’ ones, it is better for him not to have been born…” Leave the priest to go to the prostitute, if he so desires, so that the sin will be on his head alone.

And if I were the pope, I would recommend excommunication for any priest that misbehaves, because I still feel that some of them are not ‘called’ but only being used by the enemy to discredit the Church.

Not everyone could survive her experience, but seven years after, she had a sweet story to tell women that suffered similar fate because she once walked the road and she came out triumphant. Stella Awoh is a woman of many parts, a lecturer at the fashion department of Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), an artist, vice- president of female artists, an author, a counsellor and a mother. She spoke with ANTHONIA SOYINGBE about harsh widow’s rite, forgiveness and other sundry issues.


SHE IS among the many women who suffer victimisation after losing their soul mates. But seven years after the unfortunate loss, Stella Awoh told Sunday Independent that she had put the pains and troubles of the blow behind her and has forgiven all who offended her when she was still mourning the death of her husband, the father of her three children. “It is seven years now since I lost my husband. Here I am stronger, but I must confess that it has not been easy as I count myself to be one of the lucky widows we have in Nigeria, because so many people thought I would not survive it. When my husband passed on, I thought we could lean our shoulders on some people, but they were not there. However to the glory of God, we are doing fine now because God is always providing for us. Knowing Christ and holding on to him tenaciously has made me victorious. This is the seventh year and it is a year of letting go, because so many people have hurt me. Some took me for granted while some treated me with disdain, but I have forgiven them now,” she explained.

Forgiveness undoubtedly is one of the many tedious acts to do because of the magnitude of the offence and how painful the offence was. Though it was a very good decision for Awoh, at the same time, it took the grace of God for her to forgive them all. What does forgiveness mean to her? Sunday Independent asked. Slowly she recounted that she grew up in love as the last in a family of seven: “I grew up in a family where there is love, peace and unity. We were also thought to forgive. It is not easy to forgive because sometimes devil will bring it back. I see those people that offended me indirectly providing a stepping-stone to my glory. God placed them for a purpose. Some people thought I would go into depression, but God turned their thoughts to foolishness. With this, it is wise for me to forgive them so that God will always fight my battles for me. My testimony as a child of God is that some of them came to apologise. To the glory of God, we have not gone to beg from anyone. I have forgiven everybody even those that accused me falsely. I don’t want to go into details. This calls for everyone to be careful with the way they deal with widows because God cautions people not to maltreat widows and orphans.”

Though she went through harsh widow’s rite, she concluded that the tradition is man’s inhumanity to man and the barbaric act is often carried out by women hence she called on relevant government agencies to abolish the practice. “It is all about man’s inhumanity to man. The barbaric act is on in most parts of the country. We women are our worst enemies because women make sure that they implement the harsh widow’s rite. When a man dies it is the wife that killed him and at times they wash the corpse and ask the woman to drink the water. Any woman that survives it like me is lucky. If you go through harsh widow’s rite, the tendency is for you to retaliate, but I have let go. I think government should go to the root of this barbaric act because it is wickedness. I don’t think it is too hard for the government to do because we have abolished the killing of twins and slave trade in this country and definitely we can do this. Men are usually not involved in this harsh practice, so it is left for us women to stand up and kick against it.”

Still on the death of her husband, she referred to herself as a special widow because, “looking at the circumstances that surrounded the death of my husband, I never knew I could survive it but God has always been good to me. While other widows complain about loneliness, she invests her time and her heart into other edifying ventures. “To me, being a widow is for a reason. I believe God has special plans for me so I will fall out if I compromise.”

One special attribute of Awoh is that she wants others to learn from her experience. While still in grief, she wrote a book entitled “From Grief To Grace”. Hear her story: “In my place we have our special way of mourning our husbands. During this period, I almost went mad. There was a particular period during the mourning that I looked around me and saw tiny ants. They were my guest that day. I observed the way they were going up and down, carrying objects and crumbs even with their tiny wings. Suddenly someone came into my room and was amazed that I could look happy instead of weeping and people consoling me. Immediately, I started weeping not for what she said, I wept all through that night and eventually, the Holy Spirit started ministering to me, asking me if I wanted to move from ‘grief to grace’ or from ‘grief to grave’. At that moment, I heard the voice clearly instructing me to move from ‘grief to the grace of God’. That was how I got the title of my book. I know it was the grace of God that kept me alive when I thought of so many things: the day I got the news, or when I was given injection to sleep, but I could not sleep. Some people were given the (same) injection and they ended up in psychiatric hospital and some ended up in the grave. God has moved me from grief to grace.

Awoh finished from Yaba College of Technology over 20 years ago. She was exceptionally outstanding academically that after graduating, she was retained to lecture. Currently, she is a doctoral candidate at the University of Benin.

Before I left Nigeria, my girlfriend and I promised to marry. Because it wasn’t possible for me to come abroad with her, she promised to wait for me. That was just six months ago.

Despite sending money to her and her family to augment her school fees and other sundry expenses, I learnt she has started dating my best friend’s brother. Although she is begging me to forgive her, I find the whole development disappointing and uncalled for, making it impossible for me to continue the relationship with her.

Meanwhile, there is this old friend from secondary school I reconnected with on the Facebook. We have been communicating regularly. She promised to visit my family even though I have officially told them about her on phone. Known to my sister, she has promised to be faithful to me. I am confused. Hence need your help on the right step to take.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010 would remain unforgettable in the minds of residents of Osogbo, the Osun State capital. It was a day heavy downpour claimed two lives and destroyed property worth millions of Naira.

No fewer than three houses were also submerged in the rain that lasted for six hours.

The rain started just like any other and did not show any sign of destructive tendency, until everywhere became flooded and houses and other physical structures, especially those along the river bank began to submerge.

While some of the residents were awoken by the flood, others woke up early enough to discover that they have been surrounded by flood. Hundreds of people were trapped in churches and places where they had gone to worship.

The torrential rain started at about few minutes to 12 midnight and did not stop until 5.30 am in the morning. Out of the two persons that died in the flood, one of them, it was learnt, was a Junior Secondary School three student whose name could not be ascertained as at the time of filing this report. The pupil, it was gathered fell from a tipper lorry which was being used to convey commuters across the flooded areas and could not be immediately rescued and was swept away by the flood.

Apart from the two lives that were lost to the flood, some cows, household items, wares, food items, beverages, cars, lorries, tippers, drums of vegetables oil and others were swept away by the flood. About 20 public and private schools have part of their compounds washed away by the flood as well as several electric poles and communication installations.

However, quick intervention of men of the State Fire service and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (MSCDC) saved many woman and children from being swept away by the flood. The second victim was said to have just taken loan facility from her cooperative society to boost her business before the incident.

Several shops, kiosks and market stalls were swept away while 10 houses collapsed due to the devastating effect of the flood. The havoc was more felt in areas like Alekuwodo, Rasco Cinema, Dada Estate, Ilobu Road, Sabo, Oke – Baale, Sawmill, Isale Elelede, Gbonmi, Obate, Owode and other suburbs in Osogbo and Olorunda Local Governments.

For instance, the flood completely sacked hundreds of traders at Alekunwodo market as the entire market flooded. The situation led to the blocking of some major streets and roads thus resulting in heavy traffic logjam throughout the day. Motorists travelling outside the state spent several hours before they could pass through Osogbo town. Several public servants could not report for duty due to the flood.

An official of the NSCDC told reporters that over 150 persons who were trapped in their houses were rescued and that in the process, a storey building from which people were trapped collapsed.

Many people were rendered homeless and now staying with their relations and neighbours.

Observers said that lack of effective town planning and poor drainage system made the situation worsen. It was gathered that the town planning system in the state was left in the hand of local government officials and that approval for any structure could easily be secured so long as owners grease the palms of the council officials.

The impacts of the State Environmental Protection Agency (OSEPA) and State Emergency Management Agency (OSEMA) were not felt as the two agencies have been complaining of inadequate funding. A source in one of the establishments who do not want his name in print revealed that this year budgetary allocations to the agencies are yet to be released.

Osun State Deputy Governor, Erelu Olusola Obada and other officials who went round the affected areas commiserated with the victims.

The Deputy Governor who attributed the disaster to the blockage of waterways with buildings and dumping of refuse by recalcitrant inhabitants urged residents to desist from the act.

Osun State Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Ademola Rasaq in his reaction sympathized with the victims and urged them to put their hope in God, “who knows and has answer to every problem”.

Rasaq while condoling with the families of those who lost their lives during the downpour, also charged residents to desist from dumping refuse on water ways and inside drainages. He also called on town planning and environmental officers to always adhere strictly to all rules and regulations pertaining to town planning.

But the opposition party, Action Congress (AC) has blamed the current administration for failure to construct drainage channels in the town. The party in a statement signed by the State Director of Research and Strategy, Sunday Akere commiserated with the residents who lost properties to the flood.

The party while noting that the flood that ravaged the town has brought to the fore, the ineptitude of the Oyinlola led PDP government in the state, regretted the pains and losses incurred by people.

According to the statement, “the Oyinlola government failed to maintain the drainages built by the Akande government. The perusal flooding problem was one of the failures and ineptitudes of what Oyinlola led PDP government epitomizes in Osun State since it took over power in 2003”.

By Mike Odiegwu, Minna
Friday, 17 Sep 2010

Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (retd.)

It was a protest galore in Minna, Niger State, on Thursday after the former dictator, Ibrahim Babangida, declared his intention to contest the presidential election in a ceremony at the Eagle Square, Abuja.

Hundreds of youths, including women, mobilised to attend the Abuja declaration stormed the Government House, Minna to register their grievances over non-payment of promised allowances for attending the event.

It was gathered that the youths were hired by the Special Assistant to the State Government on Mobilisation, Mr. Yahuza Abdullahi, with a promise that they would be paid fees ranging from N3000 to N5000 to enable them attend the ceremony.

However, our correspondent learnt that despite participating in the ceremony, the youths, numbering about 2000, were not paid.

It was further gathered that the youths were transported to the venue of the event in 41 coaster and five luxury buses.

Based on the monetary inducement and other promised welfare packages, the youths were said to have agreed to travel from Minna to the Eagle Square, Abuja, where Babangida declared his intention to run for the presidency on Wednesday.

But trouble started when Abdullahi who was supposed to pay them was nowhere to be found.

The angry youths who looked pugnacious throughout the ceremony returned home at about 3am, disappointed, especially as it was gathered that they had skirmishes with rival youths on their way home.

Following the development, the hungry youths who felt cheated stormed the Government House in Minna to lodge their complaints.

The youths who chanted solidarity songs said they were hired in groups of 50 for the ceremony but were abandoned by the organiser on getting to the venue of the event.

The irate groups, including IBB Support Group and TJ Movement group threatened to cause trouble unless they were paid as agreed.

The groups who were led to Government House by Mr. Yau Ibrahim, Mr. Musa Rabo, Mr. Tijani Umaru and Mr. Abdullahi Yahaya, said they were unfairly treated.

One of the aggrieved youths who refused to mention his name because of the sensitive nature of the matter blamed the protest on the organiser.