₦airaland Forum

Determined to bridge the skills gap in the technical sub-sector of the Nigerian economy, Dangote Group has inaugurated an Automation Skills Development Centre valued at N160million in Lokoja, Kogi State.

Speaking at the ground breaking ceremony at the weekend, the President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, said the state-of-the-art skills centre is meant to support the development initiatives of the state government in the areas of technical skills acquisition.

He said the “Dangote Automation Skills Development Centre will help revive and develop technical skills in the country, and as well provide jobs for the youths.

Alhaji Dangote who was represented by the Managing Director of the Obajana Cement Plant, Mr. J.V. Gungune, said such centre has become necessary in view of the fact that: “The federal government under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has prioritised technical skills development and empowerment for Nigerian youths as a key focus.”

Chairman of the Project Implementation Committee (PIC) and Executive Director in the Dangote Group, Mr. Mansur Ahmed, said the governor of the state, Captain Idris Wada, and the President of the Dangote Group were the brains behind the project, adding that they expected the project, when completed, to make Nigerian youths employable and self-employed at the same time.

Speaking, Governor Wada described the Dangote Group as a worthy partner, adding that the centre will support the economy of the state by making the youths employable.

Lead Consultant and CEO of the Skill-Up TVET Limited, Afolabi Imoukhuede, assured that the project will be completed by November.
He also assured that when completed in record time, it will be a modern centre that will be a reference point across Africa.

Kogi State Commissioner for Land, Housing and Uban Development, Mr. Stephen Maiyaki, described the Dangote Group as a blessing to Kogi State, saying the state government will continue to partner with the Group in its stride to develop the state.

He lauded the developmental efforts of Dangote and his company, urging other entrepreneurs to emulate him, pointing out that if Nigeria could boats of some more Dangotes, the country would have been an industrialised country.

Source: http://monitor9ja.com/2015/08/dangote-inaugurates-n160m-technical-skills-acquisition-centre/

This is to inform all prospective corps members, i.e. Nigerians who have graduated from Universities and Mono/Polytechnics both at home and abroad that the NYSC On-line registration portal will be opened from Tuesday 8th September to Friday 9th October, 2015 to enable them register for the 2015 Batch ‘B’ mobilization.

Requirements For Registration/Mobilization of Graduates

Prospective Corps members should ensure that they have functional e-mail addresses with valid password and Nigerian (GSM) telephone numbers with which to register
Locally trained prospective Corps members are expected to use correct JAMB and Matriculation numbers to register
For locally-trained graduates, only those whose names appear in the Senate/Academic Board Approved Result lists submitted by their Institutions will have access to the NYSC portal.
Prospective corps members must ensure that their institutions and Courses are approved and accredited by Nigeria Universities Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) or Federal Ministry of Education (FME), otherwise they would not be mobilized.
Those who graduated from Institutions outside Nigeria, (Foreign-trained graduates), are to visit the NYSC portal, register and upload the following documents:
West African School Certificate(WASC) (with not less than 5 Credits at 2 sittings) or its equivalent,
General Certificate of Education (GCE O’ Level) (with not less than 5 Credits at 2 sittings) or its equivalent,
NECO (with not less than 5 Credits at 2 sittings) or its equivalent
First Degree or Higher National Diploma (HND) Certificate (Second Degree or Ph.D not necessary).
Transcript of the first Degree or HND.
International travelling Passport showing data page and date of departure.
It is the responsibility of the prospective corps members who studied in non-English speaking countries to get their Certificates and Transcripts translated into English language before uploading.
All graduates of Medicine and Pharmacy are expected to have their Certificates of Registration with Nigerian Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (NMDCN) and Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) respectively. Payment receipts are not acceptable.
Unlike in the past, Foreign-trained graduates should not visit NYSC Headquarters, Abuja for verification of their documents. This exercise will now be done at the Orientation Camps. They should simply print their call-up letters on-line and report at the Orientation camps in their States of deployment, but should come along with the original documents they uploaded to the camp where they will be verified.
Anybody who presents any fake document will be demobilized and decamped.
Prospective corps members should ensure that it is their accurate passport size photograph that is captured during registration.
Ensure your face (eyes, nose, ears, mouth and jaw) is fully shown without bending
Ensure the picture fills the frame and centralized.
Ensure the Photo background is white or off-white with no shadow.
On no account should prospective corps members register by PROXY. They should also remember the finger used for their biometric capturing as this will be used for data verification at the orientation camp. Those who cannot be verified with their biometric at the orientation camp will not be registered.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/08/update-on-nysc-2015-batch-b-mobilization/

A former Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, has denied the allegations of corruption levelled against him by a Port Harcourt-based group, The Integrity Group.

The group had petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), demanding that Amaechi administration be probed for massive corruption.

But Amaechi whose response was signed by George Feyii and Chamberlin Peterside who were his former Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and Commissioner for Finance respectively, said the group twisted and misrepresented facts in a manner designed to serve an ill-conceived purpose of maligning Amaechi’s integrity and administration.

Arguing that he was responding in line with the tradition of transparency and good governance that was the hallmark of his administration, Amaechi said there was no iota of truth in the allegations against him.

He said on the alleged fraudulent sale of the state’s power assets, the decision to sell the assets was reached after an extensive State Executive Council (SEC) meeting on August 16, 2012.

The former governor disclosed that at the meeting, it was agreed that the state government did not have the requisite manpower to manage the facilities.

He also said it was agreed among other reasons that the assets needed to be leased/concessioned to augment the revenue of the state based on the dwindling allocation from the Federation Account.

On the sale of Olympia Hotel and others, Amaechi said they were not sold as being peddled but leased/concessioned and that at the end of the lease/concession period, the assets would revert to the state government.

Read full story
http://monitor9ja.com/2015/08/amaechi-denies-all-corruption-allegations/

The factional Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ekiti State, Idowu Faleye, was arrested on Wednesday by the police in connection with a dud cheque issued to pay for the rentage of the state secretariat.

He was arrested at about 5:00pm by a special police squad from the Force Headquarters, Abuja.

The police was acting on a petition written by the owner of the building which serves as the PDP state secretariat, Ropo Adesanya, who was issued the cheque which was rejected by an old generation bank based in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.

Adesanya, a former PDP Chairman in the state, defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in May.

The Ekiti PDP owes Adesanya about N1.5 million being the rent of one year and the landlord has been battling hard to recover the money without success.

He subsequently served the party an eviction notice after failing to claim the N1.5 million rent.

The state’s Police Public Relations Officer, Alberto Adeyemi, confirmed the arrest of Faleye in a telephone chat with reporters on Thursday.

“It is true that he (Faleye) has been arrested, he was arrested by officers from the Force Headquarters who came from Abuja. I have just confirmed that from the AC-CID (Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Criminal Investigation Department).”

Source: http://monitor9ja.com/2015/08/ekiti-pdp-chairman-arrested-over-dud-cheque/

Dangote Cement Plc on Wednesday signed a $4.34 billion worth of contracts with China’s Sinoma International Engineering to build cement plants across Africa.

The move would see the company expanding its frontiers to Asia by constructing a three million metric tonnes per annum (mmtpa) Cement Plant in Nepal and other 10 African countries. The new investments would cost $4.34 billion

The President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who disclosed this at the signing ceremony of the new plants to be constructed in partnership with Sinoma, a construction firm renowned for construction of ultra-modern cement plants worldwide, assured Nigerians that the country would no longer be used as a dumping ground as the company now has the capacity to export 10 million metric tons of cement outside the country.

Dangote is currently in 15 African countries, including Kenya, Niger and Mali, which are new projects.

The company’s current total capacity stands at 48mmtpa, out of which Nigeria alone has the largest chunk of 29.3mmtpa.
The company will also today inaugurate its new plant in Cameroun with a total capacity of 1.5mmtpa

Addressing journalists yesterday after the signing ceremony, Dangote said: “We are not only building cement plants in Africa, we have gone far away to Nepal to build a three million metric tonnes cement plant capacity and by the time all these our new projects are completed in the next two years, Dangote Cement will have more than 70 million capacity, but we are not going to stop there, hopefully, by 2020, our targets is getting to somewhere around 100 million tons capacity. I can assure you categorically that Africa will not lack cement now and even in the future…Africa will be self -sufficient rather than being a dumping ground for other manufacturers of cement.”

The new plants for which agreements were signed were on the construction of the following plants: three mmtpa in Nepal, 2.5mmtpa in Ethiopia, three mmtpa in both Kenya 1 and 2; 1.5mmtpa in Zambia; 1.5mmtpa in Senegal, 1.5mmtpa in Niger, 1.5mmtpa in Mali, Cameroun, Cote D’Ivoire and Ghana also have plants of 1.5mmtpa capacity respectively.

Dangote Cement recently inaugurated its 1.5 million metric tonnes per annum (mmtpa) capacity cement plant valued at $400 million with a 30 megawatts coal plant to power the factory.

The project was inaugurated by Zambia President, Edgar Chagwa Lungu, at Masasiti district, Ndola, Zambia.
The event was graced by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole and his wife; Tony Elumelu, Chairman UBA Plc; and Chief Kola Jamodu, Chairman Nestle Nigeria Plc; Niyi Adebayo, former Governor Ekiti State, among other personalities from Nigeria and Zambia. Speaking at the events, Osinbajo said the projects was very significant to bilateral relationship that has existed between Nigeria and Zambia.

He lauded the government of Zambia and the people for having approved the projects and nurtured it to completion.

President Lungu also said Zambia has continued enjoying very cordial bilateral relationships with Nigeria over the years, assuring them that his government will continue to encourage private sector initiatives.

Source: http://monitor9ja.com/2015/08/dangote-chinas-sinoma-sign-4-34bn-deal/

The drop in crude oil price and a number of production hiccups continued to take their toll on the nation’s economy as gross revenue for the month of July declined by N52.36 billion to N433.58 billion compared to N485.95 billion in June.

Notwithstanding, a total statutorily distributable sum of N539.24 billion was wednesday shared among the three tiers of government for the month in review- lower than the N620.66 billion shared in June.

Addressing journalists last night shortly after the monthly meeting of the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) in Abuja, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance, Mrs. Anastacia Nwaobia, who presided over the meeting said shut down and shut-in for maintenance and emergency repairs as well as declaration of force majeure by Shell Petroleum Development Company were largely responsible for the shortfall in oil revenue.

She added: “Also, there was revenue loss of $22.53 million as a result of drop in average price of crude oil from $65.76 in May to $61.27 in June.”

Of the amount shared wednesday, statutory allocation accounted for N424.1 billion while Value Added Tax (VAT) was N74.95 billion.
The exchange gain stood at N6.4 billion while the refund by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to the federation account as part of federal government’s share of the corporation’s indebtedness was N6.33 billion.

A breakdown of the statutory distribution showed the the federal government got N202.11 billion representing 52.68 per cent; states received N102.51 billion or 26.72 per cent while the local governments got N79.03 billion or 20.6 per cent
The sum of N28.2 billion was allocated to the oil and gas producing states under the derivation formula.

Read full story
http://monitor9ja.com/2015/08/monthly-revenue-drops-by-n52-36bn-as-fg-states-lgs-share-n539-24bn-in-july/

Ecobank Plc has been ordered to make good its obligation under the Advance Payment Guarantee No ENG/PH/GO394A as security for the release of the sum N629 million to Skye Bank Plc.

This order was handed down by the Bankers Committee which told Ecobank that the terms of the APG “was binding while No. 2 APG was unilateral and not binding. Therefore, it was not enforceable.”

Skye Bank’s decision to call in the APG, the Bankers Committee noted “was called within its validity period, there is no provision in place for extension of the guarantee.”

Skye Bank had reported Ecobank to the Bankers Committee claiming that “Ecobank had blatantly refused to hounour its terms under the guarantee as their customer had delivered only 222 generating sets out of the total number leaving a short fall of 532 generating sets valued at N442, 317, 150. 00. It is therefore apparent that Ecobank Plc was in breach of its obligation and does not desire to remedy the situation.”

Skye Bank had argued that on November 25, 2010, on the application of its customer, Messrs Teasons Power Product Company Limited, it relied on an Ecobank APG No ENG/PH/GO394A as security for the release of the sum N629, 280, 000.00 to their customer, PA-Simons Fabrications Limited for a sub-contract to supply and install 754 generating sets with installation materials in various local government areas of the country.

However, Ecobank in its defence had argued that “prior to Skye Bank’s demand for payment, by a letter dated February 3, 2011, Teasons had discharged Ecobank of liabilities up to N200million based on utilisation on the work plan between Teasons and the customer. By the terms of the APG No. 1, “Ecobank’s liability reduced in proportion to the extent of work done.”

Skye Bank therefore, called on the sub-committee to compel Ecobank Ltd to make good its obligation under the guarantee and refund Skye Bank the sum of N442, 317, 150.00 .

Ecobank said: “The APG expired on May 24, 2011. “However, prior to the expiration of the APG, Skye bank vide it’s letter dated May 11, 2011 made a demand on Ecobank for payment of the guaranteed sum on the ground of failure of the customer to perform the contract. The customer thereafter formally requested that Ecobank should extend the validity of the APG to accommodate the competition of the contract.

“Five months after the issuance of the supplemental Guarantee APG No. 2 and silence from Skye Bank on its demand dated May 11, 2011 on APG No. 1 having received APG No. 2, Skye Bank mischievously sought to make a further demand on APG No. 1 by a letter dated November 16, 2011.”

In response, Ecobank issued its letter dated December 8, 2011 wherein it stated that it was not liable to Skye Bank on the said APG No. 1 as claimed by Skye Bank, as APG No.1 had been superseded by APG No. 2 which expired on June 26, 2011.

Ecobank argued that “it would appear that Skye Bank forgot to make a demand on APG No. 2 and decided to feign ignorance of APG 2 and sought to revert to APG No. 1 which had ceased to exist.”

The bank alleged that “Skye Bank’s contention that it did not receive the APG No. 2 since it did not affect and did not seek confirmation as baseless as lack of confirmation by Ecobank did not affect validity of the guarantee, it was just added comfort.”

Source: http://monitor9ja.com/2015/08/ecobank-ordered-to-pay-skye-bank-n629m-apg/

The judicial commission of inquiry set up by Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, to probe the sale of valued assets of the state and select projects under former Governor Chibuike Amaechi, yesterday commenced public sitting in Port Harcourt with a revelation that the last administration diverted about N3 billion Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) agriculture loan to fund elections.

The Chairman of the commission, Justice George Omereji, at the inaugural sitting, said the commission would be fair to all and allayed fears that it was on a witch-hunt.

He also said the commission would stick to its terms of reference.

While interrogating officials of the ministries of agriculture, and commerce and industry based on the memos they submitted to the commission, the counsel to the commission, Dr. Zaccheus Adangor, said the N4billion CBN loan meant to help develop agriculture in the state was shared among 380 mother cooperatives.

The cooperatives had chairmen of the various local government councils as their presidents.

Adangor said Amaechi on January 25, 2015, approved that N3 billion of the CBN loans be converted to grants and disbursed based on a memorandum mounted to the governor by then Commissioner for Agriculture, Emma Chinda.

He disclosed that though 38 of the cooperatives did not have official documentation with the state ministry of commerce and industry, they benefitted from the loans which was converted to grants and disbursed without supervision.

According to him, the grants were disbursed to the local government council chairmen to prosecute the 2015 presidential election and not for the development of agriculture as stipulated by the CBN.

Read full story
http://monitor9ja.com/2015/08/commission-of-inquiry-amaechi-diverted-n3bn-agric-loan/

The United Nations Secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, has pledged the UN’s full support for the federal government’s fight against terrorism even as he advised President Muhammadu Buhari to address the underlying causes of insurgency in the country.

Speaking at a joint press conference with President Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the UN scribe said that no efforts should be spared to make sure that the abducted Chibok schoolgirls are found and reintegrated into the society.

He also expressed support for the reforms embarked upon by Buhari.

He said: “The UN supports your efforts to advance hope, peace, sustainable development and human rights in a comprehensive way. I’m convinced that when you change Nigeria, you will also change Africa.”

He commended the Nigerian people, especially former President Goodluck Jonathan for “the peaceful, free and fair election,” which he said had earned Nigeria the respect of the world.

He said: “I salute the statesmanship of example of both President Buhari and for President Goodluck Jonathan. For the first time in Nigerian history, a sitting president peacefully ceded power to an opposition candidate in a democratic election. The elections sent a strong global message of respect for democracy and the rule of law.”

He said Nigeria has been a source of stability in West Africa and the wider continent, and described Nigeria as a key contributor to UN peacekeeping operations including successful missions in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/08/ban-ki-moon-asks-buhari-to-address-economic-causes-of-insurgency/

Some loyalists of Senate President Bukola Saraki are beating a retreat in the lingering cold war with the All Progressives Congress (APC) hierarchy over the leadership crisis in the Red Chambers.

They have already reached out to President Muhammadu Buhari for the purpose of reconciling with him and, by extension, the party leadership.

It was learnt that members of the peace team are also likely to meet with a national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

However,the Saraki loyalists were said to have left the first meeting with Buhari “uncomfortable” on account of his body language.

Saraki and his loyalists had defied the party by rejecting its candidates for principal positions in the Senate.

They shunned the June 9 meeting convened by the APC to resolve the matter and teamed up with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to elect their own candidates including Saraki as Senate President and PDP’s Ike Ekweremadu as his deputy.

It was gathered that House of Representtives Speaker Yakubu Dogara’s compliance with the APC’s directive on the choice of principal officers in the House was largely responsible for the change of heart by Saraki and his supporters having being put under pressure by Dogara’s move.

It was gathered that the Buhari/ Saraki’s loyalists and strategists meeting took place at the Presidential Villa a few days ago.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/08/senate-crisis-sarakis-loyalists-beg-buhari/

Nigeria’s export of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) will receive a boost as Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) on Friday lifted the force majeure it had declared on gas supplies to the Nigeria LNG (NLNG) plant in Bonny Island in Rivers State.

Also, the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Ibe Kachikwu has hinted that the Corporation may settle for the option of community-based policing to protect the vast artery of oil and gas pipeline network across the country.

Shell had on August 4, declared force majeure on gas supplies to the Bonny Island liquefaction plant, citing a pipeline leak.

The declaration of force majeure freed the company from its contractual obligations to customers due to circumstances outside its control.

The company also launched investigations into the cause of the leak, which was not immediately known.

However, the force majeure did not affect all the gas supplies to NLNG by Shell as only one pipeline – Eastern Gas Gathering System (EGGS) was said to have been affected by the leak.

Though LNG exports still remained in progress, the company might have rescheduled some shipments with its customers.

Read full story
http://monitor9ja.com/2015/08/boost-for-gas-export-as-shell-lifts-force-majeure-on-supplies-to-nlng/

Ahead of November 21 governorship election in Kogi State, the state Governor, Idris Wada, has said those seeking to unseat him using the influence of President Muhammadu Buhari will be disappointed.

Wada said he is convinced that the Buhari-factor will not necessarily have any impact on the governorship election.
Speaking with journalists shortly after picking his nomination and Expression of Interest forms at the national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the governor said he was not worried about the party’s decision not to give him automatic ticket for the election.

The governor expressed optimism that he would emerge the party’s candidate given the massive support he was already receiving from the state.
He however pledged that he would support whoever emerges as the PDP candidate for the election in the event he fails at the party’s primary election.
The governor, who came to the party national secretariat with his numerous supporters, said: “No doubt, having the APC president at the federal level may have impact on the election, but I am confident that our people will vote massively for PDP.

“You could observe that while Buhari won the presidential election in Kogi State, PDP clearly won the state assembly positions. That shows that PDP is clearly on ground in the state.

“With the work we have done in mobilising the youths, the women and the elders of our party to analyse what led to our performance in the last election, I believe our party is solid in the state.

“You can see the number of people that came here to support me, I did not invite anybody, and that shows that PDP is alive in the state. By the grace of God, we will win the forthcoming election.

“I will put in my best to win, but if I don’t, and it a fair primary, I will support any candidate that eventually emerged,” he added.

Source: http://monitor9ja.com/2015/08/kogi-election-im-not-afraid-of-the-buhari-factor-says-wada/

How did 20 oil companies get $4.5 million tax holidays to which they are not entitled?

This is the puzzle the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is battling to resolve.

Helping the EFCC are some officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) and the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment.

The Ministries of Petroleum Resources and Solid Minerals and the Nigerian Customs Service may also be probed for questionable tax waivers,this was learnt yesterday.

A former Special Assistant to an ex-minister was been interrogated by the anti-graft agency.

Besides, three former ministers and some officials of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) are likely to be interrogated by the anti-graft agency.

The tax holidays were given to the oil firms during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

It was gathered that about 20 local oil companies benefited from the bonanza after buying over marginal fields from some International Oil Companies (IOCs).

A source at the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment said: “The EFCC is investigating the ministry and the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission [NIPC] for tax holidays to about 20 oil companies.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/08/efcc-moves-in-as-4-5b-tax-scandal-hits-agency/

Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo yesterday said there are 110 million poor Nigerians.

He added that some past polices and planning, including budgeting, did not reflect the needs and conditions of the people, who have become disempowered.

He spoke while receiving the Alumni Association of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPPS), in Abuja.

Expressing concern about extreme poverty in the country, Osinbajo said two third of the population had become disempowered following the policy formulation in the past.

“When you look at the economic and social policies, and you look at the level of illiteracy, some are extremely bad and some with cases of about 80 or 90 per cent of children out of school, and other cases of unimaginable decayed infrastructure,” he said.

Stressing that policies should address the needs of the people, he said the main challenge now is how to make this possible.

“Governments have not been accountable to the people, otherwise policies should have roots in the real condition of the people.”

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/08/osinbajo-110-million-nigerians-are-poor/

The United Nations Country Representative, Mr. Dauda Toure, has said Nigeria has the highest number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the world numbering 1.5 million.
Toure, who stated this yesterday in Abuja while giving his goodwill message to commemorate the 2015 World Humanitarian Day organised by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), noted that a major problem for the victims was lack of access to them, most of whom are not in camps but in host communities.

While commending NEMA for the work it had been doing, he said there was a need to scale up response to crisis in the country.
Toure said there was a need for more resources to be made available to improve responsiveness in the areas of education and health care.

He further appealed to international communities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to make more resources available to help to rebuild the livelihoods of the affected victims of insurgency in the North-east, adding that the region has a lot of potential to develop.
In his opening remarks, the Director General of NEMA, Alhaji Mohammed Sani Sidi, said the world humanitarian day was a universal event scheduled for August 19 every year.

According to him, the day was set aside by the United Nations General Assembly since 2008 to celebrate the gallantry of humanitarian service providers who have lost their lives or survived different threats while providing humanitarian services to persons caught in the web of natural or human-induced disasters especially in violent conflict situations.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/08/un-nigeria-has-highest-number-of-idps-worldwide/

Bayelsa State governor, Seriake Dickson, on Tuesday cautioned the Nigerian people against insulting their president because such a disposition undermines the respect due to the president on the global stage.

Speaking at an interactive session in Lagos, the Bayelsa governor said he was yet to comprehend in what context the Nigerian people have started to label President Muhammadu Buhari as “baba go slow” a few months after assuming office, adding that it was the same way they branded former president Goodluck Jonathan “clueless” while in office.

Dickson noted that such deliberate disregard for the persons and office of the president does not bode well for the image and perception of the president, the country and her people, especially outside the country.

“When you call your president clueless and baba go slow, are you asking his counterparts abroad to respect or disrespect him?” he asked, adding that this is one attitude of the Nigerian people that is unpatriotic.

Dickson also dismissed insinuations of a rift between him and the former president, saying Jonathan remained highly supportive of his administration and that if there was anyone who believed and understood the imperative of why he should be re elected, it was Jonathan.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/08/stop-insulting-the-president-dickson-cautions/

The National Vice Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for South- south, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, has petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari demanding a probe of the role of the immediate former Secretary of the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, in the multi-billion dollar Centenary City project.

He said he has also sent a copy of the petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further action.

In another development however, a group of protesters on Tuesday stormed the PDP secretariat over the continued stay of Ojougboh as the party Vice Chairman of the South-south zone.

Also responding to the issue, Anyim said he had already sued Ojougboh to court for defamation of his character.

Ojoogboh said he had reasons to believe that the former SGF may have connived with the sponsors of the project covering over 1,500 hectares of land in the Federal Capital City, Abuja, to perpetrate fraud.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, the PDP stalwart lamented that the free trade zone status granted to the centenary city project is a colossal loss of revenue to the country.

According to the party scribe, the land whose size is equal to Maitama, Asokoro and Guzape districts put together did not meet the criteria of a free trade zone as is being ascribed.

He also accused Anyim of deceiving the Nigerian people that the centenary is a synergy between the federal government and the organised private sector.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/08/centenary-city-scam-pdp-chieftain-asks-buhari-efcc-to-probe-anyim-pius-anyim/

Multinational conglomerate Stallion Group has won the 2015 Nissan Global National Sales Company Award for its outstanding achievement in Nigeria. The award recognizes Nissan’s growth in the Nigerian market, whilst reinforcing its growing industrial footprint. Stallion is Nissan’s exclusive manufacturer and distributor in Nigeria.

It may be recalled that Stallion established Nigeria’s first automotive assembly facility in partnership with Nissan as a pioneering initiative in April 2014, pursuant to the Federal Government’s announcement of the nation’s new automotive policy late in 2013.

Since the launch of Nigeria assembled Nissan vehicles, four models are being assembled in the country creating significant employment, with the local human resources undergoing extensive training from global automotive experts from Nissan’s international auto plants.

The thriving partnership with Stallion has resulted in Nissan meeting the needs of Nigerian customers through expanding product range and country-wide-retail network. The new Victoria Island showroom was the eleventh Nissan outlet in the country – a demonstration of Nissan’s long-term commitment to increase brand visibility in Africa’s most populous country.

Sunil Vaswani, Chairman of Stallion Group, said: “Together with Nissan we are seeking to complement Nigeria’s ambitions to become the region’s automotive hub.We are providing a comprehensive range of passenger, commercial and recreational vehicles, and are currently engaged in a dynamic program of new model introductions.”

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/08/stallion-group-wins-nissan-global-award-for-nigeria/

In an avowed commitment to the fight against corruption, President Muhammadu Buhari has declared that no amount of pressure will deter him from prosecuting those who have looted the wealth of the nation.

His administration has come under severe pressure to soft pedal on the fight against corruption, just as some critics have accused him of being selective in the fight against corruption.

But yesterday, the president, in Abuja, told Nigerians that no amount of pressure would make him give up the war against corruption in the country.

He reiterated his resolve while addressing a group of Nigerians who marched to the Presidential Villa to pledge their full support for his administration’s anti-corruption campaign.

He maintained that his administration would sustain a relentless prosecution of the war against corruption, with due regard to the rule of law.

The president said that all persons charged with the stealing of the nation’s resources would have their day in court and that, upon conviction, their ill-gotten wealth would be seized and returned to government coffers.

He said: “I believe it is time for Nigeria to change course. That is why I sought election as president and got elected. As president, I am determined that Nigeria must move away from a course of endemic corruption that was leading us to perdition.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/08/buhari-no-amount-of-pressure-will-stop-me-from-prosecuting-looters/

President Muhammadu Buhari has assured the military that his government would provide the necessary logistics needed to successfully prosecute the on-going war against the Boko Haram terrorists.

Buhari who was represented by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj-Gen. Babagana Munguno (rtd), gave this assurance yesterday during his visit to operational areas in the North-eastern part of the country.

In another forum, Buhari stressed that the wellbeing of about 1.5 million people displaced by terrorism in the North-east remained one of the top priorities of his government.

The president also used the opportunity to address officers and men of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) in Yola.

“I am telling you this, and you can take it as if it is coming from the president himself that you are going to be given everything you require, not only for the operation but for your personal welfare. This is an assurance I want to give you,” he said.

He said that the purpose of the operational visit was to enable his team assess the situation on ground and relate with the troops with a view to adequately identifying and addressing observed challenges facing the troops.

Buhari noted that the NAF has brought a lot of noticeable improvements in the war against the terrorists due to the aerial support provided to the ground troops, hence he commended NAF personnel for their commitment and patriotism while urging them to keep the spirit high and to remain steadfast in their resolve to stand-up against the Boko Harm

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/08/president-muhammadu-buhari-assures-military-of-logistics-for-war-against-terrorism/

The Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, has given a hint on the three-pronged strategy for the restructuring of the state-run oil firm, adding that this would entail the reorganisation of management personnel, a forensic audit of the firm’s accounts, and a review of its contracts with oil majors and other industry operators.

Kachikwu, who spoke to State House correspondents in Abuja after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, also said more workers might be relieved of their jobs.

Kachikwu said the restructuring going on at the NNPC would be from “A to Z”, meaning from top to the bottom.

“It is an A to Z restructuring. I have done the first three layers, which had to do with the GEDs (Group Executive Directors) and Group General Managers. We are going to have a lot more now – the DGMs (Deputy General Managers) and GMs (General Managers) – as this would take us to the next layer, which is the lower layer.

“The whole idea is to go back to being able to look at the appraisals, how well they have done on the job and if they have done very well, how do we elevate them to positions where they can offer more service.

“If they have not done well enough, and we can retrain them, we will, but if they have not done well enough and there is no possibility of retraining, we will let them go.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/08/kachikwu-unfolds-three-pronged-strategy-for-nnpcs-restructuring/

The West African Examination Council (WAEC) Wednesday in Abuja said the body had heeded several appeals and would release the seized results today.

Head of the WAEC Nigerian National Office, Mr. Charles Eguridu, told journalists that the council took into consideration the prevailing economic crisis in the country.

He said: “I had alerted the nation that the council might be constrained from releasing the results of the candidates who were sponsored by states indebted to us, unless the affected states offset their indebtedness fully or in part and in the alternative, produce advance payment guarantees from reputable banks.

“Our decision to open this window of opportunity was as a result of the prevailing economic challenges facing the nation and in order not to jeopardise the educational progress of the candidates of the affected states.

“However, following appeals from stakeholders, including parents, All Nigerian Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), notable Nigerians, most importantly, the intervention of the Secretariat of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), which we have been informed is on the directive of its Chairman, Governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, who has indicated that the forum will positively resolve the matter as soon as possible.”

“Eguridu stated that: “We have decided to hearken to the appeals and review our earlier position. More so, the continued withholding of the results will adversely affects the educational prospects of the affected candidates, as the results are, even now, required by many candidates for admission purposes.

“Consequently, the council has decided that the results of the candidates of indebted states would be released in deference to all the appeals and the commitment of the NGF.

“The results are, therefore, to be reloaded on our results website in the next 24 hours. This decision is based on our wish not to impede on the educational progress of any Nigerian child.”

He explained that with this commitment and understanding by the council, it is hoped “that the affected states will reciprocate this gesture to fully meeting their financial obligations to the council, so as to enable it meet its own obligations to its supervisors, examiners as well as service providers and other creditors.”

source: http://monitor9ja.com/2015/08/waec-to-release-withheld-results-today/

The leadership of the Labour Party yesterday asked President Muhammadu Buhari to adopt a holistic approach in his anti-corruption crusade by ensuring that the probe of past administrations extends to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, his deputy, Atiku Abubakar, Senate President Bukola Saraki, Bola Tinubu and former state governors.

Against the background of last Tuesday’s pledge by President Buhari to commence probe of looters of the public fund, Labour Party reminded the president of the unfinished probe of the Halliburton corruption scandal in which prominent politicians were implicated.

Speaking in an interview with journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, the national chairman of LP, Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, said the fight against corruption must be backed up with proper blueprint that will ensure that highly placed persons do not evade justice.

He said that President Buhari must try to probe everybody who has been petitioned, adding that government should revisit the Halliburton issue to enable Nigerians know the true position of things.

“I want to refer to the statement of the president yesterday when he said that looters, trials will begin very soon. Firstly, I want to state that it is a welcome idea and development in our fight against corruption, but the fundamental question is; what are the pragmatic mechanisms put in place by the Buhari administration and the APC to fight corruption. What is the blue print.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/08/labour-party-tells-buhari-probe-obasanjo-tinubu-saraki/

The Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC) Plc will seek approval from members by month-end to raise additional equity capital of N28.5 billion ($143 million) through a shelf registration programme, the state-backed mortgage agency said monday.

NMRC set a price range of N4.50 to N7.00 per share for the first tranche of equity to be raised under the programme worth N6 billion, reported Reuters.

NRMC’s ownership structure is made up of financial institutions, composed mainly of mortgage and commercial banks; development finance institutions such as the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Shelter Afrique; and public sector/government sponsored institutions such as Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI) and Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA).

Nigeria put $300 million of World Bank aid money into a mortgage-backed guarantee last year in a bid to boost lending through the creation of a secondary housing market, which is virtually non-existent in the country.

Nigeria suffers a housing shortage, with somewhere between 16 million and 20 million new homes needed just to keep up with current demand, according to official figures.

The NMRC was set up with the aim of lowering mortgage lending rates — currently around 20 per cent for a 10-year loan or up to 30 per cent for households with lower credit ratings.

The debut annual general meeting will be held on August 31, the NMRC said in a notice to approve the capital plans. It added that further equity tranches will be approved by members.

Mortgage lending is a small portion of the overall property market. There are about 20,000 mortgages open in Nigeria, the finance ministry has said, none of which are tradable because of a lack of liquidity. None extend beyond 10 years.

Source: http://monitor9ja.com/2015/08/nmrc-to-seek-shareholders-approval-to-raise-n28-5bn-capital/

Barely after six months after he tore his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) membership card, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has declared that he does not belong to any political party in the country, saying he remains a “party-less” Nigerian.

Obasanjo who spoke in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, while welcoming a state delegation of from Kogi State, led by the governor, Capt Idris Wada, said he would continue to carry the toga of a statesman.

The former president in his comment, commended the developmental strides of Wada, noting that the less friction in the state under Wada’s administration was commendable.

Obasanjo further said he would continue to work with any Nigerian, with capability, good intention and leadership traits.
Prior to the general election, Obasanjo had directed that his PDP membership card be shredded.

He said: “Every body is welcome. But they must be with good leadership traits, with genuine intention to improve the country.”
He said contrary to the praises being showered on him for his performance as president under the PDP platform, it was important to emphasise that personality comes before the platform one represents to achieve desired goals.

According to to him: “We should understand first that it is not the party makes the person, but the person makes the party. It is who you are that you bring into the party. Though for now I remain a “party-less” Nigerian, but I will continue to welcome any Nigerian with good leadership qualities.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/08/i-belong-to-no-party-obasanjo-restates/

The immediate past National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd.), has opened up on how the previous administration of fomer President, Goodluck Jonathan facilitated the acquisition of once elusive weapons in the last one-year and recovered many local governments in the North-east, which were occupied by Boko Haram terrorists.

Sambo, who has come under scrutiny since his homes in Abuja and Sokoto were invaded by operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) three days after he was relieved of his post by President Muhammadu Buhari, named some of the acquisitions to include Alpha jets, armoured personnel carriers (APCs), mine-resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicles, advanced artillery pieces, assorted arms and ammunition, highly sophisticated surveillance drones, T72 Russian battle tanks, and carried out modifications to F7 supersonic fighter jets.

In a statement by PRNigeria, a media advisory to federal government security agencies, Dasuki said: “The armoured tanks have comprehensive NBC protection system, just as we deployed mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles that we bought and could withstand improvised explosive device (IED) attacks and ambushes. The vehicles protected our troops from the land mine threats.

“We are glad that we also provided assorted armoured personnel carriers to transport troops to the battlefield. They are armed for self-defence and to provide protection from attacks from shrapnel and small arms fire.

“All these were acquired in the last one year after years of frustration by Western powers who denied us of the equipment and sabotaged our efforts to acquire same from other sources which are reasons for some delay in delivery.”

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/08/col-sambo-dasuki-rtd-roll-out-weapons-procured-under-jonathan/

The House of Representatives was denied the opportunity of intervening on the reported inhuman treatment Nigerians working in some foreign companies operating in Nigeria were subjected to.

A motion to address the issue entitled: ‘Urgent need to curb unwholesome practices of Chinese, Indian and Lebanese companies in Nigeria’, was withdrawn by the sponsor, Segun Adekola (PDP, Ekiti).

To the surprise of some lawmakers, who were prepared for the debate, Adekola took the leave of the House to withdraw the motion.

The motion was listed third for debate on the Order paper yesterday.

In accordance with House rules, the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara granted the request.

In his argument of the motion, as contained on the Order paper, the lawmaker said a media report on an incident at Wempo where it was alleged that a Nigerian worker’s head got smashed by a faulty machine at Wempo called for concern.

The lawmaker regretted that incidents of nonchalance to Nigerian workers’ welfare is rampart with foreign companies operating in the country, with less than impressive action from relevant authorities.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/08/rep-withdraws-motion-to-probe-treatment-of-nigerians-by-foreign-companies/

President Muhammadu Buhari as finally approved the appointment of Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu as the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

He formally took over from Dr. Joseph Dawha, who was appointed by former President Goodluck Jonathan last year, at NNPC’s head office in Abuja on Tuesday.

Talk of Kachikwu’s appointment was rife in the oil and gas industry for weeks, but the president was reported to have taken his time to do a thorough background check before approving his appointment.

Others considered for the job included Mr. Reginald Stanley, a past Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), who clashed with former Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke over payments to NNPC for kerosene subsidy claims.

In addition to Kachikwu’s appointment, Buhari also approved the appointment of Professor Umaru Garba Danbatta as the new Executive Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). Danbatta replaces Dr. Eugene Juwah whose five-year tenure expired last week.

A statement by the Special Adviser to the President, Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said Kachikwu, who was the Executive Vice-Chairman and General Counsel of Exxon-Mobil (Africa), hails from Onicha-Ugbo in Delta State.

He is a First Class graduate of Law from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and the Nigerian Law School, where he was the best graduating student and multiple awards winner in both institutions.

The new NNPC chief executive also has Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Law from the Harvard Law School.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/08/buhari-appoints-kachikwu-as-gmd-nnpc-danbatta-is-ceo-of-ncc/

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, in an interview published yesterday by PREMIUM TIMES, spoke at length about the reasons behind some of the key decisions he took while in office, his relationship with some key political figures, his book My Watch and the Halliburton bribery scandal.

Thank you sir for granting us this opportunity to talk about your book. Some people say it is selling like hot cake, I don’t know if it is true but that’s what people say. How has it been? What has been the financial reward from there?

The book was not written for financial reward. If it was written for financial reward, now that…what do you call him… Kashamu had done the stupid things he did, I would have sued him for damages and I would have got damages. But that’s not what the book was written for. The book was written for my experience, my understanding, my knowledge, and what you may call wisdom as a result of all these, to put it for others to be able to learn or acquire knowledge. That’s one. Two, it was also written to set the record right. One of the things that people don’t know, people that I call arm chair presidents is that they don’t know what goes in before decisions are made or what the man making decisions, what leads him to making decisions.

Take for instance the decision on privatising all refineries. I explained that what I met were refineries that were not working, refineries that were given to an amateur for repairs, for maintenance, what they call turn around maintenance to the company of Emeka Offor – Chrome Group. Where has Emeka Offor maintained refineries before? Where has he? That’s what we met. So, the refineries were not working. I called Shell. I said ‘come and help us, just run the refinery.’ Shell was frank with me.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/08/the-weaknesses-of-okonjo-iweala-by-obasanjo/

President Muhammadu Buhari has urged the Federal Ministry of Education to include two Islamic Studies books written by the late Justice Muhammad Bashir Sambo in the secondary school curriculum for all Federal Government Colleges.

The president, gave the directive at the weekend in Kaduna while launching the reviewed editions of the books which were first published in 1974.

Represented by Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State, the resident, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) noted that such books had become essential in the face of declining moral and religious values in the country.

The Islamic Studies for Secondary Schools, co-sponsored by the Bashir Sambo, Centre for Islamic Da’awah and Jaiz Charity and Development Foundation in memory of Justice Sambo, former Judge of Sharia Court of Appeal and the Code of Conduct Tribunal, were reviewed by Mallam Mukhtar Lere to conform with the current 6-3-3-4 educational system in the country.

Buhari thanked the co-authors for updating and structuring the books to match the new secondary school curriculum. He urged the Ministry of Education to look at the books with a view to adopting them in all government colleges.

The chairman, Board of Trustees of Jaiz Charity and Development Foundation, Alhaji Umar A. Mutallab, said the Bashir Sambo Centre for Islamic Da’awah was established by the disciples and associates of late Justice Sambo in order to immortalise and inspire the legacy of the late sage.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/08/buhari-wants-some-islamic-books-introduced-in-federal-schools-curriculum/

Banks are exposing the businesses and people behind the mountain of debts threatening to kill the sector – courtesy of a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) directive that expired at the weekend.

Barring unforeseen developments, some banks will begin the publication of their debtors’ list today.

The publications are coming on the heels of the July 31, 2015 deadline set by the apex bank for the debtors to pay up.

The lists, an official of one of the banks said, is just a part of the whole. “Some debtors have entered into various payment schemes to avoid being shamed by this exercise,” the bank official, who pleaded not to be identified because of “the sensitivity of the action”, said.

The debtors are to be blacklisted and banned from participating in the foreign exchange market as well as trading in the Nigerian Government Securities market. The publication of the debtors’ lists is to be a continuous exercise.

Union Bank is owed huge sums by 176 debtors. Six customers collectively owe the bank N27.91 billion. They are Dec Oil & Gas, owing N15.7 billion following a 1999 contract finance loan that expired in 2000. The directors of the company are Patrick Ugboma and Pius U. Malaka.

Other debtors include Alliance Energy, which is owing the bank N4.92 billion. The term loan approved in 2004 expired 2006. The directors are Akinwale Omoboriowo, Kojo Anan and Timi Austen-Peters.

Hajaig Construction is owing the bank N2.99 billion on a loan approved in 2012 and which expired in 2014. The directors are Abdul Nasser Hajaig, Rud Wan Hajaig and Mohammed Hajaig.

Sapta International Industries Limited is owing the bank N1.87 billion over a 1987 term loan that expired in 1988. The directors are Alex Aloy Nwokodikwa and Clement Nwokodikwa.

Petroleum Project International has a debt of N1.25 billion over a term loan obtained in 2004 that expired in 2007. The directors are Akinwale Omoboriowo, Kojo Anan and Timi Austen-Peters.

Best Aluminum owes N1.11 billion for import and lease facilities obtained between 2010 and 2012. The directors are Chief Godwin Nweke and Chief Pius Nweke.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/08/banks-reveals-debtors-list-has-cbn-deadline-ended-july-31-2015/

The Archbishop of Canterbury has apologised for the Church of England’s ill-treatment of its first African Bishop, Samuel Ajayi Crowther.
Preaching at a ‘thanksgiving and repentance’ service marking the 150th anniversary of Bishop Crowther’s ordination, Archbishop Justin Welby said: “This is a service of thanksgiving and repentance. Thanksgiving for the extraordinary life, which we commemorate [and] repentance, shame and sorrow for Anglicans who are reminded of the sin of many of their ancestors.

“We in the Church of England need to say sorry that someone was properly and rightly consecrated Bishop and then betrayed and let down and undermined. It was wrong.”

Regarded as the father of Anglicanism in Nigeria, Bishop Crowther, who was born as Ajayi in western Nigeria in 1807, is credited with bringing many Nigerians to Christ. So great was his impact that he was ordained the first African Anglican bishop in 1864, despite great protest.

A former slave, Bishop Crowther became a great linguist, translator, scholar and mission teacher. He is also credited with producing the Yoruba Bible and greatly influenced how government’s improved their view of Africa in the 1800s.
But despite his passion and high achievements, Bishop Crowther’s mission was undermined and dismantled in the 1880s by racist white Europeans, including some of his fellow missionaries.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/08/anglican-church-sorry-for-betrayal-of-bishop-ajayi-crowther/