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President Buhari Approves New Appointments In Education Agencies

Rhoda Onuzulike
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President Buhari Approves New Appointments In Education Agencies

.President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointments of new chief executives for some agencies under the Federal Ministry of Education.

The appointments were rolled out in continuation of the sustained efforts by the federal government to further strengthen effective service delivery in the education sector.

In a statement signed by the Director, Press and Public Affairs in the ministry, Ben Goong, in Abuja on Wednesday, the new appointees were listed as Prof. Akpama Ibar as Executive Secretary, National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education; Prof. Chinwe Anunobi, Director/CEO, National Library; and Prof. Musa Maitafsir as Director/CEO, National Teachers Institute.

”All the three appointments took effect from the September 2 and would each be for an initial tenure of five years,” he said.

Goong added that the president also approved the reappointment of the Registrar/CEO, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Prof. Josiah Ajiboye, for a second and final tenure of five years, with effect from August 1.

Similarly, Prof. Bashir Usman has been reappointed as the Executive Secretary, National Commission for Nomadic Education, for a second and final tenure of five years

NYSC Prepares Corps Members For Self-Employment

Rhoda Onuzulike
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NYSC Prepares Corps Members For Self-Employment

The Director-General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig-Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim, has expressed concern over the rate of unemployment in the country.

He made this known, during the swearing-in of the 2021 Batch B Stream 2 corps members in Bauchi State.

The DG, who was represented by the State Coordinator, Hamisu Abubakar, said the scheme was meticulous in the implementation of its Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme, to prepare corps members for self-employment and wealth creation.

He, however, assured corps members that the Federal Government was leaving no stone unturned to address unemployment.

Gov. Sanwo-Olu Says He Won’t Interfere In LASU VC Appointment Process

Rhoda Onuzulike
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Gov. Sanwo-Olu Says He Won’t Interfere In LASU VC Appointment Process

The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has said he would not interfere in the appointment process of the substantive Vice-Chancellor of the state-owned Lagos State University (LASU).

The Governor said he is not interested in who becomes LASU’s next Vice-Chancellor, maintaining that due process would be followed in the appointment.

Governor Sanwo-Olu said this while receiving members of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU) who paid him a courtesy visit at the Lagos House, Ikeja on Tuesday.

“The process for the appointment of the substantive Vice-Chancellor of the Lagos State University (LASU) is ongoing and I can assure you that all the laws and due process that would lead to the appointment of the VC would be fully adhered to.

“I have no intention to interfere or have any interest in the choice of who would be vice-chancellor. We have put in the committeemen and women of impeccable character that have distinguished themselves and are willing to do for us a good job,” he told the visitors led by CVCNU chairman, Prof. Samuel Edoumiekumo.

The governor who promised adequate and continuous funding for state-owned tertiary institutions in Lagos State, said plans were in top gear to establish two more universities of technology and education in the State.

He also promised to assist the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities to get back the title documents of its property situated at Idowu Taylor Street, Victoria Island in Lagos, saying the property would be released to the Committee at no cost.

According to him, the Lagos State Government will support the Committee on its forthcoming 60th anniversary celebration next year.

The Chairman of CVCNU said Governor Sanwo-Olu’s support as the Visitor to the Lagos State University is commendable and called for the Lagos State Government’s support for the forthcoming 60th anniversary of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities.

“As Nigeria’s economic and social powerhouse, Lagos is arguably a mini-Nigeria and leader in its federation of states. Lagos sets the agenda and leads other states to emulate in economic development, innovation, good governance and education,” he added.

Prof. Edoumiekumo said the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities is desirous of working with key stakeholders to improve the country’s university system and therefore seeks for mutually rewarding partnership with Lagos State Government and the people in that regard.

Ministers Say Egyptian Gas To Reach Crisis-Hit Lebanon Soon

Zoe Maven
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Ministers Say Egyptian Gas To Reach Crisis-Hit Lebanon Soon

Egyptian natural gas should reach Lebanon through Jordan and Syria soon after maintenance of pipelines and the review of a deal interrupted 10-years ago are finalized by early October.

There is no date yet for when the gas will be pumped. But reviving the Arab gas pipeline to deliver Egyptian gas to Lebanon comes as the small country is reeling from a crippling energy crisis.

Lebanese Energy Minister Raymond Ghajar said the World Bank would help his cash-strapped government guarantee payment for the gas, which is expected to help produce 450 megawatts of electricity in the country’s only natural gas plant, in northern Lebanon.

Speaking at a news conference with the three ministers in Amman, Jordanian energy minister Hala al-Zawati said the infrastructure to resume gas flow to Lebanon needed checks after a 10-year hiatus. These should be finished in three weeks.

Egyptian energy minister Tarek Mullah said some clauses in the deal will also need reviewing. He didn’t elaborate.

Lebanon is witnessing an economic crisis described as one of the world’s worst since the 1850s. Shortages of medicine, fuel and basic supplies have often brought the country to standstill, while political disagreements have foiled efforts to form a government to negotiate a rescue package with international financial institutions.

The Arab cooperation to deliver gas to Lebanon through Syria represents a significant thawing of relations between the war-ravaged country and its neighbors, most of who had either cut diplomatic ties or limited relations to security collaboration during the 10-year civil war.

Guinea Suspended From ECOWAS Following Coup

Zoe Maven
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Guinea Suspended From ECOWAS Following Coup

Guinea has been suspended from the West African regional bloc Ecowas following the coup that overthrew President Alpha Condé on Sunday, Burkina Faso’s Foreign Minister Alpha Barry has said.

The bloc also demanded Mr Condé’s release from custody, he added.

Leaders of the 15-nation bloc held a virtual meeting to discuss the coup waged by elite troops led by the 41-year-old Col Mamady Doumbouya.

He accused Mr Condé, 83, of rampant corruption and human rights abuses. The deposed president’s whereabouts are unclear, although the coup leaders have said he is safe.

Guinea is one of the world’s biggest producers of bauxite, the raw material for aluminium, and prices have leapt to a 13-year-high following the coup.

The junta released about 80 political prisoners who had been detained during Condé’s rule. Around 400 people had been imprisoned during protests in 2020.

Many of those released were arrested last year during massive nationwide protests against Mr Condé’s plan to stand for a third term.

“I feel free, free, free, thank you to the people,” said Ismaël Condé, a member of the opposition UFDG party, and no relation to the former president.

He said his time in prison had been difficult, but he was now hoping for a better future for his country:

Turkey, Egypt Agree To Further Talks In Bid To Ease Tensions

Zoe Maven
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Turkey, Egypt Agree To Further Talks In Bid To Ease Tensions

East Mediterranean rivals Turkey and Egypt have agreed to continue talks aimed at stabilizing relations after the end of a second round of negotiations, the two governments said Wednesday.

A joint statement said that after a two-day meeting in Ankara it was agreed to extend talks, “confirming (the mutual) desire to make progress in areas under discussion and the need for further steps to facilitate normalization” of bilateral relations.

The discussions — led by deputy foreign ministers Sedat Onal of Turkey and Egypt’s Hamdi Samad Loza — followed a first round in Cairo in May. Those Cairo talks were the first high-level contacts since 2013.

They came as Ankara sought to ease tensions with Egypt and other Arab states, particularly Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Turkey fell out with Egypt following the removal of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi by the military in 2013. Wider disputes with Egypt, the Saudis and the UAE included the conflict in Libya, where they backed opposing sides, and Ankara’s support for the Muslim Brotherhood in the region.

Although the talks with Egypt have yielded little concrete, they have focused on Libya, Syria, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the eastern Mediterranean.

US Navy Launches Mideast Drone Task Force Amid Iran Tensions

Zoe Maven
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US Navy Launches Mideast Drone Task Force Amid Iran Tensions

The U.S. Navy’s Mideast-based 5th Fleet said Wednesday it will launch a new task force that incorporates airborne, sailing and underwater drones after years of maritime attacks linked to ongoing tensions with Iran.

Navy officials declined to identify which systems they would introduce from their headquarters on the island nation of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf.

However, they promised the coming months would see the drones stretch their capabilities across a region of chokepoints crucial to both global energy supplies and worldwide shipping.

Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, who leads the 5th Fleet said, “We want to put more systems out in the maritime domain above, on and below the sea, adding, “We want more eyes on what’s happening out there.”

The 5th Fleet includes the crucial Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all oil passes. It also stretches as far as the Red Sea reaches near the Suez Canal, the waterway in Egypt linking the Mideast to the Mediterranean, and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off Yemen.

The systems being used by the 5th Fleet’s new Task Force 59 will include some of those involved in an April test led by the Navy’s Pacific Fleet. Drones used in that exercise included ultra-endurance aerial surveillance drones, surface ships the Sea Hawk and the Sea Hunter and smaller underwater drones that resemble torpedoes.

The 5th Fleet includes shallow water areas, salty waters and temperatures in the summertime that can go above 45 degrees Celsius with high humidity. That can prove rough for crewed vessels, let alone those running remotely.

EU Preparing For Afghans Already Abroad To Reach Europe

Zoe Maven
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EU Preparing For Afghans Already Abroad To Reach Europe

The EU says it is preparing for an influx of Afghans seeking asylum, whether or not people flee en masse from the new Taliban government, noting that millions are already displaced in neighbouring countries.

In an interview, Fabrice Leggeri, director-general of border agency Frontex, said the body was preparing for a possible surge, both through traditional routes such as from Turkey to Greece, and new routes such as via Belarus, which Brussels accuses of sending illegal migrants across the frontier.

He said Frontex is monitoring what’s going on inside Afghanistan itself, but also keeping an eye on Afghan communities in neighbouring states, listing Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

The EU has sought to reform its migration system after a crisis in 2015-2016, when more than a million people arrived, most crossing the Balkans on foot to reach northern Europe.

The EU is now better at returning migrants who do not have a valid asylum claim to their country of origin, Leggeri said.

As long as it is unsafe to send Afghans home, migrants from other countries may be tempted to pose as Afghans to gain entry. Leggeri said border guards were better now than six years ago at determining where people are from.

Afghan migration could become entangled in Europe’s dispute with Belarus, which the EU accuses of flying in migrants from the Middle East to send them illegally across the border, causing a 1,500% spike in irregular arrivals into Lithuania.

Minsk denies fostering illegal migration but says Europe must lift sanctions if it wants it to stop.

Iran Warns West Of IAEA Move As U.S Says Time Running Out

Zoe Maven
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Iran Warns West Of IAEA Move As U.S Says Time Running Out

Iran’s president on Wednesday warned Western states against rebuking Tehran at the U.N. atomic watchdog after its latest reports criticized his country.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said in reports to member states that there had been no progress on two central issues: explaining uranium traces found at several old, undeclared sites and getting urgent access to some monitoring equipment so that the IAEA can continue to keep track of parts of Iran’s nuclear programme.

According to Iranian state media President Ebrahim Raisi said in a phone call with European Council President Charles Michel, that in the event of a counterproductive approach at the IAEA, it would not make sense to expect Iran to react constructively.

Tuesday’s criticism by the IAEA means the United States and its European allies must now decide whether to push for a resolution at next week’s meeting of the 35-nation IAEA Board of Governors pressuring Iran to yield.

In 2018 then-President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the 2015 deal, under which Iran agreed to restrictions on its nuclear activities in return for the lifting of sanctions.

The Islamic Republic responded to the Trump administration’s withdrawal and re-imposition of sanctions by violating many of those restrictions.

Indirect talks between U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration and Iran on how both countries could return to compliance with the deal have not resumed since Raisi, an anti-Western hardliner, took office on Aug.

Speaking in Germany, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said time was running out for Iran to return to that accord.

Western diplomats have said that a decision on how to respond to the IAEA reports has yet to be reached.

Syrian Army Enters Birthplace Of Uprising Under Peace Deal

Zoe Maven
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Syrian Army Enters Birthplace Of Uprising Under Peace Deal

Syrian army troops entered Deraa al Balaad, the birthplace of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad’s rule, for the first time since it lost control over the area a decade ago.

Army units set up at least nine checkpoints across the city under a Russian-brokered deal between the army and rebels that was finally agreed this week.

Previous ones had faltered over disagreements over the extent of army control in the area and disarming rebels.

The government said state authority was finally established to restore order and securty in an area where the first peaceful protests against Assad family rule broke out in 2011 before security forces cracked down and the unrest developed into civil war.

Pro-Iran army units had for almost two-month bombarded the area in several failed attempts to take it, and laid seige to neighborhoods that had over 50,000 people, preventing food and medicine from getting through. They also opened a corridor for many civilians to flee.

In 2018, Assad’s army, aided by Russian air power and Iranian-backed militias, retook southern Syria, bordering Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights to the west

Under a Russian-orchestrated deal then, the Western-backed Deraa rebels handed over heavy weapons but were allowed to continue their own administration of Deraa al Balaad.

Moscow also gave guarantees to Israel and the United States in 2018 that it would restrain Iranian-backed militias from expanding their influence in the sensitive border region.

Local officials hope Russia will rein in Iranian-backed local militias whom they say act with impunity and now hold sway in the border area.

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