News Highlights for September

ICON publishes this weekly news bulletin to share brief updates and links on the conflict and increasing violence in Nigeria

This is our monthly news summary that ICON distributes weekly via our email list.

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09.26.22
 

ICON is Dedicated to Bringing the News from Nigeria
 

ICON is dedicated to helping make Nigerian news serve people better because an informed society needs up-to-date news. We make it easy for you to discover news from Nigeria.

Thanks for reading our weekly news update, “Nigeria: News You Can Use”, as we report the conflict and increasing violence, but also raise the voice of the vulnerable and persecuted in Nigeria. 
 
Please read and share …
and check out our videos on our YouTube channel – ICON Media.

25 Million Nigerians Suffering from Hunger – Nutritionist
Prof Kola Anigo, the National Coordinator of the Academic and Research Network for Scaling up Nutrition in Nigeria, has revealed that 25 million Nigerians are hungry. Mathew bemoaned the fact that Nigeria is ranked first in Africa and second in the world in terms of malnourished children. He said this in Abeokuta, Ogun State’s capital, during his keynote address at the Nutrition Society of Nigeria’s 52nd annual general meeting and scientific conference. Anigo lamented the prevalence of malnutrition in Nigeria while speaking on the conference’s theme, “Bridging the Malnutrition Gap: Nutrition Multi-sectoral Commitments for Sustainable Nutrition in Nigeria.” According to Anigo, the country’s insecurity is a major threat to Nigeria’s achievement of the global nutrition target by 2025. According to the expert, banditry, terrorism, and kidnapping have all contributed to food insecurity, and Nigeria may not achieve self-sufficiency in food production if insecurity is not addressed. “Nigeria ranked first in Africa and second in the world in terms of the number of malnourished children,” he said. “25 million people are hungry, and 9.3 million people are food insecure.” ……….READ MORE



ICPC Exposes how Nigerian Politicians, Others are Stealing in Trillions Annually 

Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Professor Bolaji Owasanoye declared Thursday that money to fix Nigeria is within but being stolen on a daily basis aided by pervasive systemic or malignant corruption in the country. Owasanoye who stated this in Abuja as a Guest Speaker at the 2-day Capacity Building Workshop organized for members of the House of Representatives Committee on Anti–Corruption and Military Officers, by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies ( NILDS),  said on electronic transactions alone,  N24trillion has been transacted between January to June this year, which is always about  N50trillion yearly.  Corruption in Nigeria, he added, is highly systemic or malignant by being carried out in most of the government-owned agencies, particularly the revenue-generating ones. From 19 of such agencies, he disclosed, ICPC intercepted N181million attempted to be diverted or stolen by corrupt public officers between January and June this year, saying, “We are not in short supply of anti-corruption legislations but grossly in short supply of integrity”. Adding, “If not for lack of integrity from affected public officers, Nigeria has enough anti-corruption agencies or institutions to stem the tide of systemic corruption…”………. READ MORE 


National Grid Collapses Again, Lagos, Others in Blackout
Blackout is being experienced in some parts of the country as the national grid has collapsed again. The PUNCH Newspaper reports that the national grid is collapsing for the seventh time in 2022. Announcing the development, Monday, the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company, in a statement via its verified Twitter handle, said, “This is to inform you that the outage you are currently experiencing is due to the system collapse of the national grid, which occurred earlier today at 10:50hrs. This has affected the Transmission Stations within our network and resulted in the loss of power supply to our customers. Kindly bear with us as we await the restoration of the grid.” The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company Plc also announced system collapse, adding that the current blackout being currently experienced had affected the entire South-East …………… READ MORE 


Kaduna: Terrorists Kill 3, Kidnap 22 in Birnin Gwari Communities
Terrorists have again attacked Birnin Gwari communities in Birnin Gwari local government area of Kaduna state, where they killed three residents, abducted 22 people, and seized three Bajaj motorcycles, while they looted shops in the communities. According to the Birnin Gwari Emirate Progressive Union (BEPU), the terrorists on Saturday attacked Hayin Gada of Damari Community in Kazage Ward where they killed two people and kidnapped 12 others, they also attacked Farm Center along Birnin Gwari – Kaduna Road, where one person was killed and six others kidnapping. The terrorists, on the same Saturday, struck Dajin Jangali where they abducted four people and seized three Bajaj motorcycles from farmers in the Kamfanin Doka area. A statement signed by the Chairman of BEPU, Malam Ishaq Usman Kasai, and made available to Blueprint on Monday said, “armed bandits continue to attack locals, particularly farmers in different communities in Birnin Gwari local government area of Kaduna state. “On Saturday 24th September 2022 around 7:30 pm, the armed bandits invaded Hayin Gada of Damari Community in Kazage Ward, killed two locals (namely; Sanusi Zubairu and Kabiru Zubairu), and kidnapped 12 persons. The bandits also looted shops in the same community during the attack. “On the same Saturday, another group of armed bandits killed one and kidnapped six persons at Farm Center located around Birnin Gwari – Kaduna Road. The bandits also kidnapped four others at Dajin Jangali and seized three motorcycles (Bajaj model) from farmers at Kamfanin Doka area.t. …..… READ MORE 
 
WATCH: ICON MEDIA

His Excellency Governor Samuel Ortom Warns the West:
Nigeria Near the Precipice of Civil War
An Interview with Gov. Ortom by Reporter Douglas Burton (Epoch Times)
09.19.22
 

ICON is Dedicated to Bringing the News from Nigeria
 

ICON is dedicated to helping make Nigerian news serve people better because an informed society needs up-to-date news. We make it easy for you to discover news from Nigeria.

Thanks for reading our weekly news update, “Nigeria: News You Can Use”, as we report the conflict and increasing violence, but also raise the voice of the vulnerable and persecuted in Nigeria. 
 
Please read and share … and don’t forget to check out our videos on our YouTube channel – ICON Media.
His Excellency Governor Samuel Ortom Warns the West: Nigeria Near the Precipice of Civil War An Interview with Gov. Ortom by Reporter Douglas Burton (Epoch Times)

Nigeria the Next Afghanistan, Says Governor Who Challenges Abuja’s Gun-Control Laws

Unless rule of law returns to Nigeria soon, the nation will subside into a general civil war reminiscent of Afghanistan, Benue state governor Samuel Ortom told The Epoch Times in an interview. “From what happened in Afghanistan, we see that one day the president will run away from that [presidential] villa and hand it over to terrorists,” Ortom said, alluding to the departure of the Afghani president in August 2021 as the Taliban army closed in on Kabul. “The president’s own guards recently were attacked and killed,” said Ortom. As The Epoch Times has reported during the past 18 months, terrorists have derailed passenger trains, abducted whole student bodies of colleges, and broken into maximum security prisons to liberate their jailed comrades. Ortom says a national security summit for all the country’s 36 governors is urgently needed. “But the government is afraid of public exposure,” the outspoken governor said. “If nothing happens to change the situation in the next five years, there will be no more Nigeria. There will be lawlessness everywhere and anarchy, and it will be terrible,” Ortom said. Numerous subject experts, including former U.S. ambassador to Nigeria John Campbell, have judged Nigeria to be a failed state. The crisis of lawlessness due to jihadist insurgencies and rampant kidnapping for ransom has overwhelmed the understaffed Nigerian police, Ortom said. “Where do you find a nation of 200 million people with only 500,000 police?” he asked. ……… READ MORE  The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has blamed the ineffective judicial performance on lack of character. Wike said Judges now lack the courage, and decency to live up to their judicial oaths in the discharge of their functions. He also said due to the prevailing political uncertainty in the country, democracy and the rule of law are under constant threat. The Rivers state governor said this at the launch of the book titled, “Legal Paradigm in Nigeria: A New Direction in the Study of Law and Practise,” in honour of retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Hon. Justice Abdul Aboki, on Friday in Abuja. Governor Wike emphasised that the country and its democracy can only survive if the judicial system is strong and alive. “The judiciary dies where it lies comatose and removed from the aspirations of the citizens for good governance, the rule of law, the protection of fundamental rights and the guarantee of free and fair elections………….. READ MORE 




Peter Obi’s Supporters Hold Massive Rally in Jos
Supporters of the Labour Party’s candidate in the 2023 presidential election, Peter Obi, held a rally in Jos, the Plateau state capital. The highly anticipated rally witnessed a massive turned out of his supporters on Saturday. Supporters of the Labour Party hopeful gathered at the secretariat junction around 9:00 a.m. with inscriptions that showed their support for Mr Obi and his running mate, Yusuf Datti. Rose Adah, a supporter who was at the rally told Peoples Gazette that she was excited at the huge turnout of Nigerians of different demography who joined the movement. “The crowd I saw there before the actual time of the rally was overwhelming. Everywhere at the famous secretariat roundabout in Jos was filled up, people kept chanting things like “ObiDatti for life, OBIdient, Jos-tified and fully obedient, za mu basu Kunya” and so on,” she said.  According to her, even vehicles in transit with their passengers showed support for the movement. …..… READ MORE 
 

Hear Their Voices – Ezekiel Peter Bini
WATCH: ICON MEDIA

Mr. Ezekiel Peter Bini is the National President of the Irigwe Youth Movement, based in Bassa Local Government Area (LGA) of Plateau State, Nigeria. He has been forced to endure incessant attacks being meted out by the Fulani militants.
09.05.22
 

ICON is Dedicated to Bringing the News from Nigeria
 

ICON is dedicated to helping make Nigerian news serve people better because an informed society needs up-to-date news. We make it easy for you to discover news from Nigeria.

Thanks for reading our weekly news update, “Nigeria: News You Can Use”, as we report the conflict and increasing violence, but also raise the voice of the vulnerable and persecuted in Nigeria. 
 
Please read and share … and don’t forget to check out our videos on our YouTube channel – ICON Media.

Nigeria’s 2nd Most Terrorised Country After Iraq, Syria 3rd
Acclaimed Global and International Terrorism Research/Analysis group which specializes in collating data on terrorist activities worldwide, Jihad Analytics has disclosed that Nigeria is the second most attacked and terrorized country in the world with only Iraq being the first and Syria being the third. The disclosure which was made in its half-year report spanning January to June 2022 stated that while Iraq recorded 337 terrorist attacks, Nigeria recorded 305 attacks with Syria coming third following142 terrorist attacks. The disclosure by Jihad Analytics which employs global and cyber open-source intelligence and data noted that the Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorist group was mostly responsible for the attacks. The report is coming against the backdrop of the repeated claim’s by Nigerian government officials that terrorists have been degraded, decimated and terrorism checkmated to the barest minimum……… READ MORE 

Governor Samuel Ortom has challenged President Muhammadu Buhari to hold a referendum to get the feelings of Nigerians toward the handling of security issues by his administration. Ortom threw the challenge while reacting to a statement by the presidency on Wednesday, accusing the governor of denigrating Nigeria’s security agencies by claiming that Mr. Buhari ordered security forces not to move against criminal herdsmen. Presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, in a statement, challenged Ortom to mention that military personnel who told him that Buhari had ordered security forces not to move against criminal herdsmen. According to Mr. Shehu, in a period of heightened insecurity, politicians should be working to bring the nation closer together, not risking further violence by ”dishonestly seeking” to further divide Nigerians along ethnic or religious lines.” However, Ortom in his reaction on Thursday said the President’s image has been battered by terrorists “who are having a field day in the country.”…………. READ MORE 

 
Naira Loses Again Against Dollar
The Naira on Monday depreciated against the dollar at the Investors and Exporters window, exchanging at N434.75. The figure represents a decrease of 0.75 percent, compared with N431.50 to the dollar at the close of business on Sept. 2. The open indicative rate closed at N431.30 to the dollar on Monday. An exchange rate of N437.50 to the dollar was the highest rate recorded within the day’s trading before it settled at N434.75. The Naira sold for as low as N425 to the dollar within the day’s trading. A total of 99.68 million dollars was traded at the official Investors and Exporters window on Monday…..… READ MORE 
 

Jihad and Christian Persecution in Nigeria
How to Manage a Persistent and Metastasizing Threat
WATCH : ICON MEDIA

Expert panel discussion on “Jihad and Christian Persecution in Nigeria: How to Manage a Persistent and Metastasizing Conflict.” Panelists include Stephen Enada, Lela Gilbert, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Dr. Gregory Stanton, and Former Congressman Frank Wolf. The panelists discuss the Islamist insurgency in Nigeria, the genocide of Christians and other religious groups, and assessments of how the United States and the international community should respond to the crisis.

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