₦airaland Forum

It's so funny how the igbos always bring their pathetic biafra into any political discussion. You guys can 4ck off together with the illiterate hausas. If igbo land was really great, you wouldn't see millions of igbos trying to do business in Lagos. Countries like Japan and South Korea have proven you don't need oil to be a successful country.

Na today? A whole ship got missing in Nigeria. For Naija, anything is possible.
God bless Nigeria

The simple truth is we don't have anybody in this country both male and female that is inspiring and have the charisma to be a the perfect leader we want in Nigeria. Just look at our house of assembly, they all look like a bunch of overgrazed cattle.

If it's true, I am very happy that for once our government is treating that hypocrite uk government the same way they treat us. It's a tit for tat!

When will Nigerians stop with all these bullsh*t stories. Next it will be baby with pounded yam and ogunfe.

They are all as bad as one another. They should have taken the opportunity to score as much as they could because it might be goal difference that determines who goes to the next round. The selfishness those guys displayed yesterday was shameful, we should not forget the tahitians have only one professional footballer the rest are amateurs that only play football for fun.

At least one of the two terror suspects being held under armed guard at hospitals in London is believed to be of a Nigerian background.
The men, who are thought to have both been born in Britain, were arrested following the hacking to death of a serving soldier in the street in Woolwich, southeast London.
Sky's foreign affairs editor Tim Marshall said: "At least one of them, we think, has converted from Christianity, or at least a Christian background, to Islam around about 10 years ago.
"The intelligence services, the police will now be going very hard on who converted them, what was their thinking and who did they know."
Counter-terrorism officers are leading the investigation into the "shocking and horrific" murder and the Prime Minister has held talks with his top advisers to address potential security implications.
Relatives of the dead soldier are believed to have been informed but he has yet to be named.
Military commanders have told troops not to wear their uniforms until further notice, according to Sky sources.
Two suspected Muslim fanatics attacked the man in the street a short distance from the Royal Artillery Barracks after apparently knocking him down with their car.
Witnesses said they set about the soldier with a number of weapons, which appeared to include knives and a meat cleaver, while shouting the name of "Allah".
They apparently encouraged passers-by to video them. One of the alleged attackers was filmed wielding a bloodied meat cleaver, saying: "We must fight them as they fight us. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
"I apologise that women have had to witness this today, but in our land our women have to see the same. You people will never be safe. Remove your government, they don't care about you," he said.
In another clip, the man can be heard adding: "You think David Cameron is going to get caught in the street when we start bussin' our guns? You think politicians are going to die?
"No it's going to be the average guy, like you, and your children.
"So get rid of them. Tell them to bring our troops back so you can all live in peace."
[b]Armed officers arrived 20 minutes after police received an emergency call about the attack and shot two men. One is said to be in a serious condition.
Images of the scene showed three men lying in the street, surrounded by discarded weapons and splashes of blood.
Scotland Yard's police commissioner, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, confirmed that the two men had been arrested.
"We understand concern about the motivation and we will work tirelessly to uncover why this occurred and who was responsible. I understand people want answers, but I must stress we are in the early stages of investigations," he said.
Extra officers remained on duty in Woolwich overnight and security has been stepped up at military barracks across the capital.
Forensic officers were still on the scene on Thursday morning and the area remained cordoned off. The car used in the attack was taken away during the night.
After it became clear through eyewitness accounts that the attackers had political and religious motives, the Government held a so-called Cobra emergency response meeting, which will be followed by another this morning.[/b]

sources: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/woolwich-terror-pm-holds-crisis-meeting-043802961.html#4IMEoLx

Stupid brainless grumpy old men. Where have these so called elders been in the past 3 years when their sons-bokoharam have been terrorizing the nation.

I just hope this terrorist bastard is not a Nigerian. My condolences to the soldier's family.

Good! What took the government so long? Destroy those illiterate bastards and obliterate their encampments.
God bless Nigeria.

This is what should have been done about 2 years ago, it would have saved thousands of innocent lives.
These bokoharam idiots wants trouble, they will get it in abundance from the Nigerian army.

God bless Nigeria.

It's really sad we call ourselves the giant of africa and our national tv is crap, everything about nta's production is crap. What drives me crazy is that stupid tune they play before the news and the humming sound you hear in the background.

keep dreaming lol! even eko atlantic will not look anything close to what they've been showing us.

Uk police

America police

9JA police

It wasn't long ago Channels tv exposed the living conditions of our police and we expect them to be intelligent and professional. Even police dogs in Europe are more intelligent than our police.

[b]WHO ARE THESE “OGA AT THE TOP” IN POWER?
WHY DO WE HAVE LEADERS?
DO WE HAVE MINISTERS?
WHY IS THE PAST BETTER THAN THE PRESENT?
DO WE STILL HAVE HUMANITARIAN ADVOCATES?
WHY DO WE CELEBRATE LOSERS AND SHAMELESS GREEDY VAGABONDS?
IS NIGERIA TURNING TO A VORTEX?
ABOVE ARE THE QUESTIONS THAT PONDERS INSIDE OF ME WHENEVER I HEARD OR WITNESS SAD OCCURRENCES HAPPENING IN MY DEAR NATION…………
I LOVE MY COUNTRY AND I HAVE ALWAYS AND WILL ALWAYS BE, BUT SOMETIMES, THE ATMOSPHERE LEAVES ME WITH NO OPTION THAN TO FEEL LIKE WE NEED A QUICK REVOLUTION (TO SEE ALL THESE VAMPIRE POLITICIANS WHO CALLED THEMSELVES LEADERS FROM THE AGE OF 55 AND ABOVE KILLED AND GIVE ROOM FOR SANITATION IN THE COUNTRY)……
WHY! WHY!! WHY!!!
I NEVER KNEW WHEN TEARS START RUNNING DOWN MY EYES WHEN I READ ABOUT AN ACCIDENT ALONG LAGOS – BENIN ROAD THAT KILLED NOT LESS THAN 70 PASSENGERS ON BOARD A LUXURY BUS………….
A COUNTRY OF OVER 160 MILLION PEOPLE THAT STILL DEPEND ON A ONE WAY LANE FOR ON-GOING AND ON-COMING VEHICLE IS A BIG SHAME
NO MATTER THE SPEED OF ANY AUTOMOBILE, IF MY SO CALLED RICH COUNTRY WITH FAILED CABINET CRIMINALS HAD CONSTRUCTED A FOUR LANE HIGHWAY ROAD NETWORK ALL ACROSS THE DENSELY POPULATED STATES WITH BUSY ROAD USERS, I THINK THE DEATH RATE COULD BE REDUCED AND THE DAMAGES AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION CAUSED WILL ALSO BE REDUCED…
SINCE 2011 OR SO, THE NUMBER OF ACCIDENT VICTIMS BOTH BY ROAD AND AIR IS TOO MUCH AND I THINK ITS A SIGN THAT NOTHING WORKS WHEN WE HAVE AND ADMINISTRATION THAT LACKS GOOD IDEA…….
I GUESS IF THESE CONTINUE AND EVEN BEYOND 2015 WITH THE SET OF LOSERS IN POWER, THEN WE ARE READY FOR A TRAGEDY BEYOND CONTROL…….
THEY NEVER THOUGHT OF RESIGNING WHEN SURROUNDED BY FAILURE, JUST BECAUSE OF THEIR GREEDINESS, INSTEAD THEY ARE CELEBRATED BY SOME CLUELESS, MENTALLY RETARDED MORONS…………..
FAILURES WITHOUT SHAME…..CALLING THEMSELVES………….”OGA AT THE TOP”[/b]

http://naijagists.com/the-state-of-nigeria-todaynige-who-are-these-terrible-oga-at-the-top-in-power/

[b]Just outside President Goodluck Jonathan’s office sat 17 ambulances, just in case he or one of his aides fell ill. They were seldom if ever used.

No actual health-care facility nationwide had as many, and in fact a few still have none at all. But as soon as a Nigerian newspaper took a photo of the ambulances and published a story about them, they suddenly disappeared — probably to an underground garage.

Jonathan is president of Nigeria, which should be among the world’s most prosperous nations. After all, it produces an estimated 2.4 million barrels of oil each and every day. With oil now selling at $93.61 a barrel, that’s $224 million in income daily. And yet many hospitals can’t afford to buy an ambulance. The reason, in my view: Nigeria is the most corrupt nation on earth.

Sure, Transparency International lists almost three dozen states as more corrupt — Chad, Haiti, Laos, Yemen, Cambodia and the like. But are any of those nations as wealthy as Nigeria — taking in $81 billion annually, just from the sale of oil? No, not even one of them. So Nigeria steals and squanders more money than any other nation, making it the world’s most corrupt, by that measure.

Nigerian journalist Musikilu Mojeed finds all this so discouraging.

“With its geopolitical power, economic resources and middle class,” he laments, “no country (with the possible exception of Saudi Arabia and Egypt) has the power to change the course of black/African civilization like Nigeria.” After all, Nigeria is Africa’s most populous state — and large, twice the size of California.

So Nigerians are living an opportunity squandered — particularly now. Egypt is in turmoil. In just the last few days, in fact, many Egyptians have been calling for a military coup — anything to rid the state of its widely despised Muslim Brotherhood government. And a new report by the World Economic Forum ranked Egypt the least safe and secure tourist destination among 140 tourist nations evaluated.

Egypt has lost its place as the Arab/African worlds’ leader, and Saudi Arabia never had it. So for Nigeria, the time is ripe. But its leaders seem interested only in stealing the state’s money to make themselves rich beyond imaging. Think about it: $81 billion a year just from the oil, while most every local government official still tells his people the nation just doesn’t have enough money to fix the roads, schools or hospitals. (Roads are in such terrible shape that government officials generally travel any distance by helicopter.)

And Nigeria’s people — well, they are as mistreated as any on earth. In only nine nations — among them Liberia, Sierra Leone and Somalia — do more mothers die during childbirth. And in only 10 states, including Chad, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe, is the average life expectancy lower. Right now the average Nigerian’s average life span ends at 52. That may be why the median age of Nigerians is just 18.

A few months ago, the Economist Intelligence Unit published an evaluation of the best places for babies to born in 2013, given their probable welfare as children and the chance for a safe, comfortable, prosperous life. Switzerland, Australia and Norway were the top three. The United States came in at 16th, largely because “babies will inherit the large debts of the boomer generation.”

Dead last: Nigeria. “It is the worst place for a baby to enter the world in 2013,” the report said.

Even with all that wealth, only just over half the population has access to clean drinking water, and one-third to a toilet, UNICEF says. Two-thirds live below the poverty line. Only one child in four who contracts pneumonia is given antibiotics, and only about half the population is literate.

The CIA also cites endemic “soil degradation; rapid deforestation; urban air and water pollution.” All this in a county whose gross domestic product stands at $236 billion a year, in the same league as Denmark, Chile, Israel and the United Arab Emirates — prosperous, successful states to be envied.

Goodluck Jonathan is certainly aware of all of this. After all, taking the oath of office, he swore to “devote myself to the service and well-being of the people of Nigeria. So help me God.”

Well, just last week he demonstrated who he really is and what he stands for when he pardoned a former state governor who’d been convicted of embezzling state funds and laundering the money. That pardon triggered a broad, angry uproar.

Good luck, Mr. Jonathan. It’s time you were impeached.[/b]


http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/sns-201303191300--tms--amvoicesctnav-c20130319-20130319,0,2415012.column

Stupid greedy idiots destroying our country's name everywhere.

Never! I see it as child abuse, I don't understand why you need to slice the face of your child to identify them with your tribe.This only makes them grow up with lots of low self esteem because of their peers mocking them.

[b] Lest we forget: Profile of Diepreye Solomon Peter Alamieyeseigha recently granted state pardon by President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration
1. My names are Diepreye Solomon Peter (DSP) Alamieyeseigha. I am a former Governor of Bayelsa state, 29 May 1999- December 2005.
2. I am a powerful Nigerian politician, known as Governor General in ‘Ijaw nation’ of Nigeria’s oil rich Niger Delta; but have also been an ex convict, international fugitive, forger, and I have also jumped bail in London.
3. To refresh your memory, when I became Governor of Bayelsa State in Nigeria, I declared assets totaling US$575,000 and stated I had an annual income of N1,500,000 (US$12,000).
4. I was arrested at Heathrow Airport in September 2005 by the London Metropolitan police on charges of money laundering in September 2005. About £1m cash was found in my London home. Another £1.8m ($3.2m) was found in my bank accounts.
5. I was initially remanded in prison, and lumped in the same cell with a mad man. The Britons must have thought I was also a ‘mad man’ to have stolen so much.
6. I was later granted bail. But in breach of my 1.25 million pound bond, I jumped bail in December 2005, escaped from London with forged documents by disguising myself as a woman, and returned to Nigeria. It was like a movie.
7. The Bayelsa State House of Assembly in Nigeria served me a Notice of Impeachment on November 22, 2005. My offences included:
a. Maintaining foreign bank accounts while in office in the following banks viz: Barclays Bank Plc, London; National Westminster Bank, London; Royal Bank Of Scotland; and Commerz Bank, London contrary to the clear provisions of Paragraph 3 of the Fifth Schedule (Part 1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 the provisions of which I swore on oath to uphold.
b. Corrupt enrichment of my wife and children namely: Mr. Enetonbra Alamieyeseigha, Mr. Seleake Alam1eyeseigha, and Miss Embeleakpo Alamieyeseigha as disclosed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
c. Criminal diversion and misappropriation of public funds to facilitate acquisition of One billion Naira shares in Bond Bank PLc by private placement;
d. Purchase of Chelsea Hotel, Abuja for the sum of Two billion naira and;
e. Acquisition of £ 1 0 Million worth of properties in London.
8. The Bayelsa State of Assembly that Investigated me came out with the following findings in a report signed by Barrister David Serena-Dokubo Spiff (Chairman) and six others:
a. That I brought the exalted office of the governor of Bayelsa State to disrepute, odium and ridicule by jumping a London bail and returning to Nigeria dressed like a masquerade.
b. That I am an International fugitive as the Scotland Yard may issued a warrant of arrest against me which will embarrass the people of Bayelsa.
c. That by this ignominious conduct Bayelsans and indeed all Nigerians have been scandalized, embarrassed and depicted as people whose word cannot be relied upon.
d. That I jeopardized the safety and besmirched the reputation of Nigerians living in or visiting The United Kingdom.
e. That I dealt a severe blow to the Ijaw Nation of which Bayelsa is part, who traditionally takes great pride in the meaning of their name – Ijaw —- truth.
f. That by jumping bail Chief I breached my oath to respect international law.
9. The Bayelsa State House of Assembly subsequently impeached me from office on December 8, 2005 after adopting the report of the seven-man impeachment panel set up by the Chief Justice of Bayelsa State, Emmanuel Igonarwari. I was found me guilty of gross misconduct.
10. Subsequently, I was arrested by Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), questioned, and charged with numerous money laundering and corruption offences.
11. The offences against me were overwhelmingly, and on 26 July 2007 I was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty before a Nigerian High Court to six charges of making false declaration of assets, and 23 charges of money laundering by my company. (See Ruling in FRN v Alamieyeseigha). Besides the jail sentences, the court ordered that my assets, including N1 billion shares be forfeited.
12. On December 13, 2005, the Federal Government filed a fresh 17-count charge against me at the Code of Conduct Tribunal sitting in Kaduna. The charges included that as Governor of Bayelsa State between 29th May 1999 and 9th December 2005, I maintained and operated the following foreign personal bank accounts-
a. Account number 10659347 with Barclays Bank Plc, United Kingdom with a balance of GBP203,753.34 as at 15th February 2005;
b. Account number 3239940 with UBS Warburg AG, 1 Curzon Street, London, W1J 5HB with a balance of $2.5 million as at September 2005; account number 338931 in the name of FALCON INC. with UBS Warburg AG, 1 Curzon Street, London, W1J 5HB;
c. Account number 7341553/7341596 FOR us dollars with Barclays Bank Plc at International Banking Unit, 88 Dighemis Akritas Avenue 1644, Nicosla, Cyprus; account number 7341588 for GB pounds Sterling with Barclays Bank Plc at International Banking Unit, 88 Dighemis Akrltas Avenue 1644, Nicosia, Cyprus ;
d. Bank account number 5005220454-7 in Denmark with JYSKE Bank at Bseterbrogate, 9, DK-1780, Copeenhagen V with a balance of at $2.5 million;
e. Bank account number 005482562491 with Bank of America United States of America in the name of Peter Aklamleyeseigh with a balance of $160,000.00 all contrary to section 7 and punishable under section 23 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act. Cap. 56 LFN 1990 as incorporated under paragraph 11, part 1, fifth schedule of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
That I made a false declaration by not declaring the following properties:
a. Property known as Water Gardens, London W2 2DG which I bought at GBP1.75 million in the name of my company known as Solomon & Peters Ltd;
b. Property at 14 Mapesbury Road, London, NW2 4JB which you bought at GBP1.4 million;
c. Property at 14 Jubilee Heights, School Uphill, London, NW2 2UQ, which you bought at GBP241,000;
d. Property at No. 68-70, Regent’s Road, London, N3 bought at 3 million Pounds Sterling.
That I Chief Diepreye Solomon Peter Alamieyeseigha while being the Governor of Bayelsa State between 29th May 1999 and 9th December 2005 acquired:
a. Property known as Chelsea Hotel Abuja worth of N2 Billion for which N1.5 Billion was paid;
b. Acquired two block of luxury flats at Plot 26 Bashir Dalhatu Close, Abacha Estate, Ikoyi worth of N45;
c. Acquired a property at John Kadiya Street, off Jose Marti Crescent, Asokoro, Abuja worth N350; million;
d. Acquired an Estate of six luxury duplexes at No. 1 Community, Road, off Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos worth N200 million
e. Failed to declare One Billion Naira worth of Shares acquired in Bond bank
f. Failed to declare the following properties:-
• Plot 916 & 917, Wuse II District, Abuja
• Plot 7, Cadastral Zone A6, Maltama Abuja
• Plot1267, Amazon Road, Abuja
• Plot 3375, cadastral Zone A6, Abuj
• Plot 1372-1374, Cadastral Zone A7, Wuse II, Abuja
• Plot 1281, cadastral Zone A4, Asokoro, Abuja
Thereby I committed an offence contrary to section 15(2) of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act. Cap. 56 LFN 1990 as incorporated under paragraph 11, part 1, fifth schedule of the 1999 Constitution and punishable under section 23 of the Act of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
13. Independent investigations carried out by the commission also revealed the following:
a. That I held a personal bank account with Barclays Bank Plc which was opened on 5 January 2004 and the balance stood at £203,753.34 as at 15th February 2005.
b. A personal bank account with HSBC, London, but the account was closed sometimes in March 2003 while all the money in the account was transferred to Santolina Investment Corporation’s account with National Westminster Bank, London.
c. I am the sole Director of Santolina Investment Corporation and sole signatory to the company’s account with National Westminster Bank with A/c No. 10182819 Sort Code 15-00-25 in London
d. I held personal account with Bond Bank in Lagos which was opened sometimes in January 2004 and the balance stood at N105-14.942.61 as at 16th September 2005 and another personal account in Oceanic Bank Plc (The Salo Trust) in the names of Enitonbrapa Alamieyeseigha, Embelakpo Alamieyeseigha, Ebipadei Alamieyeseigha, Oyamuyefa Alamieyeseigha, Saleaka Alamieyeseigha and Margaret Alamieyeseigha.
e. I held an account with Bank of America in the name of Peter Alamieyeseigha with account number 0054 8256 2491 which balance stood at $1, 600,000.00 as at August 2003.
f. I am a Director of an offshore company named Solomon & Peters Ltd (two middle names) and there are four (4) London properties bought and registered in the company’s name. These properties are:
• 247, Water Gardens, London, W2 2DG, which is the registered
address of Solomon & Peters Ltd. This property was purchased
for £1.75 million on 20/8/2003
• 14, Mapesbury Road, London, NW2 4JB. This property was
purchased for £1.4 million on 6/7/2001.
• Flat 202, Jubilee Heights, Shoot uphill, London, NW2 3LJQ,
purchased for the sum of £241,000.00 on 28/10/99.
• 68-70, Regent’s Park Road, London, N3 which was purchased in
July 2002 for the sum of £3 million.
• All the properties listed above have a combined value in excess of £S 381million
• A property at V & A Waterfront, Cape Town, South Africa worth over £1 millon.
• I own Royal Albatross Properties 67 a company registered in September 2005 in Cape Town, South Africa.
• I am the owner of a property in 504, Pleasant Drive, King Farm Estate, Maryland USA, and another one in 15859, Aurora Crest Drive, Whither, California, USA, 906
14. According to World Bank’s State Asset Recovery case (STAR), between May 1999 when I was elected Governor of Bayelsa state and December 2005 when I was impeached, I illegally accumulated (outside Nigeria) known properties, bank accounts, investments and cash exceeding £10m in value. The STAR case against me reads in part,
“Between the start of his period of office in May 1999, to late 2005, Alamieyeseigha accumulated (outside Nigeria) known properties, bank accounts, investments and cash exceeding £10m in value. His portfolio of foreign assets included accounts with five banks in the UK and further accounts with banks in Cyprus, Denmark and the United States; four London properties acquired for a total of £4.8m; a Cape Town harbour penthouse acquired for almost £1m, possible assets in the United States, and almost £1m in cash stored in one of his London properties. Some of the foreign assets were held in his name and that of his wife, but the bulk of them were held by companies and trusts incorporated in the Bahamas, the British Virgin Islands, South Africa, and Seychelle.’
15. In July 2006, British authorities returned $1.9 million of the illicit gains I made as Governor of oil-rich Bayelsa state in Nigeria.
16. On 2 July 2008, Nigeria obtained judgment over my stolen assets in London, Cyprus and Denmark.
17. On June 29, 2011, the US federal district judge in the state of Massachusetts ordered that I should forfeit the sum of N60m ($401,931) to the United States Government. I stole the amount from Bayelsa State between 1999 to 2005 and secretly kept it at a Massachusetts brokerage fund, before it was discovered by US prosecutors. I also lost another house I acquired in the state of Maryland, valued at N90m ($600,000) house that Alamieyesigha bought in the state of Maryland.
18. I also lost my properties in several other countries. In February 2006, the Asset Forfeiture Unit of the National Prosecuting Authority of South Africa secured a court order to freeze my residential property on the Cape Town waterfront. I was found guilty of stealing N1.499 billion (USD11 million) from Bayelsa treasury to buy Chelsea Hotel Ltd in Abuja
19. I am still being probed by the governments of Britain, United States, South Africa, Bahamas and Seychelles as well as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the World Bank under the Stolen Assets Recovery Initiative (STAR) case.
20. In spite of all these, I was given a state pardon by the Council of State headed by my the administration of my godson President Goodluck Jonathan on March 12, 2013.
21. You may not be happy with this, but as, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, said the “That is an action that has been taken by the National Council of States and (there is) no apology for that’
22. I am now eligible to hold any Public office at the highest level, I may simply choose to return to my former post as Governor of Bayelsa in a future election, or I can contest for Senate and become the Senate President, or even contest for Nigeria’s Presidency in the future. You will vote for me, because I still have enough unrecovered looted funds to go round all potential voters![/b]



http://news2.onlinenigeria.com/news/top-stories/261764-corruption-in-nigeriaprofile-of-dsp-diepreye-alamieyeseigha.html

Can you imagine what our first lady will look like in that magazine??

Another reason why Nigeria is a failed state with a clueless and hopeless president. A country that cannot provide basic security for its citizen is not fit for purpose. If these muslim terrorists can bomb the police hq and army barracks, what hope have the people got??

Maybe we should beg the Brits to come and recolonize us and show us how a country is run.

[b]Nigeria has never had a First Lady quite like this. Never! There were Flora Azikiwe, Victoria Aguyi-Ironsi, Victoria Gowon, Ajoke Mohammed, Esther Oluremi Obasanjo, Safinatu Buhari, Maryam Babangida, Margaret Shonekan, Maryam Abacha, Fati Abubakar, Stella Obasanjo, and Turai Yar’Adua. Some were on the stage for a very short period, and so nothing about them is memorable or remembered vis-à-vis the larger Nigerian context. But of those who stayed for a while, or a while longer, they were either a credit or a curse to the formal and informal office of the First Lady. Of all the First Ladies we’ve had, however, none — and I mean none — has been quite like the current occupant, Mrs. Patience Faka Jonathan. My goodness, what a lady! Fela Anikulapo’s lady!

Mrs. Victoria Gowon is mostly thought of as the quintessential First Lady. I cannot remember her being associated with scandals (while her husband was in office). And in the years since, I wonder if there ever has been one. From afar, what you saw was a lady: A lady in the real sense of the word. She looked calm and balanced and sophisticated. Again and again, she appeared educated and enlightened and supportive. And however many times you saw her – on TV, the print media, or in person – she was very soft on the eyes: beautiful, dignified, cultured and graceful. Now, one does not know, whether in private, she gave her husband and his associates, hell.

Patience Jonathan – the self-styled Dame – is the complete opposite of Victoria. But of all Nigeria’s First Ladies, the closest to Mrs. Jonathan (in terms of personality) is Turai, who seemed overly and overtly ambitious, and with Macbethean tendencies to match. But unlike Patience, Turai was not bombastic or compulsive. She seemed restrained by her Islamic faith. The general understanding is that she was always looking out for the interest of her husband. You don’t get the feeling that she is the boss who wears the proverbial pants in the privacy of their home. It is the opposite with Patience Jonathan.

From my vantage point, I cannot but conclude that Mrs. Jonathan calls the shots at home. That she is the boss-lady. The hustler. The lady with the whip. Many of the controversies that are associated with her husband seem to have been instigated by her. Incidentally, this is a woman who can’t seem to help herself, or her husband. As a wife and as a partner, one of her goals ought to have been the interest and well-being of her husband. But no, oh no! She compounds his headache and challenges; and helps to expose his weaknesses and shortcomings.

Why her husband, Jonathan, has not put her in check baffles a lot of onlookers and public intellectuals. If this President cannot control his wife, how can he control unruly powerhouses and contending groups within the nation? If he cannot put a stop to his wife’s inexplainable ways, how can he put a stop to the excesses of his advisers and ministers and all those who work for and with him? If he cannot get his wife to put a stop to unending controversies, what hope is there that there won’t be more scandals and wounding controversies in the months and years ahead? But of course, Mrs. Jonathan has been at it for a very long time! And Jonathan, it seems, has come to accept his fate. What a fate!

According to columnist Sonala Olumhense: “When she and her husband left Bayelsa State, it was with a lot of allegations, and events since then have not improved their image. Reporting on the April 2007 election, the Council on Foreign Relations in New York referred to Mrs. Jonathan as the “greediest person in Bayelsa State, and a woman of great cruelty.” Olumhense went on to tell us about the money-laundering allegations: “In 2006, when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said it had twice seized vast funds from her: the first the sum of N104 million; and the second, $13.5 million.”

Nigeria being what it is, we may never know how much she has “taken.” However, to have an idea of how much she is worth, all you need do is take a trip to Rivers and Bayelsa states to inspect the properties (hotels and all that) that many people in both states have alleged were improperly acquired. During a recent testimonial, she alluded to some of these properties being sold off while she was on her death-bed in Germany: “They are people that I trust and rely on; to them, I was dead and I would never return to the country alive. Some of them even sold my things off.” Was she expecting anyone to feel sorry that her stuffs were being auctioned off?

As a human being, we feel sorry that she was sick and came close to an inch of her life. And frankly, her death would not have served any purpose. Nonetheless, it is hard, very hard to have compassion for someone – anyone for that matter– who is noted for being unkind and insensitive to the poor and the needy. As the wife of the deputy governor, who later became the nation’s First Lady, she has mainly been associated with scandals, maladministration, and wastefulness. Not too long ago, she caused a storm by lobbying for and getting herself appointed permanent secretary in her husband’s home state. Before then, she was involved in a public spat over a land deal in Abuja with her predecessor.

Upon her arrival from medical treatment in the Middle East and in Europe, she and her team spent an estimated half-a-million naira on a welcome party. Is she ever weary and wary of storms and foul winds? My goodness! As if to outdo her controversial and calculating nature, she and or her husband got the National Assembly to vote N4bn for her pet project in Abuja. At what point is her husband, the President, going to say, “enough is enough”? At what point will he feel uncomfortable and put a stop to his wife’s unsavory tendencies and expensive jokes – jokes and tendencies that have become a monumental embarrassment to our country. Or is he an enabler?[/b]

[b]The first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan has cited Nigeria’s ‘big-brother’ image as one of the reasons why the proposed N4 billion African First Ladies’ peace mission building project must not be stopped as many opposition groups had insisted.

Abandoning the project will amount to abdication of responsibility by Nigeria and such diplomatic somersault will be incongruent with the country’s status and leadership role in Africa, she said yesterday.

Speaking through her special assistant, Mr. Ayo Osinlu, the first lady informed newsmen that despite the pressure being mounted on the National Assembly to turn down the endorsement of the peace mission building, the project deserves to continue.

The first lady said that her office would, instead, expect that objective attention should be given by both the public and the legislature, to the gains of what she described as the all important continental attraction to the country.

Dame Patience added that it was not the duty of the office of the first lady to defend the budget because it was not its proposal, but that of the FCT ministry which has responded appropriately. She also noted that “it offends the original African culture of charity to obstruct any effort to promote peace and development such as the decision of all African First Ladies to rise up to the social responsibility as mothers and wives of leaders on the continent to save the women, children and the aged on the continent from the traumatic consequences of violent conflicts and wars.”

Osinlu assured, “without any doubt that it is far from the desire of the first lady to have the project turned down. One, it will amount to an abdication of responsibility by Nigeria and that level of disappointment will be injurious for the leadership status of Nigeria in Africa. Certainly, the first lady will not expect Nigeria to behave in such a manner.

“Two, the first lady would not also want the project abandoned because it is an undertaking that the country has made to the continent. It means therefore that the credibility of Nigeria will drop significantly if it goes back on its deliberate and willing commitment to host such an organ for the continent and at the request of the continent. Africa First Ladies Mission give us a secretariat and you agreed that you will do it and then five years after, you wake up and say you don’t want to do it again. I don’t think that level of irresponsibility would be expected of Nigeria and the first lady won’t encourage that at all.”

Mrs Jonathan also argued that the peace mission building was not a non governmental organisation (NGO) of hers, just as she implored Nigerians to be wary of politicians who see both the media and the unsuspecting public as instruments to pursue private and personal political objectives of bringing dishonour and embarrassment to government, using every issue that concerns her.

The proposal for the N4 billion African First Ladies’ Peace Mission building had been under fire, with the opposition parties and civil society groups contending that, apart from being illegal and a misplaced priority, it would constitute profligacy on the part of the President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration.

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) had on Sunday also argued that it was one of the flamboyant life styles of the first lady and also one of the exorbitant and extravagant ventures of wives of leaders in the country. [/b]


Sources: onlinenigeria.com

Maybe somebody should show these bitches some pictures of their country.