₦airaland Forum

Note that there is already a thread for FGN Savings Bond opened in March 2017.
https://www.nairaland.com/3658395/fgn-savings-bond

beyolah:
This thread is being created for anything and everything FGN Bonds including FGN Savings Bonds.
I don't know a lot about it but I'm also looking to invest in bonds...hence,this information gathering quest
Let's move this thread forward by sharing the how-to, tips, tricks and rates of bonds.
Thank you

Cc
Gavrelino123
confluence
awesomeJ
Liljel
ahiboilandgas
ImperialCovfefe
spenca

Ok. Just trying to confirm what I thought.

linearity:
Yes, we are affiliated with NYU, but not really in terms of using their research facilities as we have our own research labs and foundries.

The NYU relationship is mainly to recruit young bright talents from NYU, internship and access to our research facilities.

Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships 2018 – university application guidance notes

http://cscuk.dfid.gov.uk/apply/uk-universities/distance-learning/application-guidance-notes/

There are a lot of 'Christians' in the world. They practice Churchianity and not Christianity.

djon78:
You can say that again. That's Gods standard, the maker, owner and possessor of heaven and earth and all in it. You cannot argue with Him, you a mere mortal with just breath in your nostrils.
Only what He declares stands.
I just laugh at human beings.

Ephesians 5 (King James Version)
22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

I suppose this is one of the verses which the girl is referring to in the Bible.

1 Corinthians 11:3 King James Version (KJV)
"But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God."

Unfortunately it is not an idea - it is the word of God, which no 21st (or 22nd, 23rd, ...) century man or woman can change.

CapitanS:
A British writer and Twitter user @moniquemonrowe has publicly rejected the notion that a man is the head of the house, an idea she said is deeply rooted in religion and specifically the Bible.

According to this lady, the idea that the man is the head of the house is rooted in biblical times when women were not considered equal to men and as such, it is incompatible with the 21st century.

According to the writer, she cannot accept a concept written at ‘a time period when women did not have equal consideration or power’. @moniquemonrowe also said that this does not reconcile with today’s reality or the modern woman or family.

https://lailasnews.com/the-idea-that-a-man-is-head-of-the-house-is-rooted-in-religion-and-i-reject-it-writer/

1 Corinthians 11:3 King James Version (KJV)
"But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God."

I was referring to your company. Several major telecom carriers in the U.S. work with NYU Wireless on 5G mmWave wireless research as industry affiliates.

linearity:
NYU Wireless is a research facility, I work in the labs of a major telecom carrier.

I guess you maybe working with NYU WIRELESS as an industry affiliate. Or maybe not.

linearity:
For someone who stated...



We are saying different things, what you stated is not possible and my post made that very clear, it may have been above your comprehension.

You clearly does not know what VoIP is, it is not a transmission medium and cannot replace a transmission medium like Air-Interface...it relies on the presence of an interface-medium to work...VoIP functions at the layer-4 of the OSI reference model, while base stations and SIMs work at layer-1 & 2....The Minna project is trying to solve a layer-1 issue and as such, a layer-4 solution no matter how you tweak it, is not going to be an alternate solution.

"..In the next few years, Voice over IP will be fully integrated with messaging/chat API systems and that will totally eliminate the need for SIM system on phones...I do not expect many to imagine this yet, but the innovation will begin to surface with the launch of 5G Li-Fi"

Just like your previous post, the above one is myopic and shows your limited understanding of VoIP or 5G........LTE and 5G uses VoIP and all the handsets uses SIM cards to connect to a base station.....5G will not eliminate SIM.

Li-Fi does not enhance VoIP or messaging or chat API compare to Wi-Fi; these applications uses small bandwidths that you do not need Li-Fi for them to function and these applications are not in the future; we all use them today....My VoIP app integrates messaging and chat....Li-Fi uses the same radio wave as Wi-Fi except that, it is on a different spectrum aka wavelength and it is faster and not inhibited by barriers, none of these make Li-Fi more suitable for VoIP, messaging, chat APIs compare to Wi-Fi....Li-Fi is just visible radio wave spectrum and Wi-Fi is not.

All in all, with 5G Li-Fi, you still need a SIM card on your phone or on your IoT device, you still need a 5G radio head on your base station i.e. you still need the last mile....We are testing many 5G POC in the NYC metro area, including close loop automation, Augmented & Virtual reality, etc using Edge Clouds installed on commodity baremetal hardware at the base stations aka node-Bs....in all these, we are still using VoIP, 5G enabled phones/UEs and 5G SIM cards.

I am with one of the major Telecomms in the US...I have installed and managed ISPs in Nigeria and consulted for many Telecomms in the Nigeria as well....I agree, you know some stuff, but you are way off in some of your assumptions.

I find it strange and disconcerting that the developed world, even South Africa, is preparing to launch 5G mobile networks from 2019 and this is what NCC is funding as telecommunications research in 2018. A 'digital walking stick'?

Listen to the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the counterpart to NCC in America.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k96UF0abXOU

Nairametrics - May 19, 2018

Crude Oil Lifting Contracts: Winning the Lottery

Champagne week for all the politically connected and trading companies’ agents who circle around the NNPC headquarters as the crude oil lifting contracts list was finally released to the public. Making this list is one of the highlights of the Nigerian oil and gas elite. If you are not on that list, who are you? 50 companies made the list this time, rising from 39 in the last batch. This is the highest ever, but curiously, the term contract was for 2 years as against the typical 1 year tenure. This implies that even if an opposition party succeeds in winning the elections in 2019, they are already burdened by a contract with this set of lottery winners.

On the list are familiar foreign companies — trading companies, refineries, national governments, but the Nigerian companies’ list is a cocktail of traditional crude oil lifters, a construction company, and those pivoting from downstream/oil services to oil lifting — a well-trod route for connected Nigerian companies.

AA Rano (Alhaji Rano, Downstream player); Aipec (Mike Awogboro); AMG (Murtala Muhammad family); Arkleen (Oil Chemicals Company); Barbedos (Downstream); Bono Energy (Oil Trading & Services); Casiva (Shaidu Baiyee/No significant footprint); Cretus (Abiodun Olujimi/Services); Emadeb (Downstream); Eterna (Downstream); Gladius Commodities (Trading); Hinstock; Leighton (Bola Jayeoso); Levene (Banwo & Ighodalo/Ado Bayero); Masters Energy (Uche Ogah/Downstream); Matrix (Abdulkadir Aliu/LPG Trading); MRS (Dantata/Downstream);

Others are, North West (Mrs Akpani/Downstream); Oando (Wale Tinubu/Dahiru Mangal); Sahara Group (Tonye Cole); Ocean Bed (Another Sahara trading subsidiary); Propetrol(Harry Ebohon/Downstream); Prudent (Abdul Sowami/Downstream); Setana (Edward Edozien/Oil Trading); Setraco (Late Abu Imoru family/Construction); Shoreline (Ladi Bada/Qatar Heritage); Ultimate Gas(Alhaji Awalu Ilu/LPG Trading); Voyage (Hajia Bola Shagaya); West African gas (Sahara/NNPC); Zitts and Lords (Samuel Okojie/Oil services); Obat Oil & Gas (Fred Akinrutan/Downstream); Duke Oil (NNPC subsidiary).

Notably, some companies in the 2017-18 list were omitted in this new list —Hyde Energy, Brittania-U, Optima Energy, Emo Oil. They probably lost out. Or maybe not. There are talks that the list released by the newspapers is not exhaustive and the number of contractors could still rise to over 60. May the best-connected win.

@Miracleadeyeye - You're welcome. If you play your cards right, you might end up working for Google, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, etc after your MSc/PhD.
Let us know how it goes. All the best!

Miracleadeyeye:
All of this argument because of me, please oo @ monsieurcoder, I made my findings before considering a Msc program in computational linguistics..

Thank you@ kolping I will check right away. God bless you sir

Have your checked out the works of Noam Chomsky, "the father of modern linguistics," Institute Emeritus Professor at MIT, now at University of Arizona?

Check out the link below.

The 20 Best Computational Linguistics Graduate Programs in the U.S.
https://thebestschools.org/rankings/best-computational-linguistics-graduate-programs/

Miracleadeyeye:
Hello house,

I'm a newbie I stumble upon this page while searching for ways to get funding for my msc program in the US. I have been trying to get first hand info on how to get funding but no success yet, I also tried to lookup info on this page that will be related to my discipline but I can't seem to find anything related to "Linguistics" I am considering a MSc program in computational linguistics . Please Anybody, I will to know what GRE score would be sufficient enough to fund a MSc program in Computational linguistics and considering the fact that I'm not a maths oriented student. (The GRE quantitative seems to be more easier for the mathematics oriented students)...

I'm presently in my final semester in a university here in Nigeria and my present undergraduate GPA is 4.3

Please anybody

It seems so according to Nairametrics analysis.

wanaj0:
It cannot be true that they still gave GEOMETRIC Power almost N50bn in Q3 and Q4 2017! What for??

Nairametrics - May 16, 2018

Forte Oil - “Uturn when I turn”

Just a few years ago, Forte Oil referred to itself as Nigeria’s leading integrated energy company. From a mere downstream player, it veered into upstream of the oil and gas sector and then became one of the largest power generating companies in 2013 following the power privatisation program of 2013.

However, it seems that the end is nigh for these once lofty plans. The CEO of the company, Akin Akinfenwa, informed investors of its decision to sell off its upstream and Ghanaian units, as well as its stake in the Geregu power plant.

A perspective

Geregu

Forte owns 57% of Amperion Power Distribution Limited, BSG Resources Limited owns 38%, while Shangai Municipal Electric Power Company (SMEPC) has a 5% stake. Amperion Power Distribution Limited, in turn, owns 51% of Geregu Power Plc. In effect, Forte owns about 29% of Geregu Power Plc.

Basically, the company’s stake in Geregu Power plant is not as substantial as they perhaps would want it to be. Spinning off the power plant will shrink its balance sheet by over N90 billion in the first instance. The impact on its status as a leading oil and gas player will be glaring and this could further impact its price to book ratio which is currently at 3.3x its Net assets.

Forte Oil could also earn a substantial payoff if it decides to sell its stake in the power plant, which is currently worth about N10 billion in book value. About N2.5 billion of this amount could go to repaying bank loans which it used to fund the transaction in the first place.

Ghana

Forte Oil’s ill-fated sojourn in Ghana cost it over N700 million in impaired investment. Those familiar with the Ghanaian entity suggest that it was a bad move from the start and one which they probably should never have made. Thus, getting out now is perhaps the right move.

Impact on Shares

Let’s look at a few pointers. Without Geregu, Forte Oil loses about 76% of its book value. Profit margins also drop to just over 1% while return on equity will be a paltry 9.2%. With Geregu, it was about 9.4% and 22% respectively. Since we bank cash not statistics, the benefits of having a high margin business like Geregu Power Plant is defeated as it does not translate to cash for the company.

In the short term, Forte Oil’s share price of N40 might appear expensive by the time it consummates the spin-off of Geregu. In the long run, the decision is perhaps a step in the right direction. Since they have decided to take this direction, we are better off turning with them.

5. Mutual Benefit - Breaking the rule

Insurance firm, Mutual Benefits Assurance, late Friday released its financial statements for the year ended December 2017. Gross premium written increased from N12.1 billion in 2016 to N14.1 billion in 2017.

The company made a profit before tax of N1.3 billion, as against a loss before tax of N1 billion. Profit after tax was also positive at N1 billion as against a N1.3 billion loss incurred in the prior year. Earnings per share was also positive at 13 kobo as against a loss of 17 kobo in 2016.

The company has also proposed a final dividend of 2 kobo, its first in nearly a decade, amounting to a payout ratio of 15.3% The company last month hinted at the possibility of a dividend payment.

Possible breach of rules?

Companies are barred from paying dividends while they have negative retained earnings or accumulated losses. At the group level, Mutual Benefits has accumulated losses of N1 billion, while at the company level, it also has accumulated losses of N2.2 billion.

We also rummaged through the interim report to see if there was any regulatory approval or court-ordered payment of dividends, we found none. There was also no cases of revenue from discontinued operations from which the company could pay dividends indicating that the dividend is not as a result of an extraordinary income.

There was also no court ordered set off of accumulated losses against share premium of the company, which could have paved the way for dividends.

One wonders why the shareholders of the company granted it approval to pay a dividend despite these losses. This singular act is a break from the rule.

Nairametrics - May 16, 2018

Diamond Bank - Alone in the wild

If your interim or full-year results are bad, then it’s typically the norm to release them on Friday, hours after the trading must have been closed. So, we were not surprised when Diamond Bank released its much awaited 2017 Full Year results a few minutes after close of trading on Friday. Just like we expected, the results were bad by most counts.

Diamond Bank reported a loss after tax and before discontinued operations of N12.89 billion. Gains from the sale of its overseas subsidiaries (Diamond Bank UK) helped reduce the losses to N9 billion. The losses, as you would come to expect, were induced by a N56.8 billion provision for loans that have been impaired (gone bad). The last time Diamond Bank reported a loss was in 2011 where they reported a loss after tax of about N13.9 billion. Back then, the loss was induced by (you guessed right) another N55 billion loan impairment.

Since 2011, Diamond Bank has now taken total loan provisions in excess of N290 billion. That’s an incredible accretion of capital from one of Nigeria’s oldest banks and one that you will expect to be vying for the Tier 1 status.

So what went wrong?

Poring over the results, we observed two major reasons for the disastrous result. Firstly, Diamond Bank reported that its loan to Geometric Power was impaired by about N45.7 billion. The bank granted Geometrics a N49.3 billion loan in the third and fourth quarter of 2017, contributing to the N56.8 billion loss recorded due to impairment.

A brief background of Geometrics Power

The company was founded by Professor Barth Nnaji in 2000 as one of the first private power companies in the country. However, it has been embroiled in one controversy or another over its power supply deals to Abia and Enugu States. This has resulted in loss of revenue, unpaid debts and rising overheads. Quite frankly, the company can’t meet its debt obligations.

Diamond Bank is an equity partner in the project and owns about 25% of its equity valued at N2.49 billion which it has since been written off. Unfortunately, the bank still has about N49.3 billion in loans, granted since 2011, that has now essentially gone bad.

The second problem Diamond Bank has is also with its non-interest income which dipped by 24% Year on Year (YoY). A closer look reveals that the company recorded a quarter on quarter dip in revenues dropping from N36,481 to N10,721, N9,178 and N 5,106 in the first, second, third and fourth quarters respectively.

Fundamentally, the bank is struggling!

Is the bank healthy?

Diamond Bank reported a Capital Adequacy Ratio of 16.5%, 1.5% above the minimum 15% stipulated by the Central Bank. On this basis, one can safely infer that the bank is healthy. The bank has deposits in excess of a trillion and net assets of about N223 billion. For proper context, their balance sheet is still bigger than Stanbic’s and FCMB’s.

However, Diamond Bank’s position as one of the leading Tier 2 banks is under threat. For example, despite its N223 billion net assets, its market capitalization is N44 billion. Now, compare this to Stanbic with N180 billion net assets and N492 billion market capitalization.

Do I sell my shares?

Ironically, I have a BUY rating for Diamond Bank with a long term outlook. I mean, how low can it still go? At 0.18 price to book ratio, the stock is cheap despite its weak fundamentals. However, I do not expect anyone with a short term outlook for their investment to hold on to this stock. Diamond Bank’s year low is around 88 kobo and that was about this time last year. Since then, the stock is up 90% and is likely to fall further as all the debris created by this results fall over.

It is important to note that Stanbic Nominees sold down from about 11.99% to 8.52% resulting in a sale of over 800 million units.

Note the minimum subscription is 50,001,000 Naira

Gavrelino123:
For investors interested in Federal Government Bond.
But the minimum is 5 years @ 12.75%.
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/05/fg-auction-n70bn-bonds-may-23/

Yields in the money market space (and Treasury Bills in particular) have continued to decline for the fourth consecutive week. This sustained decline has been caused by a number of factors;

1. Reduction in the rate, volume sold and the frequency of sales of OMO treasury bills by the CBN.

2. Inflation has continued its downward trend since late last year where it peaked at ~18%. According to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, inflation currently stands at 13.34% (March 2018) down from 15.13% in January 2018, with the potential to remain on this trajectory. As a result of this, the CBN has hinted at a more accommodative posture by taking actions to reduce interest rates in the market.

-AXA Mansard (May 14, 2018)

For use in London not Lagos

“The contactless card can be used for making payments in the London transport network such as buses, tubes, trams, Dock and Light Railway (DLR) and the London Overground as well as in Grocery shops, supermarkets and Gas stations within London metropolis.

Yields in the money market space (and Treasury Bills in particular) have continued to decline for the fourth consecutive week. This sustained decline has been caused by a number of factors;

1. Reduction in the rate, volume sold and the frequency of sales of OMO treasury bills by the CBN.

2. Inflation has continued its downward trend since late last year where it peaked at ~18%. According to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, inflation currently stands at 13.34% (March 2018) down from 15.13% in January 2018, with the potential to remain on this trajectory. As a result of this, the CBN has hinted at a more accommodative posture by taking actions to reduce interest rates in the market.

-AXA Mansard (May 14, 2018)

Congrats!

V.O: what does your wife do
Me: she is a medical doctor at UPTH ph, she is a paedetrician
V.O : in she a consultant
me: no she is not, she is just in the paedriatics unit
V.O : is she a residency or consultant
me: insisting , she is just a paedetrician
V.O : like a consultant
Me: (ogbeni don't put words in my mouth), she just handles kids at the hospital
V.o: when did she graduate
Me: about the same time I did in 2010

I suppose the VO was trying to ascertain whether your wife was a doctor in training (resident) or a senior doctor (consultant).

In the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, and parts of the Commonwealth, consultant is the title of a senior hospital-based physician or surgeon who has completed all of his or her specialist training and been placed on the specialist register in their chosen speciality. Their role is entirely distinct to that of general practitioners, or GPs.

Residency is a stage of graduate medical training. A resident or house officer is a physician who practices medicine, usually in a hospital or clinic under the direct or indirect supervision of an attending physician. Successful completion of a residency program is a requirement to obtaining an unrestricted license to practice medicine in many jurisdictions. Residency training may be followed by fellowship or "sub-specialty" training.

zenithmarine:
Sorry I am posting this very late.
Thanks to al of you guys here..

This was How it went in lagos...
Vo was the third guy counting from the right...
Can't remember the booth name

V.O good morning
Me: good morning
V.O: passport please
Me: passed passport
V.O : why are a u going to the U.S.
ME: (can't u see it in my form d160) ... my dad and I are going to the US to attend my brother's graduation from Oklahoma state university Stillwater
V.O: what do u do?
Me: I work as a **** with ******
V.O : what is that? (He was referring to my job role)
Me: I explained to him
V.O: are u married
Me: yes I am happily married with two kids
V.o: how old are they
Me: they turned 3 on April 19, they are twins both boys
V.O: what does your wife do
Me: she is a medical doctor at UPTH ph, she is a paedetrician
V.O : in she a consultant
me: no she is not, she is just in the paedriatics unit
V.O : is she a residency or consultant
me: insisting , she is just a paedetrician
V.O : like a consultant
Me: (ogbeni don't put words in my mouth), she just handles kids at the hospital
V.o: when did she graduate
Me: about the same time I did in 2010
V.O: have u travelled before
Me: yes I was in Dubai last year with my family
V.o: how long do u intend staying
Me: (shebi I fill am there! ) 2 weeks
V.O : why I your wife not going with u
Me: (who's go stay with my ibeji for house) she is really busy at work
V.O : facing dad::: what do u do
Dad: I am a retired principal
V.O : what do u do now
Dad : I am a farmer
V.O : what do u grow (dad didn't hear well so I told him)
Dad: cassava
V.O : have u travelled before
Dad: yes I have been traveling and touring a lot within Nigeria
(Jesus, baba don kill me today why can't he just tell them he has been to Italy and UK in the old passport in 1978 which is the truth)
V.O : pick up your passport I in 3days working (gave me white paper)
Me : collecting white paper with dad and walking off bewildered

Lesson learnt, be honest, be bold ,


Experience at poe at dfw in Dallas on the
8th of may I flew Alone without dad
British airways was just average compared with the Emirates we used to Dubai

While filling the APC form at the kiosk, I got a big X on my form
I was directed to another queue
In my mind e don be today
Maybe because I didn't travel with dad
So I joined the queue
And when it got to my turn

Poe: you have vegetables in your bag (I had click on yes when asked if I had any veggies at the kiosk)
Me: yes, but it's Dried
Poe: stamped me in for 6 months

That was all
I had booked my greyhound busa week before
So I got to greyhound bus statoon in Dallas downtown (terrible place I must say , terrible)
I got to Oklahoma pretty late

Now my experience so far in oklahoma
The place is boring , no fun place, nothing special can't wait to be home
Thanks seyewest , ladyguinivere, cosade and other great men of God
I read this thread like i was preparing for my msc exams ...

@ogedanny

Do you know how to buy FBN Eurobond?

ogedanny:
it's time to buy FBN Eurobond fund

I think the traveller from the UK shouldn't have a problem getting the B1/B2 visa but I don't think it is necessary that the traveller state that he/she is going on a group trip since the other members of the group are not leaving from the UK.

abnot:
So we planning a group trip (vacation ) to Atlanta from Lagos but one of us has been in U.K. on tier 4 for about 6 years now and is considering applying for a b1/b2 in London . Each individual responsible for his/her travel cost . Monthly stipend is around £1600. Traveller been to Switzerland, South Africa , Spain, Belgium , Ghana and Netherlands over the last 5 years

Well it really depends on your purpose of visiting the US. Is it for an academic conference to present a paper or just sight seeing? Who is sponsoring your visit to the US? Do you have an invitation, if it is for a conference? Who is paying for your study in the UK? How much is your monthly stipend in the UK? Are you returning to Nigeria after studying in the UK? Which other country have you traveled to in the last 5 years? These are some of the questions that might come up.

abnot:
Ooh k . Cuz I hear it’s almost impossible to prove strong ties as a student in U.K. as opposed to your home country .

Yes, you can apply and obtain a B1/B2 (Business/Tourist) visa from the US Embassy in London/Belfast as a Nigerian.

abnot:
Are students on Tier 4 visa able to secure a US tourist visa from the consulate in London/Belfast ?

Through The Eyes Of A Panther? Unlocking Hidden African Symbolism In The Movie Black Panther

Where did the creators of Black Panther get their inspiration from?

https://www.strangerhistory.com/single-post/2018/02/17/Through-The-Eyes-Of-A-Panther-Unlocking-Hidden-African-Symbolism-In-The-Movie-Black-Panther

A lot has been said on this thread about building a travel history to other countries with a similar visa application process as the U.S. before applying for a U.S. visitor visa. Note that you can still be granted a U.S. visitor visa without having a travel history, taking other factors into consideration.

The link below lists 44 Countries Nigerian Passport Holders can Visit without a Visa. After going through the list it got me thinking (most are African and Caribbean/Island nations with only one European nation). My guess is that it might be the case that when you mention that you have traveled to any of these 44 countries, a U.S. VO already knows that there was no rigorous visa application process before you were allowed in.

https://newsofnigeria.com/44-countries-nigerian-passport-holders-can-visit-this-holiday-without-a-visa/

Just my two cents (or two kobo).

The countries are:
1. Bangladesh
2. Barbados
3. Republic of Benin
4. Burkina Faso
5. Burundi
6. Cameroon
7. Cape Verde
8. Chad
9. Comoros
10. Cote d’Ivoire
11. Djibouti
12. Dominica
13. Fiji Island
14. Gambia
15. Ghana
16.Guinea
17. Guinea Bissau
18. Haiti
19. Iran
20. Kenya
21. Liberia
22. Madagascar
23. Maldives
24. Mali
25. Mauritania
26. Micronesia
27. Mozambique
28. Nauru
29. Republic of Niger
30. Palau
31. Samoa
32. Senegal
33. Seychelles
34. Sierra Leone
35. Somalia
36. Sri Lanka
37. Tanzania
38. Timor-Leste
39. Togo
40. Tuvalu
41. Uganda
42. Vanuatu
43. Georgia
44. Mauritius

Roberto Saviano Says UK is Most Corrupt Country on Earth


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27jPO6e-5yg&feature=youtu.be

MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA JANUARY 7, 2018 / 2:34 PM
Iran bans English in primary schools after leaders' warning
Reuters Staff

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran has banned the teaching of English in primary schools, a senior education official said, after Islamic leaders warned that early learning of the language opened the way to a Western “cultural invasion”.

“Teaching English in government and non-government primary schools in the official curriculum is against laws and regulations,” Mehdi Navid-Adham, head of the state-run High Education Council, told state television late on Saturday.

“This is because the assumption is that, in primary education, the groundwork for the Iranian culture of the students is laid,” Navid-Adham said, adding that non-curriculum English classes may also be blocked.

The teaching of English usually starts in middle school in Iran, around the ages of 12 to 14, but some primary schools, below that age, also have English classes.

Some children also attend private language institutes after their school day. And many children from more privileged families attending non-government schools receive English tuition from daycare through high school.

Iran’s Islamic leaders have often warned about the dangers of a “cultural invasion”, and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei voiced outrage in 2016 over the “teaching of the English language spreading to nursery schools”.

Khamenei, who has the final say in all state matters, said in that speech to teachers: “That does not mean opposition to learning a foreign language, but (this is the) promotion of a foreign culture in the country and among children, young adults and youths.”

“Western thinkers have time and again said that instead of colonialist expansionism ... the best and the least costly way would have been inculcation of thought and culture to the younger generation of countries,” Khamenei said, according to the text of the speech posted on a website run by his office (Leader.ir).

https://in.reuters.com/article/iran-english/iran-bans-english-in-primary-schools-after-leaders-warning-idINKBN1EW0L7

In the autonomous and highly industralized/wealthy region of Catalonia (capital-Barcelona), Catalan is the official language, in addition to Spanish. Catalan is a whole separate language, as in not a dialect of Spanish.

It was during Franco dictatorship (1939-1975) that the use of the Catalan language was banned. In recent times, there has been calls by Catalonians for independence from Spain.
Note that modern Spain did not exist as a country until 1469 (or 1492). Prior to the late 15th century, there were different kingdoms in Spain which were separate countries socially, politically, legally, and in currency and language

martineverest:
nice one.....but what will u say about Spain and Catalan.......Catalans aren't happy that Spanish govt are imposing Spanish on them instead of allowing them use their native catalan as their official language

There is a difference between an official language and national/regional language.
An official language is a language used for high-status functions in a state:, including by the government, education, and media. Most of the time it (or they) will have been declared official through a law or in the constitution of that country.

A national language is a language that is widespread in a country and has some symbolic status (i.e., it is a symbol of the country or group). For obvious reasons, a national language is also an official language. For example, Japanese is both the official language of Japan as well as the (only) national language there, French is both national and official, and many other examples can be found. Another , although slightly different example can be found in the Republic of Ireland, where both English and Irish are national languages and official languages although Irish is not very widespread anymore.

However, sometimes an official language is not a national language. This situation is commonplace in Africa, where European languages (French, English, and Portuguese) are official languages but are not national languages.

So Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba and other languages in Nigeria are national languages predominately spoken in certain regions of the country.
Hausa is the regional language in Northern Nigeria (mainly North West and North East), just like Yoruba is in the 6 states in South West Nigeria and Igbo in the 5 states in South East Nigeria.

In India, with a population of 1.2 billion, the official languages are Hindi (largest number of speakers) and English (used extensively in business and administration; it is important in education, especially as a medium of higher education). India has no national language. Each state and union territory has one or more official languages, and the constitution recognises in particular 22 "scheduled languages": Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Kashmiri, Marathi, Punjabi, Urdu, Sanskrit, Gujarati, Bengali, Sindhi, Santaji, Odia, Nepali, Manipuri, Maithili, Konkani, Dogri, Bodo, Malayalam, and Assamese.

martineverest:
u are not quite correct.... in northern Nigeria,the official language is Hausa first,then English...... same with west+(.Yoruba and 3nglish) and east(Ibo and English)......it's not wrong to mix English with hausa.most of them are more comfortable teaching in their native dialet