BBC apologizes to Emir of Kano for false report

The British Broadcasting Corporation has apologised to the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, over claims that he was under probe by anti-graft officials for alleged mismanagement of Kano Emirate fund.

Jamie Angus, editorial director at BBC, informed Mr. Sanusi that an April 24 story that said the traditional ruler was amongst those being investigated in connection to alleged misappropriation of about N6 billion Emirate Council fund was "not correct."

Mr. Angus explained that the station's editorial staff in Abuja had inaccurately translated an April 24 interview with Muhyi Magaji, the Chairman of Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, who allegedly stated that Mr. Sanusi was under investigation.

"The recording of the interview was passed to another colleague in Abuja office, summarised in a despatch and then sent to London where the online report was written and published.

"It is now clear from our investigations that the reports did not accurately reflect what we were told by Mr. Magaji, who had, in fact, made clear to our reporter that you had not been invited in for questioning and indeed that it was unlikely that there would be a need to invite you for question.

"Accordingly, the report we published suggested that you were under personal investigation was not correct and for that I offer my sincere apologies," Mr. Angus said.

In the apology letter, dated April 28, 2017, Mr. Angus said the BBC removed the inaccurate interview from its website on April 26, but PREMIUM TIMES' check revealed that Hausa version of the report was still live as at 9:06 p.m. Tuesday.

Mr. Magaji said his commission was investigating the Kano Emirate Council as a body over alleged misappropriation of up to N6 billion, but not Mr. Sanusi as an individual.

But the Emirate Council denied allegations of fraud and said the amount involved was only N4.3 billion.

Premium Times

Freed Chibok girls reunite with family in Nigeria

The uncle of one of the 82 Chibok schoolgirls released this week described his “amazing joy” after being reunited with his niece, who has been held captive by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram for three years.

“Today is a wonderful day,” said Yakubu Nkeki on Monday night. “I saw the girls and Maimuna. When she saw me, she ran and grabbed me and started crying. I was so overwhelmed.”

Nkeki, the chairman for the Chibok parents’ group and a primary school teacher who taught many of the schoolgirls, spent three hours with his niece Maimuna Usman, 20, and the other 81 former Boko Haram captives in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, where they have been kept since their unexpected release on Sunday.

“I was so happy to see her and so relieved that she looked fine, no scars or wounds on her body. She looked well kept. I can’t describe it.”

But his joy was tempered by concerns over when other parents would be allowed to see their daughters and for the wellbeing of the women and girls.

Nkeki met the minister of women’s affairs on Tuesday to discuss when the families can meet their daughters.

The women and girls, who were among the 276 mostly Christian schoolgirls seized from their dormitories in April 2014, causing an international outcry, were released last Sunday in exchange for five militant leaders, following months of negotiation by participants across two continents.

The families said their release gave them hope that others would soon be freed.

The girls will spend five to seven days undergoing medical and psychological tests. Nkeki said only he had been able to see the girls, although some parents had spoken to their daughters by phone. He said that when some of the schoolgirls were released in October 2016, “I shared the joy with other parents but with faith that we would get her too. Now as I celebrate with other parents I can see that my own niece is here.”

He said the parents of the other 81 girls were hoping they would be able to see them soon. “They want them to receive all the care from the medical staff but they also want to be reunited with them as soon as they can. We’re waiting on the government to let us know when this will be possible.”

He was happy the government had helped the girls, he said, but added that many of the relatives had “gone through hell in the last few years” and needed support.

Presidential spokesman Garba Shehu said the government was working to verify the identities of the girls, in order to reunite them with their families as soon as possible. A list of names was published last Sunday and photographs of them have been sent to the remote town of Chibok for cross-checking.

“When we had the first 21, because of similarities in names, more than two, three sets of parents came to Abuja. So, we don’t want to create that confusion,” Shehu told Agence France-Presse. “When they get the pictures, they see them and verify, then they come on board to Abuja to see their daughters.”

Shehu said he hoped the verification process would be concluded soon, and promised: “The government will not stop any parents from immediately establishing contact with their daughters.”

He also told the local TV station that one of the schoolgirls among a group of 83 that Boko Haram had agreed to release had refused to return because she had married a militant fighter.

The Nigerian government has been criticised previously for the length of time it has taken for former hostages to be reunited with their families.

Twenty-one of the girls’ classmates were freed in October. They are being kept in Abuja, ostensibly for schooling. In December, the parents of those girls were told by the government that they could not take their children back to Chibok, 500 miles (800km) away, because of the security situation. But the families said this had improved, and the young women were expected to return home.

Another parent, whose daughter was not on the list, told the Guardian the release had brought him hope that his own child would soon be free.

He said: “I rejoice with the parents because I understand what they are going through. It has been hard to go for three years without seeing or hearing from your child. Seeing other people’s joy makes me more hopeful that soon the government will rescue her too.”

The release deal was negotiated by Mustapha Zanna, once the lawyer of Mohammed Yusuf, the founder of Boko Haram. The girls were picked up in Red Cross vehicles and taken to Abuja in military helicopters, where they were met by Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari.

More than 100 of the girls remain in Boko Haram’s hands along with hundreds of other women and children, some of whom have been forced by the militants to carry bombs to busy areas and to kill themselves and civilians. The Chibok girls reached international attention when the hashtag #bringbackourgirls was promoted by Michelle Obama and other celebrities.

Manasseh Allen, a campaigner for the Bring Back Our Girls group, said: “Reaching the parents has been hard because they live in remote areas, so sometimes we have to call someone who then finds some of the parents in person. The government and the parents also want to leave space for the girls to have a debrief, which they’re having now and then medical tests and assessments.”

A spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross, which acted as a neutral intermediary and organised the transportation of the girls and young women to freedom, said their privacy should be respected and they should be given support.

“For their own wellbeing, we are advocating the girls should be given privacy. They are going to need a lot of support for them to reintegrate into the community.”

The Guardian

Video - Over 80 Chibok girls released by Boko Haram arrive in Abuja

The latest group of abducted Chibok girls to be released by Boko Haram militants, has arrived in the Nigerian capital, Abuja. The more than 80 girls, in captivity since in 2014, were expected to be officially received by the Nigerian president. A Nigerian government official has been quoted saying five Boko Haram commanders were released to secure the release of these Chibok girls.

Femi Kuti breaks saxophone world record

Femi Kuti has broken the World record for the longest single note held on a saxophone at the New Africa Shrine.

He attained the feat on Sunday at the New Africa Shrine as shared by his sister, Yeni Anikulapo-Kuti on her Instagram page @yenikuti.

“This evening 7th May at the New Africa Shrine, Femi Kuti broke the world record for the longest single note on a saxophone note set in 1997 by Kenny G.

The record stood at 45mins 37 seconds….Femi did 46mins 38seconds!! Give it up, we have a world champ. This was witnessed by a large audience that included Sen. Ben Murray-Bruce, the deputy high commissioners of Netherlands and The United Kingdom.“ The record was previously first set in December, 1997 by legendary saxophonist Kenny G when he held an E-Flat for over 45 minutes. 

Kenny G was reported to have used a technique called Circular Breathing, which keeps a steady stream of air flowing through the saxophone even as the player breathes. For Femi Kuti, it is unclear yet what technique he used or even, the member of the sax family he used to achieve the massive feat. 

He started playing the sax when he was 15 and joined his father’s band “The Egypt 80.” He later formed his own band, “Positive Force’’ in the late 80s. Femi, four-time Grammy award nominee, is skilled on other musical instruments including the trumpet and the piano.

According to media reports, Femi awaits an official recognition by the Guinness World Record. 

Vanguard

Dozens on trial in Nigeria over gay wedding

Fifty four people went on trial in northern Nigeria on Monday on charges connected to allegations that they were celebrating a gay wedding, which are outlawed in the country.

The court began hearing the case against the defendants -- most of whom were not present in court -- who have been charged with criminal conspiracy and holding an illegal gathering.

Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan signed a bill in 2014 that criminalized same-sex relationships, despite pressure from Western governments to preserve the rights of gay and lesbian people.

The bill contains penalties of up to 14 years in prison and bans gay marriage, same-sex "amorous relationships" and membership of gay rights groups.

Defense lawyer Kimi Appah said the gathering had been a birthday party held in April to honor a man who appeared in court.

"Police got wind of it, arrested them and made trumped up charges that they are trying to celebrate a gay marriage," he told the court in Zaria, a city in the northern state of Kaduna.

The man appeared in court with three other people. They were charged with criminal conspiracy and illegal gathering, to which they all pleaded not guilty. The other accused were not present in court.

NBC

Video - President Buhari left for medical tests in London Sunday night

President Buhari left Nigeria on Sunday night to seek treatment in London. According to his office, Buhari will be going for follow up medical tests. Buhari returned to Nigeria two months ago after receiving medical treatment in Britain. Officials have refused to disclose details of his medical condition. Buhari's health has been a major cause of concern in a country where there are fears that a power vacuum could affect its recovery from recession.

President Buhari meets with freed Chibok girls

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari expressed joy Sunday night at meeting with the 82 Chibok schoolgirls newly freed from Boko Haram extremists — then jolted the country by announcing he was leaving for London immediately for medical checkups as fears for his health continue.

“We’ve always made it clear that we will do everything in our power to ensure the freedom & safe return of our daughters” and all captives of Boko Haram, Buhari said on his Twitter account.

Minutes later, the 74-year-old president startled Africa’s most populous nation with the news of his departure. Buhari, who has missed three straight weekly Cabinet meetings, spent a month and a half in London on medical leave earlier this year and said he’d never been as sick in his life. The exact nature of his illness remained unclear.

“There is no cause for worry” about this latest medical leave, a statement from his office said, adding that the length of Buhari’s stay in London will be determined by his doctors.

Photos released by the government showed the rail-thin president standing and addressing the Chibok schoolgirls at his official residence Sunday evening, a day after their release.


“The president was delighted to receive them and he promised that all that is needed to be done to reintegrate them into the society will be done,” adviser Femi Adesina said. “He promised that the presidency will personally supervise their rehabilitation.”

The young women have been handed over to government officials who will supervise their re-entry into society, Adesina said. The International Committee of the Red Cross, which helped negotiate the girls’ release along with the Swiss government, said they would be reunited with their families soon.

Five Boko Haram commanders were released in exchange for the girls’ freedom, a Nigerian government official said Sunday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to reporters on the matter. Neither Nigeria’s government nor Boko Haram, which has links to the Islamic State group, gave details about the exchange.

Parents of the schoolgirls were waiting for a government list of names of those who had been freed.

Some parents of the kidnapped girls gathered in the capital, Abuja, to celebrate the release, while others expressed anxiety over the fate of the 113 girls who remain missing after the mass abduction from a Chibok boarding school in 2014.

The Rev. Enoch Mark, whose two daughters have been among the missing, was still awaiting word if they were among those freed. He emphasized that he considered all 82 of the girls to be his daughters “because most of them worship in my church.”

Some parents did not live long enough to see their daughters released, underscoring the tragedy of the three-year saga. And the recovery process is expected to be a long one for the girls, many of whom endured sexual assault during their captivity.


“They will face a long and difficult process to rebuild their lives after the indescribable horror and trauma they have suffered at the hands of Boko Haram,” said Pernille Ironside, acting representative of UNICEF Nigeria.

Boko Haram seized a total of 276 girls in the 2014 abduction. Girls who escaped early on said some of their classmates had died from illness. Others did not want to come home because they’d been radicalized by their captors, they said.

Human rights advocates also fear some of the girls have been used by Boko Haram to carry out suicide bombings.

Last year, a first group of 21 Chibok girls was freed in October, and they have been in government care for medical attention, trauma counseling and rehabilitation. Human rights groups have criticized the decision to keep the girls in custody in Abuja, nearly 900 kilometers (560 miles) from Chibok.

It was not immediately clear whether the newly freed girls would join them.

They should be quickly released to their families and not be subjected to lengthy government detention, Amnesty International’s Nigeria office said, adding that the girls don’t deserve to be put through a “publicity stunt” and deserve privacy.

Though Boko Haram has abducted thousands of people during its eight-year insurgency that has spilled across Nigeria’s borders, the Chibok mass kidnapping horrified the world and brought the extremist group international attention.

The failure of Nigeria’s former government to act quickly to free the girls sparked a global Bring Back Our Girls movement; U.S. first lady Michelle Obama posted a photo with its logo on social media.

The Bring Back Our Girls campaign said Sunday it was happy that Nigeria’s government had committed to rescuing the 113 remaining schoolgirls, and it urged the president to “earnestly pursue” the release of everyone held by Boko Haram.

Buhari late last year announced Boko Haram had been “crushed,” but the group continues to carry out attacks in northern Nigeria and neighboring countries. Its insurgency has killed more than 20,000 people and driven 2.6 million from their homes, with millions facing starvation.

Washington Post

Video - 80 Chibok girls freed from Boko Haram captivity

Two Nigerian officials jailed for selling food aid

Two Nigerian officials have been jailed for selling food aid meant for people fleeing militant attacks and food shortages in the country's north-east.

The two sold 180 bags of rice donated by an international aid agency, the court in Maiduguri, Borno State, heard.

They were jailed for two years and fined 1m naira ($3,200; £2,500) each.

More than two million people have been displaced in north-eastern Nigeria where security forces are battling Islamist militant group Boko Haram.

The prosecution of the two officials was brought by Nigeria's anti-corruption agency, the EFCC.

Umar Ibrahim, a local councillor, and Bulama Ali Zangebe, a member of a camp feeding committee, are said to be the first convicted for corruption in relation to food aid in Nigeria since the insurgency began in 2009.

The rice had been donated by the Danish Refugee Council for victims of insurgency in the town of Mafa, and had been marked as not for sale.

The two admitted the charges against them but told the court that the rice was about to expire.

President Muhammadu Buhari took office in 2015 with a pledge to root out corruption in government.

Last month his office ordered an investigation after the head of the national intelligence agency was suspended over corruption allegations.

He acted after anti-corruption officers found more than $43m (£34m) in a flat in the main city, Lagos.

BBC

Video - Abubakar Shekau 'injured' in an air strike in northeast Nigeria

Nigerian militant group Boko Haram's leader has reportedly been injured and one of his deputies killed in an air strike. According to sources, who spoke to AFP news agency, Abubakar Shekau was wounded last week, during bombings carried out by two Nigerian Air force jets in northeast Nigeria. The Air Force jets had attacked the insurgents, who had gathered for prayers in a village 40 kilometres from Damboa, on the edge of the Sambisa Forest. The sources say Shekau was just leaving a house nearby for the mosque, when the first jet struck. He is believed to be receiving treatment around Kolofata area. The air force says assessment conducted after the strike has shown that several leaders of the Boko Haram terrorist organisation and their followers have been killed during the attacks. Nigerian authorities have claimed to have killed Shekau on at least three occasions. Boko Haram has killed over 20,000 people and displaced more than 2 million from their homes.

President Buhari misses third straight cabinet meeting

Nigeria's president hasn't been seen in public for more than a week and he's missed his third straight cabinet meeting. That's got Nigerians wondering what's going on with his health.

Muhammadu Buhari is under increasing pressure to "disclose the nature of his illness to the nation," NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton reports. She says some prominent Nigerians are demanding that he take medical leave amid questions about his fitness to govern.

The president's wife, Aisha Buhari, took to Twitter to try to calm the growing health concerns. "I wish to inform everyone that his health is not as bad as it's being perceived," she wrote, adding that her husband "continues to carry out his responsibilities."

He missed his third straight cabinet meeting this morning. A tweet from the presidency's verified Twitter account indicated that the vice president led the meeting.

After Buhari returned from medical leave in March, he told reporters that he had never been so sick, according to the BBC. And while he hasn't revealed his condition, he mentioned receiving blood transfusions, The Associated Press reports.

"The 74-year-old returned to work in mid-March but often works from home, according to aides," according to the AP. "The uncertainty over Buhari's health has raised fears of instability in Africa's most populous nation and one of its top oil producers."

NPR 

Video - Nigerians reflects on Anthony Joshua's heavyweight success

As Anthony Joshua slugged it out in the ring with Wladimir Klitschko last Saturday for boxing's world heavy champion, it was not only the British who were rooting passionately for him, millions of Nigerians too were because of his Nigerian heritage. Both of Joshua's parents are Nigerians and there was a huge euphoria in the country when he beat Klitschko to become the heavy weight champion of the world.

Video - 40% increase in cement prices slows growth in real estate sector in Nigeria

Nigeria manufactures nearly 90% of its cement locally, but a recent 40% price hike has significantly slowed growth in the country's real-estate sector.

President Buhari misses third cabinet meeting

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has missed his third cabinet meeting in a row amid ongoing questions about the state of his health.

He has not been seen in public for more than a week.

His wife Aisha Buhari had tweeted on Tuesday that her husband was not as sick as is being perceived.

In March, Mr Buhari returned from seven weeks of medical leave in the UK where he was treated for an undisclosed illness.

When he returned home he said he had never been so ill in his life.

In her tweets, Mrs Buhari that he was continuing to "carry out his responsibilities" and has been meeting with ministers. She also thanked Nigerians.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who was the acting president while Mr Buhari was away in the UK, is chairing the cabinet meeting in the capital, Abuja.

Earlier this week, a group of prominent Nigerians has called on Mr Buhari to take medical leave as concerns about his health grow.

He uncharacteristically failed to show up at last Friday's prayers at the mosque on state house grounds.

Information Minister Lai Mohammed told the BBC that the president's health was "a personal matter" and that Nigerians have been kept aware of his condition.

Thirteen influential civil society figures, said in a statement on Monday that the president's absence from the cabinet meetings, as well as the weekly Friday Muslim prayers, "has fuelled further speculation and rumours" about his medical condition.

The 13 said they felt "compelled" to ask Mr Buhari "to heed the advice of his personal physicians by taking a rest to attend to his health without any further delay".

Mr Buhari's personal assistant Bashir Ahmed said the president had met Justice Minister Abubakar Malami and other officials at the presidential villa on Tuesday as part of his official duties.

Last week, presidential spokesman Garba Shehu said Mr Buhari was "taking things slowly, as he fully recovers from the long period of treatment" in the UK.

BBC

Video - Liquefied Natural Gas Company: Proposed act will have detrimental effects on Nigeria

Nigeria's liquefied natural gas company, the NLNG, is on a collision course with the country's parliament after it criticized plans by lawmakers to introduce a law to compel the gas firm to pay a levy, which is about three percent of its annual budget. The NLNG warns that if the bill is enacted, it could have a detrimental effect on new investments in the country's oil and gas industry.

New heavy weight world champion Anthony Joshua to be honoured in Nigeria

After defeating Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko, Anthony Joshua is set to be honoured by the Ogun State government, the state where his parents hail from in Nigeria.

Majority leader of the State House of Assembly Yinka Mafe says he will move a motion in the state legislature to have the Sagamu International Stadium renamed Anthony Joshua Stadium, and the popular Cinema Street in Sagamu renamed Anthony Joshua Street.

Of the two, the street is the most significant, as his family owns almost half the land and property on one side of the street.

The cinema, from which the road takes its name, was built by his great grandfather Omo-Oba Daniel Adebambo Joshua in the 50s, and is one of the oldest of such facilities in the country.

Mafe joined hundreds of Sagamu youth to watch the fight in an open air viewing event organised by the Sagamu Youth Congress, and was thrilled by both the turnout and the outcome.

"We are proud of what he has achieved as a son of Sagamu, and we will be happy to do our own little bit to show our appreciation and support for him," Mafe said.

ESPN

President Buhari urged to take medical leave

A group of prominent Nigerians has called on President Muhammadu Buhari, 74, to take medical leave, amid growing concern about his health.

There was an "apparent deterioration" in his health following his failure to attend the last two cabinet meetings, the group said.

Mr Buhari took about seven weeks of medical leave in January, and flew to the UK for treatment.

When he returned home in March, he said he had never been so ill in his life.

Mr Buhari has not disclosed his illness, but hinted that he had had a blood transfusion.

The president had not been seen in public for the last week, and his absence from the cabinet meetings, as well as the weekly Friday Muslim prayers, "has fuelled further speculation and rumours" about his medical condition, the group of 13 Nigerians said in a statement.

The group included some of the Nigeria's most influential civil society figures, including lawyer Femi Falana, political analyst Jibrin Ibrahim, and Transparency International Nigeria head Anwal Musa Rafsanjani.

The 13 said they felt "compelled" to ask Mr Buhari "to heed the advice of his personal physicians by taking a rest to attend to his health without any further delay".

Mr Buhari's aides have not yet commented on the statement.

Last week presidential spokesman Garba Shehu said Mr Buhari was "taking things slowly, as he fully recovers from the long period of treatment" in the UK.

BBC

Nigerian reject Anthony Joshua becomes World Champion

The new IBF and WBA heavyweight champion of the world, Anthony Oluwafemi Joshua, could have fought Vladimir Klitschko, as world boxing champion, under the green white green banner of Nigeria rather than the British Union Jack.

But for one small and now ultimately significant rejection by Nigerian boxing officials in 2008, when he wanted to represent the country of his parents at the Olympic Games, was to alter the course of history, ESPN reported on Sunday.

Maybe his career would have taken an entirely different fork at the crossroads if he had been flying the green and white colours nearly a decade ago.

Joshua makes no secret of his Nigerian heritage. If anything, he embraces it. His middle name, Femi (short for Oluwafemi), is as Nigerian as they come. On numerous occasions he has not been shy to speak about his Nigerian roots.
Joshua was born in Watford to a Nigerian mother and a British father of Nigerian and Irish descent. He made his professional debut in 2013.
In a post-fight interview muck-around with Nigerian reporter Oma Akatugba, he even attempted to speak some of his native Yoruba language, and the map tattooed on his shoulder tells its own cultural tale.
It is a reflection of how connected he has tried to remain to his African roots.
Indeed, some of 27-year-old Joshua’s early years were spent in Ijebu-Ode Nigeria before he returned to the UK halfway through Year Seven to join Kings Langley Secondary School.
Growing up on the Meriden Estate in Garston, Hertfordshire, Joshua was called ‘Femi’ by his friends and former teachers. He excelled at football and athletics and broke the Year Nine 100m record with a time of 11.6 seconds.

At 11, he joined his Nigerian mother Yeta in the most populous black nation on earth for six months and attended a boarding school within that period.
Joshua told MailOnline that he felt he went to Nigeria on holiday. “I thought I was going there (Nigeria) on holiday,” he said.

“I wasn’t prepared for it. It was a boarding school as well. It was a change and I thought I was going to go for the full course: 5.30am in the morning, up fetch your water, put like an iron in your water to warm it up. Your clothes had to be washed and ironed.

“It wasn’t an issue but I wasn’t prepared. It was good discipline. We got beaten. That’s my culture: beating. The (British) government raises your kids now; parents aren’t allowed to raise their kids, because there is so much control (here) about what you do or what you say.

“In the (Nigerian) culture it’s family, outside support; everyone has a role in raising the kids.”
At the end of six months, which he believed taught him discipline, Joshua and his family returned to the UK, and he resumed the path that led to him being discovered as a promising amateur fighter.

It was that connection that drove him to try and represent Nigeria at the 2008 Olympic Games, only to be turned down by the country’s boxing coaches.
Obisia Nwankpa, former Commonwealth champion, world title contender and chief coach of the 

Nigerian boxing team, tells the story: “He reached out to us, asking to be part of our Olympic team, so we invited him to come down and take part in the trials.

“Unfortunately, he did not appear when we asked him to and came down only when we had finished our trials, finalised our team and were about to travel for a training tour. Maybe other coaches would have accepted it, but I could not.

“It’s a pity he did not get his chance at that time, but the two boxers we selected then, Durodola Olanrewaju and Onorede Ohwarieme, were outstanding and experienced and there was no way I was going to drop them for somebody I had not even seen.”

Both Olanrewaju and Ohwarieme failed to go beyond their first bouts at the Beijing Olympics. Olanrewaju lost to Cuba’s Osmay Acosta, who went on to win bronze, while Ohwarieme was beaten by Lithuania’s Jaroslavas Jaksto. But Nwankpa remains convinced that Joshua would not have fared any better at the time.

“Those two were great boxers and the reason they did not do so well was partly because our preparations were not really so good, and partly because there is also some politics in the way they judge these fights at amateur level.”

However, Jeremiah Okorodudu who represented Nigeria at the 1984 Olympic Games, has another take on why Joshua was rejected. His relationship with Nwankpa is frosty at best and they do not often agree.

Okorodudu claimed that some stinging words were said to the young boxer.
“When they turned him back, they told him that if he was that good he should have fought for Britain,” Okorodudu alleged.

That snub, it seems, provided additional motivation which spurred the young boxer to fight his way into the British Olympic team. Four years later, Nigeria’s rejected nugget had become Great Britain’s cornerstone Olympic gold medalist. So is it possible that Joshua dodged a bullet by that rejection?
Nwankpa grudgingly agreed: “Well, maybe if he had represented Nigeria at that time he would not have won gold at the Olympics. And possibly, even if he had won, he may not have achieved what he is achieving now.
“Being born in England gives him a certain amount of preference and because he is representing them, he also gets a lot of support from them; good management, and world class preparation.

“Here, it would have been difficult for him to get the kind of support that he has now. And if he doesn’t have that support, he won’t have fights and if he doesn’t have fights, he cannot be champion,” Nwankpa argued.

Okorodudu again holds opposite views to Nwankpa: “I believe he could still have achieved all that if he had fought for Nigeria. We have had boxers who have done well fighting for Nigeria. Peter Konyegwachie won silver in 1984. David Izonritei also won silver and I trained Samuel Peter for three years before he went to the Olympic Games and later became a world champion.
“So if Joshua had been given a chance here, I believe he could still have won gold and still be a world champion.”

On further reflection, however, Okorodudu admitted it would have been a harder journey for the young champion.

“Lack of fights is a big problem for our boxers. They turn professional and there is no promotion. Joshua is where he is because he is getting good promotion, so maybe it would have been tougher for him.

“But because he was born in England, he could still have moved abroad, like Peter did, and that would have worked for him,” Okorodudu added.
Nwankpa, who was close to being a world champion himself until he lost the WBC title fight to Saoul Mamby, however, maintained that he has no regrets about his decision to cold-shoulder Joshua.
“I would do it again because we must always do things the right way. Simply because somebody was born abroad does not mean he can just walk into our team without taking part in our trials.

“That would be unfair to those who sweated to take part and qualified. So no, I have no regrets at all. But I am happy for him,” Nwakpa told ESPN before Saturday’s fight.
Choices: we are the sum total of the choices we make. For Joshua, he is the sum of choices stemming from one made by Nwankpa.
Hard not to think that in his moments of quiet introspection, he will find himself thankful for the little mercy of having suffered that rejection early in his career.

Meanwhile, after winning the historic fight in front of 90,000 people at Wembley and with millions watching all over the world, Joshua challenged another heavyweight great, Tyson Fury, to a match.
Fury beat Klitschko in 2015, but was stripped of his titles shortly afterwards and has not fought since.
Taking up the challenge, Fury responded to Joshua calling him out immediately after his victory over Klitschko by saying “challenge accepted”.

“Tyson Fury, where (are) you at baby?” asked Joshua.

“Come on, is that what you want to see? I enjoy fighting. I love fighting. Tyson Fury I know he has been talking a lot and wants to come back and compete.

“I want to give 90,000 people another chance to come back and watch some boxing here,” shouted out Joshua who is now a three-belt champion as he also holds the IBO title.
Tyson Fury accepted the challenge – some have called this next bout to be one of the biggest in 500 years of boxing history.

Fury last year surrendered the world heavyweight titles he won by beating Klitschko in an effort to focus on his mental health problems.
The 28-year-old has won all 25 of his professional fights so far, 18 by knockout.
Joshua now boasts a perfect 19-0 record following his win over Klitschko, with all of the 27-year-old’s victories coming inside the distance.

This Day

Video - 30,000 people forced out from slum housing in Nigeria

At least 30,000 people have been forcefully evicted from their slum housing in Nigeria.
Lawyers say they're the victims of a land grab as real estate developers move in to the commercial capital.

Nigeria Football Federation gets $8.2million boos

The cash-strapped Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has received a financial boost from an energy company worth around US$8.2 million over the next five years.

The deal with the Aiteo Group will commence on 1 May.

"This will make it easier for us to plan adequately for our national teams," NFF boss Amaju Pinnick said.

"It is important to note that this will also take care of the national team coaches' salaries."

Pinnick hopes that this means no repeats of problems paying national team coaches that has troubled the NFF in the past.

"There will be no owing of coaches for the next five years," he added.

"This lucrative deal with Aiteo will cover all the national teams and has an option of a one-year extension."

"We are happy to have a sponsor come in at this crucial time and this is a big boost for our football."

Former Nigeria coaches Christian Chukwu, Shaibu Amodu, Samson Siasia,Austin Eguavoen, Sunday Oliseh and the late Stephen Keshi have all previously complained about outstanding salaries in recent years.

The chairman of the Aiteo Group, Benedict Peters, feels it is important for Nigerian companies to share their success.

"As Nigerian companies grow, I believe the benefits of that growth should be spread as widely as possible," he explained.

"Aiteo Group is as passionate about leadership as Nigerians are about football, so we are proud to be working together with the NFF and its coaching staff to reach a shared goal of a more prosperous Nigeria."

"It is an exciting time for the Nigerian Football Federation and for Aiteo - two organisations which are increasingly seeing global success, competing with global players.

"Aiteo Group is proud to sign this multi-million dollar partnership, which will help to support the Super Eagles to success in the 2018 World Cup, the 2019 AFCON and beyond."

BBC

5 soldiers killed by suicide bomber in Nigeria

A suicide car bomber has attacked a military convoy in northeast Nigeria, killing five soldiers and injuring another 40, security forces have said.

Two military officers told the AFP news agency on Friday that the attacker, believed to be loyal to factional Boko Haram leader Abu Mus'ab Al-Barnawi, targeted the convoy, which was conducting "clearance operations" between Yobe and Borno states.

"At about 10:00 GMT on Thursday, a suicide bomber believed to be a Boko Haram terrorist riding in a van loaded with explosives rammed into a military convoy at Manguzum village," one said.

"We lost five soldiers in the incident and more than 40 sustained various degrees of injuries," added the officer, who asked to remain anonymous because he was not authorised to speak about the incident.

In a separate development, at least 15 gunmen believed to be Boko Haram fighters were shot dead during a battle with soldiers.

Kinsley Samuel, Nigeria's military spokesman, said that the fighting occurred in the Sambisa forest in the country's north.

There has been a spate of deadly attacks on military targets in recent months, as troops fight to end the eight-year insurgency, which has killed thousands of civilians.

A multinational force of troops from Nigeria and its neighbours last year drove Boko Haram out of towns and villages in northeast Nigeria, but isolated attacks and suicide bombings continue.

In December, President Muhammadu Buhari said the capture of a key camp marked the "final crushing" of Boko Haram in its last enclave in Sambisa Forest, once the group's stronghold.

But since then, the group, which split into two factions last year, has stepped up its attacks.

One Boko Haram faction is led by Abubakar Shekau from the Sambisa Forest. Abu Mus'ab Al-Barnawi leads the other faction, based in the Lake Chad region, which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group.

At least 20,000 people have been killed in the Boko Haram conflict since it began in 2009 and more than 2.6 million others made homeless.

Al Jazeera

Video - Nigeria gets loan to modernize rail network and link Lagos to Kano

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari is seeking parliament's approval for a proposal to borrow $5.85 billion from China to modernize its rail network. Buhari urged parliament in a letter to approve the railway borrowing because China has a limit on funds available from its China Africa Fund. The president wants to sign loan agreements as soon as China approves the project. Buhari also asked lawmakers to also approve a $1.075 billion loan to help rebuild the northeast, which has been ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgency, and to expand support to the poor in Nigeria.

Death toll in meningitis outbreak in Nigeria reaches 813

A meningitis outbreak in Nigeria has killed 813 people so far this year, the country’s health minister said, as Africa’s most populous country and aid organisations attempt to tackle the surge in infections.

The government on Wednesday approved a house-to-house search in northern Nigeria to identify those afflicted with meningitis for vaccination and treatment, Isaac Adewole told reporters after a cabinet meeting under vice president Yemi Osinbajo.

The West African nation in April launched a mass vaccination campaign as part of its emergency response to the outbreak in its northwestern states, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has said.

The NCDC said the infection killed 33 people in 2016.

More than 2,000 people died from an outbreak of the disease in Nigeria in 2009, with basic healthcare limited in rural parts of the country, where most people live on less than $2 a day, despite the country’s huge oil resources.

Meningitis is the inflammation of tissue surrounding the brain and spinal cord which can be caused by viral or bacterial infections. It spreads mainly through kisses, sneezes, coughs and in close living quarters.

The NCDC is working with the World Health Organisation, the UN’s Children’s Fund and Medecins Sans Frontieres, also known as Doctors Without Borders, to try to control the outbreak.

Eyewitness

Video - Abuja residents learn martial arts for personal security

The rising crime rate is driving residents to learn martial arts in an effort to protect themselves in Nigeria. Although no official statistics exist, armed robberies, burglaries, car-jackings, rape and kidnappings are common.

Video - Nigerian entrepreneur revives local market for hand-made chocolates

Nigeria is the world's fourth-largest producer of cocoa. But most of its beans are exported for processing abroad. This means chocolates and sweets are almost always imported. Nigeria's oldest cocoa community is slowly trying to change that by producing hand-made chocolate straight from their farms.

Video - Nigerian Air Force shows off new weapons to fight Boko Haram

Nigeria's air force has shown off new assets it says will be used to combat the Boko Haram insurgency in its north and oil militants in its south.

The West African nation's air force over the weekend demonstrated a new attack helicopter during 53rd anniversary celebrations.

The chief of defense staff, Abayomi Gabriel Olonishakin, says the military now can "deliver appropriate firepower at the right time and at the right place."

The military also expects that the Trump administration will move forward with the sale of high-tech aircraft to Nigeria for its campaign against Boko Haram despite concerns over abuses committed by the African nation's security forces.

"We are highly impressed and knowing that this air force is now on the rise again," says retired air vice marshal O.C. Obierika.

ABC

Reason behind piles of cash popping up in Nigeria

Nigerians have been shocked and bemused after huge piles of cash have been unearthed in various parts of the country in recent months. Journalist and writer Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani looks at what is going on.

In February, $9.2m and £750,000 were discovered by Nigeria's anti-corruption agency, the EFCC, in a property belonging to Andrew Yakubu, a former director of the national oil company, NNPC.

In March, large sacks containing bundles of "crispy" banknotes worth a total of $155,000 (£130,000) were found in Kaduna airport.

In April, a stash containing $43.4m, £27,800 and 23.2m naira were recovered from a Lagos apartment with its owner yet to be identified.

And these are just the tip of the iceberg.
Whistle-blowers rewarded

EFCC head Ibrahim Magu was quoted in the local media as saying that the total amount recovered by the agency in the past few months was about $53m, £120m and €547m, on top of hundreds of millions of Nigerian naira.

He credited this to the whistle-blower policy put in place by the government in December 2016.

A particularly juicy sentence stands out from the five-page policy document made available on the ministry of finance website:

"A whistle-blower responsible for providing the government with information that directly leads to the voluntary return of stolen or concealed funds or assets may be entitled to anywhere between 2.5-5% of amount recovered."

There is a special page for submitting tip-offs.

Within three months Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun disclosed that they had received 2,351 tips, sent in through phone calls, text messages and emails.

Naturally, the policy also promises to protect the identity of all whistle-blowers.

Such huge sums of cash as those discovered could not have walked into the residences on their own.

The typical Nigerian wealthy man or woman, indisposed to manual labour, would have had to enlist the services of their extended family, minions or hangers-on, to transport the cash.
Cashless policy

In the past, whistle-blowers or not, it may have been difficult to find any large amounts of cash lying around in Nigeria.

The stashes would have been cooling off in banks, or en route to various foreign destinations.

But, in 2012, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), under Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, now the Emir of Kano, introduced a "cashless policy".

This placed limits on the amount of cash-based transfers, encouraging electronic transactions instead.

As the CBN notes in the "Cash-less Nigeria" section of its website: "High cash usage enables corruption, leakages and money laundering, amongst other cash-related fraudulent activities."

Imagine the predicament of the serial looters, bribe givers and takers, accustomed to handling incredible amounts of cash.

Recent reports, for example, allege that in 2011 a whopping $466m was withdrawn in cash - raw notes and bundles - to pay a few Nigerian government officials to facilitate Shell Petroleum's acquisition of a lucrative oilfield. Shell said it did not believe its employees acted illegally.

The CBN's cashless policy would have made it hard for subsequent bribe-takers to deposit such huge sums in banks.

Again, the extended family, minions and hangers-on can come to the rescue.

People could open different bank accounts in the names of their siblings, aunts and uncles, father, nephew, spouses, in-laws, house girls, cooks, drivers and so on.

The heaps of cash can be broken into smaller batches and deposited in these various accounts.

Those in whose names the accounts are opened might not have any knowledge of or control over the transactions.
Bank verification

This short-circuiting of the cashless policy seemed to be working fine, until President Muhammadu Buhari came to power and introduced yet another policy: The Bank Verification Number (BVN) policy.

Every bank customer in Nigeria was required to have their biometric details captured and linked to a unique number that could be verified across every account and transaction they made in every bank.

The first step to getting a BVN was to turn up at the bank in person.

As of November 2016, the Nigerian parliament was set to discuss the billions of local and international currency reportedly abandoned in bank accounts as a result of the BVN policy.

Apparently, owners of dubious accounts are afraid to step forward and claim their riches.

Banks in Nigeria are definitely no longer the best hiding place for unexplained funds.

The $9.2m found in Mr Yakubu's residence was discovered in a fireproof safe.

He has sued the EFCC for violating his fundamental human rights, insisting that the money was his - a "gift from unnamed persons".

After much speculation as to its ownership, the $43.4m found in a Lagos apartment was finally claimed by the Nigerian Intelligence Agency (NIA), whose director, Ayo Oke, stated that the money was released by the previous government to help with the agency's "special services".

Mr Buhari has suspended the director from his position and ordered a two-week probe into the origin of the funds.

Two years into his tenure, President Buhari's war on corruption is finally producing tangible results - cash - even if there have been no high-profile convictions yet.

BBC

Video - Managers systematically plunged Nigerian airline into debt

Revelations that managers of Nigeria's grounded airline Arik Air systematically plundered the company, have sparked widespread condemnation Investigations by the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria show that the former managers deliberately pushed the airline into 1.2 billion dollar debt. International auditing firm KPMG is carrying out a forensic investigation at the campany, and it is expected that key managers will be prosecuted. Nigeria's biggest airlines troubles mounted at the end of last year, when 70% of its international flights were delayed.

Nigeria is a destination of choice for West African immigrants

Nigeria remains one of West Africa's most attractive destinations for immigrants. Many of them looking for jobs and what they believe is a better life. Rights groups however say more needs to be done to protect such communities that remain highly vulnerable.

Video - President Buhari orders corruption probe over humanitarian funds

In Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered an investigation into alleged corruption involving money set aside for a humanitarian crisis in the country's north-east. Buhari wants contracts awarded under the programme investigated. He also has suspended a senior official on the programme. The Presidential Initiative on the North East was set up to coordinate the government's response to the humanitarian crisis in the northeast. 4.7 million people, many of them refugees from the Boko Haram insurgency, are on the brink of famine and survive on rations. In what the presidency described as a related development, the director general of the National Intelligence Agency was also suspended. This comes after the discovery of more than $43 million in an apartment complex in Lagos.

Head of Nigeria National Intelligence Agency suspended after $43 million seized from apartment

Nigeria's spy chief has been suspended amid reports that a $43 million stash seized in a widely trumpeted apartment raid belonged to his agency.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari suspended Ayodele Oke, director-general of the National Intelligence Agency, over the April 12 raid, Buhari aide Femi Adesina said.
When Nigeria's anti-corruption agency raided an upscale apartment in Lagos, Nigeria's largest city, agents found more than $43 million as well as 23.2 million naira (Nigerian currency worth about $76,000) and £27,800 (about $35,000).

At the time, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said the funds were suspected to be linked to unlawful activity.
But according to local media reports, Oke eventually admitted his agency was responsible for the cash, saying it was being stored for covert operations.

An investigation has been launched into how the National Intelligence Agency got the money, including who authorized the funds' release to the agency, Adesina said. A panel headed by Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will carry out the probe and report to Buhari within the next two weeks, Adesina said.

Nigeria has struggled with corruption and looted funds for decades. The anti-corruption unit has scored a number of cash seizures this year after Nigeria's finance minister announced a new whistleblowing policy in December.

CNN

30 Manchester United fans electrocuted in Nigeria

No fewer than 30 people lost their lives in Calabar, the Cross River State capital on Thursday night after a high tension cable fell on them at a football viewing centre.

The football fans were said to have assembled at the centre to watch a UEFA Europa League quarter-final match when the incident happened.

According to reports by Channels TV, the electricity cable broke and fell on the football fans who had gathered at the centre to watch a UEFA Europa League quarter-final match between Manchester United and Anderlecht.

Speaking with newsmen after the incident, a survivor said a transformer near the viewing centre located in the Iyang-Esu area of Calabar municipal local government area, exploded during the match.

He said this caused a high-tension cable to drop on the viewing centre.

“It happened during the match between Manchester United and Anderlecht. I heard a deafening bang. I rushed out to see what was happening,” he was quoted as saying.

“When I turned back to go inside the viewing centre, I saw a cable coming down on the centre and this electrocuted the viewers in the hall.

“It was a horrible sight to behold. I wish I didn’t come out to watch the match. Come to think of it, I have DStv at home but I enjoy watching matches at viewing centres. I could have been dead. I can’t believe that the people I was chatting and joking with a few minutes ago are all gone in a most anguishing way. This world is vain.”

Meanwhile, when DAILY POST reporter contacted the Cross River State Police Public Relations Officer, Ms Irene Ugbo for comment, her number was switched off.

Daily Post

53 men charged for celebrating gay wedding in Nigeria

A group of 53 people have been charged in Nigeria after they were arrested last week from what police say was a party celebrating an unofficial gay wedding.

The group pleaded not guilty to charges relating to conspiracy, unlawfully assembly and membership in an unlawful society, the BBC reports.


Homosexuality has been illegal in Nigeria since 2014, and homosexual acts could result in a maximum jail sentence of 14 years.

A defense lawyer for the group said in court that the defendants were mostly students, and that the group had been illegally detained for more than 24 hours, according to local media reports cited by the BBC.

LGBT-rights activists refute the police's report that the men were celebrating a same-sex wedding, saying the event in the northern city of Zaria was a birthday party.

Maria Sjodin, deputy executive director of OutRight Action International, a group advocating for LGBT rights internationally, told NBC News that the arrests were part of an attempt to suppress "an emerging LGBTQ movement" in the West African country. Sjodin said Nigeria's laws prohibiting gay marriage are being used as "a way to crack down on anyone advocating for human rights of LGBT people."

TIME

Related stories: Being gay in Nigeria

92 percent of Nigerians support anit-gay law

Video - Making accessories from recycled plastic bags in Nigeria

Women in the north-eastern Nigerian city of Yola are making a living from recycling plastic bags and using them to make accessories and usable household products like baskets for sale. The project aims at empowering members while at the same time reducing the number of plastic bags dumped indiscriminately.

UN employee arrested for robbing banks in New York

Abdullahi Shuaibu, described by the New York Police department as an employee of the United Nations was arrested for robbing four Manhattan banks, all during his lunch hour.

Shuaibu, 53, a journalist and former staff of the News Agency of Nigeria was picked up by police on Monday and charged with robbery and attempted robbery for the crimes committed during his two-month spree.

All four banks are within walking distance of UN headquarters on First Ave. near E. 42nd St., where the Nigerian worked. Authorities were led to the suspect after a retired police officer who works at the UN recognised him from a surveillance image previously released by the police. In the first incident, Shuaibu walked into a Santander Bank on Madison Ave. near E. 43rd St. on Feb. 27 and told the teller he had a gun.

The bank employee complied and handed him an unknown sum of money. He hit two more banks in March, first striking out at a Bank of America on Third Ave. near E. 47th St. on the 13th. He was also successful in robbing a Santander Bank on Third Ave. and E. 63rd St. on the 27th. During the most recent incident on Monday, Shuaibu walked into an HSBC on Third Ave. and E. 40th St. around 2:30 p.m. and passed a note demanding cash to the teller. The teller did not read the note and asked him for identification. He, however, instructed the teller to read the note, keeping his hand in his jacket pocket while simulating a gun, police said.

Police arrested him later in the day when he returned to the UN. Shuaibu was an employee of the News Agency of Nigeria and served as its UN correspondent between 2006 and 2009. The agency, however, terminated his appointment in April 2013 following his refusal to resume work in Nigeria at the expiration of duty tour and extended period which he requested to enable him complete an academic programme.

The termination of appointment was formally conveyed to the UN. A UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric denied that Shuaibu was a staff of the organisation. He told NAN in New York that the suspect was also not accredited to the UN after NAN withdrew his accreditation. Dujarric also said that the suspect only worked as a contract staff for three months in Darfur and his contract was terminated in 2012. However, Shuaibu on his LinkedIn page, describes himself as a “communications specialist at United Nations”. Shuaibu attended Ahmadu Bello University between 1980 and 1985, where he studied International Relations.

Vanguard

Video - Race to beat deadline to reopen Nigeria's main airport

With just days to go until the April 19th deadline to re-open Abuja's international airport, contractors are racing to finish their work in time. Nigeria's Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika says the airport MUST reopen as scheduled. CGTN's Kelechi Emekalam has more on the last-minute upgrades.

Video - Abuja club hopes to get more young people interested in hiking

Young people in Nigeria are keen to explore the capital, Abuja. To help them, two friends have come up with a brilliant answer. They've started a hiking club, aimed at encouraging domestic tourism. CGTN's Vic Chege has this story.

Video - Former Nigerian president implicated in controversial exploration permit

Staying with Nigeria, former president Goodluck Jonathan could soon appear before Parliament to explain his role in the alleged fraudulent sale of an offshore oil block to Shell and Eni. The former president and other high-ranking government officials allegedly accepted over 1 billion dollars in bribes to push through the controversial sale.

Nigeria secret service prevents bomb attack in US, UK embassies

Nigeria's secret service says it foiled a planned attack by Boko Haram militants on the US and UK embassies in the country's capital, Abuja. 

Six ISIS-linked Boko Haram members were arrested for the planned attack last month, the Department of State Services (DSS) said.

"The group had perfected plans to attack the UK and American Embassies and other western interests in Abuja," DSS official Tony Opuiyo said in a statement.

The men were arrested March 25 and 26 in Abuja and central Benue state, Opuiyo added. Another man was previously arrested, on March 22, in north-eastern Yobe state, the DSS said. That man confessed to being part of the group, officials said. 

In 2011, Boko Haram killed at least 21 people in a car bomb explosion at the UN headquarters in Abuja.

A UK Foreign office spokeswoman said the UK is "grateful for the support we receive from the Nigerian security authorities in protecting UK diplomatic staff and premises in Nigeria."
"We are in regular contact with the Nigerian security authorities concerning potential threats to UK interests in Nigeria," the spokeswoman said.

The United States "appreciates the work of Nigerian security forces in fighting terrorism and keeping citizens and residents safe," a spokesman for the US Embassy said.

"Nigeria and the United States continue to have a strong partnership in combating terrorism."

CNN

$43 million found in apartment in Lagos, Nigeria

The Nigerian anti-corruption unit discovered more than $43 million in US dollars at an upscale apartment in Lagos. 

The anti-graft agency said in a statement it raided the apartment Tuesday after a tipoff about a "haggard" woman in "dirty clothes" taking bags in and out of the apartment. 

The agency said it also found 23.2 million naira (Nigerian currency worth $75,000) and £27,800 (UK currency, worth $35,000 US) "neatly arranged" inside cabinets hidden behind wooden panels of a bedroom wardrobe.

The commission said the funds are "suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activity" but no arrests have been made yet. 

Nigeria has struggled with corruption and looted funds for decades, but the watchdog unit has been on a lucky streak.

Earlier in the week, the agency discovered around 250 million naira in cash ($817,000) in a Lagos market and a further 448 million naira cash ($1.5 million) at a shopping plaza.

These gains have been credited to a whistleblowing policies launched in December by Nigeria's finance minister.

Whistleblowers can now anonymously provide information through a secure portal, if the information leads to the recovery of stolen public funds, the whistleblower is entitled to between 2.5%-5% of the total money recovered. 

In February, the minister of information, Lai Muhammad, said the policy has led to the recovery of over $180 billion.

CNN

Video - U.S. deal to sell war planes to Nigeria still needs Congress approval

The US Government is set to sell high tech military planes to Nigeria to help it fight ISIL affiliate in West Africa-Boko Haram. The deal will however need congress's approval.

Boko Haram survivor to provide prosthetics for victims in Nigeria

When 29-year-old Member Feese woke up in a London hospital one month after a Boko Haram bomb attack in Nigeria's capital Abuja blew off her left leg, she knew it was a blessing to be alive.

Feese's family flew her to Britain days after the August 2011 bombing. There the postgraduate student received care over a six-month period, and was fitted with a prosthetic limb.

Inspired by the care she was lucky enough to receive, Feese set up Team Member, an advocacy group to aid victims of bombings in Abuja, which has been hit by several blasts bearing the hallmarks of the jihadist group Boko Haram since 2010.

"I was fortunate because of the network I had ... to fly out of Nigeria. But there are many who are not fortunate enough," Feese told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in her home in Abuja.

"Some of the victims are just hawkers and mechanics. They just go to the National Hospital and they can barely afford their hospital bills," she added. "How do they start their lives back? How do they get money to start their businesses again?"

Every time a bomb strikes Abuja, Feese, her parents and volunteers race to hospitals to offer victims food, arrange counseling and start raising money for care and surgeries.

Few Nigerians have health insurance, leaving many patients trapped in hospital by their debts, responsible for feeding themselves and clinging to the hope their bills will be waived by hospital directors or paid off by well-wishers.

"Some of the victims have no family in Abuja, so we support them," Feese said. "We take food, milk, sugar, toiletries ... then we get their contact details and keep in touch with them."

Dozens of bomb blast victims in Abuja have benefited from the group's support, including a man who needed several surgeries to remove a nail lodged in his head, Feese said.

Yet she is concerned about those who need prosthetic limbs, and said Team Member is raising money in the hopes of opening a rehabilitation center for bombing victims in Abuja.

"We've not identified any hospital that specializes in advanced prosthetic limbs ... the technology is not advanced.

"Not everybody can afford to go to the United Kingdom or South Africa. We want to give Nigerians a chance."

The 2011 attack which injured Feese struck the U.N headquarters in the capital Abuja, killing at least 24 people.

While the last bombing to hit Abuja was in late 2015, Boko Haram has continued to target markets, bus stations, places of worship villages in Borno state during its eight-year insurgency to carve out an Islamist state in the northeast of the country.

Reuters

Nigeria negotiating with Boko Haram to release remaining Chibok girls

The Nigerian government is in talks with the terror group Boko Haram to release the remaining Chibok girks, the country's president has said.

Some 276 young girls were abducted by the Islamist extremists in 2014, shocking the world and sparking a huge campaign with the slogan "Bring Back Our Girls".

More than 20 were released in October in a deal brokered by the International Red Cross and others have escaped or been rescued, but 195 are still missing.

A day before the third anniversary of the kidnapping, President Muhammadu Buhari said the government "is in constant touch through negotiations, through local intelligence to secure the release of the remaining girls and other abducted persons unharmed".

In 2015, the Islamist militants pledged their allegiance to so-called Islamic State.

They have been waging an eight-year military campaign to carve out an Islamic state in northern Nigeria.

Last year, several senior Boko Haram fighters were killed by Nigeria's air force, with the group's leader believed to be among the dead.

Several months later, the terror group was ousted from its last major camp in the northeastern Sambisa forest stronghold.

ITV

Video - Much-anticipated Nigerian Basketball League finally begins after several delays

Nigeria's long-awaited Basketball League has finally started after repeated delays. The Nigerian Basketball Federation had been forced to postpone the competition as it had yet to conclude contractual agreements with sponsors. The women's league got under way on Monday, while the men's is set to begin on Thursday. The federation has announced several changes to the league. It says the 2017 season will consist of 28 regular games, with four rounds of action. For the players, the start of the league is welcome news.

Video - Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya look to invest in coal-fired power plants

After years as the only country with a heavy investment in electricity from coal, South Africa may be joined by Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya over the next five years. All three plan to add just under 3 GW of coal-fired power plants. Kenya has been heavily reliant on hydro- and geothermal power sources for decades. But as droughts become more frequent, and energy demand rises, planners see coal as an ideal source of cheap, reliable, affordable electricity. Our Business anchor Ramah Nyang spoke to the head of the country's energy regulator.

Video - Campaigners in Nigeria urges world not to forget Chibok girls

Recently marked three years since the kidnapping of hundreds of schoolgirls from Chibok. Three years on, and many have since been released. But others remain in captivity. To commemorate the anniversary, Bring Back Our Girls campaigners gathered in the Nigerian capital, Abuja. There, they planted trees and ties symbolic ribbons around them. The campaign says people need to be reminded of plight of the girls who remain in captivity. It's believed around 200 girls remain in the militant's clutches.

Nigerian government plans to end open defecation in Nigeria by 2025

The Federal Government (FG) has developed a national roadmap to eradicate the menace of open defecation in Nigeria by 2025.

It said the roadmap has already been adopted by the National Council on Water Resources as a veritable tool of fighting the menace.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Water Resources, Engr Suleiman Adamu, at the Wide Open Defecation Free celebration in Obanliku Local Government Area, Cross River State, Nigeria.

He said that the programme has been incorporated into the annual plans and budgeting processes for phased implementation at the national level while states are expected to do same.

He added the Partnership for Expanded Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (PEWASH) and the Open Defecation Free (ODF) Roadmap will eliminate open defecation.

“To achieve ODF, means without exception, all households and institutions have ended the practice of open defecation; they have cleaned their environment and have constructed basic or modified toilets. That is the case of Obanliku LGA we are celebrating today.

“Nigeria is reported to be a country with the highest number of people practicing open defecation in Africa estimated at over 46 million people and more than two-thirds of the population are without access to basic sanitation facilities,” he stated.

Adamu said that efforts in time past to address the situation has yielded minimal results, maintaining that: “A critical look at the situation shows that it cannot be business as usually and that all hands must be on deck in tackling this challenge.”

Also launched to address this issue was the PEWASH, a national collaborative instrument for the improvement of access to water supply and sanitation in Nigeria.

Nigeria through the PEWASH strategy targets eliminating open defecation by 2025 in line with the ODF Roadmap and achieving 100 per cent access to rural water supply and basic sanitation by 2030.

In his reply, the Executive Governor of Cross River State, Senator Ben Ayade, represented by the State Commissioner for Water Resources, Ntufam Oji, commended the Federal Government’s efforts at ending open defecation in Nigeria.

He stated that the feat achieved by Obanliku as ODF status was a collaborative efforts of the Federal, State, Local Government as well as other stakeholders in the sector.

According to him, the practice of not defecating in the open has helped the communities in the Local government area and this has improved the health status of the entire LGA.

“The state will try as matter of priority to pay its counterpart funds of the programme so that the achievement could be replicated in other LGAs of the state,” he said.

Also, the Executive Director of Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) Chris Williams stated that WSSCC has been a key partner in Nigeria’s WASH sector.

Chris said that WSSCC has supported Sanitation programme in Nigeria with a grant of $5 million through the Global Sanitation Fund.

“With this feat achieved in Obanliku LGA, WSSCC will keep on supporting Nigeria in the fight of ending open defecation in the country. Nigeria will be considered in the second tranche of $5 million so as to replicate the feat in more LAGs of the country,” he said.

Tribune

US to sell warplanes to Nigeria in fight against Boko Haram

The Trump administration will move forward with the sale of high-tech aircraft to Nigeria for its campaign against Boko Haram Islamic extremists despite concerns over abuses committed by the African nation's security forces, according to U.S. officials.

Congress is expected to receive formal notification within weeks, setting in motion a deal with Nigeria that the Obama administration had planned to approve at the very end of Barack Obama's presidency. The arrangement will call for Nigeria to purchase up to 12 Embraer A-29 Super Tucano aircraft with sophisticated targeting gear for nearly $600 million, one of the officials said.

The officials were not authorized to discuss the terms of the sale publicly and requested anonymity to speak about internal diplomatic conversations.

Though President Donald Trump has made clear his intention to approve the sale of the aircraft, the National Security Council is still working on the issue. Military sales to several other countries are also expected to be approved but are caught up in an ongoing White House review. Nigeria has been trying to buy the aircraft since 2015.

The Nigerian air force has been accused of bombing civilian targets at least three times in recent years. In the worst incident, a fighter jet on Jan. 17 repeatedly bombed a camp at Rann, near the border with Cameroon, where civilians had fled from Boko Haram. Between 100 and 236 civilians and aid workers were killed, according to official and community leaders' counts.

That bombing occurred on the same day the Obama administration intended to officially notify Congress the sale would go forward. Instead, it was abruptly put on hold, according to an individual who worked on the issue during Obama's presidency. Days later, Trump was inaugurated.

Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said this past week that he supported the A-29 deal to Nigeria as well as the sale of U.S.-made fighter jets to Bahrain that had been stripped of human rights caveats imposed by the Obama administration.

Under Obama, the U.S. said Bahrain failed to make promised political and human rights reforms after its Sunni-ruled government crushed Arab Spring protests five years ago.

"We need to deal with human rights issues, but not on weapons sales," Corker said.

The State Department said in a 2016 report that the Nigerian government has taken "few steps to investigate or prosecute officials who committed violations, whether in the security forces or elsewhere in the government, and impunity remained widespread at all levels of government."

Amnesty International has accused Nigeria's military of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the extrajudicial killings of an estimated 8,000 Boko Haram suspects. President Muhammadu Buhari promised to investigate the alleged abuses after he won office in March 2015, but no soldier has been prosecuted and thousands of people remain in illegal military detention. Nigeria's military has denied the allegations.

The A-29 sale would improve the U.S. relationship with Nigeria, Africa's largest consumer market of 170 million people, the continent's biggest economy and its second-largest oil producer. Nigeria also is strategically located on the edge of the Sahel, the largely lawless semi-desert region bridging north and sub-Saharan Africa where experts warn Islamic extremists like the Nigeria-based Boko Haram may expand their reach.

The aircraft deal also would satisfy Trump's priorities to support nations fighting Islamic uprisings, boost U.S. manufacturing and create high-wage jobs at home. The A-29 aircraft, which allow pilots to pinpoint targets at night, are assembled in Jacksonville, Florida.

"It's hard to argue that any country in Africa is more important than Nigeria for the geopolitical and other strategic interests of the U.S.," said J. Peter Pham, vice president of the Atlantic Council in Washington and head of its Africa Center.

Once Congress is officially notified of the sale, lawmakers who want to derail it have 30 days to pass veto-proof legislation. That's a high hurdle given Corker's support. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., chairman of the Armed Services Committee, also said he backs the sale.

"We've really got to try to do what we can to contain them," McCain said of Boko Haram.

In Trump's first phone call with Buhari in February, he "assured the Nigerian president of U.S. readiness to cut a new deal in helping Nigeria in terms of military weapons to combat terrorism," according to Buhari's office.

A Feb. 15 White House statement that provided a summary of the call said "President Trump expressed support for the sale of aircraft from the United States to support Nigeria's fight against Boko Haram."

Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, said in mid-February he was "leery" of the sale because of the Nigerian military's impunity. Cardin said this week he's not trying to block the deal.

"Ultimately we hope that the sale goes forward," he said. "But there is progress that needs to be made in protecting the civilian population."

ABC

Video - Racism against Nigerians in India

Endurance Amarawa, Ibgiya Malu Chukwuma, Precious Amalsima were admitted in Kailash Hospital after racial attacks on African nationals near Pari Chowk on March 28, 2017 in Greater Noida, India.

Ademola Odujinrin becomes first Nigerian to fly around the world

Nigerian airline pilot Ademola Odujinrin, known as “Lola”, has become the first African to fly solo around the world, his foundation Transcend said in a statement Thursday.

The 38-year-old Nigerian left Washington in September last year abord a Cirrus SR22, a small, single engine airplane, and stopped in more than 15 countries on five continents during the journey, according to the statement.

Odujinrin landed at his starting point at Dulles Airport, just outside the American capital on March 29. “I want African children to think: ‘I can do this too!'” Odujinrin said. The website Earthrounders lists Odujinrin as the first African among the 120 pilots who have flown around the world solo since American Wiley Post became the first to do so in 1933. A commercial airline pilot since 2011, Odujinrin works for Air Djibouti, which partially financed the project.

Vanguard