The hottest and most trending news articles for this week in all categories are captured in one shot. Find articles ranging from News to Sports, to Politics, to Entertainment, to Economy, to Metro plus, and many other categories. See below the top news for the week:
NEWS
- 2023: INEC summons emergency security meeting over renewed attacks
The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC on Thursday summoned an emergency security meeting following renewed attacks on its offices in some parts of the country. INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Barr. Festus Okoye disclosed this in a statement issued Thursday in Abuja.
“This morning, the Commission received two disturbing reports of attacks on our Local Government offices in Ogun and Osun States. The Resident Electoral Commissioner REC for Ogun State, Dr. Niyi Ijalaiye, reported that our office in Abeokuta South Local Government Area was attacked and set ablaze”, he stated. He said the incident occurred around 1:15am when some unidentified persons overpowered the security personnel on duty and set the entire building ablaze.
According to him, the main building and all the Commission’s movable assets in the office were destroyed. “They include 904 ballot boxes, 29 voting cubicles, 30 megaphones, 57 election bags, 8 electric power generators and 65,699 uncollected Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs)”, he stated.
Similarly, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Osun State, Dr. Mutiu Agboke, reported that the INEC office in Ede South Local Government Area was attacked and set ablaze. The incident occurred in the early hours of Thursday when some unidentified persons attacked the building and set a portion of it ablaze.
“Fortunately, the damage to our Ede South Local Government was limited to a section of the building and only some furniture items were destroyed. The attention of the Nigeria Police Force and other security and safety agencies has been drawn to the incidents and they have commenced investigation.
“With just 106 days to the 2023 General Election when the Commission has commenced the movement of materials to our offices nationwide, these simultaneous attacks are very worrisome indeed. Similarly, the rising incidents of attacks on supporters of various political parties since the commencement of campaign barely two months ago and the use of hate and incendiary language by some politicians are extremely disturbing.
- KIDNAPPING: Police beef up security at Lagos-Ibadan expressway, Onigari axis
The Oyo and Ogun states Police Commands, have re-affirmed their commitment to rid both states and surrounding environs off undesirable criminal elements. Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Williams in the company of his Ogun State counterpart, Lanre Bankole, gave the pledge, yesterday, in a bid to proactively forestall future criminal occurrence along the Lagos/Ibadan expressway. Both commissioners embarked on a strategic assessment patrol and eventual deployment of assets around areas concerned.
Adebowale said: “Consequent upon the above, the security architecture of both Commands were also deliberately re-modeled with cooperation from adjoining states Police Commands to deal decisively with criminal elements whose mindset is to use both states as a criminal hideout after being dislodged.
“In furtherance of the above, the good citizens of Oyo State are advised not to panic or agitate as adequate deployment of tactical and operation assets would be seen swarming the axis and embarking on; joint intelligence -led surveillance, aggressive patrols with adjourning states, combing of forests alongside local hunters and vigilantes and permanent visibility policing measures intensified along the busy highways.”
“In addition, private and public users of the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway are encouraged to go about their day to day activities without any form of fear of molestation or harassment from unscrupulous elements as adequate security measures in its topmost capacity are on ground.” While cooperation with the Police in exchange of credible and timely information is encouraged, the CP enjoins the good people of Oyo State to eschew crime and criminality at all times.”
- Allow us to flush bandits along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Gani Adams tells S’West govs
Makinde (Oyo), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun) and Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos) to allow the newly inaugurated Oodua People’s Congress, OPC, dependable team and the South West Security Stakeholders Group, SSSG, to flush kidnappers and bandits operating along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. Aare Adams, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media Kehinde Aderemi, expressed concern over the incessant attacks on travelers plying the road.
He said since the police had failed to honour the earlier arrangements to provide effective security along the road, it is pertinent to ask the governors to allow the OPC, Amotekun and other security groups like the Hunters, Vigilante, COMSAIC, Isokan Oodua under the auspices of the SSSG to get rid of terrorists from the bushes. Expressing worry over the spate of insecurity along the road, Adams stated that the only way out of the quagmire is to allow the OPC to face the battle for the restoration of peace along the road.
- Make life unbearable for criminals on Lagos-Ibadan expressway, Abiodun tells security chiefs
Dapo Abiodun, governor of Ogun, has asked security operatives in the state to step up efforts on ensuring safe movement on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. The governor spoke on Thursday after an emergency meeting with the heads of security agencies in the state. Present at the meeting included officers of the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force (NPF), and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
In a statement issued after the meeting, Abiodun said security chiefs have received the directive to “make life unbearable” for perpetrators of crime along the expressway. We held an emergency meeting with security chiefs today against the background of the upsurge in untoward activities by criminal elements on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway,” he said.
“The chiefs have marching orders to make life unbearable for those criminals who have decided to make the corridor and indeed any part of Ogun State, their attack haven. We will not relent in ensuring adequate security of lives and property of Ogun State residents and anyone travelling through the State during this period and anytime at that.”
- Gani Adams: OPC, Amotekun can flush out gunmen along Lagos-Ibadan expressway in 3 weeks
Gani Adams, the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, has called on the governors of Oyo, Ogun and Lagos to allow the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) and other south-west security outfits to “flush out” gunmen along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. In a statement by Kehinde Aderemi, his special assistant on media, Adams said he is worried over the increasing attacks on travellers along the expressway. There has been an abnormal surge in cases of kidnapping along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway,” the statement reads.
“Since the police had failed to honour the earlier arrangements to provide effective security along the road, it is pertinent to ask governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo state, Dapo Abiodun of Ogun state, and Babajide Sanwoolu of Lagos state to allow the OPC, Amotekun, and other local security groups to get rid of terrorists from the bushes. Information at my disposal indicates the surge in the number of terrorists and kidnappers hiding at Sapade. Kidnappers are now having a field day, even as it is obvious that the police couldn’t help the prevailing situation.
“The road is the most strategic road in the south-west. We would not allow terrorists to set our region ablaze through constant attacks. I want to assure the governors that we will flush out the terrorists from their hideouts within three weeks.”
- Nigerian Government scaling up climate change adaptation efforts – Umar Farouq
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development has announced measures being put in place to solve extreme climate change outcomes in Nigeria. The Minister, Sadiya Umar Farouq made this known at a Side Event at Cop 27 on Wednesday, held in Sharm El Shiek Egypt where world stakeholders are meeting to profer solutions to mitigate extreme climate changes. Umar Farouq said that climate change-induced hydro-meteorological events were causing devastating humanitarian crises in Nigeria hence the urgent need to scale up climate change adaptation efforts.
Recent large scale displacements, infrastructural damage and loss of farmlands following extreme flooding have led to disruption of livelihoods, increased risk of hunger as farmers are unable to grow crops as well as heightened fear of the outbreak of malaria, cholera, diarrhea and other waterborne diseases.
Among the panelists who discussed Scaling Up of Climate Change Adaptation Efforts in Nigeria were Amjad Abbashar, Chief of United Nations Office For Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), Regional Office For Africa, Sylvia Wabbes agronomist with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on emergency and resilience for agriculture and food- based livelihoods systems,
- Flooding: More relief items to be distributed to affected communities, says NDDC
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) says the agency is working on a comprehensive intervention programme to cushion the effect of flooding. Ibitoye Abosede, NDDC’s corporate affairs director, said this in a statement on Thursday. The Niger Delta states — Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers — are among those affected by flooding in the country.
Flooding in communities across the country resulted in the displacement of millions of people, while over 600 deaths were recorded. According to the statement, the commission said it has commenced the reconstruction of the East-West road in Bayelsa, while essential materials have been packaged for distribution to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in affected communities.
“On October 27, 2022, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Obong Umana Okon Umana, accompanied by the Acting Managing Director of the NDDC, Engr. Emmanuel Audu-Ohwavborua visited one of the devastated areas at Ihuike Community in Ahoada East Local Government Area, Rivers State where he promised that there will be a comprehensive intervention to ameliorate their sufferings,” the statement reads. The repair of the East-West road is ongoing and relief materials, including food items and essential materials, have been packaged for distribution to the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, in affected communities in the region.
- FG files seven amended charges against Kanu
Justice Binta Nyako has fixed Monday for Nnamdi Kanu’s team of lawyers and the Federal Government prosecution team to address the court based on the ongoing case between the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra and the Federal Government. This is coming after the Federal Government filed an amended seven counts of terrorism against the detained leader of IPOB.
The amended charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015, was entered before the Federal High Court in Abuja, and contained all earlier sustained allegations against the IPOB leader. As a result of the amended charges, it is to be argued whether the FG could proceed to re-arraign the IPOB leader on the amended charges despite the October 13 judgement.
The Court of Appeal had discharged Kanu of all the allegations as well as appeals on the subject matter still pending before the Supreme Court. However, the FG, in the new amended charges alleged that Kanu had issued a deadly threat via a broadcast, heard and received across the country that anyone who disobeyed his sit-at-home order in the south-eastern states should write his or her will. It also contended that the resulting effect of the broadcast had caused banks, schools, markets, shopping malls, fuel stations in the eastern states part of the country to shut down their business operations affecting citizens and leading to grounding of vehicular movements.
The Federal Government further alleged that the IPOB leader had between 2018 and 2021, made inciting broadcasts, received and heard in Nigeria, instigating the public to hunt and kill Nigerian security personnel and their family members, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 1 (2) (h) of the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act, 2013.
Furthermore, the FG alleged that Kanu had, between the March and April 2015, imported into Nigeria and kept in Ubulisiuzor in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, a radio transmitter known as Tram 50L, concealed in a container of used household items, thereby, committing an offence contrary to section 47 (2) (a) of Criminal Code Act Cap, C45 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, adding that he also directed members of IPOB “to manufacture bombs.
POLITICS
- INEC Worried Over Election Violence, Seeks Urgent Steps To Reverse Trend
Nigeria’s election authority on Friday warned of the threat of intensifying campaign violence just over three months before presidential and parliamentary elections. Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman Mahmood Yakuba said the agency had tracked 50 attacks across the country since campaigning began just over a month ago.
“The commission is worried that if no urgent and decisive steps are taken, the attacks will intensify as we approach the election date,” the INEC chief said in a statement. We need to take decisive steps to stem the ugly trend.”
Nigeria’s February 2023 ballot is expected to be a tight race to replace President Muhammadu Buhari. INEC held an emergency meeting on Friday, a day after two of its electoral offices were attacked and set on fire in the southwest.
Security will be a major election issue with Nigeria’s armed forces fighting jihadists in the northeast, armed bandit militias in northwest and central states and separatist agitators in the southeast. The election approaches as Africa’s largest economy has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, fallout from the war in Ukraine, and its worst flooding in a decade that has impacted food production.
- We’ve set up team to investigate Atiku convoy’s attack in Borno — IGP
The Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, said yesterday that a team has been set up to thoroughly investigate the attack on the convoy of the presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji, Atiku Abubakar, in Maiduguri, Borno State, yesterday. Recall that no fewer than 74 persons innured in the attack were hospitalised, while over a hundred vehicles in the convoy were also vandalised.
The IGP spoke on a day the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, also condemned in very strong terms, the attack on the PDP presidential candidate, asking the Abdulsalami Abubakar-led National Peace Committee to convene a meeting of political party leaders and presidential candidates to review the Peace Accord signed by all parties.
Borno State police command had said in a statement that the PDP presidential candidate’s convoy was not attacked, adding that the campaign rally held without any incident. But speaking at the 57th ministerial briefing in Abuja, IGP Alkali-Baba explained that assessment from the Borno State police command PRO might have been too hasty and not conclusive, hence the need to establish a team to make holistic assessment from the various narratives to ascertain the true picture, with a view to preventing a recurrence.
He asserted that campaigns and rallies were being policed and optimal protection given, particularly when prompt information was provided about such political events. The IGP acknowledged that some aspects of police duties had been commercialized to generate more revenue through the Police Specialized Automated Services, POSSAB, portal but noted that the service had been abused. He, however, jetissoned the idea that unscrupulous persons could use the portal to gain protection from the police.
Recall that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had condemned the attack on the convoy of its presidential candidate. Shortly after the attack, PDP spokesman, Debo Ologunagba, issued a statement, calling on the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, to “arrest this constant incidence of violence being unleashed.” He accused the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, of orchestrating the attack by sponsoring the armed thugs.
- Allow police regulate rallies to prevent clashes, IGP tells politicians
Usman Baba, inspector-general of police (IGP), has asked politicians to allow the police to regulate campaigns and rallies to prevent clashes. Baba spoke on Thursday during a briefing organised by the presidential media team, in Abuja. In recent weeks, there have been reports of violent clashes at campaign rallies organised by political parties for the 2023 elections. On Wednesday, a convoy which included a vehicle conveying Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was reportedly attacked in Borno state.
Speaking on the reported clashes, Baba asked political parties to always abide by the rules and regulations guiding the conduct of rallies. There are laid-down means, ways and procedures to do rallies and campaigns,” the IGP said. On our part, we have gone out to appeal to politicians to play the game by the rules, and at the same time, allow us to regulate political processions, campaigns, and rallies, to avoid clashes and so forth.”
Speaking on the terror alerts issued by United Kingdom and United States, the IGP said the situation was blown out of proportion, adding that some suspects were arrested. Government has never dismissed it as an alarm, but we only said it was blown or made in such a way that our people became apprehensive about the situation and the way it was done,” he said. The embassies have their own responsibilities to their citizens and they can make their advice and the government has not dismissed what has happened, because they have also informed us of what they foresee as threats.
- Elections: NESG cancels debate for presidential candidates
The Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) has cancelled its presidential debate on economic policy. Laoye Jaiyeola, NESG’s chief executive officer, made this known in a statement released on Thursday. The debate was scheduled to hold on Tuesday, November 15, 2022, at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, in Abuja.
Jaiyeola said the debate was shelved after NESG, the Nigerian Elections Debate Group (NEDG) alongside other collaborators conducted an analysis of events surrounding recent engagements with the presidential candidates for the upcoming 2023 elections and subsequent statements from political parties.
Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, and Atiku Abubakar, the flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party, failed to show up at a recent town hall meeting for presidential candidates organised by Arise Television and the Centre for Democracy and Development.
While Ifeanyi Okowa, vice-presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), represented Atiku Abubakar, APC’s presidential candidate, Tinubu, did not send any representative.
The APC presidential campaign council later issued a statement, explaining that a number of networks have indicated interest to host similar events and it would not be fair if Tinubu makes selective appearances.
- Human rights commission to name, shame politicians who engage in hate speech
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) says it will name and shame politicians who engage in hate speech campaigns ahead of the 2023 elections. Tony Ojukwu, executive secretary of NHRC, said this on Friday at a stakeholders’ dialogue on the state of human rights in Nigeria. The event was organised by Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) with support from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).
Ojukwu said some politicians are not focused on issue-based campaigns but are busy with mud-slinging and capitalising on issues that could cause division. He said hate speech is the foundation for violence and that politicians who engage in the act will be held accountable for their actions.
Ojukwu charged political parties to make human rights protection a critical component of their campaign agenda, rather than indulging in hate speeches. On his part, John Dyegh, chairman, house of representatives committee on human rights, urged citizens to use appropriate channels to register their petitions for necessary action.
ECONOMY
- Naira appreciates to N710/$ at parallel market
The naira has sustained its momentum at the parallel market, appreciating N710 per dollar in Lagos on Friday. The development represents N115 or 13.9 percent gain compared to the N825 to a dollar it traded on Wednesday.
Bureaux De Change operators (BDCs) in the Ikeja area of Lagos, who spoke to TheCable, quoted the buying rate of the greenback at N700 and the selling price at N710 per dollar, leaving an N10 profit margin. The traders said there was moderation in demand for dollars by citizens.
“I have plenty of dollars in my hand but people are not buying as much as before. I have not yet sold anything today,” Abubakar, a trader at the Alade Market, Ikeja, told TheCable.
A currency trader at Victoria Island, simply identified as Musa, said he is currently buying the local currency at N700/$ and selling it for N740 per dollar on Friday morning. He said he and some of his colleagues were recording losses because they had bought the dollar at about N800 but now have no choice but to sell for a lower amount.
- Forex crisis: Traders lose as naira rebounds to 720/dollar
The naira has rebounded by 20.8 per cent to 720/dollar at the parallel market, findings by newsmen have shown. The development came two weeks after the local currency came under severe pressure at the black market, following the announcement by the Federal Government to redesign the naira.
The naira which fell consistently throughout last week against the United States dollar tumbled to an all-time low of 910/dollar last weekend.
However, the currency began a rebound against the greenback on Monday, after a week-long clampdown on foreign exchange dealers in Abuja, Lagos, Kano and other major cities by the personnel of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. EFCC officials had arrested over 90 Bureau De Change operators across major cities in the country over allegations of currency hoarding and aiding politically exposed Nigerians and other criminal elements in money laundering.
The naira which was bought and sold on the streets of Lagos and Abuja between 735/dollar and 745/dollar about two weeks ago began a free fall shortly after the decision of the Federal Government to redesign the local currency. On Monday, however, the naira rebounded and was bought and sold between 850/dollar and 860/dollar. The national currency gained significantly and steadily on Tuesday and Wednesday and closed at 720/dollar on Thursday.
Financial analysts and forex dealers who spoke to newsmen attributed the development to market sentiment and the activities of the EFCC personnel. The clampdown on forex dealers was said to have forced several BDCs into hiding, a move that reportedly made many politically exposed persons and currency speculators hold back in their demand for the greenback. There had been a huge demand for the dollar at the parallel market in Lagos, Abuja and other cities.
- Buhari: No going back on redesign of naira notes
President Muhammadu Buhari says the redesign of naira notes by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will proceed as planned. Buhari said this on Wednesday after meeting with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace in the United Kingdom.
On October 26, Godwin Emefiele, governor of the CBN, announced the plan to redesign the currency to control money supply and aid security agencies in tackling illicit financial flow. The redesigned notes include: N200, N500 and N1000. The decision has continued to generate public outburst, as experts insist it would negatively affect the economy.
Speaking less than 48-hours after the announcement, Zainab Ahmed, minister of finance, budget and national planning, said the ministry was not consulted by the CBN before it took its decision.
Responding to the minister’s statement, Buhari said the CBN had his support to redesign the naira notes.
In Buhari’s latest comments on the matter, after meeting with the UK monarch, he told reporters that enough time has been given by the CBN for Nigerians to deposit the present naira notes in banks in exchange for the newly redesigned ones which will be issued by December 15, 2022.
“On this change of currency, there will be a lot of money but time has been given from October to December. Three months is enough for whatever money you have, to get it changed through the legal system,” Buhari said. So, I don’t know why people are complaining about it.” Declaring his full support for the naira redesign, the president said “there’s no going back.”
- Farmers kick as CBN halts Anchor Borrowers Programme’s funding
The Central Bank of Nigeria has stopped disbursing funds to farmers under the Anchor Borrowers Programme which started in 2015, but beneficiaries kicked against this on Thursday. Presidents of 68 agricultural commodities’ associations told journalists in Abuja on Thursday that the apex bank stopped supporting farmers under the ABP scheme since 2021. They called on President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the CBN to resume the disbursement of financial support to farmers to avert an impending threat to national food security.
Presidents of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Maize Farmers Association of Nigeria, Cotton Farmers Association of Nigeria, among others, convened a forum in Abuja on Thursday, where they spoke of the implications of the CBN’s action.
The Chairman, Forum of Agricultural Commodity Associations’ Presidents, Sadiq Daware, assured the CBN that though the recent floods dealt severely with farmers and affected the repayment of loans, the monies would be repaid. He said the halt in financial support to farmers might erode the gains so far attained by farmers in the agricultural sector.
BUSINESS
- FG commits $21m to build pilots’ capacity
The Federal Government, on Thursday, said that it had committed the sum of $21m to acquire a Boeing 737 simulator to further build the capacity of pilots. The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, disclosed this while giving the scorecard of his ministry in Abuja on Thursday, noting that the government had acquired an automated fire simulator. Sirika said that the Nigerian aviation sector was the second most recovered industry from COVID-19.
He further said that because of the achievements recorded in the sector, Nigeria had been re-elected as a Part II member of the International Civil Aviation Organization Council. He noted that the upgrade of facilities at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology had led to its designation by the ICAO as a Regional Training Centre of Excellence, adding the AIB had also been upgraded to a multi-modal accident investigation agency tagged, “National Transport Accident Investigation Board. Five international airports (Abuja, Kano, Enugu, Lagos and Port Harcourt) have been designated as Special Economic Zones,” he said.
Highlighting some of the achievements by the Buhari-led administration, he said, ”An aviation leasing company, which would be private sector-driven, will be established to address the challenges of limited access to capital and high cost of funds.
- AfDB: We’ve supported Nigerian MSMEs with over $1bn
The African Development Bank (AfDB) says it has provided over $1 billion in interventions to 20,500 micro, small and medium enterprises in Nigeria. Akinwunmi Adesina, president of AfDB, said this at the African Small and Medium Enterprise Immersion Fund Roundtable organised by Access Bank Plc in Lagos on Thursday.
According to Adesina, the interventions have contributed to the creation of more than 440,000 jobs in Nigeria, with women and youths accounting for 60 percent. Adesina was represented by Lamin Barrow, director-general of the Nigeria Country Department, AfDB. He said the bank had also inaugurated the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa.
The AfDB president said MSMEs employed about 77 percent of the workforce in Nigeria — dominated by women who faced greater challenges in accessing affordable finance and non-financial services due to gender biases in property rights limiting their ability to collateralise loans.
He further said the growth of MSMEs had been constrained by many factors, including poor access to affordable finance, perceptions of high default risk due to key man risks, information asymmetries and other challenges related to their informality.
- Elon Musk Says Twitter May Face Bankruptcy As Key Executives Resign
Elon Musk says Twitter may face bankruptcy as key security executives resigned from the platform, drawing a sharp warning from US regulators. The walkouts came a day after the turbulent launch of new features introduced by Tesla and SpaceX owner Musk following his $44 billion buyout of the influential messaging app. Musk on Thursday warned employees that the site was burning dangerously through cash, raising the specter of bankruptcy if the situation was not turned around.
In the most extraordinary exit, US media reported that Yoel Roth, the site’s head of trust and safety stepped down just a day after staunchly defending Musk’s content moderation policy to advertisers.
The convulsions followed the unveiling of the site’s long-awaited Twitter Blue subscription service, which allows users to pay $7.99 per month for a coveted blue tick, as well as a separate gray “official” badge for some high-profile accounts.
But the release descended into tumult on Wednesday when Musk scrapped the new gray label almost immediately, overshadowing the launch of the pay service, which is currently only available on the mobile app on iPhones and in the United States. The launch also saw the emergence of a flurry of fake accounts as users used the opportunity to impersonate celebrities and politicians such as NBA star LeBron James or former British prime minister Tony Blair.
EDUCATION
- Half-salary: ASUU ends NEC meeting, rules out another strike
THE Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU,ended its Natural Executive Committee, NEC meeting late Monday ,with a resolution not to embark on another strike, following the payment of half salaries to members by the federal government. Rather, the union resolved to wait for the outcome of the intervention of speaker of the House of Representatives,Femi Gbajabiamila in its faceoff with the government over alleged non-implementation of the 2009 agreement by the latter.
It was gathered that some members had pushed for declaration of total and comprehensive strike across public universities across the country but majority kicked against the action, saying it was no longer fashionable under the present circumstance. Those against the strike argued that it would be wrong to embark on the action again, thus compelling students who had already returned to their various schools, following earlier suspension of the action, to return home.
The statement released by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, to the effect that government would not pay members full salaries, was said to have further deflated the argument by those who had pushed for strike as a last option.
- NANS Knocks Half-pay For Lecturers
The National Association of Nigerian Students, South-West zone, has kicked against the reported half salaries being paid to lecturers under the aegis of the Academic Staff Union of Universities by the Federal Government. NANS, in a statement by its SW zone, obtained on Thursday, and signed by its Coordinator, deputy Coordinator and Public Relations Officer; Adegboye Olatunji, Alao John and Awoyinfa Opeoluwa respectively, said the Federal Government had failed to prioritise education under the present administration.
NANS said paying half salaries to lecturers was capable of dampening the morale of lecturers, which in turn, will affect the students. “The actions, inactions and body language of President Muhammadu Buhari led administration have left us with no doubt that there is poor attention to the education sector under this government. And like the proverbial King who reigned during a period of widespread discomfort, the degeneration and acute deterioration experienced in the educational sector will not be forgotten in a hurry by Nigerians.
“Just as Nigerian students are finally able to smile after the suspension of an eight-month-long ASUU strike, the Federal Government in their usual retrogressive inclinations has deemed it ‘wise’ to pay half salaries to members of ASUU. This ill-advised action, if allowed to stand, will not only set a bad precedence, but ruin the already tattered morale of our lecturers and further weaken the already debilitated trust between the said union and the government,” NANS said.
NANS said ASUU only suspended its eight-month industrial action in obedience to the National Industrial Court and the intervention of some well-meaning individuals. NANS claimed that if ASUU chose to boycott work again as a result of the decision of the FG, “the government might as well forget about tertiary education completely.” The student body, sympathising with the lecturers, said while the no-work-no pay policy may make sense in some instances, the peculiarity of Nigeria’s educational system must be prominently recognised and seriously considered.
- ASUU: No lawmaker gets half salary over absenteeism — Senator Sani
Senator Shehu Sani has faulted the Federal Government’s decision to pay lecturers half of their salaries following the eight-month strike embarked on by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU. According to Senator Sani, who represented Kaduna Central in the National Assembly from 2015 to 2019, no lawmaker is paid half salary for staying away from “office” during sessions. He particularly made reference to the efforts of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila’s attempt to explain government’s decision to pay the lecturers half salary.
The Speaker had been mediating in the face-off between the union and Federal Government. In a statement explaining the situation, the Speaker said: “The Executive position that it is not obligated to pay salaries to lecturers for the time spent on strike is premised on the law and the government’s legitimate interest in preventing moral hazard and discouraging disruptive industrial actions. “Nonetheless, interventions have been made to explore the possibility of partial payments to the lecturers. “We look forward to a favourable consideration by His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, who has manifested his desire to what is prudent and necessary to resolve all outstanding issues.”
Meanwhile, ASUU has described the half-salary payments to its members as an aberration that makes the lecturers casual workers. Rising from its NEC meeting, ASUU regretted that the response of government towards its demonstration of trust was the so-called ‘pro-rata’ payment for eighteen days as the October salary of academics, thereby portraying them as daily paid workers. However, it decided not to embark on another strike action but resolved to wait for the Speaker, Gbajabiamila’s intervention in the face-off.
- Half pay: UNIJOS ASUU reverses sit-at-home order
Barely one week after ordering its members to sit at home following the payment of half salaries to members by the Federal Government, the University of Jos branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities on Thursday, reversed the sit-at-home decision. The Chairman of ASUU in the University of Jos, Professor Lazarus Maigoro, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.
The statement read, “You will recall that at our congress meeting of Novemberb4, 2022, members resolved to sit or work from home in view of the half salary paid to our members for the month of October, which cannot take them to their places of work, having stayed for more than eight months without salary in as much as they really want to work. Our branch resolution, of course, was subject to the final decision of our national body.
“However, after receiving briefing at our National Executive Council meeting on November 7, 2022, our members resolved to vacate the sit-at-home decision while also reaffirming our commitment to the ability of our principal officers to handle the matter appropriately. This implies that our members are fully back to work on campus.”
WORLD
- Russian Strike On Residential Building Kills Five In South Ukraine
Ukraine said Friday that at least five people were killed following a Russian strike on a residential building in the southern city of Mykolaiv, near the frontline. The attack came as Russia said it was drawing down troops from the nearby city of Kherson, the only regional capital Moscow’s forces captured in Ukraine after they launched their February invasion.
The Mykolaiv regional governor Vitaliy Kim said on social media that the toll had risen to five after the latest fatal attack on the city that has been battered for months by Russian forces. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the strike was a “cynical response to our successes at the front.” A strike at a five-storey residential building. Destroyed from the 5th to the 1st floor,” he said on social media.
Images circulating social media showed a gaping hole cut through a Soviet-style residential building with emergency workers in yellow helmets on the site clearing rubble. Ukrainian officials have remained wary after Moscow signalled late Wednesday that it would pull forces from the west bank of the Dnipro river in Kherson, in what would be a major Russian setback in a region Vladimir Putin claimed to have annexed.
- Taliban Ban Women From Parks And Funfairs In Afghan Capital
The Taliban have banned Afghan women from entering the capital’s public parks and funfairs, just months after ordering access to be segregated by gender.The new rule, introduced this week, further squeezes women out of an ever-shrinking public space that already sees them banned from traveling without a male escort and forced to wear a hijab or burqa whenever out of the home.
Schools for teenage girls have also been shut for over a year across most of the country. The news was met with dismay by women and park operators — who invested heavily in developing the facilities. “There are no schools, no work… we should at least have a place to have fun,” said one mother, who asked to be identified only as Wahida, as she watched her children play in a park through the window of an adjoining restaurant. We are just bored and fed up with being at home all day, our minds are tired,” she told AFP.
A few kilometers away, the Ferris wheel and most of the other rides in Zazai Park — which offers a spectacular view of the city — have ground to a sudden halt because of a lack of business. Before this week’s ban, it could accommodate hundreds of visitors on days when women brought their children for family gatherings.
On Fridays and public holidays, even more would flock to the park — one of the few attractions in the city. On Wednesday, only a handful of men wandered nonchalantly through the complex. Habib Jan Zazai, co-developer of the complex, fears he may have to close down a business that he has poured $11 million into, and which employs more than 250 people.
- UK Nurses Vote To Strike Over Pay
British nurses will strike over pay, the Royal College of Nursing said on Wednesday, announcing the first UK-wide strike action in the union’s 106-year history. “Results of our biggest ever strike ballot show record numbers of nursing staff are prepared to join picket lines this winter,” it said. Britain’s health minister Steve Barclay described the decision as “disappointing”.
The move comes amid a cost-of-living crisis that the union says has left its members struggling to feed their families and pay their bills. The industrial action is expected to begin before the end of the year, with dates to be announced soon.
Bosses in the state-funded National Health Service (NHS) said in September that nurses were skipping meals to feed and clothe their children and were struggling to afford rising transport costs.
One in four hospitals has set up foodbanks to support staff, NHS Providers, which represents hospital groups in England.
Recent months have seen a wave of industrial action in the UK as workers struggle against cost-of-living increases due to hikes in energy prices and soaring inflation. Tens of thousands of staff in various industries — from the postal and legal systems to ports and telecommunications — have gone one strike across Britain since the summer. The RCN says there are currently record nursing vacancies with 25,000 staff having left the Nursing and Midwifery Council register in the last year.
- Over 100,000 Russian Troops Killed, Wounded In Ukraine – Top US General
More than 100,000 Russian military personnel have been killed or wounded in Ukraine, with Kyiv’s forces likely suffering similar casualties, top US General Mark Milley said Wednesday. “You’re looking at well over 100,000 Russian soldiers killed and wounded,” Milley said in remarks at the Economic Club of New York. “Same thing probably on the Ukrainian side.”
The figures provided by Milley — which could not be independently confirmed — are the most precise to date from the United States government more than eight months into the war. Milley also said there is a chance for talks on ending the war, and that military victory may not be possible for either Russia or Ukraine.
Milley’s comments came after Russia ordered its troops to withdraw from the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine — a major blow to Moscow’s military campaign. But officials in Kyiv reacted with caution, saying the Russian army was unlikely to leave the strategic city without a fight, while US President Joe Biden suggested the retreat was evidence Moscow has “real problems” on the battlefield.
- Dead Politician Re-elected In Pennsylvania
A Pennsylvania state lawmaker who died of cancer last month was reelected by a crushing margin, news reports quoting preliminary results said. Tony DeLuca, a Democrat who represented a Pittsburgh suburb in the lower house of the state legislature, died of lymphoma on October 9 at the age of 85. It was too late to get his name off the ballot in Tuesday’s nationwide US legislative elections.
DeLuca retained his seat with 86 percent of the votes in his race, with 98 percent of the ballots counted. A special election will now be held to decide who gets his seat. “While we’re incredibly saddened by the loss of Representative Tony DeLuca, we are proud to see the voters continue to show their confidence in him and his commitment to Democratic values by reelecting him posthumously,” the Pennsylvania Democratic Party said.
- Banned From Education, ‘Idle’ Afghan Girls Are Married Off
Thirteen-year-old Zainab should have been shopping for a new school uniform this autumn but, with no prospect of girls’ schools reopening in Afghanistan, she was instead forced to pick out a wedding dress. Since the Taliban seized power in Kabul and banned teenage girls from education, many have been married off — often to much older men of their father’s choice.
“I cried a lot and kept telling my father that the Taliban would reopen girls’ schools,” Zainab said.
But he said that’s not going to happen, and it’s better that I get married rather than sit idle at home.”
Nobody asked for my opinion,” she said.
Her wedding date was fixed within hours of the would-be groom arriving with an offer of a few sheep, goats, and four sacks of rice as a bride price -– a centuries-old custom for many in rural Afghanistan. As is traditional, Zainab moved in with her new in-laws and husband –- who is 17 years older than her. Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls are banned from going to secondary school.
ENTERTAINMENT
- FIFA confirms Kizz Daniel as one of the performing artists at the 2022 World Cup
Following the successes of his global tour and the release of his recent hit track, ‘COUGH’, incredibly multi-talented Afrobeats, Pop, R&B singer/songwriter, Kizz Daniel is arguably having an impressive time of life as FIFA announces him as one of the headliners at the FIFA Fan Festival event in Doha, Qatar.
The performance, which is an extension of FIFA Sound, is an entertainment strategy designed to bring more connections between the beautiful game of football and music. A few months ago, when the artist tweeted that he would love to perform his hit single ‘Buga’ at the World Cup, little did he know that the universe would grant him this fervent wish.
Among more than 20 additional top-level entertainers from around the world performing at the event, Kizz Daniel will be performing alongside five international award-winning singers — American DJ and Music Producer, Diplo on November 22; Nigeria’s Kizz Daniel on November 23 – 20h55 – 21h40; Canadian crooner, Nora Fatehi on November 29; American singer, Trinidad Cardona on December 1 and Scotland’s Calvin Harris on December 10 — at the Qatar 2022 FIFA Fan Festival mainstage as part of the FIFA Sound lineup, all in a bid to enrich the great programme of the FIFA Fan Festival over the 29-day tournament at Al Bidda Park in the heart of Doha, next to The Corniche.
- Tiwa Savage addresses s*x tape saga in latest single
Nigerian superstar Tiwa Savage has used her new single to address the issues of her infamous sex tape which was leaked an online couple of months ago. In her latest single ‘Loaded’ feat. red-hot act Asake released on Tuesday, 8th November, Tiwa Savage addressed the issues of her sex tape which was leaked online by an individual she revealed was blackmailing her for money.
In the Amapiano record, Tiwa Savage speaking in Yoruba stated that the sex tape can’t ruin her life as it was just a momentary enjoyment. She further used the famous line from Black Sheriff’s ‘Kwaku The Traveller’ when she said “Who never f**k, hands in the air”.
The issues of the sex tape caused a stir online after Tiwa in an interview revealed that a clip of a private moment she shared with her man had fallen into the wrong hands and she was been blackmailed for money.
The actor behind the blackmail will later release the video amidst public condemnation. Tiwa’s decision to address the sex tape saga in her song is perhaps her way of putting the matter to bed despite the fact that the tape did little or nothing to affect her career.
- Asake, Burna Boy, Adekunle Gold, Tems, Rema, Oxlade, nominated for MOBO Awards
The Nigerian contingent of Burna Boy, Adekunle Gold, Tems, Asake, Rema, Oxlade, Tems, Omah Lay, and Fireboy have all been nominated for the 2022 MOBO Awards.
After the exploits of his record-breaking debut album ‘Mr. Money With The Vibe’, Asake earns his first MOBO nomination. Oxlade makes the list after enjoying international acclaim with the success of his single ‘Kulosa’.
Fireboy enjoys a fine international run with the success of ‘Peru’. Burna Boy dominated radio and streaming charts with his international smash hit ‘Last Last’, while Tems’ enjoyed international success appearing on Future’s, Drake’s, and Beyonce’s albums.
Tems and Burna Boy also earned a nomination for Best International Act. They will be competing alongside Beyoncé, Chris Brown, Drake, Jack Harlow, Jazmine Sullivan, Kendrick Lamar, Skillibeng, and Summer Walker. The award will take place on November, 30th at the OVO Arena in London.
SPORTS
- Blatter Says Awarding Qatar World Cup Was ‘A Mistake’
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter says the decision to award the 2022 World Cup finals to Qatar was a “mistake”. In 2010, FIFA’s executive committee voted 14-8 for Qatar to host the tournament ahead of the United States. “It was a mistake,” Blatter said in an interview with AFP’s German sports subsidiary SID. “It was based on a decision when I was president, and therefore I bear part of the responsibility for it.”
Blatter says he voted for the United States to host the 2022 tournament and blames then-UEFA president Michel Platini for swinging the vote in Qatar’s favour at the behest of then-French president Nicolas Sarkozy. Sarkozy had recommended to Platini “that he and his people should vote for Qatar”, Blatter said.
The former FIFA president’s version of events has been denied by Platini. Platini told French investigators that while he attended a lunch at the Elysee Palace with Sarkozy and then-Qatari crown prince Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani shortly before the vote, “the president (Sarkozy) never asked me to vote for one country or another, but I got the impression that he supported Qatar.”
The Qatar World Cup is the first to be held in the Middle East and the first during the Northern Hemisphere winter. It takes place from 20 November to 18 December. The vote to award the tournament to Qatar was surrounded by accusations of corruption. Blatter was FIFA president for 17 years but was forced to step down in 2015 over allegations he unlawfully arranged a transfer of two million Swiss francs ($2.2 million) to Platini, who was also forced to resign from his position at FIFA.
FIFA initially banned Blatter from football for eight years, later reduced to six, over the payment to Platini. Blatter’s ban was extended to 2028 for violations of FIFA’s code of ethics. Blatter and Platini were found not guilty of fraud at a trial in Switzerland in July.
- AC Milan CEO Ivan Gazidis To Step Down
AC Milan CEO Ivan Gazidis is to step down in December, the Serie A champions said on Wednesday. The 58-year-old South African had previous spells at the helm of Major League Soccer in the US and with English club Arsenal. He has been with Milan since 2018.
“After four wonderful, challenging years I will be leaving Milan,” Gazidis said. I owe so much to this club, its people, its fans and to this city, that literally saved my life,” said Gazidis, who overcame cancer whilst at the club. Milan was acquired by American investment group RedBird at the start of the season.
- US Livid As Basketball Star Griner Is Moved To Russia Penal Colony
Russia is moving detained US basketball star Brittney Griner to a penal colony, her lawyers said Wednesday, drawing a sharp rebuke from the White House. Griner, convicted for possession of a small quantity of cannabis oil, was transferred out of a detention center on November 4, her legal team said. She “is now on her way to a penal colony,” lawyers Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov said in a statement. They said that Russia generally sends notifications of transforming prisoners by mail, taking up to two weeks.
“We do not have any information on her exact current location or her final destination,” they said. Griner’s case has drawn outrage in the United States, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaching out to Russia to propose a deal to free her despite soaring tensions over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated that the United States had put forward a “substantial offer” to Russia to resolve her case.
Griner, a two-time Olympic basketball gold medalist and Women’s NBA champion, had been in Russia to play for the professional Yekaterinburg team during her off-season from the Phoenix Mercury Women’s National Basketball Association side. She said the cannabis in vape cartridges was to treat pain from her sporting injuries, but Russia does not allow medical marijuana use.
Reports have suggested that Griner and another American jailed in Russia, Paul Whelan — a retired US Marine arrested in December 2018 and accused of spying — could be traded for Viktor Bout, a famed Russian arms trafficker serving 25 years in prison on a 2012 conviction.
- Injured Mane Named In Senegal’s World Cup Squad
Ballon d’Or runner-up Sadio Mane was named in Senegal’s World Cup squad by coach Aliou Cisse on Friday despite of a recent injury. Cisse said he hoped the condition of the Bayern Munich attacker would improve within a few weeks and declared himself “really optimistic” that the injury would not require an operation.
Mane’s involvement in the tournament was in doubt after he limped off during his club Bayern Munich’s 6-1 win over Werder Bremen on Tuesday. The 30-year-old was diagnosed with an injury to his right fibula and will undergo further tests. “I preferred to keep him in the group,” Cisse told reporters.
Mane’s fitness has been a major cause of concern in Senegal, the current African champions, with state president Macky Sall tweeting on Wednesday: “Sadio, heart of a Lion! All my heart is with you!”
Senegal have been drawn in Group A and play the tournament opener against hosts Qatar on November 20, before going on to meet Netherlands and Ecuador.
METRO PLUS
- $200,000 bribe: Policeman promoted, gets N1m
The Police Service Commission has promoted the Divisional Police Officer of Bompai Division in Kano, Daniel Amah, from Chief Superintendent of Police to Assistant Commissioner of Police. He was also given a cash reward of N1 million by the commission. Amah had handled a matter in April 2022 where a suspect identified as Ali Zaki arranged with armed robbers to trail and rob a Bureau De’Change operator he had met to change $750,000 dollars.
Amah was said to have been offered $200,000, which he rejected, to suppress the case through bank staff after an investigation linked Zaki to the case. He had been rewarded for his integrity by the IGP, Usman Baba, as well as the president, Major General Muhammadu Buhari.
Speaking during a special plenary of the commission on Thursday, the acting chairman of the Police Service Commission, Justice Clara Ogunbiyi, said, “Although he has been honoured by the police and the president, we decided to do it because we are so proud of what he has done. I believe the culprit would have been shocked because the generality of human nature would explain why such a young man would reject such a large sum of money in foreign currency.
She said the desire of the commission was to have a free and corrupt police, warning that the PSC would not hesitate to wield the big stick on erring police officers. The elated Amah, said, there is nothing that can be compared to a life lived with integrity.”
- Woman plunges into lagoon after argument with fiancé
The Lagos State Government has said efforts to rescue a yet-to-be-identified lady who reportedly jumped from the Third Mainland Bridge into the lagoon on Thursday were unsuccessful.
The lady, who is in her mid-30s, was said to have alighted from a taxi after a heated argument with her fiancé, headed for the railing of the bridge and scaled it into the lagoon. The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Dr Olufemi Osanyintolu, confirmed the incident in a statement.
He said, “Upon the arrival of the Lagos Response Team at the incident scene, investigation revealed that a lady in her late thirties plunged into the Lagos lagoon. Further investigation revealed that the lady alighted from an Uber taxi car on the bridge and plunged into the lagoon.
“The driver of the taxi claimed she was having a heated conversation with her fiancé before alighting from the car. The LRT, men of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Services, LASWA and officials of the Department of State Services are currently on ground working together to search for the victim.” The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotosho, said rescue teams after intense search and rescue efforts were unable to find the victim.
- Lady Who Plunged Into Lagos Lagoon Identified As DSS Staff
The lady who jumped into the Lagos Lagoon Thursday afternoon has been identified as Adetutu Adedokun, a staff of the Department of State Services (DSS). Sources in the office revealed that she is an unarmed combat instructor who stepped into the shoes of her parents who worked with the plain cloth service.
Just a few months ago, Adedokun who was in her late 30s, received a letter of commendation from the Director General of DSS as the best-unarmed combat operative in her set. The victim’s fiance was also reported to have proposed to her a few weeks ago. She had alighted from a Uber taxi car on the bridge and plunged into the lagoon Thursday afternoon. The driver of the taxi claimed she was having a heated conversation with her fiance before alighting from the car.
Shortly after the incident, the LRT, Men of Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), and officials of the DSS swung into action in search of the victim.
The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency LASEMA), Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, in a fresh confirmation on Friday, also said that the search and rescue team is still on the water trying to locate the body.
- Buhari’s ‘no house in UK’ comment angers netizens
Some Nigerian netizens have taken to social media to express their anger over the comment made by President Muhammadu Buhari, in which he denied having a house in the United Kingdom. Buhari had revealed while responding to a question in a 25-second Twitter video posted by his Special Assistant on Digital Media, Tolu Ogunlesi, on Thursday, that he told King Charles III that he had no house in the United Kingdom during his visit to the monarch.
The president had said, “When he (King Charles III) asked me whether I have a house here (UK), I said no, even in Nigeria, the ones I have are those ones I built before I got into government. I am not very much interested in having assets all over the place. I feel freer when I have nothing.”
However, young Nigerians took to their various social media platforms to fault the reply given by Buhari to the British monarch, noting that the question was pregnant with meanings describing the President’s answer as “miserably pathetic.” Others mocked Buhari’s anti-corruption fight and accused him and his family of having turned a UK hospital into a “second home” at the neglect of the country’s health facilities.
- Deployment of air power has improved operations against terrorists, says NAF chief
Oladayo Amao, chief of air staff (CAS), says the deployment of air power against terrorists has changed the tides of operation in the northern part of the country. The Nigerian Airforce (NAF) in recent months has continued to launch airstrikes on terrorists’ hideouts, especially in the north.
While meeting with the operational commanders operating in the north-west and north-east on Thursday, Amao asked them to remain resolute and be steadfast as they sustain the current onslaught against remnants of terrorists. Amao, in a statement issued by Edward Gabkwet, NAF’s spokesman, said the improvement in the operations of NAF has given Nigerians confidence in the abilities of the force.
