Court Issues Fresh Warrant For Deziani

-

January 25, 2022

The Federal Government of Nigeria has backed down on its plan to remove petrol subsidy.

Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, announced this when she appeared before National Assembly members on Monday.

The meeting which was chaired by Senate President Ahmad Lawan, and had in attendance, minister of state for petroleum resources Timipre Sylva, representatives of oil companies, among others.

Ahmed said the government reconsidered its decision to remove subsidy after the 2022 budget was passed.

“Provision was made in the 2022 budget for subsidy payment from January till June that suggested that from July, there would be no subsidy.”

The finance minister, said after consultations with stakeholders, the government decided not to go ahead with subsidy removal.

”The provision was made sequel to the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act, which indicated that all petroleum products would be deregulated.

“Sequel to the passage of the PIA, we went back to amend the fiscal framework to incorporate the subsidy removal.

“However, after the budget was passed, we had consultations with a number of stakeholders, and it became clear that the timing was problematic.

“We discovered that practically, there is still heightened inflation and that the removal of subsidy would further worsen the situation and impose more difficulties on the citizenry.

“Mr President does not want to do that. What we are now doing is to continue with the ongoing discussions and consultations in terms of putting in place a number of measures. One of these include the roll-out of the refining capacities of the existing refineries and the new ones, which would reduce the amount of products that would be imported into the country.

“We, therefore, need to return to the National Assembly to now amend the budget and make additional provision for subsidy from July 2022 to whatever period that we agreed was suitable for the commencement of the total removal.”

Zainab added that the government has to continue with the discussions on the deployment of an alternative to the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and also the roll out of enhanced refining capacity in the country.

“One of this is the 650,000 barrels per day Dangote refinery and also the rehabilitation of the four national refineries that have a combined capacity of 450,000 barrels per day.

“The increased refining capacity in the country means we will need to import less products. But also as we are discussing right now within the Executive the possibility of amending the budget.

“While we are exploring ways and means through discussion with various stakeholders in the executive as well as the Civil Societies and Labour Unions to explore ways by which we can address this removal in a manner that is graduated and will have as minimal impact on the citizens as possible.

“We will come back to make further amendments on the fiscal framework as well as in the 2022 budget.”

Practical knowledge, Experience Will Boost Competence- LASG To Workers

By

-

January 25, 2022

The Lagos State Government has called on public servants to take advantage of the practical knowledge and experience provided by the state to boost their competence.

The Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions, Ajibola Ponnle, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.

Ponnle during the training organised for heads of agencies, was quoted to have said

“The state government will deepen its accelerated training programme this year by focusing more on technical skills and competencies of public servants in the state. The recently completed competency framework exercise made it possible for the government to identify the technical skills each cadre in the public service requires.

“Similarly, an exchange programme is being planned for officers in the state public service to give them the opportunity of developing their practical knowledge and experience in various areas. This will help them learn the best practices, new knowledge and new skills that prevail in the private sector between two and three months.”

Ponnle added that the training is focused on equipping heads of agencies on strategic leadership and solving challenges.

“The focus of the programme is on strategic leadership and leadership excellence which centres on knowing how to deal with specific situations in the course of leading their agencies. But beyond this, we wanted to use it as a form of inter-agency platform whereby the heads of agencies meet one another and interact to solve individual challenges which may arise in the course of work,” she added.

NUC Begins Accreditation Of 7 Courses in Kwara State College of Education

By

-

January 25, 2022

National Universities Commission has begin collation of data towards accreditation of seven new degree programmes at Kwara State College of Education, in affiliation with Ekiti State University.

The new programmes are; Biology, Chemistry, English, French, Economics, Social Studies and Early Childhood Care.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the accreditation exercise in Ilorin, the leader of the NUC team, Prof. Oyaziwo Aluede, said the accreditation is a process and the team was at the institution for inspection that would hopefully lead to accreditation of the seven degree courses.

In his remarks, the acting provost of the college, Dr Jimoh Ayinla, said that the exercise was the first ever accreditation exercise for full-time degree programme in the college.

“As an institution, we have gone through different stages of scrutiny before we got to the point of this accreditation. In 2018, a Resource Assessment Visit was conducted by the NUC and based on the visit, the Management Committee of NUC, during its meeting on Friday, August 31, 2018, approved the affiliation arrangement of this College with Ekiti State University and seven programmes were approved for studies in our College.

“Course Accreditation by the National Universities Commission is germane to the credibility of degrees awarded by a University. Studying a non-accredited course in any Tertiary Institution is tantamount to a colossal waste of resources. Hence the need for what we are starting today. I wish to reiterate the commitment of the College Management and other officers to the success of this very important academic exercise”.

The Provost also appreciated Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq and Commissioner for Tertiary Education for giving the institution support towards ensuring that the accreditation exercise was being carried out successfully.

25,000 People Sign Petition to Stop IELTS for Nigerians

By

-

January 25, 2022

Over 25,000 people have signed a petition on change.org to stop foreign institutions from demanding an English proficiency test, the International English Language Testing System, from Nigerians.

The petition, which was initiated by a youth-led open-source platform for policy ideas that address the world’s most pressing challenges called Policy Shapers, was addressed to the Home Secretary of the United Kingdom, Priti Patel.

According to the think tank, no country in Africa, out of the 27 who list English as one of their official languages is on the Home Office list of countries exempted from taking the test.

Meanwhile, the UK Home Office has exempted Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, and ten other countries from those who would require the test.

Many foreign universities, who are either in English speaking countries or have courses taught in the language, demand the IELTS as a requirement for admitting international students.

However, Policy Shapers argue that a test that costs more than three times the minimum wage and the result expires in two years, should not be required of Nigerians since the country is predominantly English speaking.

Founder of Policy Shapers, Ebenezar Wikina, stated that the campaign became necessary after observing that many Nigerians had lost opportunities because they could not afford the cost of the test despite having tertiary education in the English language.

Wikina, who contributed to making an American institution, Nexford University, change its English language admission requirement, stated that the campaign would go on as long as needed adding that it would benefit Nigerian students who wish to study abroad but have been faced with the hurdle of passing the IELTS.

“We are happy to keep this campaign going for as long as we live. It is the right thing to do and we owe it to our generation and our children’s generation.

“Seeing that we have been able to get the issue to the table of the Vice President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, and he has assured us of his commitment to work on it, we believe change will come soon.

“A change in the policy would make life easier for Nigerian students who wish to study abroad or access opportunities because now the ultimate English proficiency barrier has been removed,” he stated.

While the UK Home Office is yet to respond to the think tank’s request for an explanation on why Nigeria is not exempted, Policy Shapers has increased the target of the petition to 35,000 signatures.

UAE, US Intercept Houthi Missile Attack Targeting Abu Dhabi

By

-

January 24, 2022

The United Arab Emirates and the U.S. military intercepted two ballistic missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels over the skies of Abu Dhabi early Monday.

Authorities said, the second attack in a week that targeted the Emirati capital.

The missile fire further escalates tensions across the Persian Gulf, which previously had seen a series of assaults near but never indisputably on Emirati soil.

It comes during Yemen’s yearslong war and the collapse of Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers. American troops at Al-Dhafra Air Base in the capital took shelter in bunkers during the attack and fired back with their own Patriot missiles.

Videos on social media showed the sky over Abu Dhabi light up before dawn Monday, with what appeared to be interceptor missiles racing into the clouds to target the incoming fire. Two explosions later thundered through the city. The videos corresponded to known features of Abu Dhabi.

The state-run WAM news agency said that missile fragments fell harmlessly over Abu Dhabi.

A U.S. military official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations, acknowledged the assistance of American Patriot missile batteries prevented the Houthi missiles from striking targets in Abu Dhabi. Videos on social media suggested outgoing interceptor fire came from the base.

The missile fire disrupted traffic into Abu Dhabi International Airport, home to the long-haul carrier Etihad, for about an hour after the attack.

Assange Wins First Stage In Effort To Appeal US Extradition

By

-

January 24, 2022

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Monday won the first stage of his effort to overturn a U.K. ruling that opened the door for his extradition to U.S. to stand trial on espionage charges.

The High Court in London gave Assange permission to appeal the case to the U.K. Supreme Court But the Supreme Court must agree to accept the case before it can move forward.

The Supreme Court normally takes about eight sitting weeks after an application is submitted to decide whether to accept an appeal, the court says on its website.

The decision is the latest step in Assange’s long battle to avoid a trial in the U.S. on a series of charges related to WikiLeaks’ publication of classified documents more than a decade ago.

Just over a year ago, a district court judge in London rejected a U.S. extradition request on the grounds that Assange was likely to kill himself if held under harsh U.S. prison conditions.

U.S. authorities later provided assurances that the WikiLeaks founder wouldn’t face the severe treatment his lawyers said would put his physical and mental health at risk.

The High Court last month overturned the lower court’s decision, saying that the U.S. promises were enough to guarantee Assange would be treated humanely.

Assange’s lawyers are seeking to appeal because the U.S. offered its assurances after the lower court made its ruling.

But the High Court overturned the lower court ruling, saying that the judge should have given the U.S. the opportunity to offer the assurances before she made her final ruling.

US Threatens Export Controls Against Russian Industries

By

-

January 24, 2022

The U.S. is threatening to use sweeping export controls against key Russian industries if Moscow invades Ukraine, according to a senior administration official.

The threat, first reported by The Washington Post, broadens out the administration’s options for retaliating against Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has amassed at least 100,000 troops near Ukraine’s border, should an invasion occur.

the official said No final decisions have been made, but they would start high and stay high and maximize the pain to the Kremlin, adding that that the US is in discussion with allies on these actions.

The administration is considering exercising the foreign direct product rule to control exports to Russia of all microelectronics designed with US software or technology or produced using US equipment, the official told The Hill.

The rule could target Russia’s artificial intelligence, maritime, defense, and civilian aviation sectors, the official said or used broadly, such as targeting consumer electronics.

Using the export controls is attractive given that the U.S. is dominant in software, technology and equipment in microelectronics.

The Trump administration used the rule against Chinese telecommunications company Huawei, contributing to the company’s first annual revenue drop in 2021, according to The Post.

Russia’s mobilization of troops near Ukraine has sparked fears that Moscow may invade Ukraine, as when it annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014.

President Biden and his officials have threatened high economic costs on the Kremlin if troops cross the border.

Lebanon’s Former PM Saad Hariri Bows Out Of Political Life

By

-

January 24, 2022

Lebanon’s former Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Monday announced he was leaving politics for now and would not run in upcoming parliamentary elections.

The decision marks the first time in three decades the powerful Sunni family is out of politics, adding uncertainty in a country grappling with a financial meltdown.

Hariri’s decision had been anticipated but was still a bombshell for many Lebanese as the family has dominated politics in the small country for decades.

His exit leaves the Sunni community with no obvious leader for the time being, amid speculation that the abstention of the moderate Hariri could result in hard-line Sunni politicians playing a bigger role in Lebanese politics.

Hariri, a three-time prime minister and current member of parliament, inherited the political leadership from his late father, billionaire businessman Rafik Hariri, who was one of Lebanon’s most powerful and influential politicians after the end of the 1975-90 civil war.

The late Hariri was assassinated in February 2005 in a massive truck bombing in Beirut. Afterward, the family chose Saad Hariri to lead despite the fact that he has an older brother.

Hariri, who was traditionally in the camp opposing Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah, has largely co-existed with the group, forming coalition governments that included Hezbollah.

That cost him support from Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia, the rival of Iran, over influence and clout in the region.

Federal Judge Denies Bail For Russian With Close Ties To Putin

By

-

January 24, 2022