President Buhari is the Beacon for Democracy in Africa. - John N. Paden

President Muhammadu Buhari is the Beacon for Democracy in Africa.
- John N. Paden

4 Major Things Dangote Refinery Will Do For Nigeria

4 Major Things Dangote Refinery Will Do For Nigeria


Dangote Group is set to complete its $12 billion refinery in 2019. The Dangote 650,000 barrels per day plant is perceived as a timely intervention to tackle the nation’s numerous challenges in the midstream sector of the industry.

Work accelerates to meet completion target
1…Power Generation: 12,000MW
2…Direct/Indirect Employment: 149,000
3…Savings for Nigeria: $7.5billion
4…To Generate Additional  $5.5b

Apply for the #Africa4Future Initiative before 30 November

Africa’s Own Aspiring Extraterrestrial Calls on African Innovators to Apply for the #Africa4Future Initiative before 30 November

Dr. Adriana Marais, Theoretical Physicist, Head of Innovation at SAP Africa and self-proclaimed aspiring extraterrestrial, recognises the launch of #Africa4Future opportunity for African innovators and explains innovation links to the Mars One vision.

CLIMATE CHANGE FOCUS: Lake Chad Trees Keep Deadly Drought at Bay

UNDP Chad/Jean Damascene Hakuzim
Desertification threatens the village of Tantaverom. Mbo Malloumu has taken the initiative to plant acacia seedlings to rehabilitate the land. In the past 50 years, Lake Chad basin shrank from 25,000 square kilometers to 2,000square kilometers.

CLIMATE CHANGE FOCUS: Lake Chad Trees Keep Deadly Drought at Bay

NEW YORK, 26 November 2018 / PRN Africa / -- Lake Chad - which originally reached from Chad into Nigeria, Cameroon and Niger - has lost 90 per cent of its surface area due largely to unsustainable water management and climate change.

Global Counterterrorism Efforts Ignore How Terrorists Are Created

Global Counterterrorism Efforts Ignore How Terrorists Are Created

Disparate preventative programs show influence of personal networks may be key to preventing path to violence

WASHINGTON, Nov. 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- New Orb Media Inc. reporting and data analysis shows the number of countries impacted by terrorism is up, public acceptance of violence targeting civilians is up, and yet expert knowledge of how to prevent individuals from being drawn into terrorism is limited at best.

Trillions of U.S. dollars have been spent on counterterrorism efforts since 2001, but we still know very little about why people become terrorists. New research shows individual relationships and social circles may be a major factor in attracting and preventing people from joining a violent organization.

Guterres Censures Terrorist Attacks in Nigeria, Pledges UN ‘Solidarity'

OCHA/Yasmina Guerda Aerial view of the town of Rann, Borno State, Nigeria. 23 March 2018.
Guterres Censures Terrorist Attacks in Nigeria, Pledges UN ‘Solidarity'

NEW YORK, 26 November 2018 / PRN Africa / -- On Monday, his spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, issued a statement extending the UN chief's “heartfelt condolences to the Government of Nigeria and to the families of those who have lost their life.”

According to news reports, a major attack took place earlier this month at a Nigerian military base in north-eastern Borno state carried out by Islamist extremists eight days ago, in which scores of soldiers were killed. Several other bases were said to have been targeted.

2019 is Big Year for Democracy in India, Indonesia and Nigeria -The Economist

Democracy has a big year. Countries with more than a third of the world's population will hold nationwide elections—including India, the world's biggest democracy, as well as Indonesia and Nigeria. Optimists hope this will bring the beginnings of a reversal in the global trend of recent years towards declining freedoms.

Sponsors of Boko Haram Are Desperate To Stop the Re-Election of President Buhari

Sponsors of Boko Haram behind new terrorist attacks to stop the reelection of President Muhammadu Buhari.
They include millionaire arms dealers in the Sahel region.

The renewed incessant attacks of Boko Haram in 2018 are following the same pattern of 2014 before the 2015 presidential election.

Children in Lake Chad Basin Attend School with Help from UN-Backed Fund

UNICEF Chad/2017/Azoura 16-year-old Aisha Mahamadou writes on the blackboard in a school in Dar es Salam refugee camp in the Lake Chad region.

FROM THE FIELD: Children in Lake Chad Basin Attend School with Help from UN-Backed Fund

NEW YORK, 20 November 2018 / PRN Africa / -- The children who are refugees from other countries, internally displaced by conflict and drought and those simply living in some of the poorest parts of the country have not been able to go to school.

German Minister of State Michelle Müntefering Extols Leymah Gbowee for Winning the Bonn International Democracy Prize

Speech by Minister of State Michelle Müntefering honouring Leymah Gbowee at the presentation of the Bonn International Democracy Prize

BERLIN, 20 November 2018 / PRN Africa / -- “You can never leave footprints that last if you are always walking on tiptoe.”

I would like to begin my address, Leymah Gbowee, with this quote by you.

Defence Secretary Reaffirms Commitment To Fight Against Terror in Nigeria

Defence Secretary Reaffirms Commitment To Fight Against Terror in Nigeria

LONDON, 20 November 2018 / PRN Africa / -- The UK stands side by side with our Nigerian partners in the fight against violent extremism, the Defence Secretary reaffirmed in a visit to Nigeria.

In a two-day visit, Defence Secretary, RT. Hon Gavin Williamson, CBE, MP  visited Maiduguri in the north east of the country to witness the impact of the conflict with Boko Haram. He also formally handed over 1million pounds worth of counter improvised explosive device (IED) equipment to help in the fight against the terrorists.

Only Those Suffering from Political Amnesia Will Vote for the PDP

Only those who are suffering from Political Amnesia will vote for the People's Democratic Party (PDP); the most corrupt political party in the history of Nigeria. 

Rivers State was beautiful, peaceful and safe until the PDP came to power in 1999 and turned it into "Rivers of Blood" in violent political elections.



Bayelsa State was also peaceful until the  horrifying Odi massacre on November 20, 1999, by the Nigerian military on the predominantly Ijaw town of Odi in Bayelsa State.
The massacre was ordered by the regime of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Vice President Atiku Abubakar .

Africa Dialogues for World Children’s Day 2018: African Youth Share Their Vision of the Africa They Want

PRESS RELEASE

Africa Dialogues for World Children’s Day 2018: African Youth Share Their Vision of the Africa They Want

On November 20 (anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child), children raise their voices in solidarity with the world’s most disadvantaged and vulnerable children

ELECTORAL FACT 1: Atiku Abubakar is Afraid of the Grassroots Movement of President Buhari

ELECTORAL FACT 1:

Majority of Nigerian voters are not on the internet. They are the supporters of President Muhammadu Buhari in the rural areas. And they have their PVCs unlike many of the supporters of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar making noise on Nairaland, Facebook, Twitter and other social media network sites; hiding behind monikers with multiple accounts. And guess what? The most active of them paid by the opposition are not even up 200, because the bankrupt former ruling party, People's Democratic Party (PDP) cannot afford  more than that and the PDP is still owing unpaid salaries of many of their workers since 2015. Moreover, their conduits for embezzlements of public funds by misappropriations of allocations for federal government offices and state governments have been blocked.
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is almost bankrupt and is afraid of the reelection of President Buhari, because that will worsen his predicaments.

Taking Nigeria To The Next Level - By President Muhammadu Buhari

Four years ago, we promised Nigerians real change – in what we do and how we do it. Nigerians sent a clear message in the last election, and our platform offered a new, ambitious plan for a secure, prosperous and corruption-free country. We have worked hard to fulfil our promises – and while the road may have been difficult, over the last three and a half years, we have laid the foundations for a strong, stable and prosperous country for the majority of our people.

Foundational work is not often visible, neither is it glamorous – but it is vital to achieving the kind of country we desire. Judging by the prior depth of decay, deterioration and disrepair that Nigeria had sunken into, we are certain that these past few years have put us in good stead to trudge on the Next Level of building an even stronger nation for our people.

New Book Highlights the Achievements of Muslims in America

New book highlights contributions of Muslims
'I, Too, Am America' profiles 50 highly accomplished American Muslims

  
DALLAS, Oct. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- A new book that details the contributions of Muslims to many important spheres of American life has been released.

Written by award-winning journalist Lekan Oguntoyinbo, I, Too, Am America: Stories of 50 Amazing American Muslims, highlights achievements of members of the Muslim faith including, business, science, health, sports, entertainment and public service.

Obeahon Ohiwerei, CEO of Keystone Bank Wins the European Award for Best Banking CEO in Nigeria

Mr.  Obeahon Ohiwerei, CEO of Keystone Bank Wins the European Award for Best Banking CEO in Nigeria

The European continues to acknowledge businesses that enable and boost the economy. It covers Global Banking and Finance, Global ESG Leaders, the Global Legal sectors and regional development in areas such as Europe, Latin America, Africa, MENA, Asia and Central Eastern Europe. A selection of companies have been recognised for progress, competitiveness and outstanding performance in their respective fields.

America: The Shithole of Gun Violence

America: The Shithole of Gun Violence

Do you know that there have been more mass shootings in America in 2018  than Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria in the last three years?
In 2018, there have been 310 mass shootings, and over 12,000 gun deaths in the U.S., according to the non-profit Gun Violence Archive.  More than the combined killings in Boko Haram attacks and killings by ISIS terrorists in the last four years.

Bekeme Olowola Appointed To the Board of Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Amsterdam

PRESS RELEASE

Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Amsterdam Appoints Nigerian Sustainability Expert, Bekeme Olowola, As Board Member

Olowola, who is the first West African member on the Board of Directors, will be commencing her 3-year appointment on 1 January, 2019

LAGOS, Nigeria, November 12, 2018/ -- Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) (www.GlobalReporting.org), the world’s leading sustainability impact measurement and reporting standards body, based in Amsterdam, has appointed Bekeme Olowola, Founder and Chief Executive of CSR-in-Action, headquartered in Nigeria, as a member of its Board of Directors, where she will be joining a leading caste of global sustainability professionals.

HBR: ‘The Big Five' Trends That Will Affect Business in Africa

If You Want to Know ‘The Big Five' Trends That Will Affect Business in Africa, This is the Book To Read

ABIDJAN, Côte d'Ivoire, 09 November 2018 / PRN Africa / -- For one week, Acha Leke and Mutsa Chironga studied stories from international news outlets to gauge the stories being told about Africa. What they found motivated them to change the narrative about the continent. In that one week, the only African news they could find were about Nigerian terror group, Boko Haram, African migrants who drowned while trying to escape conditions at home, and articles on corruption in Angola.

More than 30, 000 Cameroonian Refugees Flee to Nigeria

UNHCR/Roqan Ojomo:A refugee family from Cameroon sits outside their shelter at Adagom settlement in Ogoja province, south-east Nigeria.

Fleeing violence, Cameroonian refugee arrivals in Nigeria pass 30,000, reports UN refugee agency

NEW YORK, 09 November 2018 / PRN Africa / -- According to Babar Baloch, a spokesperson for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), many of those who have fled so far, had to rely on trails and informal paths to make the crossing, as official border entry points remain closed.

Together with their partners, UNHCR staff are present at access points often used by refugees to assess the situation and the needs of new arrivals, he added.

“People are telling us they were ordered to leave their houses due to increasing violence in their home areas,” said Mr. Baloch.

It is My National Duty To Defend and Support President Muhammadu Buhari

My Nigerians Report Online was the first Nigerian news media to endorse His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR for President in the 2015 presidential election and it cost me a multimillion naira patronage of the then national ruling party, People's Democratic Party (PDP) and threats to my life. My in-laws in Buguma of Rivers State were attacked and murdered for supporting the All Progressives Congress (APC). These hired killers were cosponsored by those empowered by the former President, Mr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and his wife, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, whose mother was even my father's cousin from the same village in Abia State where the best mansion was built by Mrs. Jonathan.
I also have relations in every state in the Niger Delta. So, I know the PDP 100% more than majority of the ignoramuses insulting and swearing at President Buhari without any justification. I am royalty both in Abia state and Rivers state where my nephews and nieces are very comfortable sons and daughters of the prominent William-West Family in Buguma and my brother in-law and the presidential candidate of the PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar were senior colleagues in the Nigeria Customs Service. I am the son of a grea man who was a brave Nigerian soldier and was a friend of Major-General David Akpode Ejoor and HRH Amayanabo (King) of Twon-Brass, Bayelsa, Alfred Papapreye Diete-Spiff, the first Military Governor of Rivers State.
If not for Christianity, I would have been a foreign intelligence agent and assassin. I once worked for the Alhaji Bamanga Tukur's presidential campaign in my 20s.

I have no apologies or regrets for endorsing and supporting President Buhari. It is my national duty to defend him.


~ By EKENYERENGOZI Michael Chima, Author of The Victory of Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigerian Dream and other books.

BOOKS BY EKENYERENGOZI MICHAEL CHIMA

Photos of Prince Charles and Supermodel Naomi Campbell in Lagos

The Prince of Wales, Prince Charles is currently on official visit to Nigeria. Prince Charles had arrived Nigeria on Tuesday alongside his wife, Camilla; and were received by President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House in Abuja.

Why Obasanjo Failed To Win the Mo Ibrahim Prize

Why Obasanjo Failed To Win the Mo Ibrahim Prize

What happened to the allocations for pensions of civil servants during the 8 years administration of former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and his Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar from 1999-2007?

Africa Investment Forum: All Set to Tilt the Tide of Investments into Africa

Africa Investment Forum: All Set to Tilt the Tide of Investments into Africa
Forum to advance projects to bankable stages, raise capital, and accelerate financial closure of deals

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, 05 November, 2018 – The Africa Investment Forum kicked off on Monday with a media briefing in the South African capital. The game changing event, aimed at attracting multi-billion-dollar deals across the continent, is set to usher in a new era for Africa’s investment landscape.

Emir Sanusi II Urges Africa To Put Education and the Poor at the Centre of Development

Nigeria's Emir Sanusi Urges Africa To Put Education and the Poor at the Centre of Development 

ABIDJAN, Côte d'Ivoire, 30 October 2018 / PRN Africa / -- One of Nigeria's foremost traditional rulers has challenged Africans and development experts to rethink development financing to reach the poorest communities on the continent, to give them access to markets, education and healthcare.

“Development needs to impact those at the bottom of the pyramid,” Emir Sanusi II, the monarch of the northern Nigerian city of Kano said in a keynote at the 21st Eminent Speakers Lecture Series of the African Development Institute.

“And as Africans and policy makers, our mindset, our attitude and our approach to development needs to change,” said Sanusi, a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Petrobras To Sell Stake in Nigeria

Petrobras To Sell Stake in Nigeria

RIO DE JANEIRO, 01 November 2018 / PRN Africa / -- Petrobras International Braspetro BV (Pibbv), a subsidiary of Brazil's state-controlled giant Petrobras, unveiled the selling of its 50 percent stake in Petrobras Oil & Gas B.V. (Po&gbv), a joint venture in the Netherlands with BTG Pactual E&P B.V. with assets in Nigeria. The contract with the purchasing company, Petrovida Holding B.V was signed Wednesday (Oct. 31).

Petrovida is formed by partners Vitol Investment Partnership II Ltd, Africa Oil Corp, and Delonex Energy Ltd. The transaction is estimated to reach over $1.5 billion. Of the total, Petrobras will receive $1.407 billion in cash, subject to change until the operation is concluded, plus a future payment up to $123 million.

UN Urges More Protection for Nigeria's Most Vulnerable after Deadly Attack on Camp



OCHA/Yasmina Guerda Mafa, a camp for internally displaced people in Borno State, north-east Nigeria, January 2018.

UN Urges More Protection for Nigeria's Most Vulnerable after Deadly Attack on Camp

NEW YORK, 02 November 2018 / PRN Africa / -- “In the attacks the armed group killed at least eight and injured dozens more, kidnapped women and burned and looted homes, shelters and food stocks,” Jens Laerke, OCHA spokesperson, told journalists in Geneva.

Mr. Laerke said the attack happened two days ago at a Government-run facility a few kilometres from Borno state capital Maiduguri, and on communities close to the village of Dalori.

The camp is home to 12,600 people who fled clashes in recent months, the UN official said – a reference to fighting between Government forces and violent extremists that have claimed 29,000 lives since 2009 and contributed to one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

UN Launches Awareness-Raising Radio Show on Perils and Opportunities of Migration in Nigeria

IOM Nigerian migrants stranded in Libya arrive in Lagos as part of IOM’s voluntary return and reintegration programme. 14 February 2017.
UN Launches Awareness-Raising Radio Show on Perils and Opportunities of Migration in Nigeria

NEW YORK, 30 October 2018 / PRN Africa / -- Every year, thousands of people from Nigeria and other Sub-Saharan African countries leave their families and homes in the hopes of finding work opportunities elsewhere. Many do it outside of the protected and safe international legal frameworks, which puts them at risk of trafficking, exploitation, detention without trial, sexual abuse, and other dangers such as dying at sea or in the desert.

The Cause of Widespread Poverty in Nigeria

The Cause of Widespread Poverty in Nigeria


I disagree with the recent erroneous and unverified report that Nigeria has overtaken India as the country with the largest population of extremely poor people in the world, because the foreign report was based on superficial coverage of the low income earners without a comprehensive analysis of the informal sector of the economy.
And contrary to popular political opinion, the cause of the widespread poverty in Nigeria is not bad government, but corporate greed and widespread intellectual illiteracy among the populace.