Chief Gani Fawehinmi and afrobeat king, Fela Anikulapo Kuti Family members have rejected the post humous awards

LAGOS—As the Federal Government honours 100 persons today with Centenary awards as part of Nigeria’s Centenary celebration, the families of late human rights activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi and afrobeat king, Fela Anikulapo Kuti have rejected the post humous awards for both late Fawehinmi and Fela even as Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka also mulls rejecting the award.
Professor Soyinka is on the list alongside the likes of Professor Chinua Achebe, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Chief Odimegwu Ojukwu, Nwankwo Kanu, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Chief Mike Adenuga and Pastor Enoch Adeboye, among others.
Soyinka speaks
But Professor Soyinka said: “I would have preferred that the entire day of infamy be ignored altogether. I’m even thinking favourably of just ignoring the obscenity, then turning up at the counter-event.”


Professor Soyinka, however, said he will endeavour, to be at the centenary awards planned in London on June 27 during which diasporans will honour 100 outstanding Nigerians in the UK. At a gala dinner due to take place at Waltham Forest Town Hall in East London tagged Nigerian Centenary Awards UK, diasporans will hand out honours to 100 Nigerians who have excelled in various fields in the UK over the last 100 years.
We won’t accept the award —Femi Kuti
Also, Femi Kuti, son of the late Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, has said that the family would not accept any centenary award in his honour.

CENTENARY—President Goodluck Jonathan (5th right) flanked on his right by President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia and left by President Francois Hollande of France, and from left, General Yakubu Gowon, Gen. Omar Bashir of Sudan, and President Yahya Jammeh of The Gambia among other world leaders during the Conference on Human Security, Peace and Development organised to mark the Nigerian Centenary celebrations at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, yesterday. State House Photo.
Femi who made the statement through a Twitter correspondence while stating that the family has not been officially informed about any centenary award for Fela, noted that the Federal Government should first apologise for killing his grandmother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, and burning of Kalakuta Republic.
“We have not heard such but I can speak for myself, Federal Government should first apologise for the killing of our grandmother and the burning of Kalakuta,” he wrote.
Asked if the family would accept the award if the government apologised for the two wrongs mentioned, Femi said he doubts if the family would accept the award.
“Like I said we have not heard anything from the Federal Government. But I doubt if the family will accept the award.”
Fela Anikulapo Kuti, is being honoured in the ‘Internationally Acclaimed Artistes, Literary Icons and Journalists’ category.
Gani’s family
Likewise, the family of the late human rights lawyer, Chief Gani Fawheinmi has turned down his nomination for a centenary posthumous award.
The family cited the nomination of the former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, for the same award, the unbridled killing of students by insurgents in the North Eastern part of the country and the incessant corruption reeking across the country, including the alleged missing of $20 billion from NNPC as reasons for rejecting the nomination.
According to the letter sent to the presidency via the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, and signed by Mohammed Fawehinmi, for and on behalf of late Gani Fawehinmi family, the family said they acknowledged the receipt of the letter and commended the federal government for considering their father for the honour but cited the reasons above for turning down the offer.
The letter read in part, “We want to thank the Federal Government for considering our late father for this honour. However, for reasons stated here under, our family has decided it would be inexpedient to accept the award.
“Our late father was empathetic to the sufferings of our people, particularly students. In the last 72 hours, 43 innocent students were mowed down by the blood- thirsty Boko Haram terrorists in Yobe State, while 20 other girls were similarly abducted by this same band of terrorists. These girls are still in captivity while their fate is unknown. If our late father were to be alive, would he be wining and dining with all the glitterati at a Centenary celebration under these circumstances? Certainly no.”
“In the past few weeks, the polity has been assaulted with putrid odour of corruption with the alleged $20 billion missing in NNPC, a development that became the Archilles heel of Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the suspended Governor of Central Bank. As an anti-corruption activist, if he were to be alive, our late father would have confronted the issue head-long and possibly gone to court. With the issue still raging, would our late father have accepted this award at this critical moment? Certainly no.”
The family explained that their late father always championed the unity of the country and would have opted for the money being spent on the celebration of the centenary to have been devoted to infrastructure development instead of deploying the fund to celebrating Nigeria’s centenary.
“Our late father was unrepentantly for the unity of Nigeria. However, with the level of profligacy in some of the events celebrating Nigeria’s Centenary, our late father would have preferred these multi-million Naira expenditures channeled to our decrepit Teaching hospitals, than unproductive razzmatazz that do not improve the socio-economic well being of our people.
“For these reasons, our family respectfully declines to receive the award about to be conferred on our late father by the government,” the family said.
The roll call
The list of the awardees includes Sir Samuel Manuwa, Professor John Edozien, Dr Moses Majekodunmi, Professor Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, Professor Oladipo Akinkugbe, Professor Latunde Odeku, Professor­ Nelson Oyesiku and Dr. Funmi Olopade. Others on the list include Professor Oyin Olurin, Professor Orishejolomi­ Thomas, Professor Bello Osagie, Dr Beko Ransome-Kuti, Professor Ade Elebute, Dr Akinola Maja, Professor Femi Williams, Professor Ambrose Alli, Dr Dalhatu Tafida, Professor Ishaya Audu, Professor Oladele Ajose and Professor Tola Adebonojo among others.­
Other awardees are the British monarch and Head of the Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth II, Sir Fredrick Lugard, Dame Flora Louise Shaw, Ex-Military Heads of State and Civilian Presidents, Chief M.K.O. Abiola, Literary such as Prof. Wole Soyinka and the late Prof. Chinua Achebe.
Also to be awarded are Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN, Chief Odimegwu Ojukwu, Nwankwo Kanu, Alhaji Aliko Mohammed Dangote, Chief Mike Adenuga, Honourable Justice Maryam Aloma Mukhtar, GCON, Sir Abubakar Sadiq III, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, amongst others.
The award ceremony is scheduled to hold at the Banquet Hall, State House, Abuja.
At the ceremony, President Jonathan would be presenting awards in 13 categories to 100 distinguished personalities, either alive or dead, who eminently symbolise the tapestry of Nigeria’s first centenary.
Some of the categories include, contributors to the making of Nigeria, heroes of the struggle for Nigeria’s independence/pioneer political leaders, pioneers in professional callings/careers, promoters of democratic transition in Nigeria, internationally acclaimed artists, literary icons, journalists, and so on.
Vanguard

Are you a Blogger, Social media influencer or content creator? Apply for the first African Blogger Awards

There is Nigerian Bloggers Award. Now there is African Blogger Award.
Are you a web content creator; blogger, social media influencer, Youtuber?
The African Blogger Awards aims to acknowledge talented African social media influencers, bloggers, YouTubers and Instagrammers.
These awards provide an opportunity to the most successful online influencers in Africa to be recognised for their hard work in growing and keeping their communities active and engaged.
The aim is to broaden the industry for bloggers in Africa and allow brands to see the value in blogging as a marketing platform.

How Does African Blogger Awards work?

1. Entrants need to enter their blog or social account HERE in order to qualify for the awards (ensuring that social platforms and analytics are correctly linked to Webfluential so that judging can commence). Please note: All site statistics and information will at no point be shared or open to the public.
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For more information visit the African Blogger Awards website – www.africanbloggerawards.com/

How my female teacher took me to bed, took off my clothe – Teenage boy exposes

UK DAILY MAIL – ‘I couldn’t believe my luck!’: 17-year-old’s boast as married teacher, 35, avoids prison for spending the night with him
A woman teacher who spent the night in a pupil’s bed wearing only her jeans and bra has narrowly avoided a prison sentence.
Bernadette Smith was said to be infatuated with Gary Ralston, who was 16 at the time.
That obsession cost the married 35-year-old her job and reputation, a court heard.
Gary, who waived his anonymity to speak of their relationship, said Smith had been his favourite teacher before she targeted him for particular attention.
He said: ‘I was thinking I was quite lucky. A lot of the boys fancied her. I couldn’t believe she was with me. It was the last thing I expected. She said she thought she was going crazy but couldn’t help the way she was feeling.’
Placing the mother of three under a supervision order yesterday, Sheriff Wyllie Robertson told her she had committed a serious abuse of trust.
He said it was only the fact that she had not gone further with the boy that had saved her from a jail sentence.
Gary revealed how his relationship with Smith, who was his teacher during third, fourth and fifth year, began during secret meetings at school.
‘When I started year six, Bernadette was no longer my teacher, but we’d pass each other in the corridor, say hello and smile,’ he said. He said that Smith later summoned him to her classroom.
‘I walked in and as soon as I sat down she said, “Ever since we’ve been back at school and I’ve seen you around, I’ve been realising I have feelings for you”,’ he said.
Describing himself as ‘curious’ and ‘excited’, Gary agreed to meet the history and English teacher on September 13 last year.
The pair drove to a park in Falkirk, Scotland, and went for a walk but when they got back to the car, Smith kissed him passionately.
Gary said he worried for Smith’s job, husband and family but said she ‘didn’t seem too bothered’.
He confided in his father, who warned him to be careful but his grandmother called Bannockburn High School to complain. Smith was suspended immediately.
Despite their relationship being made public, they stayed together the next night at Gary’s home in Cowie.
Gary said: ‘We got ready for bed and I felt nervous. I got into bed with my boxers on. She took off her top, but kept her bra and jeans on, and slid in beside me.
‘We cuddled and talked – nothing else happened.’
His father Richard Ralston, 42, said: ‘I wasn’t pleased about what happened, but you’re an adult at 16 in Scotland so I didn’t want to interfere too much.
‘I want Gary to make decisions and learn from any mistakes.’
Prosecutor Ann Orr told Stirling Sheriff Court that when interviewed, Smith said ‘she loved the boy and they both wanted to be together’. She admitted kissing Gary and staying the night in his bedroom.
There was no suggestion that Gary had suffered any long-term harm, the court was told.
Smith, of Denny, Stirlingshire, pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual activity with a pupil while in a position of trust, between September 13 and 20 last year.
She was placed under supervision for two years and will remain on the sex offenders’ register for the same period.
Her solicitor, Andrew Gibb, said she was suspended by the General Teaching Council for Scotland and would be struck off at a hearing in a few weeks’ time. She has also separated from her husband.
Sheriff Robertson told the court Smith’s conduct was towards the lesser end of the offending scale, adding: ‘It is serious enough of course when a teacher admits this kind of conduct towards a pupil.
‘We expect teachers to ensure children under their care are safe from abuse and that has not happened.’
He told Smith that it may have been that ‘difficulties within your marriage contributed to this aberration’, but he said many other teachers coped without resorting to such ‘bizarre’ behaviour.
He said it was to her ‘credit’ that she had not blamed her victim and she was assessed as at low risk of re-offending. He ordered her to return to court on November 12 for a supervision order review.

Hilarious: Watch celebs try to explain what 'Remuneration' means

FlytimeTV Presents another funny Series of "Word Of The Day' with funny Radio Personality Nedu. The Word in question is, 'Remuneration'. Do our celebrities and regular people know what it means? Watch it to find out...

The Centenary Anniversary Speech which Our oga at the Roof read like a Blind man.

This is the national broadcast by Pres. Jonathan on the occasion of Nigeria’s Centenary Celebrations today Wednesday, 26^thFebruary, 2014. Read his full speech below

Dear Compatriots,

1. I extend warm greetings and felicitations to all Nigerians as we celebrate our nation’s centenary; a significant milestone in our journey to Nationhood.

2. One hundred years ago, on the 1^st of January 1914, the British Colonial authorities amalgamated the Southern and Northern Protectorates, giving birth to the single geo-political entity called Nigeria which has become our home, our hope, and our heritage.

3. I have often expressed the conviction that our amalgamation was not a mistake. While our union may have been inspired by considerations external to our people; I have no doubt that we are destined by God Almighty to live together as one big nation, united in diversity. Continue...

4. I consider myself specially privileged to lead our country into its second century of existence. And as I speak with you today, I feel the full weight of our hundred-year history. But what I feel most is not frustration, it is not disillusionment. What I feel is great pride and great hope for a country that is bound to overcome the transient pains of the moment and eventually take its rightful place among the greatest nations on earth.

5. Like every country of the world, we have had our troubles. And we still do. We have fought a civil war. We have seen civil authorities overthrown by the military. We have suffered sectarian violence. And as I speak, a part of our country is still suffering from the brutal assault of terrorists and insurgents.

6. While the occasion of our centenary undoubtedly calls for celebration, it is also a moment to pause and reflect on our journey of the past one hundred years, to take stock of our past and consider the best way forward for our nation.

7. Even as we celebrate our centenary, we must realise that in the context of history, our nation is still in its infancy.

8. We are a nation of the future, not of the past and while we may have travelled for a century, we are not yet at our destination of greatness.

9. The amalgamation of 1914 was only the first step in our national journey. Unification was followed by independence and democracy which have unleashed the enormous potentials of our people and laid the foundation for our nation’s greatness.

10. In challenging times, it is easy to become pessimistic and cynical. But hope, when grounded in realism, enables and inspires progress. Therefore, as we celebrate our first century of nationhood and enter a second, we must not lose sight of all that we have achieved since 1914 in terms of nation-building, development and progress.

11. Today, we salute once again the great heroes of our nation – Herbert Macaulay, Ernest Ikoli, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Alvan Ikoku, Chief Harold Dappa-Biriye, Dr. Michael Okpara, Chief Anthony Enahoro, Mallam Aminu Kano, Mokwugo Okoye and Chief Michael Imoudu among others.

12. We must be inspired by our past to overcome the obstacles we face in the present and honour our forebears by realising the promise of a Nigeria that is not only independent but also truly unified, prosperous and admired the world over.

13. The history of Nigeria since independence is the story of a struggle to fulfill our great promise. The discovery of oil in our country in the late 1950s offered new hope of prosperity but we have not always been able to reap the benefits in a fair and equitable way.

14. The situation was not helped by political instability and the frequent suspension of democracy by military coups. During the civil war, the very existence of our country was cast into doubt but through it all, the promise of a Nigeria that is united, free and strong remained in our people's hearts.

15. Thanks to the efforts of our statesmen and women, and millions of ordinary Nigerians, the union endured and flourished. I would like to specifically commend members of the Armed Forces for their contributions and sacrifices to keep Nigeria one.

16. General Yakubu Gowon had the wisdom and grace to declare that the civil war had seen "no victor, no vanquished" and welcomed, "the dawn of national reconciliation".

17. It was in this spirit that General Olusegun Obasanjo collected the instruments of surrender at the end of the war and later became the first military ruler in our country to hand over power voluntarily to a democratic government.

18. While the Second Republic did not last, his fine example was later followed by General Abdulsalam Abubakar who paved the way for our current democratic dispensation which has lasted longer than the previous three put together.

19. As we celebrate our centenary, I believe that it is vital that we focus our thoughts on the vast potentials of a unified and progressive Nigeria; and build on the relative stability of the Fourth Republic to achieve accelerated national socio-economic development.

20. I also believe that the future greatness of our country is assured by the favourable tail winds of a resilient population, ecological diversity, rich natural resources and a national consciousness that rises above our differences.

21. We are a unique country. We have been brought together in a union like no other by providence. Our nation has evolved from three regions to thirty six states and a Federal Capital Territory.

22. We have transited from the Parliamentary to a Presidential system of government. We have moved our capital from the coastal city of Lagos to Abuja, at the centre of our country.

23. Today Abuja stands as a monument to our national aspiration for greater unity; it symbolises our dream of a modern nation unhinged from primordial cleavages and designed as a melting pot of our diversity.

24. If in our first century, we could build a new capital city, we can surely build a newer, stronger, more united and prosperous Nigeria in the next century that will be an authentic African success story.

25. The whole world awaits this African success story. With our sheer size, population, history, resilience, human and natural resources and economic potentials, Nigeria is divinely ordained to lead the African Renaissance.

26. That is why I am confident that in the next 100 years, those who will celebrate Nigeria’s second centenary, will do so as a united, prosperous and politically stable nation which is truly the pride and glory of Africa and the entire black race.

27. The key to the fulfilment of that vision is our continued unity as a nation. Perhaps one of the most amazing stories of our political evolution in the last hundred years is that an ordinary child of ordinary parentage from a minority group has risen to occupy the highest office in our country.
28. As we march into the next hundred years, it is my hope that mine will no longer be an extra-ordinary story but an accepted reality of our democracy that every Nigerian child can pursue his or her dreams no matter how tall; that every Nigerian child can aspire to any position in our country, and will not be judged by the language that he speaks or by how he worships God; not by gender nor by class; but by his abilities and the power of his dreams.

29. I am proud and privileged to have been elected leader of Nigeria and I consider it my solemn responsibility to act in the best interest of the nation at all times.

30. Dear compatriots, in line with the thoughts of that great son of our continent, Nelson Mandela, let us not judge ourselves, and let not the world judge us by how many times we have stumbled, but by how strongly we have risen, every single time that we have faltered.

31. Even as we remain resolute in our conviction that our union is non-negotiable, we must never be afraid to embrace dialogue and strengthen the basis of this most cherished union. A strong nation is not that which shies away from those difficult questions of its existence, but that which confronts such questions, and together provides answers to them in a way that guarantees fairness, justice and equity for all stakeholders.

32. My call for the National Conference in this first year of our second century is to provide the platform to confront our challenges. I am confident that we shall rise from this conference with renewed courage and confidence to march through the next century and beyond, to overcome all obstacles on the path to the fulfilment of our globally acknowledged potential for greatness.

33. I have referred to national leaders who did so much to build our nation in the past hundred years but nation-building is not just a matter for great leaders and elites alone.

34. All Nigerians must be involved in this national endeavour. From the threads of our regional, ethnic and religious diversities we must continuously weave a vibrant collage of values that strengthen the Nigerian spirit.

35. The coming National Conference should not be about a few, privileged persons dictating the terms of debate but an opportunity for all Nigerians to take part in a comprehensive dialogue to further strengthen our union.

36. I am hopeful that the conference will not result in parochial bargaining between competing regions, ethnic, religious and other interest groups but in an objective dialogue about the way forward for our nation and how to ensure a more harmonious balance among our three tiers of government.

37. My dear compatriots, as we celebrate our centenary, the security situation in some of our North-Eastern States, sadly remains a major concern for us. Just yesterday, young students, full of hopes and dreams for a great future, were callously murdered as they slept in their college dormitories in Yobe State. I am deeply saddened by their deaths and that of other Nigerians at the hands of terrorists. Our hearts go out to their parents and relatives, colleagues and school authorities.

38. We will continue to do everything possible to permanently eradicate the scourge of terrorism and insurgency from our country. We recognise that the root cause of militancy, terrorism and insurgency is not the strength of extremist ideasbut corrupted values and ignorance.

39. That is why our counter-terrorism strategy is not just about enforcing law and orderas we have equipped our security forces to do.It also involves expanding economic opportunities, social inclusion, education and other measures that will help restore normalcy not just in the short term, but permanently.

40. I want to reassure Nigerians that terrorism, strife and insecurity in any part of Nigeria are abhorrent and unacceptable to us. I urge leaders throughout Nigeria to ensure that ethnicity and religion are not allowed to become political issues.

41. I hope and pray that one hundred years from now, Nigerians will look back on another century of achievements during which our union was strengthened, our independence was enhanced, our democracy was entrenched and our example was followed by leaders of other nations whose ambition is to emulate the success of Nigeria; a country that met its difficulties head-on and fulfilled its promise.

42. Finally, Dear Compatriots, as we enter a second century in the life of our nation, let us rededicate ourselves to doing more to empower the youth of our country. Our common heritage and future prosperity are best protected and guaranteed by them. We must commit our full energies and resources to empowering them to achieve our collective vision of greatness in this second century of our nationhood.

43. That is the task before our country; that is the cause I have chosen to champion and I believe we will triumph.

44. I wish all Nigerians happy Centenary celebrations.

45. Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

46. I thank you.

P SQUARE ALINGO CARTOON

Watch the trailer of Unlimited for the Alingos cartoon series coming soon...

Nigeria Centenary grand finale: Water Jets, Holograms, Pyrotechnics Live in ABUJA

Nigeria Centenary grand finale: Water Jets, Holograms, Pyrotechnics

Guaranteed to be a once in a lifetime experience, water jets, holograms and pyrotechnics are just a few unique components that will be incorporated into The Nigeria Centenary Concert, Multimedia Show and Fireworks display hosted by His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

With high security measures in place, an array of Presidents and World Leaders, as well as former Presidents/ Heads of State will journey to Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory, Abuja for the spectacular event of the century taking place on Thursday, 27^th February 2014 at the Abuja National Stadium.

Make sure you don’t miss this historic event. Tune in to the LIVESTREAM portalwww.proudlynigeria100.tv by 6pm, this Thursday and watch as the Story of Nigeria’s past 100 years is uniquely displayed. The show will also be broadcasted live on NTA, AIT and Channels TV.

 

ABOUT THE SHOW:

With over a thousand (1000+) cast and crew members from all over Nigeria, this story would feature state of the art technology, props and choreography on a canvass dominated by a unique stage, custom built to mirror our nation’s geography. It would be a fascinating night of history and spectacle, ending in a blazing display of fireworks.Multimedia, movement and sound would be used to tell the story of Nigeria.

 

SPECIFICS:

Watch as history unfolds at The Abuja National Stadium on the 27^th February 2014 at 6pmwhere there will be a pre-concert, followed by a spectacular Multimedia Show and Fireworks display. Official MCs for the night are Ike Osakioduwa and Funke Akindele who will launch the pre-concert featuring some of the nations most popular music artists such as TuFace, Wizkid, Ara, Nazir Ahmed Hausawaa.k.aZiriums, Threadstone and Omawunmi among others. Observe as we also revive nostalgia and relive music from decades past featuring hits from Victor Olaiya, Victor Uwaifo, Ikemba Superstars, Nelly Uchendu, Rex Lawson, King Kennytone, Fela and many others!

GET INVOLVED:

 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/nigeriacentenary100

Twitter: www.twitter.com/NigCentenary

Instagram: www.instagram.com/proudlynigeria

Website: www.nigeriacentenary.com.ng

Blog: www.blog.nigeriacentenary.com.ng

If you are in Abuja, this is how you can win invitations to watch the show LIVE:

Visit the following locations:

Drumstix (Wuse II)

Tulip Bistro (Wuse II)

Yogurberry (Wuse II)

Or listen to the following Abuja Radio stations:

We FM (106.3)

Rhythm FM (93.7)

And don’t forget the event will be LIVE STREAMED! Tune in to www.proudlynigeria100.tvand be a part of history.

A MUST READ: My House Girl Is Tempting Me Always

The Girl Tempting With What She Got

I will simply go straight to the point, as I would not want to give very explicit details about myself. This is for some obvious reasons. My wife is very sharp, I mean, she is such an intelligent woman and can easily trace this true confession to me. For the fact that I love her so much, I cannot let a thing fall in-between us. That is why I have kept this as top-secret till today; but I will have to let this out of the bag.

I’m not oblivious of the fact that most issues of this nature are blamed on the men whom most of us see as womanizers; but mine is a different thing entirely. I’m not a womanizer. I have tried everything possible to make sure that this girl-my house girl leaves my house, but my wife will always insist she stays.

I’m a pastor, but I also work as a civil servant. I would have loved to write further about where I live, but for the same reason why I can’t mention my name, I can’t tell you where I’m writing from.

This young lady was brought to my house by my wife sometimes in 2010, and had just completed her secondary education last year. She is supposed to pick up a form for her higher education because she is related to my wife; distant relation, sort of.

Frankly, she has been very good, and has been taking care of my only daughter since my wife put to bed late last year. Her presence is a big relief to me and wife because we are both very busy people. My wife works with a bank, and sometimes come home around 8-9pm.

Lately, this young girl has summoned courage to seduce me; to be sincere, she is tempting me.

I often return to the house ahead of my wife. Sometimes, because of hold-up and other issues, I will get in around 5-6pm. She started by running to embrace me with her transparent-short gown to welcome me each time I knock, on arrival. I was shocked the very day she did that. I felt so embarrassed. “Even if I had traveled to space…hun!

This one is just too much… hun!” I soliloquized in my bedroom after she had dropped my office bag and ran out to get my food. This continued for 3 weeks. Sometimes, her boobs will just slip out of her ‘top’ and she will simply apologize. My wife has never met her on that gown as she wears another cloth when it’s almost time for my wife to return. I have developed double minds about her. I have had different evil thoughts since this whole thing started. The one that happened last was the way she sat facing me, with her legs wide opened. I left the food that I was eating and walked to the bathroom to do nothing in particular. I had thought she would adjust as soon as I returned, but she didn’t budge. I think I fell into her trap finally that day. I almost had it with her when I grabbed her, and she jumped at me. We started that regrettable romance before God intervened with the sharp cry of my baby. That was what saved the day.

The next day, I had told my wife that we should send her away, but she vehemently refused to accept my suggestion. She had asked me to give some reasons why we should send her away, and I had told her that she was getting so stubborn and lazy; hence, she is as good as no House-help.

My wife who claimed she had never experienced that had accused me of formulating things against the lady. She told me that I wanted her out of the house because I had seen that she will soon secure admission into the higher institution, and I will soon begin to pay for her school fees. I couldn’t tell her the truth, because something tells me it will be disastrous. I just felt I could handle the matter in the most professional way. But right now, things have gone out of hands since the past 2 weeks. I have done virtually everything that can be considered dirty with her except that I have not done it with her yet. What’s keeping me from doing it is my conscience and for the fact that I can’t do that in my matrimonial home.

That sin will be so grievous, I know. She had asked me repeatedly last week if she can meet me in any of the hotels around town this weekend since my wife will be around then. She has just Saturday and Sunday to take care of her hair and visit friends, and she wants to use that opportunity to have me all to herself. Now, I’m contemplating on this issue. All I need is your advice; Saturday is just 5 days from today, and I can’t make up my mind on what to do. I love my wife, but I think I’m becoming so foolish in the name of being faithful.

Please, tell me; should I do it or not? It has gotten to the level where I cannot tell my wife the truth because she won’t even believe, since I had told her a different story before. She will see it as blackmail. Your reaction will either encourage me or discourage me, even though my mind beats faster, and something tells me to do it. Should I?

SURULERE OF LIFE

LOL!!!!

Why Lamido Sanusi Should End Up In Kirikiri Prison-By Femi Aribisala

In Nigeria, thieves know they will not be caught. They know if they are caught, they will not be tried. They know if they are tried, they will not go to jail. Therefore, there is a culture of impunity in Nigeria which makes the country a holiday-resort for thieves and robbers.

One of the more annoying things about Nigeria is that our thieves are bad thieves. Conventionally, thieves operate at the night, out of respect for the homeowner and law-enforcement agencies. Not in Nigeria: thieves operate here in broad daylight in absolute contempt of everybody.

Financial atrocities
The financial atrocities in the CBN under Sanusi are simply outrageous. If this is how government agencies steal and mismanage public funds, then Nigeria is in more trouble than we have ever imagined. CBN accounts under Sanusi read like pure fiction. While crying foul about missing money in NNPC, Sanusi failed to account for missing monies in CBN. Investigating the CBN in April 2013, the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRC) discovered that ?38.23 billion was missing. The money was said to have been paid to MINT- a subsidiary of the CBN. However, MINT accounts showed no such money was received.
It is only in Nigeria that you can have a Central Bank governor spend government money anyhow at his own discretion. Sanusi did not just spend a few thousand naira whimsically. He did not just give away millions of naira like Aliko Dangote. He gave away billions. The government reveals that Sanusi gave away nothing less than ?163 billion in no less than 63 “intervention projects” in different parts of the country. Remember this: that is more than the entire 2014 budget of Edo State.
Just listen to this: the CBN is said to have paid ?38 billion to the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC) in 2011 for printing banknotes. However this is in excess of the total turnover of NSPMC that same year, which was only ?29 billion. The CBN claims to have paid Emirate Airline ?511 million for currency distribution nationwide in 2011 when the airline does not have a local charter service in Nigeria. It reports ?425 million was paid to Wing Airline, but the airline is not even registered in Nigeria. It also claims to have paid Associated Airline ?1 billion for the same purpose, but the airline did not have up to a billion-naira turnover in 2011.
In its 2011 account under “sundries” (i.e. unexplained expenses), Sanusi’s CBN reported an expenditure of ?1.1 billion. For legal and professional fees that same year, it claimed to have spent an amazing ?20 billion. This is simply mind-boggling. So mind-boggling in fact that naïve people like me don’t believe a word of it. These are just crooked details designed to mask the massive corruption and graft under Sanusi’s watch.
In 2012, ?1.2 billion was listed as expenses on “private guards” and “lunch for policemen.” Wow! These policemen must have been having caviar for lunch. Similarly, ?1.6 billion was spent on newspapers, books and periodicals alone that same year. Pull another leg. Who believes this kind of rigmarole?
Still in 2012, ?3 billion was spent on “promotional activities.” Pray, to whom was the CBN doing this promotion? Where did these promotional activities take place and to what purpose? Was it in Nigeria or in outer space? Which bank was CBN in competition with? Was it the World Bank or the African Development Bank? Was the CBN trying to attract depositors or customers? Or was it paying legislators so that its powers would not be curtailed?
Nobody should condone Sanusi’s financial recklessness. He also played Father Christmas with Nigeria’s money. According to the government, Sanusi’s CBN wrote-off loans to the tune of ?40 billion. Without board or presidential approval, Sanusi spent ?743 million of CBN money acquiring 7 percent shares of the International Islamic Management Corporation of Malaysia, contrary to the provisions of the CBN Act.

Jail or dismissal?

 

Nothing speaks more eloquently about this culture of impunity than the CBN under Lamido Sanusi. Sanusi’s posture as CBN Governor is an insult to Nigerians. He ran the place as a personal estate. He flouted every financial regulation.
He gave away government money in a flagrant manner that would give pause to even billionaire Mike Adenuga. And then when he knew the game was up, he decided to blow the lid on NNPC financial indiscretions, in order to distract attention and attract public support and sympathy. Nigerians should not fall for this “mago-mago.” Lamido Sanusi should not only be sacked, he should be tried and, if convicted, should be jailed.

The government has called Sanusi’s bluff. In a sleight of hand, he has been summarily dismissed from office under the guise of suspension. This has created some brouhaha because the President needs Senate approval for the dismissal of a CBN Governor. But the president has found a way round that impediment. Sanusi has been suspended; he has not been fired. Surely, the president has the power to suspend a public employee for questionable conduct, pending the confirmation of his wrongdoing. If the allegations against him are found to be without substance, he can then return to his post.

However, since Sanusi’s term will soon expire, the president has gone right along to nominate his replacement. It is all politics, and not just Nigerian-style. Separation of powers is a judicious principle of federalist government, but there is something anomalous about a CBN governor transforming himself overnight into an opposition politician spokesman. There is also something unacceptable about the arrogance of Sanusi which makes him feel he is an untouchable. Under the circumstances, his suspension/dismissal from office is not surprising. Indeed, it is all the more imperative given the financial improprieties that have characterised his tenure in office.

Distorted timeline
The major sticking point with Sanusi’s “dismissal” is the widespread assumption that it is payback for him blowing the whistle about the whopping $20 billion missing from NNPC accounts. However, there is every probability that the opposite is what happened. The government was the first to query Sanusi about his financial improprieties. When he could not explain them, Sanusi went on the offensive by making public statements about missing monies at NNPC. This would explain why his allegations tuned out to be shambolic.

The last thing a country needs is a CBN governor who talks frivolously. The word of a CBN governor has implications for financial market volatility; therefore he must mark his words. He must speak with confidence and precision. Not so with Lamido Sanusi. Sanusi went public and made a monkey of his credibility. First, he said $49 billion was missing from NNPC accounts. Then he said it was $10 billion; and then it was $20 billion. What will it be tomorrow? How come Sanusi did not determine precisely the amount before broadcasting it to the world? It would appear that Sanusi’s reckless disclosures came out of the need for him to cover his tracks at the CBN. Knowing that the book would soon be thrown at him, he decided to lay the grounds for saying he was being accused of financial improprieties because he exposed those of others.

This is not to deny that there are, in all probability, huge financial improprieties hidden in NNPC accounts. However, the very fact that a CBN governor decided to go public with them is highly suspect. A CBN governor does not make such public disclosures as CBN governor. He resigns first. It is even more suspect given the fact that the very person who would have us believe he is taking the moral high ground with these disclosures is the same person we have now learnt has run the accounts of the CBN like a bull in a china shop. Sanusi is anything but a foolish man. He surely knows that those who live in glass houses don’t throw stones.
Sanusi knew something was up. Therefore, he decided to go on the offensive. What he has done is to curry favour the Nigerian public by raising alarm about missing monies, even when he did not have the full facts, in order to preempt the disclosures about his own financial improprieties.

This strategy has succeeded in part. Sanusi has immediately become the darling of the opposition APC party. Muhammadu Buhari, the self-styled apostle of anti-corruption, has come out in his staunch defense, giving us a taste of the kind of anti-corruption his APC has in mind. There is a déjà vu to this. It is the kind of hypocritical anti-corruption where the airports and seaports of Nigeria can be closed to everyone, but the Emir of Gwandu can bring in 53 suitcases under the escort of the aide-de-camp of the Head of State.

Financial atrocities
The financial atrocities in the CBN under Sanusi are simply outrageous. If this is how government agencies steal and mismanage public funds, then Nigeria is in more trouble than we have ever imagined. CBN accounts under Sanusi read like pure fiction. While crying foul about missing money in NNPC, Sanusi failed to account for missing monies in CBN. Investigating the CBN in April 2013, the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRC) discovered that ?38.23 billion was missing. The money was said to have been paid to MINT- a subsidiary of the CBN. However, MINT accounts showed no such money was received.
It is only in Nigeria that you can have a Central Bank governor spend government money anyhow at his own discretion. Sanusi did not just spend a few thousand naira whimsically. He did not just give away millions of naira like Aliko Dangote. He gave away billions. The government reveals that Sanusi gave away nothing less than ?163 billion in no less than 63 “intervention projects” in different parts of the country. Remember this: that is more than the entire 2014 budget of Edo State.
Just listen to this: the CBN is said to have paid ?38 billion to the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC) in 2011 for printing banknotes. However this is in excess of the total turnover of NSPMC that same year, which was only ?29 billion. The CBN claims to have paid Emirate Airline ?511 million for currency distribution nationwide in 2011 when the airline does not have a local charter service in Nigeria. It reports ?425 million was paid to Wing Airline, but the airline is not even registered in Nigeria. It also claims to have paid Associated Airline ?1 billion for the same purpose, but the airline did not have up to a billion-naira turnover in 2011.
In its 2011 account under “sundries” (i.e. unexplained expenses), Sanusi’s CBN reported an expenditure of ?1.1 billion. For legal and professional fees that same year, it claimed to have spent an amazing ?20 billion. This is simply mind-boggling. So mind-boggling in fact that naïve people like me don’t believe a word of it. These are just crooked details designed to mask the massive corruption and graft under Sanusi’s watch.
In 2012, ?1.2 billion was listed as expenses on “private guards” and “lunch for policemen.” Wow! These policemen must have been having caviar for lunch. Similarly, ?1.6 billion was spent on newspapers, books and periodicals alone that same year. Pull another leg. Who believes this kind of rigmarole?
Still in 2012, ?3 billion was spent on “promotional activities.” Pray, to whom was the CBN doing this promotion? Where did these promotional activities take place and to what purpose? Was it in Nigeria or in outer space? Which bank was CBN in competition with? Was it the World Bank or the African Development Bank? Was the CBN trying to attract depositors or customers? Or was it paying legislators so that its powers would not be curtailed?
Nobody should condone Sanusi’s financial recklessness. He also played Father Christmas with Nigeria’s money. According to the government, Sanusi’s CBN wrote-off loans to the tune of ?40 billion. Without board or presidential approval, Sanusi spent ?743 million of CBN money acquiring 7 percent shares of the International Islamic Management Corporation of Malaysia, contrary to the provisions of the CBN Act.

Off to Kirikiri
It is a big indictment of the Jonathan administration that this impunity was tolerated for this long and was only addressed after Sanusi became a political embarrassment to the government. The billion-naira question now is what is going to happen to Sanusi. Will he get away with these corrupt practices or will he be prosecuted to the full extent of the law? My position is that we need to chart a new course in the treatment of corruption in Nigeria. If Sanusi is truly guilty of these improprieties, he should be sent to jail; for a very long time.
However, the bet is on that nothing will happen to him beyond his dismissal from office. It appears nothing is also going to happen to Deziani Allison-Madueke, the Minister of Petroleum. The missing $20 billion at NNPC will also be swept under the carpet. All the signs of a cover-up are already apparent. The FRC indicted all the Deputy Governors of the CBN along with the Governor and asked that they all be sacked. However, not only were they not sacked, one of them has been made the new Acting Governor. In all likelihood, this culture of impunity will remain for the simple reason that it seems to go all the way to the very highest echelons of the Nigerian government.
The Paradigm supports an open discourse on a range of views. The opinions expressed in Op-Ed are solely those of each individual author and does not necessarily represents our editorial policy.

TERRIBLE PRESIDENTIAL MEDIA CHAT-JUST A CHIT CHAT!!

If I talk now,some people would start saying i don't respect my president, that how can I be abusing him like that?

How do you expect me to respect someone that i call my leader and can not inspire me, that cannot give facts on what is happening in his country, that came on air for one hour without telling us something knowledgeable or new.

20 young girls are missing and he couldn't talk about it. what is the fate of those young girls now? Do we care about what is happening to them now? I doubt if the president cares.

Its just terrible how the chief Security and Grand commander of the armed forces is saying that bokoharam is difficult to confront. What does he expect the innocent citizens to do if the terrorists are difficult for the military to confront?

I salute the oga at the roof. He has improved on his facial expression sha,its just his brain that needs help now.

PHOTO OF LIFE

Osun state Governor Rauf Aregbesola & his deputy Otunba Titilayo Laoye-Tomori dressed in school uniform while addressing secondary students in the state. What does this man smoke sef? Lol #kidding

photo credit | EIE Nigeria

Aisha Oyebode Went Shopping With $20 Billion, Check Out What She Bought

In the course of discussion last night, it suddenly occurred to me that I just couldn’t comprehend what $20bn could possibly buy. It began with my mother saying that is Two Thousand Million USD. Incomprehensible?

Now if I can’t comprehend, I am sure there are many out there like me who can’t either, hence perhaps the challenge with feeling enough outrage. So I went shopping on the internet. I bought things that I could find prices for. Some not so useful like 4 GSM licenses but just to get a sense of how staggering the amount is, my shopping is as follows;

$20,000,000,000

SN	Quantity	ITEM	COST	COMMENT
1	1	HeathrowTerminal 5	$7,500,000,000 ($7.5bn)	Commissioned March 2008 and cost 4.3bn pounds which was described with pride by her majesty as “a 21st Century gateway to Britain” .. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk/7294618.stm
2	10	Boeing 787-10	$3,000,000,000 ($3bn)	2 for each geo zone and remaining 2 for vip movement! Approximately $300m each direct from Boeing http://www.boeing.com/boeing/commercial/prices/
3	37	State of the art Tertiary Care Hospital	$2,600,000,000 (2.6bn)	1 in each of the 36 states plus Federal Capital territory…….. (Basis for assumption ApolloBranwell Hospital Mauritius commissioned in 2005, cost $70million, was actually over initial $50million budget) …..http://www.asianhhm.com/knowledge_bank/projects/apollo_mauritius.htm)
4	10	5 star hotel	$2,350,000,000 ($2.35 bn)	2 in each geo zone and 2 in FCT……(Basis for assumption Fairmont Lagos 220 keys with 50 residences each $235m )
5	20	State of the art mall	$1,000,000,000 ($1bn)	5 in each geo zone ( Like Palms Lagos approx. $50 million for 20,000sqm mall)
6	4	GSM Licence	$1,140,000,000…($1.14bn)	GSM Phone Licence….. at $285m each = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/1126538.stm. For each geopolitical zone
7	1	Cement plant	$1,000,000,000 ($1bn)	Cement Plant…..Dangote Ibese Plant ……http://www.forbes.com/sites/mfonobongnsehe/2012/02/11/africas-richest-man-opens-1-billion-cement-plant/ That of Abdulsamad is said to cost $500m ….http://www.forbes.com/sites/mfonobongnsehe/2013/02/24/nigerian-millionaire-builds-500-million-cement-plant-to-rival-billionaire-dangote/
8	76	State of the Art Secondary School	$1,300,000,000 ($1.3bn)	Secondary Schools- State of the art plus equipment…. 3 Billion Naira approximately $17m each, approximate cost of recent one built in Delta, can build 2 in each of 36 States plus 2 in Federal capital territory.
9		?????	$110,000,000 ($110m)	A couple of state of the art universities and or medical colleges or nursing schools and or teacher training colleges but couldn’t find any prices to benchmark. At this point I was tired of spending anyway!
		Grand Total	$20,000,000,000 ($20bn)

Too many to carry, I agree, how about:

SN	Quantity	ITEM	COST	COMMENT
1	1	HeathrowTerminal 5	$7,500,000,000 ($7.5bn)	Commissioned March 2008 and cost 4.3bn pounds and described with pride by her majesty as “a 21st Century gateway to Britain” .. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk/7294618.stm
2	1	Petroleum Refinery	$9,000,000,000 ($9bn)	www.ft.com › reports? Aliko Dangote builds up manufacturing with $9bn Nigeria refinery Oct 10, 2013
3	5	7 Star Hotel	$3,000,000,000 ($3bn)	Burj Al Arab cost $600m http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burj_Al_Arab
		Grand Total	$19,500,000,000 (19.5bn)

I am not a mathematician and my calculator kept running out of zeros, but I think quite accurate. Have a great day!

Aisha Oyebode