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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A new Mayor for the Royal Borough of Greenwich, South East London has been elected. Councillor Olugbenga Babatola takes over from the current Mayor Norman Adams. Councillor Babatola who represents Thamesmead Moorings Ward was first elected as a councillor in 2014. He served as Deputy Mayor over the past year and will take up his new duties as Mayor after his inauguration which comes up next month. Olugbenga Babatola Councillor Babatola’s election makes him the first ever African and Nigerian to hold the post in the Borough which has a very high number of residents of Nigerian and African descent.…
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By Femi Aribisala The innovation of the Permanent Voters Cards is designed to permanently disenfranchise the South. If this is not redressed immediately, the North will always determine the winner in Nigerian elections. If you did not see my column last week, it was because I did not want to rain on anyone’s parade. I wanted the euphoria over the bullet we missed by avoiding the riots that would have ensued had the APC been defeated to subside. But I am now back to tell you that the presidential election was a big INEC rigmarole. Long before Jonathan lost…
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Second Republic President, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, has described immediate-past President, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, as a ‘rare breed’ whose actions strengthened democracy in Africa and made the continent proud. Shagari’s observations were contained in a letter to Dr Jonathan dated November 20, 2015 bearing the caption: ‘Happy 58th Birthday’, personally signed by him. “Your birthday deserves to be celebrated both at home and abroad given your selfless services to our beloved fatherland. Your spectacular commitment in the development of our cherished values of democracy in Nigeria and Africa is legendary. On the African political landscape, you are, indeed, a…
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The actress was recently slammed a 5-year jail term by the Court of Appeal in Lagos after losing an appeal over the death of one Dr Giwa Suraj who she allegedly killed in an auto accident along Lekki-Epe Expressway, Lagos, 10 years ago. Justice Jamilu Yammama Tukur of the Appeal court said he was granting the actress bail pending the determination of a suit filed by her at the Supreme court.
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The General Overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare has called for a revolution in Nigeria, saying that’s the only way to address the fundamental error of government. Bakare who said this during the 27th anniversary thanksgiving of his church on Sunday pointed out that the revolution should be a radical transformation of values which should transcend politics and change of government. He also berated the current government over its stance of waiting for an upsurge in the price of crude oil before reviving the economy Bakare said, “While appreciating the positive developments in our democratic experience,…
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By Okey Ndibe Excerpts. Nigeria’s political discourse is stuck, rather tragically, in a familiar binary pattern. On one side, there are the bashers of President Muhammadu Buhari; on the other, those who feel duty bound to defend the man at all cost. Between the two groups there’s not so much a debate as a shouting match, a verbal slugfest in which all kinds of indignities and epithets are hurled across a hard, sharply drawn line. The one side mocks the promise of Change that’s all but become a mirage. The other side dismisses the president’s critics as the tribe of…
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We Never Complained In 2008, When Oil Prices Fell From 148 To $38 A Barrel – Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
No one heard of Nigeria in 2008 when oil prices fell from 148 to $38 because we fixed it. They kidnapped my 83yr-old mother, demanded I go to television station and announce my resignation because I tried to stop subsidy fraud . Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was the guest of the World at the Grenoble geopolitical Festival which took place from 16 to 19 March. The “Iron Lady”, 61, served two governments as Minister of Finance from 2003 to 2006, under President Olusegun Obasanjo, then, from 2011 to 2015, under the presidency of Goodluck Jonathan. Between these two positions, she was…
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People demonstrate against Iceland’s Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson in Reykjavik, Iceland in this April 5, 2016 files. REUTERS/Stigtryggur Johannsson/Files©Reuters Even sharp subarctic spring sunshine could not pierce the fog of political uncertainty that shrouded Iceland’s political circles on Wednesday — or even clarify the whereabouts of its prime minister. Less than a decade after it took a starring role in the global financial crisis, Iceland is back in the international spotlight as home to the first government leader likely to be toppled by revelations of offshore accounts contained in the huge Panama Papers leak. Amid official silence, baffled local…
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Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike swearing in the Justice Monima Wenike Danagogo led Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the violence/killings during the March 19 re-run elections on Wednesday at Government House, Port Harcourt. Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike on Wednesday swore in the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the violence / killings that negatively affected the March 19 rerun legislative elections, with a charge to the commission to get to the root of the matter. The governor also on Wednesday swore in Mr Ugbana Isaruk as a Commissioner in the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC.…
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…says it’s a costly mistake bringing Buhari, APC to power. More criticisms on Tuesday continued to trail the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, with the Labour Party (LP), insisting that “Nigerians have made the greatest mistake” electing him and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to power. The party which was of the opinion that the President has placed Nigeria under siege, said, “Nigerians have entered one chance with the election of Buhari.” The National Chairman of LP, Alhaji Abdulkadir Abdulsalam (Baraden Paiko), in a statement in Abuja entitled: “Nigeria under Siege”, said the country is in serious economic crisis.…
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Eleven million documents held by the Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca have been passed to German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, which then shared them with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. BBC Panorama is among 107 media organisations – including UK newspaper the Guardian – in 76 countries which have been analysing the documents. The BBC doesn’t know the identity of the source They show how the company has helped clients launder money, dodge sanctions and evade tax Mossack Fonseca says it has operated beyond reproach for 40 years and never been accused or charged with criminal wrong-doing.
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British Virgin Islands Image caption Home to many offshore companies – the British Virgin Islands The revelations in the millions of papers leaked from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca uncovering a suspected money laundering ring run by close associates of Vladimir Putin may leave readers drowning in a sea of confusing terms and phrases. Although there are legitimate ways of using tax havens, most of what has been going on is about hiding the true owners of money, the origin of the money and avoiding paying tax on the money. If you are a wealthy business owner in Germany…
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Document Image caption A huge leak of confidential documents has revealed how the rich and powerful use tax havens to hide their wealth. A huge leak of documents has lifted the lid on how the rich and powerful use tax havens to hide their wealth. The files were leaked from one of the world’s most secretive companies, a Panamanian law firm called Mossack Fonseca. What are the Panama Papers? The files show how Mossack Fonseca clients were able to launder money, dodge sanctions and avoid tax. In one case, the company offered an American millionaire fake ownership records to hide…
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Panama City A huge leak of documents from a Panamanian law firm, Mossack Fonseca, has thrown new light on how the rich and powerful hide their wealth. It has also brought renewed attention on Panama itself, one of the world’s best-known tax havens. But what makes Panama different from other low or no-tax jurisdictions and how did it become this way? How did it all start? According to a 2013 academic study published by the Norwegian Center for Taxation, the history of Panama as a tax haven began in 1919 when it started to register foreign ships to help American…
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Telecom network operators are yet to live up to expectations. “My office has been inundated with complaints, petitions and calls on the fraudulent and unauthorised charges by network operators in the country,” said Adebayo Shittu, the Minister of Communications, at a recent meeting with the telecom operators in the country. “It has been alleged that these unauthorised charges have been so prevalent. This action must stop immediately or else severe sanctions will be imposed on any operator that violates this directive.” That was the latest in a series of warnings to the telecom network operators to get their act…
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The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the body empowered to meet the yearnings of Nigerians for stable, adequate and safe electricity supply, has taken the bull by the horn by releasing to the public, the rights of every electricity consumer. Read the rights below: 1. All new electricity connections must be done strictly on the basis of metering before connection. That is, no new customer should be connected without meter first being installed. 2. A customer who elects to procure meter under the Credited Advance Payment for Metering Implementation (CAPMI) Scheme must be metered within 60 days, after which…
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A pioneering businessman who opened one of the country’s first 24 hour off-licence and food stores in Kilburn has died aged 87. Hensley Euton Airey, best known for selling Jamaican patties and alcohol around the clock from his shop Airey Bargain Stores in Willesden Lane, passed away from lung cancer. Mr Airey discovered a loophole that allowed him to open all hours during the 1970s and 1980s. The canny shop owner would close one minute before midnight and reopen at 12.01am which allowed him to adhere to the legally permitted trading hours at that time. Queues would quickly form…
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Leaders of Ngodo, Mbaugwu-Uturu community in Isikwuato Local Government Area of Abia State, have denied any involvement in the alleged abduction of five Fulani herdsmen by suspected gunmen. The herdsmen were allegedly abducted in the bush when their cattle grazed on some farmers’ crops in the community. The South East Chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Alhaji Gidado Siddiki, who told journalists in Awka, Anambra State about the kidnap of the herdsmen, manipulated the local vigilantes in the incident. In a swift reaction, the President-General of Mbaugwu-Uturu Community, Mr. Maduike Damian, refuted Siddiki’s…
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One cannot help but to agree with PDP here, we have heard more blames than problem solving from APC than ever in the history of politics in Nigeria. APC has become a blame, and blame party. When are we going to see them solve myraids of problems facing the country? * Sheriff: APC governors plot to rig FCT elections The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked the governing party, the All Progressives Congress to face the business of governance and stop pushing over its administration’s shortcomings to others. The National Chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff alleged…
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The Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), on Tuesday, rejected an application for the adjournment of the trial of embattled Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, ruling that it has jurisdiction, as affirmed by the Supreme Court, to try him. Saraki is facing a 13 count charge of alleged false declaration of asset preferred against him by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB). Saraki had today, appeared before the tribunal in continuation of the trial against him in company of not less than 90 lawyers. Although, Saraki’s lead Counsel, Kanu Agbabi, was absent in court, another SAN, Paul Usoro, and…
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Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, on Tuesday, said that the official launching of Abuja-Kaduna rail project would not be feasible on May 29. Amaechi disclosed this at Idu, Abuja, while inspecting the arrival of two new coaches by the contractors, China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC). Amaechi at the senate He said that the development was due to earlier refusal of Daughters of Charity Hospital in Kubwa to relocate for the alignment of the rail track. The minister however said that negotiation had been completed with the hospital, adding that a new facility, including a convent, would be built…
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Leak shows what much of the world’s 99% believes. It’s hard to know where to start in tallying up the explosive revelations in the Panama Papers, an analysis of leaked documents from global law firm Mossack Fonseca revealed by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). Yes, we’ve known for a while now that the shadow financial system was growing. But it’s another thing to take in 11.5 million documents showing the way in which Mossack Fonseca was working with big name financial groups like UBS, HSBC, Société Générale, and many others to help elites from the Communist Party leadership…
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If you want something to do, just grab a microphone and start interviewing anyone you meet in the streets and ask him/her a simple question: “Have you ever heard of the bombing of the USS Liberty?” The answer may surprise you. “Let’s just tell New World Order agents that the buck stops here.” Putin is still stretching his political muscle. He has recently declared that there is an information war going on. He said that for the past two years or so, the “Anglo-Saxon media” has done its best to demonize him. In 2014, the Telegraph had an article…
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“The Panama Papers are a scam, real documents turned over to a Mossad run organization that now has dirt on even more people and more power to make a very nasty world an even darker and nastier place.” “NWO agents will never learn. I will continue to make their lives miserable.” Whenever New World Order agents and the controlled media make an extraordinary claim with little or no sound evidence, you can be sure that you are going to listen to bizarre things, really crazy things, and unthinkable things. You may want to grab your munchies and sit…
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While attention was focused on Iran as a bogus nuclear weapons threat, US shadow government nuclear theft and proliferation, and nuclear terror bombing was hidden from us. Why? And by whose order? I keep using this image because it is symbolic of all of us being thrown off the roof that day. Veterans Today has been releasing the proof that the 9-11 event was not only the hoax of the century, but hiding what really happened from the public has put the US and the rest of the world in more danger than the threat all the real terrorist…
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Skyline, Old town, Panama City, Panama. Panama law firm cache dwarfs trove of U.S. diplomats’ cables 400 journalists, months of reporting behind data ‘torrent’ The Panama Papers, a huge trove of documents that reveal how a Central American law firm allegedly set up shell companies to help heads of state and international criminals conceal their riches, has already prodded regulators into action, rattled sitting politicians and spurred international calls for banking transparency. Here’s a look at what they are and where the revelations may lead. What’s in the documents? The 11.5 million documents — which take up 2.6 terabytes of…
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Given to the Mossad…to seed, fabricate and censor…just like Wikileaks Last week when VT published information gotten during the interrogation of a Turkish intelligence agent, Sawash Yeldiz, captured by Popular Party of Kurdistan (PPK) militia inside Syria, information tying Turkish President Erdogan to the Brussels terror attacks, we saw how real leaks are dealt with. The conduit for this information, European Department for Security and Information (DESI) Secretary General Haissam Bou Said, was threatened by Israeli security agents who may have had a part in the Brussels attacks and, moreover, DESI, an EU organization was threatened with sanctions for…
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Ministerial appointment: Sylva, Lokpobiri fight over N200 million balance, N1 billion campaign fund.
The suspension of former Governor Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa State by the All Progressives Congress(APC) has taken a new twist as investigations reveal that he has fallen apart with the Minister of State for Agriculture, Heineken Lokpobiri over N600 million ministerial appointment deal. A political movement in the Bayelsa State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), under the aegis of APC Bayelsa Good Governance Group, on Sunday said it had it on good authority that Sylva was annoyed that Lokpobiri had refused to pay the remaining N200 million because he only got the position of a junior minister.…
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The 2015 election results. Spooky. APC = 15424921 PDP = 12853162 1+5+4+2+4+9+2+1 = 28 1+2+8+5+3+1+6+2 = 28 Election held on 28 march, Now let’s go in to further maths APC – PDP 15424921 – 12853162 = 2571759 Means 2+5+7+1+7+5+9 = 36 Means 36 states in nigeria Date of election 28/3/2015 2+8+3+2+0+1+5 = 21 Means 21 states won by APC. Muhammadu Buhari! The 4th President in the 4th Republic was declared on 4th month, after contesting for the 4th time!!
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MR. PETER OBI RESUME NAME: Mr. Peter Gregory OBI, (CON) DATE OF BIRTH : 19th July 1961, PLACE OF BIRTH: Onitsha, Nigeria NATIONALITY: Nigerian MARITAL STATUS: Married with two children EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS ATTENDED · Christ the King College, Onitsha (W.A.S.C.) . University of Nigeria, Nsukka (B.A. Philosophy) · Lagos Business School, Nigeria (Chief Executive Program) · Harvard Business School, Boston, U.S.A. (Mid to Mid Marketing) · Harvard Business School, Boston, U.S.A. (Changing the Game) · London School of Economics (Financial Mgmt/Business Policy) · Columbia Business School, New York, U.S.A. (Marketing Mgmt ) · Institute for Management Development, Switzerland (Senior…
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In six years of Goodluck Jonathan’s presidency, the opposition told us again and again the man was “clueless.” It made sure the tag stuck to him like glue. But now we have a new sheriff in town, with the APC claiming to be better at everything than the PDP. While that might still be subject to debate, there is overwhelming evidence that in the cluelessness department, the PDP is certainly no match for the APC. Here is a compendium from the APC textbook of cluelessness, provided within barely one year in office. If you want to know how to…
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The ruling on the discharge of trial against the former national security adviser, Sambo Dasuki was on April 4, adjourned by a Federal High Court in Abuja. The Federal High Court in Abuja adjourned ruling on the discharge of trial against Sambo Dasuki. The ruling was adjourned to further notice. It was expected that the judge presiding over the case, Ademola Adeniyi, would rule on Dasuki’s application to stall trial pending the compliance of the government on an order of the court granting him bail. However, the court clerk told Newsmen that the matter had being adjourned till…
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With serious deflection in ranks, break in command chain and little resources, our own home grown terrorists can as well go the lone jihad way. After all, as sadists, terrorists delight is in causing harm in whatever way. This is however not to draw up conclusions but just an opening out of a possibility for investigators and security organs. Firefighters are still battling to put out the rampaging inferno at Kano’s major Abubakar Rimi Market, Sabon Gari. At the same time, similar fireballs are being reported at the Birnin Kebbi major market. These cases of fire outbreaks are the…
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Ahead of its National Convention billed for May 21, 2016, the National Chairman of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff has constituted four special committees, towards the overall rebuilding and repositioning of the party. A statement on Sunday, by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, said the setting up of the special committees is in line with the decision of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party. According to the statement, the Committees, which are to be inaugurated on Tuesday, April 5, 2016, are the National Convention Committee, Reconciliation Committee,…
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TEXT OF SPEECH BY PASTOR ‘TUNDE BAKARE ON THE OCCASION OF THE 27TH ANNIVERSARY THANKSGIVING SERVICE OF THE LATTER RAIN ASSEMBLY DATE: SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2016 VENUE: THE LATTER RAIN ASSEMBLY, END-TIME CHURCH, 4, AKILO ROAD, OFF OBA AKRAN AVENUE, OGBA, IKEJA, LAGOS, NIGERIA. THEME: CHAMPIONING THE CAUSE OF A NEW NIGERIA CENTRAL TEXTS: I Samuel 17: 12-29; II Samuel 21:15-22; I Chronicles 20:4-8 PROTOCOLS. Preamble As we celebrate God’s faithfulness to our ministry in the past 27 years, we are also mindful of the state of the nation whose great destiny is up till now hanging…
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Power generation and supply in the South Eastern part of the country has received a boost with the resolution of the dispute between two major stakeholders from the region. Minister of Power, Works and Housing Mr. Babatunde Fashola, on Thursday presided at the signing of agreements between the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) and Aba Power Limited to end a three – year dispute that had stalled the completion of a 141 MW Power Project for the area. Speaking after witnessing the signing of the agreements between Aba Power Limited and Enugu Electricity Distribution Company Plc and Interstate Electricity…
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The Federal Government on Saturday recommenced the payment of subsidy on petrol as it subsidised the commodity by N5.84 for every litre of premium motor spirit consumed in Nigeria. Subsidy on petrol was stopped in January after the review of the pricing template of the product by the government. It also announced that the current official pump prices of petrol would remain at N86 per litre when purchased at filling stations run by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and N86.5 per litre when sold at outlets operated by other oil marketers. The government further said petrol scarcity would end…
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The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is withholding billions of dollars in revenue from the government’s coffers despite President Muhammadu Buhari’s war on corruption, according to a report published Thursday by the Natural Resource Governance Institute, a New York-based watchdog. Under Buhari’s administration, the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) failed to remit $4.2 billion — 66 percent of proceeds — to the treasury in the second half of last year, the report revealed. The company, aka NNPC, raked in $6.3 billion from its crude oil sales in the second half of 2015, but only $2.1 billion entered the…
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Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has described the governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, as a threat to democracy, free and fair elections devoid of violence. Part 1 He was reacting to comments made by Wike in an interview published in a national daily in which the governor said Amaechi and his All Progressives Party (APC) lost election in Ikwerre Local Government, which is Amaechi’s homestead. Part 2 Amaechi who is the immediate past governor of the state said the governor lied on the outcome of the re-run elections in Ikwerre Local Government adding that elections…
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President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Dakuku Peterside, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2015 governorship in Rivers, as director-general of Nigerian Maritime administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA). NIMASA is under the supervision of the ministry of transport, which is headed by Rotimi Amaechi, former governor of Rivers state who spearheaded Peterside’s electioneering campaign. Yetunde Sonaike, director of public relations in the ministry of transportation, confirmed this in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday. She said the appointment was with immediate effect. The statement said Peterside holds a doctorate degree in Management Science from…
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Britain’s first black female High Court judge opens up about racism at the bar Clerks would Tippex out her name on briefs and write in the name of male pupil they wanted to be the tenant The country’s first female ethnic minority lawyer to become a High Court judge has shared her story in a tell-all interview, and it makes for shocking viewing. Dame Linda Dobbs has exposed shameful incidents of racism and sexism at the bar, particularly from her own clerks, in a revealing interview for the First 100 Years project — an ambitious video history which aims…
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Biafra, dominated by the great Igbo race, enjoyed sovereignty before Great Britain commenced exploitive colonial rule over Nigeria under the racist banner of Rudyard Kipling’s “the White Man’ burden.” Britain asserted authority over Biafra based on the tyrannical doctrine that the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must. The Berlin West Africa Conference, 1884-85, and the Berlin General Act symbolized colonial lawlessness by treating Africa as a carcass to be divided up among European vultures. Restoration of Biafra’s sovereignty is justified under international law and practice—especially with the ongoing ethnic-inspired killings and persecutions of…
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Businessman and former Governor of Abia State has challenged the governments of the United Kingdom, United States of America, Germany and other developed nations to support the anti- corruption war of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration by exposing Nigerians who have looted the nation’s resources, adding that previous administrations paid lip-service to the war against corruption. According to the former governor, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which was established by President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2003 to prevent, investigate, prosecute and penalize economic and financial crimes, became an instrument of political witch-hunt and victimization, noting that the pioneer…
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Ladies and Gentlemen I am here to share with you this vital information on Prostate. The topic is misleading. Is prostate strictly for men? Yes, ONLY men have prostate and ONLY men over 40years, but the healthcare enlightenment is for everyone. There is no woman who does not know a man 40 years and above – father, uncle, brother, son, friend, neighbor, colleague … Essentially what I will be doing today is health promotion. Responsible health promotion must provide three things: 1. Information 2. Reassurance 3. A plan of action. Let me start with a background on prostate health.…
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The crisis in the Bayelsa state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), took another twist Saturday, with the state executive of the party announcing the suspension of a former governor of the state, Chief Timipre Sylva from the party. State chairman of the party, Timipa Tiwei Orunimighe and the secretary, Daniel Marlin announced the decision of the party in a statement made available to Vanguard in Abuja
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Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has pulled out of the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Switzerland to tackle nationwide fuel shortages. Petrol stations in most major cities closed temporarily last week, and drivers elsewhere face huge queues. Ministers blame a huge spike in demand for the shortage, but critics say it was caused by government incompetence. Mr Sharif held a crisis meeting earlier and promised to punish those causing the problems. It is the second year running that the prime minister has pulled out of the WEF in Davos. Last year he was forced to cancel the trip…
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An aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Edo State, Osaro Onaiwu, has ended a tour he embarked upon to reconcile aggrieved members of the main opposition party in the state. Onaiwu, whose reconciliation train has so far visited PDP Secretariats in 16 local government areas, in the state, pointed out that the tour was aimed at reconciling aggrieved party members as a result of the aftermath of the state congresses. Onaiwu during the reconciliation tour Speaking during a meeting at the PDP Secretariat in Orhionwon LGA, Onaiwu said “I believe there…
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Economists are reveling in the IGRs of Lagos and Enugu states whereas Human Development Index (HDI) and Income per head remain abysmally low in same states. In same states household incomes remain poor, primary schools are poorly maintained, health centers are not well tended to; sanitation and housing are in squalor state whereas rural areas remain abandoned in socio-economic irrelevance. The biggest problem of the economist is that they appear only interested in figures and coefficients of government earnings. Beware of them! When we had beautiful figures for GDP due to oil cash receipts, Sanusi, the central Bank governor…
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Since the defeat by the All Progressive Congress in last year’s general election, members of the Peoples Democratic Party have been forced to an unfamiliar position of being a party in opposition after sixteen years of calling the shots at the federal level. Gradually but steadily, members of the party, especially its leadership have come to accept that the years of dictating the pace of activities in the country are over; at least in the next three years when there would be another elections and the parties will seek the people’s mandate again. But rather than wallow in self…
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It is instructive that Nigeria remains a spectacle of dysfunction, no thanks to fading hopes of renewal through the All Progressives Congress which rode to power on the wings of a change agenda. Major cities are paralysed by lengthening fuel queues resembling scenes of fresh riots, while the failure to arrest pronounced infrastructural woes such as epileptic power supply remains a potent symbol of official and national incompetence. Emeritus Professor Akinjide Osuntokun, while lamenting recently, the death on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway of yet another brilliant young Nigerian alludes to the paradox of a nation whose technocrats build power stations…
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Governor Kashim Shettima has raised an alarm that something worse than the Boko haram terrorists group is coming. The governor who is also Chairman of the Northern Nigeria Governors’ Forum, gave the warning during the visit of a team from the United Nations led by its resident coordinator in Nigeria, Ms. Fatma Samoura. He said, “Boko Haram may be an appetizer for worse things to come unless we put our thinking caps on”. “The signals are there all over, the North is going to be inhabited by over 70 percent of Nigeria in 2050 when the nation’s population is…
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Nigeria’s power generation collapsed completely on Thursday at exactly 12.58pm to zero megawatt and this persisted for about three hours. Data from the country’s System Operator showed that around 1pm on Thursday, no power generation company in Nigeria produced a single megawatt of electricity. Industry operators told our correspondent that as a result of the complete collapse, no electricity distribution company received load allocation beginning from when the collapse was recorded up till around 3pm. The SO stated that the 11 distribution companies got zero electricity load allocation during the period of the collapse, meaning that for about…
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In line with the anti-corruption stance of the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, Minister of Interior, Abudurahman Dambazau, has warned Nigerians interested in obtaining an international passport from the Nigerian Immigration Passport offices to refrain from paying above the official fees. The minister gave the warning on Friday during the inauguration of one of the 18 new passport offices located at the premises of the Government Office Annex, along Roundabout – NPA road in Warri, Delta State. Danbazau, who was responding to a question on alleged racketeering of passports by officers of the immigration service, said “I was happy…
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Engineer Ahmed Adu speaking to journalists at the event – The Acting Director-General, Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Engineer Ahmed Abdu made an interesting revelation today, March 31 – Abdu revealed that between 2009 and 2014, BPP saved the nation N680 billion – The achievement was possible because of prior review of contracts awarded by Ministries, Departments and Agencies – The period in view was during the administration of Late Musa Yar’adua and his successor, Goodluck Jonathan Abdu made the revelation at the 2nd National Conference on Public Procurement (NACOPP) with the theme ”Sustaining the Anti-Corruption Campaign Through Best Procurement…
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– Aribisala says President Buhari gave up the fight against corruption after losing election three times. – Aribisala says there is no mandate against corruption. – The renowned scholar says the current fight against corruption by the President Muhammadu Buhari government is merely a fight against the PDP. Femi Aribisala, scholar and international affairs expert has criticized President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption war. Giving a ten minute speech at a round table organized by the Department of Jurisprudence and International Law in the University of Lagos on Thursday, March 31, Aribisala says there is no mandate against corruption. Speaking at…
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Aribisala and Oby Ezekwesili at the Department of Jurisprudence and International law Roundtable at the University of Lagos Legal scholars and experts hurled verbal missiles around a round table convened to brainstorm on winning the war against corruption at the University of Lagos on Thursday. The round table, organised by the Department of Jurisprudence and International Law, tagged “Winning the War Against Corruption” was also an opportunity to launch the book ‘Legal Perspectives to Corruption, Money Laundering, and Assets Recovery in Nigeria.’ The occasion began with the keynote speech ‘Rule of Law and Treatment of Politically Exposed Persons in Corruption…
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News website, Sahara Reporters, has published the positions and job titles of 91 children and relatives of politically exposed person secretly recruited by the Central Bank of Nigeria. Top government officials and party members whose children or relatives were hired in secretly hired by the bank include President Muhammadu Buhari, whose niece was employed; former Vice President Abubakar Atiku; Mamman Daura, a close ally of the president; Inspector General of Police (IGP) Solomon Arase; the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, whose sons were hired, and the Minister of Interior, Abdurahman Danbazzau. The recruitments have drawn widespread…
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The timely response from Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing (IVM) in supporting the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) by providing jet parts has enabled the NAF sustain its operations against the Boko Haram insurgents. This first of its kind effort on our part has attracted the global audience as we were featured on CNN as the first Nigerian car maker to make jet parts and take NAF to the sky in fighter jets. To further solidify this patriotic act and ensure the continuous supply of the fighter jet parts to NAF, the Chief of Air Force ably represented by Air Vice Marshal,…
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The nationwide power crisis being experienced in the country worsened, on Thursday 31/032016, with a total system collapse at exactly 12.58p.m. On the systems collapse, the nation got to Ground Zero, with all the Discos receiving zero megawatts allocation from the system operator, the Transmission Company of Nigeria, (TCN). The nation had experienced drastic reduction in power supply through the national grid in recent time, with generation standing at 2,243.20mw, which the Federal Government blamed on vandals. It was observed that before the systems collapse, allocation to Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, AEDC, earlier in the day stood at 257.97mw.…
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Read the press statement below.. According to reports on Linda Ikeji, all is now set for the prosecution of Dakuku Peterside, defeated Rivers State Governorship Candidate and NIMASA Managing Director who on Sunday directed his security details to murder an aide to the Chief of Staff to Governor Wike while fleeing with some result sheets from Ikwerre Local Government Area. The incident took place at the UTC junction in GRA after Dakuku Peterside instead of taking Ikwerre Local Government Area result sheets snatched from collation officers to INEC office drove with it towards the GRA. He had stormed the…
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…Buhari should order Julius Berger back to site – Stakeholders There is anger in the South East zone over the Federal Government’s abandonment of the N140 billion ($700 million) 2nd Niger Bridge. Investigations revealed that the contractor, Julius Berger Construction Company, stopped work on the project which is being constructed under Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement since April 2015. Concerned citizens of Eastern Nigeria and other stakeholders are appealing to President Buhari to direct the construction company to resume work on the project. After a private meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on August…
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John Kerry, United State’s secretary of State The United States will invest more than $600 million in Nigeria this year, Secretary of State John Kerry said yesterday in Washington. He spoke during the opening session of the U.S.- Nigeria Bi-National Commission meeting. The Nigerian delegation was led by Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyema, supported by other officials including Nigerian Charge d’Affaires Hakeem Balogun. Those with Kerry include leaders from the State Department, USAID, the Defence Department, Commerce Department, and other key agencies. The U.S. Ambassador James Entwistle also attended. Kerry, who hailed President Muhammadu Buhari’s actions in office in the…
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Lawyers of Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the president, have written to PDP, threatening to sue them if they don’t apologize and withdraw their accusations within 72 hours. The official twitter handle of PDP last week accused Garba of illegally trading in foreign exchange, claiming he bought $800, 000 from CBN at official rate, and selling it off the same day at black market rate. Read Garbas representatives letter after the cut..
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– Fayose accuses Buhari of deluding Nigerians over Chibok girls. – He claims that the abduction was a mere political fabrication. Ayo Fayose, the governor of Ekiti state, has made a shocking revelation, claiming that the rumour of the abduction of the Chibok girls was mere political fabrication meant to oust ex-president Goodluck Jonathan from the office at all costs. He accused the federal government of deceiving Nigerians over the alleged missing schoolgirls, supposing that the All Progressives Congress used the situation to defeat Jonathan. Fayose said he viewed with delight the advocacy of Oby Ezekwesili-led Bring Back Our…
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Gov Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State on Saturday called for prayers to expose those behind insecurity in Nigeria. He also called for God’s intervention in the socio-economic and political activities of the country. Wamakko made the call when he addressed members of All Progressives Congress (APC) on his return to Sokoto after a two-week official trip to the United States of America and the United Kingdom. He said the nation was in dire need of prayers for the restoration of peace across the country. The governor added that Nigerians should seek God’s intervention over the prevailing security challenges affecting…
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Breaking his silence for the first time since his arrest and prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh, has described the lingering fuel crisis crippling economic activities nationwide as a clear evidence that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) merely hoodwinked Nigerians with empty campaign promises of eldorado in order to vote the party into power and in the end, has nothing but pain and suffering to offer. Reacting to the daily pains and anguish Nigerians are forced to face in the President Muhammadu Buhari’s…
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Retailer Truworths Throws in Towel on Biggest African Economy Buhari’s Defense of Naira Chokes Imports, Spurs Black Market The promise of Africa’s biggest economy has turned to peril. Companies drawn to Nigeria by the prospect of a population bigger than Germany and Turkey’s combined are retreating; those staying have publicly criticized the president, a military strongman in the 1980s who came back to power via an election last year; and foreign investors are pulling their money out. The corporate tribulations that began with a slide in oil prices and accelerated after the imposition of capital controls are also entangled in…
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Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has accused his predecessor, Rotimi Amaechi of being desperate to control the state.Wike also accused Amaechi of being behind the constant redeployment of security officers from the state. “It is difficult for anybody to defeat us in Rivers State because of the projects I have done in my short stay in office, and the fact that Rivers is a PDP state. The civil servants are happy with us. Nobody would be happy when, at the end of the month, they cannot take their wages home,” he said on Monday, March 28, 2016, while…
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ELEVEN lawmakers who are sympathetic to Governor Ayodele Fayose in the Ekiti State House of Assembly have fled Ekiti state as Policemen from Abuja stormed the state Assembly. The Lawmakers said they can no longer sleep in their homes due to alleged persistent threats and intimidation by the policemen sent from police headquarters in Abuja. In fact, as at now, they have temporarily gone into hidding apparently for fear of being arrested for some unfounded allegations by the policemen who they claimed were led by one CSP Mohammed Abubakar. Though, the lawmakers led by the Deputy Speaker, Mr.…
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Chinua Achebe’s lament for his native Biafra and the decline of Nigeria is powerful and moving Chinua Achebe, who died in March, was a giant of African literature. His 1958 novel, Things Fall Apart, has sold more than 10m copies; his Anthills of the Savannah is undoubtedly one of the finest novels to come out of Africa. Part of the appeal of his novels is that they are wonderfully well written. He has paid tribute here to his very English education at the best schools in Nigeria and how it moulded his literary career. But while he was reading…
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Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) youths in Kaduna State, yesterday pleaded with President Muhammadu Buhari to withhold the monthly Federation allocation to the 23 Local Government Areas, LGAs, of Kaduna State, claiming the state government had hijacked the council funds, contrary to earlier promise not to. On the platform of PDP Youths Democratic Front, they also alleged that the Mallam Nasir El Rufai-led government had continuously acted in contempt of the constitution of the country by forming an Interim Management Committee, IMC, to run Kaduna state councils since assumption of office. President of the group, Danjuma Sarki, at a briefing claimed:…
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A female Arab journalist who lives in Qatar has penned a bold article that asks Muslims in the Middle East how they would respond if Christian suicide bombers struck their public markets, collapsed their tall buildings or tried to force Muslims to convert to Christianity. Liberal Saudi journalist Nadine Al-Budair writes in Kuwait’s Al-Rai newspaper that Arab countries have refused to address the problem of terrorism and have yet to create a climate that matches the liberal, humanitarian climate of the West. She asked Muslims to consider what their world would be like if Christians the world over had…
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Peter Idabor, Director-General of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), has confirmed a pipeline blast at an oil field operated by Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC) in Bayelsa. According to community sources, the explosion which occurred on Easter Sunday, left several people injured. Mr. Idabor said a staff of the agency escaped death in the incident. He said the survivor had called the attention of the oil workers to the breach of safety procedure and left the scene shortly before the incident occurred. “I received a report of the incident from our staff in Yenagoa office…
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What is mine is mine and what is yours is yours. I can’t say that because am hungry I’d just go into the herd of cattle of a Fulani man and take a cattle, kill it and eat it. So why should a Fulani man because he wants to feed his cattle come into my farm and kill my crops to feed his cattle? Am really bemused because this should be a no brainer, but it seems to be proving very difficult. Is it because we can’t do anything about it or we don’t want to do anything about it?…
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The mutterings of discontent are growing louder in Nigeria’s street markets. The price of a bag of rice has surged by 12.5% in the past month. Supplies of bread have dwindled after bakers turned off their ovens to protest about the rising cost of flour. The rich lament that milk is missing from supermarket shelves. The poor complain about the price of garri (cassava flour). A fish importer estimates that 70m Nigerians can no longer afford his wares. Such are the symptoms of Nigeria’s foreign-exchange crisis. Africa’s most populous nation exports oil and imports nearly everything else. As oil…
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For her 18th birthday last year Temi Otedola wanted to celebrate in style. So her family hired One Mayfair and threw a bash none of the 180 guests would forget. The theme was Moulin Rouge (it was either that or Great Gatsby, she says, but she ‘loves all things Paris’) and guests were treated to a three-course meal, a performance by cabaret troupe It Girls and a DJ set by her 22-year-old sister Florence (aka DJ Cuppy), who played at Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s inauguration gala last month. Otedola is a style blogger, aspiring designer and the…
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The Nigerian Army wishes to regrettably inform the public that Colonel Samaila Inusa who was kidnapped on Sunday 27th March 2016, was found dead today at about 6.00pm. Preliminary investigation revealed that most likely the late senior officer was killed same day he was kidnapped by his abductors. This is because the body was found already decomposing around Ajyaita village off Eastern Bypass Kaduna, Kaduna State. Arrangements are in progress to move the body to 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Kaduna. May His soul rest in peace, Amen. We wish to state in unmistakeable terms that whoever is behind…
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Do you know that the Femi Adesina gaffe on vandals was actually terrible while the Kachikwu statement was only politically incorrect but can be spinned into a positive for the government? Let me explain. Adesina told Nigerians complaining about the worst power situation we have experienced in Nigeria since independence to go and fight vandals and protect facilities and forget about govt intervention. Ask any primary school student with even half a brain why government exists and he/she will tell you “to protect lives and properties”. That is 100% correct. If the president, through his spokesman abdicates that…
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The Chief Media Consultant to the Forum of Spokespersons of Security and Response Agencies, FOSSRA, Yushau Shuaib, has on Monday, March 28, resigned his appointment after three years in service. Mr. Shuaib was engaged by the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, to serve as a media consultant to the Federal Governments Security, Intelligence and Response Organisations under a unified platform. In his notice of resignation obtained by Post-Nigeria, he stated that he could no longer continue to serve FOSSRA which is under the auspices of the Office of National Security Adviser, ONSA, because of what he termed, “misleading…
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*No, I won’t quit partisan politics, replied elder statesman. Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has enjoined elder statesman and member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Board Of Trustees, BOT, chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu to denounce the membership of his political party, immediately, if he is ready to be remembered as a statesman. The governor gave the charge in Owerri, the state capital, during the child dedication church service of Emmanuel Kamsiriochukwu Iwuanyanwu, son of Chief Iwuanyanwu which held at the Cathedral of the Transfiguration Of our Lord, CATOL. Okorocha, who described Iwuanyanwu as a statesman urged Chief Iwuanyanwu…
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People think Islamism is the Conquest of Istanbul and turning old Catholic churches to Mosques. People think it is ISIS beheading Christians. That is the most extreme. Like viruses and bacteria, attacks like that on a host hardly makes for epidemic. NO. For epidemic, the virus and or bacteria must have an incubation period where it would ensure it is able to multiply and multiply without the host showing symptoms. It is when it has gotten a desired load that it begin to take out tissues and metastasize. Speaking of metastasis, Obasanjo assured us “Sharia will die a natural…
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I have taken time to study the actions, inactions and reactions of this APC federal government. My findings are as follows: 1. That the party was fundamentally predicated on opposition, pointedly at the former govt. 2. That they therefore did not approach their chase for power with any economic research nor projections on possibilities on what and how to deliver on governance in the event that they won. This is why we are seeing so many policy summersaults and “downgrading” of campaign promises, as Lai put it. 3. That coming from an essentially opposition background they have continued to…
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The Nnamdi Kanu Saga has received national and international media coverage in the past few months. Only two weeks ago hundreds of ‘Biafrans’ and supporters of the Biafran cause staged peaceful protests in front of the Vatican, headquarters of the Catholic Church in the world. There had been similar protests by the Biafran supporters in some European capitals. It is therefore timely now to address pertinent issues on the matter. Counsel to Nnamdi Kanu, Ifeanyi Ejiofor in a recent press briefing in Abuja, circulated in the social media and published in some national dailies called attention to very serious…
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Once the preserve of hardened criminals, abuse of drugs like codeine and others is on the rise, especially among married women in the North, as well as teenagers. We take a look at the disturbing trend. Fadeela, 18, is helpless. She is addicted to Tutolin, a codeine-containing cough syrup she consumes at least twice a day. Two bottles per day is what her system demands or it may just shut down. This has done great harm to her life already. She has since dropped out of school and now spends time at Mami Market in the city of Sokoto.…
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Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki acknowledging his supporters at the CCT Speaking on the “Code of conduct enshrined in the Constitution of Nigeria and its crucial importance in the fight against corruption”, Justice Uwaifo berated the trial of Saraki by the CCT, describing it as political. He said: “It is now open secret that the power behind the ruling APC did not back him (Saraki) for that office. It is fair to see a connection between that circumstance and the code of conduct matter. The chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Justice Danladi Umar Yakubu There is the…
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The United States said on Monday it will press Nigeria in talks this week to adopt a more flexible foreign exchange rate to boost growth and investment in Africa’s largest economy. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, told an audience at the U.S. Institute of Peace that Nigeria should ensure the value of the naira currency versus the U.S. dollar was “more realistic.” “While most people complain about the possibility of there being a devaluation, people are already operating on a devalued currency, and the only people who are not, are people who are doing it…
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Battle may be over appointment of Onikepo Animashaun, NPDC GM Legal Amid widespread criticism of the President Muhammadu Buhari government’s handling of the nationwide fuel shortages, national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, yesterday lashed out at the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, in a statement that exposed continuing rifts within the ruling party and the endless scramble among its leaders for sphere of influence in the government. For more than one month, the public has been faced with the frustrations of not being able to get enough premium motor spirit…
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INTERNATIONAL PRESS CONFERENCE BY FOREIGN OBSERVERS, DOMESTIC AND CIVIL SOCIETIES ORGANIZATION ON RIVERS STATE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY RE-RUN ELECTION, 2016 All Protocol observed. The Rivers State Re-Run elections for 3 senatorial seats, 12 seats of the House of Representatives and 22 House of Assembly seats were held on Saturday the 19th of March, 2016 across the state. The brief summary of our reports are as follows: POOR SENSITIZATION OF VOTERS: There was general apathy. In Etche Local Government Area some women were seen going to their farm and they expressed surprise that there was election on that day after the…
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The Full List of the budgets of Nigeria states for the year 2016 are stated below: Federal Government of Nigeria – 6.06 Trillion 1. Abia State – 96.7 billion 2. Adamawa State – 100.89 billion 3. Akwa Ibom State – 426 billion 4. Anambra State – 101.4 billion 5. Bauchi State – 102 billion 6. Bayelsa State – 150.6billion 7. Benue State – 133.4 billion 8. Borno State – 155 billion 9. Cross River State – 350 billion 10. Delta State – 266 billion 11. Ebonyi State – 101.1 billion 12. Edo State – 111.5 billion 13. Ekiti State…
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Pope emeritus Benedict XVI is “slowly, serenely fading” but remains “very lucid”, his personal secretary said in an interview published on Thursday. Joseph Ratzinger is “an old man, of course, but very lucid. Unfortunately, it’s become difficult for him to walk and he needs to use a walking frame,” Georg Gaenswein said in an interview with the Italian magazine Ben Essere. In 2013, Benedict became the first head of the Catholic Church to resign in seven centuries, amid speculation he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, unable to cope at the top of an institution beset by…
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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will soon conclude and make returns in the constituencies where voting and collation were done in compliance with the electoral act in the Rivers rerun election. Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, the commission’s director of publicity and voter education, disclosed this in a statement. INEC said the decision was arrived at after holding meeting with the Rivers resident electoral commissioner (REC), supervisor and monitors of the March 19 election. “INEC will conclude and make returns in constituencies where it is satisfied that voting and collation were done in substantial compliance with the electoral act…
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FORMER National Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, and its candidate in the Anambra Central senatorial election, Chief Victor Umeh, has allegedly been arrested by men of the Department of State Services, DSS, over perceived support for the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB. It was gathered that Umeh was invited to the headquarters of DSS at Amawbia at about 9 .00 am and after about two hours, was taken out of the office in a pick-up van en-route Abuja. Vanguard gathered that the security officials were said to have received petitions that Umeh was among those supporting the…
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The run-up to the federal and state legislative election reruns in Rivers State had been marked with much bloodshed running up to the dozens. So it was not totally surprising that last Saturday’s elections were also characterised by much violence. At the last count, at least five persons, including a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Samuel Okonta, had been killed. We are especially concerned that since the advent of the Prof. Mahmud Yakubu- led Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) most of the rerun elections have either been marred by violence or officially declared inconclusive. The outcome…
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President Muhammadu Buhari speaking at the first National Executive Committee (NEC), meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja cleared the air that the fight against corruption has not yielded the expected result yet, as no money has been recovered by the administration. Contrary to the President’s various media releases and APC leadership and supporters claims, that the US officials gave them a list of Nigerians that stashed $100billion in US banks, no kobo has since been recovered by the government. Last week, the APC leadership dropped another bombshell claiming that about 6 Nigerian ex-governors have been identified…
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The more this government persecutes its perceived enemies, the more they are sowing the seeds of disintegration of our country. No-one wishes to be part of a country in which apartheid, genocide, ethnic cleansing, Islamization, state-sponsored terror and religious bigotry and the selective application of justice is alive and well. If you want a country to remain together you do not go out of your way to kill, destroy, intimidate and tell lies about those that oppose you, that criticize you and that are not in your political party. You do not try to relegate Christianity into a second…
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Sister to the late legendary pop icon and music artist Michael Jackson was last month reported to be quitting the entertainment industry because of her new religion. Janet who is married to Qatari Muslim billionaire Wissam Al-Manna disclosed that she almost committed suicide because of the restrictions and burden her new life and religion brought upon her saying it was not an easy transformation. According to MTV News, she revealed that she had been deprived of everything in life as she could not listen to music, drive a car, wear designer clothes but only the ‘Black Abaya’ and…
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