BBC: Dozens drown off Turkey as boat capsizes

At least 39 migrants, including several children, have drowned trying to cross the Aegean Sea from Turkey to Greece, coastguards say.
More than 60 have been rescued from the sea near the Turkish resort of Ayvacik.
Local officials say they expect the death toll to rise when the capsized boat is searched.
Thousands of refugees and migrants continue to make the dangerous sea journey from Turkey to Greece to seek asylum in northern Europe.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Friday that 244 migrants had drowned in the Mediterranean so far this year, out of 55,568 arrivals.




"The daily average (of arrivals) is nearly equivalent to the total numbers for the month of January as recently as two years ago," the IOM said.
The latest tragedy comes just days after 26 migrants drowned when their boat sank off the coast of the Greek island of Samos.

Davido responds to reactions over Sony music deal

HKN boss, David Adeleke, a.k.a Davido, O.B.O, during the week reacted to comments that have been trailing his new deal with international music company, Sony BMG.
You would recall that the ‘Aye’ crooner recently signed a deal with Sony Music, which according to him, would facilitate an easy and widespread marketing of his music in the western world and beyond




.http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/01/davido-responds-to-reactions-over-sony-music-deal/qq

In new Article: Economic magazine calls Goodluck Jonathan an ineffectual buffoon

As culled from LIB, Imagine them calling a former African president an ineffectual buffoon! In an article titled 'Crude Tactics', Economist magazine described former president Jonathan as an ineffectual buffoon. How disrespectful! The article reads in part;
"In the eight months since Mr Buhari arrived at Aso Rock, the presidential digs, the homicidal jihadists of Boko Haram have been pushed back into the bush along Nigeria’s borders. The government has cracked down on corruption, which had flourished under the previous president, Goodluck Jonathan, an ineffectual buffoon who let politicians and their cronies fill their pockets with impunity. Lai Mohammed, a minister, reckons that just 55 people stole $6.8 billion from the public purse over seven recent years."- Read the full article
through the link below.
http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21689584-cheap-oil-causing-currency-crisis-nigeria-banning-imports-no

EFCC: Tompolo backtracks, now to appear in court

FORMER General Officer Commanding, GOC, Movement for the Emanicipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, Government Ekpumupolo, alias Tompolo, yesterday, said he will appear before the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, which issued a bench warrant for his arrest, January 14, but “at the appropriate time.”
The bench warrant followed a motion by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, which had filed different charges against Tompolo, over allegation of diverting N34 billion belonging to the Nigerian Maritime and Safety Agency, NIMASA, to personal use and laundering of N22.6 billion.
Tompolo, who spoke through his Media Adviser and Consultant, Mr. Paul Bebenimibo, also said he will never commence war against the Federal Government having accepted amnesty in 2009, reiterating that he was not party to the recent three-day bombing of crude oil and gas pipelines in Delta State.
He said: “Tompolo has no reason to bomb pipelines because of the EFCC case. He knows he is innocent. As he has stated on several occasions, he will appear in court at the appropriate time as his lawyers are working towards that.
“The truth of the matter is that Tompolo does not know anything about the N34 billion EFCC is talking about. First, it was N13 billion,  now it is N34 billion. He is not a signatory to any of the companies mentioned in the said N34 billion case. So he does not know where this one is coming from.”


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/01/efcc-tompolo-backtracks-now-to-appear-in-court/

LEARN TO LISTEN TO YOURSELF.

This interesting piece should be a must read. Doctor, don’t worry. I know I am going to die. I didn’t want to come here but they brought me here.
Please don’t worry about me, look at my hair, they are gone. I am so old but you are so young. I have learnt a lot from life, if you don’t mind I will tell you some of them before I die.
When I was 4 years, I use to think the world is about me. When I turned 14, I wanted to rule the world. I thought I would be the greatest man that ever lived. When I was 21, I wanted to be the richest man, when I was 25, I wanted to find love, when I was 40, I wanted to be helpful to everyone. Now that I am here, I want to die. You see, I wanted so many things at so many times. Most importantly, I wanted to be happy. I thought the best way to be happy is to listen to others.
When I wanted to enter the University, I wanted to study Zoology but everyone said I should study Engineering that I will be a great Engineer. So I listened to them. I had no one to pay my fees, I had to work and also pay my fees. In my third year, I couldn’t cope with my studies, I had to drop. When I dropped, the same people told me "you should have studied Zoology"!
When I turned 28, everyone said I should marry. That I needed a wife. So I listened to them, I got married. 6 years into the marriage, I caught my wife sleeping with my neighbour. I asked her why and she slapped me. I was angry and didn’t say anything. The next day I returned from work, she had run away with my children, now I am dying a lonely man.
At 40, I got a 10 million naira contract. My name was in the news. The next day, all my friends and families were at my house, everyone had a serious problem. Within one week, I spent all the money on them with the promise that they will pay back. I could not complete the contract because they refused to return the money as promised. So I was sent to jail for 6 years. I stayed in jail and I came out. When I came out, they were nowhere.
There was one mistake I made through all this time. Now it is clear to me. Let me tell you about it. I refused to listen to myself. I ignored my own self and listen to others. Now that I am here the only person that is with me is myself.
You see, it is very good to listen to others. It is very wise to seek advice from others. But it is very dangerous to ignore your own self. It is very very dangerous to refuse to pay attention to your heart.
When you get home this night, sit down, take a glass of water. Close your eyes if you want or open it if you want, then talk to yourself, reason with yourself. You can walk down the road alone and as you walk, begin to talk to yourself.
The only person that can overrule yourself is God, after God, listen to yourself next. I know it may not make sense to you now but always remember I told you LEARN TO LISTEN TO YOURSELF. #AbelAbel

Buhari Still Fighting Boko Haram With the Equipment I Bought - Jonathan

Former President Goodluck Jonathan said in Geneva yesterday, that the current administration is prosecuting the war against insurgency with the arms which were procured under his government.
 Jonathan told France 24, that insurgency caught the country unaware but his government laid a solid foundation for terrorism to be defeated.
“The new government is working hard and I believe they are still using the equipment we procured.”
goodluck-jonathan.jpg

"Though the budget is still being debated, no new equipment has been bought, so even those equipment the president is using to prosecute the war against Boko Haram are those equipment we procured,” he said.
“When Boko Haram started in Nigeria, we had no terror experience. Yes we had armed robbery and other common crimes, but terrorism was different because the people involved were not afraid to die.


 - TheCable

 

Behind the global stock market plunge of 2016

Global equity markets have been on a rollercoaster ride since the opening sessions of 2016. The violent lurch lower in stocks was initially triggered by fears an economic slowdown in China, the world's second largest economy, was spinning out of control.
But it was the spectacular collapse in oil prices which really lent impetus to the January sell-off.
"Fear, not economic fundamentals, sparked the frenzied sell-off in China as the new year got under way which then spread to global markets and the oil price slide has compounded the pessimism," said Beijing-based economist Chen Chen, at the Economist Intelligence Unit.
China is in the midst of a shift from an economy reliant on exports and an infrastructure building binge to one based on economic consumption and as a result asset prices around the globe are being revalued.
The world's largest consumer of metals and second biggest buyer of oil posted its lowest annual growth in a quarter of a century in 2015.

By the numbers: The Great Sell-off
◾The MSCI All-Country World Index, which measures major developed and emerging markets, fell into a bear market on January 20, with its decline from early last year now totaling more than 20 percent.
◾At the time of writing, the MSCI Global index was down 7.6 percent since the beginning of the year.
◾China's main indexes have lost $1.8 trillion in 2016.
◾The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index saw its lowest close since Dec 1 2014 on January 26 and is down 22 percent.
◾The CSI300 index of the largest listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen is down 21 percent.
◾The world's main benchmarks, Brent and West Texas Intermediate crude oil sank to their lowest levels since 2003 on January 20.
It is not the slowdown itself that is posing the problem, say economists, but a lack of clarity over how the slowdown is being managed.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/01/analysis-global-stock-market-plunge-2016-160127190807213.html

Obasanjo writes Saraki, Dogara, accuses NASS members of corruption, greed, impunity

I will reply him formally —Saraki
I won’t join issues with him —Dogara
By Emma Ovuakporie, Johnbosco Agbakwuru & Joseph Erunke
ABUJA—Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has lambasted members of both arms of the National Assembly, accusing them of greed, impunity and corruption.
Obasanjo, whose accusation was contained in a January 13, 2016, letter addressed to the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, lamented that the lawmakers had failed to show understanding, in view of the present economic situation in the country, caused by a crash in the price of crude oil in the international market.
Saraki, Dogara speak
While Senate President, Bukola Saraki, said he would react to the former President in a formal manner, the House of Representatives Speaker said it would not like to join issues with him.
Obasanjo said it was regrettable that the National Assembly had not shown enough courage to publish its recurrent budget for 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015, stressing the need for the lawmakers to be transparent in their financial dealings.
Obasanjo said: ‘’On a few occasions in the past, both in and out of office as the President of Nigeria, I have agonised on certain issues within the arms of government at the national level and among the tiers of government as well.
‘’Not least, I have reflected and expressed, outspokenly at times, my views on the practice in the National Assembly which detracts from distinguishedness and honourability because it is shrouded in opaqueness and absolute lack of transparency and could not be regarded as normal, good and decent practice in a democracy that is supposed to be exemplary.   I am, of course, referring to the issue of budgets and finances of the National Assembly.
Present economic situation
‘’The present economic situation that the country has found itself in is the climax of the steady erosion of good financial and economic management which grew from bad to worse in the last six years or so.
Obasanjo
Obasanjo

‘’The executive and the legislative arms of government must accept and share responsibility in this regard. And if there will be a redress of the situation as early as possible, the two arms must also bear the responsibility proportionally.
‘’The two arms ran the affairs of the country unmindful of the rainy day. The rainy day is now here. It would not work that the two arms should stand side by side with one arm pulling and without the support of the other one for good and efficient management of the economy.
‘’The purpose of election into the Legislative Assembly particularly at the national level is to give service to the nation and not for the personal service and interest of members at the expense of the nation which seemed to have been the mentality, psychology, mindset and practice within the National Assembly since the beginning of this present democratic dispensation. Where is patriotism? Where is commitment? Where is service?
Good governace and transparency
‘’The beginning of good governance which is the responsibility of all arms and all the tiers of government is openness and transparency.
‘’It does not matter what else we try to do, as long as one arm of government shrouds its financial administration and management in opaqueness and practices rife with corruption, only very little, if anything at all, can be achieved in putting Nigeria on the path of sustainable and enduring democratic system, development and progress. Governance without transparency will be a mockery of democracy.
‘’Let us be more direct and specific so that action can be taken where it is urgently necessary. A situation where our national budget was predicated on $38 per barrel of oil with estimated 2 million barrels per day and before the budget was presented, the price of oil had gone down to $34 per barrel and now hovering around $30 and we have no assurance of producing 2 million barrels and if we can, we have no assurance of finding market for it, definitely calls for caution.
‘’If production and price projected in the budget stand, we would have to borrow almost one third of the 6 trillion naira budget. Now beginning with the reality of the budget, there is need for sober reflection and sacrifice with innovation at the level of executive and legislative arms of government.
‘’The soberness, the sacrifice and seriousness must be patient and apparent.  It must not be seen and said that those who, as leaders, call for sacrifice from the citizenry are living in obscene opulence.
‘’It will not only be insensitive but callously so. It would seem that it is becoming a culture that election into the legislative arm of government at the national level in particular is a licence for financial misconduct and that should not be.
NASS and new image
‘’The National Assembly now has a unique opportunity of presenting a new image of itself. It will help to strengthen, deepen, widen and sustain our democracy.  By our Constitution, the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission is charged with the responsibility of fixing emoluments of the three arms of government: executive, legislature and judiciary.
‘’Mr. President of the Senate and Hon. Speaker of the House, you know that your emolument which the Commission had recommended for you takes care of all your legitimate requirements: basic salary, car, housing, staff, constituency allowance.
‘’Although the constituency allowance is paid to all members of the National Assembly, many of them have no constituency offices which the allowance is partly meant to cater for. And yet other allowances and payments have been added by the National Assembly for the National Assembly members’ emoluments. Surely, strictly speaking, it is unconstitutional.
‘’The National Assembly should have the courage to publish its recurrent budgets for the years 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015. That is what transparency demands. With the number of legislators not changing, comparison can be made.
‘’Comparisons in emoluments can also be made with countries like Ghana, Kenya, Senegal and even Malaysia and Indonesia who are richer and more developed than we are.
Dogara and Saraki
Dogara and Saraki

‘’The budget is a proposal and only an estimate of income and expenditure. Where income is inadequate, expenditure will not be made. While in government, I was threatened with impeachment by the members of the National Assembly for not releasing some money they had appropriated for themselves which were odious and for which there were no incomes to support.
‘’The recent issue of cars for legislators would fall into the same category. Whatever name it is disguised as, it is unnecessary and insensitive. A pool of a few cars for each Chamber will suffice for any Committee Chairman or members for any specific duty.
‘’The waste that has gone into cars, furniture, housing renovation in the past was mind-boggling and these were veritable sources of waste and corruption. That was why they were abolished. Bringing them back is inimical to the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians.
‘’It will be interesting if the National Assembly will be honourable enough and begin the process of transparency, responsibility and realism by publishing its recurrent budgets for 2016 as it should normally be done.’’
Saraki, Dogara, others react
Reacting to the allegation, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, said he was still studying the letter and would formally write a reply to the former President in no time.
Speaking through his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity,Yusuph Olaniyonu, Saraki acknowledged that he had received the letter and that he would formally communicate the former President.
But Senate spokesman, Aliyu Sabi, claimed that he was not aware of the said letter to the Senate President, stressing that if the letter was sent, it would be communicated to senators through the Senate President.
“As far as I am concerned, I am not aware of any letter to the Senate President from the former president,so I cannot comment on what I am not aware of.
“We have a constitution on this country and any communication to the National Assembly must follow the laid-down rules, so like I said, when I am informed of the said letter, I can now speak,” he told Vanguard.
On its part, the House of Representatives said it would not like to join issues with the former President.
Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Abdulrasak Namdas, said: “I don’t want to join issues with the former President, what is before us now is the 2016 budget which we are committed to work on.”
However, a member of the House, Chike Okafor, APC, Imo, said the former President’s letter was an expression of his lost bid to extend his tenure about ten years ago.
According to him, the former president appears not to have forgiven the National Assembly for cutting short his aspiration.


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/01/obasanjo-writes-saraki-dogara-accuses-nass-members-of-corruption-greed-impunity/

Former President Jonathan in Geneva, talks about his achievements while in office

Focus speech of Goodluck Jonathan in Geneva
Protocols

Ladies and Gentlemen of the press, I thank you for coming to hear me speak on the twin issues of education and security.
Though this event is billed as a press conference on a Better Security and Education for West Africa, for the sake of time, I will focus on my experience in government which gave me a practical demonstration of how education impacts on security.

I will thereafter touch on my post presidential focus which is on advancing democracy and good governance in Africa and increasing access to opportunity for wealth generation in Africa.
If you peruse the official UNESCO literacy rates by country, what you will find is that all of the top ten most literate nations in the world are at peace, while almost all of the top 10 least literate nations in the world are in a state of either outright war or general insecurity.
Lower education levels are linked to poverty and poverty is one of the chief causative factors of crime whether it is terrorism or militancy or felonies.
With this at the back of my mind, I began the practice of giving education the highest sectoral allocation beginning with my very first budget as President in 2011.
My policy was to fight insecurity in the immediate term using counter insurgency strategies and the military and for the long term I fought it using education as a tool.
As I have always believed, if we do not spend billions educating our youths today, we will spend it fighting insecurity tomorrow. And you do not have to spend on education just because of insecurity. It is also the prudent thing to do.
Nigeria, or any African nation for that matter, can never become wealthy by selling more minerals or raw materials such as oil. Our wealth as a nation is between the ears of our people.
It is no coincidence that the Northeast epicenter of terrorism in Nigeria is also the region with the highest rate of illiteracy and the least developed part of Nigeria.
In Nigeria, the Federal Government actually does not have a responsibility for primary and secondary education, but I  could not in good conscience stomach a situation where 52.4% of males in the Northeastern region of Nigeria have no formal Western education.
The figure is even worse when you take into account the states most affected by the insurgency.
83.3% of male population in Yobe state have no formal Western education. In Borno state it is 63.6%.
Bearing this in mind is it a coincidence that the Boko Haram insurgency is strongest in these two states?
So even though we did not have a responsibility for primary and secondary education going by the way the Nigerian federation works, I felt that where I had ability, I also had responsibility even if the constitution said it was not my responsibility.
Knowing that terrorism thrives under such conditions my immediate goal was to increase the penetration of Western education in the region while at the same time making sure that the people of the region did not see it as a threat to their age old practices of itinerant Islamic education known as Almajiri.
For the first time in Nigeria's history, the Federal Government which I led, set out to build 400 Almajiri schools with specialized curricula that combined Western and Islamic education. 160 of them had been completed before I left office.



I am also glad to state that when I emerged as President of Nigeria on May 6th 2010, there were nine states in the Northern part of the country that did not have universities. By the time I left office on the 29th of May 2015, there was no Nigerian state without at least one Federal  University.
Now the dearth of access to formal education over years created the ideal breeding ground for terror to thrive in parts of Nigeria but there are obviously other dimensions to the issue of insecurity in Nigeria and particularly terrorism.



You may recall that the fall of the Gaddafi regime in August 2011 led to a situation where sophisticated weapons fell into the hands of a number of non state actors with attendant increase in terrorism and instability in North and West Africa.



The administration I headed initiated partnership across West Africa to contain such instability in nations such as Mali, which I personally visited in furtherance of peace.



And with those countries contiguous to Nigeria, especially nations around the Lake Chad Basin, we formed a coalition for the purpose of having a common front against terrorists through the revived Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF).
Those efforts continue till today and have in large part helped decimate the capacity of Boko Haram.
Another aspect of the anti terror war we waged in Nigeria that has not received enough attention is our effort to improve on our intelligence gathering capacity.
Prior to my administration, Nigeria's intelligence architecture was designed largely around regime protection, but through much sustained effort we were able to build capacity such that our intelligence agencies were able to trace and apprehend the masterminds behind such notorious terror incidences as the Christmas Day bombing of the St. Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla, Niger State.
Other suspects were also traced and arrested including those behind the Nyanya and Kuje bombings.
Not only did we apprehend suspects, but we tried and convicted some of them including the ring leader of the Madalla bombing cell, KabirSokoto, who is right now serving a prison sentence.
But leadership is about the future. I am sure you have not come here to hear me talk about the way backward. You, like everyone else, want to hear about the way forward.
I am no longer in office, and I no longer have executive powers on a national level. However, I am more convinced now than ever about the nexus between education and security.
My foundation, The Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, was formed to further democracy, good governance and wealth generation in Africa.
Of course, Charity begins at home and for the future, what Nigeria needs is to focus on making education a priority.
Thankfully, the administration that succeeded mine in its first budget, appears to have seen wisdom in continuing the practice of giving education the highest sectoral allocation. This is commendable.
I feel that what people in my position, statesmen and former leaders, ought to be doing is to help build consensus all over Africa, to ensure that certain issues should not be politicized.



Education is one of those issues. If former African leaders can form themselves into an advisory group to gently impress on incumbent leaders the necessity of meeting the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recommended allocation of 26% of a nations annual budget on education, I am certain that Africa will make geometric progress in meeting her Millennium Development Goals and improving on every index of the Human Development Index.
Data has shown that as spending on education increases, health and well being increases and incidences of maternal and infant mortality reduce.



In Nigeria for instance, Average Life Expectancy had plateaued in the mid 40s for decades, but after 2011, when we began giving education the highest sectoral allocation, according to the United Nations, Nigeria enjoyed her highest increase in Average Life Expectancy since records were kept. We moved from an Average Life Expectancy of 47 years before 2011 to 54 years by 2015.
I had earlier told you about the connection between education and insecurity.



I believe that it is the job of former leaders and elder statesmen to convince Executive and Legislative branches across Africa to work together to achieve the UNESCO recommended percentage as a barest minimum.



I intend to offer my services, through The Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, for this purpose and I invite interested organizations to help us make this happen.
Ladies and gentlemen of the press, this, in a nutshell are some of my thoughts for a Better Security and Education for Africa and I will now entertain your questions. 

Exclusive As Nigerian Military issues security alert

As culled from LIB, The Nigerian Military has issued a security alert to Nigerians to be very vigilant. The alert which was sounded today, January 27 reads:
"In view of the recent bomb blast incidence on soft target areas, citizens are hereby reminded of the need to be more security conscious. The lives of every citizen mean a lot to our great nation and it is expedient for everyone to be at alert and sensitive to their environment. Report strange persons and strange movements in market areas, places of worship, motor parks and other locations in which these devious people carry out their evil act"

Shortage Of Men: Eritrean Government Asked Men To Marry Two Wives

According to Sahara Reporters, In Eritrea the Grand Mufti, the highest religious authority in the country, declared that every man must marry two women or face a jail sentence. The declaration was leaked last Thursday on several social media platforms.
The Eritrean government will compensate Eritrean men for the marriage ceremonies and houses.
The declaration is motivated in part by the shortage of men which is a byproduct of the Eritrean-Ethiopian War which took placed from 1998-2000. The war left 150,000 Eritrean soldiers dead out of a population of only 4 million.
The statement referenced harsh punishments for refusal of the new decree.
“First that every man shall marry at least two women and the man who refuses to do so shall be subjected to life imprisonment with hard labour.
“The woman who tries to prevent her husband from marrying another wife shall be punished with life imprisonment,” the statement read in part.

Okonjo-Iweala blasts Falana over linkage with $2.1bn arms scandal

Former Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has described as malicious attempts by Lagos lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), to link her with the $2.1 billion arms scandal.
Falana had written the International Criminal Court, ICC, asking it to investigate those allegedly involved in the arms deal, including the former National Security Adviser, NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.)
Media Assistant to the former minister, Mr. Paul Nwabuiku, said in a statement yesterday:  ‘’The malicious attempt by Lagos lawyer, Femi Falana to mix Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala up in issues that have nothing to do with her in his letter to the International Criminal Court, ICC, is a desperate joke by an integrity-challenged charlatan.
‘’This misadventure shows that the so-called learned lawyer does not have any idea of what the mandate of the ICC is about.
‘’He has resorted to this action because his previous efforts to tarnish her image, through his discredited NGO, SERAP and petitions to the EFCC – failed because they were lacking in credibility.
‘’This latest effort to try to attach her name falsely confirms that Femi Falana is nothing but a tool of corrupt elements whose interests were hurt by the work Dr. Okonjo-Iweala did in fighting corruption while she was in office.
‘’These elements have now made a habit of making false allegations against Dr Okonjo-Iweala whenever she receives any national or international recognition for her work.
‘’The pattern is clear and Nigerians should be alert to it. But Dr Okonjo-Iweala will not be intimidated from going on with her life and performing her duties. She will not give in to cowardly and unmanly bullying.
‘’Falana’s latest attempt to implicate Dr Okonjo-Iweala falsely suggests that he is suffering from an ailment that may be described as Chronic Cerebral Amnesia (CCA) because he simply has no grasp of the facts.
‘’Contrary to Falana’s lies, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala has absolutely nothing to do with the alleged misuse of $2.1billion by the office of the former National Security Adviser. Falana and his sponsors are simply trying to invent a connection where there is none.
‘’The January 20, 2015 memo in which Dr Okonjo-Iweala sought and received the approval of former President Jonathan for the release of part of the newly returned Abacha funds to the NSA for purchase of arms is totally separate from the $2.1 billion issue.
‘’The memo which is now in the public domain speaks for itself. The release of the resources was in response to an approval by the former President following a meeting chaired by him after a committee had considered the request.
Click the link below to read more..
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/01/okonjo-iweala-blasts-falana-over-linkage-with-2-1bn-arms-scand

Nigeria's Super Eagles Crash Out of CHAN 28

According to THE CABLE, the Super Eagles of Nigeria have crashed out of the CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN).
 The Eagles crashed out in the group stage after suffering a lone goal defeat to the Syli Stars of Guinea. Ibrahima Sankhon scored the only goal of the encounter on the stroke of half time. His goal moved Guinea to the second place on the table.

Shocking: Dead Bodies Discovered In The Foundation Of An Uncompleted Building

There is outrage in Enugu State following the discovery, Monday evening, shocking images of dead bodies buried in shallow graves along the Enugu Port-Harcourt Express Road. The incident, which occurred at the Ugwuaji Area of the State, has kept residents in tears. DAILY POST gathered that human parts and fresh dead bodies were discovered at an uncompleted building, inside a bush along the Express Way. A source hinted that curious villagers raised the alarm, which prompted security agencies to invade the location. In the meantime, villagers are pointing accusing fingers on a new church located close to the scene. One of those who were at the scene described the act as “wicked and the most inhuman action I have seen in my entire life.” “I was traveling when I saw the crowd there and had to stop. This is wickedness of the highest order. Accusing fingers are being pointed at a particular new church along that road; I don’t know who did this; but I must say that the wicked will never go unpunished. “People no longer value human lives; for whatever purpose this was done, it is heart breaking”, he lamented. - See more at: http://www.ireporteronline.com/p16471_breaking-dead-bodies-discovered-in-foundation-of-enugu-church-building#sthash.ucLzuRrg.dpuf

President Barack Obama hails 'wicked smart' Clinton

US President Barack Obama is not officially endorsing a Democratic candidate to replace him just yet, but he had some high praise for "wicked smart" Hillary Clinton.
With voting about to begin, the outgoing commander-in-chief avoided doing down Clinton's rival for the party nomination, Bernie Sanders, but was effusive about a woman he bested on the path to the White House.
Describing Clinton as ready to start in the Oval Office right away, Obama said the former secretary of state had more experience than any other candidate who was not vice president.
"She's extraordinarily experienced, and, you know, wicked smart and knows every policy inside and out," Obama told Politico in an interview released on Monday.




"It means that she can govern and she can start here, day one," but, he warned, "sometimes could make her more cautious and her campaign more prose than poetry".
Clinton is the prohibitive favorite to win the Democratic nomination, but has long struggled to rally enthusiasm among large crowds or electrify the party base.
Eight years ago Obama successfully used that weakness to his advantage, making soaring oratory the centerpiece of his 2008 win.
With less than a week to go until Iowa voters have the first say about who the Democratic and Republican nominees should be in 2016, Clinton and party outsider Sanders are in a statistical tie.
Commenting on suggestions that Sanders, who has focused heavily on economic issues is not a well-rounded candidate, Obama said he was not going to dish out advise.
"Obviously what he's doing is working," said Obama, before adding that as president "you don't have the luxury of just focusing on one thing."
"There's no doubt that Bernie has tapped into a running thread in Democratic politics that says: Why are we still constrained by the terms of the debate that were set by Ronald Reagan 30 years ago?"
"That has an appeal and I understand it," Obama said, adding: "I think that what Hillary presents is a recognition that translating values into governance and deliverin the goods is ultimately the job of politics."


news24

Nobody can prosecute me for the N100million we collected Says Chief Falae

A former presidential candidate of the defunct All Peoples Party (APP) and Alliance for Democracy (AD), and  Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Chief Olu Falae, has been in the news in the last few months.
From his abduction by some Hausa-Fulani herdsmen in his farm in Ilado, Akure North area of Ondo State, to his alleged receiving of N100m from the $2.1 billion arms money from the immediate past National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo   Dasuki, the former Finance Minister and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) speaks, in this interview, on the issues.
Excerpts:
Click the link below to read more
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/01/falae-fires-back-over-2-1bn-arms-probenobody-can-prosecute-me-for-the-n100million-we-collected/

BEFORE YOU BLAME EMEFIELE, LOOK AT YOURSELF By Kenneth Ezaga

Fellow Nigerians,
I find this very interesting from a great friend's timeline (Adenike Adebisi) which was actually written by (KENNETH EZAGA) and I decided to share with my esteemed readers.
It's time to ‪#‎GetYourBrainBack‬
PLUNGING NAIRA -
It is either I do not understand economics and how exchange rates work or a vast majority of us Nigerians still don’t get how we have wrecked our country with our own curious choices. Just this morning I was listening to the radio and the lady on air went on and on about how she thought CBN governor Godwin Emefiele was incompetent and should be sacked because the naira was now exchanging at 309 or so to the USD. That view pretty much echoes the sentiments expressed by many people I know and it amazes me that there are Nigerians who actually think there is some magic POLICY that can make the naira strong in the near term. If my economics and my understanding of the way the world works are right, then that is as far from the truth as Jesus Christ is black.
The simple fact of the matter is that apart from oil that accounts for over 90% of our revenues, we really don’t have much of an economy. We hardly produce anything, we import even toothpicks, so exactly what policy is going to be implemented that will turn Nigeria into a top exporting economy in the near term? Where are our Apples, IBMs, Disneys, GMs, General Electrics, Coca Colas, Empire State buildings, Statues of Liberties, Lockheeds, Citibanks, JP Morgans, ExxonMobils, NBAs, Super Bowls etc?
Let me bring that closer home. There was a time long ago when Nigeria had a truly strong economy and the naira was one to the dollar - even exchanged for higher than the USD, but that Nigeria is not this Nigeria. Sadly that Nigeria was laid by the British, and this Nigeria (if you don’t believe in the nonsensical imperialist conspiracies like me) - fueled by the DAMAGING Indigenisation Decree, has been the creation of us Nigerians. Back then we had a booming economy. We were either the top, or among the top exporters, of timber, cocoa, groundnuts, rubber, palm oil, etc, in the world. Nigerians not only holidayed at home in their villages, at Yankari Games Reserve, at Obudu Cattle Ranch, at Oguta Lake, at Ikogosi springs, at Gurara Falls, at Mambilla Plateau, etc, we attracted international tourists who brought in loads of foreign exchange. Even Nigerian schools were foreign exchange earners because they attracted foreign students. We had different car assembly plants - Peugeot, Volkswagen, Anamco etc. Nigerian government officials only bought vehicles assembled in Nigeria for official cars. We had a thriving sports industry. We were not Man United or Chelsea fans, we were Rangers or IICC fans. We had the Nduka Odizors, people made money from sports. We also had companies like Lennards and Bata producing school shoes in their thousands, we had the thriving Nigerian Airways and the Aviation School in the north that produced some of the best pilots in the world. In those days if you were brilliant you were respected much more than the crass money-miss-road contractors of today. Most of the Aje Butters I knew had fathers who were university dons. Back then it meant something to ‘know book’. Our textile industry was alive and well. Just recently I watched a news report on the textile industry in Nigeria on CCTV News. Though the main focus was on the comatose status of the industry, I was stunned by the gigantic Kaduna Textile Mill built in 1957. I could go on and on.
Today however, no thanks to our parents (and we must call them out the way Wole Soyinka did his generation) and many of us (and we should be remembered for failing our children if we continue like this), we have destroyed everything. Today for instance Nigerian football (which comes easy to me obviously) doesn’t appeal to us, we have to fly across thousands of miles to watch ‘our’ clubs play. Every year we collectively burn billions of naira being fans of clubs that give us nothing back, but some ‘entertainment value’ - simple pleasures for which we are ready to destroy the future of our children. Well people, payback time is here. Even with our ta-she-re money we all want to wear designer clothes and carry designer bags, Armani, Givenchy, Louis Vuitton etc. We all want to drive jeeps with American specs, our children must now school overseas and acquire the necessary accents to come back home and bamboozle their ‘bush and crass’ contemporaries that they left behind. Who holidays in Nigeria anymore, is there Disneyland here? No one buys made-in-Nigeria school bags for their children, after all no Superman or Incredible Hulk or Cinderella on them. We are no longer top exporters of anything and the demise of oil means we have zilch... zero. A country of 170m fashion-conscious people has no textile industry. We take delight in showing how our made-in-Switzerland Aso Ebi is different class to everyone else’s. When we help our musicians grow and pay them millions, they repay us by immediately shipping the monies overseas to produce their “i-don-dey-different-level”music videos. It makes no difference that distinctly Zulu dancers are dancing to a Nigerian highlife song. As stars concerned they also wed and holiday overseas to impress us all. All the musicians who acknowledge their Ajegunle roots now speak in a cocktail of strange accents to symbolise how much they have blown their monies overseas.
Were we a more serious people, the highly popular Kingsway Stores of the past would probably have a thousand outlets pan Nigeria today supporting a massive agriculture industry among others, but today we have the likes of SPAR, Shoprite, dominating the retail industry while Kingsway is dead. And we Nigerians make it a special point to shop from the Oyibos who have ‘cleaner shops’, ‘better this and better that’. For our personal pleasure we don’t mind them dominating us in our own backyard and shipping proceeds overseas.
I could go on and on, but I don tire. Even as you are reading this, stop for a moment and look around you. What you see will probably explain why we are lucky it is not N1000 to the USD yet. And don’t think for a moment that it cannot get there. Just continue to wear your Armani gear and Swiss-made lace, continue to spend your money on Man United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Barca and encourage your children to do same. (My article in This Day tomorrow is on the Nigerian champions Enyimba FC - Nigeria’s most successful club - not having a sponsor, yet Nigerian brands pay over N600m to Man United and Arsenal for sponsorship to impress us.) Ehhh, no problem, continue to tell me the NPFL is rubbish or the clubs should clean up their act if they want sponsorship, mo gbo. Don’t curtail your interest in choice wines ( we were the number one champagne consumers in the world in 2015), continue to love your American specs, cheer the education ministry for letting schools sink to pitiable levels, don’t fight them to improve our schools, don’t chide them for letting schools drop Nigerian history and embrace British, American and whatever else curricula. Carry on with your love of French wines and Chinese silk, don’t bother about Jamiu Alli when there is Roger Federer. Stock up on your Italian, American, British products which you cannot live without, including the ‘baby soft’ toilet rolls produced only in that small unique village in England - the days are long gone since you were a broke student who used wet newspapers to wipe your butt. Don’t even consider holidaying in Nigeria, it’s too dangerous - you have to fulfill your dream of being Nigeria’s Henry Ford. Don’t listen to people like me who have a wardrobe full of only cheap adire that is actually cheaper than just one of your Tom Ford blazers. Please keep dressing in fine silk made in some exotic place so you can be addressed accordingly. Finally keep letting corrupt leaders who have looted your commonwealth and shipped all the monies overseas get away because to attack them does not fit your political narrative. Let us continue with the fine life, let us all continue to work for Oyibo.
But don’t forget that there is payback time and Emefiele is not your problem

Express: Aliens DO exist - but they're EXTINCT

Aliens DO exist, scientists claimed this week, but the reason we have not yet had any extra-terrestrial contact is because they are already EXTINCT.
Astro-biologists from the Australian National University say that, while there are countless habitable planets in the universe, most aliens will have died out before reaching a stage capable of contact.
Expert Aditya Chopra said in a statement: "The universe is probably filled with habitable planets, so many scientists think it should be teeming with aliens.
"Most early planetary environments are unstable. To produce a habitable planet, life forms need to regulate greenhouse gases such as water and carbon dioxide to keep surface temperatures stable.
"Early life is fragile, so we believe it rarely evolves quickly enough to survive.


http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/637562/Aliens-DO-exist-but-they-re-EXTINCT

Gunmen That Attacked Bacha Khan University Were Trained In Afghanistan Says Pakistan Army

The Pakistani army said on Saturday the four gunmen who attacked a university in northwest Pakistan were trained in Afghanistan and the assault was controlled by a Pakistani Taliban militant from a location inside Afghanistan.
In a briefing to reporters from the city of Peshawar, military spokesman General Asim Bajwa said the militants who stormed Bacha Khan University in Charsadda on Wednesday, killing at least 20 people, received training in Afghanistan and crossed over into Pakistan from the Torkham border between the two countries.
Bajwa said the attack was masterminded by Umar Mansoor, a Pakistani Taliban militant based in Afghanistan who is also held responsible for the December 2014 massacre of 134 children in the city of Peshawar — the deadliest militant attack in Pakistan's history.
A deputy of Mansoor helped the attackers reach the Torkham border from where they crossed over into Pakistan, the spokesman said.


Reuters

Adamawa: Top Police DPO, 29 Others Murdered by Suspected Fulani Herdsmen

About 30 people, including the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, in charge of Vunokilang Police Station in Girei LGA of Adamawa State were on Sunday killed in an attack by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
 According to reports from Premium Times, the suspected herdsmen raided four villages: Demsare, Wunamokoh, Dikajam and Taboungo in what is believed to be a vengeance mission over an existing feud with farmers in the area.
 The DPO, Okozie Okereofor, a Chief Superintendent of Police, who was deployed to the state about two months ago, was said to have been ambushed when he was leading police officers to the disputed area. He was killed in the eventual shootout with his assailants.
 The corpse of the slain police officer and the others killed is currently deposited at the morgue of the Federal Medical Centre, Yola.
“The DPO and his team were attacked while on official duty in the affected villages where he was killed by suspected Fulani herdsmen,” the spokesperson of the Adamawa State Police Command, Othman Abubakar, said.
“Report at my disposal indicated that the attackers looted foodstuff and livestock of the villagers before setting the villages ablaze.
“The suspected Fulani herdsmen raided four villages in Girei local Government area on Sunday morning around 5:30 a.m. killing scores including the late DPO.”


nigeranbulletin

Where Are The Public Intellectuals? By Reuben Abati

Something sad has happened and is happening, and is getting worse in our society: the decline of public intellectualism.  And so I ask, where are the public intellectuals? Once upon a time in this country, the public arena was dominated by a ferment of ideas, ideas that pushed boundaries, destroyed illusions, questioned orthodoxies and enabled societal progress.
Those were the days when intellectuals exerted great influence on public policy, and their input into the governance process could not be ignored. Ideas are strong elements of nation building, and even where interests are at play, you know the quality of a country by the manner in which a taste for good thinking propels the leadership process.

Public intellectuals are at the centre of this phenomenon: they include academics who go beyond their narrow specializations and university-based scholarship to take a keen interest in public affairs and who use their expertise and exposure to shed light on a broad range of issues. They also include journalists, writers and other professionals who question society’s direction, and offer alternative ideas. The beauty of public intellectualism is that the intellectual at work is a disinterested party, he is interested in ideas not for his own benefit, but for the overall good of society, and he does not assume that his opinions are the best or that he alone understands the best way to run society and its organs. The product of this attitude is that discourse, a culture of debate, is encouraged and in the cross-pollination of ideas, a good current of thought is created; truth is spoken to power.

We have had glimpses of this in Nigeria, and without trying to sketch a history of public intellectualism in our country or attempt a ranking of public intellectuals, let me just say that between the 60s and the 90s, there was so much fascination with ideas in this same country, it was as if the public mind was on fire. Academics from various disciplines took a keen interest in the prospects of the new Nigeria, and they went to the public arena to project ideas. Journalists became revered as sages, so much that certain newspaper columnists almost single-handedly sold newspapers.

Public lectures were organized which attracted persons who were just interested in ideas. Writers did a lot more than the professional task of producing novels, poems and plays and wrote public essays. The vendor’s stand every morning attracted not just buyers and free readers, but also young Nigerians who every morning debated major topics of concern. On television also, there were debates and those in the corridors of power also took ideas seriously.  So influential were intellectuals in the public space that they soon got invited to be part of government and although the military had always opposed intellectualism, at least one government, the Babangida government had the largest collection of intellectuals in office since independence. Many who lived during that era will remember the debates over the IMF/Structural adjustment Programme.

As the years went by however, public intellectualism began to decline. In 2006, Jimanze Ego-Alowes published a book titled How Intellectuals Underdeveloped Nigeria and Other Essays, an allusion to the complicity of intellectuals in the crisis that had by then engulfed the country.  Four years later, Rudolf Okonkwo in an article titled  “The Comedy of Our Public Intellectuals” observed as follows:  “the world of the Nigerian public intellectual is a zoo. It is a zoo full of nihilists. Some are sectarian in their outlook and others are humorless. Some are eccentric while others are comical. But one thing they all have in common is an over-inflated ego of their importance in the scheme of things.”

I don’t know about over-inflated ego, but I do know that the flame of public intellectualism in Nigeria is now almost a flicker. There are extremely few new significant voices, saying anything of consequence, the soldiers of old have become old, the fire in their belly, now subdued.  It is as if our academics have lost interest in public affairs, as only a few of them maintain a column or write an occasional piece or take on public issues in the manner of the likes of Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, Segun Osoba, Claude Ake, Bade Onimode, Ola Oni, Mokwugo Okoye, Mahmud Tukur, Yusuf Bala Usman, Ayodele Awojobi, Biodun Jeyifo, Femi Osofisan, Stanley Macebuh, Odia Ofeimun, Niyi Osundare, Chinweizu, Kole Omotoso, Yemi Ogunbiyi, Bode Sowande, Patrick Wilmot…The opinion pages of the newspapers are no longer vibrant. There is so much “opinionitis”, but debate is rare and rejoinders are always self-serving.

What has happened is that politically neutral intellectuals have now become scarce; the typical intellectual of today is not public in the sense in which that word is used; he is in reality affiliated to partisan and sectional interests.  The intellectual influence in Nigeria’s affairs is thus diminished because of obsession with individual interests: academics are now at best “acadapreneurs”: the intellectual as an entrepreneur. Business and partisan interests have compromised media houses; those once vibrant platforms are no longer offering vibrant ideas. Within the cultural sphere, there is a total dumbing down. Where are the creative writers?  They are still writing, but few want to get involved in the issues of the day and offer ideas.

The effect is that we are in the age of clichés, of jargon writing, of mundane, unimaginative commentary. Whatever appears intellectual is written off as arrogant and there is no quality debate on anything because people have resorted to making fashionable statements that suit the moment and every one is locked in their own little corner, not willing to listen to the other side of the story.  The reading public, whatever is left of it, is also not interested in ideas or anything that requires rigorous thinking. We have thus lost a critical element of public intellectualism: an audience. The people are interested in easy stuff, in fashionable opinions that align with their own partisan interests. Nobody wants to read any long commentary; there is an obsession with short thinking, and whereas brevity may be a good technique, there are certain ideas that just cannot be reduced to a tweet.  It is really sad that today, intellectualism is seen as a threat. 

Even when corporations and politicians in power draw intellectuals close; they end up usurping the powers of the intellectual, compelling him to hold his intelligence within the scope of the definition of his assignment. Intellectuals can be inside or outside, and there are classical cases of intellectuals in power making a difference, but that age appears ended, the disdain of intellectualism has turned politicians and corporate gurus into wise men that they are not, and the intellectual into an organic element of power. The greatest power of the intellectual lies in his freedom; when he is denied that under any circumstance, society turns off its energy source and gradually, it is the self-imposed wisdom of clowns that prevails.

The gap that has been created seems to have been easily filled by internet gladiators who spend the day shuffling from Instagram to Facebook to Twitter and other social media threads. These new culture activists project a democratic impression of public intellectualism - and yes, there is a sense in which everyone is an intellectual, from the village priest to the village idiot-  but I don’t see the rigour, the breadth and depth and the aesthetic alienation that can elevate this genre and its promoters to the grade of public intellectualism. For the most part, social media in Nigeria is predominantly at the level of tabloid sensationalism, and it accommodates and offers the same degree of freedom to the ignorant and the mischievous, as well as the entrepreneur and the uncouth.  There is no doubt however that its content and the quality can be raised, but that will require innovation, the intervention of thinkers and the creation of new audiences that will be interested in something more than the quick and formulaic.

What we have lost is not the intellectual, as there are many educated Nigerians who are experts in their narrow fields, what we have lost is active intelligence as a tool for social progress. The rub is in the intelligence part of being intellectual. Being intellectual is about living a life of ideas and using those ideas to engage society intelligently in a committed manner.

In addition to other reasons, it may well be that our intellectuals are tired of engaging Nigeria.  Having tried over the years to engage the governance elite with ideas and to show that only good ideas should govern society and having been spurned by the politicians, Nigeria’s intellectual elite seems to have become so frustrated, it has retired largely into a state of indifference and inertia. What is the point knocking one’s head against a wall? But intellectuals in society cannot take such a stand. That will amount to an abdication of responsibility: when intellectuals do no more than make righteous noises, the harvest in the long run, is counter-productive.

Another factor is the emergence of a “climate of fear,” and a culture of silence/co-optation/acquiescence. Politicians distrust intellectuals; they can’t tolerate anyone around them speaking truth to power or raising disturbing questions.  The intellectual is expected to keep his ideas to himself and respect constituted authority. He is expected to enjoy his freedom in his head and dare not go public with it.  Ideas cannot thrive if the man of ideas is afraid to think, and whisper or speak. Rather than insist on the freedom to differ, many academics, journalists, writers and thinkers have since dropped the baton, and surrendered the public space.

But that is unhelpful cowardice.  Those who know better must continue to engage the public vigorously with ideas about governance and public policy, and encourage open debates, for the good of the entire society.  Those ideas must however, be relevant for them to be of any value; they must not be abstract theories that disconnect with the people’s realities, but ideas that offer intelligent solutions to practical problems.

Right now, there are critical areas where such intervention is needed: budgets, economic planning, handling a currency crisis that is fast turning into a nightmare (France has declared an economic emergency and yet was not in as bad a position as we are in…Argentina made changes to its export taxes to address its own dilemma…).

We have had schizophrenic interventions by the Central Bank of Nigeria and yet where are the intellectuals to come up with analysis and desired alternative views, beyond bellyaching? Where are the inorganic public intellectuals to guide public thought?  Who are those thinking for government, the opposition and indeed the public space?

'Goodbye Nigeria' - Toni Payne Writes

Apparently this is not a good time as Toni Payne, ex-wife of Nigerian singer Abolore Adegbola Adigun, popularly known as 9ice has reacted to the backlash she got from commenting on the Ice Prince and Maima Nkewa scandal by writing a piece titled 'Good bye Nigeria'.
First of all, let me start by saying I have met some wonderful, intelligent, caring, heart warming people in Nigeria and on its social media space. These people are who I can say kept the faith in me that everyone isn’t bad when my reality was proving otherwise. I respect and appreciate them and always will.
 I am not sure if I should call this me expressing myself or me being baffled and being too emotional but what I am sure of is that at this very second, what I am about to write is coming from the deepest part of my heart. I don’t care how long I have to keep doing this, so far it eases my soul, I’m good.
 I have decided to take an extended break from anything that has to do with Nigeria and it’s social media space. I will continue to communicate with those I have built a relationship with and those who are there for the good but I will not do more than that for now. I will leave my world open for those who genuinely wish to know more. This decision has been very hard for me but after careful consideration and enough time reflecting, it is time to listen to my heart.
 Apparently I was trending in Nigeria yesterday. This did not sit well with me at all because I became part of the Negativity that is considered trend worthy in Nigeria. From the media who only write about me when it is negative to the people creating the negativity, I feel like no matter what good I try to contribute to Nigeria, it will forever be energy spent because their focus is on what they can say is bad about Toni Payne. The most annoying thing is that, this so-called “what is bad” is not even my reality. It is not who I am and it will never be who I am.
 In Nigeria the most popular online “news” source are blogs. For the most part, blogs are mainly ran by people with no experience in journalism and no accountability and that to me is a huge problem. They seldom fact check and mostly copy and paste what they have seen elsewhere even when it is not true. Let me say, I have come across some really good ones who put a lot of effort into creating their story with facts but unfortunately those ones are usually the least popular.
 If you google my name you will see how they have helped me create a narrative that isn’t mine. It is easy for those looking in from the outside to think that this is all you are about when that is not the case. I am not sure why the only thing that moves them is negativity but for me, I no longer wish to be a part of it. The best way to avoid this I think is to stay clear of Nigerian matters for now.I am tired of complaining and revisiting an unhealthy topic.
 I have decided to focus my energy on building my brand elsewhere. It is better I start from scratch than continue to toil this path. As far as I know, all the media rants and dragging of my name has not earned me a dime. I have made the front page of almost every single news magazine in Nigeria yet it has contributed mostly negativity to my life.
 Kim Kardashian can afford to be dragged because she makes her money from the noise. Rihanna can unlook because people will still buy her album. Beyonce can ignore because as the media reports the negative, they balance it with the positive and there is accountability. She can take someone to court for defamation and win. I have nothing to gain from all this.
 What is the essence of trying to do good in a place where negativity reigns supreme and people will try to castigate you at the slightest opportunity. For me, it is a lost cause and the sooner I come to terms with it the better.
 I saw some blog headlines today and it was disappointing to see once again that when they jump on my name, it has to be for something negative. I can categorically state that in Nigeria I have NEVER trended for something positive even though positivity is all I try to put out. I can not be responsible for other people’s actions but I can choose how I deal with what affects mine.
 These same blogs with the exception of a few have never published any good news about me irrespective of how hard I work. They have chosen the narrative they feel will sell and they have been running with it for years. How do you create a narrative without balance? How is beating the same old dead topic remotely interesting. Let me live abeg.
 It has been 6 years and it looks like nothing will change. If the only news worthy thing about me in Nigeria is something negative then no matter how much I love that nation, Nigeria is not for me. I would rather start from scratch elsewhere. In a sane society I should be super rich from suing a lot of these people but alas, they will say ehn its Nigeria. Na so we be. I can choose to ignore it, but I do not have to accept it.
 What prompted the headlines? Well, yesterday I noticed on my twitter timeline people bashing rapper Ice Prince. Apparently he was having relationship problems. The details of that problem are unimportant to me but what made me react was how insensitive people were to his plight. Yes he is a celebrity, yes he brought his business on social media but no it should not stop people from having compassion. It does not give people the right to be outright mean and wicked.
 He was obviously going through some deep emotions and was met with taunts and insults. Celebrities are no different from everyone else, the use of social media to share an opinion or socialize is not restricted to non celebrities only. I am a very passionate person and it is always so hard for me to look the other way when I see something wrong.
 I defended Ice not because I know or agree with the girl or the situation, not because whatever he wrote or she did was right or wrong but because when you see someone going through pain, that is what you should do. All I said was leave him alone and all hell broke loose. Uncultured Nigerian youths bombarded my timeline. How that is a bad thing still baffles me. I will never be bullied into not thinking for myself but I do not have to expose myself to hopeless situations.
 At this stage I do not think I am upset as much as I am disgusted with a lot of them. Some even went as far as saying I have no right to comment on topics about cheating. In my head im like really? So based on a lie that everyone involved has denied, I can’t speak on cheating? Who made you judge and jury when you were not a witness? Or maybe they came and saw me cheating hence the firmness of their opinion. I cannot continue to try to reason with unreasonable people. It is way too much energy spent.
 It is clear to me a lot of these people hate women, they believe nothing good can come out of a woman, yet they came out of a woman. Something goes wrong, it’s the woman’s fault. Yes, a woman must be guilty in the court of public opinions because all women are hoes and cannot be trusted – I wonder who raised them. No be woman? – I want to ask them, if I were their sister, would they still feel the same way, or would they actually take time to listen, look at facts and use their brain for a change. I wrote the poem Products of Misogyny a while ago and obviously a lot hasn’t changed.
 It has become the norm for “Nigerian Twitter” to choose a new victim to troll everyday when in fact they should spend that energy in trying to rebuild their nation. Being exposed to that for me is counter productive. If you try to educate them, it falls on deaf ears. There is absolutely no balance. I listened to some of my followers who asked me to ignore and the words used to describe Nigerian Twitter were all negative. “wicked” “jobless” “ruthless” and the list goes on, yet they see nothing wrong with how the world perceives them.
 Yes when you are known, people are watching you but truth be told these same people have probably also put their private life in public space with the only difference being nobody cared enough to talk about it. Maybe I have been delusional my entire life but this is NOT the Nigeria I used to know.
 I remember growing up, we took so much pride in being Nigerian. We are cultured, we are respectful, we are couth, we are happy people and most importantly we carried ourselves with unrivaled decorum. I remember being young I would proudly say of I am Nigerian because I knew we were seen as classy people. Oh boy have I been woken up out of that dream world. I guess that was then.
 These days all I see is negativity after negativity being the favorite topic of choice. Nigerian youth carrying on like they have no home training or sense of pride. Where has the sense of values we took pride in growing up gone? Social media is not helping because it sheds light on the true nature of a lot of young Nigerians.
 Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong but we are no longer a majority of deep thinkers and move makers. These people have become the minority.
 I defended Ice Prince and eventually got caught in the crossfire. What the trolls had to say did not bother me as much as the fact that in 2016, after so much “clearing the air” the majority of them were still harassing me. It pretty much solidified the fact that a lot of them do not reason, think or read. A lot of them behave like a generation with no hope and if care is not taken, Nigeria will continue to be what it is. It also made me realize something, negativity feeds a lot of souls on Nigerian Twitter and I do not wish to be a part of it.
 To them everything is a joke yet there is nothing to laugh about. Yes, budgets will go missing, there will be no light, there will be queue for fuels, there will be looting and so much more because those meant to be fighting for their future busy themselves with frivolous things. The highlight of their days is who they managed to insult and get a reaction out of on social media. How sad is that.!
 They want to act like American kids forgetting the average American child has their basic amenities met. They even go as far as over doing it because I see no balance in what trends, it’s mainly negative negative negative.
 If I were to sit back and think about my experiences I will say it’s people has offered me more grief than joy. There is absolutely no motivation left in me to want to do anything there.
 I do not expect everyone to like me but don’t troll me for what I did not do or call me names that are not mine.
 I have realized the overall orientation of some of my people is bad and there is nothing I can do to change it .
 Life is not 100% but I have full control over how I choose to live mine.
 God bless the good people who have shown me love over the years
 I really don’t know what else to say at this point except enough is enough. I know all I have written will still be misconstrued and fall on a lot of deaf ears but at this stage, I am doing this for posterity sake. To go on record so people will someday recall this day. As much as I love that country, sometimes peace of mind simply trumps patriotism or passion. Out of the love I have for Nigeria, I started the first online entertainment website. I held on to it for over 10 years and recently began to rebuild it to change how things are done. As of right now, I wish to sell it. If there is anyone interested in buying, do let me know. Till then, that is the only way I will contribute my quota.
 To anyone who sees this as pointless, what is pointless to you, is not pointless to me. To those who say it’s for relevance, your sense of reasoning is extremely foolish. relevance that does not pay my bills but tarnishes my name? If that is the sort of relevance you wish for, it is not what I want for myself. I do whatever soothes my spirit how I want to. To those that say “who cares” you do if you had the time to comment or have an after thought upon hearing my name. To those blogs who think they can come on my website to steal this post and post on their blog, I promise you, I will see to it that your site is taken down for copy write and plagiarism. Leave the foolery in 2015.
 To those that genuinely care. I am not upset. I promise but for the sake of my sanity. This is something I need to do.
SOURCE: thenet.ng

Coming After me Will Bring Buhari's Govt Down - Fayose

"I was 24 years old when Buhari was head of state of Nigeria. We were daily being beaten in Ibadan when we queued up for essential commodities. I remembered how he stopped import duties and did a lot of things damaging to the economy, the same way he is still doing it today. God raised Joseph at a given time. God raised Moses to warn Pharaoh of the consequences of his leadership, until he perished.
"I have said it clearly that any attempt to confront me and attack my government will bring Buhari’s government down. My name is Ayo Fayose, I mean every word I am saying. As powerful as God has made the snail, he warned the snail to beware of salt. God gave the snail a protected shield behind him and told him to crawl all over the world, but warned him to be mindful of salt. I am salt.
"He should be mindful of me. It doesn’t matter his might, we have seen presidents before. We were here when Obasanjo was here. We were here when other presidents came and we will still be here when he will leave. I am not a coward. Call me controversial if you like. Men that will make history will be very controversial. Courageous people will be controversial. The bible makes it very clear that the righteous will be as bold as a lion.


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