Assault victim begs Edo monarch - The Onojie of Uromi for forgiveness

The woman who was reportedly assaulted by the Onojie of Uromi in Esan North-East Local Government Area of Edo State, Mrs. Betty Okoebor, on Sunday begged the monarch for forgiveness.

The traditional ruler and Ojuromi of Uromi, His Royal Highness, Anslem Aidenojie II, had been suspended for seven days by the state executive council for allegedly attacking the woman and causing her “bodily harm,” among other alleged offences.

But the victim, Okoebor, who knelt before the monarch at his residence in Benin, in the presence of some Uromi elders, said that her plea became necessary as it was not customary for a traditional ruler to seek forgiveness from his subjects.

The woman, who was accompanied by some of her relatives, noted that she was not coerced into taking the decision, which she said was based on the fact the Ojuromi remained her father.

“I have offended my father and have come to him for forgiveness. He has forgiven me and also prayed for me,” Okoebor added.

In his reaction, the Ojuromi of Uromi said that the woman had a “little disagreement” with the palace and for which she apologised.

Aidenojie II said, “Betty is my daughter; she had little disagreement with the palace and she has come to apologise.

“As a father, I have forgiven her and have also prayed for her to have good health, prosperity and success in every aspect of her endeavour.”

Source:http://www.blacknaija.com/new-update/assault-victim-begs-edo-monarch-for-forgiveness

Drama in Delta as bride runs out of wedding reception, rejects husband‎ (PHOTOS)

There was confusion in Delta State on Saturday as a wedding reception ended half-way, following the bride’s pronouncement that she was no longer interested in the few-hours-old marriage.

DAILY POST reports that the bride, who ran away from the reception venue, was given hot chase by the husband.

The incident, which occurred at ‎Udu Local Government Area of Delta State, created serious scene in the area.

At the popular Orhunwhorhun road, the husband was seen begging the bride to reconsider her decision.

The incident attracted a large crowd, as well as members of their families, in a frantic effort to settle the matter.

 Source: Dailypost

"Lie of the Year "- 200,000 Unemployed Nigerian Graduates to get Jobs before end of October 2016 - Pastor Osinbajo

Implementation plans for the effective commencement of a number of the social investment programmes of the Buhari presidency has reached advanced stages as the selection of the first 200,000 unemployed graduates to get jobs is now being completed.

Speaking with a small group of radio journalists and producers at the Presidential Villa, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo disclosed that “we expect that before the end of the month, we will engage 200,000,” out of the 500,000 unemployed graduates the Buhari administration plans to hire in the N-Power jobs programme.

According to him, the direct government jobs is meant “to keep this young people occupied, pay them some amount of money and also give them a device, which will also help them to learn several skills that they can develop as time goes on.”

Prof. Osinbajo added that “we expect that before the end of this month, we should have engaged 200,000 of them and we are hoping that before the end of the year we should have engaged more.”

Similarly, Mr. Osinbajo disclosed that the Home-Grown School Feeding programme is set to kick off in several states this month.

“Definitely before the end of this month, we expect that several states would have come on stream with their Home-grown School Feeding Programmes,” the Vice President noted.

He added that the Home-Grown School Feeding programme “will energise agriculture in the different states because it is what you plant that you feed the children with, we will be hiring caterers, cooks, etc in each state because it will be Federal Government funded from Primaries 1-3 and the state governments hopefully would be able to cater for the other classes.”

According to the Vice President, the Home-Grown School Feeding programme is another section of the Social Investment programmes that impact directly on the lives of Nigerian children and families. He said several states will start implementing the Home-grown School Feeding Programme before the end of October.

Equally he stated that the Micro-Credit scheme for which the Buhari administration will give very low-cost loans to more than one million Nigerian artisans, traders, market women and other ranging from N60,000 to N100,000 would also be kicking off this month.

According to him, “for women across the country, we are giving loans, micro credit loans to about 1.5 million women. We are focusing on market women and artisans, loans between N60,000 and 100,000 each. We are working through the Bank of Industry, BOI. They are going to be giving out these loans, we‘ve already identified the banks and everybody who is involved in this. We should be flagging-off hopefully before the end of this month”

Such soft loans to the artisans, traders and market women, according to him, is meant “to boost their businesses.”

The Vice President reassured Nigerians that the current Federal Government led by President Muhammadu Buhari is well focused on ameliorating the plight of the citizens of the country, observing that the administration feels the pains of the citizens and is committed to assuaging them.

“We fully understand and appreciate the situation of things in the country and we are committed to ensuring that that pain is assuaged. The President stated that clearly in his October 1st broadcast to the nation. All his life, he has been a salary earner, he has never been a businessman, so he understands why someone who earns a salary and even those who do not, are severely challenged at this time of economic recession such as we are experiencing,” he said.

On the economy, Vice President Osinbajo said government is committed to developing it, to enable citizens find opportunities within the country.

“I want to assure Nigerians that the government of President Buhari is a very focused and determined government. We are committed to ensuring that we are able to develop the Nigerian economy in such a way that Nigerians are able to find opportunities in their own country,” he said.

He listed the ‘Made in Nigeria’ project, moving away from import dependence, boosting agriculture, and encouraging manufacturing as some of the urgent actions being pursued by government in order to move the country forward.

The Vice President also emphasized the Buhari administration’s zero tolerance for corruption, as corruption is “the major drain on the country’s resources.” He added that “no one would be spared in the fight against corruption because, even the close friends of the President know that they will not be spared, he will not cover for them. Fighting corruption is a priority.”

On the current recession, the Vice President said the fall in oil prices and pipeline vandalism were the immediate causes of the recession, thus reducing drastically, the country’s revenue. But he assured that government will adequately manage the little being realised now.

“We were producing up to 2.2 million barrels a day but all of a sudden, the vandalization of our terminals caused us to lose up to a million barrels a day.

“So when you lose up to 60 per cent of your revenue or even more, there must be a shock because you are really earning very little and we will ensure that that very little that we are earning is as well managed as possible,” he said.

Source:http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/212546-200000-unemployed-nigerian-graduates-get-jobs-end-october-osinbajo.html#.WBcACnHNZFw.facebook

Breaking News! $2.2b Arms Deals: Dasuki to call Former President, Goodluck Jonathan as witness

x-NSA prefers political solution

Former National Security Adviser (NSA) Sambo Dasuki, who is on trial for alleged mismanagement of $2.1billion arms funds, would like former President Goodluck Jonathan to be his witness, it was learnt yesterday.

Dr. Jonathan has faulted the charges against Dasuki, claiming that the ex-NSA could not have stolen about $2.2billion votes for arms. “We bought warships, we bought aircraft, we bought lots of weapons for the army,” he said in a recent interview at the Oxford Union in the United Kingdom.

Speaking with our correspondent, Mr. Ahmed Raji (SAN), the ex-NSA’s counsel, said Dasuki wanted Jonathan to testify in court.

Raji said: “It will be desirable for Jonathan to testify for the ex-NSA. It will throw greater light into grey areas. And it will serve the interest of Justice.

“It will be fantastic for him to go to court to testify. Dasuki is an agent of a disclosed and known principal.”

Another member of the legal team said: “With what Jonathan said in London, the only logical thing for him to do is to see it through.

“We want Jonathan to follow-through. If he backs out, it will be bad.”

But, in Raji’s view, a political solution will be better than trial because of the “characters involved”.

He said: “But, frankly speaking, I pray for a political solution to the problem because of the characters involved.

“Both the accused and the government should embrace a political solution to the problem.”

Asked if Dasuki is ready for political solution, he added: “Why not? He is.

”I believe the President is very sincere. He wants to reorganise Nigeria and he deserves the support of all.

“With a political solution, Mr. President will be in good stead to overcome unnecessary distractions in order to succeed.

“I pray that everybody will key into his vision and the economic challenges facing the nation.”

Those point of advising a political solution is that it will not be “tidy” for Dasuki to mention all those who got money from his office. Among them, said a source, are a prominent traditional ruler in the North, who reportedly got N500 million and a former Head of State.

A source, who spoke in confidence, said Dasuki’s defence team was banking on Jonathan’s testimony.

The source said: “All is set for the defence of Dasuki, who is still insisting on an open trial to let Nigerians know the beneficiaries of the arms cash.

“One of those who may testify is ex-President Goodluck Jonathan whose remarks in London appeared to be the first phase of the war chest of the ex-NSA.

“You know the ex-NSA said he acted on Jonathan’s instructions in disbursing some of the cash. And from the look of things, the ex-President is now ready to accept responsibility for whatever Dasuki did.

“We believe it has reached a level that Nigerians must know what really happened, how funds were disbursed and who got what.

“This is why a secret trial is not a viable option, with the way things are going.”

The source added: “So far, we have secured the consent of Jonathan to appear in court for Dasuki. This will make the trial worth it.”

It was learnt that a traditional ruler allegedly benefitted from the arms funds to the tune of about N500million.

Another source added: “Dasuki has a list of highly-placed beneficiaries from the arms cash. A particular traditional ruler got about N500million as a gift from the government through the Office of the National Security Adviser(ONSA). There are many hidden beneficiaries whom Nigerians must know.

“Nigerians will be shocked by some revelations which will come up during the trial. Nothing short of open trial will let Nigerians know the truth. We are ready for this.”

Dasuki had on December 13, 2015 said he disbursed the funds on Jonathan’s instructions.

The ex-NSA said: “I wish to state as follows: That I have been publicly indicted and any statement may jeopardise my defence. Having been briefed by the EFCC investigators on why I was invited, I will answer the charges in court. As such, I do not wish to make any further statement on the matter.

“That I am aware in November (I cannot remember the exact date), my office requested the CBN to exchange N10billion from the account of the Office of National Security Adviser domiciled in CBN. The money was exchanged at $47m and some Euros which I cannot remember. The exact amount was delivered at my residence.

“The money was for delegates that attended the nomination convention for the PDP. Presidential nomination. The money was paid and sent to Hon. (Waripamowei) Dudafa (SSAP Household) and ADC(C-I-C) for distribution on the instruction of the President.

“Based on the statement of Director of Finance and Administration (Salisu), Ibrahim Wambai, and Yazidu Ibrahim, all the cash (both foreign and local) are usually given to them for official use.

“I also noted the statement of Sagir Bafarawa whose company is Dalhatu Investment in which he stated that he received the sum of N4,633,000,000 from the account of the Office of the NSA. I authorised the payment . The money was for vehicles, motorcycles for youth empowerment and women sent to Saudi Arabia. I got the proposal from the President. I do not have the proposal; it should be at the office in the Villa.”

ADMIRAL C4C's Giving Out N3,000,000 (3 Million NGN) CASH! Investment pledge to Young Nigerian Entrepreneurs - Apply Now !!!

A Nigerian Europe based Top Performing artist Omega Humez popularly known as “ADMIRAL C4C” has publicly announce his planes to give out 10million Naira to 10 Nigeria Youth with great Entrepreneurs skills  and are willing to pursue business with passion, He made this announcement on Wednesday 26^th 2016 on his Facebook live chat while sharing his thought  and passion to affect his general positively.

 

ADMIRAL C4C wrote “UPDATE on ADMIRAL C4C's N3,000,000 (Three Million NGN) CASH! Investment pledge to Young Nigerian Entrepreneurs.

We are receiving uncountable mails from promising bright minds who are really interesting in making something out of their god's given ideas. I'll encourage you all to stay calm and tune in to my broadcast on Sunday 30th October which would be made via my official facebook page ADMIRAL C4C . There i will be making a comprehensive statement on how, where and when you can send your entries i.e "Business plans". So if your aren't there, you better Link up FAST!..

Right now, i'm putting together a team of bright business minded reputable individuals who are 
"blessed with a heart of gold" in supervising this project. People like Amb Dion Osagie, my lovely sister Olorunfunmi Adebajo and by Sunday i would have gotten two more people to make up an unbiased TEAM trustworthy of reviewing EVERY entry without sentiments but with the sole purpose of selecting the "Most promising competent Young Entrepreneurs" that will turn this three million NGN into into something not only them would be proud of but the nation at Large. Thank you as i look forward to seeing you all on Sunday”

Today he made a comprehensive statement giving details on how to access this grant.   ADMIRAL C4C who got more than 200 messages from prospective entrepreneurs 4days after this announcement on Wednesday declared he will be seeding Ten  Kids to School for the next five years in addition to the 3 million proposed for youth entrepreneurs.

He said the found can be accessed only after the review of individual proposal by the committee of friend delegated and encouraged qualified Nigerian youth to take advantage of this opportunity to turn their creative ideas into businesses instead of waiting on the government.

To be eligible and for consideration, the following criteria must be satisfied:

 ·         You must be a Nigerian citizen (show proof) and between the ages of 18 and 35 years old;

·         The proposed business must be situated within the national Nigeria

·         The proposed business must not involve gambling or  involve any activity that is illegal under the laws of Nigeria;

·         You must be prepared and available to explain and defend your business plan/idea in person

·         The committee reserves the right to carry out further background checks on you and holds the right to disqualify you should the need arise.

·         You must be ready to operate the business on a full time basis

ADMIRAL C4C further express dissatisfaction with the direction Nigeria economy is going and urges the government to do the needful at the earliest to avoid total breakdown of the economy. He challenges all well-meaning Nigerians in diaspora to join hands to support the youth out there for better Nigeria.

Please follow Here: http://www.admiralc4c.com/business-proposal

APC Crisis: Plot to Unseat Odigie-Oyegun thickens as ‘forces’ want him named ambassador

The subterranean plots to remove the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun is reportedly gaining some traction, with the forces working towards his removal angling to get the president to name him an ambassador.

Past efforts to ease him out of the party through such appointments had failed as Chief Oyegun himself is said not to be well-disposed to such appointments. Some party insiders accused the Secretary to the Government of the Federation SGF, Babachir Lawal of working in cahoot with the Asiwaju Bola Tinubu camp to remove the chairman.

National Chairman APC, Chief Odigie Oyegun briefing State House Correspondents after a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja. Photo by Abayomi Adesida However, the SGF has denied the allegation, saying such appointments are the prerogative of the president.

In a text message to Sunday Vanguard, Lawal said; “I do not know anything about the chairman’s ambassadorial as such are made by the president. Did you see his name on the list read out on the floor of the Senate?”, he queried. Sunday Vanguard learnt that the plot by the contending camps to remove Odigie-Oyegun as the party’s National Chairman before the completion of his four-year term guaranteed by the APC Constitution is a veiled attempt to hijack the APC political machinery in the leadup to the 2019 general elections.

Copied:Sunday Vanguard

BOMBSHELL: There is hardship in the Country – Aisha Buhari Speaks Again

Wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, Hajiya Aisha Buhari, came back quietly from her foreign trips a while ago.

Since her return, Aisha has commenced work in her charity organization.

Aisha and her committee members on humanitarian crisis, kick started the distribution of relief items to Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, in Bornu State.

Their target site is in Kaga Local Government Area of Borno State.

The relief items were nutritional food collected from her ‘Get Involved initiative, under her Future Assured program.

Her organization collects and collates relief material from individuals, agencies, parastatals, friends, associates and organizations.

The materials are donated in cash or kind. Thereafter, she redistributes the gifts to victims of Boko Haram insurgency.

Flagging off the distribution of the relief items, which is the pilot scheme in Beneshiekh town of Kaga, Mrs. Buhari said 350 households would benefit from the relief materials.

She guaranteed that all the communities affected by insurgency in the North-East would also benefit from the Get Involved gesture.

According to Aisha, “We are doing this to cushion the hardship of our traumatized victims of Boko Haram.

“Aside from this, the current economic hardship complicates the plight of those already affected by violence across the country.

“Not just BH, but with people affected by other related violence that have hitherto affected some parts of this country.

“Now that peace had been restored by our gallant troops and our IDPs have also returned home, we deemed it fit to assist our people with nutritional food items.

“I believe this gesture will be extended to all parts of this country affected by violence.

“This will encourage those still living in camps to go back to their liberated communities,” Aisha Buhari said.

2015 CAN BRIBE SCANDAL: HOW PASTOR ORITSAJAFOR SHARED JONATHAN N7 BILLION LARGESS

As investigations continue into various allegations of sleaze in the past administration, information has emerged that the former leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) may have presided over the sharing of the sum of N7billion allegedly provided by former President Goodluck Jonathan to solicit support of churches to vote for him in the March 28, 2015 elections.

Pentecostal pastor, Kallamu Musa Ali Dikwa, in an exclusive interview with Sunday Telegraph, said that CAN’s national and state executives, as well as various leaders, received various sums of money under the supervision of former CAN President, Pastor Ayo Oritsajafor and CAN General Secretary, Rev. (Dr.) Musa Asake, to campaign for the then President in the last election. “When we received the N7billion, you know CAN has five blocks. Each block in CAN collected N50million.

While National CAN executives got N30million each, some got N20million while women’s group was given N25million. All the state CAN officials collected N3million each. Zonal CAN chairmen got N5million each and former CAN President, Pastor Oritsejafor, went with the remaining part of the N7billion,” he said.

Besides the N7billion reportedly given for campaigns, Dikwa added: “There were Toyota Sports Utility Vehicles given to them. Let me tell you, there are lot of people that can come out to testify if not because of fear. They came church by church, to campaign for former President Jonathan as their candidate, just because they had collected N7billion for the campaigns.

But they didn’t exhaust the whole money on campaigns and the people that received the money were the former President of CAN and the General Secretary.” Giving reasons why he got N1million from CAN, he said the money was received as part of ‘out of court settlement’ in a suit against them.

“The matter is currently being investigated by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, which had informed me to play along with them.” He said shortly after the money was paid into his Ecobank account, a lien was placed on it and he never touched it as part of the investigators’ directive. “The reason why they bribed me with N1million was because I took them to court last year.

When I raised the issue of N7billion, the General Secretary of CAN, Dr. Asake, wrote a letter signed by him to the DSS to arrest and investigate me,” he said. Efforts to get reactions of Pastor Oritsajafor was unsuccessful as he neither picked his phone nor respond to our text message. The text message to Oritsejafor by 8:09am Saturday, after repeated calls reads: “Good morning His Eminence.

Hope you had a restful night sir. I have been calling you since yesterday, (Friday). One Pastor Dikwa alleged that you and Rev. Asake presided over the distribution of N7bn from Dr. Goodluck Jonathan for pastors to campaign for him in the churches last year. What is your position on this sir?” But Rev. Asake said Dikwa’s story is old and a figment of his imagination. He said neither he nor Oritsejafor presided over any sharing of N7billion because such money was never given to CAN leadership during their tenure. “He has been telling this story since last year.

He has spoken in Abuja and in Kaduna. The story is not straight forward because he (Dikwa) is attempting to dribble all Nigerians. The incident allegedly happened before the elections. Tell me, if it was true, would the government, which is arresting all indicted persons, not have arrested us? “On one occasion, when he brought up this issue, he was asked to produce evidence; he said he had no documents.

He even wrote a letter of apology to us, but now he has started going the old path. I am not afraid of probe. If EFCC invites me over this matter, I am willing to go there,” Asake, CAN General Secretary said. Current CAN President, Rev. Supo Ayokunle, who could not pick his call at about 13:25hrs, because his aide said “Baba is preaching,” later replied to our correspondent’s text message, saying, “Call the people concerned. I don’t have anything to do with it.”

Source: weeklypostng.org

PRESIDENCY GIVES EFCC, DSS GO AHEAD TO ARREST FORMER PRESIDENT, GOODLUCK JONATHAN FOR CORRUPTION

The Presidency through the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo may have given the Economic and Finan
cial Crime Commission, The EFCC and the Nigeria secret police, the DSS blanket approval to arrest the former President, Goodluck Jonathan over various corruption and fraud allegations

Punch Newspaper reports that the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, on Saturday, assured Nigerians that the Federal Government would not interfere in the work of security and anti-corruption agencies if they decided to move against former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Osinbajo, who said the current administration did not believe in arbitrary arrests, explained that the agencies of government were being empowered to do their jobs without undue interference.

The vice president, according to a statement by his spokesman, Mr. Laolu Akande, spoke on Friday in Houston, Texas in the United States at a meeting he had with Nigerians based in the US.

He was said to have answered questions on the economy, the anti-corruption war, the recent arrest of judges and the menace of herdsmen in parts of the country, as well as community policing.

The statement read, “Answering a question from the Internet on when former President Jonathan would be arrested, Osinbajo pointed out that the Buhari administration was not in the business of arresting people anyhow.

“He said all the Buhari administration did was to empower the security agencies and the anti-corruption agencies to do their jobs, without the administration trying to teleguide (monitor) them,”

Osinbajo was also quoted as saying that the fight against corruption in the country was not based on ethnic, hasty or premeditated grounds.

He said, “Corruption is not an ethnic thing, there is an equal representation in the stealing as no one operates with his or her ethnic group alone, the culprits are in every case seen so far, united by greed to steal and not by ethnic or religious interest.”

Osinbajo disclosed that as much as $15bn had been stolen from the national coffers by individuals.

He said no responsible government would wave that aside so as not to offend people.

Commenting on the recent arrest of some judges in the country, Osinbajo said the Federal Government was only exercising its executive function in attempting to check excesses.

He said impunity could be dangerous in any sector.

He said due process was followed as the judges were released about 24 hours after their arrest, having written their statements.

Osinbajo also disclosed that security agencies have arrested about 800 suspected herdsmen across the country in relation to violent attacks on innocent people.

He said, “The President has given firm instructions to the security agencies to arrest not only herdsmen, who are attacking communities anywhere in the country, but anyone of them or anyone at all in possession of firearms.

“There are about 800 of suspected violent herdsmen in the country who are currently in custody,” he said.

The vice president, however, lamented that the slow pace of the criminal justice system was affecting the prompt trial of such suspects.

Osinbajo said killings by violent herdsmen had been a perennial issue, especially as grazing lands continue to disappear over the years with the cattle feeding on people’s crops on the farmlands.

He clarified that the matter did not start when President Buhari assumed office.

Answering questions on the need for community policing, the vice president indicated that community policing via state police was a cardinal programme of the ruling party.

He, however, said the party’s agenda could not be introduced until there was an  amendment to the nation’s constitution.

“The Federal Government is currently working to introduce community policing, that would be in line with the constitution,” he said.

He also responded to a question on the state of the nation’s economy and attributed the current recession to the loss of about 60 per cent of government revenue due to pipeline vandalism and endemic corruption in the country.

He, however, stated that getting back oil production was a sure way to get out of the recession

Source: Spynigeria

I went to Nigeria to meet the man who scammed me – 69-yr-old Swede woman narrate her 419 Romance

BBC.com

I went to Nigeria to meet the man who scammed me – 69-yr-old Swede woman ON OCTOBER 29, 2016 8:26 PM IN CRIME GUARD COMMENTS An internet romance scam took an unexpected turn, writes Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani. When Maria Grette first discovered that the “58-year-old Danish man” with whom she had fallen in love was actually a 24-year-old Nigerian “419” internet scammer, the 62-year-old Swede was distraught. 
But, soon, her feelings changed. “The most terrible thing was not that he had cheated me, but that he had lost his innocence,” she said. She became consumed with what she describes as “a profound need to make a difference to the people of Nigeria”. Ms Grette’s relationship with Johnny (not his real name) began after an evening of fun and games with her girlfriends, during which they playfully created a profile for her on an online dating website.

 A few years before, she had gone through a traumatic divorce, and her friends teased her about finally starting a new relationship. Maria Grette But when the fun of creating her profile was over, Ms Grette, who works as an arts teacher, painter and arts therapist, didn’t give much further thought to the website. “I received messages telling me that people had contacted me, but I never looked at them,” she said. Then, one day, she did. “I still don’t know why,” she said. “It was like a sudden impulse happening before I could stop it.” That particular message was from a man who described himself as a Dane raised in South Carolina, USA; a civil engineer working on a contract in England; a widower with a son in a Manchester university. “I was caught up by the atmosphere and by something in his words,” she said. Johnny:  “I wish I could see through your eyes and see what you like to see” Maria:  “I like to see the truth, and often the truth is more beautiful and greater than people dare to realize” Johnny:  “You talk in parables. I can´t wait to see you” Maria:  “I can’t understand how you can think so dedicated of me, when you have never met me. 

That scares me.” “We spent some time writing, then he called from a UK number.” Ms Grette, who had lived in different countries across Europe, was surprised that she could not place the man’s accent. She mentioned this to him but didn’t give it too much thought. He told her that he was planning for his retirement; had Sweden in mind for a place to settle; owned a house in Denmark inherited from his parents; wanted to leave that to his son, Nick, who was very attached to it, while he looked for a new home for himself in Sweden. “I wanted to meet him because I liked him,” she said. “He had a way and a sweetness I had never known in a man before. And he was innocent in a way that puzzled me.” Ms Grette put all these qualities down to “an old fashioned upbringing and an isolated life – living in hotels and spending his free time on golf courses owing to much travelling”. After three months of communicating, the man agreed to come over and visit her in Sweden.

 But before that, he and his son needed to make a quick trip to Nigeria for a job interview, he said. Johnny called to let her know that he was at Heathrow Airport. And to say that he had landed in Nigeria. He also got her to speak with Nick. The next phone call was to tell her that he was in a Lagos hospital. They had been mugged, his son shot in the head, and they were without money and papers. Unfortunately, his bank did not have a branch in Africa, he added, so it would take time to transfer money from his UK account. Meanwhile, the hospital management was requesting €1000 to proceed with treatment. 
The request “Honey, I am in the hospital right now using the doctor´s laptop to send you this message so you can know my situation. Honey, if Nick dies I will also die with him, I have been crying, I wish I could call you, I wish I never came here, I will never forgive myself for bringing Nick along with me. I will call you with the doctor´s phone and send you an email later if I have the chanse. “Honey, I am happy to hear from you and I am still at the hospital. The doctor said we where lucky we where not kidnapped.
 The bank does not have a location in Africa, so it will take time to get money and the management are requesting 1000 euros to proceed with treatment. Nick is all I have got and I will not forgive myself if anything happens to him. I am confused, and I do not know where to turn at the moment……” “I will never forget how I rushed to the Western Union office, trembling while I did the transfer,” Ms Grette said. “All I could think of was to get the two persons in Nigeria out of danger.” The plot developed after that initial transfer. Medical complications called for more money. 
The doctors demanded more advance fees. Several thousands of euro later, in what she describes as “coming to her senses”, Maria realised that something was amiss. She stopped responding to his messages. 
Three weeks after her silence, he called her and confessed. He told her that he was not who she thought he was. “I said I already knew that. I asked him to tell me his true identity and he did.” He was a 24-year-old Nigerian “419” scammer. He had finished university two years earlier but had no job.

 These kind of advance fee frauds are known as 419 scams in Nigeria after the section of the Criminal Code which covers fraud. He further described himself as a “devil” who had wronged “a lovely woman”.
 “He said he had never met anyone like me before, that he had been fighting his feelings for me for a long time. He said his scamming mates had warned him about falling in love with a ‘client’, that he had ignored them because he trusted me and did not want to lose contact with me.” The revelation From this point on, their communication took a new turn. 

There were no further requests for cash. “The attraction I started feeling was to the person who was revealing himself to me… It was still him, but with a new name and different age and circumstances,” she said. Johnny sent her a photograph of himself, but Maria was not satisfied with that. “I wanted to meet him,” she said. “I could not live with this relationship unless it was adjusted to reality in all senses.” Unable to get him a visa to travel to Sweden, she made up her mind to go to Nigeria.

 In October 2009, Ms Grette travelled to Africa for the first time in her life. “When I saw him at the airport in Abuja, tears fell over his face, and I knew I had known him all my life.” Ms Grette described her two weeks in Nigeria as blissful, a period during which she and Johnny succeeded in transforming their romantic feelings for each other into a good friendship. She met his friends, many of whom were also scammers. It was while enjoying their company one night in a local bar that she began to wonder how she could make a difference. “I asked myself what I could do to prevent a situation where healthy, good young men fall into this trap,” she said. An idea came to her two years later, in 2011, after she saw an article on a Nigerian news website about an arts exhibition. 

Over the past six years, Ms Grette has arranged for a number of African artists to visit Europe for arts exhibitions, workshops, conferences and competitions. She has assisted them to source international grants and other funding to advance their work. 

She has also visited Uganda to give talks on art, and is looking forward to another visit to Nigeria scheduled for later this year. Ms Grette, now 69 and living in Norway, is elated at the opportunity to improve the lives of these young artists. “Johnny has given me more than he took,” she said, “Without him, I would not have met Africa.” When she’d visited him in Abuja, Johnny promised Ms Grette that he would give up scamming. With her assistance, he left Nigeria shortly afterwards, to study in America. 
Although they have not met each other again since, she continued to provide him with financial assistance until he completed his degree a few years ago and got a job in the American oil sector. They still communicate frequently, updating themselves on each other’s lives; and last year, he bought one of her paintings which she shipped over to him in America. “He is very dear to me,” she said. “He has asked me so many times to forgive him and I told him that the most important thing is to forgive himself.” 

“Source: BBC