BlackBox Nigeria

Ekiti State governor, Ayo Fayose has urged Nigerian students to shun violence in the February general election.
Governor Fayose gave the advice at Oye Ekiti, Ilupeju Ekiti, Odo Oro Ekiti and Ikole Ekiti yesterday during a campaign tour to the area.
In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, Fayose urged the students not to vote for money but conscience, stressing that it would be suicidal for the students to mortgage their future.
The governor further told the students not to allow the politicians to use them to execute violence, saying, " if they give you gun to kill, don't accept it, if they give you money as copers to falsify result for them, don't do it.
"Remember that these politicians will not use their own children to execute violence. Therefore, if they cannot engage their own children, I see no reason to surrender yourselves to them."
Fayose urged Ekiti people to come out en mass to vote Pres ident Goodluck Jonathan and all the PDP state assembly and national assembly candidates in the state.
The governor also addressed local government workers at Oye, and Ikole local governments, urging them to vote for PDP.

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NIGERIAN Security Chiefs, yesterday, said the military was ready for the general elections expected to commence on February 14 with the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
The Service Chiefs who revealed this at the National Peace Committee for the 2015 elections meeting with representatives of different political parties in Abuja said that all the logistic problems that had affected the 2011 elections had been taken care of to ensure that the elections go as scheduled.
Specifically, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosun said; "We have commenced the airlift of the materials needed for the elections starting from Abuja, we will continue with the elections. The whole spectrum of the elections would be involved. It was logistics problems that made us to postpone the election four years ago, it is not going to happen again, we are already ahead of the game.
"We have a lot of unmanned airports in Nigeria, we have already deployed our men, we are going to man those airports. So, should we have saboteurs planning to use any of those airfields, it will be difficult for them. We are going to block all those unmanned airfields. We have already deployed and set up our soldiers to man those airfields. Those are the areas we may have linkages, the airport security, we are already ahead of the game to man the airfields to stop those that will want to bring in illegal materials into the country."
The Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh, said that though the military was much occupied with the insurgency in the north-east, they had capacity to tame any act of violence before, during and after the election. He said, "We are not directly involved in elections and electioneering but before the elections, we deploy will our personnel across the nation to assist civil powers and authority. During the elections, as we have done in other states, we also ensure that people are not used to go and cause trouble or mayhem after the elections and should there be any disturbances, we will assist the police.
"The military will deploy as much as we can across the nation. Even though we are busy in the north east, we also have capability across the nation."
Chief of Army Staff General Kenneth Minimah said, "We are aware of the need for security before, during and after the elections. We will deploy across the states of the federation, in areas we discover that have capacity for violence. We are prepared to ensure we have a peaceful election. I appeal to politicians to obey the rules of the game and advise their followers to respect the laws of the land. As stipulated in the Electoral Act and the Constitution, no individual or groups should take the laws into their hands. We want the nation to have peace after this election."
The former Head of State, Genera Abdulsalam Abubakar who is the Chairman of National Peace Committee for the 2015 elections said that Nigeria could not afford to experience the kind of electoral carnage that followed election process in some parts of the world, urging politicians to desist from making provocative statements that are capable of disrupting the nation's peace.
"I have been involved in a lot of peace talks. It is sad when you go round Africa and see the kind of injuries inflicted on people as a result of electoral violence. We appeal to Nigerians to eschew violence. The contestants signed an accord to maintain peace; we demand that their followers maintain peace. The media has a herculean task to preach peace and avoid sensational reporting. We are not taking these threats lightly; we have noted the various utterances."

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National Association of Nigerian Traditional Medicine Practitioners in Ekiti State has warned politicians against bloodshed in the coming elections.

The association appealed to clerics to stop prophesying doom for the country, which it said could further ignite tension and cause chaos in the system.

At its first meeting of the year held in Ado Ekiti on Friday, where over 4,000 members across the 16 Local Government Areas of the State had converged to offer prayers, the body also endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan's reelection bid.‎

Briefing newsmen in Ado Ekiti, the State Chairman of NANTMP, Chief Jacob Orisamika, described Jonathan as a humble person who can be trusted with power.

"We are supporting President Jonathan because we have consulted the oracle and it revealed that he is the best for the position. It was revealed that Nigerians will benefit more under him than any other candidates.

"Aside this, we have to show our support to Governor Ayodele Fayose who has been relating with Ekiti people closely. I believe that whatever the Governor supports must be supported by all Ekiti indigenes because Fayose is a man of the people," he said.

Expressing worries over the doom being prophesied by religious leaders, the association urged Nigerians, regardless of faith, to continue to pray for the survival of the country.

"We want to state unequivocally that Nigeria won't witness any bloodshed or cease to exist after this election. Though, there may be some pocket of skirmishes, but we shall overcome and continue to forge ahead as a nation," Orisamika said.

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Citing the need to de­fuse the rising tension in the land, among other rea­sons, the Federal Government is set to shift the com­ing polls by six weeks, the Daily Times has reported.

The presidential and Na­tional Assembly elections are currently scheduled for February 14, while those of the states will hold on Feb­ruary 28.
Daily Times authorita­tively learnt that under the new proposal, the elections may now hold at the end of March.
The proposed change is hinged on the mounting tension in the country se­quel to violent displays at some of the ongoing cam­paigns across the country.

The feeling inside gov­ernment circles is that there is need to let the ten­sion, which is nearing boil­ing point in the country at the moment, come down before the election could hold, otherwise there could be an implosion.

Sources say that within the six weeks, efforts will be made to calm frayed nerves and encourage more people to embrace peace.
It is feared that the presi­dential election in particu­lar may lead to an implo­sion in the country.

The body language in the North suggests a possible repeat of the bloodletting that occurred after Jona­than was declared winner of the 2011 election, if the incumbent wins again. It is also feared that a similar turmoil may erupt, espe­cially in the South South, if General Muhammadu Buhari of the All progres­sives Congress (APC) wins the election. Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is an Ijaw from the South South area of the country.

Besides, there is uncer­tainty over whether the elections could validly hold in the North Eastern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa which have been wracked by the Boko Ha­ram insurgency. There are security concerns over the safety of full-time and ad-hoc staff of the Indepen­dent Electoral Commission (INEC) during the polls.

This development was further accentuated by the recent declaration by European Union Election Observers who said they would not be visiting the troubled states over con­cerns for their safety.

Another reason being adduced for the proposed shift is the non-availability of the Permanent Voters Cards (PVC) across the states. The fear is that this may end up in the disen­franchisement of many eli­gible voters.

Thus, the Presidency be­lieves that shifting the polls by about six weeks would allow more people to get their PVCs and be eligible to vote.
Indeed, Section 26 (6) of the Electoral Act 2010 stip­ulates that an election to the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be held not earlier than 150 days to the expiration of the date of office and not later than 30 days to the expiration of the office.
Thus, if the six weeks shift is finally accepted, it will be within the time stipulated by the Electoral Act as there will be about 60 days before the expiration of the incumbent's stay in office.

Last month, the National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (Rtd) at a talkshop in the UK mooted the idea of a slight shift in the date of the elections, a development that has sparked heated debates across the country.

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Three different High Court buildings in Degema, Isiokpo and Port Harcourt areas of Rivers, have been bombed.

The explosions rocked the court buildings in the early hours of Monday, February 2.

One of the courts in Degema was said to have been completely razed by unidentified arsonists with many documents burnt beyond recognition.

Meanwhile, the State Police Command confirmed that there were minimal damages and no casualty was recorded in the attacks.

The bombings come barely 48 hours after the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), suspended the eight-month-old strike in Rivers State.

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LAGOS, Nigeria — WE call it light; "electricity" is too sterile a word, and "power" too stiff, for this Nigerian phenomenon that can buoy spirits and smother dreams. Whenever I have been away from home for a while, my first question upon returning is always: "How has light been?" The response, from my gateman, comes in mournful degrees of a head shake.‎
Bad. Very bad.

The quality is as poor as the supply: Light bulbs dim like tired, resentful candles. Robust fans slow to a sluggish limp. Air-conditioners bleat and groan and make sounds they were not made to make, their halfhearted cooling leaving the air clammy. In this assault of low voltage, the compressor of an air-conditioner suffers — the compressor is its heart, and it is an expensive heart to replace. Once, my guest room air-conditioner caught fire. The room still bears the scars, the narrow lines between floor tiles smoke-stained black.

Sometimes the light goes off and on and off and on, and bulbs suddenly brighten as if jerked awake, before dimming again. Things spark and snap. A curl of smoke rises from the water heater. I feel myself at the mercy of febrile malignant powers, and I rush to pull my laptop plug out of the wall. Later, electricians are summoned and they diagnose the problem with the ease of a long acquaintance. The current is too high or too low, never quite right. A wire has melted. Another compressor will need to be replaced.

For succor, I turn to my generator, that large Buddha in a concrete shed near the front gate. It comes awake with a muted confident hum, and the difference in effect is so obvious it briefly startles: Light bulbs become brilliant and air-conditioners crisply cool.

The generator is electricity as electricity should be. It is also the repository of a peculiar psychology of Nigerian light: the lifting of mood. The generator is lord of my compound. Every month, two men filled with mysterious knowledge come to minister to it with potions and filters. Once, it stopped working and I panicked. The two men blamed dirty diesel, the sludgy, slow, expensive liquid wreathed in conspiracy theories. (We don't have regular electricity, some say, because of the political influence of diesel importers.) Now, before my gateman feeds the diesel into the generator, he strains it through a cloth and cleans out bits of dirt. The generator swallows liters and liters of diesel. Each time I count out cash to buy yet another jerrycan full, my throat tightens.

I spend more on diesel than on food.

My particular misfortune is working from home. I do not have a corporate office to escape to, where the electricity is magically paid for. My ideal of open windows and fresh, breathable air is impossible in Lagos's seething heat. (Leaving Lagos is not an option. I love living here, where Nigeria's energy and initiative are concentrated, where Nigerians bring their biggest dreams.) To try to cut costs — sustainably, I imagine — I buy an inverter. Its silvery, boxlike batteries make a corner of the kitchen look like a physics lab.


The inverter's batteries charge while there is light, storing energy that can be used later, but therein lies the problem: The device requires electricity to be able to give electricity. And it is fragile, helpless in the face of the water pump and microwave. Finally, I buy a second generator, a small, noisy machine, inelegant and scrappy. It uses petrol, which is cheaper than diesel, and can power lights and fans and freezers but only one air-conditioner, and so I move my writing desk from my study to my bedroom, to consolidate cool air.

Day after day, I awkwardly navigate between my sources of light, the big generator for family gatherings, the inverter for cooler nights, the small generator for daytime work.

Like other privileged Nigerians who can afford to, I have become a reluctant libertarian, providing my own electricity, participating in a precarious frontier spirit. But millions of Nigerians do not have this choice. They depend on the malnourished supply from their electricity companies.

In 2005, a law was passed to begin privatizing the generation and distribution of electricity, and ostensibly to revamp the old system rooted in bureaucratic rot. Ten years on, little has changed. Most of the companies that produce electricity from gas and hydro sources, and all of the distribution companies that serve customers, are now privately owned. But the link between them — the transmission company — is still owned by the federal government.

I cannot help but wonder how many medical catastrophes have occurred in public hospitals because of "no light," how much agricultural produce has gone to waste, how many students forced to study in stuffy, hot air have failed exams, how many small businesses have foundered. What greatness have we lost, what brilliance stillborn? I wonder, too, how differently our national character might have been shaped, had we been a nation with children who took light for granted, instead of a nation whose toddlers learn to squeal with pleasure at the infrequent lighting of a bulb.

As we prepare for elections next month, amid severe security concerns, this remains an essential and poignant need: a government that will create the environment for steady and stable electricity, and the simple luxury of a monthly bill.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is the author, most recently, of the novel "Americanah."

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22year old Bobbi Kristina, daughter of late singer, Whitney Houston according to recent report was found unresponsive in the bathtub inside her Georgia home yesterday and according to MTO, she haas been found to be brain dead… Here is how they put it:

MediaTakeOut.com just exclusively spoke to a hospital worker at North Fulton Hospital, where Bobbi is staying. We're told that Bobbi Kristina is "brain dead". The worker, who asked to remain anonymous said, "She lost oxygen to her brain for too long – she's not going to be able to recover." We asked if the worker was sure about Bobbi's condition, and they replied, "Yes, very sure."

We're also told that her father Bobby Brown, and family friends including Tyler Perry are at her bedside, praying for a miracle. Let's all say a special prayer for Bobbi tonight.

MediaTakeOut.com just learned MORE information – on what happened to Bobbi Kristina yesterday. As you all know, Bobbi Kristina was found FACE DOWN in a bathtub – and NON-RESPONSIVE. She was rushed to the hospital and placed into a medically induced coma. And we spoke EXCLUSIVELY to a person at the hospital – who described Bobbi's current condition as "brain dead". Her family is currently praying by her side, asking GOD for a miracle.

Initial reports were that Bobbi Kristina may have had a DRUG OVERDOSE . . . well now we're hearing otherwise. A person CLOSE to the Brown family tell MediaTakeOut.com exclusively that they suspect that Bobbi Kristina may have COMMITTED SUICIDE!!!

The insider dropped EXCLUSIVE TEA to us. The tipster explained, "Bobbi and [husband] Nick [Gordon] were not together. They were staying apart. Nicki got a call from Bobbi Kris and he felt that she was try to hurt herself. So he [and a friend] rushed home, and they found her."

We're told that Bobbi Kristina was in a DEEP DEPRESSION – caused by trouble in her marriage, and FRUSTRATION with the portrayal of her mother Whitney in a recent Lifetime Biopic movie.

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Chelsea have completed the signing of
Fiorentina winger Juan Cuadrado.

The Blues had long been in negotiations and the Serie A club's coach, Vincenzo Montella, revealed on Friday that a deal was in place , with
Mohamed Salah expected to head in
the other direction on loan.

Cuadrado has signed a four-and-a-half-year deal at Stamford Bridge, after Andre Schurrle's £22 million move to Wolfsburg was confirmed.
Having starred for his country at the World Cup, Cuadrado had been linked with summer moves to Barcelona and Manchester United, but
no deal ever came to fruition with either club.
Fiorentina insisted throughout January that their prized asset would only be allowed to leave if his release clause was paid in full -reportedly around £26m.
And it has now been confirmed that he will join the Blues and help the club's push for success in the Premier League, League Cup and
Champions League.
Cuadrado moved to Europe in 2009, joining Udinese from Independiente Medellin, before signing for Fiorentina in 2012

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BY MOSES ADEYEMI

The forward was given permission to miss training on Monday due to personal reasons.
The Argentine international played a starring role as Barca twice came from behind to beat Villarreal 3-2 in a La Liga encounter on Sunday, scoring the third and ultimately decisive goal.

Messi - who has 22 league goals this term - did not partake in the club's recovery session, although Barca did not elaborate on the reasons why.

The first team had trained on Monday morning at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper, read a statement on Barcelona's website.

After the 3-2 win over Villarreal in La Liga, the players have carried out work of recovery.

"Neymar, Dani Alves and Douglas have carried out specific work, while Leo Messi has not been training due to personal issues, with the permission of the club." the statement said.

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Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Godswill Akpabio, said duriing the PDP presidential rally in Akwa ibom that President Goodluck Jonathan would get at least 1.6 million votes in the February 14 election.

Akpabio while addressing the crowd said,‎
"Mr. President, 1.6 million Akwa Ibom votes await you on February 14. We don't want a government that will only build prisons. We want a government that will build schools,"

President Jonathan also said while addressing the large crowd of supporters, that PDP governors had performed better than their All Progressives Congress counterparts.

He said,
"We give our governors that freedom and freewill to do what is right for the people because they were voted for by their people. We don't dictate who gets contracts from our governors; we don't dictate who gets appointments from our governors.
"Our governors govern their state with the help of indigenes of the state and make sure that the resources of the state are used judiciously to help the state. We don't ask them to bring resources to us in Abuja. They spend the state funds in the state to develop the state. That is why PDP states are doing very well.
"All PDP states have state-owned universities. There are some states that don't have state-owned universities and they will tell you they are changing. Changing to what? I don't know where the change is going."

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