₦airaland Forum

Integrity, not money
Posted by: The Nation in Editorial 1 day ago
The plan by the Independent National Electoral
Commission(INEC) to spend as much as N92.9
billion in organising the 2015 general elections
has generated controversy among the populace.
Many have wondered why the commission that
had already spent so much on producing an
electronic voter’s register would need to spend
almost N100 billion again on election.
The INEC chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, told a
meeting of stakeholders in Abuja that a study of
the general elections in Africa showed that INEC
would be within the range of the cost across the
continent. He pointed out that the per capita
spending in Ghana’s last general elections was $
12. He said, in Kenya, it cost between eight and
nine dollars per head. At the proposed N93 billion,
it would cost the commission eight dollars per
voter.
This is indeed a huge sum given current
economic challenges faced by the country. Daily,
we are inundated with complaints of pipeline
vandalism, piracy and shortfall in oil production,
all translating to poor funding of the capital
budget. Poverty reigns supreme and
infrastructure is generally still in short supply in
all parts of the country. The government would
be best advised to be more frugal in its
expenditure.
It is our view that the debate should be about
what we derive from the elections. Has Nigeria
been better served since Professor Jega took over
as INEC chairman? It is on record that Nigerians
fought for financial independence for the
commission as the National Assembly reviewed
the relevant electoral laws before the 2011
general elections. Today, the commission’s
expenses are charged on the Consolidated Fund
of the Federation. It has full control of its budget.
But, elections since 2010 when the Professor of
Political Science, former Vice Chancellor of the
Bayero University, Kano, and renowned activist
took charge have not reflected the confidence
reposed in his team. The situation has become
worse since the last general election. The
governorship and by-elections conducted have
called to question the administrative capacity of
the INEC commissioners and the view that
financial dependence could have been
responsible for the poor conduct of the polls since
independence.
It is our view that merely throwing money at the
electoral commission would not solve the
problems at hand. It appears that the body either
does not know what to do or is already
compromised. As is demanded of the judiciary, it
is not enough for elections to be conducted and
results announced, the process must be
transparent and the mandate delivered clear. It
serves no purpose to conduct elections and still
wonder at the end thereof if the level of
malpractices could have warranted voiding it.
After the 2007 presidential election, the last
conducted by Professor Maurice Iwu, even the
Supreme Court found it difficult to say the
returned candidate actually won. It rather agreed
that there were monumental malpractices, but it
appeared to it that the pair of Alhaji Umaru
Yar’Adua and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan would still
have won were the poll free and fair.
The challenge at this point is for Jega to prove
those who have given up on him wrong by
conducting elections that would meet
international best practices and would make all
agree that the candidates returned won fair and
square.
The approval of N93 billion cannot do the magic.
The men at the helm of affairs in INEC must be
determined to satisfy Nigerians that they are up
to the task.

FROM THE INBOX
• A Letter by a Nigerian Student to the AK47
assault rifle inventor
Kalashnikov who dies at 94.
Dear Kalashnikov,
You made a good name by getting your name in
the world inventor's list, and you also did a good
job inventing AK47 ASSAULT RIFLE for security
purpose.
Sir, that same GUN of yours have been shared
between Security Operatives, Armed Robbers,
Terrorists and (wicked men who uses theirs to
frighten their neigbours).
The worst of it is that, it seems the Security Men
especially those in Nigeria do not know how to use
their own to combat crimes. In this situation, The
U.S had to be invited to help us of which we are
yet to get a good news.
According to a research I did personally, all the
time criminals were caught and arms were
retrieved, AK47 always have the highest number.
WHY??
I wasn't surprise to see you get as old as 94 before
you gave up the ghost, but the irony is that
PROMISING YOUTHS died and are still dying of this
rifle.
If only inventors can go back to the grave with
their inventions, I would have pleaded with you to
return with yours.
In Brevity, YOU HAVE DONE MY COUNTRY MORE
HARM THAN GOOD.
R.I.P
© Isyak Alex Adeiza

[quote author=Amya]@Op, you should be very scared indeed. Stuffs like this actually work.

I personally knew this lady (an identical twin) she and her sister were dating two friends. Her sister got engaged and later on married her then boyfriend.

Oga ooo,i am doomed

she is from akungba

DON_PHEZTURZ Sun 22 Dec 2013
My Ex-girlfriend Placed A Curse On Me, Should I Be
Afraid?
A young man is worried that the curse his ex-
girlfriend placed on him might affect his future.
Hear him:
"I had a girlfriend for over five years and she did
more than six abortions for me. Didn't think she
could have any children in the future that is why I
recently broke up with her.
Abeg I didn't want to waste time when I
eventually marry because
I'm the only boy in my family.
I heard she got naked and was swearing for me in
her compound.
Please does it work.
Can the swear catch me?"
Readers, what do you think?

Opinion Piece: Somebody Has A Problem With Christmas – The Origin Of Christmas ( PAGANISM FESTIVAL )
Please share your thoughts after reading. Do you agree?
Christmas is a holiday shared and celebrated by many religions. It is a day that has an effect on the entire world. To many people, it is a favorite time of the year involving gift giving, parties and feasting. Christmas is a holiday that unifies almost all of professing Christendom.
The spirit of Christmas causes people to decorate their homes and churches, cut down trees and bring them into their homes, decking them with silver and gold. In the light of that tree, families make merry and give gifts one to another. When the sun goes down on December 24th, and darkness covers the land, families and churches prepare for participation in customs such as burning the yule log, singing around the decorated tree, kissing under the mistletoe and holly, and attending a late night service or midnight mass. What is the meaning of Christmas? Where did the customs and traditions originate?You, as a Christian, would want to worship the Lord in Spirit and in truth, discerning good from evil.The truth is that all of the customs of Christmas pre-date the birth of Jesus Christ, and a study of this would reveal that Christmas in our day is a collection of traditions and practices taken from many cultures and nations.The date of December 25th comes from Rome and was a celebration of the Italic god, Saturn, and the rebirth of the sun god.
This was done long before the birth of Jesus.
It was noted by the pre-Christian Romans and other pagans, that daylight began to increase after December 22nd, when they assumed that the sun god died.
These ancients believed that the sun god rose from the dead three days later as the new-born and venerable sun.Thus, they figured that to be the reason for increasing daylight.This was a cause for much wild excitement and celebration. Gift giving and merriment filled the temples of ancient Rome, as sacred priests of Saturn, called dendrophori, carried wreaths of evergreen boughs in procession.
In Germany, the evergreen tree was used in worship and celebration of the yule god, also in observance of the resurrected sun god. The evergreen tree was a symbol of the essence of life and was regarded as a phallic symbol in fertility worship.Witches and other pagans regarded the red holly as a symbol of the menstrual blood of the queen of heaven, also known as Diana.The holly wood was used by witches to make wands.The white berries of mistletoe were believed by pagans to represent droplets of the semen of the sun god.Both holly and mistletoe were hung in doorways of temples and homes to invoke powers of fertility in those who stood beneath and kissed, causing the spirits of the god and goddess to enter them.
These customs transcended the borders of Rome and Germany to the far reaches of the known world.The question now arises: How did all of these customs find their way into contemporary Christianity, ranging from Catholicism to Protestantism to fundamentalist churches?
The word “Christmas”itself reveals who married paganism to Christianity.
The word “Christmas” is a combination of the words “Christ” and “Mass.
The word “Mass” means death and was coined originally by the Roman Catholic Church, and belongs exclusively to the church of Rome.
The ritual of the Mass involves the death of Christ, and the distribution of the “Host”, a word taken from the Latin word “hostiall” meaning victim!
In short, Christmas is strictly a Roman Catholic word.
A simple study of the tactics of the Romish Church reveals that in every case, the church absorbed the customs, traditions and general paganism of every tribe, culture and nation in their efforts to increase the number of people under their control.
In short, the Romish church told all of these pagan cultures, “Bring your gods, goddesses, rituals and rites, and we will assign Christian sounding titles and names to them.
When Martin Luther started the reformation on October 31st, 1517, and other reformers followed his lead, all of them took with them the paganism that was so firmly imbedded in Rome.
These reformers left Christmas intact.
In England, as the authorized Bible became available to the common people by the decree of King James the II in 1611, people began to discover the pagan roots of Christmas, which are clearly revealed in Scripture.
The Puritans in England, and later in Massachusetts Colony, outlawed this holiday as witchcraft.Near the end of the nineteenth century, when other Bible versions began to appear, there was a revival of the celebration of Christmas.
We are now seeing ever-increasing celebrating of Christmas or Yule, its true name, as we draw closer to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ! In both witchcraft circles and contemporary Christian churches, the same things are going on.
As the Bible clearly states in Jeremiah 10:2-4, “Thus saith the Lord, learn not the way of the heathen; and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven. For the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain. For one cutteth a tree out of the forest. The work of the hands of the workman with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold. They fasten it with nails and with hammers that it move not.”
So, what is wrong with Christmas?
1. To say that Jesus was born on December 25th is a lie! The true date is sometime in September according to the Scriptures.
2. Trees, wreaths, holly, mistletoe and the like are strictly forbidden as pagan and heathen! To say that these are Christian or that they can be made Christian is a lie!
3. The Lord never spoke of commemorating his birth but rather commanded us to remember the sacrifice of His suffering and death, which purchased our salvation.
Think about it! Can we worship and honor God by involving ourselves with customs and traditions, which God Himself forbade as idolatry? Can we convince God to somehow “Christianize” these customs and the whole pretense and lie of Christmas, so we can enjoy ourselves? Can we obey through disobedience?
So what is right about Christmas? 1. Nothing!

Mark’s comment ridicules Onosode – ASUU
October 28, 2013by Olufemi Atoyebi and Sodiq Oyeleke
Deacon Gamaliel Onosode
| credits: picasaweb.google.com
The Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities, University of Ibadan chapter, has condemned the statement of Senate President David Mark on the competence of those who negotiated the 2009 agreement with ASUU on behalf of the Federal Government.
The union said the Senate President’s remarks ridiculed the leader of the Federal Government’s team, Deacon Gamaliel Onosode.
It therefore demanded an apology for Onosode.
Mark had last Wednesday derided the government’s negotiators, saying ASUU took advantage of their ignorance.
“They (ASUU) found that those who were sent there (government negotiating team led by Onosode) simply didn’t know their right from their left,” the Senate President had said when the strike by ASUU came up for debate on the floor of the senate.
At the end of a congress held at UI on Friday, the chapter chairman of ASUU, Dr. Olusegun Ajiboye, asked Mark to tender an apology to Onosode, saying the elder statesman deserved respect from Nigerians.
He said, “Onosode is a man of proven integrity, and impeccable character. He deserves better than the colour painted of him by the Senate President. The Congress respects the personality of Onosode, an alumnus of the University College Ibadan, who has served as the Chairman of governing councils of UI and University of Lagos and a successful businessman who has served the country in various intervention capacities.
“The congress condemns these disparaging comments and demands that the Senate President apologises to this elder statesman. Can we actually trust these characters to midwife any intervention with a bias and myopic construction myth makes right? Where else in the world are senators earning bogus allowances as we have in the National Assembly? We challenge the Revenue Allocation, Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission to publish salaries and allowance of the senate president for Nigerians to see how patriotic he is to the true state of the economy.”
Ajiboye also asked the upper legislative house to be alive and sensitive to national issues, saying President Goodluck Jonathan, who was then the Vice President when the agreement with ASUU was signed, instructed the government team to sign the agreement.
He also said that Mark’s statement smirked of disbelief about his knowledge of national issues as he was already the head of the senate when the agreement was signed.
Meanwhile, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has sent a petition against the Federal Government to the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights over the ongoing strike by university lecturers.
The petition was sent to the committee through the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms Navi Pillay, on October 25, 2013 and signed by its Executive Director, Mr. Adetokunbo Mumuni.
SERAP in the petition described the inability of the government to honour its agreement with ASUU as a fundamental breach.
It said that though the government in 2009 agreed with ASUU to improve the governance structures and funding for the operation of universities across the country but that conditions of service for members of the country’s universities remained poor.
The group asked the UN Committee to “demand that the Nigerian government should urgently and fully implement its agreement with ASUU and ensure sufficient funding of universities across the country.”
It added, “The Committee should put pressure on the government to promote, protect and fulfil the right to education for the sake of millions of Nigerian children that continue to be denied this fundamental human right.
“As the UN Committee has stated, states must take deliberate, concrete and targeted steps as clearly as possible towards meeting the obligations recognised in the covenant. But the persistent refusal by the government to sufficiently fund the country’s universities, and honour its own agreement to ASUU is a deliberate retrogressive measure, and shows lack of good faith.”

Armoured cars: Jonathan bars Oduah from BASA signing ceremonyon October 28, 2013 at 12:55 am in News
By Soni Daniel, Regional Editor, North & Abdulwahab Abdulah
Embattled Aviation Minister, Princess Stella Oduah, will not be taking part in the historic signing of the Bilateral Air Services Agreement, BASA, with Israel today, Vanguard investigation has confirmed.
Oduah, who had left Nigeria for Israel ahead of Jonathan, is facing a twin-prong probe from the Presidency and the House of Representatives over her role in the acquisition of two overpriced armoured car valued at N225 million.
Oduah is said to have gone to Israel with the hope that she could use the opportunity of the visit to explain her position on the controversial car deal to Mr. President and take part in sealing the air deal with the country.
A DAY WITH JESUS—President Goodluck Jonathan (M) cutting a cake with the Presidential Pilgrimage Team after an Inter-denominational Church Service tagged “A Day With Jesus For Nigeria in Israel,” in Jerusalem, yesterday. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida
Competent sources said that the President had not given the minister any opportunity to discuss the issue with him since his arrival in the Holy Land last Wednesday.
The source explained that the Nigerian leader decided to keep the minister out of the signing ceremony because he did not want his visit to be overshadowed by the controversy surrounding Oduah.
One source said last night that it was in a bid to keep the minister away from the limelight that she was not given any visibility since Jonathan arrived in the country.
Competent Presidency sources told Vanguard that President Goodluck Jonathan was uncomfortable with the public outrage arising from Oduahgate and would not want to be seen as condoning corruption with the embattled minister on his side.
One source said: “The President is mindful of the fact that he has to project Nigeria as a country, which does not condone any form of graft and will not bring a tainted official of his administration to Tel Aviv for a serious event as the BASA signing ceremony.
“Before leaving for the Holy Land, the President had made it clear that the circumstances surrounding the purchase of the two armoured cars for the minister must be thoroughly investigated and a detailed report made for him to assure Nigerians and the international community that he does not tolerate any form of financial impropriety.”
The Oduahgate has split both the Presidency and members of the Federal Executive Council given the prime position of the minister in the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.
Both groups are divided on whether Jonathan should offload her from the administration or allow her to remain with the scandal triggered by the car deal imbroglio.
Sources said many ministers, who are apparently fed up with Oduah, are pushing for her removal from the cabinet, while those in her support think otherwise, blaming political enemies for her ordeal.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has said it has no documents regarding the purchase of the two controversial armoured cars purpotedly bought for the use of the nation’s aviation industry.
NCAA’s position was contained in a three paragraph letter adressed to the Falana and Falana Chambers in response to the request by the law firm asking for detailed information about the purchase of the cars.

N255m cars: APC accuses Jonathan of shielding Aviation ministeron October 28, 2013 at 1:00 am in News
By HENRY UMORU
The All Progressives Congress, APC, has said President Goodluck Jonathan may become an accessory to corruption if he continues to shield Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah, from the consequences of massive corruption and abuse of office over the purchase of two armoured cars at an inflated cost and without following due process.
In a statement issued in Lagos yesterday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said it reached that conclusion after juxtaposing the evidence that have come out on the scandal against the actions so far taken by the President.
It said: “It has now emerged that the money spent to purchase the armoured cars was not appropriated, which is a violation of the Nigerian Constitution; that due process was not followed in buying the cars, as the Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP, has testified, and that the Minister – who was said to have approved the purchase – violated the law by approving an expenditure over the N100 million limit.
President Goodluck Jonathan (2nd left) praying with other Nigerian pilgrims at the side of River Jordan, the place where Jesus Christ was baptised by John the Baptist, weekend.
“These revelations make the Oduahgate a straightforward case that should have been summarily dealt with by the President. Instead, he has engaged himself in a rigmarole by setting up a diversionary administrative panel in what is now looking like an orchestrated ploy to buy time, hoping this issue will die down and the minister will escape being sanctioned.
“Unfortunately for Mr. President, Oduahgate is not just another scandal, but a referendum on his administration’s fight against corruption, and on the legacy he intends to leave in this critical area.”
APC also accused the President of thumbing his nose at Nigerians, who have expressed outrage at the action of the minister, by approving for her to travel to Israel as part of his entourage.
The party said: “No one believes the dummy that is being sold to the public, that the minister was denied access to the President in Israel. The egregious act of putting the minister on his entourage, at a time she is at the centre of a terrible scandal, calls to question the President’s sense of propriety and commitment to the war against corruption.
“This indecorous action of making a minister who is under investigation for monumental corruption and abuse of office, one of the faces of Nigeria in a foreign land, is an embarrassment to the country and its people, and a further dent on the poor image of the Jonathan’s administration.
“We condemn it most whole-heartedly. We now understand why corruption has grown wings under the Jonathan Presidency, and why the administration may well go down as the most corrupt in the country’s history.”
It said through his body language, President Jonathan is sending a signal to his ministers that it is alright to be corrupt, wondering whether the President is aware of the joke making the rounds that there are five ‘Super Ministers’ in his cabinet whom he can neither sanction nor remove, irrespective of their actions, because they are the ones ferreting funds into his war chest for 2015.
In other words, any of his ministers whom he perceives as key to his re-election can even loot Aso Rock and get away with it!
APC said, “we do not know whether this is true or not, but we do know there is no smoke without fire, and that the seeming attempt to sweep Oduahgate under the carpet lends credence to the joke.”
The party noted that because of the President’s waffling in dealing with what is a straightforward case of corruption, misguided people have now resorted to crowd hiring to protest against the growing calls for the minister to be sanctioned over the scandal – a very sad case since those being hired for such disgusting protests are the real victims of the mindless corruption that has permeated the land.
It said, “these sponsored protests are just the beginning. Next, they will either engineer or hope that a spectacular violent attack, a la Boko Haram, will occur to take attention away from the scandal. They may also charge some out-of-luck folks to court over the scandal and then say they cannot act on the issue anymore because it is subjudice.”
APC said, however, that the party, as well as other concerned groups and citizens, are closely following the developments on Oduahgate, and will not allow it to be swept under the carpet, in the interest of the millions of Nigerians who have been consigned into the lowest rung of existence by a rapacious administration.
TAPAN ask Oduah to return cars to place of purchase
Meanwhile, an association under the aegis, Tax Payers Association of Nigeria, TAPAN, yesterday, urged the embattled Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah who is alleged to be involved in the purchase of two BMW bullet proof cars at N225 million, to as a matter of urgency, roll them to the place of purchase, just as it condemned the action, describing it as mind-boggling and a national embarrassment.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, National President, TAPAN, Mr Philip Thomas Ilukholo said, “if such a huge sum of money could be used to purchase two vehicles, it is a pointer to grand connivance between some public officers and unscrupulous contractors to loot the nation’s treasury. To this end, we call on the Minister of Aviation to roll those vehicles back because the distance from where the vehicles were purchased to the Ministry of Aviation is less than two kilometers. To us, we see that those vehicles have not be driven within two kilometers. Therefore, the way they rolled them to the Ministry of Aviation is how they should roll them back. This is our position.”

Diary: Train ride in Dubaion October 26, 2013 at 9:44 pm in Sports
By John Egbokhan
Governor Babatunde Fashola is attempting to build a train rail in the Badagry to Mile 11 axis of Lagos. The federal government is also attempting to revive the moribund train network in the country. But all these attempts are still works in the pipeline and Nigerians are skeptical that they will come to reality before their administrations run out of their time.
In a densely populated city like Lagos, where traffic snarls can make someone to miss a job appointment or business deal, the importance of train cannot be overstated.
Here in Dubai, they have gone a step ahead of the usual train plan that Nigeria is still planning to get. They use what they call underground metro, which is an unmanned train that spins around the bustling city that does not sleep.
The other day when we were trying to rush up to watch the Eaglets games against Iraq at the Rashid Stadium, we had to use the metro because taxis were hard to find. The return ticket cost 7 dirans per person. Once inside the metro, my friend from Sporting Life, Tunde, who resides in Owerri, was awestruck with the wonder of the ride, that he shouted aloud if we had reached our stop.
You would not blame him because it was his first time riding in a train, no metro and when he asked an Indian, where the driver of the train was, he was told it was unmanned, making him to stay speechless, wondering why his dear country was yet to take a cue from Dubai.
Cold in the desert
We are in the desert.
The United Arab Emirates is in the Arabian desert, which is naturally hot all day. But surprisingly, only the outside is hot. Once you are inside a mall, hotel or anywhere that has a roof, you would not know that you are in the desert. It is so cold in the rooms or cabs. A lot of noise is being made about Qatar, a neighboring country to UAE over the suitability of the weather conditions to host the 2022 World Cup. Our Group Sports Editor and my oga at the top, Onochie Anibeze, who has traveled to different parts of the world, insists that those raising hell over Qatar’s weather are not being sincere but merely playing the hate game after losing the hosting bid and after making a stopover in Doha, since I took Qatar Airways here, I can’t help but agree totally with the coach.
At the airport in Doha, I was amazed with what I saw. In short, we are yet to start. Due to what I read online, I was expecting to be greeted with an inclement hot weather in Doha, but when I got there, everywhere was cold. Even though we are in the desert, these people have perfected their acts to ensure that the air -conditioning system, which is not visible, was working perfectly, sending cold into the system. Qatar say they will make the stadium to be cool for footballers and fans and I bet you they will fulfill their pledge.
And in Dubai, the same is the situation. From the taxis to the malls to the hotels to anywhere with a roof, cold is the game.
The other day in our Al Massa Hotel abode, we were so taken aback with the cold conditions in the corridor that we all had to run for our dear lives into our rooms. Once in, we were further confronted with freezing cold conditions, which ordinarily in Nigeria, should be celebrated because of our hot weather but Aniette of the Pilot, was so shaken that he quickly put off the airconditioning switch.
I did not blame him because at that time, I had taken refuge under the blanket and when Aniette later told me to follow him downstairs, I bluntly refused, telling him that the cold in the corridors was ten times much that the one in the room. He had to stay back

Women who are more powerful than Jonathan
October 27, 2013 by Allwell Okpi
Powerful women in Jonathan administration
Since inception, President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration has been accused of impunity, usually caused by decisions and actions of the President, including those of his ministers and close associates.
Most of the glaring cases of abuse of power including reckless spending of taxpayers’ money have been carried out by the women in Jonathan’s cabinet. These women have proven to be more powerful than the number one citizen of Nigeria because despite public outcries that greet some of their decisions, they go scot-free.
Those who fall in this seemingly untouchable category are the First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan; the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke; the Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Ms. Arunma Oteh; and the Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah.
These powerful women have some things in common. They are all from the South-East and South-South geopolitical zones. Four of them had their higher education in the United States and two of them are daughters of traditional rulers. Needless to say they occupy some of the most strategic and ‘lucrative’ positions in the Federal Government.
PATIENCE JONATHAN
In Nigeria’s history, Patience Jonathan is believed to be the most powerful First Lady in terms of the amount of influence she has over her husband and his cabinet.
Mrs. Jonathan first gave a glimpse into the enormous power she wields in 2011 when she traversed the country, campaigning for her husband in a way that irked many Nigerians.
Several calls by individuals and groups to the President to restrain his wife yielded no result.
Also, in June this year, in apparent violation of the electoral act, Mrs. Jonathan reportedly started campaigning for her husband ahead of the 2015 elections.
Another show of impunity by the President’s wife is the way she cripples any town or city she visits with her long motorcade, including bulletproof limousines and scores of armed policemen.
She grounded Lagos in 2012 when she visited to say “thank you” to some women groups for their support in electing her husband.
Despite the protest by several Nigerians, who felt that their right to move freely in their country was violated by the movement of an unelected individual, the President’s wife was never cautioned, at least not publicly.
Instead, the Presidency rose to her defence, giving her the liberty to do more in other cities. Her visits and grounding of traffic in Port Harcourt and Warri were also greeted with wide condemnations.
To show how powerful she is, Mrs. Jonathan publicly admitted making attempts to dictate to the Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, a move that largely precipitated the ongoing political crisis in the state.
In Aso Rock, where she resides with her husband, the fear of Mrs. Jonathan is the beginning of wisdom as she leaves no one in doubt that she is in charge. There is always a retinue of favour seekers waiting to see her daily.
Mrs. Jonathan, a native of Bayelsa State, was born in Port Harcourt on October 25, 1957 and holds National Certificate of Education in Mathematics and Biology from the Rivers State College of Arts and Science, and a Bachelor of Education degree in biology and psychology from the University of Port Harcourt.
NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA
Right from when the negotiation to bring her from the World Bank started, it was obvious that Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was bound to wield so much power in Jonathan’s government.
With her position as the coordinating minister for the economy (a new position created for her) and Finance Minister, Okonjo-Iweala, who is currently 83rd on Forbes’ global list of powerful women, calls the shots as far as Nigeria’s economy is concerned.
While doing that, she has called the bluff of many including state governors and the National Assembly without any consequence.
The state governors, who have complained about the shabby way the minister treat them, have called for her removal while the Academic Staff Union of Universities has called her a ‘dictator.’ But no matter the protest, Okonjo-Iweala remains a darling of the President.
The sacking of Mr. Shuaib Yushau as the Head, Media and Information Unit of the National Emergency Management Agency, after he wrote what was considered a critical article against Okonjo-Iweala, further showed that the minister was not to be messed with.
The article entitled ‘Still on Okonjo-Iweala over Controversial Appointments’, published on March 6, called on the minister “to ensure that appointments into important positions should be done in credible and transparent manner that can withstand public scrutiny.”
Similarly, Mr. Lawrence Ani, was reportedly suspended indefinitely from his job as Saturday Editor of Thisday Newspaper for publishing a story that cited data that indicated a drop in Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product under Okonjo-Iweala’s watch.
In 2011, against the opinion of the majority of Nigerians, Okonjo-Iweala and the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, insisted on the removal of fuel subsidy, and literally ordered it on the outset of 2012, resulting in the Occupy Nigeria protest.
Okonjo-Iweala, who also served as finance minister and foreign minister under President Olusegun Obansanjo and as a Managing Director at the World Bank, was born on June 13, 1954 to Professor Chukuka Okonjo, who is the Obi (traditional ruler) of Ogwashi-Uku.
She graduated from Harvard University in 1977, and earned her Ph.D. in regional economic development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1981.
She is married to Ikemba Iweala from Abia State.
DIEZANI ALISON-MADUEKE
Virtually all sections of the Nigerian society have called for the resignation of the Petroleum Resources Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, all to no avail.
Most of those who sought her removal had cited several allegations of corrupt practices under her watch as reasons for their demand.
After the revelation of massive fraud in the fuel subsidy administration to the tune of N1.7trn, many had thought that heads would roll, including that of Alison-Madueke, who supervised the rot.
Some heads did roll, but not that of the queen of the Nigeria oil and gas industry.
Till date, the Presidency has not queried or probed Diezani over allegations against her and the indictment of departments under her by several panels, including those headed by Nuhu Ribadu, Farouk Lawan, and Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede as well as the Nigerian Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative.
Diezani has also not explained to Nigeria, whom she was appointed to serve, what role she played in the massive corruption that led to the loss of huge amounts of public fund.
Apart from the demands for the Alison-Madueke’s resignation and prosecution by civil society groups, who led the Occupy Nigeria protest, the House of Representatives also demanded her removal as minister.
Despite this, the President did not suspend her, and gave no explanation for that. This shows how powerful she is.
Alison-Madueke is the first woman to hold the position of Minister of Petroleum Resources in Nigeria, and in October 2010 she became the first woman to head a country’s delegation at the annual OPEC conference.
She was also the first female Minister of Transportation, and the first woman to be appointed to the board of Shell Petroleum Development Company Nigeria.
Alison-Madueke was born on December 6, 1960 in Port Harcourt.
She graduated from Howard University in 1992, with a Bachelor’s degree in architecture and returned to Nigeria to join Shell Petroleum Development Corporation.
About 10 years later, she earned an MBA from Cambridge University and was appointed as the first female executive director of Shell Nigeria.
In 1999, she got married to Admiral Alison Madueke (retd), one-time Chief of Naval Staff who was at different times military governor of Imo and Anambra states.
STELLA ODUAH
Not many are aware of the tremendous power of the Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah, in Jonathan’s government.
For her role in Jonathan’s 2011 campaign, she was reportedly rewarded with a ministerial appointment to the aviation ministry, even though she had no prior training in the field of aviation.
Many believe that the President feels indebted to her for her role as the Director of Finance and Administration of the Jonathan/Sambo Campaign Organisation and in the establishment of Neighbour-to-Neighbour outfit, which reportedly spent billions of naira on adverts and media propaganda in favour of Jonathan, especially while the Occupy Nigeria protest lasted.
Considering this relationship with Jonathan, it should not be a surprise that Oduah’s response to critics after the Dana and Associated Airlines crashes reeked of arrogance.
The latest revelation that she forced the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority to buy her bulletproof vehicles has again elicited calls for her removal and prosecution but considering the way the President has treated public outcries against these powerful women, Oduah is likely to remain minister till the end of Jonathan’s administration.
Princess Stella Oduah was born on January 5, 1962 to Igwe D.O. Oduah of Akili-Ozizor in Anambra State on January 5, 1962.
She got her Bachelor’s degree in accounting and MBA from American universities.
Oduah joined the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation in 1983 and in 1992, she established a petroleum products marketing company, Sea Petroleum & Gas Company Limited.
She was married to the former Minister for Works, Chris Ogiemwonyi.
ARUNMA OTEH
Through her battles, the Director-General of the Securities Exchange Commission, Ms. Arunma Oteh, has sufficiently earned the name ‘Iron lady’ even beyond her official sphere of influence.
When she clashed with the House of Representatives Committee on the Capital Market, it was the chairman of the committee, Mr. Herman Hembe, that got hurt.
The committee had accused Oteh of fraud and misappropriation of funds. She fired back, accusing Hembe of demanding bribe from SEC.
The SEC board suspended Oteh in order to investigate the findings of the lawmakers, who probed the capital market and indicted her. She immediately petitioned the President and Okonjo-Iweala.
After two months, the President returned Oteh to her position, following the auditor’s report that said her offence amounted only to ‘administrative lapses.’ The directors and staff of the commission, who had protested Oteh’s alleged high-handedness, were advised to calm down and obey their boss.
On the other hand, Hembe was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and also stepped down as chairman of the committee.
The crisis led to an intense battle between President Jonathan and the House of Representatives. The House demanded the sacking of Oteh but Jonathan refused.
The passage of the 2013 budget was delayed because of the fight. Eventually, the lawmakers insisted on zero budget for SEC to force the President’s hand, but he did not budge.
Calls for her removal by civil society groups also fell on deaf ears.
Oteh, who is an indigene of Abia State, is also a British citizen.
She graduated with first-class degree in computer sciences from the University of Nigeria in Nsukka and earned her MBA from Harvard Business School.

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No fewer than 100 buildings were demolished on Monday and countless persons displaced when the Ogun State Government embarked on its road expansion project.
The demolition, which began around 9am, affected structures on both sides of the Ojodu/Alagbole road at Yakoyo and the Sango/Ijoko road all the way down to Ogba-Ayo.
Shops, residential buildings and shanties were lost to the demolition which was carried out to clear structures within 22.7 metres from the road. It was said to have lasted well over six hours.
At Ogba-Ayo along Ijoko road, a shopping complex housing over 70 shops, two petrol stations and scores of residential buildings were destroyed. As of 4pm, Sango residents, whose buildings had also been marked for demolition, were seen hurriedly moving their valuables in preparation for the demolition that would continue on Tuesday (today).
Some landlords and few of the residents at Yakoyo, who spoke withPUNCH Metro,lamented the demolition of their buildings without adequate notice to prepare them for the exercise.
They alleged that the Governor Ibikunle Amosun administration did not compensate them or map out a resettlement plan for the people affected by the demolition.
The owner of a two-storey building at Yakoyo, Mr. Nuhu Aruwa, said he built his house with the money he had saved from 35 years service as an officer of the Nigeria Customs Service.
He said, “I have been living here for the past 26 years. I am a retiree and I manage a paint manufacturing company here. Early last year, the Bureau of Land and Survey came and marked our houses, saying it wanted to expand the road and that people should file their claims for compensation.
“We told them to let us know how they intend to compensate us. At least, my present house is worth N50m.
“Later in September this year, the ministry officials said we should await letters of acquisition and after we agreed on the value of our houses, we could move out.
“They said they would pay us first before we would move out.”
Aruwa, who hails from Kogi State, said he was awaiting the letter when he was told that his house would be demolished on Monday morning.
He said, “No kobo has been paid, no alternative has been provided and they now say I should move out. Move to where? Are we goats? We have children schooling here. Do we terminate their academic programmes? I have served this nation for more than 35 years. I am now retired, and they want to take all I have built in my whole life away from me.”
Another landlord, Mr. Moshood Yusuf, said he built his house in 1986 and caters for his15 member family with the money he makes from rents.
He said the state governor disappointed residents when he visited the area a day to the demolition, without interacting with the landlords to know how they felt.
He said, “The permanent secretary and governor came here yesterday (Sunday). Amosun merely walked with his entourage from Alagbole to Yakoyo Bus-stop without talking to anybody. And all he said was that work would start today and left.”
It was learnt that many of the landlords were confused because their buildings had been marked three different times.
A source said the state government had said initially, that it would only clear structures within 5.2 metres distance from the road. This was later increased to 13 metres and then 22.7 metres.
Many residents were caught unawares by the demolition and appealed for time to evacuate their property. Others protested the demolition and were seen making frantic calls to officials of the state government.
PUNCH Metroobserved that some residents were not at home when the caterpillar began pulling down some structures.
Around 9.30am, an officer from the Bureau of Lands addressed a group of landlords.
The unidentified officer said, “All I will advise you is that you should take the pictures of your property and take to the Bureau of Lands for documentation. The issue of forms and letters do not concern the governor. Once he comes and gives orders that work should begin, we must begin to work. If there is any report that nothing has been done, they could send in policemen and I don’t want that here. Just get evidence that you are the owner of the house.”
As the demolition continued, some of the residents wept.
A resident, Rukayat Moshood, said, “We didn’t know it would happen like this. It was too sudden. At first, we were told it would only affect the shops and a little part of the building. Then the governor came yesterday and said work would begin. We don’t know where we are packing to now; we have no idea.”
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, Kayode Ademolake, told our correspondent on the telephone that the residents were opposed to change in the state.
He said, “They were served two years ago and even in the last three months, we still reminded them. But you know that even if you give some people 1,000 years, they will still continue to be there. When development is about to take place, there will be resistance, so we are not surprised.
“No responsible government will however continue to watch a road that has been degraded for over 30 years without doing something about it.
“Some of these people don’t even have proper documentation for their houses, and yet the government is ready to compensate them for their losses.”

You can defect, PDP dares rebel govs
October 18, 2013by John Alechenu
National Chairman, PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur
The Peoples Democratic Party on Thursday said it would not compel any of its members to remain within its fold.
It said while it would prefer to dialogue with the aggrieved members to resolve any outstanding issues, it recognised that there was no compulsion in political party membership.
The party was reacting to a threat by some of the governors to defect to the opposition All Progressives Congress if the crisis within the party persisted.
National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, told our correspondent over the telephone that the party was a democratic institution made up of individuals who chose to be members on their own free will.
He said, “We want them to remain in the party. We will want to work with them and resolve our issues; but we are in a democracy and in a democracy membership of a party is a choice freely made.”
Metuh however declined further comments when asked to speak on the state of the peace process which was suspended on October 7, 2013.
Adamawa State Governor Murtala Nyako had on Wednesday hinted that he and his six other aggrieved colleagues might defect to the rival APC unless the Tukur-led executive of the party changed its ways.
He told a delegation of APC stalwarts who paid him a courtesy visit in his residence that he admired the party’s structure and the focus of governors under its platform.
Nyako was quoted by his Director of Press, Ahmad Sajo, as saying he abhorred the injustice and impunity that were going on in the PDP.
The governor said, “These are the reasons (injustice and impunity) why we may have to dump the PDP, if they will not change their ways.
“We may definitely be pushed to the warm embrace of the APC because there is so much injustice in the PDP. “
The seven aggrieved governors of the PDP are: Sule Lamido (Jigawa); Rabiu Kwakwanso (Kano); Rotimi Ameachi (Rivers); Babangida Aliyu (Niger); Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara); and Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto).

If Demons Could Talk By Ikechukwu Mbachu
Posted: October 16, 2013 - 21:47
Ikechukwu Mbachu
By Ikechukwu Mbachu
I had a funny and telling experience last two weeks. My Cameroonian friend woke me up with an early morning phone call, his voice strained. I ruminated on what will necessitate such an early call and asked him what the matter was, expecting him to unleash one tale of horror or happiness, He did neither; instead he started asking for directions to a particular church in Nigeria.
I was flabbergasted and sightly angry and could not help but flippantly ask him if he didn't know I am not a church goer. He then told me that indeed it was a serious matter. How serious was the matter? I asked, did anyone die? No. Is any one in a great deal of danger? No. Is anyone sick? Yes and No, He answered, I asked him who the sick person was, because having seen him the previous day, I knew if anyone was sick, it was most probably not him, He told me, he is not sick, that it was his brother in Cameron who was sick. I then asked him the nature of the ailment, he launched on a tirade of nonsensical statements about his brother been troubled by demons and other malevolent spiritual forces; all the symptoms he mentioned simply described a schizophrenic and I told him so. I advised him to take his brother to a psychiatrist for proper care. He would have none of that, instead he placed all the blames on the table of spiritual attacks from several imaginary and perceived physical cum spiritual enemies. Since I was in no mood to argue, I decided not to embark on the arduous task of vitiating his views. I simply accepted, but wondered if there was no church in Cameron that could perform the “deliverance” as he kept on calling it that he needed to travel all the way to Nigeria for this ritual.
He then told me how enamored he was by this Nigerian pastor and his great spiritual powers, such that he knows that at the sight of this man all the demons troubling his brother will disappear. I was impressed by the absolute faith and had to ask him what made him feel so sure about the powers of the man. He said “my brother you never see anything” I said “anything like what?” He called the pastor's name, only then did he tell me what convinced him to come to Nigeria to see the pastor. He told he just watched a clip of the man's antics on YouTube. I promptly replied I am used to seeing poor people visit the man for deliverance and I felt it was simply an indication of the parlous socio-economic state of the nation. I also mentioned hearing different tales about an ex-Super Eagles star's encounter with the man. My friend told me those were small fries, I told him I also know about the Presidents and former Presidents who has visited him for different reasons. Suddenly, my friend, blurted out “do you know Mij Ekyi?” (names changed) I said “yes” “He has just been delivered in this church” He said. I shouted in absolute surprise, “you don't mean it!” He simply directed me to a website where I saw a topnotch Nollywood star act out the best script of his life. Personally, my view is that apart from the mistake about his shoes, since I started watching his flicks, this was his best performance so far. After watching the charade of a deliverance, a puerile circus show and classic exercise in spiritual abracadabra. I could not help but ask some questions.
I thought when it comes to matter of demons, only the poor cry, I never knew the rich also cry. Seeing a respected Nollywood star wallowing in a spiritual stupor left me wondering. Why do Nigerians still believe such fairy tales? If an exposed and enlightened actor can take part in the odious display of religious chicanery, what would the commoners do? Is the kind of mindset that will develop the nation?
Is Nigeria the headquarters of demons of the world? From the number of posters and programs on exorcisms, deliverance etc, it would be safe to say that Nigeria has the highest number of demons in the world. There is no kind of demons that these charlatans have not claimed to have power to exorcise,just name the phenomenon and there is a demon for it in Nigeria. It is only in Nigeria that I have heard of exam-failure demon, pregnancy-stopping demon, bloodsucking demon, poverty demon, asthma demon, disappointment demons and plenty more. The way these charlatans talk about demons makes it seem like the Nigerian airspace is full and cluttered with them and these demons might pretty soon start dropping on us from the sky.
I thought our major export product was oil, when did it religious imbecility become our major export? I am not against Nigerian religious leaders using religion to make money or using it to earn foreign exchange, since religion itself has become a major form of tourism, however their modus operandi need not be so crude and so outdated.
The unfortunate and amazing part of thing is that while the number of programs on deliverance and people who claim to possess the power to chase out demons keeps increasing astronomically, the number of demons shows no signs of reducing, if anything they are growing in numbers.
Truth be told, the total and absolute belief of Nigerians in demons borders on ignorance. It is ignorance and poverty that makes makes most of them believe in these spiritual gobbledygook, hocus pocus and balderdash. However, I am not surprised at the ignorance of the many. Like the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer sarcastically asked, "if gold rust what shall Iron do?" If highly education, exposed and enlightened rulers can blame spiritual forces for all our woes, what would the commoners do? Is it not in the same Nigeria that Ministers of Power (past and present) openly and shamelessly blames demons and other evil esoteric forces for the energy problems in Nigeria.
Is it not the same Nigeria where a former minister of aviation and the present minister of aviation have engaged themselves in war of words on the cause of frequent air crashes in the nation. As educated as we are should this argument rise at all? Should educated people be discussing the spiritual forces responsible for air mishaps?
Is not the same Nigeria where politicians blatantly rig elections and claim God gave them victory?
Is it not the same Nigeria where some members of the national Assembly are planning a national day of prayer to stop air crashes in the country? They forget the golden maxim, “ Heaven help those who help themselves” Nigerians, especially the leaders refuse to understand that even if spiritual forces played any role in these matters, they can do little to help us because we have tied their hands with our actions and conducts.
All these talks about demons, witches and wizards is symptomatic of the high level of frustration and hatred in the land, it is an outpouring of the ill-feeling pervading the land. Are not ashamed of ourselves? We need to ask ourselves what is wrong with us. Why are these demons not in Germany, Japan, Finland and other developed countries? Is it that they fear the people of these country or what? Why are they only found in places riddled with poverty and corruption such as Nigeria, The truth be told, the only demons we need to deliver ourselves from are the demons of corruption, demons of mismanagement, demons of laziness, tribalism, nepostism etc. And if we are waiting for esoteric forces to exorcise these demons in us, we will be waiting for the proverbial Godot. Methinks it's time we begin to tell ourselves the truth, we often resort to blaming esoteric forces for our misfortunes because we are afraid to accept our weaknesses and failures. We are afraid to face our our problems headlong, we are afraid to face our problems pragmatically and analytically.
My question to the charlatans is why is they always find it easy to cast out personal demons, but almost impossible to tackle the national demons harassing the nation. Is it that there are no national or regional demons in the country? In the wake of the numerous disasters in recent times; I doubt if any of them will deny the existence of such demons. What are these exorcists doing to send these demons to the bottomless pit? It seems they are only good in exorcising imagined, concocted, and non-existent personal demons while the real demons are busy ravaging the land. I wonder why there is so much concentration on spiritual and supernatural demons in Nigeria while the real demons continues to ride roughshod over Nigerians.
I know people will ask what real demons I am talking about; Well, the answer is not far-fetched, I am talking about the demons of Boko Haram, the demons of endless academic strike, the demon of kidnapping, the demon of armed robbery, the demon of accidents (road and air) the demons of early child marriage, the demon of erratic power supply and countless other demons in the land. These are the real and tangible demons plaguing Nigeria not some invented demons.
It is demoralizing to hear most Nigerians in high and low places adduce most socio-economic problems to demonic forces. I know exactly what the demons (if they existed) would be thinking and saying to Nigerians if they could talk.
They would tell Nigerians they are not responsible for the all heinous crimes committed by that noxious and murderous group who says western education is evil. They would tell Nigerians that the activities of the murderous bands have nothing to do with them, but more to do with the resolve of some disgruntled urchins to make the nation ungovernable for the president.
If demons could talk, I am sure they will be telling Nigerians they are not responsible for the interminable strike keeping most Nigerian students at home,they would be screaming at Nigerians to ask their Presidents, and his minister of education why they can't keep to their part of the agreement with Academic Staff Union of Nigeria.
If demons could talk, they would be pointing accusing fingers at the bad roads, careless drivers, arbitrary police check point, badly maintained vehicle for the incessant road mishaps in the country. They would tell Nigerians who call them blood sucking demons and accuse them of been the architect of fatal accidents that if the roads were good, the drivers careful, regulations followed to the latter, if the vehicles were regularly maintained, their blood sucking activities will be reduced to the barest minimum.
If demons could talk, they would tell the President, the governors, the senators, the ministers and the pastors blaming them for all the problems in the nation that they are been very economical with the truth. They would tell them that most of the problems in the country is not caused by demons but by bad rulers.
If demons could talk, they will be telling Nigerians that most of the diseases attributed to them have natural causes, they would be telling Nigerians to stop falling prey to charlatans who are simply on one mission, namely, to hoodwink the vulnerable using their ignorance.
If demons could talk they would tell Nigerians they are not responsible for the billions been looted from the nation treasury in the name of corruption. They would ask Nigerians to hold their President, Governors and lawmakers responsible.
If demons could talk, they will tell Nigerians demons and spiritual agents have little or no role to play in the development of a nation. They would tell Nigerians that most developed nations are not spiritual, They would tell Nigerians most developed country decided to stop dancing to the gallery and decided to face their problems squarely and pragmatically. Nigerians should stop using spiritual forces as excuse for their failures, their inadequacies, their laziness, their shortcomings, their flawed mentality, their “mumuism” They should stop invoking supernatural deities for every of their problems. Most of our problems in Nigeria are not super natural, they are natural and should be solved naturally with our nature given intellects. If only demons could talk, they will have a lot to tell Nigerians!
Ikechukwu Mbachu
Brandenburg Technical University, Cottbus, Germany

Stop celebrating mediocrity, Facebook fans tell PDP
October 17, 2013by Temitayo Famutimi
1 Comment
The Peoples Democratic Party has come under heavy criticism for giving the Federal Government a pass mark on the state of Nigerian roads.
Our correspondent who visited the Facebook page of the PDP on Wednesday observed that the ruling party posted the picture of a well lit section of Kubwa Highway in the Federal Capital Territory on the social network, while it basked in the euphoria that the majority of Nigerian roads were motorable.
The caption it attached to the photograph read, “Can you guess? Don’t go too far. This is Kubwa Highway in the FCT, once a single lane, notorious for its traffic gridlock. Who said PDPno deywork?”
However, the self-admiration of the party has attracted angry reactions, as some Nigerians faulted its claims. The PDP Facebook followers who disagreed with the claim said the party should be ashamed of itself for rolling out the drums over a single road, out of the many other roads in the country still begging for attention.
In the comments, Nigerians lamented that many federal roads were dotted with potholes, many of which, they said, had started graduating into craters.
A particular Facebook fan of the party, King Babalola, asked PDP to stop deceiving its followers on social media.
“The Peoples Democratic Party is really doing well. Just as you put the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway in good shape in 14 years?Papa Deceiving Pikinpolitical party.
“Why should the Federal Government, which the PDP produced, be jubilating over the repair of what is not up to one per cent of the roads in Nigeria in 14 years? The PDP should be reminded that I lost my mother and sister to poor medical service being rendered to the citizenry.”
Another fan of the party, Sani Ibrahim, accused PDP of being out of touch with the reality in various parts of the country and urged it to bury its head in shame for putting such information on the social media space.
“So, you (PDP) are proud to display a single road in one area council in Abuja, out of all the 774 local government areas in the country? Aren’t you ashamed? Much is expected of the Federal Government, which has a good concentration of our economic potential.”
Some Nigerians who appeared embittered with the PDP’s claim argued that the PDP-led FG had failed the citizenry, not only in terms of provision of motorable roads but also in terms of dearth of critical infrastructure necessary for national development.
A respondent, Umar Musa, on the PDP Facebook wall, wrote, “With the strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, epileptic power supply and a host of other problems, it’s clear that the PDP-led Federal Government has been failing us. In fact, the PDP has failed us totally.”
Disagreeing with the PDP’s claim, a Facebook user, Chizzy Agbasi, argued, “So,building road na achievement! Soon, you will tell us that sinking bore-hole and paying cronies illegal fees are achievements. We need capacity development of our institutions, so they can deliver quality services and not hero-worshiping of individuals and parties.”
But the PDP has dismissed its critics and promised that it would not engage in a social media campaign to deceive Nigerians. It said the nation had “achieved a lot in the past 14 years under the PDP.”
It stated, “This (Kubwa Highway) is just one of the numerous federal highways that has either been rehabilitated or constructed. We hope some of you are aware that the once notorious Benin-Ore Expressway has been rehabilitated, and that Onitsha-Owerri road is fully dualised. So also are Asaba-Benin Expressway and the Kano-Maiduguri highway.
“Nobody is deceiving you. The nation has achieved a lot in the past 14 years under the PDP, but that does not mean we have reached thePromised Land. There is still a lot to be done. You will agree, however, that all could not be accomplished in less than two decades.”
Also, a cross-section of PDP followers on the social network explained that despite the criticisms it received on social media, the party is a better choice than many of the opposition political parties.
One Felix Joseph-Osaeghemede argued, “PDP is like the proverbial familiar devil. I feel safe in their hands than all this gang of outlaws calling themselves opposition.”

FCT Minister’s birthday adverts »Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Abdul kadir Mohammed, clocked 55 years. There were congratulatory advertisements as is typical of Nigerians even when there is no epochal thing to celebrate! Apart from favour-seeking brands and patrons, there is nothing significant about 55, ideally, and especially for a below-average public servant to warrant an outpouring of undeserved encomiums on newspaper pages.
There is nothing wrong if people or companies decide how, where, when and on what they spend their money. Nobody can legislate on that, but such expenditures should not offend public sensibilities because of their obscenities. It is even worse and scandalous when different arms of government and public institutions indulge in such travesties as often happens here. As you probably know, most of these vaingloriously congratulatory advertisements are sponsored by the celebrators.
One of the banal and sycophantic advertisements that attracted my attention was the one placed by Yahaya Amfani, Chairman/CEO, Yallam Press Ltd. (Security & General Printers), as published by THISDAY. October 5, Page 12 and partly reproduced here for analysis, excluding the ungrammaticalities: “Hurray! the (sic) Instrument of President Jonathan’s Transformation Agenda is 55 Today (sic)” (headline)
Now the message: “It is hardly believable that you are 55, going by your drive, passion and commitment to service which gets stronger and stronger by the day. The gradual transformation of the FCT under your leadership symbolizes President Jonathan’s Transformation Agenda and obviously….
“Yallam Press Ltd heartily rejoices with you today as you mark your 55th birthday, while sincerely appreciating the patronage of the FCT administration under your leadership as has (sic) been with previous successive (sic) administrations. We use this medium to assure you of our readiness at all times to offer high quality security and general printing services at affordable costs to your ministry and all its Parastatals (sic).
“We wish you many more years of achievement and fulfillment (sic)….” I find some aspects of this unethical advertisement offensive because of copious improprieties and particularly annoying is the brazen solicitation for patronage by the advertiser as contained in the second of the three-paragraph document. As a business concern, decency demands that its chief executive should show decorum in publicly congratulating a benefactor—a government functionary for that matter—and, hold your breath, shamefacedly asking for more patronage! This is utterly patronizing, pedestrian, preposterous, cheap and indecorous. It will only happen in Nigeria where corporate governance is very weak and best institutional practices are non-existent. In fact, basic organisational code of conduct is like a perfunctory rhyme!
Now, tell me, is it possible for this advertiser not to clinch most, if not all, of the security and general printing jobs in FCT and its agencies? Let us not tomfool with the idea of a public tenders’ board or other such mandatory internal and external mechanisms for the vetting (evaluation) and award of contracts. All it takes is for the FCT minister in this instance (and indeed any other minister) to be interested in a particular outfit and the rest is sheer formality!
Nothing would have been repulsive if the advertiser in question had merely felicitated with the minister and left the beggarly and unwholesome aspect of ingenuously asking for continual patronage. It is improper, demeaning and impugns on the integrity of both the company and the minister. As far as this dimension is involved, there cannot be competitive bidding, fairness, and transparency in matters concerning security and printing jobs in the FCT Ministry. And possibly in other areas where the praise-singers were clever enough not to disclose their relationship with the Kauran Bauchi or asking for contracts unprofessionally in the public domain (the media) from a government establishment that has guidelines and procedures for such transactions.
The point is that Nigerians have been so traumatized by insecurity and poverty that this kind of untoward effrontery and the abuse of administrative processes are not issues they will expend energy and precious time on. In any case, there is an erosion of integrity, character and value in our country that the things we held in esteem in the past are now foot-mats! And to compound our degeneracy, the supersonic velocity of ugly developments in the society is such that each day has enough tribulations for us to bother about let alone yesterday’s or tomorrow’s occurrences. We just move on from one fatalistic disaster to another official scam.
The sleaze in the oil sector alone, insurgency, terrorism, kidnapping, banditry, maladministration by all tiers of government, holistic infrastructural decay vis-a-vis educational backwardness, deficient public healthcare, energy challenges, collapse of road networks, general insecurity and the 2015 do-or-die electoral battle that ignores the evaporative nature of life optimally engage Nigerians endlessly and despondently as to have time for retrogressive and inimical advertisements by sham contractors!
If, as the advertiser wants the gullible public to foolishly believe, it is true that the FCT Minister is ‘the instrument of President Jonathan’s transformation agenda’, it only removes any doubt on the leadership lethargy and incompetency ravaging this country. With all the drawbacks in Abuja, for its rudderless minister to be a transformative channel is a testament to President Jonathan’s motion without movement that has haplessly characterized his government. There is nothing happening in Abuja that can confer any change symbolism on Senator Mohammed. The FCT administration is systemically worsening while the senator’s predecessors’ milestones remain nostalgic hallmarks of service.
Nobody should delude themselves that because of the special relationship between the minister and the President on account of the minister’s justificatory and supportive role in the senate in the turbulent period preceding President Jonathan’s eventual inauguration and circumstantial appointment of Mohammed as a recompense makes him ‘the instrument of President Jonathan’s transformation agenda’.
Which transformation? Where? How? It is like saying that because of the parallel government being run by delectable Dizieani Alison-Madueke, the untouchable Petroleum Minister, she should be regarded as the best oil minister Nigeria has ever had! Have you noticed that all the ministers and other appointees who have ‘special relationships’ with President Jonathan, surprisingly, are not doing well at all?
The balderdash about Mohammed’s commitment to service is laughable. If a privileged and favoured minister in a country of 160 million people cannot be diligent and passionate about his national assignment, I wonder what else the person should be doing, especially in a regime of shambolic performance bond.

Amaechi should wise up

Blimey…this was unreal at times
By Walter Broeckx
So the last word that was out was that Arsenal only played little teams so far and thus our league position was flattering. Now in a way this is rather disrespectful towards that former Middlesex team but who are we to count them as a better team in the PL if the pundits see them as not a big test for Arsenal.
So here came Naples our way. One of the teams on top of the Serie A in Italy. Now we would see what Arsenal was worth. Well I think we have seen what we are worth.
First the teams out and there we see the genius of Wenger once again who last season did a few things with Ramsey like playing him out of his natural position. And you will remember the criticism Wenger got for that and Ramsey also. But today we have seen the result of playing a player out of position. Ramsey was playing for a big part as a right winger and man did he deliver. Gnabry and Wilshere were given a spot on the bench and Rosicky made his return and Arteta took up his spot in midfield so we saw the first time Flamini and Arteta playing together.
The returning players showed some rusty moments in this game but the only way to get match fitness is by playing games. Rosicky in particular was a bit unlucky and can do better and will be better. On to the match itself.
If I hadn’t known it was Arsenal it could have been the best Barcelona team from a few years ago. Napoli weren’t allowed to touch the ball at all in the opening minutes of the game. Arsenal played the ball around with pace and precision and made the Naples players run behind the ball that was kept out their reach.
Özil is the player that we were all hoping for to shine I think and my God what a performance. Sagna to Giroud who covered the ball and lifted it over his defender and released Ramsey on the right flank. And like a real winger (this is what having played there before gives you) he saw Özil coming completely unmarked. And with an inch perfect cross he set up the ball for the onrushing Özil. Now the way Özil took his shot was amazing to see. It was as if he was walking on the beach and with what looked an amazingly soft movement with the leg and an unseen ease he shot the ball in the top corner.
WHAT A GOAL! The build up, the cross, the shot…. can it become more perfect? Özil is now on the score sheet and what a wonderful strike that was.
But Özil is more famous for his assists. So before the first 15 minutes were gone he showed his class once again. A combination on the flank between Giroud and Özil after some bad defending from Naples and Özil was running in the penalty area on the right side of the field. Giroud came rushing towards goal and Özil with an amazing precision placed the ball between 3 Naples defenders right in the path of Giroud who let Reina no chance at all. 2-0 and Arsenal complete in control.
Such an early lead can bring two things. Arsenal could lean back and Naples could try to come back at us and start to attack us. Well I have never seen Arsenal dominate a top team like they did today. The ball was ours and we didn’t give them the ball at all. And when by accident they got the ball all our players were like buzzing bees around the Naples player forcing them to errors and make them lose the ball.
Our dominance was that big and the Walloon (South Belgium) TV people were lyrical about Arsenal. So was I. And I think most of you.
The second half showed the new Arsenal. The Arsenal that leans back and tells the other team: so let us see what you can. And maybe my memory is not that good anymore but was there really one moment where we had our heart in our mouth? I really can’t remember one.
So Naples got the ball and we just sat back and all we allowed them was some harmless shots from distance. Szczesny was having one of the easiest CL games of his career I think.
We could have scored a few more goals but well 2-0 against Naples was more than good enough for me. This really was a fine and strong performance against a team that is going for the title in Italy and that on paper has lots and lots of talents. We cancelled them out completely.
6 points after 2 games. Top of the PL. Top of the CL group of death. My boy, what more can you ask for? Another win next Sunday maybe?
Blimey, this was a great performance…..

Politics: The journey of a struggling giant
October 1, 2013 by JOHN ALECHENU
In this piece,JOHN ALECHENU goes down memory lane to recall some of the political developments which has shaped Nigeria into a 53 year old struggling giant
Long before the British colonial rule, some 250 ethnic nationalities lived in hitherto distinct geographical areas.
From the mangrove forest in the South to the semi-arid desert of the North, these ethnic nationalities formed trade alliances and developed systems of administration they felt suited their needs.
Wars were fought over territory but trade amongst the people survived throughout these conquests.
All that changed as the British; which became the dominant trading power across West Africa, decided to take direct control of the source of labour and raw materials for its industry.
Lord Luguard who superintended over its interests in the Southern and Northern protectorate, fused the two in 1914 for administrative convenience.
Thus Nigeria was born.
After World War II and growing level of consciousness, Nigerians armed with western style education led the clamour for independence.
Nationalists such as Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sir Ahmadu Bello and Nnamdi Azikiwe became some of the most vocal.
Precisely on October 1, 1960 the British capitulated and granted Nigeria political independence.
Since then, it has been mixed grills as opinion continue to differ as to whether real progress has been made after the country’s quest for self rule became a reality.
It did not take long after the physical departure of the British before cracks in the polity began to manifest. After less than six years of civilian rule, the military began its long and unwelcomed foray into politics.
On January 15, 1966, mutinous soldiers led by officers from the predominantly Igbo ethnic nationality from the South East, killed prominent political figures from the Northern Region and the Western Region.
Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sir. Tafawa Balewa, Chief Samuel Akintola and Chief Okotie Oboh along with several military officers especially those from the north were also killed.
The aftermath of this action and events which followed, led to Nigeria’s three year civil war which led to the death of over 1 million Nigerians.
After several years of military rule Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1979 that administration lasted for only four short years before the military struck again.
General Mohammadu Buhari and Brig. General Tunde Idiagbon took over power they were however ousted via a palace coup which General Ibrahim Babangida headed.
A leading Nigerian journalist, Dan Agbese, said in his book: Nigeria their Nigeria: “Nigeria, like the old France, is a patchwork of ethnic nationalities, some of whom live ‘in distinct geographical areas’ and all of whom speak different languages.
“If it took a revolution to create the French from a multiplicity of ethnic nationalities, one wonders what it will take to create the Nigerian from a similar patchwork of nature.”
His argument stemmed from the fact that while the French succeeded in forging a French nationality through a bloody revolution, attempts by several of Nigeria’s rulers from 1960 to date appear to achieve a similar feat under different guises, appear to have been an enterprise in futility.
The military, he argues, “did not bulldoze the 250 ethnic nationalities into something sufficiently neutral called the Nigerian. They bulldozed thefour regions into 36 states and 774 local government areas.”
Nigerians came close to forging a nation when they ethnic and religious sentiments took the back seat as they trooped to the polls on June 12, 1993 to vote for Chief MKO Abiola and Babagana Kingibe as President and Vice-President respectively.
It was the first time in Nigeria’s chequered political history that Nigerians voted for a Muslim, Muslim ticket.
Muslims in Kano set aside their ethnic considerations for Abiola instead of Bashir Tofa.
The General Ibrahim Babangia administration reversed this gain by annulling the elections considered the freest and fairest in the nation’s history. Nigeria is yet to fully recover from the effects of this gross violation of the rights of Nigerians to choose a leader. After Babangida’s inglorious ouster and the failure of an Interim National Government which Chief Ernest Shonekan headed, General Sani Abacha took over power. His five year rule remains one of Nigeria’s darkest moments as many Nigerians were either killed or forced into exile. His sudden death provided another opportunity for Nigeria to make a fresh start via a short transition programme midwived by Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, in 1998.
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo emerged winner of the 1999 elections and was sworn-in as President, he ruled for two terms of four years each. He tried but failed to secure an unconstitutional third term.
As Nigeria celebrates its 53rd Independence anniversary today (Tuesday), legislators who are privileged to serve in the Senate of the 7th National Assembly last Thursday, reviewed the state of the nation and charged leaders to eschew greed and selfishness, and pursue only those things that promote unity and peace among citizens.
This followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by the Senate Majority Leader, Victor Ndoma Egba, and 10 others.
The Senate lamented that Nigeria has gone backwards from a producing and exporting nation at independence to a mere consuming nation 53 years after.
Senate President, David Mark, was more direct when he said ordinary Nigerians deserved to be congratulated for being so patient in the face of “frustrations occasioned by maladministration” experienced witnessed within the period.
Mark said,” We are genuinely worried about our country; across political, religious and ethnic boundaries, we are truly worried because some key aspects of our values and traditions have been lost.
“In the old National Anthem, we said ‘in brotherhood we stand.’ Do we still stand in brotherhood today? We used to be our brothers’ keepers, are we still our brothers’ keepers? The answer definitely is no. Instead, we do those things that hurt others now.
“We need to look inwards and begin to search our minds. The ball certainly is in our court as leaders to do what we should do to reverse the trend. We must shelve the attitude of seeking power at all cost. We do not need to get desperate about getting to the top. At any level, we must be ready to contribute our quotas.”
Mark who has equally been on the political scene first as a military officer, now as a politician also said it was sad that Nigeria was losing its abundant human resource to other nations largely due to the fact that the environment is becoming less attractive.
Ndoma-Egba expressed the view that Nigeria deserved congratulations for surviving a series of challenges right from her pre-independence era through the civil war period to the long period of military rule and yet remained united.
However, Senator Solomon Ita-Enang did not share the enthusiasm shared by his colleagues. He expressed disappointment that the nation had retrogressed into of developing.
According to him, Nigeria had not done well in all indices of development.
He said “there are things to look at in determining whether or not we are truly independent. First, what was the quality of our education and what is it now? What about our economy?
“Frankly speaking, we need to take steps to reverse all these if we want to join other nations in the class of independent nations.
“For example, at independence, factories were working well, but today, almost all of them have closed down and moved to neighbouring countries.”
Also speaking, Senator Gbenga Ashafa called on Nigerians, especially the country’s past and present leaders, to reflect on how “we brought ourselves to this level. Before it is too late, there is need to restore Nigeria to a status where the ordinary man can get succour.”
Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe saw things differently. He expressed the opinion that a major issue responsible for the setback Nigeria’s democracy has suffered is the absence of true democratic culture among politicians.
Abaribe lamented that even those who call themselves leaders have failed to accommodate the views of people opposed to their positions.
According to him, people see those few ones who accommodate opposing views as weak, and “this is why we need to commend President Goodluck Jonathan for being able to give a listening year to those opposed to his own ideas.”
No matter which way it is viewed, Nigeria is perhaps facing more challenges today than it did 53 years ago.
The population has more than quadrupled ever since, the security situation has worsened so is the state of basic infrastructure.
On the security front, over 50 students were murdered in cold blood by terrorists masquerading as Islamic reformists seeking to establish Sharia law in the North.
Perhaps for the first time in 53 years, students of Nigeria’s 78 state owned Universities have remained at home for close to three months due to a strike action embarked upon by University teachers.
This strike is unique in the sense that, this is the first time Nigeria will be marking an Independence anniversary with this kind of situation as unsolicited an anniversary gift.
Democratic institutions are still evolving even as some argue that less endowed nations who have similar challenges have grown pass the stage Nigeria is today.
Those who see this way argue that Nigeria is simply a nation which has continued to behave like a teenager at 53.
Most Nigerians look forward to a more prosperous nation as Nigeria prepares to celebrate its first 100 years since the amalgamation of 1914. Whether they are prepared to work towards achieving this goal is another matter all together.

Our amalgamation is a mistake – Ankio-Briggson October 01, 2013 at 3:18 am in Politics
BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE
MS Ankio Briggs, rights activist and one of the leaders of the National Summit Group, says there is nothing to celebrate at 53 and the amalgamation of Northern and Southern protectorates to create Nigeria was a mistake. Excerpts:
How do you view Nigeria at 53?
I’m yet to see what we are celebrating. If we are celebrating the fact that we have had independence for 53 years and lived together for a 100 years then, 100 is just a figure. When you are celebrating, you have to show what you have achieved. And the question I’m asking is what have we achieved?
Unity? We are not united in this country. Developmentally, what have we achieved? I mean in things like roads and what have you? These are the things that should matter as we are progressing. We shouldn’t now be building roads at 100.
We should be improving on what we have built may be at 30, 40, 50, 60, not starting the development of Nigeria after a 100 years of being together.
So, for me, those are the things I use as yardstick to measure Nigeria. Like other countries are sending satelite into the space, Nigeria sent a satelite and lost it.
So, we should ask ourselves if Nigeria is not too big a country to be governed the way in which we are being governed today? Should we not have states being responsible for themselves? This is why national conference is necessary.
We have been like this for 100 years, aside the fact that we have been together and this is what everybody tells us as if it’s such a big deal to be together.
Annkio Briggs
America is still together and look at what they have achieved, likewise other countries. Other countries like the Soviet Union, Sudan, have broken up.
For Nigeria, I think by age alone, we are matured enough to ask ourselves some questions and answer them in a truthful manner. We are just deceiving ourselves.
People have said the coming together of different parts of the country is a mistake, do you agree?
I totally agree, but we can’t take responsibility for that, I might say, because it’s not Nigerians that created Nigeria.
It’s Lord Luggard who created Nigeria that brought us together and called us one people. But it’s very clear today that that’s not so. The North is the North and the South is the South.
These regions are made up of so many people with different cultures, religions, foods and different ways of looking at things.
And when you bring them together to say they should look at things the same way, you are telling them to look at Nigeria in only one way.
But one day, some of this people will wake up and say, look, things are not working for us this way.
The people it works for will resist other people who don’t want the process to remain like that. So, this is the problem Nigeria is having and anybody that doesn’t see it like that is not telling himself the truth.
Do we have any basis for Nigeria’s unity?
We have basis in the sense that it’s our choice. It should be our choice and it will be our choice, because that’s why we have these discussions going on now. I believe Nigeria can be a great country and that Nigerians can live together.
Look at the circumstances we are in and we are still able to manage it and to drag it along. But we shouldn’t be managing. We should have some rules and regulations that we all accept.
We should agree on how and when we are going to do it and once we agree, it will be much easier. The problem we are having is that we didn’t agree. And we have not found the basis on which we are agreeing. We must find that basis. It’s possible to live together. But the question is how? What are the terms and conditions?
Nobody is saying we shouldn’t live together. We are saying how? Who brings what? Who owns what? Who controls what? How much should I bring? How much should you bring? How much
What if we keep everything and pay something to the centre? These are the things we need to look at together. We can live together, but how?
Now, how do you think we can live together in peace and harmony in Nigeria?
Well, it won’t be for one person alone. I can only speak for my people. Like for instance, I come from Rivers State, which is in Niger Delta region.
For instance, most of what we are using to develop the country today is coming from my region, from my state.
Now, all I’m saying is that that should not be so. It has made every other state which does not have oil not to bring anything to the table.
So, what I’m saying is that we should have ownership of our resources and pay tax to the Federal Government. That way, everybody will be responsible for themselves.
And then, we from the Niger Delta will not feel that the weight of developing Nigeria is on our back and that we as a people are not gaining anything from it.
What percentage of tax do you think the regions should pay to the centre?
Taxes are usually 5 per cent, 2 per cent, 40 per cent and whatever. It’s something we must all agree upon. I mean, it’s not something that I will say, it should be like this.
What percentage do you suggest?
Well, I think 10 per cent.

smemud: US Shutdown: Senate Rejects Budget Changes
Sky News- 3 hrs ago
The Senate has rejected conditions imposed on the federal budget by the House of Representatives, paving the way for a partial shutdown of government services.
Senators in the Democrat-dominated upper house refused to support a bill by their colleagues in Congress which delayed the introduction of the controversial Obamacare.
The rejection of the bill means there is no agreement on how federal money should be spent in the coming budgetary year.
If the Democrats and Republicans fail to find a solution before the deadline at midnight on Monday, the shutdown goes into force at 12.01am EST on Tuesday (5.01am BST).
President Obama addressed the nation on Monday afternoon (US time), frankly setting out what a shutdown would mean for the people of the United States.
"Vital services that seniors and veterans, women and children, businesses and our economy depend on will be hamstrung.
"Tourists will find every one of our national parks and monuments ... immediately closed and of course the communities and small businesses that rely on these national treasures for their livelihoods will be out of customers and out of luck.
"These Americans are our neighbours, their kids go to our schools, they worship where we do ... they are the customers of every business in this country. A shutdown will have a very real economic impact, right away.
"The idea of putting progress at risk, is the height of irresponsibility. One faction, of one party, in one House of Congress, in one branch of government, does not get to shutdown government just to refight the results of an election.
"My hope and expectation, is in the 11th hour once again, Congress will choose to do the right thing, once again."
His comments came after the Senate's 54-46 vote refusing to accept the House of Representative's spending plans.
Although there have often been spats over the amount federal government should be spending or gathering in tax, the federal funding bill is usually considered routine business.
This time, however, the spending plans are tied to the highly controversial health care law promoted by President Obama.
Assuming no compromise is reached before midnight EST, it will be the first shutdown in 17 years.
While essential services such as mail delivery would remain in place, up to about 800,000 government employees could be forced off work, possibly without pay.
National parks, some museums and such tourist attractions as the Statue of Liberty would be closed. While Social Security and Medicare benefits would keep coming, there could be some delays in certain cases.
The healthcare law was previously passed by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2010, despite opposition by the Republican Party, especially Tea Party conservatives.
Although Obamacare has become a legal entity, it still has to be funded.
Funding for the scheme was due to be in this year's federal budget, which was due to start on October 1.
A number of the most hardline Republicans in the House of Representatives have sought to frustrate the introduction of Obamacare by finding a way to stop it being funded.
Their latest move was to introduce conditions to the federal funding bill that would have delayed the start of the health care scheme and altered Obama's plans to tax medical devices.
The Senate rejection of the House's bill, leaves federal funding in a stalemate. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have to agree before a budget can be approved.
The fear that a shutdown could occur had an immediate effect on Wall Street, which was down 150 points, or 1%, at the start of the day.
With a solution looking increasingly elusive, both sides have been blaming the other.
Markets in other countries also fell in response to the fears. In Japan the Nikkei closed 2% lower while the FTSE 100 was almost 1% lower on the day.
The last time the federal government shutdown was under President Bill Clinton, when services ground to a halt for 28 days between December 1995 and January 1996.
It nearly happened again in April 2011.

US begins government shutdown as budget deadline passes
1 October 2013Last updated at 10:47
The US government has begun a partial shutdown after the two houses of Congress failed to agree a new budget.
The Republican-led House of Representatives insisted on delaying President Barack Obama's healthcare reform - dubbed Obamacare - as a condition for passing a bill.
More than 800,000 federal employees face unpaid leave with no guarantee of back pay once the deadlock is over.
It is the first shutdown in 17 years and the dollar fell early on Tuesday.
Goldman Sachs estimates a three-week shutdown could shave as much as 0.9% from US GDP this quarter.
Some Republicans have decided the House, and the House alone, embodies 'the will of the people' - and the people hate 'Obamacare'. They know it is so, not because of the rather indecisive opinion polls, but because the people in their district and on talk radio tell them so
By Mark Mardell
North America editor
The White House's budget office began notifying federal agencies to begin an "orderly shutdown" as the midnight deadline approached.
Shortly after midnight, President Obama tweeted: "They actually did it. A group of Republicans in the House just forced a government shutdown over Obamacare instead of passing a real budget."
House Speaker John Boehner told reporters he hoped the Senate would agree to a bipartisan committee known as a conference "so we can resolve this for the American people".
"The House has voted to keep the government open but we also want basic fairness for all Americans under Obamacare," he said.
The Senate is to meet again at 09:30 (13:30 GMT) on Tuesday.
The BBC's Mark Mardell in Washington says the divide in US politics has grown so bitter that government itself cannot function.
Who is affected?
*.State department will be able to operate for limited time
*.Department of defence will continue military operations
*.Department of education will still distribute $22bn (£13.6bn) to public schools, but staffing is expected to be severely hit
*.Department of energy - 12,700 staff expected to be sent home, with 1,113 remaining to oversee nuclear arsenal
*.Department of health and human services expected to send home more than half of staff
*.The Federal Reserve, dept of homeland security, and justice dept will see little or no disruption
*.US Postal Services continue as normal
*.Smithsonian institutions, museums, zoos and many national parks will close
US shutdown in 60 seconds
Who will be affected
Q&A: 2013 US budget brawl
Democrats were never likely to make concessions on healthcare reform - Mr Obama's signature achievement and a central issue in last year's presidential election, our correspondent says.
But Republicans have made demands that they knew would not be met rather than be accused of weakness and betrayal by their own hardliners, he adds.
On Monday afternoon, the Democratic-led Senate voted 54-46 against a bill from House Republicans that would have funded the government only if President Obama's healthcare law was delayed for a year.
Major portions of the healthcare law, which passed in 2010 and has been validated by the US Supreme Court, are due to take effect on Tuesday regardless of whether there is a shutdown.
President Obama went on national television to criticise Republicans for trying to refight the last election.
A shutdown would have "a very real economic impact on real people, right away," he said, adding it would "throw a wrench" into the US recovery.
"The idea of putting the American people's hard-earned progress at risk is the height of irresponsibility, and it doesn't have to happen."
After the Senate vote, the chamber's Democratic majority leader blamed Republicans for the imminent halt to all non-essential government operations.
"It will be a Republican government shutdown, pure and simple," said Harry Reid, referring to the Republicans as "bullies".
For all the talk of the rise and rise of China, the US remains the biggest and most important economy in the world.
By Robert Peston
Business editor
Mr Obama has signed legislation ensuring that military personnel would be paid. The defence department had advised employees that uniformed members of the military would continue on normal duty, but that large numbers of civilian workers would be told to stay home.
Under the shutdown, national parks and Washington's Smithsonian museums will close, pension and veterans' benefit cheques will be delayed, and visa and passport applications will go unprocessed.
Programmes deemed essential, such as air traffic control and food inspections, will continue.
The US government has not undergone a shutdown since 1995-96, when services were suspended for a record 21 days.
Republicans demanded then-President Bill Clinton agree to their version of a balanced budget.
As lawmakers grappled with the latest shutdown, the 17 October deadline for extending the government's borrowing limit looms even larger.
On that date, the US government will reach the limit at which it can borrow money to pay its bills, the so-called debt ceiling.
House Republicans have also demanded a series of policy concessions - including on the president's health law and on financial and environmental regulations - in exchange for raising the debt ceiling.
"I'm thoroughly disgusted with our politicians," Ken Griffith from Kentucky told the Associated Press news agency.
"They're acting like a bunch of three year old children. It's who can hold their breath the longest."

US Shutdown: Senate Rejects Budget Changes
Sky News- 3 hrs ago
The Senate has rejected conditions imposed on the federal budget by the House of Representatives, paving the way for a partial shutdown of government services.
Senators in the Democrat-dominated upper house refused to support a bill by their colleagues in Congress which delayed the introduction of the controversial Obamacare.
The rejection of the bill means there is no agreement on how federal money should be spent in the coming budgetary year.
If the Democrats and Republicans fail to find a solution before the deadline at midnight on Monday, the shutdown goes into force at 12.01am EST on Tuesday (5.01am BST).
President Obama addressed the nation on Monday afternoon (US time), frankly setting out what a shutdown would mean for the people of the United States.
"Vital services that seniors and veterans, women and children, businesses and our economy depend on will be hamstrung.
"Tourists will find every one of our national parks and monuments ... immediately closed and of course the communities and small businesses that rely on these national treasures for their livelihoods will be out of customers and out of luck.
"These Americans are our neighbours, their kids go to our schools, they worship where we do ... they are the customers of every business in this country. A shutdown will have a very real economic impact, right away.
"The idea of putting progress at risk, is the height of irresponsibility. One faction, of one party, in one House of Congress, in one branch of government, does not get to shutdown government just to refight the results of an election.
"My hope and expectation, is in the 11th hour once again, Congress will choose to do the right thing, once again."
His comments came after the Senate's 54-46 vote refusing to accept the House of Representative's spending plans.
Although there have often been spats over the amount federal government should be spending or gathering in tax, the federal funding bill is usually considered routine business.
This time, however, the spending plans are tied to the highly controversial health care law promoted by President Obama.
Assuming no compromise is reached before midnight EST, it will be the first shutdown in 17 years.
While essential services such as mail delivery would remain in place, up to about 800,000 government employees could be forced off work, possibly without pay.
National parks, some museums and such tourist attractions as the Statue of Liberty would be closed. While Social Security and Medicare benefits would keep coming, there could be some delays in certain cases.
The healthcare law was previously passed by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2010, despite opposition by the Republican Party, especially Tea Party conservatives.
Although Obamacare has become a legal entity, it still has to be funded.
Funding for the scheme was due to be in this year's federal budget, which was due to start on October 1.
A number of the most hardline Republicans in the House of Representatives have sought to frustrate the introduction of Obamacare by finding a way to stop it being funded.
Their latest move was to introduce conditions to the federal funding bill that would have delayed the start of the health care scheme and altered Obama's plans to tax medical devices.
The Senate rejection of the House's bill, leaves federal funding in a stalemate. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have to agree before a budget can be approved.
The fear that a shutdown could occur had an immediate effect on Wall Street, which was down 150 points, or 1%, at the start of the day.
With a solution looking increasingly elusive, both sides have been blaming the other.
Markets in other countries also fell in response to the fears. In Japan the Nikkei closed 2% lower while the FTSE 100 was almost 1% lower on the day.
The last time the federal government shutdown was under President Bill Clinton, when services ground to a halt for 28 days between December 1995 and January 1996.
It nearly happened again in April 2011.

presido no know book

some people no get sense

nigeria is dead.We need revolution




.

Tension as police detain Suntai’s aide on September 29, 2013 at 12:55 am in News
By John Mkom, Jalingo
The tense political atmosphere in Taraba State heightened, last night, following the arrest and detention of Senior Special Assistant to Governor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba by the police.
Sylvanus Giwa was picked up along with his friends by police men around 11pm from the Sanaf Suite opposite Catholic Cathedral, Mile 6, Jalingo.
No reason was given by the police for the arrest, but sources said Giwa was detained in connection with offensive statements he made against the state’s acting governor, Garba Umar.
He was alleged to have issued a statement castigating Umar for claiming, last week, that he was 100 percent loyal to his boss, Suntai.
The acting governor is alleged to have been uncomfortable with the statement and asked security agents to invite him for explanations.
Although he was taken to the police station on Friday night, he was still being kept at the counter yesterday afternoon while spirited efforts were being made to release him on bail.
The acting governor’s spokesman, Sule Kefas, denied that his boss had any hand in the arrest.
One of the four arrested alongside Giwa was Bar. Hamidu Ali, said to be in the hotel for a religious purpose.
“As I speak to you, the acting governor is not aware of the arrest and did not ask anyone to arrest Giwa,” Kefas said.

The heads of the various security agencies have been summoned to appear before the parliamentary defence committee on Monday, amid rising concern over the authorities' preparedness for such an attack.
The committee's chairman, Ndung'u Gethenji, told the BBC that "people need to know the exact lapses in the security system that possibly allowed this event to take place".
He also said they needed to understand "the anatomy of the entire rescue operation" amid the allegations of confusion over who was in charge.
It is still not clear how many militants took place in the attack or their nationalities.
But senior sources within al-Shabab, which has repeatedly threatened attacks on Kenyan soil if Nairobi did not pull its troops out of Somalia, told the BBC by phone that they would not release the attackers' names.
'Jewellery looted'
A senior government official told the Associated Press news agency that the army had caused the collapse of a section of the mall on Monday.
Some of them were lying down as if they were dead. They would hear us calling out to help them, but they wouldn't move. I think they were so petrified they couldn't get up - we had to urge people to open the doors to the shops.
Abdul Haji: 'I went in to rescue my brother'
The official, who did not want to be named, said autopsies would show whether this had killed the hostages or whether they had already been murdered.
Correspondents say there have been reports that the military had blown out a supporting column to bring the siege to an end - a controversial decision which, if confirmed, would raise the possibility that hostages' lives were seen as expendable.
Irene Anyango, manager of a Westgate jewellery shop, is one of the few people who has been allowed into the mall following the end of the siege.
"It was a nightmare… and the shop was a totally different place," she told the BBC.
Ms Anyango said 90% of the jewellery was missing from the shop, which is now flooded.
"As far as we know, for the last couple of days they were intact - we don't understand what's happening but they're not there," she said.
Many people not only face the trauma of losing family and colleagues but also the possibility of losing their jobs, she added.
On Friday morning, President Uhuru Kenyatta attended the funeral of his nephew and his nephew's fiancee at a church service Nairobi, where he addressed the congregation.
Mbugua Mwangi and Rosemary Wahito were among those killed in the mall on Saturday.
About 4,000 Kenyan troops have been sent to Somalia to help pro-government forces battle al-Shabab.
The group is banned as a terrorist group by both the US and the UK and is believed to have between 7,000 and 9,000 fighters.
Its members are fighting to create an Islamic state in Somalia.

Kenya's Westgate siege: 'Militants hired shop to hide arms'
27 September 2013Last updated at 17:00
The militants who led the attack on a Kenyan mall hired a shop there in the weeks leading up to the siege, senior security sources have told the BBC.
This gave them access to service lifts at Westgate enabling them to stockpile weapons and ammunition.
Having pre-positioned weapons they were able to re-arm quickly and repel the security forces.
Sixty-seven people are known to have died in the four-day siege. Kenya's Red Cross says 61 others are still missing.
Forensic experts are still combing the complex, looking for bodies and clues.
Analysis
ByKaren Allen
BBC News, Nairobi
"Terrorism is an exploitation of openings" was the way Ndung'u Gethenji, chair of Kenya's parliamentary defence committee, described to me the attack in Nairobi. And the gunmen at the Westgate siege exploited those openings to the full to mount a "spectacular" that has wounded Kenya - and left its people shaken.
That extremist gunmen could secure a base within the mall in the weeks leading up to the attack and pre-position weapons is in itself astonishing. But for many Kenyans, audacious as it is, it will come as little surprise when bribery remains the currency of everyday life.
A few "bob" - (Kenya shillings) to "look the other way" is not unusual here, despite the best efforts of many brave Kenyans to rein the problem in. Porous borders and a ready supply of weapons have long fuelled the threat of violence in Kenya - an AK-47 costs just $450 (£280) today if you know the right people.
Many Kenyans now hope the legacy of Westgate will be tougher action to tackle dodgy deals. The human cost of not doing so has already been laid bare.
The Somali Islamist group al-Shabab, which is part of al-Qaeda, says it was behind the attack and the following siege at the upmarket mall in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
Kenya is in its third day of official mourning for both the civilian and military victims of the attack.
Fake IDs?
The BBC investigation has revealed how the Westgate gunmen were able to plan and carry out the siege, and how security breaches allegedly fuelled by corruption made it an attack waiting to happen.
To rent a shop, the militants would have needed fake IDs supplied by corrupt government officials.
The BBC has also confirmed more details about how they executed their attack.
Two vehicles dropped the Islamist extremists off outside before they forced their way into the mall, sources say.
They are also believed to have set up a base using a ventilation shaft as a hiding place, on the first floor.
Security sources have also confirmed a change of tack by the militants late on Saturday.
They rolled out heavy calibre machine guns, exploiting the moment when control of the security operation switched from the police to the military.
There are reports that this switchover was fraught with confusion.

Father of slain kids wrote in funeral oration before death
From EMMANUEL UZOR, Onitsha
The atmosphere was calm, people especially sympathizers were already seated, discussing the incident in clusters, the dirge from the band was low and continued to reverberate from the giant speakers at Salvation Army Corps Field, Uga, venue of the commendation service for the Ezebuala four.
Exactly 12 noon on Thursday, four Volvo ambulances with registration numbers, AT517WER, AL179AGU, AE141DFB and AJ728ORL bearing the bodies of John Nnamdi Ezebuala and his three children: Chinemere, 14, Chiamaka, 12 and Nmesomachukwu Ezebuala, 10, arived the venue.
Students and age mates of the slain Ezebualas were not left out among those that came to pay their last respect mostly students and staff of Konigin Des Friedens College, KFC, Uga.
Before the arrival of Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State, members of the Salvation Army Corps, Uga and nationwide had begun the commendation service as part of the last journey of the Ezebuala four.
However,Saturday Sungathered that there was one significant thing that happened before the internment of the Ezebuala four which was that the father of the three children, Nnamdi had already prepared a funeral oration for his three children before he joined them.
In his funeral oration, the late Ezebuala described his children as future stars whose light could have illuminated the world and expressed sadness that they were cut short by enemies of God.
He wrote: “The devil is not permitted to touch whatever concerns God without divine permission, it is the will of God to call all these children home by this time and we cannot question God. Chinemerem, a boy full of ideas, because of your intellectual and spiritual potentials, we were looking forward to seeing what you would become in future, Alas! The dream had died violently”
“Chiamaka (Kirikiri Star), you are the one that makes a dead flower to become alive again with your mouth, which can be called sweet tongue, Nmesomachukwu, you always talked of becoming a leader of this great nation, Nigeria and eradicate the evil which has forcefully laid down the economy but you are no longer here with us to fulfill your dream. We miss you all, Oh, the weapons of the war have perished”
He had prepared this funeral oration for his three children while he was recuperating in Kano Teaching Hospital before he died on Tuesday, two days to the funeral of his children whom he prepared their farewell address.
However, the wife of Nnamdi and mother of the three children, Mrs. Loveth Ezebuala and her two remaining children dressed in white, could not hold back their tears as they watched helplessly the four caskets bearing the remains of their father and three siblings draped in Nigerian colours.
Speaking during the church service, the Commanding Officer of Uga Corps, Major Stephen Ezechukwu of the Salvation Army, Uga described the death of the victims as manifestation of the love of God towards those who love Him.
He also described the victims of Kano bomb blasts by the dreaded members ofBoko Haramas children of God who met their death in the house of God where they had gone to worship God.
He described Nnamdi Ezebuala and his three children as strong members of the church whose commitment was total and prayed God to grant them eternal rest in His Paradise.
Major Ezechukwu said some people live like enemies of Christ, while urging christians to remain calm and wait on God as the only hope for their resurrection, adding that the death of the Ezebualas was caused by enemies of Christ.
The Chairman, Uga Democratic Vanguard, Sir Peter Okala, in his address, thanked Governor Peter Obi for finding time to come to commiserate with the people of Uga and Ezebuala family over the death of their father and children in the hands ofBoko Haraminsurgents.
He said the entire Uga community has been over-shadowed by anguish and tears since the death of Ezebuala four and prayed God to grant the departed eternal rest while praying God to grant the family of the deceased fortitude to bear the loss.
Governor Peter Obi, who could not hold back his tears, described the incident as a national calamity and said his administration had faced similar ugly incident when Anambra indigens were slaughtered in various parts of the North byBoko Haraminsurgents.
He expressed dismay at the level of destruction of lives and property in various parts of the North and said his administration has, among other things, fought insecurity of lives and property and made Anambra State a beautiful bride for local and foreign investors.
Governor Obi urged the family of Ezebuala and entire Uga community to bear the irreparable loss with fortitude and assured that the state government shall take over the welfare of the wife of the deceased and her two surviving children, describing their death as national calamity.
Meanwhile, Governor Obi, after giving his ondolence message to the family of Ezebuala and Uga community in general, graciously gave automatic employment to the wife of the deceased, Loveth who is a National Certificate in Examination (NCE) holder and gave automatic scholarship to the two surviving children.
He promised to look after the welfare of the family including payment of hospital bills for the ailing mother of Nnamdi, Madam Helen whose health has continued to deteriorate since the incident.
The founder of Konigin Des Friedens, KCF, Uga, Mosgr Prof John Bosco Akam, where Chinemerem was a student, described his death as national tragedy that has affected the lives of the young generation.
He described death as the only possibility that renders all other possibility impossible, while describing the death of his student who was on scholarship as a brilliant child whose sharp brain was incomparable.
He recalled with nostalgia the type of brain Chinemerem had which he said made him offer him scholarship to any level, regretting that if he knew that going to Kano for holidays would terminate the young boy’s dreams, he would not have permitted him.
“I could not hold back my tears when I saw Kingsley in the casket, because that is what I called him, he has not changed but he has, before he left, he came to me and told me he was travelling to the North to see his parents and siblings, I didn’t know he came to show me himself for the last time before this tragic end. I shall continue to pray for the repose of their souls,” he said.
A member of the family, Mr. Peter Ezeonyirimba also regretted the sudden end of the Ezebualas in the hands ofBoko Haramwhile appealing on the Federal Government to immediately find solution to the insurgency.
He described the Ezebualas as martyrs and heros of faith who died for their belief in God and prayed God to grant them eternal rest among His saints in heaven.
However, the bodies of the Ezebuala four were lifted from Salvation Army field, Uga at exactly 3.30 pm for interment at Ezihe-Umuchiedo Umueze Uga, their home, where four graves had been dug..