Monday, April 30, 2012

Religious Freedom - A Vanishing Right in Middle East, Africa


If only they would practice the TRUTH of the Love of God.

30 Apr 2012 16:54 Africa/Lagos

Religious Freedom - A Vanishing Right in Middle East, Africa
Open Doors USA and Simon Wiesenthal Center to Address Dramatic Increase in Persecution May 3 at DC Press Conference

PR Newswire

SANTA ANA, Calif., April 30, 2012

SANTA ANA, Calif., April 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly 70 percent of the world's 6.8 billion people live in countries with little or no freedom of religion, including many countries in the Middle East and Africa.

The purge of centuries-old Christian communities in Middle East countries like Iraq and Iran and the dramatic increase of persecution in African countries like Egypt and Nigeria are putting Christians and other minorities under unprecedented siege. On Sunday, gunmen reportedly killed at least 21 Christians and wounded 22 in two attacks during worship services held at a university and church in northern Nigeria.

Dr. Carl Moeller, president/CEO of Open Doors USA; Nina Shea, director for religious freedom at the Hudson Institute; Rev. Dr. Katharine Rhodes Henderson, president of Auburn Theological Seminary in New York City; Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein, director of Interfaith Affairs for the Simon Wiesenthal Center; and Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, will be among speakers addressing the issue of embattled Christian communities during a press conference on Thursday, May 3, at 10 a.m. at the National Press Club, Bloomberg Room, in Washington, D.C.

Last month the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) included Egypt, Eritrea, Iraq, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Sudan among 16 countries on its "Countries of Particular Concern" list. The report said that "across the global landscape, the pivotal human right of religious freedom was under escalating attack."

Open Doors is an international organization that for over five decades has covertly come along side Christians in 60 restrictive and dangerous countries, campaigning for their freedom to believe, from the gulags in North Korea to the halls of Congress. To partner with Open Doors USA, call toll free at 888-5-BIBLE-5 (888-524-2535 ) or go to www.OpenDoorsUSA.org .

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jerry Dykstra, Open Doors USA Media Relations Director,
at 616-915-4117 or JerryD@odusa.org ;
Marcial Lavina, Assistant Director of Public Relations, Simon Wiesenthal Center,
at 310-772-2455 or mlavina@wiesenthal.net

SOURCE Open Doors USA

Web Site: http://www.OpenDoorsUSA.org


Releases displayed in Africa/Lagos time
30 Apr 2012
16:54 Religious Freedom - A Vanishing Right in Middle East, Africa
13:27 Nigeria / Attacks against the press
13:01 Attacks against Christians - These massacres must stop, says Terzi; we must defend freedom of religion
10:14 ECOWAS losing patience over perennial crisis in Guinea Bissau, warns President Jammeh
08:19 Attacks against the Christian minorities in Nigeria and Kenya
06:40 ECOWAS CONTACT GROUP MINISTERS ON GUINEA BISSAU MEETS IN BANJUL
06:27 AIRTEL MONEY ADJUDGED BEST MOBILE MONEY SERVICE IN GHANA
27 Apr 2012
13:01 Nigeria – Attentats contre des organes de presse (27 avril 2012)
08:41 Canada Strongly Condemns Recent Attacks in Nigeria
08:06 Nigeria / Attentats contre des bureaux de journaux : Reporters sans frontières demande au gouvernement de protéger les médias
08:03 Nigeria / Government urged to protect media after two carbomb attacks on newspapers
08:00 Frost & Sullivan Honours Peroni Pompe S.p.A for its Exceptional Commitment to Customer Service




Nigerian Security and Executive Chiefs Need Re-Education on Security Matters


Nigerian Security and Executive chiefs need Re-education on security Matters


~ By John Egbeazien Oshodi, Ph.D.


As the Nigerian government struggles to manage and quell the continued targeted and strategic acts of wide-scale terrorist violence in recent times and even just a few days ago, it is not unusual to read or hear some of our nation’s federal officials dismissing warnings of bombing from security tested societies like the United States of America. In the least, this shows that the Nigerian security and executive chiefs need professional development and educational orientation on security talk and matters.

A case in point is the blatant, open and the careless dismissal of the United States of America’s warning that Abuja the nation’s capital could possibly and soon face planned terrorist attacks. This open disregard ironically came from the federal ministry of information/communications through the painful and now laughable words of the nation’s topmost head of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku.

He is not the first to utter dismissive words on terror warnings as others have thrown out same type of verbiage in the past.

Mr. Maku shockingly rebuked the United States Government “not to create public panic in our country.” America had warned us on April 17, 2012 and in nine days Abuja was attacked!

For a country swimming in systemic darkness, open insecurity, devastating violence, poverty of infrastructures and insufficient terror alerts, one would think that every information regarding possible attacks should be fully pursued vigorously.
Especially when such aid is coming from a globally tested anti-terror power like America who before the 9/11 terror disaster, had not fully toughened its anti-terror readiness.


The members of the "Boko Haram" Islamic Jihad in northern Nigeria.

But today, America can openly and publicly show full evidence of thousands of terrorist arrests, prosecutions and convictions, as well as show a profound global cognizance, control and reduction of terrorism.

Therefore, for our federal security/information chiefs and agencies to continue to downplay these warnings over and over, and doing it openly show signs of lack understanding for a complex matter like fanatic violence, lack of political imagination of the seriousness of radical-based violence or simply shows a sign of gross miscalculation on matters that require second-by-second watchfulness.

Terrorist-based violence occurs in almost all societies of the globe, but the values for combating it is the understanding the Nigerian people wants to see in and hear from our law enforcement, security and other public officials.

President Jonathan should begin to direct a new understanding and call for a full responsibility in matters that continues to give tremor to our internal democracy as Nigerians are just tired of complacent or unworried governance, and mannerisms that should not be occurring at these unpredictable times.

What we need now in our war against Nigeria-based terrorism is a line of scholarly thoughts in order to get additional, current and objective home-grown understanding of terrorists and terrorism as well as the influencing factors in the psychology of people who threaten or use violence against others while willing the perish in the process.

We need scholars to begin to find ways to study how to reduce the complexity surrounding terrorism as it relates to the sympathy that terrorists could be getting from some Nigerians.

The interpretation of terrorist violence in Nigeria must include evidence based external, political, economic, religious and intellectual treatments of terrorism. An all-out thinking and contributions from scholars in our Nigerian universities could assist in the interpretation of the patterns of violence we are currently experiencing and these studies could help uncover the psychological , sociological, economic and political as well as the scientific aspects of terror pacification, counterterrorism, and other forms of terrorist Violence.

Unlike many terror and security tested nations that see so much value in constantly using terrorism specialists and law enforcement scholars in the fight against terrorism, the Nigerian federal and state governments have been slow in this type of strategic collaboration.

In fact many of our public officials and some scholars appear to be equally shortsighted in regards to pressuring each other to join hands together in order to draw lessons from their own everyday work and scholastic research on terrorist violence.

We need vital collaborations that will not only assist individual and structural levels of analysis on terrorist mindset and strategies but would educate public officials on the need to be extraordinarily careful on the use of words as well as educate them on common modern usage of the words when dealing with the public, or explaining to the citizens and analyzing non-nationals predictions on terrorism matters.

The current government of Nigeria and its security and executive chiefs should bring in psychological scholars to take on and study the revelation by the President that terrorists have infiltrated the executive, parliamentary, judicial sections of government and other sections as this type of follow up will be the main road to initiate a line of solutions to control our everyday worry of when and where the next high-level simultaneous bomb and gun attacks on a public place across various cities will occur.

We need our law enforcement and judicial agencies to show actual numbers or data, successful prosecutions and court convictions on terrorism cases for the public to see, as such move will undoubtedly be the best way for our security, ministerial or executive chiefs to reduce public panic, ensure some degree of public confidence and show that we are not relenting on our anti-terror fight just like America, China, Pakistan, and Spain appears to be currently doing successfully.

No reasonable mind is asking that Nigeria becomes authoritarian government which could lead to unnecessary multiple raids, and unnecessary detention.

At this time and right now our preparedness is in doubt as evidenced by the “Jabi” surprise among others, therefore our officials should not wait for external bodies and agencies like American organizations to tell them or communicate to them their source of information on terror alerts as that will be clandestinely foolish, instead our officials must view all public instruments as targets and that include but not limited to media houses, markets, children play grounds, public eateries, higher institutions, hospitals, eateries, and others.

The next time we hear of terror warnings from credible sources and powerful authorities internal or external, let us start to see leaflets, mailshots, and fliers in different dialects in homes, shops, markets, schools, hospitals, fire stations, police stations, airports, post office, and other avenues educating us and giving info on terrorism warning, emergency preparedness and rescue tactics, and emergency evacuation methods.

In truth, these are trying times for our beloved country and the distresses Nigeria is currently going through remain similar to those of America before the 9/11 attacks, therefore scholars and policy makers alike must find a way to collaborate and seek out important transformation strategies and answers to help tackle various typologies of violence as in native terrorism or self-induced terrorism, cold blooded terrorism, religious-perpetrated violence, and situational terrorism as well as silent terrorism which as we all know is arising on a daily basis and it is being committed by those afflicted by what could be called “corruptomania”—a common monetary disorder among many public and private officials in particular.


~ John Egbeazien Oshodi, Ph.D., is an Abuja-based Forensic/Clinical Psychologist. Jos5930458@aol.com. 08126909839.




Saturday, April 28, 2012

Open Letter To Alhaji Aliko Dangote on Northern Nigeria and Boko Haram


Alhaji Aliko Dangote, MFR, GCON, ETC; is the richest black man on earth according the Forbes magazine, but his homeland Kano is one of the most underdeveloped places on earth where over 400 industries have collapsed and over 5 million lost their jobs and now terrorized by the dreaded Boko Haram Islamic terrorists on suicide-bombing rampage in northern Nigeria.

Open Letter To Alhaji Aliko Dangote on Northern Nigeria and Boko Haram


Dear Alhaji Aliko Dangote, MFR, GCON, ETC: Charity Begins At Home and Not On Forbes
,

Are you still dining and wining with members of the elite billionaires club of Forbes 100 Most Richest People in the world?

Are you still gloating over being named the richest black man in the world?
Are you still gazing at the glittering trophies you have won as the greatest industrialist in Africa?

Are you still gazing at yourself in the cheval glass mirror grinning as you think you look dapper and better in your designer suit than in your native Babariga?
Are you still playing your Monopoly and Totopoly at the Nigerian Stock Exchange and saying Auzubillah as your billions increase daily?
Who are you impressing?

Your legion of flatterers, hypocrites, praise singing sycophants who are far away in their comfort zones while your motherland is on fire, smoking from suicide bombings and stinking from the acrid odours of charred bodies of corpses, burnt vehicles and razed houses in Kano, Kaduna, Borno, Gombe, Yobe, Adamawa, Kogi, Abuja, Plateau, Katsina, and other danger zones terrorized by the lunatic fringe of your own Islamic religion.

Haba Aliko! But while you are still cutting ribbons to open new industries in the safer southern and western regions and other countries in Africa, your own northern region is burning!
Burning in the catastrophic chaos of Islamic insurgency in the masquerade of Boko Haram.
But who is to blame?
You are not culpable?
You think you are innocent?

How many of you industries are located in Kano and other northern states?
Are you biggest factories located in the northern regions?

How many of the millions of jobless people in Kano are employed in your following Dangote Group of Companies and subsidiaries?

ALCO International Limited
Dangote Nigeria Limited
Dangote Transport Limited
Dangote Cement Plc. - Listed on Nigeria Stock Exchange[4]
National Salt Company of Nigeria Plc. - Listed on Nigeria Stock Exchange
Dangote Flour Mills Plc. - Listed on Nigeria Stock Exchange
Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc. - Listed on Nigeria Stock Exchange[5]
Dangote Oil & Gas Industries International
Dangote Textiles Limited
Dangote Holdings Limited
Blue Star Limited
Dansa Foods Limited
Dansa Food Processing Limited
Dancom Technologies
GreenView International Company Limited - Has invested US$28+ million in cement factory in Ghana.
Sephaku Cement Limited - Dangote Group has 64% shareholding in this South African cement company.
Alheri Engineering Limited
Kura Holdings Limited

Haba Aliko!
Where were you when over 400 industries closed in Kano?
Where were you when over five million jobs were lost?

Where are the cotton plantations?
Where are the sugarcane plantations?
Where are the groundnut pyramids?
What have you done with your billions of dollars to revive the collapsed industries?

What have you done for your thousands of nomadic and rampaging cattle herdsmen who are roaming and trespassing farmlands from the north to the middle belt and to the south when they would fare better if you can just spend only $1 billion to settle them in ranches and let them develop livestock farms all over your northern states and stop their prehistoric nomadic life of trespassing other lands.

What your people need most are not your cement and sugar and pasta factories.
They need livestock farms for large scale dairies, cotton plantations for cotton to use in Nigeria and export to the rest of the world to make billions of cotton products used for clothes, cotton wools and other uses and revive all the collapsed textile industries, sugarcane plantations to produce sugar and stop useless importation of sugar from America and Europe like St. Louis and other unhealthy sugary junk foods dumped in Nigeria and farmlands to grow groundnuts to revive the famous groundnut pyramids and date palms to produce dates and peanuts to enrich the millions of pastries and loaves of bread we eat daily to nourish millions of Hausas and other Nigerians.

One Babariga is sold for over $600 on Coyotes Paw. One Babariga is made of strips of hand-loomed cotton sewed side by side to form large panels of cloth that are then meticulously embroidered with local silk or cotton thread.
Do you know how many thousands of Almajiris and other jobless Hausas would be employed in "Alhaji Aliko Dangote Textile Factories" to produce enough cotton for millions of Babarigas for millions of people in Nigeria and other Africans in the Diaspora?

These would definitely make you a richer billionaire than all your sugar, pastry and cement factories.

When you address the humanitarian emergencies caused by the collapse of hundreds of factories in your homeland Kano and other northern states, and help to create millions of jobs for the millions of jobless Hausas and others and they are gainfully employed to earn good wages to make ends meet, then where would the the devils on rampage find new recruits for their suicidal jihads?



~ By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, author of Children of Heaven, Sleepless Night, Scarlet Tears of London, Bye, Bye Mugabe, In the House of Dogs and other books and founder of Eko International Film Festival and Screen Naija One Village, One Cinema Project.




Friday, April 27, 2012

Screen Outdoor Open Air Cinema to Run Screen Naija One Village, One Cinema Project


SOOAC will use the outdoor cinema equipment and services of Open Air Cinema.

Screen Outdoor Open Air Cinema to Run Screen Naija One Village, One Cinema Project

A new outdoor cinema enterprise Screen Outdoor Open Air Cinema (SOOAC) owned by Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima will execute the Screen Naija One Village, One Cinema Project in Nigeria.

SOOAC has already secured the public broadcast rights for the multiple awards winning documentaries Project Happiness and Cultures of Resistance and also independent movies for commercial distribution in Nigeria and other parts of Africa.

The documentaries will be screened gratis to the public before the commercial screening of the non-documentary movies from the urban areas to the rural communities in selected states in Nigeria.

“SOOAC will show documentaries and movies in conducive and receptive communities as long as there is peace and security at the locations,” said Michael Chima.

SOOAC will be managed by Miss. Roseline Philip, the Festival/Project Manager of Screen Naija.

For advertisement and sponsorship considerations, contact the following:

Roseline Philip
The Festival/Project Manager
Screen Naija One Village, One Cinema
Screen Outdoor Open Air Cinema
International Digital Post Network Limited
1, Bajulaiye Road,
Morocco Bust Stop, Shomolu,
Lagos, Nigeria.
Tel: 234 7066379246, 234 8160402006.



Nigerian Government Urged to Protect News Media from Terrorist Attacks


Bomb blast at Nigerian newspaper office by reuters

27 Apr 2012 08:03 Africa/Lagos


Nigeria / Government urged to protect media after two carbomb attacks on newspapers

PARIS, April 27, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Reporters Without Borders is dismayed by yesterday's bombings targeting newspapers in the capital, Abuja, and the northern city of Kaduna and calls on the Nigerian authorities to reinforce security for news media, journalists and other media personnel.


Reacting to the two bombings, which killed at least nine people, President Goodluck Jonathan issued a statement stressing the government's commitment “to uphold citizens' constitutional rights to freedom of expression and press freedom in particular.”


“While hailing President Jonathan's pledge to defend press freedom, we urge him to take full stock of the terrible dangers to which journalists are exposed.” Reporters Without Borders said. “After yesterday's tragedies and the cold-blooded killings of at least two media personnel in recent months, there is no longer any doubt that the media and journalists are among the targets of those who carry out attacks and bombings in Nigeria.


“In consultation with media owners and executives, the authorities should adopt concrete measures to ensure that journalists are protected and to reinforce security around news media buildings and offices.”


In Abuja, a suicide bomber drove a jeep carrying explosives into the building housing the printing press of ThisDay, one of the country's most influential, privately-owned newspapers, killing himself and four other people and wounding dozens of others. ThisDay nonetheless said it had reinforced security around its premises in response to the violence that has killed at least 400 people since the start of the year.


At the same time, a car laden with explosives was stopped as it approached a building in Kaduna that houses the regional offices of ThisDay, The Moment and The Daily Sun. One of the two men in the car got out and detonated a bomb that killed at least four people and wounded around 20 others.


While the bombings were not immediately claimed, they bore the hallmarks of the Islamist group Boko Haram, which accused the national media a few weeks ago of reporting falsehoods about it. One of the two men involved in the Kaduna bombing, who was detained by witnesses and handed over to the police, reportedly identified himself as a Boko Haram member.



Source: Reporters without Borders (RSF)

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Releases displayed in Africa/Lagos time
27 Apr 2012
08:41 Canada Strongly Condemns Recent Attacks in Nigeria
08:06 Nigeria / Attentats contre des bureaux de journaux : Reporters sans frontières demande au gouvernement de protéger les médias
08:03 Nigeria / Government urged to protect media after two carbomb attacks on newspapers
08:00 Frost & Sullivan Honours Peroni Pompe S.p.A for its Exceptional Commitment to Customer Service
26 Apr 2012
23:24 CPJ condemns attacks on two newspaper offices in Nigeria
23:19 EXTRAORDINARY SUMMIT OF ECOWAS HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT ABIDJAN, CÔTE D'IVOIRE, 26 APRIL 2012 / FINAL COMMUNIQUE
23:14 SOMMET EXTRAORDINAIRE DES CHEFS D'ETAT ET DE GOUVERNEMENT DE LA CEDEAO ABIDJAN COTE D'IVOIRE, 26 AVRIL 2012 / COMMUNIQUE FINAL
16:21 Students From Around The World Take Flight In New Careers in Texas
14:33 REGIONAL EXPERTS CALL FOR EMERGENCY FUND TO DEAL WITH ANIMAL DISEASES
12:00 Bristow Group Announces Fiscal Year 2012 Fourth quarter and Year-End Earnings Release and Conference Call Schedule
08:24 RDS: 1st Q 2012 Unaudited Results
00:31 Brightstar Corp. Reports Record 2011 Revenue and Earnings
25 Apr 2012
16:18 Nexen Announces First Quarter Results & Strong Progress on Strategic Priorities
15:12 ECOWAS signs agreement with Cuba for the Elimination of Malaria in West Africa by 2015
14:33 Media Alert: 225 of the World's Most Powerful Women Corporate Directors Meet at WCD Global Summit and Visionary Awards
10:37 Notore erhöht im Rahmen eines gemeinsamen Bauprojekts mit Mitsubishi Corporation die Düngemittelproduktion
10:00 Nexen Announces First Quarter Results & Strong Progress on Strategic Priorities
06:23 Notore prévoit d'augmenter sa production d'engrais grâce à un projet commun avec Mitsubishi Corporation
24 Apr 2012
21:27 Notore aumenta la producción de fertilizantes a través de un desarrollo conjunto con Mitsubishi Corporation
21:00 ProfNet Sources Available on 2012 Commencement Speakers




Roseline Philip Appointed Festival Manager of Screen Naija


Roseline Philip

International Digital Post Network Limited, publisher of Nigerians Report and founder of the annual Eko International Film Festival and Screen Naija One Village, One Cinema Project has confirmed the appointment of Roseline Philip as the Festival/Project Manager of Screen Naija One Village, One Cinema in Nigeria. She has proved to be a diligent, intelligent, brilliant, smart and resourceful worker since her employment three months ago. Miss Philip is a graduate of University of Abuja and a native of Ilaje in Ondo State of south western Nigeria.



Thursday, April 26, 2012

Nigeria: Suicide Bomber Destroys THIS DAY Newspaper Offices in Abuja



Nigeria: Suicide Bombers Attack Nigerian Newspapers

The Abuja and Kaduna offices of three Nigerian newspapers came under devastating terrorist attacks Thursday morning.
The unidentified suicide bombers in different vehicles targeted the THIS DAY newspaper, Daily Sun and The Moment in separate attacks at different locations but almost simultaneously.

Security guards and others were among the casualties.

The dreaded Islamic terrorist sect Boko Haram threatened to attack Nigerian newspapers for biased news reporting in favour of the Nigerian government and security agencies and not reporting the facts.



PBS NEWSHOUR NamesTom Kennedy Managing Editor/Digital News


PBS NEWSHOUR names veteran multimedia journalist Tom Kennedy Managing Editor/Digital News
PBS NEWSHOUR TOM KENNEDY Veteran Multimedia Journalist Tom Kennedy named Managing Editor/Digital News at PBS NEWSHOUR. (PRNewsFoto/PBS NEWSHOUR) ARLINGTON, VA UNITED STATES.



ARLINGTON, Va., April 26, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Tom Kennedy, an internationally known visual journalist and multimedia editor, has been tapped to lead the PBS NewsHour's online news operations as Managing Editor/Digital News. Kennedy brings over 35 years of print and online journalism experience, including positions as Managing Editor for Multimedia at washingtonpost.com and Director of Photography at the National Geographic Society. He has created, directed, and edited visual journalism projects that have earned Pulitzer Prizes, as well as EMMY, Peabody, and Edward R. Murrow awards.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120426/DC95615 )

Kennedy now teaches photo editing, including multimedia editing and storytelling, and visual journalism at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. He also works as a multimedia consultant with assorted corporations and non-profits. He will begin work at the NewsHour in June.

As Managing Editor/Digital News, Kennedy will be responsible for the NewsHour's online content strategy and the overall growth of the program's digital operation. It is an area where he has much experience. At washingtonpost.com, Kennedy conceptualized and developed its multimedia section, and created the first documentary video team to produce stories for an American newspaper-based web site.

"Tom is a great addition to the NewsHour team," said Linda Winslow, Executive Producer of PBS NewsHour. "This job calls for a creative journalist with editorial and management skills, and Tom is that person. I'm confident that not only will he ensure that all NewsHour-produced digital material – text, video, social media – meets the NewsHour's strict editorial standards, but that he will further develop multimedia skills and creativity throughout our staff."

Prior to joining washingtonpost.com, Kennedy was the Director of Photography at the National Geographic Society for ten years. He directed the Photographic Division that produced all still photography for the Society, with the primary focus on National Geographic Magazine. He also worked as Deputy Graphics Director at the Philadelphia Inquirer, where he directed two projects that earned Pulitzer Prizes for feature photography. Earlier in his career, he worked as a photojournalist at The Gainesville (FL) Sun and The Orlando (FL) Sentinel Star.

Kennedy has served on the Board of Advisors for The Knight Center for International Journalism within the School of Communication at the University of Miami, and on the Board of Visitors for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. He has also been an advisor to visual journalism programs at the University of North Texas and University of Florida. Kennedy graduated cum laude with a degree in journalism from the University of Florida.

PBS NEWSHOUR is seen by over 5 million weekly viewers and is also available online, via public radio in select markets and via podcast. The program is produced in association with WETA Washington, D.C., and WNET.org in New York. Major corporate funding for the PBS NEWSHOUR is provided by BNSF, CITI, and AT&T, with additional support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and public television viewers.


SOURCE PBS NEWSHOUR




Avatar 2 and 3 May Be Made in China – James Cameron




James Cameron

Mr. Cameron arrived in Beijing on Saturday and will soon be attending a screening of “Titanic 3D” at the Beijing International Film Festival (the re-release opened earlier this month to staggering sales in China). But his most important business will be conducted in private meetings, including with state-owned China Film Group. Speaking in an interview on Sunday, he said a priority of this trip was to explore a co-production deal with the Chinese firm on “Avatar 2” and “Avatar 3. Mr. Cameron says he would need to be satisfied in advance that his planned films would meet the approval of censors. If that key condition can be met, he is keen on the potential payoff. “There are economic advantages,” as he puts it.

Click here for the full story.



Before You Date Anyone in Nigeria and Abroad



Before You Date Anyone in Nigeria and Abroad

Nigeria is full of very physically attractive young women and young men of all shapes and sizes and many of them are fun seekers in the fast lane of the rat race in pursuit of their happiness and security.

The majority of the pretty and sexy girls come from poor families with parents who are low income earners struggling to make ends meet in the most populous country in Africa where over seventy percent of the population are illiterates. So, the competition for promotion in the social hierarchy is very tough. To find a well bred and chaste young woman here is like looking for a needle in a haystack even though majority of the people claim to be regular church going Christians and mosque going Muslims, yet there is little difference between them and the pagans in their behaviours. Therefore, do not be swayed by their eye service and lip service of being Christians or Muslims, because most of them are hypocrites and desperate opportunists with predatory pursuits. But now, the chickens have come home to roost as over 700, 000 of the youths have HIV/AIDS according to the confirmed reports from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in April 2012., and that is just one fifth of the total population of people living with HIV in Nigeria.

If over 700, 000 of Nigerian youths have HIV/AIDS, then imagine the dangerous risks of dating anyone of them who will never tell you their HIV/AIDS status, because majority of these hundreds of thousands of Nigerian youths infected with the deadly HIV/AIDS are predatory women between the ages 15 and 32 who would prefer to lie to lure you into their common sex-for-profit relationship. And before you know it, you have contracted HIV from sleeping with them!


Sex Chains of the 700, 000 Youths with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria




The 700, 000 people with HIV/AIDS are in our midst in our communities and are still having sex and spreading the deadly infections of HIV/AIDS in their nonchalant promiscuous relationships of multiple sex partners. The fact is one of them would have had several sex partners and in the sex chains of the 700, 000, over 7 million others would have had sex with those who have had sex with these 700, 000 people from one place to another in every state in Nigeria.

Lucy with HIV/AIDS has slept with Tunde who was ignorant of her HIV/AIDS status and then Tunde has gone ahead to sleep with another person named Bolanle and Bolanle also later slept with Nduka and Nduka would also go on to have sex with Chidinma and Chidinma traveled to Abuja and slept with Captain Kadari and Captain Kadari later had sex with Aisha and Aisha before getting married to Senator Usman Jaji slept with the Youth Corps member Gbinigie from Benin and then Gbinigie the playboy also slept with four different girlfriends who also later had sex with other men and within only two to three years the sex chain of Lucy would have over 100 to 1, 000 different people in the long run. Now from that same sex chain with 1, 000 ignorant victims the figure will continue to increase daily, weekly, monthly and annually and the infections of HIV/AIDS will continue to spread in the vicious circle of just one of the 700, 000 youths with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. The grave consequences of HIV/AIDS worsen through sex chains of promiscuous young men and young women in our communities.

The calamitous situation is the fact that majority of people are ignorant of the grave consequences of their sex chains and the spread of contagious STDs and HIV/AIDS and other deadly infections like contagious skin diseases.

When we warn people to be disciplined and faithful, it is more about the general health and safety; survival and welfare of humans than about our selfish possessions of a lover or a spouse.
The silliest ones will dismiss the warning and say “Mind your business. It is my life and not yours.”
“Shut up silly ass! It is our business and our life you are endangering by your wayward sex life of promiscuity, because you are spreading your deadly disease by forking and messing around!”

This is the stark reality of the calamity of HIV/AIDS pandemic ravaging humankind. And the ignorance of the majority continues to worsen the prevalence of the infections as the hordes of promiscuous predatory Nigerian babes and guys continue to go on their sexual rampage in Nigeria and abroad. So, before you undress to have sex with anyone of them, think twice before it is too late.



~ By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, Thursday April 26, 2012, Shomolu, Lagos, Nigeria
.



Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Egusi Soup Served With Spicy Bits in London!



EGUSI SOUP BY JANICE OKOH


A fast, furious and funny new intergenerational and cross-cultural Nigerian family comedy from Janice Okoh. As the Anyias, a British-Nigerian family, pack their suitcases and prepare to head home to Lagos for a memorial service in honour of the late Mr Anyia, they soon realise they will need to get rid of some excess baggage first, and not just of the material kind. The chaotic return to London from the USA of the Anyias’ eldest daughter, Anne, disrupts the family equilibrium that has settled after her father’s death, and deeply held resentments resurface dramatically
.

A new play about love, life and loss, with plenty of spicy bits!

Wed 23 May – Sat 9 June, Soho Theatre, London

Fri 18 & Sat 19 May, Mumford Theatre, Cambridge; Thurs 14, Fri 15, Sat 16 June, Mercury Theatre, Colchester


A fast, furious and funny new intergenerational and cross-cultural Nigerian family comedy from Janice Okoh. As the Anyias, a British-Nigerian family, pack their suitcases and prepare to head home to Lagos for a memorial service in honour of the late Mr Anyia, they soon realise they will need to get rid of some excess baggage first, and not just of the material kind. The chaotic return to London from the USA of the Anyias’ eldest daughter, Anne, disrupts the family equilibrium that has settled after her father’s death, and deeply held resentments resurface dramatically.


Janice Okoh

Janice Okoh is an award winning playwright. In 2011, her play The Real House (Three Birds) won the Bruntwood Prize and was short-listed for the Verity Bargate Award and the Alfred Fagon Award. Her recent theatre productions include: Top Brass (Theatre 503, 2010), a short play written in response to The Charming Man by Gabriel Bissett-Smith. Her recent radio plays include: Reunion (BBC Radio 4 Extra, 2011); Carnival, a short play for the From Fact to Fiction series (BBC Radio 4, 2010) and SE8 (BBC Radio 4, 2010). This year, Janice has adapted Malorie Blackman’s novel Noughts and Crosses for the Saturday Play (BBC Radio 4).

Making up the cast are: Ellen Thomas, Rhoda Ofori-Attah, Anniwaa Buachie, Nick Oshikanlu and Lace Akpojaro.

Ellen Thomas is one of the country’s leading black actresses. She has been twice nominated for Best Actress in the EMMA Awards and nominated as Best Actress by Screen Nation and The Black Media Awards.

Ellen has a hugely successful TV, film and stage career. She has appeared in Eastenders as Grace and 4 series of the hugely successful Teachers. Other regular roles include: 3 series of Cardiac Arrest and leading roles in London Bridge, Holding On and The Jury. Ellen also appeared in Buried Treasure alongside John Thaw for LWT which won the 2002 BAFTA Audience Award. Theatre work includes: Tiata Delights at The Almeida; Statement Of Regret at The National Theatre; The Estate, Soho Theatre; Vagina Monologues on Tour; Blest Be The Tie at The Royal Court; Maria in Twelfth Night at The Manchester Royal Exchange and A Bitter Herb at The Bristol old Vic, for which she won fabulous reviews.

Egusi Soup is a co-production between Soho Theatre and Menagerie Theatre Company in association with Mercury Theatre, Colchester.

Menagerie is one of the UK’s leading independent new writing theatre companies, seeking out and supporting talented new writers. As well as touring widely, Menagerie curates and produces the annual Hotbed Festival in Cambridge. www.menagerietheatre.co.uk
Egusi Soup was developed at Menagerie’s Sparks programme and then at Hotbed. Janice Okoh is a Menagerie Associate Writer.

Soho Theatre aims to bring the most entertaining, brave and theatrical new work to audiences across a programme spanning comedy, cabaret and theatre; with three spaces, a late night bar, innovative education projects and world famous writers’ centre, Soho Theatre is one of the most vibrant venues on London’s cultural scene.

Egusi Soup Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/EgusiSoupMenagerie

For more information, tickets for press night (Friday 25th May), biogs, interviews or photographs, please contact:
Mhari Gallagher
e: mhari@menagerie.uk.com
t: 01223 322111
m: 07725739106



EGUSI SOUP by Janice Okoh

Mumford Theatre, Cambridge

Fri 18 & Sat 19 May, 7.30pm
Tickets: £11.50 / £8.50
Box Office: 0845 196 2320 or 01223 352932
Book Online: www.anglia.ac.uk/mumfordtheatre

Soho Theatre, London
Wed 23 May – Sat 9 June, 8.00pm
Sat 3.30pm & 8.00pm
Tickets: £10 - £15
Box Office: 020 7478 0100
Book Online: www.sohotheatre.com

Mercury Theatre, Colchester
Thurs 14 – Sat 16 June, 7.45pm
Tickets: £11.00 / £6.50
Box Office: 01206 573 948
Book Online: www.mercurytheatre.co.uk



Nigerian Journalists Must Set New Standards for Electoral Reforms - Princewill


22nd April, 2012

PRESS RELEASE

PRINCEWILL URGES NEW LEADERSHIP OF NUJ IN RIVERS STATE TO SET A NEW STANDARD FOR NIGERIA ELECTORAL SYSTEM

Prince Tonye Princewill the Leader of Princewill Political Associates and a chieftain of PDP chaired the just concluded 5thTriennial Delegates Conference of the NUJ in which he charged journalists in Nigeria to set the pace for the evolution of an electoral system in the country where the votes of the electorates count! Some National Officers of NUJ and Journalists from all the segments of NUJ in Rivers State had gathered to elect their new executive and the Prince who as a result of his attending the wedding of Linus Idahosa and Stephanie Okereke in faraway Paris was represented by his Legal Adviser, Barr Soalabo West at the epochal event had this to say, “Elections are very important in democratic organizations. Essentially, it ensures that people who lead the organization are a choice of the led. Simple! The process therefore must be seen to be transparent. Unfortunately this is not the case in many elections conducted in Nigeria. Some of you here have courageously reported these wrong practices and the ugly effects of them on the polity. Your about to be conducted NUJ elections should therefore be different. We are looking up to the NUJ to set the pace in this regard. So I implore and charge all of us here (voters, those running for office and those saddled with the responsibility of conducting your elections) to act right. To act according to the agreed rules and guidelines set down for the conduct of the elections”.


Mr. Opaka Dokubo, Outgoing NUJ Chairman, RS Council.


Members of the Princwill Political Associates (PPA) present.


Chief Eze C. Eze (Rep. of Prince Tonye Princewill) Adressing the jornalists in attendance.


Barr. Soalabo West, the Representative of Prince Tonye Princewill giving the opening speech.


Amaopu-Senibo Bobo Brown, Guest Lecturer.


The rep. of Prince Tonye Princewill, handing over the equipment to the President of the Federated Correspondents Chapel, NUJ, Rivers State Council.

The Guest Lecturer Amaopu-Senibo Bobo-Brown a former President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR and erudite scholar who spoke of the Theme of the Conference“Attaining Journalism Excellence in a Democracy like Nigeria” told the crowd that the loss of the World Bank Presidency by Nigeria’s Finance Minister Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala,was a result of the nation’s weak asset base. “Nigeria is entering international arena with the weakest asset base, since the nation’s independence in 1960. Okonjo-Iweala paid the price for our weak asset base.“Okonjo-Iweala is a highly qualified professional, but in the current international arena, you must come with very strong asset base.


Mr. and Mrs. Idahosa.

In a well contested election devoid of any acrimony and in tandem with the spirit of the day, the following members were elected as the new Exco for the State - Opaka Dokubo the erstwhile Chairman was re-elected as Chairman. Others were, Ayo Tamuno, Vice Chairman, Stanley Job, Secretary, Anayo Onukwugha, Assistant Secretary Uche Agbam, Treasurer, and Barth Ndubuwa, Financial Secretary. The Prince later made an undisclosed cash donation to the incoming executive and a large collection of equipment to the Correspondents Chapel to help assist them with running their business centre.


The representative of the Grand Patron, NUG RS Council, Sir (Dr) Chukumela Nnam Obi II, OON, Eze Ogba of Ogba land.

Mr. Chris Konkwo the Secretary of the Organizing Committee while delivering his vote of thanks described Prince Tonye Princewill with the words of Booker T. Washington (April 5, 1856 – November 14, 1915), the legendary African-American educator, author, and advisor to Republican presidents, “No man who continues to add something to the material, social and intellectual well-being of the place in which he lives will long be left before he is properly rewarded” urging the Prince to wait patiently as his reward for all his good deeds to the society is at hand. Mr. Terve Akase, the Chairman of the Rivers State Correspondents Chapel receiving the items donated by the Prince via his Media Chief, Chief Eze C Eze said that the Chapel had never witnessed such a gesture and intervention from anybody or Organization in the State describing it as monumental and historic assuring the Prince that his seeds and efforts to alleviate the plight of Journalists in the State will remain indelible in the annals of the Chapel and will never go unrewarded.



~ Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, Media Consultant to PPA




Tuesday, April 24, 2012

What the World Bank Missed?


Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

The Banker is addressing the missed opportunity of the World Bank Group in failing to appoint Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as president.

Read the full report on The Banker.

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