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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#NigeriansAreNotCriminals: How the Nigerian president’s Telegraph interview caused a storm – BY Colin Freeman. Remarks by President Muhammadu Buhari that too many of his countrymen are in jail abroad have sparked a furious social media campaign. For any journalist not working in the likes of North Korea, creating a stir has long been part and parcel of a good day’s work. Yet while I relish generating controversy as much as any other reporter, never in my career did I expect to be accused of branding a nation of 170 million people as criminals. That, though, is one of the…
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The Central Bank of Nigeria has placed Overseas School fees and Medical Tourism on its Foreign Exchange Prohibitive list. Nigerians who intend to travel abroad for studies will thus have to source Foreign Currency from the from the parallel market. The Naira has reportedly being impacted by the decision of the Central Bank of Nigeria as the Naira falls immediately to N325 to 1 US Dollar and N450 to 1 GBP. The apex bank may have directed financial institutions to immediately begin publishing Returns on Utilization of Foreign Currency purchased from the Central Bank as several newspapers were seen…
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Pastor Yemi Osinbanjo hands are not clean, honestly. Same device he employed in Lagos State dedicated to creating avenues for Tinubu to siphon the economy of Lagos State, he has started erecting in Abuja. This man is corrupt. Reps to probe N7bn Vice President’s official residence The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has resolved to investigate the N7 billion contract for the building of Vice President’s official residence. The committee headed by Hon. Herman Hembe took the decision after undertaking an oversight visit to the project site in Abuja’s Three-Arms zone yesterday. The committee…
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Earlier this week, in the course of answering a question in an interview in London with British newspaper The Telegraph, Nigeria’s president Muhammadu Buhari gave an insight into his thinking that promptly kicked off a firestorm on Nigerian social media. Here’s the relevant section of that wide-ranging interview: A number of Nigerians use the migrant routes to come to the UK to claim asylum, saying their lives are at risk from Boko Haram. Is is legitimate for them to do so? “Some Nigerians claim is that life is too difficult back home, but then again some Nigerians have…
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Former Senate President, Senator Ken Nnamani, has slammed the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), saying that it lacked the ideas, capacity and strategy to move the country forward owing to the daunting economic challenges confronting the country. Nnamani who made this observation at the public presentation of a book titled ‘Zoning to Unzone, the Politics of Power and the Power of Politics in Nigeria”, also advised the incumbent administration to focus more attention to development issues. According to him, rather than the current trend of tarnishing the image of the country at global stage, as well as its continual…
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On Tuesday December 22, 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari walked into a joint session of the National Assembly and presented the first annual budget proposal of his administration, ambitiously tagged: “The Budget of Change”. After highlighting the economic challenges that confronted the country due to the fall in oil prices, the president vowed the budget would cut waste from government spending and its funds would only be used for public good. “We are determined to ensure that our resources are managed prudently and utilized solely for the public good,” Mr. Buhari said. “To set the proper tone, one of our…
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….Inside the negotiations that brought him in President Muhammadu Buhari approved the appointment of Executive Vice Chairman of ExxonMobil Africa, Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, as Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). This however did not come without some high level political horse trading that puts President Buhari’s celebrated integrity at stake, investigations can reliably reveal. It can be disclosed that Kachikwu who has before the dissolution of the board of the NNPC been behind most of the administration’s directives in the oil and gas sector is the candidate of the biggest private players in…
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In an exclusive interview with Premium Times, a continuation to a previous chat, Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, who is known for his vocal criticisms of the Muhammadu Buhari administration as well as the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and his critics, has touched on several issues. Below are the highlights we compiled from the chat; 1. Obasanjo is not a Democrat: When asked if he disdains Former President Olusegun Obasanjo because of the role he played in his impeachment in 2006, Fayose stated: “No sir. I say it as it is. The military in Nigeria should subject…
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I think trying to pass the blame to Civil Servants for the huge discrepancies in the 2016 Budget by supporters of this government and some in the corridors of power is not only laughable, it is defeatist. Ministers are supposed to have Executive Assistants, Special Assistants, Personal Assistants, and all sorts of assistants who are specialists in the area of specialization of the ministry. The Presidency also have specialists in virtually every ministry, and they are telling us they did not see the discrepancies? At what point did the padding start taking place? So after the Ministers have concluded…
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Governor Rochas Okorocha has announced the recall of the over 3000 workers in 19 parastatals of the State in the heat of a protest by members of the Nigeria labour congress. The state Chairman of the NLC, Austin Chilakpu, had said the protesting workers would commence an indefinite strike if the government failed to meet their demand to rescind the controversial concession policy and recall the sacked workers. The workers wore black clothes and chanted solidarity songs, while displaying placards bearing inscriptions, some which read, “Okorocha, you are wicked,” “Rochas revert your policies, it is anti-workers” and “We cannot…
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The Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, on Tuesday said Benin Kingdom in Edo State remained part of the expansive Yoruba race, a pronouncement that may spark fresh rivalry and altercation between people of the two ancient kingdoms. The monarch made the comment in reaction to a statement credited to the palace of the Oba of Benin challenging the claim by the Alake of Egbaland, Adedotun Gbadebo, that the Ooni of Ife remained the pre-eminent spiritual leader in Yorubaland and environs. Oba Ogunwusi, via a statement by his Director of Media and Public Affairs, Moses Olafare, made available to PREMIUM…
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FOR a government that projects change, the 2016 national budget proposals are in certain respects an outright mess. Its authors exhibited an unpardonable level of slothfulness, while President Muhammadu Buhari, who dutifully presented it, was inattentive. The proposals should be withdrawn and amended to remove the in-built waste, extravagance and fraud smuggled in by bureaucrats. Buhari’s reputation for honesty, frugality and fiscal responsibility has taken a hit from the self-indulgence embedded in the proposals. How can a government of change justify spending N3.8 billion on the State House Medical Centre, over N1 billion on the purchase of vehicles and N89.17…
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President Muhammadu Buhari is not in an enviable position right now. Just a year ago, Nigerians were chanting “FeBuhari” and piling their mountains of soteriological expectations on him. In about six weeks, it would be one year since he won the presidential election and if anything, Nigeria has proved tougher than what body language, or mere force of the President’s much touted incorruptible personality, can successfully heal. For a man who became President by surfing on the wave of democratic discontent lunged at his opponent, it was clear from the start to any perspicacious observer that his administration would…
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The Federal Government has warned the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea not to do anything that can jeopardise peace in the Korean Peninsula and the world. The federal government was reacting for the first time to last Sunday’s Ballistic Missile fired by the Northern Korea, which has drawn global condemnation and threats from world powers. In a statement made available in Abuja yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned the North Korean Government to abide by the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1718 which requires it to suspends all activities related to its ballistic missile programme. The statement added…
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The Imo State government has recalled workers it suspended in 19 parastatals in the state, ending the disagreement between the government and labour unions on the issue. Signed agreement The decision was reached on Wednesday after a meeting between the State government officials and some leaders of In an agreement signed after talks by the ‘Committee on Joint Government-Labour Negotiation in Imo State’, an immediate recall of all suspended workers of Imo State was recommended, “notwithstanding that the parastatals in the opinion of Government should have been more productive”. One of the other clauses in the agreement…
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With respect to the government of Mohamadu Buhari, it appears the time has finally come for Nigerians to end the prolonged honeymoon and draw a line in the sand. There can be no better call to arms or rallying issue than the nauseating and shameful ongoing revelations of padding, fraud and deliberate misallocation of scarce resources in the 2016 federal budget. That a country as blessed as Nigeria will present a budget with dodgy and shoddy figures as are being revealed calls into question the competence of the people President Buhari is relying upon to handle the finances of…
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The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) recently announced the implementation of a N50 stamp duty on every transaction starting from N1,000. Here’s what you need to know about the CBN’s N50 stamp duty: 1. This announcement affects only current account holders and not savings account holders. 2. It does not affect salary accounts or student savings accounts. 3. The new policy includes all receipts by a bank or financial institution in acknowledgement of services rendered, in respect of teller deposits and electronic transfers for the value of N1000 and above. 4. The policy complies with the provisions of the…
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Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, yesterday told Nigerians that it was wrong to condemn the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, before he was even found guilty by the court. Saraki is standing trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, over alleged false assets declaration. Speaking with journalists after a closed-door meeting with the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Ndume said Saraki would not resign his position unless convicted by the court. He also dismissed insinuations that the meeting with Osinbajo had political connotation as to finding a political solution to the trials of the…
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The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday named Shamma AlMazrui, a 22-year-old Oxford graduate, as the minister of state for youth affairs. “After discussion with my brother Mohammed bin Zayed and the approval of the President, we hereby announce the new UAE cabinet,” Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said on Twitter. “The new cabinet focuses on the future, youth, happiness, developing education, and combating climate change.” UAE appointed ministers for tolerance and happiness, adding that happiness is not just a wish, it is a process that must be planned and worked out. “We have appointed Lubna bint Khaled al Qasimi…
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Banks in the country have begun the implementation of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s directive that they should start charging N50 on every lodgement in current accounts worth N1,000 and above amidst outcry from customers. Investigation by our correspondent showed that some operators of Small and Medium Enterprises were not aware of the plan to start charging stamp duties on every transaction until they received alerts of the deductions from their banks. A bank customer, who said she is a proprietor of a small school, told our correspondent in Abuja on Tuesday that she was alarmed when she received…
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BENIN CITY —The Palace of the Oba of Benin has stoked controversy over the supremacy of Obas in the South West, saying it was not true that the Benin monarch was the third in the ranking of kings in the region as declared by the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo. The Esogban of Benin and Odionwere of the Kingdom (traditional head), Chief David Edebiri, yesterday, said the Alake of Egbaland, goofed when he said the Oba of Benin was third in the hierarchy of Obas. He explained that the Ooni of Ife was a son…
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Meet Sibongile Sambo, a South African businesswoman. Getting more female pilots into the skies is not just her work, it’s her passion. Years ago she wanted to be a flight attendant with South African Airways, but she did not meet the minimum height requirement to become one. Then Sambo decided to do something incredible. She sold her car, took her mother’s pension money and started her own business – Africa’s first female aviation company. In 2004, Sambo was commissioned with her first flight for the South African government. Since then, SRS Aviation has grown to provide personalized services…
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More than 60 people were killed by a twin suicide bomb attack at a camp in Dikwa town, northern Nigeria for people displaced by an insurgency of the jihadist Boko Haram group, a military and emergency official said on Wednesday. The attack took place some 85 km (50 miles) outside the capital of Borno state, center of the seven-year insurgency, they said. It took place on Tuesday, but a breakdown in the telephone system had prevented the information being made public earlier, reports Reuters. The attackers reportedly detonated their explosives while the refugees were queuing to collect food rations.
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FUNDAMENTALIST: A person who takes their religion so literally and to such extremes that they contradict the very basis of their faith. They typically believe in a literal, verbatim interpretation of their scripture. They also have ridiculous, childish defenses to intelligent criticism of their beliefs that border on insanity. The level of hypocrisy and stupidity most of these people exhibit is truly profound. ~ Urban Dictionary. The recent utterance of Dakuku Peterside saying Governor Nyesom Wike influenced the Decision of the Supreme Court Judgement, shows that he is not a Politician but rather a Fundamentalist just like his party the…
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My unstoppable struggle for an open society, promotion of responsible and responsive government, transparency in the act of governance, and respect for voices of dissents shall not peter-out because of crude power show of cowards who never honored Police invitations without being accompanied by Governors in recent past. I shall soldier-on and dare any aspiring dictator that is trying to condense the frontiers of liberty and freedom in Kaduna State and Nigeria at large. I shall continue to test their abiding or otherwise faith in basic tenets of democracy up to their last seconds in the office. I want…
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People especially my family in an attempt to protect me , asked me why i embarked on this controversial research/ articles/book? In responding to this question I wish to refer to the words of Parley. In prefacing his famous book Principle of moral and political philosophy states: “When a writer offers a book upon a subject on which the public are already in possession of many others, he is bound by a kind of literary justice to inform his readers specifically on what it is he professes or he expects to improve. ‘’Wars may be fought with weapons, but…
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There are so many things wrong with the PDP. It is an understatement to insist it is a very imperfect political party. But for everything that is wrong with the PDP, the APC is worse. It is ludicrous to pretend the APC is squeaky-clean while the PDP is corrupt when a large chunk of APC members were formerly in the PDP. Today, both the Senate president and the speaker of the House of Representatives, for example, are former PDP members. These turncoats did not become new creations when they crossed over to the APC. When queried about why APC’s so-called…
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Brig-Gen. Paul Boro • Report shows Boro spent N157.2m on armoured, other cars, N510m on 150 ex-militants to take UTME in two months Ahead of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta’s consideration of the 2015 Status Report of the Presidential Amnesty Programme at the Senate today, senators have indicated their disapproval of the over N48 billion purportedly spent by the President Muhammadu Buhari’s coordinator of the programme, Brig-Gen. Paul Boro (rtd), since he assumed office last July. The senators, who preferred not to be named, were particularly concerned over Boro’s purchase of official vehicles for his office for over…
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The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, says Ile Ife will be the take-off point of the new Nigerian economy in a post oil and gas era, stressing the need for focus to shift from oil and gas to other solid minerals in Nigerian states. In an exclusive interview during Channels Television’s programme, ‘View From The Top’, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, says Ile Ife will be the take-off point of the new Nigerian economy in a post oil and gas era, and expressed optimism that an exploration of the huge solid minerals in the state, especially…
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Emergency crews work at the site of a train crash near Bad Aibling, southern Germany, on Feb. 9, 2016. Photographer: Sven Hoppe/AFP via Getty Images Bad Aibling, Germany (AP) — Crews using helicopters and boats rescued dozens of people from the wreckage of two German commuter trains that crashed head-on Tuesday in an isolated part of Bavaria, killing at least 10 and leaving authorities trying to determine why multiple safety measures failed. The trains crashed on a stretch of track running between a river and a forest about 40 miles (60 kilometers) southeast of Munich. Though the first rescue crews…
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Nigeria’s own Dr. Bennet Omalu who serves as the Chief Medical Examiner of San Joaquin County in California was recently honoured on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives for his efforts to raise awareness of repetitive brain trauma. Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Stockton, took the opportunity to honor Omalu, whose discoveries have highlighted the potential dangers to those who play football. Omalu was the first medical professional to raise the alarm that repeated head trauma could lead to a degenerative brain disorder, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. He made his original discovery as a forensic pathologist in Pennsylvania. Dr. Omalu…
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Borno State governor and Chairman, Northern State Governors’ Forum (NSGF), Alhaji Kashim Shettima yesterday lamented the perennial insecurity crisis, occasioned by bloody activities of Boko Haram as well as the rising social vices in northern Nigeria. He said that the region as a theatre of war, terrorism and poverty, is obviously dragging the entire country backward from attaining purposeful development. Governor Shettima stated this in Kaduna during his opening remarks at the meeting of the 19 northern governors, with majority of them in attendance, including the host, Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai. This is the first meeting of…
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The north will never discover oil in the Chad basin of Nigeria even after it has wasted $3 billion, approximately (N900 billion) in oil exploration in the basin, said Senator Shehu Sani, Chairman, Senate Committee on foreign and domestic debts. Sani, made the above affirmation Monday when members of Kaduna State Students Union paid him a courtesy call in his Kaduna office. This in variance with the position of the Chairman, of the Northern Nigeria Development Company, (NNDC) Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu, who had said last year NNDC would commence the exploration of oil and gas in the said basin…
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The origin of the “Savior” – Later becoming the person worshipped today as Jesus Christ. Ptolemy 1 Meryamun Setepenre (c.a. 367-283 B.C.E- Before Common Era) (aka Soter) (“Soter” means savior) became the first European pharaoh of Egypt through military force led by Alexander the Greek (a.k.a Alexander the Great). When Ptolemy became pharaoh of Egypt, he wanted the Egyptians to consecrate him as a god. He wanted to be called a god because that was the title all of the pharaohs of Egypt were called prior to him. However, the people of Egypt refused to call him a god because…
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Ex-president of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to start his anti-corruption fight with himself, the vice president, the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, before extending same to other Nigerians. The former President who described corruption as a ‘hydra-headed monster’ that must not be allowed to live, said the fight against the monster must begin from the top. He was a special guest at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, on Friday, during the institution’s Staff Club’s interactive programme tagged, “Seventh Roundtable with Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Reflections of an…
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Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture held on the 24th of January an interaction with Nigerian Entertainers and stakeholders at the Southern Sun Hotel in Lagos. Contrary to the photos in the media, the meeting was an embarrassment and a waste of time. Read the account of what happened from an Insider: The meeting began with exchange of pleasantries; hugs and handshakes, friendly gestures and smiles. As the folks settled down, the Honourable Minister for Information gave a brief remark on what the agenda for the meeting was, seeking their buy in for what he called…
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The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Rivers State on Tuesday petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, asking it to probe alleged financial recklessness of ex-Governor, Rotimi Amaechi. Deputy Publicity Secretary in Rivers, Mr. Samuel Nwanosike, told journalists in Port Harcourt that President Muhammad Buhari should ensure he fulfils his promise to maintain a zero tolerance for corruption. He said: “Since the President of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, has told the world that he is a man with zero tolerance for corruption, we, the people of Rivers, are asking that there should be no sacred cow. “We are saying…
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Muhammad Sanusi II, the emir of Kano and the immediate past governor of the Central Bank (CBN), says President Muhammadu Buhari’s endorsement of the CBN foreign exchange policy encourages corruption. Lauding Buhari’s removal of “wasteful and corrupt fuel subsidies”, Sanusi said the current forex policy endorsed by the president encourages similar rent seeking and corruption which trailed the subsidy regime. “He (Buhari) has put an end to the [crude] swap regime which is also one side of rent-seeking and corruption . . . he has made the NNPC start producing accounts, so there is greater transparency,” Sanusi told Financial…
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In this photo are all the 4 Kenyan Presidents: late Jomo Kenyatta, former President Mwai Kibaki, Arap Moi & the little boy is current President Uhuru Kenyatta. Did they know?
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As the tenure of the Edo State Governor, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, inches to an end, there seems to be gloom in the land, writes Solomon Ibharuneafe. The present generation of Edo people may have started licking their wounds from the huge financial burden inflicted on them by the Adams Oshiomhole administration. They are worried as to the ugly story they have to tell their children and those yet unborn. And the story is where they were when Oshiomhole plunged the state into the huge financial debt. Presently, the state is said to be indebted to the tune of over N200…
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Buhari removes Dr kachikwu and replaces him with Dr. Maikanti Baru as Group Managing Director of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
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Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, and Senator Ben Bruce, on Sunday took their political battle to twitter. Senator Bruce started by condemning the recent comments credited to President Muhammadu Buhari to the effect that some Nigerians were giving the country a bad image by engaging in nefarious activities around the world. Bruce said, “Your own minister spent ₦80 million on a one day dinner, yet it is your citizens you accuse of being criminals #IAmANigerianNotACriminal”. The tweet was apparently referring to Amaechi whose administration was accused of spending N80 million to organise a dinner for Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka.…
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Last week we shared the story of a certain Agege bread seller who walked right through as TY Bello photographs Tinie Tempah on the streets of Lagos. It wasn’t planned, but it turned out to be one of the most beautiful photos in the shoot. Read full story here and here Her name is OLAJUMOKE ORISAGUNA, and today she covers the This Day Style magazine. TY Bello also shared Jumoke’s story on her Instagram. Read her story as shared by TY Bello on instagram and see pictures below: “Olajumoke a bread hawker from the Sabo market bakery, walked…
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Imo State Government has appealed to the state and national leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, to consider the long standing cordial relationship existing between them and drop their planned shutdown of the state. Labour had threatened to shutdown the state if Governor Rochas Okorocha failed to recall the over 3,000 workers of the 19 parastatals, agencies and departments, which he summarily sacked recently. According to a press statement signed on behalf of the Governor by his Chief Press Secretary, CPS, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, government appealed to labour not to embark on any strike that would not benefit anyone.…
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In a latest interview with the London Telegraph, Nigerian president, Muhammadu Buhari, took swipe at his countrymen, saying “some Nigerians” are criminals. This sounds a trite. But it has implications coming from a president of Nigeria, the largest black country in the world. Even if the message is not viewed from a larger perspective to mean all Africans, it gives the western world a reason to streotype Nigerians. In Nigeria, holding your leader accountable and raising questions easily earns you the derogatory soubriquet: “wailing wailer”. Saying the truth today is treason, but saying it yesterday was patriotism. Sad that…
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The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, said on Sunday that he would not have contested a governorship rerun if the Supreme Court had failed to uphold his election. The governor also alleged that between December 1 and 18 of 2014, the immediate past government in the state led by Mr. Rotimi Amaechi had used $150m to fund the All Progressives Congress’ elections, adding that the state government will recover all stolen funds. Wike said this at a thanksgiving service at Saint Peter’s Anglican Church in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area. But reacting to the allegation, the state Publicity Secretary…
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The Department of State Service (DSS) had filed new charges against the embattled former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, stating that he left the Nigerian Army with proper resignation. Dasuki who is currently enmeshed in corrupt dealings and diversion of $2.1 billion meant for purchase of arms for the Nigerian Armed Forces will be held by the DSS. His new ordeal was revealed by Rotimi Jacobs at the last hearing of the suit against the retired Colonel at Federal Capital Territory, FCT High Court last Thursday. Jacobs had attributed the refusal of government to set the former NSA free,…
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Nigerian President Muhammad Buhari before noon Monday, November 23, 2015 met with the Islamic Revolution Leader Ayatollah Khamenei in Tehran, Iran. | Khamenei On Nigeria’s President, General Muhammadu Buhari’s habit of running Nigerians down abroad by calling them criminals: I have one question and a few observations. Every time Buhari travels to the West (United States, United Kingdom, Europe) he unleashes an assault on the integrity of Nigerians from the safety of the homelands of those (the West) who gave him credence. Does he not realise that those colonial days are over and that the Nigerian citizenry he continuously…
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The recent changes in the strategies against the deadly Boko Haram sect caused unease in the Nigerian army. Therefore, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Maj.-Gen. Abayomi Olonishakin took over the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai, to lead the battle aimed to wipe out the insurgents. Daily Post exclusive investigation shows that the finding follows days on the seeming spate in the attacks of Boko Haram, after the group’s inability to carry out main attacks towards the end of 2015 year. The recent shake-up in the Theater Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole reportedly was part of…
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President Muhammad Buhari has indicted the Nigerian healthcare system when he confessed that he has been receiving medical care in the United Kingdom since 1978. Several trusted news sources have reported that President Buhari is currently in the United Kingdom, once again, getting medical attention from his physicians. The Presidency released a news statement yesterday which disclosed that the President would be on vacation in the UK till February 10th. The statement did not allude to any medical treatment of any kind. Recently whilst addressing some Nigerians in the UK, President Buhari disclosed he has been using foreign doctors…
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Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers state, has accused the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government of one-sidedness in its fight against corruption. Speaking on Sunday during a thanksgiving service in celebration of his victory at the supreme court, Wike said he would rather fight corruption his own way than support the anti-graft campaign of the current administration. “We would not support the fight against corruption. People took our money from the state, and we wrote to the police asking them to go and make a statement; nothing has come out of it,” he said. “We won’t take anybody to the…
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BOKO HARAM CONTROLS HALF OF BORNO…..Sen Garbai The Senator representing Borno Central, Baba Kaka Garbai has said that the story that the insurgents have been degraded is nothing but a lie as the terror group still hold on strong to about 50 percent of troubled Borno State. Garbai who spoke to journalists on Saturday evening during a condolence visit to Dalori village where 65 persons were reported killed last week by the insurgents said, the truth about the accomplishment of the military in Borno State was never truly spoken as the Boko Haram and the Nigerian nation are presently…
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Analysis of U.S. Census data and other surveys show Nigerian immigrants and their descendants score highest when it comes to earning degrees. Nigerian Americans have long been known for their community’s intense cultural emphasis on education, and now an analysis of Census data coupled with several local surveys shows that Nigerians don’t just value education, but surpass all other U.S. ethnic groups when it comes to obtaining degrees. “Being Black, you are already at a disadvantage,” Oluyinka Olutoye, an associate professor of pediatric surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, told the Houston Chronicle. “You really need to excel…
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Thousands of civilians are fleeing Borno central communities following fresh attacks in the area by Boko Haram where four people were killed. A group of Boko Haram insurgents, numbering about 30 raided Malari and Mairi Mai Umar Villages along Konduga-Bame Road, some 11 kilometres from Maiduguri, killing no fewer than four people. “Three elderly women were burnt alive and a Koranic boy studying was shot dead,” eyewitness Umar Goni, a local perfume seller told Sunday Sun at Mairi Mai Umar village yesterday. He said the insurgents came by foot with “almost all of them carrying guns,” shooting into the…
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As a fallout of the Supreme Court judgment that resolved the contentious governorship election in Rivers State in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state on Wednesday requested a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari to address the party’s affairs and its political fortunes in the state. A high-level delegation led by the APC governorship candidate Dr. Dakuku Peterside, made the request during a meeting with the National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja. Speaking on behalf of the delegation, Peterside said: “It will…
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The Hydroelectric Generator He also invented what he calls the “MGBANWE C12”, a machine that turns non-biodegradable wastes like plastics, waterproof nylon, etc into petrol, kerosene, diesel and some other heavy oils and interlocking stones. In the pictures: Creative and inventive minds in Africa should be identified, supported and celebrated. Instead of marrying a 3rd wife or building a 4th house you would hardly ever sleep in, invest that money in people like Emeka Nelson. African “angel investors” must arise! You may not have money to invest. But you can share this post. You can spread the message in…
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President Muhammadu Buhari has come under attack over the recent policy by the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, which increased tariffs by 40 percent. This is coming from the Senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, Shehu Sani who maintained that the policy was anti-people and called for a review before its implemented. NERC had released a new electricity tariff regime that has various rates of increase in energy charges for consumers across the country. However, it had also maintained that electricity tariff would be increased by 40 percent for some customers. It also announced the removal of fixed power…
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THE impact of the de-listing by JP Morgan of Nigeria’s FGN Bonds in its Government Bond Index – Emerging Markets (GBI –EM Bonds) between September and October last year may have taken a very serious toll on Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) inflows to the country as both equity investments and portfolio investment (also known as Hot money) decreased by 82.4 per cent and 64 per cent respectively. This is part of the fall-out the Nigerian Capital Importation Report for the Third and Fourth Quarters of 2015 recessed by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) yesterday. Though the report was…
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Mgbada Joe Igbokwe. The Supreme Court decision that upheld the dubious and fraudulent elections that took place in Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Abia States has sent a dangerous signal to the political landscape and at once put a question mark on anti corruption project of President Buhari’s administration. I was stunned into disbelief that the Supreme Court of Nigeria should in one fell swoop render nugatory all the Tribunals and Appeal Court rulings with respect to Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Abia States without thinking about the bizarre consequences of such unilateral actions in the body polity. The Supreme Court decision…
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Mgbada Joe Igbokwe Why I recommend that JOE IGBOKWE should not only be arrested for Treason , but also subject to Psychoanalysis, as he Continues to endanger Our Democracy … Rejoinder to Igbokwe’s threat on Supreme Court. Joe Igbokwe who is the Lagos State Publicity Secretary of APC has continued to constitute himself as a threat to our democracy hiding under the cover of state Publicity Secretary of the ruling party in the Lagos state. In Joe Igbokwe’s article on 5th of February 2016 titled : ” Danger As Corruption Creeps Into The Supreme…
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Former Minister of Petroleum, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke has insisted that she never looted public funds. In the concluding part of her interview with Mr Dele Momodu, Diezani who is currently undergoing treatment for cancer in a London hospital, said “I actually left $5.6billion in the NLNG alone but no one is talking about it. I’m not seeking to be praised but to be acknowledged that I made some little contributions. “That money could have been wasted on frivolities but I was determined to keep something for the incoming government once we lost the election.” Continuing, she recalled: “On 4th…
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Thousands of residents of villages on the outskirts of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, fled their communities at the weekend following intensified attacks by the insurgent group, Boko Haram. The terrorists had lately resorted to suicide bombing of soft targets, using mainly women, after the military chased them out of territories they occupied. President Muhammadu Buhari maintains that the expulsion of Boko Haram from the areas they controlled is a technical defeat of the group. But Boko Haram fighters resumed coordinated attacks on communities in Borno State recently. They killed 65 persons in Dalori two Saturdays ago and laid…
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President Muhammadu Buhari has again, made it clear that he has usurped the role of the Central Bank Governor and his managing the monetary policy of Nigeria by himself. Buhari made this disclosure, regrettably, to the foreign press on his current UK trip. This disclosure comes on the heels of a falling Naira and a collapsing economy. The CBN Act of 2007 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria gave the Bank the overall control and administration of the monetary and financial sector policies of the Federal Government. One of the objectives of the CBN under the act is to…
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We have just been told that Nigeria has recovered a whooping $2 trillion in 12 years. My first reaction to this ‘revelation’ is to ask: What is this obsession of the ruling APC government and their sympathisers with bandying high sounding, humongous figures, even at the price of irredeemably damaging the image of the country? Former President Goodluck Jonathan, while in Geneva last week to receive an award, made an important point which import was not lost on Nigerians. Jonathan had told his audience that when the allegation came last year that the country had lost $49.8 billion in…
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One of the things the things the present National Assembly members should tinker in our Electoral Act, is that provision which requires elections to be re-conducted if the Independent National Electoral Commission mistakenly omits the logo of any political Party in an election. This part of the Electoral while not bad on its own, is not conclusive in its provisions. For instance, there is no reason why an innocent Party or its candidate should be punished for the errors of an institution of Government, without any costs awarded against this institution. The law should be retouched to ensure that…
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The Central Bank of Nigeria through the Banker’ Committee and in collaboration with all banks in Nigeria on February 14, 2014 launched a centralized biometric identification system for the banking industry tagged Bank Verification Number (BVN). The adoption of the Biometric Verification Number, BVN, for salary payment by the Federal Ministry of Finance have led to the discovery of many irregularities in salary payment. “Out of the accounts of about 312,000 civil servants processed so far, the ministry was said to have uncovered irregularities in the account of about 23,306 of them, who were suspected to have been collecting…
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How one woman set about connecting her country. Everywhere she looks in Nigeria, Opeke notices missed opportunities. But the founder and CEO of Main One Cable Company also sees ways to address them. The only major road through Lekki is clogged, even on a Saturday afternoon. The expressway through the swampy peninsula that expands the city of Lagos in an easterly direction is riddled with street hawkers peddling red grapes, shoe racks and phone chargers to the cars caught in the hold up. “Selling imported fruit and Chinese rubbish. Such a waste of initiative,” mutters Funke Opeke from the…
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In 2014, Ukraine exported ordinary weaponry to 19 countries according to a report by the State Export Control Service on international shipments of certain types of weaponry in 2014. Information released by the service has been a basis for the annual UN Register of Conventional Arms since 2004. According to the report, in 2014 Ukraine exported 51 units of equipment including 23 T-82 tanks, 28 armored vehicles, 15 aircraft including 8 helicopters and 6 fighter aircraft, one “Bison” air cushioned landing craft, 18 rocket launchers and over 27,000 firearms. In particular, 11 T-72 tanks were exported to Ethiopia, 12…
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Tom Ikimi, a former chieftain of the All Progressives Congress and ex- minister of foreign affairs to late Nigerian dictator General Sanni Abacha has been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over his role in the arms fund saga. Tom Ikimi, a former chieftain of the All Progressives Congress and ex- minister of foreign affairs to late Nigerian dictator General Sanni Abacha has been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over his role in the arms fund saga. An EFCC source told Saharareporters that Ikimi had been grilled at their Abuja office over two days…
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No candidate qualified for university admission from four Federal Government colleges in the 2015 West African Senior School Certificate Examination where Abia State topped the performance register. Details of the May/June 2015 West African Senior School Certificate Examination emerged on Thursday with states in the South-East, again, leading in the performance chart of candidates who obtained credits in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics. Abia State topped the chart with 33, 762 of its 52, 801 candidates. This came as no candidate obtained five credits and above, including English and Mathematics from four Federal Government colleges. The…
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Police shoot at protesting doctors in owerri, Police officers have shot at protesting Doctors in the Imo state capital city, Owerri. One sustained bullet injuries and was rushed to the Federal Medical Center, Owerri for emergency treatment. The doctors were protesting the state government’s plan to concession key medical facilities in the state, sack of some medical officers and non-payment of salaries and other entitlements. The procession was half way from the Nigerian Medical Association office to the government house when they were accosted by the police. The state government is yet to react to the incident
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The Public Relations Officer of Master Bakers Association in the state, Malam Kabiru Hassan, told journalists on Wednesday that the members deemed it compulsory to embark on the strike due to the increase in the price of flour and other ingredients for bread production. He said: “I can confirmed to you that there is no single bread for sale right now in Kano. We were forced into this strike because the price of flour had skyrocketed in the market.” It was gathered that the scarcity of bread had been recorded in the metropolis forcing residents into massive buying of a…
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On November 16, 2014, our former Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, officially declared austerity measures in Nigeria. She announced some strict policies aimed at helping the country to save scarce resources. In order to curtail waste, she said there would be no more foreign travels by civil servants unless for purposes that could be fully defended as absolutely necessary. In addition, foreign training programmes would be stopped and all training done in-country. The exception, she said, would be to secure foreign sponsorship for such travels and training abroad. Part of the immediate…
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National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief John Oyegun, has called for the investigation of Supreme Court judges. Oyegun made the call against the backdrop of his party’s loss of Rivers State governorship seat to the opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP. It will be recalled that the supreme court last week affirmed the election of the state governor, Nyesom Wike, and dismissed the prayers of the APC governorship candidate, Dakuku Peterside who prayed for cancellation of judgment of the state election petition tribunal. But speaking in a meeting with a delegation of the party from the state, led…
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The National Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday stated that investment inflows into the country dropped by $11.1bn (N2.18tn) from $20.75bn in 2014 to $9.64bn at the end of the 2015 fiscal year. The bureau, in its capital importation report a copy of which was made available to our correspondent, in Abuja, blamed the development on both external and internal factors. For the external factors, the report explained that while the country had between 2012 and 2014 experienced high increase in the level of investment inflows owing to its inclusion in the JPMorgan Bond Index, such could not be…
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President Muhammadu Buhari in a hand shake with the Italian Prime Minister, Mr Matteo Renzi during the Prime Minister Visit at the Presidential villa, Abuja. PHOTO; The Italian government has expressed the conviction that Nigeria will emerge one of the most powerful countries of the world under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi spoke to State House correspondents today after meeting behind closed-doors with Buhari at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja. The Italian prime minister emphasized that President Buhari’s leadership was important to Italy. Renzi said Italy was in total support of…
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In a curious twist, the All Progressives Congress (APC) lost its voice 48 hours after Boko Haram terrorists stormed Dalori village, about 4 kilometres from Maiduguri, killing over 100 persons mostly children and women, but found its voice barely 12hours on learning of the transfer of controversial Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka. Villagers who managed to escape the village mostly burnt down by the terrorists armed with AK 47 rifles and other sophisticated weapons said the carnage was total. In a terse statement full of wailing late on Sunday in Abuja, President Muhammadu Buhari, lamented that the Boko Haram…
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President Muhammadu Buhari, who on Wednesday, Addressed the European Union parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg, France, he boast of how Nigeria has been experiencing Democracy ever since he took over the presidential seat. In his address, he said; “Democracy has come to Nigeria to stay. Sooner than we expect, Nigeria will be regarded as one of the strongest in Africa.” On the side of the 200 missing chibok school girls, he said; “The government will not rest until the girls are rescued alive and reunited to their parents.” Speaking further on the fight against Boko Haram, Mr. President said; “We…
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Nigeria’s old Biafra problem has reared its head again and with it, the specter of disintegration. For a thirty-month period between 1967 and 1970, Nigeria was embroiled in a bloody civil war as its eastern region unsuccessfully tried to secede from the country under the banner of the Republic of Biafra. The latest episode in the Biafra crisis revolves around the arrest on October 19, of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of a secession movement called the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Kanu is presently facing trial for sedition and treason. Since his arrest, protesters demanding both his release and an…
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This administration can still retreat from its present trajectory of high expectations, dashed hopes and eventual disillusionment. It must adopt a more realistic evaluation of its deeds and be honest with the Nigerian people. It must communicate with greater clarity, integrity, sensitivity and intelligence. If former President Goodluck Jonathan had said that he had no credible intelligence regarding the whereabouts of the Chibok girls, months after promising to rescue them, he would have been shredded by the media and political opponents. Actually, he said something similar in his first public pronouncement after three weeks of official indifference following the…
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President Muhammadu Buhari today said former President Goodluck Jonathan made history by by conceding defeat after the March 28 election. Buhari made the comment while addressing the European Union parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg, France. ”Democracy has come to Nigeria to stay, sooner than we expected, Nigeria will be regarded as one of the strongest in Africa”, Buhari said.
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Professor Pat Utomi has lashed at President Muhammadu Buhari for the statement he made in Kenya that he would not devalue the Naira. The falling price of crude oil in the international market has weakened the Naira against the dollar thereby affecting the economy of the country. The president who was in Kenya for three days said he was yet to be persuaded that Nigeria and its people will receive any noticeable benefit from an official devaluation of the currency. Utomi however claimed the president has no knowledge of the economy and should allow those who do speak on…
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Emeka Anyaoku Former Commonwealth Secretary General, Emeka Anyaoku has called on the National Assembly to enact law that will merge the 36 states into 6 different regions. He said the 6 regions would be better suited for Nigeria’s rapid development, unlike the present multiple number of states. According to a VOA Hausa Radio report, Anyaoku said this on Monday in Ibadan, where he attributed the present condition of failure to settle workers salaries by states to their number. When the country had only four regional governments, a steady development was recorded with the little wealth at the time, he…
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Former governor of Delta State, James Onanefe Ibori has completed his prison terms in the United Kingdom. But he is yet to be a free man, as he was immediately re-arrested. Ibori, jailed 13 years in April 2012 by a Southwark Crown court in London was released by prison authorities on 22 January. He was released from Her Majesty’s Prison in Bedford, outside of London, where he finished his prison term. He was also initially at the Long Lartin Prison in Worcestershire. “He is out of here”, a prison source at Bedford confirmed on Tuesday night. Our sources said…
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The Supreme Court is set, but the session is actually yet to commence for the adoption of briefs and possibly, ruling in the appeals brought before it by the APC Candidates of Abia and Akwa Ibom State. NOTE BENE: THE CHIEF JUSTICE OF NIGERIA , HIMSELF IS THE ONE PRESIDING OVER THIS MATTER WITH OTHER SIX OF HIS COLLEAGUES! # Court has been in session before 11 am. # Councils to Gov. UGE/PDP, INEC and UOU all in attendance. # All councils have made their presentation of briefs. #Council to PDP/UGE has however dropped one of their arguments…
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A 13- man Presidential arms purchase audit Panel set up by President Muhammadu Buhari to audit arms purchased between 2007 and 2015 has submitted its interim report, confirming arm purchase during the period under review. A presidency source told intimated that President Buhari set up and inaugurated the panel to conduct preliminary investigations after it was discovered the the immediate past National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) diverted N13.2 billion of fund meant for procurement of arms for the Nigeria Military. The panel, made up of distinguished Nigerians toured military formations across the country to undertaking physical…
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Apart from other sectors such as the oil/gas, where monumental corruption was said to have also been endemic via the notorious fuel subsidy and looting concept tagged oil swap – a beautiful name which makes the rape of our nation’s treasury look and smell nice like lavender – it is the Dasukigate scandal that is now giving the accused persons nightmares, providing entertainment for Nigerians and causing the authorities heartburn. Currently, opinion is divided on the impropriety or non-adherence to professionalism and application of the rule of law in the methods being employed by the security agencies to rein in…
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The zonal head of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in charge of South South, Ishaq Salihu, has expressed the readiness of the agency to focus its attention on contractors of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC. Speaking while receiving the acting managing director of NDDC, Ibim Semenitari, in his office in Port Harcourt, Mr. Salihu noted the existence of a syndicate of contract scammers within and around the NDDC. He said the EFCC had now beamed its search light on them. Mr. Ishaq said there had been a strong bond of partnership between the NDDC and the EFCC…
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The Anambra state political atmosphere has been enveloped in a haze since last week, following the judgement of the Supreme Court on the leadership tussle rocking the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The major source of controversy has been the effect of the apex court’s decision on the members of both the National and State House of Assembly elected on the party platform during last year’s general election. While some political analysts are of the strong view that all the lawmakers elected under the PDP platform in the state to the National and State Assemblies have…
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Caught in the syndrome of Berthold Brecht’s observation that ‘unlucky is the nation without a hero but unhappy is the one that is in need of heroes’, the towering Nigerian political science scholar, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, easily fell prey to the fad of over romanticising Nigeria’s past especially as it regards the virtuous cosmopolitan behaviour of political leaders which is relentlessly misinterpreted as nationalism. Giving the Etteh annual distinguished lecture (NATIONAL RECONCILIATION AND INTEGRATION AS CATALYST FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT )- suffused with an array of atypical instances such as Umaru Altine becoming a mayor in Enugu, He ponders ‘New words…
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It is either I do not understand economics and how exchange rates work or a vast majority of us Nigerians still don’t get how we have wrecked our country with our own curious choices. Just this morning I was listening to the radio and the lady on air went on and on about how she thought CBN governor Godwin Emefiele was incompetent and should be sacked because the naira was now exchanging at 309 or so to the USD. That view pretty much echoes the sentiments expressed by many people I know and it amazes me that there are…
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The House of Representatives, last week, began another round of investigation into the $470 million Abuja and Lagos Closed Circuit Television Camera (CCTV) contracts, with stakeholders submitting conflicting evidences on why the contracts failed. PHILIP NYAM, captures proceedings at the ongoing probe As part of efforts to beef up security in major cities across the country, the Federal Government awarded a contract for the installation of Closed Circuit Television Cameras (CCTV) to a Chinese firm, ZTE Corporation in 2010. The contractual terms involved a down payment of 15 per cent ($70.5m) by the Federal Government, while the Chinese…
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Customs agents have derided Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) over its revenue target. They said that the stringent government policy, smuggling, under-declaration and corruption, would cripple the target. Since 2009, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has not been meeting its revenue target at the ports and borders. The only time it surpassed its mark was in 2011, when it generated N741.8 billion as against the N607 billion target for that year. Revenue failure Data by the service’s annual report in 2014 revealed that in 2009, N513 billion was generated instead of N650 billion; 2010, N546.6billion as against N661billion; 2012,…
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Located in the southeastern part of Nigeria, Oguta Lake is the largest natural lake in Imo State. Incredibly beautiful, it is located inside the equatorial rainforest of the Niger Delta and its catchment area includes the drainage of a section of the River Niger and the Njaba River which is also a major tributary for the lake. I look forward to a day when this lake will become a world-class resort generating billions of dollars in tourism revenue. It is so enchanting some believe it is the most beautiful natural spot in Nigeria. Unfortunately, Imo state has of recent suffered…
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The Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has accused the state governor’s demand for distribution of the nation’s resources and opposition to the establishment of the Sovereign Wealth Fund, as the reasons for the depletion of the Excess Crude Account (ECA). She noted that the withdrawal and sharing of the monthly allocation has depleted the excess crude account to just about $3.6 billion as against over $20 billion, saved in the reserve account in 2006. The Minister warned that if the price of crude oil drops, the nation has no cushion for the…
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