ENJOY ABUJA ON THE CITY SIGHTSEEING TOUR BUS!!!

Great! The City Sight Seeing is a global sightseeing bus franchise which operates tour bus services globally using typical London-like buses with open top deck. The Abuja City Sightseeing is the first of its kind in Nigeria, second in the African continent after South Africa.

 

 

The City Sight Seeing bus is a double-decker bus which has an open top designed to give persons on board a panoramic view of the city through over 24 interesting sights and 14 routed stops including the Silver Bird Galleria, Wonderland Amusement Park, National Zoo and Park, Art and Culture Market, National Mosque, National Church, National Assembly, International Conference Center, National Stadium,  Ceddi Plaza, Ecowas Secretariat, Aso Rock, Millennium Park, Unity Fountain, Transcorp Hilton, Federal Secretariat and Eagle Square. There is security personnel on the bus, tour guides as well as live commentary on the history and events surrounding each of the stops.

I joined the Abuja Tour Bus at about 10am from their take-off Spot, the SilverBird Galleria and dropped off at same spot after about 3hrs of total undiluted fun. I was impressed by the courtesy of the good-looking bus hosts/Tour Guides. They scanned me just before I boarded the bus as a form of security measure. I live in Abuja but I was immensely impressed by the vast information I gained from the commentary on the bus. I took pictures like never before, I felt like I was outside Nigeria!!!

I guess the motivation behind the City Sightseeing concept was to bring Nigeria at par with other international cities in the world that showcase the beauty of their locality. Therefore, tourists, visitors and residents of Abuja are availed the opportunity to enjoy the splendour of the Abuja city. So far, Nigerians and visitors alike are gradually warming up to the concept. The general concerns of E-bola and Boko Haram are gradually being erased. There is good support from the Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC)

I also learnt there is provision for group tours for organisations, schools, Embassies, Churches, Hotel guests, etc as well as exclusive tour packages when desired. It goes at a conveniently affordable price of N2,990 for adults, N1,500 for children. Tickets are available to be purchased on the bus, from City SightSeeing office at the ABC terminal Utako, as well as from the Silverbird Cinema stand.

 

The operations have commenced with 2 buses scheduled to be at each stop every one hour, based on the Hop-on, Hop-off routine as done in other cities of the world such as London, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Washington D.C, New York, Cape Town, etc. The Abuja Franchise is structured to international standard.

 

 

 

 

 

All Nigerians ought to commend this laudable project and provide continued support from especially necessary government agencies, the media and FCT Ministry to ensure that tourism is adequately promoted in Nigeria.

LONG LIVE ABUJA! LONG LIVE NIGERIA!!!

Just for laughs...

A friend of mine sent me this and it got me cracking up so much, I thought I should share:
Only a courageous woman can fry a bunch of plantain without tasting any - Albert Macauley (1872)

He who says nothing lasts forever has never tried Hausa perfume - Nelson Mandela (1973)

He who completely unwraps moimoi and gala before eating cannot keep a secret - Abraham Lincoln (1864)

Any man that uses his teeth to cut shaki from pepper soup, with his eyes wide open, is not afraid of anything - Williams Shakespeare (1900)

Anyone who graduates without experiencing a strike, has never been to Nigeria - Lord Lugard (1904)

He who refuses to mix agege bread and akara as a type of sandwich is a racist - Martin Luther King jnr (1788)

Any man who drinks Alomo bitters without squeezing his face, is capable of murder - Michael Faraday (1899)

Drinking Garri doesn't mean u're poor, but allowing the Garri to swell b4 drinking is poverty - Queen Elizabeth (1893)

He who runs around looking 4 scissors to cut indomine seasoning sachet is not hungry - Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe (1947)

No matter how hot your temper is, it cannot cook yam - Goodluck Jonathan (2013)

Anyone who reads this without laughing is either looking 4 job or needs money Badly - Barack Obama (2014).

Governor Amaechi regrets leaving the PDP political party

Governor Amaechi recently expressed his regrets over decamping from the PDP during an interview with London Newsday reporters. In his words "I  personally do not have any issue with our President. You can ask him. The only issue was a minor disagreement between me and the wife of the President over certain aspects of government policies. And we could have resolved it. After all, I didn't continue with the demolition of the waterfronts. I stopped on her advice! However, the present feud started when Gov. Aliyu told me that the north has decided to sponsor a Tambuwal/Amaechi ticket in 2015 under the platform of the PDP. Aliyu, then pretentiously initiated a grand plan that made me the chairman of Nigeria governor's forum, just to lure me, to support his rebellious act in the PDP to stop President Jonathan.

But, when it became very clear that the President was in total control of the PDP. Aliyu brokered a meeting between the G7 governors and the leadership of the APC at the Niger state governor's lodge. Tinubu, Buhari, Ikimi, Tambuwal, Ribadu, Baraje, Adams and 7 other APC governors were in attendance. In that meeting, the G7 governors all agreed to join the APC.

Two days after that meeting, Gov. Adams called me and advised me to remain in PDP. Then I called Aliyu and told him, that Adams has been with the APC long enough to know their intrigues, and has advised me to remain in the PDP. But Aliyu told me, that the day he discussed the Tambuwal/Amaechi ticket with the leadership of the APC that Adams objected to it and expressed his willingness to run with Tambuwal. And Aliyu warned me never to discuss my interest with Adams - that Adams doesn't mean well for me. So the G5 governors continued with the plan and remained in APC. Aliyu is a chameleon and represents everything evil.

He was the pioneer and architect of rebellion in the PDP followed by Lamido. We are all in shock, on how Gov. Aliyu would turn around to champion an endorsement of President Jonathan for re-election. Even up till last month, Aliyu and Lamido were still promising the G5 governors of a showdown in the PDP. The hearts of men are indeed deceitful and desperately wicked. If you have to eat with the devil do it with a long spoon. For Aliyu, I would rather you don't eat with him at all. Better starve to death than eat with him. If I knew, I would have listened to Adams and remained in the PDP.

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Nick Canon Removes Mariah's Tattoo from back after Split

How sad it is to see couples who were previously in love part ways and start getting rid of binding memories. This seems to be the case with Nick Canon and Mariah Carey after six years of marriage which produced a set of twins. The love story between Nick Canon and Mariah Carey seems to have indeed come to a halt.

Nick Canon in moving on with his life decided to remove his tattoo of her name on his back. Nick and Mariah got the tattoos in 2008 as a show of love for each other. Maria got an inscription of the words 'Mrs Canon' while Nick got inscription of the word 'Mariah' from one end of his shoulder to the other. Nick professed after their wedding, "To me, rings are special and exciting, but tattoos mean more than anything. They are forever and ever".

But it seems all that are now in the past as Canon was recently seen with new tattoos at the Playhouse Nightclub in Hollywood. The new tattoo is reportedly an outline of Jesus on the cross with angel wings coming off the end of the cross. Sources claim part of the reason for the split includes Mariah's jealousy which caused her to bombard Nick's phone with incessant calls and text messages. She even went as far as getting her assistants to watch over Nick's activities. Nick apparently got fed up with being monitored.

World Leaders Gather in Abuja Today for Centennary Celebration

The Federal Capital Territory is currently playing host to several notable World Leaders in part of activities to mark the Centennary Celebrations to mark Nigeria's togetherness after 100years.
Most of the World Leaders in their speeches commiserated with Nigeria over the Boko Haram Terrorist Attack and the loss of innocent lives in the incident. several African leaders present gave elaborate speeches showing solidarity to the Federal republic of Nigeria.
A new Song to mark the Centennary has been released featuring the likes of Onyeka Owenu and other Music icons.

Dollar Notes being Shared in Abuja Church!

 A relatively new Church in Abuja known as HolyHill Church, Abuja stunned its members when it decided to share hundred dollar bills after the church service. The Church usually holds its service at the high profile Immaculate Hotel & Suites in Wuse 2 Abuja. At the close of service, while the closing prayer was being said, the white envelop was shared to all members of the congregation containing $100 note which is equivalent of N16,500 (Sixteen Thousand, Five Hundred naira).

According to members of the church the reason why they were all given monetary gifts was that lately the Pastor of the church, Pastor Sunday Ogidigbo has been teaching a series on money and a member of the church felt moved to sow a seed into everyone's life.

The church Philosophy recognizes that the foundation of true greatness is embedded in the love of God and His kingdom and its people are renowned for their good character, sense of purpose, demonstration of the power of God and their material prosperity.

Mixed reactions have however trailed the donation as some were concerned about the source of the money and why the said donor decided to donate $100 each to the entire congregation.

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Immaculate Hotel & Suites, Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja on Sunday gave all those who worshiped at the church a white envelope containing $100 which is about N16,000.
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Emergency Meeting of Governors Forum to be convened in Abuja

Abuja will experiencing a lot of political intrigues over the recent suspension of the CBN governor, Mallam Sanusi. The Chairman of Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF) and the Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has summoned an emergency meeting of the governors over suspension of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.
This has been confirmed by a statement issued by NGF Director- General, Asishana Okauru, on February 21, 2014, Friday. The meeting, despite its emergency status, will be the third NGF Meeting in the year 2014.
It will be chaired by Governor Amaechi at the Rivers State Governor's lodge, Asokoro in Abuja on January 24, 2014, Monday, and will kick off at 8 p.m. prompt.
According to the statement, the NGF meeting has the following agenda:
"Removal of the CBN Governor; Dwindling Revenue to States; AOB."
It would be recalled that President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday suspended the apex bank governor over alleged cases of impunity, incompetence, non-challance, fraud, wastefulness, and noncompliance with provisions of the Public Procurement Act 2007.

Abuja Expected to host 28 World Leaders for the Centennary Celebration

Abuja will witness a major event as about 28 world leaders invited by President Goodluck Jonathan are expected to grace the Centennary Celebration.
This information was confirmed by the Information Minister, Mr. Labaran Maku, after weekly executive Council (FEC) Meeting on Wednesday February 19, 2014. He revealed that the idea of the conference with the theme "Human Security, Peace and Development: An Agenda for Africa" was to draw the attention to the imperative for concerted efforts in the fight against terrorism and conflict in many African countries.

“President Goolduck Ebele Jonathan will speak at this very important conference. He is bringing other leaders from Africa and around the world to this very important conference. “Africa has a challenge now of dealing with post-independence insecurity. Several countries are having security challenge and conflict,” the Minister said.

Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, narrated that as part of the centenary celebration, 100 distinguished Nigerians would receive Presidential awards in recognition of their contributions to national Development in the last 100 years. He noted that about 40% of the awards would be post-humous.
Architect Musa Sada, the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, said those to be considered for the awards include heroes of the struggle for Nigeria’s independence, pioneers in commerce and industry, promoters of democratic transition, sports heroes, accomplished pioneer civil servants, accomplished contemporary entrepreneurs, internationally acclaimed artists and literary icons, promoters of peace and moral excellence, among others. 

READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/59760.html

Boko Haram still on Rampage

The Boko Haram menace is appearing  to be a recalcitrant anomaly in Nigeria. Few hours after an aide to President Goodluck Jonathan’s aide boasted that Nigerian military is better equipped and motivated to fight Boko Haram militants, the sect has launched another brazen attack on Bama township killing several people.
Dr. Doyin  Okupe was countering the Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, that the militant were having the upper hand in decimating towns and villages in the northeast region.
Although details are still sketchy credible military sources confirmed the attacks and that hundreds of residents are presently fleeing the town after the sect launched an attack around 3 AM. The sect had been attacking villages and towns in Borno and Adamawa states despite the state of emergency declared by President Jonathan.
Okupe had on Tuesday while disagreeing with Gov. Shettima’s outcry that Boko Haram were better armed and motivated than the Nigerian military.
After leaving a meeting with President Jonathan in Abuja yesterday, Governor Shettima spoke frankly to state house reporters dismissing the fact that the military was winning the war against Boko Haram.

President Goodluck Jonathan appoints New Chief of Staff

The President, Goodluck Jonathan has appointed his new Chief of Staff to be
Brig-General Jones Oladehinde Arogbofa (rtd.), a retired Officer of the Signals Corps of the Nigerian Army, will replace Mike Oghiadomhe who was sacked on February 10.
The appointment is with immediate effect, the spokesperson of the president, Reuben Abati revealed. Abati provided details of the appointment in a press statement issued today. Earlier today, Senate confirmed Senator Musiliu Obanikoro (Lagos), General Aliyu Gusau (Zamfara) and nine others as ministers. Impressive array of academic qualifications'
Arogbofa was born on November 10, 1952. He comes from the Akoko South West Local Government Area of Ondo State. According to the statement, the new Chief of Staff possesses not only administrative experience accumulated during his career in the Nigerian Army, but also "an impressive array of academic qualifications." These include:
Diploma in Communications Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology, USA;
Bachelor of Sciences Degree in Electrical Engineering, University of Alabama, USA
Master of Sciences Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Alabama,
Masters Degree in Military Arts and Science United States Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Arogbofa also holds several military honours and awards including Mss, Fss, Fsc and Fwc and is a member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers.

BAFTAs 2014; Chiwetal Ejiofor wins Best actor, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in matching Outfits

The BAFTAs has come and gone, with several highlights to savour for a long time to come. Nigeria's very own Chiwetal Ejiofor dusted the likes of Leornado Di Caprio, Tom Hanks and several others to clinch the best actor awards following his outstanding performance in the movie "12 Years a Slave". Angie and Brad Pitt were not left out of the limelight either as they both wore matching tuxedo.

New Endorsement Deal for Jay Jay Okocha

Our very own popular Ex-Super Eagles captain, Jay Jay Okocha has grabbed a multi-million naira endorsement deal with manufacturers of New Age Chargers. He was officially unveiled recently at the Golden Tulip Hotels Festac, Lagos.

The New Age mobile charger nicknamed 'Okocha Charger' is a power bank of five thousand two hundred amps which can charge phones ranging from Nokia, Blackberry, iPhones, Galaxy notes, etc. It can also be clipped on belt; plug your device while it charges.
Speaking at his unveiling, the former Hull City player stated that "The company has stood out amongst the crowd in their over nine years of operation, so when I was approached to be the face of its new mobile charger, I didn't hesitate and that's why I'm here today". Okocha has been into business deals after his retirement from soccer which including a nite club.

Impending Fuel Scarcity issue taken up by Abuja Legislators

There are strong indications that Nigerian residents may be facing fuel scarcity in near times. Although things may appear to be good at the moment with regards to fuel supply, there is uncertainty how long this may last. Media reports indicate vessels are said to have been held in the nation’s territorial waters by the Nigerian Navy and restrained from discharging their contents until “signals” are received from Abuja.

Hon. Dayo Bush-Alebiosu last week raised the motion as a matter of urgent public importance, informing the House that on a daily basis, the government paid $4.8m as demurrage to the owners of the vessels in the last three months. He said the total amount said to have been paid out so far stood at $446.4m. According to Hon. Dayo Bush-Alebiosu, the vessels carried petroleum products meant to be used in the country, adding that keeping the vessels on the seas could lead to fuel scarcity soon. In his words, “A reliable source at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation told me on the condition of anonymity that if this matter is not resolved soonest, the country will face fuel scarcity. The source said the fuel being used in the country now is the last from our reserve,” Bush-Alebiosu added.

The Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, who presided over the session, referred the issue to the Joint Committee on Petroleum Resources/Public Accounts/Navy for investigation within two weeks.

It is worthy of note that Hon. Dayo Bush-Alebiosu has consistently been against policies that have negative effects on the Nigerian populace, having spearheaded the review of all treaties entered into by Nigeria. He also recently sponsored the Air Passengers Rights Bill, making airlines legally responsible to their passengers.

While its noteworthy that some of these lawmakers are waking up to their legislative duties and responsibilities, we hope this problem will receive the kind of urgent attention it requires, as Nigerians cannot afford another hardship in the form of a fuel scarcity at the moment!

 

Abuja Court Clears former Speaker, Dimeji Bankole of EFCC Charges

A Federal High Court in Abuja, Friday, discharged and acquitted a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, of contract inflation and fraudulent embezzlement of public funds totalling N874 million while in office.
The presiding judge, Evoh Chukwu, cleared the former Speaker of any complicity in a 16-count charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

The Commission had dragged Mr. Bankole to court for allegedly being involved in the purchase of two bullet-proof Range Rover vehicles, two non-bulletproof Range Rover, three Mercedes Benz S-Class 600 cars, 400 units of DSTV system, 400 television sets, 800 units of desktop computers, 100 units of Sharp Digital photographers, and 400 units of Laserjet 2600N.
It said the purchases contravened Section 17 to 56 of the Procurement Act No. 14 of 2007.
An Abuja High Court had previously acquitted the former Speaker of charges bordering on breach of trust and illegally obtaining loan of about N9 billion for the lower legislative chamber.
Relying on the testimonies given by six witnesses called by the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Chukwu said no error was committed in the process leading to the award of the said contracts to warrant the Speaker being asked to enter his defence in trial.
The judge said the prosecution, led by Festus Keyamo, failed to establish a prima facie case against Mr. Bankole to justify the demand that he should enter defence in the N874 million contract fraud against him.
Mr. Chukwu also said that the prosecution could not also prove that the former Speaker colluded with others to commit the crime as covered by counts 3, 6, 9, 12, 13 and 14 of the charge.
“From the totality of the testimonies of the six witnesses, nothing shows any act of collusion on the part of the accused person,” the judge said.
“Nothing shows that he interfered with the process of the award of the contracts. No mention about anybody fronting for him was made by the prosecution witnesses and the process was also said to have complied with the requirements.
“Based on the totality of these witnesses’ testimonies, I hold that there is nothing to justify his being called to enter his defence as none of the essential ingredients have been proved by the prosecution”

Mr. Chukwu noted that the court would be engaging in inquisitorial trial if it insisted that the accused must prove his innocence.
According to him, in line with Nigeria’s adversarial criminal procedure, the prosecution must prove its case against the accused.
“In the end, the no-case submission of the accused person succeeds. The accused is hereby discharged and acquitted,” the judge said.