₦airaland Forum

wales:
With the release of the 2011 general election timetable by the Independent National Electoral Commission, the maddest race against time in the history of Nigerian politics has begun. Various analyses of the extant Nigerian political sphere shows that political parties are yet to get their chicks in a row as far as organisation and tactics are concerned. This INEC timetable release might be what the arena needs to ginger action from all quarters since all strategies, battle plans and devices have been previously hinged on INEC’s release of its timetable.



For now, it is uncertain who those who will be contesting in 2011 are; what platform they will be contesting on; their manifestoes; their ideologies; their blueprint; and what they have in store for the electorate.



With the time table, all parties interested in making a showing in 2011 have between Saturday, September 11 and October 30 (a period of 49 days) to conduct their primaries. Knowing how convoluted these processes can be, it is certain that there will be intense pressure on parties to begin the process of election immediately and still comply with all the provisions of the Electoral Act.



Not only will the parties be rushing the process of primaries, they would also be expected to produce candidates and begin vigorous campaigns within the stipulated time.



Knowing how tumultuous and controversial elections might be, this frenetic pace of activities means that the horse trading, negotiations, betrayals and bargaining will be compressed to within the shortest possible time.



From September 11 to October 30, there is going to be a frenzy of activities, all closely spaced, for the parties that are contesting in 2011.



The month of November is one the electorate will find very challenging. The entire month will have Nigerians registering and cross checking the voter register.



On the part of the electorate, it also means they have a lot of information and mis-information to absorb within the shortest possible time. If campaigns begin mid-October for elections that are to be held in mid-January, that does not give the electorate enough time to absorb all the campaign promises, manifestoes, and ideologies of candidates who will be selling themselves to people. There might not even be enough time to assess their antecedents and other intangibles needed to make decisions as regards who they will be entrusting with their mandate.



With not enough time to gauge the candidates, it translates to the fact that Nigerian electorate might not be able to make informed choices but settle for the nearest choice as election day approaches.



It doesn’t sound easier for the prospective candidates either. Within one month of being issued party tickets, they are expected to face the electorate at the polls. That means that out of two months of campaign, the party gets one month to sell itself while the candidate gets the other. The presidential candidates have 30/31 days to traverse the 36 states. It doesn’t seem to leave much time for candidates to slug it out internally within the party.



One major difference between the 2011 elections and previous ones held in Nigeria is the order of elections. Previously, the order of elections are so conducted that it climaxes with the presidential election. In 2007, the state assembly and governorship elections were held on April 14 while the National Assembly and the presidential held on April 21. This time, the National Assembly will hold first on January 15, the Presidential election will hold on January 22 while the governorship and state Assembly elections will hold on January 29. It is interesting that this time, the elections are more spaced out over three Saturdays as against two, done previously. However, it is unclear whether the results of the first two – January 15 and 22 - will not taint the governorship and state assembly election which is relatively an anti-climax. If the result of the presidential election favours a particular party in the first two, will the bandwagon effect of aligning with the winning party not affect the voting pattern of the January 29 elections?






Link;http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201009083521198

. . .hmmm. . This is some serious shit. Let us see what GEJ is going to do next. I think it is hight he delt a death blow on Ibb or pay darely for it. Let the race begin but I wont vote.

More funny shiit

It is either this man is a clown or he is deranged. . Hahahahaha. . Guys just check this link out and laughf your nutts off. . .An honourable member of the house of Representatives. . This guys is just plain craze. Check it out. Pls sb post the pictures here on NL make ppl laf small.
nigeriavillagesquare.com/forum/main-square/57018-obahiagbon-s-greatest-hits-big-grammar-big-pants.html

A pastor has angered Christians
in South Africa by preaching a
sermon entitled "Jesus was HIV-
positive" in an attempt to break
what he regards as a conspiracy
of silence by the South African
church.
Xola Skosana said that HIV is
stigmatised as evil and a sin in the
country that has the world's biggest
caseload.
Skosana (43) underwent a HIV test
in front of his congregation last
Sunday at the non-denominational
Way of Life church in Khayelitsha,
Cape Town. The test was also taken
by 100 young people from the
impoverished township.
The pastor said he chose the title
for his three-part sermon to draw
attention to "a very serious issue".
"In many parts of the Bible, God
put himself in the position of the
destitute, the sick, the
marginalised," he said. "When we
attend to those who are sick, we
are attending to him. When we
ignore people who are sick, we are
ignoring him."
Hostile reaction
Skosana cited a passage in the
Bible where Jesus says: "I was sick
and you visited me, I was in prison
and you came to me." But he has
had a hostile reaction in some
quarters.
"The scathing attacks I've received
from Christians are unbelievable,"
he said. "They're saying you can't
reconcile Jesus and Aids. They
assume it means Jesus was
promiscuous and had a louche
lifestyle with many sexual
partners."
Skosana lost two sisters to HIV/
Aids. One died last month at the
age of 44. The other died in 2003 in
her early 20s.
He condemned the national church
for failing to tackle the issue when
nearly 1 000 people are dying from
Aids-related causes every day. The
South African government had
been accused of Aids "denialism"
but has more recently been praised
for its prevention and treatment
programmes.
"It baffles me why in the church
this is the most untalked-about
subject," Skosana said. "If I went to
church and never heard the pastor
talk about this, I would assume I
must go home and die in silence.
The message is that it's an
unpardonable sin and we must just
forget about HIV/Aids.
"My responsibility as a pastor is to
open a Bible and paint a picture of
a God who cares for people and
wants the best for them, not who
judges them and is ashamed of
them."
He called on other churches to be
more open about the subject. "I
hope this will change the paradigm,
especially in the Pentecostal
background. I come from the
Pentecostal background and I know
this discussion is totally alien there."
Skosana will not disclose the result
of his public HIV test in case it puts
pressure on the churchgoers who
followed his example. They had
heard him explain the virus,
possible treatments and the
importance of knowing their status
and were given professional
counselling.
Skosana's stance was praised by
South Africa's National Aids Council.
Mark Heywood, its deputy
chairperson, said: "I applaud his
actions. It's very important that
church leaders set an example,
destigmatising HIV and
encouraging testing so people
know their status.
"There are many churches that
have done a lot to combat HIV. The
problem is that the church as a
whole has not been vocal enough.
It's often been left to individual
church leaders and organisations.
We would like to hear a clearer
message."
The South African Council of
Churches was unavailable for
comment

I know your an !diot, I don't see any reason for the act!

04kaa:
@rhyme
which one u dey, he don do u now why are u e-fighting everybody for no reason, which one be your own now? i tire for u o/

. . .so I just dey, dey begin yap anybody? Guy, seriously U be bi-polar( no offence intended). . .wetin fear you wey you no fit caution tosinwhateva? You just dey blow hot and cold since! D way you bin take dey vibrate initially, I tink say U go literally flog Eldee if im show. . . Im show you begin bend mouth, abeg free me jare! I no be mad man wey go just dey beef every1, even the Tosin guy yap my family, you no gist dat one, na make U come dey form tough guy for my side na im you wan come try? Guy take ya time O! Rhymstein so far is the only one here that has backed his boasts here and the realest niggar here. . .even Eldee knows that. . .stop all these swit-talkin abeg, Eldee no go kill you.

Ikengawo:
how can you say you have 'no problem' with homosexuality and then call it a bizarre abomination?
i can say i have no problem with your mother, but if in the next 2 sentences i call her a bizarre abomination you'd be safe to assume there's a problem.

. . . You of all people should understand the paradox of my statement, especially after I said I dont ve problem with them, I went further to say only if they keep it a closet affair and not make it the darling of every impressionable youth by practising it in the open and trying to get legislations that further their cause and make it look normal. Hope you dig now. Fact is, I can't stop them from have such weird feelings or sexual leanings but of course I can stop them from trying to force others to be like them through their shameless open display of such despicable act. I may not hate homosexuals but I sure damn hate homosexualism in all entirety.

[quote author=tosinaded@ link=topic=506211.msg6713591#msg6713591 date=1283863786]E be like woman dan give u pant wash. . This one u just dey jabo like say u high on woman period.[/quote]. . .a word to the wise is not neccessary, it is the silly ones that need the advice.
*shakes his head and maintain his calm*. . .if not for Lalaboi. .

[quote author=tosinaded@ link=topic=506211.msg6712044#msg6712044 date=1283850077]imagine osu dey ask nwafor who em be!
your fada yansh jare. .e be like u dey mad abi.

I know u grew up watching your dad beat up your mum on a daily basis. . .that dsnt make it a normal thing! Get dat into your shameless brains. . . .[/quote]. . . .Lalaboi, you are the boss here, all I need is a go ahead let me bully this wanna-be. Realy would love to shiitt on his brain and mess wit his mind like rasta man's weed. . . Anyway, if U sabi dis nobody, make una warn am O cos if I take up him case, I will be on him like white on rice.

Bullcrap!
My best bet is that this writer is a white southAfrican. . . I would rather pitch my Tenth with the right-winged American Evangelicals than listen to the preachings of the so-called left-wing Northern Europe. I dont have problem with homosexuas as long as like the writer said, they keep it to be a covert satisfying of unorthodox desires rather than a overt desire to practise such bizarre abomination in open. . . They ve succeeded in turning SA into a cultureless society and want to do so to the rest of Africa through subtle appeal for its acceptance and legislation. Call it homophobia I don't care, it should not be right becoz some ppl have found a way to rationalize it through their neocolonial aids, and manipulative comparisons like likening it to discrimination against black ppl by white ppl. Rubbish! They should also make cases for incestuous cohabitation, paedophilia, bestiality and such. All we need is one weird explanation and acceptance from those bizarre whiteys and the world order changes. Manipulative Freaks.

Originally Posted by :
Homosexuality and the battle for
Africa ’s soul
By Mark Gevisser
Complex anxieties are at play in
the wave of homophobia that's
currently sweeping over the
continent, writes Mark Gevisser
'These boys committed a crime
against our culture, our religion and
our laws," said the Malawian
president Bingu wa Mutharika at
the weekend as he pardoned
Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge
Chimbalanga from their sentence of
14 years hard labour. He claimed
he was exercising the pardon "on
humanitarian grounds". If he were
more truthful, he would have said it
was on diplomatic, or expedient
grounds; his country is almost
entirely dependent on foreign aid,
and the pressure on him was
intense.
Meanwhile, Monjeza and
Chimbalanga will no longer see
each other now that they are free,
according to reports. How could any
young couple bear the pressure
and run the risk of recidivism and
rearrest? Both have been
"returned" to their home
communities and their families, it
seems, will take up the role of
punishing them where the state left
off. Two lives, at least, have been
ruined, and as the terrible episode
draws to a close, it is worth
reflecting on why there appears to
be a wave of state-sanctioned
homophobia across the continent at
the moment, and what those of us
-- African or not -- committed to
human rights might do about it.
The recent pressure on Malawi is
reminiscent of that on Uganda last
year. As a consequence, the
country's president, Yoweri
Museveni, intervened to prevent
the inclusion in anti-homosexuality
laws of a clause mandating the
death penalty in certain instances.
On a smaller scale, something
similar happened in Rwanda: gay
activists caught wind of a proposal
to criminalise homosexuality and
mounted a rapid-fire global
campaign, largely via the internet,
forcing Paul Kagame's government
to announce that it had no
intention of intervening in the
private lives of its citizens.
Such actions are in the best
tradition of international solidarity;
the kind of global action that
played its part in bringing down
apartheid. But given the politics of
aid in Africa, it has consequences.
Both Museveni and Kagame find
themselves accused of being
stooges to their donors; in Rwanda
the country's evangelical churches
are seeking constitutional relief and
one influential pastor is reported as
saying, recently, "leta yafashwe
kungufu" -- Kinyarewanda for "the
state was raped by the donor
community".
Recently the Palestinian academic
Joseph Massad wrote a
controversial book accusing gay
funders and activists of becoming a
proseletysing neocolonial "Gay
International", and of provoking
unneccesary cultural conflict in the
Arab world by imposing their
Western "orientalist" definitions of
gay identity on societies they
deeply misunderstood. Such
provocations, he wrote, land up
making things worse, rather than
better, for the people they are
trying to assist, because of the
backlash they provoke. Do
Massad's arguments hold any
water in sub-Saharan Africa? Would
homosexuals in Malawi or Uganda
be any better off if the "Gay
International" (perhaps best
personified in the person of Peter
Tatchell) had not been activated?
Homosexuality is -- as has often
been noted -- illegal in 38 of Africa's
53 sovereign states. In most
instances, however, this is merely a
hangover from the colonial British
penal code, which criminalised
sodomy for the first time in Africa,
and is usually ignored.
Homosexuality is certainly not a
Western import, but both
legislated homophobia and gay
identity are. Particularly for
younger urban people, sexuality
has become a matter of identity
("I am gay" rather than mere
practice ("I sleep with men"; an
overt insistence on equality
rather than a covert satisfying
of desire, accommodated by
social norms and traditions.
The result has been social crisis.
Before the Malawi case, there was
organised mob violence against
gay men and Aids workers in
Kenya, and a protracted crackdown
against homosexuals in Senegal;
when gay men fled to Gambia last
year, the president told them to
leave or face decapitation.
Recently, in Zimbabwe -- where the
state has been viciously
homophobic for more than a
decade -- two gay activists were
arrested and detained for criticising
the anti-gay policies of Robert
Mugabe, and in several other
countries new anti-gay legislation is
in the offing.
Africa, of course, is neither homo
genous nor unique. Much of what is
being faced by gay Africans today
has been experienced in other
parts of the world, including the
West. Nonetheless, there is
something undeniably specific
about the loathing that has been
activated on the continent at
present, as couples such as Monjeza
and Chimbalanga challenge age-old
gender roles in societies struggling
to maintain their integrity and to
define their places in a globalised
world.
There is a very particular dynamic
to the current wave of
homophobia; one which has its
roots in American-sponsored
Christian fundamentalism, the
current politics of aid, and the Aids
epidemic. The digital revolution
plays its part too; thanks to satellite
TV, middle-class Africans can
channel-switch effortlessly between
Will and Grace and Wahaabi tirades
against the decadent homosexual
West. Local tabloid newspapers
sniff out marriage ceremonies to be
performed by young men who
have learned of such possibilities
through their own exposure to the
global media -- even though there
is no evidence that the Malawian
couple, poor and marginalised,
were in any way acting beyond
their own impulses. Indeed, it is not
even correct to call them a "gay"
couple: Chimbalanga self-identifies
as female.
Nonetheless, because Malawian
society does not accept
Chimbalanga as female, their
engagement ceremony was read
as the equivalent of a "gay
marriage" -- something which
many Africans now know of due to
global exposure -- and the arrests
of the two were provoked by
sensationalist reporting. The Nation,
the Malawian newspaper that
caught wind of the story and broke
it, put it bluntly: this was "the first
recorded public activity for
homosexuals in the country". The
anti-gay legislation had never been
used in Malawi, but readers were
now reminded that the practice of
homosexuality carried a sentence
of up to 14 years, and the police
felt compelled to act.
The Kenyan violence began
similarly: a gay Kenyan couple was
legally married in London; a
Kenyan newspaper reported on it,
which triggered a spate of
homophobic coverage in the
country's mass media, which made
local radio stations in Mombasa
eager to report on the rumour of a
gay wedding. That, in turn, led to
anti-gay vigilantism, brutal violence
and the arrest of six allegedly gay
men earlier this year.
Meanwhile, as Islam blooms in both
East and West Africa, Christian
clerics use homophobia as a
weapon in the battle for souls,
while American conservative
Christians in the West have found in
Africa the numbers needed to
counter the liberalisation of their
churches back home. This has been
most evident, for example, in the
way the Nigerian Anglican church
has become a bulwark against the
ordination of gay priests and the
sanctification of same-sex
marriages.
And so, while Western human rights
organisations fund the
development of gay organisations
in countries such as Uganda,
conservative American Christian
organisations in these countries
have been mobilising politicians in
the same country to adopt
extreme anti-gay legislation.
There is much irony, for example,
in the way the pastor quoted
above blames the donors for
raping Rwanda, when his very
theology has its roots in evangelical
America, and when he and his co-
religionists have been exposed to
homophobia through the
missionary activity of right-wing
American churches. These churches
and high-profile individuals have
provided both the mobilisation and
the theological underpinnings for
state-sponsored homophobia.
The context to these "culture wars"
is the Aids epidemic. Conservative
American evangelicals gained a
foothold in some African countries
thanks to the policies of George W
Bush's President's Emergency Plan
for Aids Relief, which prioritised
"faith-based" HIV-programming,
including the preaching of
abstinence over the distribution of
condoms. This gave American
evangelicals an entrée into
countries such as Uganda and
empowered an entire generation of
conservative Christian organisations
in East Africa.
In contrast, the largely-liberal
establishment aid agencies --
particularly those from Northern
Europe -- strongly pushed an
agenda of gay equality. This was
not just for reasons of equality, but
because of the growing evidence
that one of the major vectors of
HIV-transmission in African societies
is "men who sleep with
men" (MSMs): precisely those men
who do not call themselves "gay"
but who practise homosexual sex.
To reach these men, state-funded
programmes such as the Kenyan
Medical Research Institute (Kemri)
began focusing on MSMs. It is not
coincidental that the victims of the
anti-gay violence in Kenya were
Aids workers, who provided
services to homosexual clients at
Kemri in Mombasa.
The Aids epidemic has only
heightened many African countries'
dependence on the West and in this
context there has been a new
impetus to fight the
"neocolonialism" of development
aid: the Zambian economist
Dambisa Moyo argues in her
bestselling Dead Aid, for example,
that dependency on Western aid is
killing African society, and that the
plug must be pulled in five years.
While many of the precepts of this
approach might be correct, the
reality is that the withdrawal of
development aid from Africa at this
point -- particularly given the Aids
epidemic -- would be catastrophic.
And so, as many Africans become
increasingly uncomfortable with
their countries' dependence on the
West, they look to find a place to
put their pride; they might be poor,
but at least they have values! In all
the world's global indicators of well
being, they can at least lead one:
morality. What better way to
maintain popular support than
through the scapegoating of an
unpopular minority in the name of
a battle against Western
decadence?
In the face of this -- and of the
brutality experienced by the
Malawian couple, or the victims of
violent homophobia elsewhere on
the continent -- what choice does
the international community have
but to exert the kind of pressure it
has in countries like Rwanda and
Uganda? Such pressure, however,
perpetuates the very sense of
powerlessness that provokes
homophobia in the first place, and
confirms the canard that support
for gays is a "Western agenda". It
alone is clearly not a viable long-
term solution.
Perhaps the experience of South
Africa provides a way out of to this
vicious cycle. Here, despite the
horrific phenomenon of "corrective
rape" against black lesbians in
townships, the ruling ANC has
championed sexual equality and
legalised same-sex marriage; even
the country's president, Jacob
Zuma, a man with a history of
homophobic statements, felt
compelled to condemn the
Malawian sentence last week.
This is, in part, a consequence of
South Africa's uniquely
heterogenous and industrialised
society -- and a non-homophobic
church, thanks to Archbishop
Desmond Tutu and his generation
of liberation theologians. But it is
also the result of a highly effective
campaign by human rights activists
-- like Tutu himself -- who worked
to disarm political African
homophobia by folding gay rights
into a broader understanding of
human rights and post-colonial
development.
The winning argument went thus:
to discriminate against
homosexuals for an inherent
immutable genetic fact is
tantamount to discriminating
against black people for the same
reason. Such logic may hold greater
purchase in South Africa, where the
memory of racial discrimination is
still fresh, than in countries like
Sudan, Kenya and Uganda where
other sectoral battles have become
predominant. Still, even in these
countries -- where one might be
stigmatised because of one's tribe,
or religion rather than race --
invocations to "equality" and
"human rights" have a particular
resonance. Until a significant
number of African leaders join Tutu
in the fight against homophobia by
invoking the continent's experience
of discrimination, there will be no
imminent end in sight to the
hardship of people such as Steven
Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga.
Meanwhile, as subjects become
citizens in African societies thanks
to the deepening of civil society
and the spread of digital
technology, they claim their space,
and they also discover the world
beyond the narrow confines of
their communities. They do this
with intent -- as in the case of
brave activists in Uganda or Malawi
-- or simply out of the natural
inclination towards freedom and
self-definition, as in the case of
Monjeza and Chimbalanga. Tough
as it might be for them, future
generations will thank them.
Mark Gevisser is writer-in-residence
at the University of Pretoria

[quote author=tosinaded@ link=topic=506211.msg6711337#msg6711337 date=1283840201]Rhymz wut are u on,going in on a girl[/quote]. . . Which yeye breeze blow dis one enta. . . Guy abeg go crashland for ya bed, who be U? Scheeew. . . Mr ITK!

Rhymstein:
@eldee
What was weak in d lines,it was supposed to be funny u borin fellow

Mr battle promoter,
Touched me,a live wire
Now your hair don scatter
But still,u wouldnt be don king

All u think is s.hit
Guess your brain is full of it
Wot u call a head,is just a septic tank

Its d end of d month,i'l pay u in ful for d war u wage
Dissin u,no be by accident,but i'l leave a dent on your image
U r not a big boy son,
U r just eldee da dunce

U come ere dey form agbero ontop keyboard,weakling lyk u
Am sure u n dem aki n pawpaw dey share height,na nairaland u for get power

eldee
Na mouth u dey,on d real,u wil run mad,if u attempt d maths i solve,n u claim v got a low iq.u no dey shame,u r happy female ids r runnin after u,at your age,u still practice e-sex,let go youthful exuberence damn it

. . . .hahahahaha. . . Eldee na U be dis? Mogbe! Seriously, dis guy is eating you raw! Rhymstein take am easy e o!

Lalaboi
. .lol. .I hope say na dsame mail wey you send me na im you send Oju iggo sha, you know na, U fit go send love mail to her com dey send me . . Hehehe. . Warning!
Anyway, na U be d boss for here, so, as Omo ibo wey I be, dem tish me how to respekt my Ogas dem for we house, so Oga I am veli veli soweee. . I wont bully Oju igo again and again ti ti lai lai. I pledge this from d bottom of my nyansh. . em. .em. .spermbolt I am sowee, I meant to say my heart.
But I dey vex for the two modeys O, Lalaboi- for not stopping me from wounjuring oju igo- and Eldee-for faking Mr nice guy and not giving us a good drama, dat role no fit am jor na me d tin for fit sef cos I am too damn nice that a lady once describe moi as "a model of soft spoken rectitude" imagine how I felt. . Hehehehe. . .
Seriously mehn, I want to make lov. . .oh sorry piss with Googles, Am soweee for calling U names and et al and seriously mehn, am realy realy sorry for bringing your Dad into this, I agree that was mean and desperate ( knocks himself on the head), . . You don't ve to appologize back if U dont wanna but hey, no hard feelings sister. . So am gonna extend this olive leave as a gesture to call for peace, so here goes the rubber latex for Peace. . . OMG WTF is in my hand. . .brouhahahahahahaha

Eldee seriously, you ve not said anything dramatic that should make me go butt naked and rolin on the floor convulsively like I got lafter seizure. . . All these nice guy replies are not your forte jare, your mouth too corrosive to make me believe this ya new fakey reputation. Abi na becoz that mofo that callz herself googles. . .scheeew?

EFCC, corruption, 2011 elections
Posted by John Abayomi on
September 6, 2010 at 1:00am
View John Abayomi's blog
Editorial
MRS. Farida Waziri, Chairman of the
Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, EFCC, must desist from
exceeding her powers, particularly
in relation to the 2011 elections.
She said “politically exposed
persons” (another term for political
office holders) whose cases of
alleged corrupt practices the EFCC is
prosecuting in the courts would not
be allowed to contest the elections.
Waziri, a retired senior police officer
and lawyer, knows she does not
have powers to stop anyone from
contesting elections, only the courts
can.
Her quick admission that these
persons are innocent by our laws
until they are convicted by courts
of competent jurisdiction does not
weaken her intention to set up a
toll gate for candidates.
“ With the brief on the cases,” she
told the media, “this is not violating
anything; we are just telling you
that we have these cases pending.
But once you publish a name that
this man is banned, it is a different
thing. But we cannot do that. How
we will do it along with others in
the best interest of the law and the
nation we will keep it as a strategy
for now. ”
Mrs. Waziri has long lost touch with
fighting corruption. She does not
need an election to fight corruption.
Her belated campaigns to rev up a
fight she has abandoned does not
have to taint elections everyone
expects to be free and fair.
A look at Mrs. Waziri ’s statement
shows she assumes only when
names of accused corrupt
individuals are published are their
rights violated. EFFC and law
enforcement agencies should not
abuse their powers by stopping
candidates from contesting
elections.
Cases former Vice-President Atiku
Abubakar severally won in court in
2007 to restore his rights as a
candidate proved beyond doubts
that EFFC must use its powers more
reasonably. No matter what
“ strategies” Mrs. Waziri has, the
target individuals are not dummies.
They hire the services of brilliant
lawyers and some of them are
even in positions that would clothe
them with immunity from
prosecution. They too have
“strategies” that might stun EFCC.
We support the fight against
corruption but it requires more
profound approaches than making
shallow and populist statements for
the benefit of the media. Mrs.
Waziri ’s main “strategies” appear to
be to serve politicians notice of the
importance of her office to the
elections. Her interest could only be
self-serving — she wants to keep
her office by seeming to be doing
something.
EFCC and other anti-corruption
agencies should focus more on
prevention of corruption than
prosecuting those who have
pocketed the proceeds of crime. It
takes more time and resources to
achieve one successful prosecution,
whereas it is easier to stop criminals
in their tracks. This is where the
services of whistle-blowers are
very essential. EFCC should
encourage people to expose those
who are conspiring to commit
crimes through many anonymous
means, and act on them as
expeditiously as possible. Is that
not how others fight corruption?
Many cases brought to the
attention of EFCC vanish from public
attention once Mrs. Waziri squeezes
all the public she can from them. A
case in point is the fraud Hon. Dino
Melaye's group alleged against
Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Sabiru Dimeji
Bankole. Is it among cases Mrs.
Waziri has warehoused for the
2011 elections?
EFCC cannot plan occasional frays
against corruption. The challenge of
corruption runs too deep to be left
until election time. We had thought
Mrs. Waziri knew this.

Government to overhaul port
clearance system
By Bassey Udo
September 6, 2010 12:20AM
print email S
The federal government is
considering the establishment of a
one-stop trade facilitation system
as part of effort to correct what it
calls “poor, unfriendly,
uncompetitive and uncoordinated
international trade and business
environment ” in the country.
A top Ministry of Finance source
said yesterday in Abuja that the
proposal is sequel to an inter-
ministerial report constituted by the
Federal Ministry of Transport to
explore prospects for a system that
will harness the country’s evolving
trade and investment potentials
towards improved capabilities.
Reviewing challenges
The report was compiled, and
submitted to government last June,
by a committee made up of
representatives from the Federal
Ministries of Transport and Finance,
Nigeria Customs Service, Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigerian
Ports Authority, Nigerian Shippers
Council, Nigerian Investment
Promotion Commission, Shippers
Association of Nigeria, Council for
the Regulation of Freight
Forwarding in Nigeria, and Terminal
Operators of Association as well as
Office of the Secretary of the
Government of the Federation.
The Committee was mandated to
review challenges associated with
the country ’s alleged
uncompetitive trade and
investment facilitation system and
identify modalities for the
implementation of an “integrated,
streamlined and coordinated
mechanism for trade and
investment facilitation. ” The
committee’s mandate also included
the articulation of a work plan for
the establishment of an electronic
one-stop mechanism as well as
recommend towards the
attainment of the objectives of the
port reform and trade facilitation in
the country.
Recommendations
As part of its key
recommendations, the committee
was said to have found the “single
window concept” attractive for its
proposed system, which it
described as “apt” and capable of
helping “streamline cargo clearing
processes/procedures” as well as
“bring about efficient service
delivery in the country’s port and
trade system.”
“Based on the committee’s review
of the various measures adopted
by several countries as well as
international best practice, the
decision to adopt the one-stop shop
approach, otherwise known as
Automotive Single Window
Mechanism in Ports Management,
cargo clearing and trade facilitation
in general, has become very
urgent, inevitable and
unassailable, ” the committee said.
But investigations at the weekend
revealed that the underlying
objective of the proposal is
ostensibly to convince the
government to set aside the
Automated System for Customs
Data, a comprehensive, integrated
information systems reportedly in
use currently in more than 85
countries around the world.
It was gathered that the system,
which the Customs Service has
been using in its operations since
1999, might disrupt the progress so
far recorded, as the system has
always proved helpful in facilitating
trade by strengthening the
Customs administrations ’ capacity
to accelerate clearance and
simplifies procedures through
computerisation.
One-stop shop
A senior official of the Customs
Service, who spoke on condition of
anonymity yesterday in Abuja said,
“ The one-stop shop being proposed
by the committee is already in
place in Nigeria on the e-trade
platform with all its requirements
for effective operation on ground.
It has adequate capacity to
interface with all stakeholders.
Like the CBN, Standards
Organisation of Nigeria, Federal
Ministry of Finance, National Bureau
of Statistics, licensed agents and
importers, etc. All that the NCS
[Customs Service] needs is the
cooperation of other stakeholders
to interface at no cost, since
government has already paid for
it. ”
The Comptroller General of
Customs, Abdullahi Inde, had told
reporters recently that his
management has in the last year
consolidated on the current e-
Customs system to promote
international best practices, pointing
out that apart from upgrading the
system to the Automated System
for Customs Data to facilitate the
clearance of goods at the country ’s
ports within a maximum of 12
hours, manifests, payment of
duties and notification to
government control agencies are
now done electronically.

EFCC discovers Rivers State’s
officials’ hideout
By Elor Nkereuwem
September 5, 2010 11:43PM
print email S
Some government officials in
Rivers State, who have been
declared wanted by the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC), have taken shelter in a
hotel, Eddytims Hotel, in the Mile 4
area of the capital city, Port
Harcourt, officials of the agency
said.
As at press time yesterday, EFCC
operatives were still in the process
of invading the hotel to arrest the
officials who are alleged to have
been part of a scheme to divert
local government funds to the tune
of N12 billion.
EFCC operatives, who spoke in
confidence with NEXT, said that
while a large number of the
indicted officials have fled the
state, some had been holed in the
hotel for some days now to avoid
being arrested.
“The hotel is owned by one
Timothy Nwosirim. He is the
chairman of Obiakpor local
government area and he is one of
the officials that the EFCC is looking
for, ” the EFCC official said
yesterday.
Protected by government
While the state governor, Rotimi
Amaechi, claims that the EFCC
operations is a witch hunt and an
abuse of court processes, some
reports say the EFCC has accused
the governor of shielding the
indicted officials.
The EFCC said that the commission
is not to blame for the leakage of
the intelligence report which led to
the escape of the indicted officials.
Rather, the agency put the blame
on the police and the state
governor.
“Rivers State is a volatile State so
when operatives are going there,
you must seek for support from
the local police. The police
commissioner must also inform the
governor before he sends his men
to support EFCC operations. So,
between the Rivers State police
and the state governor, those are
the people who could have
instructed the officials to flee, ” our
source said.
Femi Babafemi, the spokesman of
the EFCC, refused to comment on
the case.
“We are making progress in the
case. That is all I am going to say
about this, ” Mr. Babafemi said in
Abuja, yesterday.
All efforts to get a response from
the Rivers State government
proved fruitless.
The anti-graft agency says that it is
currently on cases of financial
crimes in virtually all the states in
Nigeria.
“Virtually all state governors in
Nigeria siphon local government
funds in collaboration with the local
government chairmen, ” an official
of the agency said.
“There is hardly any state in the
country that officials are not
indicted. We are taking them one
after the other. We are currently in
Kwara, Ogun, and Jigawa States, ”
he said.

Seun:
Are they trying to politicise their incompetence at website management?

. . . Seun, you own Nairaland and I am guessing you built the site yourself hence you probably have a mastery of web security technicalities. Hope you won't mind explaining to us besides the big use of technical jargons, in layman's terms, what you think is going on. I find some contradictions in Beaf's and Kobo's explanations, while Beaf blames the problem entirely on the lack of technical details like security when building the websites irrespective of the "host", kobo placed the problem more on the "host"- if they are in Nigeria, they are more likely to be attacked by almost any technically savvy internet user but outside might be quite difficult-implying that most Nigerian host do not know much abt cyber security like their counterparts in the US and Europe. However, I find that line of arguement a bit confusing because many of these Nigerian sites are not hosted here in Nigeria in the first place yet they are taken down by almost any hacker.
So what exactly is going on? Is it a case of politicians paying hackers and programmers to bring down news sites that are susceptible to just any attack or them going further to those host companies to lobby them to shutdown those sites( which I strongly suspect). Anyone can be compromised be you white, black or green( aliens. .lol).

toba:
[/quote][quote author=Kobojunkie link=topic=509101.msg6702332#msg6702332 date=1283706625]Most of these sites are not hosted in Nigeria, and so all the politicians can do is complain or try to pay hackers to hack them. Fortunately, hosting companies are intelligent enough to fight back. But legally, government has no right to shut down websites.

. . .that is the best explanation to the problem I guess. Sb was saying most of these news sites do not own the websites that they use, and most of them can easily be brought down by any good kid hacker. Am sure the problem is connected to the anti-IBB articles and news by some of these news sites. We are close to 2011 and everyone is playing very dirty.

Kobojunkie:
@Poster, are you sure you have your info from the correct source? The Nigerian government has NO RIGHT To shut down a website. No, it does not have that power and cannot do that.

. . .guys Am terribly sorry mehn, I made a mistake. I think the publication is old.
However, lately, some Nigerian news site including Sahara have either been shut down or rendered inaccessible. Anyone has any idea what is going on??

FG Shuts Saharareporters.com
Againstbabangida.com
For daring to write unpleasant
stories about corruption in Aso Rock
that has consumed a presidential
adviser, President Olusegun
Obasanjo is exerting his powers
across the borders, as his legal
team has succeeded in shutting
down the fiery Nigerian news site in
New York, Saharareporters.com.
Publisher of the web site, Omoyele
Sowore, sent out a message to his
readers this morning, telling them
of how the Federal Government
has been fighting his organization
for news stories about Andy Uba,
the president's friend and adviser,
who is alleged to have smuggled
thousands of dollars into the United
States.
It wrote: "As you must have
noticed, our dear websites:
www.saharareporters.com,
www.saharareporter.com,
www.saharareports.com
" has (sic) been shut down. Since
we published the story effectively
and undisputably linking President
Obasanjo to the Andy Uba money
laundering scam, he has used
every means available to get back
at us.
"You are all aware that he has
been using a lawyer based in
Maryland, USA to harass our
publication, but since we sent an
appropriate response
commensurate with his legal threat,
they are possibly up to other
tactics.
"First, our site was shut down on
the day we published the Andy
Uba story for two hours.However,
we restored the site as soon as was
possible. Yesterday, just as
President Obasanjo admitted to
accepting close $46,000 "gift" for
his Obasanjo Farms from Andy Uba
And Loretta Mabinton through his
"International Legal Counsel on
Persoanl Matters" Mr. Kunle
Fagbenle, our webhosting company
complained to us that our website
was 'abusing their server and using
their cpu at 100%' and as such had
to shut down SAHARAREPORTERS
because it was rendering others
sites on their server 'inoperable'.
"Again, these are technical jargons
that points to one direction only:
There is a conspiracy to put our site
out of existence.However, this will
not happen, as such we will be
working round the clock to resume
our activities online ASAP. We
seeek your understanding and
patience during this time and
seriously implore all lovers of
transparency, accountability and
good governance who may be
willing to share their technical
knowledge on how to reinforce our
online presence to please contact
us , Ultimately we will need our
own server and SAHARAREPORTERS
will appreciate possible suggestions
and dedicated support from our
teeming readers."
Andy Uba, a physiotherapist
formerly resident in the United
States of America, was appointed
by President Olusegun Obasanjo as
Special Assistant, Domestic Matters
in 1999. According to Daily Sun:
"Most Nigerians don’t know how
powerful Andy’s job is, they don’t
know how close he is to Baba, let
me tell you he is the closest to the
man, he is like the man ’s first child,
ironically those of us in Aso Rock
hardly know the man or how he
looks like, he just enjoys doing his
job and this is what has kept him
well over seven years. ”
His closeness to President Obasanjo
is what makes the corruption case
about him a problem for Aso Rock.
The fight against corruption by the
administration is now under assault
from within. The president's own
man is believed to be very corrupt.
Understandably, Obasanjo is
moving to stop the bleeding.
The story that got
Saharareporters.com in trouble with
the Nigerian government was
published on its web site on
November 5 under the title: "Andy
Uba: President Obasanjo's love-vendor
involved in money laundry in the
US-THE NATION"
This is the full report:
Three years after allegedly
smuggling thousands of dollars into
the United States, American Secret
Service (SS) agents may still be
after President Olusegun Obasanjo’s
Senior Special Assistant on Domestic
Matters, Mr Andy Uba.
And for allegedly using a
presidential plane to smuggle the
money into New York on
September 22, 2003, Obasanjo’s
plane may be impounded "over
illegal importation of bulk cash into
the US the next time it lands on
any territory where US law has
jurisdiction".
The President has visited the United
States several times since 2003.
Uba, who is described as a
"seasoned traveller" by a Special
Agent with the Department of
Homeland Security, Immigration
and Customers Enforcement (ICE),
Guy Gino, "remains under
surveillance whenever he steps
into the US for money laundering
and advance fee fraud."
Gino, who is assigned to investigate
the "Uba scam", was specially
trained at the Federal Law
Enforcement Training Centre in
Washington D.C. to "detect illegal
methods used to smuggle
contraband and other undeclared
items, use of schemes to conceal
and launder proceeds of financial
crimes, federal criminal procedures,
federal criminal statutes, US
customs laws and regulations and
other federal laws, including, but
not limited to, statutes involving
the bulk cash smuggling of United
States currency into the United
States."
The President’s Temperance Farm
in Ota, Ogun State is also under
investigation because "$45,487.28
(about N6.5 million) from the
laundered cash was used to buy
assorted farm equipment that were
shipped to Obasanjo farms in Ota".
The Nation
learnt that Uba (also known as
Emmanuel Nnamdi Uba with
address given as 772, Ibrahim
Taiwo Street, Asokoro, Abuja)
smuggled $170,000 cash into the
US on September 22, 2003.
The money, among others, was
illegally deposited in tranches at
various banks in Portland, Oregon.
Miss Loretta Mabinton, Uba’s friend,
was used as a front.
Uba had accompanied Obasanjo to
New York to attend a meeting of
the United Nations.
Not only was the Presidential plane
used to smuggle the cash, Uba did
not report the fund to US Customs
and Border Protection and "a
portion of the money was later
used to purchase a Mercedes Benz
Car for Uba at $91,262.50 (about
N12.9 million)."
"Another sum of $45,487,28 (about
N6.5 million) was used to pay
Mabinton’s MBNA credit card
account which had been used to
purchase assorted farm equipment
that were shipped to Obasanjo’s
farms in Ota."
It was gathered that Uba, who was
listed as a "previous subject of a
Nigerian Advance Fee Fraud
scheme investigation", and
Mabinton did not wire the cash
through banking transaction which
would have drawn attention to
"origination, source and
destination."
Because of the "strong belief" that
the laundered money must have
been proceeds of corruption, the
vehicle and funds from Mabinton’s
bank account were
administratively seized on the
orders of a US District Court of
Oregon on June 12, 2006 "being
proceeds of bulk cash smuggling,
violations of currency and
monetary instrument reporting
requirements, currency transaction
reporting requirements and money
laundering".
District Judge Malcom F. Marsh
gave the order. Uba and
Mabinton’s lawyer was Douglas A.
Stringer.
The Presidential aide hails from the
popular Uba political family of
Anambra. His elder brother
Ugochukwu is a Senator. His
younger brother Chris is the
"godfather" of Anambra politics.
Andy Uba has a governorship
ambition.
It was gathered that the money
used to buy the Benz was
converted to cashier’s check.
When interviewed by Secret
Service agents on November 6,
2003, Uba confessed to bringing
the cash to the US. He did not,
however, respond to the question
on why he refused to file the
Report of International
Transportation of Currency or
Monetary Instruments Report
(CMIR).
The Atlanta branch of the Secret
Service had previously suspected
Uba as being involved in money
laundering deals but in his defence
of December 20, 2004, he said the
money was part of his "savings
and family money".
To show the seriousness of the US
government, a serious warrant was
issued to seize Uba’s Benz. The
warrant was served by Gino on
Delmos Shipping on November 18,
2003.
"The vehicle had already been
shipped and had to be returned to
Portland, Oregon from Singapore.
The vehicle arrived in Portland,
Oregon on January 15, 2004."
On June 3, 2005, the customs said
Uba’s statement on his source of
money was not legitimate.
On April 4, 2006, Uba and
Mabinton’s lawyer Stringer filed a
"verified statement of Interest in
Defendant Property".
Another "Answer to Complaint,
Affirmative Defences and
Counterclaim against the United
States of America" was filed by
Uba and Mabinton on April 24,
2006.
On August 31, 2006, a move was
made by the duo to settle the
matter out of court.
On September 27, 2006 Judge
Marsh ordered:
"Based upon the Settlement
Agreement filed on August 31,
2006 between the United States
and claimant’s Loretta Mabinton
and Emmanuel Uba, and upon the
records and files in this action;
"It is ordered that this court has
subject matter jurisdiction in this
action and the sub res defendant, in
rem, $26,000 in United States
currency, is forfeited to the United
States of America, free and clear of
the claims of any and all persons,
including Loretta Mabinton and
Emmanuel Uba.
"The United States Customs and
Border Protection is directed to
immediately seize and transfer the
custody and possession of the sub
res defendant, in rem, $26,000 in
United States currency, to the
secretary of Treasury of the United
States for disposition in accordance
with applicable statutes and
regulations and provisions of this
judgment."
Gino, in a 21-page affidavit, said it
was not the first time Mabinton
would deposit such funds allegedly
on behalf of Uba at Electra Federal
Credit Union (EFCU).
"The vehicle registered in the state
of Oregon to Loretta Mabinton.
Seattle ICE (Immigration and
Customs Enforcement) agents
spoke with bank officials, who
informed the agents of recent
deposits by Loretta Mabinton
totalling approximately $200,000.
The bank officials also indicated
that several of the deposits
appeared to have been structures,"
he said.
EFCU officials, he said, reported that
they first observed suspicious
activity by Mabinton on September
2, 2003 when she structured a
deposit in US currency.
"On September 23, 2003, bank
officials told me that Mabinton
brought $160,000 in United States
currency to the bank in a purple
plastic grocery bag. The currency
consisted of 1,600 new $100 FRN
stamped with the phrase ‘AL
GULAM’.
"Mabinton opened a second
account in her name at the EFCU
and deposited the $160,000. Bank
officials advised me that Mabinton
added Emmanuel Uba’s name to
the account several weeks later,"
Gino said.
When a ‘freeze’ was placed on
Mabinton’s account, she on
November 5, 2003 contacted the
Secret Service, Portland, Oregon
President Office and spoke with
Special Agent Mark Kehoe upon
receiving notification of the frozen
funds.
She revealed to Kehoe that any
notes stamped with the words "AL
GULAM" came from a bank in
Nigeria that is used by her fiancée
Emmanuel Nnamdi Uba.
"Mabinton stated that she flew to
New York on September 22, 2003
and received $170,000 in United
States currency from Uba while at
the UN Plaza Hotel, Mabinton stated
that Uba had flown into the United
States with the currency on the
Nigerian President’s aircraft.
"Mabinton stated that Uba is the
‘Special Assistant to the President’
of Nigeria and that he was not
required to declare any currency if
he was flying on the President’s
plane.
"Mabintton stated that she needed
the $170,000 to handle Uba’s
personal/business affairs.
Additionally, he asked her to buy a
Mercedes Banz SL 500 with some of
the money and ship it to him in
Nigeria. Mabinton said she
deposited $160,000 into a joint
account with Uba at Electra Federal
Credit Union and deposited $10,000
into her own personal account,"
Gino said in the affidavit.
The special agent said since Uba
was not "an accredited diplomat
with the Nigerian government," he
has no official diplomatic standing
in the United States and even "if
the money had been transported
into the United States via a
diplomatic pouch, the money could
only be used for official purposes of
the government of Nigeria.

slyfoxxjoe:
^^^ who the hell i terry G that anyone who doesnt know him must be leaving in a desert? i know tons of people even within lagos whov never heard of him talkless of those abroad. not everyone has time for nonsense music u know?

. . .hahahahahahaha. . .lol. . Who cares what happens to that junky. . .

Chick98
nyama, those Lips you ve on your profile wall are damn irritating. .lol. . Are they supposed to turn one on? Lol. . .see tongue like kpomo. .