I Owe Nobody Any Explanation For My Absence - Gov. Chime

The Enugu State Governor, Sullivan Chime on Tuesday said that he never regretted the fact that Nigerians particularly the people he governs were kept in the dark during his five-month absence insisting that he owed nobody any apology for keeping them guessing throughout the period.

Mr Chime, who spoke to a select group of journalists at the Governor’s Lodge, Enugu said that he was hit by deadly cancer of the nose which he had to treat in a London hospital during his long period of absence from office.

He described cancer as a deadly disease and added that its cure was deadly too.

“Cancer is a deadly disease and the cure is also deadly. The cure for cancer is not Panadol. The cure for cancer is not these drugs you buy off the counter. By the time you go through Chemotherapy and radiotherapy, you will be a changed person.

“So I started treatment and the treatment altogether lasted for twelve weeks. Throughout the period of my treatment, I was an outpatient. I was never admitted in any hospital. All my treatments, I took as an outpatient,” he said.
original content from http://www.channelstv.com/home/2013/02/12/i-owe-nobody-any-apology-for-my-absence-governor-chime/

AUDIO: President Jonathan Signed with PDP Governors to do One Term in Office.

Governor Aliyu Babangida reveals that president Goodluck Jonathan signed an agreement with the People's Democratic Party Governors to do only one term in office and they are hoping that the president doesn't go against his words come 2015.

Exposed! We were forced to fly ill fated Boeing MD 83 Airline - Dana staff explains in an audio interview.

An exclusive audio with a staff of Dana airlines, who explains the secrets of the crashed plane which crashed on the 3rd of June 2012. She explains that the aircraft was already declared unfit to fly by flight engineer but management insisted on flying and allowed the unfit Boeing MD-83 to go on two trips from Abuja to Lagos and another complete trip from Abuja to Uyo back to Abuja and then finally to Lagos. Click on the above link for a first hand information.

Original content extracted from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_1V6WhSyloQ

Tyranny. Gov. Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa state defends his tyranny and imposition over three local governments and their chairmen.

Governor Henry Seriake Dickson has broken his silence on the crisis rocking three local government councils in the state declaring that he would stand firm by Nigeria’s constitution. He told three embattled local government chairmen of his state that they should stop blackmailing him.This is even as the crisis has deepened with claims by the legislative arms of Sagbama and Kolokuma/ Opokuma that they have impeached their chairmen and replaced them with leaders of the legislative arms of the two councils. Koku Gariga ( Sagbama), Selekibina Sabo ( Ekeremor) and Ineye Ingbaifugha ( Kolokuma/ Opokuma) who were ordered to be sworn-in as Council chairmen by the Supreme Court have been at logger-heads with members of the legislative council culminating in the serving of impeachment notice to the council chairmen.The embattled council chairmen have fingered Dickson in their travails insisting that the impeachment notice served on them and the setting up of impeachment panel by the Chief Judge of Bayelsa were orchestrated by Dickson because they (council chairmen) had categorically turned down the request of the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to stay for few months and insisted that they would serve out their term of three years. However, speaking on the issue for the first time during the celebration of the 365 days since he assumed office, Dickson said the embattled council chairmen want to blackmail him so that he can support them in their battle with their legislative houses.According to him, as a lover of law enforcement being a former policeman and lawyer, he would not do anything that would violate the constitution of the country. Giving an insight into how the crisis was triggered by the battle of wits between Chief Rufus Abadi who was then state chairman of PDP and former Governor Timipre Sylva, Dickson maintained that the three council chairmen were not the candidates of the party. He said their problems were self-inflicted as they neglected the constitution and decided to run the affairs of the council like sole administrators.However from our sources, the real issues that transpired between the Koku Gariga ( Sagbama) and the Bayelsa state Governor - Dickson was owing to the grieve that koku Gariga didn't support the governor at his gubernatorial campaign saying he had someone else that he loved to support. According the legal counsel for the three local governments led by Barr. Nelson Ihedinachi, Governor Dickson had lobbied to remove these chairmen from office on political reasons, and that the Chief Judge of Bayelsa state is partisan to the perpetration of this dramatic political rascality, owing to the fact that there was a court injunction which stipulated that no council should sit for any reason in this three local govt areas until the issue be resolved, but the Governor through the CJ manipulated the councilors to sit to carry out impeachment proceedings.Meanwhile it should be noted that the chairmen for these three local govt areas are currently on the run as at the time of this report by the counsel as they are continually chased by government functionaries who seek to abduct them. It was also stated by our source that the governor - Dickson offered N300 million to one of the counsel chairmen being his supposed earnings for his three year term in office just for him to vacate the office. The court however still has to preside over the issue as it is a case before the court of law. But what is the future of the law if the chief justice of a state can be partisan in the ill administration of the government?

Valentine shocker! Nigerian 'Big Brother' Singing Sensation Susan ‘Goldie’ Harvey Is Dead.

Goldie Harvey (born Susan Oluwabimpe Harvey on October 23, 1983), is dead.

She died in a Lagos hospital last night, shortly after returning from the United States. The British-Nigerian pop artiste on the label of Kennis Music, represented Nigeria in last year’s edition of Big Brother Africa (BBA).

Confirming her death last night, a report on Linda Ikeji’s blog said: “I’m in shock. Just got a call from her best friend and my close friend, Denrele Edun. He told me Goldie died a few minutes ago in his arms at Reddington Hospital in Victoria Island.

“Goldie just came back from the US today, he said, and was so full of life, then something went tragically wrong.”

She had her early education in Lagos, first Green Springs Montessori Primary School and and then St. John’s College, Palm Grove, Lagos before studying Business Management (B.Arts) at the University of Sunderland.

Goldie began her career in 2006 releasing her debut album “Spin Me” with four tracks which include ‘Komole’, ‘Nothing Has Changed’, ‘Shift’ and ‘Spin Me’. Goldie now has two singles ‘You Know It’ featuring eldee da don which is on Nigerian top charts and ‘DJ Play On’.

Edited from an original story found @ http://saharareporters.com/news-page/nigerian-big-brother-singing-sensation-susan-%E2%80%98goldie%E2%80%99-harvey-dead-thenation

Prison authorities celebrate Valentine with female inmates

LAGOS — As Nigeria joined other parts of the world to celebrate Valentine’s Day, yesterday, inmates at the Kirikiri Female Prison, Lagos, were not left out,  as they were hosted to a banquet of celebration by the Prisons authorities.

Speaking at the occasion, Deputy Comptroller of Prisons in-charge of  the Female Prison, Mrs Onwuli Isioma Leticia, explained that the celebration was a clear demonstration of what Valentine meant and also to facilitate the reformation process.

She said: “We actually want to show them love so that they can replicate it here and when they go out of here. Since everyone outside the prison wall  is celebrating, we feel they  deserve to celebrate also because being in prison is not the end of life. And to achieve reformation, the purpose for which they are here, they must be shown love.”

Clad in red and white and other multi-coloured clothings, the inmates, perhaps for once, forgot about their confinement, as they displayed talents in dancing, drama, recitation and news broadcasting.

In an exclusive interview with Vanguard, the DCP stressed the need for installation of solar power  in the prison, with a view to supplementing the Power Holding Company of Nigeria during power outage and also in the entire security of the prison.

original story found at http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/02/prison-authorities-celebrate-valentine-with-female-inmates/

Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka slams first lady Patience Jonathan on a St. Valentine's day message to the first lady.

Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka today added his voice to a protest by Nigerian women who are outraged by the proposed allocation of N4 billion in public funds to build a so-called “Mission House” in Abuja for Nigeria’s First Lady, Patience Jonathan.

Mr. Soyinka, one of the world’s most outspoken writers, registered his outrage in the form of a Valentine’s Day message addressed to Mrs. Jonathan.

Numerous Nigerians, among them Nigerian women who organized a protest march, have condemned the spending of such a colossal sum on the ego-driven, wasteful project of President Goodluck Jonathan’s wife. Mr. Soyinka’s message is meant to be delivered to Mr. Jonathan alongside other letters by protesting women.

The professor of literature called on spouses of all Presidents of African Nations to dissociate themselves from the
proposal to squander billions of naira on a selfish project Nigeria’s First Lady is set to embark on.

Mr. Soyinka’s letter is reproduced below:

A St. Valentine’s Day Card on the Occasion of Women’s March Against Connubial Corruption.

A Valentine Day Message should be brief, so I must plead for understanding for this departure from the norm. In any case, I deplore the slavish adoption of foreign saints of whatever shade, color, or religious persuasion. However, the coincidence of dates for women’s intervention in yet another egregious conspiracy to drain the Nigerian treasury, mounted in the name of a high-flying member of your gender,
strikes me as a call to break the mould and submit myself to the call of Saint Valentine.

A Yoruba proverb goes thus: Ti a ba ma a j’opolo, ka je eyi to l’eyin. (If one must eat a toad, then go for an egg-bloated one). If I must send a Valentine card for the first time in my life, then let me do so on a grand scale. I have therefore elected not to lend my affection to any one individual, but the entire bevy of First Ladies
of the African continent – and that includes First Male Spouses. What, after all, is to stop these male consorts from developing ‘pet projects’ and setting up Missions? Even if they number no more than one or two, there is a saying that goes: What is sauce for the goose is also sauce for the gander.

A mind-boggling fiscal misappropriation – Four Billion Naira, no less! - is being attempted in your names – openly, in an attempt to institutionalize an illegality through a debasement of the democratic process. It is no longer secretive but in-your-face, and damn public opinion!  Your names have been invoked as the ultimate beneficiaries, and thus, you are vicariously implicated. In the name of St.
Valentine and the love I bear for you all, please dissociate yourself from this display of shameless avarice. I shall not go so far as to ask you to denounce what you probably know nothing about, but if you ever get to hear of it, distance yourselves from the gross impropriety. I implore you in the name of all local equivalents of St. Valentine: continue to serve humanity within and outside your borders, but without self-interest. Assist this nation in crushing the increasing acquisitive impudence of individuals and institutions that do not exist in our constitution, yet insist on fattening on national resources.

The enthronement of vulgar preening and opportunistic consumption is complicating the battle of a principled minority on critical social issues. It gets in the way of sanitizing society, and has become an expensive distraction. When you visit in your personal and/or professional capacities, or as consorts to your spouses, we would love to love you, respect and honor you. It will be painful to watch you dodging a rain of rotten eggs and tomatoes in place of flower petals and bouquets.  There is no such thing as an African First Ladies Mission in the Nigerian appropriation list. Any claim remotely like it is the conspiracy of sycophants, jobbers, masters of impunity, a desperate clique that unfurls a continental umbrella as cover for private aggrandizement. Please, do not be a part of it. The people of this nation are fast losing patience.

Yours in unstinting love, this St. Valentine’s Day of Two Thousand and Thirteen, Wole SOYINKA (A Public Service Retiree)

Edited from an original story found @ http://saharareporters.com/news-page/wole-soyinka-takes-swipe-profligate-patience-jonathan-%E2%80%9Cfirst-ever%E2%80%9D-valentine-message

House of Reps Hold Special Plenary Session For Victorious Super Eagles

Remarks By the House of Representatives Speaker,  Aminu Waziri Tambuwal,  At The Special Session Of The House Of Representatives To Honour The Victorious  National Football Team, The Super Eagles, The 2013 African Soccer Champions,  On Wednesday 13th  February 2013.

Protocols:
On behalf of all my colleagues, the Honourable Members of the House of Representatives and indeed the entire good people of Nigeria whom we represent, I hereby formally welcome to this hallowed Chambers, the irrepressible Champions of African Soccer and the latest continental football Champions of the world-the Super Eagles of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

2.    This Special Session holds today to relish, cherish, celebrate and honour you for this uncommon achievement that no doubt marks a new beginning in the annals of Nigerian Soccer and the rebirth of our national pride and global image in this round leather game.

3.    I know that we speak the minds of the Nigerian people if we state here that since Sunday the 10th February 2013 when you lifted the revelled Trophy, the African Cup of nations in far away South Africa, you literally lifted the spirit of the Nation and altered the focus from that of a slumbering giant consumed in the lamentations of hopelessness over the  longative  fate of an unenviable catalogue of failures that had befallen it to that of renascence in the thread of self confidence and success of yesteryears that  nurtured our collective national pride.

4.    Your achievement is uncommon and outstanding on several accounts: firstly, when you left the shores of this nation, a few weeks ago only handful optimists gave you any chance of progressing beyond the preliminaries of the competition but you wide through in style humbly one after the other, the big boys of African Soccer and today we celebrate not only a trophy but Trophies-the fair play, the highest goal scorer and the mother of them all, the African Champions Cup. Secondly this marks the first time that the nation is lifting the cup under the midwifery of an entirely indigenous coaching crew led by an indigenous coach, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi.

5.    To me, and i believe for many Soccer loving Nigerians, it is only now that we can truly say that we have come of age in the game and never again shall we go cap in hand on a recruitment drive for foreign coaches. All we need do is to replicate Keshis, the Amokachis, the Siasias and others, thirdly we did not loose a single game throughout, the competition indeed the bigger the team, the more convincingly we beat them and when I say we, I mean the Super Eagles for that is what we all  are today.

6.    Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, a bunch of youths have proven beyond any doubt that there is still hope for Nigeria and this hope is on the enterprising sport of her youth. This victory is a lesson, in self confidence rather than arrogance, a lesson in self respect, a lesson in shear doggedness, a lesson in personal sacrifice in the promotion of national interest, a lesson is unmitigated passion and above all a lesson in unity of purpose-for we prayed as much in our churches are we did in our mosques and the Almighty God honoured this spirit of unity. I only hope that henceforth, we shall not depart from this path.

7.    Fellow Nigerians, as we bask in the euphoria of this victory we must quickly remind ourselves that the task ahead is more daunting. We seek not merely to be African Champions because that much we have been twice before, but seek to be the greatest. Our goal therefore must be to overtake whatever achievements in this continental soccer competition attained by other nations. In this regards, let us remind ourselves that Egypt has lifted the Trophy 7 times, Ghana and Cameroun have done so 4 times each and all these three countries have lifted the Trophy thrice back to back. I therefore charge us all that for a start this trophy must not leave the shores of this great nation in the next 5 editions of the competition so that we shall not only have lifted it for the most number of times but become the first nation to lift it 6 times back to back. Only then shall we proclaim that we the greatest.

8.    This is doable not just in the field of soccer or sports but indeed in all spheres of human endeavour in our march to greatness as a nation-those who believe this say aai--

9.    On behalf of the House of Representatives I promise that we shall do all within our competence to ensure that never again shall we be found slumbering as a nation.

10.   Once again I congratulate the Super eagles and the entire Coaching Crew and officials for this gift of reawakening, may your zeal, passion and enterprising spirit never wave and may this fire of national reawakening burn henceforth forever.

11.   Thank you and congratulations Nigeria

Original news report found at http://saharareporters.com/news-page/house-reps-hold-special-plenary-session-victorious-super-eagles-photos

2013 YouthActionNet Laureate Global Fellowship!

Applications for the 2013 Fellowship program are due by March 17, 2013 at 11:59 PM EST

Learn more about the Fellowship application by checking out our Frequently Asked Questions, our Approach to Social Entrepreneurship, and Testimonials from previous Fellows!

To learn tips for creating your best application, watch our video or visit our blog. 

Eligibility 

• Open to all young people, ages 18-29 as of October 1, 2013
• Applicants must be the acting founder/co-founder of an existing organization, or a project within an organization, with a demonstrated one year track record of leading societal change
• Proficiency in English is required; applications must be submitted in English
• Applicants must attend the full retreat (all expenses paid) to take place in early October 2013

Key Dates

March 17: Applications for the 2013 Fellowship program are due by March 17, 2013 at 11:59 PM EST

May 22: Finalists will be notified by May 22, 2013.

October 2013: The 2013 retreat will take place within in early October in Brazil.

About the application:

Pro tip! We highly recommend that you download the word version of the application to preview and craft your answers offline. This is a great way to think through your responses and have a saved copy for yourself! Once you have your application complete to your satisfaction you can return to the site and submit online.

Video: Using instructions provided in the application, you will create an original video. Your video will be the first opportunity we have to see your passion, knowledge, and unique perspective. We hope you will be specific and succinct in explaining your personal relationship to your work (why you do what you do), the steps you have made towards change (what your project/organization does) and what a successful future looks like for your project/organization.

Narrative Application: Within this section you will provide us with details that support what we learned in the video. Please remember to thoroughly describe your work in a way that an outsider with no knowledge of the issue you are addressing would understand. Help us understand the specific programs, projects, and activities that your organization offers. We are interested in your long-term vision, but it is important for us to understand your current activities. You must provide all requested information within the narrative application.

References: You will be asked to enter the contact information for two references who can discuss your eligibility for the fellowship.

Supporting Documents: You will have the opportunity to submit up to three additional documents that may provide judges with a better understanding of your project.

Click here to apply online

While online submissions are strongly preferred, applicants may email completed word application forms to: l.jones@iyfnet.org

Click here to download the Word application

For questions and comments, contact l.jones@iyfnet.org

original content @ http://www.yanapp.org/index.php?fuse=apply

Sudanese and South Sudanese Youth Leaders Program

The U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) is launching a project in which Sudanese and South Sudanese youth leaders come to Washington D.C. to be in residence at USIP for three to four months.  The project is designed to contribute to their leadership development by giving them opportunities to gain knowledge, skills, and confidence that youth leaders can leverage upon their return to Sudan or South Sudan.  USIP believes that investing in Sudanese and South Sudanese youth and exposing them to new political contexts is critical to supporting the next generation of leaders that will help secure and sustain peace, security, and democracy in Sudan and South Sudan.  During their time at USIP, youth leaders will focus primarily on a self-led project relevant to conflict prevention, conflict management, peacebuilding and/or democratization in Sudan and/or South Sudan.  This will also be an opportunity for U.S. audiences to hear fresh perspectives on Sudanese and South Sudanese affairs and for Sudanese and South Sudanese leaders to gain more exposure to the U.S. and its institutions. For each iteration of this program, USIP will select one youth leader. 

While this first iteration of the program will focus on a Sudanese youth leader, the second iteration will focus on a South Sudanese youth leader.

DOWNLOAD THE APPLICATION HERE.

Submissions must be made via email and will be accepted no later than March 1, 2013.  All applications and inquiries should be addressed to Britt Sloan atbsloan@usip.org.

Goal

USIP intends for this program to provide youth leaders with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to grow as leaders and contribute to their communities. During their time at USIP, youth leaders will:

1)    Acquire new information and perspectives on a research topic of their choice
2)    Serve as a resource on Sudan and South Sudan in the Washington D.C. community
3)    Gain an understanding of U.S. political culture, policy, and institutions 
4)    Build skills for successful leadership in a Sudanese and South Sudanese contexts

Requirements

By the end of their time at USIP, youth leaders will be expected to:

1)    Gain at least two certificates demonstrating successful completion of USIP Academy courses
2)    Produce at least one publication on a research topic of their choice
3)    Develop a “Leadership Action Plan” for leveraging their new knowledge, skills, and confidence as leaders in Sudan or South Sudan\

Candidate Eligibility

In order to be eligible to participate in the first iteration of this project, which will focus on Sudan, candidates must:

• Be living in Sudan at the time of application
• Be 40 years of age or younger at the time of application
• Be fluent in English
• Have excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Have demonstrated leadership skills
• Possess a willingness to participate and learn within and beyond the walls of USIP
• By the stipulations of the J1 visa, candidates must also be able to secure health insurance by the time they arrive in the United States

USIP’s Mission

The United States Institute of Peace is an independent, nonpartisan institution established and funded by Congress to increase the nation's capacity to manage international conflict without violence.  USIP aims to “think, act, teach, and train” across the spectrum of international conflict prevention, management, and resolution and to help societies in the period of post-conflict stabilization.  Learn more about USIP at http://www.usip.org/about-us.

Instructions

Please submit all materials together as one submission packet.  Submission should include a completed application form and all attachments, as listed in section IV (“Attachments”) of this document.  Submissions must be made via email and will be accepted no later than March 1, 2013.  All applications and inquiries should be addressed to Britt Sloan at bsloan@usip.org.

Original content from http://www.usip.org/sudanese-south-sudanese-youth-leaders-program

Gov. Chime of Enugu state admits to suffering from cancer

Governor Chime Admits To Suffering From Cancer

Governor Sullivan Chime

The admission by Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State that he was being treated for cancer in the United Kingdom served to confirm earlier reports to that effect by SaharaReporters. At a press briefing in Enugu two days ago, the governor told journalists that he had received treatment for nose cancer after cancerous lumps were detected in his neck and nose.
This website had reported exclusively that Mr. Sullivan, who had been outside of his state for close to 150 days, had been diagnosed with cancer and was receiving treatment in the UK.
The governor’s admission also exposed the lies peddled by several of his commissioners and aides that Mr. Chime was abroad on vacation. The state’s Commissioner for Information had led the propaganda campaign, frequently insisting to reporters that the absentee governor was not sick but had merely taken up several years’ worth of accumulated leave outside of Nigeria.
During the governor’s prolonged absence, several concerned residents of Enugu State contacted SaharaReporters with requests to investigate Mr. Chime’s whereabouts. One caller, a top lawyer from the state, told SaharaReporters: “Many of the good people of Enugu State are shocked that a whole governor can disappear without anybody knowing where he is – and then the commissioner of information tells us the governor is on vacation.”
In response to the numerous pleas from Enugu residents, SaharaReporters was able to scoop out Mr. Chime's whereabouts and the precise nature of his health problems.
At the press conference, Mr. Chime did not disclose the hospital where he was treated. He claimed that he was an outpatient throughout the course of treatment. Sources familiar with the governor’s condition told SaharaReporters that Mr. Chime underwent three surgical procedures to removes cancerous cells from his lymph nodes. In addition, he received extensive doses of chemotherapy.
Although Mr. Chime claimed to be cancer-free, one of our sources disclosed that the governor is scheduled to head back to the UK again to continue with treatment, including more chemotherapy.
Incidentally, the governor spent some time at his press briefing castigating the online media for focusing on his illness. One journalist who was at the press conference said he expected that the governor would apologize for the decision of his aides to mislead the people of Enugu State as well as Nigerians as a whole about the governor’s location as well as the reason for his prolonged absence.
Governor Chime is one of several Nigerian governors currently receiving medical treatment abroad. Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River State is in the state of Maryland in the US where he is being treated for renal disease. Governor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba is in Hanover, Germany where he continues to get treated for grave wounds sustained when a plane he was piloting crashed near the airport in Yola, capital of Adamawa State. SaharaReporters has ascertained that Mr. Suntai is brain-damaged, and has lost the ability to recognize family as well as government visitors.
In addition, President Goodluck Jonathan and former military dictator, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, last week received medical attention for health problems. Mr. Jonathan was treated for a diarrheal ailment while Mr. Babangida had his worsening leg problem looked at.

Original post @ http://saharareporters.com/news-page/governor-chime-admits-suffering-cancer