OROKAM NOT MARGINALIZE : Comrade Agada Johnson

Ogbdibo cultural carnival is a celebration of love and peace among the people of Ogbadibo local government to promote the traditional value of the people’s heritage. According to the organizer of the cultural carnival, Comrade Johnson Agada said recently in interview in Lagos that the carnival is not a community project, it’s a professional business with people from across the state and outside the local government, it’s not a matter of orokam being marginalize, Orokam can never be left out in such a gigantic project, because Orokam is a very important community in Ogbadibo. ‘’A center working committee is yet to be formed and when formed, we will have equal people from all three district, but what we have now are just working committee to bring the project at least to a solid stage before having a central working committee and must people working for the success of this project are from Orokam. We have met with elders in orokam and we have their blessings and I am begging all sons and daughters of Ogbadibo to put aside our differences, come out and work together for the success of Ogbadibo cultural carnival. Ogbadibo cultural carnival is an initiative to enlighten the people of Ogbadibo local government in Benue State about the norms and value of the people. Comrade Johnson further said, the cultural heritage of the people of Ogbabido is dying, Ogbadibo naturally is known to be a traditional land (Alekwu) but due to lack of knowledge our people within and in diaspora keeps dying as a result of going against the customs of the land. The Ogbadibo cultural carnival was initiated to help return back the lost glory of the land and to cub social menace in our society such as cultism, killing for ritual purposes, abortion, kidnapping, stealing and disrespect for elders, the gods forbid all this doing, and right now I can tell you the gods are angry with us all, all this are not part of our customs and tradition, even our leaders are not helping the youths, they use them and dump them all in the name of politics and selfish reason and their children are all outside the country or state doing fine but through this year cultural carnival celebration, we need to promote our culture and tell our people where they got it all wrong and we are going to start from the traditional angle because must traditional rulers bribe their ways into office and as such don’t lead with all fairness and truth. For instance our elders collect money to support Fulani’s, look at the result now, the Fulani’s have dominated all most all our lands, they marry our girls and gave birth and even name their children after us, all this are the reasons for Ogbabido cultural carnival rather than thinking about marginalization or not, but I am categorically telling you now that nobody, no district or clans is being marginalize.

Fani-Kayode, Reno Omokri bicker over Zuckerberg’s Hausa comment

An off-the-cuff comment by Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, about the importance of Hausa language, has pitted two prominent opposition figures on social media against each other. Femi Fani-Kayode, a former Minister of Aviation and unabashed critic of the ruling APC, sparred with Reno Omokri, a former aide to President Goodluck Jonathan and social media strategist, in a series of harsh exchanges on Facebook Wednesday, with Mr. Fani-Kayode wishing he could have Mr. Omokri’s “little bottom spanked for being so cheeky and naughty.” A Facebook user had on Tuesday afternoon drawn the attention of Mr. Zuckerberg, who is visiting Nigeria, to the Facebook Hausa language option and urged him to consider adding other major Nigerian languages —especially Yoruba, Igbo and Fulfulde— to the platform to reflect the country’s diversity. “Thanks! I’m glad we support Hausa and we’re planning on supporting a lot more languages soon,” Mr. Zuckerberg responded. Facebook introduced the Hausa language option about a month ago. Mr. Fani-Kayode said the decision to add Hausa to Facebook was aimed at advancing a purported age-long agenda of Britain and America to prioritise the interests of the people of Northern Nigeria while suppressing the fortunes of the Southerners. Mr. Fani-Kayode also highlighted a conspiracy in the timing. “Kerry comes to the north and sees the Sultan of Sokoto, northern governors and Buhari. One week later, Facebook founder comes to Nigeria and says Hausa is a “unique language” which he has to be included on Facebook,” Mr. Fani-Kayode said. “Think Nigerians think.” As with most of his posts, Mr. Fani-Kayode’s statement elicited divergent reactions from many Nigerians on Facebook, including Mr. Omokri. “I do not understand why Kerry did what he did. But as for Zuckerberg, all he did was state a fact. After Swahili, Hausa is perhaps the most widely spoken language in sub-Saharan Africa. “That is why BBC Hausa, Voice of America Hausa, Deutsche Welle and other world radio services all have broadcasts in Hausa. We must applaud what Zuckerberg has done and not cast suspicion around it. “Doing so may encourage him to add other indigenous Nigerian languages as Facebook languages,” Mr. Omokri said. But Mr. Fani-Kayode saw his ally’s take as an attempt to undermine his long-suffering cause to liberate his people from the “yoke” of “Western imperialists” and “internal colonial masters”. “I read far more into this matter than you do because I am not just a politician but a historian. I also have my views about the social media generally, its link to the top Western intelligence agencies and what its ultimate objective is,” Mr. Fani-Kayode said. “I guess only time will tell if I am right but these are my views. In any case, I wonder how many Hausa-speaking people are on Facebook when compared to Yoruba and Igbo.” Unimpressed, Mr. Omokri doubled his efforts to knock down Mr. Fani-Kayode’s argument, saying the embattled former minister, who’s currently standing trial for graft charges, was missing the point. “By including Hausa as an official Facebook language, Zuckerberg recognises the fact that while there are literally tens of millions of Yoruba, Igbo and other indigenous Nigerian language speakers who can communicate in both their native language and English, the same cannot be said about Hausa speakers,” Mr, Omokri said. Mr. Omokri said, although Facebook may have shown interest in Hausa speakers by adding their language to its platform, the company was making investments in start-ups that are situated in the southern part of the country, adding that those were the consequential issues that deserved mentions. “You may recall that Zuckerberg and his wife recently invested $25 million in Andela. That would be a most strange way to undermine the South given that all of Andela’s founders and most of their fellows are from the South,” Mr. Omokri said. “Talk is cheap but money makes things happen. Zuckerberg talked about Hausa, but he put his money in a Lagos tech hub.” At this point, Mr. Fani-Kayode indicated that he could no longer swallow Mr. Omokri’s lectures, which were delivered with apparent respect, saying the comments were superfluous as he had not actually condemned Mr. Zuckerberg or Facebook. “Now I am beginning to get a little irritated by you,” Mr. Fani-Kayode said, adding that Mr. Omokri’s rebuttal to his observations constituted a betrayal of trust. “If I wanted to condemn you, him or anyone else, I would do so loudly, openly, clearly and gladly,” Mr. Fani-Kayode said. “But I haven’t done that: I simply disagreed with you and I was very civil about it which I really didn’t have to be because you don’t deserve it.” Mr. Fani-Kayode also dragged the governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, into the crossfire, saying the former FCT Minister had repeatedly warned him about Mr. Omokri. “Our mutual friend, Nasir El Rufai, often warned me about you but I never listened to him,” Mr. Fani-Kayode said. “Now you have proved him right and all because you want to please your foreign and new-found northern friends.” Mr. Fani-Kayode then listed other areas in which Mr. Omokri allegedly betrayed his former colleagues in the Jonathan administration. But Mr. Omokri responded by saying he would not join issues with Mr. Fani-Kayode out of respect. The feud spilled over to Twitter on Thursday morning, when PDP supporters on social media sued for peace. Messrs. Fani-Kayode and Omokri have been playing a critical role in distributing populism messages on behalf of the PDP on social media, where the lingering economic crisis has helped the party regain its voice.

As economy declines, Buhari revives Jonathan’s agric policy he suspended

The Buhari administration on Wednesday said it had revived the e-wallet system for fertiliser allocation and distribution, a year after suspending it. The Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh, made the announcement after the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting, saying the policy would however be modified to address the challenges that made it unsustainable. At the meeting, which held as the National Bureau of Statistics confirmed the nation was in recession, the government also approved a borrowing plan and solid minerals initiatives to stimulate the economy. But the decision to restart the e-wallet fertilizer scheme represented another economic policy reversal by the Buhari administration, which had earlier dumped the initiative. The e-wallet system was part of the Growth Enhancement Support scheme introduced by former Goodluck Jonathan administration to address the menace of middlemen in the fertiliser supply chain, which experts identified as a challenge for farmers at the time. The policy, seen as one of the few successes of the administration, ensured the registration of about 4.2 million farmers within its first year. More than 10 million were said to have been registered at the height of its implementation. Akin Adesina, who served as Minister of Agriculture between 2010 and 2015, when the scheme was initiated, said its success contributed to his elevation to the African Development Bank where he is now the president. The policy was however suspended by the Buhari government in 2015. The Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh, cited accumulated debts to fertiliser and seed companies as well as corrupt practices that had contributed in making it costly and unsustainable. “We had to look for money from our own sources at the federal level to bear the liabilities of states,” Mr. Ogbeh was quoted as saying in July 2016. “The GES payment was a debt we inherited from the previous administration. The total debt was N57 billion. When we arrived here, the agro-dealers said they couldn’t operate because they didn’t have bulk money to carry on with their businesses and so we applied to government and appealed for help to raise some money to pay the debt. But the minister said on Wednesday the Buhari administration will now resuscitate the policy.

How Nigerian govt caused economic recession — Emir Sanusi

Culled from Sahara Reporter.

Muhammad Sanusi II The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi, on August 24, warned President Muhammadu Buhari to avoid repeating the mistakes made by former President Goodluck Jonathan so his administration does not end up in infamy like that of his predecessor. The former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria also warned the government against continuing to blame previous administrations for the nation’s woes, saying what was important was for the administration to concentrate on putting the nation back on the path of progress. He gave the warning while delivering a paper entitled, “Nigeria In Search Of New Growth model” at the 15th meeting of the Joint Planning Board and National Council on Development Planning. The Emir also spoke extensively on the nation’s economic recession. Here is his full speech at the event: First of all, I want to break from tradition. Usually I speak in Hausa in Kano. But, I don’t know how I am going to make an economic presentation in Hausa to 36 states’ commissioners and have someone translate it into English. To avoid things being lost in translation, I will speak in the language of economics. Let me start by saying congratulations to you minister. This is the first time I am meeting you in an official function since your appointment, and to tell you in public what I have always said in private; that you are one of the sisters I remain extremely proud of your work. I wish you all the best in these challenging times. I have always told people that Dr. Shamsuddeen Usman, my teacher, (I don’t know if he is an ex or former minister, multiple times) taught me microeconomics. So, he takes a lot of the credits, and none of the blames, for what I have become. Ladies and gentlemen, I was not given a specific topic to talk on. But, because the concern today is the concern about the recession Nigeria is in technically, and also because it is a meeting of Planning and Budget Ministers, I thought I will do a proper economic presentation and put down my thoughts on where I think we are; why I think we are where we are, and what I think we need to do to get out of this. I am sure there will be many other presentations specifically on what a state can do to raise revenues and so on. But, having an overarching view of economic policy, and where we may or may not have done wrong, or what the key drivers of growth should be for the Nigerian economy are things I thought we should talk about at this session. So, I call this presentation, Nigeria: The Search For A New Growth Model. I will start by going back to the past, not just Nigeria, but Africa. Let’s ask ourselves what were the key drivers of growth in Africa, and what has changed since this golden decade Africa had. Africa Golden Decade was basically the decade of the 2000s. Africa moved from the previous decade, where it was a hopeless continent, to a new decade that we have one type lifting all story of Africa rising. This rise in Africa across the world was one of stories of sadness, poverty, famine and hunger to a continent that was full of potentials; where there were opportunities for investments; where capital markets were booming. All of a sudden people heard countries like Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana, etc. when previously these were supposed to be a basket case in the world. The first pillar of this growth was clearly shifting terms of trade, which as we all know in developing economics, can be a mirage. You can’t have improving terms of trade when you are exporting commodities over short periods of a cycle. But, we know as far back as the 1950s, from the Latin American structure economics, that over the long term, any economy that specialises in exporting primary products and importing manufactures would end up having terms of trade shifting against it. You can have a temporary boost, but If you don’t use that boost to have a structural adjustment that would make for prudent management of the economy, you would be courting trouble. By 2008, one barrel of oil would buy you one Sanyo flip telephone as against 19 barrels of oil to buy the same phone earlier. That gives an idea how well the terms of trade have shifted. We had an oil price of $10 a barrel in the time of Babangida. At one point under Obasanjo, it rose to $140 a barrel. This was a time of rapidly improving technology, cheaper manufactured products and therefore our oil could technically import us much more. This process was not common across all of Africa, because we are aware of other African economies that grew, and certainly it was not just one pillar. Let’s go to the second pillar of growth in Africa in that decade, which was debt. Between 2002 and 2008, the levels of debt to GDP (gross domestic product) in African countries and what they became after the Paris Club, HIPC debt reliefs and so on. Nigeria was at 50 per cent debt to GDP and came down to literally 5 per cent or so. This happened across all Africa in the form of debt forgiveness, debt relief, debt restructuring and so on. What this did was that it freed up government balance sheets and in that decade of Africa rising, the countries went back on a borrowing binge.

The 5 Powerful Investing Tips That Made Nigeria’s Aliko Dangote A Billionaire

Small business ideas, business plans, & tips for African entrepreneurs to start, run, & grow successful businesses. 5 Investing Tips That Made Aliko Dangote A Billionaire | Image Source: www.36ng.com.ng People dream of a life of ultimate success; great wealth & true happiness. But only a few attain it. While many may argue that true success doesn’t entail you becoming a millionaire or a billionaire, in private, they wish they could have a taste of that life, even for just a day. One of the world’s few billionaires who experience’s life at it’s helm of true financial success, is Nigeria’s Aliko Dangote; the richest black man in the world. How did he achieve this feat? What did he do right or wrong? What investing tips did he use? And how can it all be replicated? Dangote may have started his business career at the age of 21, in 1977, with a sum of 500,000 Naira (which could buy 100 brand new Mercedes Benz at that time), but the reason for his success was far beyond is startup capital, but rather, his smart investment decisions. You too, can learn from them. See Also: How This African Built A Multi-Million Dollar Business From Solar Energy Here are 5 Powerful Investing Tips That Helped Make Nigeria’s Aliko Dangote The Richest Black Man In The World: 1). Only Invest In What You Completely Understand: In an interview with MTV Base in 2012, Aliko Dangote expressly stated that he does not venture into any business he does not completely understand, and this keeps both him, and his company focused. Curiosity they say, killed the cat. But why did the cat actually die? This statement has ambiguous meanings. But the most obvious, is the fact that the cat sometimes doesn’t make it back alive because, it tried to explore what it couldn’t and didn’t understand. Curiosity isn’t entirely a bad thing. In fact, the greatest discoveries on earth were made by some of the most inquisitive people in history. But it must be threaded with caution. One sure thing smart caution has proven, is the fact that it has created billionaires in Africa. Investing in something you don’t understand because that’s what everyone is talking about, or going into, could be the fastest way to end your finances. When they say successful entrepreneurs take risks, they weren’t talking about stupid risks. Such only puts your finances on the edge. It’s important that a thorough feasibility study about the proposed business idea is done, and that you’re darn sure the business will solve a real problem. Perhaps then, you could someday be like, or even far better than Aliko Dangote. 2). Diversify Your Investments: With a wide portfolio ranging from cement to sugar, textiles, real estate, steel, telecommunications, poly products, port operations, and even now, an eight billion Dollars oil refinery in the works, Aliko Dangote has covertly built an almost fail-proof diversified conglomerate, which employs over 26,000 people. Multiple sources of income, is a major requirement to becoming a successful entrepreneur. And Dangote’s decisions so far, have shown that he has a knack for venturing into different highly profitable businesses. The crash in the global price of crude oil has had little impact on his cement & sugar businesses directly. Although the prices of the products are now lower, his cement and sugar sales have only also just risen, with higher sales projections estimated. One thing the richest black man in the world’s journey has taught, is that in times of economic recession and unforeseen challenges, one or some of your major investments, will cover up for others, till the wave is gone. No wonder he’s now stipulated to be wealthier than Oprah Winfrey, Donald Trump, & Roman Abramovich combined. See Also: The Comprehensive Guide To Real Estate Investment 3). Start Producing: Aliko Dangote, after importing and trading in commodities for many years, one day came to the conclusion that if he were ever to reach his true dreams, he’d have to stop being an importer, and focus a lot more on becoming a producer. This prompted him to setup eleven factories at a go, to kick-start his manufacturing career. Though expensive, manufacturing is one great way to really control your pricing, and bring products down to the consumer level at really affordable rates. If you hope to someday beat all the competition, and claim a huge chunk of whatever market you’re playing in, you’d have to change your gear, and switch to manufacturing. This investing tip, is one of the key secrets of the world’s billionaires. 4). Sell A Brand, Not Just A Product: Do you know Amancio Ortega Gaona, the billionaire founder of Zara? You can never be like him or better, if you don’t build a brand around your products and services. The same applies to Aliko Dangote. The Dangote brand is one of the most valuable brands in Africa. In Nigeria especially, almost anything branded as “Dangote” almost always wins the market’s trust. As you grow your business, make sure people can identify it through it’s brand image. This investing tip will leave a footprint on your customer’s minds about the experience they had with your products or services. See Also: 7 Top Skills Of Self-Made Millionaires You Must Be Using 5). Become A Great Networker: The way you arrive is who you are, and your network is your net worth. If you’re going to someday reach the heights Aliko Dangote has attained, you’d have to surround yourself with only people that can take you there. How do you get these folks to respect you? You have to invest both in yourself, and your business. You need to master emotional intelligence, have a strong understanding of human behaviour, and be able to nearly accurately sum up a person from the on-set. The book, “The Art Of Speed Reading People” by Paul D. Tieger & Barbara Baron-Tieger, is a good place to start. It gives the reader an in-depth understanding of the 16 personality types, and how to accurately calculate and estimate which temperament group a person belongs too. The predictive accuracy taught in this epic piece, is insanely correct! This book, is a must read for any true networker. These 5 investing tips have made Aliko Dangote, not just a billionaire, but the richest black man in the world. The application of these principles in your business journey, will ensure you’re on the right track to building a million Dollar, or probably a billion Dollar business. Quick Tip! You can make money from blogging by setting up a blog on WordPress or Blogger. Starting for as low as only $3.95 per month, anyone can follow this link to create a WordPress blog in minutes for a really cheap rate (this low price is only through my link). In addition to the low pricing, you will receive a free website domain (a $15 value), a free site builder, and a 30-days money-back guarantee through my Bluehost link if you purchase, at least, 12 months of blog hosting. What are your thoughts on these 5 powerful investing tips of Alhaji Aliko Dangote? Please let me know by leaving a comment in the box below.

Police arrest kidnappers of Indian, bizmen in Benue

The Police at Force headquarters said, yesterday, that they have arrested four crime kingpins terrorising Benue State and environs. A statement noted that the Inspector General, Ibrahim Idris, deployed the Intelligent Response Team, IRT, to Benue State to tackle and resolve cases of kidnapping, using citizens supports and deployment of technical platforms. It said: “The IRT trailed and arrested the following suspects: Terna Lorlu, a.k.a. Rocker, Gang leader; Ternenger Terwase a.k.a. Bishop; Terungwa Abasuwa, a.k.a. Bobby, and Oryina Bosua a.k.a. Man U.” Signed by Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Donald Awunah, the statement said: “During interrogation, they confessed to be behind several kidnappings and armed robbery attacks, including the kidnap of an Indian expatriate, the kidnap of one Mr. Charles, a businessman at Adikpo. “They also confessed to kidnapping Chief Tsegba in Gboko and collecting N5,000,000 ransom for his release; kidnapping of several lecturers and businessmen in the College of Education, Katsina-Ala and other neighbouring towns.”

Biafra cannot be renounced – MASSOB

The leadership of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, yesterday, stated that Biafra is not negotiable and cannot be renounced as it is pivotal to the existence and future of the Igbo people. This came as the group condemned the inclusion of Comrade Uchenna Madu as one of the trusted persons to negotiate for Biafra on behalf of Re-IPOB with Federal Government. In a statement issued by MASSOB in Abakaliki, National Director of Information of the group, Comrade Samuel Edeson warned the Re-IPOB to stop its unguided exhibitions in the name of Biafra, threatening that it would bring them (Re-IPOB) more harm than good in the course of the struggle. According to him, MASSOB can never allow her image, leadership or name to be dragged into a dirty mud of cheap propaganda and mesmerization after over 17 years of Biafra struggle. The statement read in part: “Though MASSOB acknowledged the regards and respect given to Comrade Uchenna Madu as a credible Igbo leader by Re-IPOB, we insist that Biafra is not negotiable and cannot be renounced. It’s not a personal or religious belief, faith or human establishment. Biafra is the very existence and future of our people. “MASSOB’s reaction is against the online news that included the name of Comrade Uchenna Madu (leader of MASSOB) as a member of trusted Igbo leaders to negotiate with FG on Biafra. “What is Re-IPOB negotiating, a group that comes up today and wants to negotiate Biafra immediately? Who is fooling who? What has Re-IPOB done for Biafra and for what reasons would FG negotiate with it? Biafra struggle is not a business venture and it is not negotiable.” “MASSOB reaction is not because of external or internal pressure but for our dignity, pride, integrity, trust and confidence the people of Biafra bestowed on MASSOB. “We also warn those delighted in creating confusion among Pro Biafra groups with falsehood and blackmailing to desist from it now or face the consequences and punishments of saboteurs. A stitch in time saves nine”.