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Post Date : January 13, 2022

Taliban Release First Budget Since Afghan Takeover

The Taliban said Thursday they have approved their first budget for Afghanistan since the hardline Islamists returned to power in August, with no mention of foreign aid. International assistance represented 40 percent of Afghanistan’s GDP and made up 80 percent of its budget when the former US-backed government was in control. When it crumbled in August and the Taliban took command, Western powers froze billions of dollars in aid and assets in what the United Nations described as an “unprecedented fiscal shock”. “For the first time in the last two decades, we made a budget that is not dependent on foreign aid and that is a very big achievement for us,” said Taliban finance ministry spokesman Ahmad Wali Haqmal. The budget of 53.9 billion afghanis ($508 million) approved on Wednesday will cover the first quarter of 2022 and is almost entirely dedicated to funding government institutions. Haqmal said state workers, many of whom have not been paid for months, will start receiving salaries by the end of January. Women staff, who have mostly been blocked from returning to their jobs, will also be paid. “We count them like they have come back to work. We have not fired them,” Haqmal said. Around 4.7 billion afghanis will be spent on development projects including transport infrastructure. “It’s a small amount but that’s what we can do now,” Haqmal said. The Taliban exchequer is funded by “our own resources” including tax, trade, and mining revenue, he added. The Islamists are set to announce their first annual budget in March, shifting the fiscal year to match Afghanistan’s solar calendar. Since they took power Western nations have grappled with the task of channelling aid to the nation without financing its new rulers. Meanwhile millions are facing hunger this winter as a cash, fuel and food crisis grips the impoverished country. AFP

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Post Date : January 13, 2022

FG: Corruption has hurt Nigeria’s image abroad

The federal government says there is a need to put in more efforts to redeem Nigeria’s image which has been “hurt” by corruption. Boss Mustapha, secretary to the government of the federation, said this on Thursday while inaugurating the 23-member board of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The board is the first of its kind since 2015 when the present administration came into power. Addressing the board members, Mustapha encouraged them to put in their best to support the federal government’s fight against corruption. “The unfortunate thing is that what we have battled with this internally and in-country, we have successfully exported it out of this country. So, your job and your role would extend beyond the borders of this nation, because it does hurt our image as a country. It has deprived us of even direct foreign investment,” he said. “It has created a doubt as to the sincerity of people doing business with us, outside the shores of our country. “So, we must do everything and you are the ones that are assigned the responsibility of creating a new image for Nigeria, and your actions and activities will in no small measure help Nigeria redeem its image.” In his remarks, AbdulRasheed Bawa, EFCC chairman, expressed optimism that the new board will achieve significant impact in tackling corruption. “The EFCC has been without a board for for six years sequel to a series of events that had happened which warranted the non-existence of the board of the EFCC in the last six years,” he said. “So, it is something that gladdens the heart, with me, of course, being a former staff of the EFCC, and now the chairman of the EFCC, that today the EFCC has a board spearheading the policy direction of this problem that we have — the economic and financial crimes in this country. “As you have said, your excellency, we have a saying at the EFCC that we have one of the most cosmopolitan boards, looking at public service in this country, looking at the composition of the fact that all law enforcement agencies and security organisations in this country are represented on the board as well as other regulatory agencies like NICOMSAT as well as Central Bank of Nigeria. “So, we’re happy for this day. And I want to assure your excellency and the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that we’re not unfamiliar with the daunting task before us. “We have been doing well. Last year had been a difficult year with COVID-19. But the EFCC has managed to set a new record in terms of recoveries as well as, you know, convictions. “With the inauguration of this board,I believe with the wealth of experience that all of us are bringing to the board, we will be able to do better.”

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Post Date : January 13, 2022

Indonesian Woman Flogged 100 Times For Adultery, Partner Gets 15 Strokes

An Indonesian woman was flogged 100 times Thursday in conservative Aceh province for adultery while her male partner, who denied the accusations, received just 15 lashes. Ivan Najjar Alavi, the head of general investigation division at East Aceh prosecutors office, said the court handed down a heftier sentence for the married woman after she confessed to investigators she had sex out of her marriage. Judges found it difficult to convict the man, who was then the head of East Aceh fishery agency and also married because he denied all wrongdoings, Alavi added. “During the trial, he admitted nothing, denying all accusations. Thus, [judges] are not able to prove whether he is guilty,” Alavi told reporters after a public flogging for Sharia law offenders in East Aceh on Thursday. Aceh is the only region in Muslim-majority Indonesia to impose Islamic law, which allows whipping for charges including gambling, adultery, drinking alcohol, and gay sex. As an alternative punishment, instead, the judges found the married man guilty of “showing affection to a female partner who is not his wife” after the couple were caught by locals at a palm oil plantation in 2018. He was initially sentenced to 30 lashes but his successful appeal at the Sharia Supreme Court in Aceh reduced the sentence to 15. The woman’s flogging was briefly paused because she couldn’t bear the pain, according to an AFP reporter in the field. Another man convicted of having sex with a minor was also whipped 100 times on Thursday. The man will also serve 75 months in prison for the crime after the flogging according to prosecutors. Dozens watched, recorded, and put Thursday’s flogging on social media, a spectacle criticised by rights groups but which regularly attracted hundreds before the pandemic. Unlike the rest of the nation, Aceh follows religious law as part of a 2005 autonomy deal agreed with the central government that ended a decades-long separatist insurgency. Human rights groups slam public caning as cruel, and Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo has called for it to end. However, it has strong support among Aceh’s population. AFP

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Post Date : January 13, 2022

2023 Presidency: Party leaders can’t help you, PDP chairman tells Dele Momodu

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Iyorchia Ayu, on Thursday, told popular journalist, Dele Momodu, that members of the party, and not leaders, would determine who emerge as PDP presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections. Ayu also told the Chief Executive Officer of Ovation Media Group that the PDP has no preferred presidential candidate, noting that the party would provide a level-playing ground for all aspirants. Momodu on Thursday afternoon visited Ayu at the PDP National Secretariat in Abuja where he formally presented his letter of intent to contest the presidential ticket of the party. Addressing Momodu in his office in the presence of pressman, the PDP National Chairman said, “For you to run for office, you must have a strong platform but the first responsibility I will charge you to do is to work hard and build a strong party which we can go into battle with. “For your personal ambition like all other candidates, I wish you well, I wish you the best. “There will be a level playing ground for all aspirants; we don’t have a special candidate, we don’t have preferred candidate, the party members will decide who will contest any office. “If at the end of the day, party members vote for you that you are the one they want, the party will stand behind you. You have to go out and work out there among the party members across the country because the party leadership will not do it for you. Our job is to try and provide the necessary mechanism.” Momodu joined the PDP in October 2021, saying the achievements recorded under the PDP administration “have been diluted, wasted, or diminished by the present APC (All Progressives Congress) government.” Momodu’s public declaration to run for president followed those by APC National Leader, Bola Tinubu; and Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi; that they would be running for President in 2023. The two APC members had separately visited the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) in Aso Villa this week and informed the President of their intention to contest the next presidential election.

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Post Date : January 13, 2022

BREAKING: Dele Momodu declares interest to run for president in 2023

Frontline journalist and publisher, Dele Momodu, Thursday, met with national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Iyorchia Ayu with a declaration of interest to run for the Office of the President in the 2023 election. Decked in black “babariga” with a cap to match, Momodu presented Ayu with a letter of interest, describing himself as “the best, most prepared aspirant,” to turn around the fortunes of the country. He enjoined the leadership of the country not to be hasty in choosing the party’s flag bearer, noting that 2023 offers the PDP the opportunity to seek the nod of Nigerians to reposition the country. He vowed not to be intimidated by money bags whose illegally acquired wealth has for many years, done the country more harm than good. More to follow…

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Post Date : January 13, 2022

Prof Gidado Tahir, Pioneer UBEC Executive Secretary, Is Dead

Professor Gidado Tahir, the pioneer Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Council, is dead. Details of his death were sketchy as of the time of filing this report. He lectured at at the Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto and the University of Abuja, where he rose to the position of Deputy Vice Chancellor before retiring. Born in Toungo town in Adamawa State, on December 29, 1949, he was the Chairman, Board of National Commission for Nonadic Education (NCNE). The deceased was educated at Church of the Brethren Mission Secondary School in Waka, Biu, Borno, between 1956 and 1967, and later Government Secondary, Bauchi. He graduated from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1970. He later attended Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA, where he obtained MSc and Ph.D. in Higher and Continuing Education. He served as Provost of Federal College of Education, Yola, from 1987 to 1994. He is survived by his wife, Hajiya Asma’u Gidado Tahir, children and grand children.

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Post Date : January 13, 2022

With Conditions, Telecom Operators Restore Twitter Access After FG Lifts Suspension, Nigerians reacts

Many Nigerians on Thursday were able to access Twitter without using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) after the Federal Government lifted its suspension on the microblogging network. The Federal Government had suspended Twitter in Nigeria last June after accusing the platform of enabling the spread of fake news and hate speech that undermined national security. The Twitter hammer came into effect days after the platform deleted a tweet from President Muhammadu Buhari referencing the Nigerian civil war. The suspension was criticised by many including opposition party PDP, rights activists and the international community. Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka described the suspension as a “petulant gesture, unbecoming of a democratically elected president.” The Federal Government on Wednesday night lifted the suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria after approval by President Muhammadu Buhari The decision was announced by the Chairman Technical Committee Nigeria-Twitter Engagement and Director-General National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE. Kashifu, in a statement in Abuja, said the approval was given following a memo written to the President by Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Ali Ibrahim. He said: “The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) directs me to inform the public that President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, has approved the lifting of the suspension of Twitter operation in Nigeria effective from 12am tonight, 13th January 2022. “The approval was given following a memo written to the President by the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Ali Ibrahim. “In the Memo, the Minister updated and requested the President’s approval for the lifting based on the Technical Committee Nigeria-Twitter Engagement’s recommendation.” FG lists agreements reached with Twitter Three months ago, the president said he had directed that Twitter suspension be lifted — only if the conditions are met to allow citizens to use the platform for positive engagements. Some of the conditions include legal registration of operations, taxation, and managing prohibited publications in line with Nigerian laws. While announcing the lifting of the ban, the government noted that Twitter has agreed to meet the set out conditions. REGISTRATION OF TWITTER WITH THE CAC One of the conditions given by the federal government is that the social media giant must register with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in Nigeria. The statement added that Twitter has agreed to register with the CAC. “Twitter has committed to establishing a legal entity in Nigeria during the first quarter of 2022. The legal entity will register with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC),” the statement reads. “The establishment of the entity is Twitter’s first step in demonstrating its long-term commitment to Nigeria.” APPOINTMENT OF COUNTRY REP The government also noted that Twitter would appoint a designated country representative to interface with Nigerian authorities. The Global Public Policy team is also directly available through a dedicated communication channel. TWITTER WILL PAY TAX The statement noted that the micro-blogging platform has agreed to comply with applicable tax obligations on its operations under Nigerian law. Lagos seals 16 firms over ‘tax evasion’ ENROL NIGERIAN OFFICIALS TO MANAGE PROHIBITED CONTENT The federal government said the company also agreed to enrol Nigeria in its Partner Support and Law Enforcement Portals. According to the statement, the portal will provide a direct channel for government officials and Twitter staff to manage prohibited content that violates Twitter community rules. Additionally, the portal will provide a channel for the law enforcement agencies to submit a report with a legal justification on content that violates Nigerian Laws. TO PLAY BY NIGERIA RULES AND CULTURE The government said Twitter also agreed to act with a respectful acknowledgement of Nigerian laws, national culture and history on which such legislation has been built. The platform will work with the federal government and the broader industry to develop a Code of Conduct in line with global best practices, applicable in almost all developed countries. Nigerians reacts to FG’s reversal of Twitter ban Some Nigerian have taken to social media platforms to react to the decision of the federal government to lift the ban on Twitter’s operations in Nigeria. Below are some reactions on Twitter Chris Kirwa @chriskirwa Great News for Nigeria People and Busineses, Buhari regime backs down on Twitter ban after 222 days. ✊✊✊ 10:46 PM · Jan 12, 2022 sun @iamnelsun I thought Buhari will lift twitter ban if Nigeria promise him third term 😆 🤣 APC don loose guard 10:33 PM · Jan 12, 2022 from Abuja, Nigeria Femi Fani-Kayode @realFFK Welcome back to @Twitter Nigeria! Fatima Khan (Mrs) @RubbyQueen__ My people stay calm, no vex buhari before midnight. 10:33 PM · Jan 12, 2022 Lay Low @Thinnygram2 Here wondering what Buhari first post will be like. CMs will be chaotic 10:32 PM · Jan 12, 2022 Temitope Adedigba💙 @tooshtpain1 Buhari will be dealt with on twitter tomorrow, the DSS should be prepared for massive arrest and intimidation 10:49 PM · Jan 12, 2022

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Post Date : January 13, 2022

Bid To Stop NPF, AGF From Arresting, Extraditing Abba Kyari Stalled

The suit seeking to stop the Nigerian Police (NPF) and the Attorney- General of the Federation (AGF) from arresting and extraditing the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Abba Kyari was yesterday stalled before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja. The suit could not go as scheduled due to the absence of both counsels to the plaintiff and respondents. The Incorporated Trustees of Northern Peace Foundation had, on August 9, 2021, filed the suit marked FHC/ ABJ/CS/854/2021, praying the court to grant a temporary order of injunction against the police and AGF, pending the hearing and final determination of the substantive suit. But, when the matter was called yesterday, none of the parties’ lawyers was in court. Trial judge, Justice Donatus Okorowo, however, noted that though the case was filed on August 9, 2021, none of the respondents had been served from available court records. He also noted that neither the applicant’s counsel nor the defence lawyer was in court. “It is either the applicant has lost interest in the case or the case is abandoned,” he said. The court later adjourned the matter till February 10, and ordered that hearing notices be issued on the parties. The matter had earlier come up on August 9, 2021 before Justice A R Mohammed, but was later re-assigned to Jus-tice Okorowo. At the last adjourned date, Justice Mohammed refused to grant an ex-parte application brought by counsel to the plaintiff, Dr Kayode Ajulo, seeking to restrain the respondents from arresting and extraditing Kyari. Ajulo had prayed the court to grant the temporary order of injunction against the two defendants, pending the hearing and final determination of the substantive suit. The ex-parte application was accomplished with a 21-paragraph affidavit of urgency. But after carefully listening to the plaintiff ’s counsel, the court declined to grant the request to stop Kyari’s arrest and extradition through ex-parte means. Rather, the judge ordered the counsel to turn the ex-parte motion to motion on notice and serve same on the police and the AGF. The judge also directed the applicant to serve all court processes in respect of the case on the two respondents. DCP Abba Kyari was allegedly indicted by the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in an alleged multimillion naira advance fee fraud said to have been perpetrated by a Nigerian citizen, Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, popularly known as Hushpuppi.

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Post Date : January 13, 2022

Bandits kill 51, houses burnt in Niger, Plateau communities

Gunmen on Tuesday morning and night struck in three communities in Niger and Plateau states, killing 51 residents before fleeing unchallenged. Bodies of 34 persons killed in Niger’s Nakuna and Wurukuchi communities were found in bushes and farms. Fourteen of them were said to be members of two different families. Ancha, Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State by the gunmen who also set many houses ablaze. The attacks occurred shortly before reports emerged that many traders were kidnapped along the Birnin-Gwari-Kaduna Highway. – The attacks in Niger and Plateau were confirmed by Police Commissioner Monday Kuryas and Operation Safe Haven Commander Maj.-Gen. I. S. Ali. They did not dispute the figures. Earlier yesterday, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered a sustained military onslaught against bandits, gunmen, and terrorists across the country. Senate President Ahmad Lawan also expressed worry over the rising security challenges, saying that Nigerians needed action and not excuses. The Nakuna and Wurukuchi attacks on Tuesday morning were said to be reprisals by the gunmen for last week’s killing of many of their colleagues by vigilantes and hunters. The gunmen were said to have captured and killed three of the hunters in one of the two communities. The Nation learnt that 10 residents killed in Nakuna were members of the same family while four others were from another family in Wurukuchi. Not giving up after the killings, the gunmen proceeded to burn down many houses and food barns in Nakuna. Commissioner of Police Kuryas, who confirmed the killings, said policemen had been drafted to the communities. The Nation gathered that in Ancha, Plateau State, the gunmen killed 17 residents and set ablaze many houses. Information officer of Operation Safe Haven Ishaku Takwa, said: “In the late hours of Tuesday 11 January 2022, troops received a distress call of an attack on Ancha community. “The troops responded swiftly and mobilised to the village. On reaching the community, the attackers had fled. Houses were destroyed and some villagers lost their lives during the attack. “Troops are on the trail of the assailants and details of the pursuit would be made available later.” Operation Safe Haven Commander I. S Ali, who commiserated with the families of the victims, assured that the perpetrators would be arrested. Governor Simon Bako Lalong expressed sadness over the attack, saying it was another sad tale in the unending cycle of violence in the area. He ordered security agencies to ensure the arrest of the attackers. He also commiserated with the families of the victims and directed the state Emergency Management Agency and the Peace Building Agency to offer immediate humanitarian interventions.

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Post Date : January 13, 2022

2023: I didn’t endorse any presidential aspirant, says Soyinka

Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, has distanced himself from a viral post linking him to the endorsement of the presidential ambition of a former governor of Lagos State and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. The elder statesman in a statement on Wednesday titled, “Season of Fakery Galore,” described the authors of the post as illiterate public interlopers who lacked the courage of their conviction and must steal identities of their betters. The post, embedded with the pictures of Soyinka and Tinubu, went viral on the Internet last November and quoted Soyinka as saying, “I have never involve myself in politics or campaign for any politician but in 2023 I will involve in politics and campaign for longtime friend in 1993 NADECO struggle. Nobel laurel, Professor Wole Soyinka.” The post returned to public space after Tinubu on Monday said that he had declared his intention to run for presidency in 2023 to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd). Soyinka said, “Here we go again. The same boring, illiterate public interlopers who lack the courage of their conviction and must steal the identities of their betters. One can only hope that the public has learnt to identify Fake News and join in the urgent task of exposing and disgracing these despicable touts. “For the avoidance of doubt, I have not even thoughy 2023, much less inserted candidates into coveted positions. The signature of this latest moron is familiar – he or she does not even know the difference between ‘Laureate and Laurel.’ “This is an ancient forgery being recycled for the umpteenth time. Those who pass it round do themselves and their recipients a disservice. Find something worthwhile to occupy your time. “In any case, we have no business with politics in the land of the dead, and the most recent information I have on me is that I died sometime last year. The email account of the year’s Nobel ‘Laurel”‘ was hacked by these same agents to publicise my demise, so who is this still politicking WS ‘Laurel’?” The playwright was rumoured dead last year after hackers used the social media handle of Tanzania novelist and winner of 2021 Nobel Prize for Literature, Abdulrazak Gurnah, to announce his demise.

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