₦airaland Forum

THERE WAS NO BOMB BLAST IN AHOADA - Ahoada Indigene
Felix Josiah, an indigene of Ahoada (Ekpeye) has just confirmed that Channels TV (operating from Lagos), APC, Ogundamisi, Premium Times, Sahara Reporters and their GULLIBLE believers, LIED.
There was no bomb blast at the Ahoada High Court...
He agreed there was a scare though, and the Rivers State Police and Anti-Bomb Squad was called in to cordon off the area for possible detonation.
Confirm from the resident

I don't think that African (Nigerian) Women are being debased in this joke. I want to look are it differently: 1 It shows that our women are smart and are not so cheap compared to the foreign ladies according to the joke. 2. the joke was even debasing men by portraying them as rapist, it shows the canny nature of men by luring this innocent and vulnerable girls with gifts with the sole objective of ending up in bed. From my point of view, this is a kind of red flag that young girls going on date should watch out for.

I don't think that African (Nigerian) Women are being debased in this joke. I want to look are it differently: 1 It shows that our women are smart and are not so cheap compared to the foreign ladies according to the joke. 2. the joke was even debasing men by portraying them as rapist, it shows the wolfish nature of men by luring this innocent and vulnerable girls with gifts with the sole objective of ending up in bed. From my point of view, this is a kind of red flag that young girls going on date should watch out for.

Portugal football legend Eusebio, who was top scorer at the 1966 World Cup, has died at the age of 71.
Born in Mozambique in 1942 when it was still a Portuguese colony, Eusebio da Silva Ferreira went on to play 64 times for Portugal, scoring 41 goals.

The Benfica striker's nine goals at the 1966 World Cup in England included four against North Korea.

Widely considered one of the best players of all-time, he scored 733 times in 745 professional matches.

Famed for his blistering acceleration and dazzling dribbling skills, he was named European Footballer of the Year in 1965.

Eusebio won the European Cup with Benfica in 1962 and was in the side that lost to Manchester United in the 1968 Wembley final.

He won 10 league championships and five Portuguese cups in his 15 years at the club and was Portugal's top league scorer between 1964 and 1973.

His goals in the 1966 World Cup helped his country to third place, after they were beaten 2-1 by eventual winners England in the semi-finals.

Portugal's current top striker Cristiano Ronaldo was among those to pay tribute following the news of Eusebio's death.

"Always eternal, Eusebio, rest in peace," the Real Madrid and former Manchester United striker wrote on Twitter with a picture of both of them together.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/25611509

Why the Conflicting prophecies from GOD through daddies,prophet,pastors,bishops

We have standard organization of Nigeria(SON),so what's the job of christian association of Nigeria(CAN)

Where else in the world that the so called "New year prophesies" of dellusioned con men in the name of Men of God make headlines? Religitards run the media houses! What sane nation and media will give audience to people who do not contribute intellectually, economically or academically to the nation? The pastopreneurs and ProphTEFTS in Nigeria are always at their theatrics and dellusioned mongering at the end and beggining of the year. Look at the serious professional Media bodies like the Times, there is no space for religitards to spew rubbish. They are talking about Economics, foreign affairs, security and weather forecast for 2014, you read from technocrats not Religitards! You hear from the experienced authorities and experts on real subjects ; Economics, Geography, Science and foreign affairs. What manner of nation is this? The leaders clueless, the media senseless, and the citizens thoughtless. Very lumpish media houses we have here! No one is interviewing Sanusi or Iweala on the Economic forecast for Nigeria in 2014. Nobody is talking to the macro and micro economics experts who'll breakdown the nitty gritty for us. Nobody talks to the security experts, the foreign affairs analysts, who'll make real diagnosis and prognosis. The old saying goes "show me your friend and I'll tell you what you are". You can tell so much about a man by the kind of things he is not interested in, much is left bare of a man's persona by the kind of enemies he makes. How can a nation which talks about being among the top economies in 2025, be listening to people that answer tittles like "Primates", "Prophets", "Pastors", "Imams" "Alfas",etc. What possibly can a pastor do to an economy of a nation besides ruin it by milking the citizens of their money and marketing dellusioned verbiage to them? What techonological invention can anyone point to a prophet? The only technology I can accredit to them is making their congregation's money disappear from their pockets to his bank account. I opened a Japanese news website this morning and they were talking about forecast of their economy in 2014, they were talking about technological advancement in their military. Go to Nigeria's news online, what'll greet you is a cacaphony of religious verbiage. If y'all still think that you'll be among the top economies on earth in 2025 by listening to religious men, then goodluck then. I'm sure it is possible to reach the moon by quoting the bible and Qur'an garnished with prayers and fasting. Giant of Africa my ass!

FaceBook plans to start charging from £100 per year minimum service to £1500 Premium marketing service mid 2014...Thaaaaaaank GOD, the end of FaceBook BULLIES, PSYCHOS....& Broke A** losers stalking innocent victims - Thank you Zucky!!!

That man that set himself ablaze got it all wrong.Tunisia is not Nigeria.The deeper we sink economically,the harder we pray.Mass action is not just our pattern.Even our leaders know Arab spring can't happen here.They know we prefer prayers to action even when we are pushed to the wall.And We are going to do what we know how to do best tonight as we usher in year 2014. May his soul rest in peace.

MY RESOLUTIONS FOR THIS 2014 GREGORIAN CALENDER:
1.To start going to church beginning from January 1,2015
2.To start smoking again.I miss my Malboro
3.To start drinking Star Beer and become a 'shine shine Bobo again'
4.To marry 3 more wives.One from the North.One from the West and one from Liberia.(They just discovered oil)
5.To go to a Bible college and learn to become a Pastor( The biggest business in Nigeria outside politics) And with no risks,no tax,all year enjoyment)
I think I can handle these?

If we didn't follow the Gregorian Calendar, yesterday, today or any other day could have been regarded as a New Year Day. To me, every day one wakes up alive and healthy is worthy of praising well deserving of our celebration.

[b]KNOW THE FACTS.
Here is an interesting historical fact. Just have a look at the calendar for the month of September, 1752. Go to Google and type " September 1752 calendar" and see for yourself. You will notice 11 days are simply missing from the month.
Here's the explanation: This was the month during which England shifted from the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian Calendar. A Julian year was 11 days longer than a Gregorian year. So, the King of England ordered 11 days to be wiped off the face of that particular month. So, the workers worked for 11 days less that month but got paid for the whole month. That's how the concept of "paid leave" was born. Hail the King!!!
In the Roman Julian Calendar, April used to be the first month of the year, but the Gregorian Calendar observed January as the first month. Even after shifting to the Gregorian Calendar, many people refused to give up old traditions and continued celebrating 1st April as the New Year's Day. When simple orders didn't work, the King finally issued a royal dictum which stated that those who celebrated 1st April as the New Year's Day would be labelled as fools. From then on 1st April became April Fool's Day.
History is really interesting, isn't it?[/b]

If we didn't follow the Gregorian Calendar, yesterday, today or any other day could have been regarded as a New Year Day. To me, every day one wakes up alive and healthy is worthy of praising well deserving of our celebration.

[b]KNOW THE FACTS.
Here is an interesting historical fact. Just have a look at the calendar for the month of September, 1752. Go to Google and type " September 1752 calendar" and see for yourself. You will notice 11 days are simply missing from the month.
Here's the explanation: This was the month during which England shifted from the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian Calendar. A Julian year was 11 days longer than a Gregorian year. So, the King of England ordered 11 days to be wiped off the face of that particular month. So, the workers worked for 11 days less that month but got paid for the whole month. That's how the concept of "paid leave" was born. Hail the King!!!
In the Roman Julian Calendar, April used to be the first month of the year, but the Gregorian Calendar observed January as the first month. Even after shifting to the Gregorian Calendar, many people refused to give up old traditions and continued celebrating 1st April as the New Year's Day. When simple orders didn't work, the King finally issued a royal dictum which stated that those who celebrated 1st April as the New Year's Day would be labelled as fools. From then on 1st April became April Fool's Day.
History is really interesting, isn't it?[/b]

And the pastor says: "Ask the lord what you want for 2014"

Millions tonight will set unattainable standards for themselves in hours time. They will continue their exercise in intellectual laziness and abrogation of the reality around them.

Like last year, echoes of "you will buy a new car", "get promoted", "fly abroad", "feed fat on the milk of the masses", "your helper will locate you" and shouts of "amen" will rent the air punctuating each prayer.

Nigerians will shock you to the marrow. EVERYONE of them believes strongly that these prayers will come to fruition even though they don't warrant it.

As a fulfilment of the prayers where honest work fails to achieve, they resort to vices to get the answers to these prayers most likely at the detriment of others.

.....when testimony time comes each will brandish their achievements(?) beginning with the phrase "the lord has done it!"

Nigerians are such a sad and scary bunch.

he following takes place between 9pm 31/12/2013 and 1am 01/01/2014.
Events occur in Nigerian time.

- There is so much noise, the Choir is leading the congregation in series of "praise" and "worship" songs. Soon the Pastor will climb the altar. He will welcome everyone into the new year. Prayers will be said to ensure a smooth passage. The Pastor will hear god speak in his ear. Prophesies will be made. The first offering of the year will be collected. The congregation will disperse.- ......Somewhere in the middle of January, a fasting program will start. The aim? To make sure nothing stops you from achieving all you desire in the new year......

The truth?
You were here exactly 52 weeks ago, did the same things, said the same prayers, did the same dances, I even bet you can find the prayer requests you wrote if you search hard enough. But a lot has not gone according to the "expectations" of the "righteous" which supposedly cannot be cut off.

You have lost yet another bosom friend, not to death this time, but because either you grew too "holy" for your friend, or you had a dream in which that your friend's dog was pursuing you....a dream which according to your pastor implies that your friend has been the enemy against your destiny.....a verdict you wouldn't have gotten if you'd consulted the right person for your worry- a psychotherapist. And so your circle of human friends keeps dwindling.....but ofcourse you're now acquainted with a few more spiritual friends to make up for that...

Your Dad has refused to take the job he was offered at that Hotel, because the booze they sell is against his faith. Besides, the sinners who lodge there are heavily yoked with prostitutes. So he sits at home, either picking a quarrel with the neighbors, or waiting for a job from the lord.......either way, he wont bee able to pay your sister's fees, which means that she'll probably be the prostitute that will be sleeping with one of the guests at that Hotel a few days hence.

And I nearly forgot your new year resolutions.....another list of "principles" you wont be adhering to, and "targets" you wont be meeting....Because god is in control of your life now, and you need not worry what tomorrow will bring. So having relinquished all your responsibilities to "ghosts", it's quite no shock that you never get around to ticking off anyone of those targets from the lists....as done.

So all the visions and prophesies of the past years...about you becoming a millionaire, about that dream husband, or that pregnancy, or that Job, or car or house....they didn't come true because you somehow conveniently sinned or didn't have enough faith....or could it be that.....no...no....no....god is not man, so he cannot lie. Maybe it isn't god's time yet?

I don't blame you so much about all this, after all the Prophesies keep mentioning that "his" coming is now nearer than it was a forthnight ago....So yeah its very difficult to put 100% effort at anything, when you ain't sure if you'll finish it before the "end" comes.....

Oh my...the guilt you have to live in, and the fear, waking up to a silent house, and wondering if everyone has been raptured- But your Dad couldn't have been "raptured", didn't he slap your mum and call you an idiot before you fell asleep? So the guilt keeps mounting, how can you be sure you lived without "sin" today, a rapturable life? And you can't remember if you've confessed and asked god for forgiveness for yesterday's stare at that lady's sumptuous boobs....oh no....the thought is giving you an erection again and you're wondering if you probably need to cut off this dick of yours since its leading you into sin....or whether the problem is the eyes....or shouldn't the blame go to that heathen lady for exposing so much of her cleavage?

Confusion....

But our god is not the author of confusion....seriously?

I think I'm going to sit down....and re-evaluate these beliefs of mine......from the very beginning. I can't live another few years of my life this way.

-------THE MEDITATIONS OF A YOUNG RELIGIOUS NIGERIAN---------------

Yeah you do....

Slim.

THE CROSS OVER NIGHT. Lol!

Okay, someone just sent me a text and said that i should repent so it would be well with me in 2014....That i have made it to the "cross over night" and for all my insults, atrocities and propaganda to God and he still spared my life i should go and say sorry.

Sorry about what? Repent about what? How did i wrong him when we are not friends?

That i should go to Church and cover myself with the blood of Jesus in 2014.

Jesus that died 2000+ years ago? That the blood in his decomposed molten earthen and dried up body now is what i need to cover myself with?

Bro or sis why wish me bad in 2014?

What would that motet do for me just this night?

I have blood flowing in me and i have not covered myself with my blood its some Arab Jewish man that i do not know that i should plead his blood upon my life.

I am an African please i will plead the blood of an Ifa, Anansa, Amadioha these are all Gods too, African Gods.

I will rather plead their blood because they are mine but even then i would not because i believe my blood is stronger and better than theirs.

I did not go to Church all through the year and on the last day of the year i should hypocritically now go to Church?

I won't even try it because i do not use people that would be so unfair to him, all this while i did not recognize him now because i believe it is the last day of the year i run down to go and see him.

By the way does God live in the Church? I don't think so.

If indeed there is a God in the Church he would shut his door and and send me back to where i came from.

Not nice so i pass....I am partying tonight and i will dance and enjoy myself drink some tequila and ice.

Bro or sis i won't go, let my will be done whatever comes in 2014 i will get on with it.

It is my will let it be done to me as i wish it to be.

My dear friends, foes and enemies once again thank you so much for making me a better person, i learnt so much from you all and i want to continue learning.

I personally do not do resolutions but something tells me that the wind of love, unity, peace and everlasting joy will endure, abide and blow our way this coming year.

As you cross over be safe and take care.

Happy bicentenary as Nigeria starts a new mile stone into great exploits may her way be smooth and her path clear to greater heights.

Congratulations to our mother may she live and bless her children with peace and love.

Boko haram spare a thought for her.

I don't know about you but i love Nigeria so dearly.

Let's do it again.

Shalom!

You've had sex with all the men in your area .. Then you said- New year.. New Me .. Do you think your vaginal comes with ' Clear History ' Button ?

For the governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi, the christmas holidays offered an added opportunity as he took time to respond to claims making round that he was having an affair a daughter of Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, and that the daughter, never named in the rumor, was pregnant.

The governor denied the rumour through his twitter handle on December 18. PREMIUM TIMES became aware of the tweets Saturday morning.

The rumour, in Port Harcourt, widely broadcast, claimed that a daughter of the Nobel Laureate was expecting a child for Mr. Amaechi and that she was already living in the Government House.

It was further alleged that the governor’s wife, Judith, had moved abroad following the domestic challenges she was having with her husband.

It was claimed that the absence of the First Lady gave Mr. Soyinka’s daughter the opportunity to establish her full presence in the Government House.

But in the tweet, Mr. Amaechi debunked the rumour, saying it was a big lie, which was part of the ongoing campaign to smear his image.

“That rumour about me and Prof. Soyinka’s daughter is a big outrageous lie. It’s certainly part of the ongoing political campaign to smear…..”

In another tweet, the governor said his marriage to his wife was intact, adding that they both love themselves.

“…..me and Prof. Soyinka. I have never and will never assault my wife Judith. I love her so much and she loves me too. Our marriage DEY KAMPE. (Top Form).”

http://premiumtimesng.com/news/152192-governor-ameachi-denies-impregnating-soyinkas-daughter.html

Olusegun Obasanjo did not deliberately scuttle the power sector reform embarked upon by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Governor of Lagos state.Nasir El-Rufai dwelt extensively on the issue in his book,@The The Accidental Public Servant.Simon Kolawole's assertions were purely one sided. This is what El-Rufai had to say on the issue,remember he was the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises:One of my most memorable early experiences in BPE was a political baptism of fire - an encounter that put me smack in the middle of ethnicity, politics and policy conflicts, involving a company that became globally notorious for its internal misgovernance and deception - the Houston-based Enron Corporation.Electricity shortages have become a way of life in Nigeria, and Enron saw an opportunity to cash in on that misfortune. They did something similar in India in the 1990s and it went really wrong but they learnt some lessons and came to Nigeria with a more refined approach. What Enron proposed was to supply second-hand, barge-based generators (movable and easy to relocate in case of payment defaults) using diesel initially, to be supplied by Wale Tinubu's Ocean & Oil Ltd.(now Oando) until gas pipelines are extended from Egbin to the barges' location, to provide initially 90MW and expandable to 540MW of electricity exclusively for Lagos State.The Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu, his finance commissioner Wale Edun, budget commissioner Yemi Cardoso, Gbenga Oyebode of Aluko & Oyebode, Wale Tinubu and Tunde Folawiyo, all of them friends or acquaintances of mine, were involved in the transaction at various levels and capacities. There were only three hurdles that needed to be crossed. First was the legal reality of the time: that only federally-owned National Electricity Power Authority (NEPA) could buy, transmit and distribute power so the cooperation of the Federal Government (FGN) was needed. Second was that NEPA was notorious for not paying its bills (even to government-owned companies like the Nigerian Gas Company which supplies it with feedstock), so some payment security arrangements needed to be put in place in anticipation of NEPA's default, and finally Enron would require a sovereign guarantee in the event that NEPA fails to pay and the security arrangement fails to crystallize or is exhausted by multiple defaults. Enron and Bola Tinubu found a way by getting Chief Bola Ige, a fellow opposition AD party leader working in a PDP administration, to get Obasanjo to sign off on the transaction without any cabinet review or rigorous inter-agency discussions. Bola Ige also obtained the president's consent to sign a sovereign guarantee on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria -something only the Minister of Finance was legally authorized to do.There were no loud protests from NEPA management who could foresee the dangers of potential corporate insolvency because they all believed resistance was fruitless since Minister Bola Ige had the ears of President Obasanjo. Everything was signed, sealed and delivered and we all read about it in the newspapers. I was concerned that this could negatively impact the future privatization of NEPA and requested the VP to obtain copies of the agreements signed for our review. This was barely two weeks after I resumed, and then early in December 1999, we received the ‘power purchase agreement’ (PPA) of over 100 pages including annexes, annexures and other attachments. We could not make any sense out of it. We approached Norton Rose of the UK, and two local law firms, A B Mahmoud & Co. based in Kano and George Ikoli & Okagbue of Lagos to undertake a review of the power purchase agreement. Norton Rose needed several weeks, and instinctively I knew we had to figure this out before it got too late, and several weeks might be too late. The local law firms submitted the outcome of their reviews within a short period, but what we got were not very helpful in isolating the potential impact of the PPA on our power sector reform programme.The agreement was highly technical with enough equations and integrals to scare all but the most mathematically proficient of lawyers. At this point, I approached the World Bank country office for assistance. Trevor Byer, the country director who fortuitously had been involved in power
sector reforms elsewhere before his posting to Nigeria, was very helpful, proactive and immediately responsive. Within a couple of weeks, we received a summary of the agreement, its impact on privatization, what the equations and annexes meant in terms of tariffs, security arrangements, dollar payments and contingent liabilities. I immediately briefed the Vice President who was alarmed at the findings, and he instructed me to draft a memo for onward transmission to President Obasanjo. Within five weeks of taking over the headship of BPE, I drafted the first of many memos which would be forwarded to the President, drawing attention to surreptitious steps being taken by line ministries to frustrate sector reforms and privatization. The Lagos State-Enron case was particularly dangerous as it would have bankrupted NEPA almost overnight! The president immediately put the transaction on hold and commended the vice president for briefing him on the implications of the deal.The VP set up a ministerial committee chaired by Minister of State Danjuma Goje, with BPE, the Federal Ministry of Finance, and Lagos State Government represented as members, to review the agreement. Enron immediately hired GoodWorks International, the global advisory firm co-founded by former US Ambassador to the UN, Andrew Young, to influence the outcome of the review, while Bola Ige and some sections of the South-West media got busy attacking me, the vice president and the BPE for 'depriving Lagos and Yoruba people of steady electricity'. We declined to respond, focusing on fixing what we saw as a potential stumbling block to reforming and privatizing our electricity supply industry. I am glad we truncated the original deal, but even the better and revised arrangement which reduced tariffs from 8.5 cents per kilowatt-hour to just 1 cent a kilowatt-hour ended up placing huge financial burdens on NEPA years into the future – and the undertaking we extracted from Lagos State to share part of the burden was subsequently challenged in court, and remained in dispute until we left office.My Enron experience was an education of sorts. I learnt many new lessons that dispelled my naivety.Well-informed and trusted friends put pressure on me to look the other way because they were advisers or consultants to Enron, or were potential beneficiaries in the transaction. My explanations and passionate representations that the transaction was inimical to national interest, negatively
impacts the long-term viability of NEPA and threatened the reforms of the electricity industry were neither important nor relevant to their position. I saw starkly how government officials were willing to pervert the interest of the country to impress foreigners, or obtain preferences for those they thought
were their kinsmen. It was an early sobering experience and an appreciation of the reigning dictum of every one for himself, and no one for the country.The hypocrisy of multinational commercial interests that think ‘contract sanctity’ overrode Nigeria's laws, our national interest and the voidability of a contract based on a mistake also came to the fore.The even-handedness of the World Bank officials was commendable; for their efforts however, some
of them were moved out of Nigeria, and some reportedly took early retirement due to pressure from the Executive Director representing the US on the board of the World Bank, as a result of complaints filed against them by Enron. It was gratifying (and I felt that it was divine judgment for the sleepless nights and media attacks we in the BPE were put through by their executives and Nigerian collaborators for no reason other than their narrow commercial interests!) that I had to witness the
collapse of that evil corporation. I remember vividly I was in Houston, Texas when on December 2,2001, Enron filed for bankruptcy protection.Reading objectively El-Rufai's account will certainly disabuse your mind that the failure of that project was at Obasanjo's behest.

Many have forgotten that it was a gift of a cup of tea and wristwatch that landed Tam David West in trouble during IBB's regime

geeworld1: GEJ neva seizes to amaze mee

Cease is the right word!

Before some people speak or write on any issue, you can predict precisely what their position would be. It must always be to defend or project sectional interest. Yet, for all intents and purposes, no ethnic group can claim innocence in the brigandage going on in Nigeria and the mismanagement of the country. To think one ethnic group is “clean” and the others are “evil” is to ignore fact and glamorise fiction. It is human beings, not ethnic groups, that are bad.

I cringe anytime I remember the day Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi was nominated as the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. A colleague, who knew nothing about Sanusi, screamed: “So they are going to bring this illiterate Malam to come and destroy everything Soludo has built?” The colleague in question does not have half of Sanusi’s education or a quarter of his competence, but such were the prejudices we inherited from the foundation of Nigeria. We never bother to question these prejudices and face the facts. We mostly fail to judge everyone by his or her character. We simply pass the prejudices on to the next generation. This nonsensical stereotyping feeds our mind-sets. Yorubas are traitors and cowards; Hausas are illiterates and dumb; Igbos are fraudsters and money worshipers. Isn’t it refreshing that in football, we judge every player by his ability and performance, rather than by his ethnic origin?

By the way Adamu Ciroma studied History at the University of Ibadan.

Malawi President Joyce Banda left her country today on a South Africa Airways flight to Lagos, to begin a three-day private visit to Nigeria.
She will be the guest neither of President Goodluck Jonathan nor that of his wife, ‘Mama Peace’ Patience Jonathan.
Rather she is heading to Lagos, where she will, for three days, be the VIP guest of Pastor TB Joshua’s Synagogue of All Nations, to receive prayers for herself and her small country.

At the departure ceremony in Lilongwe today, she said she wanted to use the time to reflect on 2013 and and what lies ahead in 2014. Mrs. Banda is due to face a general election in May 2014.
She told reporters at the Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe that she has been coming to Nigeria for prayers in the last five years, and this visit is normal.
“Some of you may be aware that I go for prayers in Nigeria. This year I also decided to take a three-day holiday for prayers,” she said. She calls TB Joshua her spiritual father.
She was seen off at the airport by VP Khumbo Kachali. And she is expected back in Malawi on new years’ eve.
Her visit to Nigeria, her seventh in the 20 months she has been in office, was the issue of discussion on social media in her country, since the announcement Thursday that she would leave today for Nigeria on a private visit.

“Her Excellency, the State President, Dr Joyce Banda leaves the country tomorrow, 27th December, 2013, for Nigeria, on a three-day private visit,” read the press release that was signed by the Presidential Press Secretary Steven Nhlane.
President Banda’s ascendancy to power is said to be connected to the prophecy of the TB Joshua who was said to have predicted the death of former Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika.
President Banda had visited Nigeria more than once before she ascended the presidency.
At some point she was captured on Emmanuel Television at TB Joshua’s synagogue. Emmanuel TV is owned by the flamboyant preacher.
TB Joshua’s Synagogue has been a favourite destination of some African leaders, including the late Professor Atta Mills of Ghana.

http://www.simonateba.com/2013/12/malawis-president-heads-to-tb-joshuas.html?spref=fb

My attention was drawn to President Jonathan’s goodwill message to Nigerians on Christmas. Having read many speeches from the President of Nigeria, I am always certain that there would be grammatical and other kinds of errors in his speeches. Indeed, I have stopped bothering about it. But when I read his present speech, I had to comment, initially for the benefit of my friends.

The responses to my comment promoted me to further analyze that speech. (Before you go further, remember that anybody can make a mistake. It is a matter of degree; but the office of the President of Nigeria should not make the same type of mistake that an individual like me could make). The funny thing is that I am actually familiar with how the presidency works or should work. There are layers of personnel to ensure that anything coming from the President, directly in his name, reflects the best the country is capable of. That is supposed to be the general state of affair and everybody in the presidency understands and works towards that. The office of the President would therefore have the best secretaries and other support staff working in a structure where they are positioned to detect errors and correct them before the matter gets out.

For instance, it is a serious problem to submit a document to the President for his signature, where such a document has an error in it. We refer to documents signed by the President as documents that are watertight and perfect. They leave no room for typos or other problems. That is why a document bearing directly the name of the President would go through several checks and reviews before publication.

Note that this was not a speech delivered on behalf of the President by an aide. It is not a thing by a press rep. It is not a thing by his advisers. It is directly in the name of the President. So, efforts should have been expended to ensure that it met the highest standards. If they were not sure of that standard or they lack the time and resources to ensure the highest standards, they could have had the speech given on behalf of the President by some other official.

What I think happened was that they allowed a low grade, low talent (but highly paid) connected political player’s relative to man the President’s Facebook account. They forgot that even though it was Facebook, that was the President directly communicating with the world.

Some people naively think that this is just about grammatical error. They are satisfied that he even bothered to greet them on Christmas. But, rather, this matter reflects failure at several levels. It is failure to understand the use and significance of the social media in modern governance. It is failure to understand the people and the audience the President is trying to reach. It is a failure to select the right officials based on competence rather than political patronage. It is simply a huge failure to lead the country with any sense of modernity.

A few days ago, President Putin of Russia had a meet-the-press session attended by 3,000 press people. Putin communicated with the world with the latest and best technology that exists. He communicated like a pro. But here, the President of the most populous black nation in the world where 65% of the population comprises of people under age 30 could not even send a simple message on Facebook without so many basic errors.

Now, I used this simple issue to test Nigerians. I wanted to see how many of the youth would understand what is in issue here. Many do not understand that if you don’t speak any language of your choice in the correct grammatical format, that would cause you to say the opposite of what you meant to say. Now, may we examine in some specific details the statement by the President of Nigeria, as follows: (I placed my comments as Notes after the first four paragraphs). PRESIDENT JONATHAN’S SPEECH: FIRST PARAGRAPH: As the world marks the birth of Jesus Christ, let me, on behalf of myself, my family and the Federal Government, extend the good tidings of peace, progress and joy to every home throughout our beloved country Nigeria.

Note: This paragraph has the errors such as: (1) The world does not mark the birth of Jesus Christ, really. Only Christians do that. This is because the word “marks”, as used in this first paragraph means: “a festival to mark an anniversary: celebrate, observe, recognize, acknowledge, keep, honor, solemnize, pay tribute to, salute, commemorate, remember, memorialize.” Only Christians do that for the birth of “Jesus Christ”. Also, there is a difference in connotation between “Jesus of Nazareth” and “Jesus Christ”. Jesus of Nazareth is a historical figure that everybody agrees was born, lived and was killed in the region of Judea about 2000 years ago. The Jews and Muslims and everyone else really call him “Jesus of Nazareth”, but they do not accept that he is “Christ” the Messiah. So the world could not really “mark” the birth of “Jesus Christ”, any more than it would be correct to say “the world marks the birth of Mohammed”. (2) The use of the phrase, “on behalf of myself” is questionable on grounds of appropriateness. If you must add “myself” on the list of people the President was speaking for, that should be the last on the list. (3) The phrase, “the Federal Government”, is incomplete and ambiguous. While acceptable in some clear contexts, it is ambiguous to someone who might not automatically know that Jonathan is the President of Nigeria. So, that phrase ought to have been “Federal Government of Nigeria” or anything else that specifies the country in question. This is particularly so because the phrase is being used for the first time in the speech. It is true that he subsequently added in the same paragraph the word “Nigeria”. But that does not cure the error. (4) The last phrase in that paragraph, “our beloved country Nigeria” is incorrectly written. There ought to be a comma between “country” and “Nigeria”. The funny thing is that if the writer had used the readily available spell checker on his or her computer, many of these errors would have been highlighted and taken out. So, how could our officials be so lazy and daft?

SECOND PARAGRAPH: Christmas is a time of joyous family gatherings and as President, I see every Nigerian as a member of my family and I urge us all to retain the unique sense of brotherly love that this season evokes beyond the Yuletide period.

Note: (1) This paragraph is mostly meaningless. The President’s attempt to define Christmas only as “a time for joyous family gatherings” does not reflect an intelligible articulation of the purpose of Christmas. In fact, religious scholars do not believe that the central connotation of Christmas involves family gatherings, as there is no such religious obligation for families to gather. Of course, he could have avoided this ambiguity by indicating that this is his own understanding of the meaning of Christmas. (2) Also the use of the definite article “a” before “time” does not reflect the best practice. (3) Similarly, there ought to be the definite article “the” before the word “President” in that paragraph. (4) The most disturbing error in the second paragraph of the speech has to do with the last seven words in that paragraph, “this season evokes beyond the Yuletide period”. The problems here are: (a) What is the “season” mentioned here? That is Christmas season. (b) What is the “Yuletide period” mentioned here? That is Christmas period. So, that statement really says something like this: “This Christmas season evokes beyond the Christmas period”. You can see immediately the dumbness of such statement. It is a lazy statement by a lazy writer. And, by the way, what is the meaning of the word “Yuletide”? It is defined by Wikipedia as: “Yule or Yuletide (“Yule time”) is a Pagan religious festival observed by the historical Germanic peoples, later being absorbed into and equated with the Christian festival of Christmas.” The English Dictionary defined it as “Archaic way of saying “Christmas””. Now why would this writer use such term, really?

THIRD PARAGRAPH: While we will surely mark this holiday in our different ways and according to our established traditions, it is my desire that we all celebrate Christmas with some minimum comforts and my team and I have long prepared for this by working to improve our infrastructure especially those that most serve us during this season.

Note: This paragraph, like all other paragraphs in the speech, contains at least four errors. I don’t need to mention them here, except to point out the most bizarre of the errors. That has to do with the phrase: “it is my desire that we all celebrate Christmas with some minimum comfort...” What does the President mean to say here? Is he urging Nigerians to show restraint in their consumption during the period, which might make sense, or does he really mean that Nigerians should be minimally comfortable during the period? (If Nigerians don’t have electricity during the period, yes, that would be “minimum comfort” for them). It is totally bizarre for such ambiguity and confusion to emanate from a simple statement of goodwill from the President of Nigeria. I will not bother to list the errors in the remaining paragraphs. Those are even too disturbing for anyone to bother to point them out. It is easier to point out the correct statements here than to point out the errors because only about five sentences in the entire speech are correct grammatically and otherwise. And most of the factual assertions in the speech are false and most statements of opinion in it are illogical.

FOURTH PARAGRAPH: Knowing that this period is the peak period for cross country travels amongst our people, this administration has fast tracked the repair and reconstruction of artery roads nationwide. We have also ensured that the nightmare our citizens suffered at fuel stations during periods like this is put behind us. For the second year in a row, train services have continued to run from the Lagos Terminus all the way to The hinterlands of the North. This year, we also introduced cargo and haulage train services from the Lagos Port to up country locations.

FIFTH PARAGRAPH: With the Enugu airport now handling international flights, more of our people can fly directly to their localities resulting in reduced pressure on our roads. SIXTH PARAGRAPH: Our policies to spur local production of staples such as rice and wheat are bearing fruits as evidenced by the 2013 Global Hunger Index. SEVENTH PARAGRAPH: Although I will not depend on statistics until every Nigerian has enough to eat at all times and in every season, the report is salutary and only galvanizes us to further action. EIGHTH PARAGRAPH: I have also personally monitored government’s fiscal effort which we ensured were tightened for the purpose of avoiding or severely reducing the seasonal inflationary trends on consumer goods around this time of the year with the attendant result that inflation is at single digit rate. NINETH PARAGRAPH: These steps have been undertaken because of my belief that every good and great thing is possible in our country if we desire to achieve it. TENTH PARAGRAPH: So, as we all celebrate with friends and family, I say from me to you, Merry Christmas and may the joys of the season extend from our individual homes to those of our neighbors and neighboring communities irrespective of religion and region. GEJ

•Emeka Ugwuonye, Esquire, lawyer and activist, wrote from Lagos. Photo shows President Goodluck Jonathan.

Source News Express

Posted 26/12/2013 10:36:32 AM
http://www.newsexpressngr.com/news/detail.php?news=3893

“An evangelist who tried replicating Jesus’ miracle of walking on water has reportedly drowned off the western coast of Africa.

Pastor Franck Kabele, 35, told his congregation he could repeat the biblical miracle, and he attempted it from a beach in Gabon’s capital of Libreville. ‘He told churchgoers he’d had a revelation that if he had enough faith, he could walk on water like Jesus,’ an eyewitness told the Glasgow Daily Record.

‘He took his congregation to the beach saying he would walk across the Komo estuary, which takes 20 minutes by boat. He walked into the water, which soon passed over his head and he never came back.’

A researcher at Florida State University believes he has a natural explanation for the account of Jesus’ miraculous walk on the surface of water — ice. Professor of Oceanography Doron Nof and the co-authors of his study theorize that a rare combination of optimal water and atmospheric conditions resulted in a unique, localized freezing phenomenon called ‘springs ice.’"

This horrible incident, together with a “professor’s” response, progresses from the tragically untaught to the supremely obtuse.

The Tragedy of Ignorance

“‘Pastor’ Kabele” obviously was a very sincere man; but sincerity does not nullify ignorance. I do not use this term in a pejorative way. All of us are ignorant in some matters. It’s just that sometimes one form of ignorance can have a greater consequence than others. In the first place it should be noted that “revelations” from God do not occur today. When the Old Testament era came to an end in Malachi’s day, 400 years passed with no “revelations” from God. This era frequently is described as “the four silent centuries.”

With the coming of a new age, from the commencement of Jesus’ ministry to the death of the apostle John, there was another relatively brief period when supernatural revelation and signs were manifest. When the New Testament was completed, and the apostles and other people possessing miraculous abilities died, no further signs were provided.

Had poor Mr. Kabele known his Bible better, he would not have attempted his “miracle” feat; had he possessed a moderate amount of common sense, he quickly would have discovered he could not “walk on water,” before the sea finally took him.
The “Ice” Theory

Eclipsing Kabele’s naivety is the theory of Professor Nof as to how Jesus was able to walk on the Sea of Galilee. Presumably, it was a “rare” (rare indeed!) condition wherein that body of water was seized by a unique “freezing phenomenon” that enabled Jesus to walk on top of the ice!

A consideration of the following facts would have saved the “professor” and his colleagues some embarrassment. (a) The incident of the walking on the water occurred in April, for the Passover was near (John 6:4). There was green grass on the hills nearby (Mark 6:39). (b) In April at the Sea of Galilee temperatures average from 53 to 67 degrees (the sea is 695 feet below sea level). Fruits, vegetables, and grains are grown year-round in the region. © There is no indication that the lake was frozen at any place. There was a significant wind and the waves were tumultuous (Matthew 14:24; John 6:18). (d) The boat obviously was not lodged in ice, for the disciples had rowed some 3 to 4 miles from shore (John 6:19). Peter was able to step out of the boat and walk on the “water” (not “ice”) toward the Lord. The apostle began to sink because of his fear, prompted by a lack of faith (Matthew 14:30-31) — not as a result of breaking through the ice!
Critics attack the Bible, contending that the “miracles” were myths, yet their rationalistic theories are more difficult to believe than genuine miracles!

https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/1294-preacher-attempts-to-walk-on-water-and-drowns

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) presented a bowl of rice as one the registered voters during the recently concluded gubernatorial election in Anambra State. The bowl of rice pictured in INEC's voter's roll was registered as a 37 year old male voter in Umuerodili township in Anambra State.

http://saharareporters.com/news-page/photonews-inec-registered-bowl-rice-voter-anambra

Those are pictures of two families wiped out in the Dana Air crash of June 2012.Can you please identify the satanic influence the families were under.Making superstitious excuses for the economic abyss and social dislocation will further exacerbate the upheavals in the country.

I just laugh and shake my head when i hear Africans shout slavery MUST end yet they still hold tight to slavery tool called Christmas...

The two pictures below signify African belief and European belief system but the one which represents African belief system is seen as evil by African just because the white man who enslaved his forefathers said so.

SANGO was a living legendary king that actually lived among the Yoruba people and actually ruled the OYO empire. The myth about him was said that he spit fire from his mouth. For sure he lived.

SANTA CLAUS = SATAN LUCAS (reverse the letters)........Millions of Africans who claimed to be Christians don't even know where the concept came yet they still gullibly greet me Merry Xmas.

I called one of my former classmate yesterday who happened to be a Japaneses to wish him Merry Christmas and his answer was.....tell that Jesus to give his life to Buddha.

Africa will remain slave to Europe until to drop their slavery tool

Merry Mithra day to you all

Yes, virgin birth is not possible, if it is possible then we are celebrating the joy of a rapist. Wait, is it the same story where the rapist eventually kills the son to show love?

Thank goodness its not true!
Merry fucking mythmas everybody!! That doesn't mean chickens won't still die though

What do they call someone who sleeps with another man's wife? Pardon me, Christmas is about the celebration of the birth of a child whose mother was not impregnated by her father, right? And what do they call a child born to parents who aren't married? By the way merry yuletide

Africans imagine this if you can:

Imagine that a Beautiful Virgin African woman from Ghana or Nigeria went to Jerusalem, Rome or Mecca and proclaim that, “I am the mother of god” or, “I am the mother of the son of god” also, “It was god who impregnated me” and, “all of you ungodly people and all of your offspring will worship and respect my very black African son of god forever, because salvation is of the Africans”

What do you think the Jews, the Caucasians & the Arabs would say & do to this beautiful African Queen, even if she was telling them the truth?

I will let you Africans answer that question for yourself.

My question to you my fellow Africans, is, why don’t you treat this unknown Jewish woman and her outlandish story in the same manner that you know that the Jews, Caucasians, & Arabs, would treat our Beautiful Virgin African Queen and her story?

WAKE UP AFRICA, DO UNTO THEM AND THEIR STORIES AS THEY WOULD DO UNTO YOURS!!!

Don't let any Nigerian lecturer see these oh. They'll just convert it to course-handouts in political sciences and public administration.A must-buy for 200&300 level students.

Women have long been told that a good bra can help support the chest, relieve back pain and prevent sagging. However, a new 15-year French study reveals the opposite: bras do little to reduce back pain and, over time, they can actually make breasts sag even more.


Women who took off their bras for good experienced a 7mm lift in their nipples each year they didn’t wear a bra. Researchers also found that bra-less women developed firmer breasts and saw their stretch marks fade.

Researcher Prof. Jean-Denis Rouillon, a sports science expert from the University of Besançon in eastern France claims that “bras are a false necessity,” according to The Local.

“Medically, physiologically, anatomically – breasts gain no benefit from being denied gravity,” said Rouillon. “On the contrary, they get saggier with a bra.”

Rouillon and his team spent years measuring the changes in the breasts of 330 women using a simple slide rule and caliper at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (University Hospital) in Besançon, where he carried out his research.

He found that no evidence that bras helped ease back pain. Instead, he found that the chest supports could even add to the problem.

According to The Connexion, the findings suggest that breasts would gain more tone and support themselves if no bra was used. Researchers explain that bras limit the growth of supporting breast tissues, leaving the breast to wither and degrade more quickly.

The study found that women who took off their bras for good experienced a 7mm lift in their nipples each year they didn’t wear a bra. Researchers also found that bra-less women developed firmer breasts and saw their stretch marks fade.

Some of the women who took part in Rouillon’s study told France Info that not wearing a bra helped ease their back pains.

Capucine, a 28-year-old participant in Rouillon’s study, swears by the results and hasn’t worn a bra for two years.

“There are multiple benefits: I breathe more easily, I carry myself better, and I have less back pain,” Capucine said, according to France Info.

However, Rouillon says the findings do not mean all women should throw away their bras.

“It would be dangerous to advise all women to stop wearing their soutien-gorge as the women involved were not a representative sample of the population,” Rouillon said, according to The Connexion.

While his initial results “validated the hypothesis that the bra is a false ‘need’,” he says that women who have been wearing bras for a long time would not gain any benefit from stopping now.
http://isupportorganic..com/2013/11/15-year-study-reveals-bras-actually.html

For acknowleding the contributions of Fela Anikulapo Kuti to the fight against corruption in Nigeria,I give GEJ kudos.