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N5m For Political Parties Bane Of Mmuen Kpagane
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

By Odimegwu Onwumere

Nigeria is welcoming a new democracy than what were experienced under ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo government, and Nigerians of goodwill are happy with the development. While in the upper citadel of the government of Nigeria corruption is being fought to seeing that it standstill, some people at the grassroots are still bent to perpetrating mischief for their nefarious wants; they are challenging the collective will and intelligence of Nigerians, perhaps asking, what will happen to them. To such people, as observers of Rivers politics perceive in Rivers State, they are sitting on a keg of gunpowder of the law.

One man that is being honoured in Rivers State and its politics is Prince Tonye Princewill, the leader Rivers Action Congress (AC). The honour accorded Princewill is not because he is a Crown Prince of the Niger Delta, but because he is straightforward in his business of politics. He is transparent. To the tireless Princewill, his ambition is to seeing that he helped the present Rivers State Government under the able leadership of Mr. Chibuike Amaechi to achieve the dream Rivers State every of its citizens had longed to see. Though, not part of the government, but he took it as his duty traveling to all the European countries to scout for investors to come to Rivers State. Princewill is also fighting assiduously to seeing that Rivers AC won the sixteen local government councils it vowed to win come March 29 2008 Rivers poll. Princewill has been reconciling virtually all the aggrieved persons who may have suffered under the Ndoni-born governor, who ruled the State for a good number of unproductive years. Princewill has been so benevolent to the course of Rivers State, but the course of his party, the Rivers AC, is paramount to him.

Upon all these that the amiable Princewill is doing to better the lots of Rivers people and his party, it smacks ones mind and sends jitters to the marrow, that some people go about name calling Princewill. While Princewill is labouring to seeing that the Rivers AC won the sixteen L.G councils, these people who could be best describe as rebels went and own a faction of AC, headed by Mr. Mmuen Kpagane.

If what Mr. Kpagane, the leader of the factional group of Rivers AC means by calling Princewill “anti-play member” is Princewill’s stoical approach to seeing that River State is for all irrespective of status, then Mr. Kpagane should go back to the classroom.

It was in December 5,2007 that what observes of Rivers politics called “giving a dog a bad name “manifested from the hatred coffer of Mr. Kpagane against Princewill. Being the leader of Rivers AC Princewill is, Mr. Kpagane was said to be disrespectful to the rules and policies governing the party and when the party stakeholder rebuked him, he ran out from the party and began mudslinging Princewill from all ramifications. It was reported that what Mr. Kpagane keeps on doing is to be misleading party members who were not informed that he is a renegade who have caused incalculable problems to the party, and is still causing?

Mr. Kpagane continues boasting as the Rivers AC chairman whereas his name has been scrapped from the party list waiting when he will turn a new leaf. However, it’s noted that what keeps swelling the head of Mr. Kpagane to be talking is that he could still found his name in the national membership list of the National body of AC, which will probably come to be removed when the national body of the party will come to understand the heinous achievements of this fugitive. His achievement was said to be Tinkering and bickering and insulting the party members especially the elders of the party.

Bringing himself to the cleaner, Mr. Kpagane had no job in recent time other than paying Nigerian newspapers heavy sum of money to make himself relevant, as the Rivers AC leader, which he is not. While he continues to answer Rivers AC leader on the pages of the newspapers, yet he is not bent to promoting the course of Rivers State.

Without doubt, from all that had been heard about this party rebel, Mr. Kpagane is only interested in fomenting and promoting problems to affect the government of Governor Chibuike Amaechi, and the national peace of AC. Mr. Kpagane is not ready to partner with the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RISIEC) on the commission’s policies to hold a credible election in the State come March 29. He is interested to seeing that his rebellious members contested in the Rivers poll. Can some one call Mr. Kpagane to order?

Mr. Kpagane in his undemocratic way is lauding the credibility of his faction, which is only, but a sham. While the Rivers AC, which is recognized nationwide, headed by the orator, Princewill, is serious working for the emancipation of AC in the State politics which was nearly maimed by the PDP’s unkind politicking, all that Mr. Kpagane is running up and down Rivers State to Abuja is to make sure that RISIEC grant his equivocal factional group the N5m meant for political parties in the state as to enhance his faction’s illegal preparation towards the Rivers council election.

Odimegwu Onwumere, poet and author,
is of Nigeria4BetterRule, Rivers State.
Email: nzeprince@mail.com

March 15, 2008 | 4:33 AM Comments  0 comments

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The Inspiring Story Of Tonye Princewill
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

Full of vibrancy and oratorical prowess, Prince Tonye Princewill has done it again. For those who were not informed, he is the Action Congress (AC) guber candidate in Rivers State, in the April 2007 elections; although victory did not come his way in that election, but he has been victorious fighting like a ram that locked horn in a battle. The fight is not about militancy, carrying arms against the citizenry, but to better the lots of Rivers people and Nigerians.

Recently, precisely on the 3rd March 2008, were when Rivers AC pertinently demonstrated its seriousness and determination to make an impact in the March, 2008 Rivers LG poll, and proved critics wrong. Prince Tonye Princewill flew in from Europe, where had had been for the past one month, not for a tea party, but scouting for investors, for Rivers State.

His flying in was not for a tea party also, but duty oriented. He was in the country to perform three crucial party functions. According to a source from AC, Princewill’s homecoming were to receive hundreds of politicians that decamped from other political parties in the State; to inaugurate four special Committees expected to work assiduously to achieve the sixteen Local Government Councils target expected to be won by AC in this year’s LG Poll in Rivers State and to receive six reports on the prospects, problems and strategies to move the party and Rivers State forward.

While observers of Rivers politics watched with great enthusiasm, history was made at Buguma City the Headquarters of Asari-Tolu Local Government on 8th March when it hosted the crowned Prince of the Kalabari ancient Kingdom, Prince Tonye Princewill and some prominent chieftains of AC from the area. They include Chief Diamond Tobi-West, Bar Osima Ginah AC’s Legal luminary and a Hon. Commissioner nominee in Rivers State, Mr. Amoniabia Akoko the LG Chairman and AC chairmanship aspirant of Asari-Tolu, Mr. Ted Princewill to flag-off the party’s State wide Campaign for March, 2008 Local Government in Rivers State.

Not only was Prince Tonye Princewill in the community with AC henchmen, he stormed the community with his delegates that comprised Chief Williams Igwe, Mr Okis Bob-Manuel, Dr Mrs. Welle Edith among others. Their arrival was by 9am, and his programs started first with visits to project sites (of the projects) being executed by the Amaechi’s administration. The programmes were aimed at alleviating the suffering of the community particularly those geared at reclaiming the lost land of the community to swampy nature of the area.

At the community’s town square, Princewill, after addressing a mammoth crowd made up of supporters across political party divides, formally presented Mr. Ted Princewill to the community as its next Chairman for the Local Government Council with the 13 wards Councillorship aspirants of the party. He listed out most of the immediate intervention the AC administration in the area will be embarked within the first one year of governance – collaborating with the relevant authorities to link up the Local Government Area to the National grid; arrest unemployment state of the area by attracting both local and foreign investors to the area to make the community one of the most developed in the State.

With all these, Princewill admonished the community to vote in only AC Candidates to be assured of the development of the area as any vote for PDP or any other political party in the area will be a waste as most of these parties candidates have no proper manifesto to develop the area like AC. Princewill concluded his address by urging Prof Nimi Briggs led RSIEC to strictly follow its guidelines and appeal against the court rule in favour of PDP that directs the Commission to screen PDP aspirants against the normal ethics and norms as contained in the 2007 Electoral laws of the Commission. According to Chief Eze C. Eze, AC Publicity Secretary, “With this privileged information it was celebration galore for all the AC’s aspirant as the campaign was turned into a carnival and celebration of freedom showing the general acceptance of the party candidates in the community.”

Chief Diamond Tobi-West who also addressed the crowd. He assured the Princewill the general support of the community towards all the AC’s aspirants at least to demonstrate that Asari-Tolu is the birthplace of AC in Rivers State considering that Princewill is a crowned Prince. Mr. Ted Princewill the AC chairmanship aspirant thanked the Prince Princewill and assured him that he has the wherewithal to deliver the LG to the party, with a minimum support and encouragement he surely will do his best to take the Local Government to the next level.

To show his seriousness in winning the LG, Prince Princewill, in cohort of most key officials and all the aspirants of the Local Government paid courtesy calls on the Amanyanabo of Kalabari kingdom, HRM Prof TJT Princewill; Chief Senator Dagoga Princewill and other stake-holders in the community to formally present the aspirants to them and solicited for their support and blessings for the aspirants which thy willingly give emphasizing that the community does not recognize any other political party in the area.

Odimegwu Onwumere, Rivers State

March 13, 2008 | 8:44 AM Comments  0 comments

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GIFT WRAPPING TIPS FOR MEN

GIFT WRAPPING TIPS FOR MEN
==========================

This is the time of year when we think back to the very first
Christmas when the Three Wise Men: Gaspar, Balthazar and Herb
went to see the baby Jesus; and according to the Book of
Matthew, "presented unto Him gifts; gold, frankincense, and
myrrh."

These are simple words, but if we analyze them carefully, we
discover an important, yet often overlooked, theological fact.
There is no mention of wrapping paper.

If there had been wrapping paper, Matthew would have said so:
"And lo, the gifts were inside 600 square cubits of paper. And
the paper was festooned with pictures of Frosty the Snowman.
And Joseph was going to throweth it away, but Mary saideth unto
him, she saideth, 'Holdeth it! That is nice paper! Saveth it
for next year!' And Joseph did rolleth his eyeballs. And the
baby Jesus was more interested in the paper than the
frankincense."

But these words do not appear in the Bible, which means that the
very first Christmas gifts were NOT wrapped. This is because
the people giving those gifts had two important characteristics:
1. They were wise. 2. They were men.

Men are not big gift wrappers. Men do not understand the point
of putting paper on a gift just so somebody else can tear it
off. This is not just my opinion; this is a scientific fact
based on a statistical survey of two guys I know.

One is Rob, who said the only time he ever wraps a gift is
"if it's such a poor gift that I don't want to be there when the
person opens it."

The other is Gene, who told me he does wrap gifts, but as a
matter of principle never takes more than 15 seconds per gift.
"No one ever had to wonder which presents daddy wrapped at
Christmas," Gene said. "They were the ones that looked like
enormous spitballs."

I also wrap gifts, but because of some defect in my motor
skills, I can never completely wrap them. I can take a gift the
size of a deck of cards and put it the exact center of a piece
of wrapping paper the size of a regulation volleyball court, but
when I am done folding and taping, you can still see a sector of
the gift peeking out. (Sometimes I camouflage this sector with
a marking pen.)

If I had been an ancient Egyptian in the field of mummies, the
lower half of the Pharaoh's body would be covered only by Scotch
tape.

On the other hand, if you give my wife a 12-inch square of
wrapping paper, she can wrap a C-130 cargo plane. My wife, like
many women, actually likes wrapping things. If she gives you a
gift that requires batteries, she wraps the batteries
separately, which to me is very close to being a symptom of
mental illness. If it were possible, my wife would wrap each
individual volt.

My point is that gift-wrapping is one of those skills like
having babies that come more naturally to women than to men.
That is why today I am presenting:

GIFT-WRAPPING TIPS FOR MEN:
* Whenever possible, buy gifts that are already wrapped.
If, when the recipient opens the gift, neither one of you
recognizes it, you can claim that it's myrrh.

* The editors of Woman's Day magazine recently ran an item on
how to make your own wrapping paper by printing a design on it
with an apple sliced in half horizontally and dipped in a
mixture of food coloring and liquid starch.
They must be smoking crack.

* If you're giving a hard-to-wrap gift, skip the wrapping paper!
Just put it inside a bag and stick one of those little adhesive
bows on it. This creates a festive visual effect that is sure to
delight the lucky recipient on Christmas morning:

YOUR WIFE: Why is there a Hefty trash bag under the tree?
YOU: It's a gift! See? It has a bow!
YOUR WIFE (peering into the trash bag): It's a leaf blower.
YOU: Gas-powered! Five horsepower!
YOUR WIFE: I want a divorce.
YOU: I also got you some myrrh.

In conclusion, remember that the important thing is not what you
give or how you wrap it. The important thing, during this very
special time of year, is that you save the receipt.


~(c) by Dave Barry~

Don't forget to laugh during this Christmas season,
and to my knowledge one of the wise men was not named Herb.


December 19, 2006 | 10:30 AM Comments  0 comments

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Marijuana top US cash crop, analyst says


Marijuana top US cash crop, analyst says
By David Alexander 1 hour, 33 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. growers produce nearly $35 billion worth of marijuana annually, making the illegal drug the country's largest cash crop, bigger than corn and wheat combined, an advocate of medical marijuana use said in a study released on Monday.

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The report, conducted by Jon Gettman, a public policy analyst and former head of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, also concluded that five U.S. states produce more than $1 billion worth of marijuana apiece: California, Tennessee, Kentucky, Hawaii and Washington.

California's production alone was about $13.8 billion, according to Gettman, who waged an unsuccessful six-year legal battle to force the government to remove marijuana from a list of drugs deemed to have no medical value.

Tom Riley, a spokesman for the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy, said he could not confirm the report's conclusions on the size of the country's marijuana crop. But he said the government estimated overall U.S. illegal drug use at $200 billion annually.

Gettman's figures were based on several government reports between 2002 and 2005 estimating the United States produced more than 10,000 metric tons of marijuana annually.

He calculated the producer price per pound of marijuana at $1,606 based on national survey data showing retail prices of between $2,400 and $3,000 between 2001 and 2005.

The total value of 10,000 metric tons of marijuana at $1,606 per pound would be $35.8 billion.

By comparison, the United States produced an average of nearly $23.3 billion worth of corn annually from 2003 to 2005, $17.6 billion worth of soybeans, $12.2 billion worth of hay, nearly $11.1 billion worth of vegetables and $7.4 billion worth of wheat, the report said.

Gettman said the 10-fold increase in U.S. marijuana production, from 1,000 metric tons in 1981 to 10,000 metric tons in 2006, showed the country was failing to control marijuana by making its cultivation and use illegal.

"Marijuana has become a pervasive and ineradicable part of the economy of the United States," he said. "The contribution of this market to the nation's gross domestic product is overlooked in the debate over effective control."

"Like all profitable agricultural crops marijuana adds resources and value to the economy," he added. "The focus of public policy should be how to effectively control this market through regulation and taxation in order to achieve immediate and realistic goals, such as reducing teenage access."

Riley said illegal drug use was a "serious part of the economy," but he rejected the notion of an economic argument for legalizing marijuana.

He said marijuana use was an "inherently harmful activity" with serious physical and mental health consequences. He said more American teens were in treatment centers for marijuana dependency than for all other drugs combined.

__._,_.___

December 19, 2006 | 10:11 AM Comments  0 comments

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Herbal insecticides that fight mosquito

Herbal insecticides that fight mosquito
BY SADE OGUNTOLA

Apart from using insecticide treated nets,
herbal insecticides are also effective.
The rainy season is gradually coming to an end and with this comes increase in mosquito problems. Mosquitoes are responsible for deaths and illness of millions of people and animals through the transmission of diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, dengue and West Nile virus.

This explains why different communities try different herbs both for preventing the illness and repelling off the insect. For instance, Rev. Tunde Koyejo, an environmental health expert at the University of Ibadan,Ibadan, said in local communities, people cut Ocinum plant (Efinrin) and put this in the corners of the rooms to drive away mosquitoes. This, they keep changing regularly. Other options they try includes smoldering leaves of plants such as pawpaw and lemon grass as well as orange and lemon peels.

Though many may not be aware of nature’s solution to mosquito, Prof. Janet Makinde, an expert on herbs for malaria from the department of Pharmacology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, said some plants including the anti-mosquito plant that specially grows in the muddy area due to there special smell helps to repel mosquitoes. All that is done is to cut the plant and place it in the room, to repel off mosquitoes.

So many other plants act as repellants against different mosquito species. In Kenya for instance, most commonly known repellant plants include sweet basil (Ocinum americannum) , wild marigold (Tagetes munta), neem (Azaduachta indica), lantana camara and (Heyptis suaveolens).

Some researchers even evaluated their efficacy in the journal, Trans R. Soc Trop. Med. Hygiene. They had the leaves burnt in one case and just placed the branches or the whole plant inside the houses in the other.

Seyoum A., Palsson K. and other members of the group found when thermally expelled, the leaves of Corymbia citriodora leaves and seeds of sweet basil were the most effective. Leaves of corymbia citriodora also exhibited the highest repellency by direct burning.

Also in Guinea Bissau by Palsso K. and Juesson G. from the department of zoology, Uppsala University, Sweden, found smoulder the leaves of Eucalyptus gave 72.2per cent protection; smoke of the leaves of neem gave 76.0 per cent protection; smoke of the infructescence of oil palm gave 69.0 per cent protection and basil gave 63.6 protection.

A similar assessment of local plants in Mpumalanga province, South Africa which was documented in the Central Africa journal of Medicine by Govere J., Durrheim D. N. and others found that the alcohol extract of fever tea (Lippia javanica), lemon grass and rose geranium (Pelargonium reniforme) provided protection from Anopheles mosquitoes for 76.7per cent, 66.7 per cent and 63.3per cent for no less than three hours respectively. The repellent effect of fever tea lasted for five hours.

Several oils extracted from these plants were also helpful in preventing mosquito bites. In a study, 2 per cent neem oil mixed in coconut oil, when applied to exposed body parts of human volunteers, provided complete protection for 12 hours from bites of all anopheles.

Kerosine lamps containing 0.01 to 1 per cent (one measure of neem oil to 100 of kerosine) neem oil, lighted in rooms containing human volunteers, reduced mosquito biting activity as well as the mosquitoes resting on walls in the rooms. Protection with this was even greater against anopheles than against culex mosquito.

Effectiveness of mats with neem oil against mosquitoes has also been demonstrated. As it is being vapourised from the mat, it repels mosquitoes, keeping them off for between five and seven hours.

Another promising repellent is the oil of lemon eucalyptus that in a study by Consumer Reports of August 2005, was said to prevent bites from aggressive mosquitoes for four to eight hours, and more than 12 hours for less aggressive mosquito species.

Researchers including Trongtokit Y in the journal, Phytotherapy Research, found as well that undiluted oils of citronella, clove and cider provide at least two hours of complete repellency from culex and anophelese mosquitoes. Clove oil gave the longest duration of repellency (two to four hours) against the commonest species of mosquito.

There is no need fearing to use these oils as experts even said in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology after evaluating their side effects on the skin that they present low toxicity, pose no cancer risk and does not to irritate the skin.

Some of these plants can also be used to kill larvae of mosquito, hence preventing their bite. Neem oil and other preparation of neem have also been found as potential mosquito larvicide’s. The oil kills the larva and also inhibit growth of larva. A 20 percent concentration of neem oil will both prevent mosquitoes laying eggs and arrest pupal formation and eventually the transformation of pupal to adult mosquito for about 45 days.

http://www.tribune. com.ng/23102006/ hlt1.html

October 24, 2006 | 5:40 AM Comments  1 comments

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