• Smithfield Foods Donates $500,000 to Feed NC Children

    Smithfield Foods has donated $500,000 to fund SUN Bucks in North Carolina, a newly established, permanent USDA program that provides food assistance to children and families during the summer.

    “Fighting food insecurity and hunger is a top priority for Smithfield,” said Steve Evans, vice president, community development for Smithfield Foods. “We’re humbled to do our part in the communities where we live and work so our neighbors can continue to access healthy and nutritious food throughout the summer when schools aren’t in session.”

    Left to right: Jonathan Toms, senior community development manager, Smithfield Foods; Secretary Kody H. Kinsley, North Carolina Health and Human Services; North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper; Steve Evans, vice president, community development, Smithfield Foods; and Stephen Kouba, government affairs manager, Smithfield Foods, celebrate Smithfield's $500,000 sponsorship of the SUN Bucks program.
    Left to right: Jonathan Toms, senior community development manager, Smithfield Foods; Secretary Kody H. Kinsley, North Carolina Health and Human Services; North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper; Steve Evans, vice president, community development, Smithfield Foods; and Stephen Kouba, government affairs manager, Smithfield Foods, celebrate Smithfield’s $500,000 sponsorship of the SUN Bucks program.

    “Fighting food insecurity and hunger is a top priority for Smithfield.”

    Launching in summer 2024, SUN Bucks, also known as Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program for Children (Summer EBT), will be administered by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Families will receive $120 per eligible child on a pre-loaded SUN Bucks card they can use to purchase groceries, such as fruit, vegetables and protein, at retail locations currently accepting EBT.

    “Good nutrition is the foundation for good health. The SUN Bucks program gives more than a million school children in North Carolina access to the healthy food they need to thrive this summer,” said North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley. “NCDHHS is grateful to Smithfield Foods for their contributions to SUN Bucks and for supporting our mission to improve health and well-being for all North Carolinians.”

    The SUN Bucks program is anticipated to feed nearly one million school-aged children in North Carolina this summer and have an estimated economic impact of $120 million.

    Learn more about North Carolina’s SUN Bucks program details and eligibility here.   

    Smithfield’s hunger relief program, Helping Hungry Homes®, has provided hundreds of millions of servings of protein all 50 U.S. states, as well as in Poland, Romania and Mexico, since 2008. Smithfield donated nearly 28 million servings of protein to food banks, disaster relief efforts and community outreach programs across the U.S. in 2023 and has pledged to donate 200 million servings of protein by 2025.

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  • Korea Pledges Billions of Dollars for Africa

    The Republic of Korea will commit $14 billion in export financing to support Korean companies investing in Africa while increasing its official development assistance (ODA) to $10 billion by 2030.

    The President of Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol announced this on Tuesday in Seoul at the opening of the first Korea-Africa Summit, attended by 25 African heads of state and government, as well as the president of the African Development Bank Group Dr Akinwumi Adesina.

    Up to 48 African countries were represented at the summit by either a president, king, prime minister, vice president or minister to discuss, “The Future We Make Together: Shared Growth, Sustainability, and Solidarity.”

    President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged that Korea would extend its Trade and Investment Promotion Frameworks, and Investment Protection Agreements to African countries.

    African leaders praised Korea for its open and mutual approach to strengthening cooperation with the continent. They highlighted investment opportunities in their own countries and across the continent.

    In his address, Bank Group President Adesina referred to the theme of the summit and said: “To show solidarity with Africa, for the ‘future we make together’, I wish to request that Korea solidify this Korea-Africa Summit by agreeing to rechannel SDRs (Special Drawing Rights) to the African Development Bank.”

    Adesina added: “The approval by the IMF Board for use of SDRs of $20 billion for hybrid capital, as championed by our institutions, with immense advocacy of African heads of state and government, marks a new way to scale up development financing.”

    The Bank Group president said, “The IMF-approved $20 billion limit for SDR rechannelling for hybrid capital, channelled through the African Development Bank and other multilateral development banks, will deliver $80 billion of new financial support.”

    Additionally, Adesina urged Korea to contribute generously to the forthcoming 17th replenishment of the African Development Fund, the concessional window of the Bank Group, as well as to the Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa (AGIA), a new initiative by the Bank, in partnership with the African Union and Africa50, to mobilise private financing for green infrastructure in Africa.

    The Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation (KOAFEC) Trust Fund (KTF), established by the Korean Government in 2007, and managed by the Bank, is the largest among the Bank’s 17 active bilateral trust funds, in terms of contributions received, and portfolio size.

    Adesina’s call for greater financing commitments from wealthier countries like Korea comes on the heels of the 59th Annual Meetings of the Bank, where discussions focused on a comprehensive reform of the global financial architecture, through innovative financing mechanisms like the rechannelling of SDRs, and a re-evaluation of unfavourable debt management practices.

    President Adesina praised Korea’s inspiring and determined development journey, that transformed “a poor and aid-dependent country” into “one of the largest donor countries in the world.”

    He highlighted the deep relationship between Korea and the Bank, starting from 1982 when Korea became a member of the Bank. Since then, he said, Korea “has contributed close to $795 million to the Bank, the African Development Fund and the Korea Trust Fund.”

    “You are investing in the right institution: the African Development Bank,” he declared.

    Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame said Korea’s experience shows a country can be radically transformed in the course of a generation. “Is there any reason Africa hasn’t become a high-income region?” he posed.

    United Republic of Tanzania President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan called for investment in clean cooking agenda as part of the just energy transition. She said investment in clean cooking will lower emissions, deforestation and respiratory diseases that affect especially women and children.

    “We are working with Dr Adesina (President of the African Development Bank) to fundraise for this agenda,” she said.

    President William Ruto publicly acknowledged the African Development Bank’s financial innovations. He told Korea to consider channelling some of the SDRs through the African Development Bank.

    Other touchpoints of the bilateral relationship cited by Adesina include the jointly organized Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation Ministerial Conference (KOAFEC), the Korea-Africa Energy Investment Framework, and the $115.4 million KOAFEC Trust Fund, the Bank’s largest bilateral fund.

    Providing an update on the $600 million Korea-Africa Energy Investment Framework, sealed in 2021, Adesina said: “We have jointly approved the first two projects: $57 million for the Kenya Transmission Network Improvement Project and $52 million for Eastern Ethiopia Electricity Grid Reinforcement.”

    Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, the President of Mauritania and Chairperson of the African Union, and co-chair of the summit alongside host President Yoon described the summit as an opportunity for both sides to renew their commitment to shared growth and partnership based on mutual respect and trust.

    A new chapter

    The Chairman of the Africa Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat observed that the trade volume between Africa and Korea remains insignificant. “In 2022 Africa accounted for 2% of Korea’s trade,” said Mahamat and called for promotion of bilateral trade relations, more exchanges in the private sector and focusing on key value-added areas.

    King Mswati III of Eswatini encouraged Korean business community to invest in any part of the continent. “Choose a location to establish industries. Choose anywhere. We are no longer competing but collaborating.”

    That chimed with President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mbasogo who spoke about his country’s 2050 vision for diversification of the economy and looked “forward to Korean companies investing in attractive Equatorial Guinea. We will provide appropriate guarantees and support for investors.

    Togolese leader Faure Gnassingbe spoke about the opportunities his country presents. “Togo is an open economy. We are small in size… We have a major seaport which needs to be expanded to promote trade.”

    The President of Cote d’Ivoire Alassane Ouattara said the summit had created “a turning point in the relationship between Korea and Africa.”

    Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa said, “The Journey travelled by Korea is a beacon and source of encouragement to Africa as it works to lift its people out of poverty.”

    In his closing remarks, President Yoon of Korea summed up the summit as “a new chapter for Korea-Africa relations.”

    He also outlined Korea’s areas of interest for support and partnership in Africa: digitalisation, e-government, education and capacity building, climate change, food security and critical minerals. A Korea-Africa critical minerals dialogue is scheduled to be inaugurated later this year.

    On the sidelines of the Summit, Adesina held bilateral meetings with the Korean Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Song Miryung. 

    The African Development Bank signed two agreements: a Memorandum of Understanding between the Bank and Korea Trade Insurance Corporation (K-SURE), and a Letter of Intent between the Bank and Korea Overseas Infrastructure and Urban Development Corporation (KIND).

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  • Nigeria’s Central Bank Lifts Fintechs Onboarding Restriction

    Financial technology companies, OPay and Kuda Microfinance Bank have been given the all clear by the Central Bank of Nigeria to resume onboarding new customers.

    In separate statements on Monday, both companies announced that the Central Bank has authorised them to start enrolling new users.

    On April 29, CBN directed the fintech companies to pause enrollment of new customers after the government alleged their platforms were being used to carry out illicit foreign exchange transactions.

    In a ruling delivered on April 24, a High Court in Abuja granted an interim order to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to freeze more than 1,000 bank accounts belonging to individuals and companies over “unauthorised foreign exchange” transactions.

    However, it was discovered that most of the accounts were operated by commercial banks while about 10% were domiciled with the fintechs.

    OPay said it will strictly follow the approved know your customer (KYC) verification procedures and urged its customers to ensure that they complete the verification process for all accounts and meet all requirements.

    “This milestone highlights our dedication to following the rules, keeping your information safe and secure, and preventing any shady activities.

    “Our mission remains the same: to make financial services more inclusive through technology, make transactions a breeze, and provide a hassle-free payment experience for all Nigerians. And, we’re not stopping there! Keep an eye out for new and exciting features on the OPay app.” It added.

    Similarly, Kuda Bank announced it will resume registering new customers this week.

    The company said it has been collaborating with the CBN to fulfil recent regulatory requirements by putting more controls in place.

    “As you probably already know, we’ve been working with the CBN to meet recent regulatory requirements by putting more account controls in place,” Kuda said.

    “Based on the work we’ve done, we’ll resume signing up new customers this week.”

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  • Indian election: Narendra Modi hasn’t delivered the expected landslide – where the BJP may have gone wrong

    Indian election: Narendra Modi hasn’t delivered the expected landslide – where the BJP may have gone wrong

    Thankom Arun, University of Essex

    Narendra Modi may have led his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to a historic third term, but the landslide victory that many had expected failed to materialise. With half of the 640 million votes counted, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its political allies were on course to win 290 seats. It’s enough to form a coalition government – but is 60 fewer seats than it won in the 2019 election.

    Despite being fragmented and perceived as weak on a national level, the Congress Party-led opposition, the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (or India), managed to gain traction in regional strongholds such as Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Maharastra, creating a more competitive electoral landscape.

    In 2019, the BJP secured a majority in its own right. This time it will need to rely on its electoral alliances to maintain power. Nonetheless, Modi’s victory holds significant implications for India’s political landscape and future direction.

    The BJP has employed a nuanced strategy over its ten-year tenure in office. It has tried to tailor its agenda to resonate with the diverse priorities and concerns of different regions across India. This approach has involved emphasising specific local issues, cultural narratives and economic needs that vary from one state to another.

    In India’s northern states, such as Madhya Pradesh, the BJP has focused on national security and Hindu nationalism. In the south, meanwhile, it has prioritised economic development and infrastructure projects. This approach resonated with voters in the south who were frustrated with the status quo and sought better governance and economic progress.

    The BJP won its first ever seat in Kerala in the south-west, traditionally a stronghold for the Congress Party and the Communist Party of India (Marxist). Local movie star, Suresh Gopi, won a big majority in the temple city of Thrissur. He campaigned on development issues, while avoiding any talk of Hindu nationalism, despite this being a theme which has played well for the BJP elsewhere.

    Map of India state by state.
    India: a vast and diverse country with a huge mix of cultures and political loyalties. Volina/Shutterstock

    Interestingly, religious nationalism did not resonate as strongly with the electorate in general. This was even the case in Uttar Pradesh in the north-east, despite the huge publicity coup afforded Modi in January when he inaugurated a temple to Ram at Ayodhya on the site of a former mosque. The Socialist party and Congress alliance won 42 of 80 seats, five more than the BJP. This is a blow for the BJP, and particularly for Yogi Adityanath, the state’s chief minister, a strong contender as Modi’s successor.

    This reduced margin of victory indicates that the BJP may need to recalibrate its approach, particularly concerning its Hindu nationalist, or “Hindutva” policies. While religious nationalism has been a powerful tool in mobilising support during the BJP’s first two terms, the recent election results suggest that it might not always be sufficient to secure widespread victories.

    But, as you’d expect in such a massive and populous country, there have been other factors at play. Extensive welfare measures introduced by the Modi government have significantly bolstered his support.

    But despite the resilience and buoyancy of the Indian economy under Modi’s leadership, challenges remain. Stagnation in the manufacturing sector and the government’s poor performance on job creation have cast shadows over Modi’s growth narrative. While digital advancements and welfare initiatives have been successful, addressing these economic concerns is crucial for sustaining long-term growth and stability.

    Diversity is strength

    The strength of India’s democracy lies in its vibrant political discourse and the celebrated concept of the “argumentative Indian”. This culture of debate and dissent is vital for a healthy democracy, as it ensures that multiple voices and perspectives are heard and considered.

    Instances such as the BJP government’s delayed response to the farmers’ protests underscore the importance of addressing public grievances and adapting policies based on feedback. The government’s eventual willingness to engage in dialogue and retract controversial agricultural laws demonstrated a responsiveness that can strengthen democracy by showing a commitment to listening and adjusting to the populace’s concerns.

    Many people, meanwhile, expressed discomfort with the Modi government’s extreme positions on privacy and diverse beliefs. For instance, watering down the Information (RTI) Act of 2005, which was intended as a powerful tool for exposing corruption and ensuring good governance. India has fallen 11 places in the World Press Freedom Index to 161 out of 180 countries as freedom of expression has come under strain.

    The BJP must now ensure that its third term does not lead to the marginalisation of minority voices or the erosion of democratic norms. Instead, it should use this period to foster a more inclusive political environment that encourages healthy debate and innovation.

    Meanwhile, despite being formed relatively recently, in July 2023, the opposition India coalition put on an impressive performance. The coalition must now develop a sustained and coherent platform that resonates with a broader population segment.

    By promoting a political landscape that values diverse perspectives and robust debate, India can continue to build a dynamic and inclusive democracy. This balance is essential for addressing the nation’s complex challenges and ensuring that democratic principles are upheld for future generations.The Conversation

    Thankom Arun, Professor of Global Development and Accountability, University of Essex

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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  • Modi’s narrow win suggests Indian voters saw through religious rhetoric

    Modi’s narrow win suggests Indian voters saw through religious rhetoric, opting instead to curtail his political power

    Supporters of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party dance at a party office in Guwahati, India, during counting of India’s national election on June 4, 2024. AP Photo/Anupam Nath
    Sumit Ganguly, Indiana University

    India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, had hoped for a landslide victory in the country’s six-week general election – the largest display of democracy, by far, in a year of voting around the world. But with results still coming in on June 4, 2024, the party, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, looked to be heading to only a narrow parliamentary majority.

    The BJP needs 272 seats to form a government on its own, failing which it will need the help of its coalition partners, the National Democratic Alliance.

    The Conversation U.S. spoke with Sumit Ganguly, distinguished professor of political science and the Tagore chair in Indian Cultures and Civilizations at Indiana University, to understand more about the election results and what they mean for Indian democracy.

    The BJP had talked about an overwhelming victory, but it seems it will not get a majority. How do you explain these results?

    Part of the answer lies in the Modi government’s failure to realize that while economic benefits had been substantial, their distribution has been uneven. India has seen a growth in inequality and persistent unemployment both in rural and urban areas. Unemployment of those aged 20 to 24 years is at a high of 44.49%. And that is the overall national number; that data does not tell us that it may be much worse in certain regions.

    The other explanation is that Modi’s exploitation of historic Hindu-Muslim tensions seems to have run its natural course. You can beat the religious drum – and Modi did with rhetoric including calling Muslims “infiltrators” – but then the day-to-day issues of jobs, housing and other such necessities take over, and these are the things people care about the most.

    BJP made a miscalculation, in my analysis. It failed to realize that in a country where only 11.3% of children get adequate nutrition, Hindu pride cannot be eaten – ultimately, it’s the price of potatoes and other essentials that matter.

    Let’s talk about Uttar Pradesh, the northern Indian state with 80 parliamentary seats. It plays a crucial role in any national election, and Modi and his alliance are set to lose the state. What happened?

    It’s another example of the same miscalculation we are seeing nationally by the BJP. The chief minister of the state,Yogi Adityanath, saw himself as a firebrand Hindu nationalist leader and likely a successor of Modi.

    But he, too, failed to take into account how his policies were playing out in the poorer segments of the state’s population, who are mainly Muslims and those at the bottom of India’s caste hierarchy.

    He pursued grand infrastructure projects such as new highways and airports, and those might well have appealed to the middle class – but not to the poor.

    A man in saffron shirt speaks into a microphone as several other people stand next to him
    Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath addresses an election rally in Prayagraj, India, on May 19, 2024. AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh

    Additionally, years of presiding over a state government that has used police power to suppress dissent, often those of the poor and marginalized, have taken their toll on Adityanath’s support.

    What explains BJP’s inroads into the southern state of Kerala, where it is on course to make history by winning a parliamentary seat for the first time?

    The gains in the south are perplexing and will require more data on voting patterns for a more accurate analysis.

    Historically, the BJP has not been able to make inroads into the southern states for a number of reasons. These include linguistic subnationalism owing to the hostility toward Hindi.

    The other issue in the south is that the practice of Hinduism is quite different, including festivals and other regional traditions. The BJP’s vision of Hinduism is based on the “great tradition” of northern India, which believes in the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva as the creator, the sustainer and the destroyer gods.

    The southern states are also engines of economic growth and end up subsidizing the poorer states of the north. As a consequence, there is resentment against the BJP, which has long had its political base in northern India.

    In July 2023, 26 opposition parties formed a coalition called INDIA – the Indian National Developmental and Inclusive Alliance – to challenge the BJP in the election. Were they given a fair chance?

    No, the playing field was far from level. The mass media has been mostly co-opted by the ruling BJP to advance its agenda. Apart from one or two regional newspapers, all the national dailies scrupulously avoid any criticism of the BJP, and the major television channels mostly act as cheerleaders of the government’s policies.

    A number of intelligence agencies are alleged to have been used for blatantly partisan purposes against the opposition parties. Political leaders have been jailed on charges that may prove to be dubious. For example, Arvind Kejriwal, the highly popular chief minister of New Delhi, was charged with alleged improprieties in the allocation of liquor licenses and jailed just days after election dates were announced.

    Despite the electoral losses, Modi is expected to return as prime minister for a third term. Given that the BJP got just two seats in the 1984 elections, what factors led to the party’s meteoric rise?

    The BJP has built a solid organizational base across the country, unlike the Indian National Congress, the principal opposition party. And the Congress party has done little to revitalize its political foundations, which had eroded in the 1970s after then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi imposed a state of emergency and a non-Congress government came into power for the first time.

    The BJP has also appealed to the sentiments of the majority Hindu population through slogans that paint India’s principal minority, Muslims, as the source of myriad societal problems. Hate crimes against Muslims and other minorities surged across India over the past few years.

    Finally, the BJP also benefited from economic reforms that the earlier Congress government had set in motion from the 1990s, including a national goods and services tax and the privatization of the loss-making, state-owned airline, Air India, thereby contributing to substantial economic growth in India.

    In December 1992, Hindu nationalists destroyed the 16th-century Babri Mosque. How crucial was that to BJP’s rise to power? And what should we read into BJP losing its seat in Ayodhya?

    The destruction of the Babri Mosque certainly galvanized an important segment of the Hindu electorate and led to a growth in support for the BJP. In 1999 – just seven years after the event – the BJP first came to power in a coalition government in which it had 182 out of 543 seats in the Indian Parliament. Two national elections later, in 2004, Modi assumed office as the prime minister with a clear-cut majority of 282 seats.

    In January 2024, just a few months before the election, Modi inaugurated a newly constructed temple in Ayodhya, the site of the Babri Mosque. It was a carefully stage-managed event with an eye on votes.

    However, BJP lost its seat in Ayodhya. It’s possible that all the fanfare around the new temple appealed to people outside of Ayodhya – but not to the city’s residents who continued to deal with waste mismanagement and other issues.

    What’s next for Modi? And what do the results tell us about Indian democracy?

    It’s certainly possible that Modi will form the government with coalition partners. I believe that Modi, as an astute politician, will most likely learn from this setback and adapt his tactics to new realities.

    Faces of two women smeared with green color holding their fingers up in a victory sign.
    Supporters of another political party, the Trinamool Congress, celebrate the election results in Kolkata, India, on June 4, 2024. AP Photo/Bikas Das

    The results might also be a useful corrective – the Indian voter has once again demonstrated that he or she might be willing to put up with some things but not others.

    Indian voters have demonstrated in the past that when they see democracy being threatened, they tend to punish leaders with autocratic tendencies. We saw this when the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi suffered a crushing defeat in the elections in 1977. The elections followed a state of emergency that Gandhi had imposed on the country, suspending all civil liberties. Back then, it was India’s poor who voted her out of power.

    This time around, we might need to wait on additional electoral data about how particular caste and income groups voted.The Conversation

    Sumit Ganguly, Distinguished Professor of Political Science and the Tagore Chair in Indian Cultures and Civilizations, Indiana University

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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  • Today in history…

    5 Key Events Today

    (1) ⁠Battle of Midway began- Japan’s 1st major defeat in WW II – 1942.

    (2) ⁠The British army seized King Charles I as a prisoner – 1647.

    (3) Chinese crackdown on protests led to the Tiananmen Square Massacre – 1989.

    (4) Joe Clark was sworn in as the youngest Prime Minister in Canadian history – 1979.

    (5). Saudi Arabia issued its first driver’s license to women as it prepared to lift the ban on women driving – 2018.

    (6). MKO Abiola’s Wife, Kudirat Abiola Gunned Down In Lagos, Nigeria

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  • Israel says 4 More Hostages Killed in Gaza

    The Israeli military has confirmed the deaths of four more hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7, increasing the pressure on the government to accept a US ceasefire proposal that could secure the return of the remaining hostages and end the conflict.

    It says all four were killed together during an Israeli operation in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. It added that their bodies were still in the custody of Hamas

    The men were named as British-Israeli Nadav Popplewell, 51, Chaim Peri, 79, Yoram Metzger, 80, and Amiram Cooper, 85. All four hostages were kidnapped from kibbutzes near the Gaza Strip on October 7.

    Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said “We assess that the four of them were killed while together in the area of Khan Younis during our operation there against Hamas.”

    Hamas claimed last month, that Nadav Popplewell had died in an Israeli strike in April.

    The UK Foreign Office said it was investigating, but there was no confirmation of his death until now. UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron said in a social media post that he was “greatly saddened” to hear about Nadav Popplewell’s death. “My thoughts are with his loved ones at this terrible time for them,” he added.

    Source

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  • Visa ban between Nigeria, UAE resolved – Keyamo

    The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has said the issue of the travel ban between the United Arab Emirates, UAE, and Nigeria have been resolved.

    Keyamo said the resolution would be disclosed in a few weeks.

    He disclosed this while addressing journalists at the welcome dinner for delegates attending the International Air Transport Association, IATA, 80 Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit in Dubai, weekend.

    He said both governments are fine-tuning the processes for lifting the visa ban.

    According to Keyamo: “The issue of visa has been resolved, just the announcement remains. They want to dot the I’s and cross the T’s. The announcement will be made in a couple of weeks.

    “The UAE is considered as a very important partner in Nigeria. Nigerians have a lot of stakes here in the UAE with a lot of investments. What we are doing is to make sure that we make it easy for millions of Nigerians who have put a lot of pressure on us to ensure that we open up this route again. Second, to make the visa application easier. I am sure you can see the way I was received here. That is to tell you how they value Nigeria.

    “I was on the same ride with the ruler of Dubai, the Minister and the head of Emirates Group and all the top shots of Emirates. There was no other person given that privilege here. That is to tell you how much they value us and they want Nigeria to see it in that light. They have opened up again to us. They have started to trust us again, and I want to say thank you to them. I will take it from here on.”

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  • Fulani Herdsmen Gang-Rape 13-Year-Old Girl 

    operate with impunity in the region.”

    He lamented that the community had lost several vibrant men and women in the hands of the killer herdsmen.

    “As tensions escalate, local leaders are calling for urgent action to address the growing menace of Fulani herder violence; they are demanding increased security measures and accountability.

    “The memory of Emma Nnadi, a hero who gave his life to defend the innocent, will not be forgotten.

    “His legacy will fuel the quest for peace, justice, and security in Aku, and his soul will rest in peace,” Agu further stated.

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  • India heatwave kills 50 persons in May, June

    More than 50 people have died in India over the past three days as a brutal heat spell continues to grip parts of the country, a news release from the BBC has declared.

    We also learned that about 33 people died in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh over the weekend due to the heat.

    These included people involved in the general election, including polling officials, security guards and sanitation staff – Saturday was the last phase of voting. Who knows, the stress could have also been a culprit.

    In Odisha (Orissa) state,it was reported that about 20 people died due to heat stroke, officials said.

    Every five years, India holds its general election in the summer months of April and May.

    But this year, the temperatures have been record-breaking, with the country experiencing frequent, more intense and longer heatwaves. The situation has been blamed on heatwave.

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