Nigeria’s southeastern Cross River state is setting up a 4-billion naira ($10-million) cocoa-processing plant to start operations in August and target the export market, an official said.
Cross River, which accounts for about 30% of Nigeria’s output, has negotiated with chocolate companies based in Italy to receive supplies from the grinder, Peter Egba, the commissioner for industry, said in a phone interview from Calabar, the state capital.
The factory will receive raw material from local growers as well as farmers in neighboring Cameroon, across the nearby border, Egba said. The government also plans to distribute 10 million seedlings of a cocoa variety that matures in three years to farmers to increase output.
Nigeria is the world’s fifth-biggest producer of the chocolate ingredient, with the Cocoa Association of Nigeria expecting the 2020 main harvest between October and December to yield 148,750 tons. There’s a smaller harvest between April and June. The investment comes at a time Nigeria is seeking to diversify its economy away from oil by boosting agricultural production and processing.
By Emele Onu
Bloomberg
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
Tuesday, July 21, 2020
Nigerian Official Collapses During Televised Niger Delta Corruption Hearing
A Nigerian official collapsed on Monday during a televised parliamentary hearing held as part of an investigation into allegations of mismanagement at an organisation with a remit to foster economic development in the oil-rich Niger Delta region.
Daniel Pondei, acting managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), was taken to hospital after slumping forward in his chair during the session, in which he gave evidence to the panel.
Lawmakers in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament, are investigating alleged corruption around procurement at the NDDC, a government body, over 20 years. The probe was ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari in October.
Nigeria's oil-producing Niger Delta heartland remains impoverished despite providing most of the oil produced in Africa's biggest crude exporter. Oil is Nigeria's main export and the mainstay of its economy, the continent's largest.
Earlier, Pondei told the panel: "There is no money missing in NDDC since I took over in February this year. Everything we have done are in accordance with the laid-down procedures."
After he fainted, people around Pondei rushed to sit him upright, using handkerchiefs as fans and forcing his mouth open in an apparent attempt to ensure he was not choking.
"I have asked my doctor to follow, go to the hospital where he is and report back," House of Representatives Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila later told the panel.
Giving evidence to the panel for the first time, Minister for Niger Delta affairs Godswill Akpabio said Nigeria's Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP) had given its approval for an audit by international firm Ernst & Young.
(Reporting by Camillus Eboh in Abuja and Alexis Akwagyiram in Lagos; Writing by Alexis Akwagyiram; Editing by Catherine Evans)
The New York Times
Daniel Pondei, acting managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), was taken to hospital after slumping forward in his chair during the session, in which he gave evidence to the panel.
Lawmakers in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament, are investigating alleged corruption around procurement at the NDDC, a government body, over 20 years. The probe was ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari in October.
Nigeria's oil-producing Niger Delta heartland remains impoverished despite providing most of the oil produced in Africa's biggest crude exporter. Oil is Nigeria's main export and the mainstay of its economy, the continent's largest.
Earlier, Pondei told the panel: "There is no money missing in NDDC since I took over in February this year. Everything we have done are in accordance with the laid-down procedures."
After he fainted, people around Pondei rushed to sit him upright, using handkerchiefs as fans and forcing his mouth open in an apparent attempt to ensure he was not choking.
"I have asked my doctor to follow, go to the hospital where he is and report back," House of Representatives Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila later told the panel.
Giving evidence to the panel for the first time, Minister for Niger Delta affairs Godswill Akpabio said Nigeria's Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP) had given its approval for an audit by international firm Ernst & Young.
(Reporting by Camillus Eboh in Abuja and Alexis Akwagyiram in Lagos; Writing by Alexis Akwagyiram; Editing by Catherine Evans)
The New York Times
Monday, July 20, 2020
Nigeria’s foreign minister tests positive for coronavirus
Onyeama, 64, said on Twitter he had taken a COVID-19 test because of a throat irritation.
“Did my fourth COVID-19 test yesterday at the first sign of a throat irritation and unfortunately this time it came back positive,” he tweeted. “Heading for isolation in a health facility and praying for the best.”
Buhari’s cabinet has been conducting executive council meetings virtually as part of measures to keep the government working while abiding by social distancing rules.
The government started a phased easing of lockdowns in May after implementing measures to slow the spread of the virus, which has killed 778 people in Nigeria and infected more than 36,000.
Onyeama has played a role in repatriating Nigerians stranded because of travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Buhari’s former chief of staff, Abba Kyari, died in April from the novel coronavirus, making him the most high profile person in the country to die from the virus.
CGTN
'Bandits' kill 23 Nigerian soldiers in northwest
At least 23 Nigerian troops were killed when they were ambushed by a gang of so-called "bandits" in a remote village in the northwest of the country, security sources said on Sunday.
The gang opened fire on the soldiers as they walked through a forested part of the Jibia district in Katsina State, the sources told AFP news agency, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"The bodies of 23 soldiers have been accounted for while some are still missing," a military source said.
In the past, the armed gangs, known locally as "bandits", have been involved in cattle rustling and kidnappings, but a number of experts have recently warned that they could be forging ties with hardline groups in the region.
One militia member said the toll could be "higher than 23", as a search for missing soldiers was under way.
Also on Saturday in the same area, five children were killed and six others injured when a bomb accidentally exploded, a spokesman for Katsina State police said.
It was not clear whether the explosive had been left by the bandits, the statement said.
Katsina State, where President Muhammadu Buhari originates from and where the vast majority of the population lives in extreme poverty, has become increasingly volatile in recent years.
The Nigerian army regularly raids the forests where the armed groups hide, but the number of soldiers is insufficient and villagers organise themselves into civilian militia.
In May, the International Crisis Group, an NGO, warned that the armed gangs could be developing links with groups such as Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP).
The "bandits" have killed about 8,000 people since 2011 and forced more than 200,000 to flee their homes, according to an estimate by Brussels-based Crisis Group.
Al Jazeera
The gang opened fire on the soldiers as they walked through a forested part of the Jibia district in Katsina State, the sources told AFP news agency, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"The bodies of 23 soldiers have been accounted for while some are still missing," a military source said.
In the past, the armed gangs, known locally as "bandits", have been involved in cattle rustling and kidnappings, but a number of experts have recently warned that they could be forging ties with hardline groups in the region.
One militia member said the toll could be "higher than 23", as a search for missing soldiers was under way.
Also on Saturday in the same area, five children were killed and six others injured when a bomb accidentally exploded, a spokesman for Katsina State police said.
It was not clear whether the explosive had been left by the bandits, the statement said.
Katsina State, where President Muhammadu Buhari originates from and where the vast majority of the population lives in extreme poverty, has become increasingly volatile in recent years.
The Nigerian army regularly raids the forests where the armed groups hide, but the number of soldiers is insufficient and villagers organise themselves into civilian militia.
In May, the International Crisis Group, an NGO, warned that the armed gangs could be developing links with groups such as Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP).
The "bandits" have killed about 8,000 people since 2011 and forced more than 200,000 to flee their homes, according to an estimate by Brussels-based Crisis Group.
Al Jazeera
Monday, July 13, 2020
Police rescues American lady locked in Lagos hotel after fake marriage, arrests Nigerian
Nigeria Police operatives have rescued an American lady confined in a Lagos hotel where she was held against her wish for over a year.
Force spokesman, Frank Mba, made this known in a statement on Sunday.
The victim, from Washington DC, is a retired civil servant in the United States.
She arrived Nigeria on 13th February, 2019 on a visit to a Nigerian, Chukwuebuka Kasi Obiaku.
The 34-year-old is a native of Ikeduru LGA of Imo State. The duo met on Facebook.
The victim was freed by agents attached to the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Ogun State annex.
The operation followed information received from a Nigerian in the Meiran area of Lagos State.
The Police described Obiaku, a graduate of Business Administration and Management, as an internet fraudster who has defrauded many both locally and internationally.
He lured the American to Nigeria under the pretext of love and deceitfully married her on 15th May, 2019.
The suspect subsequently held her captive in a hotel and extorted a total of $48,000.
Obiaku also forcefully took control of her credit and debit cards and operated her bank accounts, including the receipt of her monthly retirement benefits and allowances.
This went on for a period of fifteen months.
Obiaku also used the victim as a front to defraud her associates and other foreign personalities and companies.
He will be charged to court upon conclusion of investigation and prosecuted in line with the Cybercrime Prevention/Prohibition Act, 2015.
By Wale Odunsi
Daily Post
Force spokesman, Frank Mba, made this known in a statement on Sunday.
The victim, from Washington DC, is a retired civil servant in the United States.
She arrived Nigeria on 13th February, 2019 on a visit to a Nigerian, Chukwuebuka Kasi Obiaku.
The 34-year-old is a native of Ikeduru LGA of Imo State. The duo met on Facebook.
The victim was freed by agents attached to the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Ogun State annex.
The operation followed information received from a Nigerian in the Meiran area of Lagos State.
The Police described Obiaku, a graduate of Business Administration and Management, as an internet fraudster who has defrauded many both locally and internationally.
He lured the American to Nigeria under the pretext of love and deceitfully married her on 15th May, 2019.
The suspect subsequently held her captive in a hotel and extorted a total of $48,000.
Obiaku also forcefully took control of her credit and debit cards and operated her bank accounts, including the receipt of her monthly retirement benefits and allowances.
This went on for a period of fifteen months.
Obiaku also used the victim as a front to defraud her associates and other foreign personalities and companies.
He will be charged to court upon conclusion of investigation and prosecuted in line with the Cybercrime Prevention/Prohibition Act, 2015.
By Wale Odunsi
Daily Post
Thursday, July 9, 2020
Seven killed in Nigeria oil facility blast
Seven people have been killed in an explosion at the Gbetiokun oilfield in southern Nigeria's Niger Delta region during the installation of a ladder on a platform, the state oil company said on Wednesday.
"Detailed investigation of the cause of the explosion has commenced, while the Department of Petroleum Resources has been duly notified," the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation said in a statement about the incident which happened on Tuesday.
It added that "all personnel on board the platform" had been accounted for.
Although Tuesday's incident was due to an operational factor, pipeline and tanker truck explosions are common in Nigeria, the biggest oil producer on the continent, with about two million barrels per day.
Pipelines in the region are exposed and often unguarded, making them easy targets for anyone with access to explosives.
International oil companies have increasingly focused on offshore projects in Nigeria, partly to offset the risk to onshore operations in the Niger Delta.
The latest accident occurred at OML 40, operated by a subsidiary of state-owned oil firm NPDC and the Elcrest joint venture. NPDC did not say whether production was affected.
Nigeria is battling the effect of lower crude oil prices on government revenues and its currency after the coronavirus pandemic crashed demand for supply.
Al Jazeera
"Detailed investigation of the cause of the explosion has commenced, while the Department of Petroleum Resources has been duly notified," the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation said in a statement about the incident which happened on Tuesday.
It added that "all personnel on board the platform" had been accounted for.
Although Tuesday's incident was due to an operational factor, pipeline and tanker truck explosions are common in Nigeria, the biggest oil producer on the continent, with about two million barrels per day.
Pipelines in the region are exposed and often unguarded, making them easy targets for anyone with access to explosives.
International oil companies have increasingly focused on offshore projects in Nigeria, partly to offset the risk to onshore operations in the Niger Delta.
The latest accident occurred at OML 40, operated by a subsidiary of state-owned oil firm NPDC and the Elcrest joint venture. NPDC did not say whether production was affected.
Nigeria is battling the effect of lower crude oil prices on government revenues and its currency after the coronavirus pandemic crashed demand for supply.
Al Jazeera
Nigerian Senate passes sexual harassment bill
Nigeria's Senate has passed a bill aimed at combating sexual harassment as part of a broader move to uphold ethics in the nation's universities, legislators said.
University lecturers found guilty of sexually harassment or teachers who make sexual overtures towards students could be jailed for two years under the proposed law.
It also prescribes fines or jail terms for university administrators who fail to probe allegations of sexual misconduct brought against staff members.
Senate President Ahmad Lawan described the proposal as "landmark legislation."
"We have to protect our daughters from predators," Lawan said. "We want our tertiary institutions to be a very safe environment for everyone, and this is a legislation that will ensure that wish," he said in a statement issued by his office Tuesday.
Students found guilty of falsely accusing lecturers of sexual misconduct could also be suspended.
The Senate in a statement on Wednesday said the bill had been sent to Nigeria's lower house for deliberation. Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari would also have to consent to the bill for it to become a law. A draft of the legislation was first introduced in the Senate in 2016.
Lawmakers revisited the bill and passed a motion to investigate the growing cases of sexual harassment in 2018 after master's degree student Monica Osagie, who alleged her professor asked her for sex to upgrade her marks, granted CNN an exclusive interview about the allegations.
The lecturer, Richard Akindele, was fired from the Obafemi Awolowo University after the interview, which drew public discourse to the case.
Akindele was jailed for two years for demanding sexual benefits from the student in December 2018.
CNN
University lecturers found guilty of sexually harassment or teachers who make sexual overtures towards students could be jailed for two years under the proposed law.
It also prescribes fines or jail terms for university administrators who fail to probe allegations of sexual misconduct brought against staff members.
Senate President Ahmad Lawan described the proposal as "landmark legislation."
"We have to protect our daughters from predators," Lawan said. "We want our tertiary institutions to be a very safe environment for everyone, and this is a legislation that will ensure that wish," he said in a statement issued by his office Tuesday.
Students found guilty of falsely accusing lecturers of sexual misconduct could also be suspended.
The Senate in a statement on Wednesday said the bill had been sent to Nigeria's lower house for deliberation. Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari would also have to consent to the bill for it to become a law. A draft of the legislation was first introduced in the Senate in 2016.
Lawmakers revisited the bill and passed a motion to investigate the growing cases of sexual harassment in 2018 after master's degree student Monica Osagie, who alleged her professor asked her for sex to upgrade her marks, granted CNN an exclusive interview about the allegations.
The lecturer, Richard Akindele, was fired from the Obafemi Awolowo University after the interview, which drew public discourse to the case.
Akindele was jailed for two years for demanding sexual benefits from the student in December 2018.
CNN
Video - Nigerian domestic flights resume amid pandemic
Domestic flights in Nigeria have resumed after three months of COVID-19 restrictions. Airports in the capital, Abuja, and the commercial hub, Lagos, have reopened. Other airports are due to resume flights over the next week. The number of coronavirus cases in Nigeria has surpassed 30,000 with more than 680 deaths. Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Idris reports from Abuja.
Wednesday, July 8, 2020
Rare gorillas in Nigeria captured on camera with babies
Only around 300 Cross River gorillas were known to be alive at one point in the isolated mountainous region in Nigeria and Cameroon, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society, which captured the camera trap images in May. More colour images were recovered last month.
John Oates, professor emeritus at the City University of New York and a primatologist who helped establish conservation efforts for the gorillas more than two decades ago, was excited about the new images.
"It was great to see ... evidence that these gorillas in these mountains are reproducing successfully because there have been so few images in the past," he told The Associated Press. "We know very little about what is going on with reproduction with this subspecies, so to see many young animals is a positive sign."
Cameras set up in 2012
Experts don't know how many Cross River gorillas remain in the mountain cluster and have been trying to track the subspecies for some time.
About 50 cameras were set up in 2012 and multiple images have been captured in Cameroon's Kagwene Gorilla Sanctuary and in Nigeria's Mbe Mountains community forest and Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary. But Cross River gorillas are notoriously difficult to capture together on camera and no images had captured multiple infants.
An alliance of nine local communities, the Conservation Association of the Mbe Mountains, has been working with the Wildlife Conservation Society since the mid-1990s to help protect the Cross River gorillas. Since that time, there have been no recorded deaths in Nigeria, the society said.
The gorillas at one point had been thought to be extinct, according to the society's Nigeria country director, Andrew Dunn.
"It's a big success story that shows communities can protect their wildlife," he told the AP.
Cross River gorillas have been threatened for decades primarily by hunting but also by loss of habitat as residents cut down forests to make way for agriculture. The subspecies was "rediscovered" in the late 1980s.
About 100 Cross River gorillas have since been recorded in Nigeria's Cross River State and about 200 in Cameroon in a trans-border region of about 12,000 square kilometres. The Mbe Mountains forest is home to about a third of the Nigeria population.
The gorillas are extremely shy of humans and their presence is detected mostly by their nests, dung and feeding trails, experts say.
A team of about 16 eco-guards have been recruited from surrounding communities to patrol and protect the gorillas and other wildlife, Dunn said.
Inaoyom Imong, director of WCS Nigeria's Cross River Landscape project, said that seeing a few young gorillas in a group is promising.
Hunting was main threat
The new photos were taken in a community forest without any formal protection status, Imong said, "an indication we can have strong community support in conservation."
Hunting was always the main threat, he said, but "we do believe that hunting has reduced drastically." The conservation groups also are working to reduce illegal cutting of forests, he said.
But other dangers remain.
"Although hunters no longer target gorillas, snares set for other game pose a threat to the gorillas as infants can be caught in them and potentially die from injuries," Imong said. Disease is also a potential threat, along with conflict and insecurity in Cameroon.
"Refugees from the ongoing insecurity in Cameroon are also moving into the area, and they will likely increase hunting pressure and the need for more farmland," Dunn said.
For now, they must rely on the work of Nigerian communities.
"I feel honoured to be part of the efforts that are producing these results," said Chief Damian Aria, the head of the village of Wula.
He told the AP his community and others have worked hard to help preserve the natural habitat for the gorillas, and they are proud of their efforts.
"We are so happy they are reproducing," he said. While the gorillas' livelihood is important for nature, Aria also hopes that mountain communities in due time will benefit from the tourism they might bring.
CBC
Tuesday, July 7, 2020
Nigeria to continue to promote good relationship with China: minister
The Nigerian government on Monday pledged to continue to ensure the sustainability of the already well-built relationship with China.
Zubairu Dada, Nigeria's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, made the remarks when he received the outgoing Chinese ambassador to Nigeria, Zhou Pingjian in his office in Abuja, the nation's capital.
The Nigerian minister, who congratulated the outgoing envoy for a successful tour of duty in Nigeria, described the over three year's stay of the diplomat in the country as very fruitful ones.
He said the dedication and commitment of Zhou throughout his stay in Nigeria had led to the tremendous improvement of the relationship between Nigeria and China.
He pledged to continue to promote the good relationship between the two countries.
Zubairu Dada, Nigeria's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, made the remarks when he received the outgoing Chinese ambassador to Nigeria, Zhou Pingjian in his office in Abuja, the nation's capital.
The Nigerian minister, who congratulated the outgoing envoy for a successful tour of duty in Nigeria, described the over three year's stay of the diplomat in the country as very fruitful ones.
He said the dedication and commitment of Zhou throughout his stay in Nigeria had led to the tremendous improvement of the relationship between Nigeria and China.
He pledged to continue to promote the good relationship between the two countries.
The Hushpuppis And Nigeria’s Image
According to official news sources, at the time of the 38-year-old’s arrest, Hushpuppi had victimised over 1.9 million people, 21 laptop computers, 15 memory storage devices, 5 hard drives, 47 smartphones, and 15 flash drives. Investigators announced that he, alongside his aids, defrauded people up to the tune of $435,611,200 (N169.01 billion) based on documents recovered to indicate fraudulence “on a global scale.” Did I mention that he was the owner of 13 luxury cars worth up to $6,806,425 (N2.640 billion) too?
It is erroneous to assume that Hushpuppi’s case is isolated. The pattern and frequency prove otherwise; they show that the menace is not only endemic, but extensive. Last year, much-celebrated Forbes Africa’s 30 Under 30 2016 honoree and chairman of Invictus Group, Obinwanne Okeke was arrested and recently pleaded guilty to FBI charges for $11 million (N4.2 billion) internet fraud facing up to 20 years imprisonment sentence; in August 2019, the FBI released a list of 80 wanted Nigerian cybercriminals for an alleged $6 million cybercrime noting that “the overall conspiracy was responsible for the attempted theft of at least $40 million,” while arresting two co-conspirators: Valentine Iro and Chukwudi Christogunus Igbokwe; 6 Nigerian nationals—Richard Izuchukwu Uzuh; Alex Afolabi Ogunshakin; Felix Osilama Okpoh; Abiola Ayorinde Kayode; Nnamdi Orson Benson; and Michael Olorunyomi—are currently on the FBI’s “Cyber’s Most Wanted” list for defrauding “over 70 different businesses in the US with a combined loss of over $6,000,000” according to its official twitter account.
Underlying all these cases is a certain measure of self-indulgence which seeks to exploit the efforts of innocent victims, capitalising on codified methods of cybercriminality frowned upon by international laws, and counterproductive to the image-building goals of Nigeria. Acts such as phishing, engaging in Business Email Compromise (BEC), ransomware, banking malware and other widely recognised cyberthreats have been at the forefront of their activities.
Following Hushpuppi’s arrest, social media platforms began witnessing a sense of distancing. But unlike the social distancing globally induced by the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), we became accustomed to social media distancing initiated by those who had once dined with the overtly brash Hushpuppi. More importantly though, the often-repeated lines of denunciation by Nigerian public officials greeted our airwaves as expected. The central message was the same as always: ALL Nigerians should not be lumped into the soiled perception of fraudulence, uncharacteristically championed by most recently arrested infamous nationals like Hushpuppi, Obinwanne, Mompha and their ilk.
“This is really denting to our image as a people, but like I always say, fraud does not represent who we are as Nigerians. Hardworking. dedicated. committed,” the Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa retweeted to a tweet detailing Hushpuppi’s fraudulent acts on June 25, 2020. Public relations messages like the one by Hon. Dabiri-Erewa are, perhaps, important in the fight to redeem Nigeria’s already battered image—somewhat reminiscent of the late Information Minister, Prof. Dora Akunyili’s campaign: “Nigeria: Good People, Great Nation.” However, they reek of gross unexamined self-reflection in many forms. And I will highlight some.
First, at face value, these cybercrimes committed by Nigerian nationals portray a certain get-rich-quick syndrome which has become a deified, noticeable trend mostly exhibited—to varying degrees—across social media platforms. Exotic cars are flaunted, designer wears rocked, glittering accessories are customary looks across verified pages and profiles, as if to separate those that have “made it” from those trying to stay as legitimate and clean as the strength of their manhood and the integrity of their professional crafts entail. That these self-acclaimed “made men” have millions of followers on their social media accounts portrays the alternate universe we live in, where the disenfranchised see them as role models to aspire to become. Yet, there is a profound truth to be gleaned from this aforementioned syndrome.
On deeper observation, it epitomises the present spirit of Nigeria’s younger generation. In terms of age structure according to the 2019 CIA World Factbook, Nigeria’s “early working age” and “mature working age” boast a population pyramid combination of 15-24 years (19.81%) and 25-54 years (30.44%). That equals a combined 50.25%. To put it differently, a 2020 pew research notes that only 5% of Nigeria’s population is 60 or older with a median age of just 18. In other words, 95% (or 195,700.000) of Nigeria’s 206 million population is under the age of 60—a rather astronomical figure that has been failed by the Nigerian experiment with no hope in sight.
The loss of hope in a nonexistent socioeconomic structure is a direct indictment of Nigeria. As Chinua Achebe aptly quips, it is a reiteration of “a failure of leadership.” Admittedly, this does not cloak the blame due these few fraudulent Nigerian nationals. Integrity is an intrinsic, conscious value to be continually upheld as a self-guide by every individual regardless of external forces of failure. To blame the vices of evil without highlighting the deepening failures of governance across all dynamics though, is to be selective about the realities of our normative socioeconomic and political truth.
Secondly, that the indictments of these cyber-criminals have been executed by such international law enforcement bodies like the FBI, INTERPOL, and the Dubai Police Force, reiterates our perceived views about the interests and mandates of the anti-graft commission. It exposes the failures of Nigeria’s national anti-crime agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), again, making a mockery of the nation’s image as one only interested in selectively fighting against crime.
Since the Commission’s creation in 2004 to “prevent, investigate, prosecute and penalise economic and financial crimes and is charged with the responsibility of enforcing the provisions of other laws and regulations relating to economic and financial crimes,” its results have been, to put it bluntly, abysmal. In May 2018, the EFCC’s Head, Media and Publicity, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren claimed that the Commission had, within three years of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, secured 603 convictions: 103, 195, and 189 for 2015, 2016, and 2017, respectively. He also claimed that the Commission had recovered about 500 billion naira in Nigeria’s embezzled commonwealth. Fast-forward to this year’s Democracy Day, June 11, while speaking at a press conference, the Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu noted thus: “Our scorecard in the area of conviction is 2,240 in the last five years and we recovered assets in excess of N980 billion, with quite a large array of non-monetary assets.”
As at the time of writing this piece, Ibrahim Magu has been arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS).
Juxtaposing these “recovered” stolen funds with the 2018 Brooking Institution report that every minute, six people in Nigeria fall into extreme poverty—defined by the United Nations to mean those who earn $1.90 (a meagre N760) or less daily—is a tough task. In the same year, Nigeria would become the “poverty capital of the world” overtaking India—a nation with more than six times its population size—and is set to remain so for the next generation. That we have reportedly recovered N980 billion ($2,529,977,800.00) under the present administration by the EFCC alone, even as Nigerian fall into extreme poverty, is almost unimaginable. There have also been allegations of Magu “relooting the loots”—a codified notion that the recovered funds have been used for personal gains instead of being reimbursed into the coffers of Nigeria’s commonwealth.
Supposing we even ignore these random convictions and focus on the assumed big fishes as my curiosity suggested during the writing of this piece, my inquiry into the most sensitive cases betrayed hope as well. Of all 43 cases termed “high profile cases being prosecuted by the EFCC” as shown here with the earliest dated 2007, only four (a measly 9.30%) of the cases have been “dismissed.” A massive 39 of the cases (90.7%) are still “ongoing” or have “commenced” including those on “interlocutory appeal at the Supreme Court.” The perception is thus that Nigeria’s anti-crime agencies are mere watchdogs for political witch-hunting, readily available and only potent against targeted individuals and organisations.
This endemic betrayal of trust in the Nigerian system and the astronomical surge in cybercrimes by its nationals, have come at a grave cost to Nigeria’s international image. 419—the section of the Nigerian Criminal Code—is now an emblem of our economic and financial realities. Cybercrime is now an automatic indictment of both the average Nigerian and Nigeria’s character, just as our comatose international image lies critically at the selective mercy of western propaganda. It has equally fostered an unconscious guilt we have to bear across all international institutions as Nigerians. And its implications have been even more damaging: our emails are rejected; our notices for denial are stamped with imperialist prejudice; our visa applications—whether for tourism, work, or studies—are denied with reckless abandon; our green international passports are treated with utter disdain. We are judged based on our perceived unscrupulousness than on the merits of our individual characters. And even when meritorious acts are associated with the Nigerian nationality, there is the preconceived idea that an ill must have contributed to the outcome. Through it all, no iota of success or failure of the Nigerian is without the asterisk of potential criminality.
Thankfully, international anti-crime agencies have been successful in fishing out these hoodlums and charging them appropriately. However, what does not fall under the jurisdiction of INTERPOL, FBI, or any other anti-crime agency is the urgent need to redeem Nigeria’s image. To do this, is to reexamine the erroneous one-way-street perception of criminal acts, which is to call out the failures of both the leaders and the led. To do this, is to admit the failed Nigerian socio-economic and political systems, and to rebuild them on the foundations of integrity, transparency, truth, and justice. Until we do so, the Hushpuppis and Obinwannes of our existence will continue to dent our collective image with their cybercriminal acts. Until we do so, others will continue to look up to these criminals as role models and answers to the questions Nigeria fails to address.
Eleanya Ndukwe Jr. is a sociopolitical critic and graduate student of Political Science at California State University, Los Angeles majoring in Global Politics. He writes from Los Angeles. Follow him on Twitter @The_New_Mind
Related stories: Video - Joe Rogan and Zuby talk about scammers from Nigeria
Thursday, July 2, 2020
Nigeria to restart domestic flights July 8 in easing of coronavirus curbs
Nigeria will resume domestic flights from July 8, the government said on Wednesday, as Africa’s most populous country relaxes novel coronavirus restrictions despite mounting cases and deaths.
The airports for the capital Abuja and Lagos will open on July 8, while a handful of others are set to open July 11 and the rest on July 15, the government said on its official Twitter account.
No date was given for the resumption of international flights.
Nigeria had confirmed more than 25,000 coronavirus cases and almost 600 deaths as of Wednesday, with little sign of the outbreak slowing.
Officials have expressed their concern that the outbreak in the West African country might become much worse.
Yet the government is keenly aware of the economic toll of the virus, which has crushed the price of oil, on which Nigeria depends. Officials have steadily eased measures aimed at curbing the outbreak, believing the economic damage of a stringent lockdown could be worse than the harm done by the pandemic.
CGTN
The airports for the capital Abuja and Lagos will open on July 8, while a handful of others are set to open July 11 and the rest on July 15, the government said on its official Twitter account.
No date was given for the resumption of international flights.
Nigeria had confirmed more than 25,000 coronavirus cases and almost 600 deaths as of Wednesday, with little sign of the outbreak slowing.
Officials have expressed their concern that the outbreak in the West African country might become much worse.
Yet the government is keenly aware of the economic toll of the virus, which has crushed the price of oil, on which Nigeria depends. Officials have steadily eased measures aimed at curbing the outbreak, believing the economic damage of a stringent lockdown could be worse than the harm done by the pandemic.
CGTN
Monday, June 29, 2020
Nigerian kids 'Ikorodu Bois' get Hollywood invite after recreating movie trailer
Members of Ikorodu Bois nabbed the opportunity Wednesday after the group shared on social media their homemade remake of the trailer for the Netflix movie, "Extraction."
Undaunted by high-end productions, the Sanni brothers, Muiz, 15, and Malik,10 (with video-editing help from older brother, Babatunde), and their cousin, Fawas Aina, 13, filmed the trailer in their neighborhood in Ikorodu, a suburb in Lagos, using their ingenuity, the ever-present wheelbarrow, and some upcycled items.
Once uploaded, they told their followers to share and tag lead actor Chris Hemsworth and Netflix to get their attention. Produced by the American duo, the Russo Brothers, "Extraction" features Hemsworth as Tyler Rake, a mercenary tasked with rescuing the teenage son of a jailed drug lord who is abducted by a rival boss.
A couple of hours later, Netflix retweeted their post, saying, "LOVE THIS."
The video also caught the attention of Hemsworth, who retweeted the video, commenting, "EPIC."
But what really got their attention was the unexpected recognition from movie producers, the Russo Brothers, who shared the video and invited them to the premiere of "Extraction 2." In May, Joe Russo told Deadline that they had secured the deal to write a sequel.
"This is awesome! We would love to have you guys at the #Extraction 2 premiere...DM us and we'll get you there!" they said in a tweet.
The boys reacted with elation, saying the comments from the producers and Hemsworth were a dream come true.
"This is the day we've been waiting for all our lives," they said in a tweet reply to the invitation.
Babatunde Sanni, the 23-year-old who's the brain behind the group but doesn't appear in the video, said the trailer had taken them a month to make.
"Some days we shoot but end up re-shooting just because we wanted to do our best," Babatunde Sanni told CNN.
While the invitation marks a significant development for the kid sensations, it's not the first time their innovative videos have garnered notice.
Since creating their Instagram page in 2017, they have amassed more than 600,000 followers. Some of their content has gone viral, and they've collected kudos from big stars including actor Will Smith, Netflix "Money Heist" actor Alvaro Monte and rapper Roddy Rich.
Babatunde Sanni told CNN it was rewarding to see all their hard work pay off.
"We are so happy people are getting to know us globally," he said.
CNN
Monday, June 22, 2020
Nigerian doctors call off strike over lack of PPE
Nigerian doctors in state-run hospitals have called off a week-long strike over welfare and inadequate protective equipment as new coronavirus cases spike in the country.
The strike by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), which represents some 40 percent of Nigeria's doctors, began last Monday but had exempted medics treating coronavirus patients.
The group's directors decided to suspend the strike action from Monday, June 22, by 08:00am local time (07:00 GMT), the association said in a statement.
NARD said the decision, which followed the intervention by state governors and others, was to give the government time to fulfil the outstanding demands.
The organisation had called the strike over a range of issues, including the "grossly inadequate" provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) and calls for hazard pay for those working close to the virus.
Other demands focused on improving general welfare and protesting dismissals or pay cuts for doctors in two regions.
Strikes by medics are common in Nigeria, where the health sector has been underfunded for years.
The authorities fear that any reduction in capacity could severely hamper its ability to tackle the pandemic as the number of cases continues to rise.
The main nationwide doctors union briefly staged a warning strike in commercial hub Lagos over police harassment of its members.
According to a tally by Johns Hopkins University, Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation of 200 million inhabitants, has recorded 19,808 COVID-19 cases and 506 related deaths since the first case of the virus was reported in February.
More than 800 healthcare workers have been infected by the virus, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
Al Jazeera
The strike by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), which represents some 40 percent of Nigeria's doctors, began last Monday but had exempted medics treating coronavirus patients.
The group's directors decided to suspend the strike action from Monday, June 22, by 08:00am local time (07:00 GMT), the association said in a statement.
NARD said the decision, which followed the intervention by state governors and others, was to give the government time to fulfil the outstanding demands.
The organisation had called the strike over a range of issues, including the "grossly inadequate" provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) and calls for hazard pay for those working close to the virus.
Other demands focused on improving general welfare and protesting dismissals or pay cuts for doctors in two regions.
Strikes by medics are common in Nigeria, where the health sector has been underfunded for years.
The authorities fear that any reduction in capacity could severely hamper its ability to tackle the pandemic as the number of cases continues to rise.
The main nationwide doctors union briefly staged a warning strike in commercial hub Lagos over police harassment of its members.
According to a tally by Johns Hopkins University, Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation of 200 million inhabitants, has recorded 19,808 COVID-19 cases and 506 related deaths since the first case of the virus was reported in February.
More than 800 healthcare workers have been infected by the virus, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
Al Jazeera
Friday, June 19, 2020
Nigeria's plan to reopen airports hindered by multiple issues
Indications emerged on Thursday that Nigeria's plan to reopen its local airports for operations on June 21 is slowed down by multiple hurdles in the aviation sector, as the most populous African country strives to navigate the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Nigerian government shut down airports for commercial flight operations on March 23, as part of the measures to curb the spread of COVID-19. The government contemplated the reopening of the airports twice but ended up extending the exercise to allow for wider consultations.
Going by the prevailing situation, the plan to reopen the airports is "unrealistic" for now, the Nigerian Senate said after a meeting between lawmakers and local aviation workers on Thursday.
"Though you emphasized the need to unlock the airport, the fact remains that there are quite a number of issues that are begging for answers," Smart Adeyemi, chairman of the Nigerian Senate committee on aviation, told the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association who raised some concerns experienced by local aviation workers due to the pandemic.
The representatives of aviation workers said at the meeting that there was a need for special financial intervention and provision of necessary protocols, protective systems in view of the COVID-19 pandemic before reopening the airports for operations.
In addition to this, most aviation workers in the country had not been paid their wages since the country was locked down by the authorities since March, the aviation union said.
Noting the aviation sector is key to the socio-economic development of any country including Nigeria, Adeyemi said the legislature was already in talks with the executive to address the general issues.
"The aviation sector cannot be compromised for any reason, given its importance to economic development. There must be mechanisms put in place to ensure safety and confront the challenges facing the sector before unlocking the airports," Adeyemi said.
In a similar development, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on Thursday said the date earlier set for the resumption of flights is no longer feasible.
"We never said aviation is going to start definitely on June 21... This is not a feasible date to resume operations," Musa Nuhu, director-general of the NCAA, told the media in Abuja.
According to Nuhu, the NCAA would not approve the resumption of flight operations until it is satisfied that the operations can be carried out "in a safe and organized manner."
"We (the NCAA) will not be pressured to approve resumption because doing that without the appropriate checks would be disastrous," he said further.
As a precondition for reopening the airports, aviation expert Llitrus Ahmadu said there is a need for the government to ensure the proper provision of protective equipment and other protocols, including the re-certification of pilots, airworthiness of the aircraft, and payment of the workers' salary, among other multiple issues that are currently being raised.
Xinhua
The Nigerian government shut down airports for commercial flight operations on March 23, as part of the measures to curb the spread of COVID-19. The government contemplated the reopening of the airports twice but ended up extending the exercise to allow for wider consultations.
Going by the prevailing situation, the plan to reopen the airports is "unrealistic" for now, the Nigerian Senate said after a meeting between lawmakers and local aviation workers on Thursday.
"Though you emphasized the need to unlock the airport, the fact remains that there are quite a number of issues that are begging for answers," Smart Adeyemi, chairman of the Nigerian Senate committee on aviation, told the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association who raised some concerns experienced by local aviation workers due to the pandemic.
The representatives of aviation workers said at the meeting that there was a need for special financial intervention and provision of necessary protocols, protective systems in view of the COVID-19 pandemic before reopening the airports for operations.
In addition to this, most aviation workers in the country had not been paid their wages since the country was locked down by the authorities since March, the aviation union said.
Noting the aviation sector is key to the socio-economic development of any country including Nigeria, Adeyemi said the legislature was already in talks with the executive to address the general issues.
"The aviation sector cannot be compromised for any reason, given its importance to economic development. There must be mechanisms put in place to ensure safety and confront the challenges facing the sector before unlocking the airports," Adeyemi said.
In a similar development, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on Thursday said the date earlier set for the resumption of flights is no longer feasible.
"We never said aviation is going to start definitely on June 21... This is not a feasible date to resume operations," Musa Nuhu, director-general of the NCAA, told the media in Abuja.
According to Nuhu, the NCAA would not approve the resumption of flight operations until it is satisfied that the operations can be carried out "in a safe and organized manner."
"We (the NCAA) will not be pressured to approve resumption because doing that without the appropriate checks would be disastrous," he said further.
As a precondition for reopening the airports, aviation expert Llitrus Ahmadu said there is a need for the government to ensure the proper provision of protective equipment and other protocols, including the re-certification of pilots, airworthiness of the aircraft, and payment of the workers' salary, among other multiple issues that are currently being raised.
Xinhua
Wednesday, June 17, 2020
Nigerian doctors stage 'indefinite' walk out, crippling Covid-19 response
Nigerian doctors in state hospitals have begun a nationwide strike, paralysing the country’s response to the coronavirus pandemic as cases continue to rise steadily.
Members of an umbrella organisation representing all doctors employed by the government announced an indefinite strike yesterday to protest low salaries, a lack of "hazard" pay for treating virus patients and the "grossly inadequate" provision of protective equipment.
The doctors also demanded an end to the harassment and assault of medical workers by security agents enforcing curfews.
The National Association of Resident Doctors, which represents about 40 per cent of the country’s physicians, said the government had been given two weeks notice of the strike action but had failed to meet their demands.
In a statement given in the capital Abuja on Monday, the group’s president said that some Covid-19 patients in treatment and isolation centres would be exempted from any strike action. However, if the Nigerian government does not meet its demands in the next two weeks, those centres will be hit by the strikes, too.
Covid-19 is spreading rapidly across Africa’s most populous nation with some 16,000 recorded cases of the virus and 420 deaths. However, the real number of cases is almost certainly far higher than the official statistics because of a lack of testing materials. Nigeria has carried out just 94,000 tests on its population of about 200 million since the virus started to spread in March, according to the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
There have also been several outbreaks of hundreds of "mysterious" deaths in the northern Nigerian states of Yobe and Kano since the outbreak began in March. Last week, the Nigerian health minister admitted that many of these deaths were probably due to Covid-19.
Nigeria already has worryingly few doctors for its population. The World Health Organisation recommends that countries have a ratio of one doctor to 600 people. Nigeria has one doctor for every 6,000 people. According to the Nigerian Medical Association, there are 72,000 registered Nigeria doctors but that more than 50 per cent of them practice outside the country.
Strikes by medical workers are frequent in Nigeria. Despite having Africa’s largest reserves of oil, the health sector has been left underfunded for decades. Many Nigerian elites, including the country’s President Muhammadu Buhari, prefer to fly abroad to London for medical treatment when they get ill.
So far the majority of Nigeria’s confirmed cases have been reported in Abuja, and Lagos and Kano, its two largest cities.
The Telegraph
Members of an umbrella organisation representing all doctors employed by the government announced an indefinite strike yesterday to protest low salaries, a lack of "hazard" pay for treating virus patients and the "grossly inadequate" provision of protective equipment.
The doctors also demanded an end to the harassment and assault of medical workers by security agents enforcing curfews.
The National Association of Resident Doctors, which represents about 40 per cent of the country’s physicians, said the government had been given two weeks notice of the strike action but had failed to meet their demands.
In a statement given in the capital Abuja on Monday, the group’s president said that some Covid-19 patients in treatment and isolation centres would be exempted from any strike action. However, if the Nigerian government does not meet its demands in the next two weeks, those centres will be hit by the strikes, too.
Covid-19 is spreading rapidly across Africa’s most populous nation with some 16,000 recorded cases of the virus and 420 deaths. However, the real number of cases is almost certainly far higher than the official statistics because of a lack of testing materials. Nigeria has carried out just 94,000 tests on its population of about 200 million since the virus started to spread in March, according to the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
There have also been several outbreaks of hundreds of "mysterious" deaths in the northern Nigerian states of Yobe and Kano since the outbreak began in March. Last week, the Nigerian health minister admitted that many of these deaths were probably due to Covid-19.
Nigeria already has worryingly few doctors for its population. The World Health Organisation recommends that countries have a ratio of one doctor to 600 people. Nigeria has one doctor for every 6,000 people. According to the Nigerian Medical Association, there are 72,000 registered Nigeria doctors but that more than 50 per cent of them practice outside the country.
Strikes by medical workers are frequent in Nigeria. Despite having Africa’s largest reserves of oil, the health sector has been left underfunded for decades. Many Nigerian elites, including the country’s President Muhammadu Buhari, prefer to fly abroad to London for medical treatment when they get ill.
So far the majority of Nigeria’s confirmed cases have been reported in Abuja, and Lagos and Kano, its two largest cities.
The Telegraph
Tuesday, June 16, 2020
Video - 20 soldiers, 40 civilians killed in attacks Nigeria's Borno state
At least 20 soldiers and more than 40 civilians have been killed, and hundreds injured in twin attacks in northeast Nigeria's Borno state, residents and a civilian task force fighter said. The attacks on Saturday, in the Monguno and Nganzai areas, came just days after armed fighters killed at least 81 people in a raid on a village in a third area, Gubio. Al Jazeera's Sara Khairat reports
Video - Nigeria's under-performance at 2010 FIFA WC still hurts the proud nation
Many Nigerian football fans and experts still feel the pain when they remember the 2010 World Cup. With so much promise before the tournament, the Super Eagles simply failed to take off and were dumped out in the first round. CGTN's Deji Badmus brings us more on the shattered dreams.
Nigeria's Muhammadu Buhari orders probe into Aso Rock shooting
The Nigerian president has ordered an investigation after security guards reportedly shot into the air at his presidential palace.
The incident happened at Aso Rock following an altercation between one of the president's aides and his wife's bodyguards.
They had been arguing about the need for a presidential aide to self-isolate after returning from a trip.
Some of the First Lady's staff have been arrested.
No casualties were reported.
The incident happened last week but came to light at the weekend when both President Muhammadu Buhari and his wife Aisha spoke about it publicly.
The BBC's Ishaq Khalid in Abuja reports that the incident is seen as yet another sign of internal wrangling in Nigeria's government where officials often publicly disagree.
The First Lady Aisha Buhari has spoken out about her husband before, suggesting in a 2016 BBC interview that his government had been hijacked. He responded by saying his wife belonged in the kitchen.
Aisha Buhari's plea
President Buhari's spokesman Garba Shehu said in a statement that the "minor" incident happened outside the main residence and that the president was not in any form of danger "arising, either from deadly infections or the reported incident by security personnel which is currently under investigation".
"That a minor occurrence is being used by some critics to justify attacks on the government and the person of President Muhammadu Buhari beggars belief," Mr Shehu added.
In a series of tweets, Mrs Buhari said she wanted authorities to make sure that anyone who had been travelling across states to go into 14-day quarantine - a reference to her husband's aide making a trip outside the capital, Abuja.
She then called upon the Inspector General of Police to release her staff "in order to avoid putting their lives in danger or exposure to Covid-19 while in their custody".
As part of the restrictions to try and contain coronavirus, Nigerians are banned from travelling outside their state.
There are 16,085 recorded cases of coronavirus in Nigeria and 420 confirmed deaths.
BBC
The incident happened at Aso Rock following an altercation between one of the president's aides and his wife's bodyguards.
They had been arguing about the need for a presidential aide to self-isolate after returning from a trip.
Some of the First Lady's staff have been arrested.
No casualties were reported.
The incident happened last week but came to light at the weekend when both President Muhammadu Buhari and his wife Aisha spoke about it publicly.
The BBC's Ishaq Khalid in Abuja reports that the incident is seen as yet another sign of internal wrangling in Nigeria's government where officials often publicly disagree.
The First Lady Aisha Buhari has spoken out about her husband before, suggesting in a 2016 BBC interview that his government had been hijacked. He responded by saying his wife belonged in the kitchen.
Aisha Buhari's plea
President Buhari's spokesman Garba Shehu said in a statement that the "minor" incident happened outside the main residence and that the president was not in any form of danger "arising, either from deadly infections or the reported incident by security personnel which is currently under investigation".
"That a minor occurrence is being used by some critics to justify attacks on the government and the person of President Muhammadu Buhari beggars belief," Mr Shehu added.
In a series of tweets, Mrs Buhari said she wanted authorities to make sure that anyone who had been travelling across states to go into 14-day quarantine - a reference to her husband's aide making a trip outside the capital, Abuja.
She then called upon the Inspector General of Police to release her staff "in order to avoid putting their lives in danger or exposure to Covid-19 while in their custody".
As part of the restrictions to try and contain coronavirus, Nigerians are banned from travelling outside their state.
There are 16,085 recorded cases of coronavirus in Nigeria and 420 confirmed deaths.
BBC
Is Genocide Happening In Nigeria As The World Turns A Blind Eye?
In recent six years, the world has witnessed two clear cases of genocidal atrocities. The first occurred in Syria and Iraq, perpetrated by Daesh against religious minorities such as the Yazidis and Christians. The second took place in Myanmar, perpetrated by the Burmese military against the Rohingya Muslims and other religious minorities. Yet, there are evolving stations where mass atrocities may be occurring and that appear to be neglected. One such example is in Nigeria.
On November 18, 2010, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) opened a preliminary examination into the situation in Nigeria. The preliminary examination followed several communications received by the Office of the Prosecutor (the OTP) which suggested that mass atrocities had occurred, involving Boko Haram militants based in Nigeria.
Having identified multiple issues which require closer scrutiny, the OTP named six potential cases where Boko Haram had committed crimes against humanity and two cases where such crimes were committed by the Nigerian security forces. The six cases include Boko Haram 1) targeting non-believers which resulted in several deaths; 2) kidnappings, abductions, and imprisonment of civilians, as associated with murder, torture and inhuman and degrading treatment; 3) attacks on schools, other buildings designated for education and attacks against students and teachers; 4) recruitment and use of child soldiers; 5) attacks on women and girls; 6) intentional targeting of buildings designated for religious practices, including churches and mosques.
Thousands have been affected by the litany of mass atrocities perpetrated by Boko Haram. However, among the staggering statistics, the fates of those suffering are lost. The fate of people like Leah Sharibu get lost among the suffering of thousands of people.
Leah Sharibu, a 15-year-old Nigerian girl, was one of the 110 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram from their school in Dapchi, Nigeria, in February 2018. Despite the fact that most of the girls have now been released, Boko Haram refused to let Leah go. According to one of the other girls, Leah declined to renounce her Christian faith. This is the reason Boko Haram continues to enslave her. Attacking women and girls is a signature tactic of Boko Haram. Boko Haram subjects women and girls to physical and mental abuse, rape and sexual violence, forced labor and much more. However, among its atrocities, those that are of a religious nature are significant too and cannot be neglected.
Nonetheless, the atrocities perpetrated by Boko Haram are not the only mass atrocities in Nigeria that require urgent attention.
Indeed, on June 15, 2020, the U.K. All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief (APPG), a cross-party group of parliamentarians representing both houses of the U.K. Parliament, released a report about the mass atrocities perpetrated in Nigeria by the Fulani militia. As the report “Nigeria: Unfolding Genocide?” notes: “The exact death toll is unknown. However, thousands of civilians are thought to have been killed in attacks led by Fulani herders and periodic retaliatory violence. Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust report that over 1,000 Christians were killed between January-November 2019, “in addition to the estimated 6,000+ deaths since 2015.” Amnesty International estimate that between January 2016 and October 2018 “at least 3,641 people may have been killed, 406 injured [and] 5,000 houses burnt down. Local groups, such as the Christian Association of Nigeria, report higher figures: between January and June 2018, over 6,000 people were killed by Fulani herders.”
Fulani militia continue to perpetrate mass atrocities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt. Their crimes continue to go unreported. This is why earlier this year, Lord Alton of Liverpool, Baroness Cox, Fiona Bruce MP and many other British Parliamentarians wrote to the ICC sending further evidence of the atrocities for the OTP’s consideration. At this stage it is not clear whether the cases will be considered by the ICC. However, it is clear that the Nigerian Government will not address the crime adequately or at all. Indeed, according to a statement by President Muhammadu Buhari’s spokesperson, Garba Shehu, the “false allegations of persecution of Christians” are “a most misleading campaign.” If the Nigerian Government is blind to the issue of religious persecution in the country, it is clear that the issue will not be addressed. However, the international community cannot be blind to the reports of atrocities and must ask important questions. How will the Nigerian Government explain the mass killings in Nigeria as recorded by several international organizations? What is the Nigerian Government doing to ensure that the acts are investigated and the perpetrators prosecuted?
There are several steps that need to be taken to address the atrocities and the APPG’s report maps these, including comprehensive investigations and prosecutions. However, the comprehensive response will not happen until we recognize, once and for all, the nature and severity of the atrocities. The crimes must be recognized for what they are and “a most misleading campaign” is not that name.
By Ewelina U. Ochab
Forbes
On November 18, 2010, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) opened a preliminary examination into the situation in Nigeria. The preliminary examination followed several communications received by the Office of the Prosecutor (the OTP) which suggested that mass atrocities had occurred, involving Boko Haram militants based in Nigeria.
Having identified multiple issues which require closer scrutiny, the OTP named six potential cases where Boko Haram had committed crimes against humanity and two cases where such crimes were committed by the Nigerian security forces. The six cases include Boko Haram 1) targeting non-believers which resulted in several deaths; 2) kidnappings, abductions, and imprisonment of civilians, as associated with murder, torture and inhuman and degrading treatment; 3) attacks on schools, other buildings designated for education and attacks against students and teachers; 4) recruitment and use of child soldiers; 5) attacks on women and girls; 6) intentional targeting of buildings designated for religious practices, including churches and mosques.
Thousands have been affected by the litany of mass atrocities perpetrated by Boko Haram. However, among the staggering statistics, the fates of those suffering are lost. The fate of people like Leah Sharibu get lost among the suffering of thousands of people.
Leah Sharibu, a 15-year-old Nigerian girl, was one of the 110 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram from their school in Dapchi, Nigeria, in February 2018. Despite the fact that most of the girls have now been released, Boko Haram refused to let Leah go. According to one of the other girls, Leah declined to renounce her Christian faith. This is the reason Boko Haram continues to enslave her. Attacking women and girls is a signature tactic of Boko Haram. Boko Haram subjects women and girls to physical and mental abuse, rape and sexual violence, forced labor and much more. However, among its atrocities, those that are of a religious nature are significant too and cannot be neglected.
Nonetheless, the atrocities perpetrated by Boko Haram are not the only mass atrocities in Nigeria that require urgent attention.
Indeed, on June 15, 2020, the U.K. All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief (APPG), a cross-party group of parliamentarians representing both houses of the U.K. Parliament, released a report about the mass atrocities perpetrated in Nigeria by the Fulani militia. As the report “Nigeria: Unfolding Genocide?” notes: “The exact death toll is unknown. However, thousands of civilians are thought to have been killed in attacks led by Fulani herders and periodic retaliatory violence. Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust report that over 1,000 Christians were killed between January-November 2019, “in addition to the estimated 6,000+ deaths since 2015.” Amnesty International estimate that between January 2016 and October 2018 “at least 3,641 people may have been killed, 406 injured [and] 5,000 houses burnt down. Local groups, such as the Christian Association of Nigeria, report higher figures: between January and June 2018, over 6,000 people were killed by Fulani herders.”
Fulani militia continue to perpetrate mass atrocities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt. Their crimes continue to go unreported. This is why earlier this year, Lord Alton of Liverpool, Baroness Cox, Fiona Bruce MP and many other British Parliamentarians wrote to the ICC sending further evidence of the atrocities for the OTP’s consideration. At this stage it is not clear whether the cases will be considered by the ICC. However, it is clear that the Nigerian Government will not address the crime adequately or at all. Indeed, according to a statement by President Muhammadu Buhari’s spokesperson, Garba Shehu, the “false allegations of persecution of Christians” are “a most misleading campaign.” If the Nigerian Government is blind to the issue of religious persecution in the country, it is clear that the issue will not be addressed. However, the international community cannot be blind to the reports of atrocities and must ask important questions. How will the Nigerian Government explain the mass killings in Nigeria as recorded by several international organizations? What is the Nigerian Government doing to ensure that the acts are investigated and the perpetrators prosecuted?
There are several steps that need to be taken to address the atrocities and the APPG’s report maps these, including comprehensive investigations and prosecutions. However, the comprehensive response will not happen until we recognize, once and for all, the nature and severity of the atrocities. The crimes must be recognized for what they are and “a most misleading campaign” is not that name.
By Ewelina U. Ochab
Forbes
Monday, June 15, 2020
Nigeria’s State-Owned Oil Corp. Publishes Audited Accounts
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. has published audited financial statements online in a bid to improve transparency around its operations.
The state-owned oil company, known as NNPC, has been criticized for years of conducting the nation’s oil business in secret by publishing only unaudited financial reports. The statements published on the company’s website yesterday were for 2018 and were signed by Chief Executive Officer Mele Kyari.
NNPC also published audited accounts online of its 20 subsidiaries and business divisions for first time.
Disclosure “is good for transparency and accountability,” Waziri Adio, executive secretary of Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative, said in a response to a private message on Twitter. “I urge them to make this a regular practice and in open data format.”
National Petroleum Investment Management Services is the group’s most profitable division, according to the statements. It reported revenue of 5.04 trillion naira ($13 billion) in 2018 and profit of 1.01 trillion naira. That compares with a loss of 1.65 trillion naira in 2017.
The report shows total assets managed by NAPIMS at 18.6 trillion naira, with the oil and gas components valued at 14.2 trillion naira.
Its oil production subsidiary, the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, reported a post-tax profit of 179 billion naira in 2018. The corporation’s three refineries reported a combined loss of 154 billion naira with the Kaduna refinery recording zero revenue for that year. NNPC didn’t publish consolidated audited accounts for the group.
“Over the years, NNPC has been rated as a cesspool, providing slush funds for politicians,” said Oluseun Onigbinde, director at Lagos-based BudgIT, a civic group that lobbies for government transparency. “They have been trying to change the perspective since 2015 with the publication of monthly reports and the 2018 audited statements is also a step forward.”
Yahoo Finance
The state-owned oil company, known as NNPC, has been criticized for years of conducting the nation’s oil business in secret by publishing only unaudited financial reports. The statements published on the company’s website yesterday were for 2018 and were signed by Chief Executive Officer Mele Kyari.
NNPC also published audited accounts online of its 20 subsidiaries and business divisions for first time.
Disclosure “is good for transparency and accountability,” Waziri Adio, executive secretary of Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative, said in a response to a private message on Twitter. “I urge them to make this a regular practice and in open data format.”
National Petroleum Investment Management Services is the group’s most profitable division, according to the statements. It reported revenue of 5.04 trillion naira ($13 billion) in 2018 and profit of 1.01 trillion naira. That compares with a loss of 1.65 trillion naira in 2017.
The report shows total assets managed by NAPIMS at 18.6 trillion naira, with the oil and gas components valued at 14.2 trillion naira.
Its oil production subsidiary, the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, reported a post-tax profit of 179 billion naira in 2018. The corporation’s three refineries reported a combined loss of 154 billion naira with the Kaduna refinery recording zero revenue for that year. NNPC didn’t publish consolidated audited accounts for the group.
“Over the years, NNPC has been rated as a cesspool, providing slush funds for politicians,” said Oluseun Onigbinde, director at Lagos-based BudgIT, a civic group that lobbies for government transparency. “They have been trying to change the perspective since 2015 with the publication of monthly reports and the 2018 audited statements is also a step forward.”
Yahoo Finance
Nigeria's Boko Haram crisis: UN ‘appalled’ by twin jihadist attacks in Borno
Dozens of soldiers and civilians are reported to have been killed in twin attacks by Islamist militants in north-eastern Nigeria's Borno state.
Fighters attacked Monguno, a garrison town where UN and other aid workers are based, and a village in Nganzai.
The UN said it was "appalled" by the raids that came days after at least 81 villagers were killed in Gubio.
A Boko Haram faction calling itself the Islamic State in West Africa (Iswap) says it is behind all three attacks.
The splinter group declared its loyalty to the Islamic State group four years ago.
What do we know about the attacks?
At least 20 soldiers and more than 40 civilians are said to have been killed in the two attacks.
People from Goni Usmanti village in Nganzai told the AFP news agency that militants shot dead 38 people and set a truck on fire with passengers inside.
Security sources and residents said at least 15 people, including nine soldiers, died in Monguno town, which is about 60km (37 miles) away.
Militants armed with heavy weapons including rocket launchers arrived in Monguno, a base for many international non-governmental organisations, on Saturday morning, overrunning government forces in the area.
In a statement, the UN confirmed that "non-state armed group operatives" entered Monguno in the late morning.
"Several" civilians, including a four-year old girl, were killed, it said, while at least 37 other civilians were injured.
Although vehicles were set ablaze and an unexploded missile found outside the main humanitarian facility, it was not seriously damaged.
"Protective security measures deployed at the humanitarian hub prevented any harm to the over 50 aid workers who were in the facility at the time of the attack," the UN said.
Reports say hundreds of civilians were injured in Nganzai and the local hospital was overwhelmed, forcing some of the injured to lie outside awaiting help.
The militants then distributed letters to residents, in the local Hausa language, warning them not to work with the military or international aid groups, the BBC's Chris Ewokor reports from the capital, Abuja.
Iswap does not usually target civilians unless they are working with Western aid agencies, or suspected of providing information to the army.
What has the reaction been?
"I am relieved all staff are safe and secure, but I am shocked by the intensity of this attack," said Edward Kallon, UN humanitarian co-ordinator in Nigeria.
The Nigerian military said that its forces had "successfully repelled" the attack on Monguno and killed 20 jihadists.
It did not mention any casualties among soldiers and civilians or the attack in Nganzai.
More than 100,000 of Monguno's residents are people who have been displaced from their homes by the 10-year conflict in the region.
BBC
Fighters attacked Monguno, a garrison town where UN and other aid workers are based, and a village in Nganzai.
The UN said it was "appalled" by the raids that came days after at least 81 villagers were killed in Gubio.
A Boko Haram faction calling itself the Islamic State in West Africa (Iswap) says it is behind all three attacks.
The splinter group declared its loyalty to the Islamic State group four years ago.
What do we know about the attacks?
At least 20 soldiers and more than 40 civilians are said to have been killed in the two attacks.
People from Goni Usmanti village in Nganzai told the AFP news agency that militants shot dead 38 people and set a truck on fire with passengers inside.
Security sources and residents said at least 15 people, including nine soldiers, died in Monguno town, which is about 60km (37 miles) away.
Militants armed with heavy weapons including rocket launchers arrived in Monguno, a base for many international non-governmental organisations, on Saturday morning, overrunning government forces in the area.
In a statement, the UN confirmed that "non-state armed group operatives" entered Monguno in the late morning.
"Several" civilians, including a four-year old girl, were killed, it said, while at least 37 other civilians were injured.
Although vehicles were set ablaze and an unexploded missile found outside the main humanitarian facility, it was not seriously damaged.
"Protective security measures deployed at the humanitarian hub prevented any harm to the over 50 aid workers who were in the facility at the time of the attack," the UN said.
Reports say hundreds of civilians were injured in Nganzai and the local hospital was overwhelmed, forcing some of the injured to lie outside awaiting help.
The militants then distributed letters to residents, in the local Hausa language, warning them not to work with the military or international aid groups, the BBC's Chris Ewokor reports from the capital, Abuja.
Iswap does not usually target civilians unless they are working with Western aid agencies, or suspected of providing information to the army.
What has the reaction been?
"I am relieved all staff are safe and secure, but I am shocked by the intensity of this attack," said Edward Kallon, UN humanitarian co-ordinator in Nigeria.
The Nigerian military said that its forces had "successfully repelled" the attack on Monguno and killed 20 jihadists.
It did not mention any casualties among soldiers and civilians or the attack in Nganzai.
More than 100,000 of Monguno's residents are people who have been displaced from their homes by the 10-year conflict in the region.
BBC
Wednesday, June 10, 2020
Nigerian writer wins German literature award
A Nigerian author, Chigozie Obioma,
has won the 2020 Internationaler Literaturpreis Award through the
German translation of his second novel, ‘An Orchestra of Minorities’.The award was founded in 2009 and has since been honouring outstanding contemporary works especially first-time translations “to rack up voices of relatively unknown authors in Germany”.
In the past, the winning duo for the best novel and the best translation are honoured with a major celebration in which other authors and translators of the books nominated for the final round are invited .
There is usually a cash prize of €20,000/$24,000 for the winning author and €15,000 for the translation.
But this year, in its 12th edition, Germany’s national centre for presentation and discussion of international contemporary arts, Haus der Welt der Kulturen (HKW), alongside the seven-member jury, decided not to honour a single book.
There are six titles on the shortlist. Organisers say there will be 12 winners instead of 2, among whom the prize money of £36,000 will be divided.
“In the current precarious situation for many people working in the cultural field, the organisers wanted to honor the work and voices of many, rather than a single work,” a statement by the organisers said.
Mr Obioma’s book, whose German title is “Das Weinen der Vögel” was among the six books selected from a diverse list and recognised by the German literary community.
The novel follows the story of Chinonso, a hardly surviving poultry farmer who stops a woman from committing suicide, his quest for material advancement and the unsettling end to his dream as a Nigerian on a foreign land.
A jury member, Daniel Medin, considered “An Orchestra of Minorities” to be a philosophical novel “of rare ambition and breadth that questions the freedom of the human will with relentless precision."
Praising the Nigerian author for capturing African religions which are “firmly anchored in Igbo cosmology” in the novel, Mr Medin described Mr Obioma as an innovator of the African novel, also with his debut novel, “The Fishermen.”
“An Orchestra of Minorities” was also shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2019.
Elated
Winning the International Literature Award for Mr Obioma amidst coronavirus blues is pleasing.
“The past few months have been difficult for me, following the lockdown, coming down with the virus myself and the recent events. But I’m happy to share this bit of good news: the German translation of my second novel, DAS WEINEN DER VOGEL, has won this year’s Internationaler Literaturpreis, Germany’s prestigious prize for foreign fiction,” he said in a Facebook post.
“While I’m grateful and elated, I owe this win to my wonderful translator, Nicholai von Schweder, a remarkable man and the very best. Also, my wonderful publisher, Piper Verlag. Thank you to all who continue to support my work. It means so much to me!”
Previous winners of the award have included Teju Cole, Indian-French author, Shumona Sinhaand, and Mexican Fernanda Melchior.
By Aishat Babatunda
Premium Times
Nigerian women are taking to the streets in protests against rape and sexual violence
Protesters have taken to the streets in cities across Nigeria to demand urgent action to combat rape and sexual violence against women.
In Lagos on Monday a coalition of rights groups marched to the state parliament calling for it to declare a state of emergency on rape and sexual violence. The march followed the gruesome death of 22-year-old student Uwaila Vera Omozuwa -- and the rape and killing less than a week later of another student, Barakat Bello.
University student Omozuwa died after she was attacked in a church in Benin City where she had gone to study on May 27, while Bello was raped and killed during a robbery in her home in the southwestern city of Ibadan on June 1, according to Amnesty International.
The students' killings, which happened as citizens were still reckoning with a spate of violence against teenage girls in May, have sparked calls for government action on gender-based violence in the country.
"These unfortunate events are not a standalone, rather they are a culmination of unhealthy cultural practices," the Women Against Rape in Nigeria group said in a petition submitted to lawmakers on Monday.
WARN is pushing for all states in Nigeria to have a sex offenders list -- and for it to be made public -- as well as other measures to name and shame perpetrators of sexual violence.
Sexual survivors silenced
Ebele Molua, an activist and one of the conveners of the protest, said Nigerian women have long been violated and harassed because authorities still perceive rape as a "women issue" leaving women vulnerable to their abusers.
"In Nigeria, you see men catcalling, and groping women in the market and they become violent once they don't respond to their advances. You find men dismissing the accounts of sexual violence. This has to stop," Molua told CNN.
Nigerian celebrities have also denounced the latest sexual violence cases on social media and citizens continue to gather in several cities, demanding law enforcement bring the women's killers to justice.
Nollywood actress Hilda Dokubo joined a women's group demonstration to the police headquarters in Lagos on Friday in the wake of the killings and a group of students protested in Benin City on June 1.
Efforts to combat violence
One in four girls in Nigeria has experienced some form of sexual violence, according to UNICEF.
Meanwhile Amnesty International, which has launched petition demanding justice over the killings, said femicide and rape cases go under-reported in the country, allowing perpetrators to go unpunished.
However the latest cases have forced authorities to reckon with the scale of the problem.
Nigeria's Human Rights Commission has launched a social media campaign to educate men about consent and the country's police force, whose officers have been accused of gender violence in the past, has announced plans to allocate more officers to tackle cases across the country.
By Bukola Adebayo
CNN
In Lagos on Monday a coalition of rights groups marched to the state parliament calling for it to declare a state of emergency on rape and sexual violence. The march followed the gruesome death of 22-year-old student Uwaila Vera Omozuwa -- and the rape and killing less than a week later of another student, Barakat Bello.
University student Omozuwa died after she was attacked in a church in Benin City where she had gone to study on May 27, while Bello was raped and killed during a robbery in her home in the southwestern city of Ibadan on June 1, according to Amnesty International.
The students' killings, which happened as citizens were still reckoning with a spate of violence against teenage girls in May, have sparked calls for government action on gender-based violence in the country.
"These unfortunate events are not a standalone, rather they are a culmination of unhealthy cultural practices," the Women Against Rape in Nigeria group said in a petition submitted to lawmakers on Monday.
WARN is pushing for all states in Nigeria to have a sex offenders list -- and for it to be made public -- as well as other measures to name and shame perpetrators of sexual violence.
Sexual survivors silenced
Ebele Molua, an activist and one of the conveners of the protest, said Nigerian women have long been violated and harassed because authorities still perceive rape as a "women issue" leaving women vulnerable to their abusers.
"In Nigeria, you see men catcalling, and groping women in the market and they become violent once they don't respond to their advances. You find men dismissing the accounts of sexual violence. This has to stop," Molua told CNN.
Nigerian celebrities have also denounced the latest sexual violence cases on social media and citizens continue to gather in several cities, demanding law enforcement bring the women's killers to justice.
Nollywood actress Hilda Dokubo joined a women's group demonstration to the police headquarters in Lagos on Friday in the wake of the killings and a group of students protested in Benin City on June 1.
Efforts to combat violence
One in four girls in Nigeria has experienced some form of sexual violence, according to UNICEF.
Meanwhile Amnesty International, which has launched petition demanding justice over the killings, said femicide and rape cases go under-reported in the country, allowing perpetrators to go unpunished.
However the latest cases have forced authorities to reckon with the scale of the problem.
Nigeria's Human Rights Commission has launched a social media campaign to educate men about consent and the country's police force, whose officers have been accused of gender violence in the past, has announced plans to allocate more officers to tackle cases across the country.
By Bukola Adebayo
CNN
Over half of April's unexplained deaths in Nigeria's Kano state due to coronavirus, health minister says
More than 50% of the unexplained deaths in the northern Nigerian state of Kano in April were due to coronavirus, according to Health Minister Osagie Ehanire.
Ehanire said a government team sent to investigate a spike in deaths in the state during April showed that 979 people died in eight municipalities at the rate of 43 deaths per day.
The deaths peaked in the second week of April and mortality figures later fell to 11 per day in early May -- the state's typical daily death rate -- according to the minister.
Most of the deaths happened at home and in patients older than 65 and with pre-existing illnesses, he said.
"With circumstantial evidence as all to go by, investigation suggests that between 50-60% of the deaths may have been triggered by or due to Covid-19, in the face of pre-existing ailments," Ehanire told a Monday briefing.
Spike in deaths
President Muhammadu Buhari locked down Kano state for two weeks in April following reports of "mysterious deaths," and panic spread that the virus may have circulated undetected in the area.
While gravediggers told CNN they were burying more bodies, state authorities said preliminary investigations showed the deaths were unconnected to coronavirus, initially blaming them on meningitis, diabetes, hypertension and other ailments.
The state governor said a team of health officials from the World Health Organization had been sent to affected communities to probe the deaths.
During a daily presidential briefing on the country's response to Covid-19, Ehanire said the team had been able to provide support and strengthen the state's response to the pandemic.
Nigeria has record 12,801 coronavirus cases, with more than 1,000 cases in Kano state, according to the latest figures from the country's Center for Disease Control.
By Bukola Adebayo
CNN
Ehanire said a government team sent to investigate a spike in deaths in the state during April showed that 979 people died in eight municipalities at the rate of 43 deaths per day.
The deaths peaked in the second week of April and mortality figures later fell to 11 per day in early May -- the state's typical daily death rate -- according to the minister.
Most of the deaths happened at home and in patients older than 65 and with pre-existing illnesses, he said.
"With circumstantial evidence as all to go by, investigation suggests that between 50-60% of the deaths may have been triggered by or due to Covid-19, in the face of pre-existing ailments," Ehanire told a Monday briefing.
Spike in deaths
President Muhammadu Buhari locked down Kano state for two weeks in April following reports of "mysterious deaths," and panic spread that the virus may have circulated undetected in the area.
While gravediggers told CNN they were burying more bodies, state authorities said preliminary investigations showed the deaths were unconnected to coronavirus, initially blaming them on meningitis, diabetes, hypertension and other ailments.
The state governor said a team of health officials from the World Health Organization had been sent to affected communities to probe the deaths.
During a daily presidential briefing on the country's response to Covid-19, Ehanire said the team had been able to provide support and strengthen the state's response to the pandemic.
Nigeria has record 12,801 coronavirus cases, with more than 1,000 cases in Kano state, according to the latest figures from the country's Center for Disease Control.
By Bukola Adebayo
CNN
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