Interesting, you need to see this. From Shoshanna
1-18-6
- Gates was on TV this morning from Las Vegas. It was really interesting. He says we will have these things in about 4 years.
- WOW...looks like Bill Gates was right a couple of years ago when he said "You haven't seen anything yet"
- ---- whaddya think these are?
- look closely n' guess what they could be...
- PENS WITH HIDDEN CAMS??
- any wild guesses now?
- no clue?...
- ladies and gentlemen... congratulations! You have just now looked into the future...
- yep that's right! no booing now... you have seen something that would replace your PC in the near future....
- NOW SEE THIS...
- In the revolution of miniature of computers, the scientists are ahead with Bluetooth technology... See the forthcoming computers within our pockets ..
- This pen sort of instrument produces both the monitor as well as the keyboard on flat surfaces from where you can just carry out the normal operations you do on your desktop.
Saturday, 12 November 2011
Future PC's
Wednesday, 9 November 2011
Make Money Online (Without Spending a Dime)
I'll be doing a lot of sharing, so this is one of them!
Making money online used to pretty much require you to have your own Web site, products to sell and some marketing savvy. But a new generation of dot-coms have arisen that will pay you for what you know and who you know without you having to be a web designer or a marketing genius.
But it's hard to tell hype from the real deal. I did a search on "make money online" and "making money online", and much of the information out there is just promoting various infoproducts, mostly about Internet marketing. I see why people sometimes ask, "Is anyone making money online besides Internet marketing experts?"
So I put together a list of business opportunities with legitimate companies that:
Sites like ReferEarns, Zyoin, Who Do You Know For Dough?, and WiseStepp connect employers with prospective employees, many of whom are already employed and not actively job-hunting, via networking - the people who know these qualified candidates. Rewards for referring a candidate who gets hired range from $50 on up to several thousand dollars - not chump change. If you know a lot of job-seekers (and who doesn't these days?), this is a great way to break into the recruiting business with no overhead.
Connect suppliers with buyers.
Referral fees are a common practice in business, but they haven't been used much in online networking sites because there was no way to track them. Sites like Salesconx, InnerSell and uRefer now provide that. Vendors set the referral fees they're willing to pay (and for what), and when the transaction happens, you get paid. uRefer also allows merchants to set up referral programs for introductions and meetings, as well as transactions.
Write.
A growing number of sites will pay for your articles or blog posts. Associated Content and Helium will "pay for performance" based on page views for just about anything you want to write about. Articles on specific topics they're looking for can earn direct payments up to about $200. The rates are probably low for established writers, but if you're trying to break into the field and have time on your hands, they're a great way to start. Also, a lot of companies are looking for part-time bloggers. They may pay per post or on a steady contract. Our Weblogs Guide posts blogging jobs weekly in the forum.
Start your own blog.
You don't have to have your own Web site, or install blogging software, or even figure out how to set up the advertising. At Blogger you can set up a blog for free in less than five minutes without knowing a thing about web design, and Blogger even automates setting up Google AdSense so you can make money off your blog by displaying ads and getting paid when people click on the ads. To make even more money from it, set up an affiliate program (see below) for books, music, etc., and insert your affiliate links whenever you refer to those items. You'll have to get a lot of traffic to become a six-figure blogger, but pick an interesting topic, write well, tell all your friends, and you're off to a good start.
Related: Monetizing Your Blog
Create topical resource hubs.
Are you an expert on a particular niche topic? Can you put together an overview of the topic and assemble some of the best resources on the topic from around the web? Then you can create topical hubs and get paid through sites like Squidoo, HugPages and Google Knol. Payments are based on a combination of ad revenue and affiliate fees. You'll get higher rates doing it on your own, but these sites have a built-in supply of traffic and tools to make content creation easier.
Advertise other people's products.
If you already have a Web site or a blog, look for vendors that offer related but non-competing products and see if they have an affiliate program. Stick to familiar products and brands - they're easier to sell. To promote those products:
Microstock photography.
You don't have to be a professional photographer to sell your photos for money. People are constantly in need of stock photography for websites, presentations, brochures and so on, and are willing to pay for the right image. People generally search for images on stock photography sites by keywords, not by photographer, so you have the same chance as anyone else of having your image picked. Just be careful that you don't have images of trademarked brands, copyrighted art or people's faces that are readily identifiable (unless you have a model release), but just about anything else is fair game, and I promise - you'd be amazed what people need pictures of, so don't make any assumptions. If it's a decent photo, upload it. Some sites to get you started include Fotolia, ShutterStock, Dreamstime and iStockphoto. The great thing about this is that it's truly "set it and forget it".
The above list is by no means comprehensive, but it highlights some of the new and interesting ways to make money online without investing any money, without having a product of your own, and without having expert sales and marketing skills. Most of all, unlike taking surveys or getting paid to read e-mail, the potential return on your time investment is substantial.
Making money online used to pretty much require you to have your own Web site, products to sell and some marketing savvy. But a new generation of dot-coms have arisen that will pay you for what you know and who you know without you having to be a web designer or a marketing genius.
But it's hard to tell hype from the real deal. I did a search on "make money online" and "making money online", and much of the information out there is just promoting various infoproducts, mostly about Internet marketing. I see why people sometimes ask, "Is anyone making money online besides Internet marketing experts?"
So I put together a list of business opportunities with legitimate companies that:
- Pay cash, not just points towards rewards or a chance to win money
- Don't require you to have your own Web domain or your own products
- Don't involve any hard-selling
- Aren't just promoting more Internet marketing
- Give a good return on your time investment
Sites like ReferEarns, Zyoin, Who Do You Know For Dough?, and WiseStepp connect employers with prospective employees, many of whom are already employed and not actively job-hunting, via networking - the people who know these qualified candidates. Rewards for referring a candidate who gets hired range from $50 on up to several thousand dollars - not chump change. If you know a lot of job-seekers (and who doesn't these days?), this is a great way to break into the recruiting business with no overhead.
Connect suppliers with buyers.
Referral fees are a common practice in business, but they haven't been used much in online networking sites because there was no way to track them. Sites like Salesconx, InnerSell and uRefer now provide that. Vendors set the referral fees they're willing to pay (and for what), and when the transaction happens, you get paid. uRefer also allows merchants to set up referral programs for introductions and meetings, as well as transactions.
Write.
A growing number of sites will pay for your articles or blog posts. Associated Content and Helium will "pay for performance" based on page views for just about anything you want to write about. Articles on specific topics they're looking for can earn direct payments up to about $200. The rates are probably low for established writers, but if you're trying to break into the field and have time on your hands, they're a great way to start. Also, a lot of companies are looking for part-time bloggers. They may pay per post or on a steady contract. Our Weblogs Guide posts blogging jobs weekly in the forum.
Start your own blog.
You don't have to have your own Web site, or install blogging software, or even figure out how to set up the advertising. At Blogger you can set up a blog for free in less than five minutes without knowing a thing about web design, and Blogger even automates setting up Google AdSense so you can make money off your blog by displaying ads and getting paid when people click on the ads. To make even more money from it, set up an affiliate program (see below) for books, music, etc., and insert your affiliate links whenever you refer to those items. You'll have to get a lot of traffic to become a six-figure blogger, but pick an interesting topic, write well, tell all your friends, and you're off to a good start.
Related: Monetizing Your Blog
Create topical resource hubs.
Are you an expert on a particular niche topic? Can you put together an overview of the topic and assemble some of the best resources on the topic from around the web? Then you can create topical hubs and get paid through sites like Squidoo, HugPages and Google Knol. Payments are based on a combination of ad revenue and affiliate fees. You'll get higher rates doing it on your own, but these sites have a built-in supply of traffic and tools to make content creation easier.
Advertise other people's products.
If you already have a Web site or a blog, look for vendors that offer related but non-competing products and see if they have an affiliate program. Stick to familiar products and brands - they're easier to sell. To promote those products:
- Place simple text or graphical ads in appropriate places on your site
- Include links to purchase products you review or recommend in a blog, discussion forum or mailing list you control
- Create a dedicated sales page or Web site to promote a particular product
Microstock photography.
You don't have to be a professional photographer to sell your photos for money. People are constantly in need of stock photography for websites, presentations, brochures and so on, and are willing to pay for the right image. People generally search for images on stock photography sites by keywords, not by photographer, so you have the same chance as anyone else of having your image picked. Just be careful that you don't have images of trademarked brands, copyrighted art or people's faces that are readily identifiable (unless you have a model release), but just about anything else is fair game, and I promise - you'd be amazed what people need pictures of, so don't make any assumptions. If it's a decent photo, upload it. Some sites to get you started include Fotolia, ShutterStock, Dreamstime and iStockphoto. The great thing about this is that it's truly "set it and forget it".
The above list is by no means comprehensive, but it highlights some of the new and interesting ways to make money online without investing any money, without having a product of your own, and without having expert sales and marketing skills. Most of all, unlike taking surveys or getting paid to read e-mail, the potential return on your time investment is substantial.
From Scott Allen, former About.com Guide
Monday, 7 November 2011
Top 5 Paying Jobs in Nigeria
I wonder why things is always the other way round in this country!
We were discussing the top 5 jobs in Nigeria on a forum, and this is what a friend posted. Thought I should share his analysis with you guys!
1.) Politics:
Minimum requirement: Toronto Certificate. None really. but for election, hmmm, maybe SSCE
Average Hourly Pay: Depends. It is not un-heard of to make as 'low' as N100 Million per hour in this field. The opportunities are endless really
Best Career Move: Run for the Presidency or Speakership of the NASS. Honestly, all political posts pay very good. Be brave, thats all
Accomplished people in this field: Omisore: High school drop-out, Former deputy Governor of osun-State; Bola Tinubu: BSC/reformed drug baron turn Yoruba leader, Former Governor of Lagos; Evans Enwerem: High School drop-out/former convict, Former Senate president; Ghalli Na'aba: SSCE (in view), Former Speaker.
Professional advancement: Pretty fast, as long as you do not offend your god-father.
Cons: god-fathers. They can do and un-do. Sometimes, it s very difficult to know whats going on in their mind and some of them with untreated mental issues make irrational/unpredictable decisions.
2) Church Business:
Minimum requirement: BSC in any of the Sciences.
Average Hourly Pay: Depends on where you loacte your church HQ; Lagos Vs other states
Best Career Move: Start your own church, perform unverifiable miracles, raise the dead, scare the shyyt outta your congregation, avoid paying taxes, and give yourself the G.O title. Dont forget to add "Daddy" before the G.O title
Accomplished people in the field: Enoch Adejare Adeboye: Ph.D, Mathematics and RCCG; Oyakhilome: B.Arch, Christ Embassy; Oyedepo: Bsc, Faith Terbanacle; Kumuyi: BSc Mathematics & Deeper life; DK Olukoya ; PH.D Microbiology & MFM
Professional advancement: Depends on how educated you are. It is not surprising that, in a profession where eloquence and charisma is all you need, the most successful are also the most educated. The best business model by far in present day Nigeria. Peace of mind, no tax, as long as you have the patience to stay in school and study one of the rigorous science, preferably mathematics. And oh, before I forget, unlike other aspects of our public life, here, Nigerian degrees are actually preferred to the foreign ones. And most careers start on campus.
Notable Exception: TB Joshua. Nuff said!
Cons: None really.
3.) Banking:
Minimum requirement: OND ( plus some unknown/unemployable overseas certificate)
Average Hourly Pay: Depends on creativity, connectivity, and personal ingenuity. Yearly pay could be as high as N150 Billion (Cecelia Ibru)
Best Career Move: Print your own money a la start your own bank
Accomplished people in the field: Erastus Adegbola:OND, Intercontinental; Fola Adeola: HND, GTB; Cecilia Ibru: MSc, Oceanic; Jim Ovia: BSc, Zenith
Professional advancement: Pretty fast, just start your own effing bank!
Cons: Bad belle people like the CBN governor. Political climate remain very unstable and tribalistic.
4) Human Rights Activists:
Minimum requirement: None. Most are HS drop-outs. Others Doctors, Layers and Nobel Laureates.
Average Hourly Pay: Depends on proximity to the ND
Best Career Move: Start your own Militia/Kidnap VIPs
Accomplished people in the field: Asari Dokubo: Alhaji, Mend; Jomo Gbomo/Henry Okah: WASSCE, Fake MEND; Dr. Fredrick Faseun: MBBS, OPC/OCP/And all possible combinations of O, P, and C; Wole Soyinka: B.A., Professional critic and behind the scene oil well owner/ contractor
Professional advancement: Simply, No glass ceilings. Best advice, be brave and have good juju-men at your beck and call.
Cons: Oil will soon run out. The future isnt bright for this profession.
5) Yahoo 2.0
Minimum requirement: Studentship, course of study is irrelevant.
Average Hourly Pay: Cant be calculated. Incomes are most often exaggerated. Nevertheless, very very very lucrative.
Best Career Move: Have a room on any university campus, federal universities preferably, and be willing to spend countless productive time in different cyber cafes.
Accomplished people in the field: TOBECHUWKU ONWUHARA, GED & TOP ten FBI list; Ade Bendel, HS drop-out & Convict; Fred Ajidua, WASSCE & Convict; Mr. Olaniyi Makinde, BSC Econs UNAD & Extradicted;
Professional advancement: Depends on luck, charm and EFCC. ROI is 100000%
Cons: Bad belle friends and the EFCC.
We were discussing the top 5 jobs in Nigeria on a forum, and this is what a friend posted. Thought I should share his analysis with you guys!
1.) Politics:
Minimum requirement: Toronto Certificate. None really. but for election, hmmm, maybe SSCE
Average Hourly Pay: Depends. It is not un-heard of to make as 'low' as N100 Million per hour in this field. The opportunities are endless really
Best Career Move: Run for the Presidency or Speakership of the NASS. Honestly, all political posts pay very good. Be brave, thats all
Accomplished people in this field: Omisore: High school drop-out, Former deputy Governor of osun-State; Bola Tinubu: BSC/reformed drug baron turn Yoruba leader, Former Governor of Lagos; Evans Enwerem: High School drop-out/former convict, Former Senate president; Ghalli Na'aba: SSCE (in view), Former Speaker.
Professional advancement: Pretty fast, as long as you do not offend your god-father.
Cons: god-fathers. They can do and un-do. Sometimes, it s very difficult to know whats going on in their mind and some of them with untreated mental issues make irrational/unpredictable decisions.
2) Church Business:
Minimum requirement: BSC in any of the Sciences.
Average Hourly Pay: Depends on where you loacte your church HQ; Lagos Vs other states
Best Career Move: Start your own church, perform unverifiable miracles, raise the dead, scare the shyyt outta your congregation, avoid paying taxes, and give yourself the G.O title. Dont forget to add "Daddy" before the G.O title
Accomplished people in the field: Enoch Adejare Adeboye: Ph.D, Mathematics and RCCG; Oyakhilome: B.Arch, Christ Embassy; Oyedepo: Bsc, Faith Terbanacle; Kumuyi: BSc Mathematics & Deeper life; DK Olukoya ; PH.D Microbiology & MFM
Professional advancement: Depends on how educated you are. It is not surprising that, in a profession where eloquence and charisma is all you need, the most successful are also the most educated. The best business model by far in present day Nigeria. Peace of mind, no tax, as long as you have the patience to stay in school and study one of the rigorous science, preferably mathematics. And oh, before I forget, unlike other aspects of our public life, here, Nigerian degrees are actually preferred to the foreign ones. And most careers start on campus.
Notable Exception: TB Joshua. Nuff said!
Cons: None really.
3.) Banking:
Minimum requirement: OND ( plus some unknown/unemployable overseas certificate)
Average Hourly Pay: Depends on creativity, connectivity, and personal ingenuity. Yearly pay could be as high as N150 Billion (Cecelia Ibru)
Best Career Move: Print your own money a la start your own bank
Accomplished people in the field: Erastus Adegbola:OND, Intercontinental; Fola Adeola: HND, GTB; Cecilia Ibru: MSc, Oceanic; Jim Ovia: BSc, Zenith
Professional advancement: Pretty fast, just start your own effing bank!
Cons: Bad belle people like the CBN governor. Political climate remain very unstable and tribalistic.
4) Human Rights Activists:
Minimum requirement: None. Most are HS drop-outs. Others Doctors, Layers and Nobel Laureates.
Average Hourly Pay: Depends on proximity to the ND
Best Career Move: Start your own Militia/Kidnap VIPs
Accomplished people in the field: Asari Dokubo: Alhaji, Mend; Jomo Gbomo/Henry Okah: WASSCE, Fake MEND; Dr. Fredrick Faseun: MBBS, OPC/OCP/And all possible combinations of O, P, and C; Wole Soyinka: B.A., Professional critic and behind the scene oil well owner/ contractor
Professional advancement: Simply, No glass ceilings. Best advice, be brave and have good juju-men at your beck and call.
Cons: Oil will soon run out. The future isnt bright for this profession.
5) Yahoo 2.0
Minimum requirement: Studentship, course of study is irrelevant.
Average Hourly Pay: Cant be calculated. Incomes are most often exaggerated. Nevertheless, very very very lucrative.
Best Career Move: Have a room on any university campus, federal universities preferably, and be willing to spend countless productive time in different cyber cafes.
Accomplished people in the field: TOBECHUWKU ONWUHARA, GED & TOP ten FBI list; Ade Bendel, HS drop-out & Convict; Fred Ajidua, WASSCE & Convict; Mr. Olaniyi Makinde, BSC Econs UNAD & Extradicted;
Professional advancement: Depends on luck, charm and EFCC. ROI is 100000%
Cons: Bad belle friends and the EFCC.
Brief History of Nigeria
History
Early History
Little is known of the earliest history of Nigeria. By c.2000 B.C.
most of the country was sparsely inhabited by persons who had a
rudimentary knowledge of raising domesticated food plants and of herding
animals. From c.800 B.C. to c.A.D.
200 the neolithic Nok culture (named for the town where archaeological
findings first were made) flourished on the Jos Plateau; the Nok people
made fine terra-cotta sculptures and probably knew how to work tin and
iron. The first important centralized state to influence Nigeria was
Kanem-Bornu, which probably was founded in the 8th cent. A.D.,
to the north of Lake Chad (outside modern Nigeria). In the 11th cent.,
by which time its rulers had been converted to Islam, Kanem-Bornu
expanded south of Lake Chad into present-day Nigeria, and in the late
15th cent. its capital was moved there.
Beginning in the 11th cent. seven independent Hausa city-states were founded in N Nigeria—Biram, Daura, Gobir, Kano, Katsina,
Rano, and Zaria. Kano and Katsina competed for the lucrative
trans-Saharan trade with Kanem-Bornu, and for a time had to pay tribute
to it. In the early 16th cent. all of Hausaland was briefly held by the
Songhai Empire. However, in the late 16th cent., Kanem-Bornu replaced
Songhai as the leading power in N Nigeria, and the Hausa states regained
their autonomy. In southwest Nigeria two states—Oyo and Benin—had
developed by the 14th cent.; the rulers of both states traced their
origins to Ife, renowned for its naturalistic terra-cotta and brass
sculpture. Benin was the leading state in the 15th cent. but began to
decline in the 17th cent., and by the 18th cent. Oyo controlled
Yorubaland and also Dahomey. The Igbo people in the southeast lived in
small village communities.
In the late 15th cent.
Portuguese navigators became the first Europeans to visit Nigeria. They
soon began to purchase slaves and agricultural produce from coastal
middlemen; the slaves had been captured further inland by the middlemen.
The Portuguese were followed by British, French, and Dutch traders.
Among the Igbo and Ibibio a number of city-states were established by
individuals who had become wealthy by engaging in the slave trade; these
included Bonny, Owome, and Okrika.
The Nineteenth Century
There
were major internal changes in Nigeria in the 19th cent. In 1804,
Usuman dan Fodio (1754–1817), a Fulani and a pious Muslim, began a holy
war to reform the practice of Islam in the north. He soon conquered the
Hausa city-states, but Bornu, led by Muhammad al-Kanemi (also a Muslim
reformer) until 1835, maintained its independence. In 1817, Usuman dan
Fodio's son, Muhammad Bello (d.1837) established a state centered at Sokoto,
which controlled most of N Nigeria until the coming of the British
(1900–1906). Under both Usuman dan Fodio and Muhammad Bello, Muslim
culture, and also trade, flourished in the Fulani empire. In Bornu,
Muhammad al-Kanemi was succeeded by Umar (reigned 1835–80), under whom
the empire disintegrated.
In 1807, Great Britain
abandoned the slave trade; however, other countries continued it until
about 1875. Meanwhile, many African middlemen turned to selling palm
products, which were Nigeria's chief export by the middle of the
century. In 1817 a long series of civil wars began in the Oyo Empire;
they lasted until 1893 (when Britain intervened), by which time the
empire had disintegrated completely.
In order to stop the slave trade there, Britain annexed Lagos in 1861. In 1879, Sir George Goldie
gained control of all the British firms trading on the Niger, and in
the 1880s he took over two French companies active there and signed
treaties with numerous African leaders. Largely because of Goldie's
efforts, Great Britain was able to claim S Nigeria at the Conference of
Berlin (see Berlin, Conference of) held in 1884–85.
In
the following years, the British established their rule in SW Nigeria,
partly by signing treaties (as in the Lagos hinterland) and partly by
using force (as at Benin in 1897). Jaja, a leading African trader based at Opobo
in the Niger delta and strongly opposed to European competition, was
captured in 1887 and deported. Goldie's firm, given (1886) a British
royal charter, as the Royal Niger Company, to administer the Niger River
and N Nigeria, antagonized Europeans and Africans alike by its monopoly
of trade on the Niger; in addition, it was not sufficiently powerful to
gain effective control over N Nigeria, which was also sought by the
French.
Colonialism
In 1900 the Royal Niger Company's charter was revoked and British forces under Frederick Lugard
began to conquer the north, taking Sokoto in 1903. By 1906, Britain
controlled Nigeria, which was divided into the Colony (i.e., Lagos) and
Protectorate of Southern Nigeria and the Protectorate of Northern
Nigeria. In 1914 the two regions were amalgamated and the Colony and
Protectorate of Nigeria was established.
The
administration of Nigeria was based on a system devised by Lugard and
called “indirect rule”; under this system, Britain ruled through
existing political institutions rather than establishing a wholly new
administrative network. In some areas (especially the southeast) new
African officials (resembling the traditional rulers in other parts of
the country) were set up; in most cases they were not accepted by the
mass of the people and were able to rule only because British power
stood behind them. All important decisions were made by the British
governor, and the African rulers, partly by being associated with the
colonialists, soon lost most of their traditional authority.
Occasionally (as in Aba in 1929) discontent with colonial rule flared
into open protest.
Under the British, railroads and
roads were built and the production of cash crops, such as palm nuts and
kernels, cocoa, cotton, and peanuts, was encouraged. The country became
more urbanized as Lagos, Ibadan, Kano, Onitsha, and other cities grew
in size and importance. From 1922, African representatives from Lagos
and Calabar were elected to the legislative council of Southern Nigeria;
they constituted only a small minority, and Africans otherwise
continued to have no role in the higher levels of government. Self-help
groups organized on ethnic lines were established in the cities. A small
Western-educated elite developed in Lagos and a few other southern
cities.
In 1947, Great Britain promulgated a
constitution that gave the traditional authorities a greater voice in
national affairs. The Western-educated elite was excluded, and, led by
Herbert Macaulay and Nnamdi Azikiwe,
its members vigorously denounced the constitution. As a result, a new
constitution, providing for elected representation on a regional basis,
was instituted in 1951.
Three major political parties
emerged—the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC; from
1960 known as the National Convention of Nigerian Citizens), led by
Azikiwe and largely based among the Igbo; the Action Group, led by
Obafemi Awolowo
and with a mostly Yoruba membership; and the Northern People's Congress
(NPC), led by Ahmadu Bello and based in the north. The constitution
proved unworkable by 1952, and a new one, solidifying the division of
Nigeria into three regions (Eastern, Western, and Northern) plus the
Federal Territory of Lagos, came into force in 1954. In 1956 the Eastern
and Western regions became internally self-governing, and the Northern
region achieved this status in 1959.
Independence and Internal Conflict
With
Nigerian independence scheduled for 1960, elections were held in 1959.
No party won a majority, and the NPC combined with the NCNC to form a
government. Nigeria attained independence on Oct. 1, 1960, with Abubakar
Tafawa Balewa
of the NPC as prime minister and Azikiwe of the NCNC as
governor-general; when Nigeria became a republic in 1963, Azikiwe was
made president.
The first years of independence were
characterized by severe conflicts within and between regions. In the
Western region, a bloc of the Action Group split off (1962) under S. I.
Akintola to form the Nigerian National Democratic party (NNDP); in 1963
the Mid-Western region (whose population was mostly Edo) was formed from
a part of the Western region. National elections late in 1964 were
hotly contested, with an NPC-NNDP coalition (called the National
Alliance) emerging victorious.
In Jan., 1966, Igbo
army officers staged a successful coup, which resulted in the deaths of
Federal Prime Minister Balewa, Northern Prime Minister Ahmadu Bello, and
Western Prime Minister S. I. Akintola. Maj. Gen. Johnson T. U.
Aguiyi-Ironsi, an Igbo, became head of a military government and
suspended the national and regional constitutions; this met with a
violent reaction in the north. In July, 1966, a coup led by Hausa army
officers ousted Ironsi (who was killed) and placed Lt. Col. Yakubu Gowon at the head of a new military regime. In Sept., 1966, many Igbo living in the north were massacred.
Gowon
attempted to start Nigeria along the road to civilian government but
met determined resistance from the Igbo, who were becoming increasingly
fearful of their position within Nigeria. In May, 1967, the Eastern
parliament gave Lt. Col. Chukwuemeka O. Ojukwu,
the region's leader, authority to declare the region an independent
republic. Gowon proclaimed a state of emergency, and, as a gesture to
the Igbos, redivided Nigeria into 12 states (including one, the
East-Central state, that comprised most of the Igbo people). However, on
May 30, Ojukwu proclaimed the independent Republic of Biafra, and in July fighting broke out between Biafra and Nigeria.
Biafra
made some advances early in the war, but soon federal forces gained the
initiative. After much suffering, Biafra capitulated on Jan. 15, 1970,
and the secession ended. The early 1970s were marked by reconstruction
in areas that were formerly part of Biafra, by the gradual reintegration
of the Igbo into national life, and by a slow return to civilian rule.
Modern Nigeria
Spurred
by the booming petroleum industry, the Nigerian economy quickly
recovered from the effects of civil war and made impressive advances.
Nonetheless, inflation and high unemployment remained, and the oil boom
led to government corruption and uneven distribution of wealth. Nigeria
joined the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
in 1971. The prolonged drought that desiccated the Sahel region of
Africa in the early 1970s had a profound effect on N Nigeria, resulting
in a migration of peoples into the less arid areas and into the cities
of the south.
Gowon's regime was overthrown in 1975
by Gen. Murtala Muhammad and a group of officers who pledged a return to
civilian rule. In the mid-1970s plans were approved for a new capital
to be built at Abuja, a move that drained the national economy. Muhammad
was assassinated in an attempted coup one year after taking office and
succeeded by Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo.
In a crisis brought on by rapidly falling oil revenues, the government
restricted public opposition to the regime, controlled union activity
and student movements, nationalized land, and increased oil industry
regulation. Nigeria sought Western support under Obasanjo while
supporting African nationalist movements.
In 1979 elections were held under a new constitution, bringing Alhaji Shehu Shagari to the presidency. Relations with the United States reached a new high in 1979 with a visit by President Jimmy Carter.
The government expelled thousands of foreign laborers in 1983, citing
social disturbances as the reason. The same year, Shagari was reelected
president but overthrown after only a few months in office.
In
1985 a coup led by Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Babangida brought a new regime to
power, along with the promise of a return to civilian rule. A new
constitution was promulgated in 1990, which set national elections for
1992. Babangida annulled the results of that presidential election,
claiming fraud. A new election in 1993 ended in the apparent
presidential victory of Moshood Abiola, but Babangida again alleged
fraud. Soon unrest led to Babangida's resignation. Ernest Shonekan, a
civilian appointed as interim leader, was forced out after three months
by Gen. Sani Abacha, a long-time ally of Babangida, who became president
and banned all political institutions and labor unions. In 1994, Abiola
was arrested and charged with treason.
In 1995,
Abacha extended military rule for three more years, while proposing a
program for a return to civilian rule after that period; his proposal
was rejected by opposition leaders, but five political parties were
established in 1996. The Abacha regime drew international condemnation
in late 1995 when Ken Saro-Wiwa, a prominent writer, and eight other
human-rights activists were executed; the trial was condemned by
human-rights groups and led to Nigeria's suspension from the
Commonwealth of Nations. Also in 1995, a number of army officers,
including former head of state General Obasanjo, were arrested in
connection with an alleged coup attempt. In 1996, Kudirat Abiola, an
activist on behalf of her imprisoned husband, was murdered.
Abacha
died suddenly in June, 1998, and was succeeded by Gen. Abdulsalam
Abubakar, who immediately freed Obasanjo and other political prisoners.
Riots followed the announcement that Abiola had also died unexpectedly
in July, 1998, while in detention. Abubakar then announced an election
timetable leading to a return to civilian rule within a year.
Nigeria re-achieved democracy in 1999 when it elected Olusegun Obasanjo, the former military head of state, as the new President of Nigeria ending almost 33 years of military rule (from 1966 until 1999) excluding the short-lived second republic (between 1979 and 1983) by military dictators who seized power in coups d'état and counter-coups during the Nigerian military juntas of 1966-1979 and 1983-1998. Although the elections which brought Obasanjo to power in 1999 and again in 2003 were condemned as unfree and unfair, Nigeria has shown marked improvements in attempts to tackle government corruption and to hasten development.
Umaru Yar'Adua of the People's Democratic Party came into power in the general election of 2007 – an election that was witnessed and condemned by the international community as being severely flawed.[31]
Ethnic violence over the oil producing Niger Delta region and inadequate infrastructures are some of the current issues in the country.
Yar'Adua died on 5 May 2010. Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was sworn in as Yar'Adua's replacement on 6 May 2010,[32] becoming Nigeria's 14th Head of State, while his vice,a former Kaduna state governor, Namadi Sambo, an architect,was chosen on 18 May 2010,by the National Assembly following President Goodluck Jonathan's nomination for Sambo to be his Vice President.[33][34]
Goodluck Jonathan served as Nigeria's president till April 16, 2011,when a new presidential election in Nigeria was conducted. Goodluck Jonathan of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) was declared the winner on 19 April 2011,having won the election by a total of 22,495,187 of the 39,469,484 votes cast to stand ahead of Muhammadu Buhari from the main opposition party, the The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), which won 12,214,853 of the total votes cast.[35] The international media reported the elections as having run smoothly with relatively little violence or voter fraud in contrast to previous elections.
Umaru Yar'Adua of the People's Democratic Party came into power in the general election of 2007 – an election that was witnessed and condemned by the international community as being severely flawed.[31]
Ethnic violence over the oil producing Niger Delta region and inadequate infrastructures are some of the current issues in the country.
Yar'Adua died on 5 May 2010. Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was sworn in as Yar'Adua's replacement on 6 May 2010,[32] becoming Nigeria's 14th Head of State, while his vice,a former Kaduna state governor, Namadi Sambo, an architect,was chosen on 18 May 2010,by the National Assembly following President Goodluck Jonathan's nomination for Sambo to be his Vice President.[33][34]
Goodluck Jonathan served as Nigeria's president till April 16, 2011,when a new presidential election in Nigeria was conducted. Goodluck Jonathan of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) was declared the winner on 19 April 2011,having won the election by a total of 22,495,187 of the 39,469,484 votes cast to stand ahead of Muhammadu Buhari from the main opposition party, the The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), which won 12,214,853 of the total votes cast.[35] The international media reported the elections as having run smoothly with relatively little violence or voter fraud in contrast to previous elections.
Citation:
"Nigeria: History." The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia.
© 1994, 2000-2006, on Infoplease.
© 2000–2007 Pearson Education, publishing as Infoplease.
07 Nov. 2011 <http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/world/A0860005.html>.
© 1994, 2000-2006, on Infoplease.
© 2000–2007 Pearson Education, publishing as Infoplease.
07 Nov. 2011 <http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/world/A0860005.html>.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigeria
My First Blog Post
Let me start by introducing myself. I am Oladipupo Wasiu Bamidele, a Nigerian (although my friend will say we are not Nigerians since we don't enjoy anything from Nigeria, he will say we belong to the Federal Republic of the Masses), and as the title of the blog says, it is Random Thoughts. I'll just think about issues, ranging from the time past to the contemporary times and also the the future if there are any thought of that. Also jokes, entertainment gists and all that.
I hope you all will enjoy my blog, keep watching out for my posts!
Ciao!
I hope you all will enjoy my blog, keep watching out for my posts!
Ciao!
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