Monday, June 1, 2015
Governor Ambode Dumps Residence Fashola Stayed For Eight Years...See Reasons!!!
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The new Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode has dumped the high-class State House, Marina where the former Governor, Babatunde Fashola lived for eight years, preferring to stay at the State House, Ikeja, Lagos.
The State House, Ikeja was built by former Governor Bola Tinubu and both residences serve as official and and residential, but former Governor Fashola had preferred to live at the Marina State House rather than Ikeja.
At a meeting with Permanent Secretaries at the weekend, Ambode said he would be living at the State House, Ikeja to be punctual by resuming work at 8:00am.
According to him, his choice to live at the State House, Ikeja meant that he would be at his desk at 8am daily, urging public servants to ensure they resumed early for work.
Ambode warned that resumption to office by all civil servants at 8:00am is a must as it was not going to be business as usual.
"I am advising the public servants to align with my administration. I expect all public servants to also be at their desks by 8:00am so that if I have cause to get in touch with anyone, they would be readily available," he said.
Ambode said his administration would embark on continuous reforms in the public service and to demonstrate that the government belonged to the citizens, saying that "you have put us here as servants to serve you and not you serving us. Today we are committed to that creed.
"Moving forward, the Civil Service will be strengthened and made to respond to the needs of all citizens in the same manner quality services are rendered in the private sector.
"My administration is prepared to take the decisions needed to promote merit and professionalism. To restructure where required, eliminate poor Human Resource practices and accelerate the pace of reforms in the spirit of good governance," he said.
Ambode formally resumed for work on Monday morning at about 8:00am at the State House, Ikeja after he was sworn in on Friday at the Tafawa Balewa Square, TBS, Lagos.
The new Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode has dumped the high-class State House, Marina where the former Governor, Babatunde Fashola lived for eight years, preferring to stay at the State House, Ikeja, Lagos.
The State House, Ikeja was built by former Governor Bola Tinubu and both residences serve as official and and residential, but former Governor Fashola had preferred to live at the Marina State House rather than Ikeja.
At a meeting with Permanent Secretaries at the weekend, Ambode said he would be living at the State House, Ikeja to be punctual by resuming work at 8:00am.
According to him, his choice to live at the State House, Ikeja meant that he would be at his desk at 8am daily, urging public servants to ensure they resumed early for work.
Ambode warned that resumption to office by all civil servants at 8:00am is a must as it was not going to be business as usual.
"I am advising the public servants to align with my administration. I expect all public servants to also be at their desks by 8:00am so that if I have cause to get in touch with anyone, they would be readily available," he said.
Ambode said his administration would embark on continuous reforms in the public service and to demonstrate that the government belonged to the citizens, saying that "you have put us here as servants to serve you and not you serving us. Today we are committed to that creed.
"Moving forward, the Civil Service will be strengthened and made to respond to the needs of all citizens in the same manner quality services are rendered in the private sector.
"My administration is prepared to take the decisions needed to promote merit and professionalism. To restructure where required, eliminate poor Human Resource practices and accelerate the pace of reforms in the spirit of good governance," he said.
Ambode formally resumed for work on Monday morning at about 8:00am at the State House, Ikeja after he was sworn in on Friday at the Tafawa Balewa Square, TBS, Lagos.
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First Day At Work! Governor Ambode Settles Down To Business...
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Governor Akinwunmi Ambode today officially resumed duty at the Governor's office haven been sworn-in on Friday May29.
The picture above shows the Governor deeply engrossed with the job at hand...
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Kim Kadashian Is Pregnant Again!!!
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Kim Kardashian, who's already mother to North West, is expecting her second child with husband, Kanye West.
According to E! Online, the 34-year old reality TV star, revealed she's expecting her second child with Kanye, in the super-tease following today's mid-season finale of 'Keeping up With the Kardashians'.
The clip shows Kim hearing the exciting news during a doctor's appointment shortly before she exclaimed at her sister, Khloe Kardashian.
She said: 'I just got the blood test back, and I am pregnant!'
Kim was recently reported to be undergoing IVF in order to help conceive a second child with her husband, Kanye West, and, while being shown an ultrasound image of her ovaries by a doctor in a new clip from 'Keeping Up With The Kardashians', she admitted that she's 'over' trying for a baby.
According to E! Online, the 34-year old reality TV star, revealed she's expecting her second child with Kanye, in the super-tease following today's mid-season finale of 'Keeping up With the Kardashians'.
The clip shows Kim hearing the exciting news during a doctor's appointment shortly before she exclaimed at her sister, Khloe Kardashian.
She said: 'I just got the blood test back, and I am pregnant!'
Kim was recently reported to be undergoing IVF in order to help conceive a second child with her husband, Kanye West, and, while being shown an ultrasound image of her ovaries by a doctor in a new clip from 'Keeping Up With The Kardashians', she admitted that she's 'over' trying for a baby.
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Flying Eagles In Bleak Start As Brazil Shows Superiority
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The Nigerian U20 side has started the ongoing Fifa World Cup on a disappointing note after losing to Brazil in the early hours of today by two goals to four.
The Manu Garba side couldn't contain the South Americans who opened scoring in the 4th minute of the first half which the Nigerian side returned seven minutes later while also moving on to have a brief lead after a strike in the 27th minute.
The Brazilian side zoomed stronger with an equalizer in the 35th minute and two additional goals in the 60th and 80th minutes of the second half.
The Nigerian side had on its line up wonder kid, Kelechi Ihenachor as well as in-form Taiwo Awoniyi.
Nigeria plays Korea DPR on Thursday 4th of June in another group game.
The Nigerian U20 side has started the ongoing Fifa World Cup on a disappointing note after losing to Brazil in the early hours of today by two goals to four.
The Manu Garba side couldn't contain the South Americans who opened scoring in the 4th minute of the first half which the Nigerian side returned seven minutes later while also moving on to have a brief lead after a strike in the 27th minute.
The Brazilian side zoomed stronger with an equalizer in the 35th minute and two additional goals in the 60th and 80th minutes of the second half.
The Nigerian side had on its line up wonder kid, Kelechi Ihenachor as well as in-form Taiwo Awoniyi.
Nigeria plays Korea DPR on Thursday 4th of June in another group game.
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Superb Falcons Demolish Canadian Club 9-0
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Nigeria's Super Falcons continued their scintillating form ahead of the FIFA Women's World Cup next month by walloping Woodbridge FC 9-0 at the Woodbridge Soccer Centre in Toronto, Canada.
The match, which was the second friendly of the team during the tour, kicked off 6:30pm (Canadian time) on a very chilly Saturday, with Falcons dominating play from start to finish.
Though the Woodbridge ladies made one or two incursions into Falcons' goal area, they were no match for the African Champions who took the lead as early as the 4th minute through Ngozi Okobi and Asisat Oshoala (38th minute).
The second half witnessed seven goals as Perpetua Nkwocha opened the floodgates of goals as early as the 5th minute, with Ordega scoring a hat-trick and Dike's brace completing the rout.
Speaking after the match, Coach of the team, Edwin Okon, said he was much more delighted with his girls' style of play than the score line.
Okon said: "It was a very good game today. Though we won by a massive margin, I was very impressed with the team's coordination in all departments. This does not mean we won't still correct a few lapses here and there but I can see the team preparing well for the tournament proper.
"I'm glad we scored many goals because we need a strong firepower upfront to achieve our dream which is to lift the trophy of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. We will continue to work hard until we achieve this."
Nigeria's Super Falcons continued their scintillating form ahead of the FIFA Women's World Cup next month by walloping Woodbridge FC 9-0 at the Woodbridge Soccer Centre in Toronto, Canada.
The match, which was the second friendly of the team during the tour, kicked off 6:30pm (Canadian time) on a very chilly Saturday, with Falcons dominating play from start to finish.
Though the Woodbridge ladies made one or two incursions into Falcons' goal area, they were no match for the African Champions who took the lead as early as the 4th minute through Ngozi Okobi and Asisat Oshoala (38th minute).
The second half witnessed seven goals as Perpetua Nkwocha opened the floodgates of goals as early as the 5th minute, with Ordega scoring a hat-trick and Dike's brace completing the rout.
Speaking after the match, Coach of the team, Edwin Okon, said he was much more delighted with his girls' style of play than the score line.
Okon said: "It was a very good game today. Though we won by a massive margin, I was very impressed with the team's coordination in all departments. This does not mean we won't still correct a few lapses here and there but I can see the team preparing well for the tournament proper.
"I'm glad we scored many goals because we need a strong firepower upfront to achieve our dream which is to lift the trophy of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. We will continue to work hard until we achieve this."
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Sepp Blatter's Daughter Says Father Isn't Corrupt
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The daughter of Fifa president Sepp Blatter says he is not the sort of person to take money.
And Corinne Blatter says her father who has never been personally connected to the corruption investigation insists he is hard working and honest in his role."He's not concerned about potential arrest,not at all," she told the BBC . "Nobody's without fault, but he's not a person who is taking money. All the money he earned, he earned it by working.
He is a hard-working president. All these people saying he takes money I don't know what kind
of money he should take. His character is not like that.
But I can tell you, in about two or three weeks, nobody's going to talk about those any more. Other news is going to be top and he's
going to work normally.
Yhemmie_blaq
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Flying Eagles In Bleak Start As Brazil Shows Superiority
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The Nigerian U20 side has started the ongoing Fifa World Cup on a disappointing note after losing to Brazil in the early hours of today by two goals to four.
The Manu Garba side couldn't contain the South Americans who opened scoring in the 4th minute of the first half which the Nigerian side returned seven minutes later while also moving on to have a brief lead after a strike in the 27th minute.
The Brazilian side zoomed stronger with an equalizer in the 35th minute and two additional goals in the 60th and 80th minutes of the second half.
The Nigerian side had on its line up wonder kid, Kelechi Ihenachor as well as in-form Taiwo Awoniyi.
Nigeria plays Korea DPR on Thursday 4th of June in another group game.
The Nigerian U20 side has started the ongoing Fifa World Cup on a disappointing note after losing to Brazil in the early hours of today by two goals to four.
The Manu Garba side couldn't contain the South Americans who opened scoring in the 4th minute of the first half which the Nigerian side returned seven minutes later while also moving on to have a brief lead after a strike in the 27th minute.
The Brazilian side zoomed stronger with an equalizer in the 35th minute and two additional goals in the 60th and 80th minutes of the second half.
The Nigerian side had on its line up wonder kid, Kelechi Ihenachor as well as in-form Taiwo Awoniyi.
Nigeria plays Korea DPR on Thursday 4th of June in another group game.
@blackboxupdate
N8Bn Fraud: EFCC Drags CBN Workers To Court
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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has said that five top officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria and 16 others are to be arraigned for alleged complicity in an N8bn currency fraud on Tuesday (tomorrow).
The Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, said in an electronic mail on Sunday that the suspects were to be arraigned for circulating defaced and mutilated currency notes at the Federal High Court, Ibadan, Oyo State on June 2 (tomorrow).
Uwujaren said that the 16 others expected to be arraigned alongside the CBN bigwigs were members of staff of various commercial banks in the country.
He said that the suspects would be arraigned on a five count charge at the high court.
The EFCC spokesperson said that all the suspects now in the agency's custody connived to recycle the defaced and mutilated currencies they were asked to destroy by substituting the notes with newspapers cuttings in Naira note sizes.
Uwujaren said that the operatives of the commission got wind of the deal following a petition that N6.5bn was recycled by a syndicate involving top officials of the CBN in Ibadan, Oyo State.
He said, "The Economic and Financial Crime Commission has concluded arrangement to arraign in court, five top executives of the Central Bank of Nigeria, implicated in a mega scam involving the theft and recirculation of defaced and mutilated currencies.
"The suspects drawn from various business units of the apex bank are to be docked by the anti-graft agency before a Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State, from Tuesday, June 2, 2015 to Thursday June 4, 2015. The remaining 16 suspects are drawn from various commercial banks who were found to have conspired with the CBN executives to swing the heist.
"All the suspects who are currently in the custody of the EFCC are now ruing the day they literally allowed greed and craze for materialism to becloud their sense of judgment and responsibility, when they elected to help themselves to tonnes of defaced Naira notes.
"Instead of carrying out the statutory instruction to destroy the currency, they substituted it with newspapers neatly cut to Naira sizes and proceeded to recycle the defaced and mutilated currency."
"The fraud is partly to blame for the failure of government monetary policy over the years as currency mop up exercises by the apex bank failed to check the inflationary pressure on the economy.
"The lid on the scam which is widely suspected to have gone on unchecked for years, was blown on November 3, 2014 via a petition to the EFCC alleging that over N6,575,549,370.00 was cornered and discreetly recycled by light fingered top executives of the CBN at the Ibadan branch."
It was stated that the suspects were members of the CBN Briquetting Panel entrusted with the responsibility of seeing to the destruction of 'counted and audited dry notes' returned to the CBN by depositor banks such as Zenith Bank, FCMB, Wema Bank, Access Bank, First Bank, Skye Bank, Ecobank and Sterling Bank
He added that a member of the panel discovered that one of the boxes which were supposed to be filled with 20 bundles of old, mutilated dry N1,000 notes contained newspaper cuttings in Naira sizes on September 8, 2014.
He said that another fraud to the tune of N5bn was uncovered on September 22, 2014 as N500 notes to the tune of N5bn meant for destruction were replaced with newspaper cuttings.
Uwujaren said that the fraud could not be covered as a member of the Briquetting Panel of the CBN from Osogbo raised the alarm about the illicit deal.
The member who called attention to the alleged fraud was said to have confronted the Head of the panel and other members but was not satisfied by their response.
They were said to have omitted the discovery from her report on the exercise.
PunchThe Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, said in an electronic mail on Sunday that the suspects were to be arraigned for circulating defaced and mutilated currency notes at the Federal High Court, Ibadan, Oyo State on June 2 (tomorrow).
Uwujaren said that the 16 others expected to be arraigned alongside the CBN bigwigs were members of staff of various commercial banks in the country.
He said that the suspects would be arraigned on a five count charge at the high court.
The EFCC spokesperson said that all the suspects now in the agency's custody connived to recycle the defaced and mutilated currencies they were asked to destroy by substituting the notes with newspapers cuttings in Naira note sizes.
Uwujaren said that the operatives of the commission got wind of the deal following a petition that N6.5bn was recycled by a syndicate involving top officials of the CBN in Ibadan, Oyo State.
He said, "The Economic and Financial Crime Commission has concluded arrangement to arraign in court, five top executives of the Central Bank of Nigeria, implicated in a mega scam involving the theft and recirculation of defaced and mutilated currencies.
"The suspects drawn from various business units of the apex bank are to be docked by the anti-graft agency before a Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State, from Tuesday, June 2, 2015 to Thursday June 4, 2015. The remaining 16 suspects are drawn from various commercial banks who were found to have conspired with the CBN executives to swing the heist.
"All the suspects who are currently in the custody of the EFCC are now ruing the day they literally allowed greed and craze for materialism to becloud their sense of judgment and responsibility, when they elected to help themselves to tonnes of defaced Naira notes.
"Instead of carrying out the statutory instruction to destroy the currency, they substituted it with newspapers neatly cut to Naira sizes and proceeded to recycle the defaced and mutilated currency."
"The fraud is partly to blame for the failure of government monetary policy over the years as currency mop up exercises by the apex bank failed to check the inflationary pressure on the economy.
"The lid on the scam which is widely suspected to have gone on unchecked for years, was blown on November 3, 2014 via a petition to the EFCC alleging that over N6,575,549,370.00 was cornered and discreetly recycled by light fingered top executives of the CBN at the Ibadan branch."
It was stated that the suspects were members of the CBN Briquetting Panel entrusted with the responsibility of seeing to the destruction of 'counted and audited dry notes' returned to the CBN by depositor banks such as Zenith Bank, FCMB, Wema Bank, Access Bank, First Bank, Skye Bank, Ecobank and Sterling Bank
He added that a member of the panel discovered that one of the boxes which were supposed to be filled with 20 bundles of old, mutilated dry N1,000 notes contained newspaper cuttings in Naira sizes on September 8, 2014.
He said that another fraud to the tune of N5bn was uncovered on September 22, 2014 as N500 notes to the tune of N5bn meant for destruction were replaced with newspaper cuttings.
Uwujaren said that the fraud could not be covered as a member of the Briquetting Panel of the CBN from Osogbo raised the alarm about the illicit deal.
The member who called attention to the alleged fraud was said to have confronted the Head of the panel and other members but was not satisfied by their response.
They were said to have omitted the discovery from her report on the exercise.
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Buruji Kashamu Beg Neighbors, Shows Appreciation To Media For Support...
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Embattled politician and Senator, Mr. Buruji Kashamu has expressed appreciation to everyone who supported him during his travails with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency where he was placed under house arrest for days.
The controversial politician BlackBox Nigeria gathered also apologized to his neighbors for the inconveniences they faced during the saga.
Buruji in his statement said,
"I apologize to my neighbours in Lekki Phase 1, especially the management, members of staff and pupils of The Lagoon School, for all the pains and inconveniences you were subjected to. I know that you could not open the school throughout last week because of the barricade mounted by the fully armed and stern-looking NDLEA operatives. As an entrepreneur and a parent, I know the quantum of the loss you and your children have suffered as a result of the siege.
For the six days, I was denied access to my doctors despite having challenges with my blood and sugar levels. They rose astronomically, yet they would not budge.
So quite naturally, after those who illegally invaded my house left on Thursday night, I was rushed to a private hospital where I am presently receiving treatment.
Although, I plan to address the media, Nigerians and the whole world on my present travails and the intricate web of politics and manoeuvrings that led to it soon, I cannot wait to say thank you to all those who stood my me through the six dark days and nights.
I have been traumatized and unjustly victimized but your fervent prayers, solidarity and support kept me. I thank you for standing by me. May the almighty Allah Subhana wa tala, who has been my refuge and stay, stand by you all.
I am really grateful to the media and the judiciary and would forever live to cherish these institutions and their personnel. Words would fail me in showing my appreciation to you, but know that I owe you a debt of gratitude that I may never be able to repay".
Embattled politician and Senator, Mr. Buruji Kashamu has expressed appreciation to everyone who supported him during his travails with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency where he was placed under house arrest for days.
The controversial politician BlackBox Nigeria gathered also apologized to his neighbors for the inconveniences they faced during the saga.
Buruji in his statement said,
"I apologize to my neighbours in Lekki Phase 1, especially the management, members of staff and pupils of The Lagoon School, for all the pains and inconveniences you were subjected to. I know that you could not open the school throughout last week because of the barricade mounted by the fully armed and stern-looking NDLEA operatives. As an entrepreneur and a parent, I know the quantum of the loss you and your children have suffered as a result of the siege.
For the six days, I was denied access to my doctors despite having challenges with my blood and sugar levels. They rose astronomically, yet they would not budge.
So quite naturally, after those who illegally invaded my house left on Thursday night, I was rushed to a private hospital where I am presently receiving treatment.
Although, I plan to address the media, Nigerians and the whole world on my present travails and the intricate web of politics and manoeuvrings that led to it soon, I cannot wait to say thank you to all those who stood my me through the six dark days and nights.
I have been traumatized and unjustly victimized but your fervent prayers, solidarity and support kept me. I thank you for standing by me. May the almighty Allah Subhana wa tala, who has been my refuge and stay, stand by you all.
I am really grateful to the media and the judiciary and would forever live to cherish these institutions and their personnel. Words would fail me in showing my appreciation to you, but know that I owe you a debt of gratitude that I may never be able to repay".
@blackboxupdate
Shame! Dismissed Soldier Nabbed For Robbery
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A 42 year old man, Adokie Tombra has been apprehended for armed robbery which he carries out alongside other cohorts while adorning military camouflage.
The suspect was nabbed by men of the Police Men from the Festac division and he is disclosed to be a member of a deadly gang who robs people in traffic around the Mile2 -Alakija axis of Lagos.
The suspect it was discovered was a former military man who was made to leave the military several years ago due to certain wrong doings not available as at the time of filing this report.
The Lagos State Police Spokeman has disclosed that the suspect would be taken to court as soon as investigations was concluded.
The suspect was nabbed by men of the Police Men from the Festac division and he is disclosed to be a member of a deadly gang who robs people in traffic around the Mile2 -Alakija axis of Lagos.
The suspect it was discovered was a former military man who was made to leave the military several years ago due to certain wrong doings not available as at the time of filing this report.
The Lagos State Police Spokeman has disclosed that the suspect would be taken to court as soon as investigations was concluded.
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Chimananda Adichie Writes On Father's Kidnapping
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MY father was kidnapped in Nigeria on a Saturday morning in early May. My brother called to tell me, and suddenly there was not enough breathable air in the world. My father is 83 years old. A small, calm, contented man, with a quietly mischievous humor and a luminous faith in God, his beautiful dark skin unlined, his hair in sparse silvery tufts, his life shaped by that stoic, dignified responsibility of being an Igbo first son.
He got his doctoral degree at Berkeley in the 1960s, on a scholarship from the United States Agency for International Development; became Nigeria's first professor of statistics; raised six children and many relatives; and taught at the University of Nigeria for 50 years. Now he makes fun of himself, at how slowly he climbs the stairs, how he forgets his cellphone. He talks often of his childhood, endearing and rambling stories, his words tender with wisdom.
Sometimes I record his Igbo proverbs, his turns of phrase. A disciplined diabetic, he takes daily walks and is to be found, after each meal, meticulously recording his carbohydrate grams in a notebook. He spends hours bent over Sudoku. He swallows a handful of pills everyday. His is a generation at dusk.
On the morning he was kidnapped, he had a bag of okpa, apples and bottled water that my mother had packed for him. He was in the back seat of his car, his driver at the wheel, on a lonely stretch between Nsukka, the university town where he lives, and Abba, our ancestral hometown. He was going to attend a traditional meeting of men from his age group. A two-hour drive. My mother was planning their late lunch upon his return: pounded yam and a fresh soup. They always called each other when either traveled alone. This time, he didn't call. She called him and his phone was switched off. They never switched off their phones. Hour after hour, she called and it remained off. Later, her phone rang, and although it was my father's number calling, a stranger said, "We have your husband."
Kidnappings are not uncommon in southeastern Nigeria and, unlike similar incidents in the Niger Delta, where foreigners are targeted, here it is wealthy or prominent local residents. Still, the number of abductions has declined in the past few years, which perhaps is why my reaction, in the aftermath of my shock, was surprise.
My close-knit family banded together more tightly and held vigil by our phones. The kidnappers said they would call back, but they did not. We waited. The desire to urge time forward numbed and ate my soul. My mother took her phone with her everywhere, and she heard it ringing when it wasn't. The waiting was unbearable. I imagined my father in a diabetic coma. I imagined his octogenarian heart collapsing.
"How can they do this violence to a man who would not kill an ant?" my mother lamented. My sister said, "Daddy will be fine because he is a righteous man." Ordinarily, I would never use "righteous" in a non-pejorative way. But something shifted in my perception of language. The veneer of irony fell away. It felt true. Later, I repeated it to myself. My father would be fine because he was a "righteous man."
I understood then the hush that surrounds kidnappings in Nigeria, why families often said little even after it was over. We felt paranoid. We did not know if going public would jeopardize my father's life, if the neighbors were complicit, if another member of the family might be kidnapped as well.
"Is my husband alive?" my mother asked, when the kidnappers finally called back, and her voice broke. "Shut up!" the male voice said. My mother called him "my son." Sometimes, she said "sir." Anything not to antagonize him while she begged and pleaded, about my father being ill, about the ransom being too high. How do you bargain for the life of your husband? How do you speak of your life partner in the deadened tone of a business transaction?
"If you don't give us what we want, you will never see his dead body," the voice said.
My paternal grandfather died in a refugee camp during the Nigeria-Biafra war and his anonymous death, his unknown grave, has haunted my father's life. Those words — "You will never see his dead body" — shook us all.
Kidnapping's ugly psychological melodrama works because it trades on the most precious of human emotions: love. They put my father on the phone, and his voice was a low shadow of itself. "Give them what they want," he said. "I will not survive if I stay here longer." My stoic father. It had been three days but it felt like weeks.
Friends called to ask for bank-account details so they could donate toward the ransom. It felt surreal. Did it ever feel real to anybody in such a situation, I wondered? The scramble to raise the money in one day. The menacingly heavy bag of cash. My brother dropping it off, through a circuitous route, in a wooded area.
Late that night, my father was taken to a clearing and set free.
While his blood sugar and pressure were checked, my father kept reassuring us that he was fine, thanking us over and over for doing all we could. This is what he knows how to be — the protector, the father — and he slipped into his role almost as a defense. But there were cracks in his spirit. A drag in his gait. A bruise on his back.
"They asked me to climb into the boot of their car," he said. "I was going to do so, but one of them picked me up and threw me inside. Threw. The boot was full of things and I hit my head on something. They drove fast. The road was very bumpy."
I imagined this grace-filled man crumpled inside the rear of a rusty car. My rage overwhelmed my relief — that he suffered such an indignity to his body and mind.
And yet he engaged them in conversation. "I tried to reach their human side," he said. "I told them I was worried about my wife."
The next day, my parents were on a flight to the United States, away from the tainted blur that Nigeria had become.
With my father's release, we all cried, as though it was over. But one thing had ended and another begun. I constantly straddled panic; I was sleepless, unfocused, jumpy, fearful that something else had gone wrong. And there was my own sad guilt: He was targeted because of me. "Ask your daughter the writer to bring the money," the kidnappers told him, because to appear in newspapers in Nigeria, to be known, is to be assumed wealthy. The image of my father shut away in the rough darkness of a car boot haunted me. Who had done this? I needed to know.
But ours was a dance of disappointment with the authorities. We had reported the kidnapping immediately, and the first shock soon followed: Security officials in my home state asked us to pay for anti-kidnap tracking equipment, a large amount, enough to rent a two-bedroom flat in Lagos for a year. This, despite my being privileged enough to get personal reassurances from officials at the highest levels.
How, I wondered, did other families in similar situations cope? Federal authorities told us they needed authorization from the capital, Abuja, which was our responsibility to get. We made endless phone calls, helpless and frustrated. It was as though with my father's ransomed release, the crime itself had disappeared. To encounter that underbelly, to discover the hollowness beneath government proclamations of security, was jarring.
Now my father smiles and jokes, even of the kidnapping. But he jerks awake from his naps at the sound of a blender or a lawn mower, his eyes darting about. He recounts, in the middle of a meal, apropos of nothing, a detail about the mosquito-filled room where he was kept or the rough feel of the blindfold around his eyes. My greatest sadness is that he will never forget.
He got his doctoral degree at Berkeley in the 1960s, on a scholarship from the United States Agency for International Development; became Nigeria's first professor of statistics; raised six children and many relatives; and taught at the University of Nigeria for 50 years. Now he makes fun of himself, at how slowly he climbs the stairs, how he forgets his cellphone. He talks often of his childhood, endearing and rambling stories, his words tender with wisdom.
Sometimes I record his Igbo proverbs, his turns of phrase. A disciplined diabetic, he takes daily walks and is to be found, after each meal, meticulously recording his carbohydrate grams in a notebook. He spends hours bent over Sudoku. He swallows a handful of pills everyday. His is a generation at dusk.
On the morning he was kidnapped, he had a bag of okpa, apples and bottled water that my mother had packed for him. He was in the back seat of his car, his driver at the wheel, on a lonely stretch between Nsukka, the university town where he lives, and Abba, our ancestral hometown. He was going to attend a traditional meeting of men from his age group. A two-hour drive. My mother was planning their late lunch upon his return: pounded yam and a fresh soup. They always called each other when either traveled alone. This time, he didn't call. She called him and his phone was switched off. They never switched off their phones. Hour after hour, she called and it remained off. Later, her phone rang, and although it was my father's number calling, a stranger said, "We have your husband."
Kidnappings are not uncommon in southeastern Nigeria and, unlike similar incidents in the Niger Delta, where foreigners are targeted, here it is wealthy or prominent local residents. Still, the number of abductions has declined in the past few years, which perhaps is why my reaction, in the aftermath of my shock, was surprise.
My close-knit family banded together more tightly and held vigil by our phones. The kidnappers said they would call back, but they did not. We waited. The desire to urge time forward numbed and ate my soul. My mother took her phone with her everywhere, and she heard it ringing when it wasn't. The waiting was unbearable. I imagined my father in a diabetic coma. I imagined his octogenarian heart collapsing.
"How can they do this violence to a man who would not kill an ant?" my mother lamented. My sister said, "Daddy will be fine because he is a righteous man." Ordinarily, I would never use "righteous" in a non-pejorative way. But something shifted in my perception of language. The veneer of irony fell away. It felt true. Later, I repeated it to myself. My father would be fine because he was a "righteous man."
I understood then the hush that surrounds kidnappings in Nigeria, why families often said little even after it was over. We felt paranoid. We did not know if going public would jeopardize my father's life, if the neighbors were complicit, if another member of the family might be kidnapped as well.
"Is my husband alive?" my mother asked, when the kidnappers finally called back, and her voice broke. "Shut up!" the male voice said. My mother called him "my son." Sometimes, she said "sir." Anything not to antagonize him while she begged and pleaded, about my father being ill, about the ransom being too high. How do you bargain for the life of your husband? How do you speak of your life partner in the deadened tone of a business transaction?
"If you don't give us what we want, you will never see his dead body," the voice said.
My paternal grandfather died in a refugee camp during the Nigeria-Biafra war and his anonymous death, his unknown grave, has haunted my father's life. Those words — "You will never see his dead body" — shook us all.
Kidnapping's ugly psychological melodrama works because it trades on the most precious of human emotions: love. They put my father on the phone, and his voice was a low shadow of itself. "Give them what they want," he said. "I will not survive if I stay here longer." My stoic father. It had been three days but it felt like weeks.
Friends called to ask for bank-account details so they could donate toward the ransom. It felt surreal. Did it ever feel real to anybody in such a situation, I wondered? The scramble to raise the money in one day. The menacingly heavy bag of cash. My brother dropping it off, through a circuitous route, in a wooded area.
Late that night, my father was taken to a clearing and set free.
While his blood sugar and pressure were checked, my father kept reassuring us that he was fine, thanking us over and over for doing all we could. This is what he knows how to be — the protector, the father — and he slipped into his role almost as a defense. But there were cracks in his spirit. A drag in his gait. A bruise on his back.
"They asked me to climb into the boot of their car," he said. "I was going to do so, but one of them picked me up and threw me inside. Threw. The boot was full of things and I hit my head on something. They drove fast. The road was very bumpy."
I imagined this grace-filled man crumpled inside the rear of a rusty car. My rage overwhelmed my relief — that he suffered such an indignity to his body and mind.
And yet he engaged them in conversation. "I tried to reach their human side," he said. "I told them I was worried about my wife."
The next day, my parents were on a flight to the United States, away from the tainted blur that Nigeria had become.
With my father's release, we all cried, as though it was over. But one thing had ended and another begun. I constantly straddled panic; I was sleepless, unfocused, jumpy, fearful that something else had gone wrong. And there was my own sad guilt: He was targeted because of me. "Ask your daughter the writer to bring the money," the kidnappers told him, because to appear in newspapers in Nigeria, to be known, is to be assumed wealthy. The image of my father shut away in the rough darkness of a car boot haunted me. Who had done this? I needed to know.
But ours was a dance of disappointment with the authorities. We had reported the kidnapping immediately, and the first shock soon followed: Security officials in my home state asked us to pay for anti-kidnap tracking equipment, a large amount, enough to rent a two-bedroom flat in Lagos for a year. This, despite my being privileged enough to get personal reassurances from officials at the highest levels.
How, I wondered, did other families in similar situations cope? Federal authorities told us they needed authorization from the capital, Abuja, which was our responsibility to get. We made endless phone calls, helpless and frustrated. It was as though with my father's ransomed release, the crime itself had disappeared. To encounter that underbelly, to discover the hollowness beneath government proclamations of security, was jarring.
Now my father smiles and jokes, even of the kidnapping. But he jerks awake from his naps at the sound of a blender or a lawn mower, his eyes darting about. He recounts, in the middle of a meal, apropos of nothing, a detail about the mosquito-filled room where he was kept or the rough feel of the blindfold around his eyes. My greatest sadness is that he will never forget.
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President Buhari Yet To Move Into Aso Rock
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BlackBox Nigeria has gathered that Nigeria's new president, Muhammadu Buhari hasn't moved into the Presidential Villa. Buhari is believed to still be a resident of the Defence House in Abuja.
While stating the reasons for the President's refusal to move into the Villa, his Spokeman, Garba Shehu disclosed that the official residence of the President wasn't ready to house him as a lot of cleanings and refurbishing was ongoing.
"As far as the President is concerned, the place (his official residence) is not ready yet. Workers are cleaning and refurbishing the place. Once the exercise is completed, the President will move in," Shehu disclosed.
BlackBox Nigeria has gathered that Nigeria's new president, Muhammadu Buhari hasn't moved into the Presidential Villa. Buhari is believed to still be a resident of the Defence House in Abuja.
While stating the reasons for the President's refusal to move into the Villa, his Spokeman, Garba Shehu disclosed that the official residence of the President wasn't ready to house him as a lot of cleanings and refurbishing was ongoing.
"As far as the President is concerned, the place (his official residence) is not ready yet. Workers are cleaning and refurbishing the place. Once the exercise is completed, the President will move in," Shehu disclosed.
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American Secretary Of State John Kerry Breaks Leg A Day After Leaving Nigeria
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Mr. John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State who led the American delegation to the inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari was reported to have broken his leg a day after leaving Nigeria.
BlackBox Nigeria gathered that the American Chief diplomat was riding a bicycle in a French town when he strucked a demarcation and had to be taken to the hospital where he was admitted overnight.
According to a spokesman of the State department: "Secretary Kerry broke his right femur in a bicycling accident this morning in Scionzier, France."
"Given the injury is near the site of his prior hip surgery, he will return to Boston today to seek treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital with his doctor who did the prior surgery," the statement released yesterday read.
Mr. Kerry was in Nigeria from Thursday and was believed to have department with his team on Saturday after which he was scheduled to go on an European trip to attend a conference set at tackling the ongoing insurgency of Islamic State.
Mr. John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State who led the American delegation to the inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari was reported to have broken his leg a day after leaving Nigeria.
BlackBox Nigeria gathered that the American Chief diplomat was riding a bicycle in a French town when he strucked a demarcation and had to be taken to the hospital where he was admitted overnight.
According to a spokesman of the State department: "Secretary Kerry broke his right femur in a bicycling accident this morning in Scionzier, France."
"Given the injury is near the site of his prior hip surgery, he will return to Boston today to seek treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital with his doctor who did the prior surgery," the statement released yesterday read.
Mr. Kerry was in Nigeria from Thursday and was believed to have department with his team on Saturday after which he was scheduled to go on an European trip to attend a conference set at tackling the ongoing insurgency of Islamic State.
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