Video - President Muhammadu Buhari urges China to continue cooperation in oil sector

President Muhammadu Buhari has urged the Chinese government to sustain its cooperation in ongoing reforms in Nigeria's oil sector. Speaking at a meeting with President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the 70th General Assembly of the United Nations, Buhari thanked President Xi for China's continued help in curbing crude oil theft, saying that prosecution of those who misappropriated the NNPC's revenue under past administrations will soon commence.

President Muhammadu Buhari calls on world leaders to return Nigeria's stolen wealth

President Muhammadu Buhari Monday in New York called on the international community to urgently redouble its efforts to strengthen mechanisms for dismantling safe havens for proceeds of corruption.

Addressing world leaders at the 70th General Assembly of the United Nations, President Buhari also urged his counterparts to do more to return stolen funds and assets to their countries of origin.

Observing that corruption, cross-border financial crimes, cyber crimes and human trafficking are major challenges of the 21st century which the international community must work collectively to overcome, President Buhari reaffirmed his administration’s determination to frontally confront the twin evils of corruption and illicit financial outflows.

“Let me reaffirm the Nigerian government’s unwavering commitment to fight corruption and illicit financial flows. By any consideration, corruption and cross border financial crimes are impediments to development, economic growth, and the realization of the well-being of citizens across the globe,” Mr. Buhari said.

“Nigeria is ready and willing to partner with international agencies and individual countries on a bilateral basis to confront crimes and corruption.

“In particular, I call upon the global community to urgently redouble efforts towards strengthening the mechanisms for dismantling safe havens for proceeds of corruption and ensuring the return of stolen funds and assets to their countries of origin.”

President Buhari also proposed the adoption of peace as a seventh essential element of the Sustainable Development Goals adopted last Friday by world leaders in New York.

“The Secretary General has grouped the SDGs into what he calls six “essential elements” namely: Dignity, Prosperity, Justice, Partnership, Planet and People.

“As a prerequisite to these and as we look at history and remember the terrible events that gave rise to the birth of the United Nations in 1945, I would like to propose a seventh: PEACE.

“Peace is close to the hearts of Nigerians, as we are in the front line in the war on terror. Boko Haram’s war against the people of Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon may not attract as much worldwide attention as the wars in the Middle East but the suffering is just as great and the human cost is equally high.

“This is a war between progress and chaos; between democracy and the rule of law. Boko Haram celebrates violence against the weak and the innocent and deplorably, they hide behind their perverted interpretation of Islam. Boko Haram is as far away from Islam as anyone can think of,” President Buhari declared.

The President assured the global community that his administration was doing all within its powers to quickly overcome the challenge of terrorism and insecurity.

“The new Nigerian Government which I have the honour to head, moved with dispatch to put in a bold and robust strategy to defeat Boko Haram. Nigeria and her neighbours Cameroon, Chad and Niger plus Benin are working together to face this common threat within the regional framework of the Lake Chad Basin Commission.

“We have established a multinational joint task force to confront, degrade and defeat Boko Haram. We have driven them away from many of their strongholds, killed or captured many of their operatives or commanders and freed several hundreds of hostages,” President Buhari told the General Assembly.

The President reassured the international community that rescuing the Chibok girls remains one of the major objectives of his administration.

“We are working round the clock to ensure their safety and eventual reunion with their families. The girls are constantly on our minds and in our plans,” he said.

President Buhari condemned the new and dangerous dimension which human trafficking has assumed in the world.

“We in Africa are grieved to see hundreds of our able bodied men and women dying in the desert or drowning in the Mediterranean.

“We condemn in the strongest terms these people traffickers and will support any measures to apprehend and bring them to justice,” the President said.

Noting that the world was witnessing a dreadful increase in conflicts fuelled by availability of small arms and light weapons, President Buhari called on the international community to work towards the effective implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty to ensure that small arms and light weapons can only be legally transferred.

Reminding the global assembly that peaceful co-existence and self-determination were among the key principles that led to the establishment of the United Nations, President Buhari called for the urgent resolution of the question of self determination for the people of Palestine and Western Sahara.

“The international community has come to pin its hopes on resolving the Palestinian issue through the two – states solution which recognizes the legitimate right of each state to exist in peace and security.

“The world has no more excuses or reasons to delay the implementation of the long list of Security Council resolutions on this question. Neither do we have the moral right to deny any people their freedom or condemn them indefinitely to occupation and blockade,” the President said.

Premium Times

Nigeria wins big at the Africa Movie Academy Awards

A total of seven awards were given to Nigeria at the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), which was held in South Africa over the weekend.


Of the 28 categories, Kunle Afolayan’s ‘October 1′ got best Nigerian film, best actor in leading role for Sadiq Daba and best costume for Adeola Sagoe.

Comedian, Ayo Makun’s ’30 Days in Atlanta’ won best comedy film while Kemi Akindoju got best young promising actor for her role in ‘Dazzling Mirage’ in a joint win with a Ugandan actor, Hassan Insigoma.

Destiny Ekeragha won the best first feature film by a director for the movie ‘Gone Too Far’ and the ‘Legacies of Rubbies’ won Nigeria her first AMAA prize in animation.

Full List Of Winners

Best Short Film: Twaaga – Burkina Faso

Best Animation: The Legacies of Rubbies – Nigeria

Best Documentary: Egypt Modern Pharaohs ‘Nasser’ – Egypt

Best Film in an African Language: Timbuktu – Mauritania

Best film by an African living abroad: Fevers – France/Morocco

Best diaspora short film: Sound of Tears – Canada

Best diaspora documentary: The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution – USA

Best diaspora feature: Supremacy – USA

Best Production design: iNumber Number – South Africa

Best costume design: October 1 – Nigeria

Best Make-Up Njinga: Queen of Angola – Angola

Best soundtrack: Triangle Going to America – Ethiopia

Best visual effects: iNumber Number – South Africa

Best Sound: Lobraz Khan – Mauritius

Best Cinematography: Lobraz Khan – Mauritius

Best Editing: Timbuktu

Best Screen Play: Le President

Best comedy film: 30 Days in Atlanta

Best Nigerian Film: October 1

Best Child Actor: Layla Walet Mohammed and Mehdi A.G Mohammed – Timbuktu

Best young promising actor (Joint winners): Kemi Lala Akindoju – Dazzling Mirage Hassan Spike Insingoma – Boda Boda Thieves

Best actor in a supporting role: Samson Tadesa – Triangle Going to America

Best actress in a supporting role: Ama Amphofo – Devil in a Detail

Best actor in a leading role: Sadiq Daba – October 1

Best actress in a leading role: Lesliana Pereira – Njinga: Queen of Angola

Best first feature film by a director: Destiny Ekeragha – Gone Too Far (British-Nigerian)

Best Director: Abderrahmane Sissako – Timbuktu

Best Film: Timbuktu – Mauritania

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Video - Nigeria steps up fight against Boko Haram

Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad are stepping up their fight against Boko Haram.A place called Banki in northern Nigeria is the latest place to be taken away from the armed group. It was a staging post for cross-border attacks into CameroonAl Jazeera's Ahmed Idris travelled with the Nigerian army on a 14-hour trip from Abuja to the frontline in northern Nigeria.

54 Nigerians died in Hajj stampede

At least 54 Nigerians are known to have died in Thursday's stampede during the Hajj pilgrimage near Mecca, says Nigeria's National Hajj Commission.

It was the deadliest incident to hit the Hajj in 25 years.

At least 769 pilgrims died in the crush, more than 200 of whom are believed to be from Africa.

The crush appears to have been caused when pilgrims converged at a junction in Mina, near Mecca, in Saudi Arabia on Thursday morning.

The pilgrims were taking part in the Hajj's last major rite - throwing stone at pillars called Jamarat, where Satan is believed to have tempted the Prophet Abraham.

The chairman of Nigeria's National Hajj Commission Abdullahi Mukhtar confirmed the numbers but said some pilgrims were missing, meaning the final death toll could rise.

The nationality with the highest number of deaths, with at least 140 dead, is Iran.


BBC