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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“Selective prosecution of political opponents undermines the legitimacy of anti-corruption reform efforts. It is the most cynical abuse of power…” – Elizabeth Spahn. The arraignment of Senate President Bukola Saraki by the Code of Conduct Bureau before the Code of Conduct Tribunal is without doubt one of the most dramatic political events of the past weeks. The case, however it is resolved, will be remembered not just for what it says but also for what it fails to say, or rather its symbolism regarding the anti-corruption posture of the Buhari administration. In order to comment fairly, this writer reveals upfront…
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The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), on Sunday, urged the Federal Government to decentralise loading of petroleum products to make for effective loading at depots across the country. Chief Lawson Obasi, National President, IPMAN, told newsmen in Port Harcourt that spreading of petroleum products to other coastal depots across the country would end current scarcity. He said that a situation where government only distributed petroleum products to tank farms in Lagos was partly responsible for current scarcity and high cost of product. “The current government approach, where marketers across the country are expected to load petroleum…
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The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has “received several documents from the World Bank totalling over 700 pages on information on the spending of recovered assets stolen by the late General Abacha, with some of the documents suggesting that Abacha loot was spent on roads, electricity, education, health and water.” This information was disclosed by SERAP executive director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, in a statement dated November 29, 2015. The organisation said, “SERAP can confirm that last week we received several documents from Ann May of the Access to Information Team of the World Bank following our Access to Information Request…
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Ibrahim Babangida, former military president, says he is ready to vote for an Igbo president in 2019. In a chat with The Interview, a magazine focused on leading professionals and politicians, IBB, as he is fondly called, described the agitation for Biafra republic as a distraction. “We do not need this distraction now,” he was quoted as saying, adding that, “I will vote for an Igbo president in 2019, if I find one.” He also revisited one of the most controversial issues involving him – the death of MKO Abiola, acclaimed winner of the June 12 1993 election. He…
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Nigeria is indeed a complex country to govern and at times, I wonder if we know exactly what we want. This is because despite the fact that the All Progressives Congress candidate at the last Presidential Election, Muhammadu Buhari enjoyed an overwhelming support before and during the election, Nigerians who voted for him seemed to have constituted themselves into a major opposition block, hitting his administration from left, right and centre for failure to meet their expectations. But can anyone blame us from crying out when the present administration, which rode into power on the crest of the word change,…
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Tyson Fury ended Wladimir Klitschko’s long reign as the heavyweight champion of the world on a points decision
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The pilot of Russian Su-24 fighter jet recently downed by Turkey was saved during a joint rescue operation in Syria supervised by a senior Iranian commander, a Syrian officer says. Commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Qassem Soleimani assembled a rescue team made up of 18 Syrian special forces members and six Hezbollah fighters for the operation, a Saturday report by the Sputnik news agency cited a Syrian officer as saying. The unnamed Syrian officer said the team was tasked with rescuing the pilot while air and intelligence support was being provided…
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Every rational human being, lover of freedom and even haters of it, should read the following article as scripted by a Yoruba descendant: “All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.” – Arthur Schopenhauer “I’m for truth, no matter who tells it. I’m for justice, no matter who it’s for or against.” – Malcom X With trepidation, I have been watching the subtle descent into dictatorship by the administration of Muhammadu Buhari. I have been watching with disgust President Buhari’s war against freedom of speech.…
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“What is the matter this time? Many Nigerians are lamenting that the change you promised them is fast becoming a mirage. It is certainly not what they are seeing right now. They insist that your style and methodology appear too slow for a nation in dire straits and in need of urgent and miraculous deliverance. They are not happy that you are no longer the prudent man they used to know. They think you’ve already capitulated by frolicking with members of the bourgeois class and junketing around the world while Nigeria burns like Dante’s inferno. They are miffed that you…
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When President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated Nigeria’s ministers penultimate week, one of the highlights that went viral was his refusal to shake the female appointees. In the picture above, President Buhari is however seen shaking hands with Queen Elizabeth II at the ongoing Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta.
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When Muhammadu Buhari clinched victory in Nigeria’s presidential elections in March, stocks soared as investors looked to the former military ruler to reverse decades of economic mismanagement and policy inertia. Now hopes have fizzled in his ability to turn around Africa’s largest economy and oil producer. Money that flowed into stocks and bonds in the West African nation, which McKinsey & Co. says could become one of the world’s 20 biggest economies by 2030, is now fleeing as growth prospects diminish along with oil prices. While Buhari, 72, has prioritized stamping out the graft that has plagued Nigeria since independence…
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Nigerians are growing poorer for the first time since the return to democracy in 1999 as an economic slowdown combines with still high population growth rates to curb income per capita. Average incomes in Nigeria will fall by about 18 percent in 2015 to $2,550 per annum, from over $3,000 in 2014, according to World… Business day online. Published On: Fri, Nov 27th, 2015
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The Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, on Friday said N473.8 billion was shared among the federal, states and local governments as revenue for October, 2015. Adeosun announced this when she addressed newsmen on the outcome of the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting in Abuja. She said the shared amount comprised the month’s gross statutory revenue of N400.3 billion. “Also, there is the exchange gain of N6.9 billion which is proposed for distribution. “Therefore, the total revenue distributable for October, including VAT of N60.1 billion, is N473.8 billion”, she said. Adeosun said N6.3 billion was refunded to the federation…
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The Nigeria army on Monday said some of its officers are plotting to distract the fight against insurgency, which “is at a critical stage”. According to Sani Usman, army spokesman, some officers in collaboration with unnamed individuals, have scheduled December to begin a media onslaught against the army. He alleged that there was a deliberate plot to ridicule leadership of the force through lies and fabrication. Appealing to the media to ensure that reports are verified before being published, Usman said: “Our doors are open for clarification, inquiries and reactions on any issue concerning the Nigeria army before filing or…
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Having installed the North as ‘husband’ of the South and Master of Nigeria in 1914, the British Colonial Master did not let matters rest there. At every stage they ensured that the reins of power would remain in the hands of their beloved proteges. Thus, in preparing the North for its future role as the Rulers of Nigeria, the British rigged the very first Nigerian-wide population Census conducted in 1931, in favour of the North. The Figures awarded by the British were as follows: Northern Region -11,434,000; Western Region – 3,855,000; Eastern Region – 4,641,000; Total = 19,930,000. Plurality in…
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Tunji BraithwaiteHuman rights lawyer and elder statesman, Dr. Tunji Braithwaite, has said President Muhammadu Buhari is committing a bigger crime by not prosecuting corrupt public officials of the past government who have started returning their loots. It is recalled that Buhari while in Iran, said some of those who have looted public funds during the immediate past administration have started returning the funds. Braithwaite while speaking yesterday said Buhari was encouraging impunity by recovering looted funds through plea bargaining rather than ensuring that justice takes it course as promise during his campaign. The elder statesman said, “It is a crime…
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A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed the application of the Federal Government seeking to compel the presence of the former National Security Adviser (NSA) Col. Sambo Mohammed Dasuki in court throughout his trial. In defiance of previous court order, Department of State Security (DSS) has refused to vacate the Abuja residence of Dasuki and preventing him from travelling for medical treatment. The operatives have placed him on restriction, as they have laid siege to his Abuja home for more than three weeks. The Federal Government through the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF) Mr Mohammed Diri…
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Sometimes I feel that sudden urge to run away from my beloved country, Nigeria and some other times, I feel that strong sense of righteous anger at our plight as a nation. At the best of times, I feel like laughing; and yet from time to time, I throw up my hand in dismay at the situation in our country. But why should I quit my fathers’ land when I have an equal stake in its success or failure like those who control the levers of power. That would never do! So I have asked myself repeatedly, “Why don’t I…
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President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR has approved the appointment of thirty new Judges for the Federal High Court on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council. They are: S/N Name of Candidate State Of Origin 1. Hon. Justice Yellin S. Bogoro-Bauchi State; 2. Rosemary O. Dugbo Oghoghorie-Delta State; 3. Taiwo Obayomi Taiwo-Ogun State; 4. Ibrahim Watila-Borno State; 5. Mallong Peter Hoommuk-Plateau State; 6. Isa Hamma Adama Dashen- Adamawa State; 7. Hassan Dikko-Kebbi State; 8. Jude Kanyioh Dagat- Kaduna State; 9. Olayinka Olusegun Tokode-Osun State; 10. Simon Akpah Amobeda,-Kogi State; 11. Jane Egienanwan Inyang-Cross River State; 12. Daniel Emeka Osiagor-Rivers State; 13.…
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Second Republic President, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, has described immediate-past President, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, as a ‘rare breed’ whose actions strengthened democracy in Africa and made the continent proud. Shagari’s observations were contained in a letter to Dr Jonathan dated November 20, 2015 bearing the caption: ‘Happy 58th Birthday’, personally signed by him. “Your birthday deserves to be celebrated both at home and abroad given your selfless services to our beloved fatherland. Your spectacular commitment in the development of our cherished values of democracy in Nigeria and Africa is legendary. On the African political landscape, you are, indeed, a rare…
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Scores were feared dead at Dakasoye village, Garun Mallam local goverment area of Kano Friday when a suicide bomber blew himself up among the Shia procession on there way to Zaria witness says. The incident which occured by 2.00pm was said to have affected mostly women and children. A local Journalist, Ali Kakaki who was at the scene of the blast told Vanguard that the ugly incident occured shortly after a middle aged man was caught with Improvised Explosive Device. The suicide bomber on Friday blew himself up among crowds at a Shia Muslim procession outside the City of Kano,…
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IJAW Youth Council (IYC) has called for the unconditional release of Radio Biafra broadcaster, Nnamdi Kanu, saying that they were only exercising their rights and as such, the arrest was unwarranted. The body’s president, Comrade Udengs Eradiri, in a chat with newsmen in Yenagoa, stressed that the issues he raised were fundamental to the existence of the country as the Ijaws were also pondering what Nnamdi and his colleagues had enunciated. Eradiri also called on the Federal Government to have an economic plan as an alternative for the people of the Niger Delta region being raided for oil bunkering…
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Interpol has announced that it had seized protected and valuable timber species from nine West Africa countries worth more than $262 million. The timber was seized during the “Operation Log” in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal and Togo. The operation was carried out in West Africa, Central and South America between July and September 2015, a statement by Interpol said on Friday. The investigation revealed that the rosewood species, highly in demand worldwide and particularly in Asia for its pink or red wood, was the main timber being plundered. A total of 44 individuals…
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International Business magazine, Bloomberg.com today published an article title “Buhari Bounce Becomes Bust as Nigeria Policies Irk Investors”. The article states that President Buhari’s policies since assuming office has continued to chase investors away and has dashed the hopes of many who believed in him when he assumed office. Read the full text of the article below “When Muhammadu Buhari clinched victory in Nigeria’s presidential elections in March, stocks soared as investors looked to the former military ruler to reverse decades of economic mismanagement and policy inertia. Now hopes have fizzled in his ability to turn around Africa’s largest economy…
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Just before France conceded to African demands for independence in the 1960s, it carefully organised its former colonies (CFA countries) in a system of “compulsory solidarity” which consisted of obliging the 14 African states to put 65% of their foreign currency reserves into the French Treasury, plus another 20% for financial liabilities. This mea…ns these 14 African countries only ever have access to 15% of their own money! If they need more they have to borrow their own money from the French at commercial rates! And this has been the case since the 1960s.
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Relationships are complicated. Some are easy and natural, while others are complex and difficult. To reveal the dynamics of how we relate to others, and to help us develop strong, healthy relationships, there is a whole branch of astrology known as “synastry” that is devoted to the study of compatibility . Challenges can become the greatest strengths of a relationship if you can learn how to navigate issues. You’ll find yourself nodding in agreement with what you discover. Google the word synastry.
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I have never seen a people that hate the truth and relish deceiving themselves as Nigerians. A country in itself built on the tenets of colonial and autochthonous deceit, where peace is never meant to be a reality and socio-political and economic development has become privatized by a greedy clique called cabals who hijacked the mantle of leadership from the slave-masters in a negotiated and mimic political struggle culminating into the second phase of slavish impoverishment of the people by neo-colonialist, black slave-masters who have proved to be even worse than their predecessors, the colonialists. It is…
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Lord Denning. In the judicial arena this name stands out like an iroko tree. A legal luminary in the truest sense of the world. His contributions to the legal profession are as significant as they are enviable. Little wonder lawyers, judges and litigants alike often quote him as if he were the alpha and the omega. In the spirit of the season following the all Nigeria Judges Conference which was hall marked by some insightful pronouncements from the left, right and centre, it is pertinent to kick-start the issues at stake with reference to one of Lord Dennings most memorable…
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1966, Nigeria — FILE – Biafran leader, Lietenant Colonel C. Odumegwu Ojukwu, military governor of East Nigeria is seen in this 1966 file photo. Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, a millionaire’s son who led Nigeria’s breakaway republic of Biafra during the country’s civil war that left 1 million dead, has died. He was 78. Anambra state spokesman Maja Umeh confirmed the rebel leader died Saturday morning. (AP Photo, File) — Image by © /AP/Corbis[/caption] As we mourn the departure from this mother earth of the great legend himself, Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu, a lot has been written about what he represents and the…
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A Federal High Court on Thursday, November 26, squashed a fresh 50-count charge of corruption brought against former governor of Bayelsa State and governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timipre Sylva and three others on the grounds that the charges constituted an abuse of court process. In the fresh charges, Sylva is charged alongside Francis Okokuro, Gbenga Balogun, and Samuel Ogbuku. They allegedly used three companies – Marlin Maritime Limited, Eat Catering Services Limited, and Haloween-Blue Construction and Logistics Limited to move about N19.2 billion from Bayelsa State coffers between 2009 and 2012, under false pretence of using…
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President and CEO, Ford Motor Company, Sub-Saharan Africa region, Jeff Nemeth, on Monday, November 16, unveiled first Ford Ranger truck to be rolled out of Coscharis‘s assembly plant in Ikeja. Nemeth said the Ikeja plant would accommodate one shift and would produce an initial 10 units per day for the Nigerian market, creating approximately 180 direct and indirect jobs. He said: “The main driver behind Ford in Africa is affordability. Africa is one of the youngest markets in the world and presents a huge opportunity in terms of consumption.” He expressed confidence in the buying power of the…
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The government of Nigeria spends about $8 billion a year on fuel subsidies. Getting rid of this financial burden would be an “important first step” in stabilizing the country’s finances, according to a 2009 International Monetary Fund report. The IMF and other global financial institutions are opposed to fuel subsidies in general because the biggest benefits do not go to the poor, but to the owners of large cars and big generators. To look only at the absolute size of the benefit, however, misses a major point. For the poor, the fraction of their income that goes to pay…
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The series of events that just transpired in Nigeria makes for a familiar tale – and a telling lesson. The tale tells of a poor, developing nation endowed with oil riches that, on the advice of international economists, tries to eliminate fuel subsidies. The lesson is that the populations of oil-producing nations will inevitably erupt in rage against any such notions. Nigeria is the biggest oil producer in Africa, pumping out 2.2 million barrels of crude oil a day to sit 10th in the global crude-production standings. But the average Nigerian gets little benefit from his country’s oil riches.…
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The APC seems intent on subverting its own hold on power by the way and manner it has encouraged the crisis in the National Assembly to fester as a result of its own internal contradictions. What the foregoing says most loudly is that there is an embarrassing lack of focus on the part of the APC. No one has cared to define the ‘change’ mantra that President Buhari and other leaders keep talking about. The party has not, even in its very structure and approach to its own affairs, indicated an intention to change the behaviour that underlies Nigeria’s sorry…
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Previously on June 10, 2015 Court dismissed N19.2 bn fraud case against ex-Bayelsa Governor, As a prelude to the consolidation of all the charges against former Bayelsa State governor, Timipre Sylva, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Monday withdrew the six-count charge of fraud before Justice E. S Chukwu of the Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja. The withdrawal, according to the Commission, is to allow it consolidate the charges against the former governor, pending before two Federal High Courts in Abuja. In the charge which was withdrawn today, Mr. Sylva was being prosecuted by the EFCC for…
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Rifle-wielding robots that can launch grenades unveiled in China to help fight terror “Armed attack” robots that carry rifles and grenade launchers have been unveiled in China as the latest line of defence in the fight against “global terror”, state media reported. The toy-sized attacker is one of a trio of new “anti-terror” machines, Xinhua news agency said, in a report which did not specify measures that would stop the robots falling into the wrong hands. “The toy-sized robots can coordinate with each other on the battlefield,” said the report, following their unveiling at the 2015 World Robot Conference in…
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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday called on INEC to declare its candidate in the Nov. 21 Governorship election in Kogi , Mr . Idris Wada, the winner of the election. The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, made the call in a communiqué issued at the end of the party’s National Caucus emergency meeting held in Abuja on Wednesday. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that INEC had declared the Nov. 21 election inconclusive following cancellation of election in 91 polling units. Metuh said that the PDP caucus thoroughly considered the development arising from the Nov.…
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Hon. James Faleke, the running mate to late Abubakar Audu, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Saturday’s governorship election in Kogi State, has written to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, asking the commission to declare him the governor-elect of the state. Faleke, made this known in a letter to INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu. The lawmaker representing Ikeja Federal Constituency of Lagos State in the House of Representatives, who expressed sadness over the death of Audu, opined that under Section 187 of the 1999 Constitution, he was duly elected as deputy governor of Kogi State. “In law and…
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South Africa’s Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL Rights Commission) has threatened a jail term for Chris Oyakhilome if his church, Christ Embassy, fails to release its financial records. Several controversial religious leaders could also face prison if they do not adhere to the demands of the Commission. Commission head Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva told News24 she had already asked the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to advise on their next legal course of action. “We are forced to take the legal route because some of them are not complying and we cannot be held…
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Certainly, a lot of Nigerians who voted for the so-called change with an expectation of a paradigm shift for the country, because they truly have the love of the country at heart and not on the basis of religious sentiments and sectionalism, must now be left with their fingers between their teeth for taking that decision. Since the administration with the “change” mantra came to the helm of power on 29 May,2015, many things have actually changed for worse and lots of people are experiencing hell in a nation of plenty. Economy The country’s economy is experiencing a downward…
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Nigeria makes a sharp departure from its stance as a defender of democracy and votes against a United Nations resolution supporting and protecting people who promote and defend human rights. Samantha Powers, United States Ambassador to the United Nations made the details of the vote known to the world on micro-blogging website, Twitter. “Terrible,” Powers said in her tweet. “Nations voting against UN resolution supporting and protecting people who bravely promote and defend human rights.” The other countries that voted against the resolution include those with some of the most oppressive regimes in the world like North Korea, Syria, China,…
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Owens was favourite to get the post which will give her power to direct chief constables and commissioner of Metropolitan police The new head of the National Crime Agency will be Lynne Owens, making her the most senior woman ever in British law enforcement. The NCA is directly answerable to the home secretary and is charged with leading the fight against organised crime. The director general of the NCA has the power to direct chief constables and the commissioner of the Metropolitan police, which arguably means she will now outrank them. Owens is chief constable of the Surrey force…
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THE BIAFRA CHARTER Table of Contents I. DEFINITION of Charter: II. PURPOSE of Charter: III. ORGANIZATION of Charter: A. Biafra Charter Authorization 1. BIAFRA PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT (BPG) B. The National Structure of Biafra 1. The Structure of Biafra 2. The Participant Provinces 3. Counties C. The Charter Constituting The Government of the Nation of Biafra 1. Preamble 2. ARTICLE I 3. Article II 4. ARTICLE III 5. ARTICLE IV 6. ARTICLE V D. Declaration of Nine Basic Laws 1. Identity 2. Rights 3. Laws 4. Governance 5. Government 6. Secularity 7. Responsibility of Citizenship 8. Property Ownership 9. International Relationships…
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A Washington Times report has criticised President Muhammadu Buhari over the current ordeal of former National Security Adviser Col.Sambo Dasuki (rtd) who had been under house arrest since November 4, despite a subsisting court order which granted him permission to embark on a medical trip abroad. Dasuki who was former President Goodluck Jonathan’s National Security Adviser and served briefly in that capacity under the current government, is currently standing trial on a two-count charge of money laundering and illegal possession of firearms before a Federal High Court in Abuja. The court however granted the former NSA, who had been on…
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The November 13 attacks in Paris, targeting a stadium filled with 80,000 fans, is just another pointer to the unlimited imagination of terrorists. But for the heightened security as a result of the presence of the French president at the stadium, terrorists would have made their biggest haul in a single day. The 9/11 attacks recorded 2,996 deaths (including the 19 hijackers), which is still the highest in a single event. The Stade de France would have recorded double or triple that figure, not just from the explosions that would most probably have made the terraces collapse, but also from…
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The Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has issued a warning to leaders of the Igbo socio-cultural organisation, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo. The group has threatened to take measures if Igbo leaders fail to guide their utterances against the Biafra agitation. The Punch reported that the warning was contained in a statement made by Uchenna Madu, MASSOB’s national director of information, on Sunday, November 22, in Awka, Anambra state. On Friday, November 20, Chris Eluemunoh, the chairman of Ohanaeze in Anambra state, described the agitation for Biafra by some Igbo youths as “madness,” stressing that “Biafra…
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Remember Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction and was not involved in 9/11, but his country’s wealth was looted nevertheless. Then they went to Afghanistan to secure the poppy fields and lithium mines by force after the Taliban destroyed all of the poppy. After that, we went and killed Gaddafi in Libya to gain control of his 22 plus tons of gold, the 30 trillion plus river pipeline that would have brought africa back to life, and the diamonds, silver and other deposits. All around the world there is war and genocide for gold, oil, drugs and other natural…
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Governor Idris Wada of Kogi on Tuesday removed 15 chairmen of local governments from office for defecting to the rival All Progressives Congress (APC). This is contained in a statement issued in Lokoja and signed by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Governments and Chieftaincy Affairs, James Adedoyin in Lokoja. The statement cited section 20 sub section ( 1) and section 36 sub section 1 (d) of Kogi State Local Government Law 2000 as amended to back the action. It explained that the sacked chairmen can no longer remain in office having decamped from the Peoples Democratic…
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A bomb explosion on Tuesday, reportedly ripped through a mosque at Yartabki village near the headquarters of Funtua Local Government Area of Katsina State, though no casualty was recorded from the explosion. Confirming the incident, the State Police Public Relations Officer, Aminu Sadiq said no one was however injured, and that no “severe damage” was done to the mosque. Sadiq however stated that one person has been arrested in connection with the incident, adding that two mobile cell phones and remnants of the explosives were also recovered from the scene. He added that the recovered items were being checked by…
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Mr Ayodele Fayose has said that President Mohammadu Buhari was setting Nigeria on the path of anarchy by using his personal lawyer and member of All Progressives Congress (APC) who is the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami to induce the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) decision on the inconclusive Kogi State Governorship election. He accused the President of “fraudulently using the AGF to carry out an act which amounted to amending the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria and the Electoral Act 2010 to advance his ambition and that of his party to turn Nigeria to…
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President Mohammadu Buhari is due to leave Abuja on Thursday for Malta Island to participate in the 2015 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting which begins on Friday. The president is expected to join about 51 Heads of State and Governments under former British colony to deliberate on Commonwealth on new commonwealth initiatives on climate change. The Head of the Commonwealth, Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, will formally declare the summit open and host a banquet in honour of President Buhari and other participating Heads of State and Government. A statement by the Special Adviser to the president on Media and…
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* Urges him to use the Foundation to show remorse for past actions In what was a response to the letter written him by his estranged god-son, ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has advised him (Jonathan) to use the new Foundation he is set to establish to engage in soul-searching and in reviewing his past actions. In the letter, dated October 12, 2015, Obasanjo also advised Jonathan to consider the Foundation as a platform through which he can heal his conscience and demonstrate penitence over his past actions. Recall that ex-President Jonathan on September 22, wrote his god-father,…
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A study from the University of Oxford connects the big booty to healthy children.According to a 2010 study from the University of Oxford, big butts result in healthy children because of the high amount of Omega 3 fatty acids (the good fatty acids) stored. These are the same fatty acids that are responsible for the normal development of the baby’s brain. But according to the Chicago Tribune, scientists have proved this a long time ago, in 2007 to be precise. They noted that women with fat-bottoms are smarter than women with flat-bottoms. Again, the reason is because of the heightened…
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Some Igbos can be very territorial, proud and prejudiced. They appear to be obsessed with proven something others cannot see. They revel in self-estimations and ethnic glorification and very often can be very judgemental and biased on issues and matters of their relationship with other races. Food for thoughts: But in their national comfort zone of influence and politics, we all seemingly tag along. In the immediate past PDP government, the entire financial gravy train of economic progress was mined from Finance Minister, CBN Governor, Pencon, Amcon, Stock-Exchange, Power Ministry and various economic exchangeable variables of wealth creation by Igbos.…
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President Muhammadu Buhari has spoken out against those protesting in favour of Biafra breaking away from Nigeria. He said in a statement: “The corporate existence of Nigeria as a single entity is not a subject of debate and will not be compromised”. He has strangely remained silent on something else that continues to threaten the corporate existence of Nigeria. On Wednesday last week, the Global Terrorism Index named Nigerian Fulani militants as the fourth deadliest terror group in the world. The index claimed that Fulani militants killed 1,229 Nigerians in 2014. “As much as 92 per cent of their attacks…
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The National Bureau of Statistics on Sunday released the unemployment watch report for the third quarter of 2015, stating that a total of 1,929,800 economically active persons within the age bracket of 15 years to 64 years joined the labour force. The unemployment watch is one of the three reports, which the bureau released on Sunday. The other two are the job creation survey, and the labour productivity report. In the unemployment watch, the bureau said the entry of the 1,929,800 active persons into the job market in the third quarter had resulted in an increase of 2.6 per cent…
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Government officials and their allies who have stolen from the public purse since 1999 must prepare to return what they took, President Muhammadu Buhari has said. The Nigerian leader made the ominous remark on Tuesday during an interaction with the Nigerian community in Tehran, Iran, as he spoke on issues of corruption, revealing that a number of past officials have voluntarily begun the return of stolen funds. He however stressed that his government will not accept tokenism. “We want to have everything back – all that they took by force in 16 years,” he declared in a statement signed…
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In the Holy Bible book, Matthew 26:41, Jesus Christ advised his disciples to “watch and pray” so that they would “not enter into temptation”. What God is saying in this quoted passage is the necessity for all His children to walk and tread in consciousness in all we do because one single mistake is more than enough to derail us, even in a well-planned journey. Nigerians need to pay more attention to this advice because forces of “darkness” still hover around us as a people and a Nation. Some years ago, there was a major threat of this country [Nigeria]…
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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Mallam Abubakar Malami to immediately vacate his office for harrying and misleading the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) into arriving at an unconstitutional decision to allow the APC to substitute it’s candidate in the inconclusive Kogi state governorship election. The party is shocked that INEC, a supposedly independent electoral umpire could allow itself to succumb to the antics of the APC by following the unlawful directive of an obviously partisan AGF to substitute a candidate in the middle of the ballot process. We are all…
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I. Introduction A new nation has been born. Fourteen million people have taken their destiny into their own hands and embarked on the task of building a nation free from fear, bitterness and hate. Their sole aim is to develop their innate capabilities and rear their children in an atmosphere of peace and security. They stretch their hands of fellowship to all nations and appeal for understanding, friendship and co-operation. We, Biafrans, opted for self-determination after a long period of heart-searching and after making desperate efforts to save the Federation of Nigeria from disintegration. More than any other people in…
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Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka yesterday described the inability of the federal government to give account of the over 200 missing Chibok girls abducted by, Boko Haram, as a “shame”. Soyinka spoke after a mega-school was named after him in Osun state by Governor Rauf Aregbesola. He also said the school was an an “emphatic rejection of what Boko Haram insurgents preach”. “It is a shame that the nation cannot account for over 200 girls in Chibok. I sympathise with the religious policy of governments in school; children must not be brought up feeling that religion inhibits knowledge. “In…
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oil prices continued at a six and a half year low on Tuesday, as the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) basket price fell to $38.18 per barrel, one of its lowest since 2009. The basket price, which is calculated as an average of 12 crude oil variants sold by OPEC members fell from $38.37 per barrel on Friday to $38.18 on Monday, OPEC said on Tuesday. Oil prices initially hit a 6-year-low on November 18, when it sold for $38.04, but rose to $38.52 the following day, before it crashed to another low on Monday. The last time the…
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President Buhari pictured having breakfast in Tehran, Iran yesterday morning. With him are the Nigerian rep. in Iran Dr Ali Magashi, Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola …They participated in the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, (GECF) summit yesterday.
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It is clear from the announced names of Buhari’s proposed ministers that these are not the people he took four months to select Things have not been going according to plan for President Buhari. For the last four months since his famous victory, the president has been engaged in a battle royal with the very people who put him in power. In order to win the last presidential election, Buhari had to form an alliance with wily politicians of the old-school; men seasoned at getting their hands dirty and adept at manipulating the system to power and political advantage.…
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The courts are not answerable to the president. However, the president is answerable to the courts. There can be no questions about President Buhari’s military credentials. The president is a retired major-general of the Nigerian army, celebrated for his many successes in the field of battle. One of the first moves he made on his inauguration was to direct that the command-and-control centre for battling Boko Haram be moved nearer to the epicentre of the insurgency in Maiduguri. Although the insurgency has increased rather than abated since then, no right-thinking person can fault that judicious move. However, in civil matters,…
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Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State has instructed the Sokoto State Primary Healthcare Development Agency to absorb 50 nurses and midwives trained by SURE-P into the state civil service. A statement issued by Tambuwal’s Spokesman, Malam Imam Imam, said in Sokoto on Sunday that the nurses and midwives formed the backbone of SURE-P’s maternal health project executed in eight local government areas of the state in the last two years. The statement quoted Tambuwal as saying “we intend to continue with the maternal health project in the state even though the Federal Government has decided to halt the SURE-P…
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The U.S. State Department issued a rare worldwide travel alert on Monday, warning American travelers about the widespread threats posed by members of the Islamic State or copycat bombers. The alert said that there were increased terror threats from al-Qaeda, Boko Haram and ISIL, the term used by the federal government for the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, which has claimed responsibility for the Paris terrorist attacks. The alert also said people unaffiliated with the groups may be inspired by recent terrorist attacks in France, Nigeria, Denmark, Turkey and Mali. The alert comes as millions of Americans prepare…
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He’s becoming a global icon. Former President Goodluck Jonathan rounded off his two week visit to the United states with a rousing speech to students of the Howard University School of Political Science, where he addressed the future leaders on the skills needed for responsible leadership. President Jonathan along with US Congresswoman Karen Bass who is the ranking member on the Sub-committee on Africa, Global Health and Human Rights were the special guests at the university event entitled, ‘Elections and constitutions in Africa: A Timely issue.’ Jonathan encouraged the youths to embrace civil education stressing that such knowledge would help…
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President of woman empowerment group, Certificate in Entrepreneur Management, CEM, Felicia Chika Okafor has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of frustrating efforts to access loans from the N220bn Central Bank of Nigeria Micro Small and Medium Enterprises Development Fund, MSMEDF. The N220bn CBN, MSMEDF, was flagged off by former President, Goodluck Jonathan in August 2014, in order to have aspiring young entrepreneurs trained, mentored and provided with required tool kits to start and grow their businesses. Jonathan during the lunch disbursed N869.9m to four beneficiaries, Akwa-Ibom State, N260m, Delta State N500m; Labo Microfinance Limited N100m and Grassroots Microfinance Limited N9.9m. Following…
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Former Nigerian ambassador to the United States of America (USA), Israel and Cyprus, Prof. George Obiozor, over the week, asked the Federal Government to tread with caution in dealing with the pro-Biafra agitators, insisting that the resort to use of force or intimidation will only boomerang and exacerbate an already bad situation. Obiozor, who exclusively spoke to The AUTHORITY on Sunday in Lagos, advised the federal government not to repeat the mistake of 2009 when Mr. Mohammed Yusuf, founder of the militant Islamist group, Boko Haram, was arrested and killed, as that line of action will only pin the nation…
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Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha has distanced himself from a statement credited to him by one Olutoyosi Omotoso accusing the National leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu as the mastermind behind the demise of the Kogi State APC governorship candidate, Audu Abubakar. In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo on Monday, November 23, Okorocha said there was no rift between him and Tinubu and consequently, the indicting statement was unwarranted. He therefore described the report as one that was “totally false and cannot pass any logic to be believed,” adding “It was written…
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Suspected Boko Haram members have detonated Improvised Explosives Devices, IEDs, around Muna garage Area of Maiduguri, Borno State, leaving many dead. The suicide attack left at least 9 people dead. State Emergency Management Agency officials have confirmed that 6 people were recovered from the scene along Dikwa road and have been rushed to the general hospital. According to eye witnesses, the suspected terrorists detonated IEDs in a crowded area after which people scampered off for their safety. “We heard loud explosions in our area and we quickly went to the scene and we found nine people dead and a vehicle…
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A total of 445,000 barrels of crude oil allocation for local refining in Nigeria are now being diverted for the Offshore Processing Agreement (OPA) and the crude oil for product SWAP arrangements entered into by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), New Telegraph has learnt. A source at the NNPC, who disclosed this to this newspaper, added that the arrangements were to put the allocations into “justifiable and lucrative” use, following the total halt of the four refineries in Nigeria. The output of all the four refineries in Nigeria has completely fallen to zero, as the Port Harcourt refinery which…
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President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday called on judges in the country to sanitize themselves of corruption in order to restore the trust in the judiciary. He, however, charged judges to resist the trend of corruption that is almost eating deep into the judiciary. This was just as the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed, noted that the little amount which is always allocated to the judiciary by the executive had made the arm not to be independent. Both the President and CJN spoke at the opening of the 2015 Judges’ Conference organised by the National Judicial Institute (NJI), Abuja.…
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The Organised Private Sector (OPS) owes banks N18.7 trillion as at September. Also, the banks’ credit facilities to the private sector grew by 0.5 per cent month-on-month. Government’s credit facilities from banks also rose to 0.9 per cent during the period to N2.8 trillion. Afriinvest, financial analysts, explained that the amount was still low contrary to the statutory obligations of the banks to the real sector and Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) as directed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The OPS also decried the inability of the banks to give credit facilities to the real sector…
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The Federal Government has arraigned the Director of Radio Biafra, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, before an Abuja Magistrate’s Court over terrorism- related charges. The court had, last Wednesday, ordered the Department of State Services (DSS) to produce Nnamdi in court unfailingly on Monday. At the resumed trial yesterday, the accused pleaded not guilty to the three-count charge slammed on him. After that, the DSS asked the court to allow it file another charge bothering on terrorism against Kanu before a higher court. In the pending charge, Kanu is being arraigned on a three-count charge of criminal conspiracy, intimidation and…
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Russia blitzed 600 rebels in a single cruise missile strike, defence officials revealed today, as Moscow announced it was DOUBLING the number of jets used to pound ISIS targets in Syria. The Russian defence minister said the air force was increasing the number of aircraft involved in pounding jihadis to 69. Moscow’s warplanes have carried out a staggering 394 sorties in just the last three days, hitting 731 rebel targets across Syria. It comes amid confusion over whether Russia will send in boots on the ground, with the Kremlin today saying they will not launch a full-scale ground war for…
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The federal government, on Monday, asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to revoke the bail granted the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, on September 1, and also commit him to prison pending his trial. In a fresh motion on notice, the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Mohammed Diri, the Nigerian government sought revocation of the bail granted the ex-NSA in the unlawful possession of firearms and money laundering charges earlier brought against him. The motion, signed by Mr. Diri, was brought to the court pursuant to section 169 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.…
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The Nigeria Labour Congress on Monday said the recent declaration by the Nigerian Governors’ Forum that it would not be able to sustain the payment of the N18,000 National Minimum Wage was a declaration of war against Nigerian workers. NLC President, Ayuba Wabaa, said he was shocked by the statement by the Chairman of the Forum, Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara state, that the law enacted in 2011 was no longer sustainable because of the fall in the price of crude oil. “For the governor to claim that the National Minimum Wage was “imposed”, we wish to make it abundantly clear…
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The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has reacted to the death of Prince Abubakar Audu. A statement issued by Olisa Metuh, National publicity secretary of the party said it was ‘shocked’ by the news. ”The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is shocked by the news of the sudden death of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in last Saturday’s Kogi state governorship election, Prince Abubakar Audu. At this critical moment, the PDP refrains from comments on the conduct of the election. That is not important now. What is important at this point is the sanctity of human life” ”Our deepest…
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With the death of Abubakar Audu, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Saturday’s governorship election in Kogi State, a new legal battle may have ensued on the fate of the election. Mr. Audu was leading his closest challenger and incumbent governor, Idris Wada of the Peoples Democratic Party, by 41,353 votes. The Independent National Electoral Commission, however, declared the election inconclusive as possible votes from the 91 cancelled polling units (49,953) is higher than the margin between the two leading candidates. Mr. Audu would have eventually emerge winner after elections are held in the 91 polling units as…
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Two trade unions in the aviation sector have faulted the recent laying off of Nigerian cabin crew by Virgin Atlantic Airline management. The unions, the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, ATSSSAN, and the National Union of Air Transport Employees, NUATE, said this in a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the airline had recently laid off the cabin crew comprising 20 Nigerians. However, the statement, signed on behalf of ATSSSAN and NUATE by Saint Omotaje and Olayinka Abioye respectively, said the dismissal of the workers had breached international labour practices.…
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In 1989, the World Bank published a major paper – “From Crisis to Sustainable growth in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Long-Term Perspective Study”. It was essentially a belated explanation on reasons that led to the failure of Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAP) to regenerate growth and progress after a decade of suffering. The abandonment of social provisioning, cutting public sector work force, collapsing national currencies and generalising intense suffering never produced the results that had been predicted. The key explanation of the World Bank was that there was a missing component in its conditionalities – good governance, without which the economy…
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One thing that has been scientifically proved about corruption is that when the system is able to punish those involved in corrupt practices, the quantum decreases steadily. When there is immunity for engaging in corrupt practices however, the quantum and scale of corrupt acts grows astronomically. Since the height of Nuhu Ribadu’s successes in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), confidence returned fully to the practitioners of grand corruption in Nigeria. Nigeria is today the only country in the civilised world where corrupt persons could get court injunctions stopping the prosecutorial agencies and the courts from investigating and prosecuting…
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DIVISION is the lot of lawyers, today Sunday, over how the country could proceed with the Kogi State governorship election following the death of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship Candidate, Prince Abubakar Audu. There should be fresh election – Braithwaite Speaking on the issue Sunday, Second Republic politician and legal icon, Dr Tunji Braithwaite said the demise of Prince Abubakar calls for a fresh governorship election in Kogi. His words: First, it is sad that Audu died. Our thoughts are with his family at this time. However, coming to mankind, life and activities must go on. If the front…
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News flying all over the Nigerian Blogosphere have it that the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi state, Prince Abubakar Audu is dead. Reports have it that he died of undisclosed medical reasons shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared his victory at the elections as inconclusive. Nigerians Online have described his death as a surprise and speculated he may have died out of unnatural causes, however, according to family sources as quoted by Saharareporters, Prince Audu was said to have died 5 am Sunday morning. He started vomiting blood on Friday night in…
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Unconfirmed reports claim that Prince Abubakar Audu as died of an undisclosed medical condition. Details later.
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By Coalition Of Southeast Based Human Rights Organizations (CSBHROs) (Onitsha-Nigeria, 22nd November 2015)-The leaderships of the Southeast based Coalition of Human Rights Organizations; comprising the Anambra State Branch of Civil Liberties Organization (CLO), International Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law (Intersociety), Center for Human Rights & Peace Advocacy (CHRPA), Human Rights Club(HRC) (a project of LRRDC), Southeast Good Governance Forum (SGGF), Forum for Equity, Justice & Defense of Human Rights (FEJDHR), Society Advocacy Watch Project (SPAW), Anambra Human Rights Forum (AHRF) and the International Solidarity for Peace & Human Rights Initiative (INTERSOLIDARITY) having observed the recent socio-political…
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Fellow Nigerians, let me tell you about my James Bond stunts in this season of the sensational SPECTRE movie. Yes. The news of the arrest of former strong woman of Nigeria’s Petroleum Ministry, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke in London had hit the airwaves like thunderbolt. No member of President Goodluck Jonathan’s government held the nation spellbound like Madame Diezani. Controversy dogged her every step just as she spawned loads of salacious gossip. She is a newsmaker per excellence. For starters, Madame Diezani is a paragon of beauty. She’s also very simple but chic and elegant in dressing and appearance. At 54,…
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Fellow Nigerians, what you are about to read is an abridged version of what is probably the most anticipated story of the year. It has now given birth to a big bouncing baby christened The Boss newspaper, an online publication. The Diezani Alison-Madueke story has graced the cover of the first edition of what I believe will be a catalyst for unbiased investigative reporting in Nigeria. The Boss had long been conceptualised as a Leadership newspaper to occupy the void created by lack of true and credible investigative journalism in some traditional and online media. The original plan was to…
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Exclusive report on Diezani Alison-Madueke’s story by The Boss Newspaper If you have not been following our special reports on the raging controversy around the embattled former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Alison-Madueke, you have nothing to worry about as The Boss newspaper brings the Diezani saga to its climax today. The story you’re reading now is the concluding part but you will be able to read all the other stories we’ve published in the past three weeks in Thisday and later The Boss Newspaper. It is a story like no other and the mutual suspicion from affected and/or interested…
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An Igbo scholar, Dr. Samuel Okafor, has made one-time Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, look so small and uneducated by using facts and figures to demolish the claims he made in the controversial August 8 article, “The Bitter Truth About The Igbo”, which set off a storm that almost threatened Igbo-Yoruba relations. In the first part of an article entitled “The Lies of Femi Fani-Kayode”, Okafor, who has a First Class in History from the University of Nigeria Nsukka and then did a Ph.D in Nsukka on scholarship, dismissed Fani-Kayode as a “half-baked intellectual.” He then proceeded, point by point,…
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Constitutional lawyer and rights activist, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) over the weekend, warned of possible dictatorship by President Muhammadu Buhari, if things are not nipped in the bud. Speaking in his Abuja office, Ozekhome urged Nigerians to prepare their minds to resist the pending dictatorship, which, he insists, is not part of democracy. The legal luminary who said he was moved to such conclusion given the turn of events, maintained that “even in a civilian democracy, a dictatorship can occur if there are no checks and balances; if the judiciary is harassed; if the judiciary is emasculated; the legislature…
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The Igbo Jews are said to have migrated from Syrian, Portuguese and Libyan Israelites into West Africa. Historical records shows that this migration started around 740 C.E. According to UCLA Jewish Historian Chinedu Nwabunwanne of Aguleri, “the migration started when the forces of Caliph Mohammed—the last leader of the Umayyads—and his Qaysi-Arab supportes defeated the Yamani-Arab Umayyads of Syria in 744 C.E; sacked the Yamanis and their Jewish supporters from Syria. The Syrian-Jewish migrant tribes Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher resettled in Nigeria where they became known as Sambation Jews. In 1484 and 1667 Judeans and Zebulonians from Portugal and…
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Boko Haram members on Friday night launched an attack on Kwanti village in Fika local government area of Yobe State, in which 7 persons were killed, LEADERSHIP Sunday gathered. A witness, Isa Dafa, confirmed to our correspondent on phone that the insurgents stormed the town at about 11:40pm and started shooting. He said many residents fled the community to escape attack. While some of the residents fled into the bush, others moved to the LG headquarters for safety. Fika is about 100 kilometres to the south of the Yobe state and borders Nafada Local Government Area of Gombe state. The…
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IN apparent reference to various agitations for dismemberment of the country, President Muhammadu Buhari has warned that his government would not fold its arms and watch some individuals or groups threaten the unity of Nigeria. The President used the occasions of the investiture of the Obi of Onitsha, Dr. Nnaemeka Alfred Ugochukwu Achebe, as Chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and graduation ceremony at the Nigeria Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos to make his feelings public. He noted that despite challenges posed by insurgency and economic downturn, Nigeria is on the rise again, warning that…
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Perhaps he didn’t award, but should have. Perhaps some other people did, but shouldn’t have. The good thing is that a long-overdue examination of Nigeria’s procurement malpractices may now find public expression. If so, it must be a thorough and just exercise, and should include the military, security and intelligence communities spanning at least the past 10 – 15 years. The rot did not begin under President Jonathan, and while there is evidence that the NSA’s office gulped nearly $3bn between 2011 and 2015, Mr. Dasuki did not invent that office, and he did not arrive there until 2012. The pursuit…
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