₦airaland Forum

Originakalokalo: if you like, write it ten million times, it doesnt translate into votes.

I don't know of other Nigerians,but as for me and my household,we won't vote for buhari,and we won't vote for GEJ.

fkaz: This is serious we now have prayer warriors,
please they should not forget to include ASUU STRIKE as one of their prayer point also, because it is very important. May God answer their prayer.

Ogbonaikenna: yes ke. The govt needs to give us time to stabilise. Getting approval from the ministry and equipping the school is not a day's job

Ogbonaikenna: Yes o. I've already done that by opening a secondary and primary school. I hope the education ministry will not close them down due to lack of necessary facilities. I hope to equip them with time. I passed out in june though

Tolexander: to chop our money!

cashkid18: wic north or ar u countin d middle beltans as northerners cuz i knw dt they will neva vote for any hausa/fulani candidate

wirinet: If the citizens are to create jobs themselves, create power themselves, create water themselves, create hospitals themselves, create schools themselves, create security themselves, and so on, then why do we need government at all.

raytony: Abeg ehn, make dem no give d money to FG because d ones wey dem collect b4 now, we no sabi wetin happen to d money. Make dem just enter helicopter dey pour d money from up, we go dey pick for ground.

Tintinix: Forbes! Hahaha! For Naija Politicians?? How will Forbes explain/verify their wealth. Forbes gat nothing on Most Naija Billionaires.

Na wa for you oh!
Are u just knowing about this comment?
You are kidding me right?

Just in case oh! No be me first talk am.
Please Google is your friend. Use it.

E.g. For example

https://m.facebook.com/hopefornigeria/posts/497153200342807

Tintinix: No matter how much loot FG recovers,
The Abacha family cannot be as poor as Dangote- Mariam Abacha!

See levels!

theshadyexpress: loops maybe he forgot you are not an agent of progress...but next time pls pretend you never read the comment and move on.

richy1473: FG just need to add the remaining to make up ASUU's demand so this lingerring strike would stop...hope the loot won't get to another country on its way back.?.

The National Youth Service Corps on Thursday organised a passing out ceremony for the 2012 Batch C NYSC members across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory with some governors advising them to deploy their energies towards nation building. They also advised them to create jobs for themselves.

In Akwa Ibom State, the governor, Mr. Godswill Akpabio, advised them to continue serving the nation in whatever sector of the economy they find themselves.

Speaking through the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mr. Ita Umo, during the passing out ceremony in Uyo on Thursday, the governor urged the youth corps members to develop positive attitude towards the country.

He said, “Let me advise you that the task of nation building does not end with your one year mandatory service. As you step out of the scheme and Akwa Ibom State today, you need to be reminded to always have positive attitude towards Nigeria, by aspiring to lift our nation high as inscribed in the NYSC anthem.

The governor advised the outgoing 2,893 corps members in the state to embrace self-employment.

Also, Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State, urged the corps members to deploy their creative thinking into how to create jobs for themselves rather than roaming the streets in search of paid jobs.

Aregbesola said this at the NYSC Orientation Camp in Ede, Osun State on Thursday at the passing out ceremony of 2012 Batch C corps members deployed into the state.

He said, “ It is imperative to stress that gone are the days to expect that immediately after service, one would secure an automatic life-time job even among several alternatives. The attitude and orientation of majority of our young graduates was that creative thinking and individual initiative ended when they wrote their final examination.

“This is absolutely wrong. You need to apply creativity more now in the face of unemployment bedeviling the nation. Focus more on self employment.”

Also, the Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, advised the outgoing corps members to train themselves to become self-reliant in order to assist government to tackle the problem of unemployment.

Amaechi, who gave this advice on Thursday while addressing the 2012 Batch ‘C’ corps members at the passing-out of 3,431 corps members in Port Harcourt, said that white collar jobs were no longer available for employable Nigerians.

“As you are now faced with the task of seeking gainful employment, I advise you to nurture and apply yourselves to the practical lessons of self-employment, which you were exposed to in the course of your service year, through the skills acquisition and entrepreneurial development programme, as white collar jobs are no longer available for all employable Nigerians as in the past.

“I therefore urge you to be self-reliant so as to assist the government in fighting the rising rate of unemployment in our society,” Amaechi said.

However Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State urged them to make the necessary sacrifice required to achieve success in their chosen careers.

The governor said this on Thursday, at their passing-out ceremony in Enugu.

He said, “Some of you may be rightly apprehensive of what tomorrow holds for you. I want to assure you that it is bright. As educated young men and women with requisite skills, the sky is your limit.

“However, you must recognise that the road to success has never been easy. History has shown that no individual or nation has ever achieved success without sacrifices.”

He said that through their education and participation in the NYSC scheme, they had been equipped for survival in a competitive world.

Also, Governor Mukhtar Yero of Kaduna State commended the outgoing corps members for their contributions in tackling developmental challenges in the country.

Yero gave the commendation on Thursday at the passing out parade of 2012 ‘’ batch C ‘’ Corps members in Kaduna.

Represented by his deputy, Nuhu Bajoga, the governor noted that the scheme had impacted positively on the lives of the people, especially in the rural areas.

However, in Gombe State, Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo offered automatic employment to 13 NYSC members who distinguished themselves in the service year.

The News Agency of Nigeria reported that the appointment included the 12 state merit awardees and the parade commander of the passing out parade ceremony.

The governor also announced N20,000 transport fares to each of the 720 youths, N500,000 to the overall best corps member and N1m to the soldiers that conducted the passing out parade ceremony.

Willy1willy: u are right, come 2015 Buhari is going to be the president of Ooduduwa Republic

Nigeria has embarked on an international campaign to press Liechtenstein into returning $185 million (N38.85 billion) of ill-gotten gains linked to the late military Head of State, General Sani Abacha which is still being held in the tiny principality nearly 14 years after recovery proceedings began.

The Nigerian government first requested assistance from Liechtenstein in returning the assets in 2000, two years after Gen Abacha’s sudden death.

Criminal investigations and subsequent forfeiture proceedings established that the funds originated from bribes paid by Germany’s Ferrostaal AG to companies whose ultimate beneficiary was Gen Abacha. They related to a grossly inflated contract for the construction of an aluminium smelter.

Liechstenstein’s constitutional court ordered the confiscation of the funds in 2012 and in March 2013, dismissed a final appeal against the order by companies linked to the Abacha family, clearing the way for restitution of the funds.

But the Liechtenstein government has declined to accept written guarantees from Nigeria that it will compensate the principality in the unlikely event that it should incur any liabilities in a further suit that has been filed by the Abacha-linked companies at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. This could delay the return of the funds for several more years.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Co-ordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance and former Managing Director of the World Bank, described the delays as “outrageous” and accused the Liechtenstein government of being unco-operative. She told the Financial Times she plans to appeal for support for Nigeria’s claims at this week’s International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings.

Okonjo-Iweala aid: “This is about funds that were stolen by a corrupt dictator. We have spent nearly 14 years trying to get them back and we are pleading with the Liechtenstein authorities not to aid and abet the continuation of that corruption.”

Liechtenstein officials defend the delay as the result of the case in Strasbourg which would, if the court accepts to hear it, address the plaintiffs’ rights to a fair hearing under Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The European court cannot overrule Liechtenstein court rulings restoring the funds but officials in the principality fear they could be laid open to compensation claims from the Abacha-linked companies.

Robert Wallner, Liechtenstein’s Attorney-General said: “Unfortunately, now we are in a situation where we have a final judgment, we have the assets and the government wants to return those assets to Nigeria, but four entities have filed a case at the ECHR.

“Even though their chances of winning are low we lawyers know we can never be sure of the outcome.”

Enrico Monfrini, a Swiss lawyer working with the Nigerian government, has traced $2.4 billion of assets linked to Gen Abacha, most of which were channelled through European banks. Nigeria has recovered $1.3 billion, the largest tranche of which – $500 million – came from Switzerland in 2005. A further $1.1 billion – in France, the UK, Luxembourg and the Channel island of Jersey – is still tied up in legal proceedings.

“Every other country where a final court decision was taken, paid back immediately,” Mr Monfrini said, taking issue with Liechtenstein for failing to accept the Nigerian guarantee relating to the Strasbourg case. “They don’t want to trust these people because they are Africans, although the balance sheet of Nigeria is a lot better than France or Spain. I would call this a neo-colonialist attitude.”

Nigeria has engaged the World Bank’s Stolen Asset Recovery unit, set up by Mrs Okonjo-Iweala herself when she was at the bank, to monitor the use of the funds once they are returned – as it has done with other recovered assets. But Liechtenstein wants the World Bank to play a greater role as guarantor.

“We want the World Bank to discuss with us and develop different opportunities to how we can bring the money back,” a senior official at the justice ministry said. “We are OK to pay the money back but we want to have an opportunity to be on the safe side. It is a long process but it is a fair proceeding,” the official said.

solomon111: The core-North is already a "minority",thanks to the middle-belt finally seeing the light.

enyi1: those calling for her resignation are enemies of progress and should bow their heads in shame!