LAGOS (AFP) – A Nigerian court on Thursday said intelligence agents broke the law when they seized the passport of ousted central bank governor Lamido Sanusi and ordered the government to pay damages and publicly apologise.
Sanusi was suspended on February 20, less than four months before his terms was set to expire, after accusing the powerful state oil firm of stealing nearly $20 billion (14.5 billion euros) of public funds.
Hours after the suspension was announced, Sanusi returned to Lagos from a regional bankers meeting in Niger and was met by intelligence agents at the airport who confiscated his passport.
The ex-central bank boss immediately filed a complaint claiming that his rights had been breached.
At a hearing at the Federal High court in Lagos, judge Ibrahim Buba ruled that the actions of the Directorate of State Services (DSS) “deserve condemnation†and ordered it to return Sanusi’s passport immediately.
The DSS “has no power to seize the passport of any citizen†without due process, Buba added.
He ordered Nigeria to pay Sanusi 50 million naira ($300,000) in damages and issue a public apology.
Defending the DSS actions, justice ministry lawyers suggested that Sanusi’s passport was taken because there was evidence that he had financed terrorism.
Buba said the state lawyers had mentioned the allegation as “an afterthoughtâ€, noting that Sanusi has not been charged with any crimes.
President Goodluck Jonathan said Sanusi was removed for “financial recklessnessâ€, allegations the ex-central bank boss has fiercely denied.
Sanusi, whose tenure had been applauded by economists in Nigeria and abroad, has said he was removed because of his vocal criticism of government corruption and perceptions that he was loyal to leading opposition figures.
Last month, lawmakers approved the former head of Zenith Bank Godwin Emefiele as the new central bank chief.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The mother of Nollywood’s ‘bad boy’ actor, Jim Iyke, has died, according to reports. Jim’s mother passed away on Monday, April 1 in Abija, Nigeria.
Nigerian entertainment news website, Nigeriafilms.com quoted a close family source as saying: “Yes, Jim Iyke’s mother is dead, but she didn’t die on April 1 as it is being widely reported. The old woman died last Monday in Abuja.”
The actor’s mother, according reports, passed away at the Garki Hospital in Abuja after suffering a stroke. “She died of stroke. The woman has been sick for some time now and has been staying with Jim Iyke in Abuja,” the source told codewit.com.
Jim’s mother is said to have undergone several surgeries in the UK and India before her untimely death.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that Jim Iyke, born James Ikechukwu Esomugha, flew into Nigeria from Ghana last week after he received the shock news but it is unclear if he is still in Nigeria. Story by Ghana
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Abia Governor, chief Theodore Orji has signed the 2014 budget of 115.3 billion naira into law. The Abia state chief executive had on the 30th of December 2013 presented a budget outlay of 149.6 billion naira to the state house of Assembly followed by a breakdown of the outlay by the state commissioner for Finance in January this year. However the state legislature after assessing the budget reduced it. Speaker of the state house of Assembly, Rt. Hon Ude Okochukwu explained that the adjustment became necessary following harmonization of policy thrust of MDAs with actual appropriation submitted to the house He said that the 2014 Appropriation law is carefully crafted in the context of medium term expenditure framework which takes cognizance of projections for years 2014 -2016 and in line with the state government’s avowed effort to ensure that the 2014 budget complies with International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS). The speaker pointed out that that the budget is expected to accelerate the completion of all on-going legacy projects in various sector s of the Abia economy, expand the revenue base of the state, integrate the structure of the state chart of Accounting into budgeting and budgeting control mechanisms among others.
He charged all implementing organs of government to strictly see to it that none of the budget’s approved provisions is circumvented. Giving his accent to the law at the Executive Council Chambers of the Government house, Governor Orji commended the house of Assembly for painstakingly and speedily passing it and assured that the budget will be implemented. He disclosed that he has authorized the harmonization of all revenues and for all taxes and revenues to be paid directly through the banks.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
A few years back in Nigeria, the stern-face of popular actor, Hanks Anuku adorned many film jackets.
But that is no more the case as no one knows if the face of Hanks Anuku can still sell even a local community film this time around.
He was made the Special Adviser to Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State on Tourism and Entertainment in 2010, but he later left the job.
After that, he was in the news for being delivered from alcohol and mental illness by Prophet TB Joshua, he later moved to Ghana after the incident.
Some days ago, Nigeriafilms.com met him in Ghana and he had a short interview with us, where he explained the reason behind his relocation to the West African country.
Why did you leave Nigeria for Ghana Yea, as you can see, I am in Ghana now. It was a decision I made to get a few things for myself and to get closer to God because so many things happened to me in Nigeria that I was not happy about.
Does that mean you wouldn’t have been closer to God if you were in Nigeria
I would always have time for anybody and appreciate the presence of a man or woman of substance.
What do you do here presently Apart from filmmaking, I am into the development of grassroots’ talents in music and filmmaking.
How is that going It has been very great. Are Ghanaians embracing you You know, love thy neighbour like thyself is my tool across the Nile unto Jericho. I think everybody loves me. I don’t know who the enemy is. So, whoever the enemy is, I am sorry, I forgive all haters. That is what it is.
Should your fans in Nigeria be expecting something from you soon
Well, everything depends on God. He is my provider. If God wants me to go to Nigeria, no problem, I mean, as long as you are serious with the job
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Washington (AFP) – The United States warned Russia Thursday not to use energy costs as an instrument of political coercion, after Moscow scrapped its last gas price discounts for Ukraine.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev earlier announced the move, effectively raising the price by $100 to $485 for every 1,000 cubic meters of gas.
Asked about the decision, White House spokesman Jay Carney warned “markets should determine energy prices.”
“A country should not use supply and pricing terms as tools of coercion to interfere in Ukraine or anywhere else,” he said.
He said Washington was encouraging its allies on Ukraine’s western borders to reverse natural gas flows to let the Kiev government access more supplies if needed.
Carney’s warning mirrored that of Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday before Russia’s latest move as he attended a US-EU Energy Council meeting in Brussels.
“No nation should use energy to stymie a people’s aspirations,” Kerry said.
In another sign of Moscow’s pressure on Ukraine, Russian energy giant Gazprom demanded that Ukraine’s Naftogaz take immediate steps to pay for previous gas deliveries, valued at over $2.2 billion.
Tensions between Moscow and Kiev are running high after a pro-Western government came to power in Kiev following the fall of president Viktor Yanukovych and Russia seized the Crimea peninsula
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
KUALA LUMPUR/BEIJING (Reuters) – China demanded that Malaysia ensures the safety of its nationals on Thursday, after armed men abducted two women, a Chinese tourist and a Philippine hotel worker, from a Malaysian diving resort on Borneo island.
The unidentified gunmen kidnapped the two women on Wednesday night from Singamata island off the coastal town of Semporna in Malaysia’s eastern state of Sabah.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The story of the first-generation Ghanian-American student accepted by all eight Ivy league schools is wonderful, but it also stirs up the tension between black Americans and recent African immigrants — especially when you describe him as “not a typical African-American kid.” That’s been the reaction to USA Today‘s profile on Kwasi Enin, a Long Island high schooler who got into the nation’s most competitive schools through hard work and, according to IvyWise CEO Katherine Cohen, being African (and being male). At one point the piece reads:
Being a first-generation American from Ghana also helps him stand out, Cohen says. “He’s not a typical African-American kid.”
“Not a typical African-American kid” is being read as an allusion to the lazy black American stereotype. The tension comes from the fact that some African immigrants buy into that stereotype, which gets turned into “Africans don’t like black people.” This has almost nothing to do with Enin, who is obviously a remarkable young man, and everything to do with how America perceives and portrays black Americans and African immigrants.
In January, Luvvie Ajayi, a Nigerian-born immigrant, tried to explain “akata,” a word some Nigerians use to refer to black Americans that translates into wild animal. (Note: A lot of Nigerians use akata to mean “ghetto” as well. My mom once told me I was dressed like an akata girl because I wanted to wear sweatpants in public.) She argued in a series of tweets, collected by Clutch, that the reason some Africans believe black Americans should be doing better is because they don’t know about the history of black Americans but see their own success as a reason blacks should excel as well. “Africans who come to the U.S. are statistically more successful than African Americans and they think ‘if I could do it, why not them?'” she wrote.
American society holds that same view as well. A 2007 study covered by the Washington Post found that a quarter of black students admitted to elite colleges were African immigrants, though they only represented 13 percent of America’s college-age black population. The study’s authors several theories on why black immigrants do better, including “to white observers black immigrants seem more polite, less hostile, more solicitous and ‘easier to get along with.’ Native blacks are perceived in precisely the opposite fashion.”
Lani Guinier, a Harvard professor, argued instead that schools were attempting to “resolve historic wrongs against native black Americans by enrolling immigrants who look like them” but had different experiences.“In part, it has to do with coming from a country … where blacks were in the majority and did not experience the stigma that black children did in the United States,” Guinier said. Either explanation creates a divide — as if Africans can only succeed at the expense of black Americans, or vice versa
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
After her exhubby Tchidi Chikere took to Twitter yesterday to embarrass her, Sophia released her reply to him, exclusively through Linda Ikeji’s blog. And in it, she revealed another side to the already ugly story. Worst part was reading that her innocent kids are being asked about this at school, that their sons’ schoolmates are also discussing this. You can’t even imagine how embarassing this is for the poor boys.
Here’s Sophia’s reply:
…Tchidi Chikere, I read all you said about me and I laugh. Is that the best way to justify yourself? It is well. I will not exchange words with you still because there is nothing you say or write about me that will shake me because those that put their trust in God, He never fails them. Why are you lying to people? For them to turn around and clap for you and justify what you did? Is it because people who know the truth are saying it and it’s hurting you and you are now looking for a way to justify yourself. I give 10 years of my life and this is how you repay me? By disrespecting me and my family?
You said I used juju to marry you. If truly I and my family used juju to hold you, let God who sees everything judge me and you. You bring money for the upkeep of your kids and you are writing about it? Like seriously, are they not your kids? Whose responsibility is that? And who is disputing that with you? You said since you married me that I have not given you no love, no affection etc but you forgot the interview you granted to Punch newspaper in 2011 saying that I am the best thing that have happened to you.
You said I never had time for you? When you are always filming in the east and I won’t see you in months. I played the role of father and mother to the kids…and I laughed the more when I saw where you wrote that I didn’t feed you for 5 days.. Is this all in desperation to justify yourself? Wow!!
You said marriages are not contracted on the pages of newspaper and granting interviews yet you people have been granting interviews upon interviews since 2012.. Have I said anything against you? But I won’t say anything against you. Keep saying lies about me thinking you can tarnish my image by putting up this childish and immature behavior. Even if you say that I am a prostitute tomorrow or a thief, people who know the truth know the truth and God knows everything and sees the heart and he will pay everybody back according to our deeds. So am not shaking!!
I will never say anything against you to gain favour from people! No you can’t hide pregnancy. I gave you my life for 12 years, gave you 3 lovely boys, gave you a home. And you always say to me then, I was a good wife to you and you know it. I was loyal to you and never cheated on you. I swallowed and stomached so many things just to make my marriage work. I turned deaf ears to so many things and covered my eyes to so many things. I remember all the stories I heard about your escapades with other women, but did I leave you? I stayed with you because marriage is for better or worse and when you started your affair with Nuella in 2010, what did you say to me when I confronted you? I stayed, endured and prayed every night.
Have you forgotten the day I almost committed suicide? The first time you left me and the kids? I wanted to end my life but God saved me. Even as you left us in 2012, I keep saying to people that my marriage is intact and I never changed my name from Sophia Tchidi Chikere till date. Have you not done enough to me?
You are married now and still I wish you and your new wife well. Why can’t you leave me alone to face my children and fill up the vacuum this has created in their lives? You say such evil things against their mother and they are hearing it from their schoolmates. Their schoolmates are talking about it and asking them questions everyday and yet your not satisfied. You claim you kept quiet because of them, yet you have been talking and tarnishing my image since 2012? Yet I kept mute. I have not and will never say anything bad against you. Vengeance is of the Lord, unless he is not on the throne.
You put up my pictures with my friend to use against me? You want to use it to justify what you did to me? What you put me through for years? You said he is my boyfriend that I go to see in London and I ask you Tchidi, when I was with you, did I not go to London 2 or 3 times yearly to buy clothes for my boutique? Everybody knows that I am a business woman and I buy my products from London and America. And so because I have a friend in London, I now go there just to see him?
Lol He is my friend, my pal, my buddy and my best friend. We started being good friends in 2013 after Chidi left me and ended our marriage. He is someone that is very close to me and my confidant. All these years I have had women as best friends and they all betrayed me, and I decided to have a guy as my best friend. We go everywhere together and he assists me in shopping and buying things for my shop etc I can’t deny him. He is my friend. People that know me very well will tell you that I love taking pictures and so we took lots of pictures and the guy posted it on his Facebook page and some people copied it and started posting it online. I have also kept mute about it and I would have still keep mute if not that Tchidi raises it and wanted to use it to tarnish my name. But is well.
My kids read what their daddy wrote about me and they asked me to respond and tell the whole world that you are wonderful mother and that they know and they are seeing everything and won’t say anything till they grow up! So am responding to this because of my three lovely boys that I live for, that am blessed with.
I want to beg Tchidi to please allow me to concentrate and train my kids with God’s grace and help. I wish him the best in his new marriage. I bless his new marriage with his new wife and I wish them well. This will be my last statement. Even if Chidi pulls the mountain to paint me black.. I will not respond again.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
NEW YORK (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union’s primary work is litigation, but this month it’s moonlighting as a wedding planner as part of its role in the campaign to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide.
The beneficiaries are five gay and lesbian couples from across the U.S. who, out of a field of some 400 entries, were announced Wednesday as winners of the ACLU’s My Big Gay (Il)Legal Wedding contest.
Each couple lives in a state where same-sex marriage is outlawed. They will get logistical and financial help — up to $5,000 — from the ACLU to get married the week of April 28 in one of the 17 states, plus Washington D.C., which do allow gay marriage.
The contest, launched in December, has coincided with a surge of court victories for supporters of same-sex marriage in several states that currently ban it. Federal judges have struck down bans in Michigan, Utah, Texas, Oklahoma and Virginia, and ordered Kentucky and Tennessee to recognize out-of-state gay marriages, though stays have been issued pending appeals.
James Esseks, director of the ACLU’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Project, said the wedding contest highlights the type of problems faced by gay couples in the nearly 30 states where marriage-equality lawsuits have been filed.
“We live in this crazy time, with a patchwork of protections, where you can go across the border and get married,” he said. “The problem is that when you turn around and go back, you’re not going to be considered married by your home states. That’s not the way it should work in America.”
The winners were selected by contest organizers from among the 25 couples who received the most votes in online balloting. The ACLU said nearly 200,000 votes were cast. The winners:
—Jeromy Manke and Brian Jensen of Reno, Nev. Jensen, a hair stylist, and Manke, a human resources consultant, have been engaged since June 2012 and plan a California wedding at nearby Lake Tahoe.
—Tamara Sheffield and Maryja Mee of Salisbury, N.C. They’ve been a couple since meeting in college 24 years ago, and have become activists in the quest to legalize same-sex marriage in North Carolina.
—Humberto Niebla and Rafael Vasquez of Paradise Valley, Ariz. The couple, who have been dating for six years, expressed hope of having a 1920s-themed beachfront wedding in California.
—Jeff Robertson and Jeremiah Pyant of Houston. Pyant, a flight attendant, and Robertson, an ad executive, met four years ago aboard a plane that Pyant was working on. They got engaged in December and hope to marry aboard a hot air balloon taking off from Texas, where same-sex marriage is banned, and flying over the border into New Mexico, where it’s legal.
—Megan and Lindsey Smith of Chattanooga, Tenn. Megan, a real estate agent and insurance broker, and Lindsey, a nurse, met three years ago, and since then have founded an advocacy group called Tennessee Marriage Equality. Lindsey also recently changed her last name as a show of commitment; she had entered the contest as Lindsey Wagoner.
The couple had a wedding celebration in Chattanooga on Sunday, even though Tennessee doesn’t recognize gay marriages, and they plan to be legally wed in a few weeks in Washington, D.C., outside the U.S. Supreme Court building.
“It was beautiful,” Megan said of Sunday’s event. “But according to Tennessee, we’re still legal strangers to each other.”
Dozens of the couple’s close friends and family members were on hand for the celebration, but there was a notable absence — Megan’s father, who is a minister. “He was worried about what his church would do,” she said.
For all the couples, the fast pace of gay-marriage litigation has added some extra excitement to the wedding planning.
“As soon as we entered the contest, the court decisions started coming out,” said Jeff Robertson. “We’re living a civil rights movement right before our eyes.”
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Following its controversial annexation of Crimea, Russia has claimed that it is now withdrawing troops from its border with Ukraine, but NATO officials have expressed doubts that the military power will pull back anytime soon.
“Unfortunately, I cannot confirm that Russia is withdrawing its troops,” NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said today, as quoted by CNN. “And this massive military buildup can in no way contribute to a de-escalation of the situation.”
The current geopolitical chess match in Crimea and Ukraine shines a bright light on NATO and its historical role as a counterweight to Russian aggression. [The 10 Epic Battles That Changed History]
What is NATO?
NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, formed in 1949 as the clouds of World War II still hung over much of Europe.
After the Soviet Union blocked Allied access to parts of Berlin in 1948, and Germany was split into two separate nations, the United States and European nations (including France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Italy and Iceland) responded by signing the North Atlantic Treaty.
The treaty states that member nations will respond collectively to an attack against any individual NATO member. Participating countries are not obligated to respond with military force, but can choose to support other members with political, economic or other forms of aid.
NATO’s mission
“NATO’s essential purpose is to safeguard the freedom and security of its members through political and military means,” the Brussels-based group’s website states.
NATO has also expressed a commitment to “democratic values” and the sharing of resources that will enhance the defense and security of member nations by preventing conflict.
But the group’s embrace of military action is unambiguous: “If diplomatic efforts fail, it has the military capacity needed to undertake crisis-management operations,” the website states.
Who’s in NATO?
Currently, NATO membership stands at 28 nations. The original members from 1949 are Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States.
In the years since those founding members signed, seven additional nations have joined NATO: Greece, Turkey, Germany, Spain, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.
In 2004, one year after NATO took command of the coalition of nations fighting in Afghanistan, another set of countries joined: Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. In 2009, Albania and Croatia gained membership.
Besides its 28 member nations, NATO has strategic partnerships with other countries through its “Membership Action Plan,” which offers assistance and advice to nations seeking membership in NATO. Four countries are currently trying to join NATO through those plans: Georgia, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Montenegro and the Macedonian Republic.
NATO and Ukraine
For years, Ukraine and NATO have been slow dancing toward membership, but it’s been a complicated pas de deux. In 1997, a formal NATO-Ukraine Commission was created within NATO to facilitate efforts toward membership. In addition to staging joint military exercises, Ukraine joined NATO’s anti-piracy missions in the Indian Ocean in 2013.
But Ukraine also has a long-standing relationship with Russia, and the two associations are somewhat incompatible: Russia has consistently opposed NATO expansion, which the country views as an economic, political and military threat.
In 2010, Viktor Yanukovych won the presidency of Ukraine. As part of his pro-Russian agenda, Yanukovych declared that Ukraine would no longer pursue NATO membership, instead strengthening bonds with Russia.
Russia and NATO
Yanukovych’s ouster in a February 2014 coup triggered a hard-hitting Russian response, which included annexation of the Crimean peninsula, formerly part of Ukraine. Russia has also announced a sharp increase in the price Ukraine would pay for Russian natural gas ($385.50 per 1,000 cubic meters, up from $268.50, CNN reports).
These Russian maneuvers have alarmed many in NATO, which has announced a series of joint military exercises that would put NATO forces in close proximity to Russian troops.
“Another important aspect of relations is the support given by NATO and individual allies for Ukraine’s ongoing reform efforts, particularly in the defense and security sectors,” NATO said in a statement. “These reforms are vital for the country’s democratic development.”
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
