Cloned Nigerian Anchor

Author: Caroline Ameh

  • Ex-President Koroma, arrives Nigeria under an ECOWAS-brokered deal

    Ex-President Koroma, arrives Nigeria under an ECOWAS-brokered deal

    Sierra Leone’s former President Ernest Bai Koroma, facing treason charges, has arrived in Nigeria under an ECOWAS-brokered deal, ostensibly labeled as a “medical trip” by the Sierra Leone government.

    Originally scheduled for January 4th, the departure was delayed as President Julius Maada Bio faced internal opposition, fearing ECOWAS interference.

    The political unrest in Sierra Leone escalated after the disputed June 2023 presidential election, culminating in an alleged coup attempt on November 26th, attributed to opposition figures, including Koroma.

    Despite his denial of involvement, Koroma was placed under house arrest, later charged with treason, and taken to court on January 3rd.

    During the ECOWAS summit in December 2023, President Bio sought mediation, leading to a delegation, including Presidents Nana Akufo-Addo and Macky Sall, intervening in Freetown. President Bio insisted on Koroma’s exile for peace, similar to his asylum granted by the U.S. in 1996.

    Koroma initially resisted, but ECOWAS persuasion led to an agreement, contingent on dropping charges, retaining entitlements, and Nigeria as the host country.

    The Sierra Leone government introduced the “medical trip” narrative to save face, masking Bio’s initiation of the plan.

    Uncertainty looms over ECOWAS considering Bio’s request for a stabilization force.

    The alleged coup’s trial, involving 15 of Koroma’s bodyguards, gains significance with his exit. Sierra Leone, marked by ethnic division and post-civil war recovery, faces a critical juncture as it navigates these political challenges.

  • Foreign Affairs Minister, Tuggar calls for Nigeria’s Membership of UN Security Council

    Foreign Affairs Minister, Tuggar calls for Nigeria’s Membership of UN Security Council

    Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, has said there is a need to democratise the United Nations (UN) security council and Nigeria with its population, economic size and strategic role in Africa has earned the right to be part of the UNSC.

    Ambassador Tuggar made the call while speaking at a panel discussion on the theme “Securing an Insecure World” at the World Economic Forum (WEF), Davos, Switzerland.

    Tuggar said the values of democracy – such as the rule of law – should be replicated in the world’s highest decision organs.

    Tuggar said the UN security council, as constituted, is not leaving up to its purpose.

    “What we have to do is collectively practice what we preach. The values that we uphold – democracy, rule of law – need to be practised, and we need to see them being practised in the very decision-making bodies or entities for the planet,” the minister said.

    “So, to begin with, the UN Security Council needs to be democratized. Clearly, it is not fit for purpose.

    “We should do away with the veto powers on the UN Security Council; clearly, it’s clumsy and not working. Again, when you look at the global security architecture, it is impacted by such undemocratic entities that influence decisions.

    “We have a situation where, in the past, during the bipolar world, there was neutral ground for diplomats to engage, allowing diplomacy to resolve issues, preempt conflicts, and diffuse them. Unfortunately, we don’t have that anymore.

    “We are increasingly seeing a situation where diplomats and diplomacy are taking the backseat, and disagreements are being securitized.”

    Tuggar expressed dismay that security chiefs and defence policymakers are taking the front seat in world security issues.

    “Of course, for the guy with the hammer, everything is a nail,” he said.

    Other speakers on the panel with Mr. Tuggar were, the Secretary of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland Elina Valtonen, Senator from Delaware United States Christopher A. Coons, President, World Economic Forum Børge Brende, and Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs Federal Foreign Office of Germany Annalena Baerbock

    Discussions at the parley dwelled on persistent conflicts, the intensifying climate crises, the fragile global economies and the potential risks of new technologies that were creating a complex global security environment.

    The forum provided an opportunity for the participants to interrogate what the true state of global collective security looked like today and how leaders can strengthen it for the future.

  • TEI Gears Up for February Bye-Elections with Intensive Training Workshop

    TEI Gears Up for February Bye-Elections with Intensive Training Workshop

    In preparation for the upcoming Bye Elections and Court-Ordered Fresh/Re-run Elections scheduled for February 3rd, 2024, The Electoral Institute (TEI) orchestrated a one-day Training-of-Trainers Workshop.

    Attended by TEI Trainers, collaborating department staff, and State Training Officers (STOs) participating remotely through ZOOM, the workshop aimed at arming participants with the latest insights into electoral process advancements.

    The primary focus of the workshop was to empower Coordinating Trainers with the skills necessary to conduct detailed and effective training sessions across all states affected by the impending elections.

    Special emphasis was placed on training Supervisory Presiding Officers, Presiding Officers, and Assistant Presiding Officers in billing and counting procedures.

    Participants were also familiarized with the operation of the Biometric Voter Authentication System (BVAS) and guided through the process of uploading election results onto the INEC Result portal using the INEC Results Viewing Device (IREV).

    Dr. Sa’ad Umar Idris, Director-General of TEI, stressed the importance of embracing innovations and new initiatives, underlining the crucial role of participants in passing on this knowledge to election personnel.
    He highlighted TEI’s significant contributions to the electoral process, including the use of E-learning platforms and the INEC Training bot during the 2023 General Elections.

    Prof. Abdullahi Abdu Zuru, National Commissioner, and Chair of the Board of Electoral Institute (BEI), officially inaugurated the training on behalf of the DG Electoral Institute.

    Prof. Zuru urged participants to serve as exemplary ambassadors of the Commission, emphasizing their critical roles as Trainers,
    Coordinators, and Monitors throughout the entire electoral process across the Federation.

  • UK Govt Increases List of Organizations that Can Sponsor Nigerian Immigrants

    UK Govt Increases List of Organizations that Can Sponsor Nigerian Immigrants

    The United Kingdom government has released a revised list of companies and organizations authorized to sponsor skilled immigrants applying for temporary worker visas from Nigeria.

    The official website, as of January 12, 2024, reveals a significant increase, with a total of 99,856 approved companies, marking a notable rise of 31,226 from the previous count in January 2023, which stood at 68,630.

    The list spans various industries, including technology, commerce, education, media and advertising, and engineering, among others.

    The UK government, in an announcement on its website, detailed the categories of workers these sponsors are licensed to support, including charity workers, skilled workers, creative workers, global business mobility: senior or specialist workers, and international sportspersons.

    Aspiring individuals are encouraged to visit the companies’ websites to explore available job opportunities.
    The companies listed are:

    1. RSS Express Ltd T/A Ledbury Fuel Service Station
    2. IECC Care (Independent Excel Care Consortium Limited)
    3. AboutCare Hastings Ltd
    4. £ ESS Ltd
    5. Architect UK Ltd
    6. Home Accommodation Services Ltd
    7. Ur Eaz Ltd
    8. Infiniti Limited
    9. Brunswick Stores Limited
    10. Plus Care Ltd
    11. 003 Ltd
    12. 0086 Ltd
    13. 00Nation Limited
    14. 01 Accounting Services Ltd
    15. 012 Global Ltd
    16. 023 Ltd
    17. 0xA Technologies Ltd
    18. 1 Ace Training Limited
    19. 1 and 1 Rougamo Limited
    20. 1 and 5 Tech Ltd
    21. 1 Answer Insurance Services Ltd, among others.

    This move is expected to enhance employment opportunities and foster international collaboration between the UK and Nigeria in various sectors. Interested parties are urged to explore the expanded list for potential job openings and sponsorships.

  • Visa Ban: UK Universities face Dwindling Income

    Visa Ban: UK Universities face Dwindling Income

    The United Kingdom’s higher educational institutions are under threat of grievous financial crisis following a significant drop in international student enrollments, cautioned Vivienne Stern, the Chief Executive, Universities UK, the sector’s primary advocacy group.

    The financial strain is attributed to the recent decision by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who, on January 1, 2024, implemented a ban preventing foreign students from bringing their dependents into the country.

    Stern expressed concern about the potential for a “serious overcorrection” within the sector, emphasizing that the immigration policies, coupled with discouraging rhetoric, have dissuaded prospective international students from choosing the UK as their study destination.

    In a statement to the Financial Times, Stern remarked, “If they want to cool things down, that’s one thing, but it seems to me that through a combination of rhetoric, which is off-putting and policy changes…[they have] really turned a whole bunch of people off that would otherwise have come to the UK.”

    You may recall that UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, on January 1, 2024, announced that foreign students have been banned from bringing relatives into the nation.

  • FG Expands Power Generation at Kanji, Commissions additional 300KWp Project

    FG Expands Power Generation at Kanji, Commissions additional 300KWp Project

    Further to the Renewed Hope agenda to provide adequate , reliable, and quality electricity to businesses and households in the country, the Federal Government has commissioned a 300KWp Solar PV pilot project in Kainji , Niger State.

    While commissioning the project, the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu said the project will increase power generation capacity, lower electricity costs while also fostering enhanced collaboration between the main concessionaire, Mainstream Energy Solution and its Chinese partner, HEDC in the renewable energy field.

    A statement by Bolaji Tunji, Special Adviser, Strategic Communication and Media Relations to the Minister stated that the power project comes with 675KWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), which is an integral part of the extension of 1G3 and 1G4 under the rehabilitation of the 1G9 in Kainji HPP project.

    The Minister who said efforts were progressing in achieving President Tinubu’s turnaround agenda on supply of reliable and quality power said the Power Ministry’s objective is to meet power demand by ensuring improved distribution and transmission infrastructure to minimize technical and commercial losses, closing the metering gap and resolving theliquidity, power theft and vandalism challenges.

    The Minister also said the destruction of some power towers around the country has been reported to the National Security Adviser (NSA) in order to strengthen security around the power infrastructure.
    “It is of no use to expend so much energy in providing power facilities if the delivery channel is weak, that is why the Ministry is concentrating on improvement of the transmission and distribution capacity.”

    On power theft and destruction of power infrastructure, Adelabu again emphasized the need for Nigerians and the different Communities where the facilities are located to protect them.
    “What is the essence of government and private companies expending resources on these power facilities while some elements within the society will deliberately move to destroy the facilities which are national assets. What we witnessed towards the end of 2023 was disheartening. Some of the power towers were brought down with loss of lives, in some cases, this is quite unfortunate. We should take it as a personal and collective responsibility to protect the infrastructure”. He added that plans are also underway to wield the big stick onpower theft through adequate legislation in order to serve as deterrent to others.

    The Minister also revealed that efforts have begun to bridge metering gaps in the country. “Presently, we have about 12 million electricity users, but only about five million are metered. As we are all aware, the President set up the Presidential Mass Metering Initiative of which I am the chairman, we are working assiduously on this initiative to bridge the metering gap.”

    Adelabu gave government’s assurance to continue to provide enabling environment for the private sector to leverage on opportunities inherent in government policies, incentives and regulations for sustainable power supply for economic development and improvement of the standard of living of Nigerians, especially rural dwellers adding that government had also come up with relevant policies and programmes in order to provide direction in ensuring power availability to the people.

    Speaking earlier, Managing Director of Mainstream Energy Solution, Engineer Lamu Audu said the project is in line with the National Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency policy of the Federal government which sets out the blueprint to increasing the country’s renewable energy development by 2030.

    He said the pilot project is the beginning of Mainstream’s integration of Variable Renewable Energy into its core business, adding that plan is at an advanced stage to build a 450MWp and 150MWp Solar PV at Kainji and Jebba Hydro Power Plants (HPPs).

    Audu called on government to continue to provide the enabling environment that would attract more funding from private investors.

  • Ali Nuhu, Ten others Appointed CEOs of FG Agencies

    Ali Nuhu, Ten others Appointed CEOs of FG Agencies

    President Bola Tinubu has appointed actor, Ali Nuhu and ten others as Chief Executive Officers of agencies under the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, and Creative Economy.

    This was made known in a statement by the spokesman of the President, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, on Friday.

    Ajuri listed the new appointees and the agencies as follows: Ali Nuhu — Managing-Director, Nigerian Film Corporation, Tola Akerele — Director-General, National Theatre, Dr. Shaibu Husseini — Director-General, National Films and Censors Board, Mr. Obi Asika — Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture.
    Others are: Aisha Adamu Augie — Director-General, Centre for Black and African Arts and Culture, Ekpolador-Ebi Koinyan — Chief Conservator, National War Museum, Ahmed Sodangi — Director-General, National Gallery of Art, Chaliya Shagaya — Director-General, National Institute of Archeology and Museums Studies, Hajiya Khaltume Bulama Gana — Artistic Director, National Troupe of Nigeria, Otunba Biodun Ajiboye — Director-General, National Institute for Cultural Orientation and Ramatu Abonbo Mohammed — Director-General, National Commission for Museums and Monuments.

    President Bola Tinubu however, charged the appointees to discharge their duties in accordance with the highest standards of professionalism, diligence, and patriotism with a view to making the creative sector more vibrant and robust

  • NiDCOM & BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION COLLABORATE ON DiASPORA PROGRAMMES

    NiDCOM & BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION COLLABORATE ON DiASPORA PROGRAMMES

    The British High Commissioner to Nigeria Dr Richard Montgomery has emphasized the important role of the Nigerian Diaspora in the United Kingdom and pledged more collaboration with the Nigerians in diaspora Commission .
    He further stressed the need for enhanced trade and investment between both countries.

    Speaking during a courtesy call to Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission and some Management staff in the Office in Abuja ,
    the British High Commissioner stated further that the UK-Africa Summit scheduled to hold in May in the City of London, is a strategic opportunity to galvanize trade and investments for both countries and the African continent at large.
    He commended Nidcom for initiating programs such as the Diaspora investment summit and several others.

    Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa, welcomed collaboration with the British high commission and reiterated Nigerias commitment to continue to enhance engagement with the Diaspora.

    She also underscored the imperatives of cultural exchanges, advocating the revival of the Cultural Road Show initially slated for 2020 but deferred due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Outlining the Commission’s activities and programmes, Dabiri-Erewa seized the opportunity to emphasize the importance of creating comprehensive sensitization and awareness for Nigerians planning to migrate to the UK, “We can’t stop migration, but as a government, we will create an enabling environment; Nigeria and the UK government should have an MOU , particularly on migration of health workers “ she stated.

    Dabiri-Erewa expressed optimism ahead of the UK- Africa Investment Summit in London, , and the role of the Nigerians in the UK in playing a catalytic role in bolstering partnerships between the UK, Nigeria, and the African continent.

  • President Macron Appoints 34-Year-Old Gabriel Attal as New Prime Minister

    President Macron Appoints 34-Year-Old Gabriel Attal as New Prime Minister

    In a move to revitalize his administration ahead of the European Parliament elections, French President Emmanuel Macron, on Tuesday, named 34-year-old Gabriel Attal as France’s new Prime Minister.
    Attal, previously serving as the Education Minister, replaces outgoing Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne.

    The appointment underscores Macron’s bid to move beyond last year’s contentious pension and immigration reforms. With an eye on the upcoming EU ballot in June, Macron aims to bolster his centrist party’s standing in the face of a current polling deficit to the far-right leader Marine Le Pen by approximately eight to 10 percentage points.

    Attal, a close ally of Macron, gained prominence as the government’s spokesperson during the COVID-19 pandemic. His selection aligns with Macron’s aspirations to introduce new political initiatives, as announced toward the end of 2023.

    In his statement to Attal, Macron expressed confidence, stating, “I know I can count on your energy and commitment to implement the project of revitalization and regeneration that I announced.”

    At 34, Attal becomes France’s youngest Prime Minister and the first openly gay individual to hold the position. His partnership with Macron notably yields a combined age just below that of U.S. President Joe Biden, who seeks re-election this year.

    Despite his swift rise in politics and widespread popularity in recent polls, Attal has faced online hate speech, including antisemitic and homophobic attacks, owing to his identity.

    Gabriel Attal’s political journey has been characterized by diverse roles, including advising the Minister of Health, serving as a Member of the French National Assembly, and assuming key positions within Macron’s party, La République En Marche!

    Born on March 16, 1989, Attal entered the government as Secrétaire d’État at the age of 29, setting a record as the youngest member of a government in the Fifth Republic. His subsequent ministerial roles included overseeing Public Action and Accounts, and later, National Education and Youth.

    Attal’s ascent to the Prime Minister’s office at 34 marks a milestone in French politics, yet he continues to navigate challenges, including facing discrimination and online vitriol due to his personal identity.

  • Economy: President Tinubu Enforces 60% Cut in Official Travels

    Economy: President Tinubu Enforces 60% Cut in Official Travels

    President Tinubu has taken a significant step towards curbing government expenditure by enforcing a sharp reduction in travel expenses for all government officials.

    This decision, disclosed by Ajuri Ngelale, the presidential spokesman, aims to reduce both domestic and international travel costs by 60%.

    Addressing State House Correspondents on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Ngelale highlighted that the directive was a cost-cutting measure specifically targeted at official travels.

    The reduction in travel expenditure will not spare any government office, affecting the President, Vice President, First Lady, ministers, and their respective entourages.

    “This directive from Tinubu mandates a substantial reduction in state entourages,” Ngelale emphasized, clarifying that it is not a mere request but a firm directive from the office of the President. The move will impact the President’s office, the Vice President, and all appointees.

    The breakdown of the enforced travel reductions indicates a substantial decrease in the number of individuals allowed on both foreign and local trips:

    Foreign Trips:
    – President: 20 persons
    – Vice President: 5 persons
    – First Lady: 5 persons

    Local Trips:
    – President: 25 persons
    – Vice President: 15 persons
    – First Lady: 10 persons

    This directive signals a proactive effort by the administration to streamline expenses and ensure more prudent use of public funds in official travels, echoing Tinubu’s commitment to fiscal responsibility and efficient governance.