SOLUDOS FATHER KIDNAPPED / EAGLETS WIN

Hey guys, things happening now in Nigeria continues to amaze me, recently about 52 (sorry can’t remember the figure) candidates bought forms for the gubernatorial seat of Anambra state, I mean what on earth do these guys even women want to do for that state, and please note that all these people are from one party, that same party.

I am so pained that even when the party endorsed a candidate, the other one million candidates (or so) shouted from their noses and some even went to court. My ache now is why go to court if you have the interest of the state at heart? Why are humans selfish? Why would we never allow others stay on top, they think the man up there would get so much money in the office.

Today the political space in Anambra state has become so tensed that everyone is scared to walk or do anything in some states. Only yesterday a new twist took place, the father of the special one (the person picked from the party) was kidnapped.

The father of the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and PDP governorship candidate in Anambra State, Charles Chukwuma Soludo, has been kidnapped.

The old man was kidnapped around 7pm yesterday at his Isuofia home in Aguata local government area of Anambra State. The kidnappers were said to have “stormed” his house in a Peugeot 406 car, according to sources close to his family.

DAYSTAR CHRISTIAN CENTRE walks for light.

I had a very good morning today; I was in church to join forces with my fellow compatriots as we started a revolution in Nigeria, you may want to ask what was I doing in church on a Monday  morning, when others are preparing for a new week? Well its WALK FOR LIGHT day;  Pastor Sam and Nike Adeyemi along side a host of pastors led over 4000 people to the government house in Alausa on a peaceful demonstration to change the present light situation to start a revolution as the power situation in Nigeria has refused to get better.We were received by the Deputy Governor on behlf of the governor.

Since I was born as that’s all I can remember, power situation has been poor, as I speak I have spent over N3000 on fuel to power my generating set. There are no jobs in Nigeria and companies are moving out, the economy is dying, well this is because our leaders have refused to pay attention to the most important sector that would sustain the economy.

The crisis of epileptic power supply is impoverishing us as individuals, as organizations and as a nation. Previous lives have been lost to explosion caused by kerosene and petrol. Whole family have died in their sleep because of fumes from power generating sets. Small and large businesses have folded up because of their inability to sustain the high cost of production. The list of woe goes on and on.

When would Nigeria ever get better? In physics I read that power is the ability to do work, so when there is no power what work can be done? People struggle to sustain their businesses, they pay through their noses and then add so much to the price, the consumers then suffer at the end, people are forced into dubious activities as they can not be employed nor open their own businesses.

We call on the federal government to break the monopoly of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria and allow private investors and state governments to generate and distribute electricity. The strategy that worked for telecommunications should be used to work for power supply. If there is no limit on the number of phone lines a telecommunications company should generate, there should be no limit on the volume of power a company should generate and distribute around the country. States in the Niger Delta who have gas flared in their backyards should generate and sell electricity locally and nationally. This will result in job creation in almost all facets of life in our nation.

I would like to call on all importers of generating sets and diesel, who have graciously helped to provide relief through their products, to support this call, and to subsequently divert their investment into power generation and distribution. We call on executives and legislative arms of government at the local, state and federal levels to show compassion for Nigerians, demonstrate leadership and facilitate the breaking of PHCN‘s monopoly.

It takes only 1 person to start a revolution, well Daystar Christian Centre has started it, so I am believing that others would emulate this act and help move Nigeria forward because what we did today would echo in future. We call on all Nigerians involved at all levels in the generation, distribution and consumption of electricity to accept honesty as a national standard and as a way of life. All forms of deal-cutting in the award and execution of contract must stop. The vandalizing and theft of power cable and transformers must also stop. Dishonesty and the greedy acquisition of money, though they may bring temporary prosperity, ultimately attract curses on individuals and the nation. To prosper corruption should be put aside.

Arise O compatriots, Nigerians call obey! We can create a New Nigeria, a paradise and the ultimate destination among Nations. I must say a big thank you to Pastor Sam and Nike Adeyemi, senior pastors of Daystar Christian Centre who birthed this idea, they are visionaries, model couple, God Bless you both and the church.

Well I know this would birth a change in Nigeria, let’s watch out.

OBAMA WINS NOBLE PEACE PRIZE AWARD

Guys I think this is truly news, I just have to write on this and make my contribution on the success of Barrack Obama the president of the united States. President Barack Obama won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, a stunning decision that comes just eight months into his presidency.

Less than nine months into his presidency, Barack Obama has been awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Nobel Committee said it honored Obama for his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.”

The decision appeared to catch most observers by surprise. The president had not been mentioned as among front-runners for the prize, and the roomful of reporters gasped when Thorbjorn Jagland, chairman of the Nobel committee, uttered Obama’s name.

Nominations for the prize had to be postmarked by February 1 — only 12 days after Obama took office. The committee sent out its solicitation for nominations last September — two months before Obama was elected president.

The president, who was awakened to be told he had won, said he was humbled to be selected, according to an administration official. Obama will make a statement Friday at 11 a.m. ET from the Rose Garden, administration officials said.

The Nobel committee recognized Obama’s efforts to solve complex global problems including working toward a world free of nuclear weapons. Watch the announcement of Obama as 2009 Nobel Peace Prize recipient”Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future,” the committee said. Jagland said the decision was “unanimous” and came with ease.

He rejected the notion that Obama had been recognized prematurely for his efforts and said the committee wanted to promote the president just it had Mikhail Gorbachev in 1990 in his efforts to open up the Soviet Union. —– CNN

This is another accolade for Obama, barely 9 months into his inauguration he has bagged a nobel prize, this means a lot to Americans and the world in general, Obama has over the months tried to rescue the world economy by the stimulus plan which has seen the world stock market picking up slowly, also world peace is priority on his agenda, he is doing good on his health plan.

Minutes after the news broke, social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook were flooded with comments.

Half of the trending topics on microblogging site Twitter were about the prize and the U.S. President. Opinion was largely divided on Twitter between those who think Obama is a worthy recipient — and those who question how he won the prize after just eight months in office. Numerous tweeters said President Obama should refuse the prize.

One, jester from London, UK, wrote: “I think he should give it back until he has achieved real world peace.”

When would a Nigerian president win a noble prize? Since Wole Soyinka won a noble prize nobody has done it again, but this is a way to put Nigeria in a positive light in the world, well I am hoping our dear Fashola would soon be on the list of noble prize winners.

Welldone Obama, keep up the good work.

LEGEND EXTRA STOUT Relaunched

Hey guys, it’s been a while, well I have been so busy with work and forgot to blog, I really would like to appreciate those who have kept in touch via my blog, Thanks a lot. I would like to expand my blog tenet by starting digital PR and this would enable me give a lot more insight on our in-house brands here in Insight communications. Recently Legend extra stout was re-launched in Lagos to increase awareness about the brand which has been struggling to gain a share of the stout market.

The NB management may have decided silence may not always be golden, especially in brand management. Last week, on Friday 7 March, the management, at Jogor Centre, Ibadan, and in a show laden with pomp and personalities, re-presented Legend Extra Stout in a brand new and fashionable packaging. Two weeks earlier, the company’s officials had embarked on a tour of the North Central, East, West and South-South zones of the country to introduce the alcoholic beverage to its key distributors and retailers.

The new Legend Extra Stout, complete with new body and neck labels, also comes with a back label for the first time since it was first launched. To observers, this may signal a strategic repositioning for a brand which many consumers believe has the potential of rejuvenating the stout market.

Launched in 1994, Legend has always played the laggard behind Guinness Foreign Stout, indisputably the market leader on the sales shelf. NB plc is, however, resolved to seize the market in the next few years with Legend and has unfolded aggressive marketing plans. Mouthing a new pay-off line, Carry Da Touch, NB officials told distributors, retailers and consumers that for a long period, Legend had been too quiet. Now, they declared, it is time the drink made a loud statement in the stout market

The competition between the two major players in Nigeria’s brewing sector, the Nigerian Breweries plc and Guinness Nigeria plc, is itself legendary. Nigerian Breweries is the dominant leader in the brewed products sector in Nigeria. The company arguably leads in the lager and malt drinks sector, with its flagship, the Star lager beer and the Maltina range. Guinness fights back in these categories with its Harp lager beer and Guinness Malta. But Guinness’ Foreign Stout incontrovertibly controls the stout market and has been successfully warding off the Legend challenge.

Nigerian Breweries’ lager brands – Star, Gulder, Gulder Max and Heineken – control about 60 per cent of the lager market. Guinness Nigeria plc, on the other hand, derives its strength from its Foreign Extra Stout which controls a huge 91.2 per cent, leaving a meagre 4.6 per cent for Nigerian Breweries’ Legend, 2.4 per cent for Consolidated’s Turbo-King and 1.8 for other players.

Sustaining the Name ‘Legend’
Michael Jackson, Coca Cola, Mandela, Mercedes Benz and Fela Anikulapo Kuti have one thing in common: their names evoke originality, uniqueness and freshness.  Hate them or love them, it’s difficult to ignore them because of their legendary attributes. Either young or old, these attributes follow them like star and it never diminished.
When it was reported recently in some foreign newspapers that 83 year-old Brooklyn-born comic Legend, Mel Brooks, was still riding high with his raspy and assertive voice; it was not a surprise to those who knew the power of being legendary.

Market Segmentation
Though Legend was seen mainly as a brand that was out to challenge existing brands when it was introduced, its spin doctors had bigger plans; they saw a vacuum the oppositions didn’t see and quickly moved in.
According to an inside source, the company had before the introduction of the product, established through a research that the youth segment of the market was yet to be captured.
Having discovered this fact, NB directed Legend’s communications materials toward the youth. Like a call to order, nearly all the campaigns that have been used to build it since it was first launched in 1992 have continued to remind them that stout was not an exclusive drink of the old.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE- NIGERIA AT 49

It’s October again and as a Nigerian that means a lot to me, October 1st 1960, Nigeria got her independence and that sums to 49 years. My dear country is 49 years older and we are celebrating, rolling out drums. I had the best of times yesterday hanging out with my Ono, we went to see the movies and had a lot of fun shopping. It was worth the holiday.

I take a break to look into 49 years of independence, how are things coming, well enough on the sad side of Nigeria, I would like to say that we as a country are doing well although things are not coming out as we want but they are looking better, Lagos is a model city and is really growing, roads, hospitals, and streets are looking better, there has been reduced crime rate as an effect of street lights built around Lagos. There has been relative peace in Nigeria especially in the Niger-Delta, militancy has become history as the restive youths have laid down their arms and embraced peace. Just yesterday, Egberi-papa (not Timaya) surrendered to the federal government making him the toughest militant to be cracked. This tells a lot about the good side of Nigeria coming out already.

But for a minute I would not shy away from telling our leaders the truth, the power situation is getting better, but there is a lot to be done, the judiciary system is doing well but the killing of Bayo Ohu should be investigated and killers brought to book. The sport sector is in shambles, Samson Siasia’s eagles are doing so poorly now, and the administration of soccer should be given to those who know what to do.

I was in the galleria yesterday and while watching a movie, guys came up to offer free Lucozade boost to people watching the movie, this is a good engagement strategy for GSK, Lucozade boost is a non-alcoholic drink configured for instant energy burst with glucose as its major ingredient. Lucozade has been around for a very long time and has controlled the market for so long. Most people misconstrue Lucozade for a medicinal drink but this is as not correct as it has been recommended in hospital because of its high energy content and its healthy nature.

This kind of consumer engagement should be encouraged to build brand and keep them in the minds of consumers for ever. Ride on GSK way to go.

I wish Nigeria many more happy years and for those who wish Nigeria bad luck, you would be shocked at what you would get.

Happy independence my great 9JA.

HOWS THE POWER SITUATION IN YOUR AREA? better….

Have you noticed that the power situation in Nigeria is getting better? Well I can not really say this of every street in Lagos as most of them have always had the PHCN issue, well there has been a relief over 2 weeks now, at least for me, I have been sleeping with light all night and most times I come back from the office and the fridge is so cool, but I must say this has not reduced the budget I reserved for purchase of fuel for my generator which I still exhaust before the reserved time is past.

I arranged a poll to see if this is applicable to every area in Lagos and from what I have so far which I would soon publish, the result is looking better as compared to months ago. Different areas claim they now have light for about 10 hours in 24 hours. This as against the 30minutes they see back in the days. I would consider this as a promise of the federal government been fulfilled, at least it would take time before they achieve the 6000 megawatts of electricity promised us by the end of 2009.

Last weekend saw the biggest surprise in Nigeria, a 36 years old man, Aroma won N10 million in the “who wants to be a millionaire” an MTN sponsored program on national Television, earlier this year, I wrote a post on slumdog millionaire, the story of an 18 years old Jamal Malik who won 20 million rupees and at the end he was arrested thinking how on earth would a young boy know so much to win so much, well a Nigerian 36(sum of 18 + 18 ) won the largest sum ever after 6 years since the inception of the show in Nigeria. Well what would we say now, this graduate of Geography who is well travelled, this goes to show me that no matter where you are in life, you must learn, most people travel and shut their eyes to things happening around. Jamal Malik won because he learnt from all the lesson of life, no matter where you are please learn and keep events with you.

Away for Aroma the millionaire, CBN has made an announcement on the state of the 14 banks still under scrutiny, October is when they would know their fate, those who mismanaged these banks should be getting ready to loose their jobs, but since Cecilia Ibru and others were sacked, there has not been any MD, who has openly resigned before he is humbled out of office. Well I would not recommend this to any of them sha..lol

Guys before you leave I would like you drop a line telling us if the power situation in your environment has improved?

Pray and keep the faith it is getting better.

See you on top

ON A LIGHTER NOTE -Vol 2 (Kishi Tale)

Hey guys, this post has long been due, it as they say its better late than never, I sat down today to reminisce about the September 11 2001 event that rocked American and I have come to realise that time flies so fast and the wound has been healed well I know those who lost relations here would not fell the same but I sympathize with all those around the world who lost 1 person or more. Take heart and the Lord would console you.

Kishi, to me is like the end of Nigeria, a small settlement beside Niger republic but hey they claim they are still Nigerians, I found my way here as a result of the love for a colleague who lost her father, Tope Oladokun. She made us venture into a trip that almost never ended.

It all started well as we arrived at the take off point exactly 7am and hmmm guys, chicks were ready really gajed up (slang for well dressed). We started out with our HR director and we all know road trip is always very exciting as there was enough to talk about and stroke each other. We arrived at Ibadan within 1 hour 30 minutes and of course we were doing fine, she called me asking about our where about, situation report was good as we were running fine, but seats started getting really hot in the middle of cold air conditioners when at 12 noon we were still on our way to never never land.

We called her to know the coordinates as this was the only way we could keep tabs. We resorted to asking people when it was clear that we might have lost our way, well this was necessary as the terrain of the place was so bad that the dust would raise when we pass, the rock types seen around were those found in the far northern part of Nigeria, the rivers were so dry even in the midst of the rains. The driver turned off the A.C as the fuel we planned for was running out, we were almost been taxed in other to continue our journey.

After about 7 hours of terrible driving, some of us slept off and others had to buy stuffs from the window, we finally arrived at Kishi, and all roads pointed to the venue, ooppss I forgot the part were we almost drive the opposite direction cos of poor road map. We met her and household, although we missed the interment, we didn’t miss the food….Hmmmmm.  we were served with urgency cos the crowd knew how much we had stayed on the road, the way they greeted us was as if we were the bereaved. Rice, salad, moi-moi, amala, ewedu, Shaki, beef, were excess on the menu and trust boy now…we ordered. Then I heard someone order shaki and roundabout and the host came with 18 pieces and before I could say Jack the plate was empty, only 2 people took it all, and these people were on the heavy side. I knew its only the slim ones like us that would suffer eventually. (if you know what TAEF means)

We spent 7 hours to get here, we couldn’t waste any more time so we headed back immediately to avoid the unknown. We got to Ibadan at about 6pm well this was ok, then it hadn’t hit us what was in store for us, we got into Lagos, well just the outskirts and met the worse hold-up of the century, well its Lagos so we thought it would clear off soon, we spent 1 hour on 1 spot, 2 hours, 3 hours, then it started raining, I have never slept on the road in my life and the phobia of it kept me up all night, but it was so clear this would be my first experience.

But as a sharp Waffi guy, I thought I would beat the hold up as only 1 side seems to be blocked, so I crossed over and waved at the next available moving object down, well only a truck stopped and I hopped in not knowing who they were. I held my guts so strong and was hoping I’d get home soon. We moved only 5 minutes and the other side was jammed, after 45 minutes in this truck no moving I came down and trekked back to the bus to cool my boiling head.

We passed the night there in the midst of foul air as a result of 9 shaki and kpomo with smell of Ewedu mixed with pepsi, na waooo  I lost weight this day as they bombarded me from both sides. Those who could live in this condition slept off. At about 6am we set out to on foot to beat this traffic, we walked for over 45 minutes before we got a bus that took us to town and get us home before the environmental sanitation.

For me this was an experience I would never forget. For all those who were there…and those who TAEFFED, well done.

09-09-09 Today

Thanks to everyone for the comments and good will, it really helped put me back on track. I must thank those from Blogged who stopped by, it really meant a lot to me. Today is a great day filled with so much a day to celebrate the new things in life, today 09-09-09 very beautiful to behold, only a few day ago I would have missed this day as I wrote about 08-08-08, I praise God that I am so alive to see this beautiful day.

Superstition has it that today holds some spiritual undertone, well for those who believe in the mark of …. I don’t but rather I strive to enjoy any day on earth knowing that it would never come again, where ever you are and what ever you do, stop for a while and say a big thank you to God for keeping you alive to see this day and set your mind to better things in future as whatever you conceive you would definitely achieve, your today is a reflection of your tomorrow as the decisions you make today would define your path for tomorrow.

Still on a bitter note, an icon of struggle in Nigeria, a man regarded by many as a constructive critic for better governance, Gani Fawehinmi has died. The Iroko tree fell after months of strong battle with Lung Cancer at the age of 71 on the 5TH of September. This iconic Nigerian was a civil right lawyer, politician, publisher, author and an outspoken critic of corrupt and unfair government. He stood up when others were too shy to talk, he barked when others feared for their lives. He did well on the poll of living legends and at death I am hoping his ranking would go up. I am so sure all those who ruled during Gani’s ripe years would miss the voice stronger than any voice. This is an example of an Icon…Those who lived for others. We would surely miss you.

It is time for me to comment on the woeful performance of the drowning eagles of Nigeria, who after the entire boast they flopped on own soil to the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia. I would say flop because the stadium was filled with supporters whose hopes were dashed after the game ended 2-2. the Eagles I learnt were still paid $10,000 match winning bonus, this they claimed was to encourage them to win their remaining matches, well this was done in Tunis when they drew and again they have been paid the same sum, who are they fooling? Can they be punished at least a little for them to see the need to win? They don’t look like they want to play in the world cup, well good for me as it saves me the excess adrenalin rush whenever these Eagles play.

Guys please free yourselves from torment anytime these Eagles play. Just enjoy the lose or win which ever one comes. To end, please treasure today make a commitment to stay honest, always be grateful and know success is not an accident.

See you on top.

Links to check-

Facts on Gani

Yobo on tame mates

Babajide

Gani’s last wishes

MY DARKEST FRIDAY

Hello friends, its been a bad weekend for me and I know I should have written about this a long time ago, but hey circumstances would not allow me do so, I regret it terribly but thank God I am alive to continue blogging and keep tabs of all my fans and blog mates.

While it lasted I felt that it was the end of my sweet and fun filled life, the whole events in my life flashed through my brain in a second and I knew that life is the best thing anyone can ever enjoy. I meant to write about my trip to Kishi with my colleagues but guess this is most important as it is an experience I would never forget in a hurry.

I left the office after a hard days job at about 7.10pm and strolled out of the car park to grab a cab to Troyka to meet with a friend, on my way there I made a detour because the gate was shut and opted for the other gate, but it was also locked at this time the guy was getting so furious, and as I paid him he zoomed off even when I begged him to wait for me to check the gate, well I couldn’t care less as I would still make it there anyway. I decided to look for another bike that would lead me through another route but by this time it was pretty dark but the thought of anything negative never crossed my mind as I was in GRA(Government Reserved Area) for heavens sake. As I waited I walked down planning a good weekend with my babe and how to get my groove on, I remembered my colleagues talking about a movie that is a must watch and immediately I included it in plan for the weekend, I also longed to eat home made salad and as I had just gotten some cash I felt it was a good time to get my fantasies alive.

Then all of a sudden a noticed two guys walking straight towards my direction, at first I didn’t think much cos it is a residential area and people who went to work would be returning at about this hour. I tried to walk out of their path but they followed and at this time there were very close to me, the next thing I saw was a gun right in front of me, at first as a real Delta boy my instinct was to engage them, but he whispered aloud, “don’t try anything stupid, just raise up your hands and drop all you have on the ground. I thought for second this was a big joke, but then the other guy drew out his gun and I knew that men this day would certainly be remembered for long well only if I make it out alive.

ON A LIGHTER NOTE – Vol. 1

Hello everyone, welcome to another great month and hope your expectations for this month and the rest of the year are really high because what you desire is actually what you get. I was at Nigerian Breweries yesterday as part of my programme with Insight communications. Nigerian Breweries is one of the biggest accounts the agency has and we have built the product to a brand that has been around for years.

I had a fun time yesterday with my friends although the experience in Nigerian Breweries was not what I expected; I pardon them owing to the fact that they make alcohol so just maybe a few of them were “hi” on their own produce. I got into the office today and went straight to one of the social sites to grab a bit of gossip as that what most youth do there…lol. What struck me most was that the buzz created by Koko mansion is still floating around, I heard a few guys call D’banj names, most of them say he was just short of what to do and thought he could just play chics, other claim he is looking for a wife since he has had too many hot chics.

Others threw big blows at the organizers of the first show of that kind in Nigeria, and the comment that fascinated me most was when one said “the organizers are just a bunch of confused people that are short of ideas, they should learn from those who packaged Gulder ultimate search, AMBO, the Apprentice Africa. An irony, the same set of people who packaged all these so much talked about TV shows, did Koko mansion. Well people would always talk. A friend asked me why those girls were selected. That they expected highly intellectual girls and we brought a whole lot of dull cheerleaders for the event, well the idea was for viewers to have a picture of the ideal Nigerian Lady who can combine all the roles and still make a good wife. I guess I’m wrong but people were expecting to see a maths contest, or maybe they needed them to pick books and read then have a presentation. Lol.