₦airaland Forum

Alexander Thandi Ubani
@thandiubani

I am writing this for my dear Christians in Nigeria. I believe my little input here will help the lost souls find the right path again and if necessary, change their lives for good.

Nigeria is a religious country, no doubt; but what we have are mere churchgoers. Why? The reason is very simple: they don't practice what they preach or are taught.

Nigerian Christians only act the holy part on Sundays. Then from Monday to Saturday, they show off all their bad sides and on Sunday, they put on their holy cloak.

Immediately they leave the church, they become something else - cursing, fighting, beating, cheating, fornicating, lying, planning evil and doing all sorts of vice that is against their faith. Some even beat their wives before going to church. Others even sleep with their boyfriends before leaving to worship God. Haba, my brothers and sisters. How can you finish beating your wife on Saturday and still have the mind to go to church on Sunday? How na? Even the woman maltreating her housemaid, how do you think you will weigh in the sight of God? You engage in all these vices yet make other people feel worse for the mistakes they make.

Which way my people?

A large number of Nigerians will not make heaven because they are pretenders. Many of them fornicate and engage in different immoral acts but always pretend to be holy. If you are opportuned to be shown on 5D tv the kind of lifestyle most live, you will be shocked to your bone marrow.

You will see a Christian fornicate during the week, then on Sunday attend church service, even leading the choir. After the church service, he/she will go back to his/her fornicating lifestyle. You are an internet fraudster but adore God. Every Sunday, you are in church spending the money you defrauded your victims on clothes and cars. Yet, you have the mind to open your damn mouth to praise God. Think, think and think!!!

You live with your boyfriend, yet call yourself a Christian. Every Sunday, you go to church. You are deceiving yourself brother and sister! You steal from your parents - doubling your school fees and making them pay through the nose, yet you continue to claim holy holy. God punish you!!

You will be shocked that on judgement day, God will reserve an evil place for you to languish. I know some of my pretentious friends who will face the wrath of God on judgement day, but I will not call their names.

How do you expect to make heaven with such a lifestyle?

You cheat your business partners, humiliate and ridicule people you think are below you and expect that God will count you as his son or daughter? Because you own a company or head an organization, now you insult and call people old enough to be your father names because of a mere error. You curse and make them look stupid in front of everybody. You owe your workers months of salaries as if they are your enemies, but you buy cars and build new houses while they lament bitterly.

Wake up brothers and sisters and stop living a double life. Grace will not be enough for you people on the day of judgement.

And just because you come from a rich home or by a stroke of luck, you are living a comfortable life, now every other person is beneath you. They do not matter because of their poor background. Help your family, you can't. You see them suffer endlessly but you swore with one of your balls that you will never be of help to them because you believe they may grow up tomorrow to be bigger than you.

Ah! Ah!! na!!! This world is not your own o! We are just passersby. Life is temporal and in a twinkle, you will be no more - Gone and forgotten.

Change your life for good and start living the life God will be proud of. I know that many people will understand where I am coming from and will from this my writeup, take the right step.

The pretenders will continue to argue. Wake up people!!

By Alexander Thandi Ubani
@thandiubani

Source: https://www.tori.ng/news/140805/these-type-of-christians-will-not-make-heaven.html

Since King Patrick (Peruzzi's former boss) attacked Davido on Twitter for poaching his artiste, Peruzzi and accused the latter of pimping Chioma to Davido, Nigerians have been left thinking that the relationship between the two will pack up in a matter of time.

Well, as it stands now, Nigerians may have to wait in vain. Just today, Peruzzi shared a photo of him having fun with Davido saying that his relationship with Davido is unbreakable. A subtle reply to King Patrick who obviously has been running around the internet telling everyone that wants to know that Chioma and Peruzzi are not cousins. He even alleged that Chioma and Peruzzi were once lovers before Peruzzi pimped her to Davido.

Many thought the revelation caused a ripple on Davido's relationship which saw the lovers unfollow each other on Instagram. Well, that was a cheap attention gimmick bloggers bought.

Personally, I believe Davido doesn't believe the revelation made by King Patrick that Peruzzi and Chioma were once lovers. I understand that he might think that King Patrick is talking out of a place of deep pain after his artiste signed for Davido's record label DMW. It's only a fool that would enter a relationship without knowing important details about the person he or she wants to settle down with. There are people who know Chioma before now, they would have one way or the other exposed her if she had lied to Davido about Peruzzi. I believe Peruzzi and Chioma are real cousins.

Now, to the reason why I think Davido and Peruzzi will not part ways soon. Peruzzi signed for Davido in 2017. Since then, apart from writing 'FIA' which Davido voiced, the musician is yet to repay Davido for sticking with him. So in all the drama, Peruzzi would likely want to show appreciation to Davido for putting his faith in him. He can't just walk away without repaying Davido with a hit song. So that's one reason he's going to be around Davido for some time.

No one can deny that Peruzzi is a good singer. He's also a good writer of lyrics. Someone with these assets can't be thrown away by Davido who knows his worth. If he can't get hits, at least he can be writing good songs for Davido to sing.

And finally, Peruzzi is family. For crying out loud, the musician is Chioma's cousin. That alone has earned him a good spot in David's entourage. Until Chioma's relationship with Davido goes sour, the guy is going to be around Davido for some time. These two are not parting ways any sooner, even King Patrick can't separate them.

By Alexander Thandi Ubani
@thandiubani

Source: https://www.tori.ng/news/140398/why-davido-and-peruzzi-will-never-part-ways-now.html

lalasticlala Seun ishilove

another...

more...

Peruzzi's former boss, King Patrick has made a damning allegation against the musician, claiming that Peruzzi and Chioma Avril are not cousins as many people had been made to believe.

The revelation came as King Patrick, Peruzzi and Davido fight dirty on social media over alleged contract breach.

King Patrick, a record label owner who some time ago signed singer, Peruzzi accused him of making an escape route from his label without legal authorization to sign for Davido's DMW label.

However, Peruzzi has insisted that he got Patrick's blessings and that he was even in Dubai when he signed the contract with Davido.

Patrick on the other hand, said that he was in Dubai during the contract signing, but refused to append his signature.

Well, the fight between the trio has gotten messier as they go back and forth. King Patrick accused Peruzzi of lying against him. He said he never gave Peruzzi authorization to sign for Davido's record label and insisted that he never signed any contract with Davido.

An angry Davido took to his Twitter page to accuse King Patrick of being a crackhead who is depressed and urged him to get help even though he never specifically mentioned his name.

Davido attacked Patrick on Twitter, saying:

"If you're feeling depressed, remember that you're not alone. God is with you always. Don't be afraid to reach out to people in your family, your church, or your friend circles.Ask them to pray with you and not give u drugs ! Hope u feel better bro � Crackhead!"

Reacting to the insult, King Patrick decided to divulge a secret that has been holed up in his heart.

Hitting Davido below the belt without mentioning his name too, he claimed that Peruzzi and Chioma are not cousins, but lovers/sidechic and that she was pimped to Davido for the money.

"If you're Feeling stupid and you're out there popping babies and giving girls STDs, don't be sad, reach out to loved ones and get advise from your Huncho on how to Bleep his Side Chick and love-vendor her out to you as his cousin.. Let's be guided pls. Incest is a Sin.. �"

It seems like the revelation caused a serious dent to the musician's relationship with Chioma which saw the duo dramatically unfollow each other on social media yesterday.

King Patrick's latest revelation points to a report by Kemi Olunloyo who had in the past alleged that Chioma had been sleeping around with some industry personalities. In fact, Kemi Olunloyo even released evidence showing a tweet in which Davido's Director of Corporate Sponsorship King Spesh of DMW revealed that Chioma had been sleeping aroundwith different men and that Peruzzi knew about it.

"Davido was dumped by Chioma Rowland in October 2018. I reported it first followed by thecableng.

He cursed me out for doing my job, another woman came forward reporting his deadbeat father status to me, he sexually harassed another woman last week then apologized.

Now his own Director of Corporate Sponsorship King Spesh of DMW says Chioma is having sex with multiple men “them they Bleep Chioma” whenever she comes to London and claims another artist in the label Peruzzi “knows it all”. Is Peruzzi among them? Poor Davido."

The revelation by King Patrick has added impetus to Kemi's report earlier which many people had waved aside as another industry gossip.
It is now obvious that there is an element of truth in her report.

With the drama happening between Davido and Chioma at the moment, the coast is far from being clear. King Patrick's revelation might be a shocking secret only Davido was not aware because most of his crew members knew the woman's past according to the King Spesh's chat.

I believe the drama is just starting because more revelations about Peruzzi and Chioma might become public property if King Patrick is pushed further.

It seems like he has many missiles in his arsenal to confront Peruzzi and Davido which might be lethal to the duo's public perception. There seems to be something Chioma and Peruzzi are hiding which will definitely come to light soon.

We die here. More drama loading...

Alexander Thandi Ubani
@thandiubani

Source: https://www.tori.ng/news/139903/another-insider-confirms-chioma-has-been-sleeping.html

lalasticlala Seun ishilove

By Alexander Thandi Ubani
Twitter: @thandiubani

The Nigerian music industry has become the pride of Africa recording an unprecedented streak of success while showcasing talented stars making the continent proud. These group of exceptional musicians released spell-binding songs that left ears wowing in awe.

This year alone, Nigerian musicians posted the continent on the global stage with electrifying songs that got international superstars gyrating to its rhythm. These Nigerian stars brought us accolades and solidified our status as the giant of Africa.

My top three list of male musicians who ruled 2019.

Afeez Fashola aka Naira Marley.

In 2019, although Olamide aka Badoo tried to run the street as he has always done in the past years, Naira Marley came out hotter and better with jams and dance steps that kept the youths nodding endlessly in happiness. His songs were the medicine to cure the frustration brought on the masses by government's aimless policies which condemned people to utter suffering. Buoyed by the government's effort to incarcerate him over alleged fraud, the musician who was relatively unknown just some years back, catapulted himself to the top and became the 'street king of 2019'.

His songs were acclaimed successes garnering millions of views on YouTube and other social media platforms. He became the first Nigerian musician to get over 40,000 comments in a matter of hours. His song 'Soapy' was a street banger that magneted a large chunk of our youths to his brand. Quite disturbing are his kind of songs, but youths seem hypnotized that they cannot get enough of it. Many radio and television stations do not consider playing his songs, but he has continued to rise like an angry wave.

His dance steps are practiced and danced by the young and old alike. It is like people have been infected with the 'Naira Marley virus'. Without any doubt, the rapper was one of Nigeria's most successful musicians of 2019. His smash hit song, 'Am I a yahoo boy?' Featuring Zlatan Ibile lived up to the hype because it was loved by the street. However, the song was blacklisted by radio stations because of its controversial lyrics. Singles like 'PXta', 'Mafo' and 'Bad Influence' made him a god among his followers who love to call themselves 'Marlians'.

Many people are still showing off their 'Tesumole dance moves' on social media following the release of the rapper's latest studio album, 'LOL' an acronym for '(Lord of Lamba)'. His song 'Opotoyi' reached number 27 on Complex UK'S best songs of 2019. Undoubtedly, Naira Marley is the top winner of 2019.

It is no doubt right that Naira Marley ranked as one of the most searched musicians on google in 2019.

Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu aka Burna Boy

2019 became the year Burna Boy broke new grounds. This multi-talented Nigerian musician solidified himself as the king of Afrobeat in 2019. Majorly underrated over the years and left to play second fiddle to megastars of the industry like Davido and Wizkid, his 'chi' remembered the promise he made to him over the years and lifted him above his peers this year. With hit after hit that went global, Burna Boy made himself a lone star that illuminated the night sky. His songs are not only meaningful, but also electrifying, spell-binding and historically edifying so much so that international artistes can't get enough of it. He is the supernal singer of our time.

Burna Boy has indeed carved a niche for himself in the Afro-fusion category - a genre that blends Afrobeat, dancehall riddims, reggae, American rap and R&B. His songs were played at major international events this year alone on many occasions. 2-time boxing champion, Anthony Joshua used his song 'Ye' for his ringwalk in his first match against Andy Ruiz. His song was used recently at half time during an English Premier League match between Crystal Palace and West Ham on Thursday. His song 'collateral damage' was featured on 'Need for Speed' heat game. Also, his song 'Killin' Dem' and Naira Marley's 'Opotoyi' have been picked to feature on the popular video game series 'Grand Theft Auto 5' soundtrack. This year, Burna Boy became the first Afrobeat artiste to sell out Wembley.

In 2019, he won the BET Award for Best International Act; The Headies Award for Artiste of the Year; MTV Europe Music Award for Best African Act; The Future Awards Africa Nigeria Prize for Young Person of the Year; The Future Awards Africa Nigeria Prize for Music; The Headies Award for Song of the Year; and the Headies Award for Best Collabo.

His fourth studio album 'African Giant' has become an incredible success for the Nigerian entertainer. The album churned out hit songs after hit songs. In fact, the album is a mega hit - I mean all the songs are worth dying for. No wonder the album got him a nomination in the Best World Music Album category at the upcoming 62nd Grammy Awards. His song 'Ja Ara E' was featured on Beyonce's Lion King album also nominated for grammy.

Omoniyi Temidayo aka Zlatan Ibile

Omoniyi Temidayo aka Zlatan Ibile has written his name in the sand of time as the prince of indigenous rap song. The musician started last year with a banger hit song 'Zanku (Leg work)' which got the streets buzzing with his signature leg work. He consolidated on the success in 2019 with other hit songs like 'Yeye Boyfriend', 'Bolanle', 'Gbeku' and others which kept his loyal followers gyrating to his tunes.

His collaboration with other artistes like Burna Boy, Davido and Naira Marley capped a beautiful 2019 leading to the release of his album 'Zanku to the world' which consists of 17 tracks.

He won ‘Best Collaboration Award’, ‘Best new act’ and ‘Song of the year’ at Afrimma 2019 awards.

Others

I will not end this review without mentioning another veteran of the music industry, Kizz Daniel. The musician also enjoyed a successful year with hit songs like - 'Pak n Go', 'Fvck You' and others. His song, 'Fvck You' got mad reviews which led to viral responses from celebrities who couldn't but jump to the beat.

Also, accolades must be given to Fireboy DML for his hit songs - 'Jealous', 'Scatter', 'What If I Say'. His album titled: "Laughter, Tears & Goosebumps" was a sweet success. Without a doubt, he is destined to take the industry by storm.

Another musician who enjoyed a successful year is Rema. His hit songs - 'Dumebi', 'Lady' and 'Corny' made fans fall in love with the young artiste. He is a talent for the future.

In summary, 2019 proved to be a most successful year for many old and new musicians in the industry. Hopefully, 2020 will turn out more exceptional for many other musicians who didn't enjoy the kind of success they had hoped for.

Alexander Thandi Ubani is a music lover.
He writes from Lagos.
@thandiubani II thandiubani@yahoo.com

Source: https://www.tori.ng/news/138374/top-three-nigerian-musicians-who-ruled-2019-and-wh.html

I want AJ to win. But, I had to look at the other side too.

With what I have seen so far, he looks like the real champ.

apexJ:
OP you sound as if you prefer him losing the rematch...you are giving him reasons to lose.

if Him lose, DJ Cuppy go run leave am and we nigerians no go gv am that recognition again, no forget British media wey de very brutal to losers.



I really want him to win though.

Anthony Joshua will on Saturday, 7th of December 2019, slug it out with reigning champion Andy Ruiz Jnr as he tries to reclaim the WBA, IBF and WBO belts he lost to the Mexican via a technical knockout on the 1st of June 2019.

The rematch is billed to hold in Saudi Arabia.

Many boxing fans in the United Kingdom and Nigeria will be expecting Joshua to win the rematch for obvious reasons. But the big question is: what will happen to Joshua and his career if he loses?

Of course, losing again to Ruiz will be devastating for Joshua and his career.

Although he will earn over £60 million from the rematch, losing will leave his reputation, legacy and name in tatters and his relevance in the sports will take a huge tumble.

It will take him a long time to reorganize himself before he can be allowed to take a shot at the world title again.

It is no-brainer to conclude that losing again against Ruiz is not an option for AJ if he wants to be regarded as a top fighter.

But this fact must be clear: Anthony Joshua losing to Ruiz again will not end his boxing career.

He could learn one or two things from other champion boxers who lost their rematch bouts, but still were able to rise from the ashes to become world champions again.

Marco Antonio Barrera was a champion boxer from Mexico who suffered a rematch loss against Junior Jones that forced him to retire from boxing momentarily. That didn't deter him as he later made a comeback which saw him win the world title again.

Or is it, Bernard Hopkins, a former American boxing champion who held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including the undisputed middleweight title? The champion was taught a bitter lesson twice by Jermain Taylor. But, after losing the rematch, he still worked his way to the top to become a champion again.

Joshua can also learn from Carlos Ortiz if he loses to Ruiz again. Ortiz won three world titles but lost twice to Duilio Loi. Instead of retiring as a result of the setback, he went ahead to win another world title which he successfully defended on numerous occasions.

With all these said, it is clear that a loss for Joshua come Saturday will not end his boxing career.

However, if he loses, he will need to win his next fight in a brutal fashion in order to remain in the list of top boxers to stand a chance of getting a shot at the world title again.

As a fan of the game, my verdict is for the best man to win.

Alexander Thandi Ubani writes from Lagos.
Feedback: thandiubani@yahoo.com
Twitter:@thandiubani

Source: https://www.tori.ng/news/136883/what-will-happen-to-anthony-joshua-if-he-loses-to.html

I can say it categorically that local man is not guilty.

KingAzubuike:
The girl is most likely not fertile. As a medical practitioner with over 17 yrs of practice both home and abroad, I can easily tell by having a closer look at her medial meniscus and femoral condycle in the fourth picture.

The most senseless comment I've read this year. How can you without a medical diagnosis tell us that the woman is not fertile? What a scum medical practitioner! You are a damn disgusting beast and cyberbully who derives pleasure in putting people down with demeaning and stupid comments. If you rejoice with the couple, will your moronic sense stop working? Shame on your damn hating soul.

The news of Ismaila Mustapha aka Mompha's arrest on the 22nd of October 2019 while on his way to board a plane from Abuja to Dubai took a large chunk of Nigerians by surprise, but to the keen-eyed fellas, it was a long awaited call.

The Instagram Big-boy just like many of his kind, made things easy for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission by loudly showing off his wealth on social media.

His ostensible way of life aroused suspicion from Nigerians especially for the fact that he had no known legitimate source/s of income. Those who dared to ask were cajoled to embrace silence by his ever growing list of benefactors, sycophants and wannabes.

He traveled extensively boarding firstclass tickets, buying luxury cars, designer wears and living in mansions only found in the creative minds of a few writers.

Mompha lived like a king. It wasn't like he won a jackpot, neither did he inherit billions of pounds from a benevolent god. No! He just suddenly became stupendously rich.

Although he could pass for a money bag like the legendary boxer, Floyd Mayweather who shows off his wealth on social media, Mompha had a questionable source of income.

Like most scammers who cannot overcome the urge to show that they have 'arrived', Mompha took the bait.

His arrest has fueled rumours that the EFCC and International Criminal Police Organization aka INTERPOL may be after people like him who display outrageous wealth on social media but cannot show legitimate proof of their source/s of income.

That is where Dubai-based big boy, Raymond Igbalodely aka Hushpuppi comes in.

Without mincing words, Mompha and Hushpuppi share very striking similarities. They both do not have any known source/s of income justifying the kind of life they live. They both became suddenly rich, a trait peculiar with cyber criminals.

Not until recently did Hushpuppi reveal that he is into real estate following the arrest of Mompha. Many people believe that him adding the tag is a ploy to play safe. But the question must be asked: how many real estate agents live the life of luxury that Hushpuppi enjoys? That is why Nigerians on social media have called on the EFCC to arrest Hushpuppi and that wish may soon come true.

EFCC while responding to the call for Hushpuppi's arrest after a Nigerian asked them to go after social media celebrities featured in the song titled ‘Living Things’ by hip hop artiste, Abolore Akande aka 9ice, said that only a petition is needed for its men to swing into action.

Unlike Mompha, Hushpuppi has not visited Nigeria for sometime now and may already be on the watch list of INTERPOL. Just like Invictus Obinwanne and many others were nabbed in the United States after thorough investigation, the INTERPOL might already be compiling solid evidence to nail Hushpuppi who lives in Dubai. If I were him, I will start making plans for the D-day because I can bet one of my balls that the anti-graft agencies are on his trail.

For now, it looks inevitable and 'e go loud'.

Mompha's lifestyle

According to the EFCC, Mompha defrauded N33 billion from his victims. The EFCC said he was a part of an international fraud syndicate based in Dubai. He was arrested with watches valued at N60 million. Mompha also operated 51 bank accounts in Nigeria according to the anti-graft agency.

Mompha is so stinkingly rich that two days after becoming the first African to own the N180million 2020 Rolls Royce Wraith VIII car, he bought himself another expensive Ferrari 488 Spider car. He also has the 2019 Mercedes Benz G63 AMG, a 2018 Rolls Royce Wraith, a Lamborghini Aventador Roadster, and lots more.


Prior to his arrest, Mompha was living the life many people dream about. How he made his money is still a mystery yet to be unraveled in full by the EFCC. For now, he is still in the custody of the EFCC to answer questions how he came about his sudden wealth.

As for Hushpuppi, he should be on the lookout because he may just be next.

Written by: Alexander Thandi Ubani. He writes from Lagos.
feedback: thandiubani@yahoo.com

Source: https://www.tori.ng/news/134254/now-that-mompha-is-gone-is-hushpuppi-next-by-alexa.html

Saao:
I dey watch you in 3d lol. Ur former colleague

Lol. I sight you bro. Sunday my man. If you know, you know.

King2kay:
We don tire for this country. The suffer too much. Nice one.

True talk.

Saao:
Alex, how is Ada? Leave bubu mata

Hahaha. Who knows me?

paiz:
Nigeria will be great again

Not in this generation cos the set of leaders we have now are people with the intent to loot, steal and destroy.

Nigerians Are Dying, Buhari Is Smiling by Alexander Thandi Ubani

It is now over four years since Muhammadu Buhari was democratically elected as president of Nigeria and now in the first year of his second tenure. From North to South, East to West, all we hear in the news is about massacre by bandits, attacks by herdsmen, ambush by Boko Haram terrorists, VAT increase, blocked border, increase in price of rice, WAEC certificate in army custody, corrupt government officials, yahoo boys and xenophobic attacks on our brothers and sisters in South Africa. Indeed, Nigerians are dying.

Barely 5 years ago, there was a glimmer of hope with millions going to the polls to vote for Buhari. As I write today, the streets of Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Plateau, Jigawa, Abia, Enugu, Rivers, Osun, Ekiti, Bayelsa and the rest are littered with regrets. That's where we are today under President Muhammadu Buhari.

Personally, I feel a large brunt of this disastrous episode playing out in Nigeria's history. For instance, I earn above N100k monthly but it seems like the money is insignificant. Just spending on food, clothing, transportation and family issues alone renders the pocket impotent to perform its financial duties. At the end of the day, I am forced to engage in other necessary means to survive. Just think of the plight of a Nigerian who earns N18,000 monthly. What will be his/her fate? I can only imagine.

The constant devaluation of the naira by the Central Bank of Nigeria has continued to diminish the currency's purchasing power that someone with over N100,000 can't make a fair living. Cheap articles we bought for N1000 some years back are now being sold at staggering amounts. The cost of living in Nigeria has doubled, if not tripled.

The choice of Buhari as President was indeed a huge mistake that will continue to haunt us. The only people benefiting today are his aides/ministers/party members and all those individuals who hold one political position or the other irrespective of the party they belong. This group of people have immunity and are not affected by the tribulations being visited on the masses as a result of government's bad decisions. The Tinubus, Osibanjos, Gbajabiamilas, Lawans, Orji Kalus, Femi Adesinas, Magus, Gandujes, El-Rufais, Ikpeazus, Aregbesholas, Emefieles etc do not feel a pinch of the suffering the poor masses are passing through daily because they have more than enough millions to go round five generations. These people do not know what Nigerians are passing through under Buhari's administration or maybe they know but do not just care because they do not go the filling stations to buy fuel; they don't go to the market to buy food; they do not know any damn thing happening in the country because they have attendants stuffed with millions to run errands for them.

When I think about the condition of things in Nigeria, it reminds me of my friend who openly condemns Big Brother Naija reality show as being profane, but secretly watches the show with unequaled passion. While Buhari supporters openly shout 'sai baba', secretly in their homes, they have not seen light for six days and counting. Some, their children are starving for days and can't go to school because of no money to pay for their school fees. Yet, they are ready to take N1000 to dance through the streets of Abuja shouting 'sai baba'.

It is this type of hypocrisy that has brought us this 'ugly' far. We have refused to speak truth to our leaders. Sycophants who serve as advisers have refused to tell Buhari that things have fallen apart.

While Buhari picks his teeth after a sumptuous meal in the comfort of his Aso Villa, the war against Boko Haram wages on with soldiers losing their lives almost on a daily basis. Yet, the government has continued to popularize the obvious falsehood that the terrorists have been defeated. Just two weeks ago, over 5 soldiers were brutally killed and 30 missing after Boko Haram terrorists attacked a military base in Borno state. This is just one out of such several attacks that has taken place since the beginning of this year alone.

While Nigerians are suffocating under Buhari's administration, the government instead of lessening the burden on the poor masses, has cooked up a horrendous plan to increase Value Added Tax from 5% to 7.2%.

The implication of this new development is that prices of goods and services will skyrocket and the new minimum wage yet to be implemented will be meaningless. When companies are charged 7.2% VAT, it doesn't affect them because they pass the burden to the final consumer ie Nigerians. At the end of the day, Nigerians will be forced to pay exorbitant amounts for goods and services they buy. The government of Buhari has consistently brought up ill-conceived ideas that only bring suffering to the poor masses who will turn helplessly in their beds instead of protesting in the streets. It is still this same falsehood that Buhari sold to Nigerians when he increased petrol price while lying that the increase was necessary because he has removed fuel subsidy. It was later revealed by the Senate that Nigeria still pays billions of naira in subsidy.

Not done yet, the Central Bank of Nigeria has re-introduced charges on bank deposits and withdrawals. Also, bank customers who use Point of Sale transactions (PoS) will now pay more following CBN's directive ordering banks to begin charging N50 stamp duty on individual transactions. This is as Nigerians have since been complaining of excessive charges by banks. Instead of stopping banks from placing arbitrary charges on Nigerians, it seems like the CBN is partnering with the banks to fleece Nigerians. I have personally noticed that Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) charges me N50 on any transaction to another bank and N2.50 as VAT whenever I use my mobile app to transfer money.

When Nigerians like Omoyele Sowore tries to challenge the status quo and make the government realize that it is straying from the right path, the government wastes no time in calling him a terrorist and locking him away for weeks while life continues.

The Nigerian Army, DSS and the police have become tools in the hands of President Buhari to harass, kill and silence any voice of dissent. The NY TIMES in 2018 shared a frightening video of Nigerian soldiers murdering unarmed Shiites in cold-blood in Abuja during a protest. The cowardly DSS and Police have on numerous occasions been used by the government to stop peaceful protests contravening section 39, 40 of the 1999 constitution. The question on the lips of Nigerians is: how did we get here?

As bandits, Herdsmen and Boko Haram terrorists continue to lay siege in the north, the government's failure to re-strategize at a time soldiers are now becoming informants of kidnappers and stealing bullion van containing millions of naira, shows Buhari's lack of wit and gross incompetence. The reshuffling of security chiefs is long overdue and it takes no seer to predict that Buhari's boast that he will end Boko haram was just another mouth-whining balderdash.

As we grapple with Nigeria's unemployment rate at 23.1%, it is estimated that that number will increase to 33.5% next year which means that the suffering will increase.

This is the reason why crime rate in Nigeria has tripled and places in the North known for religious piety have embraced crime with open arms. Herdsmen have now embraced kidnapping as the easy way out of poverty. Bandits are now rustling cattle, invading villages, raping and killing people and leaving mayhem in its wake. It is bloodshed in my beloved country and no one knows when all these will end.

While Buhari junkets from one country to the other, one thing we are certain is that: Buhari does not care. These things do not give him sleepless nights or else he would have taken a proactive action. He would have shown action instead of staying in the comfort of Aso villa issuing deadpan statements.

This is not what Nigerians begged for when they elected Buhari to be their president. Like every other politician, Buhari has shown that he is not different from the lot. For the average Nigerian man, the struggle continues.

Alexander Thandi Ubani writes from Lagos.
Feedback: thandiubani@yahoo.com

Source: https://www.tori.ng/news/130927/nigerians-are-dying-buhari-is-smiling-by-alexander.html

SLAP44:
Good

Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

Some years back, it would have been practically impossible to believe that a group of African teenagers can successfully build a plane in 10 days - I mean 10 damn days.

Surprisingly, that feat has been achieved by 20 talented African teenagers from South Africa who built a four-seater, single propeller airplane from scratch with the financial help of a non-governmental organization called, U-Dream Global. The project was completed in June 2019.

Not just that, the plane piloted by a 17-year-old Megan Werner successfully made its first trip from Cape Town to Cairo, Egypt.The teenagers also visited Namibia, Malawi, Ethiopia, Zanzibar, Tanzania and Uganda, covering 12,000km (7,455 mile) to give inspiration to other teenagers and show them that dreams can come to reality. This great feat was featured by BBC Africa.

Indeed, Africa is finally waking up to its potential after many centuries neck deep in the gutters of backwardness. From South Africa to Rwanda, Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Egypt and many more, African stars are rising to take their positions on the world stage.

These African innovators are gradually making bold statements on the world stage even though most have been starved of local and international media coverage which is essential if they are to attract the right investors. Sadly, most international media organizations with a wide reach do not have a place to showcase these amazing African talents.

The likes of Samuel Karimbo from Kenya who invented a solar car that is eco-friendly and runs on rechargeable batteries; Gabriel Emmanuel, a Nigerian who developed the world’s first AI portal that can translate over 2,000 African languages; Silas Adekunle, a young Nigerian with a first-class degree in Robotics from the University of West England who invented, MekaMon - the world's first intelligent gaming robot that has now secured $10 million in funding and an exclusive sales deals with Apple stores; Kelvin Doe, Betelhem Dessie, Sarah Diouf, Elvis Chidera, Oluwatobi Akinpelu, Emmanuel Owobu, Kisito Gamene, Rose Funja, Jamila Abass, Kennedy Nnaji, Chinonso Okoye, Joel Oyeyinka Popoola, Subomi Owo-Odusi, Chinedu Echeruo, Tomisin Ogunnubi, Egie Jude Akede, Rotimi David Adegbiji, Oluwatunmise David Ayeni, Oscar Ekponimo are just a notable few African inventors making exploits in a world that has proved quite unfavourable to them.

All what these talented young innovators need is a platform on the international stage to showcase their talents to the world and secure needed funds to take their innovations to the next level.

These young African inventors are the future as they have in one way or the other through their innovations continued to improve, impact and affect lives positively.

From innovative spirit to entrepreneurial guts, there is a new breed of millennial African youths making exploits and changing lives in a way never seen before.

While some are writing their names on the sand of history as outstanding inventors, others are changing lives through businesses that provide employment opportunities helping solve the herculean unemployment challenges facing numerous African countries.

If I start to mention names of African entrepreneurs who have successfully carved a niche for themselves, making millions of dollars from successful brands they have created, their businesses and how they started from nothing to establish great business empires, the list will be inexhaustible. I will try to mention but a few.

From Linda Ikeji, founder of Linda ikeji's blog & TV to Issam Chleuh, CEO of Africa impact Group; Sangu Delle, founder of Golden Palms Investment; Ally Edha Awadh, founder of Lake Oil Group; Isaac Oboth, founder of Media256; Elo Umeh, founder of Terragon Group; Uche Pedro, founder Bella Naija; Seun Osewa, owner of Nairaland; Ayodeji Adewunmi, Opeyemi Awoyemi and Olalekan Olude - all co-founders of Jobberman; Etop Ikpe, founder of Cars45; Oluwatobi Ajayi, owner of Nord Automobiles Limited; Abubakar Falalu, CEO of Falgates; Onyeka Akumah, founder of Farmcrowdy; Adii Pienaar, co-founder of Woothemes; Nick Kaoma, founder of Head Honcho Clothing; Stephen Sembuya, CEO of Pink Food Industries; Clariisse Iribagiza, founder of Hehe Ltd; Julie Alexander Fourie, founder of iFix; Ronald Shah, founder of Kronex Capital Ltd, the list goes on and on.

These young African entrepreneurs under-40 who own and run multi-million dollar businesses have made a success out of it, employing thousands and changing lives in a more positive way.

These brands have attained international recognition. Africa is the future. With a population of over 1.3 billion people according to data from worldmeters, it is obvious that this vast continent is the next hub for future businesses and an investment prospect to explore. Africa is also a choice destination for many who want to revel in the splendour of nature and its many wonders. Countries like Rwanda, Namibia, Tanzania, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Egypt, Kenya, Malawi, Botswana, Mozambique are all blessed with magnificent nature wonders.

The time has come to change the narrative and youths like myself are staging a comeback with our pens, inventions and businesses. The future is Africa.

Alexander Thandi Ubani writes from Lagos.
Twitter: @thandiubani

Source: https://www.tori.ng/news/129352/africa-rising-the-little-unknown-ones-making-the-h.html

His real name is Ma Yun but better known as Jack Ma. The now billionaire co-founder of E-commerce giant, Alibaba came from a very poor home. He was born on the 10th of September 1964 in Hangzhou, China and struggled from a humble beginning to become one of the most richest and powerful men in Asia.

The former school teacher is married to Zhang Ying, a teacher whom he met at school, after they graduated in the late ’80s. They have two children — a daughter and a son.

Today, Ma is ranked number 21 in Forbes list of richest people in the world worth about $37.3 billion dollars. He is the second richest man in Asia, behind Asia’s richest man, Ma Huateng who is the Chief Executive Officer of Tencent – a Chinese multinational investment holding conglomerate.

In his early years, Ma passed through many life difficulties. Not only did he come from a poor home, getting the necessary education to succeed in life was a very herculean task.

Ma began studying English at a young age by conversing with English-speakers at Hangzhou international hotel. In order to perfect his English, he would ride 70 miles on his bicycle to give tourists tours of the area to practice his English for nine years. During this period, he became pen pals with one of those foreigners, who nicknamed him “Jack” because he found it hard to pronounce his Chinese name.

Out of a desire to make a difference and throw off the shackles of poverty, Ma decided to further his education but it was not easy at all.

He failed his primary school examination twice, his middle school exams thrice, and his university entrance exams thrice before eventually being admitted to study English at the Hangzhou Normal University.

The rejections:
Even with such relative progress, things still didn’t fall in place for Ma. After graduating with a B.A. in English, Ma worked as an English teacher at Hangzhou Dianzi University, but that was not all he wanted in life.

He began applying for jobs but was met with rejections. Speaking at the University of Nairobi about the lessons he learnt from the rejections, he said: “You have to get used to failure,”

He applied for 30 jobs in his home city of Hangzhou, China and was rejected from every one.

Ma revealed his job hunting experience at Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) in China where 24 people applied for the job including himself, 23 were hired, he was the only one rejected.

“I even went to KFC when it came to my city. Twenty-four people went for the job. Twenty-three were accepted. I was the only guy …” he told interviewer Charlie Rose.

It was that demoralizing.

Even when he tried to be a police officer and applied for the job, four out of the five applicants were hired, except him.

“I went for a job with the police; they said, ‘you’re no good'”, Ma told interviewer Charlie Rose in 2015.

He even lost a job to his cousin.

“My cousin and I waited for two hours [in a] long queue to be the waiter for the four star hotel in my city, on a very hot day,” he says. “My cousin’s score was much lower than mine, [but] he was accepted and I was rejected!”

Ma also got turned down by Harvard 10 times, he told Charlie Rose.

“I told myself someday I should go teach there maybe,” he laughs.

The rejections were very painful, he would later admit.

“If you can not get used to failure — just like a boxer — if you can’t get used to [being] hit, how can you win?” he told the audience in Nairobi.

Today, he boasts of $37.3 billion dollars net worth and is the second richest man in Asia.

The breakthrough

The businessman made his breakthrough after going to the United States in 1995 with friends where he was introduced to the Internet. Curiously, he noticed that information related to beer from many countries could be found on the net but none from China was available. When he searched for general information about China, he found none.

This gave him the idea of something greater to come. That year, he launched a website at 9:40 AM, and by 12:30 PM he had received emails from some Chinese investors wishing to know about him. This was when Ma realized that the Internet had something great to offer. In April 1995, alongside a friend, He Yibing (a computer teacher), Ma opened the first office for China Pages. He later registered the domain chinapages.com and within three years, the company had made 5,000,000 Chinese Yuan which at the time was equivalent to US$800,000.

But, his greatest business idea was yet to come. After acquiring enough knowledge and information in the line of business he was to invest in, he quit his position as the head of the China International Electronic Commerce Center, a department of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation and founded Alibaba alongside his team in 1999. He suffered serious setback after his funding proposal was rejected by Silicon Valley and made zero revenue from the business for the first three years.

In fact, the Alibaba was on the brink of bankruptcy before it went public in September 2014 at $92.70 per share, making it the biggest US IPO in history.

Alibaba made a very significant progress after Yahoo invested $1 billion in the company in exchange for 40% stake.

In 2009 and 2014, Ma was named one of Time‘s 100 most influential people. He was also chosen as one of ‘China’s Most Powerful People’ by Business Week. Ma is the first mainland Chinese entrepreneur to appear on the cover of Forbes.

Alibaba’s market cap stood at US$352.28 billion as of 19 December 2018. It is the second Asian company to break the US$500 billion valuation mark, after its competitor Tencent.

Apart from being one of the most valuable companies in the world, Alibaba has the 9th highest global brand value. It is today, the world’s largest retailer and e-commerce company, one of the largest Internet and AI companies, one of the biggest venture capital firms, and one of the biggest investment corporations in the world.

Its online sales and profits surpassed all US retailers (including Walmart, Amazon and eBay) combined since 2015.

From nothing, Ma has built an empire – quite impressive for a boy from a poor home.

Source: https://famoususa.com/2019/06/30/the-grass-to-grace-story-how-alibaba-founder-jack-ma-became-a-billionaire/

Alexander Thandi Ubani writes on Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria's idea of establishing Fulani vigilantes in the south-east.

The idea to establish armed Fulani vigilantes in the south-east is nothing but a disguise by champions of the so-called 'Islamization campaign' to gain ground in the region, get familiar with locals, before forcefully executing their hidden agenda.

I have no time for political correctness when it comes to matters affecting my people, that is why I will not mince words in speaking the truth.

There is no reason under the heaven to justify the request by Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, asking for the establishment of Fulani vigilantes in the south-east. Absolutely, no excuse! We are talking about herders for crying out loud. These same herders who have wrecked havoc in many parts of the country including our villages. These same herders who lead their animals into our farms, destroy our crops and dare us to do our worst. These same herders who have invaded our villages, kill our mothers, brothers and sisters all in the name of searching for pasture for their animals. How can we allow the same people from this group to be in charge of our security in the south-east? That is suicide!

In 20 years to come, these herders would have settled in the south-east and begin their usual land grabbing for their animals which will result in bloody confrontations as seen in Southern Kaduna and other parts of the middlebelt. As a good student of history, I do not need a seer to foresee this impending disaster.

It happened in Ilorin when a certain Fulani leader and cleric, Shehu Alimi who had settled in Ilorin with his many slaves and other clerics was called upon by Oyo General, Afonja -who had rebelled against the Oyo Empire- to help him consolidate his throne. He did help, but the outcome was disastrous.

When Alimi died, his son Abd Salaam assassinated Afonja and made himself ruler. He severed Ilorin from the Oyo Empire forcing it to become a part of the Sokoto Caliphate till date.

The crisis in Southern part of Kaduna is not new to any of us. Again and again, Fulani/Hausa settlers have attacked Christians in Southern Kaduna, killing innocent women and children, destroying their homes all in a bid to chase them away and occupy their land. They have targeted Christians in Kaduna destroying their farmlands and their means of livelihood, not just out of hatred but with a burning desire to conquer them. They have succeeded in some places.

It all started as a joke when the Fulani/Hausa communities were welcomed by the Christian indigenes of Southern Kaduna many years ago. Now, the outcome of that charitable act has left bloody tales of mass murder and massacre in the hands of Fulani/Hausa herders.

In 2017, at least 33 people were killed in clashes between Fulani herders and farmers in Kaduna. 26 of the people killed were mostly women and children.

In February of 2019, Fulani herdsmen attacked Maro community in Kajuru Local Government Area, killing 16 residents. These are herdsmen that were accommodated by Southern Kaduna indigenes.

There are in fact, over 10 cases of such incidents in which the Fulani/Hausa communities have attacked and killed Southern Kaduna indigenes over LAND. The story is just the same almost in many parts of the country. The worst part is that these herders go about with AK47 machine guns invading villages and killing innocent people without being brought to book.

Under President Muhammadu Buhari alone, these heartless herdsmen have killed 3,000 people.

It is no secret to say that the killings taking place in Southern Kaduna and other parts of the middlebelt, including Benue state are as a result of the intentions of the perpetrators to expand their tentacles, dominate others and provide more grazing areas for their animals by taking forcefully lands that do not belong to them.

The Kasuwan Magani, Kaduna crisis of 1980 is still fresh in our memory. The Christian Kadara and Gbagyi ethnic groups were killed by Hausa/Fulani settlers after they tried to reclaim the land which the Hausa/Fulani muslims had forcefully taken from them.

Hassan Apalaka, a Christian was killed on 11th January 1980 at Kujama by Hausa/Fulani settlers because he wanted to reclaim his land they had encroached on.

In the battle that ensued, many people lost their lives. There are many instances of this type of invasion by Fulani/Hausa settlers all over the middle belt and parts of the north dominated by Christians.

Enough of the history lesson. This murderous method of killing innocent people and taking over their homes is what the south-east must avoid by rejecting the offer. The peaceful region must remain peaceful and must not give room for conflict which is what Miyetti Allah has planned with its proposal.

At a time when people of the south-east and Christians in general have expressed distrust at percieved plans by the North to Islamize the country, bringing up the issue of Fulani vigilantes in the south-east is the most senseless idea of 2019.

How do you tell a group known for being violent, who have not been able to tame the same monster ravaging the north, to go to a faraway land where they know not the terrain nor the people and entrust them with the task of securing lives of those who do not want them?

If the Miyetti Allah believe they are capable of stopping the terror being unleashed by their brothers, let them do it within their region/s. Thousands are dying in the north as a result of killings by herdsmen, yet the propagators of this senseless idea have not helped in anyway to stop the senseless killing there. Rather, Miyetti Allah keeps denying that the killers are their members. Then all of a sudden, they have woken up with a magic wand on how to end the incessant killings by herdsmen in the south east while ignoring the north.

The way to tackle this menace is to arm security agents in each region to handle their crisis. Outsiders posing as helpers should be ignored even when it is clear they have a hidden agenda.

The murderers must be met with the same force with which they unleash terror on others and the season of letting them go scot-free must be stopped.
Miyetti Allah and its members have done nothing of great proportion to stop the massacre by herdsmen in Benue, Plateau, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kaduna and other states, yet they are climaxing at the thought of coming to the south-east.

No matter how we argue it, the advocates of Fulani vigilantes in the south-east are aware that it is dead on arrival. Let the locals handle their own peculiar problems. The security architecture of each state should be well equipped to handle the threat from the murderers of our people. Local vigilantes who are very familiar with the terrain can do even more better as they have the ability to identify new faces coming to cause trouble.

In conclusion, this nonsensical idea which is a distraction at a time when Buhari's government has failed woefully to find a solution to the wanton murder of our people by Fulani herdsmen will serve a better purpose if it is thrown inside the dustbin. The decision to accept or not is the prerogative of the people of the south-east. Hello! They have said no. Thank you Miyetti Allah for the idea, you can now take it to the north.

Alexander Thandi Ubani is a journalist
He writes from Lagos.
E-mail: thandiubani@yahoo.com

Source: https://www.tori.ng/news/124994/the-implication-of-having-fulani-vigilantes-in-the.html

I think you are right. But, I don't know why she was omitted in the list by forbes.

AmazonTopaz:
Correct me if I am wrong but the British monarch seems to be the most famous and influential.

cc: lalasticlala Seun ishilove

A monarch is the head of a monarchy, a form of government in which a state is ruled by an individual who normally rules for life or until abdication, and typically inherits the throne by birth. In some cases, this single person holds supreme authority or may be restrained to performing ceremonial duties as contained in the country’s constitution.

These five monarchs are the richest and most powerful in the world wielding great influence in their respective countries.

1. Maha Vajiralongkorn (Rama X), King of Thailand — $30 billion

King Maha Vajiralongkorn (Rama X), son of Bhumibol Adulyadej the late king of Thailand is surely the richest monarch in the world.

The 66-year-old who was crowned King following the death of his late father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej on the 13th of October 2016 signed the royal family’s $30bn fortune over to himself.

His late father before his death was the richest monarch in the world. He also was the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history.

The assets King Maha Vajiralongkorn Rama X signed to himself include: over 3,000 acres of land in central Bangkok and shares in Siam Cement and Siam Commercial Bank, 545-carat Golden Jubilee Diamond, the largest cut and faceted diamond in the world and many others which all belonged to his late father.

2. Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei — $20 billion

The Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah is stinkingly rich and according to a forbes 2011 report, he is estimated to be worth over $20 billion. He became the Sultan after his father abdicated the throne in 1967.

He holds the record as the second longest-reigning monarch in the world alive, behind Elizabeth II. The Sultan makes his money from exports of oil and natural gas. It has been revealed that he makes around $147 every second, which is why he has grown very rich and powerful.

3. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, King of Saudi Arabia — $18 billion

King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia is said to be worth a staggering $18 billion, according to a 2011 forbes report.

His source of income is majorly oil and his family’s ownership of a media group that includes the pan-Arab daily Asharq Al-Awsat and Al Eqtisadiah.

4. Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan, Emir of Abu Dhabi — $15 billion

The Emir of Abu Dhabi and the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan is the fourth richest monarch in the world with an estimated wealth of $15 billion.

A forbes 2011 report revealed that he is the chairman of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, which manages the UAE’s excess oil reserves, estimated to be worth up to half a trillion dollars.

With the UAE emerging as a tourism centre for many in the world, he is sure to make more money from his other investments.

5. Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, Emir Sheikh of Dubai — $4 billion

Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum is the Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

He is estimated to be worth $4 billion in 2011, according to Forbes. He is also a philanthropist and controls what has become one of the world’s tourist destinations in the world – Dubai.

Source: https://famoususa.com/2019/06/20/five-richest-monarchs-in-the-world/

This is a very serious matter. I am not here to banter with you. I hope when he's arrested, you will not be on the run.

ERockson:
I will not be surprise If you are the same person behind the blackmail.

More weirder things happen in Lagos.

ERockson:
You mean real Thief will give real name. more lies pls