Nigerians Report Online

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Christmas Day Bomb Blast Kills 19 at Catholic Church in Nigeria

A terrorist bomb attack at the St. Theresa's Catholic Church, Madalla in Niger State killed about 19 Christian worshipers and injured several others Sunday morning of Christmas Day.

Over 81 people were killed on Christmas Eve when the Boko Haram Islamic terrorists clashed with Nigerian soldiers and police officers in Damaturu, Yobe State. Other terrorist attacks have been reported from Potiskum, a Local Government Area in Yobe State and Maiduguri in Borno State.

Photographs of the Christmas Day terrorist bomb attack on St. Theresa's Catholic Church from Nairaland.

Islamic terrorists in the volatile northern regions warned of attacking churches on Christmas Day. But the government failed once again to provide adequate security for Christian churches in the northern states dominated by Muslims and where hundreds have been killed by the dreaded Boko Haram Islamic sect.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Who Owns Christmas? Jesus Christ or Santa Claus?

Illustration of Jesus and Santa. Photo Credit: Jason Berggren.

Who owns Christmas? Jesus Christ or Santa Claus?
This is the thought-;provoking subject of David Frum's article on the Huffington Post: Santa vs. Jesus and it is one of the most engaging articles on the debate of how the "religion" of Santa Claus is misappropriating the religion of Christianity for which Christmas is being celebrated in commemoration of the birth of the founder Jesus Christ our Lord and Messiah.

This is really How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Of course How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is an allegory of how Santa Claus has stolen the birthday of Jesus Christ written by Dr. Seuss on the commercialization of Christmas and satirizes those who profit from exploiting the holiday.

As we speak, Santa Claus has just left the North Pole for his Christmas Eve journey around the world, his reindeer-powered sleigh loaded with gifts for boys and girls. ...

As much we should appreciate the goodwill and love in the sharing and exchange of Christmas gifts and greetings, we must stop the abuse and misuse of the Christian festival by greedy capitalists and legions of hypocrites whose idolatry is the antithesis of the charity of Jesus Christ.

~ By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, aka Orikinla Osinachi.

Genesis Coupe Drift Car Heist

Genesis Coupe Drift Car Heist from Hyundai Headquarters featuring Rhys Millen

COSTA MESA, Calif., Dec. 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — About two weeks before the wrecking ball was about to completely demolish our old Hyundai Motor America headquarters building in Fountain Valley, California, we had a crazy thought: Wouldn’t it be cool to do something outrageous inside the building before all the walls finally came down?

Actually, it was Dustin Loranger, one of our Service Technicians, who had the idea…and we loved it. Why not put Rhys Millen, his Genesis Coupe drift car, and our abandoned HQ together for a unique drift demonstration in a unique industrial setting? Rhys was up for the challenge, and remarkably, so were our lawyers, so we put this thing together, with tongue (and donut) firmly planted in cheek.

We think the video does a pretty good job showcasing Rhys’ car control skills, the sweetness of the Genesis Coupe drift car, and the reason why Hollywood probably doesn’t have to worry, just yet, about this cast and crew. ;)

How’d we do?

HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA
Hyundai Motor America, headquartered in Costa Mesa, Calif., is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Co. of Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed throughout the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced through more than 800 dealerships nationwide. All Hyundai vehicles sold in the U.S. are covered by the Hyundai Assurance program, which includes the 5-year/60,000-mile fully transferable new vehicle warranty, Hyundai’s 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, 5-years of complimentary Roadside Assistance and the Hyundai Trade-in Value Guarantee. Hyundai is a registered trademark of Hyundai Motor Company. All rights reserved. ©2011 Hyundai Motor America.

###

Journalists are invited to visit our news media web site: HyundaiNews.com and follow us on Twitter: @Hyundai

Media Contacts:

Derek Joyce
Product Public Relations Manager
(714) 594-1728
djoyce@hmausa.com

Jim Trainor
Product Public Relations Sr. Group Manager
(714) 594-1629
jtrainor@hmausa.com

Friday, December 23, 2011

One in Four Americans Would Refuse a Full Body Scan at Airport Security

23 Dec 2011 15:36 Africa/Lagos

Thomson Reuters-NPR Health Poll Finds Nearly One in Four Americans Would Refuse a Full Body Scan at Airport Security

22.8 Percent Would Opt for Alternative Screening Citing Health Concerns, Privacy Violations

ANN ARBOR, Mich. and WASHINGTON, Dec. 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Roughly one-quarter of Americans say they would refuse a full body scan using new airport body scanners and 14.9 percent said new airport security measures have them concerned for their health, according to the Thomson Reuters-NPR Health Poll.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090507/NY12658LOGO )

Thomson Reuters and NPR conduct a monthly poll to gauge attitudes and opinions on a wide range of health issues.

The survey, which asked respondents their opinions and concerns regarding flight safety, found that the main reasons for resistance to new scanners are exposure to radiation (22.6 percent), personal privacy violations (17.1 percent) and concerns the scanners violated their 4th Amendment rights (13.3 percent). Forty-seven percent of respondents expressed no concern with the technology.

Additionally, only 7.8 percent said they have health concerns associated with flying. However 11 percent of all respondents said they had become sick as a direct result of air travel. Of those Americans who expressed concern, the top five health risks cited were crashing (21.1 percent), contracting the flu or a cold (16 percent), air quality (7 percent), anxiety (6.8 percent) and blood clots (5 percent).

"While I applaud the survey participants' concern with radiation exposure, these scanners are safe. Based on the amount of radiation these machines produce, a traveler would have to take 2,000 plane rides before being subjected to the equivalence of a single chest x-ray," said Raymond Fabius, M.D., chief medical officer at the healthcare business of Thomson Reuters. "The much more serious health concerns associated with flying are exposure to communicable illnesses and blood clots during long air excursions. By avoiding traveling when sick and exercising in your seat, these risks can be minimized."

To date, the Thomson Reuters-NPR Health Poll has explored numerous health topics, including generic drugs, abortion, vaccines, food allergies, and organic and genetically modified foods. NPR's reports on the surveys are archived online at the Shots health blog here:

Thomson Reuters maintains a library of poll results here.

The Thomson Reuters-NPR Health Poll is powered by the Thomson Reuters PULSE(SM) Healthcare Survey, an independently funded, nationally representative telephone poll that collects information about health-related behaviors and attitudes and healthcare utilization from more than 100,000 US households annually. Survey questions are developed in conjunction with NPR. The figures in this month's poll are based on 3,013 participants interviewed from November 1-13, 2011. The margin of error is 1.8 percent.

For a copy of the flight safety survey, visit: http://healthcare.thomsonreuters.com/npr/ .

About Thomson Reuters
Thomson Reuters is the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. We combine industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial, legal, tax and accounting, healthcare and science and media markets, powered by the world's most trusted news organization. With headquarters in New York and major operations in London and Eagan, Minnesota, Thomson Reuters employs more than 55,000 people and operates in over 100 countries. For more information, go to www.thomsonreuters.com.

About NPR
NPR is an award-winning, multimedia news organization and an influential force in American life. In collaboration with more than 900 independent public radio stations nationwide, NPR strives to create a more informed public - one challenged and invigorated by a deeper understanding and appreciation of events, ideas and cultures.

SOURCE Thomson Reuters

CONTACT: Brian Erni, For Thomson Reuters, Healthcare, J. Roderick, Inc. Public Relations, brian@jroderick.com, +1-631-656-9736, +1-631-495-7006; Anna Christopher, Director, Media, NPR, achristopher@npr.org, +1-202-513-2304, +1-202-680-3848

Web Site: http://www.thomsonreuters.com

DreamWorks Pictures' "War Horse" Earns American Humane Association's Highest Rating

Director Steven Spielberg, far right, observes Jeremy Irvine, left, rehearse a scene with Joey on the set of DreamWorks Pictures' "War Horse," an epic adventure set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War. (Andrew Cooper/Courtesy DreamWorks Pictures/MCT)

22 Dec 2011 18:34 Africa/Lagos

DreamWorks Pictures' "War Horse" Earns American Humane Association's Highest Rating

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- DreamWorks Pictures' War Horse, directed by Steven Spielberg, has earned American Humane Association's highest certification rating: Monitored: Outstanding, No Animals Were Harmed. The production complied with American Humane Association's "Guidelines for the Safe Use of Animals in Filmed Media" to ensure the safety of the horses and fully cooperated with American Humane Association's Film and TV Unit, which logged 1,100 hours on "War Horse" sets in England and California and safeguarded more than 100 horses.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101108/DC97343LOGO )

Since 1940, American Humane Association has been safeguarding animals in film. On the "War Horse" production sets, American Humane Association representative Barbara Carr was present to make sure that the many horses used in the making of the film were both safe and treated humanely. Says Director Spielberg, "I gave Barbara [Carr] the complete, final cut so to speak, to pull the plug if she felt any of the horses were not up to the challenge or any of the horses were in any way in harm's way."

Spielberg gave Carr input on set in the planning of the stunt or the action the horse had to perform and also gave her opportunities to watch rehearsals in slow motion, done one step at a time, so she could determine whether it would be safe for the horse.

The film, which opens in theatres in the U.S. on December 25th, is an epic tale of loyalty, hope and tenacity set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War. Based on the best-selling book by Michael Morpurgo and the Tony Award®–winning stage play by Nick Stafford, "War Horse" is one of the great stories of bravery and friendship, brought to the screen by one of the greatest directors in film history.

"War Horse" begins with the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and a young man called Albert, who tames and trains him. When they are forcefully parted, the film follows the extraordinary journey of the horse as he moves through the war, changing and inspiring the lives of all those he meets—British cavalry, German soldiers, and a French farmer and his granddaughter—before the story reaches its emotional climax in the heart of No Man's Land. The First World War is experienced through the journey of this horse—an odyssey of joy and sorrow, passionate friendship and high adventure.

Directed by Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks Pictures' "War Horse" stars Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Peter Mullan, Niels Arestrup, Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irvine, Benedict Cumberbatch and Toby Kebbell. It is produced by Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, and executive producers are Frank Marshall and Revel Guest. The screenplay was written by Lee Hall and Richard Curtis and is based on the book by Michael Morpurgo and the international hit stage play by Nick Stafford, originally produced by the National Theatre of Great Britain and directed by Tom Morris and Marianne Elliot.

About American Humane Association
Since 1877, American Humane Association has been at the forefront of virtually every major advance in protecting children, pets and farm animals from cruelty, abuse and neglect. Today they're also leading the way in understanding the human-animal bond and its role in therapy, medicine and society. American Humane Association reaches millions of people every day through groundbreaking research, education, training and services that span a wide network of organizations, agencies and businesses. To learn more or support their work, please visit American Humane Association at www.americanhumane.org.

SOURCE American Humane Association

CONTACT: CONTACT: Mark Stubis, +1-202-677-4227, marks@americanhumane.org

Web Site: http://www.americanhumane.org

Sylvafrank Introduces Bullion Cubes and Mackerel In Tomato Sauce

Sylvafrank Introduces Bullion Cubes and Mackerel In Tomato Sauce

~ By Ingram Osigwe

In cooking, seasonings include herbs, spices and special additives are used to enhance the taste of recipes, especially sauce, soup, stew and marinade. To season and to flavor, may be described as different aspects of cooking. Seasonings are usually salt-based additives used to magnify the natural flavor of food ingredients, making it richer and more delicate depending on the dish. Flavourings on the other hand, are herbal (and in Africa, lentil seed based) condiments added to recipes, to enhance the aromatic qualities of the food, thus enhancing its ability to stimulate the taste buds, making food more appealing to the consumers.

In modern times however, food technologists have been able to combine the natural qualities of herbs and lentils with the strong tastes of salt , to produce special seasonings which come in whole packages, either as pastes, powders or cube format. After the successes of St.Rita tomato paste, Sylva Frank Nigeria limited, has decided to raise the ante a little higher in its bid to make cooking a pleasurable activity for wives and caterers all over the nation. Come 1st Quarter of 2012, Sylva Frank will introduce Bullion cubes to market. It will be a trail blazer in the seasoning sector of the condiments market because it will combine all the qualities of existing brands while at the same coming in different varieties and a good price. Bullion cubes will have all the vitamins and minerals recommended by the American FDA for a normal daily intake by all human beings, as well as salt and extracts of local herbs, spices and lentil seeds; more than all that, it will come at a highly affordable price.

Also taking into consideration the high price of good quality mackerel in tomato paste these days, and the proliferation of poor quality mackerels in the market today, Sylva Frank is also to hit the market stand with its own brand of mackerel in tomato paste. Especially packed with mackerel from Japanese trawlers, Sylva frank mackerel will combine all the excellent qualities of fish as the best source of animal protein in the world, with the excellent taste of well preserved mackerel and as well as the good food qualities of tomato, to present a wholesome good package for wives and caterers all over the country. Tomatoes come with lycopene which reduces chances of cancer in human in human beings, mackerel, like all fishes come with fish liver oil which is rich in vitamin E, and good for the heart, and also has a high concentration of Lysine, the most digestible form of protein. Sylvafrank mackerel will combine all these qualities in addition with their special brand characteristics of excellent quality and good taste as well as good prices and availability in the market.

As Sylvafrank wishes all their customers an excellent yuletide, they are also informing them of the prospects of an excellent new year with excellent new products.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

African Banks Turn to IBM to Support New Wave of Innovation in Banking Services

IBM is working with banks and telco providers to help bring financial services to the unbanked across Africa. (PRNewsFoto/IBM)

21 Dec 2011 21:02 Africa/Lagos

African Banks Turn to IBM to Support New Wave of Innovation in Banking Services
IBM signs agreements with leading Kenyan banks as financial institutions across Africa invest in smarter banking solutions

NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) has announced details of five strategic agreements in the Kenyan financial services sector as banks across Africa turn to advanced technologies to support rapid growth, increase profitability and launch innovative new services such as mobile and internet banking.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111221/NY26459 )

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090416/IBMLOGO )

Over the last six months IBM has signed contracts with five of Kenya's leading banks: Credit Bank, Co-operative Bank, Family Bank, National Bank of Kenya and National Industrial Credit (NIC) Bank. The agreements are amongst more than 20 similar deals that IBM has signed with banks across Africa in 2011 in line with the rapid growth of the financial services sector and as technology enables a wave of innovation in African banking. IBM is also working with Africa's leading telco companies to help provide financial services based on increasingly widespread mobile devices. For example, through its partnership with Vodafone, IBM is helping Safaricom to provide its M-PESA mobile money service to over 15 million customers in East Africa.

"Africa is currently experiencing strong uptake in banking services in line with the growth of the continent's middle class and the adoption of mobile and internet banking," said Anthony Mwai, County General Manager, IBM East Africa. "Advanced technologies are helping to drive a wave of innovation across the African financial services sector as banks create new and accessible banking channels and take banking services to previously unbanked parts of society."

According to analysts, Africa's financial services sector is currently worth over $100 billion and will continue to grow by double digits to 2020, outpacing Africa's gross domestic product growth. Retail banking is currently the fastest growing segment predicted to grow at 18 per cent between 2009 and 2020 through increased demand for deposit accounts and the launch of sophisticated banking services.*

Smarter Banking

In two of the largest IT deals in the East African banking sector to date, the Co-operative Bank of Kenya and the National Bank of Kenya have signed multi-million dollar agreements with IBM to support their aggressive expansion strategies and increase profitability.

IBM supplied Co-operative Bank with Power Systems as well as storage and software as part of a major overhaul of the bank's systems.

"Our strength lies in the transformative influence we have had in the lives of over nine million Kenyans who depend on the co-operative movement for banking services. Our investment in IT has helped us to achieve our goal of launching a diverse array of innovative, new banking services and reach new parts of society," said Gideon Muriuki, Co-operative Bank's Managing Director.

In its agreement with the National Bank of Kenya, IBM is providing IT services, hardware and software as the bank delivers on its program of business transformation.

"As we continue our transformation into a privately-owned company, we are constantly seeking the means to make us leaner and more efficient," said Reuben Marambii, Managing Director of the National Bank of Kenya. "With advanced technologies and virtualization tools, IBM is helping us to optimize our resources and provide a wider range of services to our rapidly growing client base."

Market Expansion

Family Bank, one of Kenya's fastest growing financial institutions, and IBM signed an agreement to support the bank's drive to reach new markets and launch new products and services.

The bank's regional expansion plan, alongside its introduction of new services such as mobile banking and mortgage facilities, has led the firm to transform its IT systems ahead of a planned listing on the Nairobi Stock Exchange in 2012.

IBM has also signed agreements with Credit Bank and National Industrial Credit (NIC) Bank as locally owned banks across Africa leverage world-class technologies to transform their businesses.

Credit Bank has turned to IBM for a new core banking system to allow it to rethink business processes and improve operational efficiency. Under the terms of the agreement, IBM will provide hardware, software as well as consultancy and services for the implementation, integration and maintenance of the new system.

In line with its continued growth in the region, National Industrial Credit (NIC) Bank selected IBM technologies to help streamline the bank's core banking processes and integrate its existing IT solutions to drive operational efficiencies and improve customer service.

IBM's Momentum in Africa

IBM is actively expanding its operations across Africa as part of the company's continued geographic expansion initiative to increase its presence in key growth markets and support its global growth strategy. Over the last year, IBM has closed a number of pivotal deals in the region as clients in the financial, government, telecommunications, oil and gas sectors seek solutions to help them optimize their operational costs and support business expansion. Earlier this year, IBM announced details of other major banking deals with the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia and the National Microfinance Bank of Tanzania.

"Internet and mobile connectivity has become both more plentiful and a great deal cheaper over the last five years across Africa," said Russell Southwood, CEO at Balancing Act, an Africa-based consultancy and research company. "This allows African banks to focus on high-end products and services using the latest technologies to launch new banking channels. Banks are also using technology to better connect branch networks especially in rural areas which are seeing some of the highest levels of growth."

To drive demand for its services and solutions across the continent, IBM has opened over 20 offices across Africa including those in Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria.

About IBM

To find out more about IBM's African growth story visit:
http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/presskit/34710.wss

Notes

*Bain & Company http://www.bain.com/about/press/bain-news/2011/africas-decadelong-banking-bull-run-in-pictures.aspx
IBM's agreement with the Co-operative Bank of Kenya includes Power 795 servers, DS 8800 storage, SAN Switches, Tape Library Express Model, as well as Tivoli and WebSphere software.
IBM's agreement with the National Bank of Kenya includes IBM Power 770 servers, IBM Storwize V7000 disk storage systems, IBM Tivoli and WebSphere software.
IBM's agreement with Family Bank includes IBM Power 770 server systems running on AIX and IBM Tape Library Express Model.
IBM's agreement with Credit Bank includes IBM Power 740 servers and DS5300 storage systems.
IBM's agreement with National Industrial Credit (NIC) Bank includes IBM Bladecenters and HX5 Blade servers to integrate with the bank's Temenos core banking application.

Contacts
Marie-Anne (Kui) Kinyanjui
IBM East Africa
+254 721 676543
MARIEKIN@ke.ibm.com

Jonathan Batty
IBM Growth Markets Unit
+48 69393 5403
Jonathan.Batty@pl.ibm.com

Pasha Ray Dahncke
IBM US
914-765-6148
bipasha@us.ibm.com

SOURCE IBM

Web Site: http://www.ibm.com

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Best & Worst of 2011

Faruk Lasaki's "Changing Faces" Versus Chineze Anyaene's "IJÉ The Journey"

Without doubt or dispute Chineze Anyaene's IJÉ the Journey is the most financially successful Nigerian movie at the local box office and won an award for setting a box office record in Nigeria. The second is Kunle Afolayan's Figurine. But in terms of screenplay and cinematography I rank Faruk Lasaki's Changing Faces above IJÉ.

Would IJÉ have been so popular without Genevieve Nnaji and Omotola Jalade-Ekeninde?

Of course Chineze did the right thing that any smart filmmaker would have done in Hollywood or Bollywood by using the most popular actors and actresses to attract their teeming fans to the cinemas. In fact IJÉ should have made more than $1 million in Nigeria alone if Chineze explored all the opportunities and possibilities by also showing the film in as many halls as possible and charging less than the tickets sold at the Silverbird Cinemas and Genesis Deluxe Cinemas. But she seemed to be satisfied with the amount she made in West Africa and is moving on to the next level to make a better and bigger film.

Faruk Lasaki's Changing Faces has two relatively unknown British actors in the lead roles and only two popular Nigerian actors Alex Lopez and Keppy Ekpenyong. They are seasoned Nollywood stars, but they don't have the superstar popularity of Genevieve and Omotola. IJÉ would not have been so successful in West Africa without them.

Faruk and Chineze are both outstanding graduates of the famous New York Film Academy (NYFA).And the best movies with successful runs at the local box office have been made by other graduates of NYFA, Kunle Afolayan and Stephanie Okereke.

Changing Faces is currently the only Nigerian movie on the top ten movies showing at the Genesis Deluxe Cinemas in Lagos and at the Silverbird Cinemas outside Lagos.

~ By Orikinla Osinachi

Spielberg's War Horse To Be Released on Christmas Day

The most awaited movie premiere of the year is Steven Spielberg’s War Horse opening on Christmas Day December 25 in the US and on January 13, 2012 in the UK.

War Horse is an adaptation of British author Michael Morpurgo’s children's novel set during World War I. The novel was first published in 1982 and had a successful stage adaptation in 2007.

Spielberg said he had challenges in reworking “a beloved Broadway play into a big screen moment to remember”.

Jeremy Irvine plays the role of Albert Narracott in the war thriller. He was Luke in the television series Life Bites and has remarkable stage experience with the Royal Shakespeare Company and was in Dunsinane in 2010.

The First World War is experienced through the journey of this horse—an odyssey of joy and sorrow, passionate friendship and high adventure. “War Horse” is one of the great stories of friendship and war— a successful book, it was turned into a hugely successful international theatrical hit that is arriving on Broadway next year. It now comes to screen in an epic adaptation by one of the great directors in film history.

Cast

Jeremy Irvine as Albert Narracott
Emily Watson as Mum, Rose Narracott
Peter Mullan as Dad, Ted Narracott
Tom Hiddleston as Captain Nicholls
David Thewlis as Lyons
Benedict Cumberbatch as Major Stewart
Toby Kebbell as Geordie
Eddie Marsan as Sgt. Fry
Geoff Bell as Sgt. Sam Perkins
Patrick Kennedy as Lieutenant Waverly
Niels Arestrup as Grandfather
Celine Buckens as Emilie
David Kross as Gunther
Rainer Bock as Brandt
Nicolas Bro as Friedrich
Leonard Carow as Michael
Robert Emms as David Lyons
Liam Cunningham as Army Doctor
David Dencik as Base Camp Officer

PG-13, 2 hr. 26 min.
Drama, Action & Adventure
Directed By: Steven Spielberg
In Theaters: Dec 25, 2011 Wide
Walt Disney Pictures

War Horse is the second Steven Spielberg film opening this December in the US. The first The Adventures of Tintin was released yesterday Wednesday . December 21, 2011 in Digital 3D and IMAX.

The Adventures of Tintin is Spielberg's first foray into motion-capture filmmaking as well as 3-D. "Tintin," is the famous comic hero created by the Belgian artist named Hergé in the late 1920s. Tintin is a young daring investigative reporter whose travels around the world exposes him to fantastic adventures as he covers big stories and uncovers even larger mysteries accompanied by his dog, Snowy.

~ By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde's Visit to Nigeria

20 Dec 2011 12:33 Africa/Lagos

Nigeria / Statement by IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde at the Conclusion of her Visit to Nigeria

ABUJA, December 20, 2011/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde made the following statement today in Lagos at the conclusion of her visit to Nigeria.

Christine Lagarde, Managing Director, IMF

“It has been a pleasure to visit Nigeria on my first trip to Africa as Managing Director. I came here primarily to listen to our African members, and to find out how we can better tailor support to countries in this region in the current difficult global environment.

“I have had very productive discussions with President Goodluck Jonathan, Federal Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for Economy Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. They, along with their colleagues, play a key role in economic transformation here in Nigeria—a country of abundant resources, wealth of people, and vast potential. I also had the privilege of meeting representatives of civil society organizations and the private sector, including many women business leaders. All in all, this visit has been a wonderful chance for me to witness first-hand the spirit of opportunity and leadership that befits Africa's most populous country.

“Nigeria recognizes the need to maintain the reforms and policy implementation that helped it weather the crisis of 2008-09. Nigeria's own Transformation Agenda presents a worthy platform to guard against risks and promote shared growth. Most importantly, it is an agenda for Nigeria, driven by Nigerians.

“Three aspects of the government's agenda strike me as crucial. First, it is vital that natural resource revenues be channeled more effectively toward the infrastructure investment needed for growth and jobs. Second, promoting a more diversified economy will help Nigeria better withstand shocks and provide for more broad-based growth, again with opportunities and jobs for the entire population being the priority. Thirdly, continued financial sector reform should build on the impressive progress in resolving the recent banking crisis by further strengthening regulation and supervisory practices, and increasing access to credit. The IMF will do all it can to help support Nigeria in achieving its objectives.

“I would like to express my sincere thanks to the Nigerian authorities for their warm welcome and generous hospitality.”

Source: International Monetary Fund (IMF)

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