Adeola Akinremi writes that patients at Lagos University Teaching Hospital are being turned down for shortage of bed space


The speed was unusual. In a moment it arrived at the gate and then headed straight to the emergency ward. Inside the ambulance, a man wrapped in white cloth lay on the stretcher with two nurses at the back of the ambulance with him. After it had meandered through the roads within, it pulled to a final stop at the Accident and Emergency (A and E) ward, and without delay one of the nurses rushed inside the emergency ward. She later emerged from the ward looking dejected. “The patient would not be allowed in, because there is no space,” she said in an angry tone.


In a ward nearby, another woman let out a rage, “This is a rotten place. I can’t take this anymore. Her shout attracted attention. She claimed to have been visiting the hospital for nearly one month without access to a bed space to enable her child to go through a surgical operation, in spite of the fact that her son has been given admission card. And though she cried, there was no one to wipe off her tears.


At Lagos University Teaching Hopistal (LUTH), Idi Araba, Lagos, mothers who are supporting their children that are patients in the hospital are telling tales of anguish, just as adult patients in the hospital are facing same harsh condition too.


A woman who pleaded, anonymity said: “I first came here at the beginning of the month and this is the third week since I have been coming because my child would need to go through surgery. We haven’t had a bed space allocated to us, yet we have paid for admission. I have the admission card as a proof. What is going on here is strange. You see people taking drips sitting on a chair because there is no bed space. I have also seen people inside the ambulance outside the emergency ward area being attended to with the doors and windows of the ambulance opened for ventilation just because there is no bed space.”


Another patient corroborated her story. She said: “I just think LUTH is over stretched and the government seems not care a hoot. It is a misnormal for patients to be waiting for bed space after paying for admission. I personally went through many of the wards to see things for myself and you will always see people waiting in a cubicle praying to God to get a bed space. I saw a particular pathetic case of a woman who claimed to have been sitting down in the visitors’ area waiting to get bed space for three days, because a nurse told her if she leaves and someone is discharged, she would lose the opportunity of getting a bed space to commence her child’s treatment.”


A doctor at the Ears, Nose and Throat (ENT) clinic of the hospital confirmed what others said. He claimed that LUTH is a referrer centre and the hospital receives a lot of patients on daily basis, but the infrastructure is not there to contain them.
For instance, he claimed that at the ENT clinic, doctors there can only perform surgery on just two people per day because there are just two surgical trays available for surgical operation and it would take about 24 hours for trays to be sterilised after use. The surgical tray costs less than $200.


“We are constrained and you can’t blame the doctors for it. We can only work with what we have. It’s true that LUTH definitely needs support to achieve maximum impact. In fact when you come here now as a patient and you need to do laboratory tests we would advise you to go outside if you have the means and especially if it is required urgently, because when you want to wait in line for the one here, the crowd will scare you and of course the delay you will experience,” said a doctor at LUTH’s ENT clinic.


In May 2010, the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu during his official tour of the facilities at LUTH said, unless it gets immediate help, the hospital may be forced to turn back patients, especially children. And two years after his visit to the hospital nothing concrete has been done to reverse the trend. So his prediction has now taken a foothold, patients, especially children are being turned back for lack of bed space at LUTH.


In 2002, the federal government under the former President Olusegun Obasanjo entered into a contract with Helmut Dietrich for Vamed Engineering GMBH & Co. KG, to refurbish eight hospitals in the first phase of the project worth N17 billon. LUTH was listed under the first phase. The terms of contract of the project covered rehabilitation, design, procurement, supply and installation, training of health personnel, and five years maintenance of the equipment.


Under the terms of the contract according to reports, the project was to be completed over a period of five years and the core clinical areas to be refurbished included radiology (diagnostics and therapeutic), surgery (theatres), intensive care, the laboratories, accident and emergency and special clinical departments.


But those familiar with the project said the impact has not been felt by patients at LUTH. According to sources, the project may have encountered some bureaucracy that has frustrated its delivery according to details.


However in a recent interview with Daily Independent, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of LUTH, professor, Akin Osibogun was quoted as saying, “Our medical equipment are working. Though they can breakdown sometimes but we have biomedical engineering department that takes care of them. Every hospital has its own peculiar challenge but we are doing our best within the circumstance.
“We are daily besieged by patients that do not have any reason to be here. LUTH is supposed to be a referral hospital taking care of tertiary health care but daily we are made to take care of cases that should have been handled at the primary and secondary health facilities. These make our workers overwhelmed and stressed.

“Do not forget that we have only 800 beds for a population of more than 150 million or even more that may have reasons to come here. Also, because we offer the cheapest and most sophisticated healthcare, most people come here. Another thing is that we do not turn back patients. LUTH is more like the last bus stop for most people. This is why we must all support the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to work. It is the way to go. LUTH alone cannot carter for millions of Nigerians that is why the Federal Government is encouraging private sector participation.”


While responding to THISDAY questions in a correspondence, Osibogun said: “Permit me to say that it cannot be expected that one hospital, no matter how big, can be in a position to admit all patients requiring admission in a large population such as Lagos State. Hospital beds are therefore available in Federal, and State Government hospitals as well as several private hospitals in Lagos State.
On the part of the Federal Government, it maintains the Federal Medical Centre Ebute Metta, the National Orthopaedic Hospital Igbobi and the Federal Neuropsychiatry Hospital in Yaba in addition to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. All the hospitals mentioned have admission facilities.


As far as paediatric beds are concerned at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, the Federal Government is supporting the Hospital to put up a new Children Emergency building with additional 100 pediatric bed spaces. On completion before the end of this year, it is expected to bring the total number of pediatric bed spaces in LUTH to 250. That number is the size of some other hospitals and we must commend the government for its efforts.”


THISDAY also observed that most of wards at LUTH does not have mosquito net in a country known to have one of the highest malaria record in the world.


A patient, Mrs. Ukpe said: “It is just unbelievable, but it is true that as patients you are likely to leave this hospital with a malaria case after your initial sickness has been treated. Our ward has no netting. The windows are opened 24 hours for ventilation and mosquitoes find their way in through the windows. I can show you spots on my body from mosquito bites, they were not there when we were admitted. The government must do something about it.”


The same can be said of its administrative process which is not yet automated, especially when a patient is discharge.
Mrs. Ukpe claimed that a woman whose son was discharged a day earlier couldn’t go home until 10 pm because she had to take receipts round for clearance. “Imagine a situation where there is no one to stay with you baby and you need to keep going from one place after the other. How can you cope?” she queried.


And now that LUTH is 50, expectations are high for accelerated service by the patients, but the hospital spokesperson, Mrs. Hope Nwawolo said, “the number of patients is increasing and we cannot do much about it. We hope that when the new child centre is completed, it would help provide more space for the children. Another issue is that people are leaving the primary health care centres to come to LUTH which is tertiary. So the problem will always be there.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/help-luth-needs-beds-for-the-sick/149947/

PORTS SECURITY: US gives Nigeria 90-day ultimatum
on JUNE 10, 2013 · in HEADLINES
12:21 am
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LAGOS—THE United States Government, through its Embassy in Lagos, has cautioned the Federal Government to improve on its ports security system within 90 days or face the stoppage of sail of vessels to Nigeria.

The Embassy, Vanguard gathered, got an audit report from the officials of the United States Coast Guards who were in Nigeria about a month ago, to inspect security of the Nigerian ports.


…Sea port
Based on the report, the embassy sent a diplomatic note to the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Nigeria, which in turn contacted the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and other relevant agencies.

Confirming the development, General Manager in charge of security at the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Col Jamil Tahir (Rtd) told Vanguard that a Diplomatic Note was issued to the foreign affairs ministry to protest the poor state of security at the ports, particularly the Tin-Can Island Port.

Tahir stated that the ports authority has swung into action, following a stakeholders’ meeting called by NPA to sensitise everybody on the need to be pro-active on the security challenges currently facing the ports.

He said that the authority has already secured an approval to instal counter terrorism equipment in strategic areas in and around the port premises.

The 90-day ultimatum, according to Tahir, started last month and will expire at the end of August.

He said that the US threatened to stop shipping services to Nigeria and to also mobilize its allied countries to do the same if the port security situation was not improved upon.

At a Port Facility Security Officers (PFSO) Forum meeting in Lagos last week, a member of the group who preferred to remain anonymous said that the situation at the ports after the visit of the U.S coast guards has not changed as the people still hibernate under disused vehicles around the ports.

It was also said that the Tin-CanIslandPort in particular is like a regular market place where all kinds of people have unrestricted access while broken down vehicles liter the port’s access roads.

Besides the measures being put in place to secure the nation’s ports by the NPA, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) called for a stakeholders’ meeting today (Monday) to intimate stakeholders of the transfer of Designated Authority (D/A) responsible for the implementation of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) code.

The ISPS code is the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) convention to secure and safeguard ships and port facilities around the world following the renewed global terrorism.

It will be recalled that the Executive Director in charge of NIMASA’s Shipping development, Captain Bala Agaba had said that the ISPS code has not been properly implemented in Nigeria, adding that with the transfer of Designated Authority to NIMASA, the industry will begin to see improved ship and port security in the Nigerian ports.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/06/ports-security-us-gives-nigeria-90-day-ultimatum/

Edward Snowden was interviewed over several days in Hong Kong by Glenn Greenwald and Ewen MacAskill.

Q: Why did you decide to become a whistleblower?

A: "The NSA has built an infrastructure that allows it to intercept almost everything. With this capability, the vast majority of human communications are automatically ingested without targeting. If I wanted to see your emails or your wife's phone, all I have to do is use intercepts. I can get your emails, passwords, phone records, credit cards.

"I don't want to live in a society that does these sort of things … I do not want to live in a world where everything I do and say is recorded. That is not something I am willing to support or live under."

Q: But isn't there a need for surveillance to try to reduce the chances of terrorist attacks such as Boston?

A: "We have to decide why terrorism is a new threat. There has always been terrorism. Boston was a criminal act. It was not about surveillance but good, old-fashioned police work. The police are very good at what they do."

Q: Do you see yourself as another Bradley Manning?

A: "Manning was a classic whistleblower. He was inspired by the public good."

Q: Do you think what you have done is a crime?

A: "We have seen enough criminality on the part of government. It is hypocritical to make this allegation against me. They have narrowed the public sphere of influence."

Q: What do you think is going to happen to you?

A: "Nothing good."

Q: Why Hong Kong?

A: "I think it is really tragic that an American has to move to a place that has a reputation for less freedom. Still, Hong Kong has a reputation for freedom in spite of the People's Republic of China. It has a strong tradition of free speech."

Q: What do the leaked documents reveal?

A: "That the NSA routinely lies in response to congressional inquiries about the scope of surveillance in America. I believe that when [senator Ron] Wyden and [senator Mark] Udall asked about the scale of this, they [the NSA] said it did not have the tools to provide an answer. We do have the tools and I have maps showing where people have been scrutinised most. We collect more digital communications from America than we do from the Russians."


Snowden is a 29-year-old former technical assistant for the CIA
Q: What about the Obama administration's protests about hacking by China?

A: "We hack everyone everywhere. We like to make a distinction between us and the others. But we are in almost every country in the world. We are not at war with these countries."

Q: Is it possible to put security in place to protect against state surveillance?

A: "You are not even aware of what is possible. The extent of their capabilities is horrifying. We can plant bugs in machines. Once you go on the network, I can identify your machine. You will never be safe whatever protections you put in place."

Q: Does your family know you are planning this?

A: "No. My family does not know what is happening … My primary fear is that they will come after my family, my friends, my partner. Anyone I have a relationship with …

I will have to live with that for the rest of my life. I am not going to be able to communicate with them. They [the authorities] will act aggressively against anyone who has known me. That keeps me up at night."

Q: When did you decide to leak the documents?

A: "You see things that may be disturbing. When you see everything you realise that some of these things are abusive. The awareness of wrong-doing builds up. There was not one morning when I woke up [and decided this is it]. It was a natural process.

"A lot of people in 2008 voted for Obama. I did not vote for him. I voted for a third party. But I believed in Obama's promises. I was going to disclose it [but waited because of his election]. He continued with the policies of his predecessor."

Q: What is your reaction to Obama denouncing the leaks on Friday while welcoming a debate on the balance between security and openness?

A: "My immediate reaction was he was having difficulty in defending it himself. He was trying to defend the unjustifiable and he knew it."

Q: What about the response in general to the disclosures?

A: "I have been surprised and pleased to see the public has reacted so strongly in defence of these rights that are being suppressed in the name of security. It is not like Occupy Wall Street but there is a grassroots movement to take to the streets on July 4 in defence of the Fourth Amendment called Restore The Fourth Amendment and it grew out of Reddit. The response over the internet has been huge and supportive."

Q: Washington-based foreign affairs analyst Steve Clemons said he overheard at the capital's Dulles airport four men discussing an intelligence conference they had just attended. Speaking about the leaks, one of them said, according to Clemons, that both the reporter and leaker should be "disappeared". How do you feel about that?


A: "Someone responding to the story said 'real spies do not speak like that'. Well, I am a spy and that is how they talk. Whenever we had a debate in the office on how to handle crimes, they do not defend due process – they defend decisive action. They say it is better to kick someone out of a plane than let these people have a day in court. It is an authoritarian mindset in general."

Q: Do you have a plan in place?

A: "The only thing I can do is sit here and hope the Hong Kong government does not deport me … My predisposition is to seek asylum in a country with shared values. The nation that most encompasses this is Iceland. They stood up for people over internet freedom. I have no idea what my future is going to be.

"They could put out an Interpol note. But I don't think I have committed a crime outside the domain of the US. I think it will be clearly shown to be political in nature."

Q: Do you think you are probably going to end up in prison?

A: "I could not do this without accepting the risk of prison. You can't come up against the world's most powerful intelligence agencies and not accept the risk. If they want to get you, over time they will."

Q: How to you feel now, almost a week after the first leak?

A: "I think the sense of outrage that has been expressed is justified. It has given me hope that, no matter what happens to me, the outcome will be positive for America. I do not expect to see home again, though that is what I want."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/09/nsa-whistleblower-edward-snowden-why?guni=Network%20front:network-front%20full-width-1%20bento-box:Bento%20box:Position2

1025: light and darkness can never ever work together as one must surely give way to the other. day and night can never, will never and must never come the same time.
obasanjo is a man from the under world and as such has no business with normal men like Fashola.
pdp as a party is a symbol of darkness and they represent devil here in nigeria and has no business with development and light. why is nobody asking how come since 1999 till date, no light upon all the billions and trillions in dollars spent and looted in the name of this project?
all we need is a system that will kill and delete these gang members for nigeria to move forward.

Yes, when Obj, is fighting with tinubu, that's when some folks will see him as DARKNESS, but if he's "fighting" with Jonathan, Obj, becomes LIGHT, a hero and the 'best thing" that happened to black race. Smh

List of REPUBLICAN party members that jettisoned party and endorsed Obama, a democratic candiate

http://www.republicansforobama.org/?q=node/3341

So, it's DOABLE, when people put country above any other interest.

Yes, if truly Obj, is an "elderstatesman" that has the interest of Nigeria at heart. Why can't he endorse Fashola as a presidential candidate? If Obj's, anger against Gej, is not SELFISH driven, why can't Obj, surprise Nigerians, his CONSCIENCE, and endorse someone (fashola), based on PERFORMANCE, not based on party affiliation, but because Fashola, is " TRYING",he might not be the Lagos "MESSIAH" but the young man is doing his best and will do BETTER/MORE as a president.

FYI, AN AMERICAN STATESMAN,RETIRED FOUR STAR GENERAL, Colin Powell,( REPUBLICAN PARTY BIG SHOT), endorsed Barack Obama ( Democratic party candidate), TWICE.

How on earth,in this 21'st century, with all the enormous challenges facing Nigeria, and Sule Lamido, is the only person Obasanjo, think is fit to lead Nigeria?

Who is Lamido? Other than he was a PDM, Pauper that Obj made the minister of Foreign Affairs and Gov. of Jigawa, hence, Obj,became his "god" and he became Obj's DIE-HARD STOOGE.

What's Lamido's PEDIGREE and ANTECEDENTS ?

Where is Lamido's VISION and achievements in life? Where has he transformed or reformed things prior to now? Or because he used monthly allocation to PATCH ROADS & build few classroom blocks in Jigawa, and remained Obj's BOOR, so, he's qualified to be nigerians president?

Question: When have you seen/heard of Sule Lamido in any University or academic environment DELIVERING SPEECH OR PAPERS on any TOPIC??

Answer: Fashola and some educated public office holders do it regularly in Nigeria and overseas.

An average nigerian is his own worst enemy and he/she allows sentiments to BECLOUD his reasoning, yet after making bad decisions, he/she will be expect a miracle to happen.

Gej and Yar'adua had been MEDIOCRE individuals, but a SELFISH Obj, presented them to GULLIBLE AND SENTIMENTAL nigerians,hecne, the CALAMITY Y'all have today.

Before the HATRED people have for Gej, blinds them from being OBJECTIVE.

FACT: Sule Lamido ( Jigawa Gov) is the Northern muslim version of Goodluck Jonathan: Northern muslims don't care,as long as it's "one of them" they're fine with a FAILURE being the president.

FACT: Sule Lamido, is a FAILURE in comparison to Fashola and Obasanjo knows this. So why is Obj not supporting fashola?

Yes, they want to appease the North, but, Is Sule Lamido, the BEST man northerners can present to Nigerians?

When will Nigeria present a presidential candidate based on his PAST RECORDS, ACHIEVEMENTS and CORRUPT-FREE records?

FACT: This Lamido/Amechi are SUPER ROUGES and FAILURES like Jonathan, so is there any need for PDP primaries?

FACT: The last time PDP had a democratic presidential primaries was in 1999 in Jos, subsequently, it has been a "SELECTION", Obj's legacy.

FACT: Fashola, is a young, refined,learned, visionary, democratic and resourceful GOVERNOR that cares about POSTERITY, he'll assemble LIKE MINDS as MINISTERS and they'll make GREAT CHANGE in Nigeria ( they'll not solve all the problems, but they'll build the platform for a NEW NIGERIA).

FACT: Anything short of Fashola, then, Jonathan and Anenih, can as well continue with their EXPERIMENT,while the gullible and jobless folks continue to call Gej, names till 2019.

Fact: I am an OBJECTIVE IGBO dude, that saw the emergence of Fashola. However, I have visited Nigeria/Lag and saw his presence everywhere ( not media hyped).

Nigerian youths, the future looks GLOOM,but you can BRIGHTEN it, if you want to, it's all in your hands.

SELFISHNESS and SHORT-SIGHTEDNESS won't allow the Obasanjo (OLD THIEF) to endorse fashola, but Nigerian YOUTHS should also not allow SENTIMENTS to becloud them FOREVER.

Diverse opinons/perceptions are welcomed.

Wait when a northern Muslim becomes the president and there is crisis of this nature in the southern part of Nigeria, this same MEDIOCRE REPORTER AND NETWORK WILL SWITCH ALLEGIANCE. SHAME ON THEM

WHAT DO U EXPECT from Backward people, in conjunction with a backward network, filled with MEDIOCRE reporters that can't even get a security job at CNN or BBC? Was it not the same network that reported how a clinically dead Yar'adua was "FIT & JOGGING around the villa. Shame on them? Nigeria of 40 years ago is not the same again. The horse has left the stable they shouldn't bother.

Yep, I believe u. It's only those that doesn't understand the GROUND WORK, HISTORY & POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS of the BANANA REPUBLIC will doubt you comment.

GEJ,, has nothing to LOSE. Nigerian masses are the ones LOSING. These same ROGUES will find a way to compromise with GEJ, If not, the dude might spill the beans (fight corruption or work in the interest of the common man, and the PDP rogues will not want that to happen, hence, they'll let him have his way. I'm surprise that Nigerians don't understand these rogues yet. PLS THEY''RE NOT FIGHTING EACH OTHER AS U MAY THINK. Anenih is testing the waters, they're using this announcement to keep GEJ enemies guessing, there will be primaries. Governors have looted the treasury and if they don't support the ROGUE IN CHIEF, they might lose their loot. 2015' is so far away, as the day go by, the rest of the governors will be flogged into the line.
The northern gov's are just doing GARAGARA to please their region.

GEJ lose the ticket to LAmido or who? U must be a LEANER. It's not GEJ, as a person. He has POLITICAL HANDLERS & strategist.

They'll SURPRISE those who thinks that the man is WEAK. Nigerians are the WEAKER COWARDS!

lacasa: Nzeogwu comissioned the disastrous chain of events which have subsequently led to the downward spiral of the nation thru military intervention in govt & thereby paving the way fσr nigeria's donkey years characterized by political instability which we are yet to recover from.

He and his group of drunken solldiers comitted the unholy act of executing the first Coup de tat.

Murdering in cold blood some of the greatest Men & visionary nationalist leaders this country has ever witnessed till date.

May He continue 2 rot in eternal hell fσr all his unforgivable & unforgettable crimes against the Nigerian State


BASTARDS!!!

Really? How? pls I'll like to learn from you. Give me facts. Have you read a book written by the ROGUE called Obasanjo, it's titled " Nzeogwu"

RIP, my Hero. If only people have 50% of your FORESIGHT, Nigeria wouldn't have your ex-roomate ( which you called a DULLARD), Obasanjo, as a president. Shame on them that thought you were their problem. Major Nzeogwu, I have news for you. The Biafra/Nigeria war hasn't ended, it keeps moving from one region to the other. Northern Nigeria is the reigning battle ground, If only they knew. ONCE AGAIN, REST IN PEACE MY HERO!!

Is not about decamping, where or which party will SECURE THEIR LOOT for them? There decamp will even help Gej, to fight corruption to the benefit of the masses. Let's watch and see.

DivideUs: looks like ameachi is winning this one o, where GEJ people na?

On Nairaland? Or where? Cite ur example

Only a clueless person will fall for all the DRAMA. @OP, Nothing dey HAPPEN, we have seen this before, it happened in 2011, they'll reconcile. They're using the drama to HOODWINK you guys, a sitting nigeria president is TOO POWERFUL. And this GEJ , has alot to his advantage cos, he's from Nigeri-delta, and the so called " militants" are with him, in addition to the POLICE, SSS, ARMY that Gej, has at his disposal. What does a sitting Governor have? Wake up people!!

What's the difference between the two of them? For all I care they're both ROGUES!!! Prove me wrong. Only a REVOLUTION will do. FYI, Amechi, will be contesting as a candidate, while gej, will be contesting as a sitting PRESIDENT, with the backing of POLICE IG, ARMY, SSS, my guy wake up, Nigeria is a 3rd world country, GEJ will win all his battles and the 2015 election too.

Do you really think GEJ, is a clueless politician?

I'm not asking about his governance and performance record as a nigerian president, I know that he's not doing much of an EXCELLENT job. I'm asking about the real POLITICAL GAME, POLITICKING, MAFIA WARS, COLD WARS etc.

Honestly, I don't think the dude is losing any of his wars. He might not be "SHARP " as a person, but he has VETERAN LAWYERS (SAN's), Tony ANENIH's, Ojo Maduekwe's and hundreds of other PDP POLITICAL MAFIA's behind him. So, how can he lose any political fight?

Decamp my foot, this dude can't even win a House of Rep election in his home state. I'm sure Tinubu and Buhari will not want anything to do with you.

Guys, this is the REALITY. All your rulers are ROGUES and only in PDP can they secure their LOOT and will have more to loot, either from contract or something. Ask yourself this, if someone as "POWERFUL" as Atiku, could go back to PDP, Orji Kalu, is fighting his way to PDP, then who is Amechi and Fani Kayode? They're NOBODY!!!

After the likes of El rufai were rejected by the PDP, where did they end up? on SOCIAL MEDIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY ( SMDP).

A sitting nigeria's president is TOO POWERFUL, his foot soldiers are the ones fighting his political battles, not even him.

Most of these 'SAINTS" fighting GEJ, can't even tolerate the DICTATORS you have in APC.

If someone was in PDP and decamped, Nigerians will NEVER TRUST him/or her. So, who is this SAINT that the APC will present as a candidate? Is it El rufai? Amechi, Fani, Tinubu, or who? We have seen this in 2011, all na GARAGARA!!!

You leave PDP? Your LOOT is gone. I bet you they'll all stay back in PDP. Your only savior will be a REVOLUTION!! All these rogues created the MONSTER, let them deal with it.

This is not about Jonathan, the incumbent Nigerian president. It's a common mafia rule that most FORESIGHTED men adhere to this rule: DO NOT OUTSHINE YOUR MASTER!!!

Accept it or not Gej, is the president of Nigeria.FYI, Nigeria is a 3rd world country, meaning, "RULE OF LAW IS MIRAGE". Nigerian president, has enormous powers and tools to use at his disposal. Former presidents used their powers to crush anyone that stands in their way ( ABUSE OF OFFICE/POWER though). The incumbent one will not be different. Hence, how can a state governor chose to have a political fight with his "MASTER"? What are his options?

Now, the Governor's forum is DEAD/polarized. Who else is he going to mobilize? Will people in his region not see him as a "TRAITOR", DISRESPECTFUL, and OVER AMBITIOUS man?

A critical observer will agree that Amechi, lost the Governor's forum election, cos if the 36 state gov's are not loyal to you. Who are you representing?

The Rivers State PDP politicians and heavy weights might change camp when PUSH GETS TO SHOVE ( it's typical of naija polithiefcians).

Whichever way you look @ it. A sitting Nigeria's president got the ACE,not a governor.

If you think otherwise, feel free to share your opinion. I SIMPLY WANT TO LEARN FROM OTHERS. #No Name calling or INSULTS .

Yep, I trust u. U will surely change all the processes ahead of 2015 PDP primaries and Gej will be the presidential candidate and whoever is not happy will decamp. Then, the electorate ( ELECTION RIGGERS ) will announce any result that they deem fit. Again, whoever that is not happy with the outcome will start RIOT. Then what?

isetilaye:
and who is the pdp BOT chairman now?

Thank you sir!!

hardywaltz: He's so powerful he lost his home state to Adams a political lite weight.
He was so powerful OBJ chased him away from Chairmanship position of the BOT.

That was why I wrote at the federal level. You have to look beyond Adams and when he fell ought with Obj.

He was the kingmaker b4 Adams came to limelight. He had some PDP lawmakers that he pushed to office.

Of course OBj, can push him out cos Obj was the president. If he's not POWERFUL how come he came back as the BOT again and kicked Obj and his LOYALIST out of PDP??

Yes, Tony Anenih is a very POWERFUL politician at the federal level.

Why must Every Nigerian president MUST identify with him ?

Is Tony Anenih, the only man that knows how to do the Presiden't DIRTY business?

Could it be that he's the only one that knows how to use the "FEDERAL MIGHT against the president's enemies?

FYI, the supposed political struggle between GEJ, Amechi and the North will be FOUGHT & Anenih will certainly WIN the struggle.

Under Obasanjo's administration, anenih was so POWERFUL.

Under Jonathan, the BABA, (Anenih) is " OVER-POWERFUL"...WHY ?

I've been in States for a very very long time and I can't wait to visit Nigeria, next spring cos

I missed TFC

I missed DESIGNER RICE ( surulere)

I missed YAHOOZA SUYA

I missed JAVENIK

I missed driving around without bothering about SPEED LIMIT and the fact that I can park my car where they wrote NO PARKING without been TOWED.

I'll like to read some political analysis, permutations and calculations that made people to believe that Amaechi's re-election as the NGF chairman will make him defeat GEJ in 2015 PDP primaries or general election.

Do you think that Amechi will defeat GEJ in 2015? Going by the NGF election?

I thought some people here said that things are getting " BETTER" in naija?

Hey,

Can anyone help? I'm looking for where to buy Nigerian foods. If possible Nigerian restaurants want to negotiate contract cooking with them. I'm dying here cos I don't really know how to cook. It's a very big shame though and I didn't realize the importance until I moved here.

OP,

I think you're a prophet. I called my cousin in NY yesterday, complaining to him of how much weight I've lost cos I missed Nigerian foods.

I missed the ladies out there, it's pretty easy to FILE 'em without fear of someone coming to tell you that she's PREG. ( cos dem self no wan shame their fam & friends), but over here you're standing on your toes.

I missed TFC

I missed DESIGNER RICE

I missed YAHOOZA SUYA

I missed JAVENIK

SOMEONE TAKE ME HOME oooooo!!!!

However, I didn't miss that CHAOS

I'm trying to make sense of this BARBARIC style of Northern muslim politicians using BokoHaram to kill their own kith and kin, destroy their environments, their economy and all worth not, thinking that they're making Nigeria "UNGOVERNABLE" for a Bayelsa man.

Fellow Northerners, Jonathan is just ONE MAN, Nigeria and the interest of Nigerians should be BIGGER than Gej. Gej, will leave the presidency one day, but before then you have WRECKED the future of generations unborn. Which one is more important? Gej, is in the villa, Abuja, if you bombed from now till 2055, it will surely not get to him, so WHAT'S THE SENSE IN BOMBING INNOCENT LIVES & call it "UNGOVERNABLE".

Come to think of it, life and businesses are going on NORMAL in the Southern half of Nigeria, so who is losing? Even a Northern muslim becomes the president TOMORROW he cannot restore NORMALCY and rebuild the CONFIDENCE of investors in 8 yrs of his term.

If we had SHEATH OUR SWORDS, I'm sure the Nigerian masses would have fought this battle by voting GEJ out of office, but now its too LATE.

I guess it's time to look back and REFLECT, ARE WE WINNING THIS WAR? ARE WE GOING TO WIN IT?

ARE WE REALLY MAKING NIGERIA "ungovernable" for WHO? The last time I checked Nigeria doesn't belong to one man.

Read the BOLDED, is it not a cold statement? These people are the same everywhere. Who brought this to humanity?

Two Rochester women were sentenced to federal prison Thursday for their roles in funneling money to an organization the U.S. government has called a terrorist group fighting in Somalia.

Hawo Mohamed Hassan, 66, who got 10 years in prison, and Amina Farah Ali, 36, who got 20, were the last of nine people sentenced in federal court in Minneapolis this week.

The group was the first set of defendants sent to prison from Minneapolis in this country’s largest anti-terrorism investigation since Sept. 11, 2001.

U.S. Chief Judge Michael Davis handed down the sentences before a courtroom packed with the defendants’ families and members of the Somali-American community.

The drama capped a federal investigation that lasted more than four years in which U.S. authorities sought to shut down a recruiting effort that lured more than 20 young men to Somalia, several of whom died fighting or in suicide bombings.

The women, both U.S. citizens who came here from Somalia, were convicted in 2011 of conspiring to provide material support to Al-Shabab in fundraising in Rochester that prosecutors have called “a deadly pipeline” of money and fighters from the United State to Somalia.

They have had wide support in the Twin Cities’ Somali-American community, and many in the courtroom were stunned by the sentences, especially the 20-year sentence for Ali.

Hassan Mohamud, a St. Paul imam, said he believes the sentences were too long and that both women should have been released.

“All they did was aid the poor and the orphans,” he said.

But prosecutors said it was clear from the phone conversations they monitored that the women knew they were raising money for Al-Shabab, a group labeled a terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department in 2008.

While Ali said she never knew that funds she raised were going to Al-Shabab, Hassan claimed that she came to realize the organization was getting the money and broke with Ali, preferring that the money go to set up a senior health center.

But prosecutor Jeff Paulsen cited telephone wiretaps that he said showed there had been no rift between the two and that Hassan had a financial investment in the health center and planned to continue to work with Ali.

Ali, sentenced first, denied she did anything wrong. She said she had no knowledge that the money she collected went to Al-Shabab.

Asked by Davis what she knew about Al-Qajda, she indicated she knew nothing about it.

Her attorney, Dan Scott, said “she chose the wrong horse,” adding, “She thought she was doing good work. She was wrong.”

Defendants in the Somali cases have argued that Ethiopia invaded Somalia to support a newly created transitional government that lacked support from the Somali people. They have said that their clients backed the resistance to the invasion.

However, prosecutors argued that the transitional government was recognized by foreign nations, so any support for Al-Shabab, which was fighting the invasion, was against U.S. law as well as support for a terrorist group.


Steven Ward, who prosecuted the case, said Ali was heard on a wiretap supporting Al-Shabab, saying she supported a suicide bombing and “let the civilians die.”

At Hassan’s sentencing, her attorney, Randy Daar said that in hindsight, she realized that Al-Shabab “has done terrible things.”

He said his client’s mother was raped and killed, dying in her daughter’s arms, and that her activity could be linked to post-traumatic stress syndrome.

But Paulsen said any PTSD link was unsubstantiated.

Also Thursday, Abdarus Abdulle Ali, 29, was given two years for lying to a grand jury.

The Columbia Heights man had pleaded guilty in 2009 to lying to a grand jury about meetings he attended and money he contributed in support of Al-Shabab.


http://www.startribune.com/local/207699791.html?page=all&prepage=1&c=y#continue