The Embassy of Israel in Nigeria has hailed the return of the 20 hostages after 738 days in Hamas’s captivity.
The Embassy said it was never a war that Israel wanted to go into.
Michael Freeman, Ambassador of Israel to Nigeria, in a statement on Monday, said the return of the hostages marks an end to the war.
Freeman also commended President Donald Trump for brokering the agreement leading to the return of the hostages.
He said, “Today, we welcome home the 20 living hostages who have endured the unendurable. We give thanks for their survival, and we pray for their healing. We remember with broken hearts those who did not make it home, and we renew our commitment to bring back the bodies of the 28 remaining hostages who were murdered by Hamas.
“Israel did not seek this war. It was forced upon us by terror, hatred, and darkness. But after 738 days, we also see light — the light of freedom, the light of truth, and the light of hope.
“As Israel has always said, the release of the hostages will bring the end of the war.
“The end of this war must bring an end to Hamas’s reign of terror, and open the door to a future of security, dignity, and coexistence — for Israelis and Palestinians alike.
“We extend our deepest gratitude to President Donald J. Trump, whose steadfast leadership, moral clarity, and tireless diplomacy played an instrumental role in bringing our hostages home and in advancing peace in the Middle East. His friendship with Israel and his courage in standing with the Israeli people will never be forgotten.”
Cameroon voted in an election yesterday that could see Africa’s oldest leader extend his rule by another seven years.
Analysts have predicted a victory for President Paul Biya. Now 92, he would be 99 by the time his term finishes.
He first came to power in 1982, following the resignation of Cameroon’s first president, Ahmadou Ahidjo, and has ruled the country since then. Biya was declared the winner of seven subsequent elections. Cameroon has seen just two leaders since independence in 1960.
His health has routinely been a topic of speculation as he spends most of his time in Europe, leaving day-to-day governing to key party officials and family members.
“In the face of increasingly difficult international environment, the challenges facing us are more and more pressing,” Biya said in announcing another run. “In such a situation, I cannot shirk my mission.”
Biya faces nine opposition candidates, including some former allies and appointees. They include Bello Bouba Maigari, who was minister for tourism, and Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who until recently served as the minister of employment.
There is a single round of voting in Cameroon and whoever gets the most votes is the winner.
Cheukam Ginette, a 34-year-old environmentalist and first-time voter, said she won’t choose Biya.
“Things have to change. First of all, life is expensive, getting medical care is not easy,” she said outside of a polling station in the capital of Yaounde. “There are no roads, we have potholes everywhere. Everything is ruined. That’s why I voted for the opposition. I do not have confidence in the electoral process because we know our country but I’m hopeful.”
Over 23 Pakistani soldiers and over 200 Taliban and affiliated terrorists were killed in intense overnight clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, the Pakistani Army said yesterday, as tensions escalated between the two neighbours amid mutual accusations of cross-border aggression.
The statement comes amid Pakistan seizing 19 Afghan military posts and “terrorist hideouts” in response to what it termed “unprovoked” attacks by Afghan forces in the border areas, while Kabul claimed that 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 30 others injured during the retaliatory operations.
The army in a statement said that on the intervening night of October 11-12, Afghan Taliban and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) “launched an unprovoked attack on Pakistan, along the Pak-Afghan border”.
It said the “cowardly action”, involving cross-border fire and a few physical raids, was aimed at destabilising the frontier areas to facilitate terrorism, furthering the “nefarious designs” of the terrorists.
Pakistani troops “repelled the assault decisively all along the border and inflicted heavy casualties on Taliban Forces and affiliated Khwarjis (TTP terrorists),” the statement said, adding that the security forces carried out precision strikes and physical raids on Taliban camps, posts, and terrorist training facilities inside Afghan territory.
During the overnight skirmishes, 23 Pakistani soldiers died and 29 others were injured, while more than 200 Taliban and affiliated terrorists were neutralised, with 21 hostile positions on the Afghan side “briefly physically captured” and multiple terrorist training camps were rendered inoperative.
Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina’s office said yesterday an attempt to seize state power illegally was underway, a day after troops from an army unit sided with anti-government protesters.
“There is an attempt to seize power at this time in the territory of the republic, in complete violation of the constitution and democratic principles,” a presidential statement said yesterday.
In a video statement on Saturday, troops from the Army Personnel Administration Center (CAPSAT), a military unit instrumental in Rajoelina’s rise to power through a 2009 coup, declared its support for the anti-government protests that began last month.
“This country is facing a collapse of basic services, security forces must not follow blindly unlawful orders,” they said.
Today, CAPSAT officers, in a video message, said that they will take control of the armed forces, saying: “From now on, all orders of the Malagasy army – whether land, air or the navy – will originate from CAPSAT headquarters.”
The United States and Egypt’s top diplomats at the weekend reviewed preparations for a summit in Sharm El-Sheikh that will bring the two countries’ presidents together with other leaders to discuss implementing the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire deal.
U.S. President Donald Trump and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi are expected to lead the summit today, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday discussed arrangements for the gathering, including for “international participation in the Sharm El-Sheikh summit, as well as preparations for the implementation of the first phase of the (ceasefire) deal”.
Alongside the U.S. and Qatar, Egypt has played a key role in mediating talks that eventually led to the latest ceasefire deal.
French President Emmanuel Macron is set to travel to Egypt on Monday to back the deal, the Elysee Palace said, while Spain’s Pedro Sanchez and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni are also expected to attend.
He is the AIPAC-sponsored village idiot and asinine fool who says he wants to save Nigerian Christians from what he has described as ‘Christian genocide’ whilst three others, namley Congressman Riley Moore, Congressman Chris Smith and American Secretary of State Senator Marc Rubio, are his happy cheerleaders.
An Israel-loving, genocide-enabling, Muslim-hating, Zionist-pampering and Gaza-slaughtering Yankee hill-billy who supports a cruel, leperous, lawless, racist, extremist, bigoted, arrogant, vile, land-grabbing, child-killing, rogue, pariah and deluded apartheid state with an all-conquering colonial mentality and who has nothing but contempt for Arabs, Asians and Africans, whether Christian or Muslim, is telling us that he will help to solve our problems and save the Christian population in Nigeria?
He alleges Christian genocide in a country where the Chief of Defence Staff, the Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Navy Staff, the Chief of Defence Intelligence, the Inspector General of Police, the Director General of the DSS, the Chairman of the EFCC, the Comptroller General of Immigration and so many more heads of our security and intelligence agencies are headed by Christians?
He alleges Christian genocide in a country whose President has a wife that is not only a Christian but also a Pastor?
He alleges Christian genocide in a country where every single Governor from the South and a good number of Governors from the North Central zone are Christian?
He alleges Christian genocide in a country where the Senate President, the Secretary to the Federal Government and the National Chairman of the ruling party are Christian?
He alleges Christian genocide in a country whose Federal Government on assumption of office two years ago removed the great injustice that existed for the previous 8 years in which every single head of our 17 security and intelligence agencies and every single operational head of our Armed Forces was a Northern Muslim?
He alleges Christian genocide in a country where the Federal Government, despite the fact that it has a Muslim President and a Muslim Vice President, has given 62% of all political appointments at the federal level to Christians whilst giving the Muslims 38%.
He alleges Christian genocide in a country where the Federal Government has done more to protect, further the interests and allay the fears and concerns of the Christian population in the North than any other in recent memory?
He alleges Christian genocide in a country where the Vice President went to the United Nations General Assembly, together with the Foreign Minister, and boldly condemned the holocaust of our time and unconciable genocide of the innocent and defenceless Christians and Muslims of Gaza by a psycopathic, cruel, genocidal and mass-murdering Jewish supremacist state which Senator Cruze and his crusaders are so enamoured with and insisted on an immediate cessation of the ethnic and religious cleansing and the unconditional establishment of peace, equity, humanity and a two-state solution?
He alleges Christian genocide in a country in which the Governor of Kaduna state, in North Western Nigera, has in just two years restored peace, harmony and love between the Christian and Muslim communities, built trust between the two more than any other Governor in recent history and has brought an end to the greatest carnage and persecution that Christians have ever faced in any state in our country which occurred under the watch of his predecessor in office for the previous eight years?
He alleges Christian genocide in predominately Muslim Northern states like Borno, Yobe, Zamfara, Kebbi, Kogi, Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, Niger, Nassarawa, Kebbi and Bauchi whose Muslim populations have sufferered far more in terms of casualties at the hands of the terrorists than the Christians?
He alleges Christian genocide in predominantly Muslim states like Kaduna, Borno, Kwara and Yobe where the Governors have not only gone out of their way to allay the fears and address the challenges and concerns of Christians with compassion, sensitivity and understanding but have also gone out of their way to bring peace and harmony between members of the two faiths, protect Christian communities and allow for the establisment, re-establishment, building and rebuilding of more Churches than at any time in their history?
Senator Ted Cruz and his Yankee crusaders will not know all this and neither do they care to find out because they are driven by a pathological hatred for Muslims, believe that all Muslims are terrorists and cannot conceive or abide a situation where Muslims and Christians can, generally speaking, abide in peaceful co-existence and skillfully manage their challenges and differences.
To Cruz the only good Muslim is one that is dead or does what he is told by the Americans and the only good Christian is one that goes running to Washington with his tale between his legs, asking for handouts and telling tall tales about how wicked and intolerant all Muslims in Nigeria supposedly are and how primitive and backward our country is meant to be.
That is the false narrative they applaud and wish to hear and these are the perfidious tales and infantile fables that bring joy to their hearts and that feed and justify their arrogance, condescending attitude, contempt and irrational hatred for and towards us.
It also provides them with a reason and plausible excuse to destabilise our nation in an insidious and desperate attempt to pillage our mineral resources, including our rare earth, our gems, our oil and our gold through their local surrogates and agents and eventually come in themselves to pick up whatever is left of us after we have torn ourselves to pieces.
They did it in Libya, Iraq, Somalia, Lebanon, Congo, Syria and elsewhere and now it appears that their evil eye has been focused on us.
That is and has always been the plan and that is why most of the insurgent groups that kill, terrorise and displace our people, both Christian and Muslim, are covertly armed and supported by western intelligence agencies.
More can be read about this in my widely published article titled ‘The Fiction of Christian Genocide and the Conspiracy Against Nigeria” which I released one week ago.
When one considers all the facts that I have listed above it is clear that under such circumstances the charge of “Christian genocide” and that Nigeria is “the most dangerous place in the world for Christians to live” seems hardly sustainable. As a matter of fact it sounds utterly absurd.
Who in our Armed Forces and security and intelligence agencies pulls the trigger on the Christians and who gives the orders for them to be singled out for genocide whilst the Muslims are left unscathed and untouched?
Is it the Christians that head most of those institutions that are doing so? I doubt it and neither has it happened.
Ironically, to my recollection, it was only on one occassion that the Nigerian Armed Forces specifically targetted and killed over 1000 Nigerians in one day simply because they blocked a road and on account of their faith and the victims were not Christians but rather Shia Muslims and members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN).
This terrible incident occurred in Zaria, Kaduna state in December 2015 eight years before the inception of the Tinubu administration and under the watch of the previous Chief of Army Staff General Tukur Burutai.
In truth if any religious group in our country has the right and legitimate reason to complain to the world that they have been singled out for elimination by the state in the last twenty years it is the Shia Muslims who have suffered mass murder in the hands of both Muslim and Christian leaders.
This begs the following question: have Christians been targetted and massacred in Nigeria over the years and the answer is “yes” and a chilling and horrendous example is the massacre of Christians in four local Government areas in Southern Kaduna on December 25th 2016 in which no less than 808 Christians were targetted and killed in one day!
The difference here though is that firstly those massacres were perpetuated by non-state actors and savage ethnic militias and certainly not by our security agencies and secondly the same group of savages have consistently committed similar atrocities against Muslim communities too.
Both Muslims and Christians are still being massacred by those same non-state actors and savage ethnic militias today and our Armed Forces are engaging them in the field of battle and killing them in greater numbers than ever before.
Their attacks are not against Christians alone but against the Nigerian state and against men, women and children of all faiths.
That is the point that is lost on our Yankee crusaders and their supporters in Nigeria.
Thousands of Muslim scholars, teachers, Sheiks and Mallams were murdered in cold blood by these same terrorists simply for opposing and preaching against their beastly behaviour and barbarity. Two examples are that of Sheik Jafar Mahmoud Adam from Kano and Sheik Albani Zaria from Kaduna who were two of the most respected Islamic scholars of their time.
They were both murdered in cold blood, one whilst praying in the mosque and the other whilst in his car on the way home.
Those that escaped with their lives were few but my good friend Sheik (Professor) Isa Pantami from Gombe, the former Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, was one of them.
His “crime” was to have roundly defeated Mohammed Yusuf, the founder of Boko Haram, in a six hour public debate on western education and the place of violence in Islam where he argued that it was unislamic to kill innocent people and to reject western education.
After Mohammed Yusuf was himself killed by security forces whilst in detention and Abubakar Shekau took over as the new leader of Boko Haram the first thing the lattter did was to publicly announce that Pantami must be killed but thankfully, despite the fact that they tried to eliminate him no less than three times, he did not achieve his objective and the Sheik not only remains alive and well today but he has gone from strength to strength in his preaching, his academic achievements and his political career.
It was the same Sheik Isa Pantami that saved the lives of a number of Christians that had been attacked by a violent mob of criminals and terrorists a few years later in Bauchi.
To those that say Muslims are not targetted by Christians as well I challenge them to find out what happened in a mosque in Jos, Plateau state in 2012 when a mob of depraved so-called “Christian” youths not only attacked and killed the Muslims as they prayed and burnt down their mosque but also cut them to pieces and proceeded to cook and eat them! The videos can be found on YouTube till today.
I can also cite the example of a well-respected Muslim Senator from one of the North Eastern states who is the Chairman of a powerful commitee in the Nigerian Senate today whose father was killed a number of years ago by a wild and blood-lusting so-called “Christian” mob before his very eyes a number of years ago.
It was in the same way that a Christian from Benue state by the name Gideon Akaluka was dragged out of a police cell and butchered by a wild, fanatical and crazed so-called “Muslim” mob in Kano 1996.
A similar atrocity occurred in Sokoto state in 2022 when a young lady called Deborah Samuel Yakubu was literally torn from limb to limb and then burnt alive by a group of utterly deranged and lawless so-called “Muslims”.
There was also the case of Bridget Agbahime, a Pastors wife, who was killed by another crazed supposedly “Muslim” mob in Kano in 2016.
These killings and sectarian mob actions are a great tragedy, as is the the case with the loss of any life, but that does not mean that Muslims or Christians are being subjected to genocide in Nigeria but rather that ALL Nigerians are being subjected to mass murder by demon-possesed, psychotic, cold-blooded killers and wild mobs that do not represent any faith, any cause or anything other than that which is evil.
There are many other examples of Christians being attacked and killed by so-called “Muslims” and Muslims being attacked and killed by so-called “Christians” and the cycle just goes on.
Criminals and drug-crazed, bloodthirsty mobs use these religious labels just to effect their evil purpose and none of them can legitimately describe themselves as members of a faith neither of which endorses or supports the genocide, ethnic cleansing and mass murder of innocents.
This is not Christian genocide, it is not Muslim genocide but rather it is genocide against all our people by depraved mobs of mindless killers from both sides of the religious divide and we as a people must resist them and despatch them all to hell.
I am glad that the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has rightly put a lie to the absurd and dangerous notion that what we are witnessing in our country is exclusively a “Christian genocide” and have finally laid the matter to rest.
In an additional statement signed by Bishop Okah, the President of CAN, they affirmed the fact that Christians were being targetted by non-state actors, acknowledged the fact that the Federal Government is doing its best to address the issue after many years of neglect and they urged the security agencies to do even more than they have already done to put an end to the scourge.
There is nowhere in Bishop Okah’s statement where he alleged that the Federal Government or its security forces are subjecting Christians to genocide and neither did he allege or even insinuate that the horror that has been unleashed on our land by the barbarians affected only Christian communities.
There is also the aspect of a deadly and equally barbaric insurgency group and ethnic militia based in the South East called ESN which has been targetting and killing innocent Christians and Muslims from all over the country.
The members of this militia, just like Boko Haram, Ansaru and ISWAP who falsely claim to represent Islam, claim to represent Chriistianity and ethnic liberation but in actual fact they do not: they represent only satan, his fallen angels and the Angel of Death.
Given the fact that this militant cult of murderous vampires has targetted and killed as many Nigerian Christians as any other and are indeed interested in the total dismemberment of the Nigerian state, it is interesting that Sentor Cruz and his crusaders did not express any concern about their activities and have instead insisted on focusing on only what is going on in the North.
Could this be because he, his AIPAC sponsors and his ZIonist and Isreali friends are the ones bankrolling and encouraging them?
Is that why the de facto leader of the political wing of their militia covertly met with select members of the American Republican caucus in Washington recently where and when they discussed events in Nigeria, the upcoming 2027 presidential election and finally came up with the battle cry of “Christian genocide” as a way of rallying Christians in and outside of the country, discrediting and destabilising our Government and dividing our nation as a first step towards effecting regime change on or before the 2027 election?
These are questions that need to be answered by Senator Cruz and his cheerleaders.
The truth is we do not need a misguided and mischevous white-skinned religious zealot and deluded fake Messiah from Texas to save us.
In the name of God the Great, the Ancient of Days and the Lord of Hosts we shall save and deliver ourselves from the murderous psycopaths and homicidal barbarians that are butchering our people and that have afflicted our land and we shall protect both the Christians and Muslims in our country that are being slaughtered on a daily basis by the Janjaweed hordes from Mordor and the western-backed terrorists of ISWAP Ansaru and Boko Haram.
Whether Christian or Muslim we are first and foremost Nigerians and there is no division between us on religious lines.
Our common enemy are the terrorists and those that covertly empower, aid and support them from outside our shores and not one another and we shall fight them as one!
Senator Ted Cruz and his colleagues and compatriots including Rep. Chris Smith, who has called on President Donald Trump to “arm Christian communities in Nigeria and to bomb Muslim ones”, Rep. Riley Moore who has alleged that Nigeria is the “dedliest place on earth for Christians” and urged Trump to designate our nation as “a country of particular concern”, Senator Marco Rubio, who has been supporting all three in their nefarious endeavours and who has backed Moore strongly in his quest to ensure that our country is formally designated as one of concern and all the other members of the mischevous, misguided and misinformed cabal of Yankee crusaders and congress of fools, stand warned!
Your jaundiced and delusional perspective, which is rooted in a crass and vulgar display of ignorance and arrogance, defies logical and rational reasoning when it comes to the affairs of our nation and it must come to an end.
You are biting off more than you can chew and the consequences of your bullish and irresponsible behaviour and your mendacious categorisations and characterisations, if unchecked, will ultimately affect American vital and strategic interests not just in Nigeria but in the entire West African sub-region which remains our backyard and firmly under the sphere of our influence.
Stop misrepresenting our situation, leave our country alone and stop trying to provoke chaos and ignite a religious war.
You cannot love us more than we love ourselves! You are part of the problem and not the solution!
It is true that Christians are being killed in large numbers in Nigeria but it is NOT true to say that Muslims are not being killed in equal numbers.
There are over 110 million Christians in Nigeria and there can be no denying the fact that they have suffered immensely over the years in the hands of terrorists.
They have been subjected to mass murder, ethnic cleansing, torture, persecution, vilification and marginalisation for decades particularly in parts of the North.
I would not deny that and I have opposed it and spoken out against it for the better part of my adult life.
Where you have got it wrong though is that this does not translate into “Christian genocide” simply because the Muslims in Nigeria, who are also 110 million strong, are suffering precisely the same things at the hands of the same people.
They have also been subjected to mass murder, ethnic cleansing, torture, persecution, vilification, marginalisation and in some cases even cannibalism in some parts of the North.
That does not however translate to “Muslim genocide” because these terrible atrocities that are being unleashed are not limited to Muslims.
Both faiths have suffered immeasurably in Nigeria over the years and members of both faith have been subjected to genocide.
The terrorists that perpetuate this great evil make no distinction between their victims on religious grounds.
They wipe out Christian communities, take their land, enslave their women and children and desecrate and burn down their Churches and they mete out precisely the same treatment to our Muslim compatriots, Muslim communities and Mosques as well.
I repeat for the purpose of emphasis that what we are witnessing in Nigeria is not a genocide against Muslims or a genocide against Christians but a genocide against us all.
To couch or describe it in any other way as a consequence of ignorance or mischief is most unhelpful and darn-right dangerous and could ignite a full scale religious war the likes of which the world has never witnessed.
We need to tread very carefully indeed and we need to scrutinise the motivations of the Americans and view with the utmost suspicion their new found love for our Christian population.
As they say, “beware of the Greeks, especially when they bring gifts!” Ancient Troy learnt that lesson the hard way with drastic and frightful consequences: let us hope that we don’t end up learning it the hard way as well!
To the Yankee crusaders I say the following. If you want to talk about genocide in Nigeria then talk about the genocide of ALL Nigerians, both Christians and Muslims, at the hands of a group of vile and unconciable terrorists who are throughly evil and who represent no faith.
To call it “Christian genocide” and not the “genocide of all Nigerians” betrays the fact that you have an evil agenda and sinister motive.
No matter how hard you try we shall not drink from your poisoned chalice and you shall not divide or destroy us.
You will not plunge us into a cataclysmic cycle of fratricidal butchery and a second civil war which will undoubtedly result in the massive bloodletting and carnage that you so desperately seek.
That is not our portion and God will not allow it.
The Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit (NDIS) recorded over ₦673 million worth of diaspora investment deals in 2024, according to the Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa.
Dabiri-Erewa also revealed that since its inception in 2018, the Summit has contributed more than ₦500 million to Nigeria’s local economy through payments to service providers, creatives, and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) engaged around the annual event.
Speaking at a media briefing ahead of the 2025 edition, she said the forthcoming summit aims to build on previous successes and further deepen diaspora participation in national development.
President Bola Tinubu is expected to serve as the guest of honour at the 8th edition of the Summit, which will take place from November 11 to 13, 2025, in Abuja.
This year’s event, themed “Fast-Tracking Regional and National Development by Mobilising Diaspora Investment,” is projected to attract no fewer than 3,000 participants, both physically and virtually.
She said, “We are determined to build on this momentum. This year, we will continue to spotlight sectors critical to Nigeria’s transformation: Finance and Fintech; ICT; Creative Industries, Sports and Entertainment; Agribusiness; Healthcare; Education; Real Estate and Infrastructure; Manufacturing and Energy.”
Dabiri-Erewa added, “We are honoured that His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, will once again serve as the Special Guest of Honour, and we anticipate the participation of distinguished business leaders, diaspora investors, policy champions, and creative icons who continue to inspire confidence in Nigeria’s potential.”
Dabiri-Erewa informed that since its inception in 2018, the NDIS has become a trusted platform that fosters ‘direct, credible and impactful investments’ from the Nigerian diaspora into the local economy.
She highlighted the success of the 2024 edition, saying, “The last edition of the Summit, held in November 2024, showed just how much momentum NDIS has built over the years as it welcomed above 1,500 participants, both online and physically, including 236 investors, 1,197 business owners, and 168 government officials. Over the course of the Summit, a total of 56 pitches were presented across eight key sectors, which highlighted the creativity, determination, and entrepreneurial spirit of Nigerians. These ideas were not just pitched but attracted about 168 deals worth about N673 million.
“The Creative, Entertainment, and Sport sector stole the spotlight with 39 deals, showing just how much talent and energy Nigeria has to offer. But when it came to big money, Infrastructure and Real Estate led the way, securing about ₦201 million across 22 deals. Energy, though quieter with just four deals, still drew an impressive ₦172 million. Agribusiness made its mark too, with 28 deals bringing in ₦103 million. While the numbers are impressive, the true story lies in the impact these investments are having on everyday lives in Nigeria.
They are helping to create jobs for young people, giving them opportunities to learn new skills and earn a living. They are helping businesses expand their operations, reach new markets, and become more competitive. For example, GAIN Business Incubator raised over ₦200 million to expand its operations. Xtralarge Farms secured international distribution deals through connections made at the Summit. Filmmakers like JohnMark Iyoo found mentors and pathways to bring Nigerian stories to a global audience.”
In addition, the NiDCOM Chairman noted that several state governments, including Ondo, Nasarawa, and Borno, have leveraged the Summit in previous years to attract investors and advance major development projects, such as Ondo’s port initiative, which later gained Federal Government approval.
She pointed, “These outcomes show that NDIS is more than a conference; it is a catalyst for enterprise and sustainable partnership.”
She therefore called on Nigerians in the diaspora and those at home to seize emerging investment opportunities through the Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit (NDIS) and invest massively in Nigeria’s economic development.
She asserted that NDIS has grown beyond being a conference but as a catalyst for enterprise and sustainable development, which has fostered job creation, youth empowerment, and connecting Nigeria’s enormous talent pool to its development agenda.
Also speaking, Dr. Badewa Adejugbe-Williams, Chairperson of the Nigeria Diaspora Summit Initiative (NDSI), noted that over the years, the summit has served as a vital bridge, attracting investments and unlocking the vast potential of the diaspora for Nigeria’s development.
She added that this year’s theme aligns perfectly with the Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to diversify the nation’s economy and drive inclusive growth and sustainable development.
Dr. Adejugbe-Williams also encouraged new sponsors, investors, and media partners to amplify the message of the Summit and take advantage of the opportunities it presents.
Organised by NiDCOM with NDSI, the Summit connects Diaspora investors with local entrepreneurs across key sectors, including Finance and Fintech, ICT, Creative Industries, Sports, Agribusiness, Healthcare, Education, Real Estate, Infrastructure, Manufacturing, and Energy.
All participants are urged to register at www.ndisng.com.
Nigeria has appealed to the international community to support the candidacy of Dr. Tauheed Olufemi Elias for election to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, formally presented Dr. Elias to members of the diplomatic corps in Abuja ahead of the ICJ elections scheduled for November 2025.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, has not had a representative on the ICJ for over three decades. The last jurist from the ECOWAS sub-region to serve on the Court was Judge Abdul Koroma of Sierra Leone, who completed his second term in 2011.
Tuggar said Dr. Elias’ nomination reflects Nigeria’s deep commitment to international law as a cornerstone of global peace, justice, and mutual respect.
“The occasion is more than a formal introduction—it is a reaffirmation of Nigeria’s enduring commitment to international law, to multilateralism, and to ensuring that the legal voices and traditions of Africa, especially our ECOWAS sub-region, continue to play their rightful role in the world,” Tuggar stated.
He noted that since the Court’s establishment in 1945, Africa has consistently produced jurists of great distinction, yet no representative from West Africa has served since 2011.
“Even more striking is the fact that Nigeria has not had a national on the Court for over 30 years. This underscores the need for equitable geographical representation and for West African voices to once again be heard within the world’s highest judicial body,” Tuggar added.
Presenting Dr. Elias as Nigeria’s nominee, the Minister described him as an eminent jurist of high moral character and international standing, whose professional achievements align with the qualifications required by Article 2 of the ICJ Statute.
“Dr. Elias is a distinguished scholar, seasoned international civil servant, and respected judge. His career reflects a rare combination of academic excellence, multilateral service, and judicial experience,” Tuggar said.
He noted that Dr. Elias is a full member of the *Institut de Droit International*, an honour reserved for jurists of outstanding distinction, and has spent more than two decades within the United Nations system—rising from a junior legal officer to the rank of Assistant Secretary-General.
Tuggar concluded by reaffirming Nigeria’s confidence in Dr. Elias’ ability to contribute meaningfully to the ICJ’s mission of upholding justice, equity, and the rule of law on the global stage.
“Along that path, he held senior positions in multiple international organisations, serving at the intersection of law, diplomacy, and administration. This exposure has given him a deep understanding of how international law functions in practice, how it underpins peacekeeping, humanitarian action, disarmament, and sustainable development. With these elections, I do not believe that other candidates bring to the court such a thorough and real grasp of the UN’s legal architecture and its operational realities.
“Equally impressive is his judicial experience. Dr. Elias has served as a judge and president of several international administrative tribunals, presiding with fairness, clarity, and respect for due process. He presently serves as a judge ad hoc of the International Court of Justice, where he participates in the court’s deliberations and contributes to its jurisprudence with independence and restraint.
“This blend of scholarly reflection, institutional experience, and judicial temperament is unique and is precisely what the court requires at this moment in history, when international disputes are increasingly complex and the demand for legal clarity is greater than ever. Your Excellencies, this candidacy is not about Nigeria alone. It is about ensuring that Africa, and West Africa in particular, retains its rightful presence in shaping the global rule of law.
“Electing Dr. Elias would restore that balance and reaffirm the principle that all regions must share in the custodianship of international justice. It is also about upholding multilateralism in an era when global challenges, from climate change to maritime security, test our collective will. The ICJ stands as a beacon of peaceful dispute settlement.
“Nigeria has always believed that international law must remain the cornerstone of international order. Our record speaks clearly. When Nigeria has appeared before the court, we have respected its judgments and implemented them in full.
“That fidelity to the rule of law informs our decision to present a candidate of the highest calibre. Dr. Elias’ candidacy reflects the very ideals that unite us as members of the diplomatic community: integrity, competence, and commitment to justice. He is not a regional candidate.
“He is a candidate for the international community. We all know how complex the global judicial system can be. That is why we require people with the requisite expertise.
“If you look at the differences between francophone, anglophone, for instance, talking about the judicial systems, it is quite complex. That is why we need competent hands. In supporting him, you will be helping to strengthen not only the court but the principle that law, not power, should guide relations among nations.
“Nigeria therefore respectfully seeks your government’s kind support for the election in November 2025, both in the United Nations General Assembly and in the Security Council. Your endorsement will affirm a shared belief that the ICJ must continue to embody diversity, excellence, and independence. Your Excellencies, Nigeria is proud to present Judge Tauhid Orufemi Elias, a jurist of learning, experience, and vision.
“He represents continuity with Africa’s distinguished contribution to the ICJ and renewal for our collective faith in the rule of law. As we look ahead to the elections, I am confident that his presence on the bench will strengthen the court’s credibility and advance our common pursuit of peace through law.”
Maxim Oreshkin opened the II International Symposium “Creating the Future” at the National Center “Russia,” which has become part of the global Open Dialogue ecosystem. The event brought together representatives from more than 85 countries worldwide.
At the Symposium opening, Maxim Oreshkin, Deputy Chairman of the National Center “Russia” Organizing Committee, read a welcome message from Russian President Vladimir Putin to the attendees. In it, the head of state noted that participants would continue an open, creative discussion about what the world will become as a result of ongoing global changes.
“I am confident that we must create our future ourselves, based on a sovereign worldview and tireless, bold, innovative search, building on the outstanding achievements of our ancestors, historical, spiritual, and patriotic traditions passed down from generation to generation. Therefore, it is gratifying that the youth program occupies a priority place in this forum’s agenda. It is essential that young men and women see development prospects for themselves and can unlock their potential—in science and creativity, in sports and entrepreneurship, and in volunteer projects. And then the boldest dreams will definitely come true,” Vladimir Putin emphasized.
The Symposium will take place on October 7-8 in Moscow under the auspices of the Decade of Science and Technology, with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, and the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. An expert session of the Open Dialogue “Future of the World. New Platform for Global Growth” will also be held on the sidelines of the Symposium.
“We are actively developing an important new initiative—Open Dialogue. There are participants here from the event we held in April called ‘Future of the World: New Platform for Global Growth.’ The forum set ambitious goals, and they were indeed achieved. The ‘Creating the Future’ Symposium, where we are present today, is becoming part of the global Open Dialogue ecosystem,” said Maxim Oreshkin, Deputy Chairman of the National Center “Russia” Organizing Committee.
The central event of the educational program will be an open lecture series featuring architect, founder and CEO of James Law Cybertecture James Law, industrial designer, futurist, and director of Sber Design Laboratory Vladimir Pirozhkov, theater and film actor and TV host Arseny Popov, and Chairman of the Chilean Robotics Association Rodrigo Andres Quevedo Silva.
On the same day, there will be a “Media of the Future” section, an all-Russian quiz “History of the Future,” and an awards ceremony for laureates of the All-Russian Literary Prize in Science Fiction with participation from National Center “Russia” General Director Natalia Virtuozova, Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the Board of the All-Russian Public Organization “Union of Writers of Russia” Nikolai Ivanov, film director, screenwriter and producer Karen Shakhnazarov, as well as science fiction writer from Italy Roberto Quaglia.
“The future is created by those who are not afraid to dream. This year, we expanded the Symposium: we want not just to talk about the future, but to show how authors, scientists, architects, and artists from different countries envision it, and to visualize development scenarios—from technology to culture. The Symposium is becoming a place where you can see and feel the future—as created by the best minds in the world,” said National Center “Russia” General Director Natalia Virtuozova.
The International Symposium brings together participants from 85 countries, including China, the USA, Italy, Latin America, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
These include politicians, scientists, researchers, engineers, futurists, cultural and artistic figures, media representatives, and all those who care about the future of Russia and the world and are ready to develop practical forecasts.
No fewer than 850 Nigerian students are currently schooling in various universities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, The Nation learnt.
No fewer than 3,200 Nigerians have so far graduated from the country’s universities in the last one decade.
Vice President for Educational and Academic Affairs, King Khalid University, Prof. Saad M. Bin Dajem, disclosed this yesterday at the opening of the Forum of Saudi Arabia Universities Alumni in Nigeria and Neighboring Countries.
The forum, which was held in Abuja, has as theme: “Alumni of Saudi universities in the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Surrounding countries and their impact on sustainable development.”
Dajem said: “In Saudi Arabia, there are more than 850 students from this country (Nigeria) studying in Saudi Universities.
“Already, since decades, there are more than 3,200 graduates from Nigeria. Now, in study, there are almost 850 in progress of study.”
He said his country is open to admitting more Nigerians to study in their universities, adding that prospective students from Nigeria will be given acceptable rate.
“We are actually proud to accept more Nigerian students in our university in different disciplines, education, engineering, science, Arabic language, religious studies and medical sector. Hopefully, we will arrange a good acceptance rate for this country because it contributes a huge number of population to the African continent,” he added.
He also revealed that his country has a scholarship scheme, which is available to all irrespective of religion.
The Khalid University don said scholarships are for both Muslims and non-Muslims.
He said: “According to our regulation, admission will be accessible to all even scholarships.
“And we have King Abdullah University for Science and Technology, most of the scholarships for students are for Muslims and non-Muslims as well. And King Fahd University for Mineral and Petroleum also employs and accepts students from all cultures, all religions, all continents,” he added.
Speaking on the forum, the don said it is to open communication with alumni from the universities and see how they are impacting on their environment.
He said: “We found them very active and we expect that when they come back to their country, they will contribute to sustainable development, either for personal living or in the country.”
On the prospect of Nigerian graduates in Saudi Arabia, Dajem said graduates who wish to pursue higher degrees after their first degree are allowed to continue and also those whose skills are needed stand the chance to be employed.
“Actually, when they graduated from Saudi university, they could continue their higher studies in Master or PhD. And if they are well-qualified, they will be hired by the university as a professor.
Minister of State for Education, Dr. Suwaiba Said Ahmad, in her opening remarks, lauded the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its long-standing commitment to educational cooperation and cultural institutions with Nigeria.
Dr. Ahmad said: “Such partnerships enrich our human capital and strengthen bilateral ties for mutual good. As we celebrate this gathering, I urge the alumni to continue to serve as ambassadors of knowledge, peace and development.
“Your role in mentoring young Nigerians, advancing intercultural understanding and contributing to national development cannot be overstated. The Federal Ministry of Education will continue to support initiatives that harness alumni network for national advancement, for educational advancement and sustainable nation building.”
She also recognised the invaluable contributions of Nigerian alumni of Saudi universities to the national growth, peace, education, culture and development of the country.
She added: “Beyond academic achievement, you embody the bridge of friendship, cooperation and shared values between Nigeria and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Education, as we know, is the bedrock of progress.
On his part, Secretary of the Alumni, Dr. Mohamed Munir Ilyas, who was a graduate of Islamic University of Medina, said since returning home, he has been contributing towards peaceful co-existence between the two major religious groups in Nigeria.
He stressed: “Of course, when you look at development, where there is no peace, it’s very hard to have development. We have been encouraging our members to be law-abiding citizens and peacemakers, peace builders and peace keepers also. And also to make an impact as far as academics is concerned, as far as moral is concerned, as far as even earning livelihood is concerned.”
