Here are some of the samples of my works, we can do same with your pictures, portraits and any kind of image you wish yo to have a LARGER copy. we also do PAINTING, PASTEL, CHARCOAL, PENCIL AND WOOD BURNING of different sizes.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Pencil / Charcoal pencil
Here are some of the samples of my works, we can do same with your pictures, portraits and any kind of image you wish yo to have a LARGER copy. we also do PAINTING, PASTEL, CHARCOAL, PENCIL AND WOOD BURNING of different sizes.
Monday, January 3, 2011
news
THE President is meeting with security chiefs this morning.
Dr Goodluck Jonathan summoned the emergency meeting last night.
Top of the agenda is the spate of bombings in the country, according to a source.
For the meeting are the National Security Adviser (NSA), Gen. Owoye Azazi, the Service Chiefs, heads of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), the State Security Services (SSS) and Police chief Hafiz Ringim.
The meeting is expected to hold at the Presidential Villa, Abuja at 10a.m.
It was not clear last night when the President took the decision to summon the crucial meeting, which The Nation learnt may take "decisive" action on the bombings.
The latest of the bombings occurred in Abuja on New Year Eve, killing four people and injuring 21. It was at a "Mammy market" near the Mogadishu Barracks of the Army.
The United States has sent its Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents to Nigeria to join the battle to unmask the architects of the bombings, it was learnt Sunday.
Besides, the Movement of the Emancipation of Nigeria Delta (MEND), also yesterday, denied any involvement in the Mogadishu Barracks bombings.
US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told Fox News that FBI agents had been dispatched to join in the investigation of the New Year Eve blasts, which killed a an expectant woman and three others. No fewer than 21 people were injured.
United States President Barack Obama condemned the explosions as "outrageous terrorists attacks".
Napolitano said the attacks showed that the reach of international terrorism "knows no bounds".
"One thing I think it illustrates is that we live in a world where terrorism is part of the environment, unfortunately. And it’s something that we need to be thinking about; we need to be planning for," Napolitano said.
She said there was no evidence at the moment to suggest there was any connection to "anything in the United States". She said her department would be monitoring the situation in Nigeria closely. She said sending the FBI agents to assist Nigeria "is not all that uncommon", adding that the FBI is often asked to help with such investigations due to its expertise in evidence collection.
Apart from the Independence Day bombings, explosions also occurred in Jos on Christmas Eve.
More than 80 people died. In Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital another blast occurred last Wednesday to the embarrassment of the government.
In a statement Sunday, MEND said it was not involved in the Abuja New Year’s Eve blasts.
"The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) denies any involvement in any of the bombings that took place in Abuja, Nigeria on Friday, December 31, 2010.
"Bombings and attacks carried out by MEND are always preceded by a warning in order to prevent casualties and followed by a statement of claim.
"MEND "condemns the deliberate targeting of civilians by any persons or groups for what so ever reasons", the statement said.
MEND claimed responsibility for the October 1 Independence Day twin blasts –the group’s first attack in Abuja.
As security agencies intensify investigation into Abuja bomb explosions, ex-President Ibrahim Babangida yesterday alleged a plot to implicate him.
Security agencies and some foreign experts have started forensic analysis of bomb shreds and other items retrieved from the Mammy market in Mogadishu Cantonment.
It was also learnt that security agencies are probing the activities of some politicians.
A team of ballistic, bomb and forensic experts visited the scene of the blasts yesterday.
A highly-placed source, who spoke in confidence, said: "These experts are trying to determine the types of bombs that were detonated. They are seeking to establish whether these explosives are related to those being used by Al-Qaeda, MEND, or if they are locally made."
Besides, they will "also want to verify whether the shreds from the bombs have semblance of rockets recently seized from some Iranians in Apapa Port".
Many countries have offered to assist Nigeria to get to the roots of these explosions.
One of them is Canada which described the spate of bombings in Maiduguri, Jos and Abuja as cowardly and despicable.
The Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Lawrence Cannon, in a statement at the weekend said the bombings were direct attacks on the right of Nigerians to live in safety and peace.
"The Christmas Eve bombings in Jos and Maiduguri, committed by the radical Islamic terrorist group Jama’atu ahlus-Sunnah Lidda’awati wal Jihad, and the New Year’s Eve bombing in Abuja, committed by unknown perpetrators, were cowardly and despicable acts.
"These bombings represent a direct attack on the right of the people of Nigeria to live in safety and peace.
"Canada welcomes the Government of Nigeria’s determination to bring the perpetrators of these repugnant acts to justice.
"Canadians stand together with the Nigerian people in deploring these acts of terrorism. We will continue to assist the people and Government of Nigeria as they strive to improve security and consolidate democracy and the rule of law."
"Security agencies are also probing the activities and utterances of some politicians in the past few weeks," said the source, adding:
"Although there are fears that the polity might be heated up if these politicians are invited for questioning, nothing can be taken for granted again."
Gen. Babangida yesterday raised the alarm over alleged plot to implicate him in the Abuja explosions.
Babangida, who withdrew from the presidential race on Friday, spoke through his spokesman, Kassim Afegbua, who issued a statement in Abuja.
The statement said: "General Ibrahim Babangida is utterly surprised at the deliberate ploy to link him with the spate of wanton bombings that have created palpable fear in the land. This, to him, amounts to sheer blackmail. It exposes the weakness in the system, if private persons and former leaders who are enjoying their retirement are being linked to acts of terrorism or bombings.
"General Babangida condemns in totality this act of criminality, which is gradually giving us a bad image and making us the attraction of the world for the wrong reasons. He is of the opinion that rather than play politics and trying to gain any political mileage with these heinous acts against humanity, government must take adequate and appropriate measures to rally round all stakeholders with a view to finding permanent solution to this growing crime.
"General Babangida is, therefore, suggesting that government should call for a stakeholder security summit with the purpose of identifying new methods and approaches that will be useful solutions to these disturbing trends. No sane Nigerian is at peace with what is presently going on in the country.
"The loss of innocent souls and helpless citizens of this great country should worry all of us. It should bother all of us to see Nigerians being slaughtered in such wanton manner, as if we were in a war situation. It is barbaric, reprehensible, condemnable, brutish and callous by every standard.
"It is a disturbing trend that must be given all the needed attention both by government and the citizenry in order to arrest the trend. It does not call for name-calling, buck-passing and blackmail. It is not an issue to play politics with. It is a collective responsibility. It requires the attention and participation of all to assist in getting the relevant information at the right time and use such intelligence information to achieve the desirable result of check-mating this growing insensitivity.
"General Ibrahim Babangida wishes to use this medium to remind Nigerians that he has served and invested so much in the growth and development of Nigeria that it would be unthinkable to link him to any act(s) that would tend to undermine constituted authority in the land.
"Among his years of service are 32 years in the military, including fighting at the war front to keep the country together, aside from serving as a military President for eight eventful and productive years. Those who are trying to blackmail former president General Babangida would not have had a country called Nigeria today, if he had not fought along with other patriots to sustain our nationality. He has been nursing injuries received at the war front since 1970 till date.
"We all should agree that there is failure in governance rather than passing the buck, or finding very idiotic and flimsy reasons to label some distinguished persons as being responsible for such failures.
"Having identified the problems, it will now dawn on us to collectively put our heads together to find appropriate solutions, bearing in mind that these criminals live among us. Government has a greater responsibility to jump-start the process of rallying everybody together.
"We must re-direct our effort as well as doubling our energies. Policing is a collective responsibility hence it will serve more useful purpose, if government decides to create a synergy between it and the populace to make the intelligence gathering aspect of security more encompassing. This will serve us better than this lazy recourse to name-calling and name-dropping for the sake of politics.
Jonathan visits bombing victims, decry greed by public officials
Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja
PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has said with greater unity, support and prayers, his administration will overcome the challenge of terrorism and bombings and to move the nation along the path of growth and development.
The President spoke after visiting the victims of Abuja New Year’s Eve explosions recuperating at the Asokoro General Hospital yesterday. He also visited the scene of the blasts at the Mogadishu Cantonment in Abuja.
The President went round the wards where the injured persons were receiving treatment after he attended a New Year church service. He was accompanied by his wife, Patience.
While wishing the injured speedy recovery, Jonathan praised the military for keeping the casualty figures low by speedily evacuating the market after the first explosion. A second blast occurred later.
During the church service at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, President Jonathan said his New-Year wish was for all Nigerians to work together for national development with greater cohesion and unity of purpose.
He urged Nigerians "not to be discouraged by the bomb explosions which claimed the lives of innocent citizens in Abuja and Jos, saying the dastardly acts should not be allowed to distract the nation from its march towards sustainable growth and progress.
"There are always obstacles to progress, but with commitment and faith, we will overcome them and our nation will get to where it wants to go," President Jonathan told the congregation.
The President said his administration would continue to work hard to provide an enabling environment for rapid economic growth and development in the country, adding that power supply and other essential public infrastructure would continue to receive priority attention from his administration.
Responding to comments by Parish Priest Reverend Father Innocent Jooji, the President said he would continue to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the public service by ensuring that credible professionals are placed at the helm in key ministries.
Jonathan identified greed, insatiable accumulation of needless wealth and unprofessional conduct of those saddled with responsibilities as the root of Nigeria’s development barriers.
The President was accompanied by his mother and wife to the church service.
The President decried the desire by people in positions to accumulate so much money that they or their grand children cannot exhaust, saying it is the reason the citizen are lacking in the midst of plenty.
He said: "I agree that round pegs should be put in round holes. My administration has been putting professionals in core ministries. This is the first time that a health professional is heading the ministry of Health, the same with some other core ministries.
"However, what makes government to excel is not the professionalism of ministers but their integrity. What sets us backward as a nation is greed; where one person takes so much money that he and his grandchildren cannot finish spending. We should not accumulate what we do not need. We will do our best to select professionals but one thing we need is the credibility of the leaders."
Jonathan urged Nigerians to continue to pray for the country as well as have more faith in her so that the action of detractors, like those planting bombs, would not deter the country from its march to greatness.
Bombing opens vein of Christian anger in Egypt
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By PAUL SCHEMM
The Associated Press
Monday, January 3, 2011; 5:20 AM
CAIRO -- The New Year's Day suicide bombing of a church that killed 21 people has opened up a vein of fury among Egypt's Christians, built up over years of what they call government failure to address persistent discrimination and violence against their community.
Christian protests spread to Cairo from the northern city of Alexandria where the attack took place. Late Sunday, riots erupted outside the cathedral-headquarters of the Coptic Church after the country's top Muslim religious figures and government officials met with Pope Shenouda III.
Protesters threw bottles and stones at riot police outside the cathedral, injuring 45 policemen, security officials said. Elsewhere, demonstrators threw stones at cars on two main highways, and hundreds marched in other parts of the capital, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press.
In the last couple years in particular, the country's Coptic Christian minority, which makes up 10 percent of the country's 80 million, has felt under siege following a string of incidents.
In January a year ago, six Christians and a Muslim guard were killed in a drive-by shooting on Coptic Christmas Eve in southern Egypt. Then in November, Christians rioted after government forces violently stopped the construction of a church near Cairo in a long-running dispute over restrictions on building Christian houses of worship. Two people died at the hands of security in the rare instance of Christian unrest in the capital.
In 2009, the government ordered the destruction of a quarter-million pigs as a dubious prevention measure against swine flu, devastating the livelihoods of Cairo's large community of Christian garbage collectors, who raised the animals to dispose of organic waste. The Christians saw it as an expression of Muslim disgust at pigs thinly disguised as a health concern.
After a suicide bomber attacked worshippers in the northern city of Alexandria as they filed out of a midnight Mass at the Saints Church on Saturday, Christian rage exploded on the streets in riots and clashes with police. Protesters also attacked Muslim passers-by and a nearby mosque in an indication of the alienation they feel from the country's majority Muslims.
The protests Saturday and Sunday had an unprecedented edge of frustration: A common theme among protesters was that Christians would no longer be silent over their complaints. Security forces have turned out in force, but appear to be showing restraint, apparently to avoid further enflaming tensions.
"You want me to leave Egypt. I will not leave Egypt. Egypt is Coptic and will remain Coptic," one woman in her mid-40s, wrapped in a white sheet stained with blood from the victims, shouted Saturday in front of the Saints Church. "I have seen discrimination all my life. In college, at work. I am not going to take it any longer. Enough."
Christian anger, says rights activist Hossam Bahgat, stems in large part because they feel attacks against them can be carried out with impunity, something borne out by evidence of past incidents, especially in Egypt's impoverished hinterlands.
Why we struck, by Jos terror group
Headlines, News Dec 29, 2010
LAGOS—THE group that claimed responsibility for the Jos mayhem which claimed over 80 lives fueled its claim, yesterday, by posting a video clip on the internet showing its spokesman justifying why they struck in Jos.
Online publication, Saharareporters on its site showed the video of the group’s spokesman reading from an Arabic text which was translated to English language.
The group which started with a prayer quotation from the Holy Quran said: “We are responsible for the attack. If you don’t know us, we are Jama’atu ahlus sunnah lid da’awati wal jihad which was falsely labelled Boko Haram, and we did this because our creator has ordered us to wage war on everyone who does not embrace the religion of Islam after preaching to them”.
Sympathizers look at a burnt area after Xmas eve blast in Jos which left more than 82 people on died. Photos :REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde.
The group further said what they did in Jos is a war between muslims and non-muslims and that they were ready for anyone willing to face them. It, therefore, warned “every muslim who believes in the religion of Islam that he should never help a non-muslim in this war.
If he helps any non-muslim and in so doing, a fellow muslim suffers due to that, he should know that he is a dead person.”
Why we struck, by Jos terror group
”My Muslim brothers and sisters, indeed we carried out the attack in the town of Suldaniyya which is normally called Plateau or what some call Jos.
“We are responsible for the attack.
“If you don’t know us, we are Jama’atu ahlus sunnah lid da’awati wal jihad which was falsely labelled Boko Haram, and we did this because our Creator has ordered us to wage war on everyone who does not embrace the religion of Islam after preaching to them.
And (another) one of the reasons why we are doing this in this country is because of the way we are being killed in this country. Through evil machinations, plans are orchestrated to achieve desired goals (against us) and we are continuously being killed, just as the Arabs say ‘what the eye sees is better than a story that is told’.
We are Jama’atu ahlus sunnah lid da’awati wal jihad which was falsely labelled Boko Haram
“Everyone knows how our Muslim brothers and sisters were massacred in different towns in this country; Lagos State has witnessed it, so has Ibadan, the town called Zangon Kataf in Kaduna has also witnessed it, Bauchi has witnessed it and so has the town Suldaniyya known as Plateau or Jos, where we have carried out our attack being a witness to the killings of our Muslim brothers and even the abduction of our Muslim sisters and children whose locations are not known uptil now. It has also happened in Kano State at Sabon gari area.
“These happenings including what we have not even witnessed or heard of, only God knows their magnitude (and) God shall judge (in these matters) on the Day of Judgement. These are some of the reasons why we are waging this war because God has ordered us to go to war when our brothers and sisters are killed, and now we are even denied our rights to practise our religion.
God knows best.
“This is the message I want to pass to people, and finally I want to tell the Muslims in this country and the whole world that they need to know this is a war between Muslims and non-Muslims. So whereever you are, you should be weary; this is not a tribal war, nor is it similar to the wars of the pre-Islamic era, it is not a war for financial gains, it is solely a religious war. We did not start this war so it would end in one week, or one month or one year.
“Only when we are completely annihilated and nobody chooses to continue with our struggle, maybe that could be the end. Or (we establish a system where) religion has the final say or religion determines everything, that will be the end of this war. And definitely, this war will not end just because we are visibly present anywhere.
“This is a war between Muslims and non-Muslims. We are ready for anyone willing to face us, whether it’s a group of people or even the government because we know who supports us, God the Creator of the universe, praise be to God.
“Therefore, we are warning every Muslim who believes in the religion of Islam that he should never help a non-Muslim in this war. If he helps any non-Muslim and in so doing, a fellow Muslim suffers due to that, he should know that he is a dead person.”
THE youth wing of the Plateau State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has faulted the Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, over the multiple bomb explosions that rocked Jos on Christmas Eve.
Its chairman, Pastor Bistu Johnson said: "The reaction of the Sultan on such serious issues affecting human lives is diversionary. While world leaders, the United Nations and African Union (AU) condemned the act of terrorism, the Sultan chose to play the blame game."
He added: "We note the attitude and remarks of the Sultan with dismay and an attempt to divert attention from the main issues. It is simply a ploy to shield the terrorists who have openly claimed responsibility for the attack and absolve them of blame.
"We are, therefore, calling on the Sultan to apologise to the people of Plateau and Nigerians who lost loved ones in the multiple explosions. We are calling on the Sultan to apologise to the peace loving people of Plateau State who have been receiving Jihadist terror attacks!"
Good News And Appreciation From Mary
I'm happy to inform you about my success in getting my freedom and happiness now, I have finally get all my father left heritance fund transferred under the co-operation of a new partner from Santigo. Presently I am in Argentina, for our joy, recreations and investment projects with my own sum of my fathers money.
But' Meanwhile, I did not forget your past courage, concern, sympathy and attempts to assist me for my freedom, in transferring those funds deposit of my father out from the bank, So that you can help me out of my condition when I was in the refugee camp at Senegal; Although it failed you some how.
Now you will need to thank God with me, Just contact NEW parish priest of our church in the United Nation Comission Refugee camp' whom used to be a Good Reverend priest to me and all good children of God then at the refugee camp, Who summit them selves to God when they are in sorrow there in the camp then.
The Reverend father name is david Write him now on (father.david96@yahoo.com) or call him (+221771590719, Ask him to send you a certified bank draft of ($100,000) (Cashier's cheque) which I prepared and kept for your compensation for all the past efforts and attempts to assist me in this matter. I appreciated your concern for me at that time very much. so feel free and get in touched with the Reverend' and instruct him where to send you the cheque so that you will cash the money in any international bank in your country, Please do give some of the money to the motherless,fatherless and orphanage homes in your country and some to the church in your country and celebrate with me in joy.
Please let me know immediately you receive it so that we can share our joy after all the sufferings at that time. In these moment' I am very busy here because of the investment projects which me and my new partner are having at hand, finally, remember that I had forwarded instruction to Rev.David on your behalf to receive that money..
Therefore feel free to get in touch with him and he will send the amount to you without any delay. Take care and bye for now.
Yours truly,
Mary
Dr Goodluck Jonathan summoned the emergency meeting last night.
Top of the agenda is the spate of bombings in the country, according to a source.
For the meeting are the National Security Adviser (NSA), Gen. Owoye Azazi, the Service Chiefs, heads of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), the State Security Services (SSS) and Police chief Hafiz Ringim.
The meeting is expected to hold at the Presidential Villa, Abuja at 10a.m.
It was not clear last night when the President took the decision to summon the crucial meeting, which The Nation learnt may take "decisive" action on the bombings.
The latest of the bombings occurred in Abuja on New Year Eve, killing four people and injuring 21. It was at a "Mammy market" near the Mogadishu Barracks of the Army.
The United States has sent its Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents to Nigeria to join the battle to unmask the architects of the bombings, it was learnt Sunday.
Besides, the Movement of the Emancipation of Nigeria Delta (MEND), also yesterday, denied any involvement in the Mogadishu Barracks bombings.
US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told Fox News that FBI agents had been dispatched to join in the investigation of the New Year Eve blasts, which killed a an expectant woman and three others. No fewer than 21 people were injured.
United States President Barack Obama condemned the explosions as "outrageous terrorists attacks".
Napolitano said the attacks showed that the reach of international terrorism "knows no bounds".
"One thing I think it illustrates is that we live in a world where terrorism is part of the environment, unfortunately. And it’s something that we need to be thinking about; we need to be planning for," Napolitano said.
She said there was no evidence at the moment to suggest there was any connection to "anything in the United States". She said her department would be monitoring the situation in Nigeria closely. She said sending the FBI agents to assist Nigeria "is not all that uncommon", adding that the FBI is often asked to help with such investigations due to its expertise in evidence collection.
Apart from the Independence Day bombings, explosions also occurred in Jos on Christmas Eve.
More than 80 people died. In Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital another blast occurred last Wednesday to the embarrassment of the government.
In a statement Sunday, MEND said it was not involved in the Abuja New Year’s Eve blasts.
"The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) denies any involvement in any of the bombings that took place in Abuja, Nigeria on Friday, December 31, 2010.
"Bombings and attacks carried out by MEND are always preceded by a warning in order to prevent casualties and followed by a statement of claim.
"MEND "condemns the deliberate targeting of civilians by any persons or groups for what so ever reasons", the statement said.
MEND claimed responsibility for the October 1 Independence Day twin blasts –the group’s first attack in Abuja.
As security agencies intensify investigation into Abuja bomb explosions, ex-President Ibrahim Babangida yesterday alleged a plot to implicate him.
Security agencies and some foreign experts have started forensic analysis of bomb shreds and other items retrieved from the Mammy market in Mogadishu Cantonment.
It was also learnt that security agencies are probing the activities of some politicians.
A team of ballistic, bomb and forensic experts visited the scene of the blasts yesterday.
A highly-placed source, who spoke in confidence, said: "These experts are trying to determine the types of bombs that were detonated. They are seeking to establish whether these explosives are related to those being used by Al-Qaeda, MEND, or if they are locally made."
Besides, they will "also want to verify whether the shreds from the bombs have semblance of rockets recently seized from some Iranians in Apapa Port".
Many countries have offered to assist Nigeria to get to the roots of these explosions.
One of them is Canada which described the spate of bombings in Maiduguri, Jos and Abuja as cowardly and despicable.
The Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Lawrence Cannon, in a statement at the weekend said the bombings were direct attacks on the right of Nigerians to live in safety and peace.
"The Christmas Eve bombings in Jos and Maiduguri, committed by the radical Islamic terrorist group Jama’atu ahlus-Sunnah Lidda’awati wal Jihad, and the New Year’s Eve bombing in Abuja, committed by unknown perpetrators, were cowardly and despicable acts.
"These bombings represent a direct attack on the right of the people of Nigeria to live in safety and peace.
"Canada welcomes the Government of Nigeria’s determination to bring the perpetrators of these repugnant acts to justice.
"Canadians stand together with the Nigerian people in deploring these acts of terrorism. We will continue to assist the people and Government of Nigeria as they strive to improve security and consolidate democracy and the rule of law."
"Security agencies are also probing the activities and utterances of some politicians in the past few weeks," said the source, adding:
"Although there are fears that the polity might be heated up if these politicians are invited for questioning, nothing can be taken for granted again."
Gen. Babangida yesterday raised the alarm over alleged plot to implicate him in the Abuja explosions.
Babangida, who withdrew from the presidential race on Friday, spoke through his spokesman, Kassim Afegbua, who issued a statement in Abuja.
The statement said: "General Ibrahim Babangida is utterly surprised at the deliberate ploy to link him with the spate of wanton bombings that have created palpable fear in the land. This, to him, amounts to sheer blackmail. It exposes the weakness in the system, if private persons and former leaders who are enjoying their retirement are being linked to acts of terrorism or bombings.
"General Babangida condemns in totality this act of criminality, which is gradually giving us a bad image and making us the attraction of the world for the wrong reasons. He is of the opinion that rather than play politics and trying to gain any political mileage with these heinous acts against humanity, government must take adequate and appropriate measures to rally round all stakeholders with a view to finding permanent solution to this growing crime.
"General Babangida is, therefore, suggesting that government should call for a stakeholder security summit with the purpose of identifying new methods and approaches that will be useful solutions to these disturbing trends. No sane Nigerian is at peace with what is presently going on in the country.
"The loss of innocent souls and helpless citizens of this great country should worry all of us. It should bother all of us to see Nigerians being slaughtered in such wanton manner, as if we were in a war situation. It is barbaric, reprehensible, condemnable, brutish and callous by every standard.
"It is a disturbing trend that must be given all the needed attention both by government and the citizenry in order to arrest the trend. It does not call for name-calling, buck-passing and blackmail. It is not an issue to play politics with. It is a collective responsibility. It requires the attention and participation of all to assist in getting the relevant information at the right time and use such intelligence information to achieve the desirable result of check-mating this growing insensitivity.
"General Ibrahim Babangida wishes to use this medium to remind Nigerians that he has served and invested so much in the growth and development of Nigeria that it would be unthinkable to link him to any act(s) that would tend to undermine constituted authority in the land.
"Among his years of service are 32 years in the military, including fighting at the war front to keep the country together, aside from serving as a military President for eight eventful and productive years. Those who are trying to blackmail former president General Babangida would not have had a country called Nigeria today, if he had not fought along with other patriots to sustain our nationality. He has been nursing injuries received at the war front since 1970 till date.
"We all should agree that there is failure in governance rather than passing the buck, or finding very idiotic and flimsy reasons to label some distinguished persons as being responsible for such failures.
"Having identified the problems, it will now dawn on us to collectively put our heads together to find appropriate solutions, bearing in mind that these criminals live among us. Government has a greater responsibility to jump-start the process of rallying everybody together.
"We must re-direct our effort as well as doubling our energies. Policing is a collective responsibility hence it will serve more useful purpose, if government decides to create a synergy between it and the populace to make the intelligence gathering aspect of security more encompassing. This will serve us better than this lazy recourse to name-calling and name-dropping for the sake of politics.
Jonathan visits bombing victims, decry greed by public officials
Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja
PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has said with greater unity, support and prayers, his administration will overcome the challenge of terrorism and bombings and to move the nation along the path of growth and development.
The President spoke after visiting the victims of Abuja New Year’s Eve explosions recuperating at the Asokoro General Hospital yesterday. He also visited the scene of the blasts at the Mogadishu Cantonment in Abuja.
The President went round the wards where the injured persons were receiving treatment after he attended a New Year church service. He was accompanied by his wife, Patience.
While wishing the injured speedy recovery, Jonathan praised the military for keeping the casualty figures low by speedily evacuating the market after the first explosion. A second blast occurred later.
During the church service at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, President Jonathan said his New-Year wish was for all Nigerians to work together for national development with greater cohesion and unity of purpose.
He urged Nigerians "not to be discouraged by the bomb explosions which claimed the lives of innocent citizens in Abuja and Jos, saying the dastardly acts should not be allowed to distract the nation from its march towards sustainable growth and progress.
"There are always obstacles to progress, but with commitment and faith, we will overcome them and our nation will get to where it wants to go," President Jonathan told the congregation.
The President said his administration would continue to work hard to provide an enabling environment for rapid economic growth and development in the country, adding that power supply and other essential public infrastructure would continue to receive priority attention from his administration.
Responding to comments by Parish Priest Reverend Father Innocent Jooji, the President said he would continue to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the public service by ensuring that credible professionals are placed at the helm in key ministries.
Jonathan identified greed, insatiable accumulation of needless wealth and unprofessional conduct of those saddled with responsibilities as the root of Nigeria’s development barriers.
The President was accompanied by his mother and wife to the church service.
The President decried the desire by people in positions to accumulate so much money that they or their grand children cannot exhaust, saying it is the reason the citizen are lacking in the midst of plenty.
He said: "I agree that round pegs should be put in round holes. My administration has been putting professionals in core ministries. This is the first time that a health professional is heading the ministry of Health, the same with some other core ministries.
"However, what makes government to excel is not the professionalism of ministers but their integrity. What sets us backward as a nation is greed; where one person takes so much money that he and his grandchildren cannot finish spending. We should not accumulate what we do not need. We will do our best to select professionals but one thing we need is the credibility of the leaders."
Jonathan urged Nigerians to continue to pray for the country as well as have more faith in her so that the action of detractors, like those planting bombs, would not deter the country from its march to greatness.
Bombing opens vein of Christian anger in Egypt
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By PAUL SCHEMM
The Associated Press
Monday, January 3, 2011; 5:20 AM
CAIRO -- The New Year's Day suicide bombing of a church that killed 21 people has opened up a vein of fury among Egypt's Christians, built up over years of what they call government failure to address persistent discrimination and violence against their community.
Christian protests spread to Cairo from the northern city of Alexandria where the attack took place. Late Sunday, riots erupted outside the cathedral-headquarters of the Coptic Church after the country's top Muslim religious figures and government officials met with Pope Shenouda III.
Protesters threw bottles and stones at riot police outside the cathedral, injuring 45 policemen, security officials said. Elsewhere, demonstrators threw stones at cars on two main highways, and hundreds marched in other parts of the capital, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press.
In the last couple years in particular, the country's Coptic Christian minority, which makes up 10 percent of the country's 80 million, has felt under siege following a string of incidents.
In January a year ago, six Christians and a Muslim guard were killed in a drive-by shooting on Coptic Christmas Eve in southern Egypt. Then in November, Christians rioted after government forces violently stopped the construction of a church near Cairo in a long-running dispute over restrictions on building Christian houses of worship. Two people died at the hands of security in the rare instance of Christian unrest in the capital.
In 2009, the government ordered the destruction of a quarter-million pigs as a dubious prevention measure against swine flu, devastating the livelihoods of Cairo's large community of Christian garbage collectors, who raised the animals to dispose of organic waste. The Christians saw it as an expression of Muslim disgust at pigs thinly disguised as a health concern.
After a suicide bomber attacked worshippers in the northern city of Alexandria as they filed out of a midnight Mass at the Saints Church on Saturday, Christian rage exploded on the streets in riots and clashes with police. Protesters also attacked Muslim passers-by and a nearby mosque in an indication of the alienation they feel from the country's majority Muslims.
The protests Saturday and Sunday had an unprecedented edge of frustration: A common theme among protesters was that Christians would no longer be silent over their complaints. Security forces have turned out in force, but appear to be showing restraint, apparently to avoid further enflaming tensions.
"You want me to leave Egypt. I will not leave Egypt. Egypt is Coptic and will remain Coptic," one woman in her mid-40s, wrapped in a white sheet stained with blood from the victims, shouted Saturday in front of the Saints Church. "I have seen discrimination all my life. In college, at work. I am not going to take it any longer. Enough."
Christian anger, says rights activist Hossam Bahgat, stems in large part because they feel attacks against them can be carried out with impunity, something borne out by evidence of past incidents, especially in Egypt's impoverished hinterlands.
Why we struck, by Jos terror group
Headlines, News Dec 29, 2010
LAGOS—THE group that claimed responsibility for the Jos mayhem which claimed over 80 lives fueled its claim, yesterday, by posting a video clip on the internet showing its spokesman justifying why they struck in Jos.
Online publication, Saharareporters on its site showed the video of the group’s spokesman reading from an Arabic text which was translated to English language.
The group which started with a prayer quotation from the Holy Quran said: “We are responsible for the attack. If you don’t know us, we are Jama’atu ahlus sunnah lid da’awati wal jihad which was falsely labelled Boko Haram, and we did this because our creator has ordered us to wage war on everyone who does not embrace the religion of Islam after preaching to them”.
Sympathizers look at a burnt area after Xmas eve blast in Jos which left more than 82 people on died. Photos :REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde.
The group further said what they did in Jos is a war between muslims and non-muslims and that they were ready for anyone willing to face them. It, therefore, warned “every muslim who believes in the religion of Islam that he should never help a non-muslim in this war.
If he helps any non-muslim and in so doing, a fellow muslim suffers due to that, he should know that he is a dead person.”
Why we struck, by Jos terror group
”My Muslim brothers and sisters, indeed we carried out the attack in the town of Suldaniyya which is normally called Plateau or what some call Jos.
“We are responsible for the attack.
“If you don’t know us, we are Jama’atu ahlus sunnah lid da’awati wal jihad which was falsely labelled Boko Haram, and we did this because our Creator has ordered us to wage war on everyone who does not embrace the religion of Islam after preaching to them.
And (another) one of the reasons why we are doing this in this country is because of the way we are being killed in this country. Through evil machinations, plans are orchestrated to achieve desired goals (against us) and we are continuously being killed, just as the Arabs say ‘what the eye sees is better than a story that is told’.
We are Jama’atu ahlus sunnah lid da’awati wal jihad which was falsely labelled Boko Haram
“Everyone knows how our Muslim brothers and sisters were massacred in different towns in this country; Lagos State has witnessed it, so has Ibadan, the town called Zangon Kataf in Kaduna has also witnessed it, Bauchi has witnessed it and so has the town Suldaniyya known as Plateau or Jos, where we have carried out our attack being a witness to the killings of our Muslim brothers and even the abduction of our Muslim sisters and children whose locations are not known uptil now. It has also happened in Kano State at Sabon gari area.
“These happenings including what we have not even witnessed or heard of, only God knows their magnitude (and) God shall judge (in these matters) on the Day of Judgement. These are some of the reasons why we are waging this war because God has ordered us to go to war when our brothers and sisters are killed, and now we are even denied our rights to practise our religion.
God knows best.
“This is the message I want to pass to people, and finally I want to tell the Muslims in this country and the whole world that they need to know this is a war between Muslims and non-Muslims. So whereever you are, you should be weary; this is not a tribal war, nor is it similar to the wars of the pre-Islamic era, it is not a war for financial gains, it is solely a religious war. We did not start this war so it would end in one week, or one month or one year.
“Only when we are completely annihilated and nobody chooses to continue with our struggle, maybe that could be the end. Or (we establish a system where) religion has the final say or religion determines everything, that will be the end of this war. And definitely, this war will not end just because we are visibly present anywhere.
“This is a war between Muslims and non-Muslims. We are ready for anyone willing to face us, whether it’s a group of people or even the government because we know who supports us, God the Creator of the universe, praise be to God.
“Therefore, we are warning every Muslim who believes in the religion of Islam that he should never help a non-Muslim in this war. If he helps any non-Muslim and in so doing, a fellow Muslim suffers due to that, he should know that he is a dead person.”
THE youth wing of the Plateau State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has faulted the Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, over the multiple bomb explosions that rocked Jos on Christmas Eve.
Its chairman, Pastor Bistu Johnson said: "The reaction of the Sultan on such serious issues affecting human lives is diversionary. While world leaders, the United Nations and African Union (AU) condemned the act of terrorism, the Sultan chose to play the blame game."
He added: "We note the attitude and remarks of the Sultan with dismay and an attempt to divert attention from the main issues. It is simply a ploy to shield the terrorists who have openly claimed responsibility for the attack and absolve them of blame.
"We are, therefore, calling on the Sultan to apologise to the people of Plateau and Nigerians who lost loved ones in the multiple explosions. We are calling on the Sultan to apologise to the peace loving people of Plateau State who have been receiving Jihadist terror attacks!"
Good News And Appreciation From Mary
I'm happy to inform you about my success in getting my freedom and happiness now, I have finally get all my father left heritance fund transferred under the co-operation of a new partner from Santigo. Presently I am in Argentina, for our joy, recreations and investment projects with my own sum of my fathers money.
But' Meanwhile, I did not forget your past courage, concern, sympathy and attempts to assist me for my freedom, in transferring those funds deposit of my father out from the bank, So that you can help me out of my condition when I was in the refugee camp at Senegal; Although it failed you some how.
Now you will need to thank God with me, Just contact NEW parish priest of our church in the United Nation Comission Refugee camp' whom used to be a Good Reverend priest to me and all good children of God then at the refugee camp, Who summit them selves to God when they are in sorrow there in the camp then.
The Reverend father name is david Write him now on (father.david96@yahoo.com) or call him (+221771590719, Ask him to send you a certified bank draft of ($100,000) (Cashier's cheque) which I prepared and kept for your compensation for all the past efforts and attempts to assist me in this matter. I appreciated your concern for me at that time very much. so feel free and get in touched with the Reverend' and instruct him where to send you the cheque so that you will cash the money in any international bank in your country, Please do give some of the money to the motherless,fatherless and orphanage homes in your country and some to the church in your country and celebrate with me in joy.
Please let me know immediately you receive it so that we can share our joy after all the sufferings at that time. In these moment' I am very busy here because of the investment projects which me and my new partner are having at hand, finally, remember that I had forwarded instruction to Rev.David on your behalf to receive that money..
Therefore feel free to get in touch with him and he will send the amount to you without any delay. Take care and bye for now.
Yours truly,
Mary
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