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Federal Govt. Pays Pensioners N1bn Accrued Rights

November 6, 2023

The Federal Government of Nigeria says it has finalised payment of N1.02bn to 7, 091 pensioners of the Power and Transport Sectors of the Parastatals Pension Department.

Accorrding to a statement, The Head, Corporate communications Unit, Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate, Olugbenga Ajayi, disclosed that the payment represents 39 per cent of the accrued pension arrears owed pensioners in the said sectors for the period August 2015 to September 2023, as a result of the computation of the monthly pension of pensioners of PaPD based on their career details, salary structure and applicable pension increments.

“The arrears were ascertained during the back-end computation exercise conducted by PTAD, where it was discovered that 7,091 pensioners in the power and transport sector were being underpaid based on the Payroll inherited by PTAD.”

President Buhari Endorses New Minimum Wage For Pensioners

Executive Secretary of PTAD, Dr. Chioma Ejikeme says the back-end computation exercise was necessitated by the need to ensure that each pensioner earned their rightful pension for fairness, equity and justice, in line with the directorate’s mandate.

She assured federal pensioners under the Defined Benefit Scheme that the Federal Government was committed to their welfare, and the arrears would continue to be paid until all accrued pension arrears were liquidated subject to the government funding.

Curbing Air Pollution: India’s Capital To Restrict Use Of Vehicles

Angel Gimalo

November 6, 2023

India’s Delhi city will restrict use of vehicles next week to curb rising pollution as air quality in the capital remained dangerously unsafe for a third consecutive day despite mitigation efforts.

New Delhi ranks among the world’s top polluted cities every year ahead of the onset of winter, when calm winds and low temperatures trap pollutants from sources including vehicles, industries, construction dust, and crop residue burning in nearby fields.

A thick smog shrouded the federal secretariat and president’s palace in the heart of the city early on Monday, and lowered visibility in other parts, as public outrage over hazardous air quality grew and the city extended closure of primary schools until Nov. 10.

The local government said that it will impose the “odd-even” vehicle rule from Nov. 13-20 to mitigate pollution levels that are expected to rise after the Hindu festival of Diwali on Nov. 12, when firecrackers are often set despite a ban.

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The rule will allow vehicles with odd registration numbers on the road on odd dates and similarly vehicles with even numbers on alternate days.

People walk on ‘Kartavya Path’ amidst the morning smog as air pollution levels decline in New Delhi
People walk on ‘Kartavya Path’ amidst the morning smog as air pollution levels declined in New Delhi, India, November 6, 2023.

Environmental experts have previously said that the rule, which has been imposed multiple times with some variations since 2016, has been more effective in de-congesting roads and less effective in bringing down pollution.

“In view of rising pollution, odd-even will be imposed in Delhi,” Gopal Rai, the local environment minister, told reporters, adding that a meeting will be held with police and transport department on Tuesday to decide on the implementation.

Air quality was “severe” for a third consecutive day in the city on Monday, making it the second most polluted city in the world, behind Lahore in Pakistan, according to a real-time compilation by Swiss group IQAir.

A cricket World Cup match involving Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, however, went ahead in the city on Monday with organisers installing air purifiers in the players’ dressing rooms and using water sprinklers to reduce pollutants in the air.

Curbs on vehicles are in addition to a ban on construction work for public projects in the national capital region, and restrictions on entry of trucks and heavy vehicles in Delhi, imposed by a federal pollution control watchdog on Sunday.

An analysis of 25 research studies by the Down To Earth magazine, published on Sunday, showed that poor air quality was linked to low birth weight, preterm delivery, stillbirth, developmental delay, restricted growth in children and even death.

Why Nigeria And Others Must Not Sign The ACP-EU Agreement

Henry Williams

November 6, 2023

Sonnie Ekwowusi

November 15, 2023, might be a tragic day for Africa and the entire Caribbean and Pacific region. It is the day set aside by the European Union (EU) to pressure or coax African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries into signing the deceptively and euphemistically crafted LGBT agreement between the EU and ACP countries. You may be well aware that over the past few months, several meetings have been convened between the EU and ACP parliamentarians aimed at getting ACP leaders to sign the controversial LGBT agreement. For example, a crucial meeting between the EU and ACP Ministers took place in Brussels on November 28, 2022, to potentially exert greater pressure on ACP Ministers to persuade ACP heads of governments to sign the contentious LGBT agreement. Another meeting with the same objective took place from June 19 to 28, 2023, in Brussels. The aforementioned meetings ended in a deadlock as ACP parliamentarians and leaders vehemently opposed the signing of the LGBT agreement. This is why we are shocked to hear today that November 15 has been scheduled for signing the offensive LGBT agreement. The pertinent questions are: Have ACP heads of government compromised their earlier stance on this matter and now agreed to sign the controversial LGBT agreement? If so, why? Did African leaders consult their respective parliaments and their people before agreeing to sign the agreement? Why is the African media not reporting the LGBT negotiations between the EU and the ACP countries since 2021?

One thing is certain. If the ACP governments succumb to the EU’s intimidation and sign the LGBT agreement, it will spell doom for the ACP countries. Why? Because the agreement is primarily aimed at the homosexualization and LGBTization of ACP countries. This agreement, which takes the form of a treaty, is deceptively and deviously worded to impose the EU’s LGBT agenda on ACP countries. This is why ACP countries must unanimously rise up and resist the signing of this agreement. Why? Because once the agreement is signed, it shall automatically override their Constitutions and national sovereignties of the ACP countries. In contrast to the Monroe Doctrine, Nigeria operates the Dualist doctrine under international law. Consequently, by virtue of section 12 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, a treaty signed by Nigerian political leaders does not have the force of law in Nigeria until it is ratified and domesticated by the National Assembly. However, the LGBT agreement has been so craftily worded that once signed by Nigeria and the ACP countries, the agreement automatically supersedes their respective domestic laws and establishes LGBT as their new law.

It is unbelievable that the West has elevated the barbaric act of inserting a penis into the anus or fingers into the vagina as a civilizational value. The anus is meant for waste elimination; waste comes out from the anus. However, today, the West is trying to teach us the opposite. Regrettably, the West is attempting to convince us that engaging in anal intercourse is a form of statecraft that supersedes more important matters.

As far as the EU, the U.S., and many parts of Europe are concerned, any country not endorsing the practice of inserting a penis into the rectum is seen as not fulfilling its international obligations. The LGBT countries may appear as stars that reflect light, yet they are waterless clouds carried away by the winds of eroticism, uprooted and twice dead. They resemble fruitless trees in late autumn or wild waves of the sea, casting off the foams of their vomit in public. What a shame! Where has public shame gone?

For example, U.S. President Joe Biden has made LGBT rights the centerpiece of American foreign policy. This is why Biden has ordered that the American flag be flown alongside the LGBT+ flag, portraying America as an LGBT-friendly country. The US government is now persecuting Uganda for enacting anti-homosexual laws in Uganda. In his recent remarks, Biden has claimed that LGBT rights are universal international law. He does not seem to understand that international law is binding upon the consent of nations. He is unaware that the consensus reached at various United Nations Conferences is that the laws passed in every developing country, including Nigeria and other African nations, must reflect the diverse social, economic, and environmental conditions of the country, while respecting their religious, cultural backgrounds, and philosophical convictions.

Therefore, Nigeria should not sign the LGBT agreement on November 15 or at any other time. The same applies to other African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries. Instead of succumbing to the EU’s veiled intimidation and blackmail to sign the agreement, they should assert their sovereignty and walk out on the EU on November 15. Nigeria is a sovereign country, as are other African nations, the Caribbean, and the Pacific countries. We should not be dictated to by the EU. We are no longer under the tutelage of our former colonial masters. If the EU decides to stop providing financial assistance due to our refusal to sign the LGBT agreement, they may proceed to do so. However, we cannot yield to the EU’s cheap blackmail and sign the agreement. In any case, LGBT practices are illegal in Nigeria, and likely in all African countries except South Africa. The concept of same-sex cohabitation or marriage is abhorrent to Nigerian and African sensibilities. Above all, it represents a complete departure from African civilization.

I have recently participated in a conference in London organized by world-class public intellectuals. Renowned psychologist Dr. Jordan Peterson and others who spoke at the conference expressed concern that Western civilization has eroded. Speaker after speaker at the conference lamented that the West has lost its history and culture and emphasized the importance of preserving one’s civilization as a significant investment in this life.

In the feverish pursuit of LGBT sexual pleasure and slavish freedom, the West has lost its core values and identity. Should African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries join the West in this madness? No, we must stick to our own values and traditions. It is suicidal to import practices and lifestyles that are alien to Africa and seek to impose them as laws, all in the name of observing international obligations. It is obvious that the EU has no respect for the religious and philosophical convictions of the African and Nigerian people; otherwise, it would not have been stampeding us to sign the LGBT agreement. Come to think of it, the EU lacks the locus standi to seek to impose on African countries aberrations that are alien to the lifestyle of the African people. Laws are made in consonance with the values of a people. Every country is interested in protecting what it holds dear or its cherished values. The EU has no right to dictate to us the kind of laws we should enact for our people. LGBT is not our value. Gay marriage is not our value. Neither is transgenderism our value. If the West is sinking to the bottomless pit of human civilization with LGBT and transgenderism, it should sink alone; it must not seek to sink together with the African, Pacific, or Caribbean countries.

Happily, at the time of writing, Namibia had pulled out and sworn that it will never sign the LGBT agreement. It is not unlikely that other countries will follow suit and pull out from signing the agreement or signal their intentions to refrain from signing the agreement. In refusing to sign the agreement, Namibia said that the agreement is “not in line with the Namibian Constitution, its legal framework, nor its intended relations and cooperation policy.” It also said that the agreement does not have a definition section to ensure that all parties understand the terms of the agreement and what they entail. According to Namibia, the agreement “refers to a commitment to the full and effective implementation of future outcomes of Beijing and ICPD review Conferences that may bind parties to future processes and outcomes that cannot be predicted at the present moment.” Namibia also complains that the agreement “may elevate non-binding agreements/strategies/initiatives, progress, and processes to a legally binding position or treaty status.

Nigeria should follow the good example of Namibia in this regard and refrain from signing the agreement. Other ACP countries should follow suit. The resolve of Namibia to exercise its national sovereignty and refrain from signing the agreement is praiseworthy. To sign the agreement is tantamount to giving the EU a blank check to fill any amount of money it likes on it and cash it in a bank. Namibia is right. The agreement is a Trojan horse. Apart from LGBT, other provisions of the agreement legalize transgenderism, human capital reduction, and queer behaviorism in a country that signs the agreement. By signing the agreement, a country consents that its children should be taught how to practice “safe”-sex, “safe”-abortion; how to do masturbation, kissing, hugging, penis touching, vagina touching, and how to avoid getting pregnant through sterilization, and so forth, all in the name of sex education or Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE). It is obvious that this agreement specifically targets the children of Africa, Caribbean, and Pacific for corruption and destruction. The agreement threatens to undermine the national sovereignty of the Africa, Caribbean, and Pacific countries that are parties to the agreement. It is targeted at overriding their domestic laws and constitutions as well.

In the light of the foregoing, the African Parliamentary Forum, in conjunction with African lawyers and some notable African NGOs, organized the first-ever African Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Family Values and Sovereignty in Entebbe, Uganda last year. The conference’s communique later gave birth to what has been christened as the Entebbe Declaration. The Entebbe Declaration has not only unequivocally rejected the LGBT agreement but has also urged the ACP governments not to sign it. Annex 1 of the Declaration states as follows: “WHEREAS the ACP-EU treaty’s supremacy clause invalidates provisions in any existing treaty with which it conflicts, thereby also violating the national sovereignty of countries and the integrity of regional and sub-regional bodies, including the African Union and the integration of regional economic communities. WHEREAS the ACP-EU treaty violates cultural and religious values and undermines the integrity of African family values by mandating the implementation of sexual and reproductive health services and “Sexual and reproductive health and rights” (SRHR), deceptively requiring the legalization of abortion, prostitution, same-sex marriage, special LGBT “rights,” and child sexualization. THEREFORE, we collectively urge all heads of African ACP States not to sign the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement and urge their respective parliaments and legislatures, which are the national law-making bodies of African States, to refuse to ratify this deceptive treaty.”

In conclusion, the EU should leave ACP countries alone in this LGBT matter. Life is about living and letting live. The EU should allow ACP countries to make their own decisions. Practices like LGBT lifestyles cannot be referred to as “human rights”; otherwise, deviant behaviors such as embezzlement of public funds, graft, scams, murder, theft, terrorist attacks, human trafficking, and so forth could also be referred to as “human rights.” You may be aware that as far back as June 29, 2016, the prestigious and highly esteemed European Court of Human Rights, sitting in Strasbourg, France, delivered a historic and unimpeachable judgment that LGBTQ+ is not a human right. The court, which is the highest court in Europe, held that “marriages” entered into by people of the same sex cannot be considered as marriages. As important as this judgment is, the liberal media, such as pro-gay CNN or pro-gay BBC, and others refused to report it.

Therefore, following the good example of Namibia, Nigeria, and the other ACP countries, we must not sign the LGBT agreement. The truth remains that when democracies lose their constituting philosophical and legal principles—when wrongs are described as “rights,” and the tools of law are deployed to do and justify evil—democracies metamorphose into LGBT totalitarianism.

Sonnie Ekwowusi is the Chairman, Human & Constitutional Rights Committee, African Bar Association

Operators Caution Currency Speculators as Naira Gains

Rhoda Onuzulike

November 6, 2023

The Association of Bureau de Change Operators of Nigeria has warned currency speculators to be wary as the Naira strengthens further against the United States of American dollar.

President of ABCON, Aminu Gwadabe, the association noted that the Central Bank of Nigeria was set to inflict pain on currency speculators.

“What is happening in the market and the continuous naira rebound are the manifestations of the CBN double-edged sword measures of dollar liquidity injection and naira mopping through the instrumentality of interest rates hikes.

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“It is a good development as it is (now) a great risk to speculate, hoard and substitute naira for other currencies,” Gwadabe declared.

The local currency strengthened by 15.18 per cent to N950/$ in the alternative market on Friday from 1,120/$ it traded the previous day.

The dollar was sold for 783.67/$ in the Importers’ and Exporters’ forex window, compared to 807.27/$ on Thursday, according to data on CBN website.

The naira reversed the depreciating trend it had witnessed this year after the CBN started to clear the forex demand backlog in banks.

“As we continue to observe developments, there is the need for caution in attacking the naira, as it all appears that the CBN has got the arsenal and the logic to continue to enshrine the success recorded,” ABCON noted.

The association noted there had been “Panic selling as against panic buying.”

The BDC operators called on the apex bank to continue to make clarifications and implement some of their recommendations to include them in the foreign exchange market.

Gwadabe said that such inclusion would enable BDCs to play their roles of meeting the needs of the critical retail end sector, “As they pose as pass-through effects of the central bank foreign exchange rate policy of stability and elimination of disparities in the overall market.”

“The BDCs are necessary for the demand measures of the apex bank transaction monitoring mechanism, and clients’ utilisation with correcting and moderating potential,” he added.

Monet Painting To Go On Sale At Paris Auction For First Time In Decades

Koko Lawrence

November 6, 2023

A painting by French impressionist master Claude Monet, which has remained in private hands since 1948, is expected to fetch up to 3 million euros ($3.22 million) when it goes under the hammer later this month in Paris, auction house Ader said.

The landscape “Les Saules, Giverny” (“The Willows, Giverny”), dating from 1886, is reappearing on the French art market, where Monet’s paintings have become increasingly rare.

It is one of around three dozen lots at the upcoming Ader auction house’s sale of impressionist and modern art at Hotel Drouot slated for Nov. 24.

“Paintings of Claude Monet of this scale, of this dimension no longer really exist among French families. They’re found mostly in big museums or in foreign collections, but it’s very rare to find them in France,” Ader auctioneer David Nordmann said on Friday in a preview of the sale.

“It’s a big occasion for the French market,” he added.

Monet’s oil painting – measuring 73cm by 92cm (28.7 inches by 36.2 inches) – belonged to a family of Jewish origin, and was displayed in their luxurious flat in central Paris. The family’s grandfather purchased the painting from a gallery in Nice in 1948, and it has remained in the family’s hands since.

Though not as famous as Monet’s water lilies or the Gare Saint Lazare paintings, which can command prices reaching 100 million euros, “Les Saules, Giverny” bears the artist’s trademark style.

“It’s an oeuvre typical of Claude Monet, notably by the brush strokes and how he makes the light come out,” Nordmann said.

Monet found solace in Giverny, west of Paris, from 1883 until his death in 1926, transforming a pink stucco house into his permanent home and studio, and growing a Japanese-style garden of flowers and trees spread across a pond of water lilies, which inspired many of his paintings.

The auction also includes a work by American painter Mary Cassatt. “Portrait de Jeune Fille au Chapeau Blanc” (“Portrait of a Young Woman in a White Hat”) is estimated at 800,000 to 1.2 million euros.

LABAF: Entries For 2023 Ken Saro-Wiwa Prize Opens

Koko Lawrence

November 6, 2023

The Committee for Relevant Art, CORA, promoters of the yearly Lagos Book & Art Festival (LABAF), has called for entries for the 2023 edition of the annual Ken Saro-Wiwa Prize For Book Review.

It is dedicated to the celebration of the life and career of the famous writer and environmentalist Ken Saro-Wiwa, who the Nigeria State killed on 10 November 1995.

The Prize encourages reading and engagement of the published text, which is in tandem with the core objective of the CORA and its prime project, the LABAF.

The project is designed to further a vital aim of the CORA and LABAF— deepening the culture of reading and engagement of content of literary works, particularly fiction, drama, poetry and non-fiction, all the genres where the late author Ken Saro-Wiwa excelled in his illustrious writing career.

A release from the Programme Directorate of the festival highlighted the features and conditions for the Prize on Thursday.

Entries should be a maximum of 1500 words and a minimum of 800 words

The competition is open to only those aged 18-25 years.

Makinde Grants N25,000 for Workers, N10,000 for Pensioners

Rhoda Onuzulike

November 6, 2023

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has approved the payment of N25,000 for workers and N15,000 for pensioners as wage awards in the state.

The governor said the payment will be for six months at an additional N2.2 billion to the wage bill of the state.

Makinde made the disclosure in the company of labour leaders including Comrade Kayode Martins (NLC), Comrade Bosun Olabiyi (TUC), Comrade Olaonipekun Oluwaseun (JNC Public Sector) while addressing workers at the entrance of the Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Ibadan.

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Other government functionaries including, Special Adviser (Labour Matters), Comrade Adebayo Titilola-Sodo, the Executive Assistant to the governor, Reverend Idowu Ogedengbe among others also accompanied the governor during the address.

The workers had stormed the Governor’s Office as part of a decision taken during a Congress on Monday to ensure the issue is resolved once and for all.

Miami School To Allow Teachers Work And Live Under One Roof

faith Jegede

November 6, 2023

Under construction in Miami’s Brickell neighbourhood is a new school site and workforce housing that Miami-Dade County Public Schools hopes will be a model for all future redevelopment projects.

According to the chief facilities, design and construction officer for Miami-Dade County Public Schools Raul Perez, the aim of the multi-million dollar school expansion and housing for educators project is to tackle three issues at the same time: a teacher shortage, the need for more school seats and access to workforce housing.

Perez said, what you are looking at here is a very unique collaboration between Miami-Dade County, public housing and community development, and the school district,”

Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins, said the communities’collaborationwith the Public Schools is recognized nationally as an innovative approach to addressing multiple community needs comprehensively.

This project uses one piece of County-owned land to address, insufficient school seats, inadequate teacher housing, unaffordable housing, and more workforce housing.

It’s even better because the hundreds of new housing units are located within walking distance to Metrorail and Metromover, saving families car expenses.

According to Higgins, the tower will have 465 units, 45% of which will be affordable housing or workforce-priced units.

Banke Kuku’s Latest Collection Features Stunning Evening Gowns, Ready-To-Wear Outfits

Koko Lawrence

November 6, 2023

Nigerian eponymous fashion designer, Banke Kuku, recently launched a new collection, The Eden Collection.

The fashion show was a collaboration with Polo Avenue, a luxury fashion curator.

The set of the fashion show was an open-space garden to mirror the ethos of the latest collection. Actor and fashion influencer, Eku Edewor was the host of the event and she beamed in latest Banke Kuku.

Many A-list guests trooped in to support Banke Kuku, a renowned fashion designer who has clothed many international celebrities like Gabrielle Union and Jackie Aina and Nigerian celebrities like Davido and Adekunle Gold. What makes Banke Kuku stand out is her love for fabric, especially silk, though she experimented with lace, velvet and other fabric textures.

In this latest collection, Banke branches from her usual forte, which is usually loungewear and ready-to-wear, into some very gorgeous evening gowns, making use of elaborate embroidery perfect for awards shows and red carpet appearances.

However, Banke still stuck to her one true love by producing amazing ready-to-wear two-pieces perfect for work, school, church, business meetings, and everyday life. Some of the outfits were accompanied by beautiful accessories, like gorgeous purses.

The versatility of this collection, the comfort of the fabric, and the stylish designs make Banke Kuku’s collection one of the best this fashion week season. The collection will be available at Polo Venue.

Zelensky: Israel War Taking Attention From Ukraine

faith Jegede

November 6, 2023

The conflict that kept the world at the edge of its seats, for quite a while, seems to have come to a deadlock, as a sprawling frontline between the two warring sides has barely moved in almost a year.

Zelensky however, told a press conference in Kyiv that Time may have passed, people are tired but this was not a stalemate.

The Ukrainian leader also rejected the idea Western countries were putting pressure on Kyiv to enter negotiations with Russia, amid reports US and EU officials had discussed what such talks would entail.
With the war now in its 20th month and Ukraine struggling to gain ground in its counteroffensive, Zelensky has routinely met Western leaders in a bid to stave off fatigue from the conflict.
Zelensky said the war between Israel and Hamas had also drawn attention away from Ukraine, saying this was Russia’s goal.
Blaming Russia, Zelensky said Ukraine has already been in tough situations when there was almost no focus on them.
Ukraine’s backers, including the United States, have maintained they are ready to support Kyiv with military and financial support for as long as it takes to defeat Russia.

Zelensky’s words were however not received well as several social media users alleged that his complaints were mere tantrums.

Under the hashtags #Zelensky #stalemate #isreal, comments saying the Ukrainian president was simply upset that American taxpayer money was being directed to the conflict in Palestine, flooded the space.

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