₦airaland Forum

Soldiers of the Nigerian Army who have been laying siege on the Okuama community in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State since March 14, 2024, following the killing of 17 army officers and soldiers on a peace mission, have been pulled out from the community.

Local sources from Akugbene and Okoloba communities in Bomadi Local Government Area told newsmen on Wednesday that “the military troops were sighted suddenly pulling out of Okuama community on Tuesday, May 7, 2024.”

Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, while confirming the troops withdrawal from Okuama community, lauded President Bola Tinubu and the military high command for their interventions.

Oborevwori, at a media briefing, said that with the withdrawal of the troops, the people of Okuama could now safely return to their homes and begin the process of reintegration and rebuilding their homes and community.


The governor said, “My dear good people of Delta State, I have the pleasure to announce to you that, upon many deliberations and collaborations between the state government and the military leadership, the Nigerian Army has agreed to withdraw its officers and men from Okuama.

“I spoke with the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, on Monday, 6th of May, and as of today, 8th of May, 2024, the military has withdrawn from Okuama.

“With this development, the people of Okuama can now safely return to their homes and begin the process of reintegration and rebuilding their homes.”

Although Oberevwori had earlier appealed to indigenes and farmers to move into a rehabilitation camp being set up for Internally Displaced Persons by the state government “for proper welfare as a first step towards their resettlement to their community,” Okuama leaders had reportedly expressed reluctance to yield to the governor’s call regarding IDPs.

The Chairman of the State Government Committee to manage the Ewu IDP Camp, Mr. Abraham Ogbodo, who affirmed that the governor had already released N10 million to the Committee to ease the take-off of the Camp site at Ewu Grammar School lamented the noticeable lack of willingness by the Okuama indigenes to move into the IDP camp despite the efforts being put in place.
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The bank earlier directed all banks to charge a 0.5 per cent cybersecurity levy on all electronic transactions within the country starting two weeks from 6 May.

“The levy shall be applied at the point of electronic transfer origination, then deducted and remitted by the financial institution. The deducted amount shall be reflected in the customer’s account with the narration, ‘Cybersecurity Levy’,” it said.

The directive and the exemption list were contained in a circular signed by the Director, Payments System Management Department, Chibuzo Efobi; and the Director, Financial Policy and Regulation Department, Haruna Mustafa.


Below is the list of the exempted banking transactions:

Loan disbursements and repayments
Salary payments

Intra-account transfers within the same bank or between different banks for the same customer

Intra-bank transfers between customers of the same bank

Other Financial Institutions instructions to their correspondent banks
Interbank placements

Banks’ transfers to CBN and vice-versa

Inter-branch transfers within a bank

Cheque clearing and settlements
Letters of Credits

Banks’ recapitalisation-related funding – only bulk funds movement from collection accounts

Savings and deposits, including transactions involving long-term investments such as Treasury Bills, Bonds, and Commercial Papers.

Government Social Welfare Programmes transactions e.g. Pension payments

Non-profit and charitable transactions, including donations to registered non-profit organisations or charities

Educational institutions’ transactions, including tuition payments and other transactions involving schools, universities, or other educational institutions

Transactions involving bank’s internal accounts such as suspense accounts, clearing accounts, profit and loss accounts, inter-branch accounts, reserve accounts, nostro and vostro accounts, and escrow accounts.



© 2024 The Premium Times, Nigeria

Nightwolf1:
Thièfnubu is anywhere belle face. He is a very big otondo.

This is a good move

BRICS member India finalized a major trade partnership with Nigeria on Friday switching away from the US dollar. Both countries will use local currencies in the bilateral trade agreement for energy, pharmaceuticals, and transport sectors. India and Nigeria have agreed to cooperate and settle trade in local currencies and not the US dollar.

However, the local currency in question is yet to be finalized and could be either the Indian rupee or the Nigerian naira. The agreement comes at a time when BRICS is looking to uproot the US dollar as the world’s reserve currency. Read here to know how many sectors in the US will be affected if BRICS ditches the dollar for trade.

India and Nigeria’s latest trade agreement extends cooperation in the sectors of energy, pharmaceuticals, and transport. The delegation from India to Nigeria included officials from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), EXIM Bank of India, and the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).


“Both sides agreed to the early conclusion of the Local Currency Settlement System Agreement to further strengthen bilateral economic ties,” the ministry said. The move shows that BRICS nation India is keen on ending reliance on the US dollar to boost the rupee’s prospects.

Nigeria is India’s second-largest trading partner in Africa and has expressed interest in joining BRICS. Trade between the two countries stood at $11.8 billion in FY 2022-23. In 2023-24, the bilateral trade between India and Nigeria stood at $7.89 billion. BRICS is advancing to put local currencies ahead of the US dollar in most of their trade and transactions.


If the development continues on a larger scale, the US dollar will remain in jeopardy. Also, the BRICS alliance revealed that the de-dollarization agenda is a long-term plan, therefore the next decade will be challenging for the US dollar

© Copyright 2024 Watcher.Guru

The CBN issued a circular to that effect on Monday, May 6 and stipulated that the new levy comes into force two weeks from that date, which is Monday May 20.

The circular was directed to all commercial, merchant, non-interest and payment service banks as well as mobile money operators and payment service providers.


The circular read in part, “Following the enactment of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) (amendment) Act 2024 and pursuant to the provision of Section 44 (2) (a) of the Act, ‘a levy of 0.5% (0.005) equivalent to a half percent of all electronic transactions value by the business specified in the Second Schedule of the Act’, is to be remitted to the National Cybersecurity Fund (NCF), which shall be administered by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA),” the circular partly read.

“The levy shall be applied at the point of electronic transfer origination, then deducted and remitted by the financial institution. The deducted amount shall be reflected in the customer’s account with the narration, ‘Cybersecurity Levy’.

“Deductions shall commence within two weeks from the date of this circular for all financial institutions and the monthly remittance of the levies collected in bulk to the NCF account domiciled at the CBN by the fifth business day of every subsequent month,” the circular added.


Exempted from the levy include loan disbursements and repayments, salary payments, intra-account transfers within the same bank or between different banks for the same customer, intra-bank transfers between customers of the same bank.

Also exempted from the levy are inter-branch transfers within a bank, cheque clearing and settlements, ⁠Letters of Credits, ⁠Banks’ recapitalisation-related funding only bulk funds movement from collection accounts, savings and deposits including transactions involving long-term investments, among others.

The apex bank recently stopped fintechs firms like Opay and Palmpay from onboarding new customers and directed banks to deduct 0.375 per cent stamp duty charge on all mortgaged-backed loans and bonds.



Copyright © 2024 Blueprint Newspapers Limited.

Betanaija42moro:
This is a confirmation that Reno is just a jobless man. He is just looking for an appointment and he can't get it because even Tinubu knows that he is a serial betrayer and can not be taken serious.

Reno is where belly face
He is so bitter because Obi didn't allow him to manage his social media handles again.

Reno has no job or business, so I can't take him serious.

Let him keep waiting for government appointment

All well meaning Nigerians knew that Reno and FFK are not to be trusted,their stock in trade is betrayal

Nigeria is now among the dangerous countries to live in

This is one of the surviving and thriving SME that contribute enomously to nations economic growth

The government now want to frustrate them like they did to other SME's

harvenghor:
Fake News, ceasefire didn't fall short. The Jewish killers refused it deliberately so they can invade and kill more people.

Hamas accepted the deal way earlier already, Israel is killer State

on the contrary Hamas are the killers, Israel have to act strong to live in their midst

Israeli airstrikes killed multiple people in Rafah early Tuesday, Palestinian officials said, after Israel reiterated its commitment to an offensive in southern Gaza, saying ceasefire terms responded to by Hamas were "far from" meeting its demands.
Israel said its war cabinet had "unanimously decided" to continue with the Rafah operation "to exert military pressure on Hamas." However, Israel will send a delegation for further talks, which Qatar said would resume Tuesday.
Palestinian civilians told to evacuate eastern Rafah by the Israeli military have described their fear and despair. More than 1 million Palestinians have fled to the city during seven months of war.
The White House said the US remains opposed to an Israeli ground invasion of Rafah, while the UN chief said such a move would be "intolerable."


Palestinians flee from Rafah, Gaza Strip, on May 6. Ramadan Abed/Reuters
Palestinian civilians told to evacuate eastern Rafah by the Israeli military have described their fear and despair at being uprooted from their homes and shelters, as Israel airstrikes hit Gaza’s southernmost city.

“We left because they distributed leaflets,” Mohammed Ghanem, a resident in eastern Rafah told a CNN stringer in the area on Monday. “(They) are striking everywhere without differentiating between children, adults, militants or non-militants. I left my house that I have been building for 17 years.”
Ghanem and his wife were pushing strollers piled high with belongings. “We no longer have a home. We are heading to Mawasi because there is no safety with the Israelis. They are killing women and children,” he said.

Another woman from eastern Rafah said, “The Israelis sent us messages ordering us to leave. We cannot stay.”

Earlier on Monday, the Israeli military called on an estimated 100,000 Palestinians living in parts of eastern Rafah to “evacuate immediately,” telling them to move to Al-Mawasi, a coastal town near the city of Khan Younis that aid groups say is not appropriate for habitation.

In a statement, the office of Israel’s prime minister said the country’s war cabinet had “unanimously decided” to continue with the Rafah operation “to exert military pressure on Hamas.”



Israeli airstrikes killed multiple people in Rafah early Tuesday, Palestinian officials said, after Israel reiterated its commitment to an offensive in southern Gaza.

Israel has vowed to "exert military pressure on Hamas" in Rafah after saying the ceasefire terms the Palestinian militant group responded to Monday were "far from" meeting its demands.

International leaders, including the United Nations chief, have urged Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire deal as tensions escalate on the ground after the Israeli military called on Palestinians in eastern Rafah to "evacuate immediately."


Negotiations stall: Hamas on Monday said it responded a ceasefire deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar, but Israel said the terms Hamas accepted were still far from meeting its "requirements." However, Israel said it will send a delegation to Cairo for further talks, which mediator Qatar said would resume Tuesday.
Deadly strikes: Palestinian officials reported multiple fatalities in Rafah following Israeli airstrikes early Tuesday. It comes after at least 26 people were killed by strikes from late Sunday into the early hours of Monday, the Civil Defense said. Separately, video and images showed multiple explosions in Rafah on Monday night, which US officials said they did not believe to be the beginning of Israel's operation.
Mass evacuations: Palestinians evacuating eastern Rafah described their fear and despair, after Israel's evacuation order raised fears that its long-threatened assault on the city could be imminent. Throughout the war, more than 1 million Palestinians have fled to Rafah, where Hamas is believed to have regrouped after Israel’s destruction of much of northern Gaza.
International response: Qatar and Jordan expressed hope for a ceasefire deal, while the White House said the US remains opposed to an Israeli ground invasion of Rafah and that President Joe Biden had been briefed about where things stand on negotiations. Meanwhile, the UN secretary-general warned that a Rafah ground invasion would be "intolerable" and the UN human rights chief called Israel's evacuation order "inhumane."



US President Joe Biden and King Abdullah II of Jordan “discussed the latest developments in Gaza and affirmed their commitment to work together towards an enduring end to the crisis” during their lunch at the White House Monday, the White House said.

“They further underscored the need for an immediate release of the hostages held by Hamas and a sustainable ceasefire that allows for a surge of the urgently needed humanitarian assistance to be delivered safely through Gaza,” a readout of the meeting released by the White House said.
“Both remain committed to achieving a durable, lasting peace to include a pathway to a Palestinian state, with security guarantees for Israel."
Both Biden and Abdullah “reiterated their shared commitment to facilitating the increased, sustained delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians in Gaza,” the White House said. Biden also thanked the king for his “critical leadership and partnership in this effort.”

Abdullah warned Biden in their meeting that an Israeli attack on Rafah, where about 1.4 million Palestinians are internally displaced "threatens to lead to a new massacre," according to a post on X from Jordan's Royal Hashemite Court.



Civil defense teams transport several injured people following Israeli attacks in Rafah, southern Gaza.
Civil defense teams transport several injured people following Israeli attacks in Rafah, southern Gaza. Palestinian Civil Defence
Israeli airstrikes killed a number of Palestinians and injured others early Tuesday, Palestinian officials said.

In a statement published alongside photos of at least two bodies inside body bags, the Palestinian Civil Defense said it had rescued "several injured individuals from under the rubble of several homes which were bombed by Israeli warplanes tonight in various places" in Rafah.
Eight Palestinians were killed in two attacks on Rafah, although the exact timeframe remains unclear, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

Rafah's Kuwait hospital said it received 11 dead, according to a post on its Facebook account in the early hours of Tuesday.

The reports come after Israel reiterated its commitment to an offensive in southern Gaza, saying ceasefire terms accepted by Hamas were "far from" meeting its demands.

An Israeli ground invasion of Rafah would be "intolerable," United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday.

"A ground invasion in Rafah would be intolerable because of its devastating humanitarian consequences and because of its destabilizing impact in the region," the UN chief warned.
Guterres said he had made a "very strong appeal" to both the Israeli government and the leadership of Hamas to "go an extra mile" to reach a ceasefire agreement.

"This is an opportunity that cannot be missed," he added.



Israel says Rafah operations will go ahead as Hamas deal remains "far" from meeting its demands
From CNN's Abeer Salman, Christian Edwards, Becky Anderson and Jeremy Diamond

Israel said the terms of a ceasefire proposal Hamas accepted on Monday remained “far from” meeting its demands and warned its military operations in Rafah would continue, even as it sent negotiators to talk to mediators.

In a statement Monday, Hamas said the head of its political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, told the Qatari prime minister and Egyptian intelligence minister that the militant group had accepted their proposals for a ceasefire and hostage deal.

Palestinians celebrated that statement in the streets of Gaza, while in Tel Aviv, hostage families and their supporters implored Israel’s leaders to accept the deal.

However, shortly afterwards, Israel said the terms Hamas had accepted were still far from meeting its “requirements,” and reiterated its commitment to an offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, saying its war cabinet had “unanimously decided” to continue with the operation “to exert military pressure on Hamas.” It did agree, though, to send a delegation to the mediators for further talks.
Later on Monday evening, the Israel Defense Forces said it was “conducting targeted strikes against Hamas terror targets in eastern Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.” Video and images obtained by CNN showed multiple explosions in the Rafah area on Monday night.

CNN political and global affairs analyst Barak Ravid said Israeli forces were going to take over the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing in the next few hours, citing two sources with direct knowledge.

The news comes just hours after Israel ordered Palestinians living in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, to “evacuate immediately.”

The order raised fears that Israel’s long-threatened assault on the city could be imminent. More than 1 million Palestinians have fled to Rafah, where Hamas is believed to have regrouped after Israel’s destruction of much of the north of Gaza.


Sounds of apparent gunfire at the Rafah border crossing were heard from the Egyptian side early Tuesday, in footage from Egyptian state broadcaster Al Qahera News





A view of lighting flare fired by the Israeli army in Rafah, Gaza on May 6. Hani Alshaer/Anadolu/Getty Images
Video and images obtained by CNN showed multiple explosions in the Rafah area of southern Gaza on Monday night.

Local social media accounts reported the explosions were to the east of Rafah, an area where the Israel Defense Forces had ordered an evacuation of civilians earlier Monday.

The United States is closely monitoring reports of the explosions and has “real concerns” about the situation that is unfolding, but does not believe this is the beginning of a major Israel military operation into southern Gaza, US officials told CNN.

The Biden administration remains opposed to Israel going into Rafah, as White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters repeatedly on Monday. And while the current situation is concerning, these US officials stressed that for now, they believe the reports of strikes in Rafah are limited in scope.



Indirect ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas will continue on Tuesday, with a Qatari delegation heading to Cairo, according to the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Spokesperson Dr. Majed bin Mohammed Al-Ansari said in a statement early Tuesday that the continued negotiations come after Hamas sent a response about a possible proposal, which "can be described as positive."

Al-Ansari expressed Qatar's "hope that the talks will culminate in reaching an agreement for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the exchange of prisoners and detainees, and the sustainable flow of humanitarian aid into all areas of the Strip."

There have been international calls for an agreement to be reached on a ceasefire and hostage release deal. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday called on the Israeli government and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire deal after Hamas said it accepted a deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar.

The Jordanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi also expressed his hope for a deal to be met on X.

Hamas has said it responded to a deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar, but a senior Israeli and a US official said Hamas' response was to a different proposal than one Israel helped craft.

Israel said the proposal Hamas accepted was far from the "necessary requirements," while Hamas has said it would not back down from its demands in the proposal it agreed to.



© 2024 Cable News Network.

The US-Africa Business Summit aims to foster economic cooperation and explore investment opportunities between the United States and African countries.
Besides the summit plenary, the Foreign Minister is expected to speak at the Roundtable on African Infrastructure Investment with a focus on impact and returns.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, will now represent President Bola Tinubu at the 2024 US-Africa Business Summit in Dallas, Texas, not Vice President Kashim Shettima, as announced earlier.

“Vice President Kashim Shettima who was originally scheduled to represent the President was unable to make the trip following a technical fault with his aircraft, forcing him to make a detour on the advice of the Presidential Air Fleet,” the Presidency revealed in a statement signed Monday evening by the Shettima’s Spokesperson, Mr. Stanley Nkwocha.


The statement is titled ‘Minister of Foreign Affairs To Now Represent President Tinubu at US-Africa Summit.’

Nkwocha said the Vice President who has since returned to Abuja “will carry on with other national duties.”

The high-profile summit, taking place at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, will bring together political and business leaders from across Africa, the United States, and other regions.


Hosted by the Corporate Council on Africa, it features high-level dialogues, networking sessions, and plenaries.

African leaders expected at the summit are Presidents Joseph Boakai of Liberia; Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi; Joao Lourenço Angola; Mokgweetsi E. K. Masisi of the Republic of Botswana; José Maria Neves of Cabo Verde and the Deputy Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Lesotho, Nthomeng Majara.

The US-Africa Business Summit aims to foster economic cooperation and explore investment opportunities between the United States and African countries.

Besides the summit plenary, the Foreign Minister is expected to speak at the Roundtable on African Infrastructure Investment with a focus on impact and returns.

He is also scheduled to speak on a high-level panel on agribusiness, focusing on transiting “from food insecurity to thriving agribusinesses”.


Additionally, Tuggar will speak at a plenary session on Navigating Africa’s Energy Future as well as chair a session dedicated to promoting the ‘invest in Nigeria’ initiative.

He is also expected to attend other meetings and engagements on the sideline of the summit, the statement read.

Tuggar is expected back in the country at the end of his engagements in the US.



© 2022 WITHIN NIGERIA MEDIA LTD.

The Israeli military on Monday said it was asking tens of thousands of Gazans sheltering in eastern Rafah to temporarily evacuate to what it described as a humanitarian zone, a sign that Israel was inching closer to invading the city in defiance of international pressure.

By 9 a.m. local time, the military had begun dropping leaflets in eastern Rafah ordering people to evacuate. The Israeli military said it would also use text messages, phone calls and broadcasts in Arabic to warn residents of Rafah to leave.

Since the start of Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza last year, about a million people have fled to Rafah, the southernmost city in the enclave, where they have been living in dire conditions. Israel has told civilians to evacuate from their homes for safety repeatedly since the start of the war. But in many instances the places Israel said would be safe for Gazans were also targeted by Israeli airstrikes.



Israel’s closest allies, including the United States, have been urging it to not send troops into Rafah, saying such an operation would take a heavy toll on civilians. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected those calls, saying Israel needs to defend itself and eliminate Hamas, which attacked Israel on Oct. 7.

Mr. Netanyahu’s stance on Rafah has complicated cease-fire talks and raised concerns about the hostages Hamas is still holding. An agreement has remained elusive, as Mr. Netanyahu has suggested openness to only a temporary halt in fighting while Hamas has sought a permanent one. On Sunday, Mr. Netanyahu repeated his promises to destroy Hamas.

“If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone,” Mr. Netanyahu said in English, in a speech marking Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day. “But we know we are not alone because countless decent people around the world support our just cause. And I say to you, we will defeat our genocidal enemies. Never again is now!”

About two weeks ago, the Israeli authorities said that before they moved on Rafah, they would expand a humanitarian zone in nearby Al-Mawasi where civilians could shelter. On Monday, the Israeli military said that it had done so, and that the zone had field hospitals, tents and larger supplies of food, water and medicines.

The military is not calling for a “wide-scale evacuation of Rafah,” Nadav Shoshani, a spokesman, said on Monday. “This is a very specific scoped operation at the moment to move people out of harm’s way.”

On Monday, the Israeli military, known formally as the Israel Defense Forces, seemed to foreshadow its next move in Rafah.

“The I.D.F. will continue pursuing Hamas everywhere in Gaza until all the hostages that they’re holding in captivity are back home,” it said in a statement.


Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Sunday rejected international pressure to rein in its military campaign in Gaza and, speaking at a Holocaust memorial, asserted Israel’s right to fight its “genocidal enemies.”

Nearly seven months into the war, Mr. Netanyahu has been steadfast in his goal of destroying Hamas. This, and Mr. Netanyahu’s insistence on sending troops into Rafah, the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip, has complicated efforts to end the fighting and raised concerns about the future of the hostages held by Hamas.


On Sunday, he spoke at Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem, to mark the national Holocaust remembrance day. Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, he said, was not a “Holocaust” — not because Hamas did not have the intention to destroy Israel but because of its inability to do so. About 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage that day, Israeli authorities say. Hamas’s intention, Mr. Netanyahu said, was the same as that of the Nazis.

In his speech, which lasted for about 15 minutes and was largely in Hebrew, Mr. Netanyahu rejected accusations that Israel was committing genocide in the Gaza Strip. Since the beginning of the war, Gazan authorities say Israeli troops have killed more than 34,000 people, many of them women and children, though the statistics do not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

Mr. Netanyahu said that Israel’s military does everything it can to avoid harming civilians and that it has allowed aid to flow through to Gaza to avoid a humanitarian crisis. A United Nations official recently said that parts of Gaza are experiencing “full-blown famine.”

Mr. Netanyahu made a point to say a few words in English that were aimed at the international community. He invoked the Holocaust in asserting Israel’s right to defend itself, with or without international support.

“If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone,” he said. “But we know we are not alone because countless decent people around the world support our just cause. And I say to you, we will defeat our genocidal enemies. Never again is now!”

On Monday morning after his speech, the Israeli military gave the strongest signal yet that it was going to invade Rafah as it asked tens of thousands of Gazans to evacuate from the city.


The failure to strike a deal meant Palestinians in Gaza would not experience an imminent reprieve and the families of hostages would have to wait longer for the freedom of their loved ones.Credit...Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
The latest round of negotiations between Israel and Hamas hit an impasse on Sunday as mediators struggled to bridge remaining gaps and a Hamas delegation departed the talks in Cairo, according to two senior Hamas officials and two other officials familiar with the talks. An Israeli official also confirmed the negotiations had stalled and described them as being in “crisis.”

For months, the negotiations aimed at achieving a cease-fire and a release of hostages have made little progress, but signs the two sides were coming closer to an agreement appeared over the last week. Israel backed off some of its long-held demands and a top Hamas official said the group was studying the latest Israeli offer with a “positive spirit.”

But the setback over the weekend meant Palestinians living in miserable conditions in Gaza would not experience an imminent reprieve and the families of hostages held by militants would have to wait longer for the freedom of their loved ones.

The main obstacle in the talks was the duration of a cease-fire, with Hamas demanding it be permanent and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel expressing openness to only a temporary halt in the fighting.

Hamas blamed the lack of progress on Mr. Netanyahu, who vowed again in recent days that the Israeli army will invade Rafah, the southernmost town in the Gaza Strip, with or without an agreement.

“We were very close, but Netanyahu’s narrow-mindedness aborted an agreement,” Mousa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official, said in a phone interview.

Mr. Netanyahu has for weeks declared his intention to stage a ground offensive aimed at Rafah, where about a million Palestinians have been sheltering. The Biden administration has been pressing Israel to refrain from undertaking a major operation in the city.

On Sunday, Hamas fired roughly 10 rockets from the area of the Rafah border crossing, killing three soldiers near the Kerem Shalom crossing, according to Israel’s military. Rocket attacks by Hamas have been relatively rare in recent months, and Israel said it had responded with airstrikes targeting the site of the launches.

The Israeli official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that Israel and Hamas were closer to a deal a couple of days ago, but that Mr. Netanyahu’s statements about Rafah had compelled Hamas to harden its demands in an attempt to ensure that Israeli forces won’t enter the city. Hamas, the official said, was now seeking further guarantees that Israel would not implement only part of an agreement, and then resume fighting.

The official lamented that Hamas and Israel had shifted gears to playing a “blame game.”

Two U.S. officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, pushed back on the notion the talks were at an impasse, suggesting that parties were still reviewing details of the most recent proposals.

Mr. Netanyahu and the United States have been contending that Hamas was holding up an agreement. On Sunday, Mr. Netanyahu said he would not agree to the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and an end to the war. Countenancing such demands, he said, would allow Hamas to re-establish control over Gaza, rebuild their military capabilities, and threaten communities throughout Israel.

“It is Hamas that is holding up the release of our hostages,” he said. “We are working in every possible way to free the hostages; this is our top priority.”

An Israeli delegation never made it to Cairo for the latest round of talks. The Israeli official said that Israel had sought a written response to its latest proposal from Hamas before dispatching a delegation, but that the group never conveyed one.

Mr. Abu Marzouk said Hamas had wanted Israel to be present at the talks in Cairo, where they could have worked through mediators to clarify “vague” points in the latest Israeli offer, including on the duration of a cease-fire.

Mr. Abu Marzouk was the only one of the officials who spoke about the talks to allow the use of his name. The others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive subject or because they were not authorized to speak to the press.

Hamas, Mr. Abu Marzouk said, thought that Mr. Netanyahu wanted an agreement that would permit Israel to invade Rafah after its hostages are released.


A technical team from the Qatari foreign ministry also left the Egyptian capital on Sunday, two officials briefed on the talks said. Bill Burns, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, met with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Doha on Sunday to discuss getting the talks back on track, one of the officials said.

On Monday, Hamas’s political leadership will convene in Doha to discuss what unfolded in Cairo over the past two days, but the group intended to continue participating in negotiations with “positivity,” said one of the senior Hamas officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

A report in Al-Qahera News, an Egyptian state-owned television channel, said that a Hamas delegation would return to Cairo on Tuesday, but the senior Hamas official said that the group hadn’t made a decision yet.

Peter Baker and Michael Crowley contributed reporting to this article.

— Adam Rasgon reporting from Jerusalem
Show more
Media experts condemn Israel’s move against Al Jazeera.
Image
The Al Jazeera newsroom, with rows of desks and an array of video screens above.
Al-Jazeera’s newsroom in Doha, Qatar. The Israeli government cited national security concerns in shutting down the network’s operations in Israel.Credit...Karim Jaafar/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
The Israeli government’s decision to shut down Al Jazeera’s operations in that country and block its reports there was condemned by American media and free speech experts as a troubling precedent and further evidence that Israel was engaging in a harsh wartime crackdown on democratic freedoms.

The experts noted that it was rare for a democratic government like Israel’s to close down a foreign news outlet. The government described its move as a national security necessity.

But invoking national security as the basis for barring a news organization from operating in a country is “incredibly vague” and “way outside the bounds of democratic norms,” said Joel Simon, director of the Journalism Protection Initiative at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York.

Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, said that closing off a country to information, news and ideas from abroad has long been a hallmark of repressive governments.

“The legitimacy of any democracy turns in part on its citizens having unrestricted access to foreign media,” Mr. Jaffer said.

Some free speech advocates acknowledged that the United States seems to be pulling back from its role as a champion of information freedom. Washington is moving to ban TikTok, the popular social media app with a Chinese parent company, unless it is sold to American investors.

But Israel, they said, is a different case. Shutting down Al Jazeera is the latest step in “a broad attack on press and speech freedom” by the Israeli government, said Genevieve Lakier, a professor at the University of Chicago Law School who writes about freedom of speech. Israel’s actions, she added, are “inconsistent with a commitment to democratic values.”




© 2024 The New York Times Company

The extraordinary order includes seizing broadcast equipment, preventing the broadcast of the channel’s reports and blocking its websites.

Israel has ordered the local offices of Qatar's Al Jazeera satellite news network to close Sunday.




The extraordinary order includes seizing broadcast equipment, preventing the broadcast of the channel’s reports and blocking its websites.



This is believed to be the first time Israel has ever shuttered a foreign news outlet, ABC News reports.



Al Jazeera went off Israel’s main cable and satellite providers following the order but its website and multiple online streaming links still operated Sunday.



The network has reported the Israeli-Hamas war nonstop since Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7 and the war that followed in Gaza.



While including on-the-ground reporting of the war's casualties, its Arabic arm often publishes verbatim video statements from Hamas and other militant groups in the region.



“Al Jazeera reporters harmed Israel’s security and incited against soldiers,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. “It’s time to remove the Hamas mouthpiece from our country.”



Al Jazeera issued a statement vowing it will “pursue all available legal channels through international legal institutions in its quest to protect both its rights and journalists, as well as the public’s right to information.”



“Israel’s ongoing suppression of the free press, seen as an effort to conceal its actions in the Gaza Strip, stands in contravention of international and humanitarian law,” the network said. “Israel’s direct targeting and killing of journalists, arrests, intimidation and threats will not deter Al Jazeera."



Israeli media said the order allows Israel to block the channel from operating in the country for 45 days.

Copyright © 2006–2024 Sahara Reporters, Inc.

The visit by Vice President Kashim Shettima to the United States of America, for the US-Africa Business Summit, has created leadership vacuum at the nation’s seat of power as President Bola Tinubu is yet to arrive Nigeria, six days after attending the Special World Economic Forum WEF meeting.

A statement by Stanley Nkwocha, the senior special assistant to The President on Media & Communications (office of the Vice President), said the Vice President was to depart Abuja on Sunday for Dallas, United States of America, to represent the President at the 2024 US-Africa Business Summit hosted by the Corporate Council on Africa.


The statement said the Vice President will join other political and business leaders across Africa, the United States of America and beyond for the summit featuring high-level dialogues, networking business sessions and the plenary, all scheduled for the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Texas.


Among African leaders expected at the summit include, Joseph Boakai, President, Republic of Liberia; Lazarus Chakwera, President, Republic of Malawi; Joao Lourenço, President, Republic of Angola;


Others are Mokgweetsi E. K. Masisi, President, Republic of Botswana; José Maria Neves, President, Republic of Cabo Verde, and Nthomeng Majara, Deputy Prime Minister, Kingdom of Lesotho.


Besides the summit plenary, Sen. Shettima is expected to speak at the Roundtable on African Infrastructure Investment with a focus on impact and returns. He is also scheduled to speak on a high-level panel on agribusiness, focusing on transiting “from food insecurity to thriving agribusinesses”.

Additionally, the Vice President is also expected to speak at a plenary session on Navigating Africa’s Energy Future as well as chair a session dedicated to promoting the ‘invest in Nigeria’ initiative.

He is also expected to attend other meetings and engagements on the sideline of the summit.

Vice President Shettima is expected back in the country at the end of his engagements in the US.


It will be recalled that the Vice President had also represented the President on April 28 at the International Development Association (IDA21) Heads of State Summit taking place tomorrow in Nairobi, Kenya, when the President went to Saudi Arabia


This visit to the US is coming even as President Bola Tinubu is yet to return to Nigeria, six days after the the conclusion of the World Economic Forum WEF, meeting in Saudi Arabia.

The President had left Nigeria on Tuesday, April 23, for a two leg foreign trips that took him first, to the Kingdom of the Netherlands on an official visit, from where he proceeded to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to attend the Special meeting of the World Economic Forum WEF, from April 28 to 29, 2024.

Ajuri Ngelale, the Presidential Spokesman, had in a statement, said the visit to the Netherlands, was at the invitation of Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

While in the Netherlands, the President had participated in the Nigerian-Dutch Business and Investment Forum that will bring together heads of conglomerates and organizations in both countries to explore opportunities for collaboration and partnerships, especially in agriculture and water management towards innovative solutions for sustainable farming practices.


At the World Economic Forum meeting, which focused on Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy for Development, President Tinubu and his entourage actively participated in the discussions, using the opportunity of the gathering to strike economic deals, with the like of Bill Gates, founder of the Microsoft

But while other government officials who accompanied the President have arrived, Nigeria, the President is yet to arrive.

Ajuri Ngelale, the President’s Spokesman, could not be reached for his comments on the whereabout of the President

But a top Presidency source however told BusinessDay that the President proceeded to the United Kingdom for undisclosed reasons

The top Presidency official who does not want his name in print noted that it has been the usual practice for the “President to take time off, after such hectic meetings and engagements”


” According to him, ” the President’s absence has not affected government business, he was been working and the Vice President is also on ground.”

He however could not say when the President will be back to the country.

Another source also dismissed that there is leadership vacuum.

He asserted that the machinery of governance has remained in operation, thus, there can’t be vacuum

” The SGF is there, the Chief of Staff to the President is in his office working and ditto all the Minister’s.

” The President can work from anywhere. So, let me assure you that there is no vacuum anywhere”

The President had September last year, also proceeded to France, after attending the UN General Assembly in New York.

© 2023 - Businessday NG.

MyVILLAGEpeople:


Do the Nigerian police know this themselves?

majority of them are illiterates

Anyenmoney:
Obaseki used his first tenure to fight Oshiomhole and used is second tenure to fight shuaibu,.

Now he is bringing his "preferred candidate"

I am based in first Ugbor, GRA Benin city and we are patiently waiting for the coming election.

to collect stipends

“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics.” – Mark Twain’s Own Autobiography: The Chapters from the North American Review.

From airports to roads, from hospitals to schools, we call it elephant projects, they are dead horses for me, national embarrassments. If you’ve ever worked in government or the private sector, you may be all too familiar with similar projects running on life support.

In Nigeria, it is not just about airports, after all, we were recently told that a whole airport in Abia state only existed in the figment of someone’s imagination, money gone, no airport anywhere, at least an airport is not something that just disappears or can be hidden.

Anyway, this admonition is nowhere near anything about airports, and talking about airports, how about the Ajaokuta Steel Rolling Mill? It is not a mill, it is not rolling and there are no steel products anywhere near. You will be forgiven to think that this is about the steel rolling mill, but again it is not. It is also not about the Lagos – Ibadan expressway or the Abuja – Lokoja expressway. This episode of mine is not about the imaginary resuscitation of the Kaduna textiles.



The Dead Horse Theory states that “When you discover that you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount.” In the context of business and bureaucracy, the meme refers to a failed project which is nonetheless kept alive by wilfully ignorant management. Sage advice. But let’s start from the beginning.

The Tribal wisdom of the Indians, passed on from generation to generation, says that, “When you discover that you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount.” However, in modern business, education and government, far more advanced strategies are often employed, such as:

1. Buying a stronger whip.

2. Changing riders.

3. Threatening the horse with termination.

4. Appointing a committee to study the horse.

5. Arranging to visit other countries to see how others ride dead horses.

6. Lowering the standards so that dead horses can be included.

7. Re-classifying the dead horse as ‘living-impaired’.

8. Hiring outside contractors to ride the dead horse.

9. Harnessing several dead horses together to increase the speed.

10. Providing additional funding and/or training to increase the dead horse’s performance.

11. Doing a productivity study to see if lighter riders would improve the dead horse’s performance.

12. Declaring that as the dead horse does not have to be fed, it is less costly, carries lower overhead and, therefore, contributes substantially more to the bottom line of the economy than do some other horses.

13. Re-writing the expected performance requirements for all horses.

14. Promoting the dead horse to a supervisory position of hiring another horse.

I have yet to meet someone with experience in business and government to whom this bizarre analogy doesn’t make perfect sense. Would I be wrong to assume that you have no problem recalling your own personal dead horse story?

A story told with frustration, passion and incredulity. It doesn’t have to be a colossal airport disaster or Ajaokuta. Any lost cause or pointless project that mainly serves as a black hole for resources will do. The chance to save the dead horse’s life by doing a premortem analysis was missed. So, to figure out what happened, let’s do a brief post-mortem on the dead horse.

The first underlying assumption of the Dead Horse Theory is that the horse has in fact met its maker. This makes it seem like pronouncing it dead was an objective and straightforward exercise. The implication is: Dismounting and abandoning the failed endeavour is not only possible but highly advisable. The list of “advanced strategies” reduces the seemingly simple solution to absurdity. It implies that the failed endeavour is an open secret. Yet, there’s no shortage of plans on how to solve the unsolvable.


It looks like we’re dealing with an exasperating mix of groupthink, wilful blindness and wishful thinking. Something is keeping people from doing the obvious, from dismounting the dead horse, from abandoning the lost cause. On top of that, there are no mechanisms such as institutionalised devil’s advocacy that brings these issues to light. Let’s brainstorm a few reasons why:

Know-How: The will to dismount is there. But nobody knows how and what mode of transportation to take instead.
Responsibility: It’s not anyone’s call to issue the death certificate and arrange the funeral of the poor horse. Instead, they might be engaged in an eternal game of buck-passing.
Vested Interest: Whoever could make the call profits from the horse being deemed alive and well.
Investment: Similarly, there may be too much financial or emotional investment at stake.
Ego: As a result, the reputational damage of abandoning the dead horse is too high. Withdrawing gracefully feels impossible.
Whatever it is, living an awkward lie seems to be preferable over admitting the nag should be buried six feet under. That puts the virtuous and principled employee in a bind. On the one hand, you don’t want to pour fuel into the fire of collective delusion. On the other hand, dismounting and abandoning your post might not be your preferred course of action either.

You see the Nigerian looks upon Nigeria as a theatre and the entire population representing and manifesting the full spectrum of acts and actors. In this revelry, life is the theatre; the nation is the stage upon which we perform. The politicians and a few of us are the actors, very often mediocre. When stars appear it is more often because a play must have a star rather than because the player is possessed of some dramatic genius. We falter and we muff our lines; sometimes our performance takes on an aspect of the grotesque-nobody takes this seriously because it is perceived as being the nature of the play. Our people become the audience.

The fact is that in the last 24 years I have averaged a one per year article on fuel or petroleum motor spirit palaver in Nigeria, from subsidies, to scarcity, to long queues to price increase, it is a story that is as old as the first car driven by fuel in Nigeria.

It is one of our many dead horses, just some stone throw few years ago, the federal government blamed the ongoing fuel scarcity on increased demand by nations in temperate regions. Addressing State House correspondents after a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the then Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said: “This is winter period. There is always more demand for refined products from petroleum during winter in the colder countries. This is what we are experiencing now.”

Mohammed also insisted: “The government has no intention at all to increase the pump price of petrol.”

Marketers meanwhile at same time blamed the NNPC for alleged favouritism in distribution of petrol. At the same time Kachikwu the then minister of state for petroleum at a press briefing in Abuja blamed the fuel crisis on the gap in supply of petroleum products. “There was obviously some level of gap in terms of volume. That gap arises from the fact that NNPC is the only one that is importing products currently.

This is a ministry that in the last 24 years the president has continued to oversee as senior minister, yet it remains a dead horse! Deceased horses are an opportunity to accept things as they are. As soon as you realise you’re riding a dead horse, feel free to dismount and find one with a better health record. Alternatively, you may want to stoically commit yourself to the horse’s resurrection. In order to show the futility of the whole effort, or on the off-chance that you were wrong and the horse was only in a state of apparent death. May Nigeria win…on a dead horse–Only time will tell

Copyright © 2024 Blueprint Newspapers Limited

The Edo state governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, weekend, launched a N1 billion monthly feeding initiative for poor residents.

Obaseki claimed that the exercise is not political, but for God and humanity.


He stated that government officials would not be involved in the utilisation of the fund and distribution of food items to residents.

The governor said the exercise would be implemented by Christian leaders in the state, because according to him, “when people are hungry, they don’t come to the government house, but go the Church.”

Obaseki also noted: “We are also doing something similar for the muslims because we want an all inclusive Edo where everyone who live here should feel they are part of the state.”


Continuing, he said: “I had a meeting with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Edo State and I said I will give them 1billion naira every month for the first three months.

“We looked at the poverty map in Edo, how many poor people we can feed. Do you have churches in this areas and how can we reach them.?

“So, I am here because I don’t like commissioning, but the chairman (CAN) said that we want you to come so the people can know that this programme exist.

“But What we are doing is a duty of government and the only difference here is the church that is procuring the items and you are not taken the money out of Edo state.”

In his remarks, Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) who is also Chairman, Organising Committee, Apostle Irekpono Omoike, thanked the governor for the initiative.

He said 10kg of 60,000 bags rice been purchased for onward distribution.



Copyright © 2024 Blueprint Newspapers Limited.

chiiraq802:
Nigeria has always been a failed state.

yes,he realizes it very late

softtorce:
Where is the link to this lie

digest the message, you are fond of looking for what is not lost,this attitude if yours will truncate your progress in life

Mr. Donald Duke, former governor of Cross River State, has noted that Nigeria is technically a failed state, as it cannot meet the basic expectations of its citizens, which according to him, is the hallmark of a failed nation.

Mr. Duke said this while delivering his opening remarks as chairman of the occasion during the Prince Emeka Obasi Inaugural Memorial Lecture held on Thursday at the Muson Centre Onikan Lagos, with the theme, ‘If This Giant Must Walk; Manifesto for a New Nigeria.’

He noted that Nigeria has been moving backwards since the 1970s, while remarking that the question is not whether the country will walk, but whether it’s walking backwards of forward.

“Between 1979 and 1983 when Shehu Shagari was president, Nigeria’s annual budget hovered around $25bn. Our population was about 80 million to 90 million at the time. That was over 40 years ago. Today, our population as they say is over 200 million, but our annual budget is $19bn,” he said.

“I said this to bring into context where we are as a people. It’s not not for Nigeria to walk, it’s how are you walking? Are you moonwalking or are you walking forward? Moonwalking is what we’ve been doing for the last 40 years. We’ve been moving backwards. So, you can now put into context the pressure if the annual budget of our nation is $19bn 40 years after it was $25bn and the population has more than doubled. Then you can understand the challenges we’re facing, whether it’s banditry, or farmers herders clashes and everything in-between. The fact is that there are more people sharing smaller resources. We have not grown.”

Mr. Duke argued that growth is not about adding zeros to the currency, and presenting budgets that run into trillions, which he said is mere deception. According to him, the country is simply living a lie.

“You can put all the zeros behind the currency, but we’re deceiving ourselves because we’re living a lie. Recently, treasury bills were sold at about 22 percent in dollars. Where in the world will you get 22 percent under 12 months? So, they now turned around to say it was oversubscribed by 245 percent. Of course, It would be oversubscribed, but at the end of the day, can you pay back? What are you doing with the money that will generate 22 percent to enable you pay back in 12 months? He wondered.

“So, you could see a nation that is walking itself into a trap with eyes wild open. What are the policies that would generate growth? You are fighting inflation, it’s good to fight inflation, but which is more important? Inflation or growth? You can’t get a loan from the bank for less than 35 percent. That’s enemical to growth to start with. Then, you are micromanaging the exchange rate, yet you are not producing. If you are going to import everything as we do, and there are those very sexy economists that would say, let’s have marked forces. For you to have marked forces, there must be some equity.

“You can’t have an open, competitive system with countries whose economies are much stronger than yours. It doesn’t work that way. In life, water finds its level. We have to manage what we have; we have to be productive. In the 70s and early 80s, we had some level of competition. We had industries that were trying to thrive, but today we are importing toothpick. So, it’s an economy that’s not productive, yet it wants to reign in on its foreign exchange. We’re still living as if everything is okay. We’re are sending our children at the age of nine to school abroad, then you go to London for medical check when your eye is hurting. It’s a tough one.”

The former governor noted that contrary to the popular belief, Nigeria has one of the smallest economies in Africa despite being the most populous on the continent.

“We turn around and say we’re the largest economy in Africa. That’s a lie. If you are 200 million people, and you are producing almost nothing, you can be big in absolute terms, but if you take it per capita, you are one of the least economies in Africa, and that’s the truth. So, we have to be real. We have the potential to be one of the greatest nations on earth, but it remains a potential if you don’t take it to actuality,” he said.

“We have to recaliberate our thinking. We can’t go on this way. We’re are a failed state, that’s the truth. Failed state doesn’t mean that you can’t exist any longer. Somalia is still existing, but when you fail to provide the basic expectations of your people, you are technically a failed state. Which sector have we not failed in? Is it education? Is it healthcare? Is it infrastructure?”


Copyright © 2024 Business Hallmark Newspapers

I really do wonder whether those great patriots that fought a long and bloody war against

British colonial rule and founded the United States of America (US) in 1776 like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and so many others envisaged what has happened to their beloved country today?


I wonder whether the Pilgrim Fathers and great and wise men of old who, by faith in the Living God, left the Old World, crossed the Atlantic ocean in hazardous conditions and went to the New to establish a new beginning and build a new nation founded on freedom, equality, the fear of God and solid good old fashioned Christian virtues and values, would believe what the beloved nation they toiled, prayed for, established and worked so hard to build has turned into today?


Would they not all be turning in their graves?

A nation that was once referred to by both friend and foe as the “land of the free and the home of the brave” is now neither free nor brave.

A mighty nation that delivered itself from its own internal prejudices, contradictions and demons by fighting a brutal civil war to free the slaves and that presented a great hope for those that dreamt of a world where all men and women could have equal opportunities, regardless of class, history, color, race or creed, has now lost its sense of decency, equity, honor and morality and turned into a corrupt, power drunk, morally bankrupt, blood-lusting, war-loving, terror-funding, egocentric and idiosyncratic collection of self-serving, self-seeking, cowardly and deluded individuals who serve the interests of not their own people but that of AIPAC, the Jewish lobby and the State of Israel.

A rich and powerful nation of over 300 million people that delivered the world from evil in both the First and Second World Wars, that defeated and dismantled the curse of Soviet Communism, that entrenched democracy throughout much of the world and that literally rules the waves today as the greatest super power in the history of humanity in a unipolar world, is now nothing but the lap dog of little Israel?

It seems so hard to believe. Yet true it is!

Like Lucifer fell from heaven, so you, O mighty America, has fallen from grace!

I weep for you.

Apart from your internal decay where the family system has been destroyed and traditional religious beliefs have been replaced by humanism and a godless philosophy in which the Lord is no longer revered, where men marry men, where abortions are encouraged, where homosexuality is adored, where Satanism is practised, where money is worshipped, where God has been banned from the schools and indeed every sphere of human endeavour and where the establishment of a New World Order is your ultimate objective, you have also, with the help of your servile and fawning vassals like the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Holland and others, debased and destroyed the fortunes and vision of many countries with your reckless and self-serving foreign policy and your insatiable thirst for power and world domination.

The number are legion but to mention a few, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Somalia, Lebanon, Iraq, Sudan, Palestine, Ukraine and a number of others stand out.

You have literally left each of them in rubbles and turned them into a shell of their former selves simply because you insisted on misleading them, controlling them and imposing your values and will on them.

You are also attempting to undermine and destroy Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, Turkey, Pakistan, India, South Africa, the Arab Gulf States, Brazil, Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Senegal, Guinea, Egypt, Algeria and many others.

You wish to exploit them, enslave them, milk them, destroy them, bend them to your will and turn them into your pliant little acolytes and colonies but, thankfully so far, you have failed.

Slave master

Yet what exposes your monstrous, dark, evil and gluttonous degeneration more than anything else is the way in which you nurture, protect, feed, arm and support your little baby Israel and how that baby has now become your slave master!

You quiver and bow at her every command and you seek to justify and rationalise her barbaric behaviour even when she operates what is undoubtedly a racist apartheid state and seeks to exterminate and occupy ALL the land of those she considers to be a lesser people with a lesser faith from a lesser nation like the Palestinians.

For the last seven months, the entire world has witnessed with shock the way and manner in which you have not only allowed but openly encouraged her to commit mass murder, genocide, ethnic cleansing, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, violating every rule and norm of international law and subjecting the Palestinian people to a modern day holocaust.

This is unacceptable and you have as much blood on your hands as a consequence of your shameless complicity as the Israelis themselves.

The truth is they could not and would not have dared to indulge in this monstrous and cruel display of depravity and in this bloodfest and killing spree without your tacit approval and support.

This is bad enough but the worst aspect of it all is that when the world boils in anger, weeps and wails and attempts to bring your baby to justice for her wanton and willful display of utter madness whether at the International Court of Justice or the International Criminal Court, you bare your ugly fangs and growl like a wounded lion and you boldly tell us that we should know and MUST accept that your little Israel and the fascist right wing white and non-semitic European colonial settlers and Zionists that own and lead her are God’s chosen people, are above the law and are entitled to do ANYTHING they deem fit, including wiping out the Palestinians!

This disposition and open endorsement of pure and unadulterated evil is nauseating and sickening and it is a graphic reflection of the unconscionable beast that you have now become.

No fear of God

You do not fear God, you do not fear world opinion, you do not fear even those from your own nation that are protesting your madness and you do not fear your conscience!

The only thing you fear is your Lord and master Israel!

I am constrained to ask, who on earth has bewitched you and which invocations and spells of occult sorcery from the ancient Kabbala did the Jews invoke to capture and bind your spirit and soul and to make you behave in this slavish manner?

You are no longer the mighty giant that we once knew and revered but rather you are now what the Nigerian people would describe as a “woman wrappa” to your beloved Israel.

At the mention of her name your strength fails you, your knees bend, your heart beats faster, your soul melts, your emotions overwhelm you and you bow, genuflect, crawl and quiver before her like a young man before his first love.

Arrest warrant

Truly this is Satan’s work: you can no longer control your own will, you have been cursed, charmed and reduced to nothing and you are under a powerful spell.

I cry for you!

When the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague issues a warrant of arrest for other world leaders you rejoice but when they consider issuing the same for @netanyahu, the Israeli PM, you wet your pants, soil your diapers & threaten brimstone & fire!

Through one of your jittery officials at the State Department you went as far as to proclaim that ”the ICC has no jurisdiction over Israeli officials” and, therefore, has no right to even issue any arrest warrant on Netanyahu.

Putin

You forget that you were amongst those who clapped the loudest when a similar and active arrest warrant was issued on Russian President Vladimer Putin.

For that you believed that the ICC acted within its powers and in fact did a great job yet you believe it is “unacceptable” for them to issue such a warrant on Bibi Netanyahu.

Your hypocrisy and double standards beggars belief!

Again, you have just passed a law which violates your own Constitution, known as the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act, which outright bans free speech & which seeks to jail anyone that opposes, condemns or criticises the Jews, the Zionists or the State of Israel or that accuses them of being a racist, apartheid state or of committing genocide in Gaza or at any other place or time in their long 5000 year history including during the days of the Holy Bible!

Your Congress just voted to make it ILLEGAL to compare Israel’s genocidal actions to Nazi Germany and they have effectively banned the Holy Bible in a supposedly “Christian” nation.

Is this not evidence of a diseased mind?

To be clear, the new law makes it illegal to criticise, protest against or boycott Israel.

It also makes it ILLEGAL to preach or quote the portions of the GOSPEL & the Holy Bible where the countless & horrendous atrocities that were committed by the Jews against other nations thousands of years ago were listed!

The House of Representatives just voted to make preaching the FULL GOSPEL of the Christian faith ILLEGAL in America!

Let that sink in!

Megatron_ron captured it well when he wrote the following on X: ”The US House has passed an Act that totally bans speaking and protesting against Israel. “Even if you preach parts of the Bible that clearly states the days the Jews killed Christ you will be arrested.

“In response to campus anti-Israel protests, the House is rushing to vote on a new bill, HR 6090.

“This new Bill would officially define “Antisemitism”, so the Federal Government can sue, prosecute, or sanction more people, businesses, and universities for supposed violations of civil rights law.

“This Bill would make it illegal to compare Israeli policies to Nazi policies. It would make it illegal to describe Israel as racist. It would make it illegal to accuse an American citizen of being more loyal to Israel than to the United States”.

Is this not sad and amazing?

Is it not a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions?

Does it not make your blood boil and your skin crawl?

Are we not entering the Orwellian world that the British author George Orwell wrote about and predicted in his celebrated book many decades ago and that the writer and great visionary and intellectual @davidicke often refers to today?

Is America, a once great country that exalted justice, freedom and righteousness, not turned into a big fat turd that is now in the process of flushing herself down the Israeli toilet!

‘United States of Zion’

Surely she can no longer be referred to as the ‘United States of America’ but rather the ‘United States of Zion!’

On his part @Jakeshieldsajj, a highly respected American public affairs commentator and social media influencer, wrote the following on X: ”In the past two weeks, Congress has made anti-semitism illegal, demanded that anti-Israel protesters must be arrested, banned TikTok at Israel’s request, given $100 billion to Israel and Ukraine for war, approved warrantless spying on Americans, approved $3.5 billion aid for illegal immigrants and done nothing for the American people! It’s become clear they are not here to serve us.”

Jake has spoken the bitter truth.

Perhaps the most asinine and chilling contribution of all came from American Senator Ted Cruz, a one-time presidential aspirant, a ranking Senator and a man who, up until recently, I had immense respect for.

He said, “I condemn NOTHING that the Israelis are doing!”

Is this not evidence of mental illness!

People are slaughtering thousands of children on a monthly basis with weapons supplied by the American taxpayer which you as a Senator approved in your budget and you say you cannot condemn it?

Does that not make Cruz and those that think like him accomplices in the crime of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity?

People like him should tell me why I should condemn Hamas for what they did on October 7th if he refuses to condemn the Jews for the 1948 Nakba in which they murdered almost one million Palestinians!

They should tell me why I should condemn Hamas if they refuse to condemn the Israeli Army for the 2024 genocide in Gaza in which 40,000 civilians have been murdered in seven months and still counting?

Again Senator Cruz and indeed the entire American Congress claim that the phrase which the pro-Palestinian protesters and forces have come to regard as their signature tune and battle cry which boldly proclaims that “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” connotes the intention of the Palestinians to eliminate every single Jew in Israel yet they fail to apply the same standard, connotation and sinister intention when the Zionists themselves use the same slogan in respect of the same land and when they scream “from the river to the sea, Israel shall have sovereignty”.

Double standards

Permit me to ask, why the double standards?

When the Palestinians say it you claim that they want to kill every Jew in the nation but when the Jews say it you claim that they have no evil intentions for the Palestinians!

Is this not another example of the self-serving, infantile and puerile reasoning that most Americans and Europeans suffer from and have been afflicted with when it comes to the Gaza issue and does it not prove the fact that, as far as the majority of Americans are concerned, the Palestinians do not have the right to exist or to be treated like human beings whilst the Jews are treated like gods?

Is this fair? Is it rational? Does it make sense?

The Jews constitute only 2% of the American population and yet they have been singled out for such preferential treatment and protection whilst the State of Israel, a distant nation of only 9 million people, has been accorded the special status of being “God’s chosen people” and well above the law and is entitled to commit the most grievous and heinous acts of genocide, ethnic and religious cleansing and mass murder without criticism or consequence.

All this you have done for a people and a nation which comprises of a deluded and sociopathic horde of genocidal psychopaths that not only murdered Jesus Christ 2000 years ago, that not only wiped out the Amalekites 5000 years ago, that not ethnically cleansed the Midianites 4000 years ago, that not only exterminated the Agagites 3000 years ago, that not only butchered 1 million Palestinians during the Nakba in 1948, that not only eliminated millions of Arabs all over the Middle East in the last 75 years but that has also killed 40,000 innocent and defenceless civilians, including 20,000 children, in the last seven months in Gaza and are set to kill even more in Raffa!

Is this not madness? Pray tell us, I ask again, who has bewitched you?

I say woe unto you!

Your awesome power and mind-boggling wealth has driven you insane and far from God!

From being perceived as the leader of the free world you can now be best described as the fawning and pliant pit bull terrier of the Zionist state and the world’s leading genocide supporter and enabler!

The truth is that there can be no defence or justification for anyone or any nation, no matter how rich and powerful, that supports a country of genocidal maniacs and psychopathic child killers.

The Zionist state of Israel is the greatest evil that we have seen since Nazi Germany.

Apartheid entity

It is a vicious, savage, bloodthirsty, racist, apartheid entity that is led by a group of desperate and deluded European settlers and land grabbing colonialists and that has lost its right to exist.

The sooner it is wiped off the face of the earth the better!

Yet for America there is still hope and that hope lies in people like the Christian protesters who barricaded themselves at the cafeteria of the American Congress last week and who said that, as long as the people of Gaza could not eat, they would not allow the members of the House to enter the cafeteria to eat!

Again that hope lies in the courageous and gallant students, lecturers and academics who have demonstrated their commitment to justice, decency and humanity by vigorously protesting in university campuses all over the country.

As a former American presidential candidate, Senator Bernie Sanders, rightly said those young demonstrators are “out there for the right reasons!

“They are out there not because they are pro-Hamas. They are out there because they are outraged by what the Israeli government is doing in Gaza!”

Sanders is right and permit me to add that those protesting students are indeed the saving grace of America.

Despite the fact that they have been subjected to the most brutal repression by the security forces who have raided the campuses injuring many in an attempt to disperse them and in spite of the fact that as at the time of writing this piece over 2000 of them have been arrested and detained in various police stations across the nation, they continue to come out in their thousands and stand for the people of Gaza.

They represent America’s pride and joy and the brightest and best of American youth and they are now all fired up and are marching the streets and university campuses for the Palestinians!

This is a truly remarkable moment in world history and it represents a seismic and monumental shift in the perception, hearts and minds of the younger people in a nation that has been in the pocket and under the control of the Jews and the Zionists since the end of World War 11.

Permit me to end this contribution with the following: Nothing symbolises the renewed hope that we are witnessing more than the beautiful and moving words of Professor Rashid Khalidi, who has been a Professor of Modern Arabic Studies at New York’s Columbia University for the last 22 years.

In an inspiring address to the students and in a speech that will reverberate throughout history he said, inter alia, the following: ”This is about a genocide being carried on with American money and with American weapons, against a people enduring generations of occupation. The students of Columbia fought against the Vietnam war when I was a student here many years ago. We protested against that war then and today we honor the memories of those who took part in that great struggle by doing the same for the Palestinians and the people of Gaza!”

May God guide and protect them all and may He grant the people of Gaza and Palestine victory!

•Femi Fani-Kayode, the Sadaukin Shinkafi and the Wakilin Doka Potiskum, is a lawyer, a former Minister of Culture and Tourism and a former Minister of Aviation.



© 2024 Vanguard Media Limited, Nigeria

The Federal Government has announced plans to repatriate 20,000 Nigerian refugees from the Republic of Chad and Cameroon, in the next two months.

Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, Aliyu Tijani, stated this after a meeting with the Tripatite Working Group (TWG) and the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCR), yesterday in Abuja.

“We are looking at 3,000 households from Chad that is about 6,000 people to be repatriated from Chad.

“In the case of Cameroon the number we have is about 14,000 people. However, we will not force anybody to return to this country.

“Arrangements are ongoing to profile those willing to return. The time frame is within the next two months,” he said.


Tijani, however, did not disclose the cost implications, but noted that the government would do everything possible to ensure the safe return of Nigerians.

He said: “We are yet to determine the cost implications for the repatriation of our people in Cameroon and Chad. We have sent a memo to that effect. By the time we get the total bill, I think the government of the federation will intervene.

“I want to tell you that the government of Nigeria will do everything possible to ensure that money is provided for this.

“They have done that before I am sure they will continue to do that. Do not forget that in 2022 about 5,000 Nigerians were repatriated from Cameroon.”

He explained that most of returnees left the country because of 2022 flood that ravaged the country and the crisis between herders and farmers.

“Don’t forget that in 2022, we had a very serious flood and many of our people left this country. Some fled to Chad.


“Some left to Cameroon, including the crisis between herders and farmers, are contributing factors. The number is not too much to think that they cannot leave this country,” he said.

On this issue of rehabilitation, where the returnees would be camped and the support system by the government, he said” Repatriation is ongoing in Banki and in Baga in Borno State, and the construction of houses.

“We are making arrangements, liaising with the government of Borno State, to ensure that most of those that will be returning will be taken to skill acquisition centres.

“Borno State has a very magnificent skills acquisition centres waiting for the returnees.

“As they return we will give them some training, then we will give them start-up packs. Government will not continue to be fending for them for life. We will have to provide a durable solution and the durable solution is the shelter, start-up packs for them.”

UNHCR Deputy Representative (Protection), Bernadette Mutakale Muteshi, on her part, said the international organisation, would provide counseling for them


Muteshi said: “We will offer them with documentations to state their profile and any special arrangements that need to be made.

“After that, we will provide them with information both general and private as will as counseling. And together with the two governments, we will discuss about the legal framework and the arrangements they are coming back to meet. We will also work with both governments to arrange the logistics.”




sunonlineeditor@gmail.com

© 2024 The Sun Nigeria – All Right Reserved.

After forty days of Easter and Sallah break, Senators resumed plenary amid a rowdy session after three senators engaged in a heated argument.


This happened in the renovated Hallowed Chamber as the Senators quarrelled over sitting arrangements.

Ecstasy of holding plenary proceedings in the renovated hallowed chamber first enveloped the session at the beginning, but trouble started when the President of the Senate , Godswill Akpabio started reading names of Senators who marked their birthdays during the forty days recess.

Trouble started when Senator Sahabi Alhaji Ya’u, APC Zamfara North, angrily stood up from the seat allocated to him and complained to the Leader, Senator Micheal Opeyemi Bamidele, APC Ekiti Central.


Senator Danjuma Goje, APC, Gombe Central also expressed displeasure of the seats assigned to him and complained to Opeyemi Bamidele.

The Senators are using the renovated chamber for the first time today, this is coming 19 months after the closure of the Hallowed Chamber.

Recall that both the House of Representatives and the Senate moved to temporary chambers in September 2022 after commencement of renovation work on their Hallowed Chambers by Visible Construction Company Nigeria Limited in July 2022.


The Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) had in March 2021, awarded an N37 billion contract to Visible Construction Limited and some other firms for the rehabilitation of critical segments of the National Assembly complex, construction of the Library, permanent site for the National Assembly Service Commission ( NASC).

According to the standing rules of the upper legislative chamber, senators sit according to ranking.


Ya’u’s complaints to the Leader which started on hushed tone, aggravated to shouting match between the two and consequently sparked reactions from other Senators and eventually degenerated into a rowdy session.

During the rowdy session which lasted for about 30mins, Senator Ya’u angrily pointed his finger at the Leader, complaining that the Seat allocated to him at the far right of the chamber was not befitting, being a ranking Senator who held the principal position of Deputy Minority Whip of the Senate during the 9th National Assembly.


The verbal counter-punching between the Leader and Senator Ya’u, festered further when Senator Danjuma Goje ( APC Gombe Central ), joined them.


Goje also complained to the Leader that ranking Senators were not well positioned in the sitting arrangement .


To calm nerves, the President of the Senate, Akpabio called on the Leader and aggrieved Senators surrounding him to approach the Chair which they did and eventually paved way for Akpabio to read his welcome address.

After Akpabio’s welcome address , an emergency executive session was called for by the leader apparently to diffuse the bottled anger among Senators over sitting arrangement.


© 2024 Vanguard Media Limited, Nigeria

MTN Nigeria Communications Plc has reported a second successive loss after declaring a loss after tax of N392.7 billion for the first quarter of 2024.

Despite growing its service revenue by 32.0 percent to N747.3 billion year-on-year, the telco recorded its second loss since it was listed on the Nigerian Exchange. It disclosed this in its earnings statement for the first quarter of 2024.

It noted that its net loss for the quarter further increased its accumulated losses and negative shareholders’ funds to N599.2 billion and N434.7 billion, respectively. It highlighted that its Profit after tax adjusted for the net forex loss declined by 57.8 percent to N47.1 billion.


“Further adjusting for the impact of the naira devaluation in opex, PAT would have been down by 5.3 percent to N105.6 billion,” MTN said. The telco’s net foreign exchange loss stood at N656.37 billion.

Karl Toriola, MTN Nigeria’s chief executive officer, noted that severe macroeconomic headwinds overshadowed a solid operating performance

He said: “The operating environment in the first quarter remained very challenging, with rising inflation and continued naira depreciation off an already low base.”


He stated that the naira’s devaluation and record-high inflation have impacted the operating environment for businesses in Nigeria.

“These factors have caused significant difficulties for businesses operating in Nigeria, including MTN Nigeria, putting additional pressure on consumers, the cost of doing business, and further foreign exchange (forex) losses,” he added.

In 2023, MTN declared its first loss after tax of N137 billion. Its retained earnings and shareholders’ fund fell to negative N208.0 billion and N40.8 billion, respectively.


More details…



© 2023 - Businessday NG. All Rights Reserved.

Macphenson:
Jesus Christ. This statement did it actually emante from a Commisioner Of Police?
Seriously Nigeria is gone.

this statement is highly unprofessional

On Monday, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) reportedly prohibited microfinance banks, including Moniepoint, Opay, and Kuda, from onboarding new customers and opening additional accounts. The move follows allegations that these institutions were facilitating cryptocurrency transactions and potentially manipulating the value of the naira.

This action came shortly after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) obtained a court order to freeze 1,146 bank accounts allegedly involved in illegal foreign currency transactions. Justice Emeka Nwite granted the EFCC’s request to complete its investigation within 90 days.

The EFCC’s investigation alleges that the frozen accounts are primarily used by individuals and businesses engaged in illicit activities, including financing of terrorism and money laundering. The accounts are said to be connected to virtual cryptocurrency exchange platforms, which have been used to illegally manipulate the naira’s value and launder illicit funds.

The EFCC emphasized the need to freeze the accounts to prevent further illicit activities and to secure funds for potential prosecution.



© 2022 Mcebiscoo.com. All Rights Reserved.

The British monarch, King Charles III, will officially resumed his public duties from next week following a three-month break to focus on his treatment and recuperation.

Saturday Telegraph recalls that a few months ago, the British monarch was diagnosed with an undisclosed type of cancer and has ever since been receiving treatment.

However, Buckingham Palace in a statement issued on Friday said the monarch would be visiting a cancer treatment centre on Tuesday, the first of several public appearances he will make in the coming weeks.


According to the palace, one of his first major engagements will be to host a state visit by the emperor and empress of Japan in June.

The palace didn’t provide an update on the king’s treatment but said his medical team is “very encouraged by the progress made so far and remains positive about the king’s continued recovery.”

Charles continued his state duties, including reviewing government documents and meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, after his diagnosis was disclosed on February 5.

“As the first anniversary of the coronation approaches, their majesties remain deeply grateful for the many kindnesses and good wishes they have received from around the world throughout the joys and challenges of the past year,’’ the palace said in a statement.

Charles’ return will relieve pressure on other members of the royal family after the king’s absence, coupled with that of the Princess of Wales, also due to illness, highlighted the challenges faced by a slimmed-down monarchy.

© 2023 All right reserved. New Telegraph, Nigeria

As the football season in Europe reaches its climax, Nigerian stars find themselves at the forefront of both triumph and adversity. From vying for prestigious league titles to fighting tooth and nail to avoid relegation, these athletes showcase their resilience and talent on the grand stage of European football.

Title chasers

Victor Boniface, Nathan Tella (Leverkusen)

Boniface and Tella are still on a high after recently claiming the German Bundesliga title, the first-ever for Bayer Leverkusen in their 120-year history in the German top-flight.
.

The duo were a part of the squad as Leverkusen extended their unbeaten run this season to 46 in all competitions on Saturday.

Both Nigerian forwards are still in line to win a historic treble after reaching the DFB Pokal final and the Europa League semi-finals. Die Werkself will face off against Roma in the Europa semi-finals on May 2 and 9 while the German Cup final against Kaiserslautern is set for May 25.

Ademola Lookman (Atalanta)


Lookman is on course for a double trophy haul with Atalanta this season. While fighting for an European spot in the Serie A, the Italian side have secured a spot in the Coppa Italia final and the Europa League semi-finals.

Lookman was instrumental as he delivered a goal and an assist in extra time during their 4-1 win over Fiorentina in the second leg of their Coppa Italia semi-finals game on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old and his side will face Marseille in the Europa League semis on May 2 and 9 while they will battle Juventus in the Cup final on May 15.

Cyriel Dessers, Leon Balogun (Rangers)

Nigerian forward Dessers and defender Balogun are also chasing a double haul in Scotland with the league and the Cup still to play for.

Dessers scored a brace in the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup against Hearts last Sunday to send the Gers into the final of the competition where they will face eternal rivals Celtic United.

With just five league games to wrap up the season, Rangers are three points behind Celtic who they will also battle in the Scottish Cup final on May 25.


Gift Orban (Olympique Lyon)

After joining the French giants in January, Orban is already close to winning a first title with Olympique Lyonnais as they are set for a French Cup final clash against Paris Saint-Germain on May 25.

In Lyon’s thrilling Coupe de France semi-final clash against Valenciennes on April 2nd, Orban stole the spotlight just three minutes after being subbed on.

Facing a determined Valenciennes side, Lyon needed a spark to secure their spot in the final. Captain Lacazette had already given Lyon the lead with two goals, but it was Orban who put the game to bed with a decisive strike, sealing a commanding 3-0 victory.

Zaidu Sanusi (Porto) Cup

Although denied a chance to win the Liga Portugal trophy for the second season in a row, defender Zaidu is still in contention to win the Portuguese Cup as Porto will face rivals Sporting Lisbon on May 26.

Wilfred Ndidi, Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City)

Having secured promoton to the Premier League after Leeds United were thumped by Queens Park Rangers, Ndidi and Iheanacho can now claim the Championship title on Monday with victory at Preston.

The Foxes remain on track to amass 100 points on their way back to the top flight following their relegation last season with 94 points from 44 games and with two games left to play.

Bright Osayi-Samuel (Fenerbahce)

Osayi-Samuel is still in the fight for the Turkish Super Lig title this season with Fenerbahce four points behind leaders Galatasaray and four games left to play in the top-flight this season.

Paul Onuachu (Trabzonspor)

Also in Turkey, Onuachu is set for a chance at glory in the Turkish Cup after a first-leg 3-2 win over Fatih Karamguruk on the semi-finals. The second leg will be played on May 8 away at the Ataturk Olympic stadium with the winner moving on to the final on May 23 against the winner of Besiktas vs Ankaragucu.

Raphael Onyedika (Club Brugge)


Onyedika has fully emerged as a rock in the Brugge midfield as the Belgian side are on course for a first-ever European trophy this season. Club Brugge are through to the semi-finals of the UEFA Conference where they will clash with Fiorentina across two legs on May 2 and May 9.

Peter Olayinka (Red Star Belgrade)

Olayinka will be keen to help Red Star Belgrade secure the Serbian Super League title with the side already 10 points clear off the opposition with 31 games played in the season.

Tochi Chukwuani (Sturm Graz) League

21-year-old Chukwuani could win his first title in his professional career this season as Sturm Graz are three points ahead of their closest opposition RB Salzburg in the Austrian Bundesliga.

Alhassan Yusuf, Chidera Ejuke, and George Ilenikhena (Royal Antwerp)

The Nigerian trio could celebrate with other domestic cup winners in May as they gear up for a final clash against Union Saint-Gilloise on May 9.

Relegation battlers

No fewer than eight Nigeria players are in danger of being relegated from topflight football in Europe’s top leagues.

Ola Aina, Taiwo Awoniyi, Gabriel Osho, Elijah Adebayo, Maduka Okoye, Isaac Success, Kingsley Ehizibue and Ezekiel Henty are some of the player in Europe who risk being demoted to the second tier leagues if their respective teams have no incredible turnaround in the remaining games left to play.

With three games to play in the English Premier League, the hopes of Nottingham Forest (who have the duo Aina and Awoniyi) avoiding relegation hangs in the balance.

The Reds find themselves in a precarious position, sitting just one point above the dreaded dotted line.

And with the Sheffield United already relegated, it looks like being a fight between the Reds, Burnley and Luton Town for the other two relegation spots.

As things stand, data analysts Opta say Forest have the best chance of survival out of that pack. They say Nuno’s men have a 35.78 per cent chance of relegation, while the Hatters have a 71.70 per cent chance of going down and Burnley’s is put at 92.46 per cent.

Opta say that across their season simulations undertaken after the midweek fixtures, the Reds averaged 30 points in the final reckoning – taking four points from their final four matches. They face a tall order to claim any of those points against Manchester City on Sunday (today).

For Luton Town, their quest to stay in English topflight further hit following their 2-1 loss to Wolves on Saturday.

The Hatters have in their ranks Osho and Adebayo who have been pivotal in the club’s top-flight campaign.

Adebayo who returned to action after 11 weeks out due to a hamstring injury in the encounter against Wolves on Saturday – his first since February is Luton’s joint top scorer with Calton Morris in the Premier League this season with nine goals in 24 league appearances.

Victorious only once in their last 14 league outings, Luton remain a point adrift of safety in 18th, one fewer than 17th-placed Nottingham Forest, who host Manchester City on Sunday (today).

Osho on his part has helped Luton record two clean sheets, four wins and four draws so far in the EPL. The 26-year-old has played 18 the Hatters scoring twice from his defensive positions.

In the Serie A, the trio Okoye, Ehizibue and Success could also go down with Udinese if the Zebrette’s performances don’t improve. The Zebrette are one of the six teams trying to avoid two relegation places alongside Serie B-bound Salernitana.

Currently 18th in the Italian league table with 28 points from 33 games, Udinese have failed to win in their last five game (losing four and drawing one).

Another loss for Udinese away to Bologna on Sunday at the Dall’Ara stadium where they have not won in their last five visits, further imperils the side who have had a dismal 2023/24 campaign.


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