₦airaland Forum

As you go to church this morning, and as a CHRISTIAN, do meditate on my next line of thoughts.
It was the CHRISTIANS that largely produced this new government with ‘their body language’ and now ‘The Most Senior CHRISTIAN LEADERS’ in Nigeria [including Pastor Tunde Bakare, who carried the placards around the nation for the emergence of this new government] are being asked, via an OBNOXIOUS Law that was inserted through the backdoor into the Nigerian Constitution to STEP DOWN from leading the brethren in their churches in Nigeria!

When you ask Pastor Adeboye, Bishop Oyedepo, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, Pastor Kumuyi, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, Pastors Adefarasin, the elder and the younger ones, Bishop Okonkwo, Pastor Ashimolowo, Pastor Adeyemi, etc – all who have led their ministries for ‘the stipulated 20 years’ from leading their churches, the obvious question is “What is left of the leadership of the church in Nigeria?”
When you enact a law that says “a church leader cannot hand over the leadership of his ministry to a family member’, you ask yourself – so what becomes of how so many of such examples occurred in the Bible? And what becomes of the story of the Hagins? And many others?
The elitists Christians in Nigeria have always applauded as the church is stripped in Nigeria – they were happy when ‘Christian businessmen were being stripped of the leadership of the banking industry’ – they didn’t mind as scores of churches were being burnt and hundreds of Christians killed in the aftermath of the 2011 elections pogrom; they have been silent as another round hundreds of Christians are being killed in Northern Nigeria; they ask critical questions of why a governor listened to security reports to remove students from class in the largely non-Christian environs but rejected such advice by keeping the largely christian community Chibok in their classes leading to the abduction of the Chibok Girls – the elites in the Nigerian church movement are very good at speaking ‘very big English’ – they are always super intellectuals on all subjects but obviously ‘lack critical wisdom of the place of the church in Nation States.’
They love to quote examples of how things are done around the world BUT when it comes to standing up for the CHURCH in Nigeria, they soon become quiet and when they are loud begin to even justify such atrocities against the church in Nigeria.
It is very important to ask the question – “where were all the hashtags as this ere being passed in Nigeria?” No, our Christian brethren were still very busy, chasing on Twitter “the missing Billions” – the monies that would never be transferred to their bank accounts when recovered – for which they will get no contracts awarded to them. Of course, it is also these Christians that major “on the opulence of Pastors” – that seems to be their one goal in life – to making sure their Pastors become paupers – what a life ambition to have as a Christian?
Of course, Politicians, in Nigeria, have always “believed that the CHURCH was growing with too much influence” – they have always been afraid of the CROWDS we pull together, for free, which they, have ‘to pay stolen monies to get’; they have always been afraid of our Prosperity, which, they see, we get without toil, as they do; and they have always wondered how they can ‘pocket’ the church; and our brethren have stood by, applauding them as they do such things because they are the ones that provide the online materials for the ridiculing of the Church in Nigeria – well, to these ones, I say, it is time for you to brace up for the leadership of the Church in Nigeria – you have very big shoes to fill so you had better begin ‘to fast and pray’, away from your ‘DSTV Sessions.’
To the larger Christians in Nigeria, I say “Congratulations!”
I thank the Holy Spirit for always being my WITNESS on these matters – HE knows that I have never found myself on the side of such display of cheap populism in Nigeria.
Favour Afolabi is a political commentator who runs fbablogs.com in his spare time; and owns a real estate brokerage services company. He tweeted from @favourafolabi.
http://www.nigerianewspaper.com.ng/2017/01/favour-afolabi-systematic-stripping-of.html

Goodluck

International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. Working with 2,000 businesses worldwide, we use our six decades of experience to create opportunity where it’s needed most. In FY15, our long-term investments in developing countries rose to nearly $18 billion, leveraging our capital, expertise and influence to help the private sector end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity.

SENIOR INVESTMENT OFFICER - FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS GROUP

JOB #: 160385
JOB STREAM: Investment

BACKGROUND / GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, is a global leader, investor and advisor committed to projects in its developing member countries that reduce extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity. IFC finances private sector investments, mobilizes capital in the international financial markets, helps clients improve social and environmental sustainability, and provides technical assistance and advice to businesses and governments in the developing world.
Private sector financial development is essential to the promotion of successful and sustainable economies in low and middle income countries around the world. Sound and efficient financial markets can ensure that resources are allocated where they are most productive, assisting job creation and spurring economic growth. IFC’s goal is to prioritize investment in the financial sector because it promotes development in all other sectors.
The Financial Institutions Group (FIG) is one of three major industry groups at IFC, responsible for managing roughly 40% of IFC’s overall business in terms of volume and capital at risk. FIG engages in a wide range of sub-sectors including Microfinance, SME, Gender, Climate, Insurance, Capital Markets, Housing, Distressed Assets, and other areas, with both investment and advisory services delivered globally to IFC’s clients through IFC’s global network.
FIG’s Africa team is based across the region with main hub and office locations in Dakar, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Lagos. The team members work on both new business development and portfolio management across the region. With a diverse network of markets, the pipeline of new transactions range from investing fresh equity in banks to structured finance products which help develop local capital markets.
FIG’s Africa team is seeking a senior investment officer with significant local market and industry experience to help grow and develop its business in Africa.

Duties and Accountabilities
Demonstrate a thorough understanding of banking, financial institutions and related industry knowledge;
Develop a strong pipeline of good quality investment opportunities through anticipating market trends and employing sector/country knowledge;
Build and maintain strong relationships with clients, banking and multilateral partners and government officials to develop specific investment opportunities;
Evaluate, structure, negotiate, and close new transactions, loan restructuring and rescheduling, capital increases and equity sales, etc.
Provide leadership and support in the development of the Financial Institutions Group’s knowledge management strategy, and assist in execution of this strategy;
Coordinate closely with social, environmental, advisory and technical assistance colleagues in order to champion IFC’s value to our clients' businesses, find pragmatic solutions to the specific sector challenges, and achieve sustainable development impact;
Mentor and coach less-experienced investment staff and help build talent and grow skill base of staff;
Take responsibility for other project or strategy related activities related to FIG’s business activities in the region.

SELECTION CRITERIA
Master’s degree in Finance, Economics or other related areas; accreditation as a CFA or CPA is considered a plus.
Minimum 10-12 years of experience in the financial sector, with evidence of growing expertise in banking and non-banking financial institutions and finance related disciplines;
Strong financial and credit skills; demonstrated ability to structure and negotiate a variety of complex financial instruments (debt and equity).
Strong skills in evaluation of risk and ability to anticipate short and long term implications of decisions.
Ability to make sound decisions and commit to decisions.
Hold self and team accountable for risk management and outcomes.
Ability to interact directly and independently with the senior management of potential clients, of financial and technical partners as well as senior government officials.
Ability to systematically share with others good practice and learning from lessons from across WBG, clients, and partners.
Considered an expert in the subject area and is sought out by colleagues to advise, peer review, or contribute to knowledge products of others.
Skilled in collaboration across boundaries and broadly, ability to bring differing ideas into the forefront.
Good relationship management skills with proven track record of success in developing client relationships and execution of client engagements.
Knowledge and Experience in International Economic Development Arena and commitment to sustainable development.
Excellent business judgment and strong analytical and problem solving skills to identify issues and present creative, practical solutions.
Great team player, able to mentor and train more junior staff.
Capacity to deal with conflicting priorities and deliver high quality work on schedule; facility to work successfully in multicultural teams and across boundaries.
Excellent oral and written presentation skills in English are required; additional major language desirable.

NOTE
For external Ad - IFC offers a highly challenging and rewarding working environment with outstanding opportunities for professional growth, as well as attractive conditions. Women are strongly encouraged to apply.
All applications will be treated in strictest confidence. Only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted.
If the selected candidate is a current Bank Group staff member with a Regular or Open-Ended appointment, s/he will retain his/her Regular or Open-Ended appointment. All others will be offered a 3 year term appointment.

APPLY HERE [/b]http://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/careers_ext_content/IFC_External_Corporate_Site/IFC+Careers/Career%20Opportunities/CareerOpportunityPlaceHolder?JobReqNo=160385
[b]
DUE DATE: 28 December, 2016

According to Facebook page Ibommobile News, the founder of the Uyo collapsed church, Apostle Akan Weeks, which claimed many lives, may have his leg amputated.
http://www.nigerianewspaper.com.ng/2016/12/founder-of-collapsed-church-in-uyo.html

The world of gaming and eSports has exploded over the last few years and it has become a massive industry that attracts fans from all works of life. While consoles such as the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 make up a good chunk of the gaming industry, the so called “Glorious PC Master Race“ still reigns supreme.

The ability to change your performance settings and the ability to upgrade your hardware gives PC gaming the edge over its console brethren. Gaming desktop computers can be built up to be extremely powerful, but they lack portability and always require for them to be plugged into a socket.
This is where the gaming laptop comes into play, ranging from entry level budget friendly laptops, to powerhouse solutions for the demanding hardcore gamer with deeper pockets.
Before we look at the different categories, here are a couple things to avoid when looking at a gaming laptop.

Things to Avoid
Here are a few things to avoid when choosing a gaming laptop
Buying more power than you need
If you are only planning to play Candy Crush, old titles such as Age of Empires II, or browser based games, then don’t waste your money. A basic laptop with either Intel’s or AMD’s integrated graphics will be more than sufficient for those games.
While touchscreen displays are a great feature for some laptops, they are usually a draw back when it comes to gaming laptops. With most gaming laptops sporting lower figures in the battery life department, a touchscreen will further drain your battery life.
Gaming laptops with a single SSD drive under 512GB will fill up extremely quickly. Games have increased in size over the years and Battlefield 1 already takes up a massive 40GB without any DLCs, so smaller drives are not optimal for people with larger game collections.
Only going for the latest gaming laptops
New is usually always better, or is it? There are some gaming laptops that sport fourth and fifth generation Intel processors that offer far more processing power than some of the lower end sixth generation i5 and i7 processors.

Some great deals can be found on these slightly older laptops. The same can be said for graphics cards. Second generation GeForce GTX 980M laptops for example are only around 25% slower than most GTX 1080M based laptops, but are often for sale at half the price.
Source: http://www.techonlinereview.com/2016/12/how-to-buy-good-gaming-laptop-part-1.html

Fellow Africans, something great happened in Ghana last night. Before the Ghana Electoral Commission had concluded collating and releasing the results of the Presidential elections, President John Dramani Mahama made the right move when he called his arch-rival, Nana Akufo-Addo, to concede defeat and congratulate him on a battle well-fought.

With that act, President Mahama instantly joined the limited but hallowed chambers of African statesmen who have behaved like all decent leaders around the globe faced with their situation do. It is gratifying to see that Africa is gradually moving away from the bad habit of sit-tight leaders. This singular decision of President Mahama has not only doused the uneasy tension that had suddenly crept upon the country but most definitely also averted unnecessary bloodletting. To God be the glory.
It was a clean campaign while it lasted. Both leaders, and their other co-contestants, were committed to peace. Indeed, they all jointly signed a peace accord where they reiterated for a peaceful turnout, peaceful voting and peaceful outcome. It was a mantra that resonated with the good people of Ghana who treated their elections as pure entertainment even as it appeared the most critical that they had seen in a long time. An average Ghanaian treasures the tranquillity he enjoys and would do nothing to jeopardise it. They were thus happy to see that their leaders had embraced this penchant for peace and tranquillity by signing the peace accord and that President Mahama has kept faith with that accord by gallantly conceding defeat.

At the same time, it is also necessary to commend the President-elect Nana Akufo-Addo who has been gracious and magnanimous in victory. He immediately made the noble gesture by President Mahama known to the whole world by tweeting that the President had called to concede defeat and congratulate him.
Nigeria seems to have a lot in common with Ghana. We are like Siamese twins. Whatever happens in Nigeria is likely to happen in Ghana and vice versa. Whenever it rains in Lagos, it is almost certain, rain would fall soon in Accra. This similarity in our trajectory started from the colonial days when effectively there were two main protectorates in both countries. Both countries were colonised by the British who then amalgamated the Protectorates. Thereafter both countries had national who launched independence struggles about the same time with iconic leaders including the great Osagyefo, Kwame Nkrumah, in Ghana and Nnamdi “Zik” Azikwe and Obafemi Awolowo in Nigeria. This culminated in independence for Ghana in 1957 and shortly thereafter independence came to Nigeria in 1960 although this could have been as early as 1958.

During the era of coup-plotting in Africa, Ghana and Nigeria experienced their fair share at about the same time. As seemed to be the case in the early years of the existence of both countries the coup which overthrew democratically elected governments followed each other very closely. The Nigerian coup originally led by Major Nzeogwu which deposed the civilian government of Tafawa Balewa which overthrew Kwame Nkrumah was in January 1966 and the Ghana coup led by Emmanuel Kotoka was in February 1966. When Nigerians were sacked from Ghana, Nigeria wasted no time in retaliating.
Despite the cat and mouse relationship that existed between both countries, they’ve become the closest on the continent. Many Nigerians and Ghanaians are married. Our students currently litter many Ghanaian campuses in search of quality education. Ghanaian students have attended the major Nigerian Universities in times past just as Nigerian students also attended the Ghanaian ones at that time. Many Nigerian banks proudly dot the beautiful landscapes of Ghana and represent the best traditions of our great country both in terms of personnel, economic, work and cultural ethics and values. There are as yet no Ghanaian banks in Nigeria but it is clearly only a matter of time.

The trajectory of President Mahama is uncannily similar to what we had witnessed in Nigeria in recent memory and it is almost surreal. President Mahama was born in 1958, only a year younger than President Goodluck Jonathan. He had come into politics quietly and with minimal ambition. He was a member of Parliament and became a Minister of State. He would later be invited by Professor John Evans Atta-Mills to act as Vice President of The Republic of Ghana, a job he accepted with complete sobriety and determination to succeed. The story of how President Jonathan came from relative obscurity to occupy the position of President of Africa’s largest nation does not need to be retold other than to reflect on the comparisons with the Mahama story.
Alongside his visionary boss, Mahama charted a new course for Ghana. They decided to invest heavily in infrastructure development, the sort not seen in a long time in most African countries. Together they started the journey of rejuvenating and modernising their beloved country but somewhere along the line, death snatched Professor Atta-Mills away and a huge responsibility fell on Mahama’s shoulders. It was very similar to the fate of Goodluck Jonathan who inherited the mantle of Dr Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in such similar and spectacular manner. Who says destiny plays no role in human affairs?

Mahama had to complete the last few months of Atta-Mills’ tenure before contesting his full-fledged election as President. Jonathan had done the same in Nigeria shortly before this. In contesting those elections Mahama would soon confront one of Ghana’s most iconic politicians Nana Akufo-Addo. It was such a fierce contest which he managed to win by a narrow margin. And he became the President of Ghana but had to endure a long-drawn battle in the courts but eventually emerged victorious. Interestingly, his main challenger, Nana Akufo-Addo was contesting the Presidency for the second time having contested against Mahama’s predecessor Atta-Mills when Mahama had been his Vice-President. Jonathan in Nigeria had faced General Muhammadu Buhari and won the elections against him. Buhari had earlier contested elections against President YarÁdua who was Jonathan’s predecessor when Jonathan had been his Vice-President.

After the victory at the courts, President Mahama started a blistering and aggressive infrastructural development all over Ghana and everything he built was world-class. The more he tried to modernise his country and lay a solid future for generations unborn the more he was haunted by the spectre of mass unemployment and economic stagnation which had been the bane of the society before he became President. It was his belief that the infrastructural development would lead to better conditions for the people including employment, greater standard of living and financial stability and independence. Though his strategy was unique, it was not a quick-fix solution that the masses apparently yearned for and Mahama soon realised that most people wanted cash in their pockets and food in their belly rather than promises of a brighter future. Stomach infrastructure had engaged te psyche of the nation because of the great recession that had preceded the election of Mahama. That was the beginning of the end.

Mahama would be challenged once more by Nana Akufo-Addo who seized on the popular change slogan that had driven President Buhari to power in Nigeria and the anti-corruption sentiments that had also helped in propelling Buhari. Whilst there was very little evidence of such corruption in Mahama’s government this was still an issue that resonated because of the effect it had on the Nigerian elections. Akufo-Addo was on his third attempt, just like our President Muhammadu Buhari had tried the same number of times before eventually getting elected.
President Mahama relied heavily on his good works which his most vociferous critics would admit are quite humbling. As it turned out, it was not going to be an easy fight at the polls. He criss-crossed the length and breadth of Ghana spreading his message of development and peace. I was honoured to travel to every part of Ghana by road, day and night, on his campaign trail. I was deeply touched by his simplicity and humility. I was also inspired by his pan-Africanist philosophy. He is totally at home with everyone, one of the few African leaders I know today without any prejudice towards anyone, foreign or local. The insight I gained into the nature of power would remain invaluable forever and ever.
As reports reached me last night that President John Dramani Mahama has conceded victory to Nana Akufo-Addo, I called to speak to him. He had promised his campaign team from the beginning that he was not desperate for anything in life. The election was not a do or die for him. He wanted to continue in office to finish the gargantuan and monumental work that he had begun and which he knew was necessary to create a worthwhile future for the citizens of his country. He was absolutely fired up by the enduring spirit of Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah and he ran a race against time. It was as if he knew history has a way of repeating itself. He was a student of history who worked assiduously to build a legacy. There is no doubt that he has done extremely well and would always be remembered as the face of new Africa. Through his example and that of others, Africa would no longer be treated with disdain or seen as being synonymous with wars, famine and diseases.
May God almighty continue to order his ways and future endeavours.
Dele Momodu is a Nigerian journalist, publisher, and former presidential aspirant. He tweets from @delemomodu.
This article is culled from ThisDay.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
http://www.nigerianewspaper.com.ng/2016/12/dele-momodu-political-similarities.html

Barely one month after the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, negotiated a $15 billion crude-for-cash swap deal with India that would see the Indian government making an upfront payment to Nigeria for crude purchases, Indian refiners have indicated interest in increasing Nigerian crude imports from nine million metric tonnes in 2016 (MMTPA) to 11 million metric tonnes in 2017.

By the terms of the deal, which are yet to be agreed, the $15 billion would be repaid on the basis of firm term crude contracts over some years and in consideration for Indian public sector (PSU) companies collaborating in the refining sector.

Other methods of repayment include: exploration and production activities on a government-to-government basis by Indian PSU companies, and long-term contracts for the supply of crude to Indian PSU companies from Nigeria.

Successful bidders for Nigeria’s crude oil term lifting contracts for 2017 will emerge by the middle of this month.

Indian refiners such as Indian Oil Corp (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) currently have crude oil lifting contracts for 2016 with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

However, NNPC’s Group Executive Director, Refineries, Anibor Kragha, told S&P Global Platts in an interview on the sidelines of the Petrotech conference in New Delhi on Monday that the Indian state-run refiners were pushing for an increase in crude oil allocations from Nigeria.

“Three Indian companies said that they were looking for a combined total of 11 million metric tonnes in 2017 from nine million mt this year,” Kragha said.

About seven barrels of crude make one metric ton.

“Now what they will get is a balance between term contracts and (spot) sales contracts,” he added.

“We just came out of a meeting with key Indian oil companies and they are pushing to get incremental allocations for the term contracts. We explained to them that there needs to be a balance.

“Once Nigerian output recovers, it will increasingly look towards India as the major buyer of its crude. Indian demand is very positive for us. A vibrant Indian economy is good for us,” Kragha explained.

Under the crude term contracts, Nigeria exports around 1.17 million bpd of Nigerian crude, out of the 2.2 million bpd production that is sold by contract holders to end-users, refiners and other buyers.

The country’s production dropped in recent months to a 20-year low as a result of renewed militancy in the Niger Delta.

However, Kachikwu also told journalists on the sidelines of the New Delhi conference that the total production was around 1.9 million bpd, including 300,000 bpd of condensates.

Kragha said negotiations were ongoing and that if the deal is successful and Nigerian output recovers, the country would “increasingly look towards India” as the major buyer of its crude.

“Indian demand is very positive for us. A vibrant Indian economy is good for us,” he added.

In 2015-16, India imported nearly 23.7 million metric tonnes of crude (nearly 12 per cent of India’s overall imports) and over 2MMTPA of LNG from Nigeria.

Following the $15 billion negotiation, the two countries agreed to work on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate investments by India in the Nigerian oil and gas sector; specifically in areas such as the term contracts, participation of Indian companies in the refining sector, oil and gas marketing, upstream ventures, the development of gas infrastructure, and in the training of oil and gas personnel in Nigeria.

The MoU is expected to be firmed up this month during PETROTECH-2016.

According to a source from an Indian refiner, “Nigerian crude is a must have for most of our refineries, especially the older ones, which have been designed to run light sweet crude.

“Despite all the militancy issues, we still buy Nigerian crude, as our refineries need it. We will continue to buy Nigerian crude, but we want them to supply us with more,” he said.

India, which is one of the world’s fastest growing economies, has seen its gasoline and gasoil demand climb sharply over the past few years.

This has encouraged Indian refineries to buy more Nigerian crude.
Read More http://www.nigerianewspaper.com.ng/2016/12/india-seeks-to-import-11m-metric-tonnes.html

Demands:
In view of the foregoing, therefore, we boldly demand:
1. That the Southeast Public Office Holders particularly the elected Governors of Anambra, Imo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi States and Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu should proactively rise to the occasion and take firm charge as the Chief Security Officers and Highest Legislative Officer of the Southeast Zone.

2. That in view of the Chief of Army Staff’s Conference kicking off in Owerri, Imo State from today, Monday, 5th of December 2016, expected to last for days; the above mentioned public office holders should make maximum use of the opportunity to register their strong displeasure and disapproval against unwarranted militarization of the Southeast or Igbo Land by Buratai led Jihadist Nigerian Army.

3. That the COAS, Lt Gen Turkur Buratai should be boldly engaged and asked to explain the rationale behind out-right domination of the command structure of the Nigerian Army in the Southeast as well as its rank and file by officers and citizens of Hausa-Fulani Muslim background.

4. That the COAS must be made to reverse the dangerous trend and de-Hausanize the art of combatant or infantry soldiering in the Southeast Zone or Igbo Land.

5. That the COAS must be told in strong and unmistakable language that Southeast will no longer condone and tolerate the age-long maltreatment by Nigerian Army as “a conquered territory and people”.

6. That the Southeast Public Office Holders above mentioned should meet President Muhammadu Buhari with a fluent Hausa Language interpreter to demand his inexplicable hostility towards the Igbo Land and Igbo Race and prevail on him to demilitarize the Southeast Zone.

7. That the Southeast Public Office Holders must insist during the COAS visit to Imo that he must order for the de-blockage of the ailing Onitsha Niger Bridge before he leaves the Igbo Land so as to save the Bridge from imminent collapse and facilitate free movement of people and vehicular particularly during Xmas and New Year period.

8. That we understand that the said Jihadist Army commanders including the Commandant of Onitsha 302 Artillery, Col Isa Abdullahi Maigari and the 82nd Division Deputy Army Spokesman, Col Sagir Musa visited the ailing Niger Bridge yesterday, being Sunday, 4th December 2016) between 10.30am and 11.30am following our advocacy pressures and “offered to reduce the blockage for their safety”; this we totally reject and insist on total removal of all the military drums and freeing and decongesting of the all routes into and out of the ailing Bridge. This is a matter of must; not palliative or adhoc.

9. That the COAS must be prevailed upon to order his “Dogari” combatants at the ailing Niger Bridge to disappear from the centre of the roads linking the ailing Bridge and retire to tents built for them beside the Ojukwu Statue to watch over people and vehicular movements.

10. That the Southeast Public Office Holders under reference should firmly engage the COAS, the Chief of Naval Staff and the Inspector General of Police concerning the extortionist and other criminal activities of their personnel deployed to Southeast Roads; for the purpose of abolishing all forms of criminal tolls or roadblock extortions.

11. That all the military and police roadblocks on Southeast Roads should be reduced to 5%, if not total abolition because empirical evidence has clearly shown that the more increase in military and police roadblocks in the Zone, the more increase in State-actor and non-State actor crimes (i.e. steady increase in Fulani supporter of APC attacks despite indiscriminate security roadblocks).

12. That the Southeast Public Office Holders under reference should set up a joint commission of enquiry to look into the army led massacre of not less than 250 Pro Biafra Campaigners as well as killings by the Fulani supporter of APC or armed Herdsmen in various parts of the Southeast Zone or Igbo Land.

Yours in the Service to Humanity,

Emeka Umeagbalasi, Board Chairman
International Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law (Intersociety)
Mobile Line: +2348174090052
Email: info@intersociety-ng.org

Chinwe Umeche, Esq., Head, Democracy & Good Governance Program
Mobile Line: +2347013238673

Obianuju Igboeli, Esq., Head, Civil Liberties and Rule of Law
Mobile Line: +2348180771506

Co-Signed By:

1. Comrade Aloysius Attah (+2348035090548)
For: Civil Liberties Organization, Southeast Zone

2. Comrade Vincent Ezekwume (+2348171793911)
For: Civil Liberties Organization, Anambra State Branch

3. Comrade Peter Onyegiri (+2347036892777)
For: Center for Human Rights & Peace Advocacy

4. Comrade Samuel Njoku (+2348039444628)
For: Human Rights Organization of Nigeria

5. Engineer Rufus Duru (+2348037513519)
For: Global Rights & Development International

6. Comrade Chike Umeh ( +2348064869601)
For: Society Advocacy Watch Project

7. Obianuju Igboeli, Esq. (+2348034186332)
For: Anambra Human Rights Forum

8. Comrade Alex Olisa(+2348034090410)
For: Southeast Good Governance Forum

9. Jerry Chukwuokoro, PhD (+2348035372962)
For: International Solidarity for Peace & Human Rights Initiative

10. Mr. Tochukwu Ezeoke (+447748612933)
For: Igbo Ekunie Initiative (Pan Igbo Rights Advocacy Group)

Note: This letter is communicated through closed and open modes; meaning that it has both enveloped and open versions with same contents meant for its specific recipients.

Attachments: 1. Pictures of military blockage of the ailing Niger Bridge and its associated traffic gridlock; taken in the evening of Friday, 2nd December 2016;
2. Pictures of Mobile Police Men collecting N50 and N100 Notes from commercial motorists at gunpoint taken along Onitsha-Enugu Expressway and One of the failed Federal Roads in the Southeast Zone in November 2015 and November 2016 respectively.

Source: http://www.nigerianewspaper.com.ng/2016/12/python-dance-civil-rights-activists.html

Two civil rights organisations, International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law and the South East Based Coalition of Human Rights Organisations, have called on the South East Governors and a National Assembly legislators to intervene and stop militarisation and extortion in Igbo Land.

They said it was part of orchestrated plans by them to collapse the 51-year-old Onitsha Niger Bridge; a major gateway to Igbo Land, under the guise of Operation Python Dance.

It reads: We make bold to say that the ulterior motives behind the referenced despicable and condemnable operations are for the purpose of Jihadism and Ethnic Cleansing. Others are to cause social and economic strangulation of the Southeast Zone and collapse of Onitsha Niger Bridge built since 1965; for the purpose of cutting off the Igboland from the rest of the country; using the Southeast Roads as illegitimate money making venture by way of collection of illegal roadblock tolls and extortion; depriving the Christian dominated peoples of the Southeast and the South-south Zones particularly those living outside the zones of their sacred and constitutionally guaranteed rights to worship their Christian religion and commemorate the birth of their Savior Jesus Christ by blocking and torturing them from returning to their ancestral homes by way of total blockage of the ailing Niger Bridge and deliberate creation of indiscriminate roadblocks; pushing the law abiding Igbo Race to the wall and forcing them to adopt radical reprisal approaches to pave way for full blown genocidal Jihadism against the race.

It is recalled that on Monday, November 28, 2016, the Nigerian Army, dominated by Jihadist elements; dubiously announced the mass deployment of troops and equipment to all strategic roads and commercial centers including motor parks in Igbo Land, in the guise of “Operation or Exercise Python Dance”; saying it is targeting “MASSOB, IPOB, Fulani Herdsmen, Kidnappers and Armed Robbers”. Before the dubious announcement, the Southeast or Igbo Land was laid under siege with not less than one hundred military and navy roadblocks and not more than 1000 police roadblocks scattered on all strategic roads and routes in the Zone. The link below contains the first army statement under reference, HERE.

In response, the Southeast Based Coalition of Human Rights Organizations (SBCHROs) and the Intersociety, issued a joint statement, dated 30th of November 2016, condemning in its entirety and totality the action of the Jihadist Nigerian Army. The said statement of ours triggered off public outcries and more informed reactions; forcing the army through its 82nd Division in Enugu to issue another contradictory, defenseless and watery statement; claiming professionalism and routine in-service exercise. The link below contains the second army statement, issued on Friday, 2nd December 2016:

In all these, the more the Jihadist army tries to justify its claims behind the atrocious operations, the more its ulterior motives are exposed. We have, contrary to the claims of the Jihadist Army, investigated, found and come out with the following 37-Points Of Facts; shaming, rubbishing and exposing the false claims and ulterior motives of the Jihadist Nigerian Army and the Police: (1) That the Jihadist Nigerian Army raised false insecurity alarms in the Southeast with ulterior or dubious intents; (2) that street protests are not armed rebellion or traditional street crimes of kidnapping, armed robbery or murder, etc; (3) that IPOB and MASSOB are not armed opposition groups waging war against the Federal Republic of Nigeria or any part thereof; (4) that Southeast Zone is the most peaceful Zone to live in Nigeria; as clearly attested to by a recent UN Report and it is not a war zone or a zone at war with the Federal Government or Federal Republic of Nigeria; (5)that there are no security threats of unprecedented proportion or Northeast magnitude in the Southeast Zone warranting the present military siege or police state in the Zone.

(6) That the Jihadist Nigerian Army is crude and an illiterate army with no knowledge of the meaning and definition of Rules of Engagement; (7) that the Jihadist Nigerian Army has continued to criminalize and stigmatize the non-violent activities of IPOB to the point of saddening and alarming proportions; ( that while the Southeast, which is a Zone in peace and non war Zone is being hunted, persecuted and pushed to the wall; the troubled Zones like Northeast and violent groups like the Fulani supporter of APC are being cuddled, petted and protected (i.e. see military roadblocks along Umuahia-Aba Federal Road and blanket protections provided to Fulani cattle rearers and their herds of cattle where cattle are valued more than lives of road users on Southeast Roads).

(9) That the Jihadist Nigerian Army and its Commander-in-Chief are killing, wounding, torturing and persecuting citizens of the Southeast Zone that have chosen non-violence and law abiding living; whereas violent entities and Zones including Boko Haram and Fulani supporter of APC are being rewarded and given presidential treat and protection; (10) that there are no credible official crime statistics from the Nigeria Police Force in the Southeast Zone, detailing the patterns and trends of violent crimes such as kidnapping and armed robbery in the Zone; showing increase or decrease; warranting the involvement of the Jihadist Nigerian Army in the flooding of the Zone with troops and weapons.

(11) That soldiers are not professionally trained to catch kidnappers and armed robbers or arsonists or burglars or rapists; or engage in fighting street crimes and they do not have mental and ICT expertise to do same;

(12) that hiding under the guise of “fighting kidnappers and armed robbers” as a cover to actualize their Jihadist intents have been exposed and shamed;

(13) that the Jihadist Nigerian Army resorted to such useless and mockery excuses as a cover to execute their Jihadist and ethnic cleansing operations;

(14) that the use of Fulani Herdsmen by the Jihadist Nigerian Army as one of the excuses for invasion of the Southeast is deliberate and a further cover to be hidden under to perpetrate its planned unprovoked war or mass killing and torture mission.

(15) That the Fulani supporter of APC or Herdsmen have massacred over 140 defenceless Christians in Southern Kaduna alone, in the past six months; yet the Army turns blind eyes; likewise similar massacring of hundreds of othersin Agatu (Benue State), Nimbo (Enugu State), Akokwa (Imo State), Asaba and its environs (Delta State) and reported ongoing massacre in Abia communities of Abia State, etc; with the Jihadist Nigerian Army looking the other way; but wasting unnecessary energy and weaponry chasing, massacring, wounding, torturing and persecuting defenceless Igbo-Christians in furtherance of its Jihadist and ethnic cleansing.

(16) That the Jihadist Nigerian Army operation by way of total blockage of the 51-year-old Onitsha Bridge; a major gateway to Igbo Land, is solely meant to collapse and sink the Bridge so as to cut the Southeast Zone off from the rest of the country; when it ought to know that the Bridge critically needs round-the-clock decongestion and lesser traffic gridlock especially in this critical festive period;

(17) that the operations of the Jihadist Nigerian Army are deliberately commenced this crucial festive period in Igbo Land so as to punish, torture and persecute the Igbo Race for being predominant Christians and deprive them of their sacred rights to commemorate the birth of their Saviour Jesus Christ;

(18) that the Army operations are also meant to strangulate the Igbo Race or Southeast Zone socially, culturally and economically.

(19) That the Jihadist Nigerian Army operations commenced in this crucial festive period in Igbo Land are geared towards creation of a sort of “Concentration Camp” by way of total blockage of the Onitsha Niger Bridge; particularly along Asaba-Niger Bridge and Niger Bridge-Onitsha Upper Iwekaaxis by trapping and jam-packing thousands of Xmas returnees with their families and livestock and other perishable items, so as to get them suffocated, fainted or died in their large numbers;

(20) that the Jihadist Nigerian Army operations are also in crude and shameless response to the recent Amnesty International Report on massacre of at least 150 Pro Biafra Campaigners by the Jihadist Army; a confirmation of Intersociety’s earlier findings of the massacre by army and others of at least 250 nonviolent and unarmed Pro Biafra campaigners between July/August 2015 and May 2016.

(21) That the Jihadist Nigerian Army’s response is in the form of show of shame, force and impunity;

(22) that the Jihadist Nigerian Amy operations are designed to inflict the Igbo Race with psychological torture and permanently treat them as a conquered people and further massacre them on the road with impunity in addition to over 250 unarmed and defenceless Igbo citizens and over 300 others it massacred or terminally wounded since July/August 2015;

(23) that the Army operations are purely an army of occupation designed to occupy the Southeast permanently with attendant atrocious and butchery outcomes.

(24) That Intersociety and SBCHROs’ reason for referring to the Nigerian Army as “Jihadist Nigerian Army” particularly in the Southeast Zone, follows total takeover and domination of its command and rank and file by officers and citizens of northern Muslim background or Hausa-Fulani hegemony who are filled with intolerance, crude and butchery mindsets; whereby the GOC of the 82nd Division in Enugu: Major Gen Ibrahim Attahiru; the Deputy Army Spokesman of the 82nd Division: Col Sagir Musa and his predecessor, Col HamzaGambo; the Commandant of the 302 Artillery Regiment, Onitsha, Col Isa Abdullahi Maigari; the leader of the military massacre operation of 29th and 30thof May 2016 at Nkpor, Onitsha and Asaba; Major M.I. Ibrahim of the Military Police; and the Commander of the 144 Battalion of the Nigerian Army at Ukwain Abia State; Lt Col Kasim Sidi Umar; who spearheaded the 9th of February 2016 massacre of over 30 IPOB members in Aba, are all from Hausa-Fulani Muslim background; likewise domination of other strategic command positions and over 70% of the rank and file or combatants by citizens of northern Muslim background.

(25) That another ulterior motive behind the Jihadist Nigerian Army operations in Igbo Land or Southeast Zone is for the purpose of criminal enrichment or illegitimate pocketing of hundreds of millions of naira from the Southeast Roads by way of organized road crime or roadblock extortion through open and closed sources;

(26) that recent update of the Intersociety on road crimes committed by police and military personnel (i.e. army and navy) clearly showed that there are not less than 200 military roadblocks and 1000 police roadblocks on Southeast Roads as at 4th of December 2016;

(27) that in those roadblocks, various forms of extortion are applied to rob the motorists and other road users at official gunpoint.

(28) That while soldiers and navy use structured form of extortion (i.e. hiring of civilians or garage touts to forcefully collect tolls on their behalf), the police use open method or direct extortion at gunpoint;

(29) that the choice of Southeast Roads is because of its blue-collar nature or high commercial and cash transactions;

(30) that as a result, the Jihadist Nigerian Army commanders and their foot soldiers in the Southeast Zone; with transmission of routine monthly brown envelopes (returns) to their superiors in Abuja; collectively and crookedly smile to bank on daily basis with tens of millions of naira derived from roadblock extortion;

(31) that empirical evidence at our investigative disposal shows that the Nigeria Police in the Southeast Zone and its Roads had in the past 14 months or between October 2015 and December 2016, criminally collected and pocketed a total of N9.1Billion from roadblock extortion on Southeast Roads.

(32) That our updated checks as at today show that there are not less than 250 police roadblocks on Anambra’s Federal and State Roads as well as its city roads and that each police roadblock extorts minimum of N50 note and average of N100 note from each commercial motorist; translating to at least N30,000 for each police roadblock per day; N7.5million daily from not less than 250 police roadblocks; N225 million monthly and N2.7 billion per year;

(33) that the same facts and circumstances are applicable to Abia State; another major blue-collar State after Anambra State; with its 250 police roadblocks criminally pocketing N2.7 billion per year;

(34) that Imo State; a lesser blue-collar State, has at least 200 police roadblocks to its name; with each police roadblock pocketing not less than N15,000 daily; N3 million for its 200 police roadblocks per day, N90 million per month and N1.08 billion per annum.

(35) That Enugu and Ebonyi States with relatively white-collar or civil service sub culture, have at least 300 police roadblocks to their names on average of 150 each; and each of the police roadblock criminally pockets at least N15,000 per day and N4.5 million for the 300 police roadblocks per day; N135 million per month and N1.62 billion per year; on average of N810 million for each of the two States;

(36) that in all, the police personnel at over 1000 police roadblocks mounted on Southeast Roads have between January 2016 and December 2016 criminally collected and pocketed from Southeast commercial road users a total of N8.1 billion; with Anambra State accounting for N2.7 billion; Abia State N2.7 billion; Imo State N1.08 billion; Enugu State N810 million; and Ebonyi State N810 million;

(37) that added to N1.03 billion criminally collected and pocketed between 21st October and 21st December 2015 by not less than 750 police roadblocks then on Southeast Roads; the total roadblock theft by the Nigeria Police Force in the past 14 months from Southeast Roads is N9.13 billion.

Source: http://www.nigerianewspaper.com.ng/2016/12/python-dance-civil-rights-activists.html

Civil servants in ministries, departments and parastatals of government have decried the huge deductions on their November salaries without any forewarning, Leadership report.
This is even as they lamented the increasing prices of goods and services.

The newspaper’s findings revealed that the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, and the Public Complaints Commission last month were respectively under lock and key as a result of payment of half salaries while many others joined in November.
While some were said to record as high as 50% cuts, others could not ascertain how much they had been shortchanged.
Speaking on grounds of anonymity, a staff of Voice of Nigeria (VON) lamented that they only learnt of the salary cut when an internal memory dated November 30, 2016 was made available to them on Wednesday.
Federal Civil Servants Groan As Buhari Orders November Salary Slash [DOCUMENT]
The memo addressed by the HOF to all staff, titled: ‘Reduction in November 2016 Salary’ stated that ‘we received the Payroll report for the Month of November 2016 from IPPIS and observed there is a drastic reduction in the Net Pay of Voice of Nigeria staff’.
‘On further enquiry, we discovered that the reasons for the deductions are as stated below’
Copy of the memo herewith attached…..
The memo made available to Leadership blamed the deductions on tax, pensions and national housing funds which were all formerly based on consolidated fund but had all affected staff gross salaries for November, 2016.
Another level 14 Cadre officer who spoke with Leadership on grounds of anonymity said “when I got the alert, I could not figure what was wrong, I just realised my salary was short with over N10,000. I wonder what those on level 7/8 will go home with at this time’
She laments that this is so sad, “At a time we are crying for increase, how can they be slashing? Things are so expensive and it’s most worrisome to have the little we have be toyed with”, she lamented
Another staff of the ministry of justice who also spoke with Leadership said she got her alert on November 29 and realised a deduction of over N40,000 was made.

I don’t understand what is happening she lamented.
A CBN Staff also told the newspaper that his salary was cut by half.
The affected staff have called on the accountant-general of the federation to immediately look into the matter even as they called out to the president for help.

Source: http://www.nigerianewspaper.com.ng/2016/12/federal-civil-servants-groan-as-buhari.html

Telecommunications operators have kicked against the suspension of the new data tariff floor recently approved by the Nigerian Telecommunications Commission (NCC), which would have increased charges for data services offered by the firms had NCC allowed its take off yesterday.

Worried about the public outcry that greeted the planned tariff hike, NCC on Wednesday announced the suspension of the initial directive it gave to operators on the introduction of a new data tariff floor.
The Director, Public Affairs at NCC, Mr. Tony Ojobo, who announced the suspension, said: “The commission has weighed all of these and consequently asked all operators to maintain the status quo until the conclusion of a study to determine retail prices for broadband and data services in Nigeria.”

Reacting to the suspension, the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), yesterday in a statement by its chairman, Mr. Gbenga Adebayo, and its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Damian Udeh, expressed dissatisfaction with the decision to suspend the implementation of the new data tariff floor.
According to the statement, “ALTON notes that price changes for data services across all networks following any intervention by the NCC were not expected to have a detrimental effect on broadband penetration, contrary to some sentiments being expressed in the media.
“ALTON wishes to emphasise that while it is imperative that telecommunications operators continue to explore opportunities to provide their subscribers with more value for their money, it is important that prices are set at realistic levels which ensure that subscribers are not only able to afford services but operators are also in a position to provide first rate services to their subscribers.

“While we fully understand the public sentiments that would appear to have greeted the announcement of the new minimum data tariff introduced by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), ALTON wishes to state that NCC intervened to set the data tariff floor in exercise of its statutory responsibility to promote healthy competition by periodically reviewing voice and data tariffs in the industry and ensuring the sustainability of the Nigerian telecommunications industry.
“It is noteworthy to mention that the NCC commenced extensive consultation with the industry prior to the finalisation of the data tariff floor, but the commission has since Wednesday suspended the implementation of its determination on the data tariff floor.”
This situation, if left unaddressed, could result in a sustained deterioration in the quality of data services across all networks and the attendant poor quality of experience for users, ALTON warned.
“In this regard, our members await the conclusion of NCC’s market study when the commission will be in a position to determine its requisite intervention,” the body said

Source: http://www.nigerianewspaper.com.ng/2016/12/telcos-kick-against-nccs-suspension-of.html

GHOne News has released a shocking video of how pupils swim their way through two rivers in a quest to gain access to education at Tsavanya, the nearest community with school facilities. According to the report, canoes are mostly unavailable to convey the kids from Agorde to Tsavanya, leaving them to use a deadly means by putting their uniforms and books in basins and hold it carefully as they swim across to Tsavanya.

Speaking to GHOne News, Kpodo who access the river with two of his brothers and other children said it is more dangerous especially during rainy seasons but they have no choice but to bravely navigate the waters to school. Watch the video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2me9zBDK87s
Source: http://www.nigerianewspaper.com.ng/2016/11/watch-how-pupils-swim-across-2-rivers.html

Anxious parents, Rameshbhai and Pragnaben Nandwana say they are struggling to handle their overweight children, who are already trying to eat themselves to death as a result of eating so much. According to their mother, Pragnaben Nandwana, all three suffer breathing problems, even in their sleep, as a result of the health problems caused by excessive eating.
Four-old-daughter Amisha weighs 51 kilos, three times more than an average child her age. Older sister Yogita weighs in at 33.5 kilos while brother Harsh already weighs 16 kilos at 18 months old.

The children’s weights are increasing at an alarming rate, although their fourth sibling, Bhavika, has a healthy size. According to MailOnline, when the children were born, their parents, who are from Gujarat in India, didn’t spot anything out of the ordinary, but later did, the moment the children started eating solid foods from very tender age; then they realised something was not right.
The parents said:

'The children seemed healthy and normal when they started on solid food but they started eating like adults – they eat five or six ‘roti’ flat breads. If we didn't feed them, they cried.'

All three of the children continue to consume massive portions of rice, flat bread, and dhal. The father said:

'We were unable to cope, the kids are suffering too. At this age kids generally run and play but ours are having trouble. Once seated, they can't get back up.'

The couple sought treatment to help their children at Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad. Assistant Professor of Paediatrics at Civil Hospital, Doctor Charul Purani pointed out that the children’s case is a rare one.
He said:

‘This is a rare case that I've seen for the first time. They have a lot of respiratory problems. They are not able to breathe properly when they sleep.'

A series of tests were carried out on all three siblings and blood samples were sent to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge where they were tested as part of an international study into the genetic causes of child obesity.
Professor of Metabolism, Sadaf Farooqi said:

'We looked at the leptin receptor, which is a gene in the brain that works to regulate appetite, and that's where we found a mutation. All three children have the same problem, which is a defect that stops that gene from working and as a result their brain does not receive the signal telling them they're full.'

As at the time of this story, no treatment has been found for the children’s condition, but the doctors admitted that they are hopeful. The father of the kids also said he has high hopes that treatment will make his children healthy, some day.

Source: http://www.nigerianewspaper.com.ng/2016/11/parents-plead-for-help-as-their-obese.html

• Delivery may not be perfected until 2020
• Consumers lament slow connections

Subscribers who have migrated to the fourth generation/long-term evolution (4G/LTE) services in the country have paid for a phantom “improved and faster service delivery” offer. Many of the subscribers are currently unhappy with the offerings from mobile network operators.
The 4G is the fourth generation of wireless mobile telecommunications technology, succeeding 3G. Potential and current applications include amended mobile web access, IP telephony, gaming services, high-definition mobile TV, video conferencing, and 3D television.
In quick succession, the trio of Glo, MTN, and Etisalat rolled out the wireless communications standard designed to provide up to 10 times the speed of 3G networks for mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, notebooks and wireless hotspots.
Since October 4, when indigenous service provider, Globacom Networks launched the service, shortly followed by South Africa-based MTN on the 6th, and the United Arab Emirates’ Etisalat on the 14th, subscribers have been trooping into the nearest shops of their service providers to migrate to the new wonder generation fast speed network.
But most have been disappointed as it takes at least two to three hours of waiting at the friendship centres of the service providers to migrate, only to be upgraded into more hassles and worse communication and Internet frustrations.
One major complaint by many of the subscribers who have migrated to the new service has been the slow connection time of the 4G offerings across all the networks.

Worse still, The Guardian learnt that the service may not even get perfected in Nigeria until 2020. The reasons adduced for this are that the 4G/LTE is still evolutionary, and that the infrastructure to run it is still very much inadequate.
Other complaints range from slow migration process to slower time of connection and drop calls, generally consistent with telecommunications services in the country.
According to The Guardian’s findings, while services in some areas, especially in Lagos, appear faster, in other cities, it takes time for the Internet to load.

Also, investigations over the past weeks showed that services in Warri, Yola, Zaria and some parts of Agbor, which Globacom is feeding, are still poor and need improvement. For instance, a Globacom subscriber, Alani Badmus, who stays in Gwarinpa, Abuja, complained of service eruptions, with the network fluctuating at will. Remilekun Amoo, a subscriber with Etisalat, also expressed bitterness about the service, arguing that the network is still 3G and not 4G.
A visibly angry Port Harcourt-based MTN customer, Mary Willink, said the operators needed to do more to convince subscribers that they were offering 4GLTE services. Indeed, Willink’s conversation with The Guardian on the telephone was cut off several times before it was concluded, which made her to call on the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to be more responsive to its duties as a regulator, saying “consumers cannot be paying for services they are not getting.”


But the Spokesman of the NCC, the telecoms regulator, Tony Ojobo, pleaded with subscribers to be patient with the service providers.
He said: “ On the 4G service that has just been rolled out, I think it is too early to criticise them. People should wait a bit and let’s see it crystalise. To start with, 4G is not everywhere yet, even 3G is not everywhere. Not even every part of Europe has 4G rolled out. “The thing about us in this country is that we are always in a hurry, nobody is patient about anything. So, the point is this, lots of things must go into deploying 4G, antennas, Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) and equipment. So, it is possible that when you are on 4G, you may get to a place where it is 3G that is available and your phone would drop to 3G.”

None of the service providers that recently launched the 4G/LTE was willing to offer any form of defence for their poor services.
The Guardian asked the spokespersons of the trio of Globacom, MTN and Etisalat, Arinze Anapugars; Funsho Aina and Oluseyi Osunsedo what was being done to allay customers’ fear and improve their 4G networks offering; if they had perfected their 2G and 3G networks; and how prepared they were for the 5G network to debut next year.
While Globacom’s Anapugars said in a telephone call that “Our technical team is working on a response”, MTN’s Aina in a text message wrote: “I’m in a meeting” just as Osunsedo complained in a text message that “notice is too short.”

Source: http://www.nigerianewspaper.com.ng/2016/11/mtn-glo-etisalat-roll-out-poor-4g-lte.html

Welcomed development

As seen in Port Harcourt. It 's no longer a 'calling'

Source: http://www.nigerianewspaper.com.ng/2016/11/do-you-want-to-be-prophet.html

Nigeria has been named the third nation with the poorest people in the world, according to an annual global wealth report compiled by the Swiss bank, Credit Suisse.



The nation came third with 35 million Nigerians classified among the poorest people in the world, after China’s 72 million while India tops the list with 246 million people.
According to the report, nearly three quarters of the world's poorest billion live in Asian and African countries. Other countries contributing significantly to the bottom wealth bracket are Russia with 28 million of the world's poorest, Ukraine with 25 million and the United States with 21 million.
In the report published on DPA website, many of the world's richest and poorest people live in Asian countries, highlighting the unequal distribution of wealth.
Here are some key data about the world's most and least well-off people according to the Swiss bank:


THE VERY RICH
There are an estimated 33 million people in the world who own between 1 million and 50 million dollars, known in the banking industry as high-worth individuals.
Wealthy people in the United States make up 45 per cent in this group – the largest regional share, followed by 30 per cent of Europeans.
Countries in the Asia-Pacific region account for 18 per cent, excluding India and China.
With 1.6 million such millionaires, communist China fields 5 per cent of the total.

THE VERY, VERY RICH
The club of so-called ultra-high net worth individuals who own more than 50 million dollars includes some 140,900 people.
China is home to 11,000 super-rich people, ranking second place after the United States with 70,400. Germany comes third with 6,100 people belonging to this exclusive club.

THE WORLD'S WEALTHIEST NATION
With an average net worth of 500,000 dollars per adult, the Swiss are the world's richest people, 11 times wealthier than the average world citizen.
The people of Switzerland make up only 0.1 per cent of the global population, but they own 1.4 per cent of the world's assets.

THE BOTTOM BILLION
The poorest 20 per cent of the global population is estimated at 1 billion people.
In this group, adults own no more than 248 dollars.

THOSE WITH LESS THAN NOTHING
Among this bottom billion, 44 per cent are net debtors, owing an average 2,628 dollars.

Source: http://www.nigerianewspaper.com.ng/2016/11/nigeria-emerges-third-among-worlds.html

King Emere Godwin Bebe Okpabi holds up a plastic bottle containing contaminated water from his community in Nigeria, proof of oil pollution that he blames on Royal Dutch Shell -- and on which he hopes a London court will deliver justice.


"My people are drinking this water," said the tribal king of the Ogale community in the oil-rich Niger Delta.
Okpabi has flown to London for a High Court hearing on Tuesday in which lawyers for more than 40,000 Nigerians are demanding action from Shell to clean up oil spills that have devastated their communities for decades.
"There are strange diseases in my community -- skin diseases, people are dying sudden deaths, some people are impotent, low sperm count," he told AFP. "I can afford to buy water. But can I afford to buy for everybody? No."

The Anglo-Dutch oil giant argues that the case should be heard in Nigeria, pointing out that it involves its Nigerian subsidiary SPDC, which runs a joint venture with the government, and Nigerian plaintiffs.
But Okpabi, wearing a traditional robe with a red necklace and black top hat, said the English justice system was his only hope to end the blight on his people's lives.
"Shell is Nigeria and Nigeria is Shell. You can never, never defeat Shell in a Nigerian court. The truth is that the Nigerian legal system is corrupt," he said.
He wants the High Court to compel Shell to implement a 2011 landmark report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), which warned of dangerously high levels of hydrocarbons in the water, bitumen-coated mangroves and poor air quality.
It should order the company to "go and clean-up Ogale, go and provide water for them; go and do medical history for them, and where medical attention is needed provide for them," he said.
The king said no money would be enough to address the damage, which UNEP warned could take 25 to 30 years to resolve, but wants compensation, adding: "We are dying."
- Sabotage -
Shell will challenge the jurisdiction of the English courts in the case during three days of hearings this week, while it also disputes the claims made by lawyers Leigh Day, who represent Ogale and the smaller Bille community.
"Both Bille and Ogale are areas heavily impacted by crude oil theft, pipeline sabotage and illegal refining which remain the main sources of pollution across the Niger Delta," a company spokeswoman said.
She noted SPDC has not produced any oil or gas in Ogoniland, the region surrounding Ogale, since 1993.

But Okpabi and his lawyers say the company's ageing, leaky pipelines still run through the region and it must take responsibility.
SPDC says it has delivered water and healthcare to the community and is supporting the implementation of the UNEP process by the government, which in June launched a $1 billion (£800 million, 940 million euros) oil pollution clean-up programme in the Niger Delta.
Okpabi said he believed President Muhammadu Buhari is "sincere" in wanting to address the issue, but warned: "If we wait for the system to roll on its own, I hate to say this, but it may be too late for the people of Ogale."


Attacks on Nigerian pipelines have increased this year, cutting output and helping tip the country into recession, but Okpabi insists "there is no vandalising" in Ogale. The king condemned the saboteurs, warning that "you cannot bomb your house to get attention".
However, he added: "I'm also appealing to Shell and the Nigerian government to listen to those communities that are non-violent and do something."
In January 2015, Shell agreed to pay more than $80 million to the Nigerian fishing community of Bodo for two oil spills in 2008, following a case brought by Leigh Day in London.
In December, a Dutch court permitted four Nigerian farmers and fishermen to sue the company for environmental pollution, potentially opening the door to other cases to be brought in the Netherlands.
Source: http://www.nigerianewspaper.com.ng/2016/11/buhari-will-regret-if-jonathan-patience.html

Don Jazzy wrote on his Instagram page using his big nose to complete the sentence "No one (nose) Tomorrow"
Lol. Message is...learn to laugh at yourself!

Source: http://www.nigerianewspaper.com.ng/2016/11/between-don-jazzy-and-his-nose-on.html

A Chinese bride was on November 16, 2016, left to marry “alone” in Guizhou province of southwest China, as her groom who is part of the special unit of local police department, chose to compete in a SWAT exercise contest instead of showing up for their wedding ceremony.
According to the state’s local newspaper report, the bride and her husband-to-be had set up the wedding plan a month ahead of their big day, the groom was then, reportedly assigned to take part in the SWAT exercise competition of his force on his wedding day, and he accepted the arrangement.

The groom is said to be part of the special unit of local police department, in China.

The wife told the newspaper that she is proud of her husband and will carry on the wedding ceremony even though her husband to be couldn’t make it.
Photos taken at the wedding ceremony showed the bride, dressed in red coat, stood alone at her wedding ceremony with relatives. The pictures went viral immediately after the story got publicized.
Meanwhile, many online users have questioned the strength of the man’s love, asking if he is really worth a husband for the woman, while some others have argued that the groom’s job is to protect the people, even if it had t be on his special day.
Source: http://www.nigerianewspaper.com.ng/2016/11/bride-forced-to-marry-alone-as-groom.html

Regulator to retain high benchmark rate over high prices
Foreign exchange crisis, rising consumer prices and artificial lending rates set by commercial banks will remain the priority of monetary policy makers as they resume meetings today. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says it is not considering reduction of the two-digit benchmark rate it set 12 months ago — 12 per cent in March 2016 and 14 per cent since July.

The meeting, which is the last for the year, with an18.3 per cent inflation on hand, will set the tone for the financial system until January 2017, when it would be reviewed.
Inflation, as reflected in rising prices of goods and services, has been blamed on pass-through cost from high exchange rates on importation of items and associated raw materials. Real sector operators complain of poor funding and high cost of borrowing money from banks. The average interest on loans stand at 22 per cent – eight per cent more than what banks pay to the regulator for money, and 19 per cent higher than what depositors get for keeping funds with commercial banks.
With inflation at 18.3 per cent, there is anxiety among policy makers and private sector operators that the rate of increase in prices of goods and services could accelerate and further encourage banks to set higher rates for loans, with much more devastating impact on costs.
Interbank foreign exchange rates have remained stable at N305.7 per dollar for a long time and the parallel market, where all the “ineligible 41 items” are funded together with shortfalls from the official market, have for a long time been at N460 on average.
With sustained high exchange rates, pump prices of petroleum products are projected to increase, a situation that could worsen inflation.
While the inflation level has been on month-on-month rise throughout the year, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), the decision making organ of the CBN, which sets the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) — the benchmark rate for banks’ lending — has resisted interest rate adjustment since its July meeting.
There have been mixed opinions on the issue, with some calling for rate reduction despite rising inflation and foreign exchange crisis, while latest economic reports hint of possible rate hike.
Meanwhile, the expectations of interest rate reduction at the end of the MPC meetings due to begin today may not materialise going by projections from economic analysts.
Governor of the CBN), Godwin Emefiele, has said that “as an individual,” reducing interest rates was one of his cardinal missions, but that it is important to discuss the “issue based on facts, rather than politics and/or emotions.”
He said that calls by notable persons and groups to reduce the country’s high lending rates, may not be possible now, especially with the level of inflation already synonymous with stagflation — a twin issue of rising prices and unemployment rate.
“For those who say we need a rate cut to spur growth, we need to remind them that high inflation is highly inimical to economic growth. With ours at 18.3 per cent, one must question the judgment of cutting interest rates at this time,” he said.
Managing Director of Cowry Asset Management Limited, Johnson Chukwu, also told The Guardian that the policy makers will leave the rates steady, adding that it would not help matters.
For him, the policy makers should focus on growth rather than price stability that has already worsened due to inflation.
He said with third quarter report being on the corner, still with negative sentiments, there is need to think growth to avoid entering depression.
Since the last MPC meeting in September, the global risk landscape and policy outlook have changed dramatically, particularly with the emergence of Donald Trump as President-elect of the United States.
This has sent shockwaves to the global bonds market, risk-on appetite in the United States and underperformance of Emerging Markets assets, where Nigeria belongs.
The President of Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria noted that while some political and economic actors are yet to come to terms with the election result, it is another testament to the need to revisit the globally entrenched political and economic theories.


“The US President-elect’s policies and economic direction would, for now, continue to be a matter of conjecture. Wherever Mr. Trump’s policies’ pendulum swings, the whole world would feel the impact due to globalisation and contagion effect,” he said. For analysts at Afrinvest Securities Limited, domestic macroeconomic challenges– negative growth, constraining fiscal space, high inflation and forex illiquidity will dominate MPC deliberations.
“Key macroeconomic indicators have continued to show the sub-optimal performance of the economy and financial markets. Persistent rise in prices ensured inflation continued to gallop within the period as October.”
Source: http://www.nigerianewspaper.com.ng/2016/11/rates-inflation-top-agenda-as-cbn.html

President Mohammadu Buhari has warned Nigerians that bearing firearms without licence is illegal in the country. The President also directed that whoever is found with such illegal firearms should be arrested immediately and prosecuted.

He also warned that no pardon can ever be granted to persons found perpetrating violence or promoting its occurrence in any way. THISDAY recalls that one of the charges being faced by the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd.) in his trial by the Federal Government is that of illegal possession of firearms, which were discovered in his house in Abuja during a raid.


The President, who was represented by his Vice, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, stated this yesterday at the graduation ceremony of the Senior Executive Course (SEC) 38 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos, Plateau State. He added that there was nothing noble about banditry and criminal violence and must therefore be stopped.
While condemning the pipeline vandalism going on in the Niger Delta region which he said has caused the nation billions of dollars in loss, the President said, “This act of hooliganism has far-reaching consequences on our national economy. The perpetrators of this act of vandalism are few and their motives are not necessarily alike.

“The huge degradation of the environment and the total neglect of the region (Niger Delta) due to corruption, shame policies and continuous vandalisation of facilities have led to poverty and violence.”
Buhari commended the graduates for the theme of their course which was on poverty reduction which he said was apt, adding that the Vice President has briefed him about the challenges faced by the institute which would be addressed by government based on the available resources.
On the remaining abducted Chibok girls that are still with the Boko Haram insurgents, Buhari said government is making frantic efforts to make sure that they (girls) are released safely.
On the bloody clashes between the herdsmen and farmers, he said there was evidence of infiltration of the rank and file of the herdsmen by militants involved in civil conflicts in Libya and Mali running away, with proliferation of small arms in large proportion made available to Nigerian criminal elements which now led to a breach of law and order.
The National Institute, which was meant to graduate 67 participants in yesterday’s ceremony lamented that one of the participants, Hajia Maimuna Abdullahi, a Permanent Secretary from Niger State, died last Thursday.
The Acting Director-General of the institute, Mr. Jonathan Juma, disclosed this at the graduation. He, however, said the deceased would be awarded the ‘mni’ title posthumously.
Juma explained that 67 participants registered for the course in February 2016 and successfully completed the course and would be awarded the prestigious ‘mni’. The theme of SEC 38, according to him, is “Strengthening Institutional Mechanism for Poverty Reduction and Inclusive Development in Nigeria.” He said during the participants’ course, they undertook study tours to 12 states in Nigeria, and six countries in and outside Africa.
http://www.nigerianewspaper.com.ng/2016/11/buhari-orders-immediate-prosecution-of.html

Black Friday in the air

Femi Fani-Kayode recounts his 21-day experience in the underground EFCC detention facility in Abuja and being placed in the Boko Haram cell of the Kuje Medium Security Prison for four day. He also tells of his impression of Nnamdi Kanu whom he spent three hours with.

Permit me to begin this contribution with an apology for my disappearance from the literary and political scene for the last one month but this was due to circumstances beyond my control.
On October 21st, five days after my 56th birthday, I was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, without an arrest warrant at the premises of the Federal High Court in Lagos where I had been earlier granted bail. Thereafter, I was illegally detained by them without any detention order for 21 days.
Kindly note that this was after I had been detained by them for a gruelling 67 days 6 months ago (from 9th of May till July 15th), brought before the Federal High Court in Lagos, arraigned on spurious and politically-motivated charges and locked up in Ikoyi prison for a number of days whilst I attempted to perfect my court bail.
After perfecting bail, on 21st October I was rearrested and the whole nightmare began again: only this time it was far more insidious and worse.

Throughout the time of the second detention I was kept in a dingy underground cell at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja where I met a number of other high profile opposition figures like Senator Bala Mohammed, the former minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, the former minister of state for defence, and Dr. Reuben Abati, the former spokesman to President Goodluck Jonathan.
During the course of my 21 day incarceration my abductors did not ask me any questions or say one word to me other than to formally serve me with a new set of fresh criminal charges the morning after I got there which I simply signed for.
After that I heard nothing from them and I was told nothing though I had daily visits to the medical clinic at the EFCC due to my deteriorating health.
Three weeks later, on November 10th, I was brought before the Federal High Court in Abuja and arraigned on yet another set of spurious, baseless, and politically-motivated charges.
These ones were even more ridiculous and far-fetched than the first set in Lagos. I was falsely accused of receiving 26 million naira cash from the former National Security Advisor, Colonel Sambo Dasuki, for media work for the Jonathan administration in 2014.
Thankfully, I was granted bail by the court and I was detained at Kuje Prison for a further 4 days whilst I attempted to perfect my bail.
At Kuje I was kept in the terrorist wing of the prison, which was built by the British government, specifically for Boko Haram convicts and suspects.

There were 47 of them in the facility and I was with them throughout. These were tough, disciplined, hardened, surprisingly well-educated, and intimidating men.
The single cells and the entire terrorist section of the prison was pervaded by an eerie silence throughout the night and low tone whispers throughout the day. The only thing that broke the monotony of silence was the regular and constant call to Muslim prayers and the loud and regular cries of “Allahu Akbar”.
This was a frightful place and those that were locked up there were very dangerous and frightful people yet thankfully the Lord went ahead of me.
The single cells, though small, were clean, self-contained, well-ventilated, dry and very neat. The inmates were surprisingly very kind and friendly towards me and turned out to be my best friends and bodyguards whenever I toured the other parts of the prison.
I was very impressed with them and when I heard their stories and what some of them had been subjected to by the security forces and the state tears came to my eyes.
Most of those men were not Boko Haram killers but had been falsely accused, tortured, and just dumped into prison and I felt nothing but pain and sorrow when I heard their stories.
When I went to visit the great and brilliant freedom fighter, Nnamdi Kanu, who is the leader of IPOB and easily the most courageous, powerful and credible Igbo leader in Nigeria today in his cell we had a very instructive and long discussion.
I had never met Mr. Kanu before and I was amazed at his depth of knowledge, his immense courage, and his deep convictions.
There is no doubt in my mind that that man is going places and in him the Igbo have an Ojukwu and a Nnamdi Azikiwe all rolled into one. He is destined for greatness.

My Boko Haram friends accompanied me to that meeting, drew a ten man security cordon around me when we entered the general population of the prison and waited outside as Kanu and I spoke for almost three hours.
They even accompanied me to church on sunday and waited outside until we finished.
Given what I have written about Boko Haram in the past and given my total aversion to any form of violence, terrorism and radical Islam, this was a classic case of God granting me favour before my enemies.
Everyone dreaded them in that prison but I am proud to say that they were my friends and I will never forget their courage, kindness, and fellowship for the rest of my life.
The enemy had placed me in the lions den but the lions and their prey became the best of friends. Not only were my Boko Haram section mates very good to me but so were the other inmates in the general prison population.
Not only that, the head of the prison DCP Akilu Abdullah, his chief warden and his entire staff and team of prison wardens were firm, courteous, and professional not just to me but to all the other inmates.
This was the doing of the Lord and it was marvellous in my sight. Throughout my travails I have never questioned God and I have been inspired and comforted by His word which says that in all things we must give thanks to Him.
I am innocent of all the charges and allegations and as I have said elsewhere the whole thing is an attempt by the Federal Government and an increasingly desperate EFCC that is obsessed with my name and putting me away to discredit, break and silence me.
Yet in all this I am not moved and neither can I ever be broken or silenced because, like the biblical Job, “I know that my Redeemer liveth”.

Like Shakespeare’s Macbeth, “my head is bloodied but not bowed” and “I shall fight until the flesh is hacked from my bones”.
And as that fight and struggle unfolds and unwinds I take solace in the powerful and beautiful words of the Victorian poet William Ernest Henley in my favourite poem titled ‘Invictus’ which was written in 1875. He wrote,
“Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul”.
Like Nelson Mandela did at Robben Island prison every day for 26 years, I recited that poem three times a day on each and every day of my total of 90 days detention this year. And if I am arrested and detained again by the EFCC or any of President Buhari’s other numerous security or intelligence agencies I will continue to recite it. I have no fear of what men or satan can do to me and I trust and have faith in the God that I serve.

Having explained my absence for the last few weeks with this appetiser permit me get to the meat of it and now serve the main dish of this contribution. (TO BE CONTINUED).
Femi Fani-Kayode is a lawyer, a Nigerian politician, an evangelical christian, an essayist, a poet and he was the Special Assistant (Public Affairs) to President Olusegun Obasanjo from July 2003 until June 2006. He was the minister of culture and tourism of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from June 22nd to Nov 7th 2006 and as the minister of Aviation from Nov 7th 2006 to May 29th 2007.
He tweets from@realFFK.
http://www.nigerianewspaper.com.ng/2016/11/femi-fani-kayode-how-i-met-nnamdi-kanu.html

A non-government organisation, the Committee for the Defence of National Interests, CODNI, says it has uncovered secret moves by the National Assembly to hurriedly amend the act establishing the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG, before the end of this week to pave way for easy sale of the ‘crown jewel’ of Nigeria’s national oil assets.

The group disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday, November 16, 2016 in Lagos and signed by its national co-ordinator, Zach Ezoh, saying that information at its disposal indicated that the federal lawmakers have perfected plans to hurriedly amend the NLNG Act possibly on Thursday [Nov 17] so as to pave the way for the sale of the federal government’s shares in the NLNG.
nlng
“We wish to alert the general public about this invidious plot and to call on patriotic members of the National Assembly to rise to the occasion and prevent this looming economic catastrophe as it will further compound the country’s woes,” CODNI said.
The group warned the lawmakers not to do anything to tamper with the NLNG Act, describing such as a miscalculation which would effectively kill the goose that lays the golden egg for the country’s economy.

“We wish to appeal to the conscience of our lawmakers not to allow this economic tragedy to befall our dear nation. It is said that you do not change a winning strategy. The NLNG as it presently is has proved to be a roaring success. There is, therefore, no cogent reason to tamper with the Act establishing this national cash cow,” the statement said.
CODNI noted that NLNG, which was incorporated after over 30 years of unsuccessful efforts by successive Nigerian administrations to attract foreign investors in the LNG sector, has been an outstanding success. “From the initial investment of US$6.0 billion at its incorporation on May 17, 1989, the NLNG now has an asset base of over $11 billion, generated over $90 billion in revenues and has contributed over US$15 billion to the Nigerian government in dividends over the last 12 years,” CODNI noted.
It further noted that the company has paid a total of over US$5.5 billion in taxes comprising Companies Income Tax, Tertiary Education Tax, WHT, VAT and other payments to Government including PAYE, state and local government taxes, as well as regulators’ levies and fees totalling over N51 billion.

CODNI pointed out that the NLNG Act, which has been ratified by the Nigerian Constitution as an Act of the National Assembly, has as its basis, a contract between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Shareholders of Nigeria LNG Limited (“NLNG”). The group noted that this contract includes Incentives, Concessions, Guarantees and Assurances which were provided for and also reaffirmed in Letters of Assurance to lenders for the Nigeria LNG Trains 4 and 5 expansion by the then Minister of Finance, Minister of Justice and Attorneys-General of the Federation and the Central Bank Governor.
“The main thrust of the Guarantees and Assurances were to assure the foreign Investors that their investments would be protected by the non-amendment of the NLNG Act. It is instructive to note that the Act has been protected by all administrations from inception, in recognition of the sanctity thereof,” CODNI said.

It reminded the lawmakers that NLNG’s shareholders have treaty protection under Bilateral Investment Treaties (“BITs”) entered into by Nigeria with France, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
“To amend or change the NLNG Act would portray Nigeria as a promise-breaker and untrustworthy, damaging the country’s reputation and hamstringing its ability to attract foreign investment. It could also mean an immediate loss of foreign investment of US$25 billion in respect of Train 7 investment (USD$15 billion by the upstream and USD$10 billion for construction).
“In addition, any amendment could result in loss of income of between US$53m – US$124m being amount attributable to the Nigerian Government in form of dividends, and related Withholding tax. Further immediate impact would also be the potential loss of about 18,000 jobs required for the construction activities for Train 7,” the group said.
http://www.nigerianewspaper.com.ng/2016/11/secret-plot-to-amend-nlng-act-to-pave.html

Amy Bzura and Bradley Moss were looking forward to a happy marriage and long life together. The couple were set to marry this past October 29, but they broke off their engagement and cancelled their wedding and are now going to court, not to get married but to fight, as Moss is suing Bzura for the return of the $125,000 engagement ring he gave her.

As reported in the New York Post, the New York City-based couple had been dating for more than three years when Moss proposed to Bzura on Nov. 7, 2015, according to court documents. He proposed to her with a beautiful square emerald-cut diamond engagement ring which cost him $125,000.
After the wedding was called off, Moss demanded the return of the ring in early November. According to the court document, “the suit calls for the return of the ring, or its value in cash, with interest, along with punitive damages determined by the court.”

FindLaw, an online legal resource, wrote a post that relevant gift-giving laws are determined state by state, and most states have adopted a no-fault approach to determining if a betrothed must return an engagement ring. Which means the courts in these states don’t like to get caught up in the whys and wherefores:

“They view the relationship as private and therefore none of their business. If the engagement is broken, the giver gets the ring back, regardless of who or why.”

New York is one of these states so that could be bad news for Amy Bzura.

http://www.nigerianewspaper.com.ng/2016/11/man-sues-ex-fiancee-for-125000-ring.html

Read more http://www.nigerianewspaper.com.ng/2016/11/how-trump-victory-benefits-indigenous.html

While the Lower Niger Congress’ official statement on the outcome of US 2016 Presidential Elections is being finalized, I will hint our folks here that the position the LNC as an organization took on the directions as candidates emerged, is anchored on a thoroughly researched institutional memory, especially as touching on the Igbo Question in Nigeria.

Key amongst the issues considered were (1) the fact that the 1968 US Presidential Elections the brought Nixon, was decided largely by the question of the genocide in Biafra in which the Democratic Administration headed by President LB Johnson was in cahoots with the Britain for economic considerations, even as orf Americans writhed in pain and aguish, sacrificing much to try to save the dying children in Biafra, to the point where 20 years college boy Bruce Mayrock set himself on fire at the UN, in protest to what the US Government was doing with Biafra.
Those who know, will confirm that the emergence of Republican Nixon radically altered what the consequences of losing the war for the surviving Biafrans could have been.
Yes, assets were confiscated and punitive policies that reduce Eastern Nigeria to the dreg of the Nigerian political space, were imposed. The proposal by Northern hawks in the Gowon War Cabinet, led by Usman Katsina, governor of Northern Region, about wiping off the surviving males in Biafra, was blocked by the emergence of the Republican administration in the US.
Many here would remember the name: Henry Kissinger .
Fast forward to 2011-2015.
By commission or omission, it was again a Democratic Party administration that spearheaded and supervised the frustration and extirpation of the providential opportunity to reverse the enslavement of Eastern Nigeria by the conspiratorial alliance of the Nigeria, when it aided the vicious hounding and ousting of a Jonathan that was heading irreversibly in the direction of revisiting the foundations of Nigeria.
We saw John Kerry, interfere door-to-door with the 2015 Election, foisting an extremist Caliphate hawk who robustly participated in that gory genocidal episode, on Nigeria as President, Buhari, and who immediately resumed the unfinished 1966-70 business of annihilating Easterners, especially Nd’Igbo.
I was directly involved in the hot part of the marauding that took place and we very narrowly got Jonathan escaping the re-enactment of the Ironsi treatment and the consequential 3.5 million deaths in Eastern Nigeria. (Nothing partisan in terms of PDP or APC, plain life-and-death disputations between the Caliphate and “the slave” from Otuoke).
It is not that Donald Trump the individual, will go out of his way to do anything spectacular for Eastern Nigeria as some Biafran Propagandists naively peddle, but his emergence removes from Washington, the enablers of the tormentors of the Eastern Region and creates a huge vista of opportunities for Eastern Nigeria to engage the existential challenges confronting it in Nigeria.
Again, on behalf of the LNC, I have been directly involved in the Washington-New York Diplomatic Tunnels on the issues relating to the Eastern Nigeria Question in Nigeria.
On the other hand, those now in Abuja (or maybe I should say, Daura) with whom John Kerry and his Principals in Washington worked, to wrought the change we now have which ruinously aggravates the already terrible situation of Eastern Nigeria, already know that they have a new reality in their hands.
The rampaging, bloodletting Islamic movement in Nigeria has suffered a heavy blow this morning.
Tony Nnadi is a leader of the Lower Niger Congress, an organisation that advocates for a UN supervised referendum to decide the structure of Nigeria.
https://www.facebook.com/tony.nnadi.52

Since the lesbian sex tapes of ex Miss Anambra, Chidinma Okeke leaked online, Nigerians men have been wary about carelessly eating the Cucumber fruit despite its nutrient value.
Some Nigerian comedians have released a comedy skit to satirize the Chidinma Okeke sex tape saga that entailed the usage of the Cucumber fruit.
In the short video, a young man barged into his sister’s house hungrily and reached for her refrigerator where he took a Cucumber for consumption against her will.
The young man took bites from it as his sister wore an irritating look that attracted the attention of the young man. The smell of fish oozing from the Cucumber later alerted the man that it must have been actively used for pleasure services in the ‘other room’.
On confirmation from his sister, he fainted and the skit humorously ended.
Watch the video below:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMVy3vmje2-/

http://www.nigerianewspaper.com.ng/2016/11/so-hilarious-nigerian-man-mistakenly.html

Nigeria’s U-23 team have arrived back in the country, after they won bronze in the men’s football event of the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Brazil. The Dream Team VI touched down in Lagos on Monday night.
Some of the squad members flew to their bases in Europe directly from Brazil.
However, some players like left-back Stanley Amuzie, midfielder Saliu Popoola and new Al Ahly of Egypt striker, Junior Ajayi, landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos with the rest of the squad.
The delegation was led by coach Samson Siasia.
They are expected to be hosted by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Sports Ministry, both in Lagos and Abuja.
http://www.nigerianewspaper.com.ng/2016/08/dream-team-vi-land-in-lagos-after.html