The Nation Newspaper

Category: Foreign

  • NIDOA-U.S.A seeks environment conducive to attracting more investors in Nigeria

    NIDOA-U.S.A seeks environment conducive to attracting more investors in Nigeria

    Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Americas (NIDOA)-U.S.A., has called on the federal government to invest in creating an enabling environment that can encourage investors to do business in Nigeria.

    Isaac Inyang, past chairman of NIDOA – USA Board of Directors, gave the advice in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    Inyang was speaking against the backdrop of the International Day of Cooperatives celebrated annually on July 6.

    The day with the theme: “Cooperatives building a better future for all”, provides opportunities for cooperative societies to showcase their current and historical contributions to building a sustainable future.

    He said although the government had made efforts to attract investors into Nigeria, it should create an environment conducive for compatriots abroad to invest in the recovery of the economy of the fatherland.

    “Nigerians in the Diaspora have a big role to play in the economic recovery of their fatherland, as applicable in any nation.

    “Nigeria is blessed with massive resources that Nigerians can tap from to help develop the nation’s economy.

    “Nigerians are quite blessed, such that you find compatriots stand out in their roles at any economic sector that they find themselves in every nation of the world.

    “If you go into business you will find Nigerians doing well, particularly in corporate fields, pharmaceuticals, medical, education and health among others.”

    He decried poor policy implementation as having hindered efforts by past government administrations to attract investors wanting to carry out business in the country to do so and build Nigeria’s economy.

    He restated Nigeria is endowed with human and natural resources, but urged the government to make the nation’s infrastructure, electricity power supply, and security to boost the business environment functional to promote economic growth.

    “We are waiting for the government to provide an enabling environment that will encourage more Nigerians living abroad to drive investment in the country.

    Read Also: Keyamo woos investors, says industry key to boost trade, tourism, create jobs

    “Nigeria has a unique environment for business investment, but it is difficult to come out from the Diaspora and break into such an environmental system if you do not have government support.

    “We need the government to overhaul business infrastructure and put necessary measures in place for businesses to thrive.

    “I have great hope Nigerians are ready and willing to return home and invest if given the opportunity.

    “The government has to be serious in encouraging NiDO to come in and invest. We are ready to come home and help if the doors are opened for us,” Inyang said.

  • Police record more cases of sexual abuse of children in Germany

    Police record more cases of sexual abuse of children in Germany

    The number of known cases of sexual abuse of children and adolescents in Germany increased in 2023, according to a police report published on Monday.

    However, as the police assume that there are a large number of unreported cases of this type of offence; this alone is not an alarming finding, the report states.

    In 2023, the police were notified of 16,375 cases of children being sexually abused with an increase of 5.5 per cent compared to the previous year.

    In the same period, 1,200 offences were also recorded in which young people were sexually abused.

    The number of cases involving depictions of the sexual abuse of children increased by 7.4 per cent to around 45,000 cases, mainly due to numerous reports from abroad.

    Read Also: Euro 2024: Spain net dramatic winner to dump hosts Germany out

    In the situation report, the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) points out that the number of child abuse cases uncovered is closely linked to police monitoring activities and reporting behavior.

    “In this respect, intensified police activities in the area of criminal offences in recent years was likely to have led to an increase in the number of unreported cases,” says the report.

    The BKA also points out that the statistics do not include the numerous cases in which no potential crime scene in Germany can be identified following information, particularly from the United States.

    The reason why such investigations sometimes come to nothing is the minimum retention of telecommunications traffic data especially IP addresses which has been suspended in Germany.

    Images and videos of sexually abused children and young people are shared thousands of times on the internet.

    (dpa/NAN)

  • Democracy not in good health globally today, says Pope Francis

    Democracy not in good health globally today, says Pope Francis

    Pope Francis has deplored the state of democracy yesterday in a stern warning to “populists” during a short visit to Trieste in Italy’s northeast.
    His caution comes ahead of a 12-day trip to Asia, which is the longest of his papacy.
    “Democracy is not in good health in the world today,” Pope Francis said during a speech at the city’s convention centre to close a national Catholic event, AFP reported.
    Pope Francis also warned against “ideological temptations and populists” on the day that France holds the second round of a snap parliamentary vote that looks set to see the far right National Rally party take the largest share of the vote.
    “Ideologies are seductive. Some people compare them to the Pied Piper of Hamelin: they seduce but lead you to deny yourself,” he said in reference to the German fairytale, as per the report.

    Read Also: Pope Francis concerned over frequent kidnappings in Nigeria


    Ahead of last month’s European parliament elections, bishops in several countries also warned about the rise of populism and nationalism, with far-right parties already holding the reins to power in Italy, Hungary and the Netherlands, the report added.
    Pope Francis also urged people to “move away from polarisations that impoverish” and hit out at “self-referential power”.
    After Venice in April and Verona in May, the half-day trip to Trieste, a city of 200,000 inhabitants on the Adriatic Sea that borders Slovenia, marked the third one within Italy this year for the 87-year-old pontiff, who has suffered increasing health problems in recent years, it added.
    The Pope addressed 8,500 people gathered in the Piazza dell’Unità d’Italia, urging them to renew their commitment to pray and work for peace in Ukraine, Palestine, Sudan, Myanmar and wherever there is war.

  • Turnout in France second round of critical snap elections high

    Turnout in France second round of critical snap elections high

    The turnout in the second round of legislative elections in France yesterday was 59.71% at 5 p.m. (1500GMT), according to the Interior Ministry.
    This turnout is much higher than that in the 2022 elections at the same hour, which was 38.11%, and in the first round last week, 59.39%.
    President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, and other officials went to their respective polling stations to cast their ballots.
    Macron could deliver a speech after the voting ends, and is also expected to hold a meeting with the leaders of his bloc, including Attal.

    Read Also: EURO 2024: Mbappe, Ronaldo face off as France, Portugal battle


    Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told broadcasters RMC-BFMTV on Friday that 30,000 police and gendarmerie officers, including 5,000 in Paris, would be deployed yesterday evening.
    Darmanin said authorities expect tensions and violence in the capital as well as other cities such as Lyon, Nantes and Rennes, where there are groups of far-right and far-left.
    Shops in Paris covered their windows with barricades to avoid damages, BFMTV reported.

  • Gaza death toll surpasses 38,100 as Israel kills 55 more Palestinians

    Gaza death toll surpasses 38,100 as Israel kills 55 more Palestinians

    No fewer than 55 more Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, taking the overall death toll to 38,153 people since last Oct. 7, the Health Ministry in the enclave said yesterday.
    A ministry statement added that 87,828 people have also been injured in the onslaught.
    “Israeli attacks killed 55 people and injured 123 others in the last 24 hours,” the statement said.
    “Many people are still trapped under rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.
    Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.

    Read Also: Heavy offensive continues in Gaza city


    Nine months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.
    Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.
    Israeli protesters yesterday blocked highways across the country, calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to step down and pushing for a cease-fire to bring back scores of hostages held by Hamas.
    The demonstrations come as long-running efforts to broker a truce gained momentum last week when Hamas dropped a key demand for an Israeli commitment to end the war. The militant group is still seeking a permanent cease-fire, while Netanyahu has vowed to keep fighting until Hamas is destroyed.

  • Rwanda deportation policy ‘dead, buried’, Starmer declares

    Rwanda deportation policy ‘dead, buried’, Starmer declares

    • PM goes to UK’s four nations to reset ties

    United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced in his first news conference since taking office the termination of the controversial Rwanda deportation policy introduced by the former Conservative government.
    The scheme to send asylum seekers to Kigali is officially scrapped, marking a significant policy shift under the new Labour government.
    Starmer emphasised his commitment to ending what he described as ineffective and inhumane immigration measures.
    “The Rwanda scheme was dead and buried before it started. It’s never been a deterrent,” he said at Downing Street.
    He pointed to record numbers of migrants crossing the English Channel in the first half of 2024 as evidence of the policy’s failure.
    “The chances were of not going and not being processed, and staying here, therefore, in paid-for accommodation for a very, very long time. It’s had the complete opposite effect and I’m not prepared to continue with gimmicks that don’t act as a deterrent,” he added.
    The Labour Party had pledged to halt the Rwanda deportation plan “on day one” if elected, arguing that the policy was not only ineffective but costly and inhumane.

    Read Also: Morocco 2025: Nigeria draw Benin, Rwanda in tricky AFCON ties 


    To curb Channel crossings, Starmet outlined a strategy involving the hiring of specialist investigators and utilising counter-terrorism powers to dismantle the criminal gangs facilitating the dangerous journeys.
    The PM headed off yesterday to the four corners of the UK as part of an “immediate reset” with governments in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
    Starmer, who said he has a “mandate to do politics differently” after his party’s landslide victory, will meet Scottish First Minister John Swinney in Edinburgh in an effort to “turn disagreement into cooperation”.
    “That begins today with an immediate reset of my government’s approach to working with the first and deputy first ministers,” he said. “Meaningful co-operation centered on respect will be key to delivering change across our United Kingdom.”

  • House Democrat Schiff predicts Harris could win, if Biden drops out

    House Democrat Schiff predicts Harris could win, if Biden drops out

    A house Democrat who is likely to become California’s next senator in the November election, Adam Schiff, said he thought Kamala Harris could win the election, if Joe Biden drops out.
    “The interview didn’t put concerns to rest. No single interview is going to do that,” Schiff said on NBC News. “And what I do think the president needs to decide is: can he put those concerns aside? Can he demonstrate the American people that what happened on the debate stage was an aberration?”

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    Referring to the vice-president, Schiff said: “I think she very well could win overwhelmingly, but before we get into a decision about who else it should be, the president needs to make a decision about whether it’s him.”
    He added: “Either he has to win overwhelmingly, or he has to pass the torch to someone who can.”

  • China willing to work with Nigeria on global initiatives, says YAN Yuqing

    China willing to work with Nigeria on global initiatives, says YAN Yuqing

    Ms. Yan Yuqing, the Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Lagos, has expressed China’s readiness to collaborate with Nigeria on implementing the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, and Global Civilization Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping.

    In her speech, “From the Implementation of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence to Building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind,” marking the 70th anniversary of these five principles, Yuqing emphasised the enduring significance of peaceful coexistence.

    She highlighted the upcoming Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit in Beijing in September, which will outline the future of building a community with a shared future for China and Africa.

    Yuqing noted that over the past 70 years, the five principles of peaceful coexistence have transcended time and space, overcoming estrangement and demonstrating robust resilience and everlasting relevance.

    Yuqing said: “They have become open, inclusive, and universally applicable basic norms for international relations and fundamental principles of international law. They have made indelible historic contributions to the cause of human progress.

    Read Also: China seizes 4.5 tonnes of drugs in border anti-narcotics enforcement

    “The implementation of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence is an ongoing process. So is the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. China stands ready to work with all countries, including Nigeria, through greater unity, cooperation, communication and understanding to meet global challenges and build a beautiful world together”, said the Consul General.

    She added: “We need to cement the foundation of friendship and cooperation with mutual respect. China is the largest developing country in the world, and Nigeria is Africa’s leading economy and most populous country. Both countries need to find their place and play their role in the multipolar system.

    “We need to promote a wave of development and prosperity with opening up and cooperation. China advocates and promotes a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, enabling the people of China and Nigeria to share in the fruits of development together. Nigeria has become China’s largest engineering contracting market in Africa, the third-largest trading partner, and a major destination for Chinese investment.

    “We need to open up new vistas for human civilization with inclusiveness and mutual learning. Both China and Nigeria are nations with long histories and splendid civilizations. The Chinese Film Festivals are successfully held annually in Nigeria. Since the beginning of this year, the Chinese Consulate-General in Lagos has initiated the Lagos Forum series of academic activities, deepening academic exchanges and strengthening mutual understanding and trust between Chinese and Nigerian scholars.

    “We need to steer the future of global governance with fairness and justice. China and Nigeria need to strengthen coordination and cooperation in multilateral affairs and jointly uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order underpinned by international law.”

  • Labour landslide expected as British voters go to polls

    Labour landslide expected as British voters go to polls

    Polling stations across the United Kingdom are opened on Thursday morning, with opinion polls suggesting the centre-left Labour party on course to secure a big majority.

    Labour is expected to secure majority in the House of Commons and form a new government, after 14 years in opposition.

    Millions of people will cast their vote between 7a.m. (0600 GMT) and 10pm. An exit poll, published shortly after 10p.m., would provide the first indication of how the election has gone on a national level.

    The first of the 650 seats are likely to declare their results from 11.30p.m.

    Party leaders have made their final appeals to voters after touring the country since the election was called.

    Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Thursday represents a pivotal moment for the country’s future as he claimed Labour would “wield their unchecked power to increase taxes should they secure a supermajority’’.

    Sunak was joined by his wife Akshata Murty as they visited a polling station to vote on Thursday.

    He said “morning’’ and waved at reporters as he entered Kirby Sigston Village Hall in Northallerton.

    In his final stump speech on Wednesday evening, Sunak said: “this underdog will fight to the final whistle.’’

    Labour leader Keir Starmer said the UK “cannot afford five more years under the Conservatives, adding Britain can begin a new chapter’’ under his party.

    “Britain’s future is on the ballot,’’ he said.

    Starmer was also cheered by activists as he spoke at a community centre in Redditch, Worcestershire, as his campaigning came to a close.

    “That’s what we are fighting for, let’s continue that fight.If you want change, you have to vote for it.’’

    As the bookies’ favourite to be the next prime minister, Starmer said he was pleased with Labour’s campaign and his party was “ready for what comes next’’.

    An average of all polls completed during the seven days to July 3 puts Labour on 39 per cent, the party’s lowest rating since the campaign began 18 points ahead.

    Read Also: Governors not against living wage for labour, says Oyebanji

    The Conservatives on 21per cent followed by the right-wing populist Reform UK on 16per cent, the centrist Liberal Democrats on 11per cent and the Greens on 6 per cent.

    The Conservatives are up slightly on the figures for the previous week while Labour are down, with the averages for the seven days to June 26 being Labour 41per cent.

    Conservatives 20 per cent, Reform 16 per cent, Lib Dems 11per cent and Greens 6 per cent.

    Sunak had called the snap general election on May 22.

    (dpa/NAN)

  • EU’s agribusiness platform to boost food security, others

    EU’s agribusiness platform to boost food security, others

    European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS  has launched agribusiness platform to reduce food insecurity and poverty as well as attain sustainable development in Nigeria.

    The digital agricultural platform provides digital marketing, trading or investment space for commercial and/or transactional activities, interaction, communications, integration and cooperation in the agri-food system and agro-industry between Nigerian and European SMEs, It will also increase private investments in the agribusiness sector.

    Deputy Director General of Directorate of International Partnerships (INTPA) at EU Commission,  Myriam Ferran, said the idea stems from commitments of the November 2020 EU-Nigeria Ministerial Dialogue.  In consultation with Nigeria, it was decided that an EU-Nigeria agri-business platform would promote trade and attract responsible investment, and foster business linkages, particularly for SMEs.

    Agribusiness Register Limited, a private entity conversant with the agribusiness ecosystem, will manage the EU-Nigeria Agribusiness Platform.

    The idea to hand over to a private sector-led entity in partnership with public and private stakeholders came out during a stakeholders’ consultative meeting in April 2023.

    Agribusiness Register Limited, owners and managers of Nigeria Agribusiness Register, will work with, and engage with agribusinesses, farmer groups, aggregators and other critical stakeholders.

    It will also nurture partnership and collaboration with EU partners in agriculture, digital and entrepreneurship on the one hand, with agencies of in Nigeria.

    Read Also; Tinubu’s strategy on food security, water commendable – Afenifere Group

    In particular, it will work with Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Federal Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment, Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Standards Organisation of Nigeria and Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy.

    The EU-Nigeria Agribusiness Platform will boost exploration and exploitation of agribusiness opportunities between Nigeria and EU through establishment and maintenance of a network of active members of agribusinesses in Nigeria and EU.

    Its focus is to create linkages and interaction between Nigeria and EU agribusiness stakeholders especially amongst SMEs; promote trade and investment between both sides.