Ethiopian Airlines bids for Arik Air

Nigeria's leading airline could soon be under new management. Ethiopian Airlines has submitted a formal offer to take charge of troubled carrier Arik Air, which accounts for more than half of Nigerian air passenger traffic, according to official statistics.

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10 Richest Black Billionaires In The World For 2017

Three of the top ten world black billionaires are Nigerian

1. Aliko Dangote ($12.2 billion) Nigeria, Sugar, Cement, Flour

2. Mohammed Al-Amoudi ($8.4billion) Saudi-Ethiopian tycoon, Oil

3. Mike Adenuga ($6.1 billion) Nigeria, Oil

4. Isabel Dos Santos ($3.1 billion) Angola, Investments

5. Oprah Winfrey ($3 billion) US, Television

6. Robert Smith ($2.5 billion) US, Private Equity

7. Patrice Motsepe ($1.81 billion) South Africa, Mining

8. Folorunsho Alakija ($1.61 billion) Nigeria, Oil

9. Michael Jordan ($1.31 billion) US, Basketball

10. Mohammed Ibrahim ($1.14 billion) UK, Mobile Telecoms, Investments

Source: CEOworld magazine

Osinbajo inaugurates $1.5B fertilizer plant in Nigeria

Acting President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo today in Port Harcourt Ngeria inaugurated a giant world-class fertilizer plant, built by Indorama Eleme Fertilizer and Chemicals Limited at the cost of $1.5 billion. This year alone, the plant is expected to supply about 360,000 Metric Tons of Urea to Fertilizer blenders, which, in turn, will produce NPK fertilizer for the benefit of farmers across the country.

Prof Osinbajo commended Indorama for keying into the Presidential Fertilizer initiative which President Buhari launched last year to make fertilizers cheaper nationwide. “At the end of last year, the President launched a Presidential Fertilizer Initiative, to ensure the availability of cheaper fertilizer to our farmers, to support what we’re doing in agriculture, in the production of rice and wheat and other staples. “That Fertilizer Initiative, now well underway, has created significant economic opportunities for companies like Indorama Eleme Fertilizer & Chemicals Limited.

Acting President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, in his speech said that for Indorama to invest a whopping $1.5 billion in the state, it shows that the state is safe for investors and their investments. He called on other investors to emulate the footsteps of Indorama.

The fertilizer plant is well supported by Port Terminal at the nearby Onne Port Complex, and a Gas Pipeline of 83.5KM for gas supply. The plant will bring about a green revolution in the agriculture sector not only in Nigeria but also in other parts of Africa and world at large.

Besides, making the fertilizer products to be available at affordable cost, the plant will boost crop yield to farmers and greatly help in minimizing the food grain deficit in Nigeria. The plant has also generated lots of job opportunities contributing to the economic prosperity of Nigeria.

USA teams up with Nigerian Whistle blowers

The United States government is teaming up with Nigerian groups to launch a web-based platform allowing people to report everyday corruption in Africa's populous nation. Graft (egunje/bribe) is widespread and sometimes spectacular in Nigeria, and President Muhammadu Buhari took office in 2015 vowing to eradicate it. 

Nigeria Acting President Osinbajo

He warned that "if we don't kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria." Earlier this year, more than $43 million in cash was found in a Lagos apartment and forfeited to the federal government. 

Now Nigerian non-governmental organizations have created the "Report Yourself" platform with support from the U.S. State Department and local law enforcement agencies. Police say citizens will be able to report graft via text message as well. Platform designer Oluseun Onigbinde says Nigerians find corruption everywhere and it has "robbed us of prestige."

Source: abcnews

Nigerian Physician assassinates colleague then commits suicide

A fired doctor of family medicine, Dr. Henry Bello shot seven people, killing one, before taking his own life at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center Friday afternoon. Bello of Nigerian descent was wielding a rifle and killed a woman, authorities said. Six others were hit, five of them receiving serious wounds, according to authorities. He brought a rifle into the hospital underneath a white lab coat.

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5 of Top 10 High Risk Malware Countries are in Africa

Africa features significantly in the latest Global Threat Impact Index released for May 2017 by Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHKP). Out of the top ten countries, five are African. Zambia has the highest risk profile, with Nigeria in second position. Uganda, Malawi and South African are ranked 7th, 8th and 9th respectively. South Africa, in particular, demonstrated a significant jump in ranking, having moved up from 22nd position since last month.

The Index also revealed that more than one in four organisations globally was affected by the Fireball or WannaCry attacks during May. Two of the top three malware families that impacted networks globally were zero-day, previously unseen attacks. Fireball impacted one in five organisations worldwide, with second-placed RoughTed impacting 16% and third-placed WannaCry affecting nearly 8% of organisations globally. The two malware variants, Fireball and WannaCry, rapidly spread worldwide throughout the month of May.

The most prevalent malware highlight the wide range of attack vectors and targets cyber-criminals are utilising, impacting all stages of the infection chain. Fireball takes over target browsers and turns them into zombies, which it can then use for a wide range of actions including dropping additional malware, or stealing valuable credentials. By contrast, RoughTed is a large-scale malvertising campaign, and WannaCry takes advantage of a Windows SMB exploit called EternalBlue in order to propagate within and between networks. WannaCry was particularly high profile, bringing down a myriad of networks worldwide.

In addition to the top three, there were also other new variants of malware seen within the top ten of the index including Jaff (8th) another form of ransomware, demonstrating how profitable this particular attack vector is proving for malicious parties.

May 2017's Top 3 'Most Wanted' Malware:

*The arrows relate to the change in rank compared to the previous month.

1. Fireball - Browser hijacker that can be turned into a full-functioning malware downloader. It is capable of executing any code on the victim machines, resulting in a wide range of actions from stealing credentials to dropping additional malware.

2. RoughTed - Large-scale malvertising used to deliver various malicious websites and payloads such as scams, adware, exploit kits and ransomware. It can be used to attack any type of platform and operating system, and utilises ad-blocker bypassing and fingerprinting in order to make sure it delivers the most relevant attack.

3. WannaCry - Ransomware that was spread in a large scale attack in May 2017 utilising a Windows SMB exploit called EternalBlue in order to propagate within and between networks.

In mobile malware, Hummingbad returned to the top of the list and was closely followed by Hiddad and Triada:

Top 3 'Most Wanted' mobile malware:

1. Hummingbad - Android malware that establishes a persistent rootkit on the device, installs fraudulent applications, and with slight modifications could enable additional malicious activity such as installing a key-logger, stealing credentials and bypassing encrypted e-mail containers used by enterprises.

2. Hiddad - Android malware which repackages legitimate apps and then releases them to a third-party store. Its main function is displaying ads, however it is also able to gain access to key security details built into the OS, allowing an attacker to obtain sensitive user data.

3. Triada - Modular Backdoor for Android which grants superuser privileges to downloaded malware, as this helps it to get embedded into system processes. Triada has also been seen spoofing URLs loaded in the browser.

"To see so many brand-new malware families among the world's most prevalent cyberattacks this month underlines just how innovative cybercriminals can be, and shows how dangerous it is for organisations to become complacent," commented Rick Rogers, Area Manager for East and West Africa at Check Point Software Technologies. "Organisations need to remember that the financial impact from cyber- attacks goes way beyond the initial incident. Restoring key services and repairing reputational damage can be a very long and expensive process. As such, organisations in every industry sector need a multi-layered approach to their cybersecurity. Our SandBlast™ Zero-Day Protection and Mobile Threat Prevention, for example, protect against the widest range of continually evolving attack types, and also protect against zero-day malware variants."

Check Point's Global Threat Impact Index and its ThreatCloud Map is powered by Check Point's ThreatCloud intelligence, the largest collaborative network to fight cybercrime which delivers threat data and attack trends from a global network of threat sensors. The ThreatCloud database holds over 250 million addresses analysed for bot discovery, more than 11 million malware signatures and over 5.5 million infected websites, and identifies millions of malware types daily.

Check Point's Global Threat Impact Index

Tragedy in London as Apartment building is engulfed in Flames

Dozens are feared dead in an overnight blaze at the Grenfell Tower in London. The fire that swept through a 27-storey west London tower block in just 15 minutes after a fridge exploded could be one of the worst in British history amid fears nobody on its top three floors survived.

Six people are known to have died after fire engulfed Grenfell Tower in White City after 1am today but Scotland Yard says the death toll is expected to rise significantly.

READ MORE HERE

UNPF boss, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin passes at 68

Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, head of the United Nations Population Fund-UNPF and former Nigeria Minister for Health, died on Sunday night at his home in West Harrison, N.Y. He was 68. The population agency confirmed his death, saying it was sudden, but did not give a cause.

Dr. Osotimehin, had been the executive director of UNPF, the world’s leading provider of family planning services, including contraception, since 2011. He led efforts to advance a 1994 action plan adopted by 179 countries that recognized for the first time that women have the right to control their reproductive and sexual health and to choose whether to become pregnant.

He also advocated family planning services, championed methods to prevent maternal deaths in childbirth and sought to eliminate genital cutting of women and girls. He was once the director general of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS before becoming an undersecretary general with the United Nations. He chaired the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on the Demographic Dividend, which offers policy advice to lawmakers so they can benefit from the economic growth that comes with a decline in a country’s birth and death rates.

He was also co-chairman of the Family Planning 2020 Reference Group, an international organization that looks to provide family planning services for 120 million more women and girls by the year 2020.

Dr. Osotimehin was born in Nigeria and trained to be a doctor there at the University of Ibadan. He received a doctorate in medicine from the University of Birmingham in England in 1979. He is survived by his wife, Olufunke Osotimehin, five children and several grandchildren.

Tragic Road Crash claims lives of young Nigerian Mother and Son

It’s not unusual to witness vehicles racing through one of the busiest highways in Texas especially during rush hour on a Monday morning. On the fateful morning of June 5th, the radio transmission was interrupted by an announcement that the highway had been blocked due to a ghastly road crash.

The tragic crash involved a stalled Honda Accord which was brutally rear ended by a truck which unfortunately claimed the lives of a young Nigerian Woman; Adeyinka Aruwajoye, 30, and her 9 month old son who was strapped firmly in his car seat at the back of the car. 

Adeyinka was propelled from the vehicle by the impact and was immediately taken to the Medical City Arlington and was pronounced dead hours later, according to the Tarrant County medical examiner’s office.

Our prayers and condolences go out to the entire family of the deceased. 

source: FOX NEWS DALLAS

Facts about the new Kenya $4 Billion Chinese-Built Railway

1.      1. The $3.8 billion, 298-mile stretch of railway is the work of the China Road and Bridge Corporation, a state-owned enterprise that build on Beijing’s behalf in Africa. The Chinese began building the line in December 2014 and completed the first section, the Nairobi-Mombasa line, 18 months early.

2.     2. The Nairobi-Mombasa line is just the first instalment in the Chinese-funded project to improve rail links in East Africa. The line is planned to extend westward from Kenya and into Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Burundi, and northward into South Sudan and Ethiopia.

3.      3. Before the new railway opened, the quickest way to get from Mombasa to Nairobi without the expense of flying was a grueling nine-hour bus journey; the old railway takes 12 hours to complete the journey. The new standard-gauge railway is predicted to cut that journey time down to four-and-a-half hours. President Kenyatta also ordered the state-owned railway company to charge no more than 700 Kenyan shillings ($6.77) for an economy-class ticket.

4.     4.  Kenyatta announced that the new railway would be named the Madaraka Express. Madaraka, a Swahili word meaning responsibility or power, is also the name of Kenya’s Independence Day, celebrated on June 1 each year.

5.    5.   President Kenyatta has threatened to sign into law the death penalty for anyone guilty of vandalizing the train line. “I want to firmly state today that those who will be prosecuted and found guilty of vandalizing a property belonging to all Kenyans; will face the death penalty.” 

Nigerian in the USA enrolls for PH.D at 18

18-year-old Nigeria native Nkechinyere Chidi-Ogbolu is not your typical teen. Chidi-Ogbolu just graduated summa cum laude from Howard University with a degree in chemical engineering; making her the youngest person to graduate from Howard this year, and one of the youngest in Howard’s history. But that’s not all for Chidi-Ogbolu. She’s now preparing to start a Ph.D. program at the University of California-Davis after the summer ends. She’ll be studying biomedical engineering with a focus on creating and discovering new medicines.

Chidi-Ogbolu said she’s always been the youngest person in her classes. While most students from Nigeria graduate high school at the age of 16, Chidi-Ogbolu finished high school particularly early, at 14, since she skipped 5th grade and attended an accelerated high school. After high school, she left Nigeria for America and enrolled full-time at Howard University, a historically black university and her first-choice school. “I thought I would be more comfortable at the age going to a school with more people that looked like me and therefore I could more easily relate to,” said Chidi-Ogbolu. “Plus, they gave me a full scholarship, so that definitely helped.”

Nkechinyere Chidi-Ogbolu

Leaving her parents in Nigeria was difficult, but Chidi-Ogbolu wasn’t alone. Many of her extended family members live in America, including an aunt who lived not far from her dorm, and other family members in Texas and Alabama. She credited her family’s support for her ability to cope with her new surroundings. With the blessings of her parents, Chidi-Ogbolu spent the summer after her junior year researching African weather patterns with Professor Paul Ullrich at UC-Davis. “While I was there, I decided that grad school was what I wanted to do.”

She started working on her graduate school applications during her senior year. “I can’t say it was stress-free,” she jokes. Her hard work paid off on February 7, when she received her acceptance letter from UC-Davis. “It was definitely a wonderful moment,” she says.

Prasant Mohapatra, UC Davis vice provost of graduate education, and dean of graduate studies, had this to say about Chidi-Ogbolu: “We are delighted to welcome Nkechinyere into the graduate education community at UC Davis. We hope to provide a dynamic educational experience that will deepen and expand her passion for advancing the field of biomedical engineering, and we are truly impressed by her future plans to help people worldwide through scientific research and innovation.”

Chidi-Ogbolu also has some advice for teens her age.

“Don’t limit yourself because you think you can’t do it or because no one you know had done it,” she advises. “You can always be the exception to the rule and end up being exceptional.”

Source: USA TODAY College contributor network.

Five Richest Nigerians

Nigeria is, in some ways, a rich country. The West African nation is a huge oil producer; the continent’s second-largest economy; and, in Lagos, has a bustling port city of over 20 million people with an economy bigger than many African countries. (curled from NEWSWEEK)

But with almost 100 million people living on less than $1 per day, extreme poverty remains a major problem in Nigeria. Additionally, the Boko Haram insurgency has left around 5 million people in need of urgent food assistance; the U.N. considers the situation in northeast Nigeria to be at risk of escalating into famine.

But according to a report by Oxfam International published Wednesday, much of these problems could be solved if the country’s richest billionaires clubbed together and shared out their wealth. It would cost $24 billion to eradicate extreme poverty in Nigeria (defined by Oxfam as living on less than $1.90 per day), $5.9 billion less than the total wealth of Nigeria’s five richest people in 2016, according to the report. This extreme inequality, Oxfam has said, must motivate Nigerian leaders to tackle the problem.

1. Aliko Dangote: $14.4 billion

Dangote, a cement magnate, is not only Nigeria’s richest person, but the wealthiest man in Africa. The 60-year-old from the northern state of Kano is the chief executive of the Dangote Group, one of Africa’s largest manufacturing conglomerates, with an annual turnover of $3 billion. Dangote is also a football fanatic and has declared his intention to buy English Premier League club Arsenal. He has also actively supported Nigeria’s recovery from the Boko Haram crisis, pledging $10 million in aid in 2016.

2. Mike Adenuga: $9.9 billion

A telecoms and oil billionaire, Adenuga studied at university in the U.S. and worked as a taxi driver to fund his education. Globacom, his mobile phone network, is the second largest in Nigeria, and the 64-year-old also owns six oil blocks in the Niger Delta, a massive oil-producing region in the south of the country that has recently been hit by militant attacks. He founded the Mike Adenuga Foundation, a philanthropic organization which operates across Africa.

3. Femi Otedola: $1.85 billion

The 54-year-old from Lagos made his fortune distributing Nigeria’s black gold: Otedola’s company, Forte Oil, controls more than 500 gas stations across Nigeria. The son of a former governor of Lagos State, Otedola also has interests in power generation and finance. One of his daughters is a popular DJ who played at the inauguration of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari. He supports various charitable causes and donated 300 million naira (now worth $95,000) to the construction of a Christian worship center in 2005.

4. Folorunsho Alakija: $1.55 billion

Nigeria’s first female billionaire, Alakija, 66, has earned her wealth in the fashion and oil industries. Her first company was an elite fashion label which produced clothes for the wives of Nigerian leaders, while the oil company she founded, Famfa oil, has a large stake in one of Nigeria’s most lucrative oil blocks. She also heads a foundation that supports widows and orphans in Nigeria.

5. Abdulsamad Rabiu: $1.1 billion

Rabiu, 56, is the founder of BUA Group; the conglomerate has interests including sugar, rice, edible oil, cement and real estate. His father, Isyaku Rabiu, was arrested in the 1980s under Buhari—then a military ruler in Nigeria—on charges including rice hoarding, and Rabiu took charge of his father’s business during the latter’s detention. His business also has a charitable foundation.

All estimates of wealth are taken from Forbes’ “The Black Billionaires 2016” report, published in March 2016, as per Oxfam’s report. The wealth of the individuals in question may have fluctuated since.

Toronto based Naija boys indicted in massive fraud

Adedayo Ogundana, 45, also known as Oladipupo Ogund, of Toronto, was arrested on Dec. 13, 2016. Adekunle Johnson Omitiran, 37, of Toronto, surrendered to police on April 27. Emmanuel Salako, 47, of Toronto, also known as Gee Salaq, has been indicted by the United States Postal Inspection Service in Chicago under the name George Salako. A warrant has been issued for Duro Akintola, 44, also known as Michie Noah, of Toronto.

READ MORE HERE

39 year-old Emmanuel Macron elected French President

Mr Macron defeated far-right candidate Marine Le Pen by about 65.5% to 34.5% to become, at 39, the country's youngest president, the results show. Mr Macron will also become the first president from outside the two traditional main parties since the modern republic's foundation in 1958.

President Emmanuel Macron

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Ooni of Ife Impersonator Arrested

A suspected Internet fraudster, Abiodun Joseph, who impersonated the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, on Facebook and duped two Nigerian ladies of various sums of money, has been arrested by the Ogun State Police Command.

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Ooni of Ife; His Imperial Majesty Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II

U.S bans Laptops, tablets as in-flight items

Airlines flying directly from eight countries in the Middle East and Africa to the U.S. must prevent passengers from carrying almost all types of electronic devices in the cabin, according to new security restrictions from the Trump administration. Passengers will have to check in any devices bigger than a smartphone -- including iPads, Kindles and laptops -- before clearing security or boarding, U.S. officials said, citing terrorism concerns. It means all laptops, cameras, tablets, e-readers, portable DVD players, electronic gaming devices and travel printers or scanners will have to be kept in the cargo hold for the duration of the flight.

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Deep worries about Abuja Airport Diversion

In 2010, retrogressive lawmakers in Abuja stopped the bid by Julius Berger to construct a second 4.6 kms runway for the Abuja International Airport, Nigeria. Fast forward to 2017, the Airport will be shutdown for six weeks to undergo maintenance of its only existing runway, forcing some major Airlines to boycott the alternative option of the Kaduna Airport. Can you believe that some of those lawmakers of 2010 are still making laws for the same country??

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Beyoncé pays homage to Yoruba deity ‘Oshun’

In her first public performance since announcing she is pregnant with twins, Beyoncé donned a gold sequin gown and headpiece and a gold bikini. But far from simply making a fashion statement Queen Bey was actually paying homage to an indigenous religious icon, Oshun – a Yoruba deity from West Africa for whom twins and motherhood are particularly crucial. Oshun – called Osun in the Yoruba language – is the goddess of beauty, prosperity, love, order, fertility and motherhood and is one of the most venerated deities of the religion.

READ MORE HERE 

source: Dailymailonline

$9.8 Million recovered from former Nigerian Oil Manager

A former Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Andrew Yakubu, is cooling off in detention after a whopping $9.8 Million was recovered from his residence in Kaduna.

Andrew Yakubu reported to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Zonal office in Kano and made a statement, wherein he admitted ownership of the recovered money, claiming it was a gift from unnamed persons.

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Nigerians protest harsh economic climate

Hundreds of Nigerians took to the streets in the federal capital of Abuja and the commercial city of Lagos protesting, among other things, against unemployment and issues including rising costs of foods and medicines, access to education and lack of services including water and electricity. The protests were originally galvanized by award winning entertainer, TuFace Idibia, utilizing the social media tag; #istandwithNigeria. The singer later called off the rally citing security concerns but civil groups still went ahead with the marches.

The protesters called for a change of government as they marched through the streets of Lagos and Abuja reflecting mounting public anger over a sputtering economy and political tensions blamed on an absentee president. In a rare show of public dissent against the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, more than 500 demonstrators halted traffic in the commercial capital, flanked by a heavy police escort. Buhari has been in Britain since mid-January for treatment for an unspecified medical condition and, with no indication of when he might return, many Nigerians suspect his health is worse than officials admit.

The country is also mired in its first recession in 25 years and high inflation is driving up prices of basic goods.

$10M Governors pay diverted by Texas based girlfriend

A Texas based girlfriend of a Nigerian State Governor has diverted $10 million of stash funds. The funds said to be bailout funds for the State was hijacked by the girlfriend according to a report published in the Vanguard.

READ MORE HERE

source: VanguardNG

New Wave of Suicides broadcast Live on Facebook

An aspiring Hollywood actor facing sexual assault allegations put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger while broadcasting on Facebook Live early Monday morning. Frederick Jay Bowdy, 33, went on Facebook at around 5.30am and announced to his followers that he was going to end his life.

A family member from out of state saw Bowdy's livestream and called the Los Angeles Police asking them to perform a welfare check. Bowdy shot himself in the head and was pronounced dead at around 6.30am. As news of Bowdy's grisly death spread, his friends took to social media expressing shock and dismay at the tragic incident, among them a few who watched the 33-year-old up-and-coming actor end his life. Facebook user Meco Harden described in graphic detail Jay Bowdy's final moments.

In another related incidence, a 14-year-old girl broadcast to a social media platform from her Miami area foster home as she hanged herself in the bathroom. The Florida Department of Children and Families offered few details Tuesday about the weekend death-by-suicide of Nakia Venant, whom police found hanging from the door frame in the bathroom.

One of the girl's friends told the Miami Herald she saw some of Venant's two-hour livestream on Sunday and called Miami-Dade police, who responded to her house. 

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Source: Dailymail

2017 USA INAUGURATION

President Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States of America will pass the baton of leadership to President Elect Donald Trump at the on the US Capitol in Washington, DC.

PRESIDENT TRUMP INAUGURAL SPEECH

Chief Justice Roberts, President Carter, President Clinton, President Bush, President Obama, fellow Americans, and people of the world:  thank you.  (Applause.)

We, the citizens of America, are now joined in a great national effort to rebuild our country and restore its promise for all of our people.  Together, we will determine the course of America and the world for many, many years to come.  We will face challenges.  We will confront hardships.  But we will get the job done. 

Every four years, we gather on these steps to carry out the orderly and peaceful transfer of power, and we are grateful to President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for their gracious aid throughout this transition.  They have been magnificent.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

Today's ceremony, however, has very special meaning --  because today we are not merely transferring power from one administration to another, or from one party to another, but we are transferring power from Washington, D.C. and giving it back to you, the people.  (Applause.)

For too long, a small group in our nation's capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost.  Washington flourished, but the people did not share in its wealth.  Politicians prospered, but the jobs left and the factories closed.  The establishment protected itself, but not the citizens of our country.  Their victories have not been your victories.  Their triumphs have not been your triumphs.  And while they celebrated in our nation's capital, there was little to celebrate for struggling families all across our land.

That all changes -- starting right here, and right now, because this moment is your moment.  It belongs to you.  (Applause.)  It belongs to everyone gathered here today and everyone watching all across America. 

This is your day.  This is your celebration.  And this, the United States of America, is your country.  (Applause.)  What truly matters is not which party controls our government, but whether our government is controlled by the people.  (Applause.)  January 20th, 2017 will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers of this nation again.  (Applause.)  The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer.  (Applause.)  Everyone is listening to you now.  You came by the tens of millions to become part of a historic movement the likes of which the world has never seen before.  (Applause.) 

At the center of this movement is a crucial conviction: that a nation exists to serve its citizens.  Americans want great schools for their children, safe neighborhoods for their families, and good jobs for themselves.  These are just and reasonable demands of righteous people and a righteous public.

But for too many of our citizens, a different reality exists:  Mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities; rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation; an education system, flushed with cash, but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of all knowledge; and the crime and the gangs and the drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential.  This American carnage stops right here and stops right now.  (Applause.) 

We are one nation, and their pain is our pain.  Their dreams are our dreams.  And their success will be our success.  We share one heart, one home, and one glorious destiny.

The oath of office I take today is an oath of allegiance to all Americans.  (Applause.) 

For many decades, we've enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry; subsidized the armies of other countries while allowing for the very sad depletion of our military.  We've defended other nation's borders while refusing to defend our own -- (applause) -- and spent trillions and trillions of dollars overseas while America's infrastructure has fallen into disrepair and decay.

We've made other countries rich while the wealth, strength, and confidence of our country has dissipated over the horizon.

One by one, the factories shuttered and left our shores, with not even a thought about the millions and millions of American workers that were left behind.  The wealth of our middle class has been ripped from their homes and then redistributed all across the world.  But that is the past.  And now we are looking only to the future.  (Applause.) 

We, assembled here today, are issuing a new decree to be heard in every city, in every foreign capital, and in every hall of power.  From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land.  From this day forward, it's going to be only America first -- America first.  (Applause.)  Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs will be made to benefit American workers and American families.  We must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries making our products, stealing our companies, and destroying our jobs.  (Applause.) 

Protection will lead to great prosperity and strength.  I will fight for you with every breath in my body, and I will never, ever let you down.  (Applause.)  America will start winning again, winning like never before.  (Applause.)

     We will bring back our jobs.  We will bring back our borders.  We will bring back our wealth.  And we will bring back our dreams.  (Applause.)

We will build new roads, and highways, and bridges, and airports, and tunnels, and railways all across our wonderful nation.

We will get our people off of welfare and back to work, rebuilding our country with American hands and American labor.  (Applause.)

We will follow two simple rules:  Buy American and Hire American.  (Applause.)

We will seek friendship and goodwill with the nations of the world, but we do so with the understanding that it is the right of all nations to put their own interests first.  We do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example -- we will shine -- for everyone to follow.  (Applause.)

We will reinforce old alliances and form new ones, and unite the civilized world against radical Islamic terrorism, which we will eradicate completely from the face of the Earth.  (Applause.)

At the bedrock of our politics will be a total allegiance to the United States of America, and through our loyalty to our country, we will rediscover our loyalty to each other.  When you open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice.  (Applause.)

The Bible tells us, "How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity."  We must speak our minds openly, debate our disagreements honestly, but always pursue solidarity.  When America is united, America is totally unstoppable.  (Applause.)

     There should be no fear.  We are protected, and we will always be protected.  We will be protected by the great men and women of our military and law enforcement.  (Applause.)  And, most importantly, we will be protected by God.  (Applause.)

Finally, we must think big and dream even bigger.  In America, we understand that a nation is only living as long as it is striving.  We will no longer accept politicians who are all talk and no action, constantly complaining but never doing anything about it.  (Applause.)

The time for empty talk is over.  Now arrives the hour of action.  (Applause.)  Do not allow anyone to tell you that it cannot be done.  No challenge can match the heart and fight and spirit of America.  We will not fail.  Our country will thrive and prosper again.

We stand at the birth of a new millennium, ready to unlock the mysteries of space, to free the Earth from the miseries of disease, and to harness the energies, industries, and technologies of tomorrow.  A new national pride will stir our souls, lift our sights, and heal our divisions.

It's time to remember that old wisdom our soldiers will never forget:  that whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood of patriots.  (Applause.)  We all enjoy the same glorious freedoms, and we all salute the same great American Flag.  (Applause.)  And whether a child is born in the urban sprawl of Detroit or the windswept plains of Nebraska, they look up at the same night sky, they fill their heart with the same dreams, and they are infused with the breath of life by the same Almighty Creator.  (Applause.) 

So to all Americans, in every city near and far, small and large, from mountain to mountain, from ocean to ocean, hear these words:  You will never be ignored again.  (Applause.)  Your voice, your hopes, and your dreams will define our American destiny.  And your courage and goodness and love will forever guide us along the way.

Together, we will make America strong again.  We will make America wealthy again.  We will make America proud again.  We will make America safe again.  And, yes, together, we will make America great again. 

Thank you.  God bless you.  And God bless America.  (Applause.)  Thank you.  God bless America.