[size=14pt]I have no Facebook, Twitter accounts — Obasanjo[/size]
February 24, 2015 Dimeji Kayode-Adedeji
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Monday said social media accounts bearing his name are not his as he is not on any social media platform.
Mr. Obasanjo, while speaking with journalists at his Hilltop Private residence in Abeokuta, reacted to a twitter account, @newsvergeonline linked to his name.
@newsvergeonline had claimed that the former President described the Director of Media and Publicity of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation, Femi Fani-Kayode, as a “democracy wrecker.”
“Fani-Kayode is a democracy wrecker, who’s very fluent in stupidity. Give him food, and he will sing and do “shoki” dance for you,” the tweet read.
Mr. Obasanjo described the social media account as fake being operated by fraudsters.
“I don’t know where this came from. I don’t have any account on either Facebook or Twitter,” Mr. Obasanjo said.
The former President warned those using his name to operate illegal social media accounts to desist, saying he has alerted security agencies to fish out perpetrators.
“Let me say that nemesis will catch up with anyone doing this,” Mr. Obasanjo said. “It is illegal and criminal. If I have to pass any message to the good people of Nigeria, I know how to go about it with no controversy.”
[size=14pt]Not So SHOCKING: Benue Public Primary Schools Shut For 8 Months[/size]
Children attending public primary schools in Benue State have been stuck at home for over eight months following a prolonged strike by their teachers.
The State Government and the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), in the state have been engaged in a deadlocked dispute over teachers’ salaries since the implementation of the national minimum wage.
Channels Television was in Makurdi, the Benue State capital to examine the situation and the consequences of the strike for the pupils, the teachers and primary education in Benue State.
Life appeared normal on the streets of Makurdi, until visits to the public primary schools, where the classrooms were completely empty, with school grounds deserted and some overgrown with weeds showed the real situation.
In some cases, the buildings were already falling into ruin and the situation was the same all over the state as the prolonged strike by public school teachers had taken a heavy toll.
According to the Benue State NUT Chairman, Godwin Anyam, the problem started with the implementation of a minimum wage for public servants in the state, including schoolteachers.
“When the minimum wage was approved in the state and before its approval, I was part of the negotiation on behalf of the teachers. So when this was approved, that means the teachers also must also be part of the wage.
“What we were collecting before the coming of the minimum wage was what other workers were collecting. The only difference we had was the 27.5% enhanced allowances with the teachers, which we also fought for and was also approved by the Governor’s Forum.”
However, the State Governor, Gabriel Suswam, explained that what he decided to do was to appeal to the core civil servants whose salaries were mistakenly increased out of proportion to at least let the Government “take a small percentage” of what they had increased for them so that they would be able to accommodate teachers.
“There’s no way, even if the teachers are on strike for 20 years, I can’t raise 4billion (Naira) to pay all these salaries; that is practically out of place”, he said.
While the private schools have been cashing in on the situation and children of the privileged are receiving standard education; other children have been on the receiving end of the crisis as some have been in the streets, struggling to make ends meet.
A parent, John Awuru, expressed worries over the future of the children whose parents could not afford the cost of private schools and challenged the Government to find a lasting solution to the situation rather than condemn the pupils to a life in which they would not be able to fulfill their potentials.
All hope is not lost for those who cannot afford the cost of attending private schools, however, as few makeshift education centres had sprung up to keep the children busy for fees as low as 500 Naira per child.
As the battle over the implementation of wages continues to rage between the State Government and the Teachers’ Union, both sides appeared unwilling to concede,
The Chair, Benue NGO Network, Justin Gbagir, spoke to Channels TV, he said, “If we know the importance of education, particularly primary education which is the foundation of education, then we feel that the relevant stakeholders would have done all that is needful to ensure that the primary school teachers did not go on strike in the first instance. If at all they went on strike, they would have done everything to ensure that the strike is not prolonged.”
The Benue State Head of Service, Terna Ahua, however, explained that the State Government was approaching the problem in two directions; to cut down on the cost of governance and to increase the components of the state’s internally generated revenue.
Many public primary school children and perhaps teachers in Benue State continue to suffer the endless holiday and their deserted schools have become accommodation for the internally displaced persons fleeing herdsmen’s attacks in neighbouring Nasarawa and Taraba states.
One lesson the out-of-school children may have learnt is the meaning of the adage, “when two elephants clash, it is the grass that suffers”.
deloon: He wasn't solely responsible. WTF! Was he convicted?
strawberryinc: [font=Lucida Sans Unicode][/font]2011 incident making frontpage on nairaland in 2015, the mods here must be high on cheap weeds or probably they changed their supplier..... av always said it Nairaland is now lacking quality content, @seun should better get to work before these clueless mods send you to your village.... nonsense
MrsAnyanwu: I just dont understand dese mods again, 4 years ago dis stampede hapnd nd its on front page, why r dese mods taking their work for granted...... It is bad to say d least I just dont understand dese mods again, 4 years ago dis stampede hapnd nd its on front page, why r dese mods taking their work for granted...... It is bad to say d least
There is an ongoing inquiry into the incident. The DJ appeared at the inquest yesterday. That's when he admitted that the stampede was caused by his joke. The story is reporting what the DJ said at the inquest.
Victor Osimhen, 16, has lit up the Under 17 World Cup with nine goals
He has led Nigeria to Sunday's final against fellow African nation Mali
Osimhen has attracted interest from a host of European scouts
Tottenham have made contact with the striker's representatives
Tottenham are showing keen interest in Nigeria scoring sensation Victor Osimhen.
The teenager has scored nine goals in the U17 World Cup in Chile steering his country towards Sunday's final against Mali.
Scouts from across Europe have been following his performances and Tottenham have made contact with representatives from his Ultimate Strikers Academy
The 16-year-old is a tall gangly striker with good technique who can also play wide. He idolises former Chelsea forward Didier Drogba and is eager to follow in his footsteps by becoming a success in the Premier League.
Arsenal and Manchester City have also been watching him closely but have been concentrating on his international team-mate and captain Kelechi Nwakali.
Osimhen and Nwakali were both on target for the young Super Eagles as they beat Mexico 4-2 in the semi-final on Thursday.
Osimhen has scored in each of Nigeria's six matches at the U17 World Cup, netting a hat-trick against Australia in the group stage.
Tottenham have completed the signing of Nigerian youngster Victor Osimhen, according to reports.
Osimhen, 16, was the star of Nigeria’s recent Under-17 World Cup triumph, with the forward scoring ten goals in seven games at the tournament, including one in the final against Mali.
Tottenham were reported to have opened talks with the player’s representatives during the competition, and according to AS he will now join Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
Osimhen’s compatriot Kelechi Nwakali – who was voted player of the tournament – is also understood to be on his way to the Premier League with Manchester City.
If this compilation of Osimhen’s goals at the World Cup is anything to go by, Spurs have picked themselves up a serious talent…
It's on Catholic Mission Street, opposite City Hall and not far from Campos Square. Feraz should know it very well, since he attended St Mary's. Feraz, did you go to Holy Cross every Friday in lent for stations of the cross?
Feraz: Yeah. . . One did my training for interhouse sport there while in primary school (St. Mary's); that was before the renovation.
Great! That's the area I'm talking about. Go to the street beside Campos Mini Stadium (Igbosere Road). You'll see the Brazilian Quarters Club there. The Popo Aguda lived in the area around Campbell Street, Igbosere Road, Ajele Street, Catholic Mission Street, etc.
They worship at Holy Cross Cathedral and send their children to St Mary's and St Gregory's (St Gregory's was built in the 1800s because the Agudas wanted their own school after the Saros [Anglicans/Methodists] built CMS Grammar School).
UjSizzle: Cathedral church of Christ, Marina (Anglican) . Built (Read: Completed) 1946. It's the first cathedral in Lagos.
Magnificent building, right? You don't see structures like that today
This answer can ignite a civil war.
Lagos was divided into 4 in the 1800s.
1) The Europeans (especially the British) who lived on the Marina. They were mainly protestants (primarily Anglicans and Methodists).
2) The Saros (slaves freed by the British. These former slaves had adopted a british lifestyle) who lived in the Olowogbowo area. They were mainly Protestants (predominantly Anglicans). Many of them returned from Sierra Leone.
3) Popos/Aguda. These are former slaves who were taken to Latin America (mainly Brazil and Cuba). The Popo Aguda were mainly catholics. Most of them had been builders and masons in Brazil and Cuba and they built most of the gothic and latin style houses in Lagos. They lived mainly in the Campos area.
4) The indigenes who adhered to African traditional religion and where mainly farmers and fishermen. They lived on the rest of the Island, particularly to the north and west of the others.
Holy Cross Cathedral
Holy Cross Cathedral was built by the Popo Agudas in the 1800s.
The first priest came to Lagos (and said mass) in 1863 and this inspired the Popo Agudas to want to build their own cathedral.
The Agudas began negotiations with the Colonial Government to acquire the land in 1864.
Father Bouche became the first resident priest at Holy Cross in 1868 (though he actually lived behind the house of the famous Candido Da Rocha, one of the wealthiest of the Popo Aguda).
The foundation stone was laid in 1878.
The building was completed in 1881 (with just one tower). Other towers were added in 1883 and 1934.
timpaker: Got this building snapped as I stopped by to buy Orange around Lekki, Lagos this weekend. I don't know the name of the building and surprisingly even the woman selling me orange doesn't know it too but it reminds me of Big Ben in UK.
Feraz: This church looks like Cathedral Church at CMS. I recall putting a picture of something similar some pages back.
There are very many reasons and it's not just because of the players.
1)Many major footballing countries do not take the u17 and u20 tournaments seriously. I remember that a Nigerian wrote to the BBC World Service in 2007 to complain that they did not cover the u17 championship which Nigeria won. A BBC producer replied that it's just an u17 championship. He said that if they cover the u17, then they would have to cover the u15, the u13, etc.
2) Successful football nations prepare very well for the senior world cup. They do not leave anything to chance. For example, some England players slept in oxygen beds before the 2010 World Cup to enable them cope with the altitude in South Africa. The Super Eagles did not do anything to prepare themselves to cope with the altitude. I remember listening to Danny Shittu complain about the altitude in an interview with Mark Gleeson.
3) Interference: How do we select players and coaches for the national team? In most cases we can be professional in selecting players and coaches for our u17 team because the team does not attract much publicity before the tournament. On the other hand, there's a lot of interference when it comes to selecting players and coaches for the Super Eagles. Politicians, former players, businessmen, soldiers, etc all have their candidates that they want the NFF to select, regardless of whether that candidate is good or not.
4) What kind of football development policy do we have? What kind of league do we have? Some of the German players that played in this u17 tournament are already playing in some of the biggest clubs in Germany (Bayern Munich, Werder Bremen, etc) and it will be easier for them to break into the biggest clubs in Europe that have the best facilities and coaches. Our players are playing for Young Strikers, etc. Check out the clubs of players at this tournament. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_FIFA_U-17_World_Cup_squads
I'm going to address this strange argument about longevity.
You cannot say that the reason a player does not become a great success after his under 17 career is simply because he is too old. There are so many other factors involved.
1) Do we have a structure in place to help these players graduate to the senior level?
2) What kind of contracts do they sign after their youth career (Chris Ohenhen, Ahmed Garba, etc)?
3) What is the state of our domestic league (remember, many youth players return to their domestic league after competitions) and so many more reasons.
The final of China 85 was between Nigeria and Germany. How many of those players became successes after the competition? Jonathan Akpoborie and Marcel Witheczeck. Does that mean that they were the only under 16 players in both teams? Fact is, many players that are under 17 during the tournament will not go on to perform wonders in their senior career, while players who are above 17 could go on to have glittering careers. What did Florent Sinama Pongolle and Anthony LeTallec achieve with the French National Team?
The fact that some cheat does not mean that all of them are cheating, so my question is, do you have any proof that they are cheating? (I don't mean guesses or conjecture, I mean solid proof).
naptu2: Some players that have played for both the Golden Eaglets and the Super Eagles.
Nduka Ugbade (1985), Wilson Oruma (1993), Victor Ikpeba (1989), Nwankwo Kanu (1993), Celestine Babayaro (1993), Jonathan Akpoborie (1985), Mikel Obi (2003), Chinedu Ogbuke Obasi (2003), Mobi Oparaku (1993), Godwin Okpara (89), Karibe Ojigwe (93), James Obiorah (95), Christopher Nwosu (87), Angus Ikeji (87), Benedict Akwuegbu (89), Isaac Promise (2003), Precious Monye (89), Haruna Lukman (2007), Rabiu Ibrahim (2007), John Zaki (89) , Ogenyi Onazi (2009) and Kenneth Omeruo (2009).
naptu2: Yeah. I actually tried to list all those that played for the Golden Eaglets and went on to have long and distinguished careers with the Super Eagles or in Europe.
Nduka Ugbade played for the Golden Eaglets (China 85), Flying Eagles and Super Eagles (he would have been the first person to play in all levels of FIFA World Cup, ie u17, u21 and senior world cup, if Westerhof had picked him for USA 94). He also won gold at Tunisia 94.
Celestine Babayaro played at u17 (Japan 93), captained the u23 to Sydney 2000, won gold in Atlanta 96 and played at the 1998 world cup. He also won many titles with Chelsea FC.
Jonathan Akpoborie played at u17 (China 85) and u21 levels and also played for the Super Eagles. He won many titles with Stuttgart FC and was one of the highest goal scorers in Europe in 1997 (joint top scorer in the European Cup Winners Cup).
Victor Ikpeba played at u16 (Scotland 89), u20 and u23 levels and also played for the Super Eagles. He won many titles with AS Monaco and (together with Sonny Anderson) led them to the semi-finals of the Champions League in 1997/1998 season. He played at the 1998 World Cup and won silver at the 2000 Nations Cup.
Nwankwo Kanu played at Japan 93, captained the Dream Team to Olympic gold in 96, played at the 98 and 2002 world cups and won many titles with Ajax, Inter Milan and Arsenal.
Mikel Obi played u17 in 2003, u21 in 2005, won the nations cup in 2013 and has won many titles with Chelsea.
These players have won many titles and played for Nigeria for around 10 years.
[size=14pt]Virgin Atlantic not pulling out of Nigeria —Sales Agent[/size]
November 08, 2015 at 10:16 pm in News
By Kenneth Ehigiator
Virgin Atlantic Airways’ Sales Agent in Nigeria, Chief John Adebanjo, last night, dismissed insinuations that the airline was planning to pull out of the country due to harsh operating environment.
Online publications were awashed yesterday with reports that the airline was on the verge of withdrawing its services in the country.
The reports also indicated that the management of the airline had started issuing disengagement letters to Nigerians on its employ, as a step to discontinuing flight operations to Nigeria.
But reacting to the reports, Chief Adebanjo, however, said admitted that the airline was discontinuing with the services of Nigerian crew in its operations, stressing that it was not an indication of a pull-out of Nigeria.
He said: ‘’ Virgin Atlantic Airways has no plans to pull out of Lagos route, we are committed to continue delivering the experience our customers love, whether they are flying for business or leisure.
‘’We have decided that we will no longer have crew based in Lagos. This is by no means a reflection on our Lagos-based cabin crew, the primary purpose of our locally based cabin crew has been to provide cultural expertise and customer feedback has shown us that this is no longer a requirement on the Lagos route.
‘’The additional complexity required to operate an international crew base where there are no foreign language requirement means it is no longer sustainable going forward. This announcement has no impact on our flying programme and we plan to continue flights between Lagos and London.
‘’After 14 years of flying the route, we remain committed to servicing the Nigeria people, whether it be for business, family or education.’’
Virgin Atlantic Airways, owned by British billionaire, Sir Richard Branson, started operations into Nigeria in 2001, and became the second largest carrier on the Lagos-London route, after British Airways.
[size=14pt]We Are Not Leaving Nigeria - Virgin Atlantic[/size]
Virgin Atlantic Airways has debunked rumours making rounds that the airline will be ending it’s operations in Nigeria due to the disbandment of their Lagos based crew.
According to Kudirat Scott-Igbene, Marketing and Communications Manager of Virgin Atlantic, the changes made were necessary to better their operations and not in anyway end their operations in Nigeria.
“Virgin Atlantic Airways has no plans to pull out of Lagos route, we are committed to continue delivering the experience our customers love whether they are flying for business or leisure”.
“We have decided that we will no longer have crew based in Lagos. This is by no means a reflection on our Lagos based cabin crew, the primary purpose of our locally based cabin crew has been to provide cultural expertise, and customer feedback has shown us that this is no longer a requirement on the Lagos route.”
“The additional complexity required to operate an international crew base where there are no foreign language requirement means it is no longer sustainable going forward” he said.
Virgin Atlantic Airways also insists that this announcement has no impact on their flying programme and that they plan to continue flights between Lagos and London.
“After 14 years flying the route we remain committed to servicing the Nigerian people, whether it be for business, family or education”.
@ogbeche77 I would like you to watch the video that speedyGonzalez posted. That's the video that I wrote about on my diary yesterday. Unfortunately Isaac died a few months after the documentary was made.
naptu2: Nigerian troops in the two world wars and why the Nigerian High Commissioner will lay a wreath tomorrow.
Kamerun was colonised by Germany, so there were concerns with the outbreak of World War 1 that Nigeria could be attacked by Kamerun/Germany. Troops were mobilised for the defence of Nigeria and for action against Kamerun/Germany. The war on Nigeria's eastern front raged between 1914-1916. Nigerian troops captured Yaounde and Douala and were able to drive the Germans to Spanish Guinea (now Equatorial Guinea) where they were disarmed. The Royal Navy sent some warships to Nigeria to assist with the campaign.
Germany also colonised Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and parts of Kenya, so Nigerian troops were also deployed to East Africa to fight against the Germans. This phase of the war lasted from 1916-1918 and resulted in a victory for the allies (British Empire [Indians, East, West and South Africans], Belgian and Portuguese forces). At least 2,700 Nigerians died in this campaign.
Nigerians also famously fought in the 2nd World War. Nigerian troops were deployed in 1940 to participate in the defence of Kenya. They also fought in Abyssinia (Ethiopia), Somalia and Sudan. They returned to Nigeria in 1941.
Back in Nigeria, they were deployed to the northern and western borders after France fell, to prevent a possible attack by the Vichy French (there were concerns that the Vichy French would try to invade Nigeria and this resulted in several false alarms in 1941 and 1942).
Their most famous battles in the war were in India and Burma between 1943 - 1945. Many famous Nigerian soldiers, such as Sergeant Hama Kim, Wellington Bassey and Johnson Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi, fought in this phase of the war. They were engaged in intense and brutal fighting against the Japanese in awful conditions.
The BBC has produced several documentaries (on tv and radio) about the exploits of these Africans in South-East Asia. A British journalist, Barnaby Philips, produced a documentary for Al-Jazeera in 2012 called "Burma Boy" in which he tracked down a Nigerian soldier that fought in Burma during World War 2 and got him to tell his story. He also tracked down the children of the Burmese man who sheltered the Nigerian soldier when he got injured and the Japanese were looking for him. Barnaby Philips also wrote a book about Nigerian soldiers who fought in Burma. It's titled "Another Man's War".
Many Nigerian sitcoms in the 1970s and 1980s had a character that was a former major who fought in the 2nd World War (usually in Burma, but also in the Carribeans), eg Sura Di Tailor, Second Chance and Village Headmaster.
Many Nigerian graves remain in cemeteries at the Dalet Chaung near Tamandu, the Rangoon Memorial and the Taukkyan War Cemetery in Burma.
Several barracks in Nigeria are named after places where Nigerian troops fought and died during the 2nd World War. These include Dodan (Ikoyi), An (Yaba), Myohaung (Yaba), Arakan (Apapa), Marda (Yaba) and Tamandu Barracks (Apapa) in Lagos; Letmauk Barracks in Ibadan; Dalet, Mogadishu, Colito and Kalapanzin Barracks in Kaduna; and the Chindit Barracks in Zaria.
Ceremonies will be held in certain military cemeteries in Nigeria on the 11th to honour soldiers who died in these wars.
That's why the Nigerian High Commissioner will lay a wreath at the Cenotaph in London tomorrow.
Page last updated at 23:32 GMT, Friday, 14 August 2009 00:32 UK
British documentary makers Robin Forestier-Walker and Oliver Owen have been tracing Nigerians who fought against the Japanese in Burma during World War II.
On VJ Day, the anniversary of victory over Japan, they tell the veterans' story.
Mohammed was just 16 when he was pressed into British military service in northern Nigeria against his will.
Now, almost 70 years on, the old war veteran claims he hid his true identity from the recruiting officer.
It was as Private African Banana that he went on to travel 6,300 miles (10,100km) to the jungles of Burma in the Royal West African Frontier Force.
And he has been known as African Banana ever since.
The contribution of West Africans was played down in official versions of the Allied war in Asia, and until now, few have had an opportunity to tell their tale.
In fact, only two in 10 of the soldiers who fought in Burma were white.
The role of Indians and Gurkhas is known. But when Allied commander General William Slim thanked his 14th army at the end of the campaign, he did not even mention the Africans.
Jungle warfare
Nigerians made up more than half of the total force of 90,000 West African soldiers deployed to South East Asia after 1943 as part of the British Army's 81st and 82nd (West Africa) Divisions.
Although the Burma campaign ended 64 years ago, many remain bitter that their contribution was never adequately recognised.
They were central to the push to clear Japanese forces out of the jungle and mountain ranges of Burma, from where they threatened British India.
This was achieved through a gruelling campaign of jungle marches, battles and ambushes, in which supplies were delivered entirely by air.
Usman Katsina remembers it well.
"Everything that was meant to be used - your food, your clothes, everything - was given to you and you were required to carry it, on your head and back. Some even died from exhaustion, from travelling long distances, with a heavy load," he says.
Some of those who earned the coveted Burma Star had already fought against Mussolini's forces in East Africa.
West Africans also joined special Chindit units under the command of General Orde Wingate.
The Chindits fought deep inside Japanese-held territory to disrupt lines of communication.
Their enemy was an extremely dangerous opponent. Japanese soldiers were trained well in the art of jungle warfare, where the first rule was concealment.
It was a skill the Nigerian troops had to learn too.
"The Japanese in the jungle were just like snakes - they hid before you could see them, it was very hard," recalls 97-year-old Hassan Sokoto.
'Lack of recognition'
Umaru Yola fought in the 4th Battalion, Nigeria Regiment. He described how he was hit in the head with a piece of shrapnel that left him with a hole in his skull.
"I didn't die, so God must have decided to give me a long life," he says.
African recruits served as drivers, artillerymen, engineers, medics and clerks, as well as infantrymen and carriers.
Officer positions were reserved for white expatriates from Britain and other parts of the empire, with only one notable exception: Lieutenant Seth Anthony from the Gold Coast was the British Army's first African officer.
Despite the hierarchy, the war in Burma played some part in breaking down the race barriers of the era.
"Initially I saw the white man as someone better than me. But after the war, I considered him an equal," recalls former infantryman Dauda Kafanchan.
In post-war Nigeria, the colonial government gave some veterans land to begin new lives as farmers. The project was also a scheme to reduce their potential impact as a new political force.
"We wanted work. But what could we do? We were under colonial rule and we couldn't change anything," said veteran Dangombe, who found himself without prospects at the war's end.
Nigerian soldiers who chose to continue their military careers went on to form the core of independent Nigeria's national army, which retains the 81st and 82nd Divisions to this day.
Private Banana later served as a peacekeeper in the Congo and Chad. And he returned to the frontline alongside many of his former comrades in Nigeria's bloody 1967-1970 civil war.
But many of his former comrades feel the British abandoned their responsibilities to their former servicemen.
Although they were paid off for their service, some claim they were promised allowances which were never paid, despite their repeated efforts over the years.
And it is not only the money - some veterans are still bitter over what they see as a lack of recognition.
"We were supposed to get Long Service and British Empire Medals" says Dangombe.
Politics › Re: See What Fmr.president Obasanjo Has To Say Abt Nigerians And Paris Terror Attack by naptu2: 3:43pm On Nov 14, 2015
This answer can ignite a civil war.
I just dont understand dese mods again, 4 years ago dis stampede hapnd nd its on front page, why r dese mods taking their work for granted...... It is bad to say d least
