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Nigeria Fading Away By Evans Ufeli Esq.

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3 years ago

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If the forces of insurgency weakens us further by impoverishing us economically and politically, the enemies will have succeeded in overrunning this space to impose a system on us that will neither allow freedom nor grant us our fundamental rights.

Sometimes fear grips me that these fragile moments of life will fade away. It seems that I write against erasure. We are at the moment in this country struggling against uncertainty.

The cost of food now in the open market is gradually becoming an existential threat to the middle class, sub-middle class and the proletariats.

This is largely so because food production in Nigeria is from subsistence farming, where crops are cultivated manually and sold across the country.

The agricultural sector, however overstretched in Nigeria, had covered a void in the economy for so many years since manufacturing died for lack of electricity in our country.

Government failed woefully to provide power for companies to flourish, so they all left us to neighboring countries and this shook the foundation of our economy so badly with inflation doubling in geometric proportions.

Today, the government has failed again to provide security as farmers can no longer access their farms, not to talk of cultivating any crop therein. The result of this is the current hike in the prices of food as insecurity has displaced farmers, many have lost their lives while others have lost seedlings and  are currently taking refuge in the IDPs  across the country.

Under the watch of our government, two significant aspects of our economic well-being have been ruptured and completely ruined for lack of power and insecurity. There is a third one today – the educational sector.

Our schools at all levels are under severe attacks. Bandits are going from schools to schools, kidnapping children, disrupting educational activities, and demanding ransoms from their victims under intense threat to kill them if they fail to pay ransoms.

Government on her part isn’t willing to fund education either, so we are gradually shutting-down on all our major socio-economic indices and activities to contend fully with real misery in the days to come.

The situation is scary because it doesn’t look like this government has any solution to the myriad of problems it has allowed to pile up to this stage.

If the forces of insurgency weakens us further by impoverishing us economically and politically, the enemies will have succeeded in overrunning  this space to impose a system on us that will neither allow freedom nor grant us our fundamental rights.

I would therefore advocate, that the Nigerian citizens must think about the future of this country and do something fast about it. We don’t know where government’s loyalty lies in the matter under reference. The government has refused to name and prosecute the sponsors of insurgencies. It has people who have professed sympathy for terrorism in its cabinet and it has been incredibly cold-feeted in bringing the enemies of the state to justice. What is invariably means is that government has not shown the credibility of decency and the faith that it can be trusted.

I shall go to Rabbi again

Evans Ufeli is a Lagos based Lawyer and Executive Director, Cadrell Advocacy Centre

Culled from the Sahara Reporters

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Nigerian officials probe plan to marry off scores of female orphans

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3 days ago

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May 15, 2024

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ABUJA, NIGERIA — Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Women Affairs says it is investigating a plan by a lawmaker in central Niger state to marry off some 100 female orphans of unknown ages later this month.

Speaker of the Niger State Assembly Abdulmalik Sarkin-Daji announced the mass wedding last week but called off the ceremony following widespread outrage.

Minister of Women Affairs Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, speaking to journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, condemned the plans.

Kennedy-Ohanenye said she had petitioned the police and filed a lawsuit to stop the marriages pending an investigation to ascertain the age of the orphans and whether they consented to the marriages.

“This is totally unacceptable by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and by the government” of Nigeria, she said.

Last week, Sarkin-Daji announced his support for the mass wedding of the orphans, whose relatives were killed during attacks by armed bandits. He said it was part of his support to his constituents following an appeal for wedding funding by local traditional and religious leaders.

The mass wedding had been scheduled for May 24.

“That support I intend to give for the marriage of those orphans, I’m withdrawing it,” he said. “The parents can have the support [money], if they wish, let them go ahead and marry them off. As it is right now, I’m not threatened by the action of the minister.”

Despite national laws prohibiting it, forced or arranged marriage is a common phenomenon in Nigeria, especially among rural communities in the predominantly Muslim north, where religious and cultural norms such as polygamy favor the practice.

Poor families often use forced marriage to ease financial pressure, and the European Union Agency for Asylum says girls who refuse could face repercussions such as neglect, ostracism, physical assault and rape.

Raquel Kasham Daniel escaped being married off as a teenager when her father died and now runs a nonprofit helping children, especially less-privileged girls, get a formal education for free.

She said the ability of women to avoid forced marriage in Nigeria depends on their income and education.

“I was 16 when I lost my dad and I was almost married off, but then I ran away from home. And that gave me the opportunity to complete my education, and now I have a better life,” Daniel said.

“So, the reason why I prioritize education is to make sure that other girls have access to quality schooling so that it will help them make informed decisions about their lives. Education not only increases our awareness as girls about our rights but also enhances our prospects for higher income earning,” she said.

Thirty percent of girls in Nigeria are married before they turn 18, according to Girls Not Brides, a global network of more than 1,400 civil society groups working to end child marriage.

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Shell investigates smoke near Gbaran oil facility in Nigeria

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3 days ago

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May 15, 2024

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YENAGOA, Nigeria, May 14 (Reuters) – Oil major Shell is investigating reports of smoke early Tuesday near its Gbaran Ubie oil and gas facility in Nigeria’s coastal Bayelsa state, a spokesperson said after residents reported hearing explosions and seeing smoke near the area.
The incident would not immediately lead to an operational shut-in, the Shell spokesperson said.
A fire was reported around 0600 GMT by residents in the nearby community, who said blasts were heard where pipeline repair works had been ongoing.
The Gbaran facility, which began operations in 2010, is by far the most important Nigeria LNG gas feedstock project, processing almost 2 billion standard cubic feet of gas per day.
“We are actively monitoring reports of smoke detected near our Gbaran Central Processing Facility in Bayelsa State. While the source appears to be external to our facility, we are in close communication with regulatory authorities to look into the incident and ensure the safety of the surrounding communities,” a Shell spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
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Shell did not immediately respond to the accounts of residents in the area.
Resident Ovie Ogbuku told Reuters: “At about 7 a.m. I heard the sound so deafeningly and it shook the foundation of the earth and we ran for our dear lives. The result is the thick smoke you are seeing now.”
Another resident Uche Ede said; “We have no idea of the cause of the explosion but we are grateful no life was lost because it was far away from homes.”
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Land operations in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta are prone to sabotage, theft, and pipeline vandalism, forcing oil majors to exit such fields to focus on deepwater drilling.

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Nigeria tour: A Round Up

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3 days ago

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May 15, 2024

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Meghan and Harry spent three days in the African country, Nigeria in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex spent time in Nigeria as part of a three-day tour, in celebration of the 10th anniversary of The Invictus Games.

The couple were personally invited on the trip by Nigeria’s chief of defence staff, General Christopher Musa; they are not there in any official capacity on behalf of the royal family or the UK. The tour schedule, which started in the bustling capital of Abuja, has been jam-packed, including a visit to primary and secondary school Lightway Academy, where they met with students, and experiencing the work of Nigeria Unconquered, a charitable foundation dedicated to aiding wounded, injured, or sick servicemembers.

Naturally, the trip also provided the opportunity for Meghan to showcase a multi-day “tourdrobe”, the likes of which we haven’t seen since the couple stepped down as senior working royals in early 2020 – and she hasn’t disappointed, in a series of summery maxi dresses, elegant tailoring and striking separates.

See highlights from their trip so far, below.

On day three, the couple arrived at Lagos airport, where they were given an official state welcome.

The couple posed for a photo with children and Nigerian dignitaries.

 

The couple were greeted by the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

 

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They then attended a basketball exhibition training match at Ilupeju Grammar School in Lagos. After the match, they posed for a photo with the Toronto Raptors basketball team president, Masai Ujiri, and the principal of Ilupeju Grammar School, Josephine Egunyomi.

 

The couple attended a reception hosted by the charity organisation Nigeria Unconquered, held at the Officers’ Mess in Abuja.

 

A visit to the Defence Headquarters in Abuja.

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