Carnival Calabar

Editor’s note @ naij.com: It wouldn’t be an irony to say President Goodluck Jonathan kissed his chances of a second term goodbye as a result of his inability to expunge corruption, a major cause of poverty in Nigeria kissed.

After years of devastating effects from corruption, Nigeria has become a shameful centre for different kinds of corruption parasites. Corruption under Goodluck Jonathan exceeded epidemic level.
For many Nigerians, “Change” was needed; this to a large extent cemented the victory of a 72-year-old former dictator-General Muhamadu Buhari who intelligently capitalized on this singular factor (corruption) to win a historic presidential election with the slogan of “change”.

One name that has been greeted with strong connection with corrupt practices will be no other than Diezani Alison-Madueke, the first Nigerian petroleum minister to be elected OPEC President and the Minister for Petroleum in the Africa’s most populous country.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author only, and do not necessarily represent those of Naij.com’s editors or other contributors.

Story Highlights

    What happened to a mother with high expectations from Nigerians?
    One of the pillars of democracy is transparency, Diezani please tell us what happened to the alleged missing $20b
    Diezani ponders easiest route out of jail, embraces exile.

(Naij.com) – Being the first Nigerian petroleum minister to be elected as OPEC president (a female for that matter), God has been so good to Diezani Alison-Madueke
Advertisement

After a careful perusal of her profile, it was gathered that the current Minister of Petroleum Resources and a mother of three children has never lacked the good things of life as she was born into a royal family, went to one of the best schools in the world, Howard University; worked in one of the best companies in Nigeria, Shell Petroleum.

At government level, Nigeria has given Diezani the best she could have ever asked for. Diezani Alison-Madueke has held three significant positions in the Nigerian federal government.


She was appointed Transport Minister in 2007. In 2008, she was named as Minister of Mines and Steel Development. And after Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan became acting President in February 2010, with Diezani was named as Minister for Petroleum Resources.

Why then did she choose to throw the trust Nigerian gave her into the waste bin?

For years and especially the Jonathan years, newspaper headlines compete for stories on ministers and other top government officials embroiled in scams that involve millions and billions with the number one culprit being none other than Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke.

The fairy tale of corrupt practices labelled against Mrs. Madueke has been quite dreadful.

Last year, The House of Representatives ordered an investigation of an alleged squandering of billions of naira from government funds by the petroleum minister on the maintenance of a private jet.

The lawmaker who tabled the motion for approval, Samuel Adejare, representing Lagos State, said the allegation was based on “reliable evidence” indicating that Mrs. Alison-Madueke has committed about 500,000 Euros (N130 million naira) monthly to maintain the aircraft, solely for her personal needs and those of her immediate family.

Diezani however, described the allegation against her as a mere fabrication. According to her, leasing jets is more cost-effective than buying them as is often done in the highly technical and competitive oil industry around the world.

The minister said it would have been unwise for anyone to spend N10 billion in leasing jets, an amount which can conveniently buy three new jets, depending on the type.

Apparently! Diezani made it quite clear to us that it’s very normal to use jets in the oil sector around the globe.

Months after, she’s clouded by another scandal as it was reported that sum of N70m donated by the Minister of Petroleum Resources to the Peoples Democratic Party in Bayelsa State pre-election period, caused division between the chairman, Col. Sam Inokoba (retd.) and the members of the State Working Committee.
See More

In the course of my writing on human experiences, not just about love and relationships but also all spheres of human life, I come in contact with all manner of people that cut across age, class and sex. We share stories, experiences, problems, challenges, some good, some with happy endings, some filled with hope, motivation and inspiration, and some full of pain, despair and hopelessness.

girl relaxing on the beachI feel happy and accomplished when I am able to contribute my little knowledge, contact and sometimes widow’s might to help sort out issues and bring succour to the aggrieved, just as I rejoice in their success stories too.

Because most of these stories are told in first person narratives, I get to meet many people physically. Many others are however told by those close to the subjects. Often times, I also receive stories by mail which means I may never get to meet the characters.

However, once a while, one does come across stories or persons that will touch the core of one’s heart and soul and leave one with many unanswered questions. I came across one of such stories about four years ago when I received an SMS on my cell phone. The numbers are usually published on the adolescence and youth page, my contribution in the monthly Vanguard Kiddies Magazine.

I am usually very impatient and quick to discard vague messages. But there was something in the text which called to something deep inside me. Something told me it was a cry for help and that it was a serious problem. The text was simple, the English was not so good but it was clear.

The writer requested to speak with me on a personal problem but gave me a specific time frame to respond to the request as the phone through which the text was sent was not her own and the owner would be leaving later that Sunday evening. So, I quickly responded and told her I was available for whatever she wanted to discuss.

Then she told me she could not talk to me on that same phone but will call me sometime later in the week when we would be able to discuss. I was very disappointed. I knew I had hit a very good story and somehow, it was slipping through my fingers even before I knew what it was. What if she changed her mind and decided not to share this great story anymore. But I had no choice but to wait.

I kept my phone beside me always and even took it to bed with me   so I would not miss any opportunity to talk to this young lady who I assumed was a teenager at the time. When it eventually came one afternoon, I wasted no time in offering to pay for the call. So, I called the number back. Her story left me with mixed feelings but more with anger with everyone connected with the gross negligence and selfishness.

According to the girl who gave her name as Chioma, she was 27 and had never had a menstruation in her life. She came across my article on girl puberty and menstruation and wanted to know if something was wrong with her. I was lost for a few seconds because she did not come across as a 27 year old lady. She sounded like a child with a small, frightened voice and not so good English.

No, she could not be 27. A 27 year old girl anywhere ought to be smarter than this. But after hearing the whole story, I concluded that almost anything in life is possible depending on the circumstance. Chioma told me that she lives in an Estate in Lekki and had recently started learning fashion designing after she finished secondary school.

See More

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti admits Martin Odegaard could make his debut tonight against Almeria.
The 16 year-old Norwegian is one of three Castilla players in Ancelotti's squad for the game.

Nollywood actress cum singer, Anita Joseph, isn’t just a girl that would get up close and personal with you without some emotions running wild – real wild! Unlike most women who are blessed with either the front or back, Anita has both in abundance and when she isn’t throwing them at you, you feel they somewhow reaching out to you anyways.
Anita-Joseph11She has been romantically linked to governors, senators, musicians and footballers. Not for any other reason but because she has a sensuality that tends to reach out and grab at your conscience. She recently told Potpourri she cannot be a complete housewife, but then who would expect such a time-bomb all locked up behind closed doors.

She has so many luscious pictures on the internet with either the boobs or the backside running free and  mean but when Potpourri caught up with the diva and asked her the million dollar question; which has caused men more pain, her boobs or backside?,

she replied:

“ My backside is hotter than my boobs, even though I have both in good measure. Guys find them hard to resist. A guy once tapped my ass and when I turned, he just ran away. My backside has such effects on men”.
This no be lie

The president-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, has commended the Nigerian army for the rescue of the 200 captured girls and 93 women from the Sambisa Forest.
Buhari made the statement in a tweet released today. He also encouraged the troops not to relent in their search for yet more people to be set free from the captivity of the Boko Haram insurgents.

The 2014 mass abduction from Chibok led to an international social media movement, #BringBackOurGirls, to campaign for their rescue. Boko Haram, a militant Islamist group, has been kidnapping females for years and has hundreds in their custody.

Nigerian troops and vigilantes moved into the Sambisa Forest recently. Last Wednesday the troops had to retreat because of explosive devices Boko Haram had planted in the forest.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian army spokesman Sani Usman has said that girls rescued from Boko Haram terror camps in Sambisa Forest on Tuesday are “not the Chibok girls,”.

The popular Celestial Church of Christ prophet, Prophet Marcus Korede Tibetan, who predicted correctly the victory of the president-elect, Buhari, and that of the Lagos state governor-elect, Akinwunmi Ambode, is out with another set of foresights.
Prophet Who Predicted Buhari's Victory Reveals Again
Prophet Marcus Korede Oluwatosin Tibetan
(Encomium Weekly)

The prophet predicted that President Jonathan would be embarrassed and disgraced in the elections while Buhari would win and assume the presidency by May. He also said that the life of the then APC presidential candidate might be cut short, and that Buhari might not finish his tenure of four years.


The prophet in a new interview with Encomium has revealed new things about Nigeria. While talking to Encomium from Chicago, Illinois, United States of America (where he’s on a revival and evangelical mission), the man of God reversed his prophesy on Buhari dying in office. Though he warned him not to waste any time to change Nigeria, Prophet Tibetan said God has given General Buhari a new lease of life like biblical King Hezekiah. Prophet Tibetan also spoke extensively about the senate president, David Mark, and declared that Governor Ayo Fayose will not see the end of 2015 as the Ekiti state governor. Read excepts from the engaging interview below:

Nigerians and the world at large are surprised that all your prophesies concerning the country and the 2015 general elections have come to pass. How does it feel, sir?

It’s not for me to take the glory of fulfillment of God’s word (quotes relevant scriptures to support his position). So, no genuine prophet should take the credit of this. God will always honour His word. At the same time, we give God the glory.

So, Buhari would change Nigeria?

Yes, the Lord said there’s going to be change.  He said we should congratulate Nigerians for taking the strong decision to liberate themselves from bad leadership. The Lord said Nigerians should welcome the spirit of change as it is taking place not just only in the political arena but across all families and up to the kitchens in various homes. God said He is the One that brought this change and all Nigerians must embrace it and be in the spirit of WAI (War Against Indiscipline).

But in your interview with us before the Presidential elections, you said he might not complete his tenure?  Has that changed?

Buhari will not die in office. God prolonged the life of King Hezekiah in the Bible and this is Buhari’s portion. He won’t die in office. He has a job to do.  There is no time to waste. Mr. President-elect should hit the ground running on his first day in office because he already has the template of what he wants to do to liberate Nigeria since 2003. Remember I told the world in my Prediction 2015 book that General Buhari is not chosen by God but by the people of Nigeria to liberate them and since he is the one the people want, God answered their prayer by giving him the leadership of the country.  Buhari should run the affairs of Nigeria without fear or favor because he has a limited time to do this work. The Bible made it clear that due to sin and other unforeseen element of our daily life, the number of years given to man in Biblical term is 70 years. He is over 70.  Anything beyond that is grace; General Buhari should take note of this and change the fortune of this country without fear or favor. This new regime will be the one to give us a credible census. Before two years, the government must carry out a census to ascertain how many people were killed by Boko Haram and how many Nigerians are living presently. This is good for national planning.

Many are worried that the crop of leaders we have now can’t save us?

The new leadership must be ready to follow their CHANGE mantra to the letter.  It is not about declaring assets alone.  Each ministerial appointee should be given a portion in either the Holy Quran or the Holy Bible to make a specific oath of allegiance to service upon him or herself that if  ‘I will be taking Nigeria back to the corruption era in any way, let this and this and that happen to me and my family.’  For the Christian Ministers, the book of Joshua Chapter 6 verse 26 should be used where Joshua charged the Israelites and it

read thus: “Cursed be the man before the Lord who rises up and builds this city Jericho; he shall lay the foundation with his first born, and with his youngest he shall set up its gates.’

Read More

On April 28, Tuesday, the exciting news made the local headlines that the Nigerian army had stormed Sambisa forest and rescued 293 females.
The Defence Headquarters confirmed the information saying that those freed included 200 girls and 93 women.

This comes less than a week after the military had attacked the infamous hideout of Boko Haram insurgents using warplanes.

Major General Chris Olukolade, the director of defence information, stated that it was yet to be ascertained if the Chibok girls were among the rescued victims. He urged people not to rush with the conclusions.

A new detailed statement was provided by Col S. K. Usman, acting director of army public relations, Vanguard reports.

“This is to inform you that our gallant troops have been making progress in the desired aim of ridding the nation of terrorists and their sanctuaries.
“It is heartwarming to inform you that today (yesterday), troops continued the offensive and cleared four key terrorist camps in Sambisa forest, Borno State. So far, they have destroyed and cleared Sassa, Tokumbere and two other camps in the general area of Alafa, all within the Sambisa forest.

“The troops have also rescued 200 abducted girls and 93 women. They are presently being processed. Similarly, a number of equipment and weapons have been captured. We will send further details and photographs soon.”

The UK’s Independent adds with reference to its intelligence source that the freed females would be screened on April 29, Wednesday, for their identity to be determined.

The source was quoted as saying:

“Now they are excited about their freedom. Tomorrow there will be screenings to determine whether they are Boko Haram wives, whether they are from Chibok, how long they have been in the camps, and if they have children.”

Hopes that the Chibok girls, abducted on April 14, 2014, became rife again last month after one of the escapees said that the children were being kept in Gwoza. Several sources linked their location with the Borno town. Soon Gwoza was reclaimed, however, the girls were not discovered in the area.

Real Madrid have reportedly turned down a double bid from Chelsea for two star players.

The Sun is of the belief that the Blues have had a £100million offer for Gareth Bale and Raphael Varane rejected by the Spanish giants.
Jose Mourinho is a known admirer of French centre-back Varane while Welsh winger Bale has been linked with the Blues for some time.

It is believed that Chelsea have already been rebuffed in their pursuit of the pair who Real are determined to keep beyond this summer.

AC Milan prospect Hachim Mastour is calm over interest from Real Madrid.

The teenager is being linked with a summer move to Real.

The midfielder is tied to Milan until 2017.

However, Real hope to tempt Mastour to Spain with a longer contract worth much more than he is currently on at the Rossoneri.

This is Taylor Swift's absolutely gorgeous Glamour UK magazine cover, and needless to say, it's hot. It's awfully hot. That's a tiny bit of bellybutton we're seeing there, and what's that she's wearing underneath that white Valentino cut-out dress? Well, obviously, it's probably undergarments, but Taylor Swift, showing off any bit of undergarment? Oh man. Give us a mo' while we collect ourselves, OK?
T shared this cover on her IG page and captioned the snap, "Thank you @GlamourUK for letting me be your editor for this issue - I had so much fun writing pieces and personalizing it. What a treat." 

No, Taylor -- it's you who's the treat.

 
Lady Gaga sure likes to keep her followers on their toes. The ARTPOP singer proved once again that she's the queen of reinvention and transformation on Thursday when she posted a photo to Instagram letting the world know that she's reinvented herself as someone who has transformed into a chicken farmer.


The photo is of a half-dozen live chickens in a shockingly clean coop, with the caption,

 "Time to lay eggs in the Kinney's Coop! fresh eggs all summer we built a beautiful spacious coop to house these happy young chickens!"

Apparently, Gaga and her fiancé, actor Taylor Kinney, have decided to cut out the supermarket middleman and get their eggs straight from the source.

The pop diva and the Chicago Fire star got engaged in February when Kinney popped the question on Valentine's Day. Check out the video below for more on the couple's adorable engagement.

Charlize Theron hit up Las Vegas this week to promote her upcoming adventure epic Mad Max: Fury Road at CinemaCon, but the star couldn't help showing how smitten she is for her boyfriend, Sean Penn.
"I'm in a great relationship," Charlize told ET's Brooke Anderson on Tuesday at the Las Vegas convention. "I'm really happy."


While the Oscar-winning star said that things were going well, she also admitted that relationships that develop in the public eye can often feel a little awkward.

"You know, that stuff comes out and you always feel a little silly because it's your private life," Charlize said, adding, "[But] my life is in a really good place right now. And I'm just really happy for that."

The star couple was first spotted together in December 2013, but have remained relatively tight-lipped about their relationship with the press.

At CinemaCon, the Dark Places actress also opened up about her son Jackson, who Charlize adopted in 2012.
When asked how motherhood has changed her approach to working and acting, she explained, "It's [about] finding balance."

"It's trying to have the life that you really want, and to feel like you're your own individual," Charlize, 39, continued. "And then also to, you know, be a mom and be there for your kid… I'm just trying to find that balance."

Mad Max: Fury Road -- for which the Charlize had to go totally bald -- is headed to theaters May 15.