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A Taliban delegation is in Geneva for talks with Swiss officials and NGOs on humanitarian access and human rights, Switzerland’s foreign ministry said Tuesday.

The delegation from Afghanistan’s new rulers is due to hold talks with the Red Cross and other non-governmental organizations in the Swiss city, which is also home to several United Nations agencies.
“The members of the delegation will have discussions around humanitarian access to populations in need, the protection of humanitarian actors, and respect for human rights,” a foreign ministry spokeswoman told AFP.
“The protection of children during conflicts and the management of land contaminated by mines are also on the agenda of the conferences, which take place in a confidential setting.”

The spokeswoman said that Swiss ministry representatives would meet the delegation this week.
However, she stressed that their delegation’s presence on Swiss territory “does not represent a legitimization or recognition of the Taliban”.
Since the Taliban hardline Islamist movement seized control in mid-August as the United States ended its 20-year war in Afghanistan, the country has plunged into financial chaos, with inflation and unemployment surging.

 The halting of aid following the Taliban takeover has triggered a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, which has already been devastated by decades of war.

– Taliban seeking greater recognition –
The Taliban are inching closer towards international recognition, but any concessions Afghanistan’s new rulers make will be on their terms, the regime’s foreign minister said in an interview with AFP last week.
In his first interview since returning from talks with Western powers in Oslo, Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi also urged Washington to unlock Afghanistan’s assets to help ease the humanitarian crisis.
No country has formally recognized the government installed after the Taliban seized power.

But Muttaqi told AFP that Afghanistan’s new rulers were slowly gaining international acceptance.
Read AlsoTaliban hails the return of five former Afghan army pilotsGovernor’s power in NigeriaTaliban warns against protests, women’s rights activism“On the process of getting recognition… we have come closer to that goal,” he said.

Switzerland’s ATS news agency reported that the delegation was being led by Latifullah Hakimi and numbers around 10 people.
Hakimi is a senior official at the Taliban defense ministry. He heads a commission formed by the Taliban government to identify members who were flouting the hardline movement’s regulations.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said it would hold talks with the delegation from the so-called Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
“The ICRC has a long-standing relationship with the IEA. This dialogue is essential in order to fulfill our strictly neutral and impartial humanitarian mission,” a spokesman said.

“We will continue this dialogue with the high-level IEA delegation in Geneva this week and look forward to constructive discussions.”

– ‘Complex emergency’ –
ATS said that the Taliban delegation had been invited by the Geneva Call NGO, which works to protect civilians during conflict.
 The withdrawal of international forces and rapid takeover by the Taliban “are game-changers in Afghanistan, where overlapping armed conflicts, Covid-19 and its socio-economic consequences, and extreme weather have already created a complex emergency”, it said on its website.
“The humanitarian community will need to quickly adapt how they work to save lives and protect civilians already subject to dramatically declining socioeconomic conditions and insecurity.”

Representatives from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the foreign ministry’s Peace and Human Rights Division, and its Asia and Pacific Division are also due to meet the delegation this week.
“Afghanistan is facing a complex emergency situation due to armed conflicts, Covid-19 and its socio-economic consequences, as well as extreme weather conditions,” the foreign ministry spokeswoman said.
“Today, 23 million Afghans are at risk of malnutrition, and a large majority of the population lives below the poverty line.”

After full and extra time at the Olembe Stadium in Cameroon, it was Teranga Lions of Senegal who this Sunday night, February 6, 2022, emerged champions of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
It was a crunchy match which pitched two Liverpool stars – Mohamed Salah of Egypt and Sadio Mane of Senegal – against one another.

In the end, it was Mane and his teammates who smiled last, beating seven-time winners Pharaohs to emerge champions for the first time, winning 4-2.
Senegal would have wrapped up proceeding during the regulation time but was denied by Egyptian goalie Gabaski, who kept his team in the game all through with save after save, including stopping a three-minute penalty kick by Mane.

But they finally triumphed in the ensuing sudden death. Both Gabaski and his opposite number Edouard Mendy saved one kick but Salah had no need to take Egypt’s last kick after Mane blasted into the net — Mohamed Abdelmonem having handed the West Africans the advantage by blasting his kick against the crossbar.

Pa Akhere, the father of Nigeria’s music legend Sonny Okosun died in October 2021 at the age of 110 years.
His prominent son, Sonny Okosun of the “Which Way Nigeria” fame died 14 years ago in 2008.

The dead of Pa Akhere Okosun was made public today, Sunday by his daughter, Stella Okosun, a certified nurse and the brain behind the United States Mission Health International Foundation.
In a statement, she said that the late Pa Okosun was the Odionwele, second in command to the king of Irrua in Edo.
She described her father as a disciplinarian and loving man who was loved by both the young and old.

She said that her father- “As the Odionwele, the second in command to the king of Irrua in Edo with about 20 villages under his care, traditional rites demand that announcement of his passing should wait till after three months.”

She said, “When he died, we could not announce immediately because of the traditional rites that demand we wait until after three months.

“He was a fulfilled man and dedicated to serving the people of his community so much that one could not identify who was his biological child or who was not.
“He had nine children, and asides from my brother Sonny, who died in May 2008 in my arms in the US, the remaining eight are all alive and well.”

Speaking on the late brother, she revealed that the late Odionwele never wanted his son, Sonny, to become a musician, especially since he was the first child of the family.
“My father never wanted my brother to be a musician because, in those days, the educated ones wanted their children to be lawyers, doctors, or engineers.

“When my brother, Sonny said he would be a musician, my father kicked against it.
“Back then, people looked down on musicians, especially when he was the first son of the family.

“It was my grandmother who encouraged him and told my father to let Sonny be.
“She was the one that raised my brother and told my parents to let Sonny be whatever he wanted to become,” she said.

A 19-year-old student, Fadlullah Agboluaje, who recently died in Ukraine, was said to have experienced extreme cold before he passed on.
Rofeeha, Agbolauje’s older sister, had raised the alarm on social media that her family was informed that he was found dead in his room hours after he arrived at the Lviv Polytechnic National University, Ukraine.

 In a series of tweets shared by Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) on Tuesday, the Chairman/CEO Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa paid a condolence visit to the family of Agboluaje.
It tweeted: “Recall: FADLULLAH AGBOLUAJE arrived in Ukraine on the 8th of Jan and was reported dead.

“A day after He was said to have died from extreme cold in Ukraine, in his Hostel room, according to the autopsy done on his body in Ukraine
“The visit was filled with so many emotions & grief from the Agboluaje’s family who blamed the school for negligence on the part of the liaison officer.

“Hon. Abike Dabiri Erewa was filled with compassion for the Agboluaje informed the family of the immediate intervention of the Nigerian Amb in Ukraine, Amb Fatai Alege, who with the consent of the father demanded an autopsy.”

Sammie Okposo’s wife, Ozy Okposo has finally reacted to his infidelity scandal.
You would recall in our earlier report, one US-based lady called African Doll burst out on social media claiming Sammie Okposo slept with her and dumped her after becoming pregnant for him.
He came out to confess and apologize to his friends, family and wife for letting them down, after which he deactivated his Instagram account.

The Gospel Musician has, however, returned to Instagram and in a new post by him, he noted that he cannot be condemned because he is the righteousness of God.
According to him: “I am the righteousness of God in Christ I am born of God the life of God is in me Christ in me the hope of glory I am free from the law from the power of sin I am no longer bound by the fear of men.

God’s grace is available sufficient and working for me Jesus already saved me not because of any works of righteousness that I have done, but because of His own compassion and mercy, by the cleansing of the new birth (spiritual transformation, regeneration) and renewing by the Holy Spirit.
His wife, Ozy who he has been married to for the past 11 years, liked the post on Instagram suggesting that she may have probably forgiven him.

North Korea has released photographs that it said were taken from its most powerful missile launch in five years.
The unusual pictures taken from space show parts of the Korean peninsula and surrounding areas, reports the BBC.

 Pyongyang confirmed on Monday it had tested a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM).

At its full power, it can travel thousands of miles, putting areas like US territory Guam within striking distance.
The latest test has raised alarm again among the international community.

 Pyongyang has conducted a record number of seven missile launches in the past month alone – an intense flurry of activity that has been strongly condemned by the US, South Korea, Japan, and other nations.
The UN prohibits North Korea from ballistic and nuclear weapons tests, and has imposed strict sanctions. But the East Asian state regularly defies the ban.

US officials on Monday said the recent step-up in activity warranted renewed talks with Pyongyang.

What happened at the Hwasong-12 launch?
South Korea and Japan were both the first to report the launch on Sunday after detecting it in their anti-missile systems.
They estimated it had flown a moderate distance for an IRBM, covering a distance of about 800km (497 miles) and reaching an altitude of 2,000km before it landed in waters off Japan. At full power and at a standard trajectory, the missile can travel as far as 4,000km.

 North Korea confirmed the missile launch on Monday through its state-run media reports. The country’s rogue tests are typically disclosed by state media a day after their occurrence.

State news agency KCNA said the missile test had been launched to “verify its accuracy”. It had been deliberately angled to land away “in consideration of the security of the neighboring countries”.
State media also printed unprecedented imagery, some of which they said were shots taken by a camera fitted to the missile’s warhead.
One of the images shows the moment of launch and another apparently shows the missile in mid-flight, taken from above.

Leader Kim Jong-un was not present to observe Sunday’s launch, compared to three weeks ago, when pictures showed his attendance at the launch of a hypersonic glide missile test – a more advanced type of missile technology designed to circumvent missile-detection systems. Those missiles have only been tested by North Korea three times in total.

Why did North Korea fire the missile?
North Korea analyst Ankit Panda said Kim’s absence, and the language used in the media to describe the launch, suggest that this test was intended to verify the missile system worked as it should, rather than to show off new technology.

Still, it is the first time that the Hwasong-12, a nuclear-capable missile of significant size, has been launched since North Korea held talks with the US under the former administration of US President Donald Trump – which led to a slowdown in missile activity.

 The last time the Hwasong-12 was tested was in 2017 when Pyongyang launched it six times including sending it twice over the Japanese island of Hokkaido, which triggered alarms for residents there.
In 2018 after Kim met Trump, North Korea announced a moratorium on testing nuclear weapons and its longest-range intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). But by the following year, as relations soured, Kim said they were no longer bound by the declaration.

On Sunday, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said that with the latest launch, North Korea has “come close to destroying the moratorium declaration”.
There are multiple reasons for the ramp-up in North Korea’s missile activity this year, which was first flagged by Kim in his New Year speech.
Analysts say the tests reflect Kim’s desire to pressure the US back into long-stalled nuclear talks, present a show of strength to regional and global powers, and could be borne out of a practical need to test out new engineering and military command systems.

The timing is also significant with Beijing’s Winter Olympics kicking off later this week, and South Korea’s presidential election in March.
“This is consistent with their past behavior to try and intimidate South Korea and the incoming president,” said Dr. Daniel Pinkston, an international relations professor from Troy University who lives in South Korea.

There’s also been a surge in tests as the North Korean economy struggles under US-led sanctions, pandemic difficulties, and decades of mismanagement.
Earlier this month, the US imposed more sanctions on North Korea.

The elegant stallion, Onyeka Onwenu, attains the biblical age of 70. Columnist Chido Nwakanma pays a fitting tribute to a Nigerian media, arts, and entertainment icon.

Congratulations to Onyeka Onwenu on attaining the Biblical three score and ten.

More than congratulations, however, I write to thank Onyeka Onwenu for happening in our lifetime. It has been 42 years since Onyeka Onwenu burst into our lives on vinyl and tube.

Happy birthday, Her Father’s Daughter

She is the investigative reporter at the Nigerian Television Authority that reported on “A Squandering of Riches”. It traced the paths of the wastage of Nigeria’s resources in the oil fields and boardrooms. The squandering of our riches is still the story.

Onyeka Onwenu, daughter of Nigeria and Igboland, has played excellently on the Nigerian media, arts, and entertainment stages. She has been an advocate for women’s rights and served in politics and government.

She lit up Nollywood with excellent performances in various roles and films. She valiantly lost to patriarchy and dirt as she sought grassroots political office.

One of the most poignant memories I have of Onyeka Onwenu happened in 1987. I was the young Regional Correspondent for THISWEEK magazine in Port Harcourt. Onyeka the performer dazzled at the Civic Centre. Then she performed her all-time best “One Love”.

The hall bubbled and bubbled. People left their seats. It was standing room only.

I still feel the energy and love in that hall.

All of us on social media are celebrating her ahead of her actual birth date.

Understandably.

Onyeka Onwenu was born on 31 January 1952. She is a singer/songwriter, actress, human rights activist, social activist, journalist, politician, and former X Factor series judge.

The elegant stallion

The Nigerian press used the oxymoron Elegant Stallion to describe her. It resonated because of her attributes of strength, elegance and seeming male qualities.

Onyeka served as chair of the Imo State Council for Arts and Culture and from 2013 as Executive Director/CEO of the National Centre for Women Development.

As an employee of the NTA, Onwenu made an impact as a newsreader and reporter. In 1984, she wrote and presented the internationally acclaimed BBC/NTA documentary Nigeria, A Squandering of Riches which became the definitive film about corruption in Nigeria as well as the intractable Niger Delta agitation for resource control and campaign against environmental degradation in the oil rich region of Nigeria.

Born a broadcaster

A former member on the board of the NTA, she has also worked as a TV presenter, hosting the shows Contact (1988) and Who’s On? (1993) both on NTA Network, her Wikipedia entry notes.

Onyeka graduated BA in International Relations and Communication from the Ivy-League Wellesley College, Massachusetts, and obtained an MA in Media Studies from The New School for Social Research, New York. She worked for the United Nations as a tour guide before returning to Nigeria in 1980 to complete her mandatory one-year national service with the NTA.

Nigerians know her mostly for music. Her contributions are outstanding.

Hear Wikipedia, again: “Originally a secular artist, Onwenu made the transition to gospel music in the 90s, and most of her songs are self-penned. She continues to write and sing about issues such as health (HIV/AIDS), peace and mutual coexistence, respect for women rights, and the plight of children. She began her music career in 1981 while still working with the NTA, releasing the album For the Love of You, a pop album that featured an orchestral cover of Johnny Nash’s “Hold Me Tight”, and her second album Endless Life was produced by Sonny Okosun. Both records were released on the EMI label.

Onwenu’s first album with Polygram, In The Morning Light, was released in 1984. Recorded in London, it featured the track “Masterplan” written by close friend Tyna Onwudiwe who had previously contributed to Onwenu’s BBC documentary and subsequently sang back-up vocals on the album. After her fourth release, 1986’s One Love which contained an updated version of the song “(In the) Morning Light, Onwenu collaborated with veteran jùjú artist Sunny Ade on the track “Madawolohun (Let Them Say)” which appeared in 1988’s Dancing In The Sun. This was the first of three songs the pair worked on together; the other two – “Choices” and “Wait For Me” – centred on family planning, and were endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria who used “Choices” in their PSA.

Onwenu’s final release on Polygram was dedicated to Winnie Mandela, the subject of a song of the same name which Onwenu performed live when Nelson Mandela and his wife visited Nigeria in 1990 following his release from prison.

Onwenu diverted to Benson and Hedges Music in 1992 and released the self-titled Onyeka!, her only album with the label, after which she made the transition to Christian/gospel music. Her latest collection, “Inspiration for Change,” focused on the need for an attitudinal change in Nigeria.

She is in partnership with Paris-based La Cave Musik, headed by a Nigerian cultural entrepreneur, Onyeka Nwelue and a UK-based Jungle Entertainment Ventures, headed by musicologist David Evans-Uhegbu. La Cave Musik is set to release her collection titled “Rebirth of a Legend”. In recognition of her contribution to music and arts in Nigeria, she has been celebrated by professionals like Mahmood Ali-Balogun, Laolu Akins, Charles O’Tudor, and former PMAN president Tony Okoroji among others in the arts industry in Nigeria.

In 2013, Onwenu served as one of the three judges on X Factor Nigeria.”

As Onyeka attains the biblical age of 70, she owes no one, neither Ekwe nor any other.

A Nollywood Personality

She is also a Nollywood personality. Note that a personality has passed the level of a star! “Onwenu’s first movie role was as Joke, a childless woman who adopts an abandoned baby in Zik Zulu Okafor’s Nightmare. She has since featured in numerous Nollywood movies, and in 2006 she won the African Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in the movie “Widow’s Cot”. Then she was also nominated that same year for African Movie Academy Award for “Best Actress in a Leading Role” in the movie “Rising Moon”. She was in the movie Half of a Yellow Sun with Chiwetel Ejiofor and Thandiwe Newton, and Lion Heart (2018).”

• 

As Onyeka attains a biblical 70, we can look back at her musical corpus which is rich and variegated.

Which Onyeka Onwenu song touched you the most? Which one moves you even now? “You and 1” was the entry song for my wedding reception. I loved it that much.

Then there is Ekwe. My friend Chukwuma Nwokoh loved its insouciance yet calmness in our undergraduate days. Chukwuma says now: “My favorite Onyeka song is “You and I”. Ekwe is next. Loved and infatuated on her the first time I saw her picture because of her low cut then.”

I also consider “Bia Nulu” evergreen. Bia Nulu marked her passage into gospel music. Do you remember “Iyogogo” that reminds me of village life? Or her praise song to mothers, “Ochie Dike”? Her collabo with Phyno on Ochie Dike refreshed it and made it contemporary.

Friend, which Onyeka Onwenu song or performance is your favorite? It is her 70th, so tell her.

Thank you for Onyeka Onwenu in our lifetime.

Happy Birthday, Ada Nnaya, Ada Igbo, Ada Nigeria. HBD Onyeoma.

Omicron: Britain Lifts All Restrictions Including Use Of Face Masks England on Thursday lifted coronavirus restrictions imposed to tackle the Omicron variant, with masks no longer required in enclosed places and vaccine passports shelved.

The number of positive Covid-19 cases has fallen sharply over the past two weeks, and although still at high levels, has plateaued in recent days.
The UK government introduced the so-called “Plan B” restrictions on December 8, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned of a looming “tidal wave” of Omicron.

Face masks were required in all enclosed spaces and, controversially, vaccine documentation also was to enter places such as nightclubs, football grounds, and large-scale events.
On the streets of London around St Paul’s Cathedral, there was general support for the lifting of restrictions, which comes after more than 37 million people had booster jabs.

“I think it’s a really good thing,” said Elizabeth Hynes, 71, who is originally from Ireland but has lived in England for 47 years.
“I was coming up the lifts here at St Paul’s and I was looking at all the shows” being advertised, she said of the posters inside the underground station.

“And I thought ‘how wonderful, it’s like old times.
“It’s like we’re getting back to how London was, and you realize how much you’ve missed live theatre and fantastic shows.”
Hynes said she had stage-4 melanoma skin cancer, but had so far “been lucky” and not caught Covid.

“We don’t know about tomorrow, we have to live… for today, trying to get a bit of enjoyment out of life,” she added.
Julia, 28, from Spain, said it was time to “have a normal life”.
“It’s been two years and it’s time to take responsibility ourselves,” she said as she waited for the St Paul’s eatery in which she works to open.
“In Spain we need to wear masks everywhere, even in the street,” she added.

Even if “there’s nobody in the street… you need to wear the mask. On the beach, you need to wear a mask.

“I prefer the UK restrictions because it’s going to be very difficult to visit the family there. I’m fully vaccinated but I don’t want to get the vaccine every nine months.”
England previously lifted restrictions on July 19, so-called “Freedom Day”, but then introduced new rules as the Omicron wave arrived.
Health minister Sajid Javid credited the country’s booster programme for allowing restrictions to be lifted.

“Our vaccines, testing, and antivirals ensure we have some of the strongest defenses in Europe and are allowing us to cautiously return to Plan A, restoring more freedoms to this country,” he said.

From Thursday, passengers on London’s transport network will still be required to wear face masks but they will no longer be mandatory in secondary school classrooms.
“It was traumatic for them, they couldn’t hear the teachers, the teachers couldn’t hear them,” Hynes said of the mask rules in school.

US holidaymaker Ethan Letson, 24, agreed with London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s decision to mandate face coverings on the capital’s trains and buses.
“I still wear the mask on public transport, I will wear it in very crowded areas like the Underground. It’s so tight down there, you could get sick at any time,” he said.

Unlike Scotland and Wales, which set their own health policy, England kept nightclubs and bars open over the festive period.
But businesses still took a heavy hit as punters stayed at home.
Hospitality workers in the business district around St Paul’s said things had only just started to improve.

“The last week, business has started to pick up again. Around Christmas it was dead,” said bartender Lewis Colby, 39.
“People aren’t so scared anymore, trains are busier coming into work, people are starting to drink more.”

Despite the lifting of restrictions, those who test positive for coronavirus must still self-isolate for a minimum of five days.
Johnson said he also hopes to scrap those rules when they expire on March 24.

Taiwan’s small team for next month’s Winter Olympics in Beijing will not take part in the opening or closing ceremonies, the government said on Friday, blaming delayed flights, tough anti-COVID-19 rules, and an early departure.

Chinese-claimed Taiwan had feared Beijing could “downgrade” Taiwan’s status by putting its athletes alongside those from Chinese-run Hong Kong at the opening ceremony, a senior Taiwan official familiar with the matter told Reuters this week.

 Sub-tropical Taiwan, which has no winter sporting tradition and has never won a medal at the Winter Games, is sending four athletes to Beijing, the same number as the last winter Games in 2018.
The government, which has said no officials will go, has now decided its athletes will be at neither the opening nor closing ceremonies.
Taiwan’s Sports Administration said the 15-member team, including trainers, would be arriving from different parts of the world, including the United States and Switzerland.
“According to the event’s pandemic prevention and entry policy, flights have been adjusted and delayed, and not all could arrive in Beijing by the opening ceremony on Feb. 4,” it said in a statement.
Athletes will need to get over their jet lag and get used to the venues, the administration added.

“Based on the protection of the athletes, high-standard pandemic prevention and control measures have been adopted to prevent any risk of infection; to accumulate combat strength, our delegation will not participate in the opening ceremony.”

Because the team is small, they will not wait around after their events are over and will go home, meaning on the day of the closing ceremony most will already have left, and they will not be there, it said.
The Beijing Games are happening at a time of heightened tensions between China and Taiwan, including repeated Chinese military activity near the island.

Taiwan competes in most sporting events, including the Olympics, as “Chinese Taipei” at the insistence of Beijing, which sees democratically governed Taiwan as part of “one China”. On Wednesday, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office referred to Taiwan’s team as being from “China, Taipei”, rather than the official terminology of “Chinese Taipei”.
That drew a rebuke from Taiwan’s China-policy making Mainland Affairs Council which said China intentionally used the wrong name.

The family of the late Dowen College Student, Sylvester Oromoni (Jnr.), has asked the coroner enquiring into his controversial death to adjourn proceedings indefinitely.
A counsel from the Law Firm of Falana & Falana, Taiwo Olawanle made the application on the grounds that other parties to the proceedings have not filed their witness depositions.

Counsel to Dowen College, Anthony Kpokpo described the application as tragic. Some other lawyers in the proceedings said it was an attempt to stop the process as the truth was starting to come out.
The coroner, Magistrate Mikhail Kadiri has held that the application is vexatious especially as the court has ruled on the matter and ordered all parties to file their witness deposition by Tuesday, February 1.
The court also ordered that all pending witnesses should be present in court at the next sitting on Monday, January 31.
According to reports, father of the deceased, Sylvester Oromoni Snr and his sister were due to testify before the coroner on Friday but failed to show up.

The court has also notified all parties that subsequent sittings will hold at the Lagos High Court, Ikeja.
Meanwhile, the coroner has dismissed the application of the Ijaw Youth Council, Lagos Chapter seeking to be joined as interested parties in the proceedings. The court held that their interest is subsumed in that of the family of the deceased who are already represented by counsel at the proceedings.