₦airaland Forum

Fifa has confirmed that the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar will take place on 18 December.

A Fifa taskforce recommended last month that the tournament should be switched from summer to winter.

The decision to hold the final on 18 December means Britain's traditional Boxing Day club matches on 26 December can still take place.

In another key decision, Fifa has chosen France to host the 2019 women's World Cup ahead of South Korea.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/31975274

A very popular Nigerian blog posted the picture below and the caption underneath the picture read, “This is from UK Metro newspaper, and according to the paper, the Nigeria economy is set to overtake UK Economy given current growth rate. Read article here”.

Everything about the story is a fabrication, a lie!

This is link to the story: http://lindaikeji..co.uk/2015/02/nigeria-climbs-up-wealth-list.html

Firstly, the Metro newspaper did not publish any such story. We have checked Metro’s archive and did not find the aforementioned story anywhere.

If the blogger is so certain that the picture was taken from the Metro, the exact date of the edition and page should be supplied, please.

Secondly, readers were referred to an article, not in the Metro (surely not) but to another blog, which has all the semblance of a government propaganda blog.

It now gets more bizarre! In the other blog referred to, a graph was published showing the projected growth of national economies by 2050. According to the graph (below) by 2050 Nigeria’s economy would be the 13th biggest in the world and UK’s economy 10th.

The graph published does not even show that Nigeria’s economy will be bigger than the UK’s economy by 2050, so where on earth did this popular Nigerian blogger get the story from?


- See more at: http://www.urnaija.com/first-allegations-about-pastors-is-the-fg-now-paying-bloggers-to-fabricate-stories/#sthash.kUweGhBf.dpuf

Please watch this short youtube clip properly and tell us what you heard.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccL90QbL0WM

Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz has died in hospital, state TV says.

The announcement, made early on Friday, said his brother, Salman, had become king.

Before the announcement, Saudi television cut to Koranic verses, which often signifies the death of a senior royal.

King Abdullah, who was said to be aged about 90, had been in hospital for several weeks suffering from a lung infection.

Abdullah came to the throne in 2005 but had suffered frequent bouts of ill health in recent years.

King Salman, 79, had recently taken on the ailing monarch's responsibilities.

The late king's half brother Moqren has been named the new crown prince, the official statement said.

King Salman called on the royal family's Allegiance Council to recognise Moqren as his crown prince and heir.

"His Highness Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and all members of the family and the nation mourn the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, who passed away at exactly 1am this morning," the statement said.

This song encouraging Nigerians to “ChooseWisely” in the upcoming elections was sung by sisters, Dinachi and Chibundu Onuzo.

“Making a difference begins with you and me and with our leaders, officials and every Nigerian citizen.”

The song bears a very important message and melodious, which is why it had racked up over 500 views on Youtube within 24 hours of its release.

- See more at: http://www.urnaija.com/choose-wisely-song-onuzo-sisters/#sthash.2GawAEfX.dpuf




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-MXn7Wbcw4

A Video posted on Tuesday night shows Boko Haram’s leader Abubakar Shekau claiming responsibility for the massive attack on the town of Baga and threatened Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

The message came as representatives from Nigeria and its neighbours met in Niger’s capital, Niamey, to discuss a regional response to the threat and Chadian troops headed to Cameroon to help repel repeated Boko Haram attacks.

“Heavy clashes” between Islamist fighters and Cameroon soldiers were reported in the far northern border village of Bonderi on Tuesday night.

The sect’s leader boasted in the video, which was posted on the video-sharing website YouTube: “We killed the people of Baga. We indeed killed them, as our Lord instructed us in His Book,”

The militant leader was shown speaking in front of four white pick-up trucks, with eight masked and heavily armed men.

There was, however, no indication of when or where the video was shot.

Survivors of the Baga attack, which also saw Boko Haram fighters capture a military base used by Nigerian, Nigerien and Chadian troops, have described how bodies still littered the streets.

Shekau dismissed the extent of the slaughter, saying: “We will not stop. This is not much. You’ll see.”

Representatives from Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon have been meeting to seek a regional response to the threat from Boko Haram because of increasing fears of cross-border raids.

Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama has also suggested a new force, possibly under the auspices of the African Union, to crush the group.
But in the video, Shekau dismisses the threat and shows off a huge arsenal of weapons, apparently from the military base, and said Boko Haram would take on all-comers.

“The kings of Africa, you are late. I challenge you to attack me even now. I’m ready,” he said.

- See more at: http://www.urnaija.com/boko-haram-leader-claims-baga-attack-video/#sthash.1WPvOJ7Q.dpuf

1. She Wants to Talk Things Over

The fact that women love to talk and have the ability to go on and on is no news. It’s also normal to hear men tease women about their capacity to talk endlessly and it has been said that a woman always has the last say in an argument as anything the man says after she’s supposedly done talking only leads to a fresh argument. However, many Nigerian men pay little or no attention to the female inclination to talk (to the detriment of their relationship). Women love to talk and one of the ways they resolve their issues or get over things that hurt them is to talk about it and this they usually do with the man in their life unless he is the problem or responsible for it then they would seek an alternative sounding board. Unfortunately, some Nigerian men do not understand this need therefore if they listen at all it is only for a little while and then they interrupt, offering unsolicited advice when all she wants is for him to listen attentively and not try to solve the problem. Usually by the time a woman is done talking she knows what next to do although the “what next” may not always be the right thing to do. Although women sometimes discuss their problems with their female friends the truth, however, remains that a woman always wants to discuss her problems with her man. So, the average Nigerian woman expects her man to be a good listener.

2. She would be Glad if you helped Out with House Chores

In the Nigerian society it is almost a taboo for a man to help his wife with house chores. He would be ridiculed by his friends who would call him names like “woman wrapper” behind his back or even to his face, and his mother must never hear of it as she still kneels to serve food to her own husband as she’d seen her mother before her do. Thus, the average Nigerian man believes that the house chores are the woman’s sole responsibility and even when she has a full time job she is expected to come home and tackle the house chores all by herself while the man relaxes in front of the TV frequently looking in the direction of the kitchen and calling out if the food is ready yet. In our opinion it bothers on insensitivity for a man to return from work and sit in front of the television set with a drink in his hand, feet propped up while the wife he claims to love cooks the meal, cleans up afterwards and gets the children ready for bed all by herself and as if that is not tasking enough, she must fulfil her marital obligations before going to bed or face a grumpy husband the next morning. A little help with the house chores will not only be welcomed but make her more receptive to your amorous advances when the time comes.

3. She Is Easily Hurt by the Things You Say

It is a known fact that men like to tease their women and Nigerian men are no exception. The list of what a woman can do to earn a tease from her man is a very long one from a change in hairstyle or clothing to crying over the death of her dog, she is usually target for a few jokes from her male partner. However, some men are tactless and have no idea how far their so called teasing of their wives, especially in front of others, can go especially when the timing is wrong. Men usually mean no harm nor take these jokes seriously and for some it acts as an ice breaker but it is a different ball game for women and can produce a reaction the man is least prepared for. So men, you might want to watch the things you say to her. Women love to hear compliments when they are looking good so by all means compliment her if she looks good and if she doesn’t say nothing and DO NOT joke about it.

4. Physical Touch Isn’t Always a Sexual Invite

Men are more sexually active than women and are usually stimulated by sight and touch. A lot of women do not understand this and sometimes when they speak with a man they regard as a close pal a lot of non-sexual touch like hugging could take place. Please do not mistake this as a green light for sex because you may be sorely disappointed.

5. She Would Occasionally Like to Take the Lead Sexually

It is almost a taboo for a Nigerian woman to discuss sex or demand for it as a lot of Nigerian men are still old fashioned and see a woman initiating sex as one who is sexually promiscuous. This has caused some women to hold back and pretend they have no interest in sex. This does not do a lot for your sexual life so although the man is created to take the lead the woman would sometimes like to initiate sex as long as she is rest assured that you won’t see her as promiscuous.

6. They won’t complain if you let them have their way…….sometimes

Nigerian women like it when you’re considerate and willing to sacrifice your own preference for their choice. Some men think they must have their way all of the time, this is self-centered and will do your relationship no good. As we know, the Nigerian society is dominated by the man but every woman wants her own voice to be heard, at least once in a while. Hence, she expects you as a man to sacrifice for her happiness once in a while. If she sits through a game of football with you then be aware she expects you to reciprocate by joining her in an activity of interest to her. Be a sport and go for it, it will solidify your relationship amongst other things!

7. An Occasional Show of Affection is in Order

A lot of Nigerian women feel insecure and if your woman falls into this category then it’s your responsibility as her man to make her feel secure especially with regards to your relationship. One way of achieving this is by display of affection, especially in public. Holding her hands when you walk along the road together tells her that you are not ashamed to be seen with her and it will go a long way in improving your relationship as it assures her of your love and cuts down on the need for constant re-assurance.

8. She Sometimes Wants Re-assurance

Women sometimes want to be re-assured of not only your love for her but of her appearance as well. So, don’t get irritated when she asks questions like, “How do I look?” “Do I look too fat?” “Do I look too skinny?” “Does this make me look fat?” “How does my hair look?” it is probably because you haven’t been complimenting her on her appearance sufficiently or you are found wanting in the display of affection, especially publicly. Do more and the questions will become greatly reduced (you do understand that they won’t go away completely, women will be women) and no doubt she will be suitably appreciative.

9. She expects you be financially Independent

It is quite common to hear men complaining that Nigerian women are too materialistic. Sincerely speaking, some women can be materialistic but the fact is that many are not as materialistic as you may think. In fact, most Nigerian women are not materialistic. They simply want to know that a man can take care of himself. In the Nigerian society, men are recognized as the head of the family and a greater percentage of relationships are expected to lead to marriage. Hence, all women want a guy who is capable and independent. Eve was created after Adam had got a job and a house and like Eve every woman looks for comfort. If you are not financially independent, it tells her that you can’t take care of her and that bothers every woman.

10. She Expects You to Look Good for Her

Physical appearance matters a lot to the average Nigerian woman and not just how she looks but how her man looks. The average Nigerian man wants his woman to look good but is sometimes not concerned with his own appearance because he thinks the size of his wallet will compensate for his pregnant look. If you expect her to make an effort to look good for you, guess what? She expects the same of you. If she goes to the gym to keep trim because she wants to look good on your arm a reciprocation of the gesture is in order. She isn’t asking you for much so, try to keep yourself well-groomed. Wear clothes that fit, and at least make an effort to stay in shape. That’s what she expects from you. She wants you to look nice, bad hygiene is a complete turn-off for every woman and for avoidance of doubt, this includes bad breath, dirty fingernails, body odor, dirty clothes, etc.

- See more at: http://www.urnaija.com/30-things-the-nigerian-woman-wants-her-man-to-know-about-her-part-1/#sthash.bIWNvzYs.dpuf

Its presumptuous to say that, at 72 Buhari is too old to be president just as it is an exercise in self-delusion to think his age doesn’t matter.

His “I’m hale and hearty” declaration should have come with a caveat: It should have read, “I’m hale and hearty for a 72-year-old.” Alas, being a former soldier he could actually be in better shape than most 65yr-olds and that is still too old by public service standards.

There is a reason why a retirement age is set for different sectors of the economy.

In most countries, the retirement age for public servants is 65. There was a lot of hue and cry recently when it was said that workers would have to work until the age of 68 to qualify for State pension in the UK. Imagine what the reaction would be if the government proposed that the new retirement age would be Buhari’s age, 72?

The retirement age for members of the federal Judiciary in Nigeria is 70years and 65years for those working at the State judicial level.

Imagine the outcry if someone’s idea of revamping the fortunes of the national football team is to recall the USA ’94 squad. Calling the likes of Finidi George, Emmanuel Amunike, Jay Jay Okocha, Peter Rufai, Samson Siasia and Benedict Iroha back to camp. Ridiculous, won’t you say?

S.252(1) of the Companies and Allied Matters Act says, “Any person who is appointed or to his knowledge proposed to be appointed director of a public company and who is 70 or more years old shall disclose this fact to the members at the general meeting.”

While S.252(2) provides that: “Any person who fails to disclose his age as required under this section shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine of N500.”

The Act does not say a Company director should not be older than 70years but provides that anyone who is older than 70years and who is serving as a Company director or about to be appointed as one should notify members of the company and failure to do so is an offence.
The reason behind this provision is simple, after the age of 70 a person’s physical capabilities become restricted and in some cases the ability to make quick rational decisions become compromised.

So why are people saying a 72yr-old man is not too old to be the president of a country?

Before PDP sympathisers begin to feel vindicated, here’s the bitter truth: The reason people are paying lip-service to Buhari’s age is because they want a change from a party that has ruled Nigeria for 16-years and has left the country worse-off than it was when they took control of government.

Nigerians have to make a choice between a 72-year-old former military dictator and a 57-year-old discredited politician under whose nose 300 schoolgirls were abducted by a terrorist group that has taken control over a portion of the country.

The average person would rather not work longer than it’s necessary so why do they want to give the most important job in the land to someone who’s past the officially recognised retirement age?
A lot of Nigerians don’t appreciate the mental and physical demands of being the president of a country. Leadership in Nigeria has sunken to such an abysmal depth that most people would settle for any candidate with a modicum of integrity, which is a vital ingredient missing in the Nigerian leadership structure.

One of Nigeria’s most respected politicians, Governor Fashola of Lagos State, ignored the glaring irony of his opposition to a 60yr-old man contesting to become governor of Lagos State. The irony being that his own Party, APC, is fielding a 72-year-old to contest for the Presidency.

- See more at: http://www.urnaija.com/lets-talk-buharis-age/#sthash.oI9HIw1T.dpuf

They say there’s no bad publicity. Any publicity is good publicity. PDP officials have been inadvertently giving APC a lot of publicity in the last few days.

Firstly, it was the issue of Buhari’s certificate; then Reno Omokiri Special Assistant To President Jonathan, posted on his Twitter account, to his sixty-thousand plus followers, a five-minute video clip of Buhari’s campaign; now they have waded into the issue of Gov. Fashola saying that Agbaje is too old to become Lagos State governor.

The other day, Minister of State for Works, Prince Adedayo Adeleye, was talking about how Yoruba people shouldn’t vote for Buhari. I’m sorry, honourable minister, but that is not a policy statement.

When the president launched his campaign in Lagos a few days back, the most memorable thing he said was that MEND were responsible for an assassination attack against him. He didn’t make any policy announcements.

Meanwhile, General Buhari has been going about making policy announcements throughout his campaign tour. He has recently focused on youths, women and an end to insurgency.

APC has been capitalising on PDP’s lack of vision, which is being glaringly exposed by their failure to make any policy announcements since the campaign began.

The truth of the matter is that in this particular case it is very easy for APC to make promises and policy statements about what they would do when they are in office because they have never been in office before. They have the licence to say anything since there’s no reference point. In older democracies like the US and the UK, parties in opposition can always be reminded of the promises they didn’t fulfil the last time they were in government. Luckily, APC doesn’t have that obstacle to overcome.

On the other hand, the ruling party in any election have to be careful about what they promise because if it was the same promises made during the last elections they had better been fulfilled.

PDP should spend the remaining days before the elections to talk about whatever achievements they have made since being elected to power in 1999.

One achievement comes to mind, the Super Eagles won a match at the World Cup and qualified for the second round of the competition for the first time since 1998, a year before PDP came into power – that’s definitely an achievement or is it not?

- See more at: http://www.urnaija.com/pdp-start-making-policy-announcements-leave-buhari

English Prosecutors have dropped a case against ex-Nigeria international, Sam Sodje, and 12 other footballers investigated over spot fixing allegations after considering the reliability of evidence from an undercover reporter known as the “Fake Sheikh.”

The Crown Prosecution Service says there was “insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction” following the collapse of the trial of Tulisa Contostavlos, a singer and former judge on the ‘X-Factor’ talent show.

The judge in that case said Mazher Mahmood, a journalist with The Sun newspaper who specializes in undercover stings while disguised as a wealthy Arab businessman, probably lied under oath.

Prosecutors say the “reliability of the evidence of one alleged witness” in the fixing sting was considered before dropping the case.

In April, seven players from Football League clubs based in the north west of England were arrested in connection with alleged spot-fixing and another six were rearrested over the claims.

The original six suspects were arrested as part of the inquiry in December 2013, prompted by information passed on by the Sun on Sunday.

The tabloid reported that an undercover investigator met Sodje, who allegedly said he could arrange for footballers in the Championship to get themselves a yellow card in return for cash.

The 35-year-old also claimed he could rig Premier League games.

and even said he was preparing to fix matches at next year’s World Cup in Brazil, the newspaper reported.

- See more at: http://www.urnaija.com/match-fixing-case-efe-sodje-dropped/#sthash.i0P1daMK.dpuf

The Special Assistant to President Jonathan on New Media, Reno Omokiri, has been tirelessly campaigning for his master’s rival, Buhari, without realising it.

Mr. Omokiri tweeted a 5-minute Youtube clip of Buhari recorded during a campaign rally and said Buhari did not remember the name of his running mate, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo – classic mistake!
A lot of politicians in US and the UK have made the same mistake Reno is making and paid dearly for it.

Without realising it, Reno is exposing the opponent to his sixty-thousand plus followers on Twitter. The mistake of mis-pronouncing Prof. Osinbajo’s name was only about two or three seconds of a 5-minute video clip of Buhari’s speech and you can watch everything on the Twitter account of the president’s Special Assistant.

Within a minute of going through the list of people he wanted to acknowledge Buhari talked about eradicating Boko Haram, providing jobs for Nigerians by fixing the energy situation. He made three policy announcements and Mr. Omokiri is helping him broadcast it to his own followers.

During the 1997 General Elections in the UK, the conservatives flooded the UK with posters mocking Tony Blair not realising that they were planting their opponent's images in the minds of the voters.

The conservatives have a lot of money and they spent money on these posters filling the UK with Tony Blair’s images. Guess who won the 1997 General Elections. Many analysts pointed to that strategy as the reason behind the conservative’s loss.

We at Urnaija don’t support any candidate we are only here to observe and analyse the news.

Reno Omokiri has blocked Urnaija from viewing his tweets and what is surprising is not the fact that he blocked urnaija but the fact that the Special Assistant to The President of Nigeria on New Media does not understand the complexities of the Internet and the fact that sometimes the Internet operates differently when you’re in a different geographical location.

Although he has blocked us but we can still access his account anytime we want!

The latest news on Baga is that the Nigerian Military has released a statement saying “only” 150 people including insurgents died in Baga and not the 2,000 as being claimed by the foreign media. Phrases like “speculations and conjectures” and “total exaggeration” were used to describe the earlier report that 2,000 people died.

Even if one person died in the attack, that is still one person too many! That person is someone’s loved one.

The reason Boko Haram is ravaging the country is because nobody has ever been brought to justice for any particular terrorist attack in Nigeria.

For example, can we have the latest report on the investigation into the Nyanya, Abuja bombing last March in Abuja? Are investigators close to finding out and arresting the master-minds behind that incident? No, they haven’t.

How about the bombing in Jos, any luck with that one? The Kano mosque bombing, anyone? Bauchi, Postikum?

It’s not rocket science, if a person commits a crime and nobody is punished for that crime that same person or someone else will commit that same crime again. Not punishing perpetrators for a criminal act is another way of saying that act is legal.

Some European journalists are condemning their leaders for going to Paris to march in honour of the 17 that died in Paris while turning a blind eye to the thousands that reportedly died in Baga the same week.

You can’t blame these leaders. They care about their own people. Within hours of the Charlie Hebdo incident, President Francois Hollande was present at the scene. President Jonathan hasn’t uttered a single word in respect of the Baga incident. The only response from him was a tweet from his Special Assistant on New Media, Reno Omokiri. How do you expect other leaders to respect your people when the president himself does not?

The president has, in between campaigning for the elections, preparing for his daughter’s wedding.

The next thing is the military spokesman beating his chest that “only” 150 people died and not 2,000 as earlier reported.

There are two elements needed to fight an enemy, resources and the will to fight. Unfortunately in Nigeria’s fight against Boko Haram both elements are absent.

For example, when the president went to France for a summit with the French president and other Francophone countries last year, there was a call for Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad to contribute 700 troops each to a multinational force against Boko Haram, but no country has implemented the plan.

Recently the US and Nigeria have been trading blames regarding who is responsible for the collapse of a military training deal agreed by both countries. The US ambassador is alleging that Nigeria did not fulfil her own part of the bargain.

While the blame trading continues dozens of innocent Nigerians are being killed by Boko Haram.

Something definitely has to be done and it appears this government has come to the end of its tether. Maybe if Jonathan is returned to power next month he will become re-energized to fight Boko Haram or maybe Buhari as president will be the one to stop Boko Haram, we wait and see.

- See more at: http://www.urnaija.com/150-people-2000-died-baga-completely-missing-point/

charix:
Summary of this thread: "White people are bigots". Tell me something I don't know.

"Stereotyping is the most basic ingredient of racism". Are there white people who are bigots, yes of course! To say, "white people are bigots" is actually an example of the sort of racism we black people complain of. Thanks for commenting anyway.

madridguy:
Open this link and read it for your better understanding.
http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2015/01/10/392426/Planted-ID-card-exposes-Paris-false-flag

Hmm, interesting article. May not agree with all he's said but interesting otherwise. Thanks for the link.

The Western society is losing the most important aspect of the war on terror – the ideological aspect of it.

Terrorism is a crime and should be treated like one. If you live in the West, however, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the sort of terrorism that made Man Haron Monis hold people hostage in Australia is just another part of Islam or that the criminals who recently killed 17 innocent people in Paris committed that act on behalf of Muslims.

There are over 1.8 billion Muslim all over the world and it’s safe to hazard a guess that more than 99.99% of them would never fire a gun or plant a bomb yet ever since the 9/11 attacks anytime someone commits an act of terrorism and claims to be doing it on behalf of his god you start seeing phrases like “Islamic militants”, “Jihadists” and “Islamic terrorism”. In addition to that is the outdated and ill-advised “divide and conquer” strategy of referring to innocent, law-abiding Muslims as “Moderate Muslims”.

So the impression created is that if you’re a Muslim you’re either a “Moderate Muslim” or a terrorist – nothing can be further from the truth.

Here’s what Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader said about the terrorist attack in Paris, “The behavior of the takfiri (apostates) groups that claim to follow Islam have distorted Islam, the Quran and the Muslim nation more than Islam’s enemies … who insulted the prophet in films… or drew cartoons of the prophet,”

Hezbollah was conceived by Muslim clerics and funded by Iran following the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, and was primarily formed to offer resistance to the Israeli occupation so their leader is the last person you’d expect to condemn the terrorists yet he did not only condemn their actions he completely rejected the notion that they were Muslims.

As long as phrases like “Jihadists” and “Islamic Militants” continue to appear in newspapers and used by the electronic media Muslims will continue to feel alienated by the rest of the society.
Both the terrorists and the non-Muslim world are fighting for the hearts and minds of Muslims and it appears the terrorists are winning because as long as terrorism is linked to the religion some Muslims will continue to assume, erroneously though, that the terrorists are fighting for them.

A closer examination of the terrorists involved in recent terrorist attacks in Europe and Australia reveals that they all have criminal records or links with criminals. They started as petty thieves and unfortunately graduated into killers. During their assent, however, they sought refuge in the midst of a much maligned and marginalised sector of a Western society, a Western society mired in racism and bigotry.
To buttress the point, Rupert Murdoch, probably the most influential media personality in the Western world, responded to the Paris attack with a most ridiculous tweet, saying, “Maybe most Moslems peaceful, but until they recognize and destroy their growing jihadist cancer they must be held responsible”.

Murdoch’s understanding of the situation is bigoted to say the least, he is directly holding Muslims responsible for the actions of a handful of criminals thereby perpetuating a myth his very successful media empire helped to create.

Time has come for Western Press and government agencies to reconsider some of the nomenclatures created after 9/11. They must start to call terrorism exactly what it is – a vicious crime that spares nobody. Muslims too are increasingly being targeted by these criminals and that trend is not showing any evidence of slowing down.

- See more at: http://www.urnaija.com/west-losing-war-terror/