16 Women Freed from Baby Factory

Sixteen pregnant women have been freed in Nigeria after police raided a 'baby factory'. Nigerian police have raided a home and freed 16 pregnant young women who were allegedly being forced to have babies to be offered for sale for trafficking or other purposes, police say. The expectant mothers were aged between 17 and 37. Abia state police spokesman Geofrey Ogbonna told AFP the raid in the southern city of Aba was carried out on Tuesday and the proprietor, Hyacinth Ndudim Orikara, had been arrested. "The suspect is a serial human trafficker. He claims to be a medical doctor. I could recall that the same man was arrested in May 2011 and 32 teenage girls were rescued from his home," he said. He said the girls confessed that they had been offered to sell their babies for between 25,000 and 30,000 naira (around $A216), depending on the sex of the baby. Ogbonna said the previous incident had been referred to the state-run agency fighting human trafficking, the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons. "I don't know what became of the matter and now he has been arrested again for the same offence," he said. A spokesman for the anti-trafficking agency said it does not have jurisdiction over such cases and had handed the man back over to police. Nigerian security agents have uncovered a series of alleged baby factories in recent years, notably in the southeastern part of the country. Human trafficking is widespread in west Africa, where children are bought from their families to work in plantations, mines and factories or as domestic help. Others are sold into prostitution, and less commonly they are tortured or sacrificed in black magic rituals.

Funny Things Nigerians Do

WHO WOULD U SAY IS D DUMBEST........1. HAUSA man who removed his shoes to enter a taxi.....2.IGBO man who went to the bank with a spanner to open a bank account.3.YORUBA man who went to bed with a ruler just to know how long he slept....4. A TIV man who watched the news and waved at the news reader.5. AN EFIK nurse who woke up a sleeping patient simply because she forgot to give him sleeping pills....6. AN IGALA man who lowered his TV volume because he wanted to read a text message..7.AN EDO man who sprayed himself with mortein to keep mosquitoes away......8.AN IKWERE man who polished his shoes to take a passport photo.9. AN ISOKO man who climbed a mango tree to check if the mango was ripe enough then came down and started stoning it.....10.A FULANI man who chose to drink Fanta because he thought sprite was unripe........11.A GWARI man who saw something that looked like shit, touched n tasted n said "Hmmm" na shit ooo!!! Thank God i no match am....12.AN IDOMA man who put his radio inside the refrigerator because he wanted to listen to Cool FM

Bale Born for Real Madrid!

REAL Madrid’s courting of Gareth Bale has continued, with president Florentino Perez saying the Tottenham star was “born to play for Real Madrid”, while he also lavished praise on Liverpool striker Luis Suarez. Both Bale and Suarez have been heavily linked with a move to Madrid in recent days, with the Tottenham winger’s agent suggesting his client would be open to a transfer, and Liverpool striker Suarez himself talking about how difficult it would be to turn down an offer from the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu club. Speaking on Spanish radio station COPE on Wednesday night the Blancos president said he must respect Bale’s current club but suggested the Wales international would be perfect for Madrid. “He is a very good player who plays at Tottenham, a team we must respect,” Perez said. “He is magnificent and was born to play for Real Madrid.” When Suarez’s comments about maybe moving to Madrid were put to Perez, he admitted to being interested in the Uruguayan, but said other forwards including Borussia Dortmund’s Robert Lewandowski and Napoli’s Edinson Cavani were also options for his club’s new coach and sporting director Zinedine Zidane to evaluate. “Luis Suarez is a great player and of course everyone would like to have him,” he said. “I like him, and others too like Lewandowski and Cavani, they are all very good, but there is not room for them all. About Lewandowski I only know that he scored four against us, but we have two of the best forwards in the world already. I saw him in Dortmund and congratulated him in the dressing-room.” Perez was also asked about a possible move for Barcelona’s Thiago Alcantara, who is thought to be available for just +18 million this summer after the playmaker’s release clause fell temporarily due to a lack of gametime this season. The renowned ‘galactico’ collector recalled it had been difficult to sign Luis Figo from Barca in 2000, but he had done it. “I have no ‘war’ with Barca,” he said. “We had that episode with Figo, it was real and we did it. If there is a player who Barcelona do not want, it seems good to me that he comes here. If Barca are not interested in him [Thiago], and we are, of course we would do it.” Madrid’s primary concern however, once Perez is confirmed as club president for another term in the coming days, is to persuade Cristiano Ronaldo to ignore interest from elsewhere and sign a new contract to keep him at the Bernabeu for the rest of his career. “I will do everything I can to extend [Ronaldo’s] contract,” Perez said. “He has two more years on his current deal, he is the best in the world, and we would like to make a sporting drive with him as our leader, our emblem. I would not sell him, not even for +1 billion, we are not a selling club. If he wanted to be here until the end of his career, that would be perfect. But we will begin speaking about Cristiano after the elections. He will be the first.” (culled from Observer)

Man steals goat, stabs father to death for not defending him

BY EMMA UNA CALABAR — A 21-year-old man, Samuel Eyo Nsa, has stabbed his 78-year-old father, Chief Eyo Nsa, to death at Eseko village, Creek Town in Odukpani Local Government Area of the state. His reason: the late father allegedly refused to defend him after he was caught stealing a neighbour’s goat. The incident happened on Children’s Day when Samuel decided to celebrate the day with a goat stolen from a neighbour, Otobong Matthew, with which he prepared pepper soup to entertain his friends. “When Otobong discovered that evening that one of his goats was missing, he searched everywhere for it and someone told him that he saw Samuel with a goat earlier in the day and had slaughtered it to prepare pepper soup for his friends to celebrate the Children’s Day,” Alex Edet, a Creek Town youth told Vanguard. The revelation, our source said, made Otobong to report the matter to Samuel’s father that his goats were always missing and that someone had told him that Samuel stole his goat to celebrate the Children’s Day. He demanded payment for his goat. “Chief Nsa was tired of appearing in the village square to defend his son and to pay fines for things he kept stealing and, therefore, told the owner of the goat to report the matter to the police,” our source said. According to Edet, after Otobong left the old man’s premises and was on his way to the police station, Samuel who was hiding behind the window listening to the discussion, suddenly appeared, accusing his parents of not defending him and threatened to deal with them. Afraid that the boy would carry out his threat, his mother escaped, while Samuel allegedly gave her a hot chase brandishing a machete but when he got to a point where he met some youths decided to return to the house to attack his aged father who was said to be old and almost blind. “He inflicted several machete cuts on the old man who died on the spot and swore not to spare his mother,” Vanguard was told. Samuel later attempted to escape as he fled into the bush but was apprehended by some youths in the area. “We gave him a hot chase and got hold of him in the CreekTown forest and handed him over to the police at the Odukpani Police division,” said one of the youths. He was after his arrest transferred to the State Police Headquarters in Calabar. The Police Public Relations Officer of the state Police Command, Mr. John Umoh, said the suspect would be charged to court. (Source: Vanguard Newspapers)

OBASANJO Problem to Nigeria?

By Emma Amaize WARRI— FORMER National President of Traditional Rulers of Oil Minerals Producing Communities of Nigeria, TROMPCON, and Pere of Seimbiri Kingdom, in Delta State, HRM Charles Ayemi-Botu, yesterday, examined the activities of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, since he left power in 2007, and concluded that he was now a problem to Nigeria. Speaking to Vanguard on the recent suggestion by the former President that Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State was the kind of person needed to rule the country in 2015, he said that Obasanjo wanted to control and dictate to President Goodluck Jonathan, but having failed to achieve that desire, he opted to pull the house down. Ayemi-Botu, who was livid over Obasanjo’s activities, said: “This is not the first time he is talking about Sule Lamido. Some months ago, he had called on Lamido to take a shot at the Presidency in 2015. “Obasanjo does not want to let go of governance in Nigeria. He wants to be calling the shots even though he is no longer the President. He is a problem to Nigeria. Let Nigerians know that he now has to fraternise with Sule Lamido because, if by chance, Sule Lamido makes it to Aso Villa in 2015, he will be remotely controlling the governance of Nigeria. “Meanwhile, what is his intellectual capacity that makes him feel that if he is not in government or in governance of Nigeria, things will not work well? His eight years was an abysmal failure that did not bring any positive result. Take power for instance, works, the roads were not mended, he spent over N160 billion between him and Anenih and nothing came out of it. During the days of late Bola Ige, nothing happened in the power sector. (culled form VAnguard)

2Face Wedding Pictures

Did you miss the "secret" wedding of music superstar, 2Face Idibia? Here are juicy photos for your pleasure, courtesy, Nigerian Monitor.. The superstar groom and his wife had a court wedding earlier after the valentine day’s proposal. The traditional nuptial took place at Annie’s hometown in Eket, Akwa Ibom State Top music artiste, 2face Idibia will be finalizing marital rite on his sweetheart, Annie Macaulay, come Friday, 8th of March, 2013 in the bride’s hometown at the Apostolic High School, Esit Urua Community, Eket-Ibeno road, in Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State. Check out their Photos below that will be used for souvenirs while some will be used as backdrop for the reception walkway at their white wedding in Dubai. Guests have arrived at the beachside at the famous 5-Star Jumeirah Beach Resort in Dubai.Guests are seated..Red is the color theme for the ceremony with red roses all around Following the black and red invitations, lots of guests in black and red with any in white (one of the official colors of the day) as well Banky W sings,There are SO MANY celebrities here..Don Jazzy, Dr Sid, Banky W, Kate Henshaw, Davido, Ubi Franklin, Ini Edo, Tunde Demuren, Rita Dominic, Susan Peters to mention but a few. Not heard anything about D’banj but will surely give you more updates later. The 3-month-old hotel is called JW Mariott Marquis and it’s 75 storeys high. It is recognized as the tallest hotel building in the world. That’s where 2face and Annie Idibia slept after their wedding in Dubai. Guests spotted this brand new Chevy Corvette with the message “Wedding Gift from Senator David Mark to Tuface & Annie” at the couple’s wedding in Dubai yesterday. 2Face is from Benue State, the same state as Senate President David Mark who is the Senator for the Benue South constituency. The retails from $49,600 in the United States which is approximately N7,850,000. Here is how the official website describes the car; Corvette has carved a permanent place as an innovator in the global automotive landscape and is the top-selling high-performance sports car in its segment. From its standard 430-horsepower LS3 all-aluminum V8 engine, 190-mph performance and its 26-MPG-highway† fuel efficiency, Corvette defines state-of-the-art technology, engineering and design among luxury sports cars year after year. And with options for personalization, the 2013 Corvette stands to reflect unparalleled distinction. According to CKN Nigeria, Special Adviser – Media & Publicity to the President of the Senate David Mark, Kola Ologbondiyan allegedly claims the gift is not from Senator Mark Senator Mark did not visit Dubai for Tiface wedding rather he attended the 128th Inter parliamentary Union (IPU) conference currently holding in Quito, Ecuador. He was also not represented at Mr. Idibia’s wedding. It is also instructive to state that the President of the Senate, Senator Mark, did not make a car donation of any kind to Tuface before departing Nigeria for Ecuador neither did he purchase nor send any car to Dubai as a wedding gift for the musician or his wife. Who made the donation on behalf of the President of the Senate? It is therefore a puerile lie for anybody to state that Senator Mark bought a Ferrari car worth N47m for Tuface. The allegation is wicked, ridiculous and irresponsible. What should we believe, the photos or the politician’s PR? No word on how the car will make it back to Lagos where the couple is based.

Nigeria - Gay Law for Review?

ABUJA - A group, the Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has called for the review of the extant rules contained in the law banning gay marriages in Nigeria, passed recently by the National Assembly. The National Coordinator of HURIWA, Mr. Emmanuel Onwubiko, made the call yesterday in an interview with newsmen in Abuja. He said that the new law would infringe on the rights of particular persons whose duty might necessarily make them liable in the line of their duties. “How do you explain the fact that the Act has made provisions for the conviction of the persons who are not practicing gay marriage but are just mere witness? “For instance, journalists or investigators who in the course of their duties come across or arrest such people, they might be convicted based on the content of the bill.” Onwubiko stressed the need for the National Assembly to specifically amend the provision that specified terms of punishment for witnesses to avoid human rights abuse. The coordinator, however, commended the National Assembly for protecting the integrity of Nigerian values, especially as it related to marital obligations and marriage rights. He said that it was appropriate that everything should be done to stop the infiltration of Nigeria’s culture by unnatural practices. The House of Representatives on May 30, approved 14 years imprisonment for persons who contracted same sex marriage in Nigeria. (Culled Nigerian Observer)

$56million for Agric Research

THE World Bank has invested $56 million (N8.9 billion) in the nation’s agricultural research system, to improve food production in the country. The five-year project, codenamed West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP-Nigeria) and being implemented by Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), is targetted at boosting Nigeria’s research system. The project is expected to make research system contribute more effectively to technological development, dissemination and adoption for greater agricultural productivity. A breakdown of the fund revealed that the sub-regional International Development Association contributed $30 million, the Nigeria IDA paid $15 million, while the Federal Government provided a counterpart fund of $5 million and the Spanish government through the Global Food Crisis Response Programme (GFPR) provided $6 million. The National Project Coordinator WAAPP-Nigeria, Prof. Damian Chikwendu, revealed this in Makurdi, Benue State, while presenting a brief on WAAPP-Nigeria at a consultative meeting with some selected universities. Chikwendu also disclosed that the project covers the whole country, with about 1.5 million people, comprising farmers, processors and marketers expected to benefit from the programme. He added that the project would also help improve agricultural productivity and promote regional integration as instruments for enhancing shared growth and poverty reduction in West Africa. Chikwendu, who bemoaned the low level of agricultural research in the country, which he described as non-participatory, stressed the need for researchers to tackle farmer’s problems, rather than allow their efforts to gather dust on the shelves. He said: “it’s unfortunate that most agricultural researches conducted nowadays do not have direct bearing on the farmers and end consumers.” A professor should be able to conduct researches that will address challenges faced by farmers and not just allow his research work not to have impact.” The Executive Secretary, Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria, Prof. Yusuf Abubakar, expressed dissatisfaction at the lip service being paid by past governments to research development in the country. He said it’s a good thing that government is waking up to its responsibility by planning to restructure National Agricultural Research System (NARS) after EMBRAPA in Brazil. “There is now a shift from scientists working in isolation to their interaction with concerned system actors, resulting in increased flows and use of knowledge held by the actors, innovation and increased capacity to innovate”, he said. Abubakar, however, stressed the need for government to improve funding of the sub-sector. Next > Author of this article: From Joke Falaju, Abuja (The Guidian)

Is Orji Uzo Kalu Sincere in his Statement?

(Report By Osita Ebiem) When I read Orji Uzor Kalu’s article about his belief in the “. . . unity and indivisibility of Nigeria.” the first reaction would have been to be alarmed. Then he was writing about the Nigerian government crime of murder against its citizens in Zaki-Biam, Benue State in October 2001. Kalu in his essay insists that Olusegun Obasanjo by his action of ordering the mass killing of Nigerian citizens in Zaki-Biam deliberately committed crime against humanity. Obasanjo was Nigeria’s President in 2001 and he gave orders to the military to destroy the villages in and around Zaki-Biam over some inter-ethnic disputes involving Tiv and Jukun. The entire area was sacked with hundreds of civilians killed and properties destroyed. This was a repeat of what the same Obasanjo government did earlier in Odi, Bayalesa State in November 1999. The Odi incident is considered by most analysts as genocide. Some readers will also recall that it was the same Obasanjo as the commander of the Nigerian 3rd Marine Brigade in January, 1970 committed what has become known as the Njaba Massacre against Igbo civilians after the war had ended. For several days after ceasefire agreement had been signed by the Biafran General Philip Effiong and his Nigerian counterparts, soldiers under the direct command of Obasanjo went on a killing and pillaging spree at Njaba and its surrounding areas. Majority of the victims were civilian children, women and men in various refugee camps. Witnesses remember that the entire Njaba River was turned into a river of blood and a putrid soup of human flesh. Thousands of people were killed, women were raped and some were seized and taken away as sex slaves. For many months after wards the entire river and surrounding area festered with thousands of bloated bodies floating and others rotting in the open fields. 43 years later the Ezu River dumping of 2013 where more than 40 bodies of young men were found by horrified villagers would rudely remind the people of the Njaba Massacre. Reports have it that Ezu victims were suspected members of the non-violent separatist group; MASSOB, Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra. They said the MASSOB members were executed extra-judicially by the Nigerian Police and dumped in the river. Most Igbo consider Kalu’s seemingly harmless statement in the opening paragraph of this essay as thoughtless, reckless, insensitive and roundly condemnable. In the mind of most Igbo they see the statement as more devastating than it appears to a casual reader. For such Igbo they consider Kalu’s “flippant misspeak” as negatively impacting on the psyche of Igbo people and demeaning of the memories of those of them who died for Biafra as the crime of pogrom/genocide itself. Prominent among those who vehemently condemn the statement is Oguchi Nkwocha, the Biafran expert and an advocate for the division of the Nigerian state along ethnic lines. In his reaction, as well as calling Kalu’s confessed position shameful Nkwocha describes it as “. . . typical of the stupid Igbo trying so hard to be more one-Nigerian than any others, completely oblivious to how ridiculous he is in that: it is more nauseating than convincing. After all, which other ethnic group in Nigeria would use that as an opening statement in any discourse, serious or not?” (http://www.republicreport.com/in-memorium-of-zaki-biam-regional-genocide-nigeria-to-matters-arising-orji-kalu-kalu-leadership-seriesgovernor-of-abia-state1999-2007/). Nkwocha is a reputable force in the campaign against genocides and typically condemns genocides anywhere. So his anger would not have been against Kalu’s position on Zaki-Biam and Odi. This is clear because he goes further to explain his anger which is held by most Igbo. He says; “. . . in that mien, he [Kalu] goes on to ignore the ongoing Genocide by Nigeria against his own people [Igbo people]—he has to; and is ever willing to lead the charge of genocide against any another group.” Nkwocha and other Igbo believe that Biafra genocide remains the most heinous and the one with the greatest number of people killed in Africa and any honest commentator on African genocides and mass killings cannot justifiably ignore it for any reason. The people in this group argue that the other major reason why it is not only dishonest but dangerous to gloss over Biafra genocide is because the ethnic/religious cleansing of Igbo people is still on-going in Nigeria just as Nkwocha pointed out. Some commentators believe that Nkwocha’s statement about Kalu’s supposedly unthinking effusive patriotic gushing for one Nigeria is too strong, but others feel that he did not condemn Kalu enough. The people in the latter group believe that Kalu by his statement is making a mockery of the memory of more than 3.1 million Igbo people and other Biafrans who gave their lives in the process of trying to free Igbo people and others from the clutches of one Nigeria. And this group is pained more by what they consider as perhaps the longest running or unremitting genocide in history: Igbo/Biafra Genocide and ethnic/religious cleansing of Igbo people in Nigeria. Another group that would be alarmed at Kalu’s statement would be those Igbo who believe that in today’s Nigerian political scene any Igbo politician should be knowledgeable on the important highlights of the history of his Igbo people that he leads. In their opinion such insensitivity as displayed by Kalu becomes more disturbing when such a politician had risen to an important position of being governor of an Igbo state. (Kalu served as governor of Abia State from 1999 to 2007). It is believed that such level of insensitivity and grandiose dreams based on irrationality among Igbo leaders may only be forgiven in the likes of the quintessential Pan-Africanist (Nnamdi Azikiwe) who had very little history to refer to. In today’s scheme of things in Nigeria they contend that it is expected that all Igbo participants in the Nigerian politics should be more of realists than mere dreamers. In today’s Nigeria any Igbo confessing like Kalu did would not only be considered reckless but to be dangerously impacting negatively on the well-being and future of his entire people. The argument of those Igbo like Nkwocha who appear to hold extreme position is; if there is one single most important episode in the annals of Igbo history, Biafra would surely be it. So it would baffle any Igbo political analyst any day how an Igbo politician could attain any meaningful position in Nigerian politics without a sound knowledge of the Biafran tragedy? Hence it is believed by most Igbo pundits that a good knowledge of the Biafran experience is supposed to be the first qualification for any Igbo public participant. In the real world of politics no one should ever dream of leading a people to a future without knowing about their past? The road to the future is always found in the people’s past. Generally, historians have always had the consensus that those who would get to a planned and successful future, whether as individuals or a group, would always first find their past and learn all the lessons in store for them there. In Kalu’s confessed belief in one Nigeria he fell victim of the guilt of the non-politician’s absolute sermon. This mistake is perhaps the deadliest Achilles’ heel of many Igbo politicians. Some other Igbo politicians have often been guilty of assuming similar absolute positions when reacting to certain aspects of Nigerian politics. Successful politicians try as much as possible to avoid the many dangers of taking absolute positions and making absolute statements in their dealings with certain political issues. Sincere and honest politicians always find ways, without prevaricating or being dishonest, to still communicate forthrightly and honestly what they think. Most important politicians and participants on human social affairs understand the basic fact that they can only be certain and absolute within the wishes and needs of the people they lead. When time or circumstances dictate for the people what they want at any given time, it is always in the best interest of the leaders to adjust accordingly their own positions so as to remain relevant with their people. In divine matters believers can conveniently run the risk of being absolutely sure of the doctrines of their faith but not in the physical or social sciences. Successful leaders in progressive societies study and adjust their convictions and decisions at every given time on the whims and actual needs of the people they lead and in the context of the people’s environment. From his recent political and social activities Orji Uzo Kalu and his organization; Njiko Igbo appear to have started taking that all-important politician’s adjustment steps, even if haltingly, to conform to his people’s wishes and needs. Kalu went to the British House of Commons on April 18, 2013 and presented the case of Igbo plight and marginalization in Nigeria. (http://www.southeastnigeria.com/blog/2013/04/24/special-report-copy-of-dr-orji-uzor-kalus-speech-at-the-british-house-of-commons/). He also used the opportunity to explain his Njiko Igbo movement to his British audience. This action is one little positive step on behalf of Igbo. Igbo people expect a lot more similar steps in the interest of Igbo from those among them who are well-gifted. All well-meaning Igbo stand by everything that Kalu said in his address to the British Parliament. However some of the analysts have pointed out that Kalu ended his address before the British parliamentarians without proffering a realistic solution to the problems he enunciated. They argue that Kalu should have told the British lawmakers to consider as the most viable solution to Nigeria’s problem of endemic ethnic hatred and religious cleansing in the principles of Self Determination for the various ethnic groups in Nigeria who are held down by a forced unity in an unworkable one Nigeria. They contend that Kalu should have been more forceful in his condemnation of the unfounded hatred of his Igbo people by the rest of Nigerians by offering his listeners the most viable solution which is the division of Nigeria along ethnic/religious lines. Kalu would not have needed to look far for familiar examples to give to his listeners. If he had referred to the on-going process of separation of Scotland and Wales from the British union as model to follow in resolving the Igbo-Nigerian situation it would have been an apt and very familiar example to his audience. Perhaps Kalu did not go that far because he still thinks that the hatred and marginalization of Igbo in Nigeria will end once an Igbo becomes the head of state of Nigeria. Kalu is quite intelligent and a reflective thinker and over time he will know that the hope of Igbo does not consist in the presidency of Nigeria but in the separation of Igbo people from Nigeria. Kalu is also bold and unafraid of change unlike some of his critics. He is not known to never change his mind when he encounters another and a more reinforcing light. Kalu as well as many people like him will discover sooner than later, the truth that Nigeria is divisible just as the United Kingdom of Great Britain is. (We will return to this later). It had to take Kalu some years after he left office as governor of Abia State to reflect and draw a more realistic conclusions on the purposely restricted position of Igbo people in the scheme of things in Nigeria. To get an insight into what probably informed Kalu’s perceived, if not a complete volte-face, but at least a more realistic view of the Nigerian state in relationship with Kalu’s Igbo people, one may have to go to the article under review which was published in mid-February of 2008: The Zaki Biam massacre: Matters arising. In the article Kalu said; “Without sounding immodest I wish to state that my sojourn in Umuahia Government House from 1999 to 2007 as governor gave me a privileged insight into the intrigues that dog Nigeria’s political life. In fact, the period under review also offered me the opportunity to relate to different people from all over Nigeria, irrespective of tribe, religion or status, and shared in their joys and sorrows.” So, though Kalu had started out by making the sweeping statement as we quoted in the opening paragraph and further down he continued to think that his belief is after all not a fluke, reading between the lines we know that his experience on the job has actually made a far reaching and lasting change in him more than he may be willing to admit. Reading him closely reveals to any careful observer that Kalu was only fighting and shouting down an insistent voice which has continued to dog him and many other Igbo politicians over the years. From their interactions with the peoples of other ethnic groups in Nigeria Igbo politicians have not been able to wish away or suppress the only reasonable conclusion about the untenable existence of a Nigerian state where Igbo features as a member of the union. Experience they say is the best teacher and for Igbo people like Orji Uzor Kalu who are quite reflective and articulate they cannot escape for too long this truth about Nigeria. Real life experiences will always override mere wishful thinking when anyone is sincere and willing to pursue after the truth. This truth about Nigeria is such that the louder the inexperienced, insincere, lazy and unthinking ones shout out the indivisibility of one Nigeria; the more difficult it gets for them to drown out the ever mounting reasons for the immediate divisibility of Nigeria. And why this seeming Nigerian paradox is not difficult at all to contemplate is simple. The Nigerian union after all was put together for the indigenous peoples by the United Kingdom of Great Britain as the colonial masters. And as we earlier mentioned the various component parts of the British union are going their separate ways through national referendums and the principles of Self Determination. So, Britain is divisible and it is dividing. After hundreds of years Scotland and Wales are leaving the United Kingdom to form their own independent sovereign nations. These events taking place in the UK today are helping those who had previously believed in error in the indivisibility of Nigeria to change their mind. It is now easy for the diehard “one-Nigerianists” to say; after all, Britain is divisible and it is dividing before our eyes so why not one Nigeria. (Yes, that is true, why not divide one Nigeria)? Most commentators on the period when Kalu served as the Governor of Abia State have only but negative things to say about his performances there. Therefore, going by a majority consensus it can be assumed that Kalu failed in governance while he ran Abian affairs. His critics say that Kalu was a bad governor who did not improve the lot of his Abia people. But this article has only looked at Kalu on the basis of the recent work he is doing on behalf of Igbo people. Some Igbo people tend to be uncomfortable when they hear someone talking about the oppressions of Igbo people in the hands of other members of the Nigerian union. They would rather adopt the macho stance of believing that Igbo can take care of themselves and there is no point of anyone constantly painting the picture of Igbo as the victim. Who wouldn’t rather be regarded by their peers as the top dog? But in the real world it is true that things are not exactly as these in the Igbo macho school of thought would want it. Igbo ethnic group in Nigeria is therefore in disparate need for sincere, honest, dedicated and intellectually competent individuals and groups who would concertedly present their plight before a skeptical and seemingly uncaring world. (Culled from Masterweb)

Amnesty for All Youths in Nigeria Advocated

Amnesty has been taken to a new level, to mean "bread for the boys", according to Senator Anthony Adefuye, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) chieftain in Lagos, Nigeria. In his opinion, until "amnesty" is granted to the teaming unemployed youths in the country, we might not be through with the insecurity in the country. Senator Adefuye opined this at a press interview on Silver Bird Television, Lagos, this morning. According to him, there has been insecurity in the south south, now it is the north, who knows what will happen in the South West. He contended that the South Western Nigeria which he said is about 20 percent of the Nigerian population has the highest numbers of graduates and unemployed youths. On the imbroglio with People Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum, he advised all to sheath their swords in the interest of all.

Bankers Jittery over Cashless Policy implementation

Banker workers nationwide, especially the low rank Tellers and cash officers have begun thinking alternative job/income as the implementation of the cashless policy nears. The cash-less policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria enters a new phase today (Monday) as the maximum ceiling of N150,000 placed on conversion of third-party cheques to cash by individuals takes off. The implication is that any cheque above N150,000 originating from a third party must be lodged into the beneficiary’s account. The policy, according to the CBN, is one of the measures being put in place to discourage the use of cash in the system. Consequently, some deposit money banks have sent text messages to their customers to intimate them of the new policy. A message sent by one of the banks reads, “Dear customer, kindly note that from June 1, 2013, third-party cheques over N150,000 cannot be cashed over the counter but should be lodged into your account.” Similarly, the CBN has announced the extension of the coverage of the cash-less policy to the Federal Capital Territory, and five states, Kano, Rivers, Abia, Ogun and Anambra as from July 1, 2013. Some of the workers who expressed fears contended that the policy will render many workers redundant, especially the operations staff. This, they argued, may lead to mass retrenchment. Whether this is true or not, mass retrenchment of workers in the bank has been on since the last two years following the monthly losses most banks record. In order to avoid industrial unrest, these staff were called upon to resign their appointments.

Buhari Against Military Offensive Against Boko Haram

By John Shiklam in Kaduna Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) National Leader, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, has criticised the declaration of state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States and the subsequent military offensive against the Boko Haram Islamic sect. Buhari, who featured on the “Guest of the Week,” a Hausa programme of the Kaduna-based Liberty Radio, yesterday said the federal government’s action was a gross injustice against the north. According to him, unlike the special treatment the federal government gave to the Niger Delta militants, the Boko Haram members were being killed and their houses demolished. He said he was not in support of the declaration of state of emergency in the three north-eastern states because President Goodluck Jonathan had failed from the outset in addressing the security situation in the country. Besides, Buhari added that the security challenges facing the country started in the Niger Delta region where he alleged that politicians desperate to retain their positions as governors recruited youths and armed them to enable them win elections by force. According to Buhari, who fielded questions in Hausa language before the English version of the programme, “What is responsible for the security situation in the country was caused by the activities of Niger Delta militants. “Every Nigerian that is familiar with what happened knows this. The Niger Delta militants started it all. What happened is that the governors of the Niger Delta region at that time wanted to win their elections, so they recruited the youths and gave them guns and bullets and used them against their opponents to win elections by force. “After the elections were over, they asked the boys to return the guns, the boys refused to return the guns. Because of that, the allowance that was being given to the youths by the governors during that time was stopped. “The youths resorted to kidnapping oil workers and were collecting dollars as ransom. Now a boy of 18 to 20 years was getting about $500 in a week, why will he go to school and spend 20 years to study and then come back and get employed by government to be paid N100,000 a month; that is if he is lucky to get employment? “So kidnapping became very rampant in the south-south and the south-east. They kidnapped people and were collecting money. “How did Boko Haram start? We know that their leader, Mohammed Yusuf, started his militancy and the police couldn’t control them and the army was invited. He was arrested by soldiers and handed over to the police. “The appropriate thing to do, according to the law, was for the police to carry out investigations and charge him to court for prosecution, but they killed him, his in-law was killed, they went and demolished their houses. “Because of that, his supporters resorted to what they are doing today. “You see in the case of the Niger Delta militants, the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua sent an airplane to bring them, he sat down with them and discussed with them, they were cajoled, and they were given money and granted amnesty. “They were trained in some skills and were given employment, but the ones in the north are being killed and their houses demolished. They are different issues, what brought this? It is injustice.” Buhari also explained why he joined politics after his release from detention by former military president, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, saying that his close associates and those who knew him very well convinced him to join partisan politics. He said those who knew him, knew that he took on positions of responsibility without begging anyone for appointments. “I was a military governor in a state that has been divided into six states today; I was minister of petroleum for four years and six months. I was a military head of state. But because these people know how I live my life, they were not coming to beg me for money. They were coming to ask me to comment on issues that affected the nation,” he added. He said further that the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 also shaped his attitude to politics. “When I joined partisan politics in April 2002, in my ward in Daura, (Katsina State), they kept on coming. And then one significant thing at the global level happened, the Soviet Union collapsed. “Out of the Soviet Union, there are now about 18 or 19 republics and that conclusively proved to me as an individual that the multi-party system is the best form of democracy, but with the big caveat that elections must be free and fair. That is how I arrived in CPC today, but first from APP to ANPP to CPC," he said. Buhari lamented that God has blessed Nigeria with human and natural resources, but “we have failed to organise ourselves”, stressing that one of the problems bedevilling the country is bad leadership. (culled from ThisDay).

$14B - Japan to Africa

Japan said on Saturday it would give $14 billion in aid to Africa over the next five years, as Tokyo scrambles to grab a share of resources and the potentially vast marketplace on offer. Around half of the money will be targeted at infrastructure development, with Tokyo seeking to match its desire to export transport systems and power grids with the gaping needs of the continent. Japan's overseas development aid "will be about 1.4 trillion yen ($14 billion)" Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said at the start of a three-day conference in Tokyo involving the leaders of more then 40 African countries, reports AFP. Including this aid, "Japan will offer up to 3.2 trillion yen in support to Africa's growth via public and private sector investment", he said. Japanese firms are keen to develop their presence in Africa's growing market, and the country as a whole needs access to the resources the continent harbours. Despite relatively long-standing connections, Japan's importance to Africa has slipped behind that of China, whose more aggressive approach has given it five times the trading volume and eight times the direct investment. The five-yearly Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), a get-together of political leaders from across Africa, is Japan's two decade old effort to boost links. Ahead of this year's forum, Japanese officials stressed that Tokyo wants to transform its relationship with Africa from that of donor-recipient to a business partnership. That theme was taken up by Abe. "What Africa needs now is private-sector investment. 'PPP', or 'public-private partnership', leverages that investment," Abe told delegates. Tokyo's commitment to Africa differed from that of other nations, Abe said, in remarks that appeared to have been a reference to China. Beijing is criticised in some corners for what is sometimes seen as prosecuting little more than a resources grab and for not linking investment with demands for improved human rights or more transparent governance in recipient countries. "Japan has aimed to create a 'true partnership' with Africa over the entire course of our relations," Abe said. The focus on shifting the relationship was welcomed by delegates, with South African President Jacob Zuma saying the continent's economy had to develop

Jonathan to Skip Primaries?

(By Muhammad Bello and John Shiklam. 'ThisDay Live) There are indications that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party may, after all do away with its age long tradition of conducting primaries for all elective positions and, instead; endorse the incumbent president and incumbent governors seeking re-election as its flag bearers in the forthcoming 2015 elections. The chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Tony Anenih, gave the hint when he spoke late Thursday night at a forum tagged PDP Family Dinner held for the party stalwarts at the Banquet Hall of the State Hose, Abuja. But in a swift reaction, the Arewa Consultative Forum said it would amount to a mockery of democracy if the ruling party decides not to conduct primaries for some elective positions for the 2015 polls. According to Anenih, sharp divisions over the outcome of primaries in the past have created serious problem for the party and its members. Big wigs of the PDP had converged in Abuja to wine and dine in an attempt to revive the party, which in recent times have been battling with internal wrangling. Seeking the legitimisation of his opinion on the jettisoning of primaries, the BOT Chair said the party must evolve a new system of producing "our flag bearers that will preserve our unity and the President and governors seeking second term should be given automatic tickets." Anenih also told participants that the current situation whereby two of the party members are laying claims to the leadership of the Nigerian Governors Forum was unacceptable and must be addressed urgently. Anenih, who said the survival of the party hung on the balance, noted: "Having two chairmen in the Nigerian Governors Forum and both of them are PDP members is embarrassing and must be addressed. We cannot preside over a divided house and I urged the PDP leadership to step in and address the situation." But the chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, followed a different path by openly declaring that Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau was the new chairman of the NGF. Jang later led 14 of the governors to a meeting with President Jonathan yesterday morning. Jang, who insisted that he was the legitimate chairman of the NGF, told journalists after the Friday meeting that the governors met the president to felicitate with him on his achievements after two years in office and discussed the security challenges in the country. President Goodluck Jonathan, who spoke last at the dinner, in the early hours of yesterday, also posited that controversies in politics was a healthy development that strengthen affiliations, stressing that criticism of the ruling party by the opposition political parties should not cause it any worry. The president said: "if opposition keeps holding meeting then you should smile; if they don't you should be uncomfortable. If the opposition abuses the President you should sleep well; if they don't you should be worried. "PDP is not built on the platform of conspiracy. We don't believe in conspiracy. We must continue to unite. Sometimes family members disagree; why we continue to win at elections is because we have a way of settling our differences at the 11th hour. We must continue to work together and resolve our differences; then we will continue to win elections." The spokesman of the ACF, Anthony Sani, said the proposal by the PDP to give incumbents automatic tickets in 2015 would be against the Electoral Act, which prescribes internal democracy in the political parties. According to him, the Act prescribes that even if there is only one candidate for a position, the members of the party must vote "yes or no

Dwarfs - Why Ladies Run After Us

Dwarfs, who, until recently, dot major traffic spots in Lagos, selling DVD collections of movies produced by them, have their own fair share of attraction and love from ladies. Some of them cornered at their rendezvous in Oshodi area of the Lagos confessed they are never in want of love from ladies, who are daily attracted to them due to their special qualities. In a sensational but compelling interview, the dwarfs revealed the reasons ladies run after them for love. When Saturday Sun visited for the interview, Ogbaji, who seems to be their unofficial spokesperson, was doing his laundry, in a public bathroom. Okorie, his other partner, was having his bath. When they were ready to talk, the interview started. Midway in the interview Ochuko and Emeka strolled in and joined. While giving reasons they are no longer on the expressway hawking movies, Benue State-born Ogbaji, who described himself as a movie marketer said: “ It is not that we left the roads. The fact is that we are constantly chased by KAI (Kick Against Indiscipline) operatives. They said the governor has prohibited street hawking and you know we do most of our hawking in traffic. But we are just managing our lives, looking for favours, here and there. There is nothing else that we do except hawking. We act in our movies and market our films. That is the only job we do to feed. We are appealing to government to help us. It is better we are hawking to feed ourselves than joining criminal gangs and if the government wants to send us out of the streets, it must find another means of livelihood for us.” Contrary to the notion that these dwarfs are school dropouts and illiterates, Ochuko said some of them are as educated as any other person. He revealed that not only that some of them are secondary school certificate holders, some are graduates, even as those who stopped at First School Leaving Certificate are skilled labourers. According to him, “the problem is when it’s time for employment, discrimination begins to be observed because of our situations. Does our height affect our brains? For me, I finished my primary education and was learning the business of selling electronics, but it was aborted when I came to Lagos because of acting.” Dramatic and sensationally, Ogbaji spoke of how he joined the dwarfs’ colony. He said: “My people came to market their films in my place from Lagos and saw me on the way. Somehow, they convinced me to join them. That was how I came to Lagos and joined in acting. From there I also joined in marketing films.” All the while, Ogbaji, who was dead serious, managed a smile when asked about his love life. “I am not married yet. I want to first of all make enough money to feed my family. But I have a lover. She is tall. You want to know why we date tall girls? Well, it is even the girls themselves that like us. I think it is basically love. Though we are short from the waist up, we are usually very long under our pants, from the waist down and the ladies love that aspect of us very well,” he declared. The next set of questions returned his serious looks, as he tried to give answers on the dwarf association. “We have only one association, but nobody is the president. We all are our own bosses. It is so because we used to be under one man, Ichie Matthias, but he no longer assists us. He is now into sachet water business. Since he stopped assisting us, we all went our separate ways. It was probably another group that benefited from T.B Joshua’s largesse,” he said. With his hair combed backwards and a visible ring on one side of his wide nose, Ochuko maintained that a plaza, in Oshodi, is where they converge to begin their business for the day. He also hinted that most of them sleep there while appealing to government to assist them. “I want government to give me a job and to provide a roof over my head. I would so much appreciate it if I could get an estate to live in. Basically, anything government can help us with.” When reminded that they also make a living by acting and dance in shows, he replies thus: “What we get cannot make us live as we ought to. If we have enough capital, we can do other business and leave this risky hawking job. Apart from the risk of running after vehicles on the express way, whenever KAI catches us, they will seize our films and take us to Alausa where we cough out N10, 000 upwards for our release. How much are we making? Tell government that we are really suffering!” Friendship across the Niger The case of Christian Emeka from Abia State is not too different from that of Ochuko. Married and has a child, Emeka said he was convinced to join the Lagos branch of their association when they came to his village to market their films in 2004. On his challenges, he says: “It is God who created us too, but the only common challenge is that people usually make cynical remarks when we pass and some will abuse us.” Emeka refutes the claim that they get assistance from good spirited Nigerians. “No, it is only from the sales of films that we get our daily bread. Except once in a while when we go marketing and somebody gives us like N100. 00 if he is not buying our film.” On whether they are members of the Actors Guild of Nigeria he said: “Our kind of movie is quite different from the normal movie. It is just one man that used to assist us then. We shoot and do the marketing on commission basis. But now, we are no longer with him. What we do now is still sell some of our movies and also sell other films for other people on a commission basis.” Emeka also appeals to the government to assist them. “We are all Nigerians, whether tall or short. We should be included in the scheme of things. They just abandoned us as if we are not Nigerians. We are like minus to them. As we hawk in traffic, they drive past us as if we don’t exist. They should come to our aid and remember that we are also Nigerians who voted them to power,” he said. For Chidi Okorie, from Enugu State, movie making and marketing is better than the butcher business he left in his hometown before joining his colleagues in 2008. Curious to know how they get information of traffic jam in any particular area, Okorie said: “It is not that we know where traffic is heavy. We just scatter ourselves and wherever we meet traffic jam, we sell our stuff. I won’t forget to add that government should help us. We are like other normal people. I am the only short person in my family. My parents and siblings are all tall.” (By Sam Anokam)

Sammy Okposo Love Life

Sammie Okposo… The love of my life Our Reporter June 1, 2013 1 Comment » Sammie Okposo… The love of my life By Tony Ogaga Erhariefe Gospel music star and Glo Ambassador, Sammie Okposo has opened up on how he was almost pressured into pre-mature marriage and the ordeal he went through at the hands of those who believed their ideas for him were the best. In an exclusive chat with The Entertainer, Okposo declared that at a point, the pressure was so much he actually caved in and started an affair just to get people off his back. “Before I met my wife there were a couple of ladies that I would have loved to marry but it just did not work out. I get along with the female folk a great deal. Till today, my female fan base is large. And there was a lot of pressure especially from the media and my pastor friends. They were like ‘Sammie, marry now’. “The pressure was so much so I said to myself, ‘okay, let me just try so that people will leave me alone and those were the times I got heartbroken because I tried to make it happen by myself. I was trying to force it but it just did not click,” he said. A mother’s advice The pressure was so much on Sammie it finally attracted the attention of his late mother who called him aside and advised him to wait on the Lord and that proved to be a very important advice. “Before my mum passed on she was my number one fan in the world. My mum said to me, ‘my son, no matter the woman you want to marry, if she is not the woman for you, it will not work. My prayer for you is that, son, that woman that is your wife, no matter how long it takes, God will bring her to you.’ “After my mum’s advice, I reslised that I had been putting too much pressure on myself and so I decided to just let go. It was during this period that God finally revealed my wife to me,” Sammie explained. Meeting Ozioma The musician said the first time he met Ozioma, his wife of three years; it was love at first sight. They met at a church concert in the UK where he had the opportunity to be one of the few African artistes to perform on the same platform with the likes of Ron Kenolly and Cece Winans. Sammie recalls: “It was a big concert. The place was blazing. We finished the concert and there was a long queue for autographs. Just as I was signing autographs I just saw her and I said, ‘my God! This is my wife!’ “It just dawned on my spirit that this is my wife: that I was finally home. I looked at her and she looked at me and I felt that intimate connection. I signed the CDs and she left, there was no time to chat her up because people were waiting to buy my CDs and get my autograph. I just prayed and said ‘God, if this is my wife, I will meet her again.” It would seem the Spirit was at work. The next day a friend picked Sammie up to see a movie but they decided to see an exhibition first and as they walked in, Sammie was speechless as he beheld his future wife again. Her elder sister was the organizer of the exhibition! Snubbed If Sammie thought he would just stroll into Ozioma’s heart he was in for a surprise. From the outset it was obvious that Ozioma was not impressed by his superstar status. “I was surprised. It was her elder sister that was holding the exhibition. We were introduced to each other and got talking and my wife, being the well brought up girl that she was, she was not carried away with my celebrity status. “My wife no send me o. She was very well spoken, accommodating and polite. She was very calm and confident and that was killing me the more! You know in our line of work, the ladies are always very nice and always there. But she was calm, cool, collected and confident. I asked for her number and she said a flat no! But because she did not want to be rude, she said she will give me her e-mail because she didn’t know me well enough to entrust me with her number,” Sammie stated. Did he feel rejected? Sammie responded thus: “Strangely, I did not feel rejected. I was like wow! This is a great lady. And as God would have it, after I met her, all through the flight back to Lagos I was only thinking of her.” For some reasons Sammie could not explain, he was swamped with invitations from the UK to perform during that period. It was like London had just discovered him and that created more opportunity for him to interact and spend more time with Ozioma, and they were getting to know each other during the back and forth trips. During one of those trips he finally got her phone number! Eureka How did it feel when he finally got the number? “I screamed eureka!” the musician cried out loud. “And we started talking and it went on and on but then it was very quiet and she said to me, ‘listen, you know you’re a celebrity, I cannot change that fact, I can’t change what you do but how are you going to be able to keep your work and keep your home?’ “I said ‘trust me, there will be no unnecessary announcement’. I promised her that nobody would know that we were getting married. I dated my wife for three years; it was a quiet romance. She was scared that one day, journalists will call her from Nigeria and harass her but it never happened. I had no choice but to keep it secret; this was my home, my family. I believed that as an entertainer, your work is public but family is sacred.” Sammie disclosed that when her family heard that she wanted to marry him, there was uproar! “They were like, ‘this guy loves women a lot and women love him too. Are you sure you can cope?’ But she still married me because she knows that after the show we will both go home together,” he stated. Married at last The lovebirds finally got married in a fairy tale wedding in Lagos that attracted the crème de la crème of the Nigerian society including politicians and high networth individuals. In retrospect Sammie said: “I have been heartbroken as a guy. And when I look at my wife now I am happy that I was heartbroken because if I had married any of those I met earlier, I wouldn’t have married Ozioma. Pain is necessary for everybody at one point in time or the other. “That’s why I tell my colleagues; marry a woman that understands your work and things associated with your work. A woman should love you for who you are and not because you’re a celebrity. Some ladies marry because they want to marry a celebrity and that is a problem.”