₦airaland Forum

^^^Kobojunkie how are you doing today?

^^^Pls if you want to address us together next time use ChiefCuddlesmii. Depression is for the other thread and my baby is down, the news of that gal hit her bad

[quote author=Natasha,, link=topic=716669.msg8749671#msg8749671 date=1311115679]chief chief ^^ [/quote]^^^Natasha, been a while. Please lets not derail ok

^^^Thats a very sad one, I saw the thread you opened. I really wonder what made her do that, a very good looking gal. The kinda news we get these days are scary. But why are you guilty? Was she your friend, I mean you didnt give her attention while she was alive? I dont understand sweetie

You guys should calm down. Natasha has not yet started, so maybe the boyfriend was a harmless one

What a sad story. May God grant her family and friends the fortitude to bear the loss. Her ex-fiance must be full of regrets now. The days are evil

^^^My love, you cant believe that I slept off after that Egusi soup and pounded yam, am just waking up. Yes, I did, hope you like the flowers. I will catch a grenade for you sweetie, you are the best

Cuddlemii:
Wait High Chief and Cuddlemii is not rhyming or sounding well. Need to get us a romantic name. Ok I got one. We will be Candyboy & Cuddlemii or ChiefCuddlesmii.

We are good with the bolded. Your love is killing me oh

odumchi:
I wish our governor in Abia State could be more like him

Biko bia nyere anyi aka ooo

You guys should do it yourself, I was surprised when I heard he won the election again. Just get a good APGA candidate and Orji will be out. I have you guys in my prayers

Cuddlemii:
Thanx dear . I'm glad that my services are appreciated . Its time to pay up. Where is my Bentley?

errrrrm errrrm errrrmm I have called the dealer and he will soon arrive with your toy.

whobemumu:
inspector cuddlemi of the cuddlemi police force

2go.com.ng

registration is lenghty sha and u will have to register from your phone and only thereafter chat from computer if u like it

which i doubt coss it seems to have no class

keyword seems

Dont give her such website again pls, else you want my wahala

Cuddlemii:
@ mumu

Hiss I got irritated jor. I am not registering.

Its still Fb, Nland, twit & cuddles (None has been able to oppress these social networking sites)

Good you got irritated and pls dont visit there again. You know you are too beautiful so you have to be close to me all the time

The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) may be faced with severe financial crisis if the decision of banks not to honour its cheques is upheld in the days and weeks ahead.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Rotimi Fashakin, who confirmed there was a move by a group to stop the operation of CPC's accounts with banks, however said it had no effect on its transactions with the banks.

Coming at a time the CPC is considering suing the Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Media and Communication, Dr. Rueben Abati, over an article he wrote last April purportedly accusing the CPC presidential candidate at the April poll, Major-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), of inciting the post-election violence that rocked parts of the North.

THISDAY gathered that the new twist in the CPC's affairs was sequel to a petition brought to the banks by the aggrieved former protem National Executive Committee (NEC) members of the party led by Senator Rufai Hanga, which advised the banks that further transactions be stopped forthwith in any of the party's accounts.

A reliable source in CPC told THISDAY at the weekend that the party leadership was currently having difficulties in accessing funds from the party's accounts due to the petition by the group.

The source, which quoted a top aide to the National Chairman of CPC, said the party's cheques were last week turned down by banks which apparently were responding to the brewing crisis of confidence among the stakeholders in the party.

"Banks are turning down our cheques,” the source said.

However, the CPC leadership has dismissed the matter as false and malicious, saying no bank can order such a freezing of the party's accounts based on the petition by a group.

While speaking to THISDAY yesterday, Fashakin said he was not aware of any such action by the banks and that the party had been operating its accounts without any hitch.

"No bank can grant such order. It has not affected our transactions in anyway. We have been issuing cheques and making withdrawals with no qualms,” he said. .

Fashakin said instead of the group utilising avenues of ventilating their grievances, "they have chosen to become a tool in the hands of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in trying to weaken CPC's resolve to seek redress over the outcome of the presidential polls".

The Hanga-led protem NEC of the CPC had written to all the banks operating the party’s accounts, urging them to desist from further transactions with the current leadership of the party.

The same group had filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja challenging the legitimacy of the Tony Momoh-led NEC of the party and hearing on the matter is slated for July 22.

The group said the party’s accounts at Oceanic Bank, No.1291301006398, Afribank, No. 6500293802 and First Bank, No. 5062030009416 were opened by the Hanga-led protem NEC with the designated principal officers as signatories.

According to a notice of intent written by Buhari’s lawyers, Tope Adebayo Chambers, to Abati, the CPC leader said the article published on the April 22, 2011 edition of The Guardian alleged that he (Buhari) had advised his supporters to lynch anybody who tried to rig the April polls.

Abati, until he was recently appointed as the presidential spokesman, was the Chairman, Editorial Board of The Guardian, and maintained a weekly column in the paper.

Buhari however denied ever making any inciting statements that might have led to the post-election violence that erupted after the last general election.

Lawyers to the former head of state said the article credited to Abati insinuated that he (Buhari) was responsible for creating the atmosphere that precipitated the riots that engulfed some Northern parts of the country as an aftermath of the April elections.

According to the lawyers, “In the said article, you insinuated that our client incited the post-election violence that erupted in the North as to the tenor of your publication, the angry youths that championed the violence are acting on behalf of our client.

“You further stated through subtle innuendo that unless our client deprecated the violence through the radio and television in Hausa and Fulfude languages, he should not be taken serious when he denies fanning embers of the imbroglio

Minister of Aviation, Mrs. Stella Odua, has dismissed fears that the nation’s busiest airport, the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos would be bombed by the Muslim religious sect, Boko Haram or any other person or persons.

The fear was heightened when she ordered the reopening of the 700-car capacity abandoned underground parking lot at the basement of the international terminal of the airport as users of the facility say the park would pose security threat, which was the main reason why it was closed during the late General Sani Abacha regime.

But the Minister’s decision to reopen the park was informed by the report that there is inadequate car park at the international wing of the airport as there is growing passengers’ movement and therefore increased movement of vehicles and attendant request for more parking spaces.

But ever since the Minister ordered that the parking lot, which has been out of use since 1997, be reopened to ease parking space constraints as well as serve as a revenue generating avenue for government, fears have been expressed in some quarters that the place could become a safe haven for bombers to plant their explosive devices.

Odua explained that the matter was well thought out before she gave the directive for its reopening, stressing that security of lives, cars and the entire building was considered before she directed the revamping of the park.

The Minister explained that before the park would be reopened to the public for use, it has to be fully rehabilitated, with the installation of Close Circuit Cameras (CCTV) as part of the security measures that would be employed to secure the premises.

She added that bomb and explosive detectors as well as scanning machines would be stationed at all entrances and gates to screen all vehicles going in and out of the underground parks.

The Minister also stated that it is not only the parking lot that would be secured, saying the entire airports across the country would equally be fully equipped with security gadgets to take care of security of lives and property.

Odua said that the decision to rehabilitate the abandoned park was in line with her vision to encourage the parastatals under her Ministry to embrace innovative ways of management, noting that it would help boost their internally generated revenue (IGR).

Nigeria is introducing Islamic banking to bring more of the nation’s estimated 70 million Muslims into the economy. But many prominent Christian leaders say it will further inflame religious violence.

How it works Islamic law prohibits paying or receiving interest or investing in businesses that provide goods or services that are contrary to Islamic principles.

That has led to the creation of interest-free, Islamic banking in more than 50 nations where customers share in profits and losses. In an Islamic mortgage, for example, the bank buys the house then resells it at a higher price, allowing the new homeowner to pay in installments.

Ziyad Muhammad of the Islamic Finance Institute of South Africa says Islamic banking is about creating wealth for the community.

“The ultimate objective is to ensure that anything that is introduced by the entrepreneur is done for the benefit of the community at large,” he said.

Muhammad took part in a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) conference meant to counter Christian opposition to the introduction of Islamic banking.

The Christian Association of Nigeria says the move violates the country’s secular constitution and comes at a dangerous time when security forces are battling Islamic fundamentalists who are fighting for an independent nation ruled by Islamic law.

At the St. Peter Claver Catholic Church, Father Paul Anyansi recognizes the potential economic benefits of Islamic banking but believes its dangers are far greater.

“We have too many religious tensions in terms of Islam against Christians. So it could stir up more. This is not the time for it,” he said. “The policies for Islamic banking are good in the sense where there is no loan and interest. It doesn’t go against the beliefs of the Islams. But what we are trying to say is that this country is not mature for it now.”

Father Anyansi says Christian leaders understand that Islamic banking works in other countries and might eventually work in Nigeria, but not right now.

“It could be as effective as it is in England, as it is in America, as it is in Malaysia or countries where it is operated. But for now, we are still growing. A lot of people are not accepting their brother as their brother. They are not accepting the differences between religions. It will create more problems than more gains,” he said.

Human rights activist Oke Adheke says Nigeria cannot run on both a secular system and an Islamic system.

“The moment they gave it a religious coloration it is not good for this country. Islamic banking by the name is not good for this country. Let them give us banking products that they believe are good for the ordinary man. The problem with this country is that we introduce too many funny things and tell stories about them, yet they don’t work,” said Adheke.

Banker Solomon Osiobe says people are afraid of Islamic banking because it is new, but he believes it can help the economy if everyone understands its rules.

“Let’s give it a chance because it has its advantages and disadvantages. If the rules are set out to be followed by the people who are to be served and there is public alertment, this banking system can go on,” he said.

In this time of religious tension, Jaiz International Bank’s Mohammed Mustapha Bintube says, Nigeria needs an alternate method of financing based on fairness, equity, and transparency.

“Islamic banks also, deliberately, we don’t finance anything that is harmful to society. So we only look for projects that make positive impact in people’s lives,” he said.

Nigeria’s Conference of Islamic Organizations says opposition to Islamic banking is ignorant and insincere as it says some political leaders are trying to link Islamic financing to terrorism at a time when London and Paris are competing to be the center of Islamic banking.

The Christian Association of Nigeria says it will challenge the introduction of Islamic banking in court.



http://www.nigeriancompass.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1897:islamic-banking-tears-nigerian-religious-leaders-apart&catid=338:money-market

With the authentic figures by the RMAFC, it means the four-year tenure of Mr. President will fetch him a total of N56m in salaries and allowances.

A table of the emoluments of all political office holders in the nation and those of judiciary made available at the commission’s website listed the figures.

With this revelation of what used to inhabit the realm of conjecture and secrecy, RMAFC must have laid to rest the argument on how much is spent on the members of the National Assembly (NASS) for instance, or elicited another season of hairsplitting.

The question of the earnings of the members of the NASS has been a vexed issue for a long time that towards the end of the Sixth NASS, the members earned recrimination and name calling for sitting on the wealth of the nation to the exclusion of other citizens. The matter remained at the front burner especially after the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria in a public lecture dropped a claim that the NASS spends about 25 percent of the overhead of the federal budget.

Daily Sun’s access of the RMAFC site revealed the earnings of other top officers of the state as well. That also includes the details that the number two citizen, Mr. Vice President earns a take home of N12.12m per annum or N48.48m for the four years he will be in office.

Similarly, the Senate President earns, from RMAFC approvals, about N8.7m per annum or a monthly gross emolument of N724,570.73. The Deputy Senate President earns a little less with a total package of N8.08m in a year or N673,506.97 at the end of every month.

But you can easily see what looks like a discrepancy in the earnings of these major senatorial officers and others inferior to them. Every other senator earns N12,766,320 annually or a monthly take of N1,063,860. With that package, a senator earns more than the Vice President. That means it is more lucrative to be a senator than answer the VP. The commission has explanation for that. It is because most of the allowances for principal officers of the senate and other bodies come in kind whereas the rest get theirs in cash.
The second wing of the NASS had its emoluments also published by the commission, and indicated that the Speaker of the House takes home N4.95m in a year or N412,851 per month, as his deputy earns N4.574m in a year and N381,172.38 per month.

The rest of the members of the House are paid N9.529m annually or a breakdown of N794,085 in a month.
The principal officers of the NASS earn higher than the ordinary members and also the two chief officers.
If you have a relation that was appointed a minister and you took out advertorials congratulating him or rolled out the red carpet in celebration, you might not get much in return for the investment. RMAFC revealed in its table of emoluments that a minister, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Head of Service earn a paltry N2.02m in a year as basic salary or a total emolument of N7.801m with a monthly take of N650,136.67. So with about 40 ministers in Jonathan’s cabinet, the nation spends about N312.4m on their salaries in a year or N1.248b in the four-year tenure.

However, the presidents special advisers and others enjoy a package of a basic N1.942m in a year or a gross pay of N7.091m with a breakdown sum of N590,957.81 total monthly salary with the allowances.
RMAFC indicated that the pay listed here is not inclusive of what it called ‘non-regular allowances’. These include the controversial furniture allowance that comes once in four years, accommodation, annual leave, severance gratuity, vehicle loan indicated as optional, duty tour and estacode per night. The rest of the allowances are denominated in naira with the exception of estacodes that come in US dollars.

With the 20 Special Advisers recently approved for Mr. President as part of his team two weeks ago, the state will cough out N141.830m to pay them in a year or N567,319,496m in the four years the tenure will last.
The RMAFC chart also included senior judicial officers from the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Supreme Court justices, justices of the Court of Appeal, the Federal High Court judges, state High Court judges and the chief judges of the state and the federal high courts.
The CJN earns N6.727m gross annual income and N560,662.08 in a month, whereas other Supreme Court Justices and the President of the Court of Appeal labour for a package of N10,899,284 and a monthly pay of N908,273.67.

Before you take all these figures as absolute truth or make disputations, there is a caveat or a proviso the RMAFC left for Nigerians.
It explained in its posting that “any other salaries, allowances or others being enjoyed by any political or public office holder outside those provided by the law or determined by the Commission from time to time in accordance with the constitution, are not known to the Commission.”
RMAFC also urged anti-corruption agencies, the police and other enforcers of the ethics of good governance to hold accountable the relevant accounting officer that made such extra-statutory emolument available to the officer.

^^^^This is why I will keep loving you, I will love you forever + 1day. You really know how to feed me. You are the best cos other gals, after eating their rubbish food trust me you not gonna make it fast enough to the toilet

^^^"ONLY" is higher than No 1, so now run to the house and make me good egusi soup, before I unveil your Bentley gift to you

Cuddlemii:
Can't she just be a mystery flirt without romantic involvement

I was away for just a short period of time and here you are flirting with the guys. Who are all these small boys calling you sweet names?

I have heard so much about this 2go

Very dumb question

^^^I knw you would come to me sweerrie, cos whatever belongs to me has a way of coming back to me. I will send you the itinerary right away. No time.

PROTESTING workers yesterday chased away Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State from his office over the sack of 1,994 of their colleagues.

Amosun took refuge in the Presidential Lodge, Abeokuta, the state capital, where heavily-armed mobile policemen had to cordon-off the Lodge to shield him from the workers’ wrath.

But for the intervention of the security agents, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Taiwo Adeoluwa, might have been lynched by the thousands of civil servants protesting the sack of their colleagues by Amosun.

Security agents had already tipped the governor off that the protesters were approaching and he quickly left his office for the Presidential Lodge.

Trouble started when the SSG was trying to appeal to the protesters to calm down and comply with the government directive on the need to re-apply for employment in the state civil service.

The civil servants, who were among the about 2,000 recruited by the immediate past administration of Otunba Gbenga Daniel, staged a protest to the Governor’s Office in Oke-Mosan.

Amosun had sacked the workers as part of his administration’s reversal of several policies and programmes executed by his predecessor.

Despite the fact that the state government would still make an extra N20 million monthly after paying the 1,994 workers, Amosun ordered their sack.

The civil servants, who protested the treatment meted out to their colleagues, also carried their grievances to the House of Assembly and the Press Centre of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Oke-Ilewo, Abeokuta.



Some of the protesters carried placards with inscriptions, such as “Amosun promised us better living, not disappointment”; “Where is your wind of change?”; “We say

no to disengagement”; “Governor Amosun, this is unfair”; “You have no mercy, Mr. Governor, are we bonafide indigenes of Ogun State at all?” and “10,000 jobs must start from somewhere.”

The workers were employed in March before the general elections.

Narrating their ordeal, some of those sacked drawn from various ministries, departments and agencies, lamented that they had worked for the last three months without pay.

They explained that the news of their sack was conveyed on Wednesday (yesterday) by their various Permanent Secretaries who said that their services were no longer needed by the government.

The protesters wondered why the governor disengaged them arbitrarily and without valid reason after being legitimately employed by the state government.

They argued that since Amosun had promised to employ 10,000 workers within his first 100 days in office, he should not find it difficult to accommodate them since they are bonafide indigenes of the state.

One of the workers, who identified himself as Ademefun Abiodun, explained that the state government had on June 20 directed them to re-apply, which they complied with.



Abiodun said he was surprised to hear on Wednesday morning that he had been disengaged along with other workers recruited by the immediate past administration.

Lasisi Saheed of the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) department of the state’s Transport Ministry, also said that he got to his office just to be told that he had been sacked.



“Former Governor Segun Osoba employed workers toward the tail end of his administration and Otunba Daniel did not sack them when he came on board. So, why would Amosun sack us simply because Daniel recruited us? It is unfair the way they have treated us. Is this the kind of government Amosun promised us?” one of the workers said.

Addressing the protesters at the Governor’s Office, the SSG denied that the workers were sacked and attributed their grievances to rumour mongering.

Adeoluwa pointed out that what the government only did was to ask the workers to re-apply, adding that the Amosun-led administration would follow due process in re-engaging them.

He said: “As a government that rode to power on a popular mandate and has promised to create 10,000 new jobs, this is strange. If you are here and you have not re-applied, please go and do that immediately.

“On our part as a government, I can assure you that no single person that is qualified and who has passed through due process will be denied employment; they will

be re-engaged immediately. This is a humane government that respects the rule of law. We won’t be taking away jobs but we will instead be creating jobs.”

Miffed by the SSG’s unsatisfactory explanation, the sacked workers angrily shouted at him and at this point, security agents within the Secretariat Complex waded in

and hurriedly took him away apparently to forestall any untoward development.

The protesters, some of them weeping and cursing the governor, moved to the House of Assembly where they met the Speaker, Suraj Adekunbi, who asked them to exercisepatience.

The Speaker asked the protesters to formally write a letter to the House concerning the matter, adding that the lawmakers would debate the issue with a view to finding a lasting solution.



The workers will today stage a major protest to the office of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

The Lagos state chapter of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded for the "immediate resignation" of the governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola over the flooding of most parts of the state on Sunday.

The party also demanded an unreserved apology from the governor and the payment of adequate compensation to the families of those who lost their lives and property in the flood.

The party's publicity secretary in Lagos State, Taofik Gani, made this known in a statement on Wednesday, where it sympathised with residents affected by the two-days heavy downpour.

PDP described the disaster as "an avoidable trauma," insisting that the state government could have done more to prevent the flooding.

"Contrary to the claim by the state government that Lagosians dump refuse and build on the drainage, the actual cause of the flooding is lack of proper drainage. It is uncomplimentary for the state government to accuse Lagos residents for its own negligence, dereliction of duty and maladministration," the statement read.

According to the party, the state government had over the years failed to clear primary drainage in the state which resulted in last Sunday's floods. It also alleged that the blocking of waterways by construction companies also contributed to the flooding.

More blame

Blaming the government for the ongoing Eko Atlantic project, the PDP claimed that the unnecessary sand filling of lagoons, seas and the ocean by the state government also raised the water level of the ocean.

The statement further lamented the frequent collapse of buildings and loss of lives in Lagos State as it blamed the continued collapse of buildings in the state on the inability of the state to punish government officials involved in the monitoring of building construction.

The PDP then called on the state government to provide affordable housing for the people as a way of making substandard buildings unattractive.

Shina Rambo was a household name in the world of crime - fearful, ruthless, dangerous and a terror in the society. The former kingpin and a serpent to security agencies is now a professed Evangelist and maverick preacher who is as meek as a dove. In this Exclusive Revelation, he poured out his mind on how he tormented Lagosians, the police and how he snatched 42 exotic cars in a day and how he remained invisible for the police dragnet.



What’s your background and where are you actually from?

It is true that people are always confused about where l come from. Actually my father came from Abeokuta in Ogun State, but I from Sanbogida-Ora in Edo State. That is where my mother came from and where l lived all my early life.

How did you acquire the name Sina Rambo?

There is a saying in Yoruba that a child acquires any name that suits him when he was not in his place of birth. That was the appellation l was given in those days when l ventured into the world of crime. The name that was given to me at birth was Omokenwa, meaning a child is the one that takes care of the home. The meaning of Sina Rambo stands for a team or a group of deadly squad with a mission. I was the Rambo. Therefore, the merging of Shina with Rambo is just like any organisation like cooperative society which has each name to identify their group, yet they belong to the same cooperative society. To those people who thought that l came from Cotonou, Republic of Benin, or Sabongida- Ora, they are all correct because wherever you are living or place you are used to, that is your home. Though my father is from Abeokuta, many people did not know me there because apart from Cotonou where my operating business took me, l lived my adolescent life in Edo State, the place of my mother.

At what point in your life did you veer into crime?

Everything comes down to the lackadaisical attitude of my parents in taking adequate care of my need when l was growing up. My father was a military man who married virtually everywhere he was posted to in his career; this gave him the opportunity to have many wives. One of the early memories l could recollect which l will never forget in my life was that my father was the first person to cut me with a cutlass. That is why l said that the nonchalant attitude of my parents dragged me into the world of crime.

Was that actually what led you into crime?

I will say that the moment a child lacks parental care, love and attention, such a child is being nursed towards crime. In my own case it was a combination of many things that led me to the world of crime. Poor and not caring family, later my business was almost grinded when some of my goods were confiscated. Along the line, my younger brother was also killed; in the mission of avenging l was gradually involved in crime and before l knew it l wanted to excel in it. What we called the real Shina Rambo lives inside.

Your name created tremor among people in society, the security operatives inclusive, how did you get such power?

If a child knows how to wash his hand well, definitely he will eat with the elders. I know how to appease the elders, therefore anything l need from them l usually get it. Now that l am in Christ, l know better. The fact is if you decide to eat with the devil, make sure you do it to a logical conclusion and if you want to follow Christ, let him be your sole companion in anything that you are doing. I got power in the world of devil, and l followed it to a logical conclusion. In the world of the devil, police or any security has nothing to do with us, as a daredevil robber then. There are certain things which an armed robber should have. The first is what you call afoola. We used many human beings to do this native medicine, including a foetus in his mother’s womb. The second is ikiya (boldness).

This will give you the audacity and effrontery to do anything at any time no matter how dangerous the venture is. The third one is that anybody who wants to venture into highlevel robbery must be ready to squeeze all the water inside his eye and use it for a powerful medicine, so that there is nothing that would happen that such a person will cry again, no matter how devastating or big such a calamity is. I searched for power from the demons of various types, inside the most powerful water called water of the world at a town called Ogoja. All leaders of the world who are actually looking for power used to go inside this water. At that point when I was on operation l will put on the appearance of different types of people to the extent that it was difficult for anybody to identify my real being. There is no amount of picture that you took that you will get a clear view. That was why when they said that, ‘Oh! they have killed Shina Rambo,’ but it was another person that they would kill instead. From that place, l went to Oke Idanre and later Enugu and Abeokuta to look for power that can make me to be invisible at will.

I was able to have a magical power that allowed me to look differently in eight places. At Abeokuta, the nine herbalists that did the medicine for me were killed so that one day they will not reveal the secret behind the medicine to any mortal. There is a place in Oyo State called Fiditi; lawyers also go there to look for power. Along the line l entered into different cults that are very powerful. There they have to change my body because l was buried alive for seven days in the burial ground and my soul was kept in a small coffin. After the seventh day, l became powerful and more dangerous, too hot to be handled by anybody. Again l went inside the Iroko tree to seek for power. In fact, you will not believe the number of houses that you will find inside the Iroko tree, its a whole town inside the tree. When you get there, you are going to chant some incantations and the door will open, you will see various types of people engaging in activities like selling, eating, having meeting and doing all sorts of things done in the physical world. When l went there, we entered through the ninth door before we entered the town. I was able to do this because l was able to produce for the elders what they needed, so they were ready to give me what l wanted and ready to take me to wherever it would be possible for me to get what l wanted. There was a time l was taken to a burial place with 15 heads to go and to collect some charms from the spirit. From there, l was fortified to the extent that there is no bullet that could enter my body, it will just be like pure water.

What is your relationship with the police?

Normally we and the police are supposed to be enemies, but unfortunately a lot of them are our friends. There are some policemen who are mere saboteurs; they love money more than the job. Such police officers are mole in the force because they sell vital information to robbers and most of the time turned their back when their “friends” are on the road. At this point in time, it is people like us who could assist government to nab criminals because l know their antics and modus operandi. Not all of police are bad, but there are some moles among them that are spoiling their good work. These few ones know the real robbers and most of the time assist them (robbers) to achieve their deadly mission.

You were once rich and famous where is the wealth today?

In the first instance, where did all the luxuries come from? No matter how plenty the devil gives, it is for a short period, he will collect it back. No matter how smart you are, any covenant with the devil, you are going to lose at the end. It is the devil that will give you a cap and in return asking buba and gele from you. Vanity upon vanity all is vanity. There is nothing that one can gain from the devil apart from frustration and humiliation; at the end you are going to have disappointment. You can imagine when I would strike and snatch more than 30 cars. I once snatched over 42 cars in a day. Some of the cars I gave to whomever I wanted. I had so much then. Paul said in Philippians 3:7-13 “But, all that amounted to profit for me in life, I have now seen as loss in Christ”. Verse 13 now says, “Brethren, I have forgotten the things that are behind, I press towards things ahead.” In Psalm 126:1, the same Bible tells me that “when God returns the loss of Zion, we would be like them that dream”. I know that to rise in Christ is the responsibility of every member of the household of faith. The Holy Spirit would use every true Christian to put on real genuine footing. The devil gave me so much at that time and it took what it gave me. If I have to recall the painful details and the anguish, it does not worth it because I am a new creature. What has been destroyed cannot be restored just like that. We are now in Christ, he owns and dispenses eternal joy, when we end our race here, we would return to our eternal home: heaven, where there is no weeping, no anxiety, anguish, hunger and pain.

Do you have any godfather?

Definitely. When we were in Edo, we had our godfather who is always there for us anytime we went on operation. It was the same place that the likes of Anini, a.k.a. the law and Monday Osunbor Pero, and Lucky learnt the rudiment of robbery. We sprung up from one source.

What usually comes to your mind any day you are going for operation?

The first thing that readily came to mind was that ‘the dead must be done’. But before that, we must first ask people who owns the world how the day would look like before we step out. There is a charm called atona (Pathfinder) that we consult before we go out. It would tell us what we are going to do and which sacrifice we are going to make before we move out. Again there is what we call eru (fear) which has been deposited into my body, wherever l go, that fear will not let you challenge my authority.

Where and how did you get the ammunition you were using?

As I told you that my father was a military man, from the beginning gun had been assembled and dismembered in our house. Innocently, my father will be would put the gun together as one. From that daily experience l knew how to handle a gun and by the time l left him, there was no gun l could not put together. Ironically, what parents did not take serious and handle with levity, the kids are fast learning and before you know it, they have mastered the act. If it is a bad habit, the family will definitely pay for it. The gun l was using then was in pieces when brought from outside the country. I later put it together to make it a complete gun. After that l return it into the world of darkness where it was changed to the gun of the elders. After this l just recite a few incantations to the gun and whatever l ask the gun to do is what it will do. However there is no gun that l cannot handle a few minutes after studying it. doing this virtually on a daily basis and he tells me to go and bring one or two things that had connection with the gun in the house and at the end he

Those who are working with you, how were they trained?

There is always time for training; we teach them how to handle it and how to get their target. It was an extensive training which we normally do most of the time especially when we are going on operation. All those that are working with me are all in the same cult, they know our dos and don’ts, we have gone to many places together, that was why it was difficult for the police to kill anyone of us. There is a general charm that the death that is meant to kill anyone of us should kill outsiders. There are some incantations to back it up and it would be backed up in the world of darkness. Therefore anywhere we go on operation, instead of recording any casualty, it is the people around that will die.

Can you recollect how many people your gun had killed?

No, they are just plenty that l cannot remember. Aside from this, l used a lot of people for sacrifice that l cannot even remember. I don’t want to remember those dark days.

Now that you are a pastor, do you believe that there is a curse that actually affected your destiny?

You are right. There is a saying in Yoruba that it is only in war that one can die accidentally, but a curse has a target and no matter the year it was invoked it will still be operational. That crisis and curse entered my life when l was still in my mother’s womb. My father is a polygamist and one day there was a quarrel between my mother and my father’s mother. Then l was told that my father’s mother invoked a curse on my mother that she will never deliver me in peace otherwise she is not from Ikereke (a town in Oyo State) and my mother replied that she will have a normal delivery as God lives otherwise she will not serve God if she comes in the next word. From that altercation from both, the curse entered into my life and l carried the curse and the burden until l met Christ.

How do you handle women and wine?

I engaged in all what you can call devilish ventures, like smoking of Indian hemp, wine and in the company of women of easy virtue. I was in a hotel with about 58 women playing with me, but the warning from the world of darkness is that l should not take any of them to bed. The instruction l followed to the letter. Then l love women but there was a boundary which l must not cross. I am compelled to have fun with my only wife who knew my entire venture into the world of darkness. That was why all the women sent to me cannot do anything to me. Though l spent for them, but that was just the limit l could go.

Is it true that you once spent N50 million a day?

How many of that do you want to count, plenty? There was a time we went for an operation in Lagos, and it seemed we were in a tight corner, we just decided to be giving out the money to the people in order to escape. There was commotion, everybody was trying to pick as many naira notes as they can pick.

Did your friends know the type of person you were?

You know birds of the same feather always flock together. The so-called friends that l was moving with as at then were also into one form of shady deals or the other. But the funny thing is that nobody could identify my being with what l was doing. Even if some of them know me they cannot say it out because it was too dangerous and there was nobody l cannot kill. I usually come out in different faces which made it difficult for anybody to really identify me. That was the power given to me in the world of darkness.

Who was the lady that used to accompany you to all operations?

She was not a human being, though people referred to her as an alhaja, but she was a demon donated to me in the world of darkness. She will dress the way l dressed and must always be with me any time I am going out on operation. She is the one that was picked from the kingdom of Satan to be my partner.

How did you meet Christ?

It was such a miraculous way. I met Christ at a cross road. It was a miracle l did not expect. I met Christ through Prophet T. O. Obadare. I made myself available to the police and l have to bear all the detention and all the agonies l faced for about 11 years. A lot of Christian brothers rallied round me with conviction that l should give my life to Christ. Then Papa Obadare came to me in the prison that though l was expecting death, God has removed death from my head if I am ready to surrender everything to him. In my own thinking l thought all was over, with all the atrocities l had committed, but God showed me mercy and gave me the second chance. So when l slept, l saw that the cloth of yoke and burden was removed from my neck, l was off from the bondage of Satan, a new cloth was given to me. By the time l woke up, l was talking in tongues. From that encounter, for the first time in my life that my soul would calm down, l learnt how to pray. I stopped taking cocaine and Indian hemp. Everything about me became new.

What do you think government can do to stop robbery?

The simple truth is that we cannot stop robbery, but we can reduce it to the barest minimum, because we asked for it. In Matthew 27, we asked for it. They said Barnabas should be released instead of Jesus Christ, when Pilate said that this man did not commit any sin. They said no way, release Barnabas and let his blood be on us and on our children. Ever since then robbery and killing became the order of the day. Government should be able to tap from the wealth of experience of people like us who can decode a lot of knotty issues as regard how to curb the menace of armed robbery. Some of those that are inside the prison are not supposed to be there. By the time they are out, they become hardened criminals. I pray that God will help us to make things work in this country, if he could locate me from the pit of darkness where l sojourned, and now in Christ, he will deliver the country from bad leaders who make things difficult for the masses.

^^^So you don turn "Male" now now?

While some stars try so hard to stay away from controversies, some are busy swimming in it. One of the people in the latter group is Timaya, the self acclaimed Egberi Papa 1 of Bayelsa.

The crooner who many thought was warming up to settle down following his controversial breakup with actress Empress Njamah sometime last year, has this time given birth to another controversial surprise.

Just recently, rumour swirled round the industry about Timaya's romance with an alleged Abuja lover who it was said is pregnant for him.

According to the report, Timaya was full of joy when the news reached him and even started spreading the good news as an expectant father. He even declared his intention to allegedly marry the lover.

An impeccable source informed us that the plantain boy, as Timaya is fondly called, recently dumped the girl.

According to the source, his reason is that she lost the pregnancy few weeks after. And Timaya,we learnt,got furious about the whole thing, referring to her as bad luck for allegedly losing his first baby.

We also learnt that the message sent to Timaya on his Blackberry messenger was the result of the pregnancy scan that revealed the baby's identity as a boy, which was the real reason he allegedly asked her to keep the pregnancy.

Current investigation revealed that ever since this occurrence, Timaya has ceased to have anything to do with her

Finally whatever thread that held the relationship between popular actress Genevieve Nnaji and known musician Dapo Oyebanji- Dbanj- is no more.

They have quarreled and gone their separate ways at press time.

This occurrence is said to be at the instance of the actress.

She is said to be tire of the growing controversies around her name and that of the artiste widely known as the Koko master.

Friends claim that she told them that the phenomenon has started taking away points from her career.

And in order not to end up as just one of the rungs on the ladder of Dbanj's success she decided to call it quits with the arrangement that netted her two million naira as appearance fee in the musical video tagged 'Fall in Love'

Investigations conducted revealed that though the video shoot served as publicity gimmick for the celebrated romance between them- an affair did transpired.

Insiders however insist it was only a fling.

Genevieve was said to be all about keeping it very quiet- but the Mo'HIT crew preferred to leverage on it to boost Dbanj's image as a ladies' man and the sale of the album, Entertainer.

But when the talks of pregnancy and abortion for the musician by the actress started making the rounds and feasted on by celebrity media, the actress was forced to pull out of the arrangement – with her earning intact.

She believes that the new twist to the affair would leave her with the short end of the stick in the deal.

Her handlers were said to have convinced her that the image of an irresponsible public figure that would result from the development would make nonsense of whatever credits she has to her name within weeks- hence the collapse of the 'relationship.'

It's no longer news that talented actress Omotola Jalade Ekeinde was the first Nollywood star to ever walk the red carpet at the 2011 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. The event which would have been a sweet tale,turns sour following a butt-grabbing incident by her escort.

The picture had elicited wild rumors and innuendoes-with some speculating that she's having an extra marital affairs with the guy whose hands was on her backside.

Omotola finally opens up in a phone chat and clears the air about the rumours.

“People have insinuated all kinds of things and read numerous meaning to what was nothing but an innocuous picture taken of me and a member of my new management team at the Grammys. The picture was an innocent one, signifying nothing.

I have been married to my husband for 15 years now, and I say this loud and clear that I have never cheated on him, and would never do so ever! Remember I said in an interview I granted you in 2009, that yes, I have been tempted numerous times to violate my marital vows, but I have always resisted the temptation to do anything that would bring dishonor to my marriage and my children. If I told you – as a popular actress that we have not been tempted, I would be lying to you. But should one sacrifice all what one has built, nurtured and worked hard to establish just because you want to indulge in some ill-motivated affair? No. I don't believe in that. I count myself blessed to have married a perfect gentleman, a man who has supported me throughout my years in the industry, and is still there, as a rock of Gibraltar. My husband is a rare find, and no amount of temptation will ever make me cheat on him.

So the notion or the rumor that my haters and nay Sayers have spread to the effect that the guy at the Grammys was my boyfriend, is ludicrous to say the least. If I wanted to cheat on my husband, would I do that in the open? Would I advertise my boyfriend for everyone to see and at such a public function? Just analyze that logically – would that be a commonsensical thing to do?

This rumor is really a sick one and I'm offended. My husband is my soul-mate and I will never soil or put that trust in jeopardy – no matter what and the extent of the temptation. It is not worth it.”

The Oyo State government has defended the non-payment of the May salaries of the former governor of the state, Adebayo Akala and his aides accusing them of looting the state’s treasury.

Dr Festus Adedayo, Special Assistant on Public Communications to the state governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, in a statement yesterday said after the payment of the new minimum wage to workers in May, there was nothing left to pay current and former political office holders.

He was while reacting to an statement by the spokesman of the former governor faulting the non payment of the salaries of Akala and his aides.

According to Adedayo, the former governor left the treasury empty after paying himself and his aides 300 percent increase of their of annual salaries, which equal three-year salaries as severance package in contravention of an injunction against the action by a law court.

“Financial rascality and massive looting of the treasury by the last administration,” Adedayo stated has bought the state to a standstill.

“After paying civil servants the N18, 000 minimum wage, the state government could not pay political office appointees their salaries, including Governor Ajimobi himself and his aides who, since their appointments, have not earned a dime in salary. The Alao-Akala mouthpiece can always confirm the veracity or otherwise of this assertion from the treasury.”

He attributed the former governor’s wolf cry to either mischief or ignorance or a combination of both since this information was public knowledge in the state.

Adedayo said some local governments in the state could not also pay political appointees after implementation of the new minimum wage.

He stated further that after the salary issue is sorted out and government is ready to pay political office holders, it would still be necessary to verify the true figures of the former governor’s aides.

He disclosed that the figure bequeathed to the current government on the payment of the former governor’s Special Assistants was so unwieldy and unreliable that it keeps oscillating from 24 to 73.

“I doubt if the current government would be ready to funnel non-existent funds into such drain.”

Three of the former governor’s aides, Dr. Nureni Aderemi Adeniran, Prince Dotun Oyelade and Chief Gbade Ishola , had in a statement accused Ajimobi of failure to pay their May salaries. In a statement last week they claimed that “The non-payment of the salaries of the former Governor and his aides for the month of May confirms the desperation of Ajimobi’s Administration to rake up money from every available source to meet first, the expectation of the God-fathers who, by honest calculation, are not few, on their investments towards his manipulation into office as the Governor.”

But Adedayo said the former Governor had no moral right to berate his successor for non-payment of his May salary when, in contravention of a court he flagrantly paid himself and his aides a stupendous salary increase

When three-year-old Daniel Okpah left home for school on June 24, 2011, he was full of life. His father, Meshach, bade him farewell. But Meshach did not have a premonition that it was the last time he would see his son, who clocked three on June 22.

Daniel left school after the closing hour but did not make it home. He fell into a gutter and drowned after a downpour in the Alakara area of Mushin in Lagos.

While Daniel’s parents have come to terms with the reality that they would not see their son again, they are saddened that all efforts to retrieve his corpse since then have proved abortive. His body was washed away by the flood.

Meshach told PUNCH METRO that Daniel was coming home from school when he slipped and fell into a big gutter, which immediately swept him away.

He said, “Daniel attended Alakara Nursery and Primary School, Mushin, with his seven-year-old brother, Samuel. They usually went to school and came back together because the school is just a stone’s throw from our home.

“On the fateful day, I was at work when a neighbour called me on the telephone, telling me to come home immediately. It dawned on me that something must have gone wrong as my neighbours refused to give me further information.

“On getting home, I saw a crowd gathered not too far from my house. They were all looking into the gutter as if they were searching for something.

“When I asked what was going on, I was told that Samuel and Daniel had fallen into the gutter. However, they were able to rescue only Samuel because he was wearing his school uniform and was easy to spot.

“However, after Samuel was rescued, he told the crowd that his three-year-old brother was also in the gutter but by then it was too late as the strong torrents had swept him away.”

PUNCH METRO learnt that Alakara Primary School, which most of the children in the area attend, lack adequate infrastructure and good security. This makes it easy for pupils to leave the school premises at will.

The spokesman for the Kudabar Community Development Association, Odi-Olowo Council Development Area, Mr. Ilari Ogun, said people in the community had gone to visit the school to find out why pupils were allowed to leave the school premises during downpour.

He said, “We went to the school and we discovered that security was very lax there. The school compound has become a thoroughfare as strangers come through the school to get to the next street.

“Also, the school’s fence is broken and touts come in there at midnight to sleep and carry out nefarious activities. In the morning, you will see stubs of cigarette and Indian hemp as well as condoms on the floor. This is the kind of school government has provided for our children.”

Ogun added that on that day, there was no one guarding the school gate and the pupils were allowed to go home when there were floods everywhere.

“It is their duty to guard the pupils and prevent them from leaving the school premises under unsafe circumstances. However, for some reasons, nobody was around on that day to monitor the pupils,” he said.

Members of the community, who spoke to our correspondent, attributed the huge flood in the area to a bad drainage system, adding that the problem started after a Chinese company, which the government had given a contract to repair the railway, tampered with the drainage channels.

In a petition addressed to the then Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Muiz Banire, dated September 15, 2010 and signed by the CDA Chairperson, Mrs. Sandra Alex-Oni, the community decried the deplorable state of the drainage in the area, especially on Kugbuyi Street.

“The drainage system is levelled with the road creating severe flooding in homes. During the rainy season, stagnant water is constant and all efforts to drain this water have failed,” the letter reads in part.

“The drainage channel was not done properly as the flow of water has been directed towards Bada Street, which is very wrong. Consequently, whenever it rains, the flood is always so intense that an adult could even drown,” a member of the community, who craved anonymity said.

Meshach hoped the death of his son would lead to positive changes in the community, adding that members of staff of the school had paid him a condolence visit.

When asked what efforts had been made to recover the body of his son, he said, “I think the strong torrent will have taken his body to the canal around Idi Araba. We’ll keep looking though.”

However, the Assistant Head Teacher, of the school, Mrs. Sherifat Omobola, said the school could not be held responsible for Daniel’s death because the incident occurred after school hours.

She said, “The area is always flooded whenever it rains. On that Friday, the school was flooded because of the rain. So, we waited for the rain to subside before guiding the pupils to dry land.

“Unfortunately, after escorting them to a safe place, Samuel and Daniel went somewhere else. It was on their way to the unknown place that they both slipped and fell on Agege Motor Road.

“Daniel lives on Daniel Street and we led him and his brother to Kugbuyi Street. So, what were they looking for on Agege Motor Road?”

Omobola added that on the said day, three other children who were not pupils of the school also fell into the gutter but were rescued by teachers from the school.

“It is very unfortunate that Daniel drowned. On that day, we rescued three other children. Even when we heard Daniel had drowned, we were at the scene trying our best to help and after the incident, we went to the home of the parents to commiserate with them,” she said.

Omobolanle also lamented the poor state of security in the area, which she said could easily affect the school in the event that violence broke out.