Thursday, June 28, 2007

BOSO.ME - Check out his Vital Statistics

This series first commenced with chxta who had earlier on participates in this series by letting us into some of his vital statistics. Today, this blog try to bring out the vital statistics in BOSOME, I am sure you will love his responses to some of the statistical questions. Please read on.

BIRTH DATE:- 30th October

E-MAIL ADDRESS :- me@boso.me.uk

ZODIAC SIGN :- Scorpio

CHILDHOOD NICKNAME :- Boso

FAVOURITE FOOD :- Beans and Dodo

FAVOURITE DRINK :- Fanta

FAVOURITE COLOUR :- Blue

FAVOURITE CAR :- Honda Accord

FAVOURITE COLOGNE :- Blue Water

FAVOURITE BOOK :- The Bible

FAVOURITE SPORT:- Soccer (Is there any other sport? Really?)

FAVOURITE NIGERIAN :- Wole Soyinka

FAVOURITE FOOTBALLER (MALE) :- Steve Gerrard

FAVOURITE SOCCER CLUB: Liverpool

FAVOURITE NIGERIAN FOOTBALLER (FEMALE) :-

FAVOURITE FOREIGN FOOTBALLER :- Steve Gerrard

FAVOURITE MUSIC (TRADITIONAL) :-

FAVOURITE MUSIC (FOREIGN) :- Blues

FAVOURITE NIGERIA MUSICIAN:- Big Lo

FAVOURITE FOREIGN MUSICIAN:- Ruben Studdard

FAVOURITE NIGERIA ACTOR (ENGLISH) :- Don’t watch Nigerian movies

FAVOURITE FOREIGN ACTOR:- Denzel Washington

FAVOURITE FOREIGN ACTRESS:- Sandra Bullock

FAVOURITE FOREIGN MOVIE:- Cool Runnings

FAVOURITE NEWSPAPER:- This Day

FAVOURITE MAGAZINE:- Don’t have one

FAVOURITE RELIGIOUS ARTISTE (MALE) :- Fred Hammond

FAVOURITE RELIGIOUS ARTISTE (FEMALE) Yolanda Adams

FAVOURITE GOSPEL SINGER:- Fred Hammond

UNCOMPROMISING HABIT:- Reading ANYTHING

UNCONTROLLED WEAKNESS :- Watch TV too much

PERSON I LOVE TO MEET AT THIS MOMENT:- Bill Gates

PERSON I DREAMT OF MEETING :- Bill Gates

FAVOURITE MODE OF DRESSING:- T shirt and jeans

FAVOURITE MAXIMS :- "You are what you repeatedly do. Excellence therefore is not an act, but a habit" Aristotle

MY GUIDING PRINCIPLES :- "No great genius has ever existed without some touch of madness" Aristotle

MY GUIDING SAYING:- "Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I'm very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that." Bill Shankly

GIFT OR TALENT:- singing

HAPPIEST MOMENT IN LIFE :- day my daughter was born

MOST ADMIRED POLITICIAN:- Tony Blair

MODE OF RELAXATION:- sleep

MOST AMAZING TECHNOLOGY:- radio. Wireless technology has changed our lives in so many ways

Monday, June 25, 2007

Still Gunners for Life?

Of course, it is still a shock to some of us Arsenal Fans that our talismanic Striker, the Igwe himself, the slippery forward and of course the goal scoring king of Arsenal has left our darling club to another club that play our pattern of free flowing football, Barcelona. No doubt we will all missed him. As he bade farewell to arsenal fans in his interview at arsenal website, I was close to tears when he said these lines of words: “Arsenal will be in my blood as well as my heart. I will always, always, always remember you guys. I said I was going to be a Gunner for life and I did not lie because when you are a Gunner you will always be a Gunner. The Club is in my heart and will remain in my heart forever."
So as he is leaving the club for Barcelona, I ponder aloud as to what become the fans that are mostly fans of Arsenal because of Thiery Henry? The news perhaps is not yet out, but, I foresee Arsene Wenger also leaving the club in a matter of days or month, it will indeed be a miracle if he stay to see the end of his contract which end next year.
That would make an exit too much if Wenger joined Henry in leaving Arsenal. So, to Arsenal fans out there, would the slogan still be Gunners for life? To give my own candid answer, my heart had always been with Arsenal despite the fact that my Idol i.e Kanu Nwankwo left the club, I dont think there would be a different still, if not, than to see that my heart is still with the club that serve Kanu Nwankwo very well, and of course the best foreign Player I had ever loved - Thierry Henry and of course the Coach that make them - Arsene Wenger.
So I said, Gooners for life!!!

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Promotion

I got promoted in the office this week, having been traumatised about the outcome of the promotion exercised for the past 5 months now. Where I work, which is a federal government parastatals, promotion is like going for a job interview. You have to sit for a written examination, then thereafter attend an oral interview.
The preparation for those two is traumatic in entirety because you need to prepare very well like someone going to sit for Cambridge Examination. Then on the day of the interview, more trauma ensues because we were not interview during the appointed time. The agony is more increased when you realised that, you may end up been asked to come the second day to finish the interview, when you already prepared to let go all that you have memorised to go with the appointed day of the interview. But alas, the interview was compoleted that day.
Now come the result, it was delayed for over 5 months, leaving room for manipulation. At a time I gave up that it has been swept under the carpet, until this week when I received my promotion letter, and realisation that 8 out of 15 in our category scale through the interview.
Truth is, this is the first major promotion I had gotten in my entire working career spanning 15 years in different establishment, so it calls for celebration, and indeed "I must wash am".
But the strike action took shine off the good tidings as everywhere seem paralysed as a result of the strike action, so I may have to postpone the "washing" till later after the strike. You are all cordially invited.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Darfur Crisis and Mixing Politics with Sport

I read this in today's Nigeria Daily Guardian, and cannot but copy and paste it into my blog. So I pause and ponder, Can this actually have impact on Darfur Crisis? Please read on.

Necessary boycott of Beijing Olympics

Sir: In the wake of the Chinese president - Mr. Hu Jinao's visit to Nigeria last year, some of us Nigerian writers warned in our open letter (The Guardian on Sunday, April 30, 2006) that empowering China with oil prospecting licence must be done when China is willing to be responsible to global covenants on the environment and to the immediate stop of the genocide project in Darfur.

The gloomy sands of Darfur are a desolation of tears and blood. Lots of cries for help yet no big one is underway. Over 250,000 helpless black people have been murdered and over two million are in hellish refugee conditions. And yet in both cases still counting.

China with its oil interest is one of the very few countries the Sudanese government relies on for cash and guns which makes China morally culpable in the mass slaughter.

We call on the Nigerian government to rally all other African nations to boycott the Beijing Olympics next year should China still insist on its deadly intimacy with the Sudanese government. Frustrating this deadly intimacy is much more critical than the impact of UN or AU peacekeepers in Sudan.

We must act now!

Damola Awoyokun
London.


Monday, June 18, 2007

Was Supreme Court Wrong?

‘THE decision of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, the apex judicial body, delivered on Thursday, 14 June, 2007, extending the tenure of office of Mr. Peter Obi as governor of Anambra State is riddled with serious and fundamental constitutional error. It was a landmark judgement but one without constitutional jurisdiction,” Lagos lawyer, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN, said yesterday.

Fawehinmi explained, in a press statement, that he unreservedly disagreed with the Supreme Court because by the provisions of the Constitution of Nigeria, 1999, “I believe that the highest court of the land has no jurisdiction on the matter”.

According to him, the Court of Appeal is the final court in matters relating to gubernatorial election as provided for in section 246(3) of the 1999 constitution.
The background facts, as provided by the senior advocate, are as follows:

“The decision of the Supreme Court arose from the governorship election that was contested in Anambra State in 2003. In that election, Dr. Chris Nwabueze Ngige of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was declared the winner of that election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“Dr. Chris Nwabueze Ngige took the Oath of Office and Oath of Allegiance contained in the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution on 29th May, 2003.

“Mr. Peter Obi of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) challenged Ngige’s election in the Election Tribunal sitting at Awka, Anambra State.
“On Friday, 12th August, 2005, close to three (3) years after the election, Mr. Peter Obi won the election petition and Dr. Chris Nwabueze Ngige lost.

“However, Dr. Chris Nwabueze Ngige went on appeal to the Court of Appeal. There again, Mr. Peter Obi won on Wednesday, 15th March, 2006. And because the Court of Appeal is a final court in such matters as provided for in Section 246(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, that was the end of the matter. No further appeal could go to the Supreme Court of Nigeria. “Mr. Peter Obi took the Oath of Office and Oath of Allegiance on Friday, 17th March, 2006. “On Saturday, April 14, 2007, Anambra State Governorship Election was conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Dr. Andy Ubah was declared the winner and on May 29, 2007, he took the Oath of Office and Oath of Allegiance under the Constitution. There were several petitions against the election of Dr. Andy Uba pending before the 2007 Election Tribunal in Awka”.

Asking whether the Supreme Court has the constitutional jurisdiction to determine the tenure of Obi, he stated: “The judicial institutions empowered by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to determine whether the tenure of office of any person under the Constitution has expired or ceased are: (a) Election tribunals; and (b) The Court of Appeal if there is an appeal to that Court of Appeal from the Election Tribunals. “Under the 1999 Constitution, the decision of the Court of Appeal in that respect is final. The relevant constitutional provisions are Section 285(1) and 246(3).

“Section 285(1) provides:- “285. (1) There shall be established for the Federation one or more election tribunals to be known as the National Assembly Election Tribunals which shall, to the exclusion of any court or tribunal, have original jurisdiction to hear and determine petitions as to whether- (a) any person has been validly elected as a member of the National Assembly; (b) the term of office of any person under this Constitution has ceased; (c) the seat of a member of the Senate or a member of the House of Representatives has become vacant; and (d) a question or petition brought before the election tribunal has been properly or improperly brought.”

“Section 246(3) provides thus:- “246(3) The decisions of the Court of Appeal in respect of appeals arising from election petitions shall be final.” “I will start with Section 285. For emphasis, the pertinent subsection above is 285(1)(b) which provides as follows:- “285(1) There shall be established for the Federation one or more election tribunals to be known as the National Assembly Election Tribunals which shall, have original jurisdiction to hear and determine petitions as to whether - (b) the term of office of any person under this Constitution has ceased”

Sounds convincing to me, does it mean the Supreme Court was actually wrong? Let us wait to replies from other learned lawyers in Nigeria and of course the full judgment of the Supreme Court coming up in July this year.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Supreme Court Grants Obi Tenure Extension

In a landmark judgement this afternoon, the Supreme Court ruled that former governor Peter Obi of Anambra State should go back to the Government House as governor of the state till March 17, 2010. The court also ordered that the incumbent Governor, Cheif Andy Uba, should vacate office as he ceases to be governor as from today. In the lead judgement, Justice Katsina Alu said INEC erred in law by conducting election in Anambra State when Peter Obi has not served his four-year term.
The court ruled that the four year tenure of Obi commenced from the day he was sworn in and will terminate on 17 March 2010. All the six justices of the apex agreed with the lead judgement. They all agreed that a governor should only vacate office four years from the day of assuming office. They said Obi had not served the constitutionally stipulated four years in office. The Supreme Court justices said a fuller explanations of the judgement will be given on 13 July, 2007. Obi was not in court but his deputy Dame Virginia Etiaba was in court.

Pause and Ponder on Chxta's world

This blog intends to commence a series of a cursory look at Nigerian bloggers at a glance in a form of statistics. I therefore commenced this edition with a look at Chxta's world. Come along and take a look.



BIRTH DATE:- 10 May (He gave the actual year, but I edited it)

E-MAIL ADDRESS :-

ZODIAC SIGN :- Taurus

CHILDHOOD NICKNAME :- Chxta

FAVOURITE FOOD :- Plantain with anything

FAVOURITE DRINK :- Lemon tea

FAVOURITE COLOUR :- Blue

FAVOURITE CAR :- Range Rover Sport

FAVOURITE BOOK :- Things Fall Apart

FAVOURITE SPORT:- Football

FAVOURITE NIGERIA MUSICIAN:- Resonance

FAVOURITE FOREIGN MUSICIAN:- Nino Rota

FAVOURITE FOREIGN MOVIE:- The Godfather

FAVOURITE NEWSPAPER:- The Guardian (UK)

FAVOURITE MAGAZINE:- PC World

UNCOMPROMISING HABIT:- None really

UNCONTROLLED WEAKNESS :- Lie in on waking up

PERSON I LOVE TO MEET AT THIS MOMENT:- My girlfriend

PERSON I DREAMT OF MEETING :- Ioseph Dzhugashvili

UNCOMPREHENSIBLE QUESTION:- Lots in this questionnaire

FAVOURITE MODE OF DRESSING:- Casual

FAVOURITE MAXIMS :- Si vis pace para bellum

MY GUIDING PRINCIPLES :- History repeats itself, so we have to be careful to prevent that happening

MY GUIDING SAYING:- Vox audita parit, litera scripta manet

MOST CHERISHED POSSESSIONS:- My hard drive

HAPPIEST MOMENT IN LIFE :- Feb 7, 2000

SADDEST MOMENT IN LIFE :- Feb 13, 2000

MODE OF RELAXATION:- Reading

MOST AMAZING TECHNOLOGY:- Linux

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Police to ban Okada from Lagos streets

Commercial motorcyclists, known in local parlance as Okada, will soon be banned from some major streets in Lagos State, according to the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Bashiru Azeez. Azeez said at a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) forum on Tuesday in Lagos that the ban was to restore dignity to the areas that would be affected and reduce the crime rate in the state. The commissioner said the Command had already discussed the proposed ban with the state government. He said the police had discovered that some robbers used motorcycles for their operations, especially during traffic jams, adding that many commercial motorcyclists also flouted traffic rules with impunity. Azeez said a task force had been set up to decongest traffic jams on some major roads to reduce robbery and alleviate the sufferings of motorists. He disclosed that the police recently gave four motorcycles to each Area Command in the state for security patrol during traffic jams. Azeez, who stressed that the state police command was committed to guaranteeing security of lives and property, also said the state Police Command would soon recruit more personnel to improve security.
Has anyone started to pause and ponder over the implications? Especially in Lagos of all places!!!

Monday, June 11, 2007

The Defiant of Okada Riders in Abuja

It isnt news that Commercial Motorcycle popularly called Okada was banned in Abuja last year, what is news is that the moment the Erstwhile Minister of Federal Capital vacated office as a result of the end of his tenure with the government of Obasanjo Administration, the Okada riders are back.
Most of them that were interviewed hinged their comback on the exit of former Minister, and of course the end of Obasanjo Administration. Of particular is the fact that, most of this okada riders believed that as long as Obasanjo and El-Rufai are no more holding forth in Office, the law banning their trade is no more enforceable.
This defiance caused the administration of Federal Capital to descend heavily on this and today, about 250 motorcycles had been impounded while a mobile court was set up to try offenders with over 20 already sentenced to 3 months imprisonment.
With the clampdown on them, one would have thought it will serve as deterrent, but some of them still remain defiant, choosing of course to operate early in the morning and of course in the evening when they know the task force would either not have resumed for work or had already closed for the day.
This defiance had caused this blogger to pause and ponder why they can subject themselves to such risk knowing fully well that they may be arrested and prosecuted. The truth however is that most of them are illiterates who does not believe that the law prohibiting their operations is still in force, other who are literate could not afford to leave the trade since it is a means of livelihood to them. One then ponders that there is indeed money in the business, no wonder some of the Okada riders does not own the Motorcycle, but are mere riders who are expected to deliver certain amount of money at the end of the day to the real owners. These types are the ones that remain defiant, believing that it is the Motorcycle who will suffer the consequences once it is impounded.
Despite the fact that it was only Abuja town that they were restrained from operating, they are however allowed to operate in Abuja town environs. One would have thought they will abide by this law, but they chose to remain defiant. Talk of New government, new sets of laws, at least, that is what the Okada Operators thinks.

Friday, June 8, 2007

Running Scared

We all must have experienced this one way or the other. But this particular one I am about to narrate happened to a friend, it was indeed 'running scared'
My friend had stayed in 6 different places in Abuja here and have each place demolished. He was so unlucky. Here in Abuja before Mallam El-Rufai came in as Minister, it is a common practice to see people building illegal mud houses. It is usually mud houses because the land itself was illegal, they bought the land for a meagre sum knowing fully well that the government can come at any time to demolish it. So my friend was unlucky to rent such houses on 6 different occasions and on each occasions, have his house demolished. The most painful aspect is that he ended up losing his rental fees on such scenarios.
I think he fell into such circumstances because he is a low income earner who cannot afford to rent those flats or self-contained room which goes for exorbitant amount. Now my friend live in the outskirt of Abuja and still scare that perhaps where he is resident could be subjected to another demolition even though it is in Nassarawa State. Now that is what I called 'Running Scared' . Can you blame him, the fear of 'Demolition' is the beginning of wisdom in Abuja.

Thursday, June 7, 2007

The Ceasefire that may not be honoured

The Niger Delta militant had again issued another ceasefire to incessant kidnapping of foreign national. In a statement issued yesterday, the joint militants group decided to recognise the government of Yar'Adua and decided to sheath their sword for another one month to allow dialogue. Amongst their demands is unconditional release of Mujahid Asari Dokubo, the leader of a militant group, release of Dieprieye Alamieseigha the former governor of Bayelsa State.
What this blog is particular about is the huge amount of money paid to this Militants as ransome. What happened to this large sum of money? who benefited from it, what was it used for and most importantly, can they actually stop this kidnapping in the event that ransom is involved and not more of proving of agitations.
What we are trying to say here is, at least some people have become rich as a result of this kidnappings, some large amount of arms have been procure with this ransom money and of course, it is becoming more of a quicker way to make money. If the above scenarios is wrong, then if eventually, the ceasefire is honoured and a truce was agreed upon, and the kidnapping stopped eventually, this blog is tempted to agreed that it was a political motivated unrest in the first place.
Truth is no matter the outcome of the ceasefire and truce with the federal government, this kidnapping has come to stay. Some people have seen this as a way of making it, and they will not want it to stopped. In all other places of the world where kidnapping is embark upon, it is always to agitate for a course, and mostly, where ransom demands is involved, it is not always a regular occurence as it is obtained in the Niger Delta.
However, let us give them the benefit of doubt, the ceasefire has already been declared, let us wait for the outcome of the truce and if indeed it happened, let us also wait whether the Militants will eventually make Kidnapping of foreign national a thing of the past.

That Long Strike call by NLC

The Nigeria Labour Congress has sound the drum of strike once again against the increase in fuel price and 10% VAT. In a statement issue yesterday, they warned that Nigerians should prepare for a long strike if the federal government refuse to play ball by reversing the VAT and Pump price of petrol back to its former position.
This blog wonder whether the strike can take effects at all. If indeed the ultimatum given by labour come to pass, it will be a testing ground by both the Federal Government and the Labour. This is because the Labour Union will be embarking on a strike first time after the erstwhile President Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has left the office, and also first time after the government has enacted a law making joint labour strike illegal. The labour will also want to test how this new government would handle labour strike compared to how it has been in Obasanjo era.
The federal government on the other hand would also want to test its newly enacted law banning strike by NLC and of course it will also be a test ground for how the new government and labour relations would be.
Whichever way, it is the masses that will suffer. Truth is, despite the hike in price of fuel, there is still some scarcity in certain areas making some people to buy pump price as high as 250 naira per litre. Some people believed, this is another way of government making the price to stay, since some people will argue that the price is still highly subsidised and that, that probably explained why it is still scarce.
This blog urge the labour to shelve its strike because it will still paralyse the economy. They should try and look for another avenue to make grievances known instead of strike. Strike, to me, should be the last resort after all available options have been exhausted. Using the joker of strike at any slightest opportunity by labour has beginning to make the strike action look old-fashioned, ineffectual and confrontational.

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

What to write?

For the past week, I had wanted to write, but always short of what to blog about. But, I think I had gotten over that, by just reviewing event of the country during the week.

The new president Umar Yar'adua jetted out of the country today, signaling his first official visit outside the country since his inauguration.

The Senate President is now Gen. David Mark, and the only thing the majority Nigerians remembered about him was his remark when he was Communication Minister during the past Military regime where he said "Telephone is not for the poor'

Nigeria also has its first female Speaker in Mrs Ette. She was also sworn in Yesterday. Remarks from his co-legislators indicates that she is very good for the job.

This blog however warn the principal officers to beware of the legendary "banana peels" especially in the senate that has characterise those who are first appointed on the first day of inauguration of Senate but never make it to till the end of their tenure.

There is more, but more gist later.

Friday, June 1, 2007

A Fast one by Petrol Attendant

As if the increase in fuel prices is not enough, those Petrol Attendants would not stop trying to extort money from you by playing a fast one on you any time you are filing your tank at Petrol Filing Stations.
The computerised Pumping machine installed does not even detar them from pulling a fast one. One Petrol Attendant played a fast one on me today and actually got away with it, I discovered this because I paid for over 25 litre of fuel and yet my tank revealed he did actually play a fast one on me. He punch 2,000 naira worth of fuel on the computerised pumping machine quite alright, when the machine had dispensed 1,000 worth of fuel, I was carried away with the serene environment of Transcorp Hilton Hotel, and was distracted from monitoring the transaction. By the time I was jolted back to the transaction, the pumping machine merely read "preset" and I thot it has finished dispensing, since it will stop after the programmed input amount has been dispensed. It was when I enter my car that I knew he had play a fast one on me. Probably the machine stopped or he corniously tamper with it, the amount of fuel dispensed does not commensurate with the amount I paid.
Fellow bloggers shoud learn from this experience. Try and glue your eye to the pumping machine until the quantity of fuel you paid for is dispensed.
Has anyone pause to ponder that everyone has gone crazy with this get rich quick syndrome through this Oil money, even the petrol attendant are not exempted.