Nigerian Politics....my views

Hi everyone! I've been out of it for a bit... not that I've been I'll, but I just stayed off the internet for a while 'cos I wanted to rest! Now I'm back and feeling more tired than before! Does anyone feel me? You take a break of work for 1 week and you're expected to return with renewed vigour... instead you come back lazier and more tired than before....Phew! Life seems so hectic sometimes!

Now a lot has happened during my absence and I have had to go round my fav blogs and fill myself in on what's up....not that I'm done blog-trotting anyway...

In Nigeria, we watched history unfold on Tuesday the 29th of May as Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar'Adua and his deputy Goodluck Ebele Jonathan were sworn in as the new President and VP at the Eagle square in Abuja in the first civilian handover of power since Nigeria's independence....Interestingly, it was reported that tens of millions were spent on the handover ceremony alone.... that aside, Former President Olusegun Obasanjo in a public broadcast on Monday 28th May said...."Tomorrow, May 29th, will usher in a new and glorious dawn for our country. A new generation of Nigerian leaders will take over the great responsibility of running this great and diverse nation."

Overall, I would say that OBJ did a fair job as our president (my view, so shoot me!) I feel it is not an easy task to control the affairs of a country like Nigeria with diverse minded people, who can be so unreasonable to the point of committing murder (think Reverend, Dr. Pastor King), people who can be so indiscipline (You! yes, you jumping that queue to fuel your car..) and also people who dare to stand for what is right to the point of risking their lives (Prof Dora. Akunyili) We have them all in Nigeria..the good, the bad, the awful, the awesome!

In the beginning, i.e. the early part of the first four years, he was on a constant high- I mean air-bound.... I remember he was reported to have spent half his time flying from one country to the next.... we are all witnesses....

Later on he started to make positive changes....his government made NAFDAC a force to reckon with, his government introduced the GSM, therefore making communication easier for all Nigerians, EFCC started with initially good intentions which turned to bad when they were used to witch-hunt the enemies of his government....more good changes in between with the hiring of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala who helped the country secure debt relief from the Paris Club....major draw-backs were experienced in the security sector as Nigeria experienced an all time high crime rate in the Niger-Delta region as well as in the Urban areas...

The power sector progressively declined to the point where people have lost hope in getting 24 hour electricity...Traveling by land or air became a source of major concern as we all witnessed numerous Plane crashes and Road accidents.... We lost so many Nigerians to accidents in the last few years and these need to be addressed i.e. AVIATION and ROADS.... the Health and Education sectors did not fare any better as we had strikes on the regular from healthcare practitioners and Teachers in Primary, Secondary and Higher Institutions.....

Just before the expiration of OBJ's tenure, we saw his government in what seemed to me as a desperate bid to line the pockets of the powers that be conduct a bid round in a very wishy washy way, the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries were 'sold' to the friends of the government with one getting a 51% stake in the Kaduna refinery and the other acquiring a 51% stake in the Port Harcourt refinery....

In what some have described as a final parting gift to us, the price of petrol rose from N65 to N75, the VAT in Nigeria was hiked from 5% to 10% effective last week, and a new tax payable by oil companies was introduced whereby they pay 1% of their profit after tax to the government...pray tell, what's the tax we pay used for? Healthcare? Road rehabilitation? Fuel subsidy for the citizens? what???

Whoa! Let me take a very deep breath here.... this government was also one that 'made' a lot of unknowns....and generally a lot of love was spread all around... left, right, centre, people were getting rich!

At this point, I'd like to say kudos to the bloggers who initiated and were a part of the Nigerian bloggers proclaimation....You go peeps!! Let's make our voice heard... let's leave our mark in the sands of time...

For our new President, I have Hope......very unlike me because I'm usually a skeptic when it comes to Nigeria..... call me foolish, but I am indeed hopeful now.... Let me recall the words of our former president...."Tomorrow, May 29th, will usher in a new and glorious dawn for our country. A new generation of Nigerian leaders will take over the great responsibility of running this great and diverse nation."......let's just hope that by the year 2015, I would not have cause to regret because take it or leave it, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar'Adua's going to be here for another 8 years!


`moni

And then there were three...

Hey Peeps, thanks for all your love as regards my last post.....I am truly grateful for all your prayers and comments, one can never have a thing as too much prayers can one???? And thanks from my sis as well, guys!!!

In about an hour or so, we'll know who the Top 2 Idols are, but first.... a run down of the performances of the Top 3. Yesterday, the idols were given the opportunity to sing whatever song they wanted in any music genre..... they basically were given a free hand to make or do themselves in! Here are the highlights....

Timi started the first show with Lemar’s ‘If there’s any justice’ , Temitayo was next with ‘I’ll be there’ by Mariah Carey. Omawumi followed with “I don’t want to wait in vain” by Bob Marley....

I thought Timi played very safe on this one... he does Lemar very well as his voice is uncannily like Lemars' and he nailed the song... Temitayo had a few hiccups but there were no major issues in her singing and she delivered it well... Omawumi I would say took a risk singing this song... she gambled and it paid off 'cos she rocked the house with her sassy attitude as usual..

For the second group of songs, Timi sang ‘Everything I do, I do it for You’ by Brian Adam’s. Temitayo followed with ‘He lives in You’ by Diana Ross and Omawumi ended the show with ‘Ain’t No Other Man’ by Christina Aguilera.

Timi, I felt did not deliver on the song... he should have, but somewhere along the line, it did not work for me... He didn't fall flat, but I would say he has not upped his game...Temitayo sang OK, but I was not blown away by her performance....all in all though, it was fair.... Now Omawumi was something else.... she totally rocked that song... No one could have done it better than her and I liked the fact that she took a chance with singing a particularly difficult song and delivered it so well.... I wonder how the votes will swing??? Only time will tell.....

I cannot say at this time who will leave and who will stay, but I daresay I will be SHOCKED to say the least if Omawumi goes home.... I wouldn't like that at all.....

That's my 2 cents on this post.... for more on the Idols, check this link out!

Take care fellaz!

`moni

It's a boy!

I'm so happy today, I could burst!!!! Remember I posted something about my sister being pregnant and all a while back? You may read it here.. Well, she gave birth to LeRoy (not real name) yesterday!!!

I just bless God for this little miracle....I pray that God will equip his parents with every thing they need to cater to him... that he will Grow up in the fear and understanding of God, that he will find favour from God and mankind all his days..

I pray that to everyone who knows him, he will be a bessing, that He will always excel in everything he does, that the hand of the Almighty will always be upon his life and that God will satisfy him with long life, to see his children and their children...infact, words fail me...

Here are pixs of my 'lil LeRoy.....

I'm just so excited about my nephew No 3!!! Anyway, laters.... God bless y'all....

'moni

Idols WA Top 4 update....

We all know that Jerrilyn left at the last eviction, so at yesterdays' show, we had the Top 4 perfoming 2 songs each........Temitayo, Eric, Omawumi and Timi...

Temitayo was first with ‘Like a Prayer’ by Madonna. Eric followed with ‘Uptown Girl’ by Westlife, Omawumi was next with ‘I Bruise Easily’ by Natasha Beddingfield and Timi ended the first set of perfomances with ‘Faith’by George Michael.

I felt everyone did well with the first set of songs, Temitayo is improving stadily as the weeks go by and I used to be so opposed to her, but now I can see that she can sing... I fear that Eric is the weakest singer (in my opinion) in the top 4, but he greatly improved from last weeks mess! Omawumi did okay on her song, but there was a bit towards the end that she missed a note...she came out slightly nasal, but it wasn't as offensive as her first perfomance last week... Timi was classic with his perfomance and he surprised the srowd when he jumped to the judges area....all in all, he did well...

For the second part of the show,

Temitayo started with ‘True Colours’ by Cyndi Lauper, Eric was next with Boyz II Mens' ‘I’ll Make Love To You’, Omawumi followed with ‘The First Cut Is the Deepest’ by Sheryl Crow and the last perfomance was by Timi who sang Give me the Night’ by George Benson

My best perfomance from this set was Temitayos'... I liked that her perfomance was so controlled and I didn't notice any mistake... she was on point from start to finish... I really thought she did very well with that job......Eric did okay on the whole, Omawumi also did well but TIMI!!!! On this second set, Timi messed up big time! This was his worst perfomance by far... he forgot his lines and the only lines we heard from him after the first verse was "just gimme the night", "just gimme the night", "just gimme the night".... It was awful!

Let's just see how the voting will swing because at this stage, the votes could go any way because sadly, it's all a question of who's got more friends, fans and family voting for them, not about excellence...anyway, we'll know by this evening...

Here's wishing all the contestants the very best!!!

On a side note... (this one's especially for my blog sister ~MIMI~) It was Dede's birthday on Saturday (I am not even sure if it's Saturday or Sunday cos the supposedly LIVE show is actually recorded on Saturday and aired on Sunday) Anyway, it was his birthday and the Top 4 sang a surprise "Happy Birthday to you" to him.... It was actually shown at the close of the show...Dede was quite surprised that they did that for him, or at least, he looked the part....You may read more here... That's almost all folx! I have here a pix of the Top 4 for you!

`moni

TAG-IT....

It's not to surprising, I don't have anything to say today! I am going to post an old draft of mine... some of you may remember it from last year cos I saw it on quite a few blogs, made a draft response and never posted it... maybe one or two of the newer bloggers might have a go, who knows?
Here goes nothing!

1. What time did you get up this morning? 6.00am as always
2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds.
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Pirates of the Carribean: Dead man's chest
4. What is your favorite TV show? 24
5. What did you have for breakfast? Didn't have any
6. What is your middle name? starts with a D and is 12 alphabets long!
7. What is your favorite cuisine/meal? Native lol Eba and some native soup I think...
8. What foods do you dislike? Egusi soup, boiled eggs, beans
9. Your favorite Potato chip? Any kind will do
10. What is your favorite CD at the moment? The Sweet Escape by Gwen Stefani
11. What kind of car do you drive? Peugeot
12. Favorite sandwich? Club!
13. What characteristics do you despise? People you can't trust
14. Favorite item of clothing? Denim!
15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Heaven
16. What color is your bathroom? Bland- ok, tan
17. Favorite brand of clothing? Maybe Abercrombie and Fitch?
18. Where would you want to retire? Who knows? it wont be for another 30 something years!
19. Favorite time of day? 6.00pm, I get to go home then!
20. Where were you born? Port Harcourt
21. Favorite sport(s) to watch? Football and Athletics
22. Who do you least expect to respond to this? Anyone who likes me-mes
23. Person you expect to respond first? No one
24. What laundry scent do you use? Comfort
25. Coke or Pepsi? Neither
26. Are you a morning person or night owl? Morning person
27. What size shoe do you wear? 8 and a half (American)
28. Do you have pets? No
29. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with everyone? Not yet ;-)
30. What did you want to be when you were little? Rich!
31. Favorite Candy Bar? Too many to mention
32. What is your best childhood memory? getting New books every weekend!
33. What are the different jobs you have had in your life? Database Admin, Contract rep and my current job...scientist!
34. What color/type underwear are you? red
35.Nicknames: Fresh
36. Piercings ? Ears 1 each
37. Eye color? Brown
38. Ever been to Africa? Oh have I?
39. Ever been toilet papering or rolling? Nope
40. Love someone so much it made you cry? Yes
41. Been in a car accident? Never
42. Croutons or bacon bits? Bacon bits
43.Favorite day of the week? Friday
44. Favorite restaurant? None for me thank you!
45. Favorite flower? The Red Rose.
46. Favorite ice cream? Vanilla anyday
47. Favorite fast food restaurant? TFC
48. What color is your bedroom carpet? Have tiles not carpets
49. How many times did you fail your driver's test? Never had one! lol
50. Before this one, from whom did you get your last email? My brother-in-law
51. Which stores would you choose to max out your credit card? Duh?
52. What do you do most often when you are bored? Solve Cross word puzzles or Sudoku
53. Bedtime? 11 ish
54. Who are you most curious about their responses to this questionnaire? Dunno
55. Last person you went to dinner with? Hubby
56. What are you listening to right now? Lionel Richie - I call it love (thank you limewire!)
57. What is your favorite color? Orange
58. Lake, Ocean or river? River-its more manageable
59. How many tattoos do you have? None.
60. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? God created the chicken on the 5th day. lol

`moni

Idols Update

Hey guys, it's been a while... I have here an update after another eviction of one of the idols... I'll save that bit for last...

Everyone knows by now that Jodie (OMG! What were we thinking?) left last week, so they are down to five idols.....Omawumi, Timi, Jerrilyn, Eric and Temitayo

The idols sang two songs each, and so we had ten perfomances in all...

Jerrilyn opened with ‘Never Too Much’ by Mary J. Blige and Temitayo was next with ‘I’m Your Baby Tonight’ by Whitney Houston. Timi followed with ‘Flying Without Wings’ by Westlife, Eric then sang ‘Kiss from a Rose’ by Seal. Omawumi closed the first set of perfomances with ‘Be Without You’ by Mary J. Blige

My take on the 1st....
Jerrilyn was much better than last week with this song but the judges gave her bad reviews, which made her cry and say she hoped she would impress them with her next song... Temitayo was very controlled with her perfomance and seems to have improved in the area of perfoming and singing.. I think she did well with this one..Timi did OK on this one, though I didn't feel it as much as the crowd and the judges were feeling it, Eric was at his worst to me and I didn't feel him at all..lai lai! Omawumi was Awful with her song.....I swear.... this girl had a nasal perfomance... she sang from scratch to finish through her nose and it did not just work!

For the second set of perfomances, Jerrilyn sang The Voice Within’ by Christina Aguliera, Temitayo was next with ‘Reach’ by Gloria Estefan, Timi then sang ‘How Am I Supposed to Live Without You’ by Michael Bolton, Omawumi followed with Gloria Gaynor's ‘I Will Survive’ and Eric drew the curtain on the show with Lionel Richie’s ‘All Night Long’

My take on this was... Jerilyn came through by singing her heart out...and the judges told her as much, Temitayo gave a soulful perfomance which I also liked, Timi was out of the world because he chose a song that he has obviously mastered and he just rocked! Omawumi brought the house down with her perfomance... Now this girl has ATTITUDE when she wants to rock the house, which she did and Eric was sadly dissapointing on his 2nd song..

Overall, I felt the judges were on point with their critique yesterday, you may read more about the top 5 show here

A pix of the Top 5

I felt Eric was the weakest performer last night but the voting public did him well and he made it to the top 4... and for our cat with 9 lives Jerrilyn, it was good bye yesterday... I truly felt she was not the worst in the last show but well, what can I say? The public has decided.....you may read more here.... Next sunday, it would be the Top 4.... stay tuned...

`moni

Mayday! Mayday!!

It's a tad late for this Mayday post, but I have a few things on my mind now...hmmn, a lot of things have been weighing me down but the the thing that bugs me out the most is the fact that my church lost its Pastor, Pastor Eskor Mfon early this week.... I was truly saddened to hear this, after all we prayed for God to restore his health...I even heard that he was planning on returning to Nigeria after his treatment and he was doing very well, but I was so shocked to say the least when i heard yesterday morning that he had passed away.....

He was only 53 years old, full of life the last time I saw him and he just knew how to hold a service... We will surely miss him, he was an inspiration to lots of people, a teacher and he welcomed people from all walks of life to our church...He was such a simple man with a practical approach to christianity....

The song that reminds me so much of him is

Holy Spirit, move me now.....
make my life whole agin...
spirit move....over me....... 2x

and I also remeber the Psalm he taught us to pray and to love, Psalm 92 which goes,
1
It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD,
and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High:
2
to show forth thy loving-kindness in the morning,
and thy faithfulness every night,
3
upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery;
upon the harp with a solemn sound.
4
For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work:
I will triumph in the works of thy hands.
5
O LORD, how great are thy works!
And thy thoughts are very deep.
6
A brutish man knoweth not;
neither doth a fool understand this.
7
When the wicked spring as the grass,
and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish;
it is that they shall be destroyed for ever:
8
but thou, LORD, art most high for evermore.
9
For, lo, thine enemies, O LORD,
for, lo, thine enemies shall perish;
all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.
10
But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of a unicorn:
I shall be anointed with fresh oil.
11
Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies,
and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me.
12
The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree:
he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13
Those that be planted in the house of the LORD
shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14
They shall still bring forth fruit in old age;
they shall be fat and flourishing;
15
to show that the LORD is upright:
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

I have come to accept that the Lord has taken him to a better place...
May his gentle soul rest in peace...


`moni