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| Jonathan at the centre |
Wednesday, 26 September 2012
Goodluck Jonathan as a teenager
Clark calls for Lamorde’s sack on count of $15 million Ibori bribe
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) from the South-South region, Edwin Clark on Tuesday called for the
sack of the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC), Lamorde Ibrahim.
Mr Clark said the EFCC chairman should be sacked for his role and
handling of the case involving the $15 million allegedly offered as
bribe by former governor of Delta State, James Ibori to a former
Chairman of the anti-graft agency, Nuhu Ribadu to shield him (Mr Ibori)
from investigation and prosecution.
“I’m surprised, embarrassed and disappointed that the various participants in this matter have not lived up to expectation. Lamorde, who is today the chairman of EFCC have disappointed me. He has shown to me that he is not the man competent, transparent, and courageous enough to man this office of anti-corruption agency,” Mr Clark said.
The Ijaw leader, who spoke in Abuja, also demanded that the Federal Government should conduct a full scale investigation into the controversial matter.
He also called on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to refund the said money to the Delta State government.
The $15million lodged with the CBN is now being claimed and counter claimed by the federal government and Delta state government.
While the federal government is laying claim to the money that has being kept in CBN’s custody since 2007 on the ground that Mr Ibori denied ownership of the money, the incumbent Delta state government however is asking the court to declare it the bonafide owner of the money, having been allegedly offered by the former governor while in office.
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| The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Lamorde |
“I’m surprised, embarrassed and disappointed that the various participants in this matter have not lived up to expectation. Lamorde, who is today the chairman of EFCC have disappointed me. He has shown to me that he is not the man competent, transparent, and courageous enough to man this office of anti-corruption agency,” Mr Clark said.
The Ijaw leader, who spoke in Abuja, also demanded that the Federal Government should conduct a full scale investigation into the controversial matter.
He also called on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to refund the said money to the Delta State government.
The $15million lodged with the CBN is now being claimed and counter claimed by the federal government and Delta state government.
While the federal government is laying claim to the money that has being kept in CBN’s custody since 2007 on the ground that Mr Ibori denied ownership of the money, the incumbent Delta state government however is asking the court to declare it the bonafide owner of the money, having been allegedly offered by the former governor while in office.
Nigerian Senate President calls the Minister of Information a careless Talker
The Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, on
Tuesday recanted an earlier comment that resolutions of the Senate were
merely advisory and not binding on the Executive.
Speaking while appearing before the Senate Committee on Information and Media, Mr Maku said he made the statement last week under pressure from journalists at a press conference in Abuja.
At the said press conference, the Minister had been pressed for comments on the resolutions of both arms of the National Assembly, asking President Goodluck Jonathan to drop the proposed N5000 note and conversion of N5, N10 and N20 to coins.
He responded by saying that the National Assembly could not dictate to President Jonathan.
Earlier in the day, the Senate President, David Mark at the plenary session of the upper legislative arm made some strong remarks on the Minister’s quoted response to the national assembly resolution.
According to the Senate President, “the Information Minister is just a careless talker.”
“He is extremely careless” he added.
The Senate President went further lampooning the Minister of information, saying, “he didn’t even think through what he was saying.”
“It is not in his place to tell us what the effects of our resolutions are. I think he talks very carelessly and I hope the President cautioned him.”
“Next time he does that, we (Senate) will take a resolution here of any Minister who talks carelessly that such a minister should be removed.”
Cautioning his peers on the ‘take a bow and go’ policy operated by the Senate during the screening of appointees, Mr Mark stated that “for those who usually tell the Ministers to take a bow and go, because they are very good men, I hope they are learning some hard lessons from the way they talk.”
However, while appearing before the committee, Mr Maku was confronted with the Doctrine of Necessity which was passed into resolutions by the Senate and House of Representatives in February 2010 and enabled then Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan to become Acting President.
At the time, President Umaru Yar’Adua was hospitalised in Saudi Arabi, a situation which created a power vacuum as he did not hand over to Mr Jonathan before leaving Nigeria for Saudi Arabia.
The committee reminded Mr Maku that these resolutions led to Mr Jonathan ascending the office of President when Yar’Adua eventually died.
The committee also reminded Mr Maku that his emergence as minister was made possible after a resolution passed by the Senate, to which he agreed.
The minister said his comments were not meant to disparage the National Assembly and tendered an apology.
Speaking while appearing before the Senate Committee on Information and Media, Mr Maku said he made the statement last week under pressure from journalists at a press conference in Abuja.
At the said press conference, the Minister had been pressed for comments on the resolutions of both arms of the National Assembly, asking President Goodluck Jonathan to drop the proposed N5000 note and conversion of N5, N10 and N20 to coins.
He responded by saying that the National Assembly could not dictate to President Jonathan.
Earlier in the day, the Senate President, David Mark at the plenary session of the upper legislative arm made some strong remarks on the Minister’s quoted response to the national assembly resolution.
According to the Senate President, “the Information Minister is just a careless talker.”
“He is extremely careless” he added.
The Senate President went further lampooning the Minister of information, saying, “he didn’t even think through what he was saying.”
“It is not in his place to tell us what the effects of our resolutions are. I think he talks very carelessly and I hope the President cautioned him.”
“Next time he does that, we (Senate) will take a resolution here of any Minister who talks carelessly that such a minister should be removed.”
Cautioning his peers on the ‘take a bow and go’ policy operated by the Senate during the screening of appointees, Mr Mark stated that “for those who usually tell the Ministers to take a bow and go, because they are very good men, I hope they are learning some hard lessons from the way they talk.”
However, while appearing before the committee, Mr Maku was confronted with the Doctrine of Necessity which was passed into resolutions by the Senate and House of Representatives in February 2010 and enabled then Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan to become Acting President.
At the time, President Umaru Yar’Adua was hospitalised in Saudi Arabi, a situation which created a power vacuum as he did not hand over to Mr Jonathan before leaving Nigeria for Saudi Arabia.
The committee reminded Mr Maku that these resolutions led to Mr Jonathan ascending the office of President when Yar’Adua eventually died.
The committee also reminded Mr Maku that his emergence as minister was made possible after a resolution passed by the Senate, to which he agreed.
The minister said his comments were not meant to disparage the National Assembly and tendered an apology.
Iroko TV's birthday to Jim Iyke
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| Nikki Samonas and Jim Iyke |
The star actor, born James Ikechukwu Isemoa, turned 35 yesterday September 25th...and to celebrate his birthday, IrokoTV released his steamy and sexy scene with Ghanaian actress, Nikki Samonas, from the Movie "I Quit" Hot! :-)
Rapper Ikechukwu and D'banj: "we are not just friends, we are also doing business"
'Why I'm close to D'banj and not Don Jazzy' - Rapper, Ikechukwu
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| D'banj and Ikechukwu |
I only find people that find me,
simple! Those that I am important to are those that are important to me.
I am just chilling with D'banj and now that he's making a stand abroad,
it's going to be stupid of me not to utilize the situation he already
has. So, we are not just friends, we are also doing business" - The
rapper tells Encomium magazine in an exclusive interview
Pastors Pester Me With Sex –Tope Alabi Opens Up
Tope Alabi is a pioneer of some sort in the contemporary Yoruba gospel movement. Together with other gospel practitioners they have “pushed the envelope” in redefining the boundaries of Gospel, by blurring its ties to circular soundtracks.
Make no mistake; God is present in every song this beautiful wife and mother produce. From the groundbreaking success of nine albums to how she manages her male fans. The chat with EDIALE KINGSLEY is anything but boring.
WE are coming to another album launch, how has it been so far? And the journey to this particular album, how has it been? I
bless the name of the lord, for giving me this opportunity, for taking
me from mere clay to where I am today, I bless his holy name, this is
the 9th album, and this is not a launching, this is an unveiling, we
just want to unveil it, nobody is going to launch, everybody is just
going to pick their own, just give anything you like, even #500 is not
small, even 200naria is not too small, I just want to bless God for
taking me this far, it has been so rough, tough and I have experienced a
lot of things, turbulence, if I can say, but yet bless the name of God,
for making me stand up to this present time.
Concerning the situation of the economy now, not just the economy, the state and Nigeria as a nation, the insecurity and everything, is there a place for your album?
Yes, we are unveiling two albums here today, Agbelebu and Alagbara, Alagbara talks about what is happening in our country and Agbelebu is talking about our own personal life, because at times you know we use to talk about our leaders, saying they are not doing it right, because they are not supposed to be there, but what about our own area? Have we done our own part? So everything in Agbelebu and Alagbara is what God said I should tell people and am sure that people won't be disappointed.
Two albums you said, considering the competitiveness of the music industry, I know Tope Alabi is a brand, I know she is not competing with another brand, how do you deal with the piracy factor?
There is nothing I can do, I believe in God. Talking about pirating and the rest, I would say, if you don't have any good thing, nobody will buy it, it's when you have a valuable product and people want to be blessed from your gift that they will even consider pirating and duplicating. Actually it's really killing artistes, it is giving us a lot of problem, but what can we do? If God has not said no to them, they can't stop, nobody can stop them.
How do you relax aside music, what other things do you do?
At times I just lodge in hotels for three to four days, at times I travel out, what I do most is watch films; I watch Yoruba films and American films.
What would you say about our Yoruba films now? When we talk about nollywood, I think Yoruba film is at the fore front, what do you think about the Yoruba film industry, most of them even use your music as sound tracks?
I think because there is no helping hand for them, you see them coming down little by little, it wasn't like this before, they ought to have grown more than this, government are not helping them, marketers are not helping either, I think that's why they are just there, and most of them are trying, that's why I don't want to leave them, aside that; God said I should not stop soundtracks, I don't want to leave them, because I know, some of the movies, my soundtrack is there, people want to buy it because Tope Alabi's music is in the film
Nine Albums is not by any chance an easy task so how have you coped and managed to come up with such an impressive feet?
It is God, He inspired me, God tells me what to do at every point in time, and it has been three years now since I have been on this particular album, I waited for God to talk to me, so it is God.
Who writes your music?
God, He dictates for me, while write down.
How do you get inspiration?
It is God, God gives me the inspiration, and this is what I want to tell my people this time around, like this Agbelebu, God gave me the title. There is no way that I would write that God won't tell me the title, I pray and do fasting; wait for God to talk, at times I would be in the rest room, he will be talking to me, at times I would be sleeping he would wake me up.
If you were to pick a particular song of all the tracks in the album, which would be your favorite?
I would say the best is yet to come
What about the particular one we have now?
This one we have now, I will pick the track Agbelebu itself and I will pick Alagbara. In the industry (especially gospel), do you think there is unity among the practitioners and stakeholders. There is unity, in the little way we can, I make friends with all of them, I invited all of them here today, and if you don't see any of them here today, maybe he or she doesn't feel like coming, the bible says make peace with them, we have a society like gospel artiste society, but it failed, they are trying to come together again. I know God will intervene one day.
Are we expecting a concert, when do we get something like a concert from you?
I will have a concert in December.
Any other thing we should be expecting in the nearest future?
Expect from me a music school and that will come up say; in 2 years time. we have gotten the land already, we are just trying to build the place now, we want to teach people how to compose, we want to tell them that, it is not your brain that will bring anything out, we want to tell them, that it is God that will inspire you, you see some gospel artiste, will be cursing him, because they don't know the meaning of the Yoruba, they are saying, we want to teach them God, who God is, they need to know their calling, some of them are not called to this area, they think they have the voice to sing, so they want to go into it, as if it is business, actually it is business, it is the business of God, but at the same time, you cannot do business with God anyhow.
Is it going to be restricted to gospel music alone?
No, it is going to be a music school, generally, but will teach them God too, when you are singing circular, you need to know God, singing circular does not mean you are a bad person, or you are going to hell fire, it doesn't mean, Shola is not singing gospel, but she is making it.
You have definitely impacted lives, you have contributed a lot into music, what has music done for you?
Music has made me achieve what God wants me to achieve, that is, bringing more souls to him that is the only thing I remember and am happy for, am happy my music is touching lives, God wants me to tell people something, they want to listen and hear me out, that is my happiness.
You look quite astonishing, you look young and beautiful, and do you get people coming to pester you for a relationship?
There are some of them that wants to get to you by all means, whether you want it or not, but when they get to me, they use to see am not that kind of person, they will now become a member of my church. The relationship is usually as if I have a church and they are members, so that's what they become. Among them are a lot of money bags, they help my ministry now, they see me as prophetess, some of them even call me pastor, even there are ministers of God that pester me and say they want to get to me, but when they get to me and they see I'm not like that, they change, you are there to change life.
For your fans out there, who wants to quickly get this particular album, what do you have for them, what do you have to tell them as they go out to get this album?
As you go out to get this album, I want you to know that all the things in the album, is for you, and don't believe that because Jesus has carried a cross, that you won't carry your cross, that is the meaning of Agbelebu. You need to carry your own cross, to get to your glory place you need to struggle, to strive, to carry your cross and I tell you, you will get there very soon, do everything in your power to get going, everything worth doing at all is what doing well. Do what you have in your capacity to bless lives. God bless you.
Concerning the situation of the economy now, not just the economy, the state and Nigeria as a nation, the insecurity and everything, is there a place for your album?
Yes, we are unveiling two albums here today, Agbelebu and Alagbara, Alagbara talks about what is happening in our country and Agbelebu is talking about our own personal life, because at times you know we use to talk about our leaders, saying they are not doing it right, because they are not supposed to be there, but what about our own area? Have we done our own part? So everything in Agbelebu and Alagbara is what God said I should tell people and am sure that people won't be disappointed.
Two albums you said, considering the competitiveness of the music industry, I know Tope Alabi is a brand, I know she is not competing with another brand, how do you deal with the piracy factor?
There is nothing I can do, I believe in God. Talking about pirating and the rest, I would say, if you don't have any good thing, nobody will buy it, it's when you have a valuable product and people want to be blessed from your gift that they will even consider pirating and duplicating. Actually it's really killing artistes, it is giving us a lot of problem, but what can we do? If God has not said no to them, they can't stop, nobody can stop them.
How do you relax aside music, what other things do you do?
At times I just lodge in hotels for three to four days, at times I travel out, what I do most is watch films; I watch Yoruba films and American films.
What would you say about our Yoruba films now? When we talk about nollywood, I think Yoruba film is at the fore front, what do you think about the Yoruba film industry, most of them even use your music as sound tracks?
I think because there is no helping hand for them, you see them coming down little by little, it wasn't like this before, they ought to have grown more than this, government are not helping them, marketers are not helping either, I think that's why they are just there, and most of them are trying, that's why I don't want to leave them, aside that; God said I should not stop soundtracks, I don't want to leave them, because I know, some of the movies, my soundtrack is there, people want to buy it because Tope Alabi's music is in the film
Nine Albums is not by any chance an easy task so how have you coped and managed to come up with such an impressive feet?
It is God, He inspired me, God tells me what to do at every point in time, and it has been three years now since I have been on this particular album, I waited for God to talk to me, so it is God.
Who writes your music?
God, He dictates for me, while write down.
How do you get inspiration?
It is God, God gives me the inspiration, and this is what I want to tell my people this time around, like this Agbelebu, God gave me the title. There is no way that I would write that God won't tell me the title, I pray and do fasting; wait for God to talk, at times I would be in the rest room, he will be talking to me, at times I would be sleeping he would wake me up.
If you were to pick a particular song of all the tracks in the album, which would be your favorite?
I would say the best is yet to come
What about the particular one we have now?
This one we have now, I will pick the track Agbelebu itself and I will pick Alagbara. In the industry (especially gospel), do you think there is unity among the practitioners and stakeholders. There is unity, in the little way we can, I make friends with all of them, I invited all of them here today, and if you don't see any of them here today, maybe he or she doesn't feel like coming, the bible says make peace with them, we have a society like gospel artiste society, but it failed, they are trying to come together again. I know God will intervene one day.
Are we expecting a concert, when do we get something like a concert from you?
I will have a concert in December.
Any other thing we should be expecting in the nearest future?
Expect from me a music school and that will come up say; in 2 years time. we have gotten the land already, we are just trying to build the place now, we want to teach people how to compose, we want to tell them that, it is not your brain that will bring anything out, we want to tell them, that it is God that will inspire you, you see some gospel artiste, will be cursing him, because they don't know the meaning of the Yoruba, they are saying, we want to teach them God, who God is, they need to know their calling, some of them are not called to this area, they think they have the voice to sing, so they want to go into it, as if it is business, actually it is business, it is the business of God, but at the same time, you cannot do business with God anyhow.
Is it going to be restricted to gospel music alone?
No, it is going to be a music school, generally, but will teach them God too, when you are singing circular, you need to know God, singing circular does not mean you are a bad person, or you are going to hell fire, it doesn't mean, Shola is not singing gospel, but she is making it.
You have definitely impacted lives, you have contributed a lot into music, what has music done for you?
Music has made me achieve what God wants me to achieve, that is, bringing more souls to him that is the only thing I remember and am happy for, am happy my music is touching lives, God wants me to tell people something, they want to listen and hear me out, that is my happiness.
You look quite astonishing, you look young and beautiful, and do you get people coming to pester you for a relationship?
There are some of them that wants to get to you by all means, whether you want it or not, but when they get to me, they use to see am not that kind of person, they will now become a member of my church. The relationship is usually as if I have a church and they are members, so that's what they become. Among them are a lot of money bags, they help my ministry now, they see me as prophetess, some of them even call me pastor, even there are ministers of God that pester me and say they want to get to me, but when they get to me and they see I'm not like that, they change, you are there to change life.
For your fans out there, who wants to quickly get this particular album, what do you have for them, what do you have to tell them as they go out to get this album?
As you go out to get this album, I want you to know that all the things in the album, is for you, and don't believe that because Jesus has carried a cross, that you won't carry your cross, that is the meaning of Agbelebu. You need to carry your own cross, to get to your glory place you need to struggle, to strive, to carry your cross and I tell you, you will get there very soon, do everything in your power to get going, everything worth doing at all is what doing well. Do what you have in your capacity to bless lives. God bless you.
Patience Jonathan Didn't Make It To UN Assembly; Health Situation Critical
Looks like we have another Yar' ....
President Goodluck Jonathan arrived in New York on Sunday for the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly without the First Lady, Dame Patience, who is in a hospital in Germany, where she is presently being treated for undisclosed ailment.
Dame was expected to join her husband in New York for the UN Assembly, but a team of doctors attending to the ailing first lady in Germany warned of dire consequences on her health should she embark on the trip, under any guise.
It was also gathered from a competent Presidency source that President
Jonathan and his wife had planned to use the trip to New York to prove
critics wrong and end speculations about the health of his wife.
At the 66th session of the General Assembly last year, President Jonathan was accompanied on the trip by his wife, state governors and other top government officials.
However, since it was not possible for Dame Patience to attend the UN Assembly with her husband, based on what a source described as her critical health condition, Jonathan had to make a stopover in Germany to see his ailing wife before arriving in New York.
Dame Patience is spending her fourth week on hospital bed in Wiesbaden, Germany while the Presidency had kept mum over the health status of the first lady and has not issued any official statement on the matter.
Nigerians have been fed several lies about her true condition. The first lady's Media Aide, Ayo Osinlu, had said she was on vacation and had taken time to rest abroad after hosting the First Lady’s Conference in Abuja.
At the 66th session of the General Assembly last year, President Jonathan was accompanied on the trip by his wife, state governors and other top government officials.
However, since it was not possible for Dame Patience to attend the UN Assembly with her husband, based on what a source described as her critical health condition, Jonathan had to make a stopover in Germany to see his ailing wife before arriving in New York.
Dame Patience is spending her fourth week on hospital bed in Wiesbaden, Germany while the Presidency had kept mum over the health status of the first lady and has not issued any official statement on the matter.
Nigerians have been fed several lies about her true condition. The first lady's Media Aide, Ayo Osinlu, had said she was on vacation and had taken time to rest abroad after hosting the First Lady’s Conference in Abuja.
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