A new report by two United Nations agencies warned Friday of a heightened risk of famine in three conflict-torn African states and Yemen, and a high hunger risk in 16 more. The Food and Agriculture Organisation and World Food Programme warned that a “toxic combination of conflict, economic decline, climate extremes and the Covid-19 pandemic … is driving people further into the emergency phase of food insecurity”. The agencies swung the spotlight on Burkina Faso, Nigeria, South Sudan and Yemen, all facing rising levels of acute hunger with potential risk of famine. Issuing “a stark warning” in their Early Warning Analysis of Acute Food Insecurity Hotspots, the agencies said the four countries have areas that could soon slip into famine. Some parts of the population “are already experiencing...
RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann is reportedly on Manchester United’s list of potential replacements for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, amid the mounting pressure regarding the Norwegian’s future at Old Trafford. The current United boss has overseen a shaky start to the new season for United, with his side currently 15th in the table having won just two of their opening six Premier League fixtures. The Red Devils had appeared to have turned things around after the international break, with a thumping win over Newcastle United, as well as impressive Champions League victories over Paris Saint-Germain and Leipzig quietening the doubters somewhat. That all changed over the past week, however, with United putting in another drab performance at home in the 1-0 defeat to Arsenal at the weekend, before t...
The Enugu State Government has confirmed that Yellow Fever is the cause of deaths from a reported strange illness in Ette Uno and Umuopu communities of Enugu Ezike town in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of the state. A statement by the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Emmanuel Ikechukwu Obi, stated that the disease was confirmed “through verifiable diagnostic tests”. Dr. Obi explained that “Yellow Fever is not a new disease but one of public health importance internationally and in Nigeria” adding that “It is one of the diseases controlled for in the Nigerian set of routine and mass immunizable diseases.” According to him “a suspected case is anyone with a sudden onset of fever who develops jaundice (yellowness of the eyes) within 14 days it is verifiable by diagnostic tests”. The ...
Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on Saturday, warned Governor Nyesom Wike over the arrest of two of his members in Rivers State. Kanu warned both Wike and the Nigerian Army that nothing should happen to the two IPOB members. He issued the warning over the arrest of two IPOB members, Sandy Kufre and Akpan Magen in Oyigbo area of Rivers State. In a tweet, the separatist leader called on Wike and the Nigerian Army to release his members. According to Kanu, the two IPOB members were arrested for wearing ‘Kippah and Magen’. He wrote: “Army came to our Synagogue in #Obigbo and picked Sandy Kufre and Akpan Reuben when they saw them wearing Kippah and Magen – This SOS came from someone at the scene. “Well, let me warn @GovWike and @HQNigerianArmy that no harm must come...
Canada’s unemployment rate fell to 8.9 per cent in October as the economy added 84,000 jobs, but further gains were dampened by new Covid-19 lockdowns, the national statistical agency said Friday. Employment in Canada has increased at a monthly rate of 2.7 per cent since May, but economists had expected fewer jobs to be created last month as new restrictions were reintroduced across the country to slow the spread of a second wave of the coronavirus. Statistics Canada noted that increases in employment across several industries were partially offset by a big drop in accommodation and food services jobs. Full-time employment rose 69,000, making up most of the gains, while self-employment rose by 33,000 for the first time since the start of the pandemic in March. Overall, about 2.4 million Ca...
The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) on Friday said its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) as at Sept. 30 stood at N1.4billion as against N4.4billion projection for 2020. Mr Fidets Okhiria, Managing Director of NRC, in a statement said the sum of N245million was remitted to the TSA as at Oct.31. Okhiria said this at the 2021 Budget Defence to the Joint Committee of Land and Marine transport at the National Assembly in Abuja. He said that the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic affected its operations as train services were stopped during its peak, thus affecting the IGR projection for the year. “The Joint Committee should also note that for the year 2020, the Corporation presented a separate Internally Generated Revenue & Expenditure Budget. “The sum of N1.4billion has been generated as ...
YouTube Leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has vowed to avenge the death of youths killed in Obigbo, Rivers. Kanu, in a statement by the IPOB Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, said the organisation is watching with keen interest “the murder of our people in cold blood in every part of Nigeria particularly in Obigbo, Rivers State, where the Governor Nyesom Wike and the Nigeria security agents are deriving joy in slaughtering innocent people. “We want to remind anybody who supports or partners Wike in killing our people in Obigbo to brace up for the consequences of their atrocities because IPOB must avenge for the death of those innocent youths, women and even children murdered in cold blood.” He also accused Wike of working for Northern pol...
File Photo A magistrate in Abuja has remanded six detained protesters in custody on ‘trumped up charges,’ according to their lawyer. Newmen earlier reported that a small group of protesters were attacked by security forces at the National Assembly as they were rounding off their protest demanding widespread governmental reforms. Six protesters were arrested, including five males and one female. Human rights lawyer Tope Akinyode, who is defending the accused, told newsmen that the protesters were being held on “allegations of unlawful assembly and wanting to distort the societal peace.” “Of course, those are clearly trumped up charges because the protesters protested in accordance with the law,” he said. The magistrate in charge of their case decided to strike out the lawyer’s oral applicat...
The embattled chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) Osun State, Hon Soji Adagunodo, on Friday took over the party secretariat in the Osogbo capital of the state. Newsmen report that an Osun State High Court sitting in Ikirun on Tuesday, November 3 reinstated Hon. Soji Adajunodo as the chairman of the People Democratic Party (PDP) following a motion Exparte by the Adagunodo’s counsel, Edmund Biriomoni, in suit number HIK/25/2020 filed before Justice Saka Falola sought for seven reliefs from the respondents four respondent including the substantive chairman, Mr Sunday Bisi. Adagunodo in the company of his supporters stormed the party secretariat around 1:30 PM on Friday greeted party members that were inside the premises. Addressing journalists after he took over the secretariat, Hon A...
File Photo The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confessed that the deployment of technology in the electoral process especially during the 2019 general elections came with challenges. The Commission made the disclosure in the review of the 2019 general elections, a report of the Commission’s retreats and stakeholder engagement, presented during a press briefing in Abuja on Friday. INEC also claimed in the review that the delay in investigation and transmission of case files to the Commission for further action by the police has hindered the successful prosecution of electoral offenders. Making recommendation on ICT, SCRs, DDCMs, CVR and Internet services, the Commission noted: “The growing use of technology in the planning of elections became a feature in our elections ...