President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday in New York, asserted that African nations will no longer accept a situation in which human rights advocacy is used by wealthy and powerful nations to stop developing economies from dealing decisively with malign actors who illicitly siphon and smuggle out the continent’s vast mineral resources while smuggling in western-made weapons, which enrich the wealthiest economies in the world at the parasitic expense of African stability and wealth creation. According to a press statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, the President said this while meeting with United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, at his UN Headquarters Office in New York City. “We are facing the great challenge of scavengers ravaging our lands and oppressing our people on illegal mines—taking our gold and mineral wealth back to developed economies by stealth and violence against Nigerians. “Where one’s human right ends, the rights of another begin. Most especially for self-protection, If we fight, they say ‘human rights,’ but we will now be aggressive and we will question motives. We will stop what is happening in our land. We require your effective collaboration,” the President firmly stated.” The Nigerian leader noted that the United Nations must transform from being one of the world’s foremost talk shops to discuss global issues into becoming the world’s foremost action coordination center, saying that a situation in which 70% of the resources being devoted to the world’s poorest countries are being spent and sent back out on overheads and administrative costs, will defeat the purpose and objectives of the organization where help is needed most. The poverty ravaging our continent and the question of security and counter-terrorism requires us to work in close and effective synergy. The world will ignore Nigeria at its own peril. If we engage in talk shops as real challenges wreak real havoc in real time, we will fail. The time to strike is now. The time to achieve real results is now. I fought for democracy. I was detained for democracy. I am now President and I am determined to prove that democracy can provide the development that our nation and our continent so urgently demands. “Trace those of us here to our foundations and you will find that we have ties and links with poverty. We must not be ashamed of that history, but poverty is unacceptable. I am one of the lucky survivors of gripping poverty. Nigeria is truly a giant. 240 million people and counting with a massive youth population. We are done saying too much. We seek much action. We have arisen out of poverty as individuals, but until our people have arisen out of that, we will not rest, even if it requires decisions at home that make me temporarily unpopular,” the President affirmed. In response, the UN Secretary-General emphasized that the UN system is in the process of real reform that will largely address some of the institutional frailties and lack of decision-making power for the developing world, on whose behalf more than 75% of UN resources are accrued. “We now recognize the need to reform the institution to represent the world as it is today. The questions of debt and SDRs. The fact that middle-income countries have only marginal access to concessional funding. In the SDGs Summit, we believe we have a growing political consensus and now, a declaration, in this regard. We are pursuing this with great determination,” the UN Secretary-General said. The UN Secretary-General further assured President Tinubu of the fullest support of the UN system for ECOWAS in light of the series of military coups which have occured in the West African sub-region in the past few months and years. “Mr. President, we have high expectations for your presidency after the many bold steps you have taken. Nigeria is an indispensable voice in the sub-region. We will give you every support needed for your success to be achieved. Your success is Africa’s success and we wish you well,” the UN leader concluded.

  Men of the Rivers State Police Command have arrested three persons suspected to be engaged in National Identity Number racketeering in Port Harcourt. The suspects were nabbed by a team of policemen at the entrance of the National Identity Management Commission along Aba Road in the state capital on Wednesday afternoon. The operatives numbering about four arrived in the area in a blue-colour private salon car, had highlighted from their vehicle, and swooped on the roadside acclaimed agents. The raid followed complaints about the activities of the suspects who posed as agents of the federal agency unknown to the public that they had ulterior motives. Some of the roadside acclaimed agents who were seen at the entrance of the commission on Thursday claim that they sell NIN registration forms due to lack of employment. It was gathered that those arrested were pleading with the police to allow them to operate. Meanwhile, a source at the Port Harcourt NIMC office who spoke on condition of anonymity said the men usually come there on a daily basis posing as agents, saying sometimes they swindle unsuspecting members of the public visiting the facility. He stated, “You know this is a federal government office and people come here to either obtain a NIN or verify theirs and other things. “You see this group of young men that hang around here constituting nuisance and claiming to be agents when nobody sent them to do what they are doing. “They corner the people who come to our office and promise to assist them with whatever they want. Sometimes they even tell them that they are the genuine staff of NIMC and collect money from them.” Continuing, he said, “We have chased them and asked them not to hang around our gate, but they always come back. There was a time when the police came and arrested some of them. After some days they were back.” Efforts to reach the spokesperson of the state police command, Grace Iringe-Koko, proved abortive as her mobile was not connected. Also, she had yet to reply to a text message sent to her as of the time of filing this report on Thursday afternoon

  The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has postponed the 293rd meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). No reason was given by the apex bank which made the announcement in a release by the CBN spokesman, Abdulmumin Isa. Isa said a new date will be communicated. The MPC, which was scheduled for Monday and Tuesday next week, would have afforded the committee to opportunity to review the hawkwish interest rate position of the CBN amidst growing inflation concern. Analyst expect the meeting to also serve as a validation session as President Bola Tinubu has named new governor and deputy governors for the bank, awaiting confirmation by the Senate. It is unclear if the leadership change at the bank is the cause of the postponement. Last week Tinubu named Yemi Cardoso as the new CBN governor and Sani Ahmad Dattijo, Mrs. Emem Nnana Usoro, Mr. Philip Ikeazor, and Dr. Bala M. Bello as deputy governors.

  The management of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, has denied allegations that one of its house officers, Dr Michael Umoh, died after a 72-hour call. The Price Of a Home Security Camera May Surprise You (Search Here For Options) Search Ads | SponsoredThe Price Of a Home Security Camera May Surprise You (Search Here For Options)Jubna Ads Choice This is contained in a statement issued by LUTH management team in Lagos on Thursday. “LUTH management understands the fact that the family of Dr Umoh is presently mourning the death of their beloved son and requested the foreclosure of any media engagement regarding the death of their son. It is important for us as a management to make clarifications regarding the circumstances surrounding his death. “Dr Umoh died on Sept 17 while in church with his parents. The management was informed, and the death was later confirmed by one of the Consultants in his unit (Neurosurgery). “The death of Dr Umoh is unfortunate but the narrative of a 72 hours non-stop shift is false. “The record from Neurosurgery unit shows that the last time he was on call was 13th and 14th September, 2023. He was not on call on the 15th, 16th and 17th (the day he died), contrary to the insinuations on social media. He was at home with his parents on Sept. 16 and Sept. 17,” the management said. Prior to this time, the management said, he was on call on the Sept. 7 and Sept. 8. ”This shows that Dr Umoh was on call for a total number of four days in September, 2023. “A delegation from LUTH visited the family on Wednesday to commiserate with the family and to get more details of the circumstances surrounding his death. “The parents gave the details of what they thought must have contributed to his death but pleaded that the wish of the family be respected and that the narrative is not for public consumption,” it said. The management described Dr Umoh as a hardworking and diligent house-officer, and a very promising young man. It said he will be sorely missed by his friends and colleagues. “May his soul rest in peace, and may the Almighty give the family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss” LUTH said.(NAN)

  Police authorities in Lagos State have exhumed the remains of singer Mohbad and are set to begin autopsy. The singer died last week in unclear circumstances with Nigerians protesting and calling for justice for Mohbad. While the rapper, known officially as Ilerioluwa Olademeji Aloba, was buried less than a day after his death, the spokesman of the Lagos State Police Command Benjamin Hundeyin said Mohbad’s remains have been exhumed. Exhumation completed. Autopsy to commence. #JusticeForMohad #Justice4Mohbad — SP Benjamin Hundeyin (@BenHundeyin) September 21, 2023 “Exhumation completed. Autopsy to commence,” he tweeted on Thursday afternoon, days after the police began a probe into the death of the former Naira Marley signee. More to follow…