1981

Fahrtenbuch
Afrika
Nigeria
Navigation

Schrift:

Farben:

Federal Republic of Nigeria - Bundesrepublik Nigeria

Abuja aktuelle Zeit -

Fläche: 923.768 km²

Bevölkerung 2007:     135.031.164

Klima: Im Norden halbtrocken bis trocken, an der Küste tropisch, im Südosten äquatorial.

Höchster Berg:   Chappal Waddi 2.419 m

Küstenlinie:      853 km

Religionen:    Muslime 50%, Christen 40%, Rest Indigene oder ohne Religion

Sprachen: Englisch (offiziell) Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo), Fulani

Landesstruktur: Die Flüße Niger und Benue halbieren ganz grob an ihrem Zusammenfluß das Land. Der trockene Norden geht in Savannen und die Sahelzone über, während der Süden zumeist flach und an der Küste lagunenreich ist und gegen Osten bergig wird.

Bevölkerung:   Hausa und Fulani 29%, Yoruba 21%, Igbo (Ibo) 18%, Ijaw 10%, Kanuri 4%, Ibibio 3,5%, Tiv 2,5%, insgesamt mehr als 250 ethnische Gruppen.

Unabhängigkeit:   1960 (von GB)

Hauptstadt: Abuja

Kindersterblichkeit 2007: 95,52 / 1000 !!

Aidstote 2003:      310.000

Links:

CIA: THE WORLD FACT BOOK

Nigeria bei Wikipedia

Sicherheitshinweise des deutschen Auswärtigen Amtes.
ACHTUNG: Wie kürzlich bekannt wurde, sammeln deutsche Behörden die IP-Adressen ihrer Besucher!

Kristine Jürgensen betreibt eine Homepage, auf der sie die Deutsche Schule Lagos (DSL) vorstellt. Dort sind, außer Informationen für ehemalige Schüler, viele lebensnahe Fotos aus Nigeria zu finden. Beide auf diesen Seiten abgebildete Fotos stammen von Kristine Jürgensen, für deren freundliche Erlaubnis die Bilder zu verwenden (das Copyright bleibt natürlich bei Frau Jürgensen) sich der Webmaster herzlich bedankt. Surftipp!

Nigeria, der volkreichste Staat des Kontinents - Informationen zur politischen Bildung (Heft 264) "Mit 110 bis 120 Millionen Menschen auf einem Territorium von der zweieinhalbfachen Fläche Deutschlands ist Nigeria der volkreichste Staat Afrikas." (Falls der Link verschoben werden sollte, können sie dort auch nach der Heftnummer suchen)

NigeriaDirect "Official Information Gateway of the Federal Republic of Nigeria"

Nigeria Photos, Flag, Map and Travel Information

Nigeria Nachrichten - Newsticker "Nachrichten aus und über Nigeria"

NigerianNews::Nigerian News Portal; Unbridled and UnAfraid Focused News updated daily, editorials, special issues, guest columns, interviews, inspiration, letters, reports, busines, religion, sports from Nigeria viewpoints."

Helmut Zenz: Afrika im Internet Ausführliche Linksammlung über den afrikanischen Kontinent.

Afrika im Internet - Nigeria "Eine ausfuehrliche Linksammlung fuer alle afrikanischen Staaten."

Nigeria auf FIFA.com "Nachrichten, Statistiken und Informationen über Nigeria auf FIFA.com" (Fußball dt.)

Human Rights Watch: Africa : Nigeria Landesinformationen

African Studies Center | Nigeria Page

Nigeria/Ärzte ohne Grenzen "Ärzte ohne Grenzen ist eine private internationale Hilfsorganisation. Ärzte ohne Grenzen hilft Menschen in Not, Opfern von Katastrophen und von bewaffneten Konflikten."

Reise-Gesundheits-Information: Nigeria "Informationen für Reisende zum Thema Gesundheit und Vorbeugung"

Goethe-Institut Lagos - Willkommen beim Goethe-Institut in Nigeria

Nigeria in Zahlen | Bruttoinlandsprodukt | Wirtschaft | finanzen.net

Nigeria Maps - Perry-Castañeda Map Collection - UT Library Online Eine Kollektion von Landkarten über Nigeria, z. B. eine Landkarte politisch von Nigeria

Satellitenkarte von Googlemap in kleinem Extra-Fenster (Kartenauswahl, zoombar mit [+] und [-], Ausschnitt mit Maus verschiebbar; jedoch nur bei DSL-Verbindung empfehlenswert)

openstreetmap.org Straßenkarte Calabar "Das offene Geodaten-Projekt OpenStreetMap zeigt – zumindest in Ballungsräumen – mehr Details als kommerzielle Kartenanbieter..." (Zitat Heise-News. Nur bei DSL-Verbindung empfehlenswert)

ROMSO Suchergebnisse Artikelsuche: Veröffentlichungen mit Schlagwort "Nigeria" (in deutscher Sprache)

Diplomatische Vertretungen:

Bitte informieren Sie sich unbedingt vor einer Einreise per Mail bei der Botschaft über die aktuellen Einreise- und Zollbestimmungen sowie ggf. die vorgeschriebenen Pflichtimpfungen. (Viele Vertretungen informieren darüber auch auf ihren Webseiten.) Zum Beispiel wird bei fehlendem internationalen Impfausweis unter Umständen am Zielflughafen bzw. Grenzübergang die Einreise verweigert! Deutsche Botschaften im Ausland sind bei unverschuldeten Notlagen (z. B. bei völligem Verlust aller eigenen Mittel durch Raub oder Unfall) zur Hilfeleistung verpflichtet und können in Notfällen Empfehlungen, e.g. für Krankenhäuser, Ärzte, Rechtsanwälte usw. geben sowie Ersatzreisedokumente ausstellen.

Tipp: Erstellen Sie sich Fotokopien Ihrer Reisedokumente (Namen und Fotoseite, Visum-Stempelseite) und bewahren Sie diese, zusammen mit den Reisescheck-Quittungen, getrennt von den Originalen auf. Legen Sie diese Quittungen niemals zu den Originalen, auch nicht in den Hotelsafe!

BRD

Botschaft der Republik Nigeria Berlin

Deutsche Botschaft Abuja

Eidgenossenschaft

Schweizer Vertretungen: Nigeria

Botschaft Abuja

Nigeria - Vertretungen in der Schweiz

Ambassade Bern

Österreich

BOTSCHAFT Abuja
Plot 9, Usuma Street, Maitama - Abuja
Telefon: (+234/9) 413 0772 (Amt), (+234/9) 413 0773 (Amt)
Telefax: (+234/9) 461 2715
E-Mail: abuja-ob@bmeia.gv.at
Amtsbereich: Benin, Gabun, Ghana, Kamerun, Kongo, Nigeria, São Tomé und Príncipe, Togo, Tschad,
Zentralafrikanische Republik, Äquatorialguinea
Parteienverkehr: MO 10.00-12.00, DI 10.00-12.00, MI 10.00-12.00, DO 10.00-12.00
HONORARKONSULAT Kaduna (ohne Passbefugnis)
3a Kinkino Road, Kaduna
Telefon: (+234/62) 247 705, (+234/62) 243 921
E-Mail: office@austriaconsul.com
Konsularbezirk: Kaduna
Anmerkung: Parteienverkehr nach telefonischer Vereinbarung!

BOTSCHAFT DER BUNDESREPUBLIK NIGERIA
Rennweg 25, Postfach 183, 1030 Wien
Tel: (+43 / 1) 712 66 85 - 87
Fax: (+43 / 1) 714 14 02
Telex: 131 583
Parteienverkehr: Mo - Fr 09.00 - 17.00

Entfernungen in Nigeria: (gemessen, ca. in Km)
Grenze - Lagos	100
Lagos - Calabar	700
Calabar - Grenze	130
Gesamt	930

	Global Voices auf Deutsch � Nigeria
	last updated: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:21:08 GMT

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 21:07:54 +0000
Nigeria: Neues Tiefseekabel erreicht Lagos

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 18:34:26 +0000
Afrika: Obama nutzt neue Medien im Dialog mit Afrikanern

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:38:29 +0000
Nigeria: Mobile TV

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 14:23:56 +0000
Afrika: Vlogger, Blogger und Filme

Ursprüngliche Landkarte von THE WORLD FACT BOOK

Wettermeldung Flughafen Lagos:

STATIONSKENNUNG DNMM
MESSUNG........ Fri 12 03, 01:00 MET
DATENABRUF..... Fri 12 03, 01:55 MET
ZEIT SEIT MESSUNG............. 55 Minuten
WIND........... Veränderlich mit 4 Km/h
SICHTWEITE..... 26 Kilometer
BEDECKUNG...... Teilweise bewölkt
TEMPERATUR..... 27°C (81°F)
TAUPUNKT....... 26°C (79°F)
LUFTFEUCHTIGKEIT.............. 94%
HITZE INDEX.... 32°C (89°F)
LUFTDRUCK...... 1011 hPa

Originalscript

Landesflagge

http://nm.onlinenigeria.com/rss.aspx?z=17

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT
Compel FEC to declare Yar’Adua’s health profile

Even with the explanation by the Foreign Affairs Minister, Chief Ojo Maduekwe that the six-man Federal Executive Committee team to Saudi Arabia would not declare President Umaru Yar’Adua incapacitated or otherwise upon its return to Nigeria, another lawyer, Adamu Ibrahim Abbas has approached a Federal High Court to compel the Executive Council of the Federation [ECF] to make public the health status of the President. The suit filed by the law firm of Chief Solo Akuma [SAN] and Associates, is seeking a declaration of the court that by virtue of the election and swearing in of Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua on May 29, 2007 as President, and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Yar’ Adua’s health condition has become a matter of public interest and concern to Nigerians and they are entitled to know and be informed of the true health status of President Yar’Adua. It is also the case of the plaintiff that on the basis of the briefing and press conference held by the personal physician to the President soon after the departure to Saudi Arabia on November 23, 2009 that President Yar’Adua is suffering from acute pericarditis ,Nigerians are entitled to know the true health status of President Yar’Adua and be informed his health condition has remained the same, improved or deteriorating. The plaintiff is accordingly praying for an order of the court compelling or directing the defendants to ascertain and make public to Nigerians the true health status of President Yar’Adua. In his 23-paragraphs affidavit in support of the suit, the plaintiff averred that Dr. Eronmwon Noruwa, a cardiologist and Intensive Care Unit Specialist has described President Yar’Adua’s health conditions as “hopeless because Yar’Adua could not eat through the mouth, President Yar’Adua has multiple organ failure, his kidneys have failed and his prognosis is fatal and because of the kind of ailment of Prsident Yar’Adua it would be difficult for the President to return to office.” It is also his prayer that unless the defendants are compelled by an order of the court to obtain first hand medical opinion from Dr. Saliu Banye personal physician to Yar’Adua or any other medical doctor currently treating President Yar’Adua on the true state of his health, the defendants will not be able to take informed decision on the matter.

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT
Yar’Adua arrives amid heavy security

President Umaru Yar’Adua returned to the country this morning, 91 days after his departure to Saudi Arabia to attend to his failing health. He left Abuja on November 23, 2009. Mr. President is suffering from acute pericarditis. Indications that the president would return today emerged last night as security was beefed up at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja. Reporters who had swarmed the place were restricted while only top government functionaries were allowed entry into the presidential wing of the airport. Two companies of soldiers were deployed to the airport hours to the arrival. They were armed to the teeth and never allowed any one within shouting distance to the aircraft. First Lady, Hajia Turai Yar’Adua, arrived in one of the aircraft. The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Adamu Aliero, arrived at the airport in a jeep at 12.40 a.m. without the usual siren. A lot of Mr. President’s political associates were on hand to receive him. At about 1.42a.m., an aircraft believed to be carrying the president arrived. Almost immediately, an ambulance drove in and parked beside it ostensibly to shield him from the prying eyes of reporters who had been waiting for his arrival. The ambulance drove straight to another part of the tarmac to join a long convoy of other vehicles that had by now turned off their headlamps. At 1.55a.m., the second aircraft believed to be conveying ministers arrived. Earlier, a report monitored on Al-Jazeera television said two planes had left the Jeddah Airport. Security men cordoned off both the departure/arrival halls of the airport. Saudi doctors had arrived the country earlier. Contrary to claims by Nigeria’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Abdullahi Aminchi that he saw the president on Saturday and that he was recuperating fast, Daily Sun can authoritatively reveal that the information may afterall be a ruse, as findings revealed that the President’s health has taken a nosedive. However, plans to ‘package’ him back to Aso Rock, observer said, was in a desperate bid by elements close to the president to supplant Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and ensure he does not function as acting president. Another source told Daily Sun Yar’Adua was actually given a quit notice by the Saudi Arabia based on the fact that he has been on life machine for so long. However, this is even as a source insisted tha the President’s health condition started deteriorating in the early hours of Saturday, which prompted the medical team to re-introduce some drugs that had earlier been discontinued. Specifically, it was gathered that the medical team had equally brought in a higher version of a life support machine different from the one that had been used prior to yesterday, a clear indication that the President’s health was not in anyway improving. The source added that currently, the President can neither talk nor eat. Information available to Daily Sun indicated that the President is currently weighing less than 40 kilograms with no assurance that he can garner more weight in the next couple of weeks due to fatigue. Daily Sun equally learnt that the President’s medical team is in a fix as regards the next line of action, since all efforts to make his health condition improve have proved abortive. In this regard, the medical team, according to the source, was considering the option of bringing in some medical experts from the UK, US and Israel to help in finding a lasting solution to Yar’Adua’s health crises. The source explained that the team has been in constant touch with the foreign medical team for some time and they have also been around on two occasions but had to leave when there were signs that he was responding to treatment. The idea to bring back the medical team heightened yesterday when the first lady began to feel very uncomfortable about her husband’s health condition, even though there were assurances from the medical team that he would get better. But a competent source at the Presidency disclosed yesterday that President Yar’Adua has been placed on rechargeable chips to keep some organs functioning. “What we hear from Saudi is worrisome, the report is shocking. Right now, the president’s life is now on rechargeable chips. The chips are programmed, any day the chips packed up, that is the end,” the source said. The source, who was in constant touch with one of the groups of Consultant Cardiologists who first treated President Yar’Adua when he arrived Saudi Arabia confirmed that the only way the president could be moved was to hire a Boeing 777 Air ambulance fully equipped as a hospital. According to him, the immediate family of the president in Saudi Arabia is aware of his precarious situation and that they have intensified prayers for his recovery. However, Saudi monarch, King Fahd Abdulaziz has ordered the removal of the ailing President from the Royal Fahd Military Hospital to an undisclosed guest house where chartered cardiologists are dotting over him. Daily Sun had exclusively reported last week that Yar’Adua had been moved to a guarded military hospital on the order of King Fahd. The movement was one of the reasons no delegation from Nigeria was able to see him since he left Nigeria on November 23, 2009. Among the delegations that had visited Saudi Arabia without seeing the president are the team from the Governors’ Forum, the leadership of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and a delegation from the House of Representatives.

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT
A monumental tragedy

The mortal danger posed to Nigerians by overhead electricity wires came into bold relief in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, recently, when a 33KVA high-tension wire fell on two passenger buses, traders and passersby between Oginigba Village and Slaughter Bus Stop in the oil-rich city, killing no fewer than 20 people, and injuring about 15. The tragedy, which occured during a rainfall, is the worst involving high tension electricity wires in the country. The Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) has since apologised for the incident, while many of the injured are still receiving treatment at the expense of the state government. We sympathise with the victims of this calamity. The agony it brought to them and their families is heartrending. The magnitude of the losses recorded in the incident indicates the poor location and state of the collapsed PHCN wires. It would appear that the lines were not properly sited and secured to ensure their integrity. Although accidents may and do happen, they are more likely to occur when equipment are not regularly checked and maintained, to ensure that they are in top shape as they should be. This is not first the time that PHCN cables have electrocuted innocent people. It is also incontrovertible that the electricity company’s high- tension wires can be found hanging precariously in many parts of the country. Many structures are erected under these wires, contrary to commonsense and the dictates of our laws. The latest incident therefore affords PHCN an opportunity to conduct an audit of its old and ageing powerlines in all parts of the country. They need to be checked to ensure that they are not about to collapse or constitute any threat to the people. They should also not be located close to trees or other high structures, as a tree branch was reported to have fallen on the wire before it collapsed in the Port Harcourt incident. Governor Amaechi of Rivers State has ordered the demolition of all structures under high-tension wires in the state. This is a good first step because people, ordinarily, should not stay in close proximity to high – voltage wires. Some of them hang dangerously and have been known to cause death, with PHCN getting away with it most of the time. This should not happen this time round. The electricity authority should take full responsibility for this incident. It must treat the injured and compensate the families of the dead. Some of the injured are in government hospitals. PHCN should ensure that they receive the best medical treatment available. The agency should also start demonstrating greater care for safety in the siting of its facilities. The trend in the world for transmission of electricity is through underground cables. The overhead ones that are still used in Nigeria are not only dangerous, they constitute an eyesore. They are obsolete and should be phased out. This could be done in phases until the entire length and breadth of the country is covered to reduce the risk to the people. We commend the Rivers State government for promptly coming to the aid of the victims by giving them free treatment in government hospitals. The onus now is on PHCN to ensure the best treatment for the injured. The process of relocating the people living or working under high-tension wires should begin in earnest. The wires have been determined to endanger the lives of people through the radiation that they emit. Nigerians should be educated to stay away from them. The existence of structures under these wires, in itself, is an indictment of our town planning authorities. Construction of structures, including motorparks and markets, under the dangerous wires should be stopped, to ensure that we do not have a repeat of this gory incident.

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT
Police seal up Edo House of Assembly

The Edo House of Assembly was sealed up yesterday by armed policemen following the crisis that engulfed the House over tussle for leadership by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Action Congress (AC) lawmakers on Monday. The gates leading to the assembly were locked yesterday morning with Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) stationed at the gates with combat ready policemen on guard. The tight security at the assembly was to forestall escalation of crisis in which three lawmakers were injured following a free for all fight by the legislators who allegedly made use of battle axes and tear gas during the muscle flexing. Consequently, the plenary session of the Assembly which the Pro-tempore Speaker, Mr. Peter Aliu announced would hold, did not take place. Meanwhile, supporters of both PDP and AC lawmakers demonstrated yesterday in Benin carrying placards with various inscriptions. Some of the PDP supporters placards read: “Zakawanu is the Speaker”, “Edo students Support Zakawanu”, “Thirteen is not two-third”, “Oshiomhole, leave the Assembly Alone.” On the other hand, the supporters of AC also bore placards with inscriptions such as: “Garuba Must Go”, “Oshiomhole we support you”, and “we support the Acting Speaker one hundred percent.” Addressing journalists, the leaders of the PDP demonstrators, Sir Jarret Tenebe accused Governor Oshiomhole of being behind the crisis in the assembly. According to him, what happened was illegal and unconstitutional because those who claimed they have impeached Speaker Garuba did not get the required two-third of Assembly members to remove him, adding that while the AC has 13 members, the PDP has 11. Also addressing journalists, leader of the AC supporters, Mr. Osakpanwan Eriyo asked the Edo State Government to call Garuba to order to avoid escalation of the crisis. “He has been removed as Speaker and he should abide by the decision of his colleagues,” he said. Another AC supporter who spoke on behalf of the demonstrators, Mr. Peter Eghator, called for criminal trial of Garuba and other PDP lawmakers for carrying arms into the House of Assembly. Meanwhile, Edo Coalition For Democracy & Good Governance (ECODAGG) has condemned the Edo Assembly fracas. In a statement signed by Tony Erha and Gaskin Otuba Williams, coordinator general and coordinator, mobilisation respectively, it said a situation where members of the House, resorted to the rule of the jungles instead of the known healthy legislative duty, by engaging themselves in fisticuffs and free usage of battle axe, gavel, gun, canisters of teargas and other dangerous weapons, while the House was in session was dangerous and weird. “Coming from some ‘honourable members’ who ought to be role models and good representatives of the various constituencies they represent, we see it, to say the least, an act of political brigandage and incivility. But for a legislative leadership that usually criticizes others for such lawless acts, how could they afford to go into such scandalous clash that was displayed on the television network? What message of hope and moral instruction have these lawmakers for the younger generation of our people, particularly those involved in the most recent students’ riot at the Edo State University, Ekpoma and others? “Without holding brief for either side of the House leadership, ECODAGG has seen that the crisis amongst the lawmakers emanates from a breach of simple legislative orders and comportment, taking a queue that it is at the behest of the House, with Hon. Zakawanu Garuba as Speaker. At that, we strongly uphold that the alleged change of the House leadership should be, if the criteria for such had been duly observed. “The House, under Hon. Garuba could have done better and saved the Edo people the pains of this avoidable implosion in the House were the necessary precautionary measures duly taken, and the business of the House duly conducted. At that, we frown at some incidents in the past where the House leadership had called genuine protesters to the House obscene names. There would have been more of violent clashes at the House of Assembly premises, if the protesters were not calm.” ECODAGG called on all partners in the “blooddy clash to take caution against further clashes,” even as it called on the law enforcement agencies to wade into the crisis and apprehend those who are culpable in the use of dangerous weapons.

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT
Northern group insists on President

A group, Eminent Northerners rose from an emergency meeting yesterday insisting that ailing President Umaru Yar’Adua remains the substantive president of the country. The group made a veiled reference to the jostling for 2011 elections and insisted that since the North supported former President Olusegun Obasanjo to emerge as President it is only natural that they be allowed to run a second term even after the expiration of President Yar’Adua’s tenure. This is coming on the heels of palpable fears that acting President Goodluck Jonathan and his tacticians may be angling for the 2011 elections. It also called on all political parties, particularly the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to stick by their zoning arrangement in the 2011 general elections. “President Umaru Yar’Adua is and remains the substantive President of Nigeria. The constitution is specific as to who bears the burden of determining the fitness or otherwise of a person to continue in office as the President, thus we must exercise the utmost caution when we offer our thoughts. “Our political system has embraced the zoning. The north whole-heatedly and without reservation backed the emergence of a candidate from the South West in 1999 to reaffirm our commitment to a nation where all sections have the opportunity to occupy the highest position in the land,” stated Alhaji Inuwa Wada in a speech to kick-start the meeting. He also was chairman of the meeting proceedings. He admitted that the absence of President Yar’Adua did cause some crisis but noted that what should be done now is how to “show the whole world that we are capable of resolving our internal matters constitutionally.”

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT
Plateau crisis ’ll end soon – Shagaya

Member of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Jos crisis, Senator John Shagaya, has put to rest doubts raised in some quarters that the committee is another tea party put together to give a semblance that government is prepared to solve the problem rocking the state since 2001 According to him, judging by the background of the 15-men put together to deliberate on Jos crisis and come up with workable solution, Plateau people could be assured that that if the federal and the Plateau State governments, and indeed the people, cooperate with the committee, the solution is in sight. The former ECOMOC Commander representing Plateau South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, likened the work of the committee to a similar one set up by the Federal Government to solve the Niger Delta militants issue which had been put to rest. He said that as long as all the members are prepared to shun parochial sentiments and work with all sincerity, the truth would come out and Plateau would be set free. He spoke more in an interview with Daily Sun Why must Plateau continue to be in crisis? “The Plateau crisis is uncalled for Nigeria, and indeed the world, are tired of hearing about the eruption of crisis on the Plateau. In less than two decades, between 1994 and now, we had repeated the same incident almost five times. We had it in 1994, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2008 and 2010. But I am happy to observe that in all these crises, religion is completely isolated. Most of the crises had erupted as a result of some political frictions based on distrust. For some unknown reason, some people take solace in associating it with religion. But the poor citizens will never attribute it to religious friction. “One very strong reason that would make one to come to that conclusion is that we all live among ourselves. At the end of the eruption of every crisis, we find Muslims and Christians as brothers still doing their business together. One therefore begins to wonder if truly that was the reason for the crisis. They still enter the same taxis, the same markets, meeting in the same shops to buy bread and no one ever slaps the other because of religious differences. Is the committee capable of solving these problems that have been lingering over the years? “Our committee is not a fault-finding one and it is not a judicial commission. It is a committee of eminent Nigerians who have served this country in various capacity and are now being challenged, being Plateau citizens; of all ethnic and religious groupings to come out with solutions. This means that whatever solutions we come out with, the greater Plateau citizens would have to sit down and absolve those recommendations and at the end of it all we foresee a situation of forgiveness than fault-finding.” What is your comment on the governor’s indictment that you, the members of the committee who are members of the political class are part of the problems? “I am not sure. But if a governor is the Chief Security Officer of the state, it will also be good to ask if any executive governor could absolve himself of the eruption of problem in his state. If one could point one accusing finger to supposedly trouble makers, the other four fingers are pointing back at him. “One cannot also isolate these 15 members of the committee or deny us of the fact that many of us have held the positions of trust in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Our records are there to adjudge us fit or unfit in the committee. Starting with Solomon Lar, I do not think there is any Nigerian that can deny the favt that he was a parliamentarian of the first generation. His colleague was Alhaji Shehu Shagari. They were junior ministers together and that within the intervening period, he practiced law and later became the first executive governor of Plateau State. At the end of his tenure or at the intervention of military coup, old Lar was jailed for using N300, 000 of the security fund. “Unknown to many Nigerians, he used that fund in 1982 to block the coming of Maitasine into Plateau State . He used the money to carry out investigations when Maitasine moved from Kano to Kaduna and it was so close for comfort. He owed it as a responsibility as the chief security officer of a state to find out the trend of movement of that radical group and whether he bribed or paid security agencies or not but the N300,000 prevented Maitasine uprising from getting into Plateau State. I know this because I was the Minister of Internal Affairs few years after that and also got involved in reviewing all those who were jailed during Buhari administration. The state governor has all the instruments of power at his disposal to prevent the crisis. “You cannot deny that I served in the Nigeria Army and rose to a rank that allowed me to command the highest formation in the Army, a division. To command a West African Force, to command a joint African force in Liberia and to have participated in major peace keeping mission in the country. When I was Minister of Internal Affairs and Nigeria erupted into the OIC crisis, I was a member of a committee but as a Colonel, I was not the chairman but you cannot take away from me that experience through which I served with some religious leaders in the country. Many of them could be my parents and and we came up with solutions that laid that issue to rest . If anybody can come up today that he can deny me that exposure and experience, where my record in the federal service has not been challenged, it is left for such a person to justify it. “You cannot also deny Governor Tapgun, the second executive governor of the state or the Catholic Bishop of Jos, Ignatius Kaigama who is the chairman of CAN in Plateau. He is a reknown, respected religious leader. Neither can you deny Sheikh Dau’ud that today he is the highly respected man who sits in the Central Mosque in Jos and all the mosques put together or Islamic sects look to him for spiritual guardian. You can not also deny Dilcon Leo. One can go on and on to examine each member of the committee. It is most irresponsible for anybody to elude any insinuation greater than the thinking of the Federal Government, the people who own this great nation. It may be Goodluck holding forth for Yar’Adua because the president is sick but whether it is Yar’Adua or Goodluck, the fact is that it is a Federal Government committee.” Is solution to Plateau problem now in sight? “Plateau State today is like a patient in the hospital on a drip. The committee would be likened to collections of professionals who looking through a magnetic resonance imagery film in trying to identify distressed areas and to make recommendation for a cure which I believe that some good consultants would prescribe that cure. “We pray that when we approach the issue sincerely, honestly with the fear of God and tell the truth as it were, Plateau state citizenry will come to appreciate and understand the truth. If there are lies in between or if we are going to be sweeping certain dirts under the carpet, the committee would not have done anything. My prayer is that in looking at the totality of the problem, the committee should come out with the truth to bring Plateau out of the hospital; out of the sick bed.

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT
...US dumps him

Signs that America has moved beyond the era of President Umaru Yar’Adua unfolded in Washington yesterday as its top African diplomat called for full international support for Acting President Jonathan Goodluck. Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Affairs, Jonnie Carson told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on relations with Nigeria that while the administration hopes for a speedy recovery for President Yar’Adua, it was time to move on. He said the administration supports the action of the lawmakers to resolve the country’s constitutional crisis by elevating the former Vice President. “Mr. Yar’Adua’s absence has generated political uncertainty and has challenged Nigeria’s young democratic institutions. The National Assembly’s resolution that officially designated Vice President Goodluck Jonathan acting president demonstrated Nigeria’s resolve to find a peaceful solution to the country’s leadership vacum,” he said. Mr. Carson who just returned from a trip to Abuja said Mr. Jonathan has done remarkably well in the saddle and assured that the administration would continue to provide assistance to the country. He, however, warned that the future of the country remains in doubt until the government can hold free and fair elections. “In my meetings with a broad range of political, religious and civil society across Nigeria, I discussed the important role that elections play in democracy. I stressed that Nigeria’s next presidential and national assembly elections scheduled for April 11, (2011), must be credible,” he stated. Carson said despite adding the country on the list of sponsors of terror, the administration remained committed to the progress of Nigeria as a critical ally in a host of international issues. “We seek to enhance Nigeria’s role as a US partner on regional security but we also seek to bolster its ability to combat violent extremism within its own borders. He says Nigeria has a role to play in dismantling terror groups and that the government should do more to discourage such groups from operating in its territory. “Nigeria is a partner in counter-terrorism efforts and it is in this context that Nigerians have expressed dissatisfaction with their inclusion in the Transportation and Security Administration’s countries of interest list,” he stated. The White House said the administration would only review Nigeria’s listing as a terror nation after the installation of airport screeners and an audit of the nation’s main airports in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt.

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT
Leave our land for us

Youths from Amakama, in Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State, recently in their hundreds stormed the Umuahia Government House, demanding that Governor Theodore Orji’s kinsmen from Ibeku, managing the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) of World Bank leave their land, which they said they had earlier surrendered to the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing. According to them, the land which belongs to three communities was acquired by the old Imo State in 1976 for the establishment of a metallurgical complex, which was later moved to Aba. “On the creation of Abia State in 1991, the site was reallocated to the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing by the Abia State government for their field offices/site and services scheme. The youths on arrival at the Government House, made their grievances known to the governor’s aide on Special Duties, Chief Ukpai Agwu Ukpai. The youths who came in about 20 buses chanted songs of solidarity for the governor, who they claimed was not aware of what his kinsmen were doing in their land through the PIU. The youths who spoke through their President, Mr Lucky Ben Nwosu, lamented that their people have known no peace since PIU came into their communities in March 2009. “Ibeku sons who are management staff of PIU have been inciting Umuegwu Ihie, a village in Amakama against others and this might lead to bloodshed if not checked. “We plead that we don’t want bloodshed in Amakama Community which is what PIU is out to achieve”, the youths said. Trouble was said to have started when PIU entered into the a portion of land in Amakama given to the Federal Ministry of Works, Housing and Urban Development to build a housing scheme . “The land belongs to three communities, namely; Amakama, Umuobia and old Umuahia respectively, which was acquired by the old Imo State government in 1976 for the establishment of a metallurgical complex. This complex was later moved to Aba. On the creation of Abia State in August 1991, the site was handed over to Federal Ministry of Works and Housing by the Abia State government for the field offices/sites and services scheme after which our people were compensated. “In March, 2009, PIU stepped into the site, purporting that it has also been given to them for the establishment of a housing scheme. They said that it was either given to them or that they acquired it through the effort of a village hamlet in Amakama called Umuegwu Ihie in 2009. “Since no one can eat his cake and have it, we have been compensated by the Federal Ministry of Works, Housing and Urban Development and we have advised Umuegwu Ihie in their own interest to jettison the idea of giving out what has been given to a federal body to another organisation. “We want to bring to your notice that all entreaties to them have fallen on deaf ears because of the backing they are getting from PIU, which has been telling them not to shift ground. “PIU is telling us that all documents relating to the said housing scheme are classified and for that reason, it cannot be shown to us, but we know that they have other reasons, which may be that they are telling lies or trying to deceive us. “The traditional rulers of our communities were not properly briefed on what their mission in Amakama is.” They called on the governor to visit the sites at Amakama and see for himself that the PIU plan has made a mockery of his administration, alleging that what they are building there is a slum in the name of a housing scheme. Responding to them, Chief Ukpai thanked them for not taking the laws into their hands, promising that their grievances would be made known to the governor and that government would surely make sure that the problem is resolved. Speaking to Daily Sun on phone, the Director of PIU, Chief Iyke Onwukwe said that there was nothing like Amakama youths when it comes to the issue of the land. According to him, “the Government House has directed that everybody should go to the site tomorrow to know the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. So, everybody will be there between 11a.m and 12 tomorrow.” Also, a source at the Eket Street office of PIU told Daily Sun that those who came for the protests were nothing but hired crowd. “You see, we have our land there, which we have been developing for an estate. It is not in contest. “Then there was a directive from the state government that we should take over the other land, when it was discovered that the Federal Ministry of Works which claimed to have acquired it could not produce the documents with which they claim to have acquired the place. “Government asked them to back their claim with documents and they could not, only to connive with those they have collected money from, to rent a crowd in the name of Amakama youths that came to protest at the Government House. “If they had acquired the land, the government would have been the one that would sign the papers, but in that case, the government has seen that there was nothing like that in its records. We have even discovered that those who came for the protest were given N700,000 to do what they did”, the source claimed.

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT
Ecobank out with Ecovoyerger promo

Sports lovers are excited at the opportunity offered by the Ecovoyerger Promo for lucky winners to watch live, Nigerian matches in South Africa. Former President of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, (SWAN) Frank Ilaboya, who commended the bank for the initiative, maintained that the “Ecobank Routes” to watch live matches in South Africa is commendable. According to Mr. Ilaboya, any platform that will give Nigerians the opportunity to be at the football fiesta is welcomed and must be applauded. Ecobank’s Acting Head, Retail Banking Group, Mr. Tunde Kuponiyi, said the Ecovoyerger Promo provides two routes for customers to be in South Africa during the World Cup 2010. Route One requires the customer to open an Ecovoyerger savings account with N25, 000 and grow it to N50, 000 to qualify for the promo. This Route qualifies the customer to participate in two draws within the three-months period of the promotion. The first 20,000 customers also get instant gifts at the point of opening the Ecovoyerger account. Existing customers can also be part of the promo, by making fresh deposit of up to N50, 000 in to their Ecovoyerger or any savings account to qualify for the draw. With Route Two, Ecobank will provide the customer a seamless travel arrangement. This includes visa assistance, accommodation, feeding and other logistics to be at the tournament. The customer is expected to simply save for the cost of travel at a subsidized rate. To be part of this, prospective participants should simply pick up a form for N2, 000 at any of the bank’s branches nationwide within the stipulated period”. Ecobank, he said, partners a leading packaged tour firm, After School Hours Ltd, an established travel consultancy firm with strong pedigree in the travel industry on this project.

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT
Advertisers shut out of national awards –Verdant Zeal MD

Mr. Tunji Olugbodi is a seasoned advertising practitioner. He is the Managing Director of Verdant Zeal, a marketing communications firm. Before Verdant Zeal, Olugbodi was a co-founder of the famous Prima Garnet Communications Limited that is well over 15 years. He speaks on temporary issues within the advertising industry. Excerpts: How is Verdant Zeal doing? Well, we can look at it from two perspectives. One is the perspective of what objectives have you set for yourself in a fiscal year? This year is just starting. So if we look at last year and say what were the objectives in terms of business objectives, billing objectives and so on, I will say it was a very challenging year, but overall, we didn’t fair badly. It was a challenging year and I think that was something that was quite universal and global for businesses generally. For Verdant Zeal, we didn’t fair badly. For this year, we are more optimistic. There are several things that hopefully we are going to galvanise and make things happen. We are very hopeful that 2010 will be a lot better than last year. How old is Verdant Zeal? Verdant Zeal will be three years on 1st of March this year. When you were to set up Verdant Zeal, you would have had very firm ideas and set objectives that you intended to achieve. Three years on, how far? Are you satisfied with Verdant Zeal? Extremely so, I will like to repeat the words, extremely so. In fact well beyond what we even conceived originally or what our initial imagination really was. We are very satisfied because within a short time, we have been able to break a lot of grounds and we have been able to do things that give us a lot of satisfaction. Any regrets? Any regrets? I think again that’s not an isolated thing. The regret one has is that as a country, we ought to have been able to do a lot more than we are doing. We ought to have been able to achieve a lot more than we have been able to achieve and so it’s not an isolated thing. For me, the regret is borne more out of the collective destiny of Nigeria as a nation. This is the 50th year of Nigeria as a nation and yet some of the most fundamental things are not yet to be attended to and that is the regret to me. But for us as a company, it’s been a source of great inspiration in terms of encouragement you find in the market and the kind of privilege that we’ve been offered to work on different types of bills and accounts of diverse clients. Did the recession affect advertising? Most certainly; the first thing that gets cut is the advertising budget, that’s number one. Number two, advertising itself or marketing communications as a business has taken a lot of bashing because it turns out that I do think there are more jobs that we have from lot of organizations to run as on-going concerns. I don’t think some of the foundations took cognizance of certain kinds of economical challenges that we are facing today. I like to imagine that has put a lot of strain on a lot of companies and a lot of challenge in terms of meeting certain objectives for these companies. Advertising budgets is not the only thing that was cut. With our recent experience in terms of sectoral reforms especially the financial services that also clamped down on other sectors, you can understand that the liquidity from the system has become a big challenge so all of these have compounded businesses generally for advertising and agencies. Even though advertising has been around in the country for over 100 years, government does not seem to accord adequate recognition to advertising and practitioners. For instance, the national award has not been given to any practitioner as such. There is none. There is not one advertising person that has been given that award. And even in government programmes, it doesn’t seem to appear that government is making use of advertising practitioners. May I have your comments on these? I have been upfront about this and I put it right back as the responsibility of the practitioners in the industry. On a personal note, I have always said if you do not champion the course of your profession or discipline from a collective leadership position then, you are going to have to continue to be relegated. My personal observation is that individually we chase glory, individually we chase recognition. Yes, to a large extent, many of our people are well known and they do earn and they do deserve some of the recognition that they do have in terms of building businesses, bringing relevance to the society through their own attributes and so on. However any business, any discipline that does not seek a collective front to represent its interest will always suffer this kind of lack and neglect. Look at the accounting profession; they draw a lot of inspiration from the fact that there is a doyen called Mr. Williams, who still in his very old age finds time to attend most of the programmes of the accounting profession. I think you can still say same thing for the Society of Engineers, you can say same thing for Lawyers. Unfortunately, I’m not too sure that you can say same thing for ourselves and I think to that extent, we indirectly undermined ourselves by not seeking a common front and offer a common voice to some issues that might either be disrupting the industry or even the nation at large. We see a lot of drifts from very few guys around and whatever is achieved, there is always a problem. I think what should happen is that we should leverage that behavioural recognition that people have those attributes of endowment and put it to essential use for the common front to be able to gain greater recognition. Many ad agencies and their clients still insist on producing their adverts outside Nigeria. Some clients even prefer their agencies and consultants from abroad for some of their complex advertising and branding projects. Is this to say that the integrity and competence of Nigerian advertising practitioners is not good enough? I think this is an age-long debate and personally I know three years ago I was asked a similar question by some other people. My own response is this, where we are today is not where we were three years ago, by all means in terms of professional values, we are a lot better than where we were, maybe we have not achieved some of the things you find in the first countries like in the West, but we are certainly a lot better. We have seen the quality of what comes out by way of what Nollywood is doing but more importantly, some of the home videos that we see, some of the experimentations and the creativity. I don’t think it’s because we are lacking in terms of the kind of verve that we should bring to creativity. What are missing may be those challenges you find in the environment, infrastructural challenges, may be sometimes security and so on. May be that is what creates the reason why we don’t grow a lot more astronomically than where we are today. We are though, maybe not significantly enough for some people to have that confidence and reassurance, that yes we have what it takes to shoot entirely here. But having said that, for me I think the more you are encouraged to market, the better it gets. And we’ve seen very good examples of commercials that were entirely locally and have been able to win awards and have done very well. So for me whereas it cannot be legislated that people must do their commercial locally, I think corporate organizations and businesses owe it a responsibility to ensure that as much as possible these things are done locally. The government also has a role in this because the entry barrier, the operational barrier is very low and they are not protective of rules and regulations. Well it’s going to make it easy for any body to come here and ride rough shods over us. Well that’s just about film making and shooting commercials. I think there are other issues too where basically we have become a dumping ground for everything. I mean everything that’s fairly used and everything that is second hand. I don’t think it’s the most ideal. So in essence I think we owe it as corporate concern to encourage local industries to grow. I think the government owes it a greater responsibility to do something like legislation, and more importantly to provide an enabling environment. And also as practitioners we owe ourselves and our profession the responsibilities to continue to improve and grow skills in the things that we do. It’s very important. I think really that is the responsibility that we all have, so it’s not a one-sided thing. I think everybody should feature but I do know that the more we patronize things that are done locally the better we get. Look at the bit of animation now, look at the bit of 3Ds; they are very good, like I said you get better at what you do on a continuous basis. And to me I think that’s the most instructive thing. What kind of research data do you use for your media planning? As much as possible we use data that comes from Media Planning Services. In some instances, we’ve had to use more of the data that comes from the monitoring of tracking agencies. In some instances, clients have also been known to commission some specific studies and data that they can also use. So most often it’s a combination approach we use. .A lot more companies are going by the way of data to do their planning and in effect also do their enquiry in terms of media. We still have problems of huge media debts. How do you think this problem can be resolved once and for all? As far as I can remember three or five years ago, the issue of media debts has been there. A lot of media organizations especially the press now look at the client. I don’t think to that extent the debt is significant. In terms of the electronic, I also know that they have their policies in place. My own position is this. There have been debt issues a long time ago, I think from the point where there were re-organisation and cross sectoral groups were put in place to address the issues, which should have taken care of this debt issue and put it behind us three years ago. My understanding is that media organizations and media houses have chosen to do business on what I can call a customized one-on-one approach with different organizations so for instance, a paper like The Guardian will say this one is my policy. And other media organizations have their policies and I don’t think most of these policies are uniform across board. So my understanding then is that they have chosen policies, recognitions to people that they do business with and they have adopted certain strategies that that can always help them minimise the incidence of bad debts. So I honestly don’t see what the big issue about the media debts is in this age and time. Frankly I fail to see it because anybody that has been running business in the last three to five years in this industry or related allied businesses already knows about of this propensity for debts to be there. I know that a lot of individual companies have gone ahead to formulate policies and strategies that raise their heads above the issue of debts and all of that. So if you have somebody owing you as media organization , I want to assume is because to a large extent is based on the understanding that you have with such organization, it’s no longer the case that agencies are able to treat such issues with impunity or such that it doesn’t matter so if somebody defaults you can involve what I can call the spirit of whatever agreement you have so that the money is recovered, but again for me on a general note, I think it’s just technical to the issue of people understanding what their roles are and the obligations that they have. Advertising agencies by nature are agents and as agents what they do is to collect commissions. A client also understands that he has the responsibilities to make payments for whatever it is ordered and agencies should also understand that they are not a bank so they cannot and should not be shouldering responsibilities on behalf of clients beyond what their limits or what their capabilities are. I think everybody will always be able to go home happy if individually they know what their obligations are. So frankly I honestly don’t know why the issue of agency debt is still something that crops up. I honestly don’t understand it at all. What are your views on the peculiarities of the Nigerian advertising industry? I think the most fundamental thing is that the level of those achievements that we have is directly proportional to the level of exposure and adventurism that the client is able to permit. Clients are quick to say you are not creative, you didn’t do this or you didn’t do that. On the other hand, many of them are also conservative. That is on one hand. Then you also to look at the issue of the society. How much understanding do we have, how much education, how much enlightenment do we have that makes it possible for us to be able to operate like some countries like South Africa and Japan. So it’s an industry that has grown significantly but still an industry that has risen above some fundamentals. I think enough needs to be done to reveal the status and stature for the people involved and for the practitioners. I think it’s a matter of having a sense of pride for what you do and substantiate that confidently, “this is the who I am, and this is what I do for living”. Otherwise I don’t think we would have had the volume of these beats that we have, looking at some of the incidents we had losing good hands to some of these banks and other corporate organizations.

Schnellwahl der Infoseiten (Land auswählen und auf OK klicken)

Wenn sie auf dieser Seite einen Link zu ihrer Reiseseite vorschlagen möchten, füllen sie einfach das Kontaktformular aus. Alle seriösen Seiten mit Themen rund ums Reisen können gegen einen Backlink (nicht notwendigerweise das Banner) vorgeschlagen werden. Disclaimer

Partnerseiten:

Reiseberichte aus aller Welt

Reiseberichte reiseberichte.com - aus aller Welt

Reisespinne

ReiseTräume Kapverden + WeltWeit