Emailing: ZONING SYSTEM.doc

Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN

Interesting article on TIME Mobile: Obama and Netanyahu: The Limits of U.S.-Israel Intimacy

Sent from TIME Mobile. To get the free TIME Mobile application on your own BlackBerry device today, visit http://app.time.com

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,2002102,00.html?xid=rss-topstories-polar
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN

FRSC "speak out"

Campaigning against road accident should not be targeted at drivers alone as most of the passengers are partaker in the careless driving as well. Nigerians are always shy of telling drivers especially the commercial drivers to obey speed limit on highways,most of them enjoy the drive as long as it will shorten their journey no matter how fast the driver is going. Any passenger that complains intermittently in the journey is seen as coward or illiterate and are shouted down by co-passengers. The need to caution these drivers that are just racing on our highways daily to make as many trips as possible solely rest on us. Passengers can enlighten illiterate drivers about traffic signs as they drive along our roads,and also make sure they obey the speed limit in various type/part of the road they are. I wish the FRSC can launch a "SPEAK-OUT" campaign and get the passengers involved in saving their own lives. No driver will fail to heed the voice of the people if they are united in there demand to the driver to follow traffic rules. Don't keep QUIET in a commercial vehicle if the driver is toying with your life because he/she can keep u QUIET forever. Our destiny and survival is in our Hands.
Oludayo Folarin
oludayofolarin.blogspot.com
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN

OBAMA DRAMA

After 2yrs of Barack Hussien Obama as the first "black" president of United States Of America its seems their is no significant change in America,its widely believed that the emergence of Obama a black man, will change the PR of America and strengthening ties with the Arab world will be easier. The emergence of Obama brought hope to the African-Americans and other immigrants,they believe with his foreign background and African roots,succor has come the way of the oppressed and alienated Immigrants. The Arab world sees his emergence has a change from the normal American White christian choice of President thus regarding Obama as a believer in islam though he proves to be a practicing christian. "Hussien" didn't really feature in his names will campaign,it was a silent middle name that not many really knew until after his victory in 2009. I followed the 2009 election campaign and I believed that many voted Obama in because he was black and the Opposition was not tough enough. Any democrat would have won the election due to the unpopular wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Americans were tired of the unending war in Iraq which many thought was going to be a quick invasion by the sophisticated US marines and the fatality suffered in the hands of the Afghan Taliban is too much to bear. The inability of Allied force to find Weapon of Mass destruction inside Saddam's bunkers sealed off any chances of the Republicans to hold to power. This singular miscalculation by former Pres. Bush was the opportunity that brought the Democrats to power and it was a well calculated move by Democrats to push the Obama candidacy so as to win sympathy votes. The Bush administration had though foreign policy which was not famous with the Arab world and even labeled a region "axis of evil" . This policy brought a lot of heat on Americans,example is the terror attack on the World Trade Centre ,but the policy was having a good effect, countries like Iran and North Korea, who are enriching in Nuclear weapons came under heavy and hard sanctions sponsored by the Bush led America. North Korea actual got away with sinking South Korean war ship killing 46 sailors,they where torpedoed off the sea. North Korea also threatened war is punished for the act and asked that the result of the indicting investigation should not be debated in the scheduled UN security council meeting. Many people got carried away by the opportunity of having an African-American president with a closer ties to Africa rather than paying attention to his policies and manifestos. Nobody took interest in the current problems of America and Obama's constructive and meaningful solution to them,rather they took interest in his personality and majority African-Americans just want a Black man in the white house at any cost. The whole world was tired of American overbearing influence in the world and crave for someone that will make America more relaxed and friendly with her enemies,all they got in Obama. During his campaign, Obama promised to close Gitmo,withdraw all troops in Afghanistan and Iraq,he said he would sit with Iran to resolve issues and he also promised to deliver a strong and warning speech to the Arab world on Arab soil. Obama promised a new and better health plan and promised to bridge the gap between the rich and the middle class. After his inauguration, Obama is still pondering on how to execute all these plans he naively and arrogantly promised the electorates, Obama never understood how things really are in America and he lacks the knowledge of diplomacy and policy strategies. Bush might be regarded as a dumb leader but he never failed to toe the line of history and American Heritage in dealing with National and global issue. Iraq and Afghan war may not be justified but the response to 9/11 was well timed and welcomed, though the fall out was catastrophic but it was the necessary measure at that crucial time. The course in Iraq left a big political scare on the two major contributors to the invasion, Us and Uk. The labour party in Uk is a good ally of the ruling Republicans in the Us,both shared a similar view on wars in Afghanistan and Iraq,which cost both parties to loose in recent elections. These are one of the factors that brought Obama to White house and he seized the opportunity to sweet talk the world about unrealistic policy and diminishing America's heritage in the process. After 2yrs Gitmo is getting weaker and more complicated,the health bill was imposed rather than debated,he seems to be in opposition with the people. Obama's anti-Israel posture is a cause of concern for me,his inability to call Hamas to order and other anti-Israeli stands and comment are clear signs where his heart is. The Obama campaign group blamed the bush administration and Bush a big bashing from Obama during the New Orleans hurricane Katrina incidence. Bush was criticized for his slow response to the issue,Obama was among those pointing the blame finger at the Bush administration for neglecting the Katrina victims. The recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has been described as Obama's Katrina. He was slow is responding to the biggest oil spill on American shore,he failed to implement his own solutions to stop the leak rather he left it in the hands of BP that never handled such task before. Obama couldn't take the heat of the oil spill and he's now directing the blame to Britain,we all know British owns BP,but the facility was built and maintained by Americans. He's making us all see the British as the cause of the spill,but we all know the financial gain from these wells are enjoyed more in America than in the uk. The best and first solution he rendered to the spill was to stop all rigging on American soil,a move seen as a radical and undemocratic. Will Obama ground all airplanes if one crashes in Washington?,just like he was super quick to label Nigeria a "Terrorist Country" because of the isolated case of Abdul Muttalab. I hope his economy advisers are enlightening him on the economical consequences of his stopping all rigging in America. BP's lack of quick response to the leak has caused the biggest oil spill in America proposing the largest ecological disaster in that region. Obama took the criticism to personal,he was telling a bunch of Michigan high school grads. not to join the blame game which he enjoyed doing in the Bush era and during the katrina issue and economic melt down saga. Obama himself was and very harsh in blaming the BP for the spill and even threatened a law suit against the British oil company,he recently has been visiting the affected areas after criticism poured in about his negligence and every visit has been an opportunity to breath down on BP's neck. Finally,I wish no to be misunderstood as a racist because I share Obama's ski colour, though a purer and more full blooded African than he is. I welcome his emergence as president because I respect every true and fair democratic transition of power anywhere in the world,but I don't subscribe to his ideas and candidacy. Obama is a man of great personality in American political circle and a charming man but leadership requires more than personality and looks. I hope this piece will be a way of letting it know that rich heritage and her position as the defender of the oppressed worldwide should maintain its status,we should not let the fact of having an African-American erode the real job at hand. There are too many tyrants out there wanting world domination through nuclear enrichment, and I don't wish to loose the privilege of sitting peacefully in my yard in my "developing" African country.

Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN

MY EXIT FROM PUNCH

In my column in The Punch on Tuesday, March 9, 2010, I left an unusual footnote, titled, “The bile this time.” It was a subdued response to the wild allegations against me in the 7,000-word plus petition by the former Editor of the Punch, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, who was forced to resign by the Management of the company for conduct unbecoming of his office. My restraint was not because I could not defend myself or because I was guilty. However, I had to endure the wicked lies and fabrications against me because it was the fit and proper thing to do while the committee, set up by the Board and the company where I had worked for 21 years was trying to establish the truth.
The committee’s work is done. Its report, and that of the Management committee, done after six weeks of exhaustive investigation, which I could not have influenced in any way, did not indict me of any fraud.
The wicked lies have been out now for almost six weeks, recycled in various forms and in various media by informed, half-informed and grossly ill-informed commentators all masquerading as the guardian angels of a benighted profession. I am not writing this for the benefit of those who already think they know all and who will not let the facts get in the way of their next malicious post or article. I’m writing for the benefit of those – and thankfully there are still a number left out there – for whom fairness, balance and pursuit of truth mean a thing.
The Board Committee had the following specific terms of reference:

1. To probe advert surcharges for premium pages from 2006 to date
2. To consider any other issue in the petition in respect of which any person submits documentary evidence to the committee.

After three weeks of sitting, minus one previous of investigations by the Management of the petition, Mr. Steve Ayorinde could not produce a shred of evidence in support of his claim that I used my office to enrich myself. Or that I was on the payroll of politicians, banks and some public officials. He had two clear opportunities to do this in five weeks – first on March 8 when the company wrote him to supply evidence, and later when he appeared before the Board committee on April 3. On both occasions, he failed to substantiate his allegations. In fact, it is written that even the witnesses he cited “rebuffed” the committee; the chronicler could not muster the confidence of his own witnesses.
I voluntarily submitted my statement of account; IBTC Share Tender Form and UBA cheque number 80473333 dated September 27, 2007 in favour of Nigerian Motor Industries Limited  for the sum of N1.95million with which I purchased the car that Mr. Ayorinde falsely alleged was given to me as a gift; and three-year visa pages from my international passport for the committee’s inspection. I also submitted the original copy of my passport for citing.
And the surcharge pages? In his petition, Mr. Ayorinde gave the impression that Arik Air was the only company that published adverts on the early pages without paying a surcharge. This, of course, is incorrect. I must say that the charge that I had overstretched my authorised discretion in favour of the advertiser and that I did not fully disclose my relationship with the company, is regrettable. Yet, it is important to stress that neither the report of the Management committee nor the Board committee, nor yet the Board indicted me of any fraud either about the adverts or any other allegations by Mr. Steve Ayorinde. However, there were at least 23 other adverts in 2009, including full page colour adverts by Etisalat, First Bank, Zain, Globacom and the Lagos State Government for which surcharges were not paid but which also appeared on the early pages.
In his bid to throw the kitchen sink at me, Mr. Ayorinde was obviously not concerned about who else might have been in breach. The same Steve Ayorinde who told O’Femi Kolawole, in his book, titled, The gatekeepers, published in October 2009 but released in December 2009, that, “he (Ayorinde) opted to work in the daily edition (of Punch) with the man he had come to admire as one of the best in Nigeria’s contemporary journalism, Mr. Azubuike Ishiekwene,” is now singing a different tune three months later.

• Not a word about the misconduct that led to his suspension from office for three weeks in September 2009.
• Not a word about how he had lied to the management and sneaked off to London on a sponsored, image-laundering trip and then returned to lie again to his staff that he took the punishment to save two of his line editors.
• Not a word about how falling sales almost cost him his job in December 2009.
• Not a word about how he had brought his own career in Punch to grief by shopping for by-line among his junior staff on February 16, the event which led the Management to demand his resignation.
• Not a word about the fact that he was not a first-time offender.
• Not a word.

The cocktail of lies…
a) Musikilu Mojeed’s exit from Punch:
After Mr. Ayorinde’s false allegations were published on the Internet, there was a sustained effort to keep the flames of falsehood burning. And no firewood, however, wet, was spared. Mr. Mojeed left Punch in December 2008 over a dispute he had with his editor, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, at the time. He had filed a number of stories that were not used and had taken offence that he had not been given sufficient explanation for why his stories were not published. He wrote a petition against Mr. Ayorinde and only copied me. I investigated the matter and wrote a memo to the MD/Editor-in-Chief on December 30, 2008. In the memo I agreed with Mr. Ayorinde in some areas but also suggested how the matter should be handled in future. To my utmost shock and surprise, this issue was stood on its head, lapped up by a few commentators and presented as proof that my only job in Punch was to “kill” stories. Conveniently, those behind it only published Musikilu’s memo, leaving out the subsequent memo and the report of my investigations (copy via link) which would have shown clearly that Musikilu’s grouse was against Mr Ayorinde and not me.


b) The imaginary “suspensions” from work
On Tuesday, March 9 and Wednesday, March 10, I was in the office when I received phone calls from concerned friends who said they had read on the Internet that I had been suspended. I also read it on the Internet. But I did so right at my office desk at Punch! And on March 22 when I commenced my vacation, the word was out again! Azu has been suspended! I applied for my leave and it was approved by the Management. My leave certificate, with reference number PN/PS/2005/451/134 is dated March 22, 2010. I was not on suspension and never have been in my 21 years at Punch
c) “Refund” of N17million surcharge
It is a wicked lie that Punch has asked me to refund any money. How can I refund what I have not taken? Punch has said it is interested in asking advertisers whose adverts appeared on the early pages without authorisation to pay the surcharge for such adverts. I did not receive any payments for early pages and as far as I know the request for such payments – not refund – has not yet been made to the advertisers concerned.
d) The CNN/Multichoice judging panel
I have read in some publications that I was “removed” from the CNN/Multichoice African Journalist of the Year 2010 judging panel. That is untrue. After Mr. Ayorinde’s slanderous petition appeared on the Internet on March 5, I informed the Management of Punch of my intention to discuss stepping down from the panel with the organisers. I had a telephone conversation with CNN’s Vice President for Europe, Asia and Africa, Maggie Eales on Monday, March 8. On Tuesday, March 9, I wrote a letter to CNN/Multichoice (a copy is available here) announcing my intention to step down until I have been cleared of the allegations against me. I worked with organisers to select Ikechukwu Amaechi, the Editor of the Daily Independent, as the Nigerian stand-in.
e) Azu as the axe man of Punch
This is a very convenient label, especially since 2007 when the editors started reporting directly to me. I have been in Punch for 21 years and people conveniently forget that I did not always spend that time in positions where I could influence the retention or removal of senior editorial persons. Before I became executive director three years ago, at least 12 senior editorial positions had changed for various reasons and under different circumstances all of which I had absolutely no control over. The resignations of Mr. Yusuf Alli and Mr. Yomi Odunuga, both mentioned in Mr. Ayorinde’s petition, had nothing to do with me personally, whatever they may have privately been led to believe. The decisions taken were a collective one.
f) An era ends…
More lies are spreading already, and I wish to remind the purveyors that I am not unmindful of my rights under the law. They are saying I was asked to choose between sack and resignation. I laugh. I voluntarily retired my appointment with Punch on April 15, with the support and understanding of my family and friends who have stood steadfastly with me through this trying period. I know that a few out there wished for a humiliating ending – but this gracious exit is the Lord’s doing. For weeks, I watched Punch, the company where I have worked for 21 years take a needless bashing and the names of its key officers dragged in the mud. I do not wish to do anything that would extend this grief by one day.
At 45 years of age and after a combined 10 years of editing two of Punch’s leading titles, including Saturday Punch, which remains the flagship since I had the honour to edit it, I have decided to explore other opportunities and challenges that beckon. I have read that I “resigned,” or was “dismissed” from the services of Punch. I also laugh. My exit from Punch – and the records of my letter of retirement and the company’s letter of acknowledgement show this – couldn’t have been more dignified even if I had worked in Punch for another 21 years.
An era has ended; another begins…

Mr. Ishiekwene was until Thursday when he retired the Executive Director, Publications, Punch.

THE REAL QUEEN

I stumbled on “Moment with Mo” on NTA network service on Saturday 6th March 2010 and the guest was Queen Salawa Abeni, I showed good interest in the show because it was another opportunity in a long time to watch this self style Musician who never allowed her illiterate background to affect her career. She took it upon her self to educate herself despite her old age and she was never shy to show her improvement in learning the Queen English at any given time. The show went well with Salawa performing the show in Queens English. Her English was flawless and I was so moved at what we can achieve if we set our mind to it. Her use of English was very good and her confidence was spot on. She looked more confident than Mo who was interrupting her answers with the thought of helping her out with the answers. She didn’t buy this bail out as she revisited the questions and answered them in her own words and it was flawless to Mo’s expectation.
The lesson here is for our new generation artistes who can’t put a single sentence together without mixing it with penguin English and vernacular.
The crop of commercial music artistes we have now are drop outs and they hide behind the fusion of vernacular language and English of any immoral form in their music to hide their inability to speak the Queens English.
Illiteracy is not rampant only among indigenous musicians; it’s also noticed among most artistes from the suburb of towns and those that call themselves undergraduates. The general believe that Fuji and other indigenous musicians are illiterate is no more an established fact as many so called English hip-hop musicians who are young have trouble with proper English. A careful observation of English hip-hop artiste showed that they hide under the umbrella of cross over music to protect their improper and lack of Queen English. A popular twin in hip-hop scene is an example, they are rave of the moment but careful examination shows they cannot go 20 minutes with Queen English after graduating from the countries capital model university.
Salawa Abeni has today showed what made her a legend in the entertainment industry, her wiliness to improver and empower herself with what she lacked at her younger age. She schooled with her children and she was a laughing stock then, but now many young artistes that refused to take the advantage of the easier education we have now will ask someone next to them to interpret what Salawa is saying. Salawa Abeni was the star of the “Moment with Mo’s” special edition showcasing and celebrating Yoruba Divas in Nigeria music scene, the show paraded other indigenous Yoruba female artistes, but the beauty of it is that regardless of there genre they all spoke in flawless Queens English. This is a challenge to the male folks who I believe have a lot of proud university and O’level drop out basking in the glory of their unsuspecting elite fans praises while they fail to improve personally, Its time we accepted that the Queens English is our official language and we will like our role models to lead in propagating sound education among our younger population.

LAULAU SPENDING