President Bola Tinubu has arrived in Accra, Ghana, to attend the 6th Mid-Year Coordinating Meeting of the African Union (AU), which is underway in the West African country.
The President was welcomed by a delegation of Nigerian officials, including Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, and the Charge D’Affairs of the Nigerian High Commission in Ghana, Ambassador Dayo Adeoye.
A statement by the Presidency noted that Tinubu, in his capacity as Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, will address the AU meeting under the theme, “Educate and Skill Africa for the 21st Century,” as well as the status of regional integration across various areas in Africa.
President Tinubu will also use the opportunity to highlight the achievements and challenges encountered in West Africa since the last meeting which was held in Nairobi, Kenya, in July 2023, it stated.
According to a rundown of the activities, President Tinubu will present the “2024 Report on the State of the Community” with a special focus on peace, regional security, governance, economic integration, humanitarian and social development, energy, mines, and agriculture.
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Tinubu lands Ghana for AU Mid-Year Conference
Trump needed in the White House – Ex-UK PM, Boris Johnson
Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, UK, Boris Johnson has said the Republican candidate, Donald Trump is the right fit for the White House.
Johnson said the world needs Trump’s indomitable spirit, hence he should be the US next President.
Reacting to the assassination attempt on Trump, Johnson said the former US President has the capacity to end the war between Ukraine and Russia.
In an op-ed for the Daily Mail, the former UK Prime Minister spotlighted several potential and current conflicts across the world, including in Ukraine, the Middle East, Europe and Taiwan, which he said Trump can end.
He wrote: “I believe that indomitable spirit is exactly what the world needs right now, and exactly what is needed in the White House.
“Having talked to Donald Trump this week, I am more convinced than ever that he has the strength and the bravery to fix it, to save Ukraine, to bring peace — and to stop the disastrous contagion of conflict.
“I believe that Trump understands the reality: that a defeat for Ukraine would be a massive defeat for America.”
Johnson argued that the Ukrainians have shown they can win the war against Russia, and said, “I believe that Trump can end it.”
“He could construct a great deal for the world, in which Putin is ultimately persuaded that Ukraine’s future is as a free, sovereign and independent European country; and that means a two-stage approach.”
Trump needed in the White House – Ex-UK PM, Boris Johnson
Prevail on Nigeria to release Nnamdi Kanu – AVID to British PM Starmer
The American Military Veterans of Igbo Descent, AVID, have urged the new British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, to prevail on the Nigerian government to release Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.
AVID urged Starmer to expedite a thorough review of Kanu’s case and help release him from “Nigerian dungeon”.
The group noted that the IPOB leader is sick and is not getting adequate medical attention from the Nigerian government.
In a statement by its president, Sylvester Onyia, and Godson Obiagwu, Secretary, AVID informed Starmer that Kanu was arrested in Kenya in 2021 and illegally extraordinarily renditioned to Nigeria, where he has since remained detained.
They also congratulated Starmer on his victory at the United Kingdom, UK, general elections on July 5, 2024.
The statement reads: “We appreciate your forward-reasoning stance on British imperialism and its impact on Africa with particular reference to Nigeria.
“We know your leadership would be a great success because of your broad scope and depth of knowledge on global affairs as well as your willingness to bring transformational
changes.
“AVID is a not-for-profit Veteran entity composed of citizens of the United States of Igbo ancestry who honorably served or are currently serving in various branches of United States Armed Forces. Our organization was incorporated in the state of New Mexico, and headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida.
“We are not affiliated to any political party at home or overseas. We bring to your notice the illegal extraordinary rendition of Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, a political activist and British citizen by the Nigeria government from Nairobi Kenya to Nigeria.
“Since 2021, Mr. Kanu has been on isolated detention in Nigeria Department of State Security Services (DSS) because he requested for referendum to create
the Nation of Biafra out of the present-day Nigeria.
“Nnamdi Kanu has significant health problems and he is not receiving adequate healthcare. Just this week, Barrister Aloy Ejimako, a special counsel for Nnamdi Kanu wrote on X, “Yesterday, during our visitation with Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, we found him ill, with shortness of breath, low BP & general malaise. For this reason, he requested to see his doctor & we submitted a letter in this regard. Today, the Doctor arrived the DSS but was denied access to #MNK. 4:17 pm – 16/07/2024”
“We need you to expedite a thorough review of this case and help release Nnamdi Kanu from Nigerian dungeon. AVID is knee-deep in support of democratic process everywhere.
“A call for referendum is not a call for war or violence. We have high hope that you will set this British Citizen free from the clutches of cruel and inhumane
treatment meted out to Mr. Kanu by the Nigeria government.”
Prevail on Nigeria to release Nnamdi Kanu – AVID to British PM Starmer
Nadal loses to Borges in first final since 2022
Rafael Nadal could not wrap up the Swedish Open on a bright note having successfully reached the final of the competition.
The Spaniard was reaching the final of any competition for the fist time since 2022.
Hampered by injury in recent years, the 38-year-old has fallen to 261 in the rankings and opted against playing at Wimbledon this summer to prioritise the Olympics.
Playing at the Swedish Open, Nadal, 22-time Grand Slam champion, fell to world number 51 Nuno Borges in a resounding 6-3 6-2 defeat.
Read Also: Nadal says ‘sad day’ for sports as Federer announces retirement from tennis
Portuguese Borges, playing his first ATP final compared to Nadal’s 131st, took the first set in 46 minutes and won three games in a row in the second to seal victory.
“It’s crazy. I know we all wanted Rafa to win – a part of me wished that too – but something even bigger inside of me really pushed through today,” said 27-year-old Borges.
“I was wishing for this moment for a while already.
“I’m just really happy overall. I really don’t know what to say. I’m very emotional.”
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Zamfara residents lament high cost of living, say situation becoming unbearable
Zamfara State residents have lamented over the high cost of living in the country, saying that economic hardship is about to send them to their untimely graves.
They cried out that the government has made the country so hard that everyday, people are dying of hunger and starvation, pointing out that the situation in the country has become ‘survival of the fittest’.
The citizens further lamented that the situation has reached a stage that, to afford even a square meal a day has become a major problem.
Investigation carried out by TVN revealed that a bag of local rice is being sold at the cost of N165,000, a basket of tomatoes, N43,000, a basket of fresh pepper, N62,700, a bag of beans, N213,000, while a bag of onions goes for N80,000.
It was further learnt that a bag of millets is now sold at the cost of N109,000 while a bag of corn costs N97,000.
Some of the residents who spoke with TVN expressed dismay over the economic hardship and escalation of prices of foodstuffs in the markets.
One Mayriam Usman said that her daughter had just given birth to a baby girl but there is no food to feed her and her newborn baby.
She said she had to beg for survival.
“These period, there is no shame in begging for food as one cannot afford it, because everyone knows the economic situation in Nigeria,” she lamented.
Another resident, Muhammad Umar, explained that due to the serious economic hardship he is facing, he was forced to send his male children to local Almajiri schools so they can roam the streets for alms.
Ibrahim Musa told TVN that he was short of words as the situation has become unbearable and unbelievable.
“We are living like at the end time where feeding has become a problem. Now in Nigeria, the rich are getting richer while the poor are getting poorer,” he said.
A trader who sells foodstuffs, Hajiya Binta expressed dissatisfaction over the economic situation in the country, pointing out that many traders have gone out of business due to low patronage.
“You can bear witness that the market behavior have changed because of economic hardship facing Nigerians as the common man now eat what he or she sees and not what he or she wants.”
Ahmad Musa narrated that during the last Sallah celebration, he couldn’t buy any clothes for his children, saying that he is managing to put food on the table for his family.
“We are really in serious trouble in Nigeria due to the issues of insecurity, hunger and starvation,” he lamented .
Another resident, Aminu Abubakar, lamented that because of economic hardship, he had to withdrew his children from private schools as he could not meet up with the fees.
Zamfara residents lament high cost of living, say situation becoming unbearable
Peter Obi: Onanuga will destroy Nigeria if you don’t restrain him – Obidigbo to Tinubu
Elder statesman, Dr Chike Obidigbo, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to restrain his aide, Bayo Onanuga, from making intemperate public statements that could destroy Nigeria.
Obidigbo regretted that the Special Assistant to the President on Media and Strategy has been making inciting remarks and provocative hate speeches that could not only damage Nigeria’s feeble national cohesion but also set the nation on a needless conflagration.
The industrialist condemned Onanuga’s recent statement claiming that the 2023 Presidential candidate of the Labour Party LP), Peter Obi and his supporters called the Obidients should be blamed for the planned national protest against bad governance.
In a statement released to journalists on Sunday, Obidigbo lamented that despite Onanuga’s experience in media practice and knowledge of Nigeria’s troubled political history, the presidential aide continues to spew hate and divisive utterances.
“Many people still remember Onanuga’s role during the military era, when the Nigerian press adopted guerilla tactics to call attention to the oppressive regimes in the country. But, having witnessed and currently benefiting from the nation’s democracy, this veteran journalist has thrown caution to the wind.
“Onanuga has formed the habit of talking down on Nigerians as if he is at the head of a military junta. When he is not withdrawing ill-conceived communication, he churns out statements dripping with deep-seated bile and hateful innuendos sentences.
“His latest attempt to link the former Governor of Anambra State with the youth-propelled national protest comes as one of the unthinking statements unbefitting a presidential aide. Onanuga should be reminded that when the dark clouds he is invoking bring down rain, nobody’s roof will be safe,” Obidigbo stated.
He regretted that at a time when countless multinational business organisations were leaving the country due to unstable economic indices, the likes of Onanuga should find time to gloat about the last presidential election.
Obidigbo stated: “Onanuga and indeed all those in public offices should reckon that Nigeria is at a tricky crossroads and show some level of empathy to Nigerian masses who are going through excruciating hardship compounded by insecurity, rising food prices and cost of living challenges.
“In his heart of hearts, Bayo Onanuga knows that Mr Peter Obi has been exemplary in conduct and character and has remained focused on the issues of economic development, especially mitigating mass poverty and giving a helping hand to the poorest of the poor.
“During the electioneering, Mr Peter was elegant in his public communication and campaign messaging. He resisted provocations and attempts to be drawn to divisive rhetoric that bedevilled Nigeria’s partisan politics.
“But, Onanuga’s attempt to single out Igbo for hate by his dangerous innuendo is not lost on well-meaning Nigerians. This is not the first time the veteran journalist should descend so low to promote bigotry and ethnic baiting against the Igbo. And it is high time President Tinubu calls him to order unless Igbo bashing is at the core of the presidential communication.”
Obidigbo said the myriad of socio-economic challenges confronting Nigeria trumps the continuing efforts to isolate Igbo through nepotism and ethnic bashing, adding that the day equity and justice become the hallmark of national reconciliation, Nigeria will begin the process of national healing.
“Denying Igbo of political offices could be excused but trying to despoil their reputation and dependence on self-help could end up as the last straw that breaks the Camel’s back,” he cautioned.
Peter Obi: Onanuga will destroy Nigeria if you don’t restrain him – Obidigbo to Tinubu
Bangladesh’s Supreme Court slashes govt job quota which caused deadly protests
The apex court in Bangladesh has drastically reduced a government job quota system that was responsible for street protests which claimed the lives of over 100 people and caused injuries to several hundreds of other people.
The Supreme Court on Sunday virtually quashed the quota system after weeks of unrest across the nation between the demonstrators and police operatives who fought desperately to contain the situation.
Students who feared a bleak future as unemployment rose in the country, had crossed the streets demanding an end to the quota system which reserved 30 percent of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in the country’s 1971 War of Independence.
The government which had previously stopped implementation of the quota in 2018 after mass student protests, resumed its implementation in June after Bangladesh’s High Court reinstated the quota system, prompting the latest protests.
The Supreme Court, ruling on an appeal on Sunday, ordered that the veterans’ quota be cut from 30 percent to 5 percent, with 93% of jobs to be allocated on merit while the remaining 2 percent is to be set aside for members of ethnic minorities and transgender and people with disability.
It was unclear by Sunday afternoon whether the protesting students would calm down in reaction to the court verdict.
Before the Supreme Court sitting, the street protests had gotten so out of hand that the authorities had to place the country on a strict curfew.
Home Minister, Asaduzzaman Khan had said the curfew which largely confined citizens to their respective homesteads would be relaxed from 3pm to 5pm on Sunday for people to rush around for their essential needs.
Bangladesh’s Supreme Court slashes govt job quota which caused deadly protests
Discountenance Bill for LG Electoral Commission – Obono-Obla tells Senate
Former presidential aide, Okoi Obono-Obla has called on the Nigerian Senate to discountenance the bill proposed by Senator Sani Musa of Niger State to establish the National Local Government Independent Electoral Commission.
This is even as moves are being made to conduct elections for Council leaderships across the country following recent judicial approbation by the Supreme Court.
In a statement released in Calabar, Obono-Obla said the attempt by some people to federalise the conduct of local government elections should not be entertained.
He contended that if the local governments are a tier of government and autonomous, then they should be allowed to conduct their own elections and do whatever they want.
“Local governments are a tier of government that has been given judicial approbation recently by the Supreme Court of Nigeria in the celebrated case of Attorney-General of the Federation versus 36 Governors.
“I cannot understand the rationale behind the Bill tabled before the Senate by Senator Sani Musa of Niger State, for the establishment of the National Local Government Independent Electoral Commission, which would be vested with the power to conduct local government elections in the country.
“The federal government is already overburdened with so many responsibilities that are making it clay-footed and inefficient and I therefore do not see any reasons whatsoever why it should again be saddled with the responsibility for the conduct of Local Government Elections in 774 local government areas in the country.”
He called for the abrogation of state Assemblies if they are unable to perform their basic functions of making progressive laws for the peace, stability and good governance of the states.
“If local governments can not regulate themselves responsibly, then they shouldn’t exist.”
The lawyer and public activist advocated that power to conduct Local Government Elections should remain with the States’ Electoral Commission, cautioning, however, that these commissions must be democratized and free from the control of state governors.
Obono-Obla advised the State Houses of Assembly to “awake from their present state of self-induced and inflicted comatose and free themselves from the control and freedom of magistral and dictatorial governors”.
He cautioned that the local government system in Nigeria should not be federalized under any guise.
Discountenance Bill for LG Electoral Commission – Obono-Obla tells Senate
Ignore critics of tariffs suspension on food importation — APC Chieftain urges Tinubu
President Bola Tinubu has been urged to ignore criticisms over the suspension of tariffs, duties and taxes on the importation of food grains and other products into the country.
The appeal was made by an All Progressives Congress, APC, chieftain in Osun State, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye while speaking with journalists in Osogbo on Sunday.
TVN recalls that the Federal Government on July 8, 2024, announced the suspension of duties, tariffs, and taxes on some essential food items imported through land and sea borders.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari during a press briefing in Abuja, said the listed food items, which include maize, wheat, husked brown rice, and cowpeas, will enjoy a 180-day Duty-Free Import Window.
Oyintiloye, who claimed that Nigerians were highly hopeful and were eager to get dividends of democracy said it is either those criticising the policy were benefiting from the economic challenges that Nigerian masses face or are planning to push the masses against the president by causing unnecessary unrest.
Insisting that the global economic crisis, coupled with unavoidable policies introduced by the present administration, were working against the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda, he hinted that steps taken in recent times to revamp the economy were beginning to yield the desired results.
“Although the tariff suspension might not be the lasting solution to the food crisis in the country, it will cushion the effects of the food crisis ravaging the country in the short term, the president should be commended for taking the bold step.
“For the president to give relief to the consumer on certain products against trade policy on import ban, it shows that his administration was responsible and responsive to the outcry of Nigerians.”
Oyintiloye revealed that the latest data released by the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS indicates that food inflation in the country rose to 40.66 per cent in May from 40.53. per cent in April, was a signal that the government needed to take a bold step as the president did to address the situation.
“The president should ignore the criticism by those who see nothing good in the decision.
“Nigeria voted for good governance, high standard of living, and to achieve this and many others, the president should be focused on how to improve the economy and lift the country out of inherited economic quagmire and ignore the critics,” he said.
Oyintiloye while noting that agriculture remained a cornerstone of Nigerian life, called on the government not to relent in its aggressive efforts to make food available in abundance.
“I urge government at all levels to discard the old subsistence system of farming, storing, and processing and embrace mechanised systems of farming
“The government should empower and encourage farmers with soft loans and subsidize farming implements for genuine farmers, provide adequate security, and integrate the youth into agriculture systems
“I strongly believe that with all the interventions the government has put in place to tackle the food crisis in the country, the projection of the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, that the government will crash food prices in the next 180 days is achievable,” he said.
Ignore critics of tariffs suspension on food importation — APC Chieftain urges Tinubu
Police debunks video of northern youths allegedly destroying Tinubu’s billboard
The Yobe State police command has debunked reports that some northern youths on Saturday destroyed a billboard erected by the state government to welcome President Bola Tinubu into the state.
TVN reports that a video clip that captured the alleged incident has been making the rounds on social media since Sunday morning.
According to X microblogging users who posted the video, the incident occurred shortly after the Vice President, Kashim Shettima visited the state on Saturday.
TVN reports that Shettima was in Damaturu, the state capital on Saturday to launch the Yobe State Agricultural Empowerment Programme.
When contacted by TVN over the trending video, the Yobe State Police Public Relations Officer, Dungus Abdulkarim said there was nothing like that in the state.
“I saw that video too but I don’t think it is in Yobe. When Shettima visited, we conducted the program peacefully and nothing happened.
“There was no single challenge. Nothing like that happened”, he noted.
Video:
Exclusive: Youths in Damaturu, the Yobe state capital vandalising billboards shortly after President Tinubu, (represented by VP Kashim Shettima) launches agricultural empowerment scheme on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/8WaSD4WLlj
— Tkr__khalifa (@Tkr__khalifa) July 21, 2024
Police debunks video of northern youths allegedly destroying Tinubu’s billboard