OBLONG MEDIA GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE is where independent minds meet to dissect politics, society, power, and global affairs without fear or filters. This is not mainstream media.
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The growing anti-Rochas Okorocha sentiments in Imo State, has taken a new twist, as his effigy that was installed in his Ideato South country home was destroyed by unknown persons. The statue, which depicted Governor Rochas Okorocha on a horse back and mounted at the Ogboko Junction, along the Orlu-Urualla federal highway, as the frenzy over his gubernatorial success was at its peak. According to Vanguard who rushed to the scene of the destruction, on getting wind of the news, noticed that the effigy had been brought down and damaged beyond redemption. Although the state government and its functionaries has…
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Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has stated that government at the federal, states and local levels must do more to create jobs.He gave the advise at the 10th anniversary and 6th and 7th convocation ceremonies of Tai Solarin University of Education, TASUED, Ijagun, Ijebu Ode. “If there is no job for the unemployed to feed themselves and also to contribute to the development of the country, then, we will all be sitting on gun powder. “If university education was not for development then, it was not serving any useful purpose. It must be for development, personal, local, national and…
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Goods worth millions of naira were completely destroyed yesterday after fire razed Sabon Gari market, in Kano State. The fire broke out around 7pm on Thursday evening. It was gathered that the inferno raged for more than 30 minutes before firefighters arrived at the market. Some traders at the market expressed sadness over the incident, which it was alleged was caused by a power surge.
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Telecommunications giant, MTN, is seeking a further reduction in the fine slammed on it by the Nigerian government.MTN had been fined $5.2bn by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, for failing to disconnect unregistered subscribers from its network. However, Nigerian authorities had slashed the fine by 30 percent to $3.2bn and gave the South African company Dec. 31 to pay up. It was gathered that the decision to reduce the fine was taken by President Buhari’s office, which passed on the information to the NCC on Wednesday. However, Reuters reports that management of the troubled company is still pleading with the…
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Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, stalwart of All Progressives Congress (APC), will on Dec. 7, launch a book about the party and how it came to power. This is according to a statement signed in Abuja on Thursday by Mr Sunny Onyeukwu, the book’s event coordinator. The statement said the book titled: ”From Opposition to Governing Party: Nigeria’s APC Merger Story” is a 470-page book, published by Landmark Book. It said: “Dr Onu told the story of why and how Africa’s first successful merger of major opposition political parties which made history by winning the 2015 general election in Nigeria, was…
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The majority of incidents reported have been classed as ‘harassment’ by the Met Police The number of Muslims attacked each week in London has more than tripled since the Paris attacks, figures show. The Met said in the week prior to the attacks on 13 November there were 24 recorded Islamophobic incidents. Two weeks after there were 76. Mussurut Zia from the Muslim Women’s Network UK said the community was “fearful” but people of other faiths had come forward in “solidarity”. The Met said “regretfully” hate crime increased during “difficult times”. The force’s figures show the annual number of…
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World Health Organisation has carried out the first ever global estimates of food-borne diseases. The estimated reveal that not less than 420,000 people died yearly from eating contaminated food. The report also showed that as many as 600 million, (one in 10 people) in the world, fall ill annually. While reacting to the report, Director-General of WHO, Dr Margaret Chan said “ it is regrettable that 30 percent of all deaths from foodborne diseases are in children under the age of five years, despite the fact that they make up only 9 percent of the global population. “Children under 5…
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A cross section of Nigerians have expressed outrage over a bill seeking a two-year jail term for any person who makes an allegation or publishes any statement or petition in newspaper, radio and social media networks, including Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp. The bill passed the second reading in the upper legislative chamber of the National Assembly yesterday. The bill, which was sponsored by Senator Ibn Na’Allah, All Progressives Congress (APC), Kebbi South, frowns at posting of what he described as inciting statements on any medium of whatever description, against another person, institutions of government or any public office holder. According to…
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The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has approved March 19, 2016 for the party`s national convention. This is contained in the time-table for the party’s 2016 Chapter Congresses and National Convention signed by PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh in Abuja on Thursday. According to the time-table, the party’s Ward Congresses is scheduled for Feb. 27, 2016, while the NWC also approved March 5, 2016 for the party’s Local Government Area Congresses. The NWC also approved March 12, 2016 for State Congresses and March 16, 2016 for its Zonal Congresses.
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China emerged from chaos 35 years ago to become perhaps the largest economy in the world. The BBC’s Martin Patience – who has just moved from Beijing to Lagos – asks if Nigeria can do the same. Swapping Asia’s giant for Africa’s powerhouse can be a disorientating experience. Leaving Beijing to go and live in Lagos is not a well-worn path. But both Nigeria and China are the most populous countries and biggest economies in their respective continents, making them ripe for comparison. I feel I’ve left behind the grey, imposing order of Beijing for the chaos and colour of…
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The Peoples Democratic Party has warned the Independent National Electoral Commission and other security agents against aiding the All Progressives Congress in rigging Saturday’s governorship election in the state. The PDP spokesperson, Olisa Metuh, who addressed a press conference at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, said the warning became necessary because the party “have now become fully aware that the commission, in collaboration with security forces, intends to rig the election as they did in October 31 Borno Senatorial bye-election”. Mr. Metuh said INEC officials and security operatives were used to swap results in favour of the APC in…
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OUR DIVERSITY IS A BLESSING The diversity of our Nigerian nation is such a beauty. A glorious demonstration of God’s very own nature. Yet when diversity is not appreciated, it is abused and perverted. “Celebrate diversity, practice acceptance and may we all choose peaceful options to conflict.” ― Donzella Michele Malone If Nigeria had not consisted of these over 500 tribes, we would not have been as big and great as we are today. Today, Nigeria is the 7th most populous country in the world and could soon become the third most populous in a number of years to come…
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WHAT IS MARGINALIZATION? I pray that no Nigerian tribe, nationality or ethnic group will experience marginalization. As I am writing this, there are nations in the world that know firsthand what marginalization means in the real sense. For a student of history, it is difficult to accept the accusation against Nigeria that Nigeria has not been fair to the Biafran nation. As I have said above, the Igbo people and the Biafran people have occupied every political, economic and military position in the Nigerian nation. A fact that should become a thing of pride for Nigeria is that Nigeria was…
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BIAFRA ALREADY EXISTS I am particularly astonished by my fellow countrymen who are agitating for an independent Biafran Republic. In my own opinion, I believe they already have it. There are no less than 5 autonomous states that are being ruled and governed by Igbo people. If you want to count just the Igbo nation, I don’t remember any time since the 1999 democracy, that a Hausa person or a representative of any other tribe has become the leader, governor or mayor of an Igbo state or city. The Igbo people have their land to themselves. These lands have not…
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As a Nigerian, I only managed to live in the country for the first 19 years of my life, but the Nigerian factor is so strong that it is not letting me go 30 years later. Even though I have lived in other countries more than I ever lived in Nigeria, yet the connection, the upbringing, the culture, the attachment and the Nigerian embodiment have all been so strong in me, that I am a Nigerian and will always be one. I, like many other Nigerians living abroad, have had the opportunity of changing my nationality by naturalization to become…
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In the eight years of Obasanjo’s presidency, there was no headline-grabbing demand for Biafra. Ditto for the eight years of the Yar’Adua/Jonathan presidency. However, within months of Buhari’s presidency, the Igbo demand for Biafra has become deafening. Without a doubt, the blame for this new impetus must be laid firmly at the doorstep of President Buhari. Moreover, rather than attenuate it, the president and the APC have exacerbated separatist tendencies in the country. This was part of the reason why people like me did not support Buhari’s election as president of Nigeria. I have written severally in Vanguard that Nigeria…
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Former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido has accused the All Progressives Congress, of dividing the country, ethnically and politically. Lamido says the new ruling party is presently guilty of everything the Peoples Democratic Party, was accused of, during the last administration. While receiving an award of excellent service in Kano, Lamido said: “I may sound a little different of what is today Nigeria. Because in today Nigeria, everything is politics and there are very strong divides. “One is either here or there and even those who are arbiters or referees or monitors if stand on your own belief you…
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The decision by the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Mr. Danladi Umar to openly debate a matter before him might have opened an unsavoury chapter in his present travails, writes Shola Oyeyipo. In the gathering of humankind, judges are ‘classified immortals’. Through enviable social stratification, their humanity comes with a degree of preternatural exemption that is assumed to wield the power of “life and death”. Therefore, here on earth, judges are some sort of Supreme Being, which explains why they are referred to as “Lord”. But whilst they boast this huge advantage over others, such a privilege also…
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Question: You have been very vocal lately in dismissing and trashing the then federal military government’s post-civil war efforts at the 3 Rs: Reconstruction, Reconciliation and Rehabilitation. What don’t you agree with? AKPABIO: As a young man, you definitely will not understand me. But I was a victim of the Civil War. I was one of those who suffered the pains of the war. I was born sometime in 1962; the civil war came really into our area in 1967. So, I was probably five or six years old during the war; and if I had been around nine…
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The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has condemned Tuesday’s arrest of television and radio proprietor, Raymond Dokpesi, and other opposition people by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. The party also said that it had been made aware that more notable PDP leaders have similarly been listed for arrest over “unproven allegations” pursuant to the plot by the governing All Progressives Congress, APC to cow and silence opposition in the country. The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, in a statement on Tuesday said the military style of pronouncement of guilt on Mr. Dokpesi before any fair hearing, betrays the…
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Some labour unions have called on the Federal Government to urgently address the on-going scarcity of petroleum products or face the wrath of labour. The unions, in separate statements made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos, said that Nigerians would protest attempt to use the shortage to increase the price of fuel. Dr Dipo Fashina and Mr Abiodun Aremu, Chairman and Secretary respectively, Joint Action Front (JAF) said that Nigerians were looking forward to the government to provide the means to end poverty, hunger and joblessness instead of fuel scarcity. “Nigerians want the government…
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The State of Jersey, the biggest territory in the Channels Island, is set to return to Nigeria £315 million stolen by a former military head of state, Sani Abacha. The Ballif of Jersey, Michael Birt, stated this at a dinner in honour of Nigerian High Commissioner to the UK, Dalhatu Tafida, during a State visit to the Island. Mr. Birt, who doubles as the Island’s Civic Head of State and ceremonial head, is the highest ranking official in the Jersey order of precedence. The Island, famous for its transparent banking services, had previously repatriated in two tranches £140 million pounds…
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The South African telecoms giant MTN has won a respite from a $5 billion fine at the very last moment. The penalty was imposed by Nigeria over unregistered SIM cards. It also triggered the CEO’s resignation. South African telecom giant MTN was due to pay $5.2 billion (4.9 billion euros) to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) by Monday, November 16, 2015 for failing to deactivate 5.1 million unregistered SIM cards. MTN said on that day it had agreed with the NCC that the fine would not be payable until the end of negotiations entered into by acting MTN executive chairman…
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Apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, on Sunday asked the Federal Government to free detained Biafra activist, Nnamdi Kanu. The Igbo group said such action was necessary to end the increasing pro-Biafra protests and forestall a breakdown of law and order. The meeting was equally attended by representatives of both the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, and the Independent People of Biafra, IPOB. However, all the five Governors in the zone as well as senators and other national assembly members stayed away. In a communique signed by the President and the Secretary, Chief…
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Fuel subsidy claims contained in the 2015 Supplementary Budget submitted to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari has leaped from N413 billion to N521 billion. The original N413 billion subsidy claim included N120.552billion outstanding claims from 2014 and N292.8 billion to cover claims from January to September. Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Jamila Soara, who represented the Minister of State, Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, intimated the Senate Committee on Appropriation that is considering the Supplementary Budget that another N108 billion will be required to cover fuel subsidy for October to December. Soara told the committee that Kachikwu was in…
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The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, on its website on Monday, November 30 stated that the nation’s foreign reserves plunged to 30.04 billion dollars as at Nov. 26. The Apex bank said that the figure fell by seven million dollars from 30.11 billion dollars recorded in Oct. 26. It said the 30.04 billion dollars represented the ‘gross’ amount, 29.33 billion dollars was ‘liquid’, while $719.32 million was ‘blocked.’ The nation’s banking regulator said the continuous pressure on the foreign exchange market is due to the rise in the internal demand for dollars. The CBN said that the price of crude…
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The naira plunged further at the parallel market on Monday, November 29, as it lost N0.5 to exchange at N242.5 to the dollar. It was previously exchanged at N242 to the dollar. The local currenvy however, closed at N197 to the dollar at the inter-bank segment. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the naira has continued to slide in spite of the measures adopted by the apex bank to defend the exchange rate. Traders at the market said that there was spike in demand for foreign exchange and this was impacting on the exchange rate of the naira.…
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Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, has said that lack of political will hinders the prosecution of high profile corruption cases in the country. In a statement by Justice Mohammed’s media aide, Mr. Ahuraka Isah, the CJN said this during a meeting with the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), alongside other Justices of the Supreme Court and the heads of federal courts. He said “Experience within the judiciary shows that there is an abject lack of political will to prosecute some of those cases pending before our various courts, almost a decade…
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An Open Letter to Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari – By Bruce Fein Constitutional Lawyer and Author President Muhammadu Buhari Aso Rock, Abuja Nigeria Dear President Buhari: When you visited the United States Institute of Peace last July, you pledged that you would be “fair, just and scrupulously follow due process and the rule of law, as enshrined in [the Nigerian] constitution” in prosecuting corruption. Such loftiness is laudable. As the Bible instructs in Amos 5:24: “[L]et justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” But to be just, the law must be evenhanded. It cannot, in the…
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Former Minister of National Planning, Dr. Abubakar Sulaiman, on Sunday, said ex-President Goodluck Jonathan handed over to President Muhammadu Buhari to save the lives of many Nigerians. He also said Jonathan had sufficient evidence to remove the former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, but he exercised restraint. Delivering a paper on the 2015 power transition in Nigeria at the annual Zik dinner lecture /award in Abuja, Sulaiman said it was not external pressure that forced Jonathan to hand over to President Buhari. Sulaiman said contrary to general belief, there were cases of compromise by…
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RETIRED Col Hamid Ibrahim Ali, who took over as Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in a very controversial circumstance, is progressing in error. The anomalies his policies are perpetrating in the Nigeria Customs are unhealthy. Col Ali was once a military administrator of Kaduna State (August 1996 to August 1998). Since his retirement, he has been politically active and fought to return Muhammadu Buhari as President. He was in charge of the President’s recent presidential campaign funds and later became his Chief of Staff before his appointment as head of the Nigeria Customs. No doubt, he is the President’s…
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There was an outbreak of violence at the headquarters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja. About 1, 000 youths were at the secretariat of the party where APC leaders were holding a meeting over the Kogi state election. They came in buses marked ‘Dekina’, a local government area in the state. On sighting Yahaya Bello, who arrived at 2:48pm, they went out of control, attempting to attack him. It took the effort of security agents to smuggle Bello from their midst. The youths are believed to be supporters of James Faleke, running mate to the late Abubakar Audu,…
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Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has ordered the probe the Maritime Academy of Nigeria following reports of financial recklessness and fraud emanating from the academy. The academy’s rector, Mr Joshua Okpo reportedly stirred the hornet’s nest after accusing NIMASA for starving the school of funds through the agency’s alleged flagrant refusal to release the statutory five per cent subvention funds to the school. Amaechi was said to have summoned the management of NIMASA to his office and asked why it was sitting on the subvention of MAN, Oron. However, the bubble burst when the minister was told by the acting…
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Following Nigeria’s refusal to devalue its currency (the naira), in-line with IMF recommendations, crude oil traders worldwide have begun to shun Nigerian crude oil over the last several months. Nigeria remains one of the primary sources of “sweet crude” oil grades that is relatively pure crude oil with low levels of sulfuric content. In order to refine heavy oil grades with higher levels of sulfur and other impurities, refineries throughout the world mix sweet crude with other grades of oil to produce its various classes of refined products. Officials in the NNPC and other blocks in the petroleum industry…
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“Selective prosecution of political opponents undermines the legitimacy of anti-corruption reform efforts. It is the most cynical abuse of power…” – Elizabeth Spahn. The arraignment of Senate President Bukola Saraki by the Code of Conduct Bureau before the Code of Conduct Tribunal is without doubt one of the most dramatic political events of the past weeks. The case, however it is resolved, will be remembered not just for what it says but also for what it fails to say, or rather its symbolism regarding the anti-corruption posture of the Buhari administration. In order to comment fairly, this writer reveals upfront…
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The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), on Sunday, urged the Federal Government to decentralise loading of petroleum products to make for effective loading at depots across the country. Chief Lawson Obasi, National President, IPMAN, told newsmen in Port Harcourt that spreading of petroleum products to other coastal depots across the country would end current scarcity. He said that a situation where government only distributed petroleum products to tank farms in Lagos was partly responsible for current scarcity and high cost of product. “The current government approach, where marketers across the country are expected to load petroleum…
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The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has “received several documents from the World Bank totalling over 700 pages on information on the spending of recovered assets stolen by the late General Abacha, with some of the documents suggesting that Abacha loot was spent on roads, electricity, education, health and water.” This information was disclosed by SERAP executive director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, in a statement dated November 29, 2015. The organisation said, “SERAP can confirm that last week we received several documents from Ann May of the Access to Information Team of the World Bank following our Access to Information Request…
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Ibrahim Babangida, former military president, says he is ready to vote for an Igbo president in 2019. In a chat with The Interview, a magazine focused on leading professionals and politicians, IBB, as he is fondly called, described the agitation for Biafra republic as a distraction. “We do not need this distraction now,” he was quoted as saying, adding that, “I will vote for an Igbo president in 2019, if I find one.” He also revisited one of the most controversial issues involving him – the death of MKO Abiola, acclaimed winner of the June 12 1993 election. He…
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Nigeria is indeed a complex country to govern and at times, I wonder if we know exactly what we want. This is because despite the fact that the All Progressives Congress candidate at the last Presidential Election, Muhammadu Buhari enjoyed an overwhelming support before and during the election, Nigerians who voted for him seemed to have constituted themselves into a major opposition block, hitting his administration from left, right and centre for failure to meet their expectations. But can anyone blame us from crying out when the present administration, which rode into power on the crest of the word change,…
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Tyson Fury ended Wladimir Klitschko’s long reign as the heavyweight champion of the world on a points decision
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The pilot of Russian Su-24 fighter jet recently downed by Turkey was saved during a joint rescue operation in Syria supervised by a senior Iranian commander, a Syrian officer says. Commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Qassem Soleimani assembled a rescue team made up of 18 Syrian special forces members and six Hezbollah fighters for the operation, a Saturday report by the Sputnik news agency cited a Syrian officer as saying. The unnamed Syrian officer said the team was tasked with rescuing the pilot while air and intelligence support was being provided…
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Every rational human being, lover of freedom and even haters of it, should read the following article as scripted by a Yoruba descendant: “All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.” – Arthur Schopenhauer “I’m for truth, no matter who tells it. I’m for justice, no matter who it’s for or against.” – Malcom X With trepidation, I have been watching the subtle descent into dictatorship by the administration of Muhammadu Buhari. I have been watching with disgust President Buhari’s war against freedom of speech.…
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“What is the matter this time? Many Nigerians are lamenting that the change you promised them is fast becoming a mirage. It is certainly not what they are seeing right now. They insist that your style and methodology appear too slow for a nation in dire straits and in need of urgent and miraculous deliverance. They are not happy that you are no longer the prudent man they used to know. They think you’ve already capitulated by frolicking with members of the bourgeois class and junketing around the world while Nigeria burns like Dante’s inferno. They are miffed that you…
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When President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated Nigeria’s ministers penultimate week, one of the highlights that went viral was his refusal to shake the female appointees. In the picture above, President Buhari is however seen shaking hands with Queen Elizabeth II at the ongoing Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta.
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When Muhammadu Buhari clinched victory in Nigeria’s presidential elections in March, stocks soared as investors looked to the former military ruler to reverse decades of economic mismanagement and policy inertia. Now hopes have fizzled in his ability to turn around Africa’s largest economy and oil producer. Money that flowed into stocks and bonds in the West African nation, which McKinsey & Co. says could become one of the world’s 20 biggest economies by 2030, is now fleeing as growth prospects diminish along with oil prices. While Buhari, 72, has prioritized stamping out the graft that has plagued Nigeria since independence…
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Nigerians are growing poorer for the first time since the return to democracy in 1999 as an economic slowdown combines with still high population growth rates to curb income per capita. Average incomes in Nigeria will fall by about 18 percent in 2015 to $2,550 per annum, from over $3,000 in 2014, according to World… Business day online. Published On: Fri, Nov 27th, 2015
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The Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, on Friday said N473.8 billion was shared among the federal, states and local governments as revenue for October, 2015. Adeosun announced this when she addressed newsmen on the outcome of the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting in Abuja. She said the shared amount comprised the month’s gross statutory revenue of N400.3 billion. “Also, there is the exchange gain of N6.9 billion which is proposed for distribution. “Therefore, the total revenue distributable for October, including VAT of N60.1 billion, is N473.8 billion”, she said. Adeosun said N6.3 billion was refunded to the federation…
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The Nigeria army on Monday said some of its officers are plotting to distract the fight against insurgency, which “is at a critical stage”. According to Sani Usman, army spokesman, some officers in collaboration with unnamed individuals, have scheduled December to begin a media onslaught against the army. He alleged that there was a deliberate plot to ridicule leadership of the force through lies and fabrication. Appealing to the media to ensure that reports are verified before being published, Usman said: “Our doors are open for clarification, inquiries and reactions on any issue concerning the Nigeria army before filing or…
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Having installed the North as ‘husband’ of the South and Master of Nigeria in 1914, the British Colonial Master did not let matters rest there. At every stage they ensured that the reins of power would remain in the hands of their beloved proteges. Thus, in preparing the North for its future role as the Rulers of Nigeria, the British rigged the very first Nigerian-wide population Census conducted in 1931, in favour of the North. The Figures awarded by the British were as follows: Northern Region -11,434,000; Western Region – 3,855,000; Eastern Region – 4,641,000; Total = 19,930,000. Plurality in…
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Tunji BraithwaiteHuman rights lawyer and elder statesman, Dr. Tunji Braithwaite, has said President Muhammadu Buhari is committing a bigger crime by not prosecuting corrupt public officials of the past government who have started returning their loots. It is recalled that Buhari while in Iran, said some of those who have looted public funds during the immediate past administration have started returning the funds. Braithwaite while speaking yesterday said Buhari was encouraging impunity by recovering looted funds through plea bargaining rather than ensuring that justice takes it course as promise during his campaign. The elder statesman said, “It is a crime…
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A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed the application of the Federal Government seeking to compel the presence of the former National Security Adviser (NSA) Col. Sambo Mohammed Dasuki in court throughout his trial. In defiance of previous court order, Department of State Security (DSS) has refused to vacate the Abuja residence of Dasuki and preventing him from travelling for medical treatment. The operatives have placed him on restriction, as they have laid siege to his Abuja home for more than three weeks. The Federal Government through the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF) Mr Mohammed Diri…
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Sometimes I feel that sudden urge to run away from my beloved country, Nigeria and some other times, I feel that strong sense of righteous anger at our plight as a nation. At the best of times, I feel like laughing; and yet from time to time, I throw up my hand in dismay at the situation in our country. But why should I quit my fathers’ land when I have an equal stake in its success or failure like those who control the levers of power. That would never do! So I have asked myself repeatedly, “Why don’t I…
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President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR has approved the appointment of thirty new Judges for the Federal High Court on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council. They are: S/N Name of Candidate State Of Origin 1. Hon. Justice Yellin S. Bogoro-Bauchi State; 2. Rosemary O. Dugbo Oghoghorie-Delta State; 3. Taiwo Obayomi Taiwo-Ogun State; 4. Ibrahim Watila-Borno State; 5. Mallong Peter Hoommuk-Plateau State; 6. Isa Hamma Adama Dashen- Adamawa State; 7. Hassan Dikko-Kebbi State; 8. Jude Kanyioh Dagat- Kaduna State; 9. Olayinka Olusegun Tokode-Osun State; 10. Simon Akpah Amobeda,-Kogi State; 11. Jane Egienanwan Inyang-Cross River State; 12. Daniel Emeka Osiagor-Rivers State; 13.…
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Second Republic President, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, has described immediate-past President, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, as a ‘rare breed’ whose actions strengthened democracy in Africa and made the continent proud. Shagari’s observations were contained in a letter to Dr Jonathan dated November 20, 2015 bearing the caption: ‘Happy 58th Birthday’, personally signed by him. “Your birthday deserves to be celebrated both at home and abroad given your selfless services to our beloved fatherland. Your spectacular commitment in the development of our cherished values of democracy in Nigeria and Africa is legendary. On the African political landscape, you are, indeed, a rare…
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Scores were feared dead at Dakasoye village, Garun Mallam local goverment area of Kano Friday when a suicide bomber blew himself up among the Shia procession on there way to Zaria witness says. The incident which occured by 2.00pm was said to have affected mostly women and children. A local Journalist, Ali Kakaki who was at the scene of the blast told Vanguard that the ugly incident occured shortly after a middle aged man was caught with Improvised Explosive Device. The suicide bomber on Friday blew himself up among crowds at a Shia Muslim procession outside the City of Kano,…
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IJAW Youth Council (IYC) has called for the unconditional release of Radio Biafra broadcaster, Nnamdi Kanu, saying that they were only exercising their rights and as such, the arrest was unwarranted. The body’s president, Comrade Udengs Eradiri, in a chat with newsmen in Yenagoa, stressed that the issues he raised were fundamental to the existence of the country as the Ijaws were also pondering what Nnamdi and his colleagues had enunciated. Eradiri also called on the Federal Government to have an economic plan as an alternative for the people of the Niger Delta region being raided for oil bunkering…
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Interpol has announced that it had seized protected and valuable timber species from nine West Africa countries worth more than $262 million. The timber was seized during the “Operation Log” in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal and Togo. The operation was carried out in West Africa, Central and South America between July and September 2015, a statement by Interpol said on Friday. The investigation revealed that the rosewood species, highly in demand worldwide and particularly in Asia for its pink or red wood, was the main timber being plundered. A total of 44 individuals…
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International Business magazine, Bloomberg.com today published an article title “Buhari Bounce Becomes Bust as Nigeria Policies Irk Investors”. The article states that President Buhari’s policies since assuming office has continued to chase investors away and has dashed the hopes of many who believed in him when he assumed office. Read the full text of the article below “When Muhammadu Buhari clinched victory in Nigeria’s presidential elections in March, stocks soared as investors looked to the former military ruler to reverse decades of economic mismanagement and policy inertia. Now hopes have fizzled in his ability to turn around Africa’s largest economy…
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Just before France conceded to African demands for independence in the 1960s, it carefully organised its former colonies (CFA countries) in a system of “compulsory solidarity” which consisted of obliging the 14 African states to put 65% of their foreign currency reserves into the French Treasury, plus another 20% for financial liabilities. This mea…ns these 14 African countries only ever have access to 15% of their own money! If they need more they have to borrow their own money from the French at commercial rates! And this has been the case since the 1960s.
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Relationships are complicated. Some are easy and natural, while others are complex and difficult. To reveal the dynamics of how we relate to others, and to help us develop strong, healthy relationships, there is a whole branch of astrology known as “synastry” that is devoted to the study of compatibility . Challenges can become the greatest strengths of a relationship if you can learn how to navigate issues. You’ll find yourself nodding in agreement with what you discover. Google the word synastry.
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I have never seen a people that hate the truth and relish deceiving themselves as Nigerians. A country in itself built on the tenets of colonial and autochthonous deceit, where peace is never meant to be a reality and socio-political and economic development has become privatized by a greedy clique called cabals who hijacked the mantle of leadership from the slave-masters in a negotiated and mimic political struggle culminating into the second phase of slavish impoverishment of the people by neo-colonialist, black slave-masters who have proved to be even worse than their predecessors, the colonialists. It is…
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Lord Denning. In the judicial arena this name stands out like an iroko tree. A legal luminary in the truest sense of the world. His contributions to the legal profession are as significant as they are enviable. Little wonder lawyers, judges and litigants alike often quote him as if he were the alpha and the omega. In the spirit of the season following the all Nigeria Judges Conference which was hall marked by some insightful pronouncements from the left, right and centre, it is pertinent to kick-start the issues at stake with reference to one of Lord Dennings most memorable…
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1966, Nigeria — FILE – Biafran leader, Lietenant Colonel C. Odumegwu Ojukwu, military governor of East Nigeria is seen in this 1966 file photo. Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, a millionaire’s son who led Nigeria’s breakaway republic of Biafra during the country’s civil war that left 1 million dead, has died. He was 78. Anambra state spokesman Maja Umeh confirmed the rebel leader died Saturday morning. (AP Photo, File) — Image by © /AP/Corbis[/caption] As we mourn the departure from this mother earth of the great legend himself, Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu, a lot has been written about what he represents and the…
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A Federal High Court on Thursday, November 26, squashed a fresh 50-count charge of corruption brought against former governor of Bayelsa State and governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timipre Sylva and three others on the grounds that the charges constituted an abuse of court process. In the fresh charges, Sylva is charged alongside Francis Okokuro, Gbenga Balogun, and Samuel Ogbuku. They allegedly used three companies – Marlin Maritime Limited, Eat Catering Services Limited, and Haloween-Blue Construction and Logistics Limited to move about N19.2 billion from Bayelsa State coffers between 2009 and 2012, under false pretence of using…
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President and CEO, Ford Motor Company, Sub-Saharan Africa region, Jeff Nemeth, on Monday, November 16, unveiled first Ford Ranger truck to be rolled out of Coscharis‘s assembly plant in Ikeja. Nemeth said the Ikeja plant would accommodate one shift and would produce an initial 10 units per day for the Nigerian market, creating approximately 180 direct and indirect jobs. He said: “The main driver behind Ford in Africa is affordability. Africa is one of the youngest markets in the world and presents a huge opportunity in terms of consumption.” He expressed confidence in the buying power of the…
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The government of Nigeria spends about $8 billion a year on fuel subsidies. Getting rid of this financial burden would be an “important first step” in stabilizing the country’s finances, according to a 2009 International Monetary Fund report. The IMF and other global financial institutions are opposed to fuel subsidies in general because the biggest benefits do not go to the poor, but to the owners of large cars and big generators. To look only at the absolute size of the benefit, however, misses a major point. For the poor, the fraction of their income that goes to pay…
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The series of events that just transpired in Nigeria makes for a familiar tale – and a telling lesson. The tale tells of a poor, developing nation endowed with oil riches that, on the advice of international economists, tries to eliminate fuel subsidies. The lesson is that the populations of oil-producing nations will inevitably erupt in rage against any such notions. Nigeria is the biggest oil producer in Africa, pumping out 2.2 million barrels of crude oil a day to sit 10th in the global crude-production standings. But the average Nigerian gets little benefit from his country’s oil riches.…
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The APC seems intent on subverting its own hold on power by the way and manner it has encouraged the crisis in the National Assembly to fester as a result of its own internal contradictions. What the foregoing says most loudly is that there is an embarrassing lack of focus on the part of the APC. No one has cared to define the ‘change’ mantra that President Buhari and other leaders keep talking about. The party has not, even in its very structure and approach to its own affairs, indicated an intention to change the behaviour that underlies Nigeria’s sorry…
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Previously on June 10, 2015 Court dismissed N19.2 bn fraud case against ex-Bayelsa Governor, As a prelude to the consolidation of all the charges against former Bayelsa State governor, Timipre Sylva, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Monday withdrew the six-count charge of fraud before Justice E. S Chukwu of the Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja. The withdrawal, according to the Commission, is to allow it consolidate the charges against the former governor, pending before two Federal High Courts in Abuja. In the charge which was withdrawn today, Mr. Sylva was being prosecuted by the EFCC for…
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Rifle-wielding robots that can launch grenades unveiled in China to help fight terror “Armed attack” robots that carry rifles and grenade launchers have been unveiled in China as the latest line of defence in the fight against “global terror”, state media reported. The toy-sized attacker is one of a trio of new “anti-terror” machines, Xinhua news agency said, in a report which did not specify measures that would stop the robots falling into the wrong hands. “The toy-sized robots can coordinate with each other on the battlefield,” said the report, following their unveiling at the 2015 World Robot Conference in…
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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday called on INEC to declare its candidate in the Nov. 21 Governorship election in Kogi , Mr . Idris Wada, the winner of the election. The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, made the call in a communiqué issued at the end of the party’s National Caucus emergency meeting held in Abuja on Wednesday. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that INEC had declared the Nov. 21 election inconclusive following cancellation of election in 91 polling units. Metuh said that the PDP caucus thoroughly considered the development arising from the Nov.…
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Hon. James Faleke, the running mate to late Abubakar Audu, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Saturday’s governorship election in Kogi State, has written to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, asking the commission to declare him the governor-elect of the state. Faleke, made this known in a letter to INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu. The lawmaker representing Ikeja Federal Constituency of Lagos State in the House of Representatives, who expressed sadness over the death of Audu, opined that under Section 187 of the 1999 Constitution, he was duly elected as deputy governor of Kogi State. “In law and…
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South Africa’s Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL Rights Commission) has threatened a jail term for Chris Oyakhilome if his church, Christ Embassy, fails to release its financial records. Several controversial religious leaders could also face prison if they do not adhere to the demands of the Commission. Commission head Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva told News24 she had already asked the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to advise on their next legal course of action. “We are forced to take the legal route because some of them are not complying and we cannot be held…
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Certainly, a lot of Nigerians who voted for the so-called change with an expectation of a paradigm shift for the country, because they truly have the love of the country at heart and not on the basis of religious sentiments and sectionalism, must now be left with their fingers between their teeth for taking that decision. Since the administration with the “change” mantra came to the helm of power on 29 May,2015, many things have actually changed for worse and lots of people are experiencing hell in a nation of plenty. Economy The country’s economy is experiencing a downward…
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Nigeria makes a sharp departure from its stance as a defender of democracy and votes against a United Nations resolution supporting and protecting people who promote and defend human rights. Samantha Powers, United States Ambassador to the United Nations made the details of the vote known to the world on micro-blogging website, Twitter. “Terrible,” Powers said in her tweet. “Nations voting against UN resolution supporting and protecting people who bravely promote and defend human rights.” The other countries that voted against the resolution include those with some of the most oppressive regimes in the world like North Korea, Syria, China,…
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Owens was favourite to get the post which will give her power to direct chief constables and commissioner of Metropolitan police The new head of the National Crime Agency will be Lynne Owens, making her the most senior woman ever in British law enforcement. The NCA is directly answerable to the home secretary and is charged with leading the fight against organised crime. The director general of the NCA has the power to direct chief constables and the commissioner of the Metropolitan police, which arguably means she will now outrank them. Owens is chief constable of the Surrey force…
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THE BIAFRA CHARTER Table of Contents I. DEFINITION of Charter: II. PURPOSE of Charter: III. ORGANIZATION of Charter: A. Biafra Charter Authorization 1. BIAFRA PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT (BPG) B. The National Structure of Biafra 1. The Structure of Biafra 2. The Participant Provinces 3. Counties C. The Charter Constituting The Government of the Nation of Biafra 1. Preamble 2. ARTICLE I 3. Article II 4. ARTICLE III 5. ARTICLE IV 6. ARTICLE V D. Declaration of Nine Basic Laws 1. Identity 2. Rights 3. Laws 4. Governance 5. Government 6. Secularity 7. Responsibility of Citizenship 8. Property Ownership 9. International Relationships…
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A Washington Times report has criticised President Muhammadu Buhari over the current ordeal of former National Security Adviser Col.Sambo Dasuki (rtd) who had been under house arrest since November 4, despite a subsisting court order which granted him permission to embark on a medical trip abroad. Dasuki who was former President Goodluck Jonathan’s National Security Adviser and served briefly in that capacity under the current government, is currently standing trial on a two-count charge of money laundering and illegal possession of firearms before a Federal High Court in Abuja. The court however granted the former NSA, who had been on…
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The November 13 attacks in Paris, targeting a stadium filled with 80,000 fans, is just another pointer to the unlimited imagination of terrorists. But for the heightened security as a result of the presence of the French president at the stadium, terrorists would have made their biggest haul in a single day. The 9/11 attacks recorded 2,996 deaths (including the 19 hijackers), which is still the highest in a single event. The Stade de France would have recorded double or triple that figure, not just from the explosions that would most probably have made the terraces collapse, but also from…
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The Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has issued a warning to leaders of the Igbo socio-cultural organisation, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo. The group has threatened to take measures if Igbo leaders fail to guide their utterances against the Biafra agitation. The Punch reported that the warning was contained in a statement made by Uchenna Madu, MASSOB’s national director of information, on Sunday, November 22, in Awka, Anambra state. On Friday, November 20, Chris Eluemunoh, the chairman of Ohanaeze in Anambra state, described the agitation for Biafra by some Igbo youths as “madness,” stressing that “Biafra…
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Remember Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction and was not involved in 9/11, but his country’s wealth was looted nevertheless. Then they went to Afghanistan to secure the poppy fields and lithium mines by force after the Taliban destroyed all of the poppy. After that, we went and killed Gaddafi in Libya to gain control of his 22 plus tons of gold, the 30 trillion plus river pipeline that would have brought africa back to life, and the diamonds, silver and other deposits. All around the world there is war and genocide for gold, oil, drugs and other natural…
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Governor Idris Wada of Kogi on Tuesday removed 15 chairmen of local governments from office for defecting to the rival All Progressives Congress (APC). This is contained in a statement issued in Lokoja and signed by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Governments and Chieftaincy Affairs, James Adedoyin in Lokoja. The statement cited section 20 sub section ( 1) and section 36 sub section 1 (d) of Kogi State Local Government Law 2000 as amended to back the action. It explained that the sacked chairmen can no longer remain in office having decamped from the Peoples Democratic…
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A bomb explosion on Tuesday, reportedly ripped through a mosque at Yartabki village near the headquarters of Funtua Local Government Area of Katsina State, though no casualty was recorded from the explosion. Confirming the incident, the State Police Public Relations Officer, Aminu Sadiq said no one was however injured, and that no “severe damage” was done to the mosque. Sadiq however stated that one person has been arrested in connection with the incident, adding that two mobile cell phones and remnants of the explosives were also recovered from the scene. He added that the recovered items were being checked by…
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Mr Ayodele Fayose has said that President Mohammadu Buhari was setting Nigeria on the path of anarchy by using his personal lawyer and member of All Progressives Congress (APC) who is the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami to induce the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) decision on the inconclusive Kogi State Governorship election. He accused the President of “fraudulently using the AGF to carry out an act which amounted to amending the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria and the Electoral Act 2010 to advance his ambition and that of his party to turn Nigeria to…
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President Mohammadu Buhari is due to leave Abuja on Thursday for Malta Island to participate in the 2015 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting which begins on Friday. The president is expected to join about 51 Heads of State and Governments under former British colony to deliberate on Commonwealth on new commonwealth initiatives on climate change. The Head of the Commonwealth, Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, will formally declare the summit open and host a banquet in honour of President Buhari and other participating Heads of State and Government. A statement by the Special Adviser to the president on Media and…
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* Urges him to use the Foundation to show remorse for past actions In what was a response to the letter written him by his estranged god-son, ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has advised him (Jonathan) to use the new Foundation he is set to establish to engage in soul-searching and in reviewing his past actions. In the letter, dated October 12, 2015, Obasanjo also advised Jonathan to consider the Foundation as a platform through which he can heal his conscience and demonstrate penitence over his past actions. Recall that ex-President Jonathan on September 22, wrote his god-father,…
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A study from the University of Oxford connects the big booty to healthy children.According to a 2010 study from the University of Oxford, big butts result in healthy children because of the high amount of Omega 3 fatty acids (the good fatty acids) stored. These are the same fatty acids that are responsible for the normal development of the baby’s brain. But according to the Chicago Tribune, scientists have proved this a long time ago, in 2007 to be precise. They noted that women with fat-bottoms are smarter than women with flat-bottoms. Again, the reason is because of the heightened…
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Some Igbos can be very territorial, proud and prejudiced. They appear to be obsessed with proven something others cannot see. They revel in self-estimations and ethnic glorification and very often can be very judgemental and biased on issues and matters of their relationship with other races. Food for thoughts: But in their national comfort zone of influence and politics, we all seemingly tag along. In the immediate past PDP government, the entire financial gravy train of economic progress was mined from Finance Minister, CBN Governor, Pencon, Amcon, Stock-Exchange, Power Ministry and various economic exchangeable variables of wealth creation by Igbos.…
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President Muhammadu Buhari has spoken out against those protesting in favour of Biafra breaking away from Nigeria. He said in a statement: “The corporate existence of Nigeria as a single entity is not a subject of debate and will not be compromised”. He has strangely remained silent on something else that continues to threaten the corporate existence of Nigeria. On Wednesday last week, the Global Terrorism Index named Nigerian Fulani militants as the fourth deadliest terror group in the world. The index claimed that Fulani militants killed 1,229 Nigerians in 2014. “As much as 92 per cent of their attacks…
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The National Bureau of Statistics on Sunday released the unemployment watch report for the third quarter of 2015, stating that a total of 1,929,800 economically active persons within the age bracket of 15 years to 64 years joined the labour force. The unemployment watch is one of the three reports, which the bureau released on Sunday. The other two are the job creation survey, and the labour productivity report. In the unemployment watch, the bureau said the entry of the 1,929,800 active persons into the job market in the third quarter had resulted in an increase of 2.6 per cent…
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Government officials and their allies who have stolen from the public purse since 1999 must prepare to return what they took, President Muhammadu Buhari has said. The Nigerian leader made the ominous remark on Tuesday during an interaction with the Nigerian community in Tehran, Iran, as he spoke on issues of corruption, revealing that a number of past officials have voluntarily begun the return of stolen funds. He however stressed that his government will not accept tokenism. “We want to have everything back – all that they took by force in 16 years,” he declared in a statement signed…
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In the Holy Bible book, Matthew 26:41, Jesus Christ advised his disciples to “watch and pray” so that they would “not enter into temptation”. What God is saying in this quoted passage is the necessity for all His children to walk and tread in consciousness in all we do because one single mistake is more than enough to derail us, even in a well-planned journey. Nigerians need to pay more attention to this advice because forces of “darkness” still hover around us as a people and a Nation. Some years ago, there was a major threat of this country [Nigeria]…
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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Mallam Abubakar Malami to immediately vacate his office for harrying and misleading the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) into arriving at an unconstitutional decision to allow the APC to substitute it’s candidate in the inconclusive Kogi state governorship election. The party is shocked that INEC, a supposedly independent electoral umpire could allow itself to succumb to the antics of the APC by following the unlawful directive of an obviously partisan AGF to substitute a candidate in the middle of the ballot process. We are all…
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I. Introduction A new nation has been born. Fourteen million people have taken their destiny into their own hands and embarked on the task of building a nation free from fear, bitterness and hate. Their sole aim is to develop their innate capabilities and rear their children in an atmosphere of peace and security. They stretch their hands of fellowship to all nations and appeal for understanding, friendship and co-operation. We, Biafrans, opted for self-determination after a long period of heart-searching and after making desperate efforts to save the Federation of Nigeria from disintegration. More than any other people in…
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Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka yesterday described the inability of the federal government to give account of the over 200 missing Chibok girls abducted by, Boko Haram, as a “shame”. Soyinka spoke after a mega-school was named after him in Osun state by Governor Rauf Aregbesola. He also said the school was an an “emphatic rejection of what Boko Haram insurgents preach”. “It is a shame that the nation cannot account for over 200 girls in Chibok. I sympathise with the religious policy of governments in school; children must not be brought up feeling that religion inhibits knowledge. “In…
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oil prices continued at a six and a half year low on Tuesday, as the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) basket price fell to $38.18 per barrel, one of its lowest since 2009. The basket price, which is calculated as an average of 12 crude oil variants sold by OPEC members fell from $38.37 per barrel on Friday to $38.18 on Monday, OPEC said on Tuesday. Oil prices initially hit a 6-year-low on November 18, when it sold for $38.04, but rose to $38.52 the following day, before it crashed to another low on Monday. The last time the…
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President Buhari pictured having breakfast in Tehran, Iran yesterday morning. With him are the Nigerian rep. in Iran Dr Ali Magashi, Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola …They participated in the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, (GECF) summit yesterday.
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It is clear from the announced names of Buhari’s proposed ministers that these are not the people he took four months to select Things have not been going according to plan for President Buhari. For the last four months since his famous victory, the president has been engaged in a battle royal with the very people who put him in power. In order to win the last presidential election, Buhari had to form an alliance with wily politicians of the old-school; men seasoned at getting their hands dirty and adept at manipulating the system to power and political advantage.…
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