₦airaland Forum

My candid advice for you is to buy more time and master your skill. When you are ready to move out with full confident that you have master your craft and can get jobs online and physical you can move out. Consider moving to a low cost city such as Bonny Island, Rivers State that has 24 hours electricity with 100% security and low cost of rent. For your type of business you will need an area that has electricity because buying petrol will swallow the 7m before you even know you. You don't need to fail so you don't have to return to your father's house. Bonny Island also has a Federal Government polytechnic that you can attend part time if you wish to advance your education. Contact me if you are serious on your plan and I can genuinely guild you. Good luck and stay focus. Greatness is sure

Get a prepaid meter

This governorship candidate looks worst than tinubu. A potential thief in making.

Nigeria's are lazy

Another idiot that has fingers

Show proof. Lies

It's not worth it. My wife moved to American with my son for her Masters less than 3 months living in US, she started telling me about divorce that her siblings she is staying with can not keep taking care of her because she is a married woman. Currently ininky speak to my son only on weekends.

Come to Columbia

Go ahead and buy the phone if he bought it Brand new. IPhone UK used is 70k

Fake Actors

Immaculate and Charles

Foolish man

My guy just is prayerful. My wife and son traveled to America in August. Everyone was going on smoothly until she called me one day crying that the bills, rent, and my son's daycare are too high, that are siblings aboard are telling her to divorce the marriage, and that their culture does not permit siblings to sponsor a married woman. We manage the situation until last weekend Saturday in our family group she finally notified me that the marriage is over. It hurt me for about 4 days but I am now up and moving forward.
My guy just stays strong and focus on yourself and your betterment. The dollar rate is too high to support them aboard. Unless you can send 1m nairas per month for the upkeep

MOST Beautiful Girl In Nigeria 1992, Sandra Petgrave and her husband, George Chukwuka, have been sentenced to jail in the United States (US) for their roles in a $5.8 million mortgage fraud that spanned five years. Sandra and Chiedu have six children together.

Investigations by FBI showed that Chiedu led the fraud ring that operated from 2006 to 2011. Sandra was sentenced to one and a half years imprisonment while her husband was sentenced to nine years in jail. Below is how FBI reported their sentencing..

“Chiedu “George” Chukwuka has been sentenced in connection with his lead role in a mortgage fraud ring that spanned five years and caused millions in losses.
Chukwuka, along with his co-defendants and other co-conspirators, engaged in a massive property-flipping scheme resulting in over $5.8 million in actual losses to financial institutions between 2006 and 2011.

“At the height of the recent mortgage-fraud crisis, this property-flipping scheme caused scores of homes to fall into foreclosure, costing financial institutions millions of dollars in losses,” said U.S. Attorney John Horn. “Many communities in our district have been decimated by mortgage fraud during the last 15 years and even now struggle to recover from the effects of these schemes.”

“The sentencing of Mr. Chukwuka brings to a close a lengthy investigation and prosecution of a criminal enterprise that targeted the banking industry through their prolific mortgage fraud schemes. Mr. Chukwuka, considered by law enforcement and prosecution to be head of this enterprise, caused extensive damage with high loss amounts to those victim banks involved. The FBI is pleased with the role it played in bringing about this sentencing to federal prison of Mr. Chukwuka as well as the previous sentencings of his co-defendants in this matter,” said J. Britt Johnson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office.

Phree Technologies , a new Web Development and Digital Marketing agency for B2B and off shore development, headquartered in Hamden, CT, USA, is seeking an experienced WordPress/PHP Web Developer. Candidates must have solid understanding of web development best practices and be able to show examples of complex systems they have worked on.
Front end development is also an important aspect to this position. (CSS, HTML5, jQuery, etc.)
The position will consist of everything from complete website development to small maintenance projects. Plug-in research and customization are a plus. Specifically, we are looking for people with a strength in creating quick word press sites with minimal guidance. Experience creating custom themes is a must have.
Desired Skills & Experience
· 2 - 5 years WordPress
· 2 - 5 years minimum PHP development
· 2 - 5 years MySQL experience
· 2 - 5 Experience with front-end web development (CSS, jQuery, HTML5, etc.)
okor_tech@yahoo.com and Jobs@phreetech.com

FIRST child of the late Head of State, Gen Murtala Mohammed, retd, and Chairman Executive Officer of Murtala Mohammed Foundation, Mrs. Aisha Oyebode in this interview provides a rare insight into the life of the late Head of State and the challenges his death unleashed on his wife and children among other issues.

What does it feel like 40 years after the demise of your dad?
Aisha Oyebode,Muritala’s DaughterAisha Oyebode,Muritala’s Daughter

What I can say is that I am always humbled by his legacy. I also feel humbled when I see the kind of response that people have towards him 40 years after. So I really feel it is something that makes me very proud. At times I realise that he really was visionary because so many things that he talked about 40 years ago are the ones affecting us today.

Where were you on the day he was assassinated and how did you get the news of his assassination in a military coup 40 years ago?

I was a student at Queens College, Lagos. I was in Form 2. Actually I did not know for quite a while. As soon it happened, the Head Mistress called me into her office and said that I needed to go home. The lady that came to pick me was the Principal of the school that I went to earlier. She is Mrs. Nasiru a Lebanese, who was the principal of Lebanese Community School, Yaba. So, she took us to her home on the outskirts of Lagos.

I did not know what was going on that Friday. The only thing I knew was that martial music was playing on the radio but I had no idea of what happened. The following day, they took us to my uncle’s house in Yaba. He is my father’s very good friend. When we got there every one started crying and I asked what was going on they said my aunty was not feeling fine and I smiled.

Whatever they told me, I believed it. It was when we got to Kano the following day which was on Sunday morning that my father’s mother told us that my father had been killed. That was after he had been buried. All this while my mother was away, maybe if she was around we would have known earlier.

Obviously there are some peculiarities that come with being the daughter of the late Head of State Gen Murtala Mohammed, retd. Can we know these peculiarities?

I think that very big shoes, filling them can be very challenging. People’s expectations of you are very high which not bad because what it does is that it makes you determined as well. It makes one understand that his legacy is an important thing that has to be sustained. It is not easy. Sometimes living in the public glare for so long is not easy and people don’t realise that. And again I am not complaining, I am just stating the fact that when you live in the public glare, you have to work really hard. Sometimes it is difficult to maintain privacy by staying on your own lane and live a quiet life.

But the positive side of it especially when it comes to the work of the foundation is that it opens doors. It is like having a brand. If our foundation, Ford Foundation and Macarthur goes to any place in Nigeria, they will open the door first for me just because of our reputation. And I find that even in the remotest part of Nigeria where people are not receptive. I am usually the one they put in the front. It is not that it opens doors without hard work; it just makes things a lot easier. And it is a recognised brand if you want to use business terms. You do not have to work as hard as others to grow the reputation. People just acknowledge and recognise it.

What was the experience like growing up without your father?

I can say that living without him was very difficult. We live in a patriarchal society which means that it is really the man in the front that defines the family. After my father died life was really tough. There were six of us my, mother had to bring all of us up but it was very difficult for us financially. My mother was very enterprising and hard working but things were very difficult especially towards the later years when my younger siblings were in secondary school and the university. It was actually very tough.

What were your thoughts about Nigeria at that time?

I think I was so busy trying to get over my grief. And I was particularly close to my father because I was the eldest child. At that time the Federal Government gave us scholarship but it was not easy. Things are even much more efficient now because in those days every holiday we couldn’t go on vacation like some children. From the time I come home, we will be putting papers for our scholarship together so that we can take them to the Cabinet Office, the papers will now move from desk to desk and we were doing it so that we will not be late for school. And I did it for myself and my younger siblings. So you can imagine what we went through. So honestly I didn’t have time to feel any bitterness or anger.

For me it was just important to make sure that we all went to school. In my older years, when I look back I realise that it did not just have to be that difficult because other families of other Heads of States also have to go through what we went through trying to get through the Cabinet Office, and I know that some of them after a while had to give up at some point. But my mum was just determined. Yes, it was tough and I am sure if you ask any of my siblings they will tell you how tough it was. It is not that on the other side of it that we are now accomplished and then everybody thinks life was a bed of roses for us. No, it was not.

Being the eldest child and having been close to him, what kind of impression do you have of him?

My father was very passionate about everything and he was very passionate about Nigeria. Sometimes when people ask me why I am passionate about Nigeria, I tell them that it is probably because he used to talk a lot about Nigeria when he was young. When we were young, when we wanted to go to Kano, we will drive to Kaduna and sleep there before proceeding to Kano. It is usually with my younger brother and I and may be with a friend of my dad. And then they used to discuss Nigeria in their discussion all the way to Kano. And I think that is where my feelings and understanding of the country came from. He was passionate about development.

He was the one, who said to my mother that should anything happen to him, the only legacy she can give to his children is education especially the girls. So he really understood how important it was for the children to be well educated. My father was the one who was a horticulturalist before my mother. My father would plant the foreign apple that does not grow here locally. And of course the tree will grow but it will not bear fruits because we don’t have the climate for it. He used to have collection of birds. And then he was also technologically savvy.

All the latest technological gadgets of his time, he had them because he was in the signals. And he was a very handsome man. So I recall doing a lot of things with him. In fact we used to go swimming at the Federal Palace Hotel every Sunday. In fact I used to tell everybody that the first hamburger I ate was at the Federal Palace Hotel and no hamburger has ever tested like that! And some weekends we used to go shopping.

Having been that close to him, were there any particular thing that he often told you?

He emphasised so much on education, not just western education alone but also Quranic education. I think selflessness was something he always emphasised on. He often said that whatever one does, the person should not think about himself alone but also others. That was a very important lesson. And in fact if anybody ever got into trouble with my dad, he will raise his voice. He never raised his hands against any of us except for once that he hit my brother. He taught us selflessness; you just don’t do things and think about yourself alone. And that was a very important lesson.

Your dad was known to have pioneered the clamour for accountability in public service, how successful has the Murtala Mohammed foundation gone in promoting public probity?

It is part of the work that we do in terms of public policy and advocacy because accountability is about probity. How do we make the leaders accountable to the people? These are some of the things we do. That is why in our annual lectures we talk about issues of governance and how we can improve the lives of people. So these are some of the things that come from probity and accountability and also in everything we do at the foundation, we try to ensure that we are accountable.

The office of the Head of State is such that demands so much time, did you really miss him much when he became the Head of State and did he actually have time for his family at that time?

I don’t remember what I did. I tell people that I actually didn’t remember what happened during that time because of the traumatic experience of his death. I remember the day he became Head of State, I remember the day I was told he died. In between that time, I can’t remember much. All I can remember are feelings and those feelings chill much. I still remember that I was happy as a child because he was so protective. But it is like my mind shut down as a result of that tragic incident. May be sometimes, I may remember some episodes. He was very close to his children. There are some pictures that will be taken to the National Archives and in all he was with his children. As a person he was very gentle and well loved. My father had a lot of friends even now when they talk about him; it comes from his gentle side. He does not like to come home and his dinner will be late. He liked a lot of our native soups like Efo, Okro and he liked Tuwo

How has the relationship between your father’s immediate family and the children been?

Within 10 years that my father died, most of his brothers died. That was quite devastating as well. My father’s sisters actually stood in but they were women, so they did not really have the impact that my father’s brothers would have had. And then we had a close relationship with Alhaji Inua Wada, my father’s uncle, who recently passed on. In terms of saying if anybody actually stood in to replace him, there was nobody like that, maybe because after my father died, my father’s relations wanted to keep us in Kano and my mother said no. I think that caused some issues for many years but it did not stop us from interacting with them, it is just that they did not step in the way one would have expected them.

Did the absence of your father affect the Hausa part of your heritage since your mother is Yoruba and you grew up with her in Lagos without your dad?

I have a lot of my Kano heritage. I still go to Kano, I still relate with all my relations. Even last week I met with my father’s aunties in Abuja. I am still very much rooted in that culture but you know I am also unique. I tell people that I am a Nigerian because I crossed the divide. And I think what makes me who I am, is my Yoruba side and my Hausa side. And that is what I am. I am not one or the other. I speak Hausa and Yoruba fluently and relate very well with both sides of my heritage.

On special treatment

I don’t think I got any special treatment. I had a good relationship with everyone. Perhaps the only time that anything different or unusual happened was when he was killed because I was taken out of school. And when I came back, the Principal, Mrs. Coker, held a memorial service with the students for my dad. After that nothing else, I was like every other person.

On Murtala Mohammed foundation

We started the foundation actually because of the Daily Times lectures. When Daily Times started having problems, the idea of having a foundation was muted. Actually when they were having the initial discussion, I was not part of it. They went to Obsanjo and told him that it was a good idea to have a foundation. And of course they spoke to my mother. And Baba (Obasanjo) was the one, who said I should be made the executive secretary. I try to keep his memories very positive. I just think that we are lucky because I have so many good things to remember. When I look at his books I remember so many things about him. And we actually cared about his books because he had specially books.

Without prejudice to the national monuments named after Murtala Mohammed, do you think he has had a fair share of immortalisation?

Two weeks ago the National Museum because of the exhibition they want to do, asked us to get them the list of all the landmarks named after him and honestly to say that enough has not been done, we will be doing a disservice to Nigeria. Every city you go, landmarks are named after Murtala Mohammed. There are a lot of educational establishments named after him. There are so many of them. I think the most important thing is to maintain these monuments. And it will be nice to have a body that will be able to keep those monuments in a fitting state.

All over the country there are Murtala Mohammed parks. The other day, Enugu State government called us to know what we want to do with the Murtala Mohammed Park. And it is a huge expanse of land. I think we have done quite a lot. If there is anything that we have not done enough, it is the fact that we are not documenting our history very well because if we don’t document history, people will write it and that is the mistake that we are making. We need to start documenting history.

FIRST child of the late Head of State, Gen Murtala Mohammed, retd, and Chairman Executive Officer of Murtala Mohammed Foundation, Mrs. Aisha Oyebode in this interview provides a rare insight into the life of the late Head of State and the challenges his death unleashed on his wife and children among other issues.

What does it feel like 40 years after the demise of your dad?
Aisha Oyebode,Muritala’s DaughterAisha Oyebode,Muritala’s Daughter

What I can say is that I am always humbled by his legacy. I also feel humbled when I see the kind of response that people have towards him 40 years after. So I really feel it is something that makes me very proud. At times I realise that he really was visionary because so many things that he talked about 40 years ago are the ones affecting us today.

Where were you on the day he was assassinated and how did you get the news of his assassination in a military coup 40 years ago?

I was a student at Queens College, Lagos. I was in Form 2. Actually I did not know for quite a while. As soon it happened, the Head Mistress called me into her office and said that I needed to go home. The lady that came to pick me was the Principal of the school that I went to earlier. She is Mrs. Nasiru a Lebanese, who was the principal of Lebanese Community School, Yaba. So, she took us to her home on the outskirts of Lagos.

I did not know what was going on that Friday. The only thing I knew was that martial music was playing on the radio but I had no idea of what happened. The following day, they took us to my uncle’s house in Yaba. He is my father’s very good friend. When we got there every one started crying and I asked what was going on they said my aunty was not feeling fine and I smiled.

Whatever they told me, I believed it. It was when we got to Kano the following day which was on Sunday morning that my father’s mother told us that my father had been killed. That was after he had been buried. All this while my mother was away, maybe if she was around we would have known earlier.

Obviously there are some peculiarities that come with being the daughter of the late Head of State Gen Murtala Mohammed, retd. Can we know these peculiarities?

I think that very big shoes, filling them can be very challenging. People’s expectations of you are very high which not bad because what it does is that it makes you determined as well. It makes one understand that his legacy is an important thing that has to be sustained. It is not easy. Sometimes living in the public glare for so long is not easy and people don’t realise that. And again I am not complaining, I am just stating the fact that when you live in the public glare, you have to work really hard. Sometimes it is difficult to maintain privacy by staying on your own lane and live a quiet life.

But the positive side of it especially when it comes to the work of the foundation is that it opens doors. It is like having a brand. If our foundation, Ford Foundation and Macarthur goes to any place in Nigeria, they will open the door first for me just because of our reputation. And I find that even in the remotest part of Nigeria where people are not receptive. I am usually the one they put in the front. It is not that it opens doors without hard work; it just makes things a lot easier. And it is a recognised brand if you want to use business terms. You do not have to work as hard as others to grow the reputation. People just acknowledge and recognise it.

What was the experience like growing up without your father?

I can say that living without him was very difficult. We live in a patriarchal society which means that it is really the man in the front that defines the family. After my father died life was really tough. There were six of us my, mother had to bring all of us up but it was very difficult for us financially. My mother was very enterprising and hard working but things were very difficult especially towards the later years when my younger siblings were in secondary school and the university. It was actually very tough.

What were your thoughts about Nigeria at that time?

I think I was so busy trying to get over my grief. And I was particularly close to my father because I was the eldest child. At that time the Federal Government gave us scholarship but it was not easy. Things are even much more efficient now because in those days every holiday we couldn’t go on vacation like some children. From the time I come home, we will be putting papers for our scholarship together so that we can take them to the Cabinet Office, the papers will now move from desk to desk and we were doing it so that we will not be late for school. And I did it for myself and my younger siblings. So you can imagine what we went through. So honestly I didn’t have time to feel any bitterness or anger.

For me it was just important to make sure that we all went to school. In my older years, when I look back I realise that it did not just have to be that difficult because other families of other Heads of States also have to go through what we went through trying to get through the Cabinet Office, and I know that some of them after a while had to give up at some point. But my mum was just determined. Yes, it was tough and I am sure if you ask any of my siblings they will tell you how tough it was. It is not that on the other side of it that we are now accomplished and then everybody thinks life was a bed of roses for us. No, it was not.

Being the eldest child and having been close to him, what kind of impression do you have of him?

My father was very passionate about everything and he was very passionate about Nigeria. Sometimes when people ask me why I am passionate about Nigeria, I tell them that it is probably because he used to talk a lot about Nigeria when he was young. When we were young, when we wanted to go to Kano, we will drive to Kaduna and sleep there before proceeding to Kano. It is usually with my younger brother and I and may be with a friend of my dad. And then they used to discuss Nigeria in their discussion all the way to Kano. And I think that is where my feelings and understanding of the country came from. He was passionate about development.

He was the one, who said to my mother that should anything happen to him, the only legacy she can give to his children is education especially the girls. So he really understood how important it was for the children to be well educated. My father was the one who was a horticulturalist before my mother. My father would plant the foreign apple that does not grow here locally. And of course the tree will grow but it will not bear fruits because we don’t have the climate for it. He used to have collection of birds. And then he was also technologically savvy.

All the latest technological gadgets of his time, he had them because he was in the signals. And he was a very handsome man. So I recall doing a lot of things with him. In fact we used to go swimming at the Federal Palace Hotel every Sunday. In fact I used to tell everybody that the first hamburger I ate was at the Federal Palace Hotel and no hamburger has ever tested like that! And some weekends we used to go shopping.

Having been that close to him, were there any particular thing that he often told you?

He emphasised so much on education, not just western education alone but also Quranic education. I think selflessness was something he always emphasised on. He often said that whatever one does, the person should not think about himself alone but also others. That was a very important lesson. And in fact if anybody ever got into trouble with my dad, he will raise his voice. He never raised his hands against any of us except for once that he hit my brother. He taught us selflessness; you just don’t do things and think about yourself alone. And that was a very important lesson.

Your dad was known to have pioneered the clamour for accountability in public service, how successful has the Murtala Mohammed foundation gone in promoting public probity?

It is part of the work that we do in terms of public policy and advocacy because accountability is about probity. How do we make the leaders accountable to the people? These are some of the things we do. That is why in our annual lectures we talk about issues of governance and how we can improve the lives of people. So these are some of the things that come from probity and accountability and also in everything we do at the foundation, we try to ensure that we are accountable.

The office of the Head of State is such that demands so much time, did you really miss him much when he became the Head of State and did he actually have time for his family at that time?

I don’t remember what I did. I tell people that I actually didn’t remember what happened during that time because of the traumatic experience of his death. I remember the day he became Head of State, I remember the day I was told he died. In between that time, I can’t remember much. All I can remember are feelings and those feelings chill much. I still remember that I was happy as a child because he was so protective. But it is like my mind shut down as a result of that tragic incident. May be sometimes, I may remember some episodes. He was very close to his children. There are some pictures that will be taken to the National Archives and in all he was with his children. As a person he was very gentle and well loved. My father had a lot of friends even now when they talk about him; it comes from his gentle side. He does not like to come home and his dinner will be late. He liked a lot of our native soups like Efo, Okro and he liked Tuwo

How has the relationship between your father’s immediate family and the children been?

Within 10 years that my father died, most of his brothers died. That was quite devastating as well. My father’s sisters actually stood in but they were women, so they did not really have the impact that my father’s brothers would have had. And then we had a close relationship with Alhaji Inua Wada, my father’s uncle, who recently passed on. In terms of saying if anybody actually stood in to replace him, there was nobody like that, maybe because after my father died, my father’s relations wanted to keep us in Kano and my mother said no. I think that caused some issues for many years but it did not stop us from interacting with them, it is just that they did not step in the way one would have expected them.

Did the absence of your father affect the Hausa part of your heritage since your mother is Yoruba and you grew up with her in Lagos without your dad?

I have a lot of my Kano heritage. I still go to Kano, I still relate with all my relations. Even last week I met with my father’s aunties in Abuja. I am still very much rooted in that culture but you know I am also unique. I tell people that I am a Nigerian because I crossed the divide. And I think what makes me who I am, is my Yoruba side and my Hausa side. And that is what I am. I am not one or the other. I speak Hausa and Yoruba fluently and relate very well with both sides of my heritage.

On special treatment

I don’t think I got any special treatment. I had a good relationship with everyone. Perhaps the only time that anything different or unusual happened was when he was killed because I was taken out of school. And when I came back, the Principal, Mrs. Coker, held a memorial service with the students for my dad. After that nothing else, I was like every other person.

On Murtala Mohammed foundation

We started the foundation actually because of the Daily Times lectures. When Daily Times started having problems, the idea of having a foundation was muted. Actually when they were having the initial discussion, I was not part of it. They went to Obsanjo and told him that it was a good idea to have a foundation. And of course they spoke to my mother. And Baba (Obasanjo) was the one, who said I should be made the executive secretary. I try to keep his memories very positive. I just think that we are lucky because I have so many good things to remember. When I look at his books I remember so many things about him. And we actually cared about his books because he had specially books.

Without prejudice to the national monuments named after Murtala Mohammed, do you think he has had a fair share of immortalisation?

Two weeks ago the National Museum because of the exhibition they want to do, asked us to get them the list of all the landmarks named after him and honestly to say that enough has not been done, we will be doing a disservice to Nigeria. Every city you go, landmarks are named after Murtala Mohammed. There are a lot of educational establishments named after him. There are so many of them. I think the most important thing is to maintain these monuments. And it will be nice to have a body that will be able to keep those monuments in a fitting state.

All over the country there are Murtala Mohammed parks. The other day, Enugu State government called us to know what we want to do with the Murtala Mohammed Park. And it is a huge expanse of land. I think we have done quite a lot. If there is anything that we have not done enough, it is the fact that we are not documenting our history very well because if we don’t document history, people will write it and that is the mistake that we are making. We need to start documenting history.

Phree Technologies , a new Web Development and Digital Marketing agency for B2B and off shore development, headquartered in Hamden, CT, USA, is seeking an experienced WordPress/PHP Web Developer. Candidates must have solid understanding of web development best practices and be able to show examples of complex systems they have worked on.[b]Front end development is also an important aspect to this position. (CSS, HTML5, jQuery, etc.)
The position will consist of everything from complete website development to small maintenance projects. Plug-in research and customization are a plus. Specifically, we are looking for people with a strength in creating quick word press sites with minimal guidance. Experience creating custom themes is a must have.
Desired Skills & Experience
· 2 - 5 years WordPress
· 2 - 5 years minimum PHP development
· 2 - 5 years MySQL experience
· 2 - 5 Experience with front-end web development (CSS, jQuery, HTML5, etc.)
Jobs@phreetech.com and okor_tech@yahoo.com

WordPress/PHP Developer needed to start immediately in our Port Harcourt office.
Phree Technologies , a new Web Development and Digital Marketing agency for B2B and off shore development, headquartered in Hamden, CT, USA, is seeking an experienced WordPress/PHP Web Developer. Candidates must have solid understanding of web development best practices and be able to show examples of complex systems they have worked on.
Front end development is also an important aspect to this position. (CSS, HTML5, jQuery, etc.)
The position will consist of everything from complete website development to small maintenance projects. Plug-in research and customization are a plus. Specifically, we are looking for people with a strength in creating quick word press sites with minimal guidance. Experience creating custom themes is a must have.
Desired Skills & Experience
· 2 - 5 years WordPress
· 2 - 5 years minimum PHP development
· 2 - 5 years MySQL experience
· 2 - 5 Experience with front-end web development (CSS, jQuery, HTML5, etc.)
Jobs@phreetech.com and okor_tech@yahoo.com

WordPress/PHP Developer needed to start immediately in our Port Harcourt office.
Phree Technologies , a new Web Development and Digital Marketing agency for B2B and off shore development, headquartered in Hamden, CT, USA, is seeking an experienced WordPress/PHP Web Developer. Candidates must have solid understanding of web development best practices and be able to show examples of complex systems they have worked on.
Front end development is also an important aspect to this position. (CSS, HTML5, jQuery, etc.)
The position will consist of everything from complete website development to small maintenance projects. Plug-in research and customization are a plus. Specifically, we are looking for people with a strength in creating quick word press sites with minimal guidance. Experience creating custom themes is a must have.

Desired Skills & Experience
· 2 - 5 years WordPress
· 2 - 5 years minimum PHP development
· 2 - 5 years MySQL experience
· 2 - 5 Experience with front-end web development (CSS, jQuery, HTML5, etc.)

Jobs@phreetech.com and okor_tech@yahoo.com

WordPress/PHP Developer needed to start immediately in our Port Harcourt office.
Phree Technologies , a new Web Development and Digital Marketing agency for B2B and off shore development, headquartered in Hamden, CT, USA, is seeking an experienced WordPress/PHP Web Developer. Candidates must have solid understanding of web development best practices and be able to show examples of complex systems they have worked on.
Front end development is also an important aspect to this position. (CSS, HTML5, jQuery, etc.)
The position will consist of everything from complete website development to small maintenance projects. Plug-in research and customization are a plus. Specifically, we are looking for people with a strength in creating quick word press sites with minimal guidance. Experience creating custom themes is a must have.

Desired Skills & Experience
· 2 - 5 years WordPress
· 2 - 5 years minimum PHP development
· 2 - 5 years MySQL experience
· 2 - 5 Experience with front-end web development (CSS, jQuery, HTML5, etc.)

Jobs@phreetech.com and okor_tech@yahoo.com

WordPress/PHP Developer needed to start immediately in our Port Harcourt office.
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· 2 - 5 years WordPress
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· 2 - 5 years MySQL experience
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Jobs@phreetech.com and okor_tech@yahoo.com

One to undergo surgery in Germany, jaws of the other fractured

■ They are suspected cultists –Varsity PRO
■ Other students live in fear and under threat of expulsion

FROM ALOYSIUS ATTAH, ONITSHA attahcomrade@yahoo.com

Two students of Madon­na University, Akpugo Campus, Enugu State, have told the horrifying story of torture they suffered in the hands of key officials of the tertiary institution.

The duo, Stanley Okoye, 23, a final year Civil Engineering student and Ga-Lim Aondofa Lord, escaped death by the whiskers after they were allegedly abducted from their rooms February 3, 2015, in the dead of the night, in commando fashion, by the Chief Security Officer of the university, Okey Ogbonna and the Dean of Student Affairs, Rev. Fr. Isaac Nginga, a Catholic priest, in company of others and taken to a secluded area on the campus, where they were tortured, brutalized, dehu­manised and left to die, but through divine intervention, they lived to tell the story.

Though they survived the ordeal, they are still undergoing treatment for the almost fatal injuries they received in the hands of their tormentors. For instance, Stanley still needs to undergo special surgery in Germany on the spine to repair a major damage inflicted on him while the torture lasted. Aondofa suffered a dislocated jaw that required having his jaws held together with special dental wire to allow the injury heal. The duo would for the rest of their lives bear the burden of the deep psychological scars imprinted on their minds by the experience.

Meanwhile, they are still battling to get the results of their degree examinations released. Accompanied by their parents, the victims who visited The Sun office in Onitsha gave a chilling account of what they passed through in the campus, and revealed the alleged moves by the university management to cover up the truth.

In the heartbreaking and graphic account of what happened that fateful night they were abducted, Stanley Okoye recounted that he was woken up from sleep around midnight by one Mr. Kingsley, the school’s Sub- Dean, Mr. Ola, their hall representa­tives, Mr. Wisdom, Mr. Somtoo and Ogbonna Okey, who is the university chief security officer (CSO), all of whom were accompanied by the Dean of Students Affairs, Rev. Fr. Isaac Nginga. He was then bundled into a Toyota 4runner SUV and taken to a bushy end of the campus where their ordeal began.

Continuing, Stanley said: “These people were accompanied that night by an armed soldier, who is among our security guards in school. First, they asked for the room number of my friend and classmate, Lord Ga-Lim and I told them. They picked him up from his hostel and forced both of us into the vehicle. They first drove us to the administrative building and we alighted. Without any question, they descended on us after commanding us to lie down on the gravel. It was Rev. Father Isaac who hit us first with his belt, and the others then joined. They beat us with military belts, planks, batons, iron, stones and other dangerous weapons they could lay their hands on; they dealt mercilessly with us.

“All the while they were treading on us as we lay on the sharp, rough gravel. Not even our plea for mercy or cries for help could melt their hearts. Fr. Isaac even commanded the military officer to shoot us if we attempted to run away. In fact, the soldier fired the shot but narrowly missed me. I was coughing out blood and bleeding profusely but Ogbonna, the CSO hit me with his elbow and I fell down again.

“In that state, I was forced into the trunk of the Lexus SUV of Fr. Isaac; I memorized the registration number ENU 525 CP. My friend was forced into a Toyota 4Runner SUV driven by Rev. Fr. Mamah. With us in the trunk, they moved with crazy speed and even drove past the university security post without stopping. The road was very bad. Even though I was almost slipping into unconsciousness, I still heard the shrill voices of security men at the gate and flashing of lights at them telling them to stop. I later realized that the people were policemen on patrol who suspected the manner of the vehicular movement. That night, our tormentors took us to Agbani police station.

“A police officer on duty at the station asked them whether we were involved in accident but they didn’t answer. In that state, I told the police that we were attacked by the same people, who brought us to the station and the police told them to take us to a specialist hospital or else we would die but they just took us back to the campus and dumped us in the campus clinic. I was in pains and we were struggling to hang on to life. They only gave us painkillers and sleep inducing drugs. It was one of the nurses who saw our condi­tion that night that I whispered my mother’s number into her ears and she used her phone, after hiding the number, to notify my parents about our plight.

“While we were in the hospital, they confiscated our phones, laptops and all our friends and roommates’ phones and communication gadgets to ensure that information about us did not leak to the outside commu­nity. We were dying in installments. On February 5, I was woken up by the CSO, who told me that my father was at the gate and wanted to see me. My dad was shocked when he saw my condition. When he tried to take a picture of me, they seized his camera and smashed it on the ground. After heated argument between my dad and the people at the gate, they immediately bundled my friend and myself to the Elele campus of the university in Rivers State, in the dead of the night without the knowledge of my father. We were in the hospital at Elele for about seven weeks shut out from the people and still under police watch even on our hospital bed. We underwent several surgeries because the doctor confirmed that my zygo­matic bone close to the spine was fractured. My friend had fractures on the lower and upper jaws.

I fainted when I saw my son –Okoye

Narrating how he heard about his son’s ordeal and the frustrations he encountered in the course of seeking justice for the victimized students, Chief Okoye told Sunday Sun that he was in Lagos when his wife called him from their Abuja home.

His words: “My wife informed me that she received a distress call. Only God can describe the trauma we passed through that night before daybreak. I left Lagos for Enugu with first flight, abandoning all I came to do in Lagos, but I never knew that I was in for the greatest shock of my life. On getting to the school gate, I was denied entry by the security peo­ple and left stranded for four hours. When I noticed that the matter was no more a small issue not to talk of the uncertainty surrounding my son’s life, knowing that his phone was already permanently switched off, I sought for external help through the military. It was the high command at the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu that assisted me before they could allow me to enter and stay by the side of the gate while they went to fetch my son. When they brought him, I fainted, upon seeing his condition.

“After regaining composure a bit, I asked him who did that to him and he pointed out the CSO, the Rev Father and some others. I wanted to take his picture in that state for practical evidence but to my surprise, another Catholic priest named Fr. Francis, who came in from Elele, Rivers State with two police escorts ordered the security men to smash my camera which is worth N300,000 to pieces, and they did. They also threatened to shoot me if I didn’t tread with cau­tion. After all arguments, we agreed that the children should be taken to either Enugu State University Teaching Hospital (ESUTH) or Uni­versity of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku Ozalla, Enugu State, but to my surprise again, as soon as I left, they bundled the children in that state to their headquarters at Elele, Rivers State.

“The children were kept in­communicado and detained in the hospital too. It was through military assistance that I was able to gain access to see them in the hospital but they refused to release them to us for proper medical care.”

Federal High Court to the rescue

Unable to endure the continued detention of the students at the Elele campus of the university and the uncertainty and anxiety surrounding their health status, Okoye through his lawyer, G. E. Ezeuko, SAN approached the Federal High Court, Enugu, for the enforcement of the fundamental human rights of the students. He also slammed a civil suit against the Governing Council of Madonna University and eight other respondents, demanding N1billion compensation for special and general damages and for gross violation of fundamental human rights guaran­teed under the Constitution of Nige­ria and African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.

In the Suit No FHC/ EN/M/58/2015, the applicants, If­eanyi Stanley Okoye, Lord Aondofa Ga-Lim and Samuel Okoye prayed the court for a declaration that: “The acts of the respondents on the 3rd and 5th of February, 2015 which resulted in serious bodily injury, torture, intimidation and detention of the applicants amounts to infraction of their fundamental right guaranteed under sections 33, 34, 35 and 36 of the Constitution of Nigeria 1999 and under the Africa Charter on Human and Peoples Right.

Through the granted reliefs sought by the applicants, the management of Madonna University later released the wounded students from the hospi­tal though there are other pending matters in the suit. The case was adjourned till October 29, 2015.

Catholic priest, CSO remanded in prison custody, granted mysterious bail

On their release from the hospital in Elele, Stanley and Aondofa sought private treatment in other different hospitals. Stanley was admitted at Olabisi Onabanjo Teaching Hospital, Ogun State while Aondofa also went for corrective surgeries on his broken jaw. It was at the teaching hospital that the doctor revealed that Stanley would still require a corrective surgery abroad for his cervical region to avoid total and irreversible damage to the spinal cord as a result of the injuries sustained from the torture.

Incensed that the university man­agement showed no concern or even bothered to reach out to the aggrieved families of the brutalized students, who are solely bearing the spiraling cost of the victims’ medical bills, while the perpetrators of the acts have been walking about scot-free, Okoye petitioned the Commissioner of Po­lice seeking for criminal prosecution of the alleged culprits.

The petition signed by Barrister A.C Arinze of the chambers of G. E Ezeuko (SAN) and addressed to the Enugu State Commissioner of Police, copy of which was obtained by the Sunday Sun, was entitled: “Petition Against Torture, Maltreatment, De­humanization, Unlawful Detention and Battering meted against Ifeanyi Stanley Okoye and Lord Aondofa Galim by staff and officials of Ma­donna University, Akpugo Campus, Enugu State.”

Acting on the contents of the petition, and particularly moved by the pictures of the tortured state of the victims, the Commissioner of Police, after interviewing both parties and expressing serious dismay over the inhuman treatment of the students, ordered the detention of the duo of Fr. Nginga and Ogbonna Okey while others connected to the alleged crime were declared wanted.

Then on Tuesday, July 14, 2015, Nginga and Ogbonna were arraigned in an Enugu Magistrate court presid­ed over by Nkemdilim Anibueze on a two-count charge of conspiracy and felony.

When the court registrar read the first charge against the defendants, an argument ensued between the police prosecutor, Anichima Boniface and the defence counsel from the chambers of Tony Muogbo, SAN, who argued that the first count charge preferred against the defendants was incompetent, arguing that the court lacked jurisdiction to try the case.

After arguments, the magistrate ordered that the defendants be remanded in prison till the next adjourned date (July 21, 2015) for her to rule on whether the first count charge should subsist and on the issue of jurisdiction.

When the case was called on the resumed hearing, which was wit­nessed by Sunday Sun reporter and other journalists, a mild drama played out when the magistrate expressly granted all the prayers of the defence counsel and disallowed any objection from the police prosecutor or the counsel to the victimised students.

The magistrate, after ruling that the court did what it was supposed to do by remanding the suspects in prison custody when issues of competency of the court, charges or jurisdiction arose, later gave room for the counsel to argue their points.

The defence counsel, Tony Muogbo, SAN represented by Mrs V.C. Okoye told the court that the defendants had applied for and were granted bail by Agbani High Court, presided over by Justice Anidi, stressing that they had met the bail conditions. She explained that Friday and Monday, being November 17 and 20 respectively, were public holidays, therefore the defendants could not pay the necessary fees to obtain the certified true copies of the bail application.

The police prosecutor, Anichima, while addressing the court said that the argument by the defence counsel was a novelty to him because he had never heard that a defendant standing trial in a magistrate court could go to another court to seek and obtain bail when the magistrate hearing the case had not dispensed with it. The presiding magistrate in her ruling admitted the files as Exhibits A, A2, A3, A4 and E, which were enclosed in a big envelope. She stated that the case had been bonded over with the sum of N200,000 while the matter was adjourned sine-die pending when the Attorney General of Enugu State through the Director of Public Prosecution would give his opinion.

Before the magistrate could finish her remarks, the cleric and the CSO jumped out of the dock and in a jiffy, rushed to the door, followed immediately by other priests from Madonna University, who came to court in solidarity. Before the two lawyers could step out of the court, the defendants had already boarded a vehicle waiting within the premises and the driver zoomed off.

In a chat with Sunday Sun within the court premises, counsel to the brutalized students, Fidelis Mba­dugha expressed dismay over what transpired in the court, saying that there were indications that something transpired in secret before the court sitting. He said the proper thing the magistrate ought to have done was to first of all decline jurisdiction. He said the high court had no jurisdiction to grant bail when the matter was still pending in a magistrate court.

His words: “It is after a magis­trate court must have concluded and transmitted the case file to the DPP, and the DPP had prepared his opinion that the defendants could then apply for bail at the high court. The high court would then see the proceedings and records at the lower court before granting the bail. This kind of procedure has not happened in our justice system and we will study the situation and know the next step to take.”

Scaface

Location pls

A real man of God with a good heart, God bless you

googluck magic

magicminister:
Update your OS hommie. This is 2015 for christ sake!!.
I am not ready to get married anytime soon. Does that mean i can't have a girlfriend??
Have you ever heard of what we call long term relationship?

If she is good for a gf than she can as while be good for a wife. Don't waste her time dating her and leave her for someone else. Goodluck bro

magicminister:
Makes no sense!!
How could you possibly get married just cos of sexxx

The problem is not buying but who will handle and maintain them, do we have expertise on ground for all these sophisticated equipment and weapons. God bless Nigeria and Obama

NL said he is dead already. Please lets get the correct News

Forget wike, he has nothing to offer to Rivers people. Pls NL where on earth can you complete a solid flat in the next 9 days in this raining season - only in ye-ye wike regime.

Where r you located? If you agree 1.5m we can start conversation