BlackBox Nigeria

**Sighs** "Where Are We Headed"? If you are a Nigerian and you can answer this question then I salute you for your intelligence. I really don't know where to start from in my article but I surely know I have a lot to say if only I think deep and well.
Was there a country called Nigeria or is there a country called Nigeria? This 2 questions keep coming to my great mind but I feel so sad for not having answer to them. We got independence Oct 1st, 1960 ( 1st? ) but we don't even have the quality or qualities to be called first in Africa or world anymore. Who should we blame?
The Country's name?
The President?
The past heroes?
The citizens?
Or?…..
We wake up each day to hear bad new about our brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers in the north. **Crying**. Do we even have a president in this nation? it's a question I can't even boldly answer or google for answer. Is this the Nigeria we celebrated after independence? Is this the country our heroes fought for? So many questions I can't answer and don't know if you can also. When will all these bad happenings stop? Who will stop them for us? *Crying*
It's more been months that we have been talking about our lost 200+ girls and yet we still don't know where they are, what they are doing and who they are with at the moment. Please, can you just hold on and think of this "What if I am a brother, sister, mother or father to one of these missing girls? I thought about this issue during Xmas and New Year but couldn't think enough because it's just a sad thing. ( I use this moment to pray for our missing girls). You know how many people die each day because of poverty issue? You know how many people die due to poor living? Yet, our leaders drive big cars, sleep in big houses and enjoy life like it's for them and their family alone. "There's GOD ooo, this stupid lifestyle our leaders are living, there's God oo"
**Why God no create me as oyinbo? Why am I a Nigerian?** I really don't want to think about these but they keep coming to my mind/head/body/soul.
We don't even enjoy social amenities anymore. *Thinking* "Ever enjoyed?" No!. Dear leaders, whenever you want to come into power, you promise us good electricity, water, security, roads etc but yet you don't even fulfill one to camouflage and win your 2nd term. We don't enjoy any social amenities anymore and yet you tell people to pay tax. THINK!! Leaders THINK.!!!
Ok! Hold on! Let me ask Nigeria this question before I continue with this article :
Me: Nigeria, please what do you have for the youths of your country?
Nigeria: Ehmm Ehmm **Coughs**, *sneeze*, *scratches head**….
**Cuts** You see? A country with over 160million people don't even know what to say about what will happen to her youths or what youths can benefit. The issue of unemployment in this country is sad! We go to primary school, secondary school, university and then end up at home because there's no where to go to ( Office) .. and yet our current so called leaders come on tV with their selfish and rubbish mind to say "Youths are the leaders of tomorrow" Please how can that be when we don't even have jobs for youths? How can we say that when the ones during the 1960s don't want to leave the power "Kabbah"? … This issue! This issue! . Tell me why youths won't turn fake bloggers? PRs? Yahoo guys when there are no jobs and yet most of our leaders children are outside the country living good life and enjoying country's money. Hmmmmm ok ooo
**Weeping** Can't even cry no more! Recently I saw another sad news about the death of my people (2,000 people) and I just weep. WHAT?! 2k? Wait! 1-1000, 2000? **Faints** pls "don't wake me up"… Where are we headed?
BOKO HARAM! Are you people beings? Do you have feeling/s? Blood? Water running through your body?. You have killed over 10thousand innocent people and you aren't tired? Satisfied?. What else can we do to cure this mess by these people? "Shey na like this things go they go?"
God please please please send your angels to help this confused country called Nigeria. Please choose for us, please make this nation a nation we all hope for please God. Stop these evil deeds by our politicians and the so called boko haram lord please. This nation don't deserve these deeds.
My people, it's another chance to vote a leader that we rule us for 4 good years, please go out and vote for the right party, candidates to win each post. Don't sell your future, don't exchange your future with rice or 10k. We have a nation and future to prevent from falling.

God bless NIGERIA.
Written by – @RealBabyMouth

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As Nigerians prepare to cast their votes for their favourite candidates in the up-coming Presidential, Gubernatorial and Legislative elections around the country, various groups, organisations, countries, international bodies and non-governmental organisations have continued to use various means to sue for peace among the political classs and their supporters.

One of such organisations is giant beverage company, Coca-Cola. The company which was sued by the Federal Government at a federal high court in Abuja over a supposed criminal break of the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) Act two months ago is using  its recent advertising campaign to promote peace in Nigeria before, during and after the general elections.
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The Coca-Cola ad campaign which has been running for sometime now has seen the beverage company use the names of Nigerians in many of its bottles as a way of customizing the bottles.
The company took its campaign a notch higher recently by releasing a picture of two customized bottles with the words 'Broom' and 'Umbrella' signalling the two major political parties in Nigeria, All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The two bottles with the name of the parties on them were then 'joined' together from the top to signal unity among the political parties.

Indeed, the company should be commended for using a creative spin to advance the cause for peace in the upcoming elections.
Whether Nigerian politicians will adhere to the message in the ad campaign remains to be seen.
It will be recalled that the Coca Cola Company was recently told by popular human rights lawyer, Femi Falana to adhere to Nigerian laws and comply to the CPC.

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"After an enviable record in the past 16years, Lagosians are not ready to change a winning formula for a party with bad antecedents." Those were the words of Comrade Moshood Olanrewaju Aluko popularly known as CAMO. The grassroot mobilizer made this charge while addressing newsmen in Lagos stating that from the time of former Governor Asiwaju Tinubu and his successor Babatunde Raji Fashola, Lagos have seen a progressive type of governance not seen anywhere else in the country. He assured that party supporters were ready to ensure that APC got maximum support in other to avoid "a retrogression the PDP intends bringing if voted in."
Aluko further disclosed that his party at the grassroot level shall resist all acts of rigging the PDP intends carrying out while calling on the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that every electorate get their PVC before the stipulated deadline.

The former House of Assembly hopeful also called for support for the APC candidate at the Oshodi/Isolo constituency II; Barr. Ladi Ajomale saying he is a progressive who needs to be encouraged. He also urged for support for the party's House of Representative candidate; Hon. Akeem Muniru and Hon. Olalekan Adeola (YAYI) who is gunning for the senate seat of Lagos West.
"There is no vacancy in Lagos because our party shall whitewash the anti-progressive party at all levels", Aluko stated.

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Singer Omawumi married her baby daddy Tosin Yusuf today January 16th at the Ikoyi Registry in Lagos. The couple got engaged last year after dating for years. They also have a 4 year old daughter. Omawumi is rumoured to be pregnant with their second child. 

Perhaps We should be expecting something elaborate soon. Big congrats to them.

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Aziz Mustapha @Torresng

The Career of Fernando Torres seems to have taking a dramatic turn as the striker who registered just one goal in five months for Italian outfit Ac Milan scored a brace against the best team in the world to knock them out of the 2014/15 Copa del rey.

El-nino appeared to be enthusiastic to pay back over 40,000 Club Athletico de Madrid fans that came out in their number to support the club fans favorite. It took the once feared striker just 50 seconds to penetrate one of the worlds best defense earning Athletico a 4-2 aggregate win over their local rivals.

BlackBox Nigeria will continue to update our beloved readers on future stories of the kid that has returned home as a man, considering the fact that Torres said in his unveiling that he has won the trophies he left for but he realized that something was missing and that was winning at home.

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Zimbabwean President Rob­ert Mugabe plans to celebrate his 91st birthday with a party in the resort town of Victoria Falls, the ruling party's youth league announced on Thursday.
The Zanu-PF youth league members have already started fundraising for the party, which traditionally sees thousands of supporters attending, according to a statement.
Donors are expected to hand over "generous" donations this year.
Mugabe opponents regularly criticise the holding of lavish birthday parties for the presi­dent when Zimbabwe's economy, though more stable than during the 2000-2008 crisis, is still far from sound.
"The youth league will ap­proach donors so that they gener­ously donate to the [21st Febru­ary] Movement for the cause this year," according to the statement quoted in Thursday's Chronicle newspaper.
Mugabe's birthday is on 21 Feb­ruary. The 21st February Move­ment was set up in 1986 to raise money to celebrate the presi­dent's birthday each year.
The exact amount supporters hope to raise this year has not been stated.
Mugabe told Zanu-PF members at a party congress last month that he had no intention of retiring."I am here for as long as I am still sane... I still have a bright mind; I still have will. I know our history more than you do," he said.

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A seemingly remorseful President Goodluck Jonathan, could only plead for understanding and corporation when he visited former President Goodluck Jonathan, to seek his blessings ahead of the February presidential election.

Jonathan it was gathered appealed for the support of Obasanjo at the meeting, choosing not to respond to some of the questions posed by the former president.

The president had after his re-election campaign in Abeokuta, Ogun State, gone with the overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye and founder of Living Faith Church, Bishop David Oyedepo, to the residence of Obasanjo to seek his forgiveness and support.

At the meeting however, the former president had asked his estranged god-son the following questions, " (1) Did you agree to run for only one term or not? (2) What did you tell me was your reason for not going after Boko Haram insurgents even when I told you this will boomerang? (3) What happened to Nigeria's external reserve and Sovereign Wealth Fund? (4) Did you give licence to Niger Delta militants (Dokubo and Tompolo) to import arms in the name of their privately owned companies? If so, for what reason? (5) Did you not get correspondence from the United States consulate that a certain citizen named Buruji Kashamu is indicted for drug trafficking? Why did you appoint the same Kashamu as South West leader of PDP rather than hand him over to the US? And did the PDP give automatic Senate ticket to a wanted and convicted drug baron?

However it was gathered that Jonathan who either could not respond to the question or decided not to pleaded for Obasanjo's understanding and corporation as he goes into the election.

A PDP source further hinted that the choice of the two revered pastors was to soften the ground for the former president to attend to him.

Obasanjo had since refused to endorse Jonathan's re-election bid.

Their relationship had shortly after 2011 degenerated and culminated in the resignation of Obasanjo from the activities of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

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The campaign team of Mr. Jimi Agbaje, Governorship Candidate of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos, has taken Governor Babatunde Fashola to the cleaners for dismissing the politician as "too old" to be Governor.
Describing the charge as spiteful, hypocritical and a contradiction in terms, a statement released in Lagos Thursday by Agbaje's organisation described it ironical that such a charge originated from Fashola, whose party was currently fielding a 73-year old retired General as its Presidential Candidate.
Pointing out that Agbaje was in his 50s, like Fashola and the Candidate of the All Progresive's Congress (APC), Akin Ambode, a statement by Felix Oboagwina, Agbaje's Director of Media and Publicity, said the PDP Governorship Candidate was eminently qualified for the position.
"This is pure and unprovoked attack," Oboagwina said. "Instead of engaging in this degrading mudslinging, APC and its henchmen should embrace issues-based campaigning.
"It only shows that APC is bereft of creative ideas, so it should cede the administration of Lagos for fresh minds. Agbaje represents that fresh mind that Lagosians have been yearning for," the statement said.
Agbaje was born on March 2, 1957 to a banker father, Chief Julius Kosebinu (the first Nigerian Director of a bank) and Mrs. Margaret Olabisi, a teacher.
The statement further referred to Section 177 of the Nigerian Constitution stipulated that: "A person shall be qualified for election to the office of Governor of a State if he is a citizen of Nigeria by birth; he has attained the age of thirty-five years; he is a member of a political party and is sponsored by that political party; and he has been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent."
According to the statement, it was a pity that the APC chieftains failed to address the misgovernment of Lagos, characterized by poverty, unemployment, industry emigration, over-taxation and the deportation of non-indigenes.
It also said it was also a pity that the APC campaign in Ikeja Police College yesterday could only produce insults to a single individual.
Mr. Jimi Agbaje, also identified inadequate funding as one of the factors militating against primary education in the state.
He attributed this to the fact that only 3 percent of the State's budget went to primary education, with vocational is accorded 1.5 percent.
This, he opined, placed the state at a major disadvantage in view of the strategic position of primary education to national development.
Agbaje stressed that the PDP government under him would reverse the trend to improve the system.
According to a statement Thursday by his campaign office, Agbaje who spoke at a governorship debate organized for governorship candidates by the Diocese of Lagos West (Anglican Communion) said governments around the world placed a lot of emphasis on primary education as it was the foundation of formal education.
This, he said, was the reason why the founder of facebook and many inventors with little education ended up being astounding innovators.
Continuing, the PDP chieftain lamented that foreign welders were flown into the country, earning thousands of Dollars working as welders in the oil and gas industry.
He noted that such money would have gone to Nigerians and Nigeria if the welders were citizens of the country.
Agbaje, who commended the efforts of Governor Babatunde Fashola, however, said Lagos was moving rather slowly despite its enormous potentials.
This he blamed on vested interest, which he added, was affecting the growth and development of the state.
He, however, promised to take a holistic look at critical sectors to give Lagosians a new lease of life.
Specifically, he said that Lagos, according to the World Bank, was the worst state to do business in Nigeria.
Agbaje said this might not be unconnected with the fact that the present arrangement was hostile to business and enterprise.
He added that this was aside the fact that the State Civil Service languished in a sorry state, just as he assured Lagosians of new ideas and bold opportunities.
Earlier, the Bishop of the Diocese, the Right Revered (Dr.) Olusola Odedeji said the programme was organized to enable voters make informed choices.
He urged the independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and other stakeholders to be fair to all in the coming general elections.

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English Super League champions, Liverpool Ladies face a fight with Chelsea Ladies over Rivers Angels star Asisat Oshoala, according to SL10 sources in England.
The 20-year-old is regarded as one of the hottest properties in women football football and Matt Beard has been tipped to take her to Anfield after the recent signings of Satara Murray, Ingrid Ryland and Line Krogedal Smorsgard.
But now ESL rivals, Chelsea Ladies are circling and are eager to land the forward to boost their ranks.
Oshoala featured in all the matches of the Falconets side at the 2014 U20 FIFA Women's World Cup, helping them to the final, winning the Most Valuable Player Award and also emerging as the recipient of the Golden Shoe.
She emerged as the Most Valuable Player of the 9th African Women's Championship in Namibia.
However, she narrowly lost the Highest Goals Scorer award to Desire Oparanozie with just one goal less than the five scored by her compatriot.
The FC Robo product was voted the Glo/CAF Women's and Young Player of the year.

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As Nigeria celebrated another armed forces remembrance day, prolific rapper Jude Abaga popularly known as Mi released a commemoration jam to pay tribute to the heroes of Nigeria...the Soldiers!

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A young lady, Miss Grace Ebiloma, who was on her way from a vigil was gang-raped by hoodlums in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.

The lady was on her way home from the church when the hoodlums seized her and dragged her into the bush where they  raped her.

According to a statement by the evangelist Enechojo Agene of Uleju Ojo Power House Ministry, the lady had gone to a nearby structure opposite the church to rest after the vigil, when the hoodlums struck, raping and killing her.

The staement said that the hoodlums raped her to death, stressing that the body of the victim was recovered from the bush after a search was conducted.

Envangelist Agene described the action of the hoodlums as heinous, calling on God in heaven to visit vengeance on the perpetrators of this gruesome act.

Agene also called on security operatives to intensify efforts at bringing the hoodlums to book, noting that those who perpetrated the crime should go unpunished.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Elvis Aguebor, said that the matter had not been reported to the state headquarters of the command.

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The minister of agriculture and rural development, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, has disclosed that Nigeria is under the scourge of the deadly H5 strain of Avian Influenza virus.

"The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) wishes to notify the general public that an unusual high mortality has been reported in two poultry farms and live bird markets in Kano and Lagos States.

"The samples forwarded to the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI), Vom, tested positive for the H5 strain of Avian Influenza virus and confirmatory samples have been sent to the International Reference Laboratory in Padova, Italy, for further characterisation," a press statement obtained by journalists, yesterday, read in part.

However, the minister has assured that it is on top of the situation, saying, "We wish to assure the public that given our experiences in handling previous outbreaks and with your full cooperation in the implementation of containment measures, we are determined to contain this disease again within a short time."

The statement added that the ministry had taken measures such as quarantining infected premises and restriction of the movement of poultry and poultry products into and out of affected sites. It added that all state directors of veterinary services, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) and other stakeholders have been informed and advised to be on alert with intensified bio-security measures to avert the possible spread of the disease to other states.

"The World Organisation for Animal Health, Inter African Bureau For Animal Resource and Development Partners have been appropriately notified in compliance with our statutory international obligations as well as the immediate re-activation of all animal health component of the Emergency Preparedness Plan (EPP) on Bird flu for Nigeria as well as conduct of surveillance activities around infected areas to determine the level of spread of the disease," the minister said.

The minister called on all stakeholders in the poultry industry to enhance hygienic practices (bio-security measures) which include, but is not limited to, regular disinfection, proper disposal of dead carcasses and poultry products and timely reporting of mortalities in poultry and other bird species to veterinary authorities.

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THE academic credentials of former military ruler and presidential hopeful, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, were seized by the military junta of General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida sometime in 1985.
That was the submission on Wednesday of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the political party fielding General Buhari for next month's presidential election.
According to the party, the credentials were carted away by soldiers who raided the home of Buhari, when the Babangida junta seized power from the APC candidate in a coup.
Buhari, who had staged a coup against the civilian administration of Alhaji Shehu Shagari on 31 December 1983, was also ousted by his military colleagues on 27 August 1985, led by Gen. Babangida.
"After the coup and the arrest of Gen. Buhari by the Babangida administration, military officers raided the home of Buhari, ransacked it and carted away many documents. Buhari's academic credentials were among the documents that were taken away," a senior official of the APC, Mr. Rotimi Fashakin said on Wednesday.
Fashakin, who was the spokesman of Buhari's Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) before it merged with other parties to form the APC, made the disclosure during a live interview on Channels Television in Lagos.
Buhari's academic qualification has become an issue in the coming general election since the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) disclosed that the Army General had lodged with it an affidavit that his academic credentials were with military authorities.
Section 131 (d) of the 1999 constitution prescribes minimum qualification for election into the office of the president.
It states: "A person shall be qualified for election to the office of the President if – "he has been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent."
The provision is silent on whether the "school certificate" should be primary school or secondary school."
The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has consistently expressed fears that Buhari has neither.
Fashakin believes that Buhari will not be contravening the nation's laws even if fails to present his basic school leaving certificates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He outlined the primary and secondary schools attended by Buhari and drew attention to the several military trainings of the General.
Fashakin said that the Electoral Act simply requires that aspirants submit "documents" on their credentials, adding that the affidavit deposed to by Buhari that the certificates were with the military could satisfy the requirement of "document."
A top serving General at the Defence Headquarters, in an interview with the Daily Times on Wednesday, expressed doubts on Buhari's claim of credentials being with the military.‎
The General, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told the Daily Times: "The Army only keeps the Course Reports on officers and this remains confidential. In addition, the military takes custody only of photocopies of all other credentials submitted by officers. The originals of all credentials remain with the officers."

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