Friday, December 4, 2015
Video - Former Nigerian national security advisor Sambo Dasuke jailed
There has been another twist to the Sambo Dasuki saga. The former Nigerian national security advisor has been imprisoned. He's accused of defrauding the state of two billion US dollars through phantom weapons contracts. His arrest is seen as part of President Muhammadu Buhari's efforts to stamp out corruption.
Online retail store Yudala makes first drone delivery in Nigeria
For composite online and offline retail chain, Yudala, there is no better way to launch into the season of wonders than with a wonder of their own. The company achieved another first with the drone delivery of the first order placed for its Black Friday sales which ran from Thursday November 26th till Monday November 30th 2015.
The order for the item, a Nokia Lumia smart phone was placed by Yetunde Lawal, a staff of Access Bank Plc. who was shopping on the Yudala website for the first time.
The drone took off from the headquarters of Yudala at Redemption Crescent, Gbagada loaded with the product to the amazement and delight of onlookers and camera crew from various media organizations who gathered to monitor the progress of the drone all the way to the Access Bank branch along the Gbagada-Oshodi Expressway where it was alighted in front of the bank.
A staff of Yudala was on hand to process the invoice for the order and hand over the phone to an obviously elated Yetunde who chose the payment on delivery option.
“I am extremely delighted and indeed short of words to explain how I feel to be the first person to receive an item via drone delivery in Nigeria, all thanks to Yudala. This is an innovative concept in the evolution of e-commerce in the country which I am sure other competitors will want to copy.
“Yudala has met and exceeded my expectations and I can only encourage all my colleagues, friends and family to shop and shop Yudala,” she enthused.
Since its entry into the market a little over four months ago, Yudala has expanded the retail space with several innovative campaigns including the Neighbour to Neighbour Mega Deals, Gyming with the Stars and October Mid-Day Madness, among others through which it has delivered on its mandate of providing genuine products and services to its consumers.
Vanguard
The order for the item, a Nokia Lumia smart phone was placed by Yetunde Lawal, a staff of Access Bank Plc. who was shopping on the Yudala website for the first time.
The drone took off from the headquarters of Yudala at Redemption Crescent, Gbagada loaded with the product to the amazement and delight of onlookers and camera crew from various media organizations who gathered to monitor the progress of the drone all the way to the Access Bank branch along the Gbagada-Oshodi Expressway where it was alighted in front of the bank.
A staff of Yudala was on hand to process the invoice for the order and hand over the phone to an obviously elated Yetunde who chose the payment on delivery option.
“I am extremely delighted and indeed short of words to explain how I feel to be the first person to receive an item via drone delivery in Nigeria, all thanks to Yudala. This is an innovative concept in the evolution of e-commerce in the country which I am sure other competitors will want to copy.
“Yudala has met and exceeded my expectations and I can only encourage all my colleagues, friends and family to shop and shop Yudala,” she enthused.
Since its entry into the market a little over four months ago, Yudala has expanded the retail space with several innovative campaigns including the Neighbour to Neighbour Mega Deals, Gyming with the Stars and October Mid-Day Madness, among others through which it has delivered on its mandate of providing genuine products and services to its consumers.
Vanguard
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Video - Nigeria taking steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
As the world meets in France for the 2015 Paris Climate Conference, Africa's role continues to be significant In Nigeria, CCTV's Sophia Adengo reports about efforts taken by the country to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Video - Documentary on Nigeria's baby farmers
It is understandable why a desperate childless couple might do anything to have a baby, but those who exploit their unhappiness for profit are not so easy to forgive.In this deeply disturbing episode of Africa Investigates, Ghana's undercover journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas and investigative reporter Rosemary Nwaebuni team up to identify and expose some of those those behind Nigeria's heart-breaking baby trade.It is a scam that exploits couples desperate for a baby and young pregnant single mothers - often stigmatised in a country where abortion is illegal except in the most dire medical emergency. It is also a trade that international NGOs have identified as sinister and out of control.Filming undercover, the team find bogus doctors and clinics offering spurious fertility treatments in return for large amounts of money. In their guise as a childless couple, Anas and Rosemary are falsely diagnosed by one dodgy clinician as being unable to conceive children.When the footage is reviewed by an official from Nigeria's Ministry of Health, he is appalled at the way vulnerable people are being conned. "You should not allow these people access to the public," he says.But worse is to come. The team go on to uncover orphanages and clinics that act as brokers for illegal baby sales, by which naive, greedy or simply desperate young mothers are "persuaded" to hand over their newborn children for cash.
Nigeria reduces MTN fine from $5.2 billion to $3.4 billion
Africa's largest mobile operator, MTN, has succeeded in its bid to reduce a $5.2bn £3.4bn) fine imposed by Nigerian authorities for failing to cut off unregistered users.
Nigeria wants mobile phone companies to verify the identity of their customers.
The government says it is concerned unregistered Sim cards are being used by criminal gangs.
The South African company has been in talks with authorities since October when the original fine was imposed.
It said on Thursday it had succeeded in reducing the fine by a third.
The original fine amounted to double MTN's annual profits last year.
Since it was imposed by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), MTN has made a number of senior managerial changes, which included the resignation of the chief executive of its Nigerian unit, Sifiso Dabengwa.
"After further engagements with the Nigerian authorities, the NCC has reduced the imposed fine," MTN said in a statement. It added the fine was now $3.4bn.
Admired and valued
MTN has 231 million subscribers in 22 countries across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. However, Nigeria is its biggest market.
In September, the company was named as most admired brand in Africa in the Brand Africa 100 awards, beating Samsung, while it was also awarded the continent's most valuable brand, worth $4.6bn (£3bn).
MTN was South Africa's second mobile operator when it was set up in 1994 after the end of apartheid.
It began its expansion across Africa four years later with operations in Rwanda, Uganda and Swaziland.
BBC
Nigeria wants mobile phone companies to verify the identity of their customers.
The government says it is concerned unregistered Sim cards are being used by criminal gangs.
The South African company has been in talks with authorities since October when the original fine was imposed.
It said on Thursday it had succeeded in reducing the fine by a third.
The original fine amounted to double MTN's annual profits last year.
Since it was imposed by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), MTN has made a number of senior managerial changes, which included the resignation of the chief executive of its Nigerian unit, Sifiso Dabengwa.
"After further engagements with the Nigerian authorities, the NCC has reduced the imposed fine," MTN said in a statement. It added the fine was now $3.4bn.
Admired and valued
MTN has 231 million subscribers in 22 countries across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. However, Nigeria is its biggest market.
In September, the company was named as most admired brand in Africa in the Brand Africa 100 awards, beating Samsung, while it was also awarded the continent's most valuable brand, worth $4.6bn (£3bn).
MTN was South Africa's second mobile operator when it was set up in 1994 after the end of apartheid.
It began its expansion across Africa four years later with operations in Rwanda, Uganda and Swaziland.
BBC
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Video - Nigeria's spicy cuisine
A typical Nigerian meal is an inferno in your mouth, at least for first time visitors. Nigerians love their meals laced with blended pepper sauce.
Former minister Sambo Dasuki arrested over $2 billion fraud
Nigeria's former national security adviser, Sambo Dasuki, has been arrested for allegedly stealing $2bn (£1.3bn), his representatives say.Mr Dasuki is accused of awarding phantom contracts to buy 12 helicopters, four fighter jets and ammunition. He denies the allegations.
The equipment was meant for the fight against Boko Haram Islamist militants.
Mr Dasuki was picked up early in the morning by security agents, a PR firm representing him said.
Two weeks ago, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered Mr Dasuki's arrest after he was indicted by a panel investigating the procurement of arms under the last administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.
PRNigeria said he was picked up by intelligence agents from his home in the capital, Abuja, where he was already under house arrest facing separate charges.
His arrest follows those of some of his associates by Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday.
The anti-corruption body said they included former Minister of State for Finance Bashir Yuguda and the sons of some prominent politicians of the former ruling party over allegations of impropriety in relation to the arms deal.
Earlier, Mr Dasuki said he had not been given a chance to defend himself before the investigative panel and described its recommendation as "politically motivated".
The former army colonel is already facing a trial for allegedly possessing illegal firearms.
He is the first senior official of the former government to be charged under the rule of President Muhammadu Buhari, who took in office in May.
Boko Haram has killed thousands in north-eastern Nigeria in its six-year campaign to create an Islamic state.
BBC
Monday, November 30, 2015
Former Super Eagle and U23 coach Samson Siasia's mother rescued from kidnappers
The kidnapped mother of Samson Siasia, Nigeria’s Under 23 coach, has regained her freedom.
Madam Beauty Siasia, aged 72, was kidnapped about two weeks ago at her Odoni country home in Sagbama local government area of Bayelsa State by three armed men.
Vanguard gathered that the septuagenarian who was forcibly taken away on a motorcycle exactly twelve days ago was rescued Saturday along the East-West road by men of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Bayelsa State Police command where she was abandoned by her captors.
Spokesman of the state police command, Asinim Butswat confirmed the development.
He said the victim was rescued at about 0130hrs , Saturday, after a hot pursuit by men the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Police Command.
His words, “Madam Beauty Siasia, who was abducted on the 16 November, 2015, was abandoned by her abductors along the East West Road, at about 0130hrs, 28 November, 2015, due to hot pursuit by the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Police Command.
“She is hale and hearty and has been reunited with her family. The Police has intensified efforts to arrest the fleeing suspects.”
Related story: Former Super Eagle and current head coach of Nigeria's U-23 football team Samon Siasia's mother kidnapped
Madam Beauty Siasia, aged 72, was kidnapped about two weeks ago at her Odoni country home in Sagbama local government area of Bayelsa State by three armed men.
Vanguard gathered that the septuagenarian who was forcibly taken away on a motorcycle exactly twelve days ago was rescued Saturday along the East-West road by men of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Bayelsa State Police command where she was abandoned by her captors.
Spokesman of the state police command, Asinim Butswat confirmed the development.
He said the victim was rescued at about 0130hrs , Saturday, after a hot pursuit by men the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Police Command.
His words, “Madam Beauty Siasia, who was abducted on the 16 November, 2015, was abandoned by her abductors along the East West Road, at about 0130hrs, 28 November, 2015, due to hot pursuit by the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Police Command.
“She is hale and hearty and has been reunited with her family. The Police has intensified efforts to arrest the fleeing suspects.”
Related story: Former Super Eagle and current head coach of Nigeria's U-23 football team Samon Siasia's mother kidnapped
Seven students die in school dormitory fire in Kano, Nigeria
At least seven female students have died after a fire at a boarding school hostel near the northern Nigerian city of Kano on Sunday night, officials say.
Most of the deaths resulted from a stampede as hundreds of students rushed to escape the blaze through two exits, the Kano state officials said.
Twenty-five others were injured in the fire which broke out as students were sleeping at the government-run girls school in Jogana village, they added.
It is not being treated as suspicious.
Fire-fighters spent seven hours trying to put out the blaze, an eyewitness told the BBC's Hausa service.
The government has closed the boarding school and ordered a full investigation into the fire.
BBC
Most of the deaths resulted from a stampede as hundreds of students rushed to escape the blaze through two exits, the Kano state officials said.
Twenty-five others were injured in the fire which broke out as students were sleeping at the government-run girls school in Jogana village, they added.
It is not being treated as suspicious.
Fire-fighters spent seven hours trying to put out the blaze, an eyewitness told the BBC's Hausa service.
The government has closed the boarding school and ordered a full investigation into the fire.
BBC
Stocks in Nigeria fall to a 3 year low due to exit of foreigners
Nigeria’s stocks headed for their lowest close in almost three years as foreigners exited the market amid fading hopes that President Muhammadu Buhari’s government can revive an economy growing at its slowest pace this century.
The Nigerian Stock Exchange All Share Index fell 1.2 percent to 27,294.27 at 1:36 p.m. in Lagos, the lowest on a closing basis since Dec. 2012. The gauge has declined on 18 out of 21 trading days in November and is headed for a monthly drop of 6.5 percent.
“The government has not come up with a definitive policy for the economy,” Pabina Yinkere, an analyst at Vetiva Capital Management Ltd., said by phone from Lagos. “The continued lack of clarity is affecting the stock market.”
While Buhari, a 72-year-old former general who came to power in May, has prioritized stamping out corruption in Africa’s biggest economy and oil producer, investors have been irked by a delay of more than five months in forming a cabinet, and his support for the central bank’s currency-trading restrictions that are choking businesses of the dollars they need to pay foreign suppliers.
More than two stocks declined for every one that rose. Nigerian Breweries Plc, the country’s biggest beer-maker that is controlled by Heineken NV, fell 1.7 percent to 118 naira ($0.59). The company, whose stock declined 29 percent this year and which imports about 40 percent of its inputs, said this month it had approached the central bank about the scarcity of foreign-exchange.
Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, the nation’s biggest lender by market capitalization, dropped 2.7 percent to 20 naira ($0.10). The stock is down 20 percent this year. The overall index has plunged 21 percent this year, the most in sub-Saharan Africa after the Zimbabwe Industrial Index.
Specialist African funds including Alquity Investment Management Ltd. and Duet Asset Management Ltd. have lowered their Nigerian exposure because they think central bank Governor Godwin Emefiele will be forced to devalue the naira, which would cause losses on holdings in foreign-currency terms. Last week’s interest rate cut by the central bank, its first in six years, will heap more pressure on the currency, according to David McIlroy, Alquity’s chief investment officer.
The naira was unchanged at 199.05 per dollar and has been all but fixed at 198-199 since early March. Forward prices suggest it will weaken 18 percent to 242.5 in a year.
Pressure on Currency
“The surprise reduction in rates has probably worried international investors even more,” McIlroy said by phone from London. “Given the inflation rate is above the central bank’s target, there’s pressure on the currency and they need to attract foreign capital, you’d expect interest rates to be rising.”
Alquity held about seven Nigerian stocks at the beginning of 2015, including Guaranty Trust Bank and Zenith Bank Plc. It now holds only Dangote Cement Plc. Equity funds are more underweight in Nigeria than any other frontier and emerging markets bar Kuwait and Morocco, analysts at Renaissance Capital Ltd. said in a Nov. 23 note to clients.
“We’ve increased our positions in Egypt and Kenya at the expense of Nigeria,” McIlroy said.
Nigeria is reeling from crude prices that have plunged 57 percent since June 2014. Growth will fall to 3.2 percent this year from 6.3 percent in 2014, according to a Bloomberg survey of economists. That would be the slowest pace since 1999. Annual inflation was 9.3 percent in October, higher than the central bank’s target of 6 to 9 percent.
Bloomberg
The Nigerian Stock Exchange All Share Index fell 1.2 percent to 27,294.27 at 1:36 p.m. in Lagos, the lowest on a closing basis since Dec. 2012. The gauge has declined on 18 out of 21 trading days in November and is headed for a monthly drop of 6.5 percent.
“The government has not come up with a definitive policy for the economy,” Pabina Yinkere, an analyst at Vetiva Capital Management Ltd., said by phone from Lagos. “The continued lack of clarity is affecting the stock market.”
While Buhari, a 72-year-old former general who came to power in May, has prioritized stamping out corruption in Africa’s biggest economy and oil producer, investors have been irked by a delay of more than five months in forming a cabinet, and his support for the central bank’s currency-trading restrictions that are choking businesses of the dollars they need to pay foreign suppliers.
More than two stocks declined for every one that rose. Nigerian Breweries Plc, the country’s biggest beer-maker that is controlled by Heineken NV, fell 1.7 percent to 118 naira ($0.59). The company, whose stock declined 29 percent this year and which imports about 40 percent of its inputs, said this month it had approached the central bank about the scarcity of foreign-exchange.
Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, the nation’s biggest lender by market capitalization, dropped 2.7 percent to 20 naira ($0.10). The stock is down 20 percent this year. The overall index has plunged 21 percent this year, the most in sub-Saharan Africa after the Zimbabwe Industrial Index.
Specialist African funds including Alquity Investment Management Ltd. and Duet Asset Management Ltd. have lowered their Nigerian exposure because they think central bank Governor Godwin Emefiele will be forced to devalue the naira, which would cause losses on holdings in foreign-currency terms. Last week’s interest rate cut by the central bank, its first in six years, will heap more pressure on the currency, according to David McIlroy, Alquity’s chief investment officer.
The naira was unchanged at 199.05 per dollar and has been all but fixed at 198-199 since early March. Forward prices suggest it will weaken 18 percent to 242.5 in a year.
Pressure on Currency
“The surprise reduction in rates has probably worried international investors even more,” McIlroy said by phone from London. “Given the inflation rate is above the central bank’s target, there’s pressure on the currency and they need to attract foreign capital, you’d expect interest rates to be rising.”
Alquity held about seven Nigerian stocks at the beginning of 2015, including Guaranty Trust Bank and Zenith Bank Plc. It now holds only Dangote Cement Plc. Equity funds are more underweight in Nigeria than any other frontier and emerging markets bar Kuwait and Morocco, analysts at Renaissance Capital Ltd. said in a Nov. 23 note to clients.
“We’ve increased our positions in Egypt and Kenya at the expense of Nigeria,” McIlroy said.
Nigeria is reeling from crude prices that have plunged 57 percent since June 2014. Growth will fall to 3.2 percent this year from 6.3 percent in 2014, according to a Bloomberg survey of economists. That would be the slowest pace since 1999. Annual inflation was 9.3 percent in October, higher than the central bank’s target of 6 to 9 percent.
Bloomberg
Friday, November 27, 2015
Oil thieves make away with $250m worth of oil from pipeline in Lagos, Nigeria
Thieves have stolen nearly $250m (£165m) of oil from a single pipeline this year, Nigeria's state oil company says.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said half a billion litres were taken from the pipeline that runs north-east from Lagos.
Long queues have formed at petrol stations across Nigeria in recent days.
Governments blame pipeline vandalism and theft in the oil sector for fuel shortages and damaging the economy.
An NNPC subsidiary told a Senate committee that "incessant hacking" of the System 2B pipeline had "made the task of providing seamless flow of petroleum products to retail outlets more burdensome".
The pipeline stretches 250km from the financial hub Lagos to the city of Ilorin.
The company said it was working to resolve the issue.
"We have been pushing 35 million litres every day to the market and there's no reason why there shouldn't be fuel," said Esther Nnamdi Ogbue, managing director of the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company, a subsidiary.
She blamed "sharp practices" such as hoarding in some areas.
Nigeria is Africa's biggest oil exporter, but a lack of refining capacity means drivers rely on imported petrol and there are frequent fuel shortages.
In May the country was brought to a virtual standstill after importers shut depots over subsidy payments.
President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to scrap the subsidy scheme, which critics say is rife with corruption, but a previous attempt to stop the payments led to violent mass protests in 2012.
However, in August NNPC managing director Emmanuel Kachikwu said the subsidies were an unsustainable drain on the economy, which has suffered as global oil prices have fallen.
BBC
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said half a billion litres were taken from the pipeline that runs north-east from Lagos.
Long queues have formed at petrol stations across Nigeria in recent days.
Governments blame pipeline vandalism and theft in the oil sector for fuel shortages and damaging the economy.
An NNPC subsidiary told a Senate committee that "incessant hacking" of the System 2B pipeline had "made the task of providing seamless flow of petroleum products to retail outlets more burdensome".
The pipeline stretches 250km from the financial hub Lagos to the city of Ilorin.
The company said it was working to resolve the issue.
"We have been pushing 35 million litres every day to the market and there's no reason why there shouldn't be fuel," said Esther Nnamdi Ogbue, managing director of the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company, a subsidiary.
She blamed "sharp practices" such as hoarding in some areas.
Nigeria is Africa's biggest oil exporter, but a lack of refining capacity means drivers rely on imported petrol and there are frequent fuel shortages.
In May the country was brought to a virtual standstill after importers shut depots over subsidy payments.
President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to scrap the subsidy scheme, which critics say is rife with corruption, but a previous attempt to stop the payments led to violent mass protests in 2012.
However, in August NNPC managing director Emmanuel Kachikwu said the subsidies were an unsustainable drain on the economy, which has suffered as global oil prices have fallen.
BBC
Five polish sailors kidnapped off the coast of Nigeria
Five Polish sailors are being held by kidnappers after a cargo ship belonging to a Polish company was attacked off the Nigerian coast, an incident Poland says highlights the need to review safety procedures of vessels operating in the area.
Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski told a news conference of Friday that kidnappers had made no demands so far, and that Poland was liaising with Nigerian authorities, but would not get involved directly unless asked to do so.
"This is a responsibility of the sovereign state of Nigeria," Waszczykowski said.
No traces of blood were discovered on the ship, which operates under the Cyprus flag, he said. The kidnapped sailors included the captain and officers.
"The rest of the crew, 11 people, are still on the ship and they are safe... The ship suffered some damage," Waszczykowski said.
The ship is currently anchored around 30 sea miles - roughly 56 kilometers - off the Nigerian coast, with the operator arranging for a new crew to take it back to port.
The area where the kidnapping took place was not traditionally frequented by pirates, Polish Maritime Minister Marek Grobarczyk said.
Grobarczyk said the safety procedures of all Polish companies operating in the area would now be reviewed to ensure sailors' safety.
Reuters
Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski told a news conference of Friday that kidnappers had made no demands so far, and that Poland was liaising with Nigerian authorities, but would not get involved directly unless asked to do so.
"This is a responsibility of the sovereign state of Nigeria," Waszczykowski said.
No traces of blood were discovered on the ship, which operates under the Cyprus flag, he said. The kidnapped sailors included the captain and officers.
"The rest of the crew, 11 people, are still on the ship and they are safe... The ship suffered some damage," Waszczykowski said.
The ship is currently anchored around 30 sea miles - roughly 56 kilometers - off the Nigerian coast, with the operator arranging for a new crew to take it back to port.
The area where the kidnapping took place was not traditionally frequented by pirates, Polish Maritime Minister Marek Grobarczyk said.
Grobarczyk said the safety procedures of all Polish companies operating in the area would now be reviewed to ensure sailors' safety.
Reuters
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Video - Cleaning up the oil industry in Nigeria
Nigeria's oil sector has faced allegations of government corruption for years. Nearly $30bn has been lost over the last three years. President Muhammadu Buhari says tackling graft in the oil sector is a top priority. Nigeria depends on oil for more than 80 percent of its revenues.
Army says Boko Haram can't be eliminated by December deadline
Nigeria's military cannot meet the president's December deadline to crush Boko Haram's Islamic uprising, and Nigerians must expect suicide bombings to continue, a government spokesman said Thursday.
Air Commodore Yusuf Anas of the Center for Crisis Communication said the deadline "may be unrealistic" and warned Nigerians not to view December as a "sacrosanct date when all suicide bombings will end."
The 6-year-old uprising already has killed 20,000 people and driven 2.3 million from the homes. Millions of dollars worth of property has been destroyed.
"The timeline on when to stop the insurgents from activating sleeper cells and detonating bombs into soft targets in any part of the country, especially in the frontline states, is therefore not tenable."
Forces from Nigeria and neighboring Chad earlier this year drove the extremists out of areas in which they had proclaimed an Islamic caliphate. Recently, the Nigerian Air Force and ground troops have reported destroying numerous Boko Haram camps and freeing more than 1,000 kidnap victims.
In June, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the military to crush the insurgency by December, but the extremists have pushed back with village raids and urban suicide bombings that have killed more than 1,500 people.
Last month, Buhari told the commander of the U.S. Africa Command, Gen. David Rodriguez, that improved training, weapons, logistics and welfare had well-positioned Nigerian forces to break the back of the uprising.
"Structured attacks by the insurgents have reduced and by the end of the year, we should see the final routing of Boko Haram as an organized fighting force," Buhari said.
Boko Haram was named the world's most deadly extremist group in the Global Terrorism Index last week, with 6,644 deaths attributed to it in 2014 — more than any other extremist group.
AP
Air Commodore Yusuf Anas of the Center for Crisis Communication said the deadline "may be unrealistic" and warned Nigerians not to view December as a "sacrosanct date when all suicide bombings will end."
The 6-year-old uprising already has killed 20,000 people and driven 2.3 million from the homes. Millions of dollars worth of property has been destroyed.
"The timeline on when to stop the insurgents from activating sleeper cells and detonating bombs into soft targets in any part of the country, especially in the frontline states, is therefore not tenable."
Forces from Nigeria and neighboring Chad earlier this year drove the extremists out of areas in which they had proclaimed an Islamic caliphate. Recently, the Nigerian Air Force and ground troops have reported destroying numerous Boko Haram camps and freeing more than 1,000 kidnap victims.
In June, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the military to crush the insurgency by December, but the extremists have pushed back with village raids and urban suicide bombings that have killed more than 1,500 people.
Last month, Buhari told the commander of the U.S. Africa Command, Gen. David Rodriguez, that improved training, weapons, logistics and welfare had well-positioned Nigerian forces to break the back of the uprising.
"Structured attacks by the insurgents have reduced and by the end of the year, we should see the final routing of Boko Haram as an organized fighting force," Buhari said.
Boko Haram was named the world's most deadly extremist group in the Global Terrorism Index last week, with 6,644 deaths attributed to it in 2014 — more than any other extremist group.
AP
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Video - Nigerian engineering students build electric car
A group of Nigerian engineering students have built a track focused, four wheeled electric car using locally sourced materials and purely indigenous technology. Its innovators say the world is running out of fossil fuels, and Nigeria will soon need to move towards hybrids and electric cars.
Schools reopen in Borno state despite fears of Boko Haram attack
Nigeria reopened schools in Borno state for the first time in more than a year Tuesday despite fears of attack by terrorist group Boko Haram.
Xinhua news agency quoted Musa Kubo, commissioner for education in Borno state, as saying campus safety could be guaranteed.
The Nigerian government urged parents to send their children back to classes, which were halted in March 2014 amid growing violence in Borno state, birthplace of Boko Haram.
Security forces have made recent gains against the terrorist group, in October unveiling a new task force specifically placed in Borno state, and earlier this month arresting multiple suspects from a 100 most-wanted list, including one in the state capital.
However, attacks have continued in Nigeria and neighboring countries. A suicide bomber in the Cameroonian village of Nigue killed at least 10 people Saturday morning, and similar attacks against crowded markets in northern Nigeria's Kano and Adamawa states earlier last week killed dozens.
Boko Haram, seeking the formation of an Islamic government, has since 2009 killed more than 17,000 people in a campaign of violence that included the kidnapping of hundreds of schoolgirls from the village of Chibok, in Borno state.
The Institute for Economics and Peace last week released a report tallying more than 7,000 people killed by Boko Haram in 2014, making it the "most deadly terrorist group in the world."
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who campaigned earlier this year on a promise to get tough on Boko Haram, set a December deadline to defeat the terrorist group.
"We are not there yet but we are gradually getting there," Xinhua quoted Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, chief of staff of the Nigerian army, as saying Tuesday. "We are making steady progress."
UPI
Xinhua news agency quoted Musa Kubo, commissioner for education in Borno state, as saying campus safety could be guaranteed.
The Nigerian government urged parents to send their children back to classes, which were halted in March 2014 amid growing violence in Borno state, birthplace of Boko Haram.
Security forces have made recent gains against the terrorist group, in October unveiling a new task force specifically placed in Borno state, and earlier this month arresting multiple suspects from a 100 most-wanted list, including one in the state capital.
However, attacks have continued in Nigeria and neighboring countries. A suicide bomber in the Cameroonian village of Nigue killed at least 10 people Saturday morning, and similar attacks against crowded markets in northern Nigeria's Kano and Adamawa states earlier last week killed dozens.
Boko Haram, seeking the formation of an Islamic government, has since 2009 killed more than 17,000 people in a campaign of violence that included the kidnapping of hundreds of schoolgirls from the village of Chibok, in Borno state.
The Institute for Economics and Peace last week released a report tallying more than 7,000 people killed by Boko Haram in 2014, making it the "most deadly terrorist group in the world."
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who campaigned earlier this year on a promise to get tough on Boko Haram, set a December deadline to defeat the terrorist group.
"We are not there yet but we are gradually getting there," Xinhua quoted Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, chief of staff of the Nigerian army, as saying Tuesday. "We are making steady progress."
UPI
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Germany increases scholarships to Nigerian students
The new Consul-General of the Consulate-General of Germany in Lagos, Ingo Herbert, on Tuesday announced his government’s decision to increase scholarships for Nigerians and other Africans.
Mr. Herbert said his government had at its recent bilateral meeting decided to increase its annual scholarships from 450 to “a more reasonable number”.
“Before now about 450 Nigerians benefit every year from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
“But from our recent bilateral meeting, the German government has decided to increase its annual scholarships to Nigeria and other countries from 450 to a much more reasonable number,’’ he said.
Mr. Herbert said that the initiative was part of the German’s human development agenda aimed at giving more Africans opportunities to go and study in different German educational institutions.
The envoy also said that it had become imperative to increase the scholarships following the growing interest of Nigerians and other African in studying in Germany.
“We have realized that after the U.S. and U.K., most Nigerians and other foreign students like coming to study in Germany,’’ he said.
The consul-general said that German universities and colleges had started courses in English Language so as to be able to accommodate more Nigerians.
He restated his government’s commitment to encouraging and creating the right learning environment for the would be beneficiaries of the scholarships.
Mr. Herbert also expressed satisfaction with the successes currently being made by some Nigerians that had benefited from the scholarships in the past in their professions.
Premium Times
Mr. Herbert said his government had at its recent bilateral meeting decided to increase its annual scholarships from 450 to “a more reasonable number”.
“Before now about 450 Nigerians benefit every year from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
“But from our recent bilateral meeting, the German government has decided to increase its annual scholarships to Nigeria and other countries from 450 to a much more reasonable number,’’ he said.
Mr. Herbert said that the initiative was part of the German’s human development agenda aimed at giving more Africans opportunities to go and study in different German educational institutions.
The envoy also said that it had become imperative to increase the scholarships following the growing interest of Nigerians and other African in studying in Germany.
“We have realized that after the U.S. and U.K., most Nigerians and other foreign students like coming to study in Germany,’’ he said.
The consul-general said that German universities and colleges had started courses in English Language so as to be able to accommodate more Nigerians.
He restated his government’s commitment to encouraging and creating the right learning environment for the would be beneficiaries of the scholarships.
Mr. Herbert also expressed satisfaction with the successes currently being made by some Nigerians that had benefited from the scholarships in the past in their professions.
Premium Times
Video - Nigeria banning importation of electric generator
The Nigerian Government has banned the importation of one of the most popular and affordable electricity generators due to pollution and health concerns. But local businesses say the generators are crucial in keeping operations running amid the nation's chronic power outages.
Related stories: Video - Nigeria electricity crisis worsens
Video - Electricity shortage threatening Nigeria's economy
Video - Electricity tariff in Nigeria increases by 40%
Nigerians stranded in Canada due to Nigerian government's failure to pay scholarship bill
Wisdom Eji says he and his fellow Nigerians, here on scholarships for underprivileged students, have been left to fend for themselves after the government-funded program that brought them to Canada has failed to pay.
"We have been abandoned," said Eji, a University of Regina (U of R) engineering student. "We live right now like we don't have sponsors."
Across Canada, 246 Nigerian students, in 14 universities were promised their tuition and living expenses would be covered during their four-year degree program.
However, they haven't received their living allowance for the past 11 months and their tuition is millions of dollars in arrears.
"You just wish you didn't even have the scholarship in the first place," Eji said. "Like things get bad — I just wish I didn't even come here. I just wish I was at home."
Government agency owes millions
Eji is one of 40-50 students enrolled at the U of R under a scholarship paid for by the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA); an organization owned and funded by the Rivers State government in Nigeria.
The organization sponsors hundreds of poor but academically gifted students to study at universities in 14 countries, including Canada.
The students were promised tuition and a living allowance of $1,100 a month to cover their rent, food and other expenses.
"Before we left Nigeria they are like, 'Don't even work,'" Eji recalled. "''We'll give you everything you need.'"
The RSSDA owes Canadian students about $3 million in living allowance, forcing many like Eji to find jobs. He is working part-time while continuing his full-time studies.
He said he's behind on his rent and other bills, is often hungry, stressed and sleepless. He said as a result his marks have dropped 15-20 percentage points.
Canadian universities owed millions
In addition to what it owes in living allowances, the RSSDA admits it also owes $2.5 million in tuition to 14 Canadian universities. More than half of that, $1.3 million, is owed to the U of R for the 2014/15 academic year, during which 124 RSSDA sponsored students studied at the institution.
Vanessa Ikeogu, an RSSDA student who's studying criminology at the U of R, said she's angered by the behaviour of her government and sponsoring agency.
"Ignorant, reluctant, irresponsible government officials," Ikeogu said. "I just feel like I have been lied to."
However, the acting executive director of the RSSDA, Godwin Poi, said the government-owned agency will keep its promises.
RSSDA promises to pay
"It is absolutely correct to do so. It's a government, and we can't afford government obligations and responsibilities to fail," Poi told CBC's iTeam.
Nigeria has fallen on hard financial times because of the collapse of the price of oil, he said, pleading for patience.
"It is tragic and sad that we're in the situation we are in. To the best of my knowledge all the governments have done their best to fund the situation for them," Poi said. "We have gone through a very very serious phase of funding for the country and the state."
The U of R has admitted more Nigerian students through this program than any other university in Canada. At its peak, during the 2012/13 academic year, there were 155 RSSDA sponsored students at the U of R.
On average, international students pay about $10,000 in tuition per semester for a full load of classes; much higher than what Canadian students pay.
The director of executive reporting services at the U of R, Lamont Stradeski, says the university's relationship with the RSSDA dates back to 2008. And he fully expects the university will be paid.
"I guess the recourse the university has is we can stop students from registering further.," he said. "However, we wouldn't do that unless we had serious concerns that we would not receive payment, which at this point we don't."
Unpaid tuition creating stress
The RSSDA owes more than $250,000 to the University of Manitoba (U of M) and that institution appears to be taking a harder line.
Gift Amadi is sponsored by the agency to pursue a political science degree at the U of M, but his tuition bill is past due, and the university is asking him to pay.
"The school is saying you have just about 30 days left to pay what's left for this term," Amadi said. "If not I won't be able to register for the winter term."
He said the lack of scholarship funding has been "very devastating."
"Right now I'm taking classes and I'm thinking of feeding. I haven't eaten since morning and I'm in class," Amadi told CBC's iTeam, when reached in the evening at the U of M.
The associate VP of Outreach and Engagement at the U of M, Leah Janzen, said she's sympathetic.
"I know some of them have accessed our student food bank," Janzen explained. "It's a very difficult situation."
Payment plans
She said the university is working with the students to develop payment plans and find other funding.
Some RSSDA students have paid their own tuition, borrowing money from friends, family or churches. But for others, time is clearly running out.
For about a dozen students, tuition hasn't been paid for the summer or fall term, putting their stay at the university in jeopardy.
"Our policy is you can't go into a third term having not been able to pay for the previous two terms in their entirety," Janzen said. "So we don't want to get to that position with these students."
If an international student on a visa is no longer registered at an educational institution, they aren't able to stay in Canada, according to immigration rules.
Recently, 19 RSSDA-sponsored students had to flee the U.K. in order to avoid deportation from that country because their tuition had not been paid by the agency.
Many students in Canada worry they may end up in the same situation.
"Terrified — because you don't know if you're the next," Eji said. "I can't get that money, so if I don't have that money the only option is going back to Nigeria."
Students take action
Amadi says ongoing political instability in Nigeria has made it easy for politicians there to ignore this problem, so he and the other students have decided to take action.
They've formed a committee to mobilize friends, family and the media to pressure the Nigerian government.
He said students are worried they may face retaliation by speaking out about this issue, but added his political science studies have taught him that sometimes it's necessary to take calculated risks.
"It may not be convenient, it may not be comfortable for you, but someone has got to stand to say 'OK, this is the right thing and we can do it if we stand for what is right and we speak up about it.'"
He said it's ironic that his government sent him to Canada on a scholarship to study political science, the knowledge he's now using to pressure that same government to keep its word.
CBC
Related story: Video - University in Canada high acceptance rate for Nigerians despite tough immigration
"We have been abandoned," said Eji, a University of Regina (U of R) engineering student. "We live right now like we don't have sponsors."
Across Canada, 246 Nigerian students, in 14 universities were promised their tuition and living expenses would be covered during their four-year degree program.
However, they haven't received their living allowance for the past 11 months and their tuition is millions of dollars in arrears.
"You just wish you didn't even have the scholarship in the first place," Eji said. "Like things get bad — I just wish I didn't even come here. I just wish I was at home."
Government agency owes millions
Eji is one of 40-50 students enrolled at the U of R under a scholarship paid for by the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA); an organization owned and funded by the Rivers State government in Nigeria.
The organization sponsors hundreds of poor but academically gifted students to study at universities in 14 countries, including Canada.
The students were promised tuition and a living allowance of $1,100 a month to cover their rent, food and other expenses.
"Before we left Nigeria they are like, 'Don't even work,'" Eji recalled. "''We'll give you everything you need.'"
The RSSDA owes Canadian students about $3 million in living allowance, forcing many like Eji to find jobs. He is working part-time while continuing his full-time studies.
He said he's behind on his rent and other bills, is often hungry, stressed and sleepless. He said as a result his marks have dropped 15-20 percentage points.
Canadian universities owed millions
In addition to what it owes in living allowances, the RSSDA admits it also owes $2.5 million in tuition to 14 Canadian universities. More than half of that, $1.3 million, is owed to the U of R for the 2014/15 academic year, during which 124 RSSDA sponsored students studied at the institution.
Vanessa Ikeogu, an RSSDA student who's studying criminology at the U of R, said she's angered by the behaviour of her government and sponsoring agency.
"Ignorant, reluctant, irresponsible government officials," Ikeogu said. "I just feel like I have been lied to."
However, the acting executive director of the RSSDA, Godwin Poi, said the government-owned agency will keep its promises.
RSSDA promises to pay
"It is absolutely correct to do so. It's a government, and we can't afford government obligations and responsibilities to fail," Poi told CBC's iTeam.
Nigeria has fallen on hard financial times because of the collapse of the price of oil, he said, pleading for patience.
"It is tragic and sad that we're in the situation we are in. To the best of my knowledge all the governments have done their best to fund the situation for them," Poi said. "We have gone through a very very serious phase of funding for the country and the state."
The U of R has admitted more Nigerian students through this program than any other university in Canada. At its peak, during the 2012/13 academic year, there were 155 RSSDA sponsored students at the U of R.
On average, international students pay about $10,000 in tuition per semester for a full load of classes; much higher than what Canadian students pay.
The director of executive reporting services at the U of R, Lamont Stradeski, says the university's relationship with the RSSDA dates back to 2008. And he fully expects the university will be paid.
"I guess the recourse the university has is we can stop students from registering further.," he said. "However, we wouldn't do that unless we had serious concerns that we would not receive payment, which at this point we don't."
Unpaid tuition creating stress
The RSSDA owes more than $250,000 to the University of Manitoba (U of M) and that institution appears to be taking a harder line.
Gift Amadi is sponsored by the agency to pursue a political science degree at the U of M, but his tuition bill is past due, and the university is asking him to pay.
"The school is saying you have just about 30 days left to pay what's left for this term," Amadi said. "If not I won't be able to register for the winter term."
He said the lack of scholarship funding has been "very devastating."
"Right now I'm taking classes and I'm thinking of feeding. I haven't eaten since morning and I'm in class," Amadi told CBC's iTeam, when reached in the evening at the U of M.
The associate VP of Outreach and Engagement at the U of M, Leah Janzen, said she's sympathetic.
"I know some of them have accessed our student food bank," Janzen explained. "It's a very difficult situation."
Payment plans
She said the university is working with the students to develop payment plans and find other funding.
Some RSSDA students have paid their own tuition, borrowing money from friends, family or churches. But for others, time is clearly running out.
For about a dozen students, tuition hasn't been paid for the summer or fall term, putting their stay at the university in jeopardy.
"Our policy is you can't go into a third term having not been able to pay for the previous two terms in their entirety," Janzen said. "So we don't want to get to that position with these students."
If an international student on a visa is no longer registered at an educational institution, they aren't able to stay in Canada, according to immigration rules.
Recently, 19 RSSDA-sponsored students had to flee the U.K. in order to avoid deportation from that country because their tuition had not been paid by the agency.
Many students in Canada worry they may end up in the same situation.
"Terrified — because you don't know if you're the next," Eji said. "I can't get that money, so if I don't have that money the only option is going back to Nigeria."
Students take action
Amadi says ongoing political instability in Nigeria has made it easy for politicians there to ignore this problem, so he and the other students have decided to take action.
They've formed a committee to mobilize friends, family and the media to pressure the Nigerian government.
He said students are worried they may face retaliation by speaking out about this issue, but added his political science studies have taught him that sometimes it's necessary to take calculated risks.
"It may not be convenient, it may not be comfortable for you, but someone has got to stand to say 'OK, this is the right thing and we can do it if we stand for what is right and we speak up about it.'"
He said it's ironic that his government sent him to Canada on a scholarship to study political science, the knowledge he's now using to pressure that same government to keep its word.
CBC
Related story: Video - University in Canada high acceptance rate for Nigerians despite tough immigration
500 Nigerians scheduled to be deported from U.K. today
Nigerians at home are currently bracing for a blazing diplomatic row with Britain as the United Kingdom plans to deport over 500 Nigerians who have been resident in that country today.
For over two weeks now, the affected Nigerians in the UK have been crying out to the Nigerian Government to come their rescue,but it appears their cry for help has fallen on deaf ears.
Some of these Nigerians are married to British nationals, and deporting now will mean that they may never get to see their families and loved ones in the UK again.
Sad enough too, the Nigerian Government has been uncomfortably silent on the allegation of Nigerian High Commission officials in the UK taking £3,000 bribe from UK officials to issue travel certificates to the affected Nigerians.
The families of the affected Nigerians at home here are wondering why the government is not taking any action on the issue, when of course,it is common knowledge that the British Government will never condone its own citizens being treated in the manner Nigerians are being treated in the UK.
Leadership
For over two weeks now, the affected Nigerians in the UK have been crying out to the Nigerian Government to come their rescue,but it appears their cry for help has fallen on deaf ears.
Some of these Nigerians are married to British nationals, and deporting now will mean that they may never get to see their families and loved ones in the UK again.
Sad enough too, the Nigerian Government has been uncomfortably silent on the allegation of Nigerian High Commission officials in the UK taking £3,000 bribe from UK officials to issue travel certificates to the affected Nigerians.
The families of the affected Nigerians at home here are wondering why the government is not taking any action on the issue, when of course,it is common knowledge that the British Government will never condone its own citizens being treated in the manner Nigerians are being treated in the UK.
Leadership
Monday, November 23, 2015
8 dead in suicide bombing in Nigeria
Eight people were killed and eight others injured Sunday in a suicide bombing in Nigeria, an army spokesman said.
The bomb detonated among people displaced by Boko Haram violence in the city of Maiduguri in northeastern Nigeria, according to Col. Sani Usman.
The victims, mostly women and children from Dikwa, were undergoing security screening at a military checkpoint.
Nigerian troops liberated Dikwa from Boko Haram in July, allowing people from the town to return home, and residents from nearby villages to move to the town for military protection against deadly raids. But a lack of food and other basic necessities forced people to flee.
Boko Haram, which operates mainly in Nigeria, has become the most deadly terrorist group in the world, according to the Global Terrorism Index 2015, compiled by the Institute for Economics and Peace. The militant Islamist group has pledged allegiance to ISIS.
CNN
Friday, November 20, 2015
Report says Boko Haram is world's deadliest terror group
France has yet to recover from the Paris attacks. Everyday news about ISIS beheadings and onslaught are abound. World powers are joining forces conducting airstrikes against the terrorist group. Political rivals like Russia and U.S. are willing to set aside differences in order to fight the ISIS. And yet a more terrifying group than the ISIS has risen.
The world’s deadliest terrorist group is not the ISIS, but the Boko Haram in Nigeria,according to a report released Wednesday by the Institute of Economics and Peace. The Global Terrorism Index, a study of terrorist activity around the world, found that Boko Haram was responsible for 6,664 deaths in 2014 alone – more than any other terrorist group in the world. The ISIS, on the other hand, killed 6,073 people in 2014. Worse, the Boko Haram had pledged allegiance to the ISIS (now known as Daesh) this year. Together, they were responsible for half of all global deaths attributed to terrorism, the report said.
Nigeria has also been battling another terrorist organization aside from the Boko Haram, the Fulani militants. Hence, it has experienced the largest increase in deaths from terrorism in 2014, the report stated. There were 7,512 fatalities in thecountry from terrorist attacks in 2014 alone, an increase of over 300 percent.
On Thursday, another deadly blast killed 11 persons and injured 57 in Kano, Nigeria. According to a report from Vanguard, the blast also killed the two female suicide bombers at a local market. The incident took place just days after 30 persons were killed in a separate blast in Yola, Adamawa state.
Muhammad Katsina, Commissioner of Police, said six suspects rode a Sharon Space Wagon vehicle. They dropped two females at the market. The females then went inside the market and the suspects detonated the bombs.
Boko Haram was responsible for kidnapping as many as 300 girls in 2014. Although the group had freed 200 of these girls, the fates of the others remain unknown today.
Morning News USA
The world’s deadliest terrorist group is not the ISIS, but the Boko Haram in Nigeria,according to a report released Wednesday by the Institute of Economics and Peace. The Global Terrorism Index, a study of terrorist activity around the world, found that Boko Haram was responsible for 6,664 deaths in 2014 alone – more than any other terrorist group in the world. The ISIS, on the other hand, killed 6,073 people in 2014. Worse, the Boko Haram had pledged allegiance to the ISIS (now known as Daesh) this year. Together, they were responsible for half of all global deaths attributed to terrorism, the report said.
Nigeria has also been battling another terrorist organization aside from the Boko Haram, the Fulani militants. Hence, it has experienced the largest increase in deaths from terrorism in 2014, the report stated. There were 7,512 fatalities in thecountry from terrorist attacks in 2014 alone, an increase of over 300 percent.
On Thursday, another deadly blast killed 11 persons and injured 57 in Kano, Nigeria. According to a report from Vanguard, the blast also killed the two female suicide bombers at a local market. The incident took place just days after 30 persons were killed in a separate blast in Yola, Adamawa state.
Muhammad Katsina, Commissioner of Police, said six suspects rode a Sharon Space Wagon vehicle. They dropped two females at the market. The females then went inside the market and the suspects detonated the bombs.
Boko Haram was responsible for kidnapping as many as 300 girls in 2014. Although the group had freed 200 of these girls, the fates of the others remain unknown today.
Morning News USA
Video - More than 100 Nigerian soldiers go missing after Boko Haram attack
More than a hundred Nigeria soldiers have gone missing following an attack by the ISIL-affiliated Boko Haram militant group. The soldiers apparently came under attack - and the militants made off with military hardware, including a tank.
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Video - Nigerian restaurant with waiters on Smart Wheels
A Nigerian restaurant is taking a modern and novel approach to food service in a bid to wow customers. Waiters and waitresses in the restaurant in the city of Ibadan are carrying meals and serving food while riding Smart Balance Wheels.
Nigeria couple living in U.K. face jail time for keeping househelp captive for 24 years
A top doctor and his wife have have been convicted of keeping a man as a slave for nearly a quarter of a century after bringing him to the UK from Nigeria.
Doctor Emmanuel Edet, 61, and his wife Antan, 58, took Ofonime Sunday Edet, now 40, when he was just 12-years-old from his family without their permission in 1989 before he agreed to be their ‘house boy’.
He was held in “invisible handcuffs” from 1989, too terrified to flee the family-of-four’s home where he slaved away as a “houseboy.”
He had agreed to work for them in exchange for money and education - but the couple paid him just £2-a-week and Ofonime was forced to work for a staggering 17 hours every day for 24 years.
The Edets - who worked as a gynecologist and senior nursing sister - controlled what the victim wore and when he could leave the house.
They also ordered him to speak to them in Nigerian and in English to their children while leaving numerous notes detailing the hours he would have to carry out.
He was made to sleep on the floor of their home on a piece of dirty foam - despite their being a spare room in the house.
They also forbade him to enter any of the rooms of the house unless he was cleaning them and set up CCTV cameras in their home to keep an eye on him whenever they went away.
His only treat in his entire time with the family was a trip to Flamingo Land in Scarborough in 1991.
As the family moved about from Caterham to Scarborough, Walsall and then finally west London, Ofonime was kept from others.
They moved to Northolt in 1995 before settling in a rented house in Perivale, west London, in 2001.
The Edets managed to fool people by claiming that the man had been adopted and suffered for years until he saw a report on modern day slavery and contacted the Hope for Justice charity.
Antan and Emmanuel Edet were arrested in March last year and have now been found guilty of holding a person in slavery or servitude, child cruelty and assisting unlawful immigration.
Detective Chief Inspector Phil Brewer, from the Trafficking and Kidnap Unit, said that the victim now has a new life in the UK, with a job and his own home.
He added: “While he will never fully overcome what happened during those 24 years, he is determined to make the most of the rest of his life and today’s conviction will help him feel he can do that. In his own words, he has hope and a future now.”
The Edets are due to be sentenced today.
Yahoo
Doctor Emmanuel Edet, 61, and his wife Antan, 58, took Ofonime Sunday Edet, now 40, when he was just 12-years-old from his family without their permission in 1989 before he agreed to be their ‘house boy’.
He was held in “invisible handcuffs” from 1989, too terrified to flee the family-of-four’s home where he slaved away as a “houseboy.”
He had agreed to work for them in exchange for money and education - but the couple paid him just £2-a-week and Ofonime was forced to work for a staggering 17 hours every day for 24 years.
The Edets - who worked as a gynecologist and senior nursing sister - controlled what the victim wore and when he could leave the house.
They also ordered him to speak to them in Nigerian and in English to their children while leaving numerous notes detailing the hours he would have to carry out.
He was made to sleep on the floor of their home on a piece of dirty foam - despite their being a spare room in the house.
They also forbade him to enter any of the rooms of the house unless he was cleaning them and set up CCTV cameras in their home to keep an eye on him whenever they went away.
His only treat in his entire time with the family was a trip to Flamingo Land in Scarborough in 1991.
As the family moved about from Caterham to Scarborough, Walsall and then finally west London, Ofonime was kept from others.
They moved to Northolt in 1995 before settling in a rented house in Perivale, west London, in 2001.
The Edets managed to fool people by claiming that the man had been adopted and suffered for years until he saw a report on modern day slavery and contacted the Hope for Justice charity.
Antan and Emmanuel Edet were arrested in March last year and have now been found guilty of holding a person in slavery or servitude, child cruelty and assisting unlawful immigration.
Detective Chief Inspector Phil Brewer, from the Trafficking and Kidnap Unit, said that the victim now has a new life in the UK, with a job and his own home.
He added: “While he will never fully overcome what happened during those 24 years, he is determined to make the most of the rest of his life and today’s conviction will help him feel he can do that. In his own words, he has hope and a future now.”
The Edets are due to be sentenced today.
Yahoo
49 dead within 24 hours of multiple Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria
Multiple attacks less than 24 hours apart left at least 49 dead in Nigeria on Wednesday, a day after Boko Haram was named the world's deadliest terror group.
At least 15 were killed and more than 100 wounded Wednesday in the northern town of Kano after two suicide bombers blew themselves up outside a busy market. Those attacks came less than a day after 34 people were killed and 80 wounded in an explosion at a market in the northeastern city of Yola late Tuesday.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, but the incidents bore the hallmarks of Boko Haram, which is attempting to create an Islamic caliphate, or state, in Nigeria. The group pledged allegiance to the Islamic State earlier this year.
The attacks broke a three-week hiatus in bombings after a series of suicide attacks culminated in twin blasts in mosques in two northeastern cities on Oct. 23, leaving 42 dead and wounding more than 100.
The Global Terrorism Index said Boko Haram was responsible for 6,644 deaths in 2014, a one-year increase of 317%. The Nigerian terror group overtook the Islamic State, which was responsible for the deaths of 6,073 people, according to the report published Tuesday by the Global Peace Institute.
Overall, Boko Haram's 6-year terror campaign has left more than 20,000 dead and forced another 2.3 million to flee.
Nigeria has experienced the largest increase in terror deaths ever recorded by a single nation, the study added. The nation is facing another insurgency by Fulani militants who killed 1,229 last year.
On Wednesday, Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the arrest of a former government official and others accused of stealing over $2 billion intended to fund the fight against Boko Haram. Sambo Dasuki, the national security adviser to the previous president Goodluck Jonathan, is accused of awarding fictitious contracts to buy four fighter jets, 12 helicopters and ammunition.
Buhari said if the funds had been properly used, "thousands of needless Nigerian deaths would have been avoided." Dasuki, a retired army colonel, denied the accusations.
acebook activated "Safety Check" following Tuesday's blast in Nigeria, marking just the second time the feature was used after a terror attack. It was first used in the wake of Friday's assaults on the French capital, which left 129 people dead.
However, some users claimed the use of the tool in the wake of the Paris attacks made it seem like those killed in acts of terrorism in other parts of the world — like those a day earlier in Beirut, where more than 43 were killed — didn't matter as much.
"After the Paris attacks last week, we made the decision to use Safety Check for more tragic events like this going forward. We're now working quickly to develop criteria for the new policy and determine when and how this service can be most useful," CEOMark Zuckerberg said in a post late Tuesday on his Facebook page.
Previously, Safety Check had only been activated in cases of natural disasters. The tool allows people to inform their friends they are safe and check the status of others.
"Unfortunately, these kinds of events are all too common, so I won't post about all of them. A loss of human life anywhere is a tragedy, and we're committed to doing our part to help people in more of these situations."
USA TODAY
At least 15 were killed and more than 100 wounded Wednesday in the northern town of Kano after two suicide bombers blew themselves up outside a busy market. Those attacks came less than a day after 34 people were killed and 80 wounded in an explosion at a market in the northeastern city of Yola late Tuesday.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, but the incidents bore the hallmarks of Boko Haram, which is attempting to create an Islamic caliphate, or state, in Nigeria. The group pledged allegiance to the Islamic State earlier this year.
The attacks broke a three-week hiatus in bombings after a series of suicide attacks culminated in twin blasts in mosques in two northeastern cities on Oct. 23, leaving 42 dead and wounding more than 100.
The Global Terrorism Index said Boko Haram was responsible for 6,644 deaths in 2014, a one-year increase of 317%. The Nigerian terror group overtook the Islamic State, which was responsible for the deaths of 6,073 people, according to the report published Tuesday by the Global Peace Institute.
Overall, Boko Haram's 6-year terror campaign has left more than 20,000 dead and forced another 2.3 million to flee.
Nigeria has experienced the largest increase in terror deaths ever recorded by a single nation, the study added. The nation is facing another insurgency by Fulani militants who killed 1,229 last year.
On Wednesday, Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the arrest of a former government official and others accused of stealing over $2 billion intended to fund the fight against Boko Haram. Sambo Dasuki, the national security adviser to the previous president Goodluck Jonathan, is accused of awarding fictitious contracts to buy four fighter jets, 12 helicopters and ammunition.
Buhari said if the funds had been properly used, "thousands of needless Nigerian deaths would have been avoided." Dasuki, a retired army colonel, denied the accusations.
acebook activated "Safety Check" following Tuesday's blast in Nigeria, marking just the second time the feature was used after a terror attack. It was first used in the wake of Friday's assaults on the French capital, which left 129 people dead.
However, some users claimed the use of the tool in the wake of the Paris attacks made it seem like those killed in acts of terrorism in other parts of the world — like those a day earlier in Beirut, where more than 43 were killed — didn't matter as much.
"After the Paris attacks last week, we made the decision to use Safety Check for more tragic events like this going forward. We're now working quickly to develop criteria for the new policy and determine when and how this service can be most useful," CEOMark Zuckerberg said in a post late Tuesday on his Facebook page.
Previously, Safety Check had only been activated in cases of natural disasters. The tool allows people to inform their friends they are safe and check the status of others.
"Unfortunately, these kinds of events are all too common, so I won't post about all of them. A loss of human life anywhere is a tragedy, and we're committed to doing our part to help people in more of these situations."
USA TODAY
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Fuel shortage crisis hits Nigeria
A severe fuel crisis has hit Nigeria with long queues of angry motorists waiting for hours outside petrol stations in major cities to fill up.
Importers are accused of withholding petrol because of a payment dispute with the government, which they deny.
This is the biggest fuel shortage in Nigeria since President Muhammadu Buhari took office in May.
Nigeria is Africa's main oil exporter but imports most of its petrol because it lacks the capacity to refine it.
The fuel is imported at a subsidised price under a scheme operated by the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
Earlier this month, the government approved the payment of $2.1bn (£1.4bn) to the importers, or wholesale fuel sellers, to settle subsidy claims.
However, payment has been delayed because parliament has not yet approved it.
The BBC's Bashir Sa'ad Abdullahi in the capital, Abuja, says previous governments tended to pay the wholesale fuel sellers without parliamentary approval.
But it seems that President Buhari is trying to stick to the law by refusing to release such a large sum of money without parliamentary scrutiny, he says.
Mr Buhari took office partly on a pledge to curb corruption in the oil sector.
'Huge scam'
One motorist in the main northern city, Kano, told the BBC Hausa Service that he spent the night in his car while waiting in a queue to fill petrol.
"I have been here for more than 12 hours and I don't know if I will get the fuel at all," he said.
Another motorist said he was in the queue for about eight hours and "only people with connections were being allowed to buy the fuel".
The fuel subsidy scheme has become an enormous scam, our correspondent says.
The wholesalers often pretend to bring in a lot more oil than they do and pocket the money they get for the petrol that is not delivered, he says.
In May, the country was brought to a standstill when the importers went on strike following a row over payments with the outgoing government of President Goodluck Jonathan.
BBC
Importers are accused of withholding petrol because of a payment dispute with the government, which they deny.
This is the biggest fuel shortage in Nigeria since President Muhammadu Buhari took office in May.
Nigeria is Africa's main oil exporter but imports most of its petrol because it lacks the capacity to refine it.
The fuel is imported at a subsidised price under a scheme operated by the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
Earlier this month, the government approved the payment of $2.1bn (£1.4bn) to the importers, or wholesale fuel sellers, to settle subsidy claims.
However, payment has been delayed because parliament has not yet approved it.
The BBC's Bashir Sa'ad Abdullahi in the capital, Abuja, says previous governments tended to pay the wholesale fuel sellers without parliamentary approval.
But it seems that President Buhari is trying to stick to the law by refusing to release such a large sum of money without parliamentary scrutiny, he says.
Mr Buhari took office partly on a pledge to curb corruption in the oil sector.
'Huge scam'
One motorist in the main northern city, Kano, told the BBC Hausa Service that he spent the night in his car while waiting in a queue to fill petrol.
"I have been here for more than 12 hours and I don't know if I will get the fuel at all," he said.
Another motorist said he was in the queue for about eight hours and "only people with connections were being allowed to buy the fuel".
The fuel subsidy scheme has become an enormous scam, our correspondent says.
The wholesalers often pretend to bring in a lot more oil than they do and pocket the money they get for the petrol that is not delivered, he says.
In May, the country was brought to a standstill when the importers went on strike following a row over payments with the outgoing government of President Goodluck Jonathan.
BBC
Nigerian officials loot $2 billion dollar anti-terrorism fund
Thousands of Nigerians have died needlessly in terrorist attacks as officials looted more than $2-billion (U.S.) in funds intended for weapons to fight the insurgents, Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari says.
In a statement late on Tuesday night, Mr. Buhari revealed details of “fictitious and phantom” military contracts of stunning scale and cynicism – including $1.7-billion allocated for four jets, 12 helicopters and unspecified amounts of bombs and ammunition. The equipment was never provided and the money disappeared, he said.
The stolen money has made it easier for Boko Haram to kill thousands of people while the Nigerian military lacked the weaponry to defeat it, the statement said.
Mr. Buhari ordered the arrest of all officials “complicit” in the “fraudulent acts,” including the former National Security Advisor, retired lieutenant-colonel Sambo Dasuki.
Boko Haram, a radical Islamist militia in northeastern Nigeria that has sworn allegiance to the so-called Islamic State movement, has now overtaken Islamic State to become the world’s deadliest terrorist organization, according to a new report.
The report by the Institute for Economics and Peace, a global think tank, said Boko Haram was responsible for 6,644 deaths last year, while Islamic State killed 6,073 people last year.
Nigerians have long complained of massive corruption in the Nigerian military and security agencies, and soldiers have often said that they lacked the equipment to fight Boko Haram, but the new investigation is the first to give details and name the alleged mastermind of the looting.
Mr. Buhari, who took office in May after defeating former president Goodluck Jonathan in an election, appointed a 13-person committee to audit Nigeria’s military spending over the past eight years. The committee began work on Aug. 31, but its interim report has already found “illicit and fraudulent financial transactions.”
The statement on Tuesday night said the Nigerian military was in “desperate need” of equipment and ammunition when the funds were stolen.
“Had the funds siphoned to these non-performing companies been properly used for the purpose they were meant for, thousands of needless Nigerian deaths would have been avoided,” said the statement, issued by Mr. Buhari’s spokesman, Femi Adesina, and later tweeted on Mr. Buhari’s official Twitter account.
“It is worrisome and disappointing that those entrusted with the security of this great nation were busy using proxies to siphon the national treasury, while innocent lives were wasted daily,” the statement said.
In addition to the phantom contracts for jets and helicopters, Mr. Dasuki ordered Nigeria’s central bank to transfer more than $130-million to foreign bank accounts “for unascertained purposes, without any contract documents to explain the transactions,” the statement said.
It said it was “disturbing” that the investigation also discovered that other contracts were awarded to companies that had consistently failed to deliver what they were required to supply in previous contracts.
Mr. Dasuki denied the allegations. Speaking to Nigerian media on Wednesday, he said he was “surprised” and “embarrassed” by the allegations.
Mr. Dasuki, one of the most powerful officials in the former Goodluck Jonathan government, has been under house arrest for the past week on accusations of money laundering and illegal arms possession.
The Globe and Mail
In a statement late on Tuesday night, Mr. Buhari revealed details of “fictitious and phantom” military contracts of stunning scale and cynicism – including $1.7-billion allocated for four jets, 12 helicopters and unspecified amounts of bombs and ammunition. The equipment was never provided and the money disappeared, he said.
The stolen money has made it easier for Boko Haram to kill thousands of people while the Nigerian military lacked the weaponry to defeat it, the statement said.
Mr. Buhari ordered the arrest of all officials “complicit” in the “fraudulent acts,” including the former National Security Advisor, retired lieutenant-colonel Sambo Dasuki.
Boko Haram, a radical Islamist militia in northeastern Nigeria that has sworn allegiance to the so-called Islamic State movement, has now overtaken Islamic State to become the world’s deadliest terrorist organization, according to a new report.
The report by the Institute for Economics and Peace, a global think tank, said Boko Haram was responsible for 6,644 deaths last year, while Islamic State killed 6,073 people last year.
Nigerians have long complained of massive corruption in the Nigerian military and security agencies, and soldiers have often said that they lacked the equipment to fight Boko Haram, but the new investigation is the first to give details and name the alleged mastermind of the looting.
Mr. Buhari, who took office in May after defeating former president Goodluck Jonathan in an election, appointed a 13-person committee to audit Nigeria’s military spending over the past eight years. The committee began work on Aug. 31, but its interim report has already found “illicit and fraudulent financial transactions.”
The statement on Tuesday night said the Nigerian military was in “desperate need” of equipment and ammunition when the funds were stolen.
“Had the funds siphoned to these non-performing companies been properly used for the purpose they were meant for, thousands of needless Nigerian deaths would have been avoided,” said the statement, issued by Mr. Buhari’s spokesman, Femi Adesina, and later tweeted on Mr. Buhari’s official Twitter account.
“It is worrisome and disappointing that those entrusted with the security of this great nation were busy using proxies to siphon the national treasury, while innocent lives were wasted daily,” the statement said.
In addition to the phantom contracts for jets and helicopters, Mr. Dasuki ordered Nigeria’s central bank to transfer more than $130-million to foreign bank accounts “for unascertained purposes, without any contract documents to explain the transactions,” the statement said.
It said it was “disturbing” that the investigation also discovered that other contracts were awarded to companies that had consistently failed to deliver what they were required to supply in previous contracts.
Mr. Dasuki denied the allegations. Speaking to Nigerian media on Wednesday, he said he was “surprised” and “embarrassed” by the allegations.
Mr. Dasuki, one of the most powerful officials in the former Goodluck Jonathan government, has been under house arrest for the past week on accusations of money laundering and illegal arms possession.
The Globe and Mail
Video - 32 dead in market explosion in Nigeria
More than 30 people have been killed in a suicide attack at a market in the northern Nigerian city of Yola, officials say.
The blast, heard across the city, struck a busy vegetable market where traders were closing up on Tuesday.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari visited Yola on Saturday, declaring that the Islamist militant movement Boko Haram was close to defeat.
Yola has twice been hit by deadly bomb attacks this year.
The city lies in the north-eastern state of Adamawa, one of the worst hit by the Boko Haram insurgency.
More than 80 people have been taken to hospital, some with serious injuries, emergency workers say.
BBC
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Former Super Eagle and current head coach of Nigeria's U-23 football team Samon Siasia's mother kidnapped
News emerging this morning reveals that the mother of current head coach of Nigeria’s U-23 football team, Samson Siasia has been kidnapped. According to reports, gunmen stormed the family residence of the Siasia’s in the early hours of Tuesday morning at Odoni community of Sagama Local Council Area of Bayelsa State and forcefully whisked away Siasia’s mother on a motorcycle.
Bayelsa State Police Command spokesperson, ASP Ansinim Butswat, has confirmed the incident saying that the matter has been reported, but details were still sketchy.
Speaking to the media on the incident, a distraught Siasia has expressed his confusion at the occurrence of the event. Siasia said: “Right now I am confused, from the story I got, three men on motorbike stormed my parents’ house in my village Odoni in Bayelsa State, shot sporadically into the air before taking my old mother away on a bike.
“What do they expect from me? I don’t have money, I am right now on national duty, and need all the time to concentrate on this very important national task. So, I beg them to please release my mother so that I can concentrate on this task of qualifying the U-23 National Team for the men’s football event of the Rio Olympics.”
In a statement released on the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) website, NFF president, Amaju Pinnick has appealed to the kidnappers to release the 72 year old mother of the coach. “This is quite disturbing. We are just preparing for a crucial 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match, and the U-23 boys are already in The Gambia for a pre-Cup of Nationstraining camp. Why this?
“All we can do is to appeal to the kidnappers to free Samson Siasia’s aged mother. Samson is on a critical national assignment presently and the last he needs is this kind of distraction,” Said Pinnick. As at the time of this report, it was revealed that the kidnappers are yet to demand ransom from the family.
Vanguard
Bayelsa State Police Command spokesperson, ASP Ansinim Butswat, has confirmed the incident saying that the matter has been reported, but details were still sketchy.
Speaking to the media on the incident, a distraught Siasia has expressed his confusion at the occurrence of the event. Siasia said: “Right now I am confused, from the story I got, three men on motorbike stormed my parents’ house in my village Odoni in Bayelsa State, shot sporadically into the air before taking my old mother away on a bike.
“What do they expect from me? I don’t have money, I am right now on national duty, and need all the time to concentrate on this very important national task. So, I beg them to please release my mother so that I can concentrate on this task of qualifying the U-23 National Team for the men’s football event of the Rio Olympics.”
In a statement released on the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) website, NFF president, Amaju Pinnick has appealed to the kidnappers to release the 72 year old mother of the coach. “This is quite disturbing. We are just preparing for a crucial 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match, and the U-23 boys are already in The Gambia for a pre-Cup of Nationstraining camp. Why this?
“All we can do is to appeal to the kidnappers to free Samson Siasia’s aged mother. Samson is on a critical national assignment presently and the last he needs is this kind of distraction,” Said Pinnick. As at the time of this report, it was revealed that the kidnappers are yet to demand ransom from the family.
Vanguard
Video - Nigeria Super Eagles make light fun of Obi Mikel during penalty kicks practice
The Super Eagles tried their legs at penalty kicks ahead of their second leg, second round 2018 World Cup qualifier against Swaziland in Port Harcourt. Players involved in the shootout were Obafemi Martins, Elderson Echiejile, Efe Ambrose, Sylvester Igbonu, Moses Simon and John Obi Mikel against goalkeepers Carl Ikeme and Ikechukwu Ezenwa.
Monday, November 16, 2015
Video - Highlights of the 2015 African Music Awards hosted in Nigeria
The All Africa Music Awards 2015 took place in Nigeria over the weekend. The event which aims to preserve the African music culture saw East africa dethrone Nigeria as the region took more awards this year. Diamond Platinumz from Tanzania stole the night taking home three awards and being crowned the african artist of the year.
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