Jonathan D. Blundell

From the BBC:

The impeached governor of Nigeria’s Ekiti state, Ayo Fayose, has spoken from hiding for the first time, saying he is still in power and has not fled.
Mr Fayose, who has not been seen since Saturday, was impeached for corruption along with his deputy on Monday. She is now challenging the move in court.
The governor told Nigerian TV by telephone that his sacking was a coup attempt and he feared for his life.
Several high-ranking Nigerian officials have condemned the impeachments…

…If the Ekiti State matter is not resolved, it could turn into a major crisis for the whole country, our correspondent says…

…Early last week, Plateau State Governor Joshua Dariye was served with an impeachment notice in controversial circumstances that sparked riots in the central state.
Political tension is high in Nigeria ahead of elections due next April.

While we we were in Jos we were told that many of the electrical problems were due to the government trying to flush out someone – it may have been Dariye. According to a friend who’s spent time in Nigeria there were riots the day after we left Jos and 40 people were killed. I still haven’t seen a report on it yet.

My new favorite blog, Lifehacker.com gave a tidbit on a new search engine called MsDewey.com. Forget asking Jeeves. MsDewey has personality, spunk and sass.
Definitly marketed to the male market. I better stick with Google to stay out of trouble.

Google has announced plans to install 9,200 solar cells — capable of powering 1,000 average California homes at their California headquarters to power 30 percent of the company’s energy needs.
I applaud them.
Outsiders estimate the solar cells will cost nearly $10 million to install, but should pay for themselves within the next 5-10 years.
We talked about solar power while we were in Nigeria.
The national electric company is so up and down that there’s no real reliable energy source unless you can afford a large generator yourself.
I’m hoping to do more research and see if solar power might be a viable alternative for some of the boys homes or ministries there.
With as little electricity as they use, it may be a worthwhile investment.
Who knows.

The DMN ran a short feature today comparing the Texas gubernatorial candidates and their beliefs on intelligent design.
All but one candidate said they didn’t agree with teaching intelligent design in the classroom.
Kinky said teaching intelligent design wasn’t intelligent.
Only Perry took the stand and said he supported teaching intelligent design alongside evolution.
I’m hoping to hear back from Libertarian candidate James Werner in the next day or so on his viewpoint.
His side is pretty much non-existent from the MSM.
I haven’t heard or seen mention of him in anything the DMN has done since June or July.

I found a news article today on another group from Maryland who visited Jos recently. They worked with almost the exact same ministries we did.

JOS, Nigeria — “Bob, you are back. You said you’d come back. And here you are,” one of the Africans told him joyfully.
Recalling his experience, Robert Phelps couldn’t help but wipe the tears from his eyes.
The 60-year-old electronics engineer didn’t know what to expect on his third trip to Jos, Nigeria—each trip has been so different, he’d tell you—but he did know that seeing God at work “was amazing.”

I’ve been asked to write a magazine article for our paper’s magazine and I’m having trouble putting everything into words, but I pray God will be glorified through it and the Nigerian story will be told.

From the BBC:

Several high-ranking Nigerian officials have condemned the impeachment of a state governor for corruption.
Nigeria’s most senior judge Modibbo Belgore described the procedure adopted in removing Ayo Fayose as illegal.
Justice Minister Bayo Ojo says the government viewed the move as unconstitutional, however, he failed to say what the government intends to do.
Critics of President Olusegun Obasanjo say his anti-corruption drive is a cover for a political witch-hunt.