Mallam Abba Kyari, who died on 17th April, 2020, at the age of 67 from complications caused by the Coronavirus, was a true Nigerian patriot. My loyal friend and compatriot for the last 42 years – and latterly my Chief-of-Staff – he never wavered in his commitment to the betterment of every one of us.

He was only in his twenties when we first met. A diligent student, soon after he was blessed with the opportunity to study abroad – first at Warwick and then law at the University of Cambridge. But there was never any question Abba would bring his first-rate skills and newly acquired world-class knowledge back to Nigeria – which he did – immediately upon graduation.

Whilst possessing the sharpest legal and organisational mind, Abba’s true focus was always the development of infrastructure and the assurance of security for the people of this nation he served so faithfully. For he knew that without both in tandem there can never be the development of the respectful society and vibrant economy that all Nigerian citizens deserve.

In political life, Abba never sought elective office for himself. Rather, he set himself against the view and conduct of two generations of Nigeria’s political establishment – who saw corruption as an entitlement and its practice a byproduct of possessing political office.

Becoming my Chief of Staff in 2015, he strove quietly and without any interest in publicity or personal gain to implement my agenda.

There are those who said of him that he must be secretive – because he did not have a high public profile. But Abba was the opposite: he simply had no need, nor did he seek, the cheap gratification of the crowd; for him, there was nothing to be found in popular adulation. He secured instead satisfaction and his reward solely and only from the improvement of the governance of this great country.

Working, without fail, seven days each and every week, he acted forcefully as a crucial gatekeeper to the presidency, ensuring no one – whether minister or governor had access beyond another – and that all those representing and serving our country were treated equally.

He made clear in his person and his practice, always, that every Nigerian – regardless of faith, family, fortune or frailty – was heard and treated respectfully and the same.

Mallam Abba Kyari was the very best of us. He was made of the stuff that makes Nigeria great. Rest In Peace, my dearest friend.

To his loving wife and doting family who survive him, I extend my heartfelt sorrow at your loss.

https://ourcommunity.ng/to-my-friend-mallam-abba-kyari-by-muhammadu-buhari/

The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, on Tuesday, announced the sixth COVID-19 death in Lagos, as the total confirmed cases in the state hit 192.

Abayomi, through his verified Twitter account, said that the deceased was a 56-year-old Nigerian man, who recently returned from the U.S.

He said that the deceased died of COVID-19 related complications, bringing the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in Lagos to six.

The commissioner urged residents to remain alert across the communities and obey instructions aimed at containing the spread of COVID-19 infection.

Abayomi advised residents to call the state Ministry of Health’s emergency number 08000CORONA for any COVID-19 related issues.

Lagos has 192 confirmed cases; 120 of the cases are active, while 61 had recovered and been discharged.

Two of the patients had been evacuated from the country, while three were transferred to Ogun, their state of residence.

https://ourcommunity.ng/lagos-records-6th-covid-19-related-death/

The Inspector-General of Police, Muhammed Adamu, has warned criminals against attacking law-abiding citizens under the guise of coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown.

He read the riot act against the criminals attacking residents, especially in Ogun and Lagos States, as a result of the stay-at-home-order by the Federal Government.

Adamu who renewed the warning before the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 on Tuesday in Abuja warned that such a dastard act against residents would no longer be tolerated.

The IGP warned culprits to desist from such criminality, saying “I hereby sound a note of warning to criminals going from place to place to desist from doing such”.

Some residents of Lagos and Ogun had cried out over the way hoodlums were attacking them and dispossessing them of their valuables over the lockdown.

Adamu said he had ordered the Commissioners of Police in Lagos, FCT and Ogun states not to allow criminals to take the opportunity of the lockdown to perpetrate their heinous crime against innocent residents.

He called on the citizenry to report any crime to the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in such states, adding that PPRO numbers across the country would soon be released to the public so they can call whenever in distress.

He said that the Nigerian Police had also deployed its personnel to banks, residential areas and other public areas considered important due to complaints received from the public, especially in Lagos and Ogun states.

According to him, we have deployed an intervention force to Lagos and Ogun states led by a Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) in charge of the area.

He however urged police personnel deployed to these affected states to adhere strictly to the right of the citizens, adding that the police had also embarked on sensitisation to educate the public on the need to obey the lockdown order.

The IGP said the police would continue to provide escort for health workers and other essential workers to curtail COVID-19 pandemic, stressing that diplomats will also enjoy such privilege.

https://ourcommunity.ng/lockdown-igp-issues-serious-warning-to-robbers-attacking-residents/

A policeman in Lagos, Inspector Taloju Martin, has been arrested after a video showing him extorting N40,000 from a motorist went viral on social media.

The State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Bala Elkana disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.

He said that the money was recovered from the suspect and returned to the complainant.

According to the police spokesman, the policeman would also be made to face Orderly Room Trials for his act of extortion.

The statement read, “Attention of Lagos State Police Command is drawn to a video on social media in which an Inspector was captured counting #40,000 he extorted from the owner of a vehicle he impounded for violating restriction of movement order.

“After analysing the video, the culprit was identified and arrested. He is Inspector Taloju Martin attached to Ago Police Station as Station Officer (SO).

“The complainant has also been identified. The money extorted is recovered and handed over to him by the Commissioner of Police.”

He disclosed that the Commissioner of Police, CP Hakeem Odumosu has ordered the Deputy Commissioner of Police in Charge of Criminal Investigation to carry out an in-depth investigation into the activities of Ago Police Station as a whole.

“Meanwhile, the Inspector arrested is handed over to Provost Marshall for Orderly Room Trials.

“Commissioner of Police has reaffirmed his stance against corrupt practices and impunity. Members of the public will be updated on the outcome of the investigation,” the statement further read.

https://ourcommunity.ng/lagos-policeman-arrested-forced-to-return-n40000-extorted-from-motorist/

In Nigeria, my country of close to 200 million people, the COVID-19 lockdown began on March 30 in Lagos, Ogun and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). As with nations the world over we are following the advice of a scientifically-led national action plan to halt and then defeat the spread of the virus by staying at home to save lives.

With hindsight, it is clear there is no country anywhere on earth that was as ready as could now be hoped. But fortunately, since the election of 2015 – when for the first time in history power changed hands between an incumbent president and challenger at the ballot box – our now twice democratically elected administration has spent five years rebuilding governance after decades of political corruption under an effective one-party state.

When President Buhari was first elected in April of that year, Nigeria and the world was reeling at the news that 276 mostly Christian schoolgirls had been kidnapped by the terrorist group Boko Haram. The previous administration had done next to nothing to try to find them. The then-president had even delayed for weeks before acknowledging they were missing.

We soon discovered why: tens of thousands of “ghost” soldiers on the military payroll. Many of those allegedly fighting at the front simply did not exist. The previous government claimed to be waging war against terrorists – but was in truth waging financial fraud against its own people and threatening their security through the corrupt theft of salaries of non-existent soldiers.

Today, the majority of the Chibok girls are now returned to their families. Boko Haram is fractured, desperate and in retreat. Our military is rebuilt, and previous partnerships with the British and American militaries that had seen those countries place defence equipment export bans upon previous Nigerian administrations are lifted.

In government, President Buhari has waged an effective war on corruption, with some 60 percent of the general public personally experiencing its rapid decline – in testament to the administration’s zeal. And earlier this year some USD 300 million in funds looted under a previous regime was finally returned to Nigeria from banks in the US and the UK (Jersey Islands) and all of that money is being channeled into infrastructure financing.

In December 2017, the Federal Government signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Switzerland on the return and monitoring of the $322 million Abacha loot. This money is being used to fund the Social Investment Programmes, including the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) that began in December 2016. Under the CCT scheme the President had promised to assist one million poor and most vulnerable Nigerians with a monthly stipend of N5,000 each.

These funds are now being distributed directly to individual citizens mostly in need during the coronavirus pandemic and to allow for a three month moratorium on loan repayments by farmers and small businesses granted through government schemes.

Repatriated funds can also be used to boost our health spending – which was already expanding year-on-year for the last five years – for the purchase of test equipment, ventilators, masks and protective clothing.

This would simply not have happened under previous administrations – because all Nigerians know from our personal experiences of living under them that the levels of corruption, social strife and distrust in governance they created would have made that impossible.

The fact that it is today under a President who is a Muslim, his Vice, an evangelical Christian pastor, and their cabinet equally balanced between Christians and Muslims does not go unnoticed in Nigeria.

But it is less known externally – which is why individuals who supported previous, corrupt governments seek to use the cover of the coronavirus pandemic as their opportunity to wage a fake news war against the country at this time.

They insinuate to further their false claims that a President who writes for the Church Times and Christianity Today and enjoys a personal friendship with the Archbishop of Canterbury is anti-Christian, and that the same President who call for stronger trading alliances between Commonwealth nations and signs bilateral trade and military agreements with Britain is somehow anti Britain and the West.

They insinuate that Boko Haram’s terrorist attacks on Christians are somehow the government’s doing; that health spending is somehow declining – when it is in fact increasing after they pilfered the system for decades; and that it is this government that created corruption – when in fact the general public themselves make it clear that it is this twice-democratically elected administration that is finally addressing this stain on our governance and society.

To a large degree, many of those Nigerian names writing to conservatives in the UK and the US are just going round making money off the back of lies.

There is a difference between opinion and fact. Everyone is entitled to express the former, The latter can, of course, be questioned: but it does not then change that it is still a fact.

We can only imagine the untruths that would today be peddled to the Nigerian people and the world beyond our borders during this coronavirus pandemic had previous administrations – or those packed with their heirs – had been in charge. We can only give thanks to the wisdom of Nigerian voters that they are not.

When this worldwide health emergency is defeated, we must look to each other to rebuild the global economy – and look to strengthen partnerships that work. Nigeria is ready to take a more forthright role in the Commonwealth and global economic system as a whole. But today we can only do so because the very thing that allows us to fight the virus at all is a better government, which for the first time in Nigeria’s history is both truly representative of our country’s two great religions and shorn of the limitless corruption of our predecessors.

Garba Shehu is Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity.

https://ourcommunity.ng/nigeria-and-the-life-after-by-garba-shehu/

Doctors globally have rated hydroxychloroquine as the most effective therapy for the treatment of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Global healthcare polling company, Sermo disclosed this in a press release of a survey published in New York on Thursday.

The company said 6,227 doctors from 30 countries were involved in the study.

According to the study, hydroxychloroquine was overall chosen as the most effective therapy amongst COVID-19 treaters from a list of 15 options, with 37 percent of doctors preferring it.

The next most effective was Azithromycin at 32 percent, followed by “nothing,” analgesics (including acetaminophen), anti-HIV drugs and cough medicine.

Already being used “off-label” in the treatment of COVID-19, the anti-malarial drug got Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday to be repurposed for treating COVID-19 cases.

The study further showed that the three most commonly prescribed treatments amongst COVID-19 treaters are 56% analgesics, 41% Azithromycin, and 33% hydroxychloroquine.

“Hydroxychloroquine usage amongst COVID-19 treaters is 72% in Spain, 49% in Italy, 41% in Brazil, 39% in Mexico, 28% in France, 23% in the U.S., 17% in Germany, 16% in Canada, 13% in the UK and 7% in Japan,” the release read in part.

It said that of the physicians that described hydroxychloroquine as the most effective therapy, 75% were in Spain, 53% in Italy, 44% in China, 43% in Brazil, 29% in France, 23% in the U.S. and 13% in the U.K.

The study found that the two most common treatment regimens for hydroxychloroquine were: 400mg twice daily on day one; 400 mg daily for five days (38%) and
400mg twice daily on day one; 200mg twice daily for four days (26%).

“Outside the U.S., Hydroxychloroquine was equally used for diagnosed patients with mild to severe symptoms whereas in the U.S. it was most commonly used for high risk diagnosed patients.

Globally, 19% of physicians prescribed or have seen Hydroxychloroquine prophylactically used for high-risk patients, and 8% for low-risk patients,” the study found.

https://www.herald.ng/hydroxychloroquine-emerges-most-rated-covid-19-treatment-globally/

The General Overseer, Omega Fire Ministries, Apostle Johnson Suleman, says he has no regret for not donating money to the government to aid coronavirus response.

The fiery preacher defended his stance in a tweet on Thursday.

Suleman said he has donated, alongside his wife, Dr. Lizzy Suleman, hundreds of millions of naira to needy Nigerians since the global pandemic reached Nigerian shores.

According to him, the masses, and not the government, are hungry.

The cleric said he would rather give directly to the poor that need the money than go through "greedy" politicians that would end up embezzling the funds.

He tweeted, "I hear people are calling me out for not giving money to govt to combat covid 19..Govt is not hungry, why shld I give them?..God will reward my wife and I for the hundreds of millions we have given this period. we give to the poor directly..giving is for the needy not the greedy.."

Our Community can report that Suleman gifted N500,000 to Twitter followers of ex-presidential aide and fellow Pastor, Reno Omokri on Tuesday.

https://ourcommunity.ng/coronavirus-govts-not-hungry-masses-are-apostle-suleman-defends-not-donating-money-to-govt/

The country has recorded four new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has said.

It said this brings the total number of infected persons in Nigeria to 40 as of 11:00 pm on Monday.

NCDC confirmed this in a Monday night tweet.

According to the agency, three of the new cases are in Lagos while the other one is in Abuja.

"Four new cases of #COVID19 have been confirmed in Nigeria. 3 are in Lagos State and 1 in FCT.

"Two of these cases are returning travellers.

"As at 11:00 pm on the 23rd of March, there are 40 confirmed cases of #COVID19 in Nigeria. 2 have been discharged with 1 death recorded," the agency said.

https://www.herald.ng/just-in-40-persons-now-infected-as-ncdc-confirms-4-new-coronavirus-cases/

Nigerian musician, Naira Marley has been severely criticised after expressing doubt in the existence of coronavirus.

According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the virus has already infected 36 persons and claimed one life as of Monday.

The deceased was later identified as Suleiman Achimugu, a former Managing Director of Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC), a subsidiary of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar also disclosed that one of his sons tested positive for coronavirus and has been quarantined.

But taking to Twitter on Monday, Naira Marley, whose real name is Afeez Fashola, stated: “Retweet if u don’t believe in CoronaVirus.”

However, many Nigerians took to Twitter to bash him for the comment.

A doctor, Kelechi Okoro wrote, “You are one of my faves but I have to tell you the truth.

“Now is the time to use your clout to spread correct information instead of enabling people to lose their guards. #StayHome #LockdownNow #COVID19 is real!”

Another doctor, @Drmuzoic wrote, “Is this supposed to be a joke to you? Don’t be an irresponsible olodo.”

Another commenter, @atomified wrote, “I thought they said you have an MSc?

“My bad, having degrees and being educated are two different things. Ride on.”

A lady, @SavvyRinu wrote, “The Bible says ‘If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.’

“Drop weed and ask God for Wisdom sir.”

Another commenter, Omotayo urged Naira Marley to go for a concert in Italy if he needed to confirm the existence of coronavirus.

She wrote, “If e sure for you, Go do concert for Italy.”

A fan, @holardamolar wrote, “Marley we’re not with u on this… Let’s all anticipate your video that’s to dropped soon in peace.”

https://ourcommunity.ng/naira-marley-gets-bashed-after-denying-existence-of-coronavirus/

CC: Lalasticlala

Gospel Singer, Philadelphia Ekesiena, popularly known as Philadelphia Kes has released a new album which she titled “He Came Through”.

Kes, who is from Delta State graduated from Ternopil National Economic University, Ukraine after studying International Economics.

During an interview with SEYI SOKOYA, Kes revealed that she struggled with depression and mood swings, but over came them by expressing herself through her music.

She said: “There was a time in my life where depression, regular mood swings were the order of the day. Then my cousin came up with the song and we wrote it together.”

“That was how I was able to really express myself through the lyrics of the song. It took about five years to produce the song because we had the song since my university days and decided to revamp it four years after graduation.”

She added: “This powerful song has the capacity to stir up a wellspring of love in our hearts, to appreciate God like never before.”

Phadelphia Kes is definitely a fast-rising artiste who is bringing a new meaning to gospel music, starting with her new album ”He Came Through”.
Please click on the link below to play the song:

https://philadelphia./HeCameThrough

https://www.herald.ng/philadelphia-kes-album-titled-he-came-through/

According to their website, Tizeti supposedly “provides high speed broadband internet to Residences, Businesses, and Events etc.” while Wifi.com.ng is the internet service provided by Tizeti Network Limited

Now the first statement you see when you open their website is: “Wifi.com.ng is leveraging the large wireless capacity available with Wi-Fi to offer disruptive, customer-friendly pricing for unlimited internet service right across Nigeria.” Then they go on to tell you how ‘FAST AND RELIABLE’ their network is.

All that story above is basically all a hoax to draw you in. I mean who will see unlimited internet for just N9500/month and not go for it, especially in this digital age were an average person spends not less than 6 hours on his/her phone.

So basically, they are click baiting you, and with an installation fee of N35,500 and a first month payment of N9500, you are good to go, or so you think…

The first one or two months are great, and as a customer you are satisfied with their services because you are getting unlimited internet at a fast speed, up until the third month when everything starts to go downhill with your internet.

Tizeti sells us a dream of unlimited internet service all through the month, but in reality, the internet only works barely two weeks out of the four weeks that make up a month…so basically they lied.

At least their customer service is fast to respond and sometimes are able to resolve the issue on the spot, but after a few hours, the internet stops working, then you call and email them over and over again.

But here is my question…Why not find a long term solution to the problem? If you know your network is not strong in a particular area, why not remove it and re-strategize, instead Tizeti continues to provide bad network services to its hapless customers.

Their network is horrible and yet they are quick to request for payment and if payment is not made, they cut you off immediately!

If only the money they spent on advertising with 2018 Big Brother Naija reality show was invested in actually improving their internet service.

Their continued lackadaisical attitude towards providing a better network service is appalling. It’s so bad that a customer filed a petition last year.

Tizeti is basically a SORRY EXCUSE FOR A NETWORK PROVIDER

https://www.herald.ng/tizeti-network-limited-wifi-com-ng-network/

According to their website, Tizeti supposedly “provides high speed broadband internet to Residences, Businesses, and Events etc.” while Wifi.com.ng is the internet service provided by Tizeti Network Limited

Now the first statement you see when you open their website is: “Wifi.com.ng is leveraging the large wireless capacity available with Wi-Fi to offer disruptive, customer-friendly pricing for unlimited internet service right across Nigeria.” Then they go on to tell you how ‘FAST AND RELIABLE’ their network is.

All that story above is basically all a hoax to draw you in. I mean who will see unlimited internet for just N9500/month and not go for it, especially in this digital age were an average person spends not less than 6 hours on his/her phone.

So basically, they are click baiting you, and with an installation fee of N35,500 and a first month payment of N9500, you are good to go, or so you think…

The first one or two months are great, and as a customer you are satisfied with their services because you are getting unlimited internet at a fast speed, up until the third month when everything starts to go downhill with your internet.

Tizeti sells us a dream of unlimited internet service all through the month, but in reality, the internet only works barely two weeks out of the four weeks that make up a month…so basically they lied.

At least their customer service is fast to respond and sometimes are able to resolve the issue on the spot, but after a few hours, the internet stops working, then you call and email them over and over again.

But here is my question…Why not find a long term solution to the problem? If you know your network is not strong in a particular area, why not remove it and re-strategize, instead Tizeti continues to provide bad network services to its hapless customers.

Their network is horrible and yet they are quick to request for payment and if payment is not made, they cut you off immediately!

If only the money they spent on advertising with 2018 Big Brother Naija reality show was invested in actually improving their internet service.

Their continued lackadaisical attitude towards providing a better network service is appalling. It’s so bad that a customer filed a petition last year.

https://www.herald.ng/tizeti-network-limited-wifi-com-ng-network/

US Department of Homeland Security says, Nigeria does not comply with the established identity-management and information-sharing criteria assessed by the performance metrics.

The travel ban placed on Nigeria by the Donald Trump administration is due to President Muhammadu Buhari’s lifeless approach to all things security-related in Nigeria.

The ineptitude, incompetence and corruption of the Nigerian government, its security agencies and specifically the Nigerian Immigration Service has led the American government to take a stringent measure aimed at protecting its citizens from harm.

According to the US Department of Homeland Security, the restriction placed on Nigeria is as a result of the country’s failure to pass a performance review conducted by the USA on how it processes travel-related risks. The travel ban on Nigerian and five other countries is not as severe as the restrictions President Trump placed on Iran and six other Muslim majority countries in 2017.

Homeland Security also noted that it is possible for countries like Nigeria to overcome its failures within a short period of time, should the Nigerian government be so inclined. And once the country comes into compliance, the restriction will accordingly be removed by the US President.

The statement from U.S. Homeland Security reads in part, “The new restrictions imposed by the President are less restrictive than the existing restrictions. Like the seven countries that continue to face travel restrictions pursuant to Proclamation 9645, the six additional countries added for restrictions are among the worst-performing in the world; however, there are prospects for near-term improvement for these six countries. Each has a functioning government and each maintains productive relations with the United States. In each case and consistent with those restrictions imposed in 2017, the President has imposed specific travel restrictions to mitigate the risks posed. The restrictions imposed by this proclamation reflect the U.S. government’s greater confidence that these countries can make meaningful improvements in a reasonable period of time.

If that expectation is met, the President may remove travel restrictions at any time. Conversely, the President has also determined that if improvements are not made, additional restrictions may be added. Those travelers who have already been issued visas by the U.S. government will not be affected by the new restrictions.

NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE
According to the US DHS, it has a process by which it measures the performance of foreign countries. Ghana, Kenya and other African nations are in compliance. But Nigeria, the biggest economic powerhouse in Africa, cannot keep simple tabs on who is a Nigerian and where is his or her passport. This is the security failing that America will not tolerate from any country in an era where global security risks and threats are commonplace.

About the process, DHS stated, “Pursuant to Executive Order 13780, DHS established identity-management, information sharing, national security, and public safety risk criteria all foreign governments are expected to adhere to in order to facilitate accurate and fair admissibility decisions under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

In its most recent review, DHS, in consultation with other departments and agencies, updated the methodology by which it reviews a foreign government’s performance. The update included refining and modifying specific performance metrics for each criterion, collecting additional data on foreign practices, and weighting criteria based on their degree of significance to U.S. national security. For example, DHS now considers whether a foreign government reports lost and stolen passports at least every 30 days, instead of considering whether they have ever shared such information. By reporting regularly, DHS officers can determine passport validity with higher confidence.

These changes give DHS a more detailed picture of a country’s compliance with the individual criteria and to hold them accountable for regular cooperation. In doing so, the updated methodology helps guide U.S. government discussions with foreign governments. Since implementing these measures, the Administration has recorded improvements in identity management and information sharing with multiple foreign governments, and because of this Administration’s actions, our international partners have raised their own baseline requirements.”


WAY FORWARD
Nigeria certainly needs to step up its attitude towards security issues. The Federal Government’s failure at securing lives and property of actual Nigerians all over the country is abysmal and even the regions have begun setting up their own security architecture. Recently President Buhari called on foreign nationals all over Africa, including those who may be from terrorism hotbeds to travel to Nigeria and receive their visa upon arrival. Such individuals can also go to Oluwole and receive doctored identities with which to obtain foreign passports.

The solution is technology and a proper identity management system, also capable hands should be employed at the head of key agencies like the NIS. The cronyism and nepotism employed by this administration will be the death of Nigeria and her reputation.

Our foreign affairs minister is in Washington D.C this week for a key Africa US strategy summit, they should be heading to that summit with evidence of compliance to the system the USA has put in place. And this mysterious widespread adoption of herdsmen from all over Africa to Nigeria must stop.
https://www.herald.ng/buhari-caused-trump-travel-ban-nigeria/

US Department of Homeland Security says, Nigeria does not comply with the established identity-management and information-sharing criteria assessed by the performance metrics.

The travel ban placed on Nigeria by the Donald Trump administration is due to President Muhammadu Buhari’s lifeless approach to all things security-related in Nigeria.

The ineptitude, incompetence and corruption of the Nigerian government, its security agencies and specifically the Nigerian Immigration Service has led the American government to take a stringent measure aimed at protecting its citizens from harm.

According to the US Department of Homeland Security, the restriction placed on Nigeria is as a result of the country’s failure to pass a performance review conducted by the USA on how it processes travel-related risks. The travel ban on Nigerian and five other countries is not as severe as the restrictions President Trump placed on Iran and six other Muslim majority countries in 2017.

Homeland Security also noted that it is possible for countries like Nigeria to overcome its failures within a short period of time, should the Nigerian government be so inclined. And once the country comes into compliance, the restriction will accordingly be removed by the US President.

The statement from U.S. Homeland Security reads in part, “The new restrictions imposed by the President are less restrictive than the existing restrictions. Like the seven countries that continue to face travel restrictions pursuant to Proclamation 9645, the six additional countries added for restrictions are among the worst-performing in the world; however, there are prospects for near-term improvement for these six countries. Each has a functioning government and each maintains productive relations with the United States. In each case and consistent with those restrictions imposed in 2017, the President has imposed specific travel restrictions to mitigate the risks posed. The restrictions imposed by this proclamation reflect the U.S. government’s greater confidence that these countries can make meaningful improvements in a reasonable period of time.

If that expectation is met, the President may remove travel restrictions at any time. Conversely, the President has also determined that if improvements are not made, additional restrictions may be added. Those travelers who have already been issued visas by the U.S. government will not be affected by the new restrictions.

NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE
According to the US DHS, it has a process by which it measures the performance of foreign countries. Ghana, Kenya and other African nations are in compliance. But Nigeria, the biggest economic powerhouse in Africa, cannot keep simple tabs on who is a Nigerian and where is his or her passport. This is the security failing that America will not tolerate from any country in an era where global security risks and threats are commonplace.

About the process, DHS stated, “Pursuant to Executive Order 13780, DHS established identity-management, information sharing, national security, and public safety risk criteria all foreign governments are expected to adhere to in order to facilitate accurate and fair admissibility decisions under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

In its most recent review, DHS, in consultation with other departments and agencies, updated the methodology by which it reviews a foreign government’s performance. The update included refining and modifying specific performance metrics for each criterion, collecting additional data on foreign practices, and weighting criteria based on their degree of significance to U.S. national security. For example, DHS now considers whether a foreign government reports lost and stolen passports at least every 30 days, instead of considering whether they have ever shared such information. By reporting regularly, DHS officers can determine passport validity with higher confidence.

These changes give DHS a more detailed picture of a country’s compliance with the individual criteria and to hold them accountable for regular cooperation. In doing so, the updated methodology helps guide U.S. government discussions with foreign governments. Since implementing these measures, the Administration has recorded improvements in identity management and information sharing with multiple foreign governments, and because of this Administration’s actions, our international partners have raised their own baseline requirements.”


WAY FORWARD
Nigeria certainly needs to step up its attitude towards security issues. The Federal Government’s failure at securing lives and property of actual Nigerians all over the country is abysmal and even the regions have begun setting up their own security architecture. Recently President Buhari called on foreign nationals all over Africa, including those who may be from terrorism hotbeds to travel to Nigeria and receive their visa upon arrival. Such individuals can also go to Oluwole and receive doctored identities with which to obtain foreign passports.

The solution is technology and a proper identity management system, also capable hands should be employed at the head of key agencies like the NIS. The cronyism and nepotism employed by this administration will be the death of Nigeria and her reputation.

Our foreign affairs minister is in Washington D.C this week for a key Africa US strategy summit, they should be heading to that summit with evidence of compliance to the system the USA has put in place. And this mysterious widespread adoption of herdsmen from all over Africa to Nigeria must stop.
https://www.herald.ng/buhari-caused-trump-travel-ban-nigeria/

Wordpress Web Developers/ SEO Analyst

Job description
A digital media firm in Lekki phase 1 requires the services of an experienced and passionate WordPress Developer/SEO Analyst to join our IT team! As a WordPress Developer at our company, you will be responsible for both back-end and front-end development, including creating WordPress themes and plugins.
We are expecting you to have a strong understanding of latest industry trends and content management systems and at least 1 year of experience; planning and developing websites across multiple products and organizations

WordPress Developer duties and responsibilities:
Designing and implementing new features and functionality
Establishing and guiding the website’s architecture
Ensuring high-performance and availability, and managing all technical aspects of the CMS
Helping to formulate an effective, responsive design and turning it into a working theme and plugin.
SEO Analyst responsibilities:
Conducting keyword research using various tools (like Keyword Planner and Moz)
Performing competitive analysis and identifying gaps in our content or areas of improvement in our web design
Tracking important SEO metrics including organic traffic, conversion rates and time spent on page

WordPress Developer requirements and qualifications
Good understanding of front-end technologies, including HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, jQuery
Experience building user interfaces for websites and/or web applications
Experience designing and developing responsive design websites
Comfortable working with debugging tools like Firebug, Chrome inspector, etc.
Ability to understand CSS changes and their ramifications to ensure consistent style across platforms and browsers
Ability to convert comprehensive layout and wireframes into working HTML pages
Ability to design websites using shopify
Working knowledge of web applications, programming languages, and web services, such as APIs, CSS, CSS3, cross-browser compatibility, HTML, HTML5, JavaScript, JQuery, PHP, security principles, REST, SOAP, and web user interface design (UI)
Proficient understanding of code versioning tools (such as Git, SVN, and Mercurial)
Strong understanding of PHP back-end development



Social Media Manager

Are you social media savvy, with great written and oral communication skills? Are you able to engage with prospective customers, provide information in a clear, concise and professional manner? Are you digitally savvy and able to create graphics and catchy posts using platforms such as canva? We are looking for a passionate social media manager to handle our social media platforms.
Responsibilities Include:
Create and post content related to the company’s service offerings on the company’s social media platforms (Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram, Website Blog, and Twitter).
Manage enquiries and respond to posts across multiple platforms.
Generating email lists and email marketing using already created email templates.
Develop social media strategy
Provide data analysis and metric reporting for clients
Manage the company’s blog and update on a daily basis.
Create graphics as appropriate and post on social media (message content will be provided).
Meet/exceed monthly leads and engagement/followership targets.
Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications
Proficiency in many social media platforms
Fluency in Microsoft Office suite (Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc.)


Entry level
Employment type
Full-time

Send CV to Hrtitanng@gmail.com

A new 40HP Yamaha engine is quite expensive. It's more than N1million

Some blog publishers in Nigeria are unhappy with the Nigerian office of popular Norwegian software company, Opera and its business subsidiary, Opera News.

Although Opera is renowned globally for its user-friendly browsers designed for personal computers and mobile devices, Opera News is its standalone news app that is designed to keep people updated on favourite news and video content.

Launched on January 9, 2018, the app delivers a variety of trending news and entertaining videos and gets smarter with each use, using machine learning to tailor content for the individual.

Perhaps a major attraction for users is that Opera News saves up to 80 percent of the users’ mobile data usage due to its unique data-saving capabilities.

Unsurprisingly, in less than four weeks after its launch, Opera News said it achieved one million downloads across Africa, and according to AppAnnie became the most downloaded news app in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa and Tanzania by June 2018.

This reporter gathered that to keep users updated with relevant and timely content, Opera News signed agreements with different bloggers to feature their blog content on the Opera News app for a fee.

According to investigations carried out by this reporter, the publishers’ grouse is connected to Opera News’ alleged refusal to pay them agreed fees for the use of their content.

The publishers, who spoke to this reporter in separate chats on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation, accused Opera News of deliberately avoiding payment by deploying different tactics, including under-reporting revenue.

A publisher of a general-interest news blog who spoke to this reporter said, “Over a period of time, I think every month, we got about one million unique visitors and three million views from Opera News. Those three million views don’t even translate to any money.

“So for the whole year, people (blog publishers) who have been getting an average of two million page views from Opera News every month did not get anything. Nobody has been paid.

“That is the scam that I am trying to draw your attention and the attention of the general public to.”

The publisher added, “Think about this: If somebody is getting five million views (from Opera) every month but does not collect one naira, then something is terribly wrong because a lot of this traffic comes from developed countries too, not just Nigeria.

“Traffic comes from the USA and so on and almost all these pages that are seen all around the world on Opera, Opera is monetising those pages.

“Opera is monetising those pages and (according to an agreement which I can also share with you for context) agreed to give the publishers 50 percent of the revenue.

“But what do they is that they don’t report any revenue, or any substantial revenue, and that is what allows them to hold off on payments to publishers indefinitely.

“So, there are several huge publications that even make tens of thousands from the same Google Ads that Opera places on their platform. Opera doesn’t pay them anything, and Opera tries to pretend as if it is doing us (publishers) a favour because Opera knows that Google is not really paying Nigerian publishers as much for Nigerian traffic.

“That is why it is important that you understand that a lot of the traffic also comes from other sources from around the world; it’s not just Nigerian traffic. There’re very wealthy sources of traffic from, say, the US.

“For example, American consumers, when they see an ad, it is different from when a Nigerian consumer sees an ad.

“But it looks like what Opera is trying to do is to try and under-report its revenue, pretty much allegedly scamming the publishers that are on its network, virtually all of them.

“And that is why we have decided to come forward.”

Another publisher, who also confirmed signing an agreement with Opera News, further confirmed the company’s non-payment of agreed fees to him after several months of being his blog content being featured on the platform.

He said, “I don’t just want to talk about them (Opera News) because the experience has just not been as expected.”

However, he disclosed that some publishers on the platform claimed to have received some sort of payment from Opera News.

The publisher added, “There are some publishers that have had good experiences with them. I know a few publishers that have received payment from them.

“So, I don’t really want to comment on the Opera issue. I just let them be.”

The company could not be reached for comments as at the time of filing this report.


https://www.businesstimesng.com/nigerian-publishers-flay-opera-news-over-unremitted-payments/

I have just been reliably informed that the owners of Opera News platform may be ripping off blog publishers. They sign agreements with these publisers to use their content on the Opera News platform in exchange for payment. However, sources say that publishers are being denied payment by owners of Opera News, who come up with different excuses not to pay them. Is there any blogger here who has experienced this? Please respond.

Cc Lalasticlala