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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“From time immemorial, the people that are called Igbanke today were known and called Igbo-Akiri. It was in 1967 when Ogbemudia became the military governor of the Midwest State that he changed the name of the town from Igbo-Akiri to Igbanke…It would have been unthinkable at that time to reveal that an Ibo man or an Ibo town produced the military governor of the Midwest State…. Ogbemudia, including the prominent Evangelist Rev. Isaac Idahosa are all Ibo and they hail originally from Igbo Akiri.” (See Blood On The Niger, Gomslam Books 2012 pages 33, 216) Captain Fred Anuku, the Commander of…
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Slavery as an inhumane act perpetrated by Europeans against Africans is only one side of the story. The other side of the story is that Africans, whether as brokers, raiders, donors, slave merchants, facilitators, were complicit in the enslavement of fellow Africans and African on African slavery persists and thrives till this day. Today, we hold that whites owe reparation for slavery and whites should be held responsible for all the reprehensible acts of cruelty against African slaves. Agreed in part, but at what point will Africans take responsibility and offer due reparations, recompense and expiation for their own role…
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Says American Government Agency Mentioned IPOB As A Group That Attacks Christians In Nigeria30/6/2020 “As I type, a 2020 Report by the United States Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in the Nigerian section, EXPRESSLY named IPOB as one of the entities levying attacks on places of Worship in Nigeria (Paragraph 2 of Page 2). They cited a media report that IPOB members “attacked five Christians, including a priest, for holding a mass in defiance of IPOB orders to stay at home” (If you want the full report or the page that mentioned IPOB, kindly ask and I will inbox…
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For most people in Imo State, there seems to be an honest effort to reconstruct the State and extricate her from the manacles of corruption and underdevelopment. Between 2011 and 2019, so much happened that no meaningful government in the state would want to close its eyes to the calamity. The calamity was earth shattering, to the point that almost all the governorship candidates in the state agreed that if the state must move forward, Okorocha’s successor must revisit certain policies of that era, and perhaps undo what he had done. Even if someone wanted to close just one eye…
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If you thought that kneeling on the neck of George Floyd until he expired was horrific, then take a moment to reflect on the equally Floydian horror of pinning down the faces of scores of unarmed Igbo kids in muddy water by elements of the Nigerian army during Operation Python Dance 2 until they all expired and their bodies tossed into shallow graves. Their crime was crying out for social justice in Nigeria by expressing a legitimate desire to leave Nigeria and form Biafra as a separate sovereign entity to bear their aspirations for equality and fair play. In a…
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One of the things that surprise me about human beings is the degree of our conceptions and machinations. It never ceases to amaze me what man can do to get even and settle scores, and regrettably, this can happen for mere imaginary problem(s). There is no limit to what we can do – and this includes the good, the bad and the ugly which can come in legions even when least expected and within our cells and the confines of our operations. As communal beings, we live in communities, interacting and relating with others. We operate within a circle –…
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“Intelligence of the masses is too lowTheir forgetfulness very greatThey must be told one thing a thousand times” Adolf Hitler Creating a nation out of a sovereign nation, either by the fiat of the United Nations, or by mutual consent; or by convulsion of the affected nations by the splinter sections is never a walk in the park. Unless the affected nation decides to dissolve itself, dividing it takes a lengthy process that requires a buy in of two third of nations of the world, including unanimous affirmations of the five (5) nations holding veto in the Security Country Council…
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Let me make it clear that spontaneous right action informs one to do the right thing, at the right time for the right reasons.Question is : Why should the Igbos and people of Southern Nigeria, mostly Christians give their unconditional support to the Democrats, or why should they reward them for what they did here in 2015 under President Obama? I want to also alert those who think that those supporting President Trump are misguided, that they are actually the misguided people because they are driven by bandwagon mentality and not deep and introspective thinking. It is on record that in…
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By Dr. Law Mefor It is not difficult to see prominent citizens from certain divides of the country claiming they do not understand what ‘Restructuring’ means. One also suspects that there are proponents of Restructuring who may not be able to defend their position well for the simple reason that their appreciation of the subject matter is vague; or, maybe, they are just suffering bandwagon effect? A cause may not be so imperiled from its enemies as from its injudicious defence by its friends. One therefore feels compelled to simplify and summarise what ‘Restructuring’ means despite the facts out there,…
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1. Introduction The restructuring discourse and debate has now been on-going in Nigeria for about a decade. The issue for me in this article isn’t about the propriety or germaneness, or even the benefits of restructuring for Nigeria. I really couldn’t care less for what’s good or bad for Nigeria; that’s for non-Igbo Nigerians, as far as I’m concerned, to worry about, not for any genuinely Igbo person. Here in this piece, I simply want to argue that it’s in the best interest of Nigeria, and of Igbos, broadly defined to include “peripheral Igbos” or “fringe Igbos”, to carve out of…
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The story you are about to read is about a Nigerian who shook the whole world and the pharmaceutical industry in his days. However, his constituency-Nigeria forgets him. But let’s celebrate him today because if he had been alive today, he would probably offer solution to covid 19. Enjoy your reading and don’t forget to pass your comments. Alabukun, one of the oldest drugs in Nigeria and even still very relevant and popular today. However, not many know the Jacob Odulate aka Blessed Jacob, a Nigerian pharmacist, inventor and entrepreneur, the brain behind the brand. The Alabukun powder is like…
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“I have invited you to attend this caucus because I would like you to make clear our stand on the issue of secession. As a party, we would have preferred Nigeria to remain intact, but lest there be doubt as to our willingness to concede to any shade of political opinion the right to determine its policy, I am obliged to issue a solemn warning to those who are goading the North towards secession. If you agree with my views, then I hope that in course of our deliberations tonight, you will endorse them, to enable me to publicize them…
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They will kill me; they will kill the President Elect, Chief MKO Abiola if I went ahead with the election and announced the winner of the elections which we all know to be Bashorun, Chief MKO Abiola. ”I know so; I am not daft. He won; he tried. I feel bad about the whole matter. Professor, I do not see how they will spare you because they know you are my principal confidant. You think they do not know you? They know; they know you are with me now. They saw you coming in and they know you are with…
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(Excerpted by Casimir Agbakaja from the book, Zik, Ndigbo & their Southern Neighbours by Uchenna Nwankwo) Igbo relationship with the Eastern Minorities was largely defined by Azikiwe’s relationship with Professor Eyo Ita, the foremost political practitioner from the area at the time. Eyo Ita was a vice president of the NCNC and the leader of the party in the Eastern Region, actually, in Calabar. Following NCNC’s victorious outing in the December 1951 Eastern Regional elections, Prof Eyo Ita became the Head of Government Business in Eastern Nigeria [on Azikiwe’s recommendation or backing] in early 1952 when the Eastern House of…
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The African Development Bank’s helmsman, Nigerian-born and America-trained Akinwumi Adesina has been in the news recently.Strangely, this time, there are unpleasant allegations being leveled against him. I say strangely because those who are knowledgeable about international development will readily agree that the name Akinwumi Adesina is synonymous with stellar accomplishments. So naturally, much more than an average level of curiosity will come to bear about the allegations against the AfDB President, whose first term is set to lapse in a few months. From a widely circulated Whistleblower complaint document, a string of permutations that stretch to the point of accusing…
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“The President then told me that he wanted me to join his new government. I was so surprised that I said, “But, Sir, I am not a politician.” He, however, quickly replied, “Nor was Henry Kissinger a politician.” In reply to my question about the other characters he hoped to have in his new government, President Shagari was very frank in telling me that during his first administration his political party had won the election for him and had in consequence largely determined who would be appointed as Ministers, with the result that a good many of them had let…
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Harbingers of a new day for the Ibo nation, having selected me to preside over the deliberations of this assembly of the Ibo nation, I am conscious of the fact that you have not done so because of any extraordinary attributes in me.I realize that I am not the oldest among you, nor the wisest, nor the wealthiest, nor the most experienced, nor the most learned. I am therefore grateful to you for elevating me to this high pedestal. The Ibo people have reached a cross-road and it is for us to decide which is the right course to follow.…
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Anyone who had traveled around Eastern Nigeria especially Southeast, would be marveled at the number and types of buildings scattered in every nook and cranny of the zone. People compete to build edifices. Without mincing words, it could be out of place to say that there is rarely a village without a millionaire as seen by the type of buildings – magnificent buildings – in many families, villages and communities even in remotest areas. However, some of the buildings are underutilized and left to accumulate dusts as the owners either live in town, other states or outside Nigeria, visiting home…
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America’s Jeff Bezos, founder of e-commerce giant, Amazon, is becoming a trillionaire in the midst of COVID-19 global pandemic. This is both good and bad news. Good news because it is the reward of foresight and tenacity. Bad news because in the midst of the same pandemic, his e-commerce counterparts in Nigeria are counting losses. The difference is not in the business dexterity of Bezos nor in the poor marketing skills of the Nigerian counterparts. The difference, unfortunately, is how the two governments reacted to the pandemic and its attendant lockdown. While the US government gave a clear signal to e-commerce companies in America to…
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COVID-19 lockdown “It is your reaction to adversity, not the adversity itself that determines how your life story will develop.” Dieter F. Uchrdorf (A German aviator). The Nigerian economy nay world economy would never be the same again. The advent of COVID-19 came so sudden and caught everyone napping and panicky. Even the world powers were very much unprepared as they thought it was another epidemic; like the ones that came before it. African governments were busy waiting on World Health Organization (WHO) for direction. In fact, people had rumoured that COVID-19 was a pandemic for the whites only and that; it does…
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Federal and state governments need to be more serious in enforcing the regulations aimed at chaining COVID-19. It is a matter of life and death. No nation can joke with that. The co-ordination between the federal and state authorities appears ragged at the moment. I thought the primary responsibility of the presidential task force was to act as the national co-ordinating agency; especially in ensuring that states observe whatever regulations are issued by the federal authorities based on the informed advice of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, NCDC. This does not appear to be happening. It is the wrong road…
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I think it is important to start this with the story of a boy, Alhassan.Born in Bebeji, Kano Emirate in 1877, his father, Abdullahi died when he was eight. His mother, Amarya, then left for Accra, and left her children in the care of a slave named Tata. Tata sent young Alhassan to an Almajiri school in Bebeji, where he worked, and learned from a Tijaniyya mallam. At age 17, Alhassan went to Accra to see his mother, who promptly took him to another Mallam. After a year or two, he returned to Bebeji. From his foster mother, Tata, he…
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By Akinyemi Muhammed. On January 15 1966, Nigeria suffered its first military coup. The military coup was erroneously tagged an Igbo coup because most of the coup plotters were Majors from the East (even though most grew up in the north and spoke Hausa better than Igbo), and in July 1966, there was a ‘rematch’. Aggrieved northern soldiers who felt they needed to avenge the death of their top soldiers and politicians killed in the January coup started to threaten mutiny. The suspicion was aggravated by the infamous Unification Decree; Decree 34 announced by Nigeria’s Head of State (HOS) Aguiyi…
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With all the secrets in life including the ones we know and those we are ignorant of, at the appointed time we leave the stage and everything associated with it. To everyone born of a woman, there is no permanent position because change is constant. Take a look at the mirror and see how fast you have changed. But in the real sense of it, is there any secret in life even in secret cults and occult societies? Are there hidden treasures that cannot be explored, revealed and exploited by a curious mind – the earnest seeker? In the romance…
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By Nick Opara-Ndudu Lately, there has been palpable concern over political developments in Imo State, with the spate of unsavoury social media battles that have exposed the fragile nature of the relationships currently existing amongst key political actors. Regrettably, sundry events in our dear state have become the subject of intense public discourse and disagreements in the blogosphere. Imo has, rather unfortunately, become one of those states that has been subject to intense public scrutiny and judgement. Amid all these developments, the world is witnessing an era of unparalleled disruptions in the links that define our global ecosystem. The COVID-19…
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Coronavirus crash in commodity prices has wasted $200 billion in investment and loans. China’s commercial activities in Africa, such as investments, infrastructure projects and bank lending, have long attracted scrutiny and criticism. Critics have accused Beijing of practicing a new form of economic colonialism to gain control of the continent’s valuable natural resources by luring unsuspecting African nations into so-called debt traps. While this perspective dominates the narrative about Beijing’s economic ties with Africa, it likely exaggerates Chinese strategic foresight and overlooks the pitfalls of China’s big bet on the continent.As the prices of oil, copper and minerals found in…
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This essay is a rebuttal to the recent publication by Dr Nwankwo Tony Nwaezeigwe making the rounds in the social media. In his write-up, he made several mendacious assertions, which I consider a calculated attempt to deride the Igbo nation and bring its past leaders into disrepute. My task is to clarify and put the records straight. On self centeredness of Ndigbo and their Past LeadersThe claim that Ndigbo and their past leaders, particularly Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and Chief Odumegwu Ojukwu, were self-centered is really absurd and depicts lack of historical knowledge or a deliberate attempt to ignore the historical…
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(1) Olaudah Equiano: The Father of American Autobiography In his acclaimed autobiography, Olaudah Equiano told of his early childhood in Iseke, a community in the Igbo nation, southeast of Oshimmri (now the River Niger). He was kidnapped at age 11 and shipped across the Atlantic to the Americas in 1757. One of his American enslavers named him ‘Gustavus Vassa’ after the 16th-century Swedish king, a cultural cleansing criminality that characterized chattel slavery in the Americas. While working on ships and sailing the world, Olaudah did some on-the-side trading, in the spirit of Igbo entrepreneurial expertise. He saved enough money within…
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“Yes. I played a prominent role in Biafra for the unity of the country in order to restore peace and bring about unity of the country. That’s the role I played. I advised Ojukwu. I said well look, you have declared secession. What we should do is to get the elder statesmen and women of the nation to reconcile you and Gowon. I said by declaring secession, you get so many people who do not believe you to remain there. You see all of us were interned. As we were interned then, we couldn’t express our own views as we…
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No one conversant with the history of Nigeria in the I950s and 1960’s will miss the overwhelming impact of Dr M.I. Okpara on the nation. After all by 1964 he was fully in charge of the fastest growing and industrialising economy in the world- the Eastern Nigerian economy. Nothing illustrates the warped sense of history and the complete abandonment of the values of merit and excellence in our national affairs as this wilful omission. The period of Okpara’s stewardship of Eastern Nigeria is truly the golden age of Nigerian development. As I pointed out in a public lecture in 1995,…
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Introduction COVID-19 emerged as one of the world’s worst pandemics with unprecedented social and economic lockdown in history. As a global pandemic, over 212 countries, territories and conveyances have been hit by the ‘super-spreading COVID-19. The effect is the self-evident drift from economic bloom to gloom with every country’s share of the challenge. Covid-19 has exposed the reality that governments are not omnipotent and sole-providers of all individuals’ economic demands in societies. DAn economy refers to the aggregate gross domestic product (GDP) of a country. It can be measured chiefly by country’s GDP/GNP and per capita GDP. Economic growth rate…
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ATTEMPT AT AN ANSWER – by Dr. S. Okechukwu Mezu They lived in different times and clime. Dr. Michael Okpara was the Premier of Eastern Nigeria (Today’s South-Eastern states (Imo, Anambra, Abia, Enugu, Ebonyi) and parts of South-South states (Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross Rivers). He was not elected but chosen over Barrister R. Amanze Njoku and Prof. Eyo Ita and leader of NCNC in the Eastern House of Assembly by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe who was heading back to the national scene Lagos preparatory to the Independence of Nigeria. The headquarters of Eastern Nigeria was at Enugu. There were initially…
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The Nigerian Civil War was a golden opportunity for the country to have developed technologically if the opportunities it provided were harnessed. During the three years war, the Igbo scientists and engineers gave good account of themselves in terms of technological inventions. In the heat of the civil war, the leader of the young Biafra Republic, Lt. Col. Chukwuemeka Ojukwu called a meeting of engineers and scientists, and challenged them to produce a counter weapon to all that Britain and Russia were providing to the Nigerian Government. According to the Biafran leader: “The answer I got within a space of…
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Over time, the idea of 100 days in office has been used to measure the success or failure of governments. While famous American writer and author, Kenneth T. Walsh, believes that 100 days should not be the ideal yardstick to establish the success or otherwise of a leader or government, he still regards it as a functional device for measuring effectiveness. It should, however, be stressed that success in the first 100 days does not really translate into an enduring success afterward. In the same vein, initial difficulties do not, in any way, signify that a government is doomed to…
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A series of tips circulating on Facebook and the private messaging app Viber are reinforcing several myths about the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, including the use of bleach, mouthwash and UV light to avoid the contagion. The 600-plus-word advice, attributed to an unnamed assistant professor in infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University, came from a “community chat,” was described as an “excellent summary to avoid contagion” and shared March 24. The tips include at least four myths that have been debunked by the World Health Organization, health experts and fact checkers. Following the advice may harm a person’s health. The myths:*…
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Did Nigeria start out on the right path and derail along the way? Or did Nigeria always lack progressive leadership from the get-go? At independence in 1960, Nigeria had a workforce that was among the best-educated in Sub-Saharan Africa and the country had just discovered substantial deposits of crude oil. With vast human and mineral resources at its disposal, the young federation appeared poised to become a model for African infrastructural development and social progress. It would not be an overstatement to argue that, 60 years after gaining independence from Britain, Nigeria has largely struggled to realize its potential. The…
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While humans stand on the brink of precipitating our own extinction, with the prospects of now averting this remote – see ‘Human Extinction Now Imminent and Inevitable? A Report on the State of Planet Earth’ – virtually everyone remains unaware of the critical nature of our plight. Moreover, the ongoing human death toll from the activities that are generating this crisis numbers in the many millions each year while the number of species driven to extinction is estimated at 200 per day. In contrast, a virus that is killing a very small proportion of the minuscule number it has infected…
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What will be next? Is a question on many people’s minds. Very likely the world will never be the same again. That might be good, or not so good, depending on how we look at this disastrous, “pandemic” which by all serious accounts does not deserve the term “pandemic”, that was unwittingly attributed to the SARS-2-CoV, or 2019-nCoV, renamed by WHO as COVID-19. On March 11, Dr. Tedros, WHO’s Director General called it a pandemic. This decision was already taken by the WEF (World Economic Forum) in Davos, from 20 -24 January 2020, when the total COVID19 cases outside of China were recorded…
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In all the midst of conflicting theories, conspiracy and otherwise, here are a few things I have been able to gather. These facts are verifiable: America won the 4G war, and generated over $100 billion in GDP. There was an intense race for 5G, a race which China has all but emerged victorious. 5G is 20 times more powerful than 4G. 5G has the capacity to generate 3 million jobs, and add $500 billion to GDP. Most importantly, the nation that controls 5G, will control the world via information. Basically, 5G is the new nuclear button. Donald Trump, on realising…
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In the past two weeks, the Coronavirus pandemic has produced many paradoxes to give Nigerians a life time of anxiety about the future of their country. A virus that arrived in Nigeria with an evil reputation is now cautiously embraced by ordinary citizens as the “messiah virus” that may help resolve the country’s intractable political logjam. In New York and Berlin, the COVID-19 is seen as a nimble and vicious enemy that continues to ravage their economies. But in Nigeria, the virus seems to have chosen a surprising trajectory. COVID-19 has infiltrated Nigeria’s political calculus by striking what some say…
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There was a prevailing opinion at the advent of the Coronavirus that the Black people from Sub-saharan Afrika were immune to the attack of the virus so we left our guards open, living as though we were superhumans. Four days ago I wore my Face Mask at the Airport and everyone looked at me like an alien who must have lost touch with time . I could hear the Front desk staffs murmuring to themselves, “Corona can not survive in Nigeria why is he wearing Face mask?”. I am a strong advocate of backward integration as Afrika has no shortage…
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From Senegambia to Chad and onto Kenya, preparatory wargames have been conducted by Europeans and Afroasians for the final conflict at change of the Great Year, but Original Africans (Niger-Kongo ethnolinguistic family) are too culturally disoriented to know what time it is and notice the winds of change. For the lack of knowledge a people perish? The Berlin Conference was where African slavery was geopolitically institutionalized. Original Africans were to be politically enslaved through cultural disorientation, imbued with restrictive divisive nationalism and religion that confuses their true cultural identity and linkages. This was an informed response by Abrahamic Europeans to…
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Johns Hopkins University, sent this excellent summary to avoid contagion I share it with you because it is very clear: The virus is not a living organism, but a protein molecule (DNA) covered by a protective layer of lipid (fat), which, when absorbed by the cells of the ocular, nasal or buccal mucosa, changes their genetic code. (mutation) and convert them into aggressor and multiplier cells. Since the virus is not a living organism but a protein molecule, it is not killed, but decays on its own. The disintegration time depends on the temperature, humidity and type of material where…
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I am a senior Chinese military intelligence officer and I know the truth about the coronavirus outbreak. It is far worse than the media are telling you. I am a Chinese citizen in Wuhan who occupies — or perhaps occupied — a high-ranking position in military intelligence. I am also a member of the Chinese Communist Party. As a senior official near the top of the Party, I have access to a great deal of classified information and I have been involved in many top secret government projects. I have a doctorate from a leading university in a western country,…
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Had we known yesterday the things we know today, we might not have made some certain mistakes especially the avoidable ones but if only we have conscience that’s not smeared or tainted with evil machinations or malice against others. However, like the snail that erroneously salivate to death in the name of fighting and quenching the burning fire, the evildoers never realized that their evil deeds remain their greatest undoing – and somehow, some day by either commission or omission, they will take a bold but wrong step that will expose them to the world, revealing their true identities. May…
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Politics is unpredictable. Though it is called a game, but in most cases the element of the unpredictability dictates its outcome. In the case of Imo State now, what may have been the prediction of Soothsayers in 2019 have collapsed in the face of what obtains in the State today. In the beginning, following the desperation of the then sitting Governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha, it had seemed he would dictate who succeeds him in office, and also openly threw all his weights behind his son inlaw, Chief Uche Nwosu as his successor. Okorocha had made up his mind that only…
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“ 1To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; 3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain…
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Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State was not attacked at Ohaji/Egbema on Sunday contrary to a devilish propaganda being peddled by the opposition. The Governor was at Mmahu area of Ohaji/Egbema to sympathise with the community that lost three of their kinsmen on Friday following an accident that involved a truck belonging to an oil firm operating in the area. The killing enraged the youths in Mmahu, causing their leaders to reach out to the governor to visit the community to call the oil firm to order. Straight from church, Governor Uzodinma, in the company of the Brigade Commander at…
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AT THE GREAT DEBATE AND DIALOGUE FOR NATIONAL UNITY ORGANIZED BY IGBO LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION IN COLLABORATION WITH GREGORY UNIVERSITY UTURU, WORLD IGBO SUMMIT GROUP, CENTRE FOR INTL ADVANCED AND PROFESSIONAL STUDIES, NEW GENERATION LEADERSHIP FOUNDATION AT SHERATON HOTEL ABUJA ON THE 5TH OF MARCH, 2020 Protocols. The Background/Introduction On behalf of the coalition of willing organizations convoking this national conversation for national unity and equity, namely: Igbo Leadership Development Foundation, Gregory University Uturu, World Igbo Summit Group, Centre for Intl Advanced and Professional Studies Lagos and New Generation Leadership Foundation, I welcome you all. This national dialogue is deemed…
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Apex Igbo sociocultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has written an open letter to the Inspector General of Police over the sighting of herdsmen in possession of AK-47 in Anambra state. The letter titled, The Road to Anarchy, signed by the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo told the IGP that they will not fold their arms and allow gun-toting marauding Fulani herdsmen to continue harassing, raping, maiming and killing them in their own homes. The Inspector General of Police sir, Ohanaeze Ndigbo is alarmed by this wanton act because of the danger it portends. This raises the following questions:…
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■ Says “i know i’m going; at 94, the best i can hope for myself is 6 more years” Q• Let’s talk about national integration and cohesion in Nigeria. Our theory of evolution as a country appears fast degenerating and the thing is that we are no longer acting as a whole. If a Nigerian gives birth to a baby in America the child becomes an American citizen. But a Nigerian from the South, for instance, who resides all his life in the North will have a child that will not be allowed to benefit from the citizenship status of…
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By Collins Ughalaa “Every Result Form completed at the Ward, Local Government, State and National levels in accordance with the provisions of this Act or any guidelines issued by the Commission shall be signed and countersigned by the relevant officers and polling agents at those levels and copies given to the police officers and the polling agents, where available” Section 74 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended). “The Presiding Officer shall give to the Polling Agents and the Police Officers where available a copy each of the completed forms after it has been duly signed as provided in sub-section…
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The Imo State government has signed a memorandum of understanding with Marriot International incorporated for the renovation and management of the Imo Concorde hotel to international standards. The MOU is to usher in a Public-Private Partnership which the Governor says will further make the Imo Concorde an internationally recognized hotel with economic benefits to the State as conceived by Imo State first civilian Governor Sam Mbakwe The partnership will allow Marriot invest in the renovation and management of the hotel. However the governor noted that the partnership must take into consideration local content participation for Imo State indigenes. The MOU…
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God is currently angry with Nigeria. He is angry with many people in the country. God is not happy with Nigeria because of the sinfulness of her people. He is not happy about the atrocities being committed by some Nigerians. He is not happy about the injustices being perpetrated in some high places against the poor or the downtrodden, the denial of their rights, taking away of what belongs to them. God is not happy about the hypocritic and false life of many Nigerians, who pretend to be religious, and god-fearing. They build gigantic Churches and magnificent Mosques. Every Sunday,…
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This perspective is from Prof. Kenneth Amaeshi in Scotland UK. The outcome of the 2019 elections in Imo State has reverberated in and outside Nigeria with a lot of controversies. Expectedly, the saga has created heroes This perspective is from our own Prof. Kenneth Amaeshi in Scotland. and villains. However, the real story and casualties behind the scenes are often missed. As Ihedioha and Uzodinma approach the Supreme Court for a revision of the verdict on the 18th of February, it becomes imperative to dig deeper into the saga. It is obvious that events do not just happen. In politics,…
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By Collins Ughalaa On Saturday, March 9, 2019, the people of Imo State joined citizens in other states of the federation to perform one of their civic responsibilities. They trooped out in their numbers to vote for their preferred governorship candidate. This voting ritual is done in Nigeria once in four years, and the outcome of the ritual determines almost everything that happens in the various states. Aware of the magnitude of the choice before them, Imo people, including the aged, braved the odds and stood in the sun for hours just for an opportunity to make their choice. The…
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By Collins Ughalaa On Friday, February 21, 2020, we started a series on the above subject that has dominated public discourse for over a month now. We understand the seriousness of the issues canvassed. But many people are worried that many of the discussants have only engaged in emotional aerobics, twisting the essence of what the Supreme Court said in their judgement of Tuesday, January 14, 2020, which ousted Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha as the Governor of Imo State and ushered in Senator Hope Uzodinma as the new Governor of the state. Having studied the Supreme Court Judgement and the…
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Many have called privately to ask me questions as to what happened in Imo Governorship election petition. This little intervention is a summary of the legal contest. I must apologize in advance if some aspects of it is somewhat technical. I am one of Sen. Hope Uzodinma’s lawyers. I am not a member or a fan of APC but just an ordinary lawyer who did a law job for a man who hired my services. The petition was fought on the basis of exclusion of election results from 388 polling units in Imo State. These 388 polling units happened to…
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By Bennett Oghifo The President of Dangote Group of Companies, Alhaji Aliko Dangote has so far invested over N63 billion to the South East economy of Nigeria by having trucks built for him at the Anambra Motor Manufacturing Company (ANAMMCO) in Enugu. Dangote’s trucks are assembled by a Chinese company, Shacman Trucks, through its Nigerian franchise holder, Transit Support Services Limited (TSS), which has an arrangement with ANAMMCO to use its production lines. This was stated by the Chief Executive Officer, TSS, Mr. Frank Nneji at a Press conference held at ANAMMCO in Enugu State, recently. Nneji, who is also…
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The popular take out there is that adjournment of cases slated for hearing is “the unprepared” lawyer’s escape route for running away from expeditious trials. Nigerians generally perceive lawyers who apply for adjournment of cases as lazy or unserious because it is widely believed that if the lawyer is sure about the genuineness of his client’s claim or defence, he should be anxious to prosecute the matter diligently. While this mistaken slant remains arguable or could have been true in the times past, it is indeed not the correct storyline now given the current trajectory of the law. The new…
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The Nigerian nation is still staggering under the weight of formation. It has tried some options; including holding the nation together by sheer force but none seems to be working. The Nigeria-Biafra civil war was the ultimate measure deployed to keeping the nation one. From the country’s checkered experience, building a nation doesn’t seem quite possible before the nation itself is really formed. Nigerian leaders do not seem to see this. Not until now that the chicks are coming home to roost, leaving the 200m citizens virtually stranded. The Igbo Leadership Development Foundation (ILDF), the pan-Igbo sociopolitical group currently pushing…
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Come to think about it; CAN THE SUPREME COURT REVERSE ITSELF? Under the doctrine of stare decisis, the Supreme Court is bound by its previous decisions. As such there had been cases where the judgment of the Supreme Court stunned a section of the public but the court didn’t reverse its judgement when approached. The Supreme Court can’t entertain, hear, determine any Appeal or application connected with that election Appeal. The judgment, as it is, is binding, conclusive and can’t be set aside, reversed or touched by any person, including the Supreme Court itself. The Supreme Court is the Apex…
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Order 8 Rule 16 of the Supreme Court Rules 2014 prohibits this Honourable Court from reviewing its judgment once given and delivered, save to correct clerical mistakes or accidental slip. That is to say that the Supreme Court can review its judgment but only on issues that do not touch on its judgment and that is applicable to civil jurisprudence. The Supreme Court has discharged the burden placed on it by the law in section 285 of the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act within the sixty days stipulated by law for the court to conclude and election matter. This…
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I am compelled to spill the beans a little because it has become obvious that people are getting confused, judgemental and sentimental over the Imo Supreme Court judgement. While we wait for the court to explain the reasons for its judgement as is customary, it is important to note that it was an embarrassing lack of electoral integrity and an almost total absence of internal democracy that influenced the decision of the justices of the Supreme Court in the case between Hon Emeka Ihedioha and Senator Hope Uzodinma on the 14/01/2020 Let’s call a spade a spade, in Nigeria as…
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Once was it said and more often should it be repeated in political calculus in Nigeria, Men of the future must not only understand their past but also the forces that forge the present. Nigeria has become a workshop of democracy and the forces that forge the nation are holding firm. And with wimpy, ineffectual and unchallenging political class, these forces do not have to yield an inch. This is the dense political climate in which recently, Igbo Leadership Development Foundation (ILDF) and its allies unveiled the plan to organize the Great Debate for national unity centered on Restructuring and…
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I have read a lot of commentaries over the recent Supreme Court judgment declaring Senator Hope Uzodinma as the duly elected Governor of Imo State. Many have wondered how a candidate who came 4th in the election would be declared the winner by the Court. Some others have argued that the court at worst should have ordered for a rerun/run off election. A few orders have submitted that in view of the recent decision of the apex court regarding the dual candidacy of Uche Nwosu, the Supreme Court ought not to have declared Hope the winner of the governorship election.…
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 Acid rain is falling, the green grasses of the rainforest are turning into yellow. The trees are falling, animals are scampering for safety. What is the source of this rain that carries with it death and destruction? The prophecy of old is becoming a reality. Anyone unlucky enough to be beaten by this rain will suffer a long, agonising and painful end, so says the ancient wisdom. What can we do to stop this evil rail from destroying everything we have laboured for? If only we know that the power of the people is much greater than any strongman…
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 Nigeria’s democracy is facing arguably its worst form of bastardisation and debauchery in years. We actually thought that with all the reforms instituted over the years, we had moved past the era of ballot-box snatching and violence. But we are seeing a surging comeback of these anomalies. Under the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration, democracy has lost its true meaning and Nigerians are at the mercy of a vicious chokehold by a gang of desperate power grabbers. These politicians of violence and bloodshed are unrelentingly determined to impose themselves on us as leaders. Anyone still claiming we are practising…
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(Published in the Nigerian Tribune on Monday, 13 January, 2020). Amidst ruffled feathers, south-western states of Nigeria took their destiny in their hands and launched their Amotekun on Thursday. The Yoruba people know that a madness that takes years figuring out how to be naked will never dance in the marketplace. They have seen the king’s selective potency – and his selective impotence. They also see criminal sticks blinding the unwary in other places everyday without consequences. Igi ganganran má gún mi l’óju…is a proverb that commands the Yoruba to be proactive in combating threats. Two weeks ago, suspected Fulani…
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Re: Stop Dragging Us: Ikwerre Is Not Igbo And That’s The Gospel Truth. This topic has been over flogged and I am here to end it all. Ikwerre is an ethnic group in River State in the old Eastern Nigeria but fraudulently said to be in the South South. A creation of the Fulani caliphate to disconnect us properly from the Igbo because of the oil, I have never seen South South on the compass or map anywhere in the world. We the Ikwerre don’t have anything to do with the Igbo, we have our ancestry through Akalaka (Destiny in…
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Paper presented at The Conference – MEMORY AND NATION BUILDING: BIAFRA 50 YEARS AFTER: A SOBER REFLECTION. By PROF. T. UZODIMA NWALA President Alaigbo Development Foundation (ADF) 1. Introduction. Before I thank the organisers of this Conference and pay my tribute to the Memory of my friend, late Major-General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, in whose Foundation Center this historic event is being organised, let me quickly dismiss certain lingering pernicious fallacies that have dominated all discussion about the coup of January 15, 1966 and the Biafra War. First, the Chairman of the Occasion, Alhaji Ahmed Joda, has alluded to the January…
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The full text of the report is as follows: Panel Members: Inspector-General of Police – Chairman. The Chairman, EFCC – Member Rep. of the NSA – “ Rep. of the DG, SSS – “ Rep. of the DG, NIA – “ TERMS OF REFERENCE 2. The Panel was imbued with the following terms of reference: (a) To examine the circumstances surrounding the Halliburton bribery scandal in the Bonny liquefied Natural Gas Project; (b) To liaise with appropriate agencies within and outside Nigeria to ensure disclosure of the names of Nigerians involved/implicated in the bribery scandal; (c) To establish the extent…
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For more than 100 years, the United States and Iran have engaged in an ambivalent relationship. Although the American and Iranian people have usually regarded each other as friends, their governments have frequently treated each other as enemies. Throughout the 20th century and into the 21st, America and Iran have butted heads over issues as diverse as oil, communism, radical Islam, and nuclear proliferation, often framing their mutual antagonism as a clash between civilization and barbarism. Yet with a new administration in Washington eager to improve U.S. relations in the Muslim world and with young men and women calling for…
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January 15th must be a date either cursed in Nigeria’s history or merely remarkable by coincidence. It all started on 15thJanuary 1966 when a group of young Nigerian army officers embarked on the terrible misadventure that culminated in the three years of Nigeria’s fratricidal war commonly known as the Nigeria-Biafra war. In the 1960s, a military coup d’état was a popular means of effecting a change of government in the third world. Nigeria did not escape the virus. In the early hours of January 15th 1966, middle ranking officers of the Nigerian army struck and although they failed to control power they…
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Sir Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu (1909-1966) was a notable Businessman/ Transporter and one of the wealthiest men in Nigeria. Born in Nnewi Anambra State, Ojukwu attended Primary school in Asaba and went on the Hope Waddell Training Institute Calabar. He started work in the Colonial Agriculture dept and later joined John Holt as a Tyre clerk. He soon left to set up a Textile business and also a Stockfish import business(the first in the country). He later diversified into Transportation and soon amassed the largest fleet of ‘mammy-wagons’ (named due their popularity with market women)in Nigeria. He was knighted by the…
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Dear Mr. President, Travelling from Lagos to Anambra State on November 9, 2019, I counted 67 “checkpoints” mostly manned by armed men of the Police Mobile Force along the 371 kilometre stretch from Sagamu to Asaba. Travelling the same route again on Thursday November 28, 2019, I counted 64 “checkpoints”. I was on each occasion behind the wheel, meaning that my calculations may have missed or added a number of “checkpoints”. On November 30, 2019, however, Chief Tony Onyima, a respected journalist travelling as a passenger, counted 60 checkpoints on the same tortuous stretch, noting the precise location of each…
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I was in the first cabinet that was overthrown by the military in this country. I entered parliament in December 12, 1959. And I remained in parliament until January 15, 1966 when the government was overthrown. I was the Federal Minister of Education in that cabinet. I woke up one morning in my official house in Ikoyi to discover that my telephone was not working. I had never experienced coup before nor did I know that it was a coup, thinking it was just a telephone fault; until a colleague of mine in the cabinet Chief Abiodun Akerele, came in…
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December 9, 2019 The High Commissioner, British High Commission, Plot 1075, Diplomatic Drive, Central Business District Area, Garki-Abuja. Dear Sir, RE: BLOODY INVASION OF BAR. IFEANYI EJIOFOR’S HOME, CARNAGE AND BLOOD-LETTING THAT TOOK PLACE THEREIN ON THE 2ND DAY OF DECEMBER, 2019, ASSASINATION ATTEMPT ON THE LIFE OF BAR . IFEANYI EJIOFOR, OSTENSIBLY MASTERMINDED BY THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE, ANAMBRA STATE POLICE COMMAND, OFFICER-IN-CHARGE OF SPECIAL ARMED ROBBERY SQUAD; ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER OF POLICE IN CHARGE OF ORAIFITE AREA COMMAND HEADQUARTERS (COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS ASSASINS IN POLICE UNIFORM) AND EMEKA OFFOR. REQUEST FOR YOUR INTERVENTION TO ENSURE A FULL SCALE…
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Adenrele Alomajo Asked by some would-be foreign investors filled with trepidation about doing business in Nigeria, former President Olusegun Obasanjo responded thus: “Should you encounter any problems, speak with the Minister. If the Minister is unable to resolve the issues, see the Vice President. For whatever reason, if the Vice President cannot help you, come back to me and I will solve your problems. If I can’t solve your problem, then you will have to get an appointment to seek resolution from God “. In other words, as President in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was confident…
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I am not a supporter of OUK or any Nigerian in position of leadership or trust engaged in corrupt practices. Yes….it is very unfortunate that the system and people do encourage corruption. Nigeria as an oxymoron is full of conscienceless, “powerful” leaders and weak citizens….followers that will turn their eyes the other way, encourage politicians to steal as long as he or she is their own and the loot benefiting them. These same Nigerians who have refused to hold their political office holders accountable are the ones celebrating the sentencing of Orji Kali while they harbor and shield worse corrupt…
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It was very sad to watch the video of houses in Oraifite, Anambra State, home of of Barister Ifeanyi Ejiofor set ablaze by the Nigeria police and heart wrenching to read the police attempt to justify this act of terrorism and barbarism. So far, Barister Ejiofor’s crime is that he is the lawyer representing Nnamdi Kanu in his in famous treason trial. Now the police is trying to frame Barister Ejiofor for a crime he may not have commit, in order to justify an unlawful action they should not have taken. This is dystopic to say the least. The fact…
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The most important news story in the Nigerian press of the last five years was published last week. But it was neither news, nor story. It didn’t make the front page. It was not written by a reporter. It was not written in Nigeria. Farooq Kperogi’s “Government of Buhari’s Family, By His Family, and For His Family” was diligently written in Georgia, in the United States. That is: the story, with its challenging eye for detail, was reported by a teacher and writer who lives thousands of miles away across the Atlantic. Not by a reporter in Daura or Abuja…
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Both the proponents and opponents of the so-called Hate Speech Bill in the Nigerian Senate don’t seem to realize that the bill itself is fundamentally rooted in, and nurtured by, crass and deep-seated ignorance of the very meaning of “hate speech.” Hate speech doesn’t mean speech that hurts the sensibilities of government officials. Nor does it mean any speech that incites and insults individuals. It simply means speech that besmirches—and incites violence against— a community of vulnerable and marginalized people who are easy targets because of their invariable group attributes such as their ethnicity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, racial identity,…
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Fellow Nigerians, I don’t know about you, but I find the cynicism of many Nigerians very strange and sometimes distressing and depressing. If you’re a social media addict like me, you must have experienced the horror of reading some banal arguments on some platforms. Believe me, it is no longer funny! No surprise that some wonder wonder legislator has decided that hate speech must not only be legislated out of existence but made a capital offence so that horrible death awaits the purveyors of such filth, not minding the constitutional guarantee of Nigerians to freedom of speech and expression. Everywhere…
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“Each of us came away thrilled and very grateful for this very functional project, which will ease traveling time and boost business across the country.“ – Chief Joe Ikunna Igbo intelligentsia Forum has concluded its onsite fact-finding assessment trip of the ongoing Second Niger Bridge Project with a positive report. After a touring of the entire 11.9km stretch of the construction site, the group described their trip as “a fascinating and rare experience” and endorsed the project as “Engineering at its finest.” Igbo intelligentsia Forum is a global group of non-partisan political strategists of Igbo ancestry, passionate about the socio-political…
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Bishop Kukah has earned respect over the years for his unbiased stand on burning national issues. This is yet another classic! I have consistently tried to create levels of differentiation between democracy and dictatorship, especially dictatorships of the military variant as we have had in Nigeria. I have argued that Nigeria is still very far away from the goal posts of what could be called a democratic society. In my view, the environment does not as yet look anything democratic because the actors are largely strangers to the ethos of and what is more, too many of them are tied…
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I have taken out time to research into Mr Allen Onyema’s past and what you will read here should be of interest to every Nigerian. You will decide on the guilt or innocence of Mr Allen Onyema. Article: In 2007 when Yar’Adua mounted the rock, the Niger Delta was no man’s land, it was a region devouring itself. The Niger Delta was a warring nation and Nigeria the occupying force sponsored by neo colonial imperialist oil companies, according to the agitators. Militants who branded themselves freedom fighters had shut down the region, no barge, oil tanker or oil pipeline was…
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Just imagine the SPEED with which The Nation Newspaper reported that the EFCC has set up a Special Panel to investigate the AIR PEACE BOSS AND his acquisition of Aircrafts from the US. THISDAY reports that the Attorney General of the Federal, Malami is waiting for the letter from the US Government on the so-called indictment of Air Peace. If you by any chance think that all these issues are coincidental, then you know little about the International operations of Governments with vested interests. The target is Air Peace. The Airline is growing too fast and it has to be…
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The Nigerian media space went agog when the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia Atlanta Division on November 19, 2019, filed Case 1:19-cr-00464, A “True Bill”, otherwise known as Grand Jury Criminal Indictment against the persons of Allen Ifechukwu Athan Onyema, a Nigerian Citizen, the Chairman and CEO of Air Peace; and Ejiroghene Eghagha, a Nigerian citizen and the Chief of Administration and Finance of Air Peace. Commentators have speculated on the guilt or innocence of the accused. Others have offered some theories relating to the motivations and hidden hands behind the Indictment. Some ‘experts’ have…
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Just imagine the SPEED with which The Nation Newspaper reported that the EFCC has set up a Special Panel to investigate the AIR PEACE BOSS AND his acquisition of Aircrafts from the US. THISDAY reports that the Attorney General of the Federal, Malami is waiting for the letter from the US Government on the so-called indictment of Air Peace. If you by any chance think that all these issues are coincidental, then you know little about the International operations of Governments with vested interests. The target is Air Peace. The Airline is growing too fast and it has to be…
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It is becoming both more European and more American Before the referendum in 2016 European Union flags were as rare as golden eagles in Britain. Today they are as common as sparrows. Parliament Square is permanently festooned with them. Activist Remainers flaunt flag-themed berets and t-shirts. On October 19th a million-strong army of People’s Vote supporters marched on Westminster beneath a sea of gold and blue standards. This points to one of the oddest paradoxes in this odd period in British politics. It took a vote to leave the euro to shock millions of Britons into realising how much they…
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The mainstream and new media has been awash with news about the indictment of the CEO of Air Peace. I find this very baseless and ridiculous because, I think of the strategic nature of transportation as an aid to economic development and industrial expansion in every Country. The capitalist penetration of Africa came with a disarticulation process of our entire economy. The transportation sector was disjointed and disarticulated from start to enable Africa not to achieve coherence in transportation and void economic growth. We can understand this from our railways structure which had no coherence with our aviation and road…
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A 1965 Times Magazine article on emerging Nigerian millionaires Friday, Sep. 17, 1965 Along with pride in status and problems of self-government, independence for the 31 nations of black Africa means the emergence of black businessmen. A few flourish on cottage industries, that early stage of every economy; some are the opportunistic agents of the colonial companies that formerly ruled them. Now, however, more of Africa’s new businessmen are not only university-trained and experienced but surprisingly sophisticated in trade and finance. In Equatorial Africa, it is no longer unusual to see a $200,000 letter of credit emerging from the folds…
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“The earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilt by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and triumph they can become the momentary masters of a fraction of dot…” I do not know the maker of the viral video from which I picked the words above, but I found it to be in agreement with my thoughts as I looked at what we do with ourselves voting in elections. It speaks to humanity’s eagerness to kill one another for empty, fleeting power. It speaks to man’s fervent…
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The term “deep state” has been associated with the “military–industrial complex” by several of the authors on the subject. Potential risks from the military–industrial complex were raised in President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s 1961 farewell address: “In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military–industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.” Stephen F. Cohen in his book War with Russia? (released November 27, 2018), claims that “At least one U.S.–Soviet summit seems to have been sabotaged. The third Eisenhower–Khrushchev meeting, scheduled…
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The impeachment inquiry is in some ways the culmination of a battle between the president and the government institutions he distrusted and disparaged. William B. Taylor Jr., the top American diplomat in Ukraine, told House investigators that he sought to resist the president’s efforts to pressure Ukraine for political help. Nameless, faceless and voiceless, the C.I.A. officer who first triggered the greatest threat to President Trump’s tenure in office seemed to be practically the embodiment of the “deep state” that the president has long accused of trying to take him down. But over the last three weeks, the deep state…
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The deep state has a long history of betraying the trust of the American people. They aren’t our friends just because we share an enemy in common. “Thank God for the deep state,” declared former acting CIA chief John McLaughlin recently while appearing on a panel at George Mason University. A year ago, the deep state was routinely reviled as a figment of paranoid right-wingers’ imagination. But much of the news media are now conferring the same sainthood on the deep state that was previously bestowed on special counsel Robert Mueller. A New York Times article last month gushed that…
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When i went to Oseakwa Ihiala Anambra to take a look at the Orashi River, the closest potential seaport we have in Nigeria that linked Ndi Igbo to Atlantic Ocean. After my meeting with Oseakwa Youth one of their leaders who based in Lagos his is name Prince TonyMax who took me to his house. During our interaction on the need to dredge Orashi Oseakwa River. To my utmost dismay and shock TonyMax revealed to me that, “Shipping goods from China to Nigeria cost #N800,000 for 40ft containers. • To move the same container from Lagos Seaport to Trade fair…
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It’s a long read, but interesting. Mamman Daura @ 80. I have known him all my life. At least I remember the day, while I was in primary school, I heard my father telling some of his friends that a new editor, a brilliant young man, had been appointed editor of the New Nigerian, and he was to take over from Malam Adamu Ciroma. Malam Adamu, who had been a powerful editor for four years, had just then been promoted to general manager/chief executive. Malam Mamman Daura was the incoming editor. In those days, the New Nigerian was by far…
OBLONG MEDIA GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE 