In light of the ongoing strike of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the Federal Government has promised to spend N200 billion in the 2014 for the universities. Besides, a similar amount would be spent in the next three-four years until Nigerian universities are brought to world-class standard.
This is in addition to the N100 billion already disbursed for 2013.
This information is contained in an internal statement by Vice-Chancellor of Federal University of Otuoke, Professor Bolaji Aluko. The statement was seen on Wednesday night by SaharaReporters.
The FG has also increased to N40 billion as a first installment funds for the payment of earned allowances to the striking lecturers, an improvement from the N30 billion previously released.
On the earned allowances, Aluko explained that:
“Government will top it up with further releases once universities are through with the disbursement of this new figure of N40 million, so Vice-Chancellors are urged to expedite this disbursement within the shortest possible time using guiding templates that have been sent by the CVC.”
Aluko also explained that this move of the FG followed the meetings held on September 19 and October 11 between the representatives of the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities led by CVC Chairman, Prof. Hamisu of ATBU and ASUU Representatives led by its President, Dr. N. Fagge with the Vice-President of Nigeria, Arc. Namadi. Sambo, Minister of Education Barr. N. Wike and others.
Of great interest to stakeholders, Vice-President Sambo, appealing to ASUU to call off the strike, apologized for the “take-it-or-leave-it” comments credited to the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, at the onset of the strike.
Other points of agreement at the meetings include the following:
Project Prioritization: Universities will now be allowed to determine their priorities and not be “rail-roaded” into implementing a pre-determined set of projects with respect to the NEEDS assessment. Decisions are not to be centralized.
TETFund Intervention: Government assured that the operations of the TETFund will not be impaired, and that the regular TETFund intervention disbursement to Universities will continue, unaffected. So the NEEDS assessment capital outlays are in addition to regular TETFund intervention.
Project Monitoring: A new Implementation Monitoring Committee (IMC) for the NEEDS Assessment intervention for universities has been set up to take over from the Suswan Committee. The new one is under the Federal Ministry of Education and chaired by the Honorable Minister of Education. In addition, to build confidence and ensure faithful implementation and prevent any relapse as before, the Vice President will meet quarterly with the IMC to monitor progress.
Blueprint: ASUU was mandated to submit a blue print for revitalizing the Universities to the Vice President.
Aluko also stated that a signed document will soon be issued to itemize the full issues on which the consensus he had outlined here, as brokered by AVCNU, was reached.
It will be reminded, however, that seven weeks after the FG announced that it had commenced implementation of the agreement signed with the ASUU by disbursing N100 billion to 59 public universities, the affected tertiary institutions have raised alarm that they are yet to receive the fund.
ASUU has been on an indefinite strike since June 30. The lecturers protest against the FG’s failure to honour a 2009 agreement signed between it and ASUU in 2009 pertaining to issues of university funding and improvement of infrastructure in the sector.
Source: Sahara Reporters
Friday, October 18, 2013
Photos: See The Man With The Longest Beard In The World — 7 ft. 9 inches!
SCANDAL: Outrage As Nigerians Want Aviation Minister Sacked, Give Her 72-Hour Ultimatum To Resign
Angry Nigerians say Stella Oduah’s corruption and profligacy should not be condoned at a time the country appears too broke to pay university teachers.
Anti-corrupt crusaders and opposition politicians, on Thursday expressed outrage over the purchase of two BMW armoured vehicles for the Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, for N225 million by an agency under her supervision.
Special Assistant to the Minister on media, Joe Obi, in a media interview confirmed the vehicles were purchased for her principal to protect her from “imminent threats.”
She was reported to have compelled the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, to buy the vehicles for her.
Anti-corruption campaigners and politicians, who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES, condemned the purchase of the armoured vehicles and demanded the minister’s immediate resignation and a subsequent probe of the transaction.
Leader of the Anti-Corruption Network, ACN, Dino Melaye, said his organisation had already briefed its lawyers, who he said would file a suit against Ms. Oduah on Monday.
He said his organisation had conducted investigation into the matter and found out that there was no threat to the minister’s life as claimed by his media aide.
Mr. Dino also said the vehicles could have been purchased for far less the amount they were purportedly procured.
“This government promotes, massages, embraces corruption,” an angry Mr. Melaye, a former member of the House of Representatives, said in a telephone interview with our reporter.
“There are two questions to ask – was the N225 million appropriated by the National Assembly? Does the purchase of the vehicles not negate the monetisation policy, which says that only the President, Vice president, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, their deputies and a few other public officials should have official cars? If she does not fall into this category, why did they purchase the vehicles for her?
“They claim there was a threat to her life. There was no threat to Stella Oduah’s life. Even if there was a threat, we have done our investigation and we discovered that those vehicles cost less than N100 million.
“You are spending N225 million at a time you claim there is no money for ASUU, at a time you cannot pay statutory allocations to states.
“Jonathan administration is the most corrupt administration in Nigeria.”
Ezenwa Nwagwu, Convener of Say No Campaign, Nigeria, SNCN, asked the anti-graft agencies to wade into the scandal immediately.
He wondered if the N225 million used to purchase the vehicles were appropriated, insisting that the NCAA officer(s), who authorised the release of the money, should be penalized.
Mr. Nwagwu added, “We have lost about 200 citizens to sheer incompetence and add salt to injury, we are being told that a cash-strapped agency under her had to cough out that amount of money to provide armoured vehicles.
“In saner climes, she would have resigned. But here we are treated to half truths and excuses.
“What is important now is that an independent inquiry should be set up to look into the happenings in the aviation sector. We cannot be deceived by the so-called reforms. When you renovate 11 airports at the same time, the implication is that it is a honey-pot, after the petroleum sector.
“We must as a matter of urgency beam our searchlight on happenings in the sector. It is not enough to go round media houses. What Nigerian want now is an independent inquiry into the activities in the sector.
Mr. Nwagwu lamented that the Jonathan’s administration kept treating corruption with kid gloves, especially by allegedly shielding Ms Oduah and the Petroleum Resources Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke.
“These are two ministers that can never do wrong in this government,” he said.
Also speaking, Auwal Musa Rasfanjani, Executive Director, Centre for Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, CISLAC, expressed worry over the flagrant abuse of public office, corruption, impunity and constant disregard of public procurement law by some ministers and other public officers under the supervision of Mr. Jonathan.
“We are particularly concerned over the Minister of Aviation who runs the Ministry of Aviation like a personal and private entity,” Mr. Musa told PREMIUM TIMES.
“Many Nigerians express worries for the various allegations of corrupt practices and outright looting in the name of renovating our airports and the recent scandal of purchasing bullet proof cars without due process and also the allegation of refusal of landing permit to some international airlines who applied but were denied the permit because they did not give bribe to her.
“It is also on record that the National Assembly had conducted a public hearing which found her guilty but yet no sanction was taken against her due to her connection to the President.
“If buying the bullet proof cars is for her own security, then we don’t understand why she doesn’t pay more attention to the safety of millions of Nigerian passengers travelling within the country every year.
“Again, despite the huge amounts spent in the name of renovating Nigerian airports, the work is very dilapidated and cannot be said to be representing value for money because of corruption in the procurement process and the service provision.”
Mr Musa demanded outright probe of Ms Oduah, saying “We therefore call for immediate investigation of the above matter in order to bring sanity, transparency, accountability, professionalism, and safety to our aviation industry which is now being characterized by corruption and impunity under the auspices of the Minister of Aviation.
“This will serve as a deterrent to other ministers and public officers who abuse the trust of their office.”
Olarenwaju Suraj, Chairman of the Civil Society Network Against Corruption, CSNAC, who was also livid over the transaction, said he would not bother calling for Ms Oduah’s sack saying, “You won’t have that under Jonathan. Jonathan does not have the integrity to ask her to resign.”
Mr. Suraj, who demanded an urgent investigation into the scandal, said there were so many corrupt officials in the present government, adding that the case of the aviation minister could not be treated in isolation.
Spokesperson of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties, CNPP, Osita Okechukwu, called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to quickly commence investigation into the scandal.
“Under what subhead is that money in the budget? You can’t use any money that was not appropriated. If you do, it becomes an illegal expenditure,” Mr. Okechukwu said angrily.
“I don’t know what she is protecting. Is she more important than the President?”
Source: Premium Times
Anti-corrupt crusaders and opposition politicians, on Thursday expressed outrage over the purchase of two BMW armoured vehicles for the Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, for N225 million by an agency under her supervision.
Special Assistant to the Minister on media, Joe Obi, in a media interview confirmed the vehicles were purchased for her principal to protect her from “imminent threats.”
She was reported to have compelled the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, to buy the vehicles for her.
Anti-corruption campaigners and politicians, who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES, condemned the purchase of the armoured vehicles and demanded the minister’s immediate resignation and a subsequent probe of the transaction.
Leader of the Anti-Corruption Network, ACN, Dino Melaye, said his organisation had already briefed its lawyers, who he said would file a suit against Ms. Oduah on Monday.
He said his organisation had conducted investigation into the matter and found out that there was no threat to the minister’s life as claimed by his media aide.
Mr. Dino also said the vehicles could have been purchased for far less the amount they were purportedly procured.
“This government promotes, massages, embraces corruption,” an angry Mr. Melaye, a former member of the House of Representatives, said in a telephone interview with our reporter.
“There are two questions to ask – was the N225 million appropriated by the National Assembly? Does the purchase of the vehicles not negate the monetisation policy, which says that only the President, Vice president, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, their deputies and a few other public officials should have official cars? If she does not fall into this category, why did they purchase the vehicles for her?
“They claim there was a threat to her life. There was no threat to Stella Oduah’s life. Even if there was a threat, we have done our investigation and we discovered that those vehicles cost less than N100 million.
“You are spending N225 million at a time you claim there is no money for ASUU, at a time you cannot pay statutory allocations to states.
“Jonathan administration is the most corrupt administration in Nigeria.”
Ezenwa Nwagwu, Convener of Say No Campaign, Nigeria, SNCN, asked the anti-graft agencies to wade into the scandal immediately.
He wondered if the N225 million used to purchase the vehicles were appropriated, insisting that the NCAA officer(s), who authorised the release of the money, should be penalized.
Mr. Nwagwu added, “We have lost about 200 citizens to sheer incompetence and add salt to injury, we are being told that a cash-strapped agency under her had to cough out that amount of money to provide armoured vehicles.
“In saner climes, she would have resigned. But here we are treated to half truths and excuses.
“What is important now is that an independent inquiry should be set up to look into the happenings in the aviation sector. We cannot be deceived by the so-called reforms. When you renovate 11 airports at the same time, the implication is that it is a honey-pot, after the petroleum sector.
“We must as a matter of urgency beam our searchlight on happenings in the sector. It is not enough to go round media houses. What Nigerian want now is an independent inquiry into the activities in the sector.
Mr. Nwagwu lamented that the Jonathan’s administration kept treating corruption with kid gloves, especially by allegedly shielding Ms Oduah and the Petroleum Resources Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke.
“These are two ministers that can never do wrong in this government,” he said.
Also speaking, Auwal Musa Rasfanjani, Executive Director, Centre for Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, CISLAC, expressed worry over the flagrant abuse of public office, corruption, impunity and constant disregard of public procurement law by some ministers and other public officers under the supervision of Mr. Jonathan.
“We are particularly concerned over the Minister of Aviation who runs the Ministry of Aviation like a personal and private entity,” Mr. Musa told PREMIUM TIMES.
“Many Nigerians express worries for the various allegations of corrupt practices and outright looting in the name of renovating our airports and the recent scandal of purchasing bullet proof cars without due process and also the allegation of refusal of landing permit to some international airlines who applied but were denied the permit because they did not give bribe to her.
“It is also on record that the National Assembly had conducted a public hearing which found her guilty but yet no sanction was taken against her due to her connection to the President.
“If buying the bullet proof cars is for her own security, then we don’t understand why she doesn’t pay more attention to the safety of millions of Nigerian passengers travelling within the country every year.
“Again, despite the huge amounts spent in the name of renovating Nigerian airports, the work is very dilapidated and cannot be said to be representing value for money because of corruption in the procurement process and the service provision.”
Mr Musa demanded outright probe of Ms Oduah, saying “We therefore call for immediate investigation of the above matter in order to bring sanity, transparency, accountability, professionalism, and safety to our aviation industry which is now being characterized by corruption and impunity under the auspices of the Minister of Aviation.
“This will serve as a deterrent to other ministers and public officers who abuse the trust of their office.”
Olarenwaju Suraj, Chairman of the Civil Society Network Against Corruption, CSNAC, who was also livid over the transaction, said he would not bother calling for Ms Oduah’s sack saying, “You won’t have that under Jonathan. Jonathan does not have the integrity to ask her to resign.”
Mr. Suraj, who demanded an urgent investigation into the scandal, said there were so many corrupt officials in the present government, adding that the case of the aviation minister could not be treated in isolation.
Spokesperson of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties, CNPP, Osita Okechukwu, called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to quickly commence investigation into the scandal.
“Under what subhead is that money in the budget? You can’t use any money that was not appropriated. If you do, it becomes an illegal expenditure,” Mr. Okechukwu said angrily.
“I don’t know what she is protecting. Is she more important than the President?”
Source: Premium Times
Kidnappers Tell Pastor They Were Sent To Kill Him By ‘Jealous Pastors’
The General Overseer of Divine Winners Ministry International, Bayelsa State, Confidence Ozor, who was kidnapped last Thursday in Owerri, Imo State, while attending a crusade, has been released by his abductors.
Ozor was released last Tuesday after spending five days in the kidnappers’ den, where they confessed to him that they were hired to kill him due to his spiritual powers, which has made him win so much members within a short period of his stay in Bayelsa State.
He however paid a ransom of N5 million before he was released.
The Anambra State-born pastor, who is known for his prophetic and deliverance prowess, while narrating his ordeal said he would still consult his God before he would be able to understand the whole scenario, saying, “People don’t like success.”
“They said we have been monitoring you, they said something as if pastors are behind it. They also asked, ‘are you the only pastor in Bayelsa State you have already known everywhere in this little time you have spent in the state?’.
“When I tried to tell them that I am a pastor, and I don’t deserve the kind of treatment received, they said the order has been given to them from above and that they are boys to the high authority and the order was to kill and not to negotiate any ransom but one of them noticed that we are from the same place and took it upon himself to spare me, telling me he would make sure am not killed as earlier planned.”
Ozor said it was at that point that they asked him to contact somebody to bring N50 million, with stern warning not to involve the police.
The prophet who is called the T.B Joshua of Bayelsa by his members added that the kidnappers later brought the ransom down to N5 million “after much negotiation with my people.”
Ozor was released last Tuesday after spending five days in the kidnappers’ den, where they confessed to him that they were hired to kill him due to his spiritual powers, which has made him win so much members within a short period of his stay in Bayelsa State.
He however paid a ransom of N5 million before he was released.
The Anambra State-born pastor, who is known for his prophetic and deliverance prowess, while narrating his ordeal said he would still consult his God before he would be able to understand the whole scenario, saying, “People don’t like success.”
“They said we have been monitoring you, they said something as if pastors are behind it. They also asked, ‘are you the only pastor in Bayelsa State you have already known everywhere in this little time you have spent in the state?’.
“When I tried to tell them that I am a pastor, and I don’t deserve the kind of treatment received, they said the order has been given to them from above and that they are boys to the high authority and the order was to kill and not to negotiate any ransom but one of them noticed that we are from the same place and took it upon himself to spare me, telling me he would make sure am not killed as earlier planned.”
Ozor said it was at that point that they asked him to contact somebody to bring N50 million, with stern warning not to involve the police.
The prophet who is called the T.B Joshua of Bayelsa by his members added that the kidnappers later brought the ransom down to N5 million “after much negotiation with my people.”
LIST: See Who The Richest Pastors Are In Nigeria, And How Much They Make!
Forget starting a hedge fund or becoming the CEO of an internet startup. If you want to make a ton of money, move to Nigeria and become a pastor. Back in elementary school, the Pastor of my Catholic school drove an older Porsche. We used to make jokes about that, but his vintage 911 pales in comparison to these Nigerian men of the cloth. These pastors clearly did not take an oath of poverty when they put on their collars and started preaching the good word to the people of Nigeria. This new brand of pastor sees opportunity in his flock’s drive for salvation, and with dollar signs in his eyes, he parlays his personal brand all the way to the bank to the tune of millions of dollars, while ostensibly doing the work of God.
Pastors are no longer solely interested in getting people to Heaven; they’ve morphed into savvy businessmen with their eye on the bottom line. They’ve taken personal branding to heart and amassed fortunes doing so.
In fact, a few wealthy Nigerian Pastors spent about $225 million acquiring private jets a few years ago. David Oyedepo, for example, bought a Gulfstream V jet for $30 million. He has a private collection of four different planes. It is not cheap to own a private plane—in fact, it costs hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, and Oyedepo is just one of three known Nigerian clergymen who own at least one private plane. This gaudy display of wealth seems at odds with both their profession and with the fact that 60% of Nigerians live below the poverty line. Sadly, it is those people who finance the extravagant lifestyles of their spiritual leaders. Every Sunday, swarms of worshipers rush to the church to give away their hard-earned money to the pastors’ coffers in the form of tithes, offerings and special gifts with the delusional hope of multiplied blessings, most of them financial, in return. It is not hard to imagine these multi-millionaire Pastors laughing all the way to the bank. This breed of Nigerian Pastor is more televangelist in the vein of Ted Baker, Pat Robertson, and Jerry Falwell than they are true men of the cloth.
Let’s take a look at the richest Pastors in Nigeria:
Bishop David Oyedepo – Estimated net worth: $150 million
Living Faith World Outreach Ministry, aka Winners Chapel
David Oyedepo is Nigeria’s wealthiest pastor by far. He founded the Living Faith World Outreach Ministry in 1981, and since then it has grown by leaps and bounds to become one of the largest congregations in Nigeria. Oyedepo presides over three services every Sunday at the 50,000 seat Faith Tabernacle, Africa’s largest worship center.
As mentioned, Oyedepo owns four private jets and has homes in London and the United States. He is an author with a thriving publishing house, Dominion Publishing, which he also owns. Like Jerry Falwell, he also founded a University, Covenant University. Oyedepo also founded Faith Academy, an elite high school.
Chris Oyakhilome – Estimated net worth: $30 million – $50 million
Believers’ Loveworld Ministries, a.k.a Christ Embassy
Wealthy preachers and scandal seem to go hand in hand. Recently, Chris Oyakhilome was at the center of a $35 million money laundering case. He was accused of moving funds from his church to foreign banks. The case was dismissed after Oyakhilome pleaded no contest to the charges. His church has over 40,000 members, including politicians and successful businessmen. Oyakhilome’s fortune is enhanced by his involvement in other areas including newspapers, magazines, a local television station, a record label, satellite TV, magazines, a fast food chain, hotels and extensive real estate. Oyakhilome’s TV network is the first Christian network to broadcast from Africa to the entire world, 24 hours a day. His church has branches in Nigeria, South Africa, London, Canada, and the U.S. His publishing company, Loveworld Publications, publishes a monthly devotional he co-authors with his wife called Rhapsody of Realities. It sells over 2 million copies every month at $1 each.
Temitope Joshua Net Worth
Temitope Joshua – Estimated net worth: $10 million – $15 million
Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN)
Temitope Joshua is Nigeria’s most controversial pastor due to his dubious claims that he heals incurable diseases such as HIV, cancer, and paralysis. He founded his congregation in 1987, and gets his version of the Good Word out to over 15,000 members on Sundays. His church currently has branches in Ghana, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Greece. Over the past several years, Joshua has made philanthropic donations of over $20 million to causes in education, healthcare and rehabilitation programs for former Niger Delta militants. He owns Emmanuel TV, a Christian television network, and is close friends with Ghanaian President Atta Mills.
Matthew Ashimolowo – Estimated net worth: $6 million – $10 million
Kingsway International Christian Centre (KICC)
In 1992, Ashimolowo was sent to London by his then employer, Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria, to open a branch there. Instead, he opted to open his own church and founded Kingsway International Christian Center, which is one of the largest Pentecostal churches in the UK. Ashimolowo earns an annual salary of $200,000, but the bulk of his wealth comes from other business interests including his media company, Matthew Ashimolowo media, which creates and distributes Christian literature and documentaries.
Chris Okotie – Net worth: $3 million -$10 million
Household of God Church
Okotie is a former pop music star turned preacher, and when you think about it, the two professions are pretty similar. Both require presence, charisma, and performance. One day, he found God, gave up being a pop star, and founded the Household of God Church. His congregation is known to be flamboyant, as befits a former pop star. Okotie’s church has 5,000 members, which much of Nigeria’s celebrities, musicians and socialites amongst his congregation. He has contested (and lost) Nigerian Presidential elections three times.
Pastors are no longer solely interested in getting people to Heaven; they’ve morphed into savvy businessmen with their eye on the bottom line. They’ve taken personal branding to heart and amassed fortunes doing so.
In fact, a few wealthy Nigerian Pastors spent about $225 million acquiring private jets a few years ago. David Oyedepo, for example, bought a Gulfstream V jet for $30 million. He has a private collection of four different planes. It is not cheap to own a private plane—in fact, it costs hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, and Oyedepo is just one of three known Nigerian clergymen who own at least one private plane. This gaudy display of wealth seems at odds with both their profession and with the fact that 60% of Nigerians live below the poverty line. Sadly, it is those people who finance the extravagant lifestyles of their spiritual leaders. Every Sunday, swarms of worshipers rush to the church to give away their hard-earned money to the pastors’ coffers in the form of tithes, offerings and special gifts with the delusional hope of multiplied blessings, most of them financial, in return. It is not hard to imagine these multi-millionaire Pastors laughing all the way to the bank. This breed of Nigerian Pastor is more televangelist in the vein of Ted Baker, Pat Robertson, and Jerry Falwell than they are true men of the cloth.
Let’s take a look at the richest Pastors in Nigeria:
Bishop David Oyedepo – Estimated net worth: $150 million
Living Faith World Outreach Ministry, aka Winners Chapel
David Oyedepo is Nigeria’s wealthiest pastor by far. He founded the Living Faith World Outreach Ministry in 1981, and since then it has grown by leaps and bounds to become one of the largest congregations in Nigeria. Oyedepo presides over three services every Sunday at the 50,000 seat Faith Tabernacle, Africa’s largest worship center.
As mentioned, Oyedepo owns four private jets and has homes in London and the United States. He is an author with a thriving publishing house, Dominion Publishing, which he also owns. Like Jerry Falwell, he also founded a University, Covenant University. Oyedepo also founded Faith Academy, an elite high school.
Chris Oyakhilome – Estimated net worth: $30 million – $50 million
Believers’ Loveworld Ministries, a.k.a Christ Embassy
Wealthy preachers and scandal seem to go hand in hand. Recently, Chris Oyakhilome was at the center of a $35 million money laundering case. He was accused of moving funds from his church to foreign banks. The case was dismissed after Oyakhilome pleaded no contest to the charges. His church has over 40,000 members, including politicians and successful businessmen. Oyakhilome’s fortune is enhanced by his involvement in other areas including newspapers, magazines, a local television station, a record label, satellite TV, magazines, a fast food chain, hotels and extensive real estate. Oyakhilome’s TV network is the first Christian network to broadcast from Africa to the entire world, 24 hours a day. His church has branches in Nigeria, South Africa, London, Canada, and the U.S. His publishing company, Loveworld Publications, publishes a monthly devotional he co-authors with his wife called Rhapsody of Realities. It sells over 2 million copies every month at $1 each.
Temitope Joshua Net Worth
Temitope Joshua – Estimated net worth: $10 million – $15 million
Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN)
Temitope Joshua is Nigeria’s most controversial pastor due to his dubious claims that he heals incurable diseases such as HIV, cancer, and paralysis. He founded his congregation in 1987, and gets his version of the Good Word out to over 15,000 members on Sundays. His church currently has branches in Ghana, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Greece. Over the past several years, Joshua has made philanthropic donations of over $20 million to causes in education, healthcare and rehabilitation programs for former Niger Delta militants. He owns Emmanuel TV, a Christian television network, and is close friends with Ghanaian President Atta Mills.
Matthew Ashimolowo – Estimated net worth: $6 million – $10 million
Kingsway International Christian Centre (KICC)
In 1992, Ashimolowo was sent to London by his then employer, Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria, to open a branch there. Instead, he opted to open his own church and founded Kingsway International Christian Center, which is one of the largest Pentecostal churches in the UK. Ashimolowo earns an annual salary of $200,000, but the bulk of his wealth comes from other business interests including his media company, Matthew Ashimolowo media, which creates and distributes Christian literature and documentaries.
Chris Okotie – Net worth: $3 million -$10 million
Household of God Church
Okotie is a former pop music star turned preacher, and when you think about it, the two professions are pretty similar. Both require presence, charisma, and performance. One day, he found God, gave up being a pop star, and founded the Household of God Church. His congregation is known to be flamboyant, as befits a former pop star. Okotie’s church has 5,000 members, which much of Nigeria’s celebrities, musicians and socialites amongst his congregation. He has contested (and lost) Nigerian Presidential elections three times.
Photo: Couple Gets Married In Ambulance
Twelve days ago, family and friends of Carl Peyton Williams worried that he would never be able to marry his love, Ruth Ann Terry.
Williams had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and was told he did not have long to live. But thanks to his family and the Marietta, Georgia, community at large, the two were wed – albeit in an unusual venue: the back of an ambulance.
Hospice workers arranged for the Puckett ambulance to take Williams to just outside the Cobb County Courthouse so that those near and dear to the couple could witness the nuptials.
Chaplin Ron Daniel had met the couple the day before and told WSB Radio, “Everything just went beautifully. We just made it as quick and easy as we could for them.”
Terry and Williams met seven years ago online and had been planning on getting married in the future, but the diagnosis inspired them to make it official sooner.
Source: Yahoo!
Williams had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and was told he did not have long to live. But thanks to his family and the Marietta, Georgia, community at large, the two were wed – albeit in an unusual venue: the back of an ambulance.
Hospice workers arranged for the Puckett ambulance to take Williams to just outside the Cobb County Courthouse so that those near and dear to the couple could witness the nuptials.
Chaplin Ron Daniel had met the couple the day before and told WSB Radio, “Everything just went beautifully. We just made it as quick and easy as we could for them.”
Terry and Williams met seven years ago online and had been planning on getting married in the future, but the diagnosis inspired them to make it official sooner.
Source: Yahoo!
Gospel Singer Maheeda Takes Pictures In Her Underpants…To Show Off Her New Shoes
Lol.. BBC World News insults Nigeria on twitter
Sorry about the Lol, it's not funny I know but I just couldn't resist. The 'unfinished capital' cracked me up. So BBC says Abuja was built on stolen land, stolen from who? Continue to read the pic's accompanying article
Written by By Alex Preston for BBC News
When one of Nigeria's long line of military rulers, General Olusegun Obasanjo, seized the land on which Abuja was to be built in the late 1970s, he could hardly have imagined that the city would remain unfinished 35 years on.
Abuja has a makeshift, haphazard feel to it: A place of bureaucrats and building sites, its streets eerily empty after the buzz of Lagos or the enterprising bustle of Kano.
It is one of the most expensive cities in Africa, and one of the most charmless.
The skyline is dominated by the space-rocket spires of the National Christian Centre and the golden dome of the National Mosque, facing each other pugnaciously across a busy highway at the city's centre.
Its other striking landmark is the vast construction site of the Millennium Tower, which, if it is ever completed, will be Nigeria's tallest building.
The skyscraper was intended to mark Abuja's 20th birthday in 2011. Now delayed until who-knows-when, hugely over-budget and the subject of numerous official investigations.
The National Mosque stands at the side of a busy road in the city centre
All the people of Abuja have to show for the billions invested in the project are two stunted fingers of scaffold-clad concrete.
I had been in Abuja for three days - about two-and-a-half too many - when my friend, Atta, a sociologist, picked me up from my hotel.
We drove out towards Aso Rock, the monolith looming over the presidential palace.
On either side of the road there are complexes of bulky, imposing mansions, most of them unfinished.
Some had empty swimming pools; others had mock-Tudor timbering, but were windowless and often roofless.
Atta told me that 65% of the houses in these developments were uninhabited, put up only to launder Abuja's dirty money.
Like the Millennium Tower, these grandiose schemes are ruins before they are completed, bleak monuments to a city built by kleptocratic politicians on stolen land.
We pulled off the Murtala Mohammed Highway at Mpape Junction, and immediately the road deteriorated.
There are many uninhabited mansions near Aso Rock
"I am going to show you the real Abuja," Atta told me, as his car struggled up a deeply-rutted dirt track.
A warm wind from the desert to the north - the Harmattan - whipped clouds of red dust around us as we climbed through rocky scrubland into the hills.
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“Start Quote
Life here is difficult. Often we can't see across the street because of the smoke and dust”
Mary
People began to appear on the streets - men carrying ancient Singer sewing machines, women balancing baskets on their heads.
We entered a vast shanty-town of shacks with corrugated iron roofs, slums stacking to the horizon.
Nissan minivans scuttled past - they are called "One Chance" buses, as they barely stop on their manic journeys through these uncharted streets.
Crowds thronged between skinny cows, beneath posters advertising beaming televangelists.
Dance music blared out, interrupted by a muezzin's call to prayer. Bright-eyed children kicked footballs about.
This was the home of the Gwari people, the original inhabitants of the land where the capital was built.
Hundreds of thousands of them were summarily evicted in the 1970s, and now scrape a living in the hills.
Many of the original owners of the land around Abuja are now living in poverty
Abuja is itself a Gwari word and, although the city of generals and politicians below us had barely 700,000 inhabitants, two or three million people live in these shanty towns, many of them Gwari.
The Gwari people continue to fight for compensation for the land wrested from them by the Obasanjo government, land now worth more per square kilometre than almost anywhere else in Africa.
We got out and walked through the smoke and dust towards a row of shacks.
In one of them, a woman knelt on the ground plucking a chicken, a man above her leaning on a makeshift bar.
They were Frank and Mary, Gwari people in their thirties, children of one of the thousands of families originally evicted during the foundation of Abuja.
The four of us sat in the shack sipping Fantas, staring out at the swarming life of the shanty town: Motorbikes and cattle and people, all of them through a veil of reddish dust.
"I trained as an architect," Frank told me. "I have an education. But I do not have money, I don't know the right people. So I work here with my sister. In Abuja, money defines everything."
I ask him about the empty mansions lining the roads into the city.
"That is pseudo-Abuja, a false place. It's unjust - we should be living in those houses. Instead…" He gestured to the squalid lean-to that jutted from the back of the bar.
Mary looked up from her chicken. "Life here is difficult," she says.
"Often we can't see across the street because of the smoke and dust. If it rains, you can't move for the mud. But we pray hard."
Thick dust and smoke often fill the streets
Frank pulled out a CD. It was Fela Kuti's Suffering and Smiling.
"This," Frank said, as the music coiled out from an ancient hi-fi, "is the compressed statement of Nigerian society. We suffer, but we smile. Nothing will change until we get angry, until we stop smiling."
A storm was coming in, red clouds rolling overhead and thunder crackling down the valleys.
Frank and Mary stood waving to us, the music playing still, as we drove off down the hill, towards pseudo-Abuja.
Adams Oshiomhole signs death penalty for kidnappers bill into Edo state law
Edo State governor Adams Oshiomhole today October 18th signed into the Edo State law, a bill that prescribes the death penalty for kidnappers. The death penalty is not just for kidnappers who kill their victims, its for all acts of kidnapping whether it involves murder or not. The new bill also states that houses used by kidnappers will be demolished.
Is this a welcome development or...? Please share your thoughts...
Is this a welcome development or...? Please share your thoughts...
Ayefele’s band boys disappear during US tour, refuse to come back to Nigeria — Do You Blame Them? Or Do You Not Blame Them?
As gospel music styled secular singer, Yinka Ayefele arrived the country Tuesday, following a six-week musical tour of the United States, there appeared to be a ‘dent’ on the emotion of the artiste, whose fulfilment of the concert was partially shattered by the disappearance of three of his band boys.
The other members of the group arrived amidst cheers by fans, but one could tell that the leader of the band was worried; perhaps knowing the credibility question the defection by the boys could pose to his career. Reports say the ‘gospel tungba’ crooner, has written to the United States Homeland Security to track and deport the three guys who defected at the tail-end of the inter city concert.
The band left the country on September 2, performing at Washington, Maryland, Baltimore, New York, Atlanta, Houston and Dallas.
In a mail sent to the US agency, Ayefele urged the department to look for the defectors and act accordingly, so as to serve as a lesson to others.
The defectors, according to a release signed by his publicist, David Ajiboye, include Ojoyido Adegbenga Ezekiel (Keyboardist), Solomon Olugbenga Motimoke (Vocalist) and Olusola Kayode Isaac (vocalist).
“While Olusola Kayode Isaac defected at the LaGuardiala Airport, New York on Monday, 14th October on his way from Houston with three other members of the band, Ojoyido Adegbenga was said to have disappeared from the group at the Howard Johnson Inn on Rockaway Boulevard, New York on Tuesday, 15th October. The third man was Solomon Motimoke (Yatty), who left the band while still at Washington DC on 11th October,” the statement read.
The other members of the group arrived amidst cheers by fans, but one could tell that the leader of the band was worried; perhaps knowing the credibility question the defection by the boys could pose to his career. Reports say the ‘gospel tungba’ crooner, has written to the United States Homeland Security to track and deport the three guys who defected at the tail-end of the inter city concert.
The band left the country on September 2, performing at Washington, Maryland, Baltimore, New York, Atlanta, Houston and Dallas.
In a mail sent to the US agency, Ayefele urged the department to look for the defectors and act accordingly, so as to serve as a lesson to others.
The defectors, according to a release signed by his publicist, David Ajiboye, include Ojoyido Adegbenga Ezekiel (Keyboardist), Solomon Olugbenga Motimoke (Vocalist) and Olusola Kayode Isaac (vocalist).
“While Olusola Kayode Isaac defected at the LaGuardiala Airport, New York on Monday, 14th October on his way from Houston with three other members of the band, Ojoyido Adegbenga was said to have disappeared from the group at the Howard Johnson Inn on Rockaway Boulevard, New York on Tuesday, 15th October. The third man was Solomon Motimoke (Yatty), who left the band while still at Washington DC on 11th October,” the statement read.
Photos: Man Tattoos His Eyeballs — ‘I cried ink for two days’
A Brazilian man claims he ‘cried ink for two days’ after getting his eyeballs tattooed to make them darker.
Tattoo artist Rodrigo Fernando dos Santos, 39, of Sao Paulo, decided to go ahead with the bizarre procedure after having already had 70 per cent of his body covered in ink.
The work involved a special syringe being used to inject the ink into the whites of his eyes.
Painful: The whites of the tattoo artist’s eyes are now darker than his pupils
The irreversible procedure involved using a syringe to inject ink into the sclera – the protective outer layer – of his eyes, 9News reports.
The ink used to inject his eye is believed to be the same used for tattoos on the rest of the body.
Eye specialists have advised against the procedure which some warn can cause inflammation and possibly even vision loss, according to 9News.
Eye tattooing is believed to be growing in popularity worldwide, with a tattoo artist in Australia claiming to be the first to have had the procedure done.
It is part of a trend for more unusual tattoos, with some women even having ‘perfect’ eyebrows and nipples tattooed onto them as a beauty treatment.
Tattooing goes back thousands of years, and has been a widespread practice across the globe, from the Pacific islands to northern Europe since ancient times.
It is currently enjoying a growth in popularity, with celebrities such as David Beckham setting the trend by having their bodies covered in ink-work.
Tattoo artist Rodrigo Fernando dos Santos, 39, of Sao Paulo, decided to go ahead with the bizarre procedure after having already had 70 per cent of his body covered in ink.
The work involved a special syringe being used to inject the ink into the whites of his eyes.
Painful: The whites of the tattoo artist’s eyes are now darker than his pupils
The irreversible procedure involved using a syringe to inject ink into the sclera – the protective outer layer – of his eyes, 9News reports.
The ink used to inject his eye is believed to be the same used for tattoos on the rest of the body.
Eye specialists have advised against the procedure which some warn can cause inflammation and possibly even vision loss, according to 9News.
Eye tattooing is believed to be growing in popularity worldwide, with a tattoo artist in Australia claiming to be the first to have had the procedure done.
It is part of a trend for more unusual tattoos, with some women even having ‘perfect’ eyebrows and nipples tattooed onto them as a beauty treatment.
Tattooing goes back thousands of years, and has been a widespread practice across the globe, from the Pacific islands to northern Europe since ancient times.
It is currently enjoying a growth in popularity, with celebrities such as David Beckham setting the trend by having their bodies covered in ink-work.
Wande Coal shares childhood photo as he turns a year older today
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