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How We Spent 36 Years In Nigeria With 10-Day Visas — American Tourist Narrates

Two American tourists, Liza Gatsby, and Peter Jenkins, have recounted what led them to spend over 36 years in Nigeria instead of the 10-day transit visas that were approved for them in 1988.
The two tourists made the revelation in an interview with a content creator, David Nkwa, monitored by Punch on Wednesday.
According to them, they never planned to stay in Nigeria beyond their approved days of visitation until they saw the need to save drill monkeys in the country because they were impressed by the dominance of interesting opportunities in areas of Science and Wildlife Conservation, the roads, the hospitality of Nigerians and the living condition that appeared better compared to America in those days.
“I’ll tell you what I like about Nigerians. Okay, that’s what makes Nigeria different from every other country in Africa. They would say ‘hey! Oyinbo, come in na, sit down, make we talk. Make I go buy you drink.’ That is the difference between Nigeria and the rest of Africa.
“There were a lot of interesting opportunities in areas of Science and Wildlife Conservation that we became involved in, and we’re still here 36 years later. We arrived with a 10-day transit visa, and we have been here for 36 years.
“We founded a nonprofit organisation called Pandas that ranches monkey drills in Bano and Calabar in Cross River State. I don’t think that one species is more important than another, just like I don’t think that human beings are more important than drills or elephants are more important than whales; I think we are all of equal value, and the drill is a scarce species, it’s one of the rarest animals in Africa and it’s one of those animals you never thought you would even see when we were traveling across Africa, you know I had my Wildlife Field Guide and you look at the pictures,” Gatsby, one of the tourists said.
Speaking on why Calabar was their place of choice, Jenkins said they had done their research and that aside from Cameroon, Calabar was another place for monkey drills, stressing that no scientist or tourist had discovered that those animals were living there until 1987 when they consulted the local people in the community and got funding to make it habitable while conserving the rare species of Monkeys and other animals including girafees.
Jenkins added, “I love Nigeria, this is a great place. Come and live in Calabar and be at rest.When we got here, the population of Nigeria in the early ’90s and the late ’80s was around 65 million.
“The amount of natural resources that were still intact was extraordinary, and the density of wildlife generally in the forest was better compared to today. In fact, it’s appallingly low now, but in those days, this was a wonderful place to do research. Communities were very welcoming in those days; life was cheap; here, diesel, which is what our Land Rover ran on, was 35 Kobo, and with 29 kobo to the market, you would come back with two heavy bags with change in the pocket.
“We were comfortable and found Nigeria habitable. It was the best value country on this continent by far. The food was cheap, the road was perfect. There was no gallop deeper than a bottle cap.”
Meanwhile, Gabsty identified the lack of patriotism as the challenge facing many Nigerians while berating the growing negligence of the country’s culture, heritage, identity, music, traditional herbs, and healing.
“Nigerians don’t have pride in Nigeria’s natural heritage. I think that’s a big issue because that’s what it takes to try to make a difference. People don’t take pride in their cultural identity, language, traditional herbs, and healing.
“There was this huge wealth of knowledge when we came here on traditional healing and herbs from the forest, and that was another thing that put value on the natural resources here, but which of these old herbalists have an apprentice who is learning from them and when these old guys are gone, all that knowledge is going to be lost?
“You go to the market now; we see herbal teas and herbal cures imported from China. How do we know that those things work? What’s wrong with our traditional ones here?” She queried.
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Finally, Senator Shehu Sani Dumps PDP For APC

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
A former lawmaker who represented Kaduna Central at the 8th Assembly, Shehu Sani, has defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, welcomed Sani alongside 49 other political stalwarts who defected to the APC at the Murtala Square at a mega rally held on Saturday.
Sani stated that the defectors would enjoy the same rights and privileges as other party members, stressing there was no difference between a party member who joined it recently and those who were in APC ten years ago.
Sani urged the decampees to notify their supporters of the readiness of APC to accept them into the party as their doors were still open to receive more defectors.
According to him, the popularity and acceptability of APC is because of its just leadership at both the state and federal levels.
He said: “Someone who joined APC today and the one who has been a foundation member 10 years ago, they are of the same status. They will enjoy the same rights and privileges.
“Politics is different from governance. We will be fair to all, whether or not they voted for us, because that is the oath of office that we swore to uphold as leaders.”
Governor Sani, who argued that leaders were not infallible and were bound to make mistakes like anyone, pleaded with the leaders to always point out their mistakes to correct them.
The Governor reminded the APC faithful that the leaders would be held accountable hereafter regarding how they led the people God entrusted to them.
Prominent amongst those who decamped to APC were former Governor of the state, Alhaji Muktar Ramalan-Yero, Sen. Shehu Sani, Sen. Suleiman Hunkuyi, the gubernatorial candidate of NNPP in the 2023 General Elections, also former gubernatorial candidate, Alhaji Sani Sha’aban, Sen. Danjuma Laah who represented Zone three at the Senate on the platform of PDP, Alhaji Abubakar Mustapha, former National Organising Secretary of PDP and Amb. Sule Buba, former Nigeria’s Envoy to South Korea.
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Gates of Hell to Open in Gaza: Netanyahu cautions Hamas

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to unleash devastating consequences on Gaza if Hamas fails to return all hostages, warning that the “gates of hell” will open if the militant group does not comply.
In a joint statement with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Netanyahu emphasized that Israel and the US have a shared strategy to tackle the Palestinian militants, and that Hamas’s military capability and political rule in Gaza will be eliminated. The Israeli Prime Minister also expressed his commitment to bringing all hostages home and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel.
Netanyahu’s comments come as US President Donald Trump has proposed a bold and controversial plan for Gaza’s future, suggesting that the US take over the territory and transform it into a “Riviera of the Middle East”.
First priority for Trump is to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack
The plan, which involves resettling Gaza’s two million Palestinian residents in other countries, has sparked widespread outrage and criticism. Rubio, however, defended Trump’s proposal, saying that it represents a bold and courageous vision for Gaza’s future, one that breaks away from the “tired ideas of the past”.
The US Secretary of State emphasized that Hamas cannot continue to operate as a military or government force, and that it must be eradicated. He also stressed that the first priority for Trump is to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack. With tensions escalating in the region, it remains to be seen how the situation will unfold, but one thing is clear: the stakes are high, and the consequences of inaction could be devastating.
News
Tigran Gambaryan: A Despicable Agent of Malice Against Ginger Onwusibe ,Colleagues

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
A group of civil society organizations under the aegis of Alliance for credible legislative conduct has carpeted Tigran Gambaryan, an American personnel of Binance for attempting to soil the integrity and great reputation of some Nigerian congressmen over unfounded bribery allegations
Top parliamentarians from the Nigerian House of Representatives which include, Ginger Onwusibe who is Chairman House Committee on Financial Crimes, Hon Phillip Agbese ,Deputy spokesperson and Hon Peter Akpanke , are beign spotted by the American for alleged sleaze.
According to the group, the American is attempting to use cheap blackmail to hound and payback the lawmakers after they investigated him for various financial infractions and misdeeds in Nigeria
“It is clear that Tigran Gambaryan having made solo attempts on behalf of Binance to commit huge financial crimes in Nigeria, and having failed miserably to have his way, which led to his investigation and ultimate incarceration, has now turned full circle to unleash a pound of flesh against patriotic Nigerian law makers,( who investigated him) which has now manifested in his fictional claims that he was asked to pay the sum of a $150 million bribe while he was in detention”, the group which is an affiliate of the United of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council, stated
Alliance for Credible Legislative Conduct in a statement issued and signed by its President, Abdulrasheed Rufai, PhD and Secretary, Benson Alfred Akor, noted that Tigran was a drowning man who wants to drag credible Nigerian lawmakers along
They added that his case is a baffling orchestrated web of malice and a piece of garbage concocted against honourable members of House of Representatives, and as such should be disregarded by Nigerians.
*Below is the full text of the Press statement:*
“Our attention was drawn to the recent allegations of bribery made by Tigran Gambaryan, an American personnel of Binance against Hon. Ginger Onwusibe, Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Financial Crimes; Hon. Philip Agbese, Deputy Spokesperson, House of Representatives, and Hon. Peter Akpanke.
Having looked at the matter painstakingly and exhaustively, we discovered that Gambaryan, who was recently tried in Nigeria for financial crimes; held for months over allegations of money laundering and aiding criminal activities, and was released on humanitarian grounds, after the charges were dropped following U.S. government intervention, is indeed a despicable agent of malice.
It is clear that Tigran Gambaryan having made solo attempts on behalf of Binance to commit huge financial crimes in Nigeria, and having failed miserably to have his way, which led to his investigation and ultimate incarceration, has now turned full circle to unleash a pound of flesh against patriotic Nigerian law makers,( who investigated him) which has now manifested in his fictional claims that he was asked to pay the sum of a $150 million bribe while he was in detention.
Having dissected the position of both the Federal Government of Nigeria, and that of the House of Representatives about the unfortunate saga of Tigran Gambaryan and Binance, we as civil society organizations …… conclude, that what is playing out is a case of baffling orchestrated web of malice and a piece of garbage concocted against honourable members of House of Representatives.
In the light of the above, we hereby use this medium to tell Nigerian people never to fall for the desperate antics of a man already in the pit of disgrace looking for who to rob with his mud.
In condemning this insane, ridiculous and absurd development, it is very obvious that
Tigran Gambaryan is simply on a calculative mission to create unwarranted tension within the National Assembly, embarrass and disrespect the Federal Government of Nigeria. This we will not allow to happen”
Signed:
ABDULRASHEED RUFAI PhD
PRESIDENT
BENSON ALFRED AKOR
SECRETARY
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