Northern Governors rejoice with Christians at Easter

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Nigeria’s northern governors have urged Christians to imbibe the ideals of perseverance, sacrifice and commitment to the will of God which characterized the Lenten season.

The Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum and Niger Governor, Babangida Aliyu, on Sunday congratulated Christians and all Nigerians, who are alive to witness this year’s Easter.

“We are alive today only by God’s grace and favour and not that we are in any way special before the Almighty,” he said.

In a statement signed by Mr. Aliyu’s Chief Press Secretary, Danladi Ndayebo, the forum urged Nigerians to continue to render selfless service to humanity. He said that this underscored the essence of Christ’s resurrection on Easter Sunday.

The forum urged citizens to use the opportunity of the Easter celebrations to pray for the quick resolution of the security challenges confronting the nation. It urged Nigerians to pray and work for peace, stability and progress of Nigeria, while supporting the actualization of the nation’s transformation agenda.

The forum wished Nigerians memorable Easter celebrations.
Celebrations across the nation
Christians in the Federal Capital Territory on Sunday joined other faithful across the country to commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday.

In some churches visited by correspondents of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, worshippers offered special prayers for the nation’s peace, unity and economic growth. In the spirit of the season, Christians were urged to serve as agents of change and imbibe the spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation in the society.

Christians all over the world mark Jesus’ resurrection from the death on Easter Sunday.

At the Cathedral Church of Advent (Anglican Communion) in Life Camp, Abuja, Primate of all Nigeria, Nicholas Okoh, tasked Christians to be agents of change in their areas of responsibilities.
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Diary of a Single Naija Babe

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Another day has come and gone o and I am still feeling indifferent about a lotta things, you know. It’s like every day I meet new guys that just trigger competition on PB* but I know that they do not stand a chance; if only he knew! Hiss. 

Anyways, so this day I am going home, and I have to go to CMS first to get the bus and every. In short, today was just completely funny. True. You can’t imagine who caught my attention today…get ready for this o…a conductor! Don’t laugh because it’s not funny. The guy was so fine and he had this smile about him that made me dreamy!

Its unbelievable…I know! But I couldn’t help it. Ah, when the guy now wanted to collect my fare, he said something like…’fine geh’…o boy! I blushed o…forget! Lol. I just fronted for the guy and bit my lips from smiling…see, the guy was fine o, true. It was just that he was dressed…well…like a conductor, but his looks were OMG!!! 

I now started imagining that I would…God forbid…take this kinda guy to popsy and introduce him as my boo. Hahahaha…Nigerian film proper! We sha left the bus station and I realized that the guy would not follow us to our destination. I wasn’t happy o…at all. Lol. I’m being serious.

 But shey you know that if I had a boo, I wouldn’t be daydreaming about a conductor. A conductor!!! Gad!!! What was I thinking???!!!
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Caption This Couple's Wedding Picture

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Caption This Couple's wedding Picture...
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I Wear 38 Tripple D Bra Size - Nollywood Actress (Gbogbo Bigz Girlz)

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I’ve known Eniola Badmus for quite sometimes now and she doesn’t care to say whats on her mind. I was expecting her to be more blunt but the interview was quite short and I guess the journalist who interviewed her didn’t whine her well. 


Well she said somethings. Read it below. 

How did you come into acting? 

I have been around since 1999, I just walked into an audition centre and I was chosen. 

How has it been? 

It’s been a whole lot of challenges because at first it was not easy, but we glorify the name of the Lord. 

What are you doing presently? 


Currently, I am working on my profile, to look inwards and move into the corporate world, do some corporate shows or probably get an endorsement. 

You shot into the limelight with the bad girl character in the films, jenifa and Omo Gheto; are you that bad a person? 


No, I am a very simple person, I m a cool babe. 

You once told me that after your university you just walked into an audition session and got a role, were you harassed sexually as being claimed by some people? 

There is no industry where there is no sexual harassment because if it did not happen to you, you will not have the gut to say ‘wow! I have come a long way’. 

So, it happened to you? 

Obviously, It happened to me so there is no big deal about it. The fact remains that I must be harassed sexually because I am sexy and big and I know it. So, it’s bound to happen to anybody but the way you handle it matters. 

How sexy are you? 

That’s personal. I don’t want to go into that. 

Where did you grow up? 

My growing up was good and wonderful. I have wonderful parents who wanted the best for me that’s why I studied up to Masters degree level. 

As a s*xy person, how do you cope with male admirers? 

I am very, very comfortable with guys because I have a lot of them as friends. I like to be in the midst of guys, I love them. 

How is your love life, are you into any relationship? 

My love life is cool and my relationship is private too. 

How was your first s*xual experience? 

Aha, that is still private. 

Do you enjoy s**x? 

That is rotten; I can’t talk about that too. 

What do you like most about your body? 

I like myself, I like my body, at times I think I’m the only person created like this because I’m not only big, I’m also sexy. 

When are you getting married? 

Soon, very soon because I am in my 30s and I only need just three years to have my two babies. 

Which part of your body do you protect more? 

I protect every part of my body because my body is a temple of God, which must not be exposed. 

Do you use a special bra? 


So, you want to know my bra size? Okay, I will tell you. I wear 38 Triple D. 

Which colour of bra do you prefer? 

No, no, I won’t answer that, that is too confidential. 

How do you relate with the opposite s**x? 

I relate with them normally. 

Which project are you working on right now? 

I am working, working, working. My fans should just keep their fingers crossed. 

What bad things have you done that you regret? 

I have done bad, bad, bad things even worse but now I am a changed person 

Culled from Punch
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Can You Allow Tribal Marks On Your Kid

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I have seen many faces, black, yellow, cream, etc. But a type of face that stands out is the one with tribal marks . 

Tribal marks are peculiar to most tribes in naija. It was known to serve two purposes - identification and beautification. 

These days i see people mock anyone with tribal marks. Calling them 'fight lion' , 'tiger claws' , etc. All i want to know is if there's anyone out there that will allow his/her kid to have a mark on the face. 

I will love to read the opinion of people with tribal marks too.
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Spot The Soldier If You Can

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Can you find the soldier ?In which part the soldier is

(A)

(B)

(C)

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Six reasons why Godswill Akpabio is not a reckless spender

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Akwa Ibom state is currently the highest oil and gas producing state in the country...so yes, the state is one of the richest in Nigeria, if not the richest! And the state governor, Godswill Akpabio, likes to spend money...some people will say, recklessly! His press secretary, pastor Anietie Ukpe, has released a statement giving us six reasons why Governor Akpabio is not a reckless money spender. See it below...
1. All the money so far spent was budgeted and did not in any way negatively impact on the fortunes of Akwa Ibom and the people of the state.
2. The governor promised and actually donated only one Toyota Prado SUV to Tuface Idibia and his wife, Annie Macaulay, not two such vehicles, as was wrongly reported. When the most respected Highlife living legend, Dr. Victor Abimbola Olaiya, was honoured with the latest model of Toyota Avensis saloon car by Governor Fayemi of Ekiti State to mark his 80th birthday, did anybody complain?

3. The Governor promised to give twenty relatives of the bride, Annie Macaulay, who is an Akwa Ibom daughter, return tickets to Dubai to attend the wedding. The entire cost of these return tickets came down to just N3 million. Was that enough for such pent up fury?

4. On the donation of N6 million to the state chapter chairmen of the Peoples Democratic Party at Port Harcourt, in the 2013 budget, there is a provision for Hospitality, Grants and Donations by the Governor under Section 467/169. This provision is not peculiar to Akwa Ibom State; it is an intrinsic part of all government budgets in the world. How leaders decide on donations is not subject to legislative scrutiny or control, just as the legislature does not control how the provision for the security vote is spent.

5. Concerning the donation of N230 million (N10 million per state) by twenty-three PDP states for developmental projects in Mr President’s immediate community, the projects involved included cancer diagnostic centre, nursery school, primary school, secondary school, skill acquisition centre, hostel for NYSC youths posted to Bayelsa, and a deanery for prayers. All those who are upset about this donation have the option to channel their own donations towards the building of shrines, or even to Satan.

6. There are also issues with the Governor saying that he “once gave a cash gift of N10m to the national Under-17 football team, the Golden Eaglets, for beating Mali in a first leg African Under-17 Championship qualifier in Calabar last November.” Not true! Governor Akpabio met the kids a few weeks earlier at Abuja Airport and on interaction learnt of their financial handicap in prosecuting major competitions outside Nigeria. He pledged N10 million support to the team and redeemed same at Calabar after the team’s match with Mali.
~ Chief Press Secretary/Senior Special Assistant to Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Anietie Ukpe.
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SEE A Woman Having S3x In The Bush With BABY On Her Back

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SEE A Woman Having S3x In The Bush With BABY On Her Back,,,,,Describe them with one word or phrase...

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17-year-old boy spends 8yrs in Lagos prison for ‘Wandering’

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It was a moment of joy recently for the mother of a prison inmate that had been awaiting trial since 2005. Mrs. Maria Emmanuel danced and shouted with joy on the court premises of the Lagos High Court, sitting in Igbosere when Justice Deborah Oluwayemi released her son, Paul Samuel.

Five other awaiting trial inmates were also released by the court. They included Fatai Amidu, Adebayo Owuade, Gabriel Samuel, Mike Ofoje and Lawal Karimu.

Speaking with us, Mrs. Samuel, a police corporal at Egbe Idimu Local Government Area (and whose husband is a retired soldier), said she had tried all efforts to cause her son to be released from prison – all to no avail. She noted that her son was not arraigned since he was arrested at Maryland, Lagos, in 2005 and had been awaiting advice from Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) since then.

According to her, she pleaded with her colleagues at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba where her son was first taken but regretted that nobody, including her senior colleagues, was able to help her.

“When I went to Alagbon Police Station, no one could help me. They said it is because he was an armed robbery suspect. I did not go to any senior police officer to help me.

“These past eight years have been terrible for me. I was fat before but if you now look at me today, you will see that I am thin. I could not eat or sleep; I was worried, thinking and crying even in the office. I was running around for my son’s release.

“This was compounded by the retirement of my husband from the Nigerian Army due to his legs, which were affected during the January 2002 bomb blast at Ikeja Cantonment in Lagos. He can’t work anymore and he has gone to stay in Bayelsa where we hail from. I am the only one struggling for everything,” she said.

She stated that all her efforts to get her son out of prison were futile until she met a lawyer, Ahmed Kazeem-Adetola from a non-governmental organisation, Prisoners Right Advocacy Initiative.

Unable to contain her happiness over the new developments on the court premises, she enthused: “I am so happy. I have not started to dance. I want to praise my God. This is the eighth year that I have been fighting for my son’s freedom. I will call my husband to tell him the good news.”

Her son, who was 17 years old when he was arrested was to be arraigned over a charge for armed robbery in the name of another suspect, who also bears Paul Samuel but who had been arrested in 2010.

Fortunately, his lawyer was present in court. His lawyer was able to clarify issues to the court. The court released him on the ground that he had been in prison without trial over the alleged offence of armed robbery for eight years.

Reliving the incidents that led to his imprisonment, Paul vowed to be careful about his choice of friends. According to him, all he did was to greet a friend and he ended up in prison. He noted that the ‘friend’ bailed himself out without looking back to see how he fared.

“On a Sunday morning, I was on my way to Maryland when I saw a friend and we greeted. I shook his hands and suddenly, the police came to raid the place and they arrested everyone they saw. They took everyone to Panti.

“I could not contact my family to come and bail me out and I didn’t have money. Many of those people I was detained with bailed themselves out with money. But those of us that didn’t have money were left and they charged us before a magistrate court for robbery.

“They dumped us at Kirikiri Prison and later I was transferred to Ikoyi Prisons where I was taken to Maximum Prisons.

“It is saddening to know that I was in prison for eight years over a charge of robbery without any trial or anybody showing up as complainant in the case. One of the things I have learnt now is that I will be careful of who I choose to be my friend,” he said.

However, Paul is hopeful that life after imprisonment would be better because he learnt how to make shoes and sandals in prison. He says he wants to make use of that knowledge and to also organise seminars for people to know how to make shoes.

“At least, I learnt how to make leather shoes, slippers and sandals during those eight years. I want to be making shoes and I will be lecturing people on how to make them.

“When I was there, as a devout Catholic, I attached myself to the church. That was where I was able to get good food and clothes. Prison food is horrible. It isn’t easy to be in that place for eight years without freedom, good food, clothes and even s*x!”

Reacting to the development, Paul’s lawyer, Kazeem-Adetola, noted that the problem of prison congestion stemmed from the Federal Government, Ministry of Justice and the Nigerian police. He said his organization had been working hard in the past two years for the release of inmates, who had been awaiting trial for many years without trial.

“We have filed fundamental human rights applications, press releases, letters to the Inspector-General of Police and the Ministry of Justice but these are not enough. We could try Habeas Corpus but the government, the police and the justice ministry need to sit up and do the right things.

“For instance, in this particular case, Paul Samuel’s file was mistaken for another’s with the same name. If they had done a thorough job, they would have seen that this Paul was arrested in 2005 while the other one was in 2010.

“Filing applications takes time and the court may award paltry sums as compensation so we filed an application for 106 inmates and we can safely say today that 90 people have been released.

“Filing fundamental rights application may be misconstrued as an avenue to get money, so we have decided not to file such now,” he said.
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7 Annoying Things Nigerians Do On Airplanes

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Like me, I bet you've all run around with your bathing towels wrapped above your shoulders like a cape and pretended to be Superman (and if you haven't then it's never too late!). Ever since I was a little brat I wanted to take to the skies. Air travel is the next best thing and I'm always looking forward to having a glass plastic cup of ice-cold apple juice which always tastes better at 10,000 feet. What could possibly disrupt this moment of long-awaited bliss? Cue the Nigerians... On my recent return trip from New York alone I encountered 7 annoying things Nigerians did on the plane:

1. Securing beds...in Economy Class! There's a game Nigerian passengers play whenever they're on-board a semi-full airplane - It's kind of similar to Musical Chairs...but without the music. Passengers snub the seats assigned to them and scout for a stretch of three to four empty seats before take-off. Handbags and other luggage items are strategically placed on empty seats in the hope for that Business Class experience - pathetic.

2. Making dramatic Nollywood scenes. Whoever said 'Rules are meant to be broken' must have been a Nigerian. We're pretty damn good at breaking rules...into smithereens, just for good measure. There was one woman sat at the front of economy class with her less-than-a-year-old baby. She put her baby down on the empty seat next to her when the seat belt light was off (not sure if that's proper in the first place but I'll let her off on that one). The moment the seat belt light was back on, however, one of the air hostesses called her to order and told her to strap her baby in place - RED ALERT! RED ALERT! MAY DAY! MAY DAY! You knew from the way the irritated mother turned her neck with that 'oh-no-you-didn't' expression all over her face that cabin pressure was under serious threat. Needless today she told the air hostess to mind her own business - ironically, that's what the air-hostess was trying to do in the first place...Safety of passengers...DUH! I can't remember if the thud I heard later on was due to turbulence or because the baby had rolled off the chair...

3. Taking pictures. You can imagine trying to enjoy a good book when suddenly the corner of your eye picks up the flash photography of some newbie whose obviously hell-bent on convincing everyone back in Nigeria that he/she indeed travel abroad. Newsflash! There may be people with photosensitive epilepsy on-board or nearby pilots wondering if there is a terrorist hijacking, with one unfortunate Nigerian who decided to break one simple rule 'DON'T MOVE!' (go figure!)

4. Farting. It's bad enough you left your assigned seat at the front and decided to come behind me and stretch yourself across four empty seats. Now you're so generous as to share your flatulence with me in small doses of ammonia-laced farts...not a one-off...periodic discharges which could catch choke me unawares if I dare yawn. FYI, avoid fizzy drinks on the plane if you know you can't handle your abdominal tract like few pros among us.

5. Drink to stupor. Is it the sheer pettiness of wanting to get one's money's worth that would make a passenger drink like a fish? (Remember, its Nigerians we're talking about here). Of course, it's not the drinking that bothers me but the mindless banter and laughter at completely 'unfunny' things that drives me up the Berlin wall (just like that - after a couple of drinks you'd be in stitches when you read 'drive me up the berlin wall').

6. Leaving toilets unlocked. Common sense consistently fails to prevail when most Nigerians use the airline's restrooms. It all boils down to refusing to acknowledge the instructions/directions carefully displayed all around them. It's quite simple - you enter the restroom and close it behind you. Right there on door is a slide lock which denotes 'Slide left to lock and right to open'. Why wouldn't I be interested in making sure that no one accidentally sees my 'bits'? Didn't they notice the green 'vacant' or the red 'occupied' sign before entering the lavatory? At my last count I've walked in on 3 unfortunate passengers who forgot to lock behind (but they all did once I exposed them...makes you wonder, eh?).

7. Sitting ovation. I'm not sure if you can relate but you're nearing your flight destination and as soon as the plane lands successfully passengers around you start to clap until virtually everyone joins in. Why are they doing this, you ask? beats me - for landing safely or for not crashing into the deep blue sea or for getting their money's worth after usurping the mini bar...I dunno. The clapping is cheesy in my opinion. I'd much prefer passengers go one by one to shake the pilot(s) for a job well done plane well-landed.

And coming in at a surprise number 8 is Irregular exercise. Make no mistake about it, Nigerians are terrified about premature death, more so than the average civilian (if that makes any sense). I've seen the most bizarre repetitions performed from kicking mid-air to punching only your left arm over the seat head in the same direction. Deep Vein thrombosis is no laughing matter so I guess all I have to do is close my eyes next time if I don't want to behold seemingly amateurish 'Kung-fu'.

See you on the next flight and God help you if you're sitting next to me.
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The New Look Of The Ancient City Of Benin City(PHOTOS)

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The New Look Of The Ancient City Of Benin City(PHOTOS)























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P0rnógraphy case: Covenant University was right to expel student – Court

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The law suit filed by 20-year-old Longji Felix Vwamhi, a 400 level student of Information and Communication Technology Department of Covenant University against the institution, has been struck out by Justice Mobolaji Ojo of an Ogun High Court sitting in Ota, Ogun state on Wednesday. 

Vwamhi had challenged the institution over his expulsion for being in possession of p00rn00graphic materials in his laptop. 

The case was dismissed for lack of merit. 

It would be recalled that Vwamhi was on November 27, 2012 expelled from the institution following the outcome of the Disciplinary Committee set up by the university which found him guilty of being in possession of p00rn00graphic materials and indecent dressing. 

The Covenant University, its Vice Chancellor and Chancellor were the first, second and third defendants, respectively while Felix’s mother, Mrs
Indo Felix Vwamhi of Block House 13 Mbora Estate, Abuja was a co-plaintiff in the suit. 

While delivering his judgment, Justice Ojo found out that the student had indeed violated the university regulations as contained in chapter 4, section 35 of its student’s hand book which prohibits public display or possession of pornógraphic films or photograph. 

He noted that the student also admitted being in possession of the laptop containing the pornógraphic materials and sharing same laptop with friends in the school. 

He affirmed that the panel set up by the university to try the student did not violate section 36 of the 1999 constitution as amended and the principles of “Audi Alterem Partem and Nemo Judex in Causa Sua” . That one cannot be a judge in his own course.” 

According to him, the claimant did not state categorically that the chairman of the panel was biased being the Dean of Students Affairs whose staff investigated the student in question. 

The Judge also faulted the claimant’s counsel for his inability to file counter affidavit against the issues raised by the respondents, adding that, in a situation where the party to a dispute could not file counter affidavit it would be assumed he admitted. 

Justice Ojo however, stated that the school authority should reconsider the passionate appeal made by the student’s father to revisit and review the decision of the Student Disciplinary Committee to avert possible miscarriage of justice and colossal human and material wastage. 

The father pleaded with the university authority to tamper justice with mercy and recall the student, stressing that he needs encouragement to complete his education, having spent four years already.
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Indian Gangsters Kills A Nigerian Father In Malaysia (PICTURED)

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Information reaching us, a Nigerian was killed by some indian gangsters in Malaysia in the presence of police men that is suppose to protect lives and properties of citizens and immigrants and nothing has been done up till now to restore peace or track down this so called gangsters.

Black men in malaysia are been maltreated and given unfair judgment by this malaysian government and nothing is been done to help by our so called Ambassador, instead he left kuala lumpur to singapore to hide himself.

Nigerians in Malaysian want justice asking for support of you by helping them to share this message so that the Nigerian people and president and even the united nation will know they are suffering
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Girl molested & tortured to D**th With A Huge Wood in her pr**v**te

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I found this heart breaking picture of this

young girl m**rd*red like she was nothing on

net this morning. Seriously,i’ve not been myself since then. The details of where or how the victim was m**rdered havn’t been made
known yet but I’ll try get every detailed
information about the murder.

With the mind of a psychologist,I would say
she was kidnapped,m0lested and intentionally
tortured to d**th by maybe an enemy. 

It pains me most to know that the wicked barbarians
who did this to are out there walking the streets freely.
May God have mercy!

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The 10 Reasons Why He’ll Never Put The Ring On Your Finger

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You’ve been dating your man for a few years and have been bombarded by the “when are you guys going to make it official?” question from your annoyingly nosy family and friends. You know yourself that he is the one you want to spend the rest of your life with, and his actions and words are pointing in the same direction. So, what’s the hold up?

You banged his friend
Everyone has a past. Apparently, yours involve a tryst with his friend, you wh*re. It doesn’t matter if it was 5 years ago, or 5 days ago – no man wants to be his buddy’s sloppy seconds – let alone wife one up.

 You’re too dependent
Men want to be needed, but he doesn’t want to be your be all and end all. While he will do anything to make you happy, he doesn’t want to be the only source of your happiness. Get your sh*t together.

You’re too nosy
Being curious about each other is natural – hacking into his email account and Facebook is not. If you spend all your spare time watching and monitoring his every move on Facebook or Twitter, trying to decipher the hidden meaning behind every post and tweet, then you’re on the cusp of crazy. Give him some space – there’s a fine line between curiosity and stalker.

He’s not serious about you
For him, there are plenty more fish in the sea and he’s not sold on the fact that you’re the fish he wants to lure. Which may mean…

You’re his side piece
You’ve been with this guy for how long and yet you have yet to meet anyone in his family? There’s a red flag right there. If he’s never around for holidays and shows up at your doorstep at erratic times, he’s not going to marry you because he probably already has a wife.

You’re more beauty than brains –
Having a ditzy, hot girlfriend is one thing – having a bimbo wife who he is unable to bring to any event where conversation is required is another. When a man is ready to commit, he is just as interested in what you bring to the table as he is in your external appearance. If all you bring to the table is a pretty face, a banging body and the ability to suck golf balls through a straw, the lack of anything deeper will limit his pursuit of you to the surface level.

You don’t possess ‘wifely’ qualities
You don’t cook, you don’t clean, you’re terrible with kids and you love to spend money – his money.  One of the key reasons that men don’t want to get married is due to the financial aspects — he doesn’t want to go broke trying to keep you, a maid and a chef. Why would he marry you if you’re so useless?

 You already act like this wife
Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free? You’re already banging him regularly, playing house, acting like his wife – what man in their right mind would run to get a marriage license when you’re already his bitch?

 He’s commitment phobic
Maybe he comes from a broken family, or perhaps he grew up in an environment that places no importance on marriage. If he says to you that he doesn’t believe in marriage, don’t think you’re the magical girl who can change his mind.

It’s too soon
We all know women mature faster than men – so while you may have developed the qualities that make you ready for marriage within a year, it make take 2 or 3 years for him. Ultimately, you’re going to have to take the gamble and decide if he’s worth the wait.
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African leaders meet with President Obama. Where's our president?

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The leaders of four African nations met with President Barack Obama yesterday March 28th at the White House. They leaders were: Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone, Macky Sall of Senegal, Joyce Banda of Malawi and José Maria Pereira Neves of Cape Verde.

Why would the president of the most populous black nation in Africa not be invited? I'm so mad! 
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This Story Makes Me Think I May Adopt From Nigeria

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Olusola Stevens and his wife, Chinwe are workers in the the Christian Missionary Foundation (CMF). He has been in missionary work for 22 years and most of it has been rescuing infants and babies who are victims of the practice in most of the indigenous villages around Abuja of the killing of infants or burying some alive when their mothers die.

Their story was in the Sunnewsonline and it is making me seriously think whether to adopt from here or Nigeria. Obviously, there are children here who also need parents and permanent homes, but this level of abuse of children, it is killing me. Stevens and his wife have 33, but some are still lost, and the same things may be happening all over the country. I am so proud of Nigerians like the Stevens and the work they do. To me this is real missionary work, and I want to be part of it.

Stevens recalled to Abuja Metro the challenges of taking care of the rescued children but remains happy that: “God has never failed. Though there could be delays but He will surely come through and this we can testify to in our case.”

The Christian Missionary Foundation (CMF) is a non-denominational body with task of evangelising the interior and remote societies. That is the gospel that touches human lives.

“We just don’t preach the gospel. In some of the places we have been to, we have established schools, especially in the North East. We also have medical outreach centres. Basically, we don’t stay in city; we go to the interior to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to people.”


The CMF was launched in Ibadan in 1982 by the late Bishop Benson Idahosa.

At the FCT

He said the group came into the FCT in the late 80s, reaching out to the Bassa Komo, the Gbagyi Yama and the Ganagana. “We went into the rural parts of Abuja, preaching, planting churches, organising literacy classes for the local people, who could not read or write,” he narrated.

They discovered some strange practices among the Bassa Komo (Gbajingala clan) that endanger the lives of children and asked God for an opportunity to save some of the children from the clutches of death.

“If you are not very observant, you will not know this practice is going on and it took us some time to actually confirm. Some of the enlightened indigenes of the area deny the practice, maybe out of shame, but it is still happening till date,” Stevens confirmed.

Killing twins

They are considered as strange spirits and not fit to live among men. When they are delivered, they will be poisoned (the child dies gradually) or is strangulated after being forcefully taken from the mother by masquerades that women are not allowed to see. Once they are killed, an altar will be raised on the walls of their huts to worship their spirits and make sacrifices to ward them off from returning. They believe the dead children are spirits that want to come back but they are not welcome.

Mum’s death after birth

Another outrageous practice is the killing of babies whose mothers die after their birth. If a woman delivers and dies during childbirth, the child will be tied to the body of the dead mother and buried alive with her. If the nursing mother should die of any cause without weaning the baby, the baby will be accused of having strange powers that killed the mother, the penalty for this is also death. In some villages, the children may be abandoned on the grave of the dead mother while some are left unattended to in the village, leading to starvation and eventual death.

Wrong teeth child

A child that grows upper teeth first is also bound to die. The couple discovered that babies that grow the upper teeth first are also killed because they are bad omen. This is neatly done, an outsider may never know when and how unless you understand their language and pay close attention to young babies in the area.

According to Stevens, the practice is not common among the Abuja indigenes alone, “We also learnt from some other agencies that we work closely with that twins are not allowed to live in Uturu, Abia State.”

“There is also sacrificing of young children to the fertility god during planting season to have bountiful harvest that is common amongst the Bassa. They don’t physically slaughter the baby but once they pick a baby, a child that is healthy now will mysteriously die. You will hear the child cry and complain of a minor ailment and the next minute, he or she is dead. We have two children in this category, they were brought to us by their mothers so as to save them from being sacrificed by their fathers,” the rescuer couple hinted.

Rescued kids

“The first child we rescued is a girl, Aisha. That was in 1997. She has gone to school, otherwise you would have met with her. Her father was about sacrificing her to the god of fertility like he allegedly did the previous ones but his wife was concerned that for how long would she continue to lose her children to the god of fertility. So, she confided in one of the villagers. All these I am telling you happened in less than 10km from here in a village called Kayi. So, she was advised to go to ‘aunty’ (my wife) to pray to her Jesus. Those that directed her had realised that when she is given to Jesus, she will be spared as her husband will not be able to use her for any sacrifice. My wife, the ‘aunty’, was my fiancée then. She was a pioneer missionary in that village. So, the baby was brought to my wife and asked to pray to prevent her husband from killing her. She promised to bring the baby back to Jesus once she grows a little. So, after we got married, the woman returned and said the baby was still alive and her husband had not done her any harm. She came back to give the baby to Jesus, as promised. She has been with us and now in JSS2.”

More odds

If a woman delivers triplets or quadruplets, they will be thrown into the Gurara River or strangled and later buried in the bush.

The couple said they learnt that Gbagyi Yama also practise killing of twins but “we are yet to rescue any child. We were to rescue a set of twins two years ago but they did not allow us. They were taken to the ancestral home and usually the babies will not return if taken there.”

The villages in these practices today are up to 40. Some of them are in Gwagwalada Area Council, more of them in Abaji, some in Kwali and part of Kuje.

“Since I live among them, we have missionaries, working in those villages. There are even natives, who are no longer comfortable with the practice after hearing the word of God and they run to tell non-native missionaries once they are about to kill twins or any other child. We tell them if you don’t want these ‘evil’ children, give them to us; we want them.”

Practical instance

“My wife, from Anambra State, was single and knew about the practice, even though the natives will deny it, particularly those who are embarrassed that such things still happen in their community. They never knew what to do or how to assist in saving these vulnerable babies.

“In January 2003, my dog delivered five puppies. After few days after, someone in the neighbourhood poisoned the dog. I could not watch the puppies die; so, I went to the market, bought feeding bottle and baby milk to start feeding the puppies. After nursing them for about two months; they died one after the other. It was a real sad experience.

One fateful day in April of the same year, one of the missionaries, working with me in the interior, came with two and half-month old-baby girl. He told me the baby was rescued from death by a Muslim cleric, who contacted him to take the baby. The cleric, who lived in Beri Beri village had passed by a house where a nursing mother died and they wanted to bury the child alongside her.

After discussing with the missionary and my wife, we decided to keep the baby for a day. When the baby was rescued, she was already traumatised from crying and rough handling. Usually, before they bury the baby they will do some incantations, put something on the baby, chanting ‘you evil child, we reject you, you must not come here again’. Our intention was to actually send the baby to the welfare department after getting her treated but the Lord rebuked me for my insensitivity, asking that if I could take care of the puppies, why not a baby? After sharing my thought with my wife, we made up our mind to keep the baby. That girl is now in primary school at Christ Academy, Gwagwalada, doing very well.”

A Home for the ‘evil’ kids

To really settle down and handle the rescue assignment, the couple had to set up a home, the Divine Heritage Home as an offshoot of the missionary work in the interiors.

Two weeks after the first rescue, a baby boy was rescued from death. He too is in school now. They call him Wonder Boy. From that time, they mandated the missionaries to do more to save as many children as possible from the strange practices.

“We have rescued about 33 such kids spread across several villages. There are also 13 less privileged children that were picked from the rural areas. All the children are in school. The youngest we have now is a set of twins about four months old, Rachael and Rebecca.”

At the time they started rescuing the children, one of them had asked the villagers if after some four years and the child turns healthy, they would have such back. They bluntly refused, saying the evil spirit would still be in their bodies.

Sacrifice

The terrain through which they pass to the rescue these children is terrible, particularly during the rainy season. The road is usually muddy, that they find it almost impossible to go with motorbikes and sometimes have to walk long distances to get to the kids.

There are days they don’t get back home in Gwagwalada until 2am. “That is how we started raising those children. Since God asked us to raise them we don’t give them out for adoption. God told us expressly to nurse them that He would take them back to their communities so as to stop this practice. How He will do that, we do not know.”

No adoption

And to the glory of God, we didn’t give them out for adoption even after suggestions to do so. We know their family houses, we know each of the compound where we got the children from,” Stevens said with satisfaction.

“We make sure we collect data of their families, including their grandparents and relations. We usually tell them that these children are yours but we want to show you that there is nothing wrong about them. Rejecting them is just a cultural thing, a taboo.

“The practice of killing or rejecting a child that grew upper teeth first was there in the past in Yoruba land where I come from. They didn’t believe such child was normal but today, it is no longer there. In Calabar, it was also the issue but long dropped.

So, it is their culture here but we are working to convince them to drop it because these children are precious. Some of the kids were rescued at tender ages, a day old, two weeks old, a month old, etc.”

Poisoning the kids

Initially, they didn’t know the twin kids are sometimes poisoned before disposing of them. So, the first baby they rescued was involved in that and they later lost her. She was named Olufunmilayo. “When we rescued her, her twin sister had died of the poison but we had thought it was because she was premature. It was a missionary with the Redeemed Christian Church that saw them, trying to kill this baby that rescued her.”

After taking Olufunmilayo to the hospital and running tests, she still was not improving and she was on admission for about four days, and later died.

“I narrated our observations to the national coordinator of the mission, a medical doctor, who left his practice to work in the mission. We asked him to help us find out what could be responsible. So, he brought a team of medical doctors from Ibadan. In the course of their work, they discovered while engaging the local women when their husbands were not around that it was the men who belonged to the cult in their communities that usually poisoned the kids with a particular root. They soak the root in water for some days and then feed the babies with the potion and they will start drying up. That is what happened to Olufunmilayo; she was eating normally and taking her medications but she kept drying up until she died. Till date, we are still trying to find out what root they use.”

Village head’s kids

After five years of work in the area, the couple had two children in their care from the Tumbudu axis, who are grandchildren of the village head. They would have been killed when their mother died but for the intervention of a missionary whose name is Grace. At the time she rescued the children, she was single. So, when she was getting married, some of the villagers, who were happy their pastor was wedding, attended in Gwagwalada. When they visited us, she pointed out one of them and said, ‘that is your village head’s grandson that you called evil child and wanted to kill.’

When they got back and informed the man that his grandson was alive and doing very well, he was shocked and came visiting. He said: “I was informed he is still very much alive”. He was convinced then that the boy was not an evil child, only that he inherited a culture that sees such children as taboo. He was really happy to see his grandson.

“He brought us guinea corn, roasted fish and promised that he would ensure no other such child is killed in his village. He assured us of his assistance to rescue them and also to influence other village heads in the area to join the crusade.

“So, after that visit, it was like a floodgate was opened. We started getting rescued babies from even areas we had no missionaries and from villages I never heard of before, such as Dagiri. It was the collaboration that started working.”

Assistance

They don’t call the place the rescued kids are kept an orphanage but a home because they take them as their own children. “The children all call me daddy and my wife, they call mummy. We eat together, play together and we even watched the final match between Nigeria and Burkina Faso in the African Cup of Nations together. There are days we go out to eateries together. There is one of them that was born on May 27. When we visit such places on celebration days, people ask if we have a school and when I say they are all my children, they usually express surprise. There was one lady, who saw us the first time we went to Mr. Biggs to eat and she was curious and after hearing our story, she has been coming with her friends, bringing things to us. Some of them come here to celebrate their birthday. Churches have been coming here also to be of help to us. In fact, the bus we use was donated by a lady that works with the NNPC. She had come visiting and saw my old BMW with which I took the children to school. So, she decided to support us with a coaster bus. At a time, the place we were wasn’t enough to accommodate us, a former Redeemed Christian Church provincial pastor offered to build a mini-dormitory for us.”

After the rescue of the last set of twins, their father, a Muslim, came from Bassa, four days before Abuja Metro visit. He expressed shock at what the couple and their mission do for their people free. Today, he has relocated to the place the missionary rescued his children to also assist and he has given his life to Jesus Christ. “Our intervention has helped them to come to the knowledge of our saviour. When they visit, I ask them to pick their children and take photos,” Stevens assured

Returned kids

The home has even returned three children to their relatives, who have been established as strong Christians and are willing to take them. They still monitor their progress there. “We heard one of them later died but it was through natural causes. We pray together and share the Bible every morning. To the glory of God, I don’t deny them anything. My wife and I have only one child of our own but you will not tell the difference. I am a domestic man so, there is no stress, taking care of them. Right now, my wife is on her PhD programme and I am right here taking care of them with the help of the nannies. They are doing very well in school and very intelligent kids.”

Kind support

The school they attend with the kind support of the owner does not charge them fees. They just pay the other smaller charges involved. In fact, he will be the first to ask if they have another child that is ready for school. The oldest is Aisha, who is 16. Some of their parents are now working as local pastors and as the children grow they intend to hand them over to them.

“Our organisation operates by faith. We rely on donations and we do some agricultural activities, raise chicken for sale and I sell Christian books, tapes, videos. These help us financially as well, especially in cases of emergency. During holidays, some of the children, living with us because their parents are unable to send them to school, go back to their parents to assist in farm work.”

The accommodation the mission plans to move into was built at a cost of N17.5 million. The fund came from the same woman that donated the bus, the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), individuals and some other organisations.

The former speaker of Kwali Area Council once visited them. He has a nephew, Bengy, that is also with the home. He (the speaker) was privileged to be taken away from the village by a Hausa trader to Minna as a young boy where he schooled and even did his university education. The sister died after giving birth to Bengy. The Home calls Bengy the PRO because of his seamless interaction with people. “He would have been the first to welcome Abuja Metro and start a conversation, as if you have known for years,” Stevens explained.

Needs health facility

When the former speaker visited while still in office, he was very impressed with what the mission had done and they had requested for a health centre, which they said would reduce the child and maternal death rate. Majority of the rescued children come from dead nursing mothers. “So, if we had good health facility it would be reduced but sadly, he did not return to the area council. So, we are still in need of that.”

“I requested recently from my headquarters for a medical doctor and a nurse because we want to start a health facility so we can reach out to other villages. We are going to have an outreach soon and our first training will be for traditional birth attendants (TBAs) We want to teach them signs they can quickly notice on a mother or child to notify us on time so we can assist to save the lives of these mothers.

“At times, we are asked why government has not intervened but I don’t have an answer to that. Some government officials have been here. All I can tell you is that a greater government sent me on this assignment and I cannot afford to fail.”
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