Tuesday, February 24, 2015
World's Most Expensive Food Is Albino Caviar AKA “White Gold”
And You Wont Believe How Expensive A Teaspoon Cost (Photos)
White Gold anyone??? Most Expensive Food Product - Dried Albino Caviar held by its creator Walter Gruell
A special type of caviar, made from rare albino fish eggs and laced with 22-carat gold, is thought to be the most expensive food on the planet. Priced at a staggering $300,000 per kilo (that’s about $40,000 per teaspoon), ‘White Gold’ caviar will be served to the super rich at some of the best restaurants in the world.
According to Patrick, the Strottarga Bianco comes from the white roe of the extremely rare albino sturgeon. To make just one kilo White Gold, the father-son duo use five kilos of caviar, which is then dehydrated. Older sturgeon are used because the eggs are apparently more elegant, smooth, spongier, aromatic, and they simply taste better.
The albino beluga that produces the special caviar originally lived in the Caspian Sea, but it is now almost extinct in its native environment, making it a rare delicacy. Another reason for the prohibitive price of White Gold is the age of albino belugas. While sturgeons usually live over 100 years, few belugas reach that age due to a genetic flaw that shortens their life.
The rare albino 'white gold' caviar is thought to be the world's priciest foodstuff. (CEN) |
Patrick admitted that white gold caviar is not meant for everyone because it is an acquired taste. But he does believe that there is a market for such exclusive products, especially when newly introduced. And in order to give people a taste white gold, they are currently offering the stuff at a discounted price of $112,000 to selected customers.
Chris Brown disses the Grammys, says he'll be happy if Rihanna gets with Leo Dicaprio
Chris Brown and Tyga are currently promoting their new joint album- Fan Of A Fan 2, which drops Feb. 24th and have been doing a lot of interviews. In an interview with Hot 97 today, Chris Brown dissed the Grammys, Drake, and said he'd be happy to hear his ex Rihanna is dating Leonardo Dicaprio. Meanwhile, Tyga said he's not going to stop being 'friends' with Kylie. Real all that below...
Chris Brown on The Grammys:
“The Grammy is f*cking bullsh*t. I’m that great that I don’t need to vote for myself. So many people are scared to say something. I kinda give it to Kanye [West] cause say what you want. I think it should be a different form of how they judge.
Chris Brown on Drake:
“This n*gga not making us no money by us talking about him. We not getting no checks by this n*gga. We making him hot by talking bout this n*gga. I’m not giving this n*gga no more ratings. I’m not taking his side cause I don’t mess with dude. I’m on probation so that’s all I’m gone say.
Chris Brown on Drake surprisingly dropping his mixtape If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late:
“Yea that’s cool, forget him though. We talking about Beyonce. But that’s copying what you saw from the success you saw from somebody else.”
Chris Brown on having to reschedule dates for the “Between the Sheets” tour:
“I lost $3 million from doing that, $3 million in production. The thing that hurt me the most was it was already an approval. I had 100 hours left, but they knew doing that would mess up a lot of stuff. So they were like I had to finish the 100 hours before I went on tour. I wish they had told me that two, three weeks in advance.”
Chris Brown on PETA coming for him and Karrueche :
“As far as PETA, I wish they would throw a cup of paint on me.” Then he quickly changed it up, “I don’t wish. I’m on probation, so how about we not throw paint and we find another way to converse on this situation [laughs].”
On he and Karrueche showing up in matching furs at NYFW:
“We’re great. We never really got a chance to step out as a fly couple so being able to do that during Fashion Week at Michael Costello show, we just got a chance to go to the show and have some fun. She’s on the tour [with me] now. I love that girl.”
Chris Brown on Rihanna:
He said he didn’t send Rihanna a birthday text, but said he would give her a high-five if she gets with Leonardo DiCaprio. “I’m not a hater, I’m not envious. I can’t have it all.”
Chris Brown on having beautiful women around him while he’s in a relationship with Karrueche:
“If I was were to have 15 girls in the studio, my girl know it’s 15 girls in the studio. Am I boning the 15 girls? Naw, but they’re giving me inspiration. I can have b*tches…around.”
Tyga on his “friendship” with 17-year-old Kylie Jenner:
“She’s just a good person. I love being around her. It’s my decision to continue to be around her. I don’t think it’s the world’s decision to dictate that.”
Tyga on Kylie’s family giving them the side-eye:
“We always hung out whether if I was in a relationship or not. They knew I had a kid. King [his son] would go over there and play with North [West] so it wasn’t nothing new. Life is about being happy and keeping yourself surrounded by people who bring that good energy.”
Tyga on tweeting Drake’s a “b*tch” on Twitter and then deleting it:
“Yea that was quick like, you know. You know how you get hot real quick then you think about it."
Tyga on Cash Money:
“I learned a lot being around [Lil] Wayne, but I started realizing the business wasn’t right. I would ask him [Chris] questions because I didn’t know. It got to the point where I had to speak how I feel. Then, when I started speaking up, people start coming at me like I was crazy. You see the situation with Wayne right now and now people are like ‘damn, you was right.'”
Tyga on getting out of his YMCMB deal:
“I was supposed to be out the deal. They agreed to a number to let me out the deal. I was going to pay them a few million dollars to get out the deal. Even though they owed me money, I was going to pay them because I’m not petty. I just want to move on with my life and continue to build. I don’t know what happened, everybody went M.I.A.”
Tyga on how he gets money:
“I have a clothing line that’s a $20 million company. I have a boxer line that we’re about to put in stores. I have a real estate investment company that I just started. I don’t have the shoe deal with Reebok no more, I’m with L.A. Gear. I’m about to bring the light ups back because I want to do something that’s retro that ties in what we’re doing [with the album].”
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Here's why 100 million people have gone nuts over 'Fifty Shades of Grey'
The "Fifty Shades of Grey" movie made $81.7 million on its opening weekend, making it the most successful Presidents Day weekend debut in history and one of the biggest debuts for an R-rated movie.
Released in 2011, the first book became the fastest-selling novel written for adults of all time, and the three-part trilogy sold more than 100 million copies, putting it in the same class as the "Harry Potter" and "Twilight" series and making its author, E.L. James, over $90 million in one year.
This is quizzical, given that the critical consensus is that both the books and the movie are pretty terrible.
Why have so many people become obsessed with "Fifty Shades" in print and on the screen?
To untangle that knot, we've gathered possible explanations from a range of reporters, critics, and academics:
While appearing new and divisive, "Fifty Shades" is an old, beloved story.
If you cut away the light bondage, "Fifty Shades" is the same story as "Beauty and the Beast," which was originally a French fairy tale first published in 1756 before becoming a blockbuster Disney feature.
So it's kinky, yet familiar.
"Fifty Shades" fits "the time-honored trope: innocent girl falls for troubled man, endures his anti-social behavior out of belief in his ultimate goodness, and eventually teaches him to be a sociable, polite member of society," writes blogger Joe Bunting.
That same "tame-the-ruffian" plot has been endlessly re-fashioned, from "Pretty Woman" to "My Fair Lady" to "Taming of the Shrew" to "10 Things I Hate About You."
New technology made the book accessible — and hideable.
"Fifty Shades" started as an e-book sensation, which may have helped give it an initial lift.
"People who like to trace all new trends back to new technology have offered this explanation — that women who wouldn't be seen dead reading smut on the tube could read it on their Kindle, and this launched a whole world of sales," argues Guardian columnist Zoe Williams.
Anti-fans couldn't stop talking about it.
People love to hate "Fifty Shades," argue British feminist lit scholars Sarah Harman and Bethan Jones in a 2013 article for the journal Sexualities, and that's a big reason that the series has swelled in popularity.
"We suggest that 'Fifty Shades' has ... generated an ironic, even guilty, fandom in which readers and viewers bemoan the series' flaws, while enjoying (sometimes furtively) the texts," they write.
In this way, "hate reading" the books is a way of deeply engaging with them, as well as telling everybody about your taste. While the haters might dismiss the books as "bad literature," "popular," and "drivel," they're still talking about the books with their friends — making everybody more curious about what's inside.
It worked for the movie, too. MSNBC editor Adam Howard has said that "Fifty Shades" is a zeitgeist-capturing conversation-driver like another big 2015 release — "American Sniper."
"These are films that become events because of the 'controversy' they generate as well as their box office numbers (which becomes something of a self-fulfilling prophecy)," Howard writes. "They drive audiences into pro- or con- camps that often have little do with a film's merits and much more to do with what they represent for their fans or detractors."
The movie was incredibly well-timed.
Universal was originally going to release the "Fifty Shades" movie in October 2014, but saved it for the Valentine's Day and Presidents Day combo weekend, usually a time reserved for family-friendly romantic comedies.
"Fifty Shades" is anything but family friendly.
"The gamble paid off," BoxOffice.com analyst Phil Contrino tells Variety. "It flies in the face of what you'd expect to be released on that day. It's usually safe and non-offensive dramas and comedies."
The sex is good.
Most sex scenes in books are terrible, says Williams, the Guardian columnist. That's why the Literary Review Bad Sex in Fiction Award exists — for authors that describe sex with awkward metaphors and excruciatingly awkward sex scenes, which are often disconnected from the plot.
Then there's "Fifty Shades."
"James' sex scenes are not incidental; they are the meat of the plot, the crux of the conflict, the key to at least one of and possibly both the central characters," she says. "It is a sex book."
In this way, "Fifty Shades" captures something that serious fiction misses: sexuality. As New York Times critic A. O. Scott says, the novel "trashily" and "triumphantly" succeeded in being something that there's a proven market for: pornography.
The film — in fitting snugly within the R-rating — is much less explicit than the book, but surprisingly relatable.
"The sex scenes are closer to actual sex between two people who like each other than almost anything I've ever seen in a theater," writes Business Insider's Shane Ferro. "They're not even really that good, but they are better than the male-centric sexual cliché that Hollywood usually churns out."
Mike Tyson Still Doesn't Regret That Face Tattoo
Mike Tyson Mysteries seems like a hallucination one might have experienced following an uppercut from the former world champion 20 years ago. Oh, look, there's Iron Mike, tooling around in a "Scooby-Doo" van, solving mysteries with the help of a ghost, a teenage Korean girl, and an alcoholic, masturbating pigeon with Norm Macdonald's voice.
So when is it time for me to wake up face down in some boxing ring?
The animated series of 10 quarter-hour episodes—which premieres October 27th at 10:30pm ET on the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim—is only the latest insane step in a rehab process that's slowly transforming Tyson's public image from monster to funny retired sports hero. Basically, Tyson has pulled a nearly complete reverse O.J. Simpson.
"Whoa!" Tyson, 48, said during a phone interview. "I don't know. That's pretty interesting that you said that, but this is what I know—it's because I put forth the effort, but it has a lot to do with a lot of other people, too, being patient with me and having the confidence and belief in me."
Tyson's knockout from grace involved a rape conviction, making ear sushi out of Evander Holyfield, and a whole bunch of other stuff we invite you to read about yourself on Wikipedia.
The Hangover was how it all started coming back around. In the 2009 comedy hit, Tyson—who later admitted to taking the part to fuel a coke habit—played up his negative image to tremendous comedic effect.
"People told me I was funny—the executives," Tyson said. "I never in all the years thought that I was.”
Tyson said comedy is not so dissimilar from his old job: "You have to feel the timing, just like fighting. It's not about the rehearsing. It's about feeling it and going in precise time, just like punches."
The Hangover led to a standup comedy act, which HBO filmed for a 2013 special, Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth, and nowMike Tyson Mysteries.
"Some executives came to me," Tyson said. "I didn't think it would be a good idea, the writers didn't think it would be a good idea. So we went in the studio, and it turned out pretty good."
Tyson said his character on the show shares his real-life love for pigeons, his poor driving skills, and his crippling neuroses.
"I'm a worry wart," Tyson said. "My head is driving me nuts. I'm always thinking about something that's not true, that's going to happen but never happens.
"Man, it's really weird," he said. "But it's good stuff."
When asked who he thought was more insane deep inside, Norm Macdonald or himself, Tyson had a surprising answer: He has never met his co-star and has no idea who the formerSaturday Night Live news anchor is. (They recorded their parts separately and Macdonald blew off the show’s Television Critics Association press conference.)
"Man, I don't know Norm from a can of paint," Tyson said. "I met the guy that did the ghost and I always thought that was Norman. What I do know about Norman is that he's very famous. Around 100 people already in the street asked me, 'Hey, you're working with Norm Macdonald?'"
Tyson said he has few regrets about his past. “I understand the game now,” he said. “It’s about just being grateful for what you have now and not to really dwell on the past. There’s no future in my past. My future’s in my future.”
Floyd Mayweather Announces Fight With Manny Pacquiao Is Set For May 2
At long last, pound-for-pound greats Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao will fight.
Yes, the bout that looms as one of the most anticipated in boxing history is finally on.For more than five years sports fans have clamored for a summit meeting between the two best fighters in the world, and after various failed negotiations -- and a protracted and difficult effort to make the fight in recent months -- they will get it on May 2 to unify the fighters' welterweight world titles at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The showdown is a lock to be the richest in boxing history and will, barring a draw, settle the issue that has been debated for years: Who is the No. 1 fighter in boxing and who is the king of this era?
Mayweather made the announcement on Friday afternoon on a social media platform called Shots, of which he is an investor.
"I am glad my decision to meet with Manny and discuss making this fight happen helped get the deal done," Mayweather said, referring to a chance Jan. 27 meeting with Pacquiao at a Miami Heat game followed by a private discussion after the game. "Giving the fans what they want to see is always my main focus. This will be the biggest event in the history of the sport."
"Boxing fans and sports fans around the world will witness greatness on May 2," Mayweather said. "I am the best ever, TBE, and this fight will be another opportunity to showcase my skills and do what I do best, which is win. Manny is going to try to do what 47 before him failed to do, but he won't be successful. He will be number 48."
The networks resultingly will come together to produce and distribute a joint pay-per-view telecast, which is expected to cost a record-high $89.95 (and probably $10 more for high definition).
The fight is expected to shatter every revenue record in boxing history, including the pay-per-view buy record of 2.4 million generated by Mayweather's 2007 junior middleweight championship fight against Oscar De La Hoya; the all-time pay-per-view revenue record of $150 million generated by Mayweather's 2013 junior middleweight championship fight against Canelo Alvarez; and the all-time gate record of $20,003,150.
"Everyone involved, including Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, knows this fight simply had to happen," said Stephen Espinoza, executive vice president and general manager of Showtime Sports. "All of us are thrilled to be able to deliver this event to boxing fans around the world.
For years, Mayweather and Pacquiao have been the two best fighters in the world, fighting in the same weight class but having not faced each other despite constant public demand.
Both have been considered the pound-for-pound king at various times, with Mayweather having held that mythical position for the past few years with Pacquiao right behind him for most of that period.
Where my boxing fans at?
Dubai Infero : Fire rips through one of the world's tallest residential buildings in Dubai
Authorities say there were no reports of deaths or injuries from the Marina Torch fire and the cause of the fire is not immediately clear. See photos from the incident after the cut...
Kim, North West, Khloe, Kylie Car Accident in Montana y
- Cops tell us there was no damage to the Kardashian's vehicle -- a black Yukon GMC -- and a motor carrier service called the slide-off into police.
We're told the incident was part of a number of similar accidents that happened today due to the icy roads ... and the family was calm when cops arrived. No citations were issued.
Khloe Kardashian skidded on an ice-covered Montana road and dangerously crossed into oncoming traffic, eventually landing in a ditch with Kim, North West and Kylie on board.
We're told the girls were driving in Bozeman, MT Saturday morning when a semi-truck drove by their car and kicked up a ton of snow, hitting their windshield and apparently blinding Khloe.
Apparently Khloe couldn't see and began swerving, right into a patch of black ice. The car then spun out of control, crossing oncoming traffic and ending up in a ditch.
We're told cops came and everyone's ok.
The accident comes 2 weeks to the day after Bruce Jenner got in his fatal car crash.
Kim posted this pic on Instagram afterward ... seemingly making reference to the accident.
WV Pharmacist Shoots and Kills Armed Robber
Dramatic surveillance footage captures the moment an attempted robbery at a West Virginia pharmacy turns deadly.
The video shows Terry Gillenwater, 25, enter Good Family Pharmacy in Pinch, West Virginia, Wednesday morning wearing a bandana.
When Gillenwater reaches into his jacket and pulls out a gun, pharmacist Don Radcliff reaches for his own weapon to protect a store full of customers and employees.
The footage shows Radcliff beat Gillenwater on the draw and fire a shot that hits the robber in the chest. A second shot hits Gillenwater's gun, knocking it to the floor. As Gillenwater runs off camera, Radcliff fires a third shot that hits the suspect in the abdomen and brings him down.
Gillenwater reportedly died of his wounds on the way to the hospital.
Radcliff was shaken by the scary incident, but he has returned to his job, with the support of family, friends and his faith.
"I'm glad that God put me in a situation that I was able to do what I did," Radcliff said.
Police have announced that they will not file charges against Radcliff, who has a conceal and carry permit for his weapon.
Watch the harrowing surveillance footage below.
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Nicki Minaj’s Crew Member Killed In Philadelphia In A Bar Fight
Nicki Minaj is currently mourning the loss of one of her crew member, De’Von Pickett, 29, who was brutally stabbed to death in Philadelphia on Wednesday, February 18, 2015.
According to reports, the stabbing occurred during a bar fight.which started with an argument inside Che Bar & Grill in Philadelphia.
Another member of Minaj’s team, Eric Parker, who also suffered multiple stab wounds to his side is receiving medical treatment in the hospital but is expected to survive.
Pickett and Parker have been in Philadelphia for 2 days rehearsing for Niki Minaj’s forthcoming tour with new boyfriend, Meek Mill which starts in March 16, 2015 in Sweden.
The rap queen shared the sad news via her Instagram page on Wednesday, February 19, 2015.
She captioned it: #Rp @myfabolouslife – these guys flew into Philly for my tour rehearsals 2 days ago and were both stabbed last night. #RIPDAYDAY condolences to your family. Unbelievable. Eric (on the right) is recovering. Another senseless act of violence that took the life of a great guy. So sad.Really sad.
(Satisfy Us In Bed Or Face Mass Divorce ) Kaduna Women Protest Against Their Husbands
A group of women from the Rido community in Kaduna State, took to the streets on Wednesday, February 19, 2015 to publicly complain about their husband’s sexual weakness, asking that they start performing their matrimonial duties or face mass divorce.
The women, who were assembled at the NDA Junction in the state capital, blamed the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC) for their husband’s inability to perform as a result of the chemical waste and fumes from the company into their environment.
Speaking to newsmen during the protest, some of the married women complained bitterly that some of the men in the Mararaba Rido community were impotent due to the toxic waste from the KRPC.
They revealed that their husbands suffer weak erection and infertility, while the women suffer miscarriage and other health complications.
A married woman, Jummai Isaac, 27, said she has not taken in since she got married in the year 2000.
“I haven’t conceived since I got married in the last fourteen years, and doctors have, on several occasions, confirmed to me absence of any known cause of inability to get pregnant.
Initially, doctors thought I had fibroid in my womb, but after several scans and some medical tests, they dispelled that notion.”
However, a community leader, Mohammed Bashar, explained that, “Most of the complaints could be associated with secondary infertility, because victims have, in the past, given birth to children before they suddenly stopped.
There was widespread belief that smoke and poisonous gases emitted from the refinery have reproductive health effect on people living in the area, but no medical report has confirmed the allegation due to inability of villagers to seek comprehensive medical tests, perhaps owing to lack of awareness and poverty.”
Friday, February 20, 2015
Lekki Toll: The Biggest Fraud Ever Conceived And Committed
Lagos state is said to be the economic capital of Nigeria and the reason why it is so isn’t far-fetched. Lagos is home to several multi-national companies who have invested so much into the economy of the country.
Successive administrations in Lagos have always seen the potentials Lagos state offers the country and are ever willing to tap into those potentials either for the personal aggrandisement or for the development of the state and invariably the nation.
However since the advent of democracy in 1999, the dominant party in power has capitalised on the potentials but in a negative way. Several atrocities have been committed in other sectors but emphasis here is on the road construction in the state. (Have it in mind that road construction gulps billions of naira).
Below are the facts that will give you insights into the biggest fraud ever conceived and committed in Nigeria
1. The Lekki-Epe express road was initially constructed by the Jakande administration and completed by the Mudashiru and Mike Akhigbe military administrations in 1987. The entire Lekki axis was then opened up for rapid development. Between 1985 and now, the corridor has been experiencing rapid and unprecedented urban growth as hundreds of new communities, developments and estates have developed which drew large population of low and middle income Lagosians.
2. The last administration realizing the urgent need to address the fast growing problem of road congestion conceived the idea of the expansion of the existing express road into a six-lane roadway, the construction of an alternate coastal road that will run from Ahmadu Bello way in Bar Beach, along the shores of the Atlantic ocean towards Ibeju-Lekki Local Government area. The third leg was the construction of a fourth mainland bridge, from Langbasa area near Ajah across the Lagos Lagoon to Ikorodu town and detouring somewhere to join the existing third mainland bridge thereby forming a circular road around Lagos.
3. A committee was initially set up which recommended the adoption of the PPP concept to handle the project since it was thought then that because of the magnitude of the project, the state government might have to collaborate with the private sector under a Private-Public-Participation (PPP) model to handle the project.
4. Thereafter, Tinubu’s greed took control. He floated a company-Lekki Concession Company (LCC) to handle the project as a consortium and appointed a financial advisory company ARM as the financial adviser.
5. LCC immediately asked for 1,000 hectares of prime land as the contribution of the state government to the project. This was immediately granted by Tinubu and he released the c of o within weeks for 1,000 hectares of prime at Awoyaya, Abijo, Eputu and Sapati all in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area. Part of the land is now being developed as ADIVA housing and golf course project by ARM
6. The project was later jettisoned after obtaining the hectares of land and other payments from the state government and in its place; the rehabilitation of the existing Lekki expressway was adopted by the consortium. There is no basis for a toll road and 30 year concession arrangement for a mere rehabilitation and expansion of an existing road which the government could afford on its own.
7. Indeed, the Federal Government under President Olusegun Obasanjo wrote to Governor Tinubu in 2006, offering to construct the coastal road free of charge to Lagos and its people from the Lekki Free Trade Zone to Ahmadu Bello Way in VI. He also sent a letter of commitment written by a Chinese construction firm to that effect. Governor Tinubu firmly rejected this offer and instead opted to abandon the coastal road project which the concession was initially meant for and instead signed a 30 year concession for a toll road to his company.
8. The rehabilitation work commenced in late 2006 with the expansion and rehabilitation of the Ozumba Mbadiwe end to Mobil building and the 49.4km main Lekki road rehabilitation started in 2007 shortly after Fashola became Governor
9. By this time, Fashola’s crony-Dr Tunji Olowolafe was made chairman of LCC and the entire contract was awarded to HITECH. HITECH is owned by both the Chagouris and former Gov Bola Tinubu who is the Chairman
10. LCC was given a 30 year concession (note that all their concessions are usually 30 years) with no competitive bid, no competing quote and no professional evaluation. The whole thing was packaged by Tinubu and executed by Fashola for their own selfish interest.
11. To further confirm this, Tinubu has built a multi-billion naira state of the art hotel-the Oriental Hotel along the express road. Conveniently, the toll gate is located a few meters before the hotel coming from VI so that the hotel clients wouldn’t have to pay toll. Even, special entry and exit points (including a roundabout) have been constructed for the hotel and the multi-level car park beside it (also owned by Tinubu) by the construction company using tax/toll payers’ money. Talk about creating a personal empire. One man owning an express road and a multi-billion naira hotel.
12. The 49.4km two-phased project is to cost an outrageous N50 billion which the innocent citizens and particularly the residents and indigenous communities of Lekki, Ajah, Epe and Ibeju areas will cough out over the next 30 years while Tinubu, Fashola, Olowolafe, the Chagouris and their other collaborators and their unborn generations will be smiling to the banks. A simple arithmetic shows that cost of construction averages N1billion per 1km. This did not include the 1,000 hectares of land and other costs already incurred by the Lagos state government. This must be the most expensive road anywhere in the world! Meanwhile, there will be 3 toll plazas in a 50km stretch!
13. Already, the rehabilitation work which started in 2006 has only achieved less than 2km in over 3 years; meanwhile, the consortium has only concentrated on building the toll plazas rather than first completing the two phases for the convenience of residents. Residents in these areas spend more than 6 hours daily on the road while the situation will get worse during the coming rains. This has disrupted the lives of the citizens and no proper alternate road was constructed by the consortium.
14. The entire Lekki axis hosts millions of indigenous people who are fishermen and farmers and have occupied their lands for centuries. They are largely poor and agrarian from villages like Ajah, Badore, Elegushi, Ajiran, Sangotedo, Abijo, Ibeju, and all communities in Eti-osa, Epe and Ibeju-Lekki Local Government areas. These indigenous people along with others living in the area are now being forced to pay toll to enter and exit their fatherland.
15. These people who have been subjected to economic misfortune occasioned by seizure of their lands by this government are now been economically drained by the imposition of toll gates within their communities. There has never been any consultations with the people neither was there any environmental impact assessment before the commencement of the project.
16. THE BIG FRAUD
This is the biggest fraud ever conceived!
(a) A road that was initially constructed by two previous administration and that belong to the Lagos State Government is now being jointly owned by Tinubu-the former governor and Fashola-the present governor through his crony-Dr Tunji Olowolafe under the consortium LCC
(b) LCC was appointed without conforming to the Public Procurement Act of 2007. There was no public bidding process, no competing bids from other consortium and the fact that the former Governor and the present Governor have personal interest is criminal in nature.
(c) LCC will collect toll from the taxpayers of Lagos over the next 30years. The amount to be collected was not subject to any negotiation or law by any regulatory agency. Which means it is arbitrary and could be changed without notice anytime through the duration of the 30 year lease.
(d) In addition, landowners and prospective builders of homes are being charged heavily as infrastructural charge, land use charge and personal income tax and are now required to pay road tax or toll. This is multiple taxation in its worst form.
(e) The people’s livelihoods have been disrupted for the past 3 years without compensation and there is no alternate road anywhere as it is in practice in other parts of the world where there are toll roads.
(f) A concession that was granted for the building of a coastal road, 4th mainland bridge and expansion of Lekki road has now been turned into mere rehabilitation of an existing road for the same 30-year concession. This is fraud
(g) Fences are being built around the toll areas to box residents within the area. This has security and safety implications. If there is a major emergency like major armed robbery operations, civil crisis, major floods, fire incidents etc and residents need to be evacuated in a hurry; there will be major massive bottleneck at the toll plaza as there is no other escape route except through the lagoon or Atlantic Ocean. Remember the Oke-Afa mass drowning incident of 2002. God forbid!
(h) The owners of LCC have also received cash payments and land grants from Lagos state government in addition to the 30 year toll. These payments and land grants were initially made under the agreement that the 4th mainland bridge-Lekki road-coastal road would be built. It is therefore criminal to obtain compensation for a project only to turn around and reduce the scope.
(i) Several prominent Baales, residents and associations have voiced their objections over the years but were arrogantly ignored by government and LCC. The Eti-Osa Heritage Group, Concerned Residents of Lekki-Ajah (COROLA) and other Indigenous groups have expressed reservations and berated LCC for what they considered inequitable for the residents.
(j) We indeed wonder what the Lagos State House of Assembly is there for if it cannot raise its voice to protect its citizens. The House is indeed culpable as it remains ineffective when this entire charade is going on under its watch or is the House of Assembly another conquered territory of both Tinubu and Fashola?
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