World Trade Organization members selected two final candidates — Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and South Korea’s Yoo Myung-hee — to advance to the final round in the race to lead the Geneva-based trade body, according to people familiar with the matter. By advancing two women to the final round of the selection process, the WTO will likely have the first female director general in its 25-year history. Okonjo-Iweala served two stints as Nigeria’s finance minister and one term as foreign affairs minister. She has experience working at international international governance bodies as a former managing director of the World Bank and…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
Bauchi state governor, Bala Mohammed has challenged journalists to be in the forefront and champion the campaign against gender based violence, especially rape. The governor who was speaking at the North East Zonal meeting of the Nigeria Union of Journalists NUJ held at Bauchi NUJ Press centre on Wednesday, said journalists as agenda setters should use their reportage to reduce the indices of rape cases and gender based violence in the society. “The country is currently facing a spike in rape cases among minor and other gender based violence and journalists have crucial role to play in fighting this ugly…
The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) on Wednesday, announced the removal of an environmentalist, Nnimmo Bassey as its the trustee and board chairman over his alleged unacceptable leadership style. The Executive Director of ERA/FoEN , Godwin Ojo during its general assembly held in Benin, Edo state also decried the slow pace of work in the clean-up of Ogoniland by Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), adding that the pollution of the entire Niger Delta was causing serious environmental degradation in Nigeria. “The general assembly took cognisance of the lingering crisis among the trustees and management team of ERA/FoEN…
The Senate Committee on Anti Corruption and Financial Crimes says it wants to see a reformed and rebranded Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in its fight against corruption, economic and financial crimes in the country. A statement by the spokesperson of the commission, Wilson Uwujaren and made available to ASHENEWSONLINE on Wednesday said the Chairman, Senator Suleiman Kwari stated this on Tuesday at the commencement of the 9th Senate Legislative Anti Corruption Strategy Implementation Session at the National Assembly, NASS, Complex. ‘’Ninety per cent of investigation should be done before arrest is effected” adding that “media hype must stop.…
The Ibadan Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday, arraigned Adegoke Johnson Adebayo, Ayodele Elijah Olubunmi Sunday and Adelowo Waheed Adewole, before Justice Ladiran Akintola of the Oyo State High Court, Ibadan for alleged N83,500,000 loan fraud. A statement by the spokesperson of the commission, Wilson Uwujaren made available to ASHENEWSONLINE said the suspects, who are staff of Osun State Environmental Protection Commission, and president, secretary and treasurer of the Commission’s staff cooperative society, respectively, allegedly diverted the sum, obtained as loan for the cooperative members. The EFCC preferred a 10-count charge, bordering on conspiracy,…
The Chief of Party, North East Regional Initiative (NERI), Mr Olivier Girard, has announced the rounding up of its six years programme interventions in insurgency affected states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa. The programme, which involved interventions in education, health, women empowerment among others, is being funded by US Agency for International Development (USAID) and British Government. Announcing the rounding up at closing ceremony on Wednesday in Maiduguri, Girard said that within the past six years, NERI carried out 254 activities in Borno alone. “USAID has asked us to close down our programme in the Northeast. This was not an…
By Tina George, Minna Former governor of Niger state, Dr Mu’azu Aliyu has commended President Muhammadu Buhari’s incentive package for teachers in Nigeria. In a statement he signed and made available to ASHENEWSONLINE on Tuesday, Aliyu said that the gesture is heart-warming and would be a recognition of the role of the teachers as moulders of the character of individual citizens. “The package was a superb morale booster, a cause for joy and laughter as well as for pride to all teachers and lovers of the teaching profession.” The former governor urged state governments to ensure that the implementation of…
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, on Monday congratulated the new Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Ahmed Bamalli, urging him to focus on confidence-building efforts in his domain. Abubakar gave the advice in a statement issued by his Media Adviser, Mr Paul Ibe, in Abuja. The former vice president expressed delight in the appointment of Bamalli, who succeeds the late Emir Shehu Idris, who reigned for 45 years before joining his ancestors in September. He described Bamalli as one of the youngest traditional rulers in recent years and a well traveled diplomat of ambassadorial pedigree.”Although the shoes of the late Emir are…
The bond issue is part of a suite of interventions the Bank has rolled out to strengthen African countries’ responses to the health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic The African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) was selected in a poll of bond market players as the best issuer in 2020 of a COVID-19 bond for its $3 billion dollar-denominated Fight COVID-19 social bond issued on March 27, 2020. The winners of the GlobalCapital Bond Awards 2020 were announced on 30 September at a ceremony held virtually for the first time in 12 years. GlobalCapital is a leading source of information…
A Christian Cleric and President Uma Ukpai Evangelistic Association, Rev. Uma Ukpai, has expressed displeasure with those agitating for the state of Biafra in the country. Ukpai expressed his displeasure during interaction with newsmen in Uyo on Wednesday to assess the state of the nation’s 60years of independence. He said those championing the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra, and the Indigenous people of Biafra were not sincere to the country. According to him, any one agitating for Biafra at this point goes to show the level of his or her ignorance. “There will always be differences…