Nigeria police heighten security around embassies, foreign missions

American embassy, Abuja

Nigerian police has beefed up security around foreign embassies to prevent possible trouble over the US film which some Muslims say is offensive.

The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, on Wednesday ordered the police to provide adequate security to all embassies and foreign missions in the country.

The directive was contained in a statement signed by Frank Mba, the Deputy Force Public Relations Officer.
The statement directed the Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIGs) in charge of zonal commands, as well as state Commissioners of Police to provide a 24-hour water-tight security in and around the missions.

It said the directive followed recent violent demonstrations in some parts of the world linked to a recent US film believed to have offended some Muslim faithfuls.

“The Nigeria Police has taken the immediate proactive security measures to ensure that no similar violence is replicated within our country,” Mr. Mba said.

The units to be deployed to the embassies include the Counter Terrorism Unit, Police Mobile Force, and Special Protection Unit.

The IG warned trouble makers to stay off the streets of Nigeria, as the nation’s security agencies would bring to bear the full weight of the law on all laws breakers.

He advised parents and guardians to monitor their wards closely, to protect them from negative influences of mischief makers who might want to lure them into criminal and unwholesome acts.

NAN

Al-Qaeda Behind Libya US Embassy Killing – Poland

 
Killed US ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens


Al-Qaeda may have played a role in the killing of four Americans in an attack on a US consulate in Libya, including the US ambassador, Poland’s President Bronislaw Komorowski said Wednesday.

“It’s possible that what happened is tied to worrying developments in eastern Libya and probably also in Egypt where we see extremist activities by Al-Qaeda playing on peoples’ emotions,” Komorowski told reporters, citing an intelligence report by Poland’s interior ministry.

Washington’s envoy to Libya Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed when a mob outraged over a low-budget American-made Internet video mocking Islam stormed the US consulate in Benghazi on Tuesday.

“While we support the Arab Spring, this development is a cause for concern,” the Polish leader said. “We’re worried about seeing a resurgence of political elements thinking in terms of Islamic fundamentalism or radical political or military methods.”

US ambassador to Libya 'killed in attack on Benghazi consulate'

The US ambassador to Libya and three other embassy staff have been reported killed by an armed angry mob that stormed and set fire to the United States consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi.

An armed man waves his rifle as buildings and cars are engulfed in flames after being set on fire inside the US consulate compound in Benghazi  Photo: AFP/Getty Images

The death of the US ambassador, Christopher Stevens, was reported by Reuters, who had spoken to a Libyan official. It had not been confirmed.

It was not clear if the ambassador was in his car or the Libyan consulate when the attack occurred.

"The Libyan ambassador and three staff members were killed when gunmen fired rockets at them," the official in Benghazi told Reuters.

 
^{US ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens (AFP/Getty Images)}

The attack on Tuesday night followed another earlier in the day on the American embassy in Cairo, in which no-one was injured but the flag was taken down and torn up and replaced with the black flag used by radicals.

R-E-V-E-A-L-E-D-! Yobo yells, raps Enyeama

Despite efforts by Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi to douse the effects of the mistake by goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, Sports Vanguard of Vanguard Newspaper can reveal that Eagles skipper Joseph Yobo almost exchanged blows with the keeper for creating the opportunity that saw Liberia drew 2-2 in the first leg of Nations Cup qualifier in Monrovia on Saturday.

Vanguard Newspaper gathered that no sooner the match ended, had a livid skipper Yobo confront Enyeama over his howler and the two exchanged hot words.

WE CAN’T CONTINUE LIKE THIS ••• Skipper Joseph Yobo and goalkeeper Enyeama argue at the World Cup in 2010. They argued again in Monrovia last week.

A very reliable source informed Sports Van guard that younger players in the team were equally infuriated with Enyeama’s poor handling of affairs but were relieved when Yobo told him his cock-ups were becoming one too many for the team.

“There was altercation in the Eagles dressing room in Monrovia while other players watched. Yobo was visibly angry and  yelled at Enyema’’, our source said.

Vincent Enyemah has had a solid career in the Eagles and distinguished himself in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa even though the players wobbled.

But catcalls have trailed his one mistake too many notably against the Lone Stars although coach Stephen Keshi has waived the olive branch to save his keeper. ‘’If there is anybody to be blamed, it’s the team, not an individual’’, Keshi declared yesterday through Super Eagles Media Officer, Ben Alaiya.

Speaking in Abuja,  Keshi declared that the issue regarding national team performance cannot be placed at the doorstep of a single individual like Enyeama.

He however assured that he will produce a new national team that Nigerians at all levels will be proud of. “ I understand the apprehension of Nigerians, and like I have always asked for, we need patience. I need lots of it to succeed. I am sure we will score many goals ”.

The former national team skipper of the famed Tunisia 1994 squad was speaking against the backdrop of news making the rounds that he has chosen to blame individuals rather than the team for the failure to win in Monrovia.

“I never at any moment said that Enyeama, who remains our first choice keeper caused us the draw in Liberia and in fact I think that he is one of the best in the world but at times like these emotions rule over reasons. We must not bring individual players into our poor performance, it’s a collective effort and if there is failure, its also collective”, Ben Alaiya, Super Eagles Media Officer, quoted Keshi as saying.

Source; Vanguard

U.S. has no right to block Israel on Iran: Netanyahu

(Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said the United States had forfeited its moral right to stop Israel taking action against Iran's nuclear program because it had refused to be firm with Tehran itself.

In comments which appeared to bring the possibility of an Israeli attack on Iran closer, Netanyahu took the Obama administration to task after Washington rebuffed his own call to set a red line for Tehran's nuclear drive.

"The world tells Israel 'wait, there's still time'. And I say, 'Wait for what? Wait until when?'" said Netanyahu, speaking in English.

"Those in the international community who refuse to put red lines before Iran don't have a moral right to place a red light before Israel," he added, addressing a news conference with Bulgaria's prime minister.

Netanyahu has been pushing Obama to adopt a tougher line against Iran, arguing that setting a clear boundary for Iran's uranium enrichment activities and imposing stronger economic sanctions could deter Tehran from developing nuclear weapons and mitigate the need for military action.

But on Monday U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States would not set a deadline in further talks with Iran, saying there was still time for diplomacy to work.

Netanyahu's comments came as diplomats said six world powers - including the United States - were poised to voice "serious concern" about Iran's uranium enrichment program and to urge Tehran to open up access to suspected nuclear sites.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Tuesday that Washington would have little more than a year to act to stop Tehran if it decided to produce a nuclear weapon.

Netanyahu has had a strained relationship with President Barak Obama over Iran and other issues, such as Jewish settlement building in the occupied West Bank.

But he has never put differences with Obama - who has pledged he will "always have Israel's back" and is deep in a re-election campaign - in the context of morality.

The website of Israel's Haaretz daily newspaper said Netanyahu had carried out "an unprecedented verbal attack on the U.S. government".

Iran, which denies it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons, has threatened to retaliate against Israel and U.S. interests in the Gulf if it attacked, and Obama's re-election bid could be thrown off course by a new war.

Republican challenger Mitt Romney has accused him of throwing Israel "under the bus".

DEADLINE
Without mentioning Clinton by name but pointedly parroting her use of the word "deadline", Netanyahu said not setting a clear boundary for Iran would only encourage Iran to continue its quest for nuclear arms.

"If Iran knows that there is no deadline, what will it do? Exactly what it's doing. It's continuing, without any interference, towards obtaining a nuclear weapons capability and from there, nuclear bombs," he said.

"So far we can say with certainty that diplomacy and sanctions haven't worked. The sanctions have hurt the Iranian economy but they haven't stopped the Iranian nuclear program. That's a fact. And the fact is that every day that passes, Iran gets closer and closer to nuclear bombs," he added.

Widely thought to be the Middle East's only nuclear power, Israel says a nuclear-armed Iran would be a threat to its existence.

Recent tougher Israeli rhetoric on the issue has stoked speculation that Israel might attack Iran before the U.S. ballot in November, believing that Obama would give it military help and not risk alienating pro-Israeli voters.

But over the past week, Netanyahu, in calling for a "red line", had appeared to be backing away from military action and preparing the ground for a possible meeting with Obama this month, when both address the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

"The line is the president is committed to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, and he will use every tool in the arsenal of American power to achieve that goal," Jay Carney, a White House spokesman, said on Monday.

Netanyahu has faced opposition at home to the idea that Israel might attack Iran on its own. Opinion polls show a majority of Israelis do not want their military to strike Iran without U.S. support.

An Israeli cabinet minister on Tuesday invoked his country's ostensibly secret 2007 air raid on an alleged Syrian nuclear reactor to suggest Israel could successfully strike Iran without U.S. support.

(Writing by Jeffrey Heller; Editing by Crispian Balmer and Andrew Osborn)

Jonathan dumps 7-year single tenure proposal

 
-Two new states likely-INEC ‘lacks power to seek amendment’

The Presidency bowing to public pressure, may have dropped the idea of a seven-year single tenure, The Nation learnt yesterday.

But the government is determined to create one or two states “to ensure some balance and equity”, a source said, pleading not to be named.

One of the new states may come from the Southeast, which is the only geopolitical zone with five states.

Also, the government has foreclosed state police in the proposed amendments to the Constitution. It will not be on the list it plans to send to the National Assembly.

There might, however, be significant proposals on local government and justice sector reforms.
A government committee on the proposed amendments has almost concluded its work.

The popular thinking in government circles is that the single term tenure is not popular among Nigerians, hence the decision to dump it.

The source, who spoke last night, said: “In deference to public opinion, the Presidency will no longer push ahead with the seven-year single-term tenure because the proposal has been beclouded with political sentiments and unnecessary speculations.

“The intention of President Goodluck Jonathan is to stabilize the system and reduce political frictions and post-election crises to the barest minimum but most people erroneously assumed that he is trying to perpetuate himself in power.

“Whether we like it or not, posterity will certainly vindicate Jonathan on this single tenure system.

“So, as things stand, the Presidency will retain the present provision of a renewable four-year tenure system - in line with Section 135 of the 1999 Constitution.”

On state creation, the source said: “President Jonathan believes in equity and fairness. I think his administration is favourably disposed to the creation of one or two states to address obvious imbalance.

“One of the states might be from the Southeast, which is the only geopolitical zone with five states. The other five zones have six states, with the exception of the Northwest with seven states.”

On other likely areas of amendment, the source said: “We want to ensure autonomy for local governments, especially on the need for the abolition of Joint Accounts. Most of the 774 local government areas in the country have become appendages of the state governors.

“The administration of President Jonathan is disturbed that there is no democracy at the local government level, let alone good governance. This is a vital tier of government.

“Also, Nigerians should expect fundamental reforms in the justice sector, especially access to justice, quick dispensation of justice and criminal justice reforms.”

The source admitted that the government is considering the proposals of Justice Alfa Belgore Committee, the report of the Steering Committee on the Implementation of the Justice Sector Reforms in Nigeria and other similar reports to draw up its proposed amendments.

While submitting the report of its committee to the President in July, Justice Belgore harped on the need to save the local government system and reform administration of justice.

He said: “We have viewed many parts of the Constitution. In particular, we put new visions into creating an optimally independent, incorruptible and stabilizing local government system that shall always be administered by democratically elected officials that must be accountable, responsive to local needs, directed, controlled and sanctioned by appropriate laws.

“In our view, this is necessary in order to deepen principles of democracy and sound resource management at the grassroots where it really matters for this country.

“Of special significance is that we also looked at the judiciary vis-à-vis the Bar, which is just one. That means there is only one Bar.

“The procedures we inherited from the colonial times, which were originally meant for jury, has not helped the speedy dispensation of justice. There is no reason earthly why judgments and hearing in cases must take more than one year.

“The British have done away with these procedures in some of their Acts while we still insist on their being sacrosanct, which is unfortunate.”

It was gathered that plans by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to initiate independent amendments to the Constitution and the Electoral Act 2011 may not work.

By law, the electoral commission cannot approach the National Assembly directly, but through the Federal Government.

A top government official said: “INEC cannot go ahead to seek amendments to the Constitution without doing so through the Federal Government.

“By virtue of Section 153 of the 1999 Constitution, the electoral commission is one of the Federal Executive Bodies. So, anything INEC wants to do must be through the government and not as an independent body.

“What INEC should do is to submit its proposed amendments to the government for harmonisation and the government in return will look at it on merit and forward these proposals to the National Assembly.”

INEC is proposing an amendment to its Act to stop a sitting President from appointing Resident Electoral Commissioners. The commission is seeking powers to appoint RECS in order to enhance its independence and be able to conduct a free and fair poll.

Culled: The Nation

WHY MY MARRIAGE CRASHED WILL BE MADE KNOWN TO THE PUBLIC BY 2013--PASTOR CHRIS OKOTIE

The shock of marriage collapse of Pastor Chris Okotie , the head pastor of Household of God told took another turn when visited by some church leaders on the collapse of his marriage. A report stated that
Pastor Okotie shunned all counsels and pleas by other pastors who have repeatedly called him or visited his church. He is not telling anyone what his ex-wife did to him nor ready to give out details of the past event now but will reveal all next year.

N5000 note: Obasanjo is a good farmer but a bad economist – Sanusi

The governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Sanusi Lamido on Tuesday reacted to a statement credited to a former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, who said that the planned introduction of the N5000 note will increase inflation in the country.

Mr Obasanjo had on Thursday said the introduction of the N5000 note would kill production and affect small businesses negatively.

The former president, who disclosed this at a roundtable advocacy forum organised by the Institute of Directors, in Lagos, said the way, Mr Sanusi, was fighting inflation by removing money from circulation was improper.

However, speaking at the sixth annual conference of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, Mr Sanusi said Mr Obasanjo had introduced more high denomination in Nigeria than any other Head of State.
“General Obasanjo did N20; he did N100, N200, N500 and N1000. He has introduced more higher denomination than any Head of States,” Mr Sanusi said.

The CBN governor said that during the period Mr Obasanjo was introducing high denomination inflation in Nigeria was actually low.

“General Obasanjo did N100 in 1999; then he did N200 in 2000; he did N500 I think two years later; and did N1000. In that period, inflation was coming down because it was accompanied by very tight monetary and fiscal policies during his reforms.

“For somebody who have gone through that to come and stand up and say ‘introducing a higher denomination causes inflation’ I don’t know if somebody wrote his speech. I’m trying to see him or if he was misquoted.

“If he actually said that then he must be the single most important determinant of inflation in our history given the number of notes that he introduced,” he said

Mr Sanusi said printing higher denomination without increasing the money supply in the economy will not increase inflation. “This is simple economics,” he said.

He said that the cost of printing and minting all denomination of currency in 2009 was N47 billion and that by 2011 the CBN brought this cost down to N32 billion.

He said that by 2014 the cost would further be reduced to N25 billion thereby saving about 50 percent of the total cost of printing and minting all denomination of currency.

Mr Sanusi said the N5000 note would not cost more than N3 billion to print.

...Power Supply Drops By over 1,000 Megawatts

Prof. Bart Nnaji

Two weeks after the resignation of Prof. Bart Nnaji as Minister of Power and the subsequent promise by the Federal Government to sustain the improvement in electricity supply achieved during his tenure, consumers in most cities have again started to experience frequent blackouts.

THISDAY checks showed that consumers, who were getting used to a marked improvement in power supply in their homes and offices, have in the last one week started complaining about the return to old order.

A survey of households in Lagos, Abuja, Abeokuta, Kano and Port Harcourt, among other cities, showed that electricity supply was no longer reliable as it was about three weeks ago.

For example, many parts of Lagos have been experiencing epileptic power supply for the last one week, with some sections of the city cut off completely from electricity since Friday.

In Kaduna metropolis, for instance, some areas that used to have 18 hours of power supply are now down to eight hours or less.

A resident of the state told THISDAY that the recent review of tariffs has aggravated the plight of the residents of the city.

“With 18 hours of light, I used to pay N5,000 monthly and the money will be carried over to the next month. But since the increase in electricity tariffs, I have been paying almost N11,000, without any carry over to the next month.

The situation was also the same in some parts of Port Harcourt most of last week. “For almost one year, we did not have light until the past three months when we started having light up to four hours. But this time, it is two hours for the past one week,” said Ndubuisi, a resident in Port Harcourt.

Another resident in Enugu State and auto parts dealer, Nnaemeka, also told THISDAY that electricity supply, which had improved in the state capital, has been epileptic for the past few days.

He, however, stated that the residents of the city had attributed the worsening supply of electricity in the state to the heavy rains, which have been falling in the area in the last couple of days.

Kano State has also witnessed a significant drop in electricity supply in recent days. A civil engineer, Mohammed Bello, while lamenting the return of epileptic electricity supply, wondered why PHCN had not even issued a statement explaining why output had dropped.

“If it is gas, they should let us know, if it is system failure, they should let us know. They owe us some kind of explanation,” he said.

A source with the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), who spoke to THISDAY, blamed the situation on damaged distribution and transmission facilities, which have not been fully repaired.

It was also gathered that the drop in electricity supply was occasioned by the loss of about 1,100 Megawatts of electricity from the national grid.

This development, it was learnt, has fuelled speculation that the workers of the successor companies of PHCN, who have been celebrating Nnaji’s exit, have resorted to their business-as-usual work ethic.

THISDAY gathered that power supply, which peaked at 4,321.3MW when Nnaji resigned as minister on August 28, and remained at the same level up until August 31, has continued to dwindle daily, with the system witnessing a partial collapse on September 7.

Shortly before the former minister resigned his appointment, the country achieved a new high in power generation of 4,307.7MW and an additional 170MW, which served as spinning reserve, bringing the total quantum of electricity generated to 4,477.7MW.

This new peak exceeded the record level of 4,237MW achieved on August 6 by 240.7MW.

Before Nnaji was appointed minister in 2011, the first attempt by the country to generate 3,800MW in August 2010 led to the collapse of the system within a few minutes due to the weak transmission infrastructure.

However, it was learnt that the power situation worsened at the weekend as supply dropped to 3,224.3MW on Saturday, after peaking at 4,077MW earlier in the day.

Some of the power stations that were the worst affected by the drop in supply include the Geregu Power Station in Kogi State, which was generating an average of 210MW  per day, but dropped to 10MW at the weekend. The drop in power output at Geregu was blamed on shortage in gas supply.

Similarly, the Okpai Power Plant in Delta State, which was generating 466MW per day but has also dropped to 276MW, while Sapele dropped from 180MW to zero.

The Omotosho Power Station in Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State, which is under the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP), also witnessed a drop in generation from 230MW to 167MW.

 While electricity generated from the Egbin Power Station in Lagos, the biggest power station in the country, dropped from 900MW to 453MW.

A source, however, blamed the drop in output from Egbin to lack of gas, as the turbines are ready to generate about 800MW, subject to the availability of gas.

 

Power generation from Kainji Power Station also declined to 187MW from 193MW, while Jebba, which was generating 402MW, dropped to 385MW.

Afam IV Power Station in Rivers State has also witnessed a drop in performance with generation falling to 315MW after peaking at 458MW.

With the fall in supply, the highest voltage recorded at the weekend was 347KV at the Benin Transmission Station, while the lowest was 290KV recorded at the Kano Transmission Station.

Sources attributed the drop in output from several of the power stations to the poor attitude to work by PHCN workers and lack of effective supervision.

A power ministry source confirmed this, saying when the former minister was in office he kept the CEOs of all the power companies and their executive directors on their toes.

“You know the ministry had signed service level agreements with all the CEOs and the minister had an effective monitoring mechanism to ensure that output was raised and sustained.

“But without anyone breathing down their necks, most of them are beginning to relax; that may be the reason we are beginning to experience epileptic power supply again. In addition, the dry season is not yet upon us yet, so we should be edging up to 5,000MW by now, not retrogressing,” he explained.

Also, the dwindling performance in power generation and distribution has been blamed on the lack of commitment by government, as nobody appears to be in-charge in the absence of a power minister.

Nnaji, during his tenure, was able to whip workers in the sector in line and was the only known minister to have fired top officials of PHCN for non-performance and failure to meet their targets under the service level agreements.

Although President Goodluck Jonathan had directed Minister of State for Power, Mr. Darius Ishaku, to take charge of the ministry after Nnaji’s resignation, sources said Ishaku lacks the hands-on experience required to effectively tackle the rot and pervasive incompetence in the system.

Jonathan, while reconstituting two committees on the power sector, last Wednesday, had pledged to sustain the stable power supply in the country, even after the rains.

The two committees, whose reconstitution was triggered by Nnaji’s resignation, are the Presidential Action Committee on Power (PACP) and the Presidential Task Force on Power.

Jonathan, at a meeting with members of the reconstituted committees acknowledged that Nnaji’s resignation had stalled the meeting of the PACP.

Culled; ThisDay

I WANT TO END THE WAR BETWEEN THE WEST AND ISLAMISTS---THE BROTHER OF ALQAEDA LEADER

The brother of al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri is proposing to mediate a peace deal between the West and Islamists.

In an exclusive interview with CNN, Mohamed al Zawahiri unveiled his proposal for the first time, saying he is in a unique position to help end the violence and that both sides need to make concessions.

As the al Qaeda leader's brother, he says they are ideologically inseparable, and that if anyone can talk his brother out of violence it's him.

He is like so many former prisoners I've met -- calm, collected,

focused and utterly convinced by long held views examined, tested and re-forged in incarceration.

Mohamed al Zawahiri is not a physically imposing man. His long beard is shading from grey to white, his features and figure drawn. Ramadan is long over but he still fasts until the sun goes down.

Mohamed spent 14 years in Egyptian jail on charges including terrorism and involvement in the 1981 assassination of President Anwar Sadat 1981. He denies the charges.

Zawahiri brother explains peace plan 

 

For five years he was in solitary confinement in a cell 180 cm by 180cm (6 feet x 6 feett) where, locked in with his own thoughts, he had plenty of time to plan what to do when released.

That day came a few months ago in May. He wants peace, he says, between Muslims and non-Muslims and has written a proposal that outlines the terms.

He says he's offering to be an intermediary between Islamists and the United States and the West. "I don't represent a certain group. My role is a mediator between the West and them."

A source with direct knowledge of Egyptian government talks with jihadists in the Sinai says Zawahiri is helping negotiations. The source says Zawahiri has the respect of the Islamists and the trust of the new government.

Zawahiri says his offer puts him at risk from radical Islamists, but says he is not acting from weakness or for personal gain.

His six-page proposal offers a 10-year truce if the following terms are met. In brief they are:

• U.S. and West to stop intervening in Muslim lands
• U.S. to stop interfering in Muslim education
• U.S. to end the war on Islam
• U.S. to release all Islamist prisoners.

The document also calls on Islamists to change their behavior too:

• Stop attacks on Western and U.S. interests
• Protect legitimate Western and U.S. interests in Muslim lands
• Stop provoking the U.S. and the West

Through his steely determination to get his voice heard and his message out it is hard to gauge how much hope Zawahiri is really investing in his initiative. Is he trying to get back in the jihadist spotlight he once occupied before his incarceration?

Back then he was military commander of Islamic Jihad that would later ally with al Qaeda. Back then he reportedly had disagreements with his brother about the way forward for the group. Then came his arrest, long before 911, picked up he says by Egyptian authorities in the United Arab Emirates.

He says he told his interrogators he could work a truce with Islamists but he says his jailers didn't want to know. "If this idea had succeeded, September 11 would not have even happened in the first place. I hope this opportunity today is not wasted."

Osama bin Laden had a similar proposal in 2004, it was quickly followed a year later by the deadly 7/7 subway attack in London killing 52 people.

Zawahiri offers no guarantees that he has some quick fix. "This is a very tough mission. You have to be logical. If you want to live in peace then you must make others feel that they will live in peace."

He says his brother will listen to him, but admits he hasn't talked to him in long over a decade.

While he once had standing among his Islamist peers, the reach of his influence today is hard to judge; being connected by blood to one of the world's most wanted men only carries so much weight.

The cost, he says, of getting out of today's conflict must be paid. "We want to turn this page and forget the past."

It wouldn't be the first time the terms are unacceptably high.

CULLED:CNN

A PRESIDENT ADDICTED TO SYMPATHY - via gainaako.wordpress.com

Each time I listen to President Goodluck Jonathan, I get a sense of a man in search of sympathy. A man with an obsessive and compulsive need to be pitied by his audience. I don’t know if he deliberately sets out to want to evoke sympathy in much the same way as other world leaders set out wanting to inspire their followers, or if it just comes to him rather naturally. Personally, I’m willing to bet on the former and what follows are examples (off the top of my head) to illustrate why.

THE MOST CRITICIZED PRESIDENT : The President declared recently at the AGM of the Nigerian Bar Association that he is the most criticized President in the world. It was a classic “poor me” statement. Its purpose was simply to evoke as much sympathy as possible by projecting the image of victimhood. The image of a man who has been unfairly judged. A man whose administration has been plagued by unfounded criticisms propagated by individuals determined to get at him personally. Otherwise, why would the president make such a statement especially since there really was no way for him to know if he was the most criticized President without first conducting a survey to determine how much criticism other Presidents receive.

REUBEN ABATI'S ARTICLE: As the chief spokesman of the President, everything Abati says or writes could be considered as coming from the President himself. In the said piece titled “The Jonathan they don’t know”, Abati hinted that many people oppose the President simply because he was from a minority tribe. Here Abati was clearly trying to evoke sympathy on behalf of the President because what he in effect was saying was that, here was a man that was being ferociously attacked not for anything wrong that he has done, but for simply being Ijaw.

At another point in the article, he tried to show how critics of the President were so petty as to criticize even what the President ate. And he went on to explain how Mr. President loves yam and cassava bread, how he fasts during Lent and Ramadan (blah blah blah). Here again he was trying to project the image of a simple and down to earth man who was being unnecessarily attacked by pseudo-critics even though he knows very well that it is the budgetary allocation for feeding at Aso Rock that was being criticized and not what the President actually eats. But his aim was to get people to say “eyyaaa” and I’m sure many did.

DAVID VERSUS GOLIATH SPEECH: The speech was given sometime last year in which the President declared that he was not a general….he was not a lion….he was not even David yet he has to face several goliaths. Here too the idea was to project the image of a lone good guy, like a school boy standing up against a big, bad, and ruthless bully. One’s heart naturally goes out to a guy like that. You feel all sorts of emotions towards him and sympathy is one of them.

BOKO HARAM IN HIS CABINET: At the heat of the Boko Haram insurgency last year, the President declared for all Nigerians to hear that the sect had somehow infiltrated his cabinet to the extent that he could be eating with one of them and not realize it. At the time this statement was made, the insecurity situation in the country was at an all time high and because the President didn’t really know what to do about it, he needed a huge dose of sympathy from the people in order to hide his cluelessness and hence this ridiculous statement. The idea was to give the impression of a man who had been ambushed and cornered by the enemy and hence his inability to secure the lives of Nigerians.

INCESSANT REFERENCES TO A POWERFUL CABAL: The Cabal are so powerful they can do whatever they want including cornering 50% of the nation’s budget under the guise of subsidy payments. Even though their names are known nobody dares to call them by name perhaps because the word CABAL carries more mystery and can easily be made to seem like a very big sinister organization that is determined to see the President fail and of course that feeds well into the President’s sympathy addiction. So each time he talks about a cabal holding the nation to ransom, your heart goes out to him because you think he is struggling against this evil behemoth on your behalf. What they never tell you is that many of the so-called cabal are not only close to the government, they have been awarded with national honours.

DECADES OF NEGLECT: Often the President talks about how his government inherited decades of neglect of the country’s infrastructure from previous administrations. The idea here is to in one fell swoop provide an excuse for non-performance and to win the sympathy of the people for having the misfortune of being the one to deal with the negligence of all past administrations.

I HAVE NO SHOES: This is my clear favorite. It was floated during the 2011 campaigns and it worked to great measure. The idea was to tell a classic rags to riches story and who doesn’t love a rags to riches story. A boy who started out in life walking to school barefoot is bound to melt any heart that is not made of stone. (Sniff…sniff)

The examples are many. There is hardly any speech the President gives in which he talks about his administration without one of those. If he is not complaining about how he’s being “abused” on social media, he’s whining about some vested interests trying to make the country ungovernable.

But do people really get addicted to sympathy? And why? I went to google in search of answers and one of the entries I got said its people that are totally lacking in self confidence that suffer from sympathy addiction. Another link says that everybody needs sympathy at some level but that there are those who thrive on it and hence get addicted to it. The sympathies feel good to them because it hides their inadequacies and so the more they get it the more they want it. In chronic cases they may even prefer their doses of sympathy than actual solutions to their problems. Because without problems such people will no longer have excuses for their shortcomings and would have no one to use as a scapegoat for their failures.

Jonathan Is Not Sincere To Prosecute Fuel Subsidy Thieves –Buhari

Former Head of State and presidential candidate of the CPC in the 2011 general elections, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, on Monday declared that President Goodluck Jonathan is incompetent to prosecute pension and oil subsidy fraud suspects.

Buhari decried the manner in which the Federal Government’s is "playing" with persons indicted in the pension and oil subsidy scandals as well as other frauds.
He said many of the retirees who worked for 35 years were sent to their early grave while trying to collect their benefits and entitlements stolen by government officials.

The former Head of State stated this at his residence in Kaduna while playing host to CPC candidate for the October 20, governorship election in Ondo State, Prince Soji Ehinlanwo and other party officials.

His words: “It is only in Nigeria that fraud of this magnitude takes place and this incompetent government is doing nothing about it.”

Buhari further described some South-South leaders as jokers for endorsing Jonathan. “I know they are members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), let them vote for him in a free and fair election; let us see if they can give him the ticket against other geo-political zones. Let them give him the primary ticket first, let them vote for him when 2015 comes and let us see if he would win,”

He challenged the political elite in the country to participate and ensure that elections are conducted free and fair, without rigging.

DON'T GET MARRIED IF....

I was sent this post by my soon to be husband. It touched my SOUL very deeply and right now....I have promised myself to read and re-read it as long as I know it by heart.

Every single, not yet married, about to be married SHOULD read this, the words are so true....and will be a HUGE blessing!

Please continue reading...

DON'T GET MARRIED IF....

If you’re not ready to delay gratification when your are angry. To hold your tongue, lower your voice and sometimes wait till the appropriate time, day or even month before you can deal with an issue thoroughly…. don’t get married. Immaturity is the inability to delay gratification. Marriage is for the mature.

If you’re not ready to leave center stage and allow someone else to become your focus, your study, your muses… don’t get married. Selfish people make very bad spouses. In marriage you don’t lose yourself but your heart has to be big enough to gain someone else. And soon, with God’s blessing: little, crying, diaper soiling, demanding little ones are coming!

If you are not ready, to stand up and calmly deal with meddling in laws as a united front: The opinionated sister, the insensitive uncle, the domineering father, the manner less brother, the nosy aunt….. don’t get married. Boundaries do not exist automatically, they must be created. A good spouse is committed to respectfully stand up for and protect their marriage from meddling relatives. Don’t abandon your spouse to your relatives. It’s betrayal.

If you are not ready to pay bills…. don’t get married. Love does not pay bills. Kenya power will not give a waiver because your love is O so strong and your gazes at each other, O so romantic.

If you are not ready to let go of your opposite sex “best friends” and invest that into your spouse. To like, to laugh, to play, to be silly and to enjoy life with them, above anyone else… don’t get married. Affairs happen because people did not marry their best friends. Someone else holds their heart. Someone else gets them better. Someone else inspires them more. Marry your best friend and cultivate your friendship so that you remain best friends.

If you are not ready to stop competing with the Joneses…. don’t get married. Let the Joneses buy their yatch when you are still walking, and enjoy the walk. Your journeys are different. They may have to cross the oceans but you may be going through the road route. A boat might not do you any good on your journey. You must be ready to pace yourselves: stop competing, stop spending your future before you get there, stop the debt, stop trying to impress people. You must be able to be content. To enjoy your journey without deciding your happiness simply by measuring your progress against other people.

If you are not ready to be an open book. To tell the whole story of your past, deal with the memories, expose the failures and risk rejection…. don’t get married. It is fraud to have someone sign off their life to you without the full details. The past is a touchy and demanding friend. It always shows up in the marriage. It doesn’t enjoy being ignored and the more you snob, the bolder it becomes and the more tantrums it throws. It will mess up the “neat” and “all together lovely” image that you are struggling to maintain.

If you are not ready to let go of your philandering and wild oats farming…. don’t get married. Don’t take somebody’s son or daughter and subject them to your germs, your indiscretions and your chips fungaz. It never ends well. It’s romanticized in the movies, it’s being fronted as the only “realistic” way to stay married and keep the fire burning. But truth be told, the only thing that the fire will burn will be you, your spouse and your children. That family will burn for generations in bitterness, disease, fear, failure, hatred, broken hearts, broken dreams and conniving.

Finally, if you are not ready to let go of the adrenalin rush of a risque life and to settle down…. don’t get married. The great Colombus [who we were told "discovered" America, Have you ever wondered if the Native Indians who were in it, knew that it existed :-) ] had a diary that was long sought for. People wanted to read about the wild journeys, the sea tempest, the reckless pirates they fought, the death and the danger they must have encountered. When it was found, there was great disappointment. Majority of the pages simply had 5 words: “This day, we sailed on.”.

Marriage, like life in general, has many “we sail on” days. You have to learn to find the thrill in the normal everydayness of it. If you depend on wild romance, all night sex [ha], romantic cruises, wild parties, compulsive moves across continents, tempestuous fights and make up sessions to be happy, you may be disappointed. You have to learn to thrill in gentle smiles, loving hugs, knowing looks, cozy moments, shared chores, cute babies, everyday work, dreaming together, praying together and simply living together. If these things are not thrilling, exciting and satisfying, you will look for a way out. The “boom twaff” moments are still there, but they are normally punctuations to the usualness of living. They cannot be your reason for getting married. They are unsustainable on an everyday basis. The one you choose must be thrilling to you even in the most mundane of moments.

I pray this helps someone. Remember singles, YOU HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF CHOICE. Never let anyone pressure you into marriage. You are either ready or you’re not: You decide!. But please don’t marry somebody and then punish them to live with your childish ways for the rest of their lives :-) . A childish baby is cute but a childish adult is extremely frustrating.

Marriage is for the mature and in many ways, we the married, are still being confronted with the demand to grow up day by day. If you are not ready for that demand, don’t get married!!!!

Anonymous....

Lawan-Otedola $620,000 bribe: More riddles surface

 

Prosecution team raises 114 posers vital to trial of suspects 

FAROUK Lawan, the suspended Chairman of the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy, and three others may not have their day in court so soon, it emerged yesterday. 

They are to be tried for the alleged $620,000 bribery allegation made by businessman Femi Otedola. 
But the trial is being put on hold because the police need to do more investigation in the matter.

The others are the bribe giver, Otedola, the clerk of the committee, Mr. Boniface Emenalo, and the Chairman of the House Committee on Drugs, Narcotics, Mr. Adam Jagaba.

The police have been advised to quiz all members of the House Committee on Ad Hoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy Regime, when Lawan was the chairman, for more insight into the matter.

To be quizzed are Ali Babatunde Ahmad, James Faleke, Alphonsus Irona, Umar Abubakar Sade, Eucharia Azodo, Abbas Tajudeen and John Eno.

It was learnt that the prosecution is of the opinion that police investigation has not resolved how the $620,000 was sourced; the manner in which the “sting operation” was conducted; why the money was offered piecemeal and the whereabouts of the cash.

Another area of focus  is all the local and international call logs of Otedola and Lawan.

According to sources, the prosecution team, led by Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), has concluded that all the actors have more questions to answer.

A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “There is already a request for additional investigation of all the key actors in the bribery saga before trial can commence.

“The whole essence of more investigation is to bring all suspects to book and present a water-tight case before the court that will try the case.

“Already, the two suspects recommended for trial (Lawan and Emenalo) by the police have been slated for arraignment under the ICPC Act.

“It is also established that they will be tried in the High Court of Justice of the Federal Capital Territory.

“The preparation for the trial made the AGF to exercise his powers under Section 26 of the ICPC Act to delegate Awomolo to prosecute suspects with prima facie case against them.

The section reads: “Prosecution for an offence under this Act shall be initiated by the Attorney-General of the Federation or any person or authority to whom he shall delegate his authority, in any superior court of record so designated by the Chief Judge of a State or the Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja under Section 61(3) of this Act; and every prosecution for an offence under this Act or any other law prohibiting bribery, corruption, fraud or any other related offence shall be deemed to be initiated by the Attorney-General of the Federation.”

But preparatory to the trial, about 114 questions or areas have been isolated for additional investigation by the Police.

Some of the new areas of additional investigation are as follows: 

•A Certified True Copy of the letter of complaint by Otedola
•Was there a register for the Serial Nos of the $620,000 given to Otedola or was there a photocopy of the USD100 bills given to Mr. Femi Otedola?
•Did Otedola sign for the monies he received from the SSS? Where are the CTC of the register, records and photocopies of the bills?.
•If the demand for $100,000 or $120,000 by Emenalo was reported to the SSS, Where are the records of the report? Case file opened by the SSS in relation to the investigation of demand for bribe by Farouk Lawan from Otedola, if any, a copy.
•Call logs of telephone calls and text messages between Otedola and Farouk. Call logs between Otedola/Farouk/Emenalo before, during and after demand and receipt of bribe i.e. (January – June 2012).Call logs between Emenalo and Farouk Lawan between January – June 2012. Call logs between Emenalo and Otedola between January – June 2012.
•Otedola and the Secretary (Emenalo Boniface). April/May.
•The documents given by Otedola to the Committee.
•Zenon/AP memo to the committee.
•Call logs of Otaru and Emenalo as well as Emenalo and Otedola. April/May.
•Lawan’s Protea Hotel bills for April, 2012 (not just one day).
•Resolutions of the House which directed investigation into the bribery allegation;
•Written statements to the police of the persons named in a letter from the Office of the Speaker dated 20th June, 2012.

A document obtained last night showed the specific gaps to be filled by all the key actors.

On Lawan, the document states: “Additional statement should be obtained from Mr. Farouk Lawan so that he can explain the following:  The procedure followed by the Ad Hoc Committee for taking decisions with respect to indictment of the oil marketers before 24th April 2012.

“Whether such decisions were reflected in minutes of the meeting and if there is CTC of such minutes.
“To confirm whether the decision of April 24, 2012 to remove the names of ‘Zenon Oil’ and ‘Synopsis’ was by the committee and whether the Committee followed the usual decision making procedure of the committee pre-18th April 2012.

“To confirm the telephone numbers he used in calling Otedola at all times between April and May 2012.
“What were Otedola’s telephone numbers with which he called Lawan from London ? When Otedola submitted a copy of the PPPRA subsidy scam report to him, what did he do with the report?”

The document also explained that Lawan would have to “make comments on the statement of the Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, with respect to: the failure to mention the names of persons who attempted to bribe him; on the suggestion of Lamorde for a sting operation by EFCC, why he declined; the non-disclosure to Lamorde of the earlier $500,000 he collected;  the non-disclosure of the money his secretary collected from Femi Otedola on April 24, 2012; Where is the $100,000 and whether he saw the whole $600,000 with the House Committee set up to investigate the allegation of bribery.

“Lawan should confirm whether on 23rd of April, he reported the $250,000 to any person (first installment, $250,000 at Apo ; second Installment by 2am at Otedola’s house and 10am at Otedola’s house by the Secretary:

“Farouk to confirm whether and when he added the sum brought by Emenalo to the rest of the money.”

On Otedola, the document said: “He should be contacted so that he can provide the following: Copies of documents he submitted to Farouk Lawan after the public hearing investigation to clear his companies AP and Zenon Oil (with a view to comparing them with what the House supplied).

“All the telephone numbers he used in communicating with Farouk Lawan or any other person related to this matter. Cautionary words to his statement or compliance with the rules.

“To confirm whether SSS gave him the money in bulk or in bits of $20, $250, $120. Whether Otedola signed for the money at SSS, with particular serial numbers or whether the SSS has a photocopy of the US dollar bills.

“A copy of memo/documents by AP, ZENON and FORTE Oil submitted to the ad-hoc committee (presentation) by the MD, Mr. Otaru. He is to confirm whether the $120,000.00 requested for by the secretary was for Lawan or for himself as the secretary of the Committee.

“To confirm whether it was the secretary who called him or he (Otedola) who called the secretary (who initiated the call?).

“To confirm how many video cameras were used for the coverage of the said sting operation. Where are copies of the recordings? How many bundles were the $120,000.00; whether only two bundles of $50,000 bills were given to Emenalo and account for the $20,000. The number of times he was visited by Mr. Emenalo.

“He should throw more light on why he went to the SSS and not the other anti-graft agencies? (To prepare for cross examination). Why did he take the first $250,000 to Farouk’s hotel? (To prepare for cross examination).

“Was there any lunch on 20th April in his house involving himself, Farouk and a former EFCC chairman and to comment on Lawn’s statement of 14/06/2012. He is also to comment on the allegation of plane load of 2.5million USD he is alleged to have made to Lawan. To confirm audio recording of Otedola with Farouk, where it is, and the copies.

Emenalo is “requested to make additional statement so that he can explain the following: Rules of the Procedure of the Committee, the function of the secretariat. Documents submitted by Otedola to Farouk Lawan on 24/04/2012. Whether he was the “secretariat” consulted by Lawan on 24th April, 2012 which led to the removal of “Zenon Oil” from the list of companies formerly indicted by the Committee. Whether the alteration of the report was a decision of the whole Committee or by Lawan alone. Whether the secretariat has the minutes of the meetings of the Committee where decisions were taken. And the address of Otedola in Maitama that he visited.

On the $120,000, Emenalo is expected to explain “the purpose of the money – was it a gift for him as secretary of the committee? Or if the $120,000 or $100,000 was for him or for Lawan and why he did not report to Police, SSS or clerk of the House of Representatives, who is his boss. The location of the $620,000?

On the Chairman of the House Committee on  Financial Crimes, Narcotics and Drugs, Mr. Adam Jagaba, the document said: : “There is need to obtain additional statement from this witness so that he can explain the following: The history of his health, with records. His functions as Chairman of House Committee on Financial Crimes, Drugs etc. The procedure his committee adopted previously when it received a report of bribe and how same was repeated, if any. Procedure his Committee adopted in treating the report by Farouk Lawan (if any).

“Whether his Committee received and kept the exhibit money. Did he see the money on the 6th June, 2012 and whose custody was the money after the meeting?”

As for the other members of the House Ad Hoc Committee, they might be grilled on what they knew about the bribery deal if any.

The document added: “Take cautionary statement from each and every member of the Ad Hoc Committee on Subsidy Regime to show: (a) The procedure followed in arriving at decisions concerning the indicted companies, the procedure for removing the indicted companies from the list, especially the removal of ‘Zenon Oil’ and a “Synopsis” on the 24th of April 2012. (b) Whether the procedures established in (a) above were followed in respect of both.(c) Whether the committee members were aware of the demand and receipt of over $600,000 by Farouk Lawan and the Secretary on or before the 24th of April 2012. (d) If they were aware, when and how? (e) Whether any of the committee members, who was aware, reported to the police, ICPC and EFCC. (f) CTC of all documents submitted by AP, Zenon Oil and Forte Oil. (g) The proceedings of 6th of June 2012 when the over $600,000 was suggested to be displayed on the floor of the House.”

It was also gathered that there might be need to invite the PPPRA for other bends of the additional investigation.

Jonathan’s Interior Minister implicated in Gun running and arms importation

Patrick Abba Moro 


The recent discovery by a Civil Society group that the Interior Minister in Jonathan’s cabinet, Comrade Patrick Abba Moro has engaged himself in another arms smuggling deal is generating serious tension amongst Nigerians and the international community on the sincerity of President Goodluck Jonathan to tackle the present security challenge occasioned by the Boko Haram Islamic sect.

The revelation which took the prying eyes of the National Anti-Terrorism and Peace Network to unravel through the office of the National Security Adviser to uncover is connected with a large cache of arms and ammunitions imported into the country by the Federal Government to empower the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDS) tactically in protecting Nigerians from subsequent attacks by Boko Haram and other elements in the country.

Honourable Minister of Interior Comrade Abba Moro
This recent investigation might not be far from the earlier acceptance by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan in the wake of public outcry against incessant attacks on ordinary citizens and properties worth millions of naira that members of the sect have infiltrated his administration and some even live in the State House with him. President Jonathan had in a public event addressed Nigerians and the rest of the world early this year that members of the religious sect now exist in his cabinet which makes several attempts to halt their evil activities against the state very difficult to combat.

According to a letter written to the United States Government and other international agencies by the Coalition, and made available to elombah.co, the National Security Adviser had advised Mr. President to demand the immediate resignation of Comrade Patrick Abba Moro who came on board with a huge moral burden bordering on his ongoing trial before an Abuja Magistrate Court on gun running. Our sources informed us that Comrade Patrick Abba Moro while serving as Chairman of Okpokwu Local Government Area between 1999 and 2007 was caught at Abuja with a short service pistol without any permission or presidential directive to bear arms and was subsequently arraigned before a court of law.A copy of the internal security report with the National Security Adviser with subject titled, “Error in Ministerial Clearance by D. S. S,” shows that the Department of State Security Service has knowingly or unknowingly cleared Comrade Patrick Abba Moro prior to his nomination as Minister designate by Mr. President.

On assumption of office in 2011, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR as President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria appointed some Nigerians to serve as Ministers amongst whom was one Comrade Patrick Abba Moro. At this point the Nigerian Civil Society drew the attention of the Senate to a pending case of illegal possession of firearms otherwise referred to as gun running against the said Comrade Patrick Abba Moro, a nominee of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan for the position of Honourable Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The Senate confirmed the said Comrade Patrick Abba Moro without recourse to the moral burden and his ongoing trial at an Abuja Magistrate Court on an offence against the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The group said they are greatly alarmed that “despite the public criticism that accompanied Mr. President’s deployment of this controversial character to the Ministry of Interior especially at a time of high scale coordinated terrorist attacks against the people of Nigeria and even foreigners who visit the country for other relationships, the said Comrade Patrick Abba Moro still remains in office to perpetuate nefarious activities like arms dealing, recruitment of miscreants into strategic internal security organizations and continuous misdirection to the entire administration of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan as a whole.” “We are imploring the government of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to as a matter of urgent national concern cause full investigation of the activities of the Interior Minister viz:

“The recent disappearance of a large cache of fire arms imported into Nigeria for the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) alleged to have been confiscated by the said Comrade Patrick Abba Moro as Minister of Interior. Our sources within informed us that Moro’s response to this grievous criminal offence was that he has the powers as Minister to personally retain some arms on behalf of the Federal Government but this he has done in order to arm another set of youths in north central Nigeria in preparations for the 2015 general elections. This is not only a security threat to the nation but the International Community at large considering the volatile nature of north central Nigeria and its poverty margin which has in turn made the youths very vulnerable to deception and selfish antics of disgruntled politicians in the country.

“The government of the United States and the United Nations should also know the rationale behind the sack of General Andrew Azzazi and Dr. Bello Haliru as National Security Adviser and Minister of Defense respectively leaving behind Comrade Patrick Abba Moro who is in charge of Prisons, Immigrations and Civil Defense Corps to propagate his clueless and directionless policies while innocent citizens are being cut down in their prime on daily basis. This is time for President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to act fast and not to stamp the impression that he has conceded certain parts of his administration to political elements in settlement for his last victory.

“President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan we are aware has been advised by his National Security Adviser after a detailed checks at the Chief Magistrate Court Registrar’s office and office of the Attorney General of the Federation to quietly relieve Comrade Patrick Abba Moro of his position to strengthen government’s strategies on the war against terrorism, corruption and in furtherance of the rule of law principle. Attached is a copy of an internal communication between the National Security Adviser and the Intelligent Operations on 24th day of April, 2012 showing details of their investigation on the above subject matter for your kind perusal.

“The common people of Nigeria are still in shock that despite these chilling revelations from Mr. President’s inner security agent the Federal Government has continued to look the other way round while lives and properties are being lost on a daily basis. This is the time for Mr. President to act in order to convince Nigerians that the present crisis is not being sponsored by the government against the citizenry.”

Culled: 247ureports 

Redeemed Pastor Impregnates Choir Member; Kills Himself

Things are not the same any more! Gone are the days when men and women "of integrity" think their actions through before making a move.

According to report, a pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, in the Enerhen area of Delta State, recently set himself ablaze to escape the shame of his illicit affair.

It was gathered that the decision of the Pastor, simply identified as Pastor Celestine, to take his life was because he allegedly impregnated a choir in his parish whose name is given as Rose.

It was learnt that he pleaded with Rose to abort the pregnancy which she refused blatantly as she did not want to lose her life during the abortion. He gave her a cheque for N2,000,000, which she refused, even after explaining to her that her refusal to abort the pregnancy may lead to the fall of the parish.

After all efforts to get Rose to abort the pregnancy failed, he reportedly drove himself to Udu bridge under which he lit himself and was burnt to death. He was married and had a 2 month old baby from his wife of two years.

Source: City People

Update On The Bloody Attacks In Lagos On Sunday

How robbers kill three policemen, civilians in deadly operation. 10 injured. Police gun down two suspects. Government says no cause for alarm.

It was indeed a bloody day in Lagos on Sunday September 9, 2012, as rampaging robbers shot dead three policemen, a bureau de change operator, an Okada rider and a bus driver.

As at Monday morning, it was gathered that there were reports of more deaths. Also, more than 10 people were believed to have been injured. They include an official of the Lagos State Traffic management Authority (LASTMA).

The bureau de change was attacked in Agege. A large amount of foreign currencies was reportedly carted away by the robbers, who killed one of the operators.

The robbers, said to be eight, including two women, drove round in two SUVs - a Prado and an Armada. They shot the policemen who were inside their patrol vehicle near the Guinness Brewery on Oba Akran, Ikeja. Two of the five policemen inside the patrol van died instantly. The third was taken to the hospital, where he died.

A stray bullet hit a six-year-old girl in the eye. Her grandmother was hit on the forehead. They were watching television in their home at 15, Alfa-Nla Street in Agege on the outskirts of the city.

A stray bullet also hit a parked Volvo ambulance with registration number HL 355 AAA belonging to Motolani Medical Centre. It shattered the rear windscreen.

The robbers were said to have been spotted at about 10.35a.m at Ifako-Gbagada from where they reportedly drove through Oshodi to Mile 2 and Agege. They shot dead an Okada rider in Ijesha on the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway.

At Agege, the police reportedly engaged the robbers who shot sporadically and headed toward Ogba. On their way, a driver of a commercial bus, (Lagos XQ336 EKY) was shot dead. His vehicle crashed into a ditch at the Railway crossing.

An eyewitness, a commercial motorcycle operator who simply identified himself as Kabiru, said he was following the SUV in which the robbers were operating, unknown to him that they were armed robbers, until he saw how they suddenly double crossed a patrol team and started shooting at the policemen.

He said: “It was like a war scene. I saw death with my eyes. They shot dead two policemen. I took cover near the war zone.”

Lagos Police Commission, Umar Manko, confirmed the incident. “The police got wind of their operation and were chasing them and, in the process, two officers were killed,” Manko said.

The CP noted that the hoodlums killed the policemen because the patrol vehicle was met in an Isolated place. He said he suspected that the bandits had snatched a police communication equipment, with which they monitored police directives.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government has assured residents of adequate security. It described the situation as “unfortunate” but urged residents to be vigilant and go about their duties.

Doctor Caught On Camera Raping Women During Abortion

A secretly recorded video has captured a Student Doctor forcing his female patients to have unprotected sex with him right in his theatre during abortion process.

The women had gone to the clinic for surgical abortion at various times and the doctor, after making them strip naked for the operation, forced them to have sex with him with an excuse that without the séx, the abortion would not be successful.

The doctor has been arrested by the police in Ghana being prepared for court as investigations continue into the case. The video was secretly recorded by mysterious investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, at a private clinic located at Madina, a suburb of Accra.

The scenes are mind-boggling and the acts brutal. The name of the clinic starts with the letter 'U' but the full name would be withheld for now because the illegal acts of the doctor seem to have been secretly done on the blind side of the clinic's management. 

For the three month period that Anas and his team placed the secret cameras in the theater, the doctor was captured having sex with over 52 different ladies who had gone to him for abortion.

The women were aged between 20 and 40 years and were charged various amounts from GH150 to GH400, depending on the age of the pregnancy. He told the unsuspecting women, midway into the abortion, that unless an erected penis entered them, the exercise would be unsuccessful so they had no choice but to let him enter.

Interestingly, the doctor slept with all the women without using a condom and he bonked them standing, while they lay haplessly on the operation table. Anas, in planting the camera, had to disguise himself as a cleaner and then later as a medical assistant.

Culled; Olufamous

Why Is My Husband So Ungrateful And Unfaithful?

My heart is heavy and I'm very confused; all thanks to my husband and his promiscuous nature. How can I explain that we are just 3 years into our marriage and this man I called my husband has started chasing other women?

Before we got marriage he was always complaining whenever we're having sex that I'm adding too much weight and that I'm not flexible. To satisfy him in bed I started watching my weight and going to the the gym until I trimmed down a little.

Now the story has changed. My husband no longer finds me attractive because I don't have big boobs and other attractions of fat ladies. He can't take his eyes off busty ladies anywhere he goes and the worst hi that he's now dating one ugly fat lady in our area.

I've caught him more than two times with this lady and he can't even deny it. Now am beginning to regret why I listened to him about my weight before we got married.

If I go out to satisfy my urge people will condemn me. But with the way he's going, if he doesn't change, I will have no choice than to look for another man to help myself since he hardly make love to me and even when he does, it's not as hot as before.

Please, why is it that men are so unfaithful to their wives?

- From a trouble wife.