Gunmen in the early hours of Thursday invaded Okofi community in Kogi, killing three persons and injuring two others. Eyewitnesses in Lokoja on Thursday said the attackers invaded the community when the Muslim faithful were observing the early morning prayers in the community’s only mosque. Okofi community is in Kogi Local Government area of the state. Confirming the incident, the state police command spokesman, DSP William Aya, said that those killed include the Chief Imam of the community and two other worshippers. He also said that two other persons were critically injured in the attack and were taken to hospital…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
Kyrgyzstan’s President, Sooronbay Jeenbekov, has resigned after a disputed parliamentary election triggered mass protests, according to a speech published by his office on Thursday. “I am not holding on to power,’’ Jeenbekov said in the statement. He did not want to be remembered by history as the president who opened fire on his own citizens, he said. Violent unrest broke out in Kyrgyzstan in early October, after parliamentary elections resulted in a win for candidates with ties to the sitting president. Kyrgyzstan, a country of 6.5 million people located on the border with China, was plunged into chaos following the…
Social media giant Facebook has taken down the page of a New Zealand political party just days before the country’s general election. Advance New Zealand is now calling for an enquiry, stating the American social media company has interfered with the election due to be held on Saturday. The page was removed on Thursday for repeatedly sharing misinformation about COVID-19, Facebook said in a statement. “We have clear policies against this type of content and will enforce on these policies regardless of anyone’s political position or party affiliation.” Advance New Zealand co-leader Billy Te Kahika was streaming live to the…
France stretched their unbeaten run against Croatia to eight games after a late goal by Kylian Mbappe gave the world champions a 2-1 win in their Nations League top-tier Group 3 match on Wednesday. The result left France second in the group on 10 points from four games, behind Portugal on goal difference after the European champions brushed aside Sweden 3-0. Croatia have three points and the Swedes none. France beat Croatia 4-2 in the 2018 World Cup final before defeating them by the same score in last month’s reverse Nations League fixture. “We knew we’d be in a real…
Scientists from Britain’s University of Oxford have developed a rapid COVID-19 test able to identify the coronavirus in less than five minutes. Researchers said on Thursday, adding that it could be used in mass testing at airports and businesses. The university said it hoped to start product development of the testing device in early 2021 and have an approved device available six months afterwards. Reuters
Nigerian-American singer Onny, says she is set for international success as she try to follow Nigerian superstar, David Adeleke, aka Davido’s footsteps, in making her musical career very successful. The 23 -year- old bubbly songwriter, made the disclosure on Africamusiconline.com, where she said that she was taking her musical career very seriously, just like Davido started out from an American University. Onny, who is also a medical student in U.S., has a natural flair for song writing and has written over 60 songs to her credit. She also has interesting set of records that are already setting the YouTube and…
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, says it has recorded a 99.7 per cent reduction in its loss profile from ₦803billion in 2018 to ₦1.7billion in 2019. NNPC disclosed this in its 2019 Audited Financial Statement (AFS), released by Dr Kennie Obateru, spokesman for the corporation, in Abuja, on Thursday. It will be recalled that the corporation in May published its 2018 AFS and assured of quick released of the 2019 report. This, According to NNPC Group Managing Director Malam Mele Kyar was in line with effort to ensure transparency and accountability in its operations. Obateru, quoted the NNPC Chief…
Twenty-five Trade and Economic Officers from 14 African countries have received a masterclass to boost their capacities in trade and investment facilitation. Nazaru LLC, a U.S.-based services company, delivered the free online training ahead of the planned takeoff of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in January 2021. An African Union Policy Officer was among the participants from Uganda, Egypt, Lesotho, Mauritania, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Togo, Mauritius, African Union, Namibia, Somalia, Mozambique, Algeria and Eswatini. The recipients were drawn from institutions and organisations charged with facilitating adoption and implementation of the AfCFTA. Topics covered included Market Access Development Strategies,…
Mr David Malpass, President of the World Bank Group, has commended the Federal Government for removing subsidies on petroleum products. He said this in Washington D. C. on Wednesday at the opening press conference for the World Bank at the ongoing 2020 International Monetary Fund (IMF)/World Bank virtual annual meetings. Malpass was responding to a question on whether the World Bank saw an opportunity or problem regarding the enormous youth population in Nigeria accompanied with rising unemployment and the burden of COVID-19. “I compliment Nigeria for tackling the problem of subsidies in the hydrocarbon area. “By reducing those subsidies and…
A former Minister of Education, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, has called on political leaders in Nigeria to practice politics that promote good governance through transparency, sound policies and strong institutions. Ezekwesili, also a former Presidential candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) in 2019, made the call on Wednesday while speaking at a webinar tagged: “Fix Politics”. Former Minister of Information, Mr Frank Nweke Jnr; a former Presidential candidate of KOWA Party, Prof. Remi Sonaiya and Seun Onigbinde of Budgit, were among other speakers. Ezekwesili said that the country needed a kind of politics that promotes good governance through transparency, sound policies and strong institutions.…