First Suspected Ebola Outbreak in Ahmadu Bello University.

According to Premium Times, it would appear that a 19-year old student of the Ahmadu Bello University may have come down with the Ebola virus.

Premium Times says: "The Public Relations Officer, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital,

Obasanjo Stresses The Need For FG To Negotiate With Boko Haram Over Chibok Girls

An ex President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, made more revelations on the issue of negotiating with Boko Haram terrorists and rescuing of over 200 female students of Girls’ Governmental Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State.

Shortly after giving his comments to BBC Hausa, OBJ, who is currently in Senegal, came up with more details in a phone talk with Premium Times on June 12, 2014, Thursday.

The ex President confirmed that it would be “inconceivable” to get all the kidnapped girls back to their homes, pointed out that it would be a “near-miracle” if it happens.

Save Nigeria

Received this from a friend. Please read, digest and act by spreading it and preaching peace.

OMAR BANGURA from Sierra Leone has this to tell Nigerians; "I don't think you guys know what you are playing with. You can call each other names and laugh about it now but

'We did not ban Abuja protests' says Nigerian police.

The Nigerian Police Headquarters has issued a statement saying they didn't ban any protests in Abuja. According to a statement signed by CSP Frank Mba, what was issued yesterday by the FCT Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mbu was only an advisory notice and not a ban. Find the statement below. The Police High Command wishes to inform the general public that the Force has not issued any order banning peaceful assemblies/protests anywhere in Nigeria. It notes however that against the backdrop of current security challenges in the country, coupled with a recent intelligence report of a...

#BringBackOurGirls: Why The Nigerian Government Must Swap The Chibok Girls

It has been over a month that young and aspiring girls of Government Secondary School, Chibok were defencelessly abducted as they sleep in the dark silence of their unlit dormitory. After initially threatening to sell off the girls in the slave market, the Abductor-In-Chief, Mr Shekau finally announce last week of his intention to trade them for some of his imprisoned campaigners. Unfortunately, there are words going round that the Nigerian government is not favorably disposed to this swap proposal. I believe, as I am sure a lot of Nigerians do too, that there should be no hesitation about the acceptance of the “favorable news” that Mr. Shekau has offered after the initial threat of the sale of the young ladies in the slave market.

Chibok: Why are our female legislators M.I.A?

 

What differentiates the 20 female senators of the United States Congress who signed a joint statement in support of the #BringBackOurGirls campaign and the 34 collectively silent women in Nigeria’s seventh Assembly?

#BringBackOurGirls: South Africans Boo Nigeria’s President Jonathan

 

(AFP) -President Goodluck Jonathan was greeted with shouts of “bring back our girls” when he arrived at the Union Buildings, where Zuma was inaugurated.

Nigeria‘s President Goodluck Jonathan is among more than 20 heads of state gathered for the event.

African leaders in Pretoria for President Jacob Zuma’s inauguration will hold informal talks on the security situation in Nigeria, South Africa’s government said on Saturday.

Government spokesman Clayson Monyela said they would meet to discuss security in Nigeria, where the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls has laid bare the government’s inability to tackle an insurgency by the Islamist group Boko Haram.

The talks follow a spate of attacks in Nigeria, which is under growing international pressure to tackle the increasingly bloody uprising.

National Conference Turns Religious

At the resumption of the plenary session of the issue of religion pitched Nigerians against one another at the national conference with delegates disagreeing over religion.
The debate started when the assistant secretary admin, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu told the delegates that the secretariat was making arrangements for Muslim delegates to have their daily prayers.
His assertion was quickly followed by a request by Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) who demanded for a similar provision for Christians who he noted were presently observing the period of lent.
Religious tension was further stoked after Pastor Tunde Bakare, himself a former Muslim, questioned the propriety of the conference chairman, Justice Idris Kutigi interjecting his statements with Arabic Islamic incantations.

#BringBackOurGirls Press Release On The Protest March to the Presidential Villa

On Thursday, 22nd May, 2014, the #BringBackOurGirls Team will embark on a protest march to the Presidential Villa, Aso Rock. This is in continuation of our citizens’ engagement over the need for the authorities concerned to take the lead in safely rescuing our over 200 schoolgirls still in custody

Ice Prince Questions President Jonathan Over Plateau Bombings

Various celebrities may have shown their care about the abducted girls in various ways, but one person that is angry about the whole situation is Chocolate City rap star, Ice Prince Zamani

Is This The Best President Jonathan Can Offer? – Bemdoo Hulugh

Under the watch of president Jonathan this country have taken a very dangerous direction that people are asking for the first time since after the Biafra war if there will be a Nigeria beyond 2015. In Nigeria,we have been so used to bad governance that we never imagined it will get any worst till President Jonathan became the President.
Under the watch of President Jonathan, terrorists attacked in the heart of Abuja on independence day. They attacked the United Nations building in the same Abuja and attacked worshippers on Christmas day in a church close to Abuja and they attacked again a bar close to Abacha barracks still inside Abuja, the capital city.

Educating the Girl Child

The importance of the girl child in any society cannot be overlooked. In the words of Barr. (Mrs) Funmi Falana “an untrained girl child is indeed an untrained society” depicts the danger of not training the girl child.
Having recognised the importance of the girl child in the society, United Nations General Assembly declared October 11 every year as the “International Day of the girl child”. This day according to UN is to “focus attention on the need to address the challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.” A day set aside to promote human rights and address discrimination and violence faced by girls.

GirlEmpowered: StretchCenter Sets Out To Empower 900 Girls In Isheri-Osun Lagos Come May 31ST

Omotola Fawunmi, a young development worker, an HACEY Girl Child Ambassador and a managing partner at STRETCH Consulting, has decided to take her love and advocacy campaign for the Empowerment of the girl child to a new level. She’d be celebrating her next birthday with 900 girls between the ages of 13 and 25 in Isheri Oshun neighbourhood, a low income suburb in Lagos State.

“To Our Fallen Heroes” – Abuja #BringBackOurGirls Movement Commends Our Troops

ABUJA: The Abuja Family of the #BringBackOurGirls Movement wishes to commend the troops deployed to fight and defeat terrorism in Nigeria. We are proud that our professional officers and men are staking their lives to improve the security of the citizens of our dear country.

Why There Will Never Be A Revolution In Nigeria

 

Why is it that Nigeria is still cursed with generally bad governments? It is because we are a resilient people. Is that bad? Let’s discuss…

The reason for our perpetual bad government, can at first glance be found in that very well known gem from Karl Marx. Marx, one of the greatest thinkers ever, said, “The people deserve the government that they have!” Not too many truer maxims out there.

At a first glance, Marx’s statement about people deserving the government that they have rings true in Nigeria.

Too many Nigerians believe that other Nigerians are bad people, so it is no surprise that the rest of the world has picked up on that. I have had my fair share of being harassed at international airport terminals in many of the 17 different countries that I have visited.

Bombings kill at least 118 in Nigerian city of Jos

By Adamu Jonah and Anamesere Igboeroteonwu

JOS (Reuters) - Back-to-back bomb blasts killed at least 118 people and wounded 45 in the crowded business district of the central Nigerian city of Jos on Tuesday, emergency services said, in an attack that appeared to bear the hallmarks of the Boko Haram insurgents.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. But the militant group Boko Haram, which has set off bombs across the north and center of Nigeria in an increasingly bloody campaign for an Islamic state, was likely to be the prime suspect in what would rank among their deadliest single attacks in five years of insurrection.

Boko Haram grabbed world headlines by abducting more than 200 schoolgirls on April 14 from the northeastern village of Chibok. Britain, the United States and France have pledged to help rescue them.

If the Jos attack was the handiwork of Boko Haram, it would show their growing reach in Africa's top oil producing and most populous country, striking out beyond their heartland in Nigeria's semi-arid and weakly governed northeast. Several bombs have exploded outside that region over the past month.

It was also likely calculated to stoke civil strife in Nigeria's most combustible ethnic and sectarian tinder box. Jos and the surrounding Plateau state have seen thousands killed in tit-for-tat violence between largely Christian Berom farmers and Muslim Fulani cattle herders over the past decade.

A Reuters reporter saw 10 bodies burned beyond recognition at the bomb site opposite a hospital at Terminus, the downtown area of Jos which houses shops, some offices and a market.

"We've now recovered 118 bodies from the rubble," said Mohammed Abdulsalam, coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency in Jos. "This could rise by morning, as there is still some rubble we haven't yet shifted."

Plateau state Police Commissioner Chris Olakpe earlier confirmed a death toll of 46, adding that other wounded had been taken to hospital.

"The first explosive went off around 3 p.m. The second was about 3:30 while people gathered to help the victims," he said by telephone. "This is a very busy area of Jos metropolis."

The back-to-back blast tactic, whose aim is to maximize civilian casualties, has also been used by militants in Iraq and other places.

The Place Of Prayer And Work In The Change Nigerians Crave

 

Most times when I engage in discussions where national issues are brought to the fore, after the exchange of brilliant ideas and great analysis of what the problem is, and what should be done to move the country forward, I have realized that the discussions always end with the “May God help us” phrase. Or at other times, we say, “let’s us keep praying for this country.”

I told someone recently that from my observations, we say “let’s keep praying” because we are overwhelmed with the sad political, economic and security realities that we face. We say it because we have come to the conclusion that the leadership of this country can’t deliver the result that would guarantee the economic prosperity, security and stability that we crave for. And since many Nigerians directly or indirectly believe that the supernatural controls the natural, we are quick to draw solace from the belief that the supernatural will help us overcome our present tragedies. I wish!

There is no doubt that Nigerians are praying, but whether we are actually looking out for the result of what we pray for is something that baffles me. We have churches and mosques practically on every street, and we hold big monthly religious prayers that put economic activities in our major cities on hold. But the question is, are we just going to remain satisfied that we have prayed, or are we going to keep praying and hoping that that alone will solve our problems? If our many prayers are not producing results, then it means that there are things that must be checked. Else we remain worried prayer warriors who send noise, enveloped with hot air to heaven without any substantial result.

I was in a church meeting few months back and the pastor at some point asked the congregation to pray that God intervene in the ASUU and ASUUP strike, and I just couldn’t believe that God will be interested in such empty prayers. For your information, polytechnic students are still on strike since last year, and the strike is well over 9 months now. Year in year out, our schools are being closed down and all we do is pray that they be reopened, only for them to be closed again after few months. That alone is a proof that we need more than prayers to revive this country.

I believe in prayers don’t get me wrong. I have said some fearful prayers at some point and I strongly know that only God must have intervened.

Fellow Nigerians, yeah prayer is the key and like I was thought in Bible Knowledge classes, it is the master key, but prayers won’t do everything. Regardless of how hard we pray or shake our heads while praying, we’d still have to carry our own cross. Jesus at some point prayed that the agony of his death be taken away from him, I think God looked away from that prayer and ensured he carried his own cross. We all will also have to carry our own cross, even as a nation.

Religious leaders need to do more than ask their impoverished congregation to pray about everything going wrong in the country, we need to start preparing our minds to carry our cross. The cross of looking into the eyes of these few politicians and leaders who are bent on ensuring this country is run like their own private business.

Martin Luther King as a pastor, intelligently led protests, spoke truth to power without any iota of fear or favouritism. We must note that the freedom Black people now enjoy all over the world wasn’t achieved by prayers alone. People led peaceful protests, demanded to be heard and now the whole world is better for it.

We need to pray first of all to see things clearly, just the way they are, so we can plan properly and even pray well, so we don’t pray amiss. It was so disgusting to hear the CAN president, Oritseja for say that Christians, not Muslims are the target of the Boko Haram. What is that?! Is that not a wicked way of trivializing the insecurity issue in Nigeria? Are these not the people who lead prayers and lead thousands of people to pray amiss? As long as we allow religious sentiments to cloud our minds of reasoning, we can be rest assured that our prayers will remain futile. Even the bible says “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. "There are conditions for effective prayers.

God bless Nigeria.

 

@Lanre_Olagunju

 

EVERYBODY IS A GENIUS

 

 “Everybody is a genius. But, if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it’ll spend its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

The quotation above is one of the quotations attributed to Albert Einstein, himself a genius. How often do we refer to some people as geniuses while we don’t see ourselves as one? We usually think a genius knows everything and is almost always right but if some facts about him (which are presented below) are critically considered, he should not be considered a genius. The main thrust of this piece is that we can all be outstanding, if only we concentrate on our strengths and ignore our weaknesses and distractions.

I want you to consider the following facts about Albert Einstein and see if they are fitting for not just a genius but Time Magazine Person of Century.

1.    Einstein was a very late starter.  He began to talk at four and had to try out entire sentences in his head or muttered them under his breath until he got them right before speaking aloud. He did this until he became fluent at 9.

2.    He failed his university entrance exam. He passed the math and science aspects of the exam but failed in history, languages and geography. He had to go to a trade school before taking the exam again the following year.

3.    He had a poor memory and often forgot birthdays of relatives and his home address. He did not know his phone number. There is a story that when he was working in Princeton University, one day he forgot his home address on his way home. The driver of the cab did not recognise him. Einstein asked the driver if he knows Einstein’s home. The driver said “Who does not know Einstein’s address? Everyone in Princeton knows. Do you want to meet him? Einstein replied “I am Einstein. I forgot my home address, can you take me there? The driver took him to his home and did not collect his fare from him. It is also said that it was not uncommon to see Einstein wandering around the Princeton area in the afternoon because he could not remember where he lived.

4.    Though he was a genius in physics, he was bad at spelling and he never learned how to drive a car. He was often seen riding a bicycle or walking.

5.    When he was offered the presidency of Israel, he declined the offer and stated in his official letter of refusal he lacked the “natural aptitude and the experience to deal properly with people,” and that he was getting old.

6.    He was estranged from his wife; had a difficult relationship with his first son and allegedly had an illegitimate daughter. He was also a serious smoker.

So what is your conclusion after reading the foregoing facts? Einstein was a late starter but the general assumption is that geniuses can be recognised from childhood. He failed his university entrance examination. Do geniuses ever fail in their studies? Einstein had a poor memory and even forgot his home address! A genius who forgets things easily seems unheard of. He was also not good at spelling. What kind of genius is that? I thought geniuses had photographic memories!

So what was Einstein’s secret? From his quote above, I can conclude that he knew very well to concentrate on his area of strength. He knew his limitations and that was why he rejected the offer to become the president of Israel. How many of us can turn down such an offer of a lifetime? That Einstein had marital and family challenges, and that he was a chain smoker shows that geniuses are also humans who have their own frailties.

Let me state here before you misconstrue my submission: I strongly believe that Einstein was a genius. In fact, I believe he was one of the brightest minds to have ever lived and that he deserves to be called a genius. Yes, he deserves to be called a genius.

The point I am driving at is that a genius is not someone who is perfect but someone who knows how to exploit his strengths (and understands his limitations). I believe all of us can reach the level of a genius, if only we can concentrate on our strongest areas.

FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS

I want to take us back to the fundamental human rights of Nigerian citizens. The reason for this is to remind most of us that have deserted or forgotten these rights.
       According to chapter 4 of the 1999 Nigerian constitution, enumerates the following as fundamental Human rights:

*     Right to life
*     Right to dignity of human persons
*     Right to personal liberty
*     Right to fair hearing
*     Right to compensation of  absconded property compulsorily
*     Right to private and family life
*     Right to freedom of expression
*     Right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion
*     Right to freedom  from discrimination on the grounds of ethnic group, place of origin, circumstance of birth, sex, religion or political opinion
*     Right to self determination
*     Right to organize and bargain collectively
*     Right to peaceful assembly and association

90% of Nigerian citizens do not have the consciousness of these rights. Due to this fact, the executives (the arm forces, defence etc.) trample on these rights which are termed FUNDAMENTAL.

Therefore, it is highly recommendable that Nigerian citizens wake up to this fact and make judicious use of it, for a more convenient social interaction.

OUR LAND

There is a nation, somewhere in West Africa;
she is a land blessed with bountiful natural resources
she is a land endowed with innovative and intelligent youths
she is a land made up of 3 amazing Ethnic groups(Hausa, Igbo and yoruba)
she is a land that has good norms and values
she is a land that cannot be compared with any other.

She gave birth to great people of virtue
She gave birth to people of integrity
She gave birth to love
She gave birth to unity

UNTIL
the prince of darkness came in to steal, kill and destroy these things.
He came in form of selfishness
He came in form of greed
He came in form of dishonesty and hatred
He caused enmity between the two most cherried religions
Above all, he let CORRUPTION into this great Land.

BUT
It is not the end for this land.
There are voices that will intercede,
there are people that are willing to stand for what is right,
there are people that are willing to make sacrifices just to redeem their land.
there are people that are really mad at what their land has turned out to be.
There are people that will raise and say NO to CORRUPTION and EVIL.

There is a God! There is hope! I won't give up on my land, I don't know about you. I choose to make a difference!

She is and always will be the GIANT OF AFRICA.
SHE IS NIGERIA!!! See More

 

                                                                                                              Rinret Nina Dams.