Sunday 29 December 2013

Nigeria Welcomes Anti-Gay Laws

Recently, the Nigerian Senate, following the good example of the House of Representatives, passed the bill against homosexuality and lesbianism. As if they had been waiting for that positive development, their counterparts in Uganda passed a similar law. Back in Nigeria, State Houses of Assembly are taking the same path as their federal counterparts. The Katsina State House of Assembly has just passed a law making homosexuality and lesbianism offences punishable by a 14-year jail term and N10, 000 fine.

Curiously, in Europe and America, homosexuality has become fashionable, as governments openly back the despicable trend. Some of these governments are so proud of their stand on the issue that they count it as one of their achievements. Their argument that individuals can live their lives as they deem fit in line with the dictates of their rights as human beings may be admissible.
But many, especially in Africa, are beginning to express worry that they are intent on internationalising it. At some point, some governments in Europe and even international sports organisations threatened to withdraw aid to countries in the developing world that frown on same sex relationships.
We are persuaded to argue that if gay rights or homosexuality is a fundamental human right, the individual should be allowed to decide to whether to enjoy or repudiate it, as with all such rights, without any government having to use its paraphernalia to coerce people to adopt it, use it as an instrument of state policy or even international relations. It is a matter for utmost regret that governments in the developed countries should express opinion on what is essentially the prerogative of any country to decide on.
We commend governments of African countries for taking steps to check its spread, considering the tendency by Africans to copy everything dished out by western culture. It will be to their eternal credit that they have refused to be blackmailed or bullied by these so-called developed countries, who believe, erroneously, that cultural and moral values can be sacrificed in anticipation of a bowl of porridge.
Furthermore, we reject in its entirety the phenomenon of a man finding a fellow man sexually attractive, or a woman finding another woman intimately appealing. In our view, it is out rightly offensive to all that is decent and has nothing to recommend it to any human being in his or her proper frame of mind.
It is our contention that the inclination of these developed countries to globalise immorality is, in itself reprehensible and we urge African leaders to insist on their rejection of what is antithetical to all that the average African holds dear, even as they muster the political will to see such stand through.

Okogie flays Okotie’s attack on Catholics

Okogie and Okotie
A retired Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Cardinal Anthony Okogie, has warned the Pastor of the Household of God Church International, Chris Okotie, against talking out of ignorance or else he will be digraced.
The cardinal was reacting to the Okotie’s recent comment that “all Catholics will go to hell” in an interview with our correspondent.
Okotie, while criticising the Catholic Church in a sermon, had said the church was “a counterfeit church set up by Satan.” He also said Catholics “bow to idols and crucify Jesus every Sunday when they eat bread claiming they are eating Jesus’ body.”
Describing Catholic as “a counterfeit church set up by Satan,” Okotie said. “They (Catholics) are not Christians and have never been. They don’t know Jesus. They believe that when they eat bread on Sundays, they are eating the body of Jesus. It’s ritual,” he added.
Okogie, however, said it was wrong for the 55-year-old pastor to speak on what he knew little or nothing about.
He said, “It is always good to talk on what you know, not on what you do not know. The problem we have today is that a lot of people put their mouth in what does not concern them because they want people to know that they too are there; that they can be reckoned with.
“I don’t think that is the way to do things, no. I think the best thing is to always put your mouth where God puts it, if you don’t want to be disgraced.”
Okotie, who had divorced two wives, recently bought a 2014 Bespoke Edition of Rolls Royce Coupeto worth N120m to mark his 30 years as born-again Christian and 27 years as a pastor.
One of his aides said he had earlier spent N33m on a Range Rover Autobiography to mark a milestone of his ministry.

PDP can never win in Nigeria again — Amaechi

Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi

AHEAD of the 2015 presidential election, the Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has said unless the Peoples Democratic Party embraces rigging, it can never win elections in the country.
The governor, who made this remark while speaking with newsmen in Port Harcourt on Friday night, said with the exodus of PDP members to the All Progressives Congress, the ruling party was on its way out of power.
He said, “Most of you may have known that I have since left the PDP to a better party called the All Progressives Congress because the PDP is a drowning party and the facts remain that PDP is a drowning party.
“Watch out before March if we don’t have the numbers that we are looking for. So, you can’t call us opposition anymore because there are three arms of government and only two are electable; the executive and legislature.
“Yes, the PDP has the national executive, but we are inching close to having the legislature. Who then would be called the opposition if we have it?”
Amaechi, who predicted that more governors would defect to the APC in 2014, disclosed that one of the reasons why he left the PDP was as a result of the attempt by President Goodluck Jonathan’s wife, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, to interfere in the governance of Rivers State.
He also cited the ceding of Rivers resources to other states, the absence of Federal Government projects in the state and bad governance as the reasons why he dumped the PDP.
“But the basic reason why we left is the resources of Rivers State. I have told all of you on several occasions that the wife of the President was not elected the governor of Rivers State. I am the governor of Rivers State and husband to Judith Amaechi.
“I left because of the attempt by the wife of the President to micromanage governance in Rivers. I said no, you can’t; so that if I fail, they will not say the wife of the President failed, Governor Amaechi failed. I am accountable to God and to men and women,” he added.
Amaechi, however, said Nigerian politicians were averse to telling the truth and blamed Nigerians for the lack of interest in knowing the truth.
Recalling his claim that the Federal Government could not account for the sum of $49.8 bn and N2.3 trn oil subsidy, Amaechi said governors, at a time, refused to collect their states’ monthly allocations for three months.
He said, “When the politician reel out numbers, you should hold him accountable to the numbers he has reeled out. If you don’t hold them accountable, he will just say anything he likes.
“When I said the Federal Government could not account for $49.8 bn, they said, Amaechi, how did you know and I pulled out the letter and said the authority is the CBN governor.
“So, let him deny it. When I said they could not account for N2.3 trn for oil subsidy, they say what is your source? I was in the meeting with the President. We told the President that under General Obasanjo, the total oil money was N300 bn. The first year of President Goodluck Jonathan, 2011, oil subsidy became N2.3 trn. Did we buy more machines, expanded Nigeria?”
Source.PUNCH.

Jonathan Worships With Nigerians On Last Sunday Service Of 2013: "I Was Made President By God"


photo - Jonathan Worships With Nigerians On Last Sunday Service Of 2013: "I Was Made President By God"
President Goodluck Jonathan (middle) with the Leaders of Apostolic Faith Church during the last Sunday service of the Year 2013 at the Apostolic Faith Church Regional Headquarters in Abuja (photo credit: Akin Oladokun)
This Sunday, President Goodluck Jonathan spoke before the congregation at the Sunday church service in Apostolic Faith Church in Jabi, Abuja.
Among other things, he recalled how he rose from a tiny community in Bayelsa State to become President of Nigeria by the grace of God and thanks to support of the people.
He also noted that lack of love and unity has been the greatest problem facing Nigeria today.
"We will try our best, but this is not the time to reel out what we are doing or what we are not doing, otherwise they will think I am here to campaign," the President said. "But I assure you, this congregation, and, indeed all Nigerians, that by the will of God and your support, I am here today from nowhere.
"Any child of Nigeria can be where I am. I come from the smallest state in this country, even within the state, one of the smallest communities in Bayelsa state. Even within the community, one of the smallest families, but I am here today by the grace of God.
"That is the type of Nigeria we want to create, a Nigeria where you can get what you want if you work hard, it is not because you know somebody who knows somebody that will talk to somebody. A Nigeria that our children, if they work hard, will get whatever they want just like in other free societies like America and so on. We will work with you to help you to get to wherever you want to go.
"I don't have a formal address. Because for those of us in politics, these days are not the best days to make speeches because any statement we make, people look at how to paint it. The next day when you read the newspapers, you start doubting if that is what you said. So any statement we make is always used against us.
"But I am quite pleased to be here with you today to worship with you. I love the children and your programme. I love the choir ministration. Probably, this is the first time I am worshiping with you since I came to Abuja in 2007. Probably, you would have seen me more than ten times if we [didn't] have a chapel in the villa, so we worship there every Sunday.
"But during the Christmas and New Year period, I like to go round and interact with other brethren. The reason is actually to thank all of you for what you have been doing for this country, for your prayers. I always say and I will continue to say it that but for your prayers, probably it would have been worse than this.
"As a nation, we have our challenges, no doubt about that and anytime I look at the history of Nigeria and the challenges we face and when I read parts of the old statement about when the Israelites decided to move out of Egypt to the promised land, we have something quite similar.
"As you are getting closer, you meet more obstacles and thank God for the sermon we heard and of course the songs showed that the greatest problem we have is love and unity. Yes, Nigeria was amalgamated by our colonial masters in 1914. By 1st January next year, Nigeria as a state will be 100 years old.
"But I totally agree with our man of God that it was not by chance, it was ordained by God. If God didn't will it at that point, the north and south would not have come together. The details of the north and south coming together make Nigeria a very great country. I use to say that Nigeria is great not because of oil, we have countries that produce more oil than Nigeria but nobody talks about them.
"We have countries that have multi million dollars in reserve because of their wealth and nobody talks about them but here we are just talking about 40,000 dollars. But the biggest to the smallest country talks about Nigeria. Why? Because of the diversity from the north to the south, the human and natural resources, the potentials and the population that we have.
"So, Nigeria is a country that has a special blessing from God. It is left for us to appreciate God and continue to pray for God’s intervention and this country will continue to be great.”“I promise our children that we are totally committed to make sure that they meet a different Nigeria. We will collectively work hard to overcome these barriers, these feelings of oh that I am Christian, I am a Muslim, I am Hausa, I am Ijaw. Immediately we cross that barrier and we begin to believe that we are all Nigerians and we are committed to the development of this country, our children will surely meet a better Nigeria."
Earlier in the service, the President took the Bible Reading from the Book of Lamentations, Chapter 3, Verses 22 to 26.
Delivering the sermon titled 'Living worthy of great mercies, great faithfulness of God,' Rev. Bayo Adeniran said that Nigeria will be very great if it returns from its evil ways, repent and follow God like the people of Nineveh in the Bible in Jonah 3: 5 to 8.
A number of top government officials attended the service with the President.

Iheanacho: Greed Of A Father And An Agent

Our elders say that a dog destined to die ignores the whistle of the hunter while a hunter that chases two games at the same time may end up not catching any.


kelechi-iheanachoThat is the true position of Golden Eaglets hero Kelechi Iheanacho, his father James Iheanacho and his unnamed agent. Since the player shot into limelight, his father and the agent in particular have displayed their hunger for money at the expense of the boy’s career which should be uppermost in their mind.
The young lad announced his arrival at the world stage the moment he netted four goals past Iraq in his match at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in the UAE last August. He ended up becoming the Most Valuable Player of the competition as well as the second highest goal scorer. Kelechi and his team-mates from the beginning of the competition to the end stunned the world with their mastery of the game making Nigerians to now see them as the future backbones of the new Eagles Stephen Keshi was helping to mould.
This prompted the NFF and the sports minister, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi announce that the boys would be groomed to becoming great materials for the senior national team by ensuring they don’t jump into wrong hands masquerading as agents of clubs around the world. However, signs that some parents of the players would mislead the boys because of their greed came to the fore in a hilarious chat the NFF president, Alhaji Aminu Maigari and the sports minister, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi had with one of the parents which veteran sports journalist and CAF/FIFA match commissioner, Paul Bassey published in his column recently.
Every plea to the parent that his child would be guided to stardom so that the money he is earnestly yearning for will roll in effortlessly fell on deaf ears as he was interested in how much the various governments, local, State and Federal as well as companies and individuals were ready to splash on the players, because as he claimed, he spent a fortune preparing his son to be the good player he turned out to be for the benefit of the country. Then came the supposed ‘scramble’ for Kelechi and the swiftness with which his father turned a football coach, agent and manager. It is not on record that he had ever done those jobs to be an expert in offering a positive advice to his son.
Those who should know, from Kelechi’s coaches like Nduka Ugbade and Emmanuel Amuneke and ex player of note, Victor Ikpeba, advised that the boy should not be rushed into Europe, especially to Manchester City football club but allowed to hone his skills in lesser clubs in either Belgium or Holland and the senior Iheanacho and the agent would have none of it.
Keshi magnanimously invited Iheanacho and two of his team-mates, goalkeeper Dele Alampasu and Taiwo Awoniyi into the Super Eagles Team B preparing for the CAF African Nations Championship, CHAN holding in South Africa in January and they were already warming their way into Keshi’s with their mature display at training. Suddenly this desperate agent sauntered into the Eagles camp to ask for the release of the football prodigy, a request Keshi turned down but the agent’s accomplice, Kelechi’s father, we were told, put a call to Keshi, ordering him to release his son to the agent. And Keshi did.
Today, the desperation to get Kelechi fast-tracked into Manchester City is gradually turning sour in their mouth. First the news came that Man City wanted to send him to an Academy it is affiliated to in Ghana, a decision most Nigerian fans frowned at, asking if the England club has no Academy of its own in Manchester. Then came another clause attached to the whole arrangement. That is the club would not release any dime to Kelechi, his father nor the agent until the boy turns a full adult as the laws of England does not allow an under-17 to be paid salary, I guess.
This is reported not to have gone down well with the senior Iheanacho and the agent who feel that they can’t afford to wait until late 2014 or early 2015 to start earning the big bucks, from the sweat of the innocent player, whose career is seriously being threatened now by the desperation of two adults. I ask, why would Kelechi’s father want to collect some percentage from the contract? As father of the player, will he not get a piece of the boy’s earnings when it eventually start rolling in?
He should have learnt from the parents of other young players who became bread winners of their families after they hit it big in Europe by taking their time to grow. The list of desperate young players who wanted to run before they walk is too long to be put down here and their experience should have guided Kelechi’s agent and his father to be patient as the reward would surely come.
They should also have allowed Kelechi to participate in the CHAN were he would most probably have put up a display that will help raise his profile more because clubs would see that he could also make an impact in a senior team. But as it is now, if misses the Man City deal, can Keshi still accommodate him in his CHAN plans? I doubt. It is still not too late for them to have a change of heart and listen to Amuneke, Ikpeba, Maigari, the sports minister and our own Paul Bassey who at various times offered a piece of advice.
If Nwankwo Kanu, Wilson Oruma, Jonathan Akpoborie, Joseph Yobo, Mikel Obi as well as a host of others had been too desperate to run to big clubs because of fat bucks, may be they would have been gnashing their teeth like a whole lot of others now stranded in Europe playing Sunday-Sunday street football or washing dishes in some obscure restaurants and too ashamed to return home. So be wise Kelechi, talk to your father and his agent friend.

Friday 27 December 2013

Calabar Festival Update. Tonto, Funke Akindele, Florence Ita-Giwa,

Tonto Dikeh, Funke Akindele, Uti Nwachukwu, Florence Ita-Giwa, Mbong Amata and more celebs at the Calabar Carnival going on right now in Calabar, Cross River State. More pics after the cut...



Why This White Man Has Nigeria Coat Of Arms Tattoo On His Chest- Photos


Why This White Man Has Nigeria Coat Of Arms Tattoo On His Chest- Photos

This young man, Vladimir Maslovsky from Ukraine who calls himself “Oyinbo FlyBoi Nigerian” has claimed that he loves Nigeria and cannot wait to visit Nigeria.
Maslovsky has a tattoo of Nigeria Coat of Arms on his body and he can also speak Yoruba and Igbo a little.
See his message to Nigeria below;

“You don’t have to be born in Nigeria to be a Nigerian. Yes am a white, but I’m so bleeping fully Nigerian … and I’m so proud that I met them,and they changed my life…So Thank you Lord, that is the best gift for me! So me now just waiting when i go finish my school and then i go enter Naija to make there some changes…. Yes We Can Be United! Yes We Can Be Faithful! Yes We Can Be Peaceful! Yes We Can Be Progressive! Orile ede to rewa ni nigeria Chukwu bụ onye okịke.Ọ bụ ọnye ọka ịwu. #unity and faith peace and progress! # tattoo One Love to you all my big NAIJA FAMILY! Respectfully yours ”Oyinbo FlyBoi Nigerian

Sunday 22 December 2013

LETTER : President Goodluck Jonathan Replies Former President Obasanjo

By Goodluck Ebele Jonathan
 December 20th 2013
His Excellency,
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR
Agbe L’Oba House, Quarry Road,
Ibara, Abeokuta.

 RE: BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE

I wish to formally acknowledge your letter dated December 2, 2013 and other previous correspondence similar to it.

You will recall that all the letters were brought to me by hand. Although both of us discussed some of the issues in those letters, I had not, before now, seen the need for any formal reply since, to me, they contained advice from a former President to a serving President. Obviously, you felt differently because in your last letter, you complained about my not acknowledging or replying your previous letters.

It is with the greatest possible reluctance that I now write this reply. I am most uneasy about embarking on this unprecedented and unconventional form of open communication between me and a former leader of our country because I know that there are more acceptable and dignified means of doing so.

But I feel obliged to reply your letter for a number of reasons: one, you formally requested for a reply and not sending you one will be interpreted as ignoring a former President.

Secondly, Nigerians know the role you have played in my political life and given the unfortunate tone of your letter, clearly, the grapes have gone sour.  Therefore, my side of the story also needs to be told.

The third reason why I must reply you in writing is that your letter is clearly a threat to national security as it may deliberately or inadvertently set the stage for subversion.

The fourth reason for this reply is that you raised very weighty issues, and since the letter has been made public, Nigerians are expressing legitimate concerns. A response from me therefore, becomes very necessary.

The fifth reason is that this letter may appear in biographies and other books which political commentators on Nigeria’s contemporary politics may write. It is only proper for such publications to include my comments on the issues raised in your letter.

Sixthly, you are very unique in terms of the governance of this country. You were a military Head of State for three years and eight months, and an elected President for eight years. That means you have been the Head of Government of Nigeria for about twelve years. This must have, presumably, exposed you to a lot of information. Thus when you make a statement, there is the tendency for people to take it seriously.

The seventh reason is that the timing of your letter coincided with other vicious releases. The Speaker of the House of Representatives spoke of my “body language” encouraging corruption. A letter written to me by the CBN Governor alleging that NNPC, within a period of 19 months did not remit the sum of USD49.8 billion to the federation account, was also deliberately leaked to the public.

The eighth reason is that it appears that your letter was designed to incite Nigerians from other geopolitical zones against me and also calculated to promote ethnic disharmony. Worse still, your letter was designed to instigate members of our Party, the PDP, against me.

The ninth reason is that your letter conveys to me the feeling that landmines have been laid for me. Therefore, Nigerians need to have my response to the issues raised before the mines explode.

The tenth and final reason why my reply is inevitable is that you have written similar letters and made public comments in reference to all former Presidents and Heads of Government starting from Alhaji Shehu Shagari and these have instigated different actions and reactions. The purpose and direction of your letter is distinctly ominous, and before it is too late, my clarifications on the issues need to be placed on record.

Let me now comment on the issues you raised. In commenting I wish to crave your indulgence to compare what is happening now to what took place before.  This, I believe, will enable Nigerians see things in better perspective because we must know where we are coming from so as to appreciate where we now are, and to allow us clearly map out where we are going.

You raised concerns about the security situation in the country. I assure you that I am fully aware of the responsibility of government for ensuring the security of the lives and property of citizens. My Administration is working assiduously to overcome current national security challenges, the seeds of which were sown under previous administrations.  There have been some setbacks; but certainly there have also been great successes in our efforts to overcome terrorism and insurgency.

Those who continue to down-play our successes in this regard, amongst whom you must now be numbered, appear to have conveniently forgotten the depths to which security in our country had plunged before now.

At a stage, almost the entire North-East of Nigeria was under siege by insurgents. Bombings of churches and public buildings in the North and the federal capital became an almost weekly occurrence. Our entire national security apparatus seemed nonplussed and unable to come to grips with the new threat posed by the berthing of terrorism on our shores.

But my administration has since brought that very unacceptable situation under significant control. We have overhauled our entire national security architecture, improved intelligence gathering, training, funding, logistical support to our armed forces and security agencies, and security collaboration with friendly countries with very visible and positive results.

The scope and impact of terrorist operations have been significantly reduced and efforts are underway to restore full normalcy to the most affected North Eastern region and initiate a post-crisis development agenda, including a special intervention programme to boost the region’s socio-economic progress.

In doing all this, we have kept our doors open for dialogue with the insurgents and their supporters through efforts such as the work of the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and the Peaceful Resolution of the Security Challenges in the North-East. You also know that the Governor of Borno State provided the items you mentioned to me as carrots. Having done all this and more, it is interesting that you still accuse me of not acting on your hardly original recommendation that the carrot and stick option be deployed to solve the Boko Haram problem.

Your suggestion that we are pursuing a “war against violence without understanding the root causes of the violence and applying solutions to deal with all the underlying factors” is definitely misplaced because from the onset of this administration, we have been implementing a multifaceted strategy against militancy, insurgency and terrorism that includes poverty alleviation, economic development, education and social reforms.

Even though basic education is the constitutional responsibility of States, my administration has, as part of its efforts to address ignorance and poor education which have been identified as two of the factors responsible for making some of our youth easily available for use as cannon fodder by insurgents and terrorists, committed huge funds to the provision of modern basic education schools for the Almajiri in several Northern States. The Federal Government under my leadership has also set up nine additional universities in the Northern States and three in the Southern States in keeping with my belief that proper education is the surest way of emancipating and empowering our people.

More uncharitable persons may even see a touch of sanctimoniousness in your new belief in the carrot and stick approach to overcoming militancy and insurgency. You have always referred to how you hit Odi in Bayelsa State to curb militancy in the Niger Delta.  If the invasion of Odi by the Army was the stick, I did not see the corresponding carrot.  I was the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State then, and as I have always told you, the invasion of Odi did not solve any militancy problem but, to some extent, escalated it. If it had solved it, late President Yar’Adua would not have had to come up with the amnesty program. And while some elements of the problem may still be there, in general, the situation is reasonably better.

In terms of general insecurity in the country and particularly the crisis in the Niger Delta, 2007 was one of the worst periods in our history. You will recall three incidents that happened in 2007 which seemed to have been orchestrated to achieve sinister objectives.  Here in Abuja, a petrol tanker loaded with explosives was to be rammed into the INEC building. But luckily for the country, an electric pole stopped the tanker from hitting the INEC building.  It is clear that this incident was meant to exploit the general sense of insecurity in the nation at the time to achieve the aim of stopping the 2007 elections.  It is instructive that you, on a number of occasions, alluded to this fact.

When that incident failed, an armed group invaded Yenagoa one evening with the intent to assassinate me.  Luckily for me, they could not.  They again attacked and bombed my country home on a night when I was expected in the village. Fortunately, as God would have it, I did not make the trip.

I recall that immediately after both incidents, I got calls expressing the concern of Abuja.  But Baba, you know that despite the apparent concern of Abuja, no single arrest was ever made. I was then the Governor of Bayelsa State and the PDP Vice-Presidential candidate. The security people ordinarily should have unraveled the assassination attempt on me.

You also raised the issues of kidnapping, piracy and armed robbery. These are issues all Nigerians, including me are very concerned about. While we will continue to do our utmost best to reduce all forms of criminality to the barest minimum in our country, it is just as well to remind you that the first major case of kidnapping for ransom took place around 2006. And the Boko Haram crisis dates back to 2002. Goodluck Jonathan was not the President of the country then. Also, armed robbery started in this country immediately after the civil war and since then, it has been a problem to all succeeding governments.  For a former Head of Government, who should know better, to present these problems as if they were creations of the Jonathan Administration is most uncharitable.

Having said that, let me remind you of some of the things we have done to curb violent crime in the country. We have reorganized the Nigerian Police Force and appointed a more dynamic leadership to oversee its affairs. We have also improved its manpower levels as well as funding, training and logistical support.

We have also increased the surveillance capabilities of the Police and provided its air-wing with thrice the number of helicopters it had before the inception of the present administration. The National Civil Defence and Security Corps has been armed to make it a much more effective ally of the police and other security agencies in the war against violent crime. At both domestic and international levels, we are doing everything possible to curb the proliferation of the small arms and light weapons with which armed robberies, kidnappings and piracy are perpetrated. We have also enhanced security at our borders to curb cross-border crimes.

 We are aggressively addressing the challenge of crude oil theft in collaboration with the state Governors. In addition, the Federal Government has engaged the British and US governments for their support in the tracking of the proceeds from the purchase of stolen crude. Similarly, a regional Gulf of Guinea security strategy has been initiated to curb crude oil theft and piracy.

Perhaps the most invidious accusation in your letter is the allegation that I have placed over one thousand Nigerians on a political watch list, and that I am training snipers and other militia to assassinate people. Baba, I don’t know where you got that from but you do me grave injustice in not only lending credence to such baseless rumours, but also publicizing it. You mentioned God seventeen times in your letter. Can you as a Christian hold the Bible and say that you truly believe this allegation?

The allegation of training snipers to assassinate political opponents is particularly incomprehensible to me. Since I started my political career as a Deputy Governor, I have never been associated with any form of political violence. I have been a President for over three years now, with a lot of challenges and opposition mainly from the high and mighty. There have certainly been cases of political assassination since the advent of our Fourth Republic, but as you well know, none of them occurred under my leadership.

Regarding the over one thousand people you say are on a political watch list, I urge you to kindly tell Nigerians who they are and what agencies of government are “watching” them. Your allegation that I am using security operatives to harass people is also baseless. Nigerians are waiting for your evidence of proof. That was an accusation made against previous administrations, including yours, but it is certainly not my style and will never be. Again, if you insist on the spurious claim that some of your relatives and friends are being harassed, I urge you to name them and tell Nigerians what agencies of my administration are harassing them.

I also find it difficult to believe that you will accuse me of assisting murderers, or assigning a presidential delegation to welcome a murderer. This is a most unconscionable and untrue allegation. It is incumbent on me to remind you that I am fully conscious of the dictates of my responsibilities to God and our dear nation. It is my hope that devious elements will not take advantage of your baseless allegation to engage in brazen and wanton assassination of high profile politicians as before, hiding under the alibi your “open letter” has provided for them.

Nevertheless, I have directed the security agencies and requested the National Human Rights Commission to carry out a thorough investigation of these criminal allegations and make their findings public.

That corruption is an issue in Nigeria is indisputable.  It has been with us for many years. You will recall that your kinsman, the renowned afro-beat maestro, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti famously sang about it during your first stint as Head of State. Sonny Okosun also sang about corruption. And as you may recall, a number of Army Generals were to be retired because of corruption before the Dimka coup.  Also, the late General Murtala Mohammed himself wanted to retire some top people in his cabinet on corruption-related issues before he was assassinated.  Even in this Fourth Republic, the Siemens and Halliburton scandals are well known.

The seed of corruption in this country was planted a long time ago, but we are doing all that we can to drastically reduce its debilitating effects on national development and progress. I have been strengthening the institutions established to fight corruption. I will not shield any government official or private individual involved in corruption, but I must follow due process in all that I do. And whenever clear cases of corruption or fraud have been established, my administration has always taken prompt action in keeping with the dictates of extant laws and procedures. You cannot claim to be unaware of the fact that several highly placed persons in our country, including sons of some of our party leaders are currently facing trial for their involvement in the celebrated subsidy scam affair. I can hardly be blamed if the wheels of justice still grind very slowly in our country, but we are doing our best to support and encourage the judiciary to quicken the pace of adjudication in cases of corruption.

Baba, I am amazed that with all the knowledge garnered from your many years at the highest level of governance in our country, you could still believe the spurious allegation contained in a letter written to me by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and surreptitiously obtained by you, alleging that USD49.8 billion, a sum equal to our entire national budget for two years, is “unaccounted for” by the NNPC. Since, as President, you also served for many years as Minister of Petroleum Resources, you very well know the workings of the corporation. It is therefore intriguing that you have made such an assertion. You made a lot of insinuations about oil theft, shady dealings at the NNPC and the NNPC not remitting the full proceeds of oil sales to the of CBN. Now that the main source of the allegations which you rehashed has publicly stated that he was “misconstrued”, perhaps you will find it in your heart to apologize for misleading unwary Nigerians and impugning the integrity of my administration on that score.

Your claim of “Atlantic Oil loading about 130, 000 barrels sold by Shell and managed on behalf of NPDC with no sale proceeds paid into the NPDC account” is also disjointed and baseless because no such arrangement as you described exists between Atlantic Oil and the Nigeria Petroleum Development Company. NPDC currently produces about 138, 000 barrels of oil per day from over 7 producing assets. The Crude Oil Marketing Division (COMD) of the NNPC markets all of this production on behalf of NPDC with proceeds paid into NPDC account.

I am really shocked that with all avenues open to you as a former Head of State for the verification of any information you have received about state affairs, you chose to go public with allegations of “high corruption” without offering a shred of supporting evidence. One of your political “sons” similarly alleged recently that he told me of a minister who received a bribe of $250 Million from an oil company and I did nothing about it. He may have been playing from a shared script, but we have not heard from him again since he was challenged to name the minister involved and provide the evidence   to back his claim.  I urge you, in the same vein, to furnish me with the names, facts and figures of a single verifiable case of the “high corruption” which you say stinks all around my administration and see whether the corrective action you advocate does not follow promptly. And while you are at it, you may also wish to tell Nigerians the true story of questionable waivers of signature bonuses between 2000 and 2007.

While, by the Grace of God Almighty, I am the first President from a minority group, I am never unmindful of the fact that I was elected leader of the whole of Nigeria and I have always acted in the best interest of all Nigerians. You referred to the divisive actions and inflammatory utterances of some individuals from the South-South and asserted that I have done nothing to call them to order or distance myself from their ethnic chauvinism. Again that is very untrue. I am as committed to the unity of this country as any patriot can be and I have publicly declared on many occasions that no person who threatens other Nigerians or parts of the country is acting on my behalf.

It is very regrettable that in your letter, you seem to place sole responsibility for the ongoing intrigues and tensions in the PDP at my doorstep, and going on from that position, you direct all your appeals for a resolution at me. Baba, let us all be truthful to ourselves, God and posterity. At the heart of all the current troubles in our party and the larger polity is the unbridled jostling and positioning for personal or group advantage ahead of the 2015 general elections. The “bitterness, anger, mistrust, fear and deep suspicion” you wrote about all flow from this singular factor.

It is indeed very unfortunate that the seeming crisis in the party was instigated by a few senior members of the party, including you. But, as leader of the party, I will continue to do my best to unite it so that we can move forward with strength and unity of purpose. The PDP has always recovered from previous crises with renewed vigour and vitality. I am very optimistic that that will be the case again this time. The PDP will overcome any temporary setback, remain a strong party and even grow stronger.

Instigating people to cause problems and disaffection within the party is something that you are certainly familiar with. You will recall that founding fathers of the Party were frustrated out of the Party at a time.  Late Chief Sunday Awoniyi was pushed out, Late Chief Solomon Lar left and later came back, Chief Audu Ogbeh and Chief Tom Ikimi also left. Chief Okwesilieze Nwodo left and later came back. In 2005/2006, link-men were sent to take over party structures from PDP Governors in an unveiled attempt to undermine the state governors. In spite of that, the Governors did not leave the Party because nobody instigated and encouraged them to do so.

The charge that I was involved in anti-party activities in governorship elections in Edo, Ondo, Lagos, and Anambra States is also very unfortunate. I relate with all Governors irrespective of political party affiliation but I have not worked against the interest of the PDP.  What I have not done is to influence the electoral process to favour our Party. You were definitely never so inclined, since you openly boasted in your letter of how you supported Alhaji Shehu Shagari against Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Chief Nnamdi Azikiwe and others in the 1979 presidential elections while serving as a military Head of State. You and I clearly differ in this regard, because as the President of Nigeria, I believe it is my duty and responsibility to create a level playing field for all parties and all candidates.

Recalling how the PDP lost in states where we were very strong in 2003 and 2007 such as Edo, Ondo, Imo, Bauchi, Anambra, and Borno, longstanding members of our great party with good memory will also consider the charge of anti-party activities you made against me as misdirected and hugely hypocritical. It certainly was not Goodluck Jonathan’s “personal ambition or selfish interest” that caused the PDP to lose the governorship of Ogun State and all its senatorial seats in the last general elections.

You quoted me as saying that I have not told anybody that I will seek another term in office in 2015. You and your ambitious acolytes within the party have clearly decided to act on your conclusion that “only a fool will believe that statement” and embark on a virulent campaign to harass me out of an undeclared candidature for the 2015 presidential elections so as to pave the way for a successor anointed by you.

You will recall that you serially advised me that we should refrain from discussing the 2015 general elections for now so as not to distract elected public officials from urgent task of governance. While you have apparently moved away from that position, I am still of the considered opinion that it would have been best for us to do all that is necessary to refrain from heating up the polity at this time. Accordingly, I have already informed Nigerians that I will only speak on whether or not I will seek a second term when it is time for such declarations. Your claims about discussions I had with you, Governor Gabriel Suswam and others are wrong, but in keeping with my declared stance, I will reserve further comments until the appropriate time.

Your allegation that I asked half a dozen African Presidents to speak to you about my alleged ambition for 2015, is also untrue.  I have never requested any African President to discuss with you on my behalf.  In our discussion, I mentioned to you that four Presidents told me that they were concerned about the political situation in Nigeria and intended to talk to you about it.  So far, only three of them have confirmed to me that they have had any discussion with you. If I made such a request, why would I deny it?

The issue of Buruji Kashamu is one of those lies that should not be associated with a former President.  The allegation that I am imposing Kashamu on the South-West is most unfortunate and regrettable.  I do not even impose Party officials in my home state of Bayelsa and there is no zone in this country where I have imposed officials.  So why would I do so in the South West?  Baba, in the light of Buruji’s detailed public response to your “open letter”, it will be charitable for you to render an apology to Nigerians and I.

On the issue of investors being scared to come to Nigeria, economic dormancy, and stagnation, I will just refer you to FDI statistics from 2000 to 2013. Within the last three years, Nigeria has emerged as the preferred destination for investments in Africa, driven by successful government policies to attract foreign investors. For the second year running, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Investments (UNCTAD) has ranked Nigeria as the number one destination for investments in Africa, and as having the fourth highest returns in the world.

Today, Nigeria is holding 18 percent of all foreign investments in Africa and 60 percent of all foreign investments in the ECOWAS Sub-Region. Kindly note also that in the seven years between 2000 and 2007 when you were President, Nigeria attracted a total of $24.9 Billion in FDI.  As a result of our efforts which you disparage, the country has seen an FDI inflow of $25.7 Billion in just three years which is more than double the FDI that has gone to the second highest African destination. We have also maintained an annual national economic growth rate of close to seven per cent since the inception of this administration. What then, is the justification for your allegation of scared investors and economic dormancy?
Although it was not emphasized in your letter of December 2, 2013, you also conveyed, in previous correspondence, the impression that you were ignorant of the very notable achievements of my administration in the area of foreign relations. It is on record that under my leadership, Nigeria has played a key role in resolving the conflicts in Niger, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, Guinea Bissau and others.

The unproductive rivalry that existed between Nigeria and some ECOWAS countries has also been ended under my watch and Nigeria now has better relations with all the ECOWAS countries.  At the African Union, we now have a Commissioner at the AU Commission after being without one for so long. We were in the United Nations Security Council for the 2010/2011 Session and we have been voted in again for the 2014/2015 Session. From independence to 2010, we were in the U.N. Security Council only three times but from 2010 to 2015, we will be there two times.
  
This did not happen by chance.  My Administration worked hard for it and we continue to maintain the best possible relations with all centres of global political and economic power. I find it hard therefore, to believe your assertions of untoward concern in the international community over the state of governance in Nigeria

With respect to the Brass and Olokola LNG projects, you may have forgotten that though you started these projects, Final Investment Decisions were never reached.  For your information, NNPC has not withdrawn from either the Olokola or the Brass LNG projects.

On the Rivers State Water Project, you were misled by your informant. The Federal Government under my watch has never directed or instructed the Africa Development Bank to put on hold any project to be executed in Rivers state or any other State within the Federation. The Rivers Water Project was not originally in the borrowing plan but it was included in April 2013 and appraised in May. Negotiations are ongoing with the AfDB.  I have no doubt that you are familiar with the entire process that prefaces the signing of a Subsidiary Loan Agreement as in this instance.

 Let me assure you and all Nigerians that I do not engage in negative political actions and will never, as President, oppress the people of a State or deprive them of much needed public services as a result of political disagreement

I have noted your comments on the proposed National Conference. Contrary to the insinuation in your letter, the proposed conference is aimed at bringing Nigerians together to resolve contentious national issues in a formal setting. This is a sure way of promoting greater national consensus and unity, and not a recipe for “disunity, confusion and chaos” as you alleged in your letter.

Having twice held the high office of President, Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I trust that you will understand that I cannot possibly find the time to offer a line-by-line response to all the accusations and allegations made in your letter while dealing with other pressing demands of office and more urgent affairs of state.

I have tried, however, to respond to only the most serious of the charges which question my sincerity, personal honour, and commitment to the oath which I have sworn, to always uphold and protect the interests of all Nigerians, and promote their well-being.

In closing, let me state that you have done me grave injustice with your public letter in which you wrongfully accused me of deceit, deception, dishonesty, incompetence, clannishness, divisiveness and insincerity, amongst other ills.

I have not, myself, ever claimed to be all-knowing or infallible, but I have never taken Nigeria or Nigerians for granted as you implied, and I will continue to do my utmost to steer our ship of state towards the brighter future to which we all aspire.

Please accept the assurances of my highest consideration and warm regards.

GOODLUCK  EBELE JONATHAN

MERRY CHRISTMAS: Pope Francis Sends Christmas Presents To 2,000 Immigrants

  • Two thousand immigrants have received Christmas presents from Pope Francis.
Pope Francis Gives Christmas Presents To 2,000 Immigrants
Vatican Pope Francis jokes with the newlyweds of the Rainbow Association Marco Lagulli Onlus, which deals with clownterapia (clown therapy) in hospitals, nursing homes, and orphanages
Two thousand immigrants at the Dono di Maria shelter near the Vatican were thrilled to receive Christmas presents from none other than Pope Francis.
He sent them useful gift packages to allow them to connect with family over the holiday season, including a Christmas card signed by the Pope, postage stamps, a pre-paid international calling card, and a free day-pass for the Rome metro.
Papal almoner Archbishop Konrad Krajewski personally helped the sisters of the Missionaries of Charity hand out the gifts.
Sister Michelle said: "The immigrants received the presents with love and were thankful for the opportunity to call and write their loved ones during the Christmas season."
As an advocate for the poor and marginalized, Pope Francis has specifically spoken out on behalf of immigrants.
On the World Day of Migrants and Refugees in September he condemned "slave labor" and human trafficking.
"Migrants and refugees are not pawns on the chessboard of humanity," he said.
"They are children, women and men who leave or who are forced to leave their homes for various reasons, who share a legitimate desire for knowing and having, but above all for being more."
The Dono di Maria home was founded by Mother Teresa 25 years ago under Pope John Paul II's blessing, according to Patheos.

To Impeach The President

Last week, Reuben Abati, presidential spokesman issued a full threat to those who are canvassing the impeachment of the president. He cautioned them against “treason.”

Dr. Abati is wrong. You’d think that as former fire-eating newspaper columnist, the man who now speaks for the president would know the difference between the felony of treason and the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of speech. Speech is protected under the Nigerian bill of rights. It is one of those rights we fought for; why we chose democracy over tyranny.
Those who are calling for the impeachment of the president cannot be accused of treason because they are expressing political thought and conscience. It is one of the guarantees of democracy that the president can be constitutionally removed if he goes through the process in the National Assembly. Those who call for the removal of the president have a right to mobilize against this president in the National Assembly, and if their campaign gathers momentum, and the National Assembly impeaches the president, they would be within their rights.
They are however prevented from crossing two fundamental boundaries: they cannot deploy any means other than the constitutionally defined method for the removal of the president. In other words, they cannot remove the president by a violent means or by a secret plot leading to military takeover.
They cannot deploy the use of coercive force in compelling any member of the National Assembly from taking an impeachment vote for instance. The constitution outlines the process, and indeed legitimizes the impeachment of the president or any head of government if such head of the government – be it at the federal or the state levels – has been investigated by the senate, and by the proceedings of the two chambers of the Nigerian National Assembly.
It is thus with utter disbelief that one reads Rueben Abati’s use of the threat of “treason” to dissuade those who seek the use of constitutional means to oust the president. The question is not whether the APC as a party can mobilize to impeach the president. It can, and it has the backing of the constitution. Two things however are currently at play here: General Obasanjo’s letter on which the APC anchors its partisan grouse has laid a number of accusations on the doorsteps of the current president.
The key and really more serious accusations include (a) that the president has authorized the training of a Black-Ops group of snipers to assassinate his political opponents leading on to the 2015 elections, and (b) that the President and the government he leads must account for the allegedly missing revenue from Nigerian oil sales. These are weighty accusations deserving of investigation, and if indeed there is any truth to the allegation that the president is misusing his authority and power, it is incumbent on the National Assembly to impeach him. Reuben Abati therefore cannot threaten citizens of Nigeria exercising their rights with treason.
He must understand the limits of presidential power. Although the constitution grants the president enormous and indeed wide-ranging powers, one of such powers is not the power to be court and jury. It is not up to the president or his spokesman to determine who has committed treason. The laws of the land are quite specific about the nature of judicial authority, and the role of the courts, and even the meaning of treasonable conduct. A coup plotter is involved in criminal conduct. A political campaigner seeking the use of the legitimate constitutional framework, including the petitioning of his representative in parliament to seek the constitutional removal of the president is within his rights.
It is democracy at work. Under the democratic mandate, there are two ways to remove a president: through the ballot box or through the process of impeachment. A president that oversteps his power and misuses the power guaranteed by the constitution, or fails to uphold the constitution he swore to protect can be put through the impeachment process, and can in fact be impeached by the parliament of the land and the heavens will not fall as a result.
A president who no longer enjoys the regard, trust or confidence of the people can be impeached by the National Assembly. The impeachment clause however is not a frivolous clause. It cannot be misused. Which brings me to the question of the party calling for the impeachment of the president: they are yet to establish any grounds for which the president should be impeached. It is incumbent on Dr. Jonathan’s adversaries to provide clear proof that the president has misused his authority and that he no longer enjoys the confidence of a majority of Nigerians who elected him in the first place.
Any moves against him might therefore backfire, and the blowback might lead to recall proceedings against those legislators who initiate the impeachment ploy. To be clear, this statement is not a defence of the president, but it is important that Nigerians consider the following: the president of the federation is the executive authority of the land, he is not the final or absolute authority. The president for example cannot authorize the arrest of anybody, it is the duty of prosecutorial authority to do so. In other words, it is not the duty of the president to investigate and prosecute corruption. It is the duty of those constitutionally empowered to investigate corruption in government and prosecute same based on hard evidence.
The president can only be liable if he (a) interferes and shows unseemly disregard for established process in a bid to either protect himself or an associate under investigation (b) The president is directly or indirectly linked to misdemeanor, and (c) he directly authorizes, in disregard to process, the use of government resources to further his personal interest. But the president cannot bear the responsibility of a corrupt government alone.
He can bear the responsibility of his executive mandate which is only one branch of the entire government. The two other branches – the legislature and the Judiciary bear equal responsibility, and the president is not at the head of these branches. Did the president for example circumvent the law to establish a private army of snipers? That certainly should be investigated. But if the president authorized the Nigerian Army to establish a Sniper Squadron by the recommendation of the General Staff of the Army, does that amount to misuse of authority? No. It will amount to misuse of the power of the presidency if the president issues a direct order to his Army Chief to use such a force for his personal political goals.
It is also the responsibility of the Chief of Army under such an illicit order not to carry it out, because clearly, each office is empowered by law to act within its own authority. Just because the president is Commander-in-chief, does not make him Chief of the Army. But has the president crossed those bounds? That is the question. The rule of law is clear: the president cannot be impeached on the mere whims of his adversaries. There must be grounds for his impeachment otherwise it’d amount to political caprice by the APC.

Christmas Is Coming: Nigeria Police Force on Red Alert

Nigeria Police Force on Red AlertWith few days to Christmas, Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar, has put the entire police formations in the country on red alert, to safeguard all Nigerians and public property.
Christmas, in the last three years in Nigeria, has been the favourite time by Boko Haram terrorists to inflict maximum damage to the country.
But the police are not leaving matters to chances, as per the latest directive by MD Abubakar.
According to police spokesman, Frank Mba, the IGP has ordered extra patrols, surveillance and covert operations to better secure potential targets during the festive period.
The Boko Haram militants have struck every Christmas for the past three years, most dramatically in 2011, when they bombed three churches. One of them, on St. Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla, Niger state, killed 37 people and wounded 57.
“All the strike forces and specialized units of the force have been adequately mobilized to … provide water-tight security.
“Covert operations, round-the-clock surveillance, and robust vehicular patrols are being intensified, while particular attention is now constantly paid to strategic public places, including places of worship, recreation centres, shopping malls, business plazas, motor parks, strategic highways, government installations and other important locations so as to forestall any possible criminal activity and guarantee the safety of the citizenry,” Mba said in the statement.
The spokesman further revealed that the IGP has directed all Assistant Inspectors-General of Police and Commissioners of Police in all Zonal and State Commands of the Force to retool their security infrastructures in line with international standards, taking into consideration their local environment and peculiar security situation in order to protect the citizens adequately.
President Goodluck Jonathan has been criticized by the opposition, the media and Western diplomats for failing to protect civilians during the four-and-a-half year insurgency, which began as a clerical movement opposed to Western influences but morphed into a fully fledged insurrection, forging links with al Qaeda-inspired groups in the Sahara.
Like those groups, Boko Haram believe Christians are infidels who must be converted or killed.
A wave of church attacks around early 2012 raised fears they were trying to trigger a sectarian civil war in a country with the world’s largest mixed population of Christians and Muslims, although the feared reprisals never materialized.
President Jonathan last month extended a state of emergency in the northeast areas worst affected by the insurgency. A military offensive since May has failed to quell the rebellion, and Boko Haram has mounted several counter-attacks

PR Executive , Racist , Kicked Out, Going to Africa.

PR Executive Kicked Out of Office for Racist TweetInterActiveCorp media company decided to fire its infamous PR executive Justine Sacco, who made a racist tweet on December 20, 2013, Friday. “Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m white!” the lady wrote.
“The offensive comment does not reflect the views and values of IAC. We take this issue very seriously, and we have parted ways with the employee in question. There is no excuse for the hateful statements that have been made and we condemn them unequivocally.
We hope, however, that time and action, and the forgiving human spirit, will not result in the wholesale condemnation of an individual who we have otherwise known to be a decent person at core,” the statement by IAC said.
It would be recalled that Justine Sacco had tweeted a racist, stereotype remark, which has been later deleted, from an airport in London before she left for Cape Town, South Africa, on December 20, 2013, Friday.
 PR Executive Kicked Out of Office for Racist Tweet
Her tweet went viral and caused outrage on social media.
Mrs. Sacco used to be the head of corporate communications for IAC, the media company chaired by Barry Diller that operates websites such as The Daily Beast, About.com, CollegeHumor and Match.com. The main activities of the embattled PR executive revolved around communicating with reporters, which made her Twitter comment about Africa even more shocking.
Her Twitter account was relatively obscure when she posted the infamous message: less than 500 people were following it.
Sacco apparently had no Internet access during her flight, so she could not know what effect her message made.
Websites such as Valleywag and Buzzfeed highlighted Sacco’s account, and soon it had thousands of followers and thousands of harsh replies directed at it. Some were downright hateful.
On Friday evening a Twitter hashtag, #HasJustineLandedYet, became a running commentary about Sacco.


Justine Sacco is yet to comment about her action
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/54865.html

Mother Kills One-year-old Son With Insecticide In C’River

Residents of Atimbo community in Calabar Municipality of Cross River State were thrown into mournful mood as a mother, Ikwo Udoh Bob, 20, allegedly snuffed life out of her one-year-three-months-old baby boy by forcing him to drink poisonous substance suspected to be insecticide.

The infanticide is believed to have happened in the wee hours of Friday. The mother was said to have had a running battle with the man suspected to be responsible for the pregnancy even before the baby was born.
She was alleged to have told some close friends that she did not want to keep the baby. According to the neighbours’ accounts, the young mother was piqued that she was abandoned by her lover-boy at the most critical moment of her life even when she pleaded with the man to financially support her after delivery of the baby.
Frustrated that the alleged father of the baby failed to provide financial support for the upkeep of the infant after delivery, Ikwo allegedly killed her young son. Speaking to our correspondent in tears, the father of the young woman, Mr. Udoh Bob, said, “Yesterday was the second time my daughter attempted to kill the boy, named Victor.”
Narrating the incident, Bob, who is a timber dealer and a native of Eket in Akwa Ibom State, said in an emotion-laden tone, “I left the house in the morning on that Friday without sensing any ominous sign that my daughter was hatching such an evil plan.
I don’t know what to tell you now but I want to believe that God knows the whole thing. Before I left the house in the morning yesterday, the boy called me daddy as usual and waved at me. I waved back only to return and was told he was dead.
I took over the responsibility of caring for the mother and child after the young man who impregnated her denied her and ran away,” he said in an emotion-laden tone.”
He recalled that there was a day he noticed the boy foaming from the mouth and he quickly gave him palm oil to drink, an act, which, he said, neutralized the effect of the poison, adding, “Now that this has happened, I believe she attempted to kill the boy then, but God did not allow it.”

Wednesday 18 December 2013

Federal Government Of Nigeria Senate bans same sex marriage in Nigeria

The Nigerian Senate have officially banned same sex marriage in Nigeria. Man + Man = Not allowed. Woman + Woman = Go to prison. :-). Only a union between a man and a woman in a recognized worship center is allowed.

The new bill states;
1. A marriage contract or civil union entered into between persons of same sex by virtue a certificate issued by a foreign country shall be void in Nigeria.
2. Marriage or civil union entered into between persons of same sex shall not be solemnized in any place of worship either Church or Mosque or any other place whatsoever called in Nigeria.
3. Only marriage contracted between a man and a woman either under Islamic Law, Customary Law or the Marriage Act is recognized as valid in Nigeria.
4. Persons that entered into a same sex marriage or civil union contract commit an offense and are jointly liable on conviction to a term of 14 years imprisonment each.
5. Any persons or group of persons that administers, witnesses, screens, abet and aids the solemnization of a same sex marriage contract or civil union or supports the registration, operation of gay clubs, societies and organizations, processions or meetings in Nigeria commits an offense and liable on conviction to a term of 10 years imprisonment.
The bill awaits the approval of President Goodluck Jonathan.