Tony Elumelu Foundation Unveils 1,000 #AfricanEntrepreneurs As Inaugural Winners of #TEEP2015!

 

“The Tony Elumelu Foundation has unveiled 1,000 #AfricanEntrepreneurs as inaugural winners of #TEEP2015! See list here http://thndr.it/1MMwpkZ”  

After receiving over 20,000 applications from 52 countries across Africa, the application phase of the $100 million Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme (TEEP) is over and a list of the successful candidates will be uploaded on the Foundation's website on the 24th of March, 2015 at 10am West Africa Time.

Together, we’ll join forces to support Africa’s next entrepreneurial success stories, and shine a spotlight on their transformative business ideas.

Organizer 

The Tony Elumelu Foundation 

@TonyElumeluFDN

We are an African-based, African-funded philanthropic organisation. Founded in 2010, our mission is to support entrepreneurship in Africa.

 

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Nigeria: UN Political Chief Hails ‘Noteworthy' Progress As Nigerians Prepare To Vote

NEW YORK, 18 March 2015 / PRN Africa / -- Nigeria has made “noteworthy” progress in the preparations for the upcoming elections, the top United Nations political official said today, as he wrapped up a visit to the country, whose citizens will head to the polls beginning on 28 March.

Speaking at a press conference in the capital, Abuja, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman lauded the efforts of Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), citing the distribution of Permanent Voters Cards and the testing of card readers, despite a tight schedule and logistical challenges.

“We believe that that these efforts should help to build confidence in the electoral system among the Nigerian voters and pave the way for the holding of credible and inclusive elections.”

During the visit, during which he was accompanied by the Secretary-General's High-Level Representative to Nigeria, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Mr. Feltman met with key national, electoral and political officials to encourage them “to continue working together to creating an environment conducive to the holding of violence-free and credible elections and ensuring that all eligible Nigerians can freely exercise their constitutional right to vote including those displaced by violence in the northeast.”

The UN political chief commended President Goodluck Jonathan and the presidential candidate of the All Progressive Party (APC), Major General Muhammadu Buhari, for their commitment to the so-called Abuja Accord aimed at preventing election-related violence.

“Given the important role Nigeria plays in the region and globally, the international community is closely watching the elections in Nigeria and that any persons responsible for violence will be held accountable,” Mr. Feltman stated.

Turning to the situation in the country's northeast, where Government forces are currently fighting the militant group Boko Haram, Mr. Feltman said he reiterated Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's message that no cause or grievance can justify the insurgent group's “continuing indiscriminate and brutal attacks” against the region's civilian populations.

Moreover, he said that while Mr. Ban welcomed the positive military steps taken by countries in the region in countering Boko Haram, a more holistic approach would be required to foil any future threat by such extremist groups.

“While security measures are essential, an exclusive reliance on a military approach would not suffice to counter the Boko Haram insurgency,” he explained. “Countering Boko Haram effectively and permanently should be based on a multi-dimensional approach that addresses human rights concerns and promotes good governance and economic and social development.”

SOURCE UN News Centre

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Is Nigeria Using Mercenaries In The War Against Boko Haram?

Is Nigeria using mercenaries in the war against Boko Haram? 

Mercenaries have been reported fighting for the Nigerian armed forces in the recent confrontations with the Boko Haram terrorists in north eastern Nigeria. And have helped to retake the towns and villages captured by the insurgents.

Mercenaries Launch Dark War Against Boko Haram
Veterans of South African and Soviet bloc conflicts are fighting the militants - and may be just what is needed to defeat them.

Sources in Nigeria have confirmed that there are several hundred mercenaries flying helicopter gunships as well as fighting on the ground.

Many are operational only at night and handing captured ground to the Nigerian army in daylight

Mercenaries may be just what is needed to deal with Boko Haram.
http://news.sky.com/story/1446159/mercenaries-launch-dark-war-against-boko-haram

There is nothing wrong in using mercenaries as long as they do the job they are paid for.
In fact I recommended them when I wrote the article on "Nigeria Needs Commandos and Mercenaries to Tackle the Storm Troopers of Boko Haram" published by Nigerian Times Blog on Friday, January 27, 2012.
http://nigeriantimes.blogspot.com/2012/01/nigeria-needs-commandos-and-mercenaries.html

If the mercenaries have been used earlier, Boko Haram would have been defeated and thousands of people saved from the rampaging terrorists


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International Women Leaders Gather At Barnard College For Dialogue Exploring Women's Equality And Leadership Worldwide

 From left to right: CARE USA CEO Helene Gayle, Queen Noor of Jordan, President of Goldman Sachs Foundation and Founder of 10,000 Women Dina Powell, and Barnard College President Debora Spar, speak at Barnard College's 7th Annual Global Symposium, New York City, March 13, 2015. Credit: Asiya Khaki/Barnard College. (PRNewsFoto/Barnard College)  

NEW YORK, March 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Barnard College and President Debora L. Spar hosted Queen Noor of Jordan, Nobel Peace Prize Winner Leymah Gbowee, CARE USA CEO Helene Gayle, President of Goldman Sachs Foundation and Founder of 10,000 Women Dina Powell, New York Commissioner for International Affairs Penny Abeywardena, and more than a dozen other women leaders from around the world at Barnard College for a series of discussions centered on urgent questions about women's equality and leadership worldwide.

Barnard College's 7^th Annual Global Symposium—which has gathered women leaders in Beijing, Dubai, Johannesburg, Mumbai, Sao Paulo, and Shanghai—was held in New York City for the first time this year in celebration of the College's 125^th Anniversary. The event coincided with the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women Beijing +20 Summit in New York, where thousands of government officials, advocates and experts gathered to review progress in gender equality and women's empowerment.

"This symposia series exists to explore the ways in which women are leading efforts and igniting change at every level and in every corner of the world, and to consider the barriers and triumphs that have influenced their lives and careers along the way," said Barnard President Debora Spar.

Additional speakers included Kiran Bedi, activist and India's first and highest-ranking woman police officer, India; Robin Morgan, best-selling author, poet and political theorist, USA; Maria Cristina Frias, columnist for Folha de Sao Paulo, Brazil; Gillian Tett, U.S. managing editor for Financial Times, USA; Mamphela Ramphele, activist and former managing director of the World Bank, South Africa; Wu Qing, founder of the Women's Studies Forum, Beijing Cultural Development Center for Rural Women, China; Ndidi Okonkwo Nweneli, founder of LEAP Africa, Nigeria; Xing Danwen, photographer, China; Panmela Castro, founder of NAMI Network, Brazil; Jessica Greer Morris, playwright and executive director of Girl Be Heard, USA; and Ahdaf Soueif, novelist and activist, Egypt.
For more information, visit www.barnard.edu.

MEDIA CONTACT
ALYSSA VINE
PHONE 212.854.2037
MEDIARELATIONS@BARNARD.EDU
KATE HUNTE
PHONE 251.406.0920
KATE.HUNTE@FINNPARTNERS.COM
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150313/181657

SOURCE Barnard College
RELATED LINKS
http://www.barnard.edu

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Dear President Goodluck Jonathan, What Matters Most in Your Life Today

9. Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men:

10. In whose hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes.

~ From Psalm 26.

Dear President Goodluck Jonathan.

What matters most in your life today is not what you have been doing.

It is not how many times you go to church.
It is not how many times you go on pilgrimages to Jerusalem.
It is not how many times you go and kneel down before bishops and pastors.
It is not how many times you go and kneel down before Obas who are mostly cultists and ritualistic idolaters.
And it not how many times you give political bribes.
But what matters most is how many times you have visited the poor and needy and then confess the truth even if the truth condemns you and declare your assets and your assets include the BIOLOGICAL MOTHER OF YOUR CHILDREN you have been hiding from Nigerians since 1999 to date, from Bayelsa to Abuja.

You may fool the whole world
But you cannot fool God.

4. "Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem?
5. "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish."
◄ Luke 13:4-5 ►

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The Best Filmmakers in Africa Were at FESPACO 2015

The Best Filmmakers in Africa Were at FESPACO 2015 

The best filmmakers in Africa were competing for the Golden Stallion of Yennenga at the 24th Pan-African Film & TV Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) which closed on Saturday March 7, 2015, at the Palais Des Sports De Ouaga 2000, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. And French-Moroccan filmmaker, Hicham Ayouch’s "Fievres" won the highly coveted Golden Stallion of Yennenga, the biggest prize for best film, beating the Oscar nominated "Timbuktu" of French-Mauritanian Abderrahmane Sissako. 

"I have white skin, but the blood flowing in the veins is black. My father is Moroccan, my mother is Tunisian. I am African and I am proud of it," said Ayouch who won the Étalon de Yenenga (Golden Stallion of Yennenga) with cash prize of 20 million CFA. His elder brother Nabil Ayouch won the same first prize for his film "Ali Zaoua" in the 2001 edition.

 The biennial international film festival from February 28 to March 7, 2015, attracted 134 films from more than 30 countries, including Nigerians Desmond Ovbiagele with his much talked about movie “Render to Caesar” and Iquo B. Essien with her short film, “Aissa's Story” in competition. The theme was “African Cinema: Production and Distribution in the Digital Era”. FESPACO insists on films in 35mm for the main competition with categories for video and television. Newton Aduaka is the first and still the only Nigerian filmmaker who has won the Golden Stallion of Yennenga for his war film "Ezra" in 2007. 

See the complete list of winners on http://www.fespaco.bf/en/. 

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Gen. Buhari in Lagos for Town Hall Meeting at the MUSON Center in Onikan

Gen. Buhari in Lagos for Town Hall Meeting at the MUSON Center in Onikan

Join General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), the most charismatic and daring presidential aspirant in the history of Nigeria, Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Lagos Town Hall meeting.
Date: 12 March, 2015
Time: 12 noon
Venue: MUSON Centre, Lagos Island
Don't Miss It!
 



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President Barack Obama Honors 19-Year-Old Nigerian Harvard Finalist

President Barack Obama Recognizes, Commends 19-year-old Nigerian Harvard Finalist

Washington, USA – March 1, 2015: Nigerian genius Saheela Ibraheem, 19, made history On Thursday, February, 26, when she was honoured with an official reception in the White House by the US President, Barack Obama and the First Lady, Michelle.

Saheela Ibraheem got into the Ivy League Harvard at the age of 15, where she is currently studying neurobiology — a branch of science that studies the brain — and has been listed among the “World’s 50 Smartest Teenagers.” She was also accepted for admission by 13 other top colleges in the United States, including the MIT, Princeton, Columbia, and six Ivy League institutions, choosing Harvard, she became one of the youngest students to ever attend the university. She will be graduating in May this year.

Speaking after an introductory speech by Ibraheem at the White House, President Obama stated that “there are a lot of teenagers in the world. Saheela is like one of the 50 smartest ones. That’s pretty smart. And she’s a wonderful young lady. She’s like the State Department and the National Institute of Health all rolled into one. And we are so proud of your accomplishments and all that lies ahead of you. And you reflect our history. Young people like you inspire our future.”

Ibraheem, who skipped two grades in school, said the key to success is figuring out what you love to learn as early as possible, which she did at the young age of five. “If you are passionate about what you do, and I am passionate about most of these things, especially with math and science, it will work out well,” she told CBS 2s Cindy Hsu. In addition, Ibraheem speaks four languages that include Arabic, Spanish and Latin.
Her mother, Shakirat Ibraheem, said her daughter has been way ahead of the academic game since kindergarten — never cutting corners and trying to do everything on her own. “She’s like always independent,” she said. “I never get to help with her homework because she’d say ‘it’s my work mommy, not yours.’”

Ibraheem’s recognition and reception was part of the “Black History Month” celebration in the US, which comes up in February. The “Black History Month”, takes root from the activities of the “Association for the Study of African American Life and History.” Every year, Americans set aside the month of February to celebrate the central role that African-Americans have played in every aspect of American life especially the march for freedom and equality, jobs and justice, the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, and some profound contributions African-Americans make in the American culture.

Present at the evening event were members of the US Congress, including Leader Nancy Pelosi, and members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

***

Submitted by Tony Egbulefu via M. Adeniyi.

http://www.africanevents.com/president-barack-obama-recognizes-commends-19-year-old-nigerian-harvard-finalist/

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Omidyar Network Supports Equitable Tax Systems with Grant to Tax Justice Network in Africa

Omidyar Network Supports Equitable Tax Systems with Grant to Tax Justice Network in Africa 

Ory Okolloh, Omidyar Network Director, Investments

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa and REDWOOD CITY, Calif., 10th March 2015-/African Media Agency (AMA)/- Omidyar Network today announced a two-year grant to Tax Justice Network - Africa totaling as much as USD $450,000. The grant will support the Nairobi-based nonprofit's work to promote equitable tax systems across Africa.

 Tax Justice Network-Africa (TJN-A) is a pan-African initiative established in 2007 to promote socially just, democratic, and progressive taxation systems on the continent.
 The organization's activities are aimed at promoting public awareness of tax issues by networking among 29 member organizations across 16 African countries, coordinating civil society organizations' tax-related efforts, and raising awareness of the importance of taxation as a tool for development and enhancing democratic governance. TJN-A is a member of the Global Alliance for Tax Justice.

"Tax Justice Network Africa has established itself as the preeminent African organization working on tax justice on the continent," said Omidyar Network Director, Investments Ory Okolloh. "Their research and policy work provides invaluable insights for both governments and citizens wrestling with how to create and sustain equitable tax systems, and their established, local voice draws respect from stakeholders not only in Africa, but globally. We at Omidyar Network are proud to support their work.

"Omidyar Network's grant comes through the philanthropic investment firm's Governance & Citizen Engagement initiative, which works to build stronger and more open societies by increasing government responsiveness and citizen participation. In service of those goals, support of TJN-A will foster improved transparency and governance of budgets and extractive revenues and other resources used for public services. Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Omidyar Network.  


About Omidyar Network

Omidyar Network is a philanthropic investment firm dedicated to harnessing the power of markets to create opportunity for people to improve their lives. Established in 2004 by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and his wife Pam, the organization invests in and helps scale innovative organizations to catalyze economic and social change. Omidyar Network has committed more than $760 million to for-profit companies and non-profit organizations that foster economic advancement and encourage individual participation across multiple initiatives, including Consumer Internet & Mobile, Education, Financial Inclusion, Governance & Citizen Engagement, and Property Rights. To learn more, visit www.omidyar.com and follow on Twitter @omidyarnetwork.com.  

Media Contact:
Greg Pershall
Omidyar Network
gpershall@omidyar.com
(o) +1-650-482-2534
(m) +1-360-607-8901

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As Killers Murdered Supporters Of The APC, President Jonathan Was Celebrating

 

President Goodluck Jonathan dancing at the Eko Hotel in Lagos.

As Killers Murdered Supporters of The APC, President Jonathan Was Celebrating

 
Whilst members and supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were attacked and murdered in cold blood by hired killers in Rivers State, President Goodluck Jonathan was celebrating in Lagos, from the State House, Marina to the Eko Hotel & Suites on Victoria Island on Sunday evening March 1, 2015, where he paid the rented crowds in US dollars.

 This was not the first time that President Goodluck Jonathan celebrated when innocent Nigerians have been killed. 

The heartless First Lady of Nigeria, Dame Patience Jonathan has urged members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to stone members of the opposition party.

Stone Anyone Who Wants Change - First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan Says In Calabar

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDCE2bzQHDg
http://pulse.ng/politics/patience-jonathan-first-lady-urges-supporters-to-stone-apc-members-video-id3538800.html

The political mafia of the PDP with billions of dollars made from the Togo Triangle where thousands of barrels of stolen crude oil from Nigeria is sold, more thousands of barrels of oil from oil blocks and million dollars fuel subsidy contracts can sponsor the political attacks and assassinations of members and supporters of the APC and escape unpunished, because the incumbent President has the powers of immunity to protect them. 

The time has come for the leadership of the APC to confront President Goodluck Jonathan and his sponsors face to face to prevent this critical situation from degenerating into chaos that will truncate and scuttle the 2015 presidential election which is the ulterior motive of the incumbent President and his desperate sponsors controlling the political mafia of the ruling class. 

The following press release is from the APC in Rivers State.

OFFICE OF THE SENIOR SPECIAL AIDE ON MEDIA AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS TO THE STATE CHAIRMAN OF APC, RIVERS STATE CHAPTER
PRESS RELEASE

RIVERS APC MOURNS 9 MURDERED MEMBERS 


The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has declared a week of mourning for nine of its members who were killed in two separate incidents in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on Saturday night. While five of the men were killed in the D-Line area of Port Harcourt, the other four met their untimely death along the Eastern By-Pass in the Marine Base area of the state capital.

“Rivers APC condemns the killing of these innocent men without reservations. That only APC members were targeted in the two incidents indicates that these are politically motivated murders targeted at reducing our membership strength ahead of the 2015 elections. We are challenging the law enforcement agencies to rise to the occasion and apprehend and bring the culprits to book,” Rivers APC Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, said in a statement issued Tuesday in Port Harcourt.

“We are deeply shocked and saddened by the death of these innocent men and regard them as martyrs of our nascent democracy. We wish to assure those they have left behind that these party faithful will be celebrated and mourned accordingly. Their deaths will strengthen us the more to ensure that evil men are not be allowed to govern our State again,” Ikanya added. 

The State APC Chairman directed APC members throughout the State to use this Sunday, 15th March, to pray for the repose of their souls in their various churches. “We owe them this honour even as we strive to honour them the more by ensuring that their dream of landslide victory for our great party in the forthcoming general elections is realised,” he said.

Dr. Ikanya cautioned the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its supporters to eschew violence as no amount of violence and intimidation will save the party from being disgraced during the March 28 and April 11 general elections in the State.

We pray our friends and the International Community to constantly remember us in their prayers as both our candidate, Dr Dakuku Adol Peterside and all APC Chieftains are all targets for elimination by the newly assembled PDP Killer Squad.

Long Live APC!

Long Live Rivers State!!

Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze,

SSA Media and Public Affairs to the State Chairman, APC Rivers State.

10-03-15

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