Breaking News: Ipas office in Abuja on fire

Fire on Thursday gutted the Abuja office of Ipas-Nigeria, an international NGO that promotes the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women.
The fire which started in the early hours of Thursday was said to have destroyed millions of naira worth of equipment and property.
Ipas Country Director, Dr. Ejike Oji, said: “Property and equipment worth millions of naira belonging to Ipas-Nigeria, an international NGO that promotes the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women were lost in a fire incident that engulfed its office in the early hours of today (Thursday, January 31, 2013).
“The fire started at about 2 a.m. and the inferno totally destroyed the organization’s newly furnished conference room and an adjourning office belonging to a private firm.”
Even though the actual cause of the fire had not been ascertained, he said that security men on duty had complained of frequent power fluctuation the previous night and the early hours of the day.
He said that it could not be ruled out that power surge, which happens sometimes when electricity is restored, caused the inferno.
He commended the officers and men of Asokoro Fire Service Station for their timely intervention, saying that the expansive four storey office building would have been destroyed if not for the gallantry of the fire fighters.
On whether the organization would still go ahead to celebrate its forty years anniversary, Dr. Oji said that Ipas-Nigeria would not be demoralized by the incident.
He said the organization would continue to promote the reproductive health and rights of women to the best of its ability.
NaijaCenter

Why boards’ appointments are delayed – Jonathan

by Augustine Ehikioya

President Goodluck Jonathan

He spoke while swearing-in seven new members of the Federal Character Commission, one member of the Federal Civil Service Commission and two permanent secretaries shortly before the commencement of the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja
To ensure that no geo-political zone is shortchanged, President Jonathan said his administration is set to correct all the wrongs in federal appointments.
To this end, the president said he had directed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, to do a proper analysis of the complaints received from all the zones, towards redressing them in the pending federal appointments.
While he has been severally accused of favouring people from his home state, Bayelsa and the South- South geo-political zone in his appointments, President Jonathan said his impression before assumption of office was that complaints of marginalisation were limited to some parts of the country.
He said his experience in office had shown that all geo-political zones complain of marginalisation and it is not limited to any zone.
He said: “The Federal Character Commission is very critical. We are in an era where every geo-political zone complains about marginalisation. Initially, I thought that only some parts of the country are marginalised, but when I got here, all the geo-political zones complain that they are marginalised.
“All the geo-political zones are complaining that they are not given appointments. In fact, we have some pending appointments because of that (the claims of marginalisation), I have told the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to do proper analysis and probably to wait and accumulate the number, probably if we accumulate them (pending appointments) up to 12, when we want to make the appointments, we will make sure that all the geo-political zones get two each.
“In that case, one’s conscience will be clear. That is why some appointments are pending which I hope we will deal with this week. I think they are about 12 or so. We will make sure that all the geo-political zones are accommodated,” he stated.
NaijaCenter

AFCON 2013: Eagles Are Bad, Too Bad – Maradas

FIFA man and former publisher of African Football magazine, Emmanuel Maradas came down heavily on the Super Eagles of Nigeria yesterday, describing them as a low quality side without anything to show in the on-going African Cup of Nations.
And for this, he has predicted that there would be no hiding place for the Nigerians when they face star-studded Cote d’Ivoire in the quarter finals on. The Eagles finished second in their group, behind Burkina Faso and are condemned to play Cote d’Ivoire who topped their group.
Maradas said yesterday that his heart bled when he watched Nigeria struggle throughout the matches they played to get to this point.
“Your team is not solid and it has no star player. It is just an ordinary team. I feel sad to see Nigeria which used to be a powerhouse present a mediocre squad.
They have played poorly and only managed to escape the disgrace of being beaten in the first round. I feel sad because this is the same country that had star players like Kanu, Babayaro, Oliseh, Okocha and the list is endless.
What is the problem with Nigeria? Are you saying that out of the millions of people in Nigeria, you cannot get up to seven star players? What is the problem with Nigeria?”, Maradas asked repeatedly.
This is a country that I love so much. A country of the greats in African football”. He shook his head in utter disbelief. Nigeria should not struggle in any group in African football.
Look at Cape Verde. They are the surprise team of the tournament”.
He was asked about the chances of the Eagles against Cote d’Ivoire and he shot back. “You have no chance. You’ll struggle.
They have better players in all compartments. Even Drogba who has moved to Galatassaray is a threat. I will give Cote d’Ivoire 60% and Nigeria 40% chance of moving on.
If you put Nigeria 10 years back, I will rate them 50-50. That is how bad your Eagles have fallen. A country with so much and millions of people cannot raise a dreaded squad, no, it is a shame.
I know football can be funny but not with these type of your team against Cote d’Ivoire”, he said.
Naij

Shekarau escapes lynching in Garko

Shekarau’s SUV after the attack yesterday

Over 20 vehicles destroyed,  several people injured

The immediate past governor of Kano state, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, escaped being lynched by a mob yesterday when his motorcade was attacked in Garko, the headquarters of Garko local government area of the state.

An Islamic centre, built by Shekarau when he was governor, and ANPP offices in the town were burnt during the attack.

Shekarau, who was together with several other leaders of the All Nigeria Party (ANPP), had led top chieftains of his political party and thousands of their supporters to Garko town for a campaign rally for the February 2 bye-election into two vacant seats in the state House of Assembly.

In the convoy of the former governor, who is also the Sardaunan Kano, were Hon. Kawu Sumaila, Alhaji Salisu Sagir Takai, Senator Kabiru Gaya, Alhaji Ghali Sadik, and thousands of women supporters of ANPP from Kano and Garko.

An eye witness told Blueprint that on Monday, when leaders of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) went to Gaya town, a stronghold of the opposition ANPP, they were ambushed, several of their vehicles were destroyed and their party offices and several houses of their supporters were destroyed or burnt.

What happened in Garko, a stronghold of the PDP, is regarded by pundits in Kano as a reprisal attack.

The former governor later invited reporters to his house in Kano to brief them over the incident, but after he held a meeting with the state commissioner of police he cancelled the briefing and postponed it to 12:00 noon today.

Some ANPP chieftains warned that if the state police command did not provide adequate security on Saturday, then the by-election is going to be bloody, as tension is already high in Garko and Gaya.

It would be recalled that members of the state House of Assembly representing Gaya and Garko, Danladi Kademi and Abba Garko respectively, were killed recently by unknown gunmen.

This is also coming on the heels of an attack on the convoy of the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, in which six people were killed and several others injured.

 Blueprint

PHOTONEWS: Dino Melaye Lead Protesters To Lay Seige On Ministry Of Justice Over Pension Thief Sentence

Former House of Representative member, Honourable Dino Melaye, earlier today led a group of Civil Society organisations to lay siege on the Ministry of Justice in Abuja over what they see as 'miscarriage' of Justice.

They sang war songs, with some protesters carrying placards with the inscription 'Jankara Jugdement, for Pension Theif', others wore t-shirt with the inscription 'Justice Abubakar Talba, Shame!!!

Today's protest was organised against the judgment handed down to the former director of Police Pension Board, John Yakubu Yesufu by an Abuja High Court .  The protest which started at the Ministry of Justice was led by Dino Melaye with members of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and others.

PSN

#iwitnessreport: Case Between The Four Niger Delta Farmers Against Shell: The Verdict! By Sunny Ofehe

By Sunny Ofehe

Today the Dutch court in their ruling dismissed four out of the five allegations in the case of the four Niger Delta farmers against Shell in The Hague, The Netherlands.

I was at the court as I have always been in the court during the trial period. It was a verdict that lasted less than 30 minutes.

Media:

It was a media frenzy with all of the local, national and international press fully represented. The court room was full of cameras.

My Reaction:

I find the case itself a big victory for our campaign to raise international awareness to the plight of the ordinary Niger Delta people. The fact that the Dutch court in their first ruling on jurisdiction accepted that they have the legal right and competence to handle the case meant the attention of the world will be drawn to the Niger Delta.

This we have been able to achieve because many international media houses have visited the Niger Delta and made so many reports and documentaries on the environmental damage caused by Shell in the region.

The verdict today although very disappointing, but did not come as a surprise. The fact that the court ruled that Shell Nigeria must pay compensation to one of the farmers prove that Shell is liable to the spills in that community.

Today, the attention of the world was again focused on the Niger Delta and this will further give us the boost we need to continue the campaign for the rights of the people of the Niger Delta to be respected by the oil giants extracting oil there.

Forecast:

Friends of the Earth has agreed to appeal this decision. So we look forward to another court case.

Sign,

Comrade Sunny Ofehe

Founder/Executive Director

Hope for Niger Delta Campaign (HNDC)

The Netherlands

PSN

9 Stages Of Love All Couples Go Through

Do you remember the first fight or angry disagreement you and your partner had? For the first time ever in the relationship, both of you confront each other over a conflict, even though it’s sorted out quickly.

Relationships are unique.
And one experience of love is never ever the same.
You may have been in several relationships in your life, and all of them may have been very different from the earlier one.
But there are a few traits about every single relationship that binds all relationships along a similar path.
Relationship stages in your love life
Relationships, just like life, have their own stages. It starts off with infatuation and goes through several stages along the way.
And these stages are like tests that check your compatibility with each other.
Go wrong anywhere along the way, and your relationship will take the brunt of the fall.
Have you ever met a couple who seemed like they were going to stay together forever, but ended up breaking up a few years later?
Perhaps, in all probability, they went wrong in one of these stages of the relationship.
The 9 relationship stages that all couples experience
Are you in a new relationship? Or are you in a seasoned relationship with someone you’ve been with for several years?
It doesn’t matter how long your relationship has lasted, because all the relationships will fit snugly in one of these relationship stages.
Find your own relationship stage here, and it’ll definitely help you understand your own love life better.
Stage #1 The infatuation stage. This is the first stage in every relationship. It almost always starts with an intense attraction and an uncontrollable urge to be with each other. Both of you may be intensely sexually attracted to each other, or both of you may just love the cuddles and each other’s company. In this stage, both of you overlook any flaws of each other and only focus on the good sides.
Stage #2 The understanding stage. In this stage, both of you start getting to know each other better. You have long conversations with your partner that stretches late into the night, and everything about your partner interests and fascinates you. You talk about each other’s families, exes, likes and dislikes and other innocent secrets, and life seems so beautiful and romantic.
Stage #3 The stage of disturbances. This stage usually forces its way into a happy romance after a few months of blissful courting. Do you remember the first fight or angry disagreement you and your partner had? For the first time ever in the relationship, both of you confront each other over a conflict, even though it’s sorted out quickly.
Stage #4 The opinion maker. In this stage, both of you create opinions about each other. As the months pass by, both of you know what to expect from each other, and you make an assumption about your partner’s commitment towards the relationship.
When these opinions and expectations about your partner differ now and then in real life, it can either leave you ecstatic or depressed.
You don’t expect your man to buy you flowers, but he does. You feel ecstatic. At the same time, you expect him to pick you up from the airport on time. But he arrives an hour later because he forgot all about picking you up. It depresses you.
Stage #5 The moulding stage. You have your own expectations from an ideal partner. And in this stage, both of you try hard to mould each other to fit your own wants in a perfect partner. This stage is a lot about give and take, and both partners constantly try to subtly convince each other to change their behavior towards the relationship. This is a power struggle, and one that can end the relationship if both partners are domineering.
Stage #6 The happy stage. If the relationship survives past the moulding stage, both of you may have changed equally for each other and understood each other’s expectations. In this stage, the relationship cruises along perfectly and both of you may be blissfully happy with each other.
Almost always, this is the stage when both of you feel like a perfect match. You may even decide to get engaged or get married. This happy stage is also the stage of attachment when both of you truly feel connected to each other and love each other intensely.
Stage #7 The stage of doubts. It’s been several years since both of you have been in a relationship with each other. And somewhere along the way, doubts start to creep in. The intensity of the doubts depend on how happy both of you are in the relationship.
You start to think of your past relationships, your exes, and other prospective partners. You tie your happiness in life with your relationship. If you’re unhappy, you blame it on the relationship.
In this stage, you start comparing your relationship with other couples and other relationships. Would your relationship survive this stage? It definitely could, as long as your relationship isn’t monotonous and repetitive.
Stage #8 The sexual exploration or lust stage. This is the stage when your sex life starts to play a pivotal role. Both your sex drives may change or one of you may get disinterested in sex.
In this stage, you either give up on passionate sex or constantly look for ways to make sex more exciting. If sexual interests start differing here, one of you may end up having an affair. But on the other hand, if you find creative ways to make sex more exciting, your relationship could get better and bring both of you a lot closer.
Stage #9 The stage of complete trust. This is the happy stage when both of you love each other and trust each other completely. But at the same time, the unbreakable trust in each other could also turn into taking each other for granted.
In this stage, both of you know the direction of the relationship and both of you are completely happy with each other and find it easy to predict each other’s behavior and decisions. But with stability in love comes the urge to take each other for granted.
As pleasant as this final stage of love may be, it’s still no excuse to take each other lightly or stop appreciating each other, because love is an intense emotion that can be rekindled by anyone else at any time if you fail to express your romance to your lover.
If you’re in a relationship for a while, you may have experienced all or most of these relationship stages. And if you’re still in a young love, don’t let the dark side of these relationship stages scare you.
Instead, look at these 9 relationship stages as stepping stones into a better future, one that’s filled with a lot of love and happiness, just as long as both of you remember to keep love alive all the time.
Naij