RE: @rickrozay – Hold me back video (Nigeria). PLEASE FREE THE DUDE via @iam_Smithzzle

There has been so much fuss about a video from the stable of the American hip-hop/rap superstar and leader of MAYBACH MUSIC, Rick Ross which was shot in a part of a state in a country that over-time has been synonymous with slums and underdevelopment - Lagos, Nigeria.

Rozay as he is fondly called by millions of fans across the world flew to the economic capital of the most populous black nation in the world to perform in a show that was scheduled for the Eko hotel and suites, but as soon as he landed, he tweeted that he had landed and was off to the slums to shoot a music video. This, expectedly, already caused a fuss on social networks as people were frowning at the decision to go shoot his video in a "slum". Just a couple of weeks ago, the video was released and it has caused a major stir in Nigeria

It is only unfortunate that in a country of purported high intelligence, Nigerian musicians have made us grow to love the rhythms produced by their trademark beats over the lyrics of the songs they write(if they actually do write). Did any of Rozay's critics try to listen to the lyrics of the song before opening their mouths and social network accounts to propound false patriotism to a country that has shown only as much readiness to make sure that we maintain our status as slum-dogs. Block your ears and watch a music video, if you cannot deduce all or parts of the lyrics from the video, then the video is just crap. Rozay, in the song "hold me back", was hitting back at the people who made sure he didn't see the better life growing up as a kid in his native America; I relate these "niggas" to the government. In the song, he talks about how he made it through the difficulties of growing up in the slum and making it as big as he has done. The song is a street song, what do want to see? Hoes? Champagne? Fast cars? Sky-scrapers? Oh please!!!!!!

Please, please and please, what were you expecting? You want the world to believe that we are a "champagne-popping, supra-wearing" nation as most Nigerian artistes have seemingly decided to keep portraying in most of the videos they are churning out to the international media?? How many of our own Nigerian artistes have done songs/video to show the plight of Nigerians who live in poverty? Majority of them portray Nigeria in their videos like all is fine and we all live the good life. Some don't even shoot their videos in Nigeria, they go to other African countries to shoot videos, is that what you like? People who don't believe in a country that made them rich and famous? Some make it worse by using white models in their videos, the height of inferiority complex. It's a shame that anybody will feel offended by a foreigner who came over to Nigeria to shoot a video in the slums that we Nigerians have forgotten about. We should all be totally disenchanted that it had to be an American musician who came to Nigeria to point out the actualities of the state of living of the common Nigerian man.

By the way, did you all see the tribute to Rashidi Yekini?

I loved that, R.I.P to the legend of Nigerian Football.

Plus do you know that he bought out a whole grocery store and ordered that everything he bought be shared to the impoverished kids that featured on that video. Do you actually think that those kids would be angry at Rozay for that video? You should be in their shoes for a week then give an answer to the question.

Now, finally to those who just don't like the video because they feel it portrays Nigeria in bad way to the outside world, first of all let me make a point clear to you all; "the average, hallow minded, myopic, stupid and dumb non-Nigerians [especially the whites] see Nigeria and Africa as a whole as a jungle of black monkeys who hang on trees and stuff, and there is nothing anybody can do to change it, because majority will die in their ignorance".

That aside, I have some questions for those who feel insulted by the video being shot in the slums. Are the visuals of the video that of Nigeria or not? Is Nigeria a developed country? What does the average Nigerian worth? How much does the average Nigerian spend in a day? Is Nigeria a paradise for majority of Nigerians? Those people in the slums, are they lesser Nigerians than you are? Are you really offended because you feel bad for them or because of your own ego? Do you care about those particular set of people? Why do you have a problem with the whole world seeing how majority of Nigerians live? Answer those questions in your minds, they are rhetorical.

A country blessed with so much natural resources, and yet so much poverty and suffering by the majority of its people, a country that cannot boast of steady power supply, good health care, good roads, good water supply, good education and several other basic infrastructure that every Nigerian deserves; why will you as a Nigerian want to help the looting and corrupt leaders of Nigeria hide the fact that majority of we Nigerians live in abject poverty and penury in the midst of plenty?

And it's funny and ridiculous that you think you can hide the fact that majority of Nigerians live in poverty because of corrupt leaders, I mean these leaders steal public funds and store in the hands of these same people we are trying to hide from. The world is not blind, they can see, they know how we live, they know that majority live in poverty, you can't hide that fact. The fact that you are privileged and have access to a little more money, Blackberries, iPhones and other luxuries does not change the fact that majority of Nigerians are poor and live below a dollar a day. I find it very inhuman to feel offended that Nigerians like you and I are in a video, but because they live in the slums; you are bothered about how the outside world will feel about us in general. The outside world will only talk, they don't care about you and I, they won't solve our problems, it is you and I that will solve our own problems and get ourselves out of the abject poverty that we have been subjected to as Nigerians by our thieving and corrupt politicians.

Do you know the joy and happiness those people in the slums felt? Do you know what is means to be rejected by the government of your own country and left to live in permanent misery and poverty only to be remembered by a foreigner who went ahead to shoot a video so that we all can see their plight? You all should be ashamed of yourselves, for feeling offended over the joy of Nigerians who got remembered for once in a very long while.

The government has forgotten these people, left to die in the slums, now you are also going to betray and deny them, because you have more money? Shame on YOU!!!

What have you done to help out? Have you touched the lives of Nigerians who live in poverty? What have you contributed? Nothing, absolutely NOTHING! I'm appalled.

#OkBye
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Olawale Smith-Agbede is a passionate nigerian who has been a foremost socio-political analyst, writer and justice-fighter. pls ff him on twitter @iam_Smithzzle
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld from Glo Mobile.

THE STRIKING ANACONDA by Fiyinfoluwa Akinsiku

 "And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but rather be afraid of him who can destroy both soul and body in hell…." Matt 10:28(AMP)

Ara watched as the golden brown coffin that held Bamitale hostage was carried out of the hearse by four undertakers who wore black suits. They sang the hymn, It Is Well With My Soul, and the crowd proceeded into Rest Home Cemetery. Ara stood close to Mum, her brother, Lomi and sister, Sile. They were all dressed in black.
Bamitale's siblings – Anti Taiwo, Buroda Kehinde, Anti Idowu and Tejumola – were dressed in black and held one another's shoulders and waists.
Their spouses: Anti Taiwo's husband, Broda Kehinde's wife, Anti Idowu's husband were directly behind them. Their friends followed them closely. Anti Taiwo, the eldest, would miss him the most.
Apart from the emotions that clung like glue to her voice the day she informed Ara of his death, she had been normal. Ara had never seen her cry or show any emotions. She acted as though his death did not shock her, yet Ara knew it rudely did. It looked as though Anti Taiwo accepted it without questioning, without fuss. Ara had not known her to be a deeply religious person but at that time Anti Taiwo seemed to draw strength from a statement which seemed full of strength: God giveth and taketh.
Yet Ara once overhead her telling her friend, Mrs Ojuirin, that she had accepted her brother's destiny. Who was she to query God? Crying and wailing would mean she was questioning his brother's Creator, the one who dashed him that destiny. Why would she query Eledua about what Bamitale chose from heaven? Mo ti gba f'olorun. It had happened. Tears could not raise him from the dead. K'olorun f'orun ke. May God grant him peace in heaven.
Destiny? Ara had walked away angry. Who said it was Bamitale's destiny to die in a bomb blast?
Was God so wicked as to attach death by bomb blast to someone's destiny? No! The Striking Anaconda killed Bamitale. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was born in the wrong country. Insecurity killed him. If the security personnel had been efficient, the suicide bombers would not have entered the building that housed several foreign agencies.
Some days after that, Sile had told her she overhead some people say that Bamitale must have offended Ogunlaka aye osimole, the god of iron. Bomb was made of iron. Ara laughed through her tears. People were just preposterous and impossible.

There were lots of sighs interspersed with silence and occasional singing. The atmosphere was charged. And the silence screamed anger, sadness and pity. Anger at the The Striking Anaconda for their incessant bomb blasts; sadness and pity at the death of so many people in the blasts. Nobody survived the last blast at the Foreign Aid Mission building where Bamitale worked. What did The Striking Anaconda want to turn the country into?
Two weeks ago, she went with Anti Taiwo to the mortuary of the Teaching Hospital to identify his corpse. That was her first time in the mortuary; in a mortuary.
Outside, there were a lot of people. A woman, restrained by so many hands, was shouting and calling on Amadioha to strike The Striking Anaconda. May Agbala twist their necks till they see their back. They would not live their days. They would die before their time. Her red eyes were closing and opening. Her laced fingers were on her head and her face was bathed with tears mixed with snot. She said some other things in Igbo that Ara could not decipher.
Further down the drive way, a man sat on the ground, bit his lip and quietly sobbed. The men who stood close to him looked lost, confused and dejected.
As they entered the embalming unit, Anti Taiwo perceived the piercing odour of formalin and coughed so much that she could not go inside. Ara entered the mortuary with the Mortuary Attendant – who looked like someone so used to corpses that he could sleep next to several stiff ones – and walked down the hall before she was told to stand at the entrance. She could not go in more than that. The dead should be respected. They were in their natural state. Naked and stiff.
She tried her best not to throw up. The smell of formalin was pungent. A table with a corpse which was covered with white cloth was wheeled towards her. She resisted the urge to run. Her vision was blurred and before she could say jack, tears ran down at break-neck speed.
The Mortuary Attendant stopped and fixed his gaze on her. No Madam. Nobody cried in the mortuary. Crying was done outside. If she continued crying, they would not show her his body. She said alright, like a child who was being threatened with injection. She stopped crying and ran the back of her palms over her eyes.
The Mortuary Attendant laced his gloved fingers. She should not waste time because people outside wanted to identify the corpses of their relatives too. He gesticulated. They were not yet ready so they could not enter; they were still crying. The gloves were made of rubber and they made his fingers bigger than normal.
He removed the white cloth from the corpse, exposing only the head. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat that was determined to stop her breath. Bamitale's hair was burnt and what remained was soot.
Vertically, half of his face was totally burnt. It was blacker than the darkest night. Transparent liquid oozed from the eye that popped out. His nose was so flat and when she saw his blistered lower lip, she remembered their last kiss. That French kiss. She sobbed more, trying her best to stifle it. He asked if the body was her relative. She said yes. He was her husband. Husband tumbled out of her mouth before she knew it. Husband? She said yes, even though they were not officially married as he wanted to make more money before they settled down. Mum hated the fact that they lived together and she said it was a sin. And when, the last time they spoke about it, she had asked Mum where it was written in the Bible, Mum's eyes flogged her and she called her name in full: Aralola! and her name sounded like an insult in Mum's mouth.
He removed the cloth from the body entirely and a naked corpse lay before her. The hair on his chest and pubic region were burnt. His tummy was extremely flat and the cap of his phallus had peeled off. What remained was stiff and black.
She could not look again. She grimaced, screamed and ran out, howling as she did.
And Anti was there to hold her before she fell. She reeled in Anti's arms so much that Anti could not control her.
She re–echoed the curses of Mama Risika, her neighbour, the day before. "The Striking
Anaconda o! Sanponna would kill you! Sango would strike you! Ogunlaka aye osimole would swim in your blood! Iyemoja would make sure you drown! Esu laroye would kill you! God punish you! May your mothers cry over you!" Inbetween rolling and screaming and falling out of Anti's hands and spears of sorrows thrusting deeply into her heart, she heard so many footsteps come in her direction. Several hands gripped her and bundled her into her car.

The burial procession moved slowly under the hot sun. It Is Well With My Soul. ****************************

After the Pastor read the Bible passages at the graveside, it was time to lower the coffin into the ground. Two men, naked from the waist up, came from somewhere behind and jumped into the grave. Four thick ropes held the coffin at its angles and were used to lower it into the grave, as the men in the grave received it and placed it down gently. Someone was already sobbing out loud. Then another. And another.
During the funeral service, the charismatic Pastor had, in the midst of excessive jumping and shouting, told them to pray and declare fire, gale and hailstone on The Striking Anaconda. May 3D thunder strike them. The Holy Spirit should pour hot water on them. Ice blocks from heaven should destroy them. The frying pan of heaven should pour hot palm oil on them. The demons of heaven should wee wee on them. Angels should poo on them. The congregation had stood up and prayed the prayers with aggression. After the prayers, the sermon was, Is your name in the book of life? But Ara was not listening.
Bamitale was gone. She was doomed. She was a walking corpse. A part of her was bombed with him. She was like a smoked cigarette. Half of her was gone. Ashes remained. Grey ashes. Why did she not have a premonition of his death? Why did providence not smile on him that fateful morning by giving him acute watery diarrhoea? Why not throbbing headache? She thought about how life could be so precious and ephemeral, how sad things could be, how yesterday would go and memories would fade, how love could turn and not come back to what one could remember and how life's single flip could drag excruciating pain along with it. Love was the light of her life and when love was gone, light was gone for good.
He was everything she needed in a man. Before him, there was Bayo and Chuks and when she met him she thought she had got to her last bus stop. Their quarrels went down as soon as they came up. She remembered his body which they both enjoyed. It was now charred. The pastor said vanity upon vanity. His body with which he did things that floated her in a high erotic realm was now a charred stiff stick. Bamitale was a gymnast in bed. He loved and worshipped her body. Made her feel like a natural woman. Vanity upon vanity. Now it was over. What would you tell God when you stand before him? the Pastor said. She shivered at the thought of those words.

It got to her turn to do the dust to dust rite; she grabbed the shovel and rested on it, as if she would collapse if she did not. She had told herself she would not cry that day. As she packed earth, it dawned on her again that that was the end.
She was not seeing him again. He was never going to walk into the living room and gather her in his arms anymore. He would never make her laugh again. Her brain, which could not comprehend the thought, threatened to burst. The hole pain bore in her heart threatened to tear it into two. She poured sand on the coffin and much as she tried to stifle it, she howled. It was as if everyone was waiting for her to start because their cries soon formed a din.
Before Ara knew it, someone jumped into the grave and laid on top of the sandy coffin, rolling and screaming, Bury me! Bury me with him! We are going together! Buroda Bamitale ooo! It was Tejumola. Everyone screamed. There was fear. Apprehension. Commotion. The two men beside the coffin immediately grabbed her and carried her out. Buroda Kehinde gathered her in his arms and carried her away as she struggled and struggled. Mum and Sile held Ara on both sides as she hid her face behind her palms and walked away.
The Striking Anaconda had done its worst.

To everyone who died in a bomb blast…

*************************************************
Fiyinfoluwa Akinsiku @fiyinsiku

Jesus freak. Medic, Writer, a Nigerian, is the Creative Writers Workshop(2007) Prize Winner for Fiction. She attended University Of Benin and studied Medicine. Her stories have been published in Naijastories, Sentinel Magazine, The Touch magazine and The Stethoscope. She's currently working on her debut novel.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld from Glo Mobile.

SHOULD WE LEGALIZE DRUGS?? via @iam_Smithzzle

Walk around your typical alley anywhere around, in the noisy Lagos suburbs, the sunny estates in Nairobi or the hoods in Brooklyn and a certain sight is very common: That of young men (more often than not) hoarding their white wraps of marijuana and enjoying a good smoke. It is not an everyday occurrence yet, because most still do it in hiding, but it's still a vivid and common picture).

I am a young Nigerian male, and I have had my fair share of travels around to know that this phenomenon is very global. Secretly done or not, the proportion of the Nigerian male (and female too!) that indulge in all/any sort of drug (apart from normal cigarettes and clinically recommended tablets) is very high. Which brings to fore the question: Are drugs really illegal? Even in the movies and music videos, our icons have helped no bit. Times without number, we have seen our heroes and favorite musicians, sportsmen or movie stars arraigned and rightly convicted for wrongful possession and/or consumption of drugs. Rightly convicted I said, only because it is STILL illegal to possess or consume most of these drugs. But is that trend about to change? We would try to analyze that together on this page. Just for perspectives, maybe it's important to note that I don't smoke. It's just a topic of interest.

I would like to start by actually listing as many kinds of drugs as we have and some extra information on them.

Antidepressants are a prescription medication used to treat depression and mood disorders like obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders and other anxiety problems. The problem is that some antidepressant drugs can actually carry serious side effects and when used in combination with alcohol or other depressant drugs, can actually make you more depressed. Likewise, discontinuing use suddenly can cause mild withdrawal symptoms

Barbiturates: There are many different types of barbiturates out there, many of which are prescription, and work by depressing the central nervous system. This can cause sedation and anesthesia. While used to treat seizure disorders, insomnia and other problems, they can be abused. Users often build up a tolerance to them, requiring larger doses to achieve the same effects. Overdosing occurs often in those abusing "downers."

Cannabis is also known as marijuana and has psychoactive effects. It is taken into the body in the form of smoke or vapor and can even be consumed and mixed into food or steeped in a tea. While the jury's still out on whether or not marijuana is addictive, it is often believed to act as the "gateway" to other more serious substances.

Depressants are a type of drug that works by reducing the function of the central nervous system. Drugs often included in this category are barbiturates and benzodiazepines.

While hallucinogens have been around for years in ceremonies and rituals, they play a role in modern society as well. They work by producing sensory hallucinations in users involving any of the five senses. Common substances that fall within this category include LSD, PCP and Peyote.

As their name would suggest, inhalants refer to a group of drugs that are inhaled in the form of a gas or solvent. Potential inhalants can be found just about anywhere and include common products like nail polish remover, gasoline, glue and aerosol cans.

While the term "narcotics" is often used to refer to any illicit substance, it technically means a substance derived from opium (opiates) or its synthetic replacements. Examples of narcotics include cocaine, morphine and heroin, all of which are highly addictive.

Anabolic steroids are not the same as the kind used in medicine for the reduction of inflammation. Rather, these substances are used to build muscle mass and strength. They typically consist of male sex hormones and can be very damaging when used without a prescription.

Stimulants are a class of drugs that boost alertness and increase the activity of the central nervous system. Examples of this type of drug include amphetamines, methamphetamines, cocaine and nicotine, all of which are highly addictive.

Tobacco is often smoked in the form of cigarettes or cigars or chewed and contains nicotine, which is a stimulant. It's a highly addictive substance and has been known to cause cancer and other diseases.

>>Refer to www.thegooddrugsguide.com for more information. (People, you need to read more on Google or Wikipedia about all these drugs, see pictures and statistics on usage and production/using countries and you would be shocked!)<<

Now, I bet you didn't know half of this before now? Well, I didn't too! So here we would focus more on the effects and the fight against the use of Tobacco (e.g. cigarette), Narcotics (e.g. opium, cocaine, and heroin) and Cannabis (e.g. weed, Igbo).

Now, very simply and quite understandably, these drugs are damaging because they could be addictive and could also induce one to be in an ecstatic state where crimes become a lot easier to commit. And since the traditional role of governments is to protect its borders, its security and the security of its citizens, it is no surprise that all governments are sworn to the cause of its eradication or drastic containment. In Mexico and Colombia, the war against drugs is taking phenomenal dimensions. Tens of thousands have died. In Mexico, it is estimated that more than 11,000 people have died in drug related crimes since 2005. The only human catastrophe that rivals this data since 2005 is probably the Haiti earthquake. It is saddening. Governments are spending so so much on the war on drugs. Afghanistan for example, where the Americans and their NATO allies have been fighting since 2001 against the Taliban (despite Russia's earlier disgrace in that country years ago), produces about 75% of the world's opium! That's huge! And for years it was (still is) the major source of funding for the Taliban and their extremist elements. Today, it remains a huge source of livelihood for millions of Afghan farmers. America is rightly concerned because globally, this trade yields hundreds of billions every year and is second in income generation only to the oil industry. A UN report said the global drug trade generated an estimated US$321.6 billion in 2003 alone. Also because the main consumers of this deadly drug are the Westerners themselves. Mexico borders America, Colombia is not that far away. That's why America spends about $52.3billion a year to fight a losing battle. Nigeria would solve its electricity problems for ever with a quarter of that, and to think of it, this is a yearly spend!

Well, a poll on October 2, 2008, found that three in four Americans believed that the War on Drugs was failing. Many countries have been thinking along this line too. The Netherlands is a famous example of this, where drugs are decriminalized and you are only prosecuted when you commit crimes under the influence of drugs. Either way, you would still be prosecuted if you committed crimes under no influence, yeah? So what's the point? To this end, Mexico decriminalized the use of drugs in 2009. The US was less raunchy in its response (compared to Mexico's earlier attempt in 2006) by simply saying they were adopting a "wait and see" approach. This may be pointers to the fact that America wants to see if it works to also consider towing the same line.

So, my big question is this? Why are governments still fighting the drug war so hard? The fact is, the drugs trade is still booming. Those who consume drugs still consume it, only in hiding. Those who get addicted still get addicted anyway and either die of overdose or remain senile or less active forever. The damage is all on the individual.

What are the disadvantages of legalizing this? Really? As far as am concerned, I suspect many governments of dubiously siphoning funds through claims of fighting drugs trafficking and usage. I remember the complicity of America's CIA and FBI in the Iran-Contra feud years back and the very open claims of America's support of the despot and drug lord, Noreaga.

As for me, I want to look first at the positives of legalizing drugs use. One: You free up millions and billions of funds used in the expensive and low-yielding war on drugs to other sectors needing urgent attention. If I were President, I would spend that money on health advocacy campaigns and proper education so that instead of scaring the devil out of our children on this drug issue, we open their eyes to see the ill and we give them the power to choose rightly. Millions of roads can be paved with these funds, our police can be revamped and better furnished. Ohh, there's so much we can do.

The US can triple its funding for HIV and other health related issues in Africa. Secondly, it frees up our jails of thousands of nonentities who would probably just die-off in their homes from addiction anyway! Thirdly, it allows the government focus on other more productive areas of crime control and drug usage. Lastly, and most importantly, you put the few but very powerful drugs lords out of business because everyone can now sell and since the market for drugs is huge and lucrative, you create employment for thousands (including the rehab centers that will eventually take the addicts), create a vibrant middle-class and lift millions out of poverty! See? Now, I know why I have always dreamt of being President! Someone give me Barack's number so I share this great idea with him! Lol.

The point is, as far as am concerned, a drug is a drug. If people are already allowed to take cigarettes (in any amounts), then why not the harder ones? Why should the government regulate this? There are greater evils on this earth to battle than the ones who affect the individuals in question themselves.

I might be wrong. That's why I enjoin you to take part in this debate. Should we "legalize drugs" like Sean Paul has humorously demanded in his song?

I await your candid and frank views. Let's have a civil discussion, and please no attacks on my person or on any comments. Thanks!
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Olawale Smith-Agbede is a passionate nigerian who has been a foremost socio-political analyst, writer and justice-fighter. pls ff him on twitter @iam_Smithzzle
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld from Glo Mobile.

PEOPLE!!!! Y U NO LIVE IN PEACE

*yawns* lazy blogger that is what my bio calls me so don't ask why I've not blogged in months.... Let's say I finally found my pen its a yellow pen; yeah YELLOW ought to be my best colour, no fears I'm clean, I don't 'sail'.
If you wish to experience peace, provide peace for another. If you wish to know that you are safe, cause another to know that they are safe. If you wish to better understand seemingly incomprehensible things, help another to better understand. If you wish to heal your own sadness or anger, seek to heal the sadness or anger of another. -Dalai Lama
I'm not a fan of the Dalai Lama or any Tibetan Monk but I share same views about world peace, the previous week has been one filled with news of Violence and Protests in vaious counties in the world over from Benghazi to Cairo , from Mumbai to Kabul and also Jos. The Protest which some may term preposterous due to the fact that 99% of the protesters don't know what the said video or Movie looks like and lives and properties have been lost within the past few days ......nuff said I happened to have stumbled on a write-up whose author is unknown but seems to share same views as mine on these protests;

This survey is specifically for Nigerians

Please can someone just grab just 5 of any of the protesters in Northern Nigeria so that we can use them as a sample for a survey.

Question 1: Why are you protesting?
Respondent: Our religion was desecrated in a film.

Question 2: How was your religion desecrated?
Respondent: They insulted our Prophet.

Question 3: How was he insulted?
Respondent: Silence.

Question 4: What is the name of the movie?
Respondent: Silence

Question 5: What is contained in the movie?
Respondent: Silence

Question 6: How long is the movie?
Respondent: Silence

Question 7: Who directed or acted in the movies?
Respondent: Silence

Question 8: What country was the movie acted in?
Respondent: Silence

Question 9: Why are you protesting in Nigeria then?
Respondent: Our Mallam said we should go and protest.

I can confidently say that the confidence level of this survey would be 99% while the margin of error would be >1%.

Be the Judge, we've had several Religious protests of this kind in Nigeria , from the Cartoon Riots which originated from Denmark but cost us innocent lives people in Kano, or are we quick to forget Mrs Christianah Oluwatoyin Oluwasesin a Nigerian Christian teacher was stabbed to death after allegations she had desecrated a Qu'ran and rampages of several kinds resulted in loss of properties... People y u no live in peace??? Why the constant disagreements over religious views?
Does a persons opinion about your belief, God or your maker change who he is to you!!!!

If every religion preaches peace why the Violence?
People, let's live in Peace!
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld from Glo Mobile.

Fri 29 June 2012 in the news

•TRIBUNE: Rain wreaks havoc in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo •Hundreds of houses affected* 4 Operation Burst members die in auto crash in Ibadan: FOUR men of the Oyo State Joint Security Patrol Squad, codenamed Operation Burst, lost their lives with five others critically injured on Thursday morning, in an accident involving a patrol van of the security outfit with number OB-11, a space bus and a motorcycle with registration numbers Lagos MH 226 KJA and OYO KEH 196 QA* Awo Foundation set to reward service* Pastor runs mad while praying for mad man* Gunmen kill PDP chieftain, wife, son in Plateau* Reps oil subsidy probe report: Culprits won't go unpunished - Jonathan* $3m bribery scandal: Reps panel grills Lawan* Kaduna curfew: Kerosene scarcity hits Abuja* DANA air crash: Reps give airline ultimatum to pay* compensation to victims' families* Nigeria loses N455bn annually to poor sanitation - UNICEF* Court dismisses suit against cash-less policy* Robbers invade banks, police station in Taraba* Soldiers destroy 50,000 drums of illegally refined diesel* Reps worry over lack of proper alignment between gas, power sectors* 180 corps members for re-run election in Kwara* Fulani cattle rears/farmers' clashes in Oyo to be resolved •As Gov Ajimobi constitutes committe* Crisis over Ondo ACN gubernatorial candidate lingers* Nigeria still safe for investment - Jang* ICPC drags HoS staff to court over pension funds scam* FCMB launches "Committed to Green" campaign in Ibadan* 54 persons survive food poisoning in Katsina* Niger: NSCDC nabs employment fraudster* OAU:NASU/management face-off deepens¤¤| PUNCH: N96m bribe: I collected money not bribe – Lawan* PDP chairman, wife, child killed in Jos* Akeredolu's choice won't stop my ambition – Agunloye* Fashola denies Jonathan's summons report* N96m bribe: Reps make a U-turn, grill Lawan in secret* Reps give Dana July 3 deadline to pay compensation* Fuel scarcity looms in S'West, S'South* PDP panics over Edo election••
Du Pont plans $150m investment in Nigeria* Osun expects bumper maize harvest – Commissioner* Bad seeds'proliferation, impediment to food security – Agency* UBA slashes ATM charges* GTBank's Eurobond best in Nigeria – EMEA•• BBC: Barclays boss Bob Diamond says he will not resign and blames a "small number" of staff for rigging the key lending rate between banks* Germany 1-2 Italy•Mario Balotelli scores two superb goals as Italy shock Germany to book a Euro 2012 final showdown with Spain in Kiev* EU leaders agree to use the eurozone's bailout fund to support struggling banks, an apparent concession by Germany to Spain and Italy* Two-time Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal suffers a shock five-set defeat by world number 100 Lukas Rosol* China's space capsule returns to Earth after a mission which saw the country's first manual docking procedure and its first woman in space* A new once-a-day pill which combines four HIV drugs into a single daily treatment is safe and effective, according to a study* Wikileaks founder Julian Assange tells the BBC he almost certainly will not attend a police station on Friday after being served with an extradition notice•• SPORT: Britain's Andy Murray overcomes big-serving Ivo Karlovic in four sets to reach the third round of Wimbledon while Lukas Rosol outs Nadal in 5set cracker* Former England captain David Beckham is not selected for the Great Britain football squad for London 2012* Best night of my life - Balotelli•• GOSSIP: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/
Have a blessed weekend.
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•WHAT THE DAILIES ARE SAYING [Thursday 21 JUNE]•

TRIBUNE: Boko Haram: Oil workers threaten to leave North •As PENGASSAN warns of Nigeria's break-up •MASSOB calls for evacuation of Igbos from North •CAN spits fire* Yobe: More deaths recorded •34 Boko Haram members, 4 policemen, 2 soldiers killed •Gunmen injure 2 in Kano* Jonathan's absence: No vacuum in govt —FG •Says President can take decision from anywhere •Opposition behind lies against govt* Prevention of human trafficking: Nigeria gets low rating* FRSC sacks 100 marshals for corruption •Bribe is blood money, FRSC deputy corps marshal tells officers* Investment risks in Africa are overplayed –Experts* Lawangate: Don't stampede us -Police* UNILAG: N/Assembly should reject proposed amendment —Afe Babalola* N7m garnishee order: Lagos AG heads to appeal court* ICPC recovers N627bn for PenCom* Reps differ on prison decentralisation* INEC offers for sale 132,000 computers•DDC machines worth N35bn* Why fuel theft persists in N/Delta —JTF •Partners NIMASA on vessels' documentation* Proposed Oyo varsity will be multi-campus —Ajimobi* N47bn theft allegation: Akingbola's transactions were regular —Witness* Physically challenged persons ask Jonathan to sign bill on disabilities •As polio survivors embark on tricycle ride to Abuja* Boko Haram: S/African provincial speaker suggests dialogue* Corruption: Auditor-General challenges NASS to pass audit bill* Bombing: Foodstuffs scarce in Kaduna* Delta SSG celebrates release of abducted son* Senate vows to expose corruption* Bellview, ADC: Investigation's report not yet concluded — AIB¤¤|
PUNCH: We're doing God's work –Dying suicide bomber* Farouk Lawan: Battling to save a threatened integrity
Of Lawan's tragicomedy and Obasanjo's vindication* Bribery scandal not a House matter – Reps* Nigerians, top users of bleaching creams — WHO* Senate pledges to expose corruption, poor governance* Kaduna now a ghost town* FG can confer GCFR on deserving Nigerians – Jonathan* Bellview, ADC, Wings crashes still being investigated¤ ff @eBubaY
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More trouble for Farouk Lawan as Speaker, House committee chair deny custody of exhibit money- PREMIUM TIMES

According to PREMIUM TIMES
Messrs Tambuwal and Jagaba disown the embattled lawmaker, saying they know nothing about the bribe cash
Police investigation into the $3 million bribery scandal engulfing the House of Representatives hit a brickwall Tuesday with Adams Jagaba, the lawmaker earlier said to be in possession of the marked dollar bills, refuting the claim made by Farouk Lawan who is at the centre of the scandal.
Mr. Lawan had claimed he formally alerted Mr. Jagaba, who heads the House committee on Drugs, Financial Crimes and Narcotics, of the attempt by oil marketer, Femi Otedola, to bribe the House fuel subsidy committee which Mr. Lawan headed.
Attached to the letter written to Mr. Jagaba, was the sum of $620,000 which Mr. Otedola paid, Mr. Lawan had claimed.
Since the allegation broke last week, Mr. Jagaba, a second term member, defiedmedia inquiries, refusing to comment on the matter.
Police have said locating the cash, marked by security agents in the sting operation that caught Mr. Lawan, is at the centre of its investigations.
Mr. Lawan, who is the former chair of ad hoc committee on fuel subsidy returnedto the police Headquarters on Monday without the money, after earlier securing a bail on Saturday on the assurances of the House leadership the money would be returned to the police.
Speaking on a Radio Nigeria network programme, Police Diary, on Tuesday morning, a police spokesperson, Emmanuel Inyang, confirmed the money had not been surrendered still.
Mr. Inyang said Mr. Lawan had instead undertaken to work with all law enforcement agencies to recover the money. He claimed part of it was stolen byburglars.
In new details of communications between the police, and the Speaker of the House, Aminu Tambuwal, and Mr. Jagaba, on Tuesday, June 19, 2012, Mr. Jagaba denied
"categorically and unequivocally" the money was in his custody.
The exchanges, seen by PREMIUM TIMES, shed new light into one of the most embarrassing scandals the lower chamber has ever witnessed.
Police wrote first to Mr. Tambuwal last Friday, June 15, asking him to secure therelease of the said money, since Mr. Lawan had told investigators he handed them to Mr. Jagaba.
The Police letter, signed by Commissioner of Police, Ali Amodu, requested the Speaker to make the amount available, and "any other material that maybe of use to this investigation."
Clearly the memo arrived as the House was in an emergency session convened to deliberate on the scandal. A response to the police was delayed.
As the House reconvened Tuesday, June 19, Mr. Tambuwal initiated a letter to Mr. Jagaba, for the first time - as indicated in the tone of the content - asking the lawmaker to respond to the police request as indicated in the letter, a copy which was attached.
The speaker's letter, signed by Chile Igbawua, his Special Adviser, Legal and Legislative, told Mr. Jagaba the police "was self explanatory" and that he should"react urgently" to the request.
But in a four-paragraph response, Mr. Jagaba said neither the funds nor any other exhibits were with him.
"I wish to categorically and unequivocally state that there was never a time I was in possession of the sum of $620,000 or any other exhibits(in my personal capacity or official capacity as chairman House committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes) relating to the subject matter..," he said.
"I hope this explanation lays to rest once and for all the claims that I or my committee is in possession of the sum of $620,000 USD purportedly given as bribe to the ad hoc committee on monitoring of fuel subsidy regime."
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Inside the Farouk Lawan bribe video: Mr. Integrity concealed bribe dollars in his cap and wore it- PREMIUM TIMES

And the story gets much more interesting. This is how PREMIUM TIMES is reporting it;
Inside the Farouk Lawan bribe video: Mr. Integrity concealed bribe dollars in his cap and wore it.
Dressed in a green agbada and a sokoto cap, the sources said, Mr. Lawan stuffed the wads in his pockets and under the cap possibly to conceal the package from Mr. Otedola's domestic aides since they hadn't seen him enter with a baggage.
Since this scandal broke, PREMIUM TIMES has consistently spoken to people who have seen the video clips of embattled lawmaker, Farouk Lawan, receiving bribes from oil mogul, Femi Otedola.
We bring you a brief narrative of what our reporters gleaned from the interviews.
For each of the visits, according to multiple sources, five video recordings, averaging a duration of eight to 10 minutes, were made.
Most of the recordings were made at Mr. Otedola's Abuja home in the Asokoro district of Abuja. Each time Mr. Farouk visited, Mr. Otedola's apartment was secretly fitted with audio and visual recording devices by the SSS.
The lawmaker negotiated the terms of the bribe with Mr. Otedola over a lunch on the first visit, the sources said. He later received the first part of $250,000 onthe second visit, which was around 11 p . m.
Then, he got the second part of the money on the third visit which was around 5.05 a.m.
On one of the visits, Farouk came in, sat by Otedola's right, sorted the huge pileof dollar bills and put some in his pockets," a source said, citing visual details of the video.
Dressed in a green agbada and a sokoto cap, the sources said, Mr. Lawan stuffed the wads in his pockets and under the cap possibly to conceal the package from Mr. Otedola's domestic aides since they hadn't seen him enter with a baggage.
"In the video, Lawan was clearly seen stuffing wads of dollar bills into his pocket; when his pocket was full, to the utter shock of those who watched the video, he removed his cap and concealed the remaining wads of dollar bills inside it and replaced the cap on his head," the source said.
"Nigerians will reel with laughter if they ever get to watch this video. It is on theone hand hilarious, and on the other hand, shameful."
Another source told of an audio telephone recording, where Mr. Otedola informed Mr. Lawan that the bribe cash had arrived at the Abuja airport, and that the lawmaker should drive there to pick the package up.
The Committe chairman reportedly responded that he won't be able to make it tothe airport himself but that he could send some of his aides along to pick the package.
The video clip of the bribe payment, has been shown to only a few highly-placed Nigerians. They include President Goodluck Jonathan, Vice president Namadi Sambo, President of the Senate, David Mark, and the Speaker of the House, Aminu Tambuwal.
It was also reportedly played to Nobel Laureate and social campaigner, Wole Soyinka, the only non-government figure to view the footage.
Mr. Soyinka had vowed to lead a devastating street protest if the subsidy scam report, produced by Mr. Lawan's committee, was swept under the carpet.
But after viewing the clip, a shocked Mr. Soyinka said he had never seen a thinglike that and appeared to be backing down, the sources said.
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Was she wrong to have put up the post?

1. 

 Last night had us witness another tweet fight as some people would call it.......continue to read the tweets...