Tuesday, November 24, 2015

President Buhari and Linda Ikeji Among New African's 100 Most Influential Africans of 2015

President Buhari and Linda Ikeji Among New African's 100 Most Influential Africans of 2015 

President Muhammadu Buhari and the most celebrated Nigerian blogger Linda Ikeji are among the Nigerians dominating New African's 100 Most Influential Africans of 2015 list.

Linda Ikeji.

LONDON, United Kingdom, 23 November 2015, -/African Media Agency (AMA)/- The annual "100 Most Influential Africans of 2015" presents the continent's definitive power list and profiles the continent's top game changers in eight different fields: Politics (22); Public Office (4); Arts and Culture (21); Business (21); Civil Society (11); Technology (9); Media (7); and Sports (5). Among the 30 countries represented, Nigerians and South Africans dominate the list, with 20 and 16 personalities respectively. Kenya, Uganda and Cameroon also feature strongly with eight, six and six entries each respectively. Of the top 100 personalities 65 are men and 32 are women, with the other three being groups of people. South Africa's students, for example, were recognised this year for their role in South Africa's #FeesMustFall and #Rhodesmustfall campaigns.

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Nigerian Young Parliamentarians Form A National Group

The Nigeria chapter will work to empower young MPs and boost youth participation in democracy.  
Nigerian Young Parliamentarians Form A National Group

BRUSSELS, 19 November 2015 / PRN Africa / - The Forum IPU young parliamentarians inspired the creation of parliamentary groups of young people in national parliaments. A Nigerian group was established within the Forum on the initiative of the Presidents of Parliament and the Parliamentary Raphael Igbokwe Council member of the IPU Forum. The training aims to increase the participation of young people in political life, giving young parliamentarians the means to act and to guarantee in Parliament the presence of a group of influence youth-led and dealing with matters of interest to the youth. The IPU works to bring young people into the fold of formal democratic processes, both young parliamentarians supporting and promoting youth participation in political and electoral processes. In 2014, only 1.7% of parliamentarians worldwide were under 30 years. The IPU is convinced that the under-representation of youth and sub-commitment are a threat to democracy and a loss of critical contribution to public life.

SOURCE Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)  


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Friday, November 20, 2015

Universal Children’s Day: Stop Violence Against Children



Today is the annual Universal Children's Day in every member nation of the United Nations.
The theme for this year is "Stop Violence Against Children."

With more than 10 million children out of school in Nigeria and thousands of them are innocent victims of Boko Haram terrorists, kidnappers, ritual cultists, child labour, sex traffickers, pedephiles and rapists, we must see the predicament of these children as humanitarian emergency, because we must rescue our helpless and powerless children from dangers and dangerous people in Nigeria.

Nigerian school children. Photo Credit: The Trent Online.
To celebrate this important day, TALK OF THE TOWN By Orikinla presents for the first time on a Nigerian website, Innocent Children: Morning Tears by Tao Wright, Partner and Executive Producer at the Shanghai-based production company Black + Cameron. It is a must see short film that you will never forget after seeing it.
In a darkened building we hear a couple fighting. We see their shadows as the argument escalates. Hidden in a child's bedroom is a kite, a metaphor for the scared child who we can hear breathing. A bottle breaks and the father falls to the ground, pushing the child's bedroom door and ripping the kite.

http://totnaija.blogspot.com.ng/2015/11/video-innocent-children.html

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Travelbeta.com of Nigeria Raises $2 Million Seed Fund Barely 6 Weeks After Launch

Nigeria's Travelbeta.com Raises $2 Million Seed Fund Barely 6 Weeks After Launch
Onyeka Akumah (CCO, Travelbeta) (PRNewsFoto/Travelbeta & Tours Limited)
LAGOS, Nigeria, November 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

Travelbeta.com, Nigeria's version of Expedia and newest online travel agency has raised a $2 million in seed funds barely six weeks after its website went live on the 1st of October, 2015. Travelbeta & Tours Limited, the controlling company of the flights and hotel booking platform, began operating as a physical agency in July 2015 before switching online in October 2015 and has generated $522,000 in revenues since.

Hausa "Okada" Motorcyclists in Lagos Had Prior Information on Kano Suicide Bombings

Some Hausa "Okada" motorcyclists in Lagos had a prior knowledge of the plans of Boko Haram to attack Kano's popular GSM market yesterday. 
Monday night, I overheard a group of Hausa "Okada" motorcyclists in Lagos whispering about Boko Haram and Kano and I alerted the nation on Nairaland and sent alerts to Aso Villa through Twitter three hours before the terrorists' attacks last night in Yola, the Adamawa State capital in northern Nigeria, because Boko Haram and ISIL are now working with precision one step after the other. A Boko Haram attack follows after any ISIL's attack and Nigeria was mentioned on their Twitter accounts after their attacks on Paris.

Community security intelligence gathering and widespread security surveillance will increase military intelligence to prevent further terrorist attacks by Boko Haram's sleeper cells, because like ISIL in the Middle East, Boko Haram has an extensive network of sleeper cells in various communities from the north eastern states to the middle belt and Lagos. Boko Haram's spies are always a step ahead of Nigerian security forces in military intelligence.

If the Nigerian and foreign intelligence agencies had followed my reports on Boko Haram's movement since 2011, on Nigerian Times, http://nigeriantimes.blogspot.com.ng/search?q=Boko+HarAm, the terrorists would not have increased so far. But failure of military intelligence has caused the failures in the operations against Boko Haram and ISIL. See the following report on
2015 Global Terrorism Index: Deaths From Terrorism Increased 80% Last Year to the Highest Level Ever; Global Economic Cost of Terrorism Reached All-Time High at US$52.9 Billion http://www.nigeriansreport.com/2015/11/boko-haram-has-overtaken-isil-as-worlds.html

TOP REPORTS

Nov 19, 2015

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Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Boko Haram Has Overtaken ISIL As World's Deadliest Terrorist Group



2015 Global Terrorism Index: Deaths From Terrorism Increased 80% Last Year to the Highest Level Ever; Global Economic Cost of Terrorism Reached All-Time High at US$52.9 Billion

  LONDON, Nov. 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
  •     32,658 people were killed by terrorism in 2014 compared to 18,111 in 2013: the largest increase ever recorded 
  •     Boko Haram and ISIL were jointly responsible for 51% of all claimed global fatalities in 2014
  •     Boko Haram has overtaken ISIL as world's deadliest terrorist group
  •     Countries suffering over 500 deaths increased by 120% to 11 countries
  •     78% of all deaths and 57% of all attacks occurred in just five countries: Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan and Syria 
  •     Iraq continues to be the country most impacted by terrorism with 9,929 terrorist fatalities the highest ever recorded in a single country
  •     Nigeria experienced the largest increase in terrorist activity with 7,512 deaths in 2014, an increase of over 300% since 2013 

Airtel Africa and Facebook launch Free Basic Services in 17 African countries


PRESS RELEASE

Airtel Africa and Facebook launch Free Basic Services in 17 African countries

Free Basic Services will provide access to services like health, educations, jobs, communication and local content at no additional cost

NAIROBI, Kenya, November 17, 2015/ -- Free Basic Services will provide access to services like health, educations, jobs, communication and local content at no additional cost

The launch in all markets to be completed by March 2016

Bharti Airtel Africa (www.Airtel.com), a leading telecommunications service provider with operations in 17 countries across Africa, today announced its partnership with Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) (http://www.Facebook.com) which will see the launch of Free Basics in Africa.

Monday, November 16, 2015

New Funds To Help Tackle Causes of Migration

Photo Credit: UNITED AFRICANS.
A study conducted by UC Irvine Sociology professor Jen’nan Ghazal Read and Rice University Professor Michael O. Emerson, found that immigrants from Africa were generally far healthier than their peers immigrating from European countries. The study also suggests that the group tends to be healthier than African-Americans.  
~ 8 Amazing Facts About African Immigrants Excelling In The U.S.
New Funds To Help Tackle Causes of Migration
LONDON, 12 November 2015 / PRN Africa / --

Prime Minister announces 200 million pounds to help tackle causes of migration, and 2 million pounds UK contribution to the EU's Africa Trust Fund.

The UK is providing a further 200 million pounds in bilateral aid to Africa to tackle the root causes of migration, the Prime Minister announced, as European and African leaders gathered in Malta to develop a coordinated approach to address the migrant and refugee crisis.

The UN estimates there are almost 15 million forcibly displaced people in Africa, including three million refugees. So far this year around 140,000 migrants have arrived in Italy by sea – the majority from African countries such as Nigeria, Somalia and Sudan.

The new funding, announced at the EU-Africa Valletta Summit, is part of the UK's comprehensive approach to address the migration crisis.

International Development Secretary Justine Greening, said:

"If we are to stop people risking their lives by making dangerous journeys to Europe, we need to tackle the root causes of problems such as instability and lack of opportunity that drive people to move in the first place.

"If people don't have access to basics like clean water and healthcare, education for their children and the dignity of a job to support themselves and their family, they will try to find a better situation somewhere else. So creating better lives and opportunities, helping the countries that people want to migrate from develop, is the only long term solution to help lessen the drivers of migration.

"On top of our existing work in Africa, our new support will create jobs in East Africa, give food and water to people in Sudan who have fled their homes, and provide education and training in Ethiopia. It stands alongside all our other work responding to the Syria crisis where our help on food, shelter, health, water and education is giving people a better option to stay in the region. We are also ensuring those who have already made the journey to Europe have basics such as shelter, food and water as winter approaches."

The 200 million pounds package is made up of:

- 15 million pounds to provide life-saving aid and humanitarian assistance for those forcibly displaced by recent crises in the Sahel and Sudan

- 125 million pounds to give refugees in Ethiopia displaced by protracted crises access to education, healthcare, water, shelter and training programmes so they can build a better life for themselves

- 27 million pounds to build resilience and mitigate the impact of environmental pressures such as El Niño in areas of Africa that are particularly vulnerable, including in Somalia, Kenya, Uganda and the Sahel

- 33 million pounds for economic development programmes in Somalia and East Africa which will boost private sector investment in agriculture and high value industries and create tens of thousands of new jobs.

The UK is also contributing around 2 million pounds to the EU's 1.3 billion pounds Africa Trust Fund which will focus on tackling the root causes of migration in the Sahel, North Africa and the Horn of Africa.

The funding will be used to tackle the lack of jobs, growth and opportunities for people in their home countries and in the region. The UK's contribution will be allocated to countries in the Horn of Africa – the largest source of migration into the UK from Africa.

The latest support builds on the UK's work in Africa to bring stability, jobs and livelihoods to irregular migrants' countries of origin, helping tackle the root causes of the pressures to migrate.

Our support is helping register refugees in Ethiopia and providing food vouchers for refugee camps in Sudan along the border with Eritrea. We are also investing in employment programmes for young people in Ethiopia, Uganda, Nigeria and Somalia which has created thousands of jobs.

SOURCE UK Department for International Development  

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Sunday, November 15, 2015

Dear Nollywood, Before Your Next Movie, Consult A Media Planning Director


90% of Nollywood movies bomb, because both the executive producers and producers either don't have a media plan or are clueless about a media plan for promoting and marketing their movies. Making noise about a movie does not mean you have a media plan. And I see more of opportunism than pragmatism in Nollywood.

After two major films financed by the NEXIM Bank and Bank of Industry bombed (flopped) woefully and left the executive producers in debt, the banks have not reviewed the reasons why their films failed and they preferred to live in denial. All they know about is asking for collateral and it is business as usual in Nollywood. Again, those they are engaging as film distributors have also failed to perform.

Now, they give you a loan to make a movie and then pass on the movie to the distributor and exhibitor they also gave loans to set up distribution and exhibition platforms and none of them has a Media Planning Director. Any film without a media plan will fail whether in Hollywood, Bollywood or Nollywood. And I have never seen any film production in Nollywood with a media plan. Their best knowledge of a media plan is to print posters and look for wherever to paste them on the street, publish some news on the movies in some columns in newspapers, spam Facebook and other free to use social network websites. End of story. And then sit back and expect box office hits and smiling to the banks only for the pirates to pounce on their movies and show them How To Market Movies 101.

Another bank has come forward on film finance for Nollywood without any media plan or even research on why previous movies financed with bank loans failed and left the executive producers in debt.
They heard that "30 Days in Atlanta" made more than US$500, 000 at the cinemas in Nigeria and someone is actually bragging about that when the executive producers are not celebrating.
Has anyone found out how much they spent on making the movie?

Nollywood has not even thought of Film Merchandise that is a multi-billion dollar money spinner in the film industry.
Walt Disney's "Frozen" made with a budget of US$150 million made more than U$1.274 billion from the box office worldwide. But guess how much it made from film merchandise. "Frozen made a whopping US$5.3 billion from the sales of the toys, T-Shirts and other gift items.
Walt Disney's "Cars" that made only US$462 million from the box office went on to make US$10 billion from film merchandise and the biggest of them all, "Star Wars" franchise has made US$12 billion from film merchandise so far. The multiple award winning best family movie in Nollywood Champions of Our Time would have made millions of naira from the film merchandise of the T-Shirts, Face-caps, mugs, etc.

When NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® says "See The Big Picture", it is not mere hype. It is the REAL DEAL! If you cannot see the big picture, then you will only end up with the miniature of the film industry. And planning is everything and everything is planning in advertising and marketing for movies.

The recently launched Afrinolly Marketplace can make the first US$1 billion for Nollywood before the first year anniversary. How? Media planning will make all the difference.

Here are what a Media Planning Director can do for you.
Responsibilities of the Media Planning Director:
The overall objective of the role is to provide the fantastic film client with a best-in-class media agency service - conceiving & creating engaging, innovative strategy decks, & managing all areas of the Comms planning process - pulling on consumer insight, category analysis, research & reporting & managing the briefing process for both internal teams & external media owners/ suppliers/ partner agencies from inception through execution
*To understand how media strategy fits into overall marketing and advertising strategy

See 11 innovative movie marketing campaigns on http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/32219.asp#singleview


~ By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, Publisher/Editor of NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® SERIES.
https://www.amazon.com/author/ekenyerengozimichaelchima   
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Friday, November 13, 2015

Dear President Buhari, the Missing Chibok School Girls Are Still Missing



Dear President Buhari, the Missing Chibok School Girls Are Still Missing

Lest we forget that 219 of the 276 kidnapped Chibok school girls are still missing and President Muhammadu Buhari seems to have ignored them.
Many other countries in the world, including China, Canada, UK, USA, Israel, France and Iran are still concerned about these missing girls. But it is business as usual in Nigeria. Life goes on.

It is going to two years since they were kidnapped midnight of 14–15 April 2014 by Boko Haram terrorists from their dormitory at Government Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State, after their principal, teachers and matrons abandoned them and fled. And the Nigerian government since the immediate past administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan to date is becoming less concerned about them as the new ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC) and new opposition party, People's Democratic Party (PDP) and others are busy contesting for bragging rights over ministerial appointments of sharing the national cake, taking and sharing selfies in social media of their red carpet events from Lagos to Abuja to Adamawa. None of them has bothered to talk about these precious missing daughters of fellow citizens of Nigeria, because their own children are not among them.

Dr. Oby Ezekwesili is still leading the the #BringBackOurGirls campaign, but the first ladies and their privileged daughters who should have joined the campaign are busy competing for celebrity status on Instagram and Nairaland. 

Have we lost our humanity in the insanity of the vanity of celebrity ego trips and greed for political power? 

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