Imo Gubernatorial Polls: Governor Ohakim Beyond Electorates Redemption

Chief Ikedi Ohakim, Governor of Imo State


Imo Gubernatorial Polls: Governor Ohakim Beyond Electorates Redemption

Written By Njamanze Fidel


The governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim without mincing words has made himself unlikable to majority of Imo people by his untoward actions and inactions. Since the inception of his administration in 2007, I have tried to restrain myself from constructively pointing out my grouse with him hoping that he will turn over a new leaf but all to no avail.


The fact is he has earned for himself the notoriety of being a political deceiver of the highest order. A point in view was when he purportedly deceived Mr. President; Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan that he has started rehabilitating the road that runs from Nkwala (one of the prominent weekly markets in Ngor-Opkala LGA), Eziama, Ntu, Umuohie, Umuneke (where the council secretariat is located) and Ngwuru. This road forms a T-junction to Owerri, Okpala and Owerri Nta road apart from numerous junctions along that axis. This T-junction is close to Ulakwo Junction and Park. It is about a kilometer if you are coming from Ulakwo to Okpala and on the right hand side.


While the governor was coming back from the airport some time ago, where he had gone to welcome the President, I gathered from a reliable source that he pointed at the road that connects Umuneke, Ugwuru, Umuohie, Ntu, Eziama and Nkwoala to Mr. President as one of the roads he was building. It is important to note here that the construction equipment was pulled out of the construction site after the President had gone back to the seat of power, Aso Rock. The truth is that what Ohakim did was to rehabilitate some dangerous spots along that road but this was not exhaustive, because from Umuneke to Nkwola where there are also potholes were left unattended. Why?


This road was initially constructed by past military regime. The road, which is a state road, was later constructed and continued from Umuohie Ngor to Nkwala Market by the current democratic dispensation. The present state of the road is better described as deplorable not minding the lackadaisical, cunning and deceptive move by the Chief Executive in Imo state to rehabilitate it.


What is most painful to me are the poorly executed road rehabilitation projects that have been captured in Ohakim’s campaign billboard just to earn the votes of the electorates in addition to other irritating attributes of his and flaws. For instance, the above mentioned road that leads to Ngor-Okpala Local Government Area has been captured in one of his deceptive billboards located at that strategic T- Junction. Initially, “Ochina falsehood” wanted the whole world to know or believe that the road was to be dualized but this was not to be as the road project was abandoned before it could get to half a kilometer. My heart bleeds for most rural based Local Governments Areas and its inhabitants in Imo State especially Ngor Okpala Local Government Area as there is virtually nothing to lift their dampened spirit up.


Is it our roads; which in great state of disrepair, school structures; which are a shadow of their former self, youth empowerment; which has taken flight, health centres; which are crawling on their knees. While some state Governors have initiated free education in their various states by even going the extra mile of providing free sandals, exercise books, school uniforms and bags to pupils and students of both primary and secondary schools, what is saddening is the increase in school fees of undergraduates who attend University of Imo State (IMSU) by Ohakim administration. The effect of the increment is gnawing of teeth by most parents who struggle too hard to pay the said fee which is allegedly put at one hundred and fifty thousand naira.


Ohakim should as a matter of urgency borrow a leaf from the governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi, Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, Sullivan Chime of Enugu, Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State etc.


Again, it is most sad to observe that a federal road that runs through Okpala, Eziama, Nkwala Market and Amala to Rivers State has also been captured in Governor Ohakim’s political campaign billboard as one of the roads he has constructed. However, this is one of the twenty first century nauseating falsehood being peddled by Ochina what I do not know.


With various allegations of misdemeanor; abuse of a man of God, his subjects in the person of Samuelson Iwuoha and Mrs Elizabeth Udoudo, inability to develop rural areas for socio-economic activities, litany of corruption related petitions, deceptive politicking and so on, I do not nurse any doubt in my mind that Ohakim would be an irredeemable gubernatorial product to market to the electorate in Imo state as he has shot himself in the leg.


Jude Ude commenting in an article with the title “Governor Ikedi Ohakim: The Example Of Ondo State Government written by one Ikenna Samuelson Iwuoha, Jun 07 2010 said, “The fact that Ikedi Ohakim is worse than DEJI is not in doubt. We have an acclaimed 419ner, looter,criminal and a public enemy as the Governor in Imo State. We all know that the powers that be in the PDP are protecting this fool, but for how long they will do it, then we are waiting to see. I have always said that no amount of falsehood or campaign from people like Steve Osuji, Kenneth Uwadi, Obi Okereke, Sam Uzowum, Dr. E Dibia and Mr. J. Onyeakoh can succeed in selling or imposing this impostor, criminal and 419ner on the good people of Imo State. They tell us that Ohakim has achieved heaven and earth in Imo State, but they have never succeeded in substantiating their claim.”


Prophecy: What I do know for sure is, your investigation by the appropriate authority may tarry, but the petition dossier on your corrupt practices is in a safe place for future action. By the time the lid to your can of worms is opened, either by EFCC or ICPC, your fate may be worse than James Ibori’s.


~Njamanze Fidel a political activist and commentator write from Ihite, Imo State

Ohakim’s Empowerment Application Form (Per Ward): A Real or False Bait?

Governor of Imo State, Chief Ikedi Ohakim


Ohakim’s Empowerment Application Form (Per Ward): A Real or False Bait?


Written By Njamanze Fidel


As the count down to the Imo state governorship and State House of Assembly elections draw close some political parties have come forward with mouth-watering promises so as to gain overwhelmingly the votes of the electorates. This move is to reelect the incumbent governor, state house assembly members or to vote them out and usher in a new governor, house assembly members from opposition political parties in Imo State.


One of such political campaign promise is the Empowerment Application Form (per ward) that is being circulated across the 27 local government Areas in Imo state which is given to prospective electorates by the People's Democratic Party’s house to house campaigners with the aim of getting their votes on the 26 of April 2011.


I do know that Imo people have not forgotten so soon what transpired when the Ikedi Ohakim’s administration advertised to provide 10,000 jobs to Imo indigenes. The question now is has the governor fulfilled that promise forthrightly not minding that majority of those who applied for the job with their hard earned money to by scratch card are yet to be employed? Is there any similarity from this Empowerment Application Form per Ward and the vehemently criticized 10,000 jobs?


The form has the following outlines under its biodata, date of birth, sex, marital status, occupation, address, Local Government Area (LGA), phone number and email address. Under its empowerment category, you will see farmers loan; 100 persons, widows loan; 50 widows, students scholarship; 20 students, youth empowerment; 10 keke/tricycles and government employment; 10 graduates, 20 non-graduates and 10 women. When you add the above figures and multiply it by the total number of wards in Imo State what will you get? No doubt, the total number of people to benefit from this empowerment scheme will exceed the 10,000 jobs which Ohakim said his administration will provide. What does this tell you? Are we not about to be hoodwinked by the political deceivers of Imo state kleptomaniac politics?


If one may ask, why the PDP led administration in Imo State did not introduce or share this form when it assumed the administration of affairs in 2007? Why is it now that the Governorship and State House of Assembly elections are very close that they remembered to distribute it among prospective and non prospective electorates whom they have faith and hope that would vote for the Peoples Democratic Party? Whether this latest political game plan of the PDP in Imo State will fly, remains only a matter of conjecture. But what I am sure of is that most Imo people are not naïve. Our governor Governor Ikedi Ohakim seems to have made enough money within a period of four years and that is why he said university education is not for the poor or everybody. What an insensitivity to the plight of the averagely rich and poor! He has as a matter of fact; increased the financial burden of majority of our parents who have their ward in Imo State University. Will you vote for him (Ohakim) if you are in the position of such parents whom the former has made their burden heavier?


The People of Imo State should vote wisely at this crucial election which will make or mar commendable governance.


Njamanze Fidel a political activist and commentator write from Ihite, Imo State

Apple Drags Samsung to Court over Galaxy S Tablets

The Technorati reports that Apple has filed a suit filed last Friday claiming that Samsung's phones and tablets infringe its own patents, Apple is seeking for compensation and injunctions that will damage Samsung's tablet line.

Last year Samsung's Galaxy Tab, which runs Android, was released. Apple has put in claims that the Galaxy Tab infringes on multiple iPad patents and that the Galaxy S looks and feels too similar to the iPhone.

Click here to read more


Apple iPad versus Samsung Galaxy S Tablet



See Top 5 Things The Samsung Galaxy Tab Has That The Apple iPad 2 Doesn't

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22 Apr 2011
19:43	New Revelations of Google, Apple Smartphone Data Snooping Show Need for Do Not Track Me Legislation, Consumer Watchdog Says

Nigeria: emergency aid for people fleeing violence in the north

21 Apr 2011 21:04 Africa/Lagos



Nigeria: emergency aid for people fleeing violence in the north

ABUJA, April 21, 2011/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Nigerian Red Cross Society are responding swiftly to the urgent needs of thousands of people displaced in the city of Kano and elsewhere in the north of the country following post-election violence that erupted on 17 April.


"At least 12,000 displaced men, women and children are assembled in six locations in Kano," said Otchoa Datcharry, head of the ICRC office in the city. ICRC and Nigerian Red Cross staff have installed a 5,000-litre water storage bladder, and distributed 2.5 tonnes of emergency food rations (crushed cassava, sugar and bread) and 25,000 litres of water to 9,000 people. "Four more water storage bladders will be installed in coming days," added Mr Datcharry.


In Bauchi, the ICRC and the Nigerian Red Cross distributed 600 kilograms of food items to more than 750 displaced people, mostly women and children, who fled the violence and assembled in an open area in front of an industrial complex. A group of women among the displaced have volunteered to cook and distribute the food.


Assessments of the need for further assistance are under way in Kano, Bauchi and Kaduna and in other violence-stricken areas.


"Nigerian Red Cross first-aid workers treated a total of over 400 people for injuries," said Umar Mairiga, the society's disaster-management coordinator. "Many of the injured were later taken to hospitals."


Since the beginning of the year, the ICRC has given 104 Nigerian Red Cross first-aid volunteers the opportunity to refresh and update their skills. It has also provided training for almost 300 people from 12 violence-prone communities across six states of Nigeria, and supplied 16 state branches of the national Red Cross with first-aid kits to boost their capacity to respond to emergencies.


The ICRC and the Nigerian Red Cross had already provided assistance for victims of violence in the north of the country earlier this year. They brought aid to some 4,000 people in camps in Tawfawa Balewa, in Bauchi state. In the largest camp they installed a 10,000-litre tank to make water more easily available. At the Ungogo Primary School in Kano, where people had gathered after fleeing nearby violence, the Red Cross also built six toilets and a water facility.


"It has been very encouraging to see the dedication and commitment of the various Nigerian Red Cross branches and of their volunteers in responding to this latest wave of violence," said Zoran Jovanovic, head of the ICRC delegation in Nigeria.



Source: International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)


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The Causes and Consequences of the 2011 Post Election Violence in Nigeria

The causes and consequences of the recent post election violence in Nigeria

The incessant ethnic, religious and political attacks on lives and properties in many states in Nigeria are caused by the appalling intellectual and political ignorance among majority of Nigerians.

If the terrorists unleashing their grievances on both their perceived enemies and innocent people have been educated and informed on the sanctity of human life, the values and virtues of peace and stability for mutual benefit of all the citizens, they would not have committed the terrifying and horrifying atrocities in their own regions and other places they have attacked.
The ruling political class is guilty of exploiting the ignorance of the poor majority in their power struggle and once they have secured their own families and properties, they no longer care about the fate of the victims of their political battles.

• They have misappropriated the public funds for health care and abandoned the broken down public health centres, clinics and hospitals for the poor masses and fly overseas to the developed nations for foreign Medicare and they have spent billions of naira of tax payers money and misappropriated funds on paying foreign medical bills.

• They have misappropriated the public funds allocated for education and neglected public schools and universities with obsolete laboratories and libraries and outdated curricula, broken down campuses with nightmarish facilities and utilities, because they can send their own beloved children to the expensive private schools and universities in Nigeria or in the US and the UK where they pay astronomical school fees from their misappropriated public funds.

• They have misappropriated the public funds allocated for industrial development and preferred to spend their ill-gotten wealth from looting the treasury on imported goods and services.

The list of the corrupt practices of the Nigerian kleptomaniacs in government is very long.

Corruption causes the leakages of power, undermines security and weakens leadership at all levels of human administration.
As corruption increases insecurity will become worse.

The Maitasine riots were the worst political and religious uprisings in Nigeria between 1980 and 1983, during the corrupt administration of President Alhaji Shehu Shagari, a Hausa Muslim from northern Nigeria who served as the President of Nigeria's Second Republic (1979–1983) from the corrupt National Party of Nigeria (NPN). He was a weak leader and could not stop the Maitasine riots and over 4, 000 people were killed. The corrupt civilian government was overthrown in a military coup. And when the military ruled Nigeria there was relative peace in the country until the June 12 Crisis. So, whether the President is from the South or North does not matter to these terrorists who would attack their targets for political, religious or tribal agitations from the Niger Delta to Maiduguri.

The fact is, petty political reasons have been the criteria for many political appointments favouring loyalists of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and they compromised the rules of engagement in their responsibilities.

President Goodluck Jonathan desperately sent his ministers and PDP governors to campaign for him and ensure that they win their states in the presidential election. So the PDP flush with slush funds went to work to win by all means and at all costs by using political bribery and power of incumbency to manipulate the electoral process and rig the elections and many cases of PDP using National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and others to rig the elections were reported online and offline and with over 75 million users of GSM phones in Nigeria the reports from BlackBerry pings were circulated fast.

Two female NYSC members working for Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were caught thumb printing in Enugu and the video of massive thumb printing by identified members of the PDP in Rivers State was circulated widely on YouTube.
The public proof of PDP rigging elections provoked millions of the supporters of the Opposition. So, when the results showed that the PDP was leading and winning, they went on rampage.

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.”
~ John F. Kennedy,
35th president of US 1961-1963 (1917 - 1963) in a speech at the White House, 1962.


Anti-government rebels on rampage in Northern Nigeria after the disputed presidential election of April 16, 2011.

The PDP is responsible for the corruption and insecurity destroying lives and properties in Nigeria since 1999 to date. So, President Goodluck Jonathan knows the bitter truth and is only pretending.
The genesis of the crisis is the maladministration of the corrupt ruling party.

Every armed robber and other criminals in the Niger Delta are now claiming to be militants and enjoying Amnesty, but the same PDP government refused to dialogue with the Boko Haram militant in the northern region and has not extended Amnesty to them, because there is no OIL at stake in the North.

The Amnesty Programme is political bribery to woo and win the support of the so called militants. Then President Goodluck Jonathan also dangled the huge bait of $200 million fund to greedy and hungry artistes to win their support.
If Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd) had the power and offered them $300 million, they would have painted the town red to act, dance, rap and sing the praises of Buhari too. He who pays the piper dictates the tune. Who is fooling whom?
President Goodluck Jonathan and his ruling party are guilty of the insecurity destroying Nigeria.
Medicine after death cannot raise the dead.

The government was duly informed and warned of the dangerous states by the State Security Service (SSS), but President Goodluck Jonathan failed to address the emergency and spent billions of naira on his presidential campaign than the amount of money spent on security for INEC staff and other citizens who have lost lives and properties in the post election catastrophe.

Anyone blaming Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd) is wrong. Buhari did not send those murderers on rampage to murder innocent citizens.

If the army and police already assigned in those states came out to stop the murderers, no innocent life would have been lost and no vehicle, house or church would have been burnt.

Where were the police and army when those mad boys went on rampage?

I worked for the Alhaji Bamanga Turkur Presidential Campaign in 1990 and I once carried a rifle for his Director of Publicity for use in self defence.

I have gone to the Niger Delta to address the militancy and spoke to the militant leader Asari Dokubo to bury the hatchet and he agreed, but before I knew it, the Federal Government arrested him for just openly expressing his political belief and detained him without trial and that was what provoked the emergence of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) and I simply left the government to face their Frankenstein monster.

To be forewarned is to be forearmed.

The fact is we have an incompetent government that failed woefully to provide security, because of corruption.

The government keeps on telling lies upon lies to hoodwink the ignorant masses.

They boast that they have provided regular supply of fuel, but there is scarcity of kerosene, the fuel of the masses.

There is no regular supply of petrol in remote places in Northern Nigeria, the most underdeveloped region in Nigeria.

The majority of voters are in the rural areas and kerosene means more to them than petrol.
Regular water supply means more to them than petrol.

Any dummy government can provide regular supply of petrol.
Where is the petrol coming from?

Is the regular petrol from our refineries or imported with millions of dollars from foreign countries?

Ask the oil marketers why we now have regular supply of petrol.

Why is the world's eighth largest producer of crude oil importing fuel from overseas?

What happened to the refineries?

Is it not corruption that has made the government to turn to an importer of fuel?

The Nigeria extractive industries transparency initiative (NEITI) has indicted the government agencies supplying petrol of corrupt practices.

Many members of Nairaland, the largest Nigerian online forum display appalling ignorance that you cannot see on any forum in civilized nations. I am a well known member of the Huffington Post and participated in the online presidential campaigns of the 2008 US Presidential Election and our discussions were based on intelligent analyses of the realities in the US and not on hearsay by people who have never been on field trips to rural areas and who do not even read reports on the realities in the rural areas, but only shuttling on the streets of their urban comfort zones of ghettos posting from their PCs or smart phones and made themselves armchair pundits. But they are among the most silly supporters of the corrupt and incompetent government of President Goodluck Jonathan and his corrupt ruling party that was seen rigging on video posted on YouTube for the whole world to see and millions of northerners who are politically informed hooked on free cable TV and BBC News in Hausa were provoked to go on rampage against the PDP, INEC and innocent citizens caught in the mayhem.

You can fool them sometimes, but you cannot fool them all the time. They are rebelling against the corrupt government of the ruling party.


~ By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima

9 in 10 Doctors Want More Say in Hospital Management

20 Apr 2011 12:00 Africa/Lagos


Nine in 10 Doctors Want More Say in Hospital Management, Finds PwC Survey

PR Newswire

NEW YORK, April 20, 2011

NEW YORK, April 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 90 percent of doctors in a recent nationwide survey by PwC US believe that physicians employed by hospitals should be more involved in executive leadership and management of the hospital, including serving on the board of directors and outlining performance improvement initiatives, according to From courtship to marriage Part II, a new report released today by PwC's Health Research Institute (HRI).

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100917/NY66894LOGO )

Healthcare is moving toward a new approach in payment that rewards doctors and hospitals for quality results over volume, and the shift is driving the two closer together. Hospitals must rely on physicians to help them achieve health reform goals, and in return, physicians want not just financial security but also a say in hospital leadership. The prospects for a long-term union between hospitals and physicians will depend on their ability to meet in the middle, says PwC.

PwC's report is based on a nationwide survey of more than 1,000 physicians, supplemented by in-depth interviews with hospital executives, about their expectations as partners sharing power, resources and outcomes in a post-health reform world. HRI's research focused on what PwC says are three secrets for a successful marriage of hospitals and physicians: Shared governance, aligned compensation and changing physician-practice patterns.

Hospital employment means physicians may have to give up control of how they practice to comply with standards that emphasize overall system quality and efficiency goals. The trade-off, in their minds, comes with certain caveats. PwC's survey of physicians found the following:

* More than eight in 10 physicians (83 percent) who are considering hospital employment said they would expect to be paid the same as or more than they are now, with increases ranging from 1 percent to 4.7 percent or an average increase of 2.4 percent. Forty-five percent of physicians said they would expect an increase in pay and 38 percent would expect no change.
* Realizing the health system is changing to track and reward performance, most physicians agree that half their salary should be fixed and the other half should be based on meeting a combination of productivity, quality, patient satisfaction and cost of care goals, with upside earning potential for performance.
* Expectations for compensation varied by physician specialty, with pediatrics, psychiatry and cardiology expecting the largest increase and general surgery, oncology, and emergency medicine expecting the least.
* Six in 10 physicians (62 percent) believe that nationally accepted physician practice guidelines should be used to guide the way they practice medicine, while one in three (30 percent) prefers locally developed guidelines.


Hospital executives interviewed for the report, however, said they aren't ready to "hand over the keys" just yet. They say that in order to pay physicians higher salaries, they will need to find funds elsewhere in the organization through improvements in the healthcare delivery model. They need physicians to not only help reduce supply and infrastructure cost but also to generate additional revenue.

There also is an issue of physician skills. Hospital leaders who were interviewed say that most physicians lack the business management and leadership skills needed to be effective in positions of leadership and governance.

"To succeed in the future, hospital executives and physicians may both have to cede on money and control issues," said Brett Hickman, partner, PwC health industries advisory. "It's a new day, and hospitals and physicians are beginning to realize that they are better together than apart. As in all healthy marriages, there can't be winners and losers. It is a relationship that has to start with trust and transparency, something hospitals and physicians have previously lacked. Then it's a matter of investing in each other and working together toward shared goals that both sides buy into."

Next Generation of MDs Seeking Business Training and Work-Life Balance

From undergraduate studies through medical school and into residency and fellowship programs, physicians traditionally have focused on the science of medicine. The next generation of physicians, however, is more likely to also receive business training to prepare them for their future careers, says PwC. HRI's review of the required curriculum of the 10 largest medical schools by total active enrollment in the country revealed that no time is formally allocated directly to business-related training. However, several universities are now offering joint MD/MBA programs. In fact, 53 medical school-affiliated universities are recognized by the American Association of Medical Colleges for offering dual-degree programs, a reflection of the medical and academic communities' awareness of and response to the need to address changing educational needs of medical student.

The availability of these programs is too late for today's doctors, which means they will need on-the-job training, an investment that hospitals must be willing to make, says PwC. The report describes how some hospitals are addressing the skills issue by creating educational programs to teach physicians business theory and techniques related to quality improvement, outcomes management and staff development. Beyond skills, the second issue for physicians is time. Physicians who have traditionally been paid to generate volume in a fee-for-service compensation model have been driven to see more and more patients, leaving them little time for anything outside of their medical practice. The question is whether they have capacity to also take on hospital governance and management, at least so long as fee-for-service compensation reigns.

Over two-thirds of physicians surveyed by PwC feel confident they could devote more time to leadership roles and activities of hospitals. Three-quarters (77 percent) say they have time for greater involvement in performance improvement initiatives; 71 percent in hospital executive leadership, and 69 percent have time to serve on hospital boards.

As part of larger well-documented generational trends, younger physicians are likely to want better work-life balance than their predecessors, making flexible compensation structures particularly appealing. In fact, not all physicians expect an increase in pay. Seventeen percent of physicians surveyed said they would accept a decrease in overall compensation when considering employment by a hospital.

"The key for hospital executives will be to determine the right compensation package to offer the right physician, based on their individual aspirations and expectations," added Hickman. "Physicians will be the key drivers in improving and sustaining clinical quality, and providing them with the right mix of compensation based on productivity and incentives will help hospitals increase revenue and avoid financial penalties."

The PwC report profiles three hospitals and the different approaches they have taken to address compensation, governance and practice standards issues. These hospitals are Indianapolis-based Franciscan St. Francis Health, Huntsville (Texas) Memorial Hospital, which is affiliated with the Memorial Hermann Healthcare System, and SSM Health Care and Dean Health System of Wisconsin.

From courtship to marriage is a two-part series on hospital-physician alignment by PwC's Health Research Institute, and is part of PwC Health Industries' ongoing exploration of health reform and its implications. A full copy of From courtship to marriage II is available at: www.PwC.com/us/PhysicianHospitalAlignment. From courtship to marriage I and other health reform reports from PwC are available at: www.pwc.com/hri.

Methodology

PwC's Health Research Institute commissioned an online survey of approximately 1,000 U.S. physicians, balanced by age, gender, practice type and specialty. In addition, HRI analysts conducted 28 in-depth interviews with thought leaders and executives representing healthcare providers, payers and professional associations.

About PwC's Health Research Institute (HRI)

PwC Health Research Institute (www.pwc.com/hri) provides new intelligence, perspectives, and analysis on trends affecting all health-related industries. The Health Research Institute helps executive decision makers navigate change through primary research and collaborative exchange. Our views are shaped by a network of professionals with executive and day-to-day experience in the health industry.

About PwC's Health Industries Group

PwC's Health Industries Group (www.pwc.com/healthindustries) is a leading advisor to public and private organizations across the health industries including healthcare providers, pharmaceuticals, health and life sciences, payers, employers, academic institutions and as well as non-health organizations with significance presence in the health market. Follow PwC Health Industries at http://twitter.com/PwCHealth.

About the PwC Network

PwC firms provide industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory services to enhance value for their clients. More than 161,000 people in 154 countries in firms across the PwC network share their thinking, experience and solutions to develop fresh perspectives and practical advice. See www.pwc.com for more information.

© 2011 PwC. All rights reserved. "PwC" and "PwC US" refer to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, a Delaware limited liability partnership, which is a member firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited, each member firm of which is a separate legal entity. This document is for general information purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for consultation with professional advisors.

SOURCE PwC

CONTACT: Todd Hall, PwC US, todd.w.hall@us.pwc.com, +1-617-530-4185; or Lisa Stearns, The Hubbell Group, Inc., lstearns@hubbellgroup.com, +1-781-878-8882

Web Site: http://www.pwc.com

Nollywood Cinemas: The Largest Cinema Chain Launches In Nigeria

It is great news that Nollywood Cinemas, the largest cinema chain in Africa launches in over 23 states in Nigeria. Nollywood Cinemas is the master plan of Diamond Pictures to bring cinemas to every community in every local government area in Nigeria to boost the Nigerian Film Industry. Nollywood Cinemas has 6 cinema halls in Lagos where local and foreign movies are already playing.

Amnesty cautions Nigerian military over post election violence

The Nigerian military must not use excessive force to quell riots and demonstrations taking place around the imminent announcement of presidential election results, Amnesty International said today.

“We are extremely concerned about the escalation of violence in northern and central Nigeria by protestors and urge the Nigerian authorities to ensure that excessive force is not used against protesters,” said Tawanda Hondora, Amnesty International’s deputy director for Africa.

“Political leaders on all sides must act responsibly and tell their supporters to stop all acts of violence and human rights abuses.”

Rioting and violent attacks have been reported in the north and centre of the country, including Kaduna, Kano, Gombe, Adamawa, Bauchi and Plateau states and the Federal Capital Territory.

“The security forces' response to this unrest must not lead to further human rights violations. The police and military must respect human life and use proportionate means to police demonstrations,” said Tawanda Hondora.

Presidential poll results show incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan is set to win.

Amnesty International recently issued a report highlighting how hundreds of people have been killed in politically-motivated, communal and sectarian violence across Nigeria ahead of presidential and parliamentary polls.

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Miami Herald Catches Chevron In Lie About Ecuador Well Site

Miami Herald Catches Chevron In Lie About Ecuador Well Site
Reporter Finds Oil Sludge In “Remediated” Pit

Washington, DC – The Miami Herald has caught Chevron in a lie about its so-called “remediation” in Ecuador that the oil giant uses as its primary defense against an $18 billion judgment in a massive oil-contamination case brought by indigenous groups.

In a story published in today's newspaper, journalist Jim Wyss said he witnessed “thick oil slicks” only a few feet into the ground of a dirt-covered storage pit Chevron told him the day before had been remediated of all oil.


After watching a man dig into the ground at the Sacha 53 well site, Wyss wrote, “Within a few inches the dirt gives off the pungent odor of petroleum. Within a few feet the dirt glistens with oil residue. When a few handfuls of the soil are dropped into a bucket of water, a thick oil-slick coats the surface.”

Chevron has continually claimed to courts and the press that it conducted a remediation of the site.

This report is significant because Chevron has testified in front of U.S. Judge Lewis Kaplan of the Southern District Court of New York that it cleaned the site, along with many others. In fact, evidence has shown that Chevron simply covered the pits with dirt and never removed the toxins. Chevron has claimed to Kaplan that it is the victim of a racketeering scheme cooked up by the plaintiffs -- 30,000 rainforest residents – and their American and Ecuadorian lawyers.

The plaintiffs argue Chevron’s charges are only last-minute, desperate attempts to cover up its unlawful racketeering scheme in Ecuador, which led to the deliberate discharge of billions of gallons of toxic waste into the Amazon, killing off indigenous groups and causing an epidemic of cancer.

On a series of rulings over the last several months, Kaplan has cited the remediation agreement between Chevron and the Ecuadorian government as evidence that Chevron is not responsible for the contamination.

“This American journalist’s eyewitness account, along with massive evidence in the trial, puts the lie to Chevron’s claims to the U.S. court,” said Karen Hinton, spokesperson for the Ecuadorians.

In 2002, Chevron had the case – originally filed in the same New York federal court -- moved to Ecuador after submitting 14 separate affidavits claiming the court system was fair and transparent.

After the trial in Ecuador began in 2003, testing at the unlined oil pits left by the company in the jungle began to show illegal levels of life-threatening toxins. By 2007, when overwhelming evidence began to pour onto the court docket, Chevron was taking out advertising in the Ecuadorian newspapers accusing judges, the government and the plaintiffs of conspiring against the company.

In 2009, an Ecuadorian prosecutor indicated two Chevron lawyers and a dozen former Ecuadorian government officials for falsifying the remediation at Sacha-53 and other sites.

Judge Kaplan has, by and large, adopted Chevron’s view on the remediation agreement, writing in one opinion, “the release by Ecuador seems to have been intended to put an end to any claims or litigation concerning Texaco’s alleged pollution.”

The Miami Herald’s Wyss has a different account. He begins his story this way:

“Donald Moncayo (a plaintiffs’ representative) walks to the edge of a flat grassy field that once held two large pits that brimmed with a stew of water and crude from an oil-drilling operation. He lifts a heavy auger above his head and prepares to plunge it into the ground. “They (Chevron) always show you the shirt the coat and the tie,” he said of the area, called Sacha 53, which is now pastureland and spindly trees. “They never show you the tumor underneath the shirt.”

After describing the oil he saw and smelled only a few feet into the soil, he quotes Moncayo again:

“This is their remediation effort,” Moncayo says. “They’re no better than animals.’’

Chevron’s PR representative in Ecuador, James Craig, attempted to explain the oil away by asserting it may have “occurred naturally” or the Ecuadorians may have “spiked” the ground with oil. He even claimed that if Chevron didn’t completely clean the pit, the oil wouldn’t hurt anyone anyway.

“Knowing James Craig, he probably said all of this with a straight face,” said Hinton. “Chevron’s PR people make a lot of money to not only spin the facts, but to lie about them.”
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Karen Hinton
Hinton Communications
1215 19th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Karen@hintoncommunications.com
703-798-3109, cellular
480-275-3554, fax by email

Between the ill wind and the whirlwind in Nigeria

In all contests, there will be winners and losers, no matter whose ox is gored.

What makes any leader great is not only the feat of a victory, but the courage to overcome the agony of defeat.

Those who ignore an ill wind should be ready for the whirlwind.
I said the issues of these elections are corruption, security and energy, but the political aspirants thought their ego was all that matters.
Where is the joy of victory in the house of anarchy?

I said these primitive natives are not ready for democracy.
How can you practice Democracy, when you violate her virtues?

Goodbye to all that, but I know that without President Goodluck Jonathan and his kith and kin across the Niger, the People's Democratic Party(PDP) would have lost woefully. And after him, who is next?

There cannot be trust where there is no truth and there cannot be peace where there is no justice.
Those who do not want peace will end up in pieces.

When all have been said and done, we would be gone, but the echoes of our voices and the totems of our deeds will testify for us or against us.
Why not use our common sense and say Goodbye to all the Nigerian nonsense of the power brokers who have done us more harm than good.

~ By Orikinla Osinachi

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18 Apr 2011
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18:16	ECOWAS observer mission to the presidential elections of 16 April 2011 in the Federal Republic of Nigeria
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