Emmanuel Adebayor private jet, cars, mansions

Emmanuel Adebayor is one of the richest footballers in the world,29 year old Togolese footballer and Tottenham Hotspur forward

works hard and knows how to play hard. He has a private jet, a home in Togo, Ghana, UK and a summer house in the US. He has more cars than he probably needs, super bikes, designers wears…and a lifestyle reserved only for the mega rich. See for yourself after the cut…

Nkechi Okocha got Mercedez Benz G-Wagon As Birthday Gift from jay jay

Nigerian football legend Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha, threw a lavish 40th birthday party for his wife of 16 years, Nkechi Okocha on Friday October 25th at Civic Centre in Lagos. Reports indicate that Okocha gave his wife a brand new White Mercedez Benz G-Wagon SUV as birthday present. Nkechi was said to have gone down on her knees to thank her husband for all his love and support in front of the party guests, so romantic

Official UEFA Rankings:Top 20 European Football Players

19th: Juan Mata (Chelsea)18th: Xavi Hernandez (FC Barcelona)17th: Edinson Cavani (PSG)16th: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)15th: Mario Gotze (Bayern Munchen)14th: Radamel Falcao (AS Monaco)13th. Robin Van Persie (Manchester United) 12th: Marco Reus (Dortmund)11th: Thomas Muller (Bayern Munchen)10th: Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munchen)9th: Robert Lewandowski (Dortmund)8th: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (PSG)7th: Mesut Ozil (Arsenal)6th: Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munchen)5th: Andres Iniesta (FC Barcelona)4th: Arjen Robben (Bayern Munchen)3rd: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)2nd: Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)1st: Franck Ribery (Bayern Munchen)

Nigerian Pastors Tops Lists Billionaires That Pays N400m luxury Tax On Private Jets

In case you doubt God really blesses his people, this is the perfect case study to form your prayer point. Aliko Dangote is confirmed as the richest black person in the world (even Wikipedia confirms this) and he’s got so many enemies already at home and abroad. Bad belle people, whether he stole his initial capital or not (see the article, Truth behind Dangote’s wealth), he’s invested wisely and has created jobs for others. Anyways, that is not the point, the point here is that Bishop David Oyedepo, the general overseer of Living Faith (Winners Chapel) has more jets than the richest black person in the world. How come? Well that one is for you readers to calculate. After all ‘the earth is the Lord and the fullness thereof

According to reports by Encomium magazine, Bishop David Oyedepo, Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Dr. Mike Adenuga are among the top 10 Nigerian billionaires who will pay millions of Naira annually as luxury tax due to the imposition of a whooping $4,000 luxury tax by Aviation Ministry on private jet owners and operators per departure. Some of these rich Nigerians make use of their jets 3/4 times in a week either within or outside the and for every trip, it’s a cool $4, 000 tax. According to our sources, among the four jets owned by Bishop Oyedepo (Gulfstream V and G550, Bombardier and Gulfstream G430), he uses three regularly personally and for his missionary work. Thus, his luxury tax annually will be an average of N399 million. Alhaji Aliko Dangote who has three private jets in his hanger will also pay an average of N399 million per annum. Dr. Mike Adenuga, Jnr, whose Falcon 7x and Bombardier jet are used for personal and business purpose should pay an average of N266 million. Governor Rotimi Amaechi and his Akwa Ibom counterpart, Governor Godswill Akpabio would shell out an average of N166.4 million annually. Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor falls into the same category of N166.4 million naira payer. Meanwhile, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, Jide Omokorie and Ifeanyi Ubah would pay an average of N133 million annually, while Jimoh Ibrahim falls within the N100 million category. Furthermore, the richest woman in Nigeria, Folorunsho Alakija would spend N66 million on luxury tax. Findings by Encomium Weekly revealed that the top 10 private jet owners who would cough millions annually on the new luxury tax are below. The clash of the titans between the Federal Government and private jet owners reached a crescendo with the imposition of the $4,000 luxury tax on private jet owners and operators per departure. A memo was sent to all private jet operators stating that Nigerian registered private jets would henceforth pay $3,000 for every departure, while foreign registered private jets would pay $4,000.

List of top 10 payers: NAMES NO. OF JETS LUXURY TAX ANNUALLY 1 Bishop Oyedepo 4 jets N399m 2 Alhaji Dangote 3 jets N399m 3 Dr. Mike Adenuga 2 jets N266m 4 Gov. Rotimi Amaechi 1 jet N166m 5 Gov. Godswill Akpabio 1 jet N166m 6 Ayo Oritsejafor 1 jet N166m 7 Pastor Adeboye 1 jet N133m 8 Jide Omokore 1 jet N133m 9 Ifeanyi Ubah 1 jet N133m 10 Jimoh Ibrahim 1 jet N100m

Inauguration of the National Advisory Committee by President Goodluck Jonathan

Remarks by His Excellency, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR On theOccasion of the Inauguration of the National Advisory Committee On our Country’s Conversation towards a Greater Nigeria State House, Presidential Villa, Abuja Monday October 7th 2013 PROTOCOLS 1. Today, we are taking historic and concrete steps that will further strengthen our understanding, expand the frontiers of our inclusiveness and deepen our bond as one people under God. 2. In my address to the Nation on the occasion of our 53rd Independence and Golden Anniversary as a Republic, I announced that in response to the yearnings of our people, we had decided to take on the responsibility of decisively and genuinely exploring the option of a National Conversation. 3. In furtherance of this objective, Government announced the names of some Nigerians, with wide experience from various disciplines, to form membership of an Advisory Committee to facilitate a most acceptable process that will bring our aspirations to fruition. Our gathering here today is to formally inaugurate this child of necessity, the Advisory Committee to midwife this Conversation. 4. Permit me to very quickly review the foundational principles that drive our action, and also address a few matters arising. Firstly, let me emphasize that this is a National Project, a sincere and fundamental undertaking, aimed at realistically examining and genuinely resolving, longstanding impediments to our cohesion and harmonious development as a truly united Nation. 5. There is a view by some of our people that we do not need to sit together to dialogue over the socio-political challenges facing our country. Some believe that because we have held several Conferences in the past, we do not need to hold another one. I was one of those who exhibited scepticism on the need for another Conference or Dialogue. My scepticism was borne out of the nomenclature of such a Conference, taking into cognizance existing democratic structures that were products of the will of the people. 6. However, we are in a democracy, and in a democracy; elected leaders govern at the behest of the citizenry. As challenges emerge, season after season, leaders must respond with best available strategies to ensure that the ship of state remains undeterred in its voyage. 7. Nations rise to the challenges that each epoch presents. It is imperative therefore, that in our march to nationhood, we have to be dynamic in our approach and response to the problems, even as we seek solutions to them. We cannot proffer yesterday’s solutions to today’s problems. 8. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, let us remind ourselves of the gains from previous Conferences and Dialogues. The Conferences that were held before 1960 were designed to produce a political system and a roadmap to Nigeria’s independence. 9. The Constitutional Conference of 1957 in London, for example, effectively prepared Nigeria for Independence. The Eastern and Western regions were granted self-government in 1957, while the Northern region got its own in 1959. The Office of the Prime Minister was created and it was also decided that the Federal Legislature would be Bi-cameral. 10. Furthermore, the Constituent Assembly of 1978 gave us the 1979 Constitution and also created the current Presidential System with its attendant checks and balances and Fundamental Human Rights provisions. The 1999 Constitution we operate today, is a successor to the 1979 Constitution and records show that the 1999 Constitution also benefited from reports and recommendations arising from the 1994/1995 Constitutional Conference. 11. Although not enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, the idea of the current Six Geo-Political Zones that have become one of the avenues for equitable distribution of projects and public offices in Nigeria was also a product of Dialogue that emerged from the 1994/1995 Constitutional Conference. 12. The 2005 National Political Reform Conference produced a number of key recommendations that were sent to the 5th Assembly, which were however not perfected. In 2010, I reasoned that the outstanding recommendations from the 2005 Conference be revisited. 13. It was my view that Government is a continuum and that we must find ways to strengthen the foundation of our Union. I proceeded to set up the Justice Alpha Belgore Committee with a mandate to review the report for possible implementation, especially the areas where there was a common agreement. The committee worked hard and came out with its report that included a number of Bills, which were forwarded to the National Assembly. 14. We believe that these Bills will form key components of the on-going Constitutional Review by the National Assembly. 15. Clearly, every dialogue adds something valuable to our evolving Nation. The urgency of a National Conversation in the present therefore, need not be over emphasized. 16. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, as we continue to strive to build a strong and virile Nation, especially in the midst of agitations and tensions, we cannot deny the fact that sitting down to talk is one right step in calming down tensions and channelling our grievances, misgivings and suggestions into more positive use for the good of our Country. 17. Let me use this opportunity to thank the Senate President, and the leadership and members of the National Assembly for the support they have given to this important National Project. 18. The concept of participatory democracy is such that even after the people have given their representatives the mandate to make laws and act on their behalf, there is also a space for the governed to make further input into the political processes, without undermining the authority of the statutory bodies. Sovereignty continues to be with the people even as the people evolve strategies and tactics to strengthen its foundation for the benefit of successor generations. 19. It is this sort of collaboration between the people and established institutions of government, that will allow for a robust outcome that leads to greater understanding and a more cohesive and inclusive Union. For me, there is no alternative to inclusivity, equity and justice in a modern democratic state. 20. I will therefore like to allay the fears of those who think the Conference will call the integrity of Nigeria into question. This National Discourse will strengthen our union and address issues that are often on the front burner, and are too frequently ignored. 21. Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Committee Members, this is a serious task, and history beckons on you not to disappoint our people. I want to charge you to consult widely before sitting down to develop the framework that will guide and guard the proceedings of the discussions. 22. In the task before you, no voice is too small and no opinion is irrelevant. Thus, the views of the sceptics and those of the enthusiasts must be accommodated as you formulate this all important framework. This Conversation is a People’s Conversation and I urge you to formulate an all-inclusive process that protects the people’s interest. 23. Let me also urge the Advisory Committee not only to be alive to the expectations of our people, but to bear in mind, that what we desire is what can work for the good of our people and country. The goal is to bequeath a better and a greater Nigeria to the present and the generation that is to come. 24. Ladies and Gentlemen, We have wasted too much time and resources, bickering over sectional versions of what define reality. This is an open-ended luxury we can no longer afford. Let us move forward, with honest conviction and patriotic courage, to strengthen this Republic, and get it to work better and brighter, for all of us, to the glory of God. 25. On this note, I hereby inaugurate the National Advisory Committee on this significant National Assignment and give the Committee six weeks to submit its report. I thank you for accepting to serve and I wish you the very best of wisdom in this very important call to duty. 26. Congratulations. I thank you.

Photo: Inside Davido N140million Lekki home shows off

He shared the photo on his instagram page and wrote "OBO mansion. Dreams come true! I remember my room back in Babcock. Small ass f**k. See what 2years & hard work gets you! #Dreamchasers!! We just getting started.

Agagu’s casket intact, while people onboard died on plane crash

The casket carrying the corpse of Chief Olusegun Agagu, the former governor of Ondo state was found intact in the rubble of the Associated Airline plane that crashed in Lagos Nigeria today, aviation sources told P.M.NEWS today. But two of Agagu’s children, a son and a daughter, did not survive. It could not be confirmed if another son who was also accompanying the corpse, was among the five survivors of the crash. FAAN in a statement had said 16 people died in the plane, while 4 survived. The four

are being treated in the hospital. The Associated airlines plane crashed on Thursday morning, minutes after taking off at the Murtala Muhammed International in Lagos, southwestern Nigeria, aviation authorities said. The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, said the crash occurred at 9.32 am. The propeller aircraft marked 5N-BJY crashed on its way Akure, the Ondo State Capital with 20 passengers on board, authorities said. It was not clear if that figure included crew members. “We confirm today the crash of an Embraer 120 (plane) belonging to Associated airlines,” the statement read. “The rescue operation commenced immediately with all the relevant agencies moving enmasse to the crash site,” FAAN said. Authorities said the black box of the crashed plane has been found and some survivors were already being treated at the hospital.

Tallest hotel in West Africa unveils in Lagos by Babatunde Fashola

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos today unveiled the tallest hotel in West Africa, Intercontinental Lagos, built at a cost of N30 billion. The hotel located at Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria is a 23-storey building containing 358 rooms and 37 suites and a Presidential suite. The Intercontinental Lagos, a subsidiary of the Intercontinental Hotel Group, IHG, is owned by the Milan Group.

Unveiling the 5-star hotel, Fashola said the edifice would surely boost the hospitality and tourism industry in the state, while urging other entrepreneurs to look inward and invest their money in hotels and public utilities such as roads. According to him, the unveiling of the hotel represented the increasing brands of hotels making Nigeria their choice destinations, saying that the tourism industry would be boosted by the new edifice. “The tourism business is the major sector that creates jobs but sadly, this sector faces lots of challenges across the continent. The Lagos State Government is committed to providing the enabling environment,” he said. Fashola harped on collection of consumption tax and urged hotels and other in the hospitality business to help the government to collect the tax for developmental purpose.

Consumption taxes are not levied on hotels but on consumers. The role of hotel is to collect the tax and give it to us. It is by collecting this taxes that you empower us to provide schools, public utilities and others,” he stated. Chairman, Milan Group, Ramesh Valechha said the hotel would change the landscape of Lagos and boost the hospitality industry in the state. He disclosed that Memorandum of Understanding for the project was signed on 31 March, 2004 while it took two years to complete the design work before the conceptualisation of the project began. He stated that the Lagos State Government, Skye Bank and Wema Bank were supportive of the project.

Valechha disclosed the building of the hotel cost over N30 billion while 650 jobs were created for Nigerians. Regional General Manager, IHG, Africa, Karl Hala said the hotel is the leading hotel in Nigeria, saying the group had 170 Intercontinental Hotels in 60 countries of the world. He described the unveiling of the hotel in Lagos as a significant milestone in the hospitality industry, adding that the group also had 20 Intercontinental Hotels in Africa and that the hotel was the only 5-star hotel in Nigeria. Chief Executive Officer, Design Group, Bayo Odunlami said it took lots of challenging moment in the design and conceptualization of the project, saying he was happy that the group overcame the hurdles.

welcome to tolaobaniyi's blog: Femi Fani-Kayode delivered speech,My Struggle, My ...

welcome to tolaobaniyi's blog: Femi Fani-Kayode delivered speech,My Struggle, My ...: Blessed be the name of the most high God, the God whose I am and the God whom I serve, blessed be His holy name forever. Mr. Chairman, per...

Femi Fani-Kayode delivered speech,My Struggle, My Dream

Blessed be the name of the most high God, the God whose I am and the God whom I serve, blessed be His holy name forever. Mr. Chairman, permit me to declare all protocols observed. I thank the leaders and elders of the Kurunmi Front, which is fast becoming one of the leading Yoruba nationalist groups in our country, for the honour and privilege of inviting me to share a few words with them today. I am simply overwhelmed by the number of people here from all walks of life. What has made me worthy of this great privilege I do not know but I pray that I do not disappoint you or let you down by what I shall say here tonight. Permit me to get to the point. Once upon a time there was an obscure little man who wrote a book that inspired the German people and lifted them up from the shame and degradation of their defeat after the First World War. That book and the philosophy that it enunciated gave them hope and delivered them from the humiliating terms of the Treaty of Vesailles in 1919 which effectively turned Germany into a weak, crippled and beggardly vassal state. That man’s name was Adolf Hitler and in 1934 he was elected in a free and fair election to lead the German people. In 1923 whilst he was in prison and long before that election ever took place Hitler had stirred up the passions of the German people and replaced their despair with hope by writing his famous book which was titled ”Mein Kampf” which, translated into english, means ”My Struggle”. Hitler’s ”struggle” and ”dream” moved Germany from the shame of defeat after the First World War and transformed her into the greatest political, economic, industrial and military power on the planet in his day in just a matter of ten years. His views about German nationalism and the rightful place of the German people in the scheme of things fuelled the pride and inspired the vision of every single German of his day. Consequently they sought to transform the world and establish a new world order which would have placed them, as members of the supposedly superior Aryan race, above all others. Thankfully they failed, though it took a Second World War, violent resistance from the whole civilised world (less Japan and Italy) and a casualty list of 50million dead (20 million of whom were Russians) to stop them. The Aryan race was eventually subdued, peace was returned to the world, history was written by those that won the war and the horrors of the nazi’s were exposed whilst the atrocities that were committed by the Allies themselves were covered up. For example we know about what the Germans did to the jews, the slavs, the homosexuals and the gypsies at Aushwitz and the other concentration camps. Yet how many of us are aware of the atrocities committed by the Allied Forces during the bombing of Dresden where, according to some estimates, close to half a million German civilians were killed and a whole city levelled to rubble in just a few nights. Again how many of us know about the bombing of the Japanese towns of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the Americans with nuclear weapons which resulted in the greatest and most devastating single massacre in human history. You may well ask what is my point here and what is the relevance of all this to our collective struggle? Permit me to answer that. The first point is that history is always written by the side that is victorious after any struggle or any war and the loser always becomes the demon. Very few people get to hear the loser’s story and all trace of anything that is good or wholesome about him or his cause is wiped out and buried in the rubble of history. The morale of the tale is simple and clear- never lose a war and never fight a war that you are not sure of winning. The second point is that German nationalism, as enunciated by Hitler’s vision in ‘Mein Kampf’, was a very powerful tool which had it’s finer points and which served the interests of the German people by waking them up and causing them to rediscover their own sense of pride, dignity, self-respect and indeed greatness. I am not a supporter of Adolf Hitler and neither am I a racist or a nazi. I do not believe that one race is necessarily superior to another but I do believe that we are all very different and that some races have greater strengths in some areas than others. I also take great pride in the fact that I am a yoruba man and that my race are second to none and have proved that over and over again during the course of world history. The contributions of the Yoruba to a greater and better Nigeria cannot be disputed and our ability to tolerate the views and excesses of others, even where those views and excesses are detrimental to our own collective interest, are well known. Yet, like the Germans after World War 1, we are beginning to forget who and what we are, where we are coming from and what we are meant to be. That is what the centralised, unitary and hybrid state of Nigeria, which was essentially conceived and established by the post civil-war military powers that were, has done to us. To get us out of that terrible mindset and psychological retrogression is my objective and my own ”struggle”. It is my own ‘Mein Kampf’ and my own dream and I urge the Kurunmi Front and indeed all yoruba nationalist groups including the Odua Peoples Congress, the Odua Liberation Movement, the Odua Descendants Union, the Egbe Omo Yoruba, the Odua Solidarity Forum and others to help me to berth it by spreading the word. The Yoruba have always thrived on a plurality of opinion. That is our way. We debate and discuss all things and we hardly ever agree on anything. There is nothing wrong with that provided we do not lose sight of the fact that we have a common cause and purpose- and that cause and purpose is to protect and preserve the rights, dignity and integrity of our people in a wider Nigeria and to ensure that our values and divinely ordained destiny to be the first in all things in our nation is not thwarted. Nigeria is NOT and was never designed to be a hybrid state where we were meant to forgo our primary identity, forsake the vision of our forefathers and forget our fundamental differences with other nationalities. Nigeria was meant to be a federation in which there was unity in diversity and in which each of the various nationalities and tribes was guaranteed, by law and the constitution, the right to develop at their own pace, the right to preserve and nurture their own cultural heritage and the right to a certain degree of autonomy and separate development. That was the ethos and understanding upon which our nation was founded and it is my view that that ethos and understanding must be nurtured, preserved and handed down to the younger generation of the Yoruba if we are to survive into the distant future as a people and as a race. We must not give an inch and we must not allow our benevolent disposition to others to become our albatross or the vessel of our own undoing. Be good and be kind to those from other climes and nationalities and be gentle and generous to those who derive from a deficient culture and that have no history. Showing kindness to such people in the name of God, of fraternity, of national cohesion and of nation-building is indeed a virtue and we must continue to do that. However we must never forget who and what we are- proud sons and daughters of Odua that share an ancient and noble heritage and that come from a long line of innovators, great warriors and noble emperors and kings. Unlike some other nationalities that reside in the Nigerian state, the 50 million people that make up the Yoruba nation can trace our ancestral roots and heritage for many centuries back. We know that we existed as a distinct and clearly defined race as far back as 3000 years ago and we were loved, honoured and respected by many all over the Middle East, the Sudan, Egypt and north Africa for our numerous contributions to science, the arts, religion, philosophy and all manner of human endeavour. We must never forget and we must never sacrifice that noble heritage or that concept of who and what we are on the alter of a new Nigerian state where we are, more often than not, envied, despised, held down, held back and cheated by so many others that do not understand and cannot poosibly fathom our ways. Worst still some of our very own have begun to espouse the ungodly philosophy of the mongrel nation where they regard themselves as being Nigerians before being a Yoruba. Such people despise and seek to demonise those of us that are Yoruba nationalists even more than any non-Yoruba seeks to do. They are the enemy within- misguided souls that have forsaken their noble heritage and racial foundation for a pittance and that have been hopelessly seduced by the Nigerian dream of a harmoniuos, peaceful, happy and functional multi-ethnic and multi-cultural state which is simply an illusion and which does not exist. Such a state exists only in their minds and in the minds of those that sought, and failed, to establish it

We must not only guard against those from outside our shores that covet our land and that happily proclaim that even one inch of Yorubaland is “no man’s land” but we must also guard against the misguided few from within our own ranks that seem to agree with them. Such people are the enemy within. They are filled with more error and poison and are more dangerous than any outside aggressor or indeed the snake that tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. There is nothing more pitiful and repugnant to me than a self-hating Yoruba man who joins forces with outsiders to disparage his or her own. As far as I am concerned such people are to be pitied and are hardly ever worthy of a response. The good news is that they are very few of them in our ranks and the overwhelming majority of our people have fully espoused the Yoruba nationalist philosophy and imbued the Yoruba nationalist spirit. It is that spirit and that majority that will keep the flag flying, that will keep our hope alive and that will lead us into the glorious future that the God of Heaven, who alone rules in the affairs of men, has promised us. This is an eternal covenant and it shall not be broken. The vision may tarry but it shall not fail, for it is for an appointed time. As surely as night follows day, God shall honour His word, He shall grant us our hearts desire and He shall liberate us from the cruel chains of the Nigerian state which seek to hold us in eternal bondage and perpetual servitude. Our hope and glory reside in our own hands and in the power of our God. We must take that glory and live forever in honour because it is ours to take. We must pray for it, fight for it and stand for it or we shall live forever in eternal shame. Permit me to end my speech with a few words about the war that took place and broke up the eastern European nation of Yugoslavia into 5 different countries in the 1990′s. For many years before that war broke out many saw it coming because the country, much like Nigeria today, was badly divided on religious and ethnic lines. Many called for a sovereign national conference to settle their differences at the time or for a peaceful and orderly break up of the nation along ethnic lines but the die-hard centralists and unitarists, led by the all powerful dictator Col. Broznan Tito, silenced their voices and, more often than not, locked them up and gave them long sentences in jail for expressing their desire to break up the Yugoslavian state. Every single one of the 5 major ethnic groups that made up Yugoslavia, except for the Bosnians (who happened to be muslims), began to prepare for war and to stock up massive arms catches and stock piles long before that war eventually broke out simply because they all saw it coming. The Bosnians however always hoped for the best and they were by far the most open, accessible, accomodating, friendly and tolerant of all the ethnic groups in Yugolavia at the time. They allowed the Serbs, Croats, Kosovars and Monte Negrans to live in their territory without molestation and they regarded themselves as Yugoslavians before being Bosnians. It even got to a point that some Serbs were claiming openly that parts of Bosnia was actually Serbian territory simply because so many Serbs had moved there and contributed to it’s development. Sounds familiar? Yet the Bosnians did not complain because they believed that their liberal and accomodating disposition was a mark of civilisation and they refused to accept the aggressive nationalist philosophy that the Serbs and the Croats in particular had wholeheartedly espoused. They behaved in the same way that some of our own Yoruba brothers and sisters have insisted on behaving in Nigeria today regardless of what is going on around them and despite the continous provocations and insults from those that are not from our land. They continued to believe that they were safe in their artificial world where nationality or tribe had no meaning and where all that mattered was that they were Yugoslavian. Sadly they were also plagued with a set of weak-minded, intellectually-defective, cowardly and visionless political and military leaders who could not muster the courage to accept the unfolding reality and who failed to appreciate the fact that the manifestation of weakness simply attracts aggression. They did not learn the basic lesson of statehood and history which is that in order to avoid and deter war you must prepare for it. When Tito died and the civil war eventually broke out the Bosnians paid a terible price for their lack of foresight and understanding. They were slaughtered like flies by all the other ethnic groups for a long period of time and they were not in a position to defend their own people because they had no arms, they had not prepared for war and there was a United Nations arms embargo put in place which prevented anyone from supplying arms to them. They were literally sitting ducks as their civilian population and women and children were slaughtered before their very eyes or raped and taken into slavery. It was so bad that after some time the U.N. was compelled to lift the arms embargo just so that the Bosnians could acquire weapons to defend themselves and their people. They lost so many and this was the terrible price that they had to pay for their indolence and their lack of understanding of what was unfolding in their nation long before the war broke out. It was a failure of leadership on the part of the Bosnian intelligensia, elite and political leadership who were so eager to prove to the world and to their fellow Yugoslavians that they were good liberals that always put the interest of Yugoslavia before their own interests as Bosnians. This was regardless of the fact that no other nationality in that country thought that way or did the same thing. It is my prayer that the Yoruba people and the leadership of the Yoruba nation learn the lessons of Bosnia and do not make the mistakes that the Bosnian leaders made before the war broke out in Yugoslavia in the name of liberalism or anything else. If they do we will all pay a terrible price and may God forbid that. No matter what lies ahead for Nigeria, we the Yoruba must be ready and we must be in a position to defend the people of the south west and their interests in the event of war or conflict. Let me make this clear. This is not a call for violence because I do not believe in violence and I abhor bloodshed. As a matter of fact I am a pacifist by nature believing more in the power of the intellect than the power of the gun. However I do believe in the right of self-defence. We must not, in the name of liberalism, generosity or accomodation, be found wanting in this respect. We must find the courage to accept the reality of the Nigerian situation and in order to preserve the peace and ensure the security of the Yoruba people and defend our illustrious heritage we must prepare for the very worse and indeed any eventuallity. If we were to do anything less than that our forefathers and our children would never forgive us and our people will pay a terrible price. It is left for groups like yours to spread the word and to get the message across to our people and to our leaders. As Iago said in Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’, ”tis in ourselves that we are thus or thus” and as Cassius said in ‘Julius Caesar’, ”the fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars but in ourselves, that we are underlings”. God bless the sons and daughters of the Kurunmi Front, God bless the yoruba people and God bless Nigeria. Shalom. Femi Fani-Kayode delivered this speech at the event organised by leaders of the Yoruba Nationalist Group, The Kurunmi Front, on 17th September 2013.

Should Nigeria break or not to break by Fani Kayode

Today a great protest is taking place in the Catallan region of Spain. According to the polls, 52 per cent of the people from that region wish to break off from Spain and to establish a new European sovereign state. Later this year, the people of Scotland are having their own referendum to determine whether or not they will stay in the United Kingdom and, again, from the polls, it is very clear that the majority of Scots wish to have their own new sovereign state and that the Scottish Nationalist Party enjoys massive support. Nobody in either Spain or the United Kingdom has insulted those people or labelled them as ‘’ethnic jingoists’’ or ‘’primitive tribalists’’ for wanting to break off from the greater whole and establish their own country. This is because everyone respects the right of the various ethnic groups and nationalities within their wider nation to exercise their right of self-determination which is an integral and fundamental aspect of international law. Exercising that right does not turn them into villains and does not make them any less patriotic than their compatriots who do not share their views. It just means that they have a different perspective and that they believe, as many believed before Malaysia and Singapore broke up, that the interests of their various peoples are better served when and if they go their separate ways. They opted to be friendly neighbours rather than to be compelled to remain within the same territory against their collective will. As we in Nigeria approach the 100-year anniversary of our 1914 Lugardian amalglamation and, as the 2015 elections are fast approaching with both the northern region and the south-south zone desperate to take or to hold on to power at any cost respectively, we need to begin to ask ourselves some basic and fundamental questions about our future. For example, is our interest better served by remaining as one nation or is it time for those nationalities that wish to leave the federation in a peaceful and orderly way, as a result of a legitimate and honest referendum, be alllowed to go? UNANSWERED QUESTIONS If the breaking up of larger countries into smaller and more viable ones is good enough for India (which broke into three), the Sudan (which broke into two), Czekhoslovakia (which broke into two), Yugoslavia (which broke into 5), the Soviet Union (which broke into 15) and numerous other countries over the years, why is it not good enough for us? Again, why should those that believe that Nigeria ought to break up be subjected to so much suspicion, ridicule, contempt and insults from those that do not share their views? Some of the questions that need to be answered are as follows- firstly, is our union working? Secondly, is our marriage a good one and is it a happy one as well? Are we satisfied with what has essentially become a country that has been turned into nothing more than (with apologies to Chief Bode George) ‘’Turn by Turn Nigeria?’’ where each ethnic group simply looks forward to enjoying its time to control the federation and all the nation’s resources from an all powerful centre? Are we not meant to be far more than this? Is this what the founding fathers of our nation envisaged? More than anything else the recent igbo/yoruba debate over the issue of the status of Lagos state and the deportation of a handful of igbo destitute back to the east has proved to me that we as a people are very different from one another and that our interests may be better served if we are no longer bound together as one. I dare to voice this opinion even though many Yoruba share it but will not say so publiclly. Is it not time for us to begin to accept the bitter truth that our marriage is uncomfortable and unhappy and that it may not have been made in heaven or ordained by God? Is it not clear that each region or each nationality ought to be able to develop at its own pace? Is it not time for us to have a confederation of nationalities in Nigeria and to restructure the country drastically to give maximum autonomy to the various regions and nationalities or indeed is it not time to just break up and go our separate ways? DIFFERENCES Many may disagree but one thing that I believe that we can at least agree on is that perhaps it is time for us to be courageous enough to begin to talk about these issues openly and debate them. We must not sweep our differences under the carpet and ignore them as if they do not exist but instead we must find the courage and muster the resolve to acknowledge them and understand them. As far as I am concerned, this is the challenge of our time and these are the questions that need to be answered. Whatever happens in 2015 and whoever wins, whether it be a northerner or Goodluck Jonathan of the south-south, I see blood on the horizon and I see disaster approaching. Stark promises from notable players such as ‘’there will be bloodshed if Goodluck is not re-elected’’ do not help and are not encouraging. There are equally strident and bellicose murmurings from the other side as well and some have threatened that if there is a repeat performance of the massive rigging that the North witnessed in the presidential election of 2011 anywhere in the country in 2015, ’’Nigeria will burn’’ whilst another key player said that ‘’both the dog and the baboon shall be soaked in blood’’. 2015 AS KEG OF GUN POWDER These words must be taken very seriously indeed and they reflect the thinking and mindset of millions of people from both sides of the political and regional divide. Worste still, whether we like to admit it or not, religion has now become a major factor in our politics with Christians being told in their churches that it is their solemn duty to support a Christian presidential candidate and Muslims being told in their mosques that it is theirs to support a Muslim. We are sitting on a keg of gunpowder and, in my view, 2015 really will be the year of make or break for Nigeria. Sadly, in my humble opinion, it is far closer to ‘’break’’ than it is to ’’make’’. If we wish to avoid the road to Kigali, we must change our mindset and make the necessary concessions that we need to make. We must begin to think outside of the box and be far more innovative and adventurous. For example, why is it a must in the minds of some that the PDP must field a Christian as it’s presidential candidate and why are some in the APC of the view that the party must field a northern Muslim as its own? These hard and fast fixed positions are most unhelpful and the right thing and proper thing to do is to completely discard them and attempt to find a presidential candidate that is a Nigerian before being a northerner, a southerner, a Christian or a Muslim. And thankfully there are quite a few of such people around in the new generation if only the system will be far-sighted and enlightened enough to allow them to emerge and run. Failing that we must open up the space now and consider the unpleasant assertion that the premium that a united Nigeria attracts may not be worth paying simply because we are getting nothing but failure after failure and sorrow after sorrow as our consistent return. I do not have all the answers and neither do I claim that I do. Indeed I may well be wrong which is why I would be interested in hearing the views of others and particularly those from the younger generation who may see things very differently. Whichever way it goes and regardless of what we all think, let us not allow this debate to be driven by the uninformed or ignorance, pettiness, hate and acrimony. Let us not insult one another or act as if any tribe or nationality are a collection of angels whilst others are nothing but demons. Let us join issues and exchange ideas in a civil, restrained and decent manner without hurling insults at one another or allowing our emotions to becloud our thinking. At the end of the day, we all want the same thing- namely, to put in place a system that is in the best interest of the Nigerian people and to empower a new leadership that will allow them to achieve their full potentials? That is the objective and that alone. Over to you. *Fani Kayode was a Minister of Aviation

IBB overthrew Shagari’s govt,not Buhari...Col. Nyiam

In this interview, Col. Tony Nyiam, who was part of the failed attempt to oust the Gen. Ibrahim Babangida’s military government in 1990, tells WAHEED BAKARE and ALLWELL OKPI, how the Orkar coup originated and its relevance to Nigerian politics You said what has come to be known as the Orkar coup was not a coup but an action. What is the difference between the two? I said it was a pro-democracy action to stop a situation where there would have been perpetual diarchy in Nigeria, where politicians in uniform would have put a system in place for them to rule forever. I’m talking about a system similar to what the Arab uprising dismantled in Egypt. But a more senior military officer, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, referred to it as a coup. It is because in our setting we misuse words. And because we are used to misusing words, we believe even words that are not really the truth. A military coup would be a coup against an elected government. Our action was not against an elected government. In fact, it’s the responsibility of a military officer to rise up against anybody who takes over power from an elected government, which the government we took action against did. The government we took action against, which was part of the Muhammadu Buhari to Ibrahim Babangida regime, had usurped power from the elected government of Shehu Shagari. If there is a coup that overthrows an elected government, it is the duty of a military officer to do a counter-coup to restore democracy. Would you have done the same thing if Buhari had remained in power to that time? If we had seen the same indications during Buhari’s time, the plan by the military to perpetuate itself, we would have done that. But Buhari wasn’t of that kind of mould. Are you saying your stay in power would have been brief, only long enough to prepare for elections? Yes. We would have stayed just 18 months to do basically three things, which Nigeria still needs to do. They are: a national census, a proper headcount. I’m happy that as I’ve been saying for years, Festus Odimegwu, the new chairman of the National Population Commission, clearly said there has been no credible census in Nigeria since 1816. The fact is that Nigerians have been so ignorant and have refused to deal with the crucial matter. The census, right from the British time, has always been used to perpetuate the internal colonisers over the rest of Nigeria. The three things we would have done; first a proper national census, so we can know how many we are and how we are spread. If we truly know what the Nigerian population is, over 40 per cent of the constituencies in the North-West and North-East, would not exist. We can only know that if we do a proper census and that is why today, Festus Odimegwu’s life is being threatened because he wants to give us a true count for the first time. The second thing would have been a conference, which would allow Nigerians to negotiate how they want to coexist. Today, we have a situation where there are abuses of the federal character system. For example, a candidate from say Delta State has to score 170 to pass, while another from another part of the country is required to score eight. Such abuses cannot really be acceptable by a people who have a nation. We are yet to have a nation. The imperative of a conference cannot be ruled out; people need to negotiate. The third thing was to conduct a free and fair election, which has eluded Nigeria for long. In all the regimes, a semblance of free and fair election we see only in a few states in Nigeria basically Lagos and the other states in the South-West. I’m not saying they have achieved it, but we see relatively free and fair elections in these regions. It is not surprising why these regions are the most developing, South-West is the most peaceful, relatively compared to other regions and of course it is the region, where there is relative collective governance of the people. I must give credit to this government, led by President Goodluck Jonathan. The Ondo and Edo states governorship elections, which were relatively free and fair, are credit to Jonathan’s government. These are the things we would have done in those 18 months and those three things whether we like it or not, have to be done. First, we must have a proper census and that is why all Nigerians must support Festus Odimegwu to give us a proper census. Two, we must sit down and negotiate our corporate existence. We must stop deceiving ourselves with these fraudulent elections we’ve been having. There is the argument that we don’t need to have another conference since we have representatives at the National Assembly. It is the most ignorant assumption. Why do I say it is ignorant? With all the political scientists we have in our midst, people forget that what we are practising is what we call indirect democracy. What do I mean? The proprietary right over people’s sovereignty is delegated to people we elect to make laws for us. When it comes to making constitutional reforms or constitution making, you go to what is called direct democracy. Direct democracy means direct voting by the people in the form of a referendum and that is why the universal practice is that a constitution making process that does not go through a constituent assembly, whose decisions are approved by a referendum, is null and void. We see the examples. Look at South Sudan; it’s creation resulted from a referendum. How is it that Nigerians do not understand that for a constitution to be legitimate, it has to be driven by the people, and the people are usually represented by a constituent assembly? And this constituent assembly is usually made up of non-partisan politicians, because partisan politicians are only concerned with the next election. They are not concerned about posterity or long-term issues in the country. So, constitution which outlives people and a generation should be driven by civil society, collection of every nationality in the country and clerics. I would cite an example. My second home is in Scotland and in Scotland those who drove for the national conference were the clerics of the Church of Scotland, they were at the forefront. We also saw it in Ireland. Britain has the oldest parliament in the world, why are they allowing a constituent assembly to go ahead, while there are parliaments? It is only in Nigeria that such argument is raised because of the ignorance of the difference between direct and indirect democracy. That’s why I have tried to do an aide-memoir to aid constitution- making. There are certain basic principles of constitution-making, which if we do not follow, would be like building a house on quicksand. Do you think we would have been able to tackle these problems if the June 12 election had not been annulled by Babangida? The thing is, Chief MKO Abiola, who I had the opportunity to work with when he escaped from Nigeria to UK, was a man that we lost because his plan was to correct the national issues and start democracy in Nigeria. But because some western interests in Nigeria did not want this, they colluded to do away with him. You once said soldiers could be recruited for a coup without their knowledge. How is that possible? Yes, there are many instances. You might want to verify this from Gen. Buhari, he was not the initiator of that coup that brought him in as Head of State, it was Gen. Ibrahim Bako and Babangida that initiated it. But because they wanted a credible figure as a face, he was brought in. He did not know the genesis of that coup. He was not quite aware of the original idea behind the coup and that was why when he decided to make a change, he was forced to step aside. So, if this could happen to a whole Gen. Buhari, who was supposedly the leader of a coup, it shows how many soldiers can be brought in that way. Does that mean overthrowing Shagari’s government was IBB’s idea? It was the idea of late Gen. Bako and IBB. Buhari was only brought in because they needed a face with integrity. Can you give other instances? Gen. Yakubu Gowon was not part of the coup that brought him in. He was a decent man. Nigerians like to play what the Yoruba people call bojuboju; they bring a figure with integrity to cover up their real intention; the real intention of politicians in uniform who have found cheap party. Many elements of them are in our partisan politics today. That means such heads of states were under the control of the coup plotters that installed them. Obviously. And these people are still the reason why we are not allowed to have a proper census, they are still the ones ensuring that we don’t have a conference as well as a free and fair election because if you give the people their rights to choose who to governs them, you have freed them and these oligarchs don’t want that. Could it be a defence in the military to say I wasn’t part of a coup, I was just brought in? It couldn’t be a defence because at the point you know that it is a coup, you should do everything possible to resist it. Even at the risk of taking your life? That was what we did. At the point when we realised that they were going to perpetuate the military government in Nigeria, we took the risk. Can we say this plan was an Hausa-Fulani agenda, since most of these military leaders are northerners? We cannot reduce this thing to an issue of a peaceful Hausa-Fulani man or a peaceful Yoruba man or a peaceful Igbo man. I think we are above that. What we see is an interest of oligarchs, who think power and money controls and there are all sorts of people in that fold. For a long time, you may say one ethnic group has a preponderant membership of that group. It was reported that the late Gideon Orkar wanted to excise northern Nigeria from the country. Was it part of the agenda? The unsung hero, Gideon Orkar, was far from anybody who wanted to divide the country. He was calling all regions of the country to some conditionality that they have to meet, if they want us to coexist. It was because that was an era when certain people were saying that they were superior, and that power was their prerogative and that they had the monopoly of power. Would that have been due to the ethnic coloration of previous coups? Sure. It is sad that democrats are missing the issue that we were fighting against, which we still need to fight against. It is a situation where they take over power and give advantage to their people to the extent that today if we count the local governments we have in Kano and Jigawa which are states not up to Lagos in population, the local governments are up to three to five times the number of local government areas in Lagos. Lagos is a place, apart from the Niger Delta which gives us foreign exchange earner. Lagos contributes over 70 per cent of our non-oil revenue generation and the same Lagos gets less than what Kano, which produces less than two per cent, gets. This is why I must say Lagos State made a mistake, instead of relocating the problem where it lies; it is not about deporting Igbo beggars to Onitsha end of the Niger Bridge. Lagos should take the right steps legally or otherwise to assert the rights of the state which is being the owner of the Value Added Tax and the sales tax generated in Lagos. The things we fought against are still structurally within our polity. Today, you cannot pass a bill at the National Assembly, if two zones — North-East and North-West — do not agree. So, two zones can stop four zones — South-East, South-West, South-South and North-Central — from moving forward. The irony of this is that these zones are in the semi-desert areas that are usually less populated going by all empirical evidence. We have problems with our census figure; that is why they have all those constituencies and that is why they planned coups to perpetuate that. Do you think the action failed because the northerners were not involved and because of the conditions given to them to be part of Nigeria? First of all, our action and Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu’s action were the only actions that were not palace coup. The likes of Bako and IBB’s coup which brought in Buhari wer. The fact is that the government of Shagari was a government that the military was highly involved in because of the ethnic kinsmanship. There was a fight over contracts that broke the coup. It was an in-house thing. So, the coup was driven by people’s selfish interests and that is why I don’t call it a military coup, I call it a politicians-in-uniform coup. Nzeogwu’s action and our action were done by outsiders, who felt this cash-and-carry ruling and stealing would not be allowed to continue. If the action had been successful, who would have been the head of state? It would have been Maj. Saliba Mukoro. He was the initiator. They heard about me and they wanted some senior people to be part of the action. When they approached me, I didn’t accept immediately because I wasn’t the type that will go for a coup or any action. But when I heard the strength of the argument, and in line with my insight as to what was happening in government because I was a close aide to Babangida and Sani Abacha. It would have been immoral of me to report the young officers. I was torn in-between reporting these young, overzealous and selfless boys, who wanted certain issues solved and maintaining loyalty to the military government. People forget that it was because of the action that Delta State was created. And the system in Delta State today has fraudulently prevented one of the people who initiated it, Great Ogboru, to govern. People forget that Bayelsa State was created because of the action. And that’s why I still find it sad that till today, even with the President coming from Bayelsa, no Bayelsan government has honoured those boys who sacrificed their lives for the Niger Delta. I have said it over and over that these chaps deserve to be honoured. I think the Niger Deltans, President Jonathan and the Ijaw should take cue from the Yoruba and honour those boys. The majority of the boys in our action were Niger Deltans for obvious reasons. Were you the only colonel in the action? We were two lieutenant colonels. I was brought in by another lieutenant colonel. But that lieutenant colonel sold out and that was why there was a leakage and we had to rush. The person who recruited me had sold out. Is he a Niger Deltan? Yes. His name was Lt. Col. Patrick Oketa. When you were pardoned, what was your feeling? First of all, we were grateful to Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar and Admiral Mike Akhigbe, who were the initiators of the pardon. These were two gentlemen who were never part of any coup. Power was just dumped on Abdulsalami and true to his character; he wasted no time in returning power to civillians. The system of returning power to civilians should have been better but because he didn’t want to stay a day longer, he left and this is a reflection of his character. Do you still relate with your colleagues? Sure, what we didn’t realise is that most of our colleagues who were travelling were very helpful to us, because they knew what we fought for. If our actions were not taken, you would never have had the chance of having an Igbo man as Chief of Army Staff. No Yoruba man would have had that chance either. Why do I say so? Some of us had insight as to a succession plan in the army for the next 50 years. You would never have had the likes of Gen. Martin Agwai being the Chief of Army Staff and Defence Staff, because he belongs to the northern Christian minority. The army, after General T.Y. Danjuma’s time became an army that was to be led by only an ethnic group. People forget that there is a linkage between our action and the chance that MKO Abiola was given for the election. Now that we have Delta and Bayelsa states and we have the Ministry of Niger Delta and an Ijaw man is the head. Do you think these are enough to right the wrongs of the past? Those issues are again the usual Nigerian way of dealing with things; rather than go for a holistic tactic. A fundamental thing essentially is to restore power. Once power is restored to the people it is left to them. All these things are just temporal measures. The fundamental issue is to return Nigeria to true federalism. This talk of diversifying our economy cannot happen if we do not have fiscal federalism. People forget that when we had proper federalism, the main foreign exchange for Nigeria was agriculture. So, we have to go back to that. PUNCH

The List of Super Eagle players invited by Keshi against MALAWI

Victor Moses (Chelsea FC, England) Ogenyi Onazi (SS Lazio, Italy) Nnamdi Oduamadi (AC Milan, Italy) Nosa Igiebor (Real Betis, Spain) Forwards: Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow, Russia) Brown Ideye (Dynamo Kyiv Ukraine) Shola Ameobi (Newcastle United, England) Emmanuel Emenike (Fenerbahce FC, Turkey) Obinna Nsofor (Lokomotiv Moscow, Russia) Uche Nwofor (VVV Venlo, Netherlands) Home based Midfielders: Sunday Mba (Enugu Rangers) Solomon Jabason (Akwa United) Olufemi Oladapo (Shooting Stars) Etebo Oghene (Warri Wolves) Rabiu Ali (Kano Pillars) Moses Orkuma (Lobi Stars) Forwards: Muhammad Gambo (Kano Pillars) Ifeanyi Edeh (Enyimba FC) Mbah Ezekiel (Akwa United) Barnabas Imenger (Lobi Stars) Izu Azuka (Sunshine Stars) Dimgba Stanley (Kwara United) Osadaiye Joseph (Warri Wolves)

Photos: Marriage between CNN Anchor Isha Sesay and Leif Coorlim In Georgia

A lot of guys are going to be heart broken by this. According to People Magazine: CNN anchor Isha Sesay made her own news Sunday night, marrying fellow CNN staffer Leif Coorlim in Atlanta. The couple tied the knot in front of close friends and family at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, the ceremony moved indoors from the English garden after CNN meteorologist Jen Delgado predicted bad weather. “Our day exceeded my wildest dreams,” Sesay tells PEOPLE. “It was magical. When I saw Leif standing at the end of the aisle, I felt as if my heart would explode. I married the man of my dreams in front of the people we care about the most. And then we partied the night away.” The bride wore a strapless, custom Amsale gown featuring elaborate beadwork. “Amsale herself was with me as I tried on different dresses at her Madison Avenue showroom in New York,” Sesay says. “She was wonderful. After trying on a number of gowns, Amsale, my stylist Stacey Brice Washington and I agreed that this was the dress for me!” Sesay, 37, is an anchor/correspondent for CNN International and newsreader for Anderson Cooper 360. She met Coorlim, 34, executive editor of The CNN Freedom Project” – a CNN-wide campaign to help end child prostitution and forced labor in the United States and around the world – in 2008 at the network where they both still work.

200 metres women final at the World Athletics Blessing Okagbare came third

MOSCOW(AFP) – Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare came third final the 200 metres women final at the World Athletics Championships won by Jamaica’s 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who looked to be in better shape than she was last year when finishing a well-beaten second in the Olympic final. The 26-year-old Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who regained her 100m title on Monday, timed 22.17 seconds while 100m silver medallist, Murielle Ahoure of Ivory Coast, took silver in a photo finish with Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare, both of whom timed 22.32.

Tunde Bakare claims "most APC members are looters "

Pastor Tunde Bakare, the founder of the Latter Rain Ministries in a recent interview talks about the newly approved political party in Nigeria, APC. The former running mate to General Buhari blasts the member of All Progressives Congress calling them bunch of looters. Tunde Bakare claims most of the member in this new party are even richer than their states after looting them dry. Excerpts You are not sure if you will participate in the 2015 elections? With who? The collection of rogues, right, left and centre? Not even with the progressives? Who are the progressives in Nigeria; mention their names? Are you persuaded that they are progressives,progressive where, taking you where? The progressives who formed the All Progressive Congress (APC) If the devil becomes a pastor, Nigerians will attend his church, because they don’t know the true church and they cannot distinguish it from the synagogue of satan. Some of these governors are far richer than their states, because they are looting their states dry, Tunde Bakare concluded.

Top 10 Richest Football Club Owners In The World

10. Roman Abramovic (Chelsea, England) $10.2 billions 9. John Fredricksen (Velerenga, Norway) $11.5 billions 8. Paul Allen (Seatle Sounders, United States) $15.0 billions. 7. Francois Pinault (Stade Rennes, France) $15.0 billions. 6. Rinat Akhmetov (Shakhtar Donetsk, Ukraine) $15.4 billions. 5. Lakshmi Mittal (Queens Park Rangers, England) $16.5 billions. 4. Alisher Usmanov (Arsenal, England) $17.6 billions. 3. George Soros (Manchester United, England) $19.2 billions. 2. Amancio Ortega (Deportivo La Coruna, Spain) $57 billions. 1. Carlos Slim (Club Pachuca, Mexico, Club Leon, Mexico, Real Oviedo, Spain) $73.0 billions. Note: Sheikh Mansour, owner of Manchester City and Nasser Al-Khelaifi, owner of PSG were left out because their wealth are family owned and we are looking at personal wealth Excerpted From Sulia.com

Tonto Dikeh declares - I can’t Marry An Actor

It has been discovered that this well-known actress just loves to talk and it seems it’s really paying off. The other day, she was quoted to have hit Mercy Johnson, another co-actress, the attack was so fierce that even fans of the mother of one, Mercy fought for her. As you have all known that with the kind of life she lives, Tonto Dikeh, the beautiful actress and love are two parallel lines that can never meet. “I am not too strong to fall in love; I am human and I have feelings too. I don’t think there is any woman on earth that has not experienced love in one form or the other. But it’s not possible for me to marry an actor; I can never be caught doing that,” Tonto explodes. She said about herself, “I am a role model to those who see me as one; I am sure Nigerians out there see and read all these things and they laugh. I am sure there are people out there who appreciate what I do as an actress and hope to someday achieve what I have achieved as a thespian.” Her respond to why she is controversial incline sent a blow to her fans. “My career thrives on everything; my career thrives on all the ups and downs that I have been faced with. But most especially, the controversies have made me stronger and wiser. I don’t care about them because they don’t care about me; everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion. I live my life the way I want to. People should also remember that I am human and no one is perfect. NIgeriafilms

Abike Dabiri Covers August Edition Of Genevieve Magazine

Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa covers August edition of Genevieve Magazine. Beautiful Abike Dabiri-Erewa has been celebrated for her drive & numerous achievements for over a decade in Nigeria politics and socienty at large. She looks so elegant on this month edition of Genevieve Magazine

3-km long auditorium to be built, says Pastor Enoch Adeboye

Mowe (Ogun) - The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), on Saturday said it would build a three kilometre long auditorium. The General Overseer of RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adeboye said this during the Holy Ghost Service at the Redemption Camp in Mowe, Ogun. The Holy Ghost Service was one of the programmes lined up for the 61st Annual Convention of the church. Adeboye said that the new auditorium which would be built at the mission’s camp ground at km 46, Lagos-Ibadan expressway would also be three kilometres wide. The cleric said that the existing auditorium which was built in year 2000 with a capacity to sit one million people at once could no longer accommodate millions of people who attended service. According to him, the project will start soonest and will be completed before the 62nd Convention in August 2014. He solicited for donations from members toward making the project a reality. Adeboye had earlier said that a total of 72 babies were born at the camp between Monday and Friday. The convention continues on Saturday with the anointing service and will end on Sunday with the ordination of pastors. (NAN)

MUST READ: “I Am A Victim Of Domestic Violence” – Actress Chika Ike Opens Up

Written by herself, Actress Chike Ike tell her fans about the physical abuse she suffered in the hands of the man she called her husband for five years. Read below; The past three years has been a very emotional period for me. I focused my energy on work and to build back my self esteem. its been really hard for me to come out straight and talk about this because sometimes I pinch myself to wake up and not believe that I was a victim of domestic violence. I’ve been through a lot in my life, faced a lot of challenges but this is one topic I’ve tried so hard to avoid and have been waiting for the right time but I have come to a resolve that there’s really no right time because every second of the day,lives are being lost due to domestic violence. I was a victiim of domestic violence in my marriage and that was the singular reason I left my marriage, aside other reasons. Growing up as a girl. I was always known as the sweetest kid on the block, before I got married, I have been through some relationships and for once no man had ever laid a finger on me. The first time it happened in my marriage I didn’t understand it because I am not the type of woman a man beats but I guess there are no types. It just happens and no woman deserves it. As a young girl I thought it was love or his way of expressing his emotions,after every beating he pleads , cries and says it won’t happen again, once again I thought it was love and made excuses for him. Over the years when it kept happening consistently I started looking for other definitions for it. I started loosing my self pride,self esteem , self worth, and most painfully i lost a pregnancy (Miscarriage) I almost lost my life in the process then I realised how serious and abnormal it really was. I have heard and read a lot of accusations from ignorant people who don’t know my story,I guess that’s why they are ignorant. I was 20yrs old and very naïve to the world when I got married .“ They said I married for money“ LOL. I was married to a corporate guy,who had a 9_5 job in a bank, Lives in a rented 2 bedroom apartment at Egbe.. So do the maths! . I married for love. I did a traditional wedding. A white wedding and a court wedding. So that’s how much I wanted to be married forever. For five years I hoped, prayed & wished that one day it will all change. But the last straw that broke the carmels back was during a heated argument he threw a glass jug to my face and I dogged it and it shattered on d wall. I saw death flash before me and I made a decision to save my life. I left my marriage. Am not saying this to draw pity from anyone because we are entitled to our opinions and believes. I am not also saying this to discourage people from falling in love because its a beautiful feeling and I still believe in it. I am saying this to educate, share and talk about my experience as a victim of domestic violence because it is real.

Racism Against Oprah Winfrey In Switzerland?

Underage marriage in Nigeria...keep it real with adeola

Finally Peter Okoye Proposes To His Girlfriend With A Brand New 2013 Range Rover…Check out the photos

The Pop star, we gathered proposed to Lola with a Range Rover Envogue. Of course, the Island big babe Lola said Yes.The hot gist in town is that Peter Okoye of P-Square musical duo and half brother of Paul Okoye has finally proposed to his lover of many year, and mother of his two kids, Lola Omotayo.

Kokomaster present A Honda CRV as Wedding Gift to his Sister Taiwo & Husband Dotun

The wedding between of D’banj’s younger sister Taiwo and her heartrob Dotun has gone but what we will not forget in hurry is the love D’banji showed his lovely sister. The Kokomaster was not only present at the big ceremony and well represented but also Celebrate the joyous union, by presented the new couple with a brand new Honda CRV

Governor Fashola father ..... Ademola Fashola Buried

The remains of Alhaji Ademola Fashola, the father of the Governor of Lagos State, were this afternoon laid to rest at the Vaults and Gardens Cemetery, Ikoyi, Lagos, southwest Nigeria amidst torrents of tributes. Pa Fashola died on Monday at the age of 80 after a protracted illness..May his soul rest in perfect peace

You will see hell Amaechi by Wike

Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State must brace up for more trouble from the opposition in the days and months ahead, if the threat, yesterday, by one of the forces against him, is anything to go by. Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, boasted at a reception for him in Port Harcourt that he is ready to make life even more uncomfortable for the governor who is locked in the political battle of his life with the Presidency and his party (PDP), at the state and federal levels; the State Police Commissioner, Mbu Joseph Mbu and the Police Command; the Minister and his five supporters in the State House of Assembly; ex-militants; as well as other political forces from within and outside the state. The reception also doubled as a grand finale of the inauguration of units of the Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI) in Obio/Akpor LGA of the state. Wike is the grand patron of GDI. “We will make sure they will not sleep again, as they are sleeping now. They will not sleep with their two eyes closed. One eye will be open because they know there is danger,” the minister said, 24 hours after Amaechi told a delegation of Niger Delta Bishops who are trying to resolve the political crisis in the state that Wike remains a minister today by “the grace of God” and his (Amaechi’s) effort. The governor’s words: “Nyesom Wike was appointed Chief of Staff by me. Nyesom Wike as a Minister of State, I nominated him. I was under pressure by the President to drop him, I refused. The President persuaded me to drop him and bring a woman but I refused. ” I heard he is going all over town saying I didn’t appoint him, I didn’t appoint him, the President appointed him but I nominated him to be a minister as the Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum. I did, but you know character doesn’t come easily, character is a very difficult thing and I am a man of character.” But in what looked like a response to the broadside fired at him on Friday by Amaechi, the minister said yesterday that the governor and the 27 members of the State Assembly on his side have not had enough trouble occasioned by their April 22 suspension of the Obio/Akpor Local Government Council. Wike, who is aspiring to replace Amaechi as governor in 2015, hails from the local government area. He was a two-term chairman of the council. The minister, speaking at yesterday’s rally, said: “They said we are nobody. Then they have seen. When you are dealing with nobody, be careful. The nobody will show you that he is somebody. We will make sure they will not sleep again. As they are sleeping, they will not sleep with their two eyes closed. One eye will be open, because they know there is danger. “Those who are saying they must remove me, I have even overstayed. For you to be minister for two years, you must thank your God. If today we are no longer minister, do not worry yourself. It will not change us. We will continue to fight for what we believe in. “We were not minister when we fought for them in 2007. When we were here, they were not having problems. Now, we have gone, they are having problems. “We have always told them: you cannot do it. What you do not know, you do not know. It does not matter, whatever money you have, money cannot buy everything. Now, they are having sleepless nights. When we were here, were they having sleepless nights? “When we were here, were they not travelling up and down? Are they travelling again? Tell them, they should come and beg us. Tell them to come back and beg us. We will tell them the secret. What God has not given to you, you do not need to do anything about it. “I can assure you, all they are asking for: they want a commissioner of police that will be arresting you. Anytime they call the CP, he will arrest you. But let me tell you, we are not interested in whoever comes here (CP), all we are interested in is to have somebody who will not be partial. “Let them bring whoever they want to bring (as CP).We want somebody who will want democracy to be practised in Rivers State. They said one man, one vote. Now, they do not want one man, one vote again. “Obio/Akpor LGA is not a place you can toy with. Those who feel they can suspend Obio/Akpor council officials, we will make them uncomfortable. They felt once they had dissolved the council, they would sleep. “The party has suspended them, because they have touched the lion and when you touch the lion, you know the consequences. Since they said the councillors will not take their salaries, they also will know that they will not belong to the PDP. “The party chairman (Chief Felix Obuah) warned them and they said he would not be able to do anything. At the end of the day, they are going to court to challenge us. We will meet them in court. We are not afraid of the court. We are accustomed to it. All the ones they have gone, we have been winning them and we will continue to win them. “They are doing everything they can. They are using their power and their money. Money cannot solve all problems. Sometimes, you have to come back home and realise that the people matter a lot. It is the power of the people that has put us in positions and you must come back to thank the people. “Forget about what they are doing to you (his supporters). Do not worry. We are all together. Do not lose hope. God is on the throne.” Wike said the suspended Chairman of Obio/Akpor LG, Mr. Timothy Nsirim, who also attended the rally; his deputy, Solomon Eke, and the 17 councillors have been denied their salaries since April, but said that is part of the sacrifice to make democracy survive. The minister asked the people of the state to continue to support President Jonathan and the party. He urged members of the GDI, in particular, to go to all the wards, communities and families in the state not to abandon President Jonathan and his wife. Wike added: “Your duty as GDI members is to go and mobilise the entire state for our son (Jonathan), eventually when he decides to run and we believe the people of the Southsouth zone cannot sacrifice, for whatever it is, our own son, for anything less than President.” Factional Chairman of the PDP in the state, Chief Felix Obuah, pledged at the function to reconcile Amaechi, Wike and other aggrieved members of the party in the state. Obuah said: “I want to invite the governor (Amaechi), the minister (Wike) and all aggrieved members of Ikwerre community, to be with me in my palace next weekend. Let us sit down and fashion a way forward. I will not sit down and see my children quarrelling, and I will not feel concerned.” A former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Austin Opara, described Obio/Akpor LGA as the home of the GDI and the PDP, stressing that “anybody standing on your way is standing before a moving train and will be crushed.” The President-General of the GDI, Bright Amewhule, in his remarks, stated that President Jonathan would be supported to return in 2015 and that they were solidly behind Wike. The ceremony is the latest by the anti-Amaechi camp in the state. Similar ceremonies by pro-Amaechi groups are routinely disallowed by the police, prompting observers from within and outside the state to accuse the police leadership in the state of taking sides. A rally scheduled for last Tuesday by civil rights groups to protest what they called anti-democratic tendencies in the state was not allowed to hold by the police. Some militants even threatened that the lives of some of those expected at the rally were not safe should they come. SOURCE: THE NATION