A former Governor of Sokoto State and elder statesman, Alhaji Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa, has said that Northerners and indeed all Nigerians are not happy with security situation in the country, urging President Muhammadu Buhari to focus and show more concern on insecurity than COVID-19.

Bafarawa said this on Wednesday in Abuja in his State of the Nation address.

According to him, insecurity has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives than COVID-19 pandemic has ever done.

He also lamented that “government appears to have abandoned the situation and channelled all its effort to a pandemic that has taken barely 2000 lives in the country.”

The former governor insisted that insecurity is worsening in the country, asking the Federal Government to divert the proposed N400bn for the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines to tackling insecurity.

“When I see things are not going, I cannot keep quiet, because if I keep quiet maybe other parts of the country will start accusing us that we are promoting what is bad. But, the reality is that we in the north are not happy with the way things are going.

“I see Nigeria as one country, it is not a question of whether the president is a northerner, we are not saying this based on our own personal interest, we are saying this behalf of the people who do not have the opportunity to say it, and I believe most of Nigerians have the same feeling. In my village about 14 people were killed just two days ago, insecurity has not improved,” Bafarawa said.

He added, “About 2000 people have died last year from Coronavirus, come to think of how many lives were killed within a year, 3000 to 400,000 people died from insecurity. ”

“Now we are talking about 400 billion and just about 2,000 people have died. Why can’t we divert this money for security? Because this insecurity is Nigeria’s Coronavirus because we don’t have much COVID-19 in Nigeria, so that we can move forward.

“Coronavirus has taken lives less than insecurity. Insecurity has taken lives and property. Look at the danger the insecurity is bringing, if we use that 400 billion to buy security equipment, it will do a lot in curbing insecurity.”

“PTF should account for N3.5bn”

He also asked the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 to account for the N3.5bn that has been spent so far by the taskforce.

Bafarawa said, “We need to know, Nigerians need to know, how this N3.5bn was spent not just to hear figures, we need to have a breakdown, they should be transparent and tell the public what they have done.”

He also urged the government to prioritise sensitizing the public before bringing the COIVID-19 vaccines, saying 60 percent of Nigerians don’t even believe in the virus.

“Instead of asking for N400bn now, let us sensitize our people. How do you expect to spend N400bn to bring the drugs when people are not even convinced to take the drugs? Supposing people refuse to take the vaccines, the N400bn becomes a waste. So, we have to sensitize people to agree that this coronavirus is real and the vaccines are real, let them be convinced. Remember what happened with the vaccine polio.

He said the money would be better used to tackle banditry, kidnapping, and other forms of insecurity in the country.

“Why can’t we divert this money for security? I’m saying this because the insecurity is Nigeria’s Coronavirus. We don’t have much COVID -19 in Nigeria. What is the need for the vaccine when the people that would take it would die of hunger or insecurity?” Bafarawa said.

In recent years, children from Kano State were kidnapped and sold to willing buyers in the southern part of the country. Some of the victims who were rescued by the police shared their experiences when they were reunited with their families.

This week, seven more children purportedly abducted from Kano and sold to other parts of the country were uncovered. The first nine children were found in October 2019.

There have been several hues and cries about children missing from the state; hence several pressure groups were set up to ensure their return.

Finally, government set up a commission mandated to ensure the safe return of all the missing children in the state.

The chairman of Kano Missing Children Forum, Comrade Ismail Ibrahim Mohammed, said from their available records, no fewer than 118 children were still missing.

“We got the first set of children after we contributed money to sponsor the police.

“They went and got 10 back; but they told us that they could have done more if they had stayed longer in the areas they visited because they believed many missing children were still there.

“Our plea to the government is to provide funds to that police team to revisit the area, but nothing is being done.

“We have reached out to the National Assembly, but nothing is happening about our case. And northern elders are still silent.

“Concerned stakeholders must rise to ensure the return of other children still missing,’’ he said.

He said five of the seven children in the second batch had since been identified by their parents.

He revealed that the team was at two orphanage homes in Anambra State, precisely in Onitsha, Awka and Ogidi.

“We didn’t come with the children; we took their pictures and sent to our members, and five of them have so far been identified.

“They were handed over by the state commissioner of police, who also told us that 12 children were taken by the Gombe State Government, out of which four have so far been reunited with their parents.

“We shall move to Gombe to ascertain if the remaining 8 are ours. As I am talking to you, we found that some children are also in Port Harcourt,’’ he added.

The commissioner for information in Kano State, Muhammad Garba, said government was concerned about the situation and would do everything possible to reunite the children with their biological parents.

Mothers’ protest

Recently, some mothers in Kano State staged a protest, accusing the committee set up by the government of not doing enough on the case.

During the protest, the spokesperson of the mothers, Zainab Abdullahi Giginyu had said, “We are disturbed over the incident.

“Over the years, we have been complaining, but the government has remained adamant over our plight.

“We want them to do the needful and return our children.’’

She said most of the children were from Hotoro, Kawo, Yankaba and Gama areas of the state.

Our correspondent learnt that some of the children who were recently recovered in the first batch and reunited with their parents were facing stigmatisation, discrimination and difficulty in assimilation since their return to Kano a year after their abduction.

It was said that they have been disconnected from northern tradition, and some of them had already adopted Igbo names and could barely speak Hausa language.

Some of the children admitted that others still laugh at them in school and avoid them.

Umar Faruk, who spent five years with his foster parents in Amanbra State said, “Even though I now speak Hausa, my intonation makes them laugh at me. Sometimes they don’t want to play and associate with me.

“They see me as a Christian and don’t want to associate with me, but with time, it began to change.

“I eat tuwo (local delicacy) now and feel free with people.’’

The now 12-year-old Faruk, who had adopted Onyedika Ogbodo as his name, said one Paul took him to Onitsha after another one called Emma got him cheese balls before Aunty Ebere came and took him.

When he returned last year, Faruk could not recall the name of his biological father nor identify other relatives.

He was in Primary Four in Onitsha before he was rescued.

An alien

For Umar’s father, Ibrahim Salisu, from the beginning, many people saw his son as an alien and didn’t want to associate with him.

“It was a difficult period for us. He doesn’t understand the culture and norms of the people, a situation that makes many people avoid him.

“For now, one major issue has to do with our ability to sustain the lifestyle he was introduced to. We are poor and can’t seem to meet up. But we are trying to do our best,’’ he said.

Aisha Muhammad, another rescued child said, “Children have now stopped laughing at me; and I am fast forgetting the Igbo language.

“It was difficult in the beginning because I didn’t have friends or people wanting to associate with me.

“I became a reference point, for whatever reasons.’’

Aisha, who just returned from an Islamiyya school in the evening when our correspondent visited her house said, “I have a new life and don’t seem to recollect what happened.

“I have forgotten their ways of life and moved on.’’

For her father, Muahmmad Yankaba, “From the beginning of last year when we received her from the authorities, it was very difficult for her to mix up. We intensified prayers, and gradually, she began to associate freely.

“Her siblings also helped out a lot.’’

Usman Mohammed, another rescued boy and the first that blew the lid when security operatives stormed their school in Amanbra said, “I have new friends now and happy to be back with my family ‘’

Our correspondent gathered that when the security operatives from Kano stormed their school, Mohammad was heard reciting verses from the Quran; hence their attention was drawn and they started making enquiries.

Subsequently, he stood up and said his name was Usman from Sauna community in Kano.

The teacher was arrested immediately, after which six others were uncovered from the school.

Usman’s father, Mohammad Ali said, “It was a very difficult situation, but thank God we got them back. He was not himself.

“He went through serious health challenges upon his return, but gradually, his senses began to return and he is now fully integrated into the family and community.’’



The suspects

Already, eight suspects have been arrested in connection with the alleged kidnapping and trafficking of the children.

They are facing trial in two different courts. In one of the cases, the prime suspect, Paul Onwe, has owned up to 38 charges against him and set for judgement.

Onwe and his wife, Mercy, were arrested in the process of moving one of their victims, Haruna Sagir Bako to Onitsha on September 11, 2019.

He was abducted on his way home from an Islamiyya school at Yankaba Quarters in Kano metropolis.

Others arrested include Emmanuel Igwe, Ebere Ogbodo, Louisa Duru and Monica Orachaa.

During interrogation, Onwe confessed to have conspired with others to kidnap various children from areas like Sauna, Kwanar Jaba, Kawo, Hotoro, Yankaba and Dakata, all within the Kano metropolis.

When he was paraded last year, Onwe disclosed that he had realised over N2million from the illicit business and moved seven children to Anambra State within five years.

He said he earned N200,000 on each child.

Onwe, who hails from Ebonyi State and had lived in Kano since 1998 as an artisan, added that Emmanuel Igwe, one of the suspects paraded by the police, introduced him to kidnapping.

He said, “Igwe told me that Madam Ebere Ogbodo, who was a restaurateur, needed a child because she didn’t have any.

“Subsequently, I told my madam and she started searching. The children I kidnapped are seven in number.

“For the first one, who was two years old then, she gave me N150,000. I took that one from Brigade, Kwanar Jaba side.’’

He said Madam Ebere paid N200,000 for subsequent supplies.

Also, Ebere Ogbodo, an alleged buyer, said that Emmanuel Igwe introduced her to Onwe, who was based in Kano.

She said Igwe told her that his friend’s wife worked in a motherless babies’ home; hence she accepted the supplies from them.

She added that she bought the kids to raise them because she had no child of her own.

“I am a childless woman from Enugu State.

“I was crying because my husband sent me out when I met Emma and I told him about my problem, he said he had a brother whose wife was working in a motherless babies’ home.

“He connected Paul with me and he told me that the children were brought from a motherless babies’ home.

“I put them in school. I bought two of them at N200,000,” Mrs Ogbodo confessed.

phrancys001:
Olx or Jiji ?

The Council of Legal Education has reiterated its ban on Law graduates of the Houdegbe North American University, Cotonou, Benin Republic from being admitted into the Nigerian Law School.

The Council also advised parents and students to exercise due diligence in the choice of educational institutions “in order to avoid frustration at the end of the day.”

In a statement by the Secretary, Mrs Elizabeth Max-Uba, on Friday, the Council said after its meeting to consider the appeals of the affected graduates on November 25, 2020, it resolved to sustain the ban imposed in 2015.

Part of the reasons for the ban, the Council said was that the university is domiciled in Civil Law jurisdiction yet its law faculty was offering Common Law courses only, and that the subjects of the programme were specifically designated Nigerian.

The Council also noted that the students of the school were 100% Nigerians and the language of instruction was English, whereas French is the lingua franca of Benin Republic, adding that “the lecturers were Nigerians drawn from faculties of law in the South West region of Nigeria, who were teaching there on part-time basis.”

“Information gathered from independent sources indicated that the university had no approval from the regulatory authority in that country to run a law programme in the university until 2016, after the decision was taken by the Council to suspend admission of its graduates to the Nigerian Law School,” the statement read.

“There are continuing concerns over substandard tertiary institutions in the West African sub-region, Benin Republic in particular, that target Nigerian students for commercial or monetary gains only.

“Although the Council has no regulatory control over institutions domiciled outside Nigeria, it is vested with powers to determine who is admitted into the Nigerian Law School and under which conditions.

“It also has the responsibility to ensure that candidates admitted to the Nigerian Law School have obtained the minimum standards in learning and have imbibed the basic tenets of the law.”

Controversy has continued to trail the setting up of the Western Nigeria Security Network (WNSN) popularly known as Amotekun following allegations of abuse against the initiative even as some states in the South-West continue to dilly-dally about it, Daily Trust can report.

The Amnesty International, human rights activists and some lawyers yesterday urged the federal authorities to call to order those behind Amotekun before the operations of the security outfit further degenerate to a militia group.

The issues surrounding the Amotekun operations appeared more disturbing especially in Oyo State, where the operatives are wielding dangerous weapons including guns during their operations

Many people have been killed by Amotekun operatives even as their political leaders continued to live in denial while defending or justifying their activities.

The latest incident was the Wednesday’s killing of another 21-year-old student, Tosin Thomas, in Ibadan, less than 24-hours after Governor Seyi Makinde defended the operatives of Amotekun when he insisted that they did not kill some innocent Fulani herders.

Speaking on the killing, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Olugbenga Fadeyi, yesterday confirmed in a statement in Ibadan that an Amotekun operative was responsible for the killing of the student at a Total Filling Station at Mokola roundabout in the evening.

The commandant of Amotekun, Col. Olayanju Olayinka (rtd), confirmed the incident yesterday.

Mr Olayinka, however, said the operative, who shot the deceased, has been dismissed and handed over to police.

Daily Trust gathered in the build-up to the killing, two young men had a misunderstanding, which led to one of them inviting men of Amotekun to the venue.

The source said when the operative got to the venue, he did not engage them before he fired the gunshots which hit the deceased.

The Amotekun operatives have reportedly killed 11 people within three weeks in Oyo State.

Daily Trust reports that on December 24, 2020, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) accused members of Amotekun deployed in Oyo town of killing a 400-level student of the University of Ibadan, Akolade Gbadebo.

Also, on January 3, a member of the corps, Ibrahim Ogundele, allegedly shot Fatai Yekini, also an officer of the Amotekun corps, at Isale-Oyo area of Oyo, as Special Police Constabulary attached to Ojongbodu Police Station.

On Saturday, three Fulani residents of the state were allegedly killed by the Amotekun corps in Okebi, Tapa area of Ibarapa Central Local Government Area of the state.

However, a family head, Mogaji Wale Oladoja, cautioned members of the public not to change the narrative of the incident, adding that it is unfair to turn it into a tribal war.

He said Yoruba and Hausa people have been living peacefully for many years without crisis, adding “inter-marriages have been happening between them from time immemorial.”

According to him, “We don’t have to turn this to ethnicity war for no reason. Almost 10 people were killed in that area in less than a week and you expect security men to fold their arms. Let’s be reasonable.”

On their activities, Oladoja said; “If not for the Amotekun, those hoodlums could have hijacked the state from the people. Those Amotekun people are really working since the police stopped working after the #EndSARS protest. They are really helping us.”

We are not against Amotekun but…Fulani group

The Sarkin Fulani of Oyo State, Alhaji Saliu Abdulkadir, said his people were not in any way opposed to the activities of Amotekun but the operation must follow due process and they must respect human rights.

He insisted that the incident of Saturday where a prominent Fulani member identified as Alhaji Usman Okebi and two of his sons were killed was an attack on innocent herders in the community.

“They said they were kidnappers yet you met them in their residence. This was a man who was preparing for the wedding of his children, which was to take place that day. It is sad indeed,” he said.

He said Amotekun should have arrested them and handed them over to the police instead of killing them on mere suspicion that they were kidnappers.

However, the state Commander, Col. Olayanju said men of Amotekun were well trained, adding that the law that established the outfit empowered them to use weapons.

Amotekun activities disturbing – Amnesty International

Commenting on the development, Amnesty International said it is “concerned about recent allegations against Amotekun.”

A statement last night signed by Ms Osai Ojigho, Director, Amnesty International Nigeria, said, “The allegations (of killings) must be investigated to ensure accountability.

“Amotekun must not become human rights abusers like the police. Amotekun emerged due to people’s dissatisfaction with how the Nigerian security agents were responding to proven cases of conflicts and attacks in their region. But such bodies must be properly defined by law and their roles must be clearly elucidated and human rights should be the governing principle.

“As long as human rights are not the foundation, there would always be that risk of abuse. The same complaint we have against the federal police, we would also have with any other; so, the core thing is for the stakeholders to be clear from the beginning about how this security outfit would bring safety and security, using international human rights standards. That is the only way it can be effective,” the statement said.

Operatives trained with neo-colonial methods – Falana

Reacting, a human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) said the operatives of Amotekun are being trained by retired military and police personnel with a neo-colonial background.

“The teachers have total contempt for people. Hence, the operatives are engaged in horrendous human rights of the people. The central command of Amotekun should be constituted by accredited representatives of mass organisations and funded by state governments,” he said.

Also reacting, the Executive Director of the Citizens Advocacy for Social and Economic Rights (CASER), Frank Tietie attributed the reports of human rights abuses by Amotekun to the socio-cultural environment of the country in which the outfit operates.

Making a distinction with the colonial policing system, which was oppressively meant to protect the exploitative interest of the colonial masters, Tietie said the cultural practice of security in the country is such that the offender is to be dehumanised and paraded in the streets.

“What we are experiencing with these stories we hear about Amotekun violating human rights is expected naturally from an arrangement that is predominantly influenced by socio-cultural considerations, which disregards human rights,” he said.

Another human rights activist, Mr Jaye Gaskia, wondered why Amotekun operatives bear arms when the federal government has not licensed any state to arm its security network.

While maintaining that the idea of creating Amotekun was a laudable one, Gaskia said, “The first thing is to be clear about one thing on security, particularly internal security, it is basically the responsibility of the federal government.

“But the constitution also says that the state assemblies also have powers to legislate for the peace and the good governance of the state. So, in a sense, it is a shared responsibility.

“The problem with what is happening right now is that, setting up Amotekun as a security network in the South West, for instance, is probably a step in the right direction.

“It goes beyond simply setting up an agency; it is more important to put systems in place. When you have a state that traditionally violates the rights of citizens, it doesn’t matter what new agency you set up, if you don’t change that character, this is what is going to be happening.

“So, what we have is that we have Amotekun and the personnel are hardly trained, they hardly have any orientation. They are trained like the way you train all these private security guards. There is no human rights component to their training.

“We have not seen a human rights curriculum in terms of any training of their personnel. So that is the problem that we have at the moment right now. And then again, we also have to answer the question of how come the Amotekun personnel are killing people because they are not supposed to be carrying arms, and the right to bear arms is a federal right. I am not aware that the federal government has granted any state licence for their security networks to carry arms.

“These, for me, are issues and more importantly, you can’t take people’s life simply without a jury, without the accusation, without adjudication. You can’t be the judge or the jury or the accuser yourself. That is absolutely the same thing the police were doing. And now, we are transferring it to the various security networks that are emerging across the country,” he said.

The coming of Amotekun

Amotekun was inaugurated on January 9, 2020, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, by the Western Nigeria Governors’ Forum led by Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State.

It was a response to what the governors called escalating insecurity in the region with many stakeholders calling on them to find a lasting solution to the impasse.

After the inauguration of the security outfit, there was uncertainty in the region as Amotekun could not take off immediately casting doubt on the commitment of the governors to drive the initiative.

It took six months before the Amotekun corps took off in states like Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti and Osun but it has remained unclear when the initiative would commence in Lagos.

The Majority Leader of Osun State House of Assembly, Tunde Olatunji, said the Amotekun operatives can carry certain categories of firearms.

“Even individuals can get license and own firearms. Some of the operatives already have licence for their arms even before the establishment of Amotekun.

“In Osun, Amotekun operatives can carry firearms as the law that established the corps permits it. However, we have a lot of mechanisms to check them and avoid misuse. More so, the Nigeria constitution stipulates punishment for misuse of firearms,” he said.

The Amotekun Corps Commander in Ekiti State, Brig. Gen. Joe Komolafe (rtd), said the corps is working hard to curb crimes in the state.

In Ondo, the Commander of Amotekun corps, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, said though the corps is working with other security agencies, the Amotekun Law 2020 in Ondo State allows the operatives to carry arms.

Amotekun like no other

Daily Trust reports that many states have civil security outfits like KAROTA (Kano), KASTLEA (Kaduna), and Civilian JTF (Borno) that are complementing the works of police and civil defence but they are not allowed to carry arms. There were also no much complaints after their formation because they were restricted to individual states.

However, in early 2020, shortly after the launching of Amotekun, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, declared the regional security outfit illegal.

He said no state government, whether singly or in a group, has the legal right and competence to establish any form of organisation or agency for the defence of Nigeria or any of its constituent parts.

He said if his office had been consulted, it would have given the “proper information and guidance to ensure that Nigeria’s defence and corporate entity are preserved at all times.”

He noted that Nigeria is a sovereign entity governed by laws meant to sustain its corporate existence as a constitutional democracy.

Analysts believed that Malami made the statement because the framers of Amotekun wanted it to be a regional outfit.

After back and forth, most of the governors went back to their state and submitted bills to their houses of assembly for the establishment of Amotekun.

In December 2020, a retired Inspector General of Police, Sunday Ehindero urged Amotekun operatives to strictly adhere to the country’s constitution that forbids them from bearing fire-arm in the course of their operation.

Ehindero said the regional corps was to be an information and intelligence gathering outfit rather than an arm carrying one, stressing that the law that established the outfit doesn’t make provision for it to be arm-bearing.

They were all travelling to Aba in Abia state when the gunmen attacked them along Lokoja-Okene expressway...

Unknown gunmen in Kogi state have kidnapped 18 traders from Kano state who were on a commercial journey to Abia state.

The victims, all from the popular Kantin Kwari textile market, were traveling to Aba in Abia state to buy goods when their vehicle was attacked by the gunmen and they were taken to the bush.

Daily Trust gathered that the traders left Kano on Sunday with the intention of reaching Aba the following day but met their fate before getting there.

The Managing Director of Kantin Kwari Market Management Board, Alhaji Abba Bello confirmed the incident to Daily Trust.

According to him, "The kidnapped traders are 18, but we have so far confirmed the names of 12, but we suspect that their number could reach 18.

“They were all traveling to Aba in Abia state when the gunmen attacked them along Lokoja-Okene expressway in Kogi state.

“People are saying the victims are up to 20 or even more, but from what we can confirm so far, they are 18,” Alhaji Bello added.

On whether the kidnappers have so far contacted their families for ransom, the MD said he has not officially gotten the information.

However, other sources have reported that the abductors have earlier demanded N50million before they later agreed to collect N27million from their families as ransom.

Traders from Kantin Kwari market, mostly those running small-scale businesses usually travel by road to buy ‘Made in Aba’ yards from Aba, Abia’s commercial city.

Senate President Ahmad Lawan has said that amendment to the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contracts Act has increased remittances from the sharing contracts into the federation account from $260 million to $2billion annually.

He also vowed that “demons” frustrating the passage of Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) within the last fourteen years will be defeated this year by the 9th National Assembly.

Lawan stated this on Tuesday while speaking with journalists on his 62nd birthday celebration in Abuja.

He said the patriotic zeal used by the National Assembly in October 2019 to pass an amendment to the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contracts Act would be deployed for expeditious consideration and passage of the PIB already before it, latest by the end of first quarter of this year.

“PIB is like a demon. People both within and outside the country are ready to work against it as they have been doing for the past fourteen years but the 9th Senate and by extension, 9th National Assembly will defeat the demon with the current bill before both Chambers.

“The patriotic zeal, sheer determination and unity of purpose by all serving senators across party lines to do this latest by the end of first quarter of this year will be deployed on the bill immediately the Senate resumes on 26th of this month the way it did with Deep Offshore Oil Production Sharing Contracts,” he said.

He said Nigeria had been losing billions of Naira before the Act was amended in 2019.

“Where we were supposed to be given $2 billion every year in the last 20 years, they were giving us $260 million. But from last year, after the amendment, it is $2 billion annually,” he said.

“Those against the move in 2019 even threatened to leave the country, but the 9th National Assembly stood its ground in getting the Act amended with passage of the bill which was assented to by President Muhamnadu Buhari on a Sunday in London,” he added.

He, however, assured the various International Oil Companies (IOCs) working in Nigeria that the PIB, to be passed this year, will not run them out of business.

He said the main purpose of PIB, when passed, was to make the oil sector investment-friendly for both local and foreign investors with attendant economic gains for the country.

He also said with massive injection of public funds into the economy, Nigeria will soon get out of recession.

“The recession, we have been told by experts, will come to an end at the end of first quarter of this year.

“We have extended the implementation period of the capital budget allocation to 31st March, and that we run simultaneously with the implementation of the 2021 budget in the first quarter. So there will be massive injection of public fund into the economy, and that will bring the recession to an end,” Lawan said.

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the posting of Ambassadors-Designate to Nigerian Missions abroad.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Gabriel Aduda, who disclosed this in a statement said the list includes 43 Career Ambassadors and 52 Non-career Ambassadors.

Aduda said the process of requesting Agreement from the prospective host countries have commenced.

“The Ministry also wishes to inform that there will be an induction course for the Ambassador-Designates and their spouses which will hold on a date to be announced shortly to prepare and facilitate movement of the Envoys to their respective Missions,” the statement read.

Fortune118005:
The root for the name “Nigeria” lies within the river Niger.
It is absurd to name our nation after a river.
Since 1914 (or thereabouts) till date, nobody knows the meaning of Nigeria and its quite unfortunate!