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Senator Lawan: Fresh mass protests inescapable if…
Senate President Ahmad Lawan has warned that Nigeria may not escape another mass demonstration in the mode of #EndSARS protest if the Federal Government fails to effectively address youth unemployment. Lawan gave the warning in Abuja yesterday at the 2021 budget defence of the Ministry of Agriculture. He urged the government to take practical steps in its 2021 budget to meaningfully engage the youths. “Our budget, especially for 2021, should be mindful of what we do to provide employment opportunities for these youths. “They demonstrated. They protested because they could do so. There are so many other people who may not be youthful but are also in the same need and they didn’t protest. “Let’s meet them where they are. We don’t have to wait until they also try to grumble or protest. We sho...
Northeast elders asks President Buhari to sack service chiefs
The Coalition of North East Elders for Peace and Development, Monday asked President Muhammadu Buhari to sack his service chiefs, accusing the military of deploying massive strength during the #EndSARS protests in parts of the country, thereby leaving the zone at the mercy of Boko Haram, an Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists. According to the elders, scores of civilians were killed as a result of the strategic and operational blunders, which they argued, was avoidable, had greater tact been adopted. In a statement signed by the chairman, Engr. Zana Goni, the North East elders said pro-active intelligence would have revealed this lapse to the military high command, had the service chiefs not been lethargic in their responsibilities. Consequently, the elders, for the um...
Nigerian government exempts Dangote from border closure – report
The Nigerian government has allowed Dangote Cement to resume exports across its land borders, Bloomberg reports. This is despite the closure of all land borders by the government for over one year. The move has, however, raised hopes that Nigeria may be opening up trade with neighbors after a year-long blockade. The administration of the President Muhammadu Buhari gave its authorisation for Africa’s biggest producer to export cement to Niger and Togo in the third quarter for the first time in ten months, Michel Puchercos, chief executive officer, said on an investor call in Lagos. The export was made possible “through authorisation given by this administration,” he said. The exemption to Dangote Cement is seen as a softening of the government’s position on a border closure that started in ...
Arabic inscriptions on naira doesn’t threaten Nigeria’s secular status – central bank tells court
The Central Bank of Nigeria has vehemently opposed a suit before the Federal High Court in Lagos praying that the Arabic inscriptions on naira notes be removed. A Lagos-based lawyer, Chief Malcolm Omirhobo, who filed the suit before Justice Mohammed Liman, contended that having Arabic inscriptions on the naira notes portrays Nigeria as an Islamic state, contrary to the country’s constitutional status of a secular state. Omirhobo, who said he does not know what the Arabic inscriptions mean, is praying the court to order the CBN to replace the Arabic inscriptions with either English language, which is the country’s official language, or any of Nigeria’s three main indigenous languages – Hausa, Yoruba or Igbo. According to the lawyer, with the Arabic inscriptions on the naira note, the CBN ha...
Ukrainian president tests positive for coronavirus
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday he tested positive for the novel coronavirus but felt fine as infections surged in the country. “Despite all quarantine measures, I also had a positive test,” Zelensky said on Facebook. The 42-year-old leader said that his temperature was 37.5C but that he felt “good”. He will self-isolate and continue to perform his duties, he added. “Most people overcome Covid-19. And I will get through this too,” he said. The head of Zelensky’s office Andriy Yermak also said that he had contracted the coronavirus. In June, Zelensky’s wife Olena Zelenska was hospitalized after contracting the virus but has recovered. On Saturday, the ex-Soviet country of 40 million people reported a record of 10,746 new coronavirus infections. Ukraine, one of Europe’s po...
Egypt says plans railway lines extending to Libya, Sudan
Egypt’s transport minister Sunday announced proposals to construct a railway line to reach the Sudanese city of Wadi Halfa, and to extend a line in the north to Libya’s Benghazi. The announcement came as part of Egyptian government efforts to overhaul the country’s transport system, including an ailing railway network with a poor safety record. The government decided on “a number rail transport projects that could be carried out in cooperation with investors,” Transport Minister Kamel al-Wazir told a news conference in Cairo. They include “building an Aswan-Toshka railway line that will extend to the city of Wadi Halfa in Sudan,” he said, referring to locations in Egypt’s south and a city just across the border. He also said there were plans to extend the Marsa Matrouh-Salloum line, in Egy...
Ethiopia: From historic peace to the brink of war
As Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed replaces his army chief on Sunday amid an escalating conflict in the northern Tigray region, here are the key developments since Abiy came to power in 2018: First leader from biggest ethnic group In February 2018, prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn resigns after several years of anti-government protests. In April, Abiy is sworn in as premier, becoming the first leader from the Oromo ethnic group, Ethiopia’s largest. Ethnic divisions Oromos and the country’s second-biggest group, the Amharas, had fuelled the protest movement over perceived marginalisation at the hands of the ruling coalition, dominated by the Tigrayan group. But with the authoritarian coalition now dissolved, ethnic violence has emerged as a persistent problem under Abiy, regularly r...
Why Donald Trump lost U.S. election
Donald Trump won more than 70 million votes, the second highest total in American history. Nationally, he has more than a 47% share of his vote, and looks to have won 24 states, including his beloved Florida and Texas. He has an extraordinary hold over large swathes of this country, a visceral connection that among thousands of supporters has brought a near cult-like devotion. After four years in the White House, his supporters studied the fine print of his presidency and clicked enthusiastically on the terms and conditions. Any analysis of his political weakness in 2020 also has to acknowledge his political strength. However, he was defeated, becoming one of only four incumbents in the modern era not to get another four years. Also he has become the first president to lose the popular vot...
Bee Gees’ Barry Gibb Announces New Country Album, Shares Jason Isbell Collaboration “Words of a Fool”: Stream
Dolly Parton (photo by Ben Kaye), Barry Gibb (photo by Nathan Dainty), Jason Isbell (photo by Ben Kaye) Bee Gees co-founder Barry Gibb has announced a star-studded new album called Greenfields: The Gibb Brothers Songbook, Vol. 1. The effort features classic songs from the Gibb brothers reimagined with assistance from a wide range of country and Americana stars. GREENFIELDS boasts contributions from Dolly Parton, Keith Urban, Sheryl Crow, Jason Isbell, Miranda Lambert, and Gillian Welch. Alison Krauss, Brandi Carlile, Olivia Newton-John, and Little Big Town also appear on the LP. The entire project was produced by Grammy-winning Nashville native Dave Cobb, known for his work with John Prine and The Highwomen. In a statement about the recording process, Gibb said, “From the first day we step...
First Country: New Music From Jason Aldean, Billy Ray Cyrus, Barry Gibb and Jason Isbell
Barry Gibb and Jason Isbell, “Words of a Fool” The first release from Greenfields: The Gibb Brothers Songbook Vol 1, is also the only previously unreleased track on this collection — which pairs The Bee Gees’ Barry Gibb with some of country’s biggest names on recordings of the sibling trio’s greatest hits. This poignant, organ-drenched waltz sounds like it’s existed forever. Isbell and Gibb, of course, acquit themselves well here — but if a song ever cried out for George Jones to come back and sing, this is it. Billy Ray Cyrus, The Singin’ Hills Sessions – Mojave Understandably emboldened by the tremendous success of his appearance on the remix of Lil Nas X’s Grammy-wining “Old Town Road,” Cyrus opens this EP, the second in his The Singin’ Hills Session series, with a twa...
Jason Isbell Promises to Cut a Charity Covers Album If Biden Wins Georgia
Should Biden complete a come-from-behind win, Isbell tweeted, “I’m gonna make a charity covers album of my favorite Georgia songs- REM, Gladys Knight, Vic Chesnutt, Allmans, Cat Power, Precious Bryant, Now It’s Overhead, etc… And damn is that gonna be fun.” The Alabama native’s offer captured Twitter’s heart and got a lot of love from the artist community. Richard Marx responded, “F—ing love this.” Brandi Carlile chimed in and asked if they could do “Kid Fears” by the Indigo Girls and Jason would sing the Michael Stipe part. Don’t bet against that charity covers album coming to fruition. At 2.45am ET, president Trump’s lead over Biden in Georgia narrowed to just 665 votes, with a few thousand ballots yet to be counted. Isbell is known for his solo career, his work with The 400 ...
Governor El-Rufai: Killing of policemen evil
Gov. Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State on Monday described the killing of policemen by protesters in some parts of the country as evil. El-Rufai, who spoke to newsmen in Kaduna after the meeting of the Northern Governors Forum and traditional rulers as well as other key stakeholders in the region, said that the police must be supported to discharge their duties. He said that the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, had briefed the meeting on the #EndSARS protest and its aftermath. “We support the police, we believe that there may be some bad eggs in the police just as there are bad eggs in any organisation, but it is no excuse to destroy or kill policemen. “We hope to expand the footprints and the effectiveness of the Nigerian police in accordance with their mandate. “We have discusse...
