SOLUDO, BUHARI, JONATHAN AND THE ELECTIONS - BY PAT UTOMI

The firestorm generated by Chukwuma Soludo’s well reasoned commentary on the place of issues in the 2015 electioneering campaign has somehow become the core of the campaign. What a way to come from outside and define agenda.

Of course I do not agree with all the points marshaled by the erstwhile CBN Governor and Patito’s Gang member, but not to commend his citizen duty of engagement or indicate as reprehensible the resort to ad hominen bashing of the former Economic Adviser instead of providing Facts to counter the views he had raised. That is issues based campaign.

I will myself raise logic to support and dispute some of the points in the Soludo intervention.

UNEMPLOYMENT - A TICKING TIME BOMB.

NIGERIA’s economic prospects are looking bleaker by the day. Not only are crude oil prices declining further, the national currency is taking a battering from major world currencies. Investors are fleeing the financial markets, while growth and unemployment projections by international agencies unanimously predict lean times ahead for the country. These portend a worsening unemployment time bomb waiting to explode, unless it is quickly defused.

Projections of global – and Nigeria’s – unemployment outlook released by the International Labour Organisation recently should jolt our policymakers out of their deceptive visions of success and back to earth where reality presents a starkly different picture.

PASTORS COLLECTING JONATHAN'S N6BN RISK THE WRATH OF GOD - PASTOR ADEBOYE.

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has warned that pastors collecting bribes from politicians risk the wrath of God.

The renowned cleric said this on his official Facebook page on Wednesday while reacting to allegations by the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, that the Peoples Democratic Party had bribed some pastors with N6bn to work against the All Progressives Congress and its presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.)

However, Adeboye, said, “I read in the newspaper this morning that one of the serving governors in Nigeria said that some pastors in Nigeria collected N6bn from politicians for the purpose of influencing their members to vote a certain candidate in the coming elections.

SOLUDO SPITS AGAIN!!!! HOW OKONJO IWEALA MISMANAGED ADDITIONAL N8.6 TRILLION.

The Presidency and it's clueless economic team have come under intense fire by someone who is no stranger to how the economy works. 

Former Governor of the CBN, Professor Charles Soludo has become a torn in the flesh of the Aso Rock dwellers as he has written yet another article albeit short to back up the previous two articles where he exposed the weakness of the Presidency's economic.

Click HERE & HERE to read previous articles.

Read recent article after the cut.

ROBERT MUGABE'S EPIC FALL... A SIGN OF WEAKNESS & TIME TO QUIT???

 

Zimbabwe'sobert Mugabe has been pictured falling down a set of steps after addressing his adoring supporters at an airp Rort.

The 90-year-old President - who has held the position since 1987 - took a tumble as he walked down some steps from a podium where he had been addressing his adoring supporters

He had been talking to the crowd at Harare International Airport, who had gathered to welcome Mugabe back from a trip to Ethiopia - where he had been elected chairman of the 54-state African Nation.

GHANAIAN MORTUARY WORKER ADMITS TO SLEEPING WITH CORPSES AS PART OF HIS TRAINING.

A mortuary worker in Ghana has admitted on live TV to having sex with corpses, claiming his superiors told him to.

In the sickening video, Sharkur Lucas claims to have worked in a morgue at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in the capital Accra where he says he had sex with the bodies of dead women. He alleges he was told to indulge in necrophilia by his bosses so he 'wouldn't be afraid'.   

The baffled host of the vibeghana.com show puts it to Lucas: 'Sleeping with a corpse can mean, in one breath, sleeping [next to] them but in another it can mean having sex with them. 

JILTED LOVER KILLS COUPLE ON WEDDING DAY IN DELTA STATE - NIGERIA.

A man who was apparently angry after being ditched by his girlfriend had caused serious chaos in the Ukala community of Delta State on Saturday, January 31, 2015 when he stormed the wedding venue of his ex-girlfriend, and shot the couple to death.

He went further to shoot sporadically at the guests who were gathered to witness the event and eventually killed the bride’s mother in the process, Nigerian Monitor reports.

OKONJO IWEALA AND THE MISSING TRILLIONS - BY CHARLES SOLUDO.

A former Central Bank Governor, Charles Soludo, has reacted to the criticism of his earlier article by the Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

In a lengthy, over 6000 words article, Mr. Soludo on Sunday rejected claims by Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala that he performed poorly as governor of the Central Bank. He said his performance as CBN governor was unprecedented locally as well as globally acknowledged.

“In Nigeria’s history, no governor of the Central Bank has delivered 24 consecutive months of single digit inflation as I did until the advent of the unprecedented global crisis in 2008,” he said.

Mr. Soludo then challenged claims by Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala, who is also the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, that the Nigerian economy is doing well.

BUHARI IS INTELLECTUALLY LAZY - FANI KAYODE

Femi Fani Kayode, the Presidential campaign spokesman has again come after Gen. Buhari & APC for their refusal to participate in a debate. Read his words below. 

"We have been informed that General Buhari and the APC have decided not to participate in the NPAN-Channel Television-organised debate after they had earlier agreed to take part in it. We had thought that having withdrawn from participating in the debate organised by Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), they would have availed themselves this second platform. Now that they have also turned their back on this, it is now very clear that General Buhari is incapable of engaging in rigorous live television debates on the issues of governance.

(VIDEO) CHELSEA 1 MANCHESTER CITY 1.

CHELSEA 1 MANCHESTER CITY 1

CLICK HERE TO WATCH.

DOWNLOAD NEW MUSIC "GBOJU" BY @IAMTOBYGREY (WOJU COVER)

Toby Grey, the beautiful vocally gifted beauty has replied to Kiss Daniel‘s massive 2014 hit, Woju. She tiles this "Gboju"

Sampled on the same sound template and with lyrics altered here and there to befit a response, Toby’s cover version of Woju is just as impressive as the original track.


  CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD.

SERENA WILLIAMS WIN 19TH GRAND SLAM TITLE.

SERENA WINS 19TH GRAND SLAM

She may have been ill but that didn't stop Serena Williams from claiming a 19th grand slam title Saturday.

The world No. 1 beat second-ranked Maria Sharapova 6-3 7-6 (5) in an absorbing Australian Open final to move into sole possession of second place in grand slams won in the Open Era behind Steffi Graf's 22.

Despite suffering from a fever and cough this week, Williams set the tone by breaking in the first game. She took control of the first set by winning six straight points following a 12-minute rain delay -- organizers then opted to use the roof at Rod Laver Arena -- for a 5-2 lead.

JIMI AGBAJE (PDP GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE) IS A TAX DEFRAUDER. - FASHOLA SPEAKS.

Fashola

The Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, says the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democracy Party, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, is a tax defaulter.

The governor said this on Wednesday at the eighth Annual Lagos State Taxation Stakeholders’ Conference in the Ikeja area. Fashola urged the residents of the state to reject “a serial tax evader” in the forthcoming governorship election.

He added that it was irresponsible for any politician seeking public office to evade tax and still claim to be a law-abiding citizen.

ASARI DOKUBO'S WAR THREAT IS UNACCEPTABLE.

ASARO DOKUBO

Many Nigerians are wondering why the Ex-militant and kidnapper, Asari Dokubo, has not been arrested for threatening war against the nation.

Taking impunity to a new level, some ex-Niger Delta militants, joined by some intemperate public officials, gathered in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, last week to declare war against Nigeria in advance, should President Goodluck Jonathan lose next month’s presidential election. While disdain for law and order is not totally unexpected from pardoned ex-insurgents, the participation of Governor Seriake Dickson and a presidential adviser, Kingsley Kuku, in that provocative conclave is doubly unacceptable and should warrant a response from the government.

The bravado was shocking. According to news reports, the ex-militants, featuring some ex-warlords, vowed to take up arms against the country if Jonathan lost the February 14 presidential election. They also threatened reprisals for attacks on the President’s campaign team and vehicles in some northern states. Asari Dokubo, who has repeatedly trodden this path, urged attendees to get ready for war: “This action is calling the Niger Delta youths to war.”

APPLES POSTED BEST QUARTER IN CORPORATE HISTORY. SOLD 74.5 MILLION PHONES IN 3 MONTHS.

Apple posted the biggest profit in corporate history last quarter after selling a record number of iPhones.  Apple (AAPL, Tech30) sold 74.5 million iPhones in the last three months. That helped Apple's profit soar more than 37% to $18 billion. That's larger than Gazprom's $16.2 billion profit during the first quarter of 2011 -- the previous profit record posted by a corporation.

Apple also posted a stunning $74.6 billion in sales, up nearly 30% from the same period last year. That's not close to a global corporate record, but it's the best quarterly revenue Apple ever posted.

"Interest in Apple products is at an all time high ... shattering our high expectations," said CEO Tim Cook on a conference call with analysts. "This volume is hard to comprehend."

FIGO SET TO CONTEST FOR FIFA PRESIDENCY.

Luis Figo has entered the race to become FIFA president determined to change an organization he describes as all too often associated with "scandal."

The former Real Madrid and Barcelona star revealed his intention to run against Sepp Blatter in an exclusive interview with CNN Wednesday.

The 42-year-old is renowned the world over after a distinguished 20-year playing career and arguably counts as the most credible threat yet to Blatter's 17-year stranglehold on soccer's top job.

LATE MUNA OBIEKWE TO BE LAID TO REST ON THE 3RD OF FEBRUARY 2015.

The Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) has released the programme of activities to honour the late Nollywood thespian, Muna Obiekwe, who died on Jan.18 from a kidney related ailment.

In a statement released and signed by AGN’s President, Ibinabo Fiberesima, it was disclosed that the remains of the light skinned actor would be laid to rest on Tuesday, Feb.3.

The programme would commence with a candlelight procession which will be held in Lagos on Feb.1.

The meeting point for the procession is the Marshall Roundabout in Suru lere at 4pm and would terminate at the popular O’jez Restaurant inside the premises of National Stadium Lagos.

He will be buried at Umudioka in Anambra State, and several celebrities from the showbiz circuit, are expected to be at the event to pay their last respects to their departed colleague.

Vanguard.

WILFRED AGBONAVBARE, FORMER SUPER EAGLES GOALKEEPER LOSES BATTLE WITH CANCER.

48 year old former Nigerian goalkeeper, Wilfred Agbonavbare passed away this morning after losing his battle with Cancer.

Wilfred played for Rayo Vallecano from 1990 to 1996 and then one season for Écija Balompie. He also won the African Cup of Nations with Nigeria in 1994 and also participated in the World Cup held in the United states.

In recent times Wilfred was goalkeeping coach of Coslada in Madrid and also worked with a delivery service company and more recently at Madrid, Barajas airport. He spent his last few days at a hospital in Alcalá and his last wish was to see his three sons who live in Nigeria.

May his soul rest in peace.

BADDO GIRL KILLS LOVER OVER UNFULFILLED PROMISES.

The social media space is useful for many obvious reasons but also dangerous if caution is not employed. The dangers people are exposed to is not tailored to the Nigerian society only.

Though many people have used the social network to connect positively, the story of Cynthia Osokogwu who was killed in Lagos State by her Facebook friend in July 2012 sent shivers down the spine of everyone who heard the sad story.

But it seems as if some users of social networks are yet to grasp the lessons of their usage, as another young man recently fell victim when a lady he connected with on Badoo network murdered him in cold blood over what she tagged “unfulfilled promises.”

PLEASE READ: BUHARI VS JONATHAN: BEYOND THE ELECTION BY CHARLES SOLUDO.

I need to preface this article with a few clarifications. I have taken a long sabbatical leave from partisan politics, and it is real fun watching the drama from the balcony.  Having had my own share of public service (I do not need a job from government), I now devote my time and energy in pursuit of other passions, especially abroad. 

A few days ago, I read an article in Thisday entitled “Where is Charles Soludo?”, and my answer is that I am still there, only that I have been too busy with extensive international travels to participate in or comment on our national politics and economy. But I occasionally follow events at home. Since the survival and prosperity of Nigeria are at stake, the least some of us (albeit, non-partisan) must do is to engage in public debate. As the elections approach, I owe a duty to share some of my concerns.