Back again

Sorry people, I've been off the blogosphere for so long. Every time I try to blog, I somehow find a way to dodge the task. Maybe it's because work leaves me fatigued at the end of the day. Right now, I'm sitting hunched over my computer, and it's 1 o'clock in the morning. The things bloggers do. I'm trying to get my lazy fingers to cpmlete this post. Don't blame me if I spell everything backward.
A whole lot has happened in the short while that I've been away, with various people around me trying to outdo themselves with attention-grabbing and sometimes downright outrageous acts.

I don't even want to say anything about the state of affairs in the country right now, before I start to sound like one of those political journalists or whatever they are called. I heard Baba Iyabo was told to come and explain how he spent the Power Sector money, and he became "sick". Atiku Abubakar, on his own part, suddenly could not find a flight from Dubai to Nigeria in time for the hearing, and asked for another opportunity to make his case. Good for them.

I have some scintillating news though. A 22 year-old Nigerian was sentenced to 18 months in prison for hacking into a NASA employee's computer. I'll write more about that later in the day. Right now I'm too groggy to type any more.

Before I go, here's a nice pic to make your day. Pictures like this remind me of just how unique Naija is. The slippers are obviously owned by a very careful individual. Talk of maximum security, lol.

Contractor Overpaid By N224 Million - Some things just don't make sense!

I've stopped trying to figure this country out. Seriously, it's a total waste of time. In a country with such vast resources as ours, it's a shameful thing to say that the missing Wings Aviation plane has still not been found.
Even more embarrassing is the talk about Fulani herdsmen being hired to look out for the plane's wreckage. There's even some whispers about herbalists or seers being asked to pinpoint the location of the aircraft. It's Crazy. NEMA should also employ squirrels and other animals to unite and find the missing plane, if that's the extent of their foolishness.
Such sorry situations just expose our inadequacies, and make us seem very incompetent. There's been a flurry of probes, allegations and counter-allegations going on in the power sector, and that on its own is another can of worms.

I read in one of the national dailies that a company handling the 561 megawatt station in Calabar was overpaid N224 million by the National Independent Power Project (NIPP), after collecting the actual contract sum of $151million.

How's that for starters? An extra N224 million.

The 561-megawatt power project is located along Calabar-Itu Road, in Onim Ankong, and was flagged off by former President Olusegun Obasanjo on March 6, 2006 and was to have been completed by November 2007. It still hasn't been completed.

The company in question is Marubeni International, a company that has been involved in the construction of the Kainji dam and other power projects in the country. According to the paper, as at the time of visit by the committee, less than 30 percent of construction work had been done on the project.

The National Independent Power Project (NIPP), in its records, showed that Marubeni had been paid the actual cost of the project and then paid an additional N224 million for reasons that could not be ascertained.

I think I am falling in love with the Yaradua administration - as long as they take steps to correct these mistakes that have been uncovered.

Cancun Punch Fest - Samuel Peter Beats Maskaev to Claim the WBC Heavyweight title

Last week was quite different. We were in the news a lot, and for the right reasons.
Mind you, when I say we, I mean Nigeria (Though I wouldn't mind being in the news a bit). This time, it wasn't about militants or scammers, or election tribunals and the various intrigues that continue to plague this democracy of ours. Rather, it was a different Nigeria that the world was shown. A country with billionaires and heavyweight ...I don't really know how to put that one.
Samuel Peters is much more than a heavyweight boxer. That guy is a punching machine, a bulldozer.
Last week I watched as he pummeled Oleg Maskaev into submission at the Plaza de Toros, Cancun's bullfighting ring and the venue of Mexico's first heavyweight title fight.

Peter stopped the Russian in the sixth round, pummeling him with 12 powerful punches to force a stoppage and claim the WBC heavyweight title.

The fight between Peter and Maskaev had been more than a year in the making, with a back injury to the Russian champion holding up the title clash. Seems Oleg finally got what was coming his way.

The four major heavyweight titles have been the exclusive preserve(there I go with big English again) of Eastern Europeans in recent years, and now an African has joined the ranks.

Aliko Dangote Is The World's Richest Black Man - Worth $3.3 billion

Okay, we're in the news again. Nigeria's own Alhaji Aliko Dangote made the Forbes list of the world's richest people. The Nigerian business mogul has been ranked as the 334th richest person in the world, and Africa's richest man. Dangote is richer than America's chat show host Oprah Winfrey, who has an estimated worth of $2.5 billion.

The only other African to make the list was South Africa's Patrice Motsepe, who is ranked 503 in the world.
The list features 1,125 billionaires, and Dangote's inclusion is a good sign for Nigeria, and indeed, Africa.

On the other hand, Bill Gates fell from first position on the list to third. His friend Warren Buffet is now the world's richest man with $62 billion. The second position is occupied by the mexican communications magnate, Carlos Slim Helu, with a net worth of $60 billion

Some people are of the opinion that Aliko Dangote may be worth more than $3.3 billion, since Forbes' evaluation did not cover non-quoted companies that are privately owned by the businessman. Such investments include Obajana Cement, Dangote Cement, Alheri Engineering, Port Terminal Operations, Transport and Oil & Gas.
Thumbs up for Aliko Dangote.