₦airaland Forum

When I was in pri school I llied to to my classmates dat my dad did me a new basketball court, a new bicycle and the reigning toys.
On the last day of d term they all decided to visit myt house and when I was still taking my bath d news came dat my friends were in d houSe and then I knew d whole lie don cast....lol

1-On the 8th of December, 2011, five armed robbers stormed her residence in Nasarawa Quarters, Kano State. While in action, policemen swooped on them, arrested one but four escaped with the former First Lady's jewelry. After a year of search, the Nigerian Police was able to apprehend the other four robbers and they recovered her jewelry worth N30 million. The jewels included 42 pieces of gold earrings, five pieces of gold rings, five pieces of gold pendants, five sets of gold jewelry and 26 pieces of gold chains (See picture for some of the recovered jewelry). Some of the robbers were shot dead in the process.

2-Following the United Nations declaration of 1994 as the International Year of the Family, she launched her private initiative in September 1994, it was called the Family Support Programme (FSP) and it was to replace the Better Life for Rural Women established by the late First Lady, Maryam Babangida. From that time, each state was also to have a Commissioner for Women Affairs. Whatever happened to FSP today, Iyaniwura does not know. It is baffling that Nigerian First Ladies keep establishing all kinds of programmes that they will not sustain outside office. According the the Tell Magazine of 3rd August, 1998, FSP gulped more than N10 billion of taxpayers' money, the same time during which her husband was retrenching civil servants.

3-Believed by many to be the most beautiful First Lady Nigeria has ever had, she has one of the most impressive collections of diamonds, gold, platinum and pearls.

4-Her mum, Nana Jiddah is Kanuri born of a Borno princess with German roots. She is also a direct descendant of Sheikh Ibrahim Waidama, an Arab who settled in Kanem-Borno in the 16th and 17th centuries. So, you get the blood thoroughly mixed. And that's where the beauty comes from, I guess.

5-While talking of her late husband, she said he was not authoritarian in the house and was a loving father, that they all slept in the same room with the kids, even when they were grown-ups. She said he would cook while she did the dishes. How romantic! Abi? When the babies were crying, he would bring out his bosom or his own ear for the kids to suck until they slept off. Amazing!

6. They had really simple and romantic petnames. She called him 'S' while he called her 'M'. Those were there nicknames back in the days.

7-She raised the idea of the National Hospital for Women and Children (NHWC) and later saw to its establishment. The institution is now known as National Hospital, Abuja. As First Lady, she raised money and built the hospital within 10 months, which was later commissioned by General Abdulsalami Abubakar on May 21, 1999, a week to handover.

8-Following the death of her husband in 1998, Newswatch report showed that she accused Lt. Gen. Jeremiah Timbut Useni of being responsible, an allegation that he flatly and vehemently denied. She had based this on the fact that the Lt. Gen. Useni and the Chief Security Officer, CSO, Major Hamza al-Mustapha were the last to see the late head of state.

9-In November 2012, at the book launch of her former military press secretary, Colonel John Adache (rtd), she donated a sum of N5 million naira upon which she was loudly applauded. She was the Mother of the Day at the event and the Chief Launcher had donated a sum of N 2 million naira. She stole the show and the whole hall erupted in a loud ovation. #Smh.

10-She has nine children, six sons, three daughters. They include Ibrahim (now late), Mohammmed, Abba, Sodiq, Abdullahi, Gumsu (Fatima Bayero Fadil) and Zaynab. She actually gave birth to her last born while her husband was the head of state. I can remember the newspapers carrying it, quite exciting news then for the First Lady to become a mother again.

11-While the First Lady, she popularized the use of 'Aso Oke'.

12-Shortly after the death of her husband, the Khalifa, she was stopped at the Aminu Kano International Airport with 38 suitcases filled with foreign currencies. She was on her way out of the country but denied it as a 'fabrication'.

13-As at 2000 alone, her family had hired over 12 lawyers to defend them and one of those lawyers was the American lawyer, Johnny Cochran, the defense attorney for O. J. Simpson.

14-Her eldest son, Ibrahim, died when a Falcon jet of the Nigerian Air Force Presidential Fleet ferrying him and his friends from Lagos to Kano crashed on the 17th of January, 1996 just minutes to landing at the Aminu Kano International Airport. He was with Funmi, his Yoruba girlfriend and a younger brother of Aliko Dangote. All 14 people aboard died. A lawyer and businessman, Ibrahim Abacha was described as very nice, extremely humble, easygoing and gentle, he was 28. Upon his tragic death, Maryam Abacha was shattered and had to leave for Saudi Arabia where she stayed temporarily, prayed, meditated and sought for consolation in her faith and God.

15-She said she used to send book gifts to the former US First Lady, Hillary Clinton but the gifts were never acknowledged.

16-Shortly after the sudden death of her husband, General Sani Abacha in June 1998, the government of General Abdulsalami Abubakar placed her, her oldest surviving son, Mohammed, Ismaila Gwarzo who was the former National Security Adviser and others under house arrest. Stranded and furious, she had angrily denied knowing about any foreign accounts but the story later changed.

17-In one of the deals under the Obasanjo government to recover looted funds (about $1.4 billion) frozen in Luxembourg, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, the Abacha family was to keep a sum of $100 million. President Obasanjo would later say that that was one of the hardest decisions of his presidency but he later justified it saying that it was the fastest means for the country to recover looted funds. Well, I really didn’t want to dwell much on the looted funds. Why? The ones that they have recovered, where are they? As the Yorubas would say, ole gbe, ole gba.

18-Anyway, while she was being questioned about the money stashed in foreign accounts by her husband, she said the money was not stolen or looted but that her husband was simply saving the money for Nigeria in some foreign accounts. Brilliant.

19-The Maryam Abacha Women & Children Hospital in Sokoto State is named after her. The institution contains a center for treating vesico-womanly fistula (VVF) patients.

20. When she was asked about the political ambition of her son, Mohammed, who wanted to become the governor of Kano State, she stated that as Muslims, they believe in fate and destiny and were not afraid of any outcome.

21-During the negotiations to recover the looted funds, she declared that she would not surrender to government intimidation and after three months of negotiations, she offered between 5-10% of her family fortune, in addition to the $800 million that has been seized. Substantial sums were also stashed in the family’s private bedrooms or in local banks.

22-In December 2001, she pleaded with the government to release her son, Mohammed. On visiting him at the National Hospital, Abuja, she said in an emotional voice: “As you can see, you know the agony of a mother: helpless, lonely and still would not be allowed to provide adequate attention to a child she loves so much.”

23-On her orders, some ladies suspected to be girlfriends of the late dictator were detained and tortured by Abacha’s Chief Security Officer (CSO), Major Hamza Al-Mustapha who has been sentenced to death after a lengthy trial.

24-Back then in 2000, she asked bitterly one day in her sitting room in her palatial residence in Kano watching CNN: “Is this humane? Is it fair for a government to fight one family over a few pennies? Obasanjo was a military man. He should have some sympathy.”

25-She also says of her late husband: “It should not be surprising that my husband was found to have a lot of money. He held a lot of government posts. If a person is industrious, and there is some luck, that money will grow.”

26-Once known as Miss Maryam Jiddah, she married General Abacha in 1965/ Her nickname while in office was ‘The Crusading First Lady’ for her role in the first summit of Africa’s First Ladies in 1997.

27-And yeah, there is this popular saying that even if they collected all the money from her, she can never be as poor as Dangote. I never saw a single strand of evidence to support that. You’ve got one?

28-As at April 1998, a group called MAP (Maryam Abacha for President) was set to emerge to support her for presidency in case her husband did not go on with his succession plans.

She is an in-law to Mohamadou Bayero Fadil, a highly influential politician and one of the richest men in Cameroon. Bayero Fadil is married to her charming daughter, Gumsu. If he becomes the President one day, that means Gumsu Sani Abacha will become the First Lady of Cameroon. Simple.

Anoda was during my sss2 and I went to stay with my cousin who was also in same class and skul with me.
There was dis fine babe dat her mum owned a shop in front of my cousin's house dat was serious showing me serious green light and when my cousin noticed it he was urging me to go ahead and accept her So we go run down d shop.
One day I and my cousin were fetching water and d next thing dis babe appears and my cousin disappeared like they had it all planned out but me couldn't utter a word cos hame wan kill me before d babe asked for my name and some other stuff and later we became friends but had to run away when I found out she was older, doesn't giver her kpomo anyho and can't play love with her mama shop o.....d babe stingy with everything.

Lol mine happened some years back when my elder broder kept pestering me to come and meet his new babe.
It waS x-mas and there waS dis footbal competiton goind on dat I was but becos I didn't retrn home earlier dan expected I was omitted from d ph branch team which made me hate d either of going to d pitch Since I wasnt paying. One faithful friday my bro came to me and said he caught one babe in d village and she promised coming to d pitch and so I should follow him and check her out, on getting to d pitch dis babe saw me with my bro and kept asking who I was but den sha I lost my phone which was one of reasons I returned late.
I didn't utter a word so my bros hand no go fall and rather I snubbed her and left d place but she kept following me to d extent I gave her my sisters number but when She kept calling all day my sis asked her to stop callingm
Days later she left for town and I came back to ph and got a new phone, collected her number and kept in touch till when I went to c her again d babe don ugly finish I just left and till today I no call again.

1. ISIS

ISIS is a terrorist organization that has perhaps been the most active one on this list in recent weeks. ISIS stands for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, and is one of the youngest groups on this list, having been formed only in 2004. Like the other Islamist terrorist groups on this list, ISIS advocates a return to original interpretations of Islamic texts, including sharia law and the use of violence to enforce Islam. They have recently captured and beheaded American journalist James Foley, as well as engaging in a number of horrific acts, including stripping and beheading a multitude of women and children. ISIS regularly creates videos of their heinous acts and posts them online, further instilling fear and terror throughout the globe.

2. Al Qaeda

The terrorist organization Al Qaeda is synonymous with 9/11, the day that the Twin Towers fell. Osama bin Laden became a household name overnight and, although he was killed in 2011, Al Qaeda remains extremely powerful and influential. Currently commanded by Ayman al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian doctor with a $25 million ransom on his head, Al Qaeda now wields more power than it did under bin Laden’s rule. Al Qaeda functions predominantly in the Middle East and has a force of thousands of members. Their ideology largely revolves around the desire to enforce radical Islam, including sharia law, through terrorism and other violent means. Al Qaeda’s actions sparked the “War on Terror” initiated by the USA, which has resulted in hundreds of thousands of casualties.

3. Boko Haram

Boko Haram operates in Nigeria and reportedly kills a minimum of seven people per terrorist attack, putting it near the top of this list. The literal translation of Boko Haram is “Western education is forbidden,” and Boko Haram’s ideology stems from radical Islam’s creation of, and effect on this statement. They are extremely resistant to Western influences, globalization and modernization. Boko Haram selects their victims based on perceived rejections of sharia law, including the Western “belief” that the world is round. Boko Haram was responsible for the kidnapping of 200 school-children in June and has also pledged their support for Al Qaeda. This organization brutally murdered over 5,000 people from June 2009 to July 2014, and will almost certainly continue their reign of terror and attempts to eliminate all forms of education and enlightenment.

4. The Taliban

The Taliban utilizes terrorist tactics to further their goals of imposing sharia law – in 2012, 80% of civilian casualties in the Afghan world were a result of Taliban activities. The Taliban has committed countless human rights violations and crimes: they forbid the education of women, have massacred civilians and purposefully obliterated necessary food supplies. Although the Taliban was overthrown in 2001, it has returned with a vengeance, having an estimated 60,000 members. Additionally, the Taliban is rumored to have connections with countless other terrorist organizations; thus, not only do they commit unforgivable acts themselves, but they contribute to terrorism on a more global scale.

5. Jabhat al-Nusra

Jabhat al-Nusra was formed only in 2012, in response to the Syrian War, but has quickly become one of the deadliest terrorist organizations currently in existence. Jabhat al-Nusra aims to restore the Caliphate, or a supreme government ruled by a successor to Muhammad. Al Qaeda has alleged that Jabhat al-Nusra is intimately connected with them, and the organization has decried countries and individuals that do not follow Islam. They regularly coordinate suicide bombings and have also conducted mass executions. Several countries have labeled Jabhat al-Nusra as a deadly terrorist organization that is quickly gaining power and resources.

6. Ku Klux Klan

The Ku Klux Klan, commonly shortened to the KKK, is one of the oldest terrorist organizations on this list. Founded in the USA in 1865, the KKK originally began as a white supremacist movement intent on maintaining white superiority through murder and secrecy. Although the KK has undergone several overhauls, its core ideology remains the same, and is currently estimated to have a maximum of 8,000 members. The KKK had roughly 4,000,000 members in 1920, so membership has significantly declined. However, the KKK remains on this list for its continuous membership, historical influence and encouragement of racism and murder.

7. Al Shabaab

Al Shabaab earns its spot on this list, not only because it practices recruitment of children and has pledged allegiance to Al Qaeda, but also because, each year, they poach tens of thousands of elephants. In the process, they murder both the elephants and their human guards in a quest for the elephant’s valuable ivory. Al Shabaab practices in Somalia and enforces sharia law in the country’s less densely populated and more rural areas. Al Shabaab has an estimated maximum of 6,000 members, and its ideology stems from the practice of radical Islam.

8. Hamas

Hamas operates out of Palestine and is frequently anti-Semitic. Although Hamas shares many ideological tenets with neo-Nazism, because they are not composed of white Christians, Hamas is not considered a neo-Nazi group. Many of the Hamas’ actions have been condemned as war crimes, including their frequent use of bombs and rockets against Israel. One of Hamas’ most horrifying practices is their perverse use of children. Hamas uses children as human shields, and often indoctrinates children into the military, including using them as unwitting suicide bombers. Hamas constant abuse of human rights and frequent practice of war crimes make them one of the deadliest terrorist organizations active in the modern world.

9. Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia

Although the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, frequently shortened to FARC, have not been universally decried as a terrorist organization, the amount of human rights violations committed by this group, as well as many country’s condemnation of the group as terrorists, earns them a spot on this list. The FARC has been active since 1946, and their ideology stems from a variety of political theories, including Marxism, socialism and nationalism. The FARC is involved in the illicit drug trade, kidnapping, creation of child soldiers, executions and a whole host of other nefarious activities. They also regularly abuse the indigenous population. The FARC has a history of violence and terrorism that continue to thrive in the present day.

Terrorist organizations occupy a constantly shifting and variegated territory. The nature of their goals require secrecy; thus, only those in the upper echelons of powerful positions know their true motives and movements. However, this list attempts to detail the deadliest terrorist organizations in the world, whether they’ve achieved this notoriety through the amount of attacks and people murdered, the longevity of their organization, or the fear that they’ve instilled in the global populace. Many people often use the word terrorism as a blanket term to cover the militant and violent activities of terrorist groups in the Middle East, but this list also encompasses organizations operating in other parts of the world. While there is no definitive definition for “terrorism,” the most infamous terrorist attack in modern history is Al Qaeda’s assault on the Twin Towers in New York City on 9/11. Many governments are doing their best to curb terrorist activities, but terrorist groups continue to thrive.

10. PKK

The PKK is short for the Kurdistan Worker’s Party and operates chiefly in Turkey. The PKK’s ideology stems from a desire for Kurdish independence from Turkey, and their aims are largely political. The Kurds have been systematically oppressed within Turkey, and thus practice radical versions of political systems like communism and socialism, in addition to proclaiming gender equality. They have been active since 1984, and currently have roughly 7,000 members. Unfortunately, they have often resorted to violent means in order to achieve their goals, resulting in several countries and NATO blacklisting the PKK as a terrorist organization.

1. Aliko Dangote — Net Worth: $25 Billion

The richest man in Africa is also the richest black man in the world. Aliko Dangote is also the 23rd richest man in the world, period. Born into wealth in Nigeria, Dangote remembers being interested at a young age when he would “go and buy cartons of sweets and I would start selling them just to make money. I was so interested in business, even at that time.” Clearly, that business acumen followed Dangote into adulthood when he began trading in cement, sugar, flour and other commodities, eventually founding the Dangote Group, one of Africa’s largest publicly listed companies. The Dangote Group now produces its own sugar, salt and cement and owns manufacturing plants for these goods across Africa.

2. Johann Rupert — Net Worth: $7.9 Billion

Johann Rupert has seen his place on this list climb exponentially in the past year, as his fortune has grown by nearly thirty percent in the past year. Yet another South African on this list, Rupert caters to the wealthy as his fortune is largely comprised of money made through Compagnie Financière Richemont, a luxury item producer that sells expensive watches, jewellery and fine leather goods, among other things. He also owns two vineyards in South Africa, and is the Chancellor of the University of Stellenbosch, his Alma matter named after the town in which he was born

3. Nicky Oppenheimer — Net Worth: $6.5 Billion


A controversial African if ever, Nicky Oppenheimer is another white South African who made his fortune in a predominantly black country. Furthermore, the majority of said fortune was procured when he sold his share of the DeBeers Diamonds, a company not without controversy itself. Oppenheimer also makes money through his ownership of Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa’s largest private game reserve.

4. Nassef Sawiris — Net Worth: $6.5 Billion

Another Egyptian on this list, Nassef Sawiris has made the bulk of his fortune running Egypt’s largest public company, Orascom Construction, as well as by having significant interests in Lafarge cement. Furthermore, Sawiris has added to his wealth by sitting on various financial boards from NASDAQ Dubai, to others in European countries like Belgium and Luxembourg.

5. Mike Adenuga — Net Worth: $4.7 Billion

As the second richest man in Nigeria, Mike Adenuga has carved a massive fortune for himself out of the oil and mobile telecommunications industries. A self made man, Adenuga made his first seven figures by distributing Coca-Cola in Nigeria while in his twenties. He now owns Glo, Nigeria’s second largest mobile network with roughly 25 million users, and Conoil Producing. Not without his scandals, Adenuga has fled Nigeria in exile in the past, lost companies and has also been tied to former military President Ibrahim Babangida as an investor, but that hasn’t stopped him from becoming one of the richest black men in not only Africa, but the world.

6. Christoffel Wiese — Net Worth: $3.5 Billion


The first of three white South Africans that round out this list, Christoffel Wiese has made his fortune all over the place. He owns extremely lucrative retail outlets that net him a massive profit every year, among them the supermarket chain Shoprite, and the discount store Pepkor. Christoffel Wiese has also seen his investments in other companies pay off as well, with his investments in 7 companies seeing a $500 million return last year. Finally, Wiese’s biggest claim to fame may be turning the former national farm estate into a five star hotel and winery. Quite the achievement.

7. Othman Benjelloun — Net Worth: $3.1 Billion


First relying on and then surpassing his father’s business acumen, Moroccan Othman Benjelloun took over his father’s insurance business and built himself a banking and investment empire. Benjelloun now owns a major stake in the Bank of Africa, while his holding firm has interests tied up in aviation, telecommunications and technology, making him one of the more powerful businessmen in Africa.

8. Patrice Motsepe — Net Worth: $2.9 Billion

Patrice Motsepe highlights what is still a problem on the African continent; systemic racism. Motsepe is the only black billionaire in South Africa, a nation made up predominantly of black people but sees the majority of its wealth lay in the hands of whites. Through his company, African Rainbow Minerals, Motsepe has become a self-made mining magnate, with interests in many different minerals helping to build his wealth, which has expanded into financial service companies and an ownership in a football club. Not bad for South Africa’s first and only black billionaire.

9. Naguib Sawiris — Net Worth: $2.5 Billion

Another extremely savvy, extremely wealthy Egyptian businessman, Naguib Sawiris established the Orascom Group, Egypt’s largest privately traded company on the stock exchange, and began building a telecommunications empire that has stretched from media to mining and weather, and now, since 2011, politics as well.

Africa is a continent that stands at such a crossroads when it comes to its wealth. On one hand, the continent is so lush with natural resources that industries that utilize them are extremely profitable, while on the other hand exploitive labour sometimes tarnishes these resources. Furthermore, while the continent fights to make headway in the technology sectors in an attempt to catch up with the west, it also sees itself mired in civil war after civil war, effectively tearing countries apart in the process. So, as always it seems, Africa is a continent of disparate parts, sometimes moving in unison, other times creating a dichotomy that may not be so easy to overcome. That is not to say that the financial outlook in Africa is altogether bleak however, as there are at least ten men who top the billion dollar net worth list on the continent. For the first time, Africa has a female billionaire, Isabel Dos Santos, daughter to Angolan President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos, proving that at least in some small way Africa has made some headway on woman’s freedoms as well. While she doesn’t have a place on this list, as those spots are reserved for men, it does show that Africa is catching up, however gradually to the west, at least financially, which is the way all parties involved would undoubtedly most prefer it.



10. Mohamed Mansour — Net Worth: $2.2 Billion

Egyptian businessman Mohamed Mansour has his hands in many ventures via his company the Mansour Group. The company has stakes in the automotive industry, manufacturing and retail, among others. Furthermore the group has a stake in McDonalds and Philip Morris in Egypt, and also owns the massive supermarket chain Metro, making Mohamed Mansour the 10th richest man in Africa, and the 3rd richest man in Egypt.

1. Like, Like, Like…

In the late 1980s and early 90s, a popular graffiti message was “Kill Your Television.” This work of street art, created by Mr. Thomas in Ferentino, Italy serves the same message for a modern, technological age of social media obsession. It’s interesting that the artist used “Facebook” as his main tool of inspiration for this graffiti work.

2. Need Food Not Football

This powerful piece depicting a starving child on the side of a building in Spain, was one of a series that tried bringing attention to more important issues than sports, during the 2014 World Cup. Although the graffiti was extremely brilliant and powerful, it has since been removed.

3. Take Your Pick

Artist Nuxuno Xän certainly didn’t let anything go to waste when he created this impressive and creative work of art. Xän incorporated the tree into his brick wall painting in Fort De France, Martinique.

4. Float Like A Butterfly…

Sting like a bee. Many people are probably familiar with the image that this graffiti artwork portrays. This iconic shot of boxing legend, Muhammad Ali is replicated in a scene from the video game, Street Fighter, on a garage door in Paris

5. Under The Bridge

As many of us are aware, some of the best art comes from turning something that is completely ordinary into something extraordinary. That is exactly what street artist Dome did in Karlsruhe, Germany, by turning a support beam of a bridge into a giant hand holding it up.

6. Five Pointz

Located in the Queens borough of New York City, Five Pointz has become known as the world’s premiere graffiti mecca, with nearly every inch of the 200,000-square-foot Aerosol Art Center building tagged. But, in the modern tradition of NYC, it was announced in August, that the factory would be torn down to make way for development. In other words, they’re paving graffiti paradise and putting up a condo lot. It seems like a shame to tear down such a creative and beautiful space.

7. The Lizard King

This giant reptile was created by artist ROA, on the side of Los Muras Hablan in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This imposing graffiti is well known around the street art community, mainly for its amazing detail on a grand scale.