News & Announcements

The Taliban chief who has not been filmed or photographed in public for years, said a general amnesty announced after the Islamists took power in August should be honoured.
The Taliban are accused by the United Nations, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch of dozens of extrajudicial killings of members of the former security forces and administration.

On Wednesday, the group said the fighter seen repeatedly slapping an ex-army commander in a widely shared video would be disciplined.
It was a rare official reaction to dozens of similar, and more grisly, videos and images on social media showing apparent Taliban brutality.

On Tuesday, a small group of women protested in the capital Kabul against the violence.
Thousands of Afghans — particularly those linked to the former regime — are desperate to leave the country, but Akhundzada said Taliban officials should encourage them to stay.

“Afghans don’t have respect in other countries, so no Afghan should leave,” Naeem quoted him as saying.
The exodus has been exacerbated by a collapsed economy and a humanitarian crisis that the UN warns has caused “an avalanche of hunger”.

The Olubadan of Ibadan land, Oba Saliu Akanmu Adetunji is dead.
It was gathered that the monarch joined his ancestors in the early hours of Sunday.
The monarch, who ruled over 11 local government areas that make up Ibadan, died less than one month after the death of Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Jimoh Oyewumi.
Sources at the Popoyemoja palace of the Olubadan said that the Olubadan died at the University College Hospital, Ibadan.
A source, who asked not to be mentioned said, “Yes the Olubadan has joined his ancestors.

“He died at UCH.
“Though, people are still at the palace celebrating the new years, the monarch has joined his ancestors.

THISDAY journalist, Omolabake Fasogbon has been recognized for her outstanding and courageous reporting at the 16th Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting.

Fasogbon was honored for her investigative piece, ‘Death, sleaze as Lagos N576m highway machine Lie Fallow’
The report revealed how a sum of N576million was released for machine sweepers to sweep major highways in Lagos state in order to prevent major road tragedy for sweepers, pedestrians as well drivers.
To the shock of many, machines were never deployed to sweep highways, while lives of sweepers and many others continued to waste away on the dangerous roads.

The report also divulged the corruption in the award of the machine contract to both existing and pseudo contractors, with parties privy to the contract denying involvement.
The report emerged the second position in the print category while the Nation journalist, Olukunle Akinrinade came first with his entry: ‘Soldiers escort herdsmen to Ogun communities, flog residents for rejecting.
Tessy Igomu of Punch Newspapers was commended for her two-part story titled, ‘Imo’s regime of bloodshed, mindless killings by troops leaves parents, widows, children in agony’.

Fasogbon has attended several trainings and has won several nominations both locally and internationally. In 2020, she was nominated for the Cancer Journalism Award by the European School for Oncology in Milan, Italy. She has a special flair for reporting women’s health, human rights abuse, and corruption in high places.
She is a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Project under the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.

Similarly, veteran cartoonist and painter, Josy Ajiboye was decorated with the Lifetime Award for Journalistic Excellence while CLEEN Foundation, represented by Blessing Abiri, Head, Lagos office of the organization, was presented the 2021 Human Rights Defender Award in recognition of its dedication to police reform and human rights defense in Nigeria.
Held first in October 2005, the Wole Soyinka award has produced 109 finalists, 56 Soyinka Laureates, 12 investigative journalists of the year, and 26 honorary awards recipients for the Lifetime Award for Journalistic Excellence and the Anti-Corruption/Human Rights Defender Awards.

Winners, runners-up, and commended works in this edition of the award were presented cash prizes of N200,000, N100,000, and N50,000 respectively, plus a certificate of commendation. In addition, winners got award plaques and a laptop; runners-up got a smartphone, and commended works got a hard drive.

South African investigators next week will hand over their first report in a long-awaited probe into state corruption under former president Jacob Zuma, the government said Friday.

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday “will formally receive the first part of the report of the judicial inquiry into allegations of state capture, corruption, and fraud,” a minister in the presidency, Mondli Gungubele told reporters.

The report will be released to the public either the same day or sometime during the week, he said.

The remaining two installments will be handed over in February.

Zuma, 79, is accused of enabling the plunder of state coffers during his nine years in office.

His tenure ended in February 2018 when he was forced out by the ruling African National Congress (ANC).

Before he left, he responded to mounting pressure by setting up an investigative commission, headed by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo.

The panel started hearing testimonies in August 2018.

In July 2021, Zuma was jailed for 15 months for contempt of court after he refused to give testimony to the commission investigators.

His jailing sparked violent protests and looting in his home province of KwaZulu-Natal that spread to the financial hub Johannesburg in July, claiming over 350 lives.

In September he was granted medical parole, but a court has ordered that he returns to jail. He is appealing the order.

In a separate case, Zuma is facing 16 charges of fraud, graft, and racketeering relating to a 1999 purchase of military equipment from five European arms companies when he was deputy president.

In his New Year’s broadcast to the nation, Ramaphosa on Friday vowed to “build on the important progress that has been made in ending state capture and fighting corruption.

“We will continue to prevent corruption and successfully prosecute those responsible for malfeasance,” he promised.

Ramaphosa has until the end of June to advise parliament about what he plans to do with the Zondo Commission’s report, which does not have powers of prosecution.

 
 President Muhammadu Buhari has signed the 2022 budget at the statehouse on Friday in the presence of top government officials.
The budget, valued at N17.126 trillion, was recently transmitted to the President by the National Assembly, on Friday, December 24.
Buhari also signed the Finance Bill 2021, which he said was for the execution of the 2022 Budget.

The President had submitted the draft proposed 2022 Budget of N16.391trillion to the joint session of the National Assembly on Thursday, October 7, 2021, calling on the legislators to give it a speedy consideration.
The breakdown of the budget includes N869 billion for statutory allocation, N3.8 trillion for debt servicing, N6.9 trillion, and N5.4 trillion for recurrent and capital expenditure respectively.

The oil benchmark was raised from the proposed $57 per barrel to $62 with the projected oil production put at 1.88million barrels per day.
The 2022 Appropriation Bill was handed over to the President for signing by his Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Babajide Omoworare, while he was aided in the signing process by the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha; and the Minister of Finance Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed.

United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has appealed to countries across the globe to make recovery for people, the planet, and prosperity their resolution for 2022.

He made the appeal in his New Year message, stressing the need for countries to come together and make recovery for people and the planet their priority as the world continues to recuperate from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The world welcomes 2022 with our hopes for the future being tested by deepening poverty and worsening inequality … an unequal distribution of COVID vaccines … climate commitments that fall short, and by ongoing conflict, division, and misinformation,” the UN scribe lamented in an article published on Tuesday.

For him, these are “not just policy tests”, but “moral and real-life tests,” describing them as exams that all of humanity can pass “if we commit to making 2022 a year of recovery for everyone.
Guterres, who went further to highlight how best the recovery should be done on each front, believes the pandemic requires “a bold plan to vaccinate every person, everywhere.

And for an economic rescue, he stated that wealthier countries must support the developing world with “financing, investment and debt relief”.
To heal from mistrust and division, the UN chief affirmed that a new emphasis must be placed “on science, facts and reason”.
Recovery from conflicts at the same time, according to him, calls for “a renewed spirit of dialogue, compromise and reconciliation” while restoring the planet requires “climate commitments that match the scale and urgency of the crisis.”

Guterres also acknowledged that “moments of great difficulty are also moments of great opportunity to come together in solidarity”.
He explained that this was because they offer the chance “to unite behind solutions that can benefit all people, and to move forward together, with hope in what our human family can accomplish”.

“Together, let’s make recovery our resolution for 2022,” the Secretary-General concluded. “I wish you all a happy and peaceful New Year.”

As part of measures to tackle insecurity, particularly kidnapping across the South West region, the Leader of the Umbrella body of Yoruba Self-Determination Groups, Ilana Omo Oodua, Prof. Banji Akintoye, has unveiled a Mobile Application designed to track kidnapped victims, expose danger and criminal hideouts in Yoruba Land.

He explained that the application and the alert system has been carefully designed by a team of experts to expose criminal elements across nooks and crannies of the region once the victims have the application installed on their phones either it is switched on or off.
The octogenarian said that the security application named PAJAWIRI also has another system called AFINIHAN that can be used by those without android phones to link up with those with the full application.
Akintoye, who spoke on Monday during the unveiling ceremony held in Ibadan, said that the application had been introduced as part of the group’s contribution to securing the lives and property of Yoruba people, saying its resounding success was evidence that the Yoruba people are too intellectually sophisticated to be subdued.

According to him, we have now proven to the world that we cannot be captured nor be subdued. We are too intellectually sophisticated to be subdued. It is these Innovations and intellectual powers that we will deploy to get ourselves out of the quagmires of Nigeria.

“Every person in possession of the Pajawiri app on their telephone will be able to activate the APP instantly, whenever they find themselves in danger. By activating the app, they will be able to alert their families, their friends and their neighbours that they are in danger and that they need help.

“In that way, no Yoruba person needs to be alone anywhere on their farms, schools, market places, shops and anywhere else. Any person who finds himself threatened by danger and who is in possession of Pajawiri will be able to alert other persons for help.
“In short, Yoruba people today, are able now to enjoy security individually and collectively through the use of the APP known as Pajawiri. The Ilana Omo Oodua Worldwide owes our engineers who have “put this together with an enormous debt of gratitude. The Yoruba people also owe a lot of gratitude to the umbrella body of Yoruba Self-determination groups, “Ilana Omo Oduduwa” for all the encouragement and support that they have given to these engineers.

“The creators of this APP Pajawiri have magnanimously offered to put this app Pajawiri freely at the disposal of every Yoruba person for the next thirty days. That is, from now till the 21st of January, 2022. This means that all Yoruba people can have the protection of Pajawiri without paying any fees for the next thirty days.

“After that, those who choose to continue to enjoy the protection of Pajawiri will be able to do so with an affordable monthly subscription. That is for those of us who have Smartphones(Android, iOS or iPhone). For those of us who do not have smartphones (android, iOS or iPhone), there has been designed a hand-held alert device named AFINIHAN to work equally as effectively as the Pajawiri on the iPhone.

The Peruvian Government has reacted to the latest remix of ‘Peru’ Fireboy DML’s hit track.
The remix which features Grammy award winner Ed Sheeran currently has over N7million views, four days after the video was released on Youtube.
The Peruvian government in a reaction through its official Twitter handle insinuated that Fireboy may have gotten his inspiration for the smash hit track from the country’s name.
“PERU PARA, PERU PERU PARA!!! Seems like @edsheeran and @fireboydml were inspired by our country to launch their newest hit?”
Have you already listened to it? It’s called “Peru” and sounds really catchy!
#MarcaPerú #Peru #EdSheeran
YBNL act Fireboy DML is on the elite long list of Nigerians to hit 100 million streams on music platforms.

The track is currently top six among the UK Apple chart surpassing the legendary Christmas anthem ‘All I Want for Christmas’ by Mariah Carey among other hits.

The Ghana Police authorities have warned clerics to desist from giving prophecies of harm, danger and death or risk being jailed for five years.
Ghana like Nigeria has clerics who habitually make prophecies for each new year. Many times these “prophets” predict dangers and deaths.

But the Ghana Police, in a statement signed by its Director, Public Affairs, Alexander Obeng, said persons found guilty of causing tension in the country negative prophecies could be dealt with.
The statement said: “As the year 2021 draws to a close, the Ghana Police Service wishes to draw the attention of Ghanaians, especially religious groups, to the fact that whereas we have the right to religion, freedom of worship and free speech, all of these rights are subject to the respect for the rights and freedoms of others according to our laws.

“Over the years, communication of prophecies of harm, danger and death, by some religious leaders, have created tension and panic in the Ghanaian society and put the lives of many people in fear and danger.
“We want to caution that under Ghanaian law, it is a crime for a person to publish or reproduce a statement, rumour or report which is likely to cause fear and alarm to the public or to disturb the public peace, where that person has no evidence to prove that the statement, rumour or report is true.
“It is also a crime for a person, by means of electronic communications service, to knowingly send communication that is false or misleading and likely to prejudice the efficiency of life-saving service or to endanger the safety of any person.

“A person found guilty under these laws could be liable to a term of imprisonment of up to five years.
“We therefore wish to caution all Ghanaians, especially religious groups and leaders to be measured in their utterances, especially how they communicate prophecies, which may injure the right of others and the public interest.

“The Ghana Police Service wishes to place on record that the Police are not against prophecies; we acknowledge that we Ghanaians are a religious people who know, and believe in, the centrality of God in our lives.
“The Police wish to assure all religious organizations that we are committed to ensuring maximum security during the 31st December night, end of year services and beyond. There should be no apprehensions therefore about undertaking the various activities. We ask only that everyone keeps within the law and is mindful of the welfare of each other.

“We also urge all Ghanaians to observe the COVID-19 protocols religiously so as to protect ourselves, families and friends from this ravaging pandemic.
“We also take this opportunity to wish all Ghanaians a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.”

After weeks of rigorous physical and mental tasks in the jungle, 22-year-old athlete Odudu Otu has emerged winner of the Gulder Ultimate Search season 12.
Odudu was crowned winner of the survival reality TV show after beating other contestants Damilola Odedina, Adedamola Johnson, and Tosin Emiola to discover Akolo’s secret chest.
Odudu joined the contest as a wildcard and joined the Iroko clan during the team competitions.
However, it wasn’t until the individual tasks did Odudu begin to shine above his peers.

His energy, strategy, and endurance began to come into play and paid out well at the end of the season.
He walks home with N50 million worth of prizes including an SUV as well as a return ticket to Dubai.