News & Announcements

At least 100 people have been killed after flooding in parts of Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

According to Associated Press, Prime Minister Jean-Michel Lukonde said a search was ongoing for more bodies.

Earlier on Tuesday, the death toll had stood at 50 according to Sylvano Kasongo, Kinshasa’s police head, Reuters reported.

“We are already at around fifty deaths and that is not yet final,” Kasongo was quoted as saying at the time.

According to him, the rains caused landslides and roads to submerge.

Images shared online showed entire neighbourhoods flooded with muddy water and roads ripped apart by sinkholes.

One video appeared to show a major highway cut in half by a giant hole that had swallowed several vehicles in Mont-Ngafula district.

In a statement on Tuesday, Félix-Antoine Tshilombo, DRC’s president, extended his condolences to the families.

“The Head of State, Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo learned, with great sorrow, of the death of several people including children, following the torrential rains which fell on Kinshasa, in the night from Monday to Tuesday,” the statement reads.

“The Head of State presents his most heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families, asks the national and provincial governments to come to their aid and speed up the rainwater drainage works to prevent this type of disaster from happening again.”

This is not the first time DRC’s capital will be hit by floods.
In 2019, at least 39 people died when torrential rain flooded low-lying districts, and some buildings and roads collapsed.

Kinshasa, once a site of fishing and trading villages situated along the Congo River, is now one of the world’s fastest growing megacities.

However, its geographical location has made it vulnerable to seasonal flash floods.

President Joe Biden invited thousands to celebrate at the White House on Tuesday as he signed into law gay marriage legislation before a bipartisan crowd that reflects the growing acceptance of same-sex unions.

The triumphant mood played out against the backdrop of a right-wing backlash over gender issues, which has alarmed gay and transgender people and their advocates.

The new law is intended to safeguard gay marriages if the U.S. Supreme Court ever reverses Obergefell v. Hodges, its 2015 decision legalizing same-sex unions nationwide.

The new law also protects interracial marriages. In 1967, the Supreme Court in Loving v. Virginia struck down laws in 16 states barring interracial marriage.

“Congress has restored a measure of security to millions of marriages and families,” Biden said in a statement when the legislation passed last week.

“They have also provided hope and dignity to millions of young people across this country who can grow up knowing that their government will recognize and respect the families they build.”

The signing will mark the culmination of a monthslong bipartisan effort sparked by the Supreme Court’s decision in June to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that made abortion available across the country.

In a concurring opinion in the case that overturned Roe, Justice Clarence Thomas suggested revisiting other decisions, including the legalization of gay marriage, generating fear that more civil rights could be imperiled by the court’s conservative majority.

Lawmakers crafted a compromise that was intended to assuage conservative concerns about religious liberty, such as ensuring churches could still refuse to perform gay marriages.

In addition, states will not be required to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. But they will be required to recognize marriages conducted elsewhere in the country.

A majority of Republicans in Congress still voted against the legislation. However, enough supported it to sidestep a filibuster in the Senate and ensure its passage.

“Together, we showed that it’s possible for Democrats and Republicans to come together to safeguard our most fundamental rights,” Biden said.

Tuesday’s ceremony will mark another chapter in Biden’s legacy on gay rights.

He memorably — and unexpectedly — endorsed same-sex unions in a television interview in 2012, when he was vice president.

Days later, President Barack Obama announced that he also supported gay marriage.

Attendees will be given a card commemorating Biden’s comments from his 2012 interview.

“What this is all about is a simple proposition: Who do you love?” Biden said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” a decade ago.

“Who do you love and will you be loyal to the person you love? And that is what people are finding out is what all marriages at their root are about.”

Since becoming president, Biden has reversed President Donald Trump’s efforts to strip transgender people of anti-discrimination protections.

His administration includes the first openly gay Cabinet member, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and the first transgender person to receive Senate confirmation, Assistant Secretary for Health Rachel Levine.

The Chairman of the Lagos State Parks and Garages (LASPG), Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya (aka MC Oluomo) on Tuesday, 13 December, 2022, announced the placement of all female commercial bus drivers in the state on a monthly payment.

He said that the act would boost their earnings.

Akinsanya pledged greater welfare packages for all drivers in the state while speaking to approximately 500 female commercial bus drivers at the agency’s secretariat in Agege.

He gave Meimunat Ahmed, a female driver who is suffering from a partial stroke, N500,000 in cash.

He also directed the quick purchase of a bus engine for another woman so she could continue working. It would cost N600,000.

He asked the women to always act as positive representatives of the organization when speaking with passengers.

He claimed that many would try to take advantage of them while they were operating a vehicle, but urged them to act maturely when dealing with such individuals.

“On our own part, we will continue to watch your back and ensure that people do not harass you while going about your legitimate duties,” he said.

He urged them to abstain from actions that would damage the agency’s improved reputation.

The women thanked Akinsanya for her kindness.

They pledged to portray the agency in a more positive light.

The women took advantage of the occasion to declare their support for Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, both of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as presidential candidates.

Yesterday, the NNPC set a price for lifting petrol at depots of N148 per litre.

In order to alleviate product shortages, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited NNPCL, has agreed to supply unutilized stock to independent oil marketers.

The independent marketers claimed that because they had been purchasing the product at a cost of around N200 per litre from private depots, they had been unable to satisfy the Department of State Services’ (DSS) 48-hour deadline last week.

They claimed that the predicament prevented them from offering gasoline at the same price of N170 per litre as their big competitors and NNPCL.

Yesterday, it was reported that NNPCL, marketers, and all other stakeholders met to discuss and resolve the concerns.

Operations Controller, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, Mr. Mike Osatuyi, who confirmed the development, said: “Our members have now been allowed to lift petrol at N148 per litre, meaning that we can now reduce our pump prices. We are committed to working with other parties to tackle the shortage across the country as quickly as possible.”

Recall that the House of Representatives urged NNPCL to address the ongoing petroleum product shortage within the next week in order to alleviate Nigerians’ suffering.

The Nigerian Midstream Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, or NMDPRA, was also urged by the House to enlist the assistance of the DSS and Nigerian Police Force to guarantee that petrol was sold at the set price and in all retail outlets.

NNPCL and oil merchants previously received a 48-hour deadline from the Department of State Services (DSS) to make Premium Motor Spirit, also known as petrol, available to Nigerians.

According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), many people are expected to be prevented from applying for asylum in the UK under the new strategy the country has adopted to combat illegal immigration.

Tuesday saw the release of a new strategy by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for dealing with the influx of unauthorized immigrants coming to the country by boat over the English Channel.

The UNHCR stated the strategy basically justified the blanket rejection of asylum applications from applicants arriving from nations or by routes not regarded “safe” by London after assessing a number of its components.

“The announced proposal to first detain, and then either return asylum-seekers to their home countries or transfer them to a third country would amount to a denial of access to the UK asylum system for those who arrive irregularly.

“That approach would close down access to asylum in the UK for all but a few,” UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Protection Gillian Triggs said in a statement on Tuesday.

In late November, the media reported that just 8,000 of the 52,294 asylum seekers who entered the UK had received a decision on their applications, while the remaining 44,700 had not received a response.

The Federal Government has declared that Nigerians living abroad with expired passports may enter the nation without a visa.

In a letter sent on Monday to all heads of missions, airlines, immigration attachés, and airports comptrollers, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) announced the news.

In a letter addressed to DCI BM Lawal, the Special Assistant to the Comptroller General (Foreign Desk), the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Jere Idris stated that Nigerians with expired passports should be admitted without restriction, but added that the validity of the expired Nigerian passports needed to be confirmed.

“Consequently, all Airlines are requested to allow holders of expired Nigerian passports to board without let or hindrance.

“In addition, all Nigerian Diplomatic Missions abroad are kindly requested to circulate this information to airlines operators and border authorities of host countries for their necessary action,” it stated.

Almost 48 hours after the death of an American journalist at the ongoing World Cup finals in Qatar, another journalist died suddenly.

Khalid al-Misslam, a Qatari photojournalist working for Al Kass TV, died on Sunday. The circumstances surrounding his death are unclear at this stage.

Qatar news outlet Gulf Times tweeted: ‘Al-Misslam, a Qatari, died suddenly while covering the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

‘We believe in Allah’s mercy and forgiveness for him, and send our deepest condolences to his family.’

he news was confirmed by Al Kass TV, who only briefly mentioned his passing away in a live broadcast and appear to be waiting on further details.

The Federal Government through the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on Monday said pre-arrival or post-arrival testing for COVID-19 was no longer a prerequisite for travellers, “irrespective of vaccination status”.

This announcement was contained in a letter by NCAA, dated December 12, 2022, and addressed to airline operators.

“COVID-19 Travel Testing: Pre-departure and post-arrival COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction tests are no longer required for all passengers irrespective of vaccination status.

The PCR tests required for all passengers who are partial/not fully vaccinated have been suspended”, the letter read.

It further noted that aside from the suspension of the COVID tests, wearing of face masks was no longer mandatory for passengers on board aircraft.

The General Manager of Public Affairs, NCAA, Sam Adurogboye, while confirming the development said, ”That is the current state and development which is at the instance of the Presidential Steering Committee.

“They have control over the issue. You can contact them for details”, he stated.

Four people, Ojo Ajayi, 22, Matthew Osalade, 23, Adebisi Ogundare, 23, and Busayo Adeniyi, 23, were sentenced to death by hanging by an Ado-Ekiti High Court on Monday for armed robbery and other offenses.

On August 24, 2020, the defendants were charged with seven counts that included conspiracy, armed robbery, attempted murder, and cultism before Justice Bamidele Omotoso.

The violations included sections 4(1) of the Secret Cults (Abolition and Prohibition) First Amendment Law, No. 6, 2017, as well as sections 516, 402(2), and 320 of the Criminal Code Cap. C16, Laws of Ekiti State, Nigeria (2012).

According to the accusation, the defendants planned to commit an armed robbery against Mary Ezeaku, Joshua Ige, and Hassan Abdulmalik on January 1, 2019, in the Odo-Ado neighborhood of Ado Ekiti.

In addition to their attempted murder of Olajide Babatunde, they were discovered to be members of the forbidden Eieye Confraternity.

Armed with knives, axes, and other deadly weapons, they robbed the victims of their possessions, including phones, necklaces, watches, and N30,500 in cash, among other things.

In testimony before the court, one of the victims, Joshua Ige, stated, “We were leaving a show in the early hours of the morning in the Ekute Quarters of Ado Ekiti. We boarded a bike to take us to Odo-Ado when we are approaching Odo Ado area, he suddenly stopped at a lonely place. Before we asked what happened, other boys emerged from their hiding places, pointed guns at us, some of them held axes and knives, and they robbed us of our phones, necklace, wristwatch and other valuables.

The matter was reported at the Police station before they were later arrested.

Albert Adeyemi, the prosecutor, used six witnesses, the defendants’ statements, two axes, two cutlasses, twelve handsets, one locally produced revolver, one live round of ammo, and more as evidence to support his case.

The defendants did not call any witnesses; instead, they spoke in their own defense through Adeyinka Opaleke, the Legal Aid Council’s Ekiti State Coordinator.

In his judgment, Justice Bamidele Omotoso said, ‘’I resolve the sole issue for determination  in this case partially in favour of the prosecutor and against the defendants, they were found guilty of the offences of conspiracy, armed robbery and attempted murder’’

He declared that the penalty for armed robbery is death, and that the defendants will be sentenced by this court to be hanged by their necks till they pass away.

“May God have mercy on your souls, they were sentenced to life imprisonment for attempted murder and seven years imprisonment each for the offence of conspiracy, the judge ruled.

Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege, an All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for governor of Delta, has pledged that, if elected in 2023, he will create a university in Ijawland.

During the party’s ward-to-ward campaign train visit to the state’s Bomadi Local Government area on Monday, Omo-Agege made the pledge.

“My administration will establish a tertiary institution in Ijawland to bring education closer to the people.

“The promises I am making to you today can only be possible, if you vote for me, Bola Tinubu and all other APC candidates, who will actualise the yearnings of our people,” he said.

Omo-Agege lamented the lack of infrastructure in Ijaw areas and pledged to fix it if elected.

In order to put an end to the council area’s protracted power outage, the senator who represents Delta Central Senatorial District also promised the populace that his administration will connect Bomadi and its surroundings to the national grid.

He bemoaned the state of the access roads in the council and the deteriorating Ohoror/Bomadi Bridge, promising that his government will take urgent action to fix the problems.

Despite the Ijaw villages’ significant financial contributions to the state, according to Omo-Agege, the government led by Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa had abandoned the residents of Bomadi and other Ijaw areas.

Bomadi’s urban status would be raised to that of one of the state’s commercial centers, and the governor candidate pledged to change the narrative by luring development to the area.

“I want to assure you my good people of Bomadi Council, with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as the President, I will fix the Bomadi, Gbaregolor, Akugbene and Ohoror/Bomadi Bridges.

“I will fix the roads that have failed. The only existing bridges and roads still existing in Bomadi were done by former Gov. James Ibori.

“The Catholic Bishop of Bomadi spoke with me sometimes ago where he appealed that I should use my good office to ensure that Bomadi is connected to the National grid and that Bomadi has been in darkness for too long.

“Let me assure you people that Bomadi will be connected to the Ughelli 33KVA line to ensure that Bomadi is linked to the National grid.

Speaking to party supporters in Bomadi and Tuomo I, Elder Omeni Sobotie, the chairman of the APC in Delta, commented that the Okowa-led administration had not completed any projects worth one billion Naira in the previous seven and a half years.

“An APC-led government of Sen. Omo-Agege will address the aged-long marginalisation and underdevelopment of the Bomadi, if elected in the 2023 general elections,” he said.

Additionally, Elder Godsday Orubebe, the Director-General of the Delta APC Campaign Organization, exhorted the Ijaw Nation’s citizens to support Omo-Agege and other APC candidates in the general elections by casting a large number of ballots.

Speaking to the jubilant crowd in Ijaw, Orubebe, a former minister of Niger Delta affairs, assured them that if Omo-Agege were elected governor, the Ijaw people would not be let down.