Guess How Much This Guy Pays A Month To Essentially Live In A Manhattan Closet

Allison Bagg  

A brief tour of a 100-square-foot New York City apartment.posted on Aug. 21, 2015, at 8:40 p.m.

Grayson Altenberg recently moved to New York from Wisconsin to work at a Lincoln Center restaurant. This is his apartment:

Altenberg chose the infamous 100-square-foot apartment because of its proximity to work.


Via vimeo.com

He doesn’t mind not having a real kitchen, because he has a giant one at Lincoln Center.


Via vimeo.com

His dining area could use a little work, though.


Via vimeo.com

Altenberg remains optimistic, saying, “My living room is Central Park.”


Via vimeo.com

The bathroom “needs a curtain, but it is literally a hole.”


Via vimeo.com

“For the time being, my routine works here,” Altenberg said. He’s not sure what he would do if he were in a relationship, though, as the place barely fits one.


Via vimeo.com

The listing from when the place was last on the market is truly a masterpiece:

Daily Mail / Via dailymail.co.uk

“This famous (featured in media for ridiculously tiny size) apartment is available for the same price partially furnished or unfurnished - and it’s SMALL.

How small is it, you ask?

- This apartment is so small, you can’t have three friends over at the same time; one of you will have to wait outside in the hall.

- It’s so small you can’t gain weight once you move in.

- It’s so small there’s a bumper on the front door to keep it from hitting the back wall.

- It’s so small you have to move the bed just to open and close the front door.

- It’s about 100sf, with the main room perhaps 7’ x 11’, plus a bathroom, NO KITCHEN OR STOVE, and the shower next to the sink.

And fortunately, only this bullet point is true.”

BUZZFEED

WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: The secrets of Ukraine's 'Holocaust of Bullets' where 1.6million Jews were executed

By WILL STEWART FOR MAILONLINE

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT 70 years on from the end of the Second World War the full, shocking scale of the Nazi-inspired Holocaust in Ukraine is finally...

'Blood oozed through the soil at grave sites. You could see the pits move, some of them were still alive': The secrets of Ukraine's shameful 'Holocaust of Bullets' killing centre where 1.6million Jews were executed

Jews were humiliated and murdered one by one in Ukraine during WW2 

Many of them were forced to stand in front of mass graves and shot dead 

Women were stripped naked, beaten in the streets during 'organised riots'

Witnesses today have broken their silence to tell of Ukraine's killing centre

Seventy years on from the end of the Second World War the full, shocking scale of the Nazi-inspired Holocaust in Ukraine is finally being revealed - thanks to pioneering work by a French Catholic priest to research the truth of the industrial-scale killing.

Around 2,000 mass graves of Jewish victims have been located where men, women and children were shot and buried by the Germans and their collaborators.

But there maybe up to 6,000 more sites to uncover, with victims of this 'Holocaust of bullets' - so called because unlike in Poland and Germany where gas chambers were used as the means of slaughter - here most were summarily shot and buried nearby.

In many cases, the Jews were ordered to dig pits and then to strip naked before they were mown down by their murderers.

Some were buried in the unmarked plots while still alive.

Genocide: Between 1.4million and 1.6million Jewish people were killed in Ukraine during the second World War and buried in mass graves like this one in Kamianets-Podilskyi

Cruelty: The Nazis mowed people down in a 'Holocaust of Bullets' and also subjected Jews to horrendous public humiliation by forcing them to strip in the streets (pictured) before beating them

Violence: A Jewish man is kicked to the ground during a pogrom in the Ukrainian city of Lviv in 1941 

Unthinkable: Witnesses have told of how the Nazis killed Ukrainian Jews (pictured) 'for fun', 'out of anger, boredom, drunkenness', or 'to rape the girls'

Blood oozed through the soil at sites of these graves, according to accounts assiduously collected by French Catholic priest, Father Patrick Desbois, who began his search by seeking to trace his grandfather's experience as a prisoner of war held in a concentration camp by the Nazis in Ukraine during the Second World War.

He uncovered accounts of how Jews were killed by the Nazis 'for fun', or 'out of anger, boredom, drunkenness', or 'to rape the girls'.

Yet the Soviet Union, for its own motives, obscured the full scale of the Holocaust on its own territory.

Leading historian Mikhail Tyaglyy told MailOnline the number of Jewish victims in Ukraine is between 1.4million and 1.6million, significantly higher than the oft-quoted figure of around one million.

The priest's search took him to four sites around Rava Ruska, close to the Ukrainian border with Poland, where 15,000 Jews were slain, and also the site of a Nazi camp where his grandfather Claudius Desbois had been held as a prisoner of war.

Gradually, elderly locals who had kept quiet all their lives - mainly under Soviet rule - opened up to him, as hundreds more did in many other villages and towns in Ukraine.

One account from Rava Ruska was of a Nazi officer who spotted a young Jewish woman running out of the ghetto to buy butter at the market. He ordered her to be stripped naked, and demanded the trader smear her with the butter after which he decreed her beaten to death with sticks.


Atrocity: Sometimes the Nazis would make the Jews dig the pits before they shot them to death - and many of the victims were buried in unmarked plots (pictured)

Assault: Not only were the Jews in Ukraine mowed down by Nazi shooters, many were subject to brutal public beatings on the country's streets (pictured)

Infanticide: The beating of Jewish women in the streets of Ukraine (pictured) was a regular occurrence and one witness told how a cruel Nazi grabbed a woman's two-year-old child and beat its head against a wall

In another case he recounted how 'an unspeakably cruel German soldier grabbed a Jewish woman's child from her'.

He added: 'He was barely two years old, and he took him and banged his head repeatedly against the wall... The child died in pools of blood in front of the parent's eyes.'

In separate testimony, an elderly witness called Yaroslav showed him to a site outside the town, and told him how he witnessed the horror of mass killing as a 13 year old boy in 1942.
A German arrived alone on a motorcycle. He rode around the village. Everyone wondered why. It turned out, he was planning the site of what would become Rava Ruska's Jewish mass grave
Father Patrick Desbois, Catholic priest

He was the first of the elderly villagers to speak: many others followed him, here and in other locations.

Yaroslav described how the Jews arrived on foot and were forced to undress before being marched to 'the side of a grave' in Rava Ruska.



'Yaroslav brought me in the forest with 50 farmers, very old people who were present at the killings,' Father Desbois said.

'They described one by one what happened. One person said a German arrived alone on a motorcycle.

'He rode around the village. At the time, everyone wondered why. It turned out, he was planning the site of what would become Rava Ruska's Jewish mass grave.'

On this occasion, some 1,500 Jews were marched to the huge pit, dug earlier by other Jews who had been killed with explosives.

The group seen by Yaroslav were then shot, their bodies layered on top of each other and covered by local youths from the village who had been requisitioned by the Germans.

Their clothes were ransacked for cash and valuables. 

Organised attacks: The pogroms were a part of systematic anti-Semitic violence that included beatings and killings which led to the deaths of 4,000 Jews in Lviv (pictured) - 31 miles from of Rava Ruska.

Opening up: Elderly Ukrainians who witnessed the horror of mass killings and public beatings (pictured) are now ending their vow of silence

Helpless: A badly-injured Jewish man struggles to stand up after being beaten at a pogrom in Lviv, Ukraine in 1941

Tricked: The Germans claimed that all the Jews of Rawa Ruska (pictured today) would be sent to work camps but they were instead taken to the forest at Borove and executed

Chilling past: An elderly witness called Yaroslav showed the priest a site outside the town of Rava Ruska (pictured today) and told him how he witnessed the horror of mass killing as a 13 year old boy in 1942

After the burial 'the earth moved' from the helpless last struggles for life of those wounded but buried alive in this mass grave.

A week later, blood was still seeping out from this macabre site.

Elderly Olha Havrylivna - aged 12 when she witnessed the chilling atrocity here - remembered: 'We saw arrests, killings, executions.
They brought them to the edge of a pit and shot them. But you could see the pit move, because some of them were still alive
Olha Havrylivna, witnessed killings in

'They brought them to the edge of a pit and shot them. But you could see the pit move, because some of them were still alive. We were young and it was hard to watch. It was a tragedy, a great tragedy.

'The day we came to see they brought a lot of Jews here. There must have been 60 or 70. We looked on. We didn't go too near, we stayed over there, but we children could still see everything.'

Olha told of how 15 German soldiers stood all around the pit where their captives were standing in groups.

The opened fire on the helpless Jews who dropped back-first into the pits.

Another witness, Gregory Haven, recalled how the Germans had before the killings how they 'ordered all the Jews in the village to wear an armband on their right arm with the Star of David.

The cloth was white and the star black. The Jews had to give up the milk from their cows'.

Deceased: A group of bloodied Jewish victims lie did after a night of violence at a pogrom in Lviv

Doomed: The priest's search took him to four sites around Rava Ruska (pictured), close to the Ukrainian border with Poland, where 15,000 Jews were slain

The Nazis 'began by shooting old people and children, they left people between the ages of 18 and 45 to make them work'.

'Three kilometres away, they killed them, people fell like flies. I didn't see them but I heard the shots. I saw a young Jew who brought corpses in a cart to the Jewish cemetery. It was during the winter of 1942, there was blood and the ground was red.'

After one of the mass killings, in the evening, he recalled: 'We began to smell an odour and then, as it smelled of death, they forced people who had carts and horses to bring sand there.
Many people were requisitioned to dig the mass graves, to fill them, to bring the Jews in horse-drawn carts, to bring back their suits, to sell the suits, to put ashes on the blood
Father Patrick Desbois, Catholic priest

'They also put chlorine, that allowed them to lower the level of the pit by one metre, and the blood stopped running'.

Locals went there 'because the Jews had undressed there and people saw the Germans taking the civilian clothes of women and men, they came to see if they could find something - money, rings, gold watches'.

The priest's grandfather, a French political prisoner, went home after his internment during which he survived eating dandelions and grass.

Desbois said: 'He never spoke. He only said that outside the camp was worse than in the camp. I wanted to understand why, and I discovered that 18,000 Jews were shot in this village, Rava Ruska.'

It became clear to him that elderly Ukrainians like Yaroslav, witnesses to this horror, wanted to end their vow of silence on the terrible things they had seen in their youth.

'People who were present at the killings wanted to speak before they die,' he said.

'Many people were requisitioned to dig the mass graves, to fill them, to bring the Jews in horse-drawn carts, to bring back their suits, to sell the suits, to put ashes on the blood. Fifty different jobs.'


Bloody: Blood oozed through the soil at sites of mass graves (pictured), according to accounts assiduously collected by French Catholic priest Father Patrick Desbois

Witnesses: The harrowing accounts of those who survived the massacre in Rava Ruska (pictured) have been collected by a French Catholic priest, Father Patrick Desbois

Mass extermination: The Nazis used gas chambers to cruelly kill millions in Germany but in Ukraine, they shot Jewish people and buried them nearby

Dark history: This pile of bones was discovered in the Ukrainian town of Belzec, around 10 miles away from the site of four mass graves in Rava Ruska

He explained: 'Thirteen German private trucking companies came to work in Rava-Ruska.

'The Nazi killers hired these German companies to move the bodies to mass graves. People must understand, Rava Ruska was a huge killing centre: first for the Jews, then for political prisoners, and then for the local population and the Roma. Each person who was killed here was an individual. We cannot forget this.'

Some 32,000 were buried around Rava Ruska and in neighbouring towns like Bakhiv, where for years farmers have dug up human remains - and in so doing found mass graves - as they ploughed the fields.

One veteran Tikhon Leshchuk, now 89, recalled how his father, a priest, hid a Jewish girl in their house throughout Nazi occupation.

'On 27 June 1941, German troops came into Rava Ruska. The solders destroyed the Jewish cemetery and soon made a Jewish ghetto in the town centre.

'The market square and the Jewish quarters around it became a ghetto. All the Jews from Rava Ruska and the near by villages were brought there,' he said.

His best friend at school - a Jew - suddenly vanished, presumably shot by the Nazis.

'One day when we were in the village my father's friend came. She was a Jew and she brought her 10 year old girl and asked my father to let her stay with us.

'My father agree and Anna, the girl, hid with us all through the years of German rule. I'm not sure what happened with her mother but Anna survived and later became a school teacher in Rava Ruska.'

A witness from Bakhiv, Temofis Ryzvanuk, then 14, told him how Germans beat the Jews with whips to force them to dig the holes into which they would be buried.

'We were so afraid of the Germans. They had things on their caps, they were terrifying.

'My father's brother said: "Don't be afraid, no one is going to kill you. They're only killing Jews. And they realized that they were going to be killed".

Courageous: One veteran Tikhon Leshchuk (pictured), now 89, recalled how his father, a priest, hid a Jewish girl in their house throughout Nazi occupation

Memorial: There was also a mass grave at Pechora (pictured), Ukraine, where many Jews were murdered

Victim: Women in Lviv (pictured) were beaten routinely while one survivor from Rava Ruska has told of how a Nazi ordered a woman to be stripped naked, smeared with butter and beaten to death

German WW2 soldiers welcomed to war-town Lviv in Ukraine

'They stripped them naked, men and women. When they had killed them, they put them beside each other, head to head, to pile in as many as possible, to save space. The Germans had automatic rifles and when they got close to the pit they shot them.'

Temofis described the bloody execution as a 'production line' that was 'so well organised' that it only took a few minutes for everyone to be killed.

'They had barely got out when they fell and were pushed in and piled together, head to head like herrings. Then the next wagon-load arrived, and then the next,' he said.
They stripped them naked, men and women. When they had killed them, they put them beside each other, head to head, to pile in as many as possible, to save space. The Germans had automatic rifles and when they got close to the pit they shot them
Temofis Ryzvanuk, witness of mass killing of Jews in Ukraine

Desbois warned: 'A whole part of the genocide has not been declared.

'The challenge is to collect the maximum amount of evidence about the killing of the Jews in these countries and find out about the mass graves.

'Tomorrow the witnesses will disappear and the deniers will overreact, saying that the Jews falsified the story.

'I always say, the Holocaust was not a tsunami. It was a crime. And when there's a crime you have evidence. It's very easy to find evidence in these villages.'

In all, more one million Ukrainian Jews were murdered by Hitler's troops, and Father Desbois and his humanitarian organisation Yahad, in Unum, are seeking to identify the sites and erect memorials but also to help relatives track where their ancestors were slain, and now lie buried.

'Twenty five years ago, I learned that in Rava Ruska there was a camp where 25,000 Soviet prisoners were killed by the Germans,' he said in this village, once a thriving town with 42 per cent of its population Jewish.

'There was a memorial for the Soviet prisoners. But there were no memorials for the mass graves of the Jews.'

He had now ensured there is a memorial here - erected in May this year - and that the graves, and the memory of what happened are protected. 

Selfless task: Father Desbois (pictured) is seeking to identify the sites of mass graves and erect memorials but also to help relatives track where their ancestors were slain

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Obligation: 'We will come back to the last grave where they killed the Jews... We have a duty to victims because each and every one of them had a name,' Father Desbois told MailOnline

Inhumane: Backed by their new Nazi occupiers, Ukrainian mobs would rip women's clothes off in the streets during organised riots known as Pogroms

But it was his experience in Rava Ruska - which was also on the main railway line to the death camp of Belzec in Nazi-occupied Poland where up to 600,000 were exterminated in gas chambers - that led him to expand his search across the country.

'We want to show that we will come back.' he said.

'We will come back to the last grave where they killed the Jews... We have a duty to victims because each and every one of them had a name.'

He has estimated that there may be another 6,000 sites still to find, reported Deutsche Welle.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, he heard from Nikola Kristitch, who was aged eight in 1942, when he saw a vision of hell that haunted him for the rest of his life.

He was hiding in the trees when he saw dead children being thrown by hand into a pit - a mass grave.

Adults 'were completely naked and walked with the Rabbi at their head. He gave a sermon, to all those who were already there. And the cars kept coming, there were more and more people and they went into the pit in rows. They all lay down like herrings.

'They lay down and there was one sub-machine gun and two Germans, they had the skull and crossbones on their caps. They fired a burst at the people lying there, and then more went in and another burst.

'They kept shooting them until nightfall. And we watched. Then the Germans went back again to get the villagers to cover the grave. People hid to escape doing it. And us kids, we hid in the bushes, out of curiosity, to see.

'That night, the people covered it in, but the ground was still moving, for another two days. The ground heaved. I remembered one of the girls, a young girl. Her panties were around her ankles.

Remembrance: The location of a mass grave in Pikov (pictured), Ukraine, was turned into a memorial after the war

Death machine: A map of the extermination camp in Belzec, around 17km away from Rava-Ruska

'A German fired at her and her hair caught fire. She screamed and he took an automatic rifle, got into the grave and fired.

'The bullet ricocheted off his knee and he bled everywhere. He bandaged his knee, he was half undressed and then he emptied his round. He even killed Jews who still had their clothes on, he couldn't wait he was so crazed with rage. He fired at everybody, he was crazy.'

A sign of what was to come under the Germans was seen in the Lviv Pogrom of June 1941 immediately after the Nazi entered the city after pushing out the Red Army.

A Ukrainian mob, eagerly backed by the new occupiers, stripped and beat Jewish women in the streets who were subjected to public humiliation.

This was part of an orgy of anti-Semitic violence that included beatings and killings which led to the deaths of 4,000 Jews in Lviv (also known as Lvov), which is 31 miles south-east of Rava Ruska.

'The topic of the Holocaust was almost banned in Soviet times,' Mikhail Tyaglyy, historian of the Ukrainian Centre of Holocaust Study, told MailOnline.

For modern Ukraine the subject is difficult, too, because it means admitting a role for nationalists in colluding the Nazis, in part because some preferred a German occupation to Stalin's as the lesser of two evils.

Soviet history neglected the anti-Semitic aspect of the Jewish killings, lumping these deaths together with total losses in the USSR.

Death: Six million Jews were killed in the Holocaust in Europe, according to the co-president of Association of Jewish Organisations and Societies in Ukraine

Catalysts: 'The Nazis did their best to inspire pogroms (pictured) everywhere they came,' a historian at the Ukrainian Centre of Holocaust Study told MailOnline

Widespread: Iosif Zisels, co-president of Association of Jewish Organisations and Societies in Ukraine, said that one in four Jews killed during the Holocaust were Ukrainian Jews (pictured)

Inhumane: A woman is cruelly stripped naked during a pogrom, where large numbers of people would gather to attack Jewish people and their shops

Soviet history has largely neglected the anti-Semitic aspect of the Jewish killings, lumping these deaths together with total losses in the USSR.

Death: By 1945, some three million non-Jewish Ukrainians had been murdered by the Germans, in addition to the Holocaust

'We are touching the topic of Ukrainian nationalism here and it is a complicated matter. The situation in Ukraine was not so different to what was going on in other Soviet regions which were occupied by Nazis - everywhere they relied on local nationalists, who often blamed Jews for supporting the "Moscow-Bolshevik regime", as they said at the time.

'Such attitude easily inspired pogroms as we had in Western Ukraine.

'The Nazis did their best to inspire pogroms everywhere they came. But pogroms is one thing, and systematic extermination of the Jewish population which was organised purely by the German Nazis is another.

'It is true that radical nationalists helped Nazis in guarding and performed other tasks. But Nazis did not trust mass killing of Jews to locals.'

Tyaglyy added: 'It is vital for all Ukrainians to keep memories of what happened in Ukraine, to come back to it, because this experience can teach us many important lessons needed nowadays. '

He said: 'There may be differences in calculating the number of Jewish population in Ukraine before the war, it is about including or not including the Eastern regions of Poland after Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, but in general we can say that at least a half - if not more - of all Ukrainian Jews were killed in Holocaust at our territory.'

Iosif Zisels, co-president of Association of Jewish Organisations and Societies in Ukraine, said that six million Jews were killed in the Holocaust in Europe.

'Of these, 1.5million to 1.6million were Ukrainian Jews,' he said, 'In other words, one in four were Ukrainian Jews.'

He added: 'There are certain stereotypes about participation of Ukrainian nationalists in pogroms in the early war years which were planted by Soviet history.

Killers: Although some 'radical nationalists' helped the Nazis, they did most of the killing of local Jews in Ukraine (pictured) themselves

Aftermath: Some historians claim that 5,000 Jews died as a result of these pogroms in Lviv

Brutal: They also claim that in addition to these 5,000 killed, another 3,000 people who were mostly Jews were executed in the municipal stadium by the Germans

Extinguished: Following the 1941 pogroms, the harsh conditions in Lviv (pictured) and the deportations of Jews to concentration camps all but eradicated the local Jewish population

'It is true that the local population did cooperate with German Nazis in the occupied territories but the majority of them were ethnic Russian.

'Russia makes a point about Ukrainian nationalists because it is keen to divert suspicion from itself.'

The notion of Ukrainian nationalists colluding with the Nazis was a vivid horror played on by Soviet propaganda, and now seized on again by the Russian authorities in branding 'fascist' those who currently want to be outside Moscow's sphere of control.

Hitler had planned to eradicate over half of Ukraine's population so that the country's rich farmland could be repopulated with Germans in their so-called quest for Lebensraum.

By 1945, some three million non-Jewish Ukrainians had been murdered by the Germans in addition to those killed in the Holocaust.

The priest is unapologetic over his campaign in Ukraine.

'Why do we come back to Ukraine?' he asked. 'Because one day we will have to go back to Iraq, because one day we will have to go back to the last mass grave in Darfur.'

Unless the lesson is learned from the Holocaust 'tomorrow will be the same story'.

Yahad's executive director Marco Gonzalez warned: 'Unfortunately, this form of genocide, the 'Holocaust by Bullets', is the model for mass killings today.

'The lessons to be learned are practical and the details need to be exposed for all to see and understand.'

Historian Mikhail Tyaglyy said the truth about the Holocaust in Ukraine must be taught to young people.

'It is important to all times and all generations. Radical extremism and anti-Smitism still exists, and this is why it must be taught.

'If we look at modern German society, we can hardly see any signs of anti-Semitism and xenophobia there, but it became possible because of long term wise educational, cultural and historical policies of the German state within the last decades. '

The Mail

Isis destroys temple that’s been in Syria since 17 AD

A courtyard of the sanctuary of the temple of Baal Shamin as it looked before it was destroyed by Isis over the weekend (Picture: AFP/Getty)

For the last 2,000 years, Palmyra’s temples and colonnaded streets have stood the test of time – a testament to the skill of the Roman Empire.

But now, the Unesco world heritage site – dubbed the ‘pearl of the desert – is at risk after the ancient Syrian city fell to Islamic State.

Already, militants have destroyed the temple of Baal Shamin, a building that has stood there since the year 17AD and was expanded under Roman emperor Hadrian in 130AD.

Until Sunday, most of Palmyra’s most famous sites had been left intact, though there were reports IS had mined them and the group reportedly destroyed a famous statue of a lion outside the city’s museum.

The temple had been there since 17AD (picture: AFP/Getty)

‘[Islamic State]placed a large quantity of explosives in the temple of Baal Shamin today and then blew it up causing much damage to the temple,’ Syria’s antiquities chief Maamoun Abdulkarim said.

‘The cella (inner area of the temple) was destroyed and the columns around collapsed,’ he said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the destruction of the temple.

The city of Palmyra has been dubbed the ‘pearl of the destert’ (Picture: AFP)

Metro

Guess which Star Wars name was one of the most popular baby names in America?

It seems there are a lot of Jedi masters growing up in America right now as one name from Star Wars is among the most popular in the land.

According to an official list from the Social Security Administration, Anakin is within the top 1000 baby names in the US.

Last year, Anakin was the 957th most popular name among boys in the States with 218 newborns named after the former Jedi-turned-Sith lord.

Hopefully these little Anakins won’t turn to the dark side like their namesake.


Old Darth might be proud that his son’s name is far more popular, as Luke is 28th on the popularity list with 10,431 newborns given the name in 2014.

And his other child, Leia, has inspired 605 parents to call their newborns after the princess, making her 509th on the most popular girls list.

No doubt with the next movie coming out, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, we might see Poe, Rey, Kylo and Finn rising up the list.

Metro

Buhari’s probe and the monstrosity of corruption

Buhari

FROM independence in 1960 till today, Nigeria has been turning out 99.9% corruptionists and psychotically corrupt leadership at all levels, so much so that corruption has become the domineering mantra and ingrained culture of Nigerians. Nobody is free, no, not one is free.

We are not short of ideas on how to wipe away corruption hook, line and sinker from Nigeria in all its ramification, but we lack men and women of integrity and courage to take the bull of corruption by the horn and drive it out of our socio-economic, religious, educational and political china shop.

The eradication of corruption in Nigeria has always constituted the Mission Statement of our leaders and all coups in Nigeria, from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogu, Yakubu Gowon, Murtala Mohammed, Buka Suka Dimka, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, Shehu Shagari, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, Earnest Shonekan, Gen.Sani Abacha, Gen.Abubakar, President Olusegun Obasanjo, President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and now President Muhammadu Buhari.

Their Mission Statements have never been fraught with flaws. It has always been a patriotic call to serve and total submission to the principles of commitment to building a virile, vibrant and corruption-free nation. In Gen. Murtala Mohammed’s glowing speech titled “Africa has Come of Age and Nigeria Must Move Forward” and many others including the Retreat at Kuru, Jos which came out with the Kuru Declaration and many other evocational speeches it has always been the same story of so much motion but no movement. Buhari has now in his second coming made the fight against corruption the fundamental objective and directive principles of Nigeria’s policy.

Can Buhari succeed in this weirdest of fight against the tyrannosaurus monster of corruption that has become a tradition, custom and culture that has not only permeated Nigeria not only from grassroots level, but from root hair bass to tree top heights. Corruption has become deified, mummified, institutionalised, exhaustively glorified, consummately idolised and placed in the sacred Pantheon of revered untouchability. Agreed, relatively speaking Buhari is a man of integrity and has the disarming credentials to fight corruption. But will the democratic process, rule of law and serpentine legal manipulations allow him?

Will Nigerians at all levels join him in this macabre St. Vitus dance of death? Can he unbundle and sanitise NNPC, NDLEA, ICPC, EFCC, CCB, DPR, PPMC, Federal and State agencies, Parastatals, Ministries, Corporations, the Judiciary, the Nigerian Press, the Governors, Local Government Chairmen, Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, NUPENG, PENGASSAN, NURTW, NANS, JOHESU, Market Women, Captains of Industries, Traditional Rulers and RATTAWU, etc. ARE NIGERIANS READY?

The answer is a clear, concise and precise NO. To make the fight against corruption work, Buhari must be trusted and furnished with power through the amendment of the constitution and freed from the frivolous use of the Law Courts through judicial processes of hiding under court adjournments, Machiavellian manipulations through the Press, rent-a-crowd phenomena, excuses of I’m being blackmailed, oppressed, lampooned, persecuted, etc. We must be prepared to sacrifice some of our precious freedoms.

In the Dictionary of Criminal Justice, Fifth Edition by George E. Rush, corruption is defined as evil, depraved, debased and a dishonest act, like taking of bribes, cheating etc. In the broadest legal sense, it is any illegal act by a sworn peace officer, including all violations of fiduciary trust and the professional Code of Conduct and Ethics- specific examples include, taking bribes, selling favours, accepting gifts and committing, aiding or abetting criminal behaviour.

In his dissertation on corruption in Africa, Professor Benard Ikeguoha of Imo State University (Department of Political Science) defined corruption as the total reprobate act of systemic and structural debasement, desecration and decomposition. At personal level, it is a perverted character, depraved and putrescent in integrity and honesty and given to bribery. But, indeed a functional definition with regard to corruption in Nigeria is that, corruption is the systematic manipulation of socio-economic, political, legal, religious and traditional rules for parochial personal, tribal and pietistic interest like taking of bribes, inflation of contracts and championing family, personal or tribal myopic interest to the detriment of national interest.

To forestall the tentacles of communication blackout in the light of our current domestic chaos and corruption, the Buhari government must dialogue with International Agencies, Institutions and Governments and act through the instrumentality of the United Nations Convention against corruption, United Nations convention against Transnational organised crimes, United Nations Global Compact Tenth Principle, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Convention on the Bribery of Foreign Public officials in International Business transaction, Revised Recommendations of the Council of the OECD on combating Bribery in International Business Transactions. At the African regional level, there are the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption, Southern African Development Community Protocol against Corruption and ECOWAS Protocol on the Fight against Corruption, amongst others.

In Nigeria, there is the prevalence of psychotic misappropriation, horrendously unbridled acquisition of filthy lucre, assets, deification of materialism and institutionalisation of unexplained wealth.

At a Retreat held at the instance of the then President Olusegun Obasanjo at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Jos between February 23rd and 25th, 2001 for Ministers and Permanent Secretaries, at the end of the retreat, a 12-point declaration was adopted which Buhari must use as an ideological format and Bible for strategic repositioning of the fight against corruption in Nigeria. It states that:

1) We subscribe to the new National ideology, which is to build a truly great African democratic country, politically United and targeted at creating a stable economically prosperous, socially organised, with equal opportunity for all and responsibility from all to become the catalyst for black Renaissance, and making adequate all-embracing contribution sub-regionally, regionally and globally.

2) We adopt the new orientation as an agenda for dealing with immediate and future issues of governance of Nigeria: Removing impediment to efficiency and execution of programmes initiated by the Federal Government, and Expeditors by actualisation of Government objectives and vision of national renewal and reconstruction.

3) We re-dedicate ourselves and those who serve under us to the value of patriotism, honesty, hard work, and diligence, merit and excellence, trust worthiness, personal discipline, tolerance and mutual respect, justice and fairness, love, care and compassion.

4) We pledge to eschew corruption, slothfulness, nepotism, indiscipline, bitterness, prejudice and other manifestation of antisocial behavior.

5) We shall undertake critical review of the practices and procedures in every department of Government, so as to rapidly increase the productivity and service delivery to the public.

6) We shall foster a culture of efficiency in the Management of funds and other resources, maintaining high standards of resources, management and reducing waste at all times.

7) We shall efficiently supervise all government departments and agencies, ensuring timely reports and returns, and undertaking regular spot-checking.

8) We shall abide by the terms of the code of conduct which we all have signed, as expression of our commitment to the crusade against corruption and working closely with all relevant agencies such as the Independent Corruption Practices and other related offences Commission, the Code of Conduct Bureau and the Public Complaints Commission etc.

9) We undertake to strengthen the partnership in working with the private sector, since this partnership translates to a better appreciation of the wealth creating capacity of this sector, and the need for Government, through its various Ministries and legislative processes, to create an enabling environment for the sector to function efficiently as the major driver of the economy.

10) We shall strive to strengthen and inculcate the culture of working closely and in consultation with the leadership of labor and societal organizations.

11) We shall mobilize, evolve and promote the interest of all stake holders, namely, the society in general; since, in the ultimate all decisions and actions of government are aimed at the promotion of public welfare, there is also the need for a new attitude that has that welfare permanently in focus, as the only goal, and the economic well-being of all citizens, under unfettered freedom, is of cardinal importance and we shall design strategies and techniques of implementation for the New Orientation so as to ensure that the values being inculcated are ingrained in the citizenry at large.

We beseech the members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to be of high integrity in this fight against corruption. They must adopt the Delphic Declaration by making their assets and liabilities public. They must stand firmly by President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that he leaves no stone unturned and no turn unstoned in this gargantuan fight to cleanse the Augean stable of corruption.

The constitution of Panels, Tribunals and other investigating bodies to probe Corporations and individuals must be circumspectively kept select. They must ensure that the persons constituting the Tribunals and Panels are not sent on witch hunting escapades and a vendetta mission. Buhari must ensure that his much vaunted political agenda of massively reducing unemployment rate and poverty in Nigeria are vigorously pursued and the drive to spread the provision of amenities to the poor is given top priority. There must be aggressive pursuit of industrialization and agricultural revolution that will grossly alleviate poverty in Nigeria. We must be encouraged to shun ostentatious consumption through expensive marriages, burial ceremonies, frivolous award of chieftaincy titles, child dedication, naming ceremonies and dunderheaded public display of wealth. We must ensure there are checks and balances in the society at large to ensure that a man’s income is commensurate with his properties. Unexplained wealth must be investigated.

There must be massive and colossal mobilization of Nigerians at all levels to imbibe the mantra of the war against corruption in Nigeria. There must be no sacred cows and all hands must be on deck to ensure that the sledge hammer to deracinate corruption from all nooks and crannies in Nigeria are unsparingly applied with soldierly brevity. It is not an easy road to tread, but we must make the move to sanitize and rid Nigeria of prebendalistic graft. The Judiciary and the Press have a monumental role to play in this tortuous and adventurous journey.

Finally, the essayist and poet Edmund Burke posited that “the heights reached and attained by great men and nations, where not reached and attained by sudden flight. They toiled all night whilst others slept” and substantiated by the English playwright William Shakespeare that “if to do were as easy as to know what were good to do, beggars cottages would have become princely palaces and princely palaces heavenly paradise” (not verbatim). It is not an easy road for corruption and its quintessential sponsors and promoters will fight back. It will make or break Nigeria. Nigerians Beware!!!

Bobson Gbinije, a social critic, wrote from Warri, Delta State.

Corruption: It’s difficult to recover Nigeria’s stolen money stashed abroad —US ambassador

US Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle

United States’ Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle, tells BAYO AKINLOYE that America is not responsible for the loss of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan at the presidential election and that America is working with Nigeria to extradite Senator Buruji Kashamu

What should Nigeria and the United States look forward to, following the Washington DC meeting between Presidents Muhammadu Buhari and Barack Obama?

First of all, let me state that, of course, I was in Washington for the visit. I had the privileges of sitting in on the Presidents’ meeting and the Vice Presidents’. And I was very impressed with the warmth between the two sides. The two Presidents, in particular, seemed to strike a very personal chord with each other. I was also very impressed with how the message of all levels of the US Government was very straightforward with Mr. President (Buhari). It was ‘we think this is a unique moment in Nigeria’s history. We think this is a unique moment in the Nigerian-American relationship. We admire the things you (Nigeria) have said you want to do as per this new administration. Therefore, we are in; as friends and partners. We are glad to locate anywhere we can help, as you develop your programme.’ And it was that kind of visit that you sort of build in a personal relationship and making it clear that President Buhari is off to a good start. We admire what he is trying to do and as a historic friend and partner, we are glad to assist the country anywhere we can.

But I think it is also important to note that we are not starting from zero. The US and Nigeria already have a very good relationship. I am constantly struck in my jab every subject I look at; health, education, cultural exchange –whatever it is; the US and Nigeria have been doing good things together for many decades. So, the way I look at it is that we are having an excellent relationship and looking for ways to take it to the next level as Mr. President (Buhari) puts his programme in place.

Between 1993 and 1999, the US government was very interested in the goings-on, politically, in Nigeria – probably because of the military rule and the urgent need to transition to a democracy. But at a point, after attaining democracy, especially during the administration of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, some people feel there was a taciturn relationship from Washington towards Abuja…

(Cuts in) I disagree completely.

…Between 2014 and now that Washington has become vociferous again as regards Nigeria’s economic and political affairs. What went wrong along the line?

I don’t agree with your analysis at all.

Let us look at the trade relationship between Nigeria and the US. According to www.census.gov, analyses of the first five months of 2014 and 2015 show a decline in trade activities between the two countries. In January 2014, total trade volume was $752m and in January 2015, it was $376m. In May 2014, total trade volume was $1bn compared to May 2015’s $372m. What do you think about that?

I think you’re reaching for facts and figures and you are trying to twist that to support your thesis. Our relationship with Nigeria has always been good. Obviously, there had been periods, for example during the (Gen. Sani) Abacha regime, (when) we had difficulties with the (Nigerian) government. But any relationship has its ups and downs. Think about your best friend in the world; do you always agree every day? Of course not; you have in the relationship ups and downs. In terms of the trade relationships, they are not determined by governance but are determined by market forces. Trade figures were probably down because we are producing much more of our oil in the US and we are importing much less from the rest of the world. Therefore, that’s not a conscious decision regarding Nigeria. We have market forces due to the oil market, which is the way it should be.

Considering the outcome of Nigeria’s March 28 presidential election, was the US responsible for the fall of the past administration of Jonathan?

No. Frankly, that is not true. What we did in the run-up to the election was (that) we focused on (the) system and the process. We also focused on something like encouraging non-violence before, during and after the elections. We underlined, for example, the point that in a democracy, it is very important that the candidates who lose (will) publicly accept the results. So, we focused on the system; the process towards what could make that stronger and building the Independent National Electoral Commission’s capability; empowering the civil society and things like that. A lot of messages were put out by me and others on non-violence and so on. Who won the election, the Peoples Democratic Party or the All Progressives Congress; we had nothing to do with it. That was a decision for the Nigerian people.

You note that in 2007 and 2011 general elections, Nigerians did not see the kind of engagement the US government had with Nigeria in the build up to the last general elections.

I was not in Nigeria then. I do not know about that; all I can speak of is what happened since I came here. And our message on non-violence, transparency and all that was loud and clear.

In 2014, a former US Ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell…

(Cuts in) This is not a Nigeria-going-to-break-up question, is it?

No. Campbell wrote a book on US policy to counter Boko Haram in Nigeria. One of the recommendations he made was that the American government should open a consulate in Kano State in order to improve US’ outreach to that region’s predominantly Muslim population. What has Washington done about that?

Well, keep in mind that his (Campbell’s) book was expressing his personal views. We have thought for many years about opening a consulate in Kano. I will like to see it (happen). We, however, in our current budget climate, have no global budget in building new consulate facilities; things are going down, not up; given the security challenges in the North in Nigeria and the level of protection that we have to provide for our diplomats and so on. Unfortunately, I don’t think it is going to happen soon. We will love to have our consulate general in Kano. I do not expect to see it soon. But, there are a lot of other things that we can do. In this electronic age, we can have tremendous outreach with people in the North, even without being in Kano. We travel extensively; I travel to the North every chance I get. My team travels to the North every chance they get. Therefore, the absence of a consulate in Kano is not that we are doing nothing in the North. On the contrary, we are active in northern Nigeria just as we are in every corner of this magnificent country.

Part of the recommendations by the former US ambassador is that Washington should revoke US visas granted to Nigerians who are considered guilty of promoting violence or inciting others to violence before, during and after the general elections. How many Nigerians have been denied visas by the US government as a result of this?

Do you remember when the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, came to Lagos in January? If you recall when he spoke to the press, he was clear when he said Nigerians who promoted violence or tried to rig elections would not be welcomed in the US and (that) we would use our visa policy to that end. He was quite clear about that. In the weeks after that, I had a number of Nigerians coming to me and ask, ‘Was the Secretary talking about me?’ To which my response was, ‘Should he have been talking about you?’ I think that really got Nigerians’ attention. We are looking into a number of cases. But visa matters have strict private policy consideration in our system, so I cannot talk about particular cases. You can be sure that this issue is under active consideration.

While not looking into particular cases, can you give a number of politicians who have been denied visas because they incited violence or tried to rig the last elections?

I am not going to get into the numbers game.

With various figures being bandied about concerning Nigeria’s looted funds kept abroad, like in the US, amounting to between $61 billion and $150 billion, how much really is the US trying to assist Nigeria recover?

It is hard to say because we have not — we do not — know about all of the divergence; all of the investigations already held. Getting the money back will take a long time. First of all, it takes forensic accounting work to figure out exactly what money is where; it is not an easy task. The second thing is (that) when we make cases and we take them to court, they can take a long time in the court. I believe the case involving the Abacha era; they are still working on it in the US. Therefore, the one thing that is absolutely crystal clear, however, as we said to Mr. President in Washington, is our intent and our willingness to work with this case. But even if they take time, even if we do not know the exact amount (of Nigeria’s looted funds) right now, we will do everything we can to help with the cases.

During his visit to the US, President Buhari stated that he would love President Obama to visit Nigeria, adding that a letter would be written to that effect. Is your President willing to visit Nigeria before his tenure expires in 2016?

I think President Obama will very much like to come back to Africa. I think if he comes back, he will very much consider Nigeria. But his calendar is, as you know, planned months and months ahead. So, I am confident he will visit Nigeria, either as President or after his presidency. But if he would visit Nigeria while I am still the ambassador, I will be the happiest diplomat in the US service. But I think it is important to remember that visiting a country is not the only indicator of a relationship. Keep in mind what just happened: Mr. President was invited to Washington at the instance of the President (Obama), Vice President (Joe Biden) and four or five cabinet secretaries. That is a massive advantage and a huge indicator of the importance we place on the US-Nigeria relationship.

Recently, six Nigerians in South Africa were extradited to the US for committing various crimes. There is also a case of alleged drug-related offence in the US against a Nigerian senator (Buruji Kashamu), who is on your country’s wanted list. Is American government still interested in that case?

First of all, the case from South Africa, I am not familiar with it and will not be able to comment on that. But on (the case of) the senator who you referred to, you have seen in newspaper articles that the case is being pursued. Yes, we are interested in extraditing him to the US. I cannot go into the details of where we are exactly. But as far as the headline goes, that is a case we are interested in pursuing, in cooperation with the Nigerian government.

Is Washington disappointed about Buhari’s stance against the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in Nigeria?

Well, these are issues countries and people can disagree on. The point that we have made consistently on that issue is, first of all, on the issue of same-sex marriage. As I said repeatedly after your (anti-LGBT) bill was signed, the definition of a legal marriage in Nigeria is up to Nigerians (to decide). That is none of our business. Our concern about the bill is that it puts restriction on the freedom of speech and assembly related to those issues. And our fear, as a democratic friend of Nigeria, is once you start putting limits on those basic rights, it is easier to continue to do it on other subjects and in other areas. The other idea, as a friend of Nigeria; we feel the bill can be used as a pretext for violence against homosexuals or could discourage people who are HIV-positive from going to get the treatment that they need.

So, it was in that context that we are raising our concern about this issue. At the time Nigeria passed the bill concerning this issue, I think almost a third of the US had already approved same-sex marriage. As you have now seen, the issue moved very quickly and the US Supreme has made it the law of the land. These issues move differently in every country. But the point I always try to make to Nigerians is: surely, we can all agree regardless of where people live in the world; our religions, ethnicity, skin colour, sexual orientations, they should be able to live their lives free of fear and free from violence; and that even people who have (a) different opinion about same-sex marriage can certainly agree on that. And that’s where we are coming from.

A lot has been said about the refusal of the US to sell arms to the Nigerian government, contributing to the inability of Nigerian troops to effectively combat Boko Haram. At the moment, has the issue of human rights violations allegedly committed by the Nigerian military been resolved and what exactly is your government offering Nigeria in terms of arms?

There’s been a lot of misunderstanding on this issue before, during and after President Buhari’s visit to Washington. Let me be clear about a couple of things. One, we have worked very closely with Nigerians on the Leahy Amendment for years. The Nigerian government and its military understand very clearly how the human rights value has to go before we train Nigerian troops and all of that. Therefore, the notion that the Leahy Amendment is, somehow, an impediment to combating Boko Haram, I take great exception to that. The second piece of misinformation, which is being bandied about in (newspapers’) headlines, is that the US has lifted its arms embargo on Nigeria. There was never an arms embargo. Our military has always had a good relationship with Nigeria’s.

I will be very clear; when I arrived in November 2013, the big issue at the time was treatment of prisoners at a place called Gibo Barracks in Borno (State). There are also concerns about how the (Nigerian) Army conducted themselves in military operations and how they treated the civilian population – fellow Nigerians – during the operations. Human right is (a) core piece of US Foreign Policy and when we are trying to help a country that has those issues — poor treatment of prisoners and sometimes poor treatment of civilian population — those are the things the US law requires us to take into consideration. I think things have gone better on both sides of the issues and we are moving forward in our military relationship. Where we need to train more troops, we are glad to look at any sort of equipment required.

The point I will make, however, is (that) equipment alone is not going to defeat Boko Haram. We encourage the Nigerian Army — I think President Buhari as a former military man understands this – to focus on the basics. The troops in the frontline, are they being fed? Do they have boots? Do they have bullets? Do they have good leadership? These are fundamental ways that you build a good army. And if you are not doing those things, you can have the best equipment in the world and they will not matter. So, in the past six or nine months I have been very impressed; I think the Nigerian Army is paying attention to those basic issues. If you go back to the period before the general elections. When the Army suddenly had success against Boko Haram, I think the fact that the troops started to take care of their soldiers clearly was one of the reasons for that success. Therefore, we are willing to talk about anything on the military front. The answers may not always be yes but we will sit down with everything on the table, talk to your Army and your government as equal partners and together find out what the best way forward is in terms of helping with the struggle against Boko Haram. We are firmly committed to helping the Nigerian government in the fight against Boko Haram. No bilateral partner is doing more than we are doing to help.

So what does the US government get in all this?

We get a peaceful, secure Nigeria and West Africa, which is in your interest and also in our interest.

Buhari orders withdrawal of diplomatic, official passports from unauthorised persons

 

The Nigerian Government has directed the Nigeria Immigration Service to retrieve forthwith all valid diplomatic and official passports from all persons who are not entitled to hold such documents.

This is contained in a statement signed on Tuesday by Yusuf Isiaka,the Director of Press, Federal Ministry of Interior.

“The Permanent Secretary, Mr Abubakar Magaji, Federal Ministry of Interior, has directed the Nigeria Immigration Service to retrieve all valid diplomatic and official passports with immediate effect from all persons who are not entitled to hold such documents,” the statement said.

“The attention of the Federal Government has been drawn to the fact that some Nigerians who are not entitled to hold diplomatic and official passports are in possession of these documents,” it said.

According to the statement, the measure is intended to protect and promote Nigeria’s integrity in the comity of nations in addition to ensuring law and order.

(NAN)

Politics: Obasanjo rubbishes National Assembly, says it’s an assembly of thieves, looters

Nigeria’s former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, on Wednesday lampooned the National Assembly, saying it is largely an assemblage of looters and thieves.

Mr. Obasanjo, who was speaking at the public presentation of the autobiography of Justice Mustapha Akanbi, in Abuja, regretted that every aspect of Nigeria’s national life is riddled with corruption.

However, he said there were a few exceptions and people who stand out and would not succumb to the scourge of sleaze, even in the federal legislature.

In a speech he delivered at the public presentation of “The Story Of My Two Worlds; Challenges, Experiences And Achievements” written by Justice Akanbi, the pioneer chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission, the former president said the National Assembly, which he said is shrouding its corruption in the opaque nature of its budget, has damaged its capacity to oversight the executive.

He accused the President Goodluck Jonathan-led executive of making direct payments to the legislature in order to cover up its wrong doings.

“Apart from shrouding the remunerations of the National Assembly in opaqueness and without transparency, they indulge in extorting money from departments, contractors and ministries in two ways,” Mr. Obasanjo said.

“They do so during visits to their projects and programmes and in the process of budget approval when they build up budgets for ministries and departments, who agree to give it back to them in contracts that they do not execute. They do similar things during their inquiries.”

Mr. Obasanjo said the Goodluck Jonathan’s administration has upped Nigeria’s corruption level through the huge sums of money it has been paying to the National Assembly to stop investigating its corrupt acts.

He said, “Corruption in the National Assembly also includes what they call constituency projects which they give to their agents to execute but invariably, full payment is made with little or no job done.

“In all this, if the executive is not absolutely above board, the offending members of the National Assembly resort to subtle or open threat, intimidation and blackmail. When the executive pay the huge money, normally in millions of dollars, all is quiet in form of whitewashed reports that fail to deal effectively with the issues investigated.”

“In all this, if the executive is not absolutely above board, the offending members of the National Assembly resort to subtle or open threat, intimidation and blackmail. When the executive pay the huge money, normally in millions of dollars, all is quiet in form of whitewashed reports that fail to deal effectively with the issues investigated.”

The former president insisted that over the years, the National Assembly never singled out any corrupt lawmaker except where the executive led in the indictment of a member.

He listed some of the cases where the executive led in exposing corruption in the National Assembly to include those of former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Salisu Buhari, and former Senate President, Adolphus Wabara.

He maintained that majority of the members of the National Assembly live above the law in both misconduct and corruption and cannot in good conscience carry out oversight duties on any government ministry or department.

Mr. Obasanjo, however, noted that there are still some honourable and distinguished men and women in the National Assembly, who would not do anything to soil their hands.

He said with a largely corrupt legislature, Nigeria is doomed.

“When the guard is the thief, only God can keep the house safe and secure,” he said. “But I am optimistic that sooner than later, we will overcome. 

“God will give us guards of integrity and honesty with the fear of God and genuine love of their people and their country. 

“Today, there is no institution of government that is not riddled with corruption, not even the military. As the people cry out, where then is the salvation.”

The former president also drew attention to the growing level of youth unemployment in the country, warning that unless urgent steps are taken to address the situation, the country could implode.

Mr Obasanjo provided figures suggesting that out of the country’s estimated 178.5 million population, 70 per cent are below 30 years, with 54 per cent being unemployed.

“I have no doubt in my mind that youth unemployment, youth dissatisfaction and youth frustration were part of the causes of the so-called Arab Spring from which Libya and Egypt have not yet fully come out and which caused insecurity and instability in the whole of the Arab world.

“We must learn the right lessons and put in place, programmes that will address youth empowerment and youth employment, youth discontent and youth dissatisfaction and youth frustration to avoid youth anger and explosion generated there from,” Mr. Obasanjo said.

Couple break-up on the plane shared on twitter

Kelly Keegs live tweeted the couple's tense break-up on her flight

American woman live tweeted a couple's tense argument on a delayed flight

In the age of smartphones and social media, nothing is sacred.

Now it seems you can’t even loudly break up with your girlfriend on a plane packed full of people and expect it not to be broadcast live on Twitter.

And the reason for this is people like New Yorker Kelly Keeg, who last night tweeted details of a couple’s break-up during a delayed flight.

While the plane waited to take off on the tarmac, Ms Keeg entertained herself - and thousands of Twitter users - by commentating on the 90-minute long row between an unidentified pair.