Akwa - Ibom Came To Limelight As Jonathan Commissions Stadium!

All road led to Uyo, capital of Akwa-Ibom, South-South region of Nigeria, as the city came alive, when Heads of Governments, from West Africa ,converged for the grand opening of one of the  monumental sporting infrastructures in Africa. 

Assisted by two serving Heads of Governments: Ghana’s John Dramani Mahama and Côte d’Ivoire’s Alassane Drmane Ouattara, as well as former President Jerry Rawlings of Ghana, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan declared the edifice open at 6:15pm local time.

In his goodwill message, Ghana’s president, President Mahama, commended the country on how the Ebola virus was contained and showed how Nigeria can achieve a lot if all work together.

On his part, President John Dramani, of Ivory Coast, who spoke as chairman of ECOWAS, stated that the stadium will not just be a nest for champions of Nigeria, but also that of West Africa, Africa and the world.

He hoped that the arena will breed future sport champions like Serena Williams, Nemar, Pele and other notable names of the world.

The commissioning preceded the Nigeria versus Ghana football match.

IS Bringing Two Opposing Groups Together? - Obama writes Iran's supreme leader about militants!

In what was described a shared interest between the U.S. and Iran in fighting the Islamic State group by Wall Street Journal, and a rare outreach to Iran's Supreme Leader, by Associated Press WASHINGTON, diplomatic sources revealed that President Barack Obama wrote a letter to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei about the fight against Islamic State militants, a common enemy in Syria and Iraq.

According to AP news, Obama's letter to Iran's powerful religious leader comes against the backdrop of the looming Nov. 24 deadline in nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, as well as five other world powers. While Obama reportedly previously sent letters to Khamenei, any communication between the two men has been extremely rare.

It is said that the U.S. and Iran are each engaged in military efforts to degrade the Islamic State group, essentially putting the longtime foes on the same side in the campaign against the extremists. 

The Obama administration has repeatedly insisted that it is not coordinating and will not coordinate its military actions with Iran, though officials from both countries have discussed the matter more broadly.

Not confirming or denying the existence of the letter, U.S administration officials who reportedly separately confirmed the existence of the letter to The Associated Press, said there were still no plans to cooperate or coordinate with Iran against the militants.

"The United States will not cooperate militarily with Iran in that effort," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest. "We won't share intelligence with them."

Information disclosed revealed that Iran, though not part of the United States coalition, has been fighting the IS on the ground. However, Iran's interests in pursuing the Islamic State's defeat differ from those of the Obama administration. 

Iran is a staunch supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who is a target of the militants and opposed by the U.S.

Obama authorized a U.S.-led air campaign against Islamic State fighters in Iraq in August and expanded the mission the following month to neighboring Syria. The U.S. is taking action alongside several other nations, including a handful of regional partners.

Two chief critics of Obama's foreign policy, Republican Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, called it "outrageous" that Obama would seek to enlist Iran in its fight against the IS given Iran's support for Assad and Shia extremists throughout the region.

"The consequences of this ill-conceived bargain would destroy the Syrians' last, best chance to live in freedom from the brutal Assad regime," the senators reportedly said in a joint statement.

United States officials have not ruled out the possibility that a nuclear accord with Iran could open the door to discussions on other issues, but they have sought to keep the delicate negotiations focused solely on Tehran's disputed nuclear program. 

23-Year-Old Fleeing U.K Murder Suspect Arrested In Asaba!

The Nigeria Police announced that its intelligence operatives recenltly arrested a murder suspect declared wanted by the Metropolitan Police in the United Kingdom.

 

The suspect identified as 23-yeay-old  Jeffery, was said to have fled the U.K to Nigeria after reportedly killing Carl Beatson Asiedu on 1 August, 2009 in London. 

The Deceased, Carl Beatson Asiedu

Information revealed says that Asiedu, a 19 year old teenage rapper from Norbury - south London, who went by the stage name Charmz died from stab wounds following an attack outside a nightclub where he played a gig. 

He was reportedly found by officers in one of three cars stopped for ignoring a red light at 5.12am on Saturday in Baylis Road, Waterloo, south London, as was being driven to hospital by friends when their car was stopped, according to reports.

The deceased was a student at De Montfort University -Leicester before his death.

Boko Haram Renames Captured Nigerian Towns!

In a bid to establish a caliphate in captured regions, news reports that Boko Haram has renamed two towns it reportedly captured in northeastern Nigeria.

According to information received by AFP Thursday from residents who reportedly fled the area, the Islamists now insist the town of Mubi in Adamawa state which they ceased last week be called Madinatul Islam, or “City of Islam” in Arabic.

Residents of Adamawa state reportedly fleeing Boko Haram

In like manner, Gwoza in neighbouring Borno state which was captured in July is now reportdely called Darul Hikma or “House of Wisdom”, multiple residents said.

It was gathered that  four local governments namely Michika, Madagali, Mubi North and Mubi South of Adamawa State, are currenlt under the grip of Boko Haram, a situation leading to the displacement of thousands.

It will be  reminisced that Abubakar Shekau, Boko Haram’s leader, in a video released in August declared that he had made Gwoza part of a caliphate.

There are signs that they are trying to advance south towards Adamawa’s capital Yola.

World Trade Center Re-Opens For Business, As New Tenants Move In!

In what was described as marking an emotional milestone for both New Yorkers and the United States as a whole; and "a major milestone in the transformation of lower Manhattan into a thriving 24/7 neighbourhood" by the executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, owners both the building and the World Trade Center site, Mr Foye....
......the World Trade Center is again opening for business.



Reports has it that the building, which is the said to be the tallest building in the United States, was completed in eight-year construction, after years of political, financial and legal infighting that threatened to derail the project. 

According to Foye, the One World Trade Center “sets new standards of design, construction, prestige and sustainability; the opening of this iconic building is a major milestone in the transformation of Lower Manhattan into a thriving 24/7 neighbourhood.”

With construction fences gone and boxes of office equipment in place, Conde Nast CEO Chuck Townsend planned to walk Monday into what Foye calls “the most secure office building in America.”  

It was gathered that the building is already 60% leased, with another 7,400 sqare meters going to the advertising firm Kids Creative, the stadium operator Legends Hospitality, the BMB Group investment adviser, and Servcorp, a provider of executive offices. Information also raveled that the government’s General Services Administration signed up for 25,000 square meters, and the China Center, a trade and cultural facility, will cover 18,000 square meters.

The new World Trade Center reportedly cost $3.9bn (£2.4bn).

A New Generation Of Nigerian Consumers Drawing Retailers From All Over The World!

At the turn of the century well-off Nigerians struggled to shop in style. Most had to jostle in local markets to buy food or travel to the Uk, US or Middle East to replenish their wardrobes. Then in 2005 the Palms shopping mall opened its doors in Lagos's affluent Lekki peninsula in the commercial capital's south-east.

Since then its gleaming interior corridors have housed throngs of immaculately-heeled shoppers who peruse clothing stores such as Puma and Lacoste, stock up their larders in Shoprite, sip lattes on the terrace or head to the cineplex upstairs to watch the latest movie. Nowhere better captures the spirit of the country's exploding middle class.

The Palms was an investment by private equity company Actis's, one of the first to recognise the retail opportunity emerging on the back of Nigeria's demographic growth. 

It has gone on to build two other malls. "The opportunity has been about the evolution of the consumer," says Michael Chu'di Ejekam, Actis's head of real estate in Nigeria. "The middle class has surged since the mid-2000s. As incomes rose, tastes changed, and consumers were able to demand a different shopping experience in a more formal retail environment."

In a June 2014 report Standard Bank found that Nigeria accounted for more than half of the total 7.6m middle-class households in 11 Sub-Saharan countries. Nigeria's middle class multiplied more than six-fold between 2000 and 2014, according to the study. 

Today, by its reckoning, Africa's most populous nation is home to 4.1m middle-class households living on between $15 and $115 per day.

The growth of that demographic has not peaked: by 2030 Nigeria will be home to almost 12m middle-class households, the report estimates. Going by the National Bureau of Statistics' average of 5.7 people per household, this would account for over 68m people. "Nigeria's middle class is bigger than many countries in the world," summarises Yaw Nsarkoh, Unilever's Managing Director for Nigeria.

That means cash to splash. This year, Nigeria will account for 45% of the total $360 billion in household consumption expenditure across the 11 surveyed countries, which Standard Bank selected as a proxy for the continent. Unilever, one of the countless consumer goods businesses trying to leverage that opportunity, ranks Nigeria among its global priority markets. Others here include Procter & Gamble, the Dutch milk company FrieslandCampina, and alcohol titans Diageo and Heineken. Also present are food chains such as Johnny Rockets, makeup companies like MAC, and dozens of clothing brands and car dealerships.

Besides the sheer numbers, investors are getting excited about this West African country's appetite and style. "Everybody is talking about the size of Nigeria's population and the increasing income levels," says Bruce Layzell, KFC's General Manager for New African Markets. "Obviously this... provides a great consumer base. But what really excites me is that Nigerians are discerning in their tastes, have their fingers on international trends and expect the very best international markets have to offer."

This is something trendy clothing brands have recognised too. In many cases it was South African groups such as Mr Price that blazed a trail in Nigeria. Now a combination of the demographic draw and the removal in 2010 of a ban on importing finished textiles is luring more international stores. "This is the next wave of retail development," says Actis's Mr Ejekam. Labels including Tommy Hilfiger and Salvatore Ferragamo are sniffing out the market, he says.

Retail in Nigeria is a lucrative business for those who get it right. Kamal Mansour, franchise owner of stores including Hugo Boss and Mango, claims that the Mango store in the Palms mall is among the top ten globally for sales per square metre.

Retailers admit to major difficulties, ranging from unreliable power supply to poor infrastructure. "But if you wait for those [problems] to be solved, the cost of establishing a footprint here would be 100 times what it is today," says Robbert de Vreede, Unilever's Vice-President for brand-building in Nigeria.

Perhaps the biggest challenge is that demand is outstripping formal shopping space. "We are ready to do more stores, but there is no space in malls," Mr Mansour says. "The problem is the space, not the market."

To address this gap, Actis will develop at least three new malls in Nigeria in the "near-term", Mr Ejekam says. "Lagos alone has over 20m people, but there are only two major malls. The city could easily take 20 more malls." 

Actis will soon compete with others such as Artee Group, a business house that owns the franchise for the Dutch supermarket Spar. Its first mall is under construction in the southern oil city of Port Harcourt.

As the middle class grows and new malls develop, the formal market will consolidate. "People's demands change when they move into the middle class," says Unilever's Mr Nsarkoh. 

The Anglo-Dutch multinational still sells most of its products through informal channels. "I think the trade going forward will start to formalise, and at some point we will see a big representation of modern trade in Nigeria," he adds.

Both Actis and Artee Group say they expect a major evolution in Nigeria's retail market in the next three to five years.

"When we arrived there was no modern retail," says Prakash Keswani, one of the founders of Artee Group. "You would go to an open market, you'd struggle to park your car. You'd have hawkers following you. You would have to haggle. You wouldn't know what you are buying, you'd find fake products, and you'd have to spend half a day going from one shop to another. Nigerians deserve better than that; and they are now getting it."

Source: Eleanor Whitehead

Nigerian President Calls On International Community To Stop Stigmatization Against Nigerians Over Ebola Epidemic!

Coming on the heels of  Nigeria's clearance, having being certified free of the Ebola virus (EVD) by the World Health Organisation, president Goodluck Jonathan recently called on the international community to stop discriminatory checks and stigmatisation of Nigerians abroad. 

This call was made during a audience with the French Foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius and his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who called on him at the Presidential Villa recently.

The Ministers were in Nigeria to seek further co-operation with the Federal Government in the growing global effort to contain the current outbreak and continuing spread of the Ebola Virus Disease.

According to report, president Jonathan expressed the Federal Government's displeasure over the stigmatisation of Nigerians by some countries even after WHO just recently certified Nigeria Ebola-free. The president maintained that there was never any justifiable basis for the stigmatisation of Nigerians since Ebola was rapidly contained in the country and never attained epidemic level.

He further informed the envoys that Nigeria would remain fully vigilant to prevent the re-entry of the virus, as the Federal Government recognised that the country was still at risk as long as Ebola continued to ravage other West African countries or any other part of the world.

Jonathan assured that Nigeria would therefore co-operate fully with other concerned nations to stop the current outbreak of Ebola in West Africa as quickly as possible.

The envoys praised Nigeria's successful containment of the virus and expressed the desire of France, Germany and the European Union to collaborate more with Nigeria in helping other West African countries where the virus still remains active.