Boko Haram Claims Responsibility For Killing 143 In Kano, FG Says 7 Killed

The Boko Haram terrorist group today claimed responsibility for killing 143 people in Kano in their deadliest attack yet.
The attack in Kano involved bomb attack on five police buildings, two immigration offices and the SS local headquarters. Yesterday’s strike also involved multiple gun battles between the Boko Haram attackers and the police.
After the attack on Friday, the government announced a dusk-todawn curfew across the city.
According to Police Corporal Aliu Abdullahi, who survived multiple gunshots:
“We were in the mess when we saw people running and heard gunshots from the gate, I saw them shooting. You could not differentiate the Boko Haram members from our Police Mobile Force men because they wore the same uniform,” he said.
“They were more than 50. As I tried to run a bullet hit me on my left hand and another shot hit me on my chest I fell.”
Surprisingly, a press release published by the Federal Government today, through the special adviser to the president, Reuben Abati, stated that 7 people were killed during the attacks,
view the press release below:

STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE

President Jonathan Condoles with Channels TV, Others on Kano Incident

President Goodluck Jonathan has expressed his condolences to all victims, including the management and staff of Channels Television, following the multiple bomb blasts and acts of violence which rocked the city of Kano on Friday, in which seven persons were confirmed dead and others wounded. Among the seven persons killed in the incident was a reporter with Channels Television in Kano, Mr Enenche Akogwu. Mr Akogwu was reportedly shot and killed while on duty during the exchange of fire between men and officers of the Nigeria Police and the terrorists at the Farm Centre Police Station, Kano.

President Jonathan who said he was greatly saddened by the incident which led to the loss of lives of innocent Nigerians, pledged to get to the root of the incident while assuring the management and staff of Channels Television which lost its Kano-based correspondent and indeed all Nigerians, that those behind these acts of terrorism would be made to face the full wrath of the law.

He commended the media as the Fourth Estate of the Realm for living up to its constitutional and noble responsibility in these critical times and assured all journalists that “the Federal Government will continue to partner with the media in a robust and patriotic manner in the drive to build, institute and sustain the administration’s transformational values and programmes for our dear country and indeed Nigerians.”

The President further commended the media for its historic role in protecting constitutional democracy and the rule of Law in Nigeria and promised to ensure that those who lost their lives in the Kano incident do not die in vain as those behind the acts of violence will be apprehended and speedily dealt with in accordance with the Laws of the land.

The President said: “It is with a heart full of sadness and pain that I convey my condolences on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria to the families, friends, associates and relatives of all those who lost their lives in the acts of violence in Kano on Friday. These are honest and patriotic Nigerians who were brutally and recklessly cut down by agents of terror. As a responsible Government, we will not fold our hands and watch enemies of democracy, for that is what these mindless killers are, perpetrate unprecedented evil in our land. I want to re-assure Nigerians, the international Community, and members of the fourth estate of the realm, who lost one of their colleagues, a reporter with Channels Television, that all those involved in that dastardly act would be made to face the full wrath of the law.”
Reuben Abati
Special Adviser to the President
(Media and Publicity)
21 January 2012

Girl swallowed by wild crocodile

A wild crocodile swallowed a 10-year-old girl while she played in a river with her father in eastern Indonesia, the second death in the same place in two months, a local official said Friday The girl was swimming in Wailolong river on Thursday when the large crocodile suddenly appeared, swallowed her instantly and disappeared into the water, said Viktor Mado Waton, Lembata district head in East Nusa Tenggara province. "They only found the girl's clothes three hours after the incident, some 200 metres (650 feet) away from the attack site," he said, adding that her family members were still trying to find the body. "Her father saw this shocking scene as he was only five metres away in the water." He said the father and the girl's teenage brother were hunting turtles in the river while she was playing. A 12-year-old boy was killed and eaten by a crocodile in the same river in early December when he was playing with his friends, Waton said. The district head said he has warned locals of the danger and he will work with police to shut the area off to prevent another incident.

SEXUAL ABUSE : Randy Landlord Abuses Brother’s, Tenant’s wife

Barely two weeks after a Lagos landlord, Rasaq Adisa Atanda, was arraigned before Ejigbo magistrate’s court, Lagos for battering his tenant’s wife, Biola Ajani, for denying him sex, the same Adisa has attacked his brother’s wife, Fatimo Atanda, for also denying him sex. He has been taken to the same court to face a similar charge. The presiding magistrate, Mrs. M. B. Folami, ordered that he should be remanded in prison custody at Kirikiri, Apapa, Lagos. Rasaq was earlier charged to court for allegedly beating Biola after she denied him sex on Christmas day at their residence at 7, Michael Adeboye Street, Idimu, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria. In the latest incident, Mrs. Ajani said in the open court that the landlord claimed that he has right over his tenants including their wives and therefore wanted to have sex with her at all costs. Adisa was alleged to have sneaked into his brother’s house at about 8 p.m. and attempted to have sex with his wife. The incident happened when the woman’s husband was away at work. The shocked Fatimo shouted and raised an alarm which attracted neighbours. This angered Adisa who reportedly took a cutlas and cut Fatima in the forehead and right hand before she was rescued by their neighbours. Their neighbours said that Adia claimed that even if he wanted to sleep with her, there was no reason why she should shout and disgrace him in his own house. In the first case involving Biola, the landlord, who hails from Kwara State, was granted bail on self recognition and was asked to report to court until he fulfils his bail conditions. He did not show up as the court ordered and also failed to meet the bail conditions. The court was stunned when the same landlord was brought to the same court for the same offence. He pleaded not guilty to the charge but could not explain how Fatima sustained injuries in the encounter with him. The prosecutor, Mr. Oladejo Balogun, objected to his bail on the condition that he had abused the bail granted him in the previous charge against him. Balogun also urged the court to remand him in prison custody because he seemed to derive pleasure in harassing and threatening his tenants, especially the women around him. The court considered the application and ruled that though the offence he allegedly committed was a bailable one, he had shown disrespect to the court by bolting away when he was first arraigned and was granted bail. The court ordered that he should be remanded in prison custody without an option of bail pending when he shows remorse. The matter was adjourned till 13 February 2012 for mention. Via PMNews

Jimoh Ibrahim buys $500 million hotel in Dubai

Popular Nigerian billionaire businessman Jimoh Ibrahim is set to open his 34-floor hotel in Dubai which is said to have cost him at least $500m in Febuary 2012, the same month he turns 45. According to Wikipedia, Jimoh Ibrahim, worth at least $700m (2011 estimate) is a lawyer, politician, businessman, entrepreneur, industrialist and philanthropist in Nigeria. He is the current Group Chairman and Group Chief Executive Officer of Global Fleet Group, a diversified conglomerate, based in Nigeria, with business interests and subsidiary in neighboring West African countries. Global Fleet Group has the following subsidiary companies, among others: Air Nigeria – Lagos, Nigeria – Formerly Virgin Nigeria NICON Insurance – Lagos, Nigeria Nigeria Reinsurance Corporation – Lagos, Nigeria NICON Luxury Hotel – Abuja, Nigeria – Formerly Le’ Meridien Hotel Global Fleet Oil & Gas – A chain of gasoline stations (estimated at about 200 in 2011), across Nigeria The NICON Group – Lagos, Nigeria – Holdings include investment companies, schools, real estate holdings, transport companies and others Global Fleet Building – Lagos, Nigeria – Formerly Allied Bank Building Meidan Hotel – Lagos, Nigeria Global Fleet Industries – Lagos, Nigeria – Formerly HFP Industries Limited Energy Bank – Accra, Ghana – A new commercial bank in Ghana, started operations in February 2011 Oceanic Bank São Tomé – São Tomé, São Tomé and Príncipe – Commercial bank purchased from Oceanic Bank in May 2011. Newswatch Magazine – Lagos, Nigeria

2face Idibia and His Baby Mama, Pero Adeniyi, expecting New Baby

Tuface's media manager said that he is expecting a new baby with mother of two of his five children Pero Adeniyi. Tuface's media manager informed; Innocent 2Face Idibia is about to welcome another baby into the world with his longtime girlfriend and the mother of two of his five children, Pero Adeniyi. The baby is due to arrive in March and 2face is excited with the new addition to his family. In his own words, "children are a gift from God and I'm glad to have this bundle of joy." This will be Tuface's sixth child as he already had two kids with Sumbo Ajaba and one with actress Annie Macauley.

Comedian Basketmouth turns Rapper,to release Single featuring eLDee and wizkid

Ace comedian bright okpocha popularly known as Basketmouth has disclosed that he is ready to bring out the rapping skills in him. Basketmouth has been posting messages about his rap career on his page since few days ago ,Part of the messages :Basketmouth the rapper, E don happen when i start rapping,and the last one revealed the title of his song where u dey ft eLDee and wizkid. If he starts releasing songs ,basketmouth will join his colleagues like julius agwu,omo baba, Jedi, Koffi who are singers to

Pasuma loses fiancee to obama

Pasuma is one the most popular celebs who are yet to change their single marital status. His romance with star actress, Ronke Odusanya, is currently on tension. Apart from the refusal of the both parents, an Abuja bizman popularly known as Obama is on the stand to snatch the actress from the Fuji star. It was gathered that the bizman bought the star actress a brand new CRV and plan to take her to next level with better goodies. The Abuja Obama has schedule the plan to open a modern fabrics outlet for Ronke Odusanya where expesive items will be sold.

Rihanna To Perform With Coldplay At Grammys

Rihanna and Coldplay will perform live together for the first time on February 12 when they take the stage at the 54th annual Grammy Awards for the televised debut of their Mylo Xyloto collaboration, "Princess of China." Rihanna, nominated for four Grammys this year, broke the news on Twitter, writing, "My friends @ColdPlay and I will be sharing the stage for a performance at this years Annual Grammy Awards!" A short time later she added, "WE reached 2BILLION views on @youtube !!! THANK U!!! I'm in a great mood, and I got some GREAT NEWS!!! PRINCESS OF CHINA #GRAMMYS2012." The show, which will be hosted by rapper LL Cool J, will also feature a performance by rock icon Paul McCartney, who will join a lineup that already includes Grammy nominees Foo Fighters, Kelly Clarkson, Bruno Marks, Nicki Minaj, Taylor Swift and Jason Aldean.

Classico Events and catering services

 To offer excellent services in Event Management,Catering services,ushering/hostess,video/photo coverages and Event Decorations.

Our extensive menu has something for everyone and every occasion, including:

• Birthday parties
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Dabart Molowo Remix. Official Video.

Da'bart release new video

• This is a brand new video for Da'bart's massive single 'Molowo remix'. Directed by Don D. Dada and will be the lead off single for his album dropping in 2012 on Crosses Media Consult/ Daystar Music LLC. Enjoy!

6-alleged-suleja-bombers-granted-n24m-bail

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri
ABUJA—A FEDERAL High Court sitting in Abuja, yesterday, granted bail to the six alleged masterminds of the bomb explosion that killed 16 persons at the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Suleja, Niger State, on the eve of the April 16 presidential election.
The State Security Services, SSS, had alleged that the six accused persons, Shuaibu Abubakar, a.k.a Abu Quatada; Salisu Ahmed, Umar Babagana Umar, Mohammed Ali, Musa Adam and Umar Ibrahim, were the king-pins of the Boko Haram Islamic sect in Niger State.
Specifically, the security agency in a 5-count criminal charge it recommended against them, maintained that its undercover investigations revealed that the accused persons participated in various terrorist attacks that killed 28 persons between March and July. However, since September 30, 2011, when the accused persons were docked before the high court, they attended their trial from the Kuje prisons.
Meanwhile, following separate bail applications they filed before the court asking to be released on bail pending the hearing and determination of the substantive charges against them, trial Justice Aliyu Bilikisu, yesterday, granted them bail in the sum of N2m each with two sureties in like sum.
Stipulating conditions that must be met by the alleged Boko Haram members, Justice Aliyu said their intended surety must be a grade level 12 civil servant, adding that the person must be an employee of the Federal Government or the Federal Capital Territory Authority, FCTA. The said surety according to the court must not only be resident in Abuja, but should also be screened by the prosecution with a view to verifying his status.
The prosecution had alleged that the six accused persons, “between June 4 and July 12, (both dates inclusive) at various locations in Suleja, Niger state, Azare, Nasarawa state and the FCT, did engage in an act of terrorism by encouraging through training persons now at large, the use of arms and ammunition, and the preparation, planting and detonation of improvised explosive devices for the purpose of terrorism and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15 (2) of EFCC Act 2004 and punishable under the same section of the Act.”
It maintained that they were the persons that bombed a village, Dakna, in Bwari, Abuja, on May 23; an incident it said resulted in the death of three Peace Officers as well as, detonated an improvised explosive device at a political rally in Suleja which resulted in the death of three persons too.
If convicted, the offence for which the accused persons are answering to, attracts a punishment of life imprisonment.

] Fuel Subsidy: Diezani Alison-Madueke Refuses To Step Down

The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke has dismissed calls by critics for her to step down from office to allow proper investigation into allegations of abuse in the management of petroleum subsidies.
Alison-Madueke, who spoke to journalists yesterday after the inauguration of the Special Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) Task Force, in Abuja, also noted that the incidence of corruption and abuse in the subsidy process occurred in past administrations prior to recent adoption of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, by her ministry.
Said she “We live in a democratic country; everyone has the right to speak their mind both for and against any individual, particularly individuals that put themselves up for public office. And I must add that individuals that put themselves up for public office should be very open for criticism because without criticism we cannot grow.”
Throwing more light on what had transpired in the Ministry since her assumption of office she said:  “The PPPRA came under the Ministry of Petroleum Resource less than a year ago. Prior to that, the agency was reporting to the Presidency, and had a Chairman of  Board. Once it came under the ministry, we  looked at it critically and put a new management in place and reshuffled its staff. “
She pointed out that the problem of corruption in the handling of petroleum subsidy had been existing for many years before the present  administration. “It did not start in this administration. However, what we have done is to move in and attempt to put processes in place to have the place under control in the shortest possible time,” she stated.
She noted that for about eight months,  after the agency was taken over by the Ministry, they looked at the performance indicators for the allocation and  were concerned over what we saw and what was on ground from the performance indicator.
“On that basis and considering other issues that we  heard, we appointed a new Executive Secretary to go in with the mandate to reform the place, tighten the control and look again at our regulations, and ensure that the entire system, the processes and procedure were handled in a much tighter and controlled manner.”
“And I must state that since the beginning of November when the changes occurred, we have seen remarkable progress.
“Of course, we also called in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to come in and look at the books, and to prosecute people were they are found culpable. I would assume that we had already put in the necessary processes and procedures to make sure that things are done in a proper manner.”
Speaking on the relevance of the Special Task Force, Alison-Madueke explained that the work done by the Oil and Gas Sector  Reform Implementation Committee (OGIC)  on the previous bill could not be said to have been in vain.
“However, after the failure of the bill to sail through the sixth National Assembly, we feel that it needs to be redefined and gingered up for a very expedient passage through the new National Assembly.
“We are also aware, as a matter of fact, that at the end of the last National Assembly, there were more than a few copies of the PIB that were floating around. Bringing together these eminent group of Nigerians and very experienced technical committee is aimed at redefining the bill, by bringing all the indices into place and looking at all the critical sections to the strategic purpose of the bill.
“Let us bear in mind that this bill has been in the making for over fifty years, but what we are saying is that no matter how long it has taken we need to get it right once and for all.”
She added that, “This bill is very critical because it is one upon which the entire oil and gas industry will stand for posterity. In a nutshell, the work of the committee is to take it further, redefine it and ensure that is passed as quickly as possible.”

Rapper Swizz Beatz Revealed as CEO of File Sharing Site 'MegaUpload',Sues Universal

  As the CEO of the online storage and file-sharing site, Beatz asked buddies Diddy, Kanye and Will.i.am to spread the buzz in a promotional video.The artist's label,Universal Music Group allegedly did not approve the video. UMG issued a “take-down notice” late last year and Megaupload has responded with a counter lawsuit against the label. 

      MegaUpload is currently in the process of filing a lawsuit against Universal Music Group , the music conglomerate which owns HipHop powerhouses like Def Jam and Interscope accusing them of blocking distribution of the video which also included cameos from Snoop Dogg, Alicia Keys, Chris Brown, Mary J. Blige, Jamie Foxx and boxer Floyd Mayweather.

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YOUNG NIGERIAN CEO OF THE MONTH JANUARY 2012:

Starting from this year 2012, YoungCEO Magazine will be celebrating emerging Nigerian entrepreneurs from all over the country and abroad every month in a blog tagged "YOUNG NIGERIAN CEO OF THE MONTH" across our platforms. This maiden edition presents some of the Nigerian most promising and brightest young entrepreneurs of this generation. Presenting Mayowa Anibaba, Mcneil Afegbah and Ayodeji Agboola, Co-Founders of FLYMYADS an online advertising platform born out of passion to help Nigerian businesses achieve more in this age and time where internet is now the central of the world business opportunities. Below is the interview, please read, share and be inspired.

Question: Tell us about FlyMyAds?

Answer:  FlyMyAds is an online advertisement network through which businesses and/or entrepreneurs can advertise their goods, products, services and/or events.

Q: What Inspired this idea?

A:  Early 2011 we deployed an online polling service which we called asktheweber. After about four weeks developing the application from ground up it felt good to finally put it online. In order to get traffic, we then decided we needed to launch a full scale ads campaign to market the site using existing ads networks (adwords, facebook ads and the likes) but we faced one bottle neck after the other, ranging from the need of foreign exchange, and the fact that some of this services just won't accept payment from us simply because we were in Nigeria. Hence the idea was born, we felt there should be a way for the everyday Nigerian business to get online adverts with ease and at affordable prices and that's why we built FlyMyAds.

Being young entrepreneurs ourselves, we see the difficult terrain in which the young or budding entrepreneur has to operate. One of our aims is to be a part of the solution by encouraging more and more people to "think outside the box" and become their own bosses. The more entrepreneurs we have, the less the unemployment situation and the better for the economy. And since doing business without advertising is like winking in the dark, FlyMyAds shines the light on your product or service for the whole world to see. It is our wish that more people become self sufficient and FlyMyAds is one tool they will find very useful! Doing business without advertising is like winking in the dark: only you know what you are doing, no one else does. Stop winking in the dark, Start advertising online. Visit www.flymyads.com today.

Q:   The three of you are partners, let's meet you one by one and your role in the company.

A: Okay, here is Mayowa Anibaba, Mcneil Afegbah and I'm Ayodeji Agboola. Mayowa is the Lead Developer, responsible for all the php coding, McNeil is responsible administration and I'm responsible for all the public relations and Marketing.

Q:   How did you guys meet.

A: Well, Mayowa is my cousin so I guess you can say we met a long time ago (smiles). And McNeil is my very good friend of like ten years now! All three of us met for the first time in October 2010, when we decided to build the Asktheweber project. An online polling application at asktheweber.com. A few months after completing that project, we decided to build FlyMyAds.

Q:   How does FlyMyAds help your Clients/Customers?

A: Aaah, good question. Anybody who is serious about doing business has to start thinking of having some form of online presence, simply because we are now in the Information Age. FlyMyAds exposes our customers' products or services to such a large crowd as they cannot achieve by any other means. Imagine about ten thousand people seeing your adverts 2 to 3 times in a day! A good percentage of those people will be interested in what you are selling and a good percentage of these you will convert to your customers!

Q:   What are your competitive advantages? 

A: Let me go straight to the point. Local content! Ease of Payment! With FlyMyAds, it has become a lot easier for the typical local entrepreneur to advertise online, and for payment, lack of a credit card is no barrier. FlyMyAds delivers local content ads to local websites, we offer higher return on investment(R.O.I) for advertisers and greater ads revenue for publishers.

Q:   What are your expectations for the year 2012.

A:  Hmmm, our expectations are high indeed. Come December 2012, we expect to have become a household name. You think online adverts, you think FlyMyAds. Also, we currently serve about 1.5 million ads per month. Come December 2012, we expect to have added another zero to that figure, or two for that matter. Smiles

Q: How do you guys hope FlyMyAds will contribute to the success of Nigerian businesses and Entrepreneurs?

A:  FlyMyAds takes the business owner and the entrepreneur from where they are to a whole new level of product/service exposure. It is also very much needed at this time considering the level of unemployment in the country. We have built a system that every entrepreneur can leverage on. There is no longer any excuse to not advertise online!

Q:  What are the advantages and disadvantages of this partnership Ah, its advantages all the way.

A: We happen to individually have some skill sets that are so curiously synchronized that we ourselves do not fail to notice and be thankful for them. And in the diversity lies the strength because we are able to thrash ideas from all view points and the agree on what's best.

Q:  Where do you see FlyMyAds in 5 years?

A: In Ghana, Kenya, Cameron, a true Giant of Africa powering ads and empowering African entrepreneurs and of course becoming the household name in these places.

Q: What is the Philosophy behind your company?

A:  Being young entrepreneurs ourselves, we see the difficult terrain in which the young or budding entrepreneur has to operate. One of our aims is to be a part of the solution by encouraging more and more people to "think outside the box" and become their own bosses. The more entrepreneurs we have, the less the unemployment situation and the better for the economy. And since doing business without advertising is like winking in the dark, FlyMyAds shines the light on your product or service for the whole world to see. It is our wish that more people become self sufficient and FlyMyAds is one tool they will find very useful! Doing business without advertising is like winking in the dark: only you know what you are doing, no one else does. Stop winking in the dark, Start advertising online. Visit www.flymyads.com today


Thank you guys for your time.

BEhind the scenes....D'banj Oliver twist

We got some exclusive pictures taken from the D’ Banj – Oliver Twist Video. With Guest appearances from Good Music very own…….Big Sean & Pusha T. Also cameos coming from – William, Many Fresh,Hit Boy SC [Kayne West's Youngest Producer] & Mike Dean.

Y’all should already have an idea of who is directing the Video.Of course Mo hit’s very own Sesan

Introducing ZEEZA

MAGiC Entertainment would like to introduce our new artist Miss Zeeza Sadiq. Zeeza is a recording and performing artist, songwriter, model and actress. She started her career as an actress in Nigeria in 2004 where she featured in a few Nollywood movies. In 2005, she auditioned and took part in the maiden edition of the Amstel Malta TV reality show, Amstel Malta Box Office, a reality show that was created for up and coming actors and actresses which she emerged the winner.

She then went on to work with major media houses in Nigeria like MNET Africa and the BBC World Service Trust. Featuring in Soap Operas and Blockbuster films like "SITANDA" which was produced by the Nigerian Breweries.

She left the shores of Nigeria to the United Kingdom in pursuit of international fame and glory and enrolled in
The Institute of Contemporary Music and Performance where she did a short course in Music and Performing Arts.Since being in the UK, she has not only gone on to feature in mainstream movies but also working on her music career.

She is also currently working on a musical movie titled Urban Rhythm in which she plays herself as an artist and she’s also recording songs for her upcoming debut album. Zeeza kind of music can be described as contemporary African rhythm and blues with lots of Nigerian percussions. She’s been influenced musically by 2face Idibia amongst many other music greats.

Her first single, Lau Lau is currently enjoying massive airplay on major internet music sites and the song had been given rave review by many music critics. Lau Lau is available for downloads and usage as ringtones.
You can download the single and share it among your friends: http://soundcloud.com/zaime-media-entertainment/zeeza-lau-lau

Listen Here: http://hulkshare.com/q8rv2lwgonkz/Zeeza_lau lau mastered..mp3

ACADA SET TO RELEASE A CAMPUS/YOUTH MOVIE.

“We’ve criticized the industry for long and it is time we take the Bull by the horn and show Nollywood how a good movie should be done. It’s time to up the game”. These were the words of Biodun Caston-Dada, the publisher of Nigeria’s most widely circulated campus/youth magazine, ACADA while showing his displeasure to the way movies are been made in Nigeria despite the level at which film making had attained globally. 

He speaks further, “there’s a standard, and with the film ACADA is producing, we cannot do anything below ‘Tango With Me’, ‘Ije’, ‘Figurine’ or ‘Arugba’. 

These are world-class movies produced by Nigerians who work by the standard and the rules. You can’t cut corners and expect a good result in movie making. Everything is not just about the money but details. You must do a thorough research on your story. I believe we will be making a great statement in terms of story line, cast, picture quality and aesthetics when this movie is finally shot. Lest I forget, we will be using this movie to introduce fresh and talented faces and there will be minimal usage of established actors”.

The script of the movie is ready and casting will commence soon. The filming of the movie is also been planned for March, 2012. Corporate sponsorship are also been sought to partner with the magazine in making the movie project a reality. This will afford corporate brands the unique opportunity to indirectly advertise their products and services.

Acada Magazine was established about five years ago to fill the void been created by non-existence of a national campus/youth lifestyle magazine that is circulated across various Nigerian campuses. Since its establishment, the magazine had gone through various transitions. From a monthly magazine with a cover price of N200, it’s now a FREE bi-weekly magazine.  

The movie project is the next level for the magazine. The magazine is currently in circulation Nigeria, Ghana and the Republic of Benin. The game plan for the screening of the movie is for it to be showed at various International Film Festivals across the world, Cinemas and across major Nigerian campuses.

The Man Called Zakari Biu

Until a fortnight ago, many would have vowed that he was no longer a policeman. But controversial officer Zakari Biu, recently promoted  Commissioner of Police (CP), has long been ‘secretly’ back in the force. The escape of the Madalla  bombing suspect from his custody has put the enigmatic policeman to the limelight. Will this be his end? OLUKOREDE YISHAU and OLUKAYODE THOMAS write 
He was a man after the heart of Inspector-General of Police Hafiz Ringim. Zakari Biu, the embattled police officer in charge of terrorism in whose custody a bombing suspect, Kabir Sokoto, escaped two days ago, was until this year a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP). Ringim recommended him to the Police Service Commission (PSC) for promotion to Commissioner of Police. The PSC, after its 25th plenary meeting, approved Ringim’s recommendation. The commission, in its wisdom, also decided that Biu’s promotion should take effect from last December 15.

As the commission announced Biu’s promotion on New Year’s Day, it also said nine other officers were reprimanded. A Deputy Superintendent of Police was demoted to Assistant Superintendent of Police for conduct not expected of a senior officer.
Its Chairman, Parry Osayande, said the PSC would always reward diligence with elevation and punish offenders.  Less than a month after it happily promoted Biu, the commission, most likely, will have to review its decision, with Biu’s alleged negligence leading to the escape of a suspect believed to be central to the Madalla blast in which scores died.
He is on suspension. Sadly for him too, the officers, whom he asked to escort the suspect to his house before his gang waylaid them and set their colleague free, fled yesterday, leaving Biu all alone.
Like Ringim, Biu is due for retirement next month. For many who have had encounters with him, nemesis may be at work. Under the regime of the late Gen. Sani Abacha, the embattled cop was terror personified. As head of the regime’s Presidential Task Force on Terrorism, he terrorised journalists and human rights activists, who he labeled terrorists.
Journalists on the stables of The News, TSM and Tell were the worse hit. The publisher of the now rested TSM, Chris Anyanwu, who is now a senator, narrated how Biu physically assaulted her and practically got her eyes permanently impaired. Founder of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) Dr. Frederick Fasehun, can never forget Biu, whom he told the Oputa Panel set up by former President Olusegun Obasanjo how the embattled cop assaulted him. Senator Babafemi Ojudu, who was Managing Editor of The News, said Biu put a gun to his head, threatening to blast his brain.
The Borno-born cop is also criticised over the death of a reporter with The News, Bagauda Kaltho.Biu claims Kaltho was trying to detonate a bomb in a hotel and got killed in the process. Kaltho’s widow was also tricked by Biu to reveal information about Independent Communications Nigeria Limited (ICNL), publishers of The News on the pretext of reuniting her with her husband. It turned out he only deceived the woman, as he used the information to invade the magazine’s offices, carting away its property. Of course, he also arrested workers found on site during the raid. Biu’s deceit became clear to Mrs. Kaltho after the dreaded cop announced her husband’s death. He claimed a copy of Wole Soyinka’s book, The Man Died, was found at the scene where Kaltho was supposedly consumed by a bomb he was trying to detonate. Yet the book was not defaced by the explosion, which killed Kaltho! His remains were never released to his family.
Biu, at a press conference after Abacha’s death, said Kaltho was the “unidentified” person who died while planting a bomb which went off at Durbar Hotel, Kaduna in January 1996. He then showed the media a video recording of the scene of the blast and two photographs – one of a charred body and another of the journalist. Biu said he  “strongly suspects the management of ICNL of having connection with the Durbar Hotel bombing or else James Bagauda Kaltho .”
He later said Abacha’s Chief Security Officer, Major Hamza al-Mustapha, may have been responsible for Kaltho’s fate.  “I have never seen Kaltho in my life, either alive or dead and don’t know the whereabouts of Kaltho. Only the Chief Security Officer to the late Abacha, Maj. Hamza al-Mustapha, can explain what happened to Kaltho,” he said
When Biu appeared before the panel, he refused to be put on oath with the Holy Quran, because “he is not pure.” He denied all the allegations against him.
A retired Commissioner of Police Abubakar Tsav, who also appeared before the panel, debunked Biu’s claim. He said: “Everything he is saying is not true. I mean the evidence he gave in respect of Bagauda Kaltho. He said he got photographs from the wife of Bagauda Kaltho. He also said he got reports from the SSS through the Inspector-General of Police, which said the person who was killed in the bomb blast at the Durbar Hotel was Bagauda Kaltho. And he said that he never met Bagauda anywhere in his life. Then how could he come to that conclusion that the man killed was Bagauda Kaltho? He merely saw his pictures …He (Biu) should be in prison. As far as I’m concerned, he is a prisoner on parole.”
James Danbaba, a colleague of Biu,  said Kaltho was “summarily executed on the orders of the Inspector-General of Police, because  Kaltho was said to have seen  IGP Ibrahim  Coomasie suddenly collapse and was foaming in the mouth.”
Danbaba added: “ The journalist was ordered to be arrested and executed because of a disclosure that he (Coomasie) is suffering from epilepsy may jeopardise the I GP’s well preserved and seriously guarded position and ultimately lead to his untimely retirement from the police force.”
He added: “After the said journalist, Bagauda Kaltho’s summary execution, a bomb was attached to his corpse and detonated. I reliably learnt that this was directed at selling a story to the C-in-C that a NADECO journalist has died of a bomb explosion while attempting to plant a bomb, thereby finally covering their track of having killed Bagauda Kaltho and the reason for his murder.”
After the death of Abacha, his successor, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, deemed it fit to ‘dash’ Biu a national honour, a development which irked many of those who regarded him as a brute.
In his book, Trials and Triumphs: The Story of The News, Dr. wale Adebanwi, had harsh words for Biu. Adebanwi said: “Zakari Biu, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), the crude and sadistic officer in charge of the Presidential Task Force on Terrorism, was probably the best man for the operation designed as the “final solution” to the grave problem posed by the ICNL publications to the Abacha regime. Biu was an officer who represented the most grotesque face of the Nigerian Police. He saw the force as a repressive organ of an unaccountable power. And with the official bigotry that not only sustained him to the heights of the force, anything that looked like ethnocidal project excited him.”
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was sent to jail by the Abacha regime, felt Biu was not fit for the force. He was said to have asked then Inspector-General of Police Musiliu Smith if the controversial cop was still in the force, after meeting him at a function. Not long after this, Biu was dismissed.
But, unknown to many, he was long back. Soyinka, in an interview in 2010, said he was aware Biu had been recalled. The Nobel laureate said: “Zakari Biu was dismissed from the Nigeria Police and has been recalled into the Nigeria Police Force, despite his crimes against humanity during Abacha’s dictatorial rule by torturing innocent citizens. He could be likened to Charles Taylor of Liberia. He is brute and has no concern for humanity. For his past history, he should not be trusted with any national responsibility as he is capable of causing terrorism, which could destroy the image of Nigeria.”
The Nation learnt that after Obasanjo’s exit from power, Biu petitioned the PSC. Mike Okiro was the IGP then. Biu said he was retired without getting a fair hearing. He argued that by law, only the commission could fire him. Osayande saw merit in his case and ordered his recall.
The then Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Ojukwu, said: “Biu is back in the Force as his name had never been removed from the Police register. Biu is now an instructor at the Police Academy in Wudil, Kano State.”
Ringim’s emergence as IGP paid off for Biu, as he was entrusted with curbing terrorism, which in the country is synonymous with an insurgent group, Boko Haram, whose root is deep in Borno, Biu’s home state.
Now he may have got his fingers burnt. Only a few are weeping with him.

Presidency orders fresh appraisal of ministers, aides •Jonathan may emerge next chairman of AU

AS part of the desire to ensure service delivery at the federal level, the presidency is said to have ordered a review of the performance of his ministers in the first six months of their tenure.
Sources close to the administration said on Wednesday that President Goodluck Jonathan might have given the go-ahead for a thorough analysis of the performance of his ministers, especially in the first six months of his administration.
Sources confirmed that there was an understanding by the presidency that the political aides, as well as the ministers are on a six-month probation when they were appointed starting from June last year.
It was understood that while the Federal Government is undertaking a review of all agencies of government to isolate areas of overlap as part of the plan to rationalise ministries and parastatals, the government has also decided to rate the performance of his ministers to ensure that the transformation agenda is on course.
“The president has promised Nigerians transformation in four years. He has said that within the term of office granted him by the electorate, he will transform the country.  He believes that the ministers have an onerous task to deliver on the promises and ensure that Nigerians see changes in the process of government,” a source stated.
Another source confirmed that at the end of the ongoing assessment of the ministers, the president may decide to reassign some of his appointees while some might be dropped.
It was gathered that though the president was wary of constant huge reshuffle of ministers, he had taken the decision that whoever was  found to be sleeping in the ministries should be shown the way out.
Sources also confirmed that the president was not bothered about removing anyone if it was confirmed that his administration was suffering as a result of a appointee’s incompetence or inactions.
In another development, President Jonathan is set to export his administration’s transformation agenda to the forthcoming World Economic Summit meeting scheduled for Davos, between January 27 and 28.

Nine foreign films make cut for Oscar shortlist,Nollywood nowhere to be found again

Nine films have made the cut for consideration in the foreign-language category at the Academy Awards. Among them is Iran's "A Separation" from writer-director Asghar Farhadi, which won the Golden Globe for best foreign language film last weekend and has been racking up kudos from critics groups nationwide.

     Also on the list is German director Wim Wenders' "Pina," a 3-D tribute to the career of groundbreaking choreographer Pina Bauschwhich is also on the shortlist for best documentary feature.

The other contenders are: Belgium's "Bullhead," Canada's "Monsieur Lazhar," Denmark's "Superclásico," Israel's "Footnote," Morocco's, "Omar Killed Me," Poland's "In Darkness" and Taiwan's "Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale."

     This year its a morrocan film that got nominated  , last year a  south african film ,Life above all was nominated  , Our own nollywood is no where to be found again this year ,  our actors and producers have been  claiming the third spot in the world after hollywood and bollywood . 

   When will a nollywood movie be nominated for an Oscar ,Golden Globe or BAFTA  .It's hightime our producers and directors bring out the professionalism in them and not produce movies with baseless storylines and  popular singers name as title

   Oscar full nominations will be announced on  Tuesday, with the ceremony set for Feb. 26.

Still on protests

Soldiers, earlier today, fired over 15 canisters at the "Defy The Dictator" protesters in Lagos. 83-year-old Prof. Ben Nwabueze not spared!