₦airaland Forum

Founder of the Soul Winning Evangelical Ministry, the Late Prophet Timothy Obadare, died two days after a three-day revival aimed at ending the 23-year-old crisis within the Christ Apostolic Church was concluded, SUNDAY PUNCH learnt on Saturday.

Our correspondent also learnt that the Re-unification and Reconciliation Committee set up by the pastors of the two warring factions within the church organised the revival which started last Sunday and ended on Tuesday at CAC, Oke Isegun, Akure, Ondo State.

The late evangelist died on Thursday evening at the age of 85 in Akure after a protracted ailment.

It was further gathered that pastors, officers and members of the two factions attended the revival where they all asked for restoration of unity within the CAC fold in order to move the church forward.

Speaking on behalf of the committee, one of its coordinators, Pastor Tunde Omojuwa, who confirmed the development in an interview with our correspondent in Akure, however lamented that efforts being made to unite the factions were still being rebuffed by some leaders of the church.

He noted that the time had come for the leaders of both the Supreme Executive Council and the General Executive Council to come together and settle their differences in the interest of the church.

He explained that the revival in Akure was organised following the renewed zeal of the two factions to ensure that the crisis was resolved.

Omojuwa who is also the chairman of the Akure District Coordinating Council said, “The unity revival we held in Akure came up as a result of the new development in the church. Some pastors called on the leaders to put an end to the crisis that has divided the church for over 23 years.

“It was on that note that a group was formed and it is called Re-unification and Restoration Group. Everybody is now concerned as to how the church should come together.

“What we think can bring a lasting peace to our divided church is that they should put away bitterness and come together, the church is not really having problem, it is the leadership.

“Today churches in Supreme Council don’t have anything to do with General Executive Council, this should be put aside so that the church can come under one leadership, this is what we expect and this we have been telling the leaders they should put an end to.

“It was in the process of finding a solution at the revival that he died.”
http://www.punchng.com/news/obadare-died-during-three-day-unity-revival-church/

The photos show actor Tony Umez grabbing the boobs of some actress in a movie titled Room 027.

The photo is actor Collins Onwochei making out with the same actress. She’s stark naked in the movie. Like you can see her ass and boobs.

Nollywood has gone haywire.

We grabbed some screen shots from the movie trailer. See them after the cut.

Down Below are shots from another nollywood movie called bold 5 babes

For more Picture and Video....
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As the Nigerian economic condition bites harder, many male citizens are now ready to sell their semen to couples who need them for procreation, according to new findings.

Many of the respondents to the vox pop conducted by PM News correspondent said they would not hesitate to donate their sperm for cash as long as it is not for ritual purposes but to help couples battling with infertility have children.

Those who said they would not mind making their sperm available for sale included young as well as married men.

Donation of sperm and female eggs to couples and fertility clinics, considered a normal practice in most parts of the western world, had been a discrete practice in Nigeria due to the country’s religious and cultural beliefs.

Only four of the 25 male respondents said they would never engage in such an act with the excuse that it was sinful.

Some of those favourably disposed to it said they would donate their semen based on the condition that they would not be made to know who exactly needs it while others said they were only concerned with the money that would come from the transaction.

“Why won’t I sell mine if I see a possible buyer?” asked Chibuike Nnamdi who sells women’s wares at the Ojuore market, Ota, Ogun state, Southwest Nigeria.

“As long as it is not for the people to use it for rituals, I am ready oh!,” he said.

A resident of Iyana-Iyesi area of the state, who gave his name simply as Michael, said once the money is good, he would sell his semen.

“Most guys these days ease themselves by masturbating and thus wasting fertile sperm seriously needed by married families battling infertility.

“Therefore, rather than for me to continue to waste mine, I am ready to grab any opportunity that comes with selling it.

Sperm“I’m just imagining myself masturbating and instead of someone to scold me, he pays me. That’s good enough,” the graduate of Chemistry said.

Mr. Mike, a married man who has two children, simply asked: “bros, where is it done? Where is the hospital? Introduce me and we will share the proceeds.”

Another married man resident in Ikeja who refused to mention his name but said he had four children, said many male Nigerians including him would sell.

Hear him: “it may sound absurd at first for someone to approach you to sell your sperm for that purpose or for you to even realise that you could sell it, but in the end, you will sell.

“Just imagine how many men have kids outside wedlock, the one they call love kids, which they never tell their family but which continue to trouble them all through life.

“Imagine again, how much you would spend just to have extra-marital affairs with a lady or when you are dating her. In this case, rather than for you to be paying, someone is paying you.”

Mr. Sumanu Giwa, a 40-year old businessman in the Lagos Island area of Lagos, said he would sell on the condition that he was not made to know the family that needs the sperm.

“If I have the opportunity to sell to a hospital, I will gladly do it and make some money which would assist my business,” he said.

Sumanu’s friend, Monday, even gave an insight into another form of sperm donation.

According to him, some men battling with infertility and have no money to buy sperm from fertility clinic now pay young healthy and fertile men to sleep with and impregnate their wives.

“There would be an understanding between the man and his wife. Then they would travel very far and look for a man very distant from them who would sleep with the woman for pay,” he said.

He said one of his friends living in Asaba, Delta state now has a child from such mutual and confidential arrangement.

A resident of Agege, Mr. P. A. Ayo, said he would rather see selling of sperm to couples in need as assistance to them.

“Have you not heard of situations where the woman knows that the man cannot impregnate her and she then gets someone outside who dates her and continues to pump children into her womb only for her to bring the pregnancy home to a very excited husband?

“We have such women all over Lagos in case you have not found out. So it is maturity on the part of a man to agree to getting his wife pregnant with another man’s semen,” he explained.

A number of fertility clinics engaging in the purchase of sperm from men have sprung up in Lagos over the years, many of them are located on the Island area of the state.

These clinics, which shroud their operations in secrecy, have sperm banks where they freeze the sperms and keep them alive since it is scientifically proven that the lifespan of sperm is between 48 and 72 hours.

Though they refuse to confirm that they buy sperm, they rather claim that men who give out their sperms are simply donors who get a token as appreciation and encouragement.

P.M.NEWS learnt that this ‘token’ is between N250,000 and N500,000 per release depending on how buoyant the clinic is, but these same clinics make millions of naira selling it to couples.

“Before we allow such sperms, we first carry out all the necessary tests including sexually-transmitted diseases, blood group and genotype.

“Then we extract the sperm by majorly making the person masturbate after which it is frozen,” a staff of one of the clinics told P.M.NEWS, adding that to ensure success, they make sure the woman is fertile enough to carry the pregnancy.

“For women whose eggs are deformed or who have problems, we put them in the right state before fertilisation. We could even get eggs from female donors and implant them in the wombs of these women.

“I believe in miracles, but sometimes when you hear that a woman got pregnant after so many years of marriage, it may be as a result of sperm or egg donation,” the staff disclosed, adding that the clinics continue to monitor and care for the woman throughout her pregnancy period as well as keep the identities of the donors away from couples.
http://opengossipnews.com/?p=3201

Can somebody tell me exactly what’s wrong with this picture?
Photographer need prayer concerning their job.
http://opengossipnews.com/?p=3128

pardon to corrupt individuals as the action represents a setback in the war against graft.

In a tweet by the US Mission in Nigeria, the US faulted the propriety of Jonathan’s action on the matter, saying, “We see this as a setback in the fight against corruption.” The US further stated that “the United States Government is deeply disappointed over the recent pardons of corrupt officials by GON (Government of Nigeria)”. President Jonathan and the Council of State had, on Tuesday, granted former Bayelsa State governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha and former managing director of the defunct Bank of the North, Shettima Bulama, pardon.

The move has been condemned by civil society and other interest groups. Both Alamieyeseigha and Bulama had been prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) under the leadership of the former EFCC boss, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, while justices Dan Abutu and Mohammed Shuaibu of the Federal High Court in Lagos convicted them accordingly. Meanwhile, prominent lawyers have criticised the double posthumous state pardon granted the late Major-General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua by President Goodluck Jonathan, saying that the development shows that the president is not getting quality advice from the attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke.

Lawyers including Prof Itse Sagay (SAN), Yusuf Ali (SAN), Mr Yahaya Mahmood (SAN), Ms Carol Ajie and Mr Festus Keyamo argued that it is wrong for the president to grant another pardon to the former chief of staff, supreme headquarters, when the former head of state, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, had already granted pardon to the deceased on September 30, 1998. The lawyers spoke.

Many Nigerians believed that the president used the pardon of the late Yar’Adua, General Oladipo Diya and other military officers as a decoy to absolve his former boss of monumental financial crimes against Bayelsa State. Commenting on the issue of granting another pardon to Yar’Adua, Sagay said, “He (Yar’Adua) doesn’t need another pardon.

It is superfluous. Yahaya Mahmood said, “Section 175 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) gives the president the powers to grant a pardon to any person convicted of an offence after consultation with the Council of State. If a person has already been pardoned, the president has no powers to pardon him again. It is also a big embarrassment.”

For Yusuf Ali, “ This is an oversight on the part of the federal government on the grounds that the action of Gen Abdulsalami on September 30, 1998, had settled the issue of pardon for the late Yar’ Adua. Jonathan ought to have checked the record before taking this avoidable action.” Ajie said, “President Jonathan should please return AGF Bello Adoke to his private practice; for our country’s good, replace him with a senior lady lawyer who has a great sense of law and order to complement, in a very historic way, the third arm of government.

“Adoke has too often embarrassed the president; clearly Yar Adua’s ‘second pardon’ was the product of a misinformed Justice department under a justice minister who is more keen on causing confusion than solution. I recall in 2010 when Bedding Holdings Limited got an ex-parte injunction to stop INEC registration exercise in a case I was effectively tackling, AGF Adoke was just not interested in the legal solutions; even at the risk of the presidential election not holding, he was nonchalant and unpatriotic but for my humble legal efforts that contributed in saving the situation.”

Speaking on the double pardon, the chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Bwari Branch, Dickson O.A. Ibe, said what General Abdulsalami Abubakar did to late Musa Yar’adua, Adisa and General Oladipo Diya is not state pardon but reduction of the death sentence to life imprisonment for Diya. He said, “This pardon will now set him free on the streets. I strongly believe this pardon is expected to give absolute freedom to these people. It can be described as a double but this is a final pardon instead. There is nothing wrong in granting pardon to these people.

“Morally speaking, it depends on the people. People think something is wrong because of their level of knowledge but the law must be followed. If anything is done legally or within the legal confines, it behoves anybody who is developed in mind to know that it is done morally.” In his own view, the chairman of the NBA, Gwagwalada branch, John E.T. Amokaha, said: “If a man is pardoned twice, it is called surplusage and the only implication is that we do not have records in respect to such serious matters. Where there are many people and you are granting pardon to same people who were pardoned before, it is an indication of our state of craft , inefficiency of our state services or incompetence.

“Morally speaking, the act of pardon on these people is not right. It is not good for our democracy and country because, how can we be fighting corruption and at the same time glorifying corrupt citizens who have been convicted for corruption. I feel disappointed especially with regards to people that were convicted for corruption. It is morally wrong.” Meanwhile, efforts to speak with Adoke failed as he did not pick our correspondent’s calls neither did he return the text message sent to his mobile phone. One of our correspondents also visited the office of the AGF in Abuja yesterday on two occasions but he was informed that the AGF was not available.
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Ikenga Ugochinyere, 36, the hatchet man behind the formation of the controversial African Peoples Congress, APC, is the National Director of the PDP Youth Movement, a youth group in the governing Peoples Democratic Party. During the tenure of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, the law graduate of Imo State University , Owerri, led the militant wing of the ruling party consistently hurling insults at and leading protests and demonstrations against anyone perceived to be opposed to Mr. Obasanjo and the leadership of the PDP.

Mr. Ugochinyere’s present preoccupation to frustrate the registration of the mega opposition party, the All Progressives Congress by denying them the APC acronym, is consistent with the roles he has played for the PDP in the past few years.

We look back at a few of the hatchet jobs Mr. Ugochinyere executed for the ruling party in the past.

Used to fight Vice President Atiku Abubakar

In September 2006, while then President Olusegun Obasanjo and his deputy, Vice President Atiku Abubakar, feuded, Mr.

Ugochinyere was contracted to lead protests against the vice president as a way of putting pressure on him and his camp. On September 30 that year, Mr. Ugochinyere led a huge protest to the PDP national secretariat in Abuja demanding that Mr. Atiku be expelled from the party. The then party secretary, Ojo Maduekwe, who received the protesters, thanked them for demonstrating and promised that the party would consider their demands.

Mr. Abubakar was later expelled from the party.

On February 1, 2007, Mr. Ugochinyere led a protest to the INEC headquarters in Abuja, requesting the commission to disqualify VP Atiku from that year’s presidential election. The group was received by the then INEC National Commissioner in charge of Political Party Monitoring, Ishmael Igbani, who received a petition from them.

The commission later disqualified the vice president from the election, a decision Mr. Atiku challenged and set aside in court.

On February 6, 2007, Mr. Ugochinyere, backed by the Ahmadu Ali-led PDP, issued a statement giving Mr. Atiku a 20-day ultimatum to vacate his official residence, threatening to lead a mob to invade the complex if the then vice president failed to comply.

Mr. Atiku didn’t comply but Mr. Ugochinyere failed to carry out his threat.
In November 2007, the lawyer was used here by a group within the party opposed to a national convention members yearned for at the time. At that time Ahmadu Ali and his group in the National Working Committee were reluctant to step down and it was to Mr. Ugochinyere they turned. For days, Mr. Ugochinyere widely circulated text messages asking journalists and party members across the country to support the campaign to allow the Ahmadu Ali-led leadership of the party remain in office till 2009.

His message at the time read, “Support the patriotic campaign for the present PDP National Working Committee four-year tenure completion. The present NWC led by Dr. Ahmadu Ali and Bernard Eze is still valid. The era of cut and join politics is over and Rule of Law must prevail. All loyal PDP members and patriotic Nigerians must join the campaign for the restoration of the dignity of the PDP Constitution as an internal foundation for enhanced democracy”, one of the test messages read. “We must put Mr. President’s Rule of Law theory into work by standing on the side of constitutionality that an NWC elected at our 2005 national convention can only go at the end of a four-year tenure (2009). Any move to illegally institute a new NWC will be declared null and void by a competent court. On 2009 convention we stand.”

He also claimed at the time to be collecting 250, 000 signatures from party members across the country. He said once the exercise was completed, he would head for the Federal High Court to obtain a restraining order against the party.

Following Mr. Ugochinyere’s aggressive campaign, discreetly supported by the party, the convention was postponed at the time.

Used against Nnamani

In 2008, the PDP used Mr. Ugochinyere as an instrument of aggression against G-21, a group led by a former President of the Senate, Ken Nnamani, which at the time agitated for a review of the provision in the party’s constitution which made the office of the Board of Trustees the exclusive preserve of former presidents and national chairmen of the party.

To checkmate Mr. Nnamani and his group, the PDP encouraged Mr. Ugochinyere to announce the emergence of another parallel group opposed to G-21.

At a rally cum press briefing in Abuja on February 18, 2008, Mr. Ugochinyere announced the birth of G-37 which he claimed consisted of members of the PDP caucus in the National Assembly, top government functionaries, state governors, members of state Houses of Assembly and some delegates to the convention. He didn’t provide names.

Cursing and fuming, he described the Nnamani group as comprising politicians who had no electoral value.

He said, “The sponsored emergence of the group that calls itself G-21 is a clear example of the gathering of few poor, hungry and vocal few whose desire for political rascality knows no bound.

“The irritating activities of this group have made them and their promoters more unpopular.”

Mr. Ugochinyere said it was the opinion of his group that “all persons that aspire not only to lead PDP, but also to be its members must be true party men and women whose loyalty must not be in doubt”.

PDP front man in battle against Pius Anyim

Also in February 2008, Mr. Ugochinyere was used by a bloc within the PDP opposed to a former President of the Senate, Anyim Pius Anyim, who was angling for the position of party chairman at the time. Mr. Obasanjo and the party leadership had backed Vincent Ogbulafor for the position, which was zoned to the South-East geopolitical zone at the time. Mr. Ugochinyere was recruited to mount a campaign of calumny against Mr. Anyim.

He took the job seriously accusing Ike Ekeremadu, deputy president of the senate, of trying to foist Mr. Anyim on the party. On February 22, 2008, he addressed a press conference in Abuja carpeting the South-East leaders of the party and alleging that the South-East caucus meeting scheduled for that Saturday had been programmed to throw up Mr. Anyim. He alleged that the script of the meeting had been written in Abuja and would only be acted out in Enugu.

He also claimed that the communiqué of the meeting had been drafted and that an unnamed chieftain of the party would only fly into Enugu to read it to participants.

Mr. Ugochinyere said then, “The reason for raising this alarm is that high wire intrigues and influence of external forces capable of destroying our march towards enhanced intra party democracy have overtaken the meeting of this caucus billed to hold in Enugu on Saturday with a select few of the conveners already arranged to adopt Anyim Pius without respect for participatory democracy.”

He continued, “Great party men are worried that a meeting billed to hold on Saturday has had its agenda and communiqué already drafted and written at Abuja and handed over to a top member of the caucus who will fly into Enugu to read it to the press.Political watchers in the South-East and beyond have wondered why the caucus of legislature wants to dabble into the issue of anointing a candidate for a position zoned to the South-East without due consultation and calling an all embracing meeting of leaders of the zone.”
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The United States has criticized Nigeria for issuing a pardon to a former governor convicted of corruption who is a political confidant of the nation’s president.

In messages Friday on Twitter, the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria said it was “deeply disappointed” over the pardon issued this week of former Bayelsa state Gov. Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, who was impeached and later convicted in Nigeria. Investigators said he likely stole millions of dollars while in office.

Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan once served as Alamieyeseigha’s deputy. His impeachment marked the start of Jonathan’s rise in Nigerian politics.

The embassy said: “We see this as a setback in the fight against corruption.” Embassy spokeswoman Deb MacLean said Friday that officials had no further immediate comment.

Nigeria is a top U.S. crude oil supplier.
http://opengossipnews.com/?p=2844

This morning, a team of crack investigative reporters from Osun Defender Newspapers and our Search Engine Consultants (SEO), dug out with forensic zeal and tore the mask from the face of evasive “masquerades” behind the phantom party, African Peoples Congress (APC), believed to be sponsored by PDP to thwart the merger and registration of the All Progressive Congress.

The picture above is that of the lawyer, one “Barrister Nwokorie Samuel Chinedu” from the floating “Legal World Chambers” who wrote to INEC the controversial letter of intent on behalf of his “clients” the African Peoples Congress (APC). Because of the exposure of the dirty game, the lawyer has switched off his two numbers: 08164257977 and 08053957522.

Yesterday, he picked the phone when we called him but he was evasive and not forthcoming of if he was the Barrister Nwokorie Samuel Chinedu, he told us he would call us back and by 8.23 p.m. after so many un-returned calls (44 in all) he switched off his two phones and they are yet to be switched on as at this afternoon before we went to press.

The address on the letter-head— Suite 1007, Block B, Anbeez Plaza in Wuse Zone 5, also happened to be another mystery in the duplicitous game. A staff who pleaded anonymity told us outside the office that none of the members of two chambers that co-habit the office (IJEOMA DESTINY CHAMBERS and Maji-Emmanuel & Co) had any knowledge of either a third chamber by the name: “Legal World Chambers”, neither any partner that bears the name: “Barrister Nwokorie Samuel Chinedu”.

The staff after we showed her the printed picture of Barrister Samuel Chinedu said he knew the face but was not a member of the either chamber, and was only a casual acquaintance of one of her principals. She said the drama is not uncommon with charge and bail lawyers who most times do not have a chamber but use the address of their friend’s chambers.

Meanwhile, the vociferous challenge mounted my APC spokespersons has driven the phantom APC to hastily provide “logistics” for the unveiling of a logo this morning in Abuja at a press conference.

Samuel who hailed from Owerri township in Imo State joined FACEBOOK on 11th October, 2008 had only 8 friends – all female, (Bibi Olukini, Chichi Ekpe, Beeorlah Mimi Julia Soyebo, Chibbie Raymnd Nonyizzle, Joy Jade Ikhialose Idomeh, Tenny Olowu, Chioma Kaycee Onyebuchi and Maurine Bayen) in 2008, but grew to 43 in 2009… His steady stream of friends have since grown to 462 as at yesterday 13th march 2013.

More news coming after the press conference.
http://opengossipnews.com/?p=2768

The address given by the law firm that approached the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for registration of a new party, Legal World Chambers, belongs to another law firm that was oblivious of the development. LEADERSHIP had yesterday exclusively published a bromide of a letter purportedly addressed to INEC by Legal World Chambers and signed by a lawyer, Barrister Nwokorie Samuel Chinedu, asking for the group to be registered as African Peoples Congress (APC).

In the said letter dated February 28, 2013, Chinedu claimed that the APC or its promoters are its clients on “whose instruction and authority” the said application letter was written. But LEADERSHIP investigation has revealed that the firm does not operate from the address purportedly indicated on the headed letter paper.

A visit by LEADERSHIP correspondents to the address — Suite 1007, Block B, Anbeez Plaza in Wuse Zone 5, Abuja – turned dramatic as the correspondents came face to face with a different law firm boldly written on the entrance of the office — IJEOMA DESTINY CHAMBERS.

Initially, the chambers’ secretary, a middle-aged woman, was evasive before someone who identified himself as Barrister Anyabe Imabeni eventually decided to talk. But when LEADERSHIP spoke to Imabeni, he claimed that he was the only lawyer available at the time of the visit. According to him, there are two law firms or chambers co-habitating the same office, namely, Maji-Emmanuel & Co and Ijeoma Destiny Chambers.

But Imabeni said he could only speak for Maji-Emmanuel & Co despite the fact that both firms share the same secretary.

Disowning the existence of Legal World Chambers, Imabeni said, “We don’t know about it, we are not a party to it, we are not privy to it and I am not aware that the counsel you have mentioned is in any of our offices here and perhaps if any such arrangement existed, I know for sure that I would know but you cannot rule out any possibility, as I am speaking for only Maji-Emmanuel & Co”.

When LEADERSHIP sought to know why Imabeni’s views couldn’t apply to the sister firm – Ijeoma Destiny Chambers – he emphatically maintained that he could only speak for Maji-Emmanuel & Co. Attempts to contact the principal partner or any other lawyer in Ijeoma Destiny Chambers proved abortive as they were said to have gone out and no one was in a position to speak for them or give out their phone numbers.

LEADERSHIP’s conversation with Chinedu on the phone numbers indicated on the headed letter paper turned more dramatic. The following conversation ensued on MTN line number 08164257977 indicated on the letter paper of Legal World Chambers :

LEADERSHIP: Good afternoon, sir, am I speaking with Barrister Nwokorie Samuel Chinedu of Legal World Chambers?

Chinedu: Who are you?

LEADERSHIP: I am calling from LEADERSHIP Newspapers.

Chinedu: Okay, call me back later.

About 30 minutes later, another call was placed to Chinedu on the same number and the following conversation ensued:

LEADERSHIP: I called you earlier from LEADERSHIP Newspapers.

Chinedu: Yeah, who did you say you want to speak with?

LEADERSHIP: Barrister Nwokorie Samuel Chinedu, lawyer to African Peoples Congress.

Chinedu: My friend, this is a wrong number, you are talking to the wrong person (cuts off the conversation).

Further calls to his second line (08053957522) were not answered.

NBA to investigate identity of lawyer
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has said it is embarrassed by media reports that one Barrister Nwokorie Samuel Chinedu has a different address apart from the one in a letter purportedly written to the INEC chairman seeking registration of African Peoples Congress (APC).

The lawyers’ association became worried that the said address on Chinedu’s ed letter paper in which he addressed the letter to INEC was nowhere to be found in Abuja.

When LEADERSHIP contacted the national secretary of the NBA, Mr. Emeka Obegolu, he stated that the association would probe the matter. He also demanded a formal letter so that the matter could be taken up at secretariat level for investigation.

Similarly, the NBA chairman of the Abuja branch told LEADERSHIP in an interview to do a formal letter so that it could be circulated to two other branches of the lawyers’ body in Gwagwalada and Bwari in order to investigate the matter.

INEC Lied On African Peoples Congress’ Application – ACN

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has accused INEC of engaging in bare-faced lies and manipulation of facts by claiming that the phantom African Peoples Congress (APC) has applied to the commission for registration.

In a statement issued in Abuja yesterday by its national publicity secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the INEC’s claim as articulated by the spokesman for INEC chairman, Mr. Kayode Idowu, is not supported by the relevant sections of the Electoral Act regulating the registration of a political party.

It said the truth of the matter is that no party today with the acronym APC has applied to INEC to be registered, adding that even the phantom African Peoples Congress – which is being sponsored by the PDP to lay claim to the acronym – has only written a letter of intent which has not even been discussed by INEC, talk more of the commission taking any decision on it.

“The statement credited to Mr. Idowu is therefore reckless and provocative and clearly betrays INEC as truly having merged with the PDP to frustrate the merger of the progressives under the banner of the All Progressive Congress (APC). One wonders who the spokesman is speaking for and what interest he represents. He should therefore be called to order before he sets the country ablaze,” ACN said.

The party said in order to debunk INEC’s claim that the phantom African Peoples Congress has applied for registration, it is calling the attention of all the good people of Nigeria to the sections of the Electoral Act that are relevant to party registration:

- Part V: Political Parties of the Electoral Act, Section 78 (1) says: “A political association that complies with the provision of the Constitution and this Act for the purposes of registration shall be registered as a political party, provided that such application shall be duly submitted to the Commission not later than 6 months before a general election.”

- Section 78 (2) says: “The Commission shall on receipt of the documents in fulfilment of the conditions stipulated by the Constitution immediately issue the applicant with a letter of acknowledgement stating that all necessary documents have been submitted to the Commission”

ACN said: “In this case the applicants on behalf of the phantom African Peoples Congress, the clients of Legal World Chambers, have not submitted any of the documents stipulated by the Constitution to the Commission. They have only written a letter of intent and therefore INEC could not have issued them any letter of acknowledgment, not to talk of starting the process of verifying the documents.

“At this point they cannot even be regarded as applicants. Why then did INEC through its spokesperson gleefully go to the media to proclaim that another political association has applied to be registered as African Peoples Congress using the same acronym APC?”

“Clearly INEC is on a mission of mischief and its paymaster is PDP who has been having sleepless nights since the merger arrangement was announced.”

The party further called attention to Section 78 (6) of the Electoral Act, which says: “An application for registration as a political party shall not be processed unless there is evidence of payment of administrative fee as may be fixed from time to time by the Commission”

ACN said it is aware that the applicants in question have not even paid any administrative fees and therefore INEC could not have commenced processing their application, because there is no application before INEC as they have only written a letter of intent.

It said what has emerged over the registration issue is that INEC is in cahoots with the PDP to stampede the merging parties to commit errors and also intimidate them to drop the acronym APC, adding however:

“This has failed because as of today in accordance with the provisions of S. 78 (2) and S. 78 (6) of the Electoral Act as explained above, there is no applicant on record for the acronym APC, contrary to the deceit being spread by the INEC
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Divine instructions for all prayer warriors to take the battle to the gates at 12 midnight every day, by Dr. Daniel Olukoya, G.O. of MFM Ministries.

CONFESSION: Isaiah 17:14: “And behold at eveningtide trouble; and before the morning he is not. This is the portion of them that spoil us, and the lot of them that rob us.”

Aggressive Praise and Worship

21 PRAYER POINTS FOR MID-NIGHT BATTLE:

1.O God, release Your wrath upon every power of witchcraft troubling my destiny, in the name of Jesus.
2.O God, arise and root them out of their land in Your anger, in the name of Jesus.
3.O God, arise, cast Your fury upon the agents of affliction troubling my star, in Jesus’ name.
4.Candle of the wicked, I put you out: quench, in the name of Jesus.
5.All information stored in the caldron against me, catch fire, in the name of Jesus.
6.I release panic and havoc upon any gathering summoned to disgrace me, in Jesus’ name.
7.I release confusion and backwardness upon every satanic programmer attacking my star, in the name of Jesus.
8.Every cage formed to imprison my star, I smash you in the name of Jesus.
9.I release the ten plagues of Egypt upon every coven tormenting my existence, in the name of Jesus.
10.Thou that exalted thine self as an eagle against me, I knock you down in Jesus’ name.
11.Every ancestral debt collection, be silenced, in the name of Jesus.
12.Every locker and warehouse holding my blessings of wealth, catch fire, in Jesus’ name.
13.Invisible wall of barriers stagnating my destiny, scatter, in the name of Jesus.
14.Invisible barricades stagnating my goals, scatter, in the name of Jesus.
15. Every trap that repeats evil circles, catch your owner, in the name of Jesus.
16. Snare of right place at the wrong time, break by fire, in the name of Jesus.
17. Snare of being one day late, one Naira short, break, in the name of Jesus.
18. Snare of too little, too late, break, in the name of Jesus.
19.Prayers of Jabez to provoke my enlargement, manifest in my life, in the name of Jesus.
20.Every evil contract signed by my ancestors in the heavenlies, tear up, in Jesus’ name.
21.Every dog collar assigned to lead me astray, break, in the name of Jesus..

http://preachingandprayer.org/?p=958

THE Yoruba Unity Forum (YUF) has deplored the statement credited to the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) that the recommendation of the Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly (SNPA), at its recent conference in Enugu, was intended to break up the country.

The ACF had, in a recent publication in a national daily, alleged that the six-zone resolution of the SNPA, during the meeting of southern leaders in Enugu, was a ploy to break up the country.

However, YUF, in a statement made available to the Nigerian Tribune, said the resolution that Nigeria should go back to a six-zone structure, rather than continue with the current 36-state structure, was in pursuance of the resolve of the people of southern Nigeria to build solidarity and common understanding in strengthening the bond of national unity and cohesion.

In a statement signed by its publicity secretary, Dr Kunle Olajide, YUF said: “The resolution seeks to coalesce the humongous 36-state structure into six regions as federating units, to reduce the overbearing cost of governance, minimise corruption at all levels and make governance more efficient and responsive to the people’s yearnings.

“The organisation (SNPA) was founded to build consensus and unity among the leaders of southern Nigeria as a prelude to reaching across rivers Niger and Benue to the leaders of northern Nigeria, in a sincere effort to reconstruct Nigeria for stability, peace, progress and make it a nation where justice and equity will reign supreme.

“The sincere effort of the leaders of the SNPA to build consensus among Nigerian leaders on the structure of our federalism and the mode of governance through a national conference should be commended and not derided.

“The leaders of the SNPA and most patriotic Nigerians are of the firm belief that Nigeria, as currently structured with its overbearing bureaucracy and humongous political system, cannot overcome the current challenges of corruption, unemployment, insecurity and government ineptitude.

“The leaders of northern Nigeria and southern Nigeria must, therefore, work together to redesign a new Nigeria that will be able to take its rightful place in the comity of nations.”
http://opengossipnews.com/?p=2470

Hugo Chavez is the latest outspoken critic of the US to leave the world stage. Is the era of the anti-American bogeymen at an end?

He floridly lambasted “imperial” American policies, compared George W Bush to Hitler and even warned that exporting Halloween to Latin America amounted to “terrorism”.

But now Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez – variously portrayed as a six-times elected champion of the people or a constitution-fiddling demagogue – is dead.

His is not the only voice vociferously opposing the US to have fallen silent.

Recent years have seen the most prominent critics of American power exit the spotlight.

Fidel Castro – who outlasted nine US presidents – relinquished his position as Cuba’s president and Washington’s irritant-in-chief in 2008.

Osama Bin Laden, arguably the the most potent US bogeyman of all, was killed by US forces.

Saddam Hussein was toppled. Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown. Kim Jong-il succumbed to old age.

Even Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – whose suspected nuclear weapons programme strikes panic in Washington – is due to hand over power in 2013, as he is limited to two terms of office.

These men may have represented a wide range of political ideologies, from socialism to secular Arab nationalism to Islamic fundamentalism.

But all were, in their own ways, icons of a tendency commonly referred to as “anti-Americanism”.

The label “anti-American”, though, divides opinion.

President George W Bush – who famously referred to Iran, Iraq and North Korea as the “axis of evil” in his 2002 State of the Union speech – saw anti-Americanism as a visceral opposition to what America stands for. America’s enemies “hate our freedoms”, as he put it.

But Max Paul Friedman, history professor at American University, dismisses it as “a term that’s been used to characterise almost any disagreement with US policy of the day”.

America’s bogymen have tended to be cast as “not only undemocratic, but also fierce defenders of their own nationalist narratives”, he says. At the same time, he notes the “anti-American” label was widely applied to liberal democracies such as France when they opposed the war in Iraq.

Where Chavez belonged on this spectrum was, of course, hotly debated.

Russell Berman of Stanford University, meanwhile, says it is possible to “distinguish between the visceral anti-Americanism of explicit stereotypes and criticism that may be legitimate”.

He argues that in much of the Arab world a “combination of anti-Semitism and anti-Americanism” is open to exploitation by populist leaders, and points to the killing of US Ambassador Christopher Stephens in Benghazi, Libya in 2012 as one tragic outcome.

Anti-US feelings remain strong in much of the Muslim world
Anti-US demonstration in Lahore, May 2005 Anti-US feelings remain strong in much of the Muslim world

It’s not immediately clear where the next generation of bogeymen will come from to take Chavez’s place alongside Kim Jong-un and whoever is elected to replace Ahmadinejad.

The Arab Spring has left few leaders with the popular authority to act like traditional demagogues.

Cuba’s communist regime remains intact, but under the presidency of Fidel Castro’s brother Raul – a dour figure less given to incendiary rhetoric, who has announced he will retire in 2018.

Latin America has plenty of leaders still prepared to challenge US interests – Bolivia’s Evo Morales, Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega and Ecuador’s Rafael Correa, for instance.

But none display quite the pantomime flamboyance of Chavez, who once told a UN General Assembly that George Bush was “the devil himself” and that he had left a “smell of sulphur” in the Assembly chamber.

Even the low-level anti-Americanism detected by US leaders among opponents of the Iraq war in Western Europe – “old” Europe in Donald Rumsfeld’s phrase – is in full retreat.

Obama's election in 2008 coincided with a change in attitudes towards the US
Barack Obama and George W Bush Obama’s election in 2008 coincided with a change in attitudes towards the US

A Pew survey released in December 2012 found support for the US had soared in Europe following Barack Obama’s election as president – even though a significant “values gap” remained over attitudes towards cultural and religious issues.

Bush’s “cowboy demeanour” made it easier to meld distaste for American culture and society with opposition to US foreign policy, says Brendon O’Connor of the University of Sydney and author of The Rise of Anti-Americanism.

Oddly, the most recent international figure to have been accused of anti-Americanism is the South Korean pop star Psy, best known for his global hit Gangnam Style.

The rapper apologised after it emerged that in 2004 he had performed a song that described killing “Yankees” who had tortured Iraqi prisoners and killing their families “slowly and painfully”.

This may have been going too far even for Hugo Chavez.
http://opengossipnews.com/?p=2199

Counting of Kenyan election results has slowed down because of problems with the electronic systems.

Returning officers were ordered to physically deliver paper copies of their constituency’s tallies to the counting centre in the capital.

Election officials have urged patience.

Uhuru Kenyatta, who faces trial at the International Criminal Court, has been leading in early presidential results declared from Monday’s tightly contested election.

He is due to stand trial at The Hague next month for allegedly fuelling violence after the disputed 2007 election. He denies the charge.

His closest rival is outgoing Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

Raila Odinga vs Uhuru KenyattaWith provisional results in from more than 40% of polling stations earlier on Wednesday, Mr Odinga had 42% of the vote compared with Mr Kenyatta’s 53%.

However, Mr Odinga’s allies remain confident that he will gain ground as results from his strongholds, including the Coast Province, are declared.

More than 1,000 people were killed in the violence which broke out in 2007-08 after Mr Odinga claimed he had been cheated of victory by supporters of President Mwai Kibaki, who is stepping down after two terms in office.

‘Businesses shut’

The BBC’s Solomon Mugera in the capital, Nairobi, says Kenyans are becoming increasingly anxious about the delay in finalising the results.

Some businesses and schools across the country have remained shut since Monday’s election, he says.

This has led to a shortage of goods, pushing up the prices of basic foodstuff in areas such as Kibera, the biggest slum in Nairobi and a stronghold of Mr Odinga, our correspondent adds.

Some electoral officials have had to drive hundreds of kilometres to the counting centre in Nairobi to deliver paper copies of the tally of their returns.

At about 13:00 local time, returning officers from only 53 of the 290 constituencies had arrived and the election commission said it would announce results from constituencies as they were ready.

Its website had stopped giving updated results from the presidential race on Wednesday, and was still showing figures from Tuesday night.

Our correspondent says the large number of spoiled ballots – about 6% of the total vote, well over double the number of votes cast for the third-placed candidate, Musailia Mudavadi – has become a major bone of contention.

Mr Kenyatta’s Coalition of Reforms and Democracy (Cord) wants them to be counted, but Mr Kenyatta’s Jubilee Coalition is resisting this.

Late on Tuesday, the election commission announced that the spoiled ballots would count in the overall vote total, increasing the likelihood of a run-off between the top two candidates, news agencies report.

Mr Kenyatta’s running mate William Ruto, who is also facing a trial at the ICC, said foreign embassies may have influenced such a decision.

“We want to believe that this is not an attempt to deny the Jubilee Coalition a first-round victory as is clearly now on the wall,” he is quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.

But the election commission now says a decision on what to do about the spoiled ballots will be taken after all other votes are counted, our correspondent reports.

If no agreement is reached, one of the presidential candidates is bound to mount a legal challenge, he says.

As there are different types of spoiled ballots, a possible compromise would be to include those that were annulled simply because they had been put in the wrong box – for instance, in the parliamentary box rather the presidential box – while excluding a ballot paper on which a person had voted for two candidates, our reporter says.

In the run-up to the election, the European Union (EU) said it would only have limited contact with a president who faced trial at the ICC, while US Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson warned Kenyan voters that “choices have consequences”.

The winning candidate must get more than 50% of the total votes cast and at least 25% of votes in half of the 47 counties.

If there is no clear winner, a second round of voting will take place, probably on 11 April.
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Edo State Government policy, under Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is being carefully implemented by an elite group of un-elected men, and the Comrade Governor is their indispensable public face.

These men who secretly control the State government simply transcend the rules that govern ordinary people, and their hidden agenda is beyond the scope of mainstream thought.

vbuomwanIn a recent bumper package of his cabinet list submitted to the State House of Assembly, Oshiomhole dropped a couple of players such as Osagie Obayuwana, Justice Ministry; Mrs. Cordilia Awezie, health Ministry; Miss Anita Evbuomwan, Sports Ministry; Comrade Didi Adodo, Special Duties; Barrister Anslem Ojesua, Ministry of Lands; among others.

In reshaping his Cabinet list, he elevated a longtime adviser to play a key position in the person of Omo-Ojo Orobosa, former Special Adviser on Art and Culture.

Prominent among those that would determine the shape of future politics in the state is Professor Julius Ihonvbere, the Secretary to the State Government. A pro NADECO human right activists, and Democrat, Ihonvbere has deep experience in international affairs with a long record of Civil Liberty Organizations accomplishments. Ihonvbere will likely stay on for the foreseeable future. He is no stranger to EdoState politics.

He contested the number one seat in 2007 and in 2012. Before then, he was Special Adviser to former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Programme and Policy Monitoring.

Julius’s ability to translate theory to practice is further exhibited in his political activism. He was a profound participant of the Nigerian Diaspora pro-democracy movement as Vice President of the United Democratic Front for Nigeria as well as his involvement with Radio Democracy International, later known as Radio Kudirat.

With Ford Foundation, Julius enabled the empowerment of many, notably in Africa, by availing funds to a substantial number of projects with a mandate to addressing the issues of centrality in the region. In so doing, Julius contributed to enhancing the reputation of the Foundation with regards to it’s commitment to Africa.

ObayuwanaAnother cabinet member Oshiomhole named is former House of Representatives member representing Oredo Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Hon. Patrick Obayagbon as the Osadebey House Chief of staff. His name rang a bell at the National Assembly when he held sway. He was a Wordsmith legislator. A list of some Cabinet members whose stay has been confirmed by Osadebey House but yet to be confirmed by the occupants of Enahoro Complex are Mr. Clem Agba, Chief Lucky James, Anena Jemitola, Abdul Oroh, Osikhena Donald, Chris Ebare, John Inegbedion, Ekpenisi Omorotiomwan, Louis Odion, and Francis Evbuomwan.

Chief Lucky James is a decorated veteran politician who was former council chairman in Etsako West local government area. He had faced a tough confirmation battle before he was confirmed Commissioner in the second half of Oshiomhole’s first tenure because of some past controversial issues.

The grey horns with a lot of potentials are Patrick Aguinede, Omorede Osifo, Lawrence Aghedo, Blessing Aghumu and Barrister Mac Donald Osememe. Though, time will tell if their potentials has fat when tested on fire.

Others who made the 2008 Cabinet list and who will also shape the future of the state in this dispensation are Mr. John Inegbedion, former Commissioner for Finance, Mrs. Yemi Keri, Executive Director, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Comrade Abdul Oroh and Mr. Clem Agba. They only, fit into the 2008 class of Oshiomhole’s political school of thought who made it.

OrobosaBehind Governor Oshiomhole is a carefully devised mission, drawn up by people who work over the shoulders of others and are the people in direct control of the State government.

One face since the Oshiomhole struggle days that has continued to resurface till now is Barrister Osarodion Ogie. He went through the thick and thin and coordinated Oshiomhole’s legal team to ensure victory and what every one now enjoys in Edo state.

A Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, he was called to the Bar in 1986 and until his appointment, he was the Secretary to the Oshiomhole Campaign Organization.

His office, when he was the Chief of Staff was a mecca of a sort because of his strategic role in government. His commitment to the Adams Oshiomhole’s administration and the success story today can be attributed to his belief in the Oshiomhole’s dream. He is one of those tireless and committed few in the cabinet that can be relied upon at any critical time. As Chief of Staff, he was first to be in office and last to leave.

Presently, this strategist is the Vice Chairman, Economic Team. He combines the character of an urbane and cosmopolitan enigma who also has at the tip of his fingers, the blueprint of the entire vision and mission of the Oshiomhole agenda for the second term in office.

If the rumour making the rounds in Government House is anything to go by, Ogie is likely to be the next Commissioner for Works and Public Utilities. If and when appointed, he would help the state government realize its urban renewal program in no distant time.

IhonvbereThe former Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Clem Agba is another personality in the Oshiomhole cabinet. A lot of controversy surrounds his return; he had resigned his appointment at the tail end of Oshiomhole first term but his name resurfaced in the list recently, raising series of questions among political observers. Until his appointment he had a glorious career in the oil and gas industry. He is in the class of 2008 Commissioners who also made it in the second coming of Oshiomhole.

A very intelligent and analytical engineer. Clem is the brain behind the on-going beautification program in the state. With the experience garnered over the years in the oil industry, Clem has brought to bear a pedigree that is un-parraled in environmental management in EdoState.

He is a passionate believer in environment and safety; this accounts for the demolition of illegal structures in the Benin metropolis as part of the grand strategy to return to the Benin City Masterplan and bring out the beauty of the land of the Omo-N-Obas. A member of the Economic Strategy Team, Clem is an amiable and tireless worker.

The ICT woman of substance, Mrs. Yemi Keri, until her appointment as Special Adviser and later Executive Director of the Information Communication and Technology Center (ICT) of the State, was Regional Manager (West Africa) for S.A.P the world’s largest business solutions provider. Yemi is a tireless, highly urbane, educated and easy going woman. She successfully set in motion the Biometric Project which is expected to reform the state payroll system and administration. Her job is multi-ministerial.

She piloted the recruitment of over 650 unemployed youths in the state to help in the Biometric Project SAVE as well as driving the Point of sale Solution.

Yemi is said to enjoy the confidence of the Governor hence her ability to scale through so many of the hurdles she encountered at inception. This technocrat of the finest order and of no mean repute came into the murky waters of politics and acclimatized considerably within a short period of time.

ObayagbonThere is the tax master, Chief Oseni Elama, popularly known as the Gimba of Auchi kingdom. Oseni’s drive and determination first came to attention of Edo people when he chaired the Assets Verification Panel set up by the Governor when he assumed office in 2008. An influential member of the Government, Oseni is a chartered accountant and former Managing Director of the Trust fund having also served as Executive Director of NSITF.

He had advised the Governor on Fiscal Governance and Project Monitoring before chairing the Board of Internal Revenue. In view of the earth-breaking revelations in the asset verification panel where billions of naira were looted by past regimes since then, the fear of Oseni became the beginning of wisdom.

One of the greatest and encouraging step the Governor took in recent times according to political analysts is the putting together of a team that reflect not only Oshiomhole’s dreams but that of the state. They claim “Oshiomhole’s team is rich with inspiration, imagination, trust, honesty, and steadfastness of purpose.

”To a great extent, leadership is like beauty, it’s hard to define but you know it when you see it. Oshiomhole has proved himself to be the efficacy of self-confidence, vision, virtue, plain guts, and reliance on blessed impulse. He has learned from everything, more importantly from experience, adversity, and mistakes. He has learned to lead by leading.”
http://opengossipnews.com/?p=1938

The awesome power and bearing of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, NGF had in the recent past raised concern among some stakeholders in the polity. Now an internal discord driven by external power peddlers is about bringing the once powerful body to its knees.

It is a name perpetually framed in infamy for the betrayal of the Righteous One. Judas Iscariot, the kiss and tell associate of Jesus Christ was perhaps disappointed by the determination of Jesus not to use His seemingly magical powers to overpower the Roman colonial powers who ruled over ancient Palestine.

By choosing the meek life, Jesus disappointed Judas, an accountant who perhaps saw himself as a shoo-in for Minister of Finance in the kingdom he expected Jesus to establish after driving away the Roman powers. It was such ambition of money and power that drove Mr. Iscariot towards the path of betrayal and a perpetual place in the hall of infamy.

So, given the combustible effect of money and power, it is not surprising that a Governor Judas or more of such may have infiltrated the ranks of the Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF.

Chairman of the newly formed Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Governors Forum, PDP GF, Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State made the revelation last Tuesday during a courtesy visit to the national chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.

Intimating the national chairman of his agenda, Akpabio who was reportedly appointed by the party leadership in concert with presidency officials, said:

“What the PDP is trying to do now is to cleanse its house; to try to identify the ones they call Judases and say to them ‘go out, the train is moving’. We will ask them not to remain standing otherwise we will crush them,” the Akwa Ibom governor, popularly known by his associates and followers as the agent of uncommon transformation said.

The identification of Judas or Judases in the midst of the country’s elitist Governors Forum was an unprecedented effort by the ‘uncommon transformation’ agent.

That Governor Akpabio was chosen for the challenging job of rooting out the Judases in the PDP would have been based on some traits found in him, even above his fellow governors.

Governor Akpabio’s remark was understandably welcomed by the national chairman who himself, had lately been in battle against the NGF, in a confrontation apparently instigated by the Judas or Judases in the midst of the governors.

The governors or the Judases, according to sources had been planning to root out Tukur as national chairman arising from the mutual differences between him and the majority of the members of the governors’ body.

Governor Akpabio’s assertion last Tuesday apparently revealed to all that he, Akpabio, was undoubtedly not in league with the governors in their actions and assertions against Tukur.

The NGF had had cause to confront Tukur on several occasions and most recently, on the sustenance of the party executive in AdamawaState. The NGF led by Governor Rotimi Amaechi had forced the party’s NWC to reverse itself on the earlier decision to dissolve the Umar Kaguma led executive.

Following the reversal of the dissolution, it also emerged that some governors were allegedly against the second term ambition of the president, a plot, many newspapers reported earlier this week was being championed by Governor Amaechi.

Amaechi, however, had in the past denied such suggestions, saying that his assertions on the performance of the president were aimed towards helping the president who is from the South-South geopolitical region.

Once Governor Akpabio gave his agenda of rooting out the judases in the governors’ body to Tukur and the NWC members gathered last Tuesday, the national chairman heaved a big sigh of relief indicating in his response that the governor had touched on an issue that had worried the president. “I can now tell Mr. President to sleep well. Now, if he has been sleeping for three hours before, I can even ask him to start observing his siesta regularly,” the national chairman disclosed.

Given that Akpabio did not identify the Judas or Judases among the Governors Forum, permutations would only be a guess work. It is, however, certain that Governor Serikae Dickson, a close associate of President Jonathan who went the extent of appointing the president’s wife as a permanent secretary is not one of them.

Governor Dickson has been profuse in supporting Akpabio in his agenda of crushing the Judases, pulling out several pages in the newspapers to identify with the chairman of the PDP-GF.

There are others who would also not fit in the mould of Judas as defined in the party secretariat last Tuesday.

Among them are Governors Ibrahim Shema of KatsinaState who by several accounts was the party’s choice to replace Amaechi in the aborted election of last Monday. Shema is also being touted as a possible running mate to President Jonathan in 2015 being that he is in his second term. However, the same worries that have been raised about the incumbent vice-president, Namadi Sambo are also being raised about Shema.

The question asked by several stakeholders and probably Jonathan minders is, the extent to which Shema can bolster Jonathan in the far north. Though Governor Shema has been praised for performing above many of his peers, his political clout outside Katsina remains an issue.

Others that would have been excluded in the list of traitors in the NGF should include Governors Theodore Orji of Abia, Gabriel Suswam of Benue and Martin Elechi of Ebonyi.

Governor Orji’s proclivity to the Jonathan agenda has been largely predictable since he championed his state’s “liberation” from the alleged hold of a mother and son dictatorship.

As nearly every one knows, Dame Patience Jonathan’s draws part of her ancestry from AbiaState and Governor Orji has been careful to be seen to be supportive of his in-law in the presidential villa. Besides, Governor Orji would not be rash to cut off from the presidential villa at a time his one time patron and benefactor turned nemesis, Orji Kalu is angling to return to the PDP. Acolytes of Governor Orji have been in an overdrive aiming to stop Kalu’s readmission into the PDP and it would be unlikely for the governor to change the tune.

However, while the likes of Shema, Dickson, Elechi and Suswam may not fit into the pattern of the Judases imagined by Governor Akpabio, the guess is still out there on who the real Judases are or is.

But as the governor settles down to his arduous task, some are affirming that one man’s Judas is also another man’s Jesus.

So, as Governor Akpabio goes about his duties of crushing the Judases, it is certain that the man whose acolytes hail him as the uncommon transformation agent may have irretrievably altered the shape and structure of the Nigerian Governors Forum. Maybe to the respite of many who had worried over the powers of the elitist body.
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The Pope left the Vatican in a motorcade before boarding a helicopter to the papal retreat yesterday.

Pope Benedict XVI officially resigned, saying that he now “will simply be a pilgrim” starting his last journey on earth.

The pontiff, aged 86, was earlier flown by helicopter from the Vatican to his retreat at Castel Gandolfo, near Rome.

His deputy, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, is now in charge of the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics until a new pope is elected next month.

Benedict vowed “unconditional obedience and reverence” to his successor.

He is the first pontiff in 600 years to step down, citing his frail health.

Benedict officially ceased to be the Pope at 20:00 local time (19:00 GMT)

The resignation was marked by the papal Swiss Guards stepping down from their posts at Castel Gandolfo to return to the Vatican.

In his retirement, Benedict will wear a simple white cassock rather than his papal clothes, and swap his famous red shoes – the colour is symbolic of the blood of the early Christian martyrs – for brown.

His “Fisherman’s Ring”, the special signet ring which contains the Pope’s name and is impressed to validate certain official documents, is expected to be destroyed along with the lead seal of the pontificate.

The German pontiff, who was born Joseph Ratzinger, will continue to be known as Benedict XVI, with the new title of “pope emeritus”.

The long-time theologian is expected eventually to retire to a monastery on a hill inside Vatican City, with officials saying he will not be able to intervene publicly in the papacy of his successor, though he may offer advice.

Earlier yesterday, church bells rang across the Vatican as Benedict boarded the helicopter for a short flight to Castel Gandolfo

Before that, the pontiff was greeted for the last time by top officials in the Curia – the administrative body that runs the Holy See.

Benedict then appeared at a window overlooking the public square in Castel Gandolfo to bless a cheering crowd.

“Thank you very much for your friendship,” Benedict said.

“I will simply be a pilgrim who is starting the last phase of his pilgrimage on this earth.

“Let’s go forward with God for the good of the Church and the world.”

Some in the crowd were in tears listening to what could be Benedict’s final public words as pope.

“What a joy to see him, but how sad to think it is for the last time,” local resident Giuseppina was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency. In his final tweet, Benedict wrote: “Thank you for your love and support. May you always experience the joy that comes from putting Christ at the centre of your lives”.

The Vatican now enters the Sede Vacante – or period of transition between two pontificates.
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America proved its Bieber Fever was strong: The teen singer dominated the American Music Awards on Sunday night.

Bieber’s wins included the show’s top award, artist of the year. His mom joined him onstage as he collected the trophy, beating out Rihanna, Maroon 5, Katy Perry and Drake.

“I wanted to thank you for always believing in me,” Bieber said, looking to his mom.

The 18-year-old also won the honor in 2010. He said it’s “hard growing up with everyone watching me” and asked that people continue to believe in him.

Bieber and Nicki Minaj performed together – and separately – at the AMAs, and were both multiple winners.

But another collaboration was the night’s most colorful performance: Korean rapper PSY and MC Hammer. Hammer joined the buzzed-about pop star for his viral hit “Gangnam Style.” PSY rocked traditional “Hammer” pants as they danced to his jam and to Hammer’s “Too Legit to Quit.”

Bieber won favorite pop/rock male artist in the first award handed out at Sunday’s show and gave a shout-out to those who didn’t think he would last on the music scene.

“I want to say this is for all the haters who thought I was just here for one or two years. I feel like I’m going to be here for a very long time,” he said.

He also won favorite pop/rock album for his platinum-selling third album, “Believe.” He gave a stripped down, acoustic performance of “As Long As You Love Me,” then transitioned to the dance-heavy “Beauty and a Beat,” where Minaj joined him onstage, grinding with the teen for a few seconds.

Minaj, who wore three different wigs and four outfits throughout the night, repeated her AMAs wins from last year, picking up trophies for favorite rap/hip-hop artist and album for “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded.” She was in an all-white get-up, including fur coat and pink hair when she performed her new song “Freedom.” The scene was ghostly and snowy, as a choir – also in white – joined her onstage. One background singer stole the performance, belting semi-high notes as Minaj looked on.

As Bieber won his second award, he was kissed on the neck by Jenny McCarthy, who presented the award.

“Wow. I feel violated right now,” he said, laughing.

“I did grab his butt,” McCarthy said backstage. “I couldn’t help it. He was just so delicious. So little. I wanted to tear his head off and eat it.”

Bieber’s red and black outfit seemed to be the night’s theme, as Taylor Swift and Usher wore similar ensembles.

Usher kicked off the three-hour show with green laser lights beaming onstage as he performed a medley of songs, including “Numb,””Climax” and “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop,” which featured a smoky floor and a number of backup dancers, as Usher jammed in all black, with the exception of his red shoes. He won favorite soul/R&B male artist.

Swift won her fifth consecutive award for favorite country female artist.

“This is unreal. I want to thank the fans. You guys are the ones who voted on this,” she said.

Swift gave a masquerade-themed performance of the pop song “I Knew You Were Trouble.” She sang onstage in a light dress while dancers wore mostly black. But then she changed into a red corset and black skirt, matching their dark mood. She even danced and sang on the floor as lights flickered throughout the performance.

Dick Clark, who created the AMAs, was remembered by Ryan Seacrest and an upbeat performance by Stevie Wonder.

“What a producer he was,” said Seacrest, as Wonder sang his hits, including “My Cherie Amour.”

Carly Rae Jepsen, who performed early in the night, won favorite new artist.

“I am floored. Wow,” she said, thanking Bieber and his manager, Scooter Braun.

Party girl Ke$ha was glammed up on the red carpet, rocking long, flowy blonde hair and a light pink dress. She switched to her normal attire when she performed her hit single “Die Young.” It was tribal, with shirtless dancers in skin-tight pants, silver hair and skeleton-painted faces, who also played the drums. Ke$ha was pants-less, rocking knee-high boots and rolling on the floor as she finished up the song.

Minaj and Christina Aguilera were blonde bombshells, too: Minaj’s hair was busy and full of volume and she sported a neon strapless gown to accept her first award. Aguilera wore a blonde bob in a purple dress that matched her eyeshadow.

Aguilera performed a medley of material from her new album and joined Pitbull onstage.

Kelly Clarkson also hit the stage, making a nod to her “American Idol” roots with a number on her dress and three judges looking on as she sang “Miss Independent.” Then she went into “Since U Been Gone,””Stronger” and “Catch My Breath.” It’s worth noting that “Idol” judge Randy Jackson introduced Clarkson, the first-ever winner of the show. He also advised people to donate through Red Cross for Superstorm Sandy victims.

Fellow “Idol” winner Carrie Underwood won best favorite country album and performed, hitting the right notes while singing “Two Black Cadillacs.” She talked about singing competition shows backstage.

“These people that go on these shows are so talented, you know? And I would love to see if so many of the other artists that are out there today would go back and try out for these shows, because they might get their behinds kicked by some of the contestants,” she said.

Luke Bryan won favorite country male artist and Lady Antebellum favorite country group.

American Music Awards nominees were selected based on sales and airplay, and fans chose the winners by voting online. At this award show, even the stars were fans: Pink said on the red carpet that she’d like to collaborate with Lauryn Hill. Cyndi Lauper said her musical playlist includes Pink and Minaj. Boy band The Wanted said they were excited to see PSY and Colbie Caillat wanted to watch No Doubt.

“What makes the American Music Awards special is the fans choose the winning artists,” said Chester Bennington of Linkin Park, who won favorite alternative rock artist and performed “Burn It Down,” as Brandy sang along and Gwen Stefani, Usher and Phillip Phillips bobbed their heads.

David Guetta won the show’s first-ever electronic dance music award. Non-televised awards went to Katy Perry for pop/rock female artist, Beyonce for soul/R&B female artist, Adele for adult contemporary artist and Shakira for Latin artist.

Along with Rihanna, Minaj was the top nominee with four nominations.
http://opengossipnews.com/?p=1890

THE Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), on Thursday dissociated himself from the statement credited to a Deputy Director, Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Mr Thompson Olaitigbe, to the effect that the ministry was confused on what to do with the conflicting investigation reports on the gruesome murder of the Principal Secretary to the Edo State Governor, Olaitan Oyerinde.

Adoke, however, stated that his office had nothing to do with the investigation of Olaitan’s murder.

In a letter to the Chairman, House of Representatives, Committee on Public Petitions, Adoke stated that his ministry had considered the powers and duties of the State Security Services vis-a-vis the powers of the police and had come to a conclusion that it was the police that had the power to investigate murder and not the SSS.

He further stated that the Federal Ministry of Justice had nothing to do with the case, but that it was the Edo State Government that had the power to prosecute the case.

The letter reads in part, “My attention has been drawn to the representations made by Mr. O.T. Olaitigbe, Deputy Director, Public Prosecutions of the Federation on behalf of my office and the Federal Ministry of Justice at the Public Hearing organised by your Committee on 27th February 2013 on the alleged complicity and improper investigation in the murder of Oyerinde Olaitan, an aide to the Edo State governor.

“It has been widely reported in the electronic and print media that Mr. Olaitigbe while making his presentation to the Committee, stated among other things that the Ministry of Justice was confused as a result of the investigation reports it had received from the Nigeria Police Force and the State Security Service (SSS) which appeared to have indicted different sets of suspects for the alleged murder of Oyerinde and that the Ministry could not proceed with the prosecution of the suspects because of the need to harmonise the two reports.

“I wish to completely disassociate myself from the comments purportedly made on my behalf by Mr. Olaitigbe as the comments were at best, a figment of his imagination and very far from the truth. Mr. Olaitigbe was under firm instructions to inform the Committee that:

“The Federal Ministry of Justice had examined the powers of the State Security Service as provided by Section 3 of the National Security Act, Cap.N.74 LFN, 2004 and the powers of the Nigeria Police Force as provided by section 4 of the Police Act Cap. P.19 LFN, 2004 and had come to the reasoned conclusion that the power to investigate crimes of the nature under consideration (murder) resides with the Nigeria Police Force while the power to gather intelligence lies with the State Security Service, and“(b) murder, the offence allegedly committed by the suspects is exclusively within the jurisdiction of the states in the Federation. The Criminal Procedure Act, Cap., C. 38 LFN, 2004 is very clear on this matter.

“The Federal Ministry of Justice therefore has no power to prosecute murder cases as murder is a state offence committed against State law and that the matter was already been handled by appropriate authorities in Edo State.

“In view of the foregoing clear instructions and position, I am shocked, embarrassed and utterly disappointed by the representations reportedly allegedly made on my behalf by Mr. Olaitigbe. I have accordingly instituted an internal investigation to unravel the mystery and appropriate measures will be taken to discipline any officer found wanting in this deliberate propagation of falsehood.

“In the meantime, I wish to assure your esteemed Members and the general public of the principled stance of my office on this matter as already elaborated above and to inform you that my office was never at any material time confused as to the steps to be taken in this matter. I sincerely regret the misrepresentation and the apprehension that it has generated in the minds of Honourable Members of the Committee, as well as the general public.”

Meanwhile, the governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to set up an independent inquiry to investigate the murder of his late Principal Secretary, Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde.

The governor who made the call at a briefing after an investigative hearing into the murder organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions said the call became necessary since both the police and the Department of State Security Services, DSSS who investigated the case came out with two different conflicting reports on the murder.

According to him,” I believe that the President has to set up an independent inquiry preferably through the office of the National Security Adviser who has overall supervision across security agencies to pick men and women of integrity who he can trust to establish between the police and SSS who is trying to cover up the truth.”

While accusing the police of shoddy investigation, he noted that, “the Police deliberately went out to fish for innocent people to parade as suspects in this case in order to divert attention or to criminalize innocent Nigerians.”

He further alleged that the police were trying to protect the principal suspects in the case by hurriedly charging innocent persons, claiming that “very senior officers in the police were working tirelessly to shield those behind the murder of Olaitan.”

The governor said it was out of place to ask the police to further investigate the suspects handed over to them by the State Security Service (SSS), since they had mindset on the matter, based on their previous report.
http://opengossipnews.com/?p=1880

Sunshine Stars captain has been rewarded for his scintillating performance in the just concluded 2013 Africa Cup of Nations
Super Eagles defender and Sunshine stars of Akure skipper Godfrey Oboabona has been rewarded by the Ondo State Government for his excellent performance at the just concluded Africa Cup of Nations Cup tournament in South Africa.

Oboabona played all the six matches that culminated in the Super Eagles winning the Afcon trophy against Burkina Faso 1-0 on February 10. He was given a sum of N1 million and a bungalow in Akure.

The State Governor, Dr.Olusegun Mimiko disclosed at the dinner organised in honour of the player at the Government House in Akure that Oboabona made the State proud.

“We are happy with what he did for the State. He showed that there are good players in Sunshine Stars and the Nigerian League and that is why we are honouring him.”

Governor Mimiko praised Oboabona for his heroic displays at the tournament and also for being a good ambassador of the Sunshine state. The Governor further urged him not to relent in his quest for greater achievement.

Oboabona thanked Governor Mimiko for the kind gesture shown to him and also for the effective development of football in the state, which has seen Sunshine Stars of Akure become one of the best football clubs in Africa.

Oboabona started his football career in Ondo state and rose through the ranks to become the skipper of Sunshine Stars of Akure, a club owned by the Ondo State government.
http://opengossipnews.com/?p=1850

Edo State Governor, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, yesterday, insisted that the Nigeria Police was shielding murder suspects involved in last year’s killing of his late Principal Private Secretary, Mr. Olaitan Oyerinde. Oshiomhole, who appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions, which held an investigative hearing on Oshiomhole’s allegations against the role of the Police in the murder case, said it was embarrassing that two security agencies working under the same government arrived at two conflicting conclusions on the case.

In his presentation, Edo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, alleged that the gun that was used to kill Oyerinde, was later traced to Esigie Police Station in Benin City.

He said that since last year, the Edo State Police Command had refused to produce the officer that the gun was issued to on the ground that he was involved in an international assignment.

Said he: “Since they had accepted that the chief suspect in this case was in their custody, no other explanation presented to cover this fact is acceptable.”

He stated that the Police violated laid down procedure in criminal investigation by submitting the case file to the federal Director of Public Prosecution instead of Edo State DPP.

Mr. O. Olatigbe, a Deputy Director at the Federal Ministry of Justice, who represented the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Adoke, admitted that the Ministry was in a dilemma as to whether it should rely on the report of the Police or Department of State Security, DSS.

Olatigbe said that the ministry found itself in the dilemma due to the fact that the Nigeria Police Force and DSS that investigated the murder case submitted two conflicting reports and paraded two different sets of suspects.

Another highpoint of the public hearing was the claim by DSS and Police, that they had arrested self-confessed culprits, who took part in the murder.

In his submission, Director -General of DSS, Mr. Ita Ekpenyong, gave a very detailed account of the organisation’s findings, adding that his officers arrested one Lawal Abubakar, who was in possession of the late Oyerinde’s phone. He also said another suspect named Abdullahi, also in the custody of DSS, admitted shooting Olaitan to death although unintentionally.
http://opengossipnews.com/?p=1804

Political calculations ahead of the 2015 general elections have done little to appease those clamouring for a sovereign national conference. EMMANUEL OBE writes on a recent meeting of statesmen with their minds fixed on the convocation of such a conference

While the rest of the country was agog with events leading up to 2015 general elections, a group of elder statesmen gathered at Enugu, the capital of the defunct Eastern Region to brainstorm on the fate of Nigeria as a corporate entity.

For this group of Nigerians, stories about merger arrangements being made by leading opposition political parties did not seem to be an issue. They did not even bother about the seeming disintegration of the All Progressives Grand Alliance that enjoyed an enviable position as the political platform of the Igbo speaking people of the South-East for over one decade.

Most of those who gathered at Enugu came in from all over the South East with a few elder statesmen from the South West and the South-South.

At the end of the day, they appeared convinced that holding a sovereign national conference before the 2015 general elections is a step Nigerians should take to put the country on a solid footing for a stable political future.

The 14 th anniversary celebration of the Igbo Youth Movement, with the theme, “National Conference before 2015 Elections, Only Roadmap to a Truly Greater Nigeria” provided the platform for most of the statesmen to suggest a way forward for national growth.

The National President of IYM, Mr. Elliot Ukoh, opened the convention with the declaration that a Sovereign National Conference was vital for the survival of Nigeria as one indivisible nation.

He said though the Igbo youths believe in one Nigeria, that belief can only find genuine footing within a restructured polity. This, he said, was urgent.

Ukoh said, “I want to make it very clear that we so much believe in Nigeria, but what we are saying is that the country must be restructured. For such restructuring to be done, we believe that a national conference is inevitable, I don’t know why they are delaying it.”

A former governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, could not agree more. “I agree with IYM that Nigeria must have a national dialogue. If not for anything else, after 100 years of our existence, we should be able to talk about ourselves, we will remain together but we have to understand ourselves,” he said.

An eminent lawyer from Benin, Mr. Solomon Asemota (SAN), said, “The Constitution we are operating now is very defective. Even the National Assembly has agreed to that and that’s why 60 areas have been short-listed for amendment.

“The constitution gave us the right to vote but no corresponding right to be voted for, rather political parties have right to be voted for. So, to have a credible election demands that we have a people’s constitution. Also, I am asking that there should be a national conference before the election is very valid.”

Prominent constitutional lawyer, Prof. Ben Nwabueze, said convoking a national conference was long overdue, stressing that there were so many variables indicating that Nigeria is a failed state and only a national conference could bring Nigeria back.

He said, if proactive steps like holding a national conference before the 2015 general elections were not taken to check the impending danger, the country might be heading for the rocks.

Nwabueze, who said the nation’s problem was so deep, also wondered whether the current merger of main opposition political parties by political leaders in the country was capable of routing the monstrous ruling Peoples Democratic Party.

Nwabueze said the country was already manifesting all the attributes of a failed state and equally joined his fellow elder-statesmen to call for an immediate convocation of a national conference.

“This country is on the verge of becoming a failed state. There are so many failed states in Africa and Nigeria is on a the verge of getting that status.

“Before now, we didn’t know about kidnapping, but it has become a way of life. Did we know about bombings before? But today, churches, schools, offices are being bombed on daily basis; the worst is that the bombers are not coming from outside the country, we are bombing ourselves.”

The former Secretary General of Ohaneze Ndi-Igbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, said a nation that could not guarantee a credible election was a failed state.

He said, “In 2003, 2011 we had no credible elections, yet we are talking about democracy. A country that cannot secure social and economic rights for her people is a failed state. Read chapter 2 of Nigeria’s constitution and you will understand what I am talking about; they are not leaders but looters.”

Corruption, he said, was another disturbing issue bedeviling the country:

While expressing sadness that the masses are suffering and living in abject poverty, he lamented that National Assembly members had all kinds of allowances running into millions of naira.

“Come out and tell me if in all these, this country is not on the verge of a failed state?” he asked rhetorically.

He said to move away from the current situation, a national conference should be organised very quickly, emphasising that the conference should not be seen as a way to destabilise Nigeria.

Nwabueze said, it is for us to come together and deliberate; it will lead to peace; it will lead to a constitution whose source of authority is the people, we can’t have any substitute for the people. We are serious about it, we are working to achieve it and we shall succeed.

However, the Special Adviser to the President on Inter-Party Affairs, Senator Ben Obi, said President Goodluck Jonathan and indeed the Federal Government were not against a national conference, but spoke of the need for the agitators of such a conference to organise themselves and articulate their positions with both the president and the National Assembly.

Obi said, “We’ve all agreed to a national conference but at this time, we should be able to go beyond calling for a national conference and initiate action towards realising it. Even the president himself has never said he is opposed to the conference, but we need the right calibre of men and women to go to Abuja and demand from both the president who is heading the executive and Senator David Mark who is heading the legislature on the need to convoke a national conference.

“We must move towards solving the problem. Let it be said that there is an eminent delegation demanding the conference; by then, the ball would have been firmly played into the court of the executive and the legislature, who of course are the proper authorities to convoke such a conference.”

Obi called on Nigerian youths to take up the challenge of pulling the nation out of its present crises by not only refusing to be used as thugs by politicians during elections, but also to ensure that only people with credible and verifiable integrity are elected into positions of authority in the next election.

He said, “President Jonathan has put in place machinery that would help in conducting credible elections in the country. That is why today, votes are counting. We tried it in Edo, it worked; we tried it in Ondo, it worked. It will be tried in Ekiti and Osun where elections will come up in a matter of months. It is now left for you, the youths, to equally team up with the President and ensure that your tomorrow is guaranteed.”

A former Chief of Defence Staff, Lt. Gen. Alani Akinrinade (retd.) and Col. Joe Achuzie (retd.) said the situation in the country had gone so bad that the present leaders must go beyond rhetoric and seek solution to “what has obviously become a complex problem for the country”.

For Akinrinade, a nation state cannot be ruled by military fiat anymore, just as he attributed the problem of the country to the constitution which was written by the military.

He said efforts ought to be made to prepare an acceptable and workable constitution for the nation by the people themselves.

Achuzue, on his part, said the existence of many nations within the country was becoming a major threat to its continued existence as one nation, adding that the national conference would help in addressing the challenge.

He noted, “Unless we go back and convene a national conference where all the ethnic nationalities will say how they will co-exist, then there will be no movement forward. Something must be done to rescue the situation.”

According to him, though the country is said to be practising federalism, in practical terms, however, the country was being run as if there were some “perpetually vanquished people.”

Prof Mark Odu, in his paper titled, “Ndigbo: Identity crisis has ended!” said the time has come for only those that have something to offer the country to be voted into power “as the era of cash and carry politics is at an end and our identity born of our history should dictate our trajectory.”

He said Ndigbo had no choice but to stay within the Nigerian federation and move the country forward.

“They should just make up their minds about what is right, proper and in the general good of Nigeria and use their population to move Nigeria there. It is definite that our population is ample enough to guide Nigeria’s positive evolution,” he added.

While urging Ndigbo to embrace an enduring Nigeria irrevocably, Odu said, “Our population in the four winds guarantees us relevance for all time. No patchwork should be tolerated in the Nigerian project. It is either a country with fairness and equity based on right principles or we sue for confederation of parts.”

The foremost estate manager regretted that events of the past in the country had proved eloquently that Nigeria’s drift into chaos was caused by warped values which provided benefits for people that made little contribution to the development of the country.

He said that those that worked hard got little reward, while mediocrities were allowed to steal public institutions bankrupt. “Power elite arrive the portals of power outside the common will just as development in proper idiom has been frustrated by wrong principles of conduct,” he further lamented. He, however, said the trend could not continue without a popular revolt of the masses.

Insisting that Ndigbo have been short-changed by a nation they had contributed so much to maintain, Odu said, “In all their wave-making outside their homeland, they left little evidence at home. When displaced they returned to little infrastructure losing their resources in foreign land and starting afresh with bonds of ancestral cognateness and benefits of will to survive and guts to start afresh.”

Those who participated in the convention included, the Secretary General of the Patriots, Chief Mike Orabator; Col. Ben Gbulie; Amb. J. U. Ayalogu; Prince Emeka Onyeso; Chief Guy Ikoku; Prof. Felix Oragwu and Rev. Ukandu Ucheya.
http://opengossipnews.com/?p=1790

The First Amendment right of a Connecticut teenager to wear an anti-gay T-shirt to school will be upheld, school officials said.

Anti-gay T-shirtThe Wolcott Public Schools in Wolcott recognized the free-speech rights of Seth Groody, 17, in response to a federal complaint prepared by the American Civil Liberties Union that alleged the boy was unconstitutionally threatened with suspension or expulsion for wearing his anti-gay T-shirt on the school’s “Day of Silence” in April, the Hartford Courant (Conn.) reported Tuesday.

Superintendent Joseph Macary said. “The Wolcott Public Schools has always and will continue to allow students their rights of free expression, so long as all students exercise their rights without creating a substantial disruption to the educational environment for all students.”

The Day of Silence is a national event created to call attention to the harassment and bullying in schools of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender-ed people.

Groody had designed his own shirt, the front of which displayed a rainbow with a slash through it. The back depicted male and female stick figures holding hands and the caption, “Excessive Speech Day.” He removed the shirt when school officials told him he would otherwise face disciplinary action, the Courant reported.

“We recognize the student has the First Amendment to express his views, but we hope he can agree with the basic premise that all of his peers deserve to feel safe and treated with respect regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity,” said Andy Marra, the public relations manager for the national Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network.

“Public school students need to know that the First Amendment is not merely a theoretical discussion topic but a real and vital guarantee of freedom in America that entitles them to express their views,” said Sandra Staub, the ACLU’s legal director.
http://opengossipnews.com/?p=1773

PERSONAL PRAYERS: theme for FEBRUARY 2013 Power Must Change Hands (PMCH) prayer points is: “ MY STAR MUST SHINE”

CONFESSION: PSALM 91

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation”.

PRAYER POINTS:

I arrest every trap of demons directed against me this year, in the name of Jesus.
This year, Jehovah shall arise in anger and fight for me, in the name of Jesus.
I shall not wear the garment of sorrow this year, in the name of Jesus.
Any power assigned to kill me this year, shall kill itself, in the name of Jesus.
Every evil altar raised against me this year shall crumble, in the name of Jesus.
The terrible fire of God shall arise and locate the camp of my enemies this year, in the name of Jesus.
O God, arise and pursue all my pursuers this year, in the name of Jesus.
I shall finish this year stronger and better, in the name of Jesus.
This year, I shall sing my song and dance my dance, in the name of Jesus.
Every agent of satanic delay assigned against my life, scatter, in the name of Jesus.
O God arise and uproot anything You did not plant inside the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries.
Let the fire of revival fall upon Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, in the name of Jesus.
Let the power of peace and progress overshadow this nation, in the name of Jesus.
O God, arise and give us God-fearing leaders, in the name of Jesus.

PRAYER POINTS FOR FIRST BORN DELIVERANCE

Scriptures: Psalm 113:5-8; Deut. 28:13; Job 22:25-28; Psalm 27:6

CONFESSION:“I am a first born. I am the beginning of strength of my household. I am the excellency of dignity,excellency of power. I shall not be a deficit unto the world. I shall be as stable as a rock. I shall excel and no one shall defile me. I shall not die a grievous death. I shall not be an infant of days, neither shall I be an adult that has not fulfilled his years. I shall have the might of Samson but not his carelessness. I shall have the wisdom of Solomon, not his whoredom. I shall have the holiness of Job and not his calamities. I shall possess the gate of my enemies. I shall not be subject to pain or poverty. The enemy shall not outwit me. The Lord shall anoint me with the oil of gladness above my fellows. The fire of the enemy shall not burn me. My head shall not be buried in shame. I shall be respected and honoured in my father’s house. I shall be the first among equals. I shall be the preferred among many.My voice shall be heard and reckoned with. As a first born, I redeem my destiny by the precious blood of Jesus. I dedicate myself this day to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen”

24 PRAYER POINTS FOR FIRST BORN DELIVERANCE
1.

Every incantation, ritual and witchcraft powers against my destiny, fall down and die, in the name of Jesus.
I render null and void, the influence of destiny swallowers, in the name of Jesus.
Every household wickedness struggling to re-arrange my destiny, fall down and die, in the name of Jesus.
My destiny is attached to God, therefore I decree that I can never fail, in Jesus’ name.
Every power waging war against my destiny, fall down and die, in the name of Jesus.
I overthrow every satanic re-arrangement programmed against my destiny, in the name of Jesus.
I refuse to accept satanic substitute for my destiny, in Jesus’ name.
Every power drawing powers from the heavenlies against my destiny, fall down and die, in Jesus’ name.
Today, I raise up altar of continuous prosperity upon my destiny, in Jesus’ name.
I reject every satanic rearrangement of my destiny, in Jesus’ name.
I reject and renounce destiny- demoting names and I nullify their evil effects upon my destiny, in Jesus’ name.
The designs of my enemy against my destiny shall be destroyed, in Jesus’ name.
Conspiracy of darkness against my destiny, scatter by fire, in the name of Jesus.
You evil strongman attached to my destiny, be bound, in Jesus’ name.
Every parental curse that is demoting my life, be broken by the blood of Jesus.
Every paternal and maternal pronouncement, issued against my life, be scattered, in Jesus’ name.
I decree that my first born potentials shall not be caged, in the name of Jesus.
Every satanic assignment to bury my first born star, be scattered, in the name of Jesus.
I reject spirit of the tail, I claim the position of headship, in the name of Jesus.
By the power in the blood of Jesus, I break every witchcraft agenda to exchange and manipulate my
star, in the name of Jesus.
Every curse and affliction working against the first born in my father’s house, die, in Jesus’ name.
Every dedication working against me as first born, be destroyed, in the name of Jesus.
I destroy the power of any Herod assigned to trouble my first born destiny, in the name of Jesus.
Any covenant my ancestors might have made over my life as a first born, be broken, in the name
of Jesus..
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Nigeria has never had a First Lady quite like this. Never! There were Flora Azikiwe, Victoria Aguyi-Ironsi, Victoria Gowon, Ajoke Mohammed, Esther Oluremi Obasanjo, Safinatu Buhari, Maryam Babangida, Margaret Shonekan, Maryam Abacha, Fati Abubakar, Stella Obasanjo, and Turai Yar’Adua. Some were on the stage for a very short period, and so nothing about them is memorable or remembered vis-à-vis the larger Nigerian context. But of those who stayed for a while, or a while longer, they were either a credit or a curse to the formal and informal office of the First Lady. Of all the First Ladies we’ve had, however, none — and I mean none — has been quite like the current occupant, Mrs. Patience Faka Jonathan. My goodness, what a lady! Fela Anikulapo’s lady!

Mrs. Victoria Gowon is mostly thought of as the quintessential First Lady. I cannot remember her being associated with scandals (while her husband was in office). And in the years since, I wonder if there ever has been one. From afar, what you saw was a lady: A lady in the real sense of the word. She looked calm and balanced and sophisticated. Again and again, she appeared educated and enlightened and supportive. And however many times you saw her – on TV, the print media, or in person – she was very soft on the eyes: beautiful, dignified, cultured and graceful. Now, one does not know, whether in private, she gave her husband and his associates, hell.

Patience Jonathan – the self-styled Dame – is the complete opposite of Victoria. But of all Nigeria’s First Ladies, the closest to Mrs. Jonathan (in terms of personality) is Turai, who seemed overly and overtly ambitious, and with Macbethean tendencies to match. But unlike Patience, Turai was not bombastic or compulsive. She seemed restrained by her Islamic faith. The general understanding is that she was always looking out for the interest of her husband. You don’t get the feeling that she is the boss who wears the proverbial pants in the privacy of their home. It is the opposite with Patience Jonathan.

From my vantage point, I cannot but conclude that Mrs. Jonathan calls the shots at home. That she is the boss-lady. The hustler. The lady with the whip. Many of the controversies that are associated with her husband seem to have been instigated by her. Incidentally, this is a woman who can’t seem to help herself, or her husband. As a wife and as a partner, one of her goals ought to have been the interest and well-being of her husband. But no, oh no! She compounds his headache and challenges; and helps to expose his weaknesses and shortcomings.

Why her husband, Jonathan, has not put her in check baffles a lot of onlookers and public intellectuals. If this President cannot control his wife, how can he control unruly powerhouses and contending groups within the nation? If he cannot put a stop to his wife’s inexplainable ways, how can he put a stop to the excesses of his advisers and ministers and all those who work for and with him? If he cannot get his wife to put a stop to unending controversies, what hope is there that there won’t be more scandals and wounding controversies in the months and years ahead? But of course, Mrs. Jonathan has been at it for a very long time! And Jonathan, it seems, has come to accept his fate. What a fate!

According to columnist Sonala Olumhense: “When she and her husband left Bayelsa State, it was with a lot of allegations, and events since then have not improved their image. Reporting on the April 2007 election, the Council on Foreign Relations in New York referred to Mrs. Jonathan as the “greediest person in Bayelsa State, and a woman of great cruelty.” Olumhense went on to tell us about the money-laundering allegations: “In 2006, when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said it had twice seized vast funds from her: the first the sum of N104 million; and the second, $13.5 million.”

Nigeria being what it is, we may never know how much she has “taken.” However, to have an idea of how much she is worth, all you need do is take a trip to Rivers and Bayelsa states to inspect the properties (hotels and all that) that many people in both states have alleged were improperly acquired. During a recent testimonial, she alluded to some of these properties being sold off while she was on her death-bed in Germany: “They are people that I trust and rely on; to them, I was dead and I would never return to the country alive. Some of them even sold my things off.” Was she expecting anyone to feel sorry that her stuffs were being auctioned off?

As a human being, we feel sorry that she was sick and came close to an inch of her life. And frankly, her death would not have served any purpose. Nonetheless, it is hard, very hard to have compassion for someone – anyone for that matter– who is noted for being unkind and insensitive to the poor and the needy. As the wife of the deputy governor, who later became the nation’s First Lady, she has mainly been associated with scandals, maladministration, and wastefulness. Not too long ago, she caused a storm by lobbying for and getting herself appointed permanent secretary in her husband’s home state. Before then, she was involved in a public spat over a land deal in Abuja with her predecessor.

Upon her arrival from medical treatment in the Middle East and in Europe, she and her team spent an estimated half-a-million naira on a welcome party. Is she ever weary and wary of storms and foul winds? My goodness! As if to outdo her controversial and calculating nature, she and or her husband got the National Assembly to vote N4bn for her pet project in Abuja. At what point is her husband, the President, going to say, “enough is enough”? At what point will he feel uncomfortable and put a stop to his wife’s unsavory tendencies and expensive jokes – jokes and tendencies that have become a monumental embarrassment to our country. Or is he an enabler?
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The rumour of their love story started like a child’s play last year, and the whole story went round town that the sultry actress, Foluke Daramola, who divorced her ex-husband few years back, was in the process of destroying a marriage.

Actress Foluke Daramolahad denied dating the Lagos big boy, Kayode Salako, who heads a group of schools and deals in property, maintaining that they were only business partners.

But the story appears to have changed and the two love birds have solemnized their relationship with a traditional marriage on February 15, 2013.

Related Article: PHOTO: Foluke Daramola Marries Kayode Salako After Wrecking His 13 years Old Marriage

Kayode, who has vowed to live with the well-endowed actress till death do them apart, revealed in an interview he granted us recently that 17 years ago, even before he met his first wife at all, a prophet from the Cherubim and Seraphim (C&S) Church in Mafoluku area of Lagos prayed for him and told him that in the journey of his life, he was going to come across one woman. “He told me he didn’t know if I was going to marry her or not, but that what would make me know when I come across the woman are two things; the way I would feel about her and that I was going to meet her with two children; one boy and a girl.

He said that, when I meet her, that is when the story of my life would change and God would start re-writing my fate and that the woman is the woman of my destiny and that the two of us would travel, we would be very close, we would have a bond and travel on a journey of life, which would fetch us a lot of greatness and beautiful testimonies, since the day I received the vision, I had been looking forward to the woman I would meet like that.

I have never met a woman with a boy and a girl until I met Foluke Daramola and when I met her, I went back to ask if she was the one and over 65 pastors said that she is the one. Can 65 men of God, people that God talks to be wrong, I went to Cotonou, I went to Benin Republic, I traveled out of Lagos State to go and find out whether Foluke was the woman of my destiny and when I asked who she would be, everybody told me she is my wife that I should go and marry her and that I should not allow anybody to discourage me from marrying her,” he revealed.

Kayode whose wife of 13 years has since left the house with their three boys maintained that his wife did not leave the house because of Foluke Daramola.

‘My wife that left was just being foolish and I will continue to tell the whole world that my former wife did not leave me because of Foluke Daramola because the question anybody should ask her is did I bring Foluke Daramola to her house, did she catch me on Foluke Daramola, did she catch us kissing and romancing, did I impregnate her, did I marry her before she left the house. Why should an established married woman pack her things and leave the house for a girlfriend to come and live if that woman is not foolish.

I never planned to marry Foluke Daramola, we were just friends, we just discovered that we appreciated our companionship, anytime the two of us were around each other, we always enjoyed it, so we became very good friends, I am the one that told Bukola at home about my friendship with Foluke Daramola, she did not know anything about her, I was the one that told her that I just met an actress, who had agreed to be my friend and work with me on my project; Change Agent of Nigeria Network (CANN).’

He said that his decision to marry Foluke Daramola is not his own, that it is a decision of God.

‘What I got married to in her is the fact that God convinced the two of us and our parents, that is why everybody was in support. On our wedding day, everybody that matters in her family and in my family was present to show approval. Her parents are in support and they are all committed to it. Foluke Daramola’s mother is a reverend and a member of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministry (MFM). She wouldn’t have supported her daughter to break another man’s home to marry him. She herself got the conviction; my father too got the conviction. What I got married to in Foluke Daramola was the conviction. What I went to engage in her family house on February 15, 2013 was more of the conviction than Foluke Daramola. If it were about Foluke, I don’t think I need a wife hurriedly, a woman, one ‘wahala’ just left my house, I don’t think getting married to another woman should be the paramount item on my agenda, I should have given myself enough time to sort out the issue of my life before going into another woman’s palaver,’ he stated.

Kayode, who said he feels comfortable around Foluke said that one man one woman mentality in marriage is a culture of the western people, ‘it is not Biblical, I am going to establish that to the whole world, let anybody challenge me about it. Jesus Christ came into this world, he never talked about marriage, he never preached about marriage, he never slept with any woman, he never got married, he didn’t have a child, which means marriage is not a criterion to get to heaven. Marriage was created for companionship, just for the man or woman not to be alone, so if a man prefers to build his own companionship around five women, so be it. In Africa, a man is allowed to marry more than one woman, I am an African, if I prefer to marry more than one wife, so be it, but I never planned to marry more than one wife because one woman, one trouble.’

Love struck Kayode maintained that Foluke Daramola is the one that has given him the kind of experience that has been very deep, adding that he is an emotional person, who likes to express himself emotionally and ‘since I met Foluke, I have been over-expressing it around her. The way I feel around Foluke is a conviction that she is my wife. She is a woman God created to be my wife and that is why she does not have a choice. Foluke Daramola will always marry me again, again and again. My love story with her is orchestrated by God, the way I feel about her is the way she feels about me, it has been so refreshing, so deep and we express it lavishly to each other.

Every characteristic of Foluke Daramola is the same with mine. Anything Foluke can do is what I can do; the two of us are more than 1,000% compatible. What she likes, I like and what she doesn’t like are what I don’t like; what she likes doing are what I like doing, the kind of food she likes are what I like. ‘

Asked if they would be getting married in the church soon, Kayode said; “Definitely, our white wedding shall be coming up when the coast is clear for us to do so, for now, we are traditionally engaged and that is the most important aspect of any wedding ceremony in Africa, I have gone to her house to marry her. Before the western culture came, the only form of marriage we knew was the one we had, to our culture, to our people, it is the best kind of marriage and that is what we have done, which has confirmed the two of us as husband and wife, so she is no longer Foluke Daramola, she is Foluke Daramola-Salako. Our wedding ceremony will come up once the coast is clear, we came from two marital experiences and we have to be sure that we can engage ourselves in the western way again, but we are planning it.”

Another surprising revelation from Kayode is that he was never traditionally or legally married to his estranged wife, adding that he had not been properly married to any woman until he met Foluke Daramola.

“The woman that left my life was not properly married to me, that is why it seems her family members did not recognize me as her husband, that is why they did not intervene and they have not intervened in our issue, everybody that I expected to come in has kept quiet so far, they are staying away, they are not intervening, may be because I did not do traditional wedding with her, may be because I did not pay her bride price, or I didn’t do what I did with Foluke Daramola, may be that is why they left the two of us to our problems. What custom and tradition expect is that the parents of the two of us should meet and see whether there could be a solution to the problem. But as I am talking to you, everybody in my wife’s family has kept quiet.

That is the same thing I didn’t want to do in Foluke’s issue, Foluke had been living with me for 30 days before we decided to be engaged, I talked to myself that if I should be living with Foluke Daramola again and I didn’t do what I suppose to do on her traditionally, if any issue comes up again, the same thing might happen. I didn’t want to make the same mistake I made with Bukola Olukoya with Foluke Daramola.”

He however said that that he is in constant touch with his three children, whose school fees he still pays and that he sends money to them on a regular basis.

“Anytime their mother needs money for them, she calls me and I send within the capacity of what I can afford because I cannot steal. In December, I still took my boys out, gave them good money, they still see me, we talk on the phone everyday. The only thing that will not happen is for anybody to make me to leave Foluke Daramola, anybody that wants me to leave her is my enemy, I will run away from that person,” he said.

Kayoed is also planning to have two or three more children with Foluke Daramola, possibly a set of twins. He disclosed that they have both agreed to make the five children from their previous unions as their children, without changing their names.

“If tomorrow, my children come to my house to stay with me, Foluke will accept them with open hands, she has vowed to accept them as her biological children and I have also accepted her two children as my own children. What if I don’t have a child and I have to go and adopt, so I have adopted her children, the only thing we cannot do is to change their names. Their liabilities are my liabilities and their responsibilities are my responsibilities, if anybody says I’m a fool, the person should leave me alone.

Do you know the child that will bury you, do you know the child that will stay with you and bury you. Do you know the child that will take care of you when you grow up, take care of the children first and let God decide who amongst them would take care of you and if all of them come around you, it’s your luck. However, we are planning to have two or three more children together, if possible, a set of twins,” he said.
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http://www.nigeriafilms.com/news/20609/40/i-never-planned-to-marry-foluke-65-pastors-told-me.html

Conservative Political Action Conference leaders have not invited New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to speak at next month's gathering, Politico reported Monday.

The Washington publication cited a source it described as familiar with the decision in reporting one of the Republican Party's top prospects for the 2016 presidential race was not asked to address the March event. The CPAC's list of speakers includes Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney and 2008 vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.

Christie has found himself on the wrong side of some Republicans for his expressions of appreciation for President Barack Obama's efforts to get aid to New Jersey and other states hit by Hurricane Sand, Politico noted. Christie also rankled Republicans with his criticism of U.S. House Speaker John Boehner for tabling a storm aid bill.

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The G37 has denied media reports that it is planning to form a new political party during its last meeting. The group also denied ever discussing or deliberating on the single term agenda pact which President Goodluck Jonathan had with some state governors during the said meeting.

There were media reports yesterday that the G37, a new political group with members drawn from among the nation’s eminent politicians, had been formed. Headed by former governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, the G37 was said to have an array of over 200 politicians. In a statement made available to Daily Sun in Abuja by the Chairman, Publicity Committee of the G37, Senator Emmanuel Onwe, the group said “a press report about our group, G37, was leaked to the media yesterday.

“Given the slant and false impression that the story gave, we believe that it is important and expedient to clarify the relevant issues and let the world know precisely who we are and what we stand for. “The G37 comprises politicians, professionals and businessmen from all over the country who have an interest in the unfolding political scenario in our country and who seek to make an input in the development of Nigeria.

“We are non-partisan, which means that our members and leaders are drawn from all the major political parties and indeed, some of our members are not in any party at all. “We have created a strong platform where Nigerians from every part of the country and from all the various political divides can sit together and discuss national issues, forge national unity and cohesion and help our country to move forward. “Every state of our country is well represented in the group and we are not affiliated to any political party even though most of our members are playing a leading role in all the major political parties that exist in Nigeria today.

It is not our intention to form a new political party and neither did we ever discuss or deliberate about the single term agenda in our last meeting,” the statement read. While disclosing that the mission statement of the group would soon be released and at the appropriate time, new leaders would be elected to lead the group. Onwe further said, “the present leadership is merely an interim arrangement.”

The statement further read: “It is not the style of our group to go running to the press on every issue because most of our work, meetings and deliberations are done in the strictest privacy and confidence and are held behind the scenes.

“We intend to make our input to national development in a very unique and innovative way and we will discuss and make appropriate comments on various national issues from time to time when we see fit. We have had numerous meetings in the last few months and judging from the increased attendance at each of them and the massive interest that has been shown in the group by leaders and people from all over the country, we shall surely flourish and go from strength to strength.

“We consider what we are doing as being vital to the development of our nation and we call on the finest and most brilliant minds in the land to join us and make their own input to the restoration and development of our great country. Our doors are open to all and our primary mission is to join our efforts with others from across party lines to move Nigeria forward,” the statement added.

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There is no denying that a corrupt judge is worse than an armed robber. Last week’s soft-landing for two judges accused of corruption by the National Judicial Council shows that we are not serious about the fight against corruption. Even though the NJC had been commended for its action, the action of the NJC deserves no commendation. By recommending two judges — Justice C. E. Archibong of the Federal High Court, Lagos and Justice T.D. Naron of High Court of Justice, Plateau State — whom it found guilty of compromising their sacrosanct offices, for “compulsory retirement”, what the NJC had done was to tell the judges to go home and enjoy the proceeds from their corruption. A corrupt official should be summarily dismissed or recommended for dismissal, not sent on “compulsory retirement.” Retirement presupposes that the judges are entitled to all their benefits after a meritorious service, but dismissal means that their tenure had a question mark.

It was also curious that there was no comment from the NJC that suggested that it planned to report the judges to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission or the police for prosecution. The NJC’s recommendation that the two judges be compulsorily retired by their employers, the Federal Government and the Plateau State Government respectively, was not different from the unpopular fine of N750,000 Justice Abubakir Talba gave to Mr John Yusuf, a self-confessed thief, who admitted to have stolen N2bn of the N27.2 billion of missing police pension fund a few weeks back. In that same case, Justice Talba, who is also being investigated by the NJC, insulted the sensibilities of Nigerians and made us a laughing stock of the world, by that ridiculous judgment.

Compare that with the ongoing case of a former US congressman and one-time Democratic Party rising star, Jesse Jackson Jnr., who pleaded guilty last Wednesday to misusing about $750,000 in campaign funds on luxuries such as fur capes and a Rolex watch. A five-year prison term is staring him in the face. And going forward, his political future has been destroyed. He has been tainted for life. He will never contest any election or be appointed to any public office in the US. No serious person will like to be publicly associated with him again. With such heavy consequences, why would any American public office holder want to be corrupt?

The action and inaction of Nigerians at all levels show that it pays to be corrupt in Nigeria. And if corruption pays, it is logical that corruption will worsen in Nigeria. Integrity hardly pays here. If it ever does, it pays in trickles. But corruption pays in billions of naira, which are used to make donations to churches, mosques, communities and universities, to “cleanse” the corrupt money and acquire prayers, titles, awards and honours.

Nigerians love to pontificate and lament about corruption but when a person is being tried for corruption or a crime, his people gather around the court premises, sometimes in clothes bearing the accused’s picture and name, and praise him for being a rare gem. Such people claim that their son is being persecuted for his stand against the government. Another comment from such people is: “Is he the only corrupt person? Why haven’t other corrupt people been arrested too?”

Taking it further, it was ridiculous that the House of Representatives and the Senate gave the anti-terrorism bill accelerated hearing, giving a 20-year jail term for a “terrorist”, while not doing anything to strengthen the anti-corruption law. Section 2(c) of the bill defines “act of terrorism” as any act by anyone who is involved in or who causes an attack upon a person’s life which may cause serious bodily harm or death; kidnapping of a person; destruction to a government or public facility, transport system, an infrastructural facility including an information system, a fixed platform located on the continental shelf, public place or private property likely to endanger human life or result in major economic loss.

Almost all the states have also passed laws on kidnapping with a capital punishment for the crime. These are commendable steps. But a serious doctor who wants to cure malaria would not focus primarily on headache or fever and discountenance the root cause of the headache and fever: malaria.

It is, therefore, laughable that such laws are being passed in a country where the maximum penalty for stealing billions of public funds is about two years. Just as in the cases of former Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, and former Inspector-General of Police, Mr Tafa Balogun; by the time they were sentenced, they had spent such periods of time in detention, and consequently walked out of detention as free as a bird. Why then would someone in office not steal as much as he can?

It is the same fate that befalls drug traffickers and advance-fee fraudsters in Nigeria: Their sentences are usually less than two years. By the time their cases are done with, they just walk out of detention, because they must have spent up to a year in detention while the case was on. Such a person begins to plan for the next crime, because the punishment for the crime is ridiculous.

In contrast, those who steal a goat worth N5, 000 or a motorcycle worth N30, 000 are sentenced to up to 10 years in prison. Some are even forgotten in detention for over 10 years without any trial. Many of them die in the terrible prisons in the nation.

Rather than speedily passing laws on terrorism and kidnapping, which are indirect products of the monumental corruption in the nation, one would have expected the National Assembly to have amended the laws on corruption, drug trafficking, fraud – three crimes that have made every Nigerian a suspect in all parts of the world – and recommending a minimum of 20 years prison term for such offences with no option of fine.

That is still more lenient than the death penalty in countries like China, Indonesia, Malaysia for such crimes. Such heavy sentences will not deter hardened criminals from such crimes, but before anyone decides to embark on such a crime, the person will know that if caught and jailed, chances are that he/she will come out prison in his/her old age.

And this fight against corruption does not stop only with public officers who steal public funds or demand bribes for contracts and appointments; it also involves the private citizens who demand bribes to award contracts to certain companies. It involves the private citizen who collects gratification to continue to use particular suppliers for jobs. It involves the man or woman who will not sign a document on his or her table unless a certain amount of money is made.

It involves the pastor that collects money before he can pray for a sick person, or the pastor that does not care how his members make the money they donate to his church; or the journalist that will demand money before he can write a story, or the journalist that will collect money to kill a story; or the lecturer that will demand money or sex to give a student good grades; or the community, church, mosque or university that celebrates a person known to be a criminal; or even the ordinary Nigerian that keeps quiet about the corruption of his or her friend or relative. Corruption is corruption — whether big or small — and it is dangerous to the growth of a nation.

It is contradictory and hypocritical for our people to complain bitterly about corruption in public places, yet when our relative or kinsman gets into any political office, we believe that it is his turn to get rich. And if he leaves office without stupendous wealth, we call him foolish or holier-than-thou. In addition, once our kinsman gets into office, we mount personal and communal pressure on him with a long list of many things he must accomplish for us.

The time has come for us to stop commending any effort that is a mere slap on the wrist of a corrupt person. If we don’t fight corruption with zest, the wealth of this nation will continue to be stolen by a few people, and all efforts to transform this nation will be in vain.

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