WHY PASTOR SAM ADEYEMI DIDN’T ORDAIN ME --Eucharia Anunobi

WHY PASTOR SAM ADEYEMI DIDN’T ORDAIN ME --Eucharia Anunobi

That Nollywood actress, Eucharia Anunobi was officially ordained an evangelist might not be news, but the reason Eucharia was not ordained at Daystar Ministry,  the church she formerly attended headed by Pastor Sam Adeyemi, might be news. Before her ordination on Sunday, February 5, 2012, especially before the last quarter of 2011, Eucharia was a regular member of Daystar at Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos. It was a surprise to some members of Daystar when they heard that Eucharia was to be ordained at another church, Fresh Oil Ministry at Egbeda, Lagos. The bulky make-believe queen says her present spiritual father, Apostle Psalm Okpe of Fresh Oil Ministry saw the genuiness of her new status as a child of God. In her words, "Apostle Psalm Okpe saw the hunger and thirst for the kingdom in me earlier than others. While others were still slumbering, wondering if I was truly for Christ, he saw I that I wasn’t only hungry for Christ but also willing to die for Christ. He is now my number one father forever." On why she left Pastor Sam Adeyemi’s church, Eucharia responded this way, "you can know and have many masters, but how many masters can see the loyalty and the servitude inside of you? I don’t know if you understand where I am coming from." But when asked what her relationship with Pastor Sam Adeyemi is like now, the single mother of one simply said, "I am still his member, I am a member to a lot of churches."

UNVEILING THE BLACKBERRY PORSCHE P'9981

BlackBerry Porsche P'9981

A PHONE TO DIE FOR 

There are enough high-profile fans of the BlackBerry to make something like this Porsche Design special edition make sense. From celebrities to CEOs, the BlackBerry still has quite a hold on people as a great communicator, whether for business or pleasure.

And this Porsche Design P'9981 BlackBerry is something special. But does it go far enough? Will this give you a BlackBerry experience that surpasses what you'll find elsewhere? Is this the BlackBerry handset you should be aspiring to own?

Design

RIM isn't known for design variation. Tracking the family of the BlackBerry handsets, not a huge amount has changed over the past few years. The same could be said of Porsche automobiles, but both the Porsche and the BlackBerry are rather iconic in their design.

The Porsche Design BlackBerry P'9981, however, really brings some class to the tried and tested Bold formula. Where the standard Bold blends in with the rest of the BB crowd, the P'9981 is distinct and individual and really stands out in a sea of similarity.

Whether you like it, or not, will be a case of personal taste and we've come from a position of thinking it was brash and offensive, to one where we love the look and feel. You know it's special and so does everyone you show it to.

Hewn from stainless steel, it's still instantly recognisable as a BlackBerry thanks to the split face offering a full QWERTY keyboard below the display. The finish is very good in most places. The keyboard feels right, the phone looks right from every angle. Where the metal gives way for the display you have wonderful distinct clean design lines.

But as much as we love the design, it's design where this phone also suffers. The back is plastic and finished in leather, although it feels substantial enough when in place it doesn't attach especially well to the back of the phone.

Like many devices, it uses regularly placed plastic tabs to hold it on, but on our sample it was all too easy to pop the back off by accident. Grip the phone wrong and you feel the back detach. Porsche cars have a reputation for letting the back-end go so we're wondering if it is some sort of in-joke.

The second point is the positioning of the convenience key. This is a useful button, which you can program to open an application of your choice - the default is to launch the camera. It is positioned in the right edge, exactly where your hand would be if you use a two-thumbed keyboard technique. On more than one occasion we were furiously typing emails, only to find we’d launched the camera.

Aside from the overly large box that the phone arrives in, you also get a matching dock. This too is finished in steel and leather and features a soft light to guide your Porsche phone in at night for refuelling. It's a convenient bedside stand and we like it a lot.

This being a dressed-up BlackBerry Bold, the keyboard is one of the most important elements. At first we weren't sold on it, as the alternative characters are much more difficult to see than on the regular Bold. This isn't helped by the decision to move away from the tried and tested black background, but the backlighting certainly helps make things clearer once you start typing.

Although the design is sharper, and the cut across the individual keys is sharper and more defined than on the Bold, that action isn't too different. Given a couple of days with the phone, we found that using it became second nature. Despite the changes, it's only really the occasional moment when you're left looking for a colon that it causes a problem.

Hardware

Internally, there is less to talk about, especially if you've read our BlackBerry Bold 9900 review. You get a 1.2GHz processor, 768MB RAM and 8GB of internal memory. BlackBerry has been kind enough to include a 16GB microSD card too, so you should be well provisioned for storage.

The screen too, is the same as the original Bold. It is a capacitive touchscreen, with a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels. That sounds low in modern terms, but at only 2.8-inches, it gives you an impressive 287ppi. It will render fine detail crisply and there is punch and vibrancy to the colours, but it's let down with a flaky touch response.

We're convinced this is nothing to do with the hardware and everything to do with the software, more on which later.

Around the back of the phone you have a 5-megapixel camera, supported by an LED flash. This is lacking in modern terms, not because of the pixel count, but because it is fixed focus. This sets it behind other smart phone cameras in terms of results, which aren't as sharp as we'd like. Given good conditions you'll get snaps acceptable for sharing, but the inability to focus on close detail is irritating.

The camera also offers you HD video of the 720p variety. Again, focus is fixed so it's not as adept as some rivals, although this is less of an issue in mobile video capture. The results are average, a little noisier than you might expect, but perfectly acceptable for casual use.

The external speaker is surprisingly good and loud. It lacks bass, obviously, so isn't great for music, but plug in a pair of quality headphones and the results are good too. The external speaker is in the bottom of the device and surprisingly it isn't devastatingly muffled when you park it on the dock.

There is a set of Porsche Design headphones in the box, which offer an in-line mic, but we weren't taken by the quality of the audio they offered and were easily surpassed by the Klipsch headphones we tried instead.

The ear speaker is loud enough and we had no problems hearing callers, although that neatly designed angular top edge can be a little uncomfortable against your ear in long calls. We also found we could hear our end of the conversation being repeated through the ear speaker during a call, although this might be a problem limited to this device.

Software, apps, performance

So far the Porsche Design BlackBerry P'9981 has hit most of the right markers. The hardware looks powerful on paper, the cameras are okay, but not fantastic, and the design and keyboard are mostly without issue. But a phone hangs on the software performance, which governs the user experience.

The theme applied to the Porsche Design handset can be switched off if you don't like it, although it is nice to have something a little different. But what it loses is in the app icons. All the native app icons have been stylised and in the process it all become rather generic, so it's more difficult to spot the app you want in a flash.

But this customisation only applies to the native and preinstalled apps, not those you then download, so it does end up being something of a mishmash.

Starting with the positives, the BlackBerry 7 OS that the P'9981 sits on provides a great communication experience. BlackBerry's integrated messaging system and universal search make it easy to find what you're looking for and managing a busy email life is certainly easy. It's mostly conversant with things like Google accounts, although it will stumble with multiple calendars - Google Sync will resolve that for you though.

The combination of touch and type works to a point. You can quickly select an icon or tap a link, which is better than scrolling across the optical trackpad to make things happen. But on many occasions, like trying to press a button at the bottom of the display, the screen doesn't respond. When people are becoming familiar with a silky smooth and refined touch experiences elsewhere, BB 7 feels a little rudimentary.

We won't go into more detail of what RIM needs to do to move the OS forward, but we will stop to talk about the topic du jour: apps. They have redefined the mobile experience and the BlackBerry, while offering many and varied applications, finds itself without some of the biggest names.

There is no Skype, for example, no Netflix, no BBC iPlayer and some of the core apps, such as YouTube, merely redirect to the mobile website. The App World app itself isn't great and whenever you come to download and install new apps, everything else grinds to a halt and often begs for a restart.

The browser, although vastly better than previous BB versions, is no match for Android or iOS. Pinch zooming doesn't work well at all, scrolling can be slow and jerky, even if pages load quickly enough.

The result is that no matter how well you dress your BlackBerry, the experience is very much the same. If you spend your time working through emails sitting in the back seat of a Phaeton, then you probably won't care. The core BlackBerry services are well integrated and run without a hitch - except Maps, which is as good as useless. If you're the sort of person who whiles away time on the train with a little casual gaming, or catching up on last night's TV, this isn't the phone for you.

And finally…

The last word goes to battery life. With a 1230mAh battery, the P'9981 struggles to make it through a busy day. Like the Bold 9900, we found that the P'9981 needed to be charged every night. This is slightly out of character for a BlackBerry handset, as most of the rest of the range will easily make it through a day. At least you have that dock to park it on, so you don't need to fiddle around with cables.

Verdict

It might sound like we've been rather harsh here, but there's no escaping the fact that the P'9981, Porsche Design or not, it still a BlackBerry at its core. Where it excels with communication features, it lacks with entertainment refinement. Whilst the app offering is there, it isn't anything like as exciting as you'll get on Apple or Android.

You couldn't say the Porsche Design BlackBerry P'9981 was good value for money, but then you couldn't say that about a Porsche either. A VW Beetle will get you from A to B comfortably and effectively, but people still go out and buy the Porsche Cayman. But this is a little like buying your Cayman with a 1.2-litre Beetle engine: it has the looks and it will get you there, but not like a Porsche should.

We can't say the P'9981 is any worse than the Bold 9900 in terms of performance. It has the same positives and the same negatives. Together they offer the best performance in the current BlackBerry portfolio; if that's the phone you're after. With a price of €1475  (£1234)  it will never be deemed good value for money, but then what Porsche is?

HOUSE OF TARA GOES MOBILE

Her husband, Fela Durotoye is working hard inspiring the youths of Nigeria to take up entrepreneurial ventures so that this country will soon start boasting of its own multinational companies; in the same vain it seems that the wife, who lives with him, is already driven on his idea. Born March, 6, 1977, this Lawyer has turned her Tara Orekelewa beauty range; Inspire Perfume and H.I.P Beauty range to strong beauty product lines. Latest emanating fro her stable is her new mobile servicing package. Now you can be served with makeup tips right from your mobile phone. All you need to do is dial, 299 or SMS BRIDAL to 38296 to get daily tips at a very affordable price of N100 per month. Bravo Madam Tara.

Suleja Christian Community Reacts To Bomb Blast

THE Christian community in Niger State was again, on Sunday, thrown into confusion, following an early morning bomb blast a few metres from the front of Christ Embassy Church in Morocco area  of the town, which left about five unidentified persons seriously injured.
The latest bomb blast by yet to be known  persons came about eight weeks after a similar incident claimed many lives  on the premises of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church at Madalla, on the boundary between Niger State and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
At the time of filing this report on Sunday, nobody had claimed responsibility for the bomb blast, but operatives of the State Security Service (SSS), who moved to the scene were quoted as saying that an  improvised explosive device (IED) was  planted by unknown people inside a vehicle parked some few metres away from the front of the church.
The bomb blast  was reported to have occurred at about 10.30 a.m near the church and a popular hotel on the busy street.
An eyewitness, who craved anonymity, confirmed  the bomb explosion, claiming that no person was killed. He added that the damage from the bomb, which was planted amidst five cars, was minimal.
According to the source, among the injured persons, two were rushed to Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital while three others received treatment at Suleja hospital and had been discharged.
Another witness said that some people who were close to the scene saw a parked car without a number plate. They became suspicious and started alerting people to stay away from the car, before the explosive went off.
He said, “the most fortunate thing was when the bomb exploded in the car, there was no fire from the vehicle, though other parked vehicles by the side were affected because of the impact of the explosive device.”
It was learnt that military personnel that were deployed in the Suleja Local Government Area after the declaration of the state of emergency early this year have taken over and cordoned off the area.
Reacting, the Director-General of Niger State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Mohammad Shaba, said he was mobilising his staff to the scene of the incident with a view to  taking over the treatment of the injured persons and also to meet with those that lost their property.
When contacted, the state Commissioner of Police, Alhaji  Ibrahim Maishanu, confirmed the incident, saying that one person was injured and two vehicles were affected in the blast.
He said, “one person was injured and two vehicles were affected and as I am talking with you, I am on my way to Suleja to further ascertain the situation.”
Meanwhile, four persons suspected to be members of Boko Haram were, on Sunday, arrested at St Theresa’s Catholic Church at High Level, Makurdi, the Benue State capital.
 The Nigerian Tribune learnt that the four suspects had attempted to gain entry into the church at the commencement of the second mass around 10.00 a.m, when they were stopped by private security men.
 The questions posed to the suspects, who were said to have dressed in kaftan with rosary in their hands, were not answered satisfactorily and the policemen attached to the church to beef up security were said to have put a call to their colleagues who whisked them away.
 Some members of the church and a security man at the gate, who did not want his name in print, confirmed the report to Nigerian Tribune, saying that the suspects claimed to have come from Kaduna State and that they were in the church to see someone whose name was not given.
 The security man said that the four suspects were dressed in kaftan, adding that two of them held rosary in their hands, pretending to be Catholic faithful, saying, “their answers to questions put to them were not satisfactory enough.”
 One of the members of the church, an eyewitness who gave his name as Clement, told Nigerian Tribune that “the dressing of the four suspects was different from those of us who worship here. The rosary in their hands was not convincing enough. So, the police officers, who were attached to this place, immediately put a call to their office and the four suspects were taken away.”
 Efforts to get information from the policemen were rebuffed, as one of them who prevented Nigerian Tribune from seeing the priest in charge said, “you newsmen like to disturb, where did you get your information? How do you know whether the people (suspects) were members of Boko Haram?”
 Presiding minister, Reverend Father John Tomdom said he was yet to be briefed on the arrest of any suspect, saying, “I have just finished from the mass, I am yet to receive information and you know that there is no way I could know what was happening outside while I was inside the church.”
 Confirming the arrest, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr Alaribe Ejike, however, said that the people were not members of  Boko Haram.
It will be recalled that following the rumour that Benue State is on the invasion list of the dreaded sect, the state government and religious leaders in the state took measures to beef up security in places of worship. Hence, some churches now have security agents manning their gates every Sunday.
Also, the state governor, Mr Gabriel Suswam, had recently raised the alarm, claiming that about 100 members of the Boko Haram sect had been arrested and detained in undisclosed cells.
In another development, a lull appears imminent in the frequent attacks by members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect as the trans-border supply lines of the sect have been disrupted as a result of a crisis rocking al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), a notorious terrorist group with a training camp in northern Mali.
Reports from the Sahel Region, which is the boundary between the Sahara Desert and the dense interior jungles of Africa, indicate that AQIM is embroiled in a major leadership crisis between two leaders of the group- Mohammed Ghadir and Khaled Abass, who are vying for the control of AQIM’s Sahara emirate.
A tripartite terrorist groups namely, Nigeria’s Boko Haram, AQIM in the Sahara and al-Shabaab in Somalia, receive material and infrastructural support from their parent body, al-Qaeda.
It will be recalled that Boko Haram recently confirmed its al-Qaeda link from which it draws nourishment.
Military and intelligence services are reported by Magharebia, an interactive news website covering the Maghreb region, to have made serious advances in breaking the communication and supply links among the trio, a development said to be positive for Nigeria’s intelligence community in stopping the supply chain to the Boko Haram sect.
The leadership tussle is said to have enhanced the capacity of the Sahel military and intelligence agencies in disrupting the terror operations, leading to the recent large-scale arrests and killings of members of the groups.
According to security analysts, AQIM’s crisis has been complicated by the scaling up of military operations, as well as intelligence penetration by the Joint Sahel Intelligence Centre and the Joint Military Command, which are said to have sown panic among the leadership of the group.
Sahel military groups, it was gathered, were said to be conducting disruptive operations targeting the three terrorist organisations, even as it was said to be reaching out to the Nigerian government with the aim of preventing al-Qaeda and Boko Haram from forging a closer alliance.
The clampdown on the terrorist network was reported to have also led to the arrest of several Boko Haram recruits on their way to AQIM training camps in northern Mali by the Nigerian authorities, just as Libyan weapons destined for the camps were said to have been intercepted.
“There is continuous thinking about preventing this terrorist network, which tries to extend from the eastern to central Africa, from communicating,” a Mauritanian Foreign Ministry official confirmed to Magharebia.
Many within the nation’s security circles are reported to have identified the stoppage of external supply chain to Boko Haram from the Sahel region and other sources as a major strategy in combating terrorism in the country.
A Sahel security analyst, Handy Ould Dah, was quoted by the news agency as declaring that Algeria had disrupted relations between Boko Haram and AQIM.
In addition, African countries in the Sahel region were said to have been successful in convincing the Tuareg communities across the region to join in the fight against AQIM in return for accelerated development in their communities.
This was said to have led to a notorious group, the National Movement of Azaouad (NMLA), disowning AQIM.
Meanwhile, France and Britain will soon launch counter-terrorism operations in the north of Mali and Niger Republic.
El Khabar, an Algerian newspaper, reported that the move was aimed at further weakening the coordination of the three terrorist groups.
According to the newspaper, the two countries were collecting as much intelligence as possible, through aerial reconnaissance missions, conducting tapping and monitoring operations of some terror sites with operations reported to include killing of terrorist leaders in what is known as “physical liquidations.”
The goal of the operation was to put an end to the frequent abduction of Western nationals and prevent AQIM from spreading its terror tentacles.
Experts in the Sahel said the French-British efforts were proceeding in deliberate coordination with regional countries in terms of collecting intelligence and setting the goals to be focused upon.
Nigerian security officials were, however, not ready to confirm or deny the development in the Sahel and its effects on the nation’s battle against Boko Haram, as they described security operations as “classified.”