ACN Rips Into Doyin Okupe, Says Incompetence Is The Hallmark Of The Jonathan Administration

By Alhaji Lai Mohammed

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has described incompetence, cluelessness and inconsistency as the hallmark of the Jonathan Administration, contrary to the futile attempt by presidential aide Doyin Okupe to pull the wool over the eyes of Nigerians through a pedestrian play on semantics.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the
party also slammed Okupe for seeking to blame the opposition for the failure of the Jonathan Administration to make a positive impact on the lives of Nigerians, saying the likes of Okupe, rather than the opposition, have contributed in no small measure to the Administration's low esteem in the eyes of Nigerians.
''There is no point rummaging through the dictionary to define incompetence, as Okupe has done in his rambling statement. All one needs to do to understand the meaning of incompetence is to look at the waffling Jonathan administration.
''Touting President Goodluck Jonathan's impressive academic qualifications is also very cheap, as they have not proven to be an asset in the way and manner the President has steered the affairs of his Administration, especially his articulation of his government's policies and the projection of its ability. In any case, while a Doctorate Degree in any field is something to be celebrated, it is not a pre-requisite for being a good leader,'' it said.
ACN said the incompetence and cluelessness of the Jonahan Administration have resulted in the country being bogged down by monumental corruption, unprecedented level of insecurity, policy flip-flops, absence of governance and downright lies that have estranged the citizens and erased their trust in government.
''No Administration in our recent history has been more a hotbed of corruption than the Jonathan Administration, whether it is the fuel subsidy scam or the police pension scam, just to mention two. Even when a feeble attempt is made to prosecute those behind the scams, incompetent prosecution that ensures that convicted persons get only a slap on the wrist rubbishes the majesty of the law. Under the Jonathan Administration, the more money you steal, the less punishment you receive!
''Profligacy has also been the order of the day. If this government is not building a 2.2 billion-naira banquet hall, it is spending 4 billion naira on the office building of the African First Ladies Peace Mission. The funds being wasted on these white elephant projects would have been better spent on creating jobs for our youths, millions of whom are roaming the streets daily in search of what to do to make ends meet,'' the party said.
On the road contracts awarded by the Jonathan Administration, it said the joke is on Okupe who, in saner climes, cannot be speaking for any government that is worth its salt.
''There is nothing new about awarding contracts for road rehabilitation. What the public expects from Okupe is how many of theroads have been completed or are nearing completion. The contracts for most of the roads, which Okupe listed in his statement, have been awarded severally by previous PDP regimes, with nothing to show. Even Okupe has collected huge funds for road contracts that he later abandoned! How then can such contracts be celebrated, when all they do is put money in the pockets of party cronies?
How can such men like Okupe speak for any serious government, when he should have been dutifully prosecuted? Little wonder the citizens have no trust in the Jonathan Administration?'' ACN queried.
The party said one area in which the Jonathan Administration's incompetence is most glaring is the provision of security. While a security crisis of the scale perpetrated by Boko Haram may be unprecedented in our country, equally unfathomable is the government's inability to rise to the occasion, to such an extent that even the President admits that Boko Haram members have infiltrated his administration! Of course, there are also unprecedented cases of kidnapping and armed robbery, all of which have overwhelmed the clueless government.
''Overall, a government that lies to its citizens by either saying it had been hailed for its anti-corruption effort by Transparency International when that is not the case, or giving an exaggerated amount of electricity that has been generated cannot get much respect from the people.
A government that sends conflicting signals to foreign investors, in particular over whether or not the power contract awarded to Canadian firm Manitoba has been cancelled, cannot and should not be trusted.
''The Jonathan Administration should address the issue of trust, chase away those among its officials who lack credibility because of their past deeds and begin to take governance very seriously. Then, and only then, will it not have to worry about what label an imaginary opposition is putting on the government,'' ACN said.
Alhaji Lai Mohammed
National Publicity Secretary
Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)
Abuja, Feb. 5th 2013
  Saharareporters

“The AFCON is wide open now” – Jay Jay Okocha

By Bisola Adeniran

Former Nigeria captain Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha has told Goal.com the Nigerian team is in the their best element to achieve victory against their Africa Cup of Nations semi finals opponent Mali when they engage in an epic battle at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban on Wednesday.
Okocha who was excited about the emphatic 2-1 victory of the Eagles over the Elephants of Cote D’ Ivoire in the quarter final match decided at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg on Sunday has tipped Nigeria to beat Mali and move to the final of the Afcon.
“First I don’t think words can express the way I feel right now. I feel happy and I am proud of these boys for the way they played in the match and the result too. If we play this way against Mali in Durban on Wednesday, we won’t have any problems against Mali,” Okocha told Goal.com.

“I think it’s the name Cote D’Ivoire that really motivated the Eagles to win the match. I think people have already written them off and you know when you are pushed to the wall you can only attack. So the Nigerian team had nothing to lose and came back to prove people wrong and I am glad that they did a good job against the Ivorian team.
“Right now we have a very bright chance against Mali, if we could beat Cote D’Ivoire the tournament is wide open now,” Okocha observed.
DailyPost

Photo: Beyonce Under Fire For Flashing Illuminati Sign During Super Bowl Performance

Beyonce’s Super Bowl performance pretty much broke Twitter and the lights at the Superdome, but more importantly, it may have revealed her involvement in a powerful secret society. As far as the internet is concerned, the star flashed an unmistakable symbol during her sexy half-time show.
According to legend, the Illuminati are a tiny, super-secret cabal of influential individuals who have shaped the course of world events. So it makes perfect sense that Beyonce would flash their triangle sign to one of the largest viewing audiences in human history. What better way to preserve a secret?
Many social media users have commented that this serves as proof that Beyonce is in the Illuminati, we can only wonder what their intentions are and what she planted in the minds of those who watched the performance.

See a photo of Beyonce flashing the sign below, what do you think?
InformationNigeria

Nigerian among 8 Al-Qaeda fighters arrested in Mali

Malian forces have arrested eight suspected al-Qaeda-linked fighters in northern Mali.
Their capture comes as French fighter jets targeted rebel hideouts and fuel depots in the northeastern desert on Tuesday, near the Algerian border.
The eight suspects captured in Gao are expected to be transferred to Bamako where they will eventually stand trial. They include six Malians, a Nigerian and an Algerian man.
Meanwhile, delegations from the African Union, United Nations, European Union, West African regional body ECOWAS, banks and aid groups have been meeting in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss the country’s future.
In-depth coverage of intensifying confrontation in north
After a three-week military campaign by French-led forces drove the rebels from most of their strongholds, including the cities of Timbuktu and Gao, dozens of French warplanes on Sunday carried out major air strikes on rebel training and logistics centres in Mali’s mountainous northeast, near the Algerian border.
“It is about destroying their rear bases, their depots,” Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told France Inter radio.

“They have taken refuge in the north and the northeast but they can only stay there long-term if they have ways to replenish their supplies.”
Fabius said that the army aimed to stop the rebels from doing so by targeting them in a very “efficient” manner.
The al-Qaeda-linked rebels who controlled northern Mali for 10 months have fled into the Adrar des Ifoghas massif in the Kidal region, a mountainous landscape honeycombed with caves.
They are believed to be holding seven French hostages with them, kidnapped in Mali and Niger in 2011 and 2012.
Algeria on Monday also beefed up its positions on the Malian border to prevent “the infiltration of terrorist groups”, Mohamed Baba Ali, a member of parliament from the southern town of Tamanrasset, told the AFP news agency.
 DailyPost

Top 9 Most Mysterious Celebrity Deaths

While most human beings enter and leave this planet with little notice there are those among us whose passing especially if untimely captures headlines. Celebrity deaths are not only top news but can in some cases create entire cottage industries dedicated to keeping alive the memory of those we deem worthy of our affections I’ve included individuals whose deaths were unusual untimely or had a profound impact on their profession or society to this day. So now without further ado here is my list of the top 10 Most Mysterious Celebrity death.

• 10. Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009 of propofol intoxication after suffering a cardiac arrest at his home on North Carolwood Drive in the Holmby Hills neighborhood in Los Angeles. His personal physician Conrad Murray said he had found Jackson in his room not breathing but with a faint pulse and that he administered CPR on his bed to no avail. After a call was placed to 9-1-1 at 12:20 pm, Jackson was treated by paramedics at the scene and was later pronounced dead at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center On August 28, 2009 one day before he would have been 51, the Los Angeles County Coroner ruled Jackson’s death a homicide. Shortly before his death Jackson had been administered propofol and two anti-anxiety benzodiazepines lorazepam and midazolam in his home. Murray was convicted in November 2011 of involuntary manslaughter and is currently serving a 4 year sentence in prison
• 9. Jimi Hendrix James. Marshall “Jimi” Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) was an American musician and singer-songwriter. Despite a limited mainstream exposure of four years, he is widely considered to have been the greatest electric guitarist in the history of popular music, and one of the most important musicians of the 20th century.Influenced musically by American rock and roll and electric blues, following initial success in Europe with his band the Jimi Hendrix Experience, he achieved fame in the US after his 1967 performance at the Monterey Pop Festival. Later, he headlined the Woodstock Festival in 1969, and the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970, before dying from drug-related asphyxia at the age of 27.
• 8. Richard James Edwards. Richard James Edwards (born 22 December 1967, disappeared c. 1 February 1995, officially presumed dead 23 November 2008) was a Welsh musician who was rhythm guitarist and lyricist of the alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. He was known for his politicized and intellectual songwriting which, combined with an enigmatic and eloquent character, has assured him cult status. Edwards vanished on 1 February 1995. He was declared presumed deceased in November 2008. The ninth album by the Manic Street Preachers, Journal for Plague Lovers, which was released on 18 May 2009, is composed entirely of lyrics left behind by Edwards.
• 7. Diana Princess of Wales. On 31 August 1997 Diana Princess of Wales died as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident in the Pont de l’Alma road tunnel in Paris, France. Her companion Dodi Fayed and the driver of the Mercedes-Benz W140 Henri Paul were also pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. The bodyguard of Diana and Dodi, Trevor Rees-Jones was the only survivor. Although the media pinned the blame on the paparazzi the crash was ultimately found to be caused by the reckless actions of the chauffeur. who was the head of security at the Ritz and had earlier goaded the paparazzi waiting outside the hotel. An 18-month French judicial investigation concluded in 1999 that the crash was caused by Paul. who lost control of the car at high speed while drunk. His inebriation may have been made worse by the simultaneous presence of an anti-depressant and traces of a tranquilizing anti-psychotic in his body.
• 6. Marilyn Monroe she made her final major public appearance: singing “Happy Birthday Mr President” to President John F Kennedy. It was rumoured that the two had an affair. Marilyn Monroe was found dead in the bedroom of her Brentwood home by her psychiatrist Ralph Greenson after he was called by Monroe’s housekeeper Eunice Murray on August 5, 1962. She was 36 years old at the time of her death. Her death was ruled to be “acute barbiturate poisoning” by Dr. Thomas Noguchi of the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office and listed as “probable suicide”. Many detectives including Jack Clemmons the first Los Angeles Police Department officer to arrive at the death scene believe that she was murdered. No murder charges were ever filed. The death of Monroe has since become one of the most debated conspiracy theories of all time.
• 5. Elvis Presley.Elvis died on August 16, 1977 in the bathroom at Graceland. After being found on the bathroom floor. Elvis was rushed to the hospital where he was officially pronounced dead. The coroner recorded the cause of death as cardiac arrhythmia. While true in the strictest sense (cardiac arrhythmia basically means that the heart was beating irregularly and in this case finally stopped) the attending physicians deliberately omitted the fact that what had apparently caused Elvis’ heart to beat irregularly and then stop was an overdose of prescription drugs. These drugs included codeine, Valium, morphine, and Demorol, to name a few. After this information was revealed, Vernon Presley, Elvis’ father, had the complete autopsy report sealed. It will remain sealed until 2027 fifty years after The King’s death. Elvis’ body is buried at Graceland.
• 3. Nicole Brown Simpson. She was murdered at her home in Los Angeles, California along with her friend Ronald Goldman. O. J. was arrested but was found not guilty in a controversial criminal trial.June 12, 1994 (aged 35) He was later found liable for the deaths in a civil suit brought by the families of the two victims. This is a case of someone becoming famous only after their death and only because their alleged murderer in this case one-time football great O.J. Simpson was more famous still. The brutal stabbing death of Simpson’s ex-wife—along with her friend Ron Goldman (who apparently was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time) resulted in one of the most bizarre and racially charged trials of the century. Somehow after a media circus of unprecedented proportions, Simpson—packing one of the slickest defense teams on the planet—managed to walk away from this gruesome scene free as a bird (the glove didn’t fit it seems) though he was never able to regain his reputation. Later he lost a wrongful death civil suit that ordered him to cough up $33.5 million dollars in damages and in 2007 he was convicted of armed robbery and kidnapping. which some might surmise has further tarnished his once sterling reputation.
• 2. Buddy Holly. When up-and-coming singer and pioneer rock-and-roller Buddy Holly died in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa on February 2, 1959 it abruptly ended the career of someone who could arguably have become the most important voice in Rock and Roll. Holly who was touring with a group that included Dion and the Belmonts Ritchie Valens, and J.P. “Big Bopper” Richardson (the latter two of whom also died in the crash) had rented the charter at the last minute rather than spend another miserable night in their perennially broken down unheated bus. Unfortunately as soon as they got airborne their equally young pilot decided the near white-out conditions were not conducive to flying and tried to turn back, only to fly the plane right into the ground killing all of them instantly. In a note of irony future Country Western star Waylon Jennings, who had been playing bass guitar for Holly during the tour lost a coin-toss with Valens for the fourth seat on the plane. It was to be something that would haunt him the rest of his life.
• 1. John Lennon.  John Lennon was an English musician who gained worldwide fame as one of the founders of the Beatles, for his subsequent solo career, and for his political activism and pacifism. Lennon was shot by Mark David Chapman at the entrance of the building where he lived. The Dakota in New York City on 8 December 1980. Lennon had just returned from Record Plant Studio with his wife Yoko Ono. Lennon was pronounced dead on arrival at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center, where it was stated that nobody could have lived for more than a few minutes after sustaining such injuries. Shortly after local news stations reported Lennon’s death, crowds gathered at Roosevelt Hospital and in front of the Dakota. Lennon was cremated on 10 December 1980 at the Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale New York; the ashes were given to Ono, who chose not to hold a funeral for him.

TalkOfNaija

Benin City: Court Grants Bail To Arrested Internet Fraudsters

EFCC Press Release on 20 internet fraudsters otherwise known as ‘yahoo-yahoo boys’ who were nabbed in Benin City with 45 laptops:
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned nine of the twenty suspected internet fraudsters arrested and handed over to the Commission by the Joint Task Force of the 4 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Benin. They were arraigned before Justice A. M Liman of the Federal High Court 1, Benin on separate charges bordering on conspiracy to commit felony to wit: obtaining money under false pretence. They pleaded not guilty to the charges.
One of the charge reads in part; “that you  Osaugwu Uchenna Kingsley (alias Sam Henric), Robinson Lucky (alias Justin Parker),  Larry Edomwonyi (alias Mark Erixson), Amovie Mike (alias Jeffery Ares), Itua Samuel Robinson (alias Park Wetty, King Harry ), Iyen Oghodaro Destiny, Adesa Lucky Rute ( alias Peter Anderson, Eric Stern etc), Egbeifo John Endurance and Egbeniyi Oluwafemi ( alias Raymond Morrison, Mavis Mar) at No. 56  Siluko  Road , Benin City within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did conspire with one Dennis Osagie and others now at large to commit felony to wit: obtaining  money under false pretence and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 8(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under section 1(3) of the same Act”.
Justice Liman granted the accused persons bail in the sum of N1million each and two sureties in like sum. One of the sureties must be a civil servant and the other must own a landed property within the jurisdiction of court. He ordered that the suspects be remanded in prison custody and adjourned to 4th, 13th and 19th of March respectively.

The fraudsters were arrested on January 18, 2013 when men of the Joint Task Force, 4 Brigade, Benin in a surprise raid, stormed their cyber office tucked in an old building located on Siluko Road, Benin City. They were subsequently handed over to the Commission for further investigation and prosecution.
At the point of arrest, the fraudsters had in their possession forty five (45) laptops of different make, twenty eight (28) telephone sets, eight (8) internet mobile modems and one Nissan car with registration number USL 375 AG.
Wilson Uwujaren
Ag. Head, Media & Publicity
5th February, 2013
InformationNigeria

35-year-old man who defrauds people with pictures of Jonathan, Dangote arrested with $1.5m

By Bisola Adeniran 

The State Security Service has arrested a 35-year-old man, Dennison Onwuka, for attempted fraud and being in possession of $1.5m in fake currency.
The suspect was also accused of superimposing his photograph on that of some dignitaries to portray himself as a member of the inner caucus of President Goodluck Jonathan as well as a close ally of prominent business moguls in the country, including Aliko Dangote.
According to SSS, Onwuka claimed to be an agent of business mogul, Mike Adenuga, with the intention of defrauding one Livinus Yakubu, a Dubai-based businessman.
The Director, SSS, Lagos, Ben Achu-Olayi, said Onwuka had met with Yakubu in Dubai before and had discussed a business proposals but Onwuka deviated from the deal and later brought up a business of authenticating fake dollars.
PUNCH Metro learnt that it was at this point that Yakubu became suspicious and immediately alerted the agency.
Achu-Olayi said, “On January 5, 2013, Yakubu reported that Onwuka, a purported agent of Adenuga, planned to invest $7m in real estate. Onwuka, having met Yakubu in Dubai recently, invited Yakubu to Nigeria to participate in the business transaction. Instead of proceeding with the business, Onwuka introduced the issue of having $3.5m which was stamped all over.
“He told Yakubu that he needed $30,000 to purchase chemicals to wash the money which would erase all the stamps and the money would be spendable.”
The SSS persuaded Yakubu to go on with the deal as planned while undercover agents monitored closely.
“Under close surveillance at Camelot Hotel, Victoria Island, where Onwuka was scheduled to collect the $30,000, the suspect was arrested with fake money to the tune of $1.5m”, the SSS boss said.

Operatives however learnt that the case was just one of many of Onwuka’s scams. It was discovered during a search of his chalet at Travel House Hotel, Ajah that the suspect was in possession of fake government documents as well as 12 manipulated photographs of the suspect, with dignitaries such as President Goodluck Jonathan, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, former president Olusegun Obasanjo among others.
The SSS director said, “Investigation has revealed that Onwuka is an international fraudster who specialized in the act of forging signatures of top government officials. Also, he engages in superimposing his photograph on that of dignitaries to portray himself to be a member of the inner-caucus of President Jonathan as well as a close ally of prominent business moguls in the country.”
In a related development, the SSS paraded a former senatorial aspirant, Azeez Bello,for impersonating the Director of Operations of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Olaolu Adegbite, as well as attempting to defraud the wife of the Abia State Governor, Mercy Orji.
According to SSS, the suspect with two others at large impersonated the EFCC boss and attempted to blackmail Orji on the pretext that the commission was investigating her for purported financial offences
DailyPost