Nigerians will experience a week-long electricity rationing that will put the country into darkness for the period. This will be the longest period in recent years that the country would be faced with blackout.
The development is coming few days after the Federal Government declared that its hand-over of the assets and facilities of PHCN including generation and distribution plants to private firms was successful.
The authorities had explained that the problem was due to the loss of 400 megawatts following repair works being carried out by the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), the major suppliers of gas to the power plants particularly Afam VI Power plant.
The management of Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) in a statement in Abuja yesterday said there would be a reduction in generation output by 400mw, from today to Saturday, November 9, 2013. According to the statement, “this is due to the Shell Petroleum Development Company’s (SPDC) scheduled maintenance work on Okoloma gas plant supplying gas to Afam VI Power Plant, thereby leading to the shutdown of the power plant, resulting in nationwide power rationing.”
It explained further that the shutdown of Afam VI power plant became necessary to allow SPDC inspect and carry out routine maintenance work on the Okoloma natural gas station in Afam, Rivers State, to ensure its technical integrity.
“Maintenance work on Okoloma gas plant, SPDC revealed was important to guarantee continuous and uninterrupted supply of gas to Afam VI for power generation into the national grid.”
Source : SunNewsOnline
Tuesday, 5 November 2013
Monday, 4 November 2013
ASUU and FG Meeting Ends, President Disagrees, Says Strike Must End Today!!
ASUU - if you are government of your own, why do you rely on another government to provide funds for you? Or am I missing something here?
The ASUU member says they are fighting for the future of our dear students and nation urging the F.G to implement the agreement that was signed since 2009. While reporting this news, we heard that the meeting between the Senate president and ASUU ended around 18:00(GMT +1) without any reasonable conclusion. But the good news is that the president himself is now in another closed door meeting with ASUU saying that the strike must end today or else the plan ‘B’ will be implemented. You remembered Plan ‘B’ abi?
We are hoping that this strike end today and the Nigerian Students should return to School! There is only one way to find out if ASUU strike has been called off… Until the F.G and ASUU meeting ends… And you will be the first to read about the outcome here. Meanwhile, let us end this post with the words of the President- I Pray ASUU Strike Ends today, Our Children Has Suffered Enough
The ASUU member says they are fighting for the future of our dear students and nation urging the F.G to implement the agreement that was signed since 2009. While reporting this news, we heard that the meeting between the Senate president and ASUU ended around 18:00(GMT +1) without any reasonable conclusion. But the good news is that the president himself is now in another closed door meeting with ASUU saying that the strike must end today or else the plan ‘B’ will be implemented. You remembered Plan ‘B’ abi?
We are hoping that this strike end today and the Nigerian Students should return to School! There is only one way to find out if ASUU strike has been called off… Until the F.G and ASUU meeting ends… And you will be the first to read about the outcome here. Meanwhile, let us end this post with the words of the President- I Pray ASUU Strike Ends today, Our Children Has Suffered Enough
ASUU logjam: Need for sincerity
By Ovie Azigbo
IN his media chat with a team of journalists in September this year, President Goodluck Jonathan declared his government’s commitment to end the logjam with the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, by effecting the changes demanded by the lecturers.
This followed an earlier directive to the Federal Government’s negotiating committees, the Universities Needs Implementation Committee and the Earned Allowances Committee, to take immediate action to end the ASUU strike.
Chairman of the needs committee, Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State, told journalists after a meeting held by the President with the committees, “The President has instructed us as to what to do, and has shown commitment to flagging off projects worth about N100 billion in all the Universities in the country! About 61 of them. He gave assurance that the lecturers would call off the strike in no distant time.
Several months after those assurances were given, the funds are yet to be released. Investigations at several universities indicated that no one has received a dime.
A vice chancellor spoken to said, “The Federal Government has only sent us a memo through the Ministry of Education that we are getting N650 million of the fund. When we get alert into the University’s account we will know how sincere the government is. But presently, we are yet to receive the money.”
So far no university has confirmed the receipt of its share of the N100 billion. This translates to insincerity on the part of the Federal Government. The ongoing ASUU strike is not based on fresh demands by the lecturers. They are, on the contrary, demanding the implementation of an agreement it signed with the union in 2009 on the proper funding of the country’s public universities.
In that agreement government negotiators agreed with ASUU on the needs assessment of the universities and agreed to release money for its implementation.
The situation was aggravated when the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo–Iweala, declared in a key-note address at this year’s National Council on Finance and Economic Development, in Minna, Niger State, that the nation’s economy cannot for now, accommodate the demands of the striking lecturers. She said, “At present, ASUU wants government to pay N92 billion in extra allowances over and above their salaries. Though we are in discussion with them, the problem is that the resources to take care of the demands are simply not there.”
It should, however, be noted that the intellectual quality of the Nigeria graduate is a direct reflection of the academic standard of the universities. Only recently, it was alleged that many National Youth Service Corps members cannot write application letters. A state government official lamented in her office recently that corps members posted to her department, who were graduates of statistics, could not interpret figures. Examples abound everywhere.
The bottom line is that academic standards in the nation’s universities have fallen to an all time low. Facilities are over-stretched and grossly inadequate. Libraries and laboratories are ill equipped. The lecturers are not provided with the funds for researches. In the face of all these challenges, the falling standards in the universities, as reflected in the poor quality of the graduates, are often blamed on the lecturers. That is, perhaps, why they are insistent that Nigerian universities must be made to compete with those in other parts of the world.
It is not enough for government to claim that the strike is politically motivated. This is no time to play the ostrich. If government says it has released N100 billion for the upgrade of facilities in public universities, then the money should be made valuable to them.
Since President Jonathan has assured that his government is committed to effecting the desired changes in the universities, then he must be seen to do just that. The people need to have confidence in their president. Telling ASUU that they should not expect him to close down other sectors solve their probe overnight, could be seen as fueling an already inflammable situation. All that is needed now is sincerity on the part of government.
Source: Vanguard Nigeria
IN his media chat with a team of journalists in September this year, President Goodluck Jonathan declared his government’s commitment to end the logjam with the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, by effecting the changes demanded by the lecturers.
This followed an earlier directive to the Federal Government’s negotiating committees, the Universities Needs Implementation Committee and the Earned Allowances Committee, to take immediate action to end the ASUU strike.
Chairman of the needs committee, Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State, told journalists after a meeting held by the President with the committees, “The President has instructed us as to what to do, and has shown commitment to flagging off projects worth about N100 billion in all the Universities in the country! About 61 of them. He gave assurance that the lecturers would call off the strike in no distant time.
Several months after those assurances were given, the funds are yet to be released. Investigations at several universities indicated that no one has received a dime.
A vice chancellor spoken to said, “The Federal Government has only sent us a memo through the Ministry of Education that we are getting N650 million of the fund. When we get alert into the University’s account we will know how sincere the government is. But presently, we are yet to receive the money.”
So far no university has confirmed the receipt of its share of the N100 billion. This translates to insincerity on the part of the Federal Government. The ongoing ASUU strike is not based on fresh demands by the lecturers. They are, on the contrary, demanding the implementation of an agreement it signed with the union in 2009 on the proper funding of the country’s public universities.
In that agreement government negotiators agreed with ASUU on the needs assessment of the universities and agreed to release money for its implementation.
The situation was aggravated when the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo–Iweala, declared in a key-note address at this year’s National Council on Finance and Economic Development, in Minna, Niger State, that the nation’s economy cannot for now, accommodate the demands of the striking lecturers. She said, “At present, ASUU wants government to pay N92 billion in extra allowances over and above their salaries. Though we are in discussion with them, the problem is that the resources to take care of the demands are simply not there.”
It should, however, be noted that the intellectual quality of the Nigeria graduate is a direct reflection of the academic standard of the universities. Only recently, it was alleged that many National Youth Service Corps members cannot write application letters. A state government official lamented in her office recently that corps members posted to her department, who were graduates of statistics, could not interpret figures. Examples abound everywhere.
The bottom line is that academic standards in the nation’s universities have fallen to an all time low. Facilities are over-stretched and grossly inadequate. Libraries and laboratories are ill equipped. The lecturers are not provided with the funds for researches. In the face of all these challenges, the falling standards in the universities, as reflected in the poor quality of the graduates, are often blamed on the lecturers. That is, perhaps, why they are insistent that Nigerian universities must be made to compete with those in other parts of the world.
It is not enough for government to claim that the strike is politically motivated. This is no time to play the ostrich. If government says it has released N100 billion for the upgrade of facilities in public universities, then the money should be made valuable to them.
Since President Jonathan has assured that his government is committed to effecting the desired changes in the universities, then he must be seen to do just that. The people need to have confidence in their president. Telling ASUU that they should not expect him to close down other sectors solve their probe overnight, could be seen as fueling an already inflammable situation. All that is needed now is sincerity on the part of government.
Source: Vanguard Nigeria
Students declare war on Nse Ntuen and Emman Ekon over assault on Onofiok Luke
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has declared war on member representing Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika Federal Constituency in the Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Emman Ekon and Chairman of Essien Udim Local Government Area, Hon. Nse Ntuen both of Akwa Ibom State over their physical attack on former Speaker of Nigerian Youth Parliament and member representing Nsit Ubium in the Akwa State House of Assembly, Hon. Onofiok Luke in Ika Local Government Area recently.
This position was made known by Vice President Special Duties of NANS, Comrade Ubon Marcus in Abuja while leading students to the National Assembly to submit a petition against Hon. Emman Ekon to Speaker Aminu Tambuwal.
The student leader, who said that they will also submit a similar petition against Hon. Nse Ntuen to Governor Akpabio ordered ALUTA FORCES to give Hon. Emman Ekon and Nse Ntuen treatments deserving of a dishonorable member and dishonorable chairman respectively, wherever they are found. Comrade Marcus lamented that despite the efforts of Governor Akpabio to unify the state, Hon. Emman Ekon and Hon. Nse Ntuen are determined to polarize Akwa Ibom on ethnic basis and vowed to stop them. He described the manhandling of Hon. Barr Onofiok Luke as an ethnic agenda piloted by Emman Ekon and Nse Ntuen describing them as social/political misfits and ethnic warlords.
According to the NANS Vice President, “it is rather unfortunate that Emman Ekon and Nse Ntuen have decided to ridicule the efforts of His Excellency Governor Akpabio at developing and unifying the state by introducing an ethnic agenda aimed at destabilizing the administration. As lovers of democracy and followers of Governor Akpabio we have to resist this.
Since his assumption of duties in the National Assembly, Hon. Emman Ekon has neither raised a single motion nor attracted dividends of democracy to his constituents. As Chairman of Essien Udim LGA and Akwa Ibom ALGON Chairman, all Nse Ntuen could do was embezzle state funds to the United States where he was arrested by the Maryland State Police Department in August. The $82, 000 (USD) found on him would have been enough to pay the much needed bursary to students of his Local Government Area. Yet all the Council Chairman could do was stowaway with such funds to the US at the detriment of the masses. We decided not to react by then so as not to further drag the name of our state in the mud. With this recent act however, Emman Ekon and Nse Ntuen have pulled the last straw that has broken the camel’s back” he stated.
He called on the EFCC to begin an immediate investigation of the incident. The petition submitted to the House of Representatives by NANS states in part that “as lovers of democracy, National Association of Nigerian Students condemns the physical assault on Hon. Onofiok Luke by Hon. Emman Ekon and Hon. Nse Ntuen. Rather than focus on issues, they choose to engage their fists. Well we do not blame them. They lack the rational ability to engage Hon. Luke in an intellectual discourse.
In life you cannot give what you don’t have. Since they lack the intelligence, they had to use what they have which is their bare hands. What have they done for democracy? Emman Ekon sits there in Abuja doing nothing. Nse Ntuen embezzled public funds and was arrested in the United States. Yet they have the effrontery to raise their hands on Onofiok Luke; a man who upheld the rights of students as President of the University of Uyo Students’ Union Government (SUG) and fought against fee increment, served diligently as Speaker of the Nigerian Youth Parliament, and has touched the lives of not just his constituents, but that of every Akwa Ibom person as Hon. Member of the State Legislature. Therefore, an attack on Onofiok Luke is an attack on democracy. We have to resist this.”
In a similar development, the Uyo Senatorial District Students’ Assembly has condemned Hon. Emman Ekon and Hon. Nse Ntuen for manhandling Hon. Onofiok Luke. Speaker of the group – Comrade Justin Pius, while addressing journalists described the development as worrisome and urged Governor Akpabio to call them to order immediately. He called on students of Uyo Senatorial District to get ready to take action against Emman Ekon and Nse Ntuen as will be directed by the National Association of Nigerian Students very soon. Also, the Etinan Federal Constituency Students’ Assembly (EFCOSA) in a strong worded statement has told Hon. Emman Ekon and Nse Ntuen to prepare for war. According to them, “you cannot touch one of our own and expect to go scot free. Prepare for war!” the Association’s Speaker Comrade Imoh Essien stated.
This position was made known by Vice President Special Duties of NANS, Comrade Ubon Marcus in Abuja while leading students to the National Assembly to submit a petition against Hon. Emman Ekon to Speaker Aminu Tambuwal.
The student leader, who said that they will also submit a similar petition against Hon. Nse Ntuen to Governor Akpabio ordered ALUTA FORCES to give Hon. Emman Ekon and Nse Ntuen treatments deserving of a dishonorable member and dishonorable chairman respectively, wherever they are found. Comrade Marcus lamented that despite the efforts of Governor Akpabio to unify the state, Hon. Emman Ekon and Hon. Nse Ntuen are determined to polarize Akwa Ibom on ethnic basis and vowed to stop them. He described the manhandling of Hon. Barr Onofiok Luke as an ethnic agenda piloted by Emman Ekon and Nse Ntuen describing them as social/political misfits and ethnic warlords.
According to the NANS Vice President, “it is rather unfortunate that Emman Ekon and Nse Ntuen have decided to ridicule the efforts of His Excellency Governor Akpabio at developing and unifying the state by introducing an ethnic agenda aimed at destabilizing the administration. As lovers of democracy and followers of Governor Akpabio we have to resist this.
Since his assumption of duties in the National Assembly, Hon. Emman Ekon has neither raised a single motion nor attracted dividends of democracy to his constituents. As Chairman of Essien Udim LGA and Akwa Ibom ALGON Chairman, all Nse Ntuen could do was embezzle state funds to the United States where he was arrested by the Maryland State Police Department in August. The $82, 000 (USD) found on him would have been enough to pay the much needed bursary to students of his Local Government Area. Yet all the Council Chairman could do was stowaway with such funds to the US at the detriment of the masses. We decided not to react by then so as not to further drag the name of our state in the mud. With this recent act however, Emman Ekon and Nse Ntuen have pulled the last straw that has broken the camel’s back” he stated.
He called on the EFCC to begin an immediate investigation of the incident. The petition submitted to the House of Representatives by NANS states in part that “as lovers of democracy, National Association of Nigerian Students condemns the physical assault on Hon. Onofiok Luke by Hon. Emman Ekon and Hon. Nse Ntuen. Rather than focus on issues, they choose to engage their fists. Well we do not blame them. They lack the rational ability to engage Hon. Luke in an intellectual discourse.
In life you cannot give what you don’t have. Since they lack the intelligence, they had to use what they have which is their bare hands. What have they done for democracy? Emman Ekon sits there in Abuja doing nothing. Nse Ntuen embezzled public funds and was arrested in the United States. Yet they have the effrontery to raise their hands on Onofiok Luke; a man who upheld the rights of students as President of the University of Uyo Students’ Union Government (SUG) and fought against fee increment, served diligently as Speaker of the Nigerian Youth Parliament, and has touched the lives of not just his constituents, but that of every Akwa Ibom person as Hon. Member of the State Legislature. Therefore, an attack on Onofiok Luke is an attack on democracy. We have to resist this.”
In a similar development, the Uyo Senatorial District Students’ Assembly has condemned Hon. Emman Ekon and Hon. Nse Ntuen for manhandling Hon. Onofiok Luke. Speaker of the group – Comrade Justin Pius, while addressing journalists described the development as worrisome and urged Governor Akpabio to call them to order immediately. He called on students of Uyo Senatorial District to get ready to take action against Emman Ekon and Nse Ntuen as will be directed by the National Association of Nigerian Students very soon. Also, the Etinan Federal Constituency Students’ Assembly (EFCOSA) in a strong worded statement has told Hon. Emman Ekon and Nse Ntuen to prepare for war. According to them, “you cannot touch one of our own and expect to go scot free. Prepare for war!” the Association’s Speaker Comrade Imoh Essien stated.
LADIES Y'ALL SHOULD READ THIS!!! How To Be A Lady By Karen Igho
- A lady doesn't kiss and tell
- A lady does not nag
- A lady doesn't brag
- A lady never reveals her age
- A lady Does not smack her gum
- When a lady is unsure of how to dress to a particular occasion,she asks her host
- A lady knows that trends come and go,while true style is timeless
- A lady never ask someone if she looks fat in something
- If a lady expects her legs to be seen,she either shaves her legs or wears hose
- A lady knows that her posture is important as any article of clothing on her Back
- A lady doesn't kiss and tell.
What do you think ?
ASUU strike: Union rejects FG’s N200bn offer Posted On
The end to the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union Of Universities, ASUU, might not be in view yet, as the union has rejected the offer of N200 billion by the Federal Government.
The government had earlier offered N130 to the protesting lecturers in order to resolve the impasse; the offer was also increased to N150 billion, all of which ASUU rejected, insisting that government must implement the 2009 agreement.
The union asserted that going by the 2009 agreement, government is supposed to have injected N500 billion by the end of 2013, with another N500 billion by 2014.
Nassarawa State University Keffi (NSUK) branch chairman of the Union, Dr. Thephilus Lagithe stated that the actual amount in the 2009 agreement was N1.3 trillion to be paid over a period of four years.
He said, “Recently, they called us and said instead of the 100 billion, we are giving you N150 and recently they said from that 150 billion, they are going to make it 200 billion. But these are just promises.
Speaking further, he said, “last year, they were supposed to inject N100 billion and this year N400 billion. Then next year, N500 billion. But from all indication, the government is not even serious about injecting money into the education sector.
It said the N100 billion which the government had earlier promised to give the union was supposed to have been paid in 2012. It said if the strike continues to 2014, the money will then rise to N900 billion.
The government had earlier offered N130 to the protesting lecturers in order to resolve the impasse; the offer was also increased to N150 billion, all of which ASUU rejected, insisting that government must implement the 2009 agreement.
The union asserted that going by the 2009 agreement, government is supposed to have injected N500 billion by the end of 2013, with another N500 billion by 2014.
Nassarawa State University Keffi (NSUK) branch chairman of the Union, Dr. Thephilus Lagithe stated that the actual amount in the 2009 agreement was N1.3 trillion to be paid over a period of four years.
He said, “Recently, they called us and said instead of the 100 billion, we are giving you N150 and recently they said from that 150 billion, they are going to make it 200 billion. But these are just promises.
Speaking further, he said, “last year, they were supposed to inject N100 billion and this year N400 billion. Then next year, N500 billion. But from all indication, the government is not even serious about injecting money into the education sector.
It said the N100 billion which the government had earlier promised to give the union was supposed to have been paid in 2012. It said if the strike continues to 2014, the money will then rise to N900 billion.
Akpabio Denies Collecting N26.5bn Oil Spill Compensation
Akwa Ibom State governor, Godswill Akpabio has denied that the government collected a sum of money from ExxonMobil, meant for the payment of compensation on the recent crude oil spill in four local government areas of the state.
The National Oil Spill Environmental Agency (NOSRA) had approved about N26.5 billion as compensation for the recent oil spill in the affected communities of Eket, Esit-Eket, Ibeno and Onna local government areas of the state, but instead of paying the money, ExxonMobil was said to have called a meeting between the state government and the stakeholders and decided to pay about N2 billion to the oil spill victims.
The balance of the oil spill compensation money they said would be used to undertake development projects in the state, a decision which sparked protests recently by the youths of the communities. The money was believed to have been paid to the state government for the projects.
However, at a meeting between the State Government and the Stakeholders from the four oil producing communities in Uyo, the capital city of Akwa-Ibom State, yesterday, the State Governor Godswill Akpabio denied receiving part of the money for any developmental project in the state.
If found to be true, the development may spark fresh protests by youths of the affected communities.
ExxonMobil is yet to respond to the governor’s denial.
Africanewspress.com
The National Oil Spill Environmental Agency (NOSRA) had approved about N26.5 billion as compensation for the recent oil spill in the affected communities of Eket, Esit-Eket, Ibeno and Onna local government areas of the state, but instead of paying the money, ExxonMobil was said to have called a meeting between the state government and the stakeholders and decided to pay about N2 billion to the oil spill victims.
The balance of the oil spill compensation money they said would be used to undertake development projects in the state, a decision which sparked protests recently by the youths of the communities. The money was believed to have been paid to the state government for the projects.
However, at a meeting between the State Government and the Stakeholders from the four oil producing communities in Uyo, the capital city of Akwa-Ibom State, yesterday, the State Governor Godswill Akpabio denied receiving part of the money for any developmental project in the state.
If found to be true, the development may spark fresh protests by youths of the affected communities.
ExxonMobil is yet to respond to the governor’s denial.
Africanewspress.com
An Open Letter To Olamide - Law Of Diminishing Return
This Writer Nailed it with “ Baddo, have you heard of the point of
equilibrium? That’s the point when the law of diminishing return sets in.
Share your thoughts
“I am a fan of yours and I have followed your growth from the days with ID Cabasa and the Coded Tunes crew, to your days under Toni Payne‘s management. Parting ways with her was quite risky but I felt it was a move worth making as you needed a fully dedicated management to grow your career. That move paid off and you’re now better off for it. Pitching your tent with 1805 Entertainment, your immense talent and the void left by Dagrin‘s demise meant only one thing – A top spot for you! I am glad you fit in perfectly. A bolder move to start YBNL Nation and you going ahead to drop your second album on the YBNL Nation/1805 Entertainment imprint was another risky move that still paid off. At that point, I knew the ‘god of music’ was behind you. Though it wasn’t so surprising to see the street embrace the album cos of it quality street wise content, the rate at which the ‘butties’ accepted you too was alarming. People preached the YBNL gospel and gladly talked about how good the album was. Even my cool friend Fola Alade became an advocate of ‘Razz being the new Cool’, no thanks to you. But while we where enjoying Jale, Street Love, Jesu O kola, Stupid Love, First of All, Ilefo Illuminati amongst other beautiful songs, dear Olamide, you unconsciously killed the album! Yes, you unfortunately killed it by releasing too many materials not so long after the album dropped and you shifted our attention off the album. To make matters worse, some of these songs were not half as good as. the songs on the album and they also were not wellpromoted, Confession, Tonto Dike, Baddest Nigga That ever liveth, e.t.c. Needless to say that some were also really good, cos some of us still have Turn Up and Durosoke topping our playlists.
Baddo, have you heard of the point of equilibrium? That’s the point when the law of diminishing return sets in. It happens to everything and everyone. In simple terms, it’s the point where you get to the peak, have nothing extra to offer and the drop starts. To some, the drop might not be deep while to some, they would never rise to that point again. Unfortunately, this happens a lot in the music industry. While we agree that you are HOT at this moment and the inspiration is much, brother, please do not wear yourself out. Ma le ara e ni ere. Truth is when you saturate the market with too many materials, we get tired easily, we don’t pay full attention to them and the songs end up not getting as much love as they should. Keep recording, keep saving them in the cloud and don’t push too many songs within a short period. Let the fans yearn for more, let us savour the goodness of some of what you already have. On a final note, I love the way your personality is gradually evolving ‘cos building a brand of yourself should be beyond your music. I foresee a near future where corporate brands that want to connect with the streets would come to you, simply because you are the link between the streets and the corporate world. A celebrated grass to grace story.
The true voice of the streets.
Culled From Tooexclusive.com
equilibrium? That’s the point when the law of diminishing return sets in.
Share your thoughts
“I am a fan of yours and I have followed your growth from the days with ID Cabasa and the Coded Tunes crew, to your days under Toni Payne‘s management. Parting ways with her was quite risky but I felt it was a move worth making as you needed a fully dedicated management to grow your career. That move paid off and you’re now better off for it. Pitching your tent with 1805 Entertainment, your immense talent and the void left by Dagrin‘s demise meant only one thing – A top spot for you! I am glad you fit in perfectly. A bolder move to start YBNL Nation and you going ahead to drop your second album on the YBNL Nation/1805 Entertainment imprint was another risky move that still paid off. At that point, I knew the ‘god of music’ was behind you. Though it wasn’t so surprising to see the street embrace the album cos of it quality street wise content, the rate at which the ‘butties’ accepted you too was alarming. People preached the YBNL gospel and gladly talked about how good the album was. Even my cool friend Fola Alade became an advocate of ‘Razz being the new Cool’, no thanks to you. But while we where enjoying Jale, Street Love, Jesu O kola, Stupid Love, First of All, Ilefo Illuminati amongst other beautiful songs, dear Olamide, you unconsciously killed the album! Yes, you unfortunately killed it by releasing too many materials not so long after the album dropped and you shifted our attention off the album. To make matters worse, some of these songs were not half as good as. the songs on the album and they also were not wellpromoted, Confession, Tonto Dike, Baddest Nigga That ever liveth, e.t.c. Needless to say that some were also really good, cos some of us still have Turn Up and Durosoke topping our playlists.
Baddo, have you heard of the point of equilibrium? That’s the point when the law of diminishing return sets in. It happens to everything and everyone. In simple terms, it’s the point where you get to the peak, have nothing extra to offer and the drop starts. To some, the drop might not be deep while to some, they would never rise to that point again. Unfortunately, this happens a lot in the music industry. While we agree that you are HOT at this moment and the inspiration is much, brother, please do not wear yourself out. Ma le ara e ni ere. Truth is when you saturate the market with too many materials, we get tired easily, we don’t pay full attention to them and the songs end up not getting as much love as they should. Keep recording, keep saving them in the cloud and don’t push too many songs within a short period. Let the fans yearn for more, let us savour the goodness of some of what you already have. On a final note, I love the way your personality is gradually evolving ‘cos building a brand of yourself should be beyond your music. I foresee a near future where corporate brands that want to connect with the streets would come to you, simply because you are the link between the streets and the corporate world. A celebrated grass to grace story.
The true voice of the streets.
Culled From Tooexclusive.com
THEY
By @AOpinionatedMan
They will never understand you. They will ridicule what they don’t comprehend and will find fault with that which they cannot perceive. As different eyes see different truths, so too will their vision behold an alternate answer. Be not offended by their ignorance for it is just that… stupidity by definition. Were the world full of only geniuses no one would be special. Be comforted and enjoy the fact that the less intelligent around you simply serve to highlight your own rare nature. It is a nature that thrives on thought and the processing of knowledge in hopes of gaining a better insight into the world. As we gain more knowledge it is inevitable that we will come to find out that “they” are nothing like us. In fact they might not even be human.
- OpinionatedMan
They will never understand you. They will ridicule what they don’t comprehend and will find fault with that which they cannot perceive. As different eyes see different truths, so too will their vision behold an alternate answer. Be not offended by their ignorance for it is just that… stupidity by definition. Were the world full of only geniuses no one would be special. Be comforted and enjoy the fact that the less intelligent around you simply serve to highlight your own rare nature. It is a nature that thrives on thought and the processing of knowledge in hopes of gaining a better insight into the world. As we gain more knowledge it is inevitable that we will come to find out that “they” are nothing like us. In fact they might not even be human.
- OpinionatedMan
Saturday, 2 November 2013
Little girl tortured, abused and locked in a closet by her mother and stepfather for SIX years
Lauren Kavanugh's adoptive parents were forced to give her back to her biological mother, but they had no idea what horrors the little girl would endure…
Twelve years ago, a little girl named Lauren Kavanaugh was found starving to death and imprisoned in a tiny urine-soaked closet. But, today, she has revealed how she survived six years of sexual, emotional and physical abuse in a powerful interview with The Dallas Morning News.
"Her arms, they appeared to be no bigger
than an inch wide to me. She was naked"
Lauren was two years old when the courts ordered her loving adoptive parents, Bill and Sabrina Kavanaugh, to hand her back to her biological mother, Barbara Atkinson. The couple, who had loved her since the day she was born, had given the little girl a wonderful home. She called them "dada" and "ma-ma". She learned to walk clutching their hands. But, due to a clerical error in her adoption paperwork, it was all too easy for her biological mother Barbara Atkinson to file a petition to take her daughter back. And, once she had the little girl in her clutches, she and Lauren's stepfather Kenneth made the child's life a living nightmare.
She would hold Lauren's head under water, laughing as she gulped and clawed for air. She would watch and laugh as her husband raped the toddler, Lauren's screams filling the house. And, when Lauren was starving, Barbara reportedly sat. her down with a bowl of food and said she could chew it, but not swallow a single bite. This abuse went on for six years, until a neighbour discovered the little girl living in the closet. Despite being an eight year old girl, Lauren was the size of a toddler; her body had cannibalised its muscle, organs and bones to stay alive. She was covered in her own faeces, her legs were red raw from sitting in her own waste and, to the woman who found her, the sight was terrifying:
“What I pictured was a monster, a little bitty monster.
She was so frail and without colour. Her arms, they
appeared to be no bigger than an inch wide to me.
She was naked.”
She added: “It was worse than what I’ve seen for a Holocaust victim. It was that devastating. I’d never seen anything that bad on TV, and I just didn’t know what to do.”
"It was worse than what I’ve seen for a
Holocaust victim"
Her body had cannibalised much of its muscle, organs and bone to stay alive. Lauren had been deprived of food for so long, her stomach lacked the enzymes required to digest food. To save her, doctors were forced to use refeeding methods developed for Holocaust victims. She had cigarette burns and puncture wounds across her back and face, her hair was infested with lice and her airways were clogged with faeces, carpet fibres and plastic. Investigators also found that the little girl's body had been so badly damaged by years of sexual abuse that she needed a series of reconstructive surgeries:
"She did not have a separate vagina and an anus.
They came out together as one opening.”
Lauren looked like a Holocaust victim when she was found Sabrina and Bill, the couple who had adopted her and loved her as a baby, re-adopted Lauren as soon as they could. And, together, they worked to heal the psychological wounds that Lauren had suffered. They found her sleeping in the closet at night, so they took the door off of every closet in the house. They found her stealing food under cover of darkness, so they started leaving cookies and pink lemonade on the kitchen table.
“She didn’t need to have food locked away. She
needed to learn that it would always be there for
her," said Sabrina.
And bath time was always difficult, as Lauren has been held under the water by Barbara in the past: Her adoptive mother explained: “Trying to wash her hair, oh my God, I’ll never forget that. She’d scream, ‘Please don’t drown me. Please don’t drown me.’ How do you explain to an 8-year-old you’re not going to drown her?” Sadly, despite Sabrina and Bill's love and attention, it was not the end of Lauren's abuse; in 2005, case workers encouraged her adoptive mother to relax her tight rein on her daughter, so she let Lauren go to stay with her niece's family.
The following morning, her niece's husband took Lauren outside and sexually assaulted her. He was jailed for the attack, but the damage was done; Lauren has since endured fits of rage, has self-harmed, has attempted suicide and has admitted she is incapable of love. In fact, while she readily says she would "take a bullet" for Sabrina, she doesn't love her or anybody else.
“I’m not saying I’m not capable of love. I
just haven’t felt it yet”
It's unsurprising; psychologists say that adopting a child who's suffered extreme abuse is an exercise in sacrifice. And one of Lauren's case workers admitted that, for Lauren, it's a case of never feeling loved enough:
“You can’t fill Lauren up. She wants more, she
needs more, she never feels loved enough.”
Lauren with Sabrina, her adoptive mother In the new series of interviews, Lauren has revealed her that she hopes "one day I'll be able to have a normal life." She prefers to be seen in an asexual way, dressing in boys clothes, and finds it difficult to make friends. But, to those who know her best, the girl who spent six years of her life inside a closet is a strong, beautiful and accomplished young woman. She's graduated from high school, enrolled at a college, is no longer taking medication for depression and more than willing to talk about the past. Lauren's therapist explained:
"When I first started seeing her, she was not social, she was chronically depressed, she was suicidal, she felt worthless. Today, she's ready to embrace her past. She's not embarrassed about it or ashamed about it anymore. She's like, 'This happened to me, but I'm still here. I survived and I'm thriving'."
And, for Sabrina - the adoptive mother who has lavished Lauren with love and affection since the day she came back into her life - it was all worth it.
"When I first started seeing her, she was not social, she was chronically depressed, she was suicidal, she felt worthless. Today, she's ready to embrace her past. She's not embarrassed about it or ashamed about it anymore. She's like, 'This happened to me, but I'm still here. I survived and I'm thriving'."
And, for Sabrina - the adoptive mother who has lavished Lauren with love and affection since the day she came back into her life - it was all worth it.
"There were a lot of tough years in there. Sometimes I wasn’t sure we were going to make it. But all things considered, Lauren's doing great. I think we may have turned a corner."
By Kayleigh Dray Thursday, 31 October 2013
British Association for Adoption and Fostering
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)