₦airaland Forum

Senator Ahmed Lawan, we have heard.

I was 15 years old,when you guys started the plan to impeach Senator Saraki ,and now I am 18 and a half yrs old, and the plan has still not worked.

Even witches pursuing somebody in real life,would have given up their evil plans and walked away.

Posted By: ODUNAYO OGUNMOLA

Former Chief Security Officer to the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, has clinched the presidential ticket of the People’s Party of Nigeria (PPN).

According to the Chairman, PPN Presidential Primary Elections Committee, Mr. Dare Adekolu, Al-Mustapha won with 3,564,262 votes to beat Dr. Imuetinyan Igbinnosa, who garnered 2,183,856 votes and Chief Isiaka Olorunnimbe who polled 1,400,755 votes.

Adekolu who collated election results from the 36 states and the FCT at the PPN Presidential Primaries/2018 National Convention which held in Ado Ekiti, declared Al-Mustapha as the party’s presidential candidate.

Adekolu, who is Ekiti State PPN Chairman, urged party members and other Nigerians to support and vote for the party’s flagbearer for the 2019 presidential election.

He said: “PPN has come to redeem Nigeria. PPN has come to save Nigeria from poverty, lack, unemployment and underdevelopment, hence the need for support”.

In his acceptance speech, Al-Mustapha, who was represented on the occasion by Mr. Zakaria Husseini, promised Nigerians good leadership and promised to salvage the country and put it back on the path of growth and prosperity.

Husseini, who described the PPN flagbearer as a detribalised, patriotic Nigerian and experienced administrator, assured that Al-Mustapha would “provide the missing link in governance in Nigeria and ensure better lives for the citizenry in all spheres of the economy”.

In his address, PPN National Chairman, Hon Razak Eyiowuawi, who expressed confidence that with the party’s flagbearer, the road was clear for PPN to win the 2019 presidential election, described the party as the country’s life-wire with its emphasis as agriculture development.

Eyiowuawi said “the popularity, wealth of experience and Major Al-Mustaphaand his appeal to a wide spectrum will help the party to victory. PPN is a force to reckon with. We are going into this election which we believe we can win with positive mind”.

The PPN chairman, who dismissed insinuations in some quarters that the 2019 presidential election would be straight fight between APC and PDP, said his party was the party to beat, saying: “Major Al-Mustapha will take over from President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.

“Remember PPN is part of coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP). Apart from the fact that our party can win the election on its own, our candidate is expected to emerge as the CUPP candidate for the presidential election and will defeat Buhari.

“I know that PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, will work with Major Al-Mustapha when our candidate emerges as CUPP presidential candidate. Nigerians can be rest-assured of value of lives, welfare of workers, education development and repositioning of the economy among others under Al-Mustapha’s government,” the PPN National Chairman said.

http://thenationonlineng.net/ex-abachas-aide-mustapha-wins-ppn-presidential-ticket/

Lalasticlala Mynd44

Posted By: Emma Elekwa, Onitsha

A 24-year old woman, Miss Oluchukwu, have allegedly been rejected by her family over her refusal to sell her day-old baby boy after she delivered him out of wedlock.

Oluchukwu, an indigene of Ebonyi State, whose family resides at Awka Etiti in Idemili South local government of Anambra State, was said to have refused advise of aborting the pregnancy after she got pregnant out of wedlock.

The victim, was however reportedly picked by an non governmental organization, SAFENEST, after she ran away from the family to Awka, where she later put to bed.

Speaking on Sunday in Awka at a seminar organised by the group, the Executive Director of SAFENEST, Mrs Oluchukwu Ckukwuenyem, said she contacted her family to break the good news of her delivery to them.

She said the victim was rather advised to sell the baby for her upkeep and be sure not to return to the family with it.

“We were so amazed when we learnt of this, and we have taken it upon ourselves to take care of her and the baby. She is currently in a location we put her. We do not want to release her exact location, but I can tell you she is doing well.

“How much will she sell the baby that can assuage her sufferings for nine months?” Oluchukwu said.

She revealed that within a year of the operations of her NGO, she has discovered that most families were threatened by very flimsy excuses, and have gone ahead to experience serious problems like division, divorce and even murder.

Oluchukwu admitted that abuse of substances like hard drug, alcohol and others were primarily behind the cause of violence in families.

She commended the Anambra State command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA for their proactiveness in tackling drug related issues in the state.

http://thenationonlineng.net/family-abandons-daughter-over-refusal-to-sell-day-old-baby/

Lalasticlala Mynd44

By Godwin Ijediogor and Joseph Onyekwere

Lanre Amu graduated at 24 and returned to Nigeria at 54 in 2015, after 34 years in the United States (US), and enrolled to serve the country under the National Youth Service Corps scheme. He explained why he took the action, sharing his experiences.

Why didn’t you serve immediately you graduated?

I left Nigeria at age of 21 in 1982. I graduated in the United States (US) at age of 24. You have to undertake the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme on Nigerian soil. I stayed, schooled and worked in the US for 34 years, so the opportunity or the awareness was not there. I returned to Nigeria at the age of 54 years in 2015. All of my university studies were in the US.

I actually did not know I was not exempted until I approached NYSC, trying to get an exemption letter, and the official in charge explained to me that I was not exempted and that I must serve, because it is mandatory, so long I was below 30 when I got my undergraduate degree. He explained how unfair it would be for those Nigerians similarly placed who did not leave the country and had to serve. I got the message clearly and I served.

What made you want to participate in the scheme, years after graduation and having grown older?

I did not want to do it. I needed to enter into the professions and my NYSC certificate or exemption certificate was requested in some places I went to. So, I went to NYSC office in Maitama, Abuja.They asked me to go and bring my credentials. I finally did. When they examined my credentials, they computed the age at which I got my first degree and said I must serve, that there is no exemption certificate for me, because when I got my first degree, I was less than 30 years old. So, I enrolled and did the NYSC and passed out in December last year.

What were your experiences in service?

Interesting. I was posted first to the State House/Presidency, but was rejected outright. As far as I know, three of us were posted to the State House: Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s daughter, Dr. Tabiti, and I. The only person taken at the State House of all of us was Osinbajo’s 20 something year old daughter. I found that interesting. Mind you, Osinbajo and I were schoolmates at Igbobi College Yaba, Lagos as teenagers.

I then tried to serve at Osinbajo’s Simmons Cooper Law firm, but I was also rejected. Shortly thereafter, Osinbajo was on the front page of national newspapers urging MDAs to stop rejecting corps members. Should charity not start at home? More so, with the government of change? I wrote a protest letter to Osinbajo on that hypocrisy, but he never responded to my letter. I ended doing my primary assignment at the Supreme Court of Nigeria. It was a worthwhile experience learning a great deal about Nigerian laws.

Right from the orientation period, how were you relating with other corps members who were obviously much younger?

NYSC afforded me the opportunity to meet young people and young girls, but I know what you mean. If I had not left Nigeria, I may have had some of them as children. But the focus and preoccupation for many of us in the US is different. The priority is not amassing wives and making babies. For example, former US President Barack Obama said he has just two daughters, so is Presidents George W. Bush Jnr, Bill Clinton has only one daughter.

Osinbajo’s daughter getting better opportunity than those of us that had more to contribute to the country at the time reveals the mindset and orientation of the people in leadership, despite all of their hypocritical talk about ability to lead, change, etc. It boils down to putting self and self-preservation above national interest or selfless service to the nation.

Any particular experiences you would never forget?

The hypocrisy of the administration vis-à-vis posting to State House, and SCP Law firm are things I cannot forget. Talk is cheap. They do not live up to the good things they say and that we read in the newspapers when you approach them one on one.

From your experience, do you think it is better to serve immediately after graduation or after fulfilling some life dreams, as you are doing now?
I never served immediately, so I would not know for sure. For me, I feel that having spent 34 years in the US in high level professions of law, business and engineering, the administration should have provided an enabling opportunity for someone like me to get into the Nigerian system, learn what is on the ground and see where I can contribute to improve things to the level of the environment I spent 34 years. But it seems nobody cares. Nigeria is really an orphan child. Many people in high position in Nigeria act in self-interest, not national interest. They did not care what I have or what I can contribute. It is sad.

Yet, they will be quick to give flimsy excuse to travel out of the country, get estacode, travel voucher and hotel expense to go to the US, telling the Nigerian government they want to go and learn the American system, etc., but in actual fact, they are simply looking for vacation and do not learn anything on those trips.

The Nigerians that fully understand the system they are traveling to learn are not assimilated, as it should be, they are rather seen as threat to their fiefdom in Nigeria. In fact, Nigeria cannot develop quickly with that parochial view of things. For example, when you look at Johannesburg, South Africa and compare it with Chicago, US, they are almost at par developmental wise, but that is because some “white people” are transferring technology/information between those two places.


There are quite a few Nigerians in the US and Britain who make the system work there. When they return to Nigeria, unless they are prepared to compromise integrity to join the corrupt godfathers, they will be relegated and seen as a threat to the establishment, a corrupt establishment.

If you were not considering public or private employment/office, would you have undertaken to serve?

I do not know, because I have an interest in public service/office. I am a Nigerian. I am passionate about the future of this country. Given the knowledge I have acquired overseas and seeing what is on the ground in Nigeria, I believe I can make contributions, immense contributions, if given the opportunity. We must fight those who are holding this country down and liberate it from the strangle hold of corrupt people masquerading as pastors, politicians, Godfathers, etc. Not to do national service will not be consistent with my make up in trying my best to be law abiding.

What do you make of the cases of former Finance minister, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, and Minister of Communications, Mr. Shittu, who were/are caught in NYSC controversies?

The case of Mrs. Adeosun is a familiar one, because like her, I was out of Nigeria for 34 years and I am from her state, Ogun. But the real thing I saw is that it exposed the hypocrisy of Nigeria and how things work. The ‘who you know’ syndrome above commitment, loyalty, faithfulness and honesty to the country is bad. It is the children of the masses, who are supposed to do NYSC in their hundreds of thousands every year, while the children of the connected people, like the Adeosuns, do not need to do anything, they can just fly into Nigeria, take the best job and fly out of Nigeria.

We cannot develop this country with that mentality. There is so much talk about her education, training, skills, what she has to offer to Nigeria, but I beg to disagree. This concept of who you know and anything is possible, any legal obstacles can be sidetracked by the children of these so-called ‘elite’ is what is exposed.

There is no real loyalty to Nigeria; there is simply an opportunity to exploit it for self-advancement. If Nigeria has a sound educational system, what is it that Adeosun learnt in Britain about finance that an average Nigerian cannot acquire from an average Nigerian university? Where is government’s obligation to develop the human capacity, which is more profitable than oil and gas? We tend to overrate things that are not important.

The real edge the West (Britain and America) have over Nigeria is not in addition and subtraction of finance; it is in technology and how to acquire it, own it, replicate it and propagate it for development for our self. Adeosun cannot add a cent to Nigeria on that. It is about time we decolonise our thinking and take the development of Nigeria’s human resources seriously.

A finance minister who never stepped out of Nigeria, but who is faithful, loyal and honest, when appointed, will do a better job for Nigeria than those who were taken from the ivory towers of the World bank, IMF or the best institutions in the West, because their loyalty is divided between America and Nigeria or Britain and Nigeria. That has not sunk in into the heads of those who seek after these people abroad.

The reason those who are selecting these people are acting the way they are doing is because their thinking is warped, semi-illiterates and they are not the right leaders for Nigeria. Compare and contrast: Ms. Adeosun and I are from Ogun State. When I arrived in Nigeria, I went to Abeokuta, the state capital, like her, and asked what is on the ground, what can I participate in and how can I learn what is happening. I could not see the governor. The letter I wrote the governor introducing myself has not been responded to till today, almost two years after.

Adeosun went, they embraced her and waived even the requirement of NYSC and took her to the topmost job in the state. That is Nigeria for you and that is what her debacle with the NYSC brought out to me and many people I spoke with. I would have expected that with the scandal, she would have resigned and immediately enter the NYSC service, but no, she resigned and immediately flew out of Nigeria. Americans do not do that. She should simply have stayed in Britain and taken the top job they will give her in Britain and let a committed, faithful, honest and loyal Nigerian take lead in the Finance ministry of his or her country.

Americans and Britons love their country more than flying out to another country. If she is Briton, what was she doing being a minister of Finance in Nigeria in the first place and displacing another Nigerian in a matter the Nigerian is totally committed to?
She has an option in Britain, but many Nigerian similarly placed to her in age with the same basic education do not have any option inside Nigeria and outside Nigeria. You mean of the 180 million Nigerians, you could not find or train Nigerians capable of handling the finances of this country and not stealing?

With Shittu, if the ministerial screening form asked is he did the NYSC service and he honestly answered no, how did he move beyond that point to be a minister? Why is that just coming out now, three years later?
If he did not answer honestly, that is an entirely different matter. Then it is deception and he needs to address that.


What is your take on NYSC? Do you think it should be scrapped or retained?

I learnt a lot about the Nigerian legal system and the courts from my service at the Supreme Court through the NYSC. Without the NYSC, I may not have had such an opportunity to be immersed in the vortex of the Nigerian court system. Many law firms would have seen me as a threat. The experience made me realise that the legal/court systems in Nigeria can be improved in countless ways to make it more efficient, accountable and transparent, but the resistance to change is very real and is not healthy for the rapid development of this country.

Would you have served if you had been posted to the northern part of the country, for instance?

I do not think I would have had a choice. I thought Abuja is as far north as possible, given the fact that I was born and raised in the south (Lagos) and had never been to Abuja before in my life until 2015 when I arrived from the US.

How stressful or otherwise was it?

I like the stress, and the fact that as a new comer, it just gave me an opportunity to interact with a lot of young people. I had a message for the youth of this country on bringing some reality to this trend of checking out of Nigeria on the mirage that the grass is greener in the West. I spent a lot of time interacting and sharing my message with fellow NYSC members. It was a worthwhile experience for me.

https://guardian.ng/features/nysc-my-experience-serving-at-54/

Photo: Amu (second left) with other NYSC members

85 yrs old?

I give up. Even me about to type something smart,is even supporting the APC and Buhari. So what is the difference between myself and Biya's supporters?

If you are a member of the APC, or support Buhari. Just look at story and thruway face. We have no locus standi to condemn this man.

We are COMPLICIT.

missimelda01:
come and join me o.. available for delivery to anywhere in Lagos. call 07018086002.

Is that goat pepper peppersoup?or the native urhobo ukodo yam?

Elder0001:
I don't understand.

Once in a while I drop in here to check out food pictures, and experiment with those that the cooking process are explained.

Was wondering if you come to check out the pictures too?

Elder0001:
It'll make sense on any soup but what matters is —quality and taste. It won't add any taste.
People make use of opkoroko not necessarily because they want to eat it but because it adds taste to the soup.

Snail will add taste only to OWO soup and stew.

Makes sense.

That stock fish bothers my teeth too much,so I tend to avoid it. Will try the snail on owo.

Thanks.

Oh boy

Looks tasty. The explanation is simple,so this shoul be easy to cook.

Elder0001:
Bros , when did people start adding snail to ogbono soup?

I like snail and add it to anything.

Never had it on an ogbono soup before,but I am suspecting it will taste nice or you don't think so?

What are you doing on the checking the food pictures here anyways?

Skymiyke:
I actually don't but dey do show up one in a blue moon .But I don't fry much fa

What about Ogbono?you sabi that one with dry fish and snail added?

Nwaohafia1:
Wait ooo. You can really advise like this? Nice one

I am not a bad person.

sarrki:
Boss I hail you

Greeting bro. How is your family and everyone?will look for time this night to talk to you. I greet you bro.

sarrki:
Pmb is a patriot

God bless you sire

Your enemies will not know peace

Lol Sarrki. Ever making me laugh.

Congratulations to him.

It is not easy. The party is registered right?

who knows?I might get the Governorship ticket of my State here, since nobody will give me headache here.

Sarrki they might give you the Vice-presidential ticket here. I say we join Mimiko here. What says you Sarrki?

Okay

11 years?

This Abimbola of a lady is rare.

How come the type we see now in just 2 weeks will start telling you, you need somebody permanent in your life to cook you a decent meal,as if the restaurant down the street has closed.

I like Atiku.

He is an amiable fellow.

Nice one Mr. President.

It is always good when people are encouraged for their hard work. Kudos to the Xplicit dancers.

Meanwhile.

Anybody else tried to enlarge the food too?Hungerbad and food is 5&6. Na fried meat and Garri them give them?

Abi na OAU Buhari attend?why him plate contain beans?Ife boys dey chop beans for federal.

Let us celebrate with our own.

emmasege:
Watch as Obasanjo plays the 'forgiving type' towards Atiku so he can still be relevant.

The lesson is that we shouldn't let bitterness and unforgiveness eat us up such that it deprives of joy and peace with others.

Deep words.

This is exactly why I will never go into politics.

The rewards in politics is bountiful if you can scale through the violence,killings,burning of political enemies properties,and generally getting into different occultish things, where blood oath taking is a norm.

Why was the property burnt?even Tinubu, out of fear for backlash from Ambode's supporters,drafted a squadron of military men to guard his ikoyi residence.

This is wrong,as politics should not be a door die affair. I await the day civility will be introduced into our politics,and maybe then, people like us can venture into it.

For the Nigerians living in Ghana or Benin Republic. Do they act this way there with their politics?

El-Rufai is a very vindictive person.

He just carried out a political-hit on Senator Shehu Sani,and like the little size coward that he is,he had to push the blame to somebody else.

Why would Buhari want to be a fall guy for you, when the general election is approaching,and this might be counted among his plenty sins,which are getting longer by the day?

Still waiting for the day this midget will dare leave his Kaduna enclave,and venture into National Politics,as we will have so much to tell this vindictive tiny midget of a blundering religious bigot.

Word.

Smart woman.

Wike: Oh boy politics na wah. Atiku shock me ohh, sotay toilet and headache dey catch me at once now.

Secondus: I just tire. This man money longggg ohh. Na Dollars he dey spend since like Ghana cedis?make we start to show our loyalty quick. Sai Atikulate.

Hmm

Congratulations brother.

God bless your union.

There will be happiness and laughter in your marriage. Finances will not be a problem. If you are a tenant, the joy and good luck that comes with being a married man, will make you a home owner soon.

You should make your wife your best friend. There will be trials, so please keep your marital matters to yourself and settle amicably(do not take your marital matters to your family and most especially your pastors) they are not God.

Goodluck.

Reading

NNAMDIII:
I'm really disappointed hunger bad @ the highlighted

There is something called sarcasm in English.

War?

This man should tone down his rhetorics. Some of us are not as well educated as you(sarcasm),and might think you mean war literally.

It has not gotten to that yet. There will be a winner next year,and there will also be a smooth transition of power.

Nigerians are getting smarter every day,and for Politicians, I am not sure anybody wants to start a war.

bluecircle470:
I can see you’re complete learner of the game. Get this; OBJ and Buhari are military and all this militaries have a bond within....they’re like a family and do listen to themselves. I won’t be surprised seeing Buhari and OBJ ganging up against atiku

As someone that comes from a military background that spans 3 generations of my family. I can authoritatively tell you,when military Officers hate each other, it is not like civilian hate for each other. It is complete and deepful hate.

Buhari and Obasanjo have nothing to talk about. Remember Tinubu and Obasanjo have no love lost for each other too.

In politics,never say never. If Obasanjo has anything to offer Buhari, it will be through an unknown third party. These guys cant stand each other.