#Federal Republic of Nigeria

[roomselfcontain2]

1 bedroom apartment to let with pvc ceiling design very cool rooms nice home that is affordable close to a tarred road at ozuoba by rumuaparali area of port Harcourt city rivers state Nigeria

[mapsontheweb]

Ethnic groups of Nigeria

The Federal Republic of Nigeria is home to between 250 and 400 distinct ethnic groups and around 500 different spoken languages. However, only eight major ethnic groups comprise 81% of the population (2018 estimate), and these groups are the Hausa, Fulani, Yoruba, Igbo, Ibibio, Kanuri, Tiv, and Ijaw. The great ethnic diversity of the nation has its benefits and drawbacks. On the one hand, it showcases Nigeria’s vibrant cultural tapestry. However, it has also played a part in the long-term political, economic, and religious conflicts that have afflicted the nation. Sources: Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation (Nigeria) & World Factbook

by anthro.atlas

[noneedtofearorhope]

Death to Afghanistan Death to Albania Death to Algeria Death to Andorra Death to Angola Death to Antigua and Barbuda Death to Argentina Death to Armenia Death to Australia Death to Austria Death to Azerbaijan Death to Bahrain Death to Bangladesh Death to Barbados Death to Belarus Death to Belgium Death to Belize Death to Benin Death to Bhutan Death to Bolivia Death to Bosnia and Herzegovina Death to Botswana Death to Brazil Death to Brunei Death to Bulgaria Death to Burkina Faso Death to Burundi Death to Cabo Verde Death to Cambodia Death to Cameroon Death to Canada Death to Central African Republic Death to Chad Death to Chile Death to China Death to Colombia Death to Comoros Death to Congo, Democratic Republic of the Death to Congo, Republic of the Death to Costa Rica Death to Croatia Death to Cuba Death to Cyprus Death to Czech Republic Death to Côte d’Ivoire Death to Denmark Death to Djibouti Death to Dominica Death to Dominican Republic Death to East Timor (Timor-Leste) Death to Ecuador Death to Egypt Death to El Salvador Death to Equatorial Guinea Death to Eritrea Death to Estonia Death to Eswatini Death to Ethiopia Death to Fiji Death to Finland Death to France Death to Gabon Death to Georgia Death to Germany Death to Ghana Death to Greece Death to Grenada Death to Guatemala Death to Guinea Death to Guinea-Bissau Death to Guyana Death to Haiti Death to Honduras Death to Hungary Death to Iceland Death to India Death to Indonesia Death to Iran Death to Iraq Death to Ireland Death to Israel Death to Italy Death to Jamaica Death to Japan Death to Jordan Death to Kazakhstan Death to Kenya Death to Kiribati Death to Korea, North Death to Korea, South Death to Kosovo Death to Kuwait Death to Kyrgyzstan Death to Laos Death to Latvia Death to Lebanon Death to Lesotho Death to Liberia Death to Libya Death to Liechtenstein Death to Lithuania Death to Luxembourg Death to Madagascar Death to Malawi Death to Malaysia Death to Maldives Death to Mali Death to Malta Death to Marshall Islands Death to Mauritania Death to Mauritius Death to Mexico Death to Micronesia, Federated States of Death to Moldova Death to Monaco Death to Mongolia Death to Montenegro Death to Morocco Death to Mozambique Death to Myanmar (Burma) Death to Namibia Death to Nauru Death to Nepal Death to Netherlands Death to New Zealand Death to Nicaragua Death to Niger Death to Nigeria Death to North Macedonia Death to Norway Death to Oman Death to Pakistan Death to Palau Death to Panama Death to Papua New Guinea Death to Paraguay Death to Peru Death to Philippines Death to Poland Death to Portugal Death to Qatar Death to Romania Death to Russia Death to Rwanda Death to Saint Kitts and Nevis Death to Saint Lucia Death to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Death to Samoa Death to San Marino Death to Sao Tome and Principe Death to Saudi Arabia Death to Senegal Death to Serbia Death to Seychelles Death to Sierra Leone Death to Singapore Death to Slovakia Death to Slovenia Death to Solomon Islands Death to Somalia Death to South Africa Death to Spain Death to Sri Lanka Death to Sudan Death to Sudan, South Death to Suriname Death to Sweden Death to Switzerland Death to Syria Death to Taiwan Death to Tajikistan Death to Tanzania Death to Thailand Death to The Bahamas Death to The Gambia Death to Togo Death to Tonga Death to Trinidad and Tobago Death to Tunisia Death to Turkey Death to Turkmenistan Death to Tuvalu Death to Uganda Death to Ukraine Death to United Arab Emirates Death to United Kingdom Death to United States Death to Uruguay Death to Uzbekistan Death to Vanuatu Death to Vatican City Death to Venezuela Death to Vietnam Death to Yemen Death to Zambia Death to Zimbabwe

[victorysp]

Queen Máxima during a meeting with the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mr Bola Tinubu, about the progress of financial inclusion in Nigeria, at palace Huis ten Bosch in The Hague. April 25, 2024.

📷 vorsten

[lboogie1906]

Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti (Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; (October 15, 1938 – August 2, 1997) known as Abami Eda was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, composer, political activist, and Pan-Africanist. He is regarded as the pioneer of Afrobeat, an African music genre that combines traditional Yoruba percussion and vocal styles with American funk and jazz. At the height of his popularity, he was referred to as one of Africa’s most “challenging and charismatic music performers”. AllMusic described him as a “musical and sociopolitical voice” of international significance.

He and his band Africa 70 shot to stardom in Nigeria during the 1970s, during which he was an outspoken critic and target of Nigeria’s military juntas. In 1970, he founded the Kalakuta Republic commune, which declared itself independent from military rule. The commune was destroyed in a 1978 raid.

He attended Abeokuta Grammar School. He was sent to London to study medicine but decided to study music instead at the Trinity College of Music, with the trumpet being his preferred instrument. He formed the band Koola Lobitos and played a fusion of jazz and highlife. He moved back to the newly independent Federation of Nigeria, re-formed Koola Lobitos, and trained as a radio producer for the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation. He played for some time with Victor Olaiya and his All-Stars.

He traveled to Ghana looking for a new musical direction. He called his style Afrobeat, a combination of highlife, funk, jazz, salsa, calypso, and traditional Yoruba music. He took the band to the US and spent ten months in Los Angeles. He discovered the Black Power movement. This experience heavily influenced his music and political views. He renamed the band Nigeria 70. The Immigration and Naturalization Service was tipped off by a promoter that he and his band were in the US without work permits. The band performed a quick recording session in Los Angeles that would be released as The ‘69 Los Angeles Sessions.

In 2008, an off-Broadway production about Kuti’s life, entitled Fela! inspired by the 1982 biography Fela, Fela! This Bitch of a Life. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[powertrumpeter]

Biafra: The Rising Sun of Africa

Biafra is a land bubbling with abundant human talents and resources. This is apart from the crude oil, God has blessed us with in the land. But, we are under subjugation by Nigeria Authorities since time immemorial. Independence of Biafra will be a great boost to our potentials. It will be like releasing the lions out of the zoo. We are really in a “Zoo Republic: with restrictions and maltreatments here and there.

Independent Biafra will be a land of milk and honey. Currently, we are wallowing in abject poverty and penury, in the midst of plenty. Our people in diaspora, are making waves in all areas of human endeavours in: manufacturing, medicine, engineering, agriculture, internet, name them. They are among the best, if not the very best. But right here in Nigeria, talents are being killed.

Nigerian authorities prefer foreign goods and services at exorbitant prices, to patronizing locally made ones, especially the ones from Biafra. Take for instance importation of refined petroleum products. Most of those locally constructed refineries, (they call them illegal refineries) in occupied Biafra, if licensed to operate, are capable of meeting our local consumption needs; and even exporting to neighbouring countries. A lot of those manning the local refineries are qualified Engineers and Technicians, who couldn’t gain employment in Federal Establishments like NNPC, due to tribalism and nepotism of Hausa/Fulani Government. The latter will always destroy those structures and round the people up.

We call on tribal Nigerian Government to reopen Chemical Engineering Department of University of Nigeria Nsukka in Biafra, shut down after the Nigeria civil war. The department played prominent role in the refining of crude oil into very clean: petrol, kerosene, diesel and other products. They were of very high quality. The school was also involved in production of hydraulic brake fluid for cars. Cocoa nut fluid was mixed with other substances to form it. They as well produced aviation fuel. The continued closure of the department is retrogressive.

Engineer Ezekiel Izuogu was frustrated from having car manufacturing company. He wanted to use hundred percent local materials. He produced a sample of the car. He made passionate appeal to the government for help. His request was never granted. One night, unknown gun men went and carted away his inventions. Those items couldn’t be traced anywhere till today. That ended his ambition. Nigeria is a land that kills talents.

A lot of inventions are going on in Biafra on daily basis. People are inventing cars, airplanes, generators without fuel, and so on. There is no encouragement. The Government won’t allow their products to be patronized by people, even if they are better than imported ones.

Biafra will be an advanced and industrialized country, shortly after its freedom from Hausa/Fulani colonialism. Biafran Government will revive moribund industries, and companies that litter our land. There will be massive employment opportunities. Youths fleeing abroad for means of livelihood, will be thing of the past. Crime rate will drastically reduce, as almost everybody will be engaged in one useful venture or another. Idle mind they say is the devil’s workshop.

Currency of the land of rising sun will be strong and stable; comparable to strong foreign currencies, like dollar and Euro. Black marketing of foreign exchange by Northerners, have been causing downward plunge of naira for decades now. Their bothers in Government give them those hard currencies, stolen from oil sale proceeds, to sell at ever increasing high rate to naira.

“Give them Biafra, in the next 20 years their country will become paradise”_ Gowon told Buhari.

“Give them Biafra in the next 50 years, they will become the world power”_ Queen told Obama.

“Give them Biafra in the next 5 years, we will become their slave and be begging them for food”_ Nigeria told UN.

“Give them Biafra in the next 50 years, each Biafra will be richer than any Governor in the world”_ the economist told the world.

“If Nigeria refuses to give us Biafra, every living thing in it will die. I repeat, if Nigeria refuses to give us Biafra, every living thing in it will die. BIAFRA OR DEATH”_Nnamdi Kanu told the world.

When Biafra is firmly established, we are going to take the world by storm.

Biafra needs a new generation of leaders, who are seriously involved in the struggle for actualization of our land. No saboteur, collaborator with Hausa/fulanis, or rogue politician, will be allowed to participate in the governance of the land. Currently, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is the undisputed Biafra apex leader; along with his colleagues in IPOB. He has demonstrated the real leadership qualities, and unshakable commitment to the struggle. He has refused to be bribed or intimidated into submission. He rejected bribes money running into billions of dollars. God Almighty has actually entrusted him with the leadership of Biafra.

We won’t permit vultures and traitors, hiding under leadership of one socio-cultural organization or the other, to hijack the leadership or governance of Biafra. Take for example Ohaneze. The so-called leaders are elected, or selected by handful of members. They are never elected by the generality of Igbos. They are never representing Igbos or their interests. These crooks are only after their own selfish interests. Such persons use their headship of those mushroom groups, to sell out their people to Northern dominated Nigeria Government, for one favour or the other.

Most of them are discredited “retired politicians.” Some of them were former Ministers, Governors and Federal legislators; while some are still at the corridor of power. They are being used to undermine Biafra struggle, in pursuit of so-called Igbo President. Igbo elite are the most gullible, and self-centred set of people on earth. As well, they allowed themselves to be deceived, used, and dumped by their ill-educated, and half-educated Northern rulers for decades now.

While in office, these charlatans from Biafra loot the treasury under their care with impunity. They stockpile billions of stolen money, with the intention to pursue their narrow Presidential, or Vice Presidential ambitions; which they can never realize. They begin by buying their way, to become Presidents of socio- cultural groupings. We won’t allow them to play any leadership role in Biafra; even advisory role. They cannot reap where they didn’t sow. You cannot make a rogue your adviser.

Igboland is not landlocked. It is the imagination of our oppressive rulers, since the so-called independence. Our land was excluded in the establishment of seaports, among other deprivations. The Orashi River in Oseakwa Ihiala LGA, in Anambra State, is the closest potential seaport we have in Igbo land, that links to Atlantic Ocean. Lagos seaport to Atlantic Ocean is 60 nautical miles. Oseakwa project abandoned in 1959, is only 18 nautical miles to Atlantic Ocean. When dredged, Oseakwa seaport can conveniently serve people in South South, South East, and part of Middle Belt. It is potentially the deepest seaport in Nigeria.

Osemoto in Oguta, Imo State is another potential seaport, which is also 18 nautical miles to Atlantic Ocean. It is the deepest natural harbor in the country; over 20m deep. We are being relegated to the background, in all spheres of life. But Biafra restoration will take care of all these deprivations. https://powertrumpeter.org/blog2/?p=309.

[kemetic-dreams]

HISTORICAL IGBO TIMELINES:

STONE AGE -MIDDLE AGES.

This is the period dating 1.2million years to 3000BC , the era of homo-erectus found within the areas of ugwuele uturu following the discovery of Archeolean hand axes and stone tools in caves. Clay pots dating 3000BC were recovered at Afikpo and Opi iron slags .Details of this era is buried in archeology .

EARLY HISTORY:

8th-9 th AD : Kingdom of Nri begins with Eze Nri Ìfikuánim.

1434 AD: Portuguese explorers make contact with the Igbo.

1630 AD : The Aro-Ibibio Wars start.

1690AD: The Aro Confederacy is established

1745AD : Olaudah Equiano is born in Essaka, but later kidnapped and shipped to Barbados and sold as a slave in 1765.

1797AD : Olaudah Equiano dies in England as a freed slave.

1807 AD : The Slave Trade Act 1807 is passed (on 25 March) helping in stopping the transportation of enslaved Africans, including Igbo people, to the Americas. Atlantic slave trade exports an estimated total of 1.4 million Igbo people across the Middle Passage

1830 AD : European explorers explore the course of the Lower Niger and meet the Northern Igbo.

1835 AD: Africanus Horton is born to Igbo ex-slaves in Sierra Leone

1855 AD: William Balfour Baikie a Scottish naval physician, reaches Niger Igboland.

MODERN HISTORY:

1880–1905: Southern Nigeria is conquered by the British, including Igboland.

1885–1906: Christian missionary presence in Igboland.

1891: King Ja Ja of Opobo dies in exile, but his corpse is brought back to Nigeria for burial.

1896–1906: Around 6,000 Igbo children attend mission schools.

1901–1902: The Aro Confederacy declines after the Anglo-Aro war.

1902: The Aro-Ibibio Wars end.

1906: Igboland becomes part of Southern Nigeria (the beginning of our problem)

1914: Northern Nigeria and Southern Nigeria are amalgamated to form Nigeria. (escalation of our problem)

1929: Igbo Women's War (first Nigerian feminist movement) of 1929 in Aba.

1953: November Anti Igbo riots (killing over 50 Igbos in Kano) of 1953 in Kano

1960: October 1 Nigeria gains independence from Britain; Tafawa Balewa becomes Prime Minister, and Nnamdi Azikiwe becomes President.

1966: January 16 A coup by junior military officers takes over government and assassinated some country leaders. The Federal Military Government is formed, with General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi as the Head of State and Supreme Commander of the Federal Republic.

1966: July 29 A counter-coup by military officers of northern extraction, deposes the Federal Military Government; General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi is assassinated along with Adekunle Fajuyi, Military Governor of Western Region. General Yakubu Gowon becomes Head of State.

1967: Ethnoreligious violence between Igbo Christians, and Hausa/Fulani Muslims in Eastern and Northern Nigeria, triggers a migration of the Igbo back to the East.

1967: May 30 General Emeka Ojukwu, Military Governor of Eastern Nigeria, declares his province an independent republic called Biafra, and the Nigerian Civil War or Nigerian-Biafran War ensues.

1970: January 8 General Emeka Ojukwu flees into exile; His deputy Philip Effiong becomes acting President of Biafra.

1970: January 15 Acting President of Biafra Philip Effiong surrenders to Nigerian forces through future President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, and Biafra is reintegrated into Nigeria.

References:

Understanding 'Things Fall Apart' by Kalu Ogbaa

Wikipedia

Image Credit: Ukpuru, Pinterest

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Today in Christian History

Today is Thursday, April 20th, the 110th day of 2023. There are 255 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

1479: Death of Alexander who founded the Orthodox monastery of Oshevensk, experienced miracles, and was a notable spiritual counselor.

1529: At the Second Diet of Speyer, the term “Protestant” is first applied to participants of the Reformation. The term was taken from the Protestatio, a statement by the reformers challenging the imperial stance on religion.

1558: Death of Johannes Bugenhagen, a leading Lutheran reformer, a professor at the University of Wittenberg, and the pastor of the city church there. Bugenhagen had helped Luther with his German Bible translation as well as translating the Bible into Low German himself.

1653: Cromwell dissolves the Rump Parliament, so-called because it consisted of only a few representatives who still remained. Cromwell lectures them on their vices and their uselessness, saying he is doing this at God’s command: “Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. Go!”

1676: Death of Baptist minister John Clarke, a founding father of Rhode Island, and the agent who obtained the colony’s charter from King Charles II in 1663.

1898: C.H. Spurgeon’s London tabernacle burns down. Efforts to rebuild it commence at once.

1962: Theologian Karl Barth is featured on the cover of Time magazine.

1988: Wilson Rajil Sabiya, a Lutheran theologian, writes a letter to General Ibrahim Babangida, President and Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, alerting him to Muslim efforts to make Nigeria an Islamic country by infiltrating the police force.

2001: A Peruvian Air Force aircraft shoots down a private airplane carrying missionaries, killing Veronica Bowers and her infant daughter, Charity.

[hardynwa]

Tinubu’s outburst on 25 per cent FCT votes sparks fresh controversy

The candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 2023 presidential election and now President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmedu Tinubu, stirred the hornet’s nest recently when he cautioned the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, PEPT, against attempting to remove him from office on the grounds that he did not get 25 percent of the total votes cast during the presidential election in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja. He warned that such action could lead to chaos and anarchy in the country. President Tinubu asked the election tribunal to dismiss the petition seeking the nullification of his election for not securing 25 percent of the lawful votes cast in the FCT, arguing that having scored 25 percent in about 30 states of the federation, his failure to obtain 25 percent in the FCT would not be strong enough to deny him of his hard-earned victory. Tinubu contested the February 25 presidential elections on the platform of the APC and was declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, after polling 8,794,726 votes to beat his closest rivals, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who polled 6, 984, 520 votes to place second, and Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party, LP, who came third with 6,101,533 votes. However, Atiku and Obi had approached the election tribunal seeking to upturn Tinubu’s victory on the grounds that the elections were characterised by massive rigging as evidenced in the alleged widespread voters’ intimidation and suppression, ballot box snatching and destruction, over-voting, results manipulations, thuggery, vote buying, INEC’s failure to abide by its own rules and procedures, physical assault on voters, among others. Apart from these, Atiku and Obi also want Tinubu’s victory to be nullified because he did not score 25 percent of the total valid votes cast in the FCT, which according to them, is a constitutional requirement before anybody can be declared president of Nigeria. Since Tinubu’s declaration as the winner of that election, political discussion has been swinging like a pendulum. Nigerians, who prior to the elections were passive politically, had suddenly become active, discussing and analysing political developments from the election tribunal. Analysts are united in agreement that never in the history of Nigerian politics has there been the kind of political awareness and participation that were witnessed during the 2023 general elections. They also agreed that the country’s political firmament has never been as charged and ominous as it was between the period when Tinubu was declared the winner of the presidential election and May 29, when he was actually sworn in as the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. However, Atiku and Obi have pursued their case at the election petition tribunal with each presenting before the tribunal pictures, videos and documentary evidence to prove that Tinubu should not have been declared as president in the first place, not to talk of swearing him into the office. The issue around Tinubu’s failure to get 25 percent of the votes cast in the FCT appears to be the strongest point against the president since it is a constitutional issue and does not require presenting any witness by the petitioners. But Tinubu, through his legal counsel, Wole Olanipekun, in a final written address to the tribunal against the petition, argued that the FCT is the 37th state for electoral purposes. He stressed that any other interpretation would “lead to absurdity, chaos, anarchy and alteration of the very intention of the legislature.” Stressing that the petition is novel but not familiar with the electoral law, Olanipekun said: “The issue in this address is very novel in the sense that it is not a petition stricto senso, familiar to our electoral jurisprudence, as the petitioners are not, this time around, complaining about election rigging, ballot box snatching, ballot box stuffing, violence, thuggery, vote buying, voters’ intimidation, disenfranchisement, interference by the military or the police, and such other electoral vices.” The lawyer was specifically addressing a section of the Nigerian Constitution, which provides that a presidential candidate must score 25 per cent of the votes in two-thirds of Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Since Tinubu was declared as the winner of the presidential election without scoring 25 percent in the FCT, several opinions have been expressed on the matter by Nigerians of all classes, including those that are not lawyers. There are those who have kept on insisting that the constitution considers Abuja as one of the states in the country. Those on this divide are saying that the word, ‘and’ as used in the constitution, ‘36 states of the federation and the FCT,’ does not really mean that the FCT is different from the 36 states of the federation. To them, the FCT is just the same as any other state of the federation. They, therefore, posited that Tinubu, having scored 25 percent of the votes cast in about 30 states, is eminently qualified to be declared president since the constitution said a candidate must secure 25 percent in two-third of the 36 states and the FCT, which is 24 states. However, there are those who insist that the word, ‘and’ as used in the constitution simply means that if any candidate who scores 25 percent of the votes cast in two-third of the 36 states, fails to score 25 percent of the votes cast in the FCT, such a candidate has not met the constitutional requirement and should not be declared president. They further argued that if the framers of the constitution had a different thing in mind, they would not have inserted the word, ‘and’ there. They also disagreed with those who said that the FCT is just like any other state in the federation because while a state has a governor, who is elected by the electorate, the FCT does not have a governor, but a minister who is an appointee of the president. However, there are others who believe that even though the constitution provides that securing 25 percent votes cast in the FCT is a compulsory requirement before any candidate could win the presidential election, it would be left for the judges to look at what will best serve national interest and unity before they pass their judgement. However, Tinubu’s legal team seems to have agreed with those on this side of the divide as they are also saying that the courts have always been careful about giving extreme interpretations of the Constitution that could spark chaos. “Our courts have always adopted the purposeful approach to the interpretation of our Constitution, as exemplified in a host of decisions,” the team said. Tinubu’s legal team is also insisting that residents of the FCT, Abuja, are not more special than Nigerians from the other 36 states and cannot be treated specially. The team said: “In concluding our arguments on this issue, we urge the court to hold that any election where the electorates exercise their plebiscite, there is neither a ‘royal’ ballot nor ‘royal’ voter; and that residents of the FCT do not have any special voting right over residents of any other state of the federation, in a manner similar to the concepts of preferential shareholding in Company Law. We urge this court to resolve this issue against the petitioners and in favour of the respondent.” Pushing the argument further, the President’s legal team is also arguing that 25 percent votes cast in the FCT is not required by law for a president to emerge. “May we draw the attention of the court to the fact that there is no punctuation (comma) in the entire section 134(2)(b) of the constitution, particularly, immediately after the ‘States’ and the succeeding ‘and’ connecting the Federal Capital Territory with the States. In essence, the reading of the subsection has to be conjunctive and not disjunctive, as the Constitution clearly makes it so. Pressed further by this constitutional imperative, the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, is taken ‘as if’ it is the 37th State, under and by virtue of section 299 of the Constitution.” However, the comment credited to President Tinubu’s legal team that removing him as president over his failure to score 25 percent of the votes cast in the FCT might lead to the breakdown of law and order in Nigeria has sparked another round of argument. President of the Middle Belt Forum (MBF), Dr. Pogu Bitrus, described the president as a joker for making such a statement. According to the Middle Belt leader, nobody is above the constitution and if the constitution has been interpreted that the ‘and’ is conjunctive, and that the FCT is additional to the two-third of the states, then it is not for President Tinubu to determine. “He cannot tell us that he is above the constitution and the laws of the nation. If the Supreme Court interprets that according to the law and the constitution, then it is above not only him, but also above every other Nigerian like him. This is because the constitution is the grundnorm; it is superior to every other law that we have in Nigeria. It is the only thing that is binding us together. “So, if the constitution interprets it that way, it is not how I feel or how he or any other person feels because the law is not a respecter of persons. He cannot tell us that there will be anarchy in the land if the tribunal interprets the constitution. The country and the constitution are above him,” he said. Also, a legal practitioner, Marcellus Onah did not agree that there will be anarchy in the land if the tribunal removes the president on the grounds that he did not get 25 percent of the votes cast in the FCT. “What does he mean by anarchy in the land? Yes, a few of his supporters might want to cause trouble but that will be in Lagos only, not even in any other South West states. And I am sure the security agents will know what to do in such circumstances. “So, he cannot threaten anybody because he is not more Nigerian than anybody. Besides, nobody is above the law. The constitution is the only document that guides how everybody operates in Nigeria, so nobody should claim to be above it. “If the tribunal has established that he did not get 25 percent of the votes cast in the FCT, there is nothing anybody can do. That is just it and no amount of threat from him can change anything. The constitution must prevail at all times. That is the only thing that will make the outside world respect us as a nation,” he said. Read the full article

[andiessoccerblog]

Group H

Expected to move on: Germany, Colombia

Expected to exit in group stage: Morocco, Korea Republic

Germany

FIFA Ranking: 2

Reputation:

Much like the men’s side, the German women’s team is a MACHINE. Unless the unthinkable happens again (see: the men’s side 2018) Germany should get out of the group with ease, and I would definitely rank them as a favorite to win the World Cup. Their style of play is crisp, clean, and a little bit curt...if that makes sense. They will lay their bodies on the line, and they will lay your body on the line too if you’re playing against them. They shockingly failed to qualify for the 2020 Olympics, but were runners-up in the Women’s European Championship in 2022, which is a much more accurate indicator of their strength.

Player Pool: 

Germany is another team with extraordinary depth, with all their players on top domestic teams or premier teams in England or France. Alexandra Popp, new captain of the team, also leads in goals scored for German, but is really known for the use of her large stature to win duels. Every position is filled with veterans, and Germany has been skillful in ensuring that even its younger players have gotten experience in big games.  Every player is a team player and can be a standout in their own right, so it’s hard to pick specific players to highlight. That being said, of course there are players that rise to the top–Lena Oberdorf, Sara Däbritz, and Melanie Leupolz all deserve a shout out. 

2019 WWC performance:

Germany looked okay during the women's World Cup, but less confident than many people had anticipated. They made it through the group stage with narrow 1-0 wins against Spain and China, and an easy win against debutante South Africa. They plowed over Nigeria in the round of sixteen, but were stymied by Sweden in the quarterfinals.  On many past occasions, they had beaten Sweden, so many were surprised when the game went the other way. Dabritz, Magull, and Popp led the scoring, while young newcomer Gwinn and veteran Hegering held down the midfield and defense, playing all 450 minutes of their tournament run.

Colombia

FIFA Ranking: 26

Reputation: 

Colombia’s women’s team has historically done well in South American competition, feuding with Brazil for top honors, even as their own federation doesn’t support them as much financially as they do their men’s side.  Earlier in 2023 the Colombian Federation began an agreement with FIFA to begin increasing funding for women's soccer at all levels.  That won’t help the team in this World Cup, and they will be fighting tooth and nail against Korea Republic for the second spot in the group.

Player Pool:

Colombia has one of the older teams of the World Cup, with more veterans than newbies. After missing the 2019 World Cup, they will need to rely on players that were around for the 2015 World Cup, like Catalina Usme,  Daniela Montoya, and keeper Sandra Sepúlveda. 

2019 WWC performance:

Did Not Qualify

Korea Republic

FIFA Ranking: 17

Reputation:

South Korea is recognized as “Korea Republic” by FIFA. Asia’s women’s football culture has been improving on a regional stage, but has struggled to keep up internationally, and Korea Republic  is no exception. The best players on this team are the ones that leave Korea to play in a European or American league. They have never qualified for the Olympics. Their best result in a Women’s World Cup came in 2015, when they made it out of the group stage, but they couldn’t repeat the result in 2019, and likely won’t do it again in 2023. 

Player Pool: 

Ji So-yun (midfielder) made a name for herself and for Korea with a long career for Chelsea in England, but moved back to South Korea in 2022. Cho So-hyun is another team veteran playing in England, and the pair form a strong midfield. Captain is Kim Hye-ri, a veteran defender. She plays with about half the roster for South Korea’s Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels team, the top side in Korea’s domestic league.

2019 WWC performance:

Not great. They had a rough group, pulling Norway and France, so their only chance to advance was a third place spot, which neither they nor Nigeria achieved. They scored one goal in the tournament.

Morocco

FIFA Ranking: 73

Reputation: 

Morocco reached their first World Cup under the distinguished coach Reynald Pedros, who previously had coached Olympique Lyonnais Féminin to the french championship. Under Pedros, the team has grown to be one of the best teams in Africa. However, they have a record of falling short against teams outside of Africa, and will need this tournament and more international exposure to become a contender. 

Player Pool:

Captain Ghizlane Chebbak has played for Morocco for the last 10 years and is their top goalscorer. They have an up and coming forward in Rosella Ayane, who played for the English national youth teams, but switched to Morocco for her senior caps.

2019 WWC performance:

Did Not Qualify

[grandmaster-anne]

Court Circular | 15th March 2023

Buckingham Palace

His Excellency Mr Aly Diallo was received in audience by The King today and presented the Letters of Recall of his predecessor and his own Letters of Credence as Ambassador from the Republic of Guinea to the Court of St James’s. Ms Marie Savane was also received by His Majesty. His Excellency Mr El Hadji Alhousseini Traore was received in audience by The King and presented the Letters of Recall of his predecessor and his own Letters of Credence as Ambassador from the Republic of Mali to the Court of St James’s. Sir Philip Barton (Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs) was present. His Majesty this afternoon visited members of the United Kingdom’s Sudanese community at Abrar House, 45 Crawford Place, London W1, and was received by His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London (Sir Kenneth Olisa). Later Dr Richard Montgomery was received in audience by The King upon his appointment as British High Commissioner to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP (Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury) subsequently had an audience of His Majesty. The Queen Consort, Honorary Member, the Jockey Club, today attended the Cheltenham Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse and was received by His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Gloucestershire (Mr Edward Gillespie).

Kensington Palace

The Princess of Wales, Joint Patron, the Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales, this morning held an Early Years Meeting at Windsor Castle.

St James’s Palace

The Duke of Edinburgh, Patron, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, this morning visited Portland College, Nottingham Road, Mansfield, and was received by His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire (Sir John Peace).

St James’s Palace

The Princess Royal, Colonel-in-Chief, Intelligence Corps, this morning visited Government Communications Headquarters, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Her Royal Highness this afternoon opened Dransfield Properties Limited’s Number 1 King Street Five Valleys Medical Centre, NHS Facilities and Library Services, King Street, Stroud, and was received by Mr Roger Deeks (Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Gloucestershire). The Princess Royal, accompanied by Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, this evening attended the Gloucestershire and District Agricultural Valuers Association’s Centenary Dinner at the Royal Agricultural University, Tetbury Road, Cirencester, and was received by Mrs Jane Jenner-Fust (Deputy Lieutenant of Gloucestershire).

Kensington Palace

The Duke of Gloucester, Vice President, Lepra, this morning received Mrs Suzanne McCarthy (Chairman of Trustees) and Mr James Innes (Chief Executive).

St James’s Palace

The Duke of Kent, Grand Master, United Grand Lodge of England, this afternoon attended a Rulers’ Luncheon at Freemasons’ Hall, 60 Great Queen Street, London WC2.

[wqp88888]

Country Codes List

CountryAlpha 2Alpha 3 CodeUN Code

A

Afghanistan AF AFG 004

ALA Aland Islands AX ALA 248

Albania AL ALB 008

Algeria DZ DZA 012

American Samoa AS ASM 016

Andorra AD AND 020

Angola AO AGO 024

Anguilla AI AIA 660

Antarctica AQ ATA 010

Antigua and Barbuda AG ATG 028

Argentina AR ARG 032

Armenia AM ARM 051

Aruba AW ABW 533

Australia AU AUS 036

Austria AT AUT 040

Azerbaijan AZ AZE 031

B

Bahamas BS BHS 044

Bahrain BH BHR 048

Bangladesh BD BGD 050

Barbados BB BRB 052

Belarus BY BLR 112

Belgium BE BEL 056

Belize BZ BLZ 084

Benin BJ BEN 204

Bermuda BM BMU 060

Bhutan BT BTN 064

Bolivia BO BOL 068

Bosnia and Herzegovina BA BIH 070

Botswana BW BWA 072

Bouvet Island BV BVT 074

Brazil BR BRA 076

British Virgin Islands VG VGB 092

British Indian Ocean Territory IO IOT 086

Brunei Darussalam BN BRN 096

Bulgaria BG BGR 100

Burkina Faso BF BFA 854

Burundi BI BDI 108

C

Cambodia KH KHM 116

Cameroon CM CMR 120

Canada CA CAN 124

Cape Verde CV CPV 132

Cayman Islands KY CYM 136

Central African Republic CF CAF 140

Chad TD TCD 148

Chile CL CHL 152

China CN CHN 156

Hong Kong, SAR China HK HKG 344

Macao, SAR China MO MAC 446

Christmas Island CX CXR 162

Cocos (Keeling) Islands CC CCK 166

Colombia CO COL 170

Comoros KM COM 174

Congo (Brazzaville) CG COG 178

Congo, (Kinshasa) CD COD 180

Cook Islands CK COK 184

Costa Rica CR CRI 188

Côte d'Ivoire CI CIV 384

Croatia HR HRV 191

Cuba CU CUB 192

Cyprus CY CYP 196

Czech Republic CZ CZE 203

D

Denmark DK DNK 208

Djibouti DJ DJI 262

Dominica DM DMA 212

Dominican Republic DO DOM 214

E

Ecuador EC ECU 218

Egypt EG EGY 818

El Salvador SV SLV 222

Equatorial Guinea GQ GNQ 226

Eritrea ER ERI 232

Estonia EE EST 233

Ethiopia ET ETH 231

F

Falkland Islands (Malvinas) FK FLK 238

Faroe Islands FO FRO 234

Fiji FJ FJI 242

Finland FI FIN 246

France FR FRA 250

French Guiana GF GUF 254

French Polynesia PF PYF 258

French Southern Territories TF ATF 260

G

Gabon GA GAB 266

Gambia GM GMB 270

Georgia GE GEO 268

Germany DE DEU 276

Ghana GH GHA 288

Gibraltar GI GIB 292

Greece GR GRC 300

Greenland GL GRL 304

Grenada GD GRD 308

Guadeloupe GP GLP 312

Guam GU GUM 316

Guatemala GT GTM 320

Guernsey GG GGY 831

Guinea GN GIN 324

Guinea-Bissau GW GNB 624

Guyana GY GUY 328

H

Haiti HT HTI 332

Heard and Mcdonald Islands HM HMD 334

Holy See (Vatican City State) VA VAT 336

Honduras HN HND 340

Hungary HU HUN 348

I

Iceland IS ISL 352

India IN IND 356

Indonesia ID IDN 360

Iran, Islamic Republic of IR IRN 364

Iraq IQ IRQ 368

Ireland IE IRL 372

Isle of Man IM IMN 833

Israel IL ISR 376

Italy IT ITA 380

J

Jamaica JM JAM 388

Japan JP JPN 392

Jersey JE JEY 832

Jordan JO JOR 400

K

Kazakhstan KZ KAZ 398

Kenya KE KEN 404

Kiribati KI KIR 296

Korea (North) KP PRK 408

Korea (South) KR KOR 410

Kuwait KW KWT 414

Kyrgyzstan KG KGZ 417

L

Lao PDR LA LAO 418

Latvia LV LVA 428

Lebanon LB LBN 422

Lesotho LS LSO 426

Liberia LR LBR 430

Libya LY LBY 434

Liechtenstein LI LIE 438

Lithuania LT LTU 440

Luxembourg LU LUX 442

M

Macedonia, Republic of MK MKD 807

Madagascar MG MDG 450

Malawi MW MWI 454

Malaysia MY MYS 458

Maldives MV MDV 462

Mali ML MLI 466

Malta MT MLT 470

Marshall Islands MH MHL 584

Martinique MQ MTQ 474

Mauritania MR MRT 478

Mauritius MU MUS 480

Mayotte YT MYT 175

Mexico MX MEX 484

Micronesia, Federated States of FM FSM 583

Moldova MD MDA 498

Monaco MC MCO 492

Mongolia MN MNG 496

Montenegro ME MNE 499

Montserrat MS MSR 500

Morocco MA MAR 504

Mozambique MZ MOZ 508

Myanmar MM MMR 104

N

Namibia NA NAM 516

Nauru NR NRU 520

Nepal NP NPL 524

Netherlands NL NLD 528

Netherlands Antilles AN ANT 530

New Caledonia NC NCL 540

New Zealand NZ NZL 554

Nicaragua NI NIC 558

Niger NE NER 562

Nigeria NG NGA 566

Niue NU NIU 570

Norfolk Island NF NFK 574

Northern Mariana Islands MP MNP 580

Norway NO NOR 578

O

Oman OM OMN 512

P

Pakistan PK PAK 586

Palau PW PLW 585

Palestinian Territory PS PSE 275

Panama PA PAN 591

Papua New Guinea PG PNG 598

Paraguay PY PRY 600

Peru PE PER 604

Philippines PH PHL 608

Pitcairn PN PCN 612

Poland PL POL 616

Portugal PT PRT 620

Puerto Rico PR PRI 630

Q

Qatar QA QAT 634

R

Réunion RE REU 638

Romania RO ROU 642

Russian Federation RU RUS 643

Rwanda RW RWA 646

S

Saint-Barthélemy BL BLM 652

Saint Helena SH SHN 654

Saint Kitts and Nevis KN KNA 659

Saint Lucia LC LCA 662

Saint-Martin (French part) MF MAF 663

Saint Pierre and Miquelon PM SPM 666

Saint Vincent and Grenadines VC VCT 670

Samoa WS WSM 882

San Marino SM SMR 674

Sao Tome and Principe ST STP 678

Saudi Arabia SA SAU 682

Senegal SN SEN 686

Serbia RS SRB 688

Seychelles SC SYC 690

Sierra Leone SL SLE 694

Singapore SG SGP 702

Slovakia SK SVK 703

Slovenia SI SVN 705

Solomon Islands SB SLB 090

Somalia SO SOM 706

South Africa ZA ZAF 710

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands GS SGS 239

South Sudan SS SSD 728

Spain ES ESP 724

Sri Lanka LK LKA 144

Sudan SD SDN 736

Suriname SR SUR 740

Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands SJ SJM 744

Swaziland SZ SWZ 748

Sweden SE SWE 752

Switzerland CH CHE 756

Syrian Arab Republic (Syria) SY SYR 760

T

Taiwan, Republic of China TW TWN 158

Tajikistan TJ TJK 762

Tanzania, United Republic of TZ TZA 834

Thailand TH THA 764

Timor-Leste TL TLS 626

Togo TG TGO 768

Tokelau TK TKL 772

Tonga TO TON 776

Trinidad and Tobago TT TTO 780

Tunisia TN TUN 788

Turkey TR TUR 792

Turkmenistan TM TKM 795

Turks and Caicos Islands TC TCA 796

Tuvalu TV TUV 798

U

Uganda UG UGA 800

Ukraine UA UKR 804

United Arab Emirates AE ARE 784

United Kingdom GB GBR 826

United States of America US USA 840

US Minor Outlying Islands UM UMI 581

Uruguay UY URY 858

Uzbekistan UZ UZB 860

V

Vanuatu VU VUT 548

Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic) VE VEN 862

Viet Nam VN VNM 704

Virgin Islands, US VI VIR 850

W

Wallis and Futuna Islands WF WLF 876

Western Sahara EH ESH 732

Y-Z

Yemen YE YEM 887

Zambia ZM ZMB 894

Zimbabwe ZW ZWE 716

[beardedmrbean]

In Africa, the risks of traffic accidents are exceptionally high. The number of road accidents is also higher than on any other continent. 

In the past week alone, road accidents have claimed dozens of lives in Kenya, Nigeria, Egypt, and South Africa, to mention just a few countries. Available data from the World Health Organization (WHO) suggest that Africa has the worst rate of road traffic deaths in the world, with an unacceptably high fatality rate of 26.6 deaths per 100,000 people — nearly three times that of Europe.

The Dominican Republic takes first place in a ranking compiled by the health service platform World Life Expectancy using WHO data. After that, only African countries, such as Zimbabwe, Malawi, Liberia, Eritrea and others, follow until Venezuela breaks the ranks at 26th.

Kenya's crackdown on traffic offenders

Kenya is ranked 12th, with 48 traffic fatalities per 100,000 inhabitants. However, the number of deaths in relation to the population has risen steadily since 2013. Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki announced that he would take tougher action against drivers who do not obey the traffic rules.

"We expect all regulations governing traffic on our roads to be complied with 100%, by all people, regardless of their rank or social position," Kindiki told reporters, adding that he had instructed the police to take action against all those who violate traffic regulations without exception.

South Africa: 'Arrive Alive' campaign bears fruit

Traffic authorities in South Africa have warned motorists to be mindful on the roads during the Christmas and New Year celebrations. With slogans such as "Be safe — get there," radio stations have been drawing attention to the dangers of flouting traffic rules almost every hour.

The "Arrive Alive" campaign has been active for years and provides valuable tips on responsible behavior behind the wheel and during traffic jams and other disruptions. It also offers help on how to plan trips to a destination popular with tourists. Recently, South Africa has observed a decline in traffic fatalities.

Nevertheless, traffic accidents still killed about 22.2 people per 100,000 inhabitants in 2019 on South Africa's roads, according to the WHO. By African standards, that's a huge improvement, but well above the global average. 

For example, about four people per 100,000 inhabitants in Germany died in road traffic accidentsin 2018.

Fighting corruption and driving while drunk

Alcohol is a major factor in accidents in South Africa, writes the South African Journal of Science on its website. The journal recommends introducing zero tolerance for drunk driving. 

Overall, calls for stricter penalties for road traffic offenses are growing louder, not least because corrupt police officers often make it difficult to punish traffic offenders efficiently when they can buy their way out for small amounts of money.

In Kenya, too, the excesses of corruption contribute to carnage on the roads. In some instances, some have been caught driving without licenses, thereby risking the lives of other commuters. 

"Our drivers cut it short. They buy papers at the counter, and the next day, they're on the road, driving too fast and we have to be on our guard," Eunice Imwenda, manager of a driving school in the capital, Nairobi, told DW. 

Accidents different from crashes

In Nigeria, road traffic crashes are among the leading causes of death, along with insurgency and banditry, according to data from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC). According to the National Bureau of Statistics, Africa's most populous nation recorded 41,709 road deaths between 2013 and 2020.

In many cases, one should speak of collisions (crashes) rather than accidents, Gbenga Akimbule, a policy analyst, told DW. 

"An accident is something you didn't plan for, but if you have a bad tire and you know that the tire might not get you to your destination and you pray and believe that God will get you there, that's different."

Daily reports of road accidents

"Road accidents and collisions have become so normal that hardly a day goes by without a report of a road accident that takes lives or causes permanent disabilities for victims," Badiya Sani from Maiduguri told DW. "Those of us who don't own a car have no choice but to switch to public transportation. But we do so with a lot of trepidation," she added.

As in many African countries, authorities must establish a good public transport network. Buses and minibus cabs are usually in poor condition, technically untested and often involved in accidents. The government needs to do more about this, Sani urges.

Educating Kenya's bodaboda riders

In Kenya, local motorcycle cabs known as "boda bodas" are a popular means of public transport. But they are also responsible for many accidents, Evans Langat of the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) told DW.

The agency is therefore emphasizing this in its educational campaign. "We've made all drivers aware, and I think the message has gotten through," Langat said.

The numbers in the coming years will show whether he's right about that. For now, many a Kenyan family will breathe a sigh of relief once the holiday traffic is over.

[astrosblogs]

Nigeria’s Bola Tinubu declared winner of presidential vote

Tinubu, though, received only 37% of the votes or nearly 8.8 million, the first time that a president takes office in Nigeria with less than 50% of the vote, analysts say.

ABUJA, Nigeria: Election officials declared Bola Tinubu the winner of Nigeria’s presidential election Wednesday, keeping the ruling party in power in Africa’s most populous nation and raising the specter of protests by opposition supporters who already have called for the vote to be voided.

Tinubu, 70, the former governor of Lagos state, appealed for reconciliation with his rivals in a pre-dawn victory speech in the capital, Abuja. The running mate of one opposition candidate, though, signaled a court challenge was imminent.

Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy and one of the continent’s top oil producers, has seen deadly violence erupt after previous presidential elections. Tinubu urged Nigerians to unite behind his administration after he takes office on May 29.

“I take this opportunity to appeal to my fellow contestants to let us team up together,” he said in a speech broadcast live on television. “It is the only nation we have. It is one country and we must build together.”

Tinubu, though, received only 37% of the votes or nearly 8.8 million, the first time that a president takes office in Nigeria with less than 50% of the vote, analysts say. Main opposition candidate Atiku Abubakar won 29% with almost 7 million, and third-place finisher Obi took 25% with about 6.1 million, according to official results.

Hours after the election result was announced by the electoral body, Obi’s running mate told reporters in Abuja that they will challenge the outcome in court on the basis that it didn’t follow the provisions of Nigeria’s electoral law.

“There is an incoming government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that is illegal and unconstitutional,” said Datti Baba-Ahmed, Obi’s running mate. “The only language we know is peace. If Nigerians are going to achieve peace through peaceful protests, (it is) welcome.”

Much of Nigeria remained calm Wednesday afternoon amid fears of protests by opposition supporters. In the Kubwa area of Abuja, Tinubu supporters flooded the streets, singing and dancing in excitement. But nearby one Obi supporter expressed her dismay.

“I will join a protest if there is one, because my vote did not count,” said Favour Ben, 29, who owns a food business in the capital.

Abubakar also finished second in the previous vote in 2019, and appealed those results in court although his lawsuit ultimately was dismissed.

Nnamdi Obasi, senior adviser on Nigeria for the International Crisis Group, said that Tinubu will have to contend with challenges to his legitimacy from the onset and will need to ensure an inclusive government and focus firmly on rebuilding national cohesion.

Tinubu “will have to strive to win the support of the larger majority who preferred one of the other candidates, particularly the youth, the Christian groups that were opposed to his Muslim-Muslim ticket and Igbos in the southeast who again feel denied the presidency.”

Tinubu is a Muslim from the south and chose a fellow Muslim as his running mate in order to secure votes from the Muslim-dominated north, which has more registered voters than the Christian south, a strategy that proved effective, analysts say.

Tinubu clinched victory in part because the opposition vote was split and because his party had the strongest push to get people out to vote, said Amaka Anku, Africa director at the Eurasia Group consultancy.

President Muhammadu Buhari congratulated his successor in a statement Wednesday, but said the election wasn’t perfect.

“Of course, there will be areas that need work to bring further transparency and credibility to the voting procedure,” he said. “However, none of the issues registered represents a challenge to the freeness and fairness of the elections.”

The parties now have three weeks to appeal results, but an election can be invalidated only if it’s proven the national electoral body largely didn’t follow the law and acted in ways that could have changed the result.

The Supreme Court of Nigeria has never overturned a presidential election, though court challenges are common, including by Buhari, who doggedly fought his past election losses for months in vain.

The West African regional bloc, known as ECOWAS, called on political parties to appeal to their supporters to exercise maximum restraint and refrain from using provocative language, which would only “exacerbate political tensions, divisiveness, and violence at this critical stage,” the group said in a statement.

Observers have said Saturday’s election was mostly peaceful, though delays caused some voters to wait until the following day to cast their ballots. Many Nigerians had difficulties getting to their polling stations because of a currency redesign that resulted in a shortage of bank notes.

[lboogie1906]

The Nigerian Civil War, known as the Nigerian-Biafran War, was a three-year bloody conflict with a death toll numbering more than one million people. The war began with the secession of the southeastern region of the nation on May 30, 1967, when it declared itself the independent Republic of Biafra.

Nigeria has often experienced an uncertain peace. Following decades of ethnic tension in colonial Nigeria, political instability reached a critical mass among independent Nigeria’s three dominant ethnic groups: the Hausa-Fulani in the north, Yoruba in the southwest, and Igbo in the southeast. On January 15, 1966, the Igbo launched a coup d’état under the command of Major-General Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi in an attempt to save the country from what Igbo leaders feared would be political disintegration.

Less than two months after Biafra declared its independence, diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis fell apart. On July 6, 1967, the federal government in Lagos launched a full-scale invasion into Biafra. The Nigerian army surrounded and buffeted Biafra with aerial and artillery bombardment that led to large-scale losses among Biafran civilians. The Nigerian Navy established a sea blockade that denied food, medical supplies, and weapons, again impacting Biafran soldiers and civilians alike.

Biafra stood firm refusing to surrender in the face of overwhelming Nigerian military superiority. The Nigerian Army continued to slowly take territory, and on January 15, 1970, Biafra surrendered when its military commander General Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu fled to Cote d’Ivoire.

An estimated 3,000 to 5,000 people died daily in Biafra from starvation as a result of the naval blockade. The international reaction to the military conflict helped define how the world now views and responds to similar #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[tracknews1]

ECOWAS Court Dismisses Application for Default Judgment in Case Against Nigeria

The ECOWAS Court of Justice has delivered a judgment in the case of Chukwuemeka Edeh v. Federal Republic of Nigeria, dismissing the Applicant’s request for a default judgment. The Applicant, Chukwuemeka Edeh, a Nigerian citizen from Enugu State, filed his application against the Federal Republic of Nigeria, alleging unlawful detention and torture by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). The…