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.
Posts
-
Recall that days ago, the leader of Iran Shiite group condemned the Nigerian military attack on the Shiite Muslims in Zaria, during their religious procession. Al Sadr called on all shiite Muslims all over the world to protest tomorrow, Friday 18/12/2015 against the attack and to stand in solidarity with their group in Nigeria.
-
It is possible to oppress a people, … but the truth can never be suppressed. A flourishing generation can never, at any cost, be dissuaded from the path it has discovered and embraced. ~Ayatollah Khamenei, 25/10/2000 There was an effort by the enemies of Islam to suppress this Awakening – and they managed to suppress it in some areas – but Islamic Awakening is not suppressible. The flag of Islam has been raised and hoisted and the feeling of Islamic identity has been strengthened in Muslims all over the world and it will continue to be strengthened. ~Ayatollah Khamenei,…
-
Amaechi yesterday expressed ignorance of the multi-billion naira pipeline protection and waterways security contract awarded to ex-Niger Delta militant, Government Ekpemupolo, also known as Tompolo. Tompolo was one of the Niger Delta militants who accepted the Nigerian government’s amnesty in 2010. Amaechi who made the denial while appearing before the Senate Committee on Marine Transport chaired by Senator Ahmed Rufai Sani, said he only heard about the contract through the newspapers, adding that he was yet to be properly briefed by officials of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) on the matter since his appointment as transport minister. Amaechi…
-
In a bizarre twist, the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, On Tuesday announced that he never knew the railways as a means of transport efficiently existed in Nigeria. The minister who stated this when he and other officials of the ministry toured the facilities of the Nigerian Railways Corporation (NRC) in Lagos, added that the government would concentrate on building standard gauge railway lines that would befit Nigeria status as a developing economy as well as compliment it. Amaechi said: “In fact, I think we have a problem; most people don’t believe that the railway transport is functioning in…
-
President Barack Obama has tapped Adewale “Wally” Adeyemo, who served in top roles at the Treasury Department, to succeed Caroline Atkinson as his deputy national security adviser for international economic affairs. Ms. Atkinson has served in her current post since June 2013, a position that includes coordinating U.S. participation in the annual summits of the Group of 20 and Group of Seven countries. Ms. Atkinson also played key roles in the recently concluded climate negotiations in Paris and in pushing the White House’s trade agenda, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement. Mr. Adeyemo, 34, joined the White House’s National…
-
Muslims students carry placards and shout slogans against the Nigerian government against the killings of hundreds of Shiite Muslims and detaining their leader Ibraheem Zakzaky in Nigeria, in Jammu, India, Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015. (AP Photo/Channi Anand) LAGOS, Nigeria – Activists on Tuesday accused Nigeria’s military of killing hundreds upon hundreds, perhaps as many as 1,000, Shiite Muslims in just three days in what the country’s top human rights protector is calling “a massacre,”. The Shiite Islamic Movement in Nigeria said soldiers on Monday carried away about 200 bodies from around the home of leader Ibraheem Zakzaky, and demanded…
-
Nigerian troops on Monday evacuated the bodies of Shiite Muslims killed in two days of clashes with the army in northern Zaria, home base of the pro-Iranian group, its spokesman and residents said. The army carried out crackdowns on Saturday and early Sunday against the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) and have arrested its leader Ibrahim Zakzaky. “We have reports that bodies of our members killed outside the house of our leader are being evacuated in trucks by soldiers,” IMN spokesman Ibrahim Musa told AFP. Musa also said Zakzaky had been arrested. “Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky was arrested this morning…
-
Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado — The Colorado Democrat endorsed Clinton when he agreed to be a top member of her Colorado leadership team. Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin — Signed a letter with all other female senators backing a Clinton run. Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut — Told CNN at a 2014 University of Connecticut event that he “would support her when and if she” runs. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey — Booker gushed about Clinton’s qualifications in an NBC News interview. “There are few candidates in history who are as qualified or ready for the job of…
-
Senior Iraqi Shiite cleric and the Leader of the Sadrist Movement, Moqtada al-Sadr on Monday criticized strongly the Nigerian security authorities attack on the house of a Nigerian Shiite cleric, Ibrahim al-Zakzaky as called for his followers to go out in protest demonstrations on the incident next Friday. Sadr said in a statement posted on his official website, that the Buhari government has become like ISIS, killing shiites unprovoked. “What happened today from terrorism and state terrorism in Nigeria is serious and dangerous,” adding that “the government turned to ISIS terrorism at is the first approach and the way…
-
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday revealed how many Nigerians and some media outfits tried to scuttle his march to Aso Rock. He described the postponement barely 10 days to the poll as one of the many plots by former president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and his agents against him. The election which was originally scheduled for February 14, was shifted to March 28 ostensibly to give the Army enough time to tackle the Boko Haram insurgents in the North-east and for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) the opportunity to distribute the Permanent Voters Card (PVC). But Garba Shehu said the…
-
ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS SECTION 1. Remuneration of former Presidents and Heads of State, etc. Allowances to members of families of deceased former Presidents, Heads of State, etc. Revision of remuneration. Annual budget to provide for the remuneration. Interpretation. Short title. SCHEDULE PART I Perquisites of office offormer Heads of State PART II Perquisites of office offormer Vice-Presidents An Act to provide, among other things, for the remuneration and perquisites of of-fice of former Heads of State and former Vice-Presidents of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. [1999 No. 32.] [1st January, 1999J [Commencement.] Remuneration of former Presidents and Heads of…
-
The point is that the Nigerian state must seek the moral consent of the people openly through a complete restructure of the polity to devolve political and economic governance to the people themselves at state, local, city and village levels. The temporary lull in the protest by IPOB for Biafra’s secession from Nigeria has given space for national reflection. The onus now rests on the APC-controlled Nigerian government to lead and come up with a plan. But does the APC have a clue? A deeper look at the legal, political and coercive powers of state show that where you…
-
For interpreters of Nigerian affairs, scholars, members of the middle class-both progressive and conservative-who might have missed the point on Boko Haram, IPOB Biafra secession, the question is: is a Nigerian military which engages in local traffic duties in a local city, Zaria not sufficient illustration of the fact that what we have is a unitary system and that the permanent solution which will not tie the fate of the country to an individual is a complete restructuring of the country along truly federalist lines? On November 27, 2015, members of the Nigerian Islamic Movement, the Shiites were on…
-
To date, there is little evidence that the government’s anti-corruption intentions go beyond the witch-hunting of the Jonathan administration. I walked into the east wing of The Palms shopping mall in Lekki, Lagos (popularly referred to as Shoprite) only to be buttoned-holed by a man trying to sell me a Honda Civic parked inside the hall. His sales pitch was that it was the first totally assembled Honda in Nigeria; built completely to Nigerian specifications. For example, unlike the classic Honda, the Nigeria model has a high clearance, being mindful of the potholes in Nigerian roads. I had no…
-
The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) under the leadership of retired Colonel Sambo Dasuki procured bullet proof vehicles for all former heads of state and presidents of Nigeria. Daily Trust reports that a source who does not want to be named said, the embattled NSA who is facing corruption charges for extra budgetary expenditure under the Goodluck Jonathan administration in the alleged arms purchase deal, also purchased bullet proof cars for all former presidents and heads of states.
-
The 28 feet statue, Jesus the Greatest, will be unveiled at St. Aloysius Catholic Church in Abajah, Nwangele local government area of Imo state, on January 1, 2016. The idea of the statue was conceived, funded, offered and donated to the church by Mr Obinna Onuoha, an illustrious Abajah son and MD/CEO of Premier Petroleum Limited. According to a statement signed by Onuoha’s assistant, the statue weighs a staggering 40 tons and is made of concrete and marble. The Igwugwucheremba of Abajah, is a devout Catholic, whose immidiete elder brother is a Roman Catholic reverend father and who obviously has…
-
Nigerians who knew Bukhari Muhammed Bello Jega have taken to the social media to react to news of his death alongside dozens who were feared dead after Nigerian troops launched an attack on members of the Shi’te Islamic sect in Zaria, Kaduna State. The leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, a Shi’te Islamic group in Nigeria, Ibrahim El-zakzaky was arrested on Sunday by Nigerian troops, following a siege on his Zaria residence. The Nigerian Army and members of the sect have accused each other of instigating attacks that led to the death of members of the movement on Saturday.…
-
As at press time, no slush funds had been traced to Dasuki’s personal accounts, it was learnt. Dasuki, who protested that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had subjected him to “media trial”, said such a treatment might jeopardise his defence. Also yesterday, it was gathered that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) confirmed that the N10 billion was sourced from the Signature Bonus Account (oil block Account). He said he had no foreign account and his local accounts are in Skye bank Plc, GTB and Standard Chartered Bank. Dasuki’s Statement of Witness/Accused Person has been filed in the…
-
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded an inquest into the funding of the election of President Muhammadu Buhari, accusing him of embarking on selective anti-corruption war. But the Federal Government, yesterday, charged officials of the immediate past PDP government involved in the looting of the treasury to urgently return all stolen funds to government coffers. Several top officials of the Goodluck Jonathan government and PDP stalwarts have been named in the $2 billion arms deal. They include the immediate past National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) and Minister of State for Finance, Ambassador Bashir Yuguda. The…
-
Security operatives whisked away the former Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi, from the Federal High Court, Ikoyi on Monday. One of the counsel to the embattled former NIMASA boss, Wilson Ajuwa, made this known to PREMIUM TIMES in a telephone interview. Mr. Ajuwa said he feared for Mr. Akpobolokemi’s life. The legal practitioner said the ordeal of the former NIMASA boss started shortly after President Muhammadu Buhari took over power. “For some reasons, he has been under investigation for the last six months since President Muhammadu Buhari came into power,” Mr. Ajuwa…
-
More than 48 hours after a deadly encounter between troops of the Nigerian Army and members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria led to several deaths in Zaria, Kaduna State, the Nigerian government has yet to comment on, or condemn, the killings. Details of what transpired Saturday remain unclear with the army and the Shiites giving different accounts of the clash. Both sides however agree there were “loss of lives”. The Islamic Movement in Nigeria, a Shia Muslim group led by Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, says hundreds, if not thousands, of its members were killed when soldiers stormed its base in Zaria…
-
In 2016, business and politics will be reshaped by a phenomenon common to both: insurgency. In both worlds, the established order is being challenged by disruptive forces that appear rapidly, upset the status quo and wrong-foot the powers that be. Our RiskMap for 2016 charts and categorizes all of these trends and more. GUERRILLA CAPITALISM The business headlines are dominated by companies like Uber and Airbnb – usurpers in stodgy sectors unused to change and reeling from these new companies now fulfilling the promise and hype of the original dotcom boom. Harnessing extraordinary advances in computer processing power, they…
-
Nigeria’s Boko Haram is now officially the deadliest terror group in the world. That they have reached this position is a direct consequence of Cameron and Co’s war on Libya – and one that was perhaps not entirely unintended. According to a report just released by Global Terrorism Index, Boko Haram were responsible for 6,644 deaths in 2014, compared to 6,073 attributed to ISIS, representing a quadrupling of their total killings in 2013. In the past week alone, bombings conducted by the group have killed eight people on a bus in Maiduguri; a family of five in Fotokol, Cameroon;…
-
The current clouds of hot and noxious gas being huffed and puffed about by the U.S. governing elite, media, academy, and the immigrant-worshiping Christian churches regarding Donald Trump’s suggestion that the national government temporarily ban the entry of non-U.S.-citizen Muslims into the United States can only build the American public’s confidence in Mr. Trump. All of America’s domestic enemies are ganging up on Trump on this issue, as are almost all the other mantra-mumbling, dwarfed-by-Trump presidential candidates in both parties. Trump has the added good fortune of being angrily abused by the spineless European media and peoples, as well as…
-
Renowned law scholar, Professor Ben Nwabueze, in this interview with LEKE BAIYEWU, bares his mind on President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption crusade and probes Q- With what you have seen pertaining to government officials and public funds, do you think it should be called stealing and not corruption, as former President Goodluck Jonathan once posited? A- We must not allow ourselves to be hamstrung by legal technicalities. Stealing is a form of corruption and it is more blatant because corruption has some kind of restraints. The corruption that we have in Nigeria goes beyond that of 10 per cent or 20…
-
With the pressure from the Western powers, especially the United States of America, it is one’s hope that President Buhari would be able to develop the necessary backbone to go through with this. This is a task that calls for courage and fearlessness on his part. This is a case that would make and confirm his reputation as a genuine anti-corruption crusader, who truly wants to save Nigeria from the fangs of corruption. Or it may turn out to be the case that would demystify him and expose him as a lily-livered paper tiger. But first, let us quickly peruse…
-
As investigation into the looting of funds meant for the acquisition of arms for the Nigerian armed forces continues, operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, are in a dilemma over what to do with the former Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. Sanusi, who was removed from the bank by former President Goodluck Jonathan for accusing the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, of not remitting $20 billion of oil proceeds into the national treasury, later become the Emir of Kano, an influential traditional and religious post that carried more weight in the northern…
-
Following last Saturday’s violent clash between the Nigerian Army and members of the Muslim sect, Shiite, in Zaria, Kaduna State, Iran has called on Nigerian authorities to respect religious figures and sites. “Nigeria… is now dealing with problems arising from extremism and Takfiri terrorism and we hope that in these conditions preservation of calm and national unity in battling terrorism is prioritized while rash and unconstructive measures are avoided,” IRNA quoted Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaber-Ansari as saying on Sunday. Jaber-Ansari expressed sorrow over the recent bloody clashes, which broke out between Muslim worshipers and government troops,…
-
Reports have emerged as to how the controversial judgement of the Court of Appeal on the National Assembly Elections Petitions of Rivers State which nullified all elected National Representatives of the PDP in Rivers State was procured by the Minister of Transport and former Governor of the State, Mr. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. Based on available evidence, between the 9th and 10th of December, 2015, prior to the delivery of the controversial judgment, the Abuja home of the former Governor repeatedly hosted the Chairman of the Court of Appeal Panel on Rivers State National Assembly Election, Hon. Justice A. B.…
-
National Christian Elders Forum says: Give Biafran agitators fair hearing, judiciary has been garrisoned by one religious, ethnic group. Christians should defend themselves against Boko Haram. STATE OF THE CHURCH AND THE NATION: NATIONAL CHRISTIAN ELDERS FORUM (NCEF) The National Christian Elders Forum at its meeting in Jos, Plateau State, on Monday November 29th 2015, expressed concern over the state of the Nigerian Church and the nation. The Elders observe that critical indices in the nation point to the need that all stakeholders in Nigeria should take stock and review the evolving situation in the country. Amongst others, the National Christian…
-
Rev. Father Peter Miqueli A Catholic priest who is facing a lawsuit after being accused of stealing over $1million in donations to pay for sex with a homosexual S&M master has resigned from his church. Rev Peter Miqueli was a pastor at St. Frances de Chantal in Throggs Neck in the Bronx. The 53-year-old is accused of taking from the donation plate at St. Frances de Chantal and also stealing from his former church, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini on Roosevelt Island. Miqueli resigned from his position on Saturday, just days after a lawsuit was filed against him in Manhattan…
-
“Dasuki lists ex-governors, PDP chiefs in $2b deals.” Yusuf Alli, NATION, December 3, 2015, page 1. “Quote me anywhere, Dasuki has not done anything like that. It is absolutely untrue [underlining mine].. It is the figment of the imagination of the authors aimed at creating falsehood for reasons best known to them and Nigerians should disregard them.” Mr A. Raji, SAN, Dasuki’s lawyer. Seldom has a front page report written by a veteran journalist, like Yusuf Alli, been so quickly disclaimed by a party close to the matter as this one. Of the two disputants, Alli and Raji, Alli has…
-
As at today, the total number of Oil Mining Lease (OML) in operation in our country is 109, while the total number of Oil Prospecting License (OPL) is 92. below are the indigenous companies operating in the upstream sector of our oil and gas industry: Alfred James Petroleum, granted OPL 302 for ten years on June 26, 1991 has as directors Adewunmi Sijuade, Goke Sijuade, Adedeji Sijuade, Olayinka Sijuade, Adeyemi Osiyemi and Femisola Awosika with A. O. Adeyinka as chairman. Solgas Nigeria Limited, granted OPL 226 for five years on February 27, 1991 has as directors Oscar P. Udoji, P.E…
-
I saw these brand-new cars released by Anambra State Government for security in Anambra and I was happy. But then I zoomed on the cars and saw the Toyota logo on them and became sad. Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company is owned by an Anambra man and was situated in Anambra State instead of Lagos or PH because the founder wanted to help develop the state and provide employment in the state. Gov Peter Obi patronized the company and always campaigned for other states and the FG to patronize it. I have seen some state governments using IVM vehicles. But…
-
… Claimed a Whooping N1.257 Billion for “Lunch For Policemen” and expenses for “Private Guards” In 2012 … Bogus Payments To Airlines To Distribute Currency Nationwide Exposed … Operated Bogus Expense Heads To Hide Fraudulent Activities … CBN Has Held An Account With A Balance Of N1.423 Billion For An Unknown Customer Since 2008. Following Thursday’s suspension of Mr. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as Governor of the Central Bank by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, THEWILL has exclusively obtained a copy of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria report that ripped apart the 2012 audited financial statement of the apex bank…
-
Should this case not be reopened for trial?. Is he still a sacred cow? The case before the presidency and NNPC were blackmailed with the $49, 20, 18, 12 billion allegations…….. Being determined to urgently re-position the Central Bank of Nigeria for greater efficiency, respect for due process and accountability, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has ordered the immediate suspension of Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi from the Office of Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.” The move to sack Sanusi had long been rumored in the media as far back as June, last year. It was however smothered by intervening…
-
The son of the former Emir of Kano, the late Ado Bayero, Usman Ado Bayero, and two others yesterday filed a case at the Kano State High Court challenging the emergence of Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II as the 14th Emir of Kano. The plaintiffs, Usman Ado Bayero, Sadiq Yahaya and Hamza Madaki Cigari, are praying the court to sack the Emir of Kano with immediate effect. They alleged that a number of irregularities trailed the selection process which produced Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as the Emir of Kano. According to their counsel, Lady Rose Mbata Esq, an Appeal Court…
-
I’ve read several opinions on this matter and most of them are emotional rather than logical. Let’s break this issue down and address them bit by bit. Please note that this is strictly my personal opinion: Q: Was there a diversion? My take: Yes Q: Was the diversion illegal? My take: No, the diversion was not illegal. Ngozi duly got approval for the transfer and the use of the funds. She stated in the memo that the fund was to be shared on a 50-50 basis (security-development). With this approval from the C-in-C, the ‘diversion’, if you can still…
-
Igbo Kwenu! Proudly Igbo. As Cosmas Maduka Covers Forbes Magazine. Cosmas Maduka started Coscharis from scratch and built it into a conglomerate. His success story is quite an inspiring one and as he graces the cover of the November 2015 issue of Forbes Africa, we get to take a look into his world. For the magazine he is dubbed ‘The $500-Million Survivor’. His feature outlines his success story – Seven years without pay, showering in the street, scrapping with his brother, fired by his uncle, fired at by his wife’s uncle and more. Cosmas Maduka shares how he survived war,…
-
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has been chosen to present the keynote address at the 2016 Hope Global Forums conference. The programme is scheduled to hold in the second week of January in Atlanta, United States. President Bill Clinton performed a role similar to that of Jonathan at the 2015 event which gathered over 3, 000 leaders from 40 countries. The letter of invitation was jointly signed by Andrew Young, Operation Hope global spokesman, Kasim Reed, mayor of Atlanta and John Hope Bryant, Operation Hope chief executive. They urged the former president to lend his support to an entrepreneurship mentoring programme,…
-
I The National Population Commission (NPC) on Thursday said the conduct of a comprehensive National Census in 2016 is not feasible due to factors beyond the commission.Addressing a media forum in Abuja, the Federal Commissioner representing Enugu State on the Board of the Commission, Dr Festus Uzor, said the commission needs more time to prepare for the census as it requires 1.1 million enumerators and over 50, 000 supervisors to effectively cover the country. He said the earliest feasible time for the census will be in 2017 twenty-seventeen. Dr Uzor, therefore, appealed to Nigerians and the federal government to…
-
In response to the Central bank of Nigeria, CBN, barring access to 41 items, foreign airlines in Nigeria have threatened to cut flights into the country due to the apex bank’sinability to remit N597bn, representing $3bn of ticket sales proceeds. It had earlier been reported that most of the foreign companies had taken alternative routes to Ghana with some planning presently planning to leave due to Government’s negligence regarding electricity, forex among others. Pandemonium earlier broke out as Virgin Atlantic Airways was reported to have laid off not less than 20 of their air-hostesses with plans to completely pull…
-
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the office of the accountant-general of the federation (OAGF) on Wednesday could not make clear statements regarding who authorised the one percent service charge drawn by Systemspecs for mopping of funds and remitting them to the single treasury account (TSA). The senate probe followed a motion by Dino Melaye (Kogi west) in November alleging an abuse and mismanagement of the TSA and looted funds under the watchful eyes of Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari. Making his presentation at a public hearing organised by the joint senate committee on finance and public accounts, Godwin Emefiele,…
-
THE recent statement by H.E. Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State to the effect that the Second Niger Bridge has gulped N140 billion in consultancy services is misleading; the facts prove otherwise. How could a project whose total cost is put at N108 billion spend N140 billion in consultancy alone? Unfortunately, the statement has raised much dust and is capable of putting Nigeria in bad light. By giving the erroneous impression that corruption has crept into the newly conceived mega bridge project, the international community, especially, willing investors in the project, could be scared away, which is not in…
-
The maiden lecture on Leadership Development of GOTNI in partnership with National Youth Corps (NYSC) kicked off yesterday at the NYSC Camp in Kubwa Abuja. This GOTNI-NYSC partnership is supposed to mark the commencement of a new phase of value addition to the NYSC program which is a mandatory training exercise for all graduate participants. This initiative will focus on teaching the youths on development of their leadership skills, eschew corrupt practices and capitalise on their strengths, morals and integrity to actualize their growth and personal boost needed to make Nigeria stand out in the world. The leadership training…
-
In the full exercise of human rights in Nigeria, the sharp contradiction has always been the dissonant spirit of Chapter 4 and Chapter 2 of the Nigerian Constitution. In Chapter 4 of the Constitution, there is an elaborate provision for civil and political aspects of human rights; yet, the fundamental objectives and directive principles of State Policy, which provides for social, economic and cultural rights in chapter 2 of the Constitution, remains not justiciable. Thankfully, similar rights are incorporated in the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act (Cap A9) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria,…
-
“…If there is crisis in any state of the federation and there is need to mobilize resources for security agencies, the next thing you hear from whoever is the President of Nigeria is ‘call me the GMD’. If a leader of one of the ECOWAS countries visited and was genuflecting before our president about how rough things were for his country (and may be later behind closed doors, for himself), the instant instruction would be, ‘call me the GMD’…” The foregoing is taken from my column, “Sanusi’s Letter, Jonathan’s Burden”, published on this page on 9th January last year and…
-
Leaders of various Yoruba organisations on Tuesday rose from a one-day summit in Akure, Ondo State capital and tasked the federal government to look critically into the causes of the separatist feelings and initiate constitutional reforms to give sense of belonging to all the constituent units of the country. The challenge was one of the communiqué of the summit, which was the second in the series after the one held in Ibadan, Oyo State. The meeting held at the newly built Ondo State event centre named “Dome” was attended by representatives of various Yoruba socio-cultural and political organisations like…
-
Six months into the current administration is enough time to look at the direction the country is heading under the Buhari/Osinbajo regime. As citizens we are joint stakeholders in the nation’s destiny. As voters who voted for change, we are also concerned about the sustenance of the change regime. By every definition, therefore, we have every right – in fact, a duty – to bring out what we feel is hampering the success of the government before it is too late. In short, President Buhari should know that we will not keep quiet when we see things going wrong. The…
-
South African investors are moving their money out of the country at the fastest pace ever. Portfolio investment abroad jumped to the biggest quarterly outflow on record, the South African Reserve Bank said on Tuesday in its third-quarter report. Investors more than doubled the amount sent overseas to 24.2 billion rand ($1.66 billion) in the period from 10 billion rand in the previous three months, the central bank said. “The exceptional rand weakness has made retail investors very nervous,” Rhynhardt Roodt, an analyst at Investec Asset Management Pty Ltd., which oversees about $105 billion, said by phone from Cape Town.…
-
In a November 25 article on South African business and finance news platform Fin24, Solly Moeng described South Africa’s Nhlanhla Nene as a minister, who unlike his colleagues, understands what needs to be done and is serious about accomplishing it. But he seemed to have gone too far when the National Treasury which he heads intervened to prevent lossmaking national airline, South African Airways, from rearranging a deal with Airbus spearheaded by South African Airways chair Dudu Myeni , a friend of President Jacob Zuma who also chairs the president’s foundation. But that was not the only offence noticed; Nene…
-
SAYS THIS LEVEL OF PERSECUTION AND HARASSMENT UNPRECEDENTED, SIGNALS DANGER OF FIGHTING CORRUPTION IN OFFICE. As part of the campaign of falsehood against former Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala by Edo Governor, Adams Oshiomhole and other powerful and corrupt interests, another baseless story has been published by some online media. To achieve their evil propaganda objective of tarnishing her name, these evil elements have distorted the contents of a memo dated January 20, 2015 in which the former Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala responded to a request by the former National Security Adviser, Col Ibrahim Dasuki (retired) for…
-
Let me start by acknowledging the decision of Mr. President to appoint a Permanent Secretary from the private sector to the Power Ministry in the person of Mr. Louis Edozein. I am happy to say that of all the people I have spoken to over the last few days who claim to know him, nobody has a bad word to say about him. I will need his vast knowledge in the industry to guide our choices and decisions. Let me also acknowledge the work that the Vice President and his Power Advisory team have done in advance of our arrival…
-
The Global Financial Integrity (GFI) ranked Nigeria after South Africa as the 10 biggest exporter of Illicit Financial Flows (IFF) between 2004 and 2013. In a statement on Wednesday in Lagos issued by the Media Contact for GFI, Ms Christine Clough, GFI said the record was obtained from 20 emerging and developed economies worldwide. It said that China came first with 139.2 billion dollars ouflow, followed by Russia (about 105 billion billion), Mexico came third with 52.8 billion dollars, while Poland came last with nine billion dollars outflow. GFI said cumulatively emerging economies exported 1.1 trillion dollars (about N217 trillion)…
-
Twenty judges and magistrates of the Circuit Court previously suspended by the Ghana Judicial Council, for allegedly taking bribe to subvert justice have been dismissed. Their dismissal followed the recommendation by the committee constituted by the Chief Justice, Justice Georgina Theodora Wood, to investigate the bribery allegation brought against them. The Chief Justice, who announced the dismissal at a press conference, explained that they violated the constitution of the Republic of Ghana, just as she vowed to uphold the integrity of the judiciary. Some of the affected judges and magistrates were dismissed without benefits, while some will be entitled to…
-
TSA: CBN admits contract with Remita •N2tr collected from MDAs, says Emefiele Bureaucracy and professionalism clashed yesterday in Abuja. Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele and Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) Ahmed Idris were locked in arguements over the controversial Treasury Single Account (TSA) with SystemSpecs Limited, owner of Remita, an electronic payment solution. But SystemSpecs Chief Executive Officer (CEO) John Obaro insisted that his platform had a valid contract with the CBN and deserved to earn its charge as contained in the contract. Emefiele, Idris and Obaro spoke at a public hearing on alleged abuse and…
-
The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Babatunde Fowler as chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS.Mr. Fowler was appointed acting chairman of the agency by President Muhammadu Buhari on August 20 to replace Samuel Odugbesan, a former coordinating director at the agency, who was appointed to the position by former President Goodluck Jonathan in March this year. The new FIRS boss was the executive chairman of the Lagos State Board of Internal Revenue from 2005 to 2014. He had his higher education in the United States where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Wisconsin…
-
David Brooks. After the terrorist attack in San Bernardino, some people’s minds flew to the materialistic element of the atrocity — the guns that were used in the killing. But the crucial issue, it seems to me, is what you might call the technology of persuasion — how is it that the Islamic State is able to radicalize a couple living in Redlands, Calif.? What psychological tools does it possess that enable it to wield this far-flung influence? The best source of wisdom on this general subject is still “The True Believer,” by Eric Hoffer, which he wrote back in…
-
Floods of depressing news have been gushing out in the last few days on the misuse and abuse of public funds in the last administration. Billions of dollars collected from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in the name of security. Billions of naira collected from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for the same purpose. Billions of naira doled out to pay for PDP’s publicity from security budget. This is to say nothing of the other billions and billions and billions scammed out of the system through many government agencies, at state and federal levels. That is why no…
-
Whenever President Muhammadu Buhari and his party, the All Progressives Congress chant ‘change’, do not focus on the ordinary dictionary definition but wait for their official meaning of change. Nkiruka Okoh writes If a poll was taken on the most used word in the vocabulary of Nigerians in 2015, Change will take the cake. While the word itself portrays positivity – a deviation from the norm – activities leading to and post the 2015 general election in Nigeria have somewhat mangled the true meaning of the word and have swapped it to mean collective amnesia. The brains behind the Nigerian…
-
President Buhari and the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, when the latter presented the complete list of the ministerial nominees to the president…no more excuses Over six months after assuming office, both the executive and legislative arms of government have finally set up structures for operations. As such, excuses for delayed take-off should cease forthwith. Omololu Ogunmade writes Now that the full structures of government have been fully installed, the polity can now heave a sigh of relief from the tension that arose from the delay in the take-off of the government of President Muhammadu Buhari. The nation…
-
The immediate past governor of Lagos who governed Lagos between 2007 – 2015, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN who was sworn in as the Honourable Minister for Power, Works and Housing, newly created through an unprecedented consolidation of the three hitherto distinct ministries, by President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday 11th November, 2015, has lauded the achievements of the immediate past President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan on construction of roads. Fashola during his first news conference tagged “Setting the Agenda for Delivering Change” said that the immediate past President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has constructed more…
-
The founding fathers of the American society in the bid to win their freedom from Britain didn’t say,”wait until we get there,” enough to know what to do, how to run the affairs of the country when they get there. They knew what to do and framed agreements and concessions for a just society before they got there. It was no wonder then that they decreed religious freedom for all, tolerance for all even though that country was founded on christian principles. It was no wonder that the North took up arms against the south and other confederate states…
-
It will take some time for those Douglas Anele fondly refers to as Buharimaniacs to realize that, in a democracy, there is nothing definitive about the outcome of an election. When an election has been concluded, those who opposed the winner are not required to shut up or go into exile. They are required to go into opposition. Those who opposed the winner are not defeated. As a matter of fact, their opposition may be justified subsequently by the actions and inactions of the winner. In his six months in office, President Buhari has done little to change the view…
-
More than 45 years ago, Nigeria was nearly divided by a bloody civil war that led to the deaths of over a million people. Now, a revival in secessionist sentiment in southeastern Nigeria, among supporters of the historical state of Biafra, threatens to undermine President Muhammadu Buhari’s vision of a united Nigeria and spill over into regional violence. Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of southern Nigeria in recent weeks following the arrest of a prominent pro-Biafran activist, who has been accused by Nigerian authorities of hate speech and treason. As well as demanding their colleague’s release, some…
-
Nigeria’s Naira has struggled against the dollar since the 80s. (Reuters/Joe Penney)Since 1986, the Nigerian naira’s relationship with the US dollar (and other foreign currencies) has been erratic, (un)predictable, violent and full of heartbreak and tears. The built in dysfunction has also made a lot of people very rich. This piece seeks to trace the history of how Nigeria’s foreign exchange management became what it is to the point where the exchange rate of the naira has become a deeply political matter. The current debate continues to be around whether or not Nigeria should devalue the naira. But what if…
-
None of the nation’s four refineries of 445,000 barrels per day combined capacity has come back on stream few days to the end of the 90-day fast-track ultimatum given for their revival. Three of the refineries in Warri, Kaduna and the 150,000 bpd Port Harcourt plant had resumed production of refined petroleum products in July after undergoing rehabilitation, but two were shut down in August, while the Port Harcourt refinery stopped operation in September. The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, told our correspondent in a telephone interview on Monday that…
-
The Organization of Emerging African States (OEAS), an international governmental organization that promotes self-determination and the end to colonial era boundaries in Africa has outlined reasons why there should a snap referendum for Biafra Republic. OEAS noted that if there is a secession, all “Property of the federal government within the borders of Biafra will become property of Biafra. The Nigerian government however will retain all national debt. Biafra will then release the Nigerian government from any obligation to pay reparations for crimes committed during the war of independence 1967-1970.” OEAS noted that as of today the people of Biafra…
-
In Nigeria there exists a non-market non-governmental extortionist technostructure that is nameless but for the purpose of convenience we shall call it the ONT (i.e. the Owners of Nigeria Technostructure). Analogous to the concept of the market technostructure propounded by John Kenneth Galbraith in which corporate bureaucrats had more power than shareholders and the focus of corporate activity was more on survival than profits, the ONT holds more power than market shareholders / leaders and government administrators, respectively or combined, and is focused on the survival of the nation’s economy to serve it interests rather than national prosperity. It…
-
The “Sambo Scandal” (concerning one Col Sambo Dasuki) is just another story when compared to the full scale of looting in Nigeria; it’s just ‘Hot Air’ and Hollywood. The Government of Nigeria (GON) since the military regime of Yakubu Gowon has squandered around $1 trillion on nothing but personal enrichment and the provision of mostly shoddy goods and services to Nigerians. Call it the “national cake” (that has no bakery) or the “pot of soup” (that has no kitchen), Nigeria’s wealth is on a daily basis being shared like cake and soup at parties for and by the “Owners of…
-
Tim Newman is a British expatriate working in the Oil and Gas industry. He also has a blog on desertsun.co.uk. It makes for an interesting read, but be prepared to trek through the paragraphs. Okay, so now I’ve got a post about Melbourne out of the way it’s time for me to say a little something about Nigeria. With the exception of a week in October when I need to clear out my apartment, I’ve pretty much left Nigeria. My assignment there officially finished on 31st July, although I will have to return for business trips over the…
-
Six months after taking power from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has been factionalised into two camps in Kaduna State. The new APC group which called itself “True APC” has the following as members: retired permanent secretary, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, Hajiya Hafsat Baba, former ANPP chairman, Alhaji Kabir Umar, former education commissioner, Mr. Tom Mataimaki Maiyashi, Alhaji Lawal Maiturare, Nasiru Ahmed; special adviser on strategy to Senator Shehu Sani and Murtala Abubakar who is the publicity secretary. The group accused the state governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, of hijacking party apparatus and derailing from…
-
The Vatican has signed its first inter-governmental deal with the US known as the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), aimed at curbing offshore tax evasion and cleaning up the reputation of its scandal-plagued bank. Under the new agreement the Holy See has agreed to automatically report information on Vatican Bank accounts held by American citizens. For a long time the bank has been accused by Italian authorities of being an offshore tax haven. More than 15,000 Americans are said to have accounts at the Vatican Bank, though the exact number is unknown. “Signing the present agreement is… a further…
-
The secession call by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) continues to generate responses and interpretations from Nigerians. However, some of these responses and interpretations do not conceptualize the problem properly. Hence, they tend to exclude the critical issues and questions at a deeper, sober and more critical level. For example, while some interpreters see an “ethnic problem” e.g. an “Igbo question” others in order to appear “above ethnic politics” see “an ethnic problem” but which is an “identity politics” which elites play. In this regard, such interpreters do not see a national question, or at least they do…
-
The trouble with Nigeria is not squarely a problem of leadership but a problem of the structure of our federalism. The structure of Nigeria’s federalism is not only faulty but equally breeds corruption, abnormality, underdevelopment and unproductivity. The skewed system of Nigeria’s federalism corrupts good leaders, both young and old. Until Nigeria restructures its federalism from being skewed to being truly fiscal, nothing is likely going to work out well for the country.Over the years, Nigeria has pretended to have adopted a federal system of government, but it is one in which all the basic features of true federalism are…
-
The Finnish government is currently drawing up plans to introduce a national basic income. A final proposal won’t be presented until November 2016, but if all goes to schedule, Finland will scrap all existing benefits and instead hand out 800 euros per month—to everyone.It sounds far-fetched, but it’s looking likely that Finland will carry through with the idea. Whereas several Dutch cities will introduce basic income next year and Switzerland is holding a referendum on the subject, there is strongest political and public support for the idea in Finland. A poll commissioned by the government agency planning the proposal,…
-
The trouble with Nigeria is not squarely a problem of leadership but a problem of the structure of our federalism. The structure of Nigeria’s federalism is not only faulty but equally breeds corruption, abnormality, underdevelopment and unproductivity. The skewed system of Nigeria’s federalism corrupts good leaders, both young and old. Until Nigeria restructures its federalism from being skewed to being truly fiscal, nothing is likely going to work out well for the country. Over the years, Nigeria has pretended to have adopted a federal system of government, but it is one in which all the basic features of true federalism…
-
#TrueFiscalFederalism remains the solution to Nigeria’s problem. President Buhari can only become our Messiah if and only if he restructures the government into a Fiscal Federalism. If he doesn’t, he will only end up being overwhelmed by the criminality of the present political structure. I have now come to the firm conclusion that Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP were actually not the problem of Nigeria. And also, President Buhari and the APC are likely not to be the solution to Nigeria’s seemingly endless problems. The problem with Nigeria is the structure of its federalism. The existing federal structure does not…
-
170 Teenage Girls Abducted Under Buhari and Everyone is Silent I am stunned by the silence of Nigerians over the abduction of over 170 teenage girls from Bam village, near Buratai, the home town of the Chief-of-Army-Staff, in Borno State. Is it the intensity of the Boko Haram and Fulani Militia killings since Buhari took over that has made us so insensitive to acts of violence like this? Are we facing pity fatigue? We must not tire of confronting terror and staring it down. We must not be afraid of fighting for our freedom from those who would rob us…
-
The naira fell against the United States dollar from 243 to 247 at the parallel market on Thursday, a day after the Central Bank of Nigeria banned over 1,600 Bureau De Change operators from participating in its twice-weekly sale of foreign currencies. The naira had hovered between 241 and 243 before falling to 247 on the streets of Lagos and Abuja.(Today Dec 5 it hit the 250 level) The CBN had on Wednesday stopped BDC operators who failed to render appropriate returns on the utilisation of previous forex purchased from it. Out of the over 2,800 BDCs that applied…
-
The Department of State Services (DSS) has alerted the public that “the Boko Haram terrorist group has continued to establish and operate sleeper cells whose (sole) mandates are to conduct surveillance and carry out subsequent attacks in the FCT.” “This disclosure has become necessary following the arrests of the sect’s members who migrated from various conflict theatres in the North East to the FCT in order to enable them capitalise on the excitement of the yuletide season to launch attacks in the city,” DSS said in a statement by Tony Opuiyo and issued this morning in Abuja. Continuing, Opuiyo…
-
Former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, was one of the distinguished recipients honoured at an all-star event in New York, USA, on December 1 for services to humanity and the fight against poverty and HIV/AIDS. She received the award from two respected international advocacy groups, ONE and RED, alongside Bill & Melinda Gates, philanthropist Mo Ibrahim and former New York Mayor and media mogul, Michael Bloomberg. Dr. Okonjo-Iweala and her co-honourees were recognised at a grand event marking the tenth anniversary of the advocacy groups. Former US President Bill Clinton and current Vice President Joe Biden were in attendance.…
-
Goods estimated to be worth multi billions of naira have been consumed by a midnight fire which razed several blocks of shops at Sabon-Gari Market, Kano, a report from the area said. A Daily Trust report said the inferno started at about 10pm yesterday. It quoted Mallam Garba Abdullahi, one of the traders whose shops were razed, as saying that the fire is suspected to have started from a shop used for commercial charging point by mobile phone users. “We are suspecting that the fire started from a commercial GSM phones charging joint,” he said. The report said…
-
One would naturally wonder why the writer choose to go with this kind of heading at a time like this when there are many disgruntled Nigerians youths trending a hashtag #NoToSocialMediaBill which the legislative arm of Nigerian government is looking at passing and make it a law to criminalize any frivolity and libel on Social Media. Let us critically look at the root cause that necessitated the Senate to take the option of sanitizing Nigerian Social Media, of course Nigeria is a country that practices democracy since the handing over of power from the military to civilian government in 1999…
-
Confucius, the ancient Chinese philosopher, once gave a remarkable admonishment: ‘Study the past if you would define the future.’ And for Edmund Burke, once we take historical knowledge for granted, then we are doomed to repeat those terrible mistakes of the past. There is no better preface on the significance of historical insights into Nigeria’s administrative trajectory. History, any history for that matter, is not a list of boring stories of what had gone by. On the contrary, history is a rich tapestry of human actions and inaction, and the multiplicity of consequences that flows from them. Nigeria’s administrative history…
-
Fellow Nigerians, the roof is on fire. And the owners of the house should not sleep and snore lest they get badly burnt. Please, let no one treat or dismiss this Biafra controversy as humbug because it is very serious and has the potential of spiralling out of control and snowballing into an unprecedented conflagration of unquenchable propensities. War has never been a tea party. I was about seven years old when the Nigerian civil war broke out in July 1967. I was a child but not too young not to know and understand some of what was happening.…
-
I read from the Daily Sun Newspaper edition of March 10th 2015 page 6, a statement credited to Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State. The statement read thus, “The worst thing that can happen to a family is to have a bad father and the worst thing that can happen to a country is bad leadership” unquote. Honestly, I was dazed by that statement coming from the mouth of Okorocha. Dazed in the sense that it was a self indictment on one hand and an open confession on the other hand. Of course, a bad father is a curse…
-
There is this man with a deceptive appearance from the South-east, Imo State to be precise, who pretends he has what it takes to be the president of Nigeria. In his convoluted and banal imagination, he believes he is the best thing to have come out of the South-east. His snow-white teeth and seductive smile were put to good use in the 2011 governorship election which he won. He won not necessarily because he was the best of a bad lot, but more because the people got carried away with the freshness of his candidacy and maybe his charming smile.…
-
AN Israeli researcher, Dr. Joseph Shevel has attributed the low investment in education by Nigerian politicians to the fact that the sector takes a long time to mature, saying it was for that reason that the country’s politicians prefer to invest in areas that would assure them quick returns. In a keynote address he delivered at the third international conference organized by the Faculty of Social Sciences of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Shevel, who is the President of Galilee Institute, Israel and a member of Israeli Prime Minister’s committee on Social Policy, described education as the future for any nation…
-
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday said it would not have lost the last presidential election to President Muhammadu Buhari if the party’s women wing had a significant role to play before and during the election. The party added that what would happen to the PDP in the future largely “depends on the women because they are more committed, more determined, more understanding, more patient and more futuristic in politics. The party’s National Women Leader, Ambassador Kema Chikwe, made the remark at the PDP South- west zonal town hall meeting she addressed in Lagos yesterday, urging women to occupy other…
-
The U.S. Embassy in Nigeria said on Friday it had received information that groups “associated with terrorism” may be planning attacks against hotels in the country that are frequented by Westerners. In a brief message for U.S. citizens, the embassy said it had no further information regarding the timing or method of any planned attacks. “The U.S. Mission advises all U.S. citizens to be vigilant when at hotels and around areas frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers locations where large crowds may gather; and government facilities,” the statement said. Last month, 20 people, including one American, were killed in an…
-
There was near pandemonium and confusion at the Annual Global African Investment Forum held in Westminster, Central London after a heated exchange between Ghana’s President John Mahama and former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo degenerated into open insults. This was due to General Obasanjo openly accusing the Ghanaian president and his government of blackmailing and collecting bribes from Nigerian businessmen in Ghana,buying numerous properties in Nigeria and South Africa and financiallycontributing 12 million dollars to Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign last year. This infuriated President Mahama who lost his temper and pointing his finger, called General Obasanjo an ” idiot” and a “silly…
-
The chairman of the Security Councils of the United Nations, Raimonda Murmokaite, officially declared from New York on Wednesday that after World War II ended, several countries have declared against the forces called itself Islamic State or ISIS. An association of countries was held includes: The U.S, Russia, Germany, France, Iran and Iraq. All member had agreement together to destroy ISIS after they attacked France and Lebanon. According to the Security Councils of the UN, the war which involves five countries or more is considered a World War. Similarly, the president of Security Councils of the UN announced that…
-
MTN Group Ltd. had its record fine in Nigeria increased $500 million to $3.9 billion after the country’s telecommunications regulator said it wrote the incorrect penalty in an earlier letter to Africa’s largest phone company. “There was a typo,” Nigerian Communication Commission spokesman Tony Ojobo said by phone on Friday, referring to a letter dated Dec. 2 that reduced the original $5.2 billion penalty to $3.4 billion. “The reduction should have been 25 percent. We saw the mistake and had to fix it.” MTN spokesman Chris Maroleng declined to comment. The shares traded 4.7 percent lower at 133.40 rand as…
-
Much of the financial assistance announced by President Xi is likely to focus on infrastructure projects. China has announced $60bn (£40bn) of assistance and loans for Africa to help with the development of the continent. President Xi Jinping said the package would include zero-interest loans as well as scholarships and training for thousands of Africans. The Chinese leader made the announcement at a major summit between China and Africa in Johannesburg. South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma welcomed the deepening partnership with Africa’s biggest trading partner. He said that China and the African continent each made up a third of the…
OBLONG MEDIA GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE 