Who Runs The World? Solid Proof That A Core Group Of Wealthy Elitists Is Pulling The Strings

Does a shadowy group of obscenely wealthy elitists control the world? Do men and women with enormous amounts of money really run the world from behind the scenes? The answer might surprise you.

Most of us tend to think of money as a convenient way to conduct transactions, but the truth is that it also represents power and control. And today we live in a neo-fuedalist system in which the super rich pull all the strings. When I am talking about the ultra-wealthy, I am not just talking about people that have a few million dollars.

As you will see later in this article, the ultra-wealthy have enough money sitting in offshore banks to buy all of the goods and services produced in the United States during the course of an entire year and still be able to pay off the entire U.S. national debt.

That is an amount of money so large that it is almost incomprehensible. Under this neo-feudalist system, all the rest of us are debt slaves, including our own governments. Just look around - everyone is drowning in debt, and all of that debt is making the ultra-wealthy even wealthier.

But the ultra-wealthy don't just sit on all of that wealth. They use some of it to dominate the affairs of the nations. The ultra-wealthy own virtually every major bank and every major corporation on the planet.

They use a vast network of secret societies, think tanks and charitable organizations to advance their agendas and to keep their members in line. They control how we view the world through their ownership of the media and their dominance over our education system.

They fund the campaigns of most of our politicians and they exert a tremendous amount of influence over international organizations such as the United Nations, the IMF, the World Bank and the WTO.

When you step back and take a look at the big picture, there is little doubt about who runs the world. It is just that most people don't want to admit the truth.

The ultra-wealthy don't run down and put their money in the local bank like you and I do. Instead, they tend to stash their assets in places where they won't be taxed such as the Cayman Islands.

According to a report that was released last summer, the global elite have up to 32 TRILLION dollars stashed in offshore banks around the globe.

U.S. GDP for 2011 was about 15 trillion dollars, and the U.S. national debt is sitting at about 16 trillion dollars, so you could add them both together and you still wouldn't hit 32 trillion dollars.

And of course that does not even count the money that is stashed in other locations that the study did not account for, and it does not count all of the wealth that the global elite have in hard assets such as real estate, precious metals, art, yachts, etc.

The global elite have really hoarded an incredible amount of wealth in these troubled times. The following is from an article on the Huffington Post website...

Rich individuals and their families have as much as $32 trillion of hidden financial assets in offshore tax havens, representing up to $280 billion in lost income tax revenues, according to research published on Sunday.

The study estimating the extent of global private financial wealth held in offshore accounts - excluding non-financial assets such as real estate, gold, yachts and racehorses - puts the sum at between $21 and $32 trillion.

The research was carried out for pressure group Tax Justice Network, which campaigns against tax havens, by James Henry, former chief economist at consultants McKinsey & Co.

He used data from the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, United Nations and central banks.

But as I mentioned previously, the global elite just don't have a lot of money. They also basically own just about every major bank and every major corporation on the entire planet.

According to an outstanding NewScientist article, a study of more than 40,000 transnational corporations conducted by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich discovered that a very small core group of huge banks and giant predator corporations dominate the entire global economic system...

An analysis of the relationships between 43,000 transnational corporations has identified a relatively small group of companies, mainly banks, with disproportionate power over the global economy.

The researchers found that this core group consists of just 147 very tightly knit companies...

When the team further untangled the web of ownership, it found much of it tracked back to a "super-entity" of 147 even more tightly knit companies - all of their ownership was held by other members of the super-entity - that controlled 40 per cent of the total wealth in the network.

"In effect, less than 1 per cent of the companies were able to control 40 per cent of the entire network," says Glattfelder. Most were financial institutions. The top 20 included Barclays Bank, JPMorgan Chase & Co, and The Goldman Sachs Group.

The ultra-wealthy elite often hide behind layers and layers of ownership, but the truth is that thanks to interlocking corporate relationships, the elite basically control almost every Fortune 500 corporation.

The amount of power and control that this gives them is hard to describe.

Unfortunately, this same group of people have been running things for a very long time. For example, New York City Mayor John F. Hylan said the following during a speech all the way back in 1922...

The real menace of our Republic is the invisible government, which like a giant octopus sprawls its slimy legs over our cities, states and nation. To depart from mere generalizations, let me say that at the head of this octopus are the Rockefeller-Standard Oil interests and a small group of powerful banking houses generally referred to as the international bankers.

The little coterie of powerful international bankers virtually run the United States government for their own selfish purposes.

They practically control both parties, write political platforms, make catspaws of party leaders, use the leading men of private organizations, and resort to every device to place in nomination for high public office only such candidates as will be amenable to the dictates of corrupt big business.

These international bankers and Rockefeller-Standard Oil interests control the majority of the newspapers and magazines in this country. They use the columns of these papers to club into submission or drive out of office public officials who refuse to do the bidding of the powerful corrupt cliques which compose the invisible government.

It operates under cover of a self-created screen [and] seizes our executive officers, legislative bodies, schools, courts, newspapers and every agency created for the public protection.

These international bankers created the central banks of the world (including the Federal Reserve), and they use those central banks to get the governments of the world ensnared in endless cycles of debt from which there is no escape.

Government debt is a way to "legitimately" take money from all of us, transfer it to the government, and then transfer it into the pockets of the ultra-wealthy.

Today, Barack Obama and almost all members of Congress absolutely refuse to criticize the Fed, but in the past there have been some brave members of Congress that have been willing to take a stand.

For example, the following quote is from a speech that Congressman Louis T. McFadden delivered to the U.S. House of Representatives on June 10, 1932...

Mr. Chairman, we have in this country one of the most corrupt institutions the world has ever known. I refer to the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Banks.

The Federal Reserve Board, a Government board, has cheated the Government of the United States and the people of the United States out of enough money to pay the national debt.

The depredations and iniquities of the Federal Reserve Board has cost this country enough money to pay the national debt several times over. This evil institution has impoverished and ruined the people of the United States, has bankrupted itself, and has practically bankrupted our Government.

It has done this through the defects of the law under which it operates, through the maladministration of that law by the Federal Reserve Board, and through the corrupt practices of the moneyed vultures who control it.

Sadly, most Americans still believe that the Federal Reserve is a "federal agency", but that is simply not correct. The following comes from factcheck.org...

The stockholders in the 12 regional Federal Reserve Banks are the privately owned banks that fall under the Federal Reserve System. These include all national banks (chartered by the federal government) and those state-chartered banks that wish to join and meet certain requirements. About 38 percent of the nation’s more than 8,000 banks are members of the system, and thus own the Fed banks.

According to researchers that have looked into the ownership of the big Wall Street banks that dominate the Fed, the same names keep coming up over and over: the Rockefellers, the Rothschilds, the Warburgs, the Lazards, the Schiffs and the royal families of Europe.

But ultra-wealthy international bankers have not just done this kind of thing in the United States. Their goal was to create a global financial system that they would dominate and control. Just check out what Georgetown University history professor Carroll Quigley once wrote...

The powers of financial capitalism had another far-reaching aim, nothing less than to create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each country and the economy of the world as a whole.

This system was to be controlled in a feudalist fashion by the central banks of the world acting in concert, by secret agreements arrived at in frequent private meetings and conferences. The apex of the system was to be the Bank for International Settlements in Basle, Switzerland, a private bank owned and controlled by the world’s central banks which were themselves private corporations.

Sadly, most Americans have never even heard of the Bank for International Settlements, but it is at the very heart of the global financial system. The following is from Wikipedia...

As an organization of central banks, the BIS seeks to make monetary policy more predictable and transparent among its 58 member central banks. While monetary policy is determined by each sovereign nation, it is subject to central and private banking scrutiny and potentially to speculation that affects foreign exchange rates and especially the fate of export economies.

Failures to keep monetary policy in line with reality and make monetary reforms in time, preferably as a simultaneous policy among all 58 member banks and also involving the International Monetary Fund, have historically led to losses in the billions as banks try to maintain a policy using open market methods that have proven to be based on unrealistic assumptions.

The ultra-wealthy have also played a major role in establishing other important international institutions such as the United Nations, the IMF, the World Bank and the WTO. In fact, the land for the United Nations headquarters in New York City was purchased and donated by John D. Rockefeller.

The international bankers are "internationalists" and they are very proud of that fact.

The elite also dominate the education system in the United States. Over the years, the Rockefeller Foundation and other elitist organizations have poured massive amounts of money into Ivy League schools.

Today, Ivy League schools are considered to be the standard against which all other colleges and universities in America are measured, and the last four U.S. presidents were educated at Ivy League schools.

The elite also exert a tremendous amount of influence through various secret societies (Skull and Bones, the Freemasons, etc.), through some very powerful think tanks and social clubs (the Council on Foreign Relations, the Trilateral Commission, the Bilderberg Group, the Bohemian Grove, Chatham House, etc.), and through a vast network of charities and non-governmental organizations (the Rockefeller Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the World Wildlife Fund, etc.).

But for a moment, I want to focus on the power the elite have over the media. In a previous article, I detailed how just six monolithic corporate giants control most of what we watch, hear and read every single day.

These giant corporations own television networks, cable channels, movie studios, newspapers, magazines, publishing houses, music labels and even many of our favorite websites.

Considering the fact that the average American watches 153 hours of television a month, the influence of these six giant corporations should not be underestimated.

And of course the elite own most of our politicians as well. The following is a quote from journalist Lewis Lapham...

"The shaping of the will of Congress and the choosing of the American president has become a privilege reserved to the country’s equestrian classes, a.k.a. the 20% of the population that holds 93% of the wealth, the happy few who run the corporations and the banks, own and operate the news and entertainment media, compose the laws and govern the universities, control the philanthropic foundations, the policy institutes, the casinos, and the sports arenas."

Have you ever wondered why things never seem to change in Washington D.C. no matter who we vote for?

Well, it is because both parties are owned by the establishment.

It would be nice to think that the American people are in control of who runs things in the U.S., but that is not how it works in the real world.

In the real world, the politician that raises more money wins more than 80 percent of the time in national races.

Our politicians are not stupid - they are going to be very good to the people that can give them the giant piles of money that they need for their campaigns. And the people that can do that are the ultra-wealthy and the giant corporations that the ultra-wealthy control.

Are you starting to get the picture?

There is a reason why the ultra-wealthy are referred to as "the establishment". They have set up a system that greatly benefits them and that allows them to pull the strings.

So who runs the world?

They do. In fact, they even admit as much.

David Rockefeller wrote the following in his 2003 book entitled "Memoirs"...

"For more than a century, ideological extremists at either end of the political spectrum have seized upon well-publicized incidents such as my encounter with Castro to attack the Rockefeller family for the inordinate influence they claim we wield over American political and economic institutions.

Some even believe we are part of a secret cabal working against the best interests of the United States, characterizing my family and me as 'internationalists' and of conspiring with others around the world to build a more integrated global political and economic structure — one world, if you will. If that is the charge, I stand guilty, and I am proud of it."

There is so much more that could be said about all of this. In fact, an entire library of books could be written about the power and the influence of the ultra-wealthy international bankers that run the world.

But hopefully this is enough to at least get some conversations started.

New Drone-Mounted Camera Can Tell What You’re Wearing From 17,500 Feet

A new camera developed by the Pentagon’s research arm was highlighted in a recent special on PBS’ “Nova” in an episode called “Rise of the Drones.” It’s a camera system so detailed it can discern specific movements and even what a subject is wearing.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA’s) Autonomous Real-Time Ground Ubiquitous Surveillance Imaging System (ARGUS) has 1.8 billion pixels (1.8 gigapixels), making it the world’ highest resolution camera.

The sensors on the camera are so precise, PBS stated it is the equivalent to the capabilities of 100 Predator drones in a medium city.

In the clip from PBS, it is said this is the first time the government has allowed information to be shared about these capabilities.

“It is important for the public to know that some of these capabilities exist,” Yiannis Antonaides with contractor BAE Systems said in the clip, but noted the sensor itself cannot be revealed. “Because we are not allowed to expose some of the pieces that make up this sensor, so you get to look a pretty plastic curtains.”

The technology allows the user to open up a specific windows of interest in the camera’s view while still keeping up an image of the larger picture (sort of like split screen). Antonaides explained that the colored boxes in the image show that the sensor recognized moving objects.

“You can see individuals crossing the street. You can see individuals walking in parking lots. There’s actually enough resolution to see the people waving their arms or walking around or what kind of clothes they wear,” he said.

PBS noted that ARGUS can actually see much more details than just attire. It can see objects as small as six inches. At 2:23 in the clip, Antonaides points out that from 17,500 feet, a white object in the field of view is a bird flying.

Here’s how DARPA describes its project on its website:

Current infrared systems either have a narrow field of view, slow frame rates or are low resolution.

DARPA’s Autonomous Real-Time Ground Ubiquitous Surveillance – Infrared (ARGUS-IR) program will break this paradigm by producing a wide-field-of-view IR imaging system with frame rates and resolution that are compatible with the tracking of dismounted personnel at night.

ARGUS-IR will provide at least 130 independently steerable video streams to enable real-time tracking of individual targets throughout the field of view. The ARGUS-IR system will also provide continuous updates of the entire field of view for enhanced situational awareness.

PBS pointed out that DARPA put a time crunch on creating the camera, which lead Antonaides to look into technology that you probably have in your purse or pocket at this very moment.

Taking similar imaging systems used in smartphones and putting 368 together, is essentially how Antonaides and other engineers at BAE Systems created ARGUS. It is this “mosaic” of cameras that allows the system to zoom in on specific sections in extreme detail.

As for data, the system stores up to 1 million terabytes a day. Putting this into perspective, PBS notes this is equal to 5,000 hours of HD footage.

“You can go back and say ‘I would like to know what happened at this particular location three days, two hours, four minutes ago’ and it would actually show you what happened as if you were watching it live,” Antonaides said.

It is still classified information whether ARGUS has been used in the field yet.

“If we had our choice, we would like ARGUS to be over the same area 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That’s not very achievable with manned platforms. This is where UAVs come in and they’re absolutely the perfect platform,” Antonaides said.

Convicted pension thief must be retried - NLC

The Nigeria Labour Congress has said that Yakubu Yusuf, who was convicted over the N32 billion pension fund stolen from the Police Pension Office, must be retried, the Nigeria Labour Congress has said.
The NLC, in a statement by its acting President, Kiri Mohammed, said organised labour was startled by the judgment that sent Yusuf to jail for two years with a N250,000 fine option.
Mohammed said the judgment would encourage corruption as it will not deter others.
He also said it was an indication that the judiciary is compromised.
The statement by Mohammed reads: “We are startled at the judgement by an Abuja High court yesterday which convicted a man who already admitted stealing N23 billion out of over N40 billion found to have been stolen from the coffers of the Nigeria Police Pension Fund between January 2008 and June 2011 to just two years in prison with an option of fine in the sum of N750,000.
“That Justice Abubakar Talba could only convict such a high profile thief who has enriched himself with money reserved for people who have served this country honestly and have retired into abject poverty and penury to a scandalous two years imprisonment with an option of fine in the ridiculous sum of N750,000, shows clearly that the Nigerian judiciary is being compromised and obviously encouraging corruption in a country that has lost most of her earnings to a few individuals who have used their public offices to corruptly enrich themselves.
“It becomes more alarming that the pension thief’s counsel had urged the court to be lenient on his client as he has ailing aged parents and responsibility to pay the school fees of his children.
“These reasons are as irresponsible, callous just as the offence he committed in the first place. The money he stole has left thousands of families in hunger, perpetual pains and in some cases, even death. This thief didn’t deserve any leniency.
“This judgement is not in the public interest and cannot be acceptable to Nigerians who are continuously worried about their future in retirement should the judiciary continue to encourage those caught with public funds with convictions that are clearly not punitive enough for the convict to be remorseful, the judiciary will be encouraging the Nigerian people to opt for jungle justice and treat these high profile criminals the same way pick pockets are treated.
“This particular judgement is not only unpatriotic but clearly against national interest as our people are united against corruption which has brought our collective image to global ridicule and our national economy to near collapse.
“We urge the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to immediately appeal against this judgement or call for a retrial, while we call on the National Judicial Council to investigate both the judge and the entire case.
“Given our commitment to the anti corruption crusade, which we believe members of the National Assembly must also be committed to, we urge the National Assembly to review our judicial system to make it more patriotic and function in the interest of democracy which will be threatened should this type of ridiculous judgement be allowed.
“This judgement lacks moral values and has not demonstrated that laws and judicial institutions are capable of protecting the interest of ordinary people as well as safeguard national interests. And this portends danger for democracy anywhere in the world.
“This judgement, if allowed to stay will be a direct encouragement to corruption and corrupt officials who will not mind deepening their stealing zeal knowing that the punishment they will face would be soft and harmless.”

Nations Cup: NFF lies to Nigerians as controversial Egyptian referee officiates again

The controversial Egyptian referee who supervised the Nigeria versus Zambia match at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations, Grisha Ghead, is still officiating at the tournament.
This is contrary to the picture painted to Nigerians by the Nigeria Football Federation that Ghead had been sent packing from officiating at the Africa Nations Cup by the Confederation of African Football over the controversial penalty he awarded to Zambia in the closing stages of the Group C match against Nigeria.
This enabled the Chipolopolo of Zambia to end the match against Nigeria one goal apiece.
But on Wednesday, Ghead was the fourth official in the Group D game between Algeria and Cote D’Ivoire in Rustenburg.
In a statement on Monday by the Director of Media of the NFF, Demola Olajire, the body claimed that Ghead had been punished by CAF for his poor handling of the encounter between the Super Eagles and the Chipolopolo, where a late penalty call was given to the defending champions.
However, events on Wednesday proved that the football federation had sold a dummy to Nigerians as they tried to shift attention from the team’s inability to win matches.
When contacted, Olajire told Goal.com: “That was the impression that CAF gave us (that he had been suspended).”
After the news broke last week in Nigerian media circles, Goal.com sent an email to the CAF Media Channel but never got a response.

Nations Cup: Defending champions, Zambia, crash out

Defending champions, Zambia, crashed out of the Africa Cup of Nations after a goalless draw with Burkina Faso, who progressed to the quarter-finals.
The Chipolopolo went into the game level on points with Nigeria, who went through to the last eight after a 2-0 win over Ethiopia in the other Group C game.
Zambia will rue weak efforts from Collins Mbesuma and Rainford Kalaba in a poor game against Burkina Faso.
Clifford Mulenga also missed a half-chance late as Zambia limped out.
It is the first time the reigning champions have gone out in the group stage since Algeria in 1990, when there were four groups of three teams.
But Zambia deserved no more than they got as they failed to produce anything like the form that took them to the title last year – even though they leave South Africa unbeaten after three draws.
In contrast, Burkina Faso have shown good moments – most notably their 4-0 demolition of Ethiopia – and finished top of the group on goal difference.

Nigeria to meet Cote d'Ivoire in quarter-final

The Super Eagles on Tuesday qualified for the quarter-final round of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations after defeating the Antelopes of Ethiopia 2-0 in the last Group C match.
Nigeria had to wait till the last game to secure qualification after it drew the first two group matches one goal apiece.
Ethiopia’s Sesay Basa’s red card may have been a huge turning point for the Super Eagles in the last group game.
The win, however, should spur on the Super Eagles who are now to take on one of Africa’s best teams, Cote d’Ivoire, in the quarter-final match.

Masquerade kills Islamic cleric, motorcyclist in Ogun

A masquerade on Sunday killed an Islamic scholar, Lateef Amusa, in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
This led to tension in the state capital on Monday, with some Muslim youths setting ablaze the house of one of the supporters of the masquerade.
The supporter was identified as Leyin Aponle.
The police have arrested four persons in connection with the incident, which occurred at Oja Ale, Ijaiye at about 5pm on Sunday.
It was gathered that Amusa was returning from a prayer programme, Asalatu, at Iporo Ake area of the state capital.
Some of those with the masquerade reportedly fired gun shots, with the bullet hitting Amusa, who was on a commercial motorcycle.
The motorcyclist was also suspected to have died.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Prince Muyiwa Adejobi, confirmed the incident.
Adejobi said those arrested along with the masquerade were Ajayi Olabimtan, Shittu Adeyemi and Waheed Babalola.

N23b fraud: Pension director gets two years jail term, N250,000 fine option

A former head of the Police Pension Board, Yakubu Yusuf, was on Monday sentenced to two years imprisonment by an Abuja High Court for embezzling N23 billion.
Yusuf was, however, given an option of N250,000 fine in addition to forfeiting property worth N325 million.
The pension boss had pleaded guilty to the charge of embezzling N32.8 billion alongside some others involved in the management of police pension fund.
Before Monday’s sentence, the court had empowered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to seize the property of the accused, which were believed to be proceeds of the illegal diversion of pension funds.
Some of the houses and petrol station are located in Abuja and Kogi State.

Boko Haram faction declares ceasefire

A faction of dreaded sect, Boko Haram, has declared a ceasefire.
The group, led by Abu Mohammed Abdulazeez, said it has entered into dialogue with the government.
It is at present into talks with the Borno State Government.
In announcing the ceasefire on Monday afternoon, the group said the talks with the government was progressing and fruitful.
The other faction, led by Ibrahim Shekau, was yet to respond to the ceasefire agreement by Abdulazeez’s group.
Report had it about two weeks ago that Shekau was wounded in a shootout with security agencies and had fled to Mali.

Updated: 18 killed as trailer loses control, plus photograph

No fewer than 18 persons are reported dead in an accident involving a trailer and nine other vehicles.
The accident occurred at Nkpor in Onitsha, Anambra State at about 8:10pm.
Available information had it that the trailer, bearing kerosene, lost control at the newly constructed bridge at Nkpor and rammed into nine other vehicles.
One of the vehicles the trailer rammed into was a 14 seater bus in the fleet of the Transport Corporation of Anambra State.
The Federal Road Safety Corps has confirmed the accident.
The FRSC said rescue operation was ongoing as at press time and that total number of casualties could still not be determined.

Fire swept through a nightclub in southern Brazil killing 245 people

A Brazilian nightclub where hundreds died in a fire Sunday was about 1,000 people over capacity at the time of the blaze, a fire official said.

"When I arrived, we analyzed the preliminary scene and saw that there was a 1,000 maximum capacity but we understood there were about 2,000 there," said Guido de Melo, a fire official.

The fire killed at least 245 people, many of whom apparently died from smoke inhalation, police said.

Ezekwesili has limited understanding of government finances - Maku

The Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, has expressed surprise about the position of a former Vice President for Africa in the World Bank and two time minister in the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, that the administrations of late President Umaru Yar’Adua and President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan frittered $67 billion in five years.
Maku, on Sunday, said Ezekwesili, who spoke at a convocation lecture of the University of Nigeria Nsukka on Thursday, showed limited understanding government finances.
He said that the position of Ezekwesili is factually incorrect.
He said: “The recent statements by Mrs. Obiageli Ezekwesili at UNN’s convocation ceremony on January 24, 2013, betray a surprisingly limited understanding of government finances.
“These statements are even more curious in light of the fact that she has held senior positions in government, and more recently, a position as a Vice President of the World Bank. However, rather than speculate about her motives, we would focus on the facts.
“The statement by the former World Bank Vice President that the governments of Presidents Musa Yar’adua and Goodluck Jonathan have squandered $67 billion in reserves (including $45 billion in external reserves and $22 billion in the Excess Crude Account) left by the Obasanjo Administration at the end of May 2007 is factually incorrect.”
Maku said in the first place, Nigeria did not have up to $67 billion in its accounts, based on the records of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
He said what was available in all the accounts Ezekwesili referred to was $43.13 billion.
He said further that the reserves have gone through periods of fluctuations and was at an all time low of $31.7 billion in September 2011.
He said: “At the end of May 2007, Nigeria’s gross reserves stood at $43.13 billion – comprising the CBN’s external reserves of $31.5 billion, $9.43 billion in the Excess Crude Account, and $2.18 billion in the Federal Government’s savings. These figures can be independently verified from the CBN’s records. The figure of $67 billion alleged in her statement is therefore clearly fictitious.
“However, since President Obasanjo left office, the reserves have experienced fluctuations, rising from $43.13 billion in May 2007, peaking at $62 billion in September 2008 during the Yar’adua/Jonathan Administration when oil prices peaked at $147 per barrel, and falling subsequently to a low of $31.7 in September 2011.
“This fall in reserves was a result of the vicissitudes of the global financial crisis which caused CBN interventions in the currency market to defend the value of the naira.
“The Excess Crude savings, a component of the reserves, was also used to stimulate the economy at the height of the global financial crisis to the tune of about $1 billion (or 0.5 percent of our 2009 GDP).
“As a result, Nigeria is one of the few countries in the world that did not seek assistance from international financial institutions.
“It should be noted that the fiscal stimulus used to shore up the economy during that period was shared by all 3-tiers of government, including commitments of about $5.5 billion made under the Obasanjo Administration for power projects.”

Rape, rape everywhere, by Gabriel Agbo

A young lady was recently raped to an unconscious state by four men in Warri, Delta State. The lady, who is still in her 20s, boarded a taxi cab to her residence but was diverted to another street by the driver with other four ‘passengers’, who threatened to stab her if she resisted. They took her to an uncompleted building and took turn to rape her until she became unconscious. The suspects have since been arrested by the police and the Black Berry phone they used in recording the rape action has also been recovered.
Last December, in Delhi, India, another 23-year-old medical science student was thrown out of a moving vehicle after being raped by six men. The Indian women have been in a nationwide protest since that incident, calling on the government to do more to protect them and also death penalty for the six people involved in that particular case. The suspects have been taken to court. Rape is a national problem in India.
But before these, we had the more shocking and much publicized case of Ms Cynthia Osokogu, a 25-year-old postgraduate student of Nassarawa State University, who was drugged, chained, rapped, robbed and strangled to death in a hotel at the Festac Town, Lagos by some ‘friends’ she met through the social media. She is the only daughter of General Frank Osokogu. The suspects are also currently standing trial in a Magistrate Court in Lagos. I will always advocate for maximum penalty for rapists.
Rape is forcefully having carnal knowledge of an opposite sex. It is having sexual intercourse with the opposite sex without her (his) consent. Having sexual intercourse with minors is also a form of rape because it is assumed that they are too young to give an informed consent to such relationships. Rape is a heinous crime against humanity and against God.
And the worse is that some of these rapes (and other sexual activities) are for demonic rituals. Look at the case in Zimbabwe recently, where three women were put on trial for allegedly kidnapping and drugging men and then forcing them to have sex in order to collect their semen in condoms for use in rituals that claimed to make people wealthy. God! Before now, we actually thought that only men perform this kind of satanic rituals. Yes, people can cause so much spiritual harm to others through sexual contacts. True! Destinies, families, careers, health, etc, can effectively be damaged or totally destroyed through sexual intercourse. We have even seen cases where victims die mysteriously after such activities, even with the people they trusted. Please, let’s go back to our subject.
All over the world, thousands of rape cases are reported daily. And they are just less than 10 per cent of all the rapes that actually occur. In America, averages of 232 rapes are reported to the police everyday. Even in the prison, it is estimated that 70,000 American male prisoners are raped each year by fellow men. In the South, four out of 10 women say their first sexual experience was rape. And so it is in other places. There is an escalation of incidences of rape all over the world.
The effects of this on the victims and the society are enormous. They include psychological trauma, physical injuries, transmission of STDs and HIV, unwanted pregnancy that could eventually lead to abortions, other complications and even interruption of life dreams and careers. The victims are also sometimes murdered in the process or they commit suicide after going through such experience. We saw how Cynthia and the other lady lost their lives. Rape and murder: making it more complicated for the rapists. And hundreds of our defenceless girls (women) die this way every year. There are rapes, sexual perversion, child abuses, spiritual sexual manipulations, etc, going on daily in our offices, homes, hotels, clubs, schools and most of them are not and will never be reported. True!
But, what is responsible for this escalation of rape cases? What are the implications? What should be done to check it? There have always been rapes, but the current increase in the crime can be located within the immoral, lascivious and seductive activities of the present generation, indecent dressing, communication, dances, parades, information, pornography, etc. You cannot listen to those filthy words and music, watch those half-naked women, pictures, films, pageants, dances or keep those ungodly associations without being filled with immoral thoughts, which will be hijacked by sex demons that will ultimately lead to sexual misbehaviour. And the devil is behind all these. Yes, he is!
Today, not just our youths but parents, corporate bodies, governments compete to sponsor these events that encourage sexual perversion in our society. Or don’t you see them sponsoring, enjoying and watching these half-naked women parade and dance? Please, after all these, with the high level of unemployment (idleness), drug abuse, and other frustrating economic and social condition, tell me how rape and other crimes will not be on the increase in our society?
But rapists are cursed not just by their victims and the law but also by God. The result of rape in the Bible has always been a DEATH sentence. In the scriptures, when Amnon raped his half-sister, Tamar, he was later murdered. When Shechem raped Dinah, Jacob’s daughter, himself, his father and all his kinsmen paid with their lives. Also, when the pervasive men of Sodom attempted to rape Lot’s visitors, they were blinded and later destroyed by fire and burning sulphur. Are you involved in rape, sexual perversion, child abuse, homosexuality, lesbianism, bestiality, fornication, adultery and other forms of sexual immorality? Know that the judgment of God is already hanging on your neck and your next generations unless you repent immediately after reading this write-up. Till next week, God bless!

Obasanjo: The Illuminati from Ota, by Taju Tijani

Big breakfast is always a big event with me. The sound of crunchy toast over a bowl of oat is a sure bet most working mornings. Then the “Kaakaki” early morning breakfast programme on African Independent Television is a bonus. Many discussions there have angered me. Some have encouraged me. Many have given me depressions, which goes to prove that we are creatures of feelings and mood swings.
Last week, in its “Headlines News” segment of the programme, AIT splashed across its screen: “Obasanjo To Control Aso Rock From His Farm”. The headline was enough to ruin my day and send me into depression. As I walked into the freezing January cold, I could think of nothing but Obasanjo’s fierce, fearless and forthright candour. Yes, to many Nigerians, a statement like this might be associated with a pompous and pretentious twaddler that could only come from Owu. When you live with chicken all your old age, you then begin to develop chicken mentality.
But Obasanjo is not a mere chicken. He is a cock. And cocks are known to be cocky and crow to announce their presence, prestige or power. Chief Matthew Okikiola Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo embodies presence, prestige and power. With sheer messianic radiance, he governed Nigeria twice. In military khaki and out of khaki. The mandarin elevation we accord our past leaders is still working in Obasanjo. His poppycock desire to rule Nigeria from his animal farm is an excellent example of his political bravura.
Obasanjo is a divisive mortal in the luckless universe of Nigeria. His name can heat up a discourse. His name can provoke either affection or repulsion. His name can provoke the image of an emperor, oppressor, dictator, saviour, redeemer or plain megalomania. To the people of Odi, Rivers State, he is a footloose warlord. Odi sons and daughters are still in bubble of expectation that someday Obasanjo will answer to his genocide charge. To Nsoro, the Akwa Ibomite I met in Ikorodu, Lagos State in one of my travel sorties to Nigeria, Obasanjo is a messiah that we fail woefully to understand. To Gbenga, his son, he is a shameless philanderer. How can a dad go to the futon with his son’s wife? And yet that man still commands our respect? And yet, that man still has access to the corridors of power in Nigeria. His shame, excesses, moral decay, political irreverence, greed, controlling spirit and provoking wit have all come to represent the symbol of a modern Nigerian who has access to power and wealth.
Malam Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai’s book, The Accidental Public Servant, is a luxuriant profusion of political bombasts and inanities commonly associated with Nigerian politicians. el-Rufai stated this of Obasanjo: “Well, nothing will change, you know. I will be in Ota but we will be running things. Everything will remain the same, you know. You will remain in the government, the economic team will remain. Nothing will change. Only I will move to Ota and Yar’Adua will be here but we will be running things.”
In his recently published memoir, Rufai, an Obasanjo confidant and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, said: “Obasanjo had singlehandedly ensured that the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua succeeded him in 2007. He nevertheless planned to administer the country from his Ota Farm. He described the 2007-2011 period as a transition because all his pointsmen, including the “economic team” would remain in office.” Then in the garb of a stentorian orating on governance, el-Rufai also queries the leadership recruitment processes, noting that it is at the root of the nation’s problems, as it sacrifices merit. He said that the choice of the late Yar’Adua and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as president and vice-president by Obasanjo was “the final nail in the coffin of any meritocracy or track record of governance in Nigeria.”
I reserve a small applause for Rufai for telling the nation, or reporting Obasanjo to us all. Except one is an ignoramus, we all know that public posts or positions in Nigeria is done through automatism and not merit. Avuncular Rufai has morphed into a libertarian grammarian. He has recently been pointing out the connections between official bombasts and the suffering of Nigerians in his many colourful but hard-hitting profusions against the high and mighty. Rufai is an eloquent voice striving to promote the virtues of merit, excellence and hard work. And that is astonishingly epiphanic for a man who once rode the crest of power with all its barmy excesses, especially in Nigeria.
Back to Obasanjo’s honest effusion. In our torn and conflated politics, an illuminati from Ota farm may be something we silently desire. Of course, it may sound like a poppywash. Except you believe in galoshes, President Goodluck Jonathan’s governance has been lacklustre. There is yet no spark of genius in areas of fighting corruption, job creation, security, Boko Haram’s terrorism and his own medieval profligacy in a nation where majority of Nigerians live on $1 or equivalent of N150.00 per day. Jonathan needs a tried, tested and steady hand to guide him. He may need Obasanjo’s military bravura on policy formulation. He may need his fearlessness to unshackle his governance from powerful interest groups who have been stalling his transformational agenda.
If Obasanjo were to be a car, the guy is a full speck Mercedes Benz – speed, agility, handling, efficiency, prestige, robustness and durability. The joy or sadness of it all is that Obasanjo is aware of his proficiency. His fully loaded stature! He is aware of his own omnipotence. He is aware of the symptomatic self-adulation Nigeria bestows not only on its past leaders but also on even public looters. Lastly, Obasanjo is aware of his own totalitarian irrationalism. Whether this desire to rule Nigeria among his chickens and pigs is a lofty or colonial hallucination, we have to concede that Obasanjo’s ghost still walks the corridors of Aso Rock as I write.
Sadly, the pervasive effect of our political immaturity and blindness have perpetually delivered this nation into the hands of occult grand masters, polygamists, philanderers, perverts, schemers, criminals, destabilisers, dictators, looters and self-exalting statesmen, of which Obasanjo is leader of the pack. If Matthew Okikiola Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo were to be a Tony Blair, he would have been sunk far beyond the depth of the Titanic in the Atlantic Ocean. His air of certitude would have been deflated. But he is a Nigerian where we make demi-gods of the privileged, the powerful and the stupid.

SUV plunges into river on Lagos bridge

A Toyota Sienna has plunged into the river under the popular Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos State.
Though the circumstances that led to the accident was yet to be established as at press time, none of the occupants of the vehicle had been rescued.
The incident happened on the Lagos Island to Oworonshoki end of the slightly over 10km bridge.
The Sienna seats seven passengers comfortably.
But the number of passengers in the vehicle could not be ascertained as at press time.
The accident has led to commotion on the ever-busy bridge with vehicles and commuters struggling to catch a glimpse of the vehicle.

Orji out to print presidential campaign posters in my name - Kalu

A former Abia State Governor, Dr. Orji Kalu, said he has uncovered plots by his successor, Chief T.A. Orji, and some of his close aides to blackmail him by printing and pasting presidential campaign posters for 2015 in his name.
Kalu, in a statement on Saturday by his Special Adviser, Oyekunle Oyewunmi, dissociated himself form such posters.
He said any poster proclaiming him as having declared for the presidency remains the handiwork of political enemies, who have become more desperate in the last few weeks.
He said those behind the move are allegedly led by Orji’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Charles Ogbonna.
Kalu said they perfected plans to roll out the posters all over the South East, with the major aim of putting a clog in the wheel of the reconciliation efforts of the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party and to create confusion in the party.
Kalu stated that he is not seeking any political office, for now, and does not need anybody to sponsor the printing and pasting of his posters.
He said since Orji could not stop his re-admission into the PDP, he had adopted deceitful antics and actions to cause confusion between him and President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
He advised the governor to face the reality and stop chasing shadows.
He further stated that his decision to rejoin PDP was to add value and strengthen the party in Abia State, the South East and Nigeria at large.
He re-assured the leadership of PDP, party stalwarts, political supporters, associates and friends that no amount of blackmail will distract him from contributing positively to the PDP at all levels.

Henry Okah: We'll attack South Africans, Nigerian government officials - MEND

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta has promised to unleash terror on the country if one of their leaders, Henry Okah, is eventually sentenced for his alleged role in the October 1, 2010 independence day bombing in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
MEND, in a statement, described the implication of Okah in the alleged bombing as political, saying that it was his refusal to do the bidding of government officials in Nigeria’s seat of power that led to his conviction.
The statement threatened that South Africans in Nigeria and government officials at all levels would not be spared.
It advised south African companies in the country to quit immediately.
MEND also banned the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godsday Orubebe, from visiting the South South.
The statement reads in full:
“Ref: CONVICTION OF OUR LEADER AND FOUNDER MR. HENRY OKAH.
“We witnessed ourselves firsthand the conviction of our dear leader yesterday the 21st of January 2013 by the South African Supreme Court on all the 13th count charges which as we all know has to do with ASO ROCK politics on a man simply because he refused to be bought over.
Before yesterday’s ruling, we had high regards for the South African judiciary but not now as we were wrong on our previous assessment nevertheless, people pays for mistakes committed by others so we the High Command of MEND have an advice for the South African people, which is TELL YOUR GOVERNMENT through your judiciary stay away with events that happened in Nigeria or else some South Africans will pay dearly for it.
“To the Nigerian military (The Joint Task Force (JTF) in the Niger Delta) don’t bother for now placing officers on alert, we will not bomb nor kill anybody for the time being, as we had communicated months back, we no long require IED or car bombs as we’ve gone pass that stage. Nigerians as a whole will feel our presence when we finally decide to carry out our targets which will not be restricted to the Niger Delta Region alone.
“We so much understand the job load of an image maker but I most point our here clearly that the JTF’s spokesman, Lt.-Col. Onyeama Nwachukwu will have much jobs to do in the region anytime soon for thinking we rely on the OLD COMMANDERS that sold out to take up arms on behalf of our leader, just don’t underrate our capabilities which will take the Nigerian Military another 10 years to catch.
“We are not on the same program with regional agitators in the north or elsewhere, we will not hide our faces, soon and very soon, Nigerians will get to see the structures (Diaspora and Home) as well as our new states, regional commanders and new National Leader, arresting and killing Henry Okah will change nothing.
“To the Nigerian Government, you have seen NOTHING, the disintegration of Nigeria will start through us and by us, we are well equipped for this task. We have details of all the family members of the Government (1999-2013) and our Diaspora Command will take care of that aspect, we will get to them, we will skin them and post their remains to your door steps as compensation to the Ode people, except our resources are handed over to us without conditions.
“All Federal, States and Local Government officials under the pay roll of the Government (ministers, Permanent Secretaries, Director Generals, Directors etc) should stay away from the Niger Delta, if found anywhere in the South South region, they will have themselves to blame and that is if they live to tell the tales.
“The Minister of the Niger Delta Ministry Mr. Orubebe Peter Godsday is hereby banished from Delta State and the region at large pending when he returns the money he stole which was meant for the Niger Delta Development Councils and also while with:
“(a) Burutu Local Government Council, Delta State (1991-1993),
“(b) As second Member: Primary Education Board, Asaba, Delta State 2000-2003.
“(c) As the Special Adviser to James Ibori former Delta State Governor on Urban/Regional Planning between January 2004 and November 2005.
“This whole money belongs to the Niger Delta people and most be return or he should be ready to face the consequences along with your nuclear and immediate family members.
“To our Natural Resources, there will soon be a massive earthquake that will be trigged by our nuclear war head, this earthquake will destroy the entire oil wells, oil pipelines especially to Kaduna refinery, oil installations, oil rigs and what have you, when it happens, which we know will be very soon, the Government and those owners of these oil wells and installation will know it’s a different ball game.
“All oil companies, (foreign or local) should start parking up from the region as this might be the last warning, we really will not want civilians to be caught in between so please take this warning seriously.
“To our old breed Commanders, you can talk as much as you want just because you were bought over for a token but we wonder why the fight against your masters, the hurricane is almost there and it will sweep everything left.
“And finally to the South Africa Companies: we made some promises before and now we are repeating same, LEAVE NIGERIA totally, there will be massive and aggressive campaign on all companies owned, operated and affiliated to the South African Citizens or their Government both in Nigeria, Western and Southern Africa respectively.

Gbenga Daniel's Compass newspaper goes off newsstand

The hard copy edition of the Nigerian Compass, owned by a former Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, is to be off the newsstand permanently.
Nigerian Compass, which has been off the newsstand since late December 2012, is now to be published as an online newspaper.
The decision to finally phase out the hard copy, it was learnt, was conveyed to a few of the staff of the company in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, by the company’s ailing Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief, Sina Kawonise, and a Director of the company, Biodun Oduwole.
At the meeting with the Editors and line editors of the newspaper, they were told in clear terms that Daniel could no longer sustain putting money into the newspaper business.
It was learnt that Daniel had been giving the present management of the company a minimum of N20 million monthly for the running of the newspaper.
Despite this, the newspaper was on and off the newsstand most part of last year, resulting in the resignation of several key staff.
Those who are still with the company are being owed salaries and allowances of between six months and 13 months.
The company has equally not been remitting the taxes deducted from staff salaries to the governments that should benefit from it since inception.
So also has the company not paid the pension fund deducted from staff salaries and its own contribution to the retirement benefit of staff from inception.
The contribution of staff to the cooperative society, running into millions of naira, is also being withheld by the company.
It was learnt that Daniel is unhappy with the situation of things in the company, especially after putting in what he considered so much yet with the staff being owed several months salaries, statutory deductions remaining unpaid and the newspaper on and off the newsstand.
Daniel was said to have questioned the application of the fund he has made available to the management of the company, especially in the last two years.
Kawonise, who served as Daniel’s Commissioner for Information in the later part of his administration, is getting set to seek the office of governor in Ogun State in 2015.

Lagos famous clothier shuts down business

Lagos famous clothier, Tex Egbedi, has shut down the clothing business.
Texen, an upscale fashion house strictly for men’s wear on Awolowo Way, Ikeja, Lagos state has been shut down.
Those who should know revealed that the reason for the closure of the outfit, which used to be one of the best for men in the Ikeja axis of the state, is not unconnected with poor patronage, occasioned by the proliferation of new crop of fashion houses in Ikeja and its environs.
Others claimed the current not too-smooth economic situation of the country seemed to have put spanner in the business of the once flourishing outfit.
And Tex Egbedi is not quite happy about this development.
The Delta State born advertising guru turned designer, who started his business in the 90s after his return from abroad, ranks high among his contemporaries like Sofitiscate owned by idowu Ogunlesi, Vivid Imagination run by Charlse Mekunye and Bevista who sews for big men in the country.
The business place in Ikeja has been closed for more than six months now.

General Oladipo Diya completes multi million naira church in Lagos

This is the good news coming from the home of retired Army General, Dr. Donaldson Oladipo Diya: Sources said he has taken to the path of God big time, not minding the cost, after his several investments in all the major sectors of the economy.
The Odogbolu, Ogun State born former number 2 man in Nigeria is said to have just completed a multi million naira church building in Lagos State.
The church is yet to be commissioned.
The church, United Methodist Evangelical Cathedral, is located at Abule-Oja, Akoka, Lagos State.
Preparation is in top gear to open the church next month (February).
A source close to the former military brass revealed that he expended so much on the church.
The interior is decorated with state-of-the art artifacts, while the musical instruments were also imported.
A source added: “You know General does not do his things in half measures.
“He has even contracted a top musician that will perform at the grand opening come next month.”

Don Jazzy's Marvin Energy commences operation

To say Nigerian super star and Marvin Records boss, Don Jazzy, has dabbled into oil and gas with his younger brother, James, is like stating what is obvious.
Available information reaching The Eagle Online indicates that the company, which is located somewhere on Victoria Island, Lagos has begun operation.
Marvin Energy, which is being run by james, is into 24 hours door-to-door diesel delivery service that supplies and retails petroleum products.
The company offers service in construction of diesel storage tanks and leasing of trucks.
While his younger brother acts as CEO, Don Jazzy works behind the scene.

Shan George relocates to Calabar

Nollywood actress, Shan Goerge, has relocated to Calabar, Cross River State, her country home.
But contrary to reports available to us, George said she took the decision not because she was looking for greener pasture but rather found Calabar more peaceful than Lagos.
Another source said she relocated to Calabar to nurse her mother who has been bedridden for months now.

Israel’s Elections: What Just Happened?

Trust the Israeli electorate to produce a surprising and acutely complicated electoral result, at the end of an exemplary, empowering exercise in democracy. Here are some quickfire pointers through the initial post-vote fog.

1. Israel did not move to the right

Remarkably, given the regional instability and consequent Israeli wariness, the right-wing bloc took a bit of a pasting. It’s a more hawkish right-wing bloc, but it’s a smaller one, somewhat less able to get its own way.

Instead, Israel moved a little to the center, as exemplified by the remarkable debut of Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid. What does this mean for the big regional issues, and especially for interaction with the Palestinians?

Well, that depends on the nature of the coalition. And for that, we may have to wait a while.

2. Netanyahu is battered but he’s still a winner… almost certainly, with some serious caveats

You go into national politics because you want to lead your nation. And once you’ve made it to prime minister, you go into your next elections in order to remain prime minister.

That’s what Netanyahu has apparently managed, unless the soldiers’ votes and other final adjustments in the next couple of days improbably change the delicate Knesset arithmetic to his detriment.

This despite Netanyahu not being particularly popular and being a very well-known quantity in an election where many voters plainly favored the fresh, inexperienced and unsullied candidates.

Tuesday’s was a vote for change. Dozens upon dozens of sitting Knesset members were swept aside. But Netanyahu rolled with the wave, and here he is again.

3. But his Likud party is a big loser

The Likud held 27 seats in the last Knesset. Now it will have only 20 — out of the 31-strong incoming Likud-Beytenu faction. Brace for lots of bitterness in the Likud.

Lots of recriminations. The partnership with Avigdor Liberman meant that Netanyahu heads the biggest faction, so that’s hunky dory for him.

But Likud lost right-wing votes to Naftali Bennett’s Jewish Home, and Yisrael Beytenu lost Russian votes to Yesh Atid. Many of the prime minister’s party colleagues are feeling rather less celebratory than he is today.

4. Yair Lapid is a resounding success

At its height, Yosef “Tommy” Lapid’s secular Shinui party managed 15 Knesset seats. In his first foray into politics, son Yair has outstripped that achievement, with a gentler, more gracious approach.

He’s the power broker now. Netanyahu can barely cobble together a coalition without him, and doesn’t want to. But voters took a gamble on Lapid, and he could turn out to be a disaster.

We’ll see how effectively he can stand up for his principles, notably his insistence on achieving universal conscription, and how well he can maneuver among the experienced political sharks.

So far, Lapid has charted an impeccable course, showing real nous, notably by dodging a formal alliance with Labor and Tzipi Livni’s Hatnua before the elections. A partnership with either or both of those parties could only have cost him votes.

It’s hard to imagine that many Israelis who think of themselves as coming from the center or center-right of the spectrum would have backed a Yesh Atid that was allied with center-left and left-wing parties, but many such voters clearly did opt for his independent party.

His repeated declarations that he was not hostile to ultra-Orthodox Jews, however much derided by commentators and doubted by the ultra-Orthodox themselves, may well have boosted him too — and underline the difference between his approach and that of his overtly feistier father.

He also wisely steered well away from his Machiavellian family friend Ehud Olmert.

5. Yesh Atid shows there may actually be an Israeli political center

Lapid’s party has taken 19 seats from all over the spectrum, with a canny mix of candidates and an inclusive approach that evidently resonated with much of the electorate.

It’s easy to be cynical about centrist parties — they’re flashes in the pan, pundits often say with good reason, looking at their track record of rapid combustion.

But unlike Shinui or Yitzhak Mordechai’s Center Party, Yesh Atid is not a collection of political opportunists in search of a new home, but a group of fresh, diverse talents, with plenty of experience in the real world, who are now turning their attention to politics.

Their lack of parliamentary expertise plainly didn’t matter to their voters; if anything, it was an advantage. Look how badly the experienced and egotistical Livni performed, with her assembly of too-familiar faces.

6. Labor’s Shelly Yachimovich has strictly limited appeal

The “revitalized” Labor party under social justice champion Shelly Yachimovich fared only two seats better than the tired old Labor Party under security expert Ehud Barak four years ago.

Many Israelis care a great deal about economic and social inequalities, but they wanted a party inside the coalition to champion them, and she had ruled out a partnership with Netanyahu. Other potential Labor voters felt the lack of compelling policies from Yachimovich on peace and security.

The hard-core peaceniks went to Meretz; Lapid, with ex-Shin Bet chief Yaakov Peri at his side, may well have attracted many of the Yitzhak Rabin-style Labor hawks.

Livni took some Labor votes too. Yachimovich is vowing to lead a “fighting” opposition; she first has a fight on her hands to retain the party leadership.

Nobody saw her as a credible prime ministerial alternative to Netanyahu. That’s a dismal truth for the long-time party of government.

7. Naftali Bennett can fly higher

So elevated were the expectations in the Jewish Home that a final result of 11 (or maybe 12) seats is seen by some in the party as a disappointment.

It’s anything but. In barely two months, Bennett lifted a party that won just three seats in 2009 and — by force of will and personality, and by dint of his mixture of experience in the army’s most elite commando unit, at Netanyahu’s side in the prime minister’s office, in business and in running the settlers’ council — quadrupled its Knesset strength.

Voters seeking change were torn between Bennett and Lapid. Young voters were torn between Bennett and Lapid. Even many secular, not particularly right-wing voters were torn between Bennett and Lapid. Bennett remains a man with a mission — to infuse his stream of Orthodox Judaism into secular Zionism. He isn’t done yet.

8. Israel’s Arabs do themselves a disservice

While we wait to see whether the three Arab parties wind up with 11 or 12 seats between them, the fact remains that the Arab community punches below its weight because of its relatively low election turnout.

If Israel’s Arabs came to the polls in greater numbers, they’d get more representatives into the Knesset, and they’d be able to advocate for their own interests as effectively as the ultra-Orthodox community has done over the decades.

Even the Arab League internalized the simple virtues of Israel’s vibrant democracy this time and urged Arab Israelis to turn out and vote. To little effect.

9. The right-wing/Orthodox camp threw away several crucial seats

The biggest party to fall below the 2% Knesset threshold was the far-right Otzma Leyisrael. The second biggest was maverick ex-Shas MK Haim Amsalem’s Am Shalem. There was lots of talk before polling day about the costly disunity on the center-left.

It seems that the costlier disunity was in the right-wing/Orthodox bloc. The three or four more seats that might have been won had these splinter groups attached themselves to larger parties could have done wonders for Netanyahu’s coalition-building options.

10. We remain a very divided nation

The weeks of intense coalition-building negotiations we likely now face might be seen as reflecting an unwieldy electoral system that is again putting a dozen parties into a 120-seat parliament.

But ours, in turn, is an unwieldy, sectoral public, with its mix of Jews, Arabs, radical righties, radical lefties, the ultra-Orthodox, the fiercely secular and all manner of folk in between and far beyond.

If Netanyahu is indeed the (battered) winner of the tortuous election process, his next task is still more arduous — putting together and maintaining a government that can represent the domestic interests of a wide proportion of our divided electorate and steer Israel effectively through the complexities of an unpredictable, threatening region.

Within hours of the polling booths closing, both he and Lapid were articulating a desire for a wide government. Lapid specified that it be a grouping of “moderate” parties.

Now we wait to see what he meant by that vision, and whether he and the prime minister, spurred by a fascinating election outcome, can find the common ground to implement it.

I’m happy with draw against Zambia - Keshi

Super Eagles Head Coach, Stephen Keshi, has said he is happy picking with his side the 1-1 draw against Zambia in Friday’s Group C match.
In a post match interview, Keshi said he would have been happier if the game had ended in Nigeria’s favour.
He said: “I don’t have a choice than to be happy.
“My goal was to get the three points.
“Zambia is a great team, having being together for sometime.
“It was not easy to play them.
“I am happy with the score-line.”
On the penalty miss by Mikel Obi, the Super Eagles handler said that the Chelsea player should not be crucified.
He said: “Mikel scored our fourth goal against Liberia during the qualifiers in Calabar through penalty kick.
“So there is no specialist in penalty kick,”
The big boss, as he is fondly called, declared that his focus is now on the next game against Ethiopia on Tuesday.
He said: “We need to forge ahead and look forward to the next game against Ethiopia.
“Every game is difficult.
“What we did today (against Zambia) may not be what we will do against Ethiopia on Tuesday.”
Keshi also declared that with what he has seen so far, Ethiopia is a good side that must not be underrated.

October 1, 2010 bombing: Okah's co-suspect sentenced to life imprisonment

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Friday found Edmond Ebiwere, one of the four persons arraigned for the October 1, 2010 bomb attack in Abuja, guilty of terrorism charges. The court also sentenced him to life imprisonment.
Mr. Ebiwere and three others, including Charles Okah, brother to Henry Okah, the alleged mastermind of the 50th Independent Anniversary bomb attack on October 1, 2010 at the Eagle Square Abuja, were being prosecuted for the crime.
The trial judge, Gabriel Kolawole, in a judgement that lasted over three hours, handed Mr. Ebiwere the life sentence after considering the testimony by all the six prosecution witnesses and Exhibit Six, which validly linked him to the crime committed as he failed to give information to the appropriate authority.
According to Justice kolawole, Section 40(B) of the Criminal Code Act provides that any person who becomes an accessory to treason or becomes aware of the commission of treason and did not give evidence to the President, a State Governor or a peace officer, in order to prevent the commission of the crime, is liable to treason and sentenced to life in prison.
“I concluded that the accused person is adjudged guilty as charged, being aware early in September 2010, that Henry Okah was planning a bomb attack but did not give such information to any of the persons or authority listed in section 40,B of the Criminal Code Act,” he said.
Mr. Kolawale found the accused person guilty of all three-count charges relating to the accused which border on whether he was in contact with Mr. Okah, whether he had prior knowledge of the attack, and whether he reported the threat to the listed authorities contained in section 40,B of the CCA.
Twelve people, including security officers, lost their lives with many injured as a result of the blast, while about thirty vehicles were destroyed beyond recognition.
The alleged mastermind of the attack, Mr. Okah, was recently found guilty of all charges of terrorism by a South African court and sentenced to 50 years imprisonment.
While the judgment was being read on Friday, Mr. Ebiwere kept lifting his hands in the form of prayers, muttering ” why me, why me”.

Tambuwal shuns meeting with Jonathan over 2013 budget

President Goodluck Jonathan held an emergency meeting with the leadership of the National Assembly over the 2013 budget on Friday.
The closed-doors meeting, which lasted two hours, was attended by the President of the Senate, David Mark; his Deputy, Ike Ekwerenmadu; and Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives Emeka Ihedioha.
However, conspicuously absent was the Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal.
Mark declined to speak with correspondents after the meeting.
It was however gathered that the jaw-jaw session was convened by President Jonathan to iron out grey areas in the recently passed 2013 budget so he could give presidential assent as soon as possible.
Jonathan hurriedly flew home on Thursday night from Davos, Switzerland where he was attending the World Economic Forum. He was earlier billed to fly straight to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from Davos to attend the African Union Summit. Pressed by newsmen to speak, Mark had this to say: “When next I come here, I promise to deal with you directly.
“This is a promise from me.”

Jonathan, Yar'Adua frittered away $67b Obasanjo left behind - Ezekwesili

Former double portfolio minister in the Chief Olusegun Obasanjo presidency, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, has accused the administrations of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan of squandering not less than $67 billion left behind by Obasanjo’s administration.
Ezekwesili said the amount squandered is made up of $45 billion from the Foreign Reserve Account and $22 billion from Excess Crude Account.
Speaking at the convocation lecture of the University of Nigeria Nsukka on Thursday, the former Vice President (Africa) of the World Bank, said the Nigerians have lost dignity because of ravaging poverty arising from poor choices of the elite, corruption and lack of investment in education.
Noting that Nigeria had enjoyed five cycles of oil boom, she decried the failure to convert oil income to renewable assets through training of human capital, development of other sectors or investment in foreign assets as other resource-rich countries did with their oil income.
Ezekwesili, a founding director of Transparency International, said: “The present cycle of boom of the 2010s is however much more vexing than the other four that happened in the 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s.
“This is because we are still caught up in it and it is more egregious than the other periods in revealing that we learned absolutely nothing from the previous massive failures.”
The former Minister of Solid Minerals and later Education lamented the “squandering of the significant sum of $45 billion in foreign reserve account and another $22 billion in Excess Crude Account being direct savings from increased earnings from oil that the Obasanjo administration handed over to the successor government in 2007.
“Six years after the administration I served handed over such humongous national wealth to another one most Nigerians but especially the poor continue to suffer the effects of failing public health and education systems as well as decrepit infrastructure and battered institutions.”
Ezekwesili then queried, “One cannot but ask what exactly does this symbolize with this level of brazen misappropriation of public resources?
“Where did all that money go?
“Where is the accountability for the use of both these resources and the additional several hundred dollars realized from oil sale by the two administrations that have governed our nation in the last five years?
“How were these resources applied or more appropriately misapplied?
“Tragic choices.”
Ezekwesili asked graduating students of the UNN and other educated young people to become the Turning Point generation of young and educated Nigerians willing to make the right choices by serving or having a say in political affairs of the country.
She averred sorting out the “Nigerian political mess” is critical as there is a strong correlation between politics and economic development.
According to her, university graduates account for 4.3 per cent of Nigeria’s youthful population in 2013, a slight increase from the three per cent when she graduated in 1985.
This compares unfavourably with opportunity for university education in other countries put at 37.5 per cent in Chile, 33.7 per cent for Singapore, 28.2 per cent for Malaysia and 16.5 per cent for Brazil.
Ezekwesili linked Nigeria’s poor capital formation to the low development of its people through education.
She said: “Our lag in tertiary education enrolment is quite revealing and could be interpreted as the basis of the competitiveness gap between the same set of countries and Nigeria.
“The countries with the most highly educated citizens are also some of the wealthiest in the world in a study by the OECD published by the Wall Street Journal last year.
“The appropriate response to the revenue extracted from our oil over the period 1959 to date would have been to use it in accumulating productive investment in the form of globally competitive human capital and physical asset of all types of infrastructure and institutions.
“Such translation from one form of non-renewable asset to renewable capital would have been the right replacement strategy for a wasting asset like oil.
“Unfortunately unbridled profligacy has made us spend and continue to spend the free money from oil like a tragic Rentier state that we are called in development circles.
“Resource wealth has tragically reduced your nation – my nation – to a mere parable of prodigality.
“Nothing undignifies nations and their citizens like self-inflicted failure.
“Our abundance of oil, people and geography should have worked favourably and placed us on the top echelons of the global economic ladder by now.
Ezekwesili posited that it was up to the younger generation to restore the dignity of Nigeria by making the right choices to lift the nation out of poverty.
The former World Bank executive described Nigeria as “a paradox of the kind of wealth that breeds penury”, noting: “The trend of Nigeria’s population in poverty since 1980 to 2010 suggests that the more we earned from oil the larger the population of poor citizens.”
The figures of the poor in Nigeria grew from 17.1 million in 1980, 34.5 million in 1985, 39.2 million in 1992, 67.1 million in 1996, to 68.7 million in 2004 and 112.47 million in 2010, according to the former Minister of Solid Minerals.
Ezekwesili espoused a new vision for Nigeria couched simply as “we believe in dignity”.
She said the resurgence of entrepreneurial spirit based on hard work and sound education are critical factors to changing Nigeria.
She said: “For Nigeria’s dignity to be restored your generation must build a coalition of young entrepreneurial minds that are ready to ask and respond to the question, what does it take for nations to become rich?
“Throughout economic history, the factors that determine which nations became rich and improved the standard of living of their citizens read like a Dignity Treatise in that they all revolve around the choices that ordinary citizens made in defining the value constructs of their nation.”
The 42nd Convocation ceremonies of the University of Nigeria commenced on Thursday with the Convocation Lecture and the Prize and Awards night for distinguished graduands.
First degree holders, numbering 18,150, would receive their certificates on Friday while higher degrees and honorary awards would be celebrated on Saturday, January 26 and conferred on 1,730 recipients.
There are 116 First Class Honours recipients and 195 Doctorate degrees.
The Vice Chancellor of the UNN, Prof. Bartholomew Okolo, disclosed on Monday that the University was rebuilding its intellectual capital by offering employment to 300 First Class Honours graduates over the last three years.

East-West Road: More knocks for Jonathan

Former leaders of militant camps in the Niger Delta have expressed disappointment in the inability of the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, to complete work on the East-West Road.
They are of the opinion that Jonathan’s slow action may affect the integrity of the Ijaw people in the future.
In a statement, the ex-militants also expressed shock over the disposition of the Minister for Niger Delta Affairs, Godsday Orubebe, saying rather than wage a media war against the Rivers State Governor, Hon. Rotimi Ameachi, the minister ought to have concentrated on how to fix the road and help the President to implement his programmes for the country.
The statement was signed by Gen. Reuben Wilson, leader of the Forum for Peace in the Niger Delta, as well as Ezekiel Akpasibowei and Darikoro Alfred, who commanded camps in Delta and Bayelsa States respectively.
The former warlords questioned the role of Oronto Douglas, presidential adviser on research, saying he used to be a vibrant activist before joining the government but could not advise the President properly.
They said: “It is very disappointing that till date, Jonathan cannot fix the East-West Road. It is equally painful that he cannot tackle the issues of insecurity in the country. We do not want to mention the shameful neglect of the Koluama people of Southern Ijaw Local Government of Bayelsa State who have suffered so much deprivation as a result of last year’s Chevron gas explosion.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Gen. Wilson, an ex- freedom fighter is the CSO of that clan. Till date, Mr President has not thought it necessary to do anything concerning the plight of these people. We wonder what has become of the president’s men that they cannot think less of their selfish gains and offer useful advice to him in the interest of the nation.
“The president needs be told that Nigerians are not happy and they deserve a change in style. Our support for him as our son is not shaken but we demand that he should seek wise counsel before the rest of the world tag the Ijaw people as toothless dogs who can only bark but can’t show acceptable leadership if given the opportunity.”

Arepo pipeline vandalized again, explodes

The Pipelines and Product Marketing Company has said that its pipeline System 2B located in Arepo, Ogun State, has been vandalized again. This has resulted in an explosion in the early hours of Wednesday.
Available information had it that the explosion was severe. The South West Zonal Public Relations Officer of the National Emergency management Agency, Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed the latest explosion.
Farinloye said that the agency has mobilised to the area to put out the fire.