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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That day was Thursday, December 22nd, 2016. The occasion was the Economic and Security Summit of South East Nigeria. President Muhammadu Buhari, the tough talking, body language-fear-inspiring, retired army general Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of the federal republic, was scheduled to be at the occasion as chief guest of honour. But as we heard, Buhari did not turn up for the auspicious occasion. Rumours have it that the president stayed away because of a certain threat by members of the Independent Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) who vowed to resist his entry into the south east. Assuming that is true, a…
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The Deputy President of the Senate, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, has called for decentralised policing to get the country out of its numerous security and economic challenges. He also stressed the need for respect for the rule of law and to ensure inclusive governance. Ekweremadu made the call at the South East Economic and Security Summit held at the Government House in Enugu. According to statement released by his Special Adviser on Media, Uche Anichukwu in Abuja on Friday, Ekweremadu said “unless we restructure our security architecture, we will continue to have problems. “The simple suggestion is that this is the…
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INTRODUCTION The Rule of Law Development Foundation (ROLDF) is an interventionist civil society concentrating on Rule of Law issues that arise in Nigeria and worldwide. By way of press statements, seminars, webcasts, conferences the Foundation draws attention to breaches of the Rule of Law and other constitutional infractions that occur or are commonplace in Nigeria, Africa and beyond. The Foundation is on record, since its inception, to have campaigned vigorously for the preservation of Rule of Law principles and values in the Nigerian society. Unfortunately, since independence, there has been the tendency of Nigerian leaders (albeit in varying degrees) to…
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Maverick politician and businessman, Chief Kenny Martins has debunked claims by former President Goodluck Jonathan that he conceded victory to the incumbent, Alhaji Muhammadu Buhari not out of pressure or persuasion from any quarters within and outside the country, but for his conviction that it was the right path to take. “Let me make it clear, that I was not persuaded to do so by anyone within or outside the country. I knew it was the right thing to do”, Jonathan reportedly said at a recent graduation ceremony of Bingham University in Nasarawa State, where he and ex-Head of State,…
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1. By irredeemable technical knockout, SENATE of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, recently threw out the National Grazing and / or Ranching Reserves Bill, for the simple reason that it is NOT within the competence of the Federal Government / NASS, but exclusively a RESIDUAL (STATES) MATTER. 2. Under what legislative authority then, is Nigerian Army (NA), being a Federal Government Agency / on Federal Exclusive List, now proceeding with Cattle Ranches by whatsoever name? 3. Why the seeming persistence / desparation to get through, by other means, the Grazing / Ranching Bill that has been thrown out by the…
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1960-1966. Kaduna, Nzeogwu and other military men declared the government of Nnamdi Azikiwe and Tafawa Balewa as corrupt. Many agree with them till today. Today, only one man CHIEF FESTUS OKOTIE-EBOH is the one bearing the stigma of that corruption. Azikiwe and Ahmadu Bello and Tafawa Balewa and Akintola all smell like roses. Only my Niger Deltan is corrupt. OKAY!!! One man made a whole regime of six years corrupt enough for so many to be killed. 1979-1983. The supposed thief was Umaru Dikko. When he began to campaign against Buhari’s coup in London, asking for sanctions against Nigeria, that…
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Martin Niemöller, a prominent Protestant pastor and an outspoken critic of Adolf Hitler who spent the last seven years of Nazi rule in concentration camps, gave the world this famous quote: First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for…
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(Being the position of the Lower Niger Congress on the main demand of the Niger Delta Avengers as well as the Biafra Restoration Agitations). By a Statement issued Friday, 28 May, 2016, the Agitation Group known as the Niger Delta Avengers which is currently engaged in a face-off with the Federal Government of Nigeria in the oilfields of the Region, proclaimed the RESTORATION OF THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE OLD EASTERN REGION as their main demand. The Territory referred to as the “Old Eastern Region” in the said Statement comprises of what is otherwise known today as the South South and…
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Over many years, the Scottish people were unhappy to belong to the United Kingdom (UK) and there were agitations to break up the union so that the Scots could go their own way as a separate and independent Nation. A couple of Parties emerged calling for what I may call Scottexit from the UK. There were heated and rancorous debates all over the UK which tended to divide the Nation. To determine if this was truly the desire of the majority of the Scottish people or just the opinion of some of the Politicians or a minority vocal protesters, a…
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(Being the Position Presented to the World Media By the Lower Niger Congress On the Issues Arising from the Global Biafra Protests) BACKGROUND Nigeria was a colonial-era creation of the British. The country was on January 1st 1914 artificially cobbled together by the annexation the then Protectorate of Southern Nigeria to the then Protectorate of Northern Nigeria in an exercise officially tagged “Amalgamation”. The mind-boggling failures of this otherwise giant promise on the African Continent has been the subject of many researches and academic inquisition. Decades of routine, massive bloodletting which punctuate these monumental failures came to global reckoning in…
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Alleged Extortion of SS/SE Travellers: Group calls Buhari, Saraki, Dogara to warn security agencies.
Irked by what it described as the harassment and extortion of travellers to the South-East and South-South States allegedly by security agencies, pro-democracy group, Wailing Wailers have called on President Muhammadu Buhari; Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Speaker of House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara to call the heads of the agencies to order. In a statement in Abuja, on Friday, by its National Publicity Secretary, Ibrahim Sani Ringim, the Wailing Wailers said: “We were alarmed by the unlawful and reprobative actions of the Nigeria Army, the Police, the Customs and other security agencies on the eastern routes of Nigeria. It…
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President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday failed to attend the South-East Economic and Security Summit in Enugu, after threats from the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), The Punch reports. IPOB had on Monday warned Buhari to ‘stay clear’ of the South-East zone. Buhari, who was meant to be the Chief Guest of Honour at the summit, which held in the Enugu State Government House, was conspicuously absent at the programme. South-East senators on Wednesday said they would boycott the event because they were not consulted. Though no mention of the IPOB warning was hinted at the opening session…
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South African telecom giant, MTN, has fired one of its top and most valuable staffers in order to avoid scrutiny by the United States government over bribes offered to Abba Kyari, Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari. Shortly after helping to resolve a hefty fine imposed by the Nigerian government, Amina Oyagbola was so important to MTN that the company gave her two strategic positions. Her corporate elevation saw her combining leadership of the Human Resources department with the post of “Director of Strategic Communications” at MTN. Ms. Oyagbola and her husband were instrumental in resolving MTN’s serious problem…
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Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar said the current recession in the country has exposed the weaknesses of a federal system of government. Atiku, an advocate of restructuring, who spoke through his Twitter account, Atiku Abubakar (@atiku), yesterday, said the federal government could no longer meet its obligations. Questioning the rationale behind having a central government that can no longer meet its obligation, the former number two citizen asked rhetorically, “does it still make sense to have centrist federal?” Atiku said responsibilities of the federal government must be reduced to avoid it collapsing “under the weight of too many responsibilities it…
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The Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) yesterday strongly kicked against ruling of the Judge of a Federal High Court, Abuja, Justice Binta Nyako, that the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu and 3 others standing trial before her court would be secretly tried. The court had ordered that Kanu and his team members be tried secretly for leading a self determination struggle. Kanu had earlier caused a major stir in the courtroom when he rejected secret trial. CLO while describing such ruling as strange and demonstration of the judge’s ignorance of constitutional law, wondered when masquerades had…
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President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday failed to attend the South-East Economic and Security Summit in Enugu, after threats from the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), The Punch reports. IPOB had on Monday warned Buhari to ‘stay clear’ of the South-East zone. Buhari, who was meant to be the Chief Guest of Honour at the summit, which held in the Enugu State Government House, was conspicuously absent at the programme. South-East senators on Wednesday said they would boycott the event because they were not consulted. Though no mention of the IPOB warning was hinted at the opening session…
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“CREDIBLE & QUALITY LEADERSHIP AS THE BEST VEHICLE FOR GOOD DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE” The Board of Trustees of IGWEBUIKE NDI-IMO NETWORK GROUP (ING), the Exco and entire Members of ING, wish to inform the good people of Imo State of our forthcoming December 30th 2016 Summit, which is holding at Dreamland Hotel, World Bank Road, Owerri, Imo State. The Summit focuses on credible and quality leadership as a vehicle to driving good democratic governance and the theme of Summit is “Igwebuike Ndi-Imo Network Group for Democratic Good Governance, Quality and Credible Leadership Summit”. We have assembled seasoned men and women from…
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INTRODUCTION The Igbo Intelligentsia Forum (IIF) is a worldwide assemblage of Igbo interest advocates. It is an Igbo think-tank that provides analysis and solutions to global and national issues that affect Igbo interest within the Nigerian and global sociopolitical environment. It is a non-partisan, non-governmental and non-profit organization. We believe in an egalitarian society where every group and individual is given the opportunity to be all they can be under a system that protects individual and corporate human rights. We assert the inalienable right of our people to self determination; to live peaceably and securely within or outside Nigeria, and…
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As the gap between the value of the Naira at the interbank and parallel market continues to widen, the Federal Government has announced plans to converge the rates by abolishing the parallel market. The gap between the interbank and parallel market rates has grown to N184.75 as at yesterday, as the naira was sold at N490 to the dollar at the parallel market as against N305.25 at the interbank end of the market, increasing the temptation of round tripping. The Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, said yesterday that the ministry is in talks with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)…
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Sixteen members of the European parliament have asked the European Union High Commission to challenge President Muhammadu Buhari on the detention of Nnamdi Kanu. The MEPs called for independent investigation into the alleged killing, torture and illegal arrest of members of the Indigenous People of Biafra by security operatives. Some members of the European parliament (MEP) have risen in support of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu. The MEPs – 16 in number – in a joint letter have asked the European Union High Commission to take action on human rights abuses against members of…
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The Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, has banned any form of processions in the state. El-Rufai through his Special Assistant, Samuel Aruwan, in a statement on Sunday, said no procession would be allowed for now in Kaduna State until further notice. He said the ban on processions and unlawful assembly would apply throughout the state and called for the cooperation of all citizens to respect this restriction until it was formally lifted. The development, he said, was the outcome of a meeting of heads of security agencies in the state which was convened to review the security situation. He…
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The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) said, yesterday, its intelligence unit has uncovered plots by the Federal Government and security agencies to arrest and detain members across Biafraland. The group alleged that the arests would start today with the aim of actualising the goal of establishing the ‘Operation Python Dance’ across the South-East and South-South geopolitical zones. A statement by the Media and Publicity Secretary of IPOB, Mr. Emma Powerful said security agents were ordered to eliminate where possible or detain where summary execution proves difficult and urged the people of Biafra to resist any unlawful arrest whatsoever. Meanwhile, former…
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From his refuge in the Ecuador Embassy in London, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange addressed a press conference of his supporters in Berlin on Tuesday, amid speculation that he planned to reveal potentially threats to America. But early into his speech, Assange said that while more revelations were to come, he would not be making any major announcements, asserting that there would be no point in dropping making such revelations at a time when most Americans would be sleeping. “Russian actions on its own doorstep in Eastern Europe do not in fact threaten the United States or any actual vital interest.…
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The embattled acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, has been unable to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari since the beginning of the crisis that engulfed the confirmation of his appointment. Reliable sources told Sunday PUNCH on Saturday that Magu had made spirited efforts to see President Buhari in the aftermath of the Senate’s refusal to confirm his appointment. The Senate, on Thursday, had based its decision on a security report by the Department of State Service which accused Magu of abuse of office and corruption. The report by the DSS says Magu’s antecedents…
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“Since 1914 the British Government has been trying to make Nigeria into one country, but the Nigerian people themselves are historically different in their backgrounds, in their religious beliefs and customs and do not show themselves any sign of willingness to unite… Nigerian unity is only a British intention for the country.” — Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Lagos, 1948. Let’s start from the top. Nigeria is not working. Not for me, not for you who is reading, not for anyone. Except of course, your definition of working is piling up cash from government patronage, and looking at it. The fact is that even…
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President Muhammadu Buhari is to declare open the South-East Economic and Security Summit (SEESS), scheduled to hold in Enugu on Dec.22. Mr Tony Usidamen, the media consultant, via a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu, said other eminent Nigerians would attend the event. He said that the president’s desire to attend the summit was in demonstration of his interest in maintaining peace and fostering economic growth and development in the South-East and other regions. Usidamen said that the summit was aimed at addressing the real development issues in the region as well as proffer…
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The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has suggested that the presidency is blackmailing Senate President Bukola Saraki by exploiting his case at the Code of Conduct Tribunal to get approval of the legislature for the executive’s $29.960 billion loan bid. President Muhammadu Buhari in October approached the National Assembly, seeking approval of the country’s 2016-2018 external borrowing (rolling) plan worth approximately $30 billion, the biggest in Nigeria’s history. But the Senate rejected the request on the ground that the October 20 letter of Mr. Buhari seeking the approval was without detailed information about utilization, repayment plan and sourcing. This was…
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The president of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, said the Senate would look into the disbursement of N213 billion power sector intervention fund by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Mr. Saraki said this in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Sanni Onogu, on Saturday in Abuja. Mr. Saraki, according to the statement, spoke during a meeting to proffer solutions to the worsening electricity generation in the country. He said the upper chamber would verify claims and counter claims of non-remittance of revenues between the Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Company (NBET), Electricity Distribution Companies (Discos) and Generation Companies (Gencos).…
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AS the plot thickens to stop the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Ibrahim Magu, from becoming the substantive chair of the Commission, three names have popped up as his possible replacements. They are a former boss of the anti-graft agency, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Hamid Ali (rtd) and a retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Amodu Ali, who is famous for investigating the $180million Halliburton bribery scandal. Investigation by our correspondent revealed that the decision to prop up their names was part of the grand plot by the…
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Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has said that the “invasion” of the state by security agents during the December 10 legislative rerun was an indication that the 2019 general election will be a Tsunami of sort. Wike said Nigerians should expect fighter jets to be used during the next general elections, wondering why the military, 28,000 policemen and gunboats should be used for an ordinary legislative rerun. The governor, who addressed journalists on Thursday night, observed that even Divisional Police Officers in the state were transferred a day before the rerun. He said, “If you can have an…
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The Senate has said it may reconsider its refusal to confirm the appointment of the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, if President Muhammadu Buhari provides the necessary explanation for it to do so. It said the explanations to be made by President Muhammadu Buhari, who had nominated Magu, would determine whether the nominee would be considered or not. The lawmakers had on Thursday rejected Magu’s nomination by the President as the substantive chairman of the anti-graft agency based on a “security report” on him. A security report by the Department of State Services,…
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Russia’s unprecedented intervention in the United States election came amid more than United States-Russia tension and Donald J. Trump’s praise of Vladimir V. Putin, the Russian president. It also coincided with a growing belief, in Moscow, that Russia faced an imminent threat in Hillary Clinton’s candidacy.Mrs. Clinton is viewed in Moscow as innately hostile to Russia. Widely held conspiracy theories portray her as seeking to foment unrest that will return Russia to the chaos and depression of the 1990s. Even many government technocrats view her with suspicion that at times verges on paranoia. She referred to these views at an…
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Troops attached to the 21 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, who were deployed to rout Boko Haram terrorists from the dreaded Sambisa Forest in Borno State, have turned against their officers and firing gunshots in all directions, Premium Times reports. The soldiers complained of mistreatment, threatening to pull out of the operation at Bula Bello in Sambisa Forest, and began to shoot indiscriminately, threatening to kill any officer who stands on their way. A source was quoted as saying: “The brigade is based in Bama but is currently deployed at Bula Bello in Sambisa for Operation Rescue Final. “But suddenly…
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President Obama said the United States will retaliate against Russia over its malicious cyberactivity during this year’s election, in an interview that will air Friday on NPR.“I think there is no doubt that when any foreign government tries to impact the integrity of our elections . . . we need to take action,” the president said. “And we will — at a time and place of our own choosing. Some of it may be explicit and publicized; some of it may not be.” The president did not comment on last week’s Washington Post report, that was later confirmed by other outlets, that…
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Acting Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Ebonyi State chapter, Pastor Eze Nwachukwu Eze, has faulted the statement credited to Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State against Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, Minister of Science and Technology, describing it as noisy rantings and insult of the highest order. In a statement, Eze noted that Okorocha’s antecedents hardly placed him in a position to judge others in delivering democracy dividends to the people. “Imo State, the reference point of non-payment of salaries to workers, alleged fraudulent projects, and calculated deceit of the masses under Okorocha cannot be in a position to discuss a…
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President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday ordered the Ministry of Finance to pay the Super Falcons their entitlements. The Falcons, who beat hosts Cameroon 1-0 to win the African Women’s Cup of Nations in Yaounde on December 3, were forced to embark on protest in Abuja after the Nigeria Football Federation failed to pay them their bonuses and allowances. The eighth time African champions marched on the Presidential Villa on Wednesday to press home their demands. The Chief of Staff to the President, Mr. Abba Kyari, told State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa that Buhari had directed the Minister of…
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RUSSIAN HACKERS STRUCK AT THE HEART OF THE U.S. MILITARY IN AUGUST 2015 BY SEIZING THE E-MAIL SYSTEM USED BY THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF, CBS NEWS HAS LEARNED. Then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Martin Dempsey was alerted to the attack by an early-morning phone call from the Director of the National Security Agency, Admiral Mike Rogers. Now retired, Dempsey told CBS News in an exclusive interview that the attack was proceeding at an alarming speed. Within an hour, hackers had seized control of the unclassified e-mail system used by the Pentagon’s Joint Staff, the organization of some 3,500 military…
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The federal government yesterday confirmed the discovery of crude oil in Borno State, North East Nigeria, thus raising the hope of the region joining the league of oil producing areas in the not-too-distant time. The disclosure was made by the permanent secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Dr. Jamila Shua’ra, when she presented her welcome address at the presentation of the 2016 petroleum sector scorecard held at the auditorium of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PDF) in Abuja yesterday. She brandished the discovery of crude oil in Borno State as one of the achievements of the ministry during the year, saying,…
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Air passengers in Nigeria are stranded at airports nationwide, as airline operators jostle for aviation fuel, amidst scarcity that is getting worse. On Tuesday, the passengers, some of whom were on transit, waited endlessly for the departure hall. While few were lucky to later travel, others were later informed that their scheduled flights had been cancelled. Aviation fuel, otherwise called Jet-A1, is a specialised type of petroleum-based fuel used to power aircraft and normally accounts for over 30 per cent of operation cost of an airline. Jet-A1 is 100 per cent imported into Nigeria and subject to fluctuations…
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I am not sure what to say about us, Nigerians. Should I praise the Nigerian spirit for resilience in the face of a misery index those from countries seen as the pits of hell want to get away from? Or, should one castigate the people of the country for acting like zombies as their inchoate economy retrenches further, facilities collapse in such a manner that a Nigeria regional manager for South African Airways uses words that suggest our major airports are epidemics waiting to break out? But if truth be told, what puzzles me the most about the Nigerian…
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Anthony Sani is the immediate past National Publicity Secretary of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and the spokesman of the Northern delegates in the 2014 National Conference. In this interview, he says that despite the calls for restructuring, it would not be the way out of Nigeria’s problems. He also speaks on other issues. Q- Do you advocate for states to have more control of their natural resources as is being suggested by those who are pro-restructuring? A- When people talk of restructuring and for states to control their resources, one begins to wonder if such agitators feign ignorance of…
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The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has said that all computer-based centres to be accredited for the registration of 2017 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), must now have Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras. This was revealed by JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, during an interactive meeting with operators of CBT centres from across the country, at the University of Lagos (UNILAG). Oloyede explained that this was necessary, to avoid errors of the past. He also stated that the new process has made cybercafe operators redundant, as the computer-based centres to be accredited must have 250 desktop or laptop systems in…
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New research finds that in Africa, the poor are more likely to pay bribes than those who are well off. But shouldn’t we expect that officials seeking bribes wouldn’t target poor people because they don’t have much money? Caryn Peiffer and Richard Rose, authors of the recent study (ungated), show that the poor are more likely to pay bribes because they are more vulnerable to bribery. They argue that poor people are vulnerable because they rely on the government for public services. Is Africa paving a road out of poverty? Peiffer and Rose’s study corroborate results from an earlier…
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Among the different ethnic groups in Nigeria, the Igbo are without a doubt, one of the most remarkable. So remarkable, indeed, that some have even traced their ancestry to biblical Israel, as the far-flung descendants of Jacob, the Jewish patriarch. Gad, Jacob’s seventh son, is said to have had three sons who settled in South-eastern Nigeria. These sons; Eri, Arodi and Areli, are believed to have fathered clans in Igbo-land and to have founded such Igbo towns as Aguleri, Arochukwu, Owerri and Umuleri. Igbo genius Even the bitterest adversaries of the Igbo cannot but admit that, as a people,…
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– The vice president is headed for a 2-day official visit – Osinbajo’s visit coincides with that of Buhari who is to visit Gambia Nigeria’s vice president Yemi Osinbajo, is set for a two-day official visit in Algeria. Osinbajo is to set-off to the North African nation on Tuesday December 13, Vanguard reports. The visit is on the invitation of the Algerian government, a statement issued by the vice presidential spokesman, Mr Laolu Akande, said on Monday, During the visit, Osinbajo, who would be received by the Algerian Prime Minister, Abdelmalek Sellal, is to hold talks with the Algerian President…
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As the world waits with bated breath for the outcome of the on-going clinical trial of HIV vaccine in South Africa, scientists in Nigeria appear to have hit the bull’s eye in the search for the effective medical cure for HIV/AIDS. A research team at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Abia State led by Prof. Maduike Ezeibe has been able to prove that Medicinal Synthetic Aluminium-magnesium Silicate (MSAMS), which it developed, can cure HIV/AIDS. The result of the clinical trial of the antiretroviral efficacy of MSAMS in male and female HIV/AIDS patients was published in…
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Amnesty International, Al, has tasked Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State, to investigate the extrajudicial executions of peaceful Biafrans in the state. It is noteworthy that Anambra state has witnessed the most gruesome mass killings of innocent Biafrans who were on peaceful protest and demonstration. The International Human Rights watchdog began a petition online tagged “ADDRESS IMPUNITY: INVESTIGATE THE KILLINGS OF BIAFRA ACTIVISTS NOW!”, urging people to sign the petition on their website. Al, stated that since August 2015, Nigeria security forces has executed not less than 150 members of Indigenous People of Biafra on peaceful assembly, injuring and abducting…
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The Buhari administration has since inception been faced with several challenges. From insurgency, militancy, corruption, economic downturn to recent agitations for restructuring the federation. In an interview with May Agbamuche-Mbu, Jude Igbanoi and Tobi Soniyi, former NBA President Olisa Agbakoba SAN proffered possible solutions to the present political challenges and expounded his views on other matters of national importance. Q- After nearly four decades at the Bar, an illustrious career that has earned you a reputation as one of the foremost Human Rights lawyers in Nigeria, and an expanding legal practice covering the length and breadth of a full service…
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Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has said states opposed to the sale and consumption of alcohol have no business should not benefit from tax paid on alcohol. He also said the country does not need more states because existing states are too weak and unviable to be federating units. Atiku spoke at the public presentation of a book, “Nigerian Federalism: Continuing Quest for Stability and Nation-Building”, produced by the African Policy Research Institute. The former Vice President, who is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), also said: “We must acknowledge that in federal systems that work, federating units cede…
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Nigeria’s Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed, is set to be appointed as UN Deputy Secretary General, PREMIUM TIMES learnt. Ms. Mohammed was appointed minister by President Muhammadu Buhari in November last year. An official statement is expected to confirm her new UN position. She is expected to be the deputy to Antonio Guterres, who will assume office as Secretary General of the world body on January 1, 2017. Ms. Mohammed had formerly served as an adviser to the outgoing UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. Details later…
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“You know what, if I am president, what is it? Coal? Enugu State take your coal! Oil? Niger Delta take your oil! But I have the power of taxation. If your income from coal is N1 trillion I will say pay the Federal Government 70 per cent. That is your business. If you raise N10 trillion from oil, take your money but pay 75 per cent to the Federal Government” -Atiku, Vanguard Tuesday, December 25, 2012. At a recent event in Enugu, Atiku floated an idea which I can only describe as dangerous, which has gone relatively undebated. However,…
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Atiku canvasses true federalism, says Nigeria’s structure “not working” Nigeria as currently constituted is an entity that is rooted in corruption, impunity and injustice and thus must be reconstituted, a former vice-president said on Monday. Atiku Abubakar, who served under former President Olusegun Obasanjo from 1999-2007, said at a forum in Abuja that the current system is the bane of Nigeria and not the individuals running it. “Political and civic leaders from across the country must come together, discuss, negotiate and make the necessary compromises and sacrifices needed to restructure our federation to make us a stronger, more united, productive,…
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The Nigerian Navy has approved the promotion of 73 senior officers to various higher ranks, the Director of Naval Information, Christian Ezekobe, has said. In a statement Saturday, Mr. Ezekobe, a Rear Admiral, said the exercise saw the promotion of 15 new Rear Admirals, 39 Commodores and 19 Captains. The 15 Commodores promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral are Commodore PA Onaji, Commodore MA Emuekpere, Commodore AB Lawal, Commodore TT Dakwat, Commodore SMD Usman, Commodore MC Okonkwo, Commodore FO Isaac, Commodore SA Adebari, Commodore OH Ngalabak, Commodore AB Adamu, Commodore OB Daji and Commodore COR Ezekobe (Director Naval Information).…
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The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission has said about 53 per cent of travellers give bribes to workers and officials at the Lagos and Abuja international airports. The ICPC Chairman, Ekpo Nta, said this, while unveiling a report on the Corruption Risk Assessment done on the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos State, and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. The report was part of activities to mark the World’s Anti-Corruption Day celebration, which held on Friday. The ICPC chairman said the recommendations of the report would be presented to the aviation agencies for implementation. He added that…
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The Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Chris Ngige, has dismissed as false, claims by the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, that President Muhammadu Buhari is unfair to the Igbo. The Secretary General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex socio-political body of the Igbo, Dr. Joe Nwaorgu, had on Friday said the organisation backed former President Goodluck Jonathan against Buhari in the 2015 presidential election because Buhari had always been unfair to Igbo. Nwaorgu, who said Ohanaeze had no regrets for the decision to support Jonathan,…
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Top Republicans blasted reports from anonymous US intelligence sources that Russia hacked Democratic e-mail accounts with the intention of swaying Americans to vote for Donald Trump. Republican National Committee spokesman Sean Spicer demanded Saturday that the Central Intelligence Agency show evidence Russia intervened in the election. “What proof does anyone have that they affected the outcome? Because I’ve heard zero. OK?” he told CNN. “So show me what facts have actually shown that anything undermined that election.” “If [the CIA] is so certain it happened, why won’t they go on the record and say it?” Intelligence sources told The New…
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The Supreme Court yesterday voided laws enacted by the states’ Houses of Assembly which allow governors to sack elected Chairmen of Local Governments and Councillors and replace them with appointed administrators. It has of recent become a tradition among governors to dissolve the Executive Councils of the states’ LGs and replace them with their appointees, who they call caretaker committees. In a unanimous judgement of five Justices of the Supreme Court described the practice as “executive recklessness”, which must not be allowed to persist. The judgment by the five-man panel, led by Justice Olabode Rhodes-Vivour was on the appeal in…
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There are ongoing alignments and re-alignments in the nation’s political space ahead of the 2019 general elections. Take a look at the recent events within the governing All Progressives Congress (APC). Since after Friday, May 29, 2015 when the APC took over the mantle of leadership at the centre with a commanding majority in the nation’s parliament – both Senate and the House of Representatives, the ruling party had been sharply divided until last week over the leadership crisis in the National Assembly. The crisis was fueled by President Muhammadu Buhari’s initial nonchalance to party affairs and the dissatisfaction of…
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Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has described the yesterday rerun National and State House of Assembly elections in Rivers State as a sad reminder of the level of destruction already done to the country’s electoral process by the All Progressives Congress (APC) government of President Mohammadu Buhari, saying; “Free, fair and credible election is dead in the country and that whatever victory that is recorded by any political party in the Rivers State election will be nothing but victory at gun-point.” The governor lamented that it was worrisome that the legacy of free, fair and credible election left by…
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The federal government has outlined a 10-point fiscal roadmap to reset the economy to a path of growth. The Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun revealed the outline when she represented Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, at the annual dinner of the Lagos Business School. She itemised the fiscal policies and actions to be rolled out to tackle the key barriers to growth. Adeosun noted that “the Federal Government’s Fiscal Roadmap is addressing barriers to growth that will drive productivity, generate jobs and broaden wealth creating opportunities to achieve inclusive growth.” She stated that the Muhammadu Buhari administration is determined to…
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Our investigations reveal that Mr. Kyari has used his powerful position, with President Buhari’s apparent acquiescence, to strike a variety of lucrative but dubious deals, political and financial, for himself and his friends. Sahara Reporters has unearthed details of how Abba Kyari, President Muhammadu Buhari’s Chief of Staff, is cutting huge financial deals in different sectors of the Nigerian economy. Our investigations reveal that Mr. Kyari has used his powerful position, with President Buhari’s apparent acquiescence, to strike a variety of lucrative but dubious deals, political and financial, for himself and his friends. Our investigators discovered that four of the…
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Read his piece below… “We will write this for all to read. Anyone, soldier or not, that kills the Fulani takes a loan repayable one day no matter how long it takes” – Mallam Nasir El Rufai, 2012. I will never forget these words. How I wish that my friend and brother, Governor Nasir El Rufai, expressed the same level of angst, cold rage, chilling resolve and passion for vengeance after the murder of millions of defenceless and innocent non-Fulanis, Including women and children, in his own Kaduna state and indeed all over the country since the coming to…
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California is the 6th largest economy in the world. It’s economy is larger than that of France or Brazil. The little problem is that California is not a country. It is a State in the United States of America. It has little offshore oil, yet its economy is larger than States in the US that are famous for their oil reserves, like Texas. California generates much of its revenue from non-oil products. It found a way to absorb and domesticate much of the intellectual output from its premier university, Stanford University, into saleable products within its economy. As a matter…
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Rivers State Government on Friday said it had opened an investigation into the “sudden appearance” of black soot deposit on cars and rooftops in the state capital, Port Harcourt, and neighbouring towns. A statement by the state Commissioner for Environment, Prof. Roseline Konya, urged the people of the state not to panic as the strange deposit was being investigated. Full text reads: “It has come to the notice of the state government of the sudden appearance of strange black soot deposit noticeably seen on cars and rooftops in our environment especially in Port Harcourt and its environs. The public is…
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The Federal Government may have agreed to pay the Government of Switzerland $79m (N25.2bn) as part of conditions for the repatriation of almost $400m (N128bn) recovered from the family of the late military ruler, Gen. Sani Abacha. The Chairman of the Civil Society Network Against Corruption, Mr. Olanrewaju Suraj, said this during a seminar to commemorate the 2016 International Anti-Corruption Day in Abuja on Friday. The event was jointly organised by Nigerian anti-corruption agencies, the European Union, the United States and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and had in attendance senior diplomats and politicians. It will…
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Religious bodies in the country have described the policies of President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration as increasing hunger in the land. Similarly, leaders of various Christian and Islamic groups in the country took a swipe at the Federal Government, noting that its policies had led to loss of jobs, closure of companies and “massive” hunger in the country. Speaking to Saturday PUNCH on Friday, the clerics said the economic policies of the government had failed to have positive impact on the lives of Nigerians, calling on President Buhari to review the situation. For instance, the Christian Association of Nigeria said…
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A ruling by the Supreme Court has made it impossible for State Governors to ever sack or dissolve democratically-elected local government councils. The Supreme Court on Friday stripped Governors of the power to sack local government chairmen. It described it as “executive recklessness” to rampantly dissolve democratically-elected local government councils in their states and replacing them with caretaker committees. The apex court ruled that the provisions of the laws enacted by the states’ Houses of Assembly empowering governors to carry out such dissolution and replace them with caretaker committees was null and void. This was the decision reached by a…
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The protest by the Super Falcons against the Nigeria Football Federation’s non-payment of their bonuses and allowances for winning the 2016 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations has entered its seventh day on Saturday. The eight-time African champions began their protest after they arrived the country on Sunday from Cameroon after winning the African championship for a record eight times, which extended their run as the most successful team on the continent. They have refused to leave the Agura Hotel, Abuja, where they were lodged since returning from the competition. The NFF reportedly owes each player up to $25,000 but…
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Oil prices extended gains on Friday on optimism that non-OPEC producers would agree to cut output following a cartel agreement to limit production. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will meet non-OPEC nations in Vienna on Saturday seeking their help in curbing a global supply glut. Azerbaijan has said it will come to the Austrian capital armed with proposals for its own reduction. Brent sweet crude for February delivery was up 17 cents at 54.06 dollars a barrel by 0 after settling up 1.7 per cent on Thursday. The contract hit its highest since July 2015 at…
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Nigerians have expressed mixed reactions over the comments made by the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) John Oyegun in the build up to the Rivers state senatorial rerun election. John Oyegun has been accused of promoting election violence in Rivers state. Oyegun had at a mega rally of the party in Port Harcourt called on APC members to retaliate any action they got from loyalists of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the election. “If they slap you, slap them back.” “We are sending one message, and that message is clear. It is that we respect you…
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Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has covertly interfered in the electoral process that led to the victory of Ghana’s opposition New Patriotic Party, NPP, candidate Nana Akufo-Addo in the just concluded Ghana presidential elections, The Trent can report. According to a source with intimate knowledge of the situation, barely a week to the December 7, 2016 presidential election in Ghana, President Buhari approved the release of $75 million to the presidential campaign of Nana Akufo-Addo, the NPP candidate, with the aim of installing him as the new president of Ghana. Just like General Buhari, Akufo-Addo, aged 72, ran his presidential campaign…
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Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote has shut down his $500 million factory in Tanzania owing to high business costs and a fall out with the government over tax exemptions. Dangote was invited to Tanzania to do business by former President Jakaya Kikwete in 2014 and was promised access to cheap natural gas to power the factory. As a result, the Dangote factory was sited at Mtwara where natural gas is extracted. The end of Kikwete’s administration has spelled trouble for the factory as the government of John Magufuli has reneged on many of the original agreements, refusing to provide cheap…
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Reports coming in say ahead of Saturday (today) 10-12-2016 rerun legislative elections in Rivers State , South-South Nigeria, major cities in the state have been deserted as fear of violence heightens thus giving rise to every compelling need to for the army to deploy soldiers to flash points in the state. The situation prompted the both the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the newly created 6 Division of the Nigerian Army in Port Harcourt, Maj-Gen. Kasimu Abdulkarim, and the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Francis Odesanya, to issue stern warnings yesterday against ballot box snatching, rigging and unlawful movements…
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Presidency yesterday said that President Mohammadu Buhari was quoted out of context in saying that his government would only recognize the zones that voted for him during the election. President Buhari was captured in a video during his recent U.S visit saying, “constituencies that gave me 97% cannot in all honesty be treated equally, on some issues, with constituencies that gave me 5 %, I think these are political realities, while certainly there will be justice for everybody, everybody will get his constitutional rights, but while the party in constituencies that by their sheer hard work they made sure that…
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A secure nation On a visit to Kigali, a lady extolled their army and why they have the respect of every citizen. Like every typical African, she could not reconcile how the world famous Nigerian military cannot take down Boko Haram. It is clear that we have underfunded our military in years past and recent revelations by Dasuki show that “security” was just a slush fund for politicians. For Nigeria to earn that respect as the “military powerhouse of Africa”, it needs to secure its borders and protect its people. We are moving towards a polarised world and Turkey’s recent…
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The Senate has whittled down down the powers of the Presidency in an ongoing Constitution review by moving certain items from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent List. The amendment was known when the Red Chamber received an interim status report of its Constitution Review Committee (CRC(, chaired by Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu. Ekweremadu said the Second Schedule, Part I and II of the Constitution has been altered to decongest the Exclusive Legislative List in order to give more powers to the states of the Federation. He said the move will enhance the principle of federalism and good…
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Muhammad Sanusi II, the emir of Kano and former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), recently claimed that the CBN has been illegally funding the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration. In his claims, Sanusi said “the CBN-FGN relationship is no longer independent. In fact, one could argue their relationship has become unhealthy. “CBN claims on the FGN now tops N4.7 trillion — equal to almost 50% of the FGN’s total domestic debt. This is a clear violation of the Central Bank Act of 2007 (Section 38.2) which caps advances to the FGN at 5% of last year’s revenues. Has CBN…
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Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger State has described the persistent exportation of food items to neighboring countries for monetary gains as an act capable of undermining national security. A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Malam Jibrin Ndace, said Bello made the call when he commissioned a modern integrated rice processing and milling plant donated by the Government of Korea through Korea International Cooperation Agency, in Bida. He said that as much as government would encourage people into legitimate businesses within and outside the country, national security should not be played with. He attributed the success recorded by farmers this…
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The Senate constitutional amendment committee on Thursday recommended that the release of federal allocation to local government in the country be hinged on the conduct of elections. The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu and Chairman of committee stated this while presenting the status report of the committee on the floor of the Senate. He said Section 7 of the Constitution was amended to strengthen local government administration by providing a uniform 3-year tenure for elected local government council officials. ” Local Governments without a democratically elected council shall not be entitled to any revenue from the Federation Account. These…
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Nigeria owns 26 power generating plants. 9 of these did not generate any power yesterday. Aside from this, two other hydropower plants were nearly crippled. A couple of others are performing abysmally. The Shiroro Power Station in Niger State and Jebba Power Station in Kwara State recorded a drop in power generation. Shiroro fell from 381MW to 300MW while Jebba fell from 476MW to 450MW, respectively. Unit 411G3 of Shiroro was out for water management, while 411G4 was out on maintenance. Jebba’s unit 2G4 was also out for water management and 2G6 due to burnt generator winding and automatic voltage…
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The proposed mega party by some aggrieved opposition politicians of major political parties in the country may already have run into a hitch, following the stringent condition allegedly handed down by former President Olusegun Obasanjo to support the new party. THISDAY learnt that when the notion of the mega party was brought to Obasanjo’s notice, the former president, who was not averse to a new formidable opposition party, was quick to give a condition that his former deputy when he was in office, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, should not by any means whatsoever become the party’s presidential candidate…
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Even though the naira was still very strong at the exchange rate of 60 kobo to a dollar (yes, in this same Nigeria!) and graduates could afford to be choosy when it came to employment and career prospects, there were tell tale signs by mid 1981 that the economy had begun to wobble. But President Shehu Shagari and his Second Republic civilian administration chose to live in denial. However, on his way out of the country for vacation on 4th July that year, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo released to the media copies of a letter he had sent to…
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Bill Gates has said the world needs energy that’s widely available, reliable, affordable and does not produce carbon, and he’s invested billions of his fortune in research to find it. This includes projects like Carbon Engineering, a Canadian company which is capturing carbon from the air and turning it into pellets which can either be used as fuel or stored underground. Yet the billionaire philanthropist is sceptical of one technology that’s often held up by the West as the solution to Africa’s energy problems: small-scale ‘off-grid’ solar power. Supporters say that off-grid solar allows people to get electricity while…
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The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a consortium of financial, legal and communications advisers for the issuance of the $1billion Eurobond in the first quarter of next year. The Finance Minister, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, who disclosed this wednesday at the State House, Abuja, while briefing journalists after the FEC meeting, gave the names of the transaction parties as Citigroup, Standard Chartered Bank, Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc, White & Case LLP, Banwo & Ighodalo and Africa Practice Communications. She explained that the parties would run any Eurobond issue undertaken by the government over the next three years. “We don’t have…
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Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has urged the Federal Government to refund the over N22 billion the state spent on the repair of its roads to enable it undertake other crucial development projects. The governor spoke in Enugu when the House of Representatives Committee on Works visited him at the Government House. He decried the deplorable condition of Federal roads in the Southeast, including the popular Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, Enugu-Port Harcourt Road and Enugu-Abakaliki Road. Ugwuanyi said the roads needed urgent repairs. He said: “The negative impact of these bad roads can never be overemphasised as movement is impeded, socio-economic…
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Where do we go from here? President Buhari has shown that integrity is not enough to govern. Politics and disparate ambitions among key actors in government is consuming this administration. Buhari is messing up his own legacy. He can wrestle his administration back from the hands of amphibious destroyers in his government but has he the requisite capacity to do so? Never in the history of Nigeria has a government frittered away its enormous goodwill within a year like the Buhari presidency has done. The administration is single-minded and does not care about optics. Actually, it has no problem…
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Northern elder, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, has warned that if President Muhammadu Buhari insists on running for re-election in 2019, he could precipitate crisis that could hasten the break-up of the country. While describing Buhari as a monumental failure as president, he said the north needs to replace Buhari in 2019 if it wants to retain power. “Although I have not heard of plans to replace him and field another northerner in 2019, I will not be surprised if this happens. President Buhari has been a monumental failure and the north shouldn’t support him in 2019 if it wants to retain…
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The Presidential Initiative on the North-East could not account for the sum of N2.5bn when its officials appeared before the Senate on Tuesday. PINE is saddled with the responsibility of reconstructing and rehabilitating communities destroyed by the Boko Haram in the North-East. The Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North-East, during a public hearing on its probe into the alleged diversion and mismanagement of funds for the humanitarian crisis in the region, said women in most of the Internally Displaced Persons’ camps were begging for sanitary pads. The public hearing, which was held at the National…
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General James ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis, the famous ex-Marine and the hero of countless conflicts and wars, has been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump as his Secretary of Defence. And what an extraordinary man and colorful figure Mattis is. Here are some of the things that he has said over the years. 1. “I’m going to plead with you, do not cross us. Because if you do, the survivors will write about what we do here for 10,000 years.” 2. “Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet. (Time Magazine). 3. “You are part of the…
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When former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, appointed Dora Akunyili as DG of NAFDAC in April 2001, Akunyili started to reform NAFDAC from a docile Agency to a very active one. It is instructive to note that the reforms she carried out at NAFDAC with the support of the then President, Obasanjo, were not because the President asked her to reform NAFDAC, but it was because of her passion and love for her country. She carried out her duties diligently without caring whose ox was gored. She made a lot of Nigerians to be conscious of NAFDAC and its activities. Nigerians began…
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Supporters of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) pushed their case further yesterday at the Senate, with startling facts on the sector. Senator Ita Enang (Akwa Ibom North East) described the opposition to the 10 per cent host community fund by mostly northern senators as “misplaced”. Enang, who is also the Chairman, Senate Committee on Rules and Business, said that those opposed to the fund should know that over 83 per cent of oil blocks are owned by northerners. But he did not give the number of oil blocks Nigeria has. Senate President David Mark, who seemed to have been shocked…
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Recently, the Nigerian Army announced the commencement of what it deviously termed Exercise Python Dance in the southeastern part of the country commencing from November 27, 2016 to end on December 27, 2016. Since then, many groups and stakeholders, within and without the southeast, have raised issues with the said exercise, questioning the rationale behind such an operation at a time when the southeast is at its most peaceful state. Not even the desperate explanation of Col Sagir Musa, Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 82 Division, Enugu, could douse the rising tension. Rather than douse the people’s suspicions, the army…
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The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, ICPC, have urged Ministries, Agencies and Departments (MDAs) of the federal government to return their unspent personnel funds by December 31st into the sub-treasury of the federation. This was stated in a letter signed by the ICPC Chairman, Ekpo Nta, to various Ministries, Departments and Agencies. The letter reads: “All Ministries, Departments and Agencies not presently captured on the IPPIS platform are requested to submit the receipt and expenditure profiles of their personnel cost to the commission not later than December, 20, 2016. “For avoidance of doubt, the personnel vote is…
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The Igbo race has been called upon never to accept defeat of any kind as they have remained survivors during and after the civil war. Rather, they should rise up and move forward. This was the submission of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, stalwart and woman activist, Onyeka Onwenu at launch of “The Land of my Birth,” a book written by Abraham Nnadi in Lagos recently. Onwenu said that apart from the book provoking a nostalgia feeling for those of them who witnessed the war, the book was of particular interest to Ndigbo. She said: “Land of my Birth is…
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There are new insights on why the $180million Halliburton bribery probe is lingering without the trial of some highly-placed Nigerians. The Nation learnt that former President Goodluck Jonathan, who planned to table the report before the Council of State, could not do so because three former Heads of State were implicated in the scandal. According to a source in ex-President Jonathan’s cabinet, who spoke in confidence, the former President was scared of security threats of subjecting ex-Heads of State to trial. The source said when Jonathan sought advice, he was asked to “tread with caution” on the report. The source…
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A LITANY of frauds came up in the wake of Lugardo-Fulani colonialism of Nigeria in 1914. And progressively from then came several other frauds which were perpetrated in furtherance of the grand design of complete domination and degradation of the 400+ nationalities that hitherto existed in freedom and political wellness before the roguish Amalgamation. Let me declare from the outset that the peoples of the Fulani Colony erroneously called Nigeria shall no longer keep quiet in the face of political strangulation. Peoples of this God-given territory which had existed before the great great grandfather of Lugard was born; existed long…
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The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has said the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration is left with no option but to borrow to revive Nigeria’s ailing economy. Buhari’s plan to borrow an estimated US$29.9bn from foreign lenders has been rejected by the Senate and opposed by some leading Nigerian economists. Odigie-Oyegun said Nigeria needed to borrow in order to invest in infrastructure and grow the economy. The party chairman was quoted to have said this after receiving a lifetime achievement award from the Warri Choral Society at the Muson Centre in Lagos. This was contained in…
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The National leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has reiterated his commitment to the governing All Progressives Congress. Tinubu, who made his views known via a series of tweets on his twitter handle @Asiwaju Tinubu, on Monday, also denied links to the formation of a new party. The party leader said he would not abandon the ruling…
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Suspended member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Abdulmumin Jibrin, may come under fresh probe by the House after another petition against him was submitted on Monday by the Anti-corruption Unit of the National Youth Council of Nigeria. In the fresh petition, the group provided details of five foreign bank accounts Jibrin is alleged to operate in violation of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Section 7 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, which “prohibits public officers from maintaining or operating accounts in any country outside Nigeria.” The council also petitioned the Office of the Attorney…
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