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Nigerian community disturbed over looting, destruction, violence in South Africa
The Nigerian Union South Africa (NUSA) has expressed concern over the looting, destruction and violence that has trailed the incarceration of former President Jacob Zuma of South Africa. NUSA, in a statement made available to newsmen by its President, Adetola Olubajo, urged Nigerians in South Africa, most especially in various cities in Kwa Zulu Natal and Gauteng Provinces, to be vigilant and adopt safety and security measures. ‘The union is highly disturbed seeing the extent of looting, destructions and violence perpetrated by the angry protesters during our fact-finding trip to Johannesburg this morning. ‘Violent protest erupted in KZN province during the weekend after the incarceration of former President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma. Over 18 trucks were set ablaze, businesses looted and...
Cuba blames unrest on U.S. interference as Joe Biden backs protests
Cuba blamed historic protests that took place over the weekend on U.S. “economic asphyxiation” and social media campaigns by a minority of U.S.-financed counter-revolutionaries, while U.S. President Joe Biden said he stood with the Cuban people. The streets of Havana were quiet on Monday, although there was a heavy police presence. Outages in mobile internet – the only way many Cubans have of accessing the web – were frequent. Chanting “freedom” and calling for President Miguel Diaz-Canel to step down, thousands of Cubans joined street protests here from Havana to Santiago on Sunday in the biggest anti-government demonstrations on the Communist-run island in decades. At least 80 protesters, activists, and independent journalists had been detained nationwide since Sunday, according to exile...
PDP to commence e-registration for new members
The Peoples Democratic Party has announced its readiness to commence nationwide online registration for members. The Party made this known on Monday in a statement titled ‘Obaseki urges Nigerians to embrace PDP e-registration exercise’, signed by the Publicity Sub-committee Chairman of the PDP National E-Registration Committee, Kola Ologbondiyan. According to the statement, the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has urged Nigerians to participate in the exercise. The statement read, “Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has urged Nigerians to turn out enmasse and register with the Peoples Democratic Party during its nationwide online electronic registration of members which will commence in a fortnight. “Obaseki, who stated this while addressing members of the PDP e-registration committee ...
Cross River: Igbo leaders to partner with police on community policing
President of Igbo Congress Cross River chapter, Prince Raymond Atulomah, has stated that Ndi Igbo would partner with police command in the area of community policing. Speaking during a courtesy call on the Cross River Commissioner for Police, Mr Sikiru Akande, in his office in Calabar on Friday, Atulomah said Igbo leaders crave for a crime-free society and therefore would contribute to ensuring that the police Command succeed in the area of crime fighting. He said Igbo are committed to promoting a peaceful co-existence between them and host communities especially in local security. He said: “We are here to pay solidarity visit to the Commissioner and congratulate him on his appointment. We pledge to collaborate with your office in the area of community policing. We promise to be law abidin...
PDP vice chairman: Electronic transfer of results, a must for free, fair polls
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South-south has called on the National Assembly to retain electronic transmission of results in the Electoral Act The National Vice Chairman, South-south of the party, Dan Orbih, made the call on Wednesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin. He was reacting to the purported removal of the provision for the electronic transfer of result provision from the proposed amendment Act currently being debated by the National Assembly. “Nigerians should resist the removal of electronic transmission of election results during elections from the Electoral Act because it is an invitation to unending electoral fraud,” Mr Orbih said. The introduction of electronic transmission of election results from the polling units to collation cen...
NLC urges National Assembly to transform NNPC to public liability company
The Nigeria Labour Congress has cautioned the National Assembly to handle with utmost care what it described as the very sensitive issue of the unbundling of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation. It urged the lawmakers to transform the NNPC to a public liability company as part of the reforms of the oil and gas sector captured in the Petroleum Industry Bill. The NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, said this on Tuesday, in a statement lauding the passage of the PIB titled, ‘Congress commends the national assembly for passing the petroleum industry bill – demands that the NNPC be transformed into a public liability company.’ It stated, “We know that the process of making the PIB a law has not been completely consummated as the passed bill would still need to be harmonized by a conference of th...
Nigerian government set to tackle oil, gas infrastructure vandalism with skills acquisition
The Federal Government has expressed plans to create a reorientation programme aimed at engaging the youth in skills acquisition to address oil and gas infrastructure vandalism. The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, stated this at a Town Hall Meeting on “Protecting Oil and Gas Infrastructure” on Monday in Abuja. Newsmen report that the town hall meeting was organised by the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture. Akpabio said that the programme would be targeted at the pupils and students of primary and secondary school across the nine states in Niger Delta. He explained that the Federal Government was currently meeting with stakeholders, traditional rulers, youth groups and all others from one state to the other. “We are setting up skills acquisition centres, we...
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...
Brazilian potential presidential candidate announces he is gay
Brazilian governor and potential major party presidential candidate Eduardo Leite, a prominent critic of President Jair Bolsonaro, came out as gay in a TV interview. Leite, governor of the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, would be the first openly gay presidential candidate in Brazil. Anti-gay rhetoric has been a staple of speeches by Bolsonaro, who once declared that if he had a gay son, he would rather the child died in an accident. “I have never spoken about a subject related to my private life,” Leite told Brazilian journalist Pedro Bial in a TV interview on Thursday evening. “But during this moment of low integrity in Brazil, I have nothing to hide, I am gay. I am a governor who is gay, not a gay governor, as former President Obama in the US was a president who was Black, not a Bl...
IPOB: No harm should befall Nnamdi Kanu
Barely 24 hours after his arrest was made public, the Indigenous People of Biafra on Wednesday, warned that nothing must happen to its leader, Nnamdi Kanu. The organisation which said Kanu was kidnapped by the government agents promised to “expose details of his abduction later”. Spokesperson for IPOB, Emma Powerful, said these in a statement titled, ‘Nothing should happen to our leader, IPOB tells FG’. According to him, IPOB would not be intimidated into backing out of the struggle, despite Kanu’s arrest. The statement read, “We the global movement of the Indigenous People of Biafra ably led by our great leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, confirm the abduction of our Leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu by the Nigerian Government and her security operatives. We shall expose details of his abduction later. “Our...
Euro 2020: Matthijs de Ligt takes blame for Netherlands elimination
Netherlands defender Matthijs de Ligt said he felt he was the player to blame for his team’s Euro 2020 last-16 exit after being sent off in Sunday’s 2-0 loss to the Czech Republic. The Juventus centre-back was dismissed 10 minutes into the second half in Budapest for a deliberate handball after he was forced into an error by Czech striker Patrik Schick. As De Ligt fell to the ground he pushed the ball away from Schick to deny his opponent a goalscoring opportunity. He initially escaped with just a booking, but received a red card following a VAR review. “I had it under control. The ball came and I let it bounce. I fell to the ground and got pushed, which made me use my hands,” De Ligt told Dutch public broadcaster NOS. “The moment changed the game and I feel responsible. I saw how the guys...
Algeria’s FLN remains biggest party after election
Algeria’s FLN, long the country’s biggest political party, won the most seats in Saturday’s parliamentary election, the head of the electoral authority said on Tuesday. Fewer than a third of registered voters took part in the election, which the long dominant establishment had seen as part of its strategy to move beyond two years of mass protests and political turmoil. The protests that erupted in 2019 demanded the ousting of the ruling elite, an end to corruption and the army’s withdrawal from politics. While authorities praised the demonstrations as a moment of national renewal, they also cracked down with arrests. “The dynamic of peaceful change that was launched (with the protests) is being strengthened,” electoral authority head Mohamed Chorfi said, referring to the election. The FLN’...
