₦airaland Forum

Although the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) is currently battling with its first major fallout in over 12 years of reigning as the ruling party, which has resulted in the emergence of a faction led by Abubakar Baraje, some members are certain that the new faction will come back soon.

A PDP chieftain and former special assistant to the Minister of Works, Patrick Mba, while speaking on Sunrise said that the party is still in one piece as “we have only one PDP under Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.”

“A lot of people at the Eagle Square that day were not surprised because they’ve done it before; their doing it again for selfish reasons was not surprising to most of us” assuring that they would “definitely come back” to the main fold.

Citing an example of the few Rivers State Assembly lawmakers who said they had impeached the Speaker, Mr Mba explained that the Baraje led faction cannot overthrow the Tukur faction because they are the minority.

That most of them were laid off by the court because they were wrongly brought into the national working committee of the PDP and then walked out of the Special Convention “does not make them new PDP members”.

He said that the exit of 6 top members of the party at the convention did not surprise them as some members of the new faction had left the party in the past but later came back.

http://www.channelstv.com/home/2013/09/07/pdp-crisis-baraje-others-will-definitely-come-back-mba/?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter

Google was 15 years old on Thursday. Here are 15 facts you probably didn’t know about them.

- Google was originally called BackRub. The homepage read: “BackRub is a ‘web crawler’ which is designed to traverse the web.”

- Google has acquired an average of one company every week since 2010.

- The first Google doodle was a Burning Man symbol. Founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin went to the Burning Man festival in 1998 and added the doodle to let users know they were away from the office that weekend.

- Google hired its first in-house chef, Charlie Ayers, in November 1999, when the company had just 40 employees.

- Ayers went on to become the firm’s executive chef, overseeing a team of 150 employees across 10 cafes at its headquarters in Mountain View, California.

- You can use Gmail in more than 50 languages. These include: Welsh, Basque, Tagalog, Malayalam, Telugu and Cherokee.

- Around 1,000 of Google’s employees became millionaires when the company went public in 2004.

- One of those millionaires was masseuse Bonnie Brown, who worked at the company giving back rubs for $450 a week back in 1999.

- The “I’m Feeling Lucky” button, which bypasses the results page to take users directly to the first result of their search, has been estimated to cost Google around $100m in lost ad revenue every year.

-  Google hires goats. In 2009, the company rented around 200 goats for a week to eat the grass and fertilise the soil at its California headquarters.

- Google’s first official tweet was the words “I’m feeling lucky” in binary.

- Almost all of rival company Mozilla’s money comes from Google. The firm pays $300m a year to be the default search engine on Mozilla’s web browser Firefox.

- Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin own just 16 per cent of the company.

- That 16 per cent gives them a combined net worth of around $46bn.

- A new Google employee is known as a “Noogler” and a former employee is referred to as a “Xoogler”.

http://www.punchng.com/i-punch/facts-you-probably-didnt-know-about-google/

[b][/b]
BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU, Abuja, IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI & DAPO AKINREFON
CRISIS rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, seems to be taking a different dimension following the allegation that some Senators who have identified with the Alhaji Kawu Baraje have commenced consultations and lobby to unseat the Senate president, David Mark.

Also to go with the senate president if the plot succeeds when Senate reconvenes after the vacation on September 17, 2013 was the Deputy Senate President, Chief Ike Ekweremadu who was accused of working with the Tukur faction and had tried to ensure that senators from the South East remained with the faction.

Meantime, the PDP Senators may have emergency session on Tuesday to deliberate on the crisis in the party and take a position.

Informed sources told Saturday Vanguard that Senators who have identified with the new PDP who are said to be the arrowheads of the plot to remove all Tukur’s loyalists in the National Assembly may not have problems with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, the Deputy Speaker, Emeka Ihedioha may be affected if he refuses to identify with the Alhaji Kawu Baraje-led faction.

Saturday Vanguard investigations revealed that about three Senators from the North Central zone have embarked on intensive lobby to take over Senate President’s position in the event the Baraje-led faction of the PDP decides to move against him for not recognizing the new factional National Chairman of the party.

According to the investigation, the three Senators had occupied sensitive positions in their states, in PDP and in union activities and are highly reckoned with in the upper legislative chambers.

Already about 30 senators are said to have backed the Baraje-led faction while a good number of members of the House of Representatives have also expressed their support and loyalty to the new PDP factional helmsman.

A source privy to the alleged plot told Saturday Vanguard that if Mark and his principal officers elected on the platform of PDP did not recognize Baraje-led group, there would be alliance of the members of the nPDP with the opposition members of the senate to effect the change.

A senator who is in the Baraje-led faction that spoke to Saturday Vanguard on condition of anonymity said that the senate would be meeting on Tuesday to take decision on the threat made by Alhaji Bamanga Tukur to declare vacant seats of senators opposed to him.

The senator who said that they had been advised not to join issues with Alhaji Tukur while reacting to the threat said, “the senators said that they won’t say anything until they meet. Let him (Tukur) do it now, why is he saying it, if he has the power he should do it.

“Bamanga Tukur is irrelevant right now to be very honest with you. What he is saying doesn’t mean anything. The country has moved beyond him, the issues are beyond Bamanga, he is totally irrelevant.

“The only thing that he has done is just to pour fuel on a raging fire it does not affect anything except to make the flame burn brighter, but when the senate group meets, they will take a decision. We are not in his faction any way, he should read the constitution. I know they (senate) will be meeting on Tuesday.”

Attempts made to confirm the meeting of the PDP senators from the Senate Committee Chairman on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe could not yield any result as his mobile phone was switched off while the text message sent to him was not replied as at press time.

However, a Chieftain and convener of the nPDP Stakeholders Forum, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere told Vanguard that “The first victim of intra-party squabble will be David Mark because he has been sitting on the fence and hobnobbing with Bamanga Tukur at night.

“You can’t be hiding for ever, if he does not recognize Baraje, he will lose his position. In the new PDP, we have confirmed senators that have pledged loyalty to Baraje. With the support of the APC (All Progressives Congress) Senators, we will form the majority to impeach Mark.”

Ikenga Ugochinyere further said that the Senate President and his Deputy, Ike Ekweremadu would be removed the same time, if Ekweremadu refuses to pledge loyalty to the Baraje-led faction adding, “in the new PDP, there is discipline. But I can assure you that there are many PDP Senators that want to be Senate President.”

He, however, said that despite the lobby for Senate President Position, “We have respect for Mark, but he has to be careful if not, the respect will be withdrawn.”

He said that the nPDP has no problem with the Speaker of House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal but pointing out that “if the Deputy Speaker Hon. Emeka Ihedioha does not support Baraje he will go.”

Ugochinyere said that what the senate needed to effect a change was about 56 senators and that with 30 of them that had expressed their support for Baraje, it was not going to be difficult to get the support of senators elected on the platform of opposition political parties.

On Tukur, he said, “Tukur is already blocking the chances of resolving this matter, this declaration of war is basically a smokescreen to hang on to office because he wants to draw a war, he is scared of peace negotiation which the outcome will be the termination of his deplored unlawful regime and again a fresh unity convention that will create enabling environment.

“So he will prefer to sink the party  to allow peace to prevail but yesterday’s comment (threat to declare vacant seats of senators opposed to him), I must tell you my brother is one of the things I keep saying that shows that Tukur is not in tune with what is on the ground.

“If Tukur is intelligent, he would have read the provisions of the 1999 constitution before boasting that he would declare any body’s seat vacant, under section 68 (1) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, the constitution stipulated grounds under which someone’s seat should be declared vacant,” he stated.

Tukur’s faction moves to restrain Atiku, Baraje, others

The internal crisis currently tearing the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, apart, worsened yesterday, as a faction of the party loyal to its embattled chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, applied for a restraining order against the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar and chairman of the “New PDP”, Kawu Baraje.

In an ex-parte application they filed before the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court yesterday, the plaintiffs, urged the court to also restrain the national secretary of the “New PDP”, Prince Olagunsoye Onyinola and its deputy national chairman, Dr Sam Jaja, from parading themselves as national executives of the PDP.

Equally joined as a respondent in the application which was moved before Justice E. Chukwu, yesterday, was the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

Nevertheless, the judge refused to grant the ex-parte application yesterday, even as he directed counsel to the plaintiffs, Chief Tochukwu Onwugbufor, SAN, to go back and put all the respondents on notice, saying they should be served the court processes via substituted means.

Before adjourning till September 12 to hear the motion on notice, Justice Chukwu, ordered that parties should maintain status quo ante bellum pending the determination of the suit.

According to the Judge, “Although I am not afraid of granting an ex-parte application especially when it is obvious of causing anarchy, however, I owe a duty to maintain a balance. In the instant matter, what I want to do is order that the respondents are put on notice.”

It will be recalled that the Tukur led faction of the party had earlier prayed the same high court to hand Baraje, Onyinola and Jaja, one year jail term each, over their complicity in alleged criminal contempt of a subsisting court order.

Placing reliance on Order 35 of the Federal High Court Rules 2009, the party, insisted that the three respondents deserved to be committed to prison for allegedly violating a judgment of the high court delivered on January 11, 2013.

The said judgment had nullified Oyinlola’s candidacy as a nominee of the South-west zonal chapter of the PDP.

Consequently, the court ,  declared Oyinlola’s subsequent election to the office of national secretary at the national convention of the party held in March last year, as invalid, null and void by reason of another court order which nullified the South-west zonal congress from which Oyinlola emerged.

We cannot afford a Nigerian Spring—Bode George

FORMER Deputy National Chairman, South, of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olabode George has advised the warring parties in the PDP to resolve the lingering crisis within the PDP in the interest of the country saying “we cannot afford a Nigeria Spring”.

Addressing party leaders, in Lagos yesterday, the party chieftain, who appealed for calm among the warring factions, said the elders of the party are in the process of resolving PDP crisis.

George also admonished the party in Lagos state to pass a vote of confidence on President Goodluck Jonathan and endorse the party’s mini convention held recently in Abuja.

He said “I want to request here and now that our leaders should pass an emphatic vote of confidence on President Goodluck Jonathan who is the national leader of our party and the symbol of our nation’s unity and great possibilities. Equally, I am requesting that our leaders should also endorse the last mini convention of 2013 as the best that our party has ever had in the history of our great party.”

The party chieftain said resolving the crisis would be the interest of the party.

He said : “let us move away from tension and acrimony. Let us disagree with tempered and peaceful resolve. Let us debate every contentious issue with maturity, with discipline, with friendship and patriotic idealism. And most importantly, even  as we disagree and patch up our differences, as we tussle and shout in genuine debate, we must in the end be united in one solid reality that the government at the centre is a product of all our collective efforts. The government at the centre belongs to us all as PDP members and as citizens of this nation”.

In addition, he said, “let us support and strengthen our party and our government, that is the way of survival. Hat is the way of progress and it shall be well with Nigeria”

Also, the Lagos state chapter of the PDP,  threw its weight behind the Alhaji Bamanga Tukur- led  party.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/09/senators-begin-lobby-for-marks-seat/

It all started as a joke, he was simply somebody who nobody would give a second glance. That era has gone. Today, he is an A-list act, headlining shows, getting endorsement deals and basically, making millions. He is called Wizkid.

 No doubt, the young lad has paid his dues as it were, for few years back, nobody would have thought the ‘errand boy’ would grow to become this big. Indeed, his talents and luck, shone and now, Wizkid is a superstar.

 But it seems stardom is getting to his head.

Recently, the Internet was agog when the singer called a fan ‘broke’ for correcting a grammatical error he made.

The singer posted on his instagram that he was about to perform at a wedding with ‘an hangover’. The crime of the fan was telling Wizkid the correct thing to say was ‘a hangover’.

His reply angered fans who quickly reminded him that he was not born rich and it was the ‘broke’ fans who made him who he is at the moment.

Wiz hasn’t only been misbehaving online. The kid took his arrogance to another height when he allegedly poured his drink on a fan in London.

Speculation has it that all the fan did was to reach out to Wizkid to greet him. Probably trying to impress an American hip-hop sensation, Wiz allegedly called the fan, Oloshi (Idiot). The shocked American took to instagram to talk about Wiz’s atiitude.

Although the kid was lucky in London, luck ran out when he allegedly tried ignoring fans who had been waiting to get a glimpse of him in Lagos. This time the fans physically reacted to his arrogance.

Dear Wiz was reportedly stoned by angry fans at the VFS Global Services, Lekki Phase 1 over the his arrogant attitude and his refusal to part with some naira notes despite the much accolades he got from the cheering crowd who were so elated to catch a glimpse of him.

Apparently our wonder boy was in a foul mood or perharps, he wasn’t given a visa for he ‘boned’ and shunned the cheering crowd as he walked arrogantly into the waiting Porsche Cayenne.

It was gathered that Wizkid’s silence and arrogance got the cheering fans angrier and they stoned him as he drove off. Unfortunately for Wizkid, one of the stones hit his side mirror but he didn’t bother stopping anyway.

At the moment, not a few are angry with the kid and his attitude. Some fans told Saturday Beat that it was high time they “boycotted Wizkid.”

Another fan Reginald said, “Wizzy is just a kid and that is what he will be until he grows up! Let’s keep praying he grows soon.”

http://www.punchng.com/entertainment/saturday-beats/the-kid-in-wizkid/

BY HENRY UMORU, Abuja
MOVED by the crisis rocking the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday led other elders of the party on trouble shooting mission and met with the leaders of the party and aggrieved governors, geared towards nipping in the bud, the problem, with a vow to resolve and bring peace to the party.

There were strong indications that the meeting was deadlocked as issues raised and advice from the elders may not have gone well with the Baraje-led faction as they stormed out and immediately went to inspect the office of the new PDP presently under renovations, even as the actions portray that the meeting ended in deadlock.

According to the former Chairman, Board of Trustees, BoT of PDP, it became imperative for them as elders to intervene and save the party from total collapse. The elders also met with some pro-Jonathan governors.

Though, yesterday’s meeting which took place at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, was however inconclusive, but there were assurances from the elders that the two factions will once again come together as one indivisible party members, just as Chief Obasanjo disclosed that discussions and consultations would continue.

But Chief  Obasanjo-led PDP elders were close to getting it right when they met with both the group of the PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and the new PDP led by former Acting National Chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje yesterday.

Also at the meeting were former Military President Ibrahim Babangida, Chairman, Board of Trustees, BoT, Chief Tony Anenih, former PDP National Chairmen, Dr. Ahmadu Ali and Senator Barnabas Gemade, even as Chief Obasanjo apologised on behalf of former Vice President, Alex Ekwueme and Chief Solomon Lar who were not in the country, but they were being carried along.

It was gathered that Obasanjo and the elders first met with Bamanga Tukur, his National Working Committee, NWC members and the governors that belong to his group and thereafter with Baraje and his group before they met with them separately, even as Obasanjo and Anenih were said to have been very busy shuttling between Kaduna hall where the Baraje faction were and Benue hall where Tukur and his men stayed.

Saturday Vanguard also gathered that after the meeting, the elders went into a closed door meeting to harmonise opinions and issues raised by the groups.

The Obasanjo-led elders shuttled meeting with the groups lasted for about five hours as the meeting started 10am and ended 2.30 pm.  between Tukur was accompanied by the National Auditor, Adewale Adeyanju, the Acting National Secretary, Aderemi Akitoye; Governor Henry Seriake-Dickson of Bayelsa State, Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State; Jonah Jang of Plateau; Liyel Imoke of Cross River; Idris Wada of Kogi; Theodore Orji of Abia; Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta Ibrahim Shema of Katsina and Isa Yuguda of Bauchi while Baraje was accompanied by Governors Sule Lamido of Jigawa, Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto, , Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers,  the group’ s secretary, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, the deputy national chairman, Dr. Sam Sam Jaja, Senator Bukola Saraki and Senator Abdullahi Adamu.

Also there was Senator Danjuma Goje. At the end of the meeting, neither Tukur non any of his group members spoke with Journalists, just as Baraje faction also did not speak with Journalists, but when confronted to speak, Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa who asked the Journalists to wait for former President Obasanjo, said,  “Talk to our bosses, they are all inside. They would speak with you after, please.”

But briefing Journalists after the meeting, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo who noted that discussions will continue with both factions, said,  “I thank you for exercising patience. You have seen five us. As select elders of the party we have taken it upon ourselves to prevent the worst from happening to our party. Two of us: Lar and Ekueme are abroad and could not join us but we are carrying them along. But suffice to say that there is family dispute within the PDP which we want to stem the tide of. And prevent our party from  going to the brink. And I want to say that we have met with the two sides of the family. We have listened to them and of course we are going to put our heads together and go on from there.”

Baraje and Lamido shortly after leaving the meeting venue at 2.30 pm went straight to the location of the secretariat of their faction at Plot 3206 A, off 4, Oyi River crescent, Maitama, Abuja.

Although the sign board placed on the side of the building was covered, the gate had the PDP colour of “Green , White and Red” and renovation  work was still ongoing at the  building.

There were earlier  reports that the Baraje PDP faction would open its secretariat, but it did not take place yesterday as the group merely inspected it and left hurriedly.

At the end of the meeting, Saturday Vanguard gathered that Baraje led PDP had presented before Obasanjo and other elders that Tukur must be sacked and a new convention put in place against the backdrop that the last convention was not acceptable to them, even as they asked Forbes the recognition of Amaechi as the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum by President Goodluck Jonathan, adding that  suspension placed on Amaechi by the party must be lifted as the way forward.

But the source said however that the Tukur group was said to have insisted that most of the demands of the other group were not responsible, adding that  the NWC was validly elected and decision to leave office would be determined by individuals and the entire party.

It was also gathered that lifting the  suspension of Amaechi would suffer a major set back because of the Governors’s court case, even as it was also gathered that only the President was capable of deciding whether to recognise Amaechi as the chairman of the NGF or not.

It was also learnt that President Jonathan might demand the backing of the governors for his second term if he was going to respond to some of the demands of his antagonists, especially the sacking of Tukur.

It will be recalled that last week Saturday at the Special National Convention of PDP, there was crisis when the party split into two parallel National Working Committee, NWC,  with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and seven northern governors staging a walk out to later address a press conference on the formation of a new PDP with governor Chibuike Amaechi in attendance and Baraje named himself the national Chairman and annouced Sam Sam Jaja as Deputy National Chairman and Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola as National Secretary.

The governors who were at the venue of the convention until 2.45 pm last saturday when the names of candidates to be voted for were read and discovered that the name of the immediate past Deputy National Chairman, Dr. Sam Sam Jaja was removed leaving only the former National Organising Secretary, Prince Uche Secondus as the sole candidate, with others screened out had to immediately leave for Shehu Musa Yar’adua Centre to address the media.

They were governors Sule Lamido of Jigawa, Abdulfatah  Ahmed of Kwara, Aliyu Babangida of Niger, Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko of Sokoto state, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers, Musa Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano, and Murtala Nyako of Adamawa.

Others were deputy governors of Sokoto, Murktar Shagari, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano, Ahmed Musa Ibeto of Niger state, former governor of Kwara State, Senator Shaaba Lafiagi, former Acting National Chairman of PDP, Abubakar Kawu Baraje, former governor of Nasarawa state, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, immediate past National Secretary of PDP, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, immediate past Deputy National Chairman, Sam Sam Jaja, Senator Magnus Abe, chairman, House Committee on finance, Honourable Abdumumini Jibrin, Honourable Farouk Lawan, other members of the national assembly, state houses of assembly, among others.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/09/pdp-crisis-obasanjo-anenih-ahmadu-ali-other-wade-in-vow-to-resolve-logjam/

BY NDAHI MARAMA, MAIDUGURI
Atleast 50 suspected Boko Haram sect members were killed in an encounter with Military Troops of 5 Brigade of 7 Division, Nigerian Army, Monguno when the terrorists laid ambush in two communities of Gajiram, the Headquarters of Nganzai and Bullabulin Ngaura of Konduga Local Government Areas of Borno state.

This was disclosed by the Spokesman of the 7Division, Leuitenant Colonel Sagir Musa in an interview with newsmen in Maiduguri Friday.

Nganzai is about 73 kilometres, while Bullabulin Ngawra is 45 kilometres away from Maiduguri, the state capital. Both councils are linked and have boarders with the terrorist’s camps of Marte and Sambiza Forests acclaimed to have been destroyed by JTF during the peak of the emergency rule and the military onslaught of Boko Haram terrorists in the state since June this year

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/09/50-boko-haram-terrorists-killed-in-brono-army/

PORT HARCOURT— EX- militant commanders in the Niger Delta have vowed to resist any move to deny President Goodluck Jonathan his constitutional second term in office.

In a statement under the aegis of Leadership, Peace and Cultural Development Initiative, the ex-militant leaders said they would apply all lawful means to stop those scheming to rob President Jonathan of a second term in office.

The statement, by president of the group, ‘General’ Reuben Wilson and others, said those behind the formation of a factional Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, were scheming to stop the second term bid of President Jonathan.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/09/ex-militants-back-jonathan-for-2nd-term/

Pull Quote:     If you want to get rich quick, here is the Nigerian blueprint.  But please, don’t tell anyone I “wiki-leaked”this highly-classified national secret to you.

With only some 50 years of independent national existence, Nigeria is a country reeking with “new money.”  The overwhelming proportion of the millionaires and billionaires in the country are “nouveau-riche;” they became rich literally “overnight.”  We are talking of people whose wealth does not go beyond a generation.  Indeed, the fantastic wealth of Nigerian billionaires like Femi Otedola scarcely goes beyond ten/fifteen years.   Not only does Nigeria’s wealthy few have a short history, they often have a short future as well.  The money comes “miraculously” and goes just as “miraculously.”

In my youth, S.B. Bakare was the celebrated Nigerian tycoon.  Highlife stars and juju musicians eulogised him in their records.  But ask a young Nigerian today who S.B. Bakare is, and I can bet my bottom dollar he has never heard of him.  S.B. has fallen off the radar and so has his wealth.  It is not identifiable by any major industry or enterprise.  His descendants may still be in litigation over the dregs of his estate, but undoubtedly it is nothing to write home about again.  Certainly, nobody is singing about S.B. Bakare today.  There are now new pretenders to his throne.

New dawn

Time was when wealthy Nigerians built something, developed something, or made something.  At that time, the rich were truly captains of industry.  Alhaji Sanusi Dantata made his fortune in the era of the groundnut pyramids in the North; buying and shipping them for export.  Sir Odumegwu Ojukwu had Nigeria’s largest fleet of inter-city “mammy-wagons.”  He also imported “panla” (dried fish) on a large scale.  Sir Mobolaji Bank-Anthony had a tanker fleet and a pioneering charter airline.  Emmanuel Akwiwu, hauled oil-rigs and supplies for British Petroleum.  Chief Timothy Adeola Odutola produced bicycle tires for the growing army of Nigerian bike-riders.

But thanks to oil, much of Nigerian wealth is no longer the product of such ventures.  Yes, we have billionaires like Ibrahim Dasuki and Mike Adenuga who can still be rightfully described as highly enterprising.  But even more significantly, we have tycoons who came into wealth through “wuru-wuru” and “mago-mago.”  These men are hardly Nigeria’s Bill Gates.  On the contrary, they don’t have a clue what to do with their dubious wealth, and they are ignorant about wealth-creation.  As such, they add little of value to the Nigerian project.  Their praises may be sung today by their horde of parasitical hangers-on, but they will not be remembered for good when they are gone.  As mysteriously as their wealth materialized, so will it vanish.

These men became rich through some of the following tried and tested methods, which can be relied upon to lead to one’s inclusion in the Nigerian Book of Irrelevant Rich Men.  If you want to get rich quick, here is the Nigerian blueprint.  But please, don’t tell anyone I “wiki-leaked” this highly-classified national secret to you.

1.      Rob a bank

This strategy has gone through some transition.  Bank-robbers used to be men of the underworld who held banks hostage at gunpoint and then made off with the cash.  However, it was soon recognised that this approach has distinct disadvantages.  You might get arrested and jailed.  Even worse, you might get shot.  It also became apparent that banks carry limited amounts of cash.  Therefore, a successful bank robbery of this violent kind might only land you perhaps 50 million naira tops, which is not even enough to buy or build a house in Banana Island.  There is a better way to rob a bank with far limited risk.  Simply establish a bank.
When you establish a bank, you can rob the bank every day without a gun.  When people deposit money in your bank, they don’t know that they are handing over their life-savings to a thief.  You then rob the bank you establish in a number of imaginative ways. For example, you can lend money to your bank and then charge it a very high interest-rate.  Better still, you can borrow billions from your bank and simply forget to pay it back.  Or, you can use the money deposited in your bank to buy houses and then rent them out as branches to your bank at exorbitant prices.

This approach is guaranteed to make you a few billion naira until the EFCC policemen come calling.  When they do, you can quickly fall sick, spend a few months in Deluxe Hospital Hotel and then relocate to your village to enjoy your wealth, never to be heard of again.

2.      Join the PDP.

This one is a sure banker.  As a member of the greatest party in the history of Africa, you will be given a credit-card to spend Nigeria’s oil wealth.  If you are not getting enough attention in the party, make a lot of noise.  Abuse Tinubu on the pages of the newspapers and call Buhari an idiot.  Insist that Goodluck Jonathan should not only run for re-election unopposed in 2015, there should be a constitutional amendment to make him a life-president.  This is a tell-tale sign that you are hungry; and the powers-that-be will soon invite you to “come and chop.”

As a distinguished member of this great party, the opportunities open for you to set yourself up for life are considerable.  For example, you can start collecting billions for petroleum subsidy and simply not import any petrol whatsoever.  You can get the government to change all car license-plates nationwide; and then become the sole supplier of the new license-plates.  You can ask the president to make you the sole importer and distributor of diesel for the entire country.  Of course, this might also entail that you become the chairman of his re-election campaign, to which you duly make a handsome contribution.  Alternatively, you can ask to be chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority.

Nobody will bat an eyelid when, within a matter of months, you have a fleet of cars, have two or three houses in Asokoro, and own four hotels in Dubai.  You may even kick out your wife and marry a fourteen-year-old “Suzie” befitting your new status.  You have arrived as one of Nigeria’s celebrated rich men.  But keep your eyes on the ball.  Don’t get distracted or carried away.  The enemies of Mr. President must always remain your enemies.

3.      Start a mega-church

This one is pure genius.  Peradventure you lose your job or fall on hard times.  Don’t go into depression.  Just start a church.  Make it a purpose-built church.  Think of something that men need.  Tell them you have the anointing to provide it.  Tell them whoever wants to be a billionaire should come to your church.  Start a few of your messages with “Thus says the Lord.”  Then teach your congregation the everlasting principles of sowing and reaping.

Make sure they understand that if they really want God to bless them financially, they first have to give you as much money as possible.  Create a special prayer group for millionaires and billionaires.  That way, if they get any new government contract they will attribute it to the efficacy of your prayers and credit something big into your bank account.  Tell everybody to give you their “first-fruits.”  That is a code word for their entire January salaries.  Then come up with imaginative offerings to collect, such as “prophet’s offering,” (you, of course, being the prophet); “Father, Son and Holy Ghost offerings;” “Jesus will do it offering.”

Very soon, you will be flying your own private jet to preach your gospel in Ilesha; you will be wearing white Armani suits and jerry-curling your hair; you will be collecting gate-fees for new years’ eve services; billionaire thieves and robbers will be queuing up to see your private-secretary on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway; and you will be inviting Bill Clinton to open your multi-billion naira Tower of Babylon in Osapa-London.  In short, you will be living large.  For good measure, you will also be slapping demons out of poor bewitched damsels with impunity.

4.      Become a mule
There is high demand for this job.  There are many politicians and men of timber and caliber looking for mules; men who can keep stolen money for them, or smuggle it to safe havens abroad.  This is a highly lucrative job because for every ten billion naira you smuggle, you can pocket one billion.  Don’t get greedy and come to the conclusion that you can make off with the entire loot.  That is a sure way to have assassins on your tail.  Before they kill you, they will first break your legs.  If you are caught while smuggling money abroad, you can easily escape and come back home dressed as a woman.  Then you can get a national merit award.

If you are a mule for a president or a governor, you are set up for life.  You will get 24 hours military protection so that no petty thief can come near you.  You will get to travel all over the world.  You will get free medical check-ups, so that you don’t just fall down one day and die.  That would be disastrous, especially if your sponsor does not know exactly where you kept his loot, or if he does not have the password to the secret account you opened for it in the Bahamas in the name of Ali Baba.

Obituary

I remember the story of a former Nigerian Head of State who allegedly kept a billion dollars with a mule.  Then the mule had a stroke.  Every effort was made to get him to say just a few words, namely the number of the account where the loot was stashed; but to no avail.  After a few months, the man died.  This “national” calamity has prompted the review of the conditions of service of mules.  There are now two new, strictly prohibited, clauses.  Mules must not have strokes, and under no circumstances should a mule presume to die.  If he does, his generations yet unborn will suffer for it.

(P.S./N.B. If you have perfected other Nigerian approaches to quick wealth than these, don’t hesitate to let me know.  I promise to keep the matter strictly confidential.)

http://premiumtimesng.com/opinion/144057-become-overnight-billionaire-nigeria-femi-aribisala.html?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=become-overnight-billionaire-nigeria-femi-aribisala&wpmp_tp=0

A middle aged man, Terseer Angyo, has been arrested by the Benue state Police command for allegedly beheading a 13 year old girl, Mnyorhan Asase, at Aliade in Gwer local government area of the state.

Vanguard gathered from a sources yesterday that the 13 year old girl was slaughtered by her assailant in a forest area in Aliade while on her way back from a local community market in a nearby village.

Corroborating the story, the Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Deputy Suprintendent, DSP, Daniel Ezeala said the Police  in Aliade was few days ago alerted by the mother of the deceased of her sudden disappearance.

He said, “One Verlumun Asase, residing in Aliade had informed the Police that her daughter, 13 year old Mnyorhan Asase was attacked and beheaded on her way from the market at Tse-Nyajo, some seven kilometers from Aliade town.

“She reported that one Terseer Angyo allegedly forced the little girl into the bush were he cut off her head and hid it in black nylon back which was dripping blood.

“Acting on that information, the Police traced the suspect and found the lifeless head of the little girl in his possession, investigation into the matter has fully commenced after which the suspect would be made to face trial before a competent court.”

Ezeala further added hat the command had two days ago arrested a two man human trafficking syndicate (names withheld) at Ikpayongo, also in Gwer local government area of the state for allegedly trading on two pregnant women who were sold to a baby factory in Aba, Abia state.

He said the Police was still conducting investigations into the matter assuring that all suspects connected to the matter would be made to face the law.

On the recent killings at Ayati, Agena and gbaye in Ukum local government area, the PPRO said the the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Adams Audu and the Assistant Inspector of Police, AIG, Zone 4, Makurdi, Mr. Mike Zuokumor visited the scene at the weekend and order full investigations into the matter in order to arrest masterminds of the attack.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/09/in-defence-of-femi-fani-kayode-a-true-son-of-his-mothers-husband-2/

Kwara – Mr AbdulWaheed Olanipekun of the the PDP has emerged Chairman of the Offa Local Government Council in a re-run election, conducted in the area on Saturday. 

The Chairman of the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWASICE), Dr Uthman Ajidagba, made the disclosure on Sunday in Offa, near Ilorin, while announcing the result of the elections.

He said that contestants on the platform of the PDP also emerged winners as councillors in all the 12 wards in the Local Government.

Ajidagba said that Olanipekun polled 35,937 votes against the 20,161 votes, polled by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Saheed Popoola.

The KWASIEC boss said that since Olanipekun had satisfied the requirement of the law by having majority of lawful votes, he was therefore, elected and returned as chairman of the council.

He noted that there were reports of attempted violence from some supporters of political parties during collation of results at wards  but that the situation was brought under control by law enforcement agents.

Reacting to the outcome of the election, the Kwara State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Alhaji Masud Adebimpe, expressed gratitude to God for the victory of the party.

He thanked the people of Offa for the maturity they exhibited during the election.

Adebimpe appealed to the populace to cooperate with the new council council chairman for more development to be achieved in Offa.

However, the Protem Chairman of the APC in Kwara, Mr Shola Iji, said that the results declared by the commission were not the original results of the election.

He made the claim while speaking on the outcome of the elections.

“We are not accepting the result because it was not an honourable result of Saturday’s elections conducted in Offa.

“We know the original result and not the one that was falsified,” he said.(NAN)

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/09/pdp-defeats-apc-in-chairmanship-councillorship-elections-in-offa/

Suspected members of Boko Haram, ambushed and killed at least 24 members of a youth vigilante group who were on a mission to find and fight the sect in northeast Nigeria, a security official told Associated Press on Saturday.

Those who returned from Friday's attack told officials that 36 other vigilantes were missing, the official said on condition of anonymity because he is not permitted to speak to the media.

"The vigilante youths numbering over 100 were on a mission to capture some Boko Haram terrorists in their camps around Kaleri, Shuwari, Maganari and Nannari villages around Monguno's local government area, before they were ambushed by the terrorists," he said.

The attack took place somewhere near Monguno town, 160 kilometers (100 miles) from the city of Maiduguri, the Borno state capital where the Boko Haram ideology sprang up some four years ago.

The vigilante group, known as the Civilian Joint Task Force, said its attackers were wearing military uniforms. The official said the Civilian-JTF usually gets a military escort when it goes on a search mission but that when the military did not arrive on time the vigilantes headed out.

They later told officials they saw three patrol vehicles painted in camouflage and approached them thinking they were the escorts. The sect members then opened fire, killing at least 24 Civilian-JTF members, the security operative said.

The Civilian-JTF has recently become a target for Boko Haram, an armed Islamic group that has been waging a bloody war in Africa's most populous nation. Two attacks – one earlier in the week and the other last weekend – killed at least 20 members of the vigilante group, residents and an official said.

"We are getting too many attacks and our members' deaths are on the rise. I am scared, and so are some of my friends in the vigilantes," said Shehu Ibrahim, a member of Civilian-JTF. "We may back out if we are not protected."

The state's foremost monarch, the Shehu of Borno, Abubakar Garbai Alamin El-Kanemi, had requested financial and material support for the Civilian-JTF while attending a government meeting in the troubled city of Maiduguri.

http://mobile.punchng.com/output.php?link=http://www.punchng.com/news/bharam-kills-24-members-of-civilian-jtf/

It’s been two months since the Academic Staff Union of Universities embarked on a nationwide indefinite strike. This was as a result of the inability of the Federal Government to implement some of the issues contained in a 2009 agreement it had with ASUU. Recently Saturday Vanguard spoke with parents whose children are affected as they begged the government to reach a compromise with ASUU .

Government not feeling the strike because their children are in private universities— Ohwaguono Onos

Mr. Ohwaguono Onos, a parent and a post graduate student of University of Lagos( UNILAG), who was affected by the strike has this to say.

“The ASUU strike has made my children shift focus to other things that are costing me additional funds I didn’t budget for. And parents who cannot engage their wards in these suffer distress and heart-aches because of the nuisance the students constitute at home. One thing I have learnt is that after each episode of strike, the students are no more focused even when they resume lectures because they have been out for so long. ASUU went on strike because they want the govenrment to come to their plight and help them.

“If the Senators can have sitting and sleeping allowances, then the builders of these characters should be considered; they are the lecturers. My only pain is that these ones in government are not feeling it because their own children are not in the Federal and State universities. Their children are abroad schooling, their children are in private universities. Most of the people in sensitive government positions are the owners of most private Universities which are funded by our own money. How can the strike affect the government? Our plea is for the government to listen to the masses, listen to ASUU and help them; that way they are helping us and saving the



*Jonathan

future.

Federal government should meet the demands of the lecturers —Oluranti Olushola

Mrs Oluranti Olushola, a teacher who said her son was affected by the strike pleaded that the Federal Government should help them so their children can go back to school. “I am seriously appealing to the Federal Government, on behalf of Nigerian parents, to end the strike and make education a top priority and also save the education sector from imminent collapse.”

She noted that the government voluntarily entered into an agreement with the union in 2009 to fund universities better and meet some other demands of the union. “The Federal Government must at all costs meet the demands of the union to save the future of our children,” she said.

Government should avoid workers’ strike —Mrs Ruquiyat Adebayo

Another teacher, Mrs Ruquiyat Adebayo disclosed that that ASUU’s demands were genuine. She urged the government to make any sacrifice to improve the education sector. Mrs Adebayo also advised the government to avoid workers’ strike by meeting their demands early.“ASUU is not asking for too much. It’s demands are justified. We have the resources in this country, and we must set our priorities right. Education must come first in all our plans.“Whatever it will take, Nigeria must improve the welfare of the University teachers,” she said.

Governmet should resolve the conflict with ASUU—Moturayo Madandola

Mrs Moturayo Madandola whose child was affected by the strike said government should resolve the conflict with ASUU quickly to save the University system from collapse. “The Federal Government should accede to the demands of the striking union so that our children can go back to school,” she said.

Government should be considerate —Malik Alabi

Malik Alabi, a businessman expressed his feelings with anger saying, “don’t mind those people in government , all their children are schooling abroad. How would they remember us? They only plan to travel to Dubai for vacation, travel out of the country for medical check up, send their children to Harvard and all the good schools abroad. These people should also consider the parents who suffer to pay school fees for our children . I have two children at OAU and they are both at home doing nothing and it pains me a lot . My only plea is that Federal Government should help us because the parents are the ones suffering it more”.

Four -year course is running six years because of the strike–Deaconess Joy Osewengie

Deaconness Mrs. Joy Osewengie, a mother of two students in the University of Benin (UNIBEN) expressed her concern saying, “The ASUU strike has turned into something else; my children are not doing anything at home. Courses that are supposed to run for four years are now running six years and above.  When will the children finish their programmes in the Universities and become very useful to their family and the society?

“The government should know that an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. We should bear in mind that these ones are the future of this great nation and if they are half baked because of strike and crisis, then we may end up with a very sick nation.”

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/08/ASUU-strike-comply-with-lecturers-demands-parents-beg-fg/?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter

Read it on nairaland that Zukerbag's fb account pass was hacked and he was even rewarded for doing that, but in our own Niga, EFCC will arrest. Poor EFCC!!!

@OP, please where is Ogun in the article?

Tweet from @ibetapassmynebo
@ibetapassmynebo: Wow! Just Wow RT @FootballAgent31: Koscielny has been rushed to hospital in Istanbul with a fractured skull. More as I get it #itk #afc"


Goal for Arsenal. Here we go!!

A Pan-Igbo group, the Enugu State Roots Initiative (ESRI) wants the Lagos state government to pay N500 billion as compensation to the people it repatriated to Anambra state.

Aside that, the group is asking the Lagos state government to provide accommodation for those affected and publicly apologize for denigrating their personal liberty.

In a statement signed by the National President of the body, Barrister Joni Icheka; Secretary, Mr. Uche Nwegbo and Treasurer, Barrister Emma Nwodo, ESRI maintained that the deportation negates sections 21 (1), 22 (1) and 15 (3) of the Constitution.

They also condemned the Lagos state government for sealing off the property of the former Abia State Governor, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, as well as statements credited to the former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, which it said. were capable of causing ethnic hatred and a breakdown of law and order.

It said: “ESRI therefore, demands an immediate payment of the sum of N500 billion compensation to these ill-treated Nigerians, whom the Lagos state government said were Ndi Anambra.

“Apart from paying them the compensation, the state government should also immediately provide them with befitting housing accommodation and publicly apologize for denigrating their personal liberty and smearing the sanctity of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“If the Lagos State Government and their Governor fails to do these things within one month, we will be left with no option than to conclude that it was done with clear negative mind-set and vendetta and we would be left with no option than to take appropriate legal action,” the statement said.

They Pointed out that deporting any Nigerian from one part of the country to another negates the constitution of the country. The group described the action as ill-advised and that it exposed the victims to danger and extreme weather of this season.

Continuing, the group said, “The Enugu Roots Initiative (ESRI), having watched with studied silence and dismay, the abracadabra and public reactions to the development is compelled to state that Section 41 (1) of the Nigerian Constitution states that: ‘Every citizen of Nigeria is entitled to move freely throughout Nigeria and to reside in any part thereof, and no citizen of Nigeria shall be expelled from Nigeria or refused entry thereby or exit therefrom.’

“Similarly, Section 42 (1) states that: ‘A citizen of Nigeria of a particular community, ethnic group, place of origin, sex, religion or political opinion shall not, by reason only that he is such a person:-

(a) be subjected either expressly by, or in the practical application of, any law in force in Nigeria or any executive or administrative action of the government, to disabilities or restrictions to which citizens of Nigeria of other communities, ethnic groups, places of origin, sex, religions or political opinions are not made subject; or

(b) be accorded either expressly by, or in the practical application of, any law in force in Nigeria or any such executive or administrative action, any privilege or advantage that is not accorded to citizens of Nigeria of other communities, ethnic groups, places of origin, sex, religions or political opinions.

“Also, the same Constitution in Section 15 (3) stated clearly that: “For the purpose of promoting national integration, it shall be the duty of the state to: ‘(a) provide adequate facilities for and encourage free mobility of people, goods and services throughout the federation; (b) secure full residence rights for every citizen in all parts of the federation.

“The ‘state’ referred to in this section of the constitution is the entire country, Nigeria which includes Lagos and Anambra states. There is no exception to these constitutional injunctions”.

“The claim that the deportees were taken out of Lagos due, to their presumed socio-economic status, religion or tribe, or for whatever reason, could be dubbed as “undesirable elements” in any part of the country and could be so cruelly and inhumanly treated.

“It should be pointed out that the only offence these people committed, according to the Lagos State Government, was that they were “poor”: no more, no less.

“The second offence they may have committed was that they were presumed to be Igbo people, and so, should not be seen begging for arms or engage in any considered “menial activity” in Lagos State.

“But, the questions should be asked: “Does it mean that all Lagos State indigenes resident in every part of the country, especially in Lagos State, are fully and officially employed?

“Do we have persons of the category referred to as destitute Anambra indigenes from other parts of the country that could still be found on the streets of Lagos State even now”?

Insisting that the “Area Boys” who parade the streets of Lagos are worse than the deportees, ESRI said such people are the ones who require urgent rehabilitation since they are indigenes of Lagos State.

Commenting on the seal-up of the property of Orji Uzor Kalu in Ikoyi, Lagos, the group stated that the deportation “is even more provocative when one puts into perspective that notable Igbo personalities, like the former Abia State Governor, Dr. Orji Uzo Kalu, who spoke against this despicable deportation in his weekly Leadership Column in the Sun Newspaper, was equally visited with this selective amnesia. His constitutional and rightful liberty to his property was curtailed for several hours by the goons of the Lagos State Government.
Source:
http://dailypost.com.ng/2013/08/21/deportation-group-demands-n500billion-compensation-from-lagos-government/

"I don port remix...
My admission don dey portable,
he mean say,
i fit to carry am come to private
UNI easy,
come enjoy the studies wey no
get e part 2
ah ah,
the matric no wey u dey use now
and b4
carry dey go dere.
Eeh! I don port Oo°˚˚˚˚˚°
eeh! I don port Oo°˚˚˚˚˚°
eeh! I don port go private Uni
kirikata x4
carry the same matric no go,
i don upgrade to private school....
You too can switch to private UNI
and still
retain ur matric number from
anoda UNI...
Walk into any private UNI
authorized outlet
and send the word "PORT" to
3232".
He suppose dey available for
Foreign Universities sef. ASUU

Source : adtiezy1

RIP to the dead.

Send me the account details : sowolef@yahoo.com

Can't believe I'm standing for over an hour somewhere waiting for it to stop raining. And for this reason it's certainly sure we can't have power supply till tomorrow.

As for me I prefer dry season.

Well, as a mathematician, u can do your masters programe in social science course like Econometrics, or go for professional exam like ICAN, or better still venture into IT skill. God be with us.

Anambra state..#5800

Check this link. Itz becoming true. http:///AvvL3zGi