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Former Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has been elected Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
Former Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has been elected Director General of the World Trade OrgaIn the final two-man race, she polled 104 votes from 164 member countries to defeat South Korea’s Trade Minister.
She becomes the first African to head the WTO.
The body is expected to announce her as the new DG by 3pm Nigerian time.
Details shortly…
Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno has donated N180 million and 27,000 bags of grains to the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) assisting the military in the fight against insurgency.
Zulum announced the donation on Wednesday in Maiduguri while addressing members of the CJTF.
He also announced N50,000 welfare package for widows and scholarship for orphans of CJTF who lost their lives since 2013 in the fight against insurgency.
He said: “Our indomitable men and women of the Civilian JTF, hunters and vigilantes, the people of Borno are mightily and gratefully proud of you.
“Nothing can compensate for the sacrifices you are making; only Allah can adequately compensate each of you.
“This is particularly so for many of our fellow compatriots who have died in the battle fields.
“In the last seven years, we have recorded instances in which volunteers in the Civilian JTF have intercepted suicide attackers and in the process lost their lives.
“We have recorded more instances of many killed in major battles after they also succeeded in our shared victories over Boko Haram at different encounters.
“I will not mention names, but there are records of warriors in the Civilian JTF, hunters and vigilantes from southern to northern and central Borno.
“They fought so hard and gave their lives fighting for Borno.’’
Zulum noted that these volunteers fought and died with no death benefits, no pension, and no gratuities.
“As we should expect, orphaned children and widows left behind by these fallen Civilian JTF and hunters have been struggling to feed, to access medical services, or to access basic and secondary education.
“As governor of Borno, I assure you, that insha’Allah, all of those who died in the Civilian JTF, groups of hunters and vigilantes did not die in vain,” Zulum said.
Reports had it that about 9,000 people in Borno were recruited into CJTF and are paid monthly stipend by the state government.
Osun State Governor, Gboyega Oyetola, has warned looters still in possession of stolen items to return them before the commencement of the house-to-house search by security agents on Thursday.
Oyetola made this known while inspecting some of the recovered loots deposited at the parking lot of the Government House, Osogbo.
Oyetola, who said about 20 per cent of the looted items have been returned, enjoined other looters to take advantage of the hours left in the amnesty period, adding that there would be no extension.
According to a statement by his office, the governor stressed that those who refused to embrace the offer of the government would face the full wrath of the law.
The statement quoted Oyetola as saying, “For us, this voluntary return of the of loots is a welcome development. The intention is to assist the various owners of these items to have the opportunity of getting their properties and belongings because we believe strongly that it is going to be a big setback for them to have all these properties lost.”
Warning the looters, the governor added, “What they should realise is that, there are a lot of video clips and video coverage for all the looting that took place in the state. The implication of this is that there is no hidden place for anybody that looted anything in Osun.
“So, it is in their interest to voluntarily return all the items or face the wrath of the law after the expiration of the 72hours. We are not going back after this period. We are going to go from house to house to retrieve the looted items.”
Rampaging hoodlums had of recent ransacked public and private properties in the state under the guise of the #EndSARS protests against police brutality.
The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) has called for immediate the disbursement of the Federal Government’s N10 billion COVID-19 palliative for transport operators.
NURTW National President, Prof. Tajudeen Baruwa, made the call in an interview Wednesday in Abuja
.He commended the federal government for making such provision for transport operators in the country, saying that its essence would be defeated if not timely disbursed. “During the lock-down occasioned by the outbreak of Coronavirus, workers in both federal and state services received their salaries, our members were subjected to extreme hardship. “It is of utmost importance that palliatives be extended to our members, this will help to ameliorate the hardship and resultant effects of the disease on them,” he said.
Baruwa said it was the demand of the union that 70 per cent of the fund be allocated to it because of the size of its membership.
He stated that the union had presented its demand before the ministerial committee in charge of disbursing the fund. “They have agreed to make the necessary recommendations, we are hoping to hear from them, we have not received anything from the government as palliative,” he said.
The NURTW president further urged the Federal Government to understand the plight of transport operators and act speedily.
Reports had it that a committee for the disbursement of the N10 billion palliatives approved for transportation sector operators by the federal government was set up on Sept. 10.
The Kaduna State Police Command has arrested 23 persons who allegedly looted warehouses during the #EndSARS crisis, recovering 14 motorcycles and six tricycles.
The spokesman of the command, Mohammed Jalige, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Kaduna on Wednesday.
Jalige said the suspects were arrested on Tuesday in Barnawa, Narayi and Kakuri communities of the Chikun and Kaduna South Local Government Areas.
He said the suspects would be charged to court, adding that the clampdown would continue until sanity was restored in affected areas of the state.
Twenty-five suspected looters were earlier charged to court on Monday.
By Muhammad Ibrahim, Sokoto
This comprises N15 billion required to construct roads and bridges washed away by the flood and over N5 billion needed for intervention to victims, most of them farmers, as remedy to mitigate their sufferings.
Muhammad Bello in a statement said the cost implication of the damages caused on roads, bridges by the flood exclude that of damages done to primary health centers, clinics, dispensaries and other structures.
The governor was speaking Tuesday while receiving a report from the Dr Muhammad Jabbi Kilgori-led special committee on flood disaster management held at the council chamber of Government House, Sokoto.
The committee set up about a month ago was mandated by the state government to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the magnitude and impact of this year’s flooding, to source data on the damages wrought on farmlands and livestock as well as recommend ways forward to assist farmers to mitigate the suffering.
The governor said his administration will act promptly on the implementation of the the recommendations of the Kilgori Committee by immediately mobilizing resources.
He thanked the chairman and members of the committee for their commitment, hard work and completion of the job successfully.
Earlier in his address the chairman of the committee Dr. Kilgori, said the committee swung into action after its inauguration by forming a technical team in each of the three senatorial zones in the state.
He said in each of the affected areas the team interacted with community leaders, farmers affected, traditional rulers, and also inspected the flood affected areas, thus generating comprehensive data on the damages.
Dr Kilgori said over 24,300 hectares was washed away by the flood affecting over 14,000 farming families, which include farmlands, livestocks, fisheries and other resources.
Among the interventions recommended by the committee to remedy the situation are: procurement of fertilizer, pecticides, water pumping machines, seedling, sprayers among other farming inputs and also other recommendations that will address the causes and recurrence of the flood disaster.
The chairman expressed appreciation to the state government for appointing them to serve in the committee.
By Ujah Simon, Kaduna
Kaduna State Commissioner for Planning and Budget Commission, Mr. Thomas Gyang has denied ownership of the facility where COVID-19 palliatives were looted by hoodlums in the State recently.
The commissioner said the facility which was used during the first round of COVID-19 palliatives distribution, is being used temporarily by him for the distribution of the second phase scheduled for next week. He said, in local radio station reports in kaduna, that the facility, where the looted Coalition Against Covid-19, palliatives, were kept at Gwari Avenue, Barnawa, Kaduna South local government, was being used temporary and does not belong to him.
Speaking further, the Commissioner said the facility was used previously for the distribution of palliatives in the first and second round of the lockdown, adding that the palliatives were scheduled for distribution this week when hoodlums broke into facility and carted away with them.
While he expressed regret over the unfortunate looting and vandalization of the palliatives, he appealed to the people to give peace a chance to enable the Governor, Malam Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai implement the laudable reform programmes to make Kaduna great again.
According to him, the looting and vandalization of peoples private properties and investments, could be viewed as a deliberate action employed as a setback for the development strides being done by the Governor.
He however, reassured of the governor’s commitment towards the full implementation of the Urban Renewal programme for the benefit of all.
Voting in Tanzania’s presidential election began on Wednesday, with an opposition leader who survived being shot 16 times facing off against an incumbent who claims prayer can prevent COVID-19.
The run-up to the East African country’s polls had been marred with violence.
Rights groups and the opposition have reported intimidation.
On Tuesday, as early voting began in the semi-autonomous region of Zanzibar, the archipelago’s main opposition candidate was arrested and his party claimed police shot five people dead, Police deny this.
President John Magufuli, in power since 2015, is widely expected to win, despite the recent return to the country of opposition challenger Tundu Lissu, in exile since the attempt on his life three years ago.
He survived an assassination attempt when his car was sprayed with more than 30 bullets outside his home in Dodoma.
He suffered 16 bullet wounds and had to be airlifted to Nairobi and later Belgium, where he underwent several operations to save his life. No one has been arrested in connection with the attack.
In October, Lissu’s campaign convoy was tear-gassed in northern Tanzania, after a disagreement with the police on which route it was supposed to take.
Lissu was also suspended from campaigning for one week by the national electoral body, which he called “yet another indication of a discredited and compromised electoral system.’’
Press freedom has been severely curtailed in the lead-up to the vote, with new rules introduced in August requiring foreign journalists to be chaperoned on assignments by a government official.
Down through the years, Magufuli has received lots of international media attention due to his government’s crackdown on gay people, banning the sale of lubricant and subjecting arrested gay men to forced anal exams – a recognized human rights violation.
Most recently he caused derision after saying prayer and herbal steam baths could help prevent infection with coronavirus and later declaring the country free of the virus.
His handling of the pandemic has come under heavy criticism, with critics saying he did too little, too late, to stem the spread of the virus.
The United Nations and the African Union Commission urged Tanzania to ensure polls are peaceful and fair with results are expected in a few days.
The ECOWAS Court has ordered the Republic of Senegal to pay 50 million CFA francs (about N8.3 billion) as compensation to a Belgian, Mrs Lays Ghislaine, for violation of her right to liberty while in detention in the country prior to her extradition five years ago.
Delivering judgment, Justice Januaria Costa held the Republic of Senegal is liable for violation of Ghislaine’s right to liberty.
The court however held that the State did not infringe on her right to dignity, the second plea made in the initiation application.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the media unit of the Court, the Community Court of Justice also dismissed other reliefs sought by the Applicant, declaring them unfounded.
Ghislaine had in her initiating application in suit no. ECW/CCJ/APP/01/19 filed January 7, 2020, alleged she was arbitrarily arrested in September 2015 in furtherance of an international arrest warrant issued by a Belgian court and detained in prison by agents of the Respondent during which she was subjected to degrading treatment in the course of her extradition to Belgium.
The Applicant added that the process for her extradition exceeded the stipulated 30 days period provided for in the Senegalese law relating to extradition.
She averred that although the order for her extradition was issued on June 14, 2016, she was eventually extradited on Nov. 24, 2016 in contravention of Senegal’s law that provided that the victim if not extradited within 30 days should be released.
Her counsel, Mr Assane Ndiaye, claimed that his client also endured hunger strike and was wrongly diagnosed of cancer with the attendant fear and anxiety’
She therefore sought orders of the court declaring the Respondent liable for the violations, and the payment of 500 Million CFA francs as reparation, as well as the cost of litigation.
In response, the respondent did not counter the claims of the applicant on the applicable law concerning extradition but argued that the Applicant provided no evidence to back her claims of being detained beyond the stipulated time.
The respondent further argued that the hunger strike embarked on by the Applicant took place during the legal period of detention and that the medical report carried out by a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) only suspected cancer.
The counsel added that the applicant did not prove how the disease was directly or indirectly related to her detention.
Also on the panel were Justices Gberi-Be Ouattara and Dupe Atoki.
In another suit, the court absolved the government of the Republic of Senegal of violation of the rights of another Senegalese, Mr Siny Dieng, who was tried and sentenced for money laundering and the funds seized by the government.
In the judgment also delivered by the Justice Costa, the court rejected the claim of the applicant that the trial and seizure of the estimated 100 million CFA, based on the order of a court violated his right to fair hearing and property as guaranteed by various legal texts cited in the initiating application in suit no ECW/CCJ/APP/50/19.
The West African Examinations Council has said the results of the 2020 Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination would be released next week.
The results were supposed to be out today but the examination body said the postponement was due to the violence and arson in the country which affected some of its offices and some of its operations nationwide.
The unrest experienced in the aftermath of the #EndSARS protests against police brutality had forced governments to impose curfew in their respective states.
“WASSCE SC 2020 Results Release Date: Dear candidates, the Council had planned to release the results today in fulfilment of our Project 45 but due to the curfew imposed last week, it had to be postponed till next week.
“The exact date will be made known soon,” @waecnigeria tweeted on Wednesday.
When contacted, the Head of Public Affairs, WAEC Nigeria, Demianus Ojijeogu, confirmed the development.