SWEET NAIJA GIST BLOG: NIGERIA

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CNN's Jim Clancy supports GEJ not visiting Chibok, says its risky

One of CNN's respected news anchor, Jim Clancy has supported President Jonathan not going to Chibok, tweeting that the president can act without traveling there. Trust Nigerians, they responded. See their tweets after the cut...

At a press conference for the Regional Security Summit that held in France today, President Jonathan explained why he hasn't visited the Chibok community, the school or parents of the missing girls...

"The school is owned by the State Government but it is the commitment of the Federal government to rebuild the school, build walls to protect it and provide facilities since it is predominantly a school that takes care of girls education so that the girls would be protected. Yes I will visit Chibok, no doubt about that but what we are anxious about now is to locate the girls. These girls are not held in Chibok. If the President goes to Chibok today, does that solve any problem? Maybe psychological problem or for media relevance but you have not solved the problem. The problem facing the President and indeed the Nigerian government is to get these girls from wherever they are" he said

President Jonathan is currently at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France where him and other African leaders including presidents of Niger, Cameroon, Chad and Benin, with the President of France are brainstorming on how to tackle the problem of insecurity in the continent. Here are five quotes the President made during his presentation at the summit

1. "This is not anymore a challenge to Nigeria alone; it is a threat to each and every one of us"
2. "This latest attack is a wake up call for all of us. A line has been drawn in the sand, a test is put to each of us"
3. "Nigeria will rise up to this challenge and prevail. I call upon each one of you to stand up and be counted with us"
4."An attack on one country is an attack on all of us and our common humanity."
5. "We will not succumb to terrorists and their dangerous tactics.T errorists will not be allowed to define who we are"

The son to the current IG of Police was involve in a plane crash yestarday evening as he was co piloting the plane on itsb way from a maintainance check.
Jamil Abubakar who is the first son of the Inspector General of police took to social media thanking God for choosing to spare his life and the life of his other colleage who was co piloting the air craft before it crashed last night.

The Air craft after the Crash.

And just a few days earlier, he was excited about flying the plane...below...

I said it yesterday and it has been confirmed. The Defence Headquarters has said that there are no US troops deployed anywhere in Nigeria, and there has been no arrest or operation by any foreign military or security troops in the ongoing efforts to rescue the abducted girls, as its being reported online.

The spokesperson for the Defence Headquarters, Major Gen. Chris Olukolade, released a statement yesterday clearing the rumours.

"No troop of the American Marines has so far been deployed in any part of Nigeria as is being circulated in certain media. International coalition is quite appropriate in handling terrorism being a trans-border and global crime. The public will be duly briefed on the areas of collaboration with allied forces in the mission to bring back our girls as the need arises. There is therefore no need to engage in misleading speculations while the mission is in progress."

He said said the pictures being circulated online were taken from scenes in other countries and not related to Nigeria in anyway.

Sunday, May 11, 2014

British PM David Cameron and Christiane Amanpour

Bola Tinubu

Elderson Echejile & his Monaco team mates

Babies are not left out too

Former NAFDAC Director General and one-time Minister of Information Mrs Dora Akunyili's health has deteriorated according to new reports. Mrs Akunyili, who is a delegate at the on-going national confab (though she hasn't made an appearance for several weeks), was admitted at an undisclosed hospital in Abuja a few days ago after her condition worsened. She became even worse last night and was reportedly instructed by her doctors to seek immediate medical attention abroad. There are reports that she will most likely be flown abroad in the coming days.

Dora Akunyili was recently in the news when she appeared at the National Confab as a delegate looking very pale and a shadow of her old self. She revealed that she had been ill with a life threatening illness but survived it and was declared fit by her doctors to resume her normal life.

According to people close to her, Mrs. Akunyili was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago and had spent several months in the US receiving treatment. Please say a prayer for her.

Credit: Linda Ikeji

Four Nigerians, a man and three women have been jailed in the UK for their involvement in many fake weddings in the country. Read full report below...

Four fake brides and an ex-security guard fixer involved in an eight-month sham marriage scam have been jailed.

Azuha Izegbune, 38 (pictured left), was the mastermind of the visa con - which saw fake weddings staged at registry offices in Birmingham, Stoke and Glasgow.

The former security guard from Birmingham, West Midlands, was paid to arrange fake weddings between Hungarian and Nigerian nationals so they could remain in the UK.

The weddings were arranged so both brides and grooms could secure European Area Residence Cards.

Nwanunwanne Eze, left, was jailed for 17 months for her attempted sham marriage in Glasgow - which was raided by investigators. Hellen Adejumo-Dani, right, was jailed for 22 months

Some of the grooms were flown in to the UK just hours before the fake ceremonies took place.
Following a Home Office probe, the scam was exposed - and those involved have now been sentenced to a total of nine years in jail at Birmingham Crown Court.
Sentencing, Judge Elizabeth Stacey said Izegbune had undermined the UK’s border controls and described him as 'the lynch-pin, the organiser and the fixer' of an eight-month conspiracy between December 2012 and September 2013.

She said: 'You met registrars, bought plane tickets, acted as witness and interpreter and recruited Ivett Szanto to help you find Hungarian grooms and brides.

'I have read the wonderful testimonies about you. It’s just desperately sad that you have used your considerable charm and skills to take part in these activities.'

Izegbune is himself married to a Hungarian and has lived legally in the UK since 2009 with dual Nigerian and Hungarian nationality.

The father-of-two was jailed for 31 months after pleading guilty to five counts of conspiracy to facilitate a breach of UK immigration law.

Adejumo-Dani during her wedding to a Hungarian man - whose number was saved as 'babe' in her phone

Meanwhile, Hungarian national Ivett Szanto, 31, admitted taking part in one fake marriage with a Nigerian man who was also seeking a visa.
She had conspired with Nigerian-born ringleader Izegbune to help set up two further marriages with men she knew from her native Budapest.
Szanto had her sham marriage stopped mid-ceremony on May 30, 2013, in Stoke, Staffordshire, the court heard.
Sentencing her to 20 months, Judge Stacey said: 'Your role in this was much more peripheral. You were a small cog in the wheel. It was Izegbune who was directing you.'

The Nigerian national poses in bed with her husband. She is due to give birth in October

The court heard the fake brides handed over an unknown amount of cash in a bid to win the residence cards - which would have given them the legal right to remain in the UK and Europe.
But two of the weddings were stopped halfway through and a price list for a £7,500 ceremony was later recovered.

It showed just a £20 budget was allocated for the wedding dress, rings and shoes.
One of the fake brides, pregnant Nigerian Hellen Adedjumo-Dani, 31, took photos of herself with her fake partner outside McDonald's restaurants across Birmingham to try and make her relationship appear real, the court heard.

She had images of herself in a dressing gown on her bed and even saved her fake groom as 'Babe' on her phone.

She married her groom at a registry office in Birmingham in June 2013.
Adedjumo-Dani, who is due to give birth in October, was found guilty after a separate two-day trial in March of this year and was jailed for 22 months.

Nigerian women Nwabunwanne Eze, 35, and Chioma Nwangwu, 28, both from Birmingham, were all jailed for taking part in their own fake marriages.

Nwangu married her groom Birmingham registry office in June 2013.
Eze attempted to marry at Glasgow registry office in August 2013 - but the ceremony was raided by investigators.
She and Nwangwu pleaded guilty to one charge of breaching immigration law and were jailed for 16 months and 17 months respectively.

Hellen Adejumo poses with her Hungarian 'husband' in a McDonald's restaurant in a picture taken to convince people they were a legitimate couple

The court heard that four members of Eze’s close family, including her own mother, were murdered on their farm in Nigeria in 2009.
She had studied Health and Social Care at South Birmingham College after arriving legitimately on a student visa in 2010.

She exhausted all the appeals to stay in the country and took part in the sham marriage just before she would have been forced to leave the country. She has since lodged an application seeking asylum.

Nwangwu worked in a bank in Nigeria before arriving in Birmingham to study at Birmingham City University in 2011.

She returned home, but came back on a six-month visitor visa and wanted to stay in the UK after that expired to be with her genuine partner - a Nigerian who is legally in the country.

The Nigerian women were all warned they would face possible deportation once they complete their prison sentences.

Ivett Szanto, left, was jailed for taking part in one marriage and conspiring with Izegbune to arrange two others. Chioma Nwangwu, right, married her groom in a Birmingham in June 2013 and was jailed for 16 months

A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing is scheduled for Izegbune to be heard in September.
Speaking after sentencing Andy Radcliffe, from the Home Office’s Criminal and Financial Investigations Team, said: 'Izegbune thought he could profit from abusing the marriage system and the UK’s immigration laws.

'He was seen by the other individuals as their ticket to either stay in the UK, or gain financially. But all five are now behind bars.

'We will continue to work with registrars to tackle this issue. The message to anyone involved in this sort of criminality is clear. 'The Home Office has the resource and expertise to catch up with you and bring you to justice.'

Credit: Linda Ikeji

Borno State governor Kashim Shettima was in tears yesterday as he appealed to indigenes of the state to embark on a 3-day fast for the missing Chibok girls. The proposed fasting, which will run from May12th - 14th, is to seek the face of God over the missing girls and for peace to return to the state.

The Governor got very emotional while in a meeting with the Kibaku Area Development Association (KADA), Chibok, who came to protest the abduction of the missing girls.

“We are calling on all Muslims and Christians to embark on a three-day fast to seek God’s help toward rescuing our girls. All of us must fast because we worship the same God. There is no politics or religious issues in this matter because the abduction of the girls is something that should bother us all as parents, uncles and guardians" he said

The governor also expressed shock that some individuals believe the kidnap never happened, and is all a scam "It is unthinkable for anyone to say such a story could be fabricated." He said

Browsing "Older Posts"

CNN's Jim Clancy supports GEJ not visiting Chibok, says its risky

I will visit Chibok but does that solve the problem?" - President Jonathan

IG's son, Jamil Abubakar,survives IRS plane Crash(Tweets his appreciation)

No US troops deployed anywhere in Nigeria - Defence Headquarters

The Rock, Usher, Cameron, Amanpour, others lend support[#BringBackOurGirls]

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Dora Akunyili's health worsens, to be flown abroad

Four Nigerians jailed in the UK for involvement in fake marriages

Photo: Borno state Gov in tears as he declares 3-day fast for missing girls