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White House does not rule out Haiti request for U.S. troops
The United States is still reviewing a request for troops made by Haiti’s interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph to help secure key infrastructure after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said on Monday. Psaki said Haiti’s political leadership remains unclear and that it was vital for the country’s leaders to come together to chart a united path forward. Moise was shot dead early on Wednesday at his Port-au-Prince home by what Haitian authorities describe as a unit of assassins formed of 26 Colombians and two Haitian Americans. Haitian police said on Sunday they had arrested another key suspect. The death of the president has plunged the troubled country into deeper turmoil, and U.S. officials traveled there on Sunday to assess the situation and ...
Police arrest nine suspects for armed robbery in Jigawa
The Jigawa State Police Command has arrested nine armed robbery suspects believed to have been terrorising residents in Gumel Local Government Area of the state. ASP Shiisu Lawan, spokesperson for the command, revealed this to the News Agency of Nigeria in Dutse on Sunday. He said the suspects were arrested on June 30. Lawan said four of the suspects (names withheld) were arrested after attacking one Naja’atu, a housewife, with cutlass on June 15 about 2:40am. He said: “On June 15 at 8am, one Nazifi Abdulhamid of plantation Gagarawa Tasha, reported the incident to the police that on same date about 2:40am, the four suspects trespassed into his compound and attacked them with sticks and cutlass. “His wife, Naja,atu Lawan, aged 23, raised alarm and as a result they (suspects) used a cutlass ...
Speaker Gbajabiamila: Constitution review to address Nigeria’s foundational deficiencies
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has called for collaboration between the National Assembly and the 36 state Houses of Assembly to make the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution successful. Gbajabiamila, who spoke at a meeting of the Conference of Presiding Officers of Nigerian Legislatures in Abuja at the weekend, noted that the constitutional amendments are to address Nigeria’s foundational problems. The Speaker also stated that the legislature remained the most important arm of government in any democratic setting, according to a statement issued on Saturday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Lanre Lasisi, titled ‘Constitution review: Gbajabiamila Seeks Collaboration Between NASS, State Assemblies…Says Legislature Remains Most Important Arm o...
Suspected herdsmen amputate farmer in Nasarawa
Herdsmen suspected to be a bandits dislodged from other state has on Friday attacked a farmer at his farm, machetes him and cut his two hands at Ome Community in Obi Local Government Area of the state. According to eye witness who disclosed to the incident to newsmen said the victim was at his farm working when the Fulani herdsmen invade his crops in the process of telling the herdsmen to leave the farm, then he was attacked. An eye witness who narrowly escaped attacked explain the ordeal ” We were in the farm when we saw herdsmen grazing on the victim farm in the process of asked them to leave the farm, then we saw them make calls unknowingly to us we saw their men with Cutlass following us and accidentally the victim fall down on the process of running for safety when they herdsmen cut t...
Coronavirus figures mount in Tokyo ahead of Olympics
The July 23 commencement date for the summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, is under increasing threats from a steady rise in daily cases of the coronavirus in the city. The recent spike has also triggered fears of a possible fifth wave of infections, which will not be ideal for the Games. Coming this close to the opening of the Games, there are palpable concerns raised for many athletes who will be contesting for honours in the Asian city and their crew members who will be with them all the way. On Monday alone, Tokyo reported 317 infections, a figure that represents an increase of 81 from the same account of the week before. The increment marks the ninth week-on-week, consecutive same-day rise in infection rates in a row even with the availability of vaccines. There has also been evidence to ...
Juul to pay US state $40 million for targeting teens with e-cigarettes
Electronic cigarette giant Juul Labs Inc will pay $40m to North Carolina and take more action to prevent underage use and sales, according to a landmark United States legal settlement announced on Monday after years of accusations that the company had fueled an explosion in teen vaping. A state judge accepted the first-of-its-kind agreement with a US state. North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein had sued Juul, accusing it of employing unfair and deceptive marketing practices that targeted young people to use its vaping products, which deliver addictive nicotine. As part of the agreement, Juul will not advertise to anyone under 21 in North Carolina and will limit sales amounts of Juul products online to any state residents. It will also sell its products only behind counters at retailer...
Gianluigi Buffon: Why I turned down Champions League for Parma
Gianluigi Buffon has said he rejected ‘two opportunities to even win the Champions League’ so that he could help Parma come back into Serie A and hasn’t lost hope of a spot at the 2022 World Cup. The 43-year-old shot-stopper signed the two-year contract and will be presented to the media this evening after leaving Juventus for the club where his career first started as a teenager. “I have many memories, above all the motivation and hope is to write a few more important pages in the history books of this club, and I know I can do it,” Buffon told Sky Sport Italia. “That is the main reason I returned here, along with the other 999 reasons! I felt such strong emotions, as an emotional reaction is the only way to keep delivering at this level at my age. “I knew Parma would give me something th...
Rivers governor: Why I shun building more state universities
Governor Nyesom Wike on Monday said he was apathetic to establishment of more Rivers State owned universities because of the enormous challenge of adequately funding such institutions to effectively meet set development objects. Wike at the flag off of Emohua Campus of the Rivers State University (RSU) in Emohua Local Government Area said he was rather concerned about committing more funds to state’s existing varsities so they can offer needed holistic grooming for requisite man power for the country. However, a dissenting voice, Enefaa Georgewill of Rivers State Civil Society Organisation (RIVSCO) accused Wike of “expressing hypocrisy” in his disposition on ground that RSU multi campuses the state has embarked on under Wike amounted to building more varsities in disguise. Wike had stated,...
Super League: UEFA begins disciplinary proceedings against Barca, Real Madrid, Juventus
UEFA have announced that disciplinary proceedings have been opened against Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus for a potential violation of their legal framework. The decision comes following an investigation conducted by UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspectors in connection with the so-called Super League project, and further information will be made available in due course, according to their statement. The three are the last men standing in the Super League project. Initially there was 12 clubs involved; Atletico Madrid, Milan, Inter, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur were part of a shoddy launch. The six English clubs left first, with Atletico, Milan and Inter following shortly after. Madrid’s Florentino Perez and Juventus’ Andrea Agn...
EKEDC urges customers to shun unauthorised personnel
Stock Photo Eko Electricity Distribution Company has advised its customers to shun illegal activities and the use of unauthorised personnel within its network. Godwin Idemudia, General Manager, Corporate Communications, EKEDC, gave the advice in a statement issued on Monday in Lagos. Idemudia said the advice followed reports from customers of cases of extortion and illegal connections by persons disguising as EKEDC officials. He urged the customers to be wary of unlicensed contractors who go about deceiving customers and fleecing them whilst perpetrating illegal activities. According to him, such activities include illegal connection, meter bypass and energy theft. “We advise and we will continue to appeal to our customers to shun all illegal activities and report them to us. “Also, we als...
Ogun governor suspends aide arrested for ‘fraud’ in US
The governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, has suspended his aide, Abidemi Rufai, who was arrested in the United States for an alleged $350,000 (about N140 million) COVID-19 unemployment fraud. Kunle Somorin, Abiodun’s chief press secretary, confirmed the suspension to newsmen on Tuesday. This was also confirmed to newsmen by the chief press secretary to Abiodun, Kunle Somorin. “Our position is that the law should take its course,” Somorin said in a WhatsApp interview. “Meanwhile, the governor has ordered his immediate suspension from office to answer charges against him.” Sources within the government told newsmen that the governor took the action immediately he was briefed about Rufai’s arrest. This newspaper earlier reported that Rufai, Senior Special Assistant to Abiodun, was arrested l...
Sustaining economic empowerment through financial inclusion, energy access
Financial inclusion and provision of sustainable energy is at a turning point in Africa’s largest economy, Nigeria. With a population of over 200 million, about 50 per cent of the total population live in rural areas, and only 39 per cent of those living in rural communities have access to electricity. This is in addition to over 40 per cent of the entire population who are financially excluded or underserved. However, the proliferation of digital financial services in Nigeria – powered largely by growth in fin-tech companies – has catalysed an unparalleled increase in the current number of people with access to formal financial services, while further opening up opportunities to address power supply challenges across rural communities; a major feat instrumental towards achieving the broad...
