News : Dele Momodu: How they catch monkeys in Brazil

Beware of those who seek to take care of your need
Lest your caretakers become your jailers”

-Jim Rohn, The Treasury of Quotes

Fellow Nigerians, if you grew up in my generation or much earlier, you are likely to have come across the novels of one of the best thriller writers of all times, James Hadley Chase. I was a voracious reader of his books and that of Ian Fleming, who authored the James Bond series, as well as the amazing works of Nick Carter, Harold Robbins, Sidney Sheldon, Mario Gianluigi Puzo, Robert Ludlum, James Clavell, James Michener, Joan Collins, Leslie Charteris, Denise Robbins, Barbara Cartland, Agatha Christie and other authors of romance and thrillers. The reason was very simple; James Hadley chase was easily the master of the game. He was fast-paced and extremely pleasurable to follow and digest. His characters were so vivid that you could almost walk into them in a crowd. His language was modern and lucid. And his plots covered every sphere of human endeavour. He had the incredible power of narration and description and took us on a tour de force of exotic locations and transported us effortlessly to places of our dreams.

One of his most powerful novels I read, and fell in love with, was The Paw in the Bottle. It was in this riveting novel I read how they catch monkeys in Brazil. I used to see monkeys at the then University of Ife, which was proudly renamed Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, but I didn’t know how greedy an animal it was until I read the awesome description by James Hadley Chase, the British writer whose real name was Rene Brabazon Raymond, the son of a British Colonel. Please, enjoy his narrative:

“Have you ever heard how they catch monkeys in Brazil Julie?” Let me tell you. They put a nut in a bottle, and tie the bottle to a tree. The monkey grasps the nut, but the neck of the bottle is too narrow for the monkey to withdraw its paw and the nut. You would think the monkey would let go of the nut and escape, wouldn’t you? But it never does. It is so greedy it never releases the nut and is always captured. Remember that story, Julie. Greed is a dangerous thing. If you give way to it, sooner or later you will be caught.”

I don’t know if the fictional character, Julie, forgot that important warning, but I remembered it immediately the news broke out that our dear Brother, Honourable Farouk Lawan, a respected member of Nigeria’s House of Representatives had visited Femi Otedola, the effervescent Al Capone of the diesel cartel in Nigeria, and demanded $3million as bribe from him, and actually got a few instalments totalling about $620,000 in cash already.

The story was indeed stranger than fiction. Had Hon. Lawan read James Hadley Chase, he would probably have learnt how to be a wary transgressor. If Lawan had kept his ears to the ground, he would have understood the way the cookie crumbles. If Lawan truly believed and trusted Femi Otedola like the fox that he is, he would believe anything and later get the shock treatment. Possibly unknown to Lawan, Femi is not a man to monkey with because he is a first class student of the Machiavelli school of Life.

As someone who has followed and chronicled the lifestyle of the rich, famous, and the not-so-famous Africans for some time, I have known and studied Femi Otedola very closely for upwards of 22 years when I first noticed him at one of those gigs of the Afro-Juju rave, Sir Shina Peters. Even if he had little money at that time, he already portrayed the carriage, confidence and grace of a man who could feel and see a bright future ahead. His inner circle of friends knew him as an extremely loyal person if in love with you. But the caveat was always added that stepping on Femi’s toes was as good as touching the tiger by the tail. Femi is an extremist that knows no middle of the road in his dealings with people. For him, the opposite of love is enmity.  You could not borrow from him and expect to run away with it because you were friends. He had a clear principle on business and friendship and would never mix the two no matter how close you were.

It is always good to know people’s background for you to decipher how to handle or deal with them. Femi started making his cash as a money-lender. He was so good at it that he became legendary. As fate would have it, he had the heart of a gambler who took many risks, and fortune and fame beckoned at him. In one of his audacious moments, he had asked his dad to enter the gubernatorial race in Lagos state at a time the old man had no chance on earth of becoming Governor. At a stage Femi’s dad expressed exasperation at the burden Femi had placed on him because he had lost the little money he kept for the rainy day on what looked like a total misadventure. To make matters worse, most of Femi’s friends who could have supported the bid practically chickened out because by all accounts and permutations it was mission impossible. Femi would later tell his friends how one man stood out among his peers and supported them with some good money at the time. That man is the one and only Guru of telecoms, the Tsar of oil and gas, and the silent Power House, Dr Michael Adeniyi Agbolade Isola Adenuga.

Miraculously, Femi’s dad, Sir Michael Otedola stole victory from his cantankerous opponents who were at daggers-drawn with themselves and thus recorded a miraculous win. That development, and the contacts Femi later made, would change his life beyond belief. Femi took serious advantage of the opportunity and from there on one thing led to another. Femi seized the one in a lifetime chance, made money and grew himself into an octopus and major player in the Nigerian capital market. His company, Zenon became a near monopoly in a country totally dependent on diesel for most things. He would later acquire substantial shares in African Petroleum Plc. Femi also expanded into Chevron Texaco, Zenon Properties, F.O Transport and Atlas Shipping.

Femi loves to hold the four aces and keeps his joker in the pack. He enjoys the whiff of money and knows how to hit his competitors where it hurts. He would usually ask what’s better than money and try to authenticate the truism that there’s always a price tag on most people if not everyone. This, I believe, must have been the reason he took on the risky power-game of setting up and shooting down one of the brightest hopes of Nigeria, Hon. Farouk Lawan, and he has effortlessly succeeded in denting his image, at least pending the time we get his own side of the deal. The tragedy is not that Hon. Lawan fell like a pack of cards but that he walked into Femi’s sucker punch and got himself knocked out even before the tournament started.

No one would have expected Lawan to waltz himself into such a cheap scandal. The man who sought to arrest the tiger must never close his eyes in the zoo. It remains to be seen how he talked himself into this deadly trap and how Femi managed to hypnotise him to pick such amount of cash, personally, from a man under investigation. This must have been the height of greed and indiscretion. Without jumping to conclusions, Hon. Lawan’s tactical blunder has become a major source of revulsion and depression for those of us who genuinely believed in the crusade to stop the oil Mafia in their barefaced stealing of our commonwealth.

This saga has thus thrown up too many questions begging for answers from both parties. Let’s begin from the House of Representatives. In retrospect, what has ever come out from the cacophony of the committees probing this and that in the National Assembly? Is it not curious that there was so much hype and grandstanding about the Farouk Lawan’s Committee on the fuel subsidy scam while the Magnus Abe Committee in the Senate seemed to have melted into the Abuja Triangle because it probably understood the PDP game better than the loquacious Reps? Could the insinuation in official quarters be true that these committees were feverishly set up for publicity stunts as well as to extort money from both innocent and fraudulent companies and government agencies?

How come Hon. Lawan collected the Otedola dollars since April and we are just hearing about it at this late hour?

At what stage did the bubble burst and the relationship broke down between the giver and the taker of bribes? Where’s the money collected by Lawan and his partner, Hon.Boniface Emenalo, and was it ever sent to the Police or the House leadership as exhibit or evidence? Who originated this unholy deal that has snowballed into one of the biggest scandals ever to rock Nigeria’s National Assembly?

Why is the Nigerian Police more interested in a bribery allegation of $620,000 than the fuel subsidy scam running into over $10billion? How come no one has been detained or investigated by the Police over the can of worms in the Ministry of Petroleum and its subsidiaries? How come the President that pretended not to be affected by the fuel subsidy saga is suddenly issuing statements on the bribery disaster?

Let’s now walk across to the Zenon Chairman and ask some pertinent questions raised by some of the people I spoke to about this ugly situation? Why did Femi entertain Lawan’s bribery overture if indeed he had no case to answer? Why did he not leave the battle to be fought by those who had an issue with the Committee? Why did he have to resort to act as policeman or private detective to expose the Chairman of the Committee if he had no hidden agenda? Could it be that Femi was representing higher interests that want to discredit the probe report and cast aspersions on committee members? Who stands to gain if the Committee’s report is guillotined and the entire effort aimed at unveiling the masquerades milking us dry in the petroleum sector is aborted?  Why has the Presidency suddenly taken a keen interest in this dirty peculiar mess (Penkelemesi! a la Adelabu?).  What does the Nigerian Law say about a bribe giver, whether in reality or as a melodrama?

My strong view is that our ruling government has resorted to using its security apparatus to hunt, haunt and intimidate anyone who tries to take it on or attempt to install a new order in Nigeria. A party that has been in government and power since 1999, by hook and by crook, will never give up power without fighting with everything at its disposal. What we are witnessing is only a dress rehearsal of what is to come as we move towards 2015. The opposition must expect anything as events continue to unfold.

Unfortunately, Hon Farouk Lawan attempted to rock the boat of his own party without understanding the score. He should have known that nothing irritates the Mafia than an ungrateful godson. There were too many examples to learn from but Hon. Lawan was too naïve for his own good and definitely not for our collective interests.

This can only be a prologue.

Dele Momodu - Between Don Jazzy And D’banj

So inspiring to Read-All. DM pour out his mind on multi-talented duel superstars.
Enjoy!

Fellow Nigerians, please let’s leave politics for this week and discuss my primary constituency, showbiz. I’m always happy to see young people break barriers of poverty through creativity. This is why I have invested materially and otherwise in our talented youths since 1989 when Sir Shina Peters broke record charts with his monster album, Ace. I doubt if any other album has recorded such monumental success. For the first time, a Juju artiste captured all the major awards and took the front page of Nigeria’s biggest-selling Weekend Concord, edited at the time by Mike Awoyinfa. SHINAMANIA was the headline of my story and this became the title of Sir Shina’s next album.

Through my work, I would later interact and become officially or personally close to some of Nigeria’s greatest icons such as Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey-Fabiyi, King Sunny Ade, Chief Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, Prof Kolington Ayinla, King Sonny Okosuns, Admiral Dele Abiodun, Ras Kimono, Onyeka Onwenu, Christie Essien-Igbokwe, Laolu Akins, Toni Okoroji, Evi Edna Ogholi, Queen Salawa Abeni, Tee Mac, King Wasiu Ayinde Marshall, Mike Okri, Alex Zitto, Mustapha Amego, Esse Agesse, Mandy Brown Ojugbana, The Mandators, Charly Boy, Adewale Ayuba, Abass Obesere, Alex O, Daniel Wilson, Blakky, Wasiu Alabi Pasunma, OJB Jezreel, Sammy Okposo and others. The warm relationship would later extend to the younger artistes like the Plantashun Boys, Tunde & Wumi Obe, Paul Play Dairo, KUSH, Dare Art Alade, Tony Tetuilla, Remedies, Omotola Jalade-Ekehinde, Genevieve Nnaji, Ruggedman, Olu Maintain, Bouqui, Sasha, Banky W, Timaya, Zaki Adze, Solek Crew, JJC, and many others.

I have gone through this preamble to demonstrate my substantial interest in Nigerian music and showbiz in general. The essence of my piece today is to situate my position on the imbroglio between Don Jazzy and D’banj, two of Nigeria’s most influential artistes of the moment. I believe my first encounter with D’banj was in March 2005, when he performed at the Global Recognition Awards staged by my friend and Brother, Mayor Akinpelu. All I needed to convince me about  the awesome talents of D’banj was this young man coming on stage blowing his hamonica with a passion and singing Mo Bo Lowo Won. I never danced in public like I did that day. This guy blew me apart and took me to Cloud 10. D’banj was that infectious.

After his performance, I asked Mayor where he got this guy from and he said Percy Ademokun, KWAM 1’s manager had pleaded with him to feature the guy who used to work with JJC & his 419 Squad in London. As a matter of fact, Mayor was reluctant to put D’banj on stage because that slot had been reserved for Sunny Neji who unfortunately did not turn up but thus created the chance for our young friend. From that moment, I took more than a cursory interest in this guy. I later learnt there was another young producer who was the pillar behind the D’banj rising stardom. His name was outstanding, Don Jazzy.

My first one-on-one contact with D’banj came one Sunday morning, when D’banj told my former Personal Assistant, Chichi of Africa, a songstress in her own right, that he would like to meet me. Chichi knew I was very fond of him and did not waste anytime in setting up the appointment. She picked him up and drove to Bay Dorchester hotel in Victoria Island where I was at the time. As soon as Chichi arrived, I asked where D’banj was and Chichi said he was waiting in the car. I asked why she had to keep our superstar in the car and Chichi said she needed to get clearance from me. D’banj came in and prostrated flat to me while I told him he didn’t have to do that. But he was a very humble Yoruba boy who understood the culture of his people. He brought out his cd and I gave him some amount of money and we became brothers from then onwards.

I must have been among his top ten fans. And swore by his name. The only artistes who had won me totally over like that were Sir Shina Peters, KWAM1, Adewale Ayuba and Tu Face Idibia. There was hardly anything I wouldn’t do for them. And each had touched my life in different ways. D’banj was next to them. In 2006, a friend of mine, Richard Senou, was running the presidential race in Benin Republic, and he asked me to invite my celebrity friends in Nigeria to help with his campaign. I quickly assembled my closest buddies like RMD, Zack Orji, Stella Damasus-Aboderin, Fred Amata, Tony Tetuilla, and of course D’banj to Cotonou. We took over the city and rocked the place like never before. D’banj could not join us the night before but still managed to come in the morning and I was very grateful.

Our next encounter was Ghana. I had persuaded Iyiola Ayoade, the CEO of Charterhouse Ghana and GhOne Television to invite D’banj and Don Jazzy to their annual Ghana Music Awards Festival. On arrival, I welcomed the powerful people from Nigeria at my home. D’banj and Don Jazzy came in with the doyen of entertainment, Kenny Keke Ogungbe and Dayo D1 Adeneye. It was such a dramatic evening at my place as the incredibly energetic D’banj showed off his acrobatic prowess and started somersaulting in my living room. He was just full of raw energy and blew his hamonica endlessly.  Thereafter, he and Don Jazzy disappeared from our radar. We later heard they enjoyed the akwaaba hospitality in Ghana. The next time D’banj came to Ghana, he was with Dr Sid and they dropped by at my restaurant, The House of Ovation.

D’banj and the Mo Hits featured in the 2007 and 2008 Ovation Red Carol effortlessly. But thereafter fame and money chased them from every part of the globe. That was when we started drifting apart. It became difficult to communicate by telephone as numbers changed rapidly. Wande Cole became my boy and participated actively in the theme song for the Ovation Red Carol of 2009. But I never stopped praying for D’banj and Don Jazzy in particular. Theirs was a marriage made in heaven.  A break-up would spell doom of tragic proportions for both of them. I was always elated anytime I read interviews granted by D’banj in which he poured encomiums on Don Jazzy and referred to him as the boss though he was older than Don.

I had the last chance to advise them on a trip from South Africa to Nigeria. The engine of our plane had suddenly failed as we were taking off and the flight had to be dangerously aborted. Sammie Okposo was with us and he was visibly rattled. The problem engine was later fixed and we had chance to discuss the music industry in Nigeria. I was relatively assured that theirs was a solid union. I gave examples of big stars who had perished due to one mismanagement of fame or money or both. My favourite example was that of the Spice Girls. They had it all wrapped up. Fans camped outside their hotels for nights while on world tour. My ultimate idol Michael Jackson got terribly broke after all that gargatuan popularity and fabulous wealth. I told the story of how Chief MKO Abiola described poverty as the most stubborn animal and that you must never throw the cane with which you beat it away because it will always come back.  Every fall in life begins with a wrong move.

D’banj and Don Jazzy were brothers from another mother. I don’t know how and why they allowed the devil to come between them. In the whole of Africa, only the twin Brothers, Peter and Paul, of P’Square enjoyed better or equal supremacy. Reading the exclusive interview D’banj granted Ayeni The Great recently, Mo Hits must have made too much money. In the process, my brothers must have forgotten the truism that wherever too much money is gathered the demon must make itself Executive Chairman. They obviously did not see the omnipotent demon walk into their lives. If they did they would have fought tooth and nail to chase it back to the pit of help. No lizard can enter a wall that had no crack in the first instance.

I’m extremely saddened by this unfortunate saga. There is nothing as crazy as two bossom friends fighting and going their separate ways. Husbands and wives do fight. The tongue and the mouth are no exception.  It is a rule of life. But we must always try as much as possible to manage our differences. Wealth and women are often the causes of problems between friends but these guys had more than enough of both and could have ignored their worst adversary. I don’t know what roles their closest friends played in this disastrous separation but I believe it would have helped if they intervened at the right time. I read somewhere that a few important personalities tried to settle the rift but were unsuccessful. It is a big shame that we lost what could easily have been the biggest crew in African music. It is possible that individually they can start all over and blow up their individual talents again. But that type of merry-go-round would have been unnecessary. There’s a great lesson in this experience for other artistes planning to kill their brands to start from the very beginning. I learnt from Chinua Achebe that when things fall apart the centre don’t usually hold.

I really pray that God continues to bless their hustle so as not to turn theirs into an Israelite journey when you spend 40 years on a trip that should have taken 40 days.

By Dele Momodu

Chris Brown And Drake Offered $1M Each To Fight In Boxing Ring

Cat and Mice celebrities, Chris Brown and Drake have been offered $1 million each to continue their feud in the boxing ring .



 Celebrity Boxing promoter Damon Feldman revealed billionaire Alki David has offered to pay out the huge sums and give another $1 million to charity if they take part in a public fight. 

 He told the New York Daily News newspaper: "Obviously they have a grudge. It's just three one-minute rounds. No one will get seriously hurt." He said the pay-per-view event could be in Las Vegas or Los Angeles with a target date of Aug. 25. Feldman said he’d like Rihanna to participate in the proposed punch-fest.

 A Chris Brown representative replied that the singer's camp has “never heard” of the offer. The music stars have been at war over Rihanna, who had a fling with Drake after splitting up with Chris when he assaulted her three years ago.

 The singers have been linked to a police investigation since their alleged feud (over Rihanna) left at least eight people injured following the melee inside Manhattan’s W.i.P. nightclub June 14.

R.Kelly Falls ill,Cancels Media Appearances For Medical Treatment

      American R&B Superstar R.Kelly fell ill on his way to promote his new book and had to return to his home in chicago for medical treatment .
       His media representative just released the following statement 

    While on his way to New York this morning to celebrate the publication of his long-awaited memoir "SoulaCoaster," multi-platinum R&B superstar R. Kelly was taken ill and had to return to Chicago for medical treatment. Initial indications are that he is suffering from complications from surgery he had last year to treat an abscess on his vocal cords. As a result, Kelly has had to cancel appearances on "The Jimmy Fallon Show" and NBC's "Today" as well as a book party that was being held in his honor. It is unclear how long Kelly may be sidelined.

Rihanna Escapes Early Morning Fire at London Hotel

RIhanna after the fire incident

  Pop star rihanna early this morning escaped fire from a London Hotel .London Fire Brigade says she was among 300 people evacuated from conrinthian hotel after an early-morning fire in an elevator shaft. 

 The  talk that talk singer tweeted news of the fire early Wednesday to her 21 million Twitter followers, posting a picture of a fire engine and the words: "Roamin da streets since 6am! Fyah in da telly." 

      The fire brigade said the alarm was raised at 6:22 a.m. (0522 GMT) and 10 firefighters dealt with the blaze on the 7th floor of the luxury Corinthia Hotel. There were no reports of injuries.
   In other news RiRi has now sold a staggering combined total of 20 million singles and albums on UK turf, according to the latest Official Charts Company's sales data.The 24-year-old singer has sold over 14 million singles and over six million albums in the United Kingdom. 
 Rihanna performed Sunday at the outdoor BBC Hackney Weekend in London.

Banky W Interviews Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola [Photos]

Banky W Interviews Gov. Babatunde fashola for USAID documentary

   Last week, the International Republican Institute (IRI) & US Agency for International Development (USAID) visited the Governor of Lagos with R & B Power House Banky W for a documentary hosted by Banky W.

Banky who is presently on set for MNET TV series “Jacob Cross” in South Africa tells us “The documentary is about promoting democracy in Nigeria through the youths of

Nigeria, and it included an interview with Governor Fashola, I had a nice time” 

 The song "Change" featuring Skales, Wiz, Niyola, Banky W and Shaydee on the Empire Mates State of Mind album will also be used in the documentary.

Banky w , IRI and USAID Representatives

Banky W ,BRF ,IRI and USAID representatives

Beyonce Pays Tribute To Micheal Jackson

    Beyonce Knowles has written a tribute to Michael Jackson, three years after the day of his death on Monday (25.06.12).

    The superstar wrote a letter  on her website that her first producer would make her listen to 'Who's Loving You' on repeat for hours.

WHEN I WAS JUST STARTING OUT, MY FIRST PRODUCER USED TO MAKE ME LISTEN TO MICHAEL JACKSON’S LIVE PERFORMANCE OF “WHO’S LOVING YOU.”  HE WOULD HAVE ME WATCH THAT FOR HOURS BACK TO BACK TO BACK.  
WHAT HE WANTED ME TO LEARN WAS HIS SOUL.  YOU COULD HEAR HIS SOUL.  AND HE WAS THIS LITTLE KID WHO HADN’T EXPERIENCED LOVE BUT HE WAS A VESSEL.  FOR WHATEVER REASON HE COULD EVOKE MORE EMOTION THAN AN ADULT.  IT WAS SO RAW AND SO PURE.  IT WAS THESE LITTLE THINGS THAT HE DID THAT WERE JUST SWAG.   IT’S SOMETHING THAT’S GOD GIVEN.  
MICHAEL TAUGHT ME THAT SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO FORGET TECHNIQUE, FORGET WHAT YOU HAVE ON.  IF YOU FEEL SILLY, YOU HAVE TO GO FROM THE GUT JUST LET IT GO. 
MICHAEL JACKSON CHANGED ME, AND HELPED ME TO BECOME THE ARTIST I AM - THANK YOU MICHAEL.
LOVE ALWAYS, B    

British firm, Unilever fined, after Brazilain housewife finds used rubber CONDOM in a tin of tomato paste

British firm Unilever has been fined £3,100 by a Brazilian court after a housewife found a used condom in a tin of tomato paste.



Cintia Mayerle and her family had already eaten the meal prepared with the paste when she discovered the rubber condom as she poured the remainder into a storage jar.
Mrs Mayerle, from Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil, took the tin of Knorr tomato paste and its contents to the local university for analysis.

But she claims Unilever refused to believe that the condom had been found inside their product.
The company told Brazil's Supreme Court that the offending article could not have been inserted into the tin at the factory because the process is fully mechanised.
But the court ruled in Mrs Mayerle's favour and today also awarded her £1,110 for moral damages she claimed to have suffered.
She told Brazil's Globo newspaper: 'It was the most horrible thing that's ever happened to me. I think it will stay in my memory for a very long time.'
Unilever was founded in England in the 1890s and is one of the world's leading manufacturers of consumer goods, with brands including Knorr, Bertolli, Wall's and Flora.
The Unilever company is also present in Nigeria.
My Naija poeple! please watch out for what you buy in the markets..check the necessary details before consumption. Health is wealth they say

Jonathan fires NNPC GMD, three executive directors

In what he described as an attempt to “further strengthen the ongoing reforms and transformation of Nigeria’s Petroleum sector, and in furtherance of efforts to achieve greater transparency and accountability in government”, President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday night sacked the Austin Oniwon led executive management team of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and three group executive directors.

Oniwon was asked to go on compulsory retirement.

A new GMD in the person of Mr. Andrew Yakubu has been named for the oil corporation.

The GEDs sent packing alongside Oniwon are Mr. Michael Arokodare, in charge of Finance and Accounts; Mr. Phillip Chukwu, Refineries & Petrochemicals; Mr. Billy Agha, Engineering & Technology.

The affected officials, according to a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, are expected to proceed on retirement immediately.

The President said the firm’s executive management team was re-composed to further strengthen the ongoing reforms and transformation of Nigeria’s petroleum sector, and in furtherance of efforts “to achieve greater transparency and accountability in government.”

Although Oniwon is said to be overdue for retirement, his removal was said to be an attempt by the Jonathan administration to douse the outcry that followed the recent probe into the nation’s fuel subsidy regime.

Some analysts, however, said that the changes were not far-reaching enough given the fact that the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, was not affected.

“The changes should have been holistic, there is no point leaving the person who presided over the rot in the industry there,” an oil industry top official, who asked not to be named, told one of our correspondents last night.

There had been a groundswell of calls for the President to remove Diezani, especially in the light of findings by the House of Representatives probe panel on fuel subsidy that the nation had been robbed to the tune of N1.7tn.

The cry has been that there could be no such rot in the oil sector with the head allowed to keep her office.

Oniwon had been due for retirement since April last year but the President extended his tenure to 2012, mainly on the recommendation of Alison-Madueke.

Chukwu and Agha were also old hands who were already close to retirement before their removal.

Oniwon, who hails from Kogi State, was replaced by the former NNPC Group Executive Director, Exploration and Production, Mr. Andrew Yakubu, who is from Kaduna State.

Analysts on Tuesday night said Yakubu’s appointment was to satisfy the federal character demand of the country: a northerner NNPC GMD under a petroleum minister from the Niger Delta.

Apart from Yakubu, other appointments approved by the President for the firm are Group Executive Director, Finance and Accounts, Mr. Bernard Otti; Group Executive Director, Exploration and Production, Mr. Abiye Membere; Group Executive Director,Corporate Services, Dr. Peter S. Nmadu; Group Executive Director,Refineries & Petrochemicals;Dr. Anthony Ogbuigwe; Group Executive Director, Commercial and Investments, Dr. Attahir B. Yussuf; and Group Executive Director, Gas & Power, Dr. David Ige.

Jonathan commended the outgoing directors for their service to the nation and urged the new management team to be fully committed to rapidly implementing the critical interventions needed to positively transform Nigeria’s petroleum industry.

Jonathan also approved the appointment of Mr. Victor Briggs as the new Managing Director of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company.

The new NNPC GMD graduated from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in 1979 with a degree in Chemical Engineering.

He joined the NNPC in 1980. Positions he has held in the corporation include Managing Director of the Warri Refining and Petrochemicals Company and Group Executive Director (Exploration and Production).

Yakubu is an indigene of Kaduna State and a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers.

Commenting on the appointments, former Group Managing Director, NNPC, Mr. Chambers Oyibo, said it was high time another person took over from the former GMD given the fact that his retirement was due.

He said Yakubu was capable of leading the corporation because he had been in the system for a very long time.

“Yakubu had been in the upstream and downstream sectors. He understands the industry. If he is not competent, he would not be appointment as GMD of the NNPC,” he said.

The President, Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists, Mr. Afe Mayowa, told one of our correspondents on the telephone that, “Yakubu is a man of integrity. He is a geologist and very competent.

“This appointment means that government is serious to check corruption. It is a welcome development.

“If you fix the NNPC, you fix Nigeria. Yakubu represents this. This is in line with the move to fix the NNPC.”

Also commenting, the Chairman, International Energy Services, Dr. Oladiran Fawibe, said if Yakubu was made the new GMD, it was a good choice.

Fawibe added, “He had worked in various divisions of the NNPC. He is a good choice. He is well qualified.

“He can take over from the retiring GMD, who had also done his best. The new GMD will add another vista to the corporation. He has the knowledge.”

Lagos lawyer, Femi Falana, said the sack of the NNPC management was long overdue.

“I want to believe that with the look of things, nobody indicted in the subsidy probe panel report, no matter how highly placed, will be spared in the ongoing sweeping reform. That is the only way President Goodluck Jonathan can convince Nigerians that he is committed to genuine reform,” Falana said on the phone Tuesday night.

The Save Nigeria Group described the action of the President as too

token.

It noted that the sack of the board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation was an attempt to concentrate on mild areas of the report.

SNG Spokesperson, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, said the group noted that none of those indicted by the report had been prosecuted.

He said, ‘‘The President is majoring on minus. It is too token for him to make an impression by his action. What we want is a prosecution of all those indicted in the report.’’ 

NORA EPHRON Hollywood Legend DEAD AT 71

Nora Ephron -- the legendary Hollywood writer who penned the screenplays for "Sleepless in Seattle" and "When Harry Met Sally" -- died moments ago.
As we reported, Nora was gravely ill up until her death today -- reportedly suffering from cancer. She was 71.
Ephron scored 3 Academy Award nominations in her illustrious Hollywood career ... and was widely considered one of the most powerful women in the entertainment industry. 
Among her most memorable films ... "Silkwood" ... "My Blue Heaven" ... "Michael" ... "You've Got Mail" ... and "Julie and Julia."
Ephron was married to (and famously divorced) Watergate scandal reporter Carl Bernstein ... before entering her 3rd (and final) marriage to screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi.  

CHUCK NORRIS Keep the Gays OUT of the Boy Scouts!

Chuck Norris believes gay people have NO PLACE in the Boy Scouts of America ... and claims plans to overturn the "century-old policy" to ban them is simply un-American. 
Chuck -- an outspoken Republican political activist -- just penned an article for AmmoLand.com ... titled, "Is Obama Creating a Pro-Gay Boy Scouts of America?"
In the article, Norris attacks James Turley -- a high ranking BSA official who recently announced his plan to "seek a change" to a Boy Scouts policy that bans gay Scouts and gay Scout leaders. 
72-year-old Norris suggests Turley is only championing the cause because he's trying to curry favor with Obama's "pro-gay" administration.
Norris talks about the Boy Scouts as epitomizing the best of America. The insinuation ... that gays don't. 

So, we gotta ask ... 

KARDASHIAN FAMILY DEAD WOMEN WALKING We're Buying Our Graves!!!

It's the Kardashian family's creepiest shopping spree ever -- Kim and co. hit up a famous cemetery in Hollywood yesterday ... to purchase space for their DEAD BODIES.
Sources close to the Kardashian klan tell us, Kim, Khloe, Kourtney, Rob,Bruce and Kris all stopped by the Hollywood Forever cemetery to buy a family plot. We're told they haven't picked out the exact place yet, but scoped out several locations ... including a giant mausoleum.
Right now, we're told the major logistical concern is size -- Kim and her sisters aren't sure how many kids they'll have ... but they want plenty of room for all. Like we said -- creepy.
FYI -- Kim's dad Robert Kardashian is buried in another cemetery.

Dead serious.

D'banj on the COVER of the UK Observer Magazine

Wow! Its just hit me... I'm on the COVER of the UK Observer Magazine!! God, I THANK YOU! 
D'banj tweeted this couple of minute ago and was so exited!

St-Rémy Gbedu Slam Jam heads to Vegas Club

The St-Rémy Gbedu Slam Jam excitement continues this month (June) as the authentic world No.1French brandy keeps faith with its promise of unlimited fun through the rest of the year 2012 for its loyal consumers by taking the next of its monthly club parties to The Vegas Club, Ikeja, Lagos on the 22nd June, 2012.

  

The trendy fun lovers of St-Remy at the Rita Lori Hotel on the 18th of May 2012 experienced an amazing fun filled night of the first St-Remy star-studded party in the monthly series of St-Remy Gbedu Slam Jam. The party continues this month at Vegas Club, as some of Nigeria’s finest acts all come together once again to make this month’s party an equally unforgettable experience for all in attendance. Don’t be left out of this exclusive party as the amazing DJ Atte of Naija 102.7 FM mounts the wheels of steel, with Rayce,General Pype, Orezi and JJC Skills live in the house as the brand is set to once again give its faithful and indeed all fun-lovers an exceptional Gbedu Slaming night to remember.

According to St-Rémy Brand & Marketing Manager, Antoine Couvreur, these events are specifically designed to not only ensure that it rewards its loyal consumers who over the years have stayed true to the brand, but to also create more awareness about the brand’s growing influence and acceptance across Nigeria and the rest of the world.

The St-Rémy Gbedu Slam Jam monthly party is proudly supported by Naija FM 102.7 and TRACE Urban TV.

Like the St. Rémy Nigeria facebook fanpage here - www.facebook.com/StRemyNigeria to find out how you can win an invite to the party this Friday.

Its gonna be awesome!!!!!