Serial party defector, perennial presidential candidate and former vice president Atiku Abubakar, currently seeking the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2019 (s)election, is not quite confident about his chances of securing the nomination.

Details: https://www.naijiant.com/beer-parlour-gist/atiku-is-already-atikulating-defeat-in-presidential-bid/

The rumored rift between the Governor of Lagos State, Akinwumi Ambode, and his now estranged political godfather, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has finally blown into the open. This ends months of speculation.

Obviously this crisis is only another crack in a ruling party already riven by multiple divisions, most of which are struggles between different gangs of thieves. But given the enormous political and economic importance of Lagos state, Nigeria's production and commercial epicenter and Africa's 5th largest economy, this also could become a crack that hurts the most like a boil that sinks root under the cervices of one's armpit. In other words, except the feverish behind-the-scene negotiations which now involves the Presidency brings up an acceptable deal, something which cannot be ruled out at the last minute, this rift could have some political repercussions for the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) in the 2019 general elections in the State.

More: https://www.naijiant.com/guestcolumn/rift-between-tinubu-and-ambode-is-a-struggle-between-thieves-spn/

Before you criticise the Constitution, you need to read it first. Here's why: https://www.naijiant.com/articles/why-every-nigerian-must-read-the-constitution/

Hundreds of people have been killed or maimed by landmines in north-east Nigeria, research shows.

Mines laid by Boko Haram, the extremist group that has waged a deadly insurgency in the Lake Chad region, killed 162 people in two years and wounded 277 more, according to the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), a landmine clearance charity.

More: https://www.naijiant.com/guestcolumn/boko-haram-landmines-in-nigeria-killed-at-least-162-in-two-years-study/

Buhari goes to New York today for the UN General Assembly. The same UN has reported that nearly 100 Nigerians have died from cholera in the northeast in the past two weeks.

Details: https://www.naijiant.com/guestcolumn/cholera-outbreak-in-nigerias-northeast-kills-nearly-100/

The questions for Buhari:

1. Which other leader from the UN General Assembly would leave their country as 100 of their people die?

2. How can your supporters claim you have improved Nigeria's standing in the world when the world can see you don't care about Nigerian lives?

Kingsley Moghalu, the presidential candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), was on Bloomberg News this morning where he proclaimed that the Nigerian economy would get worse if President Muhammadu Buhari was reelected next year.  Moghalu attributed this to "a fundamental level of incompetence in the Buhari administration".

The former deputy governor of Nigeria's Central Bank said that with Buhari's regime "politics trumps everything", with "practical economic thinking scarce".

More from Moghalu: https://www.naijiant.com/articles/moghalu-mauls-incompetent-buhari-admin-on-bloomberg/

Conviction in middlemen’s fast-tracked OPL 245 trial a poor omen for Shell and Eni’s defence just days before major bribery trial hears first prosecution witnesses.

Today two middlemen have been found guilty of corruption offences relating to Shell and Eni’s 2011 deal for one of Nigeria’s most promising oil licenses. The judgement was first reported by Reuters who cited a legal source.

The two middlemen Emeka Obi and Gianluca Di Nardo have been sentenced to four years jail time and confiscations of over €100 million. The pair had opted for a fast tracked trial for their role in the deal. The fast track process in Italian law offers a possible reduction in any sentence. A larger trial including Shell, Eni and 13 other defendants is ongoing. The prosecution will start presenting their evidence next Wednesday.

More: https://www.naijiant.com/guestcolumn/conviction-of-nigerian-oil-deal-middlemen-spells-trouble-for-shell-and-eni/

"The siege of unemployment is over in your life, the siege of business stagnation, frustration in your life are finally over."

The prosperity gospel by David Oyedepo sounds hypnotizing. A crowd of 50,000 people is taking in every word. 50,000 — that is the current capacity of the Living Faith Church just outside of Lagos, the country's third biggest Pentecostal church.

Many more listen to Oyedepo outside this megachurch, those who did not get a seat inside. They raise their hands towards the sky in devotion, in hopes their prayers will be heard. Oyedepo is just one of many pastors in Nigeria who promise positive change.

More: https://www.naijiant.com/guestcolumn/nigerian-pentecostal-megachurches-a-booming-business/

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has predicted that President Muhammadu Buhari will lose his bid to be re-elected in February next year.  This is in line with our views at Naijiant.com about Buhari’s unmitigated failure as a president.

The EIU is the research and analysis division of the Economist magazine and provides country, risk and industry analysis, across 200 countries worldwide.

More: https://www.naijiant.com/articles/buhari-will-lose-re-election-bid-economist-intelligence-unit/

Bede2u:
hausa president- no waec certificate

Yoruba minister forged nysc certificate

Wetin concern ipob? Since 1967 the country went to dogs and baboons

Buhari is a Fulani man.

The source said that Adeosun was promised a "soft landing" if she left quietly.  It wasn't clear what this "soft landing" meant.  But there has been little talk from officials about the former minister facing criminal charges for forgery and she has since reportedly left Nigeria for the United Kingdom, where she was born and lived until her 30s.

More: https://www.naijiant.com/beer-parlour-gist/kemi-adeosun-was-forced-to-resign/

Almost two decades ago, when Sierra Leone was in the grip of a brutal civil war, troops from Nigeria (operating under the auspices of the Economic Community of West African States ECOWAS and its Military Observer Group ECOMOG) were deployed to protect civilians from rebel forces in the capital Freetown.

But instead, some of the peacekeepers turned on those they were meant to safeguard, committing atrocities that were captured on camera by a journalist, Sorious Samura, and later included in Cry Freetown, a landmark documentary about the conflict that shocked the world.

More and video (warning - there are distressing images): https://www.naijiant.com/videos/nigerias-peacekillers-in-sierra-leone/

gidgiddy:
I wonder what the guy would tell Nnamdi Kanu which he hasn't heard before?

Nigeria will be great again?
Our strength is in our diversity?
Nigeria is the giant of Africa?
Nigeria has huge potential?
The Igbo man is better off in Nigeria?
Biafra is not viable?
All Nigeria needs is restructuring?

We have been hearing these things since Lugard went back to Britain

Why wonder what the guy would tell Kanu when you can listen to him and hear what he said he would tell Kanu?

SKC Ogbonnia, a Houston-based Nigerian who is also running for the presidency, has said that Nnamdi Kanu, the missing leader of the separatist Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), would abandon the agitation for secession if he could spend an hour with Ogbonnia.

Ogbonnia thinks the pro-Biafran campaign is focused on the wrong issues. Ogbonnia is an oil executive and currently Chairman of First Texas Energy Corporation.

Watch his interview here: https://www.naijiant.com/videos/i-can-make-nnamdi-kanu-abandon-biafra-skc-ogbonnia/

Kemi Adeosun was just a middle level accountant. https://www.naijiant.com/beer-parlour-gist/kemi-adeosun-best-middle-level-accountant/

The thing is, Buhari has no business running a country like Nigeria.  Constitutional law professor Ben Nwabueze said over two years ago that the president lacked the intellectual capacity to govern Nigeria.  Most discerning observers would agree with Nwabueze.  Apart from the chronically shallow intellect, Buhari's parochialism was something else Nigerians were warned about sometime ago by two people who are now singing a different tune.

More: https://www.naijiant.com/articles/anyone-acting-surprised-at-buharis-ethnocentric-appointments-needs-their-heads-checked/

The Nigerian government’s delay in making public a report on the military’s human rights record is an appalling affront to victims who are still waiting for justice, Amnesty International said on Tuesday - one year after a presidential investigative panel started its work.

The Panel to Review Compliance of the Armed Forces with Human Rights Obligations and Rules of Engagement submitted its report in February 2018. Since then, Nigerians have been waiting for the full report and fulfilment of the promise made by President Buhari in June 2015 to end impunity and ensure justice for the victims of crimes under international law committed by the armed forces.

More: https://www.naijiant.com/guestcolumn/amnesty-international-nigeria-must-release-presidential-report-on-the-militarys-human-rights-record/

Hundreds have lost their lives this year as a fertile region descends into worsening conflict
It was a set-up and Buharin Daji walked right into it. The notorious cattle-rustling kingpin had arrived for a meeting in the northern Nigerian bush, ostensibly to settle differences with one of his senior lieutenants, but instead was shot dead.

Daji’s murder in March has had consequences in an already deeply troubled Zamfara State, where years of building unrest have claimed thousands of lives and driven whole communities into destitution.

This underdeveloped yet agriculturally rich region has been unstable for many years. What began as unresolved clashes between Hausa farmers and Fulani pastoralists over access to land has transformed into a lucrative illicit economy of banditry and cattle-rustling dominated by men like Daji.

Zamfara is different from highly politicised farmer-herder clashes in other parts of Nigeria where largely Muslim pastoralists push south in search of pasture and meet increasingly populated Christian farming areas. Instead, Zamfara is overwhelmingly Muslim and, human rights groups argue, the violence here is fundamentally about the government’s abdication of its responsibility to protect its citizens.

More: https://www.naijiant.com/guestcolumn/zamfara-nigerias-wild-northwest/

StillX10:
There is no such thing as "good, peaceful Fulani" take it or leave it

Wherever you go, among every group of people, you will find good, bad and ugly. Take it or leave it.

The mockery of pastoralist Fulani over their enthusiasm for cows has made way for the slurs of "terrorists" and "militia" as disputes with others in West Africa lead to bloodshed. In Nigeria they face other problems too.

The voices of the two boys, neither older than 16, carry over the sound of more than 20 cows trotting through the grass. Day in and day out they have to ensure the animals are well grazed and watered in the fields of Jos in central Nigeria's Plateau State.

Looking on, Idris Abdullahi Bayero considers himself lucky. The 29-year-old graduate of history and international studies at the University of Jos was once just like these boys, living in the bush and on the move with his family and their cows, calves and goats.

Education is one of the main challenges facing the Fulani who have traditionally led a nomadic existence across western and central Africa. Although most now live in more permanent settlements, these are still often far from schools or other facilities such as healthcare centers.

More: https://www.naijiant.com/guestcolumn/the-good-peaceful-fulani-need-to-tell-their-story/

Don't listen to a govt and army of liars.

Militants have attacked the northern Nigerian town of Gudumbali, with residents reporting several deaths. The Nigerian government had asked displaced people to return to the town in June.

Islamist militants reportedly traveling on motorbikes and pick-up trucks attacked the town of Gudumbali in northern Nigeria on Friday, with residents saying many people had been killed or forced to flee.A vigilante, Baba Ali Musa, said the militants had shot sporadically as they entered the town.

More: https://www.naijiant.com/guestcolumn/boko-haram-overrun-town-that-nigerian-military-asked-idps-to-return-to/

Match report and extended highlights: https://www.naijiant.com/sports/nigeria-cure-world-cup-hangover-with-easy-win-3-0-against-seychelles/

Buhari

There are clearly issues in the Ojukwu family, but that should be none of our business.  However, the argument that because she comes from Enugu State, she can't represent Anambra South is pure ignorance.

This is why Nigerians must read the Constitution.
More: https://www.naijiant.com/articles/the-ignorance-of-ojukwus-sons-on-biancas-senatorial-bid/

The current edition of Private Eye, a UK investigative journalism magazine reports how, despite prime minister Theresa May's posturing in Abuja, Nigeria last week on helping Nigeria combat some of its ills, her country was still keeping assets seized from some of Nigeria's "fantastically corrupt" politicians.

More: https://www.naijiant.com/articles/the-uk-is-still-withholding-iboris-millions/

The Enugu State government, working with a property developer, has invited "Enugu State indigenes in Diaspora" to buy land in a new development in the state capital Enugu called "Enugu Life Style and Golf City".

The information from the developers stated:

"We are happy to confirm that the final Site Plan for the Diaspora Gardens Estate situated in the Enugu Life Style and Golf City, bordering Centenary City Enugu State is now ready for purchase.

"The Diaspora Gardens Estate is solely meant for Enugu State Indigenes living in the Diaspora.

More: https://www.naijiant.com/articles/enugu-state-govts-discriminatory-allocation-of-land/

Only mugus buy this "restructuring" BS:
https://www.naijiant.com/articles/history-lesson-advocates-restructuring-nigeria/
https://www.naijiant.com/articles/restructuring-deckchairs-nigerian-titanic/
https://www.naijiant.com/articles/balarabe-musa-many-calling-restructuring-hypocrites/

Balogun told the BBC's Football Focus how his sister took him to a "witch". He came across as a very sharp guy.
More: https://www.naijiant.com/sports/leon-balogun-a-spiritualist-helped-get-my-career-back-on-track/

The governor of Gombe State, Hassan Dankwambo, who is seeking the Peoples Democratic Party's (PDP) nomination as presidential candidate, yesterday tweeted about his qualifications.

It came across as a dig at President Muhammadu Buhari, who has been dogged by opponents for not passing his secondary school certificate exams before joining the army. 

More: https://www.naijiant.com/articles/presidential-candidate-hassan-dankwambo-taunts-buhari-by-flaunting-qualifications/

Tales of corruption in Nigeria are legion. And like many analysts of the country, Matthew Page has his favorites. There's the case of the clerk at the state examinations board who was called to account for the disappearance of $100,000 in exam fees. While news accounts of her explanations varied, according to some reports, "she claimed that a magical snake had slithered into the safe and eaten the money," chuckles Page, who spent more than a decade studying Nigeria as an intelligence officer for various U.S. agencies.

Then there's the mile-long "monorail to nowhere" in the city of Port Harcourt. A state governor [Rotimi Amaechi] poured $400 million into building it, says Page. Then, shortly before completion, his successor halted construction. "So, it's never run a single train."

More: https://www.naijiant.com/guestcolumn/report-finds-500-distinct-types-of-corruption-in-nigeria/

The suspension of individual liberty on grounds of national security is for a court to decide. That's what the Supreme Court said.

They interpret laws. Courts cannot amend the Constitution. Courts cannot suspend the Constitution or any part thereof. See: the case of Attorney-General of Bendel State .v. Attorney-General of Federation & Ors. (1981) 10 SC 1 at 134 (1981) NSCC 314 However, if, in its role of interpretation, a court makes a pronouncement which may have the weight and effect of declaring a law or some part of the Constitution for that matter null and void, the court must find support from the same Constitution or any other statute of equal force. The pronouncement by the court below is that where National Security is threatened or there is the real likelihood of it being threatened human rights or the individual right of those responsible take second place. Human rights or individual rights must be suspended until the National Security can be protected or well taken care of. This is not anything new. The corporate existence of Nigeria as a united, harmonious, indivisible and indissoluble sovereign nation is certainly greater than any citizen’s liberty or right. Once the security of this nation is in jeopardy and it survives in pieces rather than in peace, the individual’s liberty or right may not even exist.