Renafrique Online - News about Diaspora in the US

News about Diaspora in the US

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Jelani Aliyu, Nigerian Lead Designer of GM Cars

Jelani Aliyu

The United States remains the second largest automobile market in the world, with over 17 million cars registered in 2016, next only to China's 23 million car registration data. Within that statistics is General Motors, the leading US manufacturer with over 17 percent of US car sales. GM has already sold about half a million cars and light trucks since the beginning of 2017 and behind this success is its design concept and the company's innovations and futuristic features carved into their models by leading designers such as Nigerian born, Jelani Aliyu.

Car designers in the highly competitive global industry must rise above regulatory challenges to create some of the best works in modern history. A peep at any recent car prototype exhibition will convince you that only compelling and gifted designers and creators find work in the industry. Indeed, the lead designers are required to be exceptionally creative geeks.

Aliyu, the Lead Exterior Designer at General Motors Corp. in Michigan, USA is a home-grown Nigerian, He was the lead exterior designer for the Pontiac G6 and the latest sensation Chevrolet Volt Electric Car, a hybrid electric vehicle with a sleek, arcing roofline and one of the leading wheels in the next generation of electric cars.

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US Col. Lawrence Anyanwu, Nigerian born Achiever

Col. Lawrence Anyanwu

Colonel Lawrence A. Anyanwu is currently the most senior Nigerian born serving in the US Military. Stationed at the Pentagon, where he is the chief, contingency operations branch, Joint Staff J-8. The J-8 Directorate is charged with providing support to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) for evaluating and developing force structure requirements. J-8 conducts joint, bilateral, and multilateral war games and interagency politico-military seminars and simulations. It develops, maintains, and improves the models, techniques, and capabilities used by the Joint Staff and combatant commands to conduct studies and analyses for CJCS.

Col Anyanwu was previously assigned as commander of the 4th Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) Brigade, a United States Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps brigade based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

He is from Amorji-Ogbe in the Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo, and joined the U.S. Army in 1986 as a private, after spending two years studying Finance and Banking at the Imo State College of Technology in Owerri. He is a Distinguished Military Graduate of the United States Army War College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania with a Master’s Degree in Strategic Studies and also holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Alabama A&M University and a master’s degree in engineering technology from Murray State University in Kentucky.

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Lessons Learned on My Journey Through College
- By Chukwuderah Egbuna

Ms. Chukwuderah Egbuna

The Chinese philosopher, Laozi, once said; "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" and this is often quoted to encourage people who are about to begin a new and possibly difficult phase in their lives; a new job, moving to a new place, starting a family, even beginning the college journey.

I have wondered how adequate these words are to people who have finished this journey. Well done? Congratulations? You finally made it? I told you it won't be hard? The list can go on for quite a while but they offer only temporary reassurance because when one journey ends another one begins.

Being at Luther College is the longest I have ever stayed at a school. At the United World College (UWC) in Costa Rica, I spent two wonderful years in the International Baccalaureate program. My journey at Luther started when my journey at UWC ended. The challenge with spending a short amount of time in a place is that you never fully settle down because you know that at some point, you will move on to the next adventure. Consequently, you soak up as much information and experience as you can while impacting the lives around you. When you leave, you know that you are taking a huge gift with you that no one else has. You also hope that you have left an equal gift with your schoolmates.

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Nigerian Kids Blazing the Trail in US Education

Ugo Ogonuwe and Uwamanzu-Nna in a School District Photo

Ugo Ogonuwe was born in January 2002, to Nigerian immigrants living in the State of Indiana and as typical of the Nigerian population in the US, both parents are well educated with college degrees in different fields. Just as typical, the Ogonuwe children need to excel too so Ugo is only toeing the line when he attains lofty heights in school. He is only toeing the line when he makes his parents proud with excellent academic record especially when that record includes acceptance to all the top ten prep schools across the US.

Ogonuwe is to start his high school education in either the Philips Academy, Andover; the Milton Academy; the Middlesex School; the Groton School and the Deerfield Academy; all elite prep schools in Massachusetts or the Philips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire all of which have offered him admission for the next academic year.

The admission letters from these top institutions tout the schools' reputation and why they are a good fit for Ogonuwe with some of the offers icing it with scholarship awards while others promote the diversity of its student population and achievements.

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4 NIGERIANs Among TOP 100 BLACK LAWYERS in US

Uchechi Amadi-Ihebuzor (Esq), Onome Adejemilua (Esq), Sam Maduegbuna (Esq) and Suleiman Oko-ogua (Esq)

Four Nigerian lawyers in the United States have been named among 2015 top 100 Black Lawyers in the country. The four attorneys, including two females, were honored by The National Black Lawyers- Top 100, an invitation only professional organization comprising top 100 black lawyers and non-blacks who promote diversity and exemplify superior leadership, reputation, influence, and performance in their area of practice.

The selection criteria include:

Reputation among peers, the judiciary, and the public
The previous year's achievements in the practice area of specialty
Board Certifications in area of specialty
Nominations received from leading lawyers, current members and/or our executive committee members
Leadership and membership within other national and state lawyer or specialty organizations, including the National Bar Association (NBA)
Rankings and ratings of the attorney by established associations or organizations

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How Does Trump's Immigration Order Affect Nigerians?

Nigeria's government recently issued a travel advisory to citizens planning a US trip to exercise restraint and travel only if it is absolutely necessary. The advisory, by Abike Dabiri- Erewa, special assistant to President Buhari was purportedly issued because some Nigerians with valid US visas had been denied entry at US ports. The advisory, though countered later by the Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffry Onyeama, on grounds that Nigeria's mission to the US has not reported such incidents to the home government, stems from the issue of US President Trump's immigration policy which remains of utmost concern to the world.

US Port of Champlain and Border Patrol Agent at work, NY courtesy CBP.gov
Nigerians have in recent decades constituted a large majority of African immigrants in the US and can be found in many professions and public services throughout the United States and a ban will impact their ability to travel overseas on vacation, business or simply to visit family in Nigeria. It would also impact the ability to bring one's relations over on visits or for purposes of immigration to the United States.

President Donald Trump who hit the ground running just weeks after inauguration, issued a controversial immigration executive order banning entry into America for 90 days of citizens and refugees from seven Muslim countries that stirred national protests and demonstrations. International reactions to the order and Trump's brash style of governance have been trepid. Nigerians particularly have been active in the social media analyzing and offering interpretations of the order, and circulating stories of Nigerian citizens who have fallen victims of Trump's new policy. It appears that President Trump's first policies have succeeded in spawning widespread apprehension and bitterness over his direction; and has elevated the political divide and social discontentment of Americans to a level never seen in the brand of democratic capitalism practiced by the United States of America. From the news media headlines to images of massive protests circulating on social media, sometimes tending to violence, one would think there is a major social upheaval.

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Trump, Russia and America's Isolationism
- By Victor Anazonwu

After only a few weeks in office, President Donald J. Trump has left no one in doubt about whose side he is on. Apparently in a hurry to fulfill his campaign promises, America's 45th president has upgraded from policy-making via Twitter to leading the world's No 1 democracy via Executive Orders - a constitutional provision originally intended to be used only sparingly and in emergencies. He has rolled out a slew of EOs (his way of by-passing Congress), the most infamous of which slams a 90 day entry ban on nationals of some Muslim-majority countries on the ground of suspicion or fear that they might pose a threat to US homeland security.

President Donald J. Trump
Suddenly, the US is looking like a banana republic with a dictator in charge. It seems that the multi-millionaire businessman who promised to "Make America Great Again" is on a fast track to destroying the American Civilization and handing Vladimir Putin a wild card as the world's Paramount Ruler.

President Trump's definition of "homeland security", consisting the selective exclusion of other nationals from the US even at the risk of global backlash, appears painfully pedestrian and shockingly naive.

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Nigerian Senator Still Faces Drug Charges in US
- Drug Agency Renews Efforts to Extradite Him

Buruji Kashamu, Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria representing Ogun State is still wanted in United States on drug trafficking charges pending since 1998 following the dismissal of his latest appeal by The Seventh Circuit of US Court of Appeals in Illinois.

Senator Buruji Kashamu
In the court ruling issued January 23, 2017, the Justices affirmed earlier Circuit Court decisions that Kashamu must appear in US to answer the charges against him. Kashamu had in previous appeals sought to dismiss the US indictment "on the ground that the doctrine of collateral estoppel barred his prosecution by the United States" basing his argument on an unsuccessful US effort to extradite him from the UK. The Appeal Court however noted that "the English magistrate's refusal to authorize his extradition to the US had been based simply on the Justice department's inability to convince the judge that the person it was seeking to extradite was indeed Kashamu". Thus, the court notes that because the British court did not rule on the innocence or guilt of Kashamu on the US charges, the ruling does not preclude him from answering the charges in US.

Meanwhile, Kashamu who seems to wield some measure of political power in Nigeria, has threatened to fight any effort to apprehend and extradite him. He was quoted by local newspapers as saying that lives would be lost if anyone attempted to physically apprehend him in Nigeria. According to the reports, Kashamu threatened to hire local thugs and vigilante as personal guards who would be prepared to kill his would-be abductors should the situation arise. He claims that Nigerian courts have granted him a perpetual injunction against agents of the Drug Law Enforcement Agency who attempted to apprehend him in 2015. The agency then began an extradition process in local courts.

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Nigeria As China's Dustbin

Dustbin, a Nigerian parlance for garbage, trash or refuse disposal container may become an apt description of the country as a Chinese market outlet, a 170 million strong potential for all kinds of goods from edible items, clothing, car parts, building materials, toys to the most insignificant such as tooth picks.

Nigeria's President Buhari and Chinese Leader Xi
The goods are cheap, cheaper than anything manufactured locally or imported from anywhere else but they are also of very inferior quality. They break apart easily and are sometimes dangerous. There is no doubt that China is one of the most advanced economies in the world, but at the same time, it holds the distinction of being the one most likely to push substandard goods.

The average Nigerians patronize these goods largely because they are gullible and oblivious of the real cost to their health. Others knowingly purchase the items because they are affordable and make the economic hardship more bearable. Then there are the service contractors and traders who peddle these items of low quality simply to rip-off and con unsuspecting customers despite saddling them with fat bills for promised high quality materials. The substandard and dangerous nature of these goods in most cases always outweigh the benefits. That is why these goods cannot be exported to any advanced nation of the world due to local rigorous import regulations and effective enforcement agencies. Only quality Chinese exports make it to the US.

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Obi of Onitsha Urges FGN to Curb Economic Crisis

His Royal Majesty, Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, has traced the root of the worsening economic hardship in Nigeria to the Boko Haram insurgency, Niger Delta militancy, agitation for the sovereign state of Biafra and the effects of the global fall in the price of oil, which is Nigeria's major revenue earner noting that the persistence of these problems aggravate the already precarious economic situation of the country.

Igwe Achebe with guests at the Reception
Speaking to a select group of American and Nigerian professionals, businessmen and investors from across United States at a private reception organized by the law firm of Maduegbuna Cooper LLP in New York on January 26, 2017, Igwe Achebe, though not blaming the present administration in Nigeria for the crisis which existed before the regime's inception, said that since the present leadership campaigned for and got the mandate to change Nigeria, it has an obligation to quickly and positively tackle and resolve the dire economic crisis.

Igwe Achebe further told the group that the country's inflation is currently running at about 18%, the national currency has crashed to close to 500 naira to the dollar in the black market and graduate unemployment is at a crisis level.

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US Supreme Court Admits Nigerian Lawyer

A New York based Nigerian lawyer, Chuma Uwechia, has received the rare honor of admission into the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Uwechia who is also a Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria was among a select group of US attorneys admitted to the Bar of United States highest court on Wednesday, October 5, 2016. The attorneys were sworn in by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts during a full court session in Washington DC preceding oral arguments in the insider trading case of Salman v. United States, Docket No. 15-628.

US Sepreme Court Images - Courtesy of https://www.supremecourt.gov
Attorneys of the Supreme Court Bar enjoy exclusive privileges to file and argue cases before the justices and attend Supreme Court sessions closed to the public. Only admitted lawyers, irrespective of state bar affiliations receive such privileges. The U.S. Supreme Court is the highest tribunal in the nation for all cases and controversies arising under the Constitution or the laws of the United States. The Court stands as the final arbiter of the law and guardian of constitutional liberties.

To become a member, applicants must be sponsored by a current member of the Bar; have at least three years of experience practicing law in a US state, commonwealth, or territory of the United States; and appear to the court to be of good moral and professional character.

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US Oil Imports from Nigeria Drops by $30Billion

The United States oil Imports from Nigeria has dropped from over 30 billion US dollars a year to a mere 1.1 billion over the last five years, according to US Census Bureau statistics. US crude oil imports from Nigeria amounted to about 35 billion in 2008; 27 billion in 2010 and 31 billion dollars in 2011 but the value of oil imports from Nigeria dropped to a mere 1.1 billion in 2015.

President Buhari
In all, total imports from Nigeria dropped to less than 2billion dollars in 2015 from about 30 billion in 2006. While the value of imports, especially crude oil is impacted by the recent lag in international oil price, US producers have over these years ramped up local production of oil which contributed to an international glut since the biggest consumer in the world now needs less imports. Also, the Middle East crisis, and black market deals coming out of the war zone worsened by the return of Iranian oil to international market have been contributing factors to the downturn for Nigeria which depends mostly on oil.

The trade data for the first half of this year also indicate reduced trade between the two countries especially a significant reduction of US exports to Nigeria, perhaps impacted by the foreign exchange crunch in the country as well as Nigerians shift to Asian imports.

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Can Nigeria's Fuel Crisis
Ever End?
- What is Buhari Doing?

From the air, as your plane approaches Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the first thing you will notice is the long and snaky line of cars stretching some miles back from fuel stations and into numerous side streets. Like a giant python, you will see the head of the snaky line choking off the fuel station, with haphazard and disorderly packed cars. Crowd of pedestrian mill around the fuel outlet with numerous cans littering the premises. And then, you get hit with the sudden realization that the usually busy streets are devoid of moving vehicular traffic. The country is once again caught in the throes of a painful fuel scarcity.

Nigerians have found humour in the crisis as shown in this image circulating soicial media
On a lighter mood, a picture of an expatriate Caucasian precariously perched on okada (motor bike), sandwiched between the driver and mobile police guard, makes the round on social media. While cartoonists and comedians have found ample material from the situation to feed the imagination, it remains a perennial problem for Nigeria. Despite promises by government after government one of the world's leading exporters of oil cannot find enough for its people.

Prices of commodities and services have shot up as a result and some businesses, cultural and educational institutions have been intermittently shut due to the biting effects. Nigerians who rely on fuel to power their electricity generators to run their businesses and homes, due to the nation's erratic power supply, have been gnashing their teeth in anger.

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NNPC Fails to Remit Billions of Oil Money to Govt. Treasury

United STATES Finance Industry agency, Bloomberg reports that Nigeria's National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC is currently in an audit quagmire over huge revenue totaling about $6.3 billion from oil most of which the company failed to remit to public treasury.

NNPC
This is "despite President Muhammadu Buhari's anti-corruption stance, according to a report by the National Resource Governance Institute (NRGI)." Bloomberg reports.

NNPC is said to have sold about $6.3 billion worth of oil in the second half of last year but remitted only $2.1 billion to the Treasury according to Bloomberg quoting authors Aaron Sayne and Alexandra Gillies in a report by the London-based group.

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Nigeria Faces Greater Crisis with Oil Price, the Naira's Fall

Nigeria's apex bank, Central Bank of Nigeria, publishes foreign currency exchange rates daily and its recent figures have consistently shown over 100 percent disparity in what actually obtains. While the bank indicates a rate of between 196 to 198 naira to the United States dollar, Nigerian travelers and business men can only dream of these figures. The real life rate hovers between 300 and 400 naira to the dollar and is fixed at the whim of black market operators. The CBN is simply playing ostrich with its figures.

Nigeria
The demand for foreign currency far outstrips the supply and people are fully experiencing the impact, from markets, to offices, taxis, and street corners. In the minds of many, the US dollar has become a currency of first choice but the supply is just not there. If Nigerians could abandon the naira completely they would have done so a long time ago.

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How IGR Can Save Nigerian States from Present Hardship

The cliché "there are only two certainties in life: death and taxes" just assumed greater validity in Nigeria. Death is ever present. But taxes or internally generated revenue (IGR), which nearly vanished with the flush of oil money, is regaining currency as a pedestal for governance and development. Until now, the value of IGR in Nigeria remained in the realm of things we know but pretend not to know.

President Buhari
Long neglected, IGR has suddenly regained currency as a forced choice and hard-edged necessity. Faced with prospect of empty treasuries, unpaid salaries, and bankruptcy, most Nigerian States are scurrying to find alternative sources of revenue rather than wait for the fast dwindling Federation Account disbursements. Those states still able to pay salaries on time are bragging, others are borrowing yet IGR remains a pressing policy challenge.

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Before We Resurrect Biafra, The Facts, The Myth

When the Nigeria Civil War ended in 1970, the country's military government then led by General Yakubu Gowon proclaimed that there was no victor and no vanquished and began a process of rehabilitation aimed at reintegrating the largely Igbo population that made up the dissident Biafra into the Nigerian community. To Gowon's credit, despite losing the war to secede from Nigeria, no Igbo was brought to trial or executed for his role in the Biafra cause. The Igbo were not restricted to the Eastern parts of the country nor was their freedom curtailed in the aftermath but things had changed. The civil service and top government positions they abandoned in the flight for dear life during the 1966 pogrom had been taken over by members of other ethnic groups, mostly northerners and the Yoruba and these government positions would elude the Igbo for many years to come. The Igbo had been badly bruised and scarred by the defeat of Biafra and they have remained with that scar for more than 45 years since.

Ojukwu as Biafran Leader and Gowon as Nigeria's Head of State
Now there is a renewed agitation for secession led by the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and a splinter group named Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB). The resurgent agitation has become a leading subject of commentaries on Nigerian affairs. Generally, many of the protagonists and antagonists of Biafra have largely authored their commentaries from deeply seated emotions, sometimes with bile, but with little or no generally accepted facts in support. A good majority of the observed writers who anchor their work on the historical civil war, appears too young to be eye witness narrators of the event they write about. They place reliance on the oral and written accounts of others for their opinions but the down side of such reliance is that every written account of Biafra has been challenged and discountenanced by other writers, while reliance on oral but unverified accounts remains just a myth.

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News Archives

UNESCO and Endangered Igbo language
- By Chuma Uwechia, Esq

The picture is grim and worrisome. But unfortunately a lot of people and governments seem not bothered that most indigenous languages ...
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How 3-D Printing Can Boost Nigeria's Economy
- By Prof. Brando Okolo (3-D Expert, CTO and Founder at Indmatec GmbH; Professor of Materials Science and Engineering as well as Entrepreneurship and Business Planning - Karlsruhe Germany)

It is still the case that when Nigeria heaves a sigh the rest of Africa waits for what comes next. Nigeria is an African "big-brother" recently surpassing South Africa as ...
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Nigeria's Victories, Challenges and Novelties of 2015

The year 2015 was very remarkable for Nigeria. It was the year the country witnessed a peaceful transition from one civilian government to another; the year Buhari made history as the first opposition candidate in Africa to defeat an incumbent president, Goodluck Jonathan, in a presidential election. The election was more remarkable when President Goodluck Jonathan honorably conceded and accepted the result.
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Obaze's Collection of Poems, exquisite snapshots of the past, present and future
- By Emeka Aniagolu

I have always had a hard time writing poetry, committing to paper poetic epitaphs, epigrams, short or long hands of reminiscent thoughts, ...
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What Does IRS Want with Your Nigerian Bank Account?

Do you own a bank account outside the US? Do you own assets, financial or other in Nigeria or other countries? Do you know that the US laws require such assets and...
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Is Buhari Failing on Boko Haram Promise?

Nigeria's president Mohammadu Buhari was largely elected early this year on his strongman image, his persona as an anti-corruption crusader...
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Helen Mukoro, The Nigerian Who Wants To Rule Spain
- By Augustine Sam

When Spain goes to the polls this December, Nigeria's Helen Mukoro will be flying the flag as "presidential candidate" of one of the political parties...
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Reprieve for Nigerian Nurses Seeking UK Jobs

Nigerian Nurses seeking entry into the United Kingdom's health sector may have an easier access to jobs following a decision by Her majesty's Government to temporarily lift restrictions on recruitment of nurses from non-European countries to beef up shortages and needs in the country's medical facilities.
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Nigerians Mark 55th Independence in New York

Nigerians in United States put up a show October 24 in Manhattan, New York City as part of activities marking the country's 55th independence celebrations....
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ANPA Offers Free Health Check at Nigeria Day Celebrations

Association of Nigerian Physicians, ANPA, will be offering free health checks and screenings during the Nigerian Independence Day celebrations in New York organized under the aegis of Organization for the Advancement of Nigerians, OAN, on October 24.
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Nigeria's Electricity Situation Remains Hopeless
- Still lights out for 20 hours a day

On his inauguration in May, Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari described the power supply situation in the country as shameful noting that the country spent about twenty billion US dollars on the power sector since 1999 and achieved very little to improve electricity supply to the people. ...
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World Bank, Bill Gates Commit 2.6 Million USD for Agric Research In Nigeria

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Bank have just issued a U.S.$ 2,600,000 grant to Nigeria's Ministry of Finance to fund a series of agriculture data surveys in the country under the program "on Improving the Quality and Policy Relevance of Household-Level Data on Agriculture in SubSaharan Africa". ...
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Nigeria, Below UNESCO Standards for Education Funding

Financing of Education by the government of Nigeria remains below international threshold, Mr. Oseloka H. Obaze, the immediate past secretary to the Anambra State Government has observed. In a keynote Address at the 19th Annual Convention of the Christ the King College Onitsha (CKC) Alumni Association in the Americas, held recently in Oakland, California, Mr. Obaze noted that the financing of education in Nigeria remains well below the 26% of GDP recommended by UNESCO. ...
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Nigerian Heart Doctor Writes from the Heart
-Dr. Fidelis Mkparu - Love's Affliction

Dr. Fidelis Mpkaru has a successful cardiology practice in Alliance Ohio where he strives to be a "model of excellence" and commit fully to his patients' care. ...
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Dubai, New York and London, How Nigerian Airports Compare
-A travel journal by Chizitalu Uwechia, London, UK

Dubai is arguably one of the most luxurious cities in the world. It has consistently grown as a top hotspots for travelers who want to enjoy the glitz and allure of the modern, yet unique atmosphere it offers. ...
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BVN Headache Over for Diaspora Nigerians
-Central Bank Opens Centers in US, UK, India, China, UAE, and South Africa

Nigerians outside the shores of the country will now be able to obtain Bank Verification Numbers, BVN, for bank accounts held in Nigeria in compliance with recent Central bank of Nigeria requirements without travelling back home....
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US States Issue Licenses to Illegal Immigrants, Despite Controversy

Immigration reform has been a thorny issue in US politics in recent years with conservative and liberal leadership taking opposing positions on finding a legal path for undocumented immigrants. It has also become a major issue in the 2016 presidential race, especially given the fiery comments of billionaire Donald Trump of the Republican Party. Donald Trump's unfiltered comments against illegal immigration has made him a leading light for many opposed to immigration just as well as it made him the cannon fodder of the season's Republican campaign.
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Obama and His African Brothers
-By Victor Anazonwu

An African proverb says, "When a child is excited and repeatedly pointing in one direction, look closely; you will either find his mother or father there." President Barak Obama's African shuttles, four at the last count and the most by a sitting American president, is an obvious testament to his natural interest in the affairs of his father's home continent. What is not so obvious is the impact of this interest on a continent...
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Nigeria Worse off With Iran Nuclear Deal
-Oil Revenue to slide further

Nigerians should brace for harder times with expected further reduction in the country's capacity to earn income from oil, the nation's primary source of revenue...
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Buhari Should Seek Mutual Path with Washington
-By Oseloka Obaze

Attentive Nigerians should be considering the import of President Buhari's visit to Washington and possible outcomes. For the trip, the President should have a diplomatic bucket list aimed at quid pro quos. The Washington trip is propitious in view of the premise enunciated by Ambassador Bulus Lolo, the Permanent Secretary in the Foreign Ministry, that the visit "is not an expression of romance... but a crystallisation of...
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Osadebe's Son Toes Father's Line in Style

Okwy Patrick Osadebe, son of the late highlife maestro Chief Osita Osadebe, is toeing his father's musical line...
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Nigerian States' Fiscal Crisis Caused By Irresponsibility
-By Oseloka Obaze, Former Anambra Secretary to Government

In life and statecraft, there comes a time when delusion meets with reality. And so it is now, for twenty-eight Nigerian States...
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Nail Art, a Growing Fad for Ladies, & Gents?

London-based Nigerian nail artist and Instagram blogger, Babez recently published...
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US Wants to Abduct Me Illegally, Claims Nigerian Senator Kashamu in US law Suit

Buruji Kashamu, Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria representing Ogun State in the new National Assembly...
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Couple Revive African Culture in an American Wedding

Abington, a city in Massachusetts, witnessed what could easily pass as an Igbo traditional marriage in full display...
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Wana Sambo, Nigeria's Rising Fashion Star

Sambo studied International Relations and Diplomacy at Igbinedion University, Edo state where she started "Wana Sambo Clothing Company"...
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Nigeria's Poor Power Supply a Shame, says President Buhari

Nigeria spent about twenty billion US dollars on the power sector since 1999 and achieved very little to improve...
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Nigerians Will Gauge Buhari's Direction by His Cabinet, says Oyebode

Nigerians will be able to predict the actual direction of Buhari's incoming government when he unveils...
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Nigerians, Most Educated In US

Dr. Ken and his wife Elizabeth share about 20 years of college education between them, from his years of medical college...
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Can Buhari's Men Emulate Obiano's Example?

The recent disclosure by Willie Obiano, the Anambra State Governor, who has been donating his salary to a church...
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WETATI, Summit to Empower Women

Women Empowered to Achieve the Impossible, WETATI, a diversity conscious, leadership & business development network for women will hold its first International Women's Summit aimed at empowering women in developing countries in August...
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Buhari Plans Anti-Corruption Tribunal

Nigeria's new president, General Muhammadu Buhari may be considering setting up a special tribunal to probe and try corrupt...
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High Expectations for Buhari's Inauguration

In light of the biting fuel crisis which has brought the nation to her knees recently and the emerging information that the nation...
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Democracy Wins Big in Nigeria's Election

Democracy is the biggest winner in the just concluded Nigeria's Presidential election with so many firsts...
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Nigerians of the Diaspora Dr. Vincent Ahonkhai, Medicine and Philanthropy

Dr. Vincent Ahonkhai is one of the most successful Nigerian researchers and doctors in the Diaspora. He is currently Senior Advisor...
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Oil Industry Executive Dr. Kase Lawal, Oil and Gas

Dr. Kase Lukman Lawal is the Chief Executive Officer of Houston-based CAMAC Energy, one of the largest black-owned businesses in the U.S...
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Election Progress and challenges as Nigeria Votes - By Victor Anazonwu (Lagos)

Despite rampant technical and logistic hitches, Nigeria's highly anticipated and closest-fought elections in many years...
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Voter Distribution Favors Buhari -Jonathan holds the surprise card

Nigeria's election outcome will likely be determined by voter distribution as indicated by the Independent Electoral..
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Anambra Plans Modern Theme Park at Ogbunike Cave

Government of Anambra State of Nigeria has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a private developer, Africa Project..
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Nigeria Still Ranks High in Corruption Ahead of Elections

Nigeria's presidential election Holds this February amidst hopes by many ordinary folks that things...
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17 Million Nigerians Abroad Can't Vote for Jonathan, Buhari

Nigeria's presidential election campaign seems to have gone international with Buhari's recent appearance and speech...
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Nigerians Abroad Send Home $21 Billion

Nigerians living abroad sent home about twenty-one billion dollars ($21billion) to family and for various projects in 2013, a sum...
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Buhari Causes a Shift in Nigeria's Election Discuss

Could a quiet but seismic change in the dialectics of Nigerian politics from the traditional tribal North-South alignment...
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Fact Sheet on Obama's Immigration Order
-How Does it Affect You?

President Obama's Immigration Accountability Executive Actions is designed to fix U.S. broken immigration system...
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For many Nigerian girls in Italy, dreams die first

Under the rolling hills of Colli Euganei-a group of volcanic hills that arise almost like an archipelago, from the Po-Venetian plain, through...
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V-SAX, Nigerian Sax Wiz

Houston-born Victor Oyedeji, AKA, Mr. V-Sax, has created his own genre of sax performance, shifting from the classical to modern hip hop, R&B..
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Ebola: How the Gates Foundation Saved Nigerian Lives

On July 20 Nigeria was thrown into an Ebola crisis by a Liberian air traveler, Patrick Sawyer, who brought the disease into the country throwing everyone into panic on the potential damage of an epidemic spreading through the close to 200 million people of the country...
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