Obasanjo Collapses In Church

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who twice ruled Nigeria, once in the 1970s and then for eight years starting in 1999, collapsed today at the St. Stephens Anglican Church in Igbotako, Ondo State.

The fainting incident took place at about 12 noon, Nigerian time, at a thanksgiving service in honour of Major General Olu Bajowa (Rtd), an Obasanjo protégé who is celebrating his 70th birthday. Major General Olu Bajowa was once indicted for mismanaging the Nigerian airways.

Obasanjo was rushed to a sickbay at the home of the celebrant. When he re-appeared, he appeared woozy, but managed to complete the event before returning home to Abeokuta, Ogun State, later in the day. The former president has faced a multitude of personal misfortunes in recent times. On one occasion, he was attacked and ridiculed in broad daylight at the Lagos Airport by an irate Nigerian who blamed him for the political and economic crisis bedeviling the country. In another public event, the former governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose, insulted him in public, calling him "father of bastards."

Although Obasanjo's real age is unknown, the former head of state is said to suffer from diabetes. Like most former leaders, he obtains his medical care in foreign hospitals.

Waec Nov/dec 2010 Gce Result Is Out But Only 20% Passed Nationwide,what A Shame!

agos — Only 20.04 per cent or 62,295 candidates obtained credit pass in English, Mathematics and three other subjects in the Nov./Dec. 2010 West African Senior School Certificate Examination, WASSCE.

Head of the Nigerian National Office of the West African Examination Council, WAEC, Dr Iyi Uwadiae at a press conference, yesterday, in Lagos said the result was not impressive.

He said 310,077 candidates sat for the examination with 51,876 of them, representing 16.73 per cent, being withheld for their involvement in “alleged malpractice.”

“A total of 133,507 candidates (43.06 per cent) obtained credit and above in English Language, while 151,569 candidates (48.88 per cent) obtained credit and above in Mathematics,” he said.

Uwadiae told journalists that 33 blind candidates took the examination and only four of them got credit passes in five subjects including English Language.

Blind candidates are exempted by regulation from registering for mathematics and science based subjects.
“All the reports on cases of involvement in examination malpractice have been complied for presentation to the Nigerian Examination Committee of the Council in March,” he said.

Uwadiae said the result was released two weeks ahead of schedule to enable students use these for registration purposes in higher institutions that had admitted them.

He told journalists that WAEC would soon modernise its examination model to the e_testing format (electronic test) but that the process was at its experimental stage.

“The quick release of the result is due to the commitment of the markers and the effective application of our new computer software for processing results,” he said.

Anthony Enahoro DIES at 87

Chief Anthony Enahoro, (22nd July 1923-15th December 2010) was one of Nigeria’s foremost anti-colonial and pro-democracy activists. He was born the eldest of twelve children in Uromi in the present Edo State of Nigeria. His Esan parents were Anastasius Okotako Enahoro (d. 1968) and Fidelia Inibokun née Okoji (d. 1969). Chief Enahoro has had a long and distinguished career in the press, politics, the civil service and the pro-democracy movement.

Educated at the Government School Uromi, Government School Owo and King's College, Lagos, Chief Enahoro became the editor of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe’s newspaper, the Southern Nigerian Defender, Ibadan, in 1944 at the age of 21, thus becoming Nigeria’s youngest editor ever. He later became the editor of Zik’s Comet, Kano, 1945-49, also associate editor West African Pilot, Lagos, editor-in-chief Morning Star, 1950-53.

Chief Enahoro became a foundation member of Chief Awolowo’s Action Group party; secretary and chairman, Ishan Division Council; member Western House of assembly; and later member, Federal House of Representatives in 1951. He later became Minister of Home Affairs in the old western region. He was the Opposition spokesman on Foreign policy and Legislative Affairs in the Federal House of Representatives, 1959-63; and moved the motion for the independence of Nigeria. Despite claims to the contrary, the fact is clear that Chief Anthony Eromosele Enahoro was the mover for the motion that eventually lead to the Independence of Nigeria on October 1, 1960. The motion suffered many setbacks and had other legislators re-moving the motion. Chief Enahoro was a delegate to most of the constitutional conferences leading to the independence of Nigeria in 1960.

During the 1962 crisis in the old Western region, he was detained along with other Action Group members. Accused of treason during the Awolowo alleged coup trial, Chief Enahoro escaped to the United Kingdom in 1963. He was extradited from the UK and imprisoned for treason. In 1966, he was released by the Military Government.

During the Nigerian crisis that followed the 1966 coups, Chief Enahoro was the leader of the then Mid-West delegation to the Ad Hoc Constitutional Conference in Lagos. He later became Federal commissioner (Minister) for Information and Labour under the General Yakubu Gowon Military Government, 1967-74; Federal Commissioner for Special Duties, 1975. He later became member of the National Party of Nigeria, NPN, 1978-83. He was the president, World Festival of Negro Arts and Culture, 1972-75.

Chief Enahoro was the chairman of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), a pro-democracy group that fought dictator Sani Abacha till Abacha’s death.

Chief Enahoro was conferred with the national honour of Commander, Order of the Federal Republic, CFR, in 1982, and is the chairman of the Movement for National Reformation, MNR; as well as the Pro-National Conference Organisation, PRONACO. He was awarded honorary DSC by the University of Benin in 1972. Among his publications include the treatise Fugitive Offender. Chief Enahoro played golf and followed cricket ardently.

Chief Enahoro is survived by his wife Helen (née Ediae) their five children - Kenneth, Eugene, Bella, Victor and Gabriel.

Dora Akuyili Quits Jonathan's Cabinet To Join Politics

Nigeria’s minister of information, Dora Akunyili, formally left the cabinet of Goodluck Jonathan today to join politics. Her valedictory statement read at the Federal Executive Council meeting today finally put to rest speculations about her political future.

VALEDICTORY ADDRESS TO THE FEDERAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL BY PROF. DORA AKUNYILI, HON. MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS, ABUJA, DECEMBER 15, 2010

Mr. President, Mr. Vice President, and esteemed colleagues with whom I have formed a family — some of you for the past two years and others for a lesser period of time. I wish to humbly inform Council that I am resigning from the Cabinet with effect from tomorrow, 16th December, 2010.

Today is therefore a very emotional day for me in Council. This is because I have been so closely bonded to most of you that my departure is like leaving a family. My heart is so heavy because in this Council, I have found comfort and friendship.

However, having reflected over the years about events in Nigeria and in particular my state, Anambra, I have come to the conclusion that it is indeed a defining moment in my life when I should make the sacrifice of leaving a comfortable place to go to a difficult terrain in order to build a better place for our children. I have, therefore, decided to join my Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, who is doing a great job in continuing to build Anambra State as an APGA Senator. In this regard, I intend to pick the nomination form today to run for the office of Senator Representing Anambra Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly.

As I take this step, I solicit for your prayers and other forms of support. I am making this request because you are my people and my immediate constituency. Yes, my colleagues in the pharmaceutical industry are still my people but I have virtually exhausted my goodwill with them in the service of our dear Country, especially in support of the Re-branding Nigeria project. Many drug manufacturing companies spent over N10 million for the Re-branding Nigeria materials because they desperately wanted me to succeed. Therefore, it is you and only you that I can now run to for support. Please, I plead with each and everyone of you to sow a seed to my political career, you will never regret it. In the words of President Jonathan, I will never let you down. Yes, I will be in the senate by the grace of God for my constituency and for the nation but you can be sure that I will also be there for you.

Mr. President, I am deeply grateful to you for giving me the opportunity to serve our dear Country as Minister of Information and Communications. I am equally grateful for the co-operation which you, the VP and my Cabinet colleagues extended to me in the course of my duties, without which I would not have succeeded. Mr. President, I will never forget the encouragement you gave me through phone calls, text messages, e.t.c. when I was in NAFDAC during that fight for life. Mr. Vice President, you always call me your sister, please continue to call me your sister.

I wish Mr. President, Mr. Vice President, and other Council members who may wish to contest in the 2011 elections success in this regard. I pray that this Council succeeds to the end and that many of you continue as Council members after May 2011.

I leave you with love and fond memories. Thank you and God bless you all.

PROF. DORA NKEM AKUNYILI, OFR

HON. MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS, ABUJA, DECEMBER 15, 2010

Man United knock Arsenal off top spot

Arsenal's Gael Clichy (R) challenges Manchester United's Nani during their English Premier League soccer match at Old Trafford in Manchester, northern England, December 13, 2010




Manchester United knocked Arsenal off the top of the Premier League as they stifled their title rivals' attacking flair with a 1-0 win, thanks to Park Ji-sung's goal on Monday.

United went ahead four minutes before halftime when South Korean midfielder, Park, twisted to get his head on a Nani cross from the right which had taken a slight deflection off Arsenal defender, Gael Clichy. They squandered the chance to go 2-0 up when Wayne Rooney fired a penalty well over the bar with just over a quarter of an hour left after Clichy had handled in the area at Old Trafford.

The hosts, unbeaten in the league this season and with the best home record, were facing the team with the best away form, but Arsenal came up short and now sit second on 32 points, two behind United, who have a game in hand. United boss, Alex Ferguson's tactic of playing a five-man midfield paid off as Arsenal's usually potent combination of Marouane Chamakh, Samir Nasri and Andrei Arshavin could not string together the moves that have won much admiration this season.

"We didn't create enough chances. Our passing was not quick and sharp enough to get them out of position," Wenger told a news conference. "The technical quality of the game was average on both sides because the pitch is very poor in my opinion and the game suffered a lot for it."

Chilean miners

Watched by some of the Chilean miners who were rescued in October after being trapped for more than two months underground, a patchy encounter will have tested the patience of even those miners. It also did little to endorse either side's title credentials as they struggled to keep possession when they got near the box.

United were keen to test young Arsenal goalkeeper, Wojciech Szczesny, who was making his first Premier League and standing in for Polish compatriot, Lukasz Fabianski. Portugal winger, Nani shot straight into the 20-year-old's arms and Rooney did the same a couple of minutes later but the keeper stood strong, although his distribution was sometimes poor.

Ferguson had remarked before the game that Arsenal had become a more physical side and his team got increasingly frustrated as a series of clumsy challenges failed to tempt referee, Howard Webb, to delve into his pocket for a card. The first card came just before the break, with Chamakh punished for bringing down Nani and then three more followed for Arsenal - with none for United - as the tackles got higher. United defender, Rio Ferdinand, admitted it had not been a pretty match. "These games sometimes you don't play well but you just want to go out and do as well as you can," he said. "Three points is three points."

Needing Fabregas

Arsenal fans started chanting; "We want Cesc Fabregas" at the start of the second half, and with less than half an hour to go, manager Arsene Wenger heeded their pleas. Fabregas, out with a hamstring injury since November 23, came on with Robin van Persie in a double substitution for the ineffectual Tomas Rosicky and Jack Wilshire. But it was United who created the better chances and Arsenal had Szczesny to thank for some excellent saves; first from Anderson and an attempted lobby Rooney.

Rooney had sent his spot-kick high into the stands and Arsenal may feel that deserved to happen because Clichy had been somewhat unlucky to give away the penalty as he could not move out of the way when Nani was dribbling past him. The hosts held on, while the biggest cheers of the night were reserved for the rescued miners who posed for photos in the stands.

Nigeria Is The 42nd Most Currupt Country In The World

The World's Most Corrupt Nations, 2010
According to the annual survey by the Berlin-based organization Transparency International, Somalia, Myanmar, Afghanistan, and Iraq are perceived to be the most corrupt, Denmark, New Zealand, Singapore, Finland, and Canada are perceived to be the world's least corrupt countries. For a list of the least corrupt nations, see World's Least Corrupt Countries. The index defines corruption as the abuse of public office for private gain and measures the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among a country's public officials and politicians. It is a composite index, drawing on 13 different expert and business surveys. Only 178 of the world's 193 countries are included in the survey, due to an absence of reliable data from the remaining countries. The scores range from ten (squeaky clean) to zero (highly corrupt). A score of 5.0 is the number Transparency International considers the borderline figure distinguishing countries that do and do not have a serious corruption problem. In the 2010 survey, 75% scored below five.

Country
rank Country 2010
CPI Score
1. Somalia 1.1
2. Myanmar 1.4
3. Afghanistan 1.4
4. Iraq 1.5
5. Turkmenistan 1.6
6. Uzbekistan 1.6
7. Sudan 1.6
8. Chad 1.7
9. Burundi 1.8
10. Equatorial Guinea 1.9
11. Angola 1.9
12. Kyrgyzstan 2.0
13. Venezuela 2.0
14. Congo, Democratic Republic of 2.0
15. Guinea 2.0
16. Cambodia 2.1
17. Central African Republic 2.1
18. Comoros 2.1
19. Congo, Republic 2.1
20. Guinea-Bissau 2.1
21. Kenya 2.1
22. Laos 2.1
23. Russia 2.1
24. Papua New Guinea 2.1
25. Tajikistan 2.1
26. Cameroon 2.2
27. Côte d'Ivoire
28. Haiti 2.2
29. Iran 2.2
30. Libya 2.2
31. Nepal 2.2
32. Paraguay 2.2
33. Yemen 2.2
34. Pakistan 2.3
35. Mauritania 2.3
36. Maldives 2.3
37. Zimbabwe 2.3
38. Ukrain 2.4
39 Togo 2.4
40. Sierra leon 2.4
41. Philippines 2.4
42. NIGERIA 2.4


what an improvement my fellow Nigerian from first spot on the ladder in 2005 to 42 in 2010. congratulations.

Reciting The National Anthem Incorrectly would Soon Be Punishable

Strolling while the Nigeria’s National Anthem is being recited may soon be punishable by law, as the Senate on Thursday passed its bill through second reading.

The advancement of the bill is a significant step in standardising its rendition as well as protecting the National Anthem, which most of the senators agree is currently exposed to risk of annihilation.

The bill is sponsored by Osita Izunaso PDP from Imo state who also sponsored the bill to mandate doctors to treat
accident victims without police reports. (I totally support this bill)

“Our National Anthem if not backed by law, might be rightly jettisoned into the historical dustbin if any President feels he does not like it,’’ Mr. Izunaso said.

The bill seeks, among other things, to give a legal framework to the National Anthem and gives protection to it against unwarranted tampering and abuse.The bill is to make the playing of the Nigerian Anthem a revered, respectful and solemn occasion and prescribes penalties for anyone who deliberately brings contempt and ridicule to the act.

He lamented that the national anthem which “encapsulates our collective pride and patriotism, is not backed up with any legal instrument.”

Four persons arrested over stolen election machines

The Murtala Muhammed Airport Police Command, Lagos on Friday arraigned four suspects in connection with the disappearance of 20 Direct Data Capturing (DDC) machines belonging to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The suspects, which comprises of three males and a female, were apprehended by police detectives who paraded Shasha community, a suburb in Lagos that shares boundary with the tarmac of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA).

"In the early hours of today (Friday), four suspects were arrested by our detectives; who are involved in the stealing of INECs DDC machines," said Moses Onireti, commissioner of police MMIA Command.

"The names of the suspects are Suleiman Isa, male who was arrested at Shasha, Alimosho LGA; Mrs. Sumonu Modupe, who was arrested at 17 Samuel Street Akowonjo; Lawan Lateef, who was arrested at Shasha; and Bamidele Joshua, who was also arrested at Shasha. So far they've all made useful statements to the police."

Explaining that 16 of the 20 gadgets were recovered from the suspects, the police commissioner disclosed that the "vital parts" of the equipment have been removed and four of the INEC DDC machines are yet to be seen.

On how the suspects gained access to the tarmac of the international airport, Mr. Onireti disclosed that though there are certain places at the airport where police officers are restricted from entering, the path in question was a bush path, adding that the suspects must have gone through the bush before getting to the tarmac.



"We learn from mistakes, but the truth is that the police do not gain access into certain areas around the airport, and the place where this incident happened is very close to the bush from where the culprits must have passed through," he said.

"I will describe the stealing of the machines as robbery but as a constructive theft, because what we recovered were empty containers; so the 16 containers recovered were virtually empty and four o f theses machines are still missing."



Victims of circumstance

The female suspect, Mrs. Modupe who was once a cleaner art the airport, said that though her brothers, the other suspects sold the gadgets to one Yemi, who deals in the sales of Computers at Ikeja, they were all "victims of unfortunate circumstance."

According to her, the brother, Lawan stumbled on the gadgets when he went into the bush to defecate, adding that upon discovering laptops and other equipment packed in a bag by unknown persons, he called her and the others.

"They brought it to me and I asked them how did they get it and they told me. I asked them to return it where they got it from, but they refused and said they will sell it at computer village in Ikeja. I refused and asked them that if they cannot return it, they should go and burn it instead of the laptops to cause trouble among them," she said.

"That was the mistake I made, for I did not know it was this much and that they refused my warning and sold it to Yemi who is no where to be found now. They laptops have INEC written on them and they are other information on them which say that the machine belong to the Federal Republic of Nigeria."

The commissioner, however, pleaded with the public to alert the police of any useful information that will lead to the recovery of the other missing gadgets and the vital parts of the ones already recovered, as well as will lead to the arrest of Mr. Yemi.

"The suspects will be charged to court and we want the public to help us with information that will help us further in our search and further investigations," he said.

Hugging Of Females Banned In Nigerian University

In line with the provision of the Islamic legal code, the Vice Chancellor of the Niger State government-owned Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Professor Ibrahim Adamu Kolo, has outlawed hugging of female students in the university.

Kolo said that anyone caught “embracing or hugging” any female students would be severely dealt with. The vice chancellor gave the order in Lapai, on Tuesday, while addressing a one-day enlarged re-orientation workshop organised by the institution for all its staff.

Describing hugging and embracing of female students as immoral, the vice chancellor said the management had decided to “forgive” those caught in the act but said those affected had been noted and would be closely watched by the authorities.

Kolo also warned staff of the university against leaking official secret as those that violated the law would be summarily sacked from the school.

He challenged staff and students to have a change of attitude in their approach to work and studies as all forms of idleness and laziness would not be tolerated.

"I Want To Become A Pastor" - Timaya

Evidently, Enetimi Odom, the singer popularly known as Timaya has come a long way from the Toyota Camry 2.2-cruising artiste of 2007, one of the benefits of the commercial success that trailed his debut album, True Story. When E-Punch got to his well-appointed 5-bedroom duplex in Marwa Gardens, Ikeja, Lagos, last Monday afternoon, he was greeted by a glittering Range Rover Sport 2010. Black and shimmering, the ‘expensive machine’ was parked in front of the duplex. Inside, a white Escalade truck valued at about N10m sits in stately grandeur.

“I love cars,” he quips. No doubt. Before he relocated from Port Harcourt, Rivers State where he had cultivated a cult-like following, Timaya was always an enviable sight in Lagos in his bullet-proof Jaguar and BMW X5, both of which, he says, he has given to his sisters. “I get tired easily of cars. When I bought the Escalade last January, I was awed by its sheer functionality and beauty and I thought I would drive it for a very long time. But a few months later, I got tired of it and bought the Range (Rover) which has been like my official car for some months now.”

Apparently, Timaya lives the roller coaster life he sings about. However, life has not always been this sweet for him. In Plantain Boy, the lead single off his current album, De-Rebirth, he talks about his humble beginnings, and how rich he is now which does not beggar much belief going by available indices. But, how rich is he really? Without as much as a twitch, he says, ”A few years ago, I could not afford three square meals; I had nowhere to stay; I was actually squatting with a girlfriend who would send me out of her house at the slightest offence. But now, my story has changed.

“For every man, three things are fundamental, clothes, food and shelter. Those are no longer my problems. So, I‘m a very rich boy. I don‘t need to be as rich as (Mike) Adenuga to know that I am rich.” Timaya admits that sometimes he looks at himself and wonders whether his life is a fairy tale because “Whenever I look at my account, I get scared and ask myself, is all this money for me?”

The plantain boy

Between his first two albums, True Story, and Gift and Grace, a discerning listener could glean Timaya‘s background and episodic musical odyssey. In Plantain Boy, he lays it bare. From an unheralded plantain seller, he became renowned as Timaya. Even when nobody gave him a chance, he succeeded. Life is good now yet detractors, which he almost always gripes about, are trying to pull him down. The AC in the living room droned on. A member of his posse was playing snooker in the sports section of the expansive sitting room while a nearby lectern hoists a plethora of award plaques.

Calm and without his characteristic scowl, Timaya, in retrospect, says he was born into a relatively comfortable home where his father was a top banker while his mother was into different businesses, one of which was supplying plantain to hotels in the city. They lived in an estate in Port Harcourt and had as neighbours President Goodluck Jonathan among many other prominent Nigerians. However, the family was to suffer a reversal in fortunes when his father, having retired after 32 years as a banker, was duped of his retirement benefits and life savings.

“He didn’t want to stay idle,” Timaya recalls, “So, he decided to invest his money in the petroleum business but he was duped and he never recovered from it. Since 1995 till he died last year, he was always ill. That incident affected us so much that we had to depend on my mother‘s plantain business. Despite the fact that I was quite popular in Port Harcourt back then, I would always help my mum hawk plantain. I didn‘t see it as anything then because we had to survive. I don‘t want to experience that life again.”

The advocacy loses traction

Apart from the autobiographical and sometimes conceited slant of Timaya‘s songs, a recurring theme, at least in his first two albums, was the unconcealed anger at the perceived insensitivity of the federal government to the cause of the Niger Delta people. This state of mind was very pronounced on the album sleeves which bore a scowling, furious Timaya.

Through the far-reaching instrumentality of his music, Timaya became an audacious advocate of the emancipation of the Niger Delta. This afternoon, he still talks with fervor and animation about the Niger Delta; how it formed his perception and outlook on life and how he feels there is so much potentials wasting away there. ”I am proud of my heritage; I am a Bayelsa man, a true born Niger Deltan; we say it as it is. I don’t look at anybody’s face before saying my mind. I am blunt.”

Maybe he was, but in De-Rebirth, the bluntness and advocacy have lost traction; the Egberi Papa 1 (the number one town crier) of Bayelsa seems to have come into so much wealth that the pains of the past have been obliterated from his memory. He agrees that indeed the vagaries of life have made him lose touch with ‘the people down there‘. “My people love me so much because I sing about what affects them and because I made Bayelsa popular before Goodluck Jonathan became president. Apparently, times are changing. Those were the issues that needed to be addressed at that time and I addressed them.

“I sing about what goes on around me, everyday realities. I don‘t sing love songs except for when I was in love with a girl in the past. I‘m not feeling any love now. Truly, in De-Rebirth, I didn‘t do much for the Niger Delta people because I felt it was time to cut across, break into the international market. But I will always be their mouthpiece.” On the sleeve of De-Rebirth, the angry mien has dissolved into an impassive expression.

In love with Mo’Cheddah

Timaya loves fast rising songstress, Mo’Cheddah, but not in the Empress Njamah kind of way. According to him, ”I look at all Nigerian female artistes and I really haven‘t seen any that‘s good because they are all trying to be a diva yet, they don‘t have what it takes. Beyonce is a diva; which Nigerian act can you compare with her? The only female artiste that trips me is Mo‘Cheddah. She‘s got everything and she‘s not trying too hard to be a diva. She‘s a great performer; she’s real and she will go a long way.”

‘I am going to end up in the church’

About a year ago, Timaya‘s celebrated relationship with actress, Empress Njamah, hit the rocks. That did not come as a surprise anyway, given the dynamics of the union. It was the manner they fell apart irredeemably that stunned many. In the process of retrieving his car key, Timaya was alleged to have fought Empress inside a Festac, Lagos church. For somebody who was accused of such indiscretion, Timaya says unequivocally, “I will end up as a pastor. I have always had a close relationship with God and as such, could never have fought anybody inside a church. As a kid, I told God that I’d like to be a superstar and he has granted my wish. I have also told him that the next level for me is to be the Governor of Bayelsa State.”

“Are you serious?” E-Punch interjects. ”Yes, I am. I‘m just doing everything I am doing now to be rich and no matter what I do, I‘d still be rich. In fact, my pact with God is that after serving my people, I want to spend the rest of my life serving him. I want to build a church in Nigeria and abroad where I‘d worship him till I die.”

Timaya Pastor?? Chai Hai!! Uremegu madule!!!

Share Chinese Workers Built 15 Storey Hotel In 6 Days

As the United States and China battle over the finer points of currency manipulation at the G-20 summit, American negotiators may want to take note of this startling testimonial to the productivity of Chinese workers: A construction crew in the south-central Chinese city of Changsha has completed a 15-story hotel in just six days.

If nothing else, this remarkable achievement will stoke further complaints from American economic pundits that China's economy is far more accomplished than ours in tending to such basics as construction.

Meanwhile, it's easy to imagine the disorientation of Changsha residents who'd gone away, or who just hadn't recently ventured into the downtown neighborhood of the new Ark Hotel: "Honey, I don't remember a hotel there, do you?"

The work crew erected the hotel -- a soundproofed, thermal-insulated structure reportedly built to withstand a magnitude 9 earthquake -- with all prefabricated materials. In other words, a crew of off-site factory workers built the sections, and their on-site counterparts arranged them on the foundation for the Ark project.

Despite the frenetic pace of construction, no workers were injured -- and thanks to the prefab nature of the process, the builders wasted very few construction materials.

Govs to decide Jonathan’s fate, says Imoke

CALABAR—CROSS River State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke, said yesterday, that all the 28 governors of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, were behind the President and would carry on with their support if he decides to contest next year’s presidential polls.

This came just as President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to meet state governors in Lagos today in continuation of his consultations on his political future.

Meantime, the PDP Governors’ meeting for the purpose of picking a consensus presidential candidate for next year’s elections ended in a deadlock, yesterday, as the governors were split over the choice of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Speaking in Calabar yesterday when he granted audience to a select group of journalists, Imoke said it had become imperative for the governors to back Jonathan because as the leader of the country, he needs all the support he could get to succeed.

He said that as Chairman of the South South Governors Forum, he owed the region a duty to project Jonathan to the country and work for his success at all times.

He said though the PDP has agreed to retain the zoning formula, the party had also agreed to allow Jonathan to contest, adding that they would do everything possible to support the President.

Imoke said the support of the governors was very crucial if the country’s democracy was to make a headway, stressing that it was wrong for Nigerians to assume that the governors had become too powerful now.

He said the alleged influence of the governors played a stabilising factor for the country during the illness of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and the subsequent emergence of Jonathan as acting president in February this year.

Imoke said: “Our influence did not start today. It was not by accident. If you look at what happened in 2003 and 2007, the governors were very visible in political activities of the country. In fact in 2007, governors emerged both as the President and Vice President. So if you consider the crucial role we play in the sustenance of this democracy, you won’t say we are too powerful.”

On whether the President should sign the amended constitution before it becomes operational, Imoke urged Nigerians to savour the joy of achieving a huge feat by the amendment process, saying the country should not dissipate energy on technicalities which might later overcome the success recorded.

PDP govs split over Jonathan

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Governors’ meeting for the purpose of picking a consensus presidential candidate for next year’s elections ended in a deadlock, yesterday, as the governors were split over the choice of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Vanguard gathered that the meeting, which lasted more than four hours, became very stormy between those in support of Jonathan, who were in the majority, and those who were opposed to him

The meeting which was held at the Kwara State Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, was billed to commence at 8.00 pm, but did not start until 9.00 p.m, Tuesday night and ended 1.15 a.m, yesterday, with the Chairman, Governors’ Forum and the Kwara State Governor, Dr. Bukola Saraki, presiding.

It was gathered that the governors had earlier discussed with President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday, and that the President informed them that he would be seeking the party’s nomination.

Thereafter, the governors returned to the Asokoro meeting to take a position.

Vanguard learnt that while the governors were meeting, the National Chairman of PDP, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, also held an all night meeting with the 36 states’ chairmen and that of the Federal Capital Territory.

It was understood that the meeting was designed by the chairman to reach out to all stakeholders ahead of the elections, especially before the leadership of the party issued guidelines for the primaries.

A source told Vanguard that the meeting which ended at 1.00 a..m, yesterday, was part of the chairman’s consultative meetings with the leaders on how to arrive at decisions that would be favourable to all members of the party across the country. The meeting took place at the National Secretariat of the Party, Wadata Plaza.

Vanguard gathered that at the PDP governors’ meeting, all the South South governors spoke in favour of President Goodluck Jonathan contesting, just as the Southwest governors also spoke solidly in favour of Jonathan contesting the 2011 presidential election.

The source said the President faced very strong opposition from the Northern governors, where the ten governors that had earlier insisted that zoning should be retained, maintained their position at the meeting. It was gathered that as the meeting progressed, it got to a point that the PDP governors asked their Chairman, Dr. Bukola Saraki, to tell them whether he had an interest in contesting to become the presidential candidate of the party.

The source said that when Saraki failed to give the governors an answer on whether he was contesting for the Presidency, he was then asked to state his position because of his opposition to the presidential aspiration of President Jonathan.

Governors in support of Jonathan

Those who championed the presidency of Jonathan in 2011 at the meeting were Governors Jonah Jang of Plateau, and Gabriel Suswam of Benue State.

Opposing governors

Those who were opposed to Jonathan’s presidential aspiration were Governors of Kebbi, Zamfara, Bauchi and Katsina states. It was gathered at the meeting that these governors were at the forefront of those opposing the presidential aspiration of Jonathan, even as the source said: “This is understandable, because they were the same group that insisted on zoning when we met to take a position on the same matter in Kaduna last month.”

At the end of the meeting, the governors left, just as the governors of Rivers, Kwara, Bauchi and Delta began another meeting which lasted for thirty minutes. At the end of the meeting, the Delta State governor left at 1.15 a.m, while his Bauchi State counterpart came out at 1.45am.

Chairman of the Governors’ Forum and Kwara State governor, Dr. Bukola Saraki, who left the venue of the meeting at about 2.00 a.m, refused to speak to the waiting journalists.

It was gathered that the governors’ inability to arrive at a compromise following a very strong division among them, made it impossible for the governors to issue a communiqué on the meeting.

Governors that attended the meeting

Present at the meeting were governors of Akwa Ibom, Godswill Akpabio; Isa Yuguda of Bauchi; Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa; Gabriel Suswam of Delta; Liyel Imoke of Cross River; Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta; and Martin Elechi of Ebonyi. The others were Segun Oni of Ekiti; Sullivan Chime of Enugu; Ikedi Ohakim of Imo; Sule Lamido of Jigawa; Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa of Kaduna and Ibrahim Shema of Katsina.

The rest were Usman Saidu Nasamu of Kebbi; Bukola Saraki of Kwara; Aliyu Akwe Doma of Nasarawa; Christopher Alao-Akala of Oyo; Jonah Jang of Plateau; and Mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi of Zamfara while the deputy governors of Niger, and Taraba were also present.

Governors who were absent at the meeting

Governors Murtala Nyako of Adamawa; Mohammed Goje of Gombe; Ibrahim Idris of Kogi and Aliyu Wamako of Sokoto were absent at the meeting.

Manchester United v Arsenal: Patrice Evra says Premier League rivals are a club in 'crisis'

Manchester United defender Patrice Evra has branded Arsenal a "crisis club" and ridiculed their five-year trophy drought in an incendiary attack on Arsene Wenger's side. Arsenal make the trip to Old Trafford as Premier League leaders, but Evra has dismissed their credentials as potential champions and highlighted Chelsea as their "real enemy", despite Carlo Ancelotti's side's recent dismal run.

"For me, Arsenal is a football training centre. You watch the match, you enjoy it, but are you going to win a title afterwards? That's what people remember," Evra said.

"It has been five years since they won anything and for a big club like Arsenal, that is a crisis." Arsenal have yet to win a piece of silverware in five years but are through to the Carling Cup semi-finals this season and reached the last 16 of the Champions League with victory over Partizan Belgrade in their final group match in midweek.

Victory for Arsene Wenger's side on Monday, meanwhile, would move them four points clear of Man United and see them retain top spot regardless of Chelsea's result against Tottenham at White Hart Lane on Sunday.

Not that Evra is too concerned by Arsenal's current lofty position and threat they may cause at Old Trafford.

"We can lose against them, but at the end of the day, what is there for Arsenal? There is nothing. There are no trophies, there is nothing," he said.

"Our real enemy is Chelsea. We are more concerned with Chelsea's results than those of Arsenal, even if we know Arsenal are a great team who can beat Chelsea, us or anyone."

The Frenchman did, however, praise Arsenal's brand of football and acknowledged that at least an entertaining and attractive game would be in store for fans - even if Wenger's side do lack that killer instinct.

"When we play against Arsenal, it is really fun," he said. "They are a team that plays football who will not come to Old Trafford with 11 men behind the ball.

"We also play football, but the difference is that we also have strength. Sometimes, they cannot kill off matches. We are more efficient."

Nigerians to get new ID cards

After 10 years, Nigeria is set to launch a fresh set of national identity cards and as early as January next year, people may be required to line up for the new bio-data registration process. The National Identity Management Commission which is in charge of the scheme assured Nigerians that the new cards will be different from the ones issued between 2001 and 2006.

Sources at the commission told NEXT that the project involves the creation of a new identity database and goes beyond merely providing citizens and legal residents with an identity document as was done in the previous 2001 SAGEM project.

“The National Identity Management System is a quantum leap from the SAGEM project which was initiated in 2001 to provide an integrated card production facility.

This 2001 technology did not offer a unique identification number or a secure platform to assert one’s identity without a card. SAGEM produced cards, but not an identity system. This database is one of the three components of the emerging national identity management system, the other two being a secure identity document and a system for authenticating and verifying identity,” a source within the commission, who asked not to be named, said.

Anthony Okwujafor, the spokesperson for the Commission, confirmed that new ID cards will soon be rolled out. “The new ID card will have a unique number for every person and would be usable anywhere in the world,” he said.

A more secure system

The National Identity Management Commission said one of the benefits of the new arrangement is that it will provide a common database from which other government agencies and the private sector can find an authentic identification process.

“At this pace, NIMC is driving the prompt achievement of the presidential directive on the fast-track harmonisation and consolidation of biometric projects in government agencies. When completed, the national identity management system will ensure that every registered person has unique national identification number that will enable that person to assert his or her identity even in the absence of a card. The system will also ensure that its database is linked to those of key agencies such as the FRSC, immigration, while a verification service will enable third-parties (banks, employers, schools) to verify the identities of the persons they are transacting business with. The fibre optic link between the national identity data centre and the relevant government agencies has been commissioned by NIMC,” our source said.

Officials also disclosed that the commission has already begun test running the project using some specific government agencies and ministries.

“NIMC and its private sector partners have already completed the biometric registration of civil servants on behalf of the office of the Head of Service. This civil service database is fully integrated with the national identity database. The biometric harmonisation for government agencies is going well. The commission has also worked with INEC on the standards and specifications for the voters’ register so that it can meet the harmonisation requirements for the databases held by various government agencies.”

A cesspit

The idea of issuing national identification cards to Nigerians was mooted in 2001 under former President Olusegun Obasanjo. In 2003, large scale fraud was discovered in the project leading to the arraignment of three ministers. They were charged with corruption in connection with a $214m contract with SAGEM, a French firm, which was supposed to implement the project.

Those accused included former internal affairs minister Sunday Afolabi, Mohammed Shatta, a former minister of state in that ministry; and former labour minister Hussain Akwanga. Mr Afolabi died before the case was concluded and since then none of those charged have been prosecuted and the charges were subsequently dropped. The project went on and was executed haphazardly

Facebook hits 500m: social media by numbers

On the day Facebook reaches the 500 million user milestone, we compare the most popular social networks' vital statistics. People spend over 700 billion minutes per month on the site.

An average user has 130 friends.

There are over 900 million objects in total that Facebook users can interact with, such as community pages.

The average Facebook user is connected 80 pages, groups and events.

The average member creates 90 pieces of content each month.

More than 30 billion pieces of content, like photos, web links and news stories, are shared each month.

About 70 per cent of Facebook users are from outside of the US.

It took five months for Facebook to attract an extra 100 million users, from 400 million to 500 million.

Last January Faceb only had 150 million members.

The site has yet to become the leading social network in Russia, China, Japan or Korea.

Facebook was valued at $11.5 billion according to Sharespost’s March 2010 Index.

How it compares:

Twitter:

Launched in 2006.

Twitter has over 100 million registered users worldwide.

Approximately sixty-five million tweets are sent each day.

Over two billion tweets are now posted on Twitter per month.

Approximately 1,000 tweets are posted a second.

Over 15 billion tweets have been posted in total.

More than 135,000 new people are registering on the site per day.

Twitter was valued at $1 billion (£680 million) at its last round of funding in September 2009.

Foursquare:

Launched in 2009.

Foursquare has over 2 million registered users.

It took 12 months to acquire its first million members and only three months to sign up the next million users.

The site, which allows users to share their location with friends by ‘checking-in’ at bars, has hit 100 million ‘check-ins’.

Since February 2010, it has been registering more than one million ‘check-ins’ a week.

Foursquare was valued at $95 million (£62 million) post a recent $20 million cash investment


MySpace:

Launched in 2003.

At its peak had more than 100 million global users.

Its users have been rapidly declining since the rise of Facebook in 2008.

Was bought by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp for $580 million (£351 million) in 2005.

Difficult to value. Last year, Henry Blodget, former Wall Street darling, said in his blog that “MySpace might actually be worth next to nothing”.

Nigeria Is Broke – Atiku; You Are An Alarmist – GEJ

Unless the Federal Government puts the brakes on its current policy of uncontrolled spending spree, the nation risks going broke sooner than envisaged, former Vice President and presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has warned.

But the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation in a swift reaction to the statement has described ‘Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as an alarmist, saying the Turaki Adamawa is ‘ignorant in basic economic matters.’

According to a statement by the Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organisation, the former Vice President had severally alerted on the parlous state of the nation’s economy. Similarly, Managing Director of the World Bank, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and the former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof Chukwuma Soludo and the Brettonwood institutions have also urged urgent interventions to stem the slide of the economy.

But rather than take heed of the alerts, the Jonathan administration has continued to play the ostrich and live in denial of the true state of the Nigerian economy.

The PDP presidential aspirant warned yesterday that unless the uncontrolled spending and mismanagement of the economy by the Jonathan administration is checked, the nation risks going broke sooner than later.

He noted that the Minister of Finance, Dr. Segun Aganga and Governor of CBN, Lamido Sanusi Lamido have acknowledged that that indeed all is not well with the nation’s economy.

He said that with inflation currently at 14% in Nigeria compared to the BRIC countries’ (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) 7-8% and sub-Saharan Africa’s around 7%, Nigeria may not attain the 2020 target of being one of the leading 20 economies.

Atiku noted that the current situation is also being exacerbated by the rapid depletion of the external reserves with not much to show for it in terms of infrastructure and economic development.

He dismissed the claim of Aganga that Nigeria is currently one of the top 10 economies of the world as reminiscent of George Orwell’s Animal Farm in which presumed economic growth is only visible from pronouncements of government officials.

He said that in the first 8 months of this year alone, the foreign reserves have gone down by $8 billion with its attendant impact on rising inflation.

He noted that the CBN’s intervention in raising the MRR (minimum rediscount rate) by 25 basis points has not helped the situation adding that since rates were raised, another $2.7 billion have gone from the reserves.

The PDP presidential aspirant said that even most worrisome is the depletion of the Excess Crude Account from $22 billion to $470 million with no corresponding projects associated with the spending. He regretted that most of the expenditure has gone into recurrent spending.

According to him, the fact that the Jonathan administration is relapsing into the habit of foreign borrowing is a clear indication that something is wrong with the way the economy is being run.

He said as desirable as borrowing is to the development of the economy, the funds so borrowed must be targeted at critical sectors, else the nation would be returning to a regime of debt overhang.

‘You Are An Alarmist’ Says Goodluck Jonathan Campaign.

The Goodluck/Sambo Presidential Campaign Organisation has however described Alhaji Atiku Abubakar again as ‘an alarmist’, saying he is ‘ignorant in basic economic matters.’

In a statement issued today by its Director of Media and Publicity, Mr. Abu, the campaign said Alhaji Atiku’s latest statement on the economy is full of his usual alarm designed to show him as something of economic expert. But he continues to whip up random statements about certain economic indicators and to offer them as received wisdom.

Abu said the last time Alhaji Atiku spoke about the Nigerian economy, he was roundly educated by officials of the Federal Government. However, given his latest statement, it would appear that he is incapable of seeing anything good in management of the national economy merely because he wants to score cheap political point.

“Atiku claims that Nigeria is broke. To buttress his claim, he cited figures that were merely hanging in the air (Foreign reserves have gone down by $8.billion, the Excess Crude Account has gone from $22 billion to $470 million), misquoted the Minister of Finance (who said that Nigeria’s growth rate is one of the top 10 in the world rather than one of the top 10 economies of the world) and make unsubstantiated allegations about the correlations between monies and projects.”

Pray, what research did Atiku undertake to show that monies have been taken from the Reserves and Excess Crude Account with nothing to show for it? Is he saying that all the 36 State Governors and 774 Local Government Chairmen who received their share of the Excess Crude Account have done absolutely nothing with it? If he has been living in this country, would he not have been aware of the cooperative resolution of the Federal and State Governments to deploy substantial proportion of the Excess Crude Account into resolving Nigeria’s power problem? Can anyone claim not to know about the several power projects going on in the country today?

Abu said that Atiku has nothing to back his claim of financial recklessness against the Government of President Jonathan, because It is clear that the management of the economy is not Atiku’s forte, adding that he should, therefore, not allow sheer desperation to push him into making reckless and unfunded statements about people whose knowledge of the economy, pedigree and economic reputation are more superior than his.

He advised that time has come for the PDP to call Atiku to order, apart from being reminded that he is no longer the Presidential candidate of an opposition party but an aspirant on the platform of the PDP.

Jonathan to IBB: accept your fate or quit PDP

Former military President Gen. Ibrahim Babangida was highly accused of playing games on his threat to quit the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), if the party shuns zoning.

He should quit or accept the party’s decision, the Director of the Media and Publicity Committee of the Goodluck/Sambo Presidential Campaign Organisation, Mr. Sully Abu, said.

In a statement in Abuja, Abu said: “The Goodluck/Sambo Presidential Campaign Organisation sympathises with IBB’s predicament. Having lost to Atiku in their so-called consensus arrangement, he must have been thrown into confusion and desperation at the prospects of impending political oblivion.

“Clutching at the straw of zoning seems attractive to a drowning man. But regional jingoism is unsuited for a man who once held the highest office in the land.

“IBB should learn to live with his changing political fortune and not further diminish himself by playing games which only political novices should play.

“If he wants to go to another party, he does not need to blackmail anyone to do so. He should just go. The PDP has taken a decision on zoning and rotation; IBB can either live with it or leave the party.”

He denied IBB’s claim that the Federal High Court, Abuja, had ruled that zoning and rotation in the PDP should be enforced by the National Chairman of the party.

Abu said while accepting that zoning and rotation exist in the PDP constitution, the judge declared that the provision was too vague to be enforceable.

He said: “The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the PDP had already taken the same position as that of the Federal High Court Judge.

“There is, therefore, nothing new to enforce. While zoning and rotation remain cardinal principles of the PDP, they by no means prevent any person, from any part of the country, to contest.”

Gen. Babangida on Tuesday threatened to leave the PDP with his supporters, if the party fails to implement its policy on rotation of political offices. Implementing zoning the way Gen. Babangida sees it will leave President Jonathan out of the race.

Flying Cars Next Year

A Massachusetts company hopes to start delivering its flying car to customers by late 2011.Terrafugia Inc., founded about five years ago by MIT graduates, got a key go-ahead last month when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted a special weight limit exemption to the company for the flying car, or roadable aircraft, called the Transition.With that FAA clearance under the its belt, the company said it is on track to deliver the first Transition crafts to customers late next year. The Transition vehicle, which is designed with foldable wings, successfully completed its first flight on March 5, 2009, after six months of road testing. "To actually have it fly is a dream come true," said Richard Gersh, a vice president at Terrafugia, at the time. "I'm not sure it's up there with the Wright brothers but it's awfully close." The two-seater vehicle fits into the light sport aircraft category and is expected to be priced at about $148,000. People will need a sport pilot certificate to fly the Transition, which is designed to take off and land at small, local airports and to drive on virtually any road. The vehicle, which runs on unleaded gasoline, can travel up to 450 miles and can fly at 115 mph. It's also designed to fit into a typical household garage. Company executives said during a meeting with Massachusetts legislators earlier this year that Terrafugia hopes to create "hundreds" of new manufacturing jobs as production of the Transition nears.
still your boy Tobi Raji

NUPENG threatens indefinite strike

Although the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) is yet to release the result of the test on the petroleum products said to have been adulterated, the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has threatened to embark on an indefinite strike beginning from Monday if the police fail to impound the 20 tankers and arrest the drivers alleged to have been caught with adulterated diesel. The union is accusing the Police in Lagos State of aiding and abetting the proliferation of adulterated petroleum products in the country.

Following NUPENG’s one-day warning strike which began Monday afternoon and ended 12am Tuesday, to express its displeasure over the alleged release by the Police of the 20 tankers, the union’s Lagos zone chairman, Tokunbo Korodo, said it had intercepted two of the tankers. One of them was said to be carrying kerosene mixed with diesel, and the other meant for conveying diesel only, was loaded with kerosine.

“We have apprehended one tanker driver with adulterated product which police allowed to escape. We investigated and caught one red handed. Its content was diesel mixed with kerosene. We are experts, so we know when fuel is adulterated. Even mere seeing it you will know,” Mr Korodo said. He added that the tanker driver, also arrested, confessed to carrying the contaminated product.

“He loaded it from A-Z depot in Apapa and when we got to A-Z, he was only loaded for 21,000 litres instead of 33,000 litres capacity. He now added 12,000 litres of kerosene to it. The driver has been arrested and taken to Area B Command of Police on the instruction of the state PRO of Police, Frank Mba,” he said.

It was, however, gathered that the arrested tanker driver is currently being detained at the anti-fraud unit of the Police State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba, Lagos State.

DPR steps in

Meanwhile, Paul Osu, the spokesperson of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), the regulatory body for the petroleum industry, said the department has taken samples of the alleged adulterated product for test, and the results are being awaited.

“NUPENG has not reported anything to us. We are investigating based on the reports from the media not NUPENG. We visited where the said tankers with the contaminated products were located; we took samples of the product in the presence of the police and the yard owners, and the analysis is going on in the lab right now. It is only when the result is out that we can now say whether it’s off specification or within specification. By then we’ll issue a release,” said Mr Osu.

But NUPENG has said that the delay in the release of the test result by the DPR will not stop it from embarking on an indefinite strike, unless their demands are met.

Police angle

But the Lagos State police spokesperson, Mr Mba, said he was yet to act on the matter, adding he had no comment on why the 20 tankers allegedly carrying adulterated fuel were released.

“I have no comment. There’s nothing to write about that case now. But if you guys want to go ahead, you write. Nothing has been done. I don’t have any comment. I have nothing to tell you because I have not done anything,” Mr Mba said.

Mr Mba also criticised NUPENG and the media for not allowing the police to first conclude their investigation before informing the public on the alleged adulterated fuel, which probably is being sold to unsuspecting consumers.

“That is the error we always make in this country. We’ve not done anything and somebody is rushing to the media. Even when you have a good case and you do such rushing, you destroy the case; you frustrate the investigation and tomorrow people will complain,” said Mr Mba.



And the adulteration still goes on

Also this week, NUPENG’s Edo State chairman, Godwin Asemota, had decried an alleged circulation of adulterated kerosene in the state, saying “we don’t want bad kerosene in this state.”

In recent years, there have been several fire disasters across Nigeria resulting from the use of adulterated petroleum products, leading to numerous loss of lives and property.

One major incident was in October 2001, following lantern and cooking stove explosions in homes and enclosed environments in Lagos, which led to 125 people, mainly women, being treated for severe fire burns to the face, chest and abdomen for over three weeks at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH)

It is Official! Nigeria Is Among The 10 Best Economies In The World

In spite of the economic hardships many Nigerians face daily, the Federal Government yesterday said that the nation’s economy ranked among the top ten in the world in terms of economic growth indices. It said that the introduction of strong fiscal policies and maintenance of a low borrowing level, the economy has experienced much more growth this year than most other countries across the globe.

Minister of Finance, Dr Olusegun Aganga who disclosed this however acknowledged that the said growth has not impacted positively on the lives of the citizenry because it has not translated to job creation.
Aganga spoke at a public hearing organised by the House of Representatives Joint Committee on Finance, Aids and Loans and Debt Management to enable the Federal and State governments as well as their agencies to justify their request for fresh loans under the 2010 External Borrowing Plan. At the hearing were the Chief Whip of the House, Honourable Emeka Ihedioha; Chairman, House Committee on Finance, Honourable John Enoh, Chairman, House Committee on Donor Agencies, Honourable Nnenna Ukeje and Chairman House committee on Aids and loans, Honourable Abdulazeez Yari all of who made brief presentations to set the tone for the discussion.

“Our economy as of now, regardless of what any one says, is doing well. We are in the top ten in the world in terms of growth. But the problem we have which the economic management team is addressing is that our level of unemployment is high.
“Yes, the numbers say we are doing well; Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth is high; our level of borrowing is low compared to any other country; we are introducing strong fiscal framework, but our level of unemployment is high.
“So we have growth without job creation and employment; therefore the impact is not felt well enough in the life of the average Nigerian. This is why our focus now is on measuring our success by measuring the jobs we create. I am hoping that this budget (2011) is going to be a budget that also addresses job creation so that we can have an all inclusive growth,” he said.
He said plans were already on to slash the recurrent expenditure in the 2011 Appropriation Bill and set in motion machineries, programmes and projects that will enhance job creation in the economy.

He disclosed that besides the problem of unemployment, the economy had suffered so much in the past because of the lopsided nature of the annual budgets in favour of recurrent expenditure.
According to Aganga, the recurrent expenditure in successive national budgets have been too large and have made the government unable to invest enough on capital projects. He said personnel cost has increased from N985 billion in 2009 to N1.5 trillion in the current year, a situation he said, needed to be changed and will change soon.
“The other area where we did not so well in the past is the quality and efficiency of spending. In other words you may spend N1.7 trillion in your capital projects but what did it produce? What is the outcome? What has Nigerians gained? What is the benefit of doing that? You may borrow so much from any where but if you don’t use it the right way and on the right project, it is a waste of time and waste of money.

“One of the things we are trying to do from next year is to introduce the attributes of performance based budget. This is to make sure that if I give Federal Ministry of Works or Federal Ministry of Education a certain amount it will be tied to a performance level that Nigerians can see at the end of the day. I will monitor that and I will have a more robust project management programme. If you do not deliver, it goes to Mr President and that will affect what you will get the following year. So we have introduced measures to tighten those areas,” he said.
On the request by the federal Government and some 17 states to secure fresh external loans, Aganga said that while it was not morally desirable to borrow, governments across the world do borrow to supplement their legitimate revenue and enhance their capacity to deliver on development goals.

He disclosed that contrary to the belief in some circles, Nigeria ’s external debt has not really been on the rise since the post 2005 debts pardon and subsequent exit from the London and Paris Clubs of creditors. He said that rather than worry about the current external debt portfolio of $4.8 billion, Nigerians should be more concerned about the domestic debt which currently stood at $28 billion.
He admitted that given the countries past experiences in the hands of foreign creditors, Nigerians should be concerned about borrowing. Aganga however noted that what was expected of the citizenry was not to merely complain but to demand accountability from the leaders.

He also said that it behoves on every Nigerian including those in government to ensure that every penny borrowed was properly spent and that government accounts for the loans in the right way. He also said that government has a responsibility to reassure the citizenry of the reasons the loans will be taken. Aganga said that when the right controls are taken and communicated effectively it will become clear to the average Nigerian why government is borrowing in his name and what that borrowed fund will be used for.

On long term solutions, Aganga said that the Federal Government has already deployed N5billion from the Excess Crude Account (ECA) into the National Integrated Power Programme to boost electricity supply. Also the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) will soon be established to ensure that Nigeria saved some of her current earnings from crude oil for the future. The SWF, he said, will be in three components namely, future investment fund, stabilisation fund and infrastructure fund.

Aganga explained that given the fact that the country’s oil and gas reserves will be depleted one day, Nigeria needed to save for the future generations, set aside some funds to supplement its budget in times of low oil prices as well as dedicate a chunk of the Sovereign Wealth Funds to building basic infrastructure that will in turn attract investments to the economy and create jobs.
Tobi Raji.

Uche Ogodo
Dauda with Aki
Actress Uche Ogbodo, was recently assaulted by comic actor, Kingsley Ogbonna, popularly known as Dauda on the set of their new movie, Temptations. Here she explains what transpired between them on the day of the alleged assault.

"I don't know how to begin the story. Dauda took me by surprise. I wasn't expecting the slap from him. He approached me about a movie called Temptations. I was to play the lead. He said he needed me to help him, though he couldn't pay me as much as I collect right now as one of the best in comedy movies now. So he paid and I started the job. I was actually coming from my home. I would drive from my house (Fagba-Ogba) to surulere. And I was stuck most of the time in traffic. I tried my best, thinking I was doing a colleague a favour. But most times he wouldn't understand. I was getting home around 1.00am, only to resume shooting before 10.00 am the following day. So I didn't misbehave. But he would be complaining. On the fateful day he slapped me, we had almost finished the job. There was just about two or four scenes left. Meanwhile I had been wearing my hair from a production I was doing somewhere in Festac to his set. After shooting the two scenes that day, I asked the continuity man and the costumier whether we were through and they said yes. With this information, I went to the salon nearby to remove the hair. After I removed the hair, I went back to location and shot another scene without my hair because it was a night scene. After the scene I asked them if I could go home since the scenes had finished but Dauda said it wasn't over, it remained one. I was surprised because I knew i was through with the job. I asked which one and he went and brought one linking continuity to a scene I had previously shot. This was a scene they said they were yanking off initially. I told them my hair was gone. When I went to change my costume I overheard them saying I knew the job was still going on when I removed my hair. I was sitting inside when the continuity guy came in and told me we had to shoot the scene. I agreed, but told him that they should get me a scarf. He said I must fix the hair back. I was shocked by the guy's effrontery. I don't know his name and I don't care about his name. At this point, Dauda, entered and asked me to come out. I refused. It was when the director, Andy Chukwu, called me that I stood up and went out to explain things to him. It was there Dauda slapped me. And almost pushed me into a gutter. I wept after the assault and carried the mark on my face for some days. I haven't reported the case to the police yet, I only reported to AGN president, Segun Arinze, who told me to hold on." Uche Ogbodo said when interviewed.
still ur boy Tobi Raji

Australian Man Marries His Beloved Dog

Twenty-year-old Joe Guiso said the "marriage" ceremony performed by a friend in the Queensland town of Toowoomba was simply a creative and light-hearted way of bringing together family and friends.The pair decided on the wedding during a walk through Laurel Bank Park one afternoon.Spying another wedding taking place, Mr Guiso had an idea.'I said "that could be us",' he told The Toowoomba Chronicle.'She didn’t say anything so I took that as a yes.'

"This was just an event for my friends and I to get together," he told AFP on Friday. "It really was fun. We all dressed up in suits and everything.But you can"t actually marry a dog."

Guiso, who revelled at a stag night at a friend"s house before the event, says while he loves his dog, it is "just Plutonic love".

"There"s nothing sexual," he said, adding that he hoped no one was offended by the unconventional pooch partnership. "It really should be taken lightly."
hmm just plutonic love why the marriage in the first place.
its still ur boy Tobi Raji.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo humiliated by Fayose, calling him 'father of bastards'

Former president Olusegun Obasanjo and self-styled "father of modern Nigeria" received a rude shock recently in Okuku,Osun state when the former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose confronted him and called him "father of bastards". It would be the second time since leaving office under controversial circumstances in 2007 that the former head of state would be publicly ridiculed.

Last month, an irate Nigerian rained blows on him after he managed to sneak into his car in traffic shortly after Obasanjo arrived from a foreign trip.

Fayose met Obasanjo at the inner recesses of deposed governor of the state, Olagunsoye Oyinlola's mansion in Okuku after a "thanksgiving service" in done in his honor by friends and family.

The former president was sitting with former military dictator, Ibrahim Babanginda, Governor of Oyo state, Alao Akala and Gbenga Daniel of Ogun state when Fayose breezed into the reception area. Fayose walked in and greeted everyone but skipped Obasanjo, according to eyewitness accounts but when Fayose was about to sit down Obasanjo called out his name and asked why he ignored him, asking if it was an error on his part, but an enraged Fayose turned to Obasanjo and said he cannot greet someone who is very bad!

"You created all these troubles in the Southwest and also for your information, I did not come here as a member of your party, I am no longer a PDP member," Fayose shouted.
Speaking further and inching towards Obasanjo, Fayose told him that he didn't deserve his greeting and warned Obasanjo never to talk to him again.

Obasanjo flew in rage and called Fayose a "naughty person", this further infuriated Fayose, who moved menacingly towards Obasanjo, waved his finger in his face and called him the "father of bastards".

As soon the situation became chaotic, Fayose stormed of the reception area and was heard cursing Obasanjo and he walked away in anger.

The celebrant, Oyinlola, ran after him and wept complaining that Fayose came to disrupt his joyous occasion.
till u hear from me again i remain ur boy Tobi Raji

Unbelievable: Gay Church Opens in Nigeria

Its real name is Day Spring Assembly, but the host community of Umunze in Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State nicknamed it ‘Skirt Church’.
This is because the entire community had watched with utter astonishment as the pastor and members of the Church indulge in bizarre style of worship.
The pastors and their flock had allegedly gone round the community, including the Nkwo market square preaching that there is nothing wrong in men having sexual intercourse with fellow men, even in the open.
Aside that, the church members had, while mounting the rostrum, preached that any man was free to take another person's wife to bed, provided the woman gave her consent.
To crown it all, the community has been embarrassed by the mode of dressing of the church members. They say male members of the church dress in women’s attires such as skirts, blouses, ear rings and wigs, while their female counterparts wear men’s attires.
The church, it was further learnt, encourages members to go on a drinking spree, and worship all through the night, beginning from evening till day break (TDB).
Not comfortable with the situation, women in the area had staged a protest at the church warning the congregation against what they called obnoxious religious worship. According to them, the practice is capable of promoting sexual promiscuity, particularly among the youths in the area.
As the congregation ignored the women's warning and allegedly continued with their preaching mode, which attracted more members on a daily basis, the women marched to the church premises, demolished the entire structure and ordered the members to leave the area.
A visit to the community during the week, National LIFE learnt that members of the church might have ignored the quit notice issued them by the community, as they have since regrouped, and even making plans to rebuild their demolished church building.
Now the battle line seems to have been drawn between the worshippers and their host community.
As at the time of filing this report, the church members had started moulding blocks in readiness to rebuild the church, even as they spread tarpaulin over the demolished structure to provide shelter for their normal practice.
At the Church premises last Tuesday, National LIFE sighted a members sitting under the tarpaulin quietly. None of them was willing to be drawn into any dialogue.
By Wednesday afternoon, no member of the church was around, as the entire premises was deserted. However, a neighbour who spoke to National LIFE on anonymous condition, said they usually gathered during evening hours anyday they want to worship and remained till the next day.
When contacted, a member of the church who identified himself as Silas Nwafor, a petty trader at the Nkwo Market, Umunze, said he is an ordinary member of the church. According to him, he is not competent to comment on the matter without first obtaining clearance from their pastor who he said lives in Aba, Abia State.
till u hear from me again its ur boy Tobi Raji

Democracy or Dictatorship

Which is needed in present day Nigeria
is it the Democracy that has been in place for over ten years now without relevant reformation in variuos sectors round the the country or the Military form of Govt where the Dictators mostly fight for their own selfish end
pls post ur comments