OBLONG MEDIA GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE is where independent minds meet to dissect politics, society, power, and global affairs without fear or filters. This is not mainstream media.
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PDP WINS SOUTHERN IJAW LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA APC 10, 216 PDP 23, 081 Dickson is Bayelsa State’s Governor Elect. The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Seriake Dickson has been declared winner of the Bayelsa State governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Mr Dickson polled 134,998 votes to emerge winner of the election. Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Timipre Sylva, scored 86,852 votes to place second. “Henry Dickson Seriake, having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of votes, is hereby declared the winner and is returned…
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Latest developments show that the noose is tightening around Buhari and his government, and that the contraption called Nigeria is dying faster than a great number of people think. Developments, both economic and political, show that the country is seriously being squeezed out of existence. But unfortunately for Nigerian people; the government is rather deceiving them with its anti-corruption scam rather than telling them the truth about the state of their country’s economy. Nevertheless, the truth will soon hit them like thunder when they realized the real reasons why International Monitory Fund (IMF) Managing Director, Christine Lagarde, visited their…
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This story is an attempt to draw comparison and highlights between certain entities. For as much as we can remember and will remember the variable known as truth, has not been told of them. Hence, my story which started 16years ago… (1999-2007) The first thief came into power with a realistic plan and motive. He loved the people, saw the needs of the people and then he got to work. First, he recognized the need for a buoyant economy (no wonder his major campaign strength bordered on industrialization of the state), so he marshaled employment by making sure that…
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Southern ijaw constituency 2, results detailed. Unit 2 APC 09 PDP 241 Unit 3 APC 15 PDP 208 Unit 4 APC 07 PDP 219 Unit 5 APC 05 PDP 240 Unit 6 APC 40 PDP 152 Unit 7 APC 06 PDP 95 Unit 8 APC 09 PDP 140 Unit 9 APC 05 PDP 168 Unit 10 APC 0 PDP 38 Unit 11 APC 10 PDP 80 Unit 12 APC 0 PDP 64 Unit 13 APC 04 PDP 72 Unit 14 APC 09 PDP 82 Unit 15 APC 01 PDP 76 Unit 16 canceled Unit 17 APC 0 PDP 43 Unit…
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A former Minister of National Planning, Dr. Sulaiman Abubakar, in this interview with SUCCESS NWOGU, accuses President Muhammadu Buhari of not dealing with corruption holistically There have been allegations that the government of former President Goodluck Jonathan mismanaged the economy. Since you were a key player at the twilight of that administration, how do you respond to such allegations? The government of the day should graduate by coming out with any revelation of anything that was abnormal (in Jonathan’s administration). Again, allegations after office are not peculiar with this administration. But we should allow due process to hold sway…
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“A team of about seven operatives of the EFCC in company with some armed policemen arrived at the residence at about 7am and have been in the house for the past five hours.” Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday raided the residence of the former Comptroller-General of Customs, Mr Abdullahi Dikko, in Abuja. The anti-graft personnel were said to have arrived at the house located at 6, Ahmed Musa Crescent, Jabi, at about 7 a.m. News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) learnt that Dikko was not at home when the officers arrived and that their…
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At first, it was the Boko Haram that issued a threat to Igbos to pack out of the North and they have followed the threat with series of annihilation through bombing gullible Easterners in their churches, markets homes etc. A Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere Renewal Group, has denounced what it described as an unrelenting desecration of Yoruba culture by the Igbo communities’ obsession with having a crowned king in Yoruba domains. In a recent statement, the group said the title of Eze Ndigbo in Yorubaland is not backed by any customary law and is therefore considered alien. “The evolution of…
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RESPONSE FROM DONALD EKPO TO ALHAJI SAGIR RINGIM ON THE PURPORTED “CAPTURE AND ENSLAVEMENT” OF SOUTH-SOUTH BY NDIGBO Sir, I want to thank you for your concern about the welfare of the people of the South South by exposing the plans of the Igbos to recolonize the region. But I am worried about the sincerity of these your concerns. Because of these worries, let us dissect and carefully assess your statements of fear and concerns in four (4) segments, so as not to repeat the mistakes of 1964, 1966 and 1967-1970s till date. In your carefully written letter or chat…
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Leader of the defunct Arewa Peoples Congress (APC), Alhaji Sagir Ringim has said that the current agitation by the Indigenous People of Biafra as a ploy to colonise the South South. Sagir Ringim, who holds the traditional title of Waziri Ringim told Vanguard in an exclusive chat the agitation by the Kanu led IPOBA was a calculated effort to seize the economic prospects of the minority ethnic nationality in the oil rich region. “Those Indigenous People of Biafra have a hidden agenda to recolonize the South-south , capture the region, colonise the oil field for the betterment of the…
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Result so far as collated from the Bayelsa supplementary Election PDP 11567 APC 2721
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The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has reportedly banned some goods from being imported to the country The list of goods which have been absolutely prohibited, was posted on the official website of the cross-border security outfit, where it warned Nigerians sternly that failure to comply will attract outright seizure of such goods and the suspects will be charged to a Court of Competent Jurisdiction for prosecution. Check out the list below: • Live or Dead Birds including Frozen Poultry – H.S. Codes 0105.1100 – 0105.9900, 0106.3100 – 0106.3900, 0207.1100 – 0207.2600 and 0210.9900 • Pork, Beef – H.S.…
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“This New Nation called Nigeria, should be an estate of our great grandfather, Uthman Dan Fodio. We must ruthlessly prevent a change of power. We use the minorities in the North as willing tools, and the South, as conquered territory and never allow them to rule over us, and never allow them to have control over their future” – Sir Ahmadu Bello (Sardauna of Sokoto and Premier of Northern Region in The Parrot of October 12, 1960 “For us who are Christian minorities in the North, we should acknowledge that this victory we are celebrating here today, was made…
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The Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) is set commence a review of its constitution and operational structures nationwide. To this end, a 46-member constitution review committee will be meeting from Tuesday, January 12 to Saturday, January16 in order to consider suggested amendments in the party’s constitution. Speaking in Abuja, the chairman of the review committee and the PDP National Legal Adviser, Mr. Kwon Victor, said the constitution review was part of the ongoing reform and rebranding process meant to reposition and transform the party to return to its winning ways He said the committee would consider some aspects of the…
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While the PDP maintains that Buhari’s anti-corruption crusade had been turned into a man-hunt of its leaders, the APC vehemently defended the President insisting that the opposition party do not have the luxury of dictating how the ongoing anti-graft war should be prosecuted. PDP has been reacting to the arrest and detention of its spokesman, Chief Olisa Metuh, over alleged payments of about N1.4 billion allegedly by the Office of the National Security Adviser to a company allegedly linked to him, demanding that he should be released or charged to court. The party faulted the continued incarceration of its…
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President Buhari should not let pressure from the International Monetary Fund change his focus on home-grown solutions to the country’s economic problems, writes Vincent Obia Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Ms. Christine Lagarde, ended a four-day visit to Nigeria on Thursday, which has been widely associated with the fund’s typically hurting economic prescriptions. IMF said in a release ahead of Lagarde’s visit that she was coming to engage the country’s political and business leaders on ways to promote development in the face of awful revenue shortfalls engendered by a sharp fall in crude oil prices. It said…
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Niccolo Machiavelli was so practical in his understanding of power in his time that centuries after, his writings still make a lot of sense even in the 21st Century, and would most likely remain so in centuries to come. In his treatise, “The Prince”, Machiavelli correctly captures the Nigerian situation when he posits that “men change their rulers willingly, hoping to better themselves, and this hope induces them to take up arms against him who rules: wherein they are deceived, because they afterwards find by experience they have gone from bad to worse”. Make no mistake about it, much…
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A Nigerian, Jude O Nkama made history on January 6th as he became the first African to be appointed as a judge in the 349 year history of the city and State of New Jersey, USA. Hon. Ras Baraka, Mayor of the City of Newark, NJ also appointed Hon. Ugochukwu Nwaokoro as Deputy Mayor; and Evans Anyanwu, Esq. as Chief Prosecutor of the city.
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The ‘Contract Verification Committee’ of the Office of National Security Adviser (ONSA) has released a newspaper advertorial with a list of 241 companies which were awarded contracts from the office between 2011 and 2015. The ONSA committee has requested the companies to appear before it on stipulated dates (details below) or risk being embarrassed. 12 JANUARY 2016 2020 Nigeria Limited, 313 BDC Limited, A & Hatman Limited, A A Master Nigeria Limited, A and B Associate, Abbatare Inc., Abraham Telecommunication Limited, Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, Abusarhard Nigeria Limited, Acacia Holdings Limited, Ace of Wood Working Nigeria Limited and Africair…
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FINAL RESULT AS COLLATED AT THE UNIT LEVEL: SOUTHERN IJAW WARD 3 UNIT 1 PDP 215 APC 26 UNIT 2 PDP 360 APC 36 UNIT 3 PDP 96 APC 36 UNIT 4 PDP 104 APC 54 UNIT 5 PDP 157 APC 11 UNIT 6 PDP 53 APC 3 UNIT 7 PDP 114 APC 23 UNIT 8 PDP 49 APC 14 UNIT 9 PDP 383 APC 12 UNIT 10 PDP 73 APC 37 UNIT 11 PDP 78 APC 22 UNIT 12 PDP 53 APC 11 UNIT 13 PDP 87 APC 28 UNIT 14 PDP 45 APC 42 UNIT 15 PDP 41…
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Deputy governorship flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress in the Nov. 21, 2015 Governorship election in Kogi State, James Faleke, and Mohammed, the eldest son of Abubakar Audu, the late APC governorship candidate, Abubakar Audu, were on Saturday invited by the State Security Services for undisclosed reason, and then detained. The Director, Media and Publicity of Audu/Faleke Campaign Organisation, Duro Meseko, said in a statement on Saturday that the duo arrived the SSS headquarters in Abuja at exactly 10.00am and were kept in an office with assurances that an officer would attend to them only to keep them…
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Ladies and Gentlemen I am here to speak with you on Prostate. The topic is misleading. Is prostate strictly for men? Yes, ONLY men have prostate and ONLY men over 40years but the healthcare enlightenment is for everyone. There is no woman who does not know a man 40 years and above – father, uncle, brother, son, friend, neighbor, colleague … Essentially what I will be doing today is health promotion. Responsible health promotion must provide three things: 1. Information 2. Reassurance 3. A plan of action. Let me start with a background on prostate health. Everyone has a…
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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has again demanded the release of Olisa Metuh, its spokesman, alleging that he is “inhumanly kept in an underground” cell by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The party said the continued detention of its spokesman by the EFCC without a charge clearly showed the dictatorial character of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government. In a statement signed by Victor Kwon, its national legal adviser, PDP stated that “relying on a purported ‘holding charge’ said to have been derived from a magistrate to detain Chief Metuh beyond the statutory period allowed by the…
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UPDATES ON ELECTIONS RESULTS AMASSOMA WARD 10 UNIT 2 PDP………..233 APC……….. 30 OGBIA WARD 2 UNIT 15 PDP……..277 APC……….55 SOUTHERN/IJAW WARD 10 UNIT 4 PDP………..97 APC…………21 SDP. …………1 VOIDED VOTES….3 IKIANBIRI WARD 11 UNIT 15 PDP………59 APC………40 APC. ………1 OTUEGWU IN OGBIA WARD 2 UNIT 009 PDP…….124 APC………..4 EGEIBIRI SILGA REGISTER ED VOTERS …..274 PDP………105 APC………..55 HDP…………3 WARD 10 UNIT 1 PDP………148 APC…………15 Ward 10 unit 3 PDP…….129 APC……..23 WARD 10 UNIT 5 PDP……..93 APC…….16 NEMBE WARD 2 UNIT 13 PDP……….412 APC…………6 WARD 5 UNIT 12 ….OTUAN PDP…….81 APC…….31 LOBIA: COMMUNITY, WARD 17 CONSTITUENCY 4 ELECTIONS WERE CANCELLED DUE TO…
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Agudama Ekpetie Ward 10 Unit 5PDP 90 APC 63 Unit 6 PDP 73 APC 63 Unit 7 PDP 68 APC 73 Akaibiri Ward 11 Unit 10 PDP 59 APC 40 APA 1 JUST IN: No voting in Lobia 1, 2 and 3. S/IJAW due to hijack of materials by suspected APC thugs. Youths insisting on voting as #BayelsaDecides
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Unit 12, ward5 PDP 81 APC 31. Unit10 ward4 PDP 97 APC 21. Unit2 ward10 ammasomma PDP 233 APC 30. Ogbia ward2 unit015 PDP 55 APC 27. Meanwhile the military men are openly working for APC WARD 10, UNIT 16 Presiding Officer-Linda Nwagbu Accredited Voters-113 No of Valid Votes-112 Invalid votes-1 PDP-81 APC-29 DPP-1 PDC-1 WARD 10, UNIT 15 Presiding Officer-Uwandu Anthony Accredited Voters-96 No of Valid Vote-134 PDP- APC- WARD 10, UNIT 7 PDP-133 Votes APC-24 Votes WARD 9, UNIT 13 Presiding Officer-Omenogor Elvis Onyeka PDP-66 Votes APC-28 Votes DPC-3 PDM-1 Total No of Voters-415 Accredited voters-112 Invalid votes…
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Dickson Leads Ward 10 unit 2 Ammasomma APC-30 Pdp-233. Pls note that PUs 5,7,11 &13 in Bassambri ward Nembe LGA have been hijacked. Pls note that PUs 5,7,11 &13 in Bassambri ward Nembe LGA have been hijacked.Two wounded by stray bullets as sporadic shooting reported in Southern Ijaw ward 1 Agoibiri Officials & election materials yet to arrive at PUs 017.026, 027 & 028,Ukubie Ward,Southern Ijaw. Ammasoma ward 12 unit 13 PDP 89 APC 17.Unit 12 ward 5 Otuan in Silga constituency 1 result Pdp 81 Apc 31. Unit 8 ward 2 SILGA constituency 2 APC 09 PDP 140.
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The Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee on Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay, says so far, there is no case against the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor. It will be recalled that in 2014, $9.3m cash was smuggled into South Africa by two Nigerians and an Israeli using Oritsejafor’s private jet. The money was reportedly meant for the purchase of arms but the South African government seized the cash as it was not declared at the point of entry and was in breach of South Africa’s money laundering laws. According to a report by The Punch, Sagay,…
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DEPUTY President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu has warned that continued detention of the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh was designed by the Federal Government to gag the mouthpiece of the opposition. Ekweremadu who stressed the need for the All Progressives Congress, APC led government to be cautious against the trampling of the opposition and total disregard for the rule of law in the guise of anti-corruption war, said that with this development, the country was fast descending into authoritarianism, adding that it spells doom on the nation’s democracy. In a…
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Following Nigeria’s refusal to devalue its currency (the naira), in-line with IMF recommendations, crude oil traders worldwide have begun to shun Nigerian crude oil over the last several months. Nigeria remains one of the primary sources of “sweet crude” oil grades that is relatively pure crude oil with low levels of sulfuric content. In order to refine heavy oil grades with higher levels of sulfur and other impurities, refineries throughout the world mix sweet crude with other grades of oil to produce its various classes of refined products. Officials in the NNPC and other blocks in the petroleum industry…
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The new law stipulates that a person who engages in female circumcision could face up to three years in prison or a fine of 50,000 dalasi ($1,250) and a person could face life imprisonment if the act results in death President of Gambia, Yahya Jammeh Gambia’s parliament has passed a bill which bans female genital mutilation (FGM). The development follows pronouncements made in November last year by President Yahya Jammeh banning the practice to protect young girls. According to the new law, “a person who engages in female circumcision could face up to three years in prison or a…
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Drug kingpin Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman has been caught, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto announced Friday afternoon on Twitter. ‘Mission accomplished,’ he tweeted Friday afternoon. “We have him.” Guzman has been on the run since escaping from a maximum-security prison near Mexico City back in mid-July. He had escaped through a sophisticated tunnel that opened in the floor of his cell’s shower. The tunnel was approximately 1.7 metres high and fully ventilated and lit. It also contained a motorcycle adapted to run on rails that authorities believe was used to carry dirt and tools in and out during the…
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Hundreds of members of Islamic Movement In Nigeria under the banner of Shiite Movement in South West Nigeria on Friday in Ibadan demanded the unconditional release of their leader, Sheikh Ibrahim Elzakzaky who is currently under investigation. The leader of the movement at a press conference in Ibadan, Mallam Muftau Zakariyah, also demanded compensation for all members who were allegedly massacred. “We demand formal apology from the Nigerian Army. We demand payment for all movement property that has been destroyed,” he said. Answering questions, Zakariyah said: “We are innocent of all the allegations by the military. COAS is our…
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The question shouldn’t be ‘where’ the change is; it should be ‘what’ the change is. So what is the change? The answer is… ‘For every single one of us in this nation to commit ourselves to make a change for the better! As Mahatma Gandhi said, every single one of us in this country has a responsibility to be the change we wish to see in Nigeria!’ It’s amazing to think that this time last year, Nigerians were deep in the fray of politics and the opposition was chanting the change mantra. Since then, a lot has happened. Now…
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The Acting Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, has said no Bureau De Change operator involved in the ongoing $2.1bn arms deal probe will be spared. Mr. Magu, who spoke during a courtesy call to his office in Abuja by Bureau De Change operators on Tuesday also re-iterated the existing mutual relationship between the Commission and the group in the areas of sensitisation and training. According to him, “My operatives often tell me what they see during investigations. We need to talk to you, as some of your operators are fond of carrying huge amounts…
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“Awolowo was 37 years, Akintola 36, Ahmadu Bello 36, Balewa 34, Okotie-Eboh 27 and Enahoro 27 and they led the struggle for Nigeria Independence after the death of Macaulay. Only Zik was 42 at the time! In 1966, the first military coup was led by K Nzeogwu who was 29 years and countered by M. Mohammed 28, T. Danjuma 28, I. Babangida 25, J. Garba 23, Sani Abacha 23, and M. Yar’adua 23, and brought into power Y. Gowon 32, Ojukwu 33, Obasanjo 29, and Buhari 24! Most of the military governors who governed the states under the successive…
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This particular election in Bayelsa is being contested with so much violence and bile because it is both a grudge and a proxy fight between the two leading candidates. Silva had in 2012 (as incumbent Governor), been displaced as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate by Hon. Seriake Dickson, then a member of the House of Representatives Created from three local government areas excised out of the old Rivers State in 1996, Bayelsa is the least populated state in Nigeria and one of the smallest in size with eight local government areas. It also does not have too many…
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The place of the aviation sector in Nigeria’s economy is very paramount, no doubt. But the irony, however, is that this is one sector that has suffered a lot of privations in recent times, in terms of funding gaps and infrastructural limitations among other myriads of challenges. An instance of such infrastructural gap was a recent incident at the Bauchi Airport where passengers aboard a commercial flight belonging to Aero Contractors had to use a ladder to disembark from the plane. Although it is against standard aviation practices prescribed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to use ladder…
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THE MYTHS: As a boy growing up on the street of Port Harcourt, I was told so many horrible things about Igbos. I was told that Igbos were planning to push Rivers people to Abia State for the people of Abia to inhabit Rivers State because of our resources. I was told that Igbo people enslaved and ruled over my people in Bori the traditional headquarters of Ogoni Kingdom. I was told that Odumegwu Ojukwu, Onyeka Onwenu and other prominent Igbos brazenly rejoiced over the execution of my uncle Ken Saro Wiwa because of the role he played during…
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In Nigeria, they say when you fight corruption, corruption fights you back. When professors like Wole Soyinka fail, students like Oraye St. Franklyn re-educate them. Most of us have read the response of the respected Prof. Wole Soyinka on the controversies surrounding a dinner hosted in his honour by the Amaechi led government. Many of us believe the respected Prof didn’t quite strike at the issue of corruption that encapsulates the controversial dinner in his honour, which is that a whooping N82million, about $500,000.00 was blown in 3 hours in his honour by a State that owed both pensioners…
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Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, has unconvincingly responded to claims by the Rivers State government that its former governor, Rotimi Amaechi, spent N82 million to organize a dinner in his honour. In a statement, Wednesday, Mr. Soyinka said the “unprecedented call” for his probe was a form of corruption fighting back. “This morning, I saw only the headlines in one or two print media regarding the 80th Birthday dinner to which I was hosted by the former governor of Rivers State, the Honorable Rotimi Amaechi, now Minister of Aviation,” said Mr. Soyinka. “I ignored them. It was not, and remains…
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The Ekiti Justice Group (EJG) has described as shameless falsehood, claim by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu that the commission do not have any petition against chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying; “it is on record that petitions were submitted to the EFCC office in Abuja against former governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi by the State Government and concerned groups.” While trying to defend allegation of political witch hunt against the EFCC, Magu had said; “Such accusations have come up a lot, but, we work with petitions before us, in…
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Jonathan in the wake of the crashing dollar decided to diversify Nigeria’s foreign reserves which was based on dollars to other currencies especially the Chinese RMB. Jonathan was also pushing the BRIC agenda in Africa. So why will this bother the great United States? Because the United States needs other poor countries to accept their worthless paper currencies in other to shore it. With more countries dumping the dollar you can expect the dollar to revert to it’s original value – paper! It is through this heavily artificial wealth that the US has maintained its global hegemony in global…
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The International Monetary Fund, IMF, through its Managing Director Ms. Christine Lagarde has described as “excellent” the measures adopted by the incumbent administration in response to the revenue shocks engineered by the slump in oil prices. Lagarde said both the monetary and fiscal policies were commendable, and urged the incoming administration headed by Major-General Muhammadu Buhari to build on the legacies. The MD made this known after a closed-door meeting with a Federal Government team led by the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and representatives of the incoming administration at the just-concluded…
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Shredding the campaign rule book, Donald Trump forged a connection with angry voters and rode it to the front of the GOP field How the real estate magnate took the Republican Party from its old bosses There is a reason most presidential candidates stump through diners and living rooms this time of year. They can’t fill a bigger room. And then there is Donald J. Trump. On the second day of January, in the Gulf Coast town of Biloxi, Miss., at least 13,000 stood for hours in a stinging chill to pack an entire sports arena for Trump, and…
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Authorities of the Federal High Court of Nigeria (FHCN) have dissociated the court from media reports to the effect that the court granted bail at N250million to the immediate past National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Mohammed Dasuki (rtd) and others being tried in relation to the $2.1billion arms purchase scandal. The court’s Acting Chief Registrar, Emmanuel Garko noted Wednesday that the Federal High Court could not have granted bail to any of those being tried in relation to the arms deal because none of them was charged before the court. Garko, in a statement Wednesday, said the clarification…
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For all the sectarian differences between Saudi Arabia and Iran, what divides the two countries most may be the thing they have in common. Both regimes have predicated their legitimacy on a transnational mission of exporting religion and safeguarding Islam. Following the Arab awakenings and the collapse of the regional state system that followed, their competition for power has only become more urgent. For months, the Islamic republic had been warning the Saudis not to harm the dissident Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. The kingdom’s rash decision to kill him probably stems from a sense of vulnerability. Weakening oil…
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Intrigues: The crisis rocking Kaduna chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has taken a damaging dimension, as Governor Nasir El-rufai was accused of financially inducing the Tudun Wada Ward 6 Executives to suspend Senator Shehu Sani, Senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial Districts. Acting Secretary of the Kaduna South Chairmen’s Forum of the APC, Ado Sani Mohammed made the allegation on Wednesday in a press conference he addressed at the Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists,(NUJ) Kaduna. According to him, the Special Adviser to Governor El-rufai on Trade and Investment, Alhaji Mukhtar Ahmed Morovia with the consent…
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There have been a lot of rhetorics about “diversification ” of the economy to the point that people were expecting that the 2016 budget would pay serious attention to non-oil sources especially the solid mineral sector. Alas, only a paltry N9b was voted for solid mineral, just a quarter of the N40b that has been earmarked to search for oil in the Lake chad at a time when IMF has projected that oil may fall to $20 a barrel as against our $38 projection. Peradventure oil is found in the North East, who is going to invest in the…
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In a bid to fulfill its promise of helping Nigeria fight the Boko Haram insurgency, the United States will today, donate 24 mine-resistant and armor-protected vehicles to the Nigerian Army. The vehicles, which are valued at $11m, would be handed over to the military authorities at the Nigerian Army 9th Brigade Parade Ground, Ikeja Army Cantonment in Lagos. A statement yesterday, by the Public Affairs Section of the United States Consulate General Lagos, said: “The US is pleased to donate 24 Mine-Resistant, Armor-Protected (MRAP) vehicles valued at $11m to Nigeria’s military authorities. “The equipment donation represents part of the…
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IBO traders and businessmen have cried out over what they described as the recent harsh economic policies introduced by the Federal Government, saying that such policies were allegedly introduced to cripple their businesses across the country. A vox populi conducted by the South East Voice across the five states of the region showed that the traders were angry with the Federal Government for introducing the $5,000 Basic Traveling Allowance, BTA, as well as for making Kano State the “clearing house for all imported goods in the country Govs. David Umahi of Ebonyi; Rochas Okorocha of Imo; Willie Obiano of Anambra…
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The so-called $2.1b arms purchase fund is scam by the Buhari administration says Dokpesi The $2.1 billion arms purchase scandal currently being investigated by the security agencies is a scam , the chairman of DAAR Communications, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, has declared. Dokpesi is standing trial for allegedly collecting N2.1 billion of the cash from the erstwhile National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki. He is currently on bail. The DAAR Communications boss spoke at his Abuja residence during his investiture as Patron of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Youth Vanguard on Wednesday. He said, “I must hasten to assure you…
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The Lagos State Government said it inherited a debt of N430 billion from the administration of Babatunde Raji Fashola. The debt legacy was revealed today as the state announced plans to float a new bond of N43 billion in the Capital Market this year as part of move to finance its budget deficit. Commissioner for Finance, Mustapha Akinkunmi however said the debt was not a big burden for the state as the government has set money aside to liquidate a fraction of it. This year, the government is paying about N78 billion to the creditors. He said the debt…
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At the wake of the ongoing war against corruption, which many view as being selective, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, has said that the commission is unable to prosecute perceived corrupt members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, because it is yet to receive any petition against them. Magu, who made the disclosure on Wednesday, January 6, 2016 in Abuja at a forum with online and broadcast media managers, said more influential Nigerians would soon be arrested to face prosecution as the EFCC under him has reinvigorated the fight against corruption in…
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I thought that with the Muhammadu Buhari change mantra, the era of budgeting huge amount for frivolous things in the Presidency would become history in Nigeria. Unfortunately, the reverse is the case as seen from the 2016 budget submitted to the national Assembly. In spite of the poverty, disease, hunger and malnutrition pervading this country, the Buhari administration had the effrontery to budget about N3.7 billion for the purchase of unspecified number of BMW salon cars for the Presidency’s principal officers. Another N189 million was voted to “buy tyres” for various vehicles being used in the Presidency. Who would…
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I read with amusement the allegation that was made in SaharaReporters, the unofficial media wing of the Buhari administration, Nigeria’s Secret Police, the DSS, and the EFCC, that I was given 1.7 billion naira cash by President Goodluck Jonathan. This is false. A few hours later they changed their story and said that I received 1.7 billion naira from the office of the former NSA, Colonel Sambo Dasuki. This is also false. I have never received one kobo from President Jonathan himself, Colonel Dasuki or any other member of President Jonathan’s government. I have not ever been in receipt…
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N82million Wole Soyinka Dinner: Information Commissioner to demand a refund from Nobel Laureate  Read the press statement below… Rivers State Information Commissioner , Dr Austin Tam-George has declared that the state government will demand a refund of the N82million expended by former Governor Amaechi on Professor Wole Soyinka’s dinner if it confirms that the Nobel Laureate received part of the the funds in cash. Also, Dr Tam-George declared that the point of departure between Former Governor Amaechi and Governor Nyesom Wike was the insistence of Governor Wike that Amaechi observed probity and accountability in all governmental actions, an…
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Only in Nigeria. Whilst the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has failed, despite repeated requests under the Freedom of Information Act and several summons to the National Assembly, to account for monies it ‘recovered’ and or seized from suspects in its execution of its statutory ‘anti-corruption’ mandate, the leadership of the agency continues to pretend to be tackling corruption by embarking on witch-hunting of perceived political opponents of the incumbent President or members of the opposition political party in Nigeria. Why is the interim Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, making mockery of himself and his…
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Below is the full text of the clarifications made by the Chairman/ Editor-in-Chief of THISDAY Group and President of Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), Mr. Nduka Obaigbena, to EFCC. The Ag. Executive Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC), 5, Fomella Street, Wuse 2, Abuja, Nigeria. Attention: Ibrahim Musa. At your request, we provide the following clarifications on payments of N670,000,000 received by GENERAL HYDROCARBONS LTD on behalf of THISDAY NEWSPAPERS GROUP (N550,000,000) and THE NEWSPAPERS PROPRIETORS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (NPAN), for member newspapers ( N120,000,000) from The Federal Government of Nigeria through the Office of The…
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Ruth Francis writes that as the chief security officers in their states, governors are like dogs without the bite The December 5 governorship election in Bayelsa reminded me of one of the seminar papers I delivered in the University of Maiduguri many years ago. In the paper, I had amongst other things, argued that, though the 1999 Nigeria Constitution regards governors as Chief Security Officers of their domains, in actual sense they may bark but lack the teeth to bite. Governors are usually at the mercy of the Federal Government or President. It is against this background that I…
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For Nigeria to realise her potential, the federating states must learn to be self-sustaining and be less dependent on oil, writes Uche Anichukwu Federalism is the “only guarantee that the country will grow evenly all over; we can spend the money we receive, the money we raise, in the direction best suited to us” – Sir Ahmadu Bello The concept of “Feeding bottle federalism” was theorised by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu in Canada at the 6th Oputa Lecture usually hosted by the Osgoode Hall Law School, York University in Toronto. In summary, “Feeding bottle…
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Hauwa is a middle-aged Nigerian woman from Gombe State. She is a mother of three, pregnant for the fourth and currently studying for a postgraduate degree in a prestigious university in the United Kingdom. She maintains a bank account in a new generation bank in Nigeria that her husband regularly transfers money to carter for her school fees, pay her rent and attend to her housekeeping needs. She made an elaborate plan for Christmas, and waited for the monthly allowance to hit her account. As soon as she got the alert from her bank, she started a mental preparation…
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Guild of Editors collected 50 Million Naira from Dasuki when Femi Adesina was Chairman Metuh, Anenih, others to be quizzed Chairman and editor-in-chief of Thisday newspaper, Nduka Obaigbena, on Monday revealed the Nigerian Guild of Editors collected N50 million from the Office of the National Security Adviser, in a further widening of the arms purchase scandal. Special adviser to President Muhamamdu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, [pictured above] was the President of Nigerian guild of editors at the time. Mr. Obaigbena, who is also The president of Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria, NPA, stated this in a…
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This is a note for those Nigerians who voted for Muhammadu Buhari in the last presidential elections. Though, I am aware that many of them regret it now that Buhari has manifested his true self. While I am not absolving you of blame, but in many ways, I believe that you hoped for a better president than Buhari has become. It is just a shame that General Buhari has betrayed the immense trust you reposed on him. You didn’t know that by voting for him, you fell for a trick concocted by the All Progressives Congress (APC). Here are…
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President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Augustine Alegeh has said that the federal government must respect the rule of law in the case of former National Security Adviser, NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki and the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu who are facing separate criminal charges. During the Maiden Presidential Media Chat, President Muhammadu Buhari explained why Kanu and Dasuki will not be granted bail despite court orders. Professor Itse Sagay led anti-corruption committee also submitted that the government is not violating the rule of law in any way because any bail granted an…
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Rivers State is one state that had her resources recklessly plundered by officials and friends of the immediate past administration of Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi to the extent that no funds were left for the then incoming Nyesom-Wike led administration to effectively take off. To cover up this ungodly deliberate squandering of State resources, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi refused to write a handover note. He chose to play the Ostrich. However, Amaechi gave Nigerians an insight into the ugly financial condition of Rivers State on May 18, 2015 during a post election meeting. Amaechi said : ” I’m not joking, we…
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The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, says the Kaduna, Port Harcourt and Warri refineries now produce over 6.76 million litres of petrol per day. This is contained in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja by Ohi Alegbe, NNPC’s Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division. The statement said the three refineries had been projected to increase combined production to over 10 million litres per day by the end of January. It said a breakdown indicated that the Port Harcourt refinery, which was re-streamed a week earlier, produces about 4.09 million litres while Kaduna yields 1.29 million litres. The…
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I am not Igbo. I am proud of my Urhobo. However, as a student of history, I wish to show just what these great people came/come against and yet thrive. Okay, the incessant killings in the North will be glossed over so as to make this article not overly long. The civil war will also not be discussed. However, post civil war, as I explained in my post MINORITY REPORT: THE SYSTEM IS RIGGED AGAINST YOU, the rich in Nigeria have major roots in the Indegenization decree of 1972 and 1977. I reminded how the banks gave…
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A statement made by the leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and former governor of Lagos State, Bola Ahmed Tinubu back in 2003 about the presidential candidate of the party, General Muhammadu Buhari has resurfaced. In a document released by Wikileaks, Tinubu was against Buhari becoming the president of Nigeria because he believed the former Head of State and his irks were agents of destabilization and electing Buhari will spread Sharia to all parts of Nigeria. Read the Wikileaks document below:
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The spokesperson of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh is currently at the office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, answering questions regarding some fund said to have been traced to his firm. Operatives of the agency reportedly arrived the Abuja home of Mr. Metuh on Tuesday morning, and invited him to follow them to the commission’s headquarters. Mr. Metuh’s aide, Richard Ihediwa, in a statement said upon enquiry on the reasons for the invitation, the officials stated that he has some issues to clear with the commission. “They also said he was not being arrested…
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Mallam Adamu Ciroma, journalist, administrator, politician, former minister of different portfolios and erstwhile governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, is one of Nigeria’s leading statesmen. Ciroma, who was third in the 1978 presidential primaries of the defunct National Party of Nigeria, NPN, subsequently turned out to become a close confidant of President Shehu Shagari and served as minister in the Second Republic. He was also a close confidant of President Olusegun Obasanjo in the Fourth Republic and a rallying figure in the northern opposition to the 2011 presidential bid of President Goodluck Jonathan. Ciroma has largely kept…
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IF there is anybody I can vouch for in Buhari’s Cabinet, it is Senator Udoma Udo Udoma. I have known him, and his best friend Keem Bello Osagie, for 30 years. All three of us are graduates of Oxford University, England, although I was there before him and Keem. Udoma is as sharp as a razor; he is one of the most intelligent people I know. Better still, he is a man of unimpeachable integrity. Udoma cannot be bought. He has a very successful law practice; the last thing he would do is fiddle public funds. Udoma was a…
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The Federal Government has denied speculations on a purported withdrawal of the 2016 Appropriation Bill from the National Assembly for certain “alterations”. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in a telephone chat with our correspondent last night described it as a “big lie”. There were speculations that President Muhammadu Buhari had written to the National Assembly requesting to withdraw the budget proposal. He had on December 22 presented a budget estimate of N6.08 trillion to a joint session of the National Assembly. The information minister emphasised yesterday that the budget was not withdrawn, saying: “It is a…
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We speak with John Perkins, a former respected member of the international banking community. In his book Confessions of an Economic Hit Man he describes how as a highly paid professional, he helped the U.S. cheat poor countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars by lending them more money than they could possibly repay and then take over their economies. AMY GOODMAN: John Perkins joins us now in our firehouse studio. Welcome to Democracy Now! JOHN PERKINS: Thank you, Amy. It’s great to be here. AMY GOODMAN: It’s good to have you with us. Okay, explain this…
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Meanwhile investigations carried out have revealed that petrol stations belonging mostly to independent oil marketers have failed to comply with the federal government’s directive on new pump price. The government had on January 1 approved new regulated pump price of N86.50 per litre of petrol for major and independent oil marketers, and N86 for retail stations belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as against the old price of N87. However, reports from our correspondents in Abeokuta, Kaduna, Yola, Oshogbo, Lagos, Ado-Ekiti, Akure, Port Harcourt, Abeokuta, Jos, Minna and Jalingo revealed that while stations belonging to the NNPC and…
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The price of oil rose yesterday following supply risks from the Middle East after Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran. At about 12.30 GMT yesterday, US crude climbed 30 cents to $37.34 a barrel while Brent crude also increased by 59 cents to stand at $37.87 a barrel. Tensions between major crude producer, Iran, and its Sunni Arab neighbours reached new heights yesterday as the world’s biggest pumper of oil, Saudi Arabia, and Gulf allies cut or downgraded diplomatic ties with Tehran in a row over the execution of a Shiite cleric. Angry exchanges following Saudi Arabia’s execution of…
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Saudi Arabia’s growing international isolation and Iran’s rising regional influence has led Riyadh to cut diplomatic ties with Tehran, according to a new analysis by the Eurasia Group, the world’s largest political-risk consultancy. “Saudi Arabia is in serious trouble, and they know it,” Ian Bremmer, an American political scientist and president of Eurasia Group, told Business Insider. Saudi Arabia is “much more challenged on the economic front, more isolated regionally and globally, and beset with succession issues (given the King’s controversial son),” Bremmer said, referring to King Salman’s newly empowered 30-year-old son, Mohammad bin Salman. By severing relations with…
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In a statement issued in Accra on Monday August 12 2013 by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said Chief Akande merely told the truth by his characterization of the Jonathan presidency, adding ”Isn’t truth a defence to libel?” It also said there was nothing strange or wrong in criticizing a democratically-elected President, after all he is neither an Imperial President, a Monarchy nor an Emperor. APC said nothing confirmed Chief Akande’s assertion that Jonathan is running a kindergarten presidency than the crude manner it (presidency) responded to the frank but constructive criticism by the APC National…
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Magnus Onyibe argues that the will of the people is the very essence of democracy It is pertinent to mention at this juncture that every hung election culminates in the shifting of the electoral battle from the streets (votes casting by the electorate which signify election) to the law courts for adjudication. To me, once the contest for political office progresses or degenerates to the level of imposition and resolution of the conflict therefrom is by the interpretative society, and the verdict contradicts the basic tenets of democracy and the will of the people, then a mockery of democracy of…
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For starters, I would like to attribute the title of this article in part to Kofi Annan, former United Nations, UN Secretary General whose recent speech to the Commonwealth was titled “Are Elections Giving Democracy Bad Name?” Given the unprecedentedly spate of violence in the 2015 general election that ushered change of rulership to opposition political party in Nigeria and the brigandage that eclipsed recent elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states leading to inconclusive governorship elections, all arms of government in Nigeria need to rethink the role of violence viz-a-viz integrity of elections in our fragile democracy. According to Annan,…
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Mr. President, you will recall that I wrote you an open letter on December 28th, 2015 which I sincerely hope that you found most gratifying, illuminating and helpful. That was two days before your Presidential media chat which took place on December 30th. I hereby humbly crave your indulgence to add an addendum to that open letter. That is what this contribution represents. I hope and pray that this second letter, which will be the last, will further enlighten you and impart a little more wise counsel to you that will result in assisting you to properly appreciate the…
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Former CIA employee, Edward Snowden has said that he has evidence showing that Osama bin Laden, who was supposedly killed in Pakistan in 2011 by U.S. special forces, is still alive and well. In an interview with the Moscow Tribune, Snowden said Osama was living in the Bahamas, on the payroll of the CIA. He told the newspaper, “I have documents showing that Bin Laden is still on the CIA’s payroll. He is still receiving more than $100,000 a month, which is being transferred through some front businesses and organizations, directly to his Nassau bank account. I am not…
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“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.” – Joseph Goebbels. “Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and…
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Indication has emerged that the 2016 Budget presented to the joint session of the National Assembly by President Mohammadu Buhari on December 22, 2015 has been withdrawn. Sources said the budget was withdrawn by the President to allow for reduction in allocations for some ministries, agencies and parastatals, especially the presidency. The budget is to be represented ‘codedly’ to the National Assembly by the end of this month. One of the sources said there were too many errors in the budget that cannot be overlooked. “The president did not read the actual budget until criticism started flying left, right…
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On 16 May, 13 days to the end of his tenure, Obasanjo announced to the Federal Executive Council, FEC, the award of contracts worth N756 billion. That proposal sailed through the council like a greased pig in a slaughter house. As Frank Nweke, then minister of Information, explained, N70 billion of this would be for the resuscitation of textile industries in Nigeria; N58.6 billion for the second Niger Bridge; its maintenance was to gulp N42 billion. The companies to execute the projects were not named. Three days earlier, FEC, approved N16.53 billion port harbours reconstruction in Lagos; N20 billion,…
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Iran says it is using all diplomatic channels to pursue the release of a prominent Shia Muslim cleric Sheikh Ibrahim al-Zakzaky who was arrested by the Nigerian army last month. Iran says it is using all diplomatic channels to pursue the release of a prominent Shia Muslim cleric Sheikh Ibrahim al-Zakzaky who was arrested by the Nigerian army last month. “We have used all those channels to warn them [Nigeria] regarding this issue. So hopefully the government… would adopt wise action given the sensitive situation,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hoseyn Jaberi-Ansari told reporters in the capital, Tehran. Sheikh al-Zakzaky…
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The big question many have asked about the 2016 budget of N6.08 trillion proposed by President Muhammadu Buhari has been what would happen to the Naira, unemployment rate, inflation rate, debt profiles, investors confidence, amongst other variables. Hence this in not a budget that needs any rush in its passage by the National Assembly. Figures from the budget assumptions are; benchmark of $38 per barrel and a production estimate of 2.2 million barrels per day, N198 – $1 benchmark. Buhari has proposed borrowing N984 billion domestically and N900 billion externally (Foreign borrowing) and a debt servicing of N1.6 trillion.…
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Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, and leading pro- democracy activist, Mr Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, in this interview with Chidi Obineche x-rays the Nigerian federal structure, the new government of president Muhammadu Buhari, the Biafran Independence agitation, the political parties, among other national issues. Excerpts. Q- Who is funding this Biafra agitation and to what end? A- What President Buhari needs to do is exactly what the late President Yar’Adua did. And I think that has been the most political master stroke ever in Nigeria’s history. He resolved the Niger Delta crisis so easily and unbelievably. He reached…
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Price £66,000 Engine Electric motor, hydrogen fuel cell; Power 152bhp; Torque 208lb ft; 0-62mph 9.6sec; Top speed 111mph; Gearbox 6-spd manual; Kerb weight 1850kg; Economy 0.76kg hydrogen/62 miles (combined); CO2 NA The Toyota Mirai is among the first hydrogen-fuelled electric cars to reach series production and be offered to customers as a regular private purchase – as opposed to a short-term lease deal, where customers are obliged to hand the car back, as has mostly been the case up to now. When UK deliveries begin next month, the distinctively styled saloon will be priced at £66,000, or some £32,605…
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According to jail officials, the judge set a total bond of $29,920, of which $27,500 must be cash. CUMMING — A Buford woman accused of impersonating a nurse at a north Forsyth health care facility supposedly did the same while caring for the late Whitney Houston’s daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, at a hospice in Duluth and for a job in Washington, D.C., more than two years ago. Taiwo Bolatito Sobamowo, 32, was arrested Sunday in Raleigh, N.C., on a warrant issued by the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, according to the Raleigh/Wake City-County Bureau of Identification. She reportedly had a second…
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It’s no secret that I have said that eradicating political corruption would not suffice in Nigeria. Change or transformation is uniquely an ideal with comprehensiveness. Today, we have a new president who stresses “change”, a national budget of his own. Ben Bruce asked why $1 m dollars is given to the African Writers association, instead of the Nigerian Writers body,? And this is in our national budget. Those kinds of questions are necessary and valid. Charity commences from home. Anyway, now, I hope we as a nation fully understand the scope of change. For over two decades, Nigeria has…
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President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday, 27th August 2012 said he was the most criticised President in the whole world and vowed to become the most praised before he left office. “I think I am the most criticised President in the whole world, but I want to tell this audience that before I leave I will be the most praised President,” he said at the opening of the 52nd Annual General of the Nigerian Bar Association at the International Conference Centre in Abuja. He added, “Sometimes, I ask, were there roads in this country and Jonathan brought flood to destroy…
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President Muhammadu Buhari has been criticized by leaders of his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, following what they described as “padded” budgetary figures in the 2016 Appropriation bill of N6.08 trillion, presented to the joint session of the National Assembly. Adding that the budget proposal lacked any traits of change as it had similarities with past governments. This disappointment was expressed through an Editorial titled “Curious Figures” published 3rd January, 2016 in the Nation Newspaper (official Megaphone of the APC) owned by the leader of the party, Bola Tinubu. This came on the heel of mounting criticism that…
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Nigerian Election crisis widens. Thursday December 31st 1964, New York Times. The President Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe is a leader of the Grand Alliance . But it is he who must authorize the winning party (Nigerian National Alliance Party) to form a party. Late last night, the Grand Alliance declared that it would not accept any government based on the election. It called on the President to convene a congress to divide the nation’s assets and to dissolve the federation peacefully. …..Millions of voters stayed home in the south, and the boycott was virtually complete in the Eastern Region where…
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You would recall that Rotimi Ameachi had tried to make us believe that he travels with commercial flights by taking pictures while he was on the boarding queue for a local commercial flight from Abuja. Well that one was for the cameras as he visited Port Harcourt today and guess what …….. he came with a private jet. I am really curious to know who is fooling who?. After Mr President had clearly stated that his ministers would not travel with private jets, Rotimi Ameachi is now seen moving about in a private jet. Considering the…
OBLONG MEDIA GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE 