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Next Big Thing? How They're Texting "I Love You" in Nigeria

CitizenSugar — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 13:00:00 -0700

Maybe you've gotten an email or two from some nice people in Nigeria with a whale of a financial opportunity — but if you get a text from Nigeria titled “I swear, I will make sure I give you HIV," don’t call the police. It may just be someone’s idea of an affectionate overture. When you open the text you'll most likely then read “H is for happiness and joy forever with an I: Incomparable love that will never V: Vanish until death do us part. I love you.”

It’s the new way to wow your mate from the new book Touching the Heart Through Unforgettable Text Messages (Volume 2) written by Femi Emmanuel, who writes text messages for those either too busy or illiterate to express their feelings. The book is marketed mostly to Nigerians, who have been described as obsessive text senders and who are tired of the usual courtship texts littering their phones.

To see where the inspiration comes from,

Too Much of a Good Thing? This Cat Has 86 Wives

CitizenSugar — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 07:00:19 -0700

While we may have been shocked by the FLDS polygamy case in the US, this Nigerian man has that beat by a harem. Mohammed Bello Abubakar, 84, has 86 wives. Yes, that's right: 86 wives and at least 170 children. Far from recommending the practice to others, he says it takes a very special spirit to be wedded to scores of brides. He says, "A man with 10 wives would collapse and die, but my own power is given by Allah. That is why I have been able to control 86 of them." He has a reputation as a healer, which is why they're drawn to him. "I don't go looking for them, they come to me. I will consider the fact that God has asked me to do it and I will just marry them."

To find out how he cares for an Economy-Sized family, and how the women feel about it,

Front Page: Faster Iraq Pullout, Militants Invade Base in Afghanistan, Scramble for Jobs Kills 12

CitizenSugar — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 06:57:37 -0700

Faster Iraq Pullout:
The withdrawal of combat forces from Iraq beginning in September could be increased under new considerations by the Bush administration, a quicker plan than expected only months ago. The plan for additional troop withdrawals is a striking contrast to the surge in troops during the darkest part of the war in 2006 and 2007, and might lead to an additional 50,000 troops coming home. While the withdrawals will allow more moments like this, captured yesterday at Fort Bragg, the troops are needed for a more pressing concern in Afghanistan. Casualties in Afghanistan we greater than Iraq in May and June, a trend that is continuing this month.

Militants Invade Base in Afghanistan:
More than 100 insurgents invaded a US post in north-eastern Afghanistan yesterday sparking hours of fighting and leaving nine US troops dead. Using rocket propelled grenades and homemade mortars to bombard the base, they attacked the base from several sides near the border with Pakistan. The attack led to one of the single worst losses of life for foreign troops since operations began in 2001.
Scramble for Jobs Kills 12:
A recruitment drive for the Nigerian Immigration Service has left at least 12 dead after a stampede, when recruiters closed a gate to the government building where candidates were to sit an aptitude test. More than 130,000 candidates applied for 1,260 jobs in a country where there are few good employment prospects for the thousands of college graduates each year. The government jobs that caused the panic are prized for their regular salaries and good benefits.

Source

FABTV: Naomi Campbell Plants Trees in Nigeria

FabSugarUK — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 04:00:20 -0700

Naomi Campbell is trying to move away from her bad-girl image. Following her recent court charges she has traveled to Nigeria with designer Ozwald Boateng to get involved in environmental projects. Whilst literally getting her hands dirty planting trees she explained how at her father's Jamaican home she has named a tree Kate Moss.

South Africa's Xenophobic Violence Displaces Thousands

LibertySugar — Thu, 22 May 2008 06:00:37 -0700

In South Africa, xenophobic attacks on foreigners have left at least 20 people dead and 30,000 displaced. For the first time since apartheid ended, South Africa has deployed its army on its own streets, in an attempt to quell the attacks which began about 10 days ago, and have spread throughout the country.

Taking out their frustration with a 40 percent unemployment rate, inflation, and crime, mobs of locals around Johannesburg are targeting Nigerian-owned businesses, or those who have fled turbulent and nearby Zimbabwe to settle in South Africa. Originally, locals were blaming the migrants for crime and economic hard times; yet, now it appears the violence is purposeless and simply criminal.

While President Thabo Mbeki tries to stop the murdering, abuse, and looting, South African relief agencies are raising funds to help address the long term needs of the thousands of people who have been wounded or displaced. The Red Cross hopes to connect victims with psychological assistance as well as with their families outside the country. The organization also is launching an anti-discrimination campaign in the local communities.

For an inside look at the unrest, check out these pictures. At what point do economic frustration and intolerance turn to widespread violence? How can this tipping point be avoided?

Source

Nigerian Archbishop: Polygamy Makes a Mockery of Christians

LibertySugar — Tue, 13 May 2008 09:00:00 -0700

Polygamy isn't limited to America, where a second child was born to an underage member of the FLDS in custody. Archbishop Peter Akinola, the leader of Nigeria's Anglican Church, is telling Christian polygamists to cut out the big love.

Nigeria is religiously divided: the north is predominately Muslim, while the south is mostly Christian and animist. As a sort of recruiting tool, Muslims converting to Christianity were allowed to maintain their polygamist lifestyle.

Not any more. In a letter to his congregation, which includes 17.5 million Nigerians, the Archbishop wrote:

The observation [of polygamy] will destroy our witness if not firmly addressed. We cannot claim to be a Bible-believing church and yet be selective in our obedience.

Women that give up the polygamous lifestyle — which the Archbishop says is necessary — often remain single, even though they are free to remarry in the church. Their children remain with their ex-husbands.

Should women converts be forced to separate from their husbands and leave their families? Since Christians inevitably are selective in what they follow in a sometimes contradicting Bible, should an exception be made for Muslims who want to convert, but don't want to break up their families? Or, should these converts accept monogamy as a crucial tenant to the faith to which they hope to convert?

Source