America's nonreligious population on the rise

 

The number of religiously unaffiliated Americans has risen, while Protestants are for the first time ever no longer a majority, a study reveals. The so-called “nones” vote primarily Democratic, giving Obama a boost in the upcoming election.
­The survey, conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life and released on Tuesday, says one in five Americans describe themselves as atheists and agnostics, or choose not to identify themselves as religiously affiliated when it comes to their faith. The figure is an increase from the 15 per cent reported five years ago.

Virginia official labels atheists as 'fanatical terrorists'

Loudoun County Courthouse in historic downtown Leesburg.(Photo from wikipedia.org / Karen Nutini)

A Virginia official referred to a group of atheists as ‘terrorists’ after one of the group’s members criticized a local courthouse for putting up religious holiday decorations.
Ken Reid, a supervisor who represents Virginia’s Leesburg District, was angered by the atheists’ reaction to the Christmas decorations on the lawn of the Leesburg courthouse, the Washington Times reports.
Over the years, the courthouse decorated its facility by hanging a Skeleton Santa Claus from a cross and featuring paintings that show the manger birth of the Flying Spaghetti Monster as well as the traditional birth of Jesus. The lawn this year also contained a Christmas tree and a menorah. Such decorations have been displayed at the courthouse every year since 2009, when the Loudon County Board of Supervisors lifted a ban on courthouse holiday displays, allowing any religious group to contribute decorations.

ATM Charges Removal to be Implemented from December 17

 

The laudable collaborative effort and decision by the Central Bank and the Bankers Committee to streamline the e-banking services and transactions to the point of ensuring that inter-bank transactions no longer attracts service charges , will be implemented from Monday 17 December.
The Committee believed their decision is based on their embrace of the principle of financial inclusion and creating a favourable atmosphere for Nigerians with ATM phobia, and enabling them to use the machine without fear and anxiety.
Also Central Bank Governor Lamido Sanusi highlighted further on the ATM policy direction at the retreat of the Bankers Committee, held in Calabar saying “We have agreed on a final date of Monday, 17 December, 2012 for the kick-off when every bank will remove the charges. We allowed some time for banks that have not configured their IT to do so and stop charging and hopefully by 17th of December, you are not going to have any customer pay additional charges”.
From this statement the ATM services will definitely experience increased subscription especially during the Christmas period when Customers across the Nation realize that using the ATM of other banks will not lead to service charges again.
This underscores again the Proactive Sanusi leadership and the power of collaboration which is the key to achieving Policy plans and initiatives in any given sector whether Oil and Gas, Agriculture, Telecommunications and also Banking.
Speaking further on this Governor Sanusi stated “Through collaboration with the government, the banking community and real sector stakeholders, the Bankers’Committee programmes and initiatives have contributed to a tangible improvement in the enabling environment and private sector funding for the power and agriculture sectors”.
Which this decision, the Banking Industry is set to reposition itself in Nigeria as a sector that has great value for Citizens, with people-oriented policies that will encourage Nigerians to be more engaged with the banks.

Businessnews

Gunmen kidnap Okonjo-Iweala’s mother

 

PROF. Kanene Okonjo, mother of the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
| 

PROF. Kanene Okonjo, mother of the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, was on Sunday abducted at the gate of the palace of the traditional ruler of Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State, Prof. Chukwuka Okonjo, who is her husband.

The 82-year-old monarch’s wife was said to have been abducted at about 1.47pm by a gang of armed men who seized her at the gate of the palace at Ogbe-ofu and took her away, when her husband travelled out of the town.

ACN, ANPP, CPC to form new party in 2013

 

Buhari, Tinubu and Onu
|

THREE major opposition political parties - Action Congress of Nigeria, Congress for Progressive Change and the All Nigeria Peoples Party – may drop their identities by April 2013, when talks on their proposed merger are expected to be completed.

The merger of the parties is one of the strategies being canvassed by some politicians to defeat the ruling Peoples Democratic Party which has dominated power since the advent of the present democracy in 1999.

Analysts are of the opinion that any genuine and honest cooperation among opposition parties for the 2015 general elections could make the election tough for the PDP.

The Chairman of the ANPP National Rebuilding and Interparty Contact Committee, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, told journalists in Abuja on Sunday, that the merger talks between the three ACN, CPC and ANPP had reached the last stage.

INEC may deregister 25 more parties

 

INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega
|

BARELY 72 hours after 28 political parties had their names deleted from the register of the Independent National Electoral Commission, indications emerged on Sunday that 24 more political parties might cease to exist before the 2015 general elections.

The PUNCH learnt that INEC had decided that only 11 political parties would participate in the 2015 electoral processes. Sixty-three political parties participated in the 2011 elections.

INEC, last Thursday, had deregistered Pastor Chris Okotie’s Fresh Party; Balarabe Musa’s Peoples Democratic Party; the late Anthony Enahoro’s National Reformation Party, Dr. Tunji Braithwaite’s National Advanced Party and 24 others for not meeting the provisions of Section 7 of the Electoral Act 2011.

The section states, “The commission (INEC) shall have powers to de-register political parties on the following grounds: (i) breach of any of the requirements for registration, and (ii) for failure to win a seat in the National Assembly or state Assembly election.”

Only 11, out of the parties that participated in the 2011 polls, satisfied the requirement of Section 7 of the Electoral Act by winning at least a seat in the National Assembly.

Ghana's Mahama wins election, opposition cries foul

• Reuters/Reuters - Supporters of National Democratic Congress (NDC), the party of the late Ghanaian President John Atta Mills, carry a poster of their candidate John Dramani Mahama as they celebrate his victory …more along a street in Accra December 9, 2012. Ghana's main opposition National Patriotic Party said on Sunday the country's presidential election had been manipulated, raising concerns about the outcome of the poll in a nation seen as a bulwark of democracy in an unstable region. REUTERS/Luc Gnago less

ACCRA (Reuters) - Ghana's electoral authorities said on Sunday incumbent leader John Dramani Mahama won a new term as president in the West African state in an election the opposition claimed was marred by tampering.

Mahama, who replaced former president John Atta Mills after his death in July, took 50.7 percent of the ballots cast - just enough to avoid a run-off with his chief rival Nana Akufo-Addo.
"Based on the results, I declare President John Dramani Mahama president elect," Ghana Electoral Commission President Kwadwo Afari-Gyan told a news conference in the capital Accra.
In a brief speech at his residence following the results, an exhausted-looking Mahama said his win was a "victory for all Ghanaians", and urged the leaders of rival parties to "respect the voice of the people".

Drugged and rape by my BB contact

By Angel Proverb Olabintan.

The role of the social media in building relationships and businesses cannot be overemphasised. But the negative aspects seem to be growing with mixed reactions after the death of Cynthia Osokogu who was killed by friends she met on social media
Since the case of Cynthia went viral, ladies who were before now ashamed to share their experiences in the hands of bad guys have started talking
Now read her story and you can share with your friends. Social media was suppose to be a place where you meet people you never think of meeting in your life but has been taken over by greedy men and women who seize it as a so-called opportunity to acquire wealth.
I am a girl who has fears, beliefs, reservations and just your regular typical Nigerian girl. This past few weeks has been one hell of a game for me. I have really been unsettled and I thought I share this story with you
When Cynthia (the lady killed in the hotel room in Festac, Lagos) surfaced on the internet and various news media, I was scared and it brought back a whole lot of memories to me and also served as and eye opener. Many people castigated and criticised Cynthia (may her gentle soul rest in peace), but my point is, it could have been anybody, anybody at all.

INEC De-registers 28 political parties

 

The Independent National Electoral Commission yesterday Thursday December 6th announced the De-registration of 28 political parties.

"In the exercise of the powers conferred on it by the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended), the Independent National Electoral Commission has today, Thursday, December 6, 2012, de-registered the following political parties:

Britain jails shipper of 80,000 guns to Nigeria

An arms dealer who arranged to sell 80,000 AK47 assault rifles and 32 million rounds of ammunition to Nigeria has been jailed for seven years, just months after a judge threw the case out of court.
Gary Hyde, 42, oversaw the £800,000 shipment of tens of thousands of assault rifles, 9mm pistols, rifles, and bullets, from China to Africa in 2007, according to the Telegraph.
Hyde, who started in the gun trade when he was 14, flouted British legislation designed to control the trade and transportation of the weapons despite being regarded as an “authority” on those laws.
The businessman, based in York, acted in “a deliberate and calculated breach of the law” to pull off the $1.3m (£808,000) deal in return for around £280,000, which he attempted to hide in a bank account in Liechtenstein.

Govt to build new Abuja City for centenary celebration

A new city near the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja is to be built to mark Nigeria’s centenary celebration in 2014, Minister of Information Labaran Maku, said yesterday.
According to him, the project which will be private-sector driven, was approved at yesterday’s Federal Executive Council. He spoke to reporters after the eight-hour meeting presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan.
Nigeria, as a geo-political entity, came into existence following the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates in 1914 by the British.
The minister said the project might take up to 10 to 15 years to be completed.
Maku explained that the celebration is important for the country.
He said: “The new city that has been proposed as part of our centenary celebration is entirely private sector driven. Let that be very, very clear. This is absolutely private sector driven with private sector investment.

Nigerian Idol 3 Hits Screen 16 December

 

Mercy Chinwo, Nigerian Idol 2 winner
After impressive audition outings in Abuja, Port-Harcourt, Owerri, Benin, and Lagos, all is set for the nation-wide broadcast of Season Three of Nigerian Idol which will be aired on local TV stations on 16 December.

Contestants who made it through the different audition stages in the country will all have the opportunity to compete on the Idol stage for a chance to be crowned the voice of tomorrow.Modupe Thani, Head, Events and Sponsorships, Etisalat Nigeria, said the waiting had finally come to an end as Nigerians will get to see the high points of the all the auditions and witness an array of music talents throughout the duration of the show.This year’s competition has on-board Afro-beat legend, Femi Kuti as one of the judges alongside Yinka Davies and Jeffery Daniels with Ill Rhymz as host.

Total prize for Season Three winner is N20million: N 7.5million cash, N7.5million recording contract and a brand new SUV. The first runner-up will be presented with N1.5million and a saloon car which will be presented by Etisalat.

Enebeli Elebuwa is dead

 

Goodnight sir

The death has been reported of Nollywood actor, Enebeli Elebuwa who passed away in the early hours of today, Wednesday, December 5, 2012.

Confirming the news to NET, the PRO of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, Frank Dallas, described the veteran actor as a friend, brother and veteran that will be greatly missed by both colleagues and the Nollywood community as a whole.

Elebuwa, 65, had been battling with an undisclosed illness for over a year and was reported to be responding to treatment in an India hospital, where he was being treated until the sad announcement.

His death comes shortly after that of other veteran actors like Akin Ogungbe, who died last week, as well as Pete Eneh, who passed on last month.

NDIC gives Nigerian banks clean bill of health

 

Umar Ibrahim, the Managing Director of Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), on Tuesday said all banks in the country were sound.
Ibrahim said this in Lagos at the ongoing three-day workshop of the International Association of Deposit Insurers (IADI).
The managing director, who was reacting to a report in some newspapers that only five banks in Nigeria were healthy, said that the assessment was defective.
``The fact that some banks were marginally ill did not mean that they were not healthy.

Nigerian Contractors Now To Handle Projects Below N5bn - Minister

 

The Federal Government says projects below 5 billion naira are now to be awarded to indigenous contractors from 2013.
The Minister of Works, Mr Mike Onolememen, said this at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) in Ilorin.
Onolememen said that the measure was aimed at building local capacity as well as promoting local content.
"From 2013, all engineering and construction projects below 5 billion Naira in the Ministry of Works will be the exclusive preserve of Nigerian contractors with requisite capability.
``This measure will help to build local capacity and promote local content,’’ the minister said.
According to him, the government has realised that there is need to deploy technological know-how to build and sustain Nigeria's infrastructure.
Onolememen advised NSE to harness the potentials of science and technology to build infrastructure that would sustain the country’s development.
The minister said the Federal Government was committed to ensuring that Nigeria ranked among the top 20 economies in the world by 2020.
He, however, called for the involvement of the private sector to develop the country’s infrastructure, noting that government alone could not do it.
Onolememen also urged the NSE to use the occasion to launch home grown technology to guarantee sustainable maintenance of key national infrastructure.

leadership.ng

Nigeria: Telecommunication operators could face more fines

 

 

Nigerian authorities are looking to possibly impose additional fines on telecom operators after the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) ministry said that operators were failing to meet minimum established standards.

It comes as the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) last month barred operators from issuing any new promotions or lotteries until their customer service ratings improve.

A number of the country’s operators flouted the ruling and have continued to offer promotions to their customers.
In May operators were fined some NGN 1.7 billion for inadequate service quality and the NCC is continuing to put pressure on telecom companies to improve their services or face service blockages.
ICT Minister Omobola Johnson told reporters that the operators face additional fines “if service improvements are not met.”
However, Johnson added that the government “was working closely with the operators to avoid further fines in the next six months.
“While the companies need to increase their spending on infrastructure, the ministry is trying to remove a lot of delays and bureaucratic bottlenecks that are in their way,” Johnson said.
Source:Itnewsafrica

Ifeanyi Ubah's missing ship located, seized by London court

The world of billionaire mogul behind Capital Oil, Ifeanyi Ubah is getting more complicated by the day...and his assets in Nigeria and across the globe are under threat of seizure and sale!

While Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), which sued him over N28 billion indebtedness, is asking the Federal High Court in Abuja to sell his assets, the London court has made a major breakthrough.

Last week, one of the ships under surveillance belonging to the 41 year-old business was located in the Netherlands, and seized. The ship, Mongolia was listed in the order of the London court, which contained wide ranging demands, including the itemization of Ubah's worldwide assets.

HIV vaccine set to hit the market

 

After nearly 30 years of desperately searching for solutions to the Human-Immunodeficiency Virus, HIV, the vermin that leads to the deadly Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, AIDS, the world may soon heave a sigh of relief, as real hope has been kindled of a possible vaccine that could, on a single dose, offer lifelong immunity to HIV/AIDS.
A Texas-based institute has applied for a patent to begin the production of the vaccine genetically engineered to provide immunity for life to potential HIV/AIDS sufferers. The vaccine – its name is still shielded from the public – is also said to have the potency to provide relief for other infections.
It reportedly functions by preventing the replication of viruses when they enter the human body.
Since the potency of the HIV/AIDS virus is rooted on its ability to reproduce rapidly and spread within the body, thus eventually overwhelming the body’s natural resistance to infections, the full release of this vaccine into the open market could become the first real advancement in the war to eliminate the killer virus and save millions of lives.
The news is particularly welcome to Africans living in the sub-Saharan zones, where the scourge has taken the bulk of human casualties, robbing them of valuable manpower and resulting in millions of orphaned children. In time it will render anti-retroviral drugs useless since the AVRs only slow down the rate of infection and spread.
Even when this drug becomes widely available, the war on HIV/AIDS will only be halfway won. This drug, however, has no benefits for those who have already developed the terminal stage of the disease (full-blown AIDS). The concerted efforts that have been going on, both on orthodox and traditional medical research should continue unabated.
Since this drug is, as yet, a preventive vaccine, it will take a long time of cautious observation before people will wholeheartedly accept it as vaccine against AIDS.
Health authorities and advocacy groups should continue to prevail on Nigerians to adopt risk free sex practices. They should also ensure the vaccine is affordable. Availability of a vaccine should not be an invitation to the recklessness that promotes HIV/AIDS.
Nigerians should continue to observe safe sex measures that limited spread of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria in the past five years. We make these points because about 90 per cent of new infections in Nigeria and Africa are acquired through sexual activities.
Even when this vaccine becomes widely available to users, Nigerians should not see it as a substitute to healthy sexual practices.
The greatest weapons against HIV/AIDS are not condoms or vaccines. Desisting from unsafe sex practices and, use of sterilised metal objects bear more preventive prospects than vaccines.

Meet the NIGERIAN woman who has displaced Oprah as world’s richest black woman

Oprah Winfrey is no longer the richest black woman in the world according to a report by Ventures Africa, an African business magazine and news service.
According to the report which is available on Ventures Africa’s website, the richest black woman in the world is Folorunsho Alakija, a 61 year-old Nigerian fashion designer and oil tycoon who is worth at least $3.3 billion, $500 million richer than media mogul Oprah Winfrey whose wealth Forbes magazine estimated at $2.7 billion in September.
Folorunsho Alakija is the founder and owner of Famfa oil, a Nigerian oil company which owns a 60% working interest in OML 127, an offshore oil field which produces 200,000 barrels of oil per day.
Explaining the rationale for the $3.3 billion valuation on Alakija, Douglas Imaralu, Online Editor of Ventures Africa commented, “Total E&P recently sold off its 20% stake in a similar oil field to China’s Sinopec for $2.5 billion. The oil field in question has a daily production capacity of 180,000 barrels a day. Similarly, other hand, OML 127 in which Famfa has a 60% interest produces about 200,000 barrels a day. When we did the math using the Total-Sinopec deal as a comparator, we came to the realization that Alakija’s stake is easily worth billions of dollars. We showed our calculations on ventures-africa.com. At this point, we have no doubt that she is in deed, richer than Oprah.”
The complete calculation of Folorunsho Alakija’s net worth is available on http://www.ventures-africa.com.
“Among other things, Ventures Africa plans to be the global leader in providing qualified prospects and intelligence on ultra high net worth (UHNW) individuals in Africa,” Douglas Imaralu says. “Through our weekly feature, Africa’s Secret Millionaires, we traverse across the continent seeking out immensely successful, yet low-key tycoons and business leaders who have been largely under-reported, and then tell their stories. We will look through financial reports, track equity holdings around stock markets, identify specific shareholding structures in privately-held companies and consult with everyone from fund managers to investment bankers, realtors and financial analysts to find information that was has not been made public, and then we will place accurate values on the assets of these ultra-high net worth Africans.”
Ynaija

Persons with disabilities lament unfriendly environment

 

Persons living with disabilities have said they are being prevented from realising their full potential by an unfriendly environment in the country.

They lamented that most community centres, places of worship and public transport systems, had yet to be user-friendly to persons with disabilities.

They spoke in Lagos on Monday during a public dialogue organised by Theseabilties Ltd., a non-governmental organisation, in commemoration of the International Day for Persons with Disabilities.

A visually impaired person, Mohammed Afegbua, lamented that the design of many public places precluded persons living with disabilities from accessing essential and non-essential services in the society.

He said, “The environment is not friendly to us in many respects. The available road walks we have in our environment are poorly maintained and many of us have at many times fallen into ditches.

“Some of our colleagues confined to wheelchairs face difficulties accessing banking halls due to the security doors placed at the entrance and these banks have failed to address these challenges.

“Besides, the members of the society are also not helping matters. Many people shun us at overcrowded bus stops especially when we want to cross busy roads. This attitude makes life more difficult for us.”

The Ojukwu Wars: Bianca cannot be a director

           

A director of the Ojukwu Transport Company Limited, Ifeukwu Ojukwu, has stated that Bianca Ojukwu, the widow of the late Biafran warlord, Emeka Ojukwu does not have any business being a director of the company.
He said late Ojukwu cannot dictate who represents him on the board of the company since the OTL belonged to his father, late Sir Louis Odumegwu-Ojukwu.
Ojukwu had reportedly directed, in his Will, that Bianca, should replace him as a trustee of OTL.
According to Ifeukwu: “Bianca is neither a trustee member nor a Director of OTL and it is good to note that OTL is a different property from the things the late Ikemba Ojukwu had and the directorship cannot be transferred through a Will.”
Meanwhile, Emeka Ojukwu Jnr., who is opposed to the content of the Will purportedly left by his father has taken over his father’s residence in Nnewi claiming that “according to the Igbo tradition the first son would inherit his father’s house and compound on the event of his death.”
He said if the Will had not covered the Nnewi residence, it was traditionally statutory that the first son inherits his father’s house.
Counsel to the late Ikemba of Nnewi, Emeka Onyemelukwe, however, insisted that the Will read last Friday at the Enugu State High Court Registrar was authentic and sacrosanct.
Onyemelukwu denied that the Will was manipulated stating that he had been close to the late Ojukwu since his return from exile in Cote d’Ivoire in 1982.
He said all Ojukwu’s legal papers were  still with him, including those of properties and chattels willed to Emeka Jnr, who claimed he did not know him as his father’s lawyer or friend

Ynaija

Fraud Watch: London Metropolitan Police to Provide Evidence against Babalakin

 

London Metropolitan Police

The London Metropolitan Police is expected to tender evidence against the Chairman, Bi-Courtney Highway Services, Dr. Wale Babalakin, in court when his trial begins proper.
A leading legal practitioner who spoke in confidence said the Met police investigated the involvement of Babalakin and others in the case involving the loot of N4.7 billion for James Ibori, the convicted former state governor.
The Legal practitioner said, “The United Kingdom metropolitan police investigated the case. They just finished their investigation. That is why they are going to give evidence in the case, because it is their case,”
He said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is going to make use of evidence supplied by the Metropolitan Police.
The source stated that the money stole by Ibori was later discovered to be part of Delta State fund used by the former governor to buy a jet in Canada.

Anti-Corruption Network asks Labour Minister to resign

 

The Anti-Corruption Network has asked the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, to immediately resign for “defrauding the Government and people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The group in a statement signed by its Executive Secretary, Dino Melaye, said the minister, who is also the Chairman of the white paper Committee on the Nuhu Ribadu led petroleum Revenue Task Force Committee, is no longer fit to occupy public office.

It further confirmed  Wogu as a “corrupt” individual who cannot  be a judge in his own case.
Below is a full text of the statement.

Man Stabbed To Death Over Chelsea/Man City Match: Suspects Facing Murder Charge

 

 

 

 

Two suspects identified as Kayode Ogunwa and Oluwa Femi, are currently held at the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Panti, Yaba, Lagos, following the stabbing to death of a hotel attendant, identified as Mr. Otumala Ukama Benson, a 32-year-old native of Benue State, over a misunderstanding during penultimate Sunday English Premiership League, EPL, clash between Chelsea and Manchester City football clubs.
The incident happened at a popular hotel along Isheri- LASU- Igando Road, near Diamond Estate. The two suspects who were promptly arrested and detained in a cell at the Area ‘M’ Police Command, Idimu, are now facing murder charge in connection with the incident.

Nigeria Number One Investment Destination In Africa – Aganga

     

Nigeria

The Federal Government yesterday said, that Nigeria was now the number one investment destination in Africa; with a foreign direct investment, FDI, inflow of $8.9 billion in 2011, representing about 16 per cent of Africa’s total estimate of $55billion.
This came as Nigeria and the United States of America renewed their commitments towards strengthening relationships in economics, trade and investment, with special focus on non-oil exports.

Olusegun Aganga

The Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr Olusegun Aganga, disclosed this at the seventh US-Nigeria Trade and Investment Agreement Council Meeting in Abuja, saying: “In terms of Foreign Direct Investments, Nigeria is now the number one investment destination in Africa; recording FDI inflow of $8.9 billion in 2011, about 16 per cent of Africa’s total, estimated at $55billion.

Borno Violence: Two Teachers Shot Dead In Their Classrooms

        

Eleven persons were killed in Borno when members of the Joint Task Force, JTF, clashed with suspected terrorists in Maiduguri, the state capital.
Violence broke out yesterday morning in Maiduguri, the state capital resulting in the death of 11 people. Two people suspected to be terrorists were shot dead while three others were arrested by men of JTF at the main entrance of the Musa Usman Civil Service Secretariat amid multiple explosions at the Gwange Ward.
Mr. Inuwa Usman, a resident of the area said nobody died during the Gwange explosions, but that an ANPP Councillor, Abatcha Gajigana was shot dead in his residence in the area, just as two classroom teachers were killed in their classrooms.
The school proprietor, Kofi Amag said he would close the institution following the attack

Source:Informationnigeria