ERICBLUNT GIST

Senator Ifeanyi Ararume - his sins - facts or fiction? Close friends that knew President Barack Obama before his quest to become president were quite aware of his Christian faith. They knew where he attended services, his pastor, and were all present when he baptised his two daughters. Even as President, Obama nodded to his Christian faith regularly in both serious and light-hearted settings. However, towards the end of his tenure as president, a large number of Americans still believed he was a Muslim. According to a CNN/ORC poll, 29 percent of Americans say they think that Obama is a Muslim. Those people had never met him in a mosque, in Mecca or Medina, nor seen him elsewhere praying with the Muslim faithfuls. Nevertheless, rumours, unfounded accusations and politically motivated cooked up stories about him being a practicing Muslim managed to get lodged inside the heads of many people and refused to go away irrespective of glaring evidence to the contrary. The above seems

                Imo PDP: Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.   By Chimara Eric Uchenna. Since the return to civil rule in 1999, PDP has constantly, and in most cases, effortlessly dominated the politics of the South east and the South South of Nigeria.  In principle, no other political party has managed to break this firm grip on any of these states.  The few parties that had managed to make limited inroads into these states were merely accommodated and given temporary seats in form of protest votes. They would be later thrown out the moment the PDP settled the internal strife that created the opportunity for their emergence. In Imo state, unlike the other states, these continual accomplishments and dominance of the PDP have always been felt in every important elective position except the governorship. Factually, the last time a candidate representing the PDP won a governorship election in Imo state was in 2003 reelection of the then Governor Achike Udenwa.  Regardless

PRESIDENT BUHARI AND THE IKPARA MASQUERADE FROM MY VILLAGE.  A short Story.  Back when I was a child, there was this masquerade known as “Agu Ikpara”, a member of the “Okonko” family of Masquerades.  It was believed to be the messenger of the gods and a spirit being. To get it out from the earth, a couple of rituals would be performed and it would pop out from a mound. Kids hid behind their mothers when the Masquerade walked across the roads once in a while,  especially days to the New yam festival. This particular Ikpara was so tall that we believed only spirits could grow up to that height. The only man in the village who was close to that height was Papa Chiamaka, but we all knew it couldn’t have been him. He was a wife beater, drunk and had no good reputation in the village; thus unlikely to wear this mystical garb. The Ikpara talked through the nose and walked with a mysterious swag. It never danced like the little humanly “Okonkos” but drifted around with whips made from pa

 SHIITE PROTESTERS LOCK DOWN THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX The National Assembly complex was locked down this morning by followers of the detained Shiite cleric, Sheik El Zakzaky, who were protesting his continuous incarceration despite court orders instructing the government to release him. As they converged in large numbers in front of the gate leading to the Complex, chants of Death to Buhari, Death to Saraki, Death to UK, Death to Dogara, Death to America, Death to the UN, Death to Northerner Governors rented the air. According to their spokesperson, S. I Ahmad, the claim by the Presidency that his detention is for his own benefit smacks totally of unfounded and blatant lie. He went on to make the following claims below. ·         *  El Zakzaky has remained in Custody of the Department of the State security Service despite a high Court ruling on 2 nd of December, 2016, ordering his immediate release and payment of 50 Million naira to him as compensation. ·

TRUE LIFE STORY. The day a mad man became sane and healed for 5 minutes. This mad man popularly known as Stone from my area had this penchant for mischief and trouble making. On his good days, he'd move around the market soberly talking off point and begging for alms. On his bad days, he'd become destructive, talking harshly and kicking at people while trying to coerce them into giving him money. The later attitude earned him a nickname in the local dialect "Omere iwu eje nga" (He who breaks the law but never goes to jail) So on one of his bad days, he was moving inside the market pulling down makeshift tables while the women screamed and hid their wares from him. Then he stopped in front of a pregnant  young mó woman in her 20s trying to buy vegetables. "Give me money now or- " he yelled with his mouth filled up and bulging with God knows what. Scared to death, the young woman tried to say something but words failed her. In a flash, Stone kicked

Lawmaker Receives an Award of Excellence in America. Hon Rita Orji, member representing Ajeromi-Ifelodun Federal Constituency, Lagos, was  given the award of Excellence yesterday, 7th of July, 2018 at the 17th Annual POWER NETWORKING CONFERENCE in the United States of America. The award was in recognition of her numerous achievements especially in poverty alleviation, empowerment and trainings as well as providing quality representation for the constituents of Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Lagos. The award was presented to her by Dr George Frazier, the Chairman of FrazerNet Inc and the organizers of the event. FrazerNet organizes the Annual networking event that trains African American professionals, leaders and business owners. After the event, she had this to say:- "Receiving THE AWARD OF EXCELLENCE in far away United States of America at the 17th Annual POWER NETWORKING CONFERENCE, was a landmark achievement for me considering where we're coming from and where we presently are