A prosecutor in Guinea has ordered the confiscation of the assets of two Lebanese-descent Guinean businessmen suspected of aiding the extremist group Hezbollah.
Alphonse Charles Wright, Guinea’s prosecutor, did not say whether Ali Saade and Ibrahim Taher were detained.
The seizure order came after the US Treasury sanctioned the two for alleged money laundering and terrorism funding in connection with their ties to Hezbollah, Lebanon’s Iranian-backed Shia Islamist political and paramilitary force.
The measure was “aimed at undermining Hezbollah’s economic network in West Africa,” according to the US Treasury.
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Guinea seizes the assets of Hezbollah-linked tycoons.
Chelsea is for sale by a Ghanaian mine owner, according to sources.
With his offer to purchase Chelsea for $3.1 billion (£2.4 million), a Ghanaian billionaire hopes to become the first African owner of an English Premier League club.
Chairman Wuntumi, also known as Bernard Antwi Bosiako, is a gold-mine owner and politician whose rumoured offer has surprised many Ghanaians, given his lack of celebrity in the sporting world.
He makes money by mining gold and owns radio and television stations. He has kept his net worth a secret.
He is the chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party’s Ashanti regional branch.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, UK sanctions were imposed on Chelsea’s Russian owner Roman Abramovich, however, his ambitions to sell the club were put on hold for the time being due to asset restrictions imposed by the government.
Mr. Bosiako said in a previous statement that his lawyers and transaction experts were in London to begin talks with Chelsea’s owners.
Top footballers such as Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United and Lionel Messi of Paris Saint-Germain are among those he stated he hopes to sign if his bid is successful.
BBC
Ukraine returnees test Covid positive in Nigeria.
According to the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, 60 persons who were evacuated from Ukraine tested positive for Covid-19.
According to the latest information from the CDC, the additional cases brought the total number of new daily illnesses to 118.
The new cases were mostly reported in Abuja and Lagos, Nigeria’s capital and largest city, respectively. Earlier this week, the country recorded only two new infections, the lowest daily figure since the disease’s outbreak in 2020.
The World Health Organization had previously warned that undetected Covid-19 spread could result from the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
More than 700 Nigerians have returned home from Ukraine, with the government aiming to evacuate 5,000 people.
Many of them are said to have travelled into Romania, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia, where they will be transported back to Nigeria by ferries.
BBC
In the Ukraine war, ex-president Zuma supports Putin.
Former South African President Jacob Zuma has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin in the ongoing Ukraine conflict, calling him “a man of peace.”
Western countries have placed restrictions on Russia, including the blocking of Mr Putin’s overseas assets in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine.
According to a statement provided by Mr Zuma’s foundation, Mr Putin’s decision was “justifiable.””In this world, we all need peace. As a result, we urge all parties involved to bring peace as soon as possible so that lives can be saved “According to the statement.Mr Zuma was driven out of office by his own African National Congress (ANC) in 2018 due to charges of corruption. He is adamant in his denial of any wrongdoing.
BBC
Africans stranded in Ukraine’s metropolis drink melted snow.
Students from Nigeria, Ghana, and Somalia are among the hundreds of foreign people trapped in Sumy, Ukraine’s north-eastern city, which has been bombarded by Russian soldiers for days.
There is no food in the market, the bank cash machines are broken, and students are forced to drink melted snow since they have run out of water.
Vipin Yadav, an Indian student who is part of the group stuck in the city, says that roughly 1,300 foreign students, including those from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Turkey, are still imprisoned there.
Mr Yadav informed the BBC’s Danny Aeberhard over the phone that he had gone four to five days without eating.
Nigerian and Ghanaian governments have begun repatriating citizens fleeing the Ukrainian crisis. Last week, the first groups returned home.
Until Russia invaded Ukraine, almost 1,000 Ghanaian students were living there. So far, the West African country has sent two return missions.
Nigeria is anticipated to evacuate 5,000 people who crossed the border from Ukraine into Romania, Poland, and Hungary.
BBC.
Six African countries will receive mRNA vaccination technology.
Six African countries will be granted the groundbreaking mRNA technology to establish their vaccine production centers, according to the World Health Organization, allowing the continent to become self-sufficient in the face of the Covid pandemic.
Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, and Tunisia will receive the technology that was developed in Europe for the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines.
The goal, according to the Senegalese president, is to have 60 percent of vaccinations delivered in Africa also produced in Africa.
The new African vaccine hub might eventually generate vaccines for diseases like malaria, TB, and HIV.
Later in Brussels, at a summit between the European Union and the African Union, a ceremony to commemorate the transfer of mRNA technology would be performed.
BBC
Kanye West, Kim Kardashian’s estranged husband, has been unfollowed on Instagram.
During his tirades with her new partner, Pete Davidson, the reality TV star unfollowed Kanye on Thursday, February 17, 2022.
Kim reportedly unfollowed Kanye when he posted about Pete on Instagram, writing, “HI SKETE YOU GOT ANYMORE MENTAL HEALTH JOKES FOR ME?”
He didn’t stop there, either, insisting that he wasn’t bothering the ‘Saturday Night Live’ performer.
“This child believed he could get away with performing this skit for the team that wrote this for him,” West said of Davidson’s slam of West’s MAGA outburst on the 2018 “Weekend Update” episode.
This latest development comes only days after Kanye promised on social media that he would stop tormenting Pete.
On Valentine’s Day, he also sent a truckload of flowers to his four children’s mother.
It was first reported in February 2021 that Kim and Kanye had divorced.
Social media drama has tainted their separation.
BBC
Families from Ethiopia and Sudan are suing the US over visa delays.
Families from Sudan and Ethiopia who won a lottery to migrate to the United States have sued the government for delays in processing their entry permits.
The action, dubbed Tesfaye versus Blinken, claims that the US government is unjustly delaying their visa hearings by refusing to shift the cases to embassies other than those in Khartoum and Addis Ababa, which have not resumed ordinary visa processing.
Unless a judge intervenes, all winners of the Diversity Visa program must be scheduled for immigrant visa interviews before the end of the fiscal year, which is September 30, according to the US Immigration and Nationality Act.
The families have “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become permanent residents,” according to one of the lawyers representing them, but the government “keeps de-prioritizing” their cases.
“They will lose a golden opportunity, and the United States will lose a golden opportunity,” says Curtis Lee Morrison if their visas are not issued by September 30.
Another lawyer, Rafael Urena, claims that the US has “It has not kept its promises to the African diaspora. Applicants for Diversity Visas in particular “..
In a similar instance involving Iraqi lottery winners in December, the families’ interview location was altered, and the lawsuit was subsequently dropped.
The Diversity Visa lottery accounts for the majority of African and black immigration to the United States.
BBC
On TikTok, the Rwandan envoy is selling coffee.
James Kimonyo, Rwanda’s ambassador to China, has used social media to promote the East African country’s coffee and chilli.
After seeing the size of China’s online shopping business, Mr Kimonyo told the BBC’s Focus on Africa that he had to abandon the traditional method of advertising in exhibits.
Last month, the ambassador made headlines when he dressed in overalls and rode a delivery bike to bring Rwandan coffee to a customer who had ordered it online.
“China’s TikTok economy is over $5.4 trillion, and not only that, China is the world’s largest internet user, with the largest number of online buyers and is highly connected, with 99 percent of the population owning mobile phones and very effective mobile payment systems,” he told news reports
Mr Kimonyo, who has lived in Beijing for three years, believes that this is the new approach to do diplomacy in a changing world.
“When you’re deployed in a huge mission like this, like China, and you know it’s a big market, you go out there and take advantage of what’s going on,” he explained.
BBC
Malawi proclaims the first polio case in Africa in years.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed the presence of wild polio in Africa for the first time in five years.
The WHO has declared a wild polio-virus type 1 epidemic in Malawi after a case was discovered in the capital, Lilongwe.
A three-year-old girl was paralyzed by polio.
According to the health authorities, a laboratory test revealed that the strain was identical to one prevalent in Pakistan.
The only nations where wild polio is endemic are Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Wild polio was last seen in Africa in 2016, in the Nigerian state of Borno. In 2020, the African continent was pronounced polio-free.
Polio is an extremely contagious disease. The virus attacks the neurological system and can induce complete paralysis in as little as a few hours.
BBC
Tonto Dikeh gives her SON a plot of land for his 6TH birthday.
Tonto Dikeh, the Nollywood actress, gave her son King Andre a parcel of land on his sixth birthday.
On Thursday, February 17, 2022, the actress posted images of the celebrant, his multiple cakes, and the newly purchased property’s document to her Instagram profile.
“The most significant event in my life has been planning your future. THIS YEAR, I GIVE MY BABY, @kingandre dikeh, a piece of SCOTTLAND’S REAL ESTATE WITH A TITLE AS’LORD’ AND A TREE PLANTED IN HIS HONOUR AND NAME. I’m quite proud of how far we’ve progressed as a group “she expressed herself through her writing
She also set aside time to honor her son’s birthday.
“OBA, HAPPY BIRTHDAY. You have me, and I have you, therefore there’s no need for a long story.!! You are cherished. Thank you for picking me, Oba. @kingandre dikeh, you make it all worthwhile.”
Dikeh’s only child with ex-husband Churchill Olakunle is Andre.
In 2016, they welcomed Andre back. Their tumultuous marriage ended the next year.
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Tanzania’s exiled opposition leader talks with the president.
After their historic meeting in Belgium, Tanzania’s exiled opposition leader Tundu Lissu urged his supporters to work with President Samia Suluhu.
Mr. Lissu described his conversation with President Samia as productive and thanked him for the chance.
She committed to investigating opposition rights, including the freedom to hold political rallies. Mr. Lissu also demanded that the terrorist prosecution against major opposition politician Freeman Mbowe be dismissed and that his safety be guaranteed if he returned to Tanzania.
In addition, the former presidential candidate requested that the president assure his safety if he returns to the nation and that he be provided all of his rights, including access to medical treatment.
In September 2017, as he was leaving parliament in Dodoma, the opposition leader was shot.
He was taken to Kenya for medical treatment before being flown to Belgium for further treatment.He returned to Tanzania and voted in the contentious 2020 presidential election won by then-President John Magufuli. He returned to Belgium a few days later, claiming it was for security concerns.
BBC
France has announced the withdrawal of its troops from Mali.
France has now announced that its troops will be leaving Mali, where they have been fighting Islamist terrorists.
This would be a coordinated pullout with European partners and Canada, according to a joint statement released ahead of an EU-Africa summit in Brussels.
The statement also expresses a wish to be involved in the Sahel’s fight against terrorism.
The allies said they aim to broaden the scope of their assistance to include countries in the Gulf of Guinea.
BBC
Nigerians are queuing for gasoline after the country’s toxic gasoline was quarantined.
Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, is suffering from a severe fuel scarcity, which is wreaking havoc across the country.
People are queuing for hours at gas stations, some well into the night, to buy fuel.
The longest lines have formed in cities such as Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, and Lagos, the commercial center, at those petrol stations that have some petroleum on hand.
On the illegal market, prices have risen by up to four times in some regions.
Due to under-utilized oil refineries, the country frequently runs out of fuel. Nigeria sells crude oil before importing refined goods for domestic consumption.
Supply shortages have been reported as a result of the government’s decision to eliminate subsidies on petroleum goods.
The present shortages, according to Nigeria’s state-owned oil corporation, are due to actions taken to quarantine millions of gallons of contaminated fuel already on the market. Many Nigerians have reported mechanical damage to their vehicles after using the methanol-blended gasoline, which was imported earlier this month. Nigeria’s National Petroleum Corporation now claims it plans to provide 2.3 billion liters of gasoline, and that its depots and retail outlets will open 24 hours a day, seven days a week to meet demand.
BBC
Liberia’s former interim president has passed away.
Amos Sawyer, Liberia’s former interim president, died at the age of 76.
He was a well-known politician who served as interim president in the 1990s as part of efforts to put an end to the deadly war waged by now-detained former President Charles Taylor.
During the four-year interim period, Taylor and his NPFL rebels refused to recognize Sawyer’s leadership and barred him from leaving Monrovia.
Sawyer, a university professor and political science lecturer in Liberia after the war, was the chairman of the Governance Commission.
BBC
At his inauguration, Burkina Faso’s coup leader gives a stern speech.
Following his inauguration as Burkina Faso’s new president, coup leader Paul-Henri Damiba promised to deal with the country’s growing instability.
His inauguration ceremony, which was televised on television but was not attended by any foreign dignitaries, was held in a small room inside the Constitutional Council’s offices.
The 41-year-old lieutenant colonel began his statement with a minute of silence for soldiers murdered in the six-year war against Islamist extremists.
“To… achieve the upper hand over the enemy, it will be necessary… to rise and convince ourselves that as a nation we have more than what it takes to win this war,” he is quoted as saying by the Reuters news agency.
The man who overthrew President Roch Kaboré for his handling of the Islamist insurgency pledged to rebuild the security services, increase intelligence-field operations linkages, and fight corruption.
“Burkina Faso reiterates its readiness to cooperate in full sovereignty with all partners in mutual respect,” he said, according to AFP, a gesture to ECOWAS, the regional group that suspended the country three years ago following the coup.
BBC
Burkina Faso’s junta leader will be sworn in as president.
Just over two weeks after soldiers deposed President Roch Kaboré in a coup, Burkina Faso military leader Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba is set to be sworn in as the country’s president.
Mr. Damiba, a 41-year-old army officer, was declared president of Burkina Faso last week after the Constitutional Council “took note” of Mr. Kaboré’s resignation.
The inauguration will be televised live from the Constitutional Council headquarters on Wednesday morning, according to state television.
Mr. Damiba led soldiers to depose Mr. Kaboré, who had faced months of protests for failing to quell a jihadist insurgency in the country’s north and east.
Mr. Damiba traveled to the north of the country on Monday to speak with soldiers and a government militia fighting Islamist’s, according to state television.
BBC
The United States has urged Ethiopia to release emergency detainees.
The lifting of Ethiopia’s state of emergency has been applauded by the US, which has requested the release of inmates.
The lifting of the emergency was “another crucial action by the Government of Ethiopia to pave the way for a peaceful resolution of the ongoing crisis,” according to US State Department spokesperson Ned Price.
“We demand that this action be swiftly followed by the prompt release of all people who have been arrested or held without charge as a result of the state of emergency,” Mr. Price said.
The emergency order was enacted in November of last year for a six-month period as a rebel alliance led by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front marched on Addis Ababa.
The government justified its decision by citing an improved security environment and the decree’s economic consequences.
BBC
Explosions and heavy gunfire have pounded Somalia’s capital.
Al-Shabab terrorists attacked police stations and checkpoints in Mogadishu’s capital in the early hours of Wednesday, according to Somali authorities.
At roughly 01:00 a.m. local time, heavy gunfire and many explosions were heard.
Internal Security Minister Abdullahi Nor, on the other hand, claimed on Twitter that security forces had beaten al-Qaeda linked insurgents.
So yet, no casualties or fatalities have been reported.
Last week, a suicide bomber hit a minibus full of delegates participating in the country’s ongoing parliamentary elections, killing at least six people and injuring dozens of others.
BBC
Gay students should be allowed to be day scholars, according to a Kenyan minister.
Gay students who infringe on the rights of other students, according to Kenya’s education minister, should not be permitted to attend residential schools.
Instead, Prof. George Magoha suggested that gay students who are “going from one bed to another” be allowed to day schools.
While he had nothing against LGBT children, he said that keeping them in day schools would allow their parents to monitor them more closely.
It comes after a male pupil at a boarding high school in Nairobi was allegedly sodomized.
The statement made by the education minister has garnered a varied response online.
Certain Kenyans believe the minister’s remarks are discriminatory, while others believe that some LGBT students are intruding on the rights of other pupils.
On Monday, the minister clarified that his previous statement was misinterpreted as implying that LGBT pupils should be expelled from boarding institutions.
Mr Magoha was quoted in December as saying that “gay and lesbian children must attend day schools near to their homes.”
The comment provoked protests in Nairobi, which were organized by the queer community.
BBC
Algeria will pay unemployed people monthly.
Algeria’s president has announced that the government will establish unemployment benefits for young individuals, despite the country’s high unemployment rate.
Pay-outs to job seekers aged 19 to 40, according to President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, will begin in March.
Those who qualify will be able to receive monthly payments of around $100 (£73) and certain medical benefits until they find work.
Mr. Tebboune, who made the announcement, stated that Algeria was the first country outside of Europe to provide such a benefit.
He went on to say that Algeria today has over 600,000 unemployed people.
BBC
Tanzania wants to produce its Covid vaccinations.
Tanzania is planning to build its own vaccine manufacturing facilities as part of a larger strategy to combat Covid and other diseases.
According to a statement from the statehouse, President Samia Suluhu Hassan stated that the country aims to export vaccines to east and southern African countries.
She predicted that Tanzania would spend approximately $100 million (£70 million) on vaccine imports by 2030, necessitating the establishment of indigenous capacity.
The president, who was in Brussels to meet with President of the European Union Council Charles Michel, said she was making an application for funding to help the project succeed.
Her predecessor, John Magufuli, a notable coronavirus skeptic who died last year of heart problems, had a different concept for a vaccine facility.
BBC
Tigray insurgents suspected of gang rapes and murders.
In a recent report, rebel militants from Ethiopia’s Tigray area are accused of committing major violations of humanitarian law.
According to an Amnesty International report, Tigrayan rebels engaged in gang rape and deliberately killed civilians in the nearby Amhara region, where they had control for a time before being forced out by government forces two months ago.
According to Amnesty International, in the town of Kobo, rebel soldiers slaughtered unarmed civilians and sexually abused at least 30 women and girls in Chena hamlet.
The Tigray People’s Liberation Front has not replied to the current allegations, but has previously refuted similar accusations. Summary executions and rape have also been accused of Ethiopian government troops.
BBC
A teacher has been arrested for reportedly whipping a student to death.
According to police, a school teacher was arrested in Nigeria for reportedly flogging a 19-month-old kid to death.
After beating the toddler last Monday, the instructor at a nursery and primary school in Asaba, Delta state, is accused of leaving multiple marks on his body.
After catching the student playing with water, the suspect, who is assumed to be the son of the private school’s owner, allegedly began beating him.
He is said to have spoken nothing about the incident.
He was said to have fallen ill and was sent to the hospital Federal medical centre in Asaba where he
DSP Dafe Bright, a police spokesman, told BBC Pidgin that the suspect would be prosecuted with murder and manslaughter.
BBC
The Mauritian flag has been raised in the Chagos Islands.
On the Indian Ocean’s Chagos Islands, the Mauritian flag was hoisted for the first time.
On the Island of Peros Banhos, the Mauritian ambassador to the United Nations presided over a ceremony in which a pre-recorded message from the Mauritian prime minister was broadcast over a loudspeaker.
On the Island of Salomon, a new flag was raised. The islands are under British authority, but Mauritius claims them.
The flag-raising marked the end of a Mauritian government-organized trip that included a group of Chagossians who had been exiled from the islands by the British authorities 50 years earlier.
BBC
A Namibian doctor has been recognized for her dedication to her patients.
During the coronavirus outbreak, a Namibian doctor was recognized for providing free online consultations.
For providing 44,000 sessions, Dr. Esperance Luvindao received the Commonwealth Points of Light Award.
“I’m overjoyed, and we’re honoured to be recognized! We don’t do the work to be recognized, but being recognized for performing work we enjoy is a different type of blessing, as I always say “she expressed herself. Dr. Luvindao is a Windhoek-based senior physician.
She has performed community work and has spoken out regarding patient care in the local media.
Dr. Luvindao began her career in northern Namibia, where she developed a desire to help marginalized people.
She noticed that patients had to travel 50 kilometres (31 miles) to get to medical centres due to a weak transportation network. Dr. Luvindao also created the “1 Step at a Time” project, which helped fund the procurement of medical equipment for village health clinics, reaching thousands of patients in rural areas.
BBC
The trial of a Zimbabwean reporter for the New York Times has resumed.
On Monday, the trial of a Zimbabwean journalist accused of assisting two New York Times reporters in unlawfully entering the country will resume.
A freelance reporter for the American publication, Jeffery Moyo, denies assisting them in obtaining phony media accreditation cards.
Joao Silva and Christina Goldbaum, two journalists, were deported to South Africa just days after arriving.
Mr Moyo was caught in May of last year and was sentenced in January of this year.
He might face up to ten years in prison if found guilty.
As the trial resumes in the southern city of Bulawayo, more prosecution witnesses will testify.
Mr Moyo feels he is being tried for practicing journalism after being questioned by the anti-terrorism police unit, arrested, and imprisoned without bail for three weeks. Authorities have been urged to dismiss the accusations by international media organizations.
BBC
A former member of Sudan’s ruling council has been detained.
A Sudanese politician was imprisoned after being a member of the now-defunct joint civilian-military government.
Mohamed al-Faki Suleiman, according to relatives, was abducted near his house in Khartoum, Sudan’s capital.
This comes after two other MPs were arrested last week. They were members of a task team tasked with dismantling Omar al-network. Bashir’s It was also trying to reclaim money and assets that had been looted during his three-decade reign.
Sudan is in the middle of a political and economic crisis as a result of a coup in October that threw the country’s election schedule into disarray. Massive anti-military protests have
erupted in the aftermath of the coup. A total of 80 demonstrators have been slain by security
forces.
BBC
Soldiers from Mali were slain in a militant strike.
In an attack attributed to Islamists, two Malian soldiers were killed.
On Sunday morning, an attack was launched on the Niafunké station in central Mali.
During the attack, five extremists were killed.
In order to contain a jihadist insurgency, the Malian army has been conducting operations to eliminate jihadist installations.
The military deposed former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in 2020, accusing him of failing to combat the insurrection.
BBC
The United Nations has warned that delaying a peace agreement risks a return to civil conflict.
The United Nations has warned that delays in implementing the 2018 peace agreement, which ended a nearly six-year conflict, might lead to a return to civil war in South Sudan.
The implementation of a new constitution, planning elections, integrating rebels into the national army, and establishing a court to trial perpetrators of atrocities, according to UN commissioners visiting the country, are all behind schedule.
The UN team spoke with government officials, displaced individuals, and sexual violence victims, some of whom claimed to have been assaulted by government troops.
BBC
Since Cyclone Batsirai slammed the Indian Ocean island about a week ago, at least 111 people have died in Madagascar.
According to the national emergency organization, several homes just crumpled in the ferocious winds, forcing about 30,000 people to seek refuge in emergency shelters.
Tropical Storm Ana has already wreaked havoc on Southern African countries in January.
Storms are normal in this part of the world, but they have become more devastating as a result of the climate problem.
It has also exacerbated the drought that has wracked southern Madagascar, making the humanitarian response to the storms even more critical.
According to Madagascar’s national disaster service, 87 of the 111 deaths caused by Cyclone Batsirai occurred in the south-eastern province of Ikongo.
According to Reports, all 55 individuals killed by Tropical Storm Ana were in a different section of Madagascar, further north.
BBC
Tanzanian legislators are concerned about the increased usage of emergency contraception.
According to Tanzanian lawmakers, the usage of emergency contraception, often known as P2, to prevent pregnancies among girls aged 14 to 24, is on the rise.
MPs on the health committee were discussing a study on the rise in HIV infections, which found that girls were preventing more pregnancies than illnesses.
Male latex condoms protect against sexually transmitted illnesses and halt pregnancies in 98 percent of cases.
The committee advised that firms selling the emergency medicines offer free condoms and instruct customers on how to use them to avoid HIV infections. Tanzania has over 1.7 million HIV-positive persons.
BBC
Gunmen kill two policemen, abduct two at Enugu checkpoint.
Gunmen reportedly yesterday attacked policemen at a checkpoint at Enugu, killed two, and abducted another two.
The altercation happened at 12.30 p.m. at the Bus Stop in the Independence Layout Corridor area of the state capital.One of the police officers was reportedly shot in the head.
Approximately seven police officers were stationed at the checkpoint at the time of the incident, according to sources. . Ani, a member of a vigilante organization, said it was perplexing how gunmen could easily enter that bustling place, attack police officers, and then flee unseen.
According to Ani, the gunmen caught the cops off guard.
“I believe their targets were the police officers who set up a checkpoint.” Two of them were killed quickly, while two police officers were taken, according to what I heard.” According to Daniel Ndukwe, a police spokeswoman who verified the attack, a manhunt for the perpetrators has begun.
BBC
Ethiopian universities will begin teaching Swahili.
Following the signing of an agreement with a Tanzanian university, Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa University will begin teaching Swahili.
In a report, the University stated that it will help with language studies. The announcement comes only a few days after the African Union designated Swahili as an official working language.
Swahili is a major language spoken in several African countries. Last year, UNESCO designated July 7 as the world’s official day to commemorate the Swahili language.
BBC
‘Natty,’ Nigeria’s veteran sitcom actor, has died.
Romanus Amuta, a veteran Nigerian actor known as “Natty,” died at the age of 79.
His nickname was inspired by his performance in New Masquerade, a popular weekly sitcom on Nigerian television that aired from the 1980s until the mid-1990s.
He began his career as a reporter for the Daily Times newspaper in Enugu before opting to pursue acting as a vocation.
Romanus Amuta also known as “Natty” was known for his roles in Nollywood for Ijele (1999), Lion Finger (2003), Eagle’s Bride (2005), and others.
BBC
Tanzania relaxes the restriction on publications that are “critical of Magufuli.”
Tanzania has lifted a ban on four newspapers that had been in place since President John Magufuli’s death.
For a variety of reasons, including fraudulent reporting, the four – Mwanahalisi, Mawio, Masato, and Tanzania Daima – had their licenses withdrawn.
Mr. Magufuli, who was elected in 2015 and will be re-elected in 2020, was perceived as being critical of them.
President Samia Suluhu, who took over when Mr. Magufuli died in March of last year, has pledged to protect media freedom, which is a significant difference from her predecessor.
According to analysts, this represents the start of a new chapter in Tanzania’s media scene.
The owner of Mwanahalisi and Mseto congratulated President Samia for the news and vowed to follow the ethics and media rules.
BBC
After an attempted assassination, the Libyan parliament backs a rival prime minister.
In a war-torn country, the legislature of Libya has unanimously approved a new interim prime minister, a decision that risks igniting a new power battle in the country because the job is now held by someone else.
Rival factions have been striving for power: the parliament is situated in the east of the country, while the capital, Tripoli, is home to a government of national unity.
The selection of former interior minister Fathi Bashagha by MPs will be a direct threat to Abdulhamid al-administration.
Mr. Dbeibah was elected Prime Minister in an UN-backed procedure last year. However, parliament considers that his mandate has ended because he was expected to pass over following the December election. However, the poll was postponed, and Mr. Dbeibah pledged to remain on until the vote was held.
Parliament, on the other hand, has a different perspective.
The postponed election is an important aspect of an UN-backed political plan aimed at putting an end to years of violence and instability in the country.
Mr. Dbeibah evaded an apparent assassination attempt earlier on Thursday when his car was damaged by multiple bullets in Tripoli.
BBC
Six cyclones are expected to hit Zimbabwe shortly, the country’s government has warned.
The government in Zimbabwe has warned that six cyclones may hit the country during the current rainy season.
July Moyo, the local government minister, said measures had been put in place to warn and protect lives and property.
Lessons had been learned from previous cyclones that had affected the southern African nation, he said.
The meteorological department had predicted the cyclones would make landfall, but their strength could not be confirmed, he added.
Zimbabwe, which is about midway through its rainy season, was affected by Tropical Storm Ana last month, though a subsequent tropical cyclone to hit Mauritius and Madagascar – Batsirai – did not cross over into mainland Africa.
BBC
Nigeria is confident in its ability to deal with an oil leak.
A top official told the News reports that an oil spill off Nigeria’s southern coast reaches 780 acres (315 hectares).
This is the equivalent of over 500 football fields.
It comes after the explosion last Wednesday of the Trinity Spirit, an oil production vessel with a storage capacity of two million barrels, albeit it was not believed to be storing that much. The explosion killed three persons. Chemical dispersants have been used to lessen the damage to marine life in the area, according to Idris Musa, the chairman of Nigeria’s National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (Nosdra), who spoke to some news source.
According to him, the spill occurred not far from where the Trinity Spirit had caught fire.
Mr. Musa responded, “Certainly, we can
Cynics would point out, however, that many prior Nigerian oil spills have not been cleaned up.
BBC (edited)
After 117 years, the South Sudanese kingdom was restored.
After more than a century since the death of its last monarch, one of South Sudan’s oldest kingdoms has been resurrected.
In 1905, British officers on patrol assassinated King Gbudue, but his great-grandson was installed as the Azande’s monarch on Wednesday.
Hundreds of people attended Wilson Peni Rikito Gbudue’s coronation, according to his brother, who spoke to the BBC from the palace in Yambiyo, Western Equatoria State.”There will be celebrations throughout the night and throughout this week,” Prince Daniel Badagbue Rimbasa remarked.He described it as a pivotal milestone in the Azande people’s history.
“We must rebuild our culture and foster peaceful coexistence among our people,” says the author.
The prince disputed that the Azande lobbied for the kingdom’s re-establishment in order to gain political clout in Western Equatoria.
“It’s solely for the promotion of our culture, preservation, and heritage, not for political reasons.”
BBC
THE RECURRENT COUPS IN AFRICA
Military coups were common throughout Africa in the decades following independence, and there is concern that they are becoming more common now.
Two have already occurred this year: a military takeover in Burkina Faso and a failed coup attempt in Guinea Bissau.
In addition, in 2021, there were more coups in Africa than in prior years.
This brings us to the question of what is the hope for Nigeria? Is this a sign for Nigeria?
Former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Joe Kesh, analyses the coups and their causes.
Mr. Kesh agrees that African governments are attacking democracy by their acts and inactions, citing the Guinea coup as an example, in which the military was pushed to the front lines without the required backing to fight the conflict.
The safety of its residents should be the main priority. People have lost faith in the government that they elected.
Because there were few television and radio stations in the 1960s and 1970s, it was simple for the military to stage a coup. All they had to do was march to NITEL and take the few television stations, then proceed to arrest the president.
It will be tough for Nigeria to stage a coup because we have developed and become larger; we now have a large number of television and radio stations, as well as social media, and seizing them all at once will be difficult.
When coups occur, the responsibility should not always be placed on the military’s political ambitions; instead, we should look at the political class’s inability to do what is required, to open up political space, to develop the country, and to build up the country’s human capacity.
It is in the hands of the political class to put an end to coups because when people flock to the streets to celebrate after a coup, it signifies that the political leaders failed. After all, if they had, the people would fight hard to retain them in power.
It is in the power of the leaders to offer what is required and to do what the people desire, such as provide security, development, and necessities. There will be no coups if they provide solid leadership that is popular.
The political leaders have not only seized the political space, but they have also seized the system itself in such a way that it will be very difficult for them to be voted out, forgetting that democracy is not just about elections, but elections give people the confidence that they place in people who believe in them and who will provide what they require.
WHY SHOULD YOU INVEST IN THE AMERICAN STOCK MARKET?
The stock market is a combination of exchanges and other venues where publicly listed companies’ shares can be purchased, sold, and issued.
Stocks are listed on an exchange, which connects buyers and sellers and acts as a marketplace for the shares of those stocks. Supply and demand, including the price of each stock, are all tracked by the exchange. Solafunmi Oyeneye, the creator of Wealth Motley, has taught thousands of people to start their investment path and has studied over 350 books on stock market investing, discussing the importance of stock market investing.
Investing in the stock market was necessary for her to avoid the usual sale of tangible goods.
It was about wanting more and not being satisfied with her current situation.
Reading books can be very beneficial when it comes to investing in any business, and the following concepts will always stand out when it comes to investing in the stock market: money will come gladly and in growing quantities to anyone who saves at least 20% of their earnings. Money adores you and will work tirelessly and passionately for you if you can find a lucrative job. Money clings to the prudent owner’s protection.
Money is taken from a man who invests it in a business or a cause with which he is unfamiliar. If you have pressed money to unattainable earnings or if you accept the enticing advice of tricksters, money will escape from you.stock market is the world’s most powerful wealth-creating machine, and it’s crucial to invest in the US stock market since the dollar is more stable than the naira.
You invest in the US stock market, you can diversify your portfolio by picking a company that specializes in technology, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, or analytics.
Certain programs, you can get in for as little as a thousand naira and earn incredible profits by investing in the US market.
Stock market can also help you fight inflation while giving you a piece of the firm you choose and allowing you to invest in fractional shares.
Sometimes wonder if short-term or long-term investments are preferable. You can invest short-term, long term, or in technical analysis in the stock market, but it is in the long term that the magic of compound interest and time works its magic on your money.
The short run, you will never grasp the entire value of a good company. Thousand dollars equalled 90,000 naira at the time of the Amazon IPO, which became a public corporation in 1997. If you bought one stake in the stock market for 90,000 naira back then, it is now worth 1.8 million dollars. The individual is now wealthier.
Preceding example demonstrates why investing for the long term is the ideal option; all you have to do is pick the best firms and let your money do the work for you.
Remember that if you invest correctly, you can’t go wrong and won’t be regretful, because the US stock market is for everyone, and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t invest as a woman or an individual.
The International Court of Justice will rule on the DR Congo-Uganda reparations issue.
The International Court of Justice in The Hague is set to rule on the long-running dispute between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda on Wednesday. Both countries are seeking compensation for wars that occurred in the DR Congo’s mineral-rich Ituri province between 1998 and 2003.
In 2005, a court-ordered that Uganda must compensate the Democratic Republic of Congo for its occupation and pillage in Ituri. It also found the Democratic Republic of Congo responsible for an attack on Uganda’s embassy in Kinshasa and ordered it to pay reparations.
The neighbours were instructed by the court to negotiate mutual restitution, but they were unable to reach an agreement, and Kinshasa took the issue back to court in 2015.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is seeking more than $11 billion (£8 billion) in compensation for Uganda’s occupancy, which Kampala has dismissed as “disproportionate. “At 14:00 GMT, the court is expected to render a decision.
BBC
The Democratic Republic of Congo has discovered a plot to ‘destabilize the government.’
According to the presidential spokesman, investigators in the Democratic Republic of Congo have “serious evidence” pointing to crimes against national security.
Kasongo Mwema said such an attempt to “destabilize democratic institutions” would not be permitted in a statement read on state television on Tuesday night.
It comes after the arrest on Saturday of François Beya, President Félix Tshisekedi’s special security adviser.
It happened as the president was in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, for an African Union summit.
Protests erupted in response to the president’s detention, with members of the president’s party taking to the streets.
On Tuesday, the president’s spokesman claimed that investigations were underway and that the situation was under control.
The government’s and the president’s silence since Saturday has fueled fears of instability in the country.
Mr. Beya and his attorneys have made no public statements in response to the arrest.
BBC
Severe famine threatens 13m in the Horn of Africa – UN.
The World Food Programme (WFP) of the United Nations estimates that 13 million people in the Horn of Africa are facing acute hunger as a result of the ongoing drought.
Families are being forced to flee their homes due to failed crops and food shortages, according to the World Food Programme, and immediate aid is needed to avoid a humanitarian crisis.
Three years in a row, the rainy season has failed, and the drought continues.
Crops are destroyed, livestock is dying, and 13 million Ethiopians, Somalis, and Kenyans are starving.
Food costs are rising, and because there isn’t much to harvest, demand for agricultural labor is declining, putting more strain on households attempting to feed themselves.
A humanitarian crisis, according to the WFP, is unavoidable unless prompt help is provided.
The World Food Programme (WFP) is seeking $327 million (£242 million) to help farmers cope with the drought, both in the short term with food and cash aid and in the long term with building resilience among farming communities where less rain and more drought may become the norm as a result of climate change.
BBC
In Protest, Ghanaians have declared Tuesday “no calls day.”
In protest against a government decision to re-register all SIM cards in Ghana, a group of concerned mobile network consumers has dubbed Tuesday “No Calls Day.”
The mandate, they argue, is unconstitutional.
The group has gathered over 7,000 signatures online as part of their boycott of mobile phone calls campaign.
It is advising Ghanaians not to make or receive calls between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 12:00 a.m. local time.
They want the government to change the current law and adopt a new system of re-registration to avoid problems at registration centres.
In the name of combating crime, the exercise began in October of last year and involves syncing details of the Ghana Card – a national ID card – with details used to register SIM cards.
System failure, turmoil, and huge lines at several registration centres characterize the registration exercise, which finishes in March.
That’s because people who don’t register their SIM cards won’t be allowed to make or receive calls, let alone send or receive texts.
BBC (edited)
Ethiopia discovers dead bodies in a mass grave in Oromia.
The government in Ethiopia’s Oromia province has accused a militant group of murdering over 160 citizens and dumping their bodies in unmarked graves.
The Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), which has been accused by the government of murdering ethnic minorities in the region, has yet to comment on the new allegations.
It has previously indicated that it would not attack individuals.
According to Ibsa Basha, a local official in western Oromia, the killings took place in the Gidami district after government forces drove the rebel group out of the territories it controlled.
The OLA operates in western and southern Oromia, where there have been recent battles with government forces, after allying with Tigrayan forces last year in its battle against Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s administration.
The government’s effort against the gang is alleged to have included the use of drones.
Online indignation has erupted in response to reports of the purported killings.
BBC
Over 100 jihadists surrender in Nigeria-Army
More than a hundred members of the bandit group Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and their families have handed themselves over to Nigerian soldiers. These included 27 women,22 men, and 55 children.
Army trucks offloaded several ladies and their loads and were met by soldiers in Damboa, according to photos posted accompanying the statement.
Hundreds of Islamist militants have surrendered to authorities, according to local media, but the 13-year-old struggle continues.
Three civilians were reportedly kidnapped by Iswap rebels in Mandaragirau village on Saturday in a retaliatory raid after 25 terrorists drowned near Lake Chad.
While fleeing air attacks by Nigerian Air Force jets, the Islamist terrorists attempted to bridge a deep river.
BBC
600 hectares of Kenya’s national park have been destroyed by fire.
Kenyan officials claim that 90% of the fire that destroyed central Kenya’s famous Aberdares National Park and woods has been put out.
Firefighters and residents have been battling the enormous blaze since Saturday.
Although initial reports suggest arson, the government claims to have launched an investigation into the fire’s cause. Over 600 hectares of forestland have been razed, putting endangered elephants and other species in jeopardy.
BBC
Nigeria’s public universities are facing new strike plans.
Nigeria’s university teachers’ union has announced that it will go on strike indefinitely, putting the country’s already fragile academic system in jeopardy.
If the strike goes forward, it will be the second in two years.
The most recent strike lasted nine months, from March to December 2020.
The kids were forced to miss practically an entire academic session as a result of this.
The academics have accused the administration of failing to follow wage and conditions agreements struck between the two sides over a year ago.
The lecturers’ union’s chairman, Prof Emmanuel Osadeke, told the media that the body would convene next week to deliberate on industrial action.
Strikes by instructors at public colleges have caused many parents who can afford it to make difficult decisions. to send their children to private universities or send them abroad for education.
Public university students, on the other hand, are dissatisfied.
BBC
A Nigerian “super cop” could be extradited to the United States.
Nigeria has stated that a top police officer charged with money laundering in the United States may be extradited if necessary.
Abba Kyari, who is regarded in Nigeria as a “super cop,” is being sought by US authorities on suspicion of having ties to Instagram star and fraudster Ramon Abbas, popularly known as Hushpuppi.
Nigeria’s attorney general stated that the government is working with the US to guarantee that justice is delivered.
In July 2021, Hushpuppi pleaded guilty to money laundering in a US court.
According to US officials, Hushpuppi claimed in an affidavit that he persuaded Mr. Kyari to arrest a syndicate member with whom he had a feud.
Mr. Kyari is said to have emailed Hushpuppi the information of a bank account where he could deposit money paid for the arrest, according to the statement.
Despite denying any involvement, the senior police officer was suspended pending the result of the investigations.
BBC
After a squabble, Liberia’s president’s biographer relocates to the United States.
Liberia’s President George Weah’s biographer has arrived in the United States after attempting to flee the nation last week due to controversy over the book.
After the president stated that he was free to stay or live in the nation, Isaac Vah Tukpah flew away.
Because of “family anxieties,” the co-author, who owns both Liberian and US passports, says he is unsure about returning home anytime soon.
The issue erupted with the publication of an unofficial biography of the first lady that included certain “indecent” portrayals of her.
The president is quoted in the book George Weah: The Dream, The Legend, The Rise to Power, published last month, as discussing his wife’s sexual practices.
Mr. Tukpah has dismissed public disapproval of the publishing, claiming that the culprit is “clearly, the president who said terrible things to confidantes and is known to say much worse things about people he was involved with.”
He and his co-writer informed the BBC that they tried in vain to contact President Weah for his approval before the book was published. The author, a long time ally of Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, expressed regret for the president’s usage of several sexually graphic phrases.
He urged people to read the book, saying, “I am confident they will find that the president was truly praising his wife after reading it.”
The book is still being widely panned, although it has been selling well on Amazon since the outrage began.
The Liberia Council of Churches is one of the most recent to criticize it, and the authors have been urged to apologize to the first lady.
BBC.
The African Union has condemned the recent trend of coups.
The African Union has condemned the recent trend of coups.
Every African leader at the AU meeting in Ethiopia, according to the AU’s commissioner for political affairs, peace and security, has categorically condemned the recent coups.
According to Bankole Adeoye, the African Union has zero tolerance for military adventurism, which is why four countries have been suspended in the last year.
However, whether these sanctions have had any effect on the military men who have seized power in Mali, Guinea, Sudan, and Burkina Faso remains to be seen.
Bankole Adeoye, speaking at a press conference, denied claims that the African Union had done nothing to address the conflict in Ethiopia, where the continental body is based.
He stated that the AU had been involved from the beginning and was currently seeking to mediate a truce.
BBC
After winning, Senegal proclaims a national holiday.
President Macky Sall of Senegal has declared Monday a national holiday in honor of the national football team’s victory at the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).
The president, who was out of the country, canceled the final stage of his journey to Senegal on Monday to welcome back the football heroes.
According to RTS television, President Sall will award the squad on Tuesday at the presidential palace.
Senegal won their first Afcon final after losing in both the 2019 and 2002 editions. They won 4-2 on penalties against Egypt on Sunday after the final finished in a 0-0 draw after extra time.
BBC
In Niger, gunmen murdered three police officers and capture several others.
A police station in Ishau, Niger State’s Kafin-koro Police Division, in the Paikoro Local Government Area, was besieged by gunmen. Three police officers were slain in the process. The gunmen shot the police officers who died, while others in the station fled for their lives.
According to eyewitnesses, the perpetrators also attacked Zubakpere, Kuna, Aboloso, Kudami, Dakolon Daji, Nugwazi, Amale, Adunu, Ishau, and areas of Beni, along with 11 other places in the Kafin-koro region. Several more were kidnapped throughout six communities in the local government region, including a village chief, four of his children, and five women.
Wasiu Abiodun, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), the Niger State Police Public Relations Officer, could not be reached.
THE NATION (edited)
Nigeria has discovered alleged terrorist funders.
Nigeria claims to have found over 120 companies and 96 individuals tied to terrorism financing.
Lai Mohammed, the information minister, said 45 persons suspected of funding terrorism had been apprehended and would be tried soon.
Nigeria’s financial crimes department, he claimed, has recovered at least $750 million (£550 million) in local and foreign currencies tied to corruption.
The Nigerian Securities and Exchange Commission strengthened authorities’ ability to check financial ties to suspected Islamist organizations last month.
President Muhammadu Buhari, who is currently in his second term, ran on a platform of fighting corruption and reclaiming billions of dollars stolen from Nigeria.
BBC
South African scientists created a Covid vaccine, Using data from Moderna.
South African scientists have created a duplicate of the Moderna Covid vaccine, raising the potential of more people getting vaccines in poorer parts of the world.
Human trials are expected to begin in November, according to researchers in Cape Town who are endorsed by the World Health Organization.
The mRNA vaccine, which employs pieces of the coronavirus’ genetic code, was developed using publicly available information.
Moderna had previously stated that it would not enforce its vaccine patent but had declined to assist the South African initiative.
It is hoped that locally made Covid vaccines could significantly boost Africa’s poor vaccination rates, which are among the lowest in the world.
The South African team has offered to assist Latin American experts in their research.
BBC
ECOWAS Planning To Send Troops To Guinea-Bissau.
Following this week’s attempted coup, the West African regional organization Ecowas will send troops to Guinea-Bissau to help stabilize the country.
Following a conference in Accra, Ghana, the bloc made the statement.
The force will contribute to the prevention of future coup attempts, according to the bloc..
Following a coup, Ecowas sent troops to Guinea-Bissau from 2012 to 2020.
After the failed coup, President Umaro Sissoco Embaló stated that the country’s stability has been restored.
BBC. (edited)
An angry mob attacks the convoy of a lawmaker.
Magaji Da’u, a member of the House of Representatives, was attacked by constituents in Jigawa State’s Birnin Kudu Local Government Area on Thursday for supposed inadequate representation.
Mr. Da’u, who represents the federal constituency of Birnin Kudu/Buji, was on his way to a political function in the area when his convoy was attacked, according to the police.
Despite allegations that the convoy was ambushed by gunmen, Jigawa police spokesperson Lawan Adam told PREMIUM TIMES that “the occurrences were triggered by mere political disagreement between competing political groups.”
“The situation is under control,” a police spokesperson stated, “and the police have apprehended some suspects in connection with the mayhem.”
According to reports, the attackers stopped the road on which the congressman was traveling to Kukuma for a political function.
Residents hurled insults at the lawmaker, accusing him of poor representation and forsaking his constituents until now when he began coming up in preparation for the 2023 election.
As a result of the scenario, the assailants and the lawmaker’s supporters in his entourage got into a fight.
The lawmaker’s known phone number was disconnected Thursday evening, making it unable to reach him for comment on the incident.
premium times
Nigeria records 100 COVID-19 infections on Thursday.
In 14 Nigerian states and the Federal Capital Territory, 100 coronavirus cases were reported on Thursday.
According to the latest figures released by the Nigeria Centre for Sickness Control (NCDC) on Friday morning, the country’s sickness infection toll has risen to 253,505 cases, with 3,136 deaths.
The NCDC further stated that a total of 229,893 persons had been successfully treated and discharged, including 158 community discharges in the FCT and 16 in Imo State.
According to NCDC data, a total of 20,593 persons are still infected with the virus as of February 2, 2022.
According to the report, Lagos State, the disease’s epicenter, topped the list with 22 cases, followed by Yobe State with 18 cases.
The Federal Capital Territory had 15 incidents, followed by the states of Ogun and Osun, which each had seven, and Sokoto and Oyo, which each had six.
Five and four instances were recorded in Imo and Kwara states, respectively, while three cases were reported in Bauchi and Edo states.
According to the data, four states each reported a single case: Delta, Jigawa, Kano, and Nasarawa, while Ekiti, Ondo, and Rivers recorded no cases.
Premium times
Just after pregnancy news, Drake unfollows Rihanna on Instagram.
After Rihanna announced her pregnancy, Drake, a Canadian musician, unfollowed her on Instagram.
Following the pregnancy news, Drake reportedly unfollowed both A$AP Rocky and Rihanna, according to multiple reports.
Drake and Rihanna were rumored to have dated at some point in the past.
The music icons, on the other hand, have always refuted dating rumors. Drake then re-followed A$AP Rocky on Instagram, which is unusual.
Rihanna only recently updated her Instagram page with new photographs of her pregnancy. A$AP Rocky has been seeing the Barbadian singer for a while now.
A$AP In a 2021 interview with GQ Magazine, Rocky stated that they were dating. “That’s a significant upgrade. When you’ve got the One, everything is a lot better. She’s most likely the same as a million other people. When you’re aware of something, you’re aware of it. You may take my word for it when I say she’s the One. ” He stated this during the interview. In 2017, the rapper dated Kendall Jenner, and in 2019, he dated Daiane Sodré, a Brazilian model.
pulse news
Confirmation of explosion in Nigeria oil company
A fire broke out at Shebah Exploration and Production Company Ltd.’s (SEPCOL) offshore Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FSPO) facility on Wednesday, the company said.
Ikemefuna Okafor, the chief executive officer of SEPCOL (under receivership), acknowledged the incident in a statement made on Thursday in Lagos.
According to Mr. Okafor, an explosion occurred at the Trinity Spirit FSPO at the Ukpokiti Terminal in the early hours of Wednesday.
According to him, the reason for the explosion is being probed, and they are working with the appropriate parties to get the situation under control.
There were no reported fatalities at the time, however, it has been established that there were ten crew members on board the vessel before the event, and inquiries into their safety and security are being prioritized.
“We thank the Clean Nigeria Associates’ help, as well as the Chevron team operating in the neighbouring Escravos facility and our community stakeholders, as well as the fishermen who have been of enormous aid since the event occurred.” Mr. Okafor stated.
He further stated that the corporation has properly notified all necessary authorities and urged the public to avoid the area.
As the inquiry progresses, SEPCOL’s Crisis Management Team will continue to monitor the situation and offer updates as new information becomes available, he said.
premium times (edited)
Kenya on high guard following terrorist attacks.
Kenya is on high alert following a spate of terror strikes in recent weeks that have claimed the lives of at least 15 people.
It comes after the United States, the United Kingdom, and France issued warnings to their citizens in Kenya, citing credible intelligence.
The al-Shabab terrorist group, which has continued to carry out assaults on Kenyan soil, targeting security agents in particular, has been responsible for all of the recent strikes.
Four persons were killed in the latest incident on Tuesday in Wajir’s north-eastern region after their car collided with an improvised explosive device.
On Monday, ten more people were killed when a minibus collided with a roadside bomb near the Somalia border in Mandera.
In places deemed to be terror attack hotspots in the north-eastern region and along the coast, security has been beefed up across the country.
The al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabab force has repeatedly targeted Kenya.
The group’s most recent big event in Kenya occurred in 2019 when around 20 people were slain at the upscale Dusit hotel complex.
Al-Shabab fighters, on the other hand, have continued to carry out small-scale attacks in towns along Somalia’s porous border against civilians and security forces.
BBC
Malawians in the diaspora thank footballers with money.
Footballers who represented Malawi in the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) games in Cameroon have received a financial prize from a group of Malawians living in the United States.
This came after the team made it to the tournament’s knockout stage for the first time.
A group of football-loving Malawians donated 2.8 million Malawian kwacha ($154,000; £114,000) to the country’s football association.
“Each player received K95,000, while the team’s equipment manager and security officer each received K70,000,” the association said in a statement.
The money was raised by Malawians in the diaspora through a WhatsApp group.
Tonny Chirwa, the group’s chairman, said the money was handed to the players as a sign of thanks and inspiration for a job well done.
President Lazarus Chakwera also offered the footballers a monetary incentive if they achieved a “desired outcome” in their match against Senegal and advanced to the round of 16.
Malawi drew 0-0 with Senegal in their opening match and advanced to the round of 16 before losing to Morocco.
BBC (edited)
Yobe senator Hassan has switched from the PDP to the APC.
A former senator from Yobe South Sen. Mohammed Hassan and another prominent member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has changed to the (APC).
On Wednesday, Governor Mai Mala Buni in Damaturu verified this, and Alhaji Mamman Mohammed, Director-General, Press and Media Affairs, was there.
According to Mohammed, Hassan aka ‘Dambu’ made his formal defection on Tuesday in Abuja, where he was met by Buni, the Chairman of the APC’s Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee.
“Hassan’s defection was seen by the Senate President, Sen. Ahmad Lawan, Sen. Ibrahim Bomoi, the Minister of Power, Mr. Abubakar Aliyu, and the state APC Chairman, Alhaji Muhammadu Gadaka.”
“The former legislator’s resignation has left a gaping vacuum in the opposition party’s ranks at both the state and federal levels.”
Hassan committed his allegiance and support to the state party leadership, as well as his willingness to strive for its success at all levels, according to Mohammed.
He anticipated that the defection will strengthen the APC’s chances in the state’s Zone ‘B,’ which encompasses the local government areas of Fune, Potiskum, Nangere, and Fika (LGAs).
pulse Nigeria
Camp raid in DR Congo claimed dozen of lives.
In a savage nocturnal attack in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s north-east, some 60 people living in a homeless camp were slaughtered.
Men armed with rifles and machetes stormed Plaine Savo, a makeshift camp put up for individuals forced to evacuate their homes in the province of Ituri due to inter-ethnic strife, at around 02:00 local time.
most of the victims, according to the local chief, were women and children. Several had their throats slashed.
“I was still in bed when I first heard cries.” After that, there were several minutes of gunshots. “I escaped and observed flames and people yelling for help,” a camp resident claimed.
According to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), which supports the camp, another 40 individuals have been hurt.
The massacre has been placed on the Codeco militia.
Its fighters are mostly from the Lendu farming group, which has been at odds with the Hema cattle herders in the area.
Armed groups in Ituri have increased their deliberate and targeted attacks on displaced people, according to the NRC.
Since November, attacks on five other facilities have resulted in the deaths of around 70 people, according to the report.
“These atrocities have sparked new waves of forced migration and put already defenseless populations in a condition of panic,” according to the NRC.
Since the violence in Ituri began to intensify many years ago, an estimate of 1.7 million people has been forced to evacuate their homes.
President Embaló of Guinea-Bissau says coup attempt failed, conspirators apprehended.
Guinea’s President, Umaro Embaló of Bissau, has spoken to the media following a coup attempt in the West African country on Tuesday.
Many members of President Embaló’s security forces were killed in what he described as a failed attack on democracy, he told the media.
He said that some of the culprits had been caught.
It wasn’t just a coup, according to the president; it was an attempt to kill him, the prime minister, and the entire administration.
He further said that heavily armed men attempted but failed to break into the building.
They were well-coordinated and well-prepared, and they may have been tied to drug smugglers.
Soldiers began firing close to a government facility where the president was presiding over a cabinet meeting, eliciting a response from the president.
At least six coup attempts have taken place in African countries since 2020, creating concerns about the region’s democracy.
Regional groups and the United Nations have denounced the military attack in Guinea-Bissau.
Moussa Mahamat, the head of the African Union Commission, issued a statement calling for the military to return to their barracks immediately and to ensure President Umaro Sissoco Embalo and members of his government’s bodily integrity, as well as the quick release of those detained.
Since gaining independence from Portugal 48 years ago, Guinea-Bissau has survived at least four consecutive coups, the most recent of which occurred in 2012. There have been about a dozen coup attempts as well.
Nigeria reports 159 COVID-19 infections on Tuesday.
In Nigeria’s eight states and the Federal Capital Territory, 159 coronavirus cases were reported on Tuesday (FCT).
The country’s infection toll from the sickness has climbed to 253,340 cases, according to the latest data released by the Nigeria Centre for Sickness Control (NCDC) on Wednesday morning, while the death toll remains at 3,136.
According to the disease centre, Lagos State, the epicenter of the disease, lead the infection table with 57 new cases, 26 of which established a backlog of confirmed cases as of January 31, 2022.
According to the NCDC, 229,650 people have been successfully treated and discharged, including the 172 community discharges documented by FCT.
According to the figures, Yobe State in the north-east has 37 new cases, while Rivers State in the south-south has 27 new cases.
In the north-east, the FCT and Gombe State each reported 14 instances, while Kano reported seven.
A single case was reported in each of the three states of Bayelsa, Ekiti, and Nasarawa.
According to the NCDC, no cases were reported in eight states on Tuesday: Delta, Kaduna, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, and Sokoto.
COVID-19: Nigeria records 22 new infections on Sunday, the lowest cases in a day since 2022.
Nigeria confirmed 22 new coronavirus infections on Sunday, with no deaths reported across four states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
According to the new infection data, 2022 will be the year with the minimum daily infections.
The number of newly confirmed cases has diminished, according to the latest numbers released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) late Sunday night.
The number of new infections reduced to 1,258 from 2,617 in the second week of 2022, according to the recent COVID-19 situation report, which covered the third week of 2022, from January 17 to 23, 2022.
While the death toll has varied, the data suggests that 21 people died this week, with five and one instances recorded from the FCT and Taraba, respectively.
According to the most recent figures, the additional cases have brought the total number of infections in Nigeria to 253,023, while the death toll continues at 3,135.
The data breakdown revealed that Osun State topped the infection table with only nine cases due to a paucity of data from Lagos State, the disease’s centre.
With six cases, FCT came in second, while Delta reported a four-case backlog for January 28 and 29, 2022.
With a single case, Kano was last on the list, while Rivers State had two cases.
According to the NCDC, Bauchi, Oyo Sokoto, Ondo, Plateau Bayelsa, Ogun, and Kaduna all reported no infections on Sunday.
The Rwanda-Uganda border is deafeningly quiet.
After three years, a vital border between Rwanda and Uganda reopened on Monday, but there has been little movement of people or commodities.
About ten people who have crossed into Uganda, split into two groups. Ugandans have also crossed the border into Rwanda.
There have yet to be any freight trucks or passenger buses crossing the border.
Lives and livelihoods have been impacted by the border closure, which has lasted nearly three years.
Each day, at least 100 cargo trucks would pass through customs on both sides of the border before the blockade. However, passenger buses and other vehicles moving between the two nations were temporarily halted in 2019.
Rwanda has accused Uganda of detaining dozens of its people in security detention centers, alleging that they were picked up across the country.
Ugandan officials, on the other hand, have levelled identical charges against the Rwandan military. More than a dozen persons were allegedly arrested in the border area of Butanda, in Kabale district, according to a local official, and are still being held in Rwanda.
President Yoweri Museveni’s son, a major in the Ugandan army, was deployed to Rwanda last week, allegedly with a message for Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
Several inter-governmental talks have been organized since 2019 under the auspices of Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo, to improve relations between Rwanda and Uganda.
11 people killed by bandits in Kaduna.
On Sunday, suspected bandits killed at least 11 people in Kurmin Masara, Zango Kataf Local Government Area, Kaduna State.
Samuel Aruwan, the state’s Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, issued a statement confirming the occurrence.
According to him, members of the Nigerian Air Force Special Forces who reacted to distress calls in the area were ambushed as they reached the scene.
Security personnel was able to clear the ambush and arrive in the general area, he said.
Mr. Aruwan said eleven people had been confirmed killed in the area, with many more injured.
“Search-and-rescue operations have commenced, and the attackers are being pursued on many fronts,” he said.
“Governor Nasir El-Rufai has expressed regret for the incident,” he stated. He prayed for the souls of those who died, as well as their families, and wished the injured a speedy recovery.”Terrorist gangs kill and kidnap civilians at will in Kaduna, one of the North-western states most afflicted by banditry.Such attacks have been launched in Zamfara, Sokoto, and Katsina, even the Niger in the north-central region.
Despite President Muhammadu Buhari’s repeated promises and the deployment of extra security troops to the states, the attacks have continued.
In Malawi, Storm Ana has claimed lives and livelihoods.
In Chikwawa, an hour south of Blantyre, maize harvests were crushed, flooded farms, and bridges have been broken.
Heavy flooding washed away the main bridge between Blantyre and Chikwawa district a few days ago, and construction vehicles are queued up on the side of the road.
Because President Lazarus Chakwera is scheduled to evaluate the damage, there is an unusually large police presence there.
Flooding wiped off Aisha Anubi’s corn harvests, which were the size of a football field.
‘I’ve lost my only source of money,’ the 20-year-old stated.
As a result of the storm, many automobiles were carried away by floodwaters.
It’s unclear whether the occupants of the vehicle were uninjured.
In Malawi, at least 36 people have died, while many more still missing.
People here are scared about losing their homes because more rain is forecast in the coming days.
BBC
Tanker explosion hits Delta village, killed two, displacing many.
At least two persons were killed when a compressed petroleum gas tanker blew in the early hours of Thursday in Ohoro town, Ughelli North Local Government Area, Delta State.
Vehicles and buildings worth hundreds of millions of naira were destroyed in a calamity that happened today, following an auto accident involving two other trucks at the renowned Ohoro Junction in Uwheru Kingdom.
Witnesses stated there was sobbing among members of the agrarian town as the flames torched about half of the community, displacing thousands of peasants.
According to reports, the heinous occurrence occurred when a granite-laden truck collided with a halted diesel-laden truck.
Hurricane Ana wreaks damage across southern Africa.
Floods caused by Tropical Storm Ana are still wreaking havoc across southern Africa, with more than 70 people killed in Malawi, Mozambique, and Madagascar.
In Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo, schools have been converted into emergency shelters as floodwaters wreak havoc on the country.
According to reports, 41 people have died in Madagascar, and over 100,000 have been forced to flee their homes.
There has been widespread displacement and dozens of deaths there, as well as in Malawi, where authorities have been battling to restore power after storm Ana wrecked infrastructure and caused a state-wide blackout.
At least 19 individuals have died, and dozens of camps have been established to accommodate the many people who have been displaced.
Mozambique is experiencing an increase in the frequency and intensity of tropical storms and cyclones, with 18 people killed and over 10,000 dwellings destroyed in recent days.
Carlos Agostinho do Rosário, the Prime Minister, claims that despite not contributing much to climate change, Mozambique is suffering greatly. He wants international assistance to help the country become more resilient.
Hurricane Ana wreaks damage across southern Africa.
Floods caused by Tropical Storm Ana are still wreaking havoc across southern Africa, with more than 70 people killed in Malawi, Mozambique, and Madagascar.
In Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo, schools have been converted into emergency shelters as floodwaters wreak havoc on the country.
According to reports, 41 people have died in Madagascar, and over 100,000 have been forced to flee their homes.
There has been widespread displacement and dozens of deaths there, as well as in Malawi, where authorities have been battling to restore power after storm Ana wrecked infrastructure and caused a state-wide blackout.
At least 19 individuals have died, and dozens of camps have been established to accommodate the many people who have been displaced.
Mozambique is experiencing an increase in the frequency and intensity of tropical storms and cyclones, with 18 people killed and over 10,000 dwellings destroyed in recent days.
Carlos Agostinho do Rosário, the Prime Minister, claims that despite not contributing much to climate change, Mozambique is suffering greatly. He wants international assistance to help the country become more resilient.
Nigerians sign a petition for English language test to be abolished.
A petition signed by almost 50,000 Nigerians calls for the removal of unfair international English language exams.
The predominantly young petitioners are debating the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), an English language competence test for non-native English speakers administered mostly by the British Council.
Because English is Nigeria’s official language and many people’s first language (a relic of British colonial rule), the petitioners argue that the country should be excluded from the test.
The $200 (£151) test has a two-year validity period and is required for students wishing to study in the United Kingdom, parts of Europe, or the United States.
Many individuals are perplexed as to why the test is only valid for two years and believe it is exploitative.
Unvaccinated Rwandans are denied entry to public venues – PM
To enter public venues and activities, Rwandan citizens and residents must be properly vaccinated against Covid, according to a statement from the prime minister.
Nightclubs and music concerts will reopen once a nightly curfew begins at midnight.
In Rwanda, about seven million people out of a total population of 13 million have been fully vaccinated, with more than eight million receiving the first dose.
This is one of the highest rates in Africa, and the first in East Africa, in terms of population.
However, because of the decision made Wednesday night, millions of individuals will still need to acquire the second vaccination to enter public areas.
Although vaccination is voluntary, there have been stories of people being forced to get vaccinated, and others have fled to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi to avoid the shot.
Some authorities “could be excessively zealous” in their campaign, a government official confessed to RFI, the French national radio, but this was not the government’s objective.
COVID-19: One death, 75 new infections in Nigeria on Wednesday
On Wednesday, another death was reported in Nigeria as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, with 75 new cases reported throughout eight states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
On its Facebook page late Wednesday night, the Nigeria Centre for Sickness Control (NCDC) announced that the country’s number of deaths from the sickness had soared to 3,134.According to the NCDC, the new number of confirmed cases brings Nigeria’s infection toll to 252,753, with 22,298 cases currently active.A total of 228,137 patients have been released from hospitals around the country after recuperating from the infection, according to the center.According to the NCDC data, Lagos State, the epicentre of the epidemic, had 33 new cases, followed by Gombe State, which had 13 new cases.
The Federal Capital Territory recorded 11 cases, followed by Osun with eight, and Edo and Rivers States with three apiece.
Plateau State recorded two occurrences, while Kano and Kaduna States each reported one.
On Wednesday, the NCDC confirmed that no cases had been announced in seven states: Ekiti, Sokoto, Nasarawa, Ondo, Ogun, Oyo, and Abia.
In Zambia, 100 newborns die every week- minister.
Every week, more than 100 babies die in Zambia as a result of mistakes made during childbirth, according to Sylvia Masebo, the country’s minister of health.
According to the state-owned Zambia Daily Mail, between 10 and 15 women die each week as a result of preventable complications during pregnancy or childbirth.
According to her, the majority of stillbirths, maternal deaths, and newborn deaths might be averted if experienced health personnel provided safe and excellent treatment.
She asked for “comprehensive health systems and community-based methods” to be implemented.
On Tuesday, the minister spoke at a World Patient Safety Day ceremony at University Teaching Hospitals (UTH) in Lusaka, Zambia’s capital.
Ms. Masebo was elected minister of health in September, a month following President Hakainde Hichilema winning the elections and promising to fight corruption and fix Zambia’s economic problems.
The health ministry has been accused of corruption in the past, including the purchase of expired medications and substandard condoms.
Ms. Masebo has stated that she sees decentralization of health care as a solution to overcome these issues and deal with bureaucracy since accepting the job.
Staff at UTH informed her about some of the challenges they encounter in providing quality treatment during her visit.
She was told that the hospital’s kid’s ward owes local businesses more than three million Zambian kwacha ($170,000; £126,000) for pharmaceuticals delivered in 2019 – a year in which the institution got only three of its 12 monthly government payments.
The health ministry’s budget is heavily reliant on donor funds, health workers are underpaid and working conditions are so bad that it’s difficult to keep them, especially in rural areas.
Ms. Masebo announced earlier this month that the government wanted to hire more than 11,000 health staff.
It is unclear whether the salaries have been increased – and whether they will be sufficient to entice the over 700 competent doctors who are currently unemployed in the health industry due to low salaries to accept the offer.
COVID-19: Ondo reports a seven-death backlog on Tuesday
According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, seven people died in Ondo State as a result of the coronavirus pandemic between January 11 to 23, 2022. (NCDC).
The disease centre said on its Facebook page on Tuesday that 250 new cases had been reported throughout 12 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The mortality toll in Nigeria has grown to 3,133, with a total of 252,678 persons affected.
According to the centre, 122 new infections were registered in Lagos State, the hub of the outbreak, from January 20 to 23, 2022, including a queue of 90 cases.
The data brought the country’s total number of released cases to 227,491.
Aside from Lagos State, which led the list, Gombe State and the Federal Capital Territory, which came in second and third, respectively, had 44 and 20 new cases, according to NCDC data.
With 19 cases, Kaduna State was second, followed by Borno State with 16, and Delta and the Ondo States with seven each.
Rivers State reported six cases, Jigawa and Oyo States reported three cases each, and Bauchi, Kano, and the Ogun States each reported one case.
Bandits kill nine people and displace many others in Zamfara State.
Bandits stormed towns in Zamfara State’s Tsafe local government area on Sunday night, murdering at least nine persons and displacing a large number of others.
Adamu Aleru, a notorious Tsafe woodland bandit, terrorizes the settlements of Faskari (in Katsina State) and Tsafe (in Zamfara).
Kurar Mota, Unguwar Rogo, Kauyen Kane, Magazawa, Kajera, Unguwar Ango, and Unguwar Dan Halima all in Bilbis district, were attacked Sunday night, according to Salisu Sabo, a resident of Tsafe town.
“Simultaneous actions took place, but the deadliest was in Magazawa hamlet, where seven people were killed. On Monday morning, the bodies were discovered. We haven’t heard of any killings in neighbouring villages, but the majority of the population have fled to Tsafe town. “This morning, I watched about 50 women come into Tsafe,” he stated.
Mustapha Sani, a Tsafe resident, said his relatives were caught up in the incident while attending a wedding celebration in Magazawa.
“Our rural brothers and sisters are facing difficult times as a result of bandit attacks. He claimed, “I was told that seven bodies were recovered around Magazawa, and two more were located in Unguwar Kane.”
An attack on Yandoton Daji is attempted.
The bandits also attempted to target Yandoton Daji on Sunday night but were thwarted by vigilantes and security agents, according to Mr. Sabo.
He went on to say that the bandits arrived at Yandoton Daji around midnight but were confronted with vigilante resistance.
“After all of their attempts to penetrate the town failed, they withdrew back to their barracks in Munhaye woodland,” he alleged.
Mohammed Shehu, the spokesperson for the Zamfara police command, did not answer calls and SMS given to him regarding the attacks.
Africa in the season of coups.
Burkina Faso’s new military authorities are unlikely to be swayed by the clamour of condemnation.
For the time being, they have widespread support. Burkinabès were fed up with the previous government, which they perceived as corrupt and unable of dealing with an escalating Islamist insurgency.
It’s coup season in Africa right now. There have been two in Mali, one in Guinea, one in Chad, and one in Sudan in the last 18 months.
Apart from Sudan, where demonstrators refuse to give up despite terrible violence, many people in other nations appear resigned to accepting military rule, possibly in the assumption that soldiers will achieve more than civilian leaders.
The Greedy Barbarian author has been re-arrested- lawyer.
A Ugandan novelist, Kakwenza Rukirabashaija, has been arrested again just hours after being released on bail by a judge.
Plain-clothed men kidnapped the author as soon as he stepped out of prison, loaded him into a vehicle with no registration number plates, and sped away, according to his lawyer, Eron Kiiza.
From prison, the author appeared in court by video link.
After posting harsh statements about the president and his son on Twitter, Mr. Rukirabashaija was arrested in December and charged with two charges of “offensive communication.”
He has entered a not-guilty plea.
Rukirabashaija’s most popular works are the Greedy Barbarian, a novel in satire that notes the high-level corruption in a fictional country, and Banana Republic: Where Writing is seen as treasonous, a remembrance of his torture while incarcerated in 2020.
Last year, he received the Pen Pinter Prize for Courageous International Writing.
The Senate adds a new amendment to the Electoral Bill.
The Nigerian Senate amended the Electoral Act Amendment Bill again during a brief session on Tuesday.
The bill’s contentious Clause 84 was changed by lawmakers.
The clause addresses how political parties would choose candidates for elective seats through primary elections.
The parliamentarians mandated that political parties employ only a direct primary form of election in a bill passed by the National Assembly in 2021.
President Muhammadu Buhari, on the other hand, vetoed the bill, citing insecurity, the cost of holding direct primaries, and an infringement on Nigerians’ freedom to participate in governance as reasons for his decision.
He had stated that he would sign the bill provided the clause was amended to include consensus candidates and indirect primary options in the electoral process.
The statute was revised last week by both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The House, on the other hand, adopted just direct and indirect primaries as procedures for selecting candidates for elective posts, whereas the Senate allowed for both.
However, in the Senate’s harmoniSed version of the bill, all three kinds of primaries were adopted, along with a clear explanation of “how parties can employ consensus to elect candidates.”
The motion
Senate Leader Abdullahi Yahaya asked the Senate to “revoke its judgment on the impacted section of the law was enacted and remit same to the Committee of the Whole for deliberation” to recommit the bill to the Committee of the Whole.
While noting that the president withheld assent to the bill due to his observation in Provision 84, the member noted that the clause raised some fundamental issues that required further legislative action by both houses.
These concerns, he said, needed a combined leadership meeting to provide Nigerians with a long-lasting Electoral Act.
He requested that the Senate reverse its judgment on the bill’s passed section and recommit it to the Committee of the Whole for reconsideration and passage, citing Senate Standing Orders 1(b) and 52(6).
Passage
Lawmakers agreed to a “uniform version of Clause 84 of the bill” – with that of the House of Representatives – in the Committee of the Whole.
Although the wording of this clause was not known at the time of publication, Senate President Ahmad Lawan said that the bill’s modified Clause 84 deals with political party nominations.
He stated that the report is harmonised and that “the House has the same report.”
“By amending Clause 84 – the way parties hold primaries to create candidates – we have accomplished our job on the revision of the Electoral Act.” The law was passed by the Senate and House of Representatives with minimal modifications.
The House passed the direct and indirect manner, while the Senate passed the direct, indirect, and consensus mode.”
“What we’ve done is give each form of primaries a very clear and sufficient description,” Mr. Lawan explained “As for the agreement, the two chambers have offered a very clear explanation of how the consensus candidate would come in this statute.”
While he expressed delight with the bill’s harmonisation and passage, he voiced confidence that the president will sign it.
As the senators unanimously adopted the suggestions, there was no reaction or comment from any politician.
The law will be sent to the president for confirmation after the House passes the reconciled version.
Burkina Faso’s coup is celebrated by a jubilant crowd.
Over 1,000 supporters assembled in the main square of Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, to applaud Monday’s coup, with some blazing the French flag and several others dancing to live music.
The burning of the French flag is the newest indication of increasing dissatisfaction with the military presence of the former colonial power in the region.
France has troops stationed in Burkina Faso and many other African countries to assist in the fight against radical Islamists who have wreaked devastation in the region.
However, as analyst Paul Melly observed in a recent BBC report, its troop presence has been divisive.
The military seized power in Burkina Faso because President Roch Kaboré failed to unite the country and deal effectively with a security crisis that “threatens the fundamental foundations of our nation.”
Similar justifications were given by the military in neighbouring Mali when it seized control in May 2021, a coup that was widely applauded by the population despite international condemnation.
Some in the audience in Ouagadougou also chastised the West African regional group Ecowas for taking a harsh stance against coups.
Increase education expenditure and investment to 14% in the 2022 budget, a UK-based CSO tells Buhari.
A human rights organization known as Save the Children International Nigeria has called on the Federal Government to increase education allocation and investment to 14% by 2022 to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
SCI is a renowned child rights group with offices in over 120 countries throughout the world. It is headquartered in the United Kingdom.
Mercy Gichuhi, SCI’s Country Director, made the call in a statement released on Monday evening, on the fourth International Day of Education.
She asked the government to promote “inclusive, equitable quality education that encourages continuous education opportunities for all” to achieve the SDGs.
“It needs the Nigerian government’s fulfillment of President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment made at the Global Education Summit (2021) to expand education financing to 14% by 2022, 16.7% by 2023, 20% by 2024, and 22.5 percent by 2025,” Gichuhi said. Education is, without a question, at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals. It is a single act that is required to reduce disparities (Goal 10), break intergenerational poverty cycles (Goal 1), enhance health (Goal 3), promote gender equality, and eradicate child marriage (Goal 5). It is past time for the government and other stakeholders to prioritize education as a public benefit, to support it through collaboration, partnerships, and finance, and to ensure nothing is left behind in education.
she said a report on education in Borno State published by SCI in 2017 titled “Turning Education Around: Tackling the Problem in Borno State” found that the state’s violence was fuelled by an already existing educational crisis.
“Over the years, particularly in North-East Nigeria, schools have been unable to meet the high needs of out-of-school children due to a lack of necessary money, technical expertise, and facilities, resources, and teachers’ lives lost due to insurgency,” Gichuhi added.
The COVID-19 epidemic has exacerbated an already-existing education crisis, while increased reliance on digital technology for learning has exacerbated social marginalization and gender disparities. In northeast Nigeria, there are currently more children out of school than there were before the conflict.
“In some parts of Nigeria, schools lack the technical resources to assist physically challenged, marginalized, or minority pupils Across the board, the education sector continues to suffer funding issues. “Children make up a big share of the worldwide population and symbolize the society’s tomorrow.
The worst-case scenario is that a generation of children and young people will lack the skills necessary to participate in the twenty-first-century economy, or that half of humankind would be left behind. The cost of failing to provide the required skills to tomorrow’s leaders is a disaster.”
As a result, SCI recommends that technology be integrated into inclusive education that prioritizes the female child to ensure that no one is left behind in the race to 2030.
“We demand that teachers be recognized and given professional assistance so that they can innovate in the classroom,” the statement continued.
Set Burkina Faso’s president free, the UN warns soldiers.
The United Nations condemned the military coup in Burkina Faso on Tuesday, calling for President Roch Marc Christian Kabore and other top officials to be released immediately.
The UN human rights office stressed the importance of preserving democratic space and upholding the rule of law in the West African country.
“We demand that President Roch Marc Christian Kabore and other jailed high-ranking leaders be released immediately by the military.” “We demand a speedy return to constitutional order,” Ravina Shamdasani, a spokeswoman for the UN, told reporters in Geneva.
In November 2021, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet paid a visit to the country, emphasizing the necessity of preserving the country’s democratic and human rights successes.
“The high commissioner strongly condemns the military coup in Burkina Faso,” Shamdasani stated.
Burkina Faso soldiers said on state television on Monday that they had taken over after a mutiny over the civilian president’s failure to suppress an Islamist insurgency.
The constitution was suspended, the government and parliament were dissolved, and the country’s borders were closed, according to a junior officer.
During Bachelet’s November visit, Shamdasani noted growing irritation and aggravation with the deteriorating security situation.
“In light of the country’s security concerns and enormous humanitarian challenges, it is more necessary than ever to ensure that the rule of law, constitutional order, and the country’s international human rights commitments are completely followed,” added the spokesperson.
“It is critical that democratic space be successfully safeguarded, ensuring that people are allowed to vent their frustrations and ambitions and engage in meaningful discourse to address the country’s many issues.”
Bachelet’s administration promised to keep an eye on Burkina Faso’s human rights status.
Burundi did not disclose all deaths in prison fires- rights group
Hundreds of convicts may have died in a prison fire in Burundi last month, according to an international pressure organization, which is pushing for a “transparent investigation.”
According to the officials, no more than 46 persons died.
According to survivors, the fire overtook numerous prison blocks in the capital’s jail, Gitega.
The fire department didn’t come for another two hours after the fire started.
The dead were allegedly buried in mass graves with no attempt to identify them, according to eyewitnesses.
According to Human Rights Watch, the institution has more than tripled its maximum capacity of inmates, many of whom are political detainees.
Aisha Buhari ‘endorses’ the death penalty for the killer of Hanifa Abubakar.
Aisha Buhari, the First Lady of Nigeria, has joined a chorus of Nigerians demanding the death penalty for the killer of Hanifa Abubakar, a five-year-old Kano child abducted and murdered by her teacher.
Mrs. Buhari tweeted a clip of an Islamic scholar, Abdallah Gadon Kaya, preaching about the late Hanifa and demanding justice.
In the video, Mr. Gadon Kaya urged the government and human rights organizations to take up Hanifa’s cause and guarantee that justice is given as soon as possible.
He claims Hanifa’s suspected killer’s life is not any better. “As a result, he should be killed in the same manner that he murdered the little girl.” And it should be done in a public place where everyone can see it. In Hausa, the cleric stated, “Let that serve as a deterrent to others.”
Mrs. Buhari also added a short note on her verified Instagram page alongside the video.
“Muna Goyon Bayan Hukunchin Malam,” the president’s wife wrote in Hausa, meaning “we endorse your judgment/we fully back your viewpoint.”
Abdulmalik Tanko, the school’s owner, kidnapped Hanifa, his student at Kids Academy, a private school in Kwanar Dakata, Nassarawa local government area of Kano, on December 2, 2021.
The state government has ordered the institution to close right after Mr. Tanko was arrested.
Nigeria is dealing with a slew of criminal situations, with kidnapping for ransom being the most common, perpetrated primarily by armed bandits who occasionally target schools for mass abductions of pupils.
In Nigeria, the death sentence, as urged by Mrs. Buhari and the Islamic cleric, remains authorized for a variety of offenses, including murder.
Many human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have urged for its removal.
In Kano, a train crushes a truck and a tricycle, injuring nine people.
In Kano, a train destroyed a Dangote cement truck and a tricycle on Sunday, wounding at least nine persons.
Abdullahi Labaran, a spokesman for the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Kano, said the incident occurred on Obasanjo Road in Kano metropolis.
According to him, the incident resulted in panic and gridlock in the region.
The railway, a Dangote cement truck, and a tricycle were all involved in the collision, according to Mr. Labaran.
A road safety rescue team arrived on the site, he added and transported the casualties to Kano’s Murtala Muhammad Specialists Hospital.
According to witnesses, the truck driver ignored warnings from bystanders about the train’s movement.
According to witnesses, the train slammed into the truck and tricycle as they crossed the rail line, causing damage and casualties.
The Military reportedly detain Burkina Faso president Kaboré.
Roch Kaboré, the President of Burkina Faso, is claimed to have been kidnapped by mutinous soldiers.
Military leaders in the West African country have been dismissed, and more resources have been devoted to tackling Islamist terrorists, some soldiers said.
Gunshots were heard yesterday night in Ouagadougou, the capital, near the presidential palace as well as the barracks.
Authorities denied allegations of a military coup and the president’s imprisonment on Sunday.
foreign media sources say President Kaboré was detained at a military camp by mutinous soldiers.
Armoured vehicles – supposedly deployed by the administration – appear to be littered with gunshot wounds and abandoned in the streets in photos from the capital.
In the morning, multiple bullet-riddled cars supposedly utilized by the president were recovered.
Soldiers have encircled the state television offices; thus no live programming was broadcast on Monday.
Hundreds of people demonstrated in solidarity with the soldiers on Sunday, with some setting fire to the ruling party’s headquarters. Since then, a night-time curfew has been established.
The president’s whereabouts remain unknown, although security sources claim that he and several government officials are at the capital’s Sangoule Lamizana barracks.
The president went silent after congratulating the national football team on their triumph in an Africa Cup of Nations match on social media on Sunday night.
The situation in the capital is unknown because of network issues and the lack of a statement from either the military or the government.
Ethiopian Twitter accounts have been suspended.
For breaching Twitter’s rules, some accounts tied to the Ethiopian issue have been suspended.
Although Twitter did not provide a precise number, pro-Tigrayan users speculated that the number of accounts affected may be in the hundreds.
The social media business took this step because of “violations of the Twitter Rules, including indulging in hashtag and mention spam” – when certain hashtags and Twitter accounts are repeatedly included in tweets.
“This is in keeping with our ongoing efforts to ensure the safety of Twitter conversations about Ethiopia’s ongoing crisis.”
Several loud Twitter accounts supporting Tigrayan forces battling the Ethiopian government have reported losing hundreds of followers, while others have reported their friends being banned from the network.
While the majority of the affected accounts appear to be pro-Tigrayan, Twitter stated that it “objectively enforces its rules on material and accounts — we remain unbiased to political identification and ideology.”
Affected accounts have the right to dispute the judgment.
In recent months, social media corporations have been chastised for what critics claim is their silence in the face of allegations that their platforms are being used to disseminate hate and provocation.
Twitter’s Trends feature, which displays the most popular subjects at any given time, was briefly disabled for Ethiopia in November of last year.
COVID-19: Nigeria reports six deaths and 123 new infections on Thursday.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed six more deaths as a result of the raging coronavirus epidemic, as well as 123 new illnesses across the country’s 12 states.
On Friday morning, the NCDC announced this on its Facebook page, adding that Nigeria’s death toll from the sickness has risen to 3,123, up from 3,117 reported just 24 hours before.
According to the center, the additional confirmed cases have brought Nigeria’s infection toll to 251,694, with 23,174 active cases.
Even though there is no backlog of infections or discharged cases, the NCDC announced that 225,455 persons had been effectively treated and released across the country since the epidemic two years ago.
According to the most recent data, Edo State in the South-South led the infection list with 38 cases, followed by Rivers and Osun with 22 and 25 cases, respectively.
There were additional 12 instances reported in Kaduna State, ten in Oyo State, six in Kwara, and three in Ogun State.
Kano and Bauchi state each reported two cases, while Ekiti, Delta, and Borno state each reported one case.
Five states, Sokoto, Plateau, Nasarawa, Ondo, and Abia, reported no cases on Thursday, according to the NCDC.
Nigeria’s anti-child marriage laws are ineffective – rights group.
In a report released on Monday, an advocacy organization accused Nigerian authorities of failing to fully police their own rules to prevent early marriage. “It is concerning that nearly two decades after the Underage Rights Act was enacted, Nigerian girls are still being coerced into child marriages,” said Mausi Segun, Human Rights Watch’s Africa Director. The government has remained silent in the face of the report’s criticism. The human rights watchdog found that married girls in both Kano state in the largely Muslim north and lmo state in the predominantly Christian south were denied their fundamental rights to education, a safe place to live, and freedom from violence. Human Rights Watch has called on national and regional governments to enforce the country’s constitution, which incorporates the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of Children.Image Credit:internet
The order for Covid vaccine in Kenya has been suspended by the Kenyan court.
A Kenyan high court has temporarily stopped a government edict prohibiting unvaccinated people from seeking services at state offices.
According to the appeal, the instruction, which was set to go into effect next week, was unlawful and discriminatory.
Judge Anthony Mirima of the High Court said his judgment would stand until the matter was heard on January 4, 2022, and a conclusion was reached.
Health Minister Mutahi Kagwe stated in November that the decision was aimed at increasing the number of Kenyans who received the vaccine.
By the end of the year, the government hoped to have vaccinated 10 million Kenyans.
Only 8.1 million people have got a single dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, with over three million receiving two doses.
The directive’s suspension comes only days after several hotels and shopping malls announced that unvaccinated Kenyans would not be allowed into their establishments.
Gunmen attack Plateau Village, killing nine and injuring four.
The Plateau Police Public Relations Officer Gabriel Ubah, who verified the occurrence on Monday stated that the police operatives and other security officers were quickly deployed to the village in Mavo Chiefdom.
He added that eight people were arrested concerning the matter and that the attackers had a total of 12 motorcycles.
According to Ubah, an investigation is underway to apprehend additional fleeing suspects, and security has been increased in the area to prevent unrest from escalating.
“At 4:30 p.m. yesterday, we received a distress call reporting that unidentified gunmen had assaulted Pinau Village in Wase Local Government Area. “Unfortunately, nine persons were killed and four others were injured,” he said in a statement.
“After obtaining the information, a joint team of police officers, men from Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), and other security agencies were organized and swiftly dispatched to the scene. “Eight individuals were apprehended, and 12 motorcycles were found at the crime scene.”
the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ahmed Idris Wase condemned the act.
Wase, in a statement released by his Chief Press Secretary, called the attack “inhumane, unjustified, and unlawful,” and urged security forces to apprehend the offenders.
Despite the painful and regrettable situation, the deputy speaker, who represents Plateau State’s Wase Federal Constituency, urged the people to be calm, peaceful, and law-abiding.
According to him, the attack occurs at a time when people are working hard to earn a living.
Chimano, Sauti Sol singer applauded in Kenya for coming out as gay.
Willis Austin Chimano, a member of the popular Kenyan band Sauti Sol, has revealed that he is gay, telling the local press that doesn’t want to live a lie anymore.
Sauti Sol, one of Africa’s most popular male bands, won the MTV Africa Music Awards in 2016.
Chimano’s decision to come out as gay was praised as a breakthrough for the LGBT community.
In Kenya, gay sex is penalized by up to 14 years in jail; in 2019, a challenge to the law was dismissed.
However, convictions under this statute are uncommon, and attitudes toward LGBT individuals in the country are more liberal than in neighbouring Uganda and Tanzania.
The singer is the latest in a long line of notable young Kenyans to come out as gay or lesbian. “He is seen by young people as an icon who comes out to enjoy his life and sexuality, and they salute him. It’s a positive thing because it demonstrates our country’s variety “Kevin Mwachiro, a gay activist said.
Chimano released a solo track, Friday Feeling, last week, which he described as “a true expression of who he is” to the local Standard newspaper.
“It’s the first time I’ve written a song about myself. You get to know Chimano, and that’s a big responsibility. It’s merely a symbol of the queer community’s underground ballroom culture, which I’m a member of “He is reported to have said.
In 2019, a Kenyan High Court ruled against activists seeking to abolish a law prohibiting homosexual sex.
Protestors wanted the law from the colonial era abolished, stating it promoted homophobia.
Sterling Bank receives approval from the CBN to restructure as a holding company and start a non-interest bank.
Sterling Bank was authorized to convert to a holding company by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), according to the regulator’s terms.
The lender also received approval-in-principle for a permit to launch a non-interest banking unit called Alternative Bank Limited, according to a regulatory file reviewed on Wednesday.
The financial services organization that emerges from Sterling Bank and its subsidiaries will possess controlling holdings in them, while overseeing managerial resolutions without being directly involved in their day-to-day operations, according to the Holdco structure.
In the event of a liquidation, the major business is not responsible for any loss of any of the subsidiaries, hence the framework offers risk protection.
The statement stated, “The Alternative Bank Limited will focus on developing partnerships that connect individuals and organizations using technology to achieve business optimization while satisfying an individual’s daily financial needs.”
“In all of its interactions, the total firm will emphasize on social effect, corporate responsibility, and religious conformity.”
Sterling Bank is the second bank to transform to a Holdco this year, after GTCO, Nigeria’s largest lender by valuation. the FCMB Group, Stanbic IBTC Holdings, and FBN Holdings have already joined, and Access Bank is expected to follow suit.
South Sudan violence could lead to war crimes – Amnesty
According to a new report by Amnesty International, fighting between government-allied militias and the opposition in South Sudan has resulted in “unimaginable bloodshed” in recent months, which could amount to war crimes.
According to the research, warfare in West Equatorial state killed scores of civilians and displaced tens of thousands more between June and October this year.
It documents heinous crimes against villagers in the Tambura region.
“The stories we’ve obtained speak of unspeakable atrocities, including civilians being slaughtered as they flee and bodies being set on fire and dismembered, “Africa director of Amnesty International’s East and Southern Deprose Muchena said.
Survivors interviewed by the organization described escaping indiscriminate shootings that lasted for hours and entire neighbourhoods being set ablaze.
According to the report, which is the first comprehensive human rights assessment of the conflict, some of the atrocities may have amounted to war crimes.
In recent months, Sudan has seen an increase in inter-ethnic confrontations and politically motivated violence.
This is despite President Salva Kiir and his adversary Riek Machar signing a revised peace accord in 2018.
Concern as Mali’s hunger has tripled in the last year
According to a coalition of 22 humanitarian organizations, the number of Malians facing hunger has tripled since last year, and hunger is currently at its highest level since Mali’s security crisis began in 2012.
According to the Humanitarian Working Group of the International NGOs Forum in Mali, rising insecurity, droughts, and the socioeconomic impact of the coronavirus have pushed 1.2 million people into a food crisis this year (Fongim).
According to Fongim’s members, just half of the money needed for food security solutions was secured in 2017, and this has reduced to a quarter in 2021.
Drought has hit Mali hard, affecting more than 3 million people, primarily in the centre and northern cities of Mopti, Ségou, and Timbuktu.
Many families are unable to buy staples such as corn and rice, which have increased by 22% in some places. To avoid food scarcity, the transitional administration suspended exports of numerous local agricultural products last week.
Humanitarian organizations argue that a decade of conflict has harmed people’s livelihoods and that they must adapt their responses to the ongoing crisis to avoid increased famine in Mali in the coming years.
Covid: Pfizer booster injection against Omicron is promising.
Pfizer and BioNTech, a booster shot of their coronavirus vaccine will provide good protection against the new Omicron type.
After a modest trial, the companies found that three doses generate a similar amount of antibodies against Omicron as two doses with other versions.
According to the World Health Organization, vaccines against severe Omicron cases should still work
Omicron data is being pieced together by researchers all over the world.
Human rights violators go unpunished- Amnesty.
Lots of people suspected of war crimes and wrongdoings against humanity remain in the Central African Republic, according to a study issued on Wednesday by Amnesty International (CAR).
According to the report, the Special Criminal Court has only made one arrest out of the 25 warrants it has issued since 2018.
Hassan Bouba Ali, the Minister of Livestock, was detained in November 2021. Authorities, however, released him a few days later.
Mr. Ali, a former rebel leader, is suspected by The Sentry, an American investigative and policy organization, of being responsible for an attack on a displaced people’s camp in Alindao, 310 miles (500 kilometres) east of Bangui, in November 2018, that killed at least 112 villagers, which include 19 children.
He hasn’t responded to the allegations levelled against him.
After an outcry over Mr. Ali’s release, officials stated on December 2 saying that the procedures against him for suspected war crimes had not been halted.
The CAR’s justice ministry reaffirmed its “commitment to battle impunity.”
The administration has not yet responded to the report by Amnesty International.
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister back to the office from front line.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s office says he is back in the office “temporarily.”
“Following the successful conclusion of the first phase of the ‘Operation for National Unity in Diversity,'” they claim.
The prime minister’s statement was tweeted by the office:
In the continuing civil conflict, which began in Tigray last year, the prime minister has been on the front lines.
Federal forces have been engaged in combat with insurgents from the north.
Mr. Abiy has recently declared victory after government soldiers seized areas previously controlled by the insurgents.
The rebels, on the other hand, claim to have strategically withdrawn from the territories.
Mr. Abiy also issued the following warning: “The fight isn’t yet ended. There are still a some places that haven’t been liberated. We must find a long-term solution to ensure that the foe who tested us does not become a threat to Ethiopia in the future.”
Police in Malawi apprehended a former minister and Bank chief for lying to IMF.
Malawi police claimed on Wednesday that they had detained a former finance minister and an ex-central bank chief for falsifying data to impress the IMF.
Joseph Mwanamveka, 57, and Dalitso Kabambe, 48, the former governor of the Reserve Bank of Malawi, are accused of fabricating figures to receive a loan from the Washington-based development and crisis lender.
According to a police statement, the two “masterminded the falsification of gross liability and net reserve base returns to deceive the International Monetary Fund into believing that the government of Malawi was meeting terms related to the extended credit facility.”
When the IMF discovered out, it shut down the facility “to the detriment of innocent ordinary Malawians,” according to the IMF.
From 2014 to 2021, both worked in former President Peter Mutharika’s administration.
Last year’s presidential election re-run saw Mutharika lose power to Lazarus Chakwera after the courts dramatically invalidated his initial re-election due to irregularities.
Mwanamveka was the CEO of the government-owned Malawi Savings Bank before becoming finance minister, and the bank was sold to a private lender during his term.
Mwanamveka will also be questioned about the savings bank’s “fraudulent sale” in 2015.
A politician and former local government minister, Ben Phiri, was also arrested on Wednesday for fraud and corruption in a separate case.
The three arrests are the most recent by Chakwera’s government, which came to office on pledges of tackling corruption in one of the world’s poorest countries.
Ugandan army enraged over US sanctions on military spy chief.
The military of Uganda has expressed its displeasure with the financial restrictions imposed on the country’s military intelligence chief, Major General Abel Kandiho. Uganda’s Security Forces stated on Tuesday that the penalties were imposed without proper process and regard for the idea of fair trials.
It expressed disappointment that such action had been taken by a country Uganda regards as a friend, ally, and partner. Mr. Kandiho and other military intelligence officers arrested, detained, and physically mistreated people “due to their nationality, political opinions, or critique of the Ugandan government,” according to the US Treasury.
Those apprehended were “subjected to terrible beatings and other atrocious acts… including sexual humiliation and electrocutions, frequently leading in significant long-term damage and even death,” according to the report. Following claims that malware developed by Israeli cyber firm NSO Group was used to snoop on the phones of US embassy workers in Uganda, the sanctions were imposed.
The US enforced visa bans on Ugandan officials in April, alleging that they were involved in human rights breaches related to the January parliamentary elections.
Covid-19 measures and riots shrink South Africa Economy.
South Africa’s GDP declined for the first time in a year in the third quarter, according to official numbers released Tuesday, as the country was affected by turmoil and tougher Covid regulations.
According to the Stats SA agency, GDP decreased by 1.5 percent between July and September compared to the previous three-month period after four consecutive quarters of growth.
Stats SA said in a statement that the decline wiped out “part of the country’s economic growth since the disastrous impact of Covid-19 in the second half of 2020.”
According to the agency, the economy underperformed “due to the twin constraints of tougher Covid-19 shutdown restrictions and a wave of social unrest in July, as well as various other challenges.”
Following the imprisoning of ex-president Jacob Zuma for contempt, portions of South Africa were shaken by fire and theft in July. To combat the third wave of illnesses, the country, which has been impacted most by Covid in Africa, strengthened coronavirus restrictions that month.
The trade, catering, and lodging industries all experienced a 5.5 percent drop.
Manufacturing fell by 4.2 percent, while agricultural output fell by 13.6 percent, the most in five years.
When the pandemic struck, Africa’s largest industrialized country was in recession.
Many businesses came to a halt after a harsh lockdown was enforced in March of last year, and rolling restrictions have continued to impede business. In 2020, the economy declined for the first time, by 6.4 percent, but recovered quicker than projected in the first quarter of this year. Last month, it was forecast to expand by 5.1% in 2021.
A Benin court has sentenced the opposition leader to ten years in prison.
After a trial on treason and corruption accusations, a special court in Benin sentenced Joel Aivo, one of the country’s opposition figures, to ten years in jail on Tuesday. The academic, who had been detained for eight months, said that the charges of plotting against the government and money laundering were politically motivated.
According to an AFP reporter, he was found guilty following a more than 16-hour trial.
Many opposing leaders were jailed before or shortly after Benin President Patrice Talon won a second term with almost 86 percent of the vote in the April 11 election. When the trial began on Monday, Aivo, one of the opposition figures forbidden from standing in the presidential election, pleaded not guilty.
Aivo was arrested on April 15 and brought before the Economic Crime and Terrorism Court (CRIET) in Porto-Novo, the West African country’s administrative capital.
Critics have accused the CRIET, a special court established in 2016, of being utilized by Talon’s administration to clamp down on the opposition. Benin was once praised for its vibrant multi-party democracy, but detractors claim that under former cotton magnate Talon, the country has progressively fallen into authoritarian control. Some members of the opposition have fled the country, while others have been prohibited from running in elections or are being investigated.
President Muhammadu Buhari congratulates Adama Barrow on his re-election.
President Muhammadu Buhari has extended his congratulations to President Adama Barrow of Gambia on his re-election to a second five-year term. Buhari also applauded the country’s Independent Voting Commission (IEC) for accurately administering the electoral process, Femi Adesina who is the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity said.
Mr. Buhari also lauded the inhabitants of the Gambia for their decency, maturity, and loyalty.
President Buhari promises President Barrow and all Gambians of Nigeria’s commitment and involvement as they work together to build the country stronger and better for coming generations, a statement on Monday read. Mr. Barrow was elected president of the country on Saturday, December 4.
President Adama Barrow received 457, 519 votes, beating Ousainou Darboe of the United Democratic Party (UDP) who received 238, 253 votes. Mr. Barrow won 47 of the country’s 53 constituencies, according to the results revealed on Sunday. In 2016, the president defeated Yahya Jammeh, the country’s exiled dictator, to become the country’s third president.
Mr. Darboe’s supporters came to the streets of Gambia on Monday to protest Mr. Barrow’s victory.
The Gambian police used tear gas canisters to disperse protestors who had congregated on Kairaba Avenue on Monday afternoon, demanding that Mr. Barrow step down in favor of Mr. Darboe, their preferred candidate.
Army General’s dismissal is nullified by the court.
A Nigerian Army officer, A.S.H. Sa’ad, a brigadier general, who was discharged in 2016, has been ordered to be reinstated by an Abuja industrial court. Along with 37 other officers, Mr. Sa’ad was fired.
The judge, Benedict Kanyip, stated in his decision on Tuesday that the claimant had shown his case far beyond the legal threshold that he was unlawfully terminated. Mr. Saad and his co-workers were relieved of duty without following the Nigerian military’s disengagement procedures.
The majority of the officers involved were not questioned or indicted by any panel but were instead discharged for reasons that smack of high-level unfairness and witch-hunting by army authorities.
Following military protocol, the officers petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari for redress.
However, even two years after petitioning the president, their destinies remain uncertain.
Mr. Buhari refused to react to their petitions, creating suspicions that he was involved in the wrongdoing that characterized the officers’ dismissal.
Mr. Kanyip, who delivered the verdict, stated that in the view of the law, the petitioner was never forced to retire because the Army failed to prove that Mr. Sa’ad had committed any wrongdoing.
The judge also noted that the reinstatement request could not be granted beyond 2019 when he would have completed 35 years of service.
The court, on the other hand, refused to allow the complaint’s request that he be raised to the rank of major general, as his peers were until they retired in 2019.
He further stated that his promotion could not be done orally and that it is a privilege rather than a right under the law.
“The claimant’s June 9, 2016, retirement violates the Armed Forces Act, and his condition of service is invalid.” The defendant must reinstall the claimant as a Nigerian Army brigadier general till 2019.
Mr. Kanyip requested that he be given his wages from the time he was fired until the day he should have retired in 2019,”
Details later…
The strike by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company has been suspended
When the federal government intervened in their dispute with the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, AEDC, the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) called a halt to their strike in Abuja.
The strike was called off after a meeting between NUEE and government officials, which was documented in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by both parties.
The union began industrial action on Monday morning, shutting down the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company’s operations (AEDC).
The union claimed that the corporation had failed to pay its members’ pension contributions for the past 20 months.
According to the Transmission Company of Nigeria, the removal of large power from electricity substations was affected on Monday when the AEDC workers’ union shut down the company’s operations.
The strike caused power disruptions across AEDC franchised regions such as Kogi, Nassarawa, Abuja, and parts of Edo, Niger, and Kaduna.
NUEE and the federal government reached an accord at a meeting later Monday.
The meeting was facilitated by Goddy Agba, Minister of State for Power.
“It was decided as follows at the end of an extensive discussion between the leadership of NUEE and key government institutions in the power sector about the unresolved disagreement with AEDC management over unpaid entitlements that affected the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) franchise region” “In light of the foregoing, the strike is called off.” “The government interfered with the solid agreement to pay AEDC workers’ unpaid entitlements within 21 days of the MoU’s signature.”
The paper was signed by the Minister of State for Power, Goddy Jeddy Agba, the Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), and Alex Okoh, the Director-General of the Bureau for Public Enterprises.
AEDC shuts down, causing an outage in Abuja, Nasarawa, Kogi, and Niger.
Due to an unpaid payment of about N41 billion escrowed with the Central Bank of Nigeria, the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) has shut down the activities of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) indefinitely.
“The industrial action would be stopped only when our demands are granted,” the Union’s FCT chairman, Comrade Godfrey Aba, told The Nation from the closed AEDC Headquarters in Abuja.
According to him, the action has resulted in a power outage in all AEDC franchise areas, including Niger, Nassarawa, Kogi, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
According to him, the Federal Ministry of Power should have interfered in the industrial crisis before the strike.
“We are still waiting for them to engage with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to guarantee that this money is released so that not only our personnel will receive their rights, but our clients will begin to enjoy better services,” Aba added.
“It’s roughly N40 billion,” he responded when asked how much AEDC owes him. The CBN is scheduled to release N2.5 billion every month. And it’s now been over two years.”
He recalled that the CBN escrowed the Discos’ accounts in 2019 and that the Apex bank agreed to release N2.5 billion monthly to the firm.
COVID-19 infections have increased by 55 percent in Nigeria on Sunday
The total number of people who have died as a result of the sickness is still 2,980, even though no new deaths have been reported.
Nigeria has seen an increase in COVID-19 infections, with 55 cases reported across six states.
Late Sunday night, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) announced this on its Facebook page.
According to the centre, the new cases have brought Nigeria’s infection toll to 214,622, but the disease’s death toll remains at 2,980, as no fatalities have been reported.
It further stated that a total of 207,450 patients have been treated and discharged, with 4,192 current cases.
According to the NCDC data, Lagos State, which is the epicentre of the sickness, has 37 cases.
Edo State had six cases, followed by four states in the southwest: Ekiti State had one. Oyo had four, Osun had five and Ogun had two
Four states Sokoto, Kaduna, Rivers, and Ondo reported no cases on Sunday, according to the centre.
After 21 months, T.B Joshua’s Synagogue Church reopens for service.
On Sunday, the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) in Lagos resumed normal services after being closed for 21 months because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
When the Federal Government announced efforts to control the spread of the disease in March 2020, TB Joshua, the late founder of the SCOAN, decided to end regular services.
“Everything is lovely in God’s time!” the church wrote on the official Facebook page of TB Joshua’s Ministries. All of God’s blessings, including healing and deliverance, come to pass! “Now is the time!” is a signal to resume the service.
While the government later loosened the policy, allowing worship centres to restart services as long as safety protocols were followed – TB Joshua’s church continued to hold online services. On multiple occasions, the clergyman stated that he was expecting divine guidance on his next decision.
Evelyn Joshua, the late preacher’s widow, was equally responsible for the closure, which came well before the cleric’s death in June of this year.
A search to the church’s web platform revealed videos and photos of attendees inside the Synagogue building in Lagos State’s Ikotun-Egbe neighbourhood.
Evelyn Joshua, who took over as the head of the Lagos-based church after a leadership issue, led the service. The COVID-19 guidelines were followed.
The return to regular Sunday church services comes five months after the death of the Ondo-born minister, who is credited with bringing many high-profile politicians to his church during the time he lived.
His funeral, which took place around a month after his death, drew hundreds of mourners from both within and beyond Nigeria, even though the ceremony was mostly overlooked by Nigeria’s leading pastors.
He died on June 5th, just hours after completing a service, although his cause of death was never revealed.
COVID-19 Presidential Steering Committee Holds National Summit
A national conference on COVID-19 is being held in Abuja by the Presidential Steering Committee.
The summit, themed “Pushing Through the Final Mile to End the Pandemic and Rebuild Better,” focuses on learning from COVID-19’s experiences to better prepare for future health problems. Discussions are also likely to focus on how to scale up current pandemic responses, including continued mass vaccination, surveillance, and screening at multiple entry points.
The Senate president, Ahmed Lawan, is in attendance, as are other federal MPs, the SGF, the Minister of Health, and members of the diplomatic community.
Twelve Niger Republic troops were killed in a clash with “terrorists.”
The defence ministry said at a minimum, 12 soldiers and “a large number of terrorists” were killed in a clash in western Niger’s crisis “three borders” zone.
According to the ministry, eight soldiers were wounded in a battle with “hundreds of armed terrorists “at about five kilometers (three miles) from Fantio.
The attackers’ motorbikes had been destroyed, and communications equipment had been confiscated, according to the statement.
According to the ministry, the soldiers “defensively defended themselves,” killing dozens of terrorists before being overrun by their numbers.
The enemy had been forced to retire by reinforcements from neighbouring positions and air support.
Fantio is a little rural village located in the Tera district of the Tillaberio region which is regularly attacked by al-Qaeda or Islamic State-affiliated jihadist groups.
According to the administration, five villagers were murdered and two people were severely injured in an incident in May, which occurred during the Muslim festival of Eid, which commemorates the conclusion of Ramadan.
A school director, two residents, and a seasoned police inspector were killed in a separate incident in late June, and their assailants also stole animals.
Furthermore, jihadist groups from the west have assaulted the country, this includes Boko Haram, the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (EIGS), and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). In the southwest, close to the Nigerian borderline, Niger also deals with the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram.
According to the World Bank, the arid Sahel region of Africa is the poorest country on the planet.
Gaddafi’s son has re-entered the Libyan presidential election.
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, Libya’s former president, has been restored by a court in Sebha.
On Thursday, Gaddafi’s lawyer, Khaled al-Zaydi, revealed that his client’s appeal had been allowed, calling the decision “a victory for justice and the people’s wish.”
Gaddafi’s Twitter campaign page featured a portrait of the smiling candidate, along with prayers to God.
The country’s election board rejected Gaddafi due to his absentia war crimes conviction in 2015Despite being convicted to death by a Tripoli court, he claims he is innocent. A warrant for him to be arrested has been issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). His petition was met with challenges, including an assault on the court by gunmen afterward referred to as “a bunch of outlaws” by the Tripoli administration.
Libya’s election is scheduled for December 24, and the entire list of candidates will be disclosed in the coming days.
Gaddafi has promised to “restore the lost unity” of Libya, which was thrown into civil war in 2011 after Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and brutally murdered by NATO-backed rebels.
Military leader Khalifa Haftar, the de facto ruler of Eastern Libya, will encounter stiff competition in Saif al-Islam Gaddafi’s presidential run.
Three Telcos have qualified for the 5G auction, according to the NCC.
Three telecommunications companies have qualified for Nigeria’s 5G auction, according to the Nigerian Communications Commission.
The commission revealed this in a statement posted on Thursday.
Airtel Networks Limited, MTN Nigeria Plc, and Mafab Communications Limited which is a new company are among the companies picked.
The NCC’s conditions for the 3.5 GHz spectrum license, which is essential for the 5G rollout, were met by the three eligible bids.
According to the commission, the platform is now ready for enterprises to participate in the Main Auction as well as the required Mock Auction, which will take place before the Main Auction.
See the NCC’s complete statement below…
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has announced that three telecoms companies have qualified as approved bidders in the upcoming 3.5 gigahertz (GHz) spectrum auction for the deployment of fifth-generation (5G) networks in the country, in keeping with its regulatory principle of open and transparent auction.
MTN Nigeria Plc., Mafab Communications Limited, and Airtel Networks Limited are the qualified bidders who have met the criteria for participation in the 3.5GHz spectrum licensing process, including payment of the stipulated Intention to Bid Deposit (IBD) as outlined in the Information Memorandum (IM).
As a result, the stage is now set for the three firms to compete in both the Main Auction and the obligatory Mock Auction, which will take place before the Main Auction.
The dates for the Mock Auction and the Main Auction have already been confirmed by the Commission. The Mock Auction will begin at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, December 10, 2021, at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, and the Main Auction will begin at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, December 13, 2021, at the same location and time.0060
Nigeria confirms 47 additional COVID-19 infections on Thursday.
On Thursday, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) announced that no new deaths from the coronavirus pandemic had been confirmed in Nigeria, but that 47 new cases had been detected in seven states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
On Friday morning, the illness centre announced this in a post on its Facebook page.
According to them, the latest cases have brought the total number of infections in Nigeria to 214,317, with 2,978 deaths.
According to the centre, a total of 207,357 persons in the country have been successfully treated and discharged.
Plateau State in North-central Nigeria topped the table with 16 cases, according to the NCDC data.
The FCT and Rivers State each reported eight cases, while Gombe and Kaduna state each reported four.
In addition, the states of Edo and Kano each reported three occurrences, with Bauchi coming in last with a single case.
According to the NCDC, Sokoto State stated that no cases were reported on Thursday.
Nigeria confirms 47 additional COVID-19 infections on Thursday.
On Thursday, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) announced that no new deaths from the coronavirus pandemic had been confirmed in Nigeria, but that 47 new cases had been detected in seven states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
On Friday morning, the illness centre announced this in a post on its Facebook page.
According to them, the latest cases have brought the total number of infections in Nigeria to 214,317, with 2,978 deaths.
According to the centre, a total of 207,357 persons in the country have been successfully treated and discharged.
Plateau State in North-central Nigeria topped the table with 16 cases, according to the NCDC data.
The FCT and Rivers State each reported eight cases, while Gombe and Kaduna state each reported four.
In addition, the states of Edo and Kano each reported three occurrences, with Bauchi coming in last with a single case.
According to the NCDC, Sokoto State stated that no cases were reported on Thursday.
Investigation into N20 billion duplicated projects in 2021 budget – Reps.
The House of Representatives has resolved to probe project duplication accusations in the N20.138 billion budget for 2021. The House has established an ad hoc committee to look into allegations about the 257 projects in the 2021 budget that were duplicated, as Bolaji Owasanoye, Chairman of the Independent and Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, (ICPC) said.
ICPC uncovered the duplicated projects when scrutinizing the 2021 budget, according to the anti-graft chief.
This was the result of a motion made by Dachung Bagos (PDP, Plateau) at the plenary on Thursday.
In his motion, Mr. Bagos charged all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) with high-level corruption, including payroll padding and the retention of “ghost employees.”
He also called for an investigation of all MDAs’ nominal rolls in the country.
Ndudi Elumelu (PDP, Delta), the minority leader, proposed that the House’s standing committees investigate the issue.
The Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, responded to the Minority Leader’s submission by saying that the ICPC’s claim is an indictment of the House Committees that examined the 2021 budget.
If the ICPC’s claims are genuine, he believes the standing committees should not be involved in the probe.
“Are you (Mr. Elumelu) asking the committees to complete the work that should have been done in the budget we passed for 2021″Are you aware of how disrespectful it is to our committees?”
“If 257 projects were duplicated, that means we didn’t do our job properly.” I’m not convinced that the task should be done by the committees that initially dropped the ball. This task, in my opinion, should be handled by an ad hoc group.”
Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House of Representatives stated that the committee can contact the ICPC to obtain a copy of the report on duplication projects to verify the claim.
Concerning the nominal rolls, the House decided that the Anti-Corruption and Public Service Committees should look into nominal rolls, payroll padding, and false employment in all MDAs.
Toby Okechuku (PDP, Enugu), the deputy minority leader, also proposed an alternative requiring the committee to scrutinize all job waivers granted by the Head of Service Office.
When the proposition was put to a vote, it was approved as amended.
Ayade mourns former Senate President Joseph Wayas as he died in a London hospital
Joseph Wayas, a former Senate President of cross River state is dead. This was revealed by the Cross River State Government.
The 2nd Republic Senate President, who had been on medication for several years passed away unexpectedly at age 80.
According to Governor Ben Ayade, Dr. Wayas’s death has left permanent impressions on the pages of history.
“As a state, Cross River is grieving the loss of our illustrious son.” He was a once-in-a-lifetime find. “Dr. Wayas’ death is a great loss to our dear state and Nigeria,” Ayade was quoted as saying in the release.
“Through his strong and active leadership of the upper legislative chamber, Dr. Wayas helped in the growth of Nigeria’s democratic spirit.” After retiring from active politics, the former Senate President has performed a fatherly and regulating role in the politics and activities of our state.”
He extended his sympathies to the Wayas family, saying that his death was a community loss and that the sorrows were felt by everybody.
“We’re here to help you get through this difficult moment.”. “We have you in our hearts and prayers,” the governor assured the family.
After ten-months, Emirates Airlines has resumed service in Nigeria.
Emirates Airlines will resume passenger service between Dubai and Nigeria on December 5, 2021,
the airline of the (UAE) confirmed this on Thursday.
The restart of services comes ten months after the carrier halted flights to Nigeria due to a diplomatic spat over COVID-19 agreements between the two countries.
“Emirates will resume passenger operations between Dubai and Nigeria on December 5, 2021, offering customers greater connectivity to and through Dubai,” the airline announced.
“The world’s largest international airline will run daily flights to and from its Nigerian gateways, giving Nigerians easy access to Dubai, which remains a popular vacation and business destination.” Travelers will also be able to connect safely to Emirates’ global network of over 120 destinations via Dubai.
“Emirates will use EK 785 and 786 to fly to Abuja. EK 785 will leave Dubai at 11:00 a.m. and arrive in Abuja at 15:40 a.m. EK 786, the return flight, would leave Abuja at 1900 hrs and arrive in Dubai at 0435 hrs the next day. Emirates flight EK 783 departs Dubai at 1030 a.m. and arrives in Lagos at 1540 a.m. The return flight, EK 784, will leave Lagos at 1810 hours and arrive in Dubai at 0415 hours the following day. All flights are available to book on emirates.com, through OTAs, and travel agents. Throughout the epidemic, Emirates has aided its customers in traveling safely and confidently by implementing industry-leading health and safety precautions at every stage of the journey, assisting communities in reuniting faster, and supporting economic recovery.
“The airline has also worked hard to give up-to-date, comprehensive travel information to its customers, as well as speeding up processes on the ground with digital verification for Covid-19 via the IATA Travel Pass, touchless check-in, and biometrics processing,” says the statement.
The government of Kaduna has fired 233 teachers for presenting forged certificates.
The Kaduna State Government has fired 233 teachers for allegedly presenting forged certifications during their recruitment process.
Tijani Abdullahi, the Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board, stated this at a news conference in Kaduna on Thursday.
The teachers were fired, he added, after inquiries from the universities they claimed to have attended revealed that they had given forged qualifications.
The board’s decision to investigate the teachers’ certifications began in April 2021, according to the SUBEB Chairman, as part of the board’s mission to guarantee that all teachers have the qualifications they claim.
According to him, the exercise’s main goal is to verify that all of our teachers have the required credentials, which are the minimum requirements for employment as teachers.
According to the Kaduna SUBEB Chairman, 451 certificates have been confirmed so far by contacting the institutions that issued them, with nine of the 13 universities contacted responding.
“According to the institutions’ reply, 233 teachers presented forged certificates. This reflects 51% of the 451 certificates for which responses from the granting institutions have been received. 212 of the 233 bogus certifications were rejected by one institution.
“The Board will fire the 233 teachers who gave these fraudulent degrees, and their files will be transferred to the Ministry of Justice for forgery prosecution.” The Board will continue to verify the authenticity of certificates provided by instructors to guarantee that impostors do not degrade this important profession. “As part of our accountability responsibility, the names of the 233 teachers found to have supplied fake certificates will be placed on the Kaduna State Government’s website today.”
The Board also announced that starting in January 2022, it will administer a new competency test for 12,254 instructors as part of its ongoing evaluation of teachers for both their development and better learning delivery.
It will be remembered that the Kaduna State Government hired 25,000 new teachers in 2017 after dismissing over 22,000 unqualified teachers following a competency review.
NEWS FLASH: The Supreme Court has ordered the DSS to provide maximum comfort to Nnamdi Kanu in detention and allow him practice his faith.
The Department of State Services (DSS) has been instructed by the Federal High Court in Abuja to provide optimum convenience to Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the proscribed IPOB group, while he remains in their custody.
On Thursday, trial judge Justice Binta Nyako issued an order directing the DSS to provide Nnamdi Kanu with a change of clothes, medical attention, and the freedom to practice his faith.
The subject for the day, according to Justice Nyako, was for abridgment of time because the questions of bail and the court’s jurisdiction did not come up for determination.
The judge also moved the case’s next hearing date forward a day (January 18, 2022) from the original date (January 19) for a hearing on pending applications, including the court’s jurisdiction and the charge’s competency.
The Judge allowed the abridgment of time after a request to that effect, hence the trial date has been shifted.
Ifeanyi Ejiofor, Kanu’s lawyer, had applied with the court, requesting that the trial be rescheduled for November and December this year instead of January 19.
A counter affidavit contesting the federal government’s motion has been prepared and served on Kanu, according to federal government counsel Shuaib Labaran.
Justice Nyako, on the other hand, caught Kanu’s lawyer off guard and advised him that the application for time abridgment could not be heard because there is no judicial time available for such a matter.
As a result of the demand, Justice Nyako decided to reschedule other cases scheduled for January 18 to make room for the trial, which will go until January 19 and 20.
She also directed the DSS to allow Kanu to practice his faith, change his clothing, and be provided with as much comfort as possible while in jail.
In the absence of Nnamdi Kanu, these instructions were issued.
Travelers from Nigeria, Egypt, and Malawi are prohibited in Canada, because of the Omicron Variant.
Following fears about the spread of the novel Omicron coronavirus type, Canada prohibited travelers from Nigeria, Egypt, and Malawi on Tuesday, bringing the total number of African countries targeted by Ottawa to ten.
“Foreign people who have transited or remained in these ten countries in the last two weeks are not allowed to enter Canada,” Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said during a press conference.
According to the administration, the legislation will take effect on Wednesday.
Any Canadians or permanent residents who have visited one of the ten countries will be required to quarantine and take a COVID test upon arrival.
All air travelers entering from outside Canada, except those from the United States, will henceforth be tested for Covid-19 at their port of entry and segregated until their test results are ready, according to Duclos.
The Omicron version was first reported to the World Health Organization less than a week ago after being discovered in southern Africa earlier in November, fueling global worries of a coronavirus epidemic that has killed more than five million people and ravaged economies throughout the world.
“The pandemic is far from ending,” said Transportation Minister Omar Alghabra. “Travel policies are subject to change at any time.”
All passengers from Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe were barred from entering Canada on Friday.
On Sunday, Canada reported that it had found the novel Omicron strain in two patients who had just been to Nigeria.
After more than 50 nations enacted similar steps, the WHO cautioned on Tuesday that travel bans will not halt the spread of the new type.
A total of 1,791,902 coronavirus cases have been documented in Canada.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is received by Buhari in Abuja.
President Muhammadu Buhari met with President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa at the State House in Abuja.
The South African President, who is joined by a delegation of ministers and business leaders, is in Nigeria for a state visit that is designed to improve bilateral ties as well as collaborations aimed at African development and multilateral cooperation.
The 10th Session of the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission coincides with Ramaphosa’s four-nation tour of West Africa, which aims to boost trade and investment between the two countries.
Last night, the President of South Africa arrived in the country and had a private supper with him at the State House.
Ramaphosa’s visit to President Buhari comes only hours after the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) verified the country’s first three cases of the Omicron strain of COVID-19, citing travelers from South Africa as the source.
Nigeria Confirms First Cases Of Omicron Variant COVID-19
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has revealed that the country’s first instances of COVID-19’s Omicron variant have been identified.
Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa, Director-General of the NCDC, announced this in a press statement issued on Wednesday.
The three cases of the variation were detected by genome sequencing, according to the health service, and the cases were linked to three passengers from South Africa.
According to the release, “this genomic surveillance has now detected and validated Nigeria’s first cases of the B.1.1.529 SARS-CoV-2 lineage, now known as the Omicron variety.”
“Three people who have a history of travel to South Africa were positive for this variation in samples taken for the mandatory day two test for all visitors to Nigeria.” These individuals had only been in the country for a week. Isolation, linkage to clinical care, contact tracing, and other appropriate response activities have all begun. Following the International Health Regulations, arrangements are also being made to notify the country from which the travel originated.”
South Africa revealed a novel coronavirus illness strain called Omicron variant, which was first discovered in Botswana.
Following the finding, countries such as the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and Israel, among others, imposed travel prohibitions on countries in southern Africa.
In addition, Canada said that it had detected two cases of the variation in two Nigerian travellers.
The Senate ordered an investigation into recurring jailbreaks, invites interior minister
The Senate’s Committee on the Interior has been asked to launch an investigation into the facts surrounding the country’s ongoing jailbreaks.
According to the legislators, this will also hinder future jailbreaks.
During the plenary on Tuesday, the MPs requested that the committee invite the Minister of Interior, the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Detention Service (NCOs), and the Attorney General of the Federation to discuss the state of prisons around the country.
After Senator Istifanus Gyang, a Federal Lawmaker, brought the attack on two communities in the Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State on a correctional centre in Jos, Plateau State, to the attention of legislators, the Senate directed its committee on actions to take.
Senator Gyang described the attack as a blow to Plateau North’s relative tranquillity, and he urged for a more effective reinforcement and security management system to stop attacks at correctional facilities throughout the country.
Several inmates are currently on the run as a result of the country’s ongoing jailbreaks.
Rauf Aregbesola, Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, claimed earlier this month that over 3,000 inmates have escaped from prison in the last year.
From 2020 until the present, 4,860 inmates have fled from various detention camps, according to Aregbesola, who revealed this during a press conference at the State House in Abuja. Of these, 984 have been caught.
As a result, there are around 3876 convicts who are no longer in custody across the country.
According to Aregbesola, fingerprints of all inmates in the country have been collected, and the Federal Government thinks that this effort would aid in the tracking and recapture of the fugitives.
The Federal Government condemns the murder of police officers and guarantees justice to perpetrators.
The Federal Government has criticised the recent assassination of two police officers in the South-East, stressing that those responsible will be caught and prosecuted.
Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Culture, made the vow during a news conference on Monday.
Even though Anambra State Police Command reported that two officers were attacked and their bodies were later burned in the state over the weekend, Mohammed did not say if the attack on November 27 relates to the one in Anambra.
The Minister denounced the kidnapping of three police officers and the killing of two of them in a statement provided by his spokesman, Segun Adeyemi, as the vilest and barbaric act ever performed against the state, calling it a “unacceptable action.”
“Inspectors Akubo and Adamu, two of the officers, were executed in the most horrible manner possible, and their decapitated bodies were videotaped and extensively shared.” Chinonso Okafor, also known as Gentle who is the ESN’s most prominent commander in charge of the states of Imo and Anambra, led the ESN team that executed the two officers.
All those guilty for the horrible deed, including ‘Gentle,’ will be held to account expediently.”
He further said that killing and targeting security officials is a serious attack on the state that would not be accepted under any condition.
The Minister questioned why those pushing for a political solution to the IPOB crisis had yet to denounce the heinous murder of police personnel on the job.
He also paid respect to the policemen who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country, as well as those security agents who are doing their best to serve the country in a difficult time.
Mohammed offered his sympathies to the officers’ families, wishing them consolation and strength from God.
In 10 EU nations, 42 cases of COVID-19 Omicron variant have been confirmed.
On Tuesday, the director of the EU’s public health agency announced that 42 occurrences of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Omicron strain had been confirmed in ten European Union (EU) countries.
At an online conference sponsored by Slovenia’s president, Andrea Ammon, director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), said authorities in the EU’s 27-nation bloc were looking into six additional “possible” cases.
She added that the confirmed cases were minor or asymptomatic and that they primarily affected children and teenagers.
“We have to wait till the laboratory tests with sera from those who have recovered before we can judge whether it (Omicron) escapes immunity.”
She stated, “These will be due in a couple of weeks.”
Executive director of the European Medicines Agency Emer Cooke confirmed that previous immunizations will continue to provide protection even if the new strain becomes more widespread.
According to Andrea Ammon, 42 cases of the variation have been detected in ten EU nations (ECDC).
In Mbarara, two persons were killed in an explosion at the Agip Motel.
Two persons have died as a result of an explosion in Uganda beside Agip Motel in Kizungu, Mbarara City.
The explosion and fatalities have been confirmed by regional police, according to local media in the Western Uganda District.
What caused the explosion is still unknown
This is a developing story, details will come later.
At Abuja Airport, the NDLEA intercepts cocaine worth N2.7 billion.
9.30 kilos of cocaine worth N2.7 billion was recovered at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)
In a statement released on Thursday in Abuja, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said a 32-year-old Liberian drug trafficker named Maduabuchi Chinedu was detained with the shipment.
Mr. Babafemi said the suspect works as a miner in Liberia and was from Obaha Okigwe Local Government Area in Imo state.
He claimed the man was apprehended on Nov. 24 at the Abuja airport during an inbound joint check of Ethiopian Airlines flight 911.
He claimed the cocaine, weighing 9.30 kilograms, was packaged in candy wrappers and hidden in the suspect’s luggage.
Mr. Chinedu stated that in 2018, he left Nigeria to reside in Liberia, and he has a residency permit in Liberia. He mentioned this during his preliminary interview
According to the statement, “financial strain and the need to collect money to cure his mother for an eye illness pushed him to seek assistance from a Liberian friend.”
Mr. Chinedu claimed that his acquaintance referred him to another friend in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, who eventually handed him the narcotic for a charge of N1 million to deliver in Abuja.
He went on to say that he was supposed to deliver the narcotics in Cote d’Ivoire but was redirected at the last minute to Nigeria.
NDLEA Chairman Buba Marwa praised the NAIA Command’s officers and men for their vigilance and teamwork with other security agencies at the airport, according to Mr. Babafemi.
Mr. Marwa urged them and his colleagues in other commands to stay two steps ahead of death merchants who are growing increasingly desperate to make money at the price of the country’s reputation and the well-being of Nigerians.
EFCC Places Anambra Governor, Willie Obiano On Watchlist.
Willie Obiano, the incumbent Governor of Anambra State, has been placed on a watch list by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) ahead of the state’s turnover of power.
This was revealed in a November 15, 2021 statement to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) Comptroller General.
Governor Obiano has been placed on the watch list by the EFCC and if he wants to travel out, he will have to notify them.
It’s unclear why the governor was placed on the anti-corruption monitoring list.
The move revealed that the CIA was conducting a secret probe into the governor’s plans to leave after handing over power to Professor Charles Soludo on March 16, 2022.
Nigerian governors cannot be probed for criminal cases while still in office.
Obiano will hand over the reins to Professor Soludo once his two mandates as governor of Anambra finish in March 2022.
He would have served as governor for eight years by then, having been elected on the All Progressives Grand Alliance ticket in 2013. (APGA).
Before winning the election to succeed incumbent Governor Peter Obi, the governor had quit the banking system to enter politics.
Professor Soludo, a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, will take over from him.
He stormed to victory, taking 19 of the state’s 21 local government districts while flying the state’s ruling party’s banner.
Senator Ifeanyi Ubah of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) was elected to the local government, as was Mr. Valentine Ozigbo of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Senator Andy Uba, a candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC), was defeated in all of his local government seats.
A new Covid-19 variant has been discovered in South Africa, according to the institute.
A new range of variants has been discovered in the United States by the National Institute for communicable Diseases. Gene sequencing collaboration between both the NICD and private laboratories revealed 22 positive patients infected with the novel B.1.1.529 variant.
“A fresh variation has been discovered in South Africa, which is not surprising,” stated Professor Adrian Puren, Acting Executive Director of the NICD, of the discovery. Despite the little data, our experts are working around the clock with all of the existing surveillance systems to better comprehend the new variety and its potential consequences. The public has our assurance that we will keep them updated as events unfold quickly.”
There is a sudden rise of the covid and positive test result in areas such the North West, Limpopo, and Gauteng.
Despite the newer Covid-19 variations, Dr. Michelle Groome, Head of the NICD’s Division of Public Health Surveillance and Response, has emphasized that the public should stay responsible and that the role of preventative, non-pharmaceutical treatments remains constant. Individuals should get vaccinated, practice good hand hygiene, keep social distance, wear masks, and assemble in well-ventilated areas. Individual adherence to preventative measures can have a big impact on restricting the spread of the new type, according to Groome.
The National Labour Council opposes the projected increase in gasoline prices.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has rejected a planned petroleum price increase.
“Nigerian workers refused to take the bait,” said NLC President Ayuba Wabba in a message sent to media in Abuja.
According to Mele Kyari, the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), petrol might cost as much as N340 starting in February 2022.
Mr. Wabba described the government’s plan to provide N5,000 to 40 million Nigerians as “comical” as a way to alleviate the impact of the massive increase in gasoline prices.
He said that the entire amount involved in the “gay initiative” was significantly greater than the amount claimed by the government to be spent on fuel subsidies now.
“The NNPC GMD stated that the price hike would be a result of the Federal Government’s plans to withdraw the subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit, generally known as gasoline or fuel.”
“The NNPC GMD’s grand optimism was based on allegations that the withdrawal of gasoline subsidies is now endorsed by an act of parliament, most likely the Petroleum Industry Act, which was recently passed into law,” he explained.
Mr Wabba pointed out that the Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, backed Mr Wabba’s sentiments at the World Bank’s Nigeria Development Update event on Tuesday (NDU).
He went on to say that the minister disclosed the government’s plans to give N5000 to each of the 40 million poorest Nigerians as a transportation allowance to offset the impact of the anticipated fuel subsidy elimination.
Mr Wabba said the NNPC GMD’s and Minister’s statements were in line with the World Bank’s and the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) positions, which urged the Federal Government to eliminate gasoline subsidies.
“What we’re hearing, according to the NLC, is the Federal government’s communication with neoliberal international monetary institutions
Given the widespread fear that has accompanied the discovery of the monologue inside the corridors of power and foreign interests, the NLC wishes to maintain its opposition to deregulation based on an import-driven model.
“We want to emphasize that the only benefit of deregulation based on an import-driven economy is that Nigerian consumers will continue to pay exorbitant prices for refined petroleum products indefinitely,” the NLC says.
“The spectacular depreciation of the naira, which currently trades in the parallel market for N560 to one US dollar, will undoubtedly exacerbate this predicament,” he said.
Any attempt to compare the price of petrol in Nigeria to that of other nations, according to the NLC president, would be based on a flawed assumption since it would be like comparing apples with mangoes.
Mr Wabba said the government’s plan to raise the price of gasoline by more than 200 percent was a perfect recipe for a worsening spiral of hyperinflation and stratospheric price increases for products and services.
“This will open a wide door to social repercussions,” he believes, citing the worsening of the current insecurity crisis as an example.
Another 330 Nigerians are being evacuated from Libya by the International Organization for Migration and the Federal Government.
“Some of the returnees had been detained in Libyan detention centers for immigration violations, while others had been rescued victims of human trafficking or were irregular migrants returning voluntarily.”
In partnership with the Federal Government, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has rescued an extra 330 stranded Nigerians from Benghazi and Tripoli, Libya, as part of its ongoing voluntary evacuation effort.
The Nigerian Mission’s Charge d’Affaires in Libya, Kabiru Musa, announced in an Abuja statement on Wednesday.
330 evacuees from Tripoli and Libya are expected to arrive on different flights at Lagos’ Murtala Mohammed International Airport on Wednesday night, according to Mr. Musa.
In November only, about 1,000 stranded Nigerians were airlifted from Libya, he said, reiterating the Nigerian government’s resolve not to leave any Nigerian stranded in Libya.
the IOM on Wednesday transported 172 Nigerians from Tripoli and 158 others from Benghazi, in collaboration with the Nigerian embassy in Tripoli, following effective extraction operations and the significant number of stranded Nigerians in Libya.”
According to him, “The number of the chartered flight from Benghazi. UZ389 took off from Benghazi airport at 15:45 local time and is scheduled to arrive at Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos at 22:45.”
According to him, the Tripoli chartered flight UZ0190 departed Mitiga international airport at 18.00 local time and would arrive at Lagos international airport at 23:30 local time.
“A sum of 330 Nigerians were rescued, including men, women, and children.”
“Some of the returnees had been detained in Libyan detention centres for immigration violations, while others had been rescued victims of human trafficking or were irregular migrants returning voluntarily.”
“The exercises were carried out efficiently and in exact compliance with COVID-19 criteria. Before being reintegrated into society, all returnees are expected to spend a few days at IOM-provided facilities,” Mr. Musa said.
Mr. Musa promised that the exercise would continue until Nigerians in need in Libya were assisted in reuniting with their relatives back home.
President Buhari preside over a virtual meeting of the Federal Executive Council.
Professor Yemi Osinbajo, the Vice President, Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and Babagana Munguno, the National Security Adviser, are among those physically present.
Hadi Sirika, Attorney General of the Federal High Court; Lai Mohammed, Information minister and Culture; Zainab Ahmed, Finance minister, Budget and National Planning; Mohammed Bello, Aviation minister and Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, Minister responsible for Education, the Federation’s Head of Civil Service Folashade Yemi-Esan and other ministers were online during the meeting.
Secondary school kids and other kidnapped victims are rescued by Zamfara police.
In Zamfara State’s Shinkafi and Tsafe local government areas, police have freed 24 abducted victims.
Ayuba Elkana, the state police commissioner, said this during a press conference. He claimed four of the victims are secondary school students abducted while taking their WAEC exams in Shinkafi, as well as Kaura Namoda, a student at the Federal Polytechnic.
In the Shinkafi local government district, thirteen of them were rescued”The victims who suffered 60 days in captivity have now been unconditionally rescued,” Mr. Elkana added.He also said that On November 22, 2021, at around 2330 hours, armed bandits stopped two (2) Golf Vehicles with registration numbers AE 535 ARG and GUS 274 XF transporting passengers from Kano to Sokoto and kidnapped all of the passengers. After receiving the distress call, Police Tactical Operatives stationed along the Gusau – Tsafe – Funtua road launched an intensive search and rescue operation, eventually rescuing eleven (11) individuals unconditionally.
He stated, “All of the rescued victims have been debriefed and reunited with their relatives.”
COVID-19 got a N2.3 trillion stimulus package — FG
Prince Clem Agba, Minister of State for Budget and National Planning stated the Federal Government spent N2.3 trillion on infrastructure to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic.
Agba mentioned this during the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation’s 3-Day 4th National Treasury Workshop, headlined “Covid-19 and the Global Economy: Implications on Nigeria’s National Treasury,” on Tuesday in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state capital.
He stated that the monetary and fiscal policies provided grants, tariff reductions payroll assistance, tax relief, and direct support to the health sector to states, enterprises, households, and individuals.
According to the minister, the real-estate initiatives were focused on off-grid solar power installations, mass agriculture, public works, small company assistance, and mass housing.
“COVID-19 began as a health pandemic but quickly turned into an economic pandemic, so we devised a strategy that comprised a national stimulus economic package, the mobilization of foreign help and money, and an increase in non-oil revenue generation.”
“These were targeted at retaining and creating jobs, enhancing productivity, ensuring social stability, and resolving long-standing economic weaknesses,” she said. Notwithstanding the effect of COVID-19 and declining oil revenues, we will keep creating government measures to mitigate the damage, with the federal government of Nigeria planning a total stimulus package of 2.3 trillion naira.
“We took attempts to boost revenue from sources other than oil.” VAT revisions in the Finance Act 2020, customs administration improvements, tax exemptions, higher remittances, and recovery of remitted money from government-owned firms were among the measures taken.”
The workshop was opened by Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom, who stated that the state government has formed a Post COVID-19 Economic Advisory Committee made up of specialists to advise the state government on the way forward.
Emmanuel, who was represented by his deputy, Mr. Moses Ekpo, the state government has begun implementing several of the committee’s suggestions, including the use of ICT and other technological tools to encourage people to start businesses.
Alhaji Ahmed Idris, the Federation’s Accountant-General, also stated that the training would equip the government with financial shock absorbers on how to deal with any pandemic-related financial issues.
Idris stated that the course would educate government financial managers on how to manage aggregate cash flows within fiscal, monetary, and legal constraints, resulting in better management of essential government borrowings and infrastructure deployment.
The government of Niger is concerned about the existence of ISWAP militants.
The Niger State Government has issued a warning regarding the presence of terrorists from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the state’s Borgu Local Government Area.
This is in addition to statements made by the state governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, that Boko Haram is present in sections of Shiroro, where it has taken over 500 communities.
The organization is responsible for the kidnapping of the Dodo of Wawa, according to the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Ahmed Matane, who announced during a news conference in Minna, the state capital.
He revealed that members of the gang are currently attempting to create a caliphate in the council’s Kainji National Park.
Members of the cult said they were not bandits, but were sent by God to the area to indoctrinate the locals with their ideas, according to him.
“They stated that they are not bandits, but that they are planning to establish a Kalipha in Kainji National Park. They said they were not bandits, but rather God’s messengers, and that they operate from the Niger-Benin-Nigeria border. Even though the Benin Republic has closed its borders, the ISWAP is operating on the outskirts, attempting to indoctrinate people to accept their teachings and ignore what the government is doing, according to Matane.
The SSG also revealed that both groups preach against education in communities and encourage parents not to send their children/wards to school.
He also said that to combat insecurity in Niger State, the state government had purchased a total of 100 vehicles and reconditioned another 70 for security agencies.
Nigeria’s problems would not be solved just through restructuring, according to Yoruba Elders.
Without the various ethnic groups coming together to undertake a round table discourse on how to live together, restructuring alone would not be able to address the variety of difficulties that Nigeria faces. According to the Yoruba Council of Elders, this is the case (YCE).
Dr. Kunle Olajide, the YCE Secretary-General, said at a news conference on Monday that instead of restructuring, the country needs a new constitution that addresses the referendum issue.
“The solution to Nigeria’s issues is not restructuring.” In this country, a new constitution is required. “This isn’t a difficult job.” We are fortunate to live in a democratic society. Allow the executive branch to introduce bills in the National Assembly that would include a referendum in our constitution. We don’t have a constitution that allows us to have a referendum.
“A referendum should be held in any democratic regime.” Commissions of the Constituent Assembly should be constituted. Nigeria cannot function as a single entity. Reforming a country is a process; it is not possible to just make a country exist Transformation would not fix Nigeria’s problems.
One of the side effects of a new constitution is restructuring. The exclusive list should not contain above 20 names. There are 16 items on the exclusive government list in the 1963 constitution. The importance of obtaining a people’s constitution should be emphasized further. This is a country with a wide range of people. We are made up of a diverse group of individuals with a diverse range of experiences, backgrounds, cultures, and priorities.
“As a result, we’ll have to sit down together.” Nigeria harbors different people from various nations. We have the Yoruba people, the Igbo people, the Fulani people, the Hausa people, the Kanuri people, the Ijaw people, and so on, all of whom have distinct priorities. Let’s sit down and figure out how we’re going to live together. “The simple explanation, in my opinion, is that we were not involved in the creation of the constitution under which we now live. “As you may recall, even the constitution that we are running contains multiple contradictions,” the YCE stated.
How bandits assassinated Hamidu, a former governorship candidate in Zamfara
Sagir Hamidu, a former governorship aspirant for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara State and former director of protocol at the Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), was assassinated by robbers on Sunday afternoon near Rijana, on the Kaduna-Abuja road. During the 3 p.m. attack, the bandits kidnapped a large number of other travelers. Muhammad Sirajo Hamidu, the dead politician’s brother, described how he was assassinated in a conversation with journalists on Monday. Hamidu, his police orderly, and two others were traveling to Abuja when they were attacked by the bandits, according to him. “My brother, his orderly, two other people, and his driver were heading to Abuja for an emergency call,” he claimed. Bandits ambushed them in broad daylight on the Rijana-Kaduna-Abuja highway. Because they were all clothed in army clothes, the motorist pulled a U-turn when he discovered they were bandits rather than security officers. He was already in the middle of a kidnapping ring that had set up shop along the highway, unbeknownst to him. They opened fire on the people in the van. A bullet struck my brother in the chest and leg. His driver walked away unharmed.” Hamidu, the late politician, also owned FAMAKS British Schools in Abuja and Kaduna State.
A bus plunges into the Ogun River, killing two people and injuring eight more.
When a Toyota Hiace Bus fell into the Ososa River in Ogun State, two people died and eight others were injured in various ways. The accident happened near J4 Ogbere on the Benin – Ore Expressway in Ogun State’s Odogbolu Local Government Area. Florence Okpe, the Federal Road Safety Corps’ Public Education Officer for the Ogun Sector Command, said this in a statement on Monday. Okpe said the accident happened about 9.30 p.m. on Sunday after a brake failure caused the car to lose control and crash into the river. She stated that two vehicles with the registration number APP86 7XZ, a Toyota Hiace Bus, and a truck with the registration number KJA376 XN were involved in the fatal incident. According to Okpe, a total of ten people were engaged in the collision, with five male adults and five female adults among them. She said, “Eight people were injured and this comprised three male adults and five female Adults. Unfortunately, two deaths were recorded from the crash. “The suspected cause was speed which led to the loss of control “The Injured victims were taken to the state General Hospital Ijebu-Ode while the dead were deposited at the morgue. “The Sector Commander, FRSC Ogun Sector Command caution motorists on excessive speed especially at night when visibility is poor. “He also commiserated with the family and ask them to contact FRSC Ogbere Outpost for more information.”
Why won’t Lagos submit the #EndSARS panel report to the FG?
On Monday, the presidency explained why Lagos would not send the judicial panel’s report on Endsars violence to the federal government. According to the law, the federal government cannot appoint a probe by the states, according to presidential spokesman Femi Adesina. He explained that when the state makes declarations on the panel’s conclusions, the Federal Government will be interested. Adesina stated that they would not be bringing it to the Federal Government, but that the government might look into the grey areas. What might happen is that the federal government would be curious to hear from the states on the report of the panel. “When the reports are released, the federal ones will undoubtedly be taken into account. Some issues would be dealt with by the federal government, while others would be dealt with by the state governments. “There is a Federal Attorney General who will advise and the necessary will be done,” Adesina said. Last Monday, the Lagos State Government’s Panel of Inquiry released its report, accusing the military and police of killing 11 persons at the Lekki Tollgate. According to the board’s findings, unarmed, defenseless, and helpless protesters were gunned down, wounded, and brutally murdered by Nigerian Army officials at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020, as they waved the Nigerian flag and sang the national anthem, without provocation or justification, and the manner of assault and murder could be characterized as the slaughter in context. The panel also discovered that the Nigerian Army’s actions were worsened by its unwillingness to allow ambulances to bring medical aid to those in need. It was also discovered that the Army’s own Rules of Engagement had been broken. The Nigerian Police Force sent police to the Lekki Toll Gate on October night 20, 2020, and throughout the night and morning of October 21, 2020, the army fired, assaulted, and bashed unarmed demonstrators, resulting in injuries and deaths, the panel observed. They also attempted to conceal their actions by collecting ammunition when they were done.
COVID-19: One fatality and 57 new illnesses were reported in Nigeria
Another fatality has been recorded in Nigeria as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, with 57 new cases reported throughout the country’s 10 states on Sunday. The Nigeria Centre for Sickness Control (NCDC) stated late Sunday night on its Facebook page that the country’s death toll from the disease had risen to 2,974. According to the center, the additional cases have brought the overall number of patients infected in Nigeria to 213,589, with 206,518 people having been discharged thus far. According to the NCDC, 30 new cases were reported in Lagos State, the epicenter of the epidemic, on Sunday. In addition, nine cases were reported in Enugu State in the south-east, followed by seven cases in Rivers State in the south-south. Osun and Kaduna state each recorded three occurrences, while Plateau, Bauchi, Kano, Ogun, and Abia each reported one case. Four states, Ekiti, Oyo, Sokoto, and Ondo had no cases on Sunday, according to the data.
Big Daddy Jayy, a music producer, died of COVID-19 complications.
Victor Chujor-Idowu, often known as Big Daddy Jayy, a well-known Nigerian music producer, died of COVID-19 complications. According to a statement made by his family on Saturday, the 28-year-old pop sensation died of the infection. Below are some posts on the music producer’s death. “It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of multitalented producer/singer/songwriter Victor Chujor-Idowu aka Beats by Jayy,” the statement reads. “He died at the age of 28 as a result of complications from Covid 19.” “His mother and siblings survive him. “We would appreciate it if you could give us complete privacy as we mourn this awful loss.” Big Daddy Jayy was recognized for producing for MI Abaga, Blaqbonez, Cheque, and many other hip hop artists. He was dubbed the “leader of the new school hip hop in Nigeria.”
NANS urges southwest Governors to invest in Education.
Oladimeji Uthman, the Southwest Deputy Coordinator of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), has asked governors in the region to invest more in education to create a society of intellectuals and productive youths. He made the statement in an interview with DAILY POST in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State. Uthman stated that putting education first in the Southwest governors’ administration would boost productivity and economic growth, emphasizing the role of Nigerian students and young in nation-building. Governors throughout the region, he believes, should prioritize education as a primary priority in their government. “Qualitative and quantitative education solves many societal problems, brings social and economic wealth, and it also builds a liveable society where progress accelerates,” he stated. “A country with standard education, both qualitative and quantitative, has solved all of its key difficulties,” the NANS head said. A society that is educated and liberal is advancing. A strong education has a multiplier effect that impacts security, the economy, and other aspects of life. “If our government invests heavily in education, infrastructure development in the industry, and appropriate money for quality research equipment, the economy and security will fall into place as they should.” He also advised states to run their administrations with the youth in mind, claiming that most of the development made in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti, and Osun can be attributed to the fact that the youth are liberal. Because students account for the majority of the youth, Uthman recommended that the government continue to prioritize student mental education. He urged student leaders in the region to join the demand for education reform.
Igbos must learn to cooperate with Buhari if they want development-Orji Uzor kalu
Orji Kalu, the Senate’s chief whip, has reiterated the need for Igbos to work with President Muhammadu Buhari if they want the South-East to grow. “I encourage the Igbos to engage with President Buhari to find a means to make reconciliation and eliminate sentiments,” Mr. Kalu said on Friday. If given another chance, the Abia North Senatorial District legislator indicated that his district will give Buhari more votes. he said the Abia North Senatorial Zone was the only zone in the South-East and South-South to vote for Buhari in the 2019 general elections, earning 68 percent of the vote. “I believe the people will vote for him more if we are allowed to replicate what we accomplished in 2019.” The votes may be more than 68 percent based on what President Buhari has done in my constituency,” Kalu stated that they have a warm relationship with Abia North as a constituency, and the president has showed a lot of compassion for them and remembered what they voted for, so everyone is excited.” “In the South-South and South-East, Abia North is the senatorial seat that gave the president the most votes,” Mr. Kalu said. Because we are the best, no one dares to challenge us. So, when people say Buhari is unpopular, we disagree.” “With him, we’ve always had good moments,” he concluded, referring to the president’s political ties with his region. In 2003, we awarded him a doctorate from our university (Abia State University), and in 2004, we bestowed a chieftaincy title on him in Igbere (Mr. Kalu’s hometown).” Apart from Mr. Buhari, he went on to say that his home base had good ties with other Nigerian politicians. As an outcome, they have always gotten along with him, as well as other past heads of state like Abudulsalami Abubakar, Ibrahim Babangida, President Shehu Shagari, and President Olusegun Obasanjo,the APC member explained that they are happy to have more people in their neighborhood, therefore Nigerian politicians should put an end to the hostility.
Ugandan children are exposed to child sacrifices and teen pregnancies.
On Nov. 15, Ugandan police found and rescued a one-year-old baby who had been kidnapped and planned to be sacrificed. Samuel Mwesige was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping the boy and detaining him at a relative’s residence while making plans to sacrifice him at a traditional healer’s temple, according to police. Last year, a family offered their 3-year-old child an offering to a witch doctor’s shrine As an outcome of the investigation, six members of the family were arrested. Despite the government’s greatest efforts to fight child abuse, such occurrences remain common in Uganda. According to Ugandan authorities, 20 children are sacrificed each year. Many others are taken to people’s homes for domestic assistance. According to the African Network for the Prevention and Protection Against Abuse and Neglect (ANPPCAN), at least 3,000 children are abducted from their families each year in the country. The predicament of children in the East African nation raises alarm bells as the globe commemorates Children’s Day on November 20. Child marriages Child marriages and underage pregnancies are common, in addition to physical abuse. “Thousands of females between 14 and 17 years have given birth, and many are pregnant,” said Charles Bakalikwila, a school teacher in Kampala’s capital. The country’s two-year COVID-19 lockdown, which resulted in the shutdown of schools, has had a significant influence in young females becoming pregnant.” He claimed that as a result of the pandemic’s heightened poverty, some parents resorted to marrying off their teenage daughters to receive a dowry. Police invaded a traditional marriage ceremony previously this month in Mityana, Uganda’s central region, detaining a mother and her soon-to-be son-in-law for trying to marry off an adolescent. Schools will open around the country next year. President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda has ordered that schoolgirls who became pregnant and gave birth during the COVID-19 lockdown not be expelled when schools reopen next year. Flavia Kyegegwa, a female member of parliament, remarked during a workshop in Kampala: “We cannot claim to be safeguarding anyone’s future if we are unable to do so for the children. Our children’s safety must be ensured.” Since the lockdown was implemented early last year, nearly 20,000 young girls have been pregnant, according to the Education Ministry.
Somalia is experiencing a ‘rapidly increasing’ drought, according to the United Nations.
The UN has cautioned that Somalia’s “speedily increasing” famine has placed over two million people suffering serious food and water shortage, with the crisis country facing its fourth straight season of low rainfall. “Around 2.3 million people live in 57 of the 74 districts… According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, water pans and boreholes have dried up, producing serious water, food, and pasture shortages, as well as an increase in the risk of water-borne illnesses (OCHA). The Horn of Africa is “on the verge of a fourth straight failed rainfall season,” according to a statement released late Thursday. According to the UN agency, the severe situation has prompted almost 100,000 people to evacuate their homes in search of food, water, and grass for their cattle. In recent years, natural disasters have been the primary cause of homelessness in Somalia, a war-torn country that is one of the world’s most sensitive to climate change. “A perfect storm is forming in Somalia,” said Adam Abdelmoula, the UN resident and humanitarian administrator for the country, who urged swift action to avoid calamity. Khadija Diriye, Somalia’s minister of humanitarian affairs and disaster management, cautioned that if households lose their animals and fall deeper into poverty, they may starve to death. “I am especially concerned for children, women, the elderly, and the crippled, who continue to face the burden of Somalia’s humanitarian disaster,” she said. This year, drought and flooding in Kenya and South Sudan have resulted in severe crop failures and increased strain on livestock-dependent people. Last month, the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR declared South Sudan floods to be the worst since 1962 in some areas, blaming the rains on climate change.
Zamfara will provide free healthcare to 34,000 people.
A total of 34,000 underprivileged people are set to gain from the Zamfara state government’s Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) free healthcare delivery service, which was launched by Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle’s administration. Governor Matawalle said the gesture was in keeping with his administration’s readiness to eliminate suffering among the state’s less privileged during the program’s ceremonial debut at Farida General Hospital in Gusau on Thursday. He went on to say that his administration has built primary health centers for the initiative in all 147 wards of the state’s 14 local government councils. “Under the state basic healthcare provision fund, all 34000 beneficiaries would receive free healthcare delivery services in the state,” he stated. According to him, 231 recipients would be chosen from each of the state’s 147 wards based on the program’s validation and enrollment criteria. He noted that the program will include 92 pregnant women, 116 children under the age of five, and 23 elderly and physically challenged people from each ward.
Divorce-seeking Anita Okoye speaks as her husband, Paul, reunites with Peter, his twin brother.
Anita Okoye, Paul Okoye’s wife, has expressed her joy when her husband reconnected with his twin brother and bandmate, Peter after they split up in 2017.
Anita, who filed for divorce in May 2021, remarked that this was the nicest birthday present her husband could ever have. Paul’s reunion with Peter a day before their 40th birthday taught her not to be preoccupied with other people’s problems, according to the mother of three.
On Thursday afternoon, Anita Okoye commented on her Instagram page.
Following donations from friends, Cynthia Morgan tackles Davido.
Cynthia Morgan, a Nigerian recording artist, took to Instagram stories to express her displeasure with her colleague Davido for asking for money from his friends and fans.
Davido recently made headlines when he requested N1 million from every one of his buddies and members of the 30 Billion Gang (BG) in a video. The brilliant musician then went on Twitter to share his account information, begging his admirers to send money ahead of his 29th birthday.
Cynthia Morgan was taken aback by the ‘financial challenge,’ expressing her disdain for the musician and his fans.
she said Davido’s fans are “ignorant” and “unintelligent.”
Cynthia Morgan, who is against the trend, had this to say about it on her Instagram stories:
Cynthia Morgan didn’t end there; she went on to say that N1 million is a small change, before saying:
“If you rose by raising others and now demand 1 million in public, your lads are ungrateful… “What a pity.”
She was referring to Davido’s phrase, “We rise by raising others,” which he used in his request for donations from his friends.
“Because say all of us they do music doesn’t mean say all of us na mate,” Cynthia added.
HURIWA criticizes the United States for removing Nigeria from its religious freedom blacklist.
HURIWA, the Nigerian Human Rights Writers Association, has slammed the United States of America for unilaterally removing Nigeria from a list of nations that violate religious freedom.
Recall that the United States removed Nigeria from its list of nations that violate religious freedom on Wednesday.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed this.
Nigeria was placed on the US’s blacklist for violating religious freedom in December 2020.
HURIWA, in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, and the National Media Affairs Director, Miss Zainab Yusuf, reacted to the development by saying that the US government under Joe Biden has shown “a nonchalant tendency concerning the massive religion-motivated genocides that are currently going on under the active watch and conspiratorial connivance of the Federal Government of President Buhari who concentrated the powers of the presidency,”
HURIWA said it was inappropriate for the US to make such a provocative and dumb choice when hundreds of thousands of Christians from Northern Nigeria are still being slaughtered by Moslem Fulani armed militias backed by officials in President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
The rights group demanded that the decision be reversed immediately by the President of the United States and the United States Congress.
Libyan women demonstrate against the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
On Wednesday, a group of women staged a protest in front of the Council of Ministers to express their opposition to the MoU signed with the UN on women, peace, and security in Libya, which stipulates that the Libyan government must comply with the Tthe Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) Agreement.
One of the placards stated, “The problems of Libyan women cannot be restored by CEDAW, but by following Sharia law.” The rights were bestowed by Islam not offered to us by any other document in the world,” a demonstration participant remarked.
The demonstrators published a statement requesting that the government revoke Resolution 1325, which they believe is contradictory to Islamic law and offends Libyan culture and customs, as well as the results of the investigations conducted in this regard. The Libya Observer spoke with Safa Bin Abdulla, a member of the Educated Women Movement and one of the organizers, who confirmed that women in Libya face problems and obstacles, but that CEDAW is not the solution.
“We want solutions with an Islamic frame of reference, not resolutions imported from other societies and cultures,” Safa explains, adding that “the problem is that Islamic law is not applied in practice,” and that “documents issued in connection with women’s rights have not brought justice to women in other communities and will not bring justice to Libyan women.”
Wema Bank wants to meet with me- N100m challenge. — Davido
Following the incredible donation, he received from friends and fans for his birthday, Nigerian music singer Davido has stated that Wema Bank wants to meet with him. In a tweet, the singer and record label owner revealed the news.
According to Naija News, Davido has sparked a social media frenzy after receiving over a hundred and forty-two million Naira in birthday gifts from friends, family, and fans.
On his Instagram story, the artist requested $1 million from friends, fans, and family members for his birthday. What began as a joke quickly spread like wildfire, with many individuals eager to get in on the action. David had written: “We rise by lifting others abi? Me I don dey rise dey lifting others for the past 100 years. So, I want to know who my friends are. All of my friends one one million Naira. They said we are 30BG. If you don’t send your own. You out of here. You are gone (sic).”People began giving to his account as a result of the social media post. Some donors gave the desired N1 million, while others gave much more, and the amount donated by some well-known personalities in the community, such as Femi Otedola, Obi Cubana, and E-Money, was not disclosed.
Brands also contributed, with Ikorodu Bois, young comedians, chipping in with a donation of $5,000.
As at the time this article was released monetary donations had reached above 160 million.
While offering more updates on the donations, the musician announced via his verified Twitter profile that Wema Bank (the bank whose account he’s using to accept the gifts) wants to meet with him.
He did not, however, divulge the basis for the proposed meeting.
Many African countries want to attend the Moscow summit in 2022, according to a Russian ambassador.
Numerous African countries have indicated interest in attending a summit with Russia in the fall of 2022, according to Oleg Ozerov, Russia’s Ambassador.
“We’re starting to prepare for the summit, which is a year away,” he remarked. “Many [African] countries have indicated their interest to participate.” Ozerov noted.
He stated that the meeting would include discussions on particular projects aimed at increasing collaboration between Russia and African countries. “It’s not only a reunion of old friends as it was the first time,” Ozerov explained, “but a debate focusing on concerns raised in the report and specific actions aimed at enhancing our economic, political, and humanitarian cooperation.”
The coronavirus pandemic, he claims, cut the time it took to plan the summit dates in half. The event’s dates, however, have yet to be revealed.
At an Élysée ceremony, France formally returns looted Benin artworks.
President Patrice Talon of Benin and French President Emmanuel Macron met on Tuesday to formally sign a deal to retrieve 26 artworks stolen from the former French colony’s Palace of Abomey, which is now known as a UNESCO World Heritage site.The 26 antiques were on exhibit at the Quai Branly museum in Paris in the run-up to Tuesday’s event, having been retrieved from a hoard of objects seized by French forces in 1892. They will be delivered to the West African country in the days to come.The move to return colonial treasure was made in response to rising pressure from African governments to return colonial loot from museums in Europe.It’s part of French President Emmanuel Macron’s strategy to improve France’s reputation in Africa, especially among the youth population.
Behanzin’s throne, along with three totemic sculptures, four palace doors, several portable altars, and three warrior dancing staffs, is among the treasures from Dahomey’s kingdom in present-day Benin.
As curators assist in the preparation of artifacts for their return to Benin, they add, “Everyone is waiting for them.”
According to the Élysée, Macron’s commitment to letting Africans see their cultural wealth at home instead of in the European museums “marks a key step in building a new cooperation between France and Africa.”
Macron stated last month that a “talking drum” cherished by the Ebrie people of Ivory Coast, which was also on exhibit in the Quai Branly, would be returned.
The move to return paintings of “universal” interest has been questioned by certain museum directors.
Emmanuel Kasarherou, President of the Quai Branly, praised the “soul-searching” about the provenance of artworks that such calls have inspired.
The Quai Branly, which houses a vast collection of African antiques, has launched a comprehensive evaluation of its 300,000-item holdings.
“Find works alleged to have been taken via violence, without the owners’ consent, as war booty, or under the colonial administration’s force,” Kasarherou added.
“Not every piece in a European collection has been taken,” he emphasized, “but what fraction of them has been stolen?” Things our mission to figure it out.”Since his victory in 2017, Macron has gone further than his predecessors in apologizing for historical French misdeeds in Africa.
He vowed to allow the return of African cultural riches within five years in an address to students in Burkina Faso shortly after taking office.
According to a survey commissioned by Macron, French museums house roughly 90,000 African pieces, with 70,000 of them in the Quai Branly alone.
The requests for restitution culminated in a vote in the French parliament last year, in which MPs majority supported sending a set of artefacts to Benin and Senegal, both of which were once French colonies.
Macron expects that the 26 antiques taken from the Abomey palace would be “the glory of Benin” if they are recovered.
They will be displayed at several locations in Benin, including an old Portuguese fort in Ouidah, which was once a slave-trading centre, while a museum in Abomey is being built to house them.
Talon, the president of Benin, has already stated that he is “not pleased” with France’s “modest moves” and has urged Macron to go much further.
PDP demands Resignation of Chief Justice of the Federation, Tanko Muhammad
The Peoples Democratic Party PDP has demanded the resignation of the Chief Justice of the Federation Justice Tanko Muhammad over the recent judgement of the Imo State Governorship election appeal.
The Chairman of the PDP Uche Secondus while speaking to newsmen in Abuja also demanded that the Chief Justice exclude himself from other election petition cases involving the PDP before the Apex court.
Mr Secondus also urged the Supreme court to review the judgement of the Imo State Governorship election appeal saying this should be done in the interest of Justice and to forestall a breakdown of law and order.
Dear Startups, Here’s what the V.A.T Threshold means for your Business!
VAT – Value Added Tax!!! Those words alone strike fear into the hearts of business owners. Questions such as am I already owing, how do I pay and how often do I need to pay? These are some of the first things that come to mind so here’s the breakdown.
First off, the newly introduced VAT Threshold introduced by President Buhari recently limits those liable to pay VAT to those whose business earn ₦25 million and above per year (yup the big guys) this simply means if your business doesn’t generate up to 25 million in a year, you are not YET liable to pay VAT. You still have to pay your other taxes though.
Secondly, for you to deduct V.A.T from your clients, you have to have first registered with the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) to be liable to receive VAT from your clients AND very importantly remit this V.A.T to the government.
Don’t get it twisted, the fact that you don’t charge your clients VAT doesn’t mean you won’t pay V.A.T for services that require them to remit V.A.T to the government
Which brings you to the next question of how do I know if I’ll make 25 million in a year? Well, there’s something called anticipatory VAT, yup. So let’s imagine you have a signed contract that will bring you revenue over the ₦25 million within a fiscal year period then you may as well register for V.A.T.
But if the future is still well cloudy and you just don’t know yet then there’s a moving average of 3 months to ascertain if by your turn over you may just hit the ₦25 million mark within that year period.
So, folks, I hope this helps clear the ambiguity, watch this video for details and *spoiler alert* all you need to know about the 2020 Budget from the expert.
Read Full List of 2019 Senatorial, Representatives Elected Candidates
INEC has released the official full list of elected Candidates for both the Senatorial and House of Representative Members elected in the last 2019 elections.
Read Also: You won’t believe how many Gubernatorial Candidates are contesting in Nasarawa!
The list is tentative as some candidates will be nominated in the Supplementary elections occurring today.
Watch also
Click for the full list of the House of Representatives
Full List of elected Senatorial candidates for 2019
VP Osinbajo visits Lateef Jakande in Lagos
The Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, on Thursday paid a courtesy visit to the first Executive Governor of Lagos State, Alhaji Lateef Jakande.
Osinbajo, the vice presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was in Lagos in continuation of the party’s door-to-door campaign.
The vice president visited Jakande, a former Minister of Works and Housing, in his Ilupeju residence, Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos State.
The vice president was accompanied during the visit by APC chieftains, including Majority Leader of House Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, Sen. Ganiyu Solomon, Lagos APC Governorship Candidate, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Presidential aide on Political Matters, Sen. Babafemi Ojudu, among others.
Osinbajo reportedly held a closed-door meeting with the immediate family of the elder statesman (Jakande).
Despite heavy presence of security operatives, party faithful and supporters defied the rains and beseieged the area in their thousands to welcome the vice president.
The vice president later visited some houses and markets in Mushin and Surulere Local Government Areas amidst cheers and funfare from admirers and party members.
Addressing a huge crowd at the Shitta Roundabout in Surulere, Osinbajo said APC would take Nigeria higher.
He urged Nigerians to cue into the plans and programmes of the present administration by voting for APC in the February 16 and March 2 elections.
APC is taking Nigeria higher and higher. We are not stopping. Our country is going higher. Come February 16, vote for APC,” he said.
Also speaking, Gbajabiamila urged all the party members to unite and work for the party’s success in the forthcoming elections.
Sanwo-Olu urged the crowd to vote for him, President Muhammadu Buhari, Gbajabiamila and Desmond Elliot, a House of Assembly candidate in the constituency.
WFP secures $4.5m to provide for South Sudan
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) on Thursday said it had received an additional 4.5 million dollars contribution to provide humanitarian support to more than seven million South Sudanese who are food insecure.
Simon Cammelbeeck, WFP’s acting country director in South Sudan, said this in a joint statement issued in Juba.
Cammelbeeck said the new funding from Germany would also enable the UN Humanitarian Air Service to keep providing flights for the humanitarian community.
It will allow us to preposition food ahead of the rainy season and deliver timely assistance to the people in need while giving the entire humanitarian community a reliable airlink across the country,” Cammelbeeck said.
He said the new funding would be used to provide food and nutrition assistance to vulnerable people, including the displaced persons and children under the age of two across the country.
The UN agency said it assisted 5.1 million people in 2018, providing food assistance for people building or restoring community assets such as roads, emergency school meals to keep children in school.
Others are the treatment of moderate acute malnutrition among children, pregnant and nursing women.
The UN agency said it is preparing to respond to needs resulting from a poor agricultural season in 2018 worsened by continued conflict.
Jan Thiel, Ambassador of Germany to South Sudan, said his country was committed to working together with WFP and other humanitarian agencies to help some of the most vulnerable people in South Sudan.
In another development, South Sudan on Thursday said that it was working on proposal by countries within the regional trade body, the East African Community (EAC), to ease travel and cost of doing business.
Paul Akech, Minister of Trade and EAC Affairs, said that the five member countries – Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi – have offered to waive visa fees to ease travel for South Sudanese within the region.
Akech said his office had told technocrats within government ministries to set up offices to help coordinate and expedite EAC issues.
South Sudan applied to join the regional bloc in 2011 after winning independence from Sudan but was finally admitted into the EAC in 2016.
South Sudan has started to benefit from the EAC with its private sector being integrated into the East African Business Council, issuance of EAC digital passports and also One Stop Border Posts, which have been set up at borders with its neighbours to eliminate trade obstacles.
The regional trade bloc aims at eliminating barriers to regional trade through its various protocols like customs union, common market and later on political federation which has not yet been tackled.
South Sudan descended into civil war in late 2013, and the conflict has created one of the fastest growing refugee crises in the world.
The UN estimates that about four million South Sudanese have been displaced internally and externally.
In September 2018, South Sudan’s conflicting parties signed a final peace deal in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa after negotiations brokered by Sudan government with a mandate by the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development in Africa.
Exclusive: How I fell in love with my husband in just 4 days – Mocheddah
Last year, singer Modupe-Oreoluwa Oyeyemi, popularly known as Mo’cheddah got married to her longtime boyfriend Bukunyi Olateru-Olagbeji in the heart of Lagos.
The private wedding was attended by only a few friends and loved ones.
In this exclusive interview with Plus TV Africa, the
According to her, she instantly knew he was her soul mate, the first time she had his voice on phone.
“We met through Osagie. Osagie was managing Wizkid at that point and she came to me and was like, there is this guy I want you to meet, and she says his name and shows me his photos from facebook.
He was with a friend in the picture. And I was like, no no, no he’s not my type but funny enough, I liked the friend he was with in the picture. Anyway, Osagie went ahead and gave him my number.”
After he got her number from Osagie, he did not call her until
“This dude didn’t call me until like after 3months but
Blushing further in the Plus TV Africa tea time interview, Mocheddah revealed that she was instantly hit with cupid’s arrow, the day he finally put a call through to her.
“He calls me and
Immediately after the call, I told my younger sister that damn,
After like a month of us seeing each other, I had to ask him, what was going on with us and he says, you are my girlfriend and
You can watch the full interview below:
Election Studio: Nigeria Decides 2019
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KANO: Assembly Passes Bill To Establish New Emirates
The Kano State House of Assembly, on Tuesday, passed a Bill to establish three second class Emirates. Under the new legislation, the three new second class emirates will operate under the jurisdiction of the existing first class Kano Emirate.
This is coming about two months after the Assembly had repealed the Kano Emirates Law 2019 and re-enact Kano Emirate Law 2024, thereby dissolving four Emirates in the State reverting to the initial single Kano Emirate.
According to the new legislation, Rano Emirate will cover Rano, Bunkure, and Kibiya; Karaye Emirate will include the regions of Karaye and Rogo while the third, Gaya Emirate will encompass Gaya, Ajingi and Albasu.
Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon. Muhd Bello Butu-Butu, revealed that the establishment of the new emirates was aimed at enhancing administrative efficiency and promoting cultural representation across the state, in line with the historical antecedents of the state.
LG FINANCIAL AUTONOMY: MAKINDE SETS UP COMMITTEE TO REVIEW SUPREME COURT JUDGEMENT
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has constituted a special technical and legal committee to review the recent supreme court judgement on local government financial autonomy.
The Attorney-General and commissioner for justice, Barrister Abiodun Aikomo, in company of the commissioner for local government and chieftaincy matters, Hon Ademola Ojo, disclosed this at a press briefing shortly after a consultative/advisory meeting.
Governor Seyi Makinde, had before the close door meeting, berated the supreme court judgement and strategies by the federal government to usurp undue authority over the state and local government administration, thereby causing tension within the nation’s polity rather than focusing on other germane issues affecting the nation’s economy.
At the press briefing, Hon Ademola Ojo assured that Governor Seyi Makinde remained committed to the people’s wellbeing and would protect and safeguard the interest of all stakeholders
Barrister Aikomo who explained that the terms of references which specifically hinged on review of the supreme court judgement, identifying challenges and proffering recommendations that would result in implementation plan for the benefit of all stakeholders, noted that the committee had been given a duration of 4 – 6 weeks.
ECOWAS: President Faye Of Senegal Tasked With Persuading Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso Military Leaders To Rejoin The Regional Bloc
West African leaders have appointedgy Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye as an envoy of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at a summit in Abuja, Nigeria.
Military leaders of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso ruled out rejoining the regional bloc, accusing ECOWAS of failing its mandate and pledging to consolidate their union, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), amid fractured relations with neighbours.
The tri-country meeting comes ahead of an ECOWAS summit in Nigeria, where regional heads of state are scheduled to convene. Analysts point out the divisions within ECOWAS, now recognized as the primary political authority among its 15 member states.
Niger Republic: U.S. Soldiers Leave Base Following Military Junta’s Demand
The troops of the United States have completed their withdrawal from the base in Niamey, the capital of Niger, and are expected to fully depart from Agadez in the north before the September 15 deadline set by the military rulers of the country.
In March, Niger’s military leaders canceled a military cooperation agreement with Washington after seizing power in a coup in July 2023.
The US had approximately 650 soldiers in Niger as part of anti-jihadist operations in various Sahel nations in West Africa, including a significant drone base near Agadez. The final flight carrying US troops was scheduled to depart from Niamey late on Sunday.
The US presence had previously been around 950 troops, and 766 soldiers have left Niger since the military ordered their departure.
Taxation: Federal Govt Suspends Tax, Import Duties For Maize, Wheat, Brown Rice
The Federal Government on Monday announced the suspension of duties, tariffs and taxes for the importation of some food items through land and sea borders.
The foods include maize, husked brown rice, wheat, and cowpeas.
Abubakar Kyari, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, disclosed this while announcing a 150-Day Duty-Free Import Window for food commodities.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Kyari said: “150-Day Duty-Free Import Window for Food Commodities, suspension of duties, tariffs and taxes for the importation of certain food commodities (through land and sea borders). These commodities include maize, husked brown rice, wheat and cowpeas.
Cholera: Patients Lament Abysmal Care At Hospital, Appeal To Govt. For Help
The cholera outbreak ravaging parts of Lagos has sparked outrage, as patients recount the abysmal care they’ve received at certain state-run hospitals.
One such patient, speaking to Plus TV News from the Broad Street facility, described the deplorable conditions – people forced to wait for hours in the scorching sun just to be seen, often receiving treatment while perched precariously on chairs.
Desperate, these patients are now pleading with the governor to intervene and address the crisis.
EFCC Beefs Up Security At Lagos Office Over Planned Protest
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Lagos State has increased security at its entrance following a planned protest. The Lagos State Anti-Crime Outfit Rapid Response Squad and Department of State Services are among joint security forces stationed at all routes leading to the EFCC office. Intelligence from some Civil Society Organisations indicates that a former governor and two former ministers are behind the protests. The commission raised concerns about a series of protests against the EFCC. The protesters, Concerned Nigeria Youths, have shared demands on X.com, including respecting human rights, stopping indiscriminate arrests and invasions, and being more professional and civil in operations.
Edo P.D.P Crisis: Court Nullifies Primary That Produced Ighodalo As P.D.P Candidate
A Federal High Court in Abuja has declared as invalid the People’s Democratic Party’s primary election that produced Asue Ighodalo as its governorship candidate.
The primary election conducted on February 22, 2024, was voided on the ground that 378 delegates who were supposed to vote at the primary election were unlawfully excluded by PDP.
Justice Inyang Ekwo invalidated the primary election while delivering judgment in a suit instituted by the aggrieved delegates.
Justice Ekwo held that both the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 and the PDP Guidelines were grossly violated in the conduct of the primary election at the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium in Benin.
speaking after the court proceedings counsel to PDP delegates in Edo state said the judgement is welcomed
Taxation: F.I.R.S. Urges States To Prepare For Reforms
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Chairman, Dr. Zacch Adedeji, has urged state governments to brace up for the tax reforms about to be released.
Adedeji emphasised the importance of a robust Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) system at 155th Meeting of the Joint Tax Board (JTB) in Suleja, Niger State. He enjoined the state governments on the need to optimise revenue collection “for socioeconomic and human development.”
Adedeji acknowledged the ongoing tax reform efforts led by the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, and expressed confidence that diligent implementation of innovative approaches could lead to a monthly IGR target of N5 billion for Niger state.
Governor Mohammed Umar Bago of Niger State, represented by Mustapha Ndajiwo, the Commissioner for Budget and National Planning, presented a case study of successful IGR improvement in the state.