Oduagate: President Jonathan Goads Committee To Absolve Minister, Make NCAA Officials Fall Guys

President Goodluck Jonathan and Stella Oduah 

 

By SaharaReporters, New York

Members of a committee handpicked by President Goodluck Jonathan to investigate the purchase of two BMW armored cars at a whopping cost of $1.6 million are being intensely pressured by the president to deliver a watery recommendation that exonerates Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah.
The disclosure came from a source familiar with the president’s efforts to tailor the committee's work towards a conclusion that minimizes the minister’s responsibility for the scandalous deal.
SaharaReporters broke the news that Ms. Oduah had pressured the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority to take out a loan from First Bank of Nigeria to buy the two overpriced cars. Apart from the outlandish cost of the cars, investigations by SaharaReporters as well as various committees of the National Assembly have raised serious doubt that the cars were ever delivered, even though the NCAA paid fully for them. In fact, SaharaReporters was told by two sources that Ms. Oduah received a kickback of N112 million on each of the two cars.  
Our source said the Presidency was bent on teleguiding the committee investigating the armored car scandal to blame a few officials of the NCAA for allegedly “misguiding the minister.”
Our source said that Mr. Jonathan, contrary to the impression he gave in public, is hell bent on absolving the minister of any blame as well as retaining her as minister. He disclosed that the so-called presidential probe panel met two days ago and was urged by the Presidency to recommend the firing of a former NCAA director, Joyce Nkemakolam, but to absolve the minister of any blame for the scandalous purchase of the two BMW armored cars that cost the NCAA N255 million ($1.6 million).
Our source added that the president was intent on allowing Ms. Oduah to oversee the completion of a series of airport renovation projects across the country, even though some aviation insiders have questioned the costs of the projects as well as the bidding procedures used by the minister in awarding the contracts.
One sign that President was applying pressure in favor of Ms. Oduah emerged today as the Nigerian Senate shelved its earlier decision to have the minister appear before senators today to discuss recent air mishaps, the safety of the Nigerian airspace, and the BMW car purchase. In a move that stunned the public, Senate President David Mark approved a strange motion to rescind the decision to invite Ms. Oduah to appear before the Senate. Instead, she is now to appear only before the Senate’s aviation committee.
This about-face comes as the aviation committee had suddenly and inexplicably stopped its probe of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), another aviation agency under Ms. Oduah’s ministry. Investigations had revealed that FAAN also obtained a loan from First Bank of Nigeria to purchase two exorbitant, bullet-proof Lexus Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) for the use of the minister. Senator Hope Uzodinma, who heads the aviation committee, is known to be extremely close to the minister, and may have decided to shelve all investigations into her role in the car buying scandal.
Last week, the Senate suddenly cancelled a scheduled appearance of Ms. Oduah, offering the excuse that the Senate President, David Mark, would love to personally attend the hearing. A day before, Mr. Mark was suddenly tipped by President Jonathan to travel to Abu Dhabi to cheer the Nigerian Golden Eaglets to victory at the FIFA U-17 World Cup.
SaharaReporters had earlier reported that the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who had traveled with Mr. Jonathan on a much-touted religious visit to Israel, had been recruited to handle the “reaching out” to lawmakers to persuade them to drop the idea of probing Ms. Oduah. Our sources disclosed that both Ms. Oduah as well as the Presidency had provided bribe funds to enable Mr. Ekweremadu to neutralize lawmakers and scuttle any serious investigation.
In the end, it was only the aviation committee of the House of Representatives that conducted a public hearing. The committee’s report was submitted last week to the whole House, but was never released to the public. The plenary session of the House has so far failed to deliberate on the committee’s secret report.
The committee set up by President Jonathan was given two weeks to submit its final report. Although the committee’s deadline has long expired, its members have yet to submit a report. Colonel Sambo Dasuki (ret.), Mr. Jonathan’s National Security Adviser, is a member of the committee. He was also part of Mr. Jonathan's delegation to Israel.
 

 

5 Ways the Prosperity Gospel Is Hurting Africa

The prosperity gospel isn't really helping the people of Africa. 

I’m not an African, but in 2008 some Nigerian friends gave me a Yoruba name (“Akinwale”) because I have been to that country so often. My visits there, along with trips to Uganda, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa and Egypt, planted a deep love for Africa in my heart. My first grandson’s arrival this year from Ethiopia made the connection even stronger.
I’m often asked to describe how God is moving in Africa today. Since I’m an optimist, I usually tell of the large churches, the passionate praise and the intense spiritual hunger that characterizes African Christianity. But there is also a dark side, and I think it’s time we addressed one of the most serious threats to faith on the continent.
I’m talking about the prosperity gospel. Of course, I know a slick version of this message is preached in the United States—and I know we are the ones who exported it overseas. I am not minimizing the damage that prosperity preaching has done in my own country. But I have witnessed how some African Christians are taking this money-focused message to new and even more dangerous extremes.
Here are five reasons the prosperity message is damaging the continent of Africa today:
1. It is mixed with occultism. Before Christianity came to Nigeria, people visited witch doctors and sacrificed goats or cows to get prosperity. They poured libations on the ground so the gods would hear their prayers. Today similar practices continue, only the juju priest has been replaced by a pastor who drives a Mercedes-Benz. I am aware of a pastor who buried a live animal under the floor of his church to win God’s favor. Another pastor asked his congregants to bring bottles of sand to church so he could anoint them; he then told the people to sprinkle the sand in their houses to bring blessings. The people who follow these charlatans are reminded that their promised windfall won’t materialize unless they give large donations.
2. It fuels greed. Any person who knows Christ will learn the joy of giving to others. But the prosperity gospel teaches people to focus on getting, not giving. At its core it is a selfish and materialistic faith with a thin Christian veneer. Church members are continually urged to sow financial seeds to reap bigger and bigger rewards. In Africa, entire conferences are dedicated to collecting offerings in order to achieve wealth. Preachers boast about how much they paid for suits, shoes, necklaces and watches. They tell their followers that spirituality is measured by whether they have a big house or a first-class ticket. When greed is preached from the pulpit, it spreads like a cancer in God’s house.
3. It feeds pride. This greedy atmosphere in prosperity churches has produced a warped style of leadership. My Kenyan friend Gideon Thuranira, editor of Christian Professional magazine, calls these men “churchpreneurs.” They plant churches not because they have a burden to reach lost souls but because they see dollar signs when they fill an auditorium with chairs. A selfish message produces bigheaded opportunists who need position, applause and plenty of perks to keep them happy. The most successful prosperity preacher is the most dangerous because he can convince a crowd that Jesus died to give you and me a Lexus.
4. It works against the formation of Christian character. The prosperity message is a poor imitation of the gospel because it leaves no room for brokenness, suffering, humility or delay. It offers an illegal shortcut. Prosperity preachers promise instant results and overnight success; if you don’t get your breakthrough, it’s because you didn’t give enough money in the offering. Jesus calls us to deny ourselves and follow Him; prosperity preaching calls us to deny Jesus and follow our materialistic lusts. There is a leadership crisis in the African church because many pastors are so set on getting rich, they can’t go through the process of discipleship that requires self-denial.
5. It actually keeps people in poverty. The government of Malawi is currently under international scrutiny because of fraud carried out by top leaders. The saddest thing about the so-called “Cashgate” scandal is that professing Christians in the administration of President Joyce Banda have been implicated. One of these people stole millions of kwacha from the government and hid the cash in a teddy bear! Most people today in Malawi live on less than $1 a day, yet their leaders have been known to buy fleets of cars and huge plots of land with money that was not theirs. Sadly, the prosperity gospel preached in Malawi has encouraged pastors and leaders to follow the same corrupt pattern. As a result, God’s people have been financially exploited.
When Jesus described false prophets as wolves in sheep’s clothing, He warned us to examine their fruit. Matthew 7:17 says, “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit” (NASB). What is the fruit of prosperity preaching?
Churches have been growing rapidly in many parts of Africa today, yet sub-Saharan Africa is the only region in the world where poverty has increased in the past 25 years. So according to the statistics, the prosperity gospel is not bringing prosperity! It is a flawed message, but I believe God will use selfless, broken African leaders to correct it.
J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma and the director of the Mordecai Project. You can follow him on Twitter at @leegrady. He is preaching in Kenya this week.

CharismaMagazine

Be Smart WITH Antibiotics (MUST READ AND SHARE)

Antibiotics are powerful medicines that should be reserved for situations that demand them, for instance, when the immune system cannot contain a bacterial infection or when a bacterial infection establishes itself in a vital organ like the heart, lungs, or brain.

Antibiotics not only kill harmful bacteria that are making you sick, they also destroy the beneficial flora in your gut, and can promote the development of resistant organisms in your body. There's even evidence that without normal "friendly" bacteria in the digestive tract, our immune system wouldn't function properly, and we would be less resistant to harmful bugs.

To restore the helpful organisms, be sure to take supplemental probiotics while you're on antibiotics. Acidophilus is the general name for dried or liquid cultures of the living lactobacillus bacteria that aid digestion. Always check the expiration date to help ensure that the acidophilus product you choose is still viable. Take one tablespoon of the liquid culture or one to two capsules after meals, unless the label directs otherwise. I recommend taking acidophilus to restore "friendly" cultures even when on antibiotics for just a few days. And I particularly recommend products containing lactobacillus GG or bacillus coagulans 30 (BC-30), two strains proven to survive passage through the strong acid in the stomach.

CAN suspends Bishops for dabbling in politics

By Ameh Comrade Godwin 

 

Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, South-South zone, Archbishop God-Dowell Avwomakpa has suspended some bishops in the Niger-Delta region.
Avwomakpa who is also the head of bishops in the Niger/Delta region suspended the bishops for reportedly wadding into the ongoing power tussle between the Presidency and the aggrieved seven governors of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
He made this known through his media adviser, Ovie Edomi, after a meeting with bishops from the zone.

According to Avwomakpa, “there is nothing wrong with clergymen initiating or brokering peace between two factions but for some bishops to do so in the name of a body that l head and other executives were not consulted gives a wrong signal and suggests a dangerous trend in the body of Christ. It means there are people with political interest or ambition in our fold. lt also means that we have clergymen who join different Christian groups or forums with selfish interest.”
The cleric added that the situation in Nigeria needs urgent prayers and intervention but clerics must not allow themselves to be used by politicians.

DailyPost

Why My Teammates Are Conspiring Against Me - Eto’o

Samuel Eto’o has alleged that some of his team mates are conspiring against him ahead of the playoff against Tunisia.
Cameroon host Tunisia on Sunday at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaoundé in a 2014 FIFA World Cup final leg play-off with the scores 0-0 from the first leg.
The Indomitable Lions’ skipper made the allegations on Wednesday during a press conference that he attended together with Coach Volker Finke alongside vice-captains Nicolas Nkoulou and Enoh Eyong.
The Chelsea striker said rumours of a conspiracy against him by some of his teammates are true and alleged that instructions had been issued not to pass the ball to him whenever he is in a good scoring position.
“It is sad to say but it is true. And as the coach is present, I am asking him to make sure it does not happen anymore in our national team. If we were not about to play such a crucial game, I would have asked you to have a look at some of the matches yourselves,” Eto’o said.
And Eto’o went on to explain why he had played so often out of position during the first leg in Radès.
“If I moved back so much towards the midfield against Tunisia, it is before I knew about it already. I had to play like that and I did it, but on Sunday we are talking about Cameroon, about our country. We must put our problems behind us and play for Cameroon,” Eto’o said.

Naij.com

SCANDAL: Nigerians Insulted Again by Obamacare Program Fighters

It appears that President Barack Obama haters in the U.S.A. got used to picking Nigerians as soft targets in their campaign against Obama’s healthcare programme (Obamacare).

Last month a Republican, Sen.Ted Cruz, compared the glitches plaguing the website for Obama’s signature health care law to the methodologies of “Nigerian e-mail scammers”.
“You may have noticed that all the Nigerian email scammers have become a lot less active lately. They all have been hired to run the Obamacare website,” Sen. Cruz said, according to the Houston Chronicle.
This comment drew the diplomatic anger of Nigeria and an apology was exacted from the Senator.
And now another American has run riot with her pen.
Ann Coulter (pictured), a rabid conservative ideologue, in an article posted on Yahoo!, also ridiculed Nigerians, and also in connection with Obamacare. The excerpt of what she wrote is given below:

“Nigeria, for example, leads the world in criminal enterprises. Every level of Nigerian society is criminal, with the smart ones running Internet scams, the mid-range ones running car theft rings, and the stupid ones engaging in piracy and kidnapping. At the University of Lagos, you can major in credit card fraud…
“There were almost no Nigerians in the United States until the 1970s. Today, there are nearly 250,000 Nigerians in the U.S. (committing the cyber-crime Americans just won’t do!). In 2011, we took in more immigrants from Nigeria than from the United Kingdom (9,246 from the U.K. and 9,344 from Nigeria)”.

InformationNigeria

Strange Affair: Meet The Husband, Wife And Concubine Living Under The SAME Roof

When mum-of-two Maria Butzki left her husband Paul for another man, she didn’t realise how much she’d miss him.
At the same time, she couldn’t imagine living without her new lover Peter Gruman.
So when the two men struck up an extraordinary friendship, she came up with the perfect solution… and moved Peter into the family home in Barking, East London.
Now Maria, 33, Paul, 37, their two ­children, Laura, 16, and Amy, 12, and Peter, 36, live as one big happy family.
“People might think it’s weird but I love both men and couldn’t choose between them,” says Maria, a ­housing liaison officer.
“When I left Paul there was a huge hole in my life. But the thought of never seeing Peter again was heartbreaking. So living with both men is the only way.”
Incredibly, the men agreed. Paul, a railway assessor, says: “Peter is a great guy. When Maria first had the affair with him I was just heartbroken. But as I got to know him, I realised we have so much in common. We both adore fishing, and he’s like a surrogate dad to the kids.”
Peter, a construction site manager, adds: “We all get on so well. It doesn’t feel as if I’m ­sharing Maria. There’s no ­jealousy …it feels as if we are a team.”
It was last year that they all moved in ­together after three years of ­Maria to-ing and fro-ing between her husband and lover.
Peter sleeps on the sofa while Paul has a room ­upstairs. Maria shares a bedroom with her eldest daughter.
She says: “The three of us never share a bed. Although I have a s*xual relationship with each man, that side is kept very private. If Paul is out, then Peter and I might make love, and vice-versa. But both men turn a blind eye and we never discuss it with one another.”
Maria was 15 when she and Paul met at school. After dating for two years, she unexpectedly became pregnant. Paul proposed seven months into her term and a month later they ­married. Four years after the birth of Laura, Maria had their second daughter Amy. But in 2006 their marriage hit a rocky patch.
Maria says: “Paul was out of work for six months and it put a strain on our ­relationship. The stress led to less s*x and we grew apart. Although we carried on with life – cooking, cleaning, looking after the child­ren – we’d lost our intimacy. The relationship was more brother and sister than a couple.”
Around the same time a new manager, Peter, started at Maria’s workplace.
“Someone introduced me to Peter and when we smiled at one another, I could feel the chemistry straight away,” she says. “Until that moment, I’d been happily married for 13 years to my childhood sweetheart and had never thought about being with another man.”
Peter, who was also married at the time, recalls the same instant attraction. “It was like a bolt from the blue… love at first sight,” he says.
Soon the pair were meeting secretly. “We’d meet at the local pub for lunch,” says Maria. “One day he put a hand on my leg and my whole body began trembling with desire. I knew it was wrong but soon we were sleeping together.”
Their affair carried on for a year before Paul stumbled on messages between them on Maria’s phone. She managed to convince him they were just friends. But a few months later her lover left his wife and moved from Luton, Beds, to be closer to Maria in Barking.
“I grew even closer to Peter,” says Maria. “Paul had to go away on business for a few weeks and so Peter took the children shopping, ­spoiling them rotten with gifts.”

But on Valentine’s Day in 2010, Maria says she could no longer cope with the secrecy. “I began to feel more and more that my future lay with Peter,” she says. “So I confessed my affair to Paul, and moved out to stay with Peter.”
Paul and the children were devastated. He says: “I was just shocked and heartbroken. I couldn’t believe Maria had left me.”
Over the next few months Paul and Maria took turns to have the children. “I felt bad about tearing the family apart,” says Maria. “So after work I’d go and clean and cook for Paul and the kids and then go home to Peter.”
Paul says: “While I was so upset, I decided to try to put the children first. It was going to be much better if we could all be mature adults and be amicable about it. I could see Peter was a decent guy. When the kids went to stay over I knew he was putting himself out to make sure they were happy. I’d go to pick them up and we got chatting.”
Over the next year their relationship became even more amicable. Maria says: “Rather than cook two separate dinners, it was easier to just do one and all sit down together. Paul and Peter got on so well they went on a fishing trip together. We even started going on days out and holidays together.
“It was strange but I noticed I felt at my happiest when we were all together. The children adored having both of them around too.”
Then in November 2012 the tenancy on Peter’s rented flat came to an end. He went to stay with a friend and Maria moved back to the family home. Maria says: “It was supposed to be a temporary arrangement but while I missed Peter terribly, it was fantastic to be back as a family.”
When Peter found another flat, Maria decided it was time to sit both men down and be honest with them. “I said I loved them both,” she says. “I said I couldn’t face living without either of them.”
To her delight, both men said they understood.
Peter says: “By now Paul and I had developed a huge respect for each other. We didn’t see one another as rivals for Maria’s affections. We were friends who got on well. At the same time I’d come to care so much for the children. It seemed natural to live together.”
Paul says: “Maria was and still is my soulmate.”
The “family” are now in the process of buying a larger house to accommodate them all.
Maria admits many friends and family find the arrangement difficult to understand.
“Some people are shocked, mostly because they get the wrong idea and think it’s some sort of threesome,” she says. “Most people seem to think I should just remain with Paul, but those who see all of us ­together think differently.” She adds: “There are huge benefits to living together. For example, as Paul and I leave for work early, Peter is often able to take the children to school.
“Ultimately the children benefit from three adults able to help with school work or give them lifts. Financially too, it makes sense as the bills are split three ways.”
Ironically, Maria is now the one who sometimes gets jealous. “I’m left on my own when the pair of them go on a long fishing trip,” she says.
She’s unsure what the sleeping arrangements will be in their new house. “But we would never have any sort of rota where I sleep with Peter one night and Paul the next. I do know I’m very lucky to have two wonderful men in my life.”

InformationNigeria