₦airaland Forum

there is nothing too wrong with stereotyping

Akwa Ibom State has the highest number of prostitutes, and these prostitutes all operate within Lagos state. She said statistics from Uyo zonal office of NAPTIP alone showed that, out of 104 victims rescued in the last quarter of the year, 53 were from Akwa Ibom state. “It is sad that most of the Akwa Ibom girls rescued were used for prostitution in Lagos , and that most of the brothels in Lagos are inhabited by young girls from Akwa Ibom State ,” Ndaguba said. The unwritten legality of prostitution, as a profession in Lagos, has given rise to an increase in the number of areas where sex hawkers can be found. These areas, popularly called hot spots or red zones, increase in number daily and the efforts of police officers in picking them off the roads, at regular intervals, have not had any impact.
https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-260673.0.html

Tinubu destroyed the politics of cohesion in the South-West –Kofoworola Akerele-Bucknor
By VINCENT AKANMODE and ADEOLA BALOGUN
Published: Saturday, 18 Apr 2009
Former Lagos State Deputy governor, Mrs. Kofoworola Akerele-Bucknor, throws a fresh insight into the acrimony that existed between him and the then governor, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in this interview with VINCENT AKANMODE and ADEOLA BALOGUN



How would you sum up your life experiences in the last 70 years?

I will say life has been an eventful one, full of ups and downs. I have had my own fair share of good things. I have had my own fair share of tragedies and disappointments. But we thank God. When I sum up all that, I will say, as the song goes, count your blessings. I can count my blessings.

Tragedy is a strong word. Do you want to expatiate on that?

Well, when we talk of tragedy and disappointments, these are things that happen in one‘s personal life. I don‘t know whether it is a tragedy when one loses his parents, but to me, that is a tragedy because both my parents are gone. I lost my home, this house, to fire in November 2007. It burnt to the ground and I lost all my possessions. I came out only with my night dress. That, for instance, is a tragedy. But we thank God, I was able to rebuild my house with all my savings.

How did that happen?

Nobody knows. One morning, we were getting ready for the funeral of my late egbon, Mr Richard Bucknor, it was a Saturday and I had decided that I was going to sleep late. But suddenly, my phone rang at about quarter to six, and I was wondering who could be disturbing me that early. It was my tailor who said that my clothes were ready and whether he could bring them. I said he could bring it around 9 am. About three minutes later, he phoned that he was at my gate. I was somehow annoyed that someone had come to disturb me early on a Saturday morning. So I got downstairs, gave the house maid the gate keys to open the gate for the tailor. I went upstairs to get him money and luckily for me, one of my boys spent the night with me when he was not able to go because of heavy traffic the previous night, and we were downstairs together. Luckily for me again, by the time we all went up, the ceiling had collapsed on his bed. He shouted fire, fire, and we brought out all the fire extinguishers in the house to put the fire out. I saw my cook of over 30 years battling with the fire, and when it appeared that the fire might overwhelm him, I told him to stop and asked everybody to leave. We all ran out, we called the fire brigade but the first team that came from Awolowo road didn‘t even have a vehicle. Luckily, the fire brigade of Eko Hotel came. When they ran out of water, the Ilupeju team came but they didn‘t come with sufficient water. I asked them to take water from the well, but they said they didn‘t have a pump. The house was burning until the late Mr Samsideen Ojikutu, husband of the former deputy governor of Lagos State, they live on the next street, came to the rescue. He was the one that paid for the water trucks because all my money was gone. We lost everything and I only came out with my night dress. It was even Mr Ojikutu that gave my son something to wear. So, that was a tragedy.

You spoke of losing your parents, how long did they live?

Well, luckily for me, they lived till ripe old ages. My father died in 1983 and my mother died in 2003, three months to her 90th birthday. I had them for a long time.

How was growing up with them?

Well, in fact, I was brought up by my grandmother and she was a typical Lagosian. Though she came from an aristocratic family, she was very strict. But she was a very loving woman. I can say she loved me and I loved her dearly. She taught me so many things in life. She taught me how to sew. She taught me how to knit. She taught me how to take care of the home. Even though I came from a privileged background, I had to learn everything like how to wash my clothes, clean the house and cook. Even up till this day, even if I don‘t have a housemaid, people are surprised when they see me do all these things myself.

So, you have an aristocratic background?

Well, I suppose so, but I don‘t think it was ever something that anybody emphasised at all. The only important thing was to face your studies, get yourself good education and work hard, and of course, honesty and integrity.

And you had a good education,

Oh, I did, both in Nigeria and abroad. I went up to secondary school in Nigeria, but I didn‘t complete it here. My parents sent me abroad where I completed my secondary education. I studied Law in Grays Inn, London.

But you never practised law.

No, I didn‘t.

Why?

It was just because of circumstances. When I wanted to join a law firm, my father was arranging for it, then I got an offer to come and work for the Voice of Nigeria, from the BBC. Then I freelanced for the BBC. They just started VON then and they were looking for people. That was how I decided to follow journalism, which I studied after Law.

What was your experience abroad?

By the time we studied abroad, there were very few black people. It was only the elite who went abroad then, so people were not used to seeing black people. In fact, they thought we had tails. I remember one holiday when a girlfriend of ours took us to her village in Switzerland. I remember that one woman looked surprised when I spoke, and she said, ‘Ah, it speaks!‘ instead of ‘she speaks‘ (laughs). She asked whether she could touch my hair and my skin because they had not seen a black person before. There were also levels of discrimination then.

Were you angry with the woman?

No, I was simply amused because I saw it as ignorance on her part.

You spoke of discrimination…

Of course, there was. But luckily, my grandmother bought a house in London and I spent my holidays there. Then, there were actually notices that said ‘‘no black, no dog or Irish‘‘ at that time.

How were you able to cope with that?

Well, it really didn‘t affect me because in the boarding school I went to, everybody was treated equally. In fact, I rose to become Head Boarder in the school. There was no discrimination; it was based purely on merit and your performance.

You took up journalism immediately after your studies?

Well, I was freelancing with the BBC, I was doing some programmes on African Service. There I was headhunted to come and work for VON. In those days, once you were qualified, a job was waiting for you. Even companies were scouting for qualified persons to employ.

Would you have preferred to study journalism rather than law?

No, I would still study Law, though I never practised it. I always say I would do that later on, but I still have not done so.

You also ventured into advertising,

Well, let me put it this way: I was in VON, and as you all know, pay in the public service is not much. So I had a better offer from an advertising firm and I became a client service manager. And then the indigenisation policy of the Federal Government came and I started my own advertising business.

How was university life then?

Oh, full of fun. We had a good set of Nigerian students abroad and we all moved together, people like Professor Akinyanju, Professor Akinsanya, Professor (Mrs) Grange. It was good fun.

Was there where you met your husband?

No, I met my husband when I came back to Nigeria.

How?

Well, I was invited to a cocktail party by a minister from the north then, the late Bwala Buka Shettima, and there was where I met my husband. I was not particularly interested because I was just introduced to him. But the next day, I just saw him in my office at NBC and he invited me to dinner.

With your aristocratic background, how did you get into the activism of the NADECO days?

I come from a very principled family and also a political family. My father was the late Dr John Oni Akerele in whose house in London the Egbe Omo Oduduwa was founded. In fact, he was the president while the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo was the secretary. They founded the egbe together before it was brought to Nigeria and then it became the Action Group. So I had that political background. In fact, my father encouraged me to go into politics.

But since you resigned your position as the deputy governor, you have been silent politically.

No, I don‘t think I have been silent. I have been speaking, but the PDP, my party, is a different party entirely, unlike the AD where anyone was allowed to speak for the party apart from the official spokesperson.

Did you have to defect to the PDP?

Well, we were hounded, those of us who formed the AD, we were hounded out of the party. I am sure you must have read all sorts of things in the newspapers, all sorts of false accusations. We had to go when one person decided he was going to take over the party and anybody who did not join in that enterprise became his enemy.

How did you cope with the acrimony between you and the then Governor Tinubu?

Well, I think I am a strong and principled person. I don‘t allow anything to shake me.

Maybe that was why you had problems with the governor then…

No, because I don‘t allow anything shake me?

But the kind of personality clash between the two of you…

No, it wasn‘t a personality clash at all. It was a question of somebody planning to take over the party because he had further political ambition and anybody who did not join him in that enterprise was regarded as his enemy and had to be hounded out of the party. For instance, the chairman of the party at that time, the late Alhaji Ganiyu Dawodu, had to be removed because he did not support him. And I must say that the late man was a very good chairman of the party.

Some people attributed your problem with Tinubu to the fact that you were imposed on him by the Afenifere, that you were not his choice.

Well, I think Afenifere formed the party. Tinubu was not an Afenifere. He was abroad following the NADECO days. The platform belonged to Afenifere, we only gave him the platform because he came to join us. Therefore, could Afenifere have the governor, who was not part of them, to choose anybody he liked? That you were given the platform does not mean that we had to hand over the party to you. Afenifere had to have a stake in the party as well, and that was why I was chosen to be his running mate so that Afenifere could have a stake in his government.

It was also said that you were not submissive to the governor as his deputy…

I don‘t know what you mean by being submissive. Should I go and kneel down to greet him in the morning? I was submissive, because there was nothing he asked me to do that I didn‘t do. From day one, Tinubu had decided that because I did not support him in his idea of taking over AD, supporting Atiku for the presidency, that I had to go. That was the crux of the matter; it had nothing to do with submission. Ask him whether there was anything he asked me to do that I didn‘t do. He just didn‘t want me in government because he felt I did not support him in his enterprise.

But some people said it was an ego problem…

No, it was purely political. It might be ego on his part because I think he had an ego problem.

What would it have cost you to support him?

It would have cost me my principles, because I am a very principled person. I can not abandon those who put me in a place, let‘s face it. Tinubu talked about winning the primaries, he didn‘t win any primaries. The decision was taken that his name should be sent forward because some of Funso Williams’ results came in very late. That was what happened.

What is your relationship with him now?

Well, I don‘t have any relationship with him because I hardly see him. Occasionally I may see him at functions.

Do you greet when you meet?

If he greets me, I will greet him; I am older than him. But if he doesn‘t greet me, I stay where I am, after all, I don‘t think we are companions. He may have been a governor but we are not companions.

Is it true that Tinubu was compensated with the governorship seat because of his financial assistance to NADECO?

I don‘t know what he did for NADECO, because certainly he didn‘t give us any fund as far as I am aware. We contributed our own money. We were using our own money to fund NADECO; no money was coming from anybody. He may have helped a few individuals, but certainly, I am not aware that he funded NADECO because every week, we contributed money to run the affairs of the organisation.

You eventually left the AD. How do you feel to have abandoned a baby you helped to nurture?

Well, we are the people that nurtured AD, but when the baby is dead, what do you do? You bury him.

Is your ambition to become governor still alive?

I don‘t know. But I think maybe at my age, some people may feel I am too old, though I know Chief Ajasin was governor at 77 or so, Adefarati too at 71.

What do you think of the current administration in Lagos State?

Well, as far as I am concerned, the present administration in Lagos State is a continuation of the one that we had in the last eight years and which I considered as wasted eight years, because we could have done so much more. But all the money, all the energy was spent on politicking instead of governance. And I would like to say that if I had any disagreement with Tinubu, that is one of the disagreements. I told him that we should leave the party things for party people while we focus on governance. I think what is happening in the state is an extension of what had happened before it. And at any rate, apart from planting flowers and beautifying Lagos, there is much more to do. For the hospital, well there is some level of improvement, but what is the point having hospitals where people go to see doctors but don‘t have money to purchase the prescribed drugs. The schools are still in their dilapidated state. There is still no water, and these are the basic things. I will say Fashola has tried in the area of transportation, but I can’t say he has done much for the masses. For example, there are no houses for the masses apart from providing the BRT buses.

What has been your preoccupation since you left government?

I have been trying to run my businesses and, of course, I have been able to rebuild my house in the last one year.

How is family life?

Family life is fine. My children are grown up and doing fine. Of course, I am trying to enjoy my old age now.

Where are your children?

They are in Nigeria, I have just two.

You have always shielded your husband even while you were in public service, why?

Well, my husband is in Kano. He is a Kano man. I think I was one of the first to pioneer mixed marriages, because by the time I got married to him, it was unthinkable that a Yoruba girl would get married to a northerner.

Why are you living apart?

We are divorced, but we are good friends. In fact, I will be going to Kano after my birthday.

Why did you divorce if you were such good friends?

That is a long story which will be in my memoirs.

What has hapened to your ambition to rule Lagos State?

Well, my quest to rule Lagos State was truncated by lack of money. I don’t have the kind of money it entails. I believe that if God says it will still happen, it will happen.

Are there times you wished you were deputy governor to another person other than Tinubu?

In fact, when the late Papa Adesanya called me and said they would like me to become Tinubu‘s running mate, I told him that I would have been glad to be deputy to somebody like Wahab Dosunmu. But to Tinubu, I said I had my reservations. But Papa said they would talk to him and he would listen to them.

How did you know the kind of person he is before you served as his deputy?

Well, we were in the Senate together and one was able to study people closely.

So, do you regret that you served under him then?

Yes, I do and no, I don‘t. It is part of my experience and I don‘t regret any experience I have in life. Yes, I regret it because I became part of the eight wasted years.

As the only female member of the Senate in your time, what was your experience?

Well, I felt happy. At first, I think the male senators first looked at me with a sort of curiosity. But I think when they realised that I was prepared to come to their midnight meetings and everything they were doing, it dawned on them to respect me. I must say that I was very friendly with many of them even till this day.

After the demise of Pa Adesanya, some people now regard Tinubu as the emerging leader of South West politics. Do you see it that way?

As far as I am concerned, he is championing his own politics. I don’t think he is the one championing the politics of the South-West; Afenifere is doing that. If you ask me, Tinubu destroyed the politics of cohesion in the South-West.

Since you told us about your tragic moments, what would you say was your happiest moment?

My happiest moment was the day I had my first child.
http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200904180424814

Uneasy calm in Abeokuta over killing Hausa, Yoruba
Written by Kolade Larewaju
Saturday, 18 April 2009

ABEOKUTA – [b]UNEASY calm pervaded Abeokuta , the Ogun State capital and neighboring states of Oyo and Lagos yesterday as anonymous text messages alleging ethnic killings between Yoruba and Hausa Community in Ogere area of the State went round putting people in fear.
The text messages had claimed that tanker drivers had blocked the expressway based on the violent clash which made the expressway a no-go-area for motorists plying the road leaving the road deserted.

But the Managing Director, Gateway Trailer Park Limited, Mr. Leke Adesanya, while dispelling the rumor admitted that some tanker drivers had initially planned to demonstrate on the Expressway on Wednesday.

“Some truck drivers said they were being harassed by naval men and Police in Lagos and said they were not going to Lagos to load.

But they did not stage their demonstrations again. Ordinarily, their presence at the trailer park made the place rowdy with the attendant traffic bottleneck but there was no trouble here and nobody fought.”

The Ogun State Government while alerting travelers on the road described the information as untrue, false and malicious from faceless group on a non-existing violent face-off between the Hausa and Yoruba Communities.

The statement signed by the State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kayode Samuel, said, “the Ogun State Government wishes to alert all Nigerians , particularly travelers on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to a false and malicious rumor being circulated by text message from faceless group on non-violent face-off between Hausa and Yoruba people at the Ogere tollgate.

“Government wishes to assure the people that there is no truth whatsoever to this baseless rumor which is obviously being peddled for the attainment of nefarious political ends.”[/b]The State Government through the statement urged residents and road users to go about their normal day to day activities without fear of molestation”.

In the same vein, the State Police Command had described the report as an attempt to destabilize the peace of the State.

Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi said, “the command wishes to state categorically that the rumor is baseless, untrue and tantamount to destabilizing the peaceful co-existence between the inhabitants of the area and Ogun State at large. In another perspective, it is the handiwork of mischief makers to undermine security in the state.”


http://www.vanguardngr.com/content/view/33844/42/

This Yoruba Bekky girl is a "tribalist" for identfying only Easterners as armed robbers.

Friday, April 17, 2009 
Imo pledges to hold council polls, receives deportees
From Charles Ogugbuaja, Owerri


AGAINST the backdrop of skepticism surrounding the state government's willingness to conduct local council elections in Imo State, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Amanze Obi, has assured that the polls would hold before the end of the year.


[b]Obi spoke yesterday on the state radio, the Imo Broadcasting Corporation (IBC), during a programme tagged, "To Whom it May Concern."

Meanwhile, the state government has received about 30 destitute people returned or deported from different parts of Nigeria and abroad for various reasons.

Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Anagam Ononuju, received the returnees on Wednesday at Government House, Owerri on behalf of the state government.

Ononuju promised that the deportees would be rehabilitated in the various centres and homes in the state.

She also disclosed that the state government had been evacuating destitute people from the streets of Owerri and its environs to guard against social problems and keep the state clean in line with the current administration's "Clean and Green" initiative.

Obi stressed that the Imo State Independent Electoral Commission (ISIEC) would conduct credible polls into the state's 27 councils.

His words: "The state government would conduct local council elections before the end of the year."

Fielding questions from the audience, Obi highlighted efforts by the state government under Governor Ikedi Ohakim to engender sound administrative practices at the local council level, which he said was in shambles when the current administration took office. [/b] The commissioner pleaded for patience from the people, adding that the Chief Bon Nwakanma (SAN)-led panel report on the councils was being studied by the government before its implementation.

Imo residents have been clamouring for the council polls because the third tier of government in the state had been run by transition committees headed by 'chairmen' since few months to the end of immediate past administration of former Governor Achike Udenwa.
http://nigeriaworld.com/cgi-bin/axs/ax.pl?http://odili.net/news/source/2009/apr/17/20.html

hackney:
Calabar and[b] Delta[/b] have always produced near-genius scholars time after time so im not suprised at all.
know a handfull of them getting 4.85 - 5.0 GPA  semester after semester in Engring in my Uni not long ago.

JAMB withholds results of 23,819 candidates over malpractices

By Oluwole Josiah, Abuja

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has withheld the results of 23,819 candidates who sat for the April 4, 2009 Universities Matriculation Examination for involvement in malpractices.


Our Correspondent
Registrar of the board, Prof.

A total of 1,182,381 candidates applied for the examination, but only 1,145,961 actually sat for the examination with 36,417 absent.

While announcing the results of the examination on Tuesday, the Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, said the results withheld represented 2.07 per cent of the total number of candidates that sat for the examination.

He said there was also a drop in the cases of malpractices when compared with what obtained in 2008 where 2.24 per cent was recorded.

He, however, said, "The examination committee and the Governing Council of the board will meet to take a final decision on the results, but there is no way they will be released because we have clear evidence against the candidates."

Ojerinde noted that 548,543 candidates of the total number scored 200 marks and above, while 14, 847 scored between 190 and 199. 199 of the total number sat for the examination in countries outside Nigeria, namely: Ghana, Cameroun, South Africa, Republic of Benin and Saudi Arabia.

According to JAMB's breakdown of applications, Imo and Anambra states had the highest number of applications with 106,375 and 78,803 respectively. Other states in order of their applications were Delta, 77,318; Edo 65,271; Ogun, 58,014 and Osun, 57,404.

The analysis showed that Akwa Ibom and Abia states which occupied the fifth and sixth positions last year were displaced by Ogun and Osun respectively.

Six states, namely, Gombe, Sokoto, Taraba, Kebbi, Zamfara and Yobe in that order, recorded the lowest number of applications in 2009.

According to Ojerinde, Jigawa and the Federal Capital Territory have dropped from the list of lowest six states, while Yobe remains the lowest, just as Sokoto, Taraba and Zamfara still belonged to the league.

The results also showed that the Faculty of Social Sciences still recorded the highest applications by candidates with a figure of 275,208. It had recorded the highest last year.

It was closely followed by Administration, Medicine, Engineering and Sciences, Arts/Humanities, Law, Education, Environment and Pharmacy respectively.

Agriculture recorded the lowest with about 13, 408 applications, the same placement it had in 2008.

On the performance chart, Irene Edem, a 16-year-old from Cross River State was the best performing candidate, with a score of 310. She had applied to read Communications with options at the ABTI-American University of Nigeria.

Igugu Obukohwo Igugu, 23, a male candidate from Delta State came second with a score of 308 and had applied to read Industrial Relations and Personnel Management at the University of Lagos.

Konye Odinde, another female candidate from Delta State, who is 18 years and Raymond Moses-Gombo, a male, 47, from Delta State, also tied with Igugu at 308. Both had applied to study Economics and History respectively at the University of Lagos.

The results also showed that 667,771 males and 514,610 females sat for the 2009 UME, just as 71 visually impaired persons applied for the UME, but only 65 actually sat for the examination.

Ojerinde said the board conducted UME at Ikoyi and Kaduna Prisons for eligible inmates who had indicated interest for the examination and would have completed their jail sentences by the next admission exercise.

He said a total of 46 inmates took the exams. 13 of them were of the Ikoyi Prisons, while other 33 were of Kaduna Prisons.

On the proposed Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, which would replace UME next year, Ojerinde clarified that the board's matriculation examinations were not scrapped as erroneously reported. He said, "Rather, the idea is to have a single examination for all tertiary institutions which gives candidates wide choice of institutions and this will invariably enhance their chances of securing admission into tertiary institutions.

"The general entry requirement to all the institutions will be the same five credit passes at Senior Secondary Certificate Examination level while the entry qualification will be determined by individual institutions."

ikeyman00:
ghana accent na rubbish hahha

Tatase:
I'm from Delta (non-Igbo)/Rivers/Cross River but I've lived in Lagos all my life so I claim that a little too.

Urhobo own Delta.

Niger-Deltan.

ifyalways:
Migwo . . . . .Urhobo
Digwo. . . . .Isoko
Doo. . . .Itsekiri
Noa oooo. . . . . .Ijaw/Kalabari
Akam di n'elu. . . .igbo 
Wo yeo . . . Ishan
one love 
@Siena,aboki= my friend (hausa)

hehehe.

;d ;d

:d ;d

lol.

Woman arrested smuggling Indian hemp to Ado-Ekiti Prison
From BOLU-OLU ESHO, Ado-Ekiti
Friday, April 17, 2009


[b]•Indian hemp in food flask
Photo: Sun News Publishing
More Stories on This Section
An attempt to ‘save’ a cousin, who is awaiting trial in a murder case, from dying of insomnia has landed a woman in big trouble in Ekiti State.

When Mrs Adeola Odushote first visited her maternal cousin, who was a student of Iree Polytechnic, at Ado-Ekiti prison, littlr did she know that she too may be on her way to the gaol. The unnamed cousin had allegedly complained of losing sleep for several days.

To a medicine store she headed to buy him tranquillizers she could lay her hands on, but her cousin still complained the drugs were not the appropriate elixir for the ‘ailment.’

“Innocently” she revealed the problem of her cousin to one of his friends, who was also his schoolmate, and this friend, she simply identified as Segun prescribed and supplied the drug to be taken to the ‘patient’ in the prison.

According to Odushote, Segun removed the inner casing of a food-flask and stuffed it with 450 gram of Indian hemp, then replacing the casing he asked her to buy Fufu and vegetable soup in the flask and off she went to the prison to ‘dispatch’ the food.
Successfully, she handed over the flask to her cousin and whispered into his ear about the tranquillizer sealed beneath.

At the time she spoke to Daily Sun at the office of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency(NDLEA) in Ado-Ekiti, where she was paraded before newsmen and other four men in the same trade, it still beat her imagination how the prison officials knew about the secret content of the flask and instantly arrested her for onward handing over to the state Commander of the NDLEA, Prince Ben Ikani.
Asked about the whereabouts of Segun, who supplied her the illicit drug, she denied knowing how to track him down by the drugs warriors, who are after him to face the wrath of the law.

The NDLEA commander, who gave kudos to the Prisons authority and other security agencies for their support in fighting illicit drug use and peddling in the country, vowed to comb all the black spots in the state.
He said the agency [/b] would intensify its operations in the state to rid it of hard drugs, noting that the recent increased violence rate in the state was a result of use of hard drugs by the perpetrators of the violence.
Prince Ikani, however, assured that the suspects would be arraigned in court for.


http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2009/apr/17/national-17-04-2009-05.htm

S/East okays 2nd term for Yar’Adua

Abiodun Adelaja, Abuja


Frontline politician and Industrialist, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, yesterday said the South East zone will not only support a second term for President Umaru Yar’Adua, but indeed will work for his electoral success in the 2011 general elections.

Fielding questions from newsmen at the memorial service in honour of late Sir Vincent Maduabum, father of Hon CID Maduabum, Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions, in Ukpor, Nnewi South Local government, Iwuanyanwu Said Yar’Adua was at liberty to seek re-election since the presidency is still zoned to the North in 2011.

He blamed detractors for orchestrating YarAdua’s health status and warned that his state of health should not be used as an excuse to deny him another term in office. He said Yar’Adua still has the physical and mental energy to carry out the seven-point agenda he has outlined towards reposition the country.

Besides, he said other public office holders also suffer from one ailment or the other, adding that people have learnt to live above such health challenges.

Chief Iwuanyanwu said instead of making an issue out of the President’s health, the Nigerians should pray for him as obtained in other countries.

Citing instances with Britain, Iwuanyanwu said prayers are made regularly by the citizens for the Queen, wondering why the President’s health status has suddenly dominated discussions if not as a ploy to deny him re-election.

"It is his detractors who are orchestrating a campaign of his ill-health. There is no human being who has not got one health problem or the other. So we are going to support a second term for him and in fact campaign for him.

"He has done very well. He came to power at a time when the world was in economic tumult, with a lot of social crisis, but yet he has been able to manage this crisis in a way that has shown the depth of his character", he stated.

Noting that YarAdua has demonstrated impeccable character, dedication and commitment, he commendable his leadership qualities since he assumed public office.

"He has been very calm and very humble. He has been fair to every group. He has not been partial in any way. In fact he is a very peaceful man. The executive and the legislature have never before enjoyed the type of peace and harmony they are enjoying now", he added.

Iwuanyanwu however advised those opposed to a second term for President YarAdua to sheathe their swords, saying "only one man can rule at a time"

He called for the implementation of the seven point agenda so that Nigerians could feel the impact in earnest.

His words: "If we must get to where we want by 2020, the seven-point agenda of Mr President must be properly addressed and implemented."

On the recent meeting of G20, a group of 20 leading global economies, Chief Iwuanyanwu said it was unfortunate that Nigeria was not invited to the parley despite her enormous potentials.

He therefore canvassed that Nigeria should on its own initiate a meeting of like minds to discuss the way out of the global economic crisis.

Describing Hon Maduabum as a proactive lawmaker who should be applauded, Iwuanyanwu said he was proud of his track records, adding that the lawmaker was being positioned for higher responsibility in the years ahead.

He urged other lawmakers to emulate Maduabum’s commitment to the welfare of his people insisting that this is the only way the people can benefit from democracy.

http://www.champion-newspapers.com/news/article_2.htm

Nigerian pastor who earns mega bucks in London preaching prosperity 17/4/2009


Nigeria’s Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo of Kingsway International Christian Centre (KICC), London, has carved a niche for himself in the British Christian community. His church, which attracts 8,000 congregation, is considered one of the richest in Britain. Pastor Ashimolowo, with a £100,000 yearly pay, earns more than the Archbishop of Canterbury, the official head of the British church. Robert Booth of The Guardian (London) reports.

A Pentecostal church based in a disused cinema in north-east London has emerged as one of the country’s richest religious institutions.
The Kingsway International Christian Centre, in Walthamstow, has filed company accounts which reveal it made a £4.9m profit over the last 18 months. It also has assets of £22.9m - more than three times the amount held by the foundation which maintains St Paul’s Cathedral.

The church is led by a controversial Nigerian pastor, Matthew Ashimolowo, who earns a salary of £100,000 a year and preaches that God wants you rich.

His church’s wealth stems largely from the donations it encourages from its 8,000-strong largely African and Caribbean congregation. They gave £9.5m in tithes and offerings in the 18 months to April 2008, dwarfing the £33,000 that the average Church of England congregation gave over the same period.

Rather than a more traditional plate collection, forms are handed out to worshippers so they can make bank transfers at some services.

KICC’s wealth is the clearest sign yet of the gathering popularity of evangelical Pentecostalism which is the only growing branch of Christianity in the UK with an estimated 300,000 weekly worshippers. This Easter Sunday KICC is running five services over 12 hours which are expected to attract 5,000 worshippers, more than Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral together.

The church’s increasing wealth represents a transformation in its fortunes after the discovery in 2005 by Charity Commission investigators of financial irregularities. Ashimolowo was ordered to repay £200,000 after it emerged he used church assets to buy a £13,000 Florida timeshare and £120,000 on his birthday celebrations, including £80,000 on a car. New trustees were appointed and Ashimolowo was removed from his role as chief executive.

"The last 18 months have been a period of incredible journey in the life of KICC," said Ashimolowo in a preface to the accounts. "It has been very exciting to see God move the ministry from one level to another as we witness the increased manifestation of His glory."

Ashimolowo is understood to earn his salary from preaching as well as royalties from sermons published in books and on DVDs through his own company. Matthew Ashimolowo Media Ministries made a profit of close to £60,000 in 2003. It has not filed accounts of trading since then although it still operates.

Four KICC directors earn between £60,000 and £80,000 each. By contrast, a typical Church of England vicar earns around £21,500 and even the Archbishop of Canterbury, who has responsibility for an active congregation of close to a million people, only earns £68,740 a year.

"This is a very well-financed business," said a tax accountant who examined the accounts for the Guardian. "It holds more than £16m in short term investments. I am the honorary auditor of my local church and they have just £20,000 on deposit."

The accountant, who asked not to be named because his firm audits other wealthy Pentecostal churches, estimated the KICC had avoided a tax bill of at least £1.3m as a result of its charitable status.

Senior KICC officials denied the surplus meant they were taking too much from their worshippers, many of whom live in the poorest parts of London. "People give because of how they have been blessed by what they receive from the church the teaching, the prayer and the church community," said Soji Otudeko, director of finance. "People give voluntarily and because of their love of the work of God."

"The teaching of the church is very much about self-development," said James McGlashan, a former oil executive who is now KICC’s chief operating officer. "If that is preaching wealth then we are preaching wealth. Becoming financially independent, owning a house, getting a degree and a better job is good."

The church’s International Gathering of Champions conference at the Excel centre in east London last August attracted 94,000 visitors over eight days. The key message was that God wants you rich and believers are "empowered to prosper".

According to the accounts filed with Companies House, KICC finances were boosted by the sale for £10.1m of its Waterden Road home in Hackney to the London Development Agency which needed the site for the 2012 Olympics. It is planning to spend between £50m and £80m on a five-year project to build a complex at a site in Rainham, Essex, with capacity for 8,000 worshippers, classrooms, a TV studio, bookstore and offices.

Its plans have been the subject of a public inquiry which finished last month and a planning inspector is due to report to Hazel Blears, the communities secretary. The plans were originally rejected by the Thames Gateway Development Corporation, and the church feels it is facing undue opposition to its rapid expansion.

"I think the way the KICC has been treated has been unfair," said Otudeko. "Britain has become a less and less Christian place and planning law seems to no longer recognise places of worship in the system. I don’t think any non-religious organisation would have been treated this way."


http://www.thenationonlineng.com/dynamicpage.asp?id=82078

1,500 farmers commit mass suicide in India


Wednesday, 15 April 2009
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Over 1,500 farmers in an Indian state committed suicide after being driven to debt by crop failure, it was reported today.


The agricultural state of Chattisgarh was hit by falling water levels.


"The water level has gone down below 250 feet here. It used to be at 40 feet a few years ago," Shatrughan Sahu, a villager in one of the districts, told Down To Earth magazine


"Most of the farmers here are indebted and only God can save the ones who do not have a bore well."


Mr Sahu lives in a district that recorded 206 farmer suicides last year. Police records for the district add that many deaths occur due to debt and economic distress.


In another village nearby, Beturam Sahu, who owned two acres of land was among those who committed suicide. His crop is yet to be harvested, but his son Lakhnu left to take up a job as a manual labourer.


His family must repay a debt of £400 and the crop this year is poor.


"The crop is so bad this year that we will not even be able to save any seeds," said Lakhnu's friend Santosh. "There were no rains at all."


"That's why Lakhnu left even before harvesting the crop. There is nothing left to harvest in his land this time. He is worried how he will repay these loans."


Bharatendu Prakash, from the Organic Farming Association of India, told the Press Association: "Farmers' suicides are increasing due to a vicious circle created by money lenders. They lure farmers to take money but when the crops fail, they are left with no option other than death."


Mr Prakash added that the government ought to take up the cause of the poor farmers just as they fight for a strong economy.


"Development should be for all. The government blames us for being against development. Forest area is depleting and dams are constructed without proper planning.


All this contributes to dipping water levels. Farmers should be taken into consideration when planning policies," he said.

This article is from The Belfast Telegraph

JAMB withholds results of 23,819 candidates over malpractices

[b]By Oluwole Josiah, Abuja

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has withheld the results of 23,819 candidates who sat for the April 4, 2009 Universities Matriculation Examination for involvement in malpractices.


Our Correspondent
Registrar of the board, Prof.

A total of 1,182,381 candidates applied for the examination, but only 1,145,961 actually sat for the examination with 36,417 absent.

While announcing the results of the examination on Tuesday, the Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, said the results withheld represented 2.07 per cent of the total number of candidates that sat for the examination.

He said there was also a drop in the cases of malpractices when compared with what obtained in 2008 where 2.24 per cent was recorded.

He, however, said, "The examination committee and the Governing Council of the board will meet to take a final decision on the results, but there is no way they will be released because we have clear evidence against the candidates."

Ojerinde noted that 548,543 candidates of the total number scored 200 marks and above, while 14, 847 scored between 190 and 199. 199 of the total number sat for the examination in countries outside Nigeria, namely: Ghana, Cameroun, South Africa, Republic of Benin and Saudi Arabia.

According to JAMB's breakdown of applications, Imo and Anambra states had the highest number of applications with 106,375 and 78,803 respectively. Other states in order of their applications were Delta, 77,318; Edo 65,271; Ogun, 58,014 and Osun, 57,404.

The analysis showed that Akwa Ibom and Abia states which occupied the fifth and sixth positions last year were displaced by Ogun and Osun respectively.

Six states, namely, Gombe, Sokoto, Taraba, Kebbi, Zamfara and Yobe in that order, recorded the lowest number of applications in 2009.

According to Ojerinde, Jigawa and the Federal Capital Territory have dropped from the list of lowest six states, while Yobe remains the lowest, just as Sokoto, Taraba and Zamfara still belonged to the league.

The results also showed that the Faculty of Social Sciences still recorded the highest applications by candidates with a figure of 275,208. It had recorded the highest last year.

It was closely followed by Administration, Medicine, Engineering and Sciences, Arts/Humanities, Law, Education, Environment and Pharmacy respectively.

Agriculture recorded the lowest with about 13, 408 applications, the same placement it had in 2008.

On the performance chart, Irene Edem, a 16-year-old from Cross River State was the best performing candidate, with a score of 310. She had applied to read Communications with options at the ABTI-American University of Nigeria.

Igugu Obukohwo Igugu, 23, a male candidate from Delta State came second with a score of 308 and had applied to read Industrial Relations and Personnel Management at the University of Lagos.

Konye Odinde, another female candidate from Delta State, who is 18 years and Raymond Moses-Gombo, a male, 47, from Delta State, also tied with Igugu at 308. Both had applied to study Economics and History respectively at the University of Lagos.

The results also showed that 667,771 males and 514,610 females sat for the 2009 UME, just as 71 visually impaired persons applied for the UME, but only 65 actually sat for the examination.

Ojerinde said the board conducted UME at Ikoyi and Kaduna Prisons for eligible inmates who had indicated interest for the examination and would have completed their jail sentences by the next admission exercise.

He said a total of 46 inmates took the exams. 13 of them were of the Ikoyi Prisons, while other 33 were of Kaduna Prisons.

On the proposed Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, which would replace UME next year, Ojerinde clarified that the board's matriculation examinations were not scrapped as erroneously reported. [/b] He said, "Rather, the idea is to have a single examination for all tertiary institutions which gives candidates wide choice of institutions and this will invariably enhance their chances of securing admission into tertiary institutions.

"The general entry requirement to all the institutions will be the same five credit passes at Senior Secondary Certificate Examination level while the entry qualification will be determined by individual institutions."

tamme:
lol at some Nigerian boys getting jealous
shut up all of you. She used her head not yahoo yahoo

st funmi/ireport/tamme.

16-Year-Old Girl Tops JAMB Score
From Bukola Olatunji in Abuja, 04.15.2009


[b]Sixteen-year-old Miss Irene Ekpoawan Edem has emerged the highest scorer in the 2009 Universities Matriculation Examination (UME), with 310 out of the 400 marks obtainable.
The native of Cross River State applied to study Communications with Options’ at the ABTI-American University of Nigeria, Yola.
Three other candidates, who, coincidentally all made the University of Lagos (UNILAG) their first choices, came bracket second with 308 marks. They are Obukohwo Friday Igugu, 23, Konye Henrietta Odinde, 18 and perhaps the oldest, Raymond Kuroyefa Moses-Gombo, 47. They applied to study Industrial Relations and Personnel Management, Economics and History and Diplomatic Studies, respectively.
The candidates topped the list of the best 15 in the examination, released in Abuja yesterday by the JAMB Registrar, Professor Dibu Ojerinde, who disclosed that the full results were now available online.
It was, however, noteworthy that none of the top 15, whose marks ranged between 298 and 310 applied to study the sciences. Three candidates each applied to study Communication, Economics, and History.
While Law, Accounting, Industrial Relations, Urban and Regional Planning, etc. had a candidate each.
Ojerinde said out of the 1, 182, 381 candidates, who applied to sit for the UME , 1,145, 961 or 96.92 per cent of them actually sat for the examination. 65 of them were visually impaired (out of the 71 who registered). 13 were inmates of Ikoyi Prisons and 33 of Kaduna Prisons, all of whom would have completed their terms by the next admission exercise.
A total of 199 candidates sat for the examination in five centres outside the country.
The six [/b] states with the highest number of applicants were [s]Imo. Anambra, Delta, Edo, Ogun and Osun, in that order, while the six with the lowest number, in descending order were Gombe, Sokoto, Taraba, Kebbi, Zamfara and Yobe.
The Registrar said 548, 543 candidates scored 200 marks and above.
Another 14, 847 scored between 190 and 199; 150, 541 fell between 180 and 189 marks; 128, 063, were between 170 and 179; another 95, 055 scored between [b]160 and 169 marks, while 72, 196 scored less than 160 marks.
In all, Social Sciences accounted for 275, 208 or 23.28 per cent of the candidates, followed by Administration with 179, 056 (15.15 per cent), Medicine, 177, 715 (15.03 per cent); Engineering, 152, 051 (12.86); Sciences, 139, 129 (11.77 per cent) and Arts/Humanities, 83.009 (7.02 percent). Others are Law, 75, 244 (6.37 per cent); Education, 44, 346 (3.75 per cent); Environmental Studies, 22, 358 (1.89 per cent); Pharmacy, 20, 857 (1.77 per cent) and Agriculture, 13, 408 (1.14 per cent).

Last year, Social Sciences also accounted for the highest number of 249, 928 or 23.71 per cent of the candidates, followed by the Medical Sciences, 184, 210 (17.48 per cent); Administration, 160, 466 (15.22 per cent); Engineering, 157, 460 (14.94 per cent) and Sciences, 117, 905 (11.19 per cent).
Others were, Law, 68, 434 (6.49 per cent); Arts, 67, 851 (6.44 per cent); Education, 36, 590 (3.47 per cent) and Agriculture, 11, 216 (1.06 per cent).


[[/b]]

National Conscience Party [NCP]

Abia State Chapter

E-mail: ncpabiachapter@yahoo.com

14 th April, 2009 Press Release

ABIA NCP DEMANDS GOV ORJI’S IMMEDIATE RESIGNATION

advertisement

The National Conscience Party [NCP], Abia State Chapter, wishes to express its disgust over the alarming increase in spate of kidnapping for ransom and armed robbery in Abia State.

The NCP is not surprised that criminal activities in the state are spinning out of control since the Professor Morris Iwu-led Independent National Electoral Commission [INEC] imposed Chief T.A. Orji on the people of Abia State; because, as the Holy Scriptures say, “Righteousness exalts a nation but sin [Governor Orji] is a reproach to any nation [Abia].”

Considering that the continued governorship of Abia State by Orji will continue to spell doom for its citizenry, the NCP calls on him to resign by May 31, 2009.

Otherwise, the NCP shall not hesitate to join forces with revolutionary forces in the state to mobilize the masses for the humiliation of Governor Orji out of office through democratic means.

The NCP uses this opportunity to commend the Human Rights, Justice and Peace Foundation [HRJPF] led by Comrade Chidi Nwosu, the indefatigable, uncompromising and tireless foe of dictatorship and lootocracy as represented by Governor Orji of Abia State, in its fight for good governance for Abia people.

Comrade Cassius Ukwugbe

State Secretary

http://pointblanknews.com/pressrelease178.html

Man arrested over alleged plan to kidnap uncle
Biola Azeez, Umuahia - 16.04.2009

[b]THE Abia State police command has arrested one Chibuike Nwafor (20) for an alleged attempt to kidnap his uncle, an Aba-based business magnate, Chief George Okoro, while demanding N3 million ransom.


Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune in Umuahia, the state police commissioner, Mr. Tam Nanakumo, said the suspect, an indigene of Ndiejezie Arondizuogu, in Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State, was working in concert with a corps member and others yet to be arrested.


The police boss said the suspect, who has asked for forgiveness from his uncle for his behaviour, alongside members of his gang, sent several threat messages and made calls demanding for ransom.


He said the police were able to arrest the suspects before they could perfect their plans, adding that the arrested suspect had made useful statements, while efforts were on to arrest other members of the gang now at large.


Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune, Chibuike said, “I want to apologise to my uncle, because what I did was not good.”


Meanwhile, a team of Abia police command’s anti-kidnapping unit has arrested a suspected kidnapper, Ugochukwu Chinyere Nwanga, alias Ugocee, when they stormed Rumuchichi and Rumukunde villages of Emola Local Government Area of Rivers State, following tip off.


The police said three suspected kidnappers, including Ugocee (24), were arrested at a hideout suspected to be the abode of kidnappers.


The command said the kidnap profile of Ugocee and his gang included the kidnap of the chairman of Obingwa council of traditional rulers, Eze Eberechi Dick, and the subsequent shooting of his son, the robbing and kidnapping of an Aba-based business magnate, Elder Eugene Ndulue, his children and apprentices on December 28, 2008, the kidnap of a Lebanese national, Habib Hashen, on February 19, 2009 and the killing of a police informant, Dennis Onugha Nwakama, who gave information that led to the rescue of the Lebanese national.


Police also said that items recovered included one locally made shotgun with 15 rounds of live cartridges, adding that five AK47 rifles had been recovered from other members of Ugocee’s gang in December 2008.
[/b]

http://www.tribune.com.ng/16042009/news/news16.html

NDLEA discovers 3kg of cocaine in garri - Another 7.5kg of cannabis in palm oil
Shola Adekola, Lagos - 16.04.2009

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, has foiled attempts by two suspected drug traffickers to smuggle illegal drugs out of the country.


[b]A 57-year-old widow, Mrs. Adeleke Mariam, was found to have carefully packed 3kg powdery substance which turned out to be cocaine inside garri in her luggage.


Another suspect, a 29-year-old Okafor Churchill concealed 7.5kg of weeds suspected to be cannabis in four 10-litre containers of palm oil.


The commander of the agency at the airport, Mr. Victor Cole-Showers, while speaking on the development, said the cases were being investigated.


Mariam, who was arrested on Saturday during the screening of passengers on British Airways (BA) flight to London, created scene when she told NDLEA officers upon the discovery that the drug was baby food.


During interrogation, she accepted ownership of the drug and said she agreed to smuggle the drug to London for a fee of £4,000 even as she said she was a victim of fire hazard which razed the Tejuosho Market in 2007.


Churchill, a trader at Onitsha main market, was also unlucky as he was caught with drugs on Easter Sunday.


He was to travel to Guangzhou in China on an Ethiopian Airline when he was arrested.


He said he was tempted to carry the drugs because of the profit margin. The suspects, according to the NDLEA Act, could serve a minimum of 15 years imprisonment if found guilty by the law courts.
[/b]
http://www.tribune.com.ng/16042009/news/news12.html

You are armed robbers, prostitute dares ex- soldier, others
By MATTHEW DIKE
Thursday, April 16, 2009 More Stories on This Section

A[b] commercial sex worker in Lagos, has pointed fingers at an ex-soldier and members of his robbery gang, accusing them of unleashing terror on residents of Lagos and its environs.
The 18-year-old girl, from Ondo state, simply identified as Bekky, had told police detectives attached to the Festac Division that the ex-soldier, also believed to be a member of a cult group, Onyebuchi Eze, Emeka Nwenyi and others still at large, used military uniform to dispossess people of their property.
Bekky disclosed that a member of the gang, simply identified as Biggy, gave Eze, popularly known as Capone, a gun procured at Nsukka, Enugu State.

She gave the names of other members of the gang as, Nwenyi and Ekwutosi. Eze and Ekwutosi were alleged to have snatched a jeep from a man and stole his N35, 000. She alleged that both of them wore army uniform during the operation.

According to her, the gang also stole four motorcycles and sold them at the rate of N26, 000 each. She also narrated how members of the gang once robbed passengers of a luxury bus in Lagos.
The girl, who claimed Eze was her regular customer, said it was one Kelechi, who introduced her into prostitution at the age of sixteen, adding that she escaped when the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) came to arrest her in a hotel at Ajangbadi.

Eze, who claimed to have been discharged from the Nigerian Army on medical grounds.
He, however, denied being an armed robber. He said he loved Bekky and wanted to marry her.
“I wanted to marry Bekky but wished to know her parents in Ebonyi state but she refused to take me there,” he claimed.

Nwenyi was arrested while he was still wearing army uniform. He said it was Bekky who brought police to his residence at Ajangbadi, Lagos. He, however, confessed being a fake soldier, adding that it was his friend, Bassey Effiong, who gave him the army uniform which included a T-shirt, shorts, cap, Jack knife, among others.
But he said he never used the military uniform to rob. “I am a business man in Lagos,” he told Daily Sun.[/b]


http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/crimewatch/2009/apr/16/crimewatch-16-04-2009-002.htm

*comfort:
igbo @ his best.