Author: Safiu Kehinde

WikiLeaks’ founder Julian Assange is set to make his first public appearance since being freed from a British jail when he gives evidence to the Council of Europe next month, his organisation said on Wednesday. Assange, 53, returned to Australia in June after a deal was struck for his release which saw him plead guilty to violating U.S. espionage law, ending a 14-year British legal odyssey. His wife Stella, who he married while in a top security London jail, said he would need some time to regain his health and sanity after his long incarceration, as well as to be…

Safiu Kehinde  In the wake of the alleged N15 million bribery saga involving officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Idris Okuneye (Bobrisky), the popular Nigerian crossdresser has denied the allegations. Bobrisky had, in a now viral video, been accused by social media influencer and activist, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, of bribing EFCC officials in money laundering saga. Reacting, Bobrisky took to his Instagram handle to deny the allegations, stressing that he served his jail term in full and never resorted to bribing EFCC officials. “My attention has been draw to a fake voice…

Safiu Kehinde  Nigerian food manufacturing giant, BUA Foods Plc has partnered with an Italian pasta equipment manufacturing company, FAVA, in an effort to boost pasta production capacity by 400,000MTpa. This was disclosed in a statement issued on Wednesday. According to the statement made available to NPO Reports, the partnership is in line with BUA’s commitment towards contributing to food security in Nigeria as they set towards enhancing their pasta production facility. The new project would see BUA Foods pasta production line of long cut pasta increase by nine which would boost the company’s annual production capacity from 400,000Tonnes to 900,000MTpa.…

Tunde Akanni PhD “Now, you have called us to duty. We feel honoured to be so called. We are ready to take this community to the heights. Resources, in sha Allah, will not deter us. But I will love to plead with our elders, with due respect, to get ready to buy into new ideas that will reflect global best practices. We may disagree at some point, but our common interest must be constant and that is to develop Oshodi by modernizing the facilities we can all proudly call our own. We are poised to give our best. We beseech…

Safiu Kehinde President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has expressed concern over Africa’s debt burden and its impact on governance of African countries. Tinubu made this known on Tuesday at the ongoing General Debate of the 79th United Nations General Assembly in New York. Represented by Vice President, Kashim Shettima, Tinubu harped on the need to provide debt relief for African countries as he noted that debt burden undermines the capacity of countries and government to meet the needs of their citizens. “The global debt burden undermines the capacity of countries and governments to meet the needs of their citizens. “Creeping trade…

Safiu Kehinde  The ECOWAS Parliament has made call for speedy reforms to transform the subregional bloc’s operations to tackle prevailing multifaceted challenges. The Speaker of the Parliament Memounatou Ibrahima stated this at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Third Extra-Ordinary Session and Second Parliamentary Seminar of the parliament in Lome, Togo on Tuesday. Highlighting the socio-political crisis rocking West Africa, Ibrahima noted that the making of budgetary provisions for adequate funding of the efforts toward addressing the subregion’s multiple challenges was a priority focus of the session. “Our region is ravaged by floods, terrorism, violent extremism and irregular migration that…

Safiu Kehinde  No fewer than 9,389 vehicles were impounded in the last eight months over various traffic offenses, the Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) says. The Head, Public Relations and Enlightenment of the service, Mr Kalu Emetu, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja. According to Emetu, whenever such vehicles were impounded, the offending drivers were usually sent to the directorate’s model drivers’ institute in Lugbe for correction. This, he said, usually availed the offenders, especially those who did not go through any driving school or…

Agency Report  UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday, called for finance, climate action and peace to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the 2030 deadline. Guterres said this in his remarks to a high-level event at UN Headquarters aimed at shining a spotlight on the 17 Goals, which include ending extreme poverty, reducing inequalities, achieving gender equality and combating climate change. “Let’s keep the SDG commitment alive,” Although the SDGs represent a commitment to a better, global future, they are “facing massive headwinds”, he said at the SDG Moment event. He noted that more than four out of five…

Safiu Kehinde  The Federal Government has pledged its commitment towards tackling tuberculosis (TB) as a national priority amid climate crisis. Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, said this on Tuesday, at the UN Alliance of Countries on the Fight Against Tuberculosis. Pate called for coordinated efforts across multiple sectors to effectively combat the epidemic. He highlighted the critical impact of climate change on global TB efforts during a UN General Assembly Side Event. “We reaffirm our commitment to the political declaration of the 2023 UN High-Level Meeting on TB. “We pledge to continue working with…

Agency Report  A Kano State High Court has, on Tuesday, restrained 19 political parties from taking any action that could scuttle or frustrate the upcoming Local Government Elections in the State. The applicant Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC), through its Counsel Rilwanu Umar Esq, filed a motion exparte dated and filed on Sept.20. The applicant is seeking the court to restrain the respondents from disrupting the electoral process in the 44 Local Government Areas (LGAs). The respondents in the suit are Accord Party, Action Alliance, Action Democratic Party, African Democratic Congress, All Progressives Congress, Allied Peoples Movement, All Progressive…