Speech
Two people killed in Sudan rally over 2019 protest killings
At least two people have been killed and dozens wounded as Sudanese security forces cracked down on a rally that demanded justice for protesters killed during anti-government demonstrations two years ago, according to the army. Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok on Wednesday said he was “shocked” by the killings, calling it a “crime to use live bullets against peaceful protesters”. Hundreds gathered on Tuesday evening outside the army headquarters in the capital, Khartoum, at the site where thousands gathered in 2019 initially demanding the removal of then-President Omar al-Bashir and urging a transfer to civilian rule. The demonstration on Tuesday started shortly before iftar, the evening meal which breaks the fast during the holy month of Ramadan. It marked two years since the bloody dispersa...
Kogi governor appoints cleaner as senior aide
The Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has announced the appointment of Peter Aliyu, a cleaner, as his Senior Special Assistant on Sanitation. Bello’s spokesperson, Onogwu Mohammed, who broke the news on Saturday, said Aliyu, who is speech impaired, was a former cleaner under the Geemoney Cleaning Scheme. “His appointment was announced at the state executive council alongside other new government appointees of government,” he said. “In a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Folashade Arike Ayoade, said the young man’s appointment came on the heel of His Excellency’s observation of the man’s consistency, diligence and dedication which also endeared the new appointee to many other individuals who have hailed his appointment According to the statement, “Governor Bello ha...
DSS: We’ll no longer tolerate those seeking to throw Nigeria into anarchy
The Department of State Services, DSS, has warned those it described as misguided elements threatening Nigeria’s unity and peaceful co-existence to desist from doing so. Peter Afunanya, DSS spokesman, said that henceforth, the agency would no longer tolerate those whose aim was to “throw the country into anarchy.” In a statement, the DSS said: “While the Service reaffirms its unambiguous support to an indivisible, indissoluble and united Nigerian State in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, it will no longer tolerate deliberate machinations by subversive and hostile groups whose agenda is to throw the country into anarchy so as to serve the interests of their sponsors. “Consequently, the Service is assiduously working with other security and law enforcement agencies to ensu...
FIFA chief to break silence as Super League plunges Europe into crisis
FIFA president Gianni Infantino is expected to deliver his verdict on the European Super League on Tuesday after the widely condemned breakaway competition triggered threats of legal action and punitive measures. European body UEFA will look to support from the world football chief at its congress in Switzerland as it attempts to quash an initiative that threatens its prized Champions League and the health of domestic competitions such as England’s Premier League. Twelve powerful clubs – six from England, and three each from Spain and Italy – have signed up for the Super League, which offers guaranteed spots for its founding members and billions of dollars in payments. Currently, clubs have to qualify for the Champions League each year through their national competitions, and face a length...
CSOs threaten to occupy National Assembly over Electoral Act amendment
A coalition of Civil Society Organisations has threatened to occupy the National Assembly after Ramadan fasting, if the lawmakers fail to pass the Bill for an amendment of the Electoral Act. The CSOs which include Center For Liberty, Concerned Nigeria, The Electoral Hub, and Raising New Voices Initiative, issued the threat at a joint news conference on Thursday in Abuja. The Co-convener, Centre for Liberty, Mr Dare Ariyo-Atoye, who read the joint speech of the CSOs, said they were worried that the 9th National Assembly was yet to pass the bill. According to him the passage of the bill could have given them lasting legacies and written their names in gold. Ariyo-Atoye said that in the last 15 months, CSOs had consistently engaged lawmakers and appealed to the NASS to make the passage of a n...
Nigeria’s senate president, others bag NIS fellowship award
Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, and the governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, were on Wednesday in Abuja presented with the Honourary Fellowship Award of the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (NIS) alongside a former Minister of Defence, Brig-General Mansur Dan-Ali (rtd) and the Emir of Nasarawa, HRH Alh. Ibrahim Usman Jibril, at the institution’s 2021 investiture ceremony. Also, 24 members of the NIS, including Surveyor-General of the Federation (SGoF) Surv. Taiwo Samuel Adeniran and Registrar/CEO of the Surveyors Council of Nigeria (SURCON), Surv. Kabir Mohammed Mamman, were confirmed Fellows of the institution. Appreciating the honour, Senator Lawan said though right now he is in the political sphere, he felt drawn back to his professional root by the award, assuring ofevery suppo...
Kim Jong Un: North Korea facing its ‘worst-ever situation’
Kim Jong Un says North Korea is facing its “worst-ever situation” and called on “grassroots” members of the ruling Workers’ Party to be more proactive and responsible in carrying out the country’s new five-year economic plan. The comments, reported by state media on Wednesday, came as experts warn Kim is facing perhaps his toughest moment as he approaches a decade in rule, with North Korea’s coronavirus lockdown unleashing further shock on its sanctions-battered economy. North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Kim made the comments during an opening speech at a meeting of the Workers’ Party’s cell secretaries on Tuesday. “Improving the people’s living standards … even in the worst-ever situation in which we have to overcome unprecedentedly numerous challenges depends on the ...
US Supreme Court dismisses case on Donald Trump blocking Twitter critics
The U.S. Supreme Court set aside a federal appeals court ruling that former President Donald Trump violated the First Amendment when he blocked critics from following his Twitter account. The case had already lost its practical impact given Trump’s election defeat and Twitter’s Jan. 8 decision to permanently ban his @realDonaldTrump account for glorifying violence. But the two sides in the case continued to spar over the fate of the appeals court decision. Before Trump left office, the Justice Department asked the justices to wipe away the precedent, while those suing him sought to keep it intact. The appeals court said a social media account run by government officials can become a constitutionally protected “public forum” if used to conduct official business. The Supreme Court has said t...
Kosovo parliament elects new national president
Kosovo’s parliament has appointed a 38-year-old U.S.-educated female law professor and candidate of the ruling Vetevendosje party as the country’s new president, following an election in February. Vjosa Osmani took over as acting president of Kosovo last November when her predecessor, Hashim Thaci, resigned ahead of his impending war crimes trial in the Netherlands. Osmani’s initial mandate expired when the new government of Prime Minister Albin Kurti, the head of Vetevendosje, took over following the Feb. 14 election. On Sunday the 120-seat parliament voted in favour of appointing Osmani president by 71 votes. Opposition parties and civil society watchdogs have criticised her appointment, saying that having a president, prime minister and speaker of parliament all from the same party is n...
Yoruba monarchs warn Nigerians to stop making inflammatory comments
Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, and the Oluwo of Iwoland, Oba Abdul-Rasheed Akanbi, yesterday, cautioned Nigerians against making inflammatory statements that could ignite ethnoreligious crisis in the country. The monarchs gave the warning during the visit of Oba Akanbi to the Alaafin’s palace, in Oyo. Asking those stoking ethno-religious crises to have a retrospective look at the past, the monarchs advised that anything that could fan the embers of discord should be avoided. They said: “Nigerians must exercise restraints; they must bear in mind Nigeria’s long history of ethno-religious conflicts, as people use this type of deep-seated animosity in their speech precisely because of the culture of impunity which reigns in the country.” “What is more, hate speech is an agent provocateur ...
British premier says no reason to change coronavirus unlocking plans
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday said he saw nothing in the COVID-19 data to change his plans for a piecemeal easing of lockdown in England, with the next major steps due to take place next month. Johnson said he looked forward to getting his hair cut and having a pint of beer in the garden of a pub, among the activities permitted if stage two of his unlocking plan proceeds on April 12. All non-essential shops are also due to reopen from that date. On Monday, there will be a smaller change, allowing groups of 6 to meet up outside. Foreign travel will be banned until at least May 17, which is also the earliest date indoor hospitality and performance venues might re-open. Although Johnson has outlined dates at which he plans to ease restrictions, he has been clear that it is ...
NBC fines Channels TV, inspiration FM N5 million each for broadcast code infractions
The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has directed Channels TV and Inspiration FM Lagos to pay a fine N5 million each for infractions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code. Prof. Armstrong Idachaba, the Acting Director-General of the commission, announced this in a statement made available to newsmen on Thursday in Abuja. Idachaba explained that NBC on Monday, April 26, served Channels TV a letter indicating the station’s culpability and liability for infractions of the Code in respect to its broadcast of “Politics Today” of Sunday, April 25. The acting D-G stated that the station violated Sections 3.11.1(b) and 5.4.3 of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code. Similarly, Idachaba said that on May 2, in its World Report, Inspiration FM Lagos aired broadcast of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) maki...