It was reported on the radio, a week ago, that Benjamin Onwuka threatened to launch another attack on Government House Enugu and declare Biafran Independence at State House.
The Nairaland thread about the attack was explosive, but it was washed away by the Nairaland data loss tsunami.
However, Benjamin Onwuka's interview with Vanguard, in which he described how they captured the radio station and denied that they killed a policeman, is still online. There's also a Wikipedia article about the attack.
Biafra Zionists Movement, led by Benjamin Onwuka, have tried to capture Government House and the radio station in Enugu c2014. They were arrested and the pictures of them shirtless and in handcuffs at police headquarters was widely circulated on Nairaland.
ecode1: So what we are watching is a recorded version.
There is a practice that was started by Duro Onabule when he was Babangida's chief press secretary. The text of the president's speech is usually given to senior editors of media houses ahead of time, but it is embargoed, so that the media houses would not publish it until the morning of the speech.
Sahara Reporters broke the embargo a few years ago. They published President Jonathan's speech the day before he was supposed to deliver it. This made the Jonathan Administration angry and they stopped releasing the speech ahead of time.
It appears that the Presidency has resumed the practice.
It's also true that most presidential broadcasts in Nigeria are recorded (this becomes obvious when you note the transitions in the broadcast).
President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2018 Democracy Day speech
On May 29, 20187:04 am
Address by Muhammadu Buhari, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria In commemoration of the 2018 Democracy Day Celebration, Tuesday, 29Th May, 2018
My Dear Nigerians!
1. Today marks the 19th year of our nascent democracy and the 3rd Anniversary of this administration. I am thankful to Almighty God for bringing us thus far. This administration came at a time that Nigerians needed Change, the Change we promised and the Change we continue to deliver. We have faced a lot of challenges on this journey and Nigerians have stood by us in achieving the three cardinal points of this administration namely; Security, Corruption and the Economy.
2.The commemoration of this year’s Democracy Day is a celebration of freedom, a salute to the resilience and determination of Nigerians and a recommitment by Government to keep its promise to lead Nigeria into a new era of justice and prosperity.
3.Public safety and security remains the primary duty of this Government. Before this Administration came into being 3 years ago, Boko Haram held large areas of land spanning several Local Governments in the North East.
4.Today, the capacity of the insurgents has been degraded leading to the re-establishment of authority of government and the release of captives including, happily, 106 Chibok and 104 Dapchi girls, and over 16,000 other persons held by the Boko Haram.
5.In order to minimize the impact of the insurgency on Internally Displaced Persons, Government has established secure IDP Camps and has improved the mechanism for the distribution of basic aid, foods and essential commodities using various strategies in collaboration with local and international Organizations.
6.Efforts are in process for resettlement of IDPs in their home communities by providing schools, hospitals, clinics, water and sanitation to facilitate a quick return to economic activities. Government is similarly implementing de-radicalization and rehabilitation programmes to facilitate sustainable peace and development.
7.The unfortunate incidences of kidnappings, herdsmen and farmers clashes in several communities which have led to high number of fatalities and loss of properties across the country is being addressed and the identified culprits and their sponsors shall be made to face the full wrath of the law. All the three tiers of Government are presently engaged with communities and religious organizations to restore peaceful co-existence among Nigerians.
8.I want to commend members of the Multinational Joint Task Force drawn from Niger, Benin, Chad, Cameroon and our own country in collaboration with the International Community who are assisting in the fight against insurgency in the North East. I also commend the gallantry of members of our Armed Forces and other security agencies that have continued to provide security for lives and properties across the country. State and Local traditional authorities are helping with much needed intelligence in this fight against insurgency.
9.This administration is pained over the grievous loss of lives and properties occasioned by the carnage of insurgency and other forms of criminality in the country. I wish to assure Nigerians that we will not rest until all criminal elements and their sponsors are brought to justice. Government is boosting the capacity of our security agencies through recruitment of more personnel, training and procurement of modern equipment, enhancement of intelligence gathering as well as boosting their morale in the face of daunting challenges.
10.The Niger Delta Region has enjoyed relative peace through social inclusiveness and cooperation of the Elders and the good people of the region. Government is committed to implementing the comprehensive peace, security and development plan for the region. The environmental clean-up of the region which commenced with the launch in Bodo, Ogoni in June, 2016 is progressing satisfactorily. Furthermore farming assets are being revived and investors in cocoa and palm oil plantations are showing serious interest.
11.The second primary object of this Administration is to fight corruption headlong. Like I have always said, if we don’t kill corruption, corruption will destroy the country. Three years into this Administration, Nigerians and the international community have begun to applaud our policies and determination to fight corruption. We are more than ever before determined to win this war, however hard the road is. I therefore appeal to all well-meaning Nigerians to continue to support us in this fight.
12.Various policy measures already put in place to stem the tide of corrupt practices are yielding remarkable results. Some of these key reform policies include:
a.The Treasury Single Account (TSA) has realized Billions of Naira being saved from maintenance fee payable to banks. N200 Billion has also been saved from elimination of ghost workers in public service.
b.The Whistle-Blowing Policyhas helped to recover over N500 Billion;
c.The Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit set up with a mandate to validate controls, assess risks, prune personnel costs, ensure compliance with Public Financial Management reforms has helped to identify and remove over 52,000 ghost workers from the Federal Government MDAs Payroll;
d.The Voluntary Asset and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS) aimed at expanding tax education and awareness has offered the opportunity for tax defaulters to regularise their status in order to enjoy the amnesty of forgiveness on overdue interest, penalties and the assurance of non-prosecution or subject to tax investigations.
e.The Sovereign Wealth Fund project portfolio has been expanded with an injection of US$650 million so as to strengthen its investment in local infrastructure, power, health, re-construction of Abuja-Kano road, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, East West Road (Section V) and the Mambilla Hydro-electric Power project as well as the construction of the 2nd Niger Bridge.
13.The fight against corruption through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has resulted in recoveries of Billions of Naira, as well as forfeiture of various forms of assets. This alongside other efforts has improved Nigeria’s international image and regional cooperation.
14.We have retained the services of one of the world’s leading assets tracing firms to investigate and trace assets globally. This is in addition to the exploitation of provisions of existing Treaties, Conventions as well as Bilateral Agreements with Multilateral bodies and Nations. Nigeria has also signed Mutual Legal Assistance Agreements to ensure that there is no hiding place for fugitives.
15.This Administration has therefore focused on revamping the ailing economy it inherited in 2015. In 2016, Government executed an expansionary budget and developed the Strategic Implementation Plan. For the first time, 30% of the budget was earmarked for capital expenditure which represents an upward review when compared with the 2015 budget. The SIP was followed by the development of a comprehensive medium term plan – the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan 2017 – 2020.
16.The broad strategic objectives of the ERGP were to; Restore and sustain economic growth; Build a globally competitive economy; and Invest in our people. The implementation of the ERGP has started yielding results. The National Bureau of Statistics reports that the economy grew by 1.95% in 1stquarter 2018, which is a good performance when viewed against -0.91 in 1st quarter 2017 and -0.67% in 1st quarter 2016 respectively.
17.Our foreign reserve has improved significantly to 47.5 billion USD as of May, 2018 as against 29.6 billion USD in 2015. The inflationary rate has consistently declined every month since January, 2017.
18.Recently, Government conducted Focus Labs in three key sectors of the Economy namely, Agriculture & Transport, Manufacturing and Processing as well as Power and Gas. These have yielded significant prospects for investments and Job creation to the tune of US$ 22.5 billion with a potential for creating more than 500,000 jobs by 2020. These investment generation initiatives are expected to increase capital inflows in the form of foreign direct investment. There is a high prospect that the cumulative investments from this first phase of the Labs will hit US$39.2 billion by 2025.
19.Under agriculture, Nigeria continues to pursue a strategic food security programme built around self-sufficiency and minimization of import dependency. As a result, rice importation from other countries has been cut down by 90% which has a direct impact on foreign reserves.
20.The Social Investment Programmes (SIP) has been created as a means to graduating our citizens from poverty through capacity building, investment and direct support. The major strategic objective is to restore livelihood, economic opportunities and sustenance for the poor across the country. The SIP programmes and projects include:
a.Home Grown School Feeding Programme – About 8.2 million pupils are currently being fed from 24 States of the Federation with over 75,000 Catering Staff engaged under the programme.
b.The Conditional Cash Transfer has so far recorded over 297,000 caregivers and being trained by 2,495 Community Facilitators in 21 states. Less privileged Nigerians are now being paid N5,000 monthly stipend in 9 pilot States of Bauchi, Borno, Cross River, Ekiti, Kwara, Kogi, Niger, Osun and Oyo. Eventually the scheme will cover all the 36 states of the federation including the FCT.
c.Under the Government Enterprise Empowerment Programme – About 264,269 loans had been disbursed to 4,822 societies in the 36 States and FCT, while another 370,635 are awaiting release of funds.
d.N-Power Job creation Scheme – is targeted at providing jobs for unemployed young graduates and has so far recruited 200,000 youths while the next batch of 300,000 have been selected, verified and would soon be deployed across the 36 States and the FCT. Furthermore, 20,000 non-graduate volunteers have also been selected to kick off the N-Build programme in collaboration with the National Automotive Design and Development Council and the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria.
21.In the area of power generation, Nigerians from all parts of the country continue to report better power supply and less use of generators. This underscores the effectiveness of the methodical plan to deliver incremental and uninterrupted power supply to our homes, markets, offices and factories.
22.The country achieved 5, 222.3 MW representing the highest peak of power generated onto the national grid and delivered to customers in December, 2017. With new facilities, repairs and rehabilitations by Government and private investors, generation capability now exceeds 7,500 MW.
23.This Administration is committed to lawful interventions to ensure the operators of the distribution business live up to expectations especially in the areas of distribution capacity, service delivery, collection efficiency, and metering to eliminate contentious estimated billing.
24.The Transportation Sector continues to undergo a series of reforms in order to sustain the international best practices and ensure safety and security. The nation’s major airports have witnessed reconstruction of runways, installation of navigational equipment and new international terminals due for commissioning in Abuja, Lagos, Kano and Enugu. Bilateral Air Services Agreements between Nigeria and the Governments of other countries will significantly open up new flight routes.
25.As a result of strict regulatory and compliance policies, Nigeria retained her Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Category 1 status, after a routine international audit. Recently, a new Maintenance Repair and Overhaul facility with capacity for aircraft C-checks and other comprehensive levels of maintenance was established in Lagos. This would save the country an estimated $90m annually.
26.Giant strides have been recorded over the past three years to improve road transport infrastructure in all geopolitical zones of the country.
27.The Railway Sector has also received tremendous attention as this Administration is committed to the goal of linking all State capitals in the Federation by rail network to ease the movement of goods and passengers.
28.The Education Sector especially at tertiary level has continued to witness expansion in order to improve access to higher education by millions of youths in Nigeria. Over the last three years, Government has approved the establishment of 1 new Federal Polytechnic, granted licenses for the establishment of 4 State and 14 private-owned Universities as well as 12 private Polytechnics.
29.Government has also continued to support the implementation of various initiatives aimed at improving the quality of Basic Education delivery. Thus, it has ensured proper funding at the Basic Education level with the disbursement of N42.2 billion UBE Matching Grant to 26 States and the FCT, N851.5 million Special Education Grant disbursed to 23 States and private providers of Special Education and N2.2 billion Teachers Professional Development Fund to 33 States and the FCT.
30.The Federal Government has continued to support fiscal sustainability at the sub-national governments through the implementation of the Budget Support Facility which was accompanied by the 22- point Fiscal Sustainability Plan. Thus, bailouts funds were made available to States to ease their fiscal challenges and other obligations including payment of salaries.
31.In addition, a total of 73 Ecological Fund projects for the control of gully erosion in different communities across all geopolitical zones have been completed in the last three years and are undergoing commissioning while 53 other projects are ongoing. The execution of these projects has generated 357 skilled jobs and 1,350 unskilled jobs during this period.
32.It is pertinent to also make mention of the immeasurable contributions of the Nigerian woman to national development and advancement of democracy, over the last three years. The government and people appreciate you all as mothers of our great country.
33.My dear country men and women, as we all celebrate our democratic experience, let us resolve to avoid hatred and intolerance; we can only achieve our objectives in an atmosphere of harmony and peaceful co-existence.
34.Finally, the up-coming months will usher us into another season of general elections. Let me use this opportunity to urge us all to conduct ourselves, our wards and our constituencies with the utmost sense of fairness, justice and peaceful co-existence such that we will have not only hitch free elections but also a credible and violence free process.
35.In few days to come, I will be joined by many promising young Nigerians to sign into law the “Not Too Young to Run” Bill
Proudlyngwa: Me made a case that data is not too high(faints) where so i can modify
as for making a thread, you have a wider reach.
and honestly most places i work, its easier to get network than radio signal, most of us rely on live score BBC and nairaland to get updates if we cant stream. maybe the telecoms guys might help us out , see this thread and come to uue rescue to make it an eventful world cup for all of us
Sigh. You still don't get it.
I totally understand what you are talking about, but you are yet to get my point.
This is your point
1) I grew up in an era when everybody listened to shortwave radio. I listened to the BBC World Service, Voice of America, All India Radio, Radio Exterior De Espana, CBC, Radio France International, etc. It really didn't cost anything to listen to them and you could take them anywhere you went with a world band radio (remember that you can cover several countries with a single short wave transmitter).
The world has largely moved on from short wave broadcasting and the internet is the new short wave radio. So what if you can listen to these stations on your phone at near zero cost, just like we listened to shortwave broadcasts back in the day?
2) There was a football match last year and Kwese Sports showed it, but DSTV didn't. I called my brother to discuss the game with him, but he couldn't watch it because he was out of town and he could only get DSTV where he was. He told me to whatsapp him if there was a goal. I sent him a message when a goal was scored and he told me that he was watching the game via Kwese's Facebook page.
3) Some networks (eg, Etisalat) have a package with which you can use some social media platforms, eg Facebook, for free. What you are advocating is that one of the telecoms networks should partner with Kwese so that subscribers can watch the World Cup matches (only) at reduced cost.
I understand what you are saying.
Here's what I am saying
Although you and the people you know can easily access the internet, it's not the case for everybody. I know many people who do not have smart phones, I know many people who cannot afford data and I also know many people who do not have reliable data service at their location. Yet these people can easily watch or listen to the matches on terestrial TV and radio. Those are the people that this announcement is for.
Here's my main point. It is not a competition. The fact that people will watch and listen to the games via terestrial stations does not in any way affect people who want to stream the matches online. They are two totally separate issues. This thread is not about streaming the matches.
The fact that you want to stream the matches should not in any way hinder those who want to watch them on terestrial TV. They are two different things. You can create a thread about streaming World Cup matches if you are interested in that.
Proudlyngwa: You don't seem to understand me, a lot of people listened to this matches via BON but not at this magnitude. There are people who intend watching the match in good network zones but data price is expensive. that is why I said if the network operators can team up with broadcasters for special data packages for the matches, it will be first of its kind.
We have radio apps that can transmit commentary, it can be worked out that maybe a match commentary can cast like 20 naira, most people don't go out with radios and outside a lot of urban areas signal is almost no exit but you can get apps which transmit over 3g
But you just made a case that the cost of data is not too high.
Anyway, I repeat, this announcement is for people whose only opportunity to watch the matches is via terrestrial TV and radio. The idea of a promo for people who want to stream the matches online is a totally different topic. You can create a thread with that suggestion. Who knows, someone from one of the telecomms companies might be reading.
Proudlyngwa: Unfortunately in a lot of places even with the best of boosters, terrestrial signals is limited. A lot of colleagues depend on my mifi to watch Premiership matches and they will also be depending on it for the world cup matches. I believe I speak for a lot of field workers, students and people wlo live far from the urban center.
If there was a package like the YouTube package we can subscribe to, it will help a lot of us
There are a lot of online streaming services with which you can watch the matches. I've already given an example of the Kwese app. Kwese had been streaming their sports shows on their app, their website and their Facebook page since 2016.
However, for very many people, network services are poor and the cost of data is beyond their reach, yet they can easily get terrestrial television signals. There are also a lot of people who might be in transit during the matches and the only way they can follow the games is on radio. These are the people that this announcement is for (remember that your circumstance might be different from others. I know people who can only subscribe for night plans, I know people who can't even afford data and I also know people who don't even have smart phones. Likewise, there are also people who can't get reliable data service, but can get terrestrial TV signals).
Proudlyngwa: I don't see anything new in this. I would have been more interested if major telecom providers had signed an agreement for world cup streaming packages. I watched the champions league online at a price of almost 500 naira.
Not everyone will have access to the terrestrial signals, but most people have access to fast Internet.
Free to air terrestrial TV is the most accessible TV platform in Nigeria. You don't need to pay a kobo to view it and you can view it without buying any special equipment.
In many places, you can view free to air terrestrial TV by simply attaching a clothes hanger and any electrical wire to your TV set. You can also view free to air terrestrial TV if you already have a satellite dish (you don't need any special equipment. All you need to do is search on your TV).
And remember, almost all the terrestrial radio and TV stations in Nigeria are members of BON (they've got more than 100 members and this includes the biggest networks in Nigeria).
Internet streaming is good, but this announcement is for people who prefer to watch the matches free of charge, without paying for data or pay TV subscription. It's also for those who might want to listen to commentaries on their car radios.
vicboy12: Which one is kwese sport again, am serious am hearing that name for the first time
Kwese Sports is owned by Econet (the Zimbabwean telecommunications company). They've got a channel called Kwese Free Sports, which shows sports programmes on a free to air basis. You can watch Kwese Free Sports on DBN Television (UHF 32 in Lagos). They hold the free-to-air broadcast rights to the 2018 FIFA World Cup. They've also got the exclusive African rights to NBA, NFL and NHL games.
Kwesé Partners With Nigeria Info For 2018 World Cup
Kwesé has consolidated an agreement with the Aim Group, owners of Cool FM, Wazobia FM, Nigeria Info and Arewa Radio, to broadcast the 32 free-to-air (FTA) matches of 2018 FIFA World Cup RussiaTM live on radio.
The Radio Rights Sub-licence Agreement was signed at the Nigeria Info studio in Lagos today, 11 May 2018. Kwesé’s exclusive free-to-air channel, Kwesé Free Sports (KFS), will provide the feed and Nigeria Info’s celebrated “Femi & The Gang” crew will be the voice of the radio commentary on Aim Group stations in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja and Kano.
Kwesé Free Sports (KFS) is a 24-hour sports TV station that transmits on UHF channel 32 in Lagos, but this partnership extends the station’s presence to radio, giving millions of Nigerians access to enjoy the 2018 FIFA World CupTM commentary in English language, Pidgin English and Hausa.
General Manager, Kwesé Free Sports Nigeria, Chichi Nwoko said: “We are excited to be bringing millions of Nigerians 32 of the 64 World Cup matches live, and in partnership with Nigeria Info. Through Kwesé’s multi-platform offering, one of which is the Kwesé Free Sports channel, we are committed to ensuring that all Nigerians get to enjoy the 2018 FIFA World Cup”.
Millions of football fans in Nigeria are now guaranteed free and breathtaking action of the 2018 FIFA World Cup on terrestrial television. This is thanks to an agreement the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) reached with the rights holders Kwese Sports. Based on the agreement, matches involving African teams as well as the opening and closing ceremony of the World Cup.
In all, terrestrial television viewers will get to see 32 matches at the month-long event hosted by Russia.
At a press conference, held in the Boardroom of Channels Television in Lagos, BON Chairman, Mr John Momoh, explained the terms and conditions of the agreement.
Mr Momoh said, “We are focused on providing the best services to our audience and clients. And by combining the wide and national coverage of our members with Kwese’s offering, we can ensure that all Nigerians have the opportunity to watch the matches and cheer our great Super Eagles to victory during the FIFA World Cup when watching free to air television regardless of wherever you are in Nigeria.
“To this end, BON and Kwese have dedicated endless resources to ensure a top-class sporting coverage that will remain indelible in our minds for a long time to come.”
On its part, Kwese Sports said it was keen to get as many Nigerians as possible get to watch the World Cup.
“What is really important for us is to make sure that all Nigerians, to the extent possible, are able to have access to the World Cup,” the Chief Executive Officer of Kwese Sports Nigeria, Zakary Wasara, said.
The 2018 World Cup in Russia is scheduled to start on June 14 and end on July 15. Hosts Russia would get the tournament started by taking on Saudi Arabia.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles would get into action two days later when they face Croatia. The Super Eagles were drawn in Group D along with Argentina, Iceland, and Croatia.
Politics › Re: Biafra Zionists in a failed attempt to seize Enugu Govt House by naptu2: 10:55am On May 30, 2018
