The Nation Newspaper

Category: Foreign

  • U.S. envoy, Putin meet in Moscow over Ukraine peace plan

    U.S. envoy, Putin meet in Moscow over Ukraine peace plan

    United States (U.S.) Special Envoy Steve Witkoff yesterday met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, carrying an early peace plan to end the nearly four-year war in Ukraine.

    President Donald Trump is deploying officials to gain traction for his peace proposals after months of frustration.

    The meeting followed weekend talks that included Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Ukrainian officials who met in Florida.

    The Trump peace proposal was initially viewed by many in Europe as being very pro-Russia. It has since been amended by European leaders and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The purpose of this meeting is to present these changes to Russia and determine if they remain acceptable.

    Several major issues continue to complicate negotiations: NATO Membership: Russia has long said Ukraine cannot be a member of NATO, while Ukraine seeks the military protections that come with membership. Military Size: Ukraine wants to maintain the ability to defend itself, as Ukrainians remain skeptical that any ceasefire or peace would actually hold.Territory: The war has always been about land, specifically what the borders of Eastern Europe will look like in any peace agreement, particularly regarding the Donbass region.

    Putin enters this meeting from a position of strength. Overnight, Russia claimed victory and additional land in Eastern Europe, though Ukraine disputes this. Russia has had several successes in recent weeks and months regarding territorial gains.

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    Meanwhile, Zelenskyy has been battling corruption scandals within his top leadership ranks.

    The Kremlin said the meeting will go for as long as needed, emphasizing their desire for peace.

    Zelenskyy said yersterday morning that he also wants peace. President Trump and the White House are optimistic that a peace deal could be made.

    However, Witkoff is not expected to announce any agreement. Future meetings are likely, as Zelenskyy has already called for more in-person meetings. Trump has said he would like to get everyone in the room to finalise details if they are truly close to a peace agreement.

    The Donbass region encompasses more than 20,000 square miles – roughly the size of West Virginia and about 10% of Ukraine’s total land area. The region contains valuable rare earth minerals and ports that serve as major economic drivers for Ukraine.

    Long-term security guarantees are equally important. Russia does not want a massive military on its border, but Ukrainian officials have expressed deep skepticism that true peace will hold. Ukraine wants to maintain the ability to defend itself should future conflicts arise.

    If Putin rejects the amended peace plan and demands only the original terms, negotiations would attempt to continue in some capacity. However, if Putin demands land and believes he has control of certain cities, there may be little that can change his mind unless Zelenskyy agrees to give up territory permanently.

  • Varsity don warns over rising global security threats at NIIA lecture

    Varsity don warns over rising global security threats at NIIA lecture

    The Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) yesterday convened a high-level intellectual forum in Lagos to examine the escalating Middle East crisis, with scholars warning that the Israel–Gaza conflict is pushing the world toward a dangerous global security tipping point.

    Delivering the lecture titled, “The Middle East Crisis and Global Security,” Prof. Sylvester Odion Akhaine said the renewed violence in Gaza — triggered by Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel — has exposed the fragility of global diplomacy and the rising cost of geopolitical complacency.

    Akhaine, a political scientist and former The Guardian columnist, described the scale of destruction in Gaza as “a contemporary horror that has riled the conscience of mankind.” He cited reports indicating that more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 169,000 injured since 2023, with entire neighbourhoods reduced to ruins from Beit Hanoun to Gaza City. Gaza, he said, has become “a monochrome landscape of rubble.”

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    He also highlighted global concerns over Israel’s security failure on the day of the Hamas attack, referencing critical voices — including the late American commentator Charlie Kirk — who questioned how a country equipped with “billions of dollars of border technology” could be breached. The subsequent dismissal of three senior Israeli generals, he added, “further complicates assumptions of complicity or intelligence lapses.”

    Akhaine criticised what he described as Nigeria’s “distressing non-committal disposition” toward major global conflicts, contrasting it with the “golden era” of Nigerian foreign policy in the 1970s and mid-1980s under diplomats like Minister of External Affairs Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi. He argued that the Middle East crisis should be “a platform for Nigerian diplomatic engagement,” given the country’s historic role in African and global affairs.

  • Nigeria, 144 member states pay 2025 UN dues in full

    Nigeria, 144 member states pay 2025 UN dues in full

    •U.S., Russia, others owing $1.6b

    United Union (UN) Secretary General,  António Guterres has said with less than five weeks remaining in the year, only 145 of UN’s 193 Member States, including Nigeria, have paid their 2025 dues in full.

    Nigeria paid its full dues on  September 25.

    Guterres told the Fifth Committee on Monday in New York that  the UN was facing its most fragile cash position in years, in spite of sharp reductions already built into next year’s budget plans.

    Key contributors such as the United States and Russia are yet to pay what they owe, although China paid its full assessment in  October 29.

    “I have repeatedly appealed to Member States to pay their assessed contributions in full and on time,” the Secretary-General said, warning that cash shortfalls are forcing the organisation to operate well below approved budget levels.

    The UN chief, however, warned unpaid dues near $1.6 billion as budgets cuts deepen.

    Guterres said  chronic late payments were hampering the world body’s ability to function, even as sweeping cuts move forward through the General Assembly’s main budget committee.

    “Liquidity remains fragile, and this challenge will persist regardless of the final budget approved,” he said, pointing to the  “unacceptable volume of arrears” owed by Member States.

    The UN ended 2024 with $760 million in unpaid assessments, most of it still outstanding, and has yet to receive $877 million in contributions due for 2025 – bringing total arrears to around $1.586 billion.

    Guterres spoke as delegations consider revised estimates for the UN’s 2026 regular budget, which already reflect deep structural cuts under the UN80 reform initiative – a system-wide efficiency drive aimed at modernising operations and lowering costs.

    Under the revised proposal, the UN’s regular budget for 2026 would stand at $3.238 billion, a reduction of $577 million or 15.1 per cent – compared with 2025.Some 2,681 posts would be cut an 18.8 per cent reduction from current levels.

    Special political missions would also face cuts of more than 21 per cent compared with 2025 levels, largely due to mission closures and streamlined staffing.

    As part of the savings drive, the UN plans to consolidate payroll processing into a single global team across three duty stations and create shared administrative huns starting in New York and Bangkok.

    The Secretariat is also reviewing functions that can be moved to lower-cost locations Since 2017, lease terminations in New York had already saved $126 million, with a further $24.5 million a year in expected savings from additional closures by 2028.

    The plan includes one-time separation and relocation costs of $5.4 million, as voluntary exit programmes are used to limit involuntary job losses.

    The revised estimates have been reviewed by the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) and are now before the Fifth Committee for negotiations ahead of year-end budget approval.

  • South Sudan Speaker challenges African parliaments to empower aides, strengthen democracy

    South Sudan Speaker challenges African parliaments to empower aides, strengthen democracy

    The Speaker of South Sudan’s Transitional National Legislative Assembly, Rt. Hon. Jemma Nunu Kumba, has issued a bold charge to African parliaments, declaring that the continent cannot build strong democracies without first empowering the legislative aides who drive day-to-day parliamentary work.

    Speaking in Abuja on Monday at the maiden African Legislative Aides Conference (ALAC 2025), Kumba described aides as “the quiet custodians of democracy” whose research, documentation, analysis and administrative coordination sustain the legislative process across African nations.

    “Parliament is only as strong as its support system,” she said, emphasising that aides – clerks, researchers, analysts, administrators and technical staff – must be recognised not as assistants but as core players in lawmaking and oversight.

    The three-day conference, which brought together delegates from across the continent, seeks to create Africa’s first continental platform for legislative aides – one focused on standardisation, capacity development and inter-parliamentary collaboration.

    The South Sudanese Speaker stressed that strong Speakers, Presidents of Parliament or committed lawmakers cannot function effectively without a skilled support structure that provides research depth, committee coordination, procedural guidance and institutional continuity.

    She warned that no parliament can outrun the quality of its aides.

    “When political cycles shift, aides remain,” she said. “They preserve records, guide lawmakers and uphold procedure. They are the unseen weight-bearers of democracy.”

    Kumba argued that Africa’s democratic stability – especially at a time of military reversals in some countries – depends greatly on professional legislative work backed by research, technology and administrative expertise.

    A key highlight of her keynote address was a call for immediate investment in digital tools for legislative aides.

    She noted that African parliaments must embrace digital archiving, AI-supported research, cloud-based committee systems and online transparency tools if they must operate at modern global standards.

    “Without digital empowerment, we cannot empower aides — and without empowering aides, we cannot strengthen democracy,” she stated.

    The Chairman of the National Assembly Legislative Aides Forum, High Chief Emeka Nwala, who earlier welcomed delegates, said the gathering was designed to deepen professionalism, standardise legislative support work and consolidate democracy in Africa.

    He insisted that empowering aides is not optional:“Legislative aides are the powerhouse that drives parliament,” he said.

    With representatives from multiple African legislatures in attendance, the Abuja conference marks the first coordinated attempt to organise aides continent-wide.

    The African Legislative Aides Association was officially inaugurated at the Conference with Emeka Nwala as the continental chairman.

  • Kenya activist Lumumba urges experts to develop roadmap for renewable energy in Africa

    Kenya activist Lumumba urges experts to develop roadmap for renewable energy in Africa

    …Senate vows to review PIA, local content

    Renowned Kenyan lawyer, academic, and activist, Prof Patrick Lumumba, has called on experts to develop a sustainable roadmap for clean and renewable energy in Africa.

    Lumumba made the call at the weekend while delivering a keynote speech at the 9th Africa Energy Summit, a two-day event on emerging technologies and sustainable energy development in Africa, organized by Solewant Group in Rivers State.

    The scholar said, “There are countries in Africa that are actually moving away from vehicles using fuel. We are now talking about energies that do not have an impact on Africa and the rest of the world.”

    He expressed concern about the drying up of dams in Africa, saying it was affecting power generation and noted that the African Union (AU) had set a goal to make the continent the largest generator of electricity by 2040.

    Lumumba queried the AU’s habit of making declarations that never came to pass.

    He said, “It can no longer be business as usual. It has to be business unusual. We cannot continue to be like this. We have to think out of the box.”

    Lumumba emphasised the need for respect and support for African universities to drive the continent’s development.

    On its part, the Nigeria Senate promised to review and enact new laws to strengthen the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and improve local content.

    The Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who was represented by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals, Senator Osita Ngwu made the pledge while speaking at the summit.

    He said the Senate would address grey areas in existing laws to benefit Nigerians, noting.that a bill on local content was already before the Senate and that the committee ws working to make it more comprehensive.

    He said, “We will review the PIA, address complaints, and make necessary amendments to improve the economy and industry. We invite industry players to make recommendations to strengthen our Local Content Act and PIA”.

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    Solewant Group CEO, Solomon Ewanehi, echoed Lumumba’s sentiments, highlighting Africa’s vast energy potential but nothing that many countries’ struggle to provide reliable energy access was hindering economic growth.

    Ewanehi expressed gratitude to the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) for promoting local content.

    He also acknowledged the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN) and Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria (OGTAN) for their efforts in galvanizing indigenous technical capacity

    Ewanehi noted that his book, “Unlocking Africa’s Energy Future: Strategies for Sustainable Growth and Development,” highlighted key strategies for the continent’s energy future, including renewable energy, regional integration, and innovative financing.

    The summit, which marked Solewant Group’s 25th anniversary, brought together industry leaders, policymakers, and experts to discuss emerging technologies and sustainable energy solutions.

  • UNESCO REF partners UAPP-UK to empower two million youth

    UNESCO REF partners UAPP-UK to empower two million youth

    The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation, Read and Earn Federation (UNESCO REF) has announced collaboration with the United Kingdom-based University Application Portal (UAPP) to expand their strategic partnership to empower two million Nigerian youths by 2030 to participate in the digital economy. 

    In a joint statement on Friday in Abuja, the organisations revealed that the initiative is firmly anchored in the principles of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, advancing Sustainable Development Goal, SDG 4, which seeks to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all and SDG 8 which focuses on promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. 

    Chief Executive Officer of UAPP, Mr Md Shamim, said the partnership with UNESCO REF is a milestone in advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

    According to him, by 2030, the organisation would have empowered over two million Nigerian youths with skills, tools, and confidence to participate fully in the digital economy.

    “As a global student recruitment and education access platform, UAPP is committed to opening doors for young people around the world. Together with UNESCO REF, we are delighted to be building inclusive routes to education and decent work, ensuring that no young person is left behind,” Shamim said. 

    While explaining further that the programme would advance the 2030 Agenda, Shamim said Nigeria has one of the largest youth populations globally, with over 70% under the age of 30, saying this demographic represents both a challenge and an unprecedented opportunity. 

    UAPP is a global education technology provider working with over 200 universities worldwide and has supported more than 9,000 successful student placements and continues to expand opportunities for learners across continents. 

    The partnership seeks to harness this potential by expanding inclusive and equitable access to quality education through digital platforms and promoting lifelong learning opportunities and entrepreneurial pathways for young people.  

    The collaboration also aims to support decent work and sustainable livelihoods through skills development and career access while ensuring that no one is left behind in the transition to a digital and knowledge-based economy.  

    According to the statement, the programme components include digital inclusion by providing free access to UAPP’s advanced CRM and learning systems, enabling participants to engage in education and career counselling at scale.  

    The UNESCO REF President, Prince Ladigbolu-Oranmiyan, highlighted the importance of the collaboration with UAPP, saying this demonstrates the transformative power of multi‑stakeholder partnerships in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. 

    He added that the partnership is not only transformative for Nigerian youth but also contributes to continental and national aspirations for inclusive prosperity and resilience.

    “By combining global technology with local impact, we are creating a scalable model for inclusive education, entrepreneurship, and youth empowerment. This initiative will contribute directly to SDG 4 and SDG 8, while reinforcing Nigeria’s leadership in advancing the 2030 Agenda,” he stated.

    In line with the framework for the partnership, there would be capacity-building for entrepreneurship as training modules and mentorship would establish education-focused enterprises and digital businesses as well as global knowledge exchange, fostering cross-border learning and innovation.

    “Furthermore, the strengthening of this partnership will be anchored under the UNESCO REF New Partnership Development for Education and Youths (NEPAD_EY) framework, which provides the institutional architecture for coherence and sustainability,” he added.

  • Death toll in Hong Kong high-rise fire hits 36

    Death toll in Hong Kong high-rise fire hits 36

    279 reported missing

    Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in years blazed late into the night yesterday as the city’s leader confirmed at least 36 people, including a firefighter, had died and another 279 people were reported missing.

    Hundreds of residents were evacuated as the blaze spread across seven high-rise apartment buildings in a housing complex in Tai Po district, a suburb in the New Territories. At least 29 others remained hospitalized.

    “Police and the Fire Services Department have already set up a dedicated investigation team to investigate the cause of the fire,” John Lee, Hong Kong’s chief executive, said.

    He said the fire was “coming under control” shortly past midnight.

    Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday expressed condolences to the firefighter who died and extended sympathies to the families of the victims, according to state broadcaster CCTV. He also urged efforts to minimise casualties and losses.

    The housing complex consisted of eight buildings with almost 2,000 apartments housing about 4,800 residents, including many elderly people. The housing complex was built in the 1980s and has recently been undergoing a major renovation.

    Fire chiefs said high temperatures at the scene made it difficult for crews to mount rescue operations. It was not immediately known how the fire started, but officials said the fire started at the external scaffolding of one of the buildings, a 32-storey tower, and later spread to inside the building and then to nearby buildings, likely aided by windy conditions.

    A column of flames and thick smoke rose as the blaze spread quickly on bamboo scaffolding and construction netting that had been set up around the exterior of the buildings. About 900 people were evacuated to temporary shelters.

    Multiple buildings close to each other were set ablaze, with bright flames and smoke shooting out of windows as night fell. Authorities said that hundreds of firefighters, police officers and paramedics were deployed. Firefighters aimed water at the intense flames from high up on ladder trucks.

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    The blaze, which started mid-afternoon, was upgraded a level 5 alarm — the highest level of severity — as night fell. Authorities said that conditions remained very challenging for firefighters.

    “Debris and scaffolding of the affected buildings (is) falling down,” said Derek Armstrong Chan, deputy director of Fire Service operations. “The temperature inside the buildings concerned is very high. It’s difficult for us to enter the building and go upstairs to conduct firefighting and rescue operations.”

    The fire department said that it received “numerous” calls requesting assistance. It said some residents remained trapped as of Wednesday night. Firefighters deployed more than 140 fire trucks and more than 60 ambulances to the scene.

    The dead included a 37-year-old firefighter, while another received treatment for heat exhaustion, Director of Fire Services Andy Yeung said.

    District officials in Tai Po have opened temporary shelters for people left homeless by the fire.

    “I’ve given up thinking about my property,” a resident who only provided her surname, Wu, told local TV station TVB. “Watching it burn like that was really frustrating.”

  • France’s highest court upholds Sarkozy conviction

    France’s highest court upholds Sarkozy conviction

    France’s highest court yesterday upheld former President Nicolas Sarkozy’s conviction for illegal campaign financing in his failed 2012 re-election bid, his latest legal setback after recently being jailed for nearly a month in another case.

    Sarkozy, who served one term as president from 2007 to 2012, was convicted in 2021 and again in 2024 for illegal campaign financing related to the election.

    Following an appeal, France’s Cour de Cassation yesterday confirmed the convictions, saying that illegal campaign financing had been established. It upheld Sarkozy’s one-year non-custodial sentence, half of which is suspended.

    In a statement, Sarkozy’s lawyers said their client was considering bringing the case to the European Court of Human Rights.

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    The ruling comes after Sarkozy, 70, was sent to prison on October 21 after he was found guilty in a separate case for efforts by close aides to procure Libyan funds for his 2007 presidential bid. He was freed from jail earlier this month, pending appeal.

    Sarkozy has denied accusations that his party, Les Republicains, then known as the UMP, in 2012 spent nearly double the 22.5 million euros ($26 million) allowed under electoral law on extravagant campaign rallies and then hired a friendly public relations firm to hide the cost.

    He has said he was not involved in the logistics of his campaign or in how money was spent in the run-up to the election.

    The 2021 ruling said Sarkozy was made aware of the overspending, that he did not act on it, and that it was not necessary for him to approve each individual expense to be responsible.

  • Military seizes power in Guinea-Bissau

    Military seizes power in Guinea-Bissau

    New leaders suspend election results

    Guinea-Bissau’s military announced yesterday that it had removed President Umaro Sissoco Embaló from office, assumed full control of the country, and suspended the presidential election, whose preliminary results were scheduled for today, according to Agence France-Presse.

    In a statement delivered at army headquarters in the capital, the military said it would manage state affairs “until further notice,” including halting the ongoing vote. The military also closed the country’s airspace and all border crossings.

    Earlier in the day, residents and journalists reported heavy gunfire near the presidential palace and the National Electoral Commission, prompting civilians to flee the area for safety.

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    The election, held on Sunday, pitted incumbent Embaló against main challenger Fernando Dias. Both candidates had already claimed victory before the release of official results, heightening tensions.

    Antonio Yaya Sidy, a spokesperson for President Embaló, accused armed assailants, allegedly supporters of Dias, of attacking the electoral commission to prevent the announcement of the vote. The Dias campaign had not commented on the accusations.

    Guinea-Bissau, a small West African nation located between Senegal and Guinea, has a long history of political instability. Since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974, it has experienced at least nine coup attempts, including several in the years before Embaló became president in 2020.

    The military takeover underscores the fragility of Guinea-Bissau’s political system and raises concerns about the country’s immediate prospects for stability.

  • Nigeria, Russia seek to deepen 65 years diplomatic relations

    Nigeria, Russia seek to deepen 65 years diplomatic relations

    Nigeria and Russia have reaffirmed commitment to practical collaboration in trade, economic and humanitarian spheres, in the interests of the peoples of both countries.

     This was contained in an exchange of congratulatory messages between the foreign ministers of the two countries on the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between both countries.

    Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in separate statements on the occasion of the long standing relationship, also look forward to deepen collaboration between both countries.

    Tuggar, in his statement, said Nigeria remains committed to the steady development and maintenance of an active and substantive political dialogue.

    “On behalf of the government and people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I have the honour to convey warm congratulations to you and through you to the government and people of the Russian Federation, on this historic occasion of the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between our two countries.

    “As we celebrate this milestone, Nigeria reaffirms its commitment to strengthening partnership in a manner that advances the prosperity of our peoples and contributes to a more just and equitable international order.

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    “Since the establishment of ties on 25th November, 1960, Nigeria and Russia have maintained a relationship characterized by mutual respect, constructive dialogue and shared aspirations for global peace, stability and development. Over the decades, our cooperation has expanded across strategic sectors including Defence, Education, Energy, Science and Technology, Space Cooperation, Trade, and Cultural Exchange.”

    “I look forward to deepening collaboration in economy, security and increased people-to-people exchanges,” Tuggar said.

    On his part, Lavrov  expressed satisfaction with the level of cooperation between both countries.

    Lavrov said: “We note with satisfaction the high level of cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which is based on the principles of mutual respect, trust and the closeness of our positions across a broad range of regional and international issues.

    “We remain committed to the steady development and maintenance of an active and substantive political dialogue, as well as practical collaboration in the trade, economic and humanitarian spheres, in the interests of the peoples of our countries and in the support of sustainable peace and development on the African continent.

    “I wish you good health and every success, and to the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria – well-being and prosperity.”