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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The Federal Republic of Nigeria, FGN is the country we all call our own. Our country comprises of about 250 tribes or ethnic nationalities with the main ones being Hausa/Fulani,Yoruba, lgbo, Kanuri,ljaw,Nupe, Calabari,Tiv ,Ijebu, lgara,Urhobo, Jukun, ldoma, fufulde,Ika Ibibio,Edo etc. In the inaugural speech of President Muhamadu Buhari on May 29, 2015, he was famously quoted as saying ” l belong to everyone , l belong to no one”. That very welcoming and reassuring remark,which resonated very well with most Nigerians, became a quotable quote that featured in myriads of comments in the mainstream and online media, just as it…
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The new militant group operating in the oil-rich region of southern Nigeria, the Niger Delta Avengers has announced a new attack on a pipeline belonging to the state-owned oil company, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC. In a tweet late Saturday, July 2, 2016, the militants claimed responsibility for an attack on an NNPC pipeline to Warri Refinery. “At 9:15pm on Friday the @NDAvengers blow up Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Crude Oil Trunk Line to Warri Refinery,” the group said. This attack marks renewed hostilities following a “calm” period from June 16, when the Avengers attacked an NNPC pipeline in…
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In the early hours of June 16th a pipeline belonging to Nigeria’s state-owned oil company exploded. This was the latest in a string of attacks claimed by the Niger Delta Avengers, a new group taking out pipelines and oil platforms in the southern, oil-pumping part of the country. Since it started wreaking havoc in January production has plummeted to its lowest levels in two decades. Nigeria now churns out about 1.9m barrels of black stuff per day, about a third less than the government budgeted for this year. The militants seem sophisticated—one of their attacks took out a 250,000-b/d Shell…
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A member of the House of Representatives during the Second Republic, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, has challenged President Muhammadu Buhari to make public contents of the interim report of the arms probe panel. Mohammed said this in a telephone interview with Saturday PUNCH, on Friday. He alleged that a “cabal” within the presidency had convinced the President not to make the report public because some of his trusted aides were indicted. The former lawmaker said, “He (the President) has been persuaded by the three (members of the cabal) that publishing the report will embarrass the government. “This is very strange and…
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Let me begin by saying that across the board; not Nigeria’s specific case, not the United States’ specific case or any nation, that I believe that there should be no statute of limitations. Even if for arguable reasons, we agree that people in certain positions of governance should be protected from frivolous litigations and therefore we use the word immunity while they are in office, the emphasis should be while in office. And even that should become qualified. If a president, for instance, commits murder maybe even as a cover-up for a crime of corruption, are we going to wait…
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The Sierra Leonean Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Maj.-Gen. Alfred Nelson (retd.) has been kidnapped along Abuja-Kaduna Expressway in the Federal Capital Territory. Nelson was abducted with his driver on Thursday on his way to Kaduna to attend a function at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College in the state. Efforts to reach the envoy on his GSM phone since Thursday by the Sierra Leonian embassy officials have proved abortive. Unconfirmed reports said the kidnappers had demanded N44m ransom before they would release the envoy and his driver. Sierra Leonean embassy officials could not be reached for comment…
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There are indications that the federal government may name one of the National Stadiums in the country, after the late Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi. “The final decision rests with the Federal Government, but the family is aware that there are such plans,” a family source informed AfricanFootball. Already, the Lagos State Government in conjunction with the Sports Writer’s Association of Nigeria and the Nigeria Football Supporters Club, has set up a committee that will help plan the Lagos Farewell Testimonial Match in honour of Keshi and another ex national team coach, Amodu Shaibu.
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Change is the only constant thing in life and people change over time. Just like any other person, Nigerian politicians have seen themselves transform in looks, personality and net worth. Some have become chubbier with large protruding stomachs (pot bellies). Some used to look wretched and not so good looking but today, their story has changed. Below are some old pictures of some Nigerian governors and politicians that will make you smile, laugh or get inspired. These throwback photos will show you that nobody is ugly, they are just broke. Yahaya Bello: He was declared winner of the 2015…
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The State Investigation and Intelligence Bureau (SIIB) of the Lagos State Police Command has arrested a serial Facebook scammer, one Peter Ajani, for using the name of former Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ngozi Braide, a Superintendent of Police, to defraud people. Recall that similar incidents happened in 2013 when Braide held sway as the command’s first female PPRO, where about seven fake Facebook accounts were opened in her name and used to defraud innocent citizens. Already, a cursory glance on Facebook as yesterday revealed that a whopping 22 fake Facebook accounts have been opened with her name…
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A community leader in Gbaramatu kingdom, Comrade Sheriff Mulade, has accused the Delta state government of playing politics with the Niger Delta Avengers menace. He labeled the dialogue between the state government and stakeholders towards restoring peace in the state and in the Niger Delta region a political jamboree. He said: “The Delta state government has not been sincere with the people in the riverside communities as far as this crisis is concerned. The governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, is just playing to “The gallery apparently because of security votes and the revenue from the federation account. To mark his one…
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All is now set for the commencement of Lagos-calabar railway project. The Minister of Petroleum, Chief Rotimi Amaechi signed the MoU on behalf of the Federal government at $11.12bn. The President of CCECC, Cao Baogang signed on behalf of the company. The contract was awarded by President Goodluck Jonathan at $11.92bn but negotiated downwards. FG has saved $800m from this singular act. The railway project will cover the following: ***Lagos ***Ore ***Ijebu Ode-Omu ***Sagamu ***Benin ***Sapele ***Agbor ***Asaba ***Onitsha ***Aba ***Port Harcourt ***Calabar ***Uyo ***Ughelli ***Warri ***Sapele ***Yenagoa ***Otuoke This is really a welcome development as it will create jobs…
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Sources speaking on an ongoing investigation disclosed that the Nigerian Prisons Service, under the leadership of the Controller-General Ahmed Ja’afaru and Minister of the Interior Abdulrahman Dambazau, has hired around 538 recruits without following established laws for public recruitment exercises. This latest finding follows similar illegal employment schemes by the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Godwin Emefiele and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Executive Chairman Tunde Fowler. It will be recalled that Mr. Emefiele oversaw a monumental recruitment fraud where he illegally hired the children and relatives of powerfully connected Nigerians throughout the Federal Government. Mr. Fowler, similarly, illegally…
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Police IG redeploys 19 AIGs, 49 CPs The Police Service Commission on Friday approved the retirement of 21 Assistant Inspectors-General of Police. The retirement followed the elevation of Idris Ibrahim, who was a junior to the officers in rank, to the position of Inspector-General by President Muhammadu Buhari. In a statement signed by Ikechukwu Ani, Head of Public Relations, the chairman of the PSC, Mike Okiro, thanked the affected officers for their “meritorious service to the nation” and wished them well in their future endeavours. The affected AIGs are: 1 Bala A Hassan 2.Yahaya Garba Ardo 3. Irmiya F Yarima…
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The Federal Government has hit back at the Senate President Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, over statements they made last Tuesday after they were arraigned for allegedly forging the Standing Rules of the upper legislative chamber. The government said it would be better for Saraki and Ekweremadu to either honourably resign or face the judicial process. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, said statements issued by both Senate leaders targeting the government and President Muhammadu Buhari as an individual as if the executive arm was the initiator of the forgery case against them…
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The opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Senate caucus may have begun impeachment move against President Muhammadu Buhari in retaliation of the Federal Government suits slammed against its President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and his Deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, Punch Newspaper has revealed. The PDP Senators have begun compilation of Buhari’s IMPEACHABLE offenses, an unnamed senator revealed. As reported by the source, the Senate caucus of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party have ruled out the possibility of fielding any candidate as a replacement for Ekweremadu, in case the court finds him guilty of the forgery case preferred against him and Saraki. According to…
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The House of Representatives Special Ad hoc committee on the review of the 1999 constitution Thursday said it has adopted the report of 2014 National Conference as part of its working document. The decision to adopt the report of the National conference according to Wole Oladimeji, Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Speaker of the House, Yussuff Lasun in a statement in Abuja was taken at a working session/retreat of the committee recently held at Transcorp Hilton hotel, Abuja. Recall that former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration had convoked a national constitutional conference that lasted about four months in 2014, but…
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The hope of Okerenkoko people in Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State playing host to the controversial Maritime University in the locality has been dashed. It was gathered that this might be connected with indications that the university would soon be relocated to Ibusa in Oshimili North council area of the state. While not specifically saying that the university would be relocated, Vice Admiral Ibok Ete-Ibas, Chief of Naval Staff, disclosed that plans were in advanced stage to upgrade the Nigeria Navy Secondary School at Ibusa to a maritime university. Recall that one of the demands…
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President Muhammadu Buhari Friday tendered an unreserved apology to the Senate over statements by his Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Prosecution, Okoi Obono- Oblo that the Senate lacked the powers to summon Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami to explain why he dragged the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu and two others to court over alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Order. President Buhari faulted the position of the the AGF, stressing that as an appointee of the President, he was equally answerable to the Senate, just as…
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Nigeria’s Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal is one man that courts controversy consistently. – Lawal has been chided severally for his choice of words in public functions. – A former minister has called the SGF to order. Nigeria’s former minister of external affairs and deputy chairman of the 2014 National Conference, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, has berated the SGF, Babachir David Lawal, for referring to delegates of the 2014 conference as “boys”. Professor Bolaji Akinyemi Akinyemi lambasted Lawal, saying the language used by Lawal is crude and unbecoming of the office he occupies. In a…
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Democracy is sustained by the will and mandate of the people. The people decide how, at what times and to what corners the democracy tilts. One doesn’t know for how much longer the hegemony against the will of Nigerians will hold. It hurts to be reminded of what is becoming of the National conference report. The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese and Founder of the Kukah Centre for Faith, Leadership and Public Policy, Most Rev. Mathew Kukah yesterday said President Muhammadu Buhari cannot throw away the 2014 National Conference Report, given that the report was a sacred and quintessential document…
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Professor Bolaji Akinyemi: We won’t beg Buhari to implement Confab report… the problems will remain.
Bolaji Akinyemi, deputy chairman of the 2014 national conference, says there is no point “begging” President Muhammadu Buhari to implement recommendations of the conference. The conference, which was convened by former President Goodluck Jonathan, had 492 delegates from every part of the country. They deliberated on the operational structure and system on which the country is run, and made lots of recommendations, among which is the creation of more states. But Buhari has described the conference as a waste of time and resources, saying the report would end up in the “so-called archives”. In a recent interview, David Babchir Lawal,…
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Professor Wole Soyinka has lent his voice to recent calls for the restructuring of Nigeria, saying decentralization of the country would ensure healthy rivalry. The Nobel laureate also stated that the sovereignty of the nation is negotiable. Soyinka stated this on Tuesday when he paid a visit to Punch, adding that it was wrong for previous administrations in the country to say that Nigeria’s sovereignty was non-negotiable. Soyinka said: “I am on the side of those who say we must do everything to avoid disintegration. That language I understand. I don’t understand (ex-President Olusegun) Obasanjo’s language. I don’t understand (President…
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Signs $8.5bn ‘potential investment’ with NORINCO Nigeria is looking toward China to raise about $50 billion to upgrade and build new oil and gas infrastructure, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, who is currently in the Asian country to hold an investment roadshow, has said. Kachikwu, in an interview he granted to Bloomberg yesterday, said he was in the country to attract investments that would help Nigeria bridge the infrastructure gap in her upstream; midstream and downstream petroleum sectors. He said already, he had signed a “potential investment” upstream deal worth $8.5 billion with China North…
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Before last year’s presidential election, no one thought it necessary to ask president Muhammadu Buhari, who was then candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), how he hoped to work the magic of achieving his promised exchange rate parity between the naira and dollar. It was, however, apparently sufficient for him and many hopeful others that his unorthodox financial and econometrics models soared on the wings of nostalgia. He offered no real plan, nor explained the economic dynamics by which that parity would be procured, nor yet did he take into account the eventful intervening years since parity last reigned.…
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*Says APC-led Government will soon lose support of Nigerians *Adds I’m ready to carry the cross Senate President Bukola Saraki on Monday, said that with the ongoing alleged forgery case of the 2015 Standing Order against him and by extension, the National Assembly, there was a clear indication that President Muhammadu Buhari was not in charge of governance as a cabal has taken over his government. According to Saraki, those he described as forming a new government within the government of Buhari were using it to pursue and working towards achieving their nefarious agenda. He said, “However, what has become…
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So, after all the feint and razzle-dazzle, the victory dance of Osagie Ize-Iyamu would be aborted even before it started. For the gangling matador expected to lead PDP’s chariot against the foe on September 10, how ironic that the first attack came, barely 24hrs later, in form of a vicious dagger-stab in the back from within his own party. By disclaiming the primaries that crowned Ize-Iyamu as PDP’s standard-bearer in the Edo governorship contest some 80 days away, factional national chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff, has effectively set the cat among the pigeons in what remains of a once formidable party.…
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In an exclusive gotten by THISDAY Newspaper monday, the new acting Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, was said to have on Friday last week, allegedly written to the presidency to retire 30 senior officers. The officers who are of the rank of Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of police, were said to have been penned down for immediate retirement. The reason for his move might not be far fetched. Even though they are all coursemates, they are his senior in terms of promotion. Already, some of the attempts made by some AIGs to meet and greet him was said to…
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Niger State government has assured investors of conducive atmosphere for their investment to thrive as Dangote Industries Limited conclude plans for the take off of a N148 billion ($450m) sugar factory in the state. The state Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello gave the assurance through his deputy, Ahmad Muhammad Ketso at a meeting between officials of Dangote Group and representatives of Jima-Nupeko villages in Lavun and Mokwa Local Government areas of the state, the host community for the proposed sugar factory. The meeting which took place at the Etsu Nupe’s Palace in Bida was geared towards discussing and…
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The husband of slain Bridget Agbahime, who was killed recently in Kano by Muslim fanatics, Pastor Mike Agbahime, met with Governor Rochas Okorocha, at the weekend, and narrated how his wife was murdered by a mob. He told a visibly shocked Okorocha the gory details of how his wife was gruesomely murdered in his presence by Muslim fanatics, noting that he survived the attack by the grace of God. According to Agbahime, a man called Dauda came to my wife’s shop, who was washing his leg in front of the shop. My wife told the man to move up a…
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Tinubu, it was gathered, had rallied his media, including major Nigerian news outlets, print, electronic, and social media to fight down the ex-general for entirely scorning his interests, and breaching major promises made during the electioneering campaign. Several news headlines exposing the hidden side of the Buhari’s regime have been rocking the news media. For instance, last week’s story that Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Tukur Buratai, and his two wives owning a Dubai property paid for in one transaction did not fall from the sky. Thus, influx of very revealing stories about the regime has been…
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Stop it: For the Igbos that are fond of calling Yorubas betrayers, STOP IT. You are very very wrong. The worst betrayers are Igbos. Like it or not. Many a Igbo, for a few bills can abandon what will benefit all and do what benefits self. If you go by the history of this nation, Yorubas always do what benefits their region and not self, while Igbos do what benefits self, at the expense of our own south east region and others. Get this fact straight for your own good. Ultimate betrayal: Which betrayal is worse than as soon as…
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A BBC radio documentary on the events leading up to the independence of Nigeria, Britain’s former colony, charged the British government with interference in the election to ensure the result was in line with its interests. The programme cited two files held in the British National archives covering the period leading up to independence in 1960 that to this day remains closed to the public and will remain closed for another 50 years. One file contains material relating to the governor general at the time of independence, Sir James Robertson, and the other material on Dr Azikiwe, known as Zik,…
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The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has alleged that former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode was attacked in detention by an operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. Mr. Fani-Kayode, who served as director of media and publicity during the campaign of former President Goodluck Jonathan, is facing a 17-count charge bordering on unlawful retention, use, and payment of money in the tune of about N4.9 billion. The PDP chieftain was arraigned alongside a former Minister of Finance, Nenadi Usman; Danuma Yusuf and a company, Joint Trust Dimension Nig. Ltd. by the EFCC over a week ago before a…
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The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) has released a list of 100 out of a total of 217 “Chronic Debtors” in their books, including firms and individuals, as authorized by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Surprisingly and curiously, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, whose assets were seized a few days ago over N11 billion debt, is not on the list. AMCON on Thursday took over three assets belonging to Silverbird Group in Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt. They are Silverbird Galleria Limited located at 133 Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, Lagos, Plot No 1161 (Silverbird Galleria); Silverbird Promotions Limited…
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A meeting between the anti-Saraki group’s so-called Unity Forum and pro-Saraki’s Like Minds, had in attendance 10 senators – five from each of the two camps. It took place at the Asokoro residence of Aliyu Wammako, a former Sokoto State governor. A Senator, a member of the Unity Forum, who attended the meeting but asked that his identity be protected, said the meeting had three outcomes and that both sides agreed “to have a united APC caucus”.The Senator said the first outcome was a decision that the composition of Senate committees be reviewed to conform with the Standing Rules of…
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There seems to be no let-up in the leadership crisis rocking the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as the combatants continue to dig deeper into the trenches. The party’s embattled National Chairman; Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff Friday accused the Chairman of the PDP caretaker committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi and Secretary of the committee, Senator Ben Obi of working for a prominent chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Speaking at a media briefing in Abuja, Sheriff said the unnamed APC chieftain has been sponsoring Makarfi and Obi have been paying secret visits to the said APC chieftain. Makarfi and his committee…
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The many cases of alleged uncovered diversion of funds meant for the rehabilitation of dilapidated public schools in the State under the administration of Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has been described by the Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as shocking and wicked. The chairman of the State PDP, Bro Felix Obuah, made this observation while reacting to the published list of persons invited by the State Senior Secondary Schools Board for explanations over monies received from the immediate past administration under Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi but not used for the projects so awarded and some, collected without project…
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It’s fair to say that there was more than a little spin from both campaigns in the lead up to the vote, so here’s the truth We had claim, counter claim; claims of lies, claims of lying about lies; claims of fact, claims of using misleading facts. It would be fair to say Britain’s political class had not exactly done many favours for themselves during the nasty, brutish and long referendum campaign. It was now our turn to try and work out the truth as we entered the polling stations. These are 40 ‘facts’ before us about Britain’s relationship with…
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The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, on Friday summoned top commanders of the service to the Army headquarters for an emergency security meeting especially on the recent allegation that some top officers of the service approached a militant group to solicit support to topple the President Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration. The meeting which held under the chairmanship of Buratai was attended by the general officers commanding the seven divisions of the Nigerian Army, the Principal Staff Officers and Operational Commanders across the country. The General Officer Commanding 1 Division of the Army, Kaduna, Maj. Gen Adeniyi Oyebade who…
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It was reported a short while ago that the militant group, Joint Niger Delta Liberation force had warned Buhari that there was a military coup brewing with the aim to take him out. The army have since denied such an allegation saying that there were no such plans by the military. But reports indicate that the President is taking precautions against the possibility as it was gathered that President Muhammadu Buhari has named Abdulkarim Dauda and Kayode Sikiru Akande to serve as the Chief Personal Security Officer to the President and the Officer in Charge of Presidential Movement respectively. A…
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308. (1) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Constitution, but subject to subsection (2) of this section – (a) no civil or criminal proceedings shall be instituted or continued against a person to whom this section applies during his period of office; (b) a person to whom this section applies shall not be arrested or imprisoned during that period either in pursuance of the process of any court or otherwise; and (c) no process of any court requiring or compelling the appearance of a person to whom this section applies, shall be applied for or issued: Provided that in…
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President Mohammadu Buhari’s draconian style of administration is impacting negatively on the nation, fuelling ill feelings, despondence and general discontent among the populace and spiking a gloomy future with an ever spiraling economic downturn. The effects of his harsh policies and perceived lopsided anti-graft war, reminiscent of his stint as military head of state between 1983 and 1984 is so pronounced that even his former constituency, the military, is weighed down by his high-handedness. Investigation has uncovered an existing plot by some elements in the military to unseat President Mohammadu Buhari. Niger Delta militants under the aegis of the Joint…
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On Monday afternoon, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) ended the Nigerian naira’s sixteen-month peg to the U.S. dollar, sending the naira into a freefall. The currency had been pegged at 197 naira per dollar, but as the chart below shows, it had been trading at over 320 naira per dollar for months on the black market (read: free market) and currently sits at 345 naira per dollar. At the time of writing, the naira was officially trading at 282.50 naira per dollar. The official inflation rate for Nigeria in May was 15.6 percent. However, by using changes in the…
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According to sources close to Dr Bukola Saraki revealed that the Senate president has perfected contingency plans to defect to the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) if the All Progressive Congress (APC) senators begin impeachment processes against him. Senator Saraki who is facing trial at the Code of Conduct tribunal for about eight months has now been pushed over the edge by the Federal government who slammed fresh charges of forgery on him and his deputy Senator Ike Ekweremmadu The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum and the party’s caucus in the House of Representatives have woken up in support of…
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SENATORS elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, formally resolved to withhold their support for the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government. They cited the actions of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government to- wards their party members since taking over the central government as reasons. The resolution was taken following the court summon on the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, along with the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, over alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Rules. The Senators who met at a secret location in Abuja said they would communicate their new position to the national leadership…
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The British electorate does not need Americans to tell them how to vote in the June 23 referendum, and I wouldn’t dare try. I have always had great admiration for the British people — and great respect for the country’s democratic traditions. But from across the Atlantic, we Yanks are watching the campaign closely — and many of us who have deep personal and business ties to the U.K. can’t help but take a close interest. The special relationship between the U.K. and U.S. holds a special place in my heart, and not just because I had the great privilege…
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… Says EFCC Has All It Needs The United States has said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has all it needs to prosecute all those implicated in the Halliburton scandal including Mrs. Aisha M. Buhari who allegedly wired $170,000.00 in bribe to disgraced Congressman Williams J. Jefferson in 2002. A 16-count indictment, returned by a federal grand jury in Alexandria, Va., charged Jefferson with solicitation of bribes from Nigeria and other places, honest services wire fraud, money laundering, obstruction of justice, violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, racketeering, and conspiracy. The indictment alleges that from in or about…
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A renowned and respected Northern Leader, and first civilian Governor of Kaduna State in the Second Republic, Alhaji Balarebe Musa, has blasted President Muhammadu Buhari, for his approach in addressing the ethnic agitations in the country. The former Governor, in an interview with PUNCH, on Thursday, blamed Buhari’s military background for the escalation of crisis in the different geopolitical zones of the country. Musa, a vocal critic of the Buhari administration, said the current administration had not shown any seriousness in using dialogue to resolve agitations in the country. He said Buhari should show that he is now a converted…
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On Monday 20th 2016, the Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayo Fayose alerted the world that his personal bank account domicile at Zenith Bank Nigeria PLC has been frozen on the order of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The 55 years old politician accused President Muhamadu Buhari of using the instrumentalities of the law to fight him for daring to criticize his government. The Governor however kicked against the action of the EFCC as he claimed that such move contravenes the provisions of section 308 of the Nigerian constitution which granted him an immunity against being tried for…
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Retired justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Niki Tobi is dead. According to a family source, Justice Tobi died by 5.30 pm on Thursday, June 16, 2016 at the National Hospital in Abuja after a brief illness. His corpse was later moved to the morgue of Garki General Hospital, according to Vanguard. It was also learnt that the late jurist, regarded in the nation’s legal circle as a highly brilliant judicial officer, had been ill for some time. The late Justice Tobi retired on July 14, 2010 as an associate justice of the Supreme Court. Tobi was an academic before…
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President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday appointed Assistant Commissioner of Police, brahim Kpotum Idris tipped as the Acting Inspector General of Police. He replaces Solomon Arase who has proceeded on retirement. The President met with Idris in company of his predecessor at Aso Rock presidential villa on Tuesday. The Presidency is expected to issue a statement on the new appointment later in the day. Idris obtained two academic degrees of law and agriculture from the AhmaduBello University, Zaria and University of Maiduguri, respectively. He has also attended numerous courses and trainings in Nigeria and abroad and partook in several peace keeping…
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The Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, is invoved in a scandal over the illegal employment exercise carried out by its executive chairman, Mr. Babatunde Fowler. Fowler has been found to have overseen a recruitment exercise that did not follow the rules of employment in the public service. The 349 roles at the Federal Inland Revenue Service were not advertised, according to SaharaReporters, and the recruitment exercise was carried out in secrecy. Not only that, the new FIRS recruitment did not follow federal character principles with some regions and states being short changed while some were “rewarded” according to the infamous…
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AT least, 59 persons were late Saturday night and early hours of Sunday allegedly killed following the renewed hostilities between suspected Fulani herdsmen and farmers at Turan Council ward of Logo Local Government Area of Benue State. Our correspondent learnt that the attack also left so many members of the community with varying degrees of injuries while several others were still reported missing and property worth millions of naira destroyed. According to a source, the suspected armed herdsmen stormed the Gabo Nenzev community in large numbers from the neighbouring Nasarawa State, shooting sporadically and burning down houses at the time…
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The personal account of the Governor of Ekiti State, Mr Ayodele Fayose and that of his associates have been frozen by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC). Fayose Speaking at the premises of Zenith Bank, Ado-Ekiti, where he had his personal account, the governor claimed that he had gotten winds of plans by the Presidency to freeze his account some days earlier. A source at the Bank told the visibly surprised Governor Fayose that his account was allegedly frozen on the order of the anti-graft agency. The Governor said, he had earlier issued a counter-cheque to make withdrawal and was…
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FILE: Ex-Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode arriving the EFCC Abuja office on Monday, May 9, 2016. Jude Ndukwe, the SA Media to detained Director of Media and Publicity of the 2015 Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, has said that the former minister of Aviation, has met his bail conditions as set by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC but the anti-graft agency has refused to release him with the aim of forcefully extracting statements from him that would implicate his principal, former President Goodluck Jonathan, PDP chieftains as well as publishers and editors of major newspapers…
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The leadership of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has concluded plans to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari over the rising wave of militancy in the Niger Delta and the agitations by the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB). The 28-member Union, with a population of over 500 million people, and a quarter of the global wealth, is one of the most powerful organisations in the world. It was gathered at the weekend that, worried by the deteriorating security situation in the Niger Delta and the Southeast, leaders of the European Union…
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– Sirika is said to be showing insubordination to his direct boss, Amaechi – Sources say this may not be unconnected to his (Sirika’s) relationship with President Buhari – Amaechi is said not to be taking the acts with a pinch of salt – Aviation workers express disappointment over the public squabbles of the ministers. There is a mild war brewing in President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet between Rotimi Amaechi and Hadi Sirika. Amaechi is Nigeria’s minister of Transport while Sirika is the minister of state for Aviation and the pair are said to be at loggerheads over reported acts of…
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Where’s Your State on WAEC Performance Chart? The West African Certificate Examination (WAEC) has just released its performance chart for May/June 2015 exams. Here is the list of the states according to their performance: Abia – 1st Anambra – 2nd Edo – 3rd Rivers – 4th Imo – 5th Lagos – 6th Bayelsa – 7th Delta – 8th Enugu -9th Ebonyi – 10th Ekiti – 11th Kaduna – 12th Ondo – 13th Abuja – 14th Kogi – 15th Benue – 16th Akwa Ibom…
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Four of the major coastal tribes of Western Africa: the Yoruba, Igbo, Akan and the Gaa-Adangbe are dissimilar at a glance and evidently geographic neighbours, but very closely related, when examined at the genetic level. Several studies have been employed over the years, with findings showing genetic similarity between differing regional ethnic groups. One in particular, conducted by Adebowale Adeyemo, Guanjie Chen, Yuanxiu Chen, the National Human Genome Centre and Howard University, and Charles Rotimi of the University of Ibadan, provided results indicating the genetic similarities between the four major West African ethnic groups. Their findings further showed surprising genetic…
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The Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company, PHED, has notified electricity consumers in Rivers, Bayelsa, Cross River and Akwa Ibom States that the National Power Grid has collapsed. The Head of Corporate Communications of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company, Jonah Iboma revealed that PHED is now receiving zero power from the national grid as a result of the collapse which occurred on Sunday, 19 June. He said the implication of the collapse of the national grid is that most cities in the four states are now witnessing blackout. Iboma added that PHED would source for power from other alternative sources…
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A power barge is a power plant installed on a deck barge. These are sometimes called “floating power plants” or “barge mounted power plants”. The type of power plants include single or multiple gas turbines, reciprocating diesel and gas engines, boilers or nuclear reactors. Ghana is expected to receive and install a consolidated 400 megawatts of power barge in the next two months. In an attempt to stabilize power crisis last year, government installed a 225 megawatts power barge constructed by the Turkish firm Karpower. Although there is stability in power currently, government plans to prop up power generated from…
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‘We may start to prosecute BDCs, banks for complicity’ Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, said due to the current anti-corruption war, looters have stopped keeping money in banks and have resorted to storing cash in their abandoned property. Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, said this at a workshop titled, ‘The ‘Role of Professionals in the Fight Against Corruption’ in Abuja, at the weekend. “People are now scared of keeping monies in banks, as it can be traced easily. Monies are now kept in abandoned houses in the country.” He also charged bureau-de-change operators and financial institutions…
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Richard Condon’s novel, The Manchurian Candidate (1959), now a classic of the cold-war, is a political thriller about a young American soldier, from a very prominent political family, who is recruited, brainwashed, and unleashed unto the American political landscape by the Communists to effect subterranean changes that would have ground-shifting impact on American politics and society. The basic unsubtle trigger of the story is that the main character, Raymond Shaw is programmed as a “sleeper agent” to undermine his own society. It is from this scenario, the characters – individuals primed, either by self-interest, greed, unhealed trauma, or even conditioned…
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My dear Asiwaju, I am compelled to write this open letter to you because of the state of affairs of the Yoruba nation. Firstly, I wish to acknowledge that fate has put you in a prime position to determine to a large extent the direction that the Yoruba people will go. The indisputable truth is that one may quarrel with your politics but your sagacity is never in doubt. Even those who don’t see eye to eye with you agree that you are imbued with unusual native intelligence, uncommon people skills and unrivaled foresight. You, more than any other person,…
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It’s hard to see how President Buhari’s policies are good for Nigeria’s future. Nigerian President Muhummadu Buhari writes of building an economic bridge to Nigeria’s future (“The Three Changes Nigeria Needs,” op-ed, June 14). It’s hard to see how his administration’s inflexibility, lack of vision and reactive approach will achieve this. Mr. Buhari notes that building trust is a priority for Nigeria. But an anticorruption drive that is selective and focused on senior members of the opposition party creates deep political divisions. Meanwhile, members of Mr. Buhari’s own cabinet, accused of large-scale corruption, walk free. Seventy percent of the national…
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This has been a very expensive one year specialist MBA education on the interplay of economic theory (read basic demand and supply principles), international trade, the global financial markets and appropriate interventionist and predictive monetary policies. It was an all-out battle between obstinacy, star-gazing and wishful thinking, ‘native intelligence’, dishonest intellectuals (una know una self), ethical and motivational blindness and obsequiousness on one hand and tested and established economic theories on the other. A one year lesson in cause and effect and as ethical blindness rightly teaches us, ‘why good or ethical leaders make wrong or unethical decisions’. The actual…
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The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle, has petitioned the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, accusing some members of the lower chamber of improper conduct, attempted rape and soliciting for prostitutes while on official trip to the US. But, the affected lawmakers have denied all the allegations and threatened to sue the ambassador and the US government for “character defamation and a calculated attempt to ridicule the National Assembly.” The Ambassador, in a letter dated June 9, 2016, addressed to Speaker Dogara, exclusively obtained by New Telegraph, alleged that three members of the House…
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The national caretaker committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who was appointed by the Port Harcourt convention, has reacted angrily to the invasion of the PDP National Secretariat by Ali Sheriff, saying Mr. Sheriff was being sponsored by the governing All Progressives Congress, APC, to scuttle PDP’s chance in the forthcoming governorship election in Edo state. Mr. Sheriff had stormed the PDP secretariat on Monday with thousands of his supporters saying a court had recognized him as the chairman of the party. The former Borno governor, who announced plans for the forthcoming Edo state election and the appointment of…
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Former President, Goodluck Jonathan has denied owning a £15m property in the United Kingdom and demanded a retraction from the UK SUN newspaper over an article by its former Editor, Kelvin Mackenzie, alleging in his Saturday column that the ex-Nigerian leader had bought the property in Surrey. He had written, “I hear the aptly named Goodluck Jonathan, the former President of oil-rich Nigeria, has bought a 12,000 square foot house on the ultra-expensive and well protected St George’s Hill estate in Weybridge, Surrey. “I’m sure he gained his wealth legitimately but these houses are £10-£15million a pop, so, perhaps the…
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Recently, there were renewed calls by eminent Nigerians, including a former vice-president, for the restructuring of the country, with more power and resource control devolving to the six regions to make them generate more revenue for development, while the centre remains constant albeit less powerful than before. To you, is this restructuring formula the panacea to revive and boost Nigeria’s development process? * Restructuring is a vital solution to Nigeria’s development problems. In advanced nations, regions are so empowered to be self-sufficient and independent that the function of the government at the centre is more or less ceremonial but…
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A former chairman of the National Population Commission, Festus Odimegwu, has lambasted the Nigerian political class, accusing government at all levels of corruption and ineptitude- failings he said are now enough for the Nigerian military to seize political power in the country. In an explosive interview published by ThisDay last weekend, Mr. Odimegwu said Nigeria had failed and that it was time for the military to intervene to save whatever is remaining of the country. PREMIUM TIMES got ThisDay’s permission to run excerpts of the the interview. Mr. Odimegwu, a former head of the Nigerian Breweries Plc, said Nigeria had…
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When a few months ago the northern governors threatened in an infantile stupor to “break up” Nigeria, many people called off their bluff even though it was the right thing to do! Right now breaking up Nigeria is on everyone’s mind! After that shameful threat lacking in adult decency and political decorum, Buhari took it upon himself to ramp up another bombastic threat to bomb the #Avengers “out of existence”! In making his threat to stick, Buhari described his move thus: “I’ll so deal with the #Avengers more than Boko Haram, they will regret they ever existed”! So far, the…
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States government will now receive fresh monthly bailout from the federal government, following the adoption of the fiscal sustainability plan of the federal government. According to the ministry of finance, state governments have agreed to a common standard to which they must operate in terms of financial management. “We are determined to attain financial discipline across government and implementing the FSP at state level will ensure alignment,” Kemi Adeosun, minister of finance, said. “The focus on increasing revenue, which is not limited to conventional taxes but rather encourages states to explore opportunities in areas such as agriculture and solid minerals,…
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The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said it paid N56.22 billion into the Federation Account in April, 2016. This is contained in the corporation’s Monthly Financial Report released in Abuja on Thursday 09/06/2016. “NNPC transferred N56.22 billion to the Federation Account for the month of April being proceeds from local sale of petroleum products. “Thus, the sum of N933.12 billion has been paid to the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) from March, 2015 to April, 2016,” the report said. On crude oil sale for the month under review, it said that NNPC recorded export sale of $289.36 million, adding that…
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Damola Awoyokun, an engineer and historian has perused hitherto hidden dispatches from British diplomats and intelligence officers on Nigeria’s first coup—a very bloody one—executed by Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu and other revolutionists on 15 January 1966. The coup in which political leaders and military officers of northern Nigeria extraction were majorly killed triggered a counter-coup and eventually declaration of Biafra and a civil war. This article shares the rare insight into the bloody event of 15 January 1966 and we believe it may serve as a good lesson as the drums of war are being sounded in some parts of our…
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Constitutional lawyer and elder statesman, Prof. Ben Nwabueze (SAN) has declared that only the restructuring of the polity will save Nigeria from its recurring socio-economic and political challenges. As a first step towards realising the goal, Nwabueze has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately convene a fresh National Conference. He said that the 2014 National Conference organised by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan was not the kind that Nigeria needs. Nwabueze’s revisit of his clamour for the restructuring of Nigeria came a few days after former Vice President Atiku Abubakar made the same request. Atiku had at…
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Itam is a sleepy, nondescript town that ushers you into Uyo, the capital city of Akwa Ibom State. It holds a rather special place in my heart. Flashback 50 years ago, it was here at the peak of the Nigerian Civil War, after a dreadfully exhausting and hazardous trek from Ikot Ekpene, that my family stopped to rest. It was at dusk and we were about to have our first meal – garri made with tepid water of questionable source and stale egusi soup, our very first meal in nearly two days. I was struggling to knead the eba when…
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December 16th 2015 Royal Dutch Shell Group said on Tuesday that it plans to exit oil and gas operations in 10 countries as part of a strategy to raise its cost savings profile to $4.5 billion and narrow its focus to the most profitable businesses such as liquefied natural gas, deepwater oil production and chemicals. Shell’s Chief Executive Officer, Ben van Beurden, who spoke on Tuesday in London as the Group looks to seal the $54 billion acquisition of BG Group, did not name the countries to be affected by the company’s exit plans. The company, which has already unfolded…
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Former Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, and former Minister of Information, Professor Jerry Gana, were among eminent Nigerians who yesterday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to embark on immediate restructuring of Nigeria in line with the principles of true federalism. They made the call at Nike Lake Resort Hotel Enugu during the 17th Annual Convention of the Igbo Youth Movement (IYM), headed by Evangelist Elliot Ukoh. Others prominent figures who joined in the request for restructuring includes Yoruba leader, Ayo Adebanjo, former Governor of Anambra state, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife; resource control protagonist, Ankio Briggs; and immediate former Governor of Anambra…
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Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, kicked up the dust on May 31, at a book launch in Abuja. The book has the rather cheeky title of We are all Biafrans. He has put our country in the agitation mode once again. You can feel it. Some important warriors of restructuring and true federalism have instantly oiled their rusty muskets, ready for the battle royal. No, this is not a shooting war. Here, the tongue is mightier than the musket. I get the distinct impression that we are running in circles each time someone trundles restructuring or true federalism across our path.…
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THE Arewa Consultative Forum, the mouthpiece of Northern Nigeria has warned the Niger Delta Avengers to stop their acts of economic sabotage by attacking oil facilities in the region. The former Inspector-General of police, Ibrahim Coomassie the ACF chairman warned that the north has tolerated them enough and adjure them to desist henceforth from carrying out further attacks describing the attacks as the height of criminality which is totally unacceptable. He questioned the rationale behind their attacks ”when there is a machinery in place by the Federal Government to develop the region such as the Ministry of the Niger…
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How the hunger games are unfolding The news from military defense headquarters that out of the recently retired generals and senior military officers, about 75% were southerners are keeping tongues wagging. It’s really a surprise that most Nigerians, especially southerners are knowing for the first time that ethnic cleansing in the armed forces has been going for the past 50 years! Folks, no bi today the thing dey happen. Brace yourself for the real truth, and what’s driving Buhari’s northern agenda. But while you kick back and relax for the truth, process this other one that’s currently uploading: all the…
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*Lagos as it is today, has everything to stand by its own. We run the police, we have the most viable infrastructure in the whole country, yet we are not given what we deserve- Ambode *What we owe Nigeria today is nothing but true federalism- Ambode Twenty-three years after the annulment of the June 12, 1993 Presidential election widely acclaimed to have been won by the late Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, former Lagos Military Administrator, Ndubuisi Kanu and the Convener of the Coalition of Democrats for Electoral Reforms (CODER), Ayo Opadokun, have called for true…
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A new report has disclosed that the 36 states and the 774 local government councils in Nigeria shared N2.8 trillion from the Federation Account in the one year of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. An exclusive report by the Economic Confidential, an intelligence economic magazine, disclosed that the total figure was payment made to the two tiers of government between June 2015 and May 2016 at the monthly meeting of the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).. In the report, Lagos state is ranked first as the highest recipient of gross allocation with a total sum of N178 billion in the twelve…
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More international airlines are expected to suspend their flights to Nigeria due to foreign currency restrictions that have locked up nearly $1 billion of revenue in the west African nation. Two international airlines, Iberia and United Airlines have so far suspended flights to Nigeria – Iberia suspended flights in May and United Airlines’ suspension is expected to take full effect from July. According to Nigerian news portal Sahara Reporters, the American airliner, United, will depart Houston to Lagos for the last time on June 29 and make its final flight from Lagos to Houston on June 30. The portal indicates…
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In a White House memo dated Tuesday, January 28, 1969 to President Nixon, former Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger describes the Igbos as “the wandering Jews of West Africa-gifted, aggressive, westernized, at best envied and resented, but mostly despised by their neighbors in the federation”(foreign relations document, volume E-5, documents on Africa 1969-1972). Kissinger’s description aptly portrays the Christian Igbos and their experience in Nigeria. Over the years, the Igbos have been the victims of numerous massacres, that they have lost count. Most of the violence directed against the Igbos have been state sponsored. One can say that the Igbos…
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Yesterday it was confirmed that a number of high-ranking officers from the military were compulsorily retired from service over allegations of corruption and fraud. The army had released a statement announcing the retirement of the soldiers and explaining that there was a need for the military to be non-partisan and focussed on protecting the nation. It has now been alleged that the retired officers were mostly from the south south and south east. In a tweet posted by news agency Sahara reporters, they claim that a source alleges that the officers who were retired were mostly Southerners. This has strengthened…
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Media reports reveal the real reasons why coach Sunday Oliseh may continue to tinker the Eagles from his base in Belgium. After contracting a virus in one of his official assignments, camp sources informed that the former Juventus player has alleged occultic manipulations by his enemies on his life and has vowed to flee far from the country to where they could not fly to attack him. “He is always scared in camp and suspicious of even members of his back room staff”, a close source to the team informed. The source said that the outspoken coach allegedly confronted his…
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Fellow Nigerians, let me say categorically and emphatically that our dear beloved country is dangerously haemorrhaging again and this perfidious drift must be halted urgently before we all end up in perdition. Anyone telling President Muhammadu Buhari that all is well or that his government is moving in the right direction is either lying or pretending like a rattlesnake. And there are many scorpions around ready to mislead every government and move on effortlessly when things fall apart. For sure President Buhari possesses the ability to move this country in the right direction and lead us to where we want…
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The opening take for this piece is that no matter how hard Buhari fights, no matter how passionate he desires, and no matter how much he injects his much touted political will into system, things can never change in Nigeria for the better unless Nigeria undergoes total restructuring. And no lie or attempt to hide the truth can make up for this. Millions of Nigerians would love to meet President Buhari and his handlers one-on-one and ask him so many critical questions that bug their minds as the economy bit harder, as businesses fold up, as prices of essential goods…
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Of all the people who filed suits to challenge President Muhammadu Buhari’s qualifications to stand for election to office of president regarding his West African School Certificate, WASC, in the run-up to the general election last year, it is only Nnamdi Nwokocha-Ahaaiwe who has refused to back down from pursuing the case in court. Others have since lost interest and moved on, Davidson Iriekpen asks why Nigerians were taken by surprise when the Federal High Court, Abuja gave a ruling on May 26, 2016 dismissing the preliminary objections filed by President Muhammadu Buhari in response to your suit challenging his…
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Cancer – known largely as a disease of our modern establishment – ravages our bodies, our minds, and our spirits indiscriminately. It could prey upon anyone. Why has this horror become a part of our everyday conversation? Why has it affected so many? What can we do about it? Within the confines of this article, I will try to address these questions as far as my limited knowledge allows. At any meeting place – restaurants, stores, golf courses, offices, malls – people exchange woeful tales of Cancer’s attack upon friends, relatives, neighbors, or other loved ones fallen victim to this…
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Cancer is the world’s number one killer disease. One third of the world’s 7.3 billion people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) predicts that the worldwide burden of cancer is set to double over the next five years, and that over the next 15 years, one in every two persons will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. It is the most expensive disorder to treat i n the short-term, and also the most expensive long-term sickness. Every year, over the last decade, the economic toll of cancer has cost…
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President of the Nigeria Medical Association NMA, Mike Ogrima, has refuted claims that Nigerian doctors cannot treat President Buhari’s ears, forcing him to travel to the UK to see an ENT doctor. Speaking to journalists in Jos, Plateau state yesterday June 9th, Ogrima who is a professor of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, said Nigerian doctors are capable of handling any health challenge President Buhari is facing. “We have 250 TNC surgeon doctors all over Nigeria, capable of handling the health challenge President Muhammadu Buhari is being faced with. We do not know the reason…
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Written by Oblong Media on June 7, 2015 The Yakubu Dogara group in the House of Representatives has released yet another statement condemning the leadership of the All Progressives Congress. In a statement by the group signed by Abdulmumin Jibrin,it lamented that “The APC leadership keeps telling the public that an election was conducted and Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila got 154 votes while Hon. Yakubu Dogara got 3 votes; this is a blatant lie and fraud, and it’s shameful for the APC leaders to descend so low. “The mock election actually showed that APC has made a mockery of itself because…
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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has assigned portfolios to the members of the 7-man national caretaker committee, led by a former governor of Kaduna State, Senator Ahmed Makarfi. The committee was constituted at the May 21 national convention of the party, held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, mandated to administer the affairs of the party for three months, within which to conduct a national convention. The committee assumed office last Monday. A statement yesterday by PDP’s Head of Publicity, Chinwe I. Nnorom, said Senator Ben Obi is secretary of the committee; Prince Dayo Adeyeye (publicity); Hajiya Aisha Aliyu (women…
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Before the independence of Nigeria, as at 1958, this was how crude oil taxes were shared… 1958: 1. Oil Producing States retained 67.4% of Mining Rents and Royalties. 2. Federal Government got 20% of Mining Rents and Royalties. 3. Non-oil states got 12.6% So the crude oil and gas was owned by the oil producing states, that how the British left it. In 1970, General Yakubu Gowon passed decree No 13, this was how crude oil taxes were now to be shared. 1970 1. Oil Producing States retained 45% of Mining Rents and Royalties. 2. Federal Government got 55% of…
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The Niger Delta Avengers, on Friday morning said a crude pipeline owned by Italian oil giant, Agip Eni, was destroyed in an overnight explosion.The group, which claimed responsibility for virtually all major attacks against oil installations across the restive oil-rich region this year, said the incident occurred at about 3:00 a.m. In a tweet posted on its Twitter page, @NDAvengers, the Avengers wrote: “3:00 a.m. on Friday. Niger Delta Avengers blow (sic) up the Obi Obi Brass trunk line belonging to Agip ENI. It is Agip’s major crude oil line in Bayelsa State.” Agip Nigeria did not answer or return…
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Following threats of missile attacks on Abuja by Niger Delta militants, ailing President Buhari shelved the commencement of his treatment for a severe ear infection to attend a crucial meeting called by the government of United Kingdom to douse mounting tension in Nigeria and prevail on the Niger Delta militants to shelve their planned missile strikes on the nation’s capital and seat of power. The meeting, held Tuesday in UK, was informed by intelligence reports provided by some European Union member-states that confirmed the existence of missile launch locations in Nigeria and the resolve of the militants to make good…
OBLONG MEDIA GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE 