Author: The Nation

July was hotter than any other month in the global temperature record, which dated back to 1880, NASA said on Monday.

Overall, July was 0.24 degrees Celsius warmer than any other July in NASA’s records, according to scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS).

July 2023 was 1.18 degrees Celsius warmer than the average July between 1951 and 1980, NASA said.

“NASA data confirms what billions around the world literally felt: temperatures in July 2023 made it the hottest month on record,’’ NASA administrator Bill Nelson said.

“The science is clear. We must act now to protect our communities and planet; it’s the only one we have.’’

Parts of South America, North Africa, North America, and the Antarctic Peninsula were especially hot, experiencing temperatures increased around 4 degrees Celsius above average, NASA said.

According to NASA data, the five hottest Julys since 1880 had all happened in the past five years.

GISS Director, Gavin Schmidt said warming around earth was primarily driven by human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.

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He said: “And that rise in average temperatures is fueling dangerous extreme heat that people are experiencing here at home and worldwide.’’

High sea surface temperatures contributed to July’s record warmth with NASA’s analysis showing especially warm ocean temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific.

It said evidence of the weather phenomenon known as El Niño that began developing in May.

Phenomena such as El Niño or La Niña, which warm or cool the tropical Pacific Ocean, can contribute a small amount of year-to-year variability in global temperatures.

NASA expects to see the biggest impacts of El Niño in February, March and April 2024. (dpa/NAN

The Lagos Assembly has screened 20 of the 39 commissioner-nominees forwarded by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. The 12-man screening committee began sitting on Sunday.

Immediate past Special Adviser to the Governor on Housing, Mrs. Adetoke Benson-Awoyinka, and a former Executive Secretary of Yaba Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Mrs. Bola Olumegbon Lawal, were screened yesterday.

Others who appeared before the committee yesterday were Yakoob Alebiosu, Idris Aregbe, Abdul-Kabir Ogungbo, Dr. Oreoluwa Finnih- Awokoya, Eng. Abiola Olowu, Dr. Adekunle Olayinka, Mosopefolu George, and Mrs. Aramide Adeyoye.

Earlier on Sunday, the committee screened Mobolaji Ogunlende, Dr. Olamide Babatunde, Lawal Pedro, and Afolabi Ayantayo, immediate past Special Adviser to the Governor on Parastatals Monitoring.

Others were Jamiu Alli-Balogun, Olugbenga Olaniyi, Ogunwuyi Ekundayo, Ibrahim Layode, a former lawmaker from Badagry, Adetokunbo Wahab and Olakunle Rotimi-Akodu.

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Chairman of the screening committee, Mojeed Fatai, who is also Chief Whip of the House, noted that the task before the lawmakers was in line with provisions of the 1999 Constitution.

“The House of Assembly has the mandate to screen and confirm the nominees for the position of commissioners and special advisers.

“Recall that on July 28, 2023, the governor submitted 39 names to this House. Recommendations by the committee would be presented to the House afterwards.”

Other members of the committee are Adedamola Kasumu, Ajomale Oladipo, Saheed Babafemi, Nureni Akinsanya, Ajani Owolabi, Sa’ad Olumo, Sanni Okanlawon, Adewale Temitope, Ajayi Oladele, Abdulkareem Jubril and Orekoya Abiodun.

The screening is expected to end tomorrow.

A Nigerian Air Force MI-171 Helicopter on a casualty evacuation mission has crashed near Chukuba village in Niger State.

The crash occurred aroind 1.00pm on Monday, according to NAF spokesperson, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, in a statement on Monday.

Gabkwet said the aircraft departed Zungeru Primary School enroute Kaduna but was later discovered to have crashed near Chukuba village in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.

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“Efforts are currently ongoing to rescue the crew and passengers on board the helicopter, while preliminary investigations have commenced to determine the probable cause of the crash,” he said

The crash is coming exactly a month after a NAF’s FT-N7NI trainer aircraft crashed in Makurdi, Benue State. 

The two pilots onboard,
however, survived the crash but are still receiving medical attention at an undisclosed hospital in Abuja.

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has announced the release of the 2023 batch ‘B’ Stream 2 call-up letters.

The body made the announcement on its official X (former Twitter) handle on Monday with additional information on the deployment of Prospective Corps Members to Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory.

According to the post, Some prospective corp members deployed to FCT will have their Orientation Course in Nasarawa and Niger Camps.

While those deployed to Lagos State will have theirs in Ogun, Osun and Oyo Camps.

It also announced the change of Venue of the 2023 Batch ‘B’ Stream II Orientation Course for Borno State.

“The venue of the Borno State NYSC Orientation Camp has been changed. All Prospective Corps Members (PCMs) deployed to Borno are to reprint their Call-up letters from the NYSC portal”, it stated.

The date of the commencement of the Orientation Course was also noted to have been changed to 18th August 2023.

The management advised all affected prospective corp members to “report on the dates printed on their Call-up letters”.

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Note :All successfully deployed candidates can conveniently access and print their Call-up Letters from their personal dashboard on the NYSC Portal: https://portal.nysc.org.ng

All Prospective Corp Members must ensure they have the following documents ready for registration:

Original Call-up Letter (physical or printed online)

Original Statement of Result or Authorized Officer-endorsed  Certificate

School Identity Card

International Passport (for foreign graduates)

Proof of Professional Body Registration for Medical Practitioners and Healthcare Graduates

Government/Military Hospital-issued Certificate of Fitness with NMA Stamp

The Federal Government has extradited two brothers Samuel Ogoshi and his brother, Samson to the United States of America (USA).

The Ogoshis are to face prosecution for allegedly s3xually extorting young men and teenage boys in the State of Michigan and across the country.

The extradition was facilitated by the Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Sunday, August 13, 2023.

The Commission said in a statement that sometime in May 2023, it initiated the extradition proceedings at the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division, against the Ogoshis alongside one Ezekiel Ejemeh Robert over the exploitation of minors and production of pornography.

It said this followed a request by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The Ogoshis and Ezekiel were indicted in a US Federal Court on December 1, 2022 on charges of exploitation of minors, resulting in death, conspiracy to sexually exploit minors by causing the minors to produce child pornographic images that the defendants now use to blackmail them.

They are further charged with conspiracy to distribute child pornography, which borders on sending images to minors, their families and friends, as well as conspiracy to commit stalking through the Internet.

The offences carry a minimum of five years and maximum 20 years imprisonment.

Specifically, Samuel was charged with causing the death of 17-year-old Jordan DeMay of Marquette, Michigan, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in March 2022.

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According to investigations, the suspects conspired to conduct s3x-based extortion of minors and adults in the United States of America.

The trio allegedly hacked some social media accounts, posing to be young attractive women to entice unsuspecting victims to send their s3xually explicit photographs.

These pictures were then used to blackmail the victims, thereby forcing them into making huge financial payments.

While the Ogoshis were arrested sometime in February, 2023 around the Ojo axis of Lagos, Ezekiel was picked up in Nasarawa by operatives of the EFCC.

The extradition of the third defendant, Robert, is pending.