Category: Foreign

HEADS of State of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are set to meet to discuss issues bordering on the adoption of the single currency – the Eco –  for the sub-region.

Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, stated this yesterday while briefing reporters after a meeting with Minister of Finance Zainab Ahmed and the President of ECOWAS Jean-Claude Brou.

He said there was no division between Anglophone and Francophone countries within ECOWAS over the single currency adoption.

He added that the sub-regional body would hold a meeting of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government to ensure that all the member states were on the same page.

“That is a whole point of organising this meeting very quickly so that we can dispel that notion that there is a division.

“So, the sooner a meeting can be organised of all the heads of state, then we will be in a better position to dispel this notion that somehow, there is this division between the various groups. ECOWAS is one,” he said.

Also speaking, ECOWAS President said the meeting was convened to discuss the single currency, assuring that ECOWAS was doing its best to advance the process.

“I think we made very good progress in recent months and we continue to work collectively all together so that we can achieve what our principals have set,” Brou said.

Earlier, the Nigerian Finance Minister Ahmed said the inability to meet the convergence criteria was responsible for the delay in achieving the regional single currency.

 

 

Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

The Deputy Head of Mission, Ghana High Commission to Nigeria Ms Iva Denoo has  assured Nigerians living in Ghana of maximum security.

Denoo gave this assurance in an audience with the Secretary of the Nigerians  in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM),  Dr. Sule Yakubu Bassi, who represented the Chairman of the commission , Abike Dabiri

Speaking on the recent demolition   at the Nigerian High Commission in Ghana an incident which she described as rather an unfortunate and regrettable incident, the Head of Mission to Nigeria said it was never the intention of their Government that such an ugly situation should ever happen.

Read Also: Nigeria exonerates Ghana on demolished high commission

“Ghana cherishes the cordial relationship that they are enjoying with the Nigerian Government and they have so much to gain than to lose from Nigerians in Ghana”, she stressed.

Ms Denoo said that they also have a Diaspora Department in her country and hope that the two countries can come together and work out something that will be beneficial to them.

The Secretary to the Commission Engr. Dr. Sule Yakubu Bassi  thanked the Ghana Deputy Head of Mission for her visit and urged her to ensure that Nigerians in Ghana are secure and safe because the two Countries have a lot in common and should not be compromised. They are the shining stars in the sub-region and the Continent as a whole., he noted

Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

BARRING any last-minute change of plans, about 200 Nigerians stranded in South Africa will be evacuated home tomorrow.

They are to pay $840 for Economy class and Business class will go for $1,350 equivalent.

The evacuation is expected to be carried out by Air Peace, it was learnt.

Over 4,000 Nigerians are stranded in various countries as a result of global lockdown occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic.

As at first week of May, about 147 stranded and some others Nigerians had registered with the High Commission and consulate in Pretoria and Johannesburg for evacuation.

Confirming the arrangement, the Nigerian Ambassador to South Africa, Ambassador Kabiru Bala, said efforts are on to ensure smooth evacuation of the passengers.

Bala, however, said there were some outstanding logistics that have to be addressed.

READ ALSO: FG to evacuate second batch of stranded Nigerians from US

He was, however, hopeful that the challenge will be overcome.

President, Nigerian Citizens Association (NICASA) Prince Benjamin Okoli said going by the circular released by the Nigerian Consular General the evacuees are hopeful that they will be flying back to Nigeria as stated.

Okoli also confirmed that payments have been made to the airline towards the evacuation exercise.

According to the arrangement announced by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, a minimum of 1000 evacuees will be brought back home weekly. About 500 passengers will be landing in Abuja and another 500 are scheduled for Lagos.

By Bolaji Ogundele, Abuja

The Ghanian President, Nana Akufo-Ado, has apologised to Nigeria over the demolition of the Nigerian High Commission building in the country’s capital, Accra, on Sunday.

Akufo-Ado, who tendered the apology during a telephone chat with President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, also said he had ordered an investigation into the incident.

It would be recalled that some persons, escorted by armed policemen, stormed the High Commission on Sunday with bulldozers and destroyed structures within the premises.

A statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said some suspects had been arrested in connection with the incident.

Read Also: Nigeria exonerates Ghana on demolished high commission

“President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana Tuesday spoke with President Muhammadu Buhari, expressing his sincere apology for demolition of a building on the premises of Nigerian High Commission in Accra, Ghana.

“In a telephone call, the Ghanaian leader told President Buhari that he has directed full investigation into the incident.

“Earlier in the day, it further emerged that some suspects had been arrested, and will be arraigned in court”, the statement said.

 

 

By Tajudeen Adebanjo

Very limited number of intending pilgrims will be allowed to participate in this year’s hajj, Saudi Arabia announced yesterday.

The hajj will hold next month.

A statement by Saudi’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said pilgrims will be from nationalities already in Saudi Arabia.

The decision, the ministry said, was “in light of the continuation of the pandemic and the risks of Coronavirus spreading in crowded spaces and large gatherings.”

Saudi Arabia has one of the highest rates of COVID-19 in the Middle East, with more than 157,000 confirmed cases and over 1,267 deaths.

Read Also: Nigeria exonerates Ghana on demolished high commission

The statement reads: “A very limited number of pilgrims from various nationalities who already reside in Saudi Arabia, would be able to perform it.

“This decision is taken to ensure Hajj is performed in a safe manner from a public health perspective while observing all preventative measures and the necessary social distancing protocols.”

The ministry said Saudi Arabia’s top priority was to always enable Muslim pilgrims perform Hajj and Umrah safely and securely.

About 2.5 million pilgrims performed Hajj last year.

From Gbade Ogunwale and Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

• Why property was destroyed, by chief
• PDP decries incident

Nigeria government may have exonerated Ghanaian government on the issue of the demolished part of Nigeria’s High Commission in Accra.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyeama said the action was carried out by a non-state actor.

Onyeama said the culprit acted without the knowledge of the Ghanaian government.

He, however, said Nigeria is waiting to see how Ghana would make amend.

The minister, who was responding to a question during the daily briefing by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, said: “First, we registered our strong condemnation of the attack, which was clearly unjustified and further more under the Vienna Convention, which regulates diplomatic relations between countries. This is a clear violation of the principles of Vienna Convention.

“Now, what we can say is that it is a non-state actor that was involved. It is not government and it is not government sanctioned.”

He also promised to keep the country informed on the outcome of the unfortunate incident.

The minister had summoned the Chargè d’ Affaires of the High Commission of Ghana to Nigeria, Ms Iva Denoo, over the issue.

Onyeama stated in his twitter account that Ghana has been asked to provide urgent explanation on the attack.

The Federal Government had also at the weekend condemned in strong terms the demolition of the High Commissioner Residence.

The action, Nigeria said, is in clear violation of the extant provisions of the 1963 Vienna Convention on inviolability of diplomatic premises.

But, the Paramount Chief of the Osu Community in Ghana, Okwei Kinka Dowuona VI,   has explained why a building belonging to the High Commission was demolished.

In a statement, the traditional leader claimed that the land, which the building that was destroyed is on, is different from the land on which the high commission’s building is currently erected.

He said the demolished building actually belongs to an individual, who was hiding under the political influence of the Nigerian High Commission.

The paramount explained that the parcel of land approximately 1.14 acres more or less being GLPIN GA48906150010 Block 1 Section 019 situate at West Ridge is separate from that which is currently being occupied by the High Commission.

He alleged that the building that was demolished belongs to a Nigerian businessman and it was intended to be used as an event centre, contrary to reports that it was a residential building.

Also, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) said the demolition had brought shame to the country.

The party blamed President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for failing to avert the demolition through appropriate diplomatic channels.

In a statement yesterday by its spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP said: “Our party holds that the demolition of our nation’s High Commission is a huge contempt, which the Buhari Presidency could have stopped through engagements at the highest level of diplomatic relations, but failed as a result of sheer incompetence and incapacity to articulate our national pride before other world leaders.”

“This situation has further explained why attacks on Nigerians and Nigerian interests in foreign lands had escalated under the Buhari administration, with Nigerians being harassed and killed in various parts of the world by assailants, who take advantage of the incompetence and weaknesses of the current government in Nigeria.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said yesterday the COVID-19 outbreak in the United Kingdom (UK) was diminishing, as the country’s coronavirus disease alert level was downgraded from four to three.

Johnson is expected to announce a reduction in the two-metre social distancing rule and plans for the reopening of businesses today, as part of efforts to restart Britain’s economy amid the pandemic.

Johnson, will also today, update Parliament on the next stage of lockdown easing and whether pubs, restaurants, hotels could reopen in UK from July 4.

The easing of restrictions on July 4 marks the start of “phase three” when some hospitality businesses can reopen.

According the government’s guidance, alert level three means the disease is still in general circulation, although the risk of high or exponential transmission has diminished.

In turn, the World Health Organisation recommends a social distance of no less than 1 metre.

“The United Kingdom registered 43 COVID-19 deaths on Sunday, well below the previous four days, when there were over 120 fatalities per day,” the daily update from the Department of Health and Social Care showed.