Low key Chibok coverage in Nigeria

http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/live-experience/cps/704/cpsprodpb/vivo/live/images/2016/4/14/52d3e1c3-2752-4b9f-9f7f-ecea08e32438.jpg The two-year anniversary of the kidnapping of the Chibok girls has not been given prominence on the front pages of the country's newspaper websites this morning. Comments in the Nigerian media have carried much scepticism about the whether they will ever be found. An editorial in the Vanguard newspaper reads: "Two years on, and with the military on the verge of winning the war on terror, hope appears to have dimmed for the rescue of the girls." A commentary in the same daily paper says there are doubts about the prospects of finding them: “Stakeholders in education sector are asking if the Chibok girls will ever return to their parents.“ The Guardian newspaper criticises those who may be taking advantage of the situation. It says while some of the girls may have been married off or perhaps “drugged and used as suicide bombers against their will, some Nigerians with a mercantile streak have found voice in advocacy to make money from international donors by shouting for their release but never for the sake of those poor girls. “While they hurt, we conduct our lives as normal but we cannot wish them away however hard we try." Analysis: Chibok girls video will give hope to parents This new footage which appears to show some of the kidnapped Chibok girls is reportedly a proof of life video filmed last December, which was provided to negotiators seeking the girls' release. Nigerian officials say they are studying the footage but believe it is genuine. The video will provide renewed hope to the girls' families that some of their daughters are still alive. The last footage to emerge of the girls was a month after their kidnapping. The mass abduction two years by Boko Haram militants ago sparked worldwide condemnation. But despite international assistance not one of the girls has been rescued. Their parents are furious, blaming the previous government for doing nothing when the kidnapping took place and now the current administration for failing to devote enough resources to the search. But in the last year, the Nigerian army has made progress in its fight against the militants. It has retaken towns and villages controlled by Boko Haram. And it has also freed hundreds of women and children held captive by the insurgents.

Video showing kidnapped Chibok girls raises hopes they are alive

Johannesburg (dpa) - A video allegedly sent by Boko Haram to Nigerian negotiators shows some of the more than 200 girls kidnapped from a school in Chibok in the north-east of the country two years ago, CNN reported Thursday. Released by CNN on the second anniversary of the kidnapping, the video shows 15 girls dressed in black robes, giving their names and saying they come from the school in Chibok. One of the girls says all the Chibok girls are well and appeals to the Nigerian authorities to help reunite them with their families. The video is believed to have been made in December as part of negotiations between the government and the Islamist group, CNN reported. It was released by someone keen to give the girls' parents hope that their daughters are still alive, and to motivate the government to help release them, the broadcaster said. The parents recognized some of the girls as their daughters in the video. But there were some doubts about how old the video really was, as the girls appeared to have changed little in two years, Information Minister Lai Mohammed told CNN. Hundreds of campaigners asking the government to find the girls were due to stage a march in the capital Abuja to mark the anniversary on Thursday.

Nigeria: Buhari Pledges to Honour Agreements Jonathan Administration Signed With China

Abuja — President Muhammadu Buhari pledged on Wednesday in Beijing, China, to honour all agreements concluded between Nigeria and China under previous administrations to ensure the speedy completion of outstanding joint projects, including the 4,000 megawatts Mambilla Hydro-Electric Power Project. A statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, said Buhari made the pledge at a meeting with Mr Li Keqiang, the Premier of the State Council of the Peoples Republic of China. Shehu said Buhari regretted the failure of past governments to meet Nigeria's obligations in joint projects with China. According to him, the president told the Chinese Premier that his administration was committed to the completion, in the shortest possible time, of all joint power, rail, road and aviation projects that would directly and quickly improve the lives of Nigerians. Buhari said that he was particularly keen on actualizing the Mambilla Power Project because of its huge potential to boost employment and national economic growth. The Chinese Premier commended ongoing efforts by the Buhari Administration to improve Nigeria's infrastructure.

Nigeria: Buhari Pledges to Honour Agreements Jonathan Administration Signed With China

Abuja — President Muhammadu Buhari pledged on Wednesday in Beijing, China, to honour all agreements concluded between Nigeria and China under previous administrations to ensure the speedy completion of outstanding joint projects, including the 4,000 megawatts Mambilla Hydro-Electric Power Project. A statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, said Buhari made the pledge at a meeting with Mr Li Keqiang, the Premier of the State Council of the Peoples Republic of China. Shehu said Buhari regretted the failure of past governments to meet Nigeria's obligations in joint projects with China. According to him, the president told the Chinese Premier that his administration was committed to the completion, in the shortest possible time, of all joint power, rail, road and aviation projects that would directly and quickly improve the lives of Nigerians. Buhari said that he was particularly keen on actualizing the Mambilla Power Project because of its huge potential to boost employment and national economic growth. The Chinese Premier commended ongoing efforts by the Buhari Administration to improve Nigeria's infrastructure.

Nigeria: Don't Blame Buhari for Jonathan's 'Errors' - Nkire

A member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Sam Nkire, has condemned those who blame President Muhammadu Buhari for the current hardship in the country, saying that former president Goodluck Jonathan should, instead, take the right blames for leading Nigeria to its present bad state. Nkire was reacting to the comments made by some members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) calling on Buhari to face governance and stop blaming the PDP. He said Nigerians, including Buhari, could not forget in a hurry, the economic atrocities the PDP committed against the nation during its 16-year rule. The APC chieftain said it was his view that the president was not even telling the world the extent to which the PDP plundered Nigeria's economy. He said although the APC was in government to right the wrongs of the last administration, "it is difficult for anyone to see a scar without remembering the wound." He said the reason why PDP members were able to find their voices so soon after being voted out of office for corruption and mismanagement was due to the fact that Buhari was a man of few words.

Abduction of six Turkish seamen emphasises rising kidnap and ransom risk by Nigerian pirates in Gulf of Guinea

EVENT Owners of the chemical tanker MT Puli have confirmed that six Turkish seamen, including the captain, chief officer and chief engineer, were kidnapped by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea in the early hours of 11 April. The vessel was sailing from Gabon to Côte d'Ivoire when it was boarded around 90 nautical miles off Nigeria's oil capital, Port Harcourt. The incident is the sixth successful kidnapping recorded by IHS in the Gulf of Guinea since the start of 2016, involving 22 crew members in total. This does not include the unspecified number of crew aboard the chemical tanker MT Maximus , hijacked off Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, on 11 February, and successfully stormed by Nigerian naval special forces in Nigerian waters nine days later, freeing the crew.

Had I Known!!! Obama Regrets Killing Gaddafi, Confesses It Was’ Worst Mistake Of My Administration’

US President Barack Obama has said failing to prepare for the aftermath of the ousting of Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi was the worst mistake of his presidency. Mr Obama was answering a series of questions on the highs and lows of his time in office on Fox News. He said, however, that intervening in Libya had been “the right thing to do”. The US and other countries carried out strikes designed to protect civilians during the 2011 uprising. But after the former Libyan president was killed, Libya plunged into chaos with militias taking over and two rival parliaments and governments forming. So-called Islamic State (IS) gained a foothold, and Libya became a major departure point for migrants trying to reach Europe. A UN-backed national unity government arrived in the capital Tripoli earlier this month but is waiting to take charge. Sandy Hook ‘worst day’ It is not the first time President Obama has expressed regret over Libya. He told the Atlantic magazine last month the operation went as well as he had hoped, but Libya was now “a mess”. In that interview, he also criticised France and the UK, in particular saying British Prime Minister David Cameron became “distracted” after the intervention. President Obama told Fox that his biggest accomplishment in office was “saving the economy from the great depression”. He said the best day of his presidency was when he passed the healthcare reforms. The worst, he said, was responding to the mass shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school. Mr Obama discussed his legacy in a BBC interview last year, saying his failure to pass tighter gun control laws was the biggest frustration of his presidency. This is sadden news...