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Tag: Turkey

  • TNG Deal Breakers: Earthquakes: Today’s Turkey, Syria and elsewhere, but it cannot happen in Nigeria?

    TNG Deal Breakers: Earthquakes: Today’s Turkey, Syria and elsewhere, but it cannot happen in Nigeria?

    Every day we read about the phenomenal human lives wasted since the massively destructive earthquake hit Turkey and Syria, a country that has recorded large-scale calamities from wars it waged on itself. The death toll was 34,000 at the beginning of this week and hopes are gradually dimming on possibilities of digging out more survivors. Destruction of lives and property was at a larger scale in Turkey than in Syria. Though the countries are still counting losses in both human lives and property, yet one important takeaway from the outcome of the 7.9 magnitude quake is Turkey’s lax policing of building codes, according to experts.

    Pictures emerging from the worst-hit areas like Hatay Province show high-rise in residential buildings that are similar to what can be mapped in some of Nigeria’s urban areas, particularly in the southern part of the country. Experts say that this pattern of buildings, very close to each other was the major reason for the high number of deaths recorded. Like Turkey, Nigeria’s perennial occurrence of building collapse has been attributed to weak regulations in the compliance of standard building ethics in the quality and quantity of materials.

    In addition, the world’s top insurers and reinsurers are not fretting over Turkey and Syria’s insured losses because in both countries religious beliefs inhibit insurance choices as a risk transfer mechanism. The same can also be said about Nigeria in respect of the overall weak insurance environment, poor emergency response system and absence of economic and city resilience measures.

     Is an earthquake possible in Nigeria?

    The answer is yes! Researchers have established that Nigeria is prone to earthquakes but claimed that it is of a low seismic proportion. This finding is contrary to the preponderance of opinions by the vast majority of uninformed Nigerians that earthquakes of the magnitude that happened in parts of Turkey and Syria cannot happen in Nigeria. Many more also hold the view that Nigeria’s geological condition cannot give rise to earthquakes, either of low or high magnitude. 

    In the article, Review of Earthquakes in Nigeria: An Understudied Area”, published in the International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology, the authors posited that earthquakes of a magnitude of up to 7.1 is possible in Nigeria. There is more to this finding that should jolt the government sufficiently enough to act. It was not until the second half of 2019 that the federal government established the Center for Geodesy and Geodynamics in Bauchi State, perhaps after the tremor that shook Abuja and miles within the country.

    In 2005, NASA scientists using data from the Indonesian earthquake calculated that it “affected the earth’s rotation, decreased the length of the day, slightly changed the planet’s shape and shifted the North Pole by centimetres.” These are incredible findings that humankind should follow up on closely.

    The earthquake that created the huge tsunami on December 21, 2004, also “changed the Earth’s rotation” concludes Dr Richard Gross and Dr Benjamin Fong Chao of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, Pasadena, California and Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland respectively. Although they imputed that the changes are barely noticeable, still such changes come with yet incalculable but certain phenomenal events in life on earth and of the Earth itself. “Any worldly event that involves the movement of mass affects the Earth’s rotation, from seasonal weather down to driving a car”, said Chao.

    The NASA pronouncement put together with the 1998 8.1 magnitude earthquake in Antarctica a region previously certified with low seismicity in the world shows that Nigeria, despite being a low seismic country can experience earthquakes of higher proportions as forecasted by the researchers. 

    Globally, 2,206 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.0 upwards were recorded globally in 2021. A total of 23,679 earthquakes happened across different regions of the earth from 2009 up to 2021. It would seem that the phenomenon spiked again in the past two years and with the current devastation in Turkey and Syria early in the year, it could be a warning to brace up for an uncertain year of possible aggravation of natural disasters.

    In light of the vulnerabilities and increasing certainty of a massive earthquake occurring from 6% probability to over 90%, it is imperative that the CGG leadership take its task seriously so that early sensitization of the Nigerian people and awareness of the dangers can be created.

    Recall that in 2001, e detonation of bombs at the Maryland Ordinance depot of the military rocked Lagos and its outskirts so massively that thousands of men and women, young and old ran to their death because there was no forewarning about the nature of that military activity. When compared to what might likely happen in the event of a serious earthquake in the country, the ‘Ikeja bomb blast’ will pale into insignificance. Though significant insured losses were recorded, the estimated thousands of Nigerians who died had no insurance coverage.  

    Seismic Faults in Nigeria

    According to Oluwafemi, Olufuyatan, Ede, Oyebisi and Akinwunmi of Covenant University, “some geophysical studies have established that there is the existence of an active seismic fault in Nigeria. The fault was named the Ifewara-Zungeru fault due to the bearing of the line of the fault as it trends through the Ifewara zone of south-western Nigeria”. Any future earthquake in predicted to occur within the existing fault lines”, they stated in their report cited earlier.

    Indeed, Federal Capital Territory residents and Abuja have experienced tremors a couple of times. The last officially reported episode was on November 1, 2018. An earlier event on September 5, 2018, which lasted three days in Mpape and some parts of the Maitama district in FCT kept the entire country in panic mode.

    Records also counter the dismissive optimism that Nigeria would not witness serious earthquakes. In the past many earthquakes have been dispersedly reported across the six geopolitical zones namely the North-Central Zone (NC), North-East Zone (NE), North-West Zone (NW), South-East Zone (SE), South-South Zone (SS) and the South-West Zone (SW) as follows;

    North-Central:  Benue,  Kogi,  Kwara,  Nasarawa,  Niger, Plateau, Abuja

    North East: Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, Yobe

    North West: Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara

    South East: Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo

    South-South: Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta, Edo

    South West: Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo.

    While the first quake ever in Nigeria occurred in 1939 in Ibadan, the first tremor was recorded in Warri in 1933.

    Geological setting of Nigeria

    Lagos and most of the southwest region are more prone to earthquakes than other regions. Interestingly, the Nigerian Association of Water-Well Drilling Rig Owners and Practitioners (AWDROP) has alerted the federal government about putting measures in place that could limit or reduce the effects of earthquake aftermath. The drilling group’s concern followed on the heels of another scholarly research led by Dr Adepelumi Adekunle Abraham, of the Department of Geology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife which pinpointed Shaki in Oyo State as being in danger of earthquake. Their report titled “Preliminary Assessment of Earth Tremor Occurrence in Shaki Area, Shaki West Local Government, Oyo State” triggered a call by AWDROP for regulation for underground water extraction. There is none as yet in this regard.

    Instruments to detect seismic activity

    Nigeria is gradually equipping itself to improve its seismic records and that effort has currently raised the country to a status of possessing five active seismic stations in Nigeria. The plan is to increase the number of seismic stations across the country. The Centre for Geodesy and Geodynamics (CGG) Toro is saddled with the task of monitoring and studying seismic events of the country. The active seismic stations run on a 24-bit 4- channel data acquisition system with seismometers broadband. It is not certain if the planned acquisition of telemetry equipment has been affected. Greater emphasis should be on the education of the population.

    Forecast

    Nigeria is only five years away from the terminal forecast period of 2010 to 2028 when it was predicted that an earthquake of magnitude greater than 5.0 would occur in the country along its seismic fault line with the South-West most susceptible. Increasingly several seismic alerts and warnings from agencies and researchers point to a possibility that must be taken seriously. The forecast had a probability that increased from 6% to 91.1% between 2010 and 2028.

    Future research led by the CGG should endeavour to bridge the knowledge gap as regards the extent of the probable future earthquakes in Nigeria. This will enable an orientation process to get Nigerians and businesses prepared for any such occurrence.  It is unhelpful to hold on to the arguments that large earthquakes may not occur in the country. A shift in the North Pole after the Indian Ocean tsunami has altered many an existing geophysical balance.

  • 10-year-old Turkish boy rescued after 100 hours under rubble

    10-year-old Turkish boy rescued after 100 hours under rubble

    Rescuers in southern Turkey rescued a 10-year-old boy from a collapsed house, four days after an earthquake caused devastation across large parts of the country’s border with Syria.

    The boy had been trapped under the rubble in the town of Kahramanmaraş for more than 100 hours.

    The Israel Defence Force (IDF), which has been assisting the rescue work, tweeted on Friday.

    “The rescue teams provided the boy with lifesaving medical treatment during the rescue and afterward
    transferred him to a hospital for further medical treatment,’’ the IDF said.

    Israel sent more than 380 aid workers to Turkey in recent days as part of a relief operation, including doctors, nurses and paramedics.

    On Friday morning, the Israeli military started operating a field hospital in Kahramanmaraş.

  • Turkey Earthquake: Christian Atsu is still missing – Club doctor, Gurbey Kahveci

    Turkey Earthquake: Christian Atsu is still missing – Club doctor, Gurbey Kahveci

    Another news making the rounds have it that Ghanaian and Hatyaspor of Turkey forward, Christian Atsu is still missing.

    Hatayspor club doctor, Gurbey Kahveci noted that Atsu and one other player are still missing.

    Savut Taner, Hatayspors sporting director, was among those buried in the rubble days after the disaster.

    Over 12,000 people have been confirmed killed in a devastating earthquake  that happened across Turkey and Syria.

    Recall that the club’s vice-president, Mustafa Ozat had claimed that the player had been pulled from the wreckage.

    The Ghana FA also came out with a claim that the former Newcastle and Chelsea winger had been found.

    However, Hatayspor club doctor, Gurbey Kahveci, and Atsu’s agent, Nana Sechere said the player has not been located.

    Kahveci said: “When we heard the news that he was taken to Dortyol Hospital, we especially went and looked but he was not there.

    “At the moment, we accept that Savut Taner and Christian Atsu were not found unfortunately.

    “We are doing everything we can to locate Christian,” said Sechere.

    “As you can imagine, this continues to be a devastating time for his family,” he added.

    Atsu scored his side winning goal on Sunday before being caught up on MNonday in the Earthquake.

  • Woman pulled out of rubbles alive after 52 hours in Turkey

    Woman pulled out of rubbles alive after 52 hours in Turkey

    A woman was pulled out alive after being trapped in the rubble of a building that collapsed 52 hours earlier due to a devastating earthquake in southeast Turkey.

    Pictures from broadcaster NTV on Wednesday showed emergency services in the province of Kahramanmaraş, near the border with Syria, carrying the woman on a stretcher to the ambulance.

    The 58-year old was reportedly rescued from a collapsed hotel.

    The province of Kahramanmaraş was hit hard by the earthquakes. The quake was the strongest, which registered a magnitude -7.7 of and struck at 0117 GMT on Monday.

    Another powerful quake, only slightly weaker at 7.5, hit around noon the same day. Thousands died in Turkey and in neighbouring Syria.

    Some of the injured were being taken to the metropolis of Istanbul for treatment via Atatürk Airport, which has been closed for civil air traffic, the broadcaster reported.

  • No Nigerian casualty in Turkey quake – Envoy

    No Nigerian casualty in Turkey quake – Envoy

    Nigeria’s Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey, Ismail Yusuf has disclosed no Nigerian is among the casualties of the earthquake that hit some cities in Turkey.

    Yusuf made the disclosure on Tuesday, adding that the Embassy is on alert to know the state of every registered Nigerian in the country.

    Recall that in the early hours of February 6, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit some cities in Southeastern Turkey.

    President Recep Erdogan said the earthquake was the worst disaster the country had experienced in 84 years.

    Yusuf said rescue efforts were ongoing and there had been no report of any Nigerian casualty living in the affected region as of the time of this report.

    “Early morning on Monday at 4.17 a.m. local time, Turkiye was hit by 6.5 to 7.8 magnitude earthquakes across the cities of Malatya, Sanliurfa, Osmaniye, Diyarbakir and Gaziantep.

    “We have no information of any Nigeria amongst the victims so far. This is work in progress. We are doing the best we can in the circumstance. Rescue efforts are progressing systematically, and in stages.

    “It is too early to provide any specifics on the outcome of rescue and related matters, including census because the seven affected cities are mostly in ruins and many people are still trapped in several buildings.

    “Furthermore, the rescue efforts are being slowed down by the seething winter, with snow everywhere,” Yusuf said.

    Yusuf said President Muhammadu Buhari had commiserated with the government and people of Turkey, pledging Nigeria’s support and solidarity.

    Meanwhile, the government of Turkey had declared national emergency in the country, soliciting international aid and humanitarian assistance.

    Over 3,400 people have been killed in the quake in Turkey, thousands injured, with rescue operations still ongoing.

    While over 2,000 people have also been reported dead in Syria, which was also hit by the quake.

  • President Buhari condemns despicable bomb attack in Turkey

    President Buhari condemns despicable bomb attack in Turkey

    President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned as “despicable and cowardly,” the terrorist bomb attack that claimed several lives and injured tens of others in an explosion in central Istanbul, Turkey.

    In a reaction to the incident, via a statement by his media aide, Malam Garba Shehu, on Sunday, Buhari expressed the shock and sadness of the Nigerian people over the incident.

    He assured the Turkish President, Recep Tayyep Erdogan, that the government and people of Nigeria would continue to support them in the global war against terrorism.

    ”The thoughts and prayers of the government and people of Nigeria are with the families of the innocent people killed and we wish full and speedy recovery to those injured,” the Nigerian leader said.

  • Briturkey, Britaly and fear of Britainistan – By Azu Ishiekwene

    Briturkey, Britaly and fear of Britainistan – By Azu Ishiekwene

    In a widely shared story last week, The Economist likened the political carnage in Britain to the situation in Italy in the 1940s. Italy was a major theatre of the First World War at the end of which the country was in ruins. 

    It is so unstable that in spite of the tenuous hold of the Christian Democrats on power for much of the time, the country has produced 69 governments since 1945, an average of one and a half governments every two years. Italy’s instability is the joke of Europe.

    Britain is not doing badly. With three prime ministers in 50 days, not to mention the execution of four chancellors of the exchequer already, with the fifth barely finding his feet, the UK is the new butt of European jokes, its modern-day Italy – or if you like, Britaly – however much Italians may dislike the comparison.

    But before Britaly there was Briturkey. At the peak of its powers, Turkey, or what was then the Ottoman Empire, controlled much of Southeast Europe, Western Asia and North Africa, stretching to the borders of Egypt.

    Decline set in around the 18th and 19th century as the empire was soon consumed by corruption, inefficiency and instability. Turkey, under the Sultan, became not just an embarrassment to itself but also a huge joke among the powers at the time.

    Russian Czar Nicholas I, fed up with the hubris of the Turkish Empire, famously described Turkey as “the sick man of Europe.” He may well have been speaking of Britain, or if you like, Briturkey – today’s sick man of Europe.

    Perhaps the emergence on Tuesday of Rishi Sunak as Britain’s third Prime Minister would halt the slide into chaos. But before Sunak, let’s go back to Brexit, the moment when the chaos gathered pace and finally unravelled. 

    Nigel Farage, Michael Gove and Boris Johnson led the campaign. They cashed in on the growing right-wing sentiment in the country at the time and converted it into a liveried Brexit bus, fuelled with lies, hysteria and empty promises. 

    They forged numbers, exaggerated differences and painted a false picture of the El Dorado that the UK would become if only the country threw off the yoke of Brussels and took back control of its borders and politics again. Freedom was the buzz word. With the rise of Donald Trump and the events in the US at the time, the Bo-Jo frenzy was red meat for the right wing.

    It’s true that Britain, a largely food-importing country, has always been at the receiving end of Europe’s poor trade practices, especially its obsession with farm subsidies and shambolic regulations.

    But the 27 other members of the union, who valued Britain’s membership, were not willing to negotiate, especially in a hugely interdependent and globalised world. Even after Britain’s exit, the benefits of membership have still not been fully dismantled in the tangled mess that the Irish sea border has become. 

    Britain has always been ambivalent about Europe, which was why it formed the spectacularly unsuccessful rival European Free Trade Association (EFTA) in 1959.

    The French, often impatient, but unfailingly contemptuous of British coyness, kept the UK out of the Common Market (a precursor of the EU) until after the death of General De Gaulle in 1970. After a referendum, the UK joined the EU in 1973. But the same demons which always kept it out, only now compounded by its discovery of oil (the counterweight against the European farm subsidies) and nationalism, stoked its eventual departure in 2020.

    Two years down the road, the return of £350 million on the NHS alone which Boris Johnson and co promised on the Brexit campaign bus is turning out worse than a fantasy: it’s con-artistry! Johnson got Brexit done alright, but he has left British politics in chaos and its economic rating slightly better than junk bonds. Its political reputation has taken a beating reminiscent of Dardanelles and the Suez Canal. 

    Sure, Britain has better flexibility to manage its affairs and its way of life. It is free from the shambolic regulations of Brussels and, let’s face it, managed COVID-19 far better than most European countries, including its traditional ally on the other side of the pond. It even has an unemployment figure lower than that of most countries in Europe and an independent Central Bank.

    But this modest achievement has come at a very high price. European workers have shunned the UK with devastating consequences for services, especially the fishing, agriculture and the health sectors. 

    Britain is broken. Inflation is at a record high, with basic food prices going through the roof and about 33 percent of the population outside fixed mortgage contracts now struggling to pay. 

    Savings have been damaged, pensions are tanking and public services stretched to breaking point. The British economy, which was 90 percent of the German economy six years ago, has shrunken to 70 percent, and could shrink further as another recession looms.

    On top of all of this, the Russia-Ukraine war which has destabilised global supply chains, has also exposed Britain to energy shocks significantly worse than might have been the case in the comfort of the EU zone. 

    This is the difficult job that Sunak has taken. He steps up weeks after the Tory Party nearly exhausted its cardboard list of potential leaders that turned up Liz Truss who will now be remembered for her dizzying flip-flops and disastrous mini-budget.

    Former Lib-Dem-turned-Tory, former Abolitionist-turned-pro-Monarchist, former Remainer-turned-Brexiteer and former Wage-cutter-turned-Spendthrift, the lady, Truss, was always for the turning. And this time, she didn’t disappoint. Yet, as the Tory party rank-and-file contemplates their current misery, “otherness”, in this case the migrant, whether British-born or not, will be the scapegoat.

    There were two main reasons why Tory MPs didn’t want Sunak, and both have little to do with his competence. The first, of course, was his rebellion against Johnson, which opened the floodgates.

    The second, which Britain squirms to discuss, but which nonetheless is rearing its head in radio phone-in programmes, is his race. Having Sadiq Khan, London Mayor of Asian origin was difficult enough, especially at a time when Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle is causing some discomfort in the chemistry of the royal heritage.

    By some accounts, the UK has had at least 11 non-English prime ministers. But never in its over 220-year history as a union has a non-Caucasian, a 42-year-old Hindu of Indian origin, occupied Number 10. 

    The reality of a UK variety of the Obama-moment will spook the conservative base, raising the spectre of Britainistan. But MPs who figured that what the Tory party needed the most to retain power was competence over race, strategically blocked the decision of the new party leader from going back to the base.

    MPs knew that Sunak, a grafter, was their last card. They also knew that he would have lost at a general party conference, which might have thrown up a worse choice whose precipitous exit would have hastened the call for election – an election at which Labour would have been sure to decimate them.  

    But just like it happened in the US after Obama’s election, the UK will likely have its own Tea Party moment, too. A rash of right-wingers who think their country is being stolen from them by “otherness” will push back, perhaps even violently.

    France has struggled to keep this dangerous fringe at bay. As the recent election of Italy’s President, Giorgia Meloni, showed, however, right-wingers who are once again stirring in Europe, may now find their cousins in the UK.

    Yet, if Sunak manages to re-unite his party, calm the markets and stabilise the country – as I believe he can from his COVID-19 record – he might well be poised for the historic role of being more than just a placeholder for the Tory Party; and who knows, get his own mandate.

    It’s Sunak’s moment and I think he will seize it, even though his road will be rough.

     

    Ishiekwene is Editor-In-Chief of LEADERSHIP

  • Erdogan, Putin scheduled to meet later this week

    Erdogan, Putin scheduled to meet later this week

    Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will hold a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin later this week in the Kazakh capital of Astana, a Turkish presidential source said on Tuesday.

    The meeting between the two leaders is scheduled for Thursday, on the sidelines of an Asian security summit, the source said.

    Erdoğan and Putin will discuss “the idea of holding talks between Russia and the West,” Turkish.

    Local media reported that 11 leaders are expected at the summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA).

    Ukraine is not on the list.

    NATO member Turkey has positioned itself as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia since Moscow invaded its neighbour in February.

    While Ankara has criticised Moscow, it has refused to join Western sanctions.

  • Erdoğan renews threat to block Sweden from joining NATO

    Erdoğan renews threat to block Sweden from joining NATO

    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan again threatened to block Sweden from joining NATO.

    “As long as the terrorist organisations are demonstrating on the streets of Sweden, and as long as the terrorists are inside the Swedish parliament, there is not going to be a positive approach from Turkey towards Sweden,”Erdoğan said.

    Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership in mid-May in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    The two countries can only be admitted if all of the current 30 NATO members ratify the necessary accession protocols.

    Ankara has accused both Sweden and Finland of supporting Kurdish militants, as well as the group of U.S.-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gülen, all of which Turkey classifies as terrorist groups.

    Sweden and Finland refute these accusations but reached an agreement earlier this summer to assure Turkey of their support against security risks.

    Turkey’s demands were repatriation of some suspects and Sweden lifting its arms embargo.

    In September, Sweden approved the export of weapons to Turkey for the first time since 2019.

    However, Turkey is now taking the position that agreements made at that time have not yet been fulfilled, especially by Sweden.

    Erdoğan described relations with Finland in more positive terms.

    Turkey and Hungary are now the only countries left to ratify the accession protocols.

    Hungary has however not threatened to block the procedure.

  • Mother seeks NiDCOM’s help as child goes missing in Northern Cyprus

    Mother seeks NiDCOM’s help as child goes missing in Northern Cyprus

    The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) says a 28-year-old Nigerian student has been reported missing in Northern Cyprus since Aug. 2.

    The commission said this in a statement issued in Abuja by its Head of Media, Public Relations, and Protocol, Mr. Abdur-Rahman Balogun.

    Balogun said that the disappearance of the student was reported to the commission by his mother, Mrs. Dije Ibraheem.

    The report of the missing student came barely 24 hours after NiDCOM repeated advisory to Nigerians against seeking educational succour in Türkiye Republic of Northern Cyprus.

    He said that the missing student, AbdulSamad Abubakar, had called the mother on Aug. 2, through another person’s phone number, crying “they have come to pick me up to a detention camp”.

    “Mrs Ibraheem said AbdulSamad is a 300-Level International Relations student of Cyprus Science University and was living off campus.

    “She said since that call on Aug. 2, 2022 from an unknown number, with her son wailing and asking for help, she has not known his whereabout or heard any news from him or the school authorities.

    “Confused on what to do, she reached out to the agent who secured the admission and travelling documents for her son but he was not forthcoming too.”

    The woman also said she had written a petition to the Consular and Legal Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, before coming to seek for NiDCOM’s intervention, Balogun added.

    According to him, the woman’s prayer is to get her only son back to Nigeria alive.

    “I am here today at NiDCOM to beg you in the name of God to help me bring back my son alive, as I am scared of hearing any bad news about my only child. Please help me, I am a single mother,” she was quoted as saying.

    The Secretary of the Commission, Sule Bassi, received the petition on behalf of the Chairman of NiDCOM, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa.

    He assured Ibraheem that everything possible would be done to locate her son and bring him back to Nigeria.

    Bassi, however, reminded her that diplomatic services would be difficult, because Nigeria and the United Nations had no diplomatic relations with Northern Cyprus.

    He, however, assured her that further investigation would be carried out by the Commission in conjuction with the Nigeria Embassy in Ankara, Turkey.

    “Here at NiDCOM, we are concerned about the welfare of Nigerians abroad as well as encouraging them to invest back home for national development,” he said.

    The secretary advised Ibraheem to take care of her health, as the commission investigates the matter.

    He reiterated the earlier advisory given by the Commission against sending students to Northern Cyprus due to negative reports from there, especially from students.

    Turkey’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Hidayet Bayraktar on Thursday issued an open letter describing the advisory by the Commission as exaggerated.

    NiDCOM however responded by releasing the list of Nigerians murdered in Northern Cyprus within three years.