THE IGBO GIANT STRIDES AGAINST ALL ODDS
9 years ago
Governors Suntai of Taraba, Liyel imoke of Cross River, Sullivan Chime of Enugu, and Al Makura of Nassarawa State all have one thing in common- they are all either absent or bed ridden.
Few weeks ago, the oracle of Nigerian politics, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was in nearby Ghana as head of an Ecowas delegation monitoring the Ghanian presidential elections. As herculean as the task of election-monitoring was, Baba still found time to thrill spectators with Gangnam style, a dance style popularised by korean music star Psy, which mimicks one riding a horse, alternately holding the reins and spinning a lasso, and moving into a legs-shuffling side gallop. Click to watch Obasanjo thrilling his watchers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=X99NUc0pLuQ
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I actually got to know Dr Oronto Douglas 0n 8th December 2009 when, as the then Senior Special Assistant on Economic Matters and Strategy to Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, he represented and delivered a speech on his behalf at the maiden edition of the 2009 Justice Chukwudi Oputa Awards ceremony in Abuja.
In that speech, he noted that the energy and creativity of Nigerian youths was a satisfactory indication that the birth of a glorious future was undeniable.The Nigerian youths he went on, have at no time undermined our aspiration for a greater and better society. We must continue to support them so that they can continue to make us proud.
Thrilled by his perfect rendition of that speech, I sent him a Facebook friend request which he readily accepted and so the bond of friendship was established. Subsequently, we exchanged phone numbers and kept in touch from time to time even though we had never met face to face. Within the course of my short interactions with him, he did not leave me in any doubt as to his convictions on the necessity for empowering the youths for the challenges of the battles of the future which he rightly noted will be fought and won based on the superiority of ideas.
Barely 30 minutes of this very interesting encounter, Dr Oronto had to leave and attend to urgent office matters but not before I redeemed a pledge of two books published by my employers, Evans Publishers Ltd which I made to him during one of our Facebook chats. The Books were Wale Okediran's Tenet's Of The House ( a fiction on the intrigues and power play in the National Assembly) and Through My Eyes ( an insight into how Barack Obama emerged the first Black US President). It was actually from the latter book that I coined the title of this article: Through The Eyes Of Oronto Douglas.
Shortly before leaving, he had suggested that he would like me to travel down to Bayelsa State and have an assessment of four e- libraries located in Yenagoa, Ogbia, Okorogba and Otuoke and thereafter make possible recommendations on how local contents can be installed by my employers in the e-libraries. I was still considering the most auspicious time to make the Bayelsa trip, I received this text message from Dr Oronto Douglas:
"with the kind permission of my elder brother, Mr R.S Douglas, I write to inform u dt our father Pa Obebera Douglas begin a journey to eternal glory. Wake keep:14/12/12 &Funeral service @10am on Sat 15th. Pls join us in Okoroba Bayelsa. if your busy schedule permits. Thk U".
With this development, I now saw the trip as an opportunity for me to kill two birds with one stone: 1. Attend the Funeral of Pa Douglas and 2. Visit the Library Project in Yenagoa. It was an also an exciting opportunity I thought to myself, as it will enable me to get to know the Niger Delta region I have heard, read and seen a lot on the news but never visited before. On 13th December, I left Abuja for Port-Harcourt by road and next day, I left Port-Harcourt for Yenagoa-Okoroba en route Ogbia. Embarking upon
the journey through water was a bit scary being the first time in my adult life that I would be travelling on water. As we boarded the the speed boat at Ogbia government jetty en route Okoroba via Nembe, one woman noticed I was scared and asked me to sit in between her and another passenger. I became a bit relaxed until our boat captain categorically told us that he does not know the route to Okoroba, but obviously driven by the pecuniary reward of the #25,000 worth trip, was ready to gamble his way.
As we cruised past the Joint Task Force (JTF) checkpoint at Nembe where we observed the ritual of raising up our hands in show of non-militancy, we stopped over to refuel our speed boat. But shortly after resuming our journey, we realised we had missed our way as our speedboat engine ran aground along one the creeks we had taken. At that moment, the literal reality of choosing between the devil and the deep blue sea dawned me as a flurry of thoughts criss-crossed my mind. In retrospect, I guess this is a situation Yakowa and Azazzi did not want to experience and so choppered their way by air to Okoroba instead. The rest they say is now history.
Like a man on a mission, I quickly located the newly built state-of-the-art Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan library, a project of the Community Defence Law Foundation (CDLF). Inside the library, I quickly forgot that I was in a remote creek town in the Niger Delta as the library's super fast Wi-fi internet connectivity enabled me to come alive with developments across the globe. In a country where education does not get the requisite attention, this state of the art library is a obviously an exception to the rule.
To have conceived situating in Okoroba and other creek towns, such libraries that are fully digitalised and linked up with Berkeley University in California certainly smacks of a man with a vision given the futuristic dimensional importance of this initiative which obviously cannot be over emphasised. With these libraries around them, today's Niger Deltan child has what it takes to make him/her relevant in the course of world history which Oronto rightly noted will be driven by the battles of ideas that we cannot afford to be left behind in the historic process. It was a real privileged for me to have seen the unfolding vision through the eyes of Oronto Douglas.
I still recall seeing the both of them that morning upon disembarking from the chopper that brought them but little did I know that will be the last time, I would see them. As he proceeded to the venue of the event, Gov. Yakowa beamed smiles all the way and even stopped at the makeshift abattoir where he had a lively chat with his kinsmen hired to butcher the cow for the occasion. Then on the prompting of Gen. Azazzi, they proceeded to the hall but not before I personally took this picture of them, which The Nation Newspaper hurriedly used as its cover picture in their report on the crash without even acknowledging me as their source (intellectual theft).
Well that is by the way and the rest they say is history but what I took away from the my Okorogba expedition is the fact that visionary leaders are a sine qua non in the developmental quest of any nation. Dubai had visionary ruler and the dreams conceived yesterday have turned Dubai into an economic melting point today. The point however is that dreams as lofty as they may appear can only be meaningfully realised if they are domesticated and relevant to the universal need of the immediate environment. That is what Oronto Douglas took into cognizance in championing the movement for knowledge equipment of his people.
Messi junior named Thiago
Barcelona star Lionel Messi has become a father for the first time after girlfriend Antonella Roccuzzo gave birth to a baby boy whom they named Thiago.
All Souls' Day is marked on 2nd November (or the 3rd if the 2nd is a Sunday), directly following All Saints' Day, and is an opportunity for Roman Catholics and Anglo-Catholic churches to commemorate the faithful departed. Some passed through purgatory to be purified for the Lord's presence. They stayed until the moment when they were ready to see God. They are with him now forever. Some saints have been singled out for their own feast day. The Church offers their witness of heroic, joyful lives for Jesus. But there aren't enough days of the year to fit all the countless saints who walked through this life witnessing to Jesus.
Some kept close to the Lord all their lives. Others found him along the way. Some led good lives without major difficulties. Others made big mistakes, but found the Lord on the road of repentance and genuine sorrow.
They made it! We celebrate their journey that led to eternal happiness with God. We celebrate our own family members, relatives, neighbors and friends whom we believe to be in heaven.
Today we can rejoice in our hearts with all the saints in heaven. We can make up our own prayer to them, thanking them for the witness of their lives. We can thank them, too, for helping us overcome our difficulties and temptations. We ask them to help us on our own journey through life.
"Clearly, if we venerate [the memory of the saints], it serves us, not them. But I tell you, when I think of them, I feel myself inflamed by a tremendous yearning. Calling the saints to mind inspires, or rather arouses in us, above all else, a longing to enjoy their company." -St. Bernard
August 13, 2012 (KellyClinger.com) -
Wednesday is late term abortion day at Orlando Women’s Center (the clinic where I had my abortions 12 years ago). When I first started visiting the sidewalks of abortion clinics to pray and minister, I had no idea that late term abortions were even legal. I remember hearing about the Partial Birth Abortion Ban in 2007 and assumed (like most) that this stopped abortions late in a woman’s pregnancy.
Shock can’t even begin to describe my feeling when I first counseled on late term day. “These girls are so pregnant,” I kept thinking to myself. Of course that’s silly since there’s no such thing as being a “little pregnant”, but I couldn’t get over the size of their beautiful bellies so full of life. These women have felt their babies kick. Many of them even know the sex of the child and this is sometimes the reason for the abortion. These girls have carried these babies for six months. They are more than halfway done!
I just cried and cried. I couldn’t even speak at first. Not only is the size of their bellies overwhelming but the hardness of their hearts is just as shocking. I began to think about family members, friends, and co-workers of these girls who know they are pregnant. Is our society so lacking of accountability that they will return to their lives and no one will think this is a problem?
This past Wednesday my friend John posted a picture of a girl who arrived at OWC to abort her twin baby girls. She already had daughters and didn’t want any more. She was about 20 weeks along, but because she was pregnant with twins, she had a big belly. Within a few hours, the picture went viral. I began to get phone calls and emails from friends who had no idea abortions like these happen. Many offered financial help and many offered to adopt her babies. Thousands of people all of over the world were praying that this girl would change her mind…and thousands were saying the picture was a hoax or that what she was doing was illegal.
I found myself repeating over and over again, “Abortion is legal in America up to the day you give birth.” In fact, in our nation’s capital, there are two doctors who “specialize” in abortions this late in pregnancy. One of those doctors has been working with a suspended license for several years. The Partial Birth Abortion Ban only stopped the use of that procedure late in a woman’s pregnancy. Now, as long as the baby is dismembered before removing him or her from the womb, it’s perfectly legal. Look up the laws in your state. Keep in mind that in any state that has exceptions for the health of the mother, this can mean that if a woman has bad heartburn that’s a threat to her health. A late term abortion starts around $2,000 and can go up to about $15,000 depending on how far along a woman is in her pregnancy.
I’ve been to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC. They have piles and piles of hair shaved off of Jews in the concentration camps. They have millions of pairs of shoes belonging to children who were killed simply because they were Jewish. The pictures of thousands of dead bodies piled on top of each other are shocking and appalling. At one point I decided I couldn’t look anymore. I was disgusted that this could happen without a revolution rising to overthrow a government that would accept murder as status quo.
I know it’s controversial to say this, but abortion truly is the holocaust of my generation. What if we had the bodies of 50,000,000 babies piled on top of each other in a museum somewhere? What if we took all of the clothes they will never wear and toys they will never play with and you had to pay to see them? If each of us had to watch a late term abortion, surely there would be a revolution, right?
After the Holocaust ended, German civilians were taken to Buchenwald concentration camp to see the atrocities that happened there. Over and over they were heard saying, “We didn’t know.” Now, because of the internet and social media, we have no excuse for ignorance. The hands of America are covered with blood…perhaps her eyes and ears are covered as well.
The girl I mentioned earlier ended up aborting the twin girls in her womb even though we had every kind of help she would ever need ready for her. She admitted that she didn’t want girls and that she had no compassion for the babies she was carrying. Through a two day process, she actually had to go into labor and deliver her sweet babies into a toilet. Abortions like these happen all over the country every day. I hope that this girl’s picture made many so outraged that they are provoked to do something. When I spend hours on the Planned Parenthood sidewalk alone, I want to cry out “WHERE IS THE CHURCH?”
“America will not reject abortion until America SEES abortion.” - Father Frank Pavone
Reprinted with permission from KellyClinger.com
Click here to Sign An International Petition Seeking To Halt the demolition of Mpape
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| Bulldozing Mpape |
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| Army Checkmating Protesters |
On August 16th, the CDD learned that the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) had surprised the residents by starting the demolition two weeks early and in the late morning while everyone was away at work. This video contains some of the few shots which escaped the village. www.cddwestafrica.org
To watch this video, just click on this link: The destruction of Mpape
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| Court Order |
From The Author
Era of Crises and
Revolts is a modest contribution geared at arming working class and youth
activists with perspectives at a critical point in history. The book provides
analyses that help shed more light on the roots of the general crisis, rocking
the world economy and political system. The crises cover a broad range of a
social life, and the relations of humankind with nature. Yet it is at the
same time a single crisis i.e. the crisis of the capitalist system.
The book further shows
the interconnectedness of the struggles of the working masses across the world.
This is particularly important for situating the January Revolt in
Nigeria and its ongoing aftermath.
The resistance of the
working class has been impressive. Snapshots of crucial theatres of the unfolding
global rebellion are captured and the possibilities ahead considered. The
socialist idea is presented as the alternative to barbarism which the bosses
and elite politicians are driving humankind towards.
The state of crises that
had preceded the anti-fuel subsidy removal protests in Nigeria at the beginning
of 2012 is given close attention. The dynamics of the January Revolts discussed
and the ultimate way forward in Nigeria is revealed as being tied to the
overthrow of the exploitative and oppressive capitalist system globally. Such system
change, it is noted, will not come about automatically or due to the
benevolence of the bosses. A critical view of the problems and prospects for social change involving the self
emancipation of the working people, in the country and globally is thus noted
as being of the essence for workers and youths in the struggles that we shall
still confront.
Prior to the kick off of the Brazil Vs Mexico Olympic football gold medal match, Richard and I visited the Abutu family (Emmanuel, Nwakaego and Mikel-Father, Mother and Son respectively). Even though we never informed the Abutus prior to our visit, they magnanimously demonstrated the true and remarkably African hospitality. Without mincing words, I am really proud and delighted to have them as friends. Right from the moment we stepped into their apartment there was no dull moment for the next two and half hours we stayed with them.
As Mikel was thrilling us with some Olympics-inspired stunts of gymnastic proportions, Mrs Nwakaego who is "very heavy" dashed into the kitchen to prepare us an extraordinarily delicious pepper soup which Richard latter reffered to as the best pepper soup he has ever tasted. Mr Emmanuel for his part gave us all the attention you can think of and made us feel at home with his issue-based discourses that cuts across politics, social and cultural lines. Lest I forget, Gabriel the guy I call Millito, a brother of Mr Emmanuel was also busy providing logistics and facilitating the services we got. Coach Stagger also a friend of the Abutus was present too.
When the much anticipated match eventually kicked off, Richard who was supporting his Canadian continental neighbours (Mexico) as opposed to my support for the Samba boys was cock sure that the Mexicans will prevail over the dreaded Samba boys. His confidence was so much so that I almost challenged him to a bet but had to change my mind on a second thought, after all nothing was really at stake for me as neither Nigeria nor any of my continental neighbours for that matter was involved.
To sum it all, it was a fun-filled outing for Richard and I thanks to the Abutus. Upon leaving the Abutus, we went to a nearby joint where the fun continued. Here are some pictures of the day for your viewing pleasure.
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Culled Vanguard
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By KINGSLEY OMONOBI, Abuja
Detectives at the Police headquarters investigating the $620, 000 oil subsidy bribe money collected by erstwhile chairman of the House of Representatives Subsidy Probe Panel, Hon. Farouk Lawan from oil magnate, Mr. Femi Otedola, at the weekend disclosed to Vanguard that the decision of the Police not to stand in the way of the embattled Farouk travelling out of the country on religious grounds, followed his keeping to the terms of his bail conditions.
Detectives at the Police headquarters investigating the $620, 000 oil subsidy bribe money collected by erstwhile chairman of the House of Representatives Subsidy Probe Panel, Hon. Farouk Lawan from oil magnate, Mr. Femi Otedola, at the weekend disclosed to Vanguard that the decision of the Police not to stand in the way of the embattled Farouk travelling out of the country on religious grounds, followed his keeping to the terms of his bail conditions.
Farouk Lawan
Aside reporting to the Police Special Task Force on two times daily basis, or whenever his presence was needed to shed more light on some issues, Farouk Lawan is said to have wept in one instance when it dawned on him that he had been abandoned by his colleagues to swim alone and was neck deep in the bribery allegation and that it will take close to a miracle to escape the consequences.
When the issue of his travelling for pilgrimage ‘Umrah’ came up, the authorities studied his conduct and analyzed his willingness to cooperate with the bribery investigation. In most cases, all the addresses, information needed from him were provided and were found to be true; the only exception being that he regretted that his colleagues in the house, disappointed him when the $620, 000 which he claimed he kept in the house was not forthcoming.
It was gathered however that a specific time frame within which the embattled former chairman would perform his religious obligation and return to the country, was agreed and signed, and failure to keep to the agreement would lead to ‘certain actions’, the source said.
Vanguard was made to understand that up until when the investigation was concluded last week and the report submitted to the Attorney-General’s office for legal advice, Farouk had continued to insist that his colleagues would bring the money to him to hand over to the police.
It would be recalled that Vanguard reported last weekend that authorities of the Special Task Force investigating the $620, 000 bribery scandal concluded the investigation, had written its final report and submitted the case file to the Attorney- General’s office.
Consequently, Hon. Farouk Lawan who has been in the eye of the storm over the bribery allegation, is set to face a 15 count charge of conspiracy, bribery, corruption, and lying under oath among others.
However, contrary to the widely held belief that going by the provisions of the law, the giver and taker of bribe are liable to face criminal charges, Vanguard gathered that Chief Femi Otedola who gave the bribe might be a prosecution witness if the recommendations of the investigation report is approved by the Attorney-General.
While intimating Vanguard of a watertight case file owing to the fact that painstaking steps had been taken to plug any envisaged loophole in the report, sources disclosed that it will be difficult for the defence lawyers to arm-twist both Farouk Lawan and Boniface Emenalo the secretary of the committee from complicity in the allegation.
Vanguard gathered that among new addition to the charges included in the case file, were attachments detailing how Farouk Lawan collected and concealed the bribe monies from both the House Committee on Subsidy probe and the ploy to deceive investigators that he handed over the money to the chairman of the Financial Crimes Committee for safe keeping.
Asked if the non recovery of the hard cash of $620, 000 would not stand in the way of nailing the culprits in the scam, a source said, the Police is very optimistic that even though the $620,000 was not returned to be used as exhibit, there is overwhelming evidence to get conviction for the duo.
Recall that Hon. Lawan claimed in his statement to the Special Task Force (STF) that the $620,000 bribery money was handed over to the chairman House Committee on drugs and financial crimes, Adams Jagaba. Jagaba however rubbished the claim and challenged Lawan to prove how the money was given to him which he (Lawan) has so far failed to do.
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| Dancing On Olaitan's Blood |
Give it to Comrade Governor Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole: he won the recent political battle in Edo State from all fronts. His mastery of propaganda, political communication and coupled with the well-liked belief of some people that he worked in the state when compared with the thieving administration of former Governor Lucky Igbinedion did it for him. For him, every weapon was necessary for the battle, which swelled the suffocating political tension in the state a few days before the July 14 election.
The gruesome murder of Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde, the principal private secretary to Oshiomhole, was one of the “weapons of mass destruction” that was effectively employed by the governor in criminalising his major opponent, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and its leaders. With a section of the media acting as willing tools, Oshiomhole succeeded in creating a huge perception among many naive people that leaders of the PDP were behind the killing of his “son” (that is how he calls Olaitan) in order to weaken his fighting spirit for the election. He led a violent protest on the streets of Benin City, to the Benin monarch’s palace and eventually gave the security agencies a two-week ultimatum to fish out the killers of Olaitan. He openly accused the leader of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih, of spearheading the murder and went ahead to name Delta Street, where Anenih’s house is located, as Olaitan Oyerinde Street.
As if that was not enough, after that criminal incident, some of Oshiomhole’s aides sustained the propaganda and alleged that Anenih was also targeting them for assassination. While this dirty propaganda went on, the Iyasele of Esanland refused to be sidetracked and goaded. He maintained his cool. For those who know the governor very well, the rationale behind that seemingly half-truths and grubby propaganda that characterised his campaign for the July 14 governorship election was achieved on July 15 when the Independent National Electoral Commission returned him winner of the election.
Now, does Oshiomhole still care about how his son was killed? Does he still think Anenih was behind the killing? Why has he suddenly remained deaf and dumb in the face of conflicting reports by the State Security Service (SSS) and the Nigeria Police Force on how Olaitan was brutally killed?
From the SSS, we were told recently that “careless talk” from the security guard of the slain former principal secretary to Oshiomhole gave suspected armed robbers the clue that took them to Oyerinde’s house. Ms. Marilyn Ogar, the spokesperson of the security agency who briefed the press in Abuja while parading the suspects, said Oyerinde’s security guard, Ali Ihade, made known his master’s wealth and influence in the Oshiomhole government during a family meeting.
According to the SSS, the flippant utterance by the security guard was capitalised upon by a member of the family who is also a member of a suspected gang of armed robbers. Six principal suspects - Mohammed Ibrahim Abdullahi, Raymond Onajite Origbo, Chikezie Edeh, Saidu Yakubu a.k.a Iman, Sani Abdullahi Abubakar and Hassan Bashiru - have been paraded as killers of Olaitan. One of the robbers who fielded questions from journalists claimed he shot and killed Olaitan after he ran into his bedroom and attempted to go under his bed.
But from the police’s angle, we are being told that Olaitan was assassinated and the executive director, African Network for Economic and Environmental Justice (ANEEJ), Rev. David Ugolor, is being detained over the alleged murder of the former principal secretary to Oshiomhole. Rev. Ugolor was said to have been arrested and whisked away by police in plain clothes that swooped on ANEEJ corporate headquarters in Benin City recently. Irreconcilable contradictions from two government’s security agencies, you may say. Yes.
In the last few days, some critical segments of the civil society have expressed worry over the way and manner this heinous crime against humanity has been handled and the many unanswered questions these contradictions have generated. But more worrisome is the seemingly criminal silence of our comrade governor over the matter. The governor, who once gave the security agencies, ultimatum and threatened to employ every means to bring the killers of Olaitan to justice, has suddenly turned cool and refused to comment on the controversy. At a time many people are putting pressure on the security agencies to explain whether Olaitan was killed by armed robbers or assassinated for political reason, Oshiomhole’s silence is being given different meanings. Will he speak out now so as not to give the impression that he is no longer interested in the case since he has achieved his political objective - winning the July 14 governorship election? For sure, his silence could be misinterpreted by some members of the public that he knew how Olaitan was brutally murdered.
In the interim, I think the comrade and some members of his party need to publicly apologise to Chief Anenih over their wicked libelous statements against an innocent man who was widely criminalised for mere political reasons.
Some people may not want to hear it: I am one of the few people who do not get carried away by Oshiomhole’s rhetoric when it comes to serious matters that require deeper intellectual reflection. On many occasions, I have been proved right. I have said in this column, when Oshiomhole accused Anenih of having a hand in the killing of Olaitan, that he was just playing dirty and wicked politics. Yesterday I read Oshiomhole’s advertorial in some national dailies celebrating Anenih’s 79th birthday. This is what he said about the Iyasele of Esanland: I wish our respected elder statesman a happy 79th birthday.”
Imagine! Somebody he accused of killing his “son” a few weeks ago is today being celebrated as a “respected elder statesman”. Right-thinking people know that respected elder statesman do not do evil and Oshiomhole has just confirmed the innocence of Anenih over the killing of Olaitan. That is by the way. The comrade governor must take his usual combative posturing to the doorsteps of the SSS and the Nigeria Police Force and ensure that the contradictions being generated on how Olaitan was killed are urgently resolved. This is one case the security agencies must resolve in the interest of justice.
Via Leadership Newspaper
It all started this afternoon, beside the Customs Quarters at the Federal Housing Estate Kubwa, Abuja, where a lady was almost raped by a purported mad man who stormed into her apartment unannounced and pounced on the hapless lady with a knife while trying to force her into having sex with him.
For sometime now, the purported mad man had been seen lurking around the neighbourhood and deceptively portraying himself as a harmless madman thus diverting attention from the danger he portends. So it was really a great shock to residents of the area when it dawned on them this afternoon that the supposed harmless man actually poses a grave danger to them.
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| The Victim of the Attack |
The purported mad man incurred further wrath of the crowd when he resisted attempts to hand him of to the police, an action the crowd interpreted as a sign that contrary to their thinking the man was actually sane as he knew quite well the consequences of his action.
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| The Purported Man |
After over an hour of trying to get him into the car en route the police station, he was finally subdued when a resident provided a metal handcuff with which he was handcuffed and bungled into the boot of a waiting Honda Baby Boy and driven to the Phase IV Police Station Kubwa.
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| Being Forced Into The Car Boot |
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| Being Forced Into The Car Boot |
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| Finally Booted To The Police Station |
Nigerian official bitter over N2b Olympic money
By Onochie Anibeze
An official from a sport neglected in Nigeria yesterday pleaded with President Goodluck Jonathan to restructure sports in Nigeria and make it more result-oriented.
An official from a sport neglected in Nigeria yesterday pleaded with President Goodluck Jonathan to restructure sports in Nigeria and make it more result-oriented.
The official who begged for anonymity cried out to the President when reports had it that more than N2b had been released for the Olympic Games here in London. He was bitter that the money was released so late that it did not help Nigeria’s preparation for the ongoing London Games.
Nigeria’s flagbearer Sinivie Boltic (C) leads his delegation during the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games on July 27, 2012 at the Olympic Stadium in London. AFP PHOTO
“N2b can help our sports and help us win gold medals at the Olympic Games if it is released in time and spread over four years for preparation,” the official said, lamenting that the last minute release of funds only creates room for corruption as the whole money is hardly used for the purpose for which it was meant.
“About N2.3b was said to be the total so far released for the London games but I am sure that they have not spent more than N800m on our preparation and they couldn’t have spent more than N200m here in London because the host is providing accommodation, feeding the athletes and providing some other logistics for all teams,” the official said. He continued:
“From the last Olympics in Beijing till date if we used N2b to develop our athletes, train them, expose them and enter them for competitions I will be telling you how many gold medals we can win here in London.
But we are still running sports according to government lines and all monies approved and allocated each year must be spent that year and when we have the Olympic games we will be waiting for budget approval and implementation to start preparation at the time others would have finished theirs.
The whole thing is wrong. As far as I’m concerned the N2b released for the London Games was more of a waste because the money did not do much for our preparation.
It came late and we could have done better with such an amount. I want our President to restructure our sports so that funds released for sports will be useful to sports because we are not developing sports in Nigeria, we only attend competitions where we spend a lot without spending when it matters most.”
What the official complained of has been the practice in Nigeria for years but appears more pronounced now than ever before. The National Sports Commission was even said to have borrowed money to execute some Olympic qualifying events. But now they could have more than they would need to compete here.
Via Vanguard
In the run up to the 2007 general elections, erstwhile President Obasanjo had led the PDP campaign train to Jos township stadium
The running mate to General Muhammed Buhari, CPC flag-bearer in the 2011 presidential elections and General overseer of the church of the latter Rain Pastor Tunde Bakare is no stranger to revolutionary sermons. Over the years his fiery sermons on the pulpit have tended to re-echo the liberation theologies that swept across latin America Christendom in the 80s.
