Rivers rerun: Wike flies in Jonathan’s wife

Rivers rerun: Wike flies in Jonathan’s wife

Wike is a torn in the flesh of the ruling A.P.C

 

EMMA OWHONDAH

Rivers State Governor, Ezebuwon Nyesom Wike, has flown Mrs. Patience Jonathan, wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan, into the state over for today’s rerun elections in Rivers State. Voters will be going out to elect senators, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly members whose elections were nullified by various Election Petition Tribunals in 2015.

Wike was said to have sneaked Mrs. Jonathan into Port Harcourt late Friday from where she later moved into Okrika. Mrs. Jonathan hails from Okrika but married in Otuoke, Bayelsa State. There were unconfirmed reports that the former First Lady was hired by Wike to use her influence to win the election for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. But how she would achieve the result remained unclear as at the time of this report.

By Saturday morning, Okrika was calm as the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, began to distribute materials. The Neighbourhood reporter who is in Okrika confirmed that INEC Adhoc staffers had reported at the rack centres to receive materials for units.

However, there were reports that PDP members were impersonating electoral officials who had yet to report to duty. Arguments ensued between those said to be impersonating and agents of the All Progressives Congress, APC, who noticed the development.

Mrs. Jonathan, who is godmother to Wike, was instrumental to his emergence as PDP governorship candidate amidst stiff opposition by members of the party in Rivers State. She was linked to the unbriddled violence that engulfed Rivers State during the 2015 general elections, but particularly the governorship. Her loyalists had ensured APC never held any campaign in Okrika. Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside, APC governorship candidate escaped death by Provdence on the day of his campaign when heavily-armed gunmen attacked his campaign train in Okrika. Some security operatives, however, lost their lives during the attack.
On election, there were reported deaths as PDP armed militia attacked APC members with one having his genital chopped off before being tied to heavy objects. He was later thrown alive into the river where he drowned.

Jumeirah Group Fascinates Nigerian Customers

Jumeirah Group Fascinates Nigerian Customers

…As Burj Al Arab Jumeirah unveils North Deck Project, And Jumeirah Zabeel Saray Delights with Offers

 

A global luxury hospitality company and a member of Dubai Holding, with operation of a world-class portfolio of hotels and resorts, Jumeirah Group is set to wow Nigeria customers in Dubai with unique packages. Some divisions of this group allures Nigerians with captivating resorts to wow their taste and comfort, some of which are the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah and Jumeirah Zabeel Saray. This was revealed recently at an evening of enchantment in Lagos, Nigeria.

The North Deck Project is championed by Burj Al Arab Jumeirah. Burj Al Arab is reputed to be the world’s most luxurious hotel. Burj Al Arab Jumeirah is located in the prosperous star of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Dubai. Burj Al Arab is 321 meters above sea level and is the tallest all-suite hotel in the world. It stands proud as one of the tallest buildings in the world and the tallest single structure on a man-made island, taller than the Eiffel Tower and a mere 60 meters shorter than the Empire State Building.

Burj Al Arab Jumeirah stands on a man-made island 280 meters offshore, connected to the mainland by a slender, gently curving causeway. The building is supported by 250 columns that go 45 meters under the sea and is held in place by the friction of the sand. It has an incredible 70,000 cubic meters of concrete and more than 9,000 tons of steel were employed in the construction of the tower.

However, in order to give its customers a taste of more luxuries, Burj Al Arab Jumeirah recently embarked on a North Deck project to unveil the world’s first employing state of the art technology and design, manufacturing expertise and marine mastery construction experts on about 10.000m2 platform. The technology used is a mix of marine, offshore and construction industry solutions with half the weight of the Eiffel Tower, Platform built offsite in Finland, Production facility where cruise ships and yachts are usually constructed, and with the highest quality in both construction and in luxury finish. It has fresh water and a salt water swimming pool as well as a swim up bar, 32 luxurious cabanas, 400 loungers, one restaurant and one bar.

A Careful look at the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah North Deck Hotel project, reveals the building is the tallest all suite hotel 202 duplex suites with sea view, Private check in the suite, Individual reception on every floor, with exceptional 24 hours butler service, Business desk (Apple I Mac, fax, printer, scanner machine), telephone, iPod dock station), Wi-Fi full size set of luxurious Hermes amenities for male and female, Largest Rolls Royce fleet, 1500 employees from 65 countries.

According to the Associate Director on Business Development, Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, Mr Aymen Baccouche, “Dubai is renowned for providing exceptional experiences. Burj Al Arab Jumeirah is the world’s most luxurious hotels situated in Dubai. It is owned and managed by Jumeirah Group, the global luxury hotel company and a member of Dubai Holding. For the first time, the world’s most opulent all-suite hotel, Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, is expanding its outdoor space creating a luxury leisure concept, called North Deck. This shows how committed we pushing the boundaries of innovation and demonstrating how determined we are to positioning Dubai as the most exciting destination in the world and Burj Al Arab Jumeirah as the finest provider of luxury experiences.”

In the same vein, Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, as part of its fifth anniversary celebration since its operation has announced plans to wow its customers with special offers. Located at Dubai, the resort is set to offer customers a long-room offer, spa, lifestyle and restaurant offerings. This was made known by the Senior Sales Manager, Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, Mr Cesar Habib, at a function recently held in Lagos.

The offer also includes special discounts on treatments and retail products at the Talise Ottoman Spa on every fifth (5th) of each month throughout 2016, with the celebrations extending further to the resorts leisure and children’s facilities, with special offers and activities happening every 5th of the month at its Sinbads Kids Club and watersport’s area, these will change on a monthly basis. At the resorts portfolio of restaurants, there will also be a dedicated 5th anniversary dessert and special themed beverages available to purchase throughout the year for just AED 55.

According to him, Jumeirah Zabeel Saray has put in place so much to put customers in the mood of celebration with them. His word: “Jumeirah Zabeel Saray marked its fifth year in operation on 4th January 2016. The resort commenced operation in 2011, and to mark the 5th anniversary, special offers will be put in place to celebrate the occasion including a year-long room offer, as well as spa, lifestyle and restaurant offerings. To mark the birthday in January, the resort arranged a Big Brunch with VIPs, loyal guests, media and partners of Jumeirah Zabeel Saray for 5 hours with music and prize give aways. The venues used were priced at 455 AED, 555 AED and 655 AED for different packages. Every 5th of each month throughout 2016, the Talise Ottoman Spa will be offering special discounts on treatments and retail products with the celebrations extending further to the resorts leisure and children’s facilities, with special offers and activities happening every 5th of the month at its Sinbads Kids Club and watersport’s area (these will change on a monthly basis). At the resorts portfolio of restaurants, there will also be a dedicated 5th anniversary dessert and special themed beverages available to purchase throughout the year for just AED 55”.

Jumeirah Zabeel Saray is the most  luxurious  resort on  Palm  Jumeirah, inspired  by  the  imperial palaces  of  the  Ottoman  era  offering  an  extensive  list  of  5 star exclusive  amenities and  facilities  including the  Talise  Ottoman  Spa;  one  of  the  largest  and  most luxurious spas in the Middle East spanning 8,000m² with 42 treatment rooms and 3 traditional hammam’s and home to 38 private luxurious Royal Residences. It is a family  friendly  destination which  resort  offers  several  activities  which enhances the  family  holiday  experience  without  compromise  to  its  luxuriousness.  This includes  a  new  1,885  square  meter development, Sinbads  Kids  Club which compliments the existing ‘Secrets of the Saray’ interactive tours, indoor cinema, water  sports,  bicycle  rides,  giant  chess  court  and Pétanque  court,  shuttle  bus services to main land attractions including new Jetty and Shuttle boatto Dubai Marina, water sports and cooking classes from the resorts signature restaurants. Inherent in this resort is also a  unique  and  exciting  culinary  and  nightlife  destination with  bespoke nightlife venueson the Palm Jumeirah with eight award  winning dining destinations offering a  range of cuisines from  Indian, Turkish  and Japanese, to Lebanese, Italian, British and International.

As part of the resort’s ongoing plan for growth and to increase awareness of the Stay Different  experiences available to guests, Jumeirah Zabeel Saray has recently implemented a new brand marketing campaign entitled ‘The World Can Wait’. The new campaign is focused around three main lifestyle elements; service, relaxation and surroundings. The new branding, photography and marketing material showcases the resort’s lifestyle approach.

Emirates Holiday and Dubai Tourism, in partnership with Jumeirah Group has thus encouraged Nigerians to go to Dubai through the Emirates Holiday package, while they make themselves comfortable at the Jumeirah Group’s new luxury resorts in Dubai.

With Emirates Holiday, travellers can enjoy access to exclusive offers on hotels, tours and services, and also enjoy trips to Dubai through the award winning Emirates airline for a memorable journey. According to the Business Development Manager, Emirates Holiday, Mr Roy John, Emirates Holiday is always looking for new ways to inspire your next holiday with fascinating destinations, one of which is Dubai, Unique hotels, one of which is that owned by the Jumeirah Group, and all the little things that come together to create an unforgettable experience for travellers.

For Mrs Stella Obinwa, the Regional Director For Africa, Dubai Tourism, she pointed out that the Burj Al Arab’s North Deck is another first, and yet a reason to visit Dubai, while reiterating that Nigerians who travel down will have a wonderful experience at the deck.

IMOLE ODUDUWA………..The Synopsis

IMOLE ODUDUWA………..The Synopsis

THE YORUBA PROJECT: IMOLE ODUDUWA.

INTRODUCTION

We are passionate middle age and young professionals of the Yoruba descent who are highly committed to rebranding, repackaging and refashioning the economic, socio-political ethos of Yoruba race within the ideals, thoughts and ideological tenets of our heroes’/heroines past; though taking into cognizance the contemporary environmental, socio-political and economic variables within the Nigeria nationhood.

There is no doubt about it that, our fathers/mothers have tried in the past towards forging a unified front within the race (e.g The Agbekoya and Afenifere) with a view to expressing the position of importance that the Yoruba nation occupies within the Nigerian Federation. But to a very large extent, such formidable groupings are no more visible mainly due to the fact that most of the leading stars have passed-on to glory, some have aged while some have acrimoniously gone ahead to form splinter groupings. This situation has invariably left a big vacuum within this region that was once regarded as well as respected for its economic cum socio-political sophistication, artistry, ingenuity and sagacity. Consequently, there is lack of appropriate coordination and direction required to effectively maintain as well as showcase the common voice, ideals and socio-political heritage of our race within the Nigerian committee of federating nations.

Hither to, the region has been known to be the first in virtually all developmental pursuits both within the nation and Africa as a whole. For instance, the first television station in Africa (even before France), biggest city in Africa, longest bridge in Africa, first tallest building in West Africa, first higher educational institution in Nigeria, intellectual power house as well as economic nerve center for West Africa among others. These entire outlined heritages are fast fading away which makes it highly imperative for its relics to be picked up, reinvigorated as well as reconceptualise them.

PHILOSOPHY:

The association will envision, propagate and project a Yoruba nation that intends to regain its lost glory through the recognition of the capacity of its people rather than religious or territorial divides; whilst the economic and social-political structures will be built on people that has character, capacity and competence other than socio-political rascality.

GOAL:

Essentially, the association will lay emphasis on massive human capital/youth development while at the same time stimulate and facilitate variables that will promote agriconomy towards improved socio-economic development. Attempts will equally be made towards attracting both national and international investors to the region. All of these will be undertaken with an additional resolve/determination of ensuring and further strengthening the continuity of Nigerian nationhood.

OBJECTIVES:

v Strategic indoctrination and tutelage of our youths with the ideals and historical heritage of our fore fathers as well as the value system of Yoruba nationhood;

v Through an articulately designed process, our youths will be strategically brought to the path of systemic mentoring towards encouraging them to appreciate and embrace education while also preparing them for future leadership roles;

v To organize vocational trainings for our teeming youths in acquiring requisite professional skills which will enhance and enable them to benefit from our youth economic empowerment revolving loans;

v To assist in promoting, supporting and enhancing actualization of women enterprise;

v We shall collaborate with the governments of our region to encourage and facilitate the establishment of modern farm settlements which will provide a sustainable massive employment program to our teeming youth population; this will be in addition with cottage/foundry industries;

v Laying of emphasis on technical education through standardization of the existing technical colleges within the South West region;

v To form a systematic synergy among the Yoruba youths worldwide and finally,

v To facilitate and encourage both national and international investors’ participation in various economic activities which the association will stimulate within the region.

ACTION PLANS:

In the final analysis, the under listed will be achieved:

• The group has a target of empowering 1.2million youths within the region annually;
• It is in our plan to improve on artisan skills through skill acquisition programmes;
• Yoruba youths will additionally be subjected to mentoring towards attitudinal change on societal norms and values;
• Development/establishment of comprehensive farm settlements;
• Exploring and exposition of tourist potentialities of the region;
• Tapping into the industrial abilities and capabilities of our teeming youth population;
• Projecting the above as the bedrock of industrial revolution within the region;
• Equally annexing & exploiting the available opportunities which the various research institutions can offer to further promote both industrial and agribusiness revolution of the region;
• Technologies and products of some of our cottage industries will be improved upon to comply with international standards and best practices with a view to ensure international marketability;
• Collaboration with responsible agencies to develop the areas of exploration of abundant natural resources within the region;
• The group will ultimately ensure a common voice for the Yoruba nation’s needs and aspirations within the Nigerian Federation.

While trying to achieve the above, a concise step by step effort will be geared to accomplishing our stated objectives through the under listed proceedings:

In the short run of within 3months from now:

Ø  Make a list of some Yoruba elders, leaders and obas to be visited while, visiting such dignitaries should also be undertaken simultaneously;

Ø  Launching of our organization into prominence through a press release in Nigeria’s major news papers about the organization and it’s objectives as well as a well organized/publicized press conference there after on same subject matter;

Ø  We are going to inter face with the governors within the region as well as;

Ø  International agencies;

Ø  Will embark on series of seminars, workshops, retreats, debates, print/electronic interviews etc;

Ø  During the various youth programmes, we will carefully select some of the youths that will be attached to some Yoruba leaders aimed at mentoring for a period of between 3-6weeks; this in addition is to give an expose of the Yoruba communal heritage which says ‘biological parents do not and can not single handedly train a child’;

Ø  Visit to some of our vocational industrial areas like where they make aso oke, pottery, marble sites, quarry sites etc with a view to having a first hand information about such pre-occupations towards maximization of operations and marketing;

Within 5months from now:

v  From the various interactive sessions, youths will be selected for vocational trainings which could be in form of internship with some of the specialized research institutes within the South West region e.g. IITA Ibadan, Cereal research institute Ibadan, FIIRO, NIHORT etc as well as export clinic with Nigeria Export Promotion Council;

v  Capital mobilization of these youths to be productive on their selected vocation;

v  Organizing our market women for symposium and workshops on marketing, customer service relations, enhancing profitability, investment opportunities, both internal & international market exposure as well as building savings patterns;

v  Coordinating these women into various societies that will enable them to access some local and international trading facilities which will eventually promote their trades;

v  Setting up of committee on the celebration of 1^st ever ‘Odun Omo Oduduwa’;

v  Planning towards organizing Imole Oduduwa Sports’ Festival especially in football, Lawn Tennis and Athletics; with the intension of sending some distinctive athletes abroad for training as discussed;

v  Improving standard of education through holistic approach as discussed;

v  Stimulating attractive investment opportunities coupled with industrialization activation as discussed;

v  Through the embassies, contact and woo some international investors to come and engage in industrial activities within the region and many others that will be added there after.

Conclusively, as a people, we should not doubt our abilities and capabilities. ‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has; therefore, rather than us cursing the darkness, we should better light the candle; we should not wait for our future instead, let us build our intents to structure it; swimming to meet our ship instead of waiting for it at the shore.

It is now our challenge; let us rise to it NOW.

My whole life has been dedicated to the service of my country****-George

Washington to James McHenry, July 04, 1798.

So, why not you and I also to our dear father land …if you think you can,

Then join us

‘DAYO KAYODE (Ph.D)

08033274450

Convener/President