My First Week of Freedom After 10 Years On Death Row

When I called my mother from prison to tell her I’d been
pardoned after 10 years in jail, she fainted.
I was told they had to pour water on her to revive her. Later,
when she saw me for the first time after all those years in
jail, she grabbed me and held me so tight. She wouldn’t let
go for almost 15 minutes. The whole time she had tears of
joy streaming from her eyes.
Football and juice: celebrating with my death row friends
I was also overwhelmed with joy when I found out about my
pardon, at 4pm on 28 May. Initially I couldn’t even speak, I
was so happy.
The day after hearing the news, I celebrated in prison by
organising a football match between death row inmates and
other prison inmates. I’d been the death row team football
coach during my time in prison. We won the match 3-0!
Everyone was so happy to play.
That Sunday I went to the prison church. I bought some
biscuits and fruit juice to share with other inmates in church
and an announcement was made that I was being released.
Everyone was happy. I had friends in prison; I had been
teaching English and Maths to fellow inmates and those
students who were keen became my friends.
I was released a few days later. That first evening at home,
my mother prepared a special dish – Okro soup with beef.
The whole family ate together at the dining table.
Afterwards, there was a party with family friends and we
sang songs, played music and prayed.
We prayed for all the activists who campaigned for my
release, those from Amnesty international and Justine
Ijeomah [the Director of HURSDEF, Nigeria’s Human Rights
Social Development and Environmental Foundation] and his
wife, Goodness Justine. Drinks were shared around with
everyone at the party.
The sleep of the free
The first night I slept in my new bed, I slept so well. What
struck me most was that at 5am, I did not hear the prison
wake-up bell. I waited for it, and then realised that it was
not a dream, but in fact I really am free.
When I realised that, I felt freedom deep in my spirit. Things
had changed for good. I went back to sleep and slept until
10am, fully enjoying my ‘freedom sleep’. My family came to
wake me up but I told them to let me sleep longer. It was
such a good sleep.
In those first days of freedom I bumped into an old school
friend and he looked at me like he’d seen a ghost.
We have a local belief that if you pour sand on a spirit it will
vanish, and he started to pick up sand from the ground and
pour it on my body! I told him – ‘don’t pour sand on me, I’m
alive, I’m not a ghost!’ At that, he touched me and hugged
me: he thought I had been executed.
He told me he would never forget the last time he saw me
before my arrest 10 years ago.
At home, everything felt strange to me, even though I’m so
relieved to be free. Lots of things have changed in the 10
years since I was arrested: new bridges have been built and
the use of laptop computers and phones is common now.
People keep asking me ‘What happened to your finger?
[After I was arrested] my fingernails and toenails were
pulled out. The scars people see are the lasting marks that
torture has left me with. When I wear sandals, seeing my
toes reminds me of what I went through.
Torture affects people in so many ways. It’s inhuman:
heating cutlasses on a fire and then flogging a person’s
back is barbaric. It affects people mentally: it causes
madness. They pass out because of the pain and admit to
things they never did.
What I went through – the torture and being on death row –
affected me in so many ways. It affected my plans for life
and my ambitions at school. I spent ten years in jail. By now
I could have finished school and have started working.
What struck me most is that you can live in a country where
you can face so much tragedy for no reason, and yet still
have to live there. I will always pray for change in Nigeria,
but I advise others living here to be very careful, so that they
will not fall victim to what I went through.
I’m joining the fight against torture
My plans now I’m free are to continue my education and get
as far as I always dreamt – I want to be a doctor to fulfill
my late father’s wishes.
But I’ll also be a human rights activist and help others who
face the same challenges that I did. I have already filled out
an application form and had a passport photo taken – the
requirements for becoming a volunteer activist with
HURSDEF.
The Director, Justine, welcomed me warmly as ‘Comrade
Moses Akatugba’. I told him: Justine, I’m joining the fight
against torture so that others will not go through the pain
that I did.
If I have my way, and can stop torture, I will be the happiest
man on earth. I don’t want any future generation to go
through what I went through in that torture chamber.
Moses Akatugba was tortured to confess to a crime he says
he never committed. His ‘confession’ was then used to
sentence him to death.
On 28 May 2015, Moses was pardoned after nearly 10 years
in jail. Over 800,000 of you around the world took action
demanding justice
Moses Akatugba was tortured to confess to a crime he says he
never committed. His ‘confession’ was then used to sentence
him to death.
On 28 May 2015, Moses was pardoned after nearly 10 years in
jail. Over 800,000 of you around the world took action
demanding justice

Failing: The Last Law School Taboo

Law students spend a great deal of time in discussion with
one another. Be it the elements of a contract, judicial
activism or even something as banal as where to get the
best and cheapest coffee on campus. The one thing we
don’t seem to talk about is failing. It’s like we are scared of
some Macbeth style jinx if any of us dares utter the word.
Let’s face it, sometimes clever, educated, hard working
students will fail a subject. It happens. It is emotionally and
mentally crushing when it does but, trust me on this; it is
not the end of your legal career or the world. You need to
take some time to reflect, feel downright melancholy and
then, dust yourself off and get on with the next semester.
Speak with your lecturers and tutors. Get some feedback
about where you could have improved and why you got the
mark you did. At the very least, something positive will
come from it, in that you will get a much better insight into
what they want to hear from you next time .
To perk you all up for next semester, I have collated a list of
brilliant minds that have at some stage failed a subject or
two.
United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
failed the Washington DC Bar Exam in the 1970’s.
Prime Minister Winston Churchill spoke from experience
when he uttered “Never give in, never give in, never, never,
never, never – in nothing, great or small, large or petty –
never give in except to convictions of honour and good
sense. Never, never, never, never give up” as he too has felt
the cruel sting of failure, after flunking grade six.
Louis Pasteur ranked 15th out of 22 students in chemistry
– a fairly ordinary mark, for a fairly extraordinary mind.
Albert Einstein, a brilliant thinker and mathematician whose
face adorns many a student’s wall, failed the entrance exam
to Zurich Polytechnic School.
Leo Tolstoy completely failed his university studies and was
described as “unwilling and unable to learn”. I wonder how
many descendants of his former teachers had to read his
works as part of their studies?
On a more personal note, I know a brilliant legal mind who
currently presides on one of Victoria’s esteemed County
Court benches, who made me smile one morning by saying,
“Oh don’t worry so much about your marks at uni, I failed
two subjects in my first year”. That little conversation has
kept me going in my darkest days.
So I say to you, down with the taboo. Let’s get it out there
in the open. A spider in the dark is much more frightening
than the one you can see and measure (and squish). My
name is Jennifer, and I too, have failed a subject at law
school.
Good luck with this semester. I’ll get back to my con law
reading.

How Nigeria Stopped Chadian Troops From Overunning Boko Haram

Having defeated al Qaeda in Mali two years ago, Chad’s
military believes it could finish off Boko Haram alone. It has
notched up victories that have pushed the Nigerian militants
back from the Cameroonian border.
But with presidential elections this month, Nigeria is keen to
press ahead with its own military campaign against Boko
Haram, aiming to push it out of major towns before the
March 28 ballot.
In a country proud to be a major African power, it would be
an embarrassment to President Goodluck Jonathan as he
seeks reelection for a smaller nation to tackle Nigeria’s
security problems, diplomats say.
In their forward base in the town of Gambaru on the Nigeria-
Cameroon border, Chadian soldiers displayed dozens of
guns seized from Boko Haram and a burnt-out armoured
vehicle painted with black and white Arabic script.
“We turned back because Nigeria did not authorise us to go
any further,” army spokesman Colonel Azem Bermandoa
said.
Nigeria’s spokesman for operations in the northeast, Mike
Omeri, said cooperation between Chadian and Nigerian
forces has brought some major military successes and any
issues would be resolved via existing command structures.
But the Chadians say there have been no joint operations
between the two forces. Chad’s offer to join a Nigerian
offensive to capture Baga, site of one of Boko Haram’s
worst atrocities in January, was rebuffed, Bermandoa said.
Officials from Chad, Niger and Cameroon say lack of
cooperation from Nigeria has for months hampered efforts
to put together a regional taskforce against Boko Haram.
Chad was compelled to take unilateral action in January,
under a deal that allows it to pursue terrorists into Nigeria,
after Boko Haram violence started to choke off imports to
its economy .
With Niger and Cameroon deploying thousands of troops on
their borders, blocking escape routes for Boko Haram, the
tide may be turning. In what Nigeria has branded a sign of
desperation, the Islamist group has carried out wave of
suicide attacks and threatened to disrupt the election.
Francois Conradie, analyst with South African-based NKC
Research, said that if the current offensive can be
sustained, Boko Haram could quickly be driven out of the
remaining towns it holds. It would, however, remain a
deadly rural guerrilla force.
“All of this is good news for stability and will probably be to
Mr Jonathan’s electoral advantage,” he said.
Many in Nigeria ask why it took so long to act. Boko Haram
killed thousands last year and kidnapped many more in its
six-year campaign for an Islamist emirate in Africa’s largest
oil producer.
Niger, Cameroon and Chad say Nigeria neglected the
uprising in its economically backward northeast, an
opposition stronghold. Borno state is home to two percent
of Nigeria’s 170 million people.
But in recent months, Muhammadu Buhari, a former military
ruler who is running as the presidential candidate for the
opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), has gained
popularity with voters desperate for tough policies both on
corruption and Boko Haram.
Amid pressure from the ruling People’s Democratic Party
(PDP), Nigeria’s electoral commission announced a six
week postponement to the Feb. 14 election, to allow the
army to tackle the security situation in the northeast so
voting could go ahead there.
Ernst Hogendoorn, Crisis Group’s Africa deputy programme
director, said the government appeared to have engineered
the delay in the hope the APC would slip up or the military
could boost Jonathan by defeating Boko Haram.
“Boko Haram has certainly suffered a strategic setback …
Clearly this improves Goodluck Jonathan’s chances
somewhat,” said Hogendoorn. “The question is do any of
these forces have the ability to maintain this tempo,
particularly the Chadians and to a lesser degree the
Nigerians?”
With Chad already squeezed by a slump in the price of oil,
its main export, the government says it can only sustain the
offensive in Nigeria for a short time, diplomats say.
Buhari, however, has already criticised Jonathan for relying
on Chad to push back Boko Haram, saying his government
would tackle the problem alone. Many in the military and the
government are keen to limit foreign involvement on
Nigerian soil, diplomats say.
When Chadian forces last month entered the town of Dikwa,
they were told to leave by Nigeria’s military, which said it
was planning air strikes, Bermondoa said.
After Nigeria’s army retook Baga last month, Army Chief
Major General Kenneth Minimah said his soldiers would
recapture a handful of remaining towns before the elections,
listing Dikwa as one of them. “The war is almost ended,” he
said.
Boko Haram was long regarded by neighbouring countries
as an internal Nigerian problem, but attacks in Cameroon
and Niger last year prompted the regional response. Niger,
Nigeria, Chad, Benin and Cameroon agreed in May to join
forces against the militants.
Since then, however, distrust and misunderstandings have
stymied preparations for the force, due to take effect by the
end of this month. Nigeria initially sent low-level
representatives to planning meetings, angering its allies.
Cooperation between Cameroon and Nigeria has been
dogged by long-running border tensions, while Niger
accused Nigerian troops of cowardice.
“Nigeria must get involved and honour its promise of
providing between 2,500 and 3,000 to the multinational
force,” said Cameroon’s defence spokesman Colonel Didier
Badjeck.
Cameroon has stepped up its activities since July, when
Boko Haram attacked Kolotafa, the hometown of its deputy
prime minister, killing dozens and kidnapping his wife.
The government has boosted its security forces in northern
Cameroon from 700 to around 7,000.
“We have to do whatever it takes to make sure the sect
does not occupy any town in Cameroon,” said Colonel
Joseph Nouma, in charge of Operation Alpha, the mission
against Boko Haram.
However, Nouma said he has orders not to enter Nigeria,
and Cameroon has denied Nigerian troops the right to
pursue insurgents into Cameroon.
Along its 400 km (250 miles) border with Nigeria, Cameroon
has created 14 new bases, with heavy artillery batteries. It
has also deployed surveillance drones, a senior intelligence
officer said.
Another senior Cameroon military figure said they were
attempting to choke off Boko Haram’s revenues, including
the trade in fuel with Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
“All of this looks to be paying off,” the officer said, with no
incursions since mid-February.

500 Nigerian School Girls Rescued From Boko Haram

A civil rights worker in Nigeria's restive northeast
organised the dramatic rescue of nearly 500 schoolgirls
from a town under attack by Boko Haram.
He has been credited with averting a repeat of the
abduction, in April last year, of 279 students from the
town of Chibok, most of whom are still missing.
Ibrahim Garuba Wala, better known as I G Wala, a leader
of Nigeria's National Consensus Movement (NCM)
arranged for the daring evacuation of the children from
deep in the bush, where they had fled with their teachers.
His rescue operation was conducted under the noses of
the Nigerian military, which had reportedly refused to
enter the area because it was too dangerous.
The incident happened two months ago, but has remained
virtually unreported, even in Nigeria. I G Wala has
provided photographs and video of the rescue, showing
the 470 girls, all wearing school uniforms, running in
single-file through dusty terrain, many barefoot.
Liaising with their teachers, who had alerted the NCM
leader to their plight by mobile phone, I G Wala agreed a
rendezvous point near a remote village accessible by
road. He hurriedly arranged a fleet of passenger vans
from the state capital, Gombe, 50km away, which
whisked the girls to safety.
They had been boarding at the Federal Government
College in Bajoga town, which had come under fierce
attack by the jihadi insurgents, who entered the town in
stolen Armoured Personnel Carriers. They attacked the
police station, robbed the bank and looted shops.
A heavy gunfight ensued between the insurgents and the
Bajoga police, alongside a few dozen soldiers based near
the town. An unknown number of militants, police and
military personnel were reportedly killed.
As the Boko Haram fighters entered the school
compound, I G Wala was on the phone to a member of
staff at the school.
"I could hear the teachers screaming at the girls just to
drop everything and run. All I could think of was the girls
from Chibok and I knew that we could not let this happen
again," he said. I G Wala has been an active member of
the Bring Back Our Girls campaign.
He claims he begged a Nigerian military commander to
send in his troops to rescue the school girls but was told
that the situation there was out of control. When I G Wala
insisted on leading a group of civilians to rescue the girls,
the commander, he says, agreed to supply two military
escort vehicles.
Pictures show a handful of armed soldiers observing the
evacuation. From where the road ended, the rescuers had
to continue into the bush using motorcycles borrowed
from villagers.
She ran up to me, crying, and hugged me. I told her and
her friends not to worry and that everything would be OK
now. You should have seen their faces
The civil rights worker took with him the speaker of the
Gombe State Assembly, Inuwa Garba, who has confirmed
the entire account to Channel 4 News.
Mr Garba said military aircraft were bombing Boko
Haram positions in the bush which is why the army
commander had been reluctant to let the civilian rescue
party enter the area.
While travelling by motorcycle, a preferred mode of
transport for Boko Haram, they had to fly white flags so
that military pilots above would not bomb them.
The girls ran a total of 15km through the bush. They had
been unable to take any water and many were severely
dehydrated, I G Wala said. One had been injured by
treading on a spike with bare feet.
"We carried some of them on our backs for the final
kilometre back to the nearest village, which was as far as
our vans had been able go. We had brought with us a
vehicle loaded with bottles of water for the girls."
The children and their teachers emerged from the bush at
dusk. The area was extremely insecure and "we had to
get out quickly," he said. The girls were driven to the
Government Girls' Secondary School in Gombe city.
'Uncle!'
One of the students was I G Wala's own niece, 13-year-
old Miriam Mohammad Garuba Wala.
"When she saw me, she cried out 'Uncle!'" he said. "She
ran up to me, crying, and hugged me. I told her and her
friends not to worry and that everything would be OK
now. You should have seen their faces," he said. "They
were distraught."
"When we finally arrived in Gombe, we were met by
teachers and many parents of the girls from Bajoga.
There was nothing quite like that feeling. It was very
emotional," said I G Wala.
"I had a sense of accomplishment on completing this
task," he said. "After the whole thing, what is important is
that whenever you feel that you just have to do
something, you just have to do it, regardless of risk."
The militants have led sustained attacks in the Gombe
area in recent weeks. Ten days ago, a car bomb exploded
200m from a stadium in Gombe city, just minutes after
President Goodluck Jonathan had left a political rally
there. The bomb killed at least one bystander and
wounded seven. The previous day, a suicide bomber killed
five and wounded eight near a mosque in the city.
Boko Haram, an Islamist group which has affiliated itself
with Islamic State and has established a self-declared
caliphate across northeastern Nigeria. The group's name
roughly translates as "Western Education is Forbidden." It
has repeatedly attacked schools and abducted children.
Those who have escaped say they are used by the
insurgents as porters for weapons, as cooks and sex
slaves.
In February last year, the insurgents killed 59 boys at the
Federal Government College of Buni Yadi in Yobe State.
One month ago, an attack on a boy's school in Potiskum,
also in Yobe State, killed nearly 50, when a suicide
bomber, dressed in school uniform, detonated his vest
during morning assembly.
'No thanks'
I G Wala's civil rights organisation, the National
Concensus Movement, is a coalition of youth groups
across northern Nigeria. It agitates against "the gross
insensitivity of the Federal Government of Nigeria,"
towards those who have suffered "unimaginable atrocities
and calamities."
I G Wala said he had received no word of thanks or even
acknowledgement from the Nigerian federal authorities or
the military, only from the principal of the school in
Bajoga. He has remained friends, he said, with the ten
soldiers "who shared this ordeal" and escorted his rescue
convoy.
The Nigerian military has reportedly refused to confirm
that any of the events described here even happened.
Channel 4 News has repeatedly called the Nigerian
military spokesman but so far has not received a
response.
The girls of the Federal Government College in Bajoga are
now back at school. There is now a heavy military
presence in the town. The day after the girls were
rescued, the Nigerian military is understood to have
deployed reinforcements to Bajoga town but the convoy
was reportedly ambushed by the insurgents and 28
soldiers were killed.

9 Reasons Why Some African Ladies Will End Up Single For Life

1. Many African ladies will end up singles for life
because of media exposure - it is so disheartening how
a lady will glue her eyes on a mobile phone from
morning to night, only to raise it up to focus on
television to watch another celebrity entertainment
channel. Tell me, what else will dominate this lady’s
mindset aside how to live a fake celebrity life being
promoted on television channels?
2. Many African ladies now dislike cooking and home
chores [/b]just because they had been totally
brainwashed by movies showcasing men playing the
role of women in a family, and due to excessive
exposure to modern media that promotes gender-
equality in a destructive way that’s aimed at
destroying the unique African family setting that made
our previous African marriages everlasting and envious
to the westerns. Now, with this attitude, how do you
expect a African man to desire to marry when he knows
he is only buying more headache and trouble than
helper for himself?
[b]3. Excessive makeup turns most decent and
serious-minded men off- if you have observed, you will
discover that most men dislike excessive makeup, and
more don’t even like it at all; reason they often times
discourage their true loved ones to do away with it cos
it speaks ill of a lady even though so many men will
applaud and complement you for looking like an
Egyptian mummy. A slight makeup is okay; but if you
are out for marriage, try always to look simple and
natural, it will attract better men, decent and serious-
minded, except you are still living in your high school
life and not thinking towards marriage.
4. Stop Giving Your Number Out To Every Dick &
Harry! No man would want to propose marriage to a
lady whose phone is always talking and laughing with
less serious calls. You may not be a playgirl, but he
would judge you as one, and will likely flee at the
slightest chance or disagreement.
5. You Don’t Bring Any Value Into The Life Of Men You
Date or Are Dating- because your best friend married
without contributing anything to the man that finally
married her, doesn’t mean it will work for you that way.
Think, work towards equipping yourself so that you can
be a value and also add value to his life to convince
him that you are worth committing to. Adding value to
his life isn’t by giving him money, or material gifts,
nope….good counsels, being his best friend, helping
him attain his goals in life, lending him moral, mental
and spiritual support, and by not just being a liability
that only bring requests and problems to be solved.
6. Your Friends Run Your Life - how do you expect to
find a husband when you still allow your clique of
friends to be dictating which man you meet is worthy
of your love and which is not? When will you wake up
and face the fact that those your best friends even
though they cherish you, wouldn’t want you to marry
before them or to marry the best man?
7. You Give Everything Out During Dating- As a single
lady who has not been taken to the altar, you need to
reserve some things for your husband to be, especially
your body, respect it and preserve it at all cost. In the
past, men rushed to marry to get certain things or
privileges they had been constantly denied while being
single. Such privileges include and not limited to:
constant sex and companionship, good food and tidied
home, etc. But today, a single man gets even the best
and of course more of constant sex, good food and
excellent home-keeping more than his married
counterparts, so tell me how the hell you want him to
desire to marry you when you have given him virtually
everything he desires from a wife while being his
girlfriend? And the most painful part of it all is that he
knows that you are prepared to cut down on sex
supply, cooking, home-keeping, etc once he marries
you, so why would he not want you to remain his
girlfriend for life?
8. You Package Yourself Wrongly - in your attempt to
look sexy, adorable and maybe appealing to guys, you
have derailed from appealing to appalling. In fact you
look more whorish than modest; more distractive than
attractive, and more disgusting than adorable. Your
dressing style determines who gets attracted to you
most times. If you dress high school, only high school-
thinking guys will be attracted to you, and if you dress
excessively sexy and provocative, only randy men will
come to you for urgent satisfaction of their immediate
sex urge, so don’t be fooled by media hyping of certain
kinds of dressing, they are meant for certain set of
ladies you wouldn't like to be associated with, be
careful. Remember, not all clothes that look sexy are
good for a seriously searching for a soul mate single
lady.
9. You Lack Manner, Character, Wisdom and Good
Home Upbringing- definitely, your ‘hot girl’, ‘pretty girl’,
‘sexy girl’ looks will win you so many men; both the
good, and the bad, but your inner beauty, your
character and manner are the things that will determine
whether any of those men would stay or run after
accomplishing their evil missions. In order words, do
away with nagging, being possessive, challenging with
men in negative ways, the mentality of ‘what a man
can do a woman can do better’, a lie devil has used to
deceive and destroy so many ladies today, please do
away with it.

Funny Nigerian Nicknames And Their Meaning

HOMEBOY: This name is for a young man (now 20ish) who
spent the bulk of his teenage years fantasizing about life in
America. He can tell you all the scenes from New Jack City,
White men can't jump, Poetic Justice and 8 Mile. He spent
his teenage years folding up one leg of his pair of dirty
baggy jeans and walking like he's on the moon. Today, he
enjoys his kind of smoke and talking about how life would
have been for him in Yankee or Jandon.
MY GUY: You will be called my guy if you are fond of
sharing drinks/cigarettes with your other guys in the
evenings. All you guys get to talk about is the latest car that
drove along Allen in Ikeja or Cocaine Avenue in Festac. The
first thing you ask your friends every time you meet them is
"how farrr? Sometimes you waste a hell of a time talking
about chicks.
CHICKS/BABES: Young men usually talk about chicks when
they mean pretty girls. All they ever wanted is to sleep with
chicks without showing them respects. It is not certain why
men think that they must see beneath the skirt of every girl
they call a chick or babe.
PADDY MI/EEYAN MI: The strictly Yoruba people's version
of my guy. But here, the gist is more about Tinubu,
LASTMA, Councillors, latest pictures in OVATION and
Adenuga.
SHORTY: A global nickname for short girl or boy. Usually
friendly and funny person but very quick to let his/her
presence known by being loud. On a close encounter, a
Shorty can be mean and wicked. In Nigeria, it is forbidden to
curse or address people using their disorders but people do
it anyway. They think it's fun.
BABA GIGA: reserved for an abnormally tall boy but instead
of being a curse, it sounds cool. Baba giga can be a very
useless person. He goes around with his obvious height
misbehaving and attracting attention for the sake of been
yelled at-BABA GIGA!
AKOWE: Definitely a Yoruba boy most likely from the rural
area who came to town for the purpose of completing his
education. Realities will make that impossible and he would
end up been a vulcanizer or a carpenter. Because of his
small stature, a lot of people don't know he is about 27
years old and that he has been secretly dating Bisi, the girl
who sells Ewa Aganyi. Bisi's bulging stomach means
Akowe must find a one room in face-me-I-face-you house.
For other people, your in-law can call you Akowe with the
serious hope that your visit (to her relief) is temporary.
NNA: An Igbo boy who is not popular by his name but very
well known to be loud. People think that he is funny either
by the way he talks which reveals that he is an Igbo boy or
by the way he dresses because he is full of colour riots. Nna
finds it fashionable to wear sunshade glasses in the late
evenings.
Yoruba-Yoruba: A Yoruba boy probably new from the
village. This boy speaks Yoruba to everybody regardless of
whom they are or where they come from. To him, Yoruba is
a universal language and you must be silly not to know his
language accompanied by a thick accent. Sometimes, other
people fall into this category when they are lumped together
by tribal sentiments of non-Yoruba people. "No mind dem;
dem don use their ngbatingbati to scatter everything"!
Useless Yoruba people, Shonekan Abiola, Obasanjo dem!
Northerner: This man is usually from the north or from
Niger Republic. In his eyes, Lagos is London. He goes home
every other year with a lot of money which he earned selling
water. The irony of his business venture is that the water
belongs to the people he is selling it to. This people from
Lagos (his own London) don't mind as long as the water
comes anyhow. Sometimes this guy is like a security man
(again this gives him greater pride) but the problem is that
when there is religious riot, this Northerner does not mind to
kill his landlord (an ordinary infidel!). An Northerner can
become an industrialist if he spends a long time in Lagos.
He could own a small kiosk or a make shift supermarket.
Sometimes, he pretends to be a security man when in fact
he has sold out as an informant. Don't ever argue with this
man, he is known to have killed a student of Yaba Tech on
21 Road just because of ordinary N5 change! He is always
armed!
OLOYE: A Yoruba man who is not rich but whose friends
have decided to console him by calling him Oloye just to
make him feel good. Oloye is fond of wearing a funny
version of the Agbada dress-Danshiki. He thinks high of
himself. Actually, Oloye could be rich but his riches are very
temporary. He is dubious, always looking for contract that
he doesn't intend to complete before moving on to the next
one. Oloye likes women too much.
EGBON: This man is a good listener. He talks last as if that
is what everybody has been waiting for. For real, the
younger people around want to listen to him. He is older and
assumed to be wiser. He pretends to be full of experience. If
anyone is called Egbon in Lagos, tendencies are that such a
person has not made it. Otherwise instead of Egbon, he
would say please don't call me Egbon, call me Mr.T or Big-
K.
CHAIRMAN: A chairman is someone who has no direction
and he is suffering from self-deceit. People call him
chairman because of what they anticipate to get from him.
He thinks he is the richest man in his group but in reality he
is been made to foolishly drop more than he can afford. He
gets home and quarrels with his wife and shouts on his
children. He blames it on tiredness and stress when all he
needed to do is to stop himself from been called chairman
or he should stop acting like it. Sometimes, a chairman
thinks he is the lord of the boys who pretends to be serving
him. If your friend is calling you chairman especially on the
phone, tell him to stop it because he is mocking you. This
Chairman is called Chief by his neighbours. Behind his back,
it sounds more like thief or mischief.
MR. CHAIRMAN: This is the original chairman who heads a
company or a renowned association. His children are in the
boarding houses or on campus. They may even be abroad
so there are no kids to shout on. Mr. Chairman could be a
dubious contractor or a politician enjoying looted funds. He
could as well be a decent man rewarded for his hard work.
Who knows?
BROS: Someone who does not realize he is getting old, so
he is acting foolishly. Bros is almost invariably jobless or he
claims to be self-employed. He could even tell you that he
has some boys working for him. Bros is usually the first
born male in his house of many children, cousins, and other
extended family members. Everybody looks up to him even
if his examples are extremely bad. He hides his laziness by
pretending to be a mentor.
ALAYE: This guy is a nuisance to the society. They call him
Alaye because he takes what is not his and he fights when
he is least concerned about the matter at hand. He dropped
out of class 2 and has been controlling the area bus stop
since he was 17. He is not a full time areaboy or agbero
because there are many other useless things he must
occupy himself with otherwise he may lose the title of Alaye.
Alaye usually goes together with the name like Alaye Femo,
Alaye Taju, Alaye Muyisco and so on. Alaye's eyes are
usually red. I don't know why.
OGBOLOGBO: A synonym for Alaye but you can receive a
beating of your life if you address an Alaye as Ogbologbo to
his face. It sounds less dignifying for him. You must
respect him.
BABA LONDON: Most likely a Yoruba man who had spent
some parts of his life in the UK (might even be outside
London or the US) but people just call him Baba London
anyhow. All that matters is that he has been abroad for a
time too long for the neighbours liking. This man is now
settled in Lagos and he owns a two-storey building near
Lawanson area. He is the landlord and caretaker at the
same time. He does not tolerate indebtedness otherwise he
is quick to tell you about his exploits in the oyinbo's man
civil service. His children are definitely back in the UK
considering the un-conducive living conditions in Nigeria.
He and his wife live in his second house near Adekunle Bus-
stop where they also have some tenants downstairs.
LAYABOUT: This guy is very famous in the University
environment. He comes in different shades. There is one of
him that is a very conning guy because while most people
see him as unserious, he knew in himself that he is a
serious person. He attends every show on campus and
there is nothing going on that he doesn't get a wind of. He is
attracted to all the girls around and he sees lecture times as
the longest periods of the day. At the end of the semester,
this conning layabout excels in his studies sometimes even
better than the effecos. He had been studying at odd times.
There is a type of layabout that gets blown away by
everything that makes him a layabout and his carry-overs
speak volumes. He ends up with an extra year or more!
EFFECO: A university language reserved for the bookworms.
An effeco usually has no social life and he alienates himself
from the school. His types pass through the school without
allowing the school to pass through them. An effeco is not
necessarily the best or the most intelligent student in his or
her class. He doesn't talk much for fear of losing all that he
had stored in his cerebrum. That could explain the
difference between an intelligent mind and an ordinary
effeco.
NFA: A secondary school version of layabout. This guy is
late to school, late to lessons, doesn't wash his uniform
regularly and for the most has a serious apathy for books.
All he wanted is just to finish secondary school. He knows
how to bribe teachers and invigilators during examinations
but how to go about this under NECO, WAEC and GCE are
great puzzles for him. He must find a way or just fail
anyhow. He doesn't care much. In his mind, he would try
football. If that does not work out, he would ask Chike how
to use the yahoo email that has brought Chike so much
money working under Chairman.
GODFATHER: A name usually reserved for illiterates or
semi-literates who stumbled on money because of the
corrupt nature of Nigerian politics. A godfather is violent
and ruthless and he has the power to produce election
results before the Election Day. A godfather usually talks
before thinking.
LEPA: Usually a skinny girl who likes to make some funny
tiptoeing when walking around with her bony body. This girl
is highly breakable and if folded, she can fit into a carton of
green sand shandy.
OROBO: a very fat and sweaty girl. Many men who call
orobo as if to detest her are actually her secret admirers.
They wish they could lay her in bed. Orobo, though fat, is
very agile and brisk in her movement. Her chest is huge and
her backside is mountainous but she is proud of her natural
endowments. In appreciation for these features, some
Nigerian men would give their right hand for an Orobo wife.
It's true!
MAMA APATI: This woman could be young or old but her
fatness is not refined like that of Orobo. Mind your
language: don't go about calling an old woman mama apati!
Her children could resurrect from nowhere just to use your
broad nose to sharpen a blunt knife.
OMOBA: this is the fakest prince in Nigeria. A Yoruba or Edo
boy who lives under the illusion of his nickname-the king's
son. Sometimes he behaves like babagiga by attracting
unnecessary attention to himself. Don't believe a word this
boy tells you because he spends most part of the day
visualizing the lies people can swallow easily.
PRINCESS: The female version of Omoba. At 17, this girl will
realize the foolhardiness of her name which has almost
turned her into a prostitute. The biggest challenge before
she turns 20 is how to tell everyone, especially her name
admirers that her real name is Jumoke.
PEPPERLESS: This is a name made popular at Yaba Tech.
The male students address some of their female
counterparts as pepperless because they talk from their
nose and pretend like they don't visit the toilets. Tell an
alumnus of Yaba Tech to mimic a pepperless, you'll get a
good laugh with your head spinning.
OPEKE: Quite similar to pepperless but Opeke shows less
concern for education. She would rather show herself on the
street shaking her body and turning her painted face from
side to side. Baba Fryo sang well about Opekes in dem go
dey pose, dem go dey denge denge.
BOMBOY: Most likely an Igbo boy. Unless you are in the
same class as this boy, you'll only get to know his real
name when he is about 20 years. Bomboy will be careless
as a teenager and he will glow with excitement just to match
the sound of his funny nickname. He will be stubborn and
always thinking that you have no right to tell him what to do
just because you are older than him. At 20, having failed
JAMB thrice and with his growing interests in girls, he will
realize his fictitious past and the childishness of his name.
Now, he is going to insist that everyone calls him
Chuwkuka-his real name and then he will start to be more
respectful and more serious with everything he does from
now on.
O-BOY! : How a family will name their son interjectively is
unclear but imagine that the couple wanted a girl and yet
another stubborn boy arrived. This guy is like Bomboy but
less glowing and more respectful. If you probe him in a
friendly manner, he will tell you the story of his birth, the
reason for his nickname and his real name-Godson.
Everything he does is to give his parents a reason to like
him since they were not expecting him in the family. He is
God's son and still his younger brother is Godswill. This boy
will show his real self when he gets to the University.
BABY: A man and a woman will name their daughter BABY if
in their eyes, the girl looks similar to the doll they had seen
through the transparent glass that protects Kingsway Stores
in Ikoyi. Baby has round head with big eyes just exactly like
the toy in the shop. At 25 years of age, Baby still thinks that
her name is cool.
IGWE: This is supposed to be a respected title in Igboland
but one miscreant in Lagos who is finding it hard to lay his
hands on money acquired the nickname as a consolation.
OTUNBA: The Yoruba people's version of Igwe. If your
family name is Otunba for real or you have been given this
title because of your positive contribution to your
community, you don't want to meet the man who is called
Otunba just because his friends want him to be happy. If
you do, you'll give him a dirty slap. All his attributes are a
taint to the name Otunba.

Chadian Soldiers Not Violating Nigeria's Integrity-DHQ

The Defence Headquarters on Tuesday denied media
reports that troops from foreign countries operating in the
ongoing campaign against the insurgency in the North-
East were violating the nation’s territorial integrity.
The Defence authorities stated in a statement posted on
the official web site of the military that the involvement of
troops from Chad, Niger and Cameroon had not in any
way compromised the territorial integrity of the country.
It was stated that contrary to insinuations in some
quarters that the foreign forces were moving into parts of
the North-East without authorisation from the Defence
Headquarters, Nigerian Forces were in charge of the
planning and prosecution of the campaign within the
country.
It was added that while Chadian Forces had been
deployed in Baga Sola, a Chadian territory, there had been
a joint deployment of troops from the participating
countries in Kirawa, Ashgashiya and other areas along
the borders of Nigeria Chad and Cameroon.
“The Multinational Joint Task Force in which Nigeria,
Niger, Cameroon, and Chad have contingents that are
part of the ongoing onslaught against terrorists in this
region.
“The countries that make up the Lake Chad Basin
Commission also had some understanding, which now
enables a massive move against terrorists from all
angles.
“Contrary to the impression being pushed in some
quarters, it is the Nigerian forces that planned and are
driving the present onslaught against terrorists from all
fronts in Nigeria; not the Chadian Forces as is being
propagated by some media.
“For instance, Chadian forces have been deployed in
Baga Sola, which is a Chadian territory.
“There have been some joint deployments and patrols
around Kirawa, Ashgashiya and other locations in borders
of Cameroon, Nigeria and Chad as part of these
operations.
“Chadians and others are however keying into and
working in concert with the overall plan for an all-round
move against the terrorists as agreed.
“Nigeria’s territorial integrity remains intact,” the
statement read.
Although, the military authorities have been quiet about
the intensified military operations in the North-East,
investigations revealed that troops had commenced
invading the Sambisa Forest locations of the insurgents.
It was learnt that the soldiers started the invasion of the
Sambisa Forest in the early hours of Monday and had
been in pursuit of feeing insurgents.
A security source said that the military operation involved
massive deployment of Air Force personnel and platforms
and ground forces who were said to have dislodged the
insurgents from their location.
It was learnt that many of the insurgents had been
dislodged from their Sambisa strongholds into the
Michika, Madagali and Gulak and other areas of
Adamawa State.
It was said that the troops and forces from the
collaborating countries had been engaging the insurgents
in several fronts in the North-East.
Our correspondent contacted the Director, Defence
Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, on the telephone
for his comment on the ongoing invasion of Sambisa
Forest by troops, but he declined to speak on any specific
battle.
He said that the military was carrying out a lot of
operations in the area.
Chad’s military had four days ago captured the border
town of Gamboru from Boko Haram.
The capture of the town is the latest in a series of the
Chadian’s soldiers incursions into Nigerian territory as it
battles the Islamist insurgent group.
According to report, Chadian forces have also liberated
Baga, Dikwa, Malam Fatori, Damasak, Ngala and parts of
Bama in the past four days, Jubrin Gunda, a spokesman
for a Nigerian militia group, said.

Photo of The Day

Langbasa Lagoon,Ajah Area

Govt May Shift Polls By Six Weeks-Daily Times

Monday Agu Jnr,Abuja
Citing the need to defuse the rising tension in the land,
among other reasons, the Federal Government is set to
shift the coming polls by six weeks, the Daily Times has
learnt.
The presidential and National Assembly elections are
currently scheduled for February 14, while those of the
states will hold on February 28.
Daily Times authoritatively learnt that under the new
proposal, the elections may now hold at the end of
March.
The proposed change is hinged on the mounting tension
in the country sequel to violent displays at some of the
ongoing campaigns across the country.
The feeling inside government circles is that there is need
to let the tension, which is nearing boiling point in the
country at the moment, come down before the election
could hold, otherwise there could be an implosion.
Sources say that within the six weeks, efforts will be
made to calm frayed nerves and encourage more people
to embrace peace.
It is feared that the presidential election in particular may
lead to an implosion in the country.
The body language in the North suggests a possible
repeat of the bloodletting that occurred after Jonathan
was declared winner of the 2011 election, if the
incumbent wins again. It is also feared that a similar
turmoil may erupt, especially in the South South, if
General Muhammadu Buhari of the All progressives
Congress (APC) wins the election. Jonathan of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is an Ijaw from the
South South area of the country.
Besides, there is uncertainty over whether the elections
could validly hold in the North Eastern states of Borno,
Yobe and Adamawa which have been wracked by the
Boko Haram insurgency. There are security concerns
over the safety of full-time and ad-hoc staff of the
Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) during the
polls.
This development was further accentuated by the recent
declaration by European Union Election Observers who
said they would not be visiting the troubled states over
concerns for their safety.
Another reason being adduced for the proposed shift is
the non-availability of the Permanent Voters Cards (PVC)
across the states. The fear is that this may end up in the
disenfranchisement of many eligible voters.
Thus, the Presidency believes that shifting the polls by
about six weeks would allow more people to get their
PVCs and be eligible to vote.
Indeed, Section 26 (6) of the Electoral Act 2010 stipulates
that an election to the office of the President of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be held not earlier than
150 days to the expiration of the date of office and not
later than 30 days to the expiration of the office.
Thus, if the six weeks shift is finally accepted, it will be
within the time stipulated by the Electoral Act as there will
be about 60 days before the expiration of the incumbent’s
stay in office.
Last month, the National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo
Dasuki (Rtd) at a talkshop in the UK mooted the idea of a
slight shift in the date of the elections, a development that
has sparked heated debates across the country.

Jonathan Not A Christian,Looted 32bn From Bayelsa-Ex-aide

Frank Akpoebi, a close political associate of President
Goodluck Jonathan, declared on Sunday that a whopping
N32 billion was missing from the treasury of Bayelsa
State Government when Jonathan was governor between
2005 and 2007.
He made the stunning revelation on Sunday at a press
conference held at the National Headquarters of the All
Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja where he gave
reasons for his defection and of hundreds of others from
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to APC.
Akpoebi served as Commissioner of Health in Mr.
Jonathan’s administration during his governorship. A
founding member of the PDP in Bayelsa, he was also a
Federal Commissioner in the Revenue Mobilization,
Allocation and Fiscal Commission.
Of the missing N32 billion, he called on Bayelsans to ask
Mr. Jonathan to refund the money before he can ask for
their votes again, adding that there had been speculation
that he used the money to sponsor himself and late
Umaru Yar’Adua in the 2011 election.
“I served in the State Executive Council with Dr, Goodluck
Jonathan and I questioned one of his series of contracts
he used in siphoning the Bayelsa State treasury was his
singular approval of Two Billion Naira for sand stock
piling at Yenogoa for Bayelsa indigenes to park and use
to start a building project I stood up to oppose it but yet
Two Billion Naira was paid but a drop of sand was not
dropped.”
He described President Jonathan as incompetent, and as
the architect of religion and ethnic politics that have
divided many Nigerians.
“This President is the richest President in Africa,” Akpoebi
declared. “Dr. Goodluck Jonathann has invested in five
business men who are highly celebrated Billionaires in
Nigeria. And three of them came back to raise election
funds to sponsor him to increase his investment on them
while Nigerians will continue to live poverty, deprivation
and insecurity. This is a vicious circle that we must not
continue with it.”
The Conference was attended Timipreye Silva, another
former governor of Bayelsa, Hilland Etah, the National
Vice Chairman APC South-South, and other  political
stalwart in the State.  He mentioned many other national
issues.  He defected to the APC alongside hundreds of
PDP Chieftains from Bayelsa State.
It would be recalled that in 2006, before President
Obasanjo arbitrarily picked him for the vice-presidency,
Mr. Jonathan was one of 15 governors indicted by a
federal panel for false declaration of assets, and
recommended for prosecution in line with the Code of
Conduct Bureau Act.
The powerful inter-agency Joint Task Force on corruption
was headed by the then chairman of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Nuhu Ribadu. Its
indictment of Mr. Jonathan was on account of several
issues, including Mr. Jonathan’s N18 million Lexus Jeep
which he falsely claimed in 2004 he had acquired through
savings.
“Verification reveals that the Jeep was a gift collected in
contravention of the Code of Conduct Bureau Act of
1990,” the panel said.  “Same for BMW 7351 Series
bought in 2005 worth N5.5 million.”
The panel also listed Mr. Jonathan’s acquisition of
properties outside legitimate income, including:
Seven Bedroom Duplex acquired in 2001 worth N18
million at Otuke Ogbia LGA;
Four Bedroom Duplex acquired in 2003 worth N15 million
at Goodluck Jonathan Street, Yenegoa; and
Five Bedroom Duplex - acquired in 2003 worth N25
million at Citec Villas, Gwarimpa II, Abuja.
Akpoedi also refuted Mr. Jonathan’s claims to being a
Christian, saying that as a close friend of the President as
admitted by Mr. Jonathan during one of his presidential
briefings, he knows for certain Jonathan is no Christian,
and that he has admitted he does not know how to
forgive.
“Dr. Goodluck Jonathan I know serves voodoo. And that
is what he practices. In 2006 in the dining at the
Governor’s Lodge Yenegoa, he did not pray before eating,
so I asked him why, he replied me that he has not prayed
in his life. I was really worried hearing that from him. The
following day we were discussing when Dr.Goodluck  told
me he has a weakness and that he does not know how to
forgive.
“Dr. Goodluck should desist from using religion or the
churches to advance his campaign or adoption, because
it will make to expose him further,” Akpedi said.  “We
want a country of peace, love and security.”
Here is the full text of his speech at the Conference:
As a founding member of PDP Bayelsa State and funded
60% of the party at its formation between 1988-early 1999. I
am well known and respected by politicians within the state
and beyond.
The PDP under Dr.Goodluck Jonathan has totally lost Good
governance. There are six things he failed in his
administration that bothers on my personal integrity, ideology
and the interest of our great country-Nigeria.
1         Insecurity
2         Corruption
3         Unemployment
4         Poverty
5         Power (Electricity)
6         Economy (Naira
Devaluation)
Above all Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has brought politics of
religion, Tribe, North/South dichotomy and hate . Infact,
Dr.   Goodluck started exhibiting all these vices when he was
Governor of Bayelsa State. As a Deputy Governor,he has
some obstacles so when he became Governor, it was a
payback  time . He started punishing the ijaws that brought
him to power in the state. Dr. Goodluck Jonathan started
playing politics of divide and rule.
He also made sure no project goes to any ijaw village and
any Ijaw person is empowered in Bayelsa .This he has
continued till date . I served in the State Executive Council
with Dr, Goodluck Jonathan and I questioned one of his
series of contracts he used in siphoning the Bayelsa State
treasury was his singular approval of Two Billion Naira
(2,000,000,000.00) for sand stock piling at Yenogoa for
Bayelsa indigenes to park and use to start a building project I
stood up to oppose it but yet Two Billion Naira was paid but
a drop of sand was not dropped.
During Dr. Goodluck’s administration Thirty Billion Naira was
missing in Bayelsa State Treasury. Bayelsans should ask him
to refund this missing money before he should ask them of
their votes.  There was speculation that he used the money to
sponsor himself and Late Yar’adua in 2011 election. So I
called on you Dr.Goodluck Jonathan to return this Thirty
Billion and two Two Billion to Bayelsa State before asking for
their votes or best explain the whereabouts of these monies.
Much do I know ,that Dr. Goodluck is not a good manager of
resources since he is embedded in corruption from when he
was the Governor of Bayelsa State. Today our foreign reserve
is depleted.  Our  Naira is devalued. Poverty and
unemployment is a National Pride .  Insecurity and Nigerian
Children, mothers and fathers dying in the North-East and yet
he wants the votes of North- East . Is this not insensibility
and insult to the people of this zone and by extension and
insult to our collective psychic as a nation?  And yet he
sponsors some persons in the Niger Delta Project only and no
other part of this country has a right to become President
until he finish to divide us, impoverish, oppress, squander our
economy and plant corruption as a subject in our schools
and we were corruption as toga around the world.
This President is the richest President in the Africa. Dr.
Goodluck Jonatahn has invested in five business men who
are highly celebrated Billionaires in Nigeria. And three of
them came back to raise election funds to sponsors    him to
increase his investment on them while Nigerians
will  continue to live poverty, deprivation and insecurity, This
is a vicious circle that we must not continue with it . Under
his divide and rule  Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has infiltrated  my
tribe some ijaw youths to agitate that Dr. Goodluck Jonathan
is all that the Niger Delta can offer but this youths forgot that
this President has not giving respect to Ijaw Leaders .
To mention but few ,Prof. Tam David West, Alabo Graham
Douglas, Chief Princewell Horsefall , Chief T.K.O Okorotie,
HON FynmanWilson,HRM Joshua Igbagara. e.t.c.
Dr. Goodluck Jonathan never appoint any of these Leaders to
Federal Appointment nor consult them  regularly for the
interest of our tribe and our Nation, Nigeria , Rather the
President despises them, insult some of them by singularly
paying SOKU Oil
We                                                                                                       l
that I put in EXCRO account for Rivers and Bayelsa State
while I was Federal Commissioner       Revenue
Mobilisation ,Allocation and Fiscal Commission . Now Dr.
Goodluck Jonathan wants your votes so that the next four
years he will make the Kalabaris non-oil producing   place by
forcefully collecting the remaining oil-wells and allocate them
to Bayelsa and ask you to go to court that will take fifty years
to resolve. The Kalabaris cannot be intimidated, induced or
coerced to vote for Goodluck Jonathan by himself or his
proxy.”IJAW NATION”   . All the ijaws in Bayelsa State know
that Dr. Goodluck Jonathan does not love us .Throughout his
six years administration he did not appoint any ijaw son as a
Minister. The highest   appointee was Late Gen. Andrew
Azazi as National Security Adviser . He was appointed by
Dr.Goodluck Jonathan, sacked by him and buried by him.
Recently, we heard that Hon. Seriake Dickson was physically
manhandled and beaten by the President Security detail at
the Villa. Presently Governor Dickson is the Leader of Ijaw
people  due to the office he occupies. So can the Ijaw be so
humiliated for their leader beaten up ? As a serving Governor,
can this happen ? The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) and Ijaw
National Council (INC) to carry out independent investigation
to unravel the truth.
On Christianity , Dr. Goodluck Jonathan is not a Christian . I
am a close friend of Dr.Goodluck Jonathan and he confirmed
our friendship during one of his presidential briefing.
Dr.Goodluck Jonathan I know serves voodoo , And that is
what he practices . In 2006 in the dining at the Governor’s
Lodge Yenegoa, he did not pray before eating, so I asked him
why, he replied me that he has not prayed in his life . I was
really worried hearing that from him. The following day we
were discussing when Dr.Goodluck  told me he has a
weakness and that he does not know how to forgive.
The country today is blood, blood , blood and nothing is
done. Why? And no solution “ So by their fruit we shall know
them”  When the righteous rule, the people  shall rejoice.
Dr.Goodluck should desist from using religion or the churches
to advance his campaign or adoption, because it will make to
expose him further. We want a country of peace, love and
security.
I wish to also thank the 1st Lady who once saved my life in
2006 while I was staying in Government House Bayelsa
with  you. APC I am joining today will solve insecurity,
corruption, unemployment, poverty, Power,and run a vibrant
economy.
Thank you Gentlemen of the Press
Dr. CCHIEF FRANK AKPOEBI ,(Former Commissioner for
Health Bayelsa State and Former  Federal Commission
Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission )

Unfulfilled Prophecies of Nigerian Men of GOD

Prophecies in the days of yore were believed to be
inspired by God and they never came back void.
Amazingly, some of the prophecies of our new breed
clergies have failed woefully. This has left many
questions and doubts in the minds of many. Some believe
they are just mere publicity stunts, lies, guesses and so
on. ENCOMIUM Weekly brings you some of prophecies of
men of God that failed…
PROPHET T.B JOSHUAMISSING MALAYSIAN PLANE
WILL BE FOUND
The General Overseer of the Synagogue Church of
Nations declared to his congregation on March 15, 2014,
that the missing Malaysian Plane MH370 would be found.
The prophet said, “There is a big controversy going on in
the world about the missing Malaysian plane. They don’t
know where the plane is. I am the only minister, if not
only me, that God used to speak about this issue. But the
whole thing is coming to an end in the sense that they
would discover the plane, they would discover the
particles, everything would end any moment from now.
So, this coming week we are not going to be talking about
it again, rather the families concerned would know their
fate.”
CHIBOK GIRLS WILL RETURN UNHURT
Prophet T.B Joshua also predicted that the abducted
Chibok girls would return unhurt. Till this very moment
there has been no sign of the girls returning.
WRITE OFF EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE
In a video clip, Prophet Joshua declared that the killer
disease, Ebola Virus Disease would be a write-off. He
said, “People of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea were
free. The whole thing is a write-off. The life we have been
living before now, we are back to that.”
The dreaded disease has claimed over 8,400 lives and
has infected over 20,000 people in Guinea, Liberia and
Sierra Leone. And it is still raging.
PASTOR AKIODE OLUSEGUN 2014, NIGERIA’S YEAR OF
ECONOMIC BOOM
General Overseer of Divine Ministries International, Osun
state, Pastor Akiode Olusegun predicted 2014 a year of
economic boom for Nigeria. The case was kilometers
away from reality.
PROPHET MICHAEL OLUBODENIGERIA WILL DO WELL IN
BRAZIL
Celestial Church of Christ (CCC), Prophet Michael Olubode
is another seer who reels out predictions to Nigerians at
the twilight of every year. He said the Super Eagles of
Nigeria will do well at the World Cup in Brazil. Nigeria
performed woefully at the World Cup in Brazil.
APOSTLE JOHNSON SULEIMANPRESIDENTIAL TICKET
WILL SPLIT APC
Founder and Senior Pastor of Omega Fire Ministries
Worldwide, Apostle Suleiman predicted that the contest
for the presidential standard bearer of the All
Progressives Congress (APC) for next month’s election
would split the party. The primary election was so
successful that the winner, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd)
was congratulated by his opponents and they even
promised him their full support. All the gladiators are still
in APC.
PRIMATE ELIJAH AYODELE THE US WILL OVER-RUN
SYRIA
Primate Ayodele is the founder of INRI Evangelical
Spiritual Church, Oka-Afa, Isolo, Lagos. He said,
“President Jonathan should be prayerful as there are
plans by the international community to embarrass his
government. America will take over Syria, no matter
what. The president of Syria may be killed if he is not
careful, as many nations would rise against him. The Emir
of Qatar will be troubled by reforms.”
It didn’t come to pass.
THEOPHILUS OLABAYO AREGBESOLA WILL BE
ABDUCTED
The founder of Evangelical Church of Yahweh, Theophilus
Olabayo, predicted in 2013, that Osun state governor,
Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola would be kidnapped in 2014.
Aregbe, as he’s fondly called, is as free as air.
PROPHET EKONG ITUEN AKPABIO WILL LOSE OFFICE
Spiritual leader and founder of CDM-Christ Deliverance
Ministries Inc, Lagos, Ekong Ituen prophesied that Akwa
Ibom state would have a change of government in the
out-gone year. Godswill Akpabio is still the seating
governor of Akwa Ibom as at press time.
PROPHET MICHAEL AYODELE NIGERIA WILL WIN WORLD
CLASS BEAUTY PAGEANT
He said, “It has been revealed to me that in the latest
news of BBC and CNN, Nigeria will once again be
announced the winner of one of the world class beauty
contests this year. I advise stakeholders and lovers of
Nigeria to pray well that this great expectation will come
to pass.
Many nations will envy and respect Nigeria for this.”
It didn’t come to pass.
-DANIEL KEHINDE

More to Follow After February 14

A Profile of Nigeria's Presidential Candidates

ourtesy: http://www.yourbudgit.com/infographics/
aspirants-for-the-2015-elections-in-nigeria/
All the talk about the upcoming February 14 presidential
election Nigeria is about President Goodluck Jonathan
and Muhammadu Buhari. However there are 12 other
candidates contesting this election!
CANDIDATE PARTY
Goodluck Jonathan
(President)
Peoples Democratic
Party
Muhammadu Buhari All Progressives
Congress
Tunde Anifowose-Kelani Action Alliance
Rafiu Salau Alliance for Democracy
Alhaji Ganiyu Galadima Allied Congress Party of
Nigeria
Mani Ahmad African Democratic
Congress
Adebayo Musa Ayeni African Peoples Alliance
Chief Sam Eke Citizens’ Popular Party
High Chief Ambrose
Owuru
Hope Democratic Party
Oluremi Comfort
Sonaiya
KOWA Party
Chief Martin Onovo National Conscience
Party
Allagoa Chinedu Peoples Party of Nigeria
Godson Okoye United Democratic Party
Chekwas Okorie United Progressive
Party
The Candidates’ bios:
Goodluck Jonathan:
Goodluck Jonathan is the Presidential candidate of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He is the incumbent
President and is seeking re-election. Jonathan assumed
office in 2010 after the death of former President,
Umaru Yar’adua. He was elected into office in 2011.
Muhammadu Buhari:
Muhammadu Buhari is the Presidential candidate of the
All Progressives Congress (APC). The former Head of
State contested for the office of President in the 2003,
2007 and 2011 elections. He emerged the candidate of
the APC in December 2014 defeating opponents which
included former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.
Tunde Anifowose-Kelani:
Tunde Anifowose-Kelani is the Presidential candidate of
the Action Alliance (AA). He was born in Agbokojo,
Ibadan, Oyo state, on April 5, 1965. He earned a first
degree in Guidance and Counselling combined with
Communication and Language Arts from the University
of Ibadan and a Master’s degree in Personnel
Psychology from the same university.
He has also served as the National President, Junior
Chambers International (JCI), and Chief Executive Officer
of The Siegener Sabithos Nigeria Limited. He is a
member of the board of the Shooting Stars Sports Club
(3SC) of Ibadan.
Rafiu Salau:
Rafiu Salau is the Presidential candidate of the Alliance
for Democracy (AD). He is also the party’s National
Secretary. The 58-year-old holds a Senior Secondary
School leaving Certificate and believes that he is “the
best candidate” for the number one office in the country.
He has pledged to create two million jobs if elected and
also raise Nigeria’s foreign reserve to $200 billion.
Alhaji Ganiyu Galadima:
Ganiyu Galadima is the Presidential candidate of the
Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN). Galadima was
the acting National Chairman of the party before being
named its flagbearer of December 11, 2014. Galadima
has said that he believes strongly ‘in the need to end
impunity in Nigeria’.
Dr Mani Ahmad:
Mani Ahmad is the Presidential candidate of African
Democratic Congress (ADC). He has urged Nigerians to
think about their situation and those responsible and
vote for ADC for a paradigm shift. He also expressed
optimism at his ability to deliver if elected into office.
Adebayo Musa Ayeni:
Adebayo Musa Ayeni is the Presidential candidate of the
African Peoples Alliance (APA). He was the Deputy
Governor of the old Ondo State from 1990 to 1992, the
first civilian to hold the office during military rule. He is
from Emure Ekiti in Ekiti State. Ayeni has promised to
tackle corruption if elected into office.
Chief Sam Eke:
Sam Eke is the Presidential candidate of the Citizens’
Popular Party (CPP) and is also its National Chairman.
He is an accountant and a native of the Ikwuana Local
Government Area of Abia state.
He has attended the Pacific Western University, Janus
University and the state University of New York, all in the
US. Chief Eke has urged Nigerian politicians to shun
“politics of bitterness” and the “do or die” mentality and
also to refrain from gathering unnecessary wealth.
High Chief Ambrose Owuru:
High Chief Ambrose Owuru is the Presidential candidate
of the Hope Democratic Party. He is the National
Chairman of the party and has contested Presidential
elections twice.
Owuru, who is a lawyer, was arrested and arraigned in
2013 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) over an alleged N66 million fraud. Owuru has
described his party as “a new generation party of
statesmen who work for the future of our people.”
Remi Comfort Sonaiya:
Oluremi Comfort Sonaiya is the Presidential candidate of
KOWA party. She is the only female contesting for the
post. Dr Sonaiya, who was born on March 2nd, 1955,
holds a doctorate degree in linguistics and is also a
professor of French and applied linguistics at the
Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU).
She has said that she is running for Nigeria’s number
one office because she believes that an ‘ordinary citizen’
can do the job.
Chief Martin Onovo:
Chief Martin Onovo is the Presidential candidate of the
National Conscience Party (NCP). He is an engineer by
profession and holds degrees from the University of
Ibadan and the University of Houston.
Chief Onovo contested the 2011 Presidential elections on
the platform the Action Alliance (AA) in 2011. Onovo has
said that if elected into power, his administration would
use $9 billion to double power generation, transmission
and distribution in two and half years.
Allagoa Chinedu:
Allagoa Chinedu is the Presidential candidate of the
Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN). According to the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mr
Allagoa is 46-years-old and holds a Bachelor of Science
degree. His running mate is 35-year-old Arabamhen
Mary, a Secondary School leaving certificate holder.
Godson Okoye:
Godson Okoye is the Presidential candidate of the United
Democratic Party (UDP). He is a lawyer by profession.
Okoye contested the governorship elections of Anambra
State in 2010 and 2013.
Okoye has said that his vision is to vision is to “make
Nigeria secure and prosperous, through effective
governance to overcome [our] current educational,
security and power problems.”
Dr Chekwas Okorie:
Chekwas Okorie is the Presidential candidate of the
United Progressive Party (UPP). He is also the pioneer
National Chairman of the party. Dr Okorie was a close
friend to the late Odimegwu Ojukwu and was also one of
the founding members of the All Progressives Grand
Alliance (APGA) before his departure from the party.
Okorie has urged Nigerians not to vote for either the APC
or the PDP as they are both full of “recycled criminals,
former jail birds and corrupt and deceitful politicians.”
Courtesy: http://pulse.ng/politics/2015-elections-all-
you-need-to-know-about-your-14-presidential-aspirants-
id3419333.html

Photo of The Day:Power Play

Labaran Maku Is A Dangerous Boy-Ahmadu Ali

The Director-General of the Peoples Democratic Party,
PDP, Presidential Campaign Council, Ahmadu Ali, on
Tuesday said his party will make sure the former
Information Minister, Labaran Maku, fails for the rest of
his life for defecting to the All Progressives Grand
Alliance, APGA,.
Mr. Ali said Mr. Maku is a “dangerous boy” who the PDP
helped groom from nothing, adding that his defection will
cause a reduction in the number of votes the PDP will
garner in Nasarawa state.
The Director-General who stated this at the PDP
presidential rally in Lafia, explained that the former
minister benefited from the PDP-led Federal Government
only to defect to another party.
“ We have a young man who from nowhere was a Deputy
Governor of this state for four years, from nowhere he
was made a Minister at the federal level for six years; he
decided to leave the party for another party and keep
telling lies that by being in that party, he is helping us.
“He is only going there to reduce our votes. He is a
dangerous boy.
“We must make sure that now that he has shown his
colour, he will continue failing for the rest of his life
unless he retraces his steps back to the elders like us
and we will forgive him.”
Mr. Ali then urged the electorate in the state to vote for
President Goodluck Jonathan and other candidates of the
party at both federal and state levels.
Mr. Jonathan said lending such a support to the former
minister would amount to anti-party behaviour.
He, therefore, expressed his support for all the PDP
candidates in the state in the February 14 and 28 general
elections.
“We are told and everybody spoke about that the former
Minister of Information that is in another party and saying
that it is the President who asked him to go to another
party. Definitely I cannot play anti-party.
“PDP is my party and all those who want to help us
should come to PDP and work for PDP so that PDP will
be in control of Nasarawa State so that government of
PDP in Nasarawa State and the Federal Government that
will be in the hands of PDP and work together to move
Nasarawa State forward,” Mr. Jonathan said.
Also speaking, the President of the Senate, David Mark,
urged Mr. Maku to desist from dropping the name of Mr.
President in his quest to achieve his political ambition.
He advised him to apologise to the PDP ”if he is willing to
return to the party”, saying that the PDP would
wholeheartedly accept him into its fold.
“ People of Nasarawa State, don’t be deceived by any
ungrateful son of yours, who goes round saying he is in
another political party because Mr. President has put him
there.
“That is absolute lie, you must never believe it. We said
so few days ago and we are emphasising it again. And we
want to emphasise it; (the) President is body and soul
PDP.
“He can’t, therefore, put somebody in another political
party to be campaigning on behalf of another political
party.
“How can you be in APGA and be campaigning for the
PDP presidential candidate?
“Return to PDP with apology because before we even
take him he has to apologise to all the good people in
PDP.

Artwork of The Day

By Raji Bamidele

Sambo's Anti-Christ Outburst Against Osinbajo

At the Presidential campaign rally of GEJ/Sambo in Jigawa
state on January 21st, 2015, in the presence of President
Jonathan, Vice President Namadi Sambo stated in Hausa:
"Buhari ya dauko pastor a matsayin mataimakinsa kunsan coci
nawa yake dashi? Yanada coci 5000, don haka karku zabesu. "
The translation is - " Buhari has selected a pastor as his
running mate, do you know how many churches he has? He
has 5000 churches, so based on that, don't vote for them ".
Sambo used religious sentiments in his attempt to divide the
country and incite Muslims against Christians. Sambo also
said at the rally that the PDP is the most Islamic Party in
Nigeria because nobody can be more Muslim than him. He
said that his name is Namadi which is a derivative of
Namadina, meaning someone from the Medina in Saudi
Arabia. At the Rally in Jigawa State Sambo also stated that
he goes for the Hajj every year.
In his determination to whip up religious sentiments and
divisions, the vp stated at the Jigawa state rally that all the
security chiefs in the Jonathan administration are Muslims
and based on that, those alleging that Jonathan is
supportive of Boko Haram are not being fair. He mentioned
the names of some key ministers in the Jonathan
administration including Defence Minister, Aliyu Gusau,
NSA, Sambo Dasuki, Inspector General of Police, Abba
whom he emphasized are all Muslims. He also mentioned
all the Muslim ministers from Kano, including Aminu Wali,
Foreign Affairs Minister and Shekarau, Minister of
Education.
Sambo then asked if anyone could claim to be more Muslim
than him Namadi Sambo. Then he shouted Allahu Akbar
(Allah is great several times). To close his speech he recited
the AlFatiha, (The Opening, the first seven verses of the Holy
Quran, which for Muslims is the Mother of the Book, highly
revered by all).
Sambo's outburst against Christians and Pastor Osinbajo
would not surprise close watchers of political events in
Nigeria but it does reconfirm the outcome of late General
Azazi thorough and extensive investigation of Boko Haram
and in which he concluded that the PDP founded Boko
Haram and finances its terrorist activities.

Timbuktu's Ancient Manuscript Under Threat

In June, Ansar al Dine rebels, who took
control of Timbuktu following a military
coup in Mali in March, started destroying
ancient tombs and libraries in the city,
some of which are UNESCO World
Heritage Sites. Before the destruction, a
preservation and study project started by
the South African and Malian
governments to save Timbuktu’s ancient
manuscripts for posterity was making
progress. Curtis Abraham reports on what
is being done to save the manuscripts
from further rebel destruction.
In the fabled Malian city of Timbuktu, West
Africa tradition dies hard. Africans here still use
the Niger River for their ancient fishing
excursions in locally-made canoes. The past is
very prominent in the present. The three great
mosques or madrasas (schools) of Djingareyber,
Sankore, and Sidi Yahya are a testament in mud
architecture to the city’s golden age.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, Timbuktu
was a fabulously wealthy African city. It was the
city’s key role in trans-Saharan trade in gold,
ivory, slaves, salt, and other goods – a trade
conducted by Tuareg, Mandé, and Fulani
merchants – which led to its prosperity.
With wealth came learning, libraries, and
universities. The city was perhaps the most
important centre of learning in sub-Saharan
Africa during the 15th and 16th centuries,
where scholars of religion, arts, and sciences
flourished. During this time, tens of thousands
of manuscripts were commissioned and
meticulously executed by African academics.
However, when the Moroccans invaded the city
in the 1590s, academics and most of their
writings were banished by the Moroccans.
Miraculously, a treasure trove of thousands of
manuscripts survived persecution – and is
presently lying untouched in trunks or has been
buried in the thick mud walls of mosques for
generations.
But now all this is in danger of being destroyed
and lost forever. A military coup in March this
year has opened a Pandora’s Box in the
northern part of the country. In late June,
Ansar al Dine Tuareg militants, who took
control of Timbuktu from their former MNLA
Tuareg allies, and whose aim is to create an
Islamic state across the whole of Mali, attacked
tombs of revered saints and scholars in
Timbuktu. These are places of pilgrimage.
Ansar al Dine’s strict interpretation of Islam is
akin to the Taliban in Afghanistan and the
Wahabi of Saudi Arabia where the worshipping
of shines (or the wearing of amulets to ward off
malevolent spirits) is haram or forbidden.
Destroying the past and future
The rebels used pick-axes and other
instruments to knock down the tombs of Sidi
Alpha Moya and Sidi Mukhtar. They also
destroyed the tomb of Sidi Mahmoud Ben Amar,
a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Timbuktu has 16
such sites
The rebels broke off doors, windows, and
wooded gates from Ben Amar’s grave and
burned them. They later set fire to the tomb
itself, and went on to attack and deface a 15th
century red wooden door in the Sidi Yahya
Mosque, one of the most famous mosques in
Timbuktu, as onlookers sobbed.
But the destruction did not stop there. The
Islamist fighters then destroyed two tombs at
Timbuktu’s famous Djingareyber mosque.
“The rebels are oblivious to the heritage of
Timbuktu, as we have just witnessed with the
destruction of a number of tombs by the Ansar
al-Din,” says Shamil Jeppie, director of the
Tombouctou [Timbuktu] Manuscripts Project of
the University of Cape Town, South
Africa. “These are the graves of people highly
regarded in Timbuktu and the region. Among
them are men who were both saintly and
scholars.
“The rebels may next focus on the manuscripts
with Sufi content – with which the libraries are
filled. It is strange to hope for any person or
group to be illiterate but in this case one hopes
that they cannot decipher the materials because
of their inadequate literacy in the language or
script of the materials. One hopes that they are
just not interested in the materials. If they are
interested in them then it should be to see that
they are cared for,” Prof Jeppied added.
But he was not alone in his condemnation of
the destruction of Timbuktu’s cultural heritage.
“I believe this is a tragedy for all of humanity”,
lamented Irina Bokova, UNESCO’s director
general.
According to the latest reports, the Ansar al
Dine rebels have not yet harmed any of the
priceless manuscripts but they are worryingly
close. They took over the new building of the
Ahmad Baba Institute, and computers and data
were reportedly stolen as well as vehicles
belonging to the Institute. But the reports said
the insurgents did not enter the rooms and
underground vaults where the manuscripts are
stored.
Major private owners of manuscript collections
are said to have hidden or packed their ancient
documents away for protection. Some may have
even smuggled them out to Bamako, the Mali
capital, or to neighbouring countries.
But this is not the first time these ancient texts
are being hidden because of armed conflict and
occupation. Some manuscripts were hidden
away for centuries under mud houses and in
desert caves from Moroccan invaders, European
explorers, and French colonialists.
The armed occupation and apparent cultural
destruction of Timbuktu by the Ansar al Dine
(they have vowed to destroy the tombs of all the
revered holy men of the city) come as a major
setback for experts attempting to translate,
digitalise and preserve these ancient texts.
South African project
One such project involved examining the
scientific contents of tens of thousands of these
documents. In 2003, a South Africa-Mali
Timbuktu Manuscripts Project was officially
launched as a bilateral cooperation agreement
between the two governments.
Their goal is to research various aspects of the
literature of the handwritten works of
Timbuktu – arguably the largest collection of
written artifacts in Africa. The project also aims
to train young African researchers in the
preservation, translation, and digitalisation of
the ancient texts for future generations.
Then in February 2006, “The Project on the
Search for Scientific Contents of the Timbuktu
Manuscripts”, an offshoot of the main study,
was launched as a joint collaboration between
the University of Cape Town’s Department of
Science and Technology (DST), and Bamako
University in Mali.
The aim is to unlock the scientific secrets of the
Timbuktu manuscripts, something which has
never been previously attempted.
The South African government initially funded
the project to the tune of R500,000 (about
$70,000 at the time). However, since the
occupation of Timbuktu by the Ansar al Dine,
the government of South Africa has remained
conspicuously silent about the desecration of
the sacred sites.
The expectation is that these fragile reams of
paper, some dating back to the 13th century,
may yield surprises not only in the field of
astronomy but also in the disciplines of botany,
medicine, biology, chemistry, mathematics, and
climatology.
The main ambition of the researchers is to try
and build as complete a picture of the status of
science studies and research during the ancient
Mali and Songhay empires as possible.
The project also hopes to investigate the extent
of the participation and contribution of African
astronomers to medieval Islamic scientific
culture.
“This project is important because it seeks to
reveal aspects of the history of science in Africa
that the world does not know about,” says Dr
Thebe Rodney Medupe, the chief researcher of
the project. “Until we thought of this project,
the common belief amongst scientists was that
Africans only began studying and participating
in science only recently after the arrival of
Europeans in our continent.
“We hope that the findings from our project
will revise all of that so that our continent can
get the respect it deserves, regarding its
relationship with science. The fact that right
now we can speak with confidence that black
people were studying mathematics and
astronomy over 300 years ago is something that
was unthinkable during my school days. The
common perception was that Black Africans
could not think or do science.”
The bulk of the Timbuktu manuscripts are
currently housed in the Ahmed Baba Institute of
Higher Learning and Islamic Research. While
most are in Arabic, some are in indigenous
languages such as Songhai and Hausa, written
using Arabic script.
There are also several volumes of catalogues,
and there may be up to 18,000 manuscripts!
Entries of the Ahmed Baba library catalogues
indicate the existence of 37 manuscripts that
deal with the topics of astronomy and astrology.
Medupe’s team also discovered 27 such articles
in the famous Mamma Haidara Memorial
Library. Furthermore, there are also 32
manuscripts on astronomy which have been
identified in the libraries of the Al-Furqan
Foundation, but no studies of the scientific
content of the manuscripts have been done
before.
There are also 25 private libraries in and
around the city of Timbuktu. However, only
eight of these are open to scholars. And out of
that eight, it is only the Mama Haidara
Memorial Library that has catalogued its ancient
texts.
Key questions
Some key questions that Dr Medupe and his
colleagues are hoping to answer by surveying
the thousands of ancient manuscripts include
whether or not the astronomers of Timbuktu
knew that the Earth was round. Did they also
suspect that they were living in a helio-centric
or sun-centred solar system? Did they have any
instruments for looking at the heavens? What
were their thoughts about meteor showers,
comets and eclipses? Was their mathematical
knowledge sufficient enough to apply it to the
study of the sky? Did they keep any records of
astronomical events?
One particular question the researchers would
like to answer is the possibility of a two-way
flow of scientific ideas between the known
centres of medieval Islamic science, such as
Baghdad and West
Africa.
Islamic science had its heyday during the period
between the 8th and 16th centuries AD. During
that time, most research in astronomy in the
world took place in Islamic Spain, North Africa,
and the Middle East. The knowledge resulting
from this era went on to benefit European
scientists during the time of the European
Renaissance. The source of this knowledge was
a combination of the translated Ancient Greek
science manuscripts, and original research by
medieval Islamic scientists.
The Timbuktu manuscripts are part of a much
larger collection of Islamic writings found
throughout much of West Africa. But such
documents are not exclusive to West Africa
alone. These ancient Islamic texts can be found
in areas of sub-Saharan Africa where Islam has
had a substantial impact on the life and culture
of the indigenous African communities it
touched. Such places include Sudan,
Mozambique, Tanzania, and Mauritania.
“The most amazing part of this is that the study
of Islamic science in the past in Africa may be
more widespread than we think,” says Medupe,
now an associate professor at the University of
North West, South Africa. “This is because, these
ancient manuscripts are found not only in
Timbuktu, but in many older cities in Mali, the
neighboring countries of West Africa, and all
the way to the east in Sudan and as far south as
Tanzania, I believe.”
Medupe and his colleagues continue to be
optimistic about finding further astronomical
data in the Timbuktu archives. Their optimism
is rooted in two known facts. First, until quite
recently, the stars dominated many aspects of
human life, providing vital information on the
time, changing seasons, navigation, and
complementing spiritual beliefs. This cultural
astronomy or archeo-astronomy is what
Medupe and his colleagues are hoping to find in
the Timbuktu manuscripts.
Second, it is well-known that Timbuktu traded
extensively with Muslim traders from the
Middle East. From the 8th century until the 15th
century, Muslim astronomers took over from
the Ancient Greeks as some of the most accurate
and innovative mathematicians and
astronomers in the world. Through the book
trade and regular interaction between these two
cultures, it is quite feasible that they shared and
discussed observations and discoveries about
the stars. They also developed and shared
systems of mathematics.
Facing Mecca
Unlike the early Christian church, whose
conservatism delayed progress in advances of
scientific understanding for many centuries,
because of teaching attitudes that were still
rooted essentially in Plato and Aristotle, early
Islamic investigations in astronomy, however,
were driven by two main religious practices.
The first was the requirement for Muslims to
pray facing Mecca, and to orient their mosques
in the direction of Mecca. This direction was
determined in some cases by using stars to
determine latitude and longitude for both Mecca
and the locality of interest. Then trigonometric
identities were applied to determine angles.
Secondly, there was the need to determine
proper times for prayers at sunrise, noon,
afternoon, sunset and evening.
Practical solutions to both of these problems
require the use of trigonometry, a section of
mathematics that was not known during the
times of Ptolemy, the Greek mathematician and
astronomer. Ptolemy did offer solutions to these
problems, but his methods were too
cumbersome, say experts.
Muslim astronomers, however, devised easier
solutions by inventing the cosine, tangent, co-
tangent, secant and cosecant functions of
trigonometry. The medieval Islamic
astronomers also improved on the astrolabe, an
instrument that was used to predict positions of
the stars and planets.
According to Dr Petra Schmidl of the Johann
Wolfgang Goethe-Universität in Frankfurt,
Germany, the Timbuktu manuscripts include
texts that discuss calendars and timekeeping,
which were written as poems.
“The interesting thing concerning pre-modern
astronomy and astrology as presented in the
Timbuktu manuscripts does not [just] concern
new discoveries and information not available
in other parts of the Islamic realm,” says
Schmidl, who also collaborated with Medupe
and Sharon Hawkes on the documentary, The
ancient astronomers of Timbuktu.
Schmidl adds that “the Timbuktu scholars deal
with astronomical and astrological problems
and questions, as well as methods and solutions
that modern scholarship knows from pre-
modern astronomy and astrology in other parts
of the Islamic realm.”
Discoveries so far
So what ancient astronomical data have the
researchers discovered so far among the
manuscripts?
“The preliminary investigations point to
connections with the western part of Muslim
North Africa, for example the Maghreb,” says
Benno van Dalen of the Institute of Islamic
Science in Frankfurt, who was also a
collaborator on the Timbuktu manuscripts
project.
“Western Islamic astronomy, for example from
Muslim Spain and the Maghreb, is in general
quite different from astronomy in the eastern
Islamic world,” Dalen continues. Between June
and October 2006, Medupe and his South
African and Malian colleagues translated 14
manuscripts, which covered the disciplines of
astronomy, geography, and mathematics. These
documents varied in size and are particularly
difficult to read since they are not punctuated,
and many have crucial pages missing, including
their front covers. Some have astronomical data
tables which are very important for historians
of astronomy. In manuscript number 3660, a
10-page document discusses orbits, division of
orbits, seasons, as well as foods and drinks to
be consumed every month.
In another document, Number 2458, a 31-pager
called “Illustration of a Poem by Mohammad
Bin Ali”, the author writes about, among other
things, days of the year, planets, lunar
mansions, the duration of planets in
constellations, and the source of moonlight.
Another document titled: “A Book about
Knowing the Situations of the Moon in the
Mansion” tells of ill fortune and bad fortune
lunar mansions, and hours and their
characteristics. Other manuscripts similarly
discuss planets, constellations, orbits, seasons,
the moon, sun, etc.
Among the treasure-trove of ancient texts is
document Number 3670. Written in 1723, it is a
copy of a commentary by Abul Abbas on a work
by Mohammed bin Said bin Yehya bin Ahmed
bin Dawud bin Abubaker bin Ya-aza, who came
from Suz (probably Morocco).
The researchers are in the dark about further
details of the author’s life. However, they
suspect that he lived or came from the area
near Timbuktu since he mentions Ahmed Baba,
the most famous scholar from Timbuktu in the
1500s.
The manuscript starts by explaining what
astronomy is, and what its uses are. Prof
Medupe’s expert Arabic translators give a direct
translation of what Abul Abbas thinks
astronomy is: “… it is also called Science of
Arithmetic. Because he who wants to know this
science must look at the sky to observe the
individual stars and to know their names. It is
called Arithmetic, because he who wants to
know it must learn Arithmetic.”
Abul Abbas then lists the uses of astronomy for
guiding people at sea, determining calendars
and determining prayer times. “These concepts
of astronomy are exactly as they are being
taught in classes of general astronomy today,”
says Prof Medupe. What is unusual about this
text is that it describes a geocentric or earth-
centred model of the universe in 1700s
Timbuktu 300 years after the Copernican
revolution, which placed the sun at the centre
of our solar system. The manuscript is a
testament to the fact that these early notions of
the universe (wrong though they are) were
being independently developed in sub-Saharan
Africa without European influence.
This particular document also includes precise
definitions of Islamic calendars, month, leap
year, etc. Furthermore, the author also gives
algorithms on how to determine leap years in
an Islamic calendar.
“I was reading Abul Abbas’s manuscript in
Timbuktu, without an astronomical book or the
internet for reference, so I decided to test the
accuracy of their algorithm for determining the
Islamic leap year by implementing it on a
Fortran (computer language] programme,” says
Prof Medupe. “Indeed the programme worked
well, and so these people were very
knowledgeable about the subject they wrote
about.”
The final chapter of Abbas’s text deals with a
description of a geocentric model of the
universe. This manuscript, which also contains
diagrams of planetary orbits, does not only
illustrate the well-known fact that Islamic
astronomy borrowed a lot from Ancient Greek
astronomy, but it also proves a far less known
fact that Africans living below the Sahara were
learning these ideas over 300 years ago.
Sadly, the Timbuktu manuscripts were already
in peril prior to the arrival of Ansar al Dine.
Climatic and environmental conditions in
Timbuktu (and the wider region) are quite
extreme, which combined, pose a considerable
threat.
Insects and other vermin that eat paper and
other materials, as well as poor quality paper
also contribute to the deterioration of the
manuscripts. Ironically, one of the rather
unexpected elements that the conservation team
has found is widespread water damage. Now
there is even a more menacing threat – the
Ansar al Dine rebels. As they continue their
occupation of Timbuktu, many of Mali’s
foremost researchers, conservationists, and
library owners have fled for Bamako, the
capital. This has left behind a void of skilled
and knowledgeable experts who know how to
handle the fragile manuscripts.
Several private libraries have also been locked
while portions of the manuscripts (as well as
other precious artefacts) have been removed
from the libraries and museums and hidden
away in private homes. The question is for how
much longer?