Former oil minister of Nigeria charged with money-laundering

Nigeria's Federal High Court has charged a former oil minister with money-laundering in an election bribery scandal. Diezani Allison-Madueke is the first minister from former President Goodluck Jonathan's Cabinet to be formally charged.

Prosecutors allege that she paid bribes totaling nearly $1.4 million to three electoral officials the day before the March 2015 presidential elections.

A former national security adviser has told the High Court that $2.1 billion was diverted from the war on Boko Haram Islamic extremists for bribes to ensure Jonathan won the election.

Allison-Madueke was absent when charges were read Wednesday. She has been in London since Jonathan lost the 2015 elections. British National Crime Agency officers detained her briefly in 2015 for questioning about alleged money-laundering.

Fox News

Dog saves wedding guests from suicide bomber in Nigeria

A dog is being credited with saving lives by intervening to stop a suicide bomber who was attempted to enter a wedding party near Maiduguri, Nigeria.

Army radio says that the dog grappled with the teen girl bomber until the explosives went off, killing them both, as NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton reports.

"Most Belbelo villagers were reportedly at the wedding when the dog pounced on the would-be suicide bomber, who was reportedly hovering on the outskirts of the ceremony on Sunday morning," Ofeibea adds.

The local Vanguard newspaper states that the bomber, "whose original mission appeared to have been thwarted, detonated her explosives while battling to wriggle herself from the canine grip of the dog."

Buba Ahmed, who lives in the area, told the Associated Press that the "guests are grateful that the dog sacrificed itself to save their lives." Police spokesman Victor Isuku also confirmed the incident to the wire service.

The Nigerian military has launched a major offensive against Boko Haram militants and rolled back their territory in the north of the country, though the militants continue to mount attacks.

NPR

Germany to deport 12,000 Nigerians

German government has concluded plans to deport 12,000 Nigerians who are seeking asylum in the country.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on diaspora affairs, Abike Dabiri-Erewa hinted that the German embassy in Nigeria has intimated her office about the plans to repatriate 12,000 Nigerians who are seeking asylum in the country.

She describes the development as unfortunate, adding that 128 Nigerians also died while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea. Dabiri-Erewa disclosed yesterday at the public presentation of two books “From Libya with Tears’’ and “Practical News and Feature Writing’’ written by former Managing Editor/Director of News Agency of Nigeria, Mr Dele Bodunde. “Just some days ago, 128 Nigerians died in the Mediterranean sea out of 576. Most of them were from West African countries and they were on their way to Europe.

“Now, this is an unfortunate incident and I think it is better to remain in Nigeria and keep struggling, instead of making desperate journeys that could take their lives,’’ she said Dabiri-Erewa, who was represented by her Special Assistant on Media, Mr Abdul-Rahman Balogun said some Nigerians had been trapped in Libya and were subjected to various inhuman treatments and that only the intervention of the Federal Government had ensured the return of many. 

The Presidential aide commended Bodunde for writing a book on the travails of Nigerians in Libya, saying the work could not have come at a better time. Also speaking at the occasion, a former governor of Ogun State and a veteran journalist, Chief Olusegun Osoba, said there was the need for journalists to constantly update themselves with the requisite skills of the profession. According to Osoba, the main problem to the development of the profession is a deficit in skills.

Vanguard

Video - 22 women and girls abducted by Boko Haram in separate attacks

Boko Haram terrorists have reportedly abducted 22 women and girls in two separate raids on rural communities in northeast Borno State in Nigeria. The insurgents reportedly raided Pulka community close to the Nigerian border with Cameroon and later attacked Dumba, a community near Lake Chad and made away with the women and girls as well as food stuff. But the Nigerian Army has denied both attacks.

Nigerian to start registering unemployed by April 5th

The Federal Government has said all is set for the commencement of online registration of unemployed persons in the country on Wednesday April 5th 2017.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Deputy Director, Information & Public Relations, National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Edmund Onwuliri on Monday.

According to him, the development was part of the federal government’s plan to develop and maintain a robust database of unemployed persons and for job provision.

He explained that the registration was in compliance with the third mandate of the NDE which required it “to obtain and maintain a data bank on employment and vacancies in the country with a view to acting as a clearing house to link job seekers with vacancies in collaboration with other government agencies.”

He said: “The online portal which goes live on Wednesday April 5, 2017, is designed to capture the relevant details of any unemployed person. It will equally serve as a job exchange portal that will link job seekers and employers.

“There will be a practical demonstration of the workings of the portal at the NDE stand at the on-going 28th edition of the Enugu International Trade on Thursday April 6, 2017. However, the portal can be accessed by logging on to www.jobsforall.ng.

“The Directorate sees this initiative as a bold step towards deepening the effectiveness of its employment creation strategies and a critical input into the process of designing, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programmes and schemes.

“The online portal will also serve as a meeting point for job seekers and employers thereby reducing the cumbersome process of recruitment among employers of skilled labour in the private and public sectors.”

Daily Post