OkpaNsukkaisBae: Herdsmen go just dey one corner dey look una.
herdsmen and their reign of terror is over in Benue state.
Fulani herdsmen have been successful in unleashing hell in Benue because the federal government isn't serious to address the problem once and for all, there's no doubt our country is seriously polarized, this cannot happen elsewhere.
But any serious State governor will not wait for the federal government before doing the needful
Hyacinth Alia, governor of Benue, says the state has extensive investment opportunities in the agricultural sector for foreign investors to put their funds.
Alia spoke on Saturday when he received Baroness Sandip Verma, former United Kingdom (UK) minister of energy and climate change, at the government house in Markurdi, Benue capital.
The governor said the works of the former minister in the area of development in Nigeria and Africa are recognised, adding that he is confident Benue will benefit from her contributions.
“In as much as you have heard about Benue, we have heard so much about you and your goodwill. We know about your tall profile and the good intentions you have for Nigeria and the entire Africa. I am convinced that you are in the right place,” Alia said.
“We are the food basket of the nation, and there are a number of things we do here in the state. In the past, we lost out on a number of opportunities.
“But for the work we are doing as a government, we want to bring to bear, the huge opportunities on all of us as a people and as a state.”
While speaking, Verma, who is also a member of the House of Lords in the UK, expressed appreciation to the governor for the invitation.
The former UK minister added that she considers herself a Nigerian and is willing to support the country’s programme to empower women.
Goodlady: As a Nigerian, are you proud of the renumeration and welfare of the NA? If yes, kindly volunteer as part of those that FG ll send to Sudan.
Secondly, you def called on African leaders. Shebi they all saw what's happening there. So why you dey blame the West? See as African kingdoms do evil before slave trade, aiding slave trade and all sorts before arrival of Europeans or Arabs? If your home is desolate, why won't oitsiders loot? So those African Union are the failure that failed to protect Sudan or any conflict ridden nation in Africa. Cos there should v been a clear voice from AU that we tried to help but na them no accept the help. Lastly there's fire in ya backyard. Aren't you appalled by the kidnapping that has refused to stop or reduce in Nigeria? Shey until you hear of who you know? Focus more on good rule in Nigeria.
The situation in Sudan is really horrifying, we often say that the west should stay away from the affairs of Africa but here we are watching Sudan as the country burns down
I don't know what is stopping African union from sending soldiers to Sudan.
Also shame on Sudan's army, it is clear they don't have the capacity to defeat RSF.
President Tinubu should consider sending small number of our soldiers to Sudan
UN says it has received only 12 percent of funds sought for war-wracked Sudan as ‘famine is closing in’.
The United Nations human rights chief has expressed horror over the escalating violence in Sudan’s North Darfur region as a top humanitarian official described the worsening situation on the ground as “hell of Earth”.
Hundreds of thousands of displaced people are sheltering in el-Fasher without basic supplies amid fears that nearby fighting will turn into an all-out battle for the city, the last stronghold of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in the western Darfur region
Its capture would be a major boost for the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as regional and international powers try to push the sides to negotiate an end to a 13-month war.
People who are currently in el-Fasher have said “the situation is like hell on Earth, where they could lose their lives at any day,” Toby Harward, the UN deputy humanitarian coordinator for Sudan, told Al Jazeera.
“There is active conflict going on, artillery attacks by the Rapid Support Forces as well as air bombardments by the Sudanese Armed Forces that are leading to new displacements,” he said on Friday. “People are trying to flee, to get to safer areas but are finding them very very hard to do.”
The UN human rights office said at least 58 people have been killed around el-Fasher since last week.
Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said UN High Commissioner Volker Turk had phone calls this week with army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, urging them to de-escalate.
During a news briefing in Geneva, Shamdasani warned on Friday that both that the fighting in el-Fasher, where more than 1.8 million residents and internally displaced people are currently encircled and at imminent risk of famine, “would have a catastrophic impact on civilians, and would deepen intercommunal conflict with disastrous humanitarian consequences”.
1,000 new refugees daily
Harward said an estimated 1,000 new refugees cross the border from Darfur every day to neighbouring Chad.
“When they are asked why they are crossing, they say that they do not have food to survive if they remain inside Darfur,” he said.
“If the conflict in Darfur gets worse, we will be seeing another exponential rise of refugees crossing the border into Chad,” which already hosts more than 900,000 refugees who fled Sudan.
While mediation efforts between the warring sides are continuing, he appealed to donors for the quick release of funding for humanitarian relief.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the UN’s resident and humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, said talks to secure the entry of much-needed aid into Sudan are “ongoing”.
“We are trying to engage with all those concerned to help us facilitate our access to all parts of the country,” Nkweta-Salami said. “Time of course is a key factor. We are racing against the clock – in Darfur, 18 million people are in a very dire situation in terms of food security.”
Nkweta-Salami said the delivery of food and other supplies need to happen “as fast as we can”.
But, she added, “we are facing obstructions on many levels”.
Meanwhile, Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that as of Friday, only 12 percent of the $2.7bn being sought for Sudan has been raised.
“It is a catastrophically underfunded appeal,” Laerke told reporters.
“In Sudan, half of the population, 25 million people, need humanitarian aid. Famine is closing in. Diseases are closing in. The fighting is closing in on civilians, especially in Darfur.”
The UN has estimated that more than 15,000 people have been killed across Sudan since the war broke out in April 2023 and more than 8.8 million people have been forced to flee their homes.
HolinessForever: Nearly 700 tunnel shafts have been identified in Rafah, with ~50 tunnels crossing into Egypt, revealed Dr. Gilad Noam at today's sham ICJ hearing.
Those tunnels are used to smuggle weapons to Hamas and can be used to smuggle senior terrorists and/or hostages out of Gaza.
The man is just amplifying what some of us have been saying.
war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu is gradually losing the support within his government, he will be kicked out soon.
I see this man taking over from netanyahu as the next Israeli prime minister with US support because netanyahu isn't listening to Joe Biden as well.
All netanyahu is after is more land grabbing and making sure Palestine doesn't exist.
As usual I expect some Nigerians to call the defence minister a terrorist sympathizer since he's no longer thinking in their direction.
Lastly, this is actually his admission that they cannot occupy and impose a military rule in Gaza, he might also be afraid of the impending arrest warrant.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has voiced open frustration at the government’s failure to address the question of a post-war plan for Gaza.
In a rare public sign of divisions over the direction of the military campaign within Israel’s war cabinet, Mr Gallant urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declare publicly that Israel has no plans to take over civilian and military rule in Gaza.
“Since October, I have been raising this issue consistently in the Cabinet,” he said, “and have received no response.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded harshly, saying he was "not ready to exchange Hamastan for Fatahstan," in reference to rival Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah.
Indecision, he warned, would leave only two bad options in Gaza: Hamas rule or Israeli military rule.
Either “would erode our military achievements, lessen the pressure on Hamas and sabotage chances of achieving a framework for the release of hostages,” Mr Gallant said.
Another member of the war cabinet, Benny Gantz - who has disagreed with Netanyahu in the past - agreed with the defence minister: "Gallant speaks the truth. It is the leadership's responsibility to do the right thing for the country at all costs."
Mr Gallant said that the defence establishment, over which he presides, had presented a war plan to the cabinet as early as the night when Israel’s ground invasion of Gaza began last October. He said the plans included proposals “to establish a local, non-hostile Palestinian governing alternative.”
The day after Hamas, he said, would “only be achieved by Palestinian entities taking control of Gaza, accompanied by international actors.”
He said these proposals were never debated, nor were any alternatives presented.
Mr Gallant said the failure to set out a plan was leading Israel towards a “dangerous course” involving Israeli military and civilian rule over Gaza.
He described that prospect as “a negative and dangerous option for the State of Israel strategically, militarily, and from a security standpoint.”
“I must reiterate: I will not agree to the establishment of Israeli military rule in Gaza. Israel must not establish civilian rule in Gaza.”
“I call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make a decision and declare that Israel will not establish civilian control over the Gaza strip, that Israel will not establish military governance in the Gaza strip, and that a governing alternative to Hamas in the Gaza strip will be raised immediately.”
Israeli press reports have recently included suggestions that military leaders have grave misgivings about the lack of a viable plan for Gaza after the war ends. Mr Gallant’s comments this evening bring those misgivings out into the open in a politically explosive way.
On a visit to Ukraine on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Israel needed to produce a clear plan for Gaza's future.
"We can't have anarchy and a vacuum that's likely to be filled by chaos," Mr Blinken said.
Mr Netanyahu has previously insisted that discussions on the future governance of Gaza are just “empty talk” as long as Hamas remains in the territory.
Mambebe Crooner, Sky B, Who Was Rediscovered Few Weeks Ago Seen At The Airport Jetting Off To Abuja As His Music Career Comes Alive Again After He Was Forgotten For Over A Decade.
I don't have any problem with Putin and Xi bromance as they work to strengthen their economic and military partnership, but Africans should know that these men are not different from Europeans and Americans some of you hate so much because of what they did to Africa in the past.
Maybe they thought they were Hamas, such thing happens when you disregard the rules of military operation and engage in reckless bombing and killing spree
The Israeli military said Thursday that friendly fire had killed five soldiers the previous day in the northern Gaza Strip, where intense fighting in the Israel-Hamas war has resumed in recent days.
Asked to confirm media reports that the five fatalities announced earlier in an official statement were caused by Israeli fire, a military spokesperson told AFP: “Yes.”
Five soldiers had been killed in the northern Gaza Strip, where intense fighting has resumed more than seven months into its war against Hamas militants.
The soldiers were killed “in battle” on Wednesday, the army said in a statement, without elaborating on the cause of their deaths.
The latest fatalities take the number of Israeli troops killed in the Gaza military campaign since the start of the ground offensive on October 27 to 278.
Fighting has raged in recent days in northern Gaza, with an Israeli army spokesman saying there were “attempts by Hamas to rebuild its military capabilities” months after Israel had declared the Palestinian armed group’s command structure in the area dismantled.
Fierce battles and heavy Israeli bombardments have been reported in north Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp and the central Nuseirat camp since the army launched a “targeted” operation focusing on the southern city of Rafah in early May.
Teen walks at graduation after completing doctoral degree at 17
A teenager from Chicago walked in her graduation ceremony this month after earning her doctoral degree at 17.
Dorothy Jean Tillman II told "Good Morning America" that she was homeschooled in her early years before entering college at age 10.
In 2020, she said she earned a Master of Science degree, and then, one year later, at age 15, was accepted into the Doctorate of Behavioral Health Management program at Arizona State University.
In December 2023, at 17, Tillman successfully defended her dissertation to earn her doctoral degree in integrated behavioral health from ASU's College of Health Solutions.
On May 6, she walked at ASU's spring commencement ceremony.
Tillman told "GMA" she has always held education in such high regard in part due to her family's background.
"People in my life like my grandmother, who was part of the Civil Rights movement, she of course harped on the importance of education and consistently learning something always," Tillman said. "But the way I always held education so high on my own, aside from being raised that way, was finding different things to be educated about."
She continued, "I feel like that urge to learn something new just never didn't exist for me."
Dr. Lesley Manson, a clinical associate professor at ASU, told "GMA" that Tillman is the youngest person in school history to earn a doctoral degree in integrated behavioral health.
Manson said she oversaw Tillman's dissertation for the doctoral program offered through ASU Online.
During her studies, Tillman wrote a journal article of her dissertation and completed an internship at a university student health center, according to Manson.
"She really led change and worked on different forms of management to really reduce healthcare stigma and improve that student population there to be able to enter and accept student health services," she said of Tillman. "It was wonderful to see her and help her navigate some of those personal and professional interactions and grow through those experiences."
Manson described Tillman as an "inquisitive" and "innovative" student, and emphasized just how rare it is to accomplish what she has so far.
"It's a wonderful celebration ... but this is still something so rare and unique," she said. "She has innovative ideas and motivation, which is wonderful, and truly, I think what is inspiring is that she embodies that meaning of being a true leader."
Manson said she hopes Tillman continues to inspire people with her love of learning, saying, "That curiosity is always there, and I think all learners come with that, but it's great to be able to see it in someone so young as well."
Her inspiration and how she gives back to community
Tillman said her own journey wouldn't be possible without the support of her mom, who she said is one of her biggest motivators.
"Seeing my mother consistently work so hard to continuously uphold our family's legacy, and be that person that everyone was able to go to, if they needed anything ... always seeing [her] like [a] 'wonder woman' definitely made me want to grow up [into] an accomplished person," she said.
An advocate for education, Tillman is also the founder and CEO of a leadership institute that emphasizes the arts and STEM.
"I feel like adding art and putting a focus on it throughout science, technology, engineering and math makes the kids excited to learn all those things," she said. "And it opens them up to all of the possibilities and all the knowledge provided in that area of just STEM."
As for her plans after graduation, Tillman said she is "just like any other teenager, still figuring out what my specific dreams and goals are."
"I'm really just grateful that the world is my oyster, and that I've done so much so young," she said. "And I have time to kind of think that through."
Tillman added that she hopes young people will take away from her story that it's OK to continually figure out what you want to do in life.
"Always remember that everyone has points in their life where they feel like they're figuring it out," she said. "And so figuring things out, not knowing what you want isn't a bad thing. But making the choice not to sit down and try to figure it out is."
Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico was in a life-threatening condition in hospital Wednesday after he was shot multiple times in an assassination attempt.
The shooting took place after an off-site government meeting in Handlova. Fico was first transported to a local hospital and then taken by helicopter to a major trauma center in Banska Bystrica, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) away.
Footage from the scene shows the injured prime minister being bundled into a vehicle by several of his staff, with the car speeding away from the scene as soon as he is inside.
“There was an assassination attempt on R. Fico. He was shot multiple times and is currently in a life-threatening condition. The next few hours will be decisive,” according to a statement on Fico’s official Facebook page.
The suspected gunman was detained at the scene by law enforcement officers, according to Slovakia’s state news agency TASR.
The official statement said the PM was taken to Banska Bystrica instead of the capital city of Bratislava because “an acute intervention” was necessary. Handlova is about two hours’ drive from the capital Bratislava.
Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová condemned what she called a “brutal and reckless” attack on the 59-year-old politician. “I’m shocked. I wish Roberto Fico all the strength in this critical moment to recover from the attack,” Čaputová wrote on Facebook.
Fico won a third term as Slovakian prime minister last October after running a campaign that criticized western support for Ukraine. Fico had pledged an immediate end to Slovak military support for Ukraine and promised to block Ukraine’s NATO ambitions in what would upend Slovakia’s staunch backing for Ukraine.
Ahead of the election, Fico made no secret of his sympathies towards the Kremlin and blamed “Ukrainian Nazis and fascists” for provoking Vladimir Putin into launching the invasion, repeating the false narrative Russia’s president has used to justify his invasion.
While in opposition, Fico became a close ally of Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, especially when it came to criticism of the European Union.
Fico previously served as Slovakia’s prime minister for more than a decade, first between 2006 and 2010 and then again from 2012 to 2018. He was forced to resign in March 2018 after weeks of mass protests over the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée, Martina Kušnírová. Kuciak reported on corruption among the country’s elite, including people directly connected to Fico and his party SMER.
European leaders immediately condemned the attack. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, tweeted: “I strongly condemn the vile attack on Prime Minister Robert Fico. Such acts of violence have no place in our society and undermine democracy, our most precious common good. My thoughts are with PM Fico, his family.”
And Hungarian Prime Minister Orban added: “I was deeply shocked by the heinous attack against my friend, Prime Minister Robert Fico. We pray for his health and quick recovery! God bless him and his country!”
Too bad, Israel will be held accountable for all the atrocities they are commiting.
Indiscriminate bombing of civilian targets such as hospitals, refugee camps, world heritage sites, schools, Churches and mosques are serious war crimes, even cemeteries are not left out
A United Nations staff member was killed and another injured in Rafah on Monday when their UN-marked vehicle was struck on its way to a hospital in the area.
The two staff members from the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (DSS) had been traveling to the European Hospital when their car was hit. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement that he "condemns all attacks on UN personnel and calls for a full investigation. He sends his condolences to the family of the fallen staff member."
The death of the DSS staff member marks the first death of a foreign UN staff member in Gaza since the start of Israel’s ground offensive after Hamas‘ October 7 terror attack.
Guterres‘ spokesperson told journalists on Monday that information was still being gathered on the incident, and that Guterres has reiterated "his urgent appeal for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire and for the release of all hostages."
An Israeli military spokesperson said the incident was under review.
Comparing Israel’s war on Gaza to the US atomic bombings of Japan during World War II, US Senator Lindsey Graham argued on Sunday that Israel should do whatever it has to do.
Speaking during an interview on NBC News’ Meet the Press, Graham said: “When we were faced with destruction as a nation after Pearl Harbor, fighting the Germans and the Japanese, we decided to end the war by the bombing Hiroshima, Nagasaki with nuclear weapons.”
“That was the right decision,” he added.
He further said: “Give Israel the bombs they need to end the war they can’t afford to lose and work with them to minimize casualties.”
Defending the US decision to drop an atomic bomb on Japan, Graham said “I thought it was okay” when the US dropped the nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end “their existential threat war.”
“To Israel, do whatever you have to do to survive as a Jewish state. Whatever you have to do.”
His remarks came after the US halted a sizeable weapons shipment to Israel because of worries about their potential use in Rafah, which is home to 1.5 million displaced Palestinians.
A US official, who requested anonymity, said the shipment included 1,800 bombs of 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms) and 1,700 bombs of 500 pounds (227 kilograms). The official stressed concern about the use of the 2,000-pound bombs in densely populated areas of Gaza, NBC news reported.
Israel has waged an unrelenting offensive on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas last Oct. 7 which killed some 1,200 people.
More than 35,000 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, mostly women and children, and 78,700 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Over seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine, according to the UN.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
Politics › Re: Alia Meets Ex-UK Minister, Says Benue Has Investment Opportunities In Agricultur by God1000(op): 9:25pm On May 18, 2024*. Modified: 9:48pm On May 18, 2024
