₦airaland Forum

NIGERIA is to have two new consulates in
Benin Republic, President Muhammadu Buhari
has assured.
He made the promise on Saturday night
during a meeting with Nigerians residing in
Benin Republic.
According to the President, provisions will be
made for the establishment of the consulates
in next year’s budget if it passe through the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He said: “I think I will direct your ambassador
to make the request to the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs so that by the time we are
doing the next budget, it would be included.
“Although we are trying to cut down on the
number of ministries, the morale of Nigerians
in the Diaspora must be considered.
“This is because we are so many. We are
aggressive whether in business or other
facets of life. So, we, as a government will do
everything possible to look after Nigerians
wherever they are.”
Stressing that it was customary of him to
meet the representatives of Nigerian
community wherever he goes and answer
their questions, he said that he has always
told Nigerians to respect their host’s culture
and laws.
He noted that there were a number of
problems in South Africa which did not
portray Nigerians in good light.
“Some of them are in prison for committing a
number of crimes. But for you who are so
close home, you should do your best in being
good ambassadors of the country,” he said.
On whether there was any cooperation with
Benin Republic towards fighting Boko Harm,
he said: “Yes, they have identified with the
countries of Lake Chad Commission which
comprises of Cameron, Chad and Nigeria. He
(Boni Yayi ) made an undertaking of providing
a number of troops to join the Task Force
troops of the Chad Basin Commission
countries to fight the Boko Haram.
“I will not mention the number of troops
because it is a security issue. As you know,
Nigeria is expected to make a bigger
contribution. By yesterday (Friday), we are
supposed to take the troops off the ground.
So, Benin Republican through the President is
participating in fighting Boko Harm.”
Answering the question on what the Federal
Government was doing to facilitate the return
of those who may so wish, the President
said: “I believe a lot of you are doing well and
are better off here. So, the question of
facilitating your coming home does not arise.
“We don’t want you to come back home and
be unemployed. Don’t come and add to our
problems. If you have something doing here
please continue doing it.”
Towards opening a campus of the National
Open University (NOUN) in Benin Republic, he
urged them to pass a formal letter through
the ambassador who will write the ministry of
education.
“And I think the possibility of expanding the
facility may be examined,” he stated
On how the government will assist to improve
their businesses, he said: “I think what the
government can do is through your
ambassador. If the embassy sends a report
from your representatives, I believe the
ministry of commerce and industry will
examine it and whichever suggestion they
raise, the Federal Government will look at
them.
“The Federal Government here in Nigeria will
ensure that people don’t just earn their
salaries but that they do exactly what they
are paid for,” he said.



www.thenationonlineng.net/nigeriall-establish-two-consulates-in-benin-republic-says-buhari/

Former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, has accused his successor, Nyesom Wike, of leading people of the state to blackmail him. Amaechi noted that since Wike and members of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state are jittery that his appointment will be the main determinant of the state politics, they have moved to tarnish his image in the eyes of President Muhammadu Buhari, who detests corruption. The ex-governor spoke at a reception organized in his honour in Abuja Sunday night. He said, “Let me tell you what is currently going on in Rivers State. The governor and PDP are afraid of me getting an appointment to the national executive council because that will determine what the politics of Rivers State will be. “And they know that the current President abhors corruption and the only way they can stop me from getting the appointment is to paint me with corruption. And the people that know me in Rivers State know that I don’t like money. But I am not angry with them. My anger is that in Rivers they know I don’t like money. And I expect them to defend me that I don’t like money.” The same Wike, according to Amaechi, who used to advise him that merely executing project without wasting money on people would not earn him a second term in office, has sponsored newspapers’ adverts to rubbish his reputation. Amaechi added: “Governor Nyesome Wike has again sponsored one advert in a bid to rubbish me. He will go and publish in the paper on Monday as advert. Only God knows that if there is one thing I don’t like, I don’t like money. Anybody close to me knows that I don’t like money. Even Nyesom Wike told me you will not win second term if you don’t use money. So all this wasted projects will not deliver us. And I said let us do it once and for all.”


www.thenationonlineng.net/rivers-people-want-to-blackmail-me-amaechi/

The Joint Task Force (JTF) in the Niger
Delta, ‘Operation Pulo Shield’, arrested 18
suspected oil thieves and destroyed 31
illegal oil refineries in multiple raids in
July.
This is contained in a statement issued
by Lt.-Col. Isa Ado, media coordinator of
the JTF, in Yenagoa yesterday.
It stated that troops of JTF deployed at
Iguododo community and Chanomi
Escravos in Orhionmwon and Warri South
West Local Government Areas of Edo
and Delta discovered and destroyed 15
illegal refining camps.
The statement noted that the suspects
operated with four Cotonou boats, seven
plastic reservoirs, 34 drums and 21
surface tanks filled with illegally refined
Automated Gas Oil (diesel).
It stated that other items discovered and
destroyed were 21 cooking ovens and
eight pumping machines.
The statement stated that the suspects
fled on sighting the troops.
“The squad also arrested 16 suspects for
other criminal offences ranging from
kidnapping, armed robbery, sea piracy,
cultism and pipeline vandalism.
“Items recovered from them include
locally made gun with live rounds of
ammunition and axe. The suspects are in
custody of the JTF for preliminary
investigation before handing them over to
prosecuting agency,” it stated.
According to the statement, troops
deployed at Ughelli in Delta following a
distress call from Afiesere community
arrested a notorious armed robbery
suspect with a locally made shotgun and
three live cartridges.
It stated that the recovered gun and
cartridges were handed over to
prosecuting agency while a stolen
motorcycle recovered from him was
handed over to the owner.
The statement noted that JTF, in
conjunction with Southern Ijaw Oil and
Gas Task Force, destroyed 16 illegal
bunkering sites along Obi creek,
Gbenekrukru, Oloma and Ogbonga
waterways of Bayelsa and Rivers,
respectively.
It stated that the sites were destroyed
along with metal tanks and Cotonou
boats filled with stolen crude oil.
The statement stated that no arrest was
made as the operators of the illicit act
fled on sighting JTF troops.




www.leadership.ng/news/451376/oil-theft-jtf-arrests-18-suspects-destroys-31-illegal-refineries

[quote author=cabaliciouscabal post=36557128]. Well may be bcus am not as foolish as u are, I may not be able to know. It takes foolishness to deduce foolishness, so help me out. Knuckle Head. [/quote

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president,
Mr. Amaju Pinnick, has replied those critizing his
decision to abandon the national teams were
involved in crucial Rio 2016 Olympic qualifiers to
travel to England to watch the Community Shield
game between two London clubs – Arsenal and
Chelsea.
The NFF president has been hugely criticised by
football fans after he was spotted at the
Wembley Stadium for the Community Shield on a
day two of Nigeria’s teams were in action.
The football administrator used his Twitter
handle @PinnickAmaju to clear the air, stating
that he was only on a business trip to finalise
some sponsorship deals for Nigeria.
“Hello all, no doubt I am an Arsenal fan but I will
never relegate my calling at NFF for Arsenal,” he
said.


www.today.ng/sport/08033433-nff-boss-amaju-pinnick-blasts-critics-for-watching-community-shield/?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter

10. Slovenia
Disapproval rating: 54%
GDP per capita: $29,658
Unemployment rate: 9.8%
Life expectancy: 80.3 years
A majority of Slovenian survey respondents said
they did not approve of U.S. leadership. Despite
the country’s status as a major ally in NATO
and a member of the EU, Slovenia’s disapproval
rating of 54% was the 10th highest of the 135
countries reviewed. Like several other countries
disliking the U.S., Yugoslavia, which included
Slovenia, once had close diplomatic ties to the
Soviet Union. Many residents have likely not
forgotten the tensions during the Cold War.
Slovenia was also hit hard by the European
financial crisis, with public debt as a percentage
of GDP growing from 22% in 2008 to 63% in
2013. This may also have contributed to the
poor approval rating, as countries suffering
financially are less likely to look favorably on
the wealthiest nation in the world, according to
Holliday.
Above, A Slovenian wearing a traditional carnival
mask runs and jumps in the streets of Cerkno
during carnival time.



9. Tajikistan
Disapproval rating: 54%
GDP per capita: $2,536
Unemployment rate: N/A
Life expectancy: 67.4 years
Disapproval of the U.S. rose from 39% in 2013
to 54% in 2014 in this primarily Sunni Muslim,
landlocked Central Asian country. Tajikistan’s
perception of The U.S. was not alone in
suffering last year. Approval of the EU also fell
15 percentage points to 32%, and approval of
China slipped 11 percentage points to 61%. The
U.S. and Russia are competing to provide what
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Central
Asia Daniel Rosenblum described as “security
cooperation” with Tajikistan. Tajikistan is one of
17 countries — six of which are former Soviet
republics — in which the majority of
respondents approved of Russia’s leadership.
Some 93% of Tajik respondents approved of
Russia’s leadership, the strongest such approval
rating of any country. Tajikistan is one of the
poorest former Soviet bloc countries with a
struggling economy, corruption, power
shortages, and other problems. It has the lowest
GDP of the countries disapproving of the U.S.
Above, women prepare bread in the Zeravshan
River valley.



8. Austria
Disapproval rating: 55%
GDP per capita: $45,789
Unemployment rate: 5%
Life expectancy: 80.9 years
Disapproval of the U.S. rose nine percentage
points from 2013 to 55% in 2014 in this Central
European country, which was once the seat of
power for the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Following its defeat in World War I, the Empire
was split and Austria became a smaller republic.
It was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938 and
then occupied by the Allies at the end of World
War II in 1945. It joined the EU in 1995. U.S.
officials have been critical of Austria for
continuing to trade with Iran and North Korea
and for permitting the wanted leader of the
Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to leave Austria.
In addition to being one of the countries with
the highest disapproval ratings of the U.S.,
Austria was also one of the 10 countries with
the highest disapproval rating of China with 70%
of respondents turning thumbs down on Chinese
leadership. Austria is also somewhat of an
outlier on this list, as it is neither a former
Soviet Republic, nor a predominantly Islamic
nation. Above, Anti-Nazi protesters gather in
April outside the house where Adolf Hitler was
born in Braunau Am Inn.



7. Egypt
Disapproval rating: 58%
GDP per capita: $10,877
Unemployment rate: 13.4%
Life expectancy: 71.1 years
While the U.S. and Egypt both belong to the
U.N., IMF, World Bank, and WTO, and have been
trade partners for many years, 58% of Egyptians
disapprove of U.S. leadership — the seventh
worst rating among countries reviewed. Egypt is
the most populous country in the Arab world
and a key ally of the U.S. in its effort to fight
terrorism and promote stability in the region.
The disapproval rating remained flat since the
ousting of democratically elected President
Mohammed Morsi. However, the subsequent
cuts to the U.S. aid budget to Egypt and its
condemnation of Morsi’s ousting likely did not
help improve the disapproval rating. Ties with
the country’s newly elected president, former
General Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, remain strained.
Above, supporters of Egypt's former President
Hosni Mubarak gather outside the Maadi military
hospital for his birthday on May 4 in Cairo.



6. Iran
Disapproval rating: 61%
GDP per capita: $16,881
Unemployment rate: 11.2%
Life expectancy: 74.1 years
The U.S. and Iran’s deep dislike for one another
spans many years. In 1953, the CIA helped oust
Iran’s Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh to
prevent the country from supporting the Soviet
Union. Once leadership was secured under
America’s favored ruler Reza Shah Pahlavi, Iran
grew powerful with vast oil revenues and U.S.
weapons. However, the Shah had to later flee to
Egypt amid the growing Iranian Revolution,
which opposed the Shah’s “anti-Islamic” and
Westernizing government. In 1979, Iranian
revolutionaries seized the U.S. embassy in
Tehran, taking 66 Americans hostage for 444
days. There have been U.S. restrictions on
activities with Iran in one form or another since
then. More recently, the U.S. and other Western
nations have imposed extremely severe
sanctions on Iran in an attempt to curb its
nuclear capabilities. This April, the world’s major
powers agreed on a framework for a nuclear
deal with Iran. The country’s foreign minister
said Iran will continue its nuclear enrichment
program if all sanctions are not lifted by the
end of negotiations. Above, Iranian soldiers
chant anti-Israeli and anti-U.S. slogans during a
ceremony marking the 36th anniversary of the
return from exile of the founder of Iran's Islamic
Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini Feb. 1,
2015 at Khomeini's mausoleum in a suburb of
Tehran.



5. Pakistan
Disapproval rating: 65%
GDP per capita: $4,574
Unemployment rate: 6.2%
Life expectancy: 66.6 years
Pakistan’s disapproval rating of U.S. leadership
is greater than all but four other countries.
According to the U.S. State Department,
Pakistan has received well over $4 billion in
civilian assistance from the U.S. from 2009
through 2013. In addition, the country has
received about $13 billion from the U.S. in
military aid over the past 13 years. America’s
involvement in the country may actually be the
problem, however. The U.S. focused its
operations in Pakistan after the 9/11 attacks,
and it continues to maintain a strong presence
in the country to combat terrorism. Osama bin
Laden was hiding in Pakistan, and the U.S.
mission to kill him may have also increased
disapproval among many Pakistanis. Above,
Pakistani residents shout slogans as they march
behind a banner during a protest in Peshawar on
May 5 against the anti-Muslim cartoon
exhibition in Garland, Texas.



4. Lebanon
Disapproval rating: 66%
GDP per capita: $16,430
Unemployment rate: N/A
Life expectancy: 80.1 years
A religiously diverse Middle Eastern country —
54% Muslim and 41% Christian — Lebanon is one
of 15 countries in which a majority of
respondents disapprove of U.S. leadership. It is
also one of 11 countries where a majority
disapprove of the EU leadership, and one of
eight countries in which a majority disapprove
of Germany’s leadership. Since the end of the
2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, Congress has
approved more than $1 billion to improve
Lebanese security forces’ control over the
country and foster economic growth. The U.S.
standing among Lebanese respondents
improved slightly from 2013, when 71%
disapproved of the U.S. Possibly contributing to
a longer term U.S. loss of standing in Lebanon
is the fact that some members of Congress
questioned continued funding of U.S.-sponsored
initiatives there. Since the 2012 fiscal year,
Congress has placed conditions on annual aid to
Lebanon. Above, a Lebanese soldier adjusts a
machine gun mounted on a military vehicle upon
the arrival of a shipment of U.S. weapons at the
Beirut port in February.



3. Belarus
Disapproval rating: 69%
GDP per capita: $17,623
Unemployment rate: 0.51%
Life expectancy: 72.5 years
As in several other former Soviet Union
countries, many Belarus residents may still
harbor dislike for America as a result of
tensions during the Cold War. Further, the U.S.
backing of Ukraine after Russia’s annexation of
Crimea may have exacerbated ill will toward the
U.S. in Belarus, as it did in other countries in
the region. The country is still friendly with
Russia, as about 62% of Belarus respondents
approved Russia’s leadership, up from 46% in
2013 — the largest such increase among
countries reviewed. The county’s high opinion of
Russia, the country disapproving of the U.S. the
most, may partly explain its similarly poor
perception of the U.S. Also, poor economic
factors may partly account for the poor rating,
as economically struggling nations often look
upon the U.S. unfavorably, according to
Holliday. The country’s inflation rate of 18.1%
was the fifth highest among countries reviewed,
and the GDP per capita of $17,623 was among
the lower figures world-wide.
Above, Belarus' Catholics celebrate Palm
Sunday in the town of Oshmiany.



2. Palestinian Territories
Disapproval rating: 72%
GDP per capita: N/A
Unemployment rate: N/A
Life expectancy: N/A
The 72% disapproval rating of Palestinians
toward the U.S. improved somewhat from 2013,
when 80% disapproved of U.S. leadership — the
worst rating at the time. The U.S. government
has stated it favors a two-state solution to the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict. However,
perceptions among Palestinian Territories
residents will likely not improve as long as the
U.S. is perceived as fully supporting and aiding
Israel despite its continued occupation of the
Palestinian Territories. Hamas, the effective
governing body in the Gaza Strip since 2007, is
also considered by the U.S. and other Western
nations to be a terrorist organization.
Above, a Palestinian boy shouts slogans during a
protest in the Al-Zaim village, east of
Jerusalem, May 6, to protest the Israeli army's
closure of a main road leading from the West
Bank side of the village to Jerusalem by a
fence and a gate, preventing its citizens from
traveling through that route.



1. Russia
Disapproval rating: 82%
GDP per capita: $24,298
Unemployment rate: 5.5%
Life expectancy: 71.1 years
No country disapproves of America more than
Russia, where 82% of survey respondents said
they disapproved of U.S. leadership. This was
also the worst rating from Russia in the history
of the survey. While many Russians do not like
America, residents of many other countries do
not approve of Russia. The median disapproval
rating of Russian leadership was greater than
the median approval rating, the only country to
claim this distinction. And while a majority of
residents in 15 countries disapprove of the U.S.,
a majority of residents in 42 countries
disapprove of Russia’s leadership. Russia’s
disapproval rating of U.S. leadership worsened
considerably from 2013, increasing 12
percentage points. Recently implemented U.S.-
led Western sanctions on Russia have likely
intensified Russians’ disapproval. According to
historical data from the Levada Center, Russia’s
independent public opinion tracker, negative
attitudes toward the U.S. spiked during the
invasion of Iraq and worsened again in 2008
after the Russia-Georgia conflict. More recently,
the U.S. sided with Ukraine after Russia
annexed Crimea in 2014. Above, Russian
President Vladimir Putin speaks with journalists
shortly after his annual televised phone-in with
the nation in central Moscow April 16.



www.marketwatch.com/story/10-countries-that-hate-the-us-the-most-2015-06-11

cabaliciouscabal:
@princecalm, Wat is d visit for? Well for ur dead Brain, the visit is called courtesy visit, at tyms I wondered the caliber of commentators in Nairaland, dump. Spares part sellers, Bloody illiterates. Better use ur DATA to watch film on YouTube instead of coming to comment on a highly assembly of intellectuals. MuMu sets of pple, ur containers has landed.

.



In the first place that question doesn't need an answer but you in your gullible state took it upon yourself to reply me, it just too bad you chose to act like a mentally deranged ape this morning. I wish you quick recovery

Teempakguy:
I never took you to be the tribalistic kind . . .

.


I am not