The Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), has told Ebonyi state governor, David Umahi that his claim that he initiated the move for the release of detained leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu from detention. The governor Umahi had recently promised Igbo leaders that the detained IPOB leader would soon be released following his intervention with President Muhammadu Buhari. However, Ohanaeze in a press statement on Friday, the Ohanaeze Youth Council led by Igboayaka Igboayaka said the governor claim was false. The Ohanaeze youths insisted that the political solution was initiated by the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo,…
Author: Newsdesk
UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on Friday said global food prices reached an all-time high in February. The Food Price Index, which tracks the international prices of items such as vegetable oil and dairy products, averaged 140.7 points last month, or nearly 4 per cent up from January. This is also 24.1 per cent over the level a year earlier and 3.1 points higher than in February 2011. “Concerns over crop conditions and adequate export availabilities explain only a part of the current global food price increases. A much bigger push for food price inflation comes from outside food production, particularly…
The United Nations humanitarians on Friday described as “unprecedented,” the continuing outflow of children and families fleeing Ukraine as they await assurances for the safe passage of relief teams to provide urgently needed assistance. “500,000 children have been forced to flee their homes in just seven days… unprecedented in scale and speed,” James Elder, spokesperson for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said via video link from Lviv in western Ukraine. “As fighting continues of course last night, thousands of children spent another night in freezing and terrifying – terrified – in bunkers under siege. Children must, must, have peace.” Amid…
The federal government, in its bid to address deforestation in the country has distributed cooking gas cylinders to smallholder women farmers in the North Central Geopolitical Zone. The Ministry of Agriculture had carried out a similar programme in other zones of the country to tackle deforestation, one of the major causes of climate change. Dr Ernest Umakhihe, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, during the distribution on Thursday, March 3, 2022, in Abuja, said the cylinders would help the women to improve their health and productivity. The cylinders were distributed on the sideline of the opening…
The UN Human Rights Council, in a resolution, adopted on Friday in Geneva, agreed to establish a commission to investigate violations committed during Russia’s military attack on Ukraine. Thirty-two countries voted in favour of the resolution, which was presented by Ukraine. Russia and Eritrea voted against it, while 13 nations abstained. Council Members observed a minute of silence to honour the victims of the bloodshed. The resolution calls for the “swift and verifiable” withdrawal of Russian troops and Russian-backed armed groups from Ukraine and urges safe and unhindered humanitarian access to people in need. The independent international Commission of Inquiry…
The Nigerian Ambassador to the Republic of Benin, retired Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has advised Nigerian youths not let themselves be used as willing tools by do-or-die politicians who want to stir up trouble in their communities. Buratai gave the advice in his Message to Nigerian Youths, titled, “Dynamism in Politics and Nigeria’s Founding Fathers”, posted on his verified Facebook page on Friday. He challenged them to instead, embrace the tenets of political dynamism and root out every factor contributing to the democracy deficit in Nigeria, such as voter apathy, ballot snatching, looting, arson, and the likes. According to him, youths…
Amid reports of dwindling food supplies in embattled areas in Ukraine, the World Food Programme (WFP) on Friday began ramping up operations, warning that the conflict could have consequences beyond the country. Ukraine has long been the “breadbasket” of Europe, but the fighting could disrupt global wheat trade, with knock-on impacts on food prices and overall food security. “The bullets and bombs in Ukraine could take the global hunger crisis to levels beyond anything we’ve seen before,” WFP David Beasley said during a visit to one of its hubs on the Polish-Ukrainian border. The UN agency has been setting up…
UN’s senior political affairs official, Rosemary DiCarlo, on Friday told the UN Security Council that heavy fighting reported overnight at Ukraine’s largest nuclear power is both unacceptable and “highly irresponsible’’. DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, told the Security Council during an emergency meeting that radiation levels from nuclear plants are normal and the facility’s cooling system was not affected. According to her, every effort must be taken to prevent a catastrophic nuclear incident. She was joined by Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who offered to deploy rapidly to Ukraine to develop…
China will block coverage in its territory of this weekend’s English Premier League (EPL) fixtures as Britain’s biggest clubs continue to demonstrate support for Ukraine. The Premier League has expressed its intention to show solidarity with Ukraine in various ways across the 10-match programme. This will start with Leicester City’s home clash against Leeds United in Saturday’s early kick-off. Chinese rights holder iQIYI Sports had first reacted by refusing to show the matches. And although the Premier League has declined to comment, there are indications the blackout is due to go ahead. The move has been interpreted as a sign…
The European Union Delegation to Nigeria and German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), on Friday donated IT equipment to the ECOWAS Commission as technical support to ensure effective service delivery of the Commission’s staff. The EU and GIZ donated the equipment to the Commission in Abuja at the official launch of the EU-funded Institutional Support to ECOWAS (ISE) programme. The ISE programme is aimed at enhancing the effectiveness, efficiency, and impact of the EU aid in West Africa. Mrs Cecile Tassin-Pelzer, Head of Cooperation, EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, said that the programme was developed to train internal personnel who…