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Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Top 10 Most Violent Cities in the World

 The Top-10 Most Violent Cities Worldwide 
~ By Niall McCarthy, Aug 31, 2016.

Which cities have the highest rates of murder worldwide? According to the The Mexico Citizens Council for Public Security, the very worst of them are concentrated in Mexico, Venezuela and Honduras. In 2015, Caracas in Venezuela topped the list with 119.87 murders per 100,000 people.

San Pedro Sula in Honduras came second with 111.03 homicides per 100,000 people while San Salvador, capital of El Salvador, rounded off the top three with 108.54 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. Earlier this month, the US State Department issued a warning about Honduras to US citizens, saying that the level of kidnapping, crime and violence there remains critically high.

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Mark Zuckerberg in Nigeria to Witness Africa's Tech Revolution


PRESS RELEASE

Facebook CEO goes to Nigeria to witness Africa's tech revolution

Zuckerberg is in Nigeria to listen and learn and take ideas back to California on how Facebook can better support tech development and entrepreneurship across Africa.

Internet TV is Better than Linear TV - Netflix CEO Reed Hastings

In fact, speaking at their latest earnings call Netflix CEO Reed Hastings explicitly stated digital video's superiority to linear television:
"It’s fundamentally that internet TV is better than linear TV. The consumers can watch when they want, on what type of device they want, and the content has just got better and better."

"So the fundamental confidence about the large scale is because on-demand is a better experience than linear, and the entire market is going to move from linear to on-demand internet television over the next 10 to 20 years."

Source: The Media Briefing.

Screen Naija - YouTube

Nigeria Tops Global Ranking of Mobile Internet Traffic

The internet is mobile: Nigeria tops the global ranking of mobile generated internet traffic, with South Africa third. This is the well-known legacy of poor infrastructure investment combined with deregulated economies creating rapid mass adoption


Video is the content queen: In developed markets the ubiquity of devices and high-speed networks, plus declining costs of memory, storage and computing power clearly indicate a different, user-driven media landscape. Almost all large social platforms have/are migrating to video led content. Average total Facebook link shares dipped below 30, image shares declined below 150 while video shares averaged between 500 and 600 (Jan to Jun 2016, source Buzzsumo).

This is the primary reason Facebook has again rejigged its algorithms to favour video. Snapchat’s meteoric rise is yet another indicator.

Click here for the complete report with graphs.



Monday, August 29, 2016

Lagos' Economy is Nearly Twice the Size of Kenya

 
With a GDP of US$95 billion Lagos has an economy nearly twice the size of Kenya’s-East Africa’s biggest economy.
Lagos Apapa Port located in Tin Can Island is one of the biggest in Africa, generating over N3 trillion in annual revenue.
The Ikoyi Bridge is one of the most beautiful in Africa and the first Cable Suspension Bridge in West Africa. It took 3 years to build.
Lagos: Africa’s 5th Biggest Economy
Posted on March 8, 2016 by Perestroika
 https://ourtimeiscome.com/2016/03/08/lagos-africas-5th-biggest-economy/

Urban resilience is the capacity of individuals, communities, institutions, businesses, and systems within a city to survive, adapt, and grow no matter what kinds of chronic stresses and acute shocks they experience. 

Resilience is about surviving and thriving, regardless of the challenge. 
~ http://www.100resilientcities.org/#/-_/
 
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED:  
LAGOS in MOTION: A Photo Album of Africa's Largest Megacity (LAGOS: Africa's Largest Megacity) (Volume 1)
Paperback US$20.00

Sunday, August 28, 2016

How Fashola Transformed Africa's Largest Megacity of Lagos - Financial Times


Fashola: The man who would tame Nigeria’s megacity
~ By Matthew Green (first published on August 7, 2009 3:25 pm, FT Magazine when Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, was Lagos State Governor from May 29, 2007 to May 29, 2015, He is currently the Federal Minister of Power, Works and Housing.)


One Sunday afternoon in Lagos, a man leapt out into Akin Adesola, the main street on Victoria Island, and flagged down my car. He yanked open the door, swung into the front passenger seat and barked “drive”.

Anger radiated from him like heat. He wore no uniform and carried no gun, but desperation imbued him with an iron authority. All the pent-up frustrations of the megacity seemed to flow through him like an electric current.
He whipped out a tattered paper and jabbed his finger at a list of violations – I had failed to stop at a white line. He said I had better pay the fine now or go to the station where his superior would be less inclined to leniency.

“What makes you think you can come to my country and break our laws?” he spat. His eyes bulged and beads of sweat glistened on his shaven head. He stared through the windshield at the passing cars. “I should not be out here directing traffic,” he said. “I am a graduate.”

Saturday, August 27, 2016

Boko Haram Violence in Lake Chad Region Leaves Children Displaced and Trapped


 "Thank God we're alive, but we've lost everything, our camels, our jewels, our savings. Everything," says Fatime Saleh, 10, who was displaced from Chad alongside her family due to Boko Haram violence. "This is not ok for ...

TORONTO and DAKAR, Aug. 25, 2016 /CNW/ - Years of violence by Boko Haram in Africa's Lake Chad basin have led to a worsening humanitarian crisis that has displaced 1.4 million children and left at least one million still trapped in hard-to-reach areas, UNICEF said in a report released today.
"The Lake Chad crisis is a children's crisis that should rank high on the global migration and displacement agenda," said Manuel Fontaine, UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa. "Humanitarian needs are outpacing the response, especially now that new areas previously unreachable in north-east Nigeria become accessible."

Friday, August 26, 2016

How British Companies and Others Control Over US$1Trillion of Africa's Resources

How British Companies and Others Control Over US$1Trillion of Africa's Resources


Give them their parliament but we will control the banks
Lusaka Times, August 26, 2016
~ By Mark Curtis

Companies listed on the London Stock Exchange control over $1trillion worth of Africa’s resources in just five commodities – oil, gold, diamonds, coal and platinum. My research for the NGO, War on Want, which has just been published, reveals that 101 companies, most of them British, control $305billion worth of platinum, $276billion worth of oil and $216billion worth of coal at current market prices. The ‘Scramble for Africa’ is proceeding apace, with the result that African governments have largely handed over their treasure.

Click here to read the full report.

How President Buhari is Cracking Corruption in Nigeria


Nigeria: Cracking Corruption
Public Finance International, August 26, 2016
~ By Emma Rumney

Nigeria is one of the most “fantastically corrupt” countries in the world – that is, in the words of former prime minister David Cameron, who was caught boasting to the Queen in May that a delegation from Nigeria was to attend his flagship anti-corruption summit.

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Video: Lagos Morning Rush Hour on Victoria Island



Elsie-Femi Pearse Street and Adeola Odeku Road Junction on Victoria Island during the Wednesday morning rush hour of yesterday.

Video: For Clean Water And Sanitation For All


For Clean Water And Sanitation For All 

The facts are startling. Today, 663 million people are still denied access to clean water and 946 million people do not have proper sanitation.


With your help, we can end these risks and save millions of lives year.

Take action on our Water & Sanitation campaign now.

Join me in a growing movement of millions of people across the planet who are taking action to solve the world's biggest challenges.

#showup and Join the movement http://glblctzn.me/2aYLiY9

Let us make a difference today.

JOBS: nuTonomy is Recruiting!


JOBS: nuTonomy is Recruiting!  

Current openings
nuTonomy is focused on research and development for state-of-the-art self-driving cars. We aim to be the first company in the world to launch an autonomous taxi system, and we are building up an awesome team to make this goal a reality.

Please send all applications to jobs@nutonomy.com. Include a CV, examples of your past work (e.g., papers, code), and your preferred office - Cambridge, MA or Singapore. If applying to our US office, please indicate your eligibility to work in the country.

nuTonomy offers competitive salary and benefits, great colleagues, and a fun work environment.

Currently we have openings for:

    Embedded Software Engineer – Automotive R&D / ADAS Experience
    Motion Planning / Controls – Research Scientist or Engineer
    Research Scientist – Computer Vision – Machine Learning
    Software Engineer – Computer Vision – C++
    Mapping & Localization Engineer
    Software Engineer – Mapping and Annotation Tools
    Software Engineer – Master C++ Programmer
    Software Test Engineer
    Machine Learning Specialist
    Control Systems Engineer
    Radar Engineer
    UX / UI / Industrial Designer
    Drivers – Data Collection
    Drivers – Self-driving Vehicle Operator (Safety Driver)
    Business Intern
    Recent Graduates

Go to http://www.nutonomy.com/jobs.html.

Singapore Launches the First Self-Driving Taxi in the World


Singapore Launches the First Self-Driving Taxi in the World


World's first self-driving taxi service launches 
Aug 25 2016, 08:28 ET | By: Clark Schultz, SA News Editor
  • Singapore became the first country in the world to offer a self-driving taxi service with the targeted launch of nuTonomy. A full roll-out of an autonomous taxi service across the nation is expected as early as 2018.

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

US$217.7 Billion Illegally Transferred Out of Nigeria



US$217.7 Billion Illegally Transferred Out of Nigeria

 Africa: Cleaning Up
~ By William Gumede
What is the extent of corruption in Africa? The recent Global Corruption Barometer shows that 12 of the 13 countries with the worst record of bribery are in Africa. The African Union estimates that 25% of the GDP of African states, or some $148 billion, is lost to corruption every year on the continent.
  • The African Development Bank (AfDB) estimates corruption costs Africa up to 50% in lost tax revenues and over $30 billion in aid, annually. As a comparison, Africa receives around $22.5 billion in development aid from industrial countries (pre-2007/2008 global financial crisis figures), according to the Organization for European Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
  • In many African countries local and foreign private donors fund governing parties in return for favourable policies, subverting regulations and the drive toward efficient privatisation. This stymies development. Developed countries also contribute to the situation by harbouring the proceeds of corruption in Africa in secret bank accounts.
  • Africa is losing $50 billion every year in illicit financial outflows because of fraudulent schemes to avoid or evade taxes by governments and companies, according to the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). According to the report, the continent lost $850 billion between 1978 and 2008. Some $217.7 billion was illegally transferred out of Nigeria, $105.2 billion out of Egypt and $81.8 billion out of South Africa.
  • Separate data provided by Global Financial Integrity has shown that South Africa loses annually about $12.2 billion in illicit outflows. That loss could easily plug South Africa's fiscal deficit. Former South African President Thabo Mbeki, who chairs UNECA said: "The information available to us has convinced our panel that large commercial corporations are by far the biggest culprits of illicit outflows, followed by organised crime".  
Click here to read the full report

Source AllAfrica

Don't Blame President Muhammadu Buhari for Economic Hardship in Nigeria


Don't Blame President Muhammadu Buhari for Economic Hardship in Nigeria

Many ignorant and poorly educated Nigerians have been calling President Muhammadu Buhari all sorts of derogatory names, cursing and swearing as they blame him for the current economic hardship majority of people are suffering in Nigeria. But unknown to them, the current recession is a global development that is affecting all the continents and in fact Nigerians should be thanking God, because the hardship would have been worse.
Nigeria is not even among the worst economic performers and not among the top ten most affected countries in the world and they include mighty Japan, Italy, Taiwan and Ireland without even mentioning the weeping baby of Europe, Greece.

US Secretary of State, John Kerry currently visiting Nigeria knows that America is also facing economic challenges and will discuss the global recession with President Buhari.

According Bloomberg:
Oil-rich Venezuela will contract by 3.3 percent this year, the worst forecast of any of the 93 countries in our analysis, followed by junk-rated Brazil, debt-laden Greece and commodities-ravaged Russia. 



http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-11/meet-2016-s-worst-economic-performers-flirting-with-disaster


~ By  Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima
https://www.amazon.com/author/ekenyerengozimichaelchima
https://twitter.com/247nigeria


Click here to order for copies
List Price: $38.20 
New Price: $34.38 
You Save: $3.82 ( 10% ) 

The Victory of Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigerian Dream: My Testimony on the 2015 Presidential Election is an important chronicle of the 2015 presidential election in Nigeria and the principal actors in the emergence of the first Nigerian presidential candidate to defeat an incumbent President in the political history of Nigeria.

Monday, August 22, 2016

Nigeria: With Thousands in Urgent Need, UN Health Agency Scales Up Emergency Response

On 12 August 2016 internally displaced children waiting for ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) distribution in Banki IDP camp, Borno state, northeast Nigeria. Photo: UNICEF/Andrew Esiebo.

Nigeria: With thousands in urgent need, UN health agency scales up emergency response

NEW YORK, 22 August 2016 / PRN Africa / -- The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) is ramping up its response in north-eastern Nigeria, where initial assessments have revealed urgent health problems among populations in areas formerly held by Boko Haram insurgents.

Watch Full Movie:AFRICA SPEAKS, The Strangest Romance Of Colonial Africa


 
Published on Aug 21, 2016
Explorer Paul Hoefler leads a safari into central Africa and what was then called the Belgian Congo, in the regions inhabited by the Wassara and the famous Ubangi tribes.
Director:
Walter Futter
Writer:
Walter Futter
Stars:
Harald Austin, Paul L. Hoefler, Lowell Thomas |



Presented By Screen Naija, the entertainment channel of Nigerians for the world.

Facebook Partners With She Leads Africa in Support of Female African Entrepreneurs


PRESS RELEASE

Facebook Partnered With She Leads Africa in Support of Female African Entrepreneurs
  •          Initiative to encourage women across the continent to start their own businesses and help drive prosperity for their countries
  •         SheHive will also be moving on to Johannesburg and Lagos 2016

Sunday, August 21, 2016

Screen Naija Presents "AFRICA SPEAKS: The Strangest Romance of Colonial Africa"


Screen Naija Presents "AFRICA SPEAKS: The Strangest Romance of Colonial Africa" 


Africa Speaks
by Walter Futter

Published 1930
adventure, documentary

Explorer Paul Hoefler leads a safari into central Africa and what was then called the Belgian Congo, in the regions inhabited by the Wassara and the famous Ubangi tribes.
Director:
Walter Futter
Writer:
Walter Futter
Stars:
Harald Austin, Paul L. Hoefler, Lowell Thomas |

Saturday, August 20, 2016

International Committee of the Red Cross' Documentary On Biafra Now Released


International Committee of the Red Cross' Documentary On Biafra Now Released 


International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) historian Daniel Palmieri describes the humanitarian situation between 1966-1975, focusing on the Nigeria-Biafra War. 

The ICRC Archives have been opened to the public for the first time. 
This is the first time this documentary on Biafra will be shared on a Nigerian website. 
I witnessed and survived the Biafran war as a refugee child, but my mother of blessed memory Mrs. Gladys Eke lost three of her six children who were among the hundreds of thousands of unfortunate Igbo children who died from Kwashiorkor in Biafra.

I dedicate this to the memories of all the heroes and heroines of Biafra.

Why All Muslims Must Be United Against Boko Haram and ISIS



Muslims all over the world must not be afraid to speak out against terrorism and be united to fight Boko Haram, (Group of the People of Sunnah for Preaching and Jihad) and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), because the founder of Islam, Prophet MuḼammad (PBUH) prohibited killing women and children and would not support the suicide bomb attacks on innocent people. 

Muslims who refuse to attack Boko Haram and ISIS are enemies of Islam. 

The Victory of Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigerian Dream: My Testimony on the 2015 Presidential Election By Michael Chima Ekenyerengozi

List Price: $38.20
New Price: $34.38
You Save: $3.82 ( 10% )

The Victory of Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigerian Dream: My Testimony on the 2015 Presidential Election is an important chronicle of the 2015 presidential election in Nigeria and the principal actors in the emergence of the first Nigerian presidential candidate to defeat an incumbent President in the political history of Nigeria.  
Click here to order Kindle Edition on Amazon

Gentlemen, I Have Just Been Informed That There Is Going To Be A Coup Tonight


Photo: Major General Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi (3 March 1924 – 29 July 1966) and other senior military officers before his overthrow in a military coup. 

 Lt. Col. Okonweze, therefore, called a meeting in the mess of all available officers (Igbo and non-Igbo) at the Abeokuta Garrison where he made the following announcement:

"Gentlemen, I have just been informed that there is going to be a coup tonight. Anyone of you who knows anything about the coup should please tell us. You may know the beginning but you never know the end. I am not ambitious. My only ambition is to become a full Colonel. If you know anything, please let me know; I am not going to report anyone. What we are going to do is to avoid what happened in January where officers were taken unawares. We are going to wake up all soldiers, ask them to go to the armoury to get issued with arms and ammunition. "

~ From Operation Aure (2): Planning to Overthrow General Ironsi By Nowa Omoigui.
http://www.gamji.com/nowa/nowa26.htm



The Victory of Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigerian Dream is still the best book on the 2015 presidential election in full colour with more than 80 photographs.
https://www.amazon.com/author/ekenyerengozimichaelchima


Friday, August 19, 2016

Google To Train 2 Million Android Developers in Partnership with 30 Universities


"As per the new plan of Google, we will train two million Android developers in partnership with 30 universities. This will be done over the time period of next three years. For me, getting many developers in the workforce is that it is going to solve many new things." 
~ Google's Indian-origin CEO, Mr Sundar Pichai.
Salary US$150 million (2015)  
Net worth Increase US$1.05 billion (December 2015)