Helen Ogbu

Chichi & friends002

2006-06-30T12:54:00.000+01:00

Chichi & friends002, originally uploaded by helen ogbu.

AFRICAN LADIES AT THE PRESENTATION SCHOOL, GALWAY INTERNATIONAL DAY.

NAIJA NEWS: June 6-June 9

2006-06-23T11:17:00.000+01:00

''Genital mutilation leads to more child birth deaths''

A new Australian study has shows female genital mutilation leads to an increased risk of death in newborn babies. The study has been published in medical journal, The Lancet, and involved more than 28,000 women in six African countries: Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal and Sudan. The author of the study, Australian National University Associate Professor Emily Banks, says the procedure causes an extra one to two deaths per 100 deliveries. Professor Banks says the study's results are being used in campaigns to try to stamp out the practice. "What we're seeing here is something that's happening during labour, so I think it's fair to say that there's something about women who've had female genital mutilation that means that their labours don't go as well and their babies are more likely to be distressed and they're more likely to die," she said. Professor Banks says it is the most reliable study on the topic to date. "There was quite a lot of questions about whether female genital mutilation really did impact on child birth, and now we know that it does," she said.

I N B R I E F

President Olusegun Obasanjo says uninterrupted power supply in the country will be a reality by the end of next year. Power supply has dipped to an all time low with several parts of the country thrown into constant darkness. â€œWe are not resting on our oars...in the past there was no planning, while for 10 years, there was no investment at all in power generation.

Salary arrears for employees of troubled NITEL is to cost the federal government N1.7billion.The employees had gone on strike, distrupting telephony services in the country. â€œThe sum of N1.7billion will be released by the Ministry of Finance, in compliance with the deduction from source policy earlier approved by Mr. President, spokesperson for the Minister of Communications, Akinloye Oyebanji, said. The federal government, ministries and parastatals owe NITEL N5billion out of the over N80billion debt owed it by various agencies and institutions.

The Alliance For Democracy (AD), All Nigerian People's Party (ANPP); Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD); Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and the Progressive Alliance Party are holding merger talks the first of which is taking place in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Key politicians in support of the merger talks include Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Governor Ahmed Bola Tinubu, Governor Orji Kalu and Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.The Peoples National Conference, organised by the Pro-National Conference Organisations, yesterday failed to adopt the report of its Constitution Drafting Committee following a disagreement among the conference delegates. The conference has adjourned till further notice.

The feud between Oyo State governor, Adebayo Alao-Akala, and his deputy, Hazeem Gbolarumi, boiled over yesterday as aides of the duo engaged in fisticuffs to settle their differences.

Nigeria and South Korea yesterday reaffirmed their commitment to a $6 billion (N792 billion) deal on the development of energy and mineral resources in the country. The meeting in Seoul, under the auspices of the first Nigeria-Korea Joint Committee for Energy and Minerals Resources Co-operation, was on how Nigeria's oil, gas and other mineral resources could be better harnessed for the benefit of the two countries. Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Edmund Daukoru, led the Nigerian delegation, made up of government and industry officials as well as private sector players. The Korean team was headed by the country's Minister of Commerce, Industry and Energy, Chung Sye-Kyun.

About nine local council chairmen in Imo State have now been arrested by the Economic and financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations of fraud. Those arrested include Gerald Irona (Oguta Council), Simeon Iwunze (Isiala Mbano), Nwabueze Oguchienti (Oru West), Raymond Emerenini (Obowo), Samuel Anyanwu (Ikeduru), Emma Ogbenta (Oru East), Charles Okeke (Orsu) and Nobert Agbasi (Njaba). Others who received invitation from the EFCC have gone underground. Some travelled out of the country.Crude oil futures rose 77 cents, or 1.1 percent, at $73.15 per barrel yesterday after hints from Iran that it might use oil production as a weapon in its nuclear dispute with the West. Shares of Caterpillar fell 2.2 percent to $71.20, while GE lost 0.4 percent to $34.52.

Nitel disrupts telephonyservice for 2nd day running

Several thousand workers at state-run telecoms firm Nitel have gone on strike over months of unpaid wages, paralysing telephone service across the country yesterday for a second day. Nitel subscribers and those who use its facilities said they have been unable to make or receive local or international calls since the strike began on Monday. President Olusegun Obasanjo has directed the finance ministry to immediately release 1.7 billion naira ($13m) to offset the salaries of the workers who are owed about four months' pay."The minister of communications, Cornelius Adebayo, has appealed to the workers to go back to work as efforts are being made to pay the salary arrears," spokesperson of the minister, Akinloye Oyebanji said. The federal government is preparing Nitel for privatisation. The nation's privatisation agency said last month that it was hurrying to conclude a negotiated sale of the firm to a preferred investor before the end of June. The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) said it had shortlisted seven prospective investors from the 27 expressions of interest it had received. The shortlist includes Trans-national Corporation/BT, Globacom, Afro Telecommunications Limited/Korean Telecomm, MTC/Celtel International, Investcom, Telkom SA and Etisal. In the past three years, the government has made three botched attempts to sell Nitel (Nigerian Telecommunications Limited). Investors International Limited (IIL) failed to make payments following a bid of $1.317bn, Pentascope failed to meet contract obligations, resulting in cancellation, while Orascom Telecom's bid of $256.53m was rejected by that government as unacceptable. The BPE is in a hurry to sell off Nitel to prevent a loss of value in the company, which might discourage potential investors as its liabilities increase, the BPE said. "In 2003, Nitel liabilities amounted to 73.8 billion naira. In October 2005, liabilities had increased to approximately 130 billion naira (about $1bn), and growing," the BPE said. In 2002, Nitel's mobile subsidiary, M-TEL, had an 11% market share but as of last December, the company's market share had fallen to 5%. Nitel and its subsidiary together have around 1.2 million subscribers while the three private mobile phone operators, who came into operation less than five years ago, have more than 22 million subscribers. Nitel has been a victim of corruption and mismanagement, especially under the military.

U.S. lawmakersays VP made demands

Vice President Atiku Abubakar made financial demands in connection with a business Technology venture in Nigeria by U.S. lawmaker Rep. William Jefferson, according to statements made to an FBI informant that were detailed in court documents filed in a bribery probe of the congressman. Abubakar has denied the allegations. Jefferson allegedly told an FBI informant that he had delivered "African art," which authorities believe was code for cash, to the Potomac, Md., home of Abubakar at midnight last July 31. Details of the alleged deal were included in an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court to secure a warrant to search Abubakar's house in Potomac. The affidavit was unsealed Monday by the federal court in Greenbelt. The affidavit says delivery of the money came shortly after Jefferson allegedly received $100,000 in cash from the FBI informant. That money was supposed to help smooth the way for a Kentucky telecommunications company, iGate Inc., to conduct business in Nigeria. None of the money was delivered to the vice president's home, and his possible role is described only by Jefferson in wiretaps the FBI made. According to another search warrant affidavit for Jefferson's congressional office, filed last month, $90,000 in cash was found in a freezer at Jefferson's Washington home. A briefcase similar to the one Jefferson used to carry the money was found in a later search of his New Orleans home, according to federal court documents filed there. The 39-page affidavit released Monday in Maryland, some sections of which remain sealed, does not mention Abubakar by name. But it does identify the Potomac home as the residence of Jennifer Douglas, Abubakar's wife. It also refers to "the Vice President of Nigeria" when detailing the alleged scheme. Although the search of the Potomac residence was mentioned in documents previously released by the courts, names and titles were redacted to keep them secret.

Obasanjo admits spending from federation account without approval by parliament

President Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday admitted in a letter to the House of Representatives that he approved an unauthorised withdrawal of $17.3million from the excess crude funds to meet part of the costs of the 2006 census.

"You would recall that in the initial days, some delays were experienced in conducting the enumeration exercise for the 2006 national population. These delays, which were associated with logistical hitches, resulted in non-coverage of a sizeable population, particularly in rural and remote areas and threatened the success of the exercise. Several state governors contacted me during the period to express their concern about the situation and request my intervention to avert failure'' Obasanjo said in the letter to parliament.

''As no budgetary provision had been made by the government for this supplementary cost, and given the urgency of the situation, I convened an emergency meeting of stakeholders, including the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, to discuss possible funding options." The upper legislative chamber is currently investigating another incident of ''illegal'' withdrawal of $14 billion by the Presidency from the excess crude proceeds, without the approval of the National Assembly.

AIDS Toll May Reach 100 Million in Africa

It began quietly, when a statistical anomaly pointed to a mysterious syndrome that attacked the immune systems of gay men in California. No one imagined 25 years ago that AIDS would become the deadliest epidemic in history. Since June 5, 1981, HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, has killed more than 25 million people, infected 40 million others and left a legacy of unspeakable loss, hardship, fear and despair.

Its spread was hastened by ignorance, prejudice, denial and the freedoms of the sexual revolution. Along the way from oddity to pandemic, AIDS changed they way people live and love. Slowed but unchecked, the epidemic's relentless march has established footholds in the world's most populous countries. Advances in medicine and prevention that have made the disease manageable in the developed world haven't reach the rest.

In the worst case, sub-Saharan Africa, it has been devastating. And the next 25 years of AIDS promise to be deadlier than the first. AIDS could kill 31 million people in India and 18 million in China by 2025, according to projections by U.N. population researchers. By then in Africa, where AIDS likely began and where the virus has wrought the most devastation, researchers said the toll could reach 100 million.

I N B R I E F

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Austin Opara yesterday survived an assassination attempt when some assailants threw a bomb into his two-storey home in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Reports said the ensuing blast destroyed two windows in the house. The parliamentarian was not in the house during the incident.

The Chairman of the Nigeria-Cameroon Mixed Commission, Prince Bola Ajibola, yesterday confirmed that Nigeria has handed over thirty villages to Cameroun in accordance with the International Court of Justice judgement.

July crude fell 95 cents, or 1.3%, to $71.65 a barrel in early dealings as traders eyed developments in Iran and Nigeria. "For prices to re-take the $75 level, it will take a palpable worsening of the Iran nuclear affair or a further disruption of Nigerian crude oil," said John Kilduff, an analyst at Fimat USA. Iran's European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana presented proposed incentives to the Iranian government.

And in Nigeria, a militant group freed hostages over the weekend, but threatened more kidnappings, according to news reports.

Militants say killed fivesoldiers in fresh ambushFive foreign oil workers abducted

Militants attacked a Shell-operated oil facility in the Niger Delta yesterday, killing at least five soldiers and kidnapping five South Korean contractors. The attack comes just three days after eight foreign oil workers were released by a different group of kidnappers, and is the latest sign of rising militancy across the oil heartland of the country. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), which launched a series of attacks earlier this year that forced the closure of a quarter of Nigerian oil output, threatened strikes on crucial oil facilities in the next few weeks.

MEND said Wednesday's raid was in response to a court decision on Tuesday to deny bail to militant leader Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, who is on trial for treason. The group had previously cited Asari's release as one of its demands. "We are of the opinion that the government of Nigeria may be interested more in a prisoner exchange rather than releasing the person whose release we have demanded," the group said in an emailed statement. The kidnap of the South Koreans comes after Nigeria awarded companies from South Korea oil exploration rights in return for promises of investment in Nigerian infrastructure.

The abductions coincide with a visit to South Korea by the Minister of State for Petroleum Edmund Daukoru, who is also OPEC president. MEND said it had captured and burned a house boat used by army and police assigned to the protection of the Shell facility, and an unknown number of security forces had been killed in a fierce firefight. The militants then kidnapped the five South Koreans, whom they said had been taken to a MEND base where they were safe and would not be harmed unless the base was attacked.The group said that as the militants left the oil facility, they came under attack from four army boats. The militants said they sunk one of the boats, killing at least five of its six occupants, while the other boats suffered an unknown number of casualties. MEND said one of its fighters was killed. Earlier, a coalition of three militant groups calling itself the Joint Revolutionary Council claimed responsibility for the night-time attack.

The coalition includes MEND. In Seoul, a Foreign Ministry official confirmed that five South Koreans were kidnapped.Three of the South Korean workers are from Daewoo Engineering and Construction Co. and the other two were from Korea Gas Corp., a Foreign Ministry official said. A Korea Gas spokesman said one South Korean employee of the company and another at an affiliated company were taken captive in Nigeria. The workers were testing the operations at a gas plant, the spokesman said. Industry sources said the workers were under contract to Shell in Cawthorne Channel. A Shell spokesman was not immediately available to comment.

Bayelsa oil rig hostage says treated well by militants
A British oil worker is back home four days after he was kidnapped while working on an oil rig in Nigeria. Phillip Morris, from Liverpool, was abducted along with seven others from the drilling rig Bulford Dolphin. Morris said he was treated well by his kidnappers who he said were only trying to publicise their own problems. "They just wanted to work as there is no employment in their village," Morris said.

"They just wanted a chance to compete on an even keel." He was kidnapped along with seven others while on board the rig, which supplies oil to Nigerian company Peak Petroleum. The rig was operated by Aberdeen-based Dolphin Drilling, which employs six of the men who were taken hostage. "There were basically guns being fired into the air and a lot of guys shouting with people being manhandled down the stairs," said Morris, who added that his main thoughts were of survival. President Olusegun Obasanjo had joined in the mediation efforts to free the eight men who were finally released as a result of negotiations brokered by authorities in Bayelsa state.

I N B R I E F

Diamond Bank is to introduce Sunday banking for its customers at its new branch at the Palms Shopping Centre, Lekki, Lagos. The service is to be introduced at some other branches nation-wide. The branch will open from 12 noon to 4 pm every Sunday.

A reconciliation team of the PDP yesterday met with Vice President Atiku Abubakar and his supporters in a bid to mend fences after his public spat with President Olusegun Obasanjo over the third term controversy. Abubakar is believed to be the arrow head of the new political party Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD) and is poised to quit the PDP over what analysts say is irreconcilable differences.

The Guardian newspaper reports that North American Airlines will on July 29 begin direct flights from the United States to Nigeria. The paper reports that this detail was disclosed by Nigeria's aviation minister Babalola Borishade. Virgin Nigeria has been embroiled in flight right controversy as the American government had told the airline that it would not fly into the U.S. because the United Kingdom (UK) has refused to sign the open skies agreements with Washington.

President Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday admitted the inability of his government in providing basic infrastructure, particularly power supply, water and good roads for Nigerians which he promised in his electioneering campaigns of 1999 and 2003. I must concede that we are not where we would like to be in terms of development. The road to consolidated democracy and economic recovery in our land is still stretched far ahead of us. The state of our infrastructure especially power, roads, and water is still far from what they should be''.

Shell has shut down its Cawthorne Channel gas plant in the eastern Niger Delta following an attack by armed men early Wednesday morning, a company official reporters. "A gang of armed men attacked the plant between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. local time this morning," the official said. "There are reports of casualties but we cannot confirm the numbers now." He said the gas plant has capacity of 150 million cubic feet of gas a day.

Evolving Systems, Inc. a leading provider of software solutions and services to the wireless, wireline and IP carrier markets, and Wireless Trade Nigeria Limited (WTL), a systems integrator and distributor of wireless solutions and related consulting and support services, have entered into a partnership agreement to pursue the growing wireless market in Nigeria. Under the agreement WTL will provide sales support and first-line support and maintenance for Evolving Systems' customers in Africa.

The Tribune newspapers reports that over 11,000 Nigerians have been deported from Libya auhtorities while 23 others have been arrested for various offences ranging from drug trafficking, robbery, prostitution to stealing. Nigerian's envoy to that country Mohammed Ibrahim, says the North African desert has claimed the lives of Nigerian youths who died while trying to cross to Libya and from there to Europe.''About 270,000 Nigerians cross the desert to Libya yearly and 90 per cent of people in Libyan prisons are Nigerians''.

Nigerian carrier Bellview Airlines is to begin replacing its fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft with Airbus A320s from the end of this year. Bellview Airlines managing director Kayo de Odukoya says the aircraft will be leased, with deliveries beginning in the fourth quarter of 2006 and continuing to September next year. The engine type is unclear. The A320s will be used to replace directly the airlineâ€™s five Boeing 737-200s and its single 737-300. Odukoya insists that the fleet replacement was already in the airline's plans before the carrier suffered the loss of a Boeing 737 in October last year. Bellview operates primarily from Lagos to destinations in West and Central Africa but also serves a handful of routes in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The carrier's long-haul fleet comprises a pair of Boeing 767s.

Dokubo-Asari's plea leadsto release of foreign hostages

Five South Korean gas workers taken hostage in the Niger Delta on Wednesday were freed in good health yesterday after a plea by the jailed militant leader Mujahid Dokubo-Asari in whose name they were abducted 40 hours earlier. Dozens of heavily armed rebels staged a bloody raid on a natural gas plant in the Niger Delta on Wednesday. They had demanded the release of jailed leader Dokubo-Asari in exchange for the Koreans' freedom. "All five Korean prisoners captured by our unit in the attack on the Daewoo camp were released â€¦ at the request of Dokubo-Asari," the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), one of three groups involved in the kidnapping, said in an email to media. The five men, employed by Daewoo Engineering and Construction Co. and Korea Gas Corp., walked into a government building in Port Harcourt looking relaxed. "I am very happy to be back. For the moment I will enjoy my freedom," said one of the released men, O.K. Kim. In Seoul, Yonhap News quoted the wife of one of the workers as saying: "I'm so happy and grateful that he's coming back. I won't let him leave South Korea again when he returns." The abduction was the latest incident in a wave of violence against the energy industry in the delta, where militancy is fueled by poverty. Dokubo-Asari, in prison on treason charges, had pleaded for their release in a letter to the militants earlier on Thursday. He said people in his native community where the kidnapping took place were being victimized for holding the Koreans. Several troops, police and militants were killed in two clashes during Wednesday's abduction, when dozens of men armed with assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades attacked the Cawthorne Channel gas installation in speed boats. The delta has about 3,500 oil and gas installations spread across 74,000 sq km of swamp and forest, and military officials say it would be impossible to guard every one all the time.

Residents miffed by 'Occultic' practice in Osborne Phase 1 Estate Ikoyi

How will you react if you woke up in the dead of the night in a posh estate in Lagos to witness a procession of menacing cult members who usually undertake traditional religious sacrifice at a water front? Do you call the police or keep mum.

This is the dilemma some residents of Osborne Phase I Estate in Ikoyi, Lagos, had to contend with. As investigation shows, the practice is widespread in all the Islandcommunities in Lagos...The time is about 3.00 am, and it is the last Saturday of the month. From the precinct of Ibadan Street in the snub value estate on Osborne Phase 1 in Ikoyi, an abode proliferated originally by retired military men but now home to top level professionals, politicians and business-persons, this group of worshipers including men and sometimes women numbering about 20 file out of this posh edifice, most of them wearing white garment, some are in red while some carry unusually fat candles.

A man believed to be the chief priest of what is invariably a cult, along with his members, hum some strange tunes, the sort that sends your blood running cold or you're likely to hear in some cult films in the local home video acts, make their way slowly to the water front area of the estate. Most residents are asleep and are oblivious of the activities that will take place in the ensuing one hour. Peeping through their windows, some residents overawed by the event, watch in befuddlement, and are unable to understand why indeed such event is taking place in their highbrow dwelling. What really is the motivation? Is it prosperity, to avert danger through spiritual prosperity or just religious congregation? This event is not only peculiar to this estate, but is common in Lagos. From the famous Bar Beach shoreline in Victoria Island to Lekki Peninsula and Lagos Island, the outcome of such rituals are visible by the sacrificial objects that are deposited at major road intersections.

At the shoreline where the ritualists eventually terminate their procession, some sacrificial bowls is left behind. On one occasion before the waves washed away the objects, we discovered the following; slaughtered pigeons, a disembowelled dog, naira currency in different denominations, palm oil, boiled eggs, kolanuts, roasted yam, bush rats and fowls. Some residents who have been witnessing this event spoke to Island News on condition of anonymity, but vowed that they will dislodge this cult from continuing this practice in the estate. ''I don't want to name names, but I think I saw some recognisable society figures, businessmen, politicians and surprisingly an evangelist, who normally take part in this event in our estate'' one resident said. ''Most of the participants don't live here and the one who lives here that I saw is a very controversial man who sleeps when others are at work and is active at night. I really don't know what he does for a living. All I can say is that we are worried by this development. I just can't imagine that this sort of thing is taking place where I live. What I saw resembled the initiation of members and I was surprised that some topless so called dignified society women actually took part in this activity. It is a shame.''Ordinarilly, traditional worship is associated with the less previledged in the society.

But this may not be the case. The practice is very common in the nooks and crannies of the Island. Politicians, top civil servants, Imams and pastors and business persons are all involved. Perhaps, this explains why such practice takes place in Ikoyi. Osborne Phase 1 Estate is a new residential dwelling in Ikoyi. The land area was reclaimed from this marsh land and the original beneficiaries were public officers, mainly former military top brass. In recent times, the plots of land were sold to the noveau rich keen on residing in Ikoyi. The built up area is estimated to be about 70% and the completed buildings are a delight to behold. New ones, palatial in size and design, are springing up with quantum equanimity. Work on the estate's infrastructure began about eight years ago.When it is fully developed, there would be about 500 residential houses including block of flats. At present, the population of the estate is estimated at 950 persons. A standard plot of land goes for about N40 million depending on the location and bargaining power of the buyer while a house sells from N75 million and above. A four-bedroom house could be rented for N2.5 million per annum. This abridged version of this report was culled from the latest edition of Island News.

Nigeria replies Gadhafi over Liberia's Charles Taylor

Nigeria's Ambassador to Libya, Mohammed Ibrahim, has defended Nigeria's decision to repatriate former Liberian President Charles Taylor to Liberia for war crimes trial, following the criticism of the action by Libyan leader Moammar Kadhafi. Reacting to a statement credited to Gadhafi that Nigeria betrayed the African continent by handing over Taylor to be tried for war crimes by the UN-backed special tribunal in Sierra Leone, Ibrahim said Nigeria acted in strict compliance with the request of the Liberian President.

"Let me say without any air of ambiguity that what the Nigerian government did concerning Charles Taylor was in strict compliance with the request of Mrs. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the new President of Liberia," the local media Thursday quoted Ambassador Ibrahim as saying to a group of Nigerian journalists in Tripoli, Libya. "Indeed, the agreement reached when Taylor was being taken to Nigeria was that if an elected government of Liberia should request for him, he should be promptly released to them. So, I wonder why the Libyan President is making such wild accusations," Ibrahim added. The Ambassador said President Olusegun Obasanjo should be "emulated and appreciated by every black person in the world" for having the courage to do that which is right, "no matter who is involved and irrespective of the circumstances".

I N B R I E F

Stockton City Council in the UK has formally established sister city relations with Asaba, capital of Delta State, the city's seventh such sisterhood. Asaba, a city of about 500,000 people on the western edge of the River Niger, is in some ways similar to Stockton: It is an inland port rich in agriculture. Stockton's other sisters are the merged Japanese cities of Shizuoka and Shimizu; Iloilo, the Philippines; Empalme, Mexico; Foshan, China; Battambang, Cambodia; and Parma, Italy.Most of those seeking to succeed President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2007 are empty barrels Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Ahmadu Ali said yesterday. "As the Chairman of the PDP, let me warn that any presidential aspirant who knows that his feet are too small to fit into that of Obasanjo should better reconsider running because Nigerians will accept nothing short of what Obasanjo has given. We have a lot of empty barrels parading the airwaves with no concrete policy for the future of this country. Nigeria will have no more of those kind of people." Seven top members of the PDP have so far indicated interest in the 2007 Presidential elections. The aspirants are Governor Adamu Abdullahi of Nasarawa State, Professor Jerry Gana, a presidential adviser and Governor Saminu Turaki of Jigawa State, who is yet to formally dump his All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP) for the PDP, but has recently been attending caucus meeting of the party at governor level, Governors Peter Odili (Rivers State), Victor Attah (Akwa Ibom State), Adama Muazu (Bauchi State), and Ahmed Makarfi (Kaduna State).The House of Representatives Committee on electoral matters has summoned Finance Minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Accountant General of the Federation, Ibrahim Dankwabo and Director of the Budget Office, Bode Augusto to appear before the Committee next week Tuesday, to explain how much has so far been released to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The PDP bigwigs have no right to choose the party's presidential candidate from the ranks of governors, former Foreign Affairs Minister and member of the PDP, Sule Lamido said yesterday. ''This is part of the problem in the party. You do not simply appropriate the rights of the people. It is the right of members of the PDP to elect their flag bearer. Therefore, the idea of forming a club or whatever to shop for candidates further compounds our problem. There should be open, inclusive, transparent process, in which all members of the PDP as a family should be fully involved. When you appropriate their rights and apportion it to somebody else, they are being seen as ordinary subordinate not as equal partners, and the Nigerian voters have been effectively forgotten''. President Olusegun Obasanjo has suspended heads of ministries of foreign affairs, transport, health, education and internal affairs over the shoddy implementation of the Public Service Reform. Reports said they had not been cooperative with the Public Service Reform Committee.

NAIJA NEWS: 30-31 MAY 2006

2006-06-02T13:12:00.000+01:00

naija_news: 30-31 May 2006, originally uploaded by helen ogbu.

Nigerians Reflect on
''Democracy Day''

As Nigerians mark seven unbroken years of democracy, President Olusegun Obasanjo is seeking support for his much-criticized reforms. A recent opinion survey says two-thirds of Nigerians believe democracy is a better form of government than any other. Surviving seven years of democracy is a record in Nigeria where frequent military interventions had thwarted previous attempts at democratic rule.

In a televised address to mark what is known in the country as Democracy Day, President Olusegun Obasanjo said Nigeria has made remarkable progress under his watch and appealed for more support for his reforms. "Today, we are beginning to see the results of the reform programme," Obasanjo said. "Let us not allow those that seem pathologically fixated on operating a system of anything goes and business as usual, to distract, confuse, intimidate, derail or compromise us as we lay solid foundations for a better future for all." The poll conducted by a civil society group, Afrobarometer, indicated that Obasanjo's popularity is at an all-time low, while almost two-thirds of Nigerians believe the economy is in worse shape. Critics say the reforms have created hardships for ordinary Nigerians.

Wunmi Bewaji, in the House of Representatives said "This government has had in seven years, more revenue than all the other administrations put together, yet you cannot find anything on the streets," Bewaji says. "This is a government that has so much opportunities, too much advantage but refused to make use of it and at the end of the day, the government has failed its people. And people cannot wait for May, 2007 to come and for them to say bye bye to this government that has failed them." With the stage set for elections, the next couple of months are considered very important for Nigeria's political future. With Obasanjo out of the picture, some analysts say the political scene is in a state of flux.

Obasanjo urges Nigerians
to seek good governance

President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday urged Nigerians never to compromise on good governance and to shun corruption, in a speech to the nation marking the return of democracy seven years earlier. "We must never compromise on the need for good governance. It is the key to democratic sustainability and consolidation. Good governance remains, in some respects, the most critical ingredient for eliminating poverty, instability, violence and underdevelopment," Obasanjo said in the anniversary address.

"With good governance, you can be assured of accountability, respect for the rule of law and human rights, transparency, sensitivity to the plight of the disadvantaged and the deepening and consolidation of democracy," he said in a nationwide broadcast. Nigeria returned to democratic rule on May 29 1999. "As a people and nation whose present and future was contaminated and compromised by corruption, misplaced priorities and waste, we are beginning to resolve that never again are we going to give room for such forms of resource mismanagement," he also said.

He said that in the process of reversing bad governance, corruption and bad leadership, "it is normal that vestiges, practices, agents and values of the ancient or discredited regime remain in some nook or corner". Although he did not disclose those at whom he was hitting out, observers noted that Obasanjo would be referring to old and serving politicians who have mismanaged the country's economy and engaged in corrupt practices. Nigerians will go to the polls in presidential and general elections between April 7 and 28 next year, the chairperson of the nation's electoral agency (INEC), Maurice Iwu, announced last week.

Thirty seven political parties are already registered with the INEC ahead of the vote for a successor to Obasanjo. The 2007 poll will be the third democratic election since the end of military rule in May 1999. Parliament in Abuja two weeks ago rejected a constitutional change that would have enabled Obasanjo to stand for a third term in office. With Obasanjo technically out of contention, it is expected that more presidential hopefuls will join the political fray shortly.

I N B R I E F

Disgraced former governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, is reported to be ill and may need surgery to prevent sudden cardiac death. ''The detainee has hypertensive heart disease, coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus'' one expert said. Unfortunately, the facilities for interventional cardiology are not avaialbe in this country. Dr. Alamieyeseigha will have to travel abroad where these facilities are available.

EFCC boss Mallam Nuhu Ribadu says corrupt politicians would not be allowed to take part in next year;s elections. Deceit is too much in this country. Nobody will be spared in this anti-corruption crusade, including those who think they are coming to take over power. To rule Nigeria is not a joke. It is our responsibility to ensure that rogues or thieves will not be part of the future democratic process.....Nobody is above the law in this country, no matter how powerful or influential''.

Former chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Chief Olabode George may face criminal prosecution, EFCC boss Nuhu Ribadu said yesterday. "The first (Investigative) report was not a criminal investigation. It is now on the basis of the administrative investigation that we will initiate a criminal investigation. Yes, we have started and we will ensure that justice is done." George is the Deputy National Chairman (South-West) of the Peoples Democratic Party and a close political associate of President Olusegun Obasanjo.

An accident involving the convoy of Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Governor Boni Haruna of Adamawa State has led to the death of four persons. Reports said the accident occurred yesterday between Loko and Jabi Lamba while the duo were on their way back to the state capital Yola from Hong where they had gone on a condolence visit.

The ruling PDP says it is yet to take a decision on the zone that should produce the next president in 2007. "The PDP is yet to take a position concerning which of the six geopolitical zones will be encouraged to produce our presidential flag bearer. It is admitted, however, that a suggestion has been made that the South-West be exempted from processes leading up to the emergence of a PDP presidential candidate for the 2007 elections for reasons that are fairly obvious.We are committed in principle to an inclusive, non-restrictive approach in which the searchlights for a successor to President Olusegun Obasanjo will be both internal and external" the National Secretary of the PDP, Chief Ojo Maduekwe said.

How a huge python found its way into the concrete jungle in Ikoyi, Lagos is still a mystery. Residents said the snake could easily have ended up in any one's bedroom and hibernated for weeks without trace. Weighing about 150kg with a length of about 15 feet, the anaconda like snake, had been feeding on some domestic animals near St. Gregory's Road in Obalende, where labourers working for NITEL killed it while they were digging a trench to lay a cable in the area. ''My chicken had been disappearing and my neighbour had complained of some of his dogs getting lost'' one resident in the area said. The snake was killed by one of the labourers who chopped off its head with a cutlass. Its remains were feasted on, while the hide was sold to an expatriate.

Army Arrangement:
Obasanjo sacks key military chiefs

President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday sacked three of his key security chiefs in a major shake-up of the defence ministry, an official statement said. The chief of defence staff, General Alexander Ogomudia, was replaced by army chief Lieutenant Martin Luther Agwai, while Air Marshal Jonah Domfa Wuyep was replaced by Air Vice Marshal Paul Dike as chief of air staff, the statement from the president's office said.

Obasanjo replaced National Security Adviser Mohammed Aliyu Gusau with Major General Sarki Muktar. Major General Owoye Andrew Azazi is the new chief of army staff. Dike was head of a panel that probed the corruption and mismanagement that led to the liquidation of Nigeria Airways, the erstwhile national carrier. All the appointments take effects from June 1. Obasanjo promoted Agwai, Azazi and Dike respectively to the ranks of army general, army lieutenant general and air marshal.

No official reason was given in the statement for the shake-up which came a year before the expiration of Obasanjo's mandate. "Obasanjo did not consult anybody before he appointed the military chiefs. So, he is at liberty to dispense with their service and he does not have to explain why he is doing so," a close aide of the president, who demanded anonymity, told reporters. The latest edition of TheNews magazine reported that Gusau, a northern Muslim and former army chief, is planning to contest presidential polls in April next year. He also had similar plans in 2003, it said. He was a member of the junta which ruled Nigeria from 1985 to 1993 and has also headed the intelligence service.

G8 invites Nigeria to
finance ministers' conference

The Group of Eight industrialized countries (G8) has invited Nigeria to its finance ministers' conference scheduled for June 1, 2006 in St Petersburg, Russia, according to a statement issued by Nigeria's Finance Ministry yesterday. The invitation, the first of its kind, is in recognition of the great strides made by Nigeria in its economic reform program implementation, said the statement, which was issued in Abuja by Paul Nwabuikwu, special assistant (Media) to Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

He said the invitation was contained in a letter addressed to Nigerian Finance Minister Okonjo-Iweala by the Russian government, the current holder of the G8 presidency. Nwabuikwu said discussion at the summit would center on the issues of "good governance in public finance" and "the role of emerging donors in the global development community." Apart from participating in the discussion on the role of donors in global development, Okonjo-Iweala will also act as the lead discussant for the session on good governance in public finance. Okonjo-Iweala described the invitation as an additional proof that the international community is taking note of the progress being made in economic reform under President Olusegun Obasanjo.

I N B R I E F

Sokoto State Governor, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, previously of the All Nigeria Peoples Party has joined the newly registered Democratic Peoples Party.

President Olusegun Obasanjo says the federal government will repay the $2.15 billion debt owed the London Club soon. "I am pleased to formally report to the Senate that the Paris Club debt deal has now been fully consummated and Nigeria is no longer indebted to Paris Club ..Taking into account the foreign exchange gains, interest income, transactions costs as well as administrative charges levied by the CBN, I am pleased to report to the Senate that the actual cost to the nation of the Paris Club exit was $12,123,652, 000 (that is, approximately $12.12 billion). This represents net savings amounting to $276.3 million, in relation to the $12.4 billion payment negotiated with the Paris Club creditors''.

Swiss hotel chain, Golden Tulip Hospitality has announced the signing of a management agreement for Golden Tulip Princess Emotan effective as per January 1st 2007. The Golden Tulip Princess Emotan will be operated by Golden Tulip West Africa Ltd., a joint venture between Lionstone Ltd. and Golden Tulip. The hotel will be a Superior First-Class International African-Style Business Hotel with 54 superior guestrooms and centrally located in the business district of Apapa, Lagos. The hotel is set in spacious grounds with surrounding tropical gardens ideal for both business and leisure guests. The hotel offers various business and relaxation facilities such as a Piano Lounge, an a la carte restaurant, and a pool bar.

World oil held firm above $71 a barrel yesterday, despite OPEC's assurance that it will do all it can to keep consumers well-supplied when it meets later this week. U.S. crude for July delivery was trading up 36 cents at $71.73 a barrel by 1030 GMT, after a high of $71.77. London Brent crude was up 34 cents at $70.93. Both markets were closed on Monday for holidays. OPEC President Nigeria's Edmund Daukoru told reporters that the cartel will probably keep output quotas unchanged at its ministerial meeting in Caracas tomorrow and keep pumping as much as it can to ease concern of a shortage.

Nigeria;s foreign direct investment inflow has reached $5.6bn, making it to lead the Ecowas sub-region in volume of foreign direct investment. The World Bank said Nigeria attracted US$2.48 billion (N335 billion) as FDI in 2002 and US$3.25 billion (N438 billion) in 2003.According to the report, the 13 other countries that make up Ecowas trailed far behind igeria as they collectively accounted for US$689 million (N93 billion) as FDI in 2002 and US$419 million (N57 billion) in 2003, respectively.A recent World Bank report entitled: "World Economic Indicators 2004/05", indicated that in 2002, the total amount of FDI the entire region (including Nigeria) received was US$3.17 billion (N428 billion), while it recorded US$3.67 billion (N496 billion) in 2003.According to the World Bank report, Cote D Ivoire followed Nigeria with US$316 million (N43 billion) worth of FDI within the period under review, while Liberia was at the bottom with just US$3 million (N 405 million).

A joint venture involving four Barbadian companies has started construction of a factory in Nigeria to manufacture solar water heaters. Approximately five million dollars has been invested into the project, Akwa Sol Nigerian Limited, which is also being financed by six Nigerian firms from the private and public sector. The local firms include African Enterprises Inc., Lee-Marrow-D Enterprises Limited, PDT Investment Inc. and water heater operator, Aqua-Sol Limited. CEO of Aqua Sol, Vincent McClean says the factory should be operational by November and is being built on 83 thousand square feet of land with an additional 65 thousand for future expansion. McClean says with the growing housing stock in Nigeria research is showing a strong demand for solar water technology. He says the company will capitalise on this demand through franchising.

More than 13 million children currently under age 15 have lost one or both parents to Aids, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa, President Olusegun Obasanjo said in Abuja. Nigeria currently has an estimated four million people living with HIV and Aids in a country where the disease has left three million orphans. "The impact of HIV and Aids on children and adolescents is tragic," Obasanjo said while addressing the nation for the annual Children's Day celebrations. He said the strategic focus of his government was to put young children and adolescents at the centre of its HIV and Aids agenda and to halt and begin to reverse the spread of the disease among children.

Messenger, a news service for mobile phones, has launched in Nigeria. Standard fare, but seen as a way to inform the public. Speaking with the news men while unfolding the technicalities of Messenger, spokesperson of the company, Mr Anthony Nwulu, said that the main aim of putting messenger together was to sensitize the Nigerian mobile subscribers on a lot of other benefits of the mobile phone other than making and receiving calls.The FIFA world cup will help get subscribers too.

NAIJA NEWS: 22 MAY-26 MAY2006

2006-05-26T12:20:00.000+01:00

I N B R I E F

Vanguard newspaper says General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, has struck a deal with Senate President, Chief Ken Nnamani as his running mate for the 2007 Presidential elections. ''Babangida has brokered a deal with top politicians from the South-East to forge a North-Central-South East ticket.Under the arrangement, Babangida will run a joint ticket with the current President of the Senate'' the paper quoted party sources as saying.President Olusegun Obasanjo must conduct a free and fair election in 2007, in order to regain his political relevance. When I said it in 2003 that he wanted life presidency, they said I was a rascal. Nobody took me seriously. I told the nation then when I wrote a letter to Chief Anthony Anenih that people were planning for him (Obasanjo) to run a third term in office. That letter earned an indefinite ban on SLOK Airline. The airline has since remained banned from the Nigerian airspace. That was in 2003. The way out now is to conduct a free and fair election, where nobody will be seen to be the President man. Anybody he presents that is not seen as a candidate of the people will not win the election.

Divine intervention resolved the third term agenda, Senate President Ken Nnamani said yesterday. A burden has been lifted off me and off the nation because I think the constitutional amendment was something that appeared to have been bigger than the June 12 issue. It was being discussed in all parts of Nigeria. For instance, in my village, a certain person came to my constituency office not too long ago and said she had not been able to sell anything, that I should find her money. I asked why havent you been able to sell? She said there is something they call third term. I cannot say she was an educated person, so she could not understand what third term meant. But she saw it as if it was an influenza, a problem, something like June 12. I started wondering what third term has got to do with a market woman not being able to sell. So, it has permeated everywhere. The burden is not only off me but the entire country.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is yet to remit the N310 billion it has withheld from the Federation Account since early in the year. This is despite the warning by Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. However, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) at the weekend submitted N66 billion to the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), being the arrears it held back on each barrel of crude oil sold since the beginning of the year.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has started reconciliatory moves with enstranged members, following the death of the third tem agenda. Reports said the party has made moves to woo Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Adamawa State Governor, Boni Haruna and Abia State Governor, Orji Uzor Kalu. A party official charges of anti-party activities levelled against them have been dropped for a smooth reconciliation. The exodus of PDP members to the Advance Congress of Democrats (ACD) has threatened the party.

The death has been announced of the former Military Governor of the old Gongola and Benue States, and immediate past Legal Adviser to the Peoples democratic Party (PDP), Col. Yohanna Madaki (rtd). He was aged 63. He died in a London hospital after a brief illness.

EFCC to Investigate Charges of Political Corruption

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), is investigating an alleged bribery scandal involving lawmakers and last week rejection of a constitutional amendment that would extend the presidential term limit from two to three.

Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, Chairman of the EFCC, said in the last two weeks the Commission has made progress in tracking the claims of bribery as well as raising public awareness of this issue. I think the work we did in some way helped more or less in determining the outcome of the entire process, he said. We started the investigation about two weeks ago, and we've been to banks (in Abuja, particularly), and we have taken statements from different people. And we issued a statement requesting information from the members of the public.

A US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights, and International Operations heard testimony from Ribadu and others last Thursday, two days after the Senate vote. Ribadu said that US legislators can help Nigeria fight corruption, Maybe as much as 80 percent of corruption that takes place in Africa goes out, and it goes to the West. And indeed, some of it also finds its way into the US. Shut it out. Dont allow them. And I told them that corrupt people and corrupt leaders, particularly from Africa, are as bad as terrorists. If it is possible that a corrupt despot, a person who is looting the treasury of his own country, could be treated as a terrorist, it will make a huge difference in the fight we are waging back home. I also asked them for technical support because some of this criminal activity is very complex. We need technology that will assist us in the war.

Ribadu says his Commission investigation will continue, even though the National Assembly has dropped the bid to extend presidential term limits. If you fight corruption, and you successfully fight it to a standstill, you will be able to get good governance.

Thursday May 25, 2006
Lawmakers threatento impeach Obasanjo

Fresh from defeating a bid to keep President Olusegun Obasanjo in power, lawmakers yesterday threatened to impeach him if he shows any sign of trying to derail elections next year. Obasanjo, said last week he accepted the National Assembly's rejection of his tenure extension. He told the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) to heal the wounds of the divisive "third term campaign" and prepare for the 2007 polls.But some lawmakers fear that the retired general might launch an offensive against those responsible for the defeat or even try to hold onto power by wrecking the elections.

"If there is any victimisation of people because they were against the third term, or if he refuses to fund the electoral authority, or if people feel the president wants to abort the process, impeachment proceedings will start straight away," said a senior PDP lawmaker, adding that a long list of charges had already been prepared.He declined to comment publicly on the impeachment plan on the grounds he did not want to confront Obasanjo openly, but added that the president was aware of the threat. Senator Saidu Dansadau, of opposition party ANPP, said lawmakers were working on the basis that Obasanjo would live up to his public call for reconciliation. "If he does anything to undermine the National Assembly and its decisions, we would take unpleasant steps against him.

It would be fire for fire," he said, noting that funding of the electoral authority contained in the budget was critical.Nigerian politics have been thrown into a state of flux by the National Assembly's decision, and many power brokers are realigning their loyalties in the run-up to the elections, which are expected in March or April. The vote should mark the first time in Nigerian history that one elected president hands over to another.

Many of those who opposed the third term now want to ensure there is less fraud than in 2003 elections, when Obasanjo won a second term amid accusations of widespread rigging. Obasanjo's third term campaign reawakened fears of autocratic rule in Nigeria.It was promoted by a powerful lobby of ruling party grandees and business leaders with millions of dollars in bribes for lawmakers, according to those opposed to the third term. Obasanjo led the campaign from behind the scenes. The PDP was created in 1998 with no ideological bias as a vehicle for Obasanjo to win power. Since 2004 it had become an instrument of the third term campaign, alienating many powerful elements in the party including Vice President Atiku Abubakar. With the third term now ruled out, power is draining away from Obasanjo and many party members are calling for the removal of the party chairman. The 36 state governors, who fund and control the party machinery, have re-emerged as key players."There is a scramble right now. There are a million ways it could go and everyone is in consultations," a senior party member said, asking not to be named.

"If the President decides he wants to reinvent the PDP and appoint a new chairman, the PDP could produce a candidate who could beat anyone. If he keeps the chairman, 20 governors could come out and say this is not their party and that would be it." A majority in the party want free and fair elections, because that is the only way they can be guaranteed a chance of power, he added. "With the third term dead, people will support the president if he allows a new person to emerge, but they have nothing to gain from crisis," he said.

Govt hikes airline capital base after crashes

The federal government has raised the minimum capital required for domestic and international airlines by between 25 and 100 times after two crashes last year exposed serious problems in the industry, a top official said yesterday. The government has increased the capital base requirement for domestic airlines 25-fold to 500 million naira ($3.9 million), regional airlines 50-fold to 1 billion naira ($7.8 million) and international operators 100-fold to 2 billion naira ($15.6 million), Aviation Minister Babalola Borishade said.

"These deposits ... will be used to control access to the aviation industry," Borishade told reporters after a cabinet meeting in the capital Abuja. The measure takes effect in March 2007. The new capital requirement comes after two major crashes last year that killed 223 people, calling into question the safety of Nigeria's aviation industry. There has been no official report on the causes of either crash. The minister said cabinet also approved 19.5 billion naira in funding to improve safety at airports in the world's eighth biggest oil exporter, which had been announced previously. Borishade said last month that 6 billion naira of the total amount would go towards upgrading the air traffic control tower at Lagos airport, the busiest in Nigeria.

The funding will also allow for the renovation of the second runway at Lagos airport. At present there is only one functional runway for both international and domestic flights. Most Nigerian airlines have ageing fleets, and maintenance and operational procedures are often inadequate to ensure passenger safety, the U.S. State Department said in a travel warning in January. Last October an aircraft operated by private carrier Bellview crashed shortly after take-off from Lagos, killing all 117 people on board. It took authorities 15 hours to locate the crash site. On Dec. 10, a plane flown by another private airline, Sosoliso, crashed at Port Harcourt airport, killing 106 people of whom half were schoolchildren going home for Christmas. The plane burned on the runway because there were no functional fire engines at the airport.

Mbeki lauds Obasanjo's reconciliation call

South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki has commended President Olusegun Obasanjo, for the latter's call for national reconciliation in the aftermath of the parliamentary rejection of his tenure elongation agenda.

Remi Oyo, spokesperson to Obasanjo, said in a statement Wednesday in Abuja that the commendation was contained in a letter, which Mbeki sent to Obasanjo.Last Wednesday, parliament threw out the 116 proposed amendments to Nigeria's constitution one of which would have given Obasanjo a third four-year term in office. After the rejection of the amendments, Obasanjo called for national reconciliation over the issue.

Mbeki described Obasanjo's posture as "an outstanding act of statesmanship", Oyo said. Mbeki also praised Obasanjo for urging members of his party to accept the decision of the parliament as "a victory for democracy" and for urging all Nigerians to "heal the wounds of acrimony and march forward together".

Friday May 26, 2006
Rivers State GovernmentOffers Money for US Worker's Killers

Expatriate oil workers in Nigeria are still coming to terms with the recent killing of an American oil worker in Port Harcourt. State authorities are offering a sansom for information leading to the arrest of the killers. Rivers State Governor Peter Odili has appealed to local security agencies to speed up the investigation into the May 10 killing of American oil worker Ricky Wiginton. The state authorities have offered $40,000 to anyone who can assist in tracking down the killers.

Officials believe arresting the killers will re-assure expatriates of their personal safety in the city.The governor's spokesman, Emmanuel Orkar said the government would do everything possible to apprehend those behind the killing. "We have put down the sum of five million naira [about $40,000] to anybody who will volunteer useful information that will lead to the apprehension or arrest of the people who master-minded this dastardly act," he said. "In addition to that, we have also been talking to the security agencies and encouraging them, the way we have always done, to extend their reach and do a more thorough job, assuring them if they have any handicap, they should always feel free to come back for assistance, at least all is aimed at finding the killers of the American.

"Mr Wiginton, 51, a Texas native, was killed by a gunman in Port Harcourt where he worked as an operations manager of Houston-based oil drilling equipment maker Baker Hughes. Wiginton was riding to work when a motorcyclist pulled alongside his car and shot him. Journalist Kelvin Ebiri, who is based in Port Harcourt, says the Nigerian police have not shown themselves capable of handling the investigation. "Ordinary, the police are saying they are investigating, but when you look at their antecedent, the police has no track record," he said. "There has never been any record of any assassination case that the police had been able to unravel. A lawmaker was killed in the state in 2001, a member of the state house of assembly.

Up until today, the police had not come to tell us who and who are the actual killers of the man. The case is dead. There are several other instances. We know they are trying, but a lot of us do not have confidence in the police." Wiginton was killed a day after the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta, the group responsible for recent attacks on the Nigerian oil industry, said it will would launch fresh attacks on oil workers. The group has since denied responsibility for his slaying. The group has previously kidnapped Americans and other foreign oil workers in Nigeria, but later released them unharmed. Baker Hughes has since evacuated its American workers from the city and invited international law enforcement agencies to investigate the case.

I N B R I E F

Edo State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Joe Atohengbe, was yesterday kidnapped by unknown gunmen and taken to an unknown location. Reports said Atohengbe was abducted from his official residence in Benin City, the state capital. Spokesperson for the state Kingsley Osadolor said The state government is shocked and as I am talking to you, we are all are worried. But I can assure you that he is safe wherever he is.When I spoke with him he did not disclose his whereabout but we are positive that he is fine.

Speaker of Delta State parliament, Young Igbrude, was yesterday impeached by 22 of the 29 lawmakers in the state assembly. Igbrude, is the third Speaker of the state parliament to be impeached since 1999. He was elected in 2003. Reports said a large contingent of mobile policemen was deployed to the parliament building during the impeachment exercise. No reason was given for the impeachment, but some sources said it may not be unconnected with alleged graft.

Ogun State commissioner for health, and daughter of President Olusegun Obasanjo, Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, says she would not resign from office because of her ambition to become a senator in 2007. "If the governor deems it fit to sack me, it is his prerogative. I am not going to resign until I feel so or my boss feels for some reason that I should resign. I know going by the Nigerian constitution, one needs to resign from office when it is six months to the election if one wants to contest for an elective post and it is not yet six months. At this point, I am carrying out my activities, I am carrying out my duties in my ministry and anybody that is not happy is on his own''.Controversy trails the new election timetable made public on Wednesday by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Lagos lawyer, Chief Gani Fawehinmi says the timetable is mischievous because the 1999 Constitution stipulated that there should be at least 30 days between the gubernatorial election and the handover date and for the presidential election, it is 60 days. Fawehinmi said the electoral commission did not comply with the provision. Similarly, The Transition Monitoring Group, the Alliance for Democracy, the Advanced Congress of Democrats and other critics said they suspected a hidden agenda by the Obasanjo government. But the ruling PDP said it had no objection to the election dates.

An extraordinary congress of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) has been slated for July 18 in Abuja as part of an agreement to end the ongoing impasse at the football house. FIFA Secretary Urs Linsi said in a communique at the end of a reconciliatory meeting between the warring parties in Abuja that the congress would be held in full compliance with the statutes of the association. "The congress will be held in full compliance with the FA statutes, " Linsi said, adding that observers from both CAF and FIFA would supervise the event. He said the main agenda of the congress would be on the harmonization of the football family to heal the wound of the past.

Hundreds of demonstrators marched through Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo protesting election delays Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo have arrested at least 26 foreign nationals from South Africa, the United States, and Nigeria, saying they are suspected of being involved in a coup plot. The events come amid preparations for the country's first elections in nearly four decades. DRC officials say the men are being held on charges of planning to destabilize the country. The officials say that seditious documents were found in the men's apartments and that they are being questioned by intelligence officers.

NAIJA NEWS: 17 MAY-19MAY2006

2006-05-26T12:14:00.000+01:00

Wednesday May 17, 2006
Obasanjo's third term bid now dead and buried
With the Senate throwing out the third term bill, six months must elapse before President Olusegun Obasanjo's supporters can re-present the bill to the upper legislative chamber....that is if Obasanjo's tenure elongation supporters wish to. Senators opposing the third term said the only way Obasanjo could stay in power now would be to starve the Independent National Electoral Commission of funds and push the national assembly for a six-month extension while elections were delayed....The senate yesterday rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that could have allowed President Olusegun Obasanjo a third term, a proposal that had widened regional, ethnic and religious rifts in Nigeria. To cheers from opponents, senate president Ken Nnamani ruled that the voice vote had defeated the measure introduced by Obasanjo's allies and that "the senate has said clearly and eloquently that we should discontinue other proceedings on this amendment". Nnamani's pronouncement triggered wild jubilation and back-patting among opponents. The debate shown live on AIT Television, continued in the lower House of Representatives but the procedure was considered a mere formality. The proposed amendment needed to pass by a two-thirds margin in the federal and state parliaments. Yesterday's floor vote in Abuja, appeared to cripple the drive by Obasanjo's supporters."Today Nigerians have spoken and they have defeated resoundingly the monster called third term," said Yari Gandi, a senator from northwest Sokoto State, said as he stepped out of the hall. ''It is a victory for Nigeria, it is a victory for democracy'' he added.The parliamentary debate had lasted several weeks. The scheme was opposed by some politicians, rights groups, organised labour and a large section of local and international opinion. Last week United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan urged African leaders, without naming Obasanjo, to "play by the rules" and resist the temptation to perpetuate their grip on power. "We need to play by the rules. We need to accept the constitution ... and we should not tamper with the constitution to perpetuate our rule," Annan told the The Guardian newspaper in an interview. Annan said a country's constitution should not be changed to satisfy individuals' political ambitions, warning that such a step could lead to instability. John Negroponte, US intelligence chief, said earlier this year that attempts to amend the Nigerian constitution and open the door to a third term threatened to unleash "major turmoil and chaos". He said there could be secession by regional governments, big refugee flows and instability in Nigeria.Shortly after yesterday's vote in the Senate, Obasanjo's adviser on National Assembly matters, Florence Ita-Giwa, said: "I am disappointed in the sense that they have allowed the issue of tenure elongation to becloud the debate." She asked rhetorically: "Why would they kill the bill without considering other fundamental issues like derivation, rotation and creation of new states that are contained in the amendment bill?" But human rights lawyer Gani Fawehinmi said "I am so delighted and happy about the outcome in the senate today (Tuesday). When I heard the news, I jumped up and danced like I won the lottery. Obasanjo's dream has been killed. It is the end of a sit-tight rule in Nigeria, political robbery and gangsterism," he said. "Democracy has triumphed over dictatorship," Fawehinmi added. The campaign to extend Obasanjo's tenure split not only the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) but also the government, with Vice President Atiku Abubakar rallying opponents and publicly accusing his boss of trying to institute life presidency. While the PDP officially supports extending Obasanjo's tenure, the party has been unable to get all party lawmakers, who command a comfortable majority, to support it with their vote.Obasanjo, who was on a visit to France as the lawmakers took the decision, has never stated he wants to run again when his second, four-year term comes to an end in 2007. But he has hinted he would like to complete economic and political reforms he has initiated. His supporters have rejected charges the third term drive was undemocratic and could open the way to dictatorship, saying Nigerians would still choose their president at the ballot box.The proposed amendment was part of a larger bill including proposals to rotate the presidency between Nigeria's six regions, create new states, and change how the oil wealth that makes up nearly 90% of Nigeria's foreign earnings is shared.

Police seek survivors of pipeline explosion in Lagos

The Nigerian police has called on the public to report any survivors of the recent pipeline explosion receiving medical treatment in any location within Lagos and Ogun state. In a statement made available yesterday, Lagos State Command Public Relations Officer Olubode Ojajuni said the police needed the public "to get first-hand information in its ongoing investigations to unravel the cause of the explosion." Around 250 persons were burned to death last Friday in an explosion while scooping fuel from a ruptured petroleum products pipeline at Inagbe village in the Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos. The mutilated remains of the victims were immediately buried inmass graves at the beach by the Lagos state government on Saturday. Adeoye said information by the public would also assist the police to work toward averting any recurrence. "Any hospital, clinic or traditional medical home where any of the suspected accomplices is treated, without reporting to the police, will be made to face the law accordingly," he warned. He urged community and opinion leaders of areas traversed by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) product pipelines to warn their people to desist from the deadly act of pipeline vandalism.

New presidential aircraft in emergency landing

The Vanguard newspaper reports that the newly acquired $72 million Presidential jet yesterday made an emergency landing at Abuja Airport a few minutes after take-off with President Olusegun Obasanjo and some of his aides and top government officials on board. The Boeing Business Jet 737-800 was taking the President to Paris, France.The paper says the new plane had only last week returned from a trip to Indonesia and Kampala where President Obasanjo had gone to attend the D-8 meeting and the swearing-in of President Yoweri Museveni for a third term. ''The jet had loss of Cabin Pressure after only 15 minutes of take-off at about 2 a.m. Although the pilot was said to have attempted to manage the situation by releasing oxygen masks for the president and all those on board, the heat inside the aircraft was said to have become unbearable, forcing the pilot to return quickly to base for an emergency landing at the Presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport''.

Senate investigates death threats to members
The Senate has asked its National Security and Intelligence Committee to investigate allegations of death threat to its members. The committee is to submit its report in one week. One senator said his car was riddled with bullets by unknown assailants last weekend, while others confirmed receiving test messages, phone calls and letters indicating that their opposition to the third term will cost them their lives. Senator Saidu Dansadau (ANPP, Zamfara) had moved a motion to that effect and urged the Chamber to probe the allegation. Sule Yari Gandi (ANPP Sokoto), who seconded it, said he is not afraid to die, since "anybody who has no cause to die for his country has no cause to live". The anti-third termers vowed not to be cowed or intimidated in the defence of democracy.

Senate investigates death threats to members

The Senate has asked its National Security and Intelligence Committee to investigate allegations of death threat to its members. The committee is to submit its report in one week. One senator said his car was riddled with bullets by unknown assailants last weekend, while others confirmed receiving test messages, phone calls and letters indicating that their opposition to the third term will cost them their lives. Senator Saidu Dansadau (ANPP, Zamfara) had moved a motion to that effect and urged the Chamber to probe the allegation. Sule Yari Gandi (ANPP Sokoto), who seconded it, said he is not afraid to die, since "anybody who has no cause to die for his country has no cause to live". The anti-third termers vowed not to be cowed or intimidated in the defence of democracy.

Thursday May 18, 2006
House of Reps jettisonsObasanjo's third term bid

Several lawmakers celebrated yesterday after the lower house of parliament rejected a constitutional change that would have allowed President Olusegun Obasanjo to run for a third term in office in 2007. Senators voted against the bill on Tuesday and the lower house of parliament withdrew it from consideration yesterday. "The issue of third term and anything connected to it is hereby closed," the speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Bello Masari, said at yesterday's session. "The decision is one of the best things to happen to Nigeria. It confirms the place of the legislature as the true representative of the people," Vice President Atiku Abubakar's media aide Garba Shehu said in a statement. "It confirms that democracy has a teeming army of believers and converts who will defend it even in the face of inducement, blackmail, harassment, threat and intimidation," he said. Constitutional lawyer Itse Sagay described the Senate decision as "a great victory for Nigeria, democracy and the rule of law." "Let's thank God and rejoice. Nigeria is a lucky country. It is not one of the tiny countries where dictators can easily have their way." Lagos lawyer and human rights activist Mike Ozekhome agreed. "If Nigerians unite with one voice against an issue, they can always succeed," he said in an interview. Obasanjo's camp could not be immediately reached for comment on the issue yesterday.

Nigeria faces turbulent general elections in 2007

The nation's political elite is preparing for what could be a turbulent race to succeed President Olusegun Obasanjo, following a parliamentary defeat of his attempt to extend his mandate beyond two terms. On Tuesday, senators rejected a bill that would have paved the way for an amendment to allow Obasanjo to stand for president in elections early next year. The polls are set to mark the first time a civilian president hands over to another in Nigeria since independence in 1960.

The rejection of the bill has been welcomed by western governments who feared an extension could have provoked widespread turmoil and chaos in Nigeria. The nation's political elite is polarised after months of debate over the third term question and with no clear successor in sight with less than a year to go to the election, diplomats are nervously awaiting the fallout. Obasanjo was chosen as a consensus candidate for elections marking the end of military rule in 1999 but gradually alienated factions of his ruling party through his presidential style. Those supporting a third term argued he was the only candidate to carry forward Nigeria programme of economic reform, launched in 2003.Diplomats fear deep geopolitical divisions could resurface now the succession race is on. Nigeria is still beset by political thuggery, chronic corruption and bouts of politically motivated ethnic and religious violence.

This year alone, scores have been killed in religious violence in the north and southeast, while insurgents in the oil producing delta region have cut Nigeria oil output by a fifth. Many Muslim northerners feel the next president should be from the north. This has angered other regional politicians who say the north has dominated the presidency in the last four decades. The upheaval in party politics could exacerbate tensions across the country as politicians jockey for position and engage in horse trading to cling on to power.

Many regional politicians are busy re-arming private militias. The divisions within the ruling People Democratic party (PDP), which won a controversial landslide victories in 1999 and 2003 in elections widely seen as marred by rigging and violence, are rife. Already, factions of the PDP have decamped to form a rival political party (ACD) that, like the PDP, is looking to attract candidates who have clout. â€œAt the end of the day, it will be those that can mobilise themselves and organise themselves that get the backing to run as candidates. We are not going to sit in a smoke-filled room and just pick people,said Ojo Maduekwe, PDP secretary general.Among those best placed to garner the greatest number of political factions to back their presidential bids will be prominent political figures who have served in government or been part of the military clique that has ruled Nigeria for most of its post independence life. In contrast, those who seek to push the candidacies of reformist technocrats may not have sufficient influence.

Among the most influential political playmakers will be Atiku Abubakar, Obasanjo estranged vice-president, who was instrumental in securing the PDP election victories, and Ibrahim Babangida, who annulled elections in 1993 and who was one of Obasanjo most powerful supporters in 1999. Nigeria will find it hard to escape the trap it is in. The contenders are really the same people who have dominated Nigeria for decades. Politics is not based around issues of competence but around power, said Dapo Oyewole, executive director of the Centre for African Policy and Peace Strategy in London.

Pfizer denies ''illegal''drug tests in Nigeria

The world's largest drugmaker, Pfizwe, this week again denied any wrongdoing when it gave the unproven Trovan antibiotic to 100 children -- five of whom died -- in Kano during a widespread 1996 outbreak of meningitis, an often fatal infection of the brain and spinal cord. The complaint by a Nigerian medical panel against Pfizer Inc. over the company's testing of an unapproved drug on children 10 years ago is another black eye for the pharmaceutical industry awash in negative publicity and legal woes.Pfizer said it obtained all necessary permission from patients and Nigerian authorities.

But the panel concluded, among other things, that Pfizer failed to obtain permission in writing, and claimed that an approval letter from a Nigerian ethics committee had been backdated by the company's lead researcher in Kano. "The perception of this is not going to be beneficial to Pfizer regardless of what the facts are," said David Webster, president of Webster Consulting Group, which focuses on the health-care industry.The accusations of ethically questionable activities involving drug testing in developing nations come at a time when the industry is reeling from charges that it hides dangerous side effects of lucrative drugs, conspires to fend off competition from cheap generics while prices of prescription drug are soaring, and is overly aggressive in its advertising tactics. Merck & Co. is facing more than 11,500 lawsuits over its withdrawn Vioxx painkiller after the drug was linked to increased risk of heart attack, and the U.S. Congress has stepped up investigations of practices of individual companies and the industry.

"There are many things that have contributed to the current situation which finds the drug industry being the favorite pinata of the press and Washington politicians," said. "This is not a good thing to have happen at any time, but at this particular time that this story comes out, its import gets magnified because of everything else going on too'' Ira Loss of the Washington Analysis research group said. The accusation of testing an experimental drug on African people echoes parts of the plot of the fictional film "The Constant Gardener." In the 2005 film, a drug company is accused of testing an unproved tuberculosis drug on unsuspecting subjects and covering up side effects. Following the release of the film, Pfizer went so far as to suggest on an internal Web site that its employees boycott the movie for the way it portrays the drug industry, according to one employee who asked to remain anonymous. "What has happened since '96 is an increase in exporting of clinical trials to developing countries and we can expect there will be more Kanos to come," cautioned Peter Lurie of the consumer watchdog group Public Citizen.Lurie said it takes legal penalties big enough to hurt the bottom line to make large drug companies take notice, such as the $21 billion in litigation charges Wyeth has taken related to its harmful withdrawn diet drugs.

"The industry has shown no great appetite for policing itself and a large appetite for taking advantage of conditions in developing countries," he added. Chicago lawyer Kenneth Moll, who is involved in product liability litigation against Pfizer and Merck, including foreign class-action Vioxx suits, said changes are needed to hold drug companies more accountable for wrongdoing in developing nations.He said U.S. courts dismiss most foreign claims based on arguments that the cases should be tried where the incidents occurred. "That's basically telling these companies you're immune from suits here, so you can do what you want in those countries until foreign laws protect their own consumers," Moll said. Webster suggested the fallout from Nigeria could be a reluctance of people and nations to cooperate in important clinical testing of new medicines. "Potential patients may have second thoughts about participating in trials when they hear stories like these through the media," Webster said.

Friday May 19, 2006
Humiliated Obasanjo eventually acceptsdefeat on tenure elongation

President Olusegun Obasanjo never said where he stood on the third term agenda but he and his cronies were undoubtedly behind the campaign. Yesterday, Obasanjo said the decision of the Senate to jettison the tenure elongation bill, was a "victory for democracy".

Allegations that millions of dollars were spent to bribe lawmakers to support his third term tainted his image as a democrat and corruption fighter. Many now question whether the PDP, which became an instrument of the third term, can retain relevance as Obasanjo's powers wane. Some expect the party to collapse with him. Analysts think Obasanjo will fight to scupper the candidacies of his deputy Atiku Abubakar (who was absent at the PDP top hierarchy meeting yesterday) and former military rulers Ibrahim Babangida and Muhammadu Buhari, who all spoke against the third term and all want to succeed him.....An embarrassed President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday accepted the verdict of the national parliament ruling out an extension of his tenure and called on the ruling party to prepare for elections next year.

In a speech to party chieftains, Obasanjo as expected, blamed the media -- which had opposed the campaign to give him a third term -- for deepening divisions in the country, and condemned both sides for resorting to bribery and blackmail. "As a political party, we should accept the verdict of the National Assembly," Obasanjo told the People's Democratic Party's top brass at an emergency meeting in Abuja. "On the basis of the constitution in hand, we must start to plan for elections next year." Obasanjo called on the party to heal wounds caused by the divisive third-term campaign, which has emboldened the opposition and fuelled conflict across the nation. Vice-President Atiku Abukakar, who wants to succeed his boss and had accused Obasanjo of trying to subvert the constitution against the popular will, was absent from the meeting.

Senators changed the country's political landscape on Tuesday by throwing out a bill to amend the constitution that would have let Obasanjo stand for a third term in 2007.The surprise vote was greeted with dancing, shouts of joy and hugs among many senators, who had argued that the amendment was a threat to democracy in Africa's biggest oil producer. "Throughout the period, I resisted the invitation to be drawn on either side, I maintained studied silence. I was maligned, insulted and wrongly accused, but I remain where I am and what I am and I remain focused," he unconvincingly said. Analysts said the closure of the third term chapter should ease tensions across Nigeria, including the oil producing Niger Delta where militant attacks have curbed output, because every region now has a chance to take over in 2007. Elections next year should mark the first time in Nigerian history that a civilian president hands over to another through elections, but the third-term campaign had jeopardised that.

The bid failed because it was opposed by so many different power bases in multi-ethnic Nigeria. In the north, many thought they had a deal that power would return to their region in 2007 after eight years of Obasanjo, from the southwest. But he is in for a tough fight because these powerful figures are in the ascendancy and have a greater pool of political support than the president, who will have to rely on the powers of incumbency to frustrate them. Obasanjo has no heir-apparent because the third term campaign precluded it, but many in the party now hope some new faces will emerge with the president's blessing.

NAIJA NEWS: 17 MAY-19MAY2006

2006-05-26T11:55:00.000+01:00

CELEBRATION OF LOVE: HELEN & SUNNY

2006-05-19T11:06:00.000+01:00

Helen & Sunny, originally uploaded by helen ogbu.

CELEBRATION OF LOVE: HELEN & SUNNY

Today, 19th May 2006, I celebrate my 4th year Wedding Anniversary to my FRIEND, LOVER, SOUL-MATE, BROTHER & HUSBAND, Sunny Ogbu. I have loved him from the first day we met and will FOREVER LOVE HIM.

I cherish the Love, understanding, Patience and Tolerance that we both share. In all I appreciate the spirit of God's Love on us and the fear of the Lord in our Lives and his Promises for us as they are unfolding. I say to my SOUL-MATE, Happy Anniversary. I wish we are Together today, but like we say; Even if we are miles and miles apart; We are soul-mates and therefore together in Spirit.

I LOVE YOU TODAY! I LOVE YOU TOMORROW!! I LOVE YOU FOREVER!!!

Your Wife Helen (Osodieme)

HELEN & SUNNY: 4TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY

2006-05-19T10:33:00.000+01:00

CELEBRATION OF LOVE: HELEN & SUNNY

Today, 19th May 2006, I celebrate my 4th year Wedding Anniversary to my FRIEND, LOVER, SOUL-MATE, BROTHER & HUSBAND, Sunny Ogbu.

I have loved him from the first day we met and will FOREVER LOVE HIM. I cherish the Love, understanding, Patience and Tolerance that we both share. In all I appreciate the spirit of God's Love on us and the fear of the Lord in our Lives and his Promises for us as they are unfolding.

I say to my SOUL-MATE, Happy Anniversary. I wish we are Together today, but like we say; Even if we are miles and miles apart; We are soul-mates and therefore together in Spirit.

I LOVE YOU TODAY! I LOVE YOU TOMORROW!! I LOVE YOU FOREVER!!!

Your Wife
Helen (Osodieme)

INSPIRATIONAL: A TRIBUTE TO MOTHERS

2006-05-19T10:00:00.000+01:00

A TRIBUTE TO MOTHERS
Evangelist Dorinda Hicks

The first time your baby kicked while it was in your tummy, The labor, the pain, The time they were delivered. I remember those times. The days ready to walk out the door, and the spit ups. The days taking time with them, and rushing to get yourself ready. I remember those times. The days in the doctors office, the nights you were up with them all night because they were sick, Having to go to work tired. The joys of being a mom. Their first smile, their first words, their first steps, The first day of daycare, the first day of kindergarten, I remember those times. The chicken poxs, the measles, the colds, the flus. Then your children feel better and you having to go to work sick because you missed to many days while they were sick. I remember those times. A knock on the bathroom door, as you thought you found a minute to yourself. I remember those times. The homework, the test, feeling like we are back in school again because we are helping our children with their assignments. Trying to do math our way and the children calling it new math. Coming up with the same answer but done a different way. I remember those times. Tired but up helping to type reports, that they had a week to do but decided the day before it was due, its time to do it. I remember those times. Sharing, Caring, Praying, Loving, Praying, Hoping, Wishing, Praying with them, Praying for them. I remember those times. Praying in their room. Laying hands on them as they sleep. Praying every time they get in the car and leave. Praying for their friends. I remember those times. A mother goes to bed thinking about what we are going to cook tomorrow. What clothes the children are going to wear tomorrow. A mothers day never ends. Many of us took our mothers some where they did not need to go, but no matter what, she loved us. Today we honor our mothers for all that they done for us, all the sacrifices they made for us. I thank God for our mothers, grandmothers, godmothers, church mothers, our friends mothers, and the many others that have stood in the gap for us, for our mothers.

Many of us have received one of the most highest callings a woman could have..a chance to be a mother. There are some women who can not have children so it truly is a blessing from God to be able to be a mother. Our Purpose Driven Life teaching taught us that we all were suppose to be here, nobody is a mistake or an accident, and believe it or not, we all have a purpose. And today we can thank God for that.

Do we really understand what God did when He gave us a chance to be a mother. He chose us for an assignment that does not end at 18 years of age or when they graduate. It is a life long journey. Words of wisdom should be shared with them all their life. They have a chance to be more than we ever were. Prayerfully we will walk in godly counsel, sharing with them the who, what, where, and whys of life. Keep an open heart, love them unconditionally, share our closet experiences with them without shame, so they do not have to make the same mistakes we did. And for those who do make a mistake, love them through. Why because that is what God would have us to do. Nurture them, Love them, teach them. I did not realize the responsibility that came with being a mother. Today, I am experiencing the joy of being a mother. There are many things in life I thought I failed at, but I thank God for allowing me to be a mother. Did I always do the right thing, No. Did I always make the right decision? No. We know God has made many promises in his Word. That virtuous woman that we all desire to be. If we let God direct our paths, we can be her. and the Word of God says, "Her children rise up and call her blessed"

The greatest gift we can give our children is an opportunity to know our God. Train up a child in the way that he should go and when He is old he will not depart. It did not say he would be perfect, but the Word promises he will not depart. For those whose children may not be in the house today... dont give up on them. For those whose children may not be living the way you want them to... dont give up on them. For those whose children will not do what we say... dont give up, pray for them. I know I am where I am now, not because I lived life so right, but because my mother prayed for me.

She loved me when I was deep in sin.
She loved me when I would not let her in
She loved me for who I was
She loved me
She loved me when I made the same mistake time and time again
She loved me and encouraged me that I was in a battle but I could win
She loved me when I blamed her for all that I was going through
Not realizing then that those were the steps that brought me to many of you
She loved me
She loved me when I was not thinking about the God who kept me
She loved me and prayed for me to be delivered and set free
She loved me as she prayed that I would become who God had created me to be
She loved me

I once was a daughter with blinders on, unable to see
Everything had to be about me
As I grew up I would hear my mother say, one day you would see
And as time went on, it was truly not any longer all about me

That time came when I had children of my own
I still sang about life, but I sang a different song
The days I did not know what to do
I would call my mother who would tell me the thing that at that moment would get me through
I can remember my mothers soft words of love and encouragement no matter what I was going through
It would give me peace and soothe and calm down my child

Many of us were our mothers biggest test
As time went on, I realized she did her best
Today, it is so much I realize about all that
I can share with my mother these things today, as we chat
I can remember when I did not want to hear anything she had to say
Not realizing then I was throwing her wisdom away
Today, I'm a sponge soaking up what she knows
The long conversations we have now, is truly helping me to spiritually grow

God gave unto us mothers a place to be
Where it was no longer all about me
Ms. Me Me, had to step aside and serve
This was a place in life that God had reserved
For He knew who each of our children are to be
It is up to us Mothers to pray for God to give direction so they can live their life and stay free
So remember the old saying, we reap what we sow
Seeds good or bad, until they are uprooted, they will grow

A virtuous woman is who we all desire to be
A women of integrity whose willing to show her scars will stay free
If I knew what I knew today yesterday
Many things would have been done a different way
But since they were not...........I thank God our sins have been bought

A Mother is a Victorious Woman, A woman of class
Lord please make this last
This is my prayer for today
Lord only you could have made a way
You put many of us on an assignment we knew nothing about
It was only God who could figure those things out
There is not an owners manual that comes with this call
You got to dig in with all you got and stand tall
Let each child be the person God called them to be
Pray that as life goes on they will stay delivered and set free
Mothers give yourself a hand
When you've done all you can do, stand... stand.....stand......
Happy Mothers Day

INSPIRATIONAL: THE LITTLE THINGS

2006-05-12T13:14:00.000+01:00

The 'L I T T L E' things

As you might know, the head of a company survived9/11 because his son started kindergarten.

Another fellow was alive because it washis turn to bring donuts.

One woman was late because heralarm clock didn't go off in time.

One was late because of be ing stuck on the NJ Turnpikebecause of an auto accident.
One of them missed his bus.
One spilled food on her clothes and had to taketime to change.
One'scar wouldn't start.
One went back toanswer the telephone.
One had achild that dawdled and didn't get ready as soon as he should have.
One couldn'tget a taxi.
The one that struck me was t he man who put on a new pair of shoes that morning, took the various means to get to work but before he got there, he developed a blister on his foot. He stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid.
That is why he is alive today.

Now when I amstuck in traf fic, miss an elevator, turn back to answer a ringing telephone... all the little things that annoy me. I think to myself, this is exactly where God wants me to beat this very moment..

Next time your morning seems to begoing wrong, the children are slow g etting dressed,you can't seem to find the car keys, you hit every traffic light, don't get mad or frustrated;

God is at work watching over you. May God continue to bless you with all those annoying little things and may you remember their possible purpose.

NAIJA NEWS: Wednesday May 10, 2006

2006-05-12T12:57:00.000+01:00

''We will attack traitor state governors''says Niger Delta militants

Niger Delta militants whose raids have cut the nation's oil exports by a quarter yesterday threatened to attack state governors from the Niger Delta region, accusing them of betraying their people's interests. State governors in the oil producing south have all defied popular opinion and joined a campaign to amend the country's 1999 constitution to allow President Olusegun Obasanjo to stand for a third term in 2007 elections.

The governors in the campaign are counting on another four years in office themselves if Obasanjo wins."The governors of the Niger Delta states are deliberately sabotaging the struggle for the liberation of the Niger Delta for selfish reasons such as greed and rule extension," the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said in an email to the media a copy of which was sent to Nigeria Today Online. "They will not be missed by the people of the Niger Delta and we will make significant attempts on their convoys. The public should right now keep away from the offices of all oil companies including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation''.

The group said all facilities utilized by oil companies would be targeted, including petroleum product storage depots, tanker parks, tankers carrying petroleum products, residential estates belonging to oil companies and all vehicles belonging to oil and oil service companies in the Niger Delta. "These attacks will be complemented by attacks on creek and offshore installations''. They warned Nigerians to keep well clear of individuals especially politicians and businessmen who have sought in recent days to kill the dreams of the Niger Delta peoples. "The blood of the innocent will be shed if any Nigerian invites these traitors to social functions''. The group said there will be no further warnings before the attacks commence adding that they will give notice shortly before the commencement of attacks with details following immediately after. MEND militants have staged a series of crippling attacks and kidnappings against the oil industry since December, and detonated two car bombs in April.

MEND wants to halt Nigerian oil exports completely and renegotiate control of the country's oil wealth with the federal government. They have also demanded the release of two jailed leaders from the delta, and $1.5 billion in compensation to delta villages for oil pollution. Their campaign comes at a time of heightened tensions nationwide over the "third term campaign", which has been widely rejected by the public. Many delta activists argue the top job should go to that region in 2007, because it has never produced a president despite its pre-eminent economic importance.

I N B R I E F

The federal government has cancelled the network licence for Africa Independent Television (AIT) in a move that smacks of political expediency. AIT, one of the biggest private broadcasting stations in the country has been providing live coverage of debates in parliament on the third term controversy. Senator Uche Chukwumerije described the government's decision as undemocratic and shameful. â€œThe first harassment and intimidation of a major TV station, AIT, solely on the ground that it is performing its constitutional duty of remaining dispassionate and professional in its coverage of all activities pertaining to the on-going third term controversy. For this sin, the federal Government has cancelled the network license of AIT and given the media organisation a 21-day ultimatum to dismantle its transmitters and relocate its operational base from Asokoro hill.

"The Vanguard newspaper says there is a plot to impeach Senate President, Chief Ken Nnamani, for the purpose of allowing an easy passage of the constitutional proposal of a third term for the President and Governors. ''The revelation of the plot allegedly initated by a controversial South-East Senator came as the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC) yesterday launched an investigation into contracts awarded by the National Assembly since the emergence of Chief Nnamani as President of the Senate''. The paper says the following senators blew the whistle: Uche Chukwumerije (PDP, Abia North) Tokunbo Afikuyomi (AD, Lagos West), Mohammed Ohiare (PDP, Kogi Central), Fred Orti (PDP, Benue), Oluorunnimbe Mamora (AD, Lagos East) and Sule Yari Gandi (ANPP, Sokoto).

Six Senators who rejected the N50 million bribe allegedly offered by the Presidency in order to secure their votes for the third term have been identified as Senators Abiola Ajumobi (Oyo, AD), James Kolawole (Ekiti, AD), Tawa Wada (Gombe, South), Joy Emodi (PDP, Anambra North) and the three Senators representing Kwara State. Some senators are believed to have collected the bribe.

United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan has opposed tenure extension being canvassed for President Olusegun Obasanjo. "We need to play by the rules. We need to accept the constitution... And we should not tamper with the constitution to perpetuate our rule''.

Gen. Theophilus Danjuma's opposition to the third term may have cost him an oil Prospecting Licence 246 which the Federal Government has put among blocks that are up for bidding in the Mini Bid Round to be concluded May 19, 2006. Danjuma a former defence minister under President Obasanjo had told a national newspaper that he will divorce his wife who is a senator, if she votes for the third term.

Twenty-seven firms have expressed interest in acquiring 51 per cent government equity in NITEL and its cellphone arm, Mtel. The 27 firms are Transnational Corporation, Globacom, Telkom of S/Africa, Newtel International, Celtel International B.V., Global Infrastructure Nigeria (managers of Ajaokuta and Delta Steel), Minaj Holdings Ltd, Telecom/Orange, Acacia Telecom, Global Fleet Consortium, Oil and Gas Consult Int. Ltd, Hasna & Husna GT.LLC, E10 Telecommunications and Investcom. Others are Link Global Logistics, Panther Consortium, Optic Network Management Company Ltd, Pureglow Ltd and Oakdale Financial Group Inc. The list also included Eutelia 8PA of Italy, Telesto LLC, IPNX Nigeria Limited, Technical Systems Engineering Ltd and Harthill Ltd. The rest are Telelink Consortium/Linkserve Ltd, Afrotelecommunications and Elrashid Electronics Trading & Investment Company.Shell Plc yesterday said oil spills at its facilities rose 50 percent in 2005 due to hurricane damage in the Gulf of Mexico and sabotage in Nigeria.

Shell missed its target to reduce spills, with discharges rising to 9,000 tonnes from 6,100 tonnes in 2004, the Anglo-Dutch company said in its annual Sustainability Report. Shell lost 3,900 tonnes due to hurricane damage, while the bombing of a major pipeline in Nigeria by ethnic militants in December led to a 340 tonne spill, which reversed a downward trend in that country. Shell said it remained on track to cut gas flaring in Nigeria by its revised deadline of 2009.

Lagos based Sun newspaper reports that the federal government is seeking military assistance from China, apparently having grown impatient of waiting for calls for US assistance to protect oil facilities from militants in the Niger Delta

NAIJA NEWS: Tuesday May 9, 2006

2006-05-12T12:54:00.000+01:00

China to establish Free Trade Zone in Lagos First phase to create 3,000 jobs

China is to invest 267 million U.S. dollars to establish the first-phase of the Lekki Free Trade Zone (FTZ) in Lagos, a senior Chinese official said in Lagos yesterday. In a press conference held at the Lagos state government secretariat, Chen Xiaoxing, head of a visiting Chinese delegation, said the Chinese government has approved the establishment of the Lekki FTZ, the first of its kind China has ever built abroad.

Chen said the amount would be spent on power plants, road networks and building of workshops for manufacturing of goods, adding that the first phase would be completed within two years. Under the Sino-Nigerian joint venture between three Chinese companies and the Lagos state government, "China will contribute its experience to develop Nigeria's economy," Chen said, adding that "China has signed a 2.5 million dollars soft loan agreement with Nigeria to help her develop her infrastructure."

Chen also assured Nigerians of standard products from the zone, saying: "the goods that will be produced at the FTZ will be of international standard because the zone will be an international location for manufacturers who would be regulated by the International Standard Organization's (ISO) rules and regulations." He said that about 3,000 jobs would be created under the first phase, while it would also facilitate the exportation of locally produced goods from Nigeria to international markets in Europe and America.

Chen said the FTZ project would help Chinese people doing businesses in Nigeria to plough back into the Nigerian economy part of profits they made in the country, stressing that investors from Nigeria, China as well as other countries in the world would benefit tremendously from the FTZ. According to him, the inauguration of the first phase will take place on Thursday, explaining that the 20 Chinese businessmen who had indicated interest in the project were already in Nigeria.

Niger Delta militants rejectceasefire, vow more attacks

The Niger Delta militant group that has claimed responsibility for a series of deadly attacks on oil facilities in the past five months yesterday rejected the possibility of a ceasefire any time soon and vowed to launch more assaults.

The group, The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, or MEND, rejected Nigerian media reports yesterday that it had announced a three-month ceasefire with the government. "We wish to refute the reports of a ceasefire attributed to MEND," the group said in an e-mail response to newswires. The e-mail was signed by Jomo Gbomo, the group's self-declared spokesman whose past warnings about MEND attacks and kidnappings of foreign oil workers, as told to the media, have proven correct. His previous accounts of MEND's activities have strengthened his claim to being part of MEND's inner circle. Gbomo blamed the government for reports about a declared ceasefire and said MEND, a disparate group of militias, planned to launch more assaults against oil facilities and individuals. Reports of a ceasefire were also rejected by the federal government. But a senior oil ministry official said oil minister Edmund Daukoru began discussions a few days ago with the "leader" of MEND about ending assaults that have cut about a fifth of Nigeria's daily oil output since February and killed several Nigerian troops and some civilians.

NAIJA NEWS:Monday May 8, 2006

2006-05-12T12:39:00.000+01:00

''Pfizerbroke law with 1996illegal Nigerian drug test''

''A Nigerian government report obtained by Washington Post newspaper said there were no records indicating that Pfizer told the sick Nigerian children or indeed their poor parents that they were part of an experiment for an unapproved drug. An approval letter from a bogus Nigerian ethics committee, which Pfizer used to justify its actions in court, was a forged document that had been concocted and backdated by the company's lead researcher in Kano'' Nigerian medical experts concluded that U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. violated international law during a 1996 epidemic by testing an unapproved drug on Nigerian children resulting in deaths and brain infections, the Washington Post reported yesterday, citing a copy of the panel's confidential report.

The report, completed five years ago but never released, found that Pfizer was never authorized by the Nigerian government to give the unproven drug Trovan to nearly 100 children and infants at a field hospital in Kano, where they were being treated for an often deadly strain of meningitis.The confidential report is attracting U.S. Congressional interest. It was provided by a Nigerian source who asked to remain anonymous because of personal safety concerns. Aspects of the affair remain mysterious, such as why the report remains confidential. The head of the investigative panel, Abdulsalami Nasidi, said "I don't really know myself" why the report was never released. "I did my job as a civil servant," said Nasidi, who is quoted in the report as saying he has been the target of unspecified death threats.

Quoting from the confidentail report, the Washington Post says Pfizer's experiment was "an illegal trial of an unregistered drug," and violated Nigerian law, the international Declaration of Helsinki that governs ethical medical research and the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child. Five children died after being treated with the experimental antibiotic and others contracted arthritis, although there is no evidence the drug played a part. Six children died while taking a comparison drug, the Post said. At the time, Doctors Without Borders was dispensing approved antibiotics at hospital, according to the Post. Pfizer, the world's biggest drug company, told the Post it conducted the trial with the full knowledge of the Nigerian government and consistent with Nigerian law. Local nurses explained the experiment to Nigerian parents and obtained their "verbal" consent, the company told the Post.

"Trovan unquestionably saved lives, and Pfizer strongly disagrees with any suggestion that the company conducted its study in an unethical manner," the Post quoted it as saying. A U.S. federal judge last November dismissed a lawsuit that accused Pfizer of not properly warning Nigerian families about the risk of its meningitis drug Trovan, then awaiting U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, during a clinical test. He said the case should be heard in a Nigerian court. The lawsuit argued that some of the children in the trial died and others suffered brain damage because the drug makers did not explain to the Nigerian families that the antibiotic was experimental, that they could refuse the treatment for their children, or that other medicines were available.

Pfizer has denied the accusations.The Nigerian government report obtained by the Post said there were no records indicating that Pfizer told the children or their parents that they were part of an experiment. An approval letter from a Nigerian ethics committee, which Pfizer used to justify its actions, was a falsified document that had been concocted and backdated by the company's lead researcher in Kano, the Post said, citing the report. The panel recommended that Pfizer be "sanctioned appropriately," that it issue "an unreserved apology to the government and people of Nigeria," and pay an unspecified amount of restitution, according to the Post. It urged Nigeria to enact reforms to prevent a recurrence.

The FDA cleared Trovan for adult use in 1997, although it never approved the drug for use by American children.Trovan was later associated with reports of liver damage and deaths, leading the FDA to severely restrict its use in 1999. European regulators banned the drug. U.S. Representative lawmaker Tom Lantos of California, the senior Democrat on the International Relations Committee, described the report's findings as "absolutely appalling," and said he would introduce a bill requiring U.S. researchers to give regulators details of tests they plan in developing countries.

The Nigerian government report's findings now breathe new life into the lawsuit against Pfizer, according to the plaintiff's US lawyer Ms. Elaine Kusel, who represents 30 Nigerian families. "It's great news, I'm very excited," she said when told of the committee's conclusions.The families sued Pfizer in a US federal court in New York in 2001, alleging that the company had exposed the children to "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment."A U.S. judge dismissed the suit last summer, saying U.S. courts lacked jurisdiction. Kusel is appealing. "A report like this does not get suppressed without someone high up being involved," she said.

Obasanjo takes delivery of$72 million Presidential jet

President Olusegun Obasanjo has taken delivery of a new official Boeing 737-800 business jet. The new Presidential jet is fully equipped with office and accommodation facilities and cost $72 million (N9.3 billion). Reports said the aircraft can fly 14 hours non-stop indicating that Obasanjo can travel from Abuja to the United States without any stop over. The plane has a capacity of about 30 passengers and has space for Presidential office, executive conference area and first class ensuite bedroom.

"The plane ensures that you can maintain personal productivity even when flying 14 hours non-stop. Comfort such as a spacious executive suite with Queen size bed that allow you to get a goodnight's sleep. A dinning area is perfect for conferences or gracious meals, private offices are ideal for serious work or quiet reflection. With all the amenities of home and office, you can meet, eat, sleep and dine in comfort and are sure to arrive at your destination refreshed and ready for the business day," the manufacturer stated. There are only about 86 of the Boeing 737-800 business jets flying.

''Tenure extention may cause chaos in Nigeria''

For the third-term plan to succeed, it must be supported by two-thirds of the members of both houses of federal parliament and by 24 out of 36 state legislatures.Nigeria may be thrown into chaos and instability if plans to extend the tenure of President Olusegun Obasanjo beyond 2007 succeed, politicians and analysts said over the weekend. "The plot is doomed to fail. It is a still-born because 99 percent of Nigerians are against tenure elongation," rights activist Gani Fawehinmi told reporters. "What is happening in the National Assembly, the rowdiness and the fighting, is a reflection of the people's rejection of the evil agenda," he said. "But if it is eventually carried because the government is using money, oil blocs and other inducements to get the legislators to pass the bill, Nigeria will engulf in chaos and crisis of monumental proportions," he said.

"There will be street protests which will end the current democratic process. "For him (Obasanjo) to attempt to change the rule in the middle of the game is not only illegal, it is immoral and an invitation to instability and disaster," the Lagos lawyer said.University professor of political science Abubakar Sadiq said the project to extend Obasanjo's mandate would lead to the collapse of Nigeria, Africa's largest oil producer. "Believe me, the evil design will not work. But if does, just forget about one Nigeria.

" The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the umbrella body of workers, said it would mobilise against a third term, calling it "undemocratic and immoral". "It has the potential of dividing the country and we have advised the government to drop it," NLC spokesperson Owei Lakemfa told reporters. "If it succeeds, it will be a bad precedent in the country but we will not allow that to happen," he warned. The proponents of the constitutional reform, however, remained undaunted.

"The debate in favour of enhanced tenure is hinged on the need for the stability of our democracy and of economic and technological policy gains to ensure the consolidation of Nigeria's overall development," said Senator Ibrahim Mantu, who is leading the reform plans. Another lawmaker, Senator Isa Mohammed, accused opponents of Obasanjo's bid of eyeing greedily the $32-billion in foreign reserves the government has built up thanks to soaring oil revenues. "Those vying for the presidency have their eyes on the foreign reserves so that they can squander it, but we will not allow them to squander it," he added.

Opposition seeks boycott of products from firms that support 3rd term

Firms targeted included two leading banks, UBA Group and Zenith, the Nigerian Stock Exchange, and privately held conglomerates Transcorp, Dangote Group, Zenon Oil and Nigerian Breweries, majority owned by Dutch brewer Heineken.An opposition group over the weekend called for a boycott of companies they accused of leading a campaign to rewrite the constitution to enable President Olusegun Obasanjo to run for a third term next year.

The call came after the U.S. government and unions added their weight to those asking the president of Africa's most populous country to quit when his second term ends next year."We hereby call on Nigerians to withdraw their patronage of the products and services of these companies. It is obvious that these companies are enemies of the people," Senator Uche Chukwumerije, leader of the opposition 2007 Movement, said in statement.

The group said the companies, including Nigeria's most valuable listed company Nigerian Breweries, majority owned by Dutch brewer Heineken, were bankrolling a campaign to amend the charter against the national interest. "We call on all labour unions, the civil society groups and all lovers of social justice and democracy to intensify the boycott immediately," said Chukwumerije, a senator and member of Obasanjo's People's Democratic Party (PDP).

ACD urges probe into alleged bribery of lawmakers

The ACD, a new opposition party called on Saturday for the prosecution of lawmakers alleged to have been bribed to support President Olusegun Obasanjo's bid to rewrite the constitution to allow him to run for a third term. A former national police chief and member of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) alleged bribes of 40-50 million naira had been paid by Obasanjo backers to lawmakers, but another PDP member said there was no evidence."I have been told that money is being distributed to people to support (Obasanjo's) third term, 50 million naira for each senator and 40 million naira for every member of the House of Representatives," former police chief Nuhu Aliyu told reporters in his home state of Niger. "There is no smoke without fire," said Aliyu, chairman of senate committee on national security and intelligence and an outspoken critic of tenure extension.

Newspapers in the country splashed details of the alleged bribes by Obasanjo supporters to support a bill now in the National Assembly to change the 1999 charter and allow him to run again in elections next year. The Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD), dominated by dissident PDP members, called for the prosecution of lawmakers and presidential aides alleged to be involved. The ACD "called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of all pro-third term legislators alleged to have received ... bribes to ensure the passage of the tenure elongation clause." The chairman of the senate committee on media and publicity, PDP member Victor Ndoma-Egba, said there was no evidence any senator had been bribed over the controversial third term issue.

Shell Nigeria announces Bonga North oil, gas discovery

Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, or Snepco, announced over the weekend the successful outcome of exploration work at its deep water Bonga North oil and gas prospect, offshore Nigeria. Other co-ventures in the OML 118 exploration are ExxonMobil Corp. unit Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Deepwater) Ltd, Eni subsidiary Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited, and Total SA (TOT) subsidiary Elf Petroleum Nigeria Limited. Snepco said the Bonga North 2X well is located north of the Bonga main field, and was spudded on October 25, 2005 and drilled in 1,019 meters of water.

The main Bonga field began crude oil production last December, and is projected to produce at a rate of about 250,000 barrels a day. Snepco is the deepwater subsidiary of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria, a unit of Shell PLC. The equity holding on the block is: Snepco 55%; Esso E&P Nigeria (Deepwater) Limited (20%), Nigerian Agip Exploration Ltd (12.5%), and Elf Petroleum Nigeria Limited (12.5%).

Nigeria, Sao Tome get $145.6M oil block signature bonus

The Joint Development Authority, or JDA, between Nigeria and its island neighbor, Sao Tome and Principe, said it has received $145,649,647 as signature bonus payments in respect of blocks 2, 3, and 4 of the Joint Development Zone.

The Authority said in a statement on its Web site, dated May 3, 2006, it received the sum from the contract parties on behalf of the state parties. Revenue from resources in the common maritime boundary between Nigeria and Sao Tome and Principe is shared in the ratio of 60:40, in favor of Nigeria. The three blocks were among five - the others are blocks 5 and 6 - offered by the JDA in the 2004 bid round. The blocks are being developed under production-sharing contracts, in which oil companies fund the field development, while revenues are shared in agreed proportions.

I N B R I E F

German company Festo AG intends to build a plant in Nigeria, with an estimated cost of â‚¬2 million, to assemble cylinder valves and other related accessories. Company director Peter Sengpiel said in Abuja that the plant would be built in Lagos between 2007 and 2008. "The plant is also expected to manufacture valves, fittings, sensors and pressure switches, pneumatic control technology and others, said Sengpeil. He added that the company also plans to make Nigeria its operational base to service clients in the West Africa sub-region. Sengpiel said the company builds similar plants in South Africa, where it had been posting an impressive turnover of about 25 million annually.

The World Bank has approved 1.5 million U.S. dollars grant for the protection of three nature reserves in Bauchi State. Alhaji Nasiru Shehu, Bauchi State Project Coordinator, was quoted as saying that the project, under the Global Environment Facility, "is targeted at 30 communities around the Yankari National Park, the Lamebura Game Reserve and Maladumba Lake and Forest Reserve." Nigeria has more than 20 nature reserves or forest parks but, due to financial difficulties, most of them are under poor management.

Brazil is considering buying natural gas from other countries including Nigeria after its main supplier Bolivia demanded higher prices, that country's Foreign Affairs Minister Celso Amorim said. ``We have excellent relations with other gas-producing countries such as Nigeria,'' a Brazilian official said. ''Our diplomacy has created the conditions for us to broaden our supplies

.'' The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has seized 15 kilograms of narcotics from 14 persons at the Abuja international airport since the beginning of this year, a NDLEA official said. "The drugs about 15 kilograms in all were concealed in the stomach of the 14 arrested persons who arrived the airport with different international flights between January and April this year," said Hamza Umar, NDLEA's officer-in-charge at the airport.

NAIJA NEWS: FRIDAY, 05 MAY 2006

2006-05-12T12:28:00.000+01:00

''Help Us Find Our Missing $250 Million''

Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, or NEITI, said it will summon oil companies and relevant government agencies to a meeting in a bid to locate $250 million of oil revenues said to be missing from official records. "We are calling a meeting soon and everybody will come with their documents for us to reconcile whatever needs to be reconciled," EITI executive secretary Bright Okogu told reporters yesterday. The move follows the rejection on Wednesday by President Olusegun Obasanjo of the audit report of the Nigerian oil industry, which showed the amount couldn't be accounted for. "You should realize the society we are in. Before you know it, they would say it is Obasanjo who has stolen the $250 million," Obasanjo said at the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting. Obasanjo set up the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to arrest and prosecute people involved in financial crimes. Obasanjo stopped the presentation of the audit report to the Council, saying that the missing revenue must be traced before the report can be presented to the Federal Executive Council. "We have $250 million hanging and my own belief is either it is misclassified, wrongly posted or somebody did not make payment for what it should have paid," Obasanjo said. Obasanjo rejected pleas by the Minister of Solid Minerals and NEITI Chairman, Obiageli Ezekwesili, for the full report to be presented. Obasanjo asked why "a thorough job was not done before the report was presented to the Council." Obasanjo gave the agencies involved three months to locate the source of the discrepancies. NEITI commissioned the Hart Group, a London-based conglomerate, to undertake the audit, which covered the period from 1999 to 2004. The investigation, which comprised financial, physical, and process audits, aimed to "reconcile both the revenues and the physical production of oil, and examine the finances and business processes of both private and state-owned companies and regulatory authorities and indigenous and international oil and gas companies operating in Nigeria," NEITI said in a statement. The statement said discrepancies between records by the Central Bank of Nigeria and the oil companies' reported payments "were quite significant."

Shell Nigeria says not close to resuming operations

Shell Petroleum Development Co. of Nigeria is "nowhere near" resuming operations despite reports to the contrary, a Shell Nigeria official said yesterday. Shell evacuated its staff from most of its onshore facilities in western Niger Delta following a string of attacks by local militants on personnel and installations. Funsho Kupolokun, managing director of state-run Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. told journalists in Houston that Shell would resume operations "soon, even in a matter of days." However, the Shell spokesman said resuming operations is "the last that would happen" in the long process involved. The militant attacks have cut Nigeria's crude oil production by about 500,000 barrels a day, out of which 455,000 b/d come from a joint venture operated by Shell. Attacks and threats of attacks by militants fighting for regional control of oil resources have created uncertainty for oil companies in the Niger Delta. Crude oil production or loading at the Qua Iboe Terminal in Eket, operated by Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, a unit of ExxonMobil, has been disrupted at least three times in less than three weeks by the activities of people suspected to be militants.

Nigeria vows to fight HIV/Aids

President Olusegun Obasanjo has inaugurated the African Centre for HIV/Aids Management (ACHAM) as part of activities marking a summit of African leaders on malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/Aids. He said: "ACHAM is envisioned as a body that sets the tone for the policy environment on human development using Aids as the entry point. "It is also expected to provide specialised training that will arise from the issues that have been identified as germane to the resolution of the problems identified." Obasanjo said ACHAM would also provide the needed leadership and direction from the African perspective, tackle the problem of Aids and served as a think tank. Development challenges The Nigerian leader thanked the 19-member management of the centre, headed by former Zambian president Kenneth Kaunda, for accepting to serve. He said that their assignment was a critical one "whose successful prosecution will help to regenerate and reposition our continent for the development challenges of the 21st century". Obasanjo, who was also the chairman of the advocacy group, Aids Watch Africa, presented awards to some individuals and organisations in recognition of their immense contributions to the control and management of HIV/Aids in Africa. Among the recipients were the executive director of the United Nations anti-Aids programme, Dr Peter Piot, Graca Machel and the Society for Women and Aids in Africa. Nigeria ranked third behind India and South Africa in HIV/Aids prevalence rate in the world.

African sex lives getting healthier-AIDS chief

Many young Africans are losing their virginity later, having fewer sexual partners and using more condoms -- signs that the campaign against AIDS is finally hitting home, a world authority on the disease said on Thursday. HIV infection rates among young people are falling in many parts of Africa for the first time, about five years after African leaders took the initiative against the virus and declared it an emergency on the world's poorest continent."What we are seeing is some serious behaviour change," United Nations HIV/AIDS chief Peter Piot told reporters in an interview at an AIDS summit in Nigeria. "Young people start later with their first sexual intercourse. Also there's a reduction in number of partners and condom use has gone up," Piot said. "Billions of dollars have been invested, some would say poured, into AIDS programmes in Africa and until now there were not that many results. Now these results are coming," he added.Young people in Uganda, Kenya and Zimbabwe are losing their virginity two years later than they used to, Piot said, while the rate of new infections is falling in East African cities. The number of Africans receiving life-saving AIDS drugs have also started growing fast, from a few tens of thousands five years ago to 750,000 now. Sub-Saharan Africa has 10 percent of the world's population, but is home to more than 60 percent of people living with HIV -- 26 million people. Last year 3.2 million people in the region were newly infected, and 2.4 million died of AIDS.Piot attributed the progress to much higher foreign donations -- mostly from the United States and the Global Fund -- a new openness about AIDS in a continent where leaders were in denial for years, and improving grass-roots projects. "I am not trying to say we are there, but the glass is now half full," he said. Global funding in the fight against AIDS, mostly for Africa, has quadrupled in the last four years to $8.4 billion. Life-saving anti-retroviral drugs take the lion's share, because they are more expensive than prevention."The key question for me is expanding the coverage and sustainability. We want people who are starting treatment today to still be alive in 30 years. Who is going to pay for that?" Piot said. Most of the AIDS drugs used in Africa are paid for by foreign donors, which Piot said was not sustainable or desirable for Africa in the long term."If I am taking anti-retrovirals and my donor stops paying for whatever reason, I am going to die within six months. What does that mean for the sovereignty of a country?" he said. "In the end, as much funding as possible for treatment will have to be taken on by governments ... It's a matter of priorities." African governments agreed in 2001 to dedicate 15 percent of their budgets to the health sector, but only six have so far got close to that level.

I N B R I E F

Senate President, Ken Nnamani, has dismissed allegations that he has an understanding with the Presidency to skew the third term debate in the senate in favour of the Presidency. "Distinguished senators, I think it has become imperative for me to clarify some issues here.... let it be understood that I have not made any commitment to any person. What we are doing is real because you now have an opportunity to let us know the position of your constituents.

"The controversial strongman of Ibadan politics and self confessed political contractor, Chief Lamidi Adedibu was at the senate yesterday to marshall supporters of the third term bid. In his company was Olabode George a top member of the ruling PDP who has been indicted over corruption whilst at the helm of affairs at the Nigeria Ports Authority. Adedibu told Channels Television that President Olusegun Obasanjo should be allowed to continue to rule Nigeria because of his achievements. Analysts said his presence in parliament was to put ''pressure'' on the undecided lawmakers in order to get approval for the third term bill.

Boss of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Funsho Kupolokun, says Nigerian gas sector will generate $13 billion annually beginning from next year given the numerous gas projects being undertaken.Nigeria returns to the borrowing bug with a $2.5 billion loan deal with China.

President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday wrote the Senate informing the legislators that Nigeria is on the verge of collecting another loan of $2.5 billion from China for infrastructural development projects including the Mambila Hydro power project. Obasanjo in the letter dated April 26, said the loan would be taken at a concessionary interest rate of three per cent and would be applied in the Mambila Hydro project, modernisation of the railway, rural telephony and power transmission.

Ecobank Nigeria Plc has bought over the liquidated All States Trust Bank Limited, one of the 14 banks in the country that went belly up. The liabilities of the liquidated bank is estimated at N22billion. â€œThis bidding is not like the privatisation kind where prices are offered. The exercise is that banks A, B, C, D and E are interested in taking over All States Trust Bank. All States claims to have assets 1 to 100. Now each bank that is interested knows the total deposit liability that it would take. It would go through the lists of assets and pick the one that it is interested in or it thinks it can cope with the values assigned to them. Then we sum up the total assets that they are interested in against the total liabilities. It is the bank with the best bid, in terms of the assets. That is the bank that has taken more assets, which consequently reduces the gap between the assets and liabilities. This is what we call a better bid the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Charles Soludo said.

The Nigeria-Cameroon joint technical team's intensified work on the delineation of the land boundary between the two countries is "a success story", a senior Nigerian government official said yesterday. Briefing the visiting Canadian Permanent Representative to the UN Allan Rock on the demarcation of the Nigeria-Cameroon borders, Prince Bola Ajibola, leader of the Nigerian delegation to the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission, said "We have a success story to tell on the border project."

Nigeria is to join other countries of the world to celebrate May 18 as the World Museum Day, a high- ranking official said yesterday. Dapo Sijuade, a spokesman for the National Commission for Museum and Monuments (NCMM), told reporters in Abuja that May 18 "is a day set aside to look at issues relating to the museums and other related matters." "The commission will join other countries in celebrating the World Museum Day in order to create better awareness on Nigeria's museums and monuments," he said. To mark this year's World Museum Day, Sijuade said the federal government is to officially open the Museum of National Unity in Enugu State, south Nigeria on May 15. Nigeria is a country with a brilliant civilization of over 2,000 years highlighted by Nok, Ife and Benin cultures which make Nigeria the "Cradle of Black African Culture."

A Nigerian who arrived Ireland with cocaine valued â‚¬315,000 has been jailed for five years at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Daniel Nwaozor (aged 26), with an address at 7th Avenue, Close House 28, Festac Town, in Nigeria, also four passports in his possession when he arrived at Dublin Airport on May 11, 2005 from Amsterdam. Detective Garda Stephen Boyce told prosecuting counsel, Mr Remy Farrell BL, that Nwaozor had travelled from Lagos to Amsterdam and onto Dublin with 4.5 kilograms of cocaine. A contact who was to give him further instructions about the cocaine phoned Nwaozor while he was in custody at the Airport but cut-off abruptly when the call was answered. Nwaozor told Judge White, in a protracted commentary, that he was pressurised into doing the drugs-run by a man from whom he had borrowed a lot of money to try to gain a master degree in business administration and to pay his chronic alcohol debts.

French oil company Total SA reported a 15 percent jump in first-quarter net profit yesterday, mainly due to higher oil prices. Total said its net profit rose to 3.68 billion euros ($4.65 billion) from 3.21 billion euros in the same period a year ago. Excluding effects from the Sanofi-Aventis merger in 2004, Total earned 3.38 billion euros ($4.27 billion) in the first three months of 2006, up 16 percent from 2.92 billion euros in the first quarter of last year _ above market expectations for 3.2 billion euros ($4.04 billion). "In the first quarter, demand for oil continued to be strong while supplies were subject to serious disruptions, notably in Nigeria," Chief Executive Officer Thierry Desmarest said in a statement. New producing wells in Bonga, Nigeria, and Britain helped offset disruptions in production in the Niger Delta, where militants were seeking regional control of oil resources, Total said.Shell banked profits of Â£1.5 million an hour in the first quarter of 2006, figures show. Sky-high oil prices helped the company achieve a £3.31 billion profit between January and March - a rise of Â£2.97 billion from the same period last year. Profits would have been higher still if attacks by militants in Nigeria had not disrupted production there and prevented Shell from bringing 165,000 barrels of oil a day to the market. The aftermath of hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico last year also had an impact on daily production.Oil prices sank more than $2 a barrel for the second straight day yesterday, falling below $70. Oil production at a Nigerian export terminal run by Exxon Mobil Corp. was operating normally yesterday after a protest briefly curtailed production Tuesday, a company official said. Yemi Fakayejo, an Exxon spokesman in Nigeria, said production at the Qua Iboe Terminal run by Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, the local unit of Exxon Mobil, was restored late Tuesday, but declined to say how much production was temporarily shut. A local community group launched the demonstration to protest what the group says is Exxon's failure to pay compensation for an oil spill in the area many years ago.

Peter Esele, president of the white collar Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, said many of the facility's union members didn't show up to work Wednesday, but said essential staff were at work in order to ensure oil loadings weren't interrupted at the 420,000 barrel a day terminal.

President George W. Bush on Thursday announced some 28 million dollars in US aid for United Nations refugee relief operations in Africa. "I hereby determine that it is important to the national interest that up to 28 million be made available from the US Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund to support unexpected, urgent humanitarian needs related to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees," the president said in a statement. The funds primarily will be used to "protect and assist internally displaced persons" in Somalia, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo," Bush said.Nigeria has been named as one of the failed states in the world. Indeed, the country was placed 22nd on the failed statesâ€™ ladder, ranking with such countries as Uganda, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Somalia, Liberia, among others.

NAIJA NEWS:4 MAY 2006

2006-05-12T12:11:00.000+01:00

Niger Delta Rebels Threaten China Over Oil

Militants in the volatile oil-producing region who detonated a car bomb last weekend in Warri have issued a warning that investors and officials from China would be "treated as thieves" and targeted in future attacks. The threat came as Chinese President Hu Jintao returned home from a visit to Nigeria during which he reached a series of deals securing access to oil and other resources to meet the needs of China's booming economy. Hu and President Olusegun Obasanjo signed several major business deals, including one that offers China four oil-exploration licenses.A spokesman for the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said in an e-mail sent to news organizations that the attack was "the final warning" before the militants turned their attention to oil workers, storage facilities, bridges, offices and other "soft oil industry targets." In a second e-mail, the spokesman, who uses the pseudonym Jomo Gbomo, criticized the Chinese, who last year took a $2.2 billion stake in an oil field in the Niger Delta. "We wish to warn the Chinese government and its oil companies to steer well clear of the Niger Delta," Gbomo wrote. "Chinese citizens found in oil installations will be treated as thieves. The Chinese government by investing in stolen crude, places its citizens in our line of fire."MEND has asserted responsibility for other violence in the region, including attacks on oil facilities and the kidnapping this year of several foreign-born oil workers, all of whom have been released unharmed. Gbomo said in the e-mail that the explosion last Saturday night, which took place in Warri, was activated by a cellphone. Details remained sketchy, although no deaths were immediately reported. A car bombing on April 19 for which the groups asserted responsibility killed two people.

Obasanjo says missing $250 million must be found

President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday halted cabinet deliberations on the audited accounts of state firm, the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) because of a $250 million discrepancy. Obasanjo was reported to have also objected to $1.2 billion as gross discrepancy in the report because it is likely to alarm the country. An international auditing firm, the Hart Group, had discovered the discrepancy. Obasanjo was reported to have asked the solid minerals minister "Where is this discrepancy? How did it occur? You should realize the society we are in. Before you know it, they would say it is Obasanjo who has stolen the $250 million. We should follow up this to a logical conclusion. We have $250 million hanging and my own belief is either it is misclassified, wrongly posted or somebody did not make payment of what it should have paid."

Obasanjo rejects fraudreport on Nigeria Ports Authority

President Olusegun Obasanjo has rejected the probe report on the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) because names of those alleged to have embezzled money at the parastatal were not listed. Obasanjo at yesterday's cabinet meeting was quoted as saying that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), headed by Nuhu Ribadu, did not do a thorough job on the matter, but critics believe a review is being sought to limit the political damage the report may have had on the former chairman of the NPA, Bode George. George is close ally of the President and top member of the ruling PDP. He is believed to have thrown his hat into the Lagos State governorship contest. George, was the chairman of the NPA during the period under review (2001 and 2003) and was indicted for financial impropriety by the report. Information Minister, Frank Nweke, who briefed reporters after yesterday's cabinet meeting said "After a lengthy deliberation, the FEC again resolved that the job remains undone because the FEC wants to know exact details of who did what, more like a forensic interpretation, in order for the persons to be brought to justice. So, the first and second reports are to be sent to EFCC for forensic audit".

The challenge of decongesting Nigeria's Prisons

Prisons in Nigeria are notorious, with many of the country's 40,000 inmates crammed into massively overcrowded, dilapidated cells in old prisons. Many inmates have never been convicted of a crime. The most shocking statistic is that some two thirds of all the prisoners in Nigeria have not been convicted. Many have to wait for years for the case to come to court. Inside prisons, conditions are squalid and disease is rife; tuberculosis is common. Human rights groups say inmates often fall ill, some die from a lack of adequate medical treatment. Many cells have no beds or mattresses, the inmates sleep on concrete floors. Securing a blanket or a mat to sleep on is a luxury. Although official statistics suggest there is little overcrowding - despite the evidence - the government does accept that there are huge problems. It says there have been some improvements, however, including a fall in the prison death rate from 1,500 a year in the late 1980s to 89 a year in 2003. Prisons have also been opened to humanitarian organisations. Food is basic and the ration small, usually a bowl of beans in the morning and cassava in the afternoon and evening. Some rely on their families to bring food to the prison. Former inmates say money can buy better conditions - the guards taking their cut. Last year the US State Department wrote: "Prison officials, police, and security forces often denied inmates food and medical treatment as a form of punishment or to extort money from them." Prison reform groups say that in the last year, there have been at least five prison riots. Some people have waited for their trials for more than a decade. Their files had been lost, they were forgotten. The problem was so glaring that the government announced in January that all those who have spent three to 10 years awaiting trial will have their cases reviewed for immediate release. Those who had already spent more time in prison than their prospective sentences would be let out, along with the elderly, the terminally ill and those with HIV. In total, that amounted to 25,000 inmates. But this amnesty has yet to be implemented. The president of human rights group the Civil Liberties Organisation, Titus Mann, said the government had failed to deliver on promises of prison reform. "Decongesting the prisons is the biggest challenge facing the prison system. But I am sceptical the government could do it quickly." A former armed robber turned priest, Pastor Kayode Williams has set up a prisoner rehabilitation project and is on the presidential committee for prison reform and rehabilitation. He says there has been some improvements, but inside prison the attitude of the guards has to change. "One of the key needs is to train the prison staff. They must treat the inmates with a human face. Prison should be about reform not just punishment." He says his organisation has helped over 2,500 former inmates, from murderers to fraudsters. They are given training in agriculture and craftwork to help them earn a living. Pastor Williams says he set up the organisation because he saw that many of his fellow inmates were repeat offenders. Pastor Williams wants ex-prisoners to be treated as humans. Once branded a criminal, he said, former inmates were outcasts in Nigerian society. "Many were coming back to prison, because they were not properly rehabilitated. They had no where to go. Society had rejected them, their family had rejected them. When I came out people were very hostile. No one would receive me or walk with me. So I tell them, don't expect society to roll out the red carpet - but don't get discouraged." But for those inside, the struggle to survive is the main concern. Even if the government does succeed in reducing overcrowding in the prisons, it needs to address the failures of a justice and penal system which has allowed thousands of Nigerians to be in prison for years without trial

Oil prices fall to $72 per barrel

Oil prices dipped to $72 a barrel today, deepening a 3 percent fall after U.S. data showed an unexpected rise in gasoline inventories. U.S. light sweet crude traded down 18 cents at $72.10 a barrel by 0338 GMT. It slumped more than $2 a day ago after the higher stock levels soothed concerns about gasoline supply. IPE Brent crude lost 18 cents to $72.47. With geopolitical risks over Iran and Nigeria still running high, many dealers saw the market shuffling in a $70-$75 band for some time. U.N. debate on Iran will remain in focus for oil traders after Western powers introduced a Security Council resolution on Wednesday demanding that it halt enrichment. The text does not contain any sanctions, something China and Russia have opposed, but threatens "further measures" if Tehran does not comply.

I N B R I E F

The debate on tenure elongation began in the Senate yesterday with most of the speakers on the first day of the debate opposing the third term. Only three of the 13 senators who spoke on the constitution amendment bill, supported tenure extension for President Olusegun Obasanjo and state governors. Two other senators did not dabble into the controversial issue. The debate continues today.National Chairman of the PDP, Col. Ahmadu Ali says the ruling party is proud of its achievements and shall continue to serve Nigeria for decades to come. We are trying to prove to the world that there is life after constitution amendment. PDP is a vibrant party, a party that is a bulwark of democracy, a promoter of good governance and the greatest party on this continent''. Turaki Vanguard, a campaign group of Vice President Atiku Abubakar says General Ibrahim Babangida was one of the main sponsors of the third term agenda.

The problems of tenure elongation we are battling at the moment are the handiwork of Gen. Babangida. If we are finding it difficult to battle one of his disciples in the elongation tenure theory, will Nigerians make the mistake of bringing the master of elongation theory into office? Turaki Vanguard said in a statement.Boss of Nigerian Breweries Plc, Festus Odimegwu, who was scheduled to speak on â€œThe private sector as engine of growth, at a seminar organised by the PDP was absent at the event, fuelling speculations that his alleged role in the funding of the third term project may have forced his absence. Reports said Odimegwu, who is on the cover story of TheNews Magazine with the title ''Enemies of the people'' has received a slap on the wrist by overseas bosses of the Nigerian Breweries Plc over his seeming political involvement in the third term controversy.Twenty PDP governors including Vice-President Atiku Abubakar yesterday were inexplicably absent at the PDP's national retreat on Public-Private Partnership. Sources said the governors were unhappy that party was not keen on making them benefit from the third term proposal. President Olusegun Obasanjo has written to the Senate to confirm Justice Salihu Alfa Belgore as the next Chief Justice. The incumbent Chief Justice of Nigeria Justice Muhammadu Lawal Uwais, will retire on June 12 this year.

NAIJA NEWS: TUESDAY MAY 2, 2006

2006-05-12T11:52:00.000+01:00

Tuesday May 2, 2006

United States cautions Nigeria on third term
The US has issued a strong warning against the proposed amendment of Nigeria's constitution to allow President Olusegun Obasanjo to seek a third term. A US embassy statement said limits on terms in office should be respected to help reinforce the democratic process. "The United States respects the right of any country to amend its constitution through democratic, transparent and legal means," the statement from the US embassy said. But it warned that many Nigerians feel the government has not run the constitutional review process fairly or transparently. Observers say the statement is the strongest yet from the US government. Supporters of President Obasanjo say he should stand for another term. However, the government itself is divided over the issue. The vice-president, who also wants the top job, has declared himself against the amendment. Atiku Abubakar has helped Obasanjo win two elections and has held the position of vice-president since 1999. Opponents of the constitutional change argue that the presidency needs to rotate among people from different regions and ethnic groups. For the amendment to pass, it requires a two-thirds majority in both houses of the assembly and it needs the backing of two-thirds of the states.

Parliament Questions Constitution Review Process

Several Nigerian parliamentarians are pressing for a full investigation into an attempt to introduce changes to a draft bill before the assembly, which seeks to change sections of the constitution. Opponents of proposed constitutional changes in Nigeria have accused the presidency of manipulating the legislature ahead of a crucial vote.Both houses of the assembly had adopted the draft bill on proposed amendments and a debate is scheduled for the next few days. Lawmakers last week rejected attempts to modify some aspects of the bill without recourse to established procedure. Opponents of the bill have subsequently called for a full investigation. "These are people who are committing a crime that in my opinion is next to felony, because you cannot tamper with sacred documents which have been placed on the table," Usman Bugaje a member of the lower house of parliament and a critic of President Olusegun Obasanjo said."In other words, they are the property of the national assembly. To tamper with them, to substitute them or do anything with them is a terrible crime. This goes to show that the presidency and the people behind this agenda are constantly moving in the direction of breach of rules, regulations, constitutions and rule of law." Those in favor of extending the president's term have rejected the allegation. They insist that their campaign had been anchored on respect for the rule of law. Leading the pro-change lobby is Deputy Senate president Ibrahim Mantu."Thank God the proceeding of the national assembly is done in the open," he said. "Everything we do is in the open. So, there is no way anybody can stage-manage anything in a process or in a system where everything is actually done in the open." Intense lobbying has characterized the build-up to the parliamentary vote. Opponents and supporters are already claiming victory. Bugaje says there is enough support in the lower chamber to defeat the bill."I have no doubt in my mind that we have more than the number," he said. "I can even go as far as saying if we really allow people to vote without intimidation, I don't think they will have one-third. I don't think they have up to one-third. If you remove all the intimidation and the harassment and the pressures, and you allow people to vote, because everybody knows that 90 percent of Nigerians are not in support of third term. They are against third term." The so-called third term debate has become a national obsession.

Nigeria/ China direct flights on the cards

Nigeria had proposed establishing direct air flights to China to boost socio-economic activities and open up investment opportunities between the two countries, Minister of Aviation Babalola Borishade has said. Borishade said the proposal was a directive from Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who had instructed his ministry to strengthen the Nigeria-China relationship through cooperation in all facets. "Already a proposal for the Bilateral Air Services Agreement between the two countries has been sent to China," Borishade said Friday during a meeting with a Chinese business delegation led by Jia Lianchao, deputy governor of Henan Province, north China. The aviation minister noted that all the political hurdles had been cleared, while the technical aspects of the agreement were being finetuned. The China-Nigeria economic relations and trade have seen remarkable growth over the past years with the two-way trade volume having increased to 2.83 billion U.S. dollars in 2005. A direct air link between the two countries is believed to be a great help for the business of an estimated 50,000 Chinese who are doing trade in the country.

I N B R I E F

Beleaguered Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu is reported to have bought a N30 million bullet proof Mercedes Benz jeep. Mantu is facing allegations of corrupt enrichment by the senate.The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday rejected the elongation of President Olusegun Obasanjo tenure. Leader of the union Adams Oshiomhole said: Nigeria Labour Congress was one the very first organisations to issue a statement condemning third term. Third term must be checked. We have not changed our position. We remain opposed to third term.

Detectives from the police have commenced investigations into the bomb blast in Warri, Delta State. Reports said the police had obtained samples for analysis from the scene and had deployed their men to apprehend the culprits.

President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday pegged all foreign bilateral loans in 2006 for the country at $3billion for foreign. Obasanjo said it was part of measures to curb frivolous external borrowings at both the federal and state levels.

ThisDay newspaper reports that Gombe State Deputy Governor Hon. John Yoriyo on Sunday night narrowly escaped death as he was shot by a night guard who allegedly mistook him for an armed robber.

The Daily Independent newspaper says Kuwaiti telecommunication company, MTC, through its African subsidiary, Celtel, may acquire 100 per cent of Vmobile. ''The company announced on Sunday that it has entered into a conditional agreement with Vmobile Nigeria to acquire an initial 65 per cent stake, with an option to acquire the remaining 35 per cent''.

Oil prices jumped 2.5 percent on Monday to near $74 a barrel on concerns that supplies could take a hit from Iran's defiant pursuit of its nuclear program and violence in Nigeria. Brent crude futures in London gained $1.87 to settle at $73.89 a barrel after a fire shut ERG group's 160,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Impianti Nord refinery in Sicily, adding to supply worries.U.S. light sweet crude rose $1.82 to $73.70 a barrel in afternoon activity as markets remained fixed on Iran.

An outbreak of Cerebra-Spinal Meningitis (CSM) in Tangaza in Sokoto has caused the death of at least two people, including a student, the official News Agency of Nigeria reported. While many infected people are being treated at the Tangaza General Hospital, the Sokoto state government has dispatched a medical team with equipment and the required medicines to curtail the spread of the disease.

A WORD FOR MY LOVE-SUNNY

2006-03-24T13:43:00.000Z

This Piece is for my HUSBAND, who happens to be my Soulmate, myLlife &Love and my SUNSHINE:

A part of you has grown unto me,
Together forever we shall be,
never apart, maybe in distance,
but not in my heart.

I want you to know that I miss you ssooooo much.

Helen

INSPIRATIONAL: WHO AM I?

2006-03-24T13:00:00.000Z

WHO AM I?
Evangelist Dorinda Hicks

Who am I? This is a question we should ask ourselves from time to time. I am not the same person I was a year ago. I am not the same person I was before I dedicated my life to God. With each day of life, our circumstances and life experiences help us to answer that question. Many times we answer this question by what we did in our past or for some of us what we are still doing.
Some of us value who we are by what type of job we have, or by how much money we have. But let us look deeper than just our occupations to answer this question. Let us check on ourselves, inside ourselves.

Who am I? I did not always like the answer that came with that question. Ok, facts, I have not always liked the person I was. I had a lot of issues. I was tore up from the floor up and believe it or not that is the time in my life I really thought I had it going on. I was sadly mistaken. I am not perfect today, but I thank God today, to want to know the things about myself that are not like Him that need to go. Do I like it? Not always, but for me to get closer to Him, there are some things about me that need to check out.

There is a side of all of us, that we do not want no one else to know about. It is usually that side of you, that needs to go. We all have issues. The person who thinks they do not have one has one. PRIDE! We do not have to think low of ourselves but the Word tells us not to think to highly of ourselves. As long as we got breathe to breath there is hope. You may be one of those lucky people who feel you do not have issues, but as long as you live on this earth with imperfect people, you will be challenged. Do you always hold your cool? Do you always answer everybody with a sweet, happy response? I'm just checking! People make life hard sometimes. It is hard to love the unlovable, but guess what, we are called to do it. Can it be done? Yes! Will it always be an easy task? No! But in this, try to see God in everything you do. He is teaching you patience. So was that journey in vain? No! If you learned something, then you have something under your belt to take with you to the next level in God. You have another tool to help you with the next unlovable person that will cross your path, and believe me someone else will cross your path.

When I think about who I am, I think about who I use to be. Thank God that when we give our lives to him, we become new creatures. I will never forget where I came from, but I no longer dwell there. Today, realizing that God had a plan for me, and once I got back on track with God, the plan was reactivated. More important today, is not who I am, but who God says I am. I know I am a child of God. I know I am more than a conqueror. I know that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I know that no weapon formed against me will prosper. I know that God has a plan for my life. I know today that I am walking in the purpose and destiny that God ordained for me.

Nothing happens by chance. There is not anyone who crosses your path for no reason. It is up to us to find out what part in your life they are to play. Is your secret more important than helping someone else walk in their deliverance? If we choose to hide behind our scars, or keep them to ourself, it may be a soul that you can help by just telling your story that will not get helped. You may be the one chosen to give them a smile today. You may be the one chosen to encourage them today. You may be the one chosen to help them lift their head up today. We never know what others are going through. We have our sister and brothers medicine, but will we share what we have? We all have some skeletons in our closets. I made choices in my life that I am not proud of, but I thank God today for just being God. Because of his grace and mercy I am still here. He saved me and I have a chance today to make better choices. The same things in my life that once had me so bound, were stepping stones to get me to where I am today. It is because of my past, I have such a passion for my relationship with God. It means so much to me to know that through it all, God loved me when I did not love myself. That through it all, He never left me or forsaked me. That through it all, He gave me his grace and mercy and not the justice that I so deserved. That is why I love God with all my heart and soul.

Today, I challenge you to check on yourself. Who are you? Who does God say you are? Are you walking in your purpose? If not then why not? There is so much work to do for the kingdom. We have to get in our places. There is a God sized assignment for each of us that was chosen for us before the beginning of time. Everybody is not a preacher, but we are all teachers. We teach by example. Someone is always watching you. What type of standards are you living by? We are to represent Jesus Christ? What type of representative are you? Who we are in God is awesome! It is better than any job description I could ever give you!

You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the
praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared
in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

INSPIRATIONAL

2006-03-24T12:54:00.000Z

A Shimmering Shower of White Pearls
Author: Sally Y. Ross, March 1, 2001

As I sit here by the window sipping a cup of herbal tea and contemplating my future, my eyes are drawn to the cool beauty of the large plum tree that dominates our backyard. The branches, which are covered with a multitude of fragrant white blooms, sway playfully in the breeze. I smile, hoping that the appearance of so many flowers on the tree is a sign that there will be plenty of sweet juicy plums this year. Each time the b reeze touches the branches, flower petals are released and they drift lazily to the ground. Something in the scene so moves me that I feel compelled to put down my cup and rush outside to stand beneath the tree.

As I stand there with face uplifted and arms raised to the heavens my senses seem so vibrantly alive, and I breathe in the fragrant Spring air, which is filled with the sound of birds singing in the trees all around. The gentle breeze caresses my skin and I am enveloped in a cloud of flower petals, which like a shimmering shower of white pearls, drift slowly to the ground. Suddenly my heart is filled with incredible joy, and I am so thankful to be alive at this time and in this place, so thankful that I am a much loved, much blessed child of God. As tears flow down my cheeks the words written at James 1:17 come to mind: Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17

As I stood there basking in the warmth of God's love, it occurred to me that my Heavenly Father is like a mighty tree whose presence dominates all else. I thought about how His many attributes, such of love, joy, peace, mercy, patience, kindness, graciousness, gentleness, forgiveness, comfort, healing, loyalty, justice, and strength, to name a few, are like branches extending out into the heavens. It came to me that the flowers on each branch are like blessings, or "good gifts" from above. The Tree watches over us, and at the times in our lives when the breezes of change rustle the branches, Good determines the type of blessing that we need. And like a shimmering shower of white pearls, His "good gifts" and "perfect presents" abundantly flow down from the heavens to enrich the lives of each one of us.It also occurred to me that there are periods when trials and tribulations rage through our lives like a fierce winter storm, disturbing our peace and creating havoc in our spirit. At times like these our problems may cause us to question our faith and doubt whether God loves us or even hears our prayers for help. We may even come to feel that we are being tried, but as James 1:13 brings out, â€œLet no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: James 1:13

Instead, we should view our tribulations in a far different light. God loves us and He not only hears, He also answers our prayers. But we cannot come to him with doubt in our hearts. We must BELIEVE that the Tree exists and that it is there for us in our times of distress. God allows tribulations to enter our lives not as punishment but to teach us lessons, and to refine our faith. We must BELIEVE that whenever a nd wherever and however we need the Tree, the Tree will lovingly spread its branches over us. Once we have endured our tribulations and the lessons have been learned by means of our faith, the fierce storm clouds of adversity will gradually subside. And as the darkness in our lives and in our hearts gives way to the glorious light, the Tree causes it's branches to rustle, and we are abundantly showered with blessings, flowing down from the heavens like soft shimmering pearls.And all of this came to me on a beautiful Spring day as I stood beneath the Tree. But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. - Psalm 5:11

NAIJA NEWS: March 16-23 2006

2006-03-24T12:13:00.000Z

Anambra State governor ousted in vote rigging case

The governor of Anambra State has lost an appeal against a ruling that the 2003 election in the state was rigged and he did not win. The Anambra case has dragged into the open political corruption and thuggery which threaten fragile democratic reforms in the country. Governor Chris Ngige, the candidate of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) in 2003, had appealed against a ruling by an election tribunal last August that an opposition candidate had won a free and fair vote but the result was rigged.Ngige is the third PDP governor to be ousted in the current democratic dispensation. "The Independent National Electoral Commission erred in declaring Chris Ngige winner of the 2003 gubernatorial election in Anambra," Justice Rabiu Muhammed said in the appeal ruling. Ngige remained in office while he fought the appeal, arguing that the first ruling was a veiled attempt by President Olusegun Obasanjo to unseat him because of a dispute with PDP "godfathers", or power brokers.Wednesday's ruling by a court of appeal in Enugu, in a neighbouring state, means Peter Obi of the All People's Grand Alliance, who is also the chairman of Fidelity Bank should become governor of Anambra. However, Nigerian politicians frequently resort to strongarm tactics and court rulings are not always obeyed. It was not immediately clear if Ngige would go without a further battle. Independent observers reported widespread rigging and political violence during the 2003 polls, which gave Obasanjo a second four-year term.But the Supreme Court last July rejected an opposition challenge to Obasanjo's overall victory. The trouble in Anambra stemmed from a fallout soon after the election between Ngige and Chris Uba, his main sponsor. Uba, who donates generously to the PDP and whose brother is a close adviser to Obasanjo, has been trying to unseat Ngige ever since. The power struggle between the two men caused riots in the state. Paid thugs controlled by one PDP faction set fire to government buildings and tried to kill Ngige in Nov. 2004.At the height of the Anambra crisis, Obasanjo said Ngige and Uba had admitted the 2003 vote had been rigged, and likened them to "two armed robbers that conspired to loot a house and after bringing out the loot, one decided to do the other in". Yet the Anambra crisis also reflected badly on Obasanjo. The PDP had expelled both Ngige and Uba, but last December it readmitted Uba citing his "good behaviour". Ngige remains a party outcast. Uba had written to the party to plead for readmission, arguing that he had shown remorse and that he had handed over his house in Anambra for use as the PDP's headquarters in the state, free of charge.
s t a Senator Tokunbo AfikuyomiTogether we'll make a huge difference in Lagos StateBe part of the sta alliance!

Statement issued by Peter Obi the new governor of Anambra State

Today (yesterday), the Court of Appeal in Enugu upheld the verdict of the Anambra State Elections Petitions Tribunal, which announced in Awka on August 12, 2005 that I, Peter Obi, am the duly elected Governor of Anambra State in the 2003 gubernatorial election. We have every reason to give thanks and praises to the Almighty God who has enabled truth to triumph over injustice.It was on April 20, 2003, being Easter Sunday the day of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ that the mandate which you freely gave to me was stolen via a radio and television announcement. But, today, March 15, 2003 (the Ides of March) three years after the electoral theft justice is in ascent. Justice has prevailed during the Lenten season, a period of Christian atonement and regeneration. We, therefore, exult the Lord as we recall a Biblical quotation we cited when the Elections Petitions Tribunal first underlined our victory seven months ago. First, Psalm 94:14 tells us: â€œThe Lord will not reject his people nor will he forsake his heritage. Justice will return to the just, and the upright will follow in its wake. Our struggle for electoral justice has gone full circle. Our challenge from today is to move our people out of the cycle of injustice. We must henceforth tread the path of justice, which is the only route to real peace and meaningful development. I congratulate both the Elections Petitions Tribunal and the Court of Appeal for courageously upholding justice, thus decorating the nation's judiciary with garlands of integrity. I thank the good people of Anambra State for actively participating in the valiant struggle to reclaim our mandate. I thank Nigerians at large who knew the false hand dealt us, and supported our cause through three years.We shall establish an all-inclusive administration, made up of people with character, competence, commitment and capacity for hard work. We shall operate within the ambience of peace. For as Pope Benedict XVI has said, peace is a heavenly gift and a divine grace which demands the exercise of the highest amount of responsibility from us, a responsibility that is tied to truth, justice, freedom and love. The struggle to restore our mandate was constitutional, non-violent and devoid of acrimony. We have no option but to continue along those tested and approved lines. We must remain prayerful. We must restore the dignity of Anambra State. Long live Nigeria.

Tuesday March 21,
2006Census takes off today

"The rigging culture remains a national dilemma, and leaves the census exercise open to suspicion, manipulation and abuse."The federal government is holding the first census in Nigeria in 15 years -- an exercise that has already fanned old prejudices including religious, ethnic and regional rivalries. At stake in the census are what share states and local councils will get from the national treasury, as well as political power in the federal system. The long-delayed five-day head count, which begins today, comes in a year marred by unprecedented violence by Niger Delta militants who have attacked petroleum installations and kidnapped foreign workers to press their demands for a greater share of the country's oil wealth. It also comes the year before elections critical. The census has already been marred by violence: At least five people were killed in an ethnic clash Saturday over census boundaries in Ondo state, police said yesterday, adding that reinforcements sent there would ensure the count goes ahead as planned.In northern Nigeria, census officials rioted over pay in at least three towns, witnesses said. Despite the unrest, National Population Commission Chairman Samu'ila Danko Makama said at a news conference yesterday that "all arrangements humanly possible" had been made "to conduct an accurate, reliable and acceptable census." To avoid pitfalls blamed for the failure of previous attempts, Nigerians will not be asked their religion or tribe. Census officials are being sent far from their homes in hopes of avoiding the regional biases that led to manipulation in the past. Estimates put Nigeria's population somewhere between 120 million and 150 million, and the government says it needs better data to do its job. The European Union and other foreign donors have paid more than half of the $266 million budget for the count.Meanwhile, some state authorities have accused census organisers of withholding questionnaires so that their states would not have enough to record all their residents -- an allegation denied yesterday by the National Population Commission (NPC). Judge Abdulkadir Orire, secretary of the Jamatul Nasril Islamiya, an umbrella for Nigeria's Muslim organizations, said 99 percent of Nigerians hoped the census would allow a fair distribution of wealth. He said governments had concentrated on the south's petroleum to the detriment of developing agriculture and other minerals elsewhere -- skewing the political scene. "Because the petrol came, it has made everybody lazy, just waiting for money from petroleum," Orire said. "If other resources were developed, you may find that those other resources might even be greater" than oil.Benjamin T. Shande, a 50-year-old government security officer in Abuja, said past censuses have favored the north, giving it credit for too many people. "You see just two villages (in the north) and they give them a state government ... and there will be running water, electricity, roads. In my place you can travel more than 200 kilometers and you don't see even a local government," said Shande, from central Benue state. Northerners note they outnumbered southerners in Nigeria's first census, taken by the colonial British in 1952-1953, and that their culture of polygamy and rejection of birth control would indicate that would remain the case.Four subsequent attempts to count Nigerians were canceled or rejected, except for a 1963 count that was accepted despite acknowledged flaws. The Guardian, Nigeria's leading newspaper, hit a pessimistic note in an editorial yesterday: "Tomorrow's census is about to happen in an environment of controversy, uncertainty, tension and a measure of insecurity in some parts of the country," it said. "The rigging culture remains a national dilemma, and leaves the census exercise open to suspicion, manipulation and abuse."
s t a Senator Tokunbo AfikuyomiTogether we'll make a huge difference in Lagos StateBe part of the sta alliance!

Igbo Separatists Clash With Police During Census
Some 840,000 field workers have been deployed to count the nation at a cost of $246 million. Britain has donated $12.7 million and the European Union $1.2 million.In an apparently isolated incident yesterday, as the national census commenced, Igbo separatists clashed with security agents killing about ten persons whilst in Kano a census worker was feared drowned. Reports said the ten persons were killed in Anambra state during rioting by the Movement for the Actualisation of a Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), a group hoping to resurrect the Republic of Biafra. A police official said the separatists attacked a police station in Nnewi, killing one person, after officers arrested their colleagues for trying to disrupt the census.In nearby Onitsha, suspected separatists hacked to death another person, the officer said. "One of his hands was completely cut off," Onitsha resident Isotonu Achor told the media after he saw the body. One census official was missing in Kano state and feared drowned when a boat carrying census workers accidentally capsized, Duro Famujuro, the local National Population Commission officer, told reporters. Elsewhere, census workers complaining of shortages of forms, pencils and erasers did not get going until noon in many parts of the country.In some places, the count had not begun by late afternoon and state television showed scenes of angry census workers shouting at supervisors. Some complained they hadn't been paid. In an address to the nation yesterday, President Olusegun Obasanjo noted Nigeria is using technology including satellite images and scannable census forms in order to help verify the census and prevent fraud.Then he allowed national television to film him as he answered questions of two census officials. He said his official residence in Abuja has five bedrooms, that the toilet facilities were "very good," the water supplied by the public utility, cooking done by electricity and gas, that he thought he had one or two radios and a television in every room and a bicycle for exercise. He said his regular occupation was farming and that he had a college degree in engineering. Asked if he was still going to school, he drew laughter by declaring "I am still going to the school of life" at a little over 69 years old.On Monday, census officials rioted over pay in at least three northern towns, witnesses said, burning several cars and setting ablaze a local government office. On Saturday, at least five people were killed in an ethnic clash over census boundaries in southwestern Ondo state.

Metropolitan Lagos shuts down for census

The nation's bustling commercial capital Lagos turned into a virtual ghost city yesterday as residents remained indoors on government orders on the first day of the census. Lagos state authorities have imposed a restriction on movements during the five-day exercise, telling people to stay indoors during the hours of 8:00 am (0700 GMT) and 4:00 pm (1500 GMT).In Lagos, all markets, shops, malls, eateries, filling stations and recreational centres visited by our reporters were closed. The city's roads and motorways, notorious for traffic jams, fell silent and were devoid of buses, taxis and private cars that usually jampack the city of 15 million inhabitants. Only a few private vehicles could be seen driving in from the outskirts of Lagos like the eastern suburb of Ikorodu town, some 42 kilometres (26 miles) away. President Olusegun Obasanjo early Tuesday pledged his government's total commitment to the successful conduct of the census, assuring Nigerians that the exercise had no hidden agenda.In a nationwide radio and television broadcast to mark the opening of the 2006 population and housing census, Obasanjo said that his government was "totally committed to the successful conduct of the national census." "I wish to stress once again that census taking is not politics and should therefore not be a contest for political supremacy," he said in the broadcast. He reassured Nigerians that the exercise "bears no hidden agenda and would be to the benefit of all. In the past, there had been lack of public confidence in the census process to the extent that census taking had become a contest for inter-group supremacy," he said. The exercise ends on March 25.

Thursday March 23, 2006
More chaos & violenceon second day of census

Protesters hacked five census workers to death and sprayed six more with acid in Anambra State, officials said, as the nation's first national headcount in 15 years wrapped up a violent second day. About 400 enumerators in the state absconded from duty after collecting their allowances. Police officers confirmed the arrest of at least 55 trouble makers between Tuesday and yesterday, while the federal government blamed separatist activists for a shoot-out on Monday in which at least ten people were killed on the eve of the five-day exercise.Information Minister Frank Nweke linked the violence to a campaign against the census by a separatist group seeking to recreate the breakaway "Republic of Biafra." Nweke accused the banned Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) -- of attacking an Onitsha police station with petrol bombs and kidnapping two officers. "One of these policemen that was abducted has been rescued. The Nigerian police are still trying to locate the other person," he told reporters in Abuja. "I think it is high time that Nigeria challenges these miscreants. Everyone of us is entitled to peace and quiet and you have absolutely no right to... undermine the safety of the life and property of other people," he warned. In Onitsha, census counters refused to go into the field after several of them were attacked by suspected MASSOB activists. A young unidentified census officer was killed with machetes while five more were treated for burns after being attacked with acid, said civil defence corps official Biodun Babatunde. The head of the exercise in the city says the police will provide security for the enumerators so that their lives will not be in danger. MASSOB spokesman David Chinedu, however, denied his organisation was involved, blaming "hoodlums and some other vested interests who oppose the holding of the census in Igboland." Officials also reported less serious problems in other areas: In Kano, census staff called for an extension of the five-day count after shortages of paperwork and protests by counters who wanted their wages paid in advance. Counters in parts of Lagos staged a protest for similar reasons. Communities in Ondo State refused to be counted because census officials were not from the same ethnic group. In Abakaliki, the capital of Ebonyi state, counting was hampered because many residents were illiterate and could not read the forms. Census chief Samu'ila Danko Makama said counters abandoned their posts in Rivers State after collecting their wages. In other parts of the country however, counting slowly got under way, including Lagos, despite a slow start caused by a thunderstorm. Makama was upbeat about the process, saying: "In all the states of the federation, house numbering has been virtually completed."

Skyscraper in Lagos Island givesway after fire incident & downpour

The top portion of one of the tallest buildings in Lagos Island sheared off during a storm yesterday, raining debris onto mostly empty streets below but leaving at least two people dead, witnesses said. Part of the top nine stories of the 21-story Nigerian Industrial Development Bank, which had had a fire on two floors two days ago, crumbled and fell away around 8 a.m. (0700 GMT), amid a heavy downpour, said Segun Ade, a guard at a nearby building. He said falling debris killed two people.Lagosians are staying home countrywide for the 2006 census. That likely saved lives as the fixture on the Lagos skyline would normally be filling with workers at the time of the accident, and the streets below would have been bustling. Late Wednesday morning, a few people could be seen still inside the remaining parts of the building, waving frantically for help. Rescue workers assembled below. "We're trying to see how we can rescue survivors still trapped," said Leke Pitan, the top official of the Health Ministry in Lagos, who supervised rescue efforts. He said there were no people beneath the scattered rubble. A Monday fire in the building gutted the 10th and 11th floors and small chunks had been falling for days, area residents said. Heavy winds during a storm Wednesday morning sent larger sections tumbling. Then the building split in two from the 11th floor, leaving one half standing and as the other half falling to the streets below.

''Insecurity in Niger Delta here to stay'' U.S. Intelligence
A U.S. intelligence view that Nigeria can no longer ensure security in the oil-producing Niger Delta is an understatement, according to experts who say lawlessness in the delta is rooted in old, intractable problems. A senior U.S. government analyst yesterday said oil production in Nigeria, the fifth largest supplier of crude to the United States, would "hang precariously in the balance" for the foreseeable future because of government's lack of control.A quarter of Nigeria's 2.4 million barrels per day output is currently shut down because of militant attacks on oil infrastructure, and three foreign oil workers including two U.S. citizens are being held hostage in the delta's creeks. "That the government has no control over the riverine areas of the delta is obvious and that's been the case for years," said a Western diplomat who closely watches the area. He said militants, armed and funded from the proceeds of oil theft, had filled a power vacuum in the maze of mangrove-lined creeks that make up the delta, a region almost the size of England with an estimated 20 million inhabitants."The army has been brought in to control the peace ... but the army is part of the problem. They are involved in bunkering," said the diplomat, using a local term for oil theft. Bunkering is a major factor in delta violence as gangs, some backed by politicians, fight turf wars for control of the trade. Many of the delta's militant groups, including the one that has attacked the oil industry and taken foreign oil workers hostage in recent months, say they are fighting for the people of the delta to gain greater control of oil resources. But in their nebulous world, genuine grievances and the fight for bunkering profits are all part of the package and it is all too easy for authorities to dismiss militants as thieves.Oil sector insiders estimate that Nigeria loses about 5 percent of its output to bunkering worth hundreds of millions of dollars every year. Rights activists accuse politicians, army commanders, militants and oil companies of being on the take. This means there is almost no incentive for anyone to address the deeper problems of poverty and lack of development that make the delta fertile ground for militancy. "The root of the delta's problems is the complete failure of the Nigerian state to address even the most basic needs of the people," said a development worker who has been based in the region for 40 years. Successive Nigerian governments, during almost three decades of military dictatorship as well as during periods of civilian rule, had seen it as their interest to keep the delta poor, divided and insecure, the better to control the oil.

Sabotage forces closure of refineries
Attacks on oil installations in the Niger Delta have forced at least two oil refineries in the country to shutdown, Abubakar Yar'Adua, group executive director for refining and petrochemicals at state-run Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), said yesterday. "All was okay before trouble broke out in the Niger Delta. Warri was processing 100,000 barrels per day while Kaduna was doing 110,000 barrels per day but they are out of crude and there is no telling when supplies will resume," Yar'Adua said. "It is a very serious community problem. To get the refineries to work, you've got to engage the communities in dialogue but we are looking at the option of sourcing crude from elsewhere," he said adding that NNPC had spoken to Shell and Eni's Agip about supplies to the refineries. "What is happening in the delta is the price of democracy. We can't use force. We have to negotiate a solution and that takes time," said J.K. Okehs, who is also an official of NNPC. He said Nigerian law called for at least 13 percent of oil revenue to be put back into communities where it was produced and Niger Delta leaders wanted that increased to 25 percent, with an eye to doubling the figure to at least 50 percent.

Census may be extended beyond Saturday
Police beefed up security in south eastern Nigeria, a police officer said, after a chaotic census. Shortage of forms, inadequate enumerators and violence have threatened the exercise several Nigerians want extended beyond the stipulated five days. The Sun newspaper reports that two more persons were killed in Anambra State, twenty five injured in Ondo. Meanwhile about a third of the national population is yet to be counted 24 hours to the end of the exercise. The governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu has appealed to the federal government to extend the exercise.The census has also reopened the country's deep religious, ethnic and religious fissures and stirred street violence. "There are pockets of violence and skirmishes in some areas around Anambra state" in the southeast, said police spokesman Fidelis Agbo yesterday, speaking in Awka, capital of the restive state. "We have deployed more men to some of the trouble spots in the state like Onitsha, Nnewi, Ihiala and Awka," Agbo said but stressed the violence was not serious enough to disrupt counting. Census counters have meanwhile asked for the exercise to be extended saying the allotted time was not enough to count everybody because the census got off to a very slow start. Authorities in Kano state have already declared yesterday a public holiday and asked people to stay at home. This was in addition to a national shutdown around the country Friday and Saturday, already in force in Lagos. "I doubt that the days allocated would be enough because of the enormity of the task ahead," one counter in Awka, Felix Mbachu, said. Census supervisor Victoria Ugwu added: "So far, so good, but I think we need more time to complete the exercise."

''Obasanjo Must Withdraw Bill to Criminalize Gay Rights''
President Olusegun Obasanjo must reaffirm his commitment to human rights and withdraw a proposed legislation to introduce criminal penalties for same-sex relationships and marriage ceremonies, international public advocacy or associations supporting the rights of lesbian and gay people have said. The 16 human rights organizations want Obasanjo to disavow the bill, which they say contravenes international law and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights that ensure rights to freedom of _expression, association, and assembly.
"This draconian measure will only intensify prejudice and discrimination based on sexual orientation," said Scott Long, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Program at Human Rights Watch. "The bill criminalizes public expressions of love and any defense of lesbian and gay rights, denying fundamental freedoms that should be enjoyed by all Nigerians." The bill, proposed in January 2006 by minister of justice, Bayo Ojo, is entitled "Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act." It was recently approved by the Federal Executive Council and is poised to be submitted to the national assembly. The bill calls for five years imprisonment for any person who "goes through the ceremony of marriage with a person of the same sex," "performs, witnesses, aids or abets the ceremony of same sex marriage," or "is involved in the registration of gay clubs, societies and organizations." It also prohibits any public display of a "same-sex amorous relationship," as well as adoption by lesbian or gay people. "This bill is yet another example of exploiting fear of same-sex marriage to trounce rights that lesbians and gay men have under international law to associate, engage in intimate relations, and speak openly," said Paula Ettelbrick, executive director of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. "We urge President Obasanjo to protect the rights and well-being of all Nigerians and disavow this dangerous bill."

Nigeria seeks first Games for Africa in 2014
Scotland, Canada and Nigeria are all bidding for the 2014 Games and are all spruiking their cases in Melbourne. Each of the 71 competing countries and territories all have a say. Nigeria says it's time an African nation was given a chance, and it wants the 2014 games to be held in its capital.The head of Nigeria's bid team is General Yakubu Gowon. ''That is really a great desire, that this Games should come to Nigeria at that time, because Nigeria is going to be 100 years old. And we want the whole â€“ not only Nigerians and our brothers and sisters from the sub-region and from Africa â€“ but we want also the whole of the Commonwealth. And we will invite also other countries of other continents of the world, and so we are going to invite virtually the whole world, but specifically the Commonwealth youth to come and be part of that very big celebration. And of course it will also be the first time that the Commonwealth Games will be held in Africa at all'' Gowon said.

Three Nigerians docked in New York in $1.2m 419
A quartet of suspected e-mail scammers--three of them Nigerians could face scores of years in prison if convicted on fraud and conspiracy charges, the U.S. Justice Department said yesterday. A grand jury in Brooklyn, N.Y., yesterday charged Nnamdi Chizuba Anisiobi, Anthony Friday Ehis, Kesandu Egwuonwu and another unnamed defendant with one count of conspiracy, eight counts of wire fraud and one count of mail fraud. Anisiobi also faces one count of bank fraud. According to the Justice Department's charges, New York-based victims of the e-mail scams lost more than $1.2 million to the fraudsters. One incident described in the 27-page indictment involved a suspect who posed as a suffering throat-cancer patient native to the Southeast Asian nation of Brunei. He said he was too ill to distribute his cache of $55 million to charity and needed help, promising a 20 percent commission in return. Three of the suspects were first arrested in February in Amsterdam, where they were living at the time. They are being held by authorities until their extradition to the United States. The fourth suspect is a fugitive. If convicted, they could face up to 20 years in prison for mail and wire fraud, 30 years for bank fraud, and five years for the conspiracy charge.

INSPIRATIONAL: THE CROSS

2006-03-10T13:46:00.000Z

> A young man was at the end of his rope,
> seeing no way out, he dropped to his knees in prayer
> "Lord, I can't go on," he said. "I have too heavy
> a cross to bear." The Lord replied, "My son, if you
> can't
> bear its weight, just place your cross inside this
> room.
> Then, open that other door and pick out any cross
> you wish."
> The man was filled with relief and said, "Thank you
> Lord," and he did as he
> was told.
> Upon entering the other room, he saw many crosses;
> some so large the tops
> were not visible. Then, he spotted a tiny cross
> leaning against a far wall.
> "I'd like that one, Lord," he whispered. The
> Lord replied, "My son, that is the cross you just
> brought in."
> When life's problems seem overwhelming, it helps to
> look around and see what
> other people are coping with. You may consider
> yourself far more fortunate
> than you imagined.
>
> YOUR CROSS
> Whatever your cross
> Whatever your pain
> There will always be sunshine
> After the rain
>
> Perhaps you may stumble
> Perhaps even fall
> But God's always there
> To help you through it all
>
> Funny how you can send a thousand "jokes"
> through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but
> when you start sending
> messages regarding the Lord, people think twice
> about passing it on.
>
> Funny, isn't it, when you go to forward
> this message, how many on your buddy list will not
> receive it because
> you're not sure they believe in anything?
>
> Funny? No!
>
> Sad, and thought-provoking...

INSPIRATIONAL: LONELY EMBER

2006-03-10T13:43:00.000Z

Author: Unknown

A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the pastor decided to visit him. It was a chilly evening. The pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his pastor's visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a big chair near the fireplace and waited. The pastor made himself comfortable but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the play of the flames around the burning logs.

After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched all this in quiet fascination. As the one lone ember's flame diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and "dead as a doornail." Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting.

Just before the pastor was ready to leave, he picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it. As the pastor reached the door to leave, his host said, "Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermo n. I shall be back in church next Sunday."

"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." -Hebrews 10:25

JUST A FRIENDLY THOUGHT: AN EMAIL FROM A FRIEND IN NIGERIA(Maureen Ideozu)

2006-03-10T13:36:00.000Z

TRUE FRIEND

A girl asked a guy if he thought she was pretty,
He said...no.
She asked him if he would want to be with her forever....and he said no.
She then asked him if she were to leave would he cry, and once again he replied with a no.
She had heard enough. As she walked away, tears streaming down her face the boy grabbed her arm and said....
You're not pretty you're beautiful.

I don't want to be with you forever, I NEED to be with you forever.
And I wouldn't cry if you walked away...I'd die...

SO NOW I WILL SAY:
I like you because of who you are to me....A true friend
and if I don't get this back I'll take the hint.
Tonight at midnight your true love will realize they like you.
Something good will happen to you at 1:00-4:00 PM tomorrow.
It could be anywhere -- AOL, Yahoo, outside of school, anywhere.
Get ready for the biggest shock of your life.
Please send to 15 people in 15 minutes.

Remember:
"A good friend will come bail you out of jail....
But a true friend will be sitting next to you saying ....
WE screwed up! "
Proud to be your Friend!
Make sure you read all the way down to the last sentence, and don't skip ahead.
I've learned....That life is like a roll of toilet paper.
The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.
I've learned....That we should be glad God doesn't give us
everything we ask for.
I've learned....That money doesn't buy class.
I've learned....That it's those small daily happenings
that make life so spectacular.
I've learned...That under everyone's hard shell
is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.
I've learned....That the Lord didn't do it all in one day.
What makes me think I can?
I've learned....That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.
I've learned.
I've learned....That the less time I have to work,
the more things I get done.

To all of you ... Make sure you read all the way down to the last sentence.

It's National Friendship Week.
Show your friends how much you care.
Send this to everyone you consider a FRIEND, even if it means
sending it back to the person who sent it to you.
If it comes back to you, then you'll know
you have a circle of friends.

HAPPY FRIENDSHIP WEEK TO YOU!!!!!!
YOU ARE MY FRIEND AND I am honored
"Tell someone you love them today, you may not have a tomorrow."

INSPIRATIONAL: THROUGH THE EYES OF LOVE

2006-03-10T13:32:00.000Z

Author: Steve Popoola

In recent times, I have felt the need t o pause in my spiritual walk and reflect on the basics of the Christian faith. It is so easy for us to be so preoccupied with today's events and tomorrow's aspirations and so forget certain fundamentals of the Christian faith.

One area we so often forget is where we started from. Imagine an armed robber, a prostitute, a drug addict or any other person under the control of a vice. Ask yourself the question; what makes me different from this person?

That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.“Ephesians 2:12-13

What does this mean? It simply means that there was a time when you and I were just like that robber, prostitute or drug addict. Oh yes, you could say, I never stole and I never used my body for commercial purposesI thank God for your life but I wish to let you know, that in the eyes of God, you were no better than these people and if you had died in your sin, you would have faced the same judgment reserved for this set of people who remained unrepentant until death.

Remembering where we once were, brings forth feelings of gratitude and thanksgiving, for what God did for us through our Saviour Jesus Christ. It is a privilege to be a Christian, to be called a child of God and a friend of Christ. Today, many robbers, prostitutes, drug addicts and even murderers have been truly converted and saved. They share a common destiny with us; their past has been wiped away with the splash of blood, never to be used as evidence of guilt against them anymore.

It is because we fail to remember, that we are quick to judge others, condemning them when God is working out their salvation, calling for their heads when God desires that they should b e saved.

I was having a discussion with an aunt who had just given her life to Christ. She had recently been duped by fraudsters. It was obvious that she had been doing a lot of thinking concerning the incident and the question she asked me confirmed this.

If people had been duping others all their lives and they eventually give their lives to Christ, will they be forgiven? I gave her a sympathetic smile. Yes, they would be forgiven if they are truly repentant I replied. I could see that she did not like this. As far as she was concerned, they should rot in hell.

I went ahead to explain the mind of God concerning sinners to her. The Bible says we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23). The weight of sin is measured equally; no sin is rated higher or lower than another. The effect and repercussion of particular sins on man may be different but the judgment of sin is the same.

The next time you see that man or woman with evidence of sinfulness written all over him or her, do not look at them with the eye of judgment, rather, look at them through the loving eyes of God. After all, we are all sinners saved by grace.

Steve Popoola

Biblepraise, 2003.

Steve Popoola was born in London but currently reside in Lagos, Nigeria with wife Maris and their two children, Praise and Stephanie. He works in the IT dept of a bank. Formerly an active singer, he still sings occasionally and speaks at invited forums. He is the editor of Biblepraise Newsletter. To subscribe, send blank email to

biblepraise-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. He can be reached through His email address, stpopoola@yahoo.com, or visit his website at http://www.biblepraise.org

Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. -2 Corinthians 2:14

INSPIRATIONAL: THE DRESS

2006-03-10T13:29:00.000Z

The Dress

By Margaret Jensen

From First We Have Coffee

Mary was young, filled with dreams of love for God and His service. John, restless and impatient in his new pastorate in the farmlands of Wisconsin, longed for the libraries and action of New York City or Chicago, where he had attended seminary. John's brilliant mind craved books. Mary saw beauty in everythingâ€”the smell of the freshly plowed fields, the song of a bird, the first signs of spring, crocuses and violets. Mary sang to the wind and laughed with the birds. But she had one secret longingâ€”a new dress for spring. Not the somber brown or black, befitting a minister's wife, but a soft voile, billowing dress with lace around the neck and sleeves and a big sash.

There was no money! Carefully she laid plans. She would put pennies into a box until there was enough money to buy a new kerosene lamp for John and material for a new dress. She would reuse the lace from an old velvet dress in the trunk. Someday she would make a blue velvet dress for her baby Louise.

The day came when the treadle machine purred like music while Mary sang and sewed. Golden-haired Louise played with empty spools and clothespins. The small house shone clean. The new lamp had a place of honor on John's reading table.

In a playful mood, Mary pulled down her long brown hair and brushed it in the morning sun. Then she put on her new dressâ€”soft pink voile with violets and lace. A sash tied at the back, and Mary swung around, to the delightful squeals of Louise. It was spring! She was young, just 23, with another new life within her and Louise to rock and love. The wilderness church, the somber immigrants tilling the land, and the severe harshness of long winter had isolated the young wife into her world of poetry and song. But she had grown to love the faithful people and shared their joys and sorrows. Today, she danced with abandoned joy in her new billowing dress.

Like the flash of summer lightning, Mary was whirled around by an angry John, whose storm of frustration unleashed the fury within him. "Money for foolishnes s! No libraries, no booksâ€”no one to talk to about anything except cows and chickens, planting and harvest!"

Like a smoldering volcano, John erupted with rage and ripped the dress to shreds. Just as suddenly the storm was over, and the galloping hoofs of John's horse broke the quiet terror. As he rode into the wind, he unleashed the remainder of his fury on the passing fields and their wide-eyed cows and clucking chickens. He longed to gallop from Wisconsin to the heart of New Yorkâ€”his beloved library.

Huddled in a corner, Mary clutch ed Louise and the shredded dress. Trembling with fear and anger, she remained motionless. Too drained to weep, she was sick with emptiness and an unutterable longing for her family, far away from John. There was no one to turn to in the lonely farmland. She remembered Psalm 34:4. "I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears." Then she wept, long and deep, and cried out to the Lord.

Mary set her heart to seek a way of escape. She would make a pallet up in the loft and take Louise to sleep with her. John would sleep alone. Then she folded the shredded dress in a small package and hid it in her trunk. Pastor Hansen was coming to visit the surrounding churches and Mary decided to bide her time, to quietly wait and show the dress to Pastor Hansen, then ask for assistance to leave John an d return to her mother.

With quiet determination she put on her dark dress and combed her hair into a severe knot, befitting a minister's wife. She set the table for supper. When John returned late in the night his supper was in the warming oven. Mary was asleep in the loft with Louise curled in her arms.

Quietly John ate his supper and then looked for Mary. When he found her in the loft, he ordered her back to their bed and put Louise in her crib. Mary gently tucked Louise in her crib and obediently went to bed. John's storm had passed, but he was unaware of the debris in its wake.

Life went on as usual, but the song was gone and Mary's steps were weighted with bitterness. She quietly waited and thought out her plans.

The arrival of Pastor Hansen brought a new exuberance to John as the two ministers discussed books and theology and the work of the church conference. Mary served quietly. No one would have guessed the anguish behind her gentle face as she worshipped with the faithful congregations, but heard little of the sermons.

The final service was drawing to a close and, as yet, Mary h ad not had the opportunity to see Pastor Hansen alone. She had to find the openingâ€”perhaps this Sunday afternoon, when John would visit a shut-in member while Pastor Hansen would meditate on the evening message. With a quickened mind she decided to listen to the sermon and perhaps use his comments as an opening.

"The text this morning is found in Mark 11:25. 'When ye stand praying, forgive.' Forgiveness is not optional, but a definite act of the will to forgive, in obedience to God's command. The feeling comes later, the feeling of peace. When we offer to God our hurts and despair, God will pour His love and compassion into the wounds, and His healing will come."

Oh, no, Mary cried inside. I can't forgive, and I can never forget.

The sermon continued, "Someone may be thinking, I can never forget, even if I could forgive. You are right”you can't forget, but you needn't be devastated by the remembering. God's love and His forgiveness can and will cushion the memory until the imprint is gone. When you forgive you must destroy the evidence, and remember only to love."

John and Pastor Hansen rode home with Deacon Olsen. Mary stepped into her buggy, tied her wide black hat with a scarf and carefully secured Louise around her waist. As the horse, Dolly, trotted briskly down the country road, Mary's scalding tears poured forth.

She knew what she must do. She would obey God. Without waiting to unhitch Dolly, she fled from the buggy and placed Louise in her crib. With trembling hands, Mary took out of the trunk the package with the torn dress, but she couldn't let go.

The Sunday dinner was in the warming oven; Mary poked the fire and added more wood. Automatically she put on the coffee pot and set the table. "The evidence must go," rang in her memory.

"I forgive you, John." Sh e finally picked up the tattered dress with one hand and the stove lid with the other. Tears splashed on the fire as she watched the dress burn slowly.

"True forgiveness destroys the evidence," pounded so loudly in her heart that she failed to hear John's footsteps. "Mary, what are you doing?"

Trembling with sobs, she said, "I am destroying the evidence."

To herself she said, "My offering to God."

Then John remembered. Pale and shaken he murmured, "Please forgive me."

Fifty-eight years later, when John had gone home to be with the Lord and she missed him terribly, Mary had a dream. Three angels appeared to her and said, "Come, we are going to a celebration." Over the arm of one angel was draped a beautiful dress.

http://homepages.at/slush/ark/power/CLT37.htm

So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. -2 Corinthians 2:7

INSPIRATIONAL: THE BARGAIN

2006-03-10T13:12:00.000Z

The Bargain
Author: Unknown

During one of the many Reformation battles, a young soldier found himself and his army being soundly defeated by the enemy. He and his comrades hastily retreated from the battlefield in defeat, running away in fear of their very lives.

The enemy gave chase. The young man ran hard and fast, full of fea r and desperation, and soon found himself cut off from his comrades. The soldier eventually came upon a rocky ledge containing a cave.

Knowing the enemy was close behind, and that he was exhausted from the chase, he chose to hide there. After he crawled in, he fell to his face in the darkness, desperately crying to God to save him and protect him from his enemies. He made a bargain with God. He promised that if God saved him, he would serve Him for the remainder of his days.

When he looked up from his despairing plea for help, he saw a spider beginning to weave its web at the entrance to the cave. As he watched the delicate threads being slowly drawn across the mouth of the cave, the young soldier pondered its irony. He thought,

"I asked God for protection and deliverance, and He sent me a spider instead. How can a spider save me?"

His heart was hardened, knowing the enemy would soon discover his hiding place and kill him. Soon he did hear the sound of his enemies, who were now scouring the area looking for those in hiding.

One soldier with a gun slowly walked up to the cave's entrance. As the young man crouched in the darkness, hoping to surprise the enemy in a last-minute desperate attempt to save his own life, he felt his heart pounding wildly out of control.

As the enemy cautiously moved forward to enter the cave, he came upon the spider's web, which by now was completely strung across the opening. He backed away and called out to a comrade, "There can't be anyone in here. They would have had to break this spider's web to enter the cave. Let's move on."

Years later, this young man, who made good his promise by becoming a preacher and evangelist, wrote about that ordeal.

What he observed has stood by me in times of trouble, especially during those times when everything seemed impossible:

"Where God is, a spider's web is as a stone wall. Where God is not, a stone wall is as a spider's web. "

"For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things." - Luke 12:30

NIJA NEWS: BRIEF REPORTS

2006-03-10T12:59:00.000Z

NIGER DELTA MILITANTS REPORT
FIGHT WITH NIGERIAN MILITARY

Nigerian militants holding three foreign oil workers hostage said its fighters clashed yesterday with army troops in the oil-rich delta region. The militants said in an e-mailed statement that one of their vessels was attacked on the Escravos River by four Nigerian navy patrol boats, sparking a 45-minute gunbattle they claimed left seven federal government soldiers dead.

The militants has vowed Sunday to cut daily oil exports from the troubled delta region by another 1 million barrels by the end of March, as OPEC nations prepared for a strategy meeting in Vienna this week. A wave of militant assaults on pipelines and oil facilities has already cut production by 455,000 barrels per day in Nigeria, which normally exports 2.5 million barrels of crude daily.

The reported skirmish could not be independently confirmed and military officials could not immediately be reached for comment. "The Nigerian government and military should note that we have sufficient firepower in that vicinity to repel any attack," the militants said. The government characterizes the militants as criminals and oil thieves. A wave of militant attacks over the last two months has forced Nigeria to cut daily exports by 20 percent. Nigeria normally produces about 2.5 million barrels per day.

MILITANTS APPOINT OROMTO DOUGLAS
AS GO-BETWEEN

Niger Delta militants yesterday said they had appointed a mediator to seek a resolution to the three-month-old crisis in the oil region The appointment of ethnic Ijaw environmental activist lawyer Oronto Douglas marked a major shift in rhetoric of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, which is holding three foreign oil workers hostage and had promised to stage more debilitating attacks on Nigerian oil facilities.

"Oronto Douglas was approached by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta to act on its behalf in discusions with parties interested in seeking a mediated resolution of the on-going crisis in the Niger Delta. He confirmed today his acceptance of our invitation," the militants said in an email. Douglas, who used to work for DSP Alamieyeseigha as commissioner for information, before the governor was impeached for money laundering in December, said he had yet to receive detailed instructions from the militants. But he said he expected to put a speedy end to the hostage crisis and the attacks against the oil industry, which have cut exports by a fifth.

"Mediation should not be piecemeal, it must be all-inclusive," Douglas said. "I think we are in for a very quick resolution of the issues because they are very clear." As a delegate at last year's political reform conference, Douglas initially argued for 100 percent resource control, but later softened this to a demand for 25 percent now, rising to 50 percent over five years. Douglas and other delta representatives walked out when a committee of conference elders proposed 17 percent, and the matter was left unresolved. Committee members meeting in Port Harcourt this week have indicated that the figure could be increased to a maximum of 25 percent, but a final decision has yet to be made.

AL-QAEDA FORUM BACK
NIGER DELTA MILITANTS

Internet forums close to the al-Qaeda network have claimed responsibility for guerilla operations against foreign oil companies in the Niger Delta. In an apparent link between international jihadi groups and the ongoing unrest in the delta, the websites have published photos of nine employees of the US petrol company Willbros, kidnapped on 18 February.

''Photos of the Lions of Nigeria after having taken prisoner some Americans" runs the headline, with the following text: "Allah supports you oh Lions of Nigeria! These are the photos of the mujahadeen in Nigeria after the seizure of nine hostages from the US oil companies who rob the wealth of Nigeria and of the world. Subsequently six of them were freed and they are Muslims while the American pigs remain in their hands." The interest of al-Qaeda for interrupting strategic energy resources in Muslim countries was highlighted by a foiled attack on the world's biggest oil processing plant in Saudi Arabia late last month. Al-Qaeda has warned of further attacks on oil installations and Saudi forces later killed five suspected militants believed to be linked to the suicide bomb attempt.

OPC DENIES KILLING
10,000 PEOPLE IN 7YEARS

The Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) yesterday denied a federal government allegations that the group had killed and maimed more than 10,000 people in the last seven years. The OPC "is a callous, murderous tribal and secessionist organization that has no regards for human life," said a government affidavit filed before a court in Abuja on the trial of six leaders of the organization.

The OPC, which was set up by Frederick Faseun in the 1990s, is a part ethnic militia and part vigilante group that promoted self determination for the Yoruba ethnic group. It was banned five years ago after its members were accused of fomenting violence. The affidavit was filed by Justice Minister Bayo Ojo, to oppose bail application for Faseun and four other members of the OPC and for the transfer of their trial to the southwest states of Lagos or Ogun.

The six were charged with treasonable felony, illegal possession of prohibited firearms and belonging to an unlawful society. The deponent, Ahmed Tabari from the Justice Ministry claimed that if their trial was held in Lagos or Ogun, trial judge, prosecutors and witnesses would be "killed violently" by the OPC stalwart. He deposed that the organization held sway in terms of their large number of members in the two states.

Meanwhile, trial judge, Justice Anwuli Chikere, had directed that Faseun should be allowed to get medical attention from his personal doctor. The court directive was upon an application that Faseun's health was failing and he would need his personal doctor to attend to him. Anwuli also directed counsel to the accused persons to file their reply to the allegation contained in the affidavit and adjourned to case to March 29.

INTERPOL TO HAND OVER
4 NAUGHTY NIGERIANS

Four Nigerians suspected to have committed crimes in Togo are to be handed over to the Togolese security agencies through INTERPOL Ghana. A Circuit Court at Aflao, ordered that Molioku Chinedu Uzodinma, 33, Emmanuel Nwankwo Junior, 36, Robinson Obi Chibuna, 39, and Unche Ogbonna, 35, be handed over to Togolese security agencies.

The court, he said, lacked the jurisdiction to prosecute the four on charges of robbery but yielded to the request by INTERPOL Togo, through its Ghanaian counterpart, to hand the suspects over for trial in that country. Police Chief Inspector Kofi Frimpong had told the court that late last year the four took residence at Gbedekope, a suburb of Aflao, after sneaking into the country through an unapproved route. He said some residents of the area were suspicious of their movements and reported to the security agencies, which collaborated in putting them under surveillance.

Frimpong said in December the police swooped in on the suspects in their single-room apartment and found a map of the defunct breakaway state of Biafra in Nigeria and other seditious materials. Also found were a visa credit card in the name of one Margarita Alonso Pino, a Spanish national; a Spanish passport, an air ticket and a cell phone. Frimpong said INTERPOL Togo confirmed that Pino was among other foreign nationals robbed at Tsevie, near Lome in Togo, last December. The four have since been placed in police custody pending their repatriation

EGUAVOEN STAY
SUPER EAGLES COACH

The Nigeria Football Association (NFA) has retained Austin Eguavoen as coach for the Super Eagles. The confirmation of his appointment has put to rest wide-spread speculations over his future. Eguavoen, who captained Nigeria to their second African title in 1994,has come under severe criticism from the local press, following the Super Eagles third place finish at the recent African Cup of Nations in Egypt.

A statement released by the NFA also confirmed the appointment of Daniel Amokachi as the national U-23 coach. Amokachi, a former Super Eagles striker, was part of the Nigeria World Cup squad in 1994 and 1998. He is best remembered for scoring a brilliant goal to help Nigeria defeat Bulgaria 3-0 in the countryÂ¿s opening game in the United States in 1994. The NFA's acting secretary general Fanny Amun, said that the recruitment of Amokachi reflects their confidence in the ability of former internationals to positively contribute to Nigeria's football development.

"Samson [Siasia] proved to the world in Holland last year that we have talented coaches in the country," Amun said. "With the former players all proving their mettle, the future of our football is in safe hands. Siasia, the coach of Nigeria's silver-medal winning team at the 2005 World Youth Championship, retain his role as assistant coach of the Super Eagles. Other appointments announced include Godwin Koko Uwua (national U-20), Yemi Tella (U-17), Ntiero Efffiom to handle the national female side (Super Falcons), while Emmanuel Tete takes charge of the female U-20 side.

Meanwhile, the NFA's central office in Abuja sealed off by armed police in January has been re-opened for normal services, though chairman Ibrahim Galadima and the newly elected board members are yet to show up. The continued presence of armed police men in the office is an indication that the face-off between the sports ministry and the NFA is far from over. Nigeria's Minister of Sport, Seidou Sambawa, had ordered its closure following the confusion that rocked the NFA elections on 29 December last year.

OBASANJO'STHIRD TERM AGENDA
ERIC AYOOLA
Bsc.(Hons). LLB, London.

There is no doubt that General Olusegun Obasanjo has achieved some notable goals in the seven plus year that he has ruled Nigeria as President. His achievements however are in dire jeopardy and in serious threat of being overturned by no less a person than the man himself. At this moment, Obasanjoâ€™s worst enemies are not Anti third term opponents, not MEND, not pro democracy activist not even by the poor foot soldiers of the Nigeria police who wallow in poverty and penury, but the man Obasanjo himself. The greatest threat to Nigeria today in no other than the President of the Federal Republic.

In his obdurate and self serving quest to perpetuate himself in power, Obasanjo is undermining and treating every thing that he has worked for. In fact, even if common sense and wisdom sinks into the murky thinking and logic of Mr Obasanjo, he has already done a lot of damage to the Nigeria polity by refusing to take the lead of leaders such as Mbeki of South Africa who clearly, honestly and unambiguously stated that he will not use his party's political might to change the constitution of his country to grant himself another term. It is quite clear that Obasanjo is not of the same moral material as President Mbeki.

Some of Mr. Obasanjo's mouth piece argue spuriously that he has not stated categegorically that he wants a third term. They blame his opponents for raising the tension in the country. Yet Obasanjo has not denied that he may well seek a third term either (once the constitution is changed). It is the most irresponsible leader who will allow such uncertainty in the country he purports to love without coming out openly and plainly to debunk the third term agenda if indeed he nurtures no such ambition. Nigerians would never again trust their leaders to leave office willingly after their term of office ends. Gowon did not want to go, Babangida was hell bent on perpetuating himself in office, Abacha wanted to become a life President (then became a dead one), and now Obasanjo puts himself squarely amongst this gallery of rogues.

To achieve his aim, Obasanjo will have to out spend and out corrupt all the leaders that have tried to perpetuate themselves in office before him. He will have to spend stupendous amount of money and offer irresistible inducement to Governors, Senators and House of Assembly members to have his way. Under Section 9 (2) of the 1999 constitution, the following steps must followed before the Constitution maybe be altered or amended:

1. A proposal for constitutional amendment shall be presented to the Senate and the House of Representatives.

2. The proposal must be supported by two third majority of all the members of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

3. After this, the proposal shall be submitted or referred to all the Houses of Assembly in the States of the Federation.

4. The proposal must be approved by a simple majority of at least 24 Houses of Assembly i.e. two-third of all the States.

5. After this, the proposal shall now be presented to the National Assembly by way of a Constitutional bill and shall be passed by a simple majority of the Senate and the House of Representatives (section 56 (2) and 58 (1) of the 1999 constitution).

6. The passed Bill shall now be presented to the President for his Assent.

The inducement and the threats have already started to ensure that all through the way, the President's wish is actualised. Apart from the exchange of massive amounts of money (a typical Nigeria practice), there is the mouth watering inducement that all you need to do to secure yourself another term as a legislature, senator etc post 2007 is to firmly nail your mast on to the 3rd term agenda boat.

Governors are equally certain of serving a third term since the constitutional amendment proposed is that the President and Governors should be able to serve three terms of four years each. Now show me a Nigerian Governor who will not relish another four years of his snout in the trough. Not only will they , the Governors, ensure that their states deliver 2/3rd at the state houses of assembly in favour of amending the constitution, they will in fact ensure a 100% support in the state assemblies to show how overwhelming the peoples representatives support the constitutional amendment.

Those who do not play ball and accept cash and political inducements will have EFCC on their backs. Since all Nigerian political office holder are corrupt, bar none, it will not take the Ribadu led EFCC much to dig up dirt on any of them. Now, one of the reasons that proponents of Obasanjo for 3rd term proffer is that he can carry one the anti corruption war that he started. They point to the achievements of the EFCC in nailing top notch government and public officials. Is it not the greatest of ironies that Obasanjo will now have to embark on corruption on a colossal scale to keep himself in office (in a bid to carry on with his fight against corruption), and if he, Obasanjo, where such a patriot who means well for Nigeria and who can not bear to leave his good and laudable work uncompleted, why would he want to foist one of the worst sets of Governors that the country has ever had on the poor people of the country for another four years?

Another question that the sycophants, the carpet baggers, the thieves, the corrupt and the outrightly ignorant people that swarm around the President fail to answer is that after the 3rd term, then what next? Another term and another and another? It is nonsensical and plain asinine for anyone to argue that after 8 years Obasanjo needs more time. Give him another 8 years and he will still not have resolved all the problems of the country. Rather than laying a good foundation as some would have us believe he is in fact laying the worst foundation ever. He his showing himself as a hypocrite, a President who uses the EFCC to punish his opponents and those that fall out of his favour, a President who fails to recognise the suffering of the citizens, and above all a man not to be trusted. Not at all different than all the unpatriotic rulers before him and of the same ilk as all sit tight African rulers.

In his auto biography, President Clinton on the eve of his leaving officer, after eight meritorious years as President of the Unites States of America, wrote â€œSoon George W. Bush would be President of all the people, and I wished him well. â€¦.I knew they saw the world very differently from the way I did and would want to undo much of what I had done. He , Bill Clinton, then listed those things that he felt that George Bush and the Republican's may undo. However, Clinton concluded by saying But those were not my calls to make anymore. Why can't Obasanjo accept that with the best will and might in the world he does not have a monopoly of wisdom to turn the country from being a malfunctioning entity into paradise on earth, nor that he alone does not have the patriotic fervour needed to run the country.

He may feel that he is the best thing to happen to Nigeria, and he may well be, but what happens if after him, and with a constitution that allows three terms of four year each (meaning effectively a 12 years presidency) the next President is a thieving rogue like Babangida or a murderous cum thieving rouge like Abacha. Nigerians would then be lumbered with them for 12 years. Obasanjo has said that he is willing to die for Nigeria. Is this the only way forward for our country? As the Guardian newspaper of Nigeria said in its editorial, Obasanjo may seek martyrdom if he so desires, but does he have to drag Nigeria down with him in his quest for martyrdom? I don't think so. Obasanjo has to be stopped for the sake of the political amalgam called Nigeria and its poor, hapless, downtrodden masses. God help Nigeria.

GUILTY!
GOVERNOR FAYOSE OF EKITI STATE, NIGERIA
AND HIS KILLER SQUADS EXPOSED
By Sylverter Asoya, Saharareporters & TheNEWS

Governor Ayodele Fayose is indicted by a security panel, set up by President Olusegun Obasanjo over the killings and political violence in Ekiti State. Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State and Jean Claude Duvalier (Baby Doc), the deposed president of Haiti, a small Caribbean country, share a reign of terror in common. While Baby Doc relied on the Tonton Macouetes (his torture gang) to harass, kill and suppress the opposition, Fayose, according to his critics, makes use of his personal aides, trained thugs, hawkish politicians and long-throat police officers to, in the manner of Mongol invaders, maim, murder and intimidate those who stand in his way.

All these were confirmed by a four-man security team, instituted by President Olusegun Obasanjo to investigate the political killings, thuggery, harassment and violence that characterize Fayoseâ€™s reign in Ekiti. The panelâ€™s report, dated 18 September 2005, is hard on the Governor. In its verdict, the panel wrote: â€œ(Governor Fayose) has zero-tolerance for opposition. He constantly sets in motion activities that will lead to violent acts and always travels out of town for his cohorts to perpetuate their violent acts without restraint and also create alibis.â€

The institution of the investigation team had its root in the series of politically motivated murders and violence that have, in the past three years or so, turned Ekiti into an Hobbesian State. On 16 March 2004, about eight students of the College of Education, Ikere Ekiti lost their live when Fayoseâ€™s men, led by Chief Dayo Okondo, opened fire on them. They were protesting the non-confirmation of their provost, Dr. Adewunmi Adelodun. When the state government asked all students to vacate the campus, a group, led by Daramola Olaseinde, decided to drop a protest letter at Okondoâ€™s house. Olaseinde told a panel, headed by Justice Esther Fasanmi, that Okondo opened fire on them. The police also shot eight of them dead.

Taye Fasuba, Chairman, Ado Ekiti Local Government was, in September 2004, attacked by some gunmen in his residence in the state capital. The men, numbering about 30, had invaded Fasubaâ€™s two-storey building in the Omolayo area of the city around 9.30p.m, when he was playing video games with his wife. When they heard a bang on the door of the living room, the wife decided to check. One of the assailants, after arguing with the woman, brushed her aside and made for Fasubaâ€™s room. But the street-tough council chairman head-butted his would-be killer into unconsciousness, dribbled another who had approached his bedroom through the ceiling, ran as fast as his feet could carry him and hid in a bush. When he could not secure help from the nearby Ologede Police Station because the cops said they had no guns, he sought sanctuary at the palace of the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe.

Governor Fayose had revealed in a press interview that there was no love lost between him and Fasuba. In his words: â€œTaye Fasuba has been misappropriating funds in the local government. Abia State removed local government chairmen, what happened? If I take any action, it is still within my constitutional powerâ€¦ But wait. He who alleges (murder) must prove. But I am waiting for them to prove all these things they are saying.â€ On 28 May 2005, Tunde Omojola, 31, a Holland resident, lost his life in the political violence that broke out in Ifaki Ekiti during a by-election. This was occasioned by the ruling of the Court of Appeal which nullified the election of Labaika Olabanji of the National Conscience Party (NCP) as acouncillor, rendering the seat vacant. But on Election Day, Chief Okondo allegedly called Fayose to come over and take charge in Ifaki, lest NCP win the seat.

When the Governor came, his men took over everywhere. Goke Olatunji, Fayoseâ€™s personal assistant; Isaac Fayose, the Governorâ€™s younger brother and some mobile policemen, seized Omojola (Labaikaâ€™s brother-in-law) and beat the daylights out of him. He later died in the hospital. With the coast free, Fayose dispersed his thugs to the different wards for free-wheeling thumb-printing. The same day, Fayose and his men were having what they later called â€œDemocracy Walkâ€ in Ado-Ekiti. The train deliberately detoured and ran into an Alliance for Democracy (AD) executive swearing-in ceremony. Governor Fayose allegedly grabbed a pistol from a police officer and shot into the air to disperse the people. In the ensuing violence, 20 vehicles were destroyed and 37 suspects detained by the police.

A month after, Chief Afe Babalola, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), raised an alarm that Governor Fayose was planning to assassinate him. The Ibadan-based lawyer alleged that he had four different text messages on his GLO Mobile line in the past two months. He explained in a letter he sent to President Olusegun Obasanjo: â€œMy first reaction was to ignore them. However, in view of the concealed sender number and subsequent events, I was no longer comfortable allowing the matter to lie lowâ€¦â€ Chief Babalola explained further that his problem with Fayose started over his (Babalolaâ€™s) comments on the attempt on Fasubaâ€™s life. He further said the Governor had no right to have deducted funds that belonged to the local government. By that statement, Babalola said, he did not know that he had hurt the Governor where it pained most.

On 13 June 2005, however, Fayose denied trying to assassinate Chief Babalola. â€œChief Babalola is my leader and he will remain my leader. I will continue to respect him. Anybody who wishes him dead will have death on his head. I am a Governor and I know that everybody must accuse me because I am the one controlling their money. I know all these things will stop over timeâ€¦ I want to beg people like Chief Afe Babalola and Femi Falana to please forgive me if I have offended them in any way.â€ Fayoseâ€™s apologies notwithstanding, Mr. Femi Falana, on 19 June 2005, addressed a press conference in Lagos. He presented a video tape of Governor Fayose threatening to assassinate him, too. The clip showed Fayose in a white pair of shorts and white fez cap saying: â€œThe day of election is not to be joked with. Anybody who crosses my path would be crushed. Tell Akilaya, Segun Oni and Falana that I am not Niyi Adebayo (former Governor) who they can toy with. They should be warned or elseâ€¦ If I find any of you to be disloyalâ€¦ well, may God have mercy on your soul
Falana revealed that on 26 May 2005, somebody phoned him after listening to the alleged threat by the Ekiti Governor, â€œurging me to take action. I did a petition to take to the acting Inspector-General on 27 May. I had a meeting with him in Abuja on 28 May 2005, asking him to restrain Fayose from causing mayhem in Ekiti. My timely warning fell on deaf ears. Hence, the untimely death of Tunji Omojola, brother-in-law of the NCP councillorship candidate, Mr. Sabaike Suleiman,â€ Falana explained. He added that a security aide to the Governor gave him the tape because â€œFayose denied the plot to assassinate Chief Afe Babalola and that he wanted him (Fayose) confronted with such open threats to my life and those of others.â€ If Falanaâ€™s entreaties fell on deaf ears at the appropriate quarters, Chief Babalolaâ€™s petition did not. President Obasanjo reacted by setting up a four-man security probe panel, which released a damning verdict on the Governor and his aides.

The report of the investigating team entitled, Update on Interim Report on Investigation of Alleged Threat to Life of Afe Babalola (Chief) By Ayo Fayose, Governor of Ekiti State, drew from sources it described as surveillance, record examination, elicitation and interviews. According to the report, investigation efforts began with the identification of Cottons Club, a recreational centre in Ibadan, Oyo State, which served as rendezvous for the suspected assassins.

The investigator also revealed that a source who frequents the fun-spot claimed that he overheard the suspected assassins perfecting plans on how to assassinate Babalola. Aside Cotton Club, the panel also discovered other spots allegedly used by the assassins as meeting points, where discussions were held in connection with their plans. Part of the findings was that an Oodua Peopleâ€™s Congress (OPC) stalwart was a ready tool in the assassination attempt on Fasuba and the planned assassination of the Aviation Minister, Babalola Borisade. The report confirmed the hired assassin was paid N250, 000 for the job. When he failed to carry out the assignment, his Isuzu Jeep was impounded by the governor. He was also present at the AD rally where the governorâ€™s men clashed with that opposition party.

The panel came hard on him, both in character and bearing. Besides being described as hard-hearted and foolhardy, the report also dwelt on the Governorâ€™s intolerance for opposition. According to the report, the Governor â€œconsistently sets in motion, activities that would lead to violent acts and always travels out of town for his cohorts to perpetrate their violent acts without restraint and also creates alibis.â€ It was also gathered that the Governor is most uncomfortable with the State Security Service (SSS) details posted to him because of the likelihood that such security operatives may not have good reports on him. Fayoseâ€™s love for intoxicants also attracted very generous attention from the investigators. â€œHe is said to be a user of hard drugs, which makes him to be highly unpredictable and might have been responsible for some of his irrational acts
On his relationship with his erstwhile deputy, Abiodun Aluko, the panel revealed that their strained relations culminated in the assassination attempt on Aluko on 14 May, 2005 and the subsequent impeachment move by the Ekiti State House of Assembly. Part of the former Deputy Governor's problems actually began with the N1.3 billion allegedly spent on the controversial Ekiti Poultry Project. According to the report, N800 million of the said amounts was frittered away by the Governor through drainpipes such as Biological Concepts Limited. Aluko, it was gathered, incurred the wrath of the Governor when he insisted on due process and accountability.

But the security report also linked Fayose's propensity for violence to the many ugly incidents that have punctuated his administration in the last three years. These were the assassination attempt on Taye Fasuba, Chairman, Ado-Ekiti Local Government; the stateâ€™s orchestrated protest led by Dayo Okondo and designed to recall an assertive member of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, an incident that resulted in the death of one Muyiwa Adeyanju, and the politically motivated attacks on Mobil Filling Station, Ikere Road, Ado-Ekiti.

Others include the illegal arrest and detention of law-abiding citizens like Joseph Adeleye Orisagbemi, the Atta of Aiyede, the unwarranted media attacks on Rufus A. Aladesanmi III, Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, the attempt on Okebioruna's life over a political disagreement and the violence-ridden Federal Constituency bye-election at Omuo Ekiti in addition to the killing of Ekiti State College of Education students for protesting over the suspected removal of their provost. Above all, the Governorâ€™s men allegedly operated a death squad.

The security report also confirmed how Fayose terminated the appointment of two editorial staff of Ekiti State Radio for ˜ungraciously reporting Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola's visit to the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti. For good measure, the investigators exhumed a decade-old family feud involving the Governor. His father had accused Ayodele Fayose of locking him (the father) in the boot of his car. Aside the planned assassination of Babalola, the report also listed seven other names of people with complaints on threat to their lives: MB Ogele, a lawyer; Senator Bode Olowoporoku, A. Akilaya, O. Oni, Babafemi Ojudu, Femi Falana, Abiodun Aluko and Afe Babalola.

But the findings on the Governor's aides are no less revealing. Chief Dayo Okondo, a retired army captain and former Chairman, Ikere Local Government Area, according to the report, maintains a terror machine that is dreaded throughout the state. In his statement, he claimed that the bloody clash at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) office in Ado Ekiti was mainly between the mainstream PDP and Lawrence Agunbiade's faction.

He denied the allegation that the attack on Gbenga Jayeola, Sehinde Daramola and other students of the College of Education, Ikere took place in his house. He later told the panel that he did not fire a gun at the demonstrating students. Regarding the ward election and Democracy Walk which almost set Ado-Ekiti on fire, the retired army captain and Chairman, Ekiti State Civil Service Commission, said there was no time he called on the Governor to report the situation in Ifaki. He also denied knowledge of the death of Omojola and the attempt on Fasuba's life.

However, the investigating teams verdict on Okondo showed that the man exhibits coercive tendencies and a pathological instinct for extreme violence which could have resulted from his military background in combat operations which was his specialization. The report also referred to Okondo's role in the death of seven people who lost their lives in 2000 at the PDP secretariat, Ureje, Ado-Ekiti during the party's leadership crisis.

The case of Olugbenga Jaiyeola, a petty contractor in Ekiti who was found in a bus belonging to the Students Union Government of the Ekiti State College of Education during the riots, is pathetic. He was shot in the thigh by Okondo. In spite of the recommendation of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry and the subsequent white paper that his medical bills and the cost of N250,000 and N1 million compensation be paid to him, the Fayose government has refused to implement both.

His sustenance, medical bills and cost of the artificial limb were, however, defrayed by Abiodun Aluko, former Deputy Governor. Okondo's role in the fracas of 28 May 2005 during the inauguration of Ado-Ekiti Local Government Alliance for Democracy (AD) executive officials also attracted the panel's attention. According to the report, Okondo, Goke Olatunji and the Governor physically took part in the violence that took place at the Matthew Street venue of the AD inauguration. The concluding part of the verdict revealed â€œthat Okondo used prohibited firearms and ammunition and could have been in possession of such arms.

Okonjo is also alleged to be in charge of an illegal training ground somewhere at Igbemo in Ifelodun/Irepodun LGA of Ekiti (Fayose's local government) where thugs are trained in armed combat, weapon handling and so on. Isaac Owolabi Fayose, the Governor's younger brother, gave useful information on himself and his activities. He claimed to have returned to Ado-Ekiti from England, his former place of abode, to assist his brother in his political campaign in February, 2003.

Later, he abandoned one of his businesses, Valentinoâ€™s Buddy Nite Club in Ado-Ekiti, following the row between the Governor and members of his family. Though he participated in his brotherâ€™s political activities in 2003, the younger Fayose told the panel that he is apolitical, having stayed out of politics all his life until 2003. He also denied knowledge of the Ifaki incident, claiming that he is just a simple businessman who provides security dogs to clients like Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

But the investigators insisted on further probing the questionable circumstances under which Isaac Fayose returned to Nigeria from the United Kingdom. They confirmed his use of hard drugs like Indian Hemp and other psychotropical substances. The panel also faulted the younger Fayose's claim that he received £100,000 as claims from a car accident in the U.K. The panel said he was actually present and took part in the beating of Omojola at Ifaki. They confirmed his presence at the Democracy Day Walk on Mathew Street and wondered why a man whose hometown is less than fifteen kilometres from Ifaki would claim that he had never been there.

Adegoke Olatunji, Personal Assistant, P.A. to Fayose, is about the closest aide to the Governor. Since 2000 when he was introduced to Fayose by Demola Ojo, Chairman, Ibarapa Central Local Government Area in Oyo State, the relationship has grown remarkably. Yet, despite their closeness, Olatunji still denied knowledge or participation in the many crises involving his boss. However, the security panel did not only describe him as a confidant of the Governor, but also referred to him as an active member of his kitchen cabinet.

In character, Olatunji is known to be temperamental, a trait that is further re-inforced by his suspected use of hard drugs. They also confirmed that he was not only aware of all the alleged violent acts involving the Governor but also collaborated. Olatunji was described as incompetent and lousy. According to the panel, he normally uses the Chief Security Officer (CSO) and some policemen under his command to foment trouble. They were in the habit of indiscriminately using firearms around the Government House,Ado Ekiti and Orole Hotel in Ikere. They routinely shot into the air without any need, to create panic and fear around members of the public.

Despite the P.A's denial, his participation in the Ifaki by-election crisis that resulted in the death of Omojola is fully documented in the Ekiti State Police Command letter ref. No LBO 900/EKS/SHQ/VOL.IV/86 of 19 March 2004. With the CSO, he arrested Joke Ogunleye and her two daughters. Olatunji, who operates a foreign account, an action that is contrary to the nation constitutional provisions, also has a landed property in the U.K.

He was found to be a collaborator in the Ifaki by-election, where he was alleged to have participated in the assault on Omojola, which culminated in his death, the clash with AD during the Demcoracy Day Walk, manhandling of the proprietor of Friendlies Hotel.â€ Like the Governorâ€™s P.A, Timothy Gbenga Joseph, Assistant Superintendent of Police, ASP, Chief Security Officer, CSO to the Governor, is believed to have participated actively in all the alleged violent acts of Governor Fayose. Though he denied all the allegations and even lied under oath, security reports on him showed that he was appointed CSO under very controversial circumstances in the state, despite protest by the Ekiti State Police Command.

The panel also gathered that he boasted publicly about his exploits and admiration for certain controversial operatives. The CSO has been boasting that Hamza Mustapha was his mentor. In a bid to live up to the position of CSO, and be like his mentor, he has involved himself in unprofessional conduct and extra-judicial activities by collaborating with Olatunji (P.A.) to arrest, torture, harass and detain citizens of Ekiti State without recourse to laid-down principles of criminal justice administration.

He was linked to the arrest and detention of Joke Ogunleye and two of her children because of her husband's perceived misdemeanor. Joseph was also, according to the panel, responsible for the detention of Moses Olusola, Emmanuel Nidu, Sunday Ninu, Festus Akinola and Ogunmuti Ojo. Joseph was said to indulge in indiscriminate use of arms and ammunition without any just cause by shooting into the air, to intimidate and threaten citizens in Ekiti State.

CHARLES TAYLOR WILL KNOW
FATE 'SOON'

Liberia's President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf returned yesterday from Nigeria, promising that the fate of former warlord Charles Taylor, wanted for war crimes, would "soon" be finalised by African leaders. Sirleaf said: "The issue of Charles Taylor was discussed in Nigeria. "The African leaders will work on finding a solution that will be acceptable to the international community, and that will soon be done."

A source in Sirleaf's office said that African leaders were consulting on the issue under the aegis of the African Union and that a decision was likely to be announced at the next AU summit in Banjul, Gambia, in July. Taylor was wanted at the international war crimes tribunal in neighbouring Sierra Leone to face charges of supporting the brutal rebels of that country's Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in the 1990s. Sirleaf who had been on an official tour of Nigeria had repeatedly said the Taylor issue was not her priority, despite pressure from the international community for him to face justice. Remi Oyo, a spokesperson for President Olusegun Obasanjo, was quoted as saying that the two leaders had not discussed Taylor's fate, although Obasanjo had met Taylor, days before Sirleaf's visit.

NIJA NEWS: BRIEF REPORTS

2006-03-10T12:41:00.000Z

PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE APPROVES
THIRD TERM FOR OBASANJO?

A committee of lawmakers will recommend a constitutional change that would allow President Olusegun Obasanjo to stand for a third term as president, the committee chairman said yesterday. Under the constitution as it stands, Obasanjo has to step down next year after two terms of four years. This would mark the first time one civilian president hands over to another in Nigeria's 47 years of independence.

"The third term option was adopted," committee chairman Ibrahim Mantu told reporters during a break in proceedings in Port Harcourt. The recommendation is one of several proposed amendments to the 1999 constitution that will now be put as a bill to the National Assembly and would need a two-thirds majority to pass into law. A campaign by Obasanjo's supporters to allow for a third term has been hugely divisive. It is opposed by many politicians in the north, because they had expected to inherit power after eight years of rule by Obasanjo. But many state governors, even in the north, support it because they expect to benefit from any extension in tenure.

The committee will also recommend an increase in the share of oil revenue kept by the oil-producing states of the southern Niger Delta from 13 to 18 percent, Mantu said. The committee has been meeting behind closed doors since Monday, and is expected to wrap up its recommendations by today. Members expect the constitutional review to be proposed as a bill to the National Assembly at the end of March. It would then be voted on in all 36 state houses of assembly, where it would also need a two-thirds majority to go through.

The committee has yet to discuss the clause on legal immunity for politicians, which Obasanjo wants to expunge from the constitution but many governors want to keep. Obasanjo has accused many state governors of corruption, but some have successfully invoked the immunity clause to escape sanction. They argue he is using his anti-corruption campaign to get rid of political enemies. The committee's recommendations will now be discussed clause-by-clause in the National Assembly, which could change or discard any recommendation it chooses.

UNITED STATES SCORES NIGERIA LOW ON
HUMAN RIGHTS, CORRUPTION

A report by the U.S. State Department has scored President Olusegun Obasanjo's government low on human rights, management of the economy and corruption. â€œThe governmentâ€™s human rights record remained poor, and government officials at all levels continued to commit serious abuses. Inadequate infrastructure, endemic corruption, and general economic mismanagement hindered economic growth. Much of the countryâ€™s wealth remained concentrated in the hands of a small elite. More than 70 per cent of citizens live on less than one dollar per day'' the 38-page report on Nigeria said.

The report accused the federal government of being an obstacle to the peopleâ€™s right to change their government. The arrest and prosecution of Mujaheed Asari Dokubo, leader of the Niger Delta Peopleâ€™s Volunteer Force was criticised because it was a â€œpolitically motivated'' arrest. â€œThere were politically motivated killings by the government or its agents. National police, army, and other security forces committed extra-judicial killings or used excessive force to apprehend criminals and to disperse protesters during the year, when crowds were perceived by police as possibly likely to become violent''.

''Police and the armed forces were instructed to use lethal force against suspected criminals and suspected vandals near oil pipelines in the Niger Delta region. Multinational oil companies and domestic oil producing companies often hired private security forces and subsidised living expenses for police and soldiers from area units assigned to protect oil facilities in the volatile Niger Delta region. Freelance and former security forces accounted for a portion of the violent crime committed during the year.

DELTA ,ILITANTS TURN ATTENTION TOEXXONMOBIL
Asari-Dokubo calls for a "strong" Ijaw military force

Ijaw militants fighting for the control of oil and gas resources in the Niger Delta have warned they will wage a "consistent and intensified mass campaign" against Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, a unit of ExxonMobil Corp. until the company pays compensation for an oil spill caused by its operations in January 1998. "Must there be a festival of violence before help and succor can come?" the group asked in an e-mail sent to Dow Jones Newswires yesterday.

On Wednesday, protesters barricaded the entrance to Mobil's Qua Iboe Terminal in eastern Nigeria, demanding compensation for the spill. A company official said the group demanded 18 million naira ($141,430). In the e-mail, the group said the oil spill affected the means of livelihood of persons who live in the area. "Hundreds of thousands of Niger Deltans who reside and do business along the banks and shorelines of the seas, rivers, canals, tributaries, channels and waterways suffered damages caused by the dangerous chemical and gas constituents of the crude oil emitted uncontrollably into the environment," the group claimed.

The group gave its name as the Niger Delta People's Salvation Front, Political Wing of the Niger Delta People's Volunteer, led by incarcerated Mujahideen Asari-Dokubo. Yesterday, a letter apparently written by Dokubo called for an Ijaw government of National Unity and Parliament in exile. Dokubo purportedly also called on Ijaws in the Diaspora to establish a radio station to propagate their cause. "No struggle can succeed without a strong media base. Access to information media remains a veritable ingredient for the achievement of a liberated Ijaw land," Dokubo allegedly wrote in a letter sent to Dow Jones by Cynthia White, spokesperson for the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta.

Dokubo also called for the establishment of a "strong" Ijaw military force. "We must not shy away from setting up a credible, dependable and virile Ijaw military force, to restore the stolen sovereignty of our beloved nation and to defend our territorial integrity," he wrote. Dokubo has been in prison since last September, accused by the Nigerian government of felony. Militants in the Niger Delta have demanded a payment of $1.5 billion for compensation for environmental pollution from activities of Shell. The militants say the payment is now one of the conditions for the release of the remaining three hostages they have been holding since last month. Please see Have Your Say for the latest on this report.

POOREST FORGOTTEN IN BIRD FLU
COMPENSATION PAY-OUTS

For months residents of Birnin Yero, a small village of mud walls and a mix of corrugated iron and thatch roofs in northern Nigeria, had watched their chickens die in unprecedented numbers. But they simply assumed it was a bad case of the seasonal chicken plague. It was only when Africa's first cases of the deadly H5N1 virus was confirmed weeks later in poultry at nearby Sambawa Farms (owned by Sports Minister Samailla Sambawa) in Jaji did they suspect their birds may have succumbed to bird flu, too.

But as Nigeria begins compensating farmers for losses to bird flu, the villagers of Birnin Yero, like their counterparts across Nigerian states hit by the H5N1 virus, have been left out. Only the big commercial farms like Sambawa, where government veterinary teams conducted the culling of birds, are receiving compensation. The small-scale poultry keepers, who raise their chickens in their backyards and who keep more than 60 percent of all poultry in the country, will not receive a kobo.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), large commercial farms account for only 25 percent of Nigeria's 140 million poultry, and semi-commercial farms another 15 percent. Yet compensating farmers for the loss of their birds is a key strategy for combating the spread of bird flu, said Joseph Domenech, FAO's chief veterinary officer. "Without financial incentives, people will probably continue to hide outbreaks and sell infected poultry," Domenech said. The international humanitarian group Action Aid has warned that current efforts to combat bird flu in poor countries seem to be ignoring the poor, and by so doing are increasing the chances that H5N1 could jump to humans and trigger a deadly pandemic.

"The poorest are currently at the bottom of the list as far as global preparations are concerned, said PV Unnikrishnan, Action Aid's emergencies adviser. "Not only is this unjust, it is also foolish." After bird flu was confirmed in Nigeria, President Olusegun Obasanjo's government ordered the extermination of birds within a three-kilometre radius of the point of discovery. Compensation was set at 250 naira (US $1.90) for each chicken, a sum considered paltry by most farmers. While government veterinary teams visited large commercial farms afflicted by the virus to implement the official control measures, none visited villagers and small-scale farmers.

"We hear that the disease affecting the chickens can also kill people," said Abdullahi Musa, a Birnin Yero resident. "But the health officials only stopped at the big farm and have not come to check us or our chickens." Musa said most villagers are refusing to kill their chickens, even the sick ones, in the hope that health officials will visit. When the birds die, he said, the villagers usually eat them so as not to have lost everything. The Nigerian agriculture ministry has defended its efforts, including the current compensation policy.

"If the stamping out of birds was done by the government and proper record was taken of the birds killed, we pay compensation," said Winnie Emeka-Okolie, spokeswoman for the agriculture ministry. "Otherwise people who have 10 birds will come up and claim they have 50 and it will be unsustainable." Emeka-Okolie admits that the government teams do not have the means to cover all the farms and villages where bird flu outbreaks are currently suspected. However, an awareness campaign launched by the government is encouraging people to report suspected cases of bird flu so that veterinary and health teams could be dispatched to kill the birds and take records.

OIL PRICES TOP $61

Oil edged higher yesterday on worries about potential supply disruptions in Nigeria and Iran after losing nearly 6 percent this week on strong U.S. supplies and an OPEC decision to keep output near capacity. U.S. light crude for April settled 45 cents stronger at $60.47 a barrel. London Brent crude settled $1.03 higher at $61.06 a barrel.

"The market will ultimately decide how critical the developments in Iran and Nigeria are, but we see the upside potential as limited, given stock levels," said Tim Evans, senior analyst at IFR Energy Services in New York. In Nigeria, militants killed four soldiers and a policeman in an unsuccessful attempt to capture a fuel tanker in the southern delta, military officers said.

POLITICAL FEUDS PUTS
EGUAVOEN'S JOB IN DOUBT

The fate of Super Eagles coach Austin Eguavoen was thrown into doubt yesterday by a row between the head of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) and his deputy. NFA's acting secretary-general Fanny Amun announced on Wednesday that Eguavoen had retained his job after leading his side to the bronze medal at the African Nations Cup in Egypt last month.

But yesterday NFA chairman Ibrahim Galadima, Amun's boss, said he did not accept the reappointment because "proper procedure" had not been followed. Galadima said Amun had no right to take the decision. Soccer analysts said the confusion was rooted in a feud between Galadima and Sports Minister Seidu Sambawa over Nigeria's failure to qualify for this year's World Cup. Sambawa tried to have Galadima sacked last year after poor performances on the field but international football body FIFA backed Galadima to retain his job until 2008. The ministry has since starved the football federation of funds.

INSPIRATIONAL: TOUGH DECISION

2006-03-10T12:32:00.000Z

Tough Decision
By Kristi Powers

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." - Psalm 139:13,14

It is that time of year again...the time for rainy spring days, the smell of budding flowers, and the sound of chatter on the softball field...

As I watch the tear-stained eighteen-year-old, I want to hug out all of the sadness and frustration she is feeling and tell her how much I love her. Tonight may be the last softball game of her high school career. A career cut short because a nagging knee injury needs surgery so that she can be ready to fulfill her athletic scholarship at college. As I gaze upon her face, I cannot help but think of how fortunate I have been to know this beautiful young lady. However, I know how easily her song could have been one that was unsung...

It was almost nineteen years ago that a teenager trembled as she tearfully said to her mother and father the words that every parent dreads... "Mom, Dad, I'm pregnant."

What a frightening time for a nineteen-year-old as she is just starting her adult life and already facing an uncer tain future. What devastation for the parents as this is the last thing they would have chosen for their daughter. Thoughts of "we have failed her" to "I am too young to be a grandparent", fill their minds. In a heartbeat the atmosphere in the house becomes strained and the following nights are long for the teen as she drenches her pillow with tears. Tears that come only when she thinks no one can see or hear her.

Many try to persuade her to keep her options open, but there is only one choice for this determined teen. The little life within her has now become her responsibility, and she will sacrifice all she has to see that this precious being grows to be the young man or woman God intended him/her to be. She is at peace with herself, and the choice she has made...

A baby's first cries fill the air and an exhausted but proud, teenage mom holds her young daughter for the first time. She is inexperienced, but is determined to provide for her priceless daughter the bes t way that she can. If the first few days are any indication, she has a tough hill to climb. Because of no insurance, she leaves the hospital early and takes her daughter home, but the baby girl develops jaundice, and they are forced back to the hospital. Her pediatrician tells her to leave the baby in their care and to go home and rest. "You have got to be kidding me!" she exclaims, refusing to leave her baby girl for even a moment. Something inside her clicks, and, with a determination that surpasses anything she has felt up to this point, she comes to grips with the situation. "You are a mom now. Deal with it," she quietly tells herself.

Life is not easy and many hopes and plans for the future are set aside. The early years are filled with tests and trials but it is a time in her life that she wouldn't trade for anything. During those rough days and nights, she need only look at this tender creation God has given her to realize that the best things in life are right befor e her in the smile, the coo, and the laugh of this darling baby girl.

Those eighteen years have flown by, and I ponder all of these things as we slowly walk away from the softball diamond today. I think about all the joy this baby girl, who is now a young woman herself, has brought into my life and to those around her. I remember all the basketball and softball games that we as her family have sat through, proudly cheering her on. Not only is she the best all-around female athlete I have ever seen, she is also one of the classiest and I am most proud of who she is off the court. She conducts herself with grace and humility and shows kindness to all who cross her path. I cannot imagine life without my Jen, my darling eighteen-year-old niece.

Tonight my heart is bursting with pride, love, and joy for this remarkable being who came into our lives. I shudder to think if she had not been born. How different our family would have been, not to mention the lives of an untold number of people whom she has touched in her everyday life.

A scared but determined teenage mom made a tough decision all those years ago, and through it, gave us all the gift of Jen.

Kristi Powers
NoodlesP29@aol.com
Copyright C 2001 by Kristi Powers, All rights reserved.
Kristi Powers is a full time human development specialist (In other words a Mommy!) Her stories appear in many books, including Stories for the Extreme Teen's Heart, Stories for a Teen's Heart Volume 2, Stories for a Woman's Heart, and Chicken Soup for Christian Teen's Soul. To read more of her writing or join the thousands on her inspirational e-mail list, visit: http://www.HeartTouchers.com

"As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all." - Ecclesi astes 11:5

INSPIRATIONAL: YOU DARE GIVE UP

2006-03-03T17:24:00.000Z

You Dare Give Up!

Author: Steve Popoola

Life can be tough. Some people seem to have things easy at particular times while for others, it seems as if they have to struggle to accomplish every little thing others take for granted.

Personally, it has been a mixed bag though it looks like I had more tough times than easy ones. However, whether things have been tough or easy, I do not fail to see the faithfulness of God in every situation.

God did not create us to give up. When we were created, we were made in His image and in His likeness. Being made in the image of God, we are expected to have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the bird of the air and over all the earth(Genesis 1:26)

We have a God who never gives up. I have loved you with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). Can you imagine how long it has taken God to get your attention? He has loved man for centuries and up to this moment that love keeps reaching out to people everywhere in order to save.

If you are struggling with a habit or secret sin and you are saying, I can't take it anymore. I beg you, please don't give up! God is on your side, helping you and giving you the courage you need to overcome. The reason you haven't given in is because He has been helping you. The enemy has been bombarding your mind with all sorts of darts and missiles and you are beginning to think you can't go on. The reason those darts have not killed you is because God has been protecting you from harm.

Did you think for one minute that you were on your own? Oh no! God is true to His word always. He said I will never leave your nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5) He was there all the time!

It is not unusual to hear people say,You can't understand how I feel. I may not know how you feel but I know someone who knows exactly how you feel. I love the way the Amplified Version of the Bible reads; For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning. Jesus knows exactly how you feel! He was hungry, disappointed and disowned by friends, betrayed, beaten, bereaved, just name whatever it is you are going through and you can be sure Jesus went through it.

God never gives up! Imagine how many times you failed him. You promised you would never go back to that sin but somehow, you found yourself back there. It happened more than once but every time, God s open arms were ready to take you back.

If you are thinking of giving up today, I have only one piece of advice, Don't you dare!

Steve Popoola is the editor of Biblepraise Newsletter and the webmaster of Biblepraise Fellowship Online at http://www.biblepraise.org. British by birth, He currently resides in Lagos, Nigeria with wife Maris and their children; Praise, Stephanie and Precious. He works in the IT department of a bank. Formerly an active singer, he still sings occasionally and speaks at invited forums. He presently serves in the Tapes/Books Ministry in his local church and is also a Sunday School teacher. He is the Moderator/Editor of Biblepraise Newsletter. He can be reached through His email address, steve@biblepraise.org

I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. - John 14:18

NIGERIAN ARTS

2006-02-24T12:58:00.000Z

Nigeria is famous for her Arts and crafts. The country is gifted in sculpture, tie and dye, bronze making etc. Herewith is a picture of one of the famous Art works of Nigeria...

MY FAMILY - MY STORY

2006-01-27T12:27:00.000Z

'My family, My story' is an unpublished story about myself and my family. It is based on my life history and my sojourn in Ireland. It's actually an autobiography.

I am still in the process of writting it and it will be published soonest. It's a must read novel and everyone has something to learn from the novel.

Helen.

GALWAY CITY- 'GOD'S CITY'.

2006-01-27T12:15:00.000Z

Galway City is probably one of the best cities in Ireland. The beauty of the land, the scenery and natural beauties are so breathtaking. To me it's God's own Irish City, I call it 'God's City'. Ever since I came to live in Galway in 2002, I have never regretted or had any negative view about the city.

From the people I have come accross in Galway to all the institutions, it's good news. My four year (4years) old daughter, Chiazokam Aisling, is so in love with the city; her school; friends and she's so fond of her class teacher, Ms O'brien.

I am also fortunate to reside in a beautiful area of Galway, called Salthill. It's a tourist haven, and in summer you would never believe the turnout of people. The best beach in Galway happens to be just opposite where I live.

Galway, is just so beautiful.