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BUKKY WRIGHT, HAPPY, AT LAST !

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IWUDE FESTIVAL, OSUN NIGERIA

Nigeria : Let’s Figure Out the Subsidy on Petrol

Wole Soyinka Calls For A National Conference for Nigeria

Click here and listen Nigeria heading for civil war – Soyinka LONDON (AFP) -  Nobel laureate Prof Wole Soyinka warned on Tuesday that his country was heading towards a civil war, blaming political leaders who spread religious intolerance. Asked whether he agreed with President Goodluck Jonathan that the current unrest was worse than the 1960s civil

war, he told the BBC World Service: “It’s not an unrealistic comparison — it’s certainly based on many similarities. “We see the nation heading towards a civil war.” Soyinka was also asked whether the unrest threatened the state of Nigeria itself, and replied: “It is going that way. We no longer can pretend it’s not. “When you’ve got a situation where a bunch of people can go into a place of worship and open fire through the windows, you’ve reached a certain dismal watershed in the life of that nation.” Soyinka said the issues raised by Islamist group Boko Haram, which was blamed for violence targeting Christians in the north of Nigeria and has sparked fears of a wider religious conflict, had been brewing for some time.

Violence: Soyinka, Achebe, Clarke counsel against reprisals

Three renowned writers, Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, Professor Chinua Achebe and Professor John Bekederemo-Clarke, have warned against retaliation to the killings by the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram. The writers, in a joint statement on Sunday, urged all persons with various level of influence in the society to douse all possible forms of reprisal attacks. They also urged the Federal Government to convene a national conference to discuss the various challenges confronting the nation. The statement read in part, “BOKO HARAM is very likely celebrating its first tactical victory: provoking retaliation in some parts of the nation. “We insist however that this need not be, and should not be so. And as long as any part, however minuscule, opts for the more difficult path of envisioned forbearance, we are convinced that its responses will find neighbour emulation between homesteads, between towns and villages, between communities on all levels and indeed – states. “This hard, demanding, but profoundly moral and heroic option will be recognised and embraced as the only option for the survival and integrity of the whole. All who claim to be leaders must lead – but in the right direction! “We urge a proactive resolve in all such claimants to leadership. It is not sufficient to make pious pronouncements. All who possess any iota of influence or authority, who aspire to moral leadership must act now to douse the first flickers of ‘responses in kind’ even before they are manifested, and become contagious.”

The writers urged the government to stop assuming that elected legislators were best qualified to address the convocation of a national conference through a piecemeal tinkering approach. According to them the conference should be convened to debate how to promote the nation’s civic and political life as well as the terms of the nation’s “integrated existence.” They said, “Calls have been made in the past – sometimes in response to a crisis within the nation, other times as an objective necessity even in the most tranquil of times – for the convening of a national conference to debate just how the nation should proceed in reinforcing civic and political life, and decide, in full freedom, the terms of her integrated existence. continued

Carnaval de Calabar

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Subvention du Pétrole : la Poutre dans les Yeux du Budget Nigérian

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Death toll rises in Lagos building collapse

 

Rescue workers comprising officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency and the state Fire Services have evacuated one more dead body from the rubble of a building that collapsed in Oshodi, Lagos on Saturday. This brought the number of the casualties to six. Three had been confirmed dead, while three persons sustained injuries. The injured are receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital. On Saturday, a bungalow being converted into a duplex, collapsed on Popoola Olafuyi Street, Ewutuntun, Oshodi, Lagos killing two persons instantly. It was learnt that two of the persons that survived the incident did so by a stroke of luck as the building fell a few minutes after they left to buy some articles. An eyewitness, Mr. Olusola Semiu-Kuti, said eight persons were working on the building when it fell.

He said, “The building was being reconstructed. People are not living in it. I think the new owner was trying to remodel the building before it collapsed. I am not a building professional to know what must have been responsible for the collapse.” A relation of Yusuf Popoola, one of the victims, Mr. Nasiru Adeola, lamented the death of his 21-year-old nephew continued

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Nelson Mandela hospital tweet prompts newspaper apology

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Nigerian activist Ken Saro-Wiwa's daughter remembers her father

Noo Saro-Wiwa was 14 when she found out her father, Ken, had another family. It took years – and his death – for her to begin to understand him To most of us, Ken Saro-Wiwa was a Nigerian activist and a martyr, a brave and inspiring campaigner who led his Ogoni people's struggle against the decades-long defilement of their land by Big Oil, and ended up paying for it with his life. To Noo Saro-Wiwa, he was Dad. Rather a distant dad, though; for most of her childhood, she saw him only three or four times a year, on his regular visits to England (where she lived with her mother, brothers and twin sister), and during the long summer holidays at the family home in Port Harcourt, where her father lived. Also, he wasn't always the perfect dad. Certainly not that day in 1990, when the 14 year-old Noo received a phone call from her uncle out of the blue. He revealed that when Noo was to visit to Nigeria that summer, she and her siblings would have two new friends to play with: their half-sisters. "He got his brother to tell us about them," she says. "About this whole 'other family' he had. They were eight and six by the time we learned they even existed. We were shocked, angry. We felt betrayed. Less valued. Now I see it differently. But at the time ..."

Poised and perceptive, Noo, 35, has written a book – as funny and affectionate as it is honest and, frankly, alarming – about her first prolonged visit to her homeland since that summer 20 years ago. At that point, she says, she and her siblings had rebelled: "For years, we'd been dragged back there for two months every summer. We just said, enough is enough." And after Ken Saro-Wiwa was executed by the country's military dictatorship in November 1995, of course, there was even less of an incentive to return. Nigeria, says Noo, became a repository of all her pain, fears, disappointments and resentments, a place "where nightmares come true". It took time to go back – as it has taken time for her to reappraise her father. continued

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Sociological Surgeon

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List of Madalla blast victims released : May Their Souls Rest in Peace

Below is a list of victims of the Xmas bombing at St. Theresa Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State. Anthony Okoronkwo, Comrade Dike A. Williams, Emmanuel Dike, Richard Dike, Lillian Dike, Linda Chioma Obiukwu, Uche Q. Obiukwu, Chindinma Cythia Obiukwu, Ifeoma G. Obiukwu, Ann Chinedu Aigbadon, Chiemeri Nwachukwu, Cecilia Ebeku, Oluebube Faustina Pius, Chidera Sylvia Pius, Florence Nwachukwu, Eucharia Ewoh, Joseph Daniel,Inspector Titus Eze, Obasi Jonathan Onyebuchi, Ehiawaguan Peter,    Uche Esiri,    Sgt. Kadiri Danjuma, Unidentified person (5) Victims at the National Hospital Paulina Koju, Chukwudi Umeh, Christiana Kadiri, Esther Agbo,    David Agbo,    Hellen Okolo, Mercy Agbo, John Agbo, Obiukwu Uche Stella, Ebuka Abuyi,

Celestine Aniowo, Michael Sunday, Lucy Unji,   Chiamaka Obiukwu, Favour  Dike, Chimaobi Dike, Favour Agbo,    Maria Obodugo,Kosisochukwu Egbo, Nzubechukwu Pius, Obodo Linus, Austin Ogbugu, Chuks Ajuwe, Esther Ibu, Blessing Philip, Isaac  Ibu, Kenedilim Aloysius. continued

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Rawlings ‘rejoins’ NDC for election 2012

Former President Jerry Rawlings is urging the leadership of the ruling National Democratic Congress party to unite its ranks and salvage it from “perpetual doom,” expressing hope it is not too late to do so. In a dramatic retreat from his oft-repeated threats not to join the party in its election 2012 campaigns, former President Rawlings told a gathering of his supporters, party followers and cadres that it is after all not late to win back the support of the party’s source of power – the grassroots. “Ladies and gentlemen, we find ourselves in a situation where we have become so distanced from reality, that the local structures that benefitted the NDC and accorded it the opportunity to garner public opinion at the lowest level have all dissipated as the grassroots membership have lost trust and confidence, rather opting to organize demonstrations and send petitions, many of which are ignored. “It is not too late to save the NDC from the abyss. Those who have the power and capacity to create a renewed confidence in the party have to wake up from their political slumber and remember their true beginnings,” he counseled as the crowd that filled the National Theatre in Accra to participate in a public lecture to mark the 30th anniversary of the 31st December Revolution he led, cheered.

The lecture was under the theme; Three decades of grassroot democracy: its relevance to current political dispensation. He said “The most dangerous mistake of any political force is to forget its roots and that unfortunately is the bane of many of our political leaders today. Rather than represent the will of the people, many have chosen to represent their own individual and parochial agendas. continued

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Nigeria : Images of The Country

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ACTRESS TOLANI OSHINRIN MARRIES SECRETLY !

Pretty actress Biodun Okeowo,popularly known as Tolani Oshinrin is said to have walked down the aisle secretly.

We gathered that she and her new found love,Tayo signed the dotted lines a couple of months ago.We were told they had a traditional marriage and only family and few friends were in attendance. The actress,who used to live in Akute,a border town between Lagos and Ogun States has since relocated to undisclosed abode with her hubby. continued

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Rawlings to address 31 December Revolution lecture

December 27, 2011 | Filed under: Latest news | Posted by: VibeGhana Former President Jerry John Rawlings will be the Guest of Honour and lead speaker at a public lecture in Accra on Wednesday morning to mark the 30th anniversary of the 31st December Revolution.

A statment issued by the organising committee of the celebration on Tuesday said, the lecture, under theme:”Three Decades of Grassroots Participation: Its Relevance to the Current Political Dispensation, is being organised by the Cadre Front at the National Theatre The statement said other speakers would include Mr Paul Victor Obeng, Dr. Mrs. Mary Grant and Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings. The celebrations commenced on December 20 with a medical outreach at Bukom and Nungua. continued

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Nigeria Boko Haram clashes: 'Thousands flee Damaturu'

About 90,000 people have been displaced in clashes between militant Islamists and the security forces in Nigeria's Damaturu city, an official has said. The Boko Haram group and troops were involved in heavy gun battles in the north-eastern city last week. The militants also planted bombs in Damaturu and outside a church near the capital, Abuja, on Christmas Day. Meanwhile, an explosive device was thrown into an Arabic school in the south of country on Tuesday night. At least seven children were wounded in the attack in Sapele town, police say. The BBC Fidelis Mbah in the main city, Lagos, says it is not clear who was behind the explosion in Sapele, an oil-producing town in the Niger Delta. On 10 December, a similar explosion happened at a mosque in the town, but it has raised fears about retaliatory attacks because of the Christmas Day violence, he says.

“Start Quote I want to assure all Nigerians that there is no conflict between Muslims and Christians, between Islam and Christianity” Muhammad Sa'ad Abubakar Sultan of Sokoto It is highly unusual for explosions to happen in residential areas in the Delta, a region plagued by conflict between the government and militants demanding a greater share of the region's oil wealth. Continue reading the main story

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How Top Nollywood Divas Made it Big and Rich

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Fela!' an energetic celebration of Nigerian music icon

Be prepared to be part of the show if you attend "Fela!" playing at the Ahmanson Theatre through Jan. 22. The acclaimed musical tells the story of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti (1938-97), the Nigerian pop star who was also a political force in his native country. Set in the Shrine, a famed Nigerian nightclub of the 1970s, "Fela!" has an infectious energy as it plays like part concert, part history, part dance extravaganza with very little story, which speaks to both the strengths and the weakness of this musical. An eight-piece band plays on the colorful stage of reds and greens and yellow as the audience files in. They are then joined by a dancer who literally shakes her tail, dressed in what can only be described as something like a tribal go-go outfit. The rest of the cast then wanders out and, eventually, the man himself emerges. He is played by a dynamic Sahr Ngaujah. It takes a charismatic performer to portray someone like Kuti, the sax-playing, singing dynamo (you can check him out on YouTube), and Ngaujah is as close as you are going to get to the real thing. His first number is the electrifying "Everything Scatter," a Kuti song. It's followed by "B.I.D." or "Breaking It Down," an explanation of the innovator's musical style and influences, which include the likes of James Brown. Afrobeat is a fusion of Latin jazz, funk and African percussive and Nigerian guitar sounds. The show has additional music by Aaron Johnson and Jordan McLean with lyrics by Jim Lewis. Like any great concert performer Ngaujah's Kuti engages the audience. Throughout the evening, you will be asked to take part in call-and-response musical segments and to get up and shake your own booty.

All the while Kuti is telling his story, starting with his youth and moving on to his minister grandfather, his own days in London where he discovered John Coltrane and Frank Sinatra, a trip to the United States where he learned of Black Power, and, most importantly, the influence of his mother, who was a political activist. It is his mother, Funmilayo (Melanie Marshall), who plays a pivotal role in the story. The concert at the Shrine, we learn, is taking place shortly after his mother was killed by government troops after they attacked his commune, beating him and many of his followers. (Kuti was a free spirit who was once married to 27 women.) The pop star had angered the government in 1977 with the release of the song "Zombie," which was a scathing attack on the military. Kuti responded to the raid by delivering his mother's coffin to the residence of dictator Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo and writing another hit song, "Coffin for Head of State," also in the show, which was critical of the government. continued

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Ivory Coast using oil border dispute to punish Ghana

London-based news publication – the Financial Times (FT) is suggesting that Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara is using the oil border dispute between his country and Ghana to punish President John Atta Mills for supporting ex-Ivorian leader Laurent Gbagbo when he refused to cede power after an election that international observers say he had lost. Following Gbagbo’s refusal to leave office, Ghana’s neighbour, Ivory Coast plunged into conflict and thousands of people were killed. Gbagbo was however captured in April 2011 and is now standing trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague, accused of crimes against humanity. The FT report written by its Africa editor William Wallis says that Ivory Coast has complicated matters for Ghana’s oil find by raising questions on the maritime boundary around the Jubilee field and that “relations between stakeholders have oscillated from the suspicious to the acrimonious.” According the FT, the environment in the region has become more problematic. “Last April, Laurent Gbagbo was ousted as president of Ivory Coast after a doomed attempt to manipulate election results. Ghana remained one of Mr Gbagbo’s few allies almost until the end; within weeks of the installation of Alassane Ouattara as his successor, Ivory Coast made territorial claims on offshore waters already licensed by Ghana.” Citing unnamed Ghanaian officials, the FT says they first got wind of this when the Ivorian government wrote to oil companies requesting that they cease activities in waters long considered to be on Ghana’s side. “They acknowledge relations with the new administration in Ivory Coast are tense and privately maintain the border claim is a strategy designed at least partially to punish President John Evans Atta Mills for backing the wrong side,” writes William Wallis. Early November 2011, the Ivorian government mapped out a new maritime border it is sharing with Ghana covering some of the jubilee oilfields. The country has therefore publicly challenged Ghana over title to the offshore acreage hosting some of the region’s most prolific oil and gas fields. It is believed that the disputed border hold about a billion-barrel discoveries. Even though talks between Ghana and Ivory Coast have not been concluded, oil news publication-Upstream – says Ivory Coast is planning to develop its own gas processing infrastructure, ostensibly duplicating proposals advanced by Ghana, although most believe this move is simply political posturing ahead of a diplomatic solution to the maritime border impasse.

Although there seems to be a looming diplomatic uproar, Ghana says the Jubilee oilfields are safe despite Ivory Coast’s claim of the oil border Ghana’s Energy Minister Dr Joe Oteng Adjei at a press conference in Accra early October 2011 assured Ghanaians not to worry about the border dispute. He made the comment the day President Ouattara paid a day’s visit to Ghana after assuming power. This was re-echoed by Foreign Affairs Minister Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni during a press conference in Accra Tuesday December 6, 2011. He assured Ghanaians that the Jubilee oilfields are safe, according to a Daily Graphic newspaper report. He said the government was determined to ensure that the national interest and the interest of Ghanaians were not compromised in any way, according to the report. The Jubilee Partners are also worried about the situation. Texas-based oil explorer, Kosmos Energy has expressed fears about the development. The oil producer says the future of a portion of its license in the Deepwater Tano Block is uncertain as the issue remains unresolved. source

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Miss Nigeria 2011 Pageant With a Difference

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President Mills Arrives In Cuba

Sources close to the Ghana Embassy in Cuba have confirmed that President of the Republic of Ghana, a long time friend of Cuba and one the best leaders in Africa John Evans Atta Mills has arrived in Cuba. He arrived in Cuba on Sunday night and is currently staying at the Sandals Royal Hicacos Resorts and Spa, on Varadero beach in down town Havana. The President was met Sunday night at Havana’s Jose Marti international Airport by Cuba’s Deputy Minister of foreign Affairs Mr Abelardo Moreno and the Ghanaian Embassy officials including Ghanaian army personnel receiving military defence training at Los Matadores Military school in Santiago. President Mills we hear is a socialist who shares in our ideals of social justice, equality and resistance to US imperialism . We admire him for his courage and boldness and especially his response to David Cameron on the outrageous gay issue. The Sandals Royal Hicacos is one of Cubas finest hotels ,rich in entertainment, fun and games, with health suite and steam aromatic baths, its 404 suites with king size beds as well as decor and concierge suites. It is a hotel that befits

African Leaders and especially friends of Cuba .We Cubans are happy to have Senor Mills and his delegation with us and hope they would enjoy the havana cigars, try some of our tapas and also sample our fiestas. Ghana and Cuba have a rich history of good relations going over 30 years. Ghanaian students have received training in clinical medicine ,pharmacology and nursing. Cuban doctors have worked in Ghana supporting the rebuilding of Ghana’s Health system and hospitals. continued

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Jonathan to spend N921.9bn on Boko Haram, others

By Isaiah Onwuanumba A budget proposal of N921.9 has been earmarked by the Federal Government to fight the menace of the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, Niger Delta militants and other miscreants who have been terrorising many parts of the country. President Goodluck Jonathan, on Tuesday, made this revelation while presenting the total budget of N4.749 trillion before a joint session of the National Assembly. He said security has to take the lion share out of the total budget because of ‘the threat of Boko Haram, Niger Delta militants and increasing spate of insecurity and wanton destruction of lives and property by criminal which are on the rise.’ He said the government would spend the amount to ensure the safety of security of lives and property.

And to reinforce the nation’s security challenge, Maiduguri, the Bornu State capital experienced yet another bomb explosion as President Jonathan was reading the 2012 Budget yesterday morning.  Although the bomb explosion, which occurred on Ali Ngoshe Street in the London-Chiki area of the city recorded no casualty, soldiers in the Joint Task Force reportedly started shooting indiscriminately after the blast, killing three kids.  continued

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Olympic silver medalist Sunday Bada, is dead!

On December 13, 2011 · In News Men and officers of the Special Fraud Unit, SFU, Milverton Ikoyi, Lagos, were, Tuesday, thrown into mourning following the death of Mr. Sunday Bada, a Superintendent of Police and an Olympic silver medalist. The late Bada, until his death, the Technical Director of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, died on Monday. There were, however, different versions of how the 42-year-old Police officer died. A version said he slumped at the National Stadium, Lagos, Monday evening and gave up the ghost before reaching the hospital.

Another version, however, had it that he was on his way to pick his wife from Murtala Muhammed Interanational Airport when he complained of an unusual feeling. He reportedly told his driver to immediately take him to his doctor but gave up the ghost on the way. There was, however, no official report about his death from the Police at press time. continued

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Wars of Decline: Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya

The Case of Libya

Reporters Sans Frontières Relève les Violations des Libertés au Bénin

continued

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Jonathan presents 2012 budget to N/Assembly

On December 13, 2011 · In News President Goodluck Jonathan, Tuesday, presented the 2012 budget  proposals to the joint session of the National Assembly in Abuja. Below is the president’s budget speech. PROTOCOL 1.                  I am delighted to present the 2012 Federal Budget Proposal before this esteemed Joint Session of the National Assembly. This Proposal comes at the end of a long consultative process with key stakeholders and it translates the development plans of government unveiled in the Transformation Agenda into concrete actions. 2.                  This budget is a stepping-stone to the transformation of our economy and country in our walk to economic freedom. This esteemed Assembly would agree that this path would neither be easy nor uncontested; but with a sharp focus, hard work, determination and making careful choices we will overcome. GLOBAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS 3.                  In the past year, the global economic recovery slowed down significantly and downside risks are on the increase as many countries, particularly in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), have faced serious challenges leading to fiscal retrenchment and austerity measures in the face of high and rising levels of sovereign debt. 4.                  The Euro Zone crisis in particular has time and again thrown financial markets into turmoil as several countries in this economic and monetary union continue to face difficulty in servicing their debts. On the other hand, although many emerging and developing countries, like India and China are experiencing relatively robust growth, downside risks remain as well. In fact, global growth projection has continuously been revised downward and is now 4% for 2012-2013

5.                  These developments have implications for our economy as, aside from the impact on the inflow of Foreign Direct Investments, they could also lead to lower demand for our primary export commodity. We are living witnesses to the extent of volatility that can afflict the international oil market with prices plummeting from US$147/barrel in July 2008 to about US$38/barrel four months later. Thus, although the oil price is currently over US$100/barrel, there is no guarantee what it would be in the future. 6.                  We cannot subject the well-being of Nigerians to such large fluctuations and must therefore protect ourselves by managing our finances prudently including by adopting a conservative benchmark oil price for our budgets. 7.                  There are also uncertainties in the area of international food prices which make it imperative that we take steps to safeguard our position through policies that would promote food security. So far, the Nigerian economy has weathered these storms well but efforts need to be reinforced to ensure macroeconomic stability and sustained economic growth. continued

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Nigerians to enjoy fortified cassava by 2014 – IITA

On December 8, 2011 · In News Ibadan – By the middle of  2014, more than 150,000 households in Nigeria are expected to be eating vitamin A fortified yellow cassava, an international agricultural organisation, HarvestPlus, said HarvestPlus  is an international partner of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)  leading  a global effort to breed and disseminate micro-nutrient-rich staple food crops to reduce hunger in malnourished populations. In a release in Ibadan on Thursday,  IITA quoted HarvestPlus as saying that  yellow cassava varieties could provide more vitamin A in the diets of more than 70 million Nigerians, who ate cassava everyday. The release, signed by Godwin Atser, the spokesman for IITA,  stated that yellow cassava varieties were  already being multiplied through stem cuttings. It said that  by 2013 when sufficient certified stems would be  available for HarvestPlus and its partners to distribute to about 25,000 farming households initially. The release said farmers would be able to grow the new vitamin A varieties and feed their families on them and in addition, multiply and share cuttings with others in the community,  thus amplifying the nutritional benefits.

Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is widely prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa,  afflicting almost 20 per cent of pregnant women and about 30 per cent of children under the age of five in Nigeria, the release stated. It added that VAD could  lower immunity and impair vision, leading to blindness and even death. The release stated that  children and women would be the main beneficiaries of these new yellow varieties, which could provide up to 25 per cent of  daily vitamin A needs. It said that varieties with enough vitamin A to provide up to half of daily needs were already in the breeding pipeline and should be ready for release in a few years… continued

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Ghana Discovers Iron Ore

Nana Bi-Kusi Appiah, Manso Nkwanta Traditional Area in the Ashanti Region (left) cutting the sod to commission the Emmaland Resource Center. Ghana has discovered large deposit of iron ore at Sheini Hills in the Zabzugu Tatale District of the Northern region. The Sheini Hills iron ore project is anticipated to contribute significantly to the growth of the Ghana’s economy. Speaking at the commissioning of Emmaland and Cardero Ghana Limited building, Emmanuel Ababio, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company, said the mining of iron ore marked the beginning of a new era for Ghana’s economic development. Emmaland and Cardero Ghana Limited has been issued with license to develop the Sheini iron ore deposit in the Zabzugu Tatale District in the Northern region.

He said the company has the capacity to employ thousands of people, provide basic infrastructure, improve upon the living condition of the people in the catchment area and transform the country. Mr. Ababio said as part of the company’s social responsibility even before the project fully takes off, it has graded the road to link Zabzugu to the Sheini and rehabilitated the abandoned presidential lodge at Zabzugu which they will use as their office. They have also equipped the district assemblies with computers to facilitate their work. continued

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Ini Edo brings “I’ ll Take my Chance” to Lagos

Following the resounding success and acceptance it enjoyed in Uyo, Akwa Ibom capital three months ago, top Nollywood actress Ini Edo is set to bring her last movie ' I' ll Take My Chance" to Lagos. 'I'll Take My Chances' is a dance themed movie that is centred on love and the challenges faced in its pursuit by its two principal characters. The actress who recently got her appointment with the United Nations renewed as the United Nations youth envoy on environment for another year is putting finishing touch to her preparation for this big show. The movie, jointly produced with Emem Isong features Brian Okwarra, Jide Kosoko, late Sam Loco Efe and Ini Edo herself among others. The Lagos premiere of the movie will take place later this month. I'll Take My Chances centers on a medley of drama, dance, love and suspense,

which is intended for people who are very passionate about dance and movies but not like the type often portrayed in most Bollywood films, but this time, it's more Nigerian in perspective and philosophy. Directed by Desmond Elliot, a prolific actor, I'll Take My Chances is a real departure from the frequently seen story lines in the movie industry as the content, style and philosophy behind it distinguishes it from most of the scripts daily churned out by directors and producers alike… continued

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Ojukwu was sent to expose Nigeria (2)

On December 5, 2011 · In News By Ochereome Nnanna There were many things Nigerian groups did not know about one another as the fight for independence raged in the 1950’s. One of them was our peculiar diversity. Father of Nigeria’s nationalism, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe’s exchange with the leader of the Northern establishment, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, is often referred to. “Zik” urged Nigerians to “forget” their differences and build a great nation. Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto corrected him, saying Nigerians should “understand” their differences, for it was the only way to build a great nation. The third leg in the Nigerian traditional tripod, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, chipped in by observing that Nigeria was “a mere geographical expression”. That Nigerians have never shared national interests is all too evident through our history. The 1960’s decade, our first after independence from colonial Britain, was a critical period when, through practical politics, our diversity was put to test. The result showed that the “Zik” model of diversity management (“forgetting”, or “rising above” the diversity) failed. It started with his own failure to assume executive leadership of Nigeria after leading the independence struggle. Nigeria became the only example of such on the African continent.

The Igbo/Eastern Nigerian political leadership, riding on the nationalist philosophy of the National Council for Nigerian Citizens (NCNC) did not understand the agendas of their coalition partners from the North and West. They “forgot” our differences. They acted as if those differences did not exist and were taken out of the tripod for forty years. This factor obviously (mis)guided young military officers from the South to plot the January 15th 1966 military coup. The naive idea was to remove a “corrupt and inept” elected federal government controlled by political leaders from the North and hand over power to a perceived left-of-centre leadership (with Chief Awolowo … Continued

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I am more cautions about my life, dealings – Lisa Onu

On December 2, 2011 · In Prime Woman Lisa Onu was a coordinator and consultant of an NGO during her youth service days at Jigawa State on the silent killing disease known as Diabetes.  Today, she is an actress and a model and has over twenty five movies and soaps to her credit. In this interview with Florence Amagiya, this diva reveals how she is able to cope with it all. Excerpts.

How did you become an actress? My appearance is not by accident; I have always wanted to appear on the big screen as an actress and I got myself prepared even from childhood by mastering the way l speak and my carriage continued

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Russia to build Ghana's first nuclear power plant

Russian technocrats will build Ghana’s first nuclear power plant as preparatory works are underway, officials at the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) have said. A Daily Graphic publication sighted on the Energy Ministry’s website December 1, 2011 said, the nuclear plant, undertaken by the

Ghana government in collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is expected to be completed by 2020 with a medium-size reactor also expected to be completed by 2018. Speaking at a one-day seminar on IAEA Project Planning for Sustainable Development Programme in Accra, the publication cited Prof Benjamin Nyarko, Deputy Director-General of GAEC, saying a team led by the Minister of Energy, Dr Joe Oteng-Adjei… continued

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Une Esclave Béninoise de 12 ans Victime de Cruautés de la part de sa Maitresse, par ailleurs Princesse d’Ibadan et Présidente Locale de Télé Nigériane

IBADAN — THE National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, yesterday, docked Princess Folasade Olufunke Bankole, daughter of the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Samuel Odulana and one Folasade Adunni in a Federal High Court Ibadan for alleged forced labour of a girl from the Republic of Benin, Miss Rukayat Isiaka. Princess Bankole, aged 57, is the General Manger of the Ado Ekiti station of the Nigerian Television Authourity, NTA. The accused had on October 25, 2011 honoured an invitation to report at the Lagos office of the NAPTIP to clear the allegation against them, but they were granted bail two days after being interrogated by the agency. They later visited the office of the commission six times. A medical report from the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja dated November 21, 2011 stated that the Beninoise was allegedly assaulted by her boss and sustained multiple injuries. The girl, according to the report, had healed scars on the scalp from shoe heels and also burns scar on the shoulder measuring 68 by 4cm laterally believed to have been inflicted on her by her boss.

The report which was signed by the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Somoye M. O. also had it that the innocent girl had marks on the dorsum of the right forearm also resembling injury from burns. “The possibility of the burn being from a hot iron is very high considering the sharp, defined edges,” the report stated. In the statement made at NAPTIP, the Princess said about 33 weeks ago, the girl was asked to iron her shirt which had already been washed and ironed by a dry cleaner… continued image source

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Atiku kongninmè nu Obasanjo / Obasanjo lobbied ex-US President to back third-term – Atiku

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, on Monday, said ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo lobbied former United States President George Bush to back his third term bid. He also said Obasanjo deliberately imposed a sick President on the country in 2007 in order to punish Nigerians. The former VP said the "imposition" of the late Umaru Yar’Adua was Obasanjo’s way of punishing the citizens for rejecting his third term agenda, saying the ex-President hated him for his refusal to support the agenda. Yar’Adua became president in 2007 and died in 2010 from a kidney related disease. The late President’s administration was dominated by the issues of his illness. At a point, he was out of the country for about six months, receiving treatment in Saudi Arabia. Abubakar, who was reacting to comments credited to Obasanjo by a newspaper, said there was no truth in Obasanjo’s claim that he (Abubakar) was not capable of leading the nation.

Rather, he said Obasanjo’s grouse against him started with his (Atiku) refusal to support the former president’s desire to amend the Constitution to contest a third term in office. Abubakar advised Obasanjo to defend himself against the allegation of lobbying the Bush administration to support his third term ambition in 2006. Abubakar said Obasanjo’s moves were exposed in the recently published memoirs of former Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice. continued

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War Against Sea Piracy

Nigeria and the Republic of Benin set up a joint naval operation code-named “Operation prosperity” to check-mate activities of pirates in the Gulf of Guinea waters The recent upsurge in the activities of sea pirates on Nigerian waterways has been a source of concern to maritime navigation. Since May this year, there have been increasing reports of pirate attacks in the Gulf of Guinea and off the coast of West Africa. In reponse to this ugly development, the International Maritime Bureau, IMB, has rated the coastal parts bordering

Lagos and the Benin waters as one of the most piracy attack-prone areas of the world. According to the IMB reports, Nigeria and Benin Republic have recorded more than 22 incidences of piracy this year, the highest ever recorded on the West African coast. continued

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I Don’t Seduce Men With My Eyes

source

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The Igbos have lost an Iroko tree, say Nwobodo, Okiro others

Cholera killed 728 Nigerians in 11 months – UNICEF

Lettre de Bruno Amoussou au Pape Benoît XVI : l’Un dénonce le Régime de Viol et de Vol qui a fait main basse sur le Bénin dans l’intérêt du Système Néocolonial et de ses Sous-fifres Locaux

Super Model Rosie

source p 26

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Ban on importation of rice underway -Jonathan

On November 17, 2011 · In News BY DANIEL IDONOR ABUJA — PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan, Friday, hinted of his plan to ban rice importation in his budget speech which he will soon present to the National Assembly.

The United States Agency for International Development, USAID, in a report entitled “Nigeria rice value chain analysis,” had put rice importation at three million metric tonnes annually with a total value of N468 billion ($3 billion). President Jonathan who spoke while receiving the report of the Northern Economic Summit organised by the Professor Jerry Gana led G_20 Group, said Nigeria can no longer rely on rice import most of which have been stored in silos for more than 10 years, to feed her population. continued Copyright, Blaise APLOGAN, 2010,© Bienvenu sur Babilown Toute republication de cet article doit en mentionner et l’origine et l’auteur sous peine d’infraction

Pourquoi les Refus d'Achebe sont Importants

Chinua Achebe award snub 'surprises' Nigerian president

Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan regrets acclaimed author Chinua Achebe's rejection of a prestigious national award, his spokesman says.

Mr Achebe said the concerns he raised about Nigeria when he first rejected the award in 2004 remain unresolved.

At the time, Mr Achebe said the situation in poverty and violence-hit Nigeria was becoming worse.

Nigeria's presidential spokesman said his continued rejection was surprising and "flies in the face" of reality.

Mr Jonathan won elections in April that were hailed by foreign observers as free and fair.

But an estimated 500 people were killed and thousands displaced from their homes in northern Nigeria in post-election violence after supporters of the main opposition Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) party denounced the result as fraudulent. …

continued

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Ghana listed among top 10 tourism destination for 2012

Accra, Nov. 13, GNA - Frommer travel, a global rating agency in the tourism industry, known for its credibility and authenticity has named Ghana among the top 10 tourism destination for 2012.
Mr Julius Debrah, Executive Director of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), who announced this at a press conference at the weekend, said Frommer reached out to people to find out where they wanted to be in the coming year and Ghana was listed in the top 10 preferred destinations.
He said: “Ghana provided a perfect introduction to African Travel…but for anybody seeking a holistic experience that embraces traditional and contemporary culture as well as beaches and safaris, Ghana’s microcosmic travel circuit is the perfect African Primer."
Frommer serves as a travel guide and one of the best selling travel guides in America.
Mr Debrah who expressed excitement over Ghana’s selection said the country deserved the acknowledgment since it hosts varied and unique tourists attractions which could be found nowhere in the world.
“In Kumasi, the Addae Kese festival held at Manhyia Palace, pays a dazzling homage to the Ashanti King, Osei Tutu II, the city also hosts the Kejetia Market with its labyrinth of 10,000 stalls and surrounded by communities that are famous for the traditional kente cloth weavers."
The Tourism Authority Boss noted that Ghana’s recognition on the international tourism circles had given impetus to the hard work that was done by his organisation and the citizenry in general over the year

continued

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Je Vous Présente Pamela Williams

 

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Saro-Wiwa: Groups want new deal for Ogoni land

Civil society groups, the Ogoni Welfare Association and Women Arise, on Thursday urged the Federal Government to give a new deal to Ogoni people by implementing the United Nations Environment Programme report on Ogoni land as well as the Ogoni Bill of Rights.

The groups spoke in Lagos during a protest march to the state Governor’s office. The protest was to mark the 16 years anniversary of the execution of the leader of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People, Dr. Ken Saro-Wiwa, and eight others by the Gen. Sanni Abacha regime on November 10, 1995.

Spokesperson for the group, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, said the crisis that led to the death of Saro-Wiwa was still on the ground 16 years after. She called on the Federal Government to take steps to alleviate the suffering of Ogoni people.

According to her, Saro-Wiwa died doing what he believed in, including leading his people to demand justice and equity and an end to exploitation and environmental degradation in Ogoni land.

She said, “His intellectual militancy put the Ogoni cause on global focus and exposed the criminal activities of the Nigerian government and oil companies. Rather than addressed the issue, the Nigerian state chose to hang the messenger, thinking that it would hang the message by doing so.

“Like Ken rightly predicted, hanging did not solve the problem. It led to violent agitations across the Niger Delta, which explains why we are having amnesty for those who never asked for one today….

continued

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Nigeria's plastic bottle house

Nigeria's first house built from discarded plastic bottles is proving a tourist attraction in the village of Yelwa.

Hundreds of people - including government officials and traditional leaders - have been coming to see how the walls are built in the round architectural shape popular in northern Nigeria.

The bottles, packed with sand, are placed on their side, one on top of the other and bound together with mud.

Nuhu Dangote Trader in Kaduna

"I wanted to see this building for myself as I was surprised to hear it was built from plastic bottles," said Nuhu Dangote, a trader who travelled from the state capital, Kaduna, to see the house.

"They were saying it in the market that it looks like magic, that you will be amazed when you see it, that is why I have come here to feed my eyes.

"The whole world should come and look at it."

The real beauty of the house is its outside wall as the round bottoms of the exposed bottles produce a lovely design.

But for those behind the project, its environmental benefits are what are most important.

'Bullet-proof'

Twenty-five houses, which will be available to rent, are being built on this estate on land donated by a Greek businessman and environmentalist.

Children making money filling bottles may one day be able to attend a school to be built on the estate

Bottles for the houses are mainly sourced from hotels and restaurants

continued

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Ghana, le Rituel des Inondations : entre Vices Urbains et Vœux Humains

par Elizabeth Ohene

Accra, la ville que j'appelle ma maison, a fait récemment la une des journaux internationaux.
Nous avons eu des inondations, des gens sont morts, des maisons et commerces ont été détruits et des milliers de personnes ont été laissées sans abri.
La chose était si grave que le président de la République lui-même a enfilé des bottes Wellington et est allé de lieux en lieux consoler la ville dévastée.
A Accra nous construisons des maisons sans permis et mettons en place des structures dans les endroits inondables et les égouts servent de dépotoirs à ordures. Chaque année, lorsque les pluies arrivent et les inondations dévastent la ville, nous disons tous que ces structures sauvages doivent être démolies.
La furie des eaux a exposé la ville dans son identité de méga bidonville.
Chacun d'entre nous ses habitants sommes allés en besogne dans notre traditionnelle routine d’accuser et de blâmer, car la catastrophe n'a pas vraiment été une surprise pour nous.
Un article intéressant dans un quotidien national a tenté de mettre le drame en perspective par la compilation de couvertures de journaux relatant l'inondation périodique d’Accra depuis les années 1950.
Il y avait une image du Premier ministre Kwame Nkrumah et son ministre des Finances Komla Agbeli Gbedemah inspectant les dégâts causés par les inondations et promettant de l'argent pour construire les égouts.
La scène s’est répétée chaque année avec des degrés variables de gravité.
J'ai fait des reportages sur les inondations à Accra depuis 1968, j'ai accompagné des ministres et des chefs d'Etat autour des zones inondées de la ville, j'ai été aéroportée par l’Armée de l'air pour obtenir une vue aérienne, j'ai écrit des éditoriaux et des articles innombrables, j'ai été sur les programmes de discussion, je me suis indignée, et j'ai même fondu en larmes devant la destruction causée par la furie des eaux et les torrents.
Chaque année, lorsque les pluies arrivent et les inondations dévastent la ville, nous disons tous que ces structures non autorisées doivent être démolies.
Mais une fois que le soleil revient et que les eaux commencent à baisser, le ton de la conversation change.

Pour emprunter les mots du Président de la République quand il a été interrogé au sujet du bidonville illégal le plus célèbre d’Accra, appelé Sodome et Gomorrhe, «nous savons que les gens là-bas doivent être réinstallés, mais cela doit être fait à visage humain".
L'armée a été amenée à sauver des gens pris dans les eaux de crue.
Il n'est pas le premier président à vouloir faire cela. Malheureusement, il n'existe pas de moyen à «visage humain» pour démolir une structure.
En 2001, j'étais au gouvernement, nous avions des inondations similaires, il y avait des morts, des maisons et commerces ont été détruits, il semblait y avoir un consensus général que les structures illégales devraient être démolies.
Quelques-unes de ces structures ont été démolies et je n'oublierai jamais le "Gouvernement méchant et sans cœur» des journaux et leurs histoires larmoyantes de veuves rendues sans abri par l'opération de démolition.
Et maintenant, bien sûr, c’est devenu l'un des droits inaliénables des 24 millions de Ghanéens que de vivre à Accra.
Comme je l'ai entendu à la radio la semaine dernière, les habitants des structures dans les zones inondables sont aussi des Ghanéens et ont le droit d'y vivre.
Aux oubliettes la fameuse création des zones rurales attrayantes pour l'habitation.
Selon le maire de la ville, nous avons besoin d'un montant de 500 millions de dollars pour construire les égouts pluviaux anti-inondation.
Peut-être que nous allons trouver l'argent et construire ces égouts, mais s’ils doivent être transformés en dépotoirs à ordures, pendant que nous continuons à construire là où nous ne devons pas et que des endroits comme Sodome et Gomorrhe continuent à se développer tandis que nous essayons de trouver un moyen à visage humain pour les démolir, le rituel annuel se poursuivra.

traduit par Binason Avèkes, d’après un article de :

Elizabeth Ohene

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I love Nigerian men but … – Yvonne Nelson

I’m not dating Jim Iyke

BENJAMIN NJOKU
With a superb  body and sexy long legs, Yvonne Nelson is one actress to behold. A popular face in Ghollywood, Yvonne has endeared herself to a large crowd of fans across the world.

Showtime Celebrity cornered her at a movie location in Festac Town, Lagos, last Friday, where she speaks on her alleged ban by the movie producers in Ghana, her relationships with Jim Iyke,  her love life and  anger with the press .

You were a model before going into acting. How has the journey been so far?

I wasn’t modeling. It just happened by chance. I actually took part in Miss Ghana beauty pageant in 2005. It has been fun and I love what I’m doing. I have a degree in Human Resources Management but I choose to concentrate on my acting career.

continued

 

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