₦airaland Forum

So in that same way, Russia is learning from the USA in the invasion of Ukraine. Let me ask you one question. Is it right for USA to be funding Nazis?
Please mention one commander in the Russian army from leiutenant level upwards and I will mention 3 from Ukraine who are Nazis. We are talking about a regime actively cultivating Nazism and celebrating it.

gambojimeta:
The nazi black Sun and other many nazi symbol is being used by Russian nazis.

Ukrainian neo nazis are learning work from Russia Neo nazis

Neo nazis and skin heads regularly hold country wide parades and celebrations in Russia. Pics of Russian neo nazis and skin heads below:

Let's compare the battle for Mariupol with the main operations to seize major cities conducted over the past thirty years.

The city of Grozny - a population of about 200,000 people (in the 90's, for obvious reasons, it was constantly fluctuating in numbers, but let's assume that there were about 200 thousand)

The first assault took place in 1995-96, during the First Chechen War. There were three other assaults by Chechen opposition forces backed by Russian troops in 1994, all three were unsuccessful and the third with heavy casualties.

Assaulted by Russia - 15,000 people

Defenders - Chechnya-Ichkeria - 7,000 to 10,000 people

The assault lasted for 75 days.

Result: success, victory of Russian troops.

Second Chechen war and the second large-scale assault of Grozny in 1999-2000.

Assaulting troops: Russia - 21,000 people

Defenders - Chechnya-Ichkeria and Islamists - 3,000 to 5,000 people

The second storming of Grozny lasted 43 days.

Result: success, victory of Russian troops

The city of Fallujah, near Baghdad, has a population of about 300,000.

The first time it was stormed in the spring of 2004, after the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Then it turned out that if you bomb the country and even disperse the army, it sometimes resists.

Assaulting: U.S. and Iraqi (collaborators) - 2,000 to 6,000

Defending: Iraqi insurgents - 2,000

The first assault lasted 27 days.

Result: failure, withdrawal of U.S. troops "under international pressure"

Second Fallujah assault - late 2004.

Assaulting: U.S., Britain and Iraq - more than 10,000 people

Defenders: Iraqi insurgents - 2,000 to 4,000 people

The second assault lasted 48 days.

Result: success, victory for Coalition forces

Third assault on Fallujah: 2016, Iraqi army reclaims territory from ISIS.

Assaulting: Iraqi army and various militias, Iranian and Lebanese spets - 11,000 to 14,000

Defenders: ISIS - about 4,000 fighters

The third assault lasted 39 days.

Result: success, victory for Iraq.

City of Mosul, capital of ISIS, 2016-2017, population - about 1,500,000 people.

Assaulting - Iraqi army with militias, Kurdish militia, air and artillery support from the U.S., England, Canada and France - 30,000 to 35,000 fighters

Defenders - ISIS, banned in the Russian Federation - 10,000 - 15,000 people

The assault lasted 267 days.

Result: success, victory for the Coalition.

The city of Aleppo, an important city for the "Syrian opposition," the capital of Idlib province. Population: 1,800,000.

It was a bit more complicated, part of the city has always been with the Syrian Army, and the fighting was about 4 years, so I'll count from the moment when the Russian Air Force got involved (which is, of course, not very correct)

The Syrian Army, the Russian Army, Iran, Hezbollah, and whoever else was there. The numbers are about 10 000 people.

The defenders - a conglomeration of Salafist groups - the number - 8,000

Since the Russian air force entered the war, the assault lasted 62 days, not counting the month-long truce. All in all, things are complicated with Aleppo.

Bottom line: success, a victory for the pro-Assad Coalition

Marawi City, Philippines - population 200,000. The city was stormed during the war with the Philippine branch of ISIS in 2017.

Assaulting - the Philippines - 6,000 people

Defending – ISIS - 1,000 people

The assault lasted 153 days.

Bottom line: success, victory for the Philippines.

And finally, Mariupol.

Population 430 000 people

Assaulting - Russia and DPR - the number is not known, something around 10 000 people

Defenders - Ukraine - the number is also not known, definitely more than 5,000 people, at the beginning it was stated about 14,000, but that doesn’t seem correct either.

The assault has lasted for 88 days, if we count from March 1 and is nearing completion.

The outcome has long been clear.

Of course, all these comparisons are very tentative. Mariupol's panel buildings, Grozny's five-story buildings, narrow Arab streets and Filipino slums - each city is a different environment, dictating its own rules of war.

Moreover, the storming of Mariupol is unique in many ways.

First, unlike all of the aforementioned urban battles, two regular European armies, which are on the same technical level and are more or less equal in combat training, fought here. Both Russians and Ukrainians had tanks and powerful artillery, a huge number of various weapons.

Second, the attacking side here was extremely varied: of course, the main fist of the assault was the elite units of the Russian Armed Forces and DPR People’s Militia, but many of those involved in the battle were not military, but police. Moreover, part of the DPR army consisted of mobilized reservists wearing old Soviet helmets and with amusing Mosin-Nagant rifles instead of normal Kalashnikovs. It should not be forgotten that part of the Russian army is made up of Chechens, many of whom simply do not speak Russian well. The Ukrainians, on the other hand, were much more monolithic.

Third, aviation was used on a very limited scale and strategic bombers were "unpacked" only in the last weeks of fighting.

Fourth, despite assurances from Ukrainian politicians that Mariupol is “patriotic”, the residents have no love for Ukraine and, in particular, the Ukrainian army and, in particular, the Azov regiment and consider Russian and DPR soldiers their own. Although, of course, there is a “patriotic” minority in Mariupol. But, on the whole, for Ukrainians it was an enemy city.

Fifth - the position of the city. Mariupol quickly found itself cut off from Ukrainian supply lines and caught in a blockade. In addition, it is a port, and the Russian Navy has superiority in the Black Sea, which greatly facilitated the blockade of the city. But it must be said that due to the small number of attackers, the blockade was very "leaky" - helicopters flew through it with supplies for the defenders.

Finally, and most importantly, there was no numerical advantage for the Russian and DPR forces. Moreover, the forces of the parties were approximately equal, and at the beginning of the operation the Ukrainians even outnumbered them.

But taking all this into account, it turns out that the battle for Mariupol was one of the most successful urban operations of the past 30 years. For the Ukrainian command to surrender Mariupol is a disgrace. The Ukrainian fighters held out to the last man and surrendered only when there was no way out, the blame for the fall of Mariupol rests entirely on the shoulders of the military leadership. For the Russians, Mariupol was a heroic feat. Without numerical superiority and air power, it took just three months to defeat the enemy's elite units in a dense, multi-story post-Soviet urban area. The soldiers are heroes, the command - well done. And no propaganda howl can drown that out.

https://rwasamizdat.substack.com/p/the-siege-of-mariupol-and-modern?s=r

Britain did not colonise America, Australia, and Canada. They simply replaced the population there and made the place their new home. This is similar to what the Fulani from North Africa are trying to do in Nigeria.

Imagine, after full replacement and land grabbing from neighbours like Mexico, they came to Africa to take our forefathers as slave to help them build their new countries. Then they kicked their British fathers out but they are all still bound by blood. Bloody Anglo-Saxons. They polluted the world to develop then started talking about climate change to stop new countries trying to develop with cheap energy. Their past will catch up to them one day.

Akuruoulo:
Continued.
Now tell me those ur stupid countries u wan compare with CANADA, AMERICA, IRELAND, AUSTRALIA, HONG KONG, SINGAPORE ETC ?
IT OBVIOUS PUTARDS ALWAYS MAKE UP SILLY BIASED SHIT, AND STARTS MASTURBATING ON IT TO FEEL LEARNED.
THEY ARE JUST A TYPICAL EXAMPLES OF NIGERIAN POLITICIANS.
BRAIN DEAD ZOMBIES

we are talking about a particular symbol being worn by a group of people being funded and armed by the United states, you started pulling out a ton of photos from white supremacists. We know there are white racist rednecks everywhere and they go by different names but there is a particular group in a country being actively funded, trained and weaponised by the United States, a democratic country fighting authoritarianism.

gambojimeta:
Russians neo nazis also wear that nazi symbol of the black Sun and many other nazi symbols. Spot the black Sun symbol below and many other nazi symbols.

Pics below:

Ukraine's atrocities are well detailed, long before the West became totally in bed with them.

Follow the link below:

https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/e/7/233896.pdf

Ukraine is a totalitarian state. Read the article below:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_detention_centers_of_SBU

SystemSpecs, Africa’s leading financial, human resources and e-commerce software technology giant, has extended the deadline for submission of entries for the 2022 Children’s Day Essay Competition till April 29, 2022.

According to Oluwasegun Adesanya, Group Head, Corporate Services, SystemSpecs, the extension is in response to the call by many participants, parents, proprietors of schools and other stakeholders from across the country who claim the second term holidays and overlapping activities have challenged the adequate supervision and coordination of entries’ submission.

Existing in two categories – Junior (age 9-12 years) and Senior (age 13-16 years), the Competition is open to primary and secondary school students who are to write on the 2022 topic, “Improving the Quality of Education in Nigeria through Technology.” All entries are to be submitted through the competition portal, www.systemspecs.com.ng/2022essay. Only submissions made through this portal are valid.

Entries into the junior category should not exceed 1,000 words, while the senior category should not exceed 1,500 words. Essays must reflect participants’ original ideas, devoid of plagiarism, written in English and endorsed by an accredited school official, parent, or legal guardian.
According to Adesanya, “the school that produces the most number of top winning entries in the junior and senior categories would be rewarded with 10 and 20 high-capacity personal computers, respectively, aside from other benefits.”

The top 3 individual winners in both categories will win high capacity laptops, topnotch headphones, free uLesson coding certificate courses, monthly 40 gigabyte Internet data for 1 year, travel suitcases, unique keepsake hoodies, school bags and much more. They will also gain automatic admission to the SystemSpecs National Summer Coding Camp.

The uLesson Coding Certificate Courses for the 3 top winners in each category are the product of a recent collaboration between SystemSpecs and uLesson Coding School, a frontline ed-tech startup that provides high quality, affordable and accessible online coding classes. “uLesson Coding School, in addition to other prizes, will not only equip participants with hands-on relevant technology skills but also help to unleash their creative minds,” Adesanya added.

In recognition of SystemSpecs’ 30th anniversary celebration, there shall be 30 honour roll awardees in 2022 against 20 in prior years. Honour roll awardees are essay winners whose scores are in the very top bracket among participants.
In its third year, the Competition aims to provide Nigerian children with an opportunity to contribute to addressing national issues through technology-led thinking and initiatives.

Some winners of the past editions include Onuoha-Okoro N. David of St Anthony Grammar School (Private), Esure, Ijebu Imushin, Ogun state; Kalu Derrick Ugochukwu of Fosla Academy, Karshi, Abuja; Chetachi Best Mbalu of Lagooz College, Iyana Ipaja, Lagos; and Uchenna Rita Ohiaeri of Queensland Academy, Okota, Lagos for the junior and senior categories of the 2020 and 2021 competitions respectfully.

The organiser of the Competition, SystemSpecs, is a 30-year-old pioneer in financial and human capital technology solutions and services developed in Nigeria for the rest of Africa. The firm recently spun off its operations into two subsidiaries – Remita Payment Services Limited (RPSL) and SystemSpecs Technology Services Limited (STSL).

Exactly.Oil dey your head.

Sadr:
It is time for the UN to be disbanded just like those before it or better still the US should be kicked out for the organisation to be taken serious.

IN YOUR DREAMS

VictorUSA:
This isn't working out in any time soon.Russia and China should be removed from the UN permanent security council and be replaced with other countries.

VictorUSA:
The US only liberated those countries from the hands of chronic dictators just as it's about to liberate Russia through proxy.

Wake up and smell the coffee man. You are being manipulated

VictorUSA:
Nothing great in this.India is becoming increasingly close to Russia and that's bad.

Please shut up your dirty mouth there. I thought US said the whole world has condemned Russia. Turns out Russia still has friends.

This Ukrainian war is 40% military war and 60% media war and it seems the better liar will win the hearts of people while the better military side will win the actual war. In the end we may never know the actual truth of the war. Both Ukraine and the West on one side, and Russia on the other side, are lying. However, the west has more capacity to lie given the huge capacity of their media, which completely supports Ukraine. I see that Russia is gradually stepping up its own propaganda and I will encourage them

Ukraine’s economic output will likely contract by a staggering 45.1% this year as Russia’s invasion has shuttered businesses, slashed exports and destroyed productive capacity, the World Bank said on Sunday in a new assessment of the war’s economic impacts.

The World Bank also forecast Russia’s 2022 GDP output to fall 11.2% due to punishing financial sanctions imposed by the United States and its Western allies on Russia’s banks, state-owned enterprises and other institutions.

The World Bank’s Eastern Europe region, comprising Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova, is forecast to show a GDP contraction of 30.7% this year, due to shocks from the war and disruption of trade.

For Ukraine, the World Bank report estimates that over half of the country’s businesses are closed, while others still open are operating at well under normal capacity. The closure of Black Sea shipping from Ukraine has cut off some 90% of the country’s grain exports and half of its total exports.

The World Bank expects Ukraine’s economic output to be cut almost by half, as Russia’s invasion of the country has shut or destroyed businesses and cut off its maritime shipping.

More than half of Ukraine’s businesses are closed, while others still open are operating at well under normal capacity, the World Bank said. The closure of Black Sea shipping from Ukraine has cut off some 90% of the country’s grain exports and half of its total exports.

Meanwhile, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said on Twitter that he plans to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday, marking the first in-person meeting between Putin and a European Union leader since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February.

Nehammer visited Ukraine and met with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday. Austria has been providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine during the war.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/10/russia-ukraine-live-updates.html

Newly engaged Nollywood star, Rita Dominic was spotted recently at the premiere of the documentary, ‘Earth Women,’ mingling with prominent personalities in entertainment, media, business and government. The 45 year-old actress’s engagement to Fidelis Anosike, founder of Folio Media Group, has been confirmed by several media sources and she has revealed something about her upcoming wedding. The veteran thespian has finally found the love of her life and fans cannot wait to know the date and venue of the wedding.

Earth Woman is a docudrama that explores the plight of women living in areas impacted by extractive activities, including oil and gas exploration and mining. The premiere was held alongside the third Community and Human Rights (CAHR) Awards, which honours individuals and organisations contributing selflessly to community development and inclusion in Africa; both initiatives of CSR-in-Action Advocacy, the development-focused arm of the CSR-in-Action Group.

The grand event had in attendance, prominent personalities from business, entertainment, the media and the public sectors. Prominent guests at the event include the Erelu Kuti of Lagos, HRM Abiola Dosunmu; Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Dr. Ogbonnaya Orji; Lagos State Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Lere Odusote; Lead Pastor, The Elevation Church, Godman Akinlabi; Founder, Erinla Ecosystem, Yomi Awobokun; CEO, Landwey, Olawale Ayilara; and Managing Director of Hill+Knowlton Strategies Nigeria, Tokunboh George -Taylor.

Read more: https://www.todaysecho.com/entertainment/what-rita-dominic-said-about-her-upcoming-wedding-at-the-earth-women-premiere/

Russia already announced that it was withdrawing. How does this translate to Ukrainian troops liberating those territories and inflicting damages on Russian troops. The current narrative in the west does not favour Ukrainian civilians who are the real victims of this war. Russia invaded your land and you accuse it of committing untold atrocities but claimed you are winning. after Russia has seized territories it decides to listen to pleas and withdraws for the sake of peace yet you keep saying you are killing the Russians. Do you want them to vex and return?

Africa’s foremost sustainability consulting and advocacy outfit, CSR-in-Action, is set to premiere its expository docudrama, ‘Earth Women’, as part of its drive to tell the stories of women affected by the activities of the extractive industries in Nigeria and empower them.

Funded by Ford Foundation, the 30-minute documentary explores the brutal impact of extractive activities such as oil exploration and mining, on women in communities where those activities are taking place. It also addresses issues such as Gender-Based Violence (GBV), discrimination, oppression, health and safety, rape, prostitution, economic disadvantage, and other challenges faced by women in artisanal mining and exploration.
“Women are often the worst victims of the adverse effects of mining and oil and gas exploration, but their stories have remained largely untold because their voices are often silenced in male-dominated societies,” said Bekeme Masade-Olowola, Chief Executive, CSR-in-Action and the documentary’s Executive Director, “Earth Women is aimed at educating and driving the Nigerian leadership and populace into taking systemic action on social issues such as gender discrimination and gender-based violence in extractive communities.”

According to Masade-Olowola, who visualised the concept for the documentary, it is the result of almost two years of hard work; researching, navigating dangerous terrains, and having very difficult conversations. “As an African woman and reformer, I embrace my calling to use storytelling to bring focus to issues that matter to us most in Africa. No one but us must tell those stories in our own voice”.
“Earth Women is a thrilling exposé on challenges and discrimination faced by women within the extractive communities,” said Dolapo Adeleke, award-winning filmmaker and the documentary’s creative director.

Adeleke, whose 60 minutes Valentine's Day Digital film, PLAN B, won Best East African Film at the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards 2019, added that, “There are disturbing revelations and eerie tales told by the women who live in these communities and have faced generational marginalisation and discrimination. This docudrama unearths their struggles and aims to highlight very important issues that have continued to plague women and children even in these supposed modern times.”

Earth Women, also executive-produced by veteran thespian, Ego Boyo and communication expert, Meka Olowola, is part of the ‘SITEI-Woman’ project, a series of initiatives targeted at empowering women, especially those impacted by the extractive industries in Nigeria, while SITEI-Woman itself, is an offshoot of 10-year-old Sustainability in the Extractive Industries (SITEI) Initiative, of CSR-in-Action which is aimed at fostering fiscal and social justice for communities with oil and gas and mining resources.

CSR-in-Action will alongside the docudrama premiere host the third Community and Human Rights (CAHR) Awards, which honours individuals and organisations contributing selflessly to social justice and community development and inclusion in Africa. The awards were postponed from 2021 due to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The awards are in seven categories, each dedicated to a historically prominent personality. Categories include the Ken Saro-Wiwa Environmental Management Award, MKO Abiola Community Engagement Award, Hajiya Gambo Sawaba Community Impact Award, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti Human Rights Award, Aminu Kano Leadership Award, Josephine Nkemdilim Equal Rights Award, and Apostle Hayford Alile Humanitarian Award. Past award winners include Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote; Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; human rights activist, Aisha Yesufu; and Agip Oil Company Ltd.

The CAHR Awards 2021 jurors include popular rapper and community activist, Michael Ugochukwu Stephens known as Ruggedman; community organiser and women rights activist, Emem Okon; radio personality and musicologist of Classic FM, Sola Mogaji; renowned communications expert, Tokunbo George-Taylor; Chairman/Council member, Mining Solid Minerals Group, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Otunba Engr. Babatunde Alatise; and Community Development Specialist, Dr. Mina Ogbanga.

Watch the documentary trailer:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nt_2Qj4ajuQ

The Elevation Church (TEC), a non-denominational Christian ministry, says it did not invest in Imagine Global Solutions Limited, a lending company.
There have been rumours on social media that the church allegedly invested N500 million in the scheme, but the church said “there is no iota of truth” in the speculations.

Reports had alleged that one Bamise Ajetumobi and Elizabeth Ajetunmobi, his wife, founders of Imagine Global, fled with billions of naira belonging to their investors.

The company claimed to be among microfinance institutions licenced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Similarly, PiggyVest, an online savings platform, was linked to Imagine Global — but the company swiftly denied the reports.

In a statement, the trustees of The Elevation Church urged the public to disregard the report.

They emphasised that the church has no business interest or any investment whatsoever in Imagine Global.
“The attention of the Trustees of The Elevation Church has been drawn to an online news item purporting to directly link The Elevation Church (TEC) with a company known as Imagine Global Solutions Ltd (Imagine Lenders) as an investor; with an alleged investment sum of five hundred million naira,” the statement reads.

“We would ordinarily not respond or indeed join issues on such matters in the media. However, to prevent the public from misconstruing the silence of the Church as an admission of the unfounded publication, we, recognising the Church’s moral and legal obligation of accountability, probity and transparency in the conduct of her affairs, have decided to provide this response.

“The Elevation Church is an Incorporated Trustee registered under the extant Companies and Allied Matters Act (‘CAMA’) with the object of charities and the advancement of the kingdom of God.

“In other words, the mandate of the Church for the past eleven years of existence has been centred around the propagation of the gospel of Christ and meeting the spiritual and physical needs of members and non-members through charitable outreaches and programmes.

“It is in view of the foregoing that we refute in its entirety the publication that the Church has any business interest or investment in Imagine Global Solutions Ltd.

“We urge the public to totally disregard the report as there is no iota of truth in the publication. The Elevation Church has no such investment, whatsoever.”

https://www.thecable.ng/like-piggyvest-the-elevation-church-denies-investing-n500m-in-imagine-global

To attend this seminar, register for free at:
https://tlp.org.ng/

You can also call 09062634118 for more info

Renowned American Leadership coach and Human Resource consultant, Liz Wiseman and a host of top Nigerian business strategists will share insights on strategies for growth and productivity with Nigerian business leaders and top professionals at the second West African Business Leaders’ Summit (WABLS), taking place virtually on September 29, 2021.

Themed, ‘The Multiplier Effect’ and organized by The Leadership Project (TLP) in collaboration with Zenera Consulting, the seminar will examine strategies by which current and aspiring business leaders and professionals can grow their productivity and influence by empowering those around them.

Liz Wiseman is a researcher, author and executive advisor who teaches leadership to executives around the world. She is the author of New York Times bestseller Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter. Based in the Silicon Valley, her firm, the Wiseman Group, provides leadership research and development to a wide range of clients including Apple, AT&T, Disney, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Nike, Salesforce, Tesla, and Twitter.

At the WABLS, Wiseman will be joined by some of Nigeria’s most brilliant business strategists, including renowned branding expert and Chairman, Zenera Group, Meka Olowola; writer and CEO of Touchstone Limited, Tunde Ojo; human resource expert and Divisional Director, Human Resources at Leadway Assurance, Kunbi Adeoti; Management Consultant and social innovator, Leonard Thomas; and Director of Administration & Communication for Vision International.

“At the upcoming second WABLS, business leaders, entrepreneurs and professionals will gain insights on how to be a multiplier. As a multiplier, you will use your skills to amplify and inspire people around you, to become better and do their best work thereby growing your organization by giving room to your staff to bring out their best in achieving the overall goal of your organization,” said Piboere Okukulade, who will be moderating the sessions.

According to Meka Olowola, who is one of the panelists, the leader who achieves the most is the one who makes all the people around them leaders.

“Helping others around us to realize and maximize their creativity is one of the key strategies for increasing productivity. Join me and other business strategists as we unravel the ‘Multiplier Effect’ , together at this upcoming business discourse,” Olowola added.

The Leadership Project is an international consortium of project managers and think tanks, powered by the Global Leadership Network (GLN). The Leadership Project aims to bridge the leadership gap in Africa, especially from the perspective of the private sector by vouchsafing stakeholders with the requisite tools for first-rate growth.

https://businessday.ng/companies/article/liz-wiseman-top-business-strategists-to-converge-for-leadership-project/

Join one of the world's leading human resource management experts alongside some of Nigeria's most brilliant business strategists, to learn how to grow your business by building those around you. This free online seminar is being sponsored by the Global Leadership Summit (GLS). Hurry now and register! Limited slots available.

Theme: The Multiplier Effect
Date: 29th September 2021
Venue: Virtual (Big Marker)

Register for free at:
www.tlp.org.ng

Renowned American Leadership coach and Human Resource consultant, Liz Wiseman and a host of top Nigerian business strategists will share insights on strategies for growth and productivity with Nigerian business leaders and top professionals at the second West African Business Leaders’ Summit (WABLS), taking place virtually on September 29, 2021.

Themed, ‘The Multiplier Effect’ and organized by The Leadership Project (TLP) in collaboration with Zenera Consulting, the seminar will examine strategies by which current and aspiring business leaders and professionals can grow their productivity and influence by empowering those around them.

Liz Wiseman is a researcher, author and executive advisor who teaches leadership to executives around the world. She is the author of New York Times bestseller Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter. Based in the Silicon Valley, her firm, the Wiseman Group, provides leadership research and development to a wide range of clients including Apple, AT&T, Disney, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Nike, Salesforce, Tesla, and Twitter.

At the WABLS, Wiseman will be joined by some of Nigeria’s most brilliant business strategists, including renowned branding expert and Chairman, Zenera Group, Meka Olowola; writer and CEO of Touchstone Limited, Tunde Ojo; human resource expert and Divisional Director, Human Resources at Leadway Assurance, Kunbi Adeoti; Management Consultant and social innovator, Leonard Thomas; and Director of Administration & Communication for Vision International.

“At the upcoming second WABLS, business leaders, entrepreneurs and professionals will gain insights on how to be a multiplier. As a multiplier, you will use your skills to amplify and inspire people around you, to become better and do their best work thereby growing your organization by giving room to your staff to bring out their best in achieving the overall goal of your organization,” said Piboere Okukulade, who will be moderating the sessions.

According to Meka Olowola, who is one of the panelists, the leader who achieves the most is the one who makes all the people around them leaders.

“Helping others around us to realize and maximize their creativity is one of the key strategies for increasing productivity. Join me and other business strategists as we unravel the ‘Multiplier Effect’ , together at this upcoming business discourse,” Olowola added.


About The Leadership Project (TLP)
The Leadership Project is an international consortium of project managers and think tanks, powered by the Global Leadership Network (GLN). The Leadership Project aims to bridge the leadership gap in Africa, especially from the perspective of the private sector by vouchsafing stakeholders with the requisite tools for first-rate growth.

sapientia:
The #ENDSARS protesters on the list might boycot the award

You cant list them with ACCESS BANK

A completely coward Bank that might have some dirty secrets

If not, i dont know why they would freeze people's account without a valid court order.

They are clowns.

No. I doubt if they will. Awards like this are usually based on public nomination and votes. The same people that chosed access bank are the ones that chosed Aisha Yesufu. There must be something they see in the bank, especially its sustainability footprints.

This is serious. You can imagine how much the company would have lost after mistakenly grounding their aircraft. NCAA should not only lift the suspension, they should also return the money they have lost. Nonsense!

Zimbabwe has awarded a concession to explore for and mine platinum to a company linked to a Nigerian billionaire as the country speeds up investment in a mining sector it hopes will transform the country's struggling economy.

The concession comes just over a year after President Emmerson Mnangagwa's government signed an agreement with Cyprus-based Karo Resources to develop a $4.2 billion integrated platinum mine.

Zimbabwe is seeking to quickly exploit its reserves of platinum, which is used in catalytic converters for limiting emissions at a time vehicle manufacturers are moving to electric cars powered by lithium batteries.

The information ministry said Bavura Holdings, in which Nigerian billionaire Benedict Peters is a major shareholder, would on Thursday sign an agreement to mine platinum on Zimbabwe's mineral-rich Greak Dyke. It did not give details.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-7061609/Zimbabwe-awards-platinum-concession-firm-linked-Nigerian-billionaire.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

Peters, who is based in Ghana, is the founder of Aiteo Group, which has interests in oil.
Mines Minister Winston Chitando said last month the government would name two new investors to develop separate platinum mining projects west of the capital.

Anglo Platinum and Impala Platinum Holdings already mine platinum in Zimbabwe. Impala also owns a joint-venture mine with Sibanye-Stillwater.

A Russian consortium and Zimbabwean investors are developing a platinum project in Darwendale near Harare.

Many are feared dead after operatives of the supposedly disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad shot live bullets at protesting supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) at a collation centre in Rivers state.

Today’s Echo gathers that a PDP agent has been confirmed dead from the incident

A highly disturbing video shared on social media by the PDP shows protesting young men and heavily armed police men threatening them, Suddenly, hell is let lose as the scary sound of unending gunfire continued for several seconds.

“Make una leave here. make una go home!” a voice rings out in the background.

As the gunfire dies down, a young man, apparently a PDP agent, is seen lying down, gasping for breathe as fellow young men rushed to carry him to the hospital.

See video here:
http://www.todaysecho.com/crime/many-feared-dead-as-sars-operatives-shoot-people-at-rivers-collation-centrevideo/

The incidence that occurred on Saturday, March 2 in Nembe Community, Bayelsa state may have been caused by a breach, fresh reports have revealed.

On Saturday, there were media reports that an oil pipeline had exploded in Nembe with scores of people missing.
However, subsequent media reports indicate that the incidence was not a pipeline explosion but a fire at an oil well in the area, which had been quelled with no loss of lives.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), had on Saturday, said it has no record of any pipeline explosion in the Niger Delta.
“I have cross-checked with our downstream unit that manages our pipelines and they said that they didn’t have such records,” Ndu Ughamadu, NNPC’s Group General Manager, Public Affairs Division told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Nigerian energy giant, Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Company (AEEPCo), which operates the Nembe Creek Trunk Line corroborated NNPC’s statement.

In a statement signed by its management and released to the media, Aiteo said the Saturday, March 2 incidence was a fire in its oil well, and not a pipeline explosion as earlier stated in the initial media reports.

“On 2 March 2019, a suspected explosion occurred within the vicinity of Nembe Creek Well 7, behind Mile 1 community in Bayelsa State, which is not too far from Nembe field logistics base (FLB). This incident did not occur at or involve any part of the NCTL or other pipelines,” Aiteo stated

Aiteo also debunked earlier reports that many people were missing or feared dead and that the incidence caused serious damage to the community.
“Preliminary investigations confirm that there were no fatalities; human incidents or damage to community property. All the wells and facilities in the immediate vicinity have been inspected and secured. It is important to note that prior to this incident, all facilities have been shut down since 28 of February 2019 due to NCTL outage.”

Meanwhile, as investigations continue on the source of the fire, an anonymous source close to Aiteo has revealed that third party infraction is strongly suspected.

“Although investigations are still ongoing, many people strongly suspect a breach. The explosion was not from a pipeline but from a flow station in the oil well, and the valves were intact. Judging from the point of explosion, only a third-party infraction could have been responsible,” the source said

Aiteo’s press statement also hints at the possibility of a breach.
“Full investigations to determine the cause of the fire and, in particular, to determine whether this may have been caused by third-party infractions, remain ongoing. These investigations are being pursued with the utmost urgency and have been given the highest priority,” part of the statement from reads.

Fires at oil facilities, arising from oil theft and with huge losses to oil companies and the government, are common in the Niger Delta.

In May 2014, the former Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, in one of her numerous appearances at the House of Representatives Joint Committee on Appropriation/Finance in Abuja stated:

“We are losing revenue; 400,000 barrels of crude oil are lost on a daily basis due to illegal bunkering, vandalism and production shut-in.”

Her words: “I have to clarify that it is not as if the entire 400,000 barrels is stolen, no. What happens is that whenever the pipelines are attacked and oil is taken, there is a total shutdown. All the quantity of oil produced for that day will be lost because it means government cannot sell it and it means a drop in revenue.”

http://www.todaysecho.com/business/third-party-infraction-suspected-in-nembe-incidence/

Nigerian energy giant, Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Company (AEEPCo) has successfully quelled a fire in the vicinity of its Nembe Creek Well-7, thereby averting danger to the communities in the area.

The fire started in the early hours of Friday March 1, 2019behind Mile 1 community in Bayelsa State.

According to sources close to the site, Aiteo responded to emergency calls from the community and mobilized its team to the area. It was later discovered that the fire was caused by an explosion at the oil company’s Well-7, which produces about 3,500 barrels per day. The fire went out around 1:30 pm on Friday, dousing the panic earlier generated by the incidence in the community.

Initial reports in the press claimed that scores of people were missing in the incidence, which caused tension among the indigenes of the communities in the area.

http://www.todaysecho.com/features/aiteo-puts-nembe-creek-fire-under-control-with-no-lives-lost/

However, according to a source close to the company, who spoke from the area, the initial media reports on the incidence were untrue.
“Although we are still investigating the cause of the fire, what has been reported in the media is largely false and misleading. We have confirmed from the community that no lives were lost, no property was damaged, and nobody is missing,” the source said.

”Fortunately for the company, the fire was at a location where there were no human elements and other assets belonging to the community. The fire was pretty much under control within a few hours without damage to anyone. The report in the media alluding to loss of life is just sensational reporting,” the source added.

These assertions have also been corroborated by some members of the community, who blamed the media reports on some unscrupulous individuals.
“Aiteo is trying its best and has always done so to have a cordial working relationship with the community. Contrary to the earlier media reports, we have not recorded any deaths in this incidence. However, there will be certain elements who have criminalized these things and will continue to look for ways to siphon money through them,” a community member who pleaded anonymity said.

“Now, things are calm and peaceful, and the company is free to carry on work as usual. I’m sure any moment from now the facility will be working as they usually move fast to fix these things,” he added.

Crude oil and gas fires, mostly caused by theft and pipeline sabotage and leading to huge losses for oil companies and the government, are quite common in the Niger Delta

Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, speaking at an event on 15 April 2016, estimated that around 250,000 barrels of oil was stolen daily. Even at the time, the value of that level of theft, on a daily basis, was approximately N5 Billion.
In February 2007, the Egwa Flow station in Warri South local government council area of Delta State, was gutted by fire when an Oil Well Head went up in flames

Militants fighting for a larger share of the country’s oil resources have also been involved in setting fires to oil installations. In October 2016, attackers set fire to a crude oil pipeline near Ughelli in Delta state, threatening more attacks until their conditions are met.

The Court of Southern District of New York has summoned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)’s powerful head of crude oil marketing, Mele Kyari, who is representing the government petroleum giant in a suit against it by two of the world’s largest oil companies.
A prolific offshore oil block; Oil Mining Lease (OML) 133 is the source of the unending dispute between an alliance of two international oil giants; ExxonMobil and Shell, and the NNPC.

The Dispute
As is usual in Nigeria’s upstream oil sector, the duo is in a Production Sharing Contract (PSC) with the NNPC, aimed at the exploration of oil from OML 133. In these contracts, tax is paid in form of oil, lifted by the NNPC as proceeds to the Nigerian government. Also, under these arrangements, the NNPC is the holder of the concession while the International Oil Companies (IOC) are the contractors.

ExxonMobil and Shell are accusing NNPC of breaching the contract by over lifting tax oil from OML 133.They have dragged the NNPC before the court of southern district of New York to enforce what they see as their right to a $2.5 billion claim from a Court of Arbitration’s judgement on the case in October 2011.

According to a legal report on the issue, the Contractors initiated arbitration against NNPC in 2011 on the basis that the Corporation was lifting more tranches of oil (including Tax oil) than it was entitled to lift under the lifting allocation prepared by the Contractors, and that the Corporation had unilaterally prepared and submitted Petroleum Profit Tax(PPT) returns to the FIRS in breach of PSC.
The contractors demanded that NNPC stop further wrongful over-lifting and refund the over-lifted crude oil to them.
In October 2011, the Arbitration tribunal sitting in Abuja ordered the NNPC, and by extension the Nigerian government, to pay $2.5 billion to the duo.

After several years of suits and countersuits, a Nigerian Court of Appeal suspended the judgement in March 2017 on the basis that it was not a contractual issue, but an issue related to tax, and is therefore, not within the jurisdiction of the court of arbitration. Not satisfied with this judgement, ExxonMobil and Shell took their case to New York.

OML 133
OML 133, formerly Oil Prospecting Lease (OPL) 209, is located in the western part of the Niger Delta, approximately 100 kilometres offshore. The block contains three deep-water oil fields: Erha Erha North and Bosi.

In 1993, the NNPC awarded the block, known then as Oil Prospecting Lease (OPL) 209, to Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited (EEPNL), a subsidiary of ExxonMobil. Today, OML 133 is jointly operated by EEPNL and Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).
Findings show that EEPNL has a 56.25 per cent working interest in the block while SPDC holds 47.75 per cent.
“Development has focussed on Erha and Erha North, which comprise subsea wells tied-back to the Erha floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel. Production began in March 2006, and Erha North started producing in October 2006, “a Wood Mackenzie report stated.

In 2015, EEPNL started producing from Erha North Phase 2, which includes seven wells from three drill centres tied back to the existing Erha North FPSO vessel, reducing additional infrastructure requirements. In 2017, the media reported that Erha North Phase 2 has added 65,000 bpd to Nigeria’s oil production.

http://www.todaysecho.com/exclusive/new-york-court-summons-nnpc-in-2-5b-shell-exxonmobil-tax-suit/

Oil Majors Take Case to New York
ExxonMobil and Shell have hired arbitration specialist, Elizabeth Snodgrass as they ramp up their case against the NNPC in New York.
Today’s Echo gathers that Snodgrass, who is an international specialist in the fields of energy and mining, has worked for the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). Snodgrass is partner at Three Crowns, an American law firm after joining in October 2017. She had previously worked for about 14 years in another law firm; Freshfield Bruckhaus Deringer.
According to our sources, Snodgrass had also represented the two oil majors in the previous case at the court of arbitration in 2011.
One of the first things the oil majors aim to prove is that American courts have the jurisdiction to make the NNPC pay out.

To prove that their case against the Nigerian state-owned firm falls under US jurisdiction, the duo has submitted new items to the court. These include three archives of payment orders NNPC had sent to oil companies; Sahara Energy, Trafigura and Tridax Energy between 2011 and 2014. They have also presented evidences that the sums NNPC paid corresponds to taxes and royalties received from the Erha oilfield located on OML 133, the files show that the corporation asked buyers to pay the money directly to a JP Morgan account in New York.

They have also called into question, the independence of Nigeria’s courts, citing the case of Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen, who was suspended by the president in January.

Meanwhile, NNPC is also fighting back. To refute the American court’s competence, NNPC’s legal defence submitted a memorandum to the court stating that the majors had been unable to identify any transaction connected to OML 133.
As the parties in the suit await the New York Court’s judgement, experts are watching keenly while the NNPC continues to attract more scrutiny to its dealings with the IOCs.

Moroccan-born Rachid Benmessaoud of the World Bank is the person supervising the administration of $322 million recovered Abacha loot, Today’s Echo has gathered.

Sani Abacha
General Sani Abacha ruled Nigeria from 1993 to 1998, when he died of Cardiac arrest. His five years regime is probably the most oppressive in Nigeria’s history. Many politicians, activists and journalists were killed, allegedly on the orders of Abacha or some of his subordinates.

Abacha’s regime was also probably the most corrupt, with hundreds of millions of dollars in oil money stashed away in Swiss bank accounts. During Abacha’s regime, he and his family reportedly embezzled between $2 billion and $5 billion from the country’s coffers. In 2004, Abacha was listed as the fourth most corrupt leader in history, right next to Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire, according to Wikipedia.

Most the funds were looted through Abacha’s national security adviser, Alhaji Ismaila Gwarzo, who made fake fund requests which he approved. The money was then taken to Abacha’s house in cash or cheque and Mohammed Sada, his friend laundered them to foreign accounts.

Subsequent Nigerian governments after Abacha have insisted on getting back the looted money that had been stashed in these overseas accounts without success.

In August 2014, the United States department of Justice announced the return of $480 million to the Nigerian government. This money had been labelled as proceeds of corruption by Sani Abacha and other Nigerians.

However, it had been more difficult to repatriate the funds stacked in Switzerland because of the European country’s financial secrecy policy.
Nevertheless, in March 2016, The Swiss Government signed an agreement with the Nigerian government under president Muhammadu Buhari to repatriate a sum of $322 million. The money was then transferred to the Bank for International Settlement (BIS) and subsequently to an account at the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN).

Rachid Benmessaoud
According to our sources, World Bank’s Country Director for Africa, Morroccan- born Rachid Benmessaoud has been appointed by the institution to supervise the spending of the money. This makes it impossible for the Nigerian government to make use of the money without his consent.

Although it is unlikely that Benmessaoud’s nationality will influence his administration of the money, there has been increased tension between Nigeria and Morocco in recent times. Morocco is trying to join the Economic Community of West African States(ECOWAS), a move opposed by Nigerian diplomats.

According to the World Bank, Rachid Benmessaoud joined the Bank in 1990 as an Energy Planner in the then Europe, Middle East and North Africa Vice Presidency. Since then, he has held various positions in the Bank, with his most recent assignment as Country Director for Pakistan in the South Asia Region.

“In this new position, Benmessaoud’s priorities will be to lead the World Bank Nigeria country team to continue to improve the impact of the Bank’s large portfolio in Nigeria in supporting the government’s development priorities including education, the power sector, and trade and regional integration, work with the Government of Nigeria to further consolidate macroeconomic gains by improving budget allocation as well as the quality of public spending, and lead and support staff in implementing the priorities of the new Africa Strategy while adjusting to corporate realities and opportunities,” a statement on the international institution’s website says.

In July 2018, Nigeria’s Vice President Yemi Osinbajo described how the recovered fund would be redistributed to poor Nigerians under the Federal Government’s Conditional Cash Transfer Scheme.

Today’s Echo understands that Benmessaoud had given the go ahead for $33 million to be issued to Nigeria’s Ministry of Finance in October 2018.

http://www.todaysecho.com/exclusive/meet-the-moroccan-overseeing-the-spending-of-322-million-recovered-abacha-loot/