₦airaland Forum

FORMER national football team Captain, Segun Odegbami will on May 2 present to the world his latest work entitled: Me, Football and More, a book, which details his odyssey through sports and the arts.

Billed to hold at the Anchor Events Centre, Agidingbi, Lagos, the writer, Odegbami revealed on Tuesday that the book is a compilation of his articles in major Nigerian newspapers for over 33 years, adding that it treats issues from sports to his experiences traversing life as an athlete and also as a manager.

Speaking on the book, he said, “you are all witnesses to my journey through sports, sports administration and the media- my days in Sports Souvenir and Complete Sports, as a television host, producer and presenter, as a historian, documenting events and building a library of information, data and pictures for posterity, as a manufacturer producing balls, kits and even clothes, as a radio analyst…

“When I started to write in a newspaper, even as a football player in January 1979, little did I know what I was getting into, but from 1979 till the present, except for a break between 1980 and 1982, I have been writing and maintaining columns on almost weekly basis in several publications.

“About a year ago, the idea to put together a compendium of some of these articles was mooted by a few persons that have been following this part of my life. Thus, we planted the seed of a book which I shall soon put to bed.”

According to Odegbami, apart from the conventional hard copy, there is also an e-version of it, as well as, an audio version of a section of the book.

The 350-page book is divided into three sections, including “ME, a collection of articles that look at aspects of my life that may not be directly related to sports, FOOTBALL, a collection of my experiences and opinion on various aspects of my time (and out of it) in football; and MORE, about other aspects of my experiences through my decades in sports,” he said.

From the historical perspective, he added, “it will help to throw light into the what happened even in some local games such as a game between Water Corporation and IICC, the preparation for the 1980 Nations Cup.

“It will help the new generation of players to avoid the pitfalls that hampered some of us, and build on those things that made us successful.”

http://www.theguardianmobile.com/readNewsItem1.php?nid=12652

Tolexander: You should have posted this since early hour of today!

Better late than never!

TODAY IN HISTORY: April 22, 1990. Major Gideon Orkar with some other young Nigerian Soldiers staged a coup against General Ibrahim Babangida's government. The coup failed. But what if Gideon Orkar led coup has succeeded, will Nigeria have been more defined and refined than what it is today?
READ: THE APRIL 22 1990 COUP D'ETAT SPEECH (REVISITED)

Fellow Nigerian Citizens,

On behalf of the patriotic and well-meaning peoples of the Middle Belt and the southern parts of this country, I , Major Gideon Orkar, wish to happily inform you of the successful ousting of the dictatorial, corrupt, drug baronish, evil man, deceitful, homo-sexually-centered, prodigalistic, un-patriotic administration of General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida. We have equally commenced their trials for unabated corruption, mismanagement of national economy, the murders of Dele Giwa, Major-General Mamman Vasta, with other officers as there was no attempted coup but mere intentions that were yet to materialise and other human rights violations.

The National Guard already in its formative stage is disbanded with immediate effect. Decrees Number 2 and 46 are hereby abrogated. We wish to emphasise that this is not just another coup but a well conceived, planned and executed revolution for the marginalised, oppressed and enslaved peoples of the Middle Belt and the south with a view to freeing ourselves and children yet unborn from eternal slavery and colonisation by a clique of this country.

Our history is replete with numerous and uncontrollable instances of callous and insensitive dominatory repressive intrigues by those who think it is their birthright to dominate till eternity the political and economic privileges of this great country to the exclusion of the people of the Middle Belt and the south.

They have almost succeeded in subjugating the Middle Belt and making them voiceless and now extending same to the south.

It is our unflinching belief that this quest for domination, oppression and marginalisation is against the wish of God and therefore, must be resisted with the vehemence.

Anything that has a beginning must have an end. It will also suffice here to state that all Nigerians without skeleton in their cupboards need not to be afraid of this change. However, those with skeleton in their cupboards have all reasons to fear, because the time of reckoning has come.

For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to state the three primary reasons why we have decided to oust the satanic Babangida administration. The reasons are as follows:

(a) To stop Babangida’s desire to cunningly, install himself as Nigeria’s life president at all costs and by so doing, retard the progress of this country for life. In order to be able to achieve this undesirable goals of his, he has evidently started destroying those groups and sections he perceived as being able to question his desires.

Examples of groups already neutralised, pitched against one another or completely destroyed are:
(1) The Sokoto caliphate by installing an unwanted Sultan to cause division within the hitherto strong Sokoto caliphate.
(2) The destruction of the peoples of Plateau State, especially the Lantang people, as a balancing force in the body politics of this country.
(3) The buying of the press by generous monetary favours and the usage of State Security Service, SSS, as a tool of terror.
(4) The intent to cow the students by the promulgation of the draconian decree Number 47.
(5) The cowing of the university teaching and non-teaching staff by an intended massive purge, using the 150 million dollar loan as the necessitating factor.
(6) Deliberately withholding funds to the armed forces to make them ineffective and also crowning his diabolical scheme through the intended retrenchment of more than half of the members of the armed forces.

Other pointers that give credence to his desire to become a life president against the wishes of the people are:
(1) His appointment of himself as a minister of defense, his putting under his direct control the SSS, his deliberate manipulation of the transition programme, his introduction of inconceivable, unrealistic and impossible political options, his recent fraternisation with other African leaders that have installed themselves as life presidents and his dogged determination to create a secret force called the national guard, independent of the armed forces and the police which will be answerable to himself alone, both operationally and administratively.

It is our strong view that this kind of dictatorial desire of Babangida is unacceptable to Nigerians of the 1990’s, and, therefore, must be resisted by all.

Another major reason for the change is the need to stop intrigues, domination and internal colonisation of the Nigerian state by the so-called chosen few. This, in our view, has been and is still responsible for 90 percent of the problems of Nigerians.

This indeed has been the major clog in our wheel of progress.

This clique has an unabated penchant for domination and unrivalled fostering of mediocrity and outright detest for accountability, all put together have been our undoing as a nation.

This will ever remain our threat if not checked immediately. It is strongly believed that without the intrigues perpetrated by this clique and misrule, Nigeria will have in all ways achieved developmental virtues comparable to those in Korea, Taiwan, Brazil, India, and even Japan.

Evidence, therefore, this cancerous dominance has as a factor constituted by a major and unpardonable clog in the wheel of progress of the Nigerian state. (Sic) It is suffice to mention a few distasteful intrigues engineered by this group of Nigerians in recent past. These are:
(1) The shabby and dishonourable treatment meted on the longest serving Nigerian general in the person of General Domkat Bali, who in actual fact had given credibility to the Babangida administration.
(2) The wholesale hijacking of Babangida’s administration by the all powerful clique.
(3) The disgraceful and inexplicable removal of Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe, Professor Tam David-West, Mr. Aret Adams and so on from office.
(4) The now-pervasive and on-going retrenchment of Middle Belt and southerners from public offices and their instant replacement by the favoured class and their stooges.
(5) The deliberate disruption of the educational culture and retarding its place to suit the favoured class to the detriment of other educational minded parts of this country.
(6) The deliberate impoverishment of the peoples from the Middle Belt and the south, making them working ghosts and feeding on the formulae of 0-1-1- or 0-0-0 while the aristocratic class and their stooges are living in absolute affluence on a daily basis without working for it.
(7) Other countless examples of the exploitative, oppressive, dirty games of intrigues of its class, where people and stooges that can best be described by the fact that even though they contribute very little economically to the well being of Nigeria, they have over the years served and presided over the supposedly national wealth derived in the main from the Middle Belt and the southern part of this country, while the people from these parts of the country have been completely deprived from benefiting from the resources given to them by God.
( The third reason for the change is the need to lay a strong egalitarian foundation for the real democratic take off of the Nigerian state or states as they circumstances may dictate.

In the light of all the above and in recognition of the negativeness of the aforementioned aristocratic factor, the overall progress of the Nigerian state a temporary decision to excise the following states namely, Sokoto, Borno, Katsina, Kano and Bauchi states from the Federal Republic of Nigeria comes into effect immediately until the following conditions are met.

The conditions to be met to necessitate the re-absorption of the aforementioned states are as following:
(a) To install the rightful heir to the Sultanate, Alhaji Maccido, who is the people’s choice.
(b) To send a delegation led by the real and recognised Sultan Alhaji Maccido to the federal government to vouch that the feudalistic and aristocratic quest for domination and operation will be a thing of the past and will never be practised in any part of the Nigeria state.

By the same token, all citizens of the five states already mentioned are temporarily suspended from all public and private offices in Middle Belt and southern parts of this country until the mentioned conditions above are met.

They are also required to move back to their various states within one week from today. They will, however, be allowed to return and joint the Federal Republic of Nigeria when the stipulated conditions are met.

In the same vein, all citizens of the Middle Belt and the south are required to come back to their various states pending when the so-called all-in-all Nigerians meet the conditions that will ensure a united Nigeria. A word is enough for the wise.

This exercise will not be complete without purging corrupt public officials and recovering their ill-gotten wealth, since the days of the oil boom till date. Even in these hard times, when Nigerians are dying from hunger, trekking many miles to work for lack of transportation, a few other Nigerians with complete impunity are living in unbelievable affluence both inside and outside the country.

We are extremely determined to recover all ill-gotten wealth back to the public treasury for the use of the masses of our people. You are all advised to remain calm as there is no cause for alarm. We are fully in control of the situation as directed by God. All airports, seaports and borders are closed forthwith.

The former Armed Forces Ruling Council is now disbanded and replaced with National Ruling Council to be chaired by the head of state with other members being a civilian vice-head of state, service chiefs, inspector general of police, one representative each from NLC, NUJ, NBA, and NANS.

A curfew is hereby imposed from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. until further notice. All members of the armed forces and the police forces are hereby confined to their respective barracks.

All unlawful and criminal acts by those attempting to cause chaos will be ruthlessly crushed. Be warned as we are prepared at all costs to defend the new order.

All radio stations are hereby advised to hook on permanently to the national network programme until further notice.

Long live all true patriots of this great country of ours. May God and Allah through his bountiful mercies bless us all.

OBJECTIVE AND CIVILISED COMMENTS ARE WELCOME!

This horse from Turkey was announced the most beautiful horse in the world.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=514839065219419&set=a.422928744410452.85641.422919147744745&type=1&theater

Adeyinka Mafe a UK Fraudster is now a law maker in Ogun State Nigeria. Mafe is the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) member representing Sagamu in the Ogun State House of Assembly. Mr. Adeyinka Mafe was indicted by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal in the UK for fraudulent deception and duping clients to the tune of £695,000.00 aside many other fraudulent claims, when the UK became HOT Mafe relocated to Nigeria and today he's making laws for the good people of Ogun State in South West Nigeria as a "DIASPORA EXPERT"

Mafe is just one example of a number of Diaspora Nigerians who go home flaunting TOKUNBO experience and hiding criminal past. With no background check and loads of money to spend, they rise to become top policy makers. In the same league you have jailed Delta Governoe James Ibori who was a common supermarket thief in the UK.

http://www.lawgazette.co.uk/in-practice/sdt-decisions/adeyinka-mafe

2013 AFRICAN CUP OF NATIONS STANDING

GOLD-NIGERIA
SILVER-BURKINA FASO
BRONZE-MALI
INDOMIE-GHANA

Eleven per cent of the children that die in the world yearly are from Nigeria. Bukola Adebayo writes on the issue involved

Tunminu had been feeling feverish for the past two days, and her mother, Shade Akintayo, had been giving her some anti-malaria drugs for treatment.

Akintayo, a nursery school teacher, who is used to managing sick children in her school, thought her three-year-old daughter’s condition was really nothing to fret about.

However, three days after the fever started, Tumininu’s case grew worse, as she developed diarrhoea and was also vomiting blood in the night.

The agitated single mother called on her neighbours, who assisted her to take the ailing child to a private hospital in Surulere where they lived.

The nurse on duty told Akintayo that there was no doctor around,adding that it would take some time before the physician would come to attend to the child.

The doctor showed up two hours later and, after examining Tumininu, he advised them to rush her to the general hospital.

She said, “After waiting for two hours for the doctor, she started convulsing but the nurse reassured us that we would take care of her, all for him to tell us to take her to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital in Idi-Araba or the general hospital in our area. They did not have the facilities or the specialist to diagnose what was wrong with her. He also refused to give us a referral letter.”

Akintayo, who narrated her story to our correspondent in LUTH, on Thursday, said they opted for the general hospital that was closer to their area.

She said on getting to the hospital around 5am, there were other women with their sick children waiting to see doctors.

A nurse advised them to take her to LUTH if they wanted quick intervention because there were 15 children on emergency.

Akintayo rushed her sick daughter to LUTH.

“She was already gasping by the time we were leaving the general hospital.There was no ambulance. Tumininu had begun gasping for breath before we got to the hospital. But as we were taking her into the emergency unit in there, she died,” she says.

So, Tumininu’s was taken to the mortuary.

The overwhelmed doctors said the child died of acute diarrhoea.

Yet, about 13 children under the age of five-like Tumininu- die every minute in Nigeria due to lack of immediate care and basic medical interventions.

According to the World Health Organisation, 6.9 million children under five years of age died in 2011 globally.

It also estimated that 19, 000 children die each day and; almost 800 every hour.

What is troubling about these statistics is that though other countries have made remarkable progress in reducing the number of children dying in their countries, Nigeria still records an unbelievably high death rate of children under the age of five.

For example, after India, Nigeria is second on the list of countries with the highest infant deaths in the world.

Why are these children dying? Doctors and caregivers, who spoke with our correspondent at three-day training for doctors in Nigeria by the Imperial College Faculty, London, said dearth of trained health personnel at all the primary health care centres, poor child care workforce and lack of emergency paediatric response facilities in our hospitals were reasons for high infant mortality rate in the country.

For instance, a consultant paediatrician, Dr. Dayo Ajayi-Obe, said Nigeria, with a population of 70million children under the age of 18 ,has only 600 trained consultant paediatricians. Out of this 70 million children, over 40 million are under the age of five.

“The United Kingdom has 3,084 trained consultant paediatricians and 1,184 associate paediatric specialists for its 20 million children and it does not include the 3,174 paediatricians in training. That is how much importance that is placed on children. We have just 600 paediatricians to 70 million children and most of them are in Lagos and Abuja. Some states do not even have a single paediatrician!,” she adds.

Ajayi-Obe notes that Nigeria has yet to make any significant progress in reducing infant deaths because its health system is still redundant.

She states that infectious diseases and respiratory ailment such as diarrhoea, pneumonia and measles, malnutrition and ill-prepared responses to emergencies in children contributed to about 90 per cent of child deaths in the country.

She adds, “Child care is inadequate in Nigeria and there are gaps. It reflects in our health indices of 145 per 1,000 births. I found out that the vacuum I left in the system 30 years ago still exists, it is the same diseases, and infections that are still killing people now.”

Other experts argue that all the three tiers of government in the country should invest more in the implementation of health policies that could reverse the trend, otherwise more Nigerian children would be lost.

They express fears that the situation pose a major challenge to the possible achievement of the Millennium Development Goals 1,2,4,5 ,which aim at significantly reducing hunger(malnutrition), infant and maternal deaths by 2015.

Ajayi-Obe, therefore, calls for a review of the referral system such that health workers could quickly refer babies who would need specialist care to the secondary health facilities where they have more experts in emergency cases.

She says, “ A situation whereby you are taking a child from one hospital to another in an emergency would not help us at all. Our referral system is faulty; we must be able to quickly assess a baby at the primary health care to know where she can get help immediately. The hospital they are going should also be prepared to take the baby. We have to be ready for emergencies,especially for children all the time.”

Also, a specialist in paediatric medicine with the Imperial College Faculty, Dr. Gareth Tudor- Williams, adds that transmission of the HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C virus from mothers to their children is also responsible for the high infant mortality rate.

“HIV in children is not under control in Nigeria, especially its transmission from mothers to their children. The country has a long way to go and they need help. Also, the rate of infections of Hepatitis B and C is high in children;they get this through their mothers. That is why you see young people developing liver failure because they contacted hepatitis B, a vaccine preventable disease at a young age.

“Government, doctors and caregivers must recognise that we protect children against these diseases by vaccination, early diagnosis and provision of drugs. A child that is not vaccinated is open to all diseases. Our experts should be able to, in a matter of seconds, diagnose a sick child. There are diseases that mimic fever and measles in children which, if not properly diagnosed or treated, kill a child in an hour,” Tudor-Williams adds.

Also, Ajayi- Obe argues that adoption of self-medication approach by parents and delay in seeking proper medical care for sick children are counter-productive.

“A baby is having fever for the past two days, you keep giving him analgesic and when the child is about giving up, you rush him to the clinic.Lets not forget that doctors are not magicians. The baby may need to go to the intensive care unit, which many cannot afford. Parents must never wait till the health of their children get out of hand before they come to the hospital,” she advises.

Ajayi- Obe calls for more training on new practices in child medicine for doctors, nurse and caregivers to ensure that they have the skills to quickly detect and treat children, especially those under the ages of five.

She notes, “It is time for government and our caregivers to know that medicine grows every day. We must improve the quality of training available to our young doctors and keep training experts, specialist and nurses. The quality of training available to our health workers must improve.”

http://www.punchng.com/health/help-nigeria-has-600-paediatricians-for-40million-children/

STATEMENT BY THE SENIOR SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT(PUBLI­C AFFAIRS) DR. DOYIN OKUPE ON THE STATEMENT BY THE ACTION CONGRESS OF NIGERIA’S NATIONAL PUBLICITY SECRETARY, ALHAJI LAI MOHAMMED CALLING ON LAGOS STATE GOVERNOR, BABATUNDE RAJI FASHOLA TO PREVENT PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN FROM VISITING LAGOS
Our attention has been drawn to the unfortunate and irresponsible comments of Alhaji Lai Mohammed, National Publicity Secretary of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in respect of President Goodluck Jonathan’s impending visit to Lagos.
Lai Mohammed is obviously misguided and mischievous in his disposition. It is difficult to understand or explain how he expects Governor Babatunde Fashola to control or obstruct the movement of President Jonathan, the President and Commander -in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
It is obvious that Alhaji Lai Mohammed does not have the least of understanding of the workings of government or official protocol. The insult to the president of the nation who is the symbol of our collective sovereignty as contained in his letter to Governor Fashola is obviously a product of a warped mind that is equally evil and unprogressived.
We have always known that Alhaji Mohammed is not fit to be a national officer of a decent political party as evinced by the outbursts and vituperations that emit from his shallow mind.
We know for a fact that Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola is of higher breed with proper upbringing and will not descend to the level of debased political wretchedness to which Alhaji Mohammed belongs.
We wish to state categorically that the President’s visit to Lagos cannot in any way affect the proceedings of the ACN convention or its proposed merger with other parties. Such thinking can only come from a mind intent on making mischief and raising false alarm as usual just in order to score cheap political points and heat up the polity unnecessarily.
Nigerians must now know Alhaji Mohammed for what he is: a confusionist, scaremonger and a debased politician with a belly full of deceit, mischief and treachery.

Signed:

DR. DOYIN OKUPE
SSAPA
APRIL 17, 2013

I define suicide as a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

I just noticed that life is too short to start wasting a good percentage of it being sad, complaining or even committing suicide over things that are not worth it.

In the year 2002, Nokia 3310 was N75k with N40k Econet simcard. Today it's N700 and the sim is free.
#BE PATIENT (If u can't afford now, u will later.)

In 2003 Samsung C100 was N48k and I must recharge with at least N1500 airtime every two weeks or else my sim will be blocked. Today it's N800 and I don't even need to recharge to retain my sim {customers are needed}...
#BE PATIENT (If u can't afford now, u will later.)

In 2004 Sendo X with camera and 16mb memory card {one of the
cheapest mp3 enabled phone back then} was N39k. Today it's free. U fit no collect if dem dash u sef.
#BE PATIENT (If u can't afford now, u will later.)

In 2006 Sagem My V55 was N30k today its going for N300.
#BE PATIENT (If u can't afford now, u will later.)

2008 nko Blackberry Bold 2 was N135k today blackberry is no more producing new bold 2... So London used na N15k.. U can get 9ja used for N6k.
#BE PATIENT (If u can't afford now, u will later.)

So my friend, because u neva dey use Blackberry porch, HTC smart phones, android, ipad, iphone, playbook or Nokia 808, u come dey frown face dey sad.

Just wait and see coz before 2015, our children go dey use dem as
toys.
#BE PATIENT (If u can't afford now, u will later.)

Everybody get time o and na different time we get, so if u like kill ursef when ur time never reach.

The good thing about time is, when it's ur time, people will celebrate u naturally.

Life is too short for u not to be happy o... I dey tell u.

A girl from Oman watching TV, and her mother was reading QURAN she asked her moher to go read it in somewhere else, Because of watching TV!!!!!....But moher refused to replace her location, at that time the said girl got angry and had to took Holy QURAN throw it down by force.
But ALLAH always defense his majesty by saving the Holy QURAN from bad people, because oF promise in the Holy QURAN.......
"we the one who has given the Holy QURAN to the Muslem and under taking to save it by Ourselves"
that is why the girl within few second only has been became like MONKEY as it shown in the picture.
OH GOD BLESS US!
Say "Allahu Akbar" or "Ameen"

www.fb.com/dandalinmando/

Only people with their brains under their feet will believe this. Cant understand why people are so inbecilic.

According to reports, the deceased Ekiti Deputy Governor, Mrs Olayinka, was diagnosed of cancer in 2009. And if I am right, she was sworn into office in 2010. This means the late Mrs Olayinka, has been battling the disease long before she was sworn into office and also whilst in office. According to Ekiti ACN Chairman, Jide Awe, Mrs Olayinka whilst serving as Deputy Governor, has "always been out of the country for one treatment or another".

Now let's juxtapose this story with the case of Late Umaru Yar'Adua. It was open secret that UMYA knew of his sickness before he decided to take the political plunge. And one of the biggest criticisms levelled against UMYA, especially from the opposition parties, was that why did he decide to run for the presidency when he clearly knew that he was sick. I recall statements like, "he should look after his ill health instead of running for office". The same criticisms are also levelled against all PDP governors going through one medical treatment or another. As soon as a PDP governor is declared to be ill, the usual response is "he should resign".

The question now is, did anyone in ACN advise Mrs Olayinka to resign from office because of ill health? Did anyone in ACN advise Mrs Olayinka not to be Deputy Gov. when they found out she had cancer? How did Mrs Olayinka manage the rigour of office whilst been treated for cancer? How was she able to focus on Ekiti issues, when she's been treated overseas for cancer?

The post is not about Mrs Olayinka, but to expose the hypocrisy that pervades the polity. If UMYA was not 'fit' to be president for health reasons, then why should Mrs Olayinka remain deputy governor. Anyway, I rest my case!

How People Eat Chicken

MATTHEW Warren, the youngest son of popular pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, United States (U.S.), Rick Warren, has committed suicide.

The late young man – one of three children of Warren and his wife, Kay – killed himself on Friday, the evangelical pastor revealed in an emotional letter to his church members.

Warren, the popular author of The Purpose Driven Life, said in the letter that “at 27 years of age, Matthew was an incredibly kind, gentle and compassionate young man whose sweet spirit was encouragement and comfort to many.

“Unfortunately, he also suffered from mental illness resulting in deep depression and suicidal thoughts.”

Continuing, Warren wrote: “No words can express the anguished grief we feel right now.

“He had a brilliant intellect and a gift for sensing who was most in pain or most uncomfortable in a room. He’d then make a bee-line to that person to engage and encourage them.

“In spite of America’s best doctors, meds, counsellors, and prayers for healing, the torture of mental illness never subsided. Today, after a fun evening together with Kay and me, in a momentary wave of despair at his home, he took his life.”

However, the pastor added that he and his wife “marvelled at his courage” to fight “relentless pain.”

“I’ll never forget how, many years ago, after another approach had failed to give relief, Matthew said, ‘Dad, I know I’m going to heaven. Why can’t I just die and end this pain?’ but he kept going for another decade,” the pastor indicated.

Warren thanked church members and supporters for their “love and prayers,” telling them “we love you back.”

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=118224:-son-of-american-pastor-rick-warren-commits-suicide-&catid=76:world&Itemid=560

And if there is any leader who has consistently manipulated the religious space to derive political gains, it is President Goodluck Jonathan. Many of the dramas about his Presidency have occurred in a church. When his wife, Patience, unwittingly confessed what she had been up to in Germany as regards her health, she did so in a church. Recently, when Jonathan himself was giving a speech about electricity supply and power cut, it was in a church. You wonder why he had to talk about his agenda in a church at all. Why not simply worship and go home? Again, when he and his ex-godfather, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, had to stage their reconciliation, the church was a veritable platform. At least twice now, Jonathan has gone to a prominent Pentecostal church located on the ever-busy Lagos–Ibadan Expressway to kneel before its General Overseer and beg for prayers. The first time, it was shortly before the 2011 elections and the image it produced turned out to be an iconic one; it shows in a simple but powerful manner, the dynamics of the politics of religion in Nigeria. When Jonathan gave his famous I-am-not-a-lion-not-a-Nebuchadnezzar-not-the-Pharaoh-of-Egypt-and-I-cannot-figure-out-I-am-supposed-to-be speech, it was still in a church. It was also in a church that he announced he was not the best but God chose him. When he spoke about fighting corruption, his efforts second only to the US, and which threw people into laughing fits, it was still in a church!!

As if those were not enough, he recently presided over a fundraiser that got a whopping N6bn for his hometown church. One would think that with all the hoopla generated when an Italian construction firm donated a church to his village, he would go easy on his churchy activities. In a country where there are no basic educational facilities, where schools are worse than pig stys, the best he and his coterie of friends could do is to build one more church. At least, Obasanjo, with all his “defects”, raised funds for a library. And to top it all, this week, the President travelled to Enugu to inaugurate, not a specialist hospital or cancer research centre, but a church built by the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu.

It is high time somebody told the President he is overdoing things. We know he must be seen believing in something, regardless of how antithetical this is to his stance on issues such as corruption but as the President of a country that recognises no religion, he needs to deemphasise his religiosity. When he goes to church, he should limit his engagements to worship and when he comes out, he can resume talking about his policies. And politics too.

David Cameron(British PM) with his wife carrying their luggage on arrival. SHAME ON NIGERIANS LEADERS WITH THEIR "BIGGER THAN GOD ATTITUDE"
When Nigerians president, governors, senators, Reps, even local government chairmen arrives, they look like "gods". To add to it ,Nigerians Pastors now look more sophisticated than British Prime Minister. I still remember the day I saw the CAN president at the US Embassy,he came with Limousine that is longer than the car park at the embassy and over 40 mobile armed Police men.
No wonder, God is punishing them with unnamed sickness.
If you are a Christian, read the Bible and see what God did to the priest who made his voice like that of God.

The Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) on Wednesday declared its readiness to avenge the imprisonment of its leader, Henry Okah by a South African court by resuming attacks on oil installations in the Niger Delta region of the country.

Okah was handed a 24-year jail term for his involvement in two explosions in Nigeria — one in Delta State and the other close to the Eagle Square, Abuja — during the country’s 2010 Independence Day celebrations.

In a statement obtained by Huhuonline.com, MEND spokesperson, Jomo Gbomo warned the country to be prepared for the group’s attacks, which will begin from Friday, 5th April 2013, due in part to the existence of a fake letter forged by the Nigerian and South African governments to indict Henry Okah in court on the pretext that the letter was issued by MEND

The email also contained MEND’s threats to ensure a plague of attacks that will be sustained until an unreserved apology is offered to MEND and the Nigerian government shows their willingness to dialogue.

“With effect from 00:00Hrs, Friday 05, April 2013, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (M.E.N.D) will commence with a plague of sustained attacks codenamed ‘Hurricane Exodus,’” a part of the statement read.

“’Hurricane Exodus’ is a direct repercussion of a forged threat letter contrived by the Nigerian and South African governments purporting to have originated from MEND. This fake letter was used as evidence against Henry Okah for which a thirteen (13) years sentence was passed.”

MEND also accused one of the prosecution’s second witnesses and a member of the Amnesty Implementation Committee of exclaiming in court over the purported lack of genuineness of the letter,

“After failing to catch the prosecutor’s eye who wanted him to lie under oath, we are now determined to conjure this imaginary trumped-up threat into a painful reality,” it added.

“The attacks will be sustained until an unreserved apology is offered to MEND and the Nigerian government shows their willingness to dialogue, the same way they are willing to dialogue with Boko Haram.”

But reacting to the development, authorities of the Joint Military Task Force, codenamed Operation Pulo Shield claimed to be aware of a statement by “some persons parading themselves as MEND” but urged calm, saying the people of the region are not in any bondage and therefore do not require armed struggle or emancipation.

“What Niger Deltans are in a dire need of now is peace for sustainable development, having emerged from the dark days of turbulence in the region. Informed by this development, we have effected some redeployment to tackle any upheaval.

“This set of people is advised to tow the path of law and order in addressing whatever grievance they have and to desist from any action that will upset the peace and development of the Niger Delta.

“The good and peace loving people of the Niger Delta are enjoined to dissociate themselves, their communities and leadership from this unwholesome approach as portrayed by this group.”

Okah's road to jail in South Africa began in 2011, a year after he was arrested for the bomb attacks, which the court saw as terrorism. He was found guilty of 13 counts of terrorism in one of the incidents that killed 12 people on October 1, 2010.

The 24-year jail term also included 12 years each for the two attacks and another 10 years for being a threat to South Africa, but they all run concurrently. Okah’s family has vowed, however, to appeal the judgement.

http://huhuonline.com/index.php/more-news1/1168-mend-threat-03-04-13-docxmend-threatens-attack-over-okah-s-jail-term

Congrats to University of Toronto Graduate Emeritus and Graduate Plenipotentiary­, Salisu Buhari, who has just been appointed by President Jonathan into the Governing Council of one of our Federal Universities. From pardoning a criminal still wanted in the UK to giving a pardoned forger of a University of Toronto certificate a membership slot on the Governing Council of a Federal University, the President's love affair with a particular kind of role models continues.

He is subsidizing fuel for the masses!

A suspected oil pipeline vandal, Komuko Ayekede, says he sells stolen petrol at N48 per litre.

The suspect, who was arrested by the Inspector General of Police Special Task Force on Anti-Pipeline Vandalism Unit on Sunday, added that he had numerous customers including filling stations, due to his attractive price.
Ayekede and other suspects.

He however pleaded with the police to release him and the other four suspects, Oluwafemi Bamidele, James Awolowo, Eugene Stanley and Kunle Ogushe, in the spirit of Easter.

“We thought that on a day like Easter, security operatives would go and rest with their families. Please forgive us at least for the sake of Christ that rose from the dead because of you and me,” he said.

Narrating how he joined the illegitimate business, Ayekede, 52, said he was involved in sand dredging but joined other vandals when he couldn’t make ends meet.

He said, “I was engaged in sand dredging. Some years ago when my business was not moving well, my friend, Ebi, advised me to join him in pipeline vandalism. Initially, I said no because I was a hardworking person, but when it dawned on me that this was the only source of living, I joined Ebi.

“We were using kegs but because of the level of the water, we introduced the use of sack which contains a larger quantity. The sack can contain as much as 125 litres of fuel or diesel. Normally we move about 270 bags per trip.

“When we get to the pipe, we will open it and use our own valve to block it immediately. You then run it through the hose to the water where the bags and my boys are waiting.

On how they sell the products, Ayekede said there were always buyers at Apapa to collect the product at N6000 per sack of 125 litres.

He said, “Selling the product is not a problem. There are so many of them at Apapa. The main job is to collect the product and successfully cross the river especially through FESTAC canal. This is why we normally work at midnight.”

Stanley, another suspect, claimed he was an aspiring footballer based in Bayelsa but was pushed to crime because he needed money to bribe scouts who would help him get a good offer in Europe.

Another suspect, Bamidele, who claimed to be a university dropout, said he was not part of the vandals but only wanted to patronise them.

Friday Ibadin, who is in charge of the Task Force said that at about 12am, on Sunday they got an intelligence report that vandals were at Ijedodo, Ijegun in Iba Local Government Council Development area of Lagos.

He said they were arrested around 7th Avenue, FESTAC with 270 bags of 120 litres of petrol.

http://primenewsnigeria.com/i-sell-petrol-at-n48-per-litre-pipeline-vandal/

The eternal reliance on oil revenue has done a lot of damage to the federation. Every day now, we hear the Niger Delta people say “our oil, our oil”. During the petrol price hike crisis in January 2012, some Niger Delta person, trying to suggest that the protests were unjustly aimed at President Goodluck Jonathan, said something like: “If our son is not good enough to be president of Nigeria, then our oil is not good enough for Nigeria.” This warped logic—which tends to paint oil as the solution to all human problems—defies the fact that the most advanced countries in the world do not rely on oil revenue. Even Norway, the poster boy of successful management of oil revenue, survives on tax. Their oil money is saved largely for the rainy day.

But do you blame us? Why do we need to stretch our brain to dream of building our own Microsoft and Apple when we can look up to Abuja for the flow of petrodollars every month? Why should Bauchi bother to tap its tourism potential? Why should Bayelsa dream of feeding Africa with its FADAMA rice when there is a fat FAAC cheque to be collected in Abuja monthly? Why should we quicken Ajaokuta so that the fourth biggest steel company in the world can begin to operate fully and spice up the economy? Why should Aba be developed into our own Taiwan or Japan? There is no such incentive. The only incentive I can see in Nigeria is federation account.

It wouldn’t even matter if we are utilising federal allocations to develop the most important resource at our disposal: the human capital. Oil is not the real deal, no matter how dominant it has become in our lives. It was human beings that designed cars and made petrol as important as it is today. Human beings are now designing cars that run on bio-fuels, electricity and solar energy. By the time the cars become popularly accepted, the demand for oil could drop. It may not happen in the next 50 years but it would happen someday. So the wise person does not keep emphasising on oil and ignoring human capital. The wise person thinks about a future where our lives will no longer depend on oil but on the quality of the brain. It was human beings that invented aeroplanes, computers and phones, etc. If we are wise now, our energies should be devoted to getting out of this oil trap.

President Goodluck Jonathan’s first Easter Sunday service and celebration in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial city was marred by an embarrassing power outage at the Our Savour’s Church Marina, where the President worshipped.

President speech was interrupted as the power outage occurred while he was delivering his speech to the congregation.

He was talking about his administration’s restructuring of the Nigerian economy when the church was thrown into darkness as seen in the picture on a very sunny day in Lagos.

Laughing along with the cheering congregation, Dr Jonathan remarked that by the power outage, officials of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria are telling him not to sleep until the nation’s power crisis is fixed.

He however vowed that by next year the power in the church will be uninterrupted.

The Easter Sunday service also had in attendance, former Head of State General Yakubu Gowon.

http://www.facebook.com/iyaniwurablog?ref=ts&fref=ts

Dear Mummy Ayo Mogaji, pls what was going through your head when you chose this?

The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has arrested a 25-year-old man, Usen Effiong, for posing as a medical doctor and consulting for the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital for more than two months.

The State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Mr. Etim Dickson, said Effiong, an indigene of Ukot Usung Itam, in Itu Local Government Area was caught based on intelligence report from the UUTH.

He said, “The police arrested Effiong in the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital impersonating a medical doctor.

“The Chairman, Nigerian Medical Association, Akwa Ibom State branch, Dr. John Udobang denied ever knowing the young man. He is not a member of the association.”

He said the police had investigated Effiong and found out that he was actually impersonating a medical doctor, adding that the law would take its course.

Udobang told PUNCH Metro that he received a call from the Dean of the Faculty of Clinical Sciences, UUTH, Dr. Sunday Udo on the activities of Effiong.

He said, “Udo told me that they caught someone who has not finished secondary school parading himself as a consultant in the teaching hospital as a medical doctor.”

Udobang explained that he went to the teaching hospital where he interviewed the suspect and found him with stethoscope and sphygmomanometer (blood pressure apparatus).

He said, “We also found some prescriptions and forms that he wanted to fill to become a member of the association of resident doctors”

“Later, when they went to look for him, he was found in the doctor’s consulting room eating.

“He has confessed that he is not a doctor, and has not finished his school certificate, and has been coming there to consult in the last two months.”

Asked how it was possible for an SS II dropout to be consulting in a teaching hospital, Udobang replied that people used to see him but did not know his intention.

He said, “The Dean whose table he was sitting on used to see him and thought he was a medical student or a newly employed doctor that he has not known.

“It was after one of the younger doctors saw him and asked the Dean who he was that they started investigating him.”

http://www.punchng.com/news/secondary-school-dropout-consults-for-teaching-hospital/

The Senate has scheduled a session on Wednesday in honour of the late Chinua Achebe, who died on March 21 in the United States.

During the senate's sitting on Tuesday, a senator from Anambra, Chris Ngige raised a motion on matters of urgent national importance.

Ngige, acknowledged and said he was pleased with the deluge of tributes flowing in for the late Achebe who he described as his "constituent."

Over at the House of Representatives, the legislators urged the Federal Government to name the National Library under construction or any other monument in the country in the honour of late Achebe.

According to reports:

The motion was moved by Rep.Charles Odedo (ACN -Anambra). The motion entitled: “Tribute to Professor Chinua Achebe’’ was adopted in Abuja when put to vote by Speaker Aminu Tambuwal.

Odedo said the late Achebe brought honour to Nigeria with his literary works that included his novel, “Things Fall apart’’.

He said the novel, which was written in 1958, had been translated into more than 50 languages, and had sold more than 12 million copies.

Odedo said the late Achebe in 1992 was represented in Everyman’s Library Collection.

Contributing to the debate, Hassan Saleh (PDP-Benue) said the late Achebe was one of the greatest human beings to have emerged from Nigeria.

He said the late Achebe had done so much in his literary works for “past generation and other generations to come’’.

The legislator urged members to support the motion so that future generations would draw lessons from the late literary icon.

In his tribute to the late Achebe, Toby Ikechukwu (PDP-Enugu) said the writer was a poet and novelist, adding that his works represented various stages of Nigeria’s democracy.

Ali Madaki (PDP-Kano) said Nigerians do not celebrate their heroes until their death.

He said: “We should learn to identify our heroes when they are alive and not wait until they are dead.”

The motion was not opposed and the Speaker, thereafter, referred it to the Committee on Governmental Affairs for further legislative inputs.

http://www.thescoopng.com/today-is-achebe-day-at-the-nigerian-senate-house-wants-monument-named-after-him/

To Omotoyosi Kayode Iyun, popularly known as Saint Janet, singing vulgar lyrics in Yoruba and the controversies that come with doing so have become a part of her life, as she reveals in this interview with ’Nonye Ben-Nwankwo

You always perform every weekend. How do you cope with the home front?

I can’t really say how I cope. It is just the grace of God. It is not by my might. It didn’t start today. I have been doing this kind of job right from the beginning.

When was the beginning?

It was 14 years ago. I have been in this business for a long time.

In these 14 years, have you never felt like quitting?

I enjoy what I’m doing. If I weren’t enjoying myself, I would have felt like quitting. But since I am happy, that issue hasn’t come up at all.

I learnt you were a chorister. Which church was that?

I’m a Christian. Anyway, I’m a member of a white garment church. I was a chorister in the white garment church I was attending.

So you moved from being a chorister to a highlife/juju singer.

I didn’t really move like that. I was a back-up singer at first. I had a boss. His name is Los Kenge. He was very popular in Abeokuta. I spent about three years with him before I went solo.

Why did you go solo?

My master (boss) felt I was very okay. It got to a time both of us became the lead vocalists. Nobody could differentiate between us because we were doing same thing; so he decided it was time I went solo.

Why did you choose ‘Saint Janet’ as your stage name?

It was this same boss that gave me the name. Those days, I was and of course, I still am a very shy person. Then, whenever we weren’t doing anything, I would just be on my own. I would sit quietly and not bother talking to anybody. People would be complaining because they knew I wasn’t like that on stage. They would say I usually behave like a quiet person but would turn to another thing on the stage. My boss would tell them to leave his ‘saint’ alone. He would call me Saint Janet. So I decided to stick to the name when I left him.

But somebody who hasn’t seen that quiet side of you might just conclude that you are very wild. Doesn’t it bother you?

It doesn’t bother me that much. It shows that I am very good at what I do. It means I am entertaining people greatly. I weigh my level in the industry with what people say about me.

You used to play in private parties alone…

Oh yes. But I now play at public gatherings as well. You cannot sing songs for a wedding at a burial. I know the songs I have to sing on different occasions. I know what to sing at different times.

But all your songs are lewd. You are basically known for singing lewd songs…

(cuts in) Not all my songs are vulgar. I know that more than 70 per cent of the people who have listened to me feel that way. But it is not true. I am talented. I am gifted. I am an all rounder. I give you what you want. There are some shows where you will not hear me sing lewd songs. It all depends on what the people want. I give them what they yearn. I do gospel as well.

You? A gospel singer?

(Laughs) Of course, I sing gospel songs. I know it is unbelievable, but there is no singer that will say he/she did not sing gospel at one time or the other. My case is not different. And like I said, people ask me to play the lewd songs, especially at private parties. They invite me especially because of such songs and I play such for them. I also play lewd songs at clubs. But I wouldn’t really sing such at open parties.

You must have had many advances, especially before you got married…

Oh yes. I have my talent, I have the ability to sing. But what I sing is entirely different from my way of life. I am not a loose woman.

Can you allow your child to listen to your songs?

I can only allow him to listen to them when he comes of age. My baby is just four years old. I will not allow him to listen to it for now.

You are also known as the General Overseer of Sinners’ Chapel, Saint Bottles Cathedral. Where did that come from?

My fans made me their GO. When I am about to start a show, I start with slow songs. My fans say I always put them in the mood to drink more. They said my songs make them to feel okay.

It was reported some time ago that one of your colleagues, Yinka Ayefele, said he was praying for you. How do you feel about that?

I have not heard about this. But I played for Yinka Ayefele two weeks ago. But if anybody is praying for me, I am grateful. So it makes me know that I am in business. If people don’t like me, they will not pray for me. I am not offended.

Your CD was banned…

That was long time ago. I was able to weather the storm. But the banning of my CD made me popular. Now, virtually everybody knows Saint Janet. The same government officials that banned my songs listen to my music. I don’t want to mention names but I play for them. They invite me to private parties and I perform there.

You haven’t come up with another album yet?

My album will soon be ready. It is coming out very soon and I titled it ‘Surprise’. I want people to sit back and ask themselves if this person is really Saint Janet. I want them to wonder how I was able to sing like this. That was why I titled it ‘Surprise’.

It was rumoured that you caught your husband in bed with your daughter.

I say it again, there was nothing like that. It didn’t happen. I don’t want to talk about it again. I don’t know who came up with that story. It was actually the reason I moved from where we were staying. But I ask, who is this daughter? I don’t even have a daughter. I see it as the work of detractors. I felt so bad initially. But then, when the rumour was on, that was when I was getting a lot of invitations to come and perform. So I had to immerse myself in my work. I have put the detractors to shame.

Why did you get married to your manager?

(Laughs) He was never my manager. That was the story that was going on as well. My husband has his own studio. He plays the guitar. There is nothing bad in your partner assisting you once in a while. He was never my manager. He was never a member of my band. He is a sound engineer who has his own studio.

Does he complain about your lewd songs?

My husband doesn’t complain at all. Back then when I would be performing, I would look back and he would give me a sign to ride on. He would see that people were enjoying the music, so he would encourage me to go ahead.

What of your parents, especially before you got married, were they in support of your kind of songs?

They said the same thing as my husband. They reasoned that if people out there were enjoying themselves and feeling happy because of my songs, who were they to stop me? They were okay. My parents were disciplinarians. My father was a school principal and my mother was a headmistress. But they know that people love me. Initially, they didn’t support this, but they saw how people love me and they had to give their support.

Tell us how these lewd songs came about? What really gave you the boldness to sing like that?

I have been doing this with my boss. But when I started, I thought I would start with gospel songs. However, I decided to start with something more challenging. I wanted to do basically juju music. I wanted to perform like the male musicians. People used to commend me that I don’t perform like a woman. So, when I realised that my boss’ fans were like my fans, I decided to give them what my boss was giving them. And as we would be recording such shows, if it got to the point where I would need to start playing vulgar songs, I would tell my sound engineer to pause and not record that bit. But somebody noticed me and he came to me and told me that I should record that song for him because that was his best. And just like that, I realised that people really love it and I started doing it more. I don’t have any regret. I know that people are criticising me because I am a woman. If I were a man, nobody would complain that I am singing obscene songs. But I was determined to sing like a man and I got it and I am not bothered.

Do you know that your songs do put the men, even women, in a sexual mood?

I know. But that is not bad. People tell me that when they are troubled, they play my CD to relieve tension. I think it is better to be in such a mood than to be worried and think about life.

Do you practise what you sing?

In this life, there are people who ‘say and don’t do’ and there are people who ‘do but don’t say’. I am in the group of people who ‘say but don’t do’. I can only sing, but I don’t practise what I sing. I told you that I am very shy in real life and that is not a lie. I am so reserved. I never knew I would get to this level that I am now. Many years ago, there was this album that I did, but the person who would have been the marketer (I don’t want to mention his name), was asking for what I couldn’t give him.

What was he asking for?

He was asking for sex before he could market my CD. But this is not the first time such is happening. It happens in every industry, including the film industry, and even the banking sector.

Why didn’t you sleep with him? Would it have been a big deal?

Ha! I couldn’t have. It couldn’t have been because I sing vulgar songs that he suggested such. In fact, there was nothing lewd in that album. Immediately he asked for sex, I left his office without saying goodbye.

As much as you are known and appreciated by your fans, don’t you feel bad that we are yet to see a younger person who wants to sing like Saint Janet…

Everybody wants to sing like me now. Initially, it wasn’t like that. There was a time it was so bad because of the stories flying around me. But it has changed. People want to be like me. But then, I am not advertising sex. I am not calling on people to come and sing like me. I am not telling people to come and learn how to sing lewd lyrics. But when people see that somebody is doing great, they want to be like the person.

Do you have friends?

I have lots of them but I really don’t go out much.

Can you tell us categorically the status of your marriage?

My marriage is intact. My marriage has not broken up. Detractors know how to ruin and tarnish peoples’ images. They have their reward. As for me, I am doing what I know how to do best and I am getting the reward. I am okay. I may not be rich, but I am very comfortable. Let them continue.

Can there ever be a time when we will see a transformed Saint Janet who will never sing lewd songs again?

I don’t think there will ever be such a time. In this world, we are all sinners. I am not the first person to sing this kind of songs.

People do see you as a lover of sex. Some even tagged you a lesbian at a point…

Oh yes, when I was in the UK, it was rumoured that I was sleeping with a popular female promoter. But I didn’t know where she was staying. I got to know her through a friend of mine. There was nothing sexual in the relationship. It was the same way they said stuff about my husband. Such stories fly all the time. That is the cross I have to bear as a celebrity. Like I said, I don’t have any regret that some people do criticise my songs. Even if I sing gospel, some people will still criticise. Some people out of jealousy and envy will always find something bad about my songs.

Do men still ‘toast’ you?

It is very normal. My uncle used to say that if men don’t toast his wife, it means his wife is not sociable enough. Men ask me out a lot but I know myself. It is left for me to refuse or accept and I always refuse.

What if your husband wants you to stop singing lewd songs?

http://www.punchng.com/news/ill-never-stop-singing-vulgar-lyrics-saint-janet/

If he didn’t want such songs, he would have stopped me long ago. But now, I am unstoppable

"You know 2face, D'banj & Wizkid, yet you don't know Chinua Achebe. You're one of the reasons Wole Soyinka said "this generation is dead on arrival" - that is if you know Wole!"

Ishilove: The things I have read here make me deeply ashamed of the contemporary Nigerian youths.

Take it or leave, the brainless babblings of ignorant bigots who hide behind computer screens to propagate their own unique brand of idiocy, will NOT change the fact that Wole Soyinka is among the last of a dying breed.

Your senseless hate, demented rantings and primitive tribalism will not add to or subtract from the achievements of a literary icon. Shame on all of you!!

The present generation is dead on arrival-Wole Soyinka

Lovely resemblance, perfect epitome of sibling connection, really heart warming.

Mrs. Moremi Soyinka-Onijala, Professor Wole Soyinka's daughter and her daughter, Gboyinde Onijala.Ikhide R. Ikheloa in the middle(A lecturer in an American University).

Born in Ogidi in present-day Anambra State, 82 years ago, it was clear from the beginning that the man Chinua (short for Chinualumogu) Achebe was cut out for great things.

Only a few Nigerians know that as a young secondary student at the Government College, Umuahia, Achebe’s academic prowess, particularly his unsurpassed command of the English language had earned him the nickname-‘Dictionary’.

Part of the late writer’s exploits as a youth included emerging at the top of his class in the secondary school certificate examinations with six distinctions and a credit. Ironically, none of the distinctions was recorded in literature.

Interestingly, the famed ‘Dictionary’ (an equivalent of a ‘local champion’ today) did not at any time consider studying literature or taking up a career in writing before he gained admission into the University College, Ibadan (now University of Ibadan).

After posting a brilliant performance at the entrance examination to UCI, Achebe won a scholarship to study medicine. But by a sudden twist of fate, he lost interest in medicine and switched to English instead.

http://www.punchng.com/news/the-man-and-his-literature/