NEWS

A Civil Society Organisation in Akwa Ibom State, Policy Alert has raised the alarm over the state government high rate of borrowing and increased debt profile which according to the group could plunge the state into a state of unsustainable loan repayment.

It noted that the state government’s latest decision to acquire a fresh N7billion loan was irrational and ill advised when the domestic debt profile of the state as of March 2021 already stands at N232billion placing the state as the third highest in debt burden among the 36 states of the federation and Federal Capital Territory.

It could be recalled that the State House of Assembly recently gave Governor Udom Emmanuel the approval to borrow N2 billion for Agriculture and N5 billion for Housing totaling N7 billion.

But, Communications and Stakeholder Engagement Officer of Policy Alert, Mrs. Nneka Luke-Ndumere, in a statement on Tuesday, said such approval was an evidence of the State government’s decision to engage in loan acquisition spree despite its aggravating debt situation which placed the State on the pedestal towards unsustainable debt profile.

She noted that the latest N7billion loan approval for the government is a breach of the Akwa Ibom State Fiscal Responsibility Law 2021, stressing that the State failed to provide cost benefit analysis in the recent loan approval.

CBN explains why Nigeria can’t stop borrowing

According to her, “The Fiscal Responsibility Law, which should guide the State in matters like this provides that the State Government shall not only specify the purpose for which every borrowing is intended but must also expressly and convincingly present a cost-benefit analysis detailing the economic and social benefits of the purpose to which the intended borrowing is to be applied.

“The state government failed in its fiscal responsibility by not providing these prerequisites for loan acquisition and the House of Assembly on its part failed in its responsibility by approving the loan request without interrogating it against the provisions of a law it made recently.

“We must understand that there is a very questionable trend of loan acquisition in the State which makes the debt profile of the State very close to unsustainability because these loans are not self-liquidating. Instead, the state pays hugely for interest on these loans.

“Do not forget that the State in 2019 which was an election year acquired loans to the tune of N48 billion and in 2020 acquired N7.8 billion. Now, in just half part of the year, N7 billion has been approved for acquisition. You can now predict the expected trend before the end of the fiscal year. We cannot continue with this trend of frivolous loan acquisitions.”

She added: “According to the Accountant General’s report and Audited Financial Statements for 2019, the State spent a whopping N12.2 billion on payment of interest on loans. As of January 1, 2019, the state’s outstanding loans stood at just N93 billion, but the debt stock has now risen to N232 billion excluding the N7 billion approved last week. Imagine the enormous social opportunity cost of future loan repayments.

“In 2020, the state spent N25.2 billion on loan repayments, with over 40 percent of that amount spent on servicing interest rates on internal loans. It is alarming to imagine the lives that could have been touched by billions of naira wastefully spent in this way over the years and the possible uses of the money that will be spent servicing future loans as the state’s debt continues to rise.”

You’re president to protect Nigerians, not just borrowing money – Wike mocks Buhari

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has cleared and released 14,620 results of candidates in the just-concluded 2021/2022 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

JAMB said the results released were those of candidates under investigation.

The board, in a statement, said results of 93 candidates have also been withheld.

JAMB said its action followed the consideration and further approval of the recommendations of the investigators at a management meeting held on Tuesday.

According to JAMB: “You will recall that the Board, in its earlier release, stated it would still review the results of the 2021 UTME exercise and any candidate found wanting would have his/her result withheld.

“Out of the withheld results thirteen were discovered to have been involved in examination infractions after they were released and the one earlier withdrawn bringing the total of the results that have been withdrawn to fourteen.”

In a similar vein, JAMB said the results of the 332 blind candidates whose examination was conducted this month have also been released.

The body also made public the list of candidates whose results were withdrawn.

Gabriel Micheal

Lawson Ruth Joy

Sadiq Mahbub Auwal

Attama Lawrence Ikedichukwu( earlier withdrawn)

Tambaya Yahaya

Anowa Anointing

Ogbonna Joseph Dibia

Ani Maryrose AdaLoki) Loiki Ayomiposi Precious Ekeocha Chinecherem Michael

Oluwarotimi Toluwanimi Ayanfeoluwa

Edu Teslim Abiola

Simon Friday Promise

Onyeama Odi.

2021 UTME: COVID-19 responsible for massive failure — JAMB registrar

The youth wing of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has rued what it called the poor handling of the case involving the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

The secessionist was billed to stand for his trial on Monday but the Federal Government was unable to produce him in court prompting the Judge to adjourn the matter till October 21, 2021.

However, Ohanaeze is not comfortable with the Federal Government’s reason, and warns such could worsen the already tensed-situation.

It made its stand known in a statement signed by Mazi Okwu Nnabuuke, the President-General, and Comrade Obinna Achuonye, the Secretary-General.

OYC noted that, “we find it hard to understand how the same Government that had all the logistics to repatriate Nnamdi Kanu from Kenya back to Nigeria in a commando-like fashion should say they were unable to bring him to court owing to logistics reasons.

“What logistics are they talking about? They own all the security apparatus; they own all manner of vehicles; they could even shut down the FCT to make the trial go on.

“It shows unwillingness on the part of the government to prosecute the IPOB leader and the court should not keep him forever. It owes a duty to free the detainee if the prosecutor is not ready to go on with the case.

“The present development is dangerous and capable of increasing the tension in the land.”

“We must caution that the government should treat this matter with caution and this is why we have continued to advocate for a political solution,” it added, urging Igbo leaders to intervene and secure Kanu’s freedom.

Enugu shooting: Conduct open trial of killer cops – Ohanaeze tells police

Wins award at the 2021 Beacon of ICT Awards for its Flagship FOS Xtreme Series

Lagos; 24th July 2021: ipNX, Nigeria’s leading Information and Communications Technology company received the Fibre Optic Broadband Service of the Year award at the just concluded 2021 BoICT awards ceremony organized by Nigeria Communications Week, which held at Eko Hotel & Suites, Lagos.

The Beacon of ICT Awards, which began in 2009, celebrates and recognizes the enormous contributions and achievements made by individuals and service providers in the Nigerian ICT sector and seeks to reward excellence in the industry.

Responding during the presentation of the award, Kene Eneh, Divisional CEO ipNX Retail said “Receiving this award is truly a great honor. We thank the voting public and particularly our customers for their recognition of our flagship FOS Xtreme Series as the best broadband service of the year. We also want to express our sincere appreciation to the Ministry of Communications & Digital Economy as well as the NCC for providing the enabling environment and frameworks for the ICT industry to flourish”.

She went further to state that the BoICT award “is a call for ipNX to continue to push the bar of service quality, excellence and customer satisfaction even higher. We are aware of the growing demands of our customers; particularly at this critical time in history where reliable connectivity is a must-have for everyone, whether at home or at the office. We will continue to invest resources into expanding our capacity to deliver unrivalled innovative services on our Fiber Optic Network”.

It will be recalled that ipNX introduced its flagship FOS Xtreme Broadband series into the Nigerian market in 2020 with the launch of FOS Xtreme 100 and FOS Xtreme 200, which offer speeds of 100Mbps and 200Mbps respectively. ipNX was also recognized by Ookla Global SpeedTest Intelligence Report as the Fastest and most Consistent Fixed Broadband Internet Provider in Nigeria for Q1 and Q2 2021.

Following the renewed communal violence that erupted between Lunguda and Waja ethnic groups in Balanga Local government area, the Gombe State Government has imposed a 24-hour curfew on some communities.

The affected communities are: Nyuwar, Jessu, Heme, Yolde Gelentuku, Sikam, Wala-Lunguda and environs and the curfew is with immediate effect.

Ismaila Uba Misilli Director-General, Press Affairs, Government House Gombe in a statement issued on Tuesday, indicated that, Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Ibrahim Abubakar Njodi, who made the announcement, said the decision followed renewed violence that erupted in the communities in the early of today.

According to the SSG, the curfew becomes necessary to restore peace and order in the affected areas.

He said security personnel have been deployed to restore normalcy, while the curfew will subsist until further notice.

Communal Clashes: 18 persons allegedly killed in Gombe, Adamawa States

A religious group known as Ashabul Kahfy, Tuesday called on the National Human Right Commission (NHRC), national and international human rights organizations to protect Sheikh Abduljabbar Nasiru Kabara.

Kabara’s arraignment at a Sharia court is billed to hold on July 28, 2021, following a suit filed against him by the Kano State Government for blasphemy.

The Bauchi State chairman of the group, Alhaji Musa Santuraki, made the call while briefing journalists where he stated that the religious organization was founded with the mission of fostering unity among Muslims from diverse sects of Islam.

According to him, Sheikh Abduljabbar who is at the moment being detained following allegations of blasphemy levelled against him, claimed that the accusations were fabricated by a group of clerics in Kano who had been at loggerheads with him for a long time.

“It is noteworthy that Sheikh Abduljabbar did not commit the offense they accused him of but they spread the false allegations just to pull him down out of envy of his increasing followership and popularity.

“Many other Nigerian preachers including a Chief Imam of National Mosque, Professor Ibrahim Maqari, who hold no grudges against Sheikh Abduljabbar, have exonerated him of the allegation of blasphemy and described it as a mischief and mere propaganda aimed at victimizing the Sheikh, he said.

They said that the Nigerian Human Rights Commission and other national and international human rights organizations should intervene in the matter to ensure that Sheikh Abduljabbar gets justice as Kano State Government has allegedly taken side in the saga.

“Therefore, the government should allow his trusted doctors to check him and inform the world about his health status. Adding that by doing so, the current tension will be doused”. They suggested.

bioreports reports that the group also said that there is at a present said that fear and tension especially among the followers of Sheikh Abduljabbar due to information that he is critically ill at the correctional centre where he is being detained.

Concerns over Sheikh Abduljabbar’s health in prison, supporters to storm court

A commercial motorcyclist (Okada) was allegedly shot dead by some yet-to-be-identified uniformed policeman at the Islahudeen Area, Osogbo Tuesday evening.

According to eyewitnesses, the Police allegedly shot the commercial motorcyclist (Okada) around Oke Onitea Osogbo for trying to overtake their vehicle and just drove away.

They also alleged that the same team of policemen who are men of the Police Mobile Force also shot at a Toyota Camry on Monday because it had no registration number.

As a result of the development, other commercial motorcyclists have been protesting the death of their colleague by blocking the Lameco/Stadium Axis of the Ring Road.

They are also burning tyres at the Isahudeen Junction and blocking the major road and cars are turning away from the scene of the demonstration and seeking alternative routes.

The spokesperson of the Osun State Police Command, Opalola Yemisi when contacted by bioreports stated that she just got information about the incident and that she will get back to the medium later after she must have been updated with a formal report.

As at the time of filing this report, bioreports learnt that the lifeless body of the dead motorcyclist is still lying at the spot where he was shot to death.

Two okada riders crushed to death in Abeokuta

Flood has ravaged some bridges, culverts and farmlands in some villages in Bogoro Local Government Area of Bauchi State.

Speaking to journalist on Tuesday, in Bauchi, after inspecting the affected areas, the Executive Chairman of the council, Hon. Iliya Habila, expressed deep concern over the development, which has cut off some communities from each other.

“Habila also lamented the destructions of many farmlands in villages in the area, saying that the development would affect crop production,” he said.

bioreports reports that the flooding was caused by the heavy rain in the past few days that resulted in the overflow of the river banks leading to the flooding of farms and cutting off of the bridges and culverts.

He also disclosed this to bioreports that he will forward the matter to the relevant authorities at both the federal and state government level for further action.

Some residents of the affected communities, including traditional rulers, commended the Chairman for the timely visit to the affected areas.

While calling on government to quickly intervene and assist them to avert any loss of life and properties.

“The Chief of Ndit community Mr. Ezekiel Daniel said one hundred and fifty hectares of rice farm were submerged and flooded,” he said.

He noted that the residents are now living in conditions of uncertainty as to what next will happen.

bioreports also reports that the flood collapsed bridges in Gambar Zugum, Gambar Lere Bar Arewa, Bar Kudu, Gizaki Ndit, Tadnum, and Bugun and Dhrbi and as a result the villagers can not cross to the neighbouring villages.

NEMA warns about imminent flooding in Rivers communities

Manchester United have agreed a deal with Real Madrid to sign France centre-back Raphael Varane, the Premier League giants announced Tuesday. 

“Manchester United is delighted to announce the club has reached agreement with Real Madrid for the transfer of French international defender and World Cup winner, Raphael Varane, subject to a medical and to player terms being finalised,” said a club statement.

It is not expected, however, that Varane will be able to undergo a medical until next week because of current UK coronavirus restrictions.

No fee has been disclosed but British media reported value the deal at £34 million ($47 million) rising to £48 million with add-ons.

bioreports

The Chief Of Army Staff, Lt Gen Farouk Yahaya has urged troops to be professional and competent in discharging their duties.

General Yahaya who made the call on his visit to the Headquarters 6 Division Nigerian Army on Tuesday, commended them for a job well done, so far.

While addressing the troops at the 29 battalion parade ground Port Harcourt Barracks, the COAS enjoined the troops to learn from their superiors in order to be proficient as he encouraged Senior Non-Commissioned Officers (SNCOs) and Regimented Sergeant Major (RSM) to uphold the professionalism of the Nigerian Army.

“For you to be professional and disciplined, you learn from your superiors”, he said.

READ ALSO: Deploy Simulation Technologies For Capacity And Force Multiplication – COAS

Speaking further, the COAS charged the RSMs as custodians of regimentation to endeavour to bring back the glory of the Nigerian Army by being role models to the young ones.

To encourage the RSMs and motivate the troops to work harder, he handed over an official brand new Hilux Vehicle to 6 Division’s RSM AWO Baba Bello to enable him to carry out his duties effectively.

Other activities included were commissioning of fire fighting truck, garbage disposal truck, tractor and grass slasher acquired by the General Officer Commanding 6 Div NA, Major General SG Mohammed and also commissioning of renovated 2 blocks of 12 flats each and foundation laying for the construction of a block of 10 flats for Corporal below quarters.

Among the COAS entourage were, the Chief of Operations Army Maj Gen OT Akinjobi, Provost Marshall, Maj Gen Olumuyiwa Aiyenigba, the Chief of Military Intelligence, Brig-Gen Danladi Salihu, and other Principal Staff Officers of Army Headquarters.

The Kaduna State Government says it is working with the Nasarawa State Government and security agencies from the two states to rescue the paramount Ruler of Jaba Jaba Chiefdom, Gyet Muade, who was kidnapped by gunmen in Nasarawa on Monday.

The 83-year-old monarch was abducted by bandits suspected to be kidnappers while on his farm located at Gitata community of Nasarawa state, which shares a boundary with Jaba in Kaduna state.

READ ALSO: It Is Time To End Banditry, Terrorism – PDP Governors

Speaking when he led some government and security officials to the palace of the Kpop Ham in Jaba Chiefdom, Governor El-Rufai who was represented by his Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, assured the people of the chiefdom that the government of the two states will do everything possible to ensure the speedy rescue of the first class traditional ruler, especially considering his age and fragile health.

On his part, a leader in the community and a former senator, Zico Azeez, appealed to both the government and security agencies to intensify efforts to ensure the safe return of their chief whose abduction has created a big vacuum in the palace and the entire Jaba local government area.

i. AIG SPU FHQ ABUJA – AIG ZAKI M. AHMED

ii. AIG ZONE 4 MAKURDI – AIG MUSTAPHA DANDAURA

iii. AIG CTU FHQ ABUJA – AIG DANSUKI D. GALADANCHI, mni

iv. AIG ZONE 17 AKURE – AIG OKON ETIM ENE, mni

v. AIG BORDER PATROL FHQ ABUJA – AIG USMAN D. NAGOGO

vi. AIG ZONE 7 ABUJA – AIG BALA CIROMA

vii. AIG ZONE 9 UMUAHIA – AIG ADELEKE ADEYINKA BODE

viii. AIG ZONE 13 UKPO-DUNUKOFIA AWKA – AIG MURI UMAR MUSA

ix. COMMANDANT POLAC WUDIL-KANO – AIG LAWAL JIMETA TANKO

x. AIG FCID ANNEX LAGOS – AIG USMAN ALHASSAN BELEL

xi. AIG DOPS FHQ ABUJA – AIG ADEBOLA EMMANUEL LONGE

xii. AIG INVESTMENT FHQ ABUJA – AIG MUSA ADZE, fdc

xiii. AIG DICT FHQ ABUJA – AIG PHILIP SULE MAKU, fdc

xiv. AIG ZONE 6 CALABAR – AIG USMAN SULE GOMNA

xv. AIG COOPERATIVE – AIG ADAMU USMAN

xvi. AIG ZONE 3 YOLA – AIG DANIEL SOKARI-PEDRO, mni

xvii. AIG DTD FHQ ABUJA – AIG AHMED MOHAMMED AZARE

xviii. AIG FCID ANNEX KADUNA – AIG MAIGANA ALHAJI SANI

xix. AIG ZONE 12 BAUCHI – AIG AUDU ADAMU MADAKI

xx. AIG MARITIME LAGOS – AIG JOHN OGBONNAYA AMADI, mni

xxi. AIG ZONE 8 LOKOJA – AIG EDE AYUBA EKPEJI

xxii. AIG ARMAMENT FHQ ABUJA – AIG MOHAMMED L. BAGEGA

xxiii. AIG ZONE 15 MAIDUGURI – AIG BELLO MAKWASHI

xxiv. AIG WORKS FHQ ABUJA – AIG BALARABE ABUBAKAR

One person has died and four are missing after an explosion at a chemical park in western Germany, the site operator said on Tuesday, urging residents to stay indoors as a column of black smoke billowed from the area.

Another 31 people were injured in the incident at the Chempark complex in the city of Leverkusen, according to police, five of them seriously.

The cause of the huge blast, which was heard several kilometres away, remains unknown.

Germany’s NINA warning app sent an “extreme danger” alert to residents, telling them to close their doors and windows and keep emergency numbers free as much as possible.

The explosion happened at around 09:40 am (0740 GMT) at Chempark’s waste incineration site in Leverkusen’s Buerrig district, according to site operator Currenta.

The area is separate from the main industrial park that houses numerous chemical companies including Bayer, Lanxess and Evonik Industries.

At an afternoon press conference in Leverkusen, Chempark head Lars Friedrich said the warning to stay indoors remained in place while experts raced to identify the composition of the smoke cloud.

Asked whether the cloud might contain toxic gases, Friedrich declined to speculate but said nothing could be ruled out.

City mayor Uwe Richrath said it was “a dark day for the people of Leverkusen”.

Playgrounds in the Buerrig and Opladen neighbourhoods would be closed, he said. Residents were also advised not to eat fruit and vegetables from their garden for now.

– ‘Tragic accident’ –

The city of Leverkusen said on its Facebook page that measurements of pollution levels were all still “in the green” and that any measures taken were as a precaution.

“We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident and the death of an employee,” said Chempark’s Friedrich, adding that “rescue efforts continue at full speed” to find the four missing employees.

The blast had triggered a fire in tanks used as storage for liquid solvents awaiting incineration, Friedrich said.

The large blaze took several hours to put out, with firefighters from nearby Cologne called in to help.

Three of the tanks “were completely or partially destroyed”, Friedrich said, making it impossible to tell for now where the explosion started.

Large numbers of police, firefighters and rescue crews were deployed to the scene, as well as pollution detection experts.

Police in Cologne tweeted that they had closed several motorways in the area because of “major damage” and urged drivers to avoid the area.

Locals shared images on social media of the black cloud rising into the air, with some saying their windows were rattled by the force of the explosion.

According to a report in Der Spiegel magazine, the blast was measured as far as 40 kilometres (25 miles) away.

– Massive chemicals complex –

Leverkusen, on the eastern bank of the Rhine river, lies about 20 kilometres north of Cologne in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has a population of more than 160,000 people.

According to Currenta, the Chempark chemicals complex is one of the largest in Europe — with more than 70 companies based at its three sites.

The chemical incident comes as Germany is reeling from historic floods earlier this month that left at least 180 people dead in North Rhine-Westphalia and neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state.

The high death toll raised questions over the country’s warning systems, and whether enough had been done to notify residents ahead of time.

Government officials have called for old-school sirens to be used more widely again, on top of smartphone warning apps and radio and TV broadcasts.

Currenta said it had used both sirens and the NINA app to sound the alarm after the explosion.

Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, on Tuesday, vowed never to surrender any land to Fulanis in the state.

Ortom said he would rather die than surrender his land to the Fulani “who have made over a million homeless in his state.”

The governor spoke in Markudi, the state capital, while receiving in audience the Medecins Sans Frontieres, also known as Doctors without Borders.

He lamented that herders have killed, raped and rendered some people of the state homeless.

Ortom berated the Nigerian government for paying lip service to its fight against insecurity.

Ortom insisted that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government has refused to apprehend killer herders, despite having the capacity to arrest them.

He said, “Our people are dying, our women, mothers are being raped, our children can’t go to school, they are suffering.

“These criminals, they display themselves on social media, claiming they are here for an agenda to drive our people away and take over their land and also kill them.

“And they are here courtesy of the Federal Government but for me, if they come, then I’m ready to die rather than to surrender my land to Fulani men. If God didn’t protect me, then I need no help from anybody.”

No govt in Nigeria, Buhari helping Fulanis take over – Ortom

Electronic cigarettes and similar devices are dangerous to health and must be regulated to curb the tobacco industry’s “criminal” tactics to get young people hooked on nicotine, the World Health Organization warned Tuesday.

“Nicotine is highly addictive. Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) are harmful, and must be better regulated,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2021, which focused on new and emerging products, was published on Tuesday.

It said ENDS should be tightly regulated for maximum public health protection.

“Where they are not banned, governments should adopt appropriate policies to protect their populations from the harms of ENDS, and to prevent their uptake by children, adolescents and other vulnerable groups,” Tedros said.

The UN health agency’s eighth tobacco report said ENDS manufacturers often target youths with thousands of tantalising flavours — the document listed 16,000 — and reassuring statements.

Doctor Vinayak Prasad, who heads the WHO’s Tobacco Free Initiative, said targeting children “with toxic and poisonous products is a criminal action”.

“It’s the most criminal act. And it’s a human rights violation,” he told a press conference.

“They run the risk of being addicted for the rest of their lives.”

The report said there were still more than a billion smokers around the world.

Tobacco is responsible for the deaths of eight million people a year, including one million from second-hand smoke, it stressed.

Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, the WHO’s global ambassador for non-communicable diseases, said: “As cigarette sales have fallen, tobacco companies have been aggressively marketing new products — like e-cigarettes and heated-tobacco products — and lobbied governments to limit their regulation.

“Their goal is simple: to hook another generation on nicotine. We can’t let that happen.”

– Concern for youngsters –

The UN health agency is particularly concerned by people under 20 using e-cigarettes due to the harmful effects of nicotine on brain development.

However, regulating such products is not easy as the product range is very diverse and rapidly evolving, said Ruediger Krech, director of the WHO’s health promotion department.

“Distinguishing the nicotine-containing products from the non-nicotine, or even from some tobacco-containing products, can be almost impossible. This is just one way the industry subverts and undermines tobacco control measures,” he said.

The WHO recommends that governments do whatever they can to prevent non-smokers from taking up e-cigarettes, for fear of “renormalising smoking in society”.

Krech said that while the evidence on e-cigarettes was not yet fully conclusive, there was enough evidence to conclude that they were harmful.

“Let us not be naive in thinking that the tobacco industry would be part of the solution right now: they are still a big part of the problem,” he added.

Prasad said the tobacco industry was “misleading the public and trying to mislead the governments”.

The report found that 32 countries have banned the sale of ENDS.

They include Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Iraq, Mexico, North Korea and Singapore.

A further 79 have adopted at least one partial measure to either prohibit the use of such products in public places, prohibit their advertising, promotion and sponsorship or require the display of health warnings on packaging.

“This still leaves 84 countries where they are not regulated or restricted in any way,” the WHO said.

The Geneva-based organisation said efforts to regulate e-cigarettes should not distract from the fight against smoking.

Though the proportion of smokers has fallen in many countries, population growth means that the total number of smokers remains “stubbornly high,” the WHO said.

Lebanon’s new prime minister-designate Najib Mikati Tuesday held consultations with political parties that he said “unanimously” agreed on the need to put together a government quickly to rescue the crisis-hit country.

But after nearly a year of extreme drift, an economic crisis described by the World Bank as one of the world’s worst since the 1850s and continued squabbling among political players, he faces an uphill battle.

Mikati, a billionaire who has already twice served as prime minister, took on the task on Monday, days after fellow veteran politician Saad Hariri threw in the towel.

The last government resigned amid public outrage over a deadly explosion of hundreds of tonnes of poorly stored fertiliser at Beirut port last August.

The institutional vacuum is holding up a potential financial rescue plan for the country, which defaulted on its debt last year.

On Tuesday, Mikati met with top political parties, including the powerful Shiite Hezbollah movement and the Free Patriotic Movement founded by President Michel Aoun.

“There was unanimous agreement from all blocs and lawmakers on the need to speed up the process of cabinet formation,” Mikati said after consultations ended.

The meetings are the customary official step that follows a new prime minister’s designation, but the high-stakes horse-trading has yet to even begin.

– Scepticism –

Following a meeting with Mikati, Hezbollah lawmaker Mohammad Raad said his party is ready to “cooperate seriously” with the new PM designate.

FPM chief Gebran Bassil, accused by critics of repeatedly obstructing previous efforts to form a new government, said his party would stand aside this time.

We will “not to participate in the next cabinet, which means we will not get involved in the formation process”.

In an interview with the An-Nahar newspaper, Mikati vowed his lineup would be “purely technical” and tasked with bridging the gap to elections due next year.

Several lawmakers, including deputy speaker Elie Ferzli, backed this push on Tuesday.

“The government will consist of specialists,” Ferzli said. “As for the nominating process, it will rest on Mikati and his agreements with the president.”

The designation of 65-year-old Mikati, Lebanon’s richest man and to many a symbol of its corrupt oligarchy, was met with general scepticism.

A native of Tripoli, Lebanon’s second city and one of its poorest, he was accused by a state prosecutor in 2019 of illicit enrichment, a charge he denies.

“How can I trust a thief who stole from me and my children and their future?” asked 57-year-old Beirut resident Mohammed Deeb, after Mikati’s designation.

“As long as this (political) class is still in power, nothing will change.”

On Sunday evening, dozens of protesters gathered outside Mikati’s Beirut home, accusing him of corruption and cronyism.

– Most aid blocked –

Lebanon’s former colonial ruler France and other Western governments stopped short of welcoming Mikati’s designation and simply urged him to swiftly deliver a competent lineup.

But Lebanon’s bickering politicians view Mikati as a consensus candidate, who may be capable of easing the near-year-long political deadlock.

Mikati, the third politician in a year to attempt the job, promised his government would work on implementing a French roadmap conditioning a huge aid package on reform and transparency.

In some of his first comments after his designation, Mikati said he would prioritise what little international aid is currently available towards addressing severe power blackouts, according to the Al-Akhbar newspaper.

Lebanon can no longer provide mains electricity to its citizens for more than a handful of hours each day, nor can it afford to buy the fuel needed to power generators.

Almost none of the international community’s demands for a broad programme of reforms have so far been met.

Further stalling the bankrupt state’s recapitalisation has been the government’s failure to engage the International Monetary Fund and discuss a fully-fledged rescue plan.

Until then, the monetary institution is due to send around $900 million, but experts warn it will not be enough and risks being misused.

Ukraine’s Russia-backed Orthodox Church gathered thousands of its followers on Tuesday in a show of force ahead of a historic visit by its rival and leader of the Orthodox world, Patriarch Bartholomew I.

More than 20,000 believers marched through Kiev despite coronavirus restrictions to mark the 1033 anniversary of the Christianisation of Rus, a term referring to eastern Slavic lands in the Middle Ages.

Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I recognised an independent Ukrainian Orthodox church in 2019 after Kiev sought to break religious ties with Russia following a conflict in the country’s east. The move was condemned by Moscow.

The leading authority in Orthodox Christianity is due in Ukraine next month to mark the country’s 30th anniversary of independence.

Analysts said the mass gathering in the Ukrainian capital was meant to be a demonstration of force by the Moscow-loyal branch of the church, which was severely weakened by the creation of the new church.

Kiev-based analyst Volodymyr Fesenko told bioreports that the Moscow-backed church wanted to show “that they are the most powerful church in Ukraine”.

He said the church is “struggling for survival” and wanted to send “a signal to Moscow: don’t forget us.”

Moscow controlled part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church for more than 300 years, but Bartholomew I’s decision created an independent unified Ukrainian church.

Ukraine’s Russia-aligned church — which still has a large number of parishes in the country — severed its ties with Constantinople, saying it would not take part in establishing a new church.

This move marked a new episode in the political, cultural and social divorce between Kiev and Moscow since Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in 2014.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday secured the conviction of Abubakar Abdulbashit Opeyemi, a final year Student of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN).

Two other undergraduates charged with offences bordering on love scam and internet fraud were sentenced.

They are Alimi Abiodun and Idowu Rasaq Olarewaju, students of Kwara State University (KWASU) in Molete, and Kwara State Polytechnic in Ilorin.

Justice Mahmood Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court, Ilorin, slammed jail terms after finding them guilty of various offences brought by the EFCC.

The trio, arraigned on separate charges, pleaded guilty to the charges.

Relying on their plea and exhibits tendered, Justice Abdulgafar held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubts.

Abdulbashit Opeyemi was sentenced to six months imprisonment, which shall be suspended for one year.

The judge ordered that the convict’s iPhones, HP Laptop used to commit the crime and a draft of N50,000 he raised as restitution, be forfeited to the Federal Government.

For Abiodun, the judge handed him three months imprisonment on count one and one year imprisonment on count two, which shall be suspended for one year.

Abiodun will forfeit his iPhone and N352,000 raised as restitution to the Federal Government.

For Idowu, Justice Abdulgafar sentenced him to six months imprisonment, which shall be suspended for six months.

Similarly, Idowu will forfeit a 2014 Toyota Venza, 2 iPhones, HP Laptop, and N404, 414 in his First Bank account to the Federal Government.

The judge concluded by saying, “The sentences are without option of fine”.

Court remands man for allegedly killing neighbour in Osun

A Yoruba self-determination group, Yoruba Koya Liberation Movement (YKLM), has warned President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, former Chief of Army Staff and Nigerian Ambassador to Benin Republic, Tukur Buratai, to desist from oppressing humanity or face a disastrous end.

In a statement signed by the Director of Media and Communications of the group, Oluwafemi Oluwajuyitan, the group urged Buhari and other Nigerian Leaders putting political pressure on Benin Republic to jail Ighoho to remember that nothing lasts forever.

The group accused Buhari, Malami, Buratai and other officers of the Nigerian Government behind the current travail of Yoruba Nation Activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho in the Republic of Benin.

“Events unfolding in recent times have made it imperative to remind those who are currently in power to tread softly and remember that everything with a start will surely have an end.”

The group described the invasion of Igboho’s house, the killing and abduction of his associates and his eventual arrests in Benin Republic “at the request of this government” as a testament of Buahri government’s effort at ensuring that their lawlessness remained unchecked.

“The present administration, being a democratically elected government, has surpassed previous military juntas in the bare-knuckled use of brute force to silence every voice of dissent.

“One cannot help but remember the brutish rule and reign of the dark-goggled General Abacha and how he ruled with iron fist. We remember how individuals who stood for the truth and the declaration of June 12 election were hounded by state-sponsored hitmen. We remember how the dictator ended in ignominy.

“We as a Yoruba self-determination group see it’s time that this government and its actors of impunity are reminded that nothing lasts forever. Nigerians are in countdown to the end of this administration even as calls are made to the International Criminal Court to keep the dossier of reports sent to them as they will become useful in no distant future,” the statement said.

Yoruba Nation, others: Nigeria should let citizens willing to secede go – Akintoye

Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, on Tuesday, said that the silence of the Federal Government to killings by foreign militia herdsmen is an agenda of ethic cleansing and continuation of the 1804 Usman Danfodio Jihadist Movement across the country.

Ortom, who made the remark at the Benue Peoples House Makurdi, faulted the alleged FG’s biased handling of the security situation in the state and other parts of the country.

The governor stated this when he played host to Doctors Without Borders led by Mrs Froukje Pelsma, head of mission in Nigeria.

Governor Ortom, who accused the FG of playing nepotism, lamented that a section of Nigerians is treated as sacred cows while others are oppressed even when there are no provocations.

According to him, the FG has the capacity to arrest criminals, kidnappers and killer herdsmen but had chosen to remain adamant to activities of militia herdsmen most of whom are foreigners.

While noting that he remains an advocate of peace and unity of Nigeria, Governor Ortom said he is genuinely concerned and worried too, that Nigerians cannot be protected in their homeland.

He said he was happy that other leaders of the country across political divides had seen the evil agenda of the Fulanis and had started speaking against it.

Governor Ortom thanked Doctors Without Borders and other Development Partners for their support to the plight of the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs and pledged his administration’s support to their operations.

Leader of the delegation, Mrs Froukje Pelsma, acknowledged the support of the government to their intervention in the health needs of the IDPs in the state.

She appealed for the recruitment of more staff especially in the area of health by the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, preparatory to takeover from the organisation.

Buhari’s body language emboldening Fulani jihadists- Rights group

Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has charged traditional leaders and youths in Bonta and Ukpute communities of Konshisha and Oju Local Government areas have been asked to fish out the criminals among them to pave the way for peace in the areas.

bioreports recalls that the two communities of Bonta and Ukpute communities of Konshisha and Oju LG areas of the state have been in hostility for more than one year following boundary dispute.

The crisis has claimed lives of many residents of the communities as several houses were also burnt down recently.

Governor Samuel Ortom gave the charge on Tuesday while briefing newsmen at the end of a special security meeting with stakeholders from the two local governments.

The Governor who read the communique at the end of the meeting, condemned criminality among youths of both communities and called for immediate cessation of hostilities to allow for peaceful demarcation of the boundary.

Governor Ortom directed that the road from Konshisha to Oju which had been closed as a result of the crisis be opened to commuters while the two councils should work towards establishing a joint police post to serve both Bonta and Ukpute.

In another development, the Benue State Government on Tuesday, donated six hilux Vans to the state’s security patrol outfit known as Operation Zenda.

Making the presentation on behalf of Governor Samuel Ortom, Special Adviser to the governor on Security, Retired Colonel Paul Hemba said the vehicles were meant to enhance the smooth operation of the security patrol outfit.

The Commander, Operation Zenda, Justin Gberdyer who received the vehicles on behalf of the Inspector General of Police, thanked the state government for the gesture and assured that the vehicles would be used judiciously.

Insecurity: Ortom vows to restore peace in warring Oju, Konshisha communities