Thursday, October 8, 2015
Video - Nigeria looking to build sustainable pension system
Industry experts are in Abuja, Nigeria for the World Pension Summit which aims to build sustainable pension systems across Africa. Nigeria is seen as a model for other African nations, following large scale reforms to increase pension funds over the last decade. It's not just the retired who benefit from this expansion. As Kelechi Emekalam reports, it's hoped the capital from growing pension funds can fuel important infrastructure projects across Africa.
Suicide bomber kills 17 in Nigeria
At least 17 people were killed in a series of suicide bomb attacks in northeast Nigeria Wednesday, as Boko Haram released a new video saying its leader was still alive and in charge of the Islamist group.
The worst of the violence struck the Yobe state capital of Damaturu, which was rocked by triple blasts that killed 14 people and left 10 others injured, according to Bashir Idris Garga, Yobe state coordinator at the National Emergency Management Agency.
Damaturu has been repeatedly attacked during Boko Haram's six-year insurgency. Last month, a girl thought to be aged 12 killed six when the explosives she was carrying went off outside a bus station.
Garga said the first blast Wednesday happened at a small food store, killing four. Another near a mosque killed one, while nine, including a family, lost their lives when a bomber struck a Fulani settlement on the outskirts of the city.
Yobe governor Ibrahim Gaidam called the attacks "cowardly and barbaric" and urged improvements in surveillance.
State police spokesman Toyin Gbadegesin told AFP "gun-wielding bombers" carried out the attacks between 5:30 and 6:00 am (0400 to 0500 GMT), before the night-time curfew was lifted.
In neighbouring Borno state, police said three people were killed in a suicide bombing in Gubio, some 85 kilometres (50 miles) from the state capital Maiduguri.
State police commissioner Aderemi Opadokun said two attackers "detonated improvised explosive devices strapped on their bodies... killing themselves and three locals".
While there was no immediate claim of responsibility for Wednesday's bloodshed, it came after Boko Haram militants earlier this week said they carried out three suicide attacks near Abuja last Friday that left 18 dead.
- 'Allegiance to IS' -
Boko Haram meanwhile published a new propaganda video via social media, in which an unidentified fighter read a statement in Hausa and Arabic, flanked by more than a dozen armed fighters.
"Our leader, Abubakar Shekau is alive and remains our leader," the rebel said.
Shekau himself has not been seen on video since February and had not spoken until an audio message last month where he disputed the Nigerian military's claims of successes against the insurgents.
The shadowy leader's absence has sparked rumours about whether he is still alive or whether he might have been deposed as leader.
The militant speaking to the camera on Wednesday said army claims that some 200 fighters had surrendered in the border town of Banki last month and that hundreds of women and children were released, were a "complete lie".
The 17-minute video was posted under the name "Islamic State in West Africa Province", which Boko Haram has used since its pledge of allegiance to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in March.
"Our allegiance remains with al-Baghdadi," the militant said in the video.
- 'Attack repelled' -
Nigeria's military has claimed a series of recent gains over the insurgents and on Wednesday said scores of rebel fighters were killed during clashes with troops south of Damaturu.
Army spokesman Sani Usman said fighters attempted to attack a battalion of soldiers in Goniri, some 60 kilometres by road southeast of Damaturu, in the early hours of Wednesday.
"During the encounter our gallant troops successfully repelled the attack and inflicted heavy casualties on the invading terrorists as all of them were killed," he said in a statement.
"On the last count over 100 terrorists bodies were seen," he added.
There was no independent verification and the army has previously claimed high losses on the part of the militants.
Usman said seven soldiers were killed and nine others injured in the fighting, which also saw troops recover arms and ammunition, including primed improvised explosive devices.
Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has set his military commanders a three-month deadline to early November to end the Boko Haram violence, which has left at least 17,000 dead since 2009.
But he has conceded that bomb and suicide attacks in urban areas could continue as Boko Haram reverts to attacking "soft targets" in the face of the government offensive.
Boko Haram has also continued to attack neighbouring Chad, Niger and Cameroon, underlining its threat to regional security.
AFP
The worst of the violence struck the Yobe state capital of Damaturu, which was rocked by triple blasts that killed 14 people and left 10 others injured, according to Bashir Idris Garga, Yobe state coordinator at the National Emergency Management Agency.
Damaturu has been repeatedly attacked during Boko Haram's six-year insurgency. Last month, a girl thought to be aged 12 killed six when the explosives she was carrying went off outside a bus station.
Garga said the first blast Wednesday happened at a small food store, killing four. Another near a mosque killed one, while nine, including a family, lost their lives when a bomber struck a Fulani settlement on the outskirts of the city.
Yobe governor Ibrahim Gaidam called the attacks "cowardly and barbaric" and urged improvements in surveillance.
State police spokesman Toyin Gbadegesin told AFP "gun-wielding bombers" carried out the attacks between 5:30 and 6:00 am (0400 to 0500 GMT), before the night-time curfew was lifted.
In neighbouring Borno state, police said three people were killed in a suicide bombing in Gubio, some 85 kilometres (50 miles) from the state capital Maiduguri.
State police commissioner Aderemi Opadokun said two attackers "detonated improvised explosive devices strapped on their bodies... killing themselves and three locals".
While there was no immediate claim of responsibility for Wednesday's bloodshed, it came after Boko Haram militants earlier this week said they carried out three suicide attacks near Abuja last Friday that left 18 dead.
- 'Allegiance to IS' -
Boko Haram meanwhile published a new propaganda video via social media, in which an unidentified fighter read a statement in Hausa and Arabic, flanked by more than a dozen armed fighters.
"Our leader, Abubakar Shekau is alive and remains our leader," the rebel said.
Shekau himself has not been seen on video since February and had not spoken until an audio message last month where he disputed the Nigerian military's claims of successes against the insurgents.
The shadowy leader's absence has sparked rumours about whether he is still alive or whether he might have been deposed as leader.
The militant speaking to the camera on Wednesday said army claims that some 200 fighters had surrendered in the border town of Banki last month and that hundreds of women and children were released, were a "complete lie".
The 17-minute video was posted under the name "Islamic State in West Africa Province", which Boko Haram has used since its pledge of allegiance to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in March.
"Our allegiance remains with al-Baghdadi," the militant said in the video.
- 'Attack repelled' -
Nigeria's military has claimed a series of recent gains over the insurgents and on Wednesday said scores of rebel fighters were killed during clashes with troops south of Damaturu.
Army spokesman Sani Usman said fighters attempted to attack a battalion of soldiers in Goniri, some 60 kilometres by road southeast of Damaturu, in the early hours of Wednesday.
"During the encounter our gallant troops successfully repelled the attack and inflicted heavy casualties on the invading terrorists as all of them were killed," he said in a statement.
"On the last count over 100 terrorists bodies were seen," he added.
There was no independent verification and the army has previously claimed high losses on the part of the militants.
Usman said seven soldiers were killed and nine others injured in the fighting, which also saw troops recover arms and ammunition, including primed improvised explosive devices.
Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has set his military commanders a three-month deadline to early November to end the Boko Haram violence, which has left at least 17,000 dead since 2009.
But he has conceded that bomb and suicide attacks in urban areas could continue as Boko Haram reverts to attacking "soft targets" in the face of the government offensive.
Boko Haram has also continued to attack neighbouring Chad, Niger and Cameroon, underlining its threat to regional security.
AFP
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Switzerland and Britain promise to return looted funds to Nigeria
British and Swiss governments, yesterday, pledged to return looted Nigerian funds stashed away in various personal bank accounts in their countries.
The two countries also promised to work with Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and other anti-graft agencies in the fight against official corruption and theft.
The new British High Commissioner, Mr. Paul Arkwright, and Swiss Ambassador, Mr. Eric Mayoraz, made the promises at separate audiences with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, during the presentation of their letters of credence.
President Buhari, however, called for the speeding up of the processes of investigation, prosecution and repatriation of public funds stolen by past corrupt public officials and their accomplices.
Buhari said: ‘‘Switzerland and Britain have been very helpful, indeed, in the recovery of our assets. But we must build on what we have started.
‘‘It is also important to send a signal to the elite that it is no longer business as usual. I appreciate the efforts of Prime Minister David Cameron on this issue.”
Also, Mr. Arkwright assured the President of Britain’s preparedness to give Nigeria the fullest support and assistance in the recovery of its looted resources.
“We are most ready to help. We have a good team at the National Crime Agency, NCA, working with your Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. Tell us where and how we can help and we will provide the assistance.”
Buhari told the new Swiss Ambassador, Mr. Eric Mayoraz: “We will get our Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to work with you to ensure that all the stolen funds are returned safely to government coffers as quickly as possible.”
President Buhari also received the letters of credence of the ambassador of the State of Palestine, Mr. Saleh Fhied Saleh; ambassador of Myanmar, Mr. Tha Aung Nyun and that of Slovakia, Mr. Peter Holasek.
Vanguard
The two countries also promised to work with Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and other anti-graft agencies in the fight against official corruption and theft.
The new British High Commissioner, Mr. Paul Arkwright, and Swiss Ambassador, Mr. Eric Mayoraz, made the promises at separate audiences with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, during the presentation of their letters of credence.
President Buhari, however, called for the speeding up of the processes of investigation, prosecution and repatriation of public funds stolen by past corrupt public officials and their accomplices.
Buhari said: ‘‘Switzerland and Britain have been very helpful, indeed, in the recovery of our assets. But we must build on what we have started.
‘‘It is also important to send a signal to the elite that it is no longer business as usual. I appreciate the efforts of Prime Minister David Cameron on this issue.”
Also, Mr. Arkwright assured the President of Britain’s preparedness to give Nigeria the fullest support and assistance in the recovery of its looted resources.
“We are most ready to help. We have a good team at the National Crime Agency, NCA, working with your Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. Tell us where and how we can help and we will provide the assistance.”
Buhari told the new Swiss Ambassador, Mr. Eric Mayoraz: “We will get our Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to work with you to ensure that all the stolen funds are returned safely to government coffers as quickly as possible.”
President Buhari also received the letters of credence of the ambassador of the State of Palestine, Mr. Saleh Fhied Saleh; ambassador of Myanmar, Mr. Tha Aung Nyun and that of Slovakia, Mr. Peter Holasek.
Vanguard
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
President Muhammadu Buhari warns the corrupt: "No longer business as usual"
Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday warned there was no longer any hiding place for the corrupt, as he hailed British and Swiss support for the recovery of stolen public funds.
"Switzerland and Britain have been very helpful indeed in the recovery of our assets. But we must build on what we have started," he told both countries' ambassadors separately in Abuja.
"It is also important to send a signal to the elite that it is no longer business as usual," he said, according to a statement from his office.
Buhari has vowed to recover "mind-boggling" amounts of stolen oil money and bring those responsible to book, as part of a drive against corruption and to replenish depleted government coffers.
The arrest in London last week of the country's former oil minister Diezani Alison-Madueke on suspicion of bribery and money laundering has shocked Nigeria's political establishment.
She was one of five people arrested on Friday as part of a probe into international corruption dating back to 2013, when she was a serving minister under president Goodluck Jonathan.
Magistrates in London on Monday granted police permission to retain for six months £27,000 ($41,000/36,500 euros) in cash seized during her arrest.
Alison-Madueke -- the first woman to hold the post of oil minister and the rotating presidency of the global oil cartel OPEC -- has previously been accused of involvement in large-scale fraud.
She has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
On her watch, it was alleged the state-run Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) failed to remit $20 billion in revenue to the central bank.
Nigerian authorities had received "much help" from Britain, Switzerland and other nations to track down stolen public funds "by officials of past administrations", Buhari said.
But he called for "the processes of investigation, prosecution and repatriation of Nigerian funds stolen by corrupt public officials and their accomplices" to be speeded up.
Switzerland in March said it would return about $380 million linked to Nigeria's former military ruler Sani Abacha that was placed in several overseas accounts controlled by his family.
Some $500 million in Swiss bank accounts had already been returned.
Abacha, in power from 1993 until his death in 1998, is suspected of having siphoned off $2.2 billion from Nigeria's central bank in what the United States has called "brazen acts of kleptocracy".
AFP
"Switzerland and Britain have been very helpful indeed in the recovery of our assets. But we must build on what we have started," he told both countries' ambassadors separately in Abuja.
"It is also important to send a signal to the elite that it is no longer business as usual," he said, according to a statement from his office.
Buhari has vowed to recover "mind-boggling" amounts of stolen oil money and bring those responsible to book, as part of a drive against corruption and to replenish depleted government coffers.
The arrest in London last week of the country's former oil minister Diezani Alison-Madueke on suspicion of bribery and money laundering has shocked Nigeria's political establishment.
She was one of five people arrested on Friday as part of a probe into international corruption dating back to 2013, when she was a serving minister under president Goodluck Jonathan.
Magistrates in London on Monday granted police permission to retain for six months £27,000 ($41,000/36,500 euros) in cash seized during her arrest.
Alison-Madueke -- the first woman to hold the post of oil minister and the rotating presidency of the global oil cartel OPEC -- has previously been accused of involvement in large-scale fraud.
She has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
On her watch, it was alleged the state-run Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) failed to remit $20 billion in revenue to the central bank.
Nigerian authorities had received "much help" from Britain, Switzerland and other nations to track down stolen public funds "by officials of past administrations", Buhari said.
But he called for "the processes of investigation, prosecution and repatriation of Nigerian funds stolen by corrupt public officials and their accomplices" to be speeded up.
Switzerland in March said it would return about $380 million linked to Nigeria's former military ruler Sani Abacha that was placed in several overseas accounts controlled by his family.
Some $500 million in Swiss bank accounts had already been returned.
Abacha, in power from 1993 until his death in 1998, is suspected of having siphoned off $2.2 billion from Nigeria's central bank in what the United States has called "brazen acts of kleptocracy".
AFP
Video - Nigeria soldiers training in slippers
Some soldiers in the Nigerian army say they're being trained to fight in their slippers, and are not being given the proper equipment to combat Boko Haram.Army commanders are denying money meant for food, accommodation, training and equipment has been stolen by some officers.
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