BISHOP URGES MOSLEMS TO TACKLE SECT

The cleric in charge of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla, the Very Rev. Isaac Achi, yesterday confirmed the death of 43 parishioners and unidentified persons in the Christmas Day explosions at the church.

He also said 73 others are receiving treatment in 12 hospitals in Abuja, Madalla, Suleja, Zuba, Kwamba and Kubwa.

Rev. Achi, at a briefing in Madalla by the Catholic Bishop of Minna Diocese, the Most Rev. Martin Igwe Uzoukwu, said the census of victims continues.

Rev. Achi said: “Up till yesterday when I found it uncomfortable, I moved into a community and I was able to identify 20 parishioners that died in the explosions. This morning (yesterday), they brought in a list of 23 others confirmed to have died in the blast.

“Until you (the parishioners) provide information, we will not know all those who were affected. In spite of the list we have, we will still go out to take stock.”

According to the list released by the church, 27 parishioners and others died; 73 are in hospitals.

Of the 27, five are unidentified.

The dead are: Anthony Okoronkwo; Comrade Dike A. Williams, Emmanuel Dike, Richard Dike, Lilian Dike, Lynda Chioma Ubiukwu, Uche Queen Obiukwu, Chidinma Cynthia Obiukwu, Linderlin Ifeoma Obiukwu, Ann-Chinedu Aigbadon, Chiemeri Nwachukwu, Cecilia Ebeku; Oluebube Faustina Pius, Chidera Sylvia Pius, Florence Nwachukwu and Eucharia Ewoh.

Others are: Joseph Daniel, Inspector Titus Eze, Obasi Jonathan Onyebuchi, Ehiawaguan Peter, Uche Esiri, Sgt. Kadiri Danjuma and five unidentified Persons.

Rev. Uzoukwu noted that the death toll is more than 40.

He said: “Reflecting on the ugly and unfortunate but avoidable incident in Madalla, I stare at the fact that we have lost more than 40 people with many others wounded, maybe maimed forever. They are in different hospitals in Suleja, Abuja Main Town and Gwagwalada.

“I look at the destruction of St. Theresa’s Church edifice, which cost us millions of Naira and the surrounding buildings that cost their owners a lot of money and efforts to build. What a loss, a big loss indeed to all of us, irrespective of tribal, religious, economic or cultural affiliations. What wrong have we done to merit this treatment?

“We join all people of goodwill to strongly condemn the ugly and barbaric act which was targeted at innocent and peaceful Nigerians. I call this an act of terrorism levelled against my people who went to church to celebrate the Holy Day of Christmas, a day that Christians all over the world commemorate the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Divine Mercy Incarnate, the Prince of Peace and Love(Is 9:6, Jn 1: 14).”

The Bishop pleaded with Moslems to address the challenge posed by Boko Haram to the nation’s security.

He added: “I call on all my peace-loving Muslim friends to condemn publicly this act against us. I call on all our religious leaders, traditional rulers and custodians of the land in Niger State to stand up strongly against this Boko Haram group, who have claimed responsibility for this dastardly act against the good people of Niger State.

“Together, we will root out the evil that is coming among us. We all must put our hands on deck to take more proactive measures for the good of our people and our nation.

“We need to restrain our people from acts of violence against other groups in our communities. According to the words of the Sultan of Sokoto, this is not a fight between Islam and Christianity, but a fight between good and evil.”

He pleaded with the Federal Government to be more pro-active in preventing crimes.

He said: “I direct my plea to the Federal Government to listen to the cries of Nigerians. Let them realise that it is the blood of innocent citizens that is shed on a daily basis.

 “It is a known fact that the security agencies in Nigeria are trying their best. But their best is only determined by their training, equipment and modes of operation. These have been proved to be ineffectual in preventing violent crimes in the country.

“They need to be more proactive in preventing crimes before they are committed rather than their belated reactions to criminal activities. Effective crime management falls under three stages: prevention, detection and prosecution.

“Offenders should be arrested, prosecuted and punished - if proved guilty. That will go a long way to reducing the escalating wave of criminal activities in our country.

“Prevention is always better than cure, hence it is better to detect and forestall a crime from being committed. We request our governments at all levels to go the extra mile to fish out criminals at all levels, bring them to book and prosecute them.”

Responding to a question, the Bishop said: “We need to go beyond words and move into action to ensure that our people live together in harmony and peace.

“My hope is that the Federal and State governments will take care of the medical treatment of those injured either here in Nigeria or abroad. I hope that they will help to compensate those who lost their relatives and their property during the ugly incident.”

On the burial of the victims of the blast, he said: “It is not going to be a mass burial. We are going to bury our people after due consultations. I cannot tell you the date right here, but you will hear from us.

“You cannot just go and bury people like that. They have families; we need to find out where the families are; we need to contact them on the burial programme.”

The Bishop urged the parishioners not to be afraid to come to church to worship God, in spite of the explosions.

He, however, announced a modification of church service in the Kwamba Dinary (including St. Theresa’s Church) for the New Year’s Eve.

The Bishop said: “If you run away from God, where will you run to? Come back, come back.”

“We have cancelled the midnight Mass for the New Year for all the churches in the Kwamba Dinary .Our tradition has always been to sleep overnight in the church for the New Year.

“But for the eve of the coming New Year, there is no sleeping in the church until January 1, 2012 in Kwamba Dinary. On December 31, you should come to the church at 4pm for service and by 6pm, it will be over. The church should make sure you talk to the appropriate authority so that they can bring back the curfew.

“But in the morning of Sunday, January 1, 2012, you should come back for normal service.”

Amid emotion from parishioners who were at the briefing, the Bishop asked them “not to seek vengeance”. “Let us forgive them and pray for peace and unity in this country,” he said, adding:

“Let us spend one hour daily to pray for unity and peace in this country. Use the first 15 minutes to read the Bible, the second 15 minutes to use Rosary, the third for meditation and the fourth for Divine mercy and prayers.

“And if you are a Muslim, spend one hour also daily. The first 15 minutes to read Quran and Hadith, the second for Takbir, the third to reflect and the fourth Divine mercy from Allah.”

Asked to reconcile the conflicting death toll figures, the Bishop said: “I went to the hospitals; I did not count them. My people have been killed and you are still worrying me. If you go to the mortuaries, you will see. I cannot count.”

On what the Catholic Mission is doing about security in churches, the Bishop said: “God is our security; unless God builds, the builder builds in vain. God is our safety; God is our security.”

Culled from The Nation Newspaper

Mercy Johnson is Google Most Searched Celebrity in Nigeria.

One actress who made so much news in the year 2011 is delectable screen goddess, Mercy Johnson.

The year was really wonderful for the Kogi State born actress as she remained number one choice in Nollywood from Asaba, Enugu, Lagos, to Abuja and beyond,  gracing posters covers  and movie jackets.

In the year under review, she got married and was adjudged the best actress at the Afro-Australian Music and Movies Award (AAMMA) which is the only African award event in the whole of Australia and New Zealand. The award recognized Mercy Johnson as Africa’s Queen of the screen which is a symbolic recognition.

The award was held at the Emmore Theatre in Sydney, Australia. Though Mercy Johnson was regrettably absent at the awards due to mixed up flight logistics beyond her control,  another Nollywood star, Desmond Elliot received the award on her behalf.

The icing on the cake for  MJ as she is most fondly called by fans, is her emergence as the most ‘goggled’ Nigerian celebrity on the popular search engine,  Google.

According to Google statistics, Mercy Johnson was the most searched Nigerian celebrity on the internet. She was beaten to the third place by Facebook, the social networking site, which came first and 2go, a mobile messenger that allows one to chat with friends for free.

Apart from playing lead roles in big budget movies and acting in more than a dozen movies during the year, her controversial wedding in August made headlines.

The actress who made her movie debut in ‘’The Maid” years ago, has appeared in over 100 movies and has other notable awards to her credit.

Actual cost of petrol is N39.50 per litre – Coalition

AGAINST claims by the Federal Government that it was subsidizing fuel with over N1.3 trillion, it has been revealed  that Nigerians were already over-paying for fuel, as the actual cost of a litre of petrol ought to be N39.50k.
This was disclosed in Benin, Edo State, yesterday, in a communiqué at the end of a Town Hall Meeting organised by a Coalition to Save Nigeria, CSN, made up of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC; Nigerian Bar Association, NBA; Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, civil society organisations, professional bodies, students, market women and artisans.

According to the communiqué, “Nigerians are prepared to resist the decimation of their lives by mobilising professional organisations, labour and the great people to resist fuel price increase that has been tagged subsidy removal.”

The communiqué further said if the government could not check corruption in various ministries, departments and agencies, it should admit it and quit for those who have the capacity to do so.

While saying the government could no longer be trusted, participants at the Town Hall meeting called for downward review of pump price of fuel to N39.50k per litre, just as it called on government to account for the excess money for fuel price increase since June 1999.

“Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, having demonstrated lack of adequate knowledge of the working of the Nigerian economy, and being the eye of the World Bank ‘policy trinity’ of the elimination of the public sphere, total liberation for corporations and skeletal social spending, therefore should be removed as minister,” the communiqué said.

Former Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, President, Prof. Festus Iyayi, in his speech on the occasion advanced reasons why Nigerians should not accept fuel price increase, insisting that the petroleum products market has since been fully deregulated.

Culled from Vanguard Newspapers

Statement Of General Muhammadu Buhari Regarding The Verdict Of The Supreme Court On Jonathan's Election

As in 2003 and 2007, the Supreme Court this morning rejected CPC’s appeal against the Lower Court verdict that the rigged Presidential election of 16th, April 2011 was properly conducted. All who witnessed the conduct of the 2011 elections would know that this decision of the Supreme Court is politically motivated and has little judicial content.

This Supreme Court has proved no better than the Supreme Courts of 2003 and 2007. For the records, let me refresh the public memory about what happened in the litigations after the 2003 and 2007 rigged elections. In 2003 we presented a cast iron case before the Court of Appeal citing several major infringements of the Electoral Act 2002. In particular we subpoenaed INEC to furnish the Court with proof of the “result” they declared. They did not, because they could not. The Court still declared the result as valid. Worse still, the Supreme Court upheld this dubious ruling of a dubious election.

In 2007 I and my Party the ANPP produced copious proof that the presidential election was rigged in the most blatant fashion. For one, ballot papers were distributed to polling stations on blank sheets of paper, making it impossible to carry out an audit trail. Secondly, during the process of tallying the result, the egregious Professor Maurice Iwu, then Chairman of INEC excused himself from the collation venue (after only 11 states and Abuja of the 36 states were tabulated) and announced the “result”. At the time he made this announcement voting materials had not even fully arrived in some states. Only in Nigeria and only under a government like PDP’s would these criminalities pass the sanction of the Judiciary. Yet on appeal, the Justice Idris Kutigi Supreme court after a long adjournment, declared the election valid, with three justices dissenting. In both elections, local and international observers condemned the elections in no uncertain terms.

What happened in this year’s 2011 elections eclipsed all the other elections in the depth and scope of forgery and rigging. Initially there were high hopes that after 2003 and 2007 a semblance of electoral propriety would be witnessed. The new chairman of INEC, Professor Jega, was touted as competent and a man of integrity. He has proved neither. After asking for - and getting – close on #100 billion for the election including biometric data with all ten finger prints to conduct a thorough electoral exercise, he botched it. When our Party CPC demanded forensic material, finger printed ballot papers to prove colossal and widespread multiple voting throughout the country rendering the election invalid in at least 25 out of the 36 states of the federation, INEC refused to provide them in Court, citing national security. A laughable excuse if ever there was one. The national and international monitors having seen their work wasted and ignored this time took the line of least resistance and declared the elections as o.k. Who can blame them? Yet the Justices of the Supreme Court have now seen nothing wrong in this.

To nobody’s surprise therefore, that spontaneous violence broke out in parts of the country after the announcement of the “result”. The Lemu Panel has come up with detailed causes of the riots and given lie to those who wanted to label the riots as my handiwork. The facts are that people were deeply angered and deeply provoked at the wanton conduct of the elections: the snatching and stuffing of ballot boxes, violence unleashed on opposition supporters, use of the police and elements of the army to intimidate injure and kill opposition supporters and flagrant change of results after collation such as in Niger, Bauchi and Kaduna states. Moreover the declaration of 86% - 90% of votes registered and cast in most part of the South-East and South-South states was highly implausible given the general turn-out of 50% - 60% in the rest of the country. No election is credible where 100% of votes cast were for one candidate in many constituencies and 90% in some states. This is plain fraud. No election can be validated if 100% of those registered all cast their votes in favour of the same candidate. It is for these reasons INEC refused to release the biometric data. The Supreme Court has turned a blind eye and deaf ear to these gross irregularities. That is the theme running through all three elections since 2003.

The country now has to live with the consequences of the actions of PDP government in collaboration with INEC, police and security services over the last 10 years. A country on the brink of developing into the major continental Power in 1999 is now a fractured society, corruption everywhere, violence everywhere, a sense of helplessness and hopelessness nearly everywhere. While the country is sliding into this chaotic state, PDP governments at the centre and in the states are engaged in massive and mindless plunder of the country’s resources in total disregard of the suffering masses.

The country now is in an emergency situation. Law and order can break down at any time. Those in charge of the country should be warned that promises and sweet words are no substitute for practical action. To avert the looming chaos in the New Year, immediate steps should be taken to drastically reduce the cost of governance in the three tiers of government. Salaries and especially allowances should be drastically reduced; security votes should be abolished – not increased as the 2012 Budget has done. Votes for the Armed forces, Police and Security Services should be transparent and accountable; foreign travel and estacodes should be stopped for at least six months other than for the Presidency, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and medical emergencies. Government House expenses in all the states should be drastically reduced, foreign travel suspended for a while. The National Assembly should give a lead in reducing their allowances substantially and stopping their foreign travels. These savings should be applied to education, infrastructure and agriculture with emphasis on youth employment through meaningful and practical emergency programmes. The public will see through any cosmetic or token gestures and will not tolerate a continuation of status quo. Corruption and plunder are the root causes of unemployment, insecurity, violence and unrest.

If all hands are on deck to help save our country from imminent collapse we should stabilize. When that happens Nigeria should take a close look at the country’s structure in a calm and unemotional atmosphere. Hopefully we may come to a better form of government to see Nigeria through the next 50 years.

Thank you.

General Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR      

Fulani Herdsmen strike again in Jos. Kill family of three

Two nights ago, attackers suspected to be Fulani herdsmen, killed a family of three in Wereng Village in Kuru Station of Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State.

Philip Francis, his wife Simi, and their young daughter Nera, were butchered to death around 11pm on Tuesday Dec 27th as they slept in their home.

Philip's parents, who lived in the same house, survived the attack. The father was not around when the herdsmen came and the mother who slept in a separate room from the slain family managed to escape through the window to get help when she realised what was happeneing to her son, daughter in law and grandchild.

The attackers fled after committing the dastardly act. No one could tell where the killers came from and why this family was targeted.

Reacting to the attack, the special adviser to Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State, Mr. Ayuba Pam, said the government was very sad over the incident. “It is very sad that this happening at the time when government had intensified efforts and sustaining the peace in the State. When I got the distress call in the night, I was very disappointed at this pre-planned attack still persisting in the state. Government has kept faith in providing security but some people are still bent on ensuring that the problem in the State continues.”

Culled from lindaikeji.blogspot.com

SAHARA ENERGY COMMITS CRIME AGAINST THE NIGERIAN POOR

                     TOPE SONUBI AND TONYE COLE LATEST CRIMINALS IN NIGERIA 

From Saharareporters.com
The safety of air travel in Nigeria is in question again. In a petition sent on December 5 to the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, the Major Oil Marketers Association (MOMAN) alleges that some unscrupulous Nigerians are selling kerosene meant for domestic consumption (DPK) to aviation operators as jet fuel (Jet A1).


And SaharaReporters has learned that SAHARA ENERGY LTD, which is the monopoly importer of DPK on behalf of the NNPC, is one of the companies responsible for passing off DPK to such airlines as Arik Air, Chachangi Airlines, Air Nigeria, DANA Air and Associated Airlines as aviation fuel, making a staggering monthly profit of USD43million in the process.

SAHARA ENERGY LTD, which is  owned by Tope Sonubi and Tonye Cole, perpetrates the dangerous but profitable scam through its SO Aviation subsidiary, and it makes its vast profits by taking advantage of its position to sell the product, which it obtains from the NNPC at only N40.90k per litre, to the airlines as imported aviation fuel at N152 per litre.

But they are not the same product. While Jet A1 and DPK are similar products, said MOMAN in its petition, they possess “totally different specifications and require different levels of handling, transportation and storage infrastructure” expertise possessed by members of MOMAN who are duly audited annually and certified by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Joint Inspection Group (JIG).”

As a result, “The final product dispensed into the aircraft meets DFSTAN and AFRQJOS standards,” MOMAN said.
Our investigations have further shown that international airlines such as British Airways, Emirates, KLM and Lufthansa refuse to purchase Aviation fuel from SO Aviation, out of concern for established standards and safety.

Checks in the international market, particularly in the Lloyds has also confirmed that SAHARA ENERGY has not imported Aviation fuel in recent times solely for sale to airline operators in Nigeria.
SaharaReporters has not been able to confirm if the Minister for Petroleum Resources has taken any actions in response to the petition in order to save the country further air tragedies.

In one of its two recommendations in MOMAN’s petition to her, it asked that the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC) share with the association all the required information on DPK PFIs being issued monthly so as to ensure adequate tracking of the supplies from the Mother Vessels to the eventual points of sale. In return, MOMAN would provide that information to the PPMC for their records.

Pastor David Oyedepo And That Hot Slap – Another Shame On Nigerian Pentecostalism

Culled from Sahara Reporters

Screen grab of Oyedepo assaulting a church member

By Olusegun Claudius-Adeniyi

Wonders would never cease in our dear country but a melodrama bothering on criminality was recently introduced. I have never been befuddled about the Nigerian mess but the dramatic situation presented by the ever savvy, ambitious and suave businessman cum pastor, in the person of Pastor Oyedepo was another sore show.
Our ever vigilant and dynamic online press have remained the conscience of the nation so far, especially in these perilous times when Nigeria badly cries for a human representation of the same quality. The shame that Nigeria has become is ever manifested on daily basis and no arm of the decadent edifice has lived up to the broom in the ethical and conscience stake. Our political class remains our ever-abiding albatross whilst our religious leaders actively partake in the growing shame. As someone once said, the name Nigeria has become a shame to behold. No politician in Nigeria today is worth the salt, which is the sad truth. No political party is out to redeem the situation, which is another truth Nigerians have to learn. If there is any doubt about the latter, a trip to Lagos State where the might of the state is overbearing against the legitimate aspiration of the citizenry in the boiling issue of the Lekki Toll plaza would convince any doubting Thomas. I have the greatest respect for Pastor David Oyedepo. Not as a man of God but as a good specimen of the Nigerian breed. Here is a savvy and suave businessman who knows how to exploit what he has to achieve and consecrate what he desires. Pastor Oyedepo has built a business empire in the name of a religion. He has through good business sense and unparallel sagacity fed the gullible with the much-exploited opium to achieve his material success in life. He remains the first Nigerian man of the robe to purchase a private jet. He is also the first to start the business of private universities. He is sleek and very intelligent. His worldwide business has his children manning the most viable branches overseas. Of course, I am referring to his church branches. He has ensured that even when he is no longer on the stage, the family business would remain solidly within the family confinement.
With all the firsts this suave businessman has achieved, it was a surprise to watch a video detailing an unknown quality of this so-called man of God.
I watched with mouth aghast! Transparency for Nigeria, in its online edition of 18th December 2011, under the headline: Pastor Oyedepo turned violent on the pulpit, showed a video containing very disturbing contents
(http://transparencyng.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6...).

I had always felt that some pastors were too intelligent to be caught partaking in the shame of witch hunting. I had always felt that Helen Ukpabio remained the empress in this unholy game. Little did I know that even the so-called intelligent ones actively took part in this shameful debacle. It is now clear that the whole of Christendom in Nigeria is built on fallacies, extortion and hoodwinking. The Helen Ukpabio league actually applies to our so-called men of God, the agents of Mormon keeping the people in perpetual bondage and slavery.
The scene was a typical revival or crusade-like environment common amongst Nigerian Pentecostals. Few girls and boys were kneeling down on the stage in front of Pastor Oyedepo surrounded by his army of bodyguards and lieutenants. The video started with a girl who claimed to have come from Imo State. The video went as follows:

Pastor: You have been there for how long?  (Question apparently in reference to membership of witchcraft).

Girl: I am not a witch. I am a witch for Jesus. My own witch is for Jesus.
Pastor: (Dumbfounded) you are what?

Girl: I am not a witch. I am a witch for Jesus. My own witch is for Jesus.
Pastor: (Shaking with uncontrolled disbelief and anger) You are a foul devil. Do you know whom you are talking to? Foul devil (this was followed by a very hot slap!!!)

Pastor (continued): Where are you from?

Girl: I am from Imo State. I am not a witch. I am a witch for Jesus.
Pastor: Jesus has no witches. You are a devil. You are not set for deliverance and you are free to go to hell.

Pastor moved on to another girl:
Pastor: When did you get in?

Girl 2: I am not a witch but I used to dream that I was with them.
Pastor: Every one of you on this front that speaks a lie, you are cut down. Cut down...
Apart from the comical nature of the whole scenario, which in the words of the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, became a “rofo-rofo” argument – “I no be witch, you be witch!” the serious aspect calls for deep introspection. The definitive stance of Nigerian Pentecostalism in ensuring that the congregation admits to a label in order to facilitate the superiority and the power of the clergy calls for a deep review. The serious social implication of being labelled a witch is unimaginable. The stigma is one that pervades every aspect of the victim’s existence, leading to social and economic stigmatization and rejection, deteriorating quality of life, unimaginable vulnerabilities, including the possibility of being killed by a befuddled but outraged society. I was thinking that Pastor David Oyedepo was too suave and sophisticated to be caught in this age-old cheap Christianity stuff, albeit Helen Ukpabio style. Here again, I was proven wrong.
The proprietary or otherwise of ensuring that witches on earth are eliminated for Jesus is beyond me as I am not and has never been a student of theology. Nevertheless, daily knowledge of the Bible and common sense indicates that the whole purpose of Jesus mission on earth was to preach the good news based on love and forgiveness. He did not say based on violence, especially assault. Also, I vividly remember a part of the Holy Bible that states thus: “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged” (Matthew 7:1 and Luke 6:37). What came out of the brief video was a case of criminal assault on the part of Pastor David Oyedepo. Here was a poor defenceless girl, who was obviously trying to pass a message that was lost in the ambiguities of semantics to a pastor who was either too impatient or too naive to understand what she was trying to say. What she got in return was an unprovoked assault.
The question is must everyone who kneels down in front of a pastor admits to being a witch even if he/she is convinced that she is not? What message was the poor girl trying to pass to the ignorant pastor? Would it have served a better purpose if the pastor had asked the girl for an explanation of what she meant by her unusual statement? Why did the pastor assault the poor girl? Is this case for the Nigerian Police to look into? Every human being has the fundamental right to freedom of religious practice and expression. If it must be stressed very hard here, witchcraft inclusive (if there was ever anything of such). The poor girl from Imo State defiantly stood her ground despite the intimidating presence of Pastor Oyedepo and his unprovoked assault. The story would perhaps have been different if she had admitted to being a witch who meets with colleagues at a defined coven.
Then Pastor Oyedepo would have been happy and the mesmerized congregation would have erupted with abundant shouts of Halleluyah. But the girl from Imo was determined to spoil the show for our garrulous pastor and she got what she did not bargained for, a very hot slap! Even a member of Pastor Oyedepo’s staff was aghast. Please watch the video and see the gentleman’s reaction. His jaw dropped open when the pastor was putting up the show of shame – slapping the poor little girl.
Instances as the type demonstrated by Pastor Oyedepo, would in other climes lead to a very urgent government regulation of the conduct and proceedings of so-called faith revivals or crusades. It would also have led to instant arrest and prosecution of this ignorant pastor. The essence of ensuring that no citizen is harassed or molested in the expression of faith or religious belief would be rigorously pursued and protected. This, unfortunately, is not the case with Nigeria. Nigerian pastors behave as if they are Gods or something very close. They behave as if they are above the law. They show contempt and disrespect to their congregation. The only affection is for the currency that rolls out of the congregation pockets.
The Nigerian populace, on its part, has shown an alarming tolerance and unbelievable stupidity in the face of this perfidy. We have continued to clap where we should have frowned at the frivolousness and debased behaviour of the impostors who have mortgaged our collective spirituality.
Pastor David Oyedepo needs to be told in clear terms that he went beyond the confines of civilized behaviour and the etiquettes required of someone occupying his type of office. If there was something he shamelessly committed in that barbaric piece, it was nothing but assault. The poor girl from Imo State deserves an unreserved apology from the powerful and rich Pastor David Oyedepo. Again, I anxiously await the response of the Nigerian community to this video of shame. I await, most especially, the response of our extensive Human Rights community and the legion of non-governmental organisations committed to protecting the rights of Nigerian females. Here is a poor and defenceless girl who was assaulted by a rich and powerful pastor. Her case calls for urgent support to pass home the message of civility even in the conduct of religious programmes. It is either Pastor Oyedepo apologises or is taken to court. There seems to be no other option.
The truth needs to be told that Nigerian Pastors are not Gods. They are mere mortals plainly benefitting from the stupidity of the mesmerized populace. They are charlatans and sycophants who are benefitting immensely from the ignorance of the masses. While we stupidly follow some smart crooks wearing the toga of pastors, the larger world has left us behind, making stupendous progress in the field of science and technology. We boast of the highest number of churches per streets in the world, our social and moral fabrics remain in tatters. Our crime record is monumental while social instability and insecurity remain our abiding bed fellows. The Nigerian socio-political terrace remains a mess, our political leadership tottering from unforgivable indecision to unbelievable corruption whilst promulgation of anti-people policies remains the order of the day. The name Nigerian is not an enamoured piece.
The constitutional role of the Nigeria Police Force comes into play in this debased scenario. A moribund organization mired in endemic corruption and stagnated by lack of efficiency and good will.  Naturally, I expected the police to have swung into action unprompted. Video evidences are credible evidences as have been demonstrated in more civilized countries. No doubt, the Nigeria Police do not see anything wrong in the video under discourse.
Even if something had been wrong, the personality involved would have created a hindrance. The Nigeria Police Force needs to remove itself from its self-imposed shackles and be more responsive to its responsibilities. A Nigerian citizen has just been assaulted and urgent action is required.
While boiling with indignation on the injustices inherent in this video of shame, once again, from a member of the discredited Nigerian Pentecostal fold, I hasten to add that ultimate justice is in the hands of God, and of course, in that of the Nigerian people. We shall make of our country and of our society whatever we desired it to be. Over to fellow Nigerians!
                   

 

Occupy The Future by Noam Chomsky

Occupy The Future Noam Chomsky In These Times, November 1, 2011

(This article is adapted from Noam Chomsky's talk at the Occupy Boston encampment on Dewey Square on Oct. 22. He spoke as part of the Howard Zinn Memorial Lecture Series held by Occupy Boston's on-site Free University. Zinn was a historian, activist and author of A People's History of the United States.)Delivering a Howard Zinn lecture is a bittersweet experience for me. I regret that he's not here to take part in and invigorate a movement that would have been the dream of his life. Indeed, he laid a lot of the groundwork for it. If the bonds and associations being established in these remarkable events can be sustained through a long, hard period ahead -- victories don't come quickly -- the Occupy protests could mark a significant moment in American history. I've never seen anything quite like the Occupy movement in scale and character, here and worldwide. The Occupy outposts are trying to create cooperative communities that just might be the basis for the kinds of lasting organizations necessary to overcome the barriers ahead and the backlash that's already coming. That the Occupy movement is unprecedented seems appropriate because this is an unprecedented era, not just at this moment but since the 1970s. The 1970s marked a turning point for the United States. Since the country began, it had been a developing society, not always in very pretty ways, but with general progress toward industrialization and wealth. Even in dark times, the expectation was that the progress would continue. I'm just old enough to remember the Great Depression. By the mid-1930s, even though the situation was objectively much harsher than today, the spirit was quite different. A militant labor movement was organizing -- the CIO (Congress of Industrial Organizations) and others -- and workers were staging sit-down strikes, just one step from taking over the factories and running them themselves. Under popular pressure, New Deal legislation was passed. The prevailing sense was that we would get out of the hard times. Now there's a sense of hopelessness, sometimes despair. This is quite new in our history. During the 1930s, working people could anticipate that the jobs would come back. Today, if you're a worker in manufacturing, with unemployment practically at Depression levels, you know that those jobs may be gone forever if current policies persist. That change in the American outlook has evolved since the 1970s. In a reversal, several centuries of industrialization turned to de-industrialization. Of course manufacturing continued, but overseas -- very profitable, though harmful to the workforce. The economy shifted to financialization. Financial institutions expanded enormously. A vicious cycle between finance and politics accelerated. Increasingly, wealth concentrated in the financial sector. Politicians, faced with the rising cost of campaigns, were driven ever deeper into the pockets of wealthy backers. And the politicians rewarded them with policies favorable to Wall Street: deregulation, tax changes, relaxation of rules of corporate governance, which intensified the vicious cycle. Collapse was inevitable. In 2008, the government once again came to the rescue of Wall Street firms presumably too big to fail, with leaders too big to jail. Today, for the one-tenth of 1 percent of the population who benefited most from these decades of greed and deceit, everything is fine. In 2005, Citigroup -- which, by the way, has repeatedly been saved by government bailouts -- saw the wealthy as a growth opportunity. The bank released a brochure for investors that urged them to put their money into something called the Plutonomy Index, which identified stocks in companies that cater to the luxury market. "The world is dividing into two blocs -- the plutonomy and the rest," Citigroup summarized. "The U.S., U.K. and Canada are the key plutonomies -- economies powered by the wealthy." As for the non-rich, they're sometimes called the precariat -- people who live a precarious existence at the periphery of society. The "periphery," however, has become a substantial proportion of the population in the U.S. and elsewhere. So we have the plutonomy and the precariat: the 1 percent and the 99 percent, as Occupy sees it -- not literal numbers, but the right picture. The historic reversal in people's confidence about the future is a reflection of tendencies that could become irreversible. The Occupy protests are the first major popular reaction that could change the dynamic. I've kept to domestic issues. But two dangerous developments in the international arena overshadow everything else. For the first time in human history, there are real threats to the survival of the human species. Since 1945 we have had nuclear weapons, and it seems a miracle we have survived them. But policies of the Obama administration and its allies are encouraging escalation. The other threat, of course, is environmental catastrophe. Practically every country in the world is taking at least halting steps to do something about it. The United States is taking steps backward. A propaganda system, openly acknowledged by the business community, declares that climate change is all a liberal hoax: Why pay attention to these scientists? If this intransigence continues in the richest, most powerful country in the world, the catastrophe won't be averted. Something must be done in a disciplined, sustained way, and soon. It won't be easy to proceed. There will be hardships and failures -- it's inevitable. But unless the process that's taking place here and elsewhere in the country and around the world continues to grow and becomes a major force in society and politics, the chances for a decent future are bleak. You can't achieve significant initiatives without a large, active, popular base. It's necessary to get out into the country and help people understand what the Occupy movement is about -- what they themselves can do, and what the consequences are of not doing anything. Organizing such a base involves education and activism. Education doesn't mean telling people what to believe -- it means learning from them and with them. Karl Marx said, "The task is not just to understand the world but to change it." A variant to keep in mind is that if you want to change the world you'd better try to understand it. That doesn't mean listening to a talk or reading a book, though that's helpful sometimes. You learn from participating. You learn from others. You learn from the people you're trying to organize. We all have to gain the understanding and the experience to formulate and implement ideas. The most exciting aspect of the Occupy movement is the construction of the linkages that are taking place all over. If they can be sustained and expanded, Occupy can lead to dedicated efforts to set society on a more humane course.

Enraged father cuts off man's penis for allegedly raping his daughter

                     Enraged father cuts off man's penis for allegedly raping his daughter

                                               culled from Linda Ikeji blog

 

An angry father, Dennis Akpati, attacked and cut off the penis of young graduate, Seun Ogunbanwo (pictured above), after catching him having sex with his 20yr old daughter inside his flat at 52, Tijani Alabi Street, Ijegun, on the outskirts of Lagos.

Ogunbanwo, a graduate of Business Administration who recently finished his NYSC was attacked with a machete and beat up mercilessly. Tthe machete was later used to slice his penis.


From PM News... 

He was handed over to the police who took him to the hospital for treatment and later charged with having an unlawful carnal knowledge of a 20-year old lady before the Ejigbo Magistrates’ Court, Lagos.
The accused was brought to court by the police to face the charges but when the presiding magistrate, Mrs. M. B. Folami, saw the pitiable state of the accused, she ordered the police to arrest the father of the victim (Akpati) and others involved in the battering of the accused and charge them to court for assault.

She explained that under the law, the accused is presumed innocent until found guilty, adding that nobody should be allowed to take the laws in his hands.

Ogunbanwo was alleged to have sneaked into Akpati’s home when the victim was alone and forcefully had sex with her. The father allegedly caught him on top of his protesting daughter.
The girl, it was gathered, was crying and attempting to free herself from him when her father came in. The father was so angry that he reportedly took a machete and cut Ogunbanwo all over his body, including his penis.

Speaking with P.M.NEWS on his way to the hospital with his police escort, the accused said the girl was his friend and that they lived in the same area.

He said that it was her father who macheted him when he met him in his house with his daughter. He said others later joined him in attacking him.
He did not deny that he slept with the girl.

He was charged with housebreaking and rape, offenses punishable under Sections 411 and 358 of the Criminal Code, Cap. 17, Vol. 2, Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2003.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges and the court granted him bail in the sum of N100, 000 with two sureties in like sum. The matter has been adjourned till 18 January, 2012.

Monumental Oil Subsidy Fraud And Corruption At The NNPC-The Damning KPMG Report :Premium Times

courtesy of Sahara reporters

Posted: December 9, 2011 - 15:29

Petroleum resources minister, Diezani Allison-Madueke-Reuters photo

By Musikilu Mojeed

On Thursday December 1, the Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, cringed when the senate joint committee investigating the management of funds set aside for petroleum subsidy handed her a seven-day ultimatum to produce a secret forensic report on the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation in her custody.
The audit, done for her ministry by renowned audit and advisory consultancy, KPMG, which exposed the massive financial malfeasance and monumental corruption in the NNPC, is one document the federal government, the petroleum ministry and the NNPC have worked hard to conceal for a little over a year now.
The report, which could trigger a fierce face-off between the federal and state governments, is one of the most closely guarded secrets in Nigeria today.  It contains shocking details of how the NNPC, and by implication, the federal government has been swindling the states.
So when the committee requested Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala to produce it, she became a bit uneasy, knowing that doing so might embarrass the administration and sparked some troubles for the NNPC, a source close to her told the Times. Initially the minister didn’t make any commitment, but when pressed by committee members, she reluctantly acceded to the request.
It is not known at press time whether she has sent the document to the committee. Contacted yesterday, her spokesperson, Paul Nwabuikwu, said he had no information on the matter.  Calls to the chairman of the senate joint committee, Magnus Abe (PDP, Rivers), were unanswered. But as at noon today, long after the ultimatum given to Mrs. Okonjo-iweala expired, a source close to the committee said the minister was yet to make the report available. He said there was high-powered lobby by the NNPC not to make the document public.
The damning report
But the Times has scooped the report for you in case the minister fails to
produce it or does so to the committee in camera. As far as the 41-page report is concerned, the NNPC is a cesspool of monumental corruption and fraud. The report detailed the corporation’s sharp business practices, violation of laid down rules and regulations, illegal deductions of funds belonging to the state, and failure to account for several billions of naira that should go to the federation account.
The agency, the report says, has also severely defrauded our country in subsidy claims. Auditors found that between 2007 and 2009 alone, the NNPC over-deducted funds in subsidy claims to the tune of N28.5 billion. It has not been able to account for the sum ever since.
The over-deduction from its remittance to the federation account for 2010 and 2011, believed to be in several billions of naira, is not captured in the report.
The Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Finance, hired KPMG and another Nigerian auditing firm, S.S. Afemikhe & Co., in July 2010, to look into the books of the corporation following allegations of “wrongful deductions at source by the NNPC to fund its operations” by the 36 state governors.
There were also concerns at the time that “the procedures for managing and
reporting the country’s crude oil and gas revenues are opaque and characterized by gaps, overlaps and inconsistencies in the role of key parties responsible for the assessment, collection and reporting on these revenue streams.”
Officials of the petroleum ministry and the NNPC, a source at the finance ministry disclosed, developed cold feet after the auditors were sent in, and indeed tried hard to frustrate the representatives of the two audit firms by failing to supply evaluation criteria for commercial bids submitted in respect of petroleum products importation.
Believing that would turn the auditors away, our source further explained, the corporation also failed to provide them with other relevant documents such as the criteria for allocation of products and product volumes to importers/suppliers and periodic pre-qualification list of approved products importers/suppliers.
But in spite of the difficulty they faced, the auditors were able to determine that the NNPC had been anything but transparent in the management of our country’s oil resources.
The report that emerged from the audit was just too damning that the leadership of the petroleum ministry, the NNPC and some few other elements in the Federal Government have worked hard to keep it away from the 36 state governors and federal lawmakers in particular and Nigerians in general.
Stealing the states blind
In what is likely to anger state governors, the audit established that the
corporation was in the habit of arbitrarily estimating subsidy claims and then over-deducting funds from proceeds of domestic crude sales.

“For example,” the report said, N25bn was deducted as subsidy estimate for
September 2009 from domestic crude sales proceeds while PPPRA approved a subsidy
of N23.8bn. N35bn was also deducted as subsidy estimate fro November 2009 but
PPPRA approved of N21.3bn.”
The auditors’ analysis indicates “over-deduction for these two months amounted to N14.9 billion. However, only N4.2.bn was swept into the Federation Account by the NNPC as adjustment for subsidy claimable in the two months.” That is beside the N11.8 billion subsidy claim the NNPC claimed it paid for imported products that didn’t reach consumers.
State governors have always complained that the NNPC was shortchanging them
through illegal deductions from revenues payable to the federation account.
Fraudulent underhand tactics
Over-deduction is however not the only way the corporation is defrauding the federal and state governments. According to laid down regulations, the NNPC is invoiced in dollars for domestic crude allocations but is expected to remit the equivalent naira value to the Federation Account. But auditors found to their chagrin that in doing that, the corporation used exchange rates far lower than those published by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Using this “fraudulent underhand tactics”, the NNPC succeeded in cheating
the three levels of government of a whooping N85.2bn in three years – N25.7 bn in 2007, N33.8 billion in 2008 and N26.7 billion in 2009.
When the auditors requested explanations for these exchange rate disparities, the NNPC claimed it obtained the exchange rates it used from the CBN via telephone.
The report also severely indicted the NNPC over the shoddy and non-transparent manner it renews crude sale contracts every year. The auditors noted that “evaluation criteria for renewal of contracts are not clearly stated in the contract document”, and that the selection exercises were based on individual discretion and wrong assumptions and criteria.”
The NNPC claims that renewal of contract was based on performance of off-takers (buyers). But the auditors observed that the basis and process for determining performance were not clearly defined.
The auditors wondered why in 2007 and 2008, some companies not on the approved list of buyers for that year were allocated crude, a practice the examiners believe had led to crude being sold to non-credible buyers, even with relevant guarantees and safeguards not implemented.
Specifically the auditors queried the allocation of crude to Ovlas Trading (2,852,316 barrels in 2007 and 906, 269 barrels in 2008) Petrojam (2,818,914 in 2007), Oil Fields (950,166 barrels in 2007) and Zenon (906,000 barrels in 2008) even when they were not on the list of authorized buyers for that year.
Contracts for the importation of products, the auditors wrote, were also
routinely awarded without regard for approved guidelines and procedures. “We observed that contracts for the importation of petroleum products were awarded to companies and suppliers not listed in the approved pre-qualification list used for the fourth quarter 2008 importation,” the report noted.
The auditors specifically queried the award of contracts in that manner to
Astana Oil Corporation Limited, Natural Energy and Oando, when they were not prequalified for patronage that year.
Among other forms of misdemeanour, ranging from poor accounting and shoddy
record keeping, the auditors also indicted the corporation for leaving its own storage facilities, unused, and then proceeding to incur additional cost from leasing of third party storage facilities.
The auditors reported that DPK tanks (with storage capacity of 18,000 cubic
metres) at the PPMC depots within the Mosimi Area had not been used for three years even though there were in good condition. Yet the corporation, the examiners added, had been leasing storage facilities from third parties.
The spokesperson of the NNPC, Levi Ajuonuma, declined to comment on the report, saying he had nothing to say until the government releases it officially.