The Nation Newspaper

Tag: U.S

  • Police: UK, U.S. warning of bomb threat is real

    Police: UK, U.S. warning of bomb threat is real

    THE Police yesterday confirmed that the threat by Boko Haram to attack the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and six other states is real.

    The United States (U.S.) and the United Kingdom (UK) missions in Nigeria had warned of possible attacks on soft targets by insurgents in FCT, Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa and Yobe states.

    Following the warning, the Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Idris directed Commissioners of Police, Assistant Inspectors General of Police and personnel in the states to be on red alert.

    The IG directed the CPs to hold stakeholders’ meetings  to proffer measures on the threat.

    Speaking during a stakeholders’ forum organised in the FCT, Commissioner of Police Sadiq Bello said the police would work with other security agencies to ensure that the threat is not actualised.

    Bello said: “The threat to attack the city is real. However, we want to assure members of the public that we are working in collaboration with other security agencies to ensure that we all enjoy a peaceful Yuletide.

    “The Americans and British government warned us of an impending threat and it would be stupid of us not to do anything. God will not forgive us if we don’t do anything and that is why we are here,” Bello said.

    On how the threat would be prevented, the CP said: “We are doing a lot but we don’t want to mention the strategy so that the men of the underworld don’t take advantage of it.

    “We are doing a lot, especially with our sister security agencies. We have already mapped out strategies and we have already commenced that.

    “It may involve massive raids, massive visibility policing, vigorous stop and search and we would also embark on intelligence gathering.”

    Bello urged the public to come forward with information that would help prevent the attack.

    He said: “Police work is not magic; we depend on members of the public to make contribution and that is why we are urging members of the public to come up with useful information that would help us nip crimes in the bud.

    “If they see people of questionable character and suspicious movement, they should come to us quickly because we want to take necessary measures to prevent the actualisation of the threat,” Bellosaid.

     

  • Australian gov’t bans foreign political donations

    Australian gov’t bans foreign political donations

    The Australian government on Monday banned foreign donations to Australian political parties, the Attorney-General, George Brandis, said.

    The changes came after Brandis carried out a review of Australia’s counter-intelligence laws.

    In addition to banning foreign donations, new laws targeting spies and foreign interference will be introduced.

    Also, it will be made a crime to support foreign intelligence agencies while the laws that ban the disclosure of classified information will be made stricter.

    The laws have been loosely modelled on the U.S. foreign agents registration act. A, similar to one that already exists in the U.S., will be established.

    Brandis said that threat of political interference by foreign intelligence services was “a problem of the highest order and it is getting worse.”

    In May, the prime minister asked me to lead a comprehensive review of Australia’s foreign interference laws,” he said in a media release on Monday.

    “It was the most significant review of foreign interference laws ever undertaken. That review is now complete and legislation is ready to be introduced into the Parliament.

    “The legislation will strengthen and modernise a range of offences including espionage, sabotage and treason.

    “It will also introduce, for the first time, a range of offences criminalising acts of foreign interference.

    “The government will also establish a new transparency scheme to inform the public and decision-makers of instances of foreign influence on our government and political processes.

    That means those, who act on behalf or in the interest of foreign principals must register that fact.”

    NAN

  • Jordan urges US not to recognise Jerusalem as Israel capital

    Jordan urges US not to recognise Jerusalem as Israel capital

    Jordan’s foreign minister has warned the United States of “dangerous consequences” if it recognises Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

    Ayman Safadi said he had told U.S Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, such a declaration would trigger great anger in the Arab and Muslim world.

    Speculation is mounting that President Donald Trump will announce the move soon, fulfilling an election pledge, the BBC reports.

    Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, said no decision had yet been made.

    In a tweet, Mr. Safadi said: “Spoke with US Secretary of State Tillerson on dangerous consequences of recognising Jerusalem as capital of Israel. Such a decision would trigger anger across #Arab #Muslim worlds, fuel tension and jeopardise peace efforts.”

    There was no public response from the U.S State Department on the matter.

    Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, is trying to rally international support to persuade Mr. Trump not to make the announcement.

    His office said he made phone calls on Sunday to world leaders including French President, Emmanuel Macron and Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

  • U.S. threatens action against S. Sudan if it does not end violence

    U.S. threatens action against S. Sudan if it does not end violence

    The U.S. threatened to take further action against the South Sudan government if it does not end violence and allow United Nation ( UN ) peacekeepers to do their job.

    A month after U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley visited South Sudan and met with President Salva Kiir in the capital Juba, she told the Security Council: “Words are no longer sufficient.”

    “The U.S. is prepared to pursue additional measures against the government – or any party, for that matter – if they do not act to end the violence and ease the suffering in South Sudan,” said Haley, who was the most senior member of President Donald Trump’s administration to visit South Sudan.

    The Trump administration imposed sanctions in September on two senior South Sudanese officials and the former army chief for their role in the civil war and attacks against civilians.

    However, any U.S. push for the UN Security Council to take further action against South Sudan is likely to be resisted by veto power Russia.

    The council sanctioned several senior South Sudanese officials on both sides of the conflict in 2015, but a U.S. bid to impose an arms embargo in December 2016 failed.

    “It is counterproductive to impose targeted sanctions, counterproductive to impose an arms embargo, such measures will not help to break this deadlock and will only further exacerbate the crisis,” Russia’s Deputy UN Ambassador Petr Iliichev.

    South Sudan spiraled into civil war in late 2013, two years after gaining independence from Sudan, and a third of the 12 million population has fled their homes.

    The conflict was sparked by a feud between Kiir, a Dinka, and his former deputy Riek Machar, a Nuer, who is being held in South Africa.

    A fragile peace deal in South Sudan broke down last year and East African bloc IGAD has been trying to revive it.

    “We view as unjust the ongoing attempts to place all blame for the persistent unabated violence on Juba alone, it has done its role, now the opposition must reciprocate,” Iliichev said.

    UN sanctions monitors reported earlier this month that inspite of the catastrophic conditions across South Sudan, armed forces, groups and militias, particularly those affiliated with Kiir and Vice President Taban Gai, continued to “actively impede both humanitarian and peacekeeping operations.”

    Reuters/NAN

  • Chad rejects U.S. bribery allegations against President Deby

    Chad rejects U.S. bribery allegations against President Deby

    Chad on Thursday rejected allegations made in the U.S. that President Idriss Deby was paid a two million dollars bribe in exchange for providing a Chinese energy company with oil rights without international competition.

    The U.S. announced charges on Monday against former Hong Kong Home Secretary Chi Ping Patrick Ho and former Senegalese Foreign Minister Cheikh Gadio for allegedly funnelling bribes to high-level officials in Chad and Uganda.

    “The government is indignant and questions this fierce attack against our head of state,” Chad’s government said in a statement late on Wednesday, adding that Deby had always sought transparency in the country’s natural resources sectors.

    The U.S. Justice Department alleged that Gadio received 400,000 dollars from Ho via wire transfers through New York to act as a go-between for bribes to Deby on behalf of an unnamed energy firm headquartered in Shanghai.

    Neither Ho nor Gadio, who were both arrested on Nov. 16, have commented publicly on the allegations against them.

    Landlocked Chad pumps about 130,000 barrels of oil per day.

    It ranks third-from-bottom on the UN Human Development Index and 159th out of 176 countries on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.

    NAN

  • Rivers commences construction of hostels, quarters at NYSC camp

    Rivers commences construction of hostels, quarters at NYSC camp

    The Rivers Government has commenced the construction of new facilities for the welfare of corps members and officials at the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp, Nonwa-Gbam, Tai Local Government Area.

    Mr Sunday Aroni, Rivers Coordinator of NYSC, disclosed this on Thursday during the swearing-in-ceremony of the 2017 Batch ‘B’ Stream corps members at the orientation camp.

    Aroni said the facilities included four blocks of hostel for corps members and three units of four-bedroom apartments for camp officials, a new kitchen and a multipurpose hall being expanded.

    ‘‘All these are meant to improve on the welfare of corps members and camp officials on camp, and interestingly, these projects which started two weeks ago, are already at advanced stages,’’ he said.

    The coordinator commended Gov. Nyesom Wike and the state government for the kindness and generosity to the scheme.

    He also congratulated the governor on his award of ‘‘Global Human Settlements Outstanding Contribution’’ in New York, U.S.

    Aroni said that a total of 2,502 corps members had been registered and ready to be sworn-in for national service in the state.

    NAN

    Read Also: NYSC sanctions 15 corps members in Nasarawa

  • AfDB portfolio in Nigeria over $6bn – Adesina

    AfDB portfolio in Nigeria over $6bn – Adesina

    Dr Akinwumi Adesina, President of African Development Bank ( AfDB ), says the bank’s total active portfolio in Nigeria is over six billion dollars.

    Adesina said this in an interview on Wednesday in Abuja.

    “The bank supports Nigeria very strongly.

    “When Nigeria was going through a tough economic time, we led the world actually in rallying support around for a budget support which we did at 600 million dollars to help build more resilient economy as it shows a better diversified economy.

    “If you look at our total active portfolio in the country now, it is over 6 billion dollars.

    “Take for example, we invested over 300 million dollars from the private sector part of the bank in Dangote industries – Petro-chemical industries and the fertiliser manufacturing companies.

    “We also invested over 100 million dollars in the Indorama fertiliser companies as well; they are looking at us to do more, additional 100 million dollars for them.’’

    In addition, he said the Bank had been supporting the recovery effort of the Federal Government in the North East.

    He, however, commended President Muhammadu Buhari for the investment made so far in rebuilding the North East.

    “I give the President kudos for all that has been achieved. We have to rebuild the infrastructure – road, schools etc

    “We have Basic Livelihood Support Programme for over 250 million dollars that we have done for the North East of Nigeria.

    “On agriculture, the Board has just approved a programme called Enable Youth.

    “The programme is to create a generation of young commercial farmers in Nigeria; that is about 430 million dollars we are investing in that.’’

    Adesina, who won the 2017 World Food Laureate Award in Agriculture in the U.S., further said that the Bank had been doing a lot of line credit in Nigeria for commercial banks to lend to small and medium size enterprises.

    He said that the Bank had been talking with the Minister of Power about how to help in the power sector in Nigeria.

    “We have invested a lot in the transmission companies of Nigeria.

    “We are also helping them to have an additional 200 million dollars to post bonds, to be able to raise money to modernise the transmission network in Nigeria.

    “I remember during COP 22 in Morocco, I spoke to the Minister of Power, Fasola and I told him to visit Noor Ouarzazate, the largest Concentrated Solar Power ( CSP ) plant in the World, that was financed by the AfDB in Morroco.

    “He said he was very pleased with the idea and we are supporting his ministry now with a big project, we are going to do in Jigawa a project on Solar.

    “We have a number of states that have approached us and we are looking at various opportunities of supporting from Ogun, we are looking into that; we are looking at Kaduna, Kano states and others.

    “Nigeria is a big market for us and we are going forward in terms of our planning investment over the next three years.

    “It will be over 4.1 billion dollars that we are planning for Nigeria that will cover agriculture, infrastructure, power sector, basic livelihood in terms of water and sanitation,’’ he said.

    Adesina, however, expressed optimism over the implementation of the bank projects in Nigeria, adding that there was a very stringent monitoring system to ensure implementation of set targets.

    “We are quite pleased with a lot of progress I have seen on several of the projects that we have in Nigeria.

    “Obviously, a lot of improvement is needed in terms of the time it takes to actually sign some of the required agreements; it takes a lot of time.

    “We are going to do better because the more we can do that, the more we can actually show better impact in Nigeria.

    “Having talked to the authority to help us improve the time, it takes between when we approve something and when it is signed, it becomes effective in Nigeria.”

    NAN

  • Unilag VC harps on interdisciplinary research to drive development

    Unilag VC harps on interdisciplinary research to drive development

    Nigeria needs multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary researches to drive the needed development in the country, outgoing Vice-Chancellor of University of Lagos (Unilag), Prof. Rahamon Bello, has said.

    Bello made the observation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

    “If I carry out a research on my own, I am limited because it is only what I know that I will work on.

    “If I am doing a research in engineering, I must bring along a sociologist, a lawyer, a psychologist to look at the output and its impact on the society so as to ensure a high economic value,’’ Bello said.

    He said that Nigeria had yet to adequately fund research, noting that no economy would thrive without elaborate research input.

    “We have not put enough resources into research to harness as much as we should be harnessing as a big nation.

    “A nation that has the kind of population we have should have enough resources to be able to do that.

    “You cannot own an economy, either human-based or technology-based, without research.

    “Research will look at what is inherent within the system and convert it for the use of humanity to raise economic advantage for the nation,’’ the professor of chemical engineering said.

    The vice chancellor told NAN that the National Research Fund had not adequately tackled inadequate research funding.

    “If one looks at the percentage due for carrying out the research itself, one will know that we are not there.

    “In Singapore, Malaysia, U.S. and U.K., a large percentage of the gross domestic product is used for research.

    “If you compare that with what we are putting into research here, you will discover we are not yet there,” he said.

    He said that Unilag was doing its possible best in research, but was being hindered by fund constraint.

    “In-house in here, we are carrying out research but the level is limited because of funding.

    “The equipment is not there just as the facilities. If you do not have constant electricity supply, technological research is hampered.

    “I am happy that the government is trying to assist institutions with IPPs, and I can say that we have advanced on that,’’ he said.

    Bello added the university created a Research and Innovation Office to assist scholars to carry out research not just for the purpose of promotion but for national development.

    “These are the ways things are done to improve on research value for a greater impact on both the economy and the researcher.

    “Now, we are attracting international research grants and support from international organisations on equipment for research.

    “We were recently interviewed for support for equipment worth over 300, 000 U.S. dollars from one of the organisations in the U.S.,’’ he said.

    NAN reports that Bello’s five-year tenure as Unilag’s vice chancellor ends on Nov. 11.

    The 11th Vice-Chancellor of the institution came into office in 2012, following the demise of the then Vice-Chancellor, Prof. AdetokunboSofoluwe.

    Bello will be succeeded by Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, the university’s Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics).

  • Yobe approves N1.4bn for irrigation, health, electricity projects

    Yobe approves N1.4bn for irrigation, health, electricity projects

    The Yobe Executive Council has approved the sum of N1.4 billion for the execution of irrigation, health, electricity and education projects across the state before the end of 2017.

    Alhaji Mala Musti, the state Commissioner for Information, disclosed this to newsmen after the State Executive Council meeting in Damaturu.

    Musti said that the council had approved contracts worth N464.7 million for the construction of concrete lining of irrigation canals at Garin Gada.

    He further said that N106.7 million was also approved for the transportation of medical equipment worth N1.8 billion donated to the state by the World Medical Relief, U.S.

    According to him, N186.7 million was also approved for the linking of 33kv transmission power line from Bayamari to Giedam.

    “The council approved N298.5 million for the purchase of furniture and equipment for the Medical College of Yobe State University as well as fencing of the college at the cost of N81.5 million.

    He said that the council also approved landscaping of the frontage of Yobe Mosque and Islamic centre, Damaturu at the cost of N60.6 million.

    Read Also: Yobe to empower farmers with Irrigation scheme

  • EU Commission proposes 30% cut to carbon emissions by cars

    EU Commission proposes 30% cut to carbon emissions by cars

    The European Union ( EU ) Commission has proposed to 30-per cent reduction of car carbon emissions by 2030, compared to 2021 levels.

    “Europe is currently not on the right track,” said European Commissioner, Miguel Canete.

    “To drive and lead the global shift to electric, Europe has to get its house in order.’’

    He said the proposal aimed to amend current trends in the European car industry, including the low number of electric cars sold on the continent.

    He added that jobs in the electric car industry had flowed to other parts of the world, such as the U.S.

    The commissioner said that the target would also help to restore trust in European car makers after they were engulfed in the emissions-testing scandal.

    NAN