BlackBox Nigeria

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adebayo, has predicted a brighter future for Ekiti State.
He made the prediction at the Governor's Office in Ado-Ekiti while praying for Governor Ayodele Fayose and the people of the state.
Adeboye who was in Ekiti in continuation of the annual statewide crusade christened 'Let's Go A-fishing' explained that his visit to Ekiti  would herald good things and rapid transformation in the coming years .‎
"Everything you propose to do for Ekiti State will succeed. God will take Ekiti to greater heights. You are the burden bearer, come and bear the burden of the governor in all areas of his life. As from now, we shall continue to hear good news from  Ekiti State. "

Earlier in his remark, Fayose disclosed that his insistence to receive Adeboye in his office was to have a feel of the anointing.

The governor said that with the current economic realities, only prayers could get the state out of the woods .
In his message at the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium, Adeboye urged Christians to take advantage of the yuletide to review their relationship with God .
He urged whoever that had not given his or her life to Christ to do so without further delay.

Comedian Ali Baba played Santa Clause for the Slum2School 'Christmas in a Box' Charity Tour that held recently and he helped put a smile on the face of several kids.

The tour had gift boxes for less privileged children and this year Slum2School reached out to about 3000 children from 10 remote communities.

In the stretch of 3days, over 10 communities within Epe Islands, Bariga, Ajegunle, Iwaya, Adekunle, etc and the final day at Makoko were visited.

Ali Baba definitely looks like he had fun being Santa Claus for a while.‎

2014 was obviously an amazing year for media personality, Toke Makinwa and so she celebrated the season by hosting some of her industry colleagues and friends to a Christmas dinner.

Those sighted by our lens include; Tolu 'Toolz' Oniru, Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi, Ariyike Akinbobola, Andrea Manuela Giaccaglia, Tola Odunsi, Leslie Okoye, Tracy Nwapa amongst others‎.

The ancient city of Kano was thrown into shock yesterday following the confession of a 13 years old suicide bomber arrested by the police at the wake of twin bombblast that rocked the city textile market over how she was conscripted as suicide bomber by his biological father.
‎
The suicide bomber who identified herself as Zaharau Babangida told a bewildered city dwellers that 'it began one day when my father took my mum and I to a forest in Bauchi where we met people claiming to be working for God".
In her confession, the frail looking Zaharau said "in the Bauchi forest I met some other girls who I guessed were my age mate and their leader told us to give our lives to God and enjoy the bounties of heaven'.

I was not moved by the soul searching preaching of bounties in the heaven and it was at this point, their leader resorted to threat and intimidation to obtain my consent. We were shown a deep hole where the leader of the group threatened to bury us alive at a point if any of us refused to play along, and at another time he picked a big gun and threatened to shoot anyone who fails to obey his command."

Zaharau who told reporters that she hailed from Damaturu, the capital city of Yobe state explained that "it was at this point my father stepped forward to persuade me to play along, and told me to prepare to die as martyr and clear the way for him to join me soon".
The 13 years old girl who spoke fluent Hausa dialect further said "when I was confronted with option of death, I chose to play along hoping to find an escape route one day".
Speaking on the Kano bomb blast, Zaharau Babangida said "I and two other girls were conveyed to Kano and quartered at the outskirt of the city by a man I could hardly remember his name, and this same man conveyed all of us to the market square and deployed us at strategic positions at Kwari market on the day we struck.
"I was taken aback when my partners were shattered to pieces barely a second after they detonated. I then rushed out of the scene to pick a commercial rickshaw to a hospital in Dawanau area of the city for medical treatment, and doctors were already attending to me when the driver of the Keke NAPEP resurfaced and showed me a metal object and requested to know whether it was mine of which I answered in affirmative.
"I told him the object he dangled before me is a bomb and its mine, and in no time armed soldiers picked me from my sick bed to their headquarters."
Earlier in the day, the Department of State Security Services and the Nigerian Police had paraded her as one of the suicide bombers that attacked Kano textile market December 10.

The Commissioner of police, Adelenre Shinaba who was flanked by the state Director of SS, Mr. Basey Ettang explained that the arrest was as a result of synergy among the security agents in the state.
Meanwhile, a suicide bomber who rammed into a military check point in Bajoga, Gombe State in an attempt to perpetrate mass killings of troops and innocent civilians, yesterday failed to accomplish his mission, the Defence Headquarters' has said.
According to a statement signed by the Director of Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade, the attempt by the terrorist to escape also failed as he was brought down by vigilant soldiers when he tried to flee after hitting a military Amoured Personnel Carrier with his IED laden Honda car.

The explosives which failed to detonate have been evacuated and handed to the police.

Also in Kano, security forces have raided the terrorists' hideout in Nasarawa Local Government Area leading to the arrest of bomb making experts who are already helping in the investigation into activities of bombers lately.
Officers believe that the efforts will yield useful clues.
Meanwhile, the Military High Command has directed troops deployed in all locations of the counter terrorism campaign to sustain the tempo of operations all through the period of seasonal celebrations and ensure that the intention of terrorists to attack civilian target while avoiding troops is duly frustrated.‎

Super Eagles defender, Taye Taiwo, has made an unusual declaration saying Coach Stephen Keshi is not fit to continue as the national team coach especially after his failure to qualify the country for the Africa Cup of Nations starting next month in Equatorial Guinea.
The Turkey-based defender said based on precedence, it was only normal for the Big Boss to be relieved of his job after the AFCON miss.
"Everybody in Nigeria knows that when Siasia did not qualify everybody from the media, the fans insisted that they have to sack him, so it is normal that when a coach does not qualify for the Nations Cup or the World Cup he is not allowed to stay on. I am sorry to say that; they have to sack him (Keshi)," Taiwo said.
"Nigeria is not just for one person, if a coach does not qualify you for a competition why do you have to keep him?" he questioned.
While many will be quick to conclude that the hard stance of Taye Taiwo on Keshi may be linked to his exemption from national team duties, the former Olympique Marseille of France stalwart claimed he had no grouse with anyone over his national team snub, but insisted that if it pleases God for him to still represent Nigeria he would definitely do so.
"Please don't get me wrong, I have no problem with Keshi, Amokachi or even the NFF. The players that have been called are also doing fantastically well, everything is in the hands of Allah. If I get the chance to play for Nigeria I will, if not, life goes on," Taiwo said.
Indeed the debate for Keshi to remain as the national team handler is one of the most controversial issues in the Nigerian sports circle in 2014.
It is not yet known how the situation will finally pan out as there have been conflicting signals coming from the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, which is evidently foot-dragging on whether to give Keshi  a new contract or hire a new hand to steer the national team.
For now, Assistant Coach Daniel Amokachi is in the saddle having been given the mandate to lead the Super Eagles team in the two upcoming friendly matches against Ivory Coast and Mali in Abu Dhabi in a fortnight.‎

As Nigerians join others across the universe to celebrate Christmas and the New Year, the prices of basic staple food items in major markets in Lagos have soared.

Investigations by our correspondent showed that traders in the food items capitalised on the huge demand for the items to raise their prices and make extra profits, while others aimed to cover the losses they incurred earlier in the year during the festive season.

While discount prices are offered on some other products in the market, a survey carried out between Monday and Wednesday revealed that the prices of staple foods like rice, vegetable oil, meat, vegetables and soup ingredients had increased significantly.

At the Ketu Market, a soup ingredient seller, who identified himself simply as Adamu, said the price of an average basket of tomato had shot up by 77.8 per cent from N4,500 to N8,000 barely 24 hours to Christmas.

Speaking with our correspondent, a trader at the Daleko Market, Isolo, Mrs. Folashade Adeleye, said the price of a 25-litre keg of vegetable oil, which sold for N5,800 a month ago, had increased marginally to N6,000.

Similarly, it was gathered that the price of the 25-litre keg of palm oil had risen by 6.7 per cent from N6,000 to N6,400 within the same period.

The last-minute rush by consumers to buy rice, which is commonly given out as gift in the festive period, has pushed up the price.

A rice retailer, who identified herself as Mrs. Matiluko, said that the price of the Caprice brand of the commodity had increased from N8,000 to N9,000 a bag; Rising Sun brand recorded 6.7 per cent increase, while the Mama Goltd variety increased by 4.2 per cent from N12,000 to N12,500.

A distributor of rice at the Daleko Market, Mr. Innocent Nwanguma, told our correspondent that the wholesale price of the food item had been relatively stable, but added that retailers had marked it up a little so as to make extra profits.

"The market price of rice has been stable for some time now and we have not experienced exceptional demand as compared with previous years," he said.

The Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, was reported to have said that the relatively stable prices of food items despite the devaluation of the naira was due to massive food production initiatives introduced by the government in the last three years.

At the Abattoir Market in Oko-Oba, a fowl seller, Mr. Dapo Fagbamila, told our correspondent that the price of chicken ranged from N1,500 to N2,500, depending on their sizes and breed.

He said it was expected that last-minute buyers, particularly on Christmas day, might pay up to N3,000 for an average life chicken.

In the same market, a ram seller, Mr. Dare Odutola, said the price of the animal, had fallen by about 20 per cent from what it was during the last Eid-il-Kabir celebration in October.

"The biggest ram, which was sold then for N50,000, now sells for N40,000, while the smaller ones can be purchased for N15,000," he said.‎

Rivers State governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has called on Christians to imbibe the spirit of oneness and political tolerance as they celebrate this year's Christmas.

In a statement in Port Harcourt on Wednesday by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. David Iyofor, the governor charged Christian faithful to be fervent in praying for Nigeria so that the country would achieve the desired change in 2015.

Amaechi appealed to Christians across the country to emulate the virtues of Christ, maintaining that with peace, strength and unity, Nigeria would be the envy of other African nations.

He said, "As we celebrate the birth of Christ, I want to call on all Nigerians, particularly my fellow Christians and Rivers people, to be peaceful and show love to everyone irrespective of their religious or political background.

"The reason for this season is nothing other than to show love to our neighbours and live in unity."

Also, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike, called on the indigenes of the state and Nigerians in general to promote unity, friendship, love and peaceful coexistence for the nation to attain development.

In a Christmas message, Wike urged Nigerians to share love and friendship during the festive season.

He explained that building of friendship across all divides would place the country on the right pedestal for the much needed development.‎

Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has expressed shock at the contents of former President Olusegun Obasanjo's controversial autobiography titled, My Watch.

Soyinka, in a piece titled, 'Watch And Pray, Watch And Prey',   described Obasanjo as an expert in telling lies and   a shameless man.

Soyinka is one of the personalities the former President slammed in the three-volume controversial book which an Abuja court ordered security agencies to confiscate wherever it is being sold.

He described the literary icon as a misfit, a better wine connoisseur and a guinea fowl hunter  in the book.

"For Wole, no one can be good, nor can anything be spot-on politically except that which emanates from him or is ordained by him. His friends and loved ones will always be right and correct no matter what they do or fail to do. He is surely a better wine connoisseur and a more successful aparo (guinea fowl) hunter than a political critic, " Obasanjo wrote.

But, Soyinka who, by the tone of his piece did not find Obasanjo comment funny, said, "I despise that species of humanity whose stock-in-trade is to concoct lies simply to score a point, win an argument, puff up his or her own ego, denigrate or attempt to destroy a fellow being.

"However, even within such deplorable species, a special pit of universal opprobrium is surely reserved for those who even lack the courage of their own lies, but must foist them on others."

He also took a swipe at the former President   for   openly condemning his former Special Adviser, Mr. Akin Osuntokun, who is "young enough to be his son."

The playwright said, "For now, let me single out just one of the most glaring instances of this man's compulsive career of lying, one sample that the media can readily check upon and use as a touchstone – if they do need one – in assessing our author's multifaceted claims and commentaries on people and events.

"I refer here to the grotesque and personally insulting statement that he has attributed to me for some inscrutable but obviously diversionary reasons.

"In the process, this past Master of Mendacity brazenly implicates an innocent young man, Akin Osuntokun, who once served him as a special adviser. Instead of conferring dignity on a direct rebuttal of an ignoble fabrication, I shall simply make a personal, all-embracing attestation:

"When an old man stuffs a lie into the throat of an age-mate of his own children – omo inu e! – we can only pity an irredeemable egomaniac whose dotage is headed for twilight disgrace."

The literary icon also revisited the controversial   Obasanjo Presidential library, saying it was acquired through 'executive extortionism' just as President Goodluck Jonathan recently got over N21bn at a dinner/fund-raiser last Saturday.

He noted that both Jonathan and Obasanjo were leaders known for impunity.

Soyinka said, "That obscene proceeding (Obasanjo's Library Fund-raising) has certainly set a competitive precedent for impunity in President Jonathan's recent fund-raising shindig, editorialised in The PUNCH (Dec. 23, 2014) as Impunity Taken too Far.

"So much for the latest from that direction – we mustn't allow Handing-Over notes between presidents to distract us for too long."

He said Obasanjo had no right to take the moral high ground.

Soyinka added that   Obasanjo loved to call on the name of God but his actions implied that he probably did not believe in God's existence.

He urged Nigerians to be careful about taking heed to the advice of Obasanjo as the former President was very deceptive.

Soyinka wrote, "In this season of goodwill, we owe a duty to our immediate and distant neighbours: CAVEAT EMPTOR! Let all beware, who try to buy a Rolex from this indefatigable watch peddler," he said.

"Our author invokes God tirelessly, without provocation, without necessity and without justification, perhaps pre-emptively, but does he really believe in such an entity? Does our home-bred Double-O-Seven believe in anything outside his own Omnipotence?

"Could he possibly have mistaken the Christian exhortation – 'Watch and Pray' for his private inclination to "Watch and Prey?"

He maintained that Obasanjo's book was written in a deceitful manner such that he took credit for the good deeds of others and then blamed others for his own failure.

"This is a seasoned predator on others' achievements – he preys on their names, their characters, their motivations, their true lives, preys on gossip and preys on facts, preys on contributions to collective undertakings…..even preys on their identities, substituting his own where possible," Soyinka said.

Soyinka compared Obasanjo to a creature in Igbo Olodumare, a novel written by the late Daniel Fagunwa.

Although he did not mention Obasanjo's name while making comparisons, he said only one man could fit into that description.

He said, "The seventh (creature) is not among those who set out to improve the world but rather to cause distress to its inhabitants. It was through manipulations that he attained a high position. Having achieved this however, he constantly blocked the progress of those behind him, this being a most deplorable act in the eyes of God, and rank behaviour in the judgment of the dwellers of heaven – that anyone who has enjoyed upliftment in life should seek to be an obstacle for those who follow him.

"This man forgot the beings of earth, forgot the beings of heaven, in turn, he forgot the presence of God. The worst kind of behaviour agitated his hands – greed occupied the centre of his heart, and he was a creature that walked in darkness.

"This man wallowed in bribery, he was chairman of the circle of scheming, head of the gang of double-dealing, field-marshal of those who crept about in the dark of night. With his mouth, he ruined the work of others, while he used a big potsherd to cover the good works of some, that others might not see their attainments.

"He nosed around for secrets that would entrap his companions, and blew them up into monumental crimes in the eyes of the world. He who turns the world upside down, places the deceitful on the throne, casts the truthful down – because such is a being of base earth, he will never stand as equal among the uplifted."‎