₦airaland Forum

OtunbaGm:
Some people can be so stupiddddd. 

Whats d big deal  for OBJ to feed OGD? Some idiots calling them gay, can u deduce where this picture was taken? In the bed room you will say i guess. Ode, most of you guys calling uncle sege monkey, Your Papa and in fact in your whole village how many people is as handsome as the guy? or how many people in your village is oppurtuned to marry a pretty woman like Stella? If OBJ no fine, do you think stella will marry him and if you think you are handsome post your picture here so that we compare and contrast. You guys should watch it ok.

A word is enough.

Blah! Blah!! Blah!!! OR at best, an OBJ arse licker. There is a concensus on Obj's ugliness, as you can see. Do you know why Stella Married him? For power? For money?

Tinubu, the chief of all Alayes should employ them.

I am thoroughly tired of this country. Virtually everyone is evil or planning evil. The followership is as bad as the leadership.

Man Sells Vulture As Roasted Chicken
August 31, 2009 14:31, 722 views

By Emma Una/ Calabar

Those in the habit of buying and eating roasted chicken from road-side vendors should have a rethink as some greedy individuals now sell vulture as chicken.

The illicit trade, which is booming in Akwa Ibom State, was confirmed when a mammoth crowd on Saturday at Urua Ikot Odiong in Eket Local Government Area observed how a young man packed over ten vultures in a Ghana-Must-Go bag to prepare them for roadside barbecue .

The young man, who gave his name as Damian, was arrested at Ikot Odiong market on the fateful day at about 5 p.m with the Ghana-Must-Go bag in which he had stuffed the ten vultures.

Luck ran out on him when one of the vultures tore open a part of the bag and attempted to escape. Damian, in an attempt to prevent the vulture from escaping, put the bag down and its zip accidentally opened, exposing the contents of the bag which attracted some people.

The curious observers who gathered to observe the bizarre spectacle raised an alarm which attracted a mammoth crowd, most of them traders who were at the time busy packing their wares at the close of the day’s business.

When interrogated, Damian confessed that he sells vulture and that the vultures found on him were caught in the market. He said he had been in the business for the past five years.

Asked what he does with vultures, Damian revealed that he normally prepared some as roasted chicken which he sells to the general public.

His confession irked the crowd which attempted to lynch him but for the intervention of market officials who prevented this.

“He told us that some of the roasted chicken we eat on the road-sides, even along the Benin-Lagos road are vulture meat and that it is very delicious. Why should he do such a business in Akwa Ibom State when he knows that our people regard vulture as a taboo? ” an eye witness lamented.

The eye witness, who gave his name as Effiong, said “when the vulture man sensed that trouble was coming his way, he told the market officials that he wanted to ease himself and used that opportunity to escape into a nearby bush.”

All efforts to re-arrest him failed as it was getting dark, and the angry market union officials set the vultures ablaze.

Some months ago, a middle-aged man, whose name was withheld by a local tabloid based in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, had confessed that he earns a living selling vulture as chicken.

This is becoming ridiculous. Ekiti ke?

Lazy people no wan find work.

Is this FBN's own response to the Sanusi rampage?

Mass Sack Looms in First Bank
^{By Linda Eroke, 08.31.2009}

A fresh conflict may be brewing between the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) and  First Bank of Nigeria Plc over planned lay-off of some 450 members of staff.

TUC has warned against retrenchment of workers in the ongoing restructuring exercise in the bank.

But a source at the premier financial institution who spoke on condition of anonymity denied the retrenchment news, saying it is undergoing a rationalisation exercise that would create room for employees to retire voluntarily.

The source declined quoting a figure. He simply stated that “all I know is that First Bank is about to carry out a rationalisation exercise that could lead to voluntary retirement of some workers".

TUC disclosed that it was informed of the exercise through one of its affiliates, the Association of senior staff of banks, insurance and financial institutions (ASSBIFI).

In a letter to the bank, the union said that the plan is counter productive and would therefore be resisted by labour.

TUC explained that the current financial crisis in the country which has its root in poor risk management practices by banks, created the major issues that culminated in high non-performing loans in the system.

The congress argued that the crisis was not caused by workers and as such should not be made to bear the brunt.

“We are obliged to write and reject the proposed exit of over 450 staff of the First Bank Plc as reported to us by one of our affiliates namely the Association of senior staff of banks, insurance and financial institutions (ASSBIFI).

“While we view the exercise as such that would be counter productive, it is on record that the current financial crisis in the country was not caused by workers, but has its root in poor risk management by the banks, which the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) put in perspective, created the major issues that culminated in high non-performing loans in the economy.

“We in particular urge your management to organise stakeholder forum embracing officials of your bank, the trade unions, CBN, and the Federal Government, where critical issues affecting the fortunes of the bank could be  deliberated upon, and better solutions proffered,” it stated.
The union urged the management of the bank to adopt a more scientific and humane approach to moving its organisation forward. It warned against creating a situation that could threaten the existence of the bank.

Meanwhile, Acting National President of ASSBIFI, Mr. Sunday Salako, said that the association had stressed the need for the Federal Government to insulate the financial system from the negative impacts of the financial crisis.

He regretted that the union’s call fell on deaf ears as the CBN and the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) consistently assured the country that the global crisis would not affect the financial system.

“ASSBIFI believes that the financial sector is crucial to driving any national economy, which productive labour is critical to this process.  Thus, if workers are to lose their jobs, they must have other means to productively contribute to the national economy. This is what the law provides for through redundancy package.  Any company that violates this provision shall receive the full wrath of workers’ resistance,” he stated.
Salako, who emphasised that employees are the first casualties of any economic crisis, called on TUC and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to mobilise workers for massive rallies and campaign to protect their jobs.

http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=153170

Nobel price does not exactly mean global popularity. It is an elitist thing.

sjeezy8:
lol when was achebe more globally known than Soyinka?

lol funny guy

incase you didn't know all in the government are from all tribes and the most abroad are either Yoruba or Igbo so of course it is reasonable for people to think igbo or Yoruba. Nigerians PERIOD are seen as the same there isn't any tribe that is full of angels. Its about time Naija folks drop this tribe shit cause when a Nigerian is published in the news abroad they dont say " an igbo Nigerian man" or "a Yoruba Nigerian man" THEY SAY NIGERIAN MAN, NIGERIA, OR NIGERIANS

@post not sure where you live . But in MD or London, New york the first tribe i hear is Yoruba

Read ma post careful. I believe no tribe is the default face of Nigeria and it is actually a disadvantage to be so for a thoroughly corrupt and run-down Nigeria. Regarding Achebe and Soyinka, Achebe's books are translated and read in over fifty languages. Soyinka's are not, probably only in Yoruba. Even Things Fall Apart has a Yoruba version. That makes Achebe more popular.

Ibime:
Islamic banking is good for Nigeria.

It is the same as Judaist banking, so the word "Islamic" should not make nuccas panic.

I am in support of creating a 'non-interest' bank in Nigeria - a bank which is forced to invest in goods and services, not speculative loans which have no impact on the economy.

Islamic banking is good for a developing economy which does not have the strength to go through boom and bust cycles.

I already discussed the merits in another post but the moderator deleted it. I cant be bothered to go over the same points again.

thirded

This issue was first muled during Obj era. Sanusi is only attempting to bring it to pass

I am an Igbo. Daft Almajiri blah! blah!! blah!!! The southerners, especially the majority Igbo and Yoruba (and Edo, the silent ''snakes'') are as daft for allowing the daft Hausa/Fulani to rule them so daftly. What a daft country populated by daft people, especially the educated yet daft southerners.

Indeed, Achebe may be more popular globally than Soyinka, but that is at their personal levels. So please drop this Igbo=Nigeria shit. It just does not fit in. BTW, it is not in the best interest of the Igbo that they will be the default face of Nigeria. This will mean that all the Nigerian criminals strutting foreign lands + our incompetent leaders back home, are seen as Igbo by default

I read this today in the papers. This is all about banking without interest; and it is good for the poor masses, as long as there are no sharia strings attached to it. What thinkest thou?

If this is not a white elephant projec[/b]t, it is definitely a [b]white elephant-like project. How many of the 18 million people in Lagos fly? How many people fly in and out of Lagos daily and how will the new airport share from this data? With the international airport being already completed in Asaba, what will be the toll of this to the existing airports in Lagos, let alone a new airport, considering that many of the flyers are going to be routing via Asaba? I respect the decision of those involved and would simply stop at this point, with a caveat that they should have done some more homework and consulting.

Traders Cry To Fashola Over Area Boys

By Daniel Kanu, Snr. Correspondent, Lagos

Businessmen of Igbo extraction in the Tinubu area of Lagos have raised the alarm over the disruptive activities of street urchins popularly called "area boys" to their businesses.

The aggrieved businessmen under the aegis of Imo-Abia Business Brothers Welfare Association, who spoke through their president, Anselm Obasi, said both their lives and businesses are threatened by "area boys."

Obasi, who was full of anger when he spoke to Sunday Independent, said members of the association who are dealers in computer accessories, stationery and allied products are under siege of the miscreants who collect illegal levies and tenements.

"You see we have been having this problem for a long time but we had expected that it will stop given the type of no-nonsense governor that is now handling the clutches of power in the state. It seems that the governor is yet to be truly informed on the menace of the area boys in the Tinubu axis of Lagos. The embarrassment has reached an unbearable stage that Governor Fashola must intervene before it will degenerate to another thing."

"It appears that all the area boys in Lagos have come to gather at Tinubu and they are really brewing trouble. They are making us to feel that this place is not part of Lagos. They always disturb our activities, our businesses here. Many people are leaving this place for Ikeja because of area boys' wahala around here.

"This has been going on for a long time but we are now bringing it to the notice of the state government to intervene because we may not continue to tolerate it. We are calling on Governor Fashola to intervene because we know he can do it. Our lives are endangered here.

As promised, Chicago doctor plans to give back to his native Nigeria
He will open a hospital named after his father

Dawn Turner Trice

August 24, 2009

Godwin Onyema
In the late 1950s, Godwin Onyema was a student at an all-boys boarding school in Nigeria. He had a history teacher whose wife was a missionary doctor from Liverpool, England, and assigned to a hospital several miles from Onyema's school.

Because the doctor's husband was a teacher at the school, she came whenever the students fell ill during outbreaks of measles, malaria, chickenpox, stomach flu.

When Onyema (pronounced Un-YEAH-ma) was younger, he wondered why she chose to practice medicine in Nigeria rather than the safe and cozy confines of England. But he thinks about her now when people ask him why a board-certified physician would choose to spend his 40-year medical career working as a gynecologist in small clinics in some of Chicago's most impoverished and gang-infested neighborhoods.

"They also ask me how many times my car has been broken into," Onyema said with a laugh. "I say, 'Never.' I also say that I've taken care of generations of patients: grandmothers, mothers and now their daughters. How satisfying is that? That's why I've worked here."

But "here" isn't restricted to just one place. "Here" can be the facility at 85th Street and Ashland Avenue, where the building, which is currently under renovation, has walls that are crumbling and 1950s-type pale green and powder blue examining tables. "Here" can be the humble apartments of teen patients, where he has on occasion been forced to make house calls.

"There was a time when women or girls wouldn't venture too far from home because they didn't want to cross gang territories," he said. "So, they still needed care and you had to meet them where they were."

Although Onyema performs surgeries and practices in some of the city's most highly regarded hospitals, he said he doesn't believe he would have had the same experiences or influence had he limited his medical career there.

Now at age 65 -- and with his four children out of college, having graduated from Princeton, Harvard, Georgetown and Boston College -- he's preparing to return to Nigeria to open a women's hospital. It would be Onyema's chance to make good on a promise he made to his father in 1974 when he came here to study.

"I married a nurse right before I left Nigeria for Chicago," Onyema said of his wife, Josephine. "The plan was for me to do my residency here and her to get a degree in health administration. We did that. But I also had four children, and I wanted them to have opportunities."

Still, Onyema said, he never lost sight of his promise. Now he and his son, a lawyer, have started the GEANCO Foundation (geanco.org) to raise money to build educational and medical facilities in Nigeria, including the Augustine Memorial Hospital, to be named after Onyema's father. (The foundation's title is an acronym for the first letters in the names of his immediate family members.)

However trying the conditions sometimes have been here, Onyema knows that those in Nigeria are breathtaking. It has the second-largest HIV-positive population in the world and the largest number of AIDS orphans in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the World Health Organization. With 1,100 women dying during pregnancy or childbirth for every 100,000 live births, Nigeria has the second-highest number of maternal deaths in the world, second only to India.

Onyema has felt so strongly about providing care for society's least fortunate that he teaches his residents at Jackson Park Hospital the importance of serving the community, in the community.

"I've come to know that the main focus or determinant of good patient care shouldn't be where they live or whether they can pay," he said. "I know that in Nigeria, there will be many more who won't be able to pay than what I've encountered here. We're working on ways of generating income."

Onyema's story feels like it's coming full circle. He will return to the place where he first met the doctor, his role model, who practiced beyond what may have been considered the most comfortable.

"But I'm certain that for her it was the most rewarding experience," Onyema said. "When I started, my feeling about medicine was that I was going into it because I care.

"That's still my feeling today."

Obasanjo feeds Daniel in a ''ritualistic'' manner
http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36341

Of course, Onitsha is well known as a commercial city with the biggest markets in West Africa

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enugu
Enugu, Capital of Enugu state
Nicknamed "the Coal City" in the early 1900s, Enugu became a major center for the mining of the coal discovered by Albert Ernest Kitson in the Udi plateau [1]. The Nigerian Coal Corporation has been based in Enugu since its creation in 1950. The Biafran war brought widespread devastation that forced a decline in coal production from damage or destruction of equipment. As of 2007[update], although coal mining is no longer the major source of income, very small quantities are transported south by rail to Port Harcourt for export.

The city's economy has diversified in recent[when?] years and is largely dominated by trading, commerce, and small-scale industry.

Many of the people of Enugu sell goods at roadside or in one of many of Enugu's open markets. Some of the more popular markets in Enugu are Ogbete Market, Artisan Market, and New Market. The markets sell local foods, produce, clothing, and fabrics, as well as handmade crafts and jewelry.

[edit] Transport

Infrastructure and economy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nnewi
The ancient city of Nnewi hosts a number of institutions and places of learing and healing, which include Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Marie Regina Secondary School, Nnewi High School, Ichi Technical School( Ichi Cummunity), Okongwu boys, Ichi Girls,Akoboezemu Community Secondary School and a number of international agencies. As a fast developing city and a major industrial and commercial hub in Africa, Nnewi experiences voluminous financial activities, therefore hosts major banks, and other financial institutions. Industries are dotted around the city and adjoining towns. Palm oil, cosmetics, motor, and motorcycle spare parts, books, and stationeries, textiles, electric cables, and so on are produced in commercial quantity in the area. As a result, Nnewi is commonly refers to as the " Japan of Africa".

It’s main trading centers include, Nkwo Nnewi market (the largest spare parts market in west Africa} and Nwafor market, Eke Ichi Market, Orie otube Market, etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aba,_Nigeria
Economy

Aba is a commercial city of international repute featuring a high concentration of small scale industries — and a number of sizable markets including the famous Ariaria market. It is very densely populated and has a high ratio of artisans in its population. Aba is nicknamed "Enyimba City" which means Elephant city. Administratively,the city falls into two local government areas namely:Aba North and Aba South.Aba North has its headquarters at Eziukwu-Aba,while Aba South has its headquarters at Aba Town Hall. Aba business men and women are very industrious and pride themselves as the Taiwan of Africa. Indigenous industrialists manufacture the following without government assistance: shoes, clothing, hand bags, paper, nail and steel, furniture household items, luggages, building materials, soft-drinks(soda), etc. Dominating this commercial city are the Abiriba people who introduced importation and helped made Aba an international city that it is. With all the commercial success of Aba city, it could definitely rival the great China, Singapore and many other emerging markets if the federal government will be kind enough to declare the city A Free Trade and support its export initiatives and budding industries with petrol dollars.

sjeezy8:
No need to argue with you
Why wouldn't igbos be all over Nigeria? there isn't anything in igboland worth outsiders investing in besides oil/gas and there is no need to live their. I know igbos that have oil in the EAST and live in the west.
How many university of quality are in the EAST? not many because they all go to school in the west.
When did igbos ever have the highest number of civil servants? No doubt igbos ambition is to make money in the private sector, but public is a plain outright lie.
Like i always said igbos are good economist but terrible civil servants and politicians PERIOD.

They are good at multiplying but lack ambition for change politically and socially. Many say they also lack in the ability to implement realistic change.

What do you mean there is nothing in the east? do you care to expanciate? The last census says eastern states have 16 million people (even though we know the census was not accurate, coupled with the very migratory nature of Igbos) and yet you say nobody lives there. Are those 16 m ghosts? Have you been to the east before? You need to visit Anambra and Abia and you will be surprise at the huge clusters of medium and small scale industries there. The productive activities in Abia, Anambra and Enugu, if analysed, may surpass all that take place in the SW minus Lagos. Most of the oil in th east are even untapped at this time. I will give you a brief overview of some Igbo cities.

Yoruba-man:
Freaking illetrate ' 50% of the population of Lagos are ibo' you wish

An illiterate is one who cannot write, in addition to not being able to read. Your wrong spelling of the word illiterate and the lack of any punctuation in your short sentence suggest you cannot write.  Should not that make you the illiterate here?

Banking reform is northern agenda against the south - Southern groups
Civil service reform is southern agenda against the north - Northern group
''None of the above'' says presidency

We have read all these in the papers recently

Now, how will a country work when every policy is peered from such a lens and a regional tit-for-tat affair?

Fashola's term will end one day and the next Governor may not followup and enforce the limitations and the problem will return.

tpia.:
that's the major problem.

So then Fashola's strategy is not sustainable and at best cosmetic. Did he think this through properly?

This looks legally wrong IMHO, as long as we are still in one country. However,

beyond condemning fashola

what was he to do to eliminate beggars and begging in lagos?

lagos from 1970 has periodically deported beggars from maimed /disabled civil war veterans to the deportations before festac in 1977 to raji rasaki's deportations

i am more interested here in the course of action to take

enugu in the 80s periodically arrested and harrassed them till they deported themselves

anambra state tried at one point to give them skills through a rehabilitation program

but they ran into a problem as most were non indigenes of the state
most could niether speak igbo or english , they were illiterate couldnt read and write

teaching them any meaningful skill was difficult

the few they managed to teach ended up again in the streets a few months later as it was more lucrative to beg

uk london in particular has a beggars/begging problem and foreign nationals caught begging are deported , locals caught begging are arrested by police


let all commentators here assume they are fashola and
1. they needed to rid lagos of beggars/begging
2. most of these were non indigenes of the state

do you provide social welfare for them knowing they are non indigenes and this is a state program not federal


the solution proferred is more important rather than blanket criticism

if we dont offer this third way then the critism is invalid

this does not make fashola right but there must be a third way


between this deportation and doing nothing

which seem sto be what most are supporting here

ideas please !!!

Soludo: 21st Century Belongs to Nigeria
From Charles Onyekamuo in Onitsha, 08.24.2009

Former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has predicted that the 21st century belongs to Nigeria if she can deploy her vast material and human resources effectively to attain sustainable growth and development.

By extension, he also said,   it would be the century of his native state, Anambra,  only if the citizens can realise that the state has all it takes in ideas to be a modern and prosperous state, and as often argued, well positioned to be African’s Taiwan, Dubai and the Silicon Valley.

Soludo, who spoke at a reception organised in his honour by the League of Anambra Professionals (LAP) at Zodiac Hotels, Enugu, at the weekend,  said that although there was yet no reliable data on the size of Anambra’s GDP,  the casual evidence suggests that it is the richest in the South East Zone followed by Abia, and only fourth in Nigeria after Lagos, Rivers and Abuja.

“If we use the number of commercial bank branches in a state as a pointer to the level of economic activities, then Anambra is fourth in Nigeria after Lagos, Rivers and Abuja.  It is certainly one of the human resources”, he said.

But the state, he noted,  is a paradox of sorts as there is a total disconnect between the people’s potential and outcomes, their individual talents cum endowments and their collective accomplishments.

He expressed appreciation to the former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, for appointing him into office and believing in him and President Umaru Yar’Adua for appreciating his services to the nation as well as Nigerians for their support.

Earlier, the chairman of the occasion, Dr. Emma Egbogah,  who is the Special Assistant to the President on Petroleum Matters,  had described Soludo as a man of unrivalled brilliance,  excellence and one of the best Igbo who have contributed to the nation and  gave a direction to her economic development with distinction.

2011 Presidency: Let Turai succeed Umaru –Dabo
From Kenny Ashaka, Abuja
Monday, August 24, 2009
•Dabo
Photo: The Sun Publishing
More Stories on This Section

PDP chieftain and National President of Benue State Elders Forum, Akpelam Godwin Dabo Adzuana says the North will not support President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua for a second term.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Daily Sun in Abuja, Dabo said any attempt by the President to contest the 2011 presidential election would be futile, warning those he described as enemies of Nigeria not to impose President Yar’Adua on Nigerians a second time.

Apparently making a subtle indictment on President Yar’Adua’s much-touted seven-point agenda, Dabo sarcastically noted that Yar’Adua had made his point with public electricity supply to Nigerians.

“He should let another Northerner try or put his wife. Nigerians will support his wife because the woman has shown clearly that she has what it takes to lead mankind and there is nothing wrong with a husband handing over to a wife who is very effective. To me, I would prefer the wife because I have seen that she is in charge of the mechanics of control in the Presidency,” he said.
Dabo launched a virulent attack on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the ANPP standard bearer in the 2007 elections, Major General Muhammadu Buhari for nursing the ambition to become Nigeria ’s president, saying that the former vice president had failed in his political career, just like his former boss, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.

“Buhari has tried four times. You can’t challenge the God we worship. For Buhari to contest the next presidential election amounts to challenging God and you don’t challenge God and win. In 1999, Buhari tried and lost. In 2003, he tried and lost. In 2007, God did not give it to him. Buhari is a fantastic man. Though he detained me when he was Head of State, I don’t hold that against him. It was based on misinformation.”

There is an alternative to Yar’Adua in 2011.
I saw an interview where my friend and junior brother, Abu King Shiluwa said why the PDP might field Yar’Adua in 2011. I’m happy that he used the word might. The point is that the North now is solidly behind the PDP as a political party. But the point of Yar’Adua returning in 2011, the North cannot support at this stage because of the following reasons: one, his health has caused a lot of considerable concerns in the last eighteen months. Recently, there has been an improvement. The second part is that the presidency was not zoned to Katsina State.

The Presidency is zoned to the North. So, at the appropriate time, the North will sit down and decide the person they are going to field. For anybody to say there is no alternative to Yar’Adua, that person is not speaking the truth. The North is now filled up with a lot of credible people who can replace Yar’Adua. I tend to support what some people are saying that Mrs. Yar’Adua will be a more effective President than her husband. Of course I will support her if she is fielded. The husband, because of several factors said he was going to do just one term. The enemies of Nigeria should not push Yar’Adua for a second time. I’m in Abuja and I have not had light for the past six days. I’ve been on generator for the past six days and I’m in the heart of Abuja.

I believe President Yar’Adua has made his point. He should let another Northerner try or put his wife. Nigerians will support his wife because the woman has shown clearly that she has what it takes to lead mankind and there is nothing wrong with a husband handing over to a wife who is very effective. To me, I would prefer the wife because I have seen that she is in charge of the mechanics of control in the Presidency. Everybody who has met her leaves with the impression that he has met a woman who is in charge. She is like Margaret Thatcher of Britain . She is like Mrs. Clinton. For God’s sake, let Yar’Adua allow his wife continue or in the alternative, there are many Yar’Aduas who are ready to step in. there is Babangida Yar’Adua and other people. But Atiku cannot come in because he’s the same failure like Obasanjo who gave us the worst government. Atiku was part of his administration for a very long time before they had a misunderstanding and parted ways.

Buhari Would Be Challenging God If He Contests Again In 2011
Buhari has tried four times. You can’t challenge the God we worship. For Buhari to contest the next presidential election amounts to challenging God and you don’t challenge God and win. In 1999, Buhari tried and lost. In 2003, he tried and lost. In 2007, God did not give it to him. Buhari is a fantastic man. Though he detained me when he was Head of State, I don’t hold that against him. It was based on misinformation. He said I was campaigning that school fees should not be paid in schools in Benue State . But later on, he found that it was not true. President Yar’Adua himself has said we should not talk about succession until 2010. But those who are close to him are the same people breaching this order, which he gave. But I am only sure of one person retaining his seat in 2011 and that person is George Akume because he has performed. The fact that he’s not bringing a lot of publicity to bear on what he’s doing does not mean that he’s not performing.

Why Turai Yar’Adua Should Be Nigeria ’s Next President
After almost 60 years of independence, Nigeria has got to a stage where we can have a woman president. Secondly, when that man assumed duty, everybody thought she would be the docile kind of Northern woman. But this woman, within a very short time, took control of her office and you can see. The other day, I watched her on television in South Africa and everybody was beaming on her instead of the husband. Again, she was in Europe . I have not met her since she became the First Lady. She comes out with the impression that this is a woman that is in charge of the mechanics of control in the Presidency. Thirdly, Mrs. Yar’Adua has never made a promise to anybody and failed. Anybody who has cried to her and said Madam, I need your support, if she says yes she will support you, that person comes out being supported instantly. I know of a woman whose husband died and this woman met Mrs. Yar’Adua at a function in one of her visits and cried to her. She just went up to her and said mummy, this is my problem. She told her ADC to take the woman’s name and asked the woman to come the next day. The woman came and said I want this and that. Mrs. Yar’Adua said I have no money to give you. But I will talk to one of my children to help you. She spoke to the Managing Director of a parastatal and that woman was given a contract. Nobody demanded a kobo from this woman. She went and solved her problems. She is a widow with six children from Southern Kaduna . There are many instances like that. That woman is in control and when she talks, you see her radiate with confidence. She will be a better representative of the Yar’Adua family dynasty at this stage than the husband.

Anti-Women Campaign In The North Is Over
That is gone. We are now in the 20th century where women are chief executives of parastatal agencies and where you have women as ministers. If a woman can be a minister, why can’t a woman be president? What I’m saying here is that President Yar’Adua in 2008 told Nigerians that he will not go for a second term. He said that and it was published in the media. But if the presidency must remain in Katsina State and in the Yar’Adua family, they have a competent representative in Mrs. Turai Yar’Adua. I have never seen her use any note in addressing any conference. You can then see that that woman is competent. It’s about time Nigeria produce a female president and the only two candidates I have are my sister, Mrs. Dora Akunyili and Mrs. Turai Yar’Adua. But on this case, because the Presidency must be in the North until 2015, Turai Yar’Adua is the candidate that I’m recommending to Nigerians.We heard Akunyili is governing for the governorship of her state. Do you think she has what it takes to be the Governor of Anambra State?

Why Akume Must Return To The Senate In 2011
As far as the people of Benue State are concerned, Akume has given us effective, reliable and accountable representation in the National Assembly. Don’t forget that Akume got into the Senate on a very stormy note because of the contest for the Senate Presidency. But since Akume has settled down, he has constantly been briefing his people. Akume has been participating. I know of several Senators who have been in the Senate since 1999 to 2007 for a term of eight years and they did not sponsor a single bill. They became leaders of the National Assembly at various levels. The point here is that Senator Akume has been involved in grassroots consultations with his people in his constituency. In fact, Benue State as a whole is Akume’s constituency and Akume has got a solid base in Benue State .

Akume also has a solid base in the North. Any part of the North you go today, the leaders are talking of Akume. I want to assure you that in spite of this campaign of trying to show that Akume has been ineffective in the National Assembly, Akume is going to be returned in 2011. He is one Senator that is sure of returning in 2011 without any qualms or any delay. So, whether Akume has sponsored a bill or not is immaterial. There is still time. The Senate is in a mid term now. So, I want to assure all the people of Benue State particularly and Nigeria as a whole that Akume is a performing Senator and will continue to perform.

You will soon read a debunking of the Jimoh Aircraft story. No one knows who is lying and who is saying the truth. As for Cecilia Ibru, na woman she be now; the fear of detention (even if not found guilty yet) is the beginning of wisdom for most women. I remember how Prof Grange looked like after her ordeal with EFCC.

Look beyond your nose and widen your horizon. Why would you know the president of USA and not know the gov of a state in your country?