₦airaland Forum

National telecoms operator, Globacom , has enhanced the network experience of its data subscribers with juicy benefits which include free data and free airtime which subscribers can use to call all networks.

While announcing the new offer, called Twin Bash, in Lagos on Wednesday, Globacom’s Executive Director, Legal Services, Gladys Talabi disclosed that any subscriber who recharges N200 data will get 200 MB of data worth N800, another N200 airtime to call or send SMS to any network and N200 airtime to call 10 friends and family. The subscriber will subsequently receive N1,200 value for a data recharge of N200 which will be valid for four days.

Similarly, any subscriber who recharges with N500 data plan will get 500 MB of data, N500 airtime to call or send SMS to any network and N500 airtime to call 10 friends and family, Gladys Talabi said, adding that this is valid for 10 days.

According to her, subscribers who recharge with N1,000 for data will receive 1GB of data: while they will equally receive N1,000 free airtime to call or send SMS to any network and N1000 free airtime to call 10 friends and family, adding that this is valid for 15 days.

For a N2,000 data plan, the subscriber will enjoy 2 GB of data with N2,000 airtime bonus to call or send SMS to any network and another N2,000 free airtime to call 10 friends and family. She added that this package is valid for 30 days.

“ This is an unbeatable offer in the Nigerian telecommunication industry. Imagine paying N200 for a service and getting a value worth N1,200 “, she said.
She encouraged subscribers to dial *223*pin# to enjoy the Twin Bash benefits, adding that with the new promo, Globacom has taken subscriber’s data enjoyment on the company’s network to a new height by adding bonus airtime for voice calls to every new data recharge. “ It is the novel and quintessential mobile package. You pay for data and get voice and sms free “, Talabi said.

According to her, the company has invested enormously on network upgrade in the last one year, adding that this has led to significant improvement in the quality of voice and data service.

The new offer is coming on the heels of the Free Tomorrow promo which was launched recently.

The hustle is real

Ok

If the young girls of nowadays can just take some lessons about simplicity of dressing, not for show but for modesty.

the first Miss Nigeria at a time beauty contest was not about nudity.

Grace Atinuke Oyelude Beauty pageant titleholder

Born; November 16, 1931.
Kano, Nigeria

Occupation; Registered nurse , Midwife , Hospital administrator

Title(s) Miss Nigeria

Major competition(s)
Miss Nigeria 1957

Grace Atinuke (born November 16, 1931) is known to be the first Miss Nigeria from the year 1957.

Early life

Oyelude was born in Kano to James Adeleye Oyelude and Marthan Dantu of Isanlu from Kogi State , and was raised in Northern Nigeria. She had her primary and secondary education between 1940 and 1952 in Kano.

Miss Nigeria

Miss Nigeria commenced in 1957 as a photo contest. Contestants posted photographs of themselves to the Daily Times headquarters in Lagos where finalists were shortlisted. Successful finalists were afterwards invited to compete in the live final at the Lagos Island Club. At that time, the Miss Nigeria contest did not include a swimsuit competition. Oyelude was working at United African Company (UAC) when she represented the then Northern region. After winning the contest, she travelled to England where she studied Nursing. Within months of gaining admission to the School of Nursing, Ashford Kent England, she was crowned Miss Nigeria.

Development and Investment Limited on Thursday said it would deploy 4 Generation network to show its relevance in the Nigerian telecommunications market.
The Managing Director of Ntel, Kamar Abass, said this in Lagos during a media luncheon organised by the company.
Ntel is the company that acquired the assets and liabilities of the defunct NITEL and MTEL.
Abass said the company would now be known as Nigeria Telecommunications and would offer high speed data, high-definition voice and video to customers.
He added that there were still spaces in the marketplace for new SIMs, hence NTel as a new entrant had many opportunities.
According to him, the company will be doing video over data and ensure Nigerians get high quality broadband, rather than cheap broadband.
He said: “Nigeria is in extreme ‘data hunger’, with just 92.7 million active Internet users as at June 2015, but the surprising issue is that only 27.6 million of the users access the Internet are on 3G/4G networks.
“It shows that more than 65 million go on the Internet on 2G, which means that we are losing the broadband race by using 2G network, since 4G is the heart of broadband.
“Our story is that of pure 4G network, with high speed broadband and better technology.
“We see ourselves as offering Nigeria the key ingredient with the deployment of 4G.”
The NTel boss said the assets acquired from NITEL included cellular spectrum/microwave frequencies, telecom operating licences, international submarine cable, which is the SAT-3, and cell towers.
Abass added that the company also acquired fibre and duct network (including Right Of Way), prime buildings and satellite earth stations.
Abass said the company would roll out services simultaneously in three cities before the end of 2015.
These are Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt.
He noted that some of the equipment acquired from NITEL were obsolete, hence they would not be used to deploy the 4G services.
According to him, the 4G network to be built by NTel will be better than what is presently obtainable in the industry.
The company would start deploying fixed service in the second half of 2016, he said.
NTel’s ownership of SAT-3 would also help with superfast Internet from West to South Africa and Europe, all the way to Asia.


theeagleonline.com.ng/nitel-becomes-ntel-to-deploy-4g-network-in-nigerias-telecoms-market/

Rush rush

The Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, has confirmed that there was misunderstanding in the camp of the Super Eagles but it has been resolved.

“It’s true that there was a little misunderstanding in the camp of @NGSuperEagles, but the matter has been resolved. Enyeama remains in camp,” reads a tweet from the official handle of the NFF.

The Super Eagles camp in Belgium was torn into shreds following squabbles between Coach Sunday Oliseh and captain Vincent Enyeama ahead of Thursday friendly against Congo.

The arrival of Lille goalkeeper and captain of the Eagles in Belgium which ordinarily should bring cheers to the camp instead, turned the camp into a war zone following allegations of anti-camp activities against the captain.

”Things are no longer at ease in camp. There was an open shouting match between the coach and Enyeama”, our source said on our hotline last night.

The source claimed that Sunday Oliseh was so furious that he threatened to work out of the Eagles camp if Enyeama does not leave camp.
”Oliseh still insists Vincent Enyeama should be decamped or he will work out of camp”.


www.vanguardngr.com/2015/10/nff-reverts-olisehs-decision-insists-enyeama-must-stay/

RIP to the dead

Ok
For Oyo State APC and their self centred leaders, led by those who think the Ministerial slot is their birthright, shey ur eyes don clear. ADEBAYO SHITTU is there, for all I care, you can cry till eternity.

PROUDLY OKE OGUN.
PROUDLY SAKITE

The Ekiti State government, on Monday, celebrated teachers on the World Teachers' Day in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, in an elaborate ceremony and promised more goodies for teachers in its employ.

As part of the ceremony, Governor Ayò Fayose, after presenting car and other gift items to the teachers, also appointed 'Tutors General' for the three senatorial districts and one 'Headmaster-General' for the state.

Also on the occasion, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) called on the Federal Government to beef up security around public secondary schools in the country and also canvassed for increase in teachers' retirement age to 65.

In an address by the NUT National President, Michael Olukoya, presented on the occasion by Mr. Samson Akindele, the teachers said the call was to prevent premature retirement and retention of mature and experienced individuals in the system who can arrest the falling standard of education in Nigeria.

Governor Fayose said no educational system could rise above its teachers and that without adequately motivating teachers, the system would only record abysmal failure.

The governor told the gathering of teachers and other dignitaries that he knew "the value of your votes and what you represent," adding that "I won't joke with your interest."

Fayose on the occasion presented new Kia Soul car to the new Headmaster-General, Mrs. Rachael Talabi.
Mrs. Mary Akindele Olayinka emerged 'Best Primary School Teacher' while Mr Ife Adeola emerged as the 'Best Teacher in Secondary School' and they both got similar car gifts.

On the issues of funding, Fayose said they were being addressed.
He said: "In 2003, we were 35th in public examinations conducted by WAEC and NECO and we moved to the eighth and seventh positions respectively in the examinations.

"If I did not leave at that time, we would have been number one. We have held education summit and we want to make Ekiti State a force to reckon with in the country. This year, we are working hard and want to assure you we will get there."

Source
tribuneonlineng.com/ekiti-state-governor-appoints-headmaster-general

The Ekiti State government, on Monday, celebrated teachers on the World Teachers' Day in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, in an elaborate ceremony and promised more goodies for teachers in its employ.
As part of the ceremony, Governor Ayò Fayose, after presenting car and other gift items to the teachers, also appointed 'Tutors General' for the three senatorial districts and one 'Headmaster-General' for the state.
Also on the occasion, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) called on the Federal Government to beef up security around public secondary schools in the country and also canvassed for increase in teachers' retirement age to 65.
In an address by the NUT National President, Michael Olukoya, presented on the occasion by Mr. Samson Akindele, the teachers said the call was to prevent premature retirement and retention of mature and experienced individuals in the system who can arrest the falling standard of education in Nigeria.
Governor Fayose said no educational system could rise above its teachers and that without adequately motivating teachers, the system would only record abysmal failure.
The governor told the gathering of teachers and other dignitaries that he knew "the value of your votes and what you represent," adding that "I won't joke with your interest."
Fayose on the occasion presented new Kia Soul car to the new Headmaster-General, Mrs. Rachael Talabi.
Mrs. Mary Akindele Olayinka emerged 'Best Primary School Teacher' while Mr Ife Adeola emerged as the 'Best Teacher in Secondary School' and they both got similar car gifts.
On the issues of funding, Fayose said they were being addressed.
He said: "In 2003, we were 35th in public examinations conducted by WAEC and NECO and we moved to the eighth and seventh positions respectively in the examinations.
"If I did not leave at that time, we would have been number one. We have held education summit and we want to make Ekiti State a force to reckon with in the country. This year, we are working hard and want to assure you we will get there."

Source
tribuneonlineng.com/ekiti-state-governor-appoints-headmaster-general

MATAY:
the owner of that filling station is from my town Ifon osun. one time local government chairman. accept my sympathy.

So?

[size=8pt][/size][/b][/color]OK.


The next thing will be

APC ACCUSES PDP OF being responsible for Siblings who got Burnt In Osogbo Petrol Station Fire Disaster. [color=#990000]OK.


[color=#990000]OK.


The next thing will be

APC ACCUSES PDP OF being responsible for Siblings who got Burnt In Osogbo Petrol Station Fire Disaster. OK.


[color=#990000]OK.


The next thing will be

APC ACCUSES PDP OF being responsible for Siblings who got Burnt In Osogbo Petrol Station Fire Disaster. OK.


[b][color=#990000]OK.


The next thing will be

APC ACCUSES PDP OF being responsible for Siblings who got Burnt In Osogbo Petrol Station Fire Disaster. OK.


[color=#990000]OK.


The next thing will be

APC ACCUSES PDP OF being responsible for Siblings who got Burnt In Osogbo Petrol Station Fire Disaster. OK.


[color=#990000]OK.


The next thing will be

APC ACCUSES PDP OF being responsible for Siblings who got Burnt In Osogbo Petrol Station Fire Disaster. OK.


[b][/b][color=#990000]OK.


The next thing will be

APC ACCUSES PDP OF being responsible for Siblings who got Burnt In Osogbo Petrol Station Fire Disaster. OK.


[color=#990000]OK.


The next thing will be

APC ACCUSES PDP OF being responsible for Siblings who got Burnt In Osogbo Petrol Station Fire Disaster. OK.


[color=#990000]OK.


The next thing will be

APC ACCUSES PDP OF being responsible for Siblings who got Burnt In Osogbo Petrol Station Fire Disaster. [color=#990000]OK.

Whether it's a yellowprint or greenprint, all we want is improved living conditions of the masses.
God will help them.

By Peter Duru, Makurdi

A final year medical student of the Benue State University, BSU, Nicholas Idoko, apparently killed himself, yesterday, in a motor accident after being expelled.
Sunday Vanguard learned that the deceased was involved in the accident along Abu King Shuluwa Road, Makurdi where, on top speed, he crashed a Honda ‘Baby Boy’ car, minutes after he threatened to commit suicide following the news of his expulsion from the school got to him.
He allegedly killed himself and a pedestrian whom he ran over on the sidewalk of the road when his skidded off the road and summersaulted severally before ending across the sidewalk.
According to one of his schoolmates who spoke on condition of anonymity, the student who, like other mates, had spent ten years in the six-year medical course due to non accreditation of medical courses in the institution, was asked to quit the school after failing a course he carried over.
“He was with his course mates when the news came to him that he should leave the school because he failed a course he carried over in a programme, after having spent ten years in the institution and also done his clinical,”the mate said.
“On getting the news, he threatened to kill himself, saying he would not be able to stand the shame of not making it out of school, that the trauma would be too much for him and his parents.
“So when we had that he crashed with the car along Abu King Shuluwa Road, most of us concluded that he had carried out the threat, and we feel pained because the school management acted wrongly by expelling a medical student that had spent ten years in an institution due to no fault of his.
“Their decision must have forced the young man into talking his own life as he threatened; and, if on the other hand the accident occurred because his lost control of the car, it could be because he was unstable emotionally and, in that state, it was difficult to control a car while on top speed”.
The death of the student forced his mates numbering over 100 to barricade the ever busy Makurdi-Gboko highway with a coffin and bonfire alleging that the student committed suicide as a result of his frustration after spending 10 years in the institution.

Source
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/07/expelled-medical-student-kills-self-one-other-in-auto-crash/

And here today, I'm FTC
I'm interested in that saraki own.

Football sha,

Good day fellow nairalanders,
As we all are pretty aware that the week has been full of screening of candidates who applied for the airmen/airwomen, and tomorrow being the last day for this round of screening is scheduled for written exams.
Let's share our ideas and experiences about how the exams is likely to be, the structure and stuffs that may be likely asked. Those people who have done the exams before would be of immense help in putting others through.
Thanks.
If it can be moved to the front page by the admin/mods, it would be highly appreciated.

DeCleff:
Lets do a test to confirm who is psychologically and spiritually fit on a debate about God on nairaland.

If u are fit enough to stand me, start a thread and invite me by posting the link here. I will answer ur questions but be sure to answer mine.

I am waiting

"Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels"
2 Tim 2:23. Pls read ur bible and pray to know know what that verse means, that's If you use the same Bible as Christians.

For seven hours yesterday , the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC ) grilled the
Chairman of Capital Oil , Mr . Ifeanyi Ubah , over
alleged N 43 . 291billion fuel subsidy fraud .
He was still undergoing interrogation as of press
time .
Ubah was arrested by the operatives of the
commission early yesterday .
A source , who spoke in confidence , said: “His
company was implicated in the scandal by the
Aigboje Aig- Imoukhuede - led 15 - man presidential
panel , which re - investigated the fuel subsidy bazaar .
“ We had earlier invited Ubah for interrogation but
when he did not honour the invitation , we decided to
arrest him.
“ If nothing is found against him or his company , we
will set him free. But if he has a case to answer , we
will charge him to court . ”
Ubah was still undergoing investigation as of
5 . 05 pm.
EFCC spokeman Wilson Uwujaren confirmed Ubah ’ s
arrest . The Special Fraud Unit of the Nigeria Police
had in October last year arrested Ubah on a similar
allegation .
Based on SFU’ s application, a Lagos Magistrate ’ s
Court , remanded the Managing Director , Capital Oil
and Gas in custody of Police Special Fraud Unit
( SFU) , Lagos over the alleged scam . Also charged
and remanded with Ubah were Head of Trading ,
Nsikan Usoro , 35 , Depot Manager , Godfrey Okorie,
41 , General Manager , Chibuzor Ogbuokiri , 48 ; and
Orji Anayo, 46 , Executive Director (Operations ) .

Source
thenationonlineng.net/new/efcc-arrests-ifeanyi-ubah-over-alleged-n43-291b-fuel-subsidy-scam/

Footballer Emmanuel has been in the news a lot lately
owning to the feud currently going on between him and his
family. he has been sharing some notes, about his family
members, just to clear his name.
this last part(hopefully) is about his elder brother Kola
Adebayor.
read what he wrote about him:



SEA,
if I decide to bring out the Part 3 today, it is because
my brother @Kola Adebayor and my other siblings have
decided to talk about our family issues on social medias,
through letters to my club, radios…I could write an
autobiography and sell it but I decided to share with you
here.

25 years ago, my big older brother Kola went to Germany
and he became the hope of our family. We all thought he
could change the way we were living. Years after he left
Togo, we still had no electricity and no phones. If he
wanted to talk to us, he would call the Atlantic Hotel that
was very close to our house. We would then run to the
hotel reception and talk to him.

When I got the opportunity to go play football in France for
the first time, we needed money to for the flight tickets and
other expenses. My brother was nowhere to be found. Only
God knows what he was doing in Germany.

continue...

When I arrived in France, I did all the paperwork with my
team and they allowed me to stay in the academy. A few
months later, my brother wanted to come visit me. I was
running out of money and I was living at the academy.
Therefore, I had to borrow money so I could pay for his
hotel. At that time, my teammate Sega N’diaye from
Cameroon was kind enough to lend me some money. I also
had to borrow some more money because I had to give my
brother some money for his trip back to Germany. Keep in
mind he is my older brother.

A couple years later, things started to get better. Thank
God, I signed a contract with Metz. Since then, my brother
would contact me whenever it was time to pay his bills.
Sometimes, he would say his son is sick… I had to get used
to all this.

Again, I was lucky enough to get an offer from Monaco and
I signed for the football club. One day, Kola and the late
Peter Adebayor came to visit me in Monaco. My two
brothers did not let me know they were coming. Someone
said “blood is thicker than water” so I took them in. They
arrived early in the morning and I was on my way to
training. When I came back home, we had a discussion and
they wanted to start a car business. Obviously, it involves
a lot of money. I told them that I could help them out as
soon as I get paid next. At that time, Thierry Mangwa was
staying in my apartment because he was struggling with
some personal issues and needed a place to stay. One day,
I came back from training and he was crying. He never told
me why. My brothers could also not explain. Another day,
one of my friends Padjoe came to visit me and as he was
leaving the house, I believe I offered him about €500. My
brother Kola noticed that and was very upset. He was
trying to understand why I gave my friend some money
right away but not him. My reason was very simple; the
money he (Kola) needed was a huge amount of money that
I did not carry in my house. We went on and had an
argument about it.

Another day, after training…I was very tired and decided to
go take a nap. I woke up and a knife was held to my throat.
As I opened my eyes, both of my brothers were there. They
were shouting and they claimed that I was wasting their
time. Peter was going mad and Kola was supporting. I
asked them: “Is this the only way to solve this issue? I yes,
then kill me and take the money”. It’s only at that moment
that he put the knife down. After all this, I found a way out
of my own apartment and I called my parents. My mom
suggested that I call the police. That was the only way for
me to get back into my house safely… I had training the
next day, by the way. So I did what my mom said. Police
came and they settled down. Again, “blood is thicker than
water”, so I let it go. A few days after, Peter went to visit
one of Kola’s friends in Paris. That means I was left in the
house with Kola; for my own safety, I found a way to get
him the money as soon as I could. Only God knows how
much I gave him that day.

A few months after all this, I went back to Togo and I was
surprised when my mom started to ask me why I called the
police on my brothers, she continued and said I am the bad
person in the family. That is another story I will leave for
later…

Every time I went back home, everyone kept asking me why
my brother never visited after all these years. Immediately,
I organized a flight for him and he came back to visit the
family, at my own expenses.

On April 22nd 2005, we received some bad news. I
received a call and they announced that my father passed
away. I was devastated. I called my big brother and told
him that we all have to be there. Again I made sure there
was a flight ticket ready for him. We all went back home
and I took care of everything. A long time before my dad
died, he was in the hospital one day and he asked me to
make sure his funeral is not a moment of sadness. He
wanted us to celebrate his life. I leave it to God to decide if
the funeral I organized for my dad was what he wanted.
The man who calls himself the “big man” in the family did
not contribute to anything. But he still has the boldness to
say I do not take care of this family.

In 2006, I had another big opportunity to go play for
Arsenal. Since then, my brother has started to come up
with series of false accusations against me.
On July 22nd, 2013 sad news hit us in the family. My
brother Peter Adebayor passed away. His death was sad
and I was affected by it. One thing I find difficult to swallow
today is that Kola was accusing me of Peter’s death. He is
saying that the shop I opened for Peter was not good
enough. He kept texting saying that my career would be
destroyed. I did everything for Peter when he was alive, I
brought him to Metz, and Monaco with me. What can Kola
say that he has done for Peter? Nothing. The man did not
even show up at the funeral even after all the money I sent
for the trip back home.

He is saying that I also made my mom suffer, but he forgot
that when he was in Germany, at some point I was the one
always by my mom’s side. As soon as I started to make a
living with football, I did everything you could imagine for
our mom. That is normal. But my brother is never satisfied.
He said I bought a shitty car for my mom. Why can’t he buy
a better one? All I want from him is to take his
responsibilities. Since I am not doing it right, he should
show the example as a big brother. He has been in
Germany for more than 20 years, but he never brought our
mother there to visit. Even to go back home for a visit is
another struggle. All he keeps saying is that my father said
I should build a house for each one of them. I don’t think
my father said that. Does that even make sense for him or
anyone? As a big brother, he is supposed to be doing all
that I am doing for the family. He should stop hiding and
take his responsibilities. When he came to Europe, he was
young enough to become a football player too. Anyways,
some people are drivers here but they are able to take care
of their families. They even bring their parents and other
family members. Why has he not done anything like that
but he keeps talking? As a matter fact, he should at least
bring Rotimi, Bidemi or his own son Aziz here before
talking about “taking care of the family”. Actions are louder
than speeches.

A lot of people are saying that I never went to school, but
they forget that it is because we could not afford it. I never
blamed my parents for that. But thank God, today I am able
to speak more than 3 languages and I can send my
daughter to school. I am proud of that. People can accuse
me for not going to school, but in the end it is all about
who you become and what you teach yourself. It is also
about what life teaches you and what you learn from it.
Many times I wanted to give up. Ask my sister Iyabo
Adebayor how many times I have called and was ready to
commit suicide? I kept these stories for years… But If I die,
no one would know my story, no one would learn from it…
Some people say I should keep these stories private, but
someone has to sacrifice himself; someone has to talk
about it. I know people would relate to my story and others
would learn from it. For every one who knows me, I’d do
anything for my country and my people.

Final message from the younger brother to the older
brother: Quit Smoking and Quit Drinking. That was my
story.

ah ah ah, see as FP don cheap.

Now that Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) has been chosen by the Nigerian people, it is my duty as a patriotic Nigerian to help him succeed even though my candidate was President Goodluck Jonathan, a man to whom I will always be loyal and appreciative.


General Buhari is about to mount the saddle and I for one am in a very good position to tell him some home truths because as a senator-elect, I have a very fulfilling job awaiting me and I do not need a job or favours from Buhari so I do not have to play nice.


Looking at the personalities he has appointed to his transition council, I am wont to believe that General Buhari needs to expand his circle of friends and advisers.


As a military strategist, the president-elect must be familiar with the principle that the people you use in subduing an opponent are not necessarily the same persons you will need in rebuilding the territories you took. I may be using military terms, but I am sure General Buhari is aware that politics is war by other means and therefore many of the rules of war and peace apply to politics.


The General will be best served if he thinks of what is best for Nigeria rather than what is best for his party, the All Progressive Congress (APC), and its chieftains.


He must remember that in Nigeria’s subjective politics, it was his person that the people voted for not his party and he should therefore serve the people the dish they are angling for.


And what are the expectations of Nigerians from General Buhari? Definitely not business as usual.
The president-elect ran on a promise of change and while that change was not really defined by its chanters, Nigerians defined it as a change in their situation.


To borrow from the famously potent prayers of Mountain of Fire and Miracle members, the Nigerian masses defined change as a situation where wealth and power must change hands from the elite to the masses by fire by force and they see General Buhari as the enforcer angel that will bring about this change.


With this type of expectation, Buhari’s honeymoon period with Nigerians will not last very long if he does not take drastic steps to adjust Nigeria’s economy to the realities of falling oil prices and a dearth of buyers for the Bonny Light Sweet Crude.


To put things into perspective, when the United States started buying less and less of Nigeria’s oil, we looked to China as an alternative buyer of oil but it has since come to light that whereas America spent $101 billion on clean energy between 2012-13, China spent $125 billion within the same time frame.


The above data should alert Nigeria and other nations that look to China for oil markets to the fact that China is even ahead of the West in the search for alternative to fossil fuels as a source of energy.


Buhari may wish he did not win the 2015 elections when the reality of our economic situation sets in.
In his December 2014 Channels Television interview, Buhari said he was going to “stabilise the oil market”. The General will learn soon enough that today’s oil market is a buyers’ market.


And the General’s choices are limited because he cannot (unless he is extraordinarily brave and politically callous) do the obvious and sack civil servants. Yes, he will eventually have to reduce the over bloated federal civil service, but before he can do that, he has to build up political capital by reducing the overhead of the Executive and persuade the Legislature to follow suit.


Austerity measures must start from Aso Rock. This means that luxurious multi car convoys must be reduced. The presidential air fleet has to go, by way of being auctioned off or sold to local airlines. Estacode allowances must be slashed and the president’s entourages should be lean while non-essential foreign travels should be banned.


The president-elect should not underestimate the big difference these small changes can make and their capacity to buy him enough credibility with the labour unions, the kind of credibility that will see them accepting cuts in the federal workforce and reduction in pay and entitlements.


A small change like flying commercial instead of by private jet saved Britain a whopping £200,000 when the thrifty British Prime Minister, David Cameron, flew to America to meet President Barack Obama on a regular BA flight.


Nigeria is in for very desperate times if we do not tighten our belts while our major foreign exchange earner is facing global challenges.
Russia, a nation that many will say is more prepared than Nigeria for the shocks occasioned by the drop in the price of oil devalued its currency by 11 per cent in just one day.


While Russia is taking these steps, the world is watching to see if Nigeria will continue to spend hundreds of billions annually sponsoring its elite on pilgrimages to Mecca and Jerusalem.


I mean, no economist will get why a nation with over 60 per cent of its people living in poverty at the best of times, will spend almost 1 per cent of its annual budget sponsoring pilgrimages for its elite who can afford to go to the Holy Land on their own dime.


I for one do not get it. A pilgrimage is meant to be a sacrifice of a believer. How is a pilgrimage still a sacrifice when someone pays for you to go? The Nigerian government is sending people on holidays not pilgrimages!


I daresay that the money being spent by the Nigerian government to airlift pilgrims to both Holy Lands is enough to educate all the almajiri in Northern Nigeria. Wouldn’t God and humanity be better served if we looked after the less privileged in our midst?
General Buhari has his work cut out for him and he does not have time to be bitter about who said what, when and where. He must let go of any desire to pay any of his traducers back whether they be from the last 16 years or as far back as 1985.


Four years is only enough time to fix Nigeria. Any time spent on other ventures is time taken from this most important of assignments.
And let me say that General Buhari should not allow himself to be pigeon holed by people who dangle ideologies instead of realities. Yes, the APC may have styled itself as a progressive party, which in itself is a contradiction because Buhari is a conservative, but Buhari should not bother about that.


Whether the philosophy is progressive or conservative or liberal or free market, he should go with what works because as Deng Xiaoping once noted: “It doesn’t matter whether a cat is black or white, if it catches mice it is a good cat.”
And it is fitting for me to end with a mention of Xiaoping. No other contemporary world leader, in my opinion, closely mirrors Buhari as does Xiaoping.


In 1966, Xiaoping was dethroned from his powerful party positions by loyalists of Chairman Mao as was Buhari in 1985 by loyalists of his Chief of Army staff.
Xiaoping suffered house arrest, loss of earned privileges and was consigned to political limbo for almost a decade as was Buhari.


But then Xiaoping bounced back into favour and became China’s leader in 1976 and thereafter jettisoned his life long belief in Mao’s Cultural Revolution and introduced the “one country, two systems” policy that allowed communism and capitalism to coexist in China. This is similar to Buhari’s conversion from an anti-democrat who believed power flowed from the barrel of a gun to a democrat who accepted democracy as the best form of governance and capitalism as the natural economic policy of a democracy.


But this is where Buhari has to learn from Xiaoping. Xiaoping refused to demonise Chairman Mao, his predecessor who had purged him from power and placed him under house arrest after stripping him off his privileges. Instead of bitterness, Xiaoping believed that Mao’s “accomplishments must be considered before his mistakes”.


This is how Buhari must treat his predecessors. He must not demonise everything that was done by previous administrations and mark those who served in those government as persona non grata. He must take the bitter with the sweet and make use of the best brains Nigeria has to offer, for as he said on December 31st, 1983, “This generation of Nigerians and indeed future generations have no other country than Nigeria”.

• Mr. Murray Bruce is a Senator-elect and CEO of Silverbird Entertainment Group




http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/it-doesn-t-matter-if-the-cat-is-white-or-black/208021/

Former president, Olusegun obasanjo, on Thursday said countries across the african continent are happy over the outcome of the presidential election in Nigeria, which saw the defeat of incumbent president Goodluck jonathan.

Mr. obasanjo said his checks in a number of african countries suggested they were as happy over the result of the election as majority of Nigerians are.

He referred to president Goodluck jonathan as a moving train who was providentially stopped from collapsing Nigeria.
“I have visited six countries since the election, they are as happy about the results as we are in Nigeria. It is good not only for Nigeria, it is good for Africa and I believe it is good for the world.”

Mr. obasanjo, who led the african Union Observation Mission to the April 2015 General Election in Sudan, spoke on Thursday at a Washington DC event.

The former president described Nigeria as a country that obsessively plays “a dangerous game of moving close to the precipice”.

He said the country came close to disintegration in the run-up to the 2015 elections but switched swiftly to the path of redemption after the polls.

“I hope we will not fall over one of these days,” he said.

He said one month to the election, no one believed “we will have a peaceful election that is reasonably free and fair.”

Describing his role in the election as that of a person standing on the track of a moving train, the former president said during the countdown to the elections, he faced the option of “jumping off” the tracks or “be crushed” if the train did not providentially get “derailed and stop.”

He said he did not jump and was not crushed adding that “at every stage, there must be leaders imbued with sufficient courage and will to stand firm when you have to stand firm.”

He described the results of the elections as what Nigerians “deserve” though some Nigerians “did not want it”.

Mr. obasanjo was the featured speaker at the United States Institute for Peace (USIP) event titled What is Right with Africa: Reframing Africa’s Leadership Challenges.

He made these remarks in response to a question by Princeton Lyman, a former ambassador to Nigeria.

Mr. obasanjo observed that Nigeria’s tendency to flirt with near-death experiences stretches back to colonial times when it almost cost the country the chance of gaining political independence from Britain.

Recalling colonial-era disagreements over self-rule, the former president said at a stage, advocates of self-rule from the Eastern and Western Regions decided to “let the North go” since their leaders were reluctant to accept regional autonomy back then.

“But reason prevailed,” he said, “East and West got internal autonomy in 1957, North got same in 1959 and the whole country got independence in 1960.”

Listing the 1964 post-election violence in the south west and the 1966 coup d’etats which led to “pogrom and civil war” as other self-destructive phases in the country’s history, the former president remarked that Nigeria emerged from all of these as “one entity” in spite of contrarian speculations.

“Not only did we survive the civil war but, within nine years, somebody from the rebel side, as we called them, and somebody from the vandal side, as they called us, became president and vice-president of Nigeria. Not many countries achieve that,” he said.

president obasanjo described the 2015 election as “almost in the same category” as other near-death experiences in Nigeria’s history.

He said one month to the election, no one believed “we will have a peaceful election that is reasonably free and fair.”

“I think we are now building institutions that can withstand what we may see as danger to good governance in Africa. The election has moved Nigeria one very important step up in our democratic dispensation, process and practice.”

Source: http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/181970-african-countries-happy-over-president-jonathans-defeat-obasanjo.html

That reminds of Prophet T.B Joshua.

He said, things can be averted if believers pray to God to prevent it.

space dey? what's there in the FP sef? why pple dey rush type rubbish on top say they wan enter FP?

Well, to the Gay Pastor and his cohorts, they are there to just like Judas, to fulfill the scriptures.

END TIME THINGS

Congrats to him.
Congrats to Nigerians.
God bless Nigeria.

Wicked world.

wish him quick recovery.

Great achievement, I always envy this man and his deeds in government. And the questions keep popping in my mind,

"are other governors sleeping"
"is it that they are decerebrated",
"is fashola a breed from another planet'?
"why is it difficult for others to learn from him?
And I remember that line, "obliterated sulci and flattened gyri"


God bless Nigeria.