CoDeD Naija

How Don Jazzy betrayed me’ – D’banj

2012-10-25T07:21:00.002-07:00

‘There’s an important person in that building, right?’ the cab driver asked. ‘Important musician?’

I nodded, too tired to let any curious driver drag me into a conversation.

He got the message and left me alone the entire drive from Canary Wharf to the London Marriot Hotel, in Grosvenor Square.

Then, as I got down to get my suitcase from the trunk, he gave me a knowing look, smiled, and said ‘are you the musician?’

‘Of course not’, I said to him, smiling this time. ‘The musician is in Canary Wharf, his name is D’banj’.

Silence. Confused look.

‘D’banj?’

Yes, D’banj. He’s big in Africa. You know ‘Oliver Twist?’

Silence again, then as his final ‘no’ came, I said ‘Google him.’

It was 4am on Saturday, April 21. I arrived in London eight hours earlier, and had spent almost all of that time chatting with D’banj, in his first interview with a Nigerian newspaper in a long time, and his first interview on the Mo’Hits brouhaha.

London is D’banj’s town. He’s performed there over and over, his single ‘Oliver Twist’ is on the A-list at Choice FM, and enjoys heavy rotation on other stations. A day before I came, he spent hours doing interviews at the Universal offices in Kensington. Some might hail D’banj as the man championing the gospel of ‘Afrobeats’ across the world. But, just like the cab driver, London does not yet know D’banj.

As we walk into the Choice FM building in the afternoon on Saturday, there are no heads turning or fans gazing. In fact, his lawyer, Elias, who wore a pair of loud snakeskin boots, attracted more attention than D’banj.

Who leaves a zone where they’re comfortable and celebrated; where they’re established and successful, for a place where no one seems to give the slightest care?

D’banj, that’s who.

The 31 year-old entertainer has spent nearly two years building structures he hopes will help take his music to new markets in Europe, and especially America. This move, he believes, cost him his friendship and business relationship with his long time partner Don Jazzy.

‘I’m a risk taker’, he says. ‘Life is all about risks. But you must never endanger yourself. I don’t endanger myself, which is why, even though I’m here, I’m still in Nigeria all the time, performing’.

With incredible energy, and the kind of passion that endeared everyone to him when he first moved back to Nigeria in 2005, D’banj says his deal with Kanye West is a case of ‘preparation meets opportunity’.

‘I pulled up with my entourage at the Emirates first class lounge in Dubai. We were returning from Scott Tommey’s birthday. I came down with Bankuli, my P.A. Chuchu, and my business manager Chidi. My entourage was large and I was looking fly. One of the hostesses ran to me with a Kanye West placard. I said I’m not Kanye o – then I told my guys ‘Kanye is around so no dulling.’ Chuchu and Bankuli spotted Kanye walking in to check in. They went to him and he said we could come over’.

‘As they came, I had my iPad with me, and my headphones. First thing Kanye said was ‘I like your T-shirt’. I wore a Zara T-shirt and a D&G ring. He liked my appearance and said he’d give me 5 minutes. I told him ‘I played with you in Nigeria during NB PLC Star Megajam. I’ve done a song with Snoop and we’re going to shoot the video now. I’d like to play you my songs.’ I played Oliver, Scapegoat, and Fall in love. He was dancing. He removed the headphones and said ‘I don’t mean to sound rude, but if anyone has to bring you out in the states, it has to be me, not Snoop. He asked when I was going to be in the US, and I told him I was going there that day. Then he asked who my producer was, and I said Don Jazzy. He said ‘come with him.’

Three months later, D’banj, Don Jazzy and their crew were in New York, where, according to D’banj, it took almost forever before they could establish contact with Kanye. ‘It was only an email address he gave us at the airport. So when we got to NY, we sent several emails but got no response. Not a single one.’

‘Then we met someone that knew someone that knew another someone and we got another email address. We sent several messages again, no response. Then Bankuli sent a final one saying, ‘we have been in New York for some time and sent several emails. We have waited long enough and are now on our way to do the Snoop Dogg video’

And then the reply came. ‘Sorry to have overlooked your earlier emails. Mr. Kanye would like to meet with you tomorrow.’

‘We didn’t believe it. Don Jazzy, who had been reluctant all along, still did not believe it. Even when we got there (Wyclef’s studio) the next day, he stood outside. When Kanye came I went to call him ‘Oya come now, come play am the music now’. It was difficult to believe it was real and it was happening. Then when Kanye came in, with the GOOD music acts, I was like, ‘wow’.

From there everything happened fast. Next they were meeting Jay Z, making a presentation to LA Reid (At Electric studios), and discussing contracts. But while the label offered him a traditional recording contract, D’banj opted for a joint venture agreement structured to guarantee three things: retaining full control of his materials in Africa, signing Don Jazzy on board (on behalf on Mohits USA), and, he says, bringing the Universal/Def Jam imprint to Africa.

‘I’ve always thought of how I can be a useful vessel to the industry. A friend and colleague always says to me: ‘D’banj, you’re the Jesus Christ of the industry.’ So having ran Mohits for nine years, I already had plans of how we could blow Mohits up. I had plans of expanding, and most especially, bringing hope to that 11 year-old kid somewhere in Africa who may never have had the opportunity to get signed to major labels’.

‘So it was not really just about me. There’s a big market in Africa. I said to them, ‘I’ve sold millions of records in Africa, we’ve done millions of hits with CRBT, and I’ve run the most successful label on the continent. You take care of the US, but let me take you to Africa.‘ And I’m happy to tell you that we’re doing that. D’banj’s album will be the first under Universal/Def Jam Africa, and we’re already putting all the structures in place’.

‘I’m a businessman.’ I learnt from my mom, who’s a very successful businesswoman. So having run and funded Mohits for nine years, I knew we had to move to the next level. And everything we wanted was happening. Finally we could take African music to the world.’

Just like the lyrics of the song, D’banj was an Oliver Twist. Here’s a guy who had conquered a continent; was sitting on the top three list, and making more money than anyone else in his category. D’banj was a big player in Nigeria, where there are over 150 million people; a big player in Africa, with over 850 million people. But he wanted to play big globally, with 7 billion people to grab from.

And that’s where the problem started. ‘Don Jazzy was no longer comfortable. You know, we were like fishes out of water, in this new system, starting all over again, like when we returned home in 2004. I got him a place in the US, set up a studio there, just so he’d be comfortable and be able to work without going to hang around the studios. In one year Jazzy did not make a song. I said, maybe you want to go back to Lagos, you’ll get inspiration there?’ I was all about the work, I wanted us to make this happen, so we can bridge that gap and create a path for Africa. But Jazzy wanted us to go back home. And I understand. He’s my friend, my brother’.

‘But I never expected him to do what he did.’ He said to me in July last year ‘Let’s scatter Mohits. He told me there are two captains – two captains cannot be in a ship. I was like ‘that’s not possible, this is a marriage’. He said ‘then this marriage is no longer working’. I said then let’s go for counseling; I asked, so what happens to our children?’

Don Jazzy wanted Mohits, D’banj says. And that happened on April 16, 2012 – after months of a bitter feud, characterized by accusations and counter accusations, widespread speculation, leaked emails and failed reconciliation attempts.

‘You can see he has signed already’, he said, showing the agreement with Don Jazzy’s signature. ‘I have full rights to my catalogue and full ownership of my Koko Holdings, while he has full ownership of Mo’Hits, including the artistes and liabilities.’

Already judged guilty in the court of public opinion, and publicly disowned by his own boys Wande Coal and Dr SID, D’banj says he’s sad, but not bitter. Does he feel kind of lonely, alone in the cold? ‘Asking me if I’m lonely because Wande or Jazzy has left me is like asking my first sister if she’s lonely now – she has two kids now, lives in Canada. Don Jazzy is still my brother – we just had to move on. We’ll still work together in future, same with my boys. In fact, just this week, he sent me the remix to Oliver Twist that we’re releasing in the UK on May 14. All the interviews I’ve had here, I kept hyping him. It’s already in my system – you know me, I’m a one-way soldier. Jazzy is a very quiet person. Loyalty is key. My loyalty still lies in the friendship I had with him. He was cheated by JJC, and I was present. I swore never to cheat him. But I’d like to think our visions became different.

‘It was clear when we met that Jazzy wanted to be the biggest producer, I wanted to be the biggest African entertainer, not the biggest singer. I had my mind on money. In order to say I’m the biggest, I had to be the richest. So for a very long time, he was on the back end. He respected my act, I respected his music judgment. Every meeting that brought us money I went for. I’d say I need to confirm from Don Jazzy because that was the agreement, even though I knew it was my decision. First Glo deal was $500,000. That Landcruiser jeep was because of my demands. It was because of the skill and exposure that I used to bargain. I’m a businessman’

‘People say I’m less talented, I was known as a jester in the JJC squad. I’d make everyone happy and play the mouth organ, but I knew what I wanted. I decided to give Don Jazzy power in 2007 when we realized that after four years, they did not recognize us as a record label. We had signed artistes and done all this work. So we restructured, and restrategized. So I told him to chill, so he can be more respected and be the don. I’m older than him by one year, yet I respected him like a don. I remember when he came out at Ali Baba show, I knelt down for him, so people would say he’s the baba. All the talking in my ears and all, it was an arrangement. All the Soundcity advert and all, he did not tell me anything. It was all an arrangement.’

With his UK publicist Vanessa Amadi taking notes nearby, his manager Bankulli interjecting every now and then, and several legal documents surrounding us, D’banj spoke passionately of his former partner in the same way a man might go on about a cherished and respected, but estranged, lover. He’s on his sixth cigarette, and thinks the room is stuffy, even though no one complains. So he opens the sliding glass for ventilation. ‘Jazzy did his part’, he says, sitting down again and looking me in the face. ‘He made the music for nine years. But nothing stops him from making for twenty more years. We could have changed the formula. Why didn’t he want to change the formula? It was time to expand the business, Mohits was Motown reloaded. We always knew we would expand, he always said I had more swagger than anyone else he knows, And I know he’s one of the best producers in the world; we wanted to make Mohits the biggest in Africa. Other labels were springing up. So if we could conquer America, London when no one had done it before. Most of our people stop in Germany, or Paris. But this is America, this is the big league; it makes us the strongest, the biggest. We had already made the money. And who best to introduce me to the rest of the world? Kanye did not want to change anything about my music, my style of dressing, or my brand. It is God’s favour. But Jazzy was and is very scared. Something had worked for eight years, so he wanted to maintain the status quo. People are afraid to try new things.’

‘But’, he tells me, still maintaining eye contact while lighting another cigarette, ‘I’m not afraid. I’m a vessel that God is trying to use to help the industry. I’m a bridge. Once in a few years, one artiste comes from the UK to run the world, none has come from Africa. Fela was the closest. It’s been my own dream; I made my name from Nigeria, unlike Seal, Wale, and Tinie Tempah. And I want to bring Universal, Def Jam and all to Nigeria. So if I can build that bridge, then we’re good, because it will give hope to the boys in Asaba, in Oshogbo that this thing is possible.’

The day after our Canary Wharf interview, we meet up at Highbury Islington, where he’s shooting a documentary and the promo for the Oliver Twist competition for the UK. D’banj’s new crew: Semtex (a white A&R rep from the label), Bankuli and Vanessa, are on the ground, working with the production team. ‘This is why we’re here o. This is the work’, he says as he invites me into the dressing room.

‘And when people say why am I not talking, this is why. I’m focused on making this happen. It’s more important for me to make sure I don’t disappoint all those who have invested in me; all those who believe in me and are supporting the movement, than to be fighting over who’s right or wrong. Even now that I’m talking to you, I don’t even know if I should be doing this interview.’

It’s very unexpected that D’banj – the super aggresive D’banj – is speaking in this manner. He has fought many battles, cut off many former friend-associates, ignored the Nigerian media, and reportedly humiliated several Mo’hits members, including Ikechukwu and Dr SID. Temperamental, often impatient, and vocal, those who know him will tell you the D’banj they know, is not the one that’s speaking.

So I ask:

The perception is that you’ve become arrogant, unreachable, proud. You’re not the D’banj we used to know; not the D’banj I used to know – and most people in the media will say this is true

Obviously people will say stuff – but this is me. I can’t keep up with everyone, no matter how much I try. But I understand where I’m coming from. I cant forget my roots – all the interviews I had yesterday, I was ‘bigging up’ DJ Abass, he gave me my first show in London. You saw me giving Jazzy props in my interview earlier. That’s me. If I was arrogant I wouldn’t have been the one even chasing Jazzy around since he told me last July that he wanted to scatter Mohits. Last time I saw him was on February 19 at Irving Plaza. He didn’t support the show, and he only came on stage when SID and Wande were performing. I wanted peace.

And even my mom, who had supported us from beginning, who gave us the house we stayed in (in Michael Otedola estate, Lagos), the Previa bus we used and paid for Tongolo video, spoke to his parents last December; ‘this is what your son said o’. I remember my mom saying to me, ‘if you guys have been together all these years, and no wahala, then if you need to part, I hope there’ll be no wahala.’ She was very particular about that. I had enough proof to have come out and speak; this thing has been on for a long time, and we’re in April now. But I don’t want to cause any wahala. I don’t want to spoil anything. I don’t want trouble. Right now, I just want to be able to move on and do my business.’

That’s surprising, because when the leaked emails emerged, revealing private email conversations between the estranged partners, all fingers pointed at D’banj. Don Jazzy, a likeable celeb and social media addict, didn’t have anything to prove. D’banj was the one who looked bad, and, understandably, would want to make a move that could earn him public sympathy.

‘The signing (away of my shares in Mohits) was already being discussed before April 16. If I kept quiet from January till now, what would it benefit me to leak anything? Remember all the stuff about my password and all? We know where that was from, I really wouldn’t want to think it was from him, my brother, but it could be from anywhere, but I don’t want to call anyone’s name’

But were the emails forged?

Everything in those emails were facts. And I don’t even think the mails favoured me in any way. It’s not the exact mails that were sent and signed, but there were elements of truth in the mails that were published.’

Why did you tell Ebony you own Mohits?

My mom advised me not to speak. And the interviewer took it out of context. I co-owned Mohits. We registered the business in 2004, and we owned it 50:50. So I spoke about that, but the interviewer took it wrong and the fans put pressure on them and they corrected it.

How about Sahara Reporters?

I never wanted to have any interview. It was on the eve of my US show. I was told I should do the interview, because they’re very troublesome. I had to do the interview for the sake of my show the next day. I was guaranteed that there’d be no politics questions. I had not been in the country. And I had been under pressure. Sadly, when that happened and I was being attacked in the media, none of my guys came out to support me.

Looking at all this, what are your regrets?

The truth is that if nothing went wrong, you’d have still heard all this good news and Mohits would take the glory, I didn’t come out in eight years to say anything. Everyone made their contributions. There were no issues, as long as it worked. My mistake was thinking that we were one. People don’t question their brothers and sisters.

How do you feel about Wande Coal and Dr. SID taking sides with Jazzy?

I won’t be too quick to judge Wande Coal. I hear it was Jazzy that tweeted those Wande tweets. I don’t know how true that is, but I know he had our social media accounts. As at a month ago, I couldn’t access any of my accounts. My password was changed on Twitter and Facebook. Then Universal intervened. I’m about to be verified on Twitter now. I’m not really a social media person, so it was Don Jazzy and some of our other guys that were running it. Wande himself knows the truth. He cannot talk to me like that. The whole Mohits knew who ran the label businesswise. They knew who to come to when they needed to get money out, after we recorded the album. Who knows the factory where Dansa was made? But you will know the marketing manager. The car he’s driving, I bought him a brand new Prado from Phyllis and Moss after he crashed the car he won from Hiphop World awards. I bought six Range Rovers last year. I bought D’Prince an LR 3 last year, he crashed it, then I bought him a Range, and it’s true that I bought two Bentleys. Because of Jazzy. But after July last year, after the issue with Jazzy, I bought myself the Aston Martin.

You bought that? I thought that was a gift?

I bought it.

How were you able to fund all that?

In the last nine years, there are a few people and corporate bodies that God has helped me build relationships with, either individuals or banks, or even corporates that are involved in the growth of the industry. I’ve enjoyed their support, and even now that we’re going global, we’re pooling the funds together from all these places.

Could you possibly be Nigeria’s richest pop star? A billionaire?

Vanity upon vanity. Money is material. In terms of what we’re doing, you’ll call me a Trillionaire, because this vision is too big for only me. With the help of the industry, the government, people like you Ayeni, we will not only be billionaires, but trillionaires, and not just me, but every little kid that has same talent like Beyonce, or Nicki Minaj. And with the standard of the UMG worldwide, we can pass people out from our own Universal Music Group Africa, Universal Def Jam Africa, and everyone should jump on this ship with us. It’s not the Titanic.

There’s been a lot of confusion – what label exactly are you signed on?

My album comes out under my label/GOOD Music/Island Def Jam. I’m funding the D’banj album, in America, through GOOD Music/Island Def Jam. GOOD Music is Kanye West who is co-executive producing with me. The deal comprises of Island Def Jam, in US. But in UK, it is under Mercury. My first single will be released in Europe on May 14. My work will be released in Africa through Universal/Def Jam. We don’t have these structures in Africa, and they’ve seen how much money they’ve lost. They’ve seen what I’ve done with Mohits. I made my pitch to them; I’ve made them realize how much they were losing in the African region. Over 150m Nigerians, over 800m Africans. 2% of that is 8.5m. They were not making anything except from S.A, which has been the US of Africa. So we will be launching this label in Ghana, in partnership with Vodafone, launching in Nigeria in partnership with MTN. Def Jam Africa will be up soon; Kenya, SA, and North Africa will follow.

Why are you risking all this? What if you burn your fingers and lose everything you’ve worked for?

Lose out? Well, I am happy I even have something to risk. To whom much is given, much is expected. Look at Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Jay Z, Kanye West, these people take it to the max, take it to where they believe that they can push it to. In the first instance, coming back to Nigeria with Jazzy was because I was a risk taker. And I wouldn’t say I’m throwing everything away. I would say I’m putting everything back in, in order to rip into the future. I get a broadcast from Tonye Cole everyday. He says when you tell people this your vision, know that it’s not for you alone – it’s for everyone. It’s like what Fela did. If what I’m doing doesn’t work, but sows that seed that will germinate in three, five years, it means my name will be written in gold.

Some people have tried this before you, unsuccessfully. Do you have doubts and fears sometimes?

My last album was in July 2008 – no album in four years and I know what I still command in those four years. The momentum for me to be able to do this is because I see how much it took me, I saw the benefit, it’s God, and the favour of the relationships we’ve built. Plus, I don’t take no for an answer, I don’t take negativity. It will work in Jesus’ name. If not, I wouldn’t have landed in the UK and hear Oliver Twist on the radio. Nor would I be in the mainstream media with them saying I’m pioneering afrobeats. I said to them ‘Oh hell no, that’s Fela’s music. Fela is the legend.’ So I pray to God – I beg my fans, it‘ll be good to do half a million downloads. It’s possible, it’s a different market. Platinum in UK is 300,000. I believe with the support of my people in Redding, Coventry, Dusting, Hackney, Thamesmead, Abbeywood, we can do it.’

And so, as I say my goodbyes and flag down the cab that’ll take me to Heathrow Airport, I can’t help thinking out loud: should one man sacrifice the wishes of the collective on the altar of ambition and material wealth? But then, what should be expected of the man whose dreams and ambition grow beyond those of other – possibly myopic- members of the collective: should an individual sacrifice his personal desires; derail his destiny, so to speak, in the interest of the collective?

In all of this, faithfulness and loyalty have been brutally murdered. And the jury is still out on who pulled the trigger.

PHOTO: Who’s better at the kissing game? President Obama or GEJ?

2012-10-25T07:15:00.003-07:00

Which couple kissed better?

US Presidential couple Barack and Michelle Obama have always shown public affection and we adore them for it.
But what can we say about our very own Goodluck Jonathan and First Lady Dame Patience?
The couple rarely get intimate in public. But they were happy to show us some PDA when Patience recently returned from Germany.
Will Nigeria’s first couple show us more of their soft sides? Which couple looked cuter, by the way?!

Wizkid to work with M.I’s former manager Godwin Tom

2012-10-25T07:14:00.000-07:00

Wizkid will soon be working with Godwin Tom

A few weeks ago, we reported that pop star Wizkid and manager Osagie Osarenkhoe parted ways.

We’ve got news for you – the pop star may have hired popular manager Godwin Tom.

Wiz and Osarenkhoe, who runs her own outfit M.e.tal Management, ended their business relationship in June 2012, and we’re told Wizzy has been without a manager since then.

Meanwhile, Wizzy’s label EME also recently announced that they are ‘currently seeking for a General Manager to manage its growing business and build up the EME label.’

Godwin seems like the likely replacement, having handled M.I, in whose career he played a vital role, and rapper duo Show Dem Camp. He also had a stint with singer Airis and is currently part of singer Waje‘s management team.

Inside sources tell us that Godwin hasn’t signed any contracts, as he will be on probation for now.

Meanwhile, Mr Tom said ’I’ve seen the news and there’s a lot of speculation. There has been no announcement of such so let’s just leave it at that for now‘. But going by his words on social network Twitter, Godwin seems to be excited about the new role.

‘Things are coming together… I am doing what I love… What Im good at. I dont regret being who I am! I am the best me! I dont regret one bit of my last 5+ years. They were the best. And best is relative… Things are about to get better!‘ he tweeted.

P.Diddy Injured in L.A. Car Crash

2012-10-25T07:09:00.000-07:00

TMZ has just obtained a photograph of Diddy after the accident, and he was so shaken up by the crash ... he had to lie down on the grass.

Diddy was involved in a serious car accident in L.A. moments ago ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, a car turned left in front of Diddy's SUV and Diddy's driver t-boned the other vehicle.

Officers were called to the scene -- and cops claim everyone involved in the accident complained of pain, including Diddy, his driver, and the other driver.

It's unclear how seriously anyone was injured -- but law enforcement sources tell us, no one was transported to a hospital ... despite an ambulance being called.

A report was taken. No citations were issued.

Obama Planned To Divorce His Wife, Michelle?

2012-10-25T06:33:00.003-07:00

The saying that no secret remains a secret forever is about to play a significant role in the lives and ambition of the American first family, as the race to the White House election heat up.

US business mogul Donald Trump, according to credible sources, is about to claim that he has found divorce papers of President Barack Obama and wife Michelle.

It is alleged by an analyst, Douglas Kass, that Trump will claim that the documents ‘show the First Lady and the President were at one point in their two decades of marriage seriously considering splitting up’.

Trump announced on Monday that he was set to make an announcement on Wednesday that would be ‘bordering on gigantic’ and that it would ‘possibly’ change the Presidential race.

It was gathered that Trump is more favourable to Obama losing the presidential election to Mitt Romney, his fellow businessman and candidate of the Republican party.

MI Tribute To Aluu 4 (Music)

2012-10-25T06:19:00.001-07:00

“4 young men died at the hands of a lynch mob on the 5th of October 2012. Whether or not their deaths will mean anything, or fade out of our minds as just another meaningless tragedy, is up to us and what we do from here on. I hope this song captures that message. Nothing would be worse than for a death to mean nothing" - MI Abaga.

Listen to the song HERE

$183m oil fund missing

2012-10-25T06:15:00.002-07:00

Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke | credits:

A total of $183m (N28.73bn) in signature bonuses paid by oil companies to the federation is missing, according to a confidential report seen by Reuters.

A team headed by the former Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, produced the 146-page study based on the Ministry of Petroleum Resources’ request. It covers the year 2002 to 2012.

The report said that Ministers of Petroleum Resources between 2008 and 2011 handed out seven discretionary oil licences, but that $183m in signature bonuses was missing from the deals.

Three of the oil licences were awarded since the current minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, took up her position in 2010, according to the report.

“I have not given any discretionary awards during this administration,” Alison-Madueke told Reuters, although she added that the President had the right to do so instead of using bids if he saw fit.

“That is entirely up to him,” she said.

Nigeria is Africa’s largest crude oil exporter, shipping more than two million barrels per day, and is also home to the world’s ninth biggest gas reserves and one of its largest Liquefied Natural Gas export terminals.

The report provides new details on the nation’s long history of corruption in the oil sector, which has enriched its elite and provided the oil majors with hefty profits, while two thirds of the people live in poverty.

Alison-Madueke, told Reuters on Tuesday that she received the report last month but that it was a draft and the government was still supposed to give input.

The one seen by Reuters was labelled “Final Report.”

The report concluded that oil majors, Shell, Total and Eni, made bumper profits from cut-price gas, while oil ministers handed out licences at their own discretion. This, while not illegal, did not follow best practice of using open bids.

Hundreds of millions of dollars in signature bonuses on those deals were also missing, it said.

“We have not seen this report and are, therefore, unable to comment on the content, but we will study it if and when it is published,” a Shell spokesman said.

The report alleges international oil traders sometimes buy crude without any formal contracts, and the state oil firm, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, had short-changed the Nigerian treasury billions over the last 10 years by selling crude oil and gas to itself below market rates.

There was no suggestion that the oil majors or traders had done anything illegal, but the report highlighted a lack of transparency in their dealings in a nation rife with graft.

“It is a draft,” Alison-Madueke said. “There will be some areas where the government … may have a slightly different opinion … (and) will put its point of view to the committee.”

She said she expected the final report to be with President Goodluck Jonathan within two weeks.

Ribadu’s probe was among several set up following a week of nationwide strikes against a rise in fuel prices in January, which morphed into a campaign against oil corruption.

Billions of dollars of revenue was missing in unpaid debts from signature bonuses and royalties, the report found.

Nigeria LNG, a company jointly owned by the NNPC, Shell, Total and Eni, had paid the country for gas at cut-down prices before exporting it to international markets, the report said.

Total and Eni declined to comment because they invest in but do not operate Nigeria LNG, the role played by Shell.

“The estimated cumulative of the deficit between value obtainable on the international market and what is currently being obtained from NLNG, over the 10-year period, amounts to approximately $29bn,” the report said.

It also said foreign oil firms had outstanding debts.

Addax, now a unit of China’s state-owned Sinopec, owes Nigeria $1.5bn in unpaid royalties, part of a $3bn black hole of unpaid bonuses and royalties owed by oil firms.

Addax did not respond to requests for comment, but the report noted it disputed owing the signature bonuses.

Shell owes the Federal Government N137.57bn for gas sold from its Bonga deep offshore field, the report said, while oil majors owed $58m between them for gas flaring penalties. They were also not adhering to newer higher fines.

The probe also said Nigeria was the only nation to sell all its crude through international oil traders rather than directly to refineries, adding that such trades were often opaque.

It said some international oil traders who were not “on the approved master list of customers” had been sold crude oil “without a formal contract” so little could be obtained about the details of these deals, which could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

“This logically will serve to reduce margins obtainable on sale of crude oil,” the report said.

But Alison-Madueke disputed this, saying there were no informal contracts and there was “an official tender put out every year,” which could be seen by the public in newspapers.

The state oil firm gets an allocation of 445,000 barrels per day of crude oil to refine locally, but it has been selling itself this oil at cut-down prices, a practice which cost Nigeria $5bn in potential revenue between 2002 and 2011, the report said.

“NNPC buys at international rates,” Alison-Madueke retorted.

The report said the NNPC made N86.6bn over the 10-year period by using overly generous exchange rates in its declarations to the government. There was no sign of the money.

Among the report’s recommendations were that parts of NNPC be reorganised or scrapped, an independent review of the use of traders be set up and a transparency law be passed requiring oil companies to disclose all payments made to Nigeria.

United States regulators put new rules in place in August that will require US-listed oil and gas companies to disclose payments they make to foreign governments like Nigeria.

Boko Haram Have Police Officers As Members

2012-10-25T06:06:00.001-07:00

Police authorities have described as baseless, rumour making the rounds that it has discontinued the massive manhunt placed on the heads of its personnel who bolted after one Ahmed Grema, of the Nigerian Immigration Service, Maiduguri, revealed their membership of Boko Haram.
“No. It is a rumour. We (police) are on top of the situation. The manhunt is still on,” said Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Frank Mbah in a chat with Reporters 365.com.
He asserted that the police has not changed its mind on the massive manhunt it placed on the heads of the affected officers who got wind of their impending arrest and fled before they could be taken into custody.
According to him, the affected policemen can run but the long arm of the law will eventually catch up with them, no matter where they run to.
Mbah called for a closer collaboration between the police and members of the public especially in the area of information flow so that crime and criminality will be curbed in the country.
It will be recalled that in his confessional statement when men of the Joint Task Force (JTF) apprehended him last September, Grema disclosed
that the Boko Haram sect also has other well placed security operatives as members.
It was also gathered that officers and men of the security agencies, who are suspected of having close ties with the Islamic sect, have gone underground since Grema’s confession that he and the others have played active parts in the killing of some senior civil servants, security agents and politicians who oppose the

Two Students In Police Net Over Kidnap, Rape, Murder Of Colleague

2012-10-25T06:04:00.001-07:00

Henry Edewo and Emmanuel Isikhuime, two students of Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, Edo State, have been arrested by the Police for the kidnap, rape and murder of one Mercy Peter, 21, a female student of the same institution.
The two suspects are alleged to have buried their victim in a shallow grave in a forest at Ugbor village, Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State, after killing her.

Arrested Suspects

The victim, who was kidnapped on July 29, this year, was killed four days later after she had been serially raped by the suspects.
The murder suspects did not stop there as they were also alleged to have continued to demand ransom from her parents after killing her.
Anthony Airhuoyo, State Police Public Relations Officer, however, told newsmen that the police made a head way in the case on October 17 when two of the suspects were arrested.
He added that a third suspect, whose name was given simply as Charles, was still on the run.
Airhuoyo disclosed that the suspects took the police to the spot where they buried Mercy and her corpse was exhumed. The autopsy report is still been awaited.

Nicki Minaj Turn Down Balloteli Hang Out Offer After Her Performance In Manchester

2012-10-25T06:02:00.002-07:00

YMCMB First lady, Nicki Minaj, has reportedly turned down a request by Manchester City ‘Bad Boy,’ Mario Balotelli to hang out with him because she was ‘too tired’.

The American Idol Judge turned down the offer to meet up because she was fatigued after performing at her Pink Friday: Reloaded Tour in Manchester.
“Mario was gutted. He’s a big fan and turned up with gifts along with his other club team mates” a source revealed.
“But Nicki was too tired after the gig and feasted on a massive Nando’s order instead – so he went home disappointed. He’d even bought a camera especially” the source added.
Manchester City would later go on to lose scandalously 3-1 away to Ajax in the UEFA Champions League, Wednesday night. Who knows, perhaps the players were smarting from Nicki Minaj’s snub!

Nigeria In African Cup Of Nation Group Of Death

2012-10-25T05:58:00.001-07:00

Super Eagles players celebrating victory over Liberia in Calabar … on Saturday.
| credits: AFP

Nigeria will return to the Africa Nations Cup final tournament with the first match against Burkina Faso after the Super Eagles were drawn in Group C alongside defending champions Zambia, Burkina Faso and Ethiopia. The draw ceremony was held Wednesday night in Durban, South Africa ahead of the 2013 event.
The grouping may have become a prayer answered for many Nigerian fans that prefer to avoid Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana in the early round. Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2012 edition held in Gabon/Equatorial Guinea.
Eagles captain Joseph Yobo told MTNFootball.com, “It’s a fair draw; Zambia, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia? Well that’s not bad. But I’m not saying it’s going to be easy because football in Africa has vastly improved. No team is a minnow anymore, but looking at the group on paper, I want to say it’s a fair one.”
Debutants Cape Verde, who upset Cameroon to make their first finals, will play host South Africa in the opening match of the biennial competition.
Morocco, due to host the tournament in 2015, and Angola complete Group A. On paper, it is a fair deal for the hosts who are expected to qualify for the next stage from that group. South Africa won the competition as hosts in 1996 – an edition boycotted by Nigeria as defending champions.
Ghana, who last won the trophy in 1982, face DR Congo, Niger, Mali in Group B. The seeded Ghanaians are favourites of the group with the other having fair chances to qualify as the second team from the group.
The most respected team in Africa this period, Cote d’Ivoire are leading Group D already dubbed the ‘Group of Death’ as the other three teams are balanced in their makeup. Togo, Tunisia and Algeria who complete the group will battle each other hard to scale through. Only the Togolese are yet to win the African cup from this group.
Cape Verde, with a population of about 500,000, shocked the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon 3-2 on aggregate to book their place in the tournament and there were cheers as they were drawn out by South African president Jacob Zuma last night to form the other half of the event’s curtain-raiser.
The tournament will be held in Durban, Johannesburg, Nelspruit, Port Elizabeth and Rustenburg between January 19 and February 10.
Groups in full:
Group A: South Africa, Angola, Morocco, Cape Verde
Group B: Ghana, Mali, Niger, DR Congo
Group C: Zambia, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia
Group D: Cote d’Ivoire, Tunisia, Algeria, Togo

Rihanna Dad Dreams Rihanna Wedding Chris Brown

2012-10-24T02:12:00.002-07:00

Rihanna’s father, Ronald Fenty is happy Riri and Chris Brown are back together and now hopes their rekindled love ends in marriage.
The 24-year-old singer’s dad told Life & Style magazine:
“Whatever makes her happy. I hope one day she will get married. Everyone adores Chris, he’s a super guy. The family loved Chris Brown before they met him. I always thought he was extremely talented. He is a good person and always gave me great respect.”
Rihanna and Chris Brown don’t seem to have plans to tie the knot just yet, but who knows; we may soon hear they are getting married.
Proven family man and rap icon Jay-Z had earlier warned that he won’t hesitate to end Chris Brown’s career if he ever harms Rihanna again. Brown knows Jay-Z well enough to cross him; hopefully his relationship with Rihanna will be ‘happily ever after’.
If things work out the way Riri’s father hopes, and Chris Brown keeps a cool head, we may be witnessing another Jay-Z-Beyonce-like relationship.

Senator Gave 1.5 Million To Boko Haram

2012-10-24T02:08:00.002-07:00

You will recall that the senator in whose home a high profile boko haram member was allegedly arrested, was invited by the Department of State Services (DSS) yesterday to iron out some grey areas.
The Senator, Khalifa Ahmed Zanna, who turned himself in around noon Monday at the DSS headquarters in Abuja, while been interrogated, explained the reason why he gave about N1.5 million to Boko Haram members to buy Sallah rams.

Senator Ahmed Zanna

The senator representing Borno central in the upper chamber of the NASS told his interrogators that he gave N1.5 million for Sallah rams to the sect members following their threat to attack him.
He explained that the sect members forcefully took his aide to his house for a search, where they retrieved N250,000 with a message that he should provide them with a sum of N10 million or else they would come for him.
The senator, who was released last night, is expected back at the DSS headquarters Tuesday, in continuation of investigations.

Petrol Will Reduce To 75 Naira Per Litre Next Year

2012-10-24T02:01:00.001-07:00

Managing Director of the company, Mathew Wenke, said that his company did not intend to seek subsidy to import petroleum products.

As the fuel crisis continues without a permanent solution in sight and as controversy rages over the continuous implementation of the fuel subsidy regime, Epic Refinery and Petrochemicals Company Limited, has said it intends to import refined  fuel and sell at N75 per litre.
He said that the company had done a feasibility study during a recent tour to the South Korea on the viability of the project, adding that Epic had already applied for approval to the Ministry of Petroleum and other relevant agencies of government to import fuel.
Wenke said that such importation was part of the company’s   contribution to the Federal Government’s transformation agenda under President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.
According to him, the current scarcity of fuel and the attendant high cost was caused by saboteurs who   want to discredit the present administration for political reasons.
Wenke said the petroleum products when imported would be made available to Nigerians through the use of   the distribution network of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to squarely address the issue of scarcity.
He however said the company which had applied to the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to build a $30bn refinery in Bayelsa State would acquire series of tankers to distribute the product to all zones in the country.
“The current fuel scarcity is caused by some saboteurs and we intend to fill this gap. It is for the sake of national interest. We shall go into mass importation of fuel while preparing to establish refinery in the next two years. We shall import fuel without asking for subsidy. We have sought to use the NNPC distribution network to address the issue of scarcity. We shall do this to show our support to the President.”, he said
He explained that the idea to sell at N75 per litre at a time when fuel was selling between N110 and N130 in some parts of the country was mainly to demonstrate genuineness to contribute to the nation’s development and not to   create more hard times for Nigerians.
“We believe that after selling at N75 per litre we shall still have enough to sustain our business”, he said.
Wenke promised that when his company was granted licence to build a refinery, the company would  ensure that the price per litre would further go down.
He disclosed that the company planned to import fuel, diesel and kerosene, adding that if industry marketers went on strike for whatever reason, the company should bring in its own trucks for   products distribution.
“We have written to the Minister   and other agencies that we want to import. We are now waiting for their approval”, he said.
When asked on how his company intended to handle the issue of the oil industry cabal trying to frustrate   such offers, he maintained that the company could not be intimidated in whatever way.
“No cabal can stop us from importing fuel at reduced price. To us, we are trying to contribute our quota to the economic development of this country. We want to think and behave like a new Nigerian. As Ijaw man, we are all mafians, we believe that nobody can stop us”, he said.

Lagos Traffic Law: Obasanjo Utility Farm Van Seized For Driving On BRT Way

2012-10-24T01:58:00.001-07:00

Ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo and Lagos state governor Babatunde Raji Fashola are presently engaged in a proxy war of sorts. This follows the seizure of a utility vehicle belonging to Obasanjo Farms at Ota by men of the Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA).

It was alleged that sometime last week, the vehicle violated Lagos state traffic laws hence it was impounded and efforts by the former president to ensure its prompt release hit brick walls.

In a move deemed as retaliatory, over 10 red-coloured LAG Bus belonging to Lagos State Government were forcefully diverted into the Obasanjo Farms compound in Ota between last Friday and Sunday, October 21.
This action has reportedly led to scarcity of the popular bus on Lagos-Abeokuta expressway while thousands of residents of Sango, Ota, Ifo and other settlements along the axis, have become stranded for the second day running while having a ripple effect on the cost of transportation in the area.

Wizkid On Piont At BBC 1xtra Live Concert In London

2012-10-24T01:54:00.003-07:00

Wizkid is surely the rave of the moment no doubt as his career has been growing in leaps and bounds since his debut on the music scene. From endorsements to awards to sharing the stage/mic with some of the world’s best, Wizkid is definitely on cloud nine!

The Nigerian international pop act has been selected to thrill the crowd at the BBC 1xtra Live Concert in November alongside other world renowned acts
The announcement which was made last night by the BBC is a confirmation that the EME Superstar will be performing Live on the same stage as Trey Songs, Kendrick Lamar, Tulisa and Angel among others at the Brixton Academy, London on Monday, November 12, 2012.

K SOLO RE-MARRY, Post Her Picture On Facebook

2012-10-24T01:48:00.001-07:00

Singer and producer K Solo is flaunting another woman on his Facebook page as his love and new fiancee.

Less than two months after he and pregnant wife, Kikelomo Oyeniyi came out to say their very public break up was just a publicity stunt

Just hope this is part of the Nollywood script. Anyway her name is Linda Jacks aka D.J Babylyn......See his post on Facebook below:

K-Solo and Linda

Cultist Force Two Ladies To Act Lesbianism Movie

2012-10-24T01:43:00.000-07:00

The Nigerian Army in Enugu has paraded 21 Enugu State University of Science and Technology students for allegedly torturing and forcing some female students to have stuff among themselves.
The students, most of who confessed to being cultists, told journalists that they took video shots of the lésbian act because they had been offered money by some influential Nigerians.
The idea, the suspects said, was to take tapes of the scenes to their partners in Europe.
Shortly before parading the suspects on Saturday, the General Officer Commanding 82 Division, Maj. Gen. Sarkin Yaki Bello, who spoke through the Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa, said the cultists, were arrested in their hideouts at Agbani on the outskirts of Enugu between July 8 and 12, 2011.
Bello said the patrol team of 103 Battalion moved to the ESUT following persistent gunshots at the institution on July 4 and arrested one of the masterminds of the crime, Mr Franklin Anikwe, with five rounds of ammunition.
The GOC said he had directed that a thorough investigation be carried out in order to fish out the pepetrators.
He said, “It was the preliminary investigation conducted by the division’s intelligence group that led to the arrest of the 19 other suspects. Some of the items recoverd from them are four locally made pistols, 10AA cartridges and video clips where the female students were forced to have illicit stuff with themselves during the raid.”
Also recovered were 10 mobile telephone handsets, including the one used for recording the dirty scenes.

Man Show Up At His Own Funeral Day

2012-10-24T01:31:00.003-07:00

A 41-year-old car washer shocked his family when he interrupted a funeral being held for him at his mother's home in the town of Alagoinhas in northeastern Brazil, police said Tuesday.

Police inspector Roberto Lima said by telephone that on Sunday Jose Marcos Araujo identified a body at the city morgue as being that of his brother, Gilberto. Lima said that Jose Marcos took the body to his mother's home where a wake was held.

"The confusion started when news started circulating that a car washer had been shot dead," Jose Marcos' wife, Ana Paula, told the UOL Internet news portal. "Police called my husband and told him that his brother had been killed and his body was at the morgue." Lima said the confusion was "understandable."

"The two men closely resembled each other and both worked as car washers," Lima said adding that the man whose body was in the morgue was named Genivaldo Santos Gama. He said further information on Gama was not immediately available.

A few hours before the Monday burial "a friend of Gilberto's saw him walking down the street and told him that his family was mourning him," he said. "So he went to his mother's home to let everyone know he was very much alive."

When Araujo showed up at his wake "some people fainted and others were so scared they ran away. It was a big shock," family friend Maria Menezes told the G1 online news site.

Gilberto's mother Marina Santana told reporters "I am overjoyed. What mother wouldn't be after being told that her son is dead and then sees him alive.

Man Scared Passenger On Plane "Force Pilot To Land"

2012-10-24T01:30:00.000-07:00

Arik
| credits: File copy

Passengers and crew of an Abuja-bound aircraft belonging to Arik Air were thrown into panic on Tuesday when a passenger behaving in a strange manner stood up and screamed Allahu Akbar(God is great) midair.

The scared passengers, who took off from Maiduguri, Borno State, rushed to the strange passenger identified as Aminu Galadima, grabbed him and searched him to ascertain if he had a bomb strapped to his body.

Our correspondent learnt that the situation made the pilot of the aircraft with registration number 5N MJE to immediately radio the Air Traffic Control and airport security operatives.

The Special Assistant to the Minister of Aviation on Media, Mr. Joe Obi, confirmed the development in a statement made available to our correspondent in Abuja.

Obi said the passenger in question went through the necessary security checks at the airport and did not raise any suspicion until he started shouting midair.

He said, “A passenger, Aminu Galadima, a native of Minna, Niger State, boarded a Maiduguri-Abuja- bound Arik Air aircraft with registration number 5N MJE after going through mandatory security screening.

“Nothing incriminating; no explosives or weapons whatsoever were found on him. However, midair, the passenger began to act strangely, loudly screaming, ‘God is great.’ Fellow passengers, alarmed by his behaviour rushed to apprehend him.

“A thorough search by fellow passengers and crew members revealed nothing dangerous on him. The pilot immediately radioed Air Traffic Control and airport security operatives.

“The plane landed safely at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja at exactly 12.53hrs and the suspect was handed over to the SSS at about 14.45hrs. He is currently being interrogated.”

Obi reassured the flying public of the continued focus of the Ministry of Aviation on the safety and security of the nation’s airspace and cautioned Nigerians against spreading dangerous rumours.

Before the official statement by the authorities , rumours had spread that the plane had been bombed.

Arik also confirmed the arrest of the man, but denied that a bomb was found on its plane.

In a statement by its Public Relations and Communications Manager, Mr. Adebanji Ola, the airline said, “There is no iota of truth in the rumour making the rounds that a passenger attempted to bomb an Arik Air aircraft operating a flight from Maiduguri to Abuja today, Tuesday, October 23, 2012.

“To set the records straight, a passenger on board flight W3 812 from Maiduguri to Abuja caused a scare when he started shouting ‘Allah Akbar’ shortly before the aircraft landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. The frightened passengers on board the flight became suspicious, thinking the man was about to do something sinister.

“All the passengers on board the flight, including the man in question, had all gone through the normal security checks at the Maiduguri International Airport, and nothing incriminating was found on anyone.

“However, when the aircraft landed in Abuja, another security check was conducted on the passenger and nothing incriminating was found on him. A further security search was conducted on the operating aircraft, a Boeing 737-700 NG, and no trace of bomb or explosives was found. The aircraft went back to service immediately.”

The incident was reminiscent of the December 25, 2009 bomb attempt on a Detroit-bound plane by a Nigerian passenger, Mr. Farouk AbdulMuttalab. The plane took off from Nigeria en route Detroit through Amsterdam.

Barely two weeks after the United States granted Nigeria Category One certification in August 2010, the Nigerian aviation industry and security agencies were thrown into confusion, following an attack on a foreign airline, KLM, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja.

An aggrieved, passenger whose identity had been masked by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, had beaten all security measures to launch an attack on a flight scheduled to depart for Amsterdam.

The rising incidence of terror attacks in the Northern part of the country, especially Borno State, from which the Arik Air aircraft originated its journey, had been a source of worry to Nigerians.

Borno State, regarded as terror capital of Nigera, is believed to be home to the Boko Haram Islamic sect.

The group, which was founded by Mohammed Yusuf in 2001, became known internationally following sectarian violence in Nigeria in July 2009 which left over 1,000 people dead.

Teacher flogs 12-year-old pupil to death

2012-10-24T01:16:00.004-07:00

IG, Abubakar
| credits:

A 12-year-old pupil of a secondary school in Awka, Anambra State, Miss Chidimma Ukachukwu, has died after she was allegedly flogged by her teacher for failing to do her homework.

A reliable source in the school told the News Agency of Nigeria in Awka on Tuesday that the girl died on Thursday last week after she was flogged.

The source explained that the girl fainted after being flogged severally by a female teacher and was subsequently rushed to an undisclosed hospital, where she died.

The source also told NAN that the Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Uju Okeke, then ordered the closure of the school as a result of the incident.

A NAN correspondent, who visited the girl’s family home, soon after she was buried on Tuesday in Awka, reports that the family was in grief.

The girl’s father, Mr. Simeon Ukachukwu, confirmed the incident, saying it was a sad development. He added that it was an act of God.

But when Okeke was contacted, she denied ordering the closure of the school and said that the school was on midterm break.

NAN investigation, however, revealed that schools in the state were not on midterm break.

This fact was corroborated by an official of the Nigerian Union of Teachers in Akwa South Local Government Area.

The Chairperson of the union in the local government, Miss Buife Ndigwe, told NAN that primary and secondary schools in the state would go on midterm break next week.

When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the state police command, Mr. Ralph Uzoigwe, said that the matter had not been reported to the police, but promised that it would be investigated.

BEWARE!! Boko Haram planning massive attacks during Sallah :JTF

2012-10-24T01:14:00.001-07:00

JTF spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa
| credits: www.newsrescue.com

The Joint Military Task Force claimed on Tuesday it had uncovered plans by Boko Haram to strike in the North during Eid-el-kabir (Thursday and Friday).
The JTF also alleged that the Islamic fundamentalists had been receiving assistance from foreign militants to carry out their deadly attacks.
In a statement, the JTF spokesman, Lt.-Col. Sagir Musa, said the group was planning to attack worship centres and other public places.
The statement said, “Information available to the Joint Task Force indicates that the Boko Haram terrorists are planning to launch massive attacks on military and civilian targets in Borno State before, during and after the forthcoming Sallah celebrations.
“The terrorists have invited foreign militant groups to assist them in the anticipated attacks.
“We know where they are coming from but we don’t want to disclose that because we don’t want to pre-empt our security arrangement to tackle them.”
Boko Haram members are believed to have sought training in northern Mali from Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and its allies. There has been intense speculation over whether other links have been formed with foreign groups.
The JTF has claimed that insurgents from neighbouring Chad have previously fought alongside Boko Haram.

HIV Drug Found In South Africa

2012-10-23T05:38:00.000-07:00

South African scientists have discovered how some people can make potent antibodies capable of neutralising strains of HIV,Business Day reported on Monday.

“We’re hoping we can use this information to develop a vaccine that prompts the body’s immune system to make broadly neutralising antibodies,” Penny Moore was quoted saying.

Moore is lead author of a paper describing the discovery, published in Nature Medicine on Sunday.

The scientists have discovered that the virus evolves to evade its host’s immune system by adding a sugar molecule to its surface. The host’s antibodies adapt to recognise the sugar in such a way that they can kill nine of 10 known strains of HIV.

The study is based on blood samples taken at regular intervals over several years from two women infected with HIV, enabling scientists to study how the virus and the women’s antibodies have changed over time, Moore said.

Meanwhile, according to The Gazette (Montreal) newspaper, a new study has found that chemicals commonly found in bananas are as potent in preventing HIV as two synthetic anti-HIV drugs.

Researchers say the findings could lead to a cheap new component for applied microbicides that prevent intimate transmission of HIV.

The miracle substance in bananas is called BanLec, a type of lectin, which are the sugar-binding proteins found in a variety of plants. Scientists have long been interested in lectins because of their ability to halt the chain reaction that leads to certain viral infections. In the case of BanLec, it works by binding naturally to the sugar-rich envelope that encases the HIV virus, thus blocking its entry into the body.

“The problem with some HIV drugs is that the virus can mutate and become resistant, but that’s much harder to do in the presence of lectins. Lectins can bind to the sugars found on different spots of the HIV-1 envelope, and presumably it will take multiple mutations for the virus to get around them,” said lead author Michael D. Swanson.

I Have Raw Evidence Of Violence And Manipulation Footage - AKEREDOLU

2012-10-23T05:31:00.003-07:00

Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu
| credits:

The Action Congress of Nigeria’s governorship candidate in Saturday’s election in Ondo State, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, has said his team are currently studying the election result to collate materials for a decision he will reach in a few days.
Akeredolu, in a statement on Monday, insisted that the election, which returned the incumbent governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko of the Labour Party, was fraught with irregularities.
He said, “I am conscious of the expectation of our supporters and the general public on our reaction to the outcome of the election.
“Let me state that our party is studying the results and will take a decision on reports of widespread irregularities from our agents and other witnesses. I have been inundated with tales of the brazen acts of violence perpetrated by thugs during the conduct of the election.
“I still find it difficult to believe that our security agents played the role of partisans of injustice in some areas of the state. There are, however, incontrovertible evidence of attempts at violence and actual perpetration of the same against voters before, during and after the election.”
But our correspondent had on Sunday contacted the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mohammed Ndabawa, who was seconded from the Rivers State Police Command, just before the election, on the allegations of police collusion.
Ndabawa had said he knew nothing of the issue and advised the ACN to take the Independent National Electoral Commission up on the issue in a court.
Akeredolu reiterated that he had evidence that the State Commissioner for Special Duties, Mr. Niran Sule, was arrested for being in possession of firearms and large sums of money on the morning of election.

Motorcyclist sells nurse to ritual killers for N10,000

2012-10-23T05:28:00.002-07:00

A commercial motorcyclist, identified simply as Ifeanyi, has been arrested for allegedly handing over a nurse, Mrs. Helen Ilonge, to ritual killers after collecting N10, 000.

PUNCH Metro learnt that Ilonge had on Tuesday last week took Ifeanyi’s motorcycle on her way to Igoli along the Ogoja-Ikom Highway in Ogoja LGA.

Ilonge, the coordinator of Primary Health Care in Bekwarra Local Government Area of Cross River State, was coming from a programme at the Assemblies of God Church, Abakaliki in Ebonyi State, and had alighted from a vehicle at Okpongrinya junction before taking the bike.

It was gathered that Ilonge (51) was beheaded while her other vital reproductive parts such as breast and vagina were removed for ritual purposes.

Ilonge’s neighbour, Mrs. Theresa Idagwu, on Sunday said, “Ifeanyi took the lady from Okpogrinya Junction on the pretence that he was taking her to the village, which is 10 minutes drive from the point. But along the way, he stopped and handed her over to kidnappers at Ukpe.

Meanwhile, the woman had called her daughter, Victoria, around 9pm that she had taken a bike at Okpogrinya Junction on her way to Igoli. She said when she gets to her destination; she would call again so that Victoria would boil water for her to take her bath. That was Ilonge’s last call.”

Repeated calls made to the woman’s line, according to Idagwu, indicated that it was switched off.

She said Ilonge’s family became worried when the woman did not return home. “We went everywhere- police stations, hospitals and even her friends in Igoli, thinking that may be an accident had occurred along the road but we got nothing,” Idagwu added.

Two days later, Idagwu said someone called Victoria on her phone and informed her that her mother had been kidnapped. The caller demanded a ransom of N50, 000 to be remitted in form of recharge cards.

She said, “Since her daughter could not raise the money, she rushed to the Bekwarra LGA headquarters where the head of administration, Mr. Bisong Bogbo, and the chairman, Mr. Linus Edeh, provided the money with which she bought recharge cards and sent to the caller.

“The voice claimed that he needed the recharge cards so he could sell and run away from his master who is a ritual killer. He claimed that he had been serving his master for a long time and wanted to run away. He said once he gets the cards, he will break the door where the nurse is being kept and release her.”

The LGA’s head of administration, Bogbo, confirmed that the cards were sent to the kidnapper through Victoria’s telephone.

He said immediately the alleged kidnapper confirmed receipt of the cards; he switched off his telephone.

Luck, however, ran out of Ifeanyi. Policemen tracked his telephone line and discovered that he called Victoria from Abuochiche.

Further investigations, it was gathered, showed that Ifeanyi had been selling the cards in the village immediately he got them.

When he was arrested, Bogbo told our correspondent that Ifeanyi led the police to one of the ritual killers identified simply as Elvis.

Elvis, according to Bogbo, confessed that the nurse had already been killed and some of her vital organs removed before Ifeanyi asked for the recharge cards.

Elvis also said the remains of the woman were buried in a swamp.

At the council headquarters, one of the late nurse’s colleagues, Mr. Gabriel Ogar, said she was probably the kindest woman he ever worked with.

Ogar said, “I have worked with five coordinators, but I know that she is just the best so far. She worked to the admiration of Governor Liyel Imoke and now she has been killed leaving her five children without a helper.

“Her husband died 12 years ago and since then she has been the one taking care of the children and only one has graduated. Please let the government do something for those poor children.”

When contacted on Monday, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Osita Ezechukwu, said the police were still investigating the matter.

He said four suspects had been apprehended by the anti-homicide unit, adding that when the investigation was completed the suspects would be prosecuted.

“We have taken confessional statement from them. Those who are not involved have been allowed to go while those who are involved are still in detention,” Ezechukwu said.

Culled From Punch