'You too can break the mould,' Williams sisters tell Nigerians

By Ayo Ositelu 

BEFORE going ahead to conduct a well-attended tennis clinic at the Ikoyi Club 1938 on Wednesday, the Williams sisters told a crowded press conference held at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, that there was no magic surrounding their storied success story, and that she believed that Nigerians have a right to dream big las she and her sister did, and follow their dreams with the absolutely necessary ideals of hard work, sacrifices, self-denials, will-to-succeed, and an indomitable spirit never to feel discouraged when things are not going well at the early stages.
Speaking on behalf of her elder sister and herself (with the willing permission of “big sister” Venus, of course), Serena said: “Let no one tell you that you’re not good enough, or that you do not have what it takes to succeed in whatever discipline, not only sports, that is your choice.”
Admitting that they took their never-say-fail attitude from their parents (Richard and Oracene), Venus added, “without the doggedness of our parents who turned deaf ears to many skeptics who said there was no way we could make it in a white-dominated sport, especially with our dad’s single-minded approach to training us, we would not be where we are today.”
But the sisters did not argue when one of the accredited reporters remarked that they (the sisters) also “must have been good and serious-minded children themselves to have stuck to what their parents imbibed in them i.e. personal discipline, hard work, prayerfulness, determination to give it their all, and follow the dictates of their parents.”
Commending the appropriateness of the theme “Breaking the Mould” by Connect Marketing, the organizers of the much-appreciated high-profile visit of the celebrity sisters to Nigeria by the generality of Nigerians at home in Nigeria, and in diaspora, Venus had some words of advice to the captive audience from the Nigeria media, and the world press, for onward delivery to their readers, particularly Nigerian children and their parents. “For anyone to succeed in any endeavour, one has to love what one does. Added to what our parents have done for us, the key is that we love what we do, and once you love what you do, and you’re not lacking in self-belief, the sky is the limit to what you can achieve.”
On Serena’s part, the reigning Wimbledon, US Open, Olympics, and season-ending WTA championships champion contributed her view, “The best compliment we could get and cherish for our visit to Nigeria, is that young kids have chosen to play tennis because of our visit. Obviously, you can’t beat that… And talking about “breaking the mould” which my big sister alluded to, it is true that Jehovah God has used us (my sister and I) to demonstrate the fact that, you can succeed in spite of all kinds of hurdles and barriers… Once you put your mind to it, you can achieve everything you set your goals for.”
“You have everything you need to succeed, particularly the weather which is absolutely tennis-friendly… It is true that my sister and I faced a lot of difficulties in the beginning, but with what we have been able to achieve, with the help of Jehovah God, all the hurdles we had to scale over, are truly worth it.”
For the records, no active player anywhere in the world is more successful than the amazing sisters, with Venus having won 44 WTA titles including seven Grand Slam Singles titles, and an attendant $30 million in just prize money, coupled with her younger sister’s 46 WTA titles, and at least $42 million in prize money.
But in spite of all that success, the sisters are not showing any signs of let up. While Venus not-too-long ago, just came back on the WTA tour after a career-threatening ailment, she won her first title in a WTA Vienna event two weeks ago, her first title in two years, while her younger sister was preparing for the year-ending WTA championships in Istanbul, Turkey, from where she flew direct to Nigeria less than 48 hours after demolishing the topmost seven players in the world to win a third WTA Championships after earlier winning the prestigious title in 2001 and 2009.
For how much longer can the Williams sisters continue to compete with the world’s best, who are younger, a reporter wanted to know.
With one voice, both sisters answered, “we have our mind on the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, and we are not planning on just to be part of the sporting world’s biggest spectacle, we plan to go there with the purpose of winning for our country.
And when another reporter wanted to know the “real truth” about which is their country (from Badagry, may be), given the fact that their departed sister, was named Yetunde, Serena answered, without mincing words, “our country is the United States, and we are always proud to represent our country. Our mother named our sister Yetunde after her friend, a Nigerian student who was her friend in their college (university) days in California.”
Will it be the sisters be visiting Nigeria? “You can be sure of that,” replied Venus. “We love Nigeria, we really do, and we’re so glad we have so many fans in Nigeria.”
The sisters will face each other at an Exhibition Match at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Race-Course, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, on Friday, commencing strictly at 10.00 a.m.
TheGuardian

Akwa Ibom deputy governor quits

EMMA UNA/Calabar
Mr Nsima Ekere, the Akwa Ibom State Deputy Governor resigned from his post on Wednesday afternoon following political intrigues and frosty relationship with his principal, Chief Godswill Akpabio, the governor.
Mr Idongesit Nna, the Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor in a press statement this afternoon said Mr Ekere resigned from his post at about 3 p.m.
The press statement cited “personal reasons” for the action of the deputy governor but reliable sources in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, southsouth Nigeria, confirmed to P.M.NEWS that Mr Ekere resigned to save his neck and political career which was about to be messed up as he was scheduled to be impeached on Thursday by the State House of Assembly.
“There are lots of political intrigues playing out here in Uyo especially with 2015 in view which Mr Ekere who is from Eket Zone, the zone scheduled to produce the next governor is interested in,” a source close to government in Uyo told P.M.NEWS.
Akpabio, our source said, is not keen on handing over to Ekere whom he sees as too bright and over ambitious. Instead, he prefers to handover to either the Commissioner for Finance, Mr Albert Akpan who is from the same Eket zone or the Secretary to Government, Umanah Umanah.
The planned impeachment was meant to blight the chances of Nsima from seeking political office in the state.
Ekere who contested the governorship primaries in 2007 with Akpabio came on board in Febrauary 2011 during Akpabio’s second tenure after Joseph Ekpo Otu, who served as Akpabio’s deputy during his first term, was shoved aside following irreconcilable political differences with Akpabio.
Though Ekpo was not removed the way Ekere is being shoved aside in less than two years, he was seldom assigned any responsibility while he stayed in office.
It was in the dying days of the first tenure that Ekere was brought in to contest along side Akpabio as the running mate.
The telephone lines of Ekere were switched off as well as those of Idongesit Nna, his press secretary. There is still no word yet from the Akpabio on the resignation of his deputy as well as from the House of Assembly.
PMNews

How govt will deal with oil subsidy thieves, by Jonathan

AMID widespread pessimism that the Federal Government will only play politics with the oil subsidy probe reports that indicted some prominent Nigerians, President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday reiterated the commitment of his administration to sternly punish the culprits.

The President, speaking in Abuja at the launching of a book written by the Finance Minister who also coordinates the Economy Dr. Okonjo Iweala, said government was pursuing all legal means to ensure that all those who have done business with and defrauded it in any way would be made to pay back and punished mercilessly.
His words: “We are going after all those who committed various economic crimes and corrupt practices with impunity. As you may be aware government is taking every legal measure to ensure that all those who defraud government in the petroleum subsidy scheme are made to pay back the stolen funds and also are severely punished.”
Jonathan, represented by Vice President Namadi Sambo, said the book entitled, “Reforming the Unreformable. Lessons from Nigeria,” fills the void created by the dearth of literature and good systematic account of the reforms and institutional changes that have occurred in our country since the beginning of our democratic journey in 1999.
“Some hear of the debt relief from the Paris Club, Excess crude account and other such economic measures or initiative of government from newspapers but here is a concise well organized explanations to the policy measures without technical jargons.”
The occasion which attracted ministers, Governors, Heads of Government, the diplomatic corps and Captains of Industry, according to Jonathan, is centered on the theme of hope, given that “many people claimed that the political and economic institutions of this country can never be reformed” but “the hope that Nigeria can grow to become one of the world’s most dynamic economies continue to spur us on above the criticisms.”
Reviewing the book, Paul Collier, Professor of Economics at Oxford University, said Nigeria’s over-dependence on oil does not help the economy because of international market price uncertainty and the fact that it is a diminishing product.
This depletion and price volatility makes government’s revenue also volatile. “And if there is a political will to correct, then there must be a long term strategy that would make room for a replacement for the depleting assert,” Collier said.
Anambra State Governor Peter Obi who also reviewed the book noted the clamour for increased wages by university teachers whereas the standard of education has continued to fall.
“Minimum wage should translate to minimum productivity… The culture of sharing every money gotten is a wrong concept, because the idea behind the Excess Crude Account has saved the country from total collapse”.
South Africa’s Finance minister Pravin Gordhan said it was a document that countries in the continent should use as a guide towards economic reforms as “it provides tremendous inspiration for recognising our challenges and dealing with it, as well as address the structural challenges and deal with them accordingly as we face them.”
TheGuardian

$480m Halliburton Scandal: Investigators Uncover Links To 2007 PDP Campaign Funding

As pressure continues to mount on President Goodluck Jonathan to re-open the Halliburton bribe scandal, indications have emerged that the money was funnelled into the PDP’s political machinery towards the 2007 elections.

This startling revelation was made by one of the suspects fingered in the mess even as he  maintained that the money was not meant to bribe anybody.
The source revealed that one top government functionary was approached by a former head of state to assist the PDP in sourcing for money for campaign in 2007.
Consequently, the source disclosed that Halliburton, which was soliciting for the award of the multi-million naira contract for the construction of the second phase of the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), project in Rivers State, was approached by Julius Berger Nigeria (JBN) Plc, which on its own part, bluntly refused to contribute to the campaign funds of the ruling party.
The source added that because of Halliburton’s determination to get the contract, it later released the money through JBN. Bodunde Adeyemi, an aide to then President Olusegun Obasanjo, was picked as the go-between but a former chairman of the party (name withheld), has since denied ever receiving such money, insisting he wasn’t in the know of what was going on.
Following the US government’s insistence that all those fingered in the Halliburton scandal must be made to face the wrath of the law, President Goodluck Jonathan is at cross-roads as those involved, are claiming that it was through the Halliburton money that he came to power with his predecessor, Late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
InformationNigeria.com

Bisi Ibidapo-Obe pregnancy mess: Lover kicks her out of Lagos duplex, retrieves Range Rover

It is surely not the best of times for star actress, Bisi Ibidapo Obe. The actress who is wallowing in deep mess over her controversial pregnancy, has relocated to Ghana where she’s said to be hibernating pending delivery of her baby.
According to an industry source, the actress decided to move out of Nigeria some days back after her UK based lover, Lopez, who is said to be footing the bill of her Magodo Lagos duplex, breezed into the country and kicked her out of the house.
He was said to have taken the decision after it became obvious that he was not responsible for Bisi’s pregnancy. Lopez returned to the UK after locking the house and withdrawing the Range Rover he bought for her, leaving behind her C-Class Mercedes Benz and Honda Element she acquired a while back. (Though a close to the actress denied the house was locked by Lopez but confirmed Bisi went to Ghana)
 DailyPost

Marijuana is healthy, but cigarettes kill – Seun Kuti

inShare

by Rachel Ogbu

Seun Kuti, son of foremost afro-beat crooner, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, who died 15 years ago has condemned the non-legalizing of Marijuana like cigarette, suggesting that the position of the law on the two products was illogical.

Seun usurped the avenue after his stage performance reliving his father’s style at the 2012 edition of the Felabration concert in Afrika Shrine to speak on his support for weed smoking.
In his submission, the favored cigarette has lethal consequences, while the legally opposed marijuana was medicinal and good for human consumption. But, Seun said, the killing cigarette was favored because it was to the white man’s profit, stressing that marijuana would make black countries richer than the white if legalized. His argument is an absolute faces off with cigarette consumption while beckoning marijuana to the spotlight.
Proclaiming this position through lyrics of songs, Seun damned black politicians for taking the white’s advice against its own natural produce of ‘weed’, which he said was good after all, and accepting the white’s product which truncates lives.
“This song is about the good leaf; ewe rere. Me I nor dey say make Government legalize Igbo o. If Government like, them legalize am. If Government like, them nor legalize am. I’m smoking it mehn!” Seun introduced.
Continued Seun, “Our politicians nor get sense. Because the white man talk say Igbo nor good, them follow dem talk say Igbho nor good. But now, in the United States of America, dem dey smoke Igbho legally”.
Seun suggested that the west advised the black politicians against legalizing marijuana because they knew it would make the black countries rich.
“Igbo doesn’t kill, but cigarette dey kill. Because cigar na white man’s business, as far as you write ‘Smokers are liable to die young’, it becomes legal.
“Why not also put Igbo in a box and write Igbo smokers are liable to go crazy young?”, he quipped.
Seun encouraged further in songs; “plant am make e grow… e good, e good, e goodu well well… plant am make e grow”.
In an interview, Seun reiterated this position stating that smoking marijuana was ‘medicinal’. Although Seun warned that over sniffing of weed could intoxicate or drive a subject crazy, he stood in his submission that modest weed smoking was better than cigarette bearing its deadly outcome.
“Marijuana is medical, and I feel Cigarette is selling legally because it is white man’s business. It is killing millions of people everyday.. Igbo is not killing anybody.
“Marijuana is not only for smoking. It’s used for a lot of things; you can make clothes, you can drink tea, it is good, it is medicinal, it helps your appetite, they give it to cancer patients.. a lot of benefits”, he explained.
YNaija.com

A MEMO TO THE FORUM OF BENIN ELITES

Dear Prof,
I use this opportunity to thank you for inviting me to be part of this laudable Forum/Movement and especially  to be in the midst of eminent and accomplished sons and daughters of Benin that have made their enviable marks in their various chosen fields.

I am sending this message to you and must state that the opinions expressed here are personal, based on my political experience, haven served in various national committees/assignments for my Party in recent times.
The political history of our country should not be lost on us all, as we go into formation of this forum as a pressure group for our people.

In the 50's and the first Republic, Parties were formed along regional lines.The reason we had AG (West), NPC (North) and NCNC (East). They were headed by regional Leaders - Obafemi Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello and Nnamdi Azikiwe.  They championed the interest of their people.
As a result of our disenchantment with the AG Western region, the Midwest Region was created.
We had political leadership in Humphrey Omo-Osagie championing the Benin agenda using the Otu Edo Movement within the dominant NCNC party to demand for the rights in political, economic and infrastructural developments for the Benins.
The fact cannot be controverted that the Benins got a fair share of our agitations at the time, with the royal blessings of Oba Akenzua of blessed memory.
What do we have now? This is the question and puzzle this Forum should try and find solutions to.

When the third Republic was being midwifed, I am informed that the then Chief of General Staff (CGS), Admiral Mike Akhigbe, invited the Edo political three musketeers - Gen. Ogbemudia, Chief Anenih and Chief Igbinedion to be at the fore front of the political party formation in the State.
This gave rise to the birth of PDP as a political party in the State. However, two political leaders, decided to go for the Governorship position and the financial benefits in politics, while the third decided to go for the political leadership of the Party at both state and national levels. What do we have now? PDP is being led by a leader from a minority group and using the position for political and economic empowerment/development of his people. Why do we complain?

In an attempt to break away from the PDP political leadership in 2007, our own son Lucky Igbinedion, drafted his political cronies to form a party that he, up till the present time, is struggling to reclaim. The formation of the Party was a half measure effort. When our sons were in the fore front as governorship candidates in the same Party, the incumbent Governor was drafted into the Party to upstage our sons.
The incumbent Governor, at the early stage of his administration and up till not too long ago, will always stress the fact that, he was voted into office by the Benins (Edo South). The leadership of our son's Party is now firmly in the grip of another ethnic minority group.
An objective research/analysis of the political situation in the State is that, political and economic empowerment of this ethnic minority group are being executed by the same person we, the Benins installed as Governor, while offering to some us (Benins) mere political patronages as he deems fit under the table.
The vital question to be asked here is, if  our political leadership in this present political dispensation has and will be in a position to properly represent us and negotiate from a position of advantage for us Benins. The answer, I must confess, is NO.
The proliferation of pressure groups, as it is happening today in Edo South, will not yield the type of result we should look forward to.
In political negotiations and pressure group formation, the purpose is to lay all cards on the table and negotiate and not being offered patronages under the table. The group with the political leadership and advantage will always triumph and not the group with mere size and population.

We should accept our political naivety and short sightedness and embrace the basic fact that, without an identifiable political party platform and structure to operate with, our political, economic empowerment and emancipation will remain a mirage.
We should also accept the fact that, without political empowerment and support to our sons and daughters in politics, economic empowerment of our people cannot be enhanced.. We will therefore continue to accept mere political crumbs under the magnanimity of the political minority groups that are the leaders of the dominant political parties.

The tasks before this forum are to:-
(i)   ascertain if we can take leadership of one of the existing dominant political party structure in the state and how to go about it.
(ii)  if item (i) is not feasible, the forum should identify an existing political party to operate with and take control and leadership of the party.
(iii) identify those in the forum that are politically inclined and form a political committee or group within the forum to chart the way forward to achieving (ii) above as a political agenda.
(iv) set up a finance committee to ensure funds are available to the forum to propagate the agenda of the forum and our people.
(v)  set up an economic committee to advance our economic agenda for our people.
(vi) set up a strategy/development committee to promote our culture at home and in the diaspora and give publicity to our activities.
The list of committees is not exhaustive, but these are personal suggestions.

In conclusion, I am not inviting those who are apolitical to come into politics, but stating that one cannot remain apolitical and pursue an agenda for our people successfully.
Secondly, the seeming failure of our political leadership may have prompted the coming together of this group. There are other political pressure groups set up by our sons and daughters presently. However, most of these groups have been infiltrated by the dominant parties controlled by other ethnic minority groups at inception, through funding. The forum should avoid this sort of situation at inception and avoid inclination or leaning to a political party for now.
Thirdly, we should accept the basic fact that, without the Benins in political leadership of any political party, our quest for political and economic empowerment and emancipation will not be fully achieved.

I thank you for your efforts and my apologies for not being present at this first meeting of this forum.

My warm regards and happy deliberations.
Eddy Ogunbor.

 N/B:- This memo was written to a Forum, yet to be established in Benin City, in January 2012, during its innaugural meeting. I was invited to the meeting as a prospective member. However, I was unavoidably absent due to other engagements at the time, outside Benin. This formed my thoughts in proposing some areas the Forum should focus on as a pressure group for our poeple, the Benins.