PUTIN orders all Russian studying abroad to return home as he ‘prepares for possible World War III’

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheKWTnnLBI9N1TEQrqKYz8DWcTnpPeDHK367AWGpYTXHXmf0oubuMbF957qjcrJbKpttKlPDkJV8e_elExsk4CyE77yObThqI6aaTJLPkgol4yTRzVShL0V501OqV3z3Ju37VCzi2i-LQ/s1600/lll.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheKWTnnLBI9N1TEQrqKYz8DWcTnpPeDHK367AWGpYTXHXmf0oubuMbF957qjcrJbKpttKlPDkJV8e_elExsk4CyE77yObThqI6aaTJLPkgol4yTRzVShL0V501OqV3z3Ju37VCzi2i-LQ/s400/lll.png" width="400" /></a></div> <b>Russia's president and 2016 most powerful man in the world according to Forbes has ordered the children and relatives of all it's officials to return home amidst rising tensions between Russia and the West and the possibility of an all out World War sooner rather than later according to Kremlin sources and Daily Star UK.</b><div>  </div> <div>  Putin's call for Russians to come home comes after Russia recently held defence drills for 40 million citizens, Puttin also cancelled a state visit to France after France President Hollande accused him of committing war crimes in Syria, and now he thinks that America might rally it's 'friends' against his country so he wants to be more than ready for that.</div> <div> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a></div> <div> This order also comes after Russia shipped nuclear-capable ballistic missiles (Iskander-M missle system) into it's central European border between Poland and Lithuania.</div> <div>  </div> <div> Russian political analyst Stanislav Belkovsky said: </div> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> “This is all part of the package of measures to prepare elites to some ‘big war’. And earlier this month, Putin’s ministers announced they had built bunkers capable of housing Moscow’s 14 million people.''</blockquote> <div> According to Daily Star UK, Russian government officials' kids schooling abroad have been ordered to return to their motherland or will find it hard getting jobs in the future and the top level order applies to administration staff, regional administrators, lawmakers of all levels and employees of public corporations.</div> <div>  </div> <div> <div> British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson this week called on protesters to demonstrate outside the Russian embassy in the U.K over the country’s brutal bombing of people in Aleppo, Syria.</div> <div>  </div> <div> Relations between Russia and the US are at their lowest since the Cold War and have become worse in recent days after U.S pulled the plug on Syria talks and accused Russia of not keeping to their own part of the cease-fire deal. Ultra-nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky has even waded into the US Presidential election, claiming that Donald Trump is the only candidate who can stop a nuclear war from happening after the U.S accused Russia of hacking into political party emails so as to influence the U.S presidential election.</div> <div>  </div> <div> <b>Share and Comment below</b> </div> </div>

PUTIN orders all Russian studying abroad to return home as he ‘prepares for possible World War III’

Russia's president and 2016 most powerful man in the world according to Forbes has ordered the children and relatives of all it'...

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Read The Full Interview Of Aisha Buhari With BBC

<div class="article-photo"> <span class="set-image-border" style="float: none;"><img alt="THE FULL INTERVIEW: Everything Aisha Buhari told the BBC" class="setborder" src="https://www.thecable.ng/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Aisha-Buhari-653x365.jpg" style="float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" /></span></div> <div class="article-controls" style="margin-bottom: 0px;"> <div class="date"> <div class="calendar-date"> </div> </div> </div> <strong>The full text of Aisha Buhari’s explosive interview with BBC Hausa has been released.</strong><br /> <br /> Aisha Buhari had complained about her husband’s appointments and also <strong>suggested that his government had been hijacked</strong> by a few people.<br /> <br /> The president responded in a blunt manner, <strong>saying his wife belongs in the kitchen</strong> and the “other room” — although Garba Shehu, his spokesman, later said the president was obviously throwing a banter.<br /> Below is the full text of the interview that started the public spat, <strong>courtesy of SaharaReporters</strong>.<br /> <br /> <strong>BBC Hausa: People have goodwill towards President Muhammadu Buhari, especially looking at the things he did before, but since coming into power things have not been working the way they should, what do you thing is the cause?</strong><br /> <b>Aisha Buhari</b>:  I am not a government official, but in my opinion as a woman, a mother, what I think is it is well known that the first 4 years are not going to be easy. Firstly, it was people that brought the government into power. More than half of those people are not appointed into the government. Some people that are not politicians, not professionals were brought into the government. They don’t even know what we said we want and what we don’t during the campaign.  They even come out and say to people we are not politicians, but they are occupying the offices meant for politicians. Some have parted with their wives, some lost their children lost, some women too have parted with their husbands because of politics, a lot happened during the time. The way things are going I too I am not happy. We are just starting, we have not finished. Some people that worked for the government have been appointed. But those heading government agencies you can find one fighting his state governor, they contested together during election one in APC while in PDP.<br /> <br /> <strong>BBC Hausa: Who are those doing these kinds of things?</strong><br /> Aisha Buhari: Everybody knows them. Those people should know that people voted singly. Even Buhari too had one vote. Nobody voted 5 times.  15.429 Million People. That one that people are thinking too, he had only some 2 or 3 people. I am pleading to them to have the people at heart and embrace everybody so that we can all move together. Not even now in 2016 or 17, lot of people are creating divisions within the APC, which is our source of concern. They think they have worked for the government while those appointed some of them had no voter’s card. What I fear is uprising of 15.4 million people.<br /> <br /> <strong>BBC Hausa: Is the President aware some people are subverting his government?</strong><br /> Aisha Buhari: Whether he knows or he do not, those that voted for him knows.<br /> <br /> <strong>BBC Hausa: But you are the most closest to him, did you tell him?</strong><br /> Aisha Buhari: There is nothing I can tell him, he is seeing things himself. Out of the people he has appointed, take 50, 45 of them I don’t know them. Perhaps he doesn’t know them too. I have been living with him for 27 years.<br /> <br /> <strong>BBC Hausa: Do you think there are some people that are dictating to the President things to do, not him?</strong><br /> Aisha Buhari: That is what I am saying, those that know they don’t have voters card, they should give chance to those that have, they are the ones that struggled and knows what we want to do. Some of them if you go to a meeting with them they will tell you, we are not politicians, if somebody is wise, they will not accept to take any political office. They didn’t even work for it. Even if you are asked to, you should say it is not my profession.  Those places not headed by politicians will cause people discontent.<br /> <br /> <strong>BBC Hausa: One would wonder to hear you say some people have hijacked the government without him knowing, but who do you think are those people?</strong><br /> Aisha Buhari: I don’t know them, I don’t know them. I don’t know them<br /> <br /> <strong>BBC Hausa: But some people are calling names, saying 2 or 3 are the ones, do you that as well?</strong><br /> Aisha Buhari: Yes I agree. Because of those appointed apart from Fashola, Ameachi and some others, not much, I don’t know them, most of us too don’t know them, and he too does not know them<br /> <br /> <strong>BBC Hausa: One would wonder that Buhari is not the one charge knowing him as a person who had leadership experiences, people would not believe.</strong><br /> Aisha Buhari: Yes it is surprising; nobody thought it is going to be like this. But now that it is so…sometimes when one is doing something wrong without him knowing, but when people talk to them, they should listen. Because in the future, whether he is going to contest or not, it is that same people that would vote for APC. We hope those people don’t come back, and everybody don’t hope so too<br /> <br /> <strong>BBC Hausa: You said “Whether he is going to contest in the future or not”, has he disclose it to you whether he is standing or not?</strong><br /> Aisha Buhari: He didn’t tell me, but I have made up my mind.<br /> source: thecableng

Read The Full Interview Of Aisha Buhari With BBC

The full text of Aisha Buhari’s explosive interview with BBC Hausa has been released. Aisha Buhari had complained about her husb...

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‘Food is Art’, a First Bank fete, to hold at Freedom Park

<figure class="post-image"> <img alt="Food is Art" class="attachment-broden-post-type-thumb size-broden-post-type-thumb wp-post-image" height="385" itemprop="image" src="https://lifestyle.thecable.ng/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/foody.jpg" width="550" /> </figure> <div class="social-share"> <ul><div class="addthis_sharing_toolbox" data-description="First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Nigeria’s most valuable bank brand is presenting ‘Food is Art’, a food fête to reaffirm its commitment to the development of the art and business of food. The theme, ‘Street Food’ is designed to enhance economic diversification by showcasing varied opportunities and the various potentials in food photography, artistry, presentation, and packaging among others. ‘Food is Art’ is scheduled to take place on Saturday, October 15, 2016 at the Freedom Park, Lagos, from 11am. FirstBank sets to create a “platform of exposure and expansion for SMEs in food business whilst providing subject matter experts to coach entrepreneurs on the wide-ranging avenues of thriving with food photography”. Folake Ani-Mumuney, FirstBank’s roup Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications said the bank is interested and set to support the business, art and entertainment of food across all segments of the economy”. “We realise that support for food business and by extension the agricultural value food chain will enable individual and communal self-reliance, self-contentment and self-sufficiency, which will translate to national revenue growth. “This is what informed the bank’s initiation of food and creative arts events and workshops to fully promote businesses that will build the sector and in the long …" data-title="'Food is Art', a First Bank fete, to hold at Freedom Park - TheCable Lifestyle" data-url="https://lifestyle.thecable.ng/food-art-first-bank-fete-hold-freedom-park/" style="clear: both;"> <div class="at-share-tbx-element addthis-smartlayers addthis-animated at4-show" id="atstbx2" role="region"> <span class="at4-visually-hidden" id="at-b256b75b-8ba1-4a15-9406-86944d566e85"><br /></span></div> </div> </ul> </div> <div class="post-content post-entry"> <strong>First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Nigeria’s most valuable bank brand is presenting ‘Food is Art’, a food fête to reaffirm its commitment to the development of the art and business of food</strong>.<br /> The theme, ‘Street Food’ is designed to enhance economic diversification by showcasing varied opportunities and the various potentials in food photography, artistry, presentation, and packaging among others.<br /> ‘Food is Art’ is scheduled to take place on <span class="aBn"><span class="aQJ">Saturday, October 15, 2016</span></span> at the Freedom Park, Lagos, from <span class="aBn"><span class="aQJ">11am</span></span>.<br /> FirstBank sets to create a “platform of exposure and expansion for SMEs in food business whilst providing subject matter experts to coach entrepreneurs on the wide-ranging avenues of thriving with food photography”.<br /> Folake Ani-Mumuney, FirstBank’s roup Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications said the bank is interested and set to support the business, art and entertainment of food across all segments of the economy”.<br /> “We realise that support for food business and by extension the agricultural value food chain will enable individual and communal self-reliance, self-contentment and self-sufficiency, which will translate to national revenue growth.<br /> “This is what informed the bank’s initiation of food and creative arts events and workshops to fully promote businesses that will build the sector and in the long run preserve our growing population, build revenue for development purposes as well as create employment opportunities”, she said.<br /> source: thecableng<br /> <br /> <b>Share and Comment</b> <br /> </div>

‘Food is Art’, a First Bank fete, to hold at Freedom Park

First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Nigeria’s most valuable bank brand is presenting ‘Food is Art’, a food fête to reaffirm its co...

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Sleep deprived childhood can lead to a future of substance abuse

<figure class="post-image"> <img alt="child" class="attachment-broden-post-type-thumb size-broden-post-type-thumb wp-post-image" height="376" itemprop="image" src="https://lifestyle.thecable.ng/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Child.png" width="522" /> </figure> <div class="post-content post-entry"> <strong>A recent study has discovered that sleep quality and duration in late childhood can predict alcohol and drug use later in a person’s life.</strong><br /> The research, which <a href="http://www.medicaldaily.com/sleep-quality-can-predict-teen-drinking-and-marijuana-use-study-says-398305"><strong>was published</strong> </a>in the journal, ‘Drug and Alcohol Dependence’, was conducted by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh school of medicine and the department of psychology.<br /> “Treating problems with drugs and alcohol once they exist and preventing them can be challenging, and we are always looking for modifiable risk factors,” said Brant P. Hasler, one of the authors of the research.<br /> “Doing what we can to ensure sufficient sleep duration and improve sleep quality during late childhood may have benefits in terms of reducing the use of these substances later in life.”<br /> 186 boys from western Pennsylvania were studied in the research and the responses to the Child Sleep questionnaire filled by the mothers of the boys were analysed.<br /> The quality of sleep of the boys at the age of 11 was determined using the responses to the questionnaire, and they were interviewed at the ages 20 and 22 years regarding their use of marijuana and alcohol.<br /> Race, socioeconomic differences, neighborhood problems and self-regulation were some of the factors that were accounted for when researchers discovered the link between sleep quality and substance use.<br /> The boys who slept the least were more likely to report early use of alcohol or marijuana, intoxication and repeated substance use.<br /> “After considering other possible influences, we were able to determine that sleep problems are preceding the substance use problems,” Hasler said.<br /> “Addressing sleep may now be something we can add into the package of our substance abuse prevention and treatment efforts.”<br /> <br /> <b>Share and Comment </b><br /> </div>

Sleep deprived childhood can lead to a future of substance abuse

A recent study has discovered that sleep quality and duration in late childhood can predict alcohol and drug use later in a person’s ...

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CBN intervenes in forex market to save airlines, manufacturers.

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <span class="set-image-border" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="To save airlines, manufacturers, CBN intervenes in forex market" class="setborder" height="223" src="https://www.thecable.ng/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/dollars2-653x365.jpg" style="float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="400" /></span></div> <div class="article-photo"> </div> <div class="article-controls" style="margin-bottom: 0px;"> <div class="date"> <div class="calendar-date"> </div> </div> </div> <strong>To rescue airlines, manufacturers and agricultural companies from foreign exchange scarcity, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has decided to intervene in the forex market to clear a backlog of demand.</strong><br /> In an operating document obtained by TheCable, the CBN said it would be intervening in the market through the Special Secondary Market Intervention Sales (SMIS).<br /> “In order to further engender market confidence, ensure access to FX by end users and sustain the integrity of the Nigerian Inter-bank FX market, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has resolved to intervene in the Inter-bank FX market through forward settlement,” the document read.<br /> The bank stated that “this is an important one-off exercise dedicated to the clearance of the backlog of matured FX obligations for: 1. Raw materials and machineries for manufacturing companies; 2. Agricultural chemicals; and 3. Airlines”.<br /> The CBN also added that it would bypass its own directives, as stated in the forex market guidelines.<br /> “Due to the peculiarity of this exercise, the CBN will not apply the relevant provisions under clause 2.4.3 (i) of its Revised Guidelines for the Operation of the Nigerian Inter-bank Foreign Exchange Market (hereinafter referred to as the Guidelines), which provides that “all SMIS bids shall be submitted to the CBN through the FXPDs.<br /> “Consequently, CBN shall receive bids from all the Authorised Dealers.”<br /> The apex bank did not state how much it was willing to sell to clear the backlog in the forex market, but made it clear that all payments would be made in forwards settlement.<br /> Manufacturers and airlines have continued complaining that it had not been getting as much forex as needed for smooth operations.<br /> credit: thecableng<br /> <br /> <b>Share and Comment</b>

CBN intervenes in forex market to save airlines, manufacturers.

To rescue airlines, manufacturers and agricultural companies from foreign exchange scarcity, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)...

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5 Questions To Ask That Divorced Guy You’re Dating

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="image-container" itemprop="image" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img alt="" class="attachment-full size-full wp-post-image" height="359" src="http://4a7jjc25uykf24u8sd3k8m5n.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/1-96.jpg" width="500" /> </div> <br /> <br /> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"> <strong>Are you comfortable talking about your divorce?</strong></h2> <div style="text-align: justify;"> A man who completely avoids the topic or shows “significant discomfort” talking about his divorce may still be emotionally invested or, at the very least, has some serious tension about the topic, Cilona says. And that’s a red flag. It shows that he has an unhealthy connection to his previous marriage and/or spouse, which could be <a href="http://www.womenshealthmag.com/sex-and-love/red-flags-when-you-meet-his-family">trouble</a> for your future.</div> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"> <strong>Do you want to get married again?</strong></h2> <div style="text-align: justify;"> You might assume that since he’s been married before, he wouldn’t have any issues hitching up again, but as Durvasula points out, that’s not always the case. “Some may not want to get <a href="http://www.womenshealthmag.com/sex-and-love/women-on-why-they-never-remarry" target="_blank">married again</a> after experiencing it once,” she says. It’s important to determine where your guy stands on the issue, and how it aligns with where you see your future going.</div> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"> <strong>Do you believe that you can spend your life with someone?</strong></h2> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Even if neither of you is interested in marriage, it’s a good idea to find out whether he thinks two people can be together for the long haul—ring or <a href="http://www.womenshealthmag.com/sex-and-love/famous-quotes-single-ladies" target="_blank">no ring</a>. Think: Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell. He may not want to legally commit again, but could be completely open to the idea of a forever-commitment or living together. “Plenty of divorced folks believe in love and commitment as much as anyone,” Durvasula says. If your guy no longer thinks that two people can be in a loving, committed relationship, that’s a red flag.</div> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"> <strong>Did you want the divorce?</strong></h2> <div style="text-align: justify;"> According to <a href="http://data.stanford.edu/hcmst" target="_blank">Stanford University</a> research, 70 percent of divorces are initiated by women. And, while your guy may not have initiated the divorce, it’s good to find out if he wanted it. “You want to suss out that he is not still pining for his old life,” Durvasula says. “You also want to find out if he is still holding a torch for his ex.” Granted, it’s possible he didn’t want the divorce but he’s since moved on. However, his answer to the question can provide clues as to whether that’s the case.</div> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"> <strong>How do you feel about your ex?</strong></h2> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Not everyone can speak highly about their ex (kudos to <a href="http://www.womenshealthmag.com/sex-and-love/celebrity-divorces" target="_blank">Jennifer Garner</a> and Ben Affleck), but if he’s super bitter or angry about her, that could be a sign that he’s still emotionally invested in the relationship, Durvasula says.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Other bad signs: Your guy puts the blame for the demise of his marriage on his ex, or says he’s learned gross generalized lessons about women or marriage based on his experience, Cilona says. “No matter what the situation, each partner has accountability and contributes in some ways to the relationship and dissolution of the marriage,” he points out.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Above all, keep this in mind: Divorce can be a very healthy thing. “Staying in a broken relationship is not honorable, and many people grow from them,” Durvasula says. “But you do need to ask these questions to decide if you would be OK with being spouse number two if it came down to that.”</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Credit: <a href="http://www.womenshealthmag.com/sex-and-love/dating-a-guy-after-divorce">womenshealthmag</a></div>

5 Questions To Ask That Divorced Guy You’re Dating

Are you comfortable talking about your divorce? A man who comple...

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Merkel Reacts To Buhari’s Alleged “My Wife Belongs To My Kitchen…” Statement

<div class="image-container" itemprop="image"> <img alt="1" class="attachment-full size-full wp-post-image" height="400" src="http://4a7jjc25uykf24u8sd3k8m5n.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/1-5.png" width="603" /> </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> German Chancellor, Angela Merkel was reported to have laughed at President Buhari when he responded to journalist on his wife controversial interview.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Buhari was reported to have said “, “I don’t know which party my wife belongs to, but she belongs to my kitchen and my living room and the other room.”</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> His comments to reporters in Germany promoted German Chancellor Angela Merkel, standing at his side, to give him a short glare and then laugh, AP reports.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Credit: <span style="color: red;"><a href="http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/general/merkel-laughs-at-buhari-s-my-wife-belongs-to-my-kitchen-comment/166818.html" style="color: red;">dailytrust</a></span></div>

Merkel Reacts To Buhari’s Alleged “My Wife Belongs To My Kitchen…” Statement

German Chancellor, Angela Merkel was reported to have laughed at President Buhari when he responded ...

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EFCC arrests military officers for diverting Soldiers’ N339m death benefits

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguhMjmuSMqMqohefrXpRQMn2BiLswMw1rmc3reUshx0JDipbstZKVRNE6DxpknJO4vt1H1F01t7Bd2ftLWX61Pa1by7IOuMsPMo959CTnz4nm41DL7TTZVug3xVzAa_yhQTFve9Zl_45U/s1600/1a1a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguhMjmuSMqMqohefrXpRQMn2BiLswMw1rmc3reUshx0JDipbstZKVRNE6DxpknJO4vt1H1F01t7Bd2ftLWX61Pa1by7IOuMsPMo959CTnz4nm41DL7TTZVug3xVzAa_yhQTFve9Zl_45U/s400/1a1a.png" width="400" /></a></div> Two military officers and four others have been arrested by EFCC operatives for allegedly opening fake accounts to divert N339million benefits of next-of-kin of deceased military officers and men within two months. The Nation reports that two other suspects involved in the crime are currently at large. <br /> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a>The arrested  military officers, a Wing Commander and a Lt. Commander, worked at the Military Pension Board while their accomplices were Branch Manager and Relationship Manager of United Bank for Africa (UBA). It was gathered that the auditors of UBA raised the alarm when its auditors discovered that huge parts of the funds were “cashed across the counter in a suspicious manner.”<br /> <br /> Based on the alert by the bank, the EFCC stepped in to crack how the fraud was perpetrated.<br /> <br /> A source in EFCC who confirmed their arrest said “We have arrested a serving Wing Commander, a Lt. Commander and four others for N339million death benefit of some deceased military officers and men. Two others are at large but we have watch-listed them. The affected military officers were both cashier and computer operator in Military Pension Board and they connived with six others to carry out the fraud in UBA branch, Wuse Zone 3 branch. Between April and June 2016, they opened accounts where benefits of the next-of-kins of deceased military men were diverted into. In fact, under two months, N339million was withdrawn and wired into more than 11 accounts. The withdrawal was in two tranches of N298million and N41million.<br /> <br /> The Auditors of the bank observed suspicious withdrawal of huge chunk of the cash from  across the counter.<br /> <br /> Speaking further, the source said all the suspects have admitted their involvement in the crime.<br /> <blockquote> <i>“During the investigation, the Branch Manager and the Relationship Manager confessed and admitted opening these slush accounts. Some existing accounts of customers and the friends of the suspects were also used to divert the funds. Findings confirmed that the husbands of the two bank officials benefitted from the death benefit fraud. Two suspects, who are personal friends of the Branch Manager and Relationship Manager are at large. But we have watch-listed them. We will soon arrest them. The military officers also admitted to have colluded and conspired with the bank officials to use the slush accounts for the fraud. These serving military officers incorporated a company each and funds were wired into the accounts of their companies.”</i></blockquote>

EFCC arrests military officers for diverting Soldiers’ N339m death benefits

Two military officers and four others have been arrested by EFCC operatives for allegedly opening fake accounts to divert N339million be...

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Reuben Abati's 'spiritual side of the Villa', Buhari's 'Kitchen wife' and the curse and pain of Power by Femi Fani Kayode

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Elr_c_qsh3puTOSbCmAuBBXji42qEoMdwiYy4-FMSPKMsCO0VRJhEPFCzVDtULOLQYEr_aE3oA-e1FDno77eMD31myZ6pey8zfAiw3rtq904ibrievD5cxJg-WMUKT12tE7jmi4kdXo/s1600/1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Elr_c_qsh3puTOSbCmAuBBXji42qEoMdwiYy4-FMSPKMsCO0VRJhEPFCzVDtULOLQYEr_aE3oA-e1FDno77eMD31myZ6pey8zfAiw3rtq904ibrievD5cxJg-WMUKT12tE7jmi4kdXo/s400/1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> <div> <i><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">I read Reuben Abati's excellent write-up titled "The Spiritual Side Of Aso Villa" and I concur with his submissions. I worked in the Villa for three years as President Olusegun Obasanjo's spokesman on public affairs and a lot of very strange things happened there.</span></b></i><br /> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div> </blockquote> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Amongst them is the fact that the two people that served as Senior Special Assistant to President Obasanjo on Media and Publicity one after the other, namely the much-loved Mr. Tunji Oseni and then later Mrs. Remi Oyo, both contracted a terrible terminal illness whilst in office and died a few years later. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Apart from that many other aides that worked in the Villa at that time were also afflicted with strange diseases and a sudden and tragic end. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Amongst them were Col. Solomon Giwa Amu, Obasanjo's hard-working and good-looking ADC and Mr. Stanely Macebuh, his brilliant and cerebral Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">I was so moved by Abati's piece that I decided to share the following thoughts about the spiritual challenges that those in power have faced. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">When our President can get up and tell the whole world all the way from distant Germany that his wife "belongs to the kitchen, the living room and the other room" simply because she dared to speak her mind to the BBC then you know that he is in the grip of something evil and that demons are speaking through him. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">It is all part of the spiritual dimension of living in the Villa that Abati was referring to in his essay. The President's mind has become twisted and he is now possessed by strange and powerful entities. He needs a lot of prayer. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Yet the problem is much bigger and wider than that. When one studies the history of our country critically and takes the time to do the appropriate research, one thing becomes very clear- that, in Nigeria, politics and the power game is a dangerous calling and terrible business which, more often than not, comes with a heavy price tag.</span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">That price tag includes pain, anguish, betrayal, humiliation, persecution, misfortune, hardship, loss, death, strange ailments and tragedy for those who reach the top and their loved ones. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">It is rather like playing Russian roulette- there is one live bullet in the six empty chambers of the pistol and one doesn’t quite know when that bullet will go off when the trigger is pulled. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The gamble and risks taken are not only compulsive but they are also addictive and at the same time utterly deadly.  </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Sadly the result is as follows- virtually every single one of our national leaders and those that have ever ruled this country has suffered immeasurably at some point or the other in their lives, whether it be before, during or after they came to power. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">They too have shed tears in the loneliness of their closets and have eaten portions of what the Bible describes as the ”bread of sorrows”. Yes, even the rich and powerful cry and even they suffer loss and tragedy. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">This is the case for leaders all over the world but in Nigeria it is far more pronounced and common than anywhere else. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Here the angel of death, misfortune and sorrow seem to stalk those that find power and, like an ugly old crow plucks out the pink feathers and precious eyes of a beautiful flamingo, she cuts short and plucks away their lives or the lives of their loved ones. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Like a light bulb attracts a moth and leads it to a sudden end, so power attracts those who seek it with equally tragic consequences. As painful as it is, let us look at the facts.</span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">In the early  60′s Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the first Premier of the Western Region, lost his first son and years later his second son and second daughter were cut short in the prime of their lives. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Chief S.L. Akintola, his bitter political rival and the second Premier of the Western Region also lost his first daughter in the early 60′s and a few years later lost his third and youngest son.  His second son was also cut short in his prime a number of years later. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">My father, Chief Remilekun Fani-Kayode, the Deputy Premier of the Western Region, who was a close ally and second in command to S.L. Akintola, lost his second son. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Sir Adesoji Aderemi, who was the Ooni of Ife, a close ally of Awolowo  and the first ceremonial Governor of the old Western Region, lost his first son. Chief Nnamdi Azikiwe, the Premier of the old Eastern Region and Nigeria’s first and only ceremonial President, lost his first wife. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">President Olusegun Obasanjo, Nigeria’s second democratically-elected President lost four wives and one son many years ago whilst Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Premier of the Northern Region, lost two sons and one daughter. Awolowo and Obasanjo went to jail for three years each whilst Ahmadu Bello went to jail for three months.</span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">S.L. Akintola was killed in the prime of his life just as were Ahmadu Bello and Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Nigeria’s first democratically-elected leader and Prime Minister. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">As a matter of fact they were all killed on the same night- the night of January 15th 1966. President Shehu Shagari, Nigeria’s second democratically-elected leader and first executive President lost four children whilst he was in power and was locked up for over two years after he was toppled. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Chief MKO Abiola, the winner of the June 12th 1993 Presidential election, lost two wives, was locked up for 4 years and was eventually killed.</span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Chief Bola Ige, the first democratically-elected Governor of Oyo state and the former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice of the Federation lost his first son and he himself was later murdered. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Chief Bisi Onabanjo, the first democratically-elected Governor of Ogun state lost his first son. Alhaji Lateef Jakande, the first democratically elected Governor of Lagos state, lost his first daughter. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Dr. Omololu Olunloyo, the second democratically-elected Governor of Oyo state lost his son. Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh, the first Minister of Finance of Nigeria was killed. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Chief Alfred Rewane, one of the founding members of the Action Group and a leading figure in NADECO, was killed. The list is endless and I could go on and on.</span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Alhaji Musa Yar’adua was Minister of Lagos Affairs in the First Republic. He was blessed with a long and peaceful life. However two of his sons were not so lucky. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">His first son, General Shehu Musa Yar’adua, who was number two to General Obasanjo when he was military Head of State and who for many decades was one of the most powerful men in the country, was murdered whilst he was in prison. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">His second son, President Umaru Yar’adua, was cut short in his prime by a strange and inexplicable ailment after he had been President for only three years. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">He was succeeded by his number two, Vice President Goodluck Jonathan. Jonathan lost his brother and his mother-in-law one year after the other after he became President. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Worse still those that he had been deputy to throughout his political life, either as Deputy Governor or Vice President, always suffered one form of misfortune or the other, whether it be death, shame, incarceration or impeachment, and he would end up stepping into their shoes and taking their place.</span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">When it comes to our military rulers the story of consistent tragedy is no different- General Aguiyi-Ironsi, our first military Head of State was killed. General Yakubu Gowon, our second military Head of State, was toppled from power, exiled and lost his brother. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">General Murtala Mohammed, our third military Head of State, was killed and lost both his son and son-in-law. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">General Olusegun Obasanjo was our fourth military Head of State and we touched on his misfortunes earlier. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">General Muhammadu Buhari, our fifth military Head of State, was toppled from power, locked up for a number of years, lost his mother whilst he was in detention and was not allowed to attend her burial, lost his first wife, lost his daughter and now he has publicly described his second wife as nothing more than a "kitchen, living room and 'other room' wife".  </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">His number two, General Tunde idiagbon, was cut short under very strange and suspicious cirumstances.   </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">General Ibrahim Babangida, our sixth military Head of State, was eased out of power and compelled to ”step aside” amidst massive controversy and turmoil and later lost his wife.</span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">His number two, Rear Admiral Augustus Aikhomu, lost his first son, Chief Ernest Shonekan, our first and only Interim Civilian Head of State, was badly humiliated and toppled from power. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">General Sani Abacha, our seventh military Head of State, lost his first son, was removed from power and was killed. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">General Abdulsalami Abubakar, our eight military Head of State, as far as I am aware is the only exception and appears to have escaped any misfortune.</span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Yet the picture is very depressing. This is indeed a catalogue of tragic events. Sorrow and pain just appears to be following sorrow and pain. It is a vicious circle of misfortune and calamity. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Yet the most curious phenomenon and bizarre series of events of all is the fact that every single Head of State or President that has ruled our country from the Presidential Villa in Aso Rock, Abuja for three years or more has either ended up dying whilst there or has lost a spouse before leaving office. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">President Jonathan stayed there as President for four years in a stretch but the travails of his wife and her series of illnesses and medical complications which suddenly and miraculously ceased and abated after he conceeded the 2015 election indicates that had he continued in office after 2015 he may have lost her and the demons of Aso Rock Villa would have come for their prey. Thankfully he left before they could lay claim to it and before the curse was activated. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Babangida did not stay in the Villa in Abuja for up to three years so he and his wife escaped what has come to be known as the ”Villa curse”. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">It was the same for Chief Ernest Shonekan who, wisely, never stayed at the Villa at all but who chose to preside over the affairs of the nation from Aguda house next door and who remained in power for barely six months. General Abdulsalami Abubakar stayed at the Villa but he remained there for less than a year. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">However Abacha, Obasanjo and Yar’adua were not so lucky- each of them stayed at the Villa for three years or more and before the end of their tenure they either lost their own life or the life of their spouse whilst there. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The story is that once the three year mark is passed the curse sets in and the clock begins to tick. At the end of the day only one of the two spouses comes out alive. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">When one considers all these facts and series of misfortunes that have trailed our leaders in the last 56 years of our existence as an independent nation one cannot but conclude that there has indeed been a harvest of hardship, pain and death attached to the highest, most powerful and most prominent offices in the land and to those that are close to or have occupied it.</span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The truth is that power comes at a terrible price and those that wield it have, more often than not, experienced terrible pain and anguish in their lives. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">That is the price that virtually every single one of them has had to pay. What a tragedy. Yet at the end of the day I wonder whether it is all worth it. </span></div> <div id="m_6303153379926532896m_1076916840836620431AppleMailSignature"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div> <span style="font-family: inherit;">For as the bible says, it is nothing but ”vanity upon vanity- all is vanity”.</span>

Reuben Abati's 'spiritual side of the Villa', Buhari's 'Kitchen wife' and the curse and pain of Power by Femi Fani Kayode

I read Reuben Abati's excellent write-up titled "The Spiritual Side Of Aso Villa" and I concur with his submissions. I...

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Pendulum: A Good Lady In The Presidential Villa By @DeleMomodu

<a href="http://abusidiqu.com/category/opinion/" itemprop="item"><span itemprop="name"></span></a><br /> <div class="container single-container"> <div class="row-primary sidebar-right clearfix has-sidebar"> <article class="post-80858 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-opinion tag-delemomodu tag-good tag-lady tag-presidential tag-villa" id="post-80858"> <header class="post-image"> <div class="fimg-wrapper fimg-cl fimg-no-meta"> <div class="featured-image"> <div class="fimg-inner" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; position: relative; z-index: 1;"> <div class="vm-wrapper"> <div class="vm-middle"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnJfGRwZqS_i3WjsYrPgvX-9lDKKijjmIKWIU9BTIV418gaTx5gBO07ngNkzrn7JKuQPYd6jIlnnC4p4utDCyi03i2WPPoH1f7-_RNK92dURiQYBlabNKMOl4UkdteCjSyiFbA_LG3FOA3/s1600/DELE-MOMODU-COLUMN-SIZE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnJfGRwZqS_i3WjsYrPgvX-9lDKKijjmIKWIU9BTIV418gaTx5gBO07ngNkzrn7JKuQPYd6jIlnnC4p4utDCyi03i2WPPoH1f7-_RNK92dURiQYBlabNKMOl4UkdteCjSyiFbA_LG3FOA3/s320/DELE-MOMODU-COLUMN-SIZE.jpg" width="317" /></a></div> <h1 class="post-title"> “He who finds a wife finds a good thing…” – PROVERBS 18: 22 </h1> Fellow Nigerians, please forget the shakara of all men who try to act macho, most men are ultimately controlled by their wives, and sometimes girlfriends. Right from the Biblical Genesis, women had always known their enormous power and they’ve mastered how to use it. It <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD5">does</span> not matter if you are a king or a President, your wife is always your boss. You may be as big as an elephant outside but you are only a small rat at home. I always say this to my wife “how come a man can never be a superstar at home?” I am yet to find an answer to that conundrum.<br /> Your wife is the one who knows you inside out. She has seen you in good times, when you were soaring like an eagle, and in bad times, when you were down and flat out. She’s witnessed when the ruthless hands of fate has dealt you some fatal blows and you are feeling less than a man. No matter who or what you become in life never matters again because she holds the copyright to your authentic story. She is the author of life who has seen you in your totality.<br /> Women are generally intuitive and sometimes possess the gift of clairvoyance. As men we tend to ignore or dismiss the advice of our wives sometimes but they turn out to be right most times much to our chagrin and often, regret. That has been my personal experience with mine. I have learnt to accept her as my mum on earth since the departure of my biological mum in 2007. Whenever she tells me she doesn’t like a particular friend of mine, I may argue and struggle to defend my friend but something always happens to show she was right and I was wrong in my assessment.<br /> I believe this is the situation our President, Muhammadu Buhari, and his beautiful wife, Aisha, have found themselves now. A lot of water must have passed under the bridge before the wife of a President would burst out openly and publicly on a global platform like the BBC, even if it is the Hausa <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD10">version</span>. It is a fact that Mrs Aisha Buhari brought elegance and panache to the campaign of her husband. She worked tirelessly and I believe she must have endured a lot during those days of her husband’s horrendous tribulations. I particularly love the way she has brought up their children as very responsible young people. We must always give credit to our wives because they are always the ones taking care of our kids when we have gone our different ways trying to make a living and bring bread to the <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD3">table</span>. The little I have seen of President Buhari’s children suggests a close-knit family and a well-educated one at that. This should make our President very proud and happy and grateful to Allah and his wife of nearly three agonizing decades.<br /> If such a lady has chosen to speak out loud and clear about her frustration with the direction her husband’s government is going, President Buhari should please listen to her <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD9">message</span> and ignore the messenger. God has a way of reaching out and ministering unto people. Aisha is the guardian angel sent to our President in order to avert a cataclysmic fall a second time. History has an uncanny way of repeating itself and I’m sure Lady Aisha can see a lot of striking similarities between now and the past. In law this would be called similar facts. They do not bear repeating in full but it does not seem such a huge coincidence of history that President Buhari came to power in on the last day of 1983 in a military putsch, on the back of what was a seemingly corrupt and inept government on an anti-corruption and war on indiscipline platform. Eerily in 2015, the same<span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD7">conditions</span> appear to have thrust the President back into power in what was a democratic coup that swept an inept and corrupt government away on the mantra of anti-corruption and change. Less than 18 months after the President came to power as a military dictator there was great disenchantment with his administration such that people were jubilant after his fall. Now the <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD8">position</span> appears to be the same less than 18 months after assuming power. The President is now being seeing as a maximum ruler who has lost the tremendous goodwill that greeted his ascension to power for a second stint at governing this unruly country.<br /> <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD1">Indeed</span>, it was with trepidation and shock that I first read about the brave outburst of the Wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari as to the dangerous state of things in so far as the President’s inner circle and his party, APC, are concerned.I could not believe my eyes when I read that she had said the following in no particular order on a BBC Hausa Service <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD4">interview</span>: <br /> “Whether he knows or he doesn’t know, those who voted for him know. There is nothing I will tell him.” ( With reference to those in his Government causing difficulties for the President).<br /> “He can see. Among all the people he selected, if he is asked among 50 people, he doesn’t know 45. I don’t know them despite staying with him for 27 years.”<br /> “This worries us a lot now. Because they believe they are the ones who suffered, but are nowhere today. Those who didn’t do anything who don’t even have voter’s <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD6">card</span> are the ones in position, ding everything.”<br /> I’m almost certain she would have tried to communicate with her husband and the following could have happened. (a) She never got the audience required; (b) She got the audience she sought but was told to mind her own business or (c) she got her few minutes and was heard but was even insulted for daring to put her mouth in matters of state. She probably reached out to some members of the new mafia who she believes have virtually hypnotized and hijacked her husband and she met a brick-wall there too.<br /> If truth must be told, there is nothing new or strange about what she has said in this apparently explosive interview. The only difference this time is that this is coming from the wife of the President. Even outsiders like us had raised these observations in the last few months; that it seems some people are misleading Buhari; that his team needs to be energized; that the ruling party has set fire on its own roof by engaging in a war of attrition and alienating their core members who fought tooth and nail to make a Buhari Presidency possible after so many attempts; that a cabal has ostensibly manifested itself in the Buhari administration; and so on.<br /> Although Mrs Buhari categorically stated that her husband had not told her whether he he would contest the 2019 elections or not she may have unwittingly let the cat out of the bag and inadvertently exposed the plot of this cabal by saying she is not likely to campaign for her husband in 2019 thus suggesting that the idea of a bid for the Presidency in 2019 is already being contemplated. Tellingly she stated:<br /> “He is yet to tell me but I have decided as his wife, that if things continue like this up to 2019, I will not go out and campaign again and ask any woman to vote lije I did before. I will never do it again.”<br /> Of all the imagined sins of Mrs Buhari in relation to this interview this may be the most injurious to the Cabal’s camp than the issue of poor or sluggish governance. It is a grave indictment when your wife who was such an avid and strong campaigner for you a few years earlier says earnestly that she is fed up and regrets her decision. This is obviously a view that Mrs Buhari believes resonates with a lot of people as she went further to say that “what I am afraid of is the rebellion of 15 million people” in apparent reference to those who elected the President into power this time around.<br /> It is clear that the President must have been taken totally aback by the acidic and acerbic criticism of his administration by the person who should be his number one supporter. His attempt at a jocular sidestep of a tsunamic eruption from his wife has only served to ignite the debate and has somehow managed to portray the President as a person ruling past his time. Women continue to make great strides as world leaders, cue Angela Merkel of <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD2">Germany</span>, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia, Cristina De Kirchner of Argentina, Sheikh Hasina Wajed of Bangladesh, Dalia Grybauskaite of Lithuania, Park Geun-hye of South Korea, Erna Solberg of Norway, Michelle Bachelet of Chile, Marie-Louise Preca of Malta, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic of Croatia, Theresa May of Great Britain and hopefully Hillary Clinton of the US, in the not too distant future. Closer to home, there have recently been appointed as Prime Minister and President respectively, Aminata Toure of Senegal and Catherine Samba-Panza of the Central African Republic although their terms have ended. It is therefore unfortunate that the President dismissed his wife as perfunctorily as he did. The President said “I don’t know what party she belongs to, but she belongs to my Kitchen and my living room and the other room.” In my view, the President lost a good opportunity to shore up his feminist credentials and deal with those of his critics who would say he was talking like a typical Islamic fundamentalist, which I believe the President is most assuredly not.<br /> The President appears to be suggesting that there is even greater discord in his home by saying that he does not know what party his wife belongs to. It demonstrates a degree of paranoia reminiscent of the internet trolls and acolytes who support the President and who consider every critic, whether constructive or otherwise, as being anti-corruption or a member of the opposition.<br /> But we must thank God for giving Nigeria such a good lady in our Presidential palace. It is sad that rather than being appreciated for her candour and uncommon courage, critics have unleashed a social media war on her. This is most unfortunate. One, she is a Nigerian. Two, she is the wife of our President. Three, rather she has done Nigeria a great service by screaming before it is too late. No matter what happens, I personally wish there are more of such visionary leaders around who do not see power as an end in itself. Now that her husband has come out to diss her before the whole world by saying she belongs in the kitchen and his “other” room, she deserves our prayers and support.<br /> The President did not stop at the one attack on his wife. He effectively lumbered her with the tag of being part of the opposition when he said “So I claim superior knowledge over her and the rest of the opposition, because in the end, I have succeeded. It is not easy to satisfy the whole Nigerian opposition parties or to participate in the government”. The import of that statement is that President Buhari believes in the course he is pursuing and he thinks everything is on point. History will be his judge in this respect but I hasten to add that right now a lot of Nigerians would share his wife’s views about the state of the nation and not those of the President.<br /> I pray Baba would hearken to the voice of reason that his wife represents and act in the best interest of Nigeria and by implication himself.<br /> <section class="post-content"><br /></section><div class="code-block code-block-3" style="margin: 8px 0px;"> <ins class="adsbygoogle" data-ad-client="ca-pub-2634832403669952" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-slot="2084726930" data-adsbygoogle-status="done" style="display: block; height: 90px;"><ins id="aswift_3_expand" style="background-color: transparent; border: none; display: inline-table; height: 90px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 750px;"><ins id="aswift_3_anchor" style="background-color: transparent; border: none; display: block; height: 90px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 750px;"></ins></ins></ins></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </header></article></div> </div>

Pendulum: A Good Lady In The Presidential Villa By @DeleMomodu

“He who finds a wife finds a good thing…” – PROVERBS 18: 22 Fellow Nigerians, please forget the shakara of all men who try t...

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Clinton Accuses Trump Of ‘Stalking’ Her During Debate

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="image-container" itemprop="image" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img alt="" class="attachment-full size-full wp-post-image" height="398" src="http://4a7jjc25uykf24u8sd3k8m5n.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/1-101.jpg" width="640" /> </div> <br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Hillary Clinton has accused her Republican presidential rival Donald Trump of “stalking” her during their televised debate on Sunday.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Trump often stood closely behind the Democratic nominee glowering as she answered questions from the audience during the town hall-style event in St. Louis.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Speaking during an interview on NBC’s The Ellen DeGeneres Show set to air Friday, Clinton said his movements made her feel “really weird” on stage.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> “Because of the revelation of the public video, and everything that came out on ‘Access Hollywood,’ you know, he was really all wrought up, and you could just sense how much anger he had,” Clinton said, referring to a video leaked last week showing Trump making lewd comments about women.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> “And so he was really trying to dominate and then literally stalk me around the stage and I would just feel this presence behind me.”</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Trump rejected criticism about his debate performance at a rally on Monday.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> “So I’m standing at my podium by my chair. She walks across the room. She’s standing in front of me, right next to me,” he said.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> “And the next day I said what did the papers say? They said, ‘he invaded her space.’”</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> “Believe me,” he added, “The last space that I want to invade is her space.”</div>

Clinton Accuses Trump Of ‘Stalking’ Her During Debate

Hillary Clinton has accused her Republican presidential rival Don...

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“Aisha belongs in my kitchen and bedroom”, says Buhari.

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="image-container" itemprop="image" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img alt="buhari-aisha" class="attachment-full size-full wp-post-image" height="266" src="http://4a7jjc25uykf24u8sd3k8m5n.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/buhari-aisha.jpg" width="400" /> </div> <br /> <br /> President Muhammadu Buhari says his wife, Aisha, belongs in his kitchen and “the other room”, apparently a euphemism for the bedroom.<br /> Buhari said this while speaking with journalists in Germany in response to an interview Aisha granted the BBC, where she said that his government had been hijacked.<br /> In the interview, Aisha had also said that she might not support her husband under the present circumstances if he seeks re-election in 2019.<br /> “<strong><em>I don’t know which party my wife belongs to, but she belongs to my kitchen and my living room and the other room</em></strong>,” he joked.<br /> “<em><strong>I claim superior knowledge over her and the rest of the opposition, because in the end I have succeeded. It is not easy to satisfy the whole Nigerian opposition parties or to participate in the government</strong></em>.”<br /> Buhari is on a three-day visit to Germany.

“Aisha belongs in my kitchen and bedroom”, says Buhari.

President Muhammadu Buhari says his wife, Aisha, belongs in his ki...

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EFCC Moves Against More Judges, Court Registrars

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="image-container" itemprop="image" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img alt="magu-ibrahim" class="attachment-full size-full wp-post-image" height="260" src="http://4a7jjc25uykf24u8sd3k8m5n.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/magu-ibrahim.jpg" width="400" /> </div> <br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Eight more judges and two court registrars are now under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over corruption-related cases.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Those who have been implicated in the investigations are to be arrested and charged to court in due course, an official disclosed yesterday.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The commission, which denied any rift with the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, said that only one of the judges recently arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) featured in its investigations.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> EFCC described as untrue a story in a national daily which suggested that the AGF was uncomfortable with how the commission handled petitions sent to it, as such, the resort to the DSS.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> “In this regard, EFCC is currently investigating eight judges and two court registrars. Some of the suspects who have been invited have made statements that have been of great assistance to the investigations. In due course, those who have cases to answer would be arrested and charged to court,” the commission said.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The Head, Media and Publicity of EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, said: “EFCC wishes to put on record that there is no friction with the office of the AGF and the Commission is not involved in inter-agency squabbles with the DSS.”</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> And as the controversy over the arrest of judges continues, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Samson Uwaifo yesterday called for the strengthening of the National Judicial Council (NJC) to redeem the image of the third arm of government.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Meanwhile, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has affirmed its earlier position that the arrests and detention of the judges was unlawful and unconstitutional.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The Bar cautioned that the judiciary should not be exposed to ridicule, shame and intimidation by security operatives under the guise of fighting corruption.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> President of the Association, Abubakar Mahmud (SAN), who spoke yesterday evening, insisted that the invasion of the houses of justices and judges in the middle of the night by masked security operatives was improper and uncivilised.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> According to Mahmud, the NBA is engaging stakeholders on how to win the war against corruption in the judiciary. The reason, he said, a task force, which would be announced today was set up to come up with details on how to deal with erring judges.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The task force is headed by former presidents of the association, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) and Olisa Agbakoba (SAN).</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> It also comprises former attorneys general of the federation and other former presidents of NBA, including Prince Adetokunbo Kayode, Joseph Daudu, Chief Kanu Agabi and Chief Akin Olujimi.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The committee is expected to make recommendations for stronger disciplinary action against erring judicial officers, which will be passed on to the NJC for strengthening.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> And after three days of silence, the National Judicial Council (NJC) yesterday came out openly to condemn the clampdown on some judicial officers.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> In a statement issued late yesterday, the body expressed grave concern about the invasion of the residences and arrest of some serving and suspended judicial officers by the Department of State Services (DSS) and condemned the action in its entirety.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The Council also unanimously agreed to recommend Justice W. S. N. Onnoghen, as the most senior, suitable and competent Justice of the Supreme Court to President Muhammadu Buhari, for appointment as the next Chief Justice of Nigeria to succeed Justice Mahmud Mohammed GCON who retires from office on November 10.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> NJC said it viewed the action “as a threat to the independence of the judiciary, which portends great danger to our democracy; and also considered the action as a clear attempt by the DSS to humiliate, intimidate, denigrate and cow the judiciary”.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The judicial council said that contrary to the claim by the DSS and as published in the electronic and print media, “Council has never received any petition against the aforesaid judicial officers: Hon. Justices Ngwuta and Okoro of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, by the DSS.”</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> In the statement, the NJC states: “That the National Judicial Council is a creation, by virtue of Section 153 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, with its powers specified in Paragraph 21 of Part One of the Third Schedule whereof;</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> “That by virtue of Section 160 of the 1999 Constitution, council fashioned out judicial discipline regulations; revised NJC guidelines and procedural rules for the appointment of judicial officers of all superior courts of record; code of conduct for judicial officers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; and national judicial policy to inter-alia, regulate its own procedure while exercising its constitutional Powers; and</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> ”That Section 158 (1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, has unequivocally provided for the independence of the National Judicial Council vis-à-vis directing or controlling it by any authority or person while exercising its powers.”</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The council “reiterated its absolute confidence in President Muhammadu Buhari administration and its unwavering determination to uphold the principles of democracy, separation of powers and the rule of law enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, as amended and the United Nations Charter, which Nigeria is a member.”</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> NJC pledged to continue to support the President Buhari administration in its fight against corruption in all its ramifications in the federation; and in cleansing the judiciary of corrupt judicial officers.</div>

EFCC Moves Against More Judges, Court Registrars

Eight more judges and two court registrars are now under investig...

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Getting the Russia 2018 World cup ticket will be difficult - Gernot Rohr

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg96O47RF7SQ9whd9aePgazMw2AfWiRPjdAVQ7ZxA68ODSQg18L8PYkFrPV9wxniH3pRqdQXSHMwx5QiXwnONGV7SU-fALytne46_SygiYbMe06IM6j5FeqY7AcfZ3d_kwIZ6wSjrocazE/s1600/00.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg96O47RF7SQ9whd9aePgazMw2AfWiRPjdAVQ7ZxA68ODSQg18L8PYkFrPV9wxniH3pRqdQXSHMwx5QiXwnONGV7SU-fALytne46_SygiYbMe06IM6j5FeqY7AcfZ3d_kwIZ6wSjrocazE/s1600/00.png" /></a></div> Super Eagles chief technical adviser Gernot Rohr has reiterated to Nigerians that getting the world cup ticket will be difficult , but has called on the crowd at the International stadium, Uyo to give the Nigeria team maximum support when Nigeria tackles Algeria next month in it's second World Cup qualifier.<br /> <div> <br /> Algeria are seen as favorites in the group tagged 'group of death' but drew their first game against Cameroon while Nigeria won theirs away against Zambia.</div> <div>  </div> <div> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a></div> <div> Gernot Rohr speaking to CompleteSportsNigeria said : </div> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> 'I feel great starting my job as coach of the Super Eagles on a good note, winning two competitive games. The recent win in Zambia gives me the feeling that we are up to something great. It is nice to work with the players and officials of the team. The Nigeria Football Federation has also made my stay so far wonderful. I am enjoying my stay here now' </blockquote> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> 'We know them (Algeria) very well because most of the players have been educated in France, played in France, come from the French academy. Some of them played for French junior teams before changing to playing for the Algerian national team. I have seen them play live and I know their setup. Of course, I know the players.' </blockquote> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> 'We will know more of the way they played against Cameroon when the video clips and reports get to us. I sent someone to watch the game and I await the details from him. I have also seen the match on television. We shall do an analysis of the video when we get it and then take it from there and we will know much more about them.' </blockquote> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> 'My players want to have the World Cup ticket. The ticket will be difficult, but everybody knows that we have the capacity to come first out of this group, but you know it requires a lot of hard work. We have already three points, I'm sure with 12 points we could be the team coming out of this group. We shall work very, very hard to ensure that we win all three of our home matches to get 12 points.  </blockquote> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> 'After the first game, we are on top, and we can say Cameroon did well to get a draw in Algeria and now it is in our hands to beat the Algerians in Uyo. I know that it will be difficult because they also don't want to lose in Uyo. But we want, absolutely, to win this game and remain on top of the group'</blockquote>

Getting the Russia 2018 World cup ticket will be difficult - Gernot Rohr

Super Eagles chief technical adviser Gernot Rohr has reiterated to Nigerians that getting the world cup ticket will be difficult , but ha...

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“Marriage is not meant for everybody” – Banky W

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="image-container" itemprop="image" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img alt="banky-w" class="attachment-full size-full wp-post-image" height="401" src="http://4a7jjc25uykf24u8sd3k8m5n.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/banky-w.jpg" width="500" /> </div> <div class="image-container" itemprop="image" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">  </div> <br /> <br /> Popular R&B musician, Bankole Wellington, a.k.a Banky W, has explained why he’s not in a hurry to get married.<br /> <br /> According to him, marriage is not meant for every single person.<br /> <br /> Speaking with Metro FM, the singer said, “The same people who would pressurize you to get married are the people who would criticize you when you fail.<br /> <br /> “Oprah Wilson changed the world but she never got married. It is not the destiny of every single person to get married,” he quipped.<br /> <br /> The singer had recently said he was fine with being single, and that if he would ever get married, his wedding will be a secret one.

“Marriage is not meant for everybody” – Banky W

    Popular R&B musician, Bankole Wellington, a.k.a Banky W, has explained why he’s not...

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I Am Convinced That Aso Rock Is Full Of Evil Spirits By Reuben Abati

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="image-container" itemprop="image" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img alt="reuben-abati" class="attachment-full size-full wp-post-image" height="225" src="http://4a7jjc25uykf24u8sd3k8m5n.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Reuben-Abati.jpg" width="400" /> </div> <br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Reuben Abati, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to former President Goodluck Jonathan, has revealed that there are spiritual forces in Aso Villa that prevent Presidents from performing their functions and serving Nigerians to the best of their abilities. Mr Abati who made this revelations in an article published in today’s Guardian recalled several incidences of fire outbreaks at the Aso Villa during his stay there. He also gave accounts of how Villa occupants suffered a myriad of health problems, including the former first lady Patience Jonathan.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Read the full, revealing, article below:</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <strong>The spiritual side of Aso Villa – Reuben Abati</strong></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> People tend to be alarmed when the Nigerian Presidency takes certain decisions. They don’t think the decision makes sense. Sometimes, they wonder if something has not gone wrong with the thinking process at that highest level of the country. I have heard people insist that there is some form of witchcraft at work in the country’s seat of government. I am ordinarily not a superstitious person, but working in the Villa, I eventually became convinced that there must be something supernatural about power and closeness to it. I’ll start with a personal testimony. I was given an apartment to live in inside the Villa. It was furnished and equipped. But when my son, Michael arrived, one of my brothers came with a pastor who was supposed to stay in the apartment. But the man refused claiming that the Villa was full of evil spirits and that there would soon be a fire accident in the apartment. He complained about too much human sacrifice around the Villa and advised that my family must never sleep overnight inside the Villa.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> I thought the man was talking nonsense and he wanted the luxury of a hotel accommodation. But he turned out to be right. The day I hosted family friends in that apartment and they slept overnight, there was indeed a fire accident. The guests escaped and they were so thankful. Not long after, the President’s physician living two compounds away had a fire accident in his home. He and his children could have died. He escaped with bruises. Around the Villa while I was there, someone always died or their relations died. I can confirm that every principal officer suffered one tragedy or the other; it was as if you needed to sacrifice something to remain on duty inside that environment. Even some of the women became merchants of dildo because they had suffered a special kind of death in their homes (I am sorry to reveal this) and many of the men complained about something that had died below their waists too. The ones who did not have such misfortune had one ailment or the other that they had to nurse. From cancer to brain and prostate surgery and whatever, the Villa was a hospital full of agonizing patients.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> I recall the example of one particular man, an asset to the Jonathan Presidency who practically ran away from the Villa. He said he needed to save his life. He was quite certain that if he continued to hang around, he would die. I can’t talk about colleagues who lost daughters and sons, brothers and uncles, mothers and fathers, and the many obituaries that we issued. Even the President was multiply bereaved. His wife, Mama Peace was in and out of hospital at a point, undergoing many surgeries. You may have forgotten but after her husband lost the election and he conceded victory, all her ailments vanished, all scheduled surgeries were found to be no longer necessary and since then she has been hale and hearty. By the same token, all those our colleagues who used to come to work to complain about a certain death beneath their waists and who relied on videos and other instruments to entertain wives (take it easy boys, I don’t mean nay harm, I am writing!), have all experienced a re-awakening.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Everyone who went under the blade has received miraculous healing, and we are happy to be out of that place. But others were not so lucky. They died. There were days when convoys ran into ditches and lives were lost. In Norway, our helicopter almost crashed into a mountain. That was the first time I saw the President panicking. The weather was all so hazy and he just kept saying it would not be nice for the President of a country to die in a helicopter crash due to pilot miscalculations. The President went into a prayer mode. We survived. In Kenya once, we had a bird strike. The plane had to be recalled and we were already airborne with the plane acting like it would crash. During the 2015 election campaigns, our aircraft refused to start on more than one occasion. The aircraft just went dead. On some other occasions, we were stoned and directly targeted for evil. I really don’t envy the people who work in Aso Villa, the seat of Nigeria’s Presidency. For about six months, I couldn’t even breathe properly. For another two months, I was on crutches. But I considered myself far luckier than the others who were either nursing a terminal disease or who could not get it up.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> When Presidents make mistakes, they are probably victims of a force higher than what we can imagine. Every student of Aso Villa politics would readily admit that when people get in there, they actually become something else. They act like they are under a spell. When you issue a well- crafted statement, the public accepts it wrongly. When the President makes a speech and he truly means well, the speech is interpreted wrongly by the public. When a policy is introduced, somehow, something just goes wrong. In our days, a lot of people used to complain that the APC people were fighting us spiritually and that there was a witchcraft dimension to the governance process in Nigeria. But the APC folks now in power are dealing with the same demons. Since Buhari government assumed office, it has been one mistake after another. Those mistakes don’t look normal, the same way they didn’t look normal under President Jonathan. I am therefore convinced that there is an evil spell enveloping this country. We need to rescue Nigeria from the forces of darkness. Aso Villa should be converted into a spiritual museum, and abandoned.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Should I become President of Nigeria tomorrow, I will build a new Presidential Villa: a Villa that will be dedicated to the all-conquering Almighty, and where powers and principalities cannot hold sway. But it is not about buildings and space, not so? It is about the people who go to the highest levels in Nigeria. I really don’t quite believe in superstitions, but I am tempted to suggest that this is indeed a country in need of prayers. We should pray before people pack their things into Aso Villa. We should ask God to guide us before we appoint ministers. We should, to put it in technocratic language, advise that the people should be very vigilant. We have all failed so far, that crucial test of vigilance. We should have a Presidential Villa where a President can afford to be human and free. In the White House, in the United States, Presidents live like normal human beings. In Aso Villa, that is impossible. They’d have to surround themselves with cooks from their villages, bodyguards from their mother’s clans and friends they can trust. It should be possible to be President of Nigeria without having to look behind one’s shoulders. But we are not yet there. So, how do we run a Presidency where the man in the saddle can only drink water served by his kinsman? No. How can we possibly run a Presidency where every President proclaims faith in Nigeria but they are better off in the company of relatives and kinsmen. No. We need as Presidents men and women who are willing to be Nigerians. No Nigerian President should be in spiritual bondage because he belongs to all of us and to nobody.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Now let me go back to the spiritual dimension. A colleague once told me that I was the most naïve person around the place. I thought I was a bright, smart, professional doing my bit and enjoying the President’s confidence. I spelled it out. But what I got in response was that I was coming to the villa using Lux soap, but that most people around the place always bathed in the morning with blood. Goat blood. Ram blood. Whatever animal blood. I argued. He said there were persons in the Villa walking upside down, head to the ground. I screamed. Everybody looked normal to me. But I soon began to suspect that I was in a strange environment indeed. Every position change was an opportunity for warfare. Civil servants are very nice people; they obey orders, but they are not very nice when they fight over personal interests.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The President is most affected by the atmosphere around him. He can make wrong decisions based on the cloud of evil around him. Even when he means well and he has taken time to address all possible outcomes, he could get on the wrong side of the public. A colleague called me one day and told me a story about how a decision had been taken in the spiritual realm about the Nigerian government. He talked about the spirit of error, and how every step taken by the administration would appear to the public like an error. He didn’t resign on that basis but his words proved prophetic. I see the same story being re-enacted. Aso Villa is in urgent need of redemption. I never slept in the apartment they gave me in that Villa for an hour.</div>

I Am Convinced That Aso Rock Is Full Of Evil Spirits By Reuben Abati

Reuben Abati, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to former Pr...

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FG has saved about N15 billion in about a year from over bloated travel costs and allowances

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ2e4A_xHjT5QX74h32ZOJEI2GIhDClnJSOGHBAlshRYeCB5_4gYLynW-eMoItPQelcs-3-N1D0HlhP_rpFfoqC3y8t9jBaGBNPlAAvFKdj7mjShdpF0KHFqwsb6L7k9RZt-AlWHUuMmY/s1600/000.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ2e4A_xHjT5QX74h32ZOJEI2GIhDClnJSOGHBAlshRYeCB5_4gYLynW-eMoItPQelcs-3-N1D0HlhP_rpFfoqC3y8t9jBaGBNPlAAvFKdj7mjShdpF0KHFqwsb6L7k9RZt-AlWHUuMmY/s1600/000.png" /></a></div> Federal government has saved about N15 billion in about a year from over bloated travel costs and allowances of government workers, Patience Oniha, Head of the Efficiency Unit has said. <br /> <br /> She disclosed this at the sidelines of the Cost Management on Overhead Expenditure for Permanent Secretaries, Chief Executive Officers of Departments and Agencies, in Abuja yesterday. She noted that the amount was saved through activities of the Efficiency Unit under the Federal Ministry of Finance.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a><blockquote class="tr_bq"> “The Efficiency unit has saved some N15 billion especially from travels and allowances. We hope to save additional N15 billion going forward,” she said. </blockquote> The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, at the programme also said the federal government would soon issue a new template on approved expenses for government-owned enterprises as efforts are being intensified to control the nation’s recurrent expenditure.<br />

FG has saved about N15 billion in about a year from over bloated travel costs and allowances

Federal government has saved about N15 billion in about a year from over bloated travel costs and allowances of government workers, Patie...

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I have no regret investing in education – Aregbesola

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="image-container" itemprop="image" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img alt="aregbesola-rauf" class="attachment-full size-full wp-post-image" height="245" src="http://4a7jjc25uykf24u8sd3k8m5n.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Aregbesola-Rauf.jpg" width="520" /> </div> <div class="image-container" itemprop="image" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">  </div> <br /> <br /> Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State says he has no regrets in committing the largest part of the state’s resources to education development.<br /> Aregbesola spoke when he unveiled a new block of 10 classroom in Attan-Ayegbaju town, Osun, on Wednesday<br /> The classrooms were built by the Anglican Church in honour of Chief Bisi Akande, a former Governor of Osun State and former interim Chairman of the All Progressives Congress.<br /> According to Aregbesola, by investing massively in education, his administration is preparing the state’s future leaders for a better tomorrow.<br /> Aregbesola said: “Education by far has commanded our greatest engagement and resources and we owe no one any apology over this.<br /> “As I often let people know, we are preparing for the next 25 years, what we want our children to become and where we want them to be in an increasingly digitised and fiercely competitive world.”<br /> Aregbesola said that the dedication of the classrooms resonates with the vision of his administration’s education programmers.<br /> In his speech, Akande, attributed decadence and immorality in Nigerian schools to the forceful take-over of the missionary schools by successive military governments.<br /> Akande said the consequence of the military take-over of the schools across the country resulted in the displacement of people with moral integrity by fraudsters and and the vagabonds from political leadership space.<br /> He said that the major reason why the military took over schools from missionaries was to lay the foundation for their own immorality and corruption.<br /> According to him whether in Islamic schools or in any evangelical learning centres, all Missionary schools known to Nigerians are institutions for moral instructions.<br /> The Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh, said religion remains a veritable tool for the promotion of peaceful cohabitation and tolerance in the society.<br /> Okoh, who decried religious crises in some parts of the country, expressed hope that with a Christian faith building a school in honour of a Muslim statesman, Nigeria would soon get out of religious vendetta.<br /> He described Akande as a true Muslim whose ideology and faith have impacted greatly in the lives of fellow beings without discrimination.

I have no regret investing in education – Aregbesola

    Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State says he has no regrets in committing the large...

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I will not campaign with my husband in 2019, If things continue like this - Aisha Buhari

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFT9_B8E8Dj8xyg7pb8l19DTmS26_MRWLRaAnY9dEpMuzfSjn2mABTZaqyslXFK8U9Xa9Ij2KkfF3QxmrO2d4qpvM8uquOPTxZPLsS8pTXN9fhg0VhEuAVurUXt-E77w1L9FqPWDpvXPs/s1600/1a1a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFT9_B8E8Dj8xyg7pb8l19DTmS26_MRWLRaAnY9dEpMuzfSjn2mABTZaqyslXFK8U9Xa9Ij2KkfF3QxmrO2d4qpvM8uquOPTxZPLsS8pTXN9fhg0VhEuAVurUXt-E77w1L9FqPWDpvXPs/s400/1a1a.png" width="400" /></a></div> The wife of the President, in her yet-to-be aired interview with BBC Hausa, Mrs Aisha Buhari is quoted to have said that if things continued the way they presently are, she will never come out to canvass for women to vote for her husband if he decides to seek a second term. BBC quotes her as saying:<br /> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a><br /> <blockquote> </blockquote> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> <i><b>"He is yet to tell me but I have decided as his wife, that if things continue like this up to 2019, I will not go out and campaign again and ask any woman to vote like I did before. I will never do it again."</b></i></blockquote> Asked what she regarded as the government's major achievement, she said it was to improve security in the north-east where militant Islamist group Boko Haram has waged an insurgency since 2009. <br /> <blockquote> <i><b>"No-one is complaining about being attacked in their own homes. Thankfully everyone can walk around freely, go to places of worship, etc. Even kids in Maiduguri have returned to schools,"she said ‎Aisha Buhari in the interview said people who did not share the vision of the ruling APC, were now appointed to top posts because of the influence a "few people" wield. "Some people are sitting down in their homes folding their arms only for them to be called to come and head an agency or a ministerial position."</b></i></blockquote> Asked to name those who had 'hijacked' her husband's government, she refused, saying:<br /> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> <i><b>"You will know them if you watch television." On whether the president was in charge, she said: "That is left for the people to decide."</b></i></blockquote>

I will not campaign with my husband in 2019, If things continue like this - Aisha Buhari

The wife of the President, in her yet-to-be aired interview with BBC Hausa, Mrs Aisha Buhari is quoted to have said that if things contin...

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Ijaw militants behind Lagos school kidnap – Ayorinde

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="image-container" itemprop="image" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img alt="Militants" class="attachment-full size-full wp-post-image" height="417" src="http://4a7jjc25uykf24u8sd3k8m5n.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Militants.jpg" width="640" /> </div> <br /> <br /> The Lagos State Government on Wednesday said suspected militants from the Niger Delta were behind the abduction of four pupils and teachers, who were whisked away from their school, Lagos Model College (Senior and Junior), Igbonla, Epe on October 6.<br /> The state government, however, said the victims, comprising two pupils, vice-principal and head teacher had already gone through medical checkup and safely reunited with their families.”<br /> The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, said this in a statement he issued yesterday, saying the state government would spare nothing until the state “is rid of criminal elements.”<br /> After the victims were released on Tuesday, Ayorinde reiterated the resolve of the state government “to protect lives and property. The children have undergone medical check-up after which they were reunited with their families.<br /> “The children are doing well. Also, they have gone through medical checkup. Already, they have been safely reunited with their families after they were released and undergone medical checkup.”<br /> Ayorinde said the state government “welcomed the release of the school pupils, vice-principal and head teacher of Igbonla Model College, Epe. The victims were kidnapped by suspected Ijaw militants on October 6.”<br /> The commissioner urged residents to be more vigilant, security conscious and report all suspected persons and objects seen within their neighbourhood to the appropriate security agencies.<br /> “The determination of the government to ensure 24-hour security of the state is evident in the huge investment in the equipment and welfare of security agencies, especially the police,” he explained.<br /> He said the state government “has taken adequate steps to stem the tide of kidnapping in the state, in line with the directive of the state governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, plans have been concluded to commence the demolition of illegal structures erected across the state waterfronts and creeks.<br /> “Often times, the incidence of kidnapping are perpetrated through the waterways and as such, these illegal structures provide a leeway for these criminal elements to plan and execute their nefarious activities.<br /> “This step, we believe, will go a long way to address this menace. The state government has also begun steps to boost community policing with the recent announcement by the governor that at least 5,000 neighbourhood watchers will soon be recruited to improve surveillance across the state, especially at the rural areas.”<br /> Meanwhile, following the release of the two kidnapped students of Government Model College, Igbonla, Epe, their vice principal and teacher, late Tuesday night by their abductors, it was yesterday gathered that they were not assaulted or molested in any way.<br /> Although one of the students was a female, she was also not assaulted by the gang, rather, her ill health facilitated their early release from captivity.

Ijaw militants behind Lagos school kidnap – Ayorinde

The Lagos State Government on Wednesday said suspected militants f...

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