₦airaland Forum

By myjoyonline
In the News | Wed, 17 Jun 2009

Nigeria's top music artiste, 2face, was reportedly booed off stage at a show in Abuja. His career has taken a turn for the worst and is in trouble!

Ogbeni Idibia is known in the music industry as 2face and is the man behind the hit song 'African Queen'. Since this debuted in 2005, 2face has remained at the top of the charts and his career until now.

Last month, at the Abuja Show which took place at the Old Parade Ground, everything was going well until 2face appeared on stage. He was late to perform and so the crowd rejected him at first.

Later on into the show after the crowd showed a bit of support towards the musician, he began singing old songs and they shouted at him in demand for fresh music. 2face angered by their demands, dropped the microphone and stormed off stage. The disappointed crowd reacted to 2face's retreat by getting hold of the item closest to them and hurling it on stage. This included water, popcorn and even stones.

2face recently made a move back to NowMusik, the label he abandoned a few years ago for Kennis Music, after his most recent work entitled 'Unstoppable' did not a lot but flop. This rough patch in his career has affected 2face's performance and behaviour on stage and behind the scenes.

The battle he is facing in the music industry is said to have been hindered by the large amount of bad publicity about his multiple out-of-wedlock babies. There has been speculations that 2face's partners have been giving him trouble on the home front which may be causing a knock on effect to his career as his performances are below expectation.

2faces' advisers will now be planning his next steps to bring back support of the fans. Now that he is signed with his previous label, NowMusik, it is said that he will return to the limelight in no time.

We wish 2face the best of luck and he can be assured of our support to get back on top!

for SOURCE: click on JoyFM Online

RIP

RICHIE BOI:
What was the cause of the accident?

Its a shame that our roads are gradually turning to deaths traps.

[size=16pt]@^[/size]

Haba! RICHIE BOI, did you say ". . . shame that our roads are gradually turning to death traps"?

Oh c'mon now, let's call a spade a spade eh?

The roads are authentic death-booby traps incognito for the past light years ago . . .

Adieu, RIP
Sad! Sad!! Very Sad!!!
[size=16pt]How kidnappers killed DPO Bassey in Anambra[/size]

If the divisional Police  officer in-charge of Awka Metropolis in Anambra state, Francis Effiong Bassey (44) had known that coming down closer home after serving the Police Force diligently at the Force Headquarters in Abuja will spell doom for him, he would have rather, chosen to remain where he was.

The 1987 graduate of English Language at the prestigious University of Port Harcourt alongside Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State received news of his transfer from Abuja to Onitsha late last year with mixed feelings.

Though he was eagerly looking forward to his elevation to the next rank as an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP),  he nevertheless wasted no time in heading down to the commercial city of Onitsha to assume duties at the Central Police Station.   Before then, he had a brief stint at the Police Command in Calabar as the second in command, State Criminal Investigations Department.

Then, in the last week of April, 2009, he found himself moving again to Awka, capital of Anambra state where he was made the Divisional Police Officer in~charge of the Central Police Station.

The posting of Chief Superintendent of Police Bassey to Awka was at the wake of increasing spate of kidnaping and robbery in the area and the State Commissioner of Police, Aamusa Bello, a dogged crime fighter, was forced to hastily spread his dragnet in search of other tested and courageous crime fighters to rescue the ugly situation.

He found a veritable and reliable companion in CSP Bassey whose enviable credentials in crime fighting stands as tall as the legendry iroko tree.

[center]https://www.vanguardngr.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/bassey1480.jpg
^{Bassey and his wife, Mandy}[/center]
Thus, on Friday June 5, 2009 when dare~devil kidnappers struck, both the Commissioner of Police and CSP Bassey did not leave any stone unturned in going for the jugular of the rampaging criminals.

The 15~man gang of kidnappers who were heavily armed with sophisticated weapons had targeted one of the prominent Industrialists and business mogul in the state and had succeeded in kidnaping him at the popular UNIZIK junction in Awka and were escaping from the scene when the Police was alerted by their sporadic release of gunfire indiscriminately.

Both the State Police Commissioner and DPO Bassey took up the challenge posed by the fleeing kidnapers and went in their pursuit.   Meanwhile, before moving out from his station, DPO Bassey quickly placed a call to his amiable wife, Mandy, a graduate of Agric. Economics at Enugu State University of Technology (ESUT), informing her that they were going for an operation.

While the State Police boss led his team to intercept the fleeing bandits, CSP Bassey moved headlong with the aim of boxing them into submission.  Unfortunately, when the effrontery of the Police team became so unbearable for the kidnapers, they decided to confront the policemen.

It was during the heavy shootout that ensued that CSP Bassey was hit on the left eye and the bullet pierced his left eye and penetrated deeply into his skull.   He gave up the ghost before getting to hospital.  Ironically, while the operation was going on, the anxious wife was busy trying to reach him without success.

Then few minutes after he was confirmed dead, the wife‘s call came again but to her surprise, another person picked it only to inform her that her husband was still busy.  It was the following day that officers and men of the command summoned courage to break the sad news to her.

[center]https://www.vanguardngr.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/bassey480.jpg
^{Bassey with members of his family}[/center]
In fact, it was gathered that when the wife was anxiously trying to reach out to the husband while the operation was going on, their four kids, 2 boys and 2 girls abandoned their fellow kids at the play ground and cuddled very close to their mother.

Perhaps, it was the challenge posed by the brutal killing of CSP Bassey that spurred the command into action and at the end of the day, they ended up rescuing the kidnaped business man in an uncompleted building at Nibo in Awka South local government area.

In spite of this success that was recorded, many officers and men of the command including the Commissioner of Police wept uncontrollably at the demise of one of the best crime fighters in the force in recent times.

for SOURCE: Click here

[size=16pt]No power, no infrastructure!
Yet Chinese factories are flourishing in Nigeria[/size]
By Okechukwu Onwuka

RECENTLY, a tertiary institution in Ogun state was reported to have included Chinese language as a course in the school’s curriculum. Chinese ownership of over 70 per cent of the factories in Ogun State was identified as one of the drivers for this initiative.

The Chinese factories are not limited to Ogun State. They have several factories in Lagos and other states of the federation.

A significant portion of factories in Nigeria are owned by Asian, Indian or Lebanese companies. My position is not to prevent foreign nationals from setting up factories in Nigeria but some of my concerns and fears include:

 What attributes do they utilize to run successful manufacturing establishments that Nigerians are unable to grasp?

 How do they break-even running on diesel generators in the midst of our poor infrastructure and power supply?

 What does the future hold for us as Nigerians and our children when Nigerians focus primarily on importation, buying and selling while foreigners take over the manufacturing and productive sectors?

 Are the Asians more gifted naturally than Nigerians?

 Are there underhand benefits that the foreigners enjoy from our government and regulators that Nigerians do not benefit from?

 We may be undergoing a critical phase of “industrial colonization” without knowing it.

I have visited a number of these Asian owned companies and have made a number of observations in the way the businesses are run when compared with the way Nigerian Companies are operated.

Some of these I’ll highlight below:

 It is usually difficult to tell who the managing director, manager or supervisor is in the Asian firms. There is a general low key disposition across board. Simple dress styles and no apparent class distinctions. The major pre-occupation is to get the job done.

 Senior officers are constantly moving around the business premises. They are not locked away in some big, air-conditioned, lavishly furnished offices from where they issue commands as is common with Nigerian firms.

 The Asians appear to enjoy every bit of their work. You never get the impression that they are suffering as is common in our local parlance for work.

 The Asian companies are usually deployed in locations where cost of land and property are relatively cheap. They are prepared to live in the same environment under moderate standards of living to see the business succeed.

 Many executives in these firms rarely drive brand new Jeeps or luxury cars. You’ll find many riding in ‘tokunbo’ cars or the lower end of Asian cars such as Kia, Hyundai etc. In contrast, a Nigerian CEO/MD who does not drive the latest luxury car or SUV would be an exception.

 Although the conditions of service for the many Nigerians who work for them can be said to be poor compared to Nigerian owned companies, you find the Nigerian workers more loyal, disciplined and committed to work productivity in the Chinese firms. Why is this so?

The good news is that we are gifted all round to overcome these challenges and write the name of our country into the world map of great nations.

Retired squadron officer Paul Okpue is a good example of one right approach. After serving two terms in the Delta State House of Assembly, he has set up a bamboo factory in Delta State. Thankfully, he did not set up a diesel importation and supply business. He was not deterred by the insecurity situation in the Niger Delta or the power situation. In 2000, he attended a seminar in China on economic utilization of bamboo which is usually wasted for the most part in Nigeria. His products include wall, window and floor panels, kitchen utensils, toothpicks etc.

They have handled the floor panels of the NICON Hilton Hotel, Abuja among other jobs. Though expansion funding and international standard finishing are current challenges, the future is bright given the exceptional price advantage his products have over the imported tiles and regular wood laminate materials.

Florence Seriki of OMATEK Computers is another great success example.

Money is a form of energy

The law of conservation of energy states that energy cannot be created nor destroyed but can be transformed from one form to another.

There are many forms of energy. These include sound energy, mechanical energy, potential energy, kinetic energy, etc. When you drive a car, the fuel (potential) energy in the petrol is converted to heat energy in the engine. The heat energy in the engine is converted to mechanical (kinetic) energy which is then converted to motion energy as the car moves from one location to another.

The same heat energy in the engine is converted to light energy (Vehicle lighting), sound energy (horns) and others. Without fuel (petrol or diesel) in the tank, no matter how well designed the car’s engine is, there can be no motion. Even if the driver intends to move the car, is a qualified driver, honest and healthy, nothing will move the car without fuel in the tanks.

Unless of course you manually push it, a condition that is not the design intent of a vehicle.While it may appear silly for anyone to think of driving a car without fuel, many go into business ventures in an analogous setting. An entrepreneur primarily combines many resources in the quest to achieve the business objective. It is the efficiency with which the resources are utilized that affects the quality and quantity of results achieved. It is not possible to do nothing and have money roll-in without end. Money is only one of the many products of successful entrepreneurship.

The more energy you invest, in terms of hard work, discipline, planning, passion, resource utilization etc, the higher the conversion into money energy. It has been said that it is wise to have money work for you instead of working for money. That is true but the interpretation of the concept can be very far off-the-mark for many aspiring and practicing entrepreneurs. Minimum amount of work must be exerted before cruising levels are achieved.

You expend energy and efforts to earn the money in the first place. You spend a further energy in research, investment strategizing and other activities required to identify what platforms to use in growing your money. Such platforms include investing businesses, inventions, factories, trade, stocks, bonds, partnerships or directorships. Poor judgments in these areas can result in devastating financial losses, broken friendships and trust

for SOURCE: Click here

[size=16pt]Crowd greet solstice at Stonehenge [/size]

Record numbers of people descended on Stonehenge this morning to mark the summer solstice.

Despite the sun not making an appearance in an overcast sky, around 36,500 people enjoyed a carnival atmosphere at the ancient stone circle on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire.

[center][img]http://d.yimg.com/i/ng/ne/itn/20090621/08/98145882-record-turnout-solstice-celebrations.jpg#300,225[/img]
^{Solstice celebrations} [/center]
An eccentric mix of Morris dancers, pagans dressed in their traditional robes and musicians playing guitars and drums gathered alongside visitors from across the world.

The good weather and the fact that the solstice fell over a weekend drew in the crowds from around 7pm last night.

As the sun rose at 4.58am a cheer went up from those gathered at the stone circle.

Bleary-eyed revellers wrapped in blankets, ponchos, cloaks and bin liners gathered at Heel Stone, the pillar at the edge of the prehistoric monument, to welcome the sunrise.

English Heritage and Wiltshire police had anticipated the biggest turnout yet and had drafted in extra officers to patrol the site and to clamp down on anti-social behaviour and drugs.

Restrictions were placed on the amount of alcohol people could bring in, with security checks at the main entrance.

But the event was a peaceful one with just 25 arrests overnight for minor public disorder and drug-related offences, a Wiltshire police spokesman said.

Sam Edwards, from Wiltshire police, said: "We are very pleased everything went to plan. The atmosphere has been very good, especially around the stones.

"Most people have been very co-operative with us and very understanding of the reasons for our presence.

"We would not tolerate drugs at all and our approach was to police the event as we would police Salisbury city centre on a Saturday night."

The main route into Stonehenge, the A303, was closed due to volumes of traffic this morning and the car park was full with 6500 cars by 3am.

This year 200 peace stewards and security officers were brought in alongside police.

English Heritage drafted in 100 portable toilets for the event.

Peter Carson, head of Stonehenge, said 31,000 people attended last year's event.

"We were expecting it to be busy this year, but we had ensured that it has been a peaceful and enjoyable solstice," he said.

"The conditions of entry ensured it was a safe event. In the past it is those people who have consumed excess alcohol which caused disorder.

"There has been a great atmosphere and where else would you want to be on midsummer's day?"

Adele Stanton, 27, and partner Simon Banks Van Zyl, 38, brought their children Llywelyn, three, and Gruffydd, 18 months, from Portsmouth.

Miss Stanton said: "I am from South Africa and this is my first visit to Stonehenge so I am quite emotional.

"It's been great, we wanted to bring the children to be a part of it because they are a family event."

Mr Banks Van Zyl said: "I first came in 1991 when it was illegal to be here so I climbed through the fencing, it was a but like the great escape but it was exciting.

"So I never had to queue in traffic before, but the amount of people here makes special, it is a celebration of life, history and going back to our roots."

Musician Nick Wells, 50, from Surrey, was also came to Stonehenge for solstice illegally in the 1980s.

"I've been playing the Gadulka, a 13-string Bulgarian fiddle in the circle, its been magical," he said.

"Everyone has been very peaceful and I am surprised I have not seen any trouble at all.

"It is nice that people can get so close to the stones but to me it is almost sacrilegious to touch them."

An all-night party on a smaller scale took place a few miles from Stonehenge at the Avebury stone circle.

Druid Jim Saunders, 33, from Reading, is a member of the Aes Dana Grove order.

He said: "The significance of Stonehenge on the solstice to me is to do my best to educate as many people as possible in our culture.

"We carried out the Awen ritual in the circle by chanting to raise the energy and ask for peace and healing.

"There were 16 druids here today but only three of us made it into the circle.

"It is nice to see a lot of people here because there is no better place to learn about our culture and history.

"But it is upsetting to see so much litter, and some people can be disrespectful."

He added: "Hopefully from the people we have spoken to today we can plant a seed of knowledge that will grow."

for SOURDE: Click here

Presido1:
When will Fash ban all these molue and okada riders.

[size=16pt]@^[/size]

Its not just a matter of banning molues or okada alone

What about responsibilities, expected state duty, state obligations? . . .

Did yall not notice the below excerpt from the report

[center]". . . reported to have lost control and plunged into a nearby ditch
which is currently being dug by the state government"
[/center]
The LG (i.e. Local government) or is it the state government (i.e. Lagos state - Fashola)

should be held liable for leaving ditches in such manner as they presently are.

[img]http:///d9pj8j[/img] [img]http:///d9pj8j[/img] What's the point of beautifications when the citizens are in constant jeopardy

Its beggars belief how on a daily basis, the citizens not only in Lagos but the whole country at large

are exposed to preventable and/or unneccesary death, loss, injury, hazard, danger etc  . . . ^Pathetic!

[size=16pt]Taking Another Wife Is Punishment - Leke[/size]

Prince Adeleke Adedoyin Gbadebo, who hails from the Laa run ruling house of Egbaland in Ogun State is the MD/CEO of Lexican Investment Ltd, Ile-Ife in Osun State, while his wife, Latifat is the Director of Finance.

In this discourse with Azeezat Abdulrasheed, they speak on how they’ve been able to manage their business and, at the same time, keep the home front intact, years after their marriage.

Excerpts:
How did you get into the business?
Leke: We started as students in Obafemi Awolowo University(O.A.U). We were running the student union bar in O.A.U. We were retailing, as students and that was what I used to finance myschooling. After graduation, we came together. She took a loan from Babangida as a graduate on employment scheme, so we combined it with the money we had made from the retailing we did as students. We used it to found a place called the Lexis Place a resturant on Ondo road in 1986, and it lasted till around 1996 before we changed it. Along the line, as supplies became more difficult for running our bars and resturants, we started shifting into distribution. Eventually it became so big that we had little or no time for other things. We grew stage by stage, and we became what we call attache, we attach to distributors like Mayfair who will buy their own products from Breweries and add our own little qualtity to theirs; that is what we call attaches in the 80s. Later, we became distributors and started with Trophy; later Standard Breweries and then Nigerian Breweries. We are what you can call ‘super key distributors’ of Nigerian Breweries.

We rose to the level of partner of Guiness and in every other wise, we are a major distributor of all that is around us; Consolidated, International Breweries, Solar Brewries and the others. We also handle diary products from Fan Milk and Samco when it was still alive.

[center][img width=450 height=345]http://www.tribune.com.ng/sat/20062009/images/Family%20Life%201.jpg[/img][/center]
How did you meet?
Leke: We met in Ife as students of Oyo State College of Arts and Science in 1978, now Osun state School of Science.

Latifat: It was then A levels, now it’s a secondary school.

Leke: We were in the same clan, studying Economics, Mathematics, Government, as HSC students. After a year, we were able to gain admission to university and we were in the same class for four years. We were in Department of Economics at the Obafemi Awolowo University between 1982 and 1984. In actual fact, our teacher in the HSC class, Mrs. Ogunba, of blessed memory, played a lot of role in linking the two of us. When she asked questions in the class and nobody could answer it, she would say “it’s either the husband or the wife that would answer it” in reference to us. And that was how she started predicting us as husband and wife. The two of us were always answering questions, especially when the questions were difficult. It was a joke then but it became reality.

Did you eventually propose to her?
Well, yes. But it’s not like the usual proposal. You know proposals take different forms. What was in me at that time was that, she wasn’t a sociable person. She was a complete introvert, staying by herself. Her only hubby was ‘book’. So I was the one that pulled her out. I knew then that she was different from all my girlfriends. I knew she wasn’t into parties; I was the one that brought her out of her shell. I had that respect for her and I knew she was a wife material. So, we maintained the friendship till we got married on August 9, 1984.

What was your response when he proposed?
You know we were friends for a very long time.

We courted for six years, so I knew it was a friendship meant to end in marriage.

What was your courtship like?
Leke: Our courtship was interesting. It was natural, the type that led to marriage, because we lived like husband and wife, though friends. I went to her for my dinner; I never missed the time, and she came to my house to do some cooking when necessary. We rarely played in class, and then ,we did the business together.

What was the early years of your marriage like?
Latifat: It was a fulfillment. I enjoyed it, if I didn’t I wouldn’t still be here.

Leke: It was a romantic period where what we dreamt eventually came to be. We started thinking together, there was no suspicion, no fear and I had a companion to talk to, to decide whatever plans I had for the future. It was a change from the stage we were before; it was a peaceful change, more relaxing. Luckily, the first year we had a son and about 14 months after, we had another. It was a time we spent nursing children and trying to settle down in life.

Who decided the number of children you have
Leke: I wanted one or two children, but then, I realised that when my children play ed with my shoes and things, my wife will complain. But one day, she was able to speak out her mind that when the boys take my shoes, who will take hers? So, I knew there’s a struggle which I had to continue. And that is why there is six years between our second and third child, though the third child came as a boy. But God eventually answered her prayers.

Being in the same business, you must spend from the same purse. Who decides what you spend?
Leke: Yes, we have a joint account. We spend as the needs warrant. The most important thing in life is to have someone who shares your thoughts. Hearing what is being said is an assistance, and she is an assistant to me. I decide what I want to spend, but I still ask her. She gives me her opinion, we disagree, dialogue, compromise. We both give pieces of advice to one another; she does not always have to accept my advice just as I don’t always have to accept hers. What is absent in our marriage is ego. As long as you remove the ego and you address issues, you achieve your goal.

When you argue, it should be for the benefit of what you want to achieve, not because you think she is a woman and, as such, cannot influence you. God wanted two people to come together as one so that our thoughts and thinking will be one.

What would be your reaction if he decides to marry another wife, knowing that you run the same business and you have a joint account?
Latifat: I’ve never even thought of it, and I won’t think of it because I’m not going to stress myself. If a woman starts thinking of things like that, there won’t be much progress in the family. I see him as an extention of myself and since I cannot hurt myself, I just leave everything to God. These things are unnecessary diversions, so you should put your hope in God and just go on with your business. As long as you trust God and you don’t misbehave, the man won’t think of it.

Leke: Having another wife, historically, has to do with problems in marriage, the worst of which is childlessness. And most of us in this side of the world are from polygamous backgrounds. I always pray to God not to have a reason to marry another wife; because I see it as a punishment for those who do. Most of them could not choose right from the beginning, so they needed to search again to see if they would get what they needed in a relationship. And in most cases, we know there is no difference. We’ll, probably, get into worse situations. As economists, we take calculated risks. If the cost of a risk is more than the profit, why take the risk? So, by the grace of God, and with our own efforts to discipline each other, I do not look forward to such a situation.

What advice would you give to younger couples?
Leke: Tolerance. Most couples do not meet their expectations in marriage. Wedding is another school entirely, where two people with different tastes and ways of life come together to form a new way of life, and everybody is rigid towards dropping that which he has earlier learnt where he comes from. And so, there is bound to be crisis. And the wedding is crisis-solving. They have to design a method of resolving every crisis that comes on the way of forming that new person. The two of you are forming a new person, you cannot be the same person after marriage, because there is difference in opinion and life style. And as much as possible, sleep light; even if you fight very late. Never go to sleep without solving the problem. Resolve your problems between the two of you.

Latifat: The most important things are tolerance and perseverance. You should have the mind of remaing with your pouse, no matter what happens, even before getting married. Marriage is all about give and take. Both parties should learn to give. And as a woman, you should reduce the number of friends you have and don’t discuss your affairs with your friends.

for SOURCE:Click here

Naija! and these lawless <blank> okada operatives sef [img]http:///d3tnru[/img]
The LG should be sued for negligence and for flouting Public Health & Safety procedures
Sad! Sad!! Very sad!!! . . . [img]http:///d3tnru[/img]

[size=16pt]5 Killed As Molue Plunges Into Ditch In Lagos[/size]

Five people were feared dead, with several others sustaining different degrees of injuries, in Lagos on Friday morning, when a 911 Mercedes Benz Bus, popularly known as Molue crashed into a ditch near Ajayi Farm Bus Stop along the Oshodi-Abule Egba Expressway.

[center][img width=500 height=500]http://www.tribune.com.ng/sat/20062009/images/fp.jpg[/img]
^{1st photo above - Sympathisers trying to rescue trapped passengers
2nd photo - a woman rescued from the scene} [/center]
The driver of the vehicle, in an attempt to avoid crushing a commercial motorcylist popularly known as Okada, was reported to have lost control and plunged into a nearby ditch which is currently being dug by the state government.

One of the female passengers in the Molue, who jumped out from the window of the rickety vehicle, was seriously injured and rescued by some passers-by.

Other sympathisers wailed endlessly as some passengers, still trapped in the wreckage, cried for help.

Many individuals and policemen, who rushed to the scene of the accident, made frantic efforts to mobilise other government agencies for rescue operation.

However, at a stage, some of the passers-by, who made the series of telephone calls, became furious, following the delay in officials of such agencies to respond quickly to the distress calls to their offices.

As at midday when Saturday Tribune visited the scene, a combined team of the men of the Nigeria Police and Lagos State Traffic Management (LASTMA) were still evacuating the accident victims to a nearby hospital, while the bodies of those dead in the incident were being taken to the mortuary.

A resident, who is also a mechanic in the area, while berating the slow response of the authorities to the accident, said “Despite the fact that the accident occurred around 10:00 a.m., assistance was still short coming to victims of the accident as at 11:00 a.m.

Reprieve, however, came the way of the injured when some commercial buses were chartered to move them to the hospital.

for SOURCE: Click here