Monday, June 17, 2013
Video - Thousands of Nigerians flee country due to violence
The UN says thousands of people continue to flee the violence in Nigeria, a month since the start of a military offensive in three northern states against the armed group Boko Haram. So far more than 6,000 refugees have arrived in the town of Bosso in neighbouring Niger. Boko Haram, a radical armed group, has been blamed for the deaths of thousands of civilians.
Nigeria's population to overtake America's in 2050 according to U.N.
Nigeria's population is expected to surpass that of the U.S. before the middle of the century, according to a new United Nations, UN, World Population Prospects report.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the report was made public during a news conference at the UN Headquarters in New York on Thursday. The report said that by the end of the century, Nigeria could start to rival China as the second most populous country in the world.
The U.S. currently has a population of over 300 million and increasing. This implies that the UN estimates Nigeria's population to be higher than 300 million by 2050.
The report said that by 2100 there could be several other countries with populations over 200 million, namely Indonesia, the United Republic of Tanzania, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Uganda and Niger.
The report titled "World Population Prospects: The 2012 Revision" recorded the total population of Nigeria to be 173,615 with the figure of male 88,362 while the female was recorded as 85,254. It, however, stated that sex ratio of male per 100 female was 104 per cent.
India to overtake China
The report also indicated that the population of India could surpass that of China in the next 20 years.
"The population of India is expected to surpass that of China around 2028, when both countries will have populations of around 1.45 billion. Thereafter, India's population will continue to grow for several decades to around 1.6 billion and then decline slowly to 1.5 billion in 2100.
"The population of China, on the other hand, is expected to start decreasing after 2030, possibly reaching 1.1 billion in 2100.
The report disclosed that current world population of 7.2 billion was projected to increase by almost one billion people within the next twelve years, reaching 8.1 billion in 2025 and 9.6 billion in 2050.
It added that most of the population growth would occur in developing regions, with their population projected to increase from 5.9 billion in 2013 to 8.2 billion in 2050.
"During the same period, the population of developed regions will remain largely unchanged at around 1.3 billion people.
"Growth is expected to be most rapid in the 49 least developed countries, which are projected to double in size from some 900 million inhabitants in 2013 to 1.8 billion in 2050," the report stated.
It noted that at country level, much of the overall increase between now and 2050 was projected to take place in high-fertility countries, mainly in Africa, as well as countries with large populations such as India, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines and the U.S.
"Although population growth has slowed for the world as a whole, this report reminds us that some developing countries, especially in Africa, are still growing rapidly," the UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Wu Hongbo said.
He added that compared to the UN's previous assessment of world population trends, the new projected total population was higher, particularly after 2075.
"Part of the reason is that current fertility levels have been adjusted upward in a number of countries as new information becomes available.
"In 15 high-fertility countries of sub-Saharan Africa, the estimated average number of children per woman has been adjusted upwards by more than five per cent," Mr. Hongbo said.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the report was made public during a news conference at the UN Headquarters in New York on Thursday. The report said that by the end of the century, Nigeria could start to rival China as the second most populous country in the world.
The U.S. currently has a population of over 300 million and increasing. This implies that the UN estimates Nigeria's population to be higher than 300 million by 2050.
The report said that by 2100 there could be several other countries with populations over 200 million, namely Indonesia, the United Republic of Tanzania, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Uganda and Niger.
The report titled "World Population Prospects: The 2012 Revision" recorded the total population of Nigeria to be 173,615 with the figure of male 88,362 while the female was recorded as 85,254. It, however, stated that sex ratio of male per 100 female was 104 per cent.
India to overtake China
The report also indicated that the population of India could surpass that of China in the next 20 years.
"The population of India is expected to surpass that of China around 2028, when both countries will have populations of around 1.45 billion. Thereafter, India's population will continue to grow for several decades to around 1.6 billion and then decline slowly to 1.5 billion in 2100.
"The population of China, on the other hand, is expected to start decreasing after 2030, possibly reaching 1.1 billion in 2100.
The report disclosed that current world population of 7.2 billion was projected to increase by almost one billion people within the next twelve years, reaching 8.1 billion in 2025 and 9.6 billion in 2050.
It added that most of the population growth would occur in developing regions, with their population projected to increase from 5.9 billion in 2013 to 8.2 billion in 2050.
"During the same period, the population of developed regions will remain largely unchanged at around 1.3 billion people.
"Growth is expected to be most rapid in the 49 least developed countries, which are projected to double in size from some 900 million inhabitants in 2013 to 1.8 billion in 2050," the report stated.
It noted that at country level, much of the overall increase between now and 2050 was projected to take place in high-fertility countries, mainly in Africa, as well as countries with large populations such as India, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines and the U.S.
"Although population growth has slowed for the world as a whole, this report reminds us that some developing countries, especially in Africa, are still growing rapidly," the UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Wu Hongbo said.
He added that compared to the UN's previous assessment of world population trends, the new projected total population was higher, particularly after 2075.
"Part of the reason is that current fertility levels have been adjusted upward in a number of countries as new information becomes available.
"In 15 high-fertility countries of sub-Saharan Africa, the estimated average number of children per woman has been adjusted upwards by more than five per cent," Mr. Hongbo said.
Related story:
NDLEA says stats of Nigerians in foreign prisons inaccurate
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has accused the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of neglecting to comply with the provisions of Section 45 of its Act, a development which has resulted in the inaccurate statistics of Nigerians in jail abroad for drug relate-offences.
Section 45 of the NDLEA Act mandates all Heads of Nigerian Diplomatic Mission abroad to furnish NDLEA with the statistics of Nigerians in jail abroad for drug related-offences every six months.
But NDLEA's Director of Prosecution and Legal Services, Femi Oloruntoba accused the Foreign Affairs Ministry of failing to ensure compliance with the provisions of the law, which has in effect hampered the agency from gathering accurate statistics.
Oloruntoba said this in Lagos at a workshop organised by the National Association of Judicial Correspondents (NAJUC). The workshop was with the theme: "Government Agencies and Enabling Laws: Review and Overview."
Oloruntoba, who was represented by Yohanna Mshelia, an Assistant Director with the NDLEA, also accused some foreign countries of failing to corporate with the agency in that regard.
He said lack of cooperation from some foreign countries, particularly the western countries "is also a major concern. These countries refuse to provide relevant information relating to Nigerians involved in drug trafficking in their countries on the grounds that double jeopardy exists in Nigeria - Decree 33 of 1990."
Besides, Oloruntoba pointed out that the absence of drug enforcement officers in Nigerian missions abroad also constitutes major factor in the non-accurate statistics of Nigerians in foreign prison.
According to the current statistics available to NDLEA, over 600 Nigerians were arrested in Thailand in 2002 for drug related offences, out of which 521 were transferred to Nigeria between 2003 and 2008.
He said Russia arrested about 229 Nigerians in 2001 and none has been transferred to Nigeria, while between 2003 and 2004, Indonesia arrested 40 Nigerians out of which none has been transferred to Nigeria.
In 2004, 25 Nigerians were arrested for drug related offences in Italy and none of these Nigerians has been transferred back to the country. Oloruntoba added that in Pakistan, only statistics of Karachi Prison was available, and the said statistics revealed that 226 Nigerians were arrested for drug related offences in 2006.
He said better statistics "may be available with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At present, what the agency has are figures obtained when on visit to the relevant countries. The NIA also sometime provides information to the agency.
"As can be seen above, the statistics available are not up to date and very unreliable as the agency does not have the capacity, or the resources to gather these statistics. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has a crucial role to perform in this respect," he said Customs Boss Tasks Nigerians in Diaspora to Help Develop Nigeria James Emejo in Abuja
Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko Inde, has appealed to Nigerians in the diasporas to return home and take advantage of the opportunity provided by President Goodluck Jonathan to contribute to the development of the country.
He said the country would be better of if those who studied or worked abroad could come back home to offer their experiences towards the development of the country.
Speaking at the weekend in Abuja while being presented with a special award by the Bulgarian Alumni Association, the customs boss said he was one of those who had studied abroad but returned to commit his experience to impact on Nigerians.
He said:" I am here and I have been given an opportunity by President Goodluck Jonathan and I have excelled. So if they come, they'll also have that opportunity. I think if we have about 10 persons who would come back after studies abroad like me, the country will be better of."
Specifically, he said the experience acquired during his studies in Bulgaria had helped immensely in shaping his current six-point agenda which had repositioned the customs service.
He, however, dedicated the award to the 'hardworking' officers and men of the NCS, adding that the honour would further "motivate us for better performances."
Inde said staff welfare and capacity-building of its workforce were critical to his success in the service. The customs is highly commended for establishing critical reforms that have revolutionised the NCS since his assumption of office.
He had among other things approved a 100 per cent increase in the salaries of officers and men - a monetary incentive which had made the service the envy of all.
"Every customs officer is now computer literate and are motivated to work," he told THISDAY.
He also called for joint effort to secure the country's borders stressing that the "Security of our border should not be seen as the duty of customs alone. We must also see ourselves as stakeholders in Nigeria's security."
On his part, the Minister of Special Duties, Malam Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, described Inde as a workaholic, disciplined and patriotic Nigerian whose competence in the discharge of his duties had significantly transformed the NCS.
Also speaking at the award ceremony, the Chairman, House Committee on Diaspora Matters, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said the nation was proud of the customs boss whom she described as gentle, hardworking and devoted to his job.
She said Inde had made a difference by transforming the customs and urged other Nigerians in the Diaspora to emulate him and come back home to share their experience and ideas. "A river which forgets its source will dry up," she said, adding that Nigeria must be fixed by Nigerians."
Section 45 of the NDLEA Act mandates all Heads of Nigerian Diplomatic Mission abroad to furnish NDLEA with the statistics of Nigerians in jail abroad for drug related-offences every six months.
But NDLEA's Director of Prosecution and Legal Services, Femi Oloruntoba accused the Foreign Affairs Ministry of failing to ensure compliance with the provisions of the law, which has in effect hampered the agency from gathering accurate statistics.
Oloruntoba said this in Lagos at a workshop organised by the National Association of Judicial Correspondents (NAJUC). The workshop was with the theme: "Government Agencies and Enabling Laws: Review and Overview."
Oloruntoba, who was represented by Yohanna Mshelia, an Assistant Director with the NDLEA, also accused some foreign countries of failing to corporate with the agency in that regard.
He said lack of cooperation from some foreign countries, particularly the western countries "is also a major concern. These countries refuse to provide relevant information relating to Nigerians involved in drug trafficking in their countries on the grounds that double jeopardy exists in Nigeria - Decree 33 of 1990."
Besides, Oloruntoba pointed out that the absence of drug enforcement officers in Nigerian missions abroad also constitutes major factor in the non-accurate statistics of Nigerians in foreign prison.
According to the current statistics available to NDLEA, over 600 Nigerians were arrested in Thailand in 2002 for drug related offences, out of which 521 were transferred to Nigeria between 2003 and 2008.
He said Russia arrested about 229 Nigerians in 2001 and none has been transferred to Nigeria, while between 2003 and 2004, Indonesia arrested 40 Nigerians out of which none has been transferred to Nigeria.
In 2004, 25 Nigerians were arrested for drug related offences in Italy and none of these Nigerians has been transferred back to the country. Oloruntoba added that in Pakistan, only statistics of Karachi Prison was available, and the said statistics revealed that 226 Nigerians were arrested for drug related offences in 2006.
He said better statistics "may be available with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At present, what the agency has are figures obtained when on visit to the relevant countries. The NIA also sometime provides information to the agency.
"As can be seen above, the statistics available are not up to date and very unreliable as the agency does not have the capacity, or the resources to gather these statistics. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has a crucial role to perform in this respect," he said Customs Boss Tasks Nigerians in Diaspora to Help Develop Nigeria James Emejo in Abuja
Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko Inde, has appealed to Nigerians in the diasporas to return home and take advantage of the opportunity provided by President Goodluck Jonathan to contribute to the development of the country.
He said the country would be better of if those who studied or worked abroad could come back home to offer their experiences towards the development of the country.
Speaking at the weekend in Abuja while being presented with a special award by the Bulgarian Alumni Association, the customs boss said he was one of those who had studied abroad but returned to commit his experience to impact on Nigerians.
He said:" I am here and I have been given an opportunity by President Goodluck Jonathan and I have excelled. So if they come, they'll also have that opportunity. I think if we have about 10 persons who would come back after studies abroad like me, the country will be better of."
Specifically, he said the experience acquired during his studies in Bulgaria had helped immensely in shaping his current six-point agenda which had repositioned the customs service.
He, however, dedicated the award to the 'hardworking' officers and men of the NCS, adding that the honour would further "motivate us for better performances."
Inde said staff welfare and capacity-building of its workforce were critical to his success in the service. The customs is highly commended for establishing critical reforms that have revolutionised the NCS since his assumption of office.
He had among other things approved a 100 per cent increase in the salaries of officers and men - a monetary incentive which had made the service the envy of all.
"Every customs officer is now computer literate and are motivated to work," he told THISDAY.
He also called for joint effort to secure the country's borders stressing that the "Security of our border should not be seen as the duty of customs alone. We must also see ourselves as stakeholders in Nigeria's security."
On his part, the Minister of Special Duties, Malam Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, described Inde as a workaholic, disciplined and patriotic Nigerian whose competence in the discharge of his duties had significantly transformed the NCS.
Also speaking at the award ceremony, the Chairman, House Committee on Diaspora Matters, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said the nation was proud of the customs boss whom she described as gentle, hardworking and devoted to his job.
She said Inde had made a difference by transforming the customs and urged other Nigerians in the Diaspora to emulate him and come back home to share their experience and ideas. "A river which forgets its source will dry up," she said, adding that Nigeria must be fixed by Nigerians."
Related stories:
Friday, June 14, 2013
Lagos and Abuja among most expensive cities in Africa
A recent ranking released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), a sister company of The Economist magazine on 25 African cities has placed Lagos and Abuja among the top four cities in Africa with the highest cost of living.
The key results of the cost of living rankings per city reveal that Abuja is the second most expensive city in Africa with a total expenditure score of 107.4. Lagos comes fourth with 100.8 total expenditure.
Ranking first on the list as Africa’s most expensive city is Luanda in Angola with a score of 131.8, while Addis Ababa came last with a score of 60.8.
In other rankings, Abuja emerged as the 12th city in terms of consumption of alcoholic beverages, tobacco and narcotics, while Lagos took the 21st position among the 25 cities surveyed.
In terms of money spent on transportation, Lagos and Abuja emerged 15th and 22nd out of the 25 cities, scoring 107.5 and 91.7, respectively. Top on this list is Abidjan with 172.0 score spent on transportation, while Alexandra in Egypt came last with a score of 71.7.
The Economist Intelligence Unit produces regular reports on the “reports on the liveability”, and cost of living of the world’s major cities, which receive wide coverage in international news sources.
This Day
The key results of the cost of living rankings per city reveal that Abuja is the second most expensive city in Africa with a total expenditure score of 107.4. Lagos comes fourth with 100.8 total expenditure.
Ranking first on the list as Africa’s most expensive city is Luanda in Angola with a score of 131.8, while Addis Ababa came last with a score of 60.8.
In other rankings, Abuja emerged as the 12th city in terms of consumption of alcoholic beverages, tobacco and narcotics, while Lagos took the 21st position among the 25 cities surveyed.
In terms of money spent on transportation, Lagos and Abuja emerged 15th and 22nd out of the 25 cities, scoring 107.5 and 91.7, respectively. Top on this list is Abidjan with 172.0 score spent on transportation, while Alexandra in Egypt came last with a score of 71.7.
The Economist Intelligence Unit produces regular reports on the “reports on the liveability”, and cost of living of the world’s major cities, which receive wide coverage in international news sources.
This Day
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Nigerian cook lone survivor in shipwreck - Survises 2 days under sea
Of the 12 people on board, divers recovered 10 dead bodies while a remaining crew member has not been found.
Somehow Okene survived, breathing inside a four foot high bubble of air as it shrunk in the waters slowly rising from the ceiling of the tiny toilet and adjoining bedroom where he sought refuge, until two South African divers eventually rescued him.
"I was there in the water in total darkness just thinking it's the end. I kept thinking the water was going to fill up the room but it did not," Okene said, parts of his skin peeling away after days soaking in the salt water.
"I was so hungry but mostly so, so thirsty. The salt water took the skin off my tongue," he said. Seawater got into his mouth but he had nothing to eat or drink throughout his ordeal.
At 4:50 a.m. on May 26, Okene says he was in the toilet when he realized the tugboat was beginning to turn over. As water rushed in and the Jascon-4 flipped, he forced open the metal door.
"As I was coming out of the toilet it was pitch black so we were trying to link our way out to the water tidal (exit hatch)," Okene told Reuters in his home town of Warri, a city in Nigeria's oil-producing Niger Delta.
"Three guys were in front of me and suddenly water rushed in full force. I saw the first one, the second one, the third one just washed away. I knew these guys were dead."
What he didn't know was that he would spend the next two and a half days trapped under the sea praying he would be found.
Turning away from his only exit, Okene was swept along a narrow passageway by surging water into another toilet, this time adjoining a ship's officers cabin, as the overturned boat crashed onto the ocean floor. To his amazement he was still breathing.
FISH FEASTED ON THE DEAD
Okene, wearing only his underpants, survived around a day in the four foot square toilet, holding onto the overturned washbasin to keep his head out of the water.
He built up the courage to open the door and swim into the officer's bedroom and began pulling off the wall paneling to use as a tiny raft to lift himself out of the freezing water.
He sensed he was not alone in the darkness.
"I was very, very cold and it was black. I couldn't see anything," says Okene, staring into the middle distance.
"But I could perceive the dead bodies of my crew were nearby. I could smell them. The fish came in and began eating the bodies. I could hear the sound. It was horror."
What Okene didn't know was a team of divers sent by Chevron and the ship's owners, West African Ventures, were searching for crew members, assumed by now to be dead.
Then in the afternoon of May 28, Okene heard them.
"I heard a sound of a hammer hitting the vessel. Boom, boom, boom. I swam down and found a water dispenser. I pulled the water filter and I hammered the side of the vessel hoping someone would hear me. Then the diver must have heard a sound."
Divers broke into the ship and Okene saw light from a head torch of someone swimming along the passageway past the room.
"I went into the water and tapped him. I was waving my hands and he was shocked," Okene said, his relief still visible.
He thought he was at the bottom of the sea, although the company says it was 30 meters below.
The diving team fitted Okene with an oxygen mask, diver's suit and helmet and he reached the surface at 19:32, more than 60 hours after the ship sank, he says.
Okene says he spent another 60 hours in a decompression chamber where his body pressure was returned to normal. Had he just been exposed immediately to the outside air he would have died.
The cook describes his extraordinary survival story as a "miracle" but the memories of his time in the watery darkness still haunt him and he is not sure he will return to the sea.
"When I am at home sometimes it feels like the bed I am sleeping in is sinking. I think I'm still in the sea again. I jump up and I scream," Okene said, shaking his head.
"I don't know what stopped the water from filling that room. I was calling on God. He did it. It was a miracle."
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