₦airaland Forum

OPEN LETTER TO PETER OKOYE: WHY BOYCOTT JUDE’S WEDDING?


Dear Peter Okoye

I know that your big brother Jude Okoye fired the first shot by boycotting your own traditional wedding with Lola for reasons best known to him but I expected you to be the bigger person and attend his own wedding. This would have placed you at a pedestal and also shown that in spite of everything, you are still a respectful ‘junior’ brother.
Sibling rivalries happen all the time but ‘celebrating’ it in public is not the best.

These pictures you posted on the social media showing you lounging at home in Lagos while your senior brother weds in Anambra are totally unnecessary and uncalled for. Yes, Jude sort of did the same to you months back, but...

I know for a fact that people like Jude Okoye sowed seed capital into 'brand Psquare' and contributed immensely to its success, you can’t deny that-for this reason alone, you should forgive and manage his flaws just like your twin brother Paul is doing.

Marriage in most traditional Nigerian families is incomplete when one family has issues accepting their sons’ or daughters' choice of partner. It becomes a life time struggle trying to get such a family to accept or respect these love choices. However, your actions today, though justified, will still make things more difficult for Lola in terms of gaining full acceptance from the Okoye Family. "She put him up to this", will be the phrase resonating within your clan.

Peter, FAMILY IS VERY IMPORTANT, when or if the chips are down, people like Jude Okoye (not the guys in your pictures) are the ones that will pick you right back up and I expect you will also do the same for him.
Why? BECAUSE YOU ARE BROTHERS!



PS: I'm a huge Psquare fan!!!

MY 2014 MESSAGE TO NIGERIAN MUSICIANS: "WORK HARDER, BRAG LESS!"

In my opinion, 2013 was the worst year for Nigerian music continentally and globally; oh sure we had a few hard workers putting in their best. Kudos to ‘Limpopo king’ Kaycee, Wizkid, Burna boy, Sean Tizzle and Flavour.
When Dbanj's ‘Oliver twist’ penetrated the European music scene in 2012, most of us thought that Nigerian music had finally ‘arrived’ and it would only be a matter of time before our artistes start getting serious Grammy nominations and not the honorary nominations they keep depressing Femi Kuti with.

Unfortunately, Nigerian BIG stars squandered this opportunity; rather than invest their financial rewards in promoting their music internationally, most of them simply chose to occasionally flaunt their wealth on social media circles- inundating their numerous fans and followers with recent material acquisitions, wedding proposals, Birthday parties, engagements, brand endorsements and senseless controversies.

Let me zero in on some of the ‘big’ artistes that ‘messed up’ in 2013:

DBANJ
Dbanj spent the immediate part of his post Oliver Twist era loitering around Kanye West and other ‘Akata’ artistes in the USA-bragging about it and taking foolish pictures with them. Dbanj produced a few horrifying collabos with some of these American artistes and before long he found his way back to Nigeria trying to salvage his music career. Dbanj has released about four music videos after Oliver Twist, NONE of these videos have attracted up to 400,000 views on YouTube after many months online. Oliver Twist has over 20 million views and still counting.

PSQUARE
In 2013, it seemed the duo of Psquare (Peter and Paul Okoye) were more interested in getting married to their ‘baby mamas’ rather than pushing their career further internationally(Which is not entirely a bad thing). Yes, Psquare had several sold out concerts in some African countries, but Africa is already a familiar territory for Psquare. The duo ought to have concentrated on promoting some of their other hit songs on INVASION Album by shooting more music videos. Imagine, hit songs like FOREVER, BU NE YA ENU and DO AS I DO were abandoned without music videos; rather Psquare preferred to go shoot an unnecessary (but great) tribute music video to Michael Jackson. PERSONALLY was good, but it's a big shame that that was the only music video Psquare shot and released in whole of 2013. ALINGO was released in November 2012.

TUFACE
I can't blame the brother, he’s a married man with seven children and he's not even forty yet. God help him if he allows his career to go under in spite of all the numerous mouths he has to feed. Enough said.

DON JAZZY
Since the inception of Mavin records, some of us had mad faith in Don Jazzy's ability to deliver. Unfortunately somewhere along the line it became clear that something was wrong. Don Jazzy did not disappoint as he did put up several great tunes and productions but alas there was a problem with his artistes, at least two of them.
Don Jazzy should have summoned up enough courage to do away with the chronically talentless duo of Dr Sid and D'prince,while he concentrates solely on Tiwa Savage and Wande Coal-both being the only real talents at Marvin records. Sadly, Wande Coal has now left Mavin.
In 2013, the only ‘monster hit’ songs by Mavin records was ‘The kick’ (by Wande Coal) and ‘Eminado’ (by Tiwa Savage)...any one surprised?

M.I
Forgive me, but I believe M.I is jinxed or possessed by a very short demon.
Here's one of Nigeria’s finest rappers who for one reason or the other has been unable to shoot music videos for all the biggest tracks in his career thus far. Where do I start? Anoti, African rapper number one (ft Flavour), Girl Pleaser (ft Gen Pype), One naira-million(ft Waje). In 2013, M.I chose to give us CHAIRMAN-a senseless bragging song with a distasteful music video.
I pray for him in 2014.

DAVIDO
SKELEWU would have become the biggest African song in 2013 if someone had agreed to leave his Pride & Ego inside his father’s house. I'll stop there.

Becoming successful in the Nigerian entertainment industry is by no means a bad thing; especially when such success is attained through hard work, ingenuity and God's favour.

Today, the Nigerian entertainment industry has grown with a bandwagon effect on other media-related industries including social media, events packaging, luxury retail and what have you. Another massive area of growth is in the Ego of our celebrities, especially musicians. They've smelt small success and they’ve gone lazy. While the much much much richer Rihanas, JayZs, Beyonces and Kendrick Lamars are busy working their butts off, dishing out fresh music and fresher music videos, a lot of Nigerian artistes are busy bragging about....God knows what.

The South Africans worked very hard in 2013 and a lot of their songs became continental anthems. No wonder why they picked most of the international music award categories for Africa. At the 2013 Channel O Music Awards for instance, Nigeria only managed 3 awards plus one jara, the Southern Africans pulled out the bulk.

Hence, while Dbanj was being booed off stage in Zimbabwe and Tuface was performing to near empty stands in Malawi, the people of Harare and Lilongwe were busy jamming to the likes of South African Mafikizolo's Khona and Dj Ganyani ft FB's Xigubu (both happen to be my top two songs for 2013, the third being Flavour's Ada)

I think I'll stop here and I hope that the affected Nigerian artiste(s) listen to this message but ignore the messenger.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY READERS.

This is my first post for 2014 and I leave you all with my top three (3) music videos for 2013.


Cheers

jerrymania: Who are the ones raising their glasses? the poor man on the streets, the civil servant suffering to eke out a living, the frustrated nigerian students, the striking medical doctors or his cult members? its high time we start looking into the context of music to the nigerian reality

[size=13pt]TIME TO APPRECIATE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT HOSPITALS.

I had my first two kids in a notorious private hospital (on Adeniyi Jones,Ikeja)-where even though you paid through your nose,you had to deal with ignorant,arrogant and saucy medical workers.

In February this year,my second son took ill and we opted for General hospital Ikeja-My son received very good treatment from those 'government' doctors,made a full recovery and at the end of almost 7 days in hospital,his medical bill was roughly N1,500-but we did buy our own drugs from the hospital at subsidized rates.

While at General hospital Ikeja,we met lots and lots of patients that were referred from the almighty St Nicolas'es and co.

Last week,when (my) madam became ready for our third kid,we opted for LUTH,another government hospital-we got there at mid night, YET the services we received from (again) those government doctors was out of this world,spiced up with professionalism,humanity and genuine show of concern.

The amazing thing I observed in both cases (Ikeja & LUTH) was that these government doctors treat all patients the same way regardless of their status. I also witnessed some 'very poor' patients frustrate the living day lights out of these government doctors,yet they persevered and still gave their all.

Am I saying that the Nigerian health sector has improved? NO....We still experienced power failure a few times, though the standby generator came on in less than 5 mins.
And also,once you've been discharged from these government hospitals,the clearance process can be compared to a gym-class.

My conclusion is that government hospitals tend to have the best doctors and medical staff,what they lack is adequate funds and infrastructure to manage the bulk masses of sick Nigerians that troop there regularly-trust me,there are lots of sick Nigerians.

Private hospitals are better at providing and managing infrastructures/equipments but (many times) they lack genuine personnel that can provide good, professional, compassionate service...and of course they are awfully expensive. Some Nigerian private hospitals can actually employ former bank secretaries as nurses and midwives without adequate background checks on their qualifications.

Whenever we criticize the Nigerian government as it relates to the health sector,let us not portray it to be that hopeless...it really isn't, I can testify. But,yes,a lot still needs to be done.
[/size]

NIGERIAN CONCERT PROMOTERS’ APPETITE FOR WASHED-UP AMERICAN ARTISTES.

Almost every other month there's a music concert in Nigeria; most of it headlined by top Naija artistes-the usual suspects Psquare, Wizkid, Davido, Iyanya, Chidinma etc. This is a good development. But once in a while, Nigerian music fans do not mind attending concerts headlined by international (American) artistes.

A few years ago, the people at Thisday Newspapers blazed the trail by inviting top rated A-list American acts for its musical festivals in Nigeria. The likes of Beyonce, Jay Z, Busta Rhymes and even a fast rising Rihanna touched down in Nigeria during that era.

As the Nigerian music scene continued growing, one would have expected Nigerian concert promoters to step up and give Nigerian music fans top quality international acts whenever the need arises.

Yes, we’ve had a few international ‘top dawgs’ do gigs in Nigeria in recent times, but very few, once in a while. The trend now is for Nigerian events promoters to go dig up washed up, aging and faded foreign artistes to come headline concerts in Nigeria-with exorbitant gate fees to go with it.

Of late, we've had and ‘still having’ people like Salt ‘n Pepa, Dru-Hill, Naughty by Nature, Billy Ocean, Chaka Khan and the likes coming to headline concerts in Nigeria ***between God and man, I thought Billy Ocean was long dead***

Most of these American artistes are dead broke, down on their luck, OLD or in massive debt in their home country-they would never have set foot in Nigeria during their prime.

Why are Nigerian concert promoters falling our hands? Or do these D-rated American artistes really come that cheap?

Are ‘they’ perhaps trying to tell us than Nigerian concert goers are so dumb that they’ll gladly part with thousands of Naira to watch ANY act that has ‘from the USA’ tagged to him or her?

There's nothing wrong with Nigerian concert promoters looking to cut costs but they should also consider Nigerian music fans that deserve to be entertained, and entertained well.

In South Africa for example, A-list international artistes are constantly trooping into that country for world class concerts.

In Nigeria, our concert/events promoters are probably waiting for such a time when a Nicki Minaj for instance becomes bankrupt, her silicon breasts or butt starts to leak, and she grows a mustache and goatee; only then will our Nigerian concert promoters start to bombard our air waves with, "NICKI MINAJ LIVE IN LAGOS."

I can sense some events promoters coming on to defend this trend by claiming that these concerts in question are for a matured target audience that appreciate the old-Skool and classical entertainment.

Yeah right!

Anyways, so who’s next? MC HAMMER?

[size=13pt]'COLORFUL WORLD OF MORE' CONCERT:
ARTISTES’ SCORE CARD.

The last time I watched and enjoyed a live concert like this in Nigeria was over ten years ago during the era of Benson & Hedges Golden tones. Kudos to Guinness Nigeria.

Here's my assessment on all the performers.

Comments are welcome.



CHIDINMA
It takes a lot of courage to be the opening act for a concert of such magnitude; because the opening act, most times, gives fans a hint on how the entire show will look like. Miss Kedike did not disappoint; her rendition, first of one of Asa's hit songs and then a fine mix of her own hit tracks ‘Kedike’ and ‘Emi Ni Baller’ successfully ‘appetized’ the crowd. The only minor sour point of her performance was when she briefly vanished into the unnecessary stage smoke that 'in my own opinion’ succeeded in distracting her rather than adding value to her stage craft. I doubt if the smoke stuff was Chidinma's idea.

I'll grade Chidinma's performance 8.5/10.



BURNA BOY
Burna boy’s outfit was very nice, but he seemed to have lost his breath early on in his performance after doing ‘run my race’. He ended up relying a bit too much on lip-syncing and vocals from his tracks being played by the DJ on stage. For crowd control, Burna Boy took advantage of the high energy level that still existed amongst the crowd, being just the second act of the day and all.

Burna Boy's score 5/10.



PHYNO
I must confess, I was a bit apprehensive over Phyno due to the fact that of all the big heavy weights headlining the event, he was kind of like a green horn/new comer/least popular. But ‘Lo and Behold’, Phyno exhibited a very reassuring high level on confidence which eventually infected the crowd. His use of Igbo language notwithstanding, Phyno’s performance was a very worthwhile experience; his inter change with Olamide was the icing on an already delicious cake.

I'll give Phyno 8/10.




OLAMIDE
Badoo...Baddest guy ever liveth, abeg collect 9/10.

Olamide impressed the crowd, his stage craft was pure street and the fans identified with him every second of the way. The part I liked most was when some dumb fan tossed a can of Maltina on stage; Olamide picked and opened up the canned drink, spilling its content all over himself, to the applause of fans. That's real showmanship, the ability to turn a gaffe to your advantage.

I'd say it again, Olamide scores 9/10.




WAJE
The only time I switched (briefly) to another channel (Yes, I watched it all on Sound city) was when Waje came on stage. Firstly I don't know why or how in the world Waje was called up to headline a concert such as this. Waje has not had a chart popping hit song in a very long while. Or were the organizers expecting her to come on stage and perform 'Wish I never had a heart'?

This is not to say that Waje is a bad artiste, NO, she is a very talented musician, and her performance was not that bad either. But it would have made more sense if Waje was performing in front of a crowd assembled by Dame Patience Jonathan for the launch of some new women empowerment programme...not ‘colourful world of war’.

PS: She also needs to go on a diet, quick.

For Waje, It’s 4/10.




ICE PRINCE
Ice Prince's performance was like a Gym-class, he spent so much time jumping up and down that one wondered when he would settle down and rap. When Ice prince finally decided to rap, you could hear from his voice that he was struggling to catch his breath-after just about 5 minutes on stage (Jumping). At a point he even had to sit down for a while, telling fans, "I don tire o".

Thank God for Endia, the upcoming artiste that supported Ice Prince on stage; Endia is one to look out for...and he really supported Ice Prince.
I'll put my money on Endia as one of the next big thing to look forward to in the Nigerian music scene...

...but for Ice Prince's performance a generous 6/10 score would do.




WIZKID
The star boy did not disappoint; Wizkid showed talent, style and class, like Olamide, he effectively carried the crowd along and managed his energy level.
When Wizkid brought L.A.X on stage, it seemed he (L.A.X) suffered at bit of stage fright and was uncoordinated, but I'd still give him a pass mark.

Wizzy, kindly accept your 9/10.



FLAVOUR
After Waje, I believe Flavour was the biggest disappointment for the night. His performance looked rushed, shoddy and unplanned; no sexy female back up dancers?

Mr Flavour, exposing your torso and doing the sexy whine dance on a stage where front row sections of the audience closer to you are filled with Nigerian men is not a good idea, except for gay folks. The only high point of Flavour's performance was when he switched to ‘Ada-Ada’ which again was not properly executed as he did not take full advantage of the popularity of that song to boost his stage performance.

Flavour should not allow the 'god-like' status he commands in some other African countries to get into his head-this is Nigeria.

I score him 3/10 - Flavour still remains one of my favourite Naija artistes.




TIWA SAVAGE
The girl's got class, very professional and she proved to everyone on stage that for now, she remains the most bankable female artist in Nigeria.

No long story Tiwa, collect 7/10 (with honours)




DAVIDO
Davido should just thank God for his wonderful live band and the large dude that sustained the pace, aura and 'swagga' of his performance.

Davido's actual performance was slightly above average though; energy level was quite good. But I don't know why Davido disobeyed the organizers’ rule by inviting fans on stage. This action almost ruined his performance especially when he offered $1,000 to the best ‘Skelewu’ dancer; it became a distasteful rowdy scene that was eventually curtailed, with his performance ending almost abruptly.

My question is, who finally got the $1,000? Cos I heard they all followed him back stage.

It's 6/10 for Davido.




D'BANJ
For the first time in a long while I was proud of the ‘koko master’, as he made a deliberate attempt to focus more on his post-Don Jazzy materials...and it worked.

Let me just add here (off topic) that I remain one of those that felt and still feel that D'banj's association with Kanye West/Good music was a bloody waste of time and money. I think D'banj has now realized his mistake ever since he witnessed his mentor (Kanye West) transform into Kim Kardashian's domestic appendage.

Unlike last year when D'banj, after signing the 'Good music deal' spent most of his time in the United States loitering around Big Sean, Pusha T,Jay Z, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian-Today we see a D’banj spending more time in Nigeria/Africa and aggressively working on his music career. From what we saw at the 'colourful world of more' concert, it’s paying off.

Koko Master aka Eja nla, it's 8/10 for you.



P-SQUARE
Firstly, I did not quite understand Peter Okoye's trousers...but other than that, the duo of Psquare has once again shown us why they are the most sort after entertainers in Africa. Considering the fact that they were the last act on stage and most of the fans were probably experiencing various levels of fatigue; Psquare brought them back to life. Quite frankly, I did not expect anything less.

Psquare, surely a 9/10.




CONCLUSION:
It's about time Nigerian artistes, event-mangers, sponsors and all other music stakeholders learn to start investing heavily on live concerts and its aesthetic value. Not just on stage equipments, audio and lights but on content as well. ‘Content’ here includes: choreography, stage designs, illusionary visual effects, fireworks, costumes and so on.

Nigerian musicians should understand that when fans come to watch them live on stage, they shouldn't always subject fans to energy consuming routines such as, "Put your hands up”...”Two fingers in the air”...”Jump jump jump” etc, e dey tire persin na.

I think fans would like to attend concerts where they are swept off their feet by what happens on stage and not by the compulsory exercises Nigerian artistes put them through.

Other than that, 'Colorful world of more' was a very good concert, I dare say World Class.

Once again, well done to Guinness Nigeria.


PS: My 10/10 goes to the comedian Bovi, managing a crowd like that and actually making them laugh was not an easy task. The Tonto Dikeh joke was classic.
[/size]

BBC’S ALEX PRESTON: AN 'IDIOTIC' VIEW OF NIGERIA'S ABUJA.

Bumped into this very annoying recent BBC article on Abuja.

You might want to read the said BBC’s article here before continuing: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24404633


The real question is, can a city ever be termed as being ‘completed’ or ‘finished’? Talk less of a 35 year old Abuja built from scratch by Nigerians-a city without any colonial heritage unlike the coastal, unplanned and exploitative West African cities that the British left behind as at independence.

Abuja built on 'stolen' land?

Are the Gwaris not Nigerians, located and residing in the hinterland of Nigeria? Surely there may still be issues but to the best of my knowledge majority of the original settlers of Abuja were compensated and resettled.

In spite of all this, the Gwaris (as Nigerians) still have unlimited access to Abuja city and have not being discriminated against or treated to any form of APARTHEID unlike what the BBC's home country did to indigenes of her conquered territories.

As for the BBC going further to paint Abuja (and Nigerians) in a derogatory manner, I’d like to know what their motives are. Is the BBC trying to instigate the Gwaris against the Nigerian government?

Like we don’t already have enough problems with Boko Haram,Niger-Delta Militants...and ASUU.

Nigeria should in fact be commended for being one of the first black African countries to build a modern landlocked city from scratch. If it's that easy to build a new African city take a trip to Yamoussoukro, the imaginary capital of Ivory Coast, conceived almost same period as Abuja.

Abuja is not yet heaven; it is in fact a massive construction site with scary infrastructural challenges caused by population explosion. But unlike the lies told by BBC’s Alex Preston, Abuja does have many MANY finished inhabited world-class structures...with many more nearing completion.

This piece does not in anyway exonerate Nigeria's past or present crop of leaders for their failings in many areas of Nigerian socio-economic life. Truth be told, most of Nigeria's leadership since independence (especially military rulers) have behaved like chronic idiots over the years. But in fairness to them, they created Abuja and put it on the map as one of Africa's fastest growing international cities.

The only 'idiot' I'm concerned about today is BBC's Alex Preston. My opinion of him is that of a typical western journalist keen on impressing an ignorant western audience with perverted and biased news reports from 'the Dark continent'.

Abuja remains a work in progress; SHE’S JUST 35 YEARS OLD for crying out loud.

How old is BBC's London?

Even the Sheikdom of DUBAI was formally established in 1833.


“Abeg give Nigerians a break jare, we don try!”

[size=14pt]OPEN LETTER TO DR. FEMI OKUROUNMU ON NATIONAL DIALOGUE.[/size]

Dear Sir,

As you commence the noble task of defining the modalities and parameters through which a national dialogue (sovereign or not) can be convened; permit me to refer you to one of my past articles written and published by Sunday Independent Newspapers sometime in January 2012.

I sincerely hope some of the points/concerns raised in this article will assist your committee in fashioning out a truly purposeful National dialogue format with concrete terms of reference.

Good luck sir.

Stanley Nwabia



READ ON:


[size=13pt]SOVEREIGN NATIONAL CONFERENCE: WHO WILL REPRESENT ME?
(First published in January 2012 on Sunday Independent Newspapers)

The call for convocation of a Sovereign National Conference has for some time now become a mantra for certain pro democracy, civil rights and cultural groups. The agitation for SNC began right after the annulment of June 12 presidential elections in 1993 when it became clear to many in the south that the only reason why Chief MKO Abiola was denied his presidential mandate was because he was from the wrong ethnic group. Associations like NADECO and other pro democracy groups emerged with a call and demand for a Sovereign National Conference as the only antidote to Nigeria’s huge basket of problems. Fast forward to the year 2012 and the call for SNC has become even louder, why with the horrifying plague of Boko-Haram in the North, restiveness in the Niger-Delta, alleged marginalization of the South-East, Religious/Ethnic conflicts here and there, obviously there may be no other way out.

Nigerian Activists have defined Sovereign National Conference as the coming together of all ethnic nationalities in order to discuss, express their individual rights to self determination and chart the way forward for Nigeria. While this is not entirely a bad idea, the word ‘sovereign’ is perhaps quite worrisome as it suggests that each ethnic group would reserves the ultimate power and right to make, stand by and execute its own decision at the conference. Thus if ethnic group A decides to go its separate way, its decision is final. Examples of countries that have broken up into several pieces are abound; the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia and more recently the Sudan. Proponents of SNC are of the view that if Nigeria must remain together, all ethnic groups must agree to remain part of Nigeria provided respective terms and conditions are met.

As at last count, Nigeria has about two hundred and fifty ethnic groups, each with distinct languages and dialects. What this means is that assuming the SNC is convened with ethnic nationalities providing two delegates each, we are looking at five hundred delegates at least? Another mock question is; can two people adequately represent the interests of an entire ethnic group? Considering the fact that every single ethnic group in Nigeria has its own sub groups and clans with various interests bordering on religion, trade, profession, customs, land issues etc. Obviously, each ethnic nationality will require more than two delegates. However if we must stick with two delegates per ethnic group, then one will expect that before the convocation of a Sovereign National Conference, all ethnic nationalities must first convene their own respective ‘sovereign clan, age-grade or village conference(s) where all their positions will be harmonized and then two delegates can now be mandated to go represent them at the national conference. Easier said than done, if you ask me.

Many are yet to realise that no ethnic group in Nigeria is homogenous in the real sense of the word. Yorubas may be referred to as an ethnic group or tribe, but within the Yorubas there are many sub-groups like the Egbas,Aworis,Ifes,Modaekes to mention a few, each with their own distinct dialects,customs,interests and aspirations. Can any persons or group of people truly rise up and claim to represent the interests of Yoruba nation as a whole? This challenge is obtainable amongst every other ethnic grouping in Nigeria.

Most of us have truly under-estimated the level of integration amongst different Nigerian ethnic groups; decades of inter-tribal marriages have produced a generation of multi-ethnic Nigerians with maternal and paternal lineages stretching all over and across the river Niger. Who is going to represent the interests of these unique set of Nigerians during the (Sovereign) National Conference? Or will they be forced to choose between aligning with either their paternal or maternal ethnic lineage? Another unfortunate oversight from advocates of SNC is the narrowing of every Nigerian’s interests along ethnic lines.

For instance, will a Sovereign National Conference address the immediate and long-term needs of University professors who are members of ASUU? Or do we now have to do a sort of ethnic profiling amongst the academia, in order to ascertain the individual needs of Yoruba, Igbo or Hausa professors. Do these learned people now have to go back to their respective ethnic conclaves in order to channel their demands and interests for better conditions of service at the SNC? Same goes for all other professional and non-professional interest groups in Nigeria.

In any case, let’s assume the Sovereign National Conference kicks off with a conservative estimate of five hundred delegates at two delegates per ethnic nationality; there has to be a location, methinks Abuja. What will be the duration of the conference? Where will the delegates stay? Who will feed them? Will they receive sitting allowances? Who will pay for it, the existing Nigerian government? Laughable, isn’t it?

Advocates of SNC have made numerous references to the United States of America in 1776 when its then thirteen colonies agreed to come together and declare their independence as one country under God. The thirteen colonies may have indeed agreed to come together but let’s not forget that these American colonies were established by European (mainly British) industrialists and pirates. The indigenous Americans-owners of the land, commonly referred to as Red Indians were never consulted before the creation of a United States of America. The black African slaves who worked on the plantations where never consulted before agreeing to become citizens of the USA. But today, America is a world power and economic success because most of her leaders from independence did the right thing and developed the country.

Surely if America had failed to become an industrialized country today with poverty and insecurity rife, all her numerous nationalities would have started agitating for all sorts ranging from secession, repatriation to self determination.

I want to assure all proponents of a Sovereign National Conference that most great nations in today’s world did not come about as the result of a ‘sweet history’ where different nationalities sat on a round table and decided to live together peacefully and create a China, Japan, Brazil or Australia. Many industrialized countries of today emerged from a history of wars, slavery, barbarism, colonialism, invasion, nepotism and unspeakable injustice. However, somewhere along the line these countries were able to realise that the basic needs of all men (and women) are the same, regardless of race, tribe, religion or gender. Every citizen desires a good life.


Do we need a Sovereign National Conference to tell us that Hausas, Yorubas and Igbos want steady electricity, good health care and security? Do we need a Sovereign National Conference to tell us that the Ijaws, Efiks, Itsekiris and Ibibios want good schools, clean drinking water, three square meals, and reliable source of income, just like any other modern human society? Perhaps what we need in reality is sovereign national COMMON SENSE; a time when all our political and opinion leaders realise the need to kill corruption in Nigeria while effectively harnessing the economic and human resources in all Nigeria’s thirty six states in order to improve the life of THE NIGERIAN. [/size]

[size=14pt]Fellow Nigerians,

MOST of those who complain the loudest about the sorry state of the 'Nigerian system' are by themselves,in their own little corner as bad or even worse than the national leadership they so love to condemn.

I have also been a victim of 'the Nigerian system' in both public & private settings but i forge ahead,loving my country even more and 'hating' ONLY the awful individuals that run or ran these systems.

I choose to create my own system and look forward to being judged by how i manage it.

I have this belief that "If you love Nigeria,Nigeria will love you in return" regardless of who your President,Governor or Local government chairman is.
And Trust me when I say this, "NIGERIA is a very generous lover!"

Happy independence day to all my true Naija people.

-STANLEY NWABIA[/size]

[size=14pt]Fellow Nigerians,

MOST of those who complain the loudest about the sorry state of the 'Nigerian system' are by themselves,in their own little corner as bad or even worse than the national leadership they so love to condemn.

I have also been a victim of 'the Nigerian system' in both public & private settings but i forge ahead,loving my country even more and 'hating' ONLY the awful individuals that run or ran these systems.

I choose to create my own system and look forward to being judged by how i manage it.

I have this belief that "If you love Nigeria,Nigeria will love you in return" regardless of who your President,Governor or Local government chairman is.
And Trust me when I say this, "NIGERIA is a very generous lover!"

Happy independence day to all my true Naija people.[/size]

[size=13pt]OPTIONS FOR 'NEW PDP'S’ G7 FACTION.

As a political scientist ***yes, I have my degree to show for it***, I do know for a fact that politics is a very dirty game on both sides i.e. the protagonists and antagonists. It's like entering a ‘suck-away’ with the intention of cleaning it up; there's no way you won't come out smelling like ‘shit’.

The new PDP's G-7 faction led by former vice president Atiku Abubakar 'messed up' big time in my own humble opinion. As a matter of fact all the PDP governors that openly revealed their opposition towards President Goodluck Jonathan's perceived second term agenda made a ridiculous error.

How do you expose your intentions and arsenal to a 'powerful enemy' many months before the actual battle? After you've done that, do you expect your powerful enemy to seat back and eat ‘kuli kuli’ while you keep planning for his downfall? Mba nu!

OPTIONS FOR ATIKU'S G7 NEW PDP

1. Kiss and Make up: Approach PDP chairman Bamanga Tukur and President Goodluck Jonathan, apologise for the unfortunate events and declare your unreserved loyalty to the President and the party.

2. Join APC and hope that its Tinubu/Buhari leadership will accept these ex PDP bunch with open arms and work hard to dislodge the PDP in 2015. But remember, Nigerians will want to know why APC is filled with Ex-PDP members that contributed to the alleged misrule of Nigeria for the past 14 years.

3. PDM: Totally embrace PDM and commence mass mobilization of supporters all across the country; who knows, they might win a sizeable number of converts. Groom young Turks and sell them to Nigerians as authentic new breed of leaders.

4. Retire from Politics in 2015, open up big commercial farms and contribute to Nigeria's Agricultural transformation. #thatsall



I really like the third and fourth options, just saying.[/size]

[size=13pt]THE RISE OF TARABA'S PUPPET MASTERS.
Taraba state is (or used to be) hardly in the news; though she’s had her own share of minimal Boko Haram attacks and flooding- the state remains relatively peaceful in a Northern Nigerian region plagued by violence and insurgency.

In October 2012, the governor of Taraba state-Danbaba Suntai, a certified pilot, crashed his own plane while attempting to land at Yola airport. He and some of his aides were seriously injured. The governor was eventually flown out to Germany for treatment.

This unfortunate incident marked the beginning of uncertainties in Taraba politics.

On August 25th 2013, about ten months after the air crash, Governor Danbaba Suntai returned to Nigeria; his return has generated mixed reactions and more controversies ever since.

I watched video clips of the Governor emerging from his aircraft with a whole bunch of aides trying to straighten him up and assist him in walking down the stairs.
I wondered why they couldn't have employed a better and more dignifying way of evacuating him from the aircraft,maybe a wheelchair,stretcher? Some special wheelchairs can be used on staircases,right? No shame in that. After all, one of the greatest presidents in America’s history Franklin D. Roosevelt did ‘rule’ from his wheelchair after suffering from Polio.

Governor Danbaba Suntai’s political managers are beginning to, once again, throw Nigeria into another embarrassing episode of executive health management-‘Naija style’, similar to what the nation experienced during President Yaradua's last days.

The Governor’s aides have come out to tell us that their principal is “As fit as a fiddle”; as at the time of typing this piece, the returnee Taraba state governor is yet to make any public speech, press conference or appearance, giving credence to the fact that he may have indeed suffered from a degenerative brain injury; thereby making him naturally incapable of continuing as governor. Governor Suntai’s closest handlers ‘probably’ know this already, but why are they subjecting the people of Taraba state and even the Governor himself to a needless political quagmire.

This is probably another case of the puppet master syndrome; where a kitchen cabinet takes over power from an ailing chief executive and presents his ‘living remains’ to the general public as proof of good health. Many image management strings will be pulled throughout the duration of this farce.

The breaking news ***just when I was about completing the write-up*** is that the Governor has just dissolved his entire cabinet. This directive was supposedly issued by the Governor through one of his aides-let me remind us once again that since his return no one has heard the Governor speak, let alone write.

Why dissolve an entire cabinet? Are these not the same people that held forth for the Governor while he was away on medical leave? Has the deputy governor not performed exemplarily?

In my opinion, I feel Governor Danbaba Suntai still needs many more months or years of constant physical, emotional and psychological therapy. He was probably rushed back to Nigeria by his political hangers-on in order to prevent possible impeachment by the state house of assembly.

My question is, won’t all this political stress further depreciate Governor Suntai's fragile health?

Here's a man that survived a fatal air crash, has God not been faithful to him enough? Shouldn't he rather, spend the latter part of his life at peace with God, getting closer to his beloved family and concentrating on his general health?
If I had the opportunity, I’d like to reach out to Governor Danbaba Suntai’s immediate family members, urging them to encourage whatever is left of their patriarch to step down, come home and REST. They are even in a better position to call their father’s unscrupulous aides to order.

The government, people of Taraba state and indeed Nigeria does not need this type of health-based political controversy, not again.
[/size]

Oracool11: A few weeks ago, i posted about the Alpha beach ocean surge, now a large fish washes up on ashore .
Picture of the fish is attached.

MILEY CYRUS' AMERICA: NATION OF HYPOCRITES

“Some Americans can be real charlatans; every now and then a random closet gay American star comes ‘out of the closet’ disappointing their majority 'straight' fans, but ‘liberal America' praises him/her for being courageous. Miley Cyrus now comes out of her own ‘goody goody’ closet to show us some 'skin & sexyness', and they condemn her?”
-MR STANLEY NWABIA

The 20-year old Miley Cyrus whom most of us remember as teenage sweetheart Hannah Montana is all grown up now.

In the Just concluded MTV music video awards, Miley Cyrus literarily exterminated whatever was left of Hannah Montana. She switched on her sexy mode to the amazement (and shock) of her fans, especially those that remember her as the sweet teenager on Disney channel.

Miley Cyrus’ music career has been doing quite well and she has several hit tracks to prove it. Miley Cyrus' performance at the 2013 VMA dwarfed whatever razzmatazz that Lady Gaga could put on.

According to CNN, “While Gaga came equipped with multiple costume- and wig-changes on her side, Cyrus took over the stage with gigantic, dancing bears and more twerking than viewers at home probably knew what to do with.”

Miley Cyrus obviously stole the show in a very awkward way and the American social media community is still trying to recover from it.

Among Miley Cyrus' super fans at the event were Will Smith and family; the look on all their faces during her stage craft says it all.

INVESTIGATING COZA'S PASTOR BIODUN FATOYINBO AND ESE WALTER'S SEX SCANDAL.

Out of joblessness,I decided to investigate the scandal involving COZA's Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo and one Miss Ese Walters. Periodically on this blog,I engage in detailed analysis of controversial issues using certain articles as a reference point. Today,I'll be using the article written by Ese Walters where I intend to make my honest deductions.

This is going to be a long read oooo!

Mr Stanley Nwabia reply mode-ACTIVATED!

Ese Walter wrote: I met Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo many years ago. I was getting bored of the church I was attending and someone suggested COZA. At the time, I had never heard about it. My friend said, go there, I’m sure you would enjoy the word. But he also gave me a strong warning. He said he would advice that I remain a member only and not join the workforce. I agreed. The first time I attended COZA, I felt it was my church and decided I was going to plant my ass there. About eleven months had gone by and I was still attending the services quietly and faithfully. I really did like the church. One day a worker in the church approached me that the senior pastor wanted to see me.

Stanley says: “You should have listened to your friend, he probably knew ‘whats up’ and he gave you a ‘strong warning’. After eleven months you decided to discard your friend’s strong warning and ‘chook head’ inside church parole.” #firstfOkup

Ese Walter wrote: He said he’d like for me to join a department, preferably the Pastoral Care Unit (PCU).


Stanley says: “Pastoral Care Unit? Wetin dem for call am before? The Pastor needed to be taken care of and you volunteered your services.”

Ese Walter wrote: A few weeks later, against my friend’s advice not to join the workforce, I was a PCU member. All of a sudden, I had some status in church. I was ‘somebody.’ Dress had to be on point, hair, shoes and what not… As workers, we were literally trying to outshine each other or so it seemed. Anyways, I felt like I was a privileged member of an elite circle. Hehehe. (It did feel good though, for the most part.)


Stanley says: “When you say dresses had to be on point, hair, shoes etc -I want to believe you were not referring to ‘deeper life’s dress code? I’m right to assume that your dressing had to be something modern or sexy. And of course while you guys were trying to outshine each other, the ultimate goal was to get ‘Oga Pastor’s’ attention-true or false?”


Ese Walter wrote: About a year after joining the workforce, I was on my way to London for a Masters degree program that would last two years. As was the rule for workers travelling, I wrote to say I would be away for 2 years and Pastor Biodun Fotoyinbo asked that I keep in touch by sending him my number and email when I had settled in London so he “makes sure I continue in the faith” because according to him, people loose their faith when they leave home and he wanted to make sure I didn’t. So, on that note, as soon as I got a phone line in London, I was sure to call ‘my pastor’ to say I arrived safe, had settled in and also gave my phone number.


Stanley says: “Let me get this straight, you were a workforce member for about a year and Pastor Biodun never noticed you or made a move on you? Inside the same church? You formally announced to everyone in church that you were leaving for two years and just then the Pastor suddenly noticed you, asked for your UK number and email once you are settled in London...And you faithfully obliged? Ok, works for me, go on...”



Ese Walter wrote: One evening, Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo called me that he was coming to London and needed me to help him make some hotel bookings as the person who was meant to do it couldn’t get it done (this was rather strange as I had never been involved in his travel itinerary) Later that day, he said it had been sorted and my help would not be required but that he would like me to arrange a cab to pick him up from Heathrow. I was happy to help my pastor from Nigeria and even saw it as a privilege. (I would later come to learn that all of this was a calculated attempt to hatch a plan that I suspect was set in motion when I was asked to join the workforce.)



Stanley says: “So you are telling me that at this point you still didn’t realize that Pastor Biodun was already ‘somehow’ interested in you? If you were a 14 year old virgin girl from the village then I would have believed you. Most fully grown women, especially one that is obviously an educated, city and social type like you know when a man is hitting on them, even from the first sentence.”


Ese Walter wrote: The cab guy was there to get him the next day and when he arrived, he called to ask why I didn’t accompany the cab to pick him up (again, this was strange but I stopped my mind from overanalyzing the situation as I knew I had no business with his visit to London) About two hours later, he called me and said he would like to see me. When I arrived his hotel, I called from the reception but he asked that I come upstairs. I got to the room and tried to stop my mind from thinking why I was going to his room. As he opened the door and invited me in, I had to speak to my heart to stop its palpitations. My better judgment asked me not to go into the room but the kind of reverence I had for Pasotr Biodun Fatoyinbo bordered on fear and I steeped into that room.
“Care for a drink?” Asked Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo.
“No sir,” I said.


Stanley says: “Wait...wait...wait...hold it, let’s just stop here for a minute. A red-blooded male invites a matured girl like you to his hotel room and you WENT in there expecting what? That you guys will play ‘ten ten’, read the bible, say some prayers, speak in tongues and part ways? I think you knew what was coming and you WANTED what was coming. The ‘minor’ hesitation you may have experienced was just your conscience trying to tell you to walk away and not allow your pastor drown in his own temptation.”

Ese Walter wrote: “You don’t have to be shy Ese, even if it’s alcohol, feel free and order what you want.” I wasn’t sure I heard my pastor asking me to order alcohol. I imagined it was a test and ignored the voice inside that was saying, “I’d have henny and coke please.” While there, he sat on a reclining chair and asked me to come sit on his laps. This was a bit awkward for me and I froze for a moment as I asked why. He said he had told me to feel free with him and loosen up. I found myself strolling to sit on his laps. At that moment, I felt like a little girl who was experiencing something her mind couldn’t fathom. He asked me to kiss him and all I could think about was seeing him preach on the pulpit back in COZA Abuja, Nigeria, which was my home church. He again said ‘feel free Ese.’ And asked again, that I kiss him.


Stanley says: “BULL SH1T...for the fact that ‘a voice in your head’ asked for “henny and coke” proves my earlier assertion that you are an experienced social babe or club girl. You were not a virgin Christian sister, not at all. If you had good intentions, the moment a Pentecostal pastor permits you to order for alcohol, you suppose go don soji. And I believe that you did ‘soji’ but you wanted it to play out.”

Ese Walter wrote: A few hours later, let’s just say, we were rolling under the sheets. It felt as though my mind had paused. I am not saying I was jazzed, (although it’s possible I was in some trancelike state and didn’t know it but I just was so afraid that I couldn’t say or think otherwise.) That was the beginning of this affair. A sexual affair that went on for a little over a week, DAILY!


Stanley says: “Nne, you gladly and happily f**ked your Pastor and from the looks of things you (both of you) enjoyed every bit of it. ‘So tey for over one week,una dey kpo kpo una self non-stop’. If you had any conscience like most ‘good girls’ do, after the first night (or first round) when you look yourself in the mirror and realise that you’ve committed adultery with a ‘married’ man of God-you suppose shake nah. But no, you kept on coming back for more. Na wa o!”


Ese Walter wrote: I can hear somebody’s mind thinking, ‘well, you weren’t raped.” And I remember a pastor I opened up to when I couldn’t take all the mind games asking if I seduced him. No, I didn’t seduce him and no, I wasn’t raped but I felt trapped in this affair. Come to think of it, how could I have seduced him when I wanted nothing from him? I mean, I was too busy minding my business in London trying to get through with my masters program and I was overly comfortable. And even if I wanted to seduce anyone, it wouldn’t be a married man, not to mention a married pastor.

Stanley says: “That was my mind you just heard and it says, “If you ever open your mouth to claim that Pastor Biodun ‘raped’ you, thunder will fire that mouth shut.”
Hussh, on the ‘mind game thing,’ you are an experienced/exposed woman and so what’s this shit about you feeling trapped? It only lasted for a little over a week as you said; did the Pastor move in with you or invite you to move in with him? Mba nu.
If you were really busy minding your own business in London, the moment Pastor Biodun invited you to his hotel room the first time, you could have told him how busy you were-like most girls do when they are not interested in a man’s advances.”

Ese Walter wrote: Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo also said to me that he had a dream where I exposed what was happening to the media. Said it was all over the place and that people were calling me the girl that caused chaos in COZA. He also said I should remember the bible said to “touch not God’s anointed.” I immediately started to rebuke the devil and said I could never do anything like that. I was almost swearing with my entire family as I thought really I had touched God’s anointed by submitting my body to be used.


Stanley says: “It’s called regret or remorse -that’s the moment Pastor Biodun realized that he had done wrong and was trying to extract an oath of secrecy from you. After all you both were consenting adults above the age of 18 years. But with the way you went public, my conspiracy theory mind is humming.
I smell vindictiveness on your path, you intentionally set out to punish him knowing that you’ve seen and experienced his weaknesses.
Perhaps you wanted more from him? Perhaps you wished the affair lasted for longer, for months or years. Perhaps you wished that he eventually divorces his wife or she dies of a strange illness and you become ‘young mummy G.O’. I really don’t know...or care.”

Ese Walter wrote: Fast-forward a few months later, I was back in Nigeria and my church had become uncomfortable. Anytime I sat in church and listened to Pastor Biodun preach, I felt shame. I finally sent him a message saying I wasn’t comfortable anymore. I was confused and needed to talk about what had happened. He said I should meet him to talk and I did. It was a really weird meeting for me especially when he tried to kiss me at our meeting. I finally realized at this point that he couldn’t help me. I thought God was angry with me and I couldn’t pray so I decided to withdraw completely from COZA. This was the beginning of my mental torture. I couldn’t talk to my family because already, I was the only one attending a different church and somehow my mom never liked the idea. As the days went by I tried to use drinking and smoking to cover up the deep shame and guilt I was battling with. But as soon as the high was over, the thoughts came back and I felt stuck like I couldn’t move forward.
I felt I had to talk to someone and I decided to speak out...


Stanley says: “So in spite of everything that transpired, you still returned to Nigeria and went back to the same church, to look for what? This was how many months after, three, four months?
If Pastor Biodun was ‘crazy’ about you, I’m sure he would have made efforts to see you more often, to travel go London no hard like that nah.
You claim you went to see him and he tried to kiss you? Haba, I don’t buy it ooooo. My conspiracy theory tells me that you were very upset at how Pastor Biodun easily moved on after your brief affair, and you wanted answers which were not forth coming. And so you chose to do what you just did-BLACKMAIL HIS A$$ and eventually F**K HIM UP.”

-THE END



People,thanks for reading this blog post,I did what I had to do. I AM NOT A MEMBER OF COZA.

As a matter of fact, I am a CATHOLIC and still hold those orthodox views that priests should be celibate because sexually active men of God tend to become easy prey to the devil. Hey, celibate priests also fall into Satan’s trap too...wetin man pikin go do? God help us all.

If Ese Walter’s story is true, my advice to Pastor Biodun is that he follows the route King David followed after Bathsheba gate. I’m sure he’s doing that already, he must also ensure that he regains the trust of his wife and children FIRST before church members. Church members come and go, family is or should be forever.

As for Ese Walter,I heard she once auditioned for X-factor but didn’t scale through,well what do you know-this lady has (through this scandal) finally mustered a bit of celebrity status. All she needs do is release a new music track,call it ‘Jangilova Pastor’ or any other lousy name she can think of and it will trend. She can even do a collabo with Tonto Dikeh.

AMERICAN DIVA BRANDY PERFORMS FOR EMPTY SEATS IN SOUTH AFRICA.

Just when we thought her dwindling career couldn't get any worse.

According to Guardian.uk, American R&B sensation performed in front of 89,960 empty seats on Saturday at the end of a day-long arts and sports event in Johannesburg, South Africa, she eventually walking off in embarrassment.
The South African social media was abuzz with tweets such as,"Brandy [just] performed to an empty stadium. With the stadium lights on," tweeted by South African musician, Kabomo. "People didn't know there was a concert after the games. No one knew Brandy was around. Maybe a 40 people audience ... She sulked after two songs and walked off."

The American R&B star was a surprise guest at the Nelson Mandela Sport and Culture Day, held at the 90,000-capacity FNB stadium in Soweto. Although tens of thousands of people filled the arena for football and rugby matches, including a game pitting South African football legends against Italian masters such as Emiliano Salvetti and Marco Ballota, the audience trickled out during the music segment. After performances by David Jenkins, Elvis Blue, Salif Keita and Nigerian superstar D'Banj, there was almost no one left for Brandy.

"Brandy performing for the chairs!" wrote one concertgoer. "Brandy is going to perform for herself and Mbaks only," marvelled another, referring to South Africa's minister of sport, Fikile Mbalula. She was even abandoned on television: SABC, the country's national TV channel, ended their broadcast of the concert before the singer came on stage.

Neither Brandy nor the concert promoters have commented on the gig. By most accounts, it wasn't Brandy's fault – her fans simply didn't know she was playing.

Brandy is popular in Africa and has performed in Nigeria before. Although the singer's newest record, Two Eleven, reached only No 87 on the UK album charts, 1998's Never Say Never remains an R&B classic: it has sold more than 16m copies worldwide.




***Ehyaaaa...I really like Brandy, I guess the South African organizers of the event were just an unserious bunch. Pele dear!***

IS BOKO HARAM'S SHEKAU REALLY DEAD? (PICTURES)

The Nigerian joint military task force against islamic sect Boko-Haram (JTF) recently released a statement suggesting that the leader of the dreaded sect may have been killed sometime between late July and early August.

The Nigerian army suggests that the most recent video released by the sect in August may have been doctored with an impostor pushed forward as Abubakar Shekau.

Rather than criticize the military's claim, I took time out to study both 'pre' and 'post' July 30th videos of Boko Haram's Abubakar Shekau and well....

Take a good look at still shots from both videos and tell me if the Nigerian military is perhaps telling the truth.

Is Abubakar Shekau really dead,and is the guy in the second picture an impostor?

LET'S PLAY SPOT THE DIFFERENCE!