government
European Union backs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for WTO role
The European Union has endorsed former Nigerian finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the next director-general of the World Trade Organisation, Bloomberg reported. The business news outlet cited anonymous officials familiar with the matter that all the 27 EU member countries agreed on Monday in Brussels to support Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala. Bloomberg also reported that the United States has decided to back Yoo Myung-hee, South Korea’s trade minister, for the role. The position has been fiercely contested amongst candidates of different countries since Roberto Azevedo resigned in August. Last month, Okonjo-Iweala and Myung-hee were selected as the last two candidates in the contest. The EU’s endorsement is seen as a significant boost for Okonjo-Iweala’s candidacy, with the final winner expected...
House of Reps deputy speaker charges youths on peace
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ahmed Idris Wase has appealed to the Nigerian youths to give Peace a chance and not to take laws into their hands on matters that government has promised to address head long. Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives in a statement issued through his Chief Press Secretary, Umar Mohammed Puma, and made available to newsmen in Jos urged the youths in Plateau and other states of the federation to give peace a chance, saying the federal and state governments, as well as the National Assembly, were already doing everything humanly possible within their Powers to ensure that the demands of the #EndSars protesters are met. “The federal, state government and the National Assembly are doing all that needs to be done to ensure justice for the victims...
Security operatives begin house-to-house search to recover looted items in Cross River
Following Governor Ben Ayade’s order for Search of the looted items & Police Inspector General’s order for all police units to put an end to looting/destruction of lives & property and restore peace & order, the security operatives in Calabar, Cross River State on Monday began a house-to-house search for the looted items. You would recall that between Friday and Saturday last week, hoodlums and looters broke into over 35 government and private properties, looted several items and set some buildings ablaze. An eyewitness revealed that the search began at Anantigha, Calabar South local government area of the state and the security operatives were seen in two truckloads, Searching for looted items. He said “Some unknown looters returned looted items (Chair, Laptop & Television...
Hoodlums attack Complete Sports head office
Hoodlums on Sunday attacked the head office of Complete Sports newspapers in Okota, Lagos. This was made known in a statement by the Group Managing Director of the company, Dr Mumini Alao. The hoodlums capitalised on the curfew imposed by the Lagos State Government in the wake of the violence and looting that rocked the state in the aftermath of the #EndSARS protests in the country, to carry out the attack. According to Alao, the suspected hoodlums forced their way into the company and ransacked the offices. “The hoodlums came very early on Sunday morning, October 25, 2020. They attacked our office security guards, tied them up, and proceeded to ransack several offices in the building,” Alao said. “Luckily for us, one of the guards escaped to raise the alarm, thus forcing the fleeing hoodl...
Nigeria seeks to halt looting amid fury over ‘food warehouses’
Nigerian security forces are struggling to contain increasing cases of looting on government-run warehouses across the country, in the latest incident of unrest following widespread, youth-led protests against police brutality. The storage facilities hold tonnes of relief materials including food meant for distribution during lockdowns previously enforced to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus. While the distribution programme had been temporarily halted across several states in the country in recent months, it emerged this week relief items were still stored in some of these facilities, as well as the private homes of politicians. The news angered many in the country with the biggest number of people living in extreme poverty globally. “The food items belong to Nigerians. Why are the...
Anambra governor raises the alarm over plans to unleash mayhem Monday
Hoodlums have concluded arrangements to invade Anambra on Monday to cause mayhem, Governor Willie Obiano has raised the alarm. He spoke at the weekend in Aguleri, Anambra East local government area, when the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Celestine Okoye paid him a visit The DIG visited Obiano in company of the Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG, incharge of Zone-13 Ukpo, Anambra State, Danmallam Mohammed, and the Anambra State Police Commissioner, John Abang. Before he raised the alarm, the protesters had sent a signal they would storm Awka the capital city from Onitsha and Nnewi, accusing the Awka protesters as too weak. Obiano said he would never allow such to happen as he had directed the Joint security team JTF to take control of the situation. He also called on tradition...
Italy closes theatres, gyms as virus cases mount
Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte tightened nationwide coronavirus restrictions Sunday after the country recorded a record number of new cases, despite opposition from regional heads and street protests over curfews. Cinemas, theatres, gyms and swimming pools must all close under the new rules, which come into force on Monday and run until November 24, while restaurants and bars will stop serving at 6pm, the prime minister’s office said. Italy, the first European country to be hit hard by the pandemic and impose a nationwide lockdown, on Saturday clocked nearly 20,000 new cases in a 24-hour period. “Semi-lockdown for a month,” said the Repubblica daily, noting Conte had done little to appease regional heads who had appealed for much softer measures to save ailing businesses devastated ...
Sokoto commences distribution of virus palliatives
The Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) on Saturday commenced the distribution of the Federal Government COVID-19 palliatives to beneficiaries at Isa, Sabon Birni and Gada Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state. Malam Zubairu Albadau, the Special Adviser to Gov. Aminu Tambuwal on Relief and Rehabilitation, flagged off the exercise. He said that other LGAs in the state will receive their own share of the palliative within the week. Albadau reassured that the state government will continue to ensure that the hardship, occasioned by the pandemic, is limited. “Today, we are commencing the distribution of the FG-COVID-19 palliatives to ease the pain inflicted by the pandemic. “The Federal Government, through the Ministry for Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social D...
Marcus Rashford launches petition calling on UK government to take more action on child hunger
Reuters Marcus Rashford has launched an online petition calling on the United Kingdom government to provide free school meals for more children. In June, the Manchester United striker successfully lobbied the government to extend its policy of providing free school meals for underprivileged children into the summer months through the school holidays. The 22-year-old also partnered with FareShare and helped to raise £20million to help provide free meals to those in need amid the coronavirus pandemic, while he has since worked with supermarkets and food brands to create a taskforce with the aim of tackling child food poverty. Rashford’s work in helping to tackle child hunger led to the England international being awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours, after which he vowed to continu...
#EndSARS: Osun governor declares 24-hour curfew
The Osun State governor, Gboyega Oyetola, has imposed a 24-hour curfew on the state. This is coming barely 24 hours after suspending an initial curfew imposed on the state over the unrest caused by hoodlums. The governor made the announcement in a statewide broadcast on Saturday. Oyetola said the curfew, which takes immediate effect, is indefinite. According to him, the curfew was reintroduced to “prevent the current state of anarchy from degenerating into a large-scale breakdown of law and order.” He said, “Government notes with huge disappointment, the abuse of the suspension, a day ago, of the 24-hour curfew earlier declared in the State to forestall the breakdown of law and order and protect the lives and property of citizens and residents. “It is unfortunate that hoodlums and criminal...
#EndSARS: NGO cleans up debris from aftermath protest in Surulere
An NGO, Thyaura Partner Concept Limited, on Saturday in Surulere, Lagos State, cleaned up garbage from the aftermath of the #EndSars protest which was hijacked by hoodlums. Mr Ekene Ebonyi, the Finance Manager of the organisation, told newsmen in Lagos that hoodlums had taken the advantage of the break in law and order to loot some property and shops. “This caused several damages to various small scale businesses leaving broken glasses and windows as debris on the streets thereby hindering the smooth movement of vehicles. “We are here to clear such obstacles also left from the burning of tyres so that the economy can return to normalcy,” he told newsmen. Ebonyi said that it was the killing at Lekki toll gate that escalated the whole situation which was already tensed up. “It was after the ...
#EndSARS: Bishop Olumakaiye condemns military onslaught against youth
Bishop Humphrey Bamisebi Olumakaiye, the Bishop and Diocesan Missioner and Lagos has condemned in very strong terms, the heartless shooting of defenceless, peaceful and unarmed protesters at Lekki, Lagos State on Tuesday 20th October 2020. The Bishop described the cruel shooting of unarmed protesters by troops of the Nigerian Army as “totally deplorable and an outrageous act of terror and wickedness against civilians who were peaceably organized and had, for many days, been peacefully protesting against poor governance, leadership, abuse of power and most especially, longstanding Nigerian Police brutality. He continued: “It is highly depressing that the same government which promised to reform the police and bring an end to police brutality ended up using the military against the people”. ...
