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Post Date : August 18, 2021

UAE Receives Ex-Afghan President Ghani ‘On Humanitarian Grounds

The United Arab Emirates said on Wednesday that it is hosting former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani “on humanitarian grounds” after he fled his country amid a Taliban takeover. Ghani’s whereabouts had been unknown after he fled Afghanistan at the weekend in the face of a sweeping advance by the Taliban. “The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation can confirm that the UAE has welcomed President Ashraf Ghani and his family into the country on humanitarian grounds,” the ministry said in a brief statement. Ghani left Afghanistan on Sunday as the Taliban closed in on Kabul before the insurgents walked into the Afghan capital unopposed. In a Facebook post, Ghani said the “Taliban have won” and that he fled to avoid a “flood of bloodshed”. Until Wednesday, speculation had mounted that he had fled to Tajikistan, Uzbekistan or Oman. The Taliban capped a staggeringly fast rout of Afghanistan’s major cities in just 10 days, achieved with relatively little bloodshed, following two decades of war that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. The collapse came as US President Joe Biden moved to complete the withdrawal of US troops. He admitted Monday the Taliban advance had unfolded more quickly than expected but defended his decision to leave, and criticised Ghani’s government. US-led forces invaded the country following the September 11 attacks in 2001, in response to the Taliban giving sanctuary to Al-Qaeda, and toppled them. This would not be the first time that the oil-rich Gulf country opens its arms to former leaders and their relatives, now persona non grata in their country. In 2017, the emirate of Dubai hosted former Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who was sentenced in absentia to five years in prison. Spain’s King Juan Carlos went into self-exile in the UAE in August last year as questions mounted over the origins of his fortune, and the UAE was Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto’s home during her eight years in exile before she was assassinated in her home country in 2007. The UAE is one of three nations, including Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, which recognised the previous hardline Taliban regime, which ruled from 1996 to 2001. This time around, the Taliban have sought to project an air of restraint and moderation. Ghani was elected in 2014 on promises to remake Afghanistan. But the 72-year-old may ultimately be remembered for making little headway against the deep-rooted government corruption that underwrote his demise. In his last years in office, Ghani watched as he was first cut off from talks between Washington and the Taliban that paved the way for the US exit from Afghanistan, and then forced by his American allies to release 5,000 hardened insurgents to lock down a peace deal that never materialised. Dismissed as a “puppet” by the Taliban, Ghani was left with little leverage during his final months in the presidential palace, and resorted to delivering televised diatribes that did little to improve his reputation with Afghans. -AFP

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Post Date : August 18, 2021

Lai: We won’t rest until social media is regulated

Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, says the federal government will not rest until social media platforms are regulated. The minister, in an interview with NAN in Washington, on Wednesday, said the dangers of fake news on social media must be taken seriously. Mohammed also explained that the online media report that he “sneaked out of Nigeria to meet with Twitter executives’’ in the US is fake. The minister said he came to the US to meet with international media organisations and think-tanks on the achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, and efforts made so far in tackling insurgency, banditry, and all forms of criminality. The minister, who has so far engaged with the BBC, Bloomberg, and Politico during his visit to Washington DC, said he hasn’t met with Twitter. “Can a minister sneak out of Nigeria without people knowing? When you say I sneaked out of Nigeria, are you saying I went to board at a terminal where nobody is, or I travelled to the Republic of Benin to fly out of the country?” he asked. “I was at an international airport, where I presented myself openly and I was checked in at the counter like every other traveller of the airline. I boarded and passed through the checks by the immigration service and customs. “How can you come and say I sneaked out of the country? You and I have been here, have I met with any Twitter official­? “When you talk about fake news and its dangers, we need to take it seriously, and I am happy that the entire world is now seeing what we saw more than two years ago. I can assure you that we will not rest until we regulate the social media. Otherwise, nobody will survive it.” On June 4, the federal government announced the indefinite suspension of Twitter’s operations in Nigeria. Although the suspension came hours after a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari was deleted, the federal government said the decision was as a result of “the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence”. Recently, the federal government said it is in talks with the microblogging platform, adding that the suspension will be lifted soon.

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Post Date : August 18, 2021

How I have been managing diabetes for 35 years -Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has narrated how he had been managing diabetes for the past 35 years. Obasanjo lamented that many of his friends have died of diabetes because they were unable to manage the disease. The former president said this on Wednesday during the closing ceremony of the Ogun State Diabetes Youth Development Camp held in Abeokuta. Obasanjo while advising the young patients maintained that diabetes is not a killer disease. He revealed that he went around with his drugs and testing kits so as to ensure he has the right blood sugar level. He stressed that he was above 80 years and could engage in every activity despite being diabetic. The former president however told the young patients to follow prescriptions given to them in managing the disease. He added, “I have been diagnosed with diabetes for more than 35 years now and here I am, I’m still going about, I’m still jumping up and down, I’m still doing many things many people of my age cannot do. “Since I was diagnosed with diabetes, a number of my friends have died and the reason is that they just did not manage their diabetes the way they should manage it. “It does not matter whether you are type one or type two, so far there is no cure for diabetes, maybe there will be a cure before I die, but I pray that there will be a cure before you die. “You have to understand the type of food you should eat, you must completely abstain from sugar. The number of carbohydrates that you take must be watched. “Don’t miss your drugs, in your own case, your insulin injection, I take my drugs along with me everywhere I go and I always check my blood sugar level regularly. “Don’t let anybody put fear in your minds, diabetes, has no cure for now, but it can be managed.” In his remarks, the camp coordinator, Dr Olubiyi Adesina, said the camp was organised to give information and encourage young people living with type-1 diabetes.

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Post Date : August 18, 2021

Nigeria Lost $50bn In 10 Years Due To Uncertainty Over Petroleum Industry – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday in Abuja said Nigeria lost an estimated $50billion worth of investments in 10 years. This, according to him, was a result of the uncertainty of the non-passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), lack of progress and stagnation in the petroleum industry. In his remarks at a ceremony on passage of the PIA, which preceded the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, the President said the stagnation affected growth of the economy, citing lack of political will on the part of past administrations to actualize the needed transformation. President Buhari said assent of the Petroleum Industry Bill on August 16, 2021, marked the end of decades of uncertainty and under-investment in the petroleum industry. “We are all aware that past administrations have identified the need to further align the industry for global competitiveness, but there was lack of political will to actualize this needed transformation. “This lack of progress has stagnated the growth of the industry and the prosperity of our economy. In the past ten years, Nigeria has lost an estimated US$50billion worth of investments due to uncertainty created by the non-passage of the PIB. “This administration believes that the timely passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill will help our country attract investments across the oil and gas value chain. “In view of the value our Nation and investors will derive from a stable fiscal framework for the oil and gas industry, our Administration has found it necessary to work with the two chambers of the National Assembly to ensure the passage of the PIB,’’ he said. According to a statement by his special media aide, Femi Adesina, the President noted that the signing of the bill was part of the administration’s commitment to building a competitive and resilient petroleum industry that will attract investment, improve the country’s revenue base, create jobs and support the economic diversification agenda. President Buhari said as a “nation that depends on oil resources for the development of other sectors, Nigeria runs a Petroleum Industry that is governed largely by laws enacted over 50 years ago such as the principal legislation; the Petroleum Act of 1969 and other obsolete legislations.’’ According to him, the Presidential assent of the bill to “Petroleum Industry Act 2021” marked the beginning of the journey towards a competitive and resilient petroleum industry that will attract investments to support the nation’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan. “The ‘Petroleum Industry Act 2021’ creates a regulatory environment that would ensure efficiency and accountability across the oil and gas value chain and reposition NNPC to a commercially driven National Petroleum Company that is accountable to the Federation. “The Act also provides for a direct benefit framework that will enable sustainable development of host communities. I appeal to the host communities to look carefully at the contents of the Bill which in the implementation will bring real and lasting benefits to them. “Furthermore, the Act provides for deliberate end to gas flaring which would facilitate the attainment of Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contributions of the Paris Agreement through a funding mechanism to support gas flare out project in host communities,’’ he added. President Buhari said the administration believes that the timely passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill will help the country attract investments across the oil and gas value chain. While directing immediate implementation of the framework for the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), he urged all relevant stakeholders to comply and reposition for full activation within 12 months. The President said the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, will head the implementation team, urging all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA) to adjust to the transition, designed to reposition the economy. “To consolidate the commitment of this administration to delivering the value proposition of this law, I have approved an implementation framework commencing immediately to ensure the industry envisaged in the new law begins to take shape. “The implementation process to be headed by the Hon Minister of State, Petroleum Resources is hereby tasked with the completion of the implementation of this act within 12 months. I am, therefore, directing all relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government to fully cooperate in ensuring the successful and timely implementation of this law,” he said. President Buhari commended the leadership of the 9th Assembly for what he described as their continued pursuit of national aspiration and demonstration of mutual harmony with the executive in the pursuit of patriotic outcome in the passage of the PIB. “I also commend the entire team in the executive that worked tirelessly to ensure the delivery of this strategic legislation for our country. I thank Nigerians and other industry stakeholders for their contributions and support in achieving this historic landmark,” he said. The ceremony was attended by the Senate President, Dr. Ahmed Lawan, Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, Deputy Speaker Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase and other lawmakers, members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mele Kyari.

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Post Date : August 18, 2021

Malami seeks to vacate order prohibiting Igboho’s arrest

Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation (AGF), has filed an application before an Oyo state high court seeking to vacate the order stopping the arrest of Sunday Igboho and freezing of his accounts. On August 4, Ladiean Akintola, the presiding judge, had granted an order restraining the Department of State Services (DSS) and the AGF from arresting, intimidating, and freezing Igboho’s accounts. The order was made following an ex-parte motion moved by Yomi Aliu, Igboho’s lawyer, at the Oyo high court. At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, Abdullah Abubakar, the counsel representing the AGF, informed the court that he filed a preliminary objection on the matter. Abubakar, however, couldn’t move his application, having filed his processes out of time. He said the delay was because he was not briefed on the matter at the appropriate time. He, therefore, prayed the court to grant him an extension of time. T.A. Nurudeen, counsel to DSS, informed the court that he has responded to the processes served on him by the Igboho’s counsel. Responding, Aliyu said the processes filed by the AGF were incompetent, adding that the respondent has exceeded the five days stipulated by the law to respond after the receipt of the originating summon. He urged the court not to grant the application, adding that time was of the essence in a fundamental human rights suit. However, Akintola granted the application for extension of time and awarded N50,000 against the AGF. Akintola said the order restraining the respondents from arresting, intimidating and freezing Igboho’s accounts still subsist until it is vacated by the court. He adjourned the case until August 30 for the hearing in the application.

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Post Date : August 18, 2021

BBNaija Shine Ya Eye: Whitemoney explains genesis of rift with Pere

BBNaija Shine Ya Eye housemate Whitemoney has said that Pere’s rift with him probably began before getting into the Big Brother House. Whitemoney, during his diary session on Wednesday, August 18, told Big Brother that Pere seemed to know him before the show. However, the resident chef maintained that he doesn’t know Pere from anywhere until he came to the house. He further noted the hatred heightened after Pere figured out that he knew who the wildcards were. “After the altercations I had with him the Head of House called the both of us and Boma as the agitator to settle the issue. “He gave his side of his story and apparently he has been holding this grudge for me from outside the house. Pere’s hatred for me started from outside the house even though I don’t know him. “He even started saying something about the wildcard that someone who works with the BBN team told me like say Biggy na my neighbor for house. “I was really upset with the way I was treated but the moment he said he wasn’t going to apologise to me all my anger melted down. It became obvious that this guy naturally had very bad behavior. “However, I told him that he can only do this inside Biggy’s house because if it were to be outside, I won’t be the one fighting him a lot of people will treat his fuck up,” he said.

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Post Date : August 18, 2021

BBNaija S6: I got my first piercing at 15 to celebrate my varsity admission – Arin

Big Brother Naija Shine Ya Eye ex-housemate, Arin, revealed that she got her first piercing at 15 to celebrate her admission into the University of Lagos. Arin made this known in a live Facebook session with PUNCH Online on Wednesday, three days after she got evicted from the BBNaija house. On leaving the show, Arin said that she has come to acknowledge the nickname that fans have given to her because of her piercings, which is ‘Lord of the rings.’ It is said that she had 23 piercings but reduced it to 17 and that made her stand out from other housemates in the ongoing BBNaija season. She said, “I got my first piercing when I was 15. I was in UNILAG and I was in Year 1. I wanted to gift myself something for being in the University so I gifted myself a piercing. “It was actually a tradition that continued. Anytime I’ve done something nice or feel like I’ve achieved something, I’ll gift myself a piercing. Sometimes, I just did it for no reason. It didn’t have to do with anything.” She added, “I’m very expressive with my style in general and I really love jewelry while I was younger. So I just wanted to get piercings in places. It was just a fascination I indulged and I love it. “ According to her, the most unconventional piercing she has done is the Daith piercing, which is close to the entrance of her ear.

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Post Date : August 18, 2021

APC Will Win Anambra Governorship Election – Uzodinma

Governor Hope Uzodinman of Imo State is optimistic that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will win the 2021 governorship election in Anambra State. Mr Uzodinma, who chairs the APC Anambra Governorship Campaign Council, said the bond within the APC and the milestones achieved by the party makes it a marketable brand – one whose manifesto the Anambra people will buy, thereby leading to a win at the polls. “We are going there with a brand, an enviable brand that will be easy to sell, and by the grace of God, I think APC will win Anambra gubernatorial election come November 2021,” Uzodinma boasted on Tuesday while appearing as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today. Speaking about the mandate given him by his party, Governor Uzodinma explained that his business was to do his best to see that the Anambra people can agree with the vision of the APC. He noted that though the south-eastern state is currently being ruled by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the APC has a better name and is more functional and mobile than any other party in the country. According to Mr Uzodinma, the APC message will make the Anambra people swoon towards the party and the people will be convinced to go “into a new contract” which will lift them and bring development to their doorsteps. In his opinion, a vote for the APC will “give the Anambra people the opportunity to once more belong to a national ruling political party in Nigeria”.

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Post Date : August 18, 2021

Senate president ‘overthrows’ Buhari’s ADC

Pictures of Senate President Ahmad Lawan pulling out a chair for President Muhammadu Buhari have surfaced online. Typically, the responsibility is that of the president’s aide-de-camp (ADC). The office of the ADC to the president provides security and protects the president and his family in conjunction with other security agencies. The ADC also attends to the personal needs of the president and other matters regarding his functions as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. But when Buhari met with the leadership of the national assembly on Wednesday, the senate president took over one of the ADC’s responsibilities. In some of the pictures from the meeting, Lawan is seen assisting the president to take his seat despite the fact that Yusuf Dodo, Buhari’s ADC, was within close proximity. The pictures show Dodo, a lieutenant-colonel with the Nigerian army, making his way to get to his principal while Lawan was helping out the president. Dodo was appointed by the president in January after Mohammed Abubakar, his erstwhile ADC, was nominated for a promotion course. He assumed duty in February 2021 after understudying Abubakar for three weeks. Until his nomination, Dodo was the academy adjutant of the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna.

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Post Date : August 18, 2021

APC fixes September 4 for LGA congresses

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has fixed September 4 for the party’s LGA congresses across the country. In a statement on Wednesday, John Akpanudoedehe, national secretary of the APC caretaker committee, said the sale of nomination forms has already commenced. The party held its ward congresses on July 31 in most of the states in the country except in the federal capital territory (FCT), Bayelsa and Imo states. The LGA congress is another step leading up to the party’s national elective convention. Since the dissolution of the national working committee (NWC) led by Adams Oshiomhole, the former national chairman, in June 2020, a caretaker committee led by Mai Mala Buni, Yobe state governor, has been piloting the affairs of the party. The Oshiomhole-led NWC was dissolved after a protracted leadership crisis. The committee led by Buni was directed by the national executive committee (NEC) to organise a convention where substantive national officers of the party will be elected.

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