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Christmas Party: Monarch Gifts 50 Students Scholarship

By
Rhoda Onuzulike
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Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, on Tuesday awarded scholarships to 50 students selected from those that participated in the Christmas party he hosted for children in his palace.

While receiving the children drawn from primary and secondary schools, as well as schools for persons with Special Needs at his Ile Oodua Palace in Ile-Ife, Oba Ogunwusi urged the kids to adopt good mentors from the society.

Speaking through his queen, Olori Temitope Adesegun-Ogunwusi, who doubles as CEO of the Ooni’s NGO; Hopes Alive Initiatives, the monarch urged the children to remain focused on their education, imbibe the spirit of hard work and look up to good people with impeccably virtuous character as role models.

A statement by the spokesperson to the royal father, Moses Olafare, quoting Ogunwusi obtained in Osogbo further read, “While you listen to music, watch movies and socialize, pick from what is good only. Do not imbibe bad habits because such is capable of destroying you and your purpose in life.

“Kabiyesi cannot wait to hear and celebrate your success stories in the nearest future, so he is urging you to be right and do right at all times.

“To our daddies and mummies here present, we need to train these children to have the fear of God. When a child fears God, they will be diligent, hardworking, obedient to their parents and every other people that they come in contact with.”

The statement further said the 50 beneficiaries of the scholarship were selected after cultural and academic presentations by the children.

Ambulance Workers Go On Strike In UK

By
Elizabeth Williams
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The UK public has been urged to avoid risks as thousands of ambulance workers in England and Wales strike over pay issues.
A Striking ambulance worker said they had another poor pay award and services are increasingly on the decline across the country, across the NHS (National Health Service). And the government refuse to negotiate with them over pay, the most basic of issues that they have.”
Unions have asked for a rise above inflation, which stood at 10.7% in November. The action comes one day after nurses also walked off the job The government said the strike was “deeply regrettable”

Foreign Assistance: Zelenskiy Addresses U.S. Congress Says Aid Not Charity

By
Elizabeth Williams
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy faced a critical audience when he addressed a joint session of the U.S. Congress on Wednesday. President Joe Biden’s administration has sent almost $50 billion in foreign assistance to Ukraine since Russia began its invasion of its neighbor in February, including humanitarian, financial and military support.
Congress, currently controlled by Biden’s Democrats, is expected to approve $44.9 billion more this week in a bill funding the federal government.
Zelenskiy stressed as he began his speech that he was addressing both Democrats and Republicans. ”Your money is not charity. It is an investment in the global security and democracy.
All 57 House votes against a bill providing more than $40 billion for Ukraine in May came from Republicans.

Cameroon reporter detained since 2016 jailed for 12 years

By
Henry Williams
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After being in detention for more than six years and his trial inexplicably adjourned more than 100 times, the former head of Cameroon’s public broadcaster has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Amadou Vamoulké was convicted by a court in the capital, Yaoundé, of embezzling money and awarding staff salary bonuses without authorisation.

The 73-year-old denied any wrongdoing.

His trial was widely criticised by human rights groups.

Vamoulké was arrested under Operation Sparrowhawk, which critics say has been used by President Paul Biya’s government to lock up people seen as problematic.

Vamoulké is known to have drastically cut his own salary when he took up the job at the public broadcaster.

A lawyer who represented him at the beginning of the trial, Alice Nkom, said the whole case was political and illegal.

Senegalese athletes angered by World Cup bonuses

By
Henry Williams
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The decision by President Macky Sall to pay Senegal’s football squad its World Cup bonus despite the team not hitting its target has caused anger for some in the West African nation.

The African champions had been tasked with reaching the quarter-finals but bowed out in the second round after a 3-0 defeat by England.

“We will fully pay the qualification bonuses for the quarter-finals for the whole official delegation,” Sall announced two days later.

The World Cup bonuses – which come out of the pool of nearly $23m (£19m) unlocked by the Senegalese government to cover the World Cup costs – will differ depending on the involvement of the 26 players in the entire campaign, including qualifying.

However, some former players and other Senegalese sportsmen have questioned the move.

“If you win you must be rewarded, but if you lose you must learn from it,” former Teranga Lions forward Diomansy Kamara told local newspaper Stades.

Despite its generous nature, Sall’s decision was even less favourably received by athletes from other sports who traditionally have to fight to fund their own participation in competitions.

Economic Crisis: Ghana Suspends Payment On Eurobond, Other Foreign Debt

By
Elizabeth Williams
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Ghana has suspended payments on its Eurobond, commercial term loans, and on most of its bilateral debt, a week after a $3 billion agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Ghana on Monday announced the suspension of payments on most of its external debt, effectively defaulting on its debt obligations as it faces its worst economic crisis in decades.
The IMF had demanded a comprehensive debt restructuring as a condition for support.
The country suspended payments on its Eurobond, commercial term loans, and on most of its bilateral debt, a week after a $3 billion agreement with the IMF.

Ghana’s finance ministry called the decision an “interim emergency measure”. It said the government “stands ready to engage in discussions with all of its external creditors to make Ghana’s debt sustainable.”


Ahead of the new decision, Ghana last week announced a domestic debt exchange programme. A statement from the Ministry of Finance said the new move was aimed at bringing the country’s unsustainable debt level under control after its economy had been hit by high inflation, depreciating currency and low revenue.
Ghana has been struggling to service its debt since the start of the year after downgrades by multiple credit ratings agencies on concerns it would not be able to issue new Eurobonds, according to Reuters. Its public debt stood at 467.4 billion Ghanaian cedis ($55 billion) in September, of which 42% was domestic.

Gambia navy officer behind failed coup bid – government

By
Henry Williams
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A navy officer has been named by The Gambia’s government as the alleged ringleader of a failed coup plot.

Lance Corporal Sanna Fadera had been detained, along with four other officers, in an operation under way since Tuesday, a statement said.

The main opposition party and the West African regional bloc condemned the attempted coup.

A retired military officer said he doubted the plot was serious, as all the officers were junior.

The government statement said that loyalist troops were still searching for two alleged accomplices, following the arrest of officers from the navy, military police, state guards and first infantry battalions.

The Gambia is a largely stable country in West Africa which is popular with holidaymakers because of its beaches and wildlife.

Life has continued as normal in the capital, Banjul, since the government said on Wednesday that it had foiled a coup plot the previous day.

The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) condemned the attempted coup, saying the regional body “stands firmly” by President Adama Barrow’s government.

Meanwhile, the campaign manager of the main opposition party, Momodou Sabally, has been detained by police over a widely circulated TikTok video which suggests that Mr Barrow would be unseated before next year’s local government elections.

The police statement did not link Mr Sabally, who was a presidential affairs minister in former leader Yahya Jammeh’s regime, to the alleged coup plot.

Mr Sabally’s United Democratic Party (UDP) said it condemned, “without any reservations”, the attempted coup.

It also demanded Mr Sabally’s immediate release, saying the “short edited” video did not accurately reflect his views.

Appropriation Bill: Proposed Passage Of Nigeria’s 2023 Budget Suffers Setback

By
Elizabeth Williams
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The proposed passage of the 2023 budget in Nigeria suffered a setback on Thursday as both Chambers of the National Assembly failed to consider the report of its Committees on Appropriation due to irregularities on the part of the Executive. 
The Senate also suspended the consideration of the Finance Bill 2023 and the 2022 Supplementary Budget to enable its committees to conclude work on the legislation.
President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, disclosed these developments at the start of plenary. 
Lawan says the budget that was sent to the National Assembly was riddled with so many errors which hindered the passage.

Senator Lawan then adjourned plenary till Wednesday 28th December with a charge to relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies, to make themselves available when invited by relevant committees.

Minister explains why FG can’t deliver $1.96bn Eastern railway corridor

By
Henry Williams
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2

The Federal Government on Wednesday foreclosed the chances of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration delivering the $1.96bn narrow gauge Eastern railway corridor for the Southeast region before the end of the current administration

The minister of transportation, Mu’azu Sambo, who briefed State House journalists after the weekly meeting of the federal executive council (FEC) presided over by President Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, identified the non-availability of funds as the reason the government cannot deliver the project.

The minister, while giving updates on the infrastructure projects, explained that financing the project has become an issue because the government cannot access loans from China.

He said the promise was no longer feasible because the contract was approved on the premise that 85 percent would be funded through foreign loan, while 15 percent would be the counterpart funding from the national budget.

President had two years ago performed the ground-breaking of the $1.96 billion rail line project, assuring that it would stimulate economic activities in the 14 states it covers.

The then minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, had said that the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri line would be delivered before the end of the tenure of the present administration.

EFCC investigation stalls Ekweremadu’s bail

By
Henry Williams
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Economic Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) letters and asset forfeiture investigations were the impediments for the bail application of Ike Ekweremadu by the Central Criminal Court, London, it has been gathered.

The court which met on Tuesday gave its verdict in a pre-trial hearing also cited flight risk as another reason for denying Ekweremadu bail.

According to the Daily Post in the bail application, Ekweremadu’s attorneys had argued that the Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and the Attorney-General of the Federal had written the court that Ekweremadu was not a flight risk and gave a guarantee to produce him should he do otherwise.

However, just as during the July 2022 bail application hearing, the prosecution insisted that Ekweremadu was a flight risk, the July 18th 2022 letter by the EFCC signed on behalf of the Executive Chairman, Abdulraheed Bawa by the Assistant Director Operations, Abdulkarim Chukkoi.

Prosecution equally cited the ongoing assets forfeiture proceedings against the former three-term Deputy Senate President in the Federal High Court, Abuja.

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