To say Sunday Oliseh has a penchant for the dramatic is an understatement. He posted a tweet in the early hours of Friday morning and every Nigerian is talking about him now. He could have, at least, waited for a new Fifa president to be elected before pulling that stunt.

It’s a shame that as Nigerians we have very short memories. Sunday Oliseh is perhaps the most petulant, troublesome and arrogant player to have donned the Super Eagles shirt.

Here is what Yahoo! Sports said about him in their news report:
He (Sunday Oliseh) had a fiery reputation as a player, missing the 2002 World Cup for disciplinary reasons and was later sacked by Dortmund for allegedly punching a team mate Vahid Hashemian during a loan spell at VfL Bochum.

1. In 2002 Sunday Oliseh reportedly walked the then Sports minister, the late Ishaya Mark Aku, out of his hotel room.

2. He led a revolt of Super Eagles players to boycott the 2002 World Cup in Japan/South Korea and for the first time Nigeria failed to advance beyond the Group stage of the World Cup finals

3. There was the incident of him punching his team mate at Vfl.

4. Sunday Oliseh was constantly criticising Stephen Keshi when the latter was national team coach. We all remember that Keshi remains the only indigenous Nigerian coach that has not only won the Africans Nations Cup but took Nigeria to the 2nd Round of the World Cup and ensured the qualification of another African country, Togo, for the World Cup.

The NFF ignored all these and appointed him as Super Eagles coach.

While he was Super Eagles coach, he was constantly at loggerheads with one person or the other:

1. Emmanuel Amenike resigned from international football

2. Nigeria’s number one goalkeeper, most capped player and one of the best goalkeepers in France, Vincent Enyeama resigned.

Both of these players resigned due to personal differences with the national team coach, Sunday Oliseh.

3. He failed to take Nigeria beyond the group stage of the CHAN competition and instead of him to accept responsibility for the failure he went on Youtube to rant against nameless individuals calling them insane for criticising him.

His resignation couldn’t have come sooner. Hopefully, the NFF will have the wisdom not to employ another troublemaker as his successor.

- See more at: http://www.urnaija.com/sunday-olisehs-resignation-contribution-nigerian-football/#sthash.egLqgnQk.dpuf

Nigerians voted for APC in the last general elections because the party promised to change the way government is run in Nigeria but the only change being experienced in the way government business is conducted has been coming from Ben Murray Bruce, a PDP senator.

Senator Ben Bruce has not only called the Federal Government out on many occasions but has also been using Social Media to get Nigerians involved in economic development.

As human beings we tend to place more emphasis on who is talking than what he is saying. In Nigeria, there are too many people who have more privilege than sense and no shortage of disciples who will echo whatever they say whether it makes sense or not. So whenever someone like Sen. Ben Bruce who has both privilege and sense comes along he gets more attention when he is having a war of words with someone who has equal or more privilege than him but far less sense.


If the governing party had more senators like Ben Bruce Nigerians would have started to feel the ‘change’ that was promised before the elections.

Since Nigeria returned to civil rule in 1999 until Ben Bruce came along I have never seen a Nigerian legislator trying to get the populace involved in law making in Nigeria the way it is done in a civilized democracy. Having said that though, I stand corrected.

For those who do not realise, members of the National Assembly are there to represent the people who voted for them and not themselves, the clue is in the name: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Same goes for senators.

Constituents are supposed to engage with their elected representatives and senators to pass the right laws and challenge the executive arm of government whenever necessary.

In the UK, everybody has a right to appeal to their MP to intervene on their behalf in the face of executive recklessness and the MP, being a legislator, will take up the fight on behalf of the constituent and challenge whichever branch of the executive arm of government is concerned. Many Nigerian living in the UK, both legally and illegally, are regularly assisted by their MPs in their fight with Immigration authorities to obtain permission to remain in the UK.

With his #BuyNaijaToGrowTheNaira campaign, Senator Ben Murray Bruce is probably doing more than every elected APC politician, put together, to save the Naira and what does he get for it, incessant internet trolling.

Someone was wondering on Twitter why Senator Ben Bruce was more vocal on Twitter than on the Senate floor. Dude, where else can the senator get your attention? People like you don’t sit in front of the TV watching National Assembly proceedings.

If every elected politician in Nigeria who is entitled to an official car (by the way, aren’t they all?) and every government appointee purchased their official car from Innoson Motors like the senator just did imagine the amount of jobs that will be created at the assembly plant. That will probably have a stronger economic impact than feeding 30 million pupils biscuits everyday.

Like a junkie hooked on crack, Nigeria has been addicted to oil for too long and everybody concerned about the nation’s well being has advised us to wean ourselves off the black stuff. Let us hope that now that a senator, who is supposed to be one of the major beneficiaries of the oil wealth, has added his voice to the campaign to stay off the sticky poison his colleagues at the legislative and executive arms of government will begin to re-examine other sources of income.

Urnaija is therefore proud to associate with the senator’s #BuyNaijaToGrowTheNaira campaign.

urnaijadotcom:
Let me start by applauding the Federal Government’s ‘One Meal A Day’ programme for pupils. This programme featured prominently during APC’s election campaign and it is good to know that the government intends to honour that promise.

Providing meals for pupils puts Nigeria in the same league with industrialised countries that have identified social welfare as a necessary tool for economic development.

However, the recent MOU signed by the FG with NASCO to feed 30 million pupils special biscuits is a very bad idea from a nutritional point of view.

Large scale social welfare is uncharted territory for the FG so they can be excused if they do not get it right the first time. This is the time for them to return to the drawing board and come up with better alternatives.

Senator Ben Bruce has rightly pointed out that prioritising feeding pupils biscuits over paying teachers salary is not the way to improve the standard of education in Nigeria.

This write-up is looking at the decision from a nutritional point of view.

Firstly, will parents be provided with the nutritional information on what their children are eating?

Secondly, how many healthcare professionals like doctors and dieticians were consulted before this MOU was signed?

According to the Minister of Science and Technology, Mr. Ogbonnaya Onu, who represented the government at the signing ceremony in Abuja, the MoU was necessary in order to advance the implementation process of government desire to enhance a healthy development of children through the programme.

The minister said further that the high nutrient density biscuits were one of the products of Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO), Lagos, which would meet at least one- third recommended dietary allowance of Pupils. One-third, what about the remaining two-thirds? There are other alternatives like fruits and vegetable that will provide more than half of the children’s recommended dietary allowance.

The government’s desire to enhance a healthy development of children through the programme should be questioned if feeding children biscuits is the best idea they can come up with.

Let us have a look at what biscuit contains and the nutritional value of these substances:

Sugar: This is one of the most important ingredients in biscuit. Sugar will damage children’s teeth and that is just the beginning. Excessive consumption of sugar also leads to the development of Diabetes type 2 and other obesity related illnesses like cancer, high blood pressure and hypertension later in life. Some of these pupils may have undiagnosed Diabetes type 1, which is more serious than Diabetes type 1, and consuming biscuits every day will worsen the situation. The other alternative to sugar is aspartame and nutritionally it’s even worse than sugar.

Hydrogenated oils: They may seem harmless enough, but these hydrogenated oils mean that they contain the most dangerous kind of fats- Trans fat. Trans fat is known to increase bad cholesterol and decrease good cholesterol. They also increase chances of diabetes and heart disease later in life.

Wheat Flour: the wheat flour biscuit is made of is generally refined wheat flour. Eating refined wheat flour is not `recommended because during processing, the brown cover of the wheat is removed that contains essential vitamins and also the necessary fiber that supplements the process of digestion and supports weight loss.

Biscuit is also high in calories and falls under the category of foods with high GI (Glycaemic Index), which means children feel full immediately after eating it due to the rapid release of energy but less than an hour later they’re hungry again because they have used up all the energy from the biscuit.

Biscuit is also not a good source of fibre and children need fibre. Even with the fiber that is added in the biscuits, that content is much lower than the daily requirement for fiber.

Instead of feeding children with biscuits the FG should invest in agriculture by encouraging farmers to grow fruits and vegetable to feed these children with. This will not only be a source of income for these local farmers but will also provide the children with better nutrition.


- See more at: http://www.urnaija.com/attn-nigerian-parents-fgs-plan-feed-children-nasco-biscuits-dangerous-idea-nutritionally/#sthash.DPH2YYv1.dpuf

This is an example of what the Senator was talking about:

https://www.nairaland.com/2927808/headmaster-sacked-kaduna-diverting-biscuits

OrlandoOwoh:

Doesn't using nasco alone indicate that the buscuite that will be given to children could be different from just any buscuite? The MoU could include nasco producing buscuite with special nutrients like cassava and less sugar. Today we have a brand of coaster buscuite without sugar, eaten by diabetic patients.

Thanks for your contribution in this debate OrlandoOwoh. Point is, give children diabetic biscuit without sugar and they won't eat it. Waste of money. The most common alternative to sugar is aspartame, which is even more dangerous than sugar.

Luckylife:
This is what we call white elephant project . Why can't the government reason like leaders, most schools don't have necessary equipment to learn which is the primary aim of going to classes, That money should be channel to provide free education to all primary. And secondary education.

Thank you Luckylife, exactly what Senator Ben Bruce was saying.

maryam6:
Y nt bobo

Nutritionally, eating biscuits everyday is bad for children

No, they shouldn't ban biscuits but the Federal Government should not embark on a program to feed children with it everyday. Biscuits should only be eaten in moderation. It's like planning to give pupils cocacola to drink everyday.

Elosky20:
story story story. so they should ban biscuit in nigeria, since all you mentioned are general ingredients of biscuit

Chairman, fud no be fud o! Especially if una get pikin.

SHEEGO2015:
Fud na fud

Let me start by applauding the Federal Government’s ‘One Meal A Day’ programme for pupils. This programme featured prominently during APC’s election campaign and it is good to know that the government intends to honour that promise.

Providing meals for pupils puts Nigeria in the same league with industrialised countries that have identified social welfare as a necessary tool for economic development.

However, the recent MOU signed by the FG with NASCO to feed 30 million pupils special biscuits is a very bad idea from a nutritional point of view.

Large scale social welfare is uncharted territory for the FG so they can be excused if they do not get it right the first time. This is the time for them to return to the drawing board and come up with better alternatives.

Senator Ben Bruce has rightly pointed out that prioritising feeding pupils biscuits over paying teachers salary is not the way to improve the standard of education in Nigeria.

This write-up is looking at the decision from a nutritional point of view.

Firstly, will parents be provided with the nutritional information on what their children are eating?

Secondly, how many healthcare professionals like doctors and dieticians were consulted before this MOU was signed?

According to the Minister of Science and Technology, Mr. Ogbonnaya Onu, who represented the government at the signing ceremony in Abuja, the MoU was necessary in order to advance the implementation process of government desire to enhance a healthy development of children through the programme.

The minister said further that the high nutrient density biscuits were one of the products of Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO), Lagos, which would meet at least one- third recommended dietary allowance of Pupils. One-third, what about the remaining two-thirds? There are other alternatives like fruits and vegetable that will provide more than half of the children’s recommended dietary allowance.

The government’s desire to enhance a healthy development of children through the programme should be questioned if feeding children biscuits is the best idea they can come up with.

Let us have a look at what biscuit contains and the nutritional value of these substances:

Sugar: This is one of the most important ingredients in biscuit. Sugar will damage children’s teeth and that is just the beginning. Excessive consumption of sugar also leads to the development of Diabetes type 2 and other obesity related illnesses like cancer, high blood pressure and hypertension later in life. Some of these pupils may have undiagnosed Diabetes type 1, which is more serious than Diabetes type 1, and consuming biscuits every day will worsen the situation. The other alternative to sugar is aspartame and nutritionally it’s even worse than sugar.

Hydrogenated oils: They may seem harmless enough, but these hydrogenated oils mean that they contain the most dangerous kind of fats- Trans fat. Trans fat is known to increase bad cholesterol and decrease good cholesterol. They also increase chances of diabetes and heart disease later in life.

Wheat Flour: the wheat flour biscuit is made of is generally refined wheat flour. Eating refined wheat flour is not `recommended because during processing, the brown cover of the wheat is removed that contains essential vitamins and also the necessary fiber that supplements the process of digestion and supports weight loss.

Biscuit is also high in calories and falls under the category of foods with high GI (Glycaemic Index), which means children feel full immediately after eating it due to the rapid release of energy but less than an hour later they’re hungry again because they have used up all the energy from the biscuit.

Biscuit is also not a good source of fibre and children need fibre. Even with the fiber that is added in the biscuits, that content is much lower than the daily requirement for fiber.

Instead of feeding children with biscuits the FG should invest in agriculture by encouraging farmers to grow fruits and vegetable to feed these children with. This will not only be a source of income for these local farmers but will also provide the children with better nutrition.


- See more at: http://www.urnaija.com/attn-nigerian-parents-fgs-plan-feed-children-nasco-biscuits-dangerous-idea-nutritionally/#sthash.DPH2YYv1.dpuf

To say that Pep Guardiola is the most sought after football manager in the whole world is an understatement, which is why news that he will be moving to Manchester City this summer was received with a lot of excitement.

After enjoying 47 caps with the Spanish national team, the 45-year-old retired from professional football and became a coach. He started with the Barcelona B team before taking the first team over from Frank Rikjaard in 2008.

In his first season as manager, Guardiola Barcelona won a treble, La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League. In doing so, Guardiola became the youngest manager to win the Champions League.

The following season, Guardiola led Barcelona to win the Supercopa de España, the UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup, bringing his tally to the maximum of six trophies out of six competitions in one year, thus achieving the sextuple.

By the time Guardiola announced his departure from Barcelona in 2012, he had won fourteen trophies in four years.

Guardiola joined Bayern Munich at the beginning of the 2013-14 season, during which he won four trophies, the Bundesliga, the DFB-Pokal, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.

Since he started his managerial career in 2008, Pep has won a total of 19 trophies for two teams, Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Out of 426 games played he’s won 312, drawn 71 and lost 43.

What Pep has, however, never done before is manage a Premier League team. It’s a case of the most sought after manager in the world moving to the best league in the world.

Firstly, Pep would need to assemble a team he can work with. No doubt he will like to get some of the best players in the world. Gareth Bale, Paul Pogba and Raphael Varane are already being speculated as his likely targets. Iniesta’s name is being mentioned too but it is doubtful Barcelona would part with him. Other possible targets are Griezman, Alaba and Coleman. It is estimated that those three along with Bale, Pogba and Varane may cost Man City almost $500m. Football commentators believe Pep may struggle if he doesn’t assemble the right team.

The Premier league is a difficult terrain to navigate for foreign coaches, he should go and ask Mourinho, Ancellotti, Claudio Raneiri, Andre Villa-Boas, Mancini, Louis Van Gaal just to mention a few. There is the press to deal with. The English press is one of the most critical and unforgiving in the world. Then he has the fans to always please, two straight draws and his head is on the chopping block.

The most successful Premier League manager, Sir Alex Ferguson is British after all. There must be a reason for that.

Manchester City owners and fans would expect Pep to repeat the same feat he performed in Barcelona almost ten years ago by winning the Premier League and Champions League during his first season. Failure to do this and his days at the club are already numbered.

Summer is coming soon when all eyes will be on Pep. The first few fixtures will be interesting. There are rumours that Pep’s arch rival, Jose Mourinho, will be taking over from Louis Van Gaal at Manchester United. If that happens, the most anticipated match of the 2016-17 Premier League season will be the clash between Manchester United managed by Jose Mourinho and Manchester City managed by Pep Guardiola. Now, that will be a match football pundits will talk about for years.

- See more at: http://www.urnaija.com/pep-guardiola-survive-premier-league/#sthash.QUDePCmo.dpuf

Very insightful. Just made a comment on your contribution about Transparency International "delisting" Nigeria from the list of corrupt countries. Its bad enough that people will come up with that kind of lie its unthinkable that they they hoped to get away with it.

LordAdam:


I applaud the fact that a lot of neutral people and even those who voted APC in the last elections are calling the PMB administration to check. It is necessary.

The fact is that the precedence of calling a president clueless, ineffectual baboon, dullard, even when rightly deserved early on in the presidency is not wholly fair. As a pro-GEJ supporter, the election times were rough because there were a lot of unsubstantiated allegations against the GEJ administration (now turning to be false) that were peddled because things appeared bad.

Nigerians now know APC is a fraud, that PMB was a mistake. Thank heavens we have discovered it early enough. The question now is should we let things remain this way until 2019? That is a long time to wait. Our criticisms should be constructive, not one-sided, and be vocal enough to force the change we seek.

I have called PMB a senile dullard before, so I am not trying to be an hypocrite. I did it then to prove to people that all is not what it seems. PMB is no messiah and APC is not a party of saints. Now, I have been proven right. The next thing is how to do our best to make sure things do not fall out of hand too much.

Everyone is complaining about the economy and calling PMB clueless, I am yet to see a good article that critiqued the budget in a bid to right the wrongs in it. It appears we are experts in identifying problems and having an idea of what the solution is, but have zero capacity in remedying the problems.

If we don't stop this attitude, we would wail till 2019. Vote another mistake and start wailing after 6 months. Who gains and who loses? The politicians can switch parties at will and gain, the masses lose completely.

PMB is a failure. Fine, but his failure affects 180m Nigerians. The stakes are too high to let him fail for another 3 years.

-Lord

What does "delist" even mean? Transparency International does not "delist" any country, they make a list of every country from the least corrupt at the top of the list to the most corrupt at the bottom.

The news is that for the second year running Nigeria has not been one of the bottom ten countries on that list.

Thanks for your comment Iconaus. Your analysis on Jonathan was right on point! Please read our opinion on Jonathan, published in 2014: http://www.urnaija.com/jonathan-is-too-nice-to-be-nigerias-president/

As Nigerians we found ourselves in an unfortunate situation, having to choose between Jonathan and Buhari!

iconaus:
More clueless . Jonathan was not clueless . He had a vision but Nigeria is a complex country to govern . Rather Jonathan was a weak president and too good to be a president . PMB is the real clueless because he does not have the mental and academic abilities to pilot the affairs of this country . He does not have the ideal background . he came due to tribal and religious sentiments .

Thank you for your comment Lord Adam. It's not about making a U-turn. Never really supported Buhari. It's about pointing the government in the right direction.

Thanks again for your sensible comment. sensible as in you disagree with the write-up but without insulting the writer

LordAdam:
Make them pass budget first (in March) then wait for 6 months after that before you give your verdict.

Yes, the budget is wasteful.
Yes, PMB lacks economic insight.
Yes, the PMB administration is painfully slow.

However, you cannot make a u-turn now because the times are unfavorable. Suck it up and weather the bad times.

I'm pro-GEJ, but I want PMB to succeed. He and APC have made a fool of themselves thus far, but let us hope for the best in the coming months when they are given cash to run the economy.

-Lord

Nigerians breathed a sigh of relief when Jonathan conceded defeat and paved the way for Buhari to be sworn in as Nigeria’s president.

Jonathan was called several names, the economist recently described him as an ineffectual buffoon but Nigerians’ favourite was “clueless”.

Nigerians (rightfully) called Jonathan clueless but it doesn’t appear like Buhari is any better with his fixation on fighting corruption.

What is the point of having a corrupt free but severely impoverished country?

If Buhari spent less energy fighting corruption and more on harnessing Nigeria’s vast human resources potentials, he will surely get a second term in office.

China is the world’s second largest economy today and this is attributed largely to the vast amount of human resources at her disposal.

The United Kingdom with a population of around 65 million earns over £500b (five hundred billion Pounds) from various forms of taxation. (At the exchange rate of N400 to a Pound that is about Two hundred Trillion Naira.) Nigeria, with a population of over 150 million can only budget a paltry six Trillion Naira with half of that amount to be borrowed!


Last year 2015, Nigerians in Diaspora sent back home a total of $24 billion. That is almost 80% of Nigeria’s 2016 budget, which means Nigerians in Diaspora sent home more money than the Federal Government earned from oil. Nigerians in Diaspora are less than ten percent of the country’s population.

Nigeria is a country where oil accounts for a whooping seventy percent of government revenue, almost half of our foreign exchange earnings but only ten per cent of our GDP.

This anomaly is caused by government’s unhealthy over reliance on oil as a source of revenue. A situation that started during the wasteful 1970s.

The world’s insatiable appetite for crude oil ensured that demand and price remained high for decades until recently.

Successive governments (most of them headed by megalomaniac, corrupt despots in military uniform) saw the export of Oil and Gas as an easy way of earning money half of which ended up in private accounts. The real reason successive governments relied heavily upon oil is simple, corruption.

With oil as the main revenue earner, the concept of “National Cake” was firmly entrenched in the Nigerian psyche. Oil is freely given, it belongs to no one (Niger-Delta indigenes may disagree with that but that’s an argument for another day) so whoever gets his hands on oil money can do with it as he pleases.

Oil should have been just an extra source of revenue for Nigeria not the main source.

The concept of tax-payer’s money does not exist in Nigeria. People who say the discovery of oil in Nigeria was a curse and not a blessing to Nigerians know exactly what they are talking about. If tax constituted a lion share of government revenue in Nigeria and tax-payers monitored how their money is being spent corruption might not be so rampart in Nigeria.

The oil market crash has dealt a crushing blow on the Nigerian economy when it really shouldn’t have if past governments had tapped into Nigeria’s abundant resources, the most valuable being our human resources.

Nigeria’s tax-to-GDP ratio is only 7%. This is way too low for a country that prides itself as the largest economy in Africa. According to the Economist, every percentage point increase could add $5 billion extra cash for the country.

Every Nigerian government since independence, the present government inclusive, has been a liability to the Nigerian people, stalling progress in the country rather than promoting it.

If the present government wants to be taken seriously it should concentrate more on creating jobs with a view to earning more tax revenue and that’s just a start.

http://www.urnaija.com/is-buhari-turning-out-to-be-as-clueless-as-jonathan/

In the latest edition of The Economist, Nigeria’s immediate former president, Goodluck Jonathan was described as “…an ineffectual buffoon who let politicians and their cronies fill their pockets with impunity”.

The renowned global publication in an article assessing Buhari’s management of the economy since he assumed office in May also mentioned the fact that Minister for Information reckons that a handle of people, just 55, stole $6.8b from the country’s treasury during the PDP years.

Still on the profligacy of the Jonathan administration, The Economist noted that, “Income for the third quarter of 2015 was almost 30% lower than for the same period the year before, and foreign reserves have dwindled by $9b in 18 months. Ordinarily there would be buffers to cushion against such shocks but Mr. Jonathan’s cronies have largely squandered them”.

In another article in the same edition of The Economist, the magazine reminded their readers that they endorsed Buhari in the election against Jonathan who was referred to as a “woeful opponent”.

The magazine, however, did not spare Buhari himself criticism. In their analysis of how the economic situation is being handled, The Economist pointed out that only one of Buhari’s three pronged approach to tackling the crisis has any chance of working.

“The government’s response to the crisis has been three-pronged. First, it is trying to stimulate the economy with a mildly expansionary budget. At the same time, it is trying to protect its dwindling hard-currency reserves by blocking imports. Third, it is trying to suppress inflation by keeping the currency, the naira, pegged at 197-199 to the dollar. Only the first of these policies seems likely to work.”

The Economist concluded the article by saying Buhari is making the same mistake he made when he was a military Head-of-State by placing a ban on imports.


- See more at: http://www.urnaija.com/jonathan-ineffectual-buffoon-economist/#sthash.8LXEtsOf.dpuf

Is that even supposed to be news?

https://www.nairaland.com/2888869/biafran-passport-not-recognised-us

Twitter went ablaze this morning with news reports from various online publications, including ‘The Punch’ that the United States and United Kingdom governments have issued statements saying they do not recognise the Biafran passport.

The only reasonable reaction to that news report should be shock, unbelief, bewilderment and befuddlement. It is shockingly unbelievable that the governments of these two countries would even react to such a query.

The statement from the American embassy was purportedly issued by one Frank Sellin, the Deputy Public Affairs Officer at the consulate, saying, “The United States does not consider passports purporting to be from a Biafra entity to be a valid legal document for purposes of visa issuance.”

While the response from the British government came via a statement issued by the Press and Public Affairs Officer, British High Commission, Abuja, one Mr. Joe Abuku, saying, “The answer is unequivocally ‘no’. The UK does not recognise the so-called Biafran passport.
“The position of the UK Government during the Biafran War is a matter of historical record. The UK Government’s position, which reflected the Charter of the Organisation of African Unity, was to recognise the borders laid down at independence.
“The Biafran War caused great suffering and the UK supported the reconciliation work that followed the conflict. The UK supports the territorial integrity of Nigeria and the Nigerian Government’s commitment to work for a secure and prosperous Nigeria for all Nigerians.”

Both statements should be taken with a pinch of salt. Don’t be surprised if within the next 24 hours, statements are issued, this time around, from the official Twitter accounts of the two governments, denying that those statements were ever made.

For the avoidance of doubt, Biafra is not a country and any passport issued bearing the Biafran Coat of Arms is not recognised by any country.

That fact goes without saying and diplomatic officials from these two countries have better things to do than responding to meaningless requests.

What next, a news report saying the US and UK have issued statements saying they do not recognise any passport issued by the Islamic State (Isis) or Boko Haram?

It is either that we have reached a stage in journalism in Nigeria where certain people are beginning to fabricate news or officials at the respective foreign missions of the US and the UK in Nigeria have no better use of their time any more.

http://www.urnaija.com/biafran-passport-recognised-uk-news/

In most part of the world, a New Year is usually ushered in with colourful display of fireworks, which seem to get more fascinating year on year.

Urnaija has brought you pictures of fireworks display used to usher in 2016 from different parts of the world.

- See more at: http://www.urnaija.com/year-celebrations-world/#sthash.0A87G2u8.dpuf

OrlandoOwoh:
Were you there when Dasuki said he gave Buhari some money? Buhari, just like other former leaders, got SUVs from the government.

Getting SUVs from the government as a former Head of State is not the issue but in this particular situation the money was tainted. Thanks for your comments.

I’ve often wondered what a single individual would do with a billion Dollars in cash. Not a billion Dollars in assets but solid cash. Most billionaires, Warren Buffet, Bill Gate, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page, Sergey Brien just to mention a few don’t actually have up to a billion in cash. Their net worth would consist mostly of assets, stocks, bonds and shares that could easily be converted into cash when the need arises.

Sambo Dasuki has provided the answer to my question, however. If you ever steal up to a billion dollars in cash (two billion in his own case) make sure you draw up a list of influential people around you; sitting governors, ex-governors, ministers, publishers, businessmen, bloggers, ex-senators even presidential candidates and give them some of the money so that when you’re eventually caught you could bargain with the list of people who have benefited from the loot especially if one of the presidential candidates eventually becomes president. Machiavellian ingenuity!

The list of people who have benefited from “Father Christmas Dasuki” seems to be getting longer everyday with the recent revelation that the SUVs purchased for President Buhari after narrowly escaping a Boko Haram attack was from the stolen money. Dasukigate then became Buharigate.

The recent naming of Buhari has completely changed the tone of the conversation with opponents pointing accusing fingers at him and friends/sycophants claiming he was entitled to the cars as a former Head-of-State.

As a leader who won a presidential election on an anti-corruption campaign Buhari should refund the money paid to him for the purchase of the SUVs and whatever was paid to him in cash. Not as a punitive measure but in order to return the conversation to the real subject matter, the embezzlement of $2.1 billion. Buhari’s SUVs are just a distraction. How much are the two SUVs worth compared to $2.1 billion Dollars?

Truth is, as a former Head-of-State, Buhari was entitled to a level of security.

PDP spokesman, Olisa Metuh, has, however, pointed out a procedural flaw, that Buhari as former Head-of-State should have been dealing with the office of the Secretary to the Federal Government and not the office of the National Security Adviser. If that is the case, then Buhari should indeed refund whatever was paid to him by Dasuki’s office.

I also believe that if Buhari signifies an intention to refund the money, certain individuals will immediately step forward to foot the bill.

Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Gordon Brown, was one of the MPs implicated in the expenses scandal that erupted while he was Prime Minister. The allegation against him was that he over claimed expenses as a Member of Parliament up to the sum of £12,415.10 from 2004-2009. This period covered the time when he was Chancellor of Exchequer (Number 2 in government) and Prime Minister. Mr. Brown did not only pay back every single penny, he also directed every member of his cabinet who was implicated in the scandal to refund any excess funds they had collected in the past as Members of Parliament. That is how to lead by example.

President Buhari should please do the same thing, lead by example and refund whatever was paid to him by Dasuki and let us see how many of Dasuki’s beneficiaries would be able to do the same.

A team coach or manager has only one task: To win matches. How he wins it is nobody’s business as long as he wins. Having said that, a particular Premier League coach comes to mind. Unfortunately for this Premier League manager his team has been performing far below expectation this season.

Back to Nigeria’s national team manager, Sunday Oliseh. It really doesn’t matter who quits the national team because they cannot stand Oliseh’s attitude as long as he wins matches for Nigeria.

Having said that, however, there’s no questioning the fact that Sunday Oliseh is rude, arrogant and has very little regards for other people.

His attitude cost him a place in the 2002 World Cup squad after he fell out not only with the then national team coach, Festus Onigbinde but Ishaya Mark Aku also, the then Sports minister, who unfortunately lost his life in a plane crash later.

Sunday Oliseh reportedly ordered the late sports minister out of his hotel room back in 2002, which makes Enyeama’s claim that Oliseh threatened to call security on him very believable.

The late Sports minister called him a “distraction”, warning that Oliseh’s statements could distract the players and coaches from achieving a good result at the 2002 World Cup.

Here’s what the Sports Minister had to say about Oliseh:

"I believe that all these things Oliseh is saying are just distraction and they are very unfortunate. We should concentrate on the task ahead and forget about one player trying to discourage the coach. I have not seen a place where a player, because he was not called to the national team turns around and screams. We have thousand of players, good enough for that matter that have not been given the opportunity to play. If one is given the opportunity and it is messed up then we have so many ready to participate and give this country a pride of place,"


In an interview with the BBC, Oliseh attempted to embarrass the national team coach Onigbinde by saying,

"It's not the coach deciding the team. "It is somebody above him who is deciding for him who he should play,”

How could a national team player say that about the coach and still expect to be considered patriotic?

When he was captain of the Super Eagles, Oliseh led a protest against the NFA (as it was then called) over air ticket refund. After the protest, Oliseh did not receive an invitation to the national team camp.

When he was asked how he felt about not being invited to camp his response was most arrogant and utterly unpatriotic:

"The last two games Nigeria played, it was good for my club that I was not part of it because it let me focus on the Uefa Cup and the Bundesliga.”


It is unfortunate that we live in a country where we have very little regards for history. If corrupt politicians keep coming back to office after several indictments, proven and unproven what stops a former player known for being arrogant and rude to people in positions of authority from becoming national team coach?

Like I stated at the beginning of this write-up, it really doesn’t matter how rude or arrogant Oliseh is as long as he wins the next African Cups of Nations and gets Nigeria past the Second Round of the next World Cup, a feat no Super Eagles coach has ever achieved before. That is if he lasts that long.

The names of the 21 individuals on the ministerial list Buhari sent to the Senate have finally been revealed by the Senate president.

A quick check on the names reveal that all but one or two are professional politicians who have no other source of income but wait for the next political appointment to come their way.

Dr. Chris Ngige (Anambra): Former PDP governor of Anamabra, now a member of APC

Kayode Fayemi: Former governor of Ekiti state

Rotimi Ameachi: Former governor of Rivers state

Babatunde Fashola (Lagos): Former governor of Lagos state

Lai Mohammed (Kwara): APC Spokesman

Abdurrahman Dambazau (rtd) (Kano): A retired Nigerian Army Lieutenant General who served as Chief of Army Staff (COAS) between 2008 and 2010

Aisha AlHassan (Taraba) is a Nigerian politician who is a Senator representing Taraba North constituency of Taraba State, Nigeria which she won under the platform of the People's Democratic Party (PDP). She later decamped to the main opposition party All Progressive Congress (APC) and became the Gubernatorial Candidate ofTaraba State for the 2015 general elections. She was defeated in the election re-run held on 25th of April 2015 and failed to become Nigeria's 1st female democratically elected Governor

Ogonnaiya Onu (Abia): The first Executive Governor of Abia State, Nigeria from February 1992 to December 1993. He was the National Chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).

Kemi Adeosun (Ogun): Former Ogun State Finance Commissioner, Mrs Kemi Adeosun

Abubakar Malami SAN (Kebbi): Former National Legal Adviser for the defunct Congress for Progressive Change, CPC. He was a member of the defunct CPC Merger Committee that negotiated the formation of All Progressives Congress. He sought for the nomination as the Governorship Candidate of the APC for Kebbi State but later withdrew

Senator Sirika Hadi (Katsina): Represents Katsina North Senatorial District under the platform of All People’s Congress

Barrister Adebayo Shittu(Oyo): The governorship candidate of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in Oyo State during the 2011 elections. Shittu once served as the Oyo State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice.

Sulaiman Adamu (Jigawa): Adamu Suleiman was a Nigerian Policeman and former Inspector General of Police. He was appointed in 1979 to succeed Muhammadu Dikko Yusufu and was succeeded by Sunday Adewusi in 1981.

Solomon Dalong (Plateau): Is a Plateau based politician and a lawyer who failed in his bid to secure the gubernatorial ticket for APC. He once served as Personal Assistant to Solomon Lar when Solomon Lar was appointed Adviser Emeritus to Obasanjo.

Emmanuel Kachikwu (Delta): new Group Managing Director of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation

Osagie Ehanire (Edo): The Edo State Coordinator of General Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organisation

Udoma Udo-Udoma (Akwa Ibom): was elected Senator for the Akwa-Ibom South constituency of Akwa-Ibom State, Nigeria at the start of the Nigerian Fourth Republic, running on thePeople's Democratic Party (PDP) platform. He took office on 29 May 1999. He was reelected in April 2003, again running on the PDP platform. He is the Chairman of UAC of Nigeria Plc and Union Bank of Nigeria Plc

Ahmed Isa Ibeto (Niger): Former deputy governor of Niger State who decamped from PDP to APC earlier this year before elections

Audu Ogbe (Benue): Former chairman of PDP

Amina Mohammed (Kaduna): currently special adviser to the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki Moon.

Ibrahim Usman Jibril: A Deputy Director at Development Control Department

A Christian group has warned that the world is set to end today, the 7th of October 2015, according to a Huffington Post report.

http://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/christian-group-warns-the-world-will-be-annihilated-on-wednesday/ar-AAfar4h?ocid=UP97DHP

Presumably hoping to save face after the world failed to cease as suggested on 28 September, Chris McCann of the eBible Fellowship has outlined his predictions in a handy online PDF.

Entitled A Strong Likelihood That October 7, 2015 Will Be The End of The World, it promises a “fiery trial” of faith.

It quotes Revelation 14:10 in detailing “that awful day” of God’s final judgement of mankind:

“The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture and into the cup of his indignation; and he shall we tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.”

To be fair, the eBible Fellowship was not among the Christian groups predicting Armageddon would coincide with the Blood Moon last month.
The group has based its prediction on a previous claim that the end of days would occur on 21 May 2011.

Being that this date passed without event, the group claims this date was actually “the beginning of Judgement day” and that 7 October, 1,600 days thereafter is the correct date, upon which “testing would be finished.”

McCann told The Guardian: “According to what the Bible is presenting it does appear that 7 October will be the day that God has spoken of: in which, the world will pass away.
“It’ll be gone forever. Annihilated.”

McCann’s extensive online literature cites Harold Camping, the radio preacher who convinced thousands of followers Jesus would return on 21 May, 2011.

Camping, a retired civil engineer, had originally forecast that some 200 million people would be saved when the globe was destroyed, and warned that those left behind would die in earthquakes, plagues and other scourges until Earth was consumed by a fireball.

After the big day passed without event, many listeners were crestfallen, particularly those who had quit their jobs or donated some of their retirement savings or college funds to get out the word.

Three days later, Camping revised his prophecy, saying that Earth actually would be obliterated on 21 October He said a mathematical error also prevented an earlier apocalyptic prediction from materialising in 1994.

Thwarted again, Camping, who died in 2013, posted an online letter conceding he had no evidence of an impending apocalypse and asked forgiveness for his sin.

- See more at: http://www.urnaija.com/world-ends-tomorrow-7102015-christian-group-warns/

Happy Independence celebration to you all!!!!

May we all continue to prosper and may Nigeria become a better country - Amen

The President has confirmed that he has sent a list of ministers to the Senate. The list has not been made public yet but some names have been floating around.

According to the constitution, a minister must be appointed from at least each state of the Federation so can anybody guess the names on the list, state by state?

Don't worry I don't think anybody will be arrested for playing a harmless guessing game on the Internet.

vivalavida:
How sanctimonious is the person who wrote this article? Can the people who know you vouch for you that you are as sanctimonious and incorruptible as you are sounding to be?
I am not holding brief for saraki or anyone but it is clear that saraki wants to be made a scape-goat and those senators lining up behind him know this truth. The CCB or CCT had all the time in the world to prosecute saraki since 2003. It waited and now reared its head now. This is a case of the witch cried in the night,the baby died in the morning. But the baby in this case is fighting hard to stay alive.

Chairman, it appears we are missing the point here. The point is not the motive behind the CCT actions. The fact is this, did he actually illegally acquire those properties? It is immaterial why he is being tried. Can he prove himself innocent?

It is no longer news that the group of Senators whose names appear below, constituting a staggering 76.1% of the Senate, think it is okay for someone who held and still holds a public office to be on trial for illegally acquiring the following assets:

BUKOLA SARAKI’S ASSETS

Plot 212 Musa Yar'Adua Street, Victoria Island,
N700 million.

Others are: a plot of land on Lekki Phase (block
72), N7 million;
Ibafo near Ajah, N5 million;
Buildings on number 42 Gerrard Road, Ikoyi,
N750 million;
19 Roxton Road, Ikoyi, N500 million;
62 Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, N100 million;
15A & B MacDonald, Ikoyi, N160 million
6 Vulga Street, Maitama, Abuja, N60 million.

HIS PROPERTIES ABROAD:

123A, Ashley Gardens, Thirleby Road, London,
valued at $750,000. (N120 Million Naira)
56 Cheyne Court, SW 3, London, $900,000; (N144
Million Naira)
54 Ashley Gardens, Ambrasden Avenue, London,
$2.5 million; (N400 Million Naira)
141 Ashley Gardens, Thirleby Road, London,
$600,000; (N96 Million Naira)
Nell Gwynn House, Sleave Avenue, London,
$400,000; (N64 Million Naira)
Ormond House, Ormond Street, S/London,
$400,000; (N64 Million Naira)
53 Ashley Gardens, Ambrasden Avenue, London,
$2.5 million, (N400 Million Naira)
70 Bourne Street, S/W London, valued at $4.8
million. (N768 Million Naira)

HIS MOVABLE ASSETS:

Mercedes S320, N16 million;
Mercedes S500, N20 million;
Mercedes G500, N18 million;
Mercedes V220, N6 million
Mercedes 300E, N2 million.
Mercedes ML 240, N8.5 million;
Mercedes CLK 320, N9 million;
Mercedes E320, N11 million;
Mercedes G500 bullet-proof, N45 million
Mercedes S500 bullet-proof, N30 million.
Ferrari 456 GT N25 million;
Navigator, N15 million;
Peugeot 406, N2 million,
Lexus Jeep bullet-proof, N30 million
Lincoln Navigator bullet-proof, N25 million.

HIS CASH DEPOSITS IN DIFFERENT BANK
ACCOUNTS

NIGERIA:
Societe Generale; N11 million
Ecobank, Broad Street, Lagos, N350, 000;
Citizens Bank, Broad Street, Lagos, N390, 000;
Citizens Bank, Broad Street, Lagos, N600,000;
Ecobank Nigeria plc, Broad Street, N10.3 million,
Guaranty Trust Bank, Adeyemo Alakija Street,
Lagos, N2.9 million.
Societe Generale Bank, Oke Arin Street, Lagos,
N23 million

FOREIGN BANK ACCOUNTS:
Coutts & C, 440 Strand, London, £905,000;
(N235.3 Million Naira)
Northern Trust International Banking Corporation,
Merrillynch Piece Fender, $400,000 (N64
Million Naira)
Fortis Bank, Camoile Street, London, £2 million.
(N520 Million Naira)

HIS FOUR CHILDREN:

His four children Tosin, Seni, Teniola and
Teniayo, are worth N741.89 million in cash,

HIS WIFE:

Toyin Saraki, had a net asset of N1.49 billion as
at 29 May 2003.



Here is a list of the Senators:

1. Sen. David Umaru
2. Sen. Mohammed A. Ndume
3. Sen. Godswill Akpabio
4. Sen. Biodun Olujimi
5. Sen. Malam A. Wakil
6. Sen. Isah Hamma Misau
7. Sen. Emmanuel I. Paulker
8. Sen. Ogola Foster
9. Sen. Gershom H. Bassey
10. Sen. James Manager
11. Sen. Babajide Omowarare (Backed out)
12. Sen. Ahmadu Abubakar M.
13. Sen. Joshua M. Lidani
14. Sen. Achonu A. Nneji
15. Sen. Shehu Sanni
16. Sen. Salihu H. Egye
17. Sen. Mao Ohuabunwa
18. Sen. Mohammed S. Ohiare
19. Sen. Philip Aruwa Gyunka
20. Sen. Abdullahi Adamu
21. Sen. Samuel N. Anyanwu
22. Sen. George T. Sekibo
23. Sen. Monsurat J.A. Sunmonu
24. Sen. Jeremiah T. Useni
25. Sen. Ogba Joseph Obinna
26. Sen. Aliyu S. Abdullahi
27. Sen. Sunny Ogbuoji
28. Sen. Gilbert Nnaji
29. Sen. Bala IBN Na’allah
30. Sen. Philip Tanimu Aduda
31. Sen. Duro Samuel Faseyi
32. Sen. Kabiru Gaya
33. Sen. Muhammad Aliero
34. Sen. Bukar A. Ibrahim, CON
35. Sen. Abubakar Kyari
36. Sen. Rose Okoji Oko
37. Sen. Osinachukwu I. Ideozu
38. Sen. Matthew A. Urhoghide
39. Sen. Fatimat O Raji-Rasaki
40. Sen. Tijani Yahaya Kaura
41. Sen. Sabo Mohammed
42. Sen. Danjuma Laáh
43. Sen. Mohammed S. Lafiagi
44. Sen. Dino Melaye
45. Sen. Abdulrahman Abubakar
46. Sen. Bassey A. Akpan
47. Sen. Olanrewaju A. Tejuoso
48. Sen. Buruji Kashamu
49. Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe
50. Sen. Samuel O. Egwu
51. Sen. David A.B. Mark\
52. Sen. Aliyu M. Wamakko.
53. Sen. Marafa Bachir Abba
54. Sen. Mohammed Hassan
55. Sen. Utazi G. Chukwuka
56. Sen. Francis Alimikhena
57. Sen. Emmanuel Bwacha
58. Sen. Joshua Chibi Dariye
59. Sen. Uche L. Ekwunife
60. Sen. Murray-Bruce Ben
61. Sen. Binta Masi Garba
62. Sen. Jang Jonah David
63. Sen. Ighoyota Amori
64. Sen. Ibrahim A. Gobir
65. Sen. Mohammed Goje, CON
66. Sen. Ahmed Rufa’i Sani
67. Sen. Ibrahim Abdullahi
68. Sen. Muhammad U. Shitu
69. Sen. Andy E. Ubah
70. Sen. Nelson A. Effiong
71. Sen. Rafiu Adedayo Ibrahim
72. Sen. Abdul A.M. Nyako
73. Sen. Theodore A. Orji
74. Sen. Olaka Johnson Nwogu
75. Sen. Abubakar S. Danladi
76. Sen. Yele Omogunwa
77. Sen. Stella Adaeze Oduah
78. Sen. Hope O. Uzodinma
79. Sen. John Owah Enoh
80. Sen. Peter Nwaboshi
81. Sen. Clifford A. Ordia
82. Sen. Donald Alasoadura
83. Sen. Mustapha Sani
84. Sen. Gbolahan Dada

[b]Without being specific, a casual glance at the list will reveal the usual suspects: the individuals who have been cursed with stealing public funds and wives and children of individuals who have stolen public funds in the past.

These people are the reason why crime rate in Nigeria is so high. When the leaders have no moral justification to fight crime because they themselves are the biggest criminals in the country crime rate becomes uncontrollable.

According to this group of shameless senators, it is okay for the number 3 citizen of the country to be charged with offences relating to dishonesty, threatened with arrest and made to sit in a dock like a common criminal.

These are men and women who have absolutely no respect for themselves, the country they represent and the people of Nigeria.

Most of them consider it a birthright to be where they are. They have become impervious to corruption because to them acquiring unimaginable wealth while in public office to the detriment of the ordinary citizens is not only perfectly normal but should be encouraged and cheered.

In a country governed by sane individuals, a Senate president facing a Code of Conduct Tribunal trial would voluntarily step down from office and if he refuses to step down his colleagues will remove him. Not in Nigeria where 83 Senators are proud to announce their association with
[/b]

Let me start by saying, thank you to every Nairalander who made a contribution to the first part of this write-up. https://www.nairaland.com/2619359/how-defeat-boko-haram-message

Even those who think the opinions expressed in the write-up was a foolish one. The most important thing is that you have made a contribution to a matter of urgent national importance. All hands must be on deck to defeat this evil Boko Haram. If we continue talking about how to defeat them we will arrive at a solution soon.

I also thank those who have not made a contribution yet…

Having gone through the responses some have been selected, which will be addressed in this latest write-up.

@Hob: @OP should forward this to the Department of Defence

Thank you, that’s a nice suggestion but I doubt anything will come out of it.

@Firefire: How can you defeat what you celebrated.

The politics played by Lie Mohamed and his party APC on BokoHaram will hunt them till death.

They are now cooking cabbage to sell to Nigerians before granting the vampires amnesty.

The news stories you dug up showing ACN and Lai Mohammed acting as advocates for Boko Haram are very instructive. I’m sure when we have an honest probe about the whole matter those issues will be useful. However, we should be careful and not be like a driver looking backwards while driving along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway at a 100km/hr.

@9jiii: One of the Reasons for the success of Bokoharam bombings
Nigerians,we quickly adapted to the new hardship.
Bomb will xplode today and you will people tomorrow in the same place acting all ok.
We don’t learn much from experience just getup and move on.

Thank you for your contribution @9jiii. You’re so on point! The biggest challenge facing the black man is that we have perfected the art of “rolling over and playing dead”. We think we can deal with a problem by simply wishing that it won’t happen again. It’s amazing how, like you put it, 24hrs after a bomb explosion everything goes back to normal as if nothing happened.

@MadCow1: I sat with a Soldier last weekend who has served a tour in Borno State and ever since then, I have realized that this Boko haram Saga isn’t as we think it is.

The beauty of Boko Haram is that they have no method. You can’t pre-empt them, you cant figure them out. All we know is that they blow shiit up and attack hidden villages, lay ambush for troops and blend back into the general population when they are done.

Your contribution is very interesting and I have copied and pasted the portion I disagree with. No criminal organisation gains the sort of global notoriety that Boko Haram have gained without having a method. It’s like saying the Mafia have no method or the Japanese Yakuza or Chinese Triad have no method. It’s sad to say but some of these notorious organisations operate under the strictest code of conduct.
Alternatively, what you seem to be saying is that the Nigerian Security service is so inefficient they cannot even defeat a bunch of terrorists who operate haphazardly. I disagree with the fact that Boko Haram don’t have a method it has only not been discovered yet.
Remember their name, Boko Haram, means “Western Education is forbidden”, yet they are using western technology like assault rifles, explosives, rocket launchers even the Internet to wage battles.
Boko Haram are masters of subterfuge, they are the exact opposite of what people generally believe about them.
With due respect to the soldier gentleman referred to I hope top military officers don’t share his opinion that Boko Haram don’t have any method.

@EVILFOREST: I appreciate all your points, thank you.

@Autolord: Yes if the security operatives collected enough data they should be able to predict where their next target. Intelligent post

Thank you very much sir!

@Reyginus: The Op misses it. There pattern is that they don’t have a pattern. They operate like the mind of a mad man– unpredictable. Focusing on the attack ground or site will not solve the problem but the source of the mechanism of the attack.

To defeat the terrorists you simply, though not easy, strike the energy source, the head, the root, the general and destabilize the warriors, the soldiers, and the war ends. What I mean is to remove their sponsors, source of wealth and everything falls into place.

You can study the grounds or site of attack for a million years but as long as their machineries are still oiled you’d be wasting your time. Who funds boko haram? How do they get there weapons? Tackle these and you’ll not have to study any attack site.

I disagree with the first paragraph of your contribution and I’ve dealt with the reason above when responding to @MadCow1’s contribution.

Putting aside our disagreements, let us address what we both agree on. I didn’t have the time to include this point in my first write-up as it had already run into a thousand words.
“Following the money” is probably the most effective way of defeating Boko Haram. You’re so on point concerning that.
There are security experts who can pick up an item that cannot be purchased in the open market, items like arms and ammunition, and trace that item back to where it was purchased and who paid for it.
This is what Nigerian security services should have done a long time ago.

@LogoDwhiz: Also, how do they get to fuel their vehicles?

Thank you @LogoDwhiz, your simple one line contribution to this debate is probably one of the most intelligent! The answer to that question might be the key to defeating Boko Haram. It’s all part of following the money suggested by @Reyginus above. Who pays for the fuel they use in their vehicles?

@Akinz0126, @Chrisxxx, @Zikclassique, @Raymondenyi and @Heavenshield: Thank you very much guys for your positive responses.

@Persius555: For instance, fertilizer and ammonium chemicals are commonly used for this purpose. With e-payment and registration, records of payments can be utilised in crime solving in the event of multiple bomb explosions. This should be encouraged in the entire north east, especially maiduguri. There is no perfect solution if not iraq and the rest of ME will be free of terrrorists. Also, my belief is that there are international connections to this. Those who make and plant bombs are doing it for monetary gains i.e there are groups of powerful people or organizations who pay individuals to carry out these attacks for reasons only they know. The international theory should be seriously worked on.

Thanks @Persius555, you have identified the kind of intelligent work I’m talking about! Boko Haram can be defeated if we are more determined.

@Bishop: simply put that we need intelligence to end The Boko Haram Terror and Not Excessive Military Might.

Thanks @Bishop for a simple summary of my write-up. God bless!

Finally, @RickyTan: The fight is very complex and multi faceted. Way beyond hunter gatherer techniques that you mention. There is media, propaganda, indoctrination, finance, recruitment, costing, logistics etc. But we are winning.

Without realising it, this contributor has justified the point that Boko Haram is not a simple, haphazard bunch of zealots with no method or pattern. They are utilizing propaganda, indoctrination, finance, recruitment, costing and logistics to fight their war.

This contributor started by saying the write-up was gibberish only to inadvertently confirm what the write-up was all about, that Boko Haram is a well structured and well funded criminal enterprise that operates on a strict code of conduct that can be identified with proper intelligence gathering.

- See more at: http://www.urnaija.com/defeat-boko-haram-2-reply-nairalanders-contributions/#sthash.wlc1vgEr.dpuf

At least 100 pilgrims have been killed in a crush at Mina, outside Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Mecca, where two million people are performing the annual hajj pilgrimage, state television has reported.

The news channel also cited civil defence officials as saying that 390 people were injured in the incident.

More to follow

- See more at: http://www.urnaija.com/100-pilgrims-killed-crush-mecca

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/24/mecca-crush-during-hajj-kills-at-least-100-saudi-state-tv