Late preparation affects the proper organisation of the events.
Lagos centre still in turmoil over money, accreditation

Nigeria's anti-corruption police is working with Microsoft to halt thousands of fraudulent emails in a crackdown on internet crime in Africa's most populous country, an agency spokesman said.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said on Thursday its new project "Eagle Claw", expected to become fully operational within six months, is aimed at improving Nigeria's tarnished image as one of the world's top countries for internet crime.

"The EFCC is fine tuning security modalities with Microsoft and upon full deployment, the capacity to take down fraudulent emails will increase to 5,000 monthly," said Farida Waziri, the agency's chairwoman, in a statement.

The agency said it has already shut down 800 scam websites and arrested 18 people.

The project is the latest effort by the government to shrug off its image as an epicentre of corruption, epitomised by "419" email fraudsters named after the article in Nigeria's penal code that deals with advance fee fraud.

The government in March launched a rebranding campaign with the slogan: "Nigeria: Good People, Great Nation". It has also started a nationwide initiative to promote "Made In Nigeria" products over foreign imports.

But Nigerians, most of whom live on less than $2 a day, say the government needs to do more to address the everyday problems of the oil-rich, but impoverished country.

Nigeria and Microsoft look to halt Internet crime

The harsh economic environment notwithstanding, some say there is still a lot of potential.
Manufacturing is still profitable in Nigeria

The federal government seeks to tackle deforestation and climate change with increased gas consumption.
Cooking up a solution

Oct2509 ILLEGAL HOSTEL

The Ogun State ministry of education says that the Faith Academy, which is subject of a lawsuit operates an illegal boarding house.

Player dropped for failing age test in Eaglets' final list

The chief coach of the Golden Eaglets, John Obuh, is courting another controversy ahead of Nigeria’s U-17 World Cup campaign after including a player suspected to have failed age test in his final squad for the competition. Deji Joel was one of the 15 players who were dropped from the Eaglets after the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan was conducted in August. But the player was surprisingly included in the final squad of 21 released by the
Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) last Thursday, after the Eaglets’ training tour of Qatar.

[url=http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Sport/Football/5471106-146/Obaseki%27s_moving_train_is_moving_in.csp]Obaseki's moving train is moving in reverse [/url]

To his band of admirers, many of them sports journalists, Oyuiki Obaseki, the Chairman of the Nigeria Premier League is the best thing that has ever happened to football in Nigeria. As the pioneer chairman of the league, many Nigerians applauded when he secured one of the biggest sponsorship packages in the history of Nigerian football from Globacom Telecommunications Limited.

When Obaseki was having problems with the Nigeria Football Federation and the National Sports Commission over the sponsorship money, the sporting media queued behind him.

Determined and resolute to use the money for the league's revival, Obaseki rechristened himself, ‘The Moving Train' with a vow to crush whoever stood in his way and the movement of the moving train that was determined to move the Nigeria league to the next level.

Many reporters were persecuted for backing Obaseki. Many were blackmailed and intimidated, some almost lost their jobs, while a few unlucky ones like this reporter were sued for libel and they spent a lot of money on legal fees before the courts dismissed the suits against them. . .

Source

The Liquified Natural Gas company’s literature award should be boycotted by writers and all true lovers of literature.

Source

Seconds after Kenechukwu Ejiogu had swung his rickety motorcycle away from the sidewalk at Cele Bus Stop, a vehicle lost control and swerved into the crowd of commuters standing where he had just picked his passenger. Four people were killed instantly (including a fellow commercial motorcyclist), while five others were reported to have sustained injuries in that September 26 tragedy.

“My brother, in fact I don’t know what to say,” he said, obviously shaken as he relived the memory of his close shave with death.

Cele bus stop has frequently been in the news for a series of accidents, usually involving vehicles that regularly ply the Oshodi-Apapa expressway. . .

They lived in a vast shanty town, but the ramshackle community was built on valuable waterfront land coveted by the powerful. In their continuing protest against forcible removal bu the state government to make way for a new private development, the residents of this Port Harcourt slum are now paying for their resistance in blood.
Five people are declared missing and more feared dead, with at least another 11 people nursing gunshot injuries. Several others say they were clubbed, whipped and had their personal effects looted by law enforcement officials during a particularly bloody crackdown on Monday October 12. Police are reported to have downplayed the casualty rate.
Eyewitnesses say that officers of the police force and army initially drove through a crowd staging a peaceful protest to disperse it. The security officials later came back; shooting in the air and also directly at the people, before marching through the waterfront community to lash out at and beat the protesters for well over an hour. Israel Okorie as chanting anti-government slogans when he was shot in the back. He spoke to NEXT via telephone.
"We were there by 7:30am to 7:45am. We say the first two armoured tankers that came. When they came, we were telling them that please, they should not touch our place, they should tell the governor to leave us alone; our places are not for sale.
When were talking to those ones, we saw a number of army vehicles, one small armoured car in front, with another white Hilux at the back, filled with army (men). They were in a convoy, coming from Prison Road, wearing camouflage. The next thing, they just opened fire on us, they were just shooting our women. They drove to Dockyard where they parked the armoured cars and Hilux next to the first cars that came."
Mr. Okorie said that he ran to the nearby Warder Barracks. He said: "they shot for more than three to four hours." ,

NEXT reporter counted at least 16 bullet holes in the maze of private residences, shops and cars in Bundu-Ama. Initially, residents shouted at neighbours who spoke up, while others accused the press of complacence. But soon, a resident held up an empty bullet cartridge, another accepted to have his picture taken. They came out, each interviewee seeking out another; a neighbour, a colleague, daughter: all were victims. As reporters moved through the site, scantily-clad children pointed out the community's sad attraction; a wall which still sported a bullet casing,

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[url=http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Opinion/5471402-148/An_example%20of_police_brutality__.csp]Source[/url]

SIR: Fellow Nigerians, let us arise and say 'No' to police brutality in Nigeria after 49 years of independence. On October 2, 2009 at about 5.30 p.m., I witnessed a heart-breaking incident at Gbara Bus Stop along Lekki-Epe Expressway, Lagos. I saw armed mobile policemen beating a young man. At the scene of the incident was a crowd of over 50 people watching in amazement. I went closer to enquire from a spectator and I was informed that a certain woman hit a truck pusher with a jeep and she claimed the truck pusher brushed her car. Arguments ensued between the said woman, the truck pusher and other eyewitnesses as to who was right or wrong. While both parties were throwing tantrums, the said woman called the mobile police.

In about 15-20 minutes, a police vehicle with inscription Victoria Island/Lekki/Victoria Garden City (VGC) Convoy Patrolwith registration number (Lagos) HR 94 EKY arrived at the scene with about five fierce-looking armed mobile policemen. On sighting the policemen, all spectators took to their heels. The ferocious policemen caught one of the boys who had earlier argued in support of the truck pusher. He was beaten mercilessly.

I arrived at the scene when the policemen were manhandling and torturing the said man. They kicked him with their boots and hit him with the edge of their guns. I wanted to intervene in the unfair and illegal treatment meted out to the man and through the direction of one of the eye witnesses, I approached the woman (that called the police) and appealed to her to order the policemen to stop the inhuman treatment and the grievous battery.

She shouted at me and ordered me to get out of her sight. I then introduced myself as a lawyer and a concerned citizen. She then told me that she was also a lawyer. I became furious at that point because I could not imagine a legal practitioner initiating and authorising such an illegality in a democratic society where human rights are topmost priority to the government.

The woman in question immediately called one of the policemen and instructed him to send me away from the scene which he attempted but I resisted his attempt. The policeman shouted at me and assaulted me, pointing a gun at me and ordered me to leave. I left but quickly returned with a friend. We picked the police van plate number which is (Lagos) HR 94 EKY and the plate number of the jeep belonging to the so-called lawyer which is (Lagos) EQ 278 LND. The police shot their gun at a point to disperse the crowd at the scene of the incident. Many people ran for safety and some fell into the ditch by the road under construction by Lekki Concession Company ( LCC).

I was made to understand that the patrol vehicle and the police were security operatives attached to an oil company. I am surprised and disappointed that a lawyer, who is expected to be an officer in the temple of justice can employ some unprofessional police officers attached to a reputable company to batter, molest and subject poor citizens to inhumane treatment in their own country. This is unacceptable and should not be allowed to die a natural death.

I hereby call on the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State to investigate the excesses of the mobile policemen involved in such cruel treatment of fellow Nigerians. I also implore the Nigerian Bar Association to determine whether the actions of the said woman claiming to be a lawyer is consistently with the ethics of the legal profession and the oath she swore to (assuming she is a lawyer she claimed to be) as a legal practitioner. Finally, I call on human rights groups to investigate this matter and ensure justice is done and the fundamental human rights of the said man enforced. Enough is enough! How long shall we continue to endure police brutality in Nigeria?

Melvin Daji,
Lagos

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Stockbrokers at the Nigerian Stock Exchange have criticised the new publication of debtors' lists by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), saying it was a wrong signal that could jeopardise business relationships.

Some of the brokers said the CBN could have assisted the "troubled" banks in recovering their bad loans without making some businesses look bad in the public's eyes.

"Publishing commercial relationships between a bank and its customer is not right," said Rasheed Yussuff, the chief executive officer of Trust Yields Securities Limited, saying such relationship should be kept confidential.

Mr. Yussuff said people should realise that "to have a good business plan achieved, a company will have to borrow money to function. If you're in business and you don't borrow, then you must be stealing money somewhere. To borrow money is not a crime since it's a commercial borrowing."

Australian bank note company, Securrency International Pty Ltd, currently at the centre of a scandal for the alleged bribery of Nigerian officials in the polymer bank note deal, is actively working to undermine the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC), a Senate Committee has learnt.

Managing Director of the NSPMC, Ehidiamhen Okoyomon, disclosed this to the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and Financial Institutions on Wednesday in Abuja while receiving the committee members who came on a routine visit as part of its their oversight functions on the company, commonly called Mint,

Mr. Okoyomon said that the four foreign companies who had indicated interests to buy the Mint in 2005 were working to jeopardise the activities of the company as a condition that will allow them to buy it. The companies are: De La Rue of the UK, Giesecke & Devrient of Germany, Royal Spanish Mint, FNMT of Spain, and Securrency of Australia.

"Till date, they do not want the NSPM plc to succeed so that they can come back and buy the company," Mr. Okoyomon said.

The four companies have varied interests in currency and bank notes printing.

The new mint establishment

The Mint, which was managed by De La Rue until the 90's, was sold in 2005 in a deal which left the Central Bank of Nigeria with majority shareholding having failed to meet the yearly currency requirements for the Central Bank for over 15 years.

"It was run like a ministry and seen as a drain of government funds invested. (NSPM plc) was virtually crippled as at 2005," he said.

Mr. Okoyomon disclosed that, between 2005 and 2009, the underperformance of the Mint which led to its sale had been fully addressed adding that for the first time the mint printed at least 2.6 billion bank notes for the Central Bank of Nigeria in 2008. He also said that from 2005 till date, Mint had printed about 5.6 billion bank notes for the Central Bank and 460 million voters card on behalf of the Independent National Electoral Commission making the Mint one of the world's leading printers in the security market.

According to the Managing Director, some actions taken by the establishment have consequently led to a returned profit of over ₦2.5 billion. He added that this was ‘one of the best from any quasi government institution that does not get any statutory allocation from the government'.

Between 2005 and last year, Mr. Okoyomon put 2006 as the year of least return in production terms. That year the new currency restructuring programme was introduced occasioning the production of 620 million polymer bank notes in six months. However as at current reckoning, Mint has pumped out 1.8 billion polymer notes making it the world's leading polymer note printer.

The Mint chief executive sought senate support in securing the production of the E-passport which he claimed is currently printed abroad. "If we are given a chance we can invest in the machines and produce locally."


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There used to be this website which I used to frequent back in those heady days of software piracy. However, Serialz appears to have totally disappeared from the internet. Why is this so scary?

More at source

Property owners in Oshodi are now reaping the benefits of the effort of the state government in restoring sanity to one of the most crowded areas in the metropolis.

House rent in the neighbourhood is now on the increase after the transformation which followed the demolition of illegal structures and the eradication of street trading on the roads and rail tracks.

The state governor, Babatunde Fashola, had said during a project inspection that the projects embarked upon by the state government will help "put money into the pockets of property owners".

Though, the statement was made at Lekki, it is now a reality in Oshodi because Kasali Abiodun, a property owner on Owoseni Street, attributed the recent increase in rent to the improvement of living condition in the neighbourhood. . .

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Miss Adie's death was particularly galling to the people of Obudu because this was the third time such a thing is happening to them.

Mr. Ugbe, the council chairman, said she was the third indigene of Obudu to have been killed during the National Youth Service. Bizarrely, all the deaths occurred in Maiduguri.

"In 1973, a youth corps member was mobbed in the town for knocking down a pedestrian while riding a bicycle," Mr. Ugbe said. "About 15 years ago, a daughter of the famous Iklaki family in Obudu was dragged out of her room in Maiduguri and killed during a religious uprising. The death of Ushang Adie was, therefore, one death too many."

There would have been a total break-down of law and order in the town following the news of this latest death, were it not for the quick intervention of government officials who drafted policemen from Calabar to the community. The combined security team helped to cordon-off the quarters inhabited by northerners in Obudu.

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Yesterday, at the Federal High Court in Abeokuta, neither the Faith Academy in Otta, Ogun State and the 16 other defendants, nor their counsels showed up to defend themselves on charges of complicity in the death of 11-year-old Morenike Arulogun, who died of cerebral malaria in 2008.

The sitting Judge, B. I. Molokwu, was surprised that no member of the defence party was present for the hearing of the preliminary objection they had submitted to the court in late September, 2009. She adjourned the case to allow for another notice of hearing to be served the defendants. "We will give them time to appear.

The defendants will be served with fresh notices. I am doing this because I don't want anyone to accuse me of not giving them fair hearing. The case is adjourned to Friday, October 30, 2009," the judge said,

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As the deadline for the submission of Expression of Interest for purchasing the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) draws near, the Bureau of Public Enterprises says investors who do not pay the non-refundable application fee of $25,000 will automatically be disqualified.

Reiterating the importance of the application fee, in a telephone interview with NEXT, the spokesperson for the bureau, Chigbo Anichebe, revealed that only nine out of the 14 prospective investors that have expressed interest in participating in the bidding process for NITEL's privatisation have paid the statutory sum.

Mr. Anichebe noted: "Some investors would automatically disqualify themselves if they don't pay their $25,000 non-refundable application fees," adding that those who have paid have been granted access into the data room,

Opposition criticises PDP's choice of Soludo

The manner in which the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Chukwuma Soludo, emerged as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for Anambra State’s gubernatorial election and his acceptance by the Independent National Electoral Commission, despite the expiration of set deadline, is an indication that the 2011 general elections will not be transparent, the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) said on Sunday.

People Power

Yesterday, for the first time in a very long time I felt proud to be a Nigerian.

The reason for my pride was the conduct of residents of the federal capital Abuja with regards the national team's World Cup qualifier against the national team of Mozambique. They refused to turn up at the stadium, and for the first time ever, Nigeria's national team played a home game in front of an almost empty stadium.

The fans felt that the rubbish had gone on for too long and that enough was enough. For too long we had put up with rubbish coming from our sports officials about patriotism and the role of both players and fans in the build up to games, officials who only see our football as a cash cow to be milked to death,

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Nduka Odizor, former national player, famously known as the ‘Duke' in his playing days, is unhappy with this state of affairs. Odizor, who was a member of a quartet including Sadiq Abdullahi, David Imonite and Tony Mmoh that captivated Nigerian tennis fans in the late 1970s, is not happy with the development.

The former player, who, along with the other three, did a lot to put Nigeria on the tennis map with exploits for the country in the Davis Cup and on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) circuit, said "It pains me to see the level to which we have descended to in tennis. We were almost kicked out of the Euro-Africa Zone 3 group in April,

House girls gone wild

Lagos residents are gradually facing an added dilemna in the home front: domestic servants that go,

Nasarawa's white farmers hang on despite the odds

Poor funding and inadequate infrastructure work against farm project.

The Federal Government has said Nigeria is beginning to enjoy the dividends of the amnesty programme as there has been a rise in the export of the country's crude oil.

Tanimu Kurfi Yakubu and the Minister of Information, Dora Akunyili, spoke to journalists on the success of the programme at the state house on Wednesday. He said another positive effect of the programme was the return of contractors to work sites to repair oil and gas infrastructure in the region.

"The economic value of peace in the Niger Delta is attested to in the return of contractors to the region who are now fast tracking the repair of oil and gas infrastructure that has been destroyed which made the delivery of power not only challenging but in fact quite difficult," he said.

"I believe that the Economic value of peace in the Niger Delta has shown itself in the rise in oil revenue that is accruing to the three tiers of government."

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[url=http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Sport/Football/5468501-147/OPINION:_Lulu%27s_broken_glass_house.csp]Source[/url]

Sani Lulu Abdullahi came into the saddle as Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) boss in controversial circumstances and it is beginning to look like he would leave in the same manner.

Lulu's coming has not been salutary for Nigerian football. Instead, he has managed, in concert with his coterie of praise singers, to drive a stake through its heart.

On the eve of perhaps the most important World Cup for Africa, one holding within its bosom, Nigeria, the much touted giant of the continent, is on the verge of missing out.

This is just one of the many blunders of a man who, three years ago, was touted as the one to chart a new course for Nigerian football. Not that I was taken in by such postulations, which came largely from a motley crowd of yesterday's men, who lacking any real talent, hang around the NFF secretariat looking for whom to ensnare with their false charm. . .

NEXT conducted a citywide online survey of people with both low and high incomes to find out about Lagosians’ cost of living. A hundred participants of different professions such as teachers, electricians, lawyers, beauty therapists, and business people. Lagosians who live and work in Ikoyi, Victoria Island, Ikeja, Apapa, Lekki, Yaba, Agbado-Ijaiye, Surulere, Maryland, Ogba, Iju-Agege, Magado, Gbagada, and Oworonsoki were asked how they spent money. A number of apparent factors — food, household expenses, transportation, communication, health care, and expenditure on recreation—were associated with expenditure.

[B]Results[/B]

Many participants said that they spent between N5,000 and N10,000 on food each week. Others said they spent considerably more. One participant, a banker living in Agege, explained how she copes with the high food prices. . .

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A round up of the week's top stories in the pidgin English language