With only 10 days to the start of another FIFA soccer world cup in Germany, Togolese national team players have threatened not to lace their boots for their country unless they are paid the fantastic sum of $200,000 each as appearance fee, $40,000 per win and $20,000 for a draw.

Wonders shall never end! First these bunch of mediocre players rather than thank God for giving them a once in a lifetime chance of reaching the world cup fired steven Keshi after taking them beyond their wildest dreams! Next they want to be paid heaven and earth for a competition they were never dreaming of ever reaching! Was the world cup ticket part of their initial plans?
Not to worry Gnasingbe, take a cue from Egypt 2006, this set of players can't win a single game or a play a draw. They should demand money for each goal scored because they are not likely to score a single one!

At $200,000 each, that comes to $4.6m for the entire team of 23 just for appearing at the world cup! Keep in mind that Togo's entire national budget for the yr 2005 was a paltry $29m! How much would each brazilian player demand for appearing at the same championship?
Is it not funny that players that make such ridiculous demands are african players who need the world cup exposure ten times more than their european and brazilian counterparts? Even if Wayne Rooney does not play at this world cup, he is still guaranteed first team action in Man Utd, same cannot be said for players from Africa who mainly play to attract better contracts from big clubs. I think the problem with the togo players is that of poverty and illiteracy. They know this is their last chance of ever appearing at the world cup or even getting their hands on such a huge sum of money so they are trying to milk their poor country for all its worth! They made the same demands and almost refused to play at Egypt 2006 until their president had to personally intervene, what was their achievement? Not even a draw againts lowly rated congo DRC!

Welcome to the long road to soccer oblivion!

Death stings, it hurts and cuts us deep in a way nothing else may ever do.
Life is not forever yet we live not wishing to die, for us we would prefer a life without end.
Death is a monster, a ghost we can't see yet very much around us. Death is wicked, has no respect for persons and has no regard for mercy. Death takes and never gives, and when it strikes, it's joy is to take the very best among us sparing those we never wished to see.

My first real glimpse of death was in 1993 when a family friend died. She was young, vibrant, lovely, she loved life and lived it to the fullest. She graduated at 19, married at 20, had her first kid at 21 and was a school principal at 24. She was intelligent, a good mother and wife, devoted christian who confessed healing till the end. Yet she died! One minute she was there, laughing and bubbling with vigor, the next minute she was gone, snatched away by the cold hands of death.
I was young, just 11 yet i understood in a flash what had just happened. I would never see my second mom again. She's been gone 13 yrs ago, life has moved on yet i can't but remember the very first time death came knocking so close to home.

My grandpappie passed on in 1998, i was never close to him and he was so old he must have been relieved to be rid of his body. Grandpappie talked of heaven, he wanted to see Jesus. One day death came knocking, just a day before mum was due to see him. Mom was packing her luggage when the call came, she did not cry, she was strong, she smiled. A few minutes ago she had been packing to go and see grandpa, now she was packing to make arrangements for his burial. Grandpappie did not suffer, he went quietly in his sleep to see Jesus.
A few weeks later i saw grandpappies body, he lay so still he might just have been sleeping. But those eyes would never read his worn bible again and never again would i see that old wrinkled face smile at me and call me his favorite name again.
I did not cry, i just ate meat and went home.

Death came calling again, this time a vibrant member of our cyber home was gone. I never knew papermoon personally but i spent a great deal of time reading the posts of a vibrant lady, full of life, love and hope for a future. She dreamt of more kids, she hoped to be married someday, she had so much to say and so much to share. One minute she was there and the other she was gone. Never again will her name appear on Nairaland except in remembrance of one so young and yet who touched the lives of so many people.
She did not want to travel, she didn't want to be away from her boys and her new found e-friends, yet she had to. She said she'd be back, i guess she kept her word afterall, her spirit lingers on in the minds and hearts of the family and friends she left behind.

Papermoon's gone, she reminds me of the fact that death fears no foe. I fear that someday, no matter how hard i wish it away, death might come knocking closer home again. But there is hope, i do not fear death anymore. I know that someday when or if it ever strikes (hopefully never!) those of us who truly lived our lives in Jesus would never really die, we would only be exchanging our outer coats for a new eternal life in heaven. Where there is neither death nor sorrow.

Adieu Papermoon! Rest in peace and may God keep your two little cowboys! You bet they are yelling "we love you mom!"

Nigerians are not negative about their country. Ask the average nigerian and he will tell you he'd rather live in nigeria than anywhere else in the world. Nigerians know their country has the resources to be the most technologically advanced and richest nation in africa. They see what other nations without oil have done. They see british with no resources yet is one of the world's most powerful nations. They see the likes of Japan, China and malaysia who were at par with us less than 50yrs ago but have become world powers today while we descended as low as the 2nd poorest nation on earth.
Nigerians cannot understand why their country takes 2 steps forward and 5 backward. They see their bright minds lecturing in foreign universities and wonder why their own schools are so bad. They see the likes of Wole Soyinka teaching the white men english and wonder why their home lecturers find it hard to speak the same language. They see those in power sharing millions in bribe,, funiture allowance, foreign trips, security votes and yet can't understand why there are no funds when it comes to NEPA, health, good roads, social security, pensions, salaries and infrastructure.They here of fantastic figures in foreign reserve yet have to contend with hunger, disease and poverty.
They see good roads in tiny togo, they see uninterrupted eletricity in small ghana, they see good public infrastructure in helpless benin and yet can't understand why nothing works in their own darling land.
Nigerians do not dislike their country, they are only fed up with the generation that systematically and consciously underdeveloped and criminally ruined Nigeria because of their own greed.

This post was meant as a rejoinder to a blogpost on Akin.blog-city on too many aspirants dying to rule in Nigeria.

Are those indicating their interest to "die for Nigeria" really sincere? It is odd that those who have chosen the path of "death" in order to serve our nation end up being the richest men in the country less than 6 months in office. Why would numerous people choose to murder and be murdered to rule our nation? Is there something at the seat of power that they see that we cannot see?

Gen Sani Abacha, Gen Babangida, Gen Abdulsalam Abubakar are just a few Nigerians who "risked" their lives to serve their nation, they did not die but were amply rewarded for their "sacrifice"; they are today reputed to be among Nigeria's wealthiest citizens. How did they amass such wealth? via their salaries?
Gen Obasanjo recently swore to die for Nigeria while surreptitiously working towards obtaining an illegal third term in office. His tenure is indeed a model for all those aspiring to "die" for their nations. He recently acquired a $79m business jet while Tony Blair still paronises commercial airlines. His farm is reputed to generate $250,000 per day in revenue, his son who just graduated from law school purchased a $500,000 home in cash in New York while his late wife spent millions on facelifts around the world. Indeed, his is a life of "sacrifice" to the nation!

Governors and members of state houses of assembly are already awarding themselves huge sums in furniture, housing, transport and foreign travel allowances. They have also pushed for "reforms" that would ensure they and their families are immune from prosecution after they leave office, they have provided themselves life pensions and travel allowances even after their tenure is over. Such is the "austere" life of those who wish to "die" in office.

It is clear that our leaders do not want to "die" to serve their country. Many are willing to murder and be murdered in order to achieve political office that ensures a secure and flamboyant lifestyle for themselves and their families for centuries to come. Indeed political office includes free access to oil wealth to be looted at will. Poor men have become transformed within 24hrs of being appointed to "serve" the nation. It is no wonder communities would rent out huge columns in newspapers to "thank" those in authority for giving one of their own the opportunity to "serve" the nation. They know it is an open access to illegally acquired wealth.

This was totally hilarious!

Watch the fruitcake lady answer your relationship related questions...

Scientists researching into the origin of HIV/AIDS have finally come out with two "breakthroughs".
1. They have been able to pinpoint the "exact" source of the HIV precursor and can estimate where and when the jump from animal to human occured.
2. As is the case with all other debilitating diseases, the "origin" of HIV has been traced back to Africa and specifically southern Cameroun.
Scientists estimate the first case of HIV to have occured as early as 1930 in southern Cameroun.

It is extremely ridiculous and improbable that virtually none of the world's worst diseases ever seem to originate from anywhere save the "jungles" of Africa. From marburg virus to HIV, all have been traced to chimpanzees living in the wild (most believe they cohabit with the "natives") in Africa. If indeed HIV originated in southern Cameroun more than 20 yrs before scientists discovered the first case in the western world, why has it not become an epidemic in Cameroun?

Despite the end of colonialism and slave trade, Africa continues to be plagued by institutional racism by those who see it as nothing more than a jungle and it's people as subhuman. Anytime a new disease comes on that defies medical science, scientists promptly pack their bags and head to Africa in search of the "origin" of the disease.
Now that we know where the disease came from, what are we doing with such information to ensure we wipe out the disease. Praps soon someone will come up with the fantastic idea of using nuclear weapons to wipe out "troublesome" Africa from the face of the earth.

While most Nigerians were celebrating the fall of the third term gambit, many Nigerians were skeptical about the new found democratic zeal that consumed our senators and saw them standing on the path to uphold the constitution.
Most skeptics were convinced the failure of the third term agenda had more to do with the sinister motives of a tiny cabal desperate to reclaim power than upholding constitutional provisions with regards to tenure of office.

Alhaji Iro Abubakar DanMusa, former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister and member of the party's Board of Trustees, only helped to confirm this speculation when he claimed; "if you look very carefully, the issue of the third term was explosive and very contentious simply because it will affect or abort the principle of zoning that we are talking about because, with tenure elongation, the outcome is obvious on where the President will come from again.
But thank God, now that we have got a solution to this, the next thing is to sit down, discuss and confirm the gentleman's agreement on zoning because it is very important that whenever you have an agreement, then you keep to it."

It is not a coincidence that the most vociferous outcry against the TTA was predominantly from the North. Northern politicians have never failed to use every opportunity to remind us that power must shift to the north in 2007. Extending the tenure of the present administration would have aborted the north's dream of taking their "God-given" position as Nigeria's ordained rulers, an opportunity to gain uncontrolled access to oil resources in the niger delta.
The north cannot pretend to be democrats, they have never been. They have silently backed every single millitary coup headed by mainly northern millitary officers, remained criminally silent during the june 12 crisis and shamelessly backed the Abacha family in the quest to obtain justice for crimes commited by the dark goggled general. The north claims to have willingly surrendered power to the southwest in the interest of "peace" and now want power back despite having ruled/ruined the country in over 30 yrs in the saddle. The north has been responsible for the foistering of intellectually decrepit and morally bankrupt political office holders on the Nigerian state in the name of federal character, the result is that despite it's huge human and material resources, more than 70% of Nigerians live on less than $1 a day while the northern oligarchs wallow in ill-gotten oil wealth.
For the north, marginalisation is when "key/lucrative" political positions are held by non-northerners. In a counry badly in need of proactive leaders to place it on a sound footing, the north is busy crying about zoning and gentleman's agreements. Northern leaders do not seem to have any reason why power must return to the north beyond zoning formulars. The north is the reason Nigeria still accounts for 79% of the world's polio cases, the north has attempted to scuttle democray by massively implementing sharia in a country that declares itself a multireligious country.
The north has constitently been the hotbed of religous violence against southerners and yet are the loudest when it comes too the issue of "one nigeria". Thanks to the north, issues such as resource control, fiscal federalism, separation of powers, scrapping of jamb and university autonomy get swept out of the houses of legislature while bills on gay rights, furniture allowance, presidential aircraft, third term, immunity get more than a fair share.

In more serious nations, individuals clamouring to the highest office in the land are doing so on the basis of ideologies meant to improve the lives of the citizenry, in Nigeria, all we here of is gentleman's agreement. The North's quest for power has nothing to do with improving their horrendous educational backwardness, lack of human resources, massive poverty and their booming begger export business, rather it is about uncontrolled access to financial and economic resources that is being produced by other more resourceful parts of the nation.

Many of us sit here shouting "i will vote for Sen. Dr. Chief. ABC, my vote is for Alh. Chief XYZ, " yet we forget that the reason we are in this quagmire in the first place is because our votes do not count in modern day nigeria. Those presently in power cannot beat their chests and say with all confidence that they are enjoying "our mandate". We did not vote them there, we do not know them, we only see them on TV when they cruelly decide our future with their own pecuniary gains in mind. Sadly all we can do is "dream" about who should be in power in 2007, for we all know the result even before going to the polls, the difference is in the predicted and actual margin of victory. Nigerians are prisoners in their own land, they do not decide who is in power and they are totally powerless at removing incompetent illiterates who buy their way into office.

The good ones can never win, they do not have the financial muscle of the likes of Atiku and Babangida neither do they have the gift of sycophancy possessed by the likes of ibrahim mantu and ojo maduekwe. The good ones lack the ability to fix/rig elections like the legendary tony anenih, neither do they have the garb of turncoats like the famous Tom Ikimi and Jerry Gana. They unlike Alh. Ahmadu Ali cannot abuse the senate and railroad their party down the path of destruction, they do not possess the dictatorial touch exhibited by our greatest leader ever, Gen Olusanni Abachanjo!

I have no interest in who will be the next leader in 2007 since those who have turned themselves into professional kingmakers are already deciding that at present. I can only want and dream, Abachanjo and his henchmen have the final say! Not poor Nigerians!

"Nigeria is not a nation. It is a mere geographical expression. The word 'Nigeria' is merely a distinctive appellation to distinguish those who live within the boundaries of Nigeria from those who do not."
- Chief Obafemi Awolowo
“The basis of unity [for Nigeria is] not there…”
- Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd)

When these men made these statements, they were not beside themselves. They saw beyond the "one nigeria" charade, they saw beyond the "ethnic rivalries and bickering" that has turned most nigerians into cowards, afraid to shape their own destiny for fear of an imaginary civil war.

Nigeria is indeed not a nation, it's people do not behave as nigerians. Indeed the people care nothing for nigeria, they do not respect it neither do they love it. Citizenship and patriotism has lost its meaning in "one nigeria". Nigerians would rather be caught with a US flag than the green-white-green, millions of nigerians are fans of arsenal-till-i-die yet have no idea about the local soccer team in their local government. The average Nigerian kid with no knowledge of Nigeria's history can boldly tell you all the hottest night clubs in NY despite having never been there.In "one nigeria", nothing belongs to the people. Public property is no man's property and thus can be vandalized at will. We do not care for our landscape, we don't like our schools, we hate our leaders and most of us would rather sleep at home than go out and vote or for census.
Oct 1 is stay at home day, no one celebrates our national birthday because frankly no one remembers and the few that remember do not care enough to celebrate it.

We are not one Nigeria! The north wants sharia, the west want freedom and the east are biafrans rather than nigerians. We claim one nigeria and yet kill ourselves at the slightest opportunity. We are one nigeria yet political appointments are made on the basis of state of origin, federal character is firmly in place and our national honors has long been more about filling state quotas than actually rewarding excellence. Our schools are packed with dumb cattle rearers to fill quotas from educationally less advanced states (in the 21st century!) while our brilliant minds spend their nights queueing at international embassies.

We all promote "one nigeria" and yet sit tight in another man's land. We claim nigerian politics is too complicated t guarantee a split, ours must surely be a strange kind of politics that ensures the only way out is by civil war. The north wants "one nigeria" because they lack human resources, natural resources and an access to the sea. Yet they kill other non-northerners for offences commited by europeans. Indeed we are all one nigeria!
We are indeed a nation of paradoxes, we call ourselves a federation and yet we run a unitary system of government. We are a democracy yet the president has absolute powers. We have houses of assemblies packed full with the "people's representatives" yet the only things they represent is their pockets and the state governors. University employments and promotions are made on the basis of ethnicity and not scholarly achievement yet we promote ourselves as the beacon of the black race.

We do not want to split yet we know we are not compatible. We continue to force a contraption down on ourselves because we are too afraid to do the right thing. We forget that peace is not the absence of violence and that justice denied is only justice delayed.

Barring any last minute changes, FIFA bigwigs will be meeting in Germany to decide the fate of football in Nigeria. Top on the bill is discussing a possible ban on Nigeria from all international competitions for at least 2 yrs. The implications of such a ban are multiple, Nigeria would miss out on the 2008 Nations cup and would not take place in any of the World Cup or Nations Cup qualifiers. Virtually all Nigeria's young players would miss a golden opportunity to play at the world's stage and improve their chances of securing more lucrative club offers.

Nigeria is indeed a very funny country. It is a country where those who fail in their duties still insist on holding on to their "mandates". Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima, the man who failed to secure a world cup slot for Nigeria during his tenure has steadfastly held on to his dubious reelection in Kano as NFA chairman, the same Kano that served as the grave of Nigeria's world cup hopes.
For a man who told us there was nothing like head-to-head rules even when pointed out to him by journalists and a man who was bold enough to tell us that the world cup was not Nigeria's birthright has continued his war with the sports ministry in an attempt to hang on as NFA chairman.

The sickening way Galadima has clung unto his "mandate" even in the face of threats of a FIFA ban leads one to wonder if his mandate is all about serving Nigerian football or more to do with the perks that go with being Chairman of arguably Africa's best soccer playing nation.
One is also wont to ask if the NFA chairmanship seat is Galadima's birthright. Agreed sports minister, samaila sambawa has also shown his complete incompetence and disregard for laid down rules as regards football associations, Galadima must realise that you can only fight government to a certain extent. Government still sponsors football and to a certain extent can still dictate to the soccer house.

If Galadima truly loves Nigerian soccer as he wants us all to believe, he should spare us the agony of a FIFA ban that would affect millions of Nigerians based on a clash of egos between two men who have no interest in developing Nigerian football. Galadima has held on for too long, it is time to end this impasse by honorably stepping down. Nigeria must not lose her right to international competitions simply because one man is bent on claiming his "birthright".
Nigeria is far bigger than Ibrahim Galadima.

"The outcome is victory for democracy. There is no absolute right and absolute truth except God. And in any argument or debate, there is bound to be an element of right and wrong or truth and untruth on either side. And we must respect each other no matter the human verdict and human foibles. Respect, of course, begets respect."
- President Olusegun Obasanjo

Millions of Nigerians both home and in the diaspora were pumping their fists in jubilation at the convincing thumping of the third term project at both the upper and lower houses of parliament during the week.
Politicans, sycophants and political jobbers alike all claimed the defeat of the TTA as a "victory for democracy." Even President Obasanjo appeared "graceful in defeat" as he told an emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja; "as a political party, we should accept the verdict of the National Assembly even though the two chambers concluded differently. The constitution must be held hallowed and sacred. And on the basis of the constitution in hand, we must start to plan for the next elections.” The President also claimed that he, against popular belief, insisted that he resisted being drawn into either side of the debacle.

The truth is the defeat of TTA is not a victory for Nigerians but more proof that Nigeria's political system is really not about them but about the scramble for her enormous oil wealth by a corrupt minority. In a society where votes matter, the third term madness would not have mattered because without the peoples mandate, no one would be talking about rewriting the constitution. The likes of Mantu would not have so shamelessly backed the TTA if they knew they had to depend on the peoples votes to retain their exalted offices in 2007. Indeed most of our (s)elected legislators know that we did not vote for them. Those we voted for are not in office today, some were rigged out and the rest sold their mandates for a mess of pottage.
How could the PDP have doggedly ordered those that were elected to represent us to support the TTA with more than 80% of ordinary Nigerians not in support? In other climes that singular act would have condemned them to several years in the political wilderness, but not in Nigeria. In fact if the TTA had sailed through, not only would the PDP have won the 2007 elections it would have done so by a ludicrous landslide.

Why did it take President Obasanjo so long to tell us where he stood on the TTA issue? While the TTA was on, the whole nation was completely ground to a halt. Within 2 days of the it's defeat, the Afenifere has pulled out of the AD and formed a new political party, the Labour Congress has named a Presidential candidate, where were these people when the TTA was still alive and kicking?
At the same NEC meeting, President Obasanjo was quoted to have said; "and again, as a democratic party, it did not impose its decision on its members in this respect; no matter what office they hold. Members were allowed to discuss freely and act or vote according to the dictates of their conscience. That was democracy at work. And it must be hailed in spite of alleged imperfections." Contrast that with a threat by the Chairman of the same party, Alh Ahmadu Ali to expel any PDP legislator in the National Assembly that refuses back the tenure extension bandwagon.

The TTA disaster also exposed the puerility of "debate" at the houses of assembly. In truth, no debate is going on at both chambers, what we have is a cacophony of illiterates spewing forth harebrained statements. How did we vote this men into office?

Senator Julius Ucha: My position is that nothing in this world is possible except what is ordained by God. If the proponent of the third term is doing it with faith in God, to reduce corruption and to foster unity nothing including intimidation can stop them.
Senator Rufai Hanga: We are against elongation, third term is evil.
Senator John Danboyi: people believe in dialogue and peace. I have a peculiar situation in my state. My state is 100 per cent PDP in all tiers of government, federal, state and local governments and we will remain in PDP.
Senator Cosmos Niagwa: All I have to say is that I support all the recommendations.

The interesting thing is virtually all the senators in their statements for or against the TTA all refered to "our people", the question is which people where they refering to? The vast majority of Nigerians who were against tenure extension?

Nna, my owner bought me a month ago where i was gently cooling my heels at CompUsa. As a good servant, i have served my master well all this while and i have never complained whenever he decided to upload all those 500MB games on my limited random access memory. I never complained when he failed to wipe me clean, even when he pounded my hard disk brain with 1000 programs at once, still i bore it all in silence. Now my lightscribe DVDrom started acting up two days ago, my owner is contemplating taking me back and replacing me with a new servant. I have decided to take the battle to the Lord in prayer, praps he will change his mind and let me stay here...

The Lord is my Operating System,
I shall not hang.
He makes to boot normally without errors, he loads my router table with cool links; he restored my path.
He routed me to the server of righteousness, for His domain sake.
Even though I browse hackers’ sites, I will fear no attack, for he is my shield, thy antivirus and firewalls, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a link before me in the presence of time-outs; thou connected my links with fiber optics.
Surely solid connection and replies shall follow me all the period of my pings and I shall telnet from the server of the Lord for ever and ever.

According to current statistics, PHCN aka Please Hold Candles Nigerians, presently generates less than 50% of installed capacity. While South Africa currently generates 40000MW of power, Nigeria is still struggling to meet a 4000MW target in a 7 yr period.
This post was inspired by a similar post made on the same topic on Nairaland.

Nwoke: electricity is very cheap, people use it for watching TV, for powering light bulbs even (instead of the more efficient flourescent lights) during the day, for air conditioners and all sorts. This is far more than the power that NEPA can supply, so what they do is that they randomly switch people on and off. This is known as rationing.
Davidylan: I am very puzzled. When electricity is expensive, what would people use it for? Nothing? What do u use to watch TV, A/Cs or power light bulbs in the first place? Batteries? don't they watch TV, power light bulbs or use A/C in neighboring Ghana or Togo? If all these is far more than the power that NEPA can supply then why are they still in existence in the first place?

Nwoke: If the price goes up, all of a sudden Johny would remember that he doesn't need to use AC when there is fan. All of a sudden, sis eko with the power guzzling deep freezer will realize that to recoup the cost of electricity she needs to charge people who want to keep items in her freezer. All of a sudden, mama bomboy will start ordering her children to put off lights when they are not in use. All of a sudden, people will start conserving electricity.
Davidylan: How many people in Nigeria use A/C? Some don't even have common fans. How many sisi ekos use "power-guzzling" freezers and is it with NEPA's erratic candle light that they use to power it? How do you conserve what you do not have?

Nwoke: On the other hand, if the supply goes up with the same price, it wouldn't help much. People will simply start using electricity more aggressively. Those who were using generator most of the time will start trying to use NEPA to save money. Demand would quickly outpace the supply leaving us exactly where we started, even with no corruption.
Davidylan: According to the theory of economics, demand and supply go together, in NEPA there is HIGH demand but NO supply! You seem to insinuate that people are using generators because they are too rich to be seen using NEPA! In contrast they use generators because there is simply no alternative! Pple using generators are on their knees praying for NEPA to get better, do you know how much it costs to fuel and maintain a generator?

Nwoke: With the revenue earned from the tap, the owner can dig another borehole to benefit everybody. That is what I have in mind for NEPA. When price goes up, demand goes down. It's a law.
Davidylan: Increase in NEPA tarrif will not bring down demand. Everyone needs electricity to survive regardless of cost! The problem of NEPA is NOT revenue, NEPA alone has guzzled billions of dollars with nothing to show for it, increasing tarrif will simply add to the criminal misery of Nigerians who are forced to pay for services not rendered!

7 years after he promised to lead us out of darkness, majority of Nigerians live with less than 6hrs of electricity per day. So much for the privatisation of Government's largest monopoly, Never Expect Power Always.

For the many that are not satisfied with the much they have, for those who scream about medicare, high gas prices, social security benefits and alternative fuel.
For those more concerned with cruelty to animals, for those who care enough to take their dogs to the hair salon and dog training schools.
For those who complain about having to study too hard at school, for those who cry about the "type" of presents they recieve at christmas, for those who scream at not getting enough icecream....

Remember there are millions who have no schools, no food to eat and no homes to call their own. They have no beds to sleep on, no shoes or clothes to wear. No mother or father to call their own, no shoulders to lean on, no sturdy hands to hug them and remind them all would be well tomorrow.

You can dream about tomorrow, they have no hope in today. You can rail at your governments, they have no strength neither do they have the resources to even fend for themselves.

You can make the world a better place today, take a moment and thank God for the "little" you have and spare a prayer for the millions whose lives hang in delicate balance between life and death.

See this clip: http://ngocquynh85.com/thinking/tuongphan.php

http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/news/article05

Alhaji Masari speaks to a delegation:

Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari, noted that the National Assembly had just worked on an electoral bill that would solve most of the electoral problems in the country and assured that the 2007 polls would be a clean break from the previous ones because the bill contains innovations that would greatly improve the electoral process in the country.
Since that surreptitious bill on 3rd term came out, Nigeria has been at a virtual standstill. Governance does not exist, the economy is no more than the sale of crude oil, and political officers have abandoned their posts to fight for their political careers, infact no one knows tomorrow. With less than 10 months to a general election, there is no time table, no political parties, no candidates, and no electioneering campaigns. This bill is indeed solving ALL our electoral problems.

The speaker also told the visitors that the various organs in the country are putting heads together to ensure that nothing happened to the nation.
Which organs? The thieving congress, the lame duck judiciary or the rudderless presidency? They are not concerned about the country, their major concern is how to stuff their pockets and foist themselves illegally on the nation for another term of rapacious looting of the treasury.

Masari further said that whatever problems they might have perceived are not new and peculiar to the country but part of the elements of democracy everywhere in the world.
Worldwide elements of democracy now include illegal doctoring of the constitution for selfish purposes, wanton corruption, presidential disregard for the law, grooming of sacred cows, messianic complexes, political illiteracy and administrative incompetence.

"We have just concluded action on a new electoral bill before your visit. It may not be the best but one of the best so far in the country.
If this is the best bill the senate can boast of, then we are of all men most miserable.

He pointed out that Nigerians are very resilient people and having overcome the problems of the June 1993 elections, they could overcome any problem.
Meaning: Nigerians are very unwilling to lead a revolution against an unpopular government. Nigerians also have a terrible case of political amnesia, after all the hue and cry, we will still do as we please and Nigerians will forget and life will continue.

We want to have a legislation that widens the horizon and it is our collective effort. If we implement the Act, there will be great improvement in our electoral system we have gone through our worst period which was the early 1990's," he said.
· The legislation neither widens our horizon, it only widens their pockets.
· It is not our collective effort since we the people were never consulted.
· We do not even have an electoral system so we cannot be talking of improving what does not exist.
· Thanks to MEND, the worst is yet to come.

From: Nwoke
Site Administrator
Posts: 7220
Calling On Friendly Nigerians 7 Friends Of Nigeria

Sent to: (Undisclosed recipients) on: Yesterday at 11:23:36 PM

Dear Nairalander,
- Are you friendly?
- Are you polite?
- Are you someone who doesn't mind following simple rules?
- Is your English ok?
- Do you love to help others?
If you answered "yes" to all the questions above, then you are invited to become more active on Nairaland. Let us raise our voices above those of the haters and the spammers this week!Cheers,The Nairaland Admin.

yo, I'm the admin. one love!

From: Davidylan
RE: Calling On Friendly Nigerians 7 Friends Of Nigeria

Dear Nairaland Admin,
- Are you friendly?
- Are you polite?
- Have you been following YOUR OWN "simple" rules?
- Is your english better than those of other nairalanders?
- Do you love to help others?

If you answered "yes" to all the questions above, then we would be highly pleased to become more active on Nairaland. Let us raise our voices above those of dictators and pompous admins this week!
Cheers, at the bloggers corner.

Welcome to the United States of America!
With those words just shortly before the aircraft lands at your US port of entry, you are welcomed into the yawning jaws of the world’s most favorite destination and an opportunity to pursue the so-called “American dream”.
Thousands of pamphlets abound educating you about life in America, what they never tell you though is that you would soon be interacting with the strangest set of humans the world has ever seen.

Welcome to the world where dogs and cats are taken to the doctor for periodic check-ups, dogs also have clothes and caps, dogs take showers and don’t be surprised the day you see a dog or cat being transported to the hair salon.

In case you don’t know, dogs unlike many African kids you may know go to school.

If you are still harboring that “love your neighbor as yourself” mantra, be advised that in America it is “love your dog as yourself and more than your neighbor”!

Summer time is nude time, if you are not used to it please learn to close your eyes.

When you hear “hang out”, they are not talking about hanging clothes to dry outside.

Don’t be shocked if you see people “making out” right In public, under the law it is called public display of affection.

It is an unwritten law here, if you don’t have a boyfriend or girlfriend by 16, and you have never kissed a boy or girl at 21, please consult a doctor.

Family here is not father, mother and children. It may be mother, mother and children or father, father and children. No matter the variety, family means any group of persons living under the same roof.

Don’t ask the average American what a chicken looks like, he doesn’t know.

It is normal to abuse the president to his face; it is called freedom of expression.

Confused about spring break? Please visit Cancun, Mexico.

The birth of an elephant or pelerine falcon is a tourist attraction.

N50m per senator at approx 109 senators - N5.5bn
N40m per honorable member house of assembly at 360 members - N14.4bn

Total Cost - $72 million (N9.3 billion) [11.7% of total Federal allocation to all 25 Federal Universities.]
Annual maintenance cost - $7.9 million (N1.04 billion)

Note: Photos courtesy Saturday Vanguard, Thisday, Saturday Sun.

Dear David,

I stopped reading today to take a few minutes back to reflect on how you’ve been living your life. I know life could be very stressful, you’re very lucky you at least have someone to guide you and give you some good advice, I wish I had someone myself.

Now you’re about to enter college, please choose wisely. You will make new friends, there will be no daddy and mummy, there will be nobody to ask you I you have done your laundry or read your books or read your bible. There are friends and there are friends, remember to be wise as a serpent and be gentle as a dove.

1. Read your books very hard, for the successes of today will greatly influence your tomorrow. When you look up do you see stars or do you see your dreams? The way up is the way down, be serious with your school work. Copy your notes conscientiously and ensure you have your assignments turned in at the right time. Don’t let procrastination take a grip of you; you will only end up regretting everything you left undone.
2. I know you love writing; it had always been your hobby. Always remember that what thy hands findeth to do, do it well and the God of wisdom bless your endeavors.
3. Steer clear from women and wine, though sweet they are the road to a man’s eventual downfall. They will take your heart away from God and steal your mind away from your textbooks. They steal your innocence and take away any pride you still have left.
4. Never be arrogant. You might be the best in class yet you’ve got tons to learn from others who are not as intellectually endowed as you are. Always learn to give the credit to He who gave you the ability, be willing to learn, be willing to impart knowledge.
5. Give. Give. Give. I can’t tell you enough that those who give are those who are blessed the most.
6. Never say I can’t, those who are successful have one head just like you. The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is just a little extra effort. If others can, you more.
7. Don’t look down on yourself, for that girl you thought you could never approach was waiting in vain for you to approach her. Take your chances, opportunity comes but once. Remember time and chance happeneth to every one equally.
8. Take your choir practices seriously, never shrink back when you are asked to lead worship sessions or take solos. It is the road to improving your voice.
9. I know you are also a very sensitive person, you are young and you still have years ahead of you. Take things easy; do not be in a hurry. What is yours will always be yours. Never misuse opportunity; you will never get some chances again.

I love you and I wish I could go back and live your life again but I can’t. Time never rolls back for anyone, you have seen my pitfalls and mistakes, and it is up to you to learn. The wise man learns from his mistakes, a wiser man learns from the mistakes of others.

Good luck as you live your life, enjoy it and learn to make a balance. There is time to be serious and a time to loosen up. Have fun and remember you only have one chance in a lifetime to be young. Use it to the maximum ability that you can.

God bless you…

Your older you!
David