Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Video - Can Boko Haram be defeated?
A summit is underway in the Nigerian capital Abuja to discuss ways to put an end to 7 years of Boko Haram violence.
Video - Nigerian Godwin Benson shortlisted for Innovation Prize for Africa
Recently, the African Innovation Foundation, AIF announced the top 10 nominees for its landmark program, the Innovation Prize for Africa, IPA. Among the nominees are three Nigerians, one of whom is Godwin Benson, a 27 year old whose innovation now enables people who want to learn any skill, whether formal or informal, to connect online with anyone else in proximity who is offering that skill.
Video - Africa's richest man Alike Dangote contributes $10m to victims of Boko Haram
Africa's richest man, Aliko Dangote has pledged 10m dollars to help families affected by the Boko Haram insurgency in Northern Nigeria. It is the biggest donation by a businessman towards easing the humanitarian crisis in the region. But how much will that amount of money do for millions of people displaced by Boko Haram. Kelechi Emekalam visited an IDP camp in the outskirts of capital Abuja and filed the following report.
Nominees for African Movie Academy Awards released
The nominees in the 28 categories of the African Movie Academy Awards, AMAA,the annual pan-African reward system for motion picture practitioners were announced Sunday, May 15, by Mr. Shaibu Husseini, the President of the Jury.
At a media event which took place at the Protea Hotel, GRA Ikeja, Lagos Mr. Husseini who also doubles as the Chairman of the College of Screeners reiterated in his address that AMAA is a jury based award and not a voting awards where nominees embark on voting campaigns to win any of the categories.
The Jury, however, announced nominees into 26 categories as the Board of Jurors is yet to conclude on the remaining two categories according to Mr. Husseini, "The remaining categories are special Jury awards and before the awards ceremony we would have decided on the nominees and eventual winners and by that time we would have the full Jury members on ground."
The Jury President also revealed that quality of movies that came into the competition have improved greatly adding that more young people across the continent are coming into the industry as film makers with over 150 short film entries.
"Our film makers only need to pay attention to details especially in the technical areas. We have the stories already especially film makers producing films in African languages. Truth is we can only compete at the Oscars with our indigenous language films and to do this we must improve on our photography, sound, editing and other technical areas. Our people need to improve on sub-titling of our films. What do as sub-titling are jokes and there is no way our films can travel within the international film festival circuits when the people cant make sense of our films."
Films from Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Burkina Faso are in hot chase for the AMAA glory in the acting departments and Best Director's Category with such films as Fifty, Dry, The Cursed One, Eye of the Storm, Ayanda, La Pagne, Tell me Sweet Something and Behind Closed Doors.
"We are very happy about the quality of works that came into the competition this year and it gladdens our heart that every year the objectives of the awards are being achieved with film makers in Africa and beyond upping their game," added Mr. Husseini.
The Board of Jurors of AMAA which has members which include academics, film makers, critics and Film Festival curators from Nigeria, Germany, United States, Zimbabwe, Jamaica and Burkina Faso will decide on which film and individual talents that will emerge eventual winners at a glamorous Awards Night which will take place on Saturday, June 11, 2016 at the Garden City, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
AMAA 2016 NOMINATION LIST
AMAA 2016 AWARD FOR BEST SHORT FILM
1. Encounter - Nigeria
2. Le Chemin - Cote De Voire
3. Blood Taxi - Nigeria
4. Meet The Parents - Nigeria/Canada
5. Nourah The Holy Light - Burkina Faso
6. Ireti - Nigeria
7. Life of a Nigerian Couple - Nigeria
AMAA 2016 AWARD FOR BEST ANIMATION
1. The Pencil - Burkina Faso
2. The Peculiar Life of a Spider - Ghana
3. Funsie Fast Fingers - Nigeria
4. Lazare Sie Pale - Burkina Faso
AMAA 2016 AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY
1. My Fathers Funeral - Cameroon
At a media event which took place at the Protea Hotel, GRA Ikeja, Lagos Mr. Husseini who also doubles as the Chairman of the College of Screeners reiterated in his address that AMAA is a jury based award and not a voting awards where nominees embark on voting campaigns to win any of the categories.
The Jury, however, announced nominees into 26 categories as the Board of Jurors is yet to conclude on the remaining two categories according to Mr. Husseini, "The remaining categories are special Jury awards and before the awards ceremony we would have decided on the nominees and eventual winners and by that time we would have the full Jury members on ground."
The Jury President also revealed that quality of movies that came into the competition have improved greatly adding that more young people across the continent are coming into the industry as film makers with over 150 short film entries.
"Our film makers only need to pay attention to details especially in the technical areas. We have the stories already especially film makers producing films in African languages. Truth is we can only compete at the Oscars with our indigenous language films and to do this we must improve on our photography, sound, editing and other technical areas. Our people need to improve on sub-titling of our films. What do as sub-titling are jokes and there is no way our films can travel within the international film festival circuits when the people cant make sense of our films."
Films from Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Burkina Faso are in hot chase for the AMAA glory in the acting departments and Best Director's Category with such films as Fifty, Dry, The Cursed One, Eye of the Storm, Ayanda, La Pagne, Tell me Sweet Something and Behind Closed Doors.
"We are very happy about the quality of works that came into the competition this year and it gladdens our heart that every year the objectives of the awards are being achieved with film makers in Africa and beyond upping their game," added Mr. Husseini.
The Board of Jurors of AMAA which has members which include academics, film makers, critics and Film Festival curators from Nigeria, Germany, United States, Zimbabwe, Jamaica and Burkina Faso will decide on which film and individual talents that will emerge eventual winners at a glamorous Awards Night which will take place on Saturday, June 11, 2016 at the Garden City, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
AMAA 2016 NOMINATION LIST
AMAA 2016 AWARD FOR BEST SHORT FILM
1. Encounter - Nigeria
2. Le Chemin - Cote De Voire
3. Blood Taxi - Nigeria
4. Meet The Parents - Nigeria/Canada
5. Nourah The Holy Light - Burkina Faso
6. Ireti - Nigeria
7. Life of a Nigerian Couple - Nigeria
AMAA 2016 AWARD FOR BEST ANIMATION
1. The Pencil - Burkina Faso
2. The Peculiar Life of a Spider - Ghana
3. Funsie Fast Fingers - Nigeria
4. Lazare Sie Pale - Burkina Faso
AMAA 2016 AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY
1. My Fathers Funeral - Cameroon
Canada invests $20m in eradication of polio in Nigeria
Canada will contribute nearly $20 million to help eradicate polio in Nigeria, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie Marie-Claude Bibeau announced today.
The polio eradication drive implemented by the World Health Organization (WHO) will help immunize approximately 6.6 million girls and 6.9 million boys against the crippling and potentially deadly infectious disease in 11 high-risk Nigerian states, Bibeau said.
It will also train approximately 154,000 vaccinators and help protect up to 250,000 children from vaccine-preventable diseases.
“Polio will be eradicated in a few years,” Bibeau said in a statement made on the margins of the Women Deliver conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. “It can happen with a sustained effort aimed at immunizing every child. Our aim is to help reduce the burden of diseases affecting mothers and children, and eradicate polio from Nigeria for good.”
Polio, which can cause lifelong paralysis, has now been stopped nearly everywhere in the world following a 30-year concerted international effort.
In September 2015, the WHO declared that polio is no longer endemic in Nigeria and that there have been no cases reported since July 2014.
“We are grateful for Canada’s leadership and significant support to polio eradication and its commitment to keep Nigeria polio free,” said Dr. Flavia Bustreo, assistant director-general at WHO. “Given the leadership role that women play in polio eradication, it is particularly meaningful that this announcement is being made today at Women Deliver.”
Polio remains endemic in only two countries – Pakistan and Afghanistan. The eradication of polio globally now depends primarily on stopping the disease in these countries. As long as polio exists anywhere, it’s a threat to children everywhere, WHO experts say.
With the refugee crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean and Europe and the continuing transmission of the virus in Pakistan and Afghanistan, there will be an increased risk of exporting polio to regions that are now polio-free, WHO warns.
The polio eradication drive implemented by the World Health Organization (WHO) will help immunize approximately 6.6 million girls and 6.9 million boys against the crippling and potentially deadly infectious disease in 11 high-risk Nigerian states, Bibeau said.
It will also train approximately 154,000 vaccinators and help protect up to 250,000 children from vaccine-preventable diseases.
“Polio will be eradicated in a few years,” Bibeau said in a statement made on the margins of the Women Deliver conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. “It can happen with a sustained effort aimed at immunizing every child. Our aim is to help reduce the burden of diseases affecting mothers and children, and eradicate polio from Nigeria for good.”
Polio, which can cause lifelong paralysis, has now been stopped nearly everywhere in the world following a 30-year concerted international effort.
In September 2015, the WHO declared that polio is no longer endemic in Nigeria and that there have been no cases reported since July 2014.
“We are grateful for Canada’s leadership and significant support to polio eradication and its commitment to keep Nigeria polio free,” said Dr. Flavia Bustreo, assistant director-general at WHO. “Given the leadership role that women play in polio eradication, it is particularly meaningful that this announcement is being made today at Women Deliver.”
Polio remains endemic in only two countries – Pakistan and Afghanistan. The eradication of polio globally now depends primarily on stopping the disease in these countries. As long as polio exists anywhere, it’s a threat to children everywhere, WHO experts say.
With the refugee crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean and Europe and the continuing transmission of the virus in Pakistan and Afghanistan, there will be an increased risk of exporting polio to regions that are now polio-free, WHO warns.
Nigeria defends fuel-price increase amid strike threat
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Emmanuel Kachikwu defended the government’s decision to increase the price of gasoline as averting an even larger fuel shortage and financial crisis, as the country’s main unions threatened indefinite strikes over the increase.
“If we did not do what we are doing now, the queues will be back in very full force, there’ll be complete social disruption,” Kachikwu told lawmakers in the capital, Abuja, on Monday. “Governors will not pay salaries, the federal government in fact will not pay salaries, probably members of this honorable house” will be affected also, he said. “That’s simply the reality.”
Last week Kachikwu increased the cap on the gasoline price last week by 67 percent to 145 naira ($0.73) per liter (0.26 gallon). The move was necessary to attract private importers, who will be able to recover their costs and help end fuel shortages that have persisted for months in the OPEC-member country, he said during the announcement.
Nigeria’s two main union federations have threatened an indefinite strike to shut down offices and businesses by May 18 if previous gasoline prices aren’t restored. The unions accused President Muhammadu Buhari, who won elections last year pledging not to increase the price of fuel, of betraying his promises.
Militant Attacks
When Buhari’s predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, attempted to raise fuel prices and end subsidies in 2012, he was faced with a crippling national strike by the unions and civic groups until he partially reinstated them.
A major oil-exporter, Nigeria relies on fuel imports to meet more than 70 percent of national supply as the four state-owned refineries with a capacity for 445,000 barrels of crude per day produce only a fraction of that because of poor maintenance and mismanagement.
Kachikwu told Parliament the cap only applies to fuel supplied by the National Nigerian Petroleum Corporation, which he also heads, while other retailers can sell fuel for higher.
A resurgence in militant attacks in Nigeria’s oil-producing Niger River delta region has cut output by as much as 600,000 barrels a day to 1.4 million a day, Kachikwu said. The nation’s output hasn’t fallen this low on a monthly-average basis since 1989, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
“Our budget is based on 2.2. million barrels a day,” he said. “It’s critical for this government that we get back to these numbers as fast as we can.”
“If we did not do what we are doing now, the queues will be back in very full force, there’ll be complete social disruption,” Kachikwu told lawmakers in the capital, Abuja, on Monday. “Governors will not pay salaries, the federal government in fact will not pay salaries, probably members of this honorable house” will be affected also, he said. “That’s simply the reality.”
Last week Kachikwu increased the cap on the gasoline price last week by 67 percent to 145 naira ($0.73) per liter (0.26 gallon). The move was necessary to attract private importers, who will be able to recover their costs and help end fuel shortages that have persisted for months in the OPEC-member country, he said during the announcement.
Nigeria’s two main union federations have threatened an indefinite strike to shut down offices and businesses by May 18 if previous gasoline prices aren’t restored. The unions accused President Muhammadu Buhari, who won elections last year pledging not to increase the price of fuel, of betraying his promises.
Militant Attacks
When Buhari’s predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, attempted to raise fuel prices and end subsidies in 2012, he was faced with a crippling national strike by the unions and civic groups until he partially reinstated them.
A major oil-exporter, Nigeria relies on fuel imports to meet more than 70 percent of national supply as the four state-owned refineries with a capacity for 445,000 barrels of crude per day produce only a fraction of that because of poor maintenance and mismanagement.
Kachikwu told Parliament the cap only applies to fuel supplied by the National Nigerian Petroleum Corporation, which he also heads, while other retailers can sell fuel for higher.
A resurgence in militant attacks in Nigeria’s oil-producing Niger River delta region has cut output by as much as 600,000 barrels a day to 1.4 million a day, Kachikwu said. The nation’s output hasn’t fallen this low on a monthly-average basis since 1989, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
“Our budget is based on 2.2. million barrels a day,” he said. “It’s critical for this government that we get back to these numbers as fast as we can.”
Inflation hits six-year high in Nigeria
Annual inflation in Nigeria quickened to a near six-year high of 13.7 percent in April, in part due to rising petrol and electricity prices, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Monday, stoking expectations of another rate hike.
Nigeria’s worst economic crisis in decades has been driven by a sharp drop in oil prices that has slashed government revenues since the country relies on crude sales for around 70 percent of national income.
Gross domestic product growth was just 2.8 percent last year, its lowest rate since 1999, and speculation of a devaluation of the naira currency is growing. March inflation was 12.8 percent.
The statistics bureau (NBS) said the higher inflation rate in April, the highest level since August 2010, according to Thomson Reuters data, reflected increases across all sectors.
In March, Nigeria’s central bank tightened monetary policy, raising the benchmark interest rate to 12 percent from 11 percent to try to curb the galloping inflation, a surprise reversal that came just four months after rates were cut.
“The focus inevitably shifts to what sort of monetary policy reaction to anticipate,” said Razia Khan, chief economist, Africa at Standard Chartered bank, looking ahead to the monetary policy committee meeting due next Monday and Tuesday.
“With the central bank governor previously stating that a headline inflation rate in excess of the MPR (benchmark interest rate) is undesirable, expectations of tightening are likely to build,” she said.
NBS said petrol prices and electricity tariffs were major factors in the inflation rise.
Last week, the government announced it was scrapping a costly fuel subsidy scheme and increasing petrol prices by up to 67 percent which will affect many of Nigeria's 180 million people who rely on gasoline to power electricity generators as well as transport.
The new prices have yet to feed into the inflation figures, but NBS data suggests fuel was already generally sold at a higher price than the new official ceiling throughout much of April, meaning more inflationary pressure could be building.
Food prices, which account for the bulk of the inflation basket, rose 13.2 percent in April, up 0.4 percentage points from March, the bureau said on its website.
Inflation has also been fuelled by pressure on the naira, which on Monday slipped to its weakest level in months against the dollar in the non-deliverable forward market.
Speculation that the central bank will soon devalue the currency - which the bank denied on Sunday, has swirled since the vice president last week said foreign currency policies needed to be changed to encourage investment.
Nigeria’s worst economic crisis in decades has been driven by a sharp drop in oil prices that has slashed government revenues since the country relies on crude sales for around 70 percent of national income.
Gross domestic product growth was just 2.8 percent last year, its lowest rate since 1999, and speculation of a devaluation of the naira currency is growing. March inflation was 12.8 percent.
The statistics bureau (NBS) said the higher inflation rate in April, the highest level since August 2010, according to Thomson Reuters data, reflected increases across all sectors.
In March, Nigeria’s central bank tightened monetary policy, raising the benchmark interest rate to 12 percent from 11 percent to try to curb the galloping inflation, a surprise reversal that came just four months after rates were cut.
“The focus inevitably shifts to what sort of monetary policy reaction to anticipate,” said Razia Khan, chief economist, Africa at Standard Chartered bank, looking ahead to the monetary policy committee meeting due next Monday and Tuesday.
“With the central bank governor previously stating that a headline inflation rate in excess of the MPR (benchmark interest rate) is undesirable, expectations of tightening are likely to build,” she said.
NBS said petrol prices and electricity tariffs were major factors in the inflation rise.
Last week, the government announced it was scrapping a costly fuel subsidy scheme and increasing petrol prices by up to 67 percent which will affect many of Nigeria's 180 million people who rely on gasoline to power electricity generators as well as transport.
The new prices have yet to feed into the inflation figures, but NBS data suggests fuel was already generally sold at a higher price than the new official ceiling throughout much of April, meaning more inflationary pressure could be building.
Food prices, which account for the bulk of the inflation basket, rose 13.2 percent in April, up 0.4 percentage points from March, the bureau said on its website.
Inflation has also been fuelled by pressure on the naira, which on Monday slipped to its weakest level in months against the dollar in the non-deliverable forward market.
Speculation that the central bank will soon devalue the currency - which the bank denied on Sunday, has swirled since the vice president last week said foreign currency policies needed to be changed to encourage investment.
Monday, May 16, 2016
New FIFA president to visit Nigeria
A statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by NFF’s Assistant Director of Communications, Ademola Olajire, said that the visit was a fall-out of NFF President, Amaju Pinnick’s recent meeting with Infantino in Mexico.
The statement said that during the visit, the FIFA president would visit President Muhammadu Buhari and also attend the final of the NFF/ZENITH Bank Future Eagles Championship.
“He will also have an evening with Corporate Nigeria and as well as have an interactive session with a horde of African FA Presidents who will also be in Nigeria to receive him,’’ it said.
It added that Infantino believed that Nigeria was a big country and a massive football-playing nation that should help with the new FIFA leadership’s drive to truly develop the game.
Infantino assumed office as head of world’s football governing body after winning election at an extraordinary general congress in Zurich on Feb. 26, 2016.
Nigerian government arrests Niger Delta Avengers oil militants
The Nigerian army has arrested several suspected members of a militant group called the "Niger Delta Avengers" (NDA), thought to be behind recent attacks on oil pipelines in the south.
The country's oil production has been severely disrupted by the attacks.
US oil giant Chevron shut down an offshore platform this month after an attack claimed by the Avengers group.
Many militants joined an amnesty programme in 2009 after an insurgency in the oil-rich delta region.
Nigeria has long been Africa's largest oil producer, but its economy is currently facing difficulties due to the recent drop in global oil prices and its output is now behind that of Angola.
Most of Nigeria's oil wealth comes from the Niger Delta, an area which remains poor and underdeveloped.
Previous insurgent groups said they were fighting so local people could benefit more from their region's natural resources.
Oil spills have also resulted in environmental devastation over the years.
The country's oil production has been severely disrupted by the attacks.
US oil giant Chevron shut down an offshore platform this month after an attack claimed by the Avengers group.
Many militants joined an amnesty programme in 2009 after an insurgency in the oil-rich delta region.
Nigeria has long been Africa's largest oil producer, but its economy is currently facing difficulties due to the recent drop in global oil prices and its output is now behind that of Angola.
Most of Nigeria's oil wealth comes from the Niger Delta, an area which remains poor and underdeveloped.
Previous insurgent groups said they were fighting so local people could benefit more from their region's natural resources.
Oil spills have also resulted in environmental devastation over the years.
Related stories: Niger Delta Avengers threaten new insurgency in Nigeria
Video - Leaders attend summit in Nigeria to tackle Boko Haram
French President Francois Hollande has hailed the efforts of his Nigerian counterpart Mohammadu Buhari in tackling the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram.Hollande together with other regional Heads of states are in Abuja for a summit on the issue, having taken part in bilateral meetings. The leaders also highlighted the progress made against the militants, as well as the plight of 2.1 million internally displaced persons in Nigeria. Buhari's initiative to convene Saturday's summit was described as "crucial" by the UN Security Council, whose members have strongly condemned attacks by Boko Haram. Some 20,000 people have died in Boko Haram's nearly seven-year uprising to create an Islamic state. A multinational force made up of troops from Nigeria and neighbouring countries have since made military advances against the extremists.
Video - Nigeria trade unions want 67% hike reversed
Nigeria's trade union federation has refused to accept the 67% rise in fuel prices the government introduced on Wednesday to ease fuel shortages. [TAKE VO] The Nigeria Labour Congress wants the increment reversed. In 2012, the government was forced to back down on a similar price rise after nationwide protests. The subsidy, which has kept the price low, costs the government 2.7 million dollars a day and there is no provision for it in the recently approved budget for this year. Some oil marketers are already selling petrol at prices dictated by the market. Only filling stations owned by the state-run NNPC are selling at the old price until they exhaust their current stock.
Nigeria to put new aviation rules in action by July 1
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, on Sunday said the new Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations, Nig.CARs, promulgated in December 2015, would take effect from July 1.
The agency made the disclosure in a statement by its General Manager, Public Relations, Sam Adurogboye, made available by the News Agency of Nigeria.
The statement said the announcement was contained in a Circular Ref: NCAA/DG/AOL/21/16/01 sent to all Airline Operators in April.
According to the statement, while operators are in possession of the copies of the regulations, the interregnum between April and the commencement date is a permissible transitional period.
It said during the time, stakeholders were expected to acquaint themselves with the contents therein for seamless implementation.
“The process of review was set in motion to align Nig.CARs with recent International Civil Aviation Organisations (ICAO) amendments and industry observations received by the authority.
“In other words, the reviewed Nig.CARs is to ensure a completion of the Annexes.
“Provisions have therefore been made for economic and consumer protection regulations that were hitherto not incorporated in the 2009 edition.
“In addition, the NCAA decided on the review to standardise the operational procedures, implementation and enforcement in the industry.
“All these have been done in conformity with the Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) as contained in the Annexes to the Chicago Convention,” the statement said.
It therefore, enjoined airline operators and other stakeholders to ensure total and sustained adherence to the reviewed regulations, adding that any breach would be met with the stipulated sanctions.
The Nig.CARs 2015 has 19 parts comprising General Policies and Definitions, Personnel Licensing, Aviation Training Organisations, Registration and Marketing, Airworthiness and Approved Maintenance Organisations.
It also has Instrument and Equipment, Operation, Air Operator Certification and Administration and Commercial Air Transport by Foreign Air Carrier within Nigeria.
Others are Commercial Aircraft Operations used for Specialised Services (Aerial Works), Aerodrome Regulations; Air Navigation Services, Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Air, Environmental Protection Regulations, Aviation Security and Offences.
The agency made the disclosure in a statement by its General Manager, Public Relations, Sam Adurogboye, made available by the News Agency of Nigeria.
The statement said the announcement was contained in a Circular Ref: NCAA/DG/AOL/21/16/01 sent to all Airline Operators in April.
According to the statement, while operators are in possession of the copies of the regulations, the interregnum between April and the commencement date is a permissible transitional period.
It said during the time, stakeholders were expected to acquaint themselves with the contents therein for seamless implementation.
“The process of review was set in motion to align Nig.CARs with recent International Civil Aviation Organisations (ICAO) amendments and industry observations received by the authority.
“In other words, the reviewed Nig.CARs is to ensure a completion of the Annexes.
“Provisions have therefore been made for economic and consumer protection regulations that were hitherto not incorporated in the 2009 edition.
“In addition, the NCAA decided on the review to standardise the operational procedures, implementation and enforcement in the industry.
“All these have been done in conformity with the Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) as contained in the Annexes to the Chicago Convention,” the statement said.
It therefore, enjoined airline operators and other stakeholders to ensure total and sustained adherence to the reviewed regulations, adding that any breach would be met with the stipulated sanctions.
The Nig.CARs 2015 has 19 parts comprising General Policies and Definitions, Personnel Licensing, Aviation Training Organisations, Registration and Marketing, Airworthiness and Approved Maintenance Organisations.
It also has Instrument and Equipment, Operation, Air Operator Certification and Administration and Commercial Air Transport by Foreign Air Carrier within Nigeria.
Others are Commercial Aircraft Operations used for Specialised Services (Aerial Works), Aerodrome Regulations; Air Navigation Services, Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Air, Environmental Protection Regulations, Aviation Security and Offences.
Niger Delta Avengers threaten new insurgency in Nigeria
They call themselves the Niger Delta Avengers. Little is known about the new radical group that has claimed a series of pipeline bombings in Nigeria's oil-producing region this year and evaded gunboats and soldiers trawling swamps and villages.
Their attacks have driven Nigerian oil output to near a 22-year low and, if the violence escalates into another insurgency in the restive area, it could cripple production in a country facing a growing economic crisis.
President Muhammadu Buhari has said he will crush the militants, but a wide-scale conflict could stretch security forces already battling a northern rebellion by hardline Sunni Muslim group Boko Haram.
Militancy has been rife over the past decade in the Delta, a southern region which is one of the country's poorest areas despite generating 70 percent of state income.
Violence has increased sharply this year - most of it claimed by the "Avengers" - after Buhari scaled back an amnesty deal with rebel groups, which had ended a 2004-2009 insurgency.
Under the deal, more state cash was channelled to the region for job training and militant groups were handed contracts to protect the pipelines they once bombed. But Buhari cut the budget allocated to the plan by about 70 percent and cancelled the contracts, citing corruption and mismanagement of funds.
The "Avengers" have carried out a string of attacks since February that reduced Nigerian oil output by at least 300,000 barrels a day of output, and shut down two refineries and a major export terminal.
On Thursday the group emailed journalists a statement saying it was fighting for an independent Delta and would step up its attacks unless oil firms left the region within two weeks.
"If at the end of the ultimatum you are still operating, we will blow up all the locations," it said. "It will be bloody. So just shut down your operations and leave."
"To international oil companies, this is just the beginning and you have not seen anything yet. We will make you suffer," it said.
Authorities have no hard facts about the group - such as its size, bases or leadership, Nigeria-based diplomats say.
Diplomats and security experts say it has shown a level of sophistication not seen since the peak of the 2004-2009 insurgency, which halved Nigeria's oil output. They say it must be getting help from sympathetic oil workers in identifying the pipelines to cause maximum damage.
"Its scary. Their demands are impossible to meet so there will be probably more attacks," said a security expert, asking not to be named.
GUNBOATS
In February the group claimed an attack on an undersea pipeline that forced Shell to shut a 250,000 barrels a day Forcados terminal. Last week, it took credit for blasting a Chevron platform, shutting the Warri and Kaduna refineries. Power outages across Nigeria worsened as gas supplies were also affected.
There have been other smaller attacks and this week another explosion, which bore the hallmarks of the group, closed Shell's Bonny Light export programme.
Reuters, like other media, has been unable to reach the group, which mainly communicates via Twitter, with the location tracker switched off, and on its website.
Its members describe themselves there as "young, well travelled" and mostly educated in eastern Europe.
Given the lack of intelligence about the militants, the army launched a wide-ranging hunt across the Delta this week, sending gunboats into mosquito-infested creeks and searching villages in the middle of the night.
But some residents say such a heavy-handed military approach stokes dissent in the Delta where many complain of poverty despite sitting on much of Nigeria's energy wealth. They say some villagers help militants to hide in the hard-to-access swamps.
"The military came at 12.30 am with two gunboats ... they went from house to house. Many ran into the bush," said Godspower Gbenekemam, chief of the Gbaramatu area.
"The military stayed on until about 5.30 am, during which nobody was able to move out," he said. "We are not part of the people blowing up pipelines. We do not know them so the military should leave our community alone."
Alagoa Morris, an environmental activist based in the Delta, said unless soldiers acted with restraint, more people would join the militants, with a risk of "the Niger Delta returning to another round of full-scale militancy".
Even oil majors, which have long pressed for better pipeline protection, worry the tactics could backfire.
Executives met Vice President Yemi Osinbajo this week and one of them warned the government was being "too direct and blunt" and needed to find some balance, according to a source familiar with the discussions.
ULTIMATUM
The military has not said how many soldiers have been involved in the sweep. The army searched several villages around Gbaramatu because that part of the Delta is home to former militant leader Government Ekpemupolo, better known as Tompolo.
Some officials have linked Tompolo to the "Avengers", pointing to the fact that the attacks began after authorities issued an arrest warrant for Tompolo on graft charges in January.
Tompolo has denied any ties, saying he himself is a victim as the group had asked him to apologise for criticising it.
For Buhari, the campaign against former militants is a part of his election promise to fix a country gripped by graft and mismanagement, but many locals in the Christian south see him, a Muslim northerner, as an oppressor.
Buhari's cutting of the amnesty plan's budget has also caused widespread resentment in the Delta, as it helps fund job training for the unemployed.
Tapping into such anger, the "Avengers" point out that the former military ruler has never visited the Delta, where many roads are pot-holed and some villages are polluted from oil spills.
In a flurry of statements, the militants have published a list of demands, from cleaning up oil spills to keeping the amnesty plan, leading up to Thursday's ultimatum.
Diplomats say some of Tompolo's followers have probably joined the "Avengers" and that the group's ranks could be swelled by an army of unemployed willing to work for anyone.
But, adding to the confusion surrounding the group, some former rebels have denied knowledge of the militants and say they have brought unwanted military attention to the area.
"Niger Delta Avengers are not fighting for the sake of Niger Delta," said Eris Paul, a former leader of the now-defunct Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), which was one of the most powerful militant groups. "We don't know them." (Additional reporting by Anamesere Igboeroteonwu, Ron Bousso and Libbby George; Editing by Pravin Char)
Their attacks have driven Nigerian oil output to near a 22-year low and, if the violence escalates into another insurgency in the restive area, it could cripple production in a country facing a growing economic crisis.
President Muhammadu Buhari has said he will crush the militants, but a wide-scale conflict could stretch security forces already battling a northern rebellion by hardline Sunni Muslim group Boko Haram.
Militancy has been rife over the past decade in the Delta, a southern region which is one of the country's poorest areas despite generating 70 percent of state income.
Violence has increased sharply this year - most of it claimed by the "Avengers" - after Buhari scaled back an amnesty deal with rebel groups, which had ended a 2004-2009 insurgency.
Under the deal, more state cash was channelled to the region for job training and militant groups were handed contracts to protect the pipelines they once bombed. But Buhari cut the budget allocated to the plan by about 70 percent and cancelled the contracts, citing corruption and mismanagement of funds.
The "Avengers" have carried out a string of attacks since February that reduced Nigerian oil output by at least 300,000 barrels a day of output, and shut down two refineries and a major export terminal.
On Thursday the group emailed journalists a statement saying it was fighting for an independent Delta and would step up its attacks unless oil firms left the region within two weeks.
"If at the end of the ultimatum you are still operating, we will blow up all the locations," it said. "It will be bloody. So just shut down your operations and leave."
"To international oil companies, this is just the beginning and you have not seen anything yet. We will make you suffer," it said.
Authorities have no hard facts about the group - such as its size, bases or leadership, Nigeria-based diplomats say.
Diplomats and security experts say it has shown a level of sophistication not seen since the peak of the 2004-2009 insurgency, which halved Nigeria's oil output. They say it must be getting help from sympathetic oil workers in identifying the pipelines to cause maximum damage.
"Its scary. Their demands are impossible to meet so there will be probably more attacks," said a security expert, asking not to be named.
GUNBOATS
In February the group claimed an attack on an undersea pipeline that forced Shell to shut a 250,000 barrels a day Forcados terminal. Last week, it took credit for blasting a Chevron platform, shutting the Warri and Kaduna refineries. Power outages across Nigeria worsened as gas supplies were also affected.
There have been other smaller attacks and this week another explosion, which bore the hallmarks of the group, closed Shell's Bonny Light export programme.
Reuters, like other media, has been unable to reach the group, which mainly communicates via Twitter, with the location tracker switched off, and on its website.
Its members describe themselves there as "young, well travelled" and mostly educated in eastern Europe.
Given the lack of intelligence about the militants, the army launched a wide-ranging hunt across the Delta this week, sending gunboats into mosquito-infested creeks and searching villages in the middle of the night.
But some residents say such a heavy-handed military approach stokes dissent in the Delta where many complain of poverty despite sitting on much of Nigeria's energy wealth. They say some villagers help militants to hide in the hard-to-access swamps.
"The military came at 12.30 am with two gunboats ... they went from house to house. Many ran into the bush," said Godspower Gbenekemam, chief of the Gbaramatu area.
"The military stayed on until about 5.30 am, during which nobody was able to move out," he said. "We are not part of the people blowing up pipelines. We do not know them so the military should leave our community alone."
Alagoa Morris, an environmental activist based in the Delta, said unless soldiers acted with restraint, more people would join the militants, with a risk of "the Niger Delta returning to another round of full-scale militancy".
Even oil majors, which have long pressed for better pipeline protection, worry the tactics could backfire.
Executives met Vice President Yemi Osinbajo this week and one of them warned the government was being "too direct and blunt" and needed to find some balance, according to a source familiar with the discussions.
ULTIMATUM
The military has not said how many soldiers have been involved in the sweep. The army searched several villages around Gbaramatu because that part of the Delta is home to former militant leader Government Ekpemupolo, better known as Tompolo.
Some officials have linked Tompolo to the "Avengers", pointing to the fact that the attacks began after authorities issued an arrest warrant for Tompolo on graft charges in January.
Tompolo has denied any ties, saying he himself is a victim as the group had asked him to apologise for criticising it.
For Buhari, the campaign against former militants is a part of his election promise to fix a country gripped by graft and mismanagement, but many locals in the Christian south see him, a Muslim northerner, as an oppressor.
Buhari's cutting of the amnesty plan's budget has also caused widespread resentment in the Delta, as it helps fund job training for the unemployed.
Tapping into such anger, the "Avengers" point out that the former military ruler has never visited the Delta, where many roads are pot-holed and some villages are polluted from oil spills.
In a flurry of statements, the militants have published a list of demands, from cleaning up oil spills to keeping the amnesty plan, leading up to Thursday's ultimatum.
Diplomats say some of Tompolo's followers have probably joined the "Avengers" and that the group's ranks could be swelled by an army of unemployed willing to work for anyone.
But, adding to the confusion surrounding the group, some former rebels have denied knowledge of the militants and say they have brought unwanted military attention to the area.
"Niger Delta Avengers are not fighting for the sake of Niger Delta," said Eris Paul, a former leader of the now-defunct Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), which was one of the most powerful militant groups. "We don't know them." (Additional reporting by Anamesere Igboeroteonwu, Ron Bousso and Libbby George; Editing by Pravin Char)
U.S. reconciles with Nigeria to fight Boko Haram
Less than two years after it blocked a sale of American-made attack helicopters to Nigeria from Israel because of human rights concerns, the Obama administration says it is poised to sell up to 12 light attack aircraft to Nigeria as part of an effort to support the country’s fight against the Boko Haram militant group.
But the pending sale of the Super Tucano attack warplanes — which would require congressional approval — is already coming under criticism from human rights organizations that say President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria has not yet done enough to stop the abuses and corruption that flourished in the military under his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan.
Officials at the White House, the State Department and the Pentagon have been bracing for a fight with congressional Democrats, in particular Senator Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont, over the sale of the planes.
The proposed sale reflects the warming of the relationship between the Nigerian and American militaries, which had frayed under Mr. Jonathan. The Pentagon often bypassed Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram, choosing to work directly with neighboring Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
In addition to citing corruption and sweeping human rights abuses by Nigerian soldiers, American officials were hesitant to share intelligence with the Nigerian military, saying Boko Haram had infiltrated it. That accusation prompted indignation from Nigeria.
But that was before Mr. Buhari, a former Nigerian Army major general, defeated Mr. Jonathan in an election last year.
Since coming into power, Mr. Buhari has devoted himself to rooting out graft in Africa’s largest economy.
He has fired a number of Nigerian military officers accused of corruption, and American military officials say they are now working closely with some of their counterparts in Nigeria. The Obama administration is also considering sending dozens of Special Operations advisers to the front lines of Nigeria’s fight against Boko Haram, an insurgency that has killed thousands of civilians in the country’s northeast as well as in Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
Mr. Buhari has also pledged to investigate allegations of human rights abuses and has said he will not tolerate them.
A move to sell the Super Tucano attack aircraft to Nigeria, first reported by Reuters, would continue the détente between the two militaries, administration officials said. The Super Tucano, a turboprop aircraft, is designed for light attack, counterinsurgency, close air support and reconnaissance missions. It could prove useful as the Nigerian military tries to clear Boko Haram out of the Sambisa Forest, which is believed to hold large numbers of the militants, as well as kidnapped girls and women.
The administration has not made a formal decision to send a notification to Congress, but a senior administration official said he expected one soon. President Obama is considering a trip to Nigeria in July.
But already aides to Mr. Leahy, a sponsor of a human rights law that prohibits the State Department and Pentagon from providing military assistance to foreign militaries with poor human rights records, have expressed concern.
“We don’t have confidence in the Nigerians’ ability to use them in a manner that complies with the laws of war and doesn’t end up disproportionately harming civilians, nor in the capability of the U.S. government to monitor their use,” said Tim Rieser, a top Leahy aide.
“The United States is committed to working with Nigeria and its neighbors against Boko Haram,” said David McKeeby, a spokesman for the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs. “The Nigerian security forces and regional forces from Cameroon, Chad and Niger have made important progress in pushing Boko Haram out of many towns and villages of northeast Nigeria and the broader Lake Chad basin region.”
Gen. Mark A. Milley, the Army chief of staff, is attending a meeting of top African military officials, including from Nigeria, here in Arusha this week. Aboard his flight on Saturday, General Milley declined to comment on whether Nigeria’s human rights record had improved enough to warrant the sale, but said one of the reasons he was attending the meeting was to learn more about the African militaries with which the Pentagon is working.
Consideration of selling the attack aircraft to Nigeria is a sharp turnabout from two years ago, when the United States blocked the sale of American-made Cobra attack helicopters to Nigeria from Israel, amid concerns about Nigeria’s protection of civilians when conducting military operations. That infuriated the Nigerian government, and Nigeria’s ambassador to the United States responded sharply, accusing Washington of hampering the effort against Boko Haram.
“Let’s say we give certain kinds of equipment to the Nigerian military that is then used in a way that affects the human situation,” James F. Entwistle, the American ambassador to Nigeria, told reporters in October in explaining the decision to block the helicopter sale. “If I approve that, I’m responsible for that. We take that responsibility very seriously.”
Under Mr. Jonathan, the former president, the Nigerian military was accused by human rights groups of detaining and killing thousands of innocent civilians in sweeps of the militant group, a practice that Amnesty International said was continuing. This year the military rounded up several hundred men and boys in arrests that Amnesty, in a report it released last week, called “arbitrary, the hazardous profiling based on sex and age of the individual rather than on evidence of crime.”
The report said 149 people had died this year in detention in the Nigerian military’s Giwa barracks in Maiduguri, a city that has been a staging ground for the fight against Boko Haram. Among the victims were 11 children under age 6, including four infants, Amnesty said. The prisoners most likely died of disease, starvation, dehydration or gunshot wounds, the report said.
In a news release, the Nigerian military called the report “completely baseless, unfounded and source-less with the intent of denting the image of the Nigerian Armed Forces.”
Sarah Margon, the Washington director at Human Rights Watch, disagreed.
“Indications that the U.S. is going to sell attack aircrafts to Nigeria is concerning given the absence of meaningful reform within Nigeria’s security sector,” Ms. Margon said. “The U.S. must make clear that if the sale is to occur, critical steps, not just rhetorical commitments, on core human rights concerns must be an integral component for approving the sale.”
But the pending sale of the Super Tucano attack warplanes — which would require congressional approval — is already coming under criticism from human rights organizations that say President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria has not yet done enough to stop the abuses and corruption that flourished in the military under his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan.
Officials at the White House, the State Department and the Pentagon have been bracing for a fight with congressional Democrats, in particular Senator Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont, over the sale of the planes.
The proposed sale reflects the warming of the relationship between the Nigerian and American militaries, which had frayed under Mr. Jonathan. The Pentagon often bypassed Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram, choosing to work directly with neighboring Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
In addition to citing corruption and sweeping human rights abuses by Nigerian soldiers, American officials were hesitant to share intelligence with the Nigerian military, saying Boko Haram had infiltrated it. That accusation prompted indignation from Nigeria.
But that was before Mr. Buhari, a former Nigerian Army major general, defeated Mr. Jonathan in an election last year.
Since coming into power, Mr. Buhari has devoted himself to rooting out graft in Africa’s largest economy.
He has fired a number of Nigerian military officers accused of corruption, and American military officials say they are now working closely with some of their counterparts in Nigeria. The Obama administration is also considering sending dozens of Special Operations advisers to the front lines of Nigeria’s fight against Boko Haram, an insurgency that has killed thousands of civilians in the country’s northeast as well as in Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
Mr. Buhari has also pledged to investigate allegations of human rights abuses and has said he will not tolerate them.
A move to sell the Super Tucano attack aircraft to Nigeria, first reported by Reuters, would continue the détente between the two militaries, administration officials said. The Super Tucano, a turboprop aircraft, is designed for light attack, counterinsurgency, close air support and reconnaissance missions. It could prove useful as the Nigerian military tries to clear Boko Haram out of the Sambisa Forest, which is believed to hold large numbers of the militants, as well as kidnapped girls and women.
The administration has not made a formal decision to send a notification to Congress, but a senior administration official said he expected one soon. President Obama is considering a trip to Nigeria in July.
But already aides to Mr. Leahy, a sponsor of a human rights law that prohibits the State Department and Pentagon from providing military assistance to foreign militaries with poor human rights records, have expressed concern.
“We don’t have confidence in the Nigerians’ ability to use them in a manner that complies with the laws of war and doesn’t end up disproportionately harming civilians, nor in the capability of the U.S. government to monitor their use,” said Tim Rieser, a top Leahy aide.
“The United States is committed to working with Nigeria and its neighbors against Boko Haram,” said David McKeeby, a spokesman for the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs. “The Nigerian security forces and regional forces from Cameroon, Chad and Niger have made important progress in pushing Boko Haram out of many towns and villages of northeast Nigeria and the broader Lake Chad basin region.”
Gen. Mark A. Milley, the Army chief of staff, is attending a meeting of top African military officials, including from Nigeria, here in Arusha this week. Aboard his flight on Saturday, General Milley declined to comment on whether Nigeria’s human rights record had improved enough to warrant the sale, but said one of the reasons he was attending the meeting was to learn more about the African militaries with which the Pentagon is working.
Consideration of selling the attack aircraft to Nigeria is a sharp turnabout from two years ago, when the United States blocked the sale of American-made Cobra attack helicopters to Nigeria from Israel, amid concerns about Nigeria’s protection of civilians when conducting military operations. That infuriated the Nigerian government, and Nigeria’s ambassador to the United States responded sharply, accusing Washington of hampering the effort against Boko Haram.
“Let’s say we give certain kinds of equipment to the Nigerian military that is then used in a way that affects the human situation,” James F. Entwistle, the American ambassador to Nigeria, told reporters in October in explaining the decision to block the helicopter sale. “If I approve that, I’m responsible for that. We take that responsibility very seriously.”
Under Mr. Jonathan, the former president, the Nigerian military was accused by human rights groups of detaining and killing thousands of innocent civilians in sweeps of the militant group, a practice that Amnesty International said was continuing. This year the military rounded up several hundred men and boys in arrests that Amnesty, in a report it released last week, called “arbitrary, the hazardous profiling based on sex and age of the individual rather than on evidence of crime.”
The report said 149 people had died this year in detention in the Nigerian military’s Giwa barracks in Maiduguri, a city that has been a staging ground for the fight against Boko Haram. Among the victims were 11 children under age 6, including four infants, Amnesty said. The prisoners most likely died of disease, starvation, dehydration or gunshot wounds, the report said.
In a news release, the Nigerian military called the report “completely baseless, unfounded and source-less with the intent of denting the image of the Nigerian Armed Forces.”
Sarah Margon, the Washington director at Human Rights Watch, disagreed.
“Indications that the U.S. is going to sell attack aircrafts to Nigeria is concerning given the absence of meaningful reform within Nigeria’s security sector,” Ms. Margon said. “The U.S. must make clear that if the sale is to occur, critical steps, not just rhetorical commitments, on core human rights concerns must be an integral component for approving the sale.”
Friday, May 13, 2016
Video - Nigeria to invest in oil refineries
The Nigerian government says it has come up with a way to deal with the oil crisis facing the country.It is one of the world's largest oil producers, but it lacks the capacity to refine crude oil into fuel. Al Jazeera's Yvonne Ndege reports from Kaduna, on a plan to revamp outdated refineries.
Video - Nigeria features highly at World Economic Forum in Africa
Nigeria featured highly at the World Economic Forum on Africa in Kigali, Rwanda, and the focus has been on boosting growth. From an average yearly growth of around 7% over the last decade, the collapse of oil prices and a fixed currency peg has seen growth fall to around 3% in 2015, and the IMF is forecasting GDP growth of just 2.3% in 2016. Ramah Nyang spoke to Standard Chartered's Head of Africa Research, Razia Khan, about the policies Nigeria needs to re-start growth.
Why Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg is excited about Nigeria
You know you're doing something right when Mark Zuckerberg namechecks you.
That's exactly what happened to Jobberman founders Opeyemi Awoyemi, Olalekan Olude and Ayodeji Adewunmi on May 10 when the Facebook founder used the three men as an example of innovation in Nigeria.
Awoyemi, Elude and Adewunmi founded the job site in their dorm room at Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria in 2009.
Their mission was to build the largest catalog of jobs in Nigeria. Today, 5,000 job applications go through the site every day.
"In our six years of working on Jobberman, we've seen that beyond the problem of unemployment, there is a problem of unemployability as well," Opeyemi Awoyemi told CNN.
"That has clearly influenced our mission. We expend most of our resources on job matching via our online platforms, we are also exploring partnerships with government and philanthropic organizations to power career advice centers in cities and universities in Nigeria."
Despite the success of the site, a name-check from an international tech leader can't hurt.
"Zuckerberg just made us the poster-children for Nigeria's burgeoning internet technology space," said Awoyemi.
In the first year, Jobberman became one of the most visited websites in the country, and operations were moved to Lagos -- closer to the business and big employers the team wanted to target.
Free Basics launches in Nigeria
When Zuckerberg mentioned Jobberman, he was making an announcement about a new partnership with Airtel Africa called Internet.org Free Basics in Nigeria, which will allow Nigerians access to news, health information and other services without having to pay for data on their mobile devices.
"Free Basics is now live in more than 40 countries, and half of those are in Africa," Zuckerberg explained in a Facebook post.
"Over the next few months, we'll be doing even more to connect developers with people who can use their apps -- and partner with local companies to bring internet to people across Africa who don't have access to mobile networks."
How to be the next Jobberman
Zuckerberg finished his announcement with a telling statement: "I'm excited to see what Nigerians build next!"
Awoyemi has an idea of what that might be.
"I think the next big thing from Nigeria will solve a key global challenge in one of power, clean water, health, inclusion or agricultural linkages.
"My advice to anyone trying to build an online business is to understand that you cannot separate 'online' from 'offline'.
"The majority of Africans are still very much offline and have not harnessed the internet's full potential.
"As such the internet is what enables you to scale and grow very quickly, but the offline connection still needs to be harnessed to move people online.
"My bet is Facebook understands this fact very clearly as well."
That's exactly what happened to Jobberman founders Opeyemi Awoyemi, Olalekan Olude and Ayodeji Adewunmi on May 10 when the Facebook founder used the three men as an example of innovation in Nigeria.
Awoyemi, Elude and Adewunmi founded the job site in their dorm room at Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria in 2009.
Their mission was to build the largest catalog of jobs in Nigeria. Today, 5,000 job applications go through the site every day.
"In our six years of working on Jobberman, we've seen that beyond the problem of unemployment, there is a problem of unemployability as well," Opeyemi Awoyemi told CNN.
"That has clearly influenced our mission. We expend most of our resources on job matching via our online platforms, we are also exploring partnerships with government and philanthropic organizations to power career advice centers in cities and universities in Nigeria."
Despite the success of the site, a name-check from an international tech leader can't hurt.
"Zuckerberg just made us the poster-children for Nigeria's burgeoning internet technology space," said Awoyemi.
In the first year, Jobberman became one of the most visited websites in the country, and operations were moved to Lagos -- closer to the business and big employers the team wanted to target.
Free Basics launches in Nigeria
When Zuckerberg mentioned Jobberman, he was making an announcement about a new partnership with Airtel Africa called Internet.org Free Basics in Nigeria, which will allow Nigerians access to news, health information and other services without having to pay for data on their mobile devices.
"Free Basics is now live in more than 40 countries, and half of those are in Africa," Zuckerberg explained in a Facebook post.
"Over the next few months, we'll be doing even more to connect developers with people who can use their apps -- and partner with local companies to bring internet to people across Africa who don't have access to mobile networks."
How to be the next Jobberman
Zuckerberg finished his announcement with a telling statement: "I'm excited to see what Nigerians build next!"
Awoyemi has an idea of what that might be.
"I think the next big thing from Nigeria will solve a key global challenge in one of power, clean water, health, inclusion or agricultural linkages.
"My advice to anyone trying to build an online business is to understand that you cannot separate 'online' from 'offline'.
"The majority of Africans are still very much offline and have not harnessed the internet's full potential.
"As such the internet is what enables you to scale and grow very quickly, but the offline connection still needs to be harnessed to move people online.
"My bet is Facebook understands this fact very clearly as well."
Related stories: Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg impressed with Nigeria's jobberman
Summit in London agrees on plan to return stolen loot to Nigeria
Yesterday’s anti-corruption summit in London agreed to a plan to speed up international efforts on asset recovery.
The Global Forum for Asset Recovery will bring together governments and law enforcement agencies to discuss returning assets to Nigeria, Ukraine, Sri Lanka and Tunisia.
The meeting will be held in the United States (US) next year, co-hosted with the United Kingdom (UK), and supported by the United Nations (UN) and the World Bank, the BBC reported.
British Prime Minister David Cameron hosted the summit hailed as the first of its kind, bringing together governments, business and civil society.
The controversy over Cameron’s description of Nigeria and Afghanistan as “fantastically corrupt”, almost overshadowed the summit but did not prevent the presidents of the two countries from attending.
President Muhammadu Buhari made no reference to the comments although at a pre summit session, he said he does not need an apology from Cameron but a return of Nigeria’s stolen asset locked in British banks.
Buhari said the international community must come up with ways of getting rid of safe havens and ensuring a better return of assets.
“When it comes to tackling corruption the international community has looked the other way for far too long,” he said.
There has been concern recently that the UK, particularly London, had become a place where rich foreigners could buy properties but hide their ownership.
Mr Cameron said that should stop and foreign firms that own property in the UK must declare their assets in a public register.
Downing Street said Mr Cameron’s plans for a register of foreign companies owning UK property would include those who already owned property in the UK as well as those seeking to buy.
It said the register would mean “corrupt individuals and countries will no longer be able to move, launder and hide illicit funds through London’s property market, and will not benefit from our public funds”.
It said foreign companies owned about 100,000 properties in England and Wales and that more than 44,000 of these were in London.
Five other countries including France, the Netherlands, Nigeria and Afghanistan have also pledged to launch public registers of true company ownership. Australia, New Zealand, Jordan, Indonesia, Ireland and Georgia announced initial steps towards similar arrangements.
World leaders and politicians, including the president of Colombia attended the summit, as well as organisations such as the World Bank, OECD and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
But critics say the UK’s overseas territories and Crown dependencies also need to be more transparent.
Tax havens with UK links, including Bermuda and the Cayman Islands were represented, but the British Virgin Islands was not at the summit. Neither was FIFA, football’s governing body, which is at the centre of a large bribery scandal.
The British Virgin Islands has not yet signed up to the automatic sharing of it register, but the Prime Minister defended Britain’s overseas territories saying they had come a long way.
Alan Bell, the chief minister of the Isle of Man, which is a Crown dependency, said progress could not be made unless the US did more and tackled its own tax havens such as the state of Delaware.
Mr Kerry said this month President Obama’s administration had announced a set of financial regulations designed to force companies to disclose more information about their owners.
There are also plans for a new anti-corruption co-ordination centre in London and a wider corporate offence for executives who fail to prevent fraud or money laundering inside their companies.
Mr Cameron said they were looking for greater transparency and were introducing a code of conduct for professionals such as accountants, solicitors and estate agents who enabled corruption, either knowingly or unknowingly.
He wanted to see how assets could be recovered, with legislation being introduced in 21 new countries.
The Global Forum for Asset Recovery will bring together governments and law enforcement agencies to discuss returning assets to Nigeria, Ukraine, Sri Lanka and Tunisia.
The meeting will be held in the United States (US) next year, co-hosted with the United Kingdom (UK), and supported by the United Nations (UN) and the World Bank, the BBC reported.
British Prime Minister David Cameron hosted the summit hailed as the first of its kind, bringing together governments, business and civil society.
The controversy over Cameron’s description of Nigeria and Afghanistan as “fantastically corrupt”, almost overshadowed the summit but did not prevent the presidents of the two countries from attending.
President Muhammadu Buhari made no reference to the comments although at a pre summit session, he said he does not need an apology from Cameron but a return of Nigeria’s stolen asset locked in British banks.
Buhari said the international community must come up with ways of getting rid of safe havens and ensuring a better return of assets.
“When it comes to tackling corruption the international community has looked the other way for far too long,” he said.
There has been concern recently that the UK, particularly London, had become a place where rich foreigners could buy properties but hide their ownership.
Mr Cameron said that should stop and foreign firms that own property in the UK must declare their assets in a public register.
Downing Street said Mr Cameron’s plans for a register of foreign companies owning UK property would include those who already owned property in the UK as well as those seeking to buy.
It said the register would mean “corrupt individuals and countries will no longer be able to move, launder and hide illicit funds through London’s property market, and will not benefit from our public funds”.
It said foreign companies owned about 100,000 properties in England and Wales and that more than 44,000 of these were in London.
Five other countries including France, the Netherlands, Nigeria and Afghanistan have also pledged to launch public registers of true company ownership. Australia, New Zealand, Jordan, Indonesia, Ireland and Georgia announced initial steps towards similar arrangements.
World leaders and politicians, including the president of Colombia attended the summit, as well as organisations such as the World Bank, OECD and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
But critics say the UK’s overseas territories and Crown dependencies also need to be more transparent.
Tax havens with UK links, including Bermuda and the Cayman Islands were represented, but the British Virgin Islands was not at the summit. Neither was FIFA, football’s governing body, which is at the centre of a large bribery scandal.
The British Virgin Islands has not yet signed up to the automatic sharing of it register, but the Prime Minister defended Britain’s overseas territories saying they had come a long way.
Alan Bell, the chief minister of the Isle of Man, which is a Crown dependency, said progress could not be made unless the US did more and tackled its own tax havens such as the state of Delaware.
Mr Kerry said this month President Obama’s administration had announced a set of financial regulations designed to force companies to disclose more information about their owners.
There are also plans for a new anti-corruption co-ordination centre in London and a wider corporate offence for executives who fail to prevent fraud or money laundering inside their companies.
Mr Cameron said they were looking for greater transparency and were introducing a code of conduct for professionals such as accountants, solicitors and estate agents who enabled corruption, either knowingly or unknowingly.
He wanted to see how assets could be recovered, with legislation being introduced in 21 new countries.
Video - Caucasian British actress becomes Nollywood star
A British former air hostess has become a star of Nigeria's 'Nollywood' film industry after mastering pidgin English. Claire Edun, from Winchester, Hampshire, became interested in the language - a version of English spoken in West Africa - after visiting the country through work. Her almost-flawless use of the dialect led to her being scouted by one of Nigeria's top directors and she has now become a hit in the country's flourishing film industry. The 31-year-old's new movie has become such a success that she is now famous with cinema-goers in the African state and has been nicknamed Oyinbo Princess - meaning 'White Princess'.
She admits that tredding the red carpets of Lagos is a million miles from the village pantos and school plays which she first acted in, but she has grown a love for Nigeria, which she now considers a home from home.
She told MailOnline: 'It's very weird. I still have to pinch myself sometimes and remind myself that this is actually happening.
'When I am in Nigeria, people often recognise me and stop me for selfies. Even in London the other day, I was stopped by a Nigerian in Woolwich and asked for a photo.
'One of my first memories of acting was of me on a stage in a panto in a community hall in Titchfield, a small village in Hampshire, so I've come a long way since that.'
Suicide bomber kills six in Maiduguri, Nigeria
A suicide bomber who was stopped from entering a government compound killed at least six people, including two police officers, on Thursday in the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack but the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram was suspected. Maiduguri was the birthplace of Boko Haram and has been the scene of numerous attacks by the group’s fighters in the past seven years.
In recent weeks, the Nigerian military’s operations against the group had kept fighters out of the city center for the most part and residents had been starting to look ahead to a possible end of the long war with the militants.
But the attack Thursday, which also wounded more than a dozen people, shattered the city’s fragile sense of calm.
The bomber, who was riding a tricycle taxi, was stopped around noon outside a heavily guarded complex of government offices in the city center, officials said. He then set off his explosives, killing two police officers and at least four other people.
Tricycle taxis — yellow, motorized and covered — have replaced motorbikes, which the government banned in the city several years ago because Boko Haram was using them for drive-by shootings and suicide attacks.
The attack came a day after two separate bombings in the area, witnesses said. The first was at a mosque and killed only the bomber, but the second killed four people.
The Nigerian Army said in a statement that the situation in Maiduguri had “reinforced the need for more security consciousness and awareness on the part of all of us.”
“The remnants of the Boko Haram terrorists and their sympathizers still mingle with the society,” the statement said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack but the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram was suspected. Maiduguri was the birthplace of Boko Haram and has been the scene of numerous attacks by the group’s fighters in the past seven years.
In recent weeks, the Nigerian military’s operations against the group had kept fighters out of the city center for the most part and residents had been starting to look ahead to a possible end of the long war with the militants.
But the attack Thursday, which also wounded more than a dozen people, shattered the city’s fragile sense of calm.
The bomber, who was riding a tricycle taxi, was stopped around noon outside a heavily guarded complex of government offices in the city center, officials said. He then set off his explosives, killing two police officers and at least four other people.
Tricycle taxis — yellow, motorized and covered — have replaced motorbikes, which the government banned in the city several years ago because Boko Haram was using them for drive-by shootings and suicide attacks.
The attack came a day after two separate bombings in the area, witnesses said. The first was at a mosque and killed only the bomber, but the second killed four people.
The Nigerian Army said in a statement that the situation in Maiduguri had “reinforced the need for more security consciousness and awareness on the part of all of us.”
“The remnants of the Boko Haram terrorists and their sympathizers still mingle with the society,” the statement said.
Five reasons why Nigerian government ended fuel subsidies
Africa’s largest oil producer, Nigeria, had introduced fuel subsidies to keep prices at bay. But on Wednesday, President Buhari said his government would no longer be able to sustain the process.
DW spoke to professor Usman Mohammed Muntaqa of Ahmadu Bello University about what could have inspired Buhari's government to remove the contraversial fuel subsidy.
Corruption
Since the year started Nigeria has spent an excess of $5 billion (4.3 billion euros) on keeping fuel subsidies. The expert said the process of subsidizing the petroleum industry was corrupt and hugely inefficient. He claimed that it does not alleviate the sufferings of low income earners nor end fuel scarcity.
DW: Why did the government of Nigeria decide to remove the subsidies now?
Muntaqa : We were taken aback by the government's decision to remove the subsidy which we believe did not exist in the first place. Surcharge is what exists not subsidy. There is too much corruption in the Nigerian oil industry.
Drop in global oil price
With global crude oil prices dropping to unprecedented levels, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) advised the Nigerian government to remove subsidies. Nigeria is known for it's over dependence on oil revenue, but cannot sustain a continuous subsidy payment.
Why did Nigeria introduce subsidies in the first place?
Muntaqa: Nigeria started subsidizing its petroleum industry in the 1980's after the state-owned company, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), had planed to unify the price of crude oil in accordance with the global market. But then-incumbent president, Olusegun Obasanjo, said average Nigerians would not be able to afford a gallon of petrol at the pump. Instead, President Obasanjo introduced subsidy plan to keep the price of petrol low.
Diversion and smuggling
According to Ibe Kachikwu, deputy minister of petroleum, a large volume of petroleum products is diverted by corrupt senior government officials. Kachikwu said these officials connive with marketers and transport owners to divert already subsidized fuel from depots to neighboring West African countries including Cameroon, Chad, Togo and Benin.
What are the direct effects on Nigerians?
Muntaqa: Nigeria's economy relies heavily on oil. But low oil prices at the international market thrust a huge blow on government earnings and rating agencies downgraded the economy. President Muhammadu Buhari also had to slash his budget and reduce the country's growth's prospects.
The standard of living in the country also fell as a result, but instead of falling pump price as is in the case of the international market, Nigerians had to pay more for fuel. This has automatically led to an increase in prices of food commodities.
Competition in the oil industry
According to the Nigerian ministry of petroleum, removing fuel subsidies will lead to more players and competition in the oil industry.
How would this affect the Nigerian economy and the West Africa region?
Muntaqa: West African countries will also be affected because a lot of products exported to these countries from Nigeria will increase in prices.
Foreign exchange crisis
The Nigerian government determines how much foreign currencies private businesses receive to import fuel into Nigeria. There a few oil refineries in the country, but most of them are unable to meet domestic demand. Hence the country relies on fuel importers to fill the gap.
But due to less availability of foreign currencies in the Nigerian market, fuel importers have had to turn to local ‘black markets.' This means fuel importers have to spend more local currency, the Naira, on buying the dollar. Fuel importers hence have a major influence on the prices of fuel. So low fuel prices at the international market, does not automatically translate into low fuel prices in Nigeria.
Can Nigeria depend on its local refineries fully in the future?
Muntaqa: This government promised us that the refineries will get back to work but nothing has happened. We have the human resources to make these refineries work.
Secondly, the government said after removing subsidies, oil marketers will be allowed to source for foreign currencies from parallel markets, meaning the Naira will be under pressure because the demand for the dollar will increase and ultimately lead to a crash.
Related stories: Trade Union in Nigeria resist 'criminal' fuel price hike
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Video - Nigerian boxer Isaac 'Grenade' Ekpo aiming to be world champion
Nigerian boxers used to dominate the ring. But a lack of funding and training facilities have seen the sport's fortunes dwindle. Despite the odds, one boxer is determined to punch his way to the top.
Video - President Buhari not going to demand apology from PM David Cameron
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said that he was not seeking an apology from British Prime Minister David Cameron during an anti-corruption conference in London, Wednesday, after the British leader branded Nigeria "fantastically corrupt."
New militant group Niger Delta Avengers disrupting oil supply in Nigeria
Chevron shut down an offshore oil facility after "unidentified attackers" bombed it last week, causing an oil spill.
And a new militant group calling itself the Niger Delta Avengers has claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the WSJ.
Notably, this attack is not an isolated incident, but rather reflects the deteriorating political and security dynamics posing an immediate threat to Nigeria's oil output.
Since the government ordered an arrest warrant for members of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), including the ex-leader Government Ekpemupolo, the country has seen a spike in attacks this year, including one on the Forcados export pipeline operated by Shell. (The Avengers have taken credit for this attack, too, according to reports cited by Bank of America analysts.)
The Niger Delta Avengers reportedly want locals in the Niger Delta to have more control over the oil resources in the region, as well as higher living standards for those living there and the continuation of the Niger Delta amnesty program, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch's Oyin Anubi.
(Although, Anubi cited local press reports noting that Ekpemupolo has tried to distance himself from the Niger Delta Avengers, who aren't part of the existing Niger Delta Amnesty program.)
The Avengers' agenda seems to parallel the situation back in the 2000s, when armed militant groups, including MEND, routinely kept hundreds of barrels of oil off the market.
At the time, MEND portrayed "itself as political organization that wants a greater share of Nigeria's oil revenues to go to the impoverished region that sits atop the oil," according to The Economist.
In 2009, the government signed an amnesty agreement pledging to provide monthly cash payments and vocational training programs to the nearly 30,000 former militants in exchange for cooperation.
But although the arrangement was a pretty good band-aid, it failed to address the fundamental drivers of instability in the region, such as poverty, corruption, and the proliferation of weapons.
Moreover, Nigeria's current economic slump adds more pressure to the situation, and the current administration under Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to reduce corruption and excessive government spending.
Notably, the recent attacks have taken a toll on oil output in Nigeria. According to data cited by Anubi, oil production is now down to mid-1990s lows, with unplanned supply outages ranging from 200,000 to 300,000 b/d.
And although the country has previously delt with similar threats, Anubi argues that there are three major reasons to be more concerned now than in previous years:
The large-scale attack on an offshore facility — as opposed to an onshore one — shows that the scale of militancy has increased.
And a new militant group calling itself the Niger Delta Avengers has claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the WSJ.
Notably, this attack is not an isolated incident, but rather reflects the deteriorating political and security dynamics posing an immediate threat to Nigeria's oil output.
Since the government ordered an arrest warrant for members of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), including the ex-leader Government Ekpemupolo, the country has seen a spike in attacks this year, including one on the Forcados export pipeline operated by Shell. (The Avengers have taken credit for this attack, too, according to reports cited by Bank of America analysts.)
The Niger Delta Avengers reportedly want locals in the Niger Delta to have more control over the oil resources in the region, as well as higher living standards for those living there and the continuation of the Niger Delta amnesty program, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch's Oyin Anubi.
(Although, Anubi cited local press reports noting that Ekpemupolo has tried to distance himself from the Niger Delta Avengers, who aren't part of the existing Niger Delta Amnesty program.)
The Avengers' agenda seems to parallel the situation back in the 2000s, when armed militant groups, including MEND, routinely kept hundreds of barrels of oil off the market.
At the time, MEND portrayed "itself as political organization that wants a greater share of Nigeria's oil revenues to go to the impoverished region that sits atop the oil," according to The Economist.
In 2009, the government signed an amnesty agreement pledging to provide monthly cash payments and vocational training programs to the nearly 30,000 former militants in exchange for cooperation.
But although the arrangement was a pretty good band-aid, it failed to address the fundamental drivers of instability in the region, such as poverty, corruption, and the proliferation of weapons.
Moreover, Nigeria's current economic slump adds more pressure to the situation, and the current administration under Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to reduce corruption and excessive government spending.
Notably, the recent attacks have taken a toll on oil output in Nigeria. According to data cited by Anubi, oil production is now down to mid-1990s lows, with unplanned supply outages ranging from 200,000 to 300,000 b/d.
And although the country has previously delt with similar threats, Anubi argues that there are three major reasons to be more concerned now than in previous years:
The large-scale attack on an offshore facility — as opposed to an onshore one — shows that the scale of militancy has increased.
The regulation of Nigeria's oil sector remains a bit unclear as a new bill is intended to split the national oil company into two parts.
The current Nigerian government under Buhari, which aims to reduce corruption and excess expenses in the lower oil environment, is "incompatible with spending large sums of money to appease Niger Delta militants," writes Anubi.
In short, as RBC Capital Markets' Helima Croft noted back in late March, "the government appears to be on course for a head on collision with armed militants in the oil region."
The current Nigerian government under Buhari, which aims to reduce corruption and excess expenses in the lower oil environment, is "incompatible with spending large sums of money to appease Niger Delta militants," writes Anubi.
In short, as RBC Capital Markets' Helima Croft noted back in late March, "the government appears to be on course for a head on collision with armed militants in the oil region."
Trade Union in Nigeria resist 'criminal' fuel price hike
Nigeria's trade union federation has said it will resist what it calls the "criminal" 66% rise in the petrol price, as fuel subsidies are removed.
The government announced on Wednesday that the price was to increase in a bid to ease crippling fuel shortages.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said the rise from 86.5 naira ($0.43) a litre to 145 naira should be reversed.
In 2012, the government was forced to back down on a similar price rise after nationwide protests.
The subsidy, which has kept the price low, costs the government $2.7m a day and there is no provision for it in the recently approved budget for this year, the petroleum ministry said in a statement.
Recent fuel shortages have seen Nigerians paying up to 350 naira a litre on the black market, it added.
Despite being one of Africa's largest oil producers, Nigeria has to import fuel to meet demand as its refineries are dilapidated and work at a fraction of their capacity.
Petroleum Minister Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu said that the price rise should stabilise the market and help end the fuel scarcity.
But "even with the new price regime, Nigeria would remain one of the cheapest fuel markets in Africa," he added.
Some fuel stations in Nigeria have already begun to sell petrol at prices dictated by the market.
Many here in the capital, Abuja, started last night after the announcement that the subsidy had been scrapped.
Only filling stations owned by the state-run NNPC firm are selling at the old price until they exhaust their current stock.
And fuel is likely to be even more expensive in northern Nigeria because of the cost of transporting it there.
The government announced on Wednesday that the price was to increase in a bid to ease crippling fuel shortages.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said the rise from 86.5 naira ($0.43) a litre to 145 naira should be reversed.
In 2012, the government was forced to back down on a similar price rise after nationwide protests.
The subsidy, which has kept the price low, costs the government $2.7m a day and there is no provision for it in the recently approved budget for this year, the petroleum ministry said in a statement.
Recent fuel shortages have seen Nigerians paying up to 350 naira a litre on the black market, it added.
Despite being one of Africa's largest oil producers, Nigeria has to import fuel to meet demand as its refineries are dilapidated and work at a fraction of their capacity.
Petroleum Minister Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu said that the price rise should stabilise the market and help end the fuel scarcity.
But "even with the new price regime, Nigeria would remain one of the cheapest fuel markets in Africa," he added.
Some fuel stations in Nigeria have already begun to sell petrol at prices dictated by the market.
Many here in the capital, Abuja, started last night after the announcement that the subsidy had been scrapped.
Only filling stations owned by the state-run NNPC firm are selling at the old price until they exhaust their current stock.
And fuel is likely to be even more expensive in northern Nigeria because of the cost of transporting it there.
Related stories: Nigeria to fully deregulate petrol
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Video - Giwa Barracks of Nigeria "A place of death"
A new report by Amnesty International says children are dying in military detention in northeast Nigeria.
The victims and their families are being held in Giwa Barracks, in Maiduguri in Borno State.
Amnesty says more than one hundred children - some as young as five - are being held in over crowded and inhumane conditions.
But the military says most of the detainees are Boko Haram fighters and suspects.
Video - Nigeria struggling to keep up with crude oil output
Recent attacks on oil facilities by militants in the delta region are pushing Nigeria's oil production to a near decade low. The attacks and continued threats by militant group Delta avengers, has forced several oil companies to shut operations.
Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg impressed with Nigeria's jobberman
Following the launch of Free Basics in Nigeria yesterday, Facebook founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg to his Facebook page to make the announcement.
In the post, he outlined the partnership with Airtel Africa to launch the Internet.org platform in Nigeria, adding that there is a lot of innovation across Africa right now.
The Facebook founder also touted Nigeria as being home to a lot of talented developers before going on to praise Olalekan Elude, Ayodeji Adewunmi, and Opeyemi Awoyemi - the three guys who founded jobs site, Jobberman in 2009 - for being innovation leaders in the Nigerian tech space.
According to Zuckerberg, Jobberman now get 5, 000 applications a day, with the platform being one of the top 100 websites in the country.
"Free Basics offers Nigerians, including 90 million people who are currently offline, the opportunity to access news, health information and services like Jobberman that were built by Nigerians and other developers across West Africa -- all without having to pay for data," said Zuckerberg in the post.
The Facebook CEO says Free Basics is now in more than 40 countries - half of which are in Africa. He also expressed hopes of connecting developers with people that can use their apps as well as partnering with local companies to bring Internet to the people who don't have access to it.
In the post, he outlined the partnership with Airtel Africa to launch the Internet.org platform in Nigeria, adding that there is a lot of innovation across Africa right now.
The Facebook founder also touted Nigeria as being home to a lot of talented developers before going on to praise Olalekan Elude, Ayodeji Adewunmi, and Opeyemi Awoyemi - the three guys who founded jobs site, Jobberman in 2009 - for being innovation leaders in the Nigerian tech space.
According to Zuckerberg, Jobberman now get 5, 000 applications a day, with the platform being one of the top 100 websites in the country.
"Free Basics offers Nigerians, including 90 million people who are currently offline, the opportunity to access news, health information and services like Jobberman that were built by Nigerians and other developers across West Africa -- all without having to pay for data," said Zuckerberg in the post.
The Facebook CEO says Free Basics is now in more than 40 countries - half of which are in Africa. He also expressed hopes of connecting developers with people that can use their apps as well as partnering with local companies to bring Internet to the people who don't have access to it.
President Buhari embarrassed by Cameron's 'fantastically corrupt' statement
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari is “embarrassed” by British Prime Minister David Cameron saying the country is one of the most corrupt in the world, according to his spokesman.
Cameron made the comments on Tuesday while being filmed at a Buckingham Palace reception for Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday. Speaking ahead of an anti-corruption summit in London on Thursday—at which Buhari will speak—the prime minister told the Queen: “We’ve got some leaders of some fantastically corrupt countries coming to Britain.”
He went on to describe Nigeria and Afghanistan as “possibly the two most corrupt countries in the world,” before Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby interjected to defend Buhari, saying that “this particular president is not actually corrupt.”
“The prime minister must be looking at an old snapshot of Nigeria,” said Buhari’s spokesman Garba Shehu on Tuesday. The spokesman added that “the eyes of the world” were watching Buhari’s anti-corruption drive in Nigeria and that “things are changing with corruption and everything else” in the West African country.
The Nigerian president—who was elected on an anti-corruption ticket in March 2015—has himself lamented the country’s association with corruption and crime. Buhari told The Daily Telegraph in February that Nigerians’ reputation for criminality, especially drug and human trafficking, meant that Europe and the U.S. were reluctant to receive Nigerian migrants.
Buhari has also vowed, however, to uproot corruption from the country. He has requested greater cooperation from the international community in returning Nigerian public funds stolen by officials and hidden abroad, including more than $300 million stored in Switzerland by the late Nigerian military ruler Sani Abacha. The president has also ordered the arrest of a number of high-profile figures—including former national security advisor Sambo Dasuki—in connection with a $2 billion scandal in which state funds earmarked for procuring arms to fight Boko Haram were diverted elsewhere.
Nigeria was ranked 136th out of 168 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index 2015, the same position it held in 2014. In a December 2015 report, Transparency found that 75 percent of Nigerians felt that corruption in the country had risen in the previous 12 months.
Cameron made the comments on Tuesday while being filmed at a Buckingham Palace reception for Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday. Speaking ahead of an anti-corruption summit in London on Thursday—at which Buhari will speak—the prime minister told the Queen: “We’ve got some leaders of some fantastically corrupt countries coming to Britain.”
He went on to describe Nigeria and Afghanistan as “possibly the two most corrupt countries in the world,” before Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby interjected to defend Buhari, saying that “this particular president is not actually corrupt.”
“The prime minister must be looking at an old snapshot of Nigeria,” said Buhari’s spokesman Garba Shehu on Tuesday. The spokesman added that “the eyes of the world” were watching Buhari’s anti-corruption drive in Nigeria and that “things are changing with corruption and everything else” in the West African country.
The Nigerian president—who was elected on an anti-corruption ticket in March 2015—has himself lamented the country’s association with corruption and crime. Buhari told The Daily Telegraph in February that Nigerians’ reputation for criminality, especially drug and human trafficking, meant that Europe and the U.S. were reluctant to receive Nigerian migrants.
Buhari has also vowed, however, to uproot corruption from the country. He has requested greater cooperation from the international community in returning Nigerian public funds stolen by officials and hidden abroad, including more than $300 million stored in Switzerland by the late Nigerian military ruler Sani Abacha. The president has also ordered the arrest of a number of high-profile figures—including former national security advisor Sambo Dasuki—in connection with a $2 billion scandal in which state funds earmarked for procuring arms to fight Boko Haram were diverted elsewhere.
Nigeria was ranked 136th out of 168 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index 2015, the same position it held in 2014. In a December 2015 report, Transparency found that 75 percent of Nigerians felt that corruption in the country had risen in the previous 12 months.
Video - British PM David Cameron calls Nigeria 'fantastically' corrupt
David Cameron has been caught on camera describing Nigeria and Afghanistan as “fantastically corrupt countries” on the eve of a major corruption conference in London.
The Prime Minister will be hosting delegates from the two countries later this week, and the incident as he spoke with the Queen at an event to mark her 90th birthday will be a source of acute embarrassment.
During the summit, Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari is scheduled to deliver a keynote address entitled: "Why We Must Tackle Corruption Together".
Mr Cameron could be heard singling out the two states as “possibly the two most corrupt countries in the world”, in footage on ITV News showing him chatting in a group including the Archbishop of Canterbury and Commons Speaker John Bercow.
The Prime Minister told the Queen: “We had a very successful cabinet meeting this morning to talk about our anti-corruption summit, we’ve got the Nigerians… actually we’ve got the leaders of some fantastically corrupt countries coming to Britain.
“Nigeria and Afghanistan, possibly the two most corrupt countries in the world.”
The Archbishop - The Most Rev Justin Welby - is heard to intervene to make clear that "this particular president" is not himself corrupt.
It is not the first time a controversial comment has been overheard in a conversation involving Mr Cameron and the Queen.
In the aftermath of the Scottish independence referendum in 2014, the Prime Minister was heard saying the Queen “purred down the line” when he informed her of the result.
A spokesperson for Downing Street declined to comment directly on Tuesday's conversation, but did point out that the leaders of both Nigeria and Afghanistan have themselves spoken about the scale of their corruption problems.
Afghanistan's Ashraf Ghani and Nigeria's Mr Buhari have written essays for a book accompanying the summit.
Mr Ghani, Number 10 said, acknowledges in his piece that Afghanistan is “one of the most corrupt countries on earth” and Mr Buhari that corruption became a “way of life” in his country under “supposedly accountable democratic governments”.
Anti-corruption movement Transparency International ranked Afghanistan as 166th and Nigeria 136th out of 168 countries and territories in its Corruption Perceptions Index for 2015.
Independent
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
American football gaining interest in Nigeria
American soccer is fast gaining ground in Nigeria, with tens of enthusiasts warming up to the sport. As CCTV's Deji Badmus reports, the proponents of the sport in the country want to make American soccer as popular as football.
Shell evacuates workers from oil field in Nigeria
Shell workers at Nigeria's Bonga oil field in the southern Niger Delta are being evacuated following a militant threat, a labor union official said on Monday as the vice president met oil majors to discuss a surge in violence.
Last week, militants attacked a Chevron facility in the impoverished Delta where tensions have been building up since authorities issued an arrest warrant in January for a former militant leader on corruption charges.
Shell has been evacuating workers from Bonga, a union official said as local media reported an unconfirmed militant attack in the area.
"The evacuation is being done in categories of workers and cadres," Cogent Ojobor, chairman of the Warri branch of the Nupeng oil labor union, said. "My members are yet to be evacuated."
He gave no numbers.
A Shell spokesman said earlier that oil output was continuing at its oil fields in Nigeria while it was monitoring the security situation.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in the evening in the capital Abuja met executives from Shell, France's Total, and Italy's Agip and Chevron. All declined to talk to Reuters.
"All of us as stakeholders are concerned and we have agreed to work together to ensure that production is not disrupted," said Henry Dickson, governor of the oil-producing Bayelsa state in the Delta, who took part in the meeting.
"This is a time that we cannot afford to have any disruption, not to talk of vandalism of critical national assets," he said.
In separate violence, gunmen killed four policemen traveling to Bayelsa's capital Yenagoa, police said.
A group known as the Niger Delta Avengers has claimed responsibility for the Chevron attack. The same group has said it carried out an attack on a Shell oil pipeline in February which shut down the 250,000 barrel-a-day Forcados export terminal.
Residents in the Delta have been demanding a greater share of oil revenues. Crude oil sales account for around 70 percent of national income in Nigeria but there has not been much development in the region.
President Muhammadu Buhari has extended a multimillion-dollar amnesty signed with militants in 2009 but upset them by ending generous pipeline protection contracts.
The militancy is a further challenge for a government faced with an insurgency by the Islamist militant Boko Haram group in the northeast and violent clashes between armed nomadic herdsmen and locals over land use in various parts of the country.
Last week, militants attacked a Chevron facility in the impoverished Delta where tensions have been building up since authorities issued an arrest warrant in January for a former militant leader on corruption charges.
Shell has been evacuating workers from Bonga, a union official said as local media reported an unconfirmed militant attack in the area.
"The evacuation is being done in categories of workers and cadres," Cogent Ojobor, chairman of the Warri branch of the Nupeng oil labor union, said. "My members are yet to be evacuated."
He gave no numbers.
A Shell spokesman said earlier that oil output was continuing at its oil fields in Nigeria while it was monitoring the security situation.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in the evening in the capital Abuja met executives from Shell, France's Total, and Italy's Agip and Chevron. All declined to talk to Reuters.
"All of us as stakeholders are concerned and we have agreed to work together to ensure that production is not disrupted," said Henry Dickson, governor of the oil-producing Bayelsa state in the Delta, who took part in the meeting.
"This is a time that we cannot afford to have any disruption, not to talk of vandalism of critical national assets," he said.
In separate violence, gunmen killed four policemen traveling to Bayelsa's capital Yenagoa, police said.
A group known as the Niger Delta Avengers has claimed responsibility for the Chevron attack. The same group has said it carried out an attack on a Shell oil pipeline in February which shut down the 250,000 barrel-a-day Forcados export terminal.
Residents in the Delta have been demanding a greater share of oil revenues. Crude oil sales account for around 70 percent of national income in Nigeria but there has not been much development in the region.
President Muhammadu Buhari has extended a multimillion-dollar amnesty signed with militants in 2009 but upset them by ending generous pipeline protection contracts.
The militancy is a further challenge for a government faced with an insurgency by the Islamist militant Boko Haram group in the northeast and violent clashes between armed nomadic herdsmen and locals over land use in various parts of the country.
Nigeria orders investigation in misappropriation of Global Fund grants
The Nigerian government has directed the country’s anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to launch full investigation into the alleged misappropriation of Global Fund Grants Nigeria received from 2010 to 2014.
The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, said, “President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR gave the directive as part of government’s effort and commitment to fight corruption in the country. The President has also directed the Secretary to the Government of Federation to review earlier audit reports from the Office of Inspector General (OIG)”.
Consequently, the Secretary to the Federal Government has set-up two investigative panels to look into the affected programmes and the financial transactions.
The first panel, headed by Mr. Adewole, will conduct in-depth review of all programmes while the second panel, chaired by Auditor General of the Federation – Mr Samuel Ukura, will review all financial transactions during the period.
The two committees are expected to submit their reports within four weeks.
“Mr President assured members of the international community that all funds received by Nigeria would be well utilised and accounted for under his watch to avoid national embarrassment,” Mr. Adewole said.
He further said all indicted officials would be given fair hearing and those found guilty would be sanctioned to serve as deterrent to others
On May 3, Global Funds announced that its Inspector General (OIG) audit of grants in Nigeria identified significant problems in procurement, supply chain, financial and program management.
The announcement said, “The auditors found discrepancies of over US$4 million between drugs ordered and delivered; US$20 million paid to suppliers without confirmation of delivery; stock-outs of eight months for critical medicines; and a total of US$7.65 million in unsupported expenditures. The Global Fund is reviewing corrective measures, particularly with regard to risk management, identified by the OIG as the root cause of many of the issues.
“With more than US$1.4 billion invested since 2003, Nigeria represents the Global Fund’s largest portfolio. Programs to date have contributed to 750,000 people living with HIV/AIDS currently on antiretroviral therapy, 310,000 new smear-positive tuberculosis cases detected and treated and 93.4 million insecticide-treated mosquito nets distributed to prevent the spread of malaria.
“Regarding procurement, the OIG found that Principal Recipients, the National Agency for the Control of AIDS and the National Malaria Elimination Program do not monitor the deliveries to the central medical store in Lagos of drugs arriving through the Global Fund’s Pooled Procurement Mechanism (a system that allows the Global Fund to bulk order health commodities at favorable prices).
“This resulted in discrepancies in antiretroviral drugs deliveries of US$3.7 million from 2013 to September 2015 and US$0.5 million in artemisinin-based combination therapy drugs. The OIG also identified payments amounting to US$20 million made to a procurement agent without confirmation of services rendered or goods delivered.
“The auditors found major weaknesses in supply chain management including ineffective controls over inventory management and distribution directly affecting service delivery to patients in Nigeria. Stock-outs lasting 8 months of critical medicines such as antiretroviral drugs and artemisinin-based combination therapies were found in 42 health facilities visited by the OIG. In addition, HIV commodities worth US$5.4 million had expired in the last two years.
“Although the OIG noted minor improvements since the introduction of a fiduciary agent in May 2015, financial management controls were found to be inadequate and ineffective. For example, the auditors identified a total of US$7.65 million of unsupported expenses linked to human resources, payment approval processes and advances management.
“Significant weaknesses exist in the internal controls around data collection and reporting processes. This resulted in more than 10% of errors between the data recorded at the facility level and data reported to the state coordinator and the Global Fund. The issues identified were mainly for the HIV and malaria programs. Good practice, however, was observed on data recorded for the tuberculosis programs.
“The OIG concluded that the Global Fund’s risk management framework in Nigeria is ineffective. The organization is unable to identify, mitigate and monitor the risks effectively. This explains many of the problems identified by the OIG audit. For example, although the Secretariat introduced the Pooled Procurement Mechanism to the Nigeria portfolio, limited preventative controls are in place to ensure that drugs procured through the mechanism are actually delivered and then distributed.
“The Secretariat is currently reviewing a number of corrective actions including assessing potential recoverable funds, internal control deficiencies and the grant recipients’ ability to deliver key Global Fund objectives in Nigeria.”
The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, said, “President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR gave the directive as part of government’s effort and commitment to fight corruption in the country. The President has also directed the Secretary to the Government of Federation to review earlier audit reports from the Office of Inspector General (OIG)”.
Consequently, the Secretary to the Federal Government has set-up two investigative panels to look into the affected programmes and the financial transactions.
The first panel, headed by Mr. Adewole, will conduct in-depth review of all programmes while the second panel, chaired by Auditor General of the Federation – Mr Samuel Ukura, will review all financial transactions during the period.
The two committees are expected to submit their reports within four weeks.
“Mr President assured members of the international community that all funds received by Nigeria would be well utilised and accounted for under his watch to avoid national embarrassment,” Mr. Adewole said.
He further said all indicted officials would be given fair hearing and those found guilty would be sanctioned to serve as deterrent to others
On May 3, Global Funds announced that its Inspector General (OIG) audit of grants in Nigeria identified significant problems in procurement, supply chain, financial and program management.
The announcement said, “The auditors found discrepancies of over US$4 million between drugs ordered and delivered; US$20 million paid to suppliers without confirmation of delivery; stock-outs of eight months for critical medicines; and a total of US$7.65 million in unsupported expenditures. The Global Fund is reviewing corrective measures, particularly with regard to risk management, identified by the OIG as the root cause of many of the issues.
“With more than US$1.4 billion invested since 2003, Nigeria represents the Global Fund’s largest portfolio. Programs to date have contributed to 750,000 people living with HIV/AIDS currently on antiretroviral therapy, 310,000 new smear-positive tuberculosis cases detected and treated and 93.4 million insecticide-treated mosquito nets distributed to prevent the spread of malaria.
“Regarding procurement, the OIG found that Principal Recipients, the National Agency for the Control of AIDS and the National Malaria Elimination Program do not monitor the deliveries to the central medical store in Lagos of drugs arriving through the Global Fund’s Pooled Procurement Mechanism (a system that allows the Global Fund to bulk order health commodities at favorable prices).
“This resulted in discrepancies in antiretroviral drugs deliveries of US$3.7 million from 2013 to September 2015 and US$0.5 million in artemisinin-based combination therapy drugs. The OIG also identified payments amounting to US$20 million made to a procurement agent without confirmation of services rendered or goods delivered.
“The auditors found major weaknesses in supply chain management including ineffective controls over inventory management and distribution directly affecting service delivery to patients in Nigeria. Stock-outs lasting 8 months of critical medicines such as antiretroviral drugs and artemisinin-based combination therapies were found in 42 health facilities visited by the OIG. In addition, HIV commodities worth US$5.4 million had expired in the last two years.
“Although the OIG noted minor improvements since the introduction of a fiduciary agent in May 2015, financial management controls were found to be inadequate and ineffective. For example, the auditors identified a total of US$7.65 million of unsupported expenses linked to human resources, payment approval processes and advances management.
“Significant weaknesses exist in the internal controls around data collection and reporting processes. This resulted in more than 10% of errors between the data recorded at the facility level and data reported to the state coordinator and the Global Fund. The issues identified were mainly for the HIV and malaria programs. Good practice, however, was observed on data recorded for the tuberculosis programs.
“The OIG concluded that the Global Fund’s risk management framework in Nigeria is ineffective. The organization is unable to identify, mitigate and monitor the risks effectively. This explains many of the problems identified by the OIG audit. For example, although the Secretariat introduced the Pooled Procurement Mechanism to the Nigeria portfolio, limited preventative controls are in place to ensure that drugs procured through the mechanism are actually delivered and then distributed.
“The Secretariat is currently reviewing a number of corrective actions including assessing potential recoverable funds, internal control deficiencies and the grant recipients’ ability to deliver key Global Fund objectives in Nigeria.”
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